The San Francisco Post Sept 4, 2014 Issue

MANILA –A man who knows how to count, one of the earliest supporters of

Fernando Poe Jr. when he ran for President in 2004 but was believed to have lost in the counting, is interested in seeing his daugh-ter Sen. Grace Poe run for the same office. Washington SyCip, founder of accounting firm SGV & Co., on Tuesday asked Poe at the Asian Forum on Corporate Social Re-sponsibility in a hotel in Makati City about her running for President. Poe, however, told SyCip that she still had no intention of seeking higher office. But she was nevertheless grateful to have his trust. “Of course, especially coming from Wash-ington SyCip, it’s an honor to have his trust and for him to consider me as somebody who can probably give more by serving in higher office,” Poe said when asked in the Senate about SyCip’s statement. She said she “really admires” SyCip, 93. “He’s a captain of the industry. More im-portantly, he inspires many also because of his contributions and positivism,” she added. The senator also said SyCip had connec-tions to her grandfather. Her grandfather, Fernando Poe Sr., was one of SGV’s first clients, she said. And Sy-Cip had been quick to support her father’s bid for the presidency in 2004. “Washington SyCip was one of the first supporters of FPJ when he ran for President,

MANILA — After giving the order for the “greatest escape,” the Filipino

Chief of Staff of the United Nations Dis-engagement Observer Force (UNDOF) submitted his resignation papers, but the Force Commander has other thoughts. Lieutenant General Iqbal Singh Singha, Force Commader of UNDOF, rejected the resignation of Colonel Ezra Enriquez on Sunday and instead put him under leave of absence as only the Department of Peace-keeping Operations can accept resigna-tions from its direct-hires.

Enriquez is a direct-hire of the Depart-ment of Peacekeeping Operations under the UN. Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Zagala, Armed Forces of the Philippines Public Affairs Office Chief, said Wednesday that Enriquez filed his resignation because of his disagreement with Singha. “He (Enriquez) defied the order of the Force Commander in the handling of the situation during the attack at Position 68,” Zagala said. Around 40 Filipino

VOL. 2 ISSUE 45 SEPT 4, 2014 - SEPT 10, 2014VIEW US ONLINE: WWW.SF-POST.COM

Sexy Anne wows with ‘The Gifted’ pictorial - page 13

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GRACE POE FOR PRESIDENT?

Obama on 2nd beheading: We won’t be intimidated Story on page 3

Head of PH peacekeepers quits after ‘great escape’

(Cont. on Page 10)

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Sen. Grace Poe

TRENDINGA blockbuster family reunion for Mark Gil- page 13

MANILA — The House of Representa-tives justice committee on Tuesday

found insufficient in substance the three impeachment raps lodged against Presi-dent Benigno Aquino III.The panel, dominated by Aquino allies, overwhelmingly voted to junk the com-plaints, after some allies moved to sus-pend the debate on the complaint and instead decided to junk the raps.Bayan Muna Representative Neri Col-menares fumed on the speed by which the panel tackled the complaints.

“Noong panahon ni Arroyo, the im-peachment complaints against her reached three to four hearings. Kay President Aquino, two hearings. Are you rushing this?” Aquino told the pan-el chairman Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas Jr.Tupas said the panel practiced the same standards in both impeach hearing.The three complaints were dismissed separately in a vote of 54 lawmakers against each complaint and four votes favoring each of it. Those who voted for the three complaints were Bayan Muna

Representatives Colmenares and Carlos Zarate, and Gabriela Representatives Luz Ilagan and Emmi De Jesus.In an interview after the hearing, Tupas said the committee will prepare a report on the dismissal to be referred to the plenary for approval.“It can be reversed, but I think is a re-flection of the sentiment of the entire House,”Tupas said.Colmenares, meanwhile, lamented the speedy dismissal of

House panel junks 3 impeach raps

(Cont. on Page 8 )

NAIA-3 bomb try foiled; AFP denies coup plot

MANILA – There is no destabilization plot

despite the reported plan by a group of military reserv-ists to bomb specific targets in Metro Manila, including the Ninoy Aquino Interna-tional Airport (Naia), the Armed Forces of the Philip-pines said on Wednesday. “There’s no destabiliza-tion angle on that report kasi imagine ano lang ‘yun, labintador tapos nilagayan ng gasoline (It’s just a fire-cracker and gasoline). Any-body can do that so I think that’s really something that (we should really not be bothered about),” General General Gregorio Pio Cata-

pang Jr., AFP Chief of Staff, told reporters after attend-ing his confirmation hear-ing at the Senate. Catapang was referring to Monday’s foiled plot to bomb the Naia allegedly by a group protesting China’s occupation of disputed isles in the South China Sea. He also dismissed as mere “al-legation” reports that the same group was planning to bomb SM Mall of Asia, in Pasay and the Chinese Embassy and the headquar-ters of property developer D.M. Consunji Inc. in Makati City, all Chinese-operated establishments.

(Cont. on Page 10 )

Ex-Makati vice mayor charged with plunder Story on page 6

SGV founder Sycip bats for lady senator

Washington Sycip

Alleged bomb plot leader Grandeur Pepito Guerrero is escorted by NBI agents for inquest proceedings at the DOJ on Tuesday. Right photo shows the homemade incendiary devices - powerful firecrackers with plastic bottles containing gasoline - seized from the supspects.

THEFT OF FREE NEWSPAPER IS A CRIME IN THIS STATE.

PAGE 2Sept 4, 2014 - Sept 10, 2014 The San Francisco PostLOCAL

3.5 quake hits GilroySAN FRANCISCO -- A magnitude 3.5 earthquake hit Monday morning about six miles of Gilroy, the US Geological Survey reported, causing a few pictures to tip, but no major damage.The earthquake was reported at 9:10 a.m.Gena Gonzales was enjoying a lazy La-bor Day and was just still in bed when the quake hit, tipping the family pictures on her wall.At first, she thought it was the typical con-struction going on at the subdivision be-hind her Gilroy home. Then she realized the sounds and the rumblings were differ-ent.“This was big, it was significant,” she said in an interview. “I was almost about to go into the doorway and get the boys. But the kids were on the bottom floor and it didn’t even faze them.”

Gonzales said that the “several rolls” didn’t last very long, and “the big shake never came.” Nearby, her mother felt the rolling, too, but her dad, who was exercis-ing on a machine didn’t even realize an earthquake had moved through the south of Santa Clara County. A few others said on Facebook that they felt a “quick jolt” in the nearby Morgan Hill area.This earthquake, about six miles from Gil-roy, was half the size of the 6.0 magnitude quake that hit near Napa on Aug. 24, dam-aging at least 500 buildings and initially sending 209 people to the hospital. Gilroy sit along the Calaveras Fault and is about 112 miles south of Napa.Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Sgt. Kurtis Stenderup reported no damage as a result of the Monday morning quake.

PH ranked 5th biggest in Asean as of end-2013MANILA -- The Philippines emerged as the fifth biggest economy among the 10-mem-ber states of the Association of Southeast Nations in 2013, based on the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) at cur-rent prices which stood at $269 billion, data from the Asean showed. In terms of international mer-chandise trade and foreign direct investment inflow, the Philippines ranked sixth in Ase-an neighbors, after generating a total trade of $119.1 billion and attracting $3.86 billion worth of investments last year, statistics further disclosed. According to data from the Asean, Indonesia emerged as the biggest economy in the region, with $863 billion (measured in terms of GDP at current prices), followed by Thailand at $388 billion; Ma-laysia with $312 billion; and Singapore $297.9 billion. Singapore, however, topped the rankings in terms of to-tal international merchandise

trade last year with $783 bil-lion, and foreign direct invest-ment inflow with $60.6 billion. The country likewise posted the highest GDP per capita (at current prices) among the 10 member states at $55,183, fol-lowed by Brunei Darussalam at $39,677. The Philippines GDP per capita stood at only $2,707, the sixth highest in the region. As a region, the Asean econ-omy grew by 5.1 percent with international merchandise trade and FDI inflow posting an in-crease of 1.4 percent and 7.1 percent, respectively. In terms of nominal GDP, Ase-an GDP grew to $2.4 trillion in 2013 from $2.3 trillion in 2012, with the per capita GDP reach-ing $3,837 in 2013 from the $3,761 recorded in 2012. In 2013, Asean international merchandise trade amounted to $2.5 trillion, with total export receipts of $1.3 trillion and im-port payments of $1.2 trillion. Trade among the 10 Asean member states represented 24.2

percent of the region’s total trade during the same period. The region’s biggest trade partner is China, which cor-nered 12 percent of exports and 16 percent of imports. Other leading trade partners included the European Union, Japan and the United States. According to Asean data, elec-trical machinery and equipment were the top export earner at $277 billion while mineral fu-els, mineral oils and product of their distillation were the high-est imported commodity prod-ucts at $274 billion. Inflow of FDI in Asean rose to $122 billion in 2013 from $114 billion in 2012. Intra-Asean investments grew steadily in recent years although its share to total Asean FDI inflows re-mained at around 17 percent. During the period 2011-2013, Asean received the highest FDI from European Union and Ja-pan, accounting for almost 40 percent of the total investment inflows.

PHILIPPINE BUSINESS

California passes plastic bag ban, would be first such law in US

SACRAMENTO - The California state legislature enacted a ban on plastic gro-cery bags on Friday near the end of its two-year session, a measure that if signed into law would become the first of its kind in America. A number of cities and counties in Cali-fornia and other U.S. states, including Ha-waii’s Maui County, have made it illegal for grocery stores to pack purchases in plastic. But at the state level, opposition from plastic bag makers has usually pre-vailed. The California Senate voted 22-15 for the bill, which must be signed into law by Sept. 30 by Democratic Governor Jerry Brown, who has not signaled a position on the measure. “Single-use plastic bags not only litter our beaches, but also our mountains, our deserts, and our rivers, streams and lakes,” said state Senator Alex Padilla, who spon-sored the bill. Padilla backed a similar measure last year but it failed by three votes. The fate of this bill was uncertain until the waning hours of the session after falling three votes short in the state’s Assembly on Monday. But after picking up the support of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, the bill passed a second vote in the

Assembly. The measure would ban grocery stores from handing out single-use grocery bags with customers’ purchases, and provide money to local plastic bag companies to retool to make heavier, multiple-use bags that customers could buy. Environmentalists have pushed for ban-ning plastic bags, which are cheaper for supermarkets to use than paper bags, but create mountains of trash that is difficult to recycle. In California, there is particular concern that the bags, when swept out to sea, could harm ocean life. After the defeat of his earlier bill, Padilla won the support of some California-based bag makers by including the funding for retooling. But in recent months, out-of-state manufacturers campaigned against the bill, even producing television adver-tisements targeting Padilla, who is running for secretary of state. Cathy Browne, general manager at Crown Poly, a plastic bag manufacturer in Huntington Park, California, said the bill would lead to layoffs at companies like hers. More than 10 billion plastic bags are used in California each year, according to an es-timate by Californians Against Waste, an advocacy group supporting the bill.

Costs of Muni rides, Fast Passes increase

SAN FRAN-CISCO -- Muni riders who pay their fares in cash will have to start car-rying around quarters, as the price of an adult fare rises from $2 to $2.25 on Monday. The increase also ap-plies to Clipper card users but they, of course, won’t require extra change. Also rising are the costs of Muni Fast Pass-

es. The adult monthly M pass, which allows rides on Muni only, will rise $2 to $68, while the price of an A pass, which also covers BART rides within the city, will increase $4 to $80. The fare increases, proposed in Febru-ary and adopted as part of the Munici-pal Transportation Agency budget in April, are part of an

automatic fare increase program that seeks to keep pace with inflation.

Business confidence hits 3-yr lowMANILA, Philippines - The business confidence index slid to a three-year low in the third quarter amid higher cost of raw materials, the truck ban and port congestion, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said. The latest Business Expecta-tions Survey showed a confi-dence index of 34.4 percent, well below the 50.7 percent recorded in the second quarter. This is lowest level since the 34.1 percent posted in the third quarter of 2011, central bank data showed. The BSP said the less bullish outlook was due to the seasonal lack of demand amid the rainy season, the rise in commodity prices, and even the increase in overhead costs. Respondents also blamed the truck ban and port congestion in Metro Manila, and the ongo-ing controversies on the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) and Disbursement Ac-

celeration Program (DAP). The sentiment of local firms mirrored the less bullish out-look in the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, New Zea-land, Singapore, Hong Kong and India. Businesses in the US and in China gave more opti-mistic views. The survey showed the less favorable outlook was observed across sectors during the third quarter. Construction firms had a less bullish outlook amid foreseen slowdown in construction ac-tivities due to the rainy season while the wholesale and retail trade sector blamed the season-al slack in demand for its less sanguine outlook. Industry firms were also less optimistic in the third quarter on the back of a slack in pro-duction activities, stiff competi-tion, an increase in the cost of raw materials, and the truck ban and port congestion.

The services sector had a more upbeat outlook, driven by the optimism among hotels and restaurants. For the fourth quarter, busi-nesses were more optimistic as the index hit 52.9 percent. “Respondents’ more positive outlook in the fourth quar-ter was due to expectations of brisker business in view of the expected increase in consumer spending during the holiday season, [and] expansion in re-tail trade, infrastructure, power and telecommunication, educa-tion, and health care business-es,” the BSP said. Moreover, this was due to “higher exports of garments and metals with the recovery global markets, and increase in orders for manufacturing prod-ucts leading to higher volume of production.” The latest BES, conducted from July 1 to Aug. 15, sur-veyed a total of 1,527 firms.

Napa says 822 buildings damaged by quakeNAPA -- Napa city officials say 822 build-ings have now been tagged unsafe after sustaining damage from magnitude 6.0 earthquake that shook the area on Aug. 24. The city now estimates damage from the quake at $362.4 million.Nearly every restaurant on Main Street was shut down by the city on Thursday after authorities examined and tagged the buildings. “It’s just a hard one to swallow,” said Sam Badolato, a chef whose restaurant got red-tagged Thursday morning. “We’re no good outside. I’m way better in the kitchen run-ning the restaurant.” Badolato and other business owners are waiting for guidance from the city on what it will take to start serving customers again. Damages from the quake also extend to

the Napa County Jail. “I’m holding onto my bunk thinking I’m about to get tossed out,” says Victor Gra-ham, who was in a small jail cell with two other cellmates when the temblor struck. “I’m looking at the ceiling, ‘Please don’t come down on me.’”Graham says the quake left his cell with cracks in every corner. The jail’s 203 in-mates are still inside. Some say the inmates should be relocated, despite county officials insisting inmates are not at risk and are safe. “Everyone is the same in these situa-tions,” says attorney Abe Gardener, who is not being allowed inside the jail to visit his clients. “And just because you’re behind bars doesn’t make you any less human.”

Large crowd gathers for annual Oakland Pride Festival

OAKLAND -- Tens of thousands of people celebrated the fifth annual Oakland Pride festival. For the first time, a col-orful parade through Oak-land’s Uptown neighborhood headlined the event. Mayor Jean Quan was among many special guests. People lined

the streets, cheering, showing their sup-port for the l e s b i a n , gay, bi-sexual and transgender communi-ties. The fes-tival also f e a t u r e d famous en-tertainers, i nc lud ing d r u m m e r and singer Sheila E.

PAGE 3Sept 4, 2014 - Sept 10, 2014The San Francisco Post NATIONAL

Priority action needed before you retireIf you are near your retirement

age, you must act now or else you will find yourself miserable during your “golden years” or retirement period. Bankrupt-cy is a great financial planning tool for those who are within a few years from retirement. You must prepare a financial plan for a debt free retirement so that you will enjoy your golden years. Ask yourself these questions:1. Will my retirement income be enough to cover my daily expenses and medical bills?2. Will I be carrying a mortgage that I cannot pay during my retirement?3. Will my long term care cost and medicines be cov-ered by my pension?4. Will increases in cost of living and medicines be covered by my pension? On the average, retirement income for seniors range from $800 to $1500 a month. This income does not increase to cover the ever increasing cost of living and medicines. Long term care cost and medicines will not be covered by the monthly pen-sions of seniors if they do not have any savings or 401K pension plan. There are seniors who are still carrying a mortgage and putting all their money on it in anticipation of an increase in value of real estate. This is the worst kind of money management. Real estate values are still going down and no sign of it increasing in the near future. It is unimaginable that you will be depending on your monthly pension and still owing a lot of debts. The best time to plan for retirement is now. If you have no way of supporting your daily expenses be-cause of debts then it is time to consider filing for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy. You can discharge most of your unsecured debts by filing Chapter 7 Bankruptcy. Many people especially those close to retirement are stressed out because of all their financial obligations. You do not have to put yourself in this very miser-able situation because of debts. You worked hard for so many years to have a comfortable retirement and you deserved it. You can retire debt free if you want. There is nothing to be ashamed of in filing bankrupt-cy. It is made into law to give people a chance to start fresh and be free from past obligations. Many millionaires are also filing for bankruptcy for many reasons since bankruptcy law is created.

Question: Will the creditors take away my social security pension and

retirement accounts if I file bankruptcy?Answer: No. Social security checks and retirement accounts such as IRA and 401K are exempt from creditors up to $1.1 million. Seniors who file bank-ruptcy will come with fresh start without seeing a big percentage of their retirement income to be paid to creditors. Any penny saved from paying creditors goes into your retirement.

Note: This is for presentation purposes only and not a legal advice.

Bankruptcy Basics

1. Bankruptcy will actually improve your credit within one year because your unsecured debts are discharged. Although the bankruptcy will be in your records for 10 years, not filing bankruptcy will make your credit even worse until most your debts are paid.2. If you are being sued by your creditors, most mon-ey judgment can be eliminated in bankruptcy.3. Collection actions continue and you can be sued if you are in debt settlement.4. Chapter 7 will eliminate all unsecured debts. If you are near retirement age, you must eliminate most of your debts.5. Bankruptcy will stop foreclosure actions. If your trustee sale date is 10 days before, you can still file for bankruptcy.6. If your salary is being garnished, you have a court case about debts or you are being harassed by credi-tors, bankruptcy can stop garnishment, court cases, harassing creditors and eliminate the debt.7. Bankruptcy is cheaper, faster and safer than debt settlement which has no guaranteed success. 8. Preserve your health, eliminate stress and live a happy life by eliminating your debts which is the root of all problems. Crispin Caday Lozano is an active member of the State Bar of California, the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the National Association of Consumers Bankruptcy Attorneys. He specializes in immigration law and bankruptcy law. He earned his Juris Doctor at Western State University College of Law in Fullerton, California. He is also a Certified Public Accountant, and a Bachelor of Business Administration Cum Laude graduate.

By Atty. Crispin C. Lozano

BANKRUPTCY Q&A

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama has sent official notification to Congress of his order for last week’s airstrikes and hu-manitarian aid drops to help Iraqis threatened by Islamic State mili-tants. The White House on Monday re-leased a let-ter formally l e t t i n g Congress’ l e a d e r s know that Obama approved the mission that repelled Sunni fighters in the northern Shiite town of Amirli and dropped food, water and medical sup-plies for civilians. Such notifications are re-quired by law and are consid-ered a formality. The Islamic State group has control of vast swaths of Syria and Iraq, has killed civilians from that region and beheaded

American journalist James Foley. The United States has con-ducted airstrikes in northern

Iraq to halt the advance of Islamic State fight-ers. It is also considering extending its air campaign into Syria. Meanwhile, the US Cen-tral Com-mand said that Ameri-can military forces con-

tinued to attack Islamic mili-tant targets, using fighter and attack aircraft to conduct three airstrikes Sunday and yester-day near Mosul Dam. It said the strikes destroyed three trucks, severely dam-aged another, destroyed an armed vehicle and took out a mortar position near the dam. The Central Command said all aircraft exited the strike area safely.

Obama notifies Congress of airstrikes in Iraq

WASHINGTON — Cities in the United States and Western Europe are being eyed as Islamic State militants’ future targets and President Barack Obama needs to take action, two US lawmakers are warn-ing. Without offering specifics on any threats or suggestions on how to confront them, the leaders of the Senate and House intel-ligence committees on Sunday prodded the White House to work to prevent the Islamic State extremists from launching attacks on US soil. The bipartisan pair of lawmakers shared a dire warning against the Islamic State group, which now has control of vast swaths of Syria and Iraq, has killed civilians from that region and beheaded American journalist James Foley “This is a group of people who are ex-traordinarily dangerous,” said Sen. Di-anne Feinstein, the California Democrat who leads the Senate intelligence panel. “And they’ll kill with abandon.” In a separate TV interview, the leader of the House Intelligence Committee warned the leaders of the Islamic State, sometimes called ISIL or ISIS, are look-ing for a spectacular attack that would help them raise money and recruit more fighters. “ISIL would like to have a Western-style attack to continue this notion that they are the leading jihadist group in the world,” said Republican Rep. Mike Rogers.

Islamic State wants to hit US – solons

The Islamic State has released an Internet video claim-ing to show the beheading of kidnapped Time maga-zine journalist Steven Sotloff, according to a terrorist moni-toring site. Titled “A sec-ond message to America,” the video was released just days after an emotional plea from his mother directly to the militants begging for her son’s life to be spared. The video’s existence was first reported by Site Intel Group. The American journalist’s life was previ-ously threatened while he was shown by ISIS militants at the end of the video now confirmed to have shown the beheading of freelance U.S. photojournalist James Foley. Sotloff’s execution video followed a simi-lar cadence to Foley’s. Sotloff was shown kneeling in an orange robe next to an all-black-clad terrorist. He read a statement condemning American airstrikes on Islamic State positions. “Obama, your foreign policy of interven-tion in Iraq was supposed to be for the pres-ervation of American lives and interests, so why is it that I’m paying the price of your interference with my life?” Sotloff asked. “I remember a time you could not win an election without promising to bring

our troops back home from Iraq and Af-ghanistan and close down Guantanamo,” Sotloff continued as an eerily calm deserted betrayed the horrific end soon coming to his life. Here you are now, Obama, nearing the end of your term, and hav-ing achieved none of the above, and deceivingly marching us, the Ameri-can people, in the blazing fire.”

A surprise turn came when the execu-tioner, face also covered in black, openly mocked Obama and claimed he was the same person who beheaded Foley. “I’m back, Obama, and I’m back because of your arrogant foreign policy towards the Islamic State,” said the British man believed to be former rapper Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary, 24, according to British intel-ligence officials. “Because of your insistence on continu-ing your bombings and [garbled] on Mosul Dam, despite our serious warnings,” the killer continues. “You, Obama, have but to gain from your actions but another Ameri-can citizen. “Just as your missiles continue to strike our people, our knife will continue to strike the necks of your people. We take this op-portunity to warn those governments that enter this evil alliance of America against the Islamic State to back off and leave our people alone.”

ISIS beheads second American journalist

Obama on beheading videos: ‘We will not be intimidated’TALLINN, Estonia (AP) - President Barack Obama said Wednesday that the United States will not be intimidated by Islamic State militants after the beheading of a second American journalist and will build a coalition to “degrade and destroy” the group. Obama still did not give a timeline for deciding on a strategy to go af-ter the extremist group’s operations in Syria. “It’ll take time to roll them back,” the president said at a news conference during a visit to Europe.Obama’s comments came after he said the United States had verified the authenticity of a video released Tuesday showing the beheading of freelance reporter Steven Sotloff, two weeks after journalist James Foley was similarly killed. Obama vowed the U.S. would not forget the “terrible crime against these two fine young men.” “Our reach is long and justice will be served,” Obama said.In the Sotloff video, a masked militant warns Obama that as long as U.S. airstrikes against the militant group continue, “our knife will con-tinue to strike the necks of your people.” Obama responded that he will continue to fight the militant threat and the “barbaric and ultimately empty vision” it represents. “Our objective is to make sure that ISIL is not an ongoing threat to the region,” he said, using an acronym for the militant group. “And we can accomplish that. It’s going to take some time and it’s going to take

some effort.” Sotloff, a 31-year-old Miami-area native who freelanced for Time and Foreign Policy magazines, vanished a year ago in Syria and was not seen again until he appeared in the video that showed Foley’s behead-ing. Dressed in an orange jumpsuit against an arid Syrian landscape, Sotloff was threatened in that video with death unless the U.S. stopped airstrikes on the Islamic State. In the video distributed Tuesday and titled “A Second Message to America,” Sotloff appears in a similar jumpsuit before he is apparently beheaded by a fighter with the Islamic State, the extremist group that has conquered wide swaths of territory across Syria and Iraq and de-clared itself a caliphate. British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond told the BBC Wednesday that the masked, British-accented jihadist appears to be the same person shown in the Foley footage. In the video, the organization threatens to kill another hostage, this one identified as a British citizen, David Cawthorne Haines. It was not immediately clear who Haines was. Last week, Sotloff’s mother, Shirley Sotloff, pleaded with his captors for mercy, saying in a video that her son was “an innocent journalist” and “an honorable man” who “has always tried to help the weak.”

ISIS beheads Steven Sotloff

PAGE 4Sept 4, 2014 - Sept 10, 2014 The San Francisco PostOPINION

Shortly before be-ing proclaimed

the official winner of the 2010 presi-dential elections, then Senator Be-nigno S. Aquino III reaffirmed his campaign prom-ise – that his ad-ministration would make the passage of the Freedom of Information bill its

priority. Aquino has obviously been taking the people, whom he proclaims to be his “bosses” for a ride because four years since, he still refuses to certify it as urgent, which would ensure swift passage of the measure considering his almost absolute con-trol of the House of Representatives. Malacanang says the President cannot certify the bill as urgent because it does not involve a nation-al emergency and Aquino was circumspect about using his presidential powers. How can it not be a national emergency when the government is losing billions and billions of pesos in taxpayers’ money to numerous anomalies per-petrated by both government officials and private businessmen? How can it not be of utmost priority

when recent events have shown that the govern-ment has lost at least P10 billion to a pork barrel scam under the Priority Development Assistance Fund and billions more to the Disbursement Ac-celeration Program that have both been ruled il-legal and unconstitutional by the Supreme Court? How can it not be of primary concern in the wake of numerous fund scandals that have rocked the previous administrations? When will the FOI Bill, which will ensure trans-parency and accountability in government deals, become a priority for this administration that has promised to curb corruption in all levels of gov-ernment? But, alas, the President insists that the FOI Bill will be passed before his term ends. I think I can believe that. He will most probably certify it prior to the last few sessions before his term ends, and with his go-signal it should pass the House, at last, a few days before the new President would take over. The provisions of the law would then apply to the next administration, not to his. He is probably trying to hold it until the last few days because, who knows, he might yet end up the president for the next six years or so. If that hap-pens, we will have another six years of double-speak from Aquino and Malacanang on the fate of the FOI Bill. It is ironic that an administration that rode to poll victory on promises of combatting corruption and on a legacy of democracy would push for the prompt passage of the Cybercrime Law, which restricts freedom of expression and information, while choosing to put in the freezer a measure that would promote transparency and accountability in government, freedom of information and the press, and vigilance in media and the public. “If it ain’t hiding anything, Malacañang has nothing to fear about the freedom of information (FOI) bill,” Sen. Grace Poe said last week as she pushed for its passage. Former Manila Rep. Benny Abante, one of the original co-authors of the legislation, said of Aquino’s refusal to certify the bill as urgent: “This is not about his administration or any specific ad-ministration; what we want is to institutionalize measures that will deter and expose corruption at all levels of government. For someone who pur-portedly claims to be a champion of good gover-nance, the President’s lukewarm reaction to FOI is perplexing.” The Senate has approved almost every year its own version of the FOI Bill, the latest being in March. As in the last 10 years or so, the House of Representatives has not gone beyond committee level on its own version. The FOI bill, which is based on a person’s right to information on matters of public concern, al-lows public access to government information except those concerning matters of national se-curity, information pertaining to foreign relations, law enforcement operations, matters pertaining to privacy of an individual, trade and economic se-crets, privileged information in judicial proceed-ings, information made in executive sessions of Congress, and matters covered by presidential privilege, among others. Aquino’s aversion to the FOI bill is understand-able considering that since he took office in 2010, he has been blaming media each time his approv-al rating slips. He raised the bar on government officials when he vowed to fight corruption and to follow a “daang matuwid,” and yet he cannot tolerate the media’s exposing venalities in gov-ernment. If he truly believes his Cabinet and his agencies are following the straight path, why is Aquino so afraid of a Freedom of Information Act? Congress needs to pass the FOI bill because the Constitution’s Bill of Rights explicitly recognizes the people’s right to matters of public concern. The FOI bill would make corrupt politicians and bureaucrats to think twice before commit-ting anomalies because the public would have the means to scrutinize their acts and the media would be able to expose these acts immediately. The Philippines, which boasts of one of the fre-est press in the world, remains one of the few democratic countries still without a Freedom of Information law. That such a measure has been stalled under an administration that boasts of transparency and the “daang matuwid” is simply unacceptable and, as Abante said, quite perflex-ing. ([email protected])

Aquino taking ‘bosses’ for a ride on FOI Bill

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THE NUCLEUS OF THE MATTER

By Val Abelgas

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When Com-m u n i c a -

tions Secre-tary Herminio “Sonny” Co-loma Jr. was asked what made President Benigno “P-Noy” Aquino III change his mind about amending the P h i l i p p i n e Cons t i t u t i on

and pursuing a term extension, he said, “What is essential for the President is to know the sen-timents of his ‘bosses,’ the Filipino people. He will continue to listen to them so he will know their views on how to ensure that the reforms and transformation that he has begun will con-tinue and will become permanent.” But what reforms had he instituted that are beneficial to good governance? If there is one reform that is direly needed, it is the Freedom of Information (FOI), which P-Noy had consistently refused to certify as “ur-gent” legislation. If he stays in power beyond his six-year term, then FOI would presumably remain in limbo, which begs the question: Is he scared of FOI? If P-Noy was really serious – and sincere – about stamping out corruption, he must have an FOI, which, if enacted into law, would remove the firewall that is shielding corrupt officials and criminals from the reach of the law.

Imperial presidency But after four years of P-Noy’s imperial pres-idency, things really haven’t changed much, which reminds me of Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr’s famous epigram in 1849: “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Indeed, the changes that P-Noy brag about is like a bucket of water: you kick the bucket and the water pours out -- gone. They’re nothing more than empty slogans like his oft-repeated mantra, “Kung walang korap, walang mahi-rap” (“No corruption, no poverty”), which has become the butt of jokes in the social media. Indeed, his much-touted crusade against cor-ruption is now just another public relations ex-ercise intended to keep the people’s hopes high while lawmakers ransack the treasury. The recent rulings of the Supreme Court that declared the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) and the Disbursement Accelera-tion Program (DAP) unconstitutional had put an end to P-Noy’s use of “patronage politics” to

keep the loyalty of the majority of the legisla-tors to achieve his legislative agenda. Some say that P-Noy is engaged in bribery using the PDAF and DAP money to pursue his private agenda, which doesn’t equate to benefits for the people, his “bosses.” Take for instance the additional P50 million in discretionary funds – taken from DAP --given to each of the 20 senators who happened to have voted to con-vict ex-Chief Justice Renato Corona.

Poor performance Since his presidency began, P-Noy had con-sistently been rated “Good” or “Very Good.” But a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey taken last June 27-30, 2014 showed that P-Noy’s net overall performance rating had dipped to +29 or “Moderate,” which is down from the +45 or “Good” rating in the first quar-ter of 2014. But a closer look at the numbers further reveal “tectonic” slippage in P-Noy’s ratings on specific issues. For “Ensuring that no family will be hungry,” P-Noy was rated -9 (“Neutral”); “Fighting inflation” -18 (Poor); “Ensuring oil firms don’t take advantage of oil prices” -19 (Poor); and “Resolving Maguin-danao massacre case with justice” -44 (Bad). For the first time, P-Noy’s net performance hit the “Poor” and “Bad” ratings, which doesn’t bode well with his “bosses.” As to P-Noy’s desire to run for a second term, an ANC survey of business leaders shows that 71% op-pose the idea. The question is: Who are those who want P-Noy to run for a second term? Various sectors have voiced out their oppo-sition to a P-Noy extended term. The groups that favor P-Noy running for a second term are his Liberal Party mates, his “KKK” cronies – Kaibigan (friends), Kaklase (classmates), and Kabarilan (shooting buddies) – and his rela-tives; which makes one wonder, why? The answer to this question is obvious. These are the people who benefit from their association with P-Noy, politically and eco-nomically. Needless to say, if P-Noy wins a second term, their political and economic as-sets would be protected and continue to grow in value as well as influence. On the other hand, if P-Noy steps down, his cronies would have to look for another padrino whom they could cling to… profitably. P-Noy has to make a choice. Would he listen to his “bosses” who don’t want him to run or to the “voices” of his cronies that are much louder – and more influential -- than his “bosses”? At the end of the day, politics is all about power. And power corrupts. ([email protected])

PERRY SCOPEBy

Perry Diaz

Bosses or voices?

The problem with our leaders is

that when they fail in something, they put the blame on ev-erything else except their incompetence and ineptness. Thus, when the govern-ment fails to attract foreign investments to the country, they blame the nationalist economic provisions of the Constitution that restricts foreign

ownership of land and certain businesses. The resurgence of the charter change train is pre-cipitated by the belief of mostly politicians and a few business leaders that foreign investors are not com-ing in because of the restrictive economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution. But as Anakbayan partyl-ist Rep. Walden Bello pointed out, only one of 11 big business associations in the Philippines favors amending the charter’s economic provisions. That, understandably, is the Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce. It is really the politicians in Congress who have been raring to amend the Constitution since the time of President Fidel Ramos in the guise of making the economic provisions of the Constitution more at-tractive to foreign investments. We all know why they are salivating for cha-cha – they want cer-tain provisions that restrict their political agendas changed, such as term limits and the ban on political dynasties. Bello points to the examples of China, Vietnam and Indonesia, some of the fastest growing economies in Asia. He said the constitutions of these three coun-tries have some of the most restrictive provisions on foreign ownership of land and property and yet have been able to attract foreign investments in droves. Christian Monsod, a former Comelec commission-er and a member of the Constitutional Commission that drafted the 1987 Constitution, on the other hand, said while he agreed to the importance of foreign direct investments (FDIs) to the economy, some of the fastest growing economies in the region have not relied too much on FDIs. He pointed to Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and China, which he said did not have FDIs of more than 2% of their gross direct investments (GDIs) when they were at peak of their

economic growths. Instead, he said, they focused more on land reform-based agriculture, export-oriented manufacturing and a banking system that served development goals. Instead of tinkering with the Constitution, the gov-ernment should tackle first the real problems that stop foreign investors from coming to the Philip-pines and prod those who are already in the Phil-ippines to leave. These nagging problems include corruption, bureaucratic red tape, high power costs, unreliable power source, lack of infrastructure, traf-fic and port congestion. Bello, Monsod, Economic Planning Secretary Ar-senio Balisacan Jr. and other great minds are against amending the Constitution at this time. Balisacan, for example, said such a move would be ‘distract-ing.”Bello agreed with him: “Balisacan is right. Char-ter change is a panacea. Infrastructural backward-ness and the other problems he and most business groups cite are among the real barriers to sustained development. But both proponents and opponents of amending the constitution miss the central prob-lem, and that is massive poverty. Without effective demand from such large part of the population, eco-nomic growth cannot be sustained. Without a pros-perous domestic market that will buy their goods, foreign investors will not be attracted to the country. Which is why rather than distracting the country with the illusion of a magic bullet for development, the proponents of charter change should be pushing measures to radically reduce inequality and poverty like agrarian reform, security of tenure for labor, and ending tax evasion by the rich and powerful.” Monsod, for his part, noted that foreigners can fully own and control mining firms and power plants in the Philippines under current law, and yet they are not investing. Why? There is also the danger that China, which has shown aggressive behavior in territorial disputes with its neighbors, particularly the Philippines, would gobble up ownership of land, public utilities, media, firms exploiting mining and other natural re-sources, and educational institutions, which are not allowed under the present Constitution. Can you imagine a hostile country controlling our public utilities, media, mining and sea resources, and educational institutions? With its overflowing cash, it wouldn’t be difficult for them to acquire these crucial sectors once the restrictive provisions are lifted. Heaven forbid this happens.

Cha-cha is not the answer

MY HUMBLEOPINION

By Atty. Crispin C. Lozano

JEDDAH—King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has warned that the West will be the next target of the jihadists sweeping through Syria and Iraq, unless there is “rapid” action. “If we ignore them, I am sure they will reach Europe in a month and America in another month,” he said in remarks q u o t e d on Sat-urday by A s h a r q al-Awsat daily and S a u d i -b a c k e d Al-Ara-biya tele-v i s i o n station.“ T e r -r o r i s m k n o w s no bor-der and its dan-ger could a f f e c t s e v e r a l countries outside the Middle East,” said the king who was speaking at a wel-coming ceremony on Friday for new ambassadors, including a new envoy from Saudi ally the United States. The Islamic State (IS) jihadist group has prompted widespread concern as it advances in both Syria and Iraq, killing hundreds of people, including in gruesome be-headings and mass executions. Lack of action would be “unac-ceptable” in the face of the phe-nomenon, King Abdullah said. “You see how they (jihadists) carry out beheadings and make children show the severed heads in the street,” he said, condemning the “cruelty” of such acts. “It is no secret to you, what they

have done and what they have yet to do. I ask you to transmit this message to your leaders: ‘Fight ter-rorism with force, reason and (nec-essary) speed’.” President Barack Obama has yet to decide whether the United States should launch raids against posi-tions held by the Islamic State ji-

hadist group in Syria to follow US air strikes on IS activi-ties in Iraq. US Sec-retary of State John Kerry called Friday for a global co-alition to combat Is-lamic State f i g h t e r s ’ “genocidal agenda”. Writing in the New York Times, Kerry said he and De-fense Secre-

tary Chuck Hagel will meet Euro-pean counterparts on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Wales next week, to enlist assistance. They will then travel on to the Middle East to build support “among the countries that are most directly threatened”. “With a united response led by the United States and the broadest possible coalition of nations, the cancer of ISIS will not be allowed to spread to other countries,” Kerry said in Friday’s op-ed piece. Asharq Al-Awsat said the king urged other countries to join the UN Counter-Terrorism Centre, set up in 2011 to respond to new threats, and to which Saudi Arabia has made a grant of $100 million.

PAGE 5Sept 4, 2014 - Sept 10, 2014The San Francisco Post WORLD BRIEF

TOKYO – Conservative soul-mates Narendra Modi and Shinzo Abe will hold formal talks in Tokyo Monday to ce-ment a blossoming relationship between India and Japan, on a visit that began with a bear hug and a tour of Kyoto. The personal chem-istry on show during the five-day tour is increasingly reflect-ed in the strength-ening of bonds be-tween two countries that bookend an ever-more assertive China.Modi, who is hoping his market-focused policies will give a boost to India’s floundering economy, could walk away with almost half a billion dollars’ worth of loans for much-needed infrastructure projects, reports said. The visit is Modi’s first foreign trip outside the sub-continent and is intended to showcase the warming ties between Asia’s second and third largest econo-mies. As well as a gamut of business deals that could see a doubling of Japanese direct investment, and the 50 billion yen in low-interest loans for new railways, highways and industrial parks, the summit will also reinforce diplomatic and defence ties. Japanese media reported that the two premiers are likely to agree on launching a ”two-

plus-two” security consultative framework involving their for-eign and defence ministers. Japan already has such arrange-ments with the United States, Australia, Russia and France. Both nations are wary of Chi-

na’s growing ambition to be seen as the regional keystone and are keen to curb its activity in the East and South China Seas and in the Indian Ocean. Tokyo and New Delhi both have long-running territorial disputes with Beijing, which is widely viewed as having more aggressively pushed its claims in recent years. Underlining the point, Chinese coastguard ships sailed into wa-ters off the Japanese-controlled Senkaku islands on Monday, officials said. China calls the islands the Diaoyus. Modi, in an address to a gath-ering of Japanese business lead-ers, said Japan and India must choose a path of peaceful devel-opment, not ”18th century-style” expansionism.

6 dead in Paris suburb building explosion

BOBIGNY, France–Six people were killed on Sunday when an explosion ripped through an apartment build-ing outside Paris, reducing half a residential block to rubble, emergency services said. The bodies of a child described as around 10 years old, a boy aged 14-18 and two women were recov-ered from the remains of the four-story building in the northeastern suburb of Rosny-sous-Bois. Two more bodies were found late in the evening as firefighters continued to comb the wreckage, leaving two other people still unaccounted for, Mayor Claude Capillon said. Neighbors said the blast, which happened around 7 a.m. (0500 GMT), was strong enough to shake build-ings some 100 meters (yards) away. Early indications were that it was an accidental gas explosion. “Our house moved, we were trembling from fear,” said Pauline, a neighbor, adding that the explosion was so loud that “our ears were ringing.” Ghislaine Poletto, 55, who lives about 50 meters away from the collapsed building, said she “jumped into her trousers” and hurried to the site, where together with neighbors “we managed to pull two children out.” One of the children was “protected by a mattress and a board above his head, which saved his life,” she said.

India, Japan to boost defense ties amid China tensions

Ukraine ceasefire report greeted with skepticismKIEV, Ukraine - The office of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Wednesday that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin are in agreement on a cease-fire in eastern Ukraine, but the statement was ambiguous and a top rebel figure said no cease-fire was possible without Ukraine with-drawing its forces.The brief statement said “mutual understanding was reached regarding the steps that will contribute to the establishment of peace” but gave no details. There have been previous statements of agreements on steps for peace, but the conflict has only intensified. Wednesday’s statement came as U.S. President Barack Obama arrived in Estonia in a show of solidarity with NATO allies who fear they could be the next target of Russia’s aggression. Poroshenko’s office first said that there “agreement on a

permanent cease-fire,” but later revised the statement to say “agreement on a cease-fire regime.” The changes appeared in Ukrainian, Russian and English-language versions issued by the office. That appeared to indicate they were in agreement on con-ditions necessary for a cease-fire, not that one would immi-nently be implemented. Vladislav Brrig, a rebel official, told The Associated Press, “As long as Ukrainian forces are on the territory of the Do-netsk People’s Republic there can be no ceasefire.” The rebels ignored a 10-day unilateral cease-fire that Poro-shenko had called in June. Russian markets jumped on first reports of an agreement. The MICEX benchmark was 3 percent higher while the ruble rose 1.2 percent against the U.S. dollar.

TAX CORNER

While most people get a refund from the IRS when they file

their taxes, some do not. If you owe federal taxes, the IRS has sev-eral ways for you to pay. Here are six tips for people who owe taxes:

1. Pay your tax bill. If you get a bill from the IRS, you’ll save

money by paying it as soon as you can. If you can’t pay it in full, you should pay as much as you can. That will reduce the interest and penalties charged for late payment. You should think about using a credit card or getting a loan to pay the amount you owe.

2. Use IRS Direct Pay. The best way to pay your taxes is

with the IRS Direct Pay tool. It’s the safe, easy and free way to pay from your checking or savings ac-count. The tool walks you through five simple steps to pay your tax in one online session. Just click on the ‘Pay Your Tax Bill’ icon on the

IRS home page.

3. Get a short-term extension to pay. You may qualify for extra

time to pay your taxes if you can pay in full in 120 days or less. You can apply online at IRS.gov. If you received a bill from the IRS you can also call the phone number listed on it. If you don’t have a bill, call 800-829-1040 for help. There is usually no set-up fee for a short-term extension.

4. Apply for a monthly payment plan. If you owe $50,000 or

less and need more time to pay, you can apply for an Online Pay-ment Agreement on IRS.gov. A direct debit payment plan is your best option. This plan is the lower-cost, hassle-free way to pay. The set-up fee is less than other plans. There are no reminders, no missed payments and no checks to write and mail. You can also use Form 9465, Installment Agreement Re-quest, to apply. For more about payment plan options visit IRS.gov.

5. Consider an Offer in Compro-mise. An Offer in Compromise

lets you settle your tax debt for less than the full amount that you owe. An OIC may be an option if you can’t pay your tax in full. It may

also apply if full payment will cause a financial hardship. You can use the OIC Pre-Qualifier tool to see if you qualify. It will also tell you what a reasonable offer might be.

6. Change your withholding or estimated tax. You may be

able to avoid owing the IRS in the future by having more taxes withheld from your pay. Do this by filing a new Form W-4, Em-ployee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate, with your employer. The IRS Withholding Calculator on IRS.gov can help you fill out a new W-4. If you have income that’s not subject to withholding you may need to make estimated tax payments. See Form 1040-ES, Estimated Tax for Individuals for more on this topic. To find out more see Publication 594, The IRS Collection Process. You can get this booklet on IRS.gov. You may also call 800-TAX-FORM to get it by mail.

Al Maglan is a CPA licensed in Cal-ifornia and Nevada. You can contact him @ 510 432 7438. You may e-mail tax questions at [email protected] or [email protected].

Six Tips for People Who Owe Taxes

by: Alvin C. Maglan, CPA

Saudi warns West is jihadists’ next target

Australia PM says ‘extreme force’ justified against ISSYDNEY – Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott on Tuesday said ”extreme force” was justified in bat-tling Islamic State militants, as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called the extremists’ reign of terror ”to-tally unacceptable”. Australia will ”in coming days” join ally the United States in an international effort to transport weapons to Kurdish forces fighting IS extremists in northern Iraq. It has also been conducting humanitarian air drops to the town of Amerli, where thousands of people were trapped for more than two months until Iraqi forces broke the siege on Sunday. While Abbott has insisted Canberra will not be send-ing combat troops to the conflict, he has stepped up his rhetoric against the jihadist group, calling it a ”death cult” that is carrying out ethnic cleansing.On Tuesday he compared them to the Nazis and com-munists. ”The difficulty here is that these people do exalt in death; they absolutely revel in killing,” he told Sydney radio station

2GB. ”We’ve seen in the century just gone, the most un-speakable things happen, but the atrocities that were committed by the Nazis, by the communists and oth-ers, they were ashamed of them, they tried to cover them up. ”This mob, by contrast, as soon as they’ve done some-thing gruesome and ghastly and unspeakable, they’re advertising it on the Internet for all to see which makes them, in my mind, nothing but a death cult. ”That’s why I think it’s quite proper to respond with extreme force against people like this.” IS has prompted widespread concern as it advances in Syria and Iraq, killing hundreds of people, includ-ing in gruesome beheadings and mass executions. Abbot’s comments came as Ban said during a visit to New Zealand that the entire world community should be alarmed at what was happening.

Saudi Arabia King Abdullah

The San Francisco PostPAGE 6Sept 4, 2014 - Sept 10, 2014 HOMELAND

MANILA, Philippines - Former Makati vice mayor Ernesto Mercado was charged with plunder and graft before the Office of the Ombudsman for alleged involvement in the supposed overpriced annex building of the Makati City Hall. In his complaint, lawyer Roderick Vera of the Philippine Association for the Advance-ment of Civil Liberties Inc. (PAACL) said Mercado was charged in his capacity as presiding officer of the Sangguniang Pan-lungsod of Makati from 2007 to 2010 when ordinances were supposedly passed to fund the construction of the annex building. Seven former Makati councilors who served from 2007 to 2013 were also named respondents. They are Luis Javier Jr., Romulo Peña Jr., Erlinda Gonzales, Denisse Angelica Hechanova, Arlene Ortega, Karis Israelle Cruzado and Monique Lagdameo, now a representative in Congress of Makati’s first district. Vera said he is joining former barangay chairmen Renato Bondal and Nicolas En-

ciso in the original case they filed last July and impleading Mercado and the seven for-mer councilors. “Upon a perusal of the much-publicized complaint-affidavit filed by (Bondal and Enciso) as regards the New Makati City Parking Building, it is readily apparent that certain government officials, who are similarly situated as the other respondents accused therein, were, wittingly or unwit-tingly, excluded,” he said. Vera said Mercado and the other respon-dents approved the disbursement of funds knowing fully well that it is grossly over-priced. “Indeed, the overpricing… would not have been possible had herein respondents not connived with the respondents in the Bondal complaint,” he said. Bondal and Enciso filed plunder and graft complaints against Vice President Jejomar Binay, his son Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay and 21 other former and incumbent councilors before the Office of the Om-budsman last July 22.

Ex-Makati vice mayor charged with plunder

MANILA -- At least 805 Filipino work-ers are facing drug-related cases abroad and 45 of them are in death row, the De-partment of Foreign Affairs said on Mon-

day.Most of the 805 cases involve Filipino drug mules or couriers, said DFA spokes-man Charles Jose.The DFA released the data to remind mi-grant workers of the harsh penalties im-posed by host countries in cases involv-ing possession of illegal drugs. “We issued warnings against Filipinos being used as drug mules. There was a period when the figure was really high. Let’s see if the num-ber will go down after the warnings have been issued,” Jose added.At least 341 drug cases are in Asia Pacific region, 244 in the Middle East and Africa, 116 in the United States and the Americas, and 104 in Europe.The official said they would have to check if the figure was the highest ever record of drug-related cases.He said there are 81 cases of Filipinos cur-rently in death row abroad.Jose noted that the Philippine Embassy in Hanoi visited the two Filipinos who were recently meted the death penalty for carry-ing drugs into the country.“The embassy has been extending assis-tance to the Filipinos since the time of ar-rest. Jail visits have been conducted,” he said.“We want to ensure the families of the vic-tims that we will continue to monitor the cases. We will continue to extend legal as-sistance,” Jose added.Emmanuel Sillo Camacho, 39, was found guilty by Hanoi Court for carrying 18 packets of cocaine.Another Filipino, Donna Buenagua Ma-zon, 39, was earlier sentenced to death in Ho Chi Minh City after being caught with 1.5 kilograms of cocaine in December 2013.

805 OFWs facing drug charges

MANILA, Philippines - After it imple-mented the suspension of Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, the Senate leadership said on Tues-day it will impose the 90-day preventive suspension order on Sen. Jinggoy Estra-da. This after the Senate received the sus-pension order of the Sandiganbayan’s 3rd Division, chaired by Presiding Justice Am-paro Cabotaje-Tang, on Estrada. “As with the case of Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, we will implement the order. We have no recourse but to implement it,” said Drilon. “The Senate is left with no recourse but to implement the order immediately in ac-cordance with the Supreme Court ruling in the case of Santiago v. Sadiganbayan in 2001, where the SC categorically held that the Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act does not exclude from its coverage the members of Con-gress, hence a Senator may be preventively suspended,” Drilon added. Drilon said that the primary legal basis for the implementation of Enrile’s suspension was the said Supreme Court ruling promul-gated in April 2001. On Jan. 25, 1996, the Sandiganbayan or-dered the suspension of Sen. Miriam De-

fensor-Santiago from her position. Drilon recalled that upon receipt of the resolution, then Senate President Ernest Maceda reported the same to the plenary and such was referred to the Committees on Rules and Ethics and Privileges. Through Committee Report 321, the Com-mittees concluded that the Senate does not have the power or authority to suspend any member, except for disorderly behavior and, only with the concurrence of at least two-thirds of all its members, for a period not exceeding 60 days. The Committee argued that the Sandigan-bayan cannot order the Senate to imple-ment the suspension of a Senator without violating the separation of powers and that the Sandiganbayan resolution per se is not sufficient to warrant the suspension of San-tiago. However, five years later, the Supreme Court in April 2001 upheld the power of the Sandiganbayan to suspend Santiago, Drilon said. Citing the SC ruling, Drilon said that the order of the Sandiganbayan to suspend En-rile and Estrada is distinct from the Consti-tutional power of Congress to discipline its members.

Senate suspends Enrile, Jinggoy

Salceda asks SC to stop bus banMANILA -- Albay Governor Joey Salce-da has asked the Supreme Court to stop the government from banning provincial buses in Metro Manila and imposing higher fines for “colorum” public utility vehicles and other traffic violations. In a petition, he questioned the imple-mentation of the Joint Administrative Order 2014-01 (JAO) or the Revised Schedule of Fines and Pen-alties for Viola-tions of Laws, Rules and Reg-ulations Gov-erning Land Transportation that started last June 19. He also as-sailed the legality of Memorandum Circular2014-15 of the Land Transportation and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) prohibiting provincial buses from Bicol from entering EDSA and designating Alabang terminal as their endpoint. Salceda sought the issuance of a tem-porary restraining order against the two orders and eventually declare them null and void. “If you limit the access of the carrier, you also limit the access of the passen-ger. Thus, Albayano traders and com-muters, especially those who cannot af-ford more expensive air transportation, are being deprived of their mobility.”he said.

“Look at the statistics: 2.8 million vehi-cles in Metro Manila versus 1,500 South Luzon buses and another 2,500 north-bound. Of these south-bound buses, 236 are from Albay plying the Albay-Metro Manila route.”According to Salceda, registered buses have dwindled from 30,113 in 2007 to 5,653 in 2012.

“There are in fact more diplo-matic vehicles at 3,060 or trailers at 18,000 (40 percent of 32,240),” he said.Salceda said the South Station ter-minal near the via-duct in Filinvest in Muntinlupa City was ill-prepared to take in at least 556 buses. He said the open-ing was set for Au-

gust 20 but was postponed due to lack of coordination among the agencies in-volved. The ban which has been opposed by operators and commuters, and the Pro-vincial Bus Operators Association of the Philippines is referred to it as a ‘band aid’ solution, Salceda said. Last year, several groups have likewise questioned the “Integrated Transport Terminals” scheme being implemented in Metro Manila, particularly the new policy that prevents provincial buses en-tering via the Coastal Road or Manila-Cavite Expressway from going beyond the Southwest Interim Transport Termi-nal in Baclaran, Parañaque City.

Trillanes calls Pamatong ‘nuts,’ hints at Binay men behind plot

MANILA – “Crazy,” and a “nut-case” were how Senator Antonio Trillanes IV described Ely Pamatong, who had dragged him into the foiled plot to bomb the Ninoy Aquino Inter-national Airport (Naia).“Alam mo that’s crazy ano, that guy is crazy. Ngayon kung papatulan natin yan, we’re crazier than that guy,” Trillanes on Wednesday said of Pamatong.Pamatong reportedly said that one of the suspects in the foiled Naia bomb try was framed by the “Mag-dalo faction” of the senator.“Papaano daw namin finrame-up? Sa akin po, ayusin nya yung kwento nya. Kung ang gusto lang nyang mangyari is siraan kami o maano kami dyan… it doesn’t make sense and com-ing from a nut-case like Atty. Pamatong, para naman tayong pumapatol sa may tama sa utak nun,” Trillanes said in a separate inter-view over DWIZ.The senator pointed out that he was attending an ocular inspection of the Makati City Hall

parking building when that supposed bomb try was uncovered by authorities.He said this attempt to drag him in a bad light was meant to divert the Senate inves-tigation into the parking building involving Vice President Jejomar Binay and his son, Makati Mayor Jun-Jun Binay.

In fact, he said, one of the leads the inves-tigators are pursing now involved certain PR operators who are peddling what he de-scribed as script meant only to divert the pub-lic from the Senate probe.“Alam na natin kung sino ang gumawa ng script pero ito lang maga-guarantee natin. Kung ano pa man yan, maa-assure natin si Vice President Binay na itutuloy tuloy na-tin ang imbestigasyon kahit maglulupasay pa

sila ng mga spokesman nya, tuloy-tuloy po ito,” said the senator.Asked if he was referring to Vice President Binay, Trillanes said, “I will not say that. Ba-hala na ang taumbayan to put two and two together.”

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV

Many seamen came to the United States and married a U.S. citizen spouse but

they could not adjust their status to that of permanent resident. The first question to answer is: Do they have Sec. 245(i) eligibility? If they are the direct or deriva-tive beneficiary of a petition or labor certi-fication dated April 30, 2001 or earlier and they have been in the U.S. since December 21, 2000, then they can adjust status. However, if they have no Sec. 245(i) e l i g i b i l -ity, then the other av-enue is the latest im-migrat ion procedure of PROVI-S I O N A L WAIVER. This pro-v i s i o n a l waiver will allow the fol lowing aliens who are mar-ried to U.S. citizens to seek waiver of unlawful presence and be able to go to their home country to apply for green card. To qualify, they must prove extreme hardship to the U.S. citizen spouse or parents if their application for perma-nent residence is denied. The beneficiaries of this provisional waiver will include:1. Seamen who entered the U.S. on a C or D visa and overstayed their visa and are not beneficiaries of Sec. 245(i).2. Those who entered without inspection and are not beneficiaries of Sec. 245(i)3. Those who entered as Fiancée and did not marry the visa petitioner.4. Those aliens who have lost their pass-ports and have no proof of legal entry to the U.S.

Eligibility RequirementsTo be eligible for a provisional unlawful presence waiver you must fulfill ALL of the following conditions:1. Be 17 years of age or older.2. Be an immediate relative of a U.S. citi-zen (not a preference category immigrant who has a visa available). An immediate relative is an individual who is the spouse, child or parent of a U.S. citizen.3. Have an approved Form I-130, Petition

for Alien Relative, or Form I-360, Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant.4. Have a pending immigrant visa case with DOS for the approved immediate relative petition and have paid the DOS immigrant visa processing fee.5. Be able to demonstrate that refusal of your admission to the United States will cause extreme hardship to your U.S. citi-

zen spouse or parent.6. Be physically pres-ent in the United States to file your application for a pro-visional unlawful presence waiver and provide biometrics.7. Not have been scheduled for an im-migrant visa inter-view by DOS before January 3, 2013.8. Meet all other re-quirements for the provisional unlaw-ful presence waiver, as detailed in 8 CFR 212.7(e) and the

Form I-601A and its instructions.

You are not eligible for a provisional un-lawful presence waiver if any of the fol-lowing conditions apply to you:1. You are subject to one or more grounds of inadmissibility other than unlawful presence.2. DOS initially acted before January 3, 2013, to schedule your Immigrant Visa (IV) interview for the approved immediate relative petition upon which your provi-sional unlawful presence waiver applica-tion is based, even if your immigrant visa interview has been canceled, you failed to appear for the interview, or your interview was rescheduled on or after Jan. 3, 2013.

Note: The date and time that you are sched-uled to appear for your immigrant visa in-terview at the designated U.S. Embassy or Consulate is not the date USCIS will use to determine if you are eligible to file a Form I-601A. If DOS initially acted before Janu-ary 3, 2013, to schedule your immigrant visa interview, you are not eligible to file a Form I-601A, even if you failed to appear for your interview or if you or DOS can-celled or rescheduled your interview for a

date on or after Janu-ary 3, 2013. Instead, you may file

a Form I-601, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility, from outside the United States after you have been in-terviewed for your immigrant visa, and the consular officer has found that you are inadmissible for a ground that may be waived.3. You are in removal proceedings that have not been administratively closed.4. At the time of filing, you are in removal proceedings that have been administrative-ly closed but have been placed back on the EOIR calendar to continue your removal proceedings.5. You do not meet one or more of the re-quirements, as outlined in the Form I-601A and its instructions.

For more information about PROVI-SIONAL WAIVER please call 1-877-456-

9266 for more information. He are cur-rently processing many PROVISIONAL WAIVER applications.

Note: This is not a legal advice. The Law Office of Crispin C. Lozano has the experience and expertise in helping clients apply for provisional waiver.

Crispin Caday Lozano is an active member of the State Bar of California, the American Immigra-tion Lawyers Association and the National Asso-ciation of Consumers Bankruptcy Attorneys. He specializes in immigration law and bankruptcy law. He earned his Juris Doctor at Western State University College of Law in Fullerton, Califor-nia. He is also a Certified Public Accountant, a Real Estate Broker and a Bachelor of Business Administration Cum Laude graduate. He has offices in San Francisco, Hayward, San Jose, and Cerritos, California. You can contact him at 1-877-456-9266. Email questions to [email protected]/. Visit our website at www.crispinlozanolaw.com.

How can a seaman adjust status?By Atty. Crispin C. Lozano

PAGE 7Sept 4, 2014 - Sept 10, 2014The San Francisco Post IMMIGRATION

so maybe he has a soft spot. That’s all,” she said.Still, she was not con-vinced about running for President.“I told him I have no plans. Right now, I’m barely over a year in office and I have yet a lot to prove. But again, it’s an honor espe-cially coming from him,” she said.Poe said she did not want to make a big deal about the matter, when asked by the Inquirer about SyCip’s question to her.Though she has not de-

clared any plan to run for President in 2016, Poe has been ranking second in sur-veys on voters’ preference for the country’s next Chief Executive. She ranks behind Vice President Jejomar Bi-nay, who has early on an-nounced his plan to run for higher office.Poe was the top-ranked candidate during the 2013 senatorial election. It was the first time she ran for public office.Poe has been known for championing the freedom

of information bill, which was already passed in the Senate but is still flounder-ing in the House of Repre-sentatives.She has also spoken out against electoral fraud, re-calling the fate of her father who ran and lost to Glo-ria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2004.The 2004 presidential elec-tion, however, was alleg-edly marred by cheating as shown by the “Hello Garci” scandal in which Arroyo was recorded asking an election official about her a million-vote lead in the polls.

(Cont. from page 1... GRACE POE FOR PRESIDENT)

PAGE 8Sept 4, 2014 - Sept 10, 2014 The San Francisco Post

the impeachment complaints.“Nakakadismaya ang ginawa ng Kongreso na pinatay agad ang im-peachment complaint (The Con-gress’ junking of the impeachment com-plaint is disappoint-ing). This is a terrible day for accountabil-ity, a terrible day for the Filipino people,” the militant solon said. The first two complaints stemmed from Aquino’s Dis-bursement Accelera-tion Program, parts of which were declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. The third is over the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agree-ment, which seeks a greater US

military presence in the country despite a constitutional ban on

foreign bases.The impeachment raps were en-dorsed by militant lawmakers Col-

menares, Zarate and De Jesus, and Anakpawis Representative Fernan-

do Hicap, Kabataan Representative Terry Ridon, Act Tachers Represen-tative Antonio Tinio and Gabriela Representative Emmi De Jesus.A fourth impeachment rap accused Aquino of sustaining the outlawed

Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) in the 2014 budget. The SC declared as unconsti-tutional the congressio-nal pork at the height of a corruption scandal under the alleged scheme of Ja-net Lim-Napoles.But the complaint failed to reach the floor in time for the committee refer-ral of the first three com-plaints.Last Tuesday, the com-plaints were found suf-ficient in form based on verification of complain-ants and endorsement of

lawmakers.

(Cont. from page 1... HOUSE PANEL)

Party-list lawmakers and militant leaders give the thumbs down to the House committee junking of three impeachment complaints against President Aquino.

CCL’s IMMIGRATION SUCCESS STORIES1. On August 28, 2014, we received an approval of green card based on spousal abuse.2. On August 25, 2014, we received an approval of green card based on same sex marriage.3. On August 1, 2014, we received an approval of waiver of joint filing of I-751 based on spousal abuse. With the approval she was granted permanent resi-dence.4. On July 21. 2014, we received an approval of green card based on marriage that was initially denied due to inconsistencies in interview response.5. On July 19, 2014, we received an approval of I-751 removal of condition on residence waiver based on battered spouse.6. On June 11, 2014, we received an approval from USCIS of green card under Violence Against Women Act.7. On May 12. 2014, we received an approval from USCIS of green card under the same sex marriage law and the corresponding waiver of certain misrepresen-tation.8. On April 21, 2014, we received an approval of green card after the denial was appealed to the Board of Immigration Appeals.9. On March 31, 2014, we received an approval of green card for a client under Violence Against Women Act.10. On March 25, 2014, we received another approval from the Immigration Court for waiver of misrepre-sentation for a client who entered the U.S. as single but actually married.

11. On January 24, 2014, we received another ap-proval for waiver of misrepresentation from the Im-migration Court for an alien who entered as single but actually married.12. On January 14, 2014, we received an approval from USCIS of a green card under law on Registry for a person who has been in the U.S. since before 1972. 13. On January 6, 2014, we received an approval of waiver of misrepresentation from Immigration Judge for a client who entered as single but actually married.14. On November 21, 2013, we received an approval from USCIS for adjustment of status under SAME SEX MARRIAGE.15. On November 14, 2013, we received an approval of adjustment of status from Immigration Judge for a client who was originally denied adjustment by US-CIS.16. On November 4, 2013, we received an approval of waiver of misrepresentation from the Immigration Judge for a client who entered the U.S. as single but actually married.17. On October 24, 2013, we received an approval by an Immigration Judge on the review of I-751 Ap-plication to Remove Condition on Residence that was previously denied by USCIS.18. On October 2, 2013, we received an approval of adjustment of status based on SAME SEX MAR-RIAGE.19. On June 3, 2013, we received an approval from USCIS of a petition that continued despite the death of the petitioner under Public law 111-83.

PAGE 9Sept 4, 2014 - Sept 10, 2014

The San Francisco Post

PAGE 10Sept 4, 2014 - Sept 10, 2014 The San Francisco PostHEALTH & FITNESS

Not long ago you were energetic and motivated to start that healthy life-

style. You were eating right and working out as if it was going out of style. Then all of a sudden, life throws you a curve ball, you fell off the wagon. Got family issues, busy with work, breakups and other life is-sues that got on your way. Its life, its hap-pens.

But what you need to do is jump on that band wagon and get it started again. Here are ways to get get you back on track.

1. Look at motivational pictures and read inspiring stories of people that overcome physical and mental issues to live a health-ier life. I do it all the time.

2. Start watching short exercise videos that you can implement into your workout. Clips from youtube or even Tony Horton’s workout video.

3. Make a new healthy recipe. It could be a protein pancake recipes or salad dish that you can bring to your work.

4. Join a support group that has the same

fitness goals as you. It could be people from your work or online.

5. Use an app to track down your calo-ries and exercise activities. I used an app called, myfitnesspal.

6. Write down your fitness goals again. Both short term and long term. Make it visible where you see it every single day. On your desk at work, on a notepad, calen-dar on your phone.

Most importantly, don’t dwell on your past and you must believe that you are willing to change for the bet-ter. Make healthy liv-ing a lifestyle.

About the contributor:John Pangan is a Certified

Personal Trainer, Champion Natural Bodybuilder and the co-founder of Bfitandlive web-site. For more diet and excercise tips, email [email protected]. Download the bFitandLive Free-book at www.bfitfreebook.com.

Fell off the wagon? Here are ways to get you back on track

Peacekeepers stood their ground against Syrian rebels double their number in Posi-tion 68 that led to a seven-hour firefight on Saturday evening (Manila time).After the firefight, the Filipinos had the “greatest escape” sneaking past the sleep-ing rebels, trudging through a minefield for one-and-a-half hours before other UN Peacekeepers brought them to Position 80.“The mission of the Undof is the separation of Syria and Israel, and ensure the safety of all Peacekeepers that are in the area,” Zagala said. “Enriquez was only doing his mandate although he defied the Force Commander he was still true to his mission of protecting the security and safety of our troops.”Singha intially ordered the pull out of all troops in Positions 60, 68 and 69.When Syrian rebels held hostage 44 Fijian Peacekeepers, who dropped their arms and surrendered during the escape, Singha also wanted the Filipinos to also surrender.Singha ordered the Filipinos to also surren-der their arms for the supposed return of the Fijians, but Enriquez would have none of it.Enriquez ordered the escape after the fire-fight and defied the waving of the white flag order from Singha.

In a message, Enriquez said Singha did not approve his resignation, instead he was put under administrative leave.“The force commander did not accept my resignation. I offered my resignation but he put me on administrative leave until the final repatriation of our troops,” Enriquez said.Filipino Peacekeepers stationed in Golan Heights are set to come back to the Philip-pines in October after their tour-of-duty.If an investigation is called upon, Zagala said the UN would request the AFP to in-vestigate Enriquez.General Gregorio Pio Catapang, AFP Chief, talked to Singha before the firefight hap-pened, Zagala said, and told the Undof Force Commander that Filipino troops would not give up their arms.“Gen. Catapang told Gen. Singha to please look out for the safety of our troops and that we will not give up our firearms,” Zagala said.What the AFP can do now, Zagala said, is to submit a report to President Benigno Aqui-no III of what transpired in Golan Heights.“Col. Enriquez took a stand for our coun-try and it is just right that the leadership of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and our government will support him,” Zagala said.

(Cont. from page 1... HEAD OF PH)

YOU MAY have seen The New York Times ar-ticle last week suggesting that breakfast, referred by many as, “the most impor-tant meal of the day,” was overrated when it came to weight management, and if you don’t particularly enjoy it, then science ap-parently says skipping the meal is no problem.So should you skip it? Before we get to the an-swer it’s important to first explore the studies that The New York Times piece was basing its conclusions on. The first study compared the total daily calories con-sumed by people who were instruct-ed to eat 700 calo-ries before 11 a.m. daily, with those consumed by people instructed to fast until noon. The participants were not given any instructions as to what they should be eat-ing for breakfast. The results? Those who ate “breakfast” consumed significantly more daily calories than those who did not. I put the term “break-fast” in quotations because virtually no one eats a 700 calorie breakfast (that’s huge), and secondly be-cause, according to the study, the average partici-pant’s breakfast contained an insane 37 teaspoons of sugar – making up just shy of half those 700 calories. Color me not surprised to learn that a breakfast con-taining three-quarters of a cup of sugar didn’t have much of an impact on full-ness for the rest of the day.The second study’s par-

ticipants were randomly assigned to one of three groups that received in-structions either not to con-sume any calories before 11 a.m., a pamphlet that discussed healthy eating in general or a pamphlet that discussed healthy eating and specifically encour-aged breakfast. Partici-pants’ weights were then tracked for 16 weeks. The results? None of the groups experienced signifi-cant weight loss – regard-

less if they ate breakfast or not. But here’s the kicker straight from the paper it-self: “Conclusions with regard to the influence of breakfast type or meal tim-ing on weight loss cannot be drawn from this study.” In other words, all this study looked at was wheth-er or not being given the trite advice of “eat break-fast” is useful for weight management. It did not evaluate the actual impact of eating breakfast. So should you skip break-fast? Looking at just these two papers as the basis for the answer, I’d say if your breakfast consists of in-sanely large bowlfuls of sugary cereal washed down

with sugary beverages like juice – then yes, by all means skip it, as those sorts of breakfasts aren’t likely to keep you full. Conse-quently, their non-sating empty calories may well just inflate your daily totals.On the other hand, if my experiences with literally thousands of patients have any bearing, then you might want to consider eating pro-tein rich breakfasts, ideally free from liquid calories, in the neighborhood of 350

to 500 calories. They should be consumed within an hour of wak-ing, as that style of breakfast for many helps a great deal in terms of reduce crav-ings, hunger and calories not just in the daytime, but in the evenings as well. This style of breakfast tends to most benefit breakfast skippers

who regularly struggle with dietary restraint and control in the later afternoon, eve-ning and night times. But before you start skip-ping or even starting break-fasting, ask yourself if you really need to change your diet? Frankly, if you’re happy with your weight and health, I’d say please don’t. As much as many may benefit from break-fast, there are some who definitely don’t need it to stay in control of calories or choices. Ultimately, there isn’t a reproducible food for-mula that works for each and every one of us. There are many different dietary strokes for many different folks.

Should you, or shouldn’t you, skip breakfast?

REITREMENT Q & A on your MedicareQuestion:My dad is finding it hard to pay for the prescription drugs he needs even though he has Medicare prescription coverage. Is there something else we can do?

Answer:If your father has limited income and resources, he may be eligible for Extra Help with Medicare prescrip-tion costs. This Ex-tra Help’s estimat-ed worth is about $4,000 per year to-ward his prescrip-tion costs. He can both learn whether he qualifies and apply online for the Extra Help at www.socialsecurity.gov/prescrip-tionhelp. In fact, you can even help him complete the online application. Or, call Social Security’s toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778). The Ex-tra Help can increase his cost savings by paying for part of the monthly premiums, annual deductibles and prescription co-payments under the new prescription drug program. ANCR: SOMETIMES PEOPLE MISUNDER-

STAND SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY BENEFITS. THERE ARE TWO WAYS TO GET TO KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT DIS-ABILITY BENEFITS. ONE IS BY LOOKING AT THE FACTS. THE OTHER IS BY GET-

TING TO KNOW THE PEOPLE. THE FACT IS, SO-CIAL SECURITY HAS SOME OF THE STRICTEST ELIGIBILITY RE-QUIREMENTS IN THE WORLD FOR DISABILITY BEN-EFITS, ACCORD-ING TO OUTSIDE RESEARCH. WE HAVE A VERY STRICT DEFINI-TION OF DISABIL-ITY UNDER THE LAW. TO RECEIVE

A DISABILITY BENEFIT, A PERSON MUST HAVE AN IMPAIRMENT EXPECTED TO LAST AT LEAST ONE YEAR OR RESULT IN DEATH. SINCE THE ELIGIBILITY RE-QUIREMENTS ARE SO STRICT, SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY BENEFICIARIES ARE AMONG THE MOST SEVERELY IM-PAIRED PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY. GET THE FACTS AT THE FACES AND FACTS OF DISABILITY WEBSITE AT WWW DOT SOCIAL SECURITY DOT GOV SLASH DIS-ABILITY FACTS.

“Well that’s the allega-tion but we looked around, sabi may mga threat din sa kampo namin pero negative naman so we didn’t want to put more, bigyan sila ng importansya,” said the mil-

itary chief.(Well that’s the allegation but we

looked around and found out that there were threats in our camp. But we dis-covered they were “nega-tive” and we just do not want to give them more

importance.)Catapang said they would just leave it up to the Na-tional Bureau of Investiga-tion to file the appropriate charges against those be-hind the foiled Naia terror plot.

(Cont. from page 1... NAIA-3 BOMB)

AROUND TOWN PAGE 11Sept 4, 2014 - Sept 10, 2014The San Francisco Post

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DAVE and MELANIE. Dave and Melanie (or more famously known as Ate Gigi) visited the Bay Area. The couple from Long Beach in Southern California’s long and extended weekend made encourage them visit the northern part of California, visit relatives and attend the birthday party of gorgeous Kathleen Maniquis. The lovely couple is shown here posing and strolling the beautiful Santana Row in San Jose, California.

KATHLEEN TURNS 18. Last Saturday Reggie & Nanette Maniquis celebrated the birthday of thier unica ija Kathleen Maniquis who turned 18. The four (Kenneth, Reggie, Kathleen & Nanette) who should have been looking up decided to stare at the tasty 3 layered cake. The well attended party was held at the Hilton Hotel in Santa Clara.

KA ERDY. The entire membership of the Iglesia Ni Cristo from all over the world remember the late Executive Minister Brother Erano G Manalo. Last Sunday was the 5th year anniversary of his death. He was the Executive Minister and leader of the church from 1963 upon the death of his father Brother Felix Y Manalo, whom we all acknowledge as the last messenger of God in these last days. Ka Erdy as he is fondly called by the church members is the father of of the current Executive MinisterBrother Eduardo V Manalo.

It is inter-esting to

learn that the United States is host to a lot of Filipi-nos as well as Filipino A m e r i c a n c o m m u n i -ties. Filipino A m e r i c a n s are the larg-

est group of Asian Americans in 10 of 13 western states which comprises of Alaska, Arizona, Californias, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Wash-ington & Wyoming. It is also the larg-est Asian Americans in South Dakota. In fact in the State of California, the Filipinos are the largest Asian minor-ity group based on the made last year entitled “ A Community of Contrasts: Asian Americans and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders, 2013.” According to that study, Filipinos are the largest ethnic group in California at 1.5 miliion and is followed closely by Chinese at 1.4 million. It also added that the Filipino population grew 34 percent during the decade. Noteworthy is findings that 55 percent of Filipinos were born in the Philippines and is actually the highest number of immi-grants among Asians. With schooling as a big priority among Filipino families both in the Philippines and in the United States, Pinoys are normally well educated. In fact many are surprised to find out that most of the

newspapers as well as tabloids owned and run by Filipinos are in English. Add to it that the medium of instruction in school and the medium of exchange among Pinoys in the Philippines is in english simply because of the more 100 dialects spoken in the country. The downside though is that despite the educational background, the Filipi-nos are one of those ethnic group hav-ing the least poor and least low-income members among Asian. Proof of this is that less than 10 percent are poor and are in low-income bracket. The Bay Area cities are also one of the main hub for Filipino Americans. Daly City ranks number 1 at 30.74 percent. The following cities are also host to a lot of Filipino American communities and they are Hercules (22.68%), Valle-jo (19.59%), Union City (18.78%), South San Francisco (16.61%), Milpi-tas ( 14.92%) and Hayward (8.29%) to mention a few. From celebrities to lawmakers, from business owners to technocrats, from the medical field to information tech-nology, kitchen chef to solar power and from philanthropist to sports icon all of them have shone brightly and mightily here in the United States of America. On my succeeding issues of Let’s Have Coffee I will feature personalities with strong Filipino links ( by blood and by marriage) and will talk about their passion, their struggles to reach the prominence and climb the Mount Rushmore of success. For comments and feedback, please email me at [email protected].

PINOYS IN THE US

LET’S HAVE COFFEEBy

Don Augusto Orozco

Bonta files Bill provide services to students witnessing or experiencing violence and a Bill

to Reduce Barriers to Employment(SACRAMENTO, CA) – Assemblymember Rob Bonta (D-Oakland) announced that AB 1271, which encourages school safety plans to include protocols to address the mental health care of students who have witnessed a violent act in school, passed the Legislature and will now be considered by Governor Brown. The legislation was introduced in response to young students’ comments made at hearings of the Select Committee on Gun Violence in the East Bay, which Bonta Chairs, in which they ex-pressed concern over the lack of mental health services for students after violent incidents. Bonta also introduced the legislation as a stand against the 15 recorded school shootings that have occurred since the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, in Newton, CT in 2012. “All forms of violence, such as gun violence and bullying, have become a tragic fact of life for children in districts such as my own 18th Assembly District. Growing up in violent en-vironments can cause serious traumatic compli-cations for children, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. This, among other challenges, can make it difficult for chil-dren and adolescents to become engaged and productive students,” said Assemblymember Bonta. A study published by the National Center of Education Statistics found that 46% of public schools in the United States reported at least one student threat of physical attack without a weapon each year and 8% of schools reported such a threat with a weapon. The rate of violent incidents was approximately 40 per 1,000 stu-dents in public middle schools, and 21 per 1,000 students in primary and high schools.Bonta concluded, “I applaud the Legislature for understanding the importance of encouraging our public schools to bolster their safety plans. Our children deserve a fair chance at success in life; this starts with a strong education, a healthy mind, and a safe, productive learning environment. AB 1271 will help our students back onto the pathway of recovery, in the event they do fall victim to a traumatic incident.” At the same time, Bonta was proud to an-nounce that his bill to reduce employment bar-

riers for people with criminal records who have been rehabilitated passed the Legislature with bipartisan support and now heads to Governor Brown for his consideration. “AB 2396 would expand opportunities for rehabilitated individuals to pursue meaning-ful employment and work towards entering the middle class instead of struggling in low-wage jobs or returning to crime,” said Assembly-member Bonta. “AB 2396 reduces barriers to employment by prohibiting any licensing en-tity within the Department of Consumer Affairs from denying a license solely on the basis of a dismissed criminal conviction.” “Current law is fundamentally unfair to in-dividuals who have been rehabilitated by the justice system,” Bonta explained. “Thousands of people who have completed probation, paid their fines and restitution, and been pronounced rehabilitated are unable to find employment because licensing boards are considering a dis-missed conviction that is irrelevant to their abil-ity to perform the job.” Boards under the Department of Consumer Affairs regulate the licensures of a wide variety of professions. Licensees regulated by these boards include automotive repair technicians, barbers and cosmetologists, real estate agents and appraisers, occupational therapists, and many others. Licensure in these professions can enable an individual to become self-suffi-cient and enter the middle class. Getting a conviction dismissed is a time con-suming and difficult process and is only avail-able to those who have completed probation and paid all restitution and fines. Dismissal is unavailable to those who have committed cer-tain crimes, including most sex offenses. “Despite the state’s rigorous standards for dis-missing a conviction, licensing boards may use the dismissed conviction as the sole reason for denying a license. When applying for employ-ment with a private company, applicants are not required to disclose a dismissed record as part of the hiring process. Licensing boards should similarly reward rehabilitation and help reduce recidivism by precluding consideration of dis-missed convictions,” Bonta concluded.

Groundbreaking for Mother Teresa Center

On September 13, 2014, Bishop Bar-ber will celebrate with the parishio-ners of St. James the Apostle Parish, located at 34700 Fremont Boulevard, Fremont, CA 94555, the ground-breaking for their Mother Teresa Center. The Center will house meet-ing rooms and space for Parish Min-istry activities and especially for the Faith Formation Program. The Fes-tivities will begin at 2:00pm with en-tertainment and continue at 3:00pm with the Groundbreaking Ceremony and at 4:00pm with fellowship and refreshments. Please come and join the proud pa-rishioners of St. James in rejoicing in

a dream come true. Various fund rais-ing activities were undertaken in the past four years to realize this vision under the leadership of Fr. Antony Vazhappilly. With the motto “Little Drops of Water Makes an Ocean”, Fr. Antony was able to inspire parish-ioners and non-parishioners alike to support the campaign to raise money to build a necessary addition to the facilities of the church. On behalf of Fr. Antony and all the supporters of St. James the Apostle Catholic Church, we would like to thank you and we pray that God con-tinue to bless you and your families abundantly.

PAGE 12Sept 4, 2014 - Sept 10, 2014 SPORTS The San Francisco Post

Smart Gilas Pilipinas proving they are a force to be reckoned with! World takes notice of Gi-

las’ ‘Puso’-inspired brand of basketball!The Smart Gilas Pilipinas team was touted as the weakest team entering the 2014 FIBA World Cup. But after three games, including a thrilling overtime loss against a 16th ranked Croatian team and only a four-point loss against 3rd ranked Argentinian team, the world can’t help but notice how big the heart of this team is. Even Argentina’s coach Julio La mas admitted how difficult it was playing against them: “The Philippines plays a very strange style of basketball we’ve never seen,”

admitted Lamas after the world’s third-ranked team survived the scare of its

life, 85-81, against a squad ranked 31 rungs below it in the world rankings. “But they play to their full potential.” “They made us look like fools in the first quar te r,” Lamas ad-mitted lat-er before a horde of j o u r n a l -ists inside the press center.

“This is the most u n c o m f o r t a b l e

game I had to coach in my life,” he said.

On the losing end, Blatche tallied 14 points and 15 rebounds, but some hot shooting from Jimmy Alapag made for a thrilling conclusion. Alapag

finished with 15, all from b e h i n d the arc. But De Ocampo led the w a y with 18 p o i n t s , c o n -t r i b u t -ing four triples of his own. Even E S P N a n c h o r a n d N B A p l a y -by-play

man Mark Jones can’t help but ad-mire the team’s “puso”-inspired brand of basketball.

MANILA — Manny Pacquiao has expressed interest in recruiting former NBA All Star Metta World Peace to the Filipino boxing cham-pion’s newest venture — profes-sional basketball. Pacquiao has become playing coach of the newly-formed KIA Sorentos in the Philippine Basket-

ball Association, adding to his other careers as a world champion boxer and local congressman. Local media this week quoted Pac-quiao saying he personally knew World Peace and that the 34-year-old forward would be a “good im-port” for his team.

World Peace, who changed his name from Ron Artest, is current-ly playing for the Sichuan Blue Whales in the Chinese Basketball Association after a long NBA career which included stints with the Chi-cago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks.

Pacquiao eyeing World Peace for his hoop teamUS beats Turkey in Fiba World Cup

BILBAO, Spain—Kenneth Faried scored 22 points, Anthony Davis all of his 19 in the second half, and the US rebounded from

a rare deficit at halftime to beat Turkey 98-77 on Sunday in the Fiba World Cup. A night after beating Finland by 59 in its biggest rout ever while using NBA players in the former world championship, the Ameri-cans couldn’t take control against Turkey until early in the fourth quarter. They trailed 40-35 at halftime and Turkey led by six early in the third before the Americans could finally get the game into the quicker tempo they prefer and pull away to win the rematch of the 2010 gold-medal game in Istanbul. But it was a much tougher one than expected after the Ameri-cans hammered Finland 114-55 while Turkey was being out-played for most of its opener by New Zealand before pulling out the victory. James Harden added 14 points for the US. It was tied at 59 with 3:10 left in the third before the Americans

closed the period with a 7-1 burst to lead 66-60 after Faried’s bas-ket. The US then ran off 10 in a row to open the fourth and open

a 76-60 cushion. The Ameri-cans haven’t lost since the semifi-nals of the 2006 world champion-ship and outside of their victories over Spain in the last two Olym-pic gold-medal games, haven’t been in danger much since then. But they need-ed a long time to start looking like the team that is so considered

the tournament favorite by so many. It was 16-all after one, and Tur-key controlled the tempo in the second quarter, getting to the foul line against a US team that showed moments of frustration with the pace and some calls that went against them. Baris Hersek and Emir Preldzic made consecu-tive 3-pointers late in the half to give Turkey a 38-32 lead, and it was 40-35 when the teams went to the locker room. Unable to force the turnovers or missed shots to get their transi-tion game going, the Americans looked ordinary in the halfcourt. Davis, who scored 17 points in the opener and had been the Americans’ best player this sum-mer, was scoreless with one re-bounds in the half, playing just 10 ½ minutes while picking up two fouls. Derrick Rose showed his timing still isn’t back after a nearly two-year absence, missing both shots, turning it over twice and not getting an assist.

REAL ESTATE

WASHINGTON -- While mortgage rates have teetered within a tight range, even a slight drop in interest rates was enough to boost mortgage applications, which are still coming in at an anemic pace. Total application volume increased 2.8 per-cent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). Re-finances rose 3 percent week-to-week, but were off 25 percent from a year ago, when mortgage rates were higher. The season-ally adjusted Purchase Index also increased 3 percent on week. “The refinance index reached its highest level in more than two months,” said Michael Fratantoni, chief economist for the MBA. “Purchase vol-ume continues to be weak despite the small increase, and was 11 percent below this time last year.” Mortgage rates fell toward the end of last week as turmoil overseas fueled the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell, and mortgage rates loosely follow that yield. Mortgage rates rose slightly after that. For the week, the average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($417,000 or less)

decreased to 4.28 percent from 4.29 percent. Interest rates had been expected to move higher by now, but instead seem stuck. Trouble overseas is largely to blame, and yet mortgage rates, so far at least, refuse to go be-low the psychologically significant 4 percent level. That has to do with other factors for

lenders beyond just the bond markets. Mat-thew Graham of Mortgage News Daily offers this explanation: “Europe is a wet blanket on domestic inter-est rates. The proportions may not be epic, but they’ve been utterly persis-

tent…But the good news is that until some-thing changes about the situation in Europe, it would be very hard for rates to embark on any significant move higher.” Graham says it’s possible for rates to get back into the high 3’s, if a Treasury rally holds ground, but it usually doesn’t and didn’t this week. Just the possibility of lower rates, however, is a lot more than anyone might have hoped for nine months ago, when the expectation was that rates would cross 5 per-cent, not 4.

US mortgage volume gains on tiny drop in rates

US guard Stephen Curry jumps to score during the 2014 FIBA World basketball championships group C match Turkey vs USA at the Bizkaia Arena in Bilbao on August 31, 2014. USA won 98-77.

MANILA - WBA “super” world featherweight cham-pion Nonito Donaire Jr. will take on fellow champion Nicholas Walters of Jamaica on Oct. 18 in Carson City, California, a boxing website re-ported Thursday. According to a re-port by Philboxing.com, Donaire will face Walters, who holds the “regular” version of the WBA featherweight title, as a co-featured bout of a card headlined by a middleweight clash between WBO middleweight boss Gennady Golovkin and Marco Antonio Rubio. The card will report-edly be held at the Stub Hub Center in Carson City. The undefeated Walters, who hails from Montego Bay, Jamaica, saw action in the undercard of Donaire’s fight with Simpiwe Vetyeka last June in Macau, knocking out Vic Darchinyan in the fifth round to retain his

title. In a fine display of punching power and skill, Walters (24-0, with 20 knockouts) decked Darchinyan twice – in the

second and fifth rounds – en route to the dominant victory. In the main event, Donaire took Vetyeka’s crown via a fifth round technical decision win.

The Filipino-American fight-er earlier said he prefers a uni-fication bout over a tune-up fight in his next assignment. “When I came up to 126,

I didn’t have a tune-up. When I came up to 122, I didn’t have a tune-up. When I went up in weight to 118, I didn’t have a tune-up. If there’s a chal-lenge there, I’ll go for it. I’m al-ways willing to fight anybody,” Donaire previ-ously told Luis Sandoval of box-ingscene.com. “We want to get another title match. Either defend the title or fight another champion. I’m al-ways the type of fighter that will

challenge other champions out there. If I’m in that division, I will challenge you,” he said. Donaire will get his wish against Walters in a fight that’s expected to be a barnburner.

Donaire faces unbeaten Walters in Carson Oct. 18

WASHINGTON — The average 30-year U.S. mortgage rate remained at a 52-week low of 4.1% this week. Mortgage company Freddie Mac also said Thursday that the average for a 15-year mort-gage, a popular choice for people who are re-financing, rose to 3.25% from 3.23%. At its 52-week low of 4.1%, the rate on a 30-year mortgage is down from 4.53% at the start of the year. Rates have fallen even though the Federal Reserve has been trim-ming its monthly bond purchases, which are intended to keep long-term borrowing rates low. The purchases are set to end in October. The low rates appear to have boosted U.S. home sales. Data released Thursday showed that more Americans signed contracts to buy homes in July. The National Association of Realtors said its seasonally adjusted pend-

ing home sales index rose 3.3% to 105.9 last month. Still, the index remains 2.1 percent below its level a year ago. To calculate average mortgage rates, Fred-die Mac surveys lenders across the country between Monday and Wednesday each week. The average doesn’t include extra fees, known as points, which most borrowers must pay to get the lowest rates. One point equals 1 percent of the loan amount. The average fee for a 30-year mortgage was 0.5 point, unchanged from last week. The fee for a 15-year mortgage remained at 0.6 point. The average rate on a five-year adjustable-rate mortgage rose to 2.97% from 2.95%. The fee stayed at 0.5 point. For a one-year ARM, the average rate edged up to 2.39% from 2.38%. The fee was stable at 0.5 point.

Average 30-year mortgage rate at 4.1%

Nonito Donaire Jr.

PAGE 13Sept 4, 2014 - Sept 10, 2014The San Francisco Post SHOWBIZ

Sexy Anne wows with ‘The Gifted’ pictorialABS-CBNnews.com

MANILA - One ob- vious draw of the comedy film “The Gifted,” which o p e n s September 3, is see-ing lead star A n n e Curtis as the obese Zoe Tuazon. B u t fans of the ac- t ress c a n a l s o

look for

ward to seeing her go full seductress mode as the same character post-surgery. In a series of photos released by produc-er Viva Films, Curtis poses as the sexier version of Zoe. Her co-stars Cristine Reyes and Sam Milby also pose as their respective characters Aica and Mark. In the Chris Martinez-directed film, Zoe competes with her best friend and fel-low genius, Aica, in academics and later on for the affections of Mark, a former classmate. An obese student whose parents expect much from her, Zoe undergoes surgery as part of a grand plan to outwit Aica. Not to be outdone, Aica, who describes herself as ugly, also goes through cos-metic surgery to appear more attractive. According to Curtis, moviegoers can expect a twist to the story beyond the ap-parent war of looks and brains between the two lead characters.Curtis, in an earlier interview, revealed that she was initially hesitant to take up “The Gifted,” noting that she and Reyes also portrayed rivals in the 2011 block-buster “No Other Woman.” However, she changed her mind af-ter reading the script also by Martinez, which she described as “genius” and hi-larious.

Sharon Cuneta leaves TV5In her open letter to fans, posted on Facebook last week, singer-actress Sharon Cuneta vowed, “I am go-ing back to basics.” What she meant became clear only when she an-nounced on Twitter and Facebook on Friday night that she was “no longer with TV5.” (She left ABS-CBN, her home stu-dio for 23 years, to join TV5 three years ago.) That same night, Cuneta’s manager (and Viva Entertainment head) Vic del Rosario told the Inquirer that “Mega” (as Cuneta is known in the biz) was now a freelancer. Comanager Sandra Chaves likewise told the Inquirer: “Projects are in the works. She will make announce-ments as they are confirmed.” Deluge of comments In her Twitter and Facebook posts, what Cuneta said was that she’d be be working on “things…which could start sooner than you think.” Cyberspace was deluged with com-ments from fans and foes alike. When Inquirer Entertainment broke the story on Friday night on Twitter and INQUIRER.net, both sites received all sorts of responses—from the encouraging (“Good for her!”) to the inane (“Is she moving to the government station (Ch. 4)?”) On her fanpage, Mega’s announcement received more than 2,100 “likes” overnight and 354 comments. Saturday morning, she posted this message on Face-book: “Good morning, everyone! It’s a beautiful day! I have not seen a day as beautiful as today in a few years and I [couldn’t] be happier…Thank you for your loving words of encouragement…I wish you all a beautiful day just like mine.” A bit of confusion Prior to her Friday announcement, Mega set the re-cord straight with the Inquirer and clarified several issues that arose from her open letter.

No, Hollywood actor Robin Williams’ recent passing (from apparent suicide) didn’t cross her mind. Neither was she on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Her confession caused a bit of confusion. Former costars Judy Ann Santos and Herbert Bau-

tista expressed concern; daughter KC Concepcion pledged support. A few pundits had their own opinions, insinuating that Mega’s message was a cry for help and/or in-spired by Williams’ tragic death. Best to take it straight from Mega: “Yes, I’ve been sad but no, I haven’t gone crazy, or entertained any thoughts of harming myself.” Midlife crisis She told the Inquirer: “I think some people mis-understood. If you reread my post, what I said was

that I had a midlife crisis when I hit 40 (eight years ago), and that it lasted for a couple of years. I am long over that.” A few days after the Facebook missive, Mega insist-ed, “I am feeling better.” She said she was just glad that she got to vent. “I had typed that [open lettter] from out of the blue, with tears streaming down my face. I felt that was my weakest point,” she recounted. “It was [addressed] solely [to] my most loyal fans and supporters who have been patiently waiting for so long for me to de-liver something to them. I felt so bad that I had let them, and myself, down.” She described her letter as a “pure apology from the depths of my heart. I hadn’t been moved enough to humble myself that much in all these years.”

Sharon Cuneta

A blockbuster family reunion for Mark GilIT WAS a star studded family reunion to say the least with a powerhouse cast that paid trib-ute to a loved one and respected fellow actor. Singer-actor Eddie Mesa (Eduardo Eigen-mann in real life and who was known as the local Elvis Presley) and wife ‎and actress Rose-marie Gil, children and actors Michael de Mesa and Cherie Gil all came for Raphael Joseph Eigenmann, popularly known as Mark Gil, who died Monday and whose wake was open to the public Wednesday at the La Salle Green-hills in San Juan.Gil, 52, who suc-cumbed to liver cir-rhosis or liver cancer, was cremated at the Heritage Memorial Park in Taguig City Monday. He was di-agnosed with the ill-ness two years ago but decided not to make his condition public and continued his acting career.‎ The Eigenmanns were joined by Gil’s wife of 18 years, Maricar Jacinto-Eigenmann, and her stepsons and actors Gabby Eigenmann and Sid Lucero and stepdaughter Maxene Eigenmann.With Lucero was rumored girlfriend, actress Alessandra da Rossi. Michael de Mesa’s son, actor Geoff Eigen-mann‎ was also present. Gil’s loved ones wept as his wife, wearing sunglasses and a black dress, walked up to his

urn surrounded with orchids and family pic-tures and kissed it. Light music helped to soften the somber mood‎. Before settling down with Jacinto, Gil was romantically involved with several actresses: Irene Celebre, mother of Gabby Eigenmann

and Ira Celebre; Bing Pimentel, mother of Sid Lu-cero and Maxene Eigenmann; and Jacklyn Jose‎, mother of Andi Eigenmann. Aside from fam-ily, friends of the actor from show business came:‎ Gretchen Barret-to, Gary Lising, Jose Mari Chan, Lolit Solis, Ma-ria Isabel Lopez, Melissa Mendez, and Tirso Cruz III. Gil, whose wake will be until

Thursday, is an alumnus of La Salle. Gil got his big break in show business in the early ‘80s through Mike de Leon’s now-classic opus, “Batch ‘81”, playing a young man caught in the whirlwind of fraternity rites. His char-acter’s name was Sid Lucero. “Batch 81” was shown in the Cannes International Film Festi-val in 1982. Among the more than 100 films he starred were “Magnifico,” “Pasan Ko ang Daigdig” and “Eskapo”.

Derek Ramsay’s wife breaks silence, says he abandoned son

MANILA, Philippines - The wife of actor Derek Ramsay broke her silence Friday and revealed how the actor allegedly abandoned his obligations as a father to their now 11-year old son. Speaking to reporters in Makati City, Mary Christine Jolly Ramsay, a 36-year old former commercial model and now a legal assistant in Dubai, said Derek is criminally liable for violat-ing Republic Act (RA) 9262 or the “Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004.” Mary told reporters that she was also a victim of psychological and physical abuse from Derek. “This case is about the violence perpetuated by Derek Ramsey against me and my son whom this man abandoned 11 years ago. Republic Act 9262s is clear—very specific in its provi-sions that the rights of women and children are to be protect-ed against abuses committed against them by anyone. “ said Mary who was born in Las Piñas City but moved to Dubai with her parents when she was six years old. Mary later returned to the Philippines to attend college. Mary said she and Derek met at a Makati bar in 2001 while she was still a student at a Makati university. Mary said Derek, at that time, had just been selected as one of the VJs (video jocks) of MTV Philippines. Mary said she and Derek then got married in 2002 in Balagtas, Bulacan. Afterwards, Mary said, she and Derek lived in the actor’s Makati apartment. According to Mary, while she lived with Derek, the actor would often come home drunk from the many parties he attended and even allegedly dated other women.The relationship ended in 2002 when Mary got fed up and left the actor’s Makati apartment to

join her parents in Dubai. Mary said she was one-month pregnant with the actor’s son.Mary said she informed Derek of her pregnancy, but the actor who was then a commercial model, allegedly ignored her. Mary said, she then pro-ceeded with the pregnancy alone.According to Mary, throughout her stay in Dubai with their son, she has always kept in touch with Derek. However, Derek allegedly continued to ignore her until 2010 when she returned to the Philippines with their eight-year old son and con-fronted him.

“This is not about me. This is about my son, who wants nothing more than assert his rights as a child from his father. “ said Mary.Mary said a paternity test conducted in 2010 showed Derek to be the father of Mary’s son. Mary said that after a year, Derek and his par-ents decided to enter into a settlement with her.However, Mary added that Derek had reneged on his obligations to their son, forcing her to file the complaint against him.“I just want to assert my rights as a mother to my

kid. Derek is using his money to influence my son’s behavior. I want to live a normal life again. I just hope that the law will favor and protect us from the abuses committed against us by Derek,” Mary said.Meanwhile, Jojo Alonso, Derek’s lawyer, earlier said Mary is bent on making false accusations against the actor.Mary, through her lawyers, is expected to file her reply to Ramsay’s counter-affidavit before the Makati Prosecutors Office on September 4.

Derek Ramsay’s ex wife, Mary Christine Jolly Ramsay

MANILA - One ob vious draw of the comedy film “The Gifted,” which o p e n s September 3, is seeing lead star A n n e Curtis as the obese Zoe Tuazon. B u t fans of the ac- t ress c a n a l s o

look for

PHOTO taken at the Cinema One awards night on Nov. 18, 2013, shows Gil with wife Maricar Eigen-mann (left) and ex-wife Bing Pimentel.

Sam Milby takes it slow with Shaina MagdayaoTwo years ago, Sam Milby tried squiring on Shaina Magdayao but nothing came of it because they “never got the chance to talk, walang growth.” Back to present times and Sam’s sing-ing a slightly different, if not more cau-tious tune: he sim-ply wants to get to know her better. “It’s not impos-sible (na ligawan ko ulit siya) since our friendship is growing but we’re taking our time,” he said in an interview. Apparently, the closeness comes naturally with Sam’s new busi-ness partner being among Shaina’s close friends. “When I became friends with (my busi-ness partner), it ended up na nagha-hang out kami lagi, ’yung group of friends na-min (kasama si Shaina),” he shared. His eyes sparkled in describing Shaina. “She’s a real person, maganda talaga ang

puso niya.” Sam revealed that “she does charity na hindi pinopost sa Instagram kasi some people will do that para ipakita na ‘O, I do this.’” Asked if he is tentative in pursuing Shaina because of Piolo Pascual, the Rockous-

tic Heartthrob retorted, “Hindi naman totoo (na may competition kami ni Piolo). Wala namang hin-drance.”So…now what? Well, when asked directly, Sam responded accordingly. “If ever may balak akong ligawan (siya), ayoko na-man sabihin sa interview. I’d rather say it to the per-son.” He has obviously learned his lesson. Recall that he also made public his inter-est in Jessy Mendiola last

year but that, too, got stilted. “Sinabi kong nililigawan (ko) tapos hindi nag-push through, tapos kung ano ano ng sinasabi ng mga tao…” It is for this rea-son that he wants to keep his plans about Shaina private.

PAGE 14Sept 4, 2014 - Sept 10, 2014 CLASSIFIED The San Francisco Post

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HOROSCOPEAries March 20 - April 18It isn’t exactly all lightness and harmony at home today, Aries. There’s tension in the air and it manifests in silly family argu-ments. Try to arrange separate activities for siblings, and encourage your partner to eat out with friends. Taurus April 19 - May 19This could be a particularly stressful day, Tau-rus. Your workload is heavier than ever, thanks to the increased responsibility you’ve taken on. The day seems endless, yet there aren’t enough hours to get done all that needs doing. Gemini May 20 - June 19Your self-confidence may be a bit low and you could doubt your abilities right now, Gemini. Don’t get depressed or disheartened. Your skills are excellent.Cancer June 20 - July 21Today you may feel bored and frustrated with your life’s direction, Cancer. You feel buried under responsibilities, with no time left to do what you really want to do. You have other in-terests to pursue but no time to pursue them.Leo July 22 - August 21You’re less optimistic and energetic than usual, Leo. Your mind feels sluggish - your whole body does, in fact. You’re either com-ing down with the flu or completely and thor-oughly disheartened. Virgo August 22 - September 21You may be discouraged about money matters today, Virgo. Perhaps a raise you’d been hoping for didn’t come through. Per-haps a professional project didn’t work out as you expected. Now is the time to put your ingenuity to work and figure out a way to earn the money you need. Libra September 22 - October 21

If work is beginning to feel more like a burden than a joy, it may be time to rethink your job, Li-bra. Your personality is such that you need lots of room to stretch and grow. If you feel stifled, you know it’s time to find a new professional challenge. Scorpio October 22 - November 20You’re especially in tune with the environ-ment and the people around you today, Scorpio. Such sensitivity is new to you, and you aren’t exactly sure what to do with the myriad messages that come into your head, seemingly out of nowhere.Sagittarius November 21 - December 20You’re drawn to public service, Sagittarius. This desire propels you to volunteer your services with a group of some kind. You may feel a bit awkward at first, but your natural leadership abilities will soon kick in. Capricorn December 21 - January 18Don’t take everything at face value today, Capricorn. Information you receive might not be accurate. Someone could be repeat-ing gossip or even creating it just to have something to talk about. Don’t take part in the discussion. Aquarius January 19 - February 17You may be feeling a bit on edge today, Aquarius. Your self-confidence is shaky and you may feel in need of new challenges. The tedious tasks you have in front of you don’t inspire your imagination or creativity. Pisces February 18 - March 19You and your mate may be experiencing some differ-ences of opinion. It seems you each have definite ideas about some of life’s fundamental values and they aren’t completely in sync. Make an extra effort to communicate, Pisces. You may find that your values aren’t as far apart as they first seemed. Hang in there.

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PAGE 15Sept 4, 2014 - Sept 10, 2014The San Francisco Post AUTOMOTIVE

DETROIT -- Ford Motor Co. has officially launched pro-duction of the redesigned Ford Mustang coupe at its Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Flat Rock, Mich. With the 2015 model, Ford is making the Mustang to suit global tastes for the first time. That will include a first-ever right-hand-drive version. Ford is adding 25 right-hand-drive markets and 56 left-hand-drive markets for a total of nearly 120 countries where the pony car will be sold. All Mustangs will be built in Flat Rock. The plant also pro-duces the Fu-sion midsize sedan. Ford said pro-duction of the 2015 Mustang convertible will begin in several months. At full line speed, Flat Rock employs about 3,000 workers on two shifts with annual capacity of about 220,000. Over the last year, the factory has been upgraded as part of a $555 million investment. Ford has added a flexible body shop to allow multiple models to be produced on the same line, and installed three wet=paint process, dirt deteciton and laser brazing. UAW officials are eager to see a third production shift added at the plant but Joe Hinrichs, head of Ford’s Ameri-cas unit, said today the automaker won’t know until the second half of 2015 whether international demand will support additional Mustang output.

Even with all the design and engineering changes under-taken to appeal to overseas consumers, Ford expects the majority of Mustang sales to come in the United States and North America. Ford has told U.S. dealers it expects order scheduling of the Mustang coupe to begin in late September and the car to arrive in dealerships in November. The company has sold more than 9 million Mustangs. It is one of the few nameplates in continuous production for

more than 50 years. U.S. sales of the Mustang rose 4 percent to 50,795 this year through July, after declining 7 percent to 77,186 in 2013. U.S. deliveries of the Chevrolet Camaro have climbed 13 per-cent through July to 56,633, af-ter falling 5 percent to 80,567 in 2013. The Camaro, redesigned in 2009, overtook the Mustang a year later, ending Ford’s 24-year run with the top-selling sports car in the U.S. New Mustang features include an independent rear suspension,

a redesigned front suspension and a 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine. The Mustang also will be offered with the latest version of Ford’s 5.0-liter V-8 engine and a 3.7-liter V-6. Ford celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Mustang in April. To commemorate the anniversary, each 2015 Mus-tang will have a badge on the instrument panel incorpo-rating the galloping pony logo and the words “Mustang -- Since 1964.” Ford started producing Mustangs at Flat Rock nine years ago and marked the 1 millionth Mustang built there last year.

Ford launches ‘15 Mustang output in Michigan

GM 8-speed likely to get wide useDETROIT -- The eight-speed automatic transmission that will soon debut in the 2015 Chevro-let Corvette is expected to get broad use in General Motors trucks and luxury cars in com-ing years. An IHS Automotive forecast for the transmission, obtained by Automotive News, predicts that GM will make nearly 200,000 of the eight-speed gearboxes for the Chevrolet Silverado and G M C Sierra p i c k -ups in e a c h of the n e x t t w o years.N e x t year, a lower-torque v e r -s i o n of the trans-m i s -s i o n is ex-pected to roll out in s o m e Cadillac ATS and CTS models and the Chevy Camaro muscle car. IHS also predicts that the gear-box, developed and built by GM at its Toledo, Ohio, powertrain plant, will later appear on sev-eral other vehicles: the Chevy Colorado and GMC Can-yon midsize pickups, starting in 2016; and the Chevy Express and GMC Savana cargo vans, starting in 2018. GM said last month that it would offer the transmission, dubbed 8L90, in some 2015 Sil-verado and Sierra models, paired with a 6.2-liter V-8 en-gine. GM has not dis-closed volume tar-

gets or plans for the gearbox’s use in cars beyond the Corvette. GM global product chief Mark Reuss told reporters last month that transmissions with higher numbers of gears will be “a big part of our product lineup.” He declined to specify models. While developing the eight-speed gearbox for the Corvette, GM “set some aggressive goals in terms of how fast it shifts in that performance application,”

Reuss said. “But we’re also looking at some great fuel econ-omy gains in some of the other product lines we’re looking at.” The IHS forecast predicts that the transmission’s production volume will decline starting in 2018. It is likely to be replaced by production of a 10-speed rear-wheel-drive transmission that it is co-developing with Ford Motor Co., which is ex-pected by sometime in 2016.

Suzuki is giving is new Vitara a more mainstream look to broaden the subcom-pact SUV’s appeal.The automaker released a picture of the car ahead of its debut at the Paris auto show in October.The five-door Vitara is the production model of the iV-4 concept first shown at last year’s Frankfurt auto show. It will go on sale in Europe early next year.The Vitara has lost the boxy utilitarian design of previous models and now has slicker, more mainstream crossover styl-ing.

The new model will enter the carmaker’s lineup below the SX4 compact crossover after Suzuki introduced a larger version of the SX4 last year.The Vitara joins a hotly-contested seg-ment in Europe for urban subcompact SUV/crossovers that includes models such as the Opel/Vauxhall Mokka, Re-nault Captur and Peugeot 2008.While most new Vitaras will likely be front-wheel drive, customers can also or-der four-wheel-drive as an option, Suzuki said.Suzuki has said that the Vitara was cre-

ated specifically with the Europe in mind and the company hasn’t decided whether to sell it in other markets. IHS Automo-tive expects Suzuki to sell about 23,000 units of the model in 2016 in Europe and 27,000 in 2017.Suzuki sells the Grand Vitara, a midsize SUV.Suzuki’s vehicle sales in the EU and EFTA markets rose by 13 percent to 80,876 in the first six months, according to industry association ACEA. Last year, the automaker’s sales fell 2 percent to 152,345.

Suzuki gives the Vitara SUV a sleeker look

PAGE 16Sept 4, 2014 - Sept 10, 2014 The San Francisco Post