In the News: Proudly Pinoy [Archive] - Page 3

Animo

May 13th, 2006, 08:08 PM

Filipino actor/dancer/poet/activist/rapper Dante Basco has tried everything in this business to make a name for himself. Luckily, his efforts have not gone unnoticed. It helps that he’s not camera-shy either.

Basco is famous for stirring up trouble. After his breakout performance as Rufio in Steven Spielberg’s classic "Hook," Basco’s name became practically synonymous with the rambunctious lost boy who refuses to grow up.

Today, Basco has found his way out of "Neverland" and into a role that he was born to play. The role is Ramos, a smooth talking and more importantly, hiphop-dancing Puerto Rican teenager, in Liz Frielander’s debut movie "Take the Lead." As Ramos, Basco not only delivers his signature rebel attitude as the detention–bound high schooler; the actor also gets back to his first love: dancing.

Dante Basco talks about taking the lead, shifting careers, and navigating Hollywood as a Filipino actor.

What attracted you to the role?

Basco: "First and foremost is dancing. We shot this, like, last year and I’ve been acting for a long time now. I’ve been acting for 20 years and it’s ironic, say, like, two years ago, my acting coach at the time was like, "You’ve been acting for a long time, Dante. Your work is always good, but there’s something missing, like your joy for acting. Try to reconnect with why you started acting," which is an interesting question, an interesting thing to think about. Doing some soul searching and thinking and whatnot, and actually what came up is I started acting because of John Travolta in Grease and Saturday Night Fever. Really. I was a breakdancer before I was an actor. Dancing is my first love. "

How much does the racial background play into the role?

"No, it was written as a Puerto Rican role, Miguel Ramos. It doesn’t really matter when you’re shooting the movie, you’re shooting the script... good looking, teenage Puerto Rican Miguel Ramos. But I’m Filipino and I’ve been in the industry for a long time and I’ve played a lot of roles in my life, from plenty of Asian roles to plenty of Latin roles. Being Filipino is a unique, you know, we’re a unique culture as far as we have a lot of Spanish blood in us, a lot of Asian blood in us, so we are able to go through a lot of these things. I did have a discussion with the director Liz Friedlander, who I love. She’s a great, brilliant director in her first film. Miguel Ramos is written Puerto Rican, but I think he can be Filipino. Miguel Ramos is a Filipino name just as much as it could be a Puerto Rican name. And then Antonio comes up to me and just jokingly, he’s a great guy, I love Antonio, he’s like, "Well you know Dante, Puerto Rico, Philippines, Cuba, we liberated all of you. Same thing, ¨ which is funny because he’s Spanish. Spaniards..."

How was it working with Antonio in terms of dancing, particularly hip-hop?

"For hip-hop. He’s a pretty good dancer, I mean, regardless. I mean he comes from Spain and the theater and he has a lot of control of his body and his agility and things of that nature. We all flew to Toronto like a month early to just study ballroom dancing. It was like a month. It was like 6 weeks. I don’t know, it was like a lot of weeks of every day, just ballroom dancing, 10-6, every day, five days a week, six days sometimes. It was intense and Antonio was with us, studying with us. His tango scene is amazing."

Did you have a lot of input in the choreography?

"Yeah. The whole thing, as far as the dancing is concerned, it was all about ultimately, not just getting the kids to learn ballroom, but to bring it up to speed with our lives. We call it fusion, the fusion of hip-hop and ballroom because in the end, it’s like as cool as the ballroom dancing is, it’s not very accessible to most youth or urban youth. To meld it together was key. So when it comes to like hip-hop, everyone’s dance style is very unique. You got ten different cats who are hip-hop dancers who’ve got ten different styles and that’s just the beauty of hip-hop, so to be able to choreograph that with ballroom, it’s really you with the choreographers and what you do naturally and melding it in. I was very much involved with the choreography we were doing. With that last scene, the choreographers were brilliant. It was great, but also kind of scary because it’s never been done before. But as you start going with it, it just starts flowing. Me and my brothers, we’re all dancers. We’re Filipino. That’s what we do. Being Filipino, I mean we grew up dancing, singing, rapping — it’s a part of growing up — piano lessons. You’re changing partners and I think that lent to me being very comfortable in partner dancing and kind of understanding that and then, you know, flipping it. Growing up, doing the cha cha with my mom and my aunts and whatnot, we would always throw in hip-hop in the middle of it; we couldn’t keep it basic."

It seems like hip-hop drives a lot of your projects...

"And as far as hip-hop is involved in my career, I feel I’ve always been a hip-hop artist, you know? No matter what I do, I’m part of the hip-hop generation and the multiculturalism of hip-hop and the voice of hip-hop. It’s kind of like blood through our veins."

You seem to be taking your career in a lot of different directions right now. How does everything relate?

"Yeah, you know, it’s all the same thing to me. It’s kind of like you grow up and you have more things to say as an artist. It’s all about telling stories, whether it’s music or acting, film or whatnot. So many stories to tell. The ultimate goal is to produce with ease the things that I want to say or of other artists that I see that I want to get out there as well as continuing to voice my own thoughts."

http://www.mb.com.ph/issues/2006/05/14/ENTR2006051463949.html

adverg

May 14th, 2006, 08:41 AM

Thanks for your insights marites, I agree also with you, but it is already there mahirap ng burahin or like in a mirror pag may crack na hindi na ito maritoke, now I realize also in the longrun being an OFW is a mistake also but we cannot be blame kung bakit mas prepare namin to stay abroad, but I feel this is the big mistake, I read one article in newspaper, it says overseas worker is not a long term boom and not a big much impact to the economic growth, economy starts at home. Kaya nga I have repeat again, it's only the change of traits of the whole Filipino people will dramatically change the economy of our country but I feel it sounds impossible and rediculous. But if we really determine to do it, a generation must a sacrifice for this cause. Ginawa na natin during People Power but we never put the true principle of it but because too much thirsty of releasing ourselves of being bondage out of democracy for 25 years, we abuse the principles of people power, mistakes din nating lahat, madali tayong mahikayat, makinig because that this the trend of media propaganda. Secondly I know our political status is very unhealthy, but we have to thing para hindi tayo manghina, ay mas marami pang ibang kawawa kaysa sa atin in other part of this world. Like the Palestine, in Iraq or Afghanistan, you see their lifestyle, but they never give up kahit namatay na yung leader nila, they are still fighting for their right because they are patriotic to their own country. Yan ang wala sa atin, it's already stick in our blood, patriotism must be upheld. I think this time, ay may change, but it really takes time, what is the use of this forum, if the info you release are not truth, we try to balance the issues. Dapat nga kami ang dapat ang unang magcomplain about what is really happening now, kasi ang paglakas ng peso ay lumiliit ang exchange rate ng US dollar or local rate where we work pag we send remittance sa ating bansa, but you see the inflow of remittance is getting more stronger because we feel that there is chance to this economic move, kaya nasasaktan kami kapag we always here political noise diyan sa atin dahil we affect so much, local people laugh at our back, this not what naandiyan sa atin from irresponsible political people to ordinary citizen what is the implications of this political instability to us yet without the help of OFW remittances, maybe we are in a chaos already. It must be the whole to unite, we can do it if we want to. HInayaan nating magrelax ang Marcose after coming back, now we only try to look for their mistakes dahil government trying to comprimise which is also wrong, bakit di natin inacusa kaagad ng pagkadating pa lang nila sa bansa yet we still vote them again for some positions in the government, was it not laughable. Kaya nga kung di umabuso ang marcoses, Ifeel their early years, they are doing great in our country, people must be something to respect, but the problem, starts from home. members trying not respect each other what more outside or in public, discipline the thing lack to everyone, simple kahit sa bus stop, or pedestrian lane, it is normal sa Filipino not to follow this simple rules what more those complicated ones. Sorry for this it seems getting out of topic already, justt my sentiments only hope doesnt affect others with this views.

Dueller23

May 15th, 2006, 08:04 AM

Rivermaya makes MTV Asia history

There is no doubt at this point, that RIVERMAYA is one of the country's best bands ever.

The group which popularized the songs such as “Posible,” “Umuulan, Umaaraw,” “Liwanag sa Dilim” and “Awit ng Kabataan,” made history twice in one night at the 2006 MTV Asia Awards in Bangkok, Thailand.

In a historic moment for OPM and Pinoy rock, Rivermaya was the first ever Filipino band to be invited to perform, and the first time any Filipino artist was privileged to perform a solo-spot number in the five-year history of the MTV Asia Awards.

The glittering roster of international performers included rock icons Korn, Kelly Rowland of Destiny's Child, Daniel Powter, top U.S. band Hoobastank, as well as pop superstars from across Asia, including Teriyaki Boyz of Japan, Seven of Korea, Vicky Zhao of China, and Tata Young of Thailand.

Performing its massive hit, “You'll Be Safe Here”, Rivermaya was accompanied by the Royal Thai Army Orchestra's string section, amidst a magical mix of state-of-the-art lcd and graphic effects. The band that has been hailed as “Ang Banda ng Bayan” by fans across the Philippines was introduced by Kelly Rowland as the artist “set to cross continents.”

Before taking the stage, Rico Blanco, lead vocalist for Rivermaya, exclaimed in an MTV interview, “This one is for the Philippines!”

The intensely moving performance visibly captivated the audience, composed of music industry movers and shakers - record labels, media (tv, radio, print), as well as musicians from every genre, who had flown in from all over the region to attend what is rated as one of the biggest annual music events in Asia.

According to band manager Lizza Nakpil, Rivermaya's performance had an “overwhelming response and was singled out for praise” from a lineup that included Korn, Hoobastank, Daniel Powter and Rowland.

MTV Japan's managing director Peter Bulland described Rivermaya's performance as “world-class at the level of performances on any stage in the United States or Europe.”

Other accolades were unanimous for Rivermaya's stunning performance at the event.

Charmayne Yap, Director for Talents & Artists Relations for MTV Asia said, “Rivermaya did an awesome performance and this not only comes from MTV, but everyone else that watched them at the show. Kudos to Rivermaya! After Asia sees them on our show, they might just be the next big thing!”

The Bangkok Post raved that “the most outstanding showcases were by (Japanese superstars) Teriyaki Boyz and by Rivermaya. RIvermaya did the Philippines - and Southeast Asia - proud with a strong stage presence and a beautiful tune enhanced by a string section.”

Attending the ceremonies was Philippine Ambassador to Thailand, H.E. Narciso Rodriguez who said, “Words cannot describe how I felt witnessing Rivermaya take the stage in such a world-class setting, with the crÃ¨me de la crÃ¨me of Asia in the audience - it was overwhelming!”

Mark Cailles, manager for UK rock band Placebo who was in Bangkok for the launch of the band's new album, Meds, also sent his congratulations to the band saying that Rivermaya's performance “made (his) night.”

Peter Bullard, managing director for MTV Japan noted that “Rivermaya's performance was at par with the best of any international act in the U.S. or Europe - you could put the band anywhere in the world and they would be outstanding.”

Chris Hermosisima of NU 107, the country's leading rock station, said, “Rivermaya just elevated the local band scene to a higher level - we are so proud of them!”

As a double triumph, Rivermaya was also named Philippines' Favorite Artist 2006, making it the second year in a row that the band has taken home the gold. Only one artist per country receives the honor each year. Votes are tallied from across Asia, and this year's votes amounted to 14 Million. Rivermaya has also won the Favorite Group award a record-breaking three times at the MTV Pilipinas Awards, in 2002, 2003 and 2005.

Accepting the award, Rivermaya thanked “all the bands and fans who worked hard in the spirit of bayanihan to make 2006 a great year for Filipino music.”

The MTV Asia Awards took place at the 5,000-capacity Siam Paragon Theatre in Bangkok. The awards show was also broadcast to over 400 million households across the region.

http://www.goodnewspilipinas.com/docs/showbiz_success/may15/rivermaya.html

OtAkAw

May 15th, 2006, 01:43 PM

^^I watched Rivermaya's performance in YouTUbe and I was deeply moved, they sang REALLY VERY WELL!!!!! Unlike the strange Asian "rappers" that just mouthed some stupid words that probably no Filipino or perhaps no non-Asian will understand.

This might be the reason why MTV Asia did not invite any Filipino artist on their show for the past 3 years. When Regine Velasquez sang the duet of Cry with Mandy Moore, she overshadowed Mandy so bad that even foreign critics noticed! When she belted the "cryyyyyy....!!!!!" part at the near end of the song, I could tell you that everyone was wowwwed!!! Probably they are afraid that foreign record companies will go for our artists instead of theirs.! Ayaw nilang maipakitang mas magaling yung singers naten! hehhehe!

sugbuanon

May 16th, 2006, 05:29 AM

FBMA launches new vessel

CEBU - Aboitiz - owned FBMA Marine Inc. has released its newest creation this month.

The Lider, which has already undergone a series of test runs, is the first vessel of its kind to be produced commercially.

It was designed by famous defense contractor Lockheed Martin. The prototype of the ship was built in Hawaii in 1998.

The 157-ton boat is Lockheed Martin’s version of the Small Waterplane Twin Hull (Swath) vessel.

While a standard Swath vessel has two-bottle shaped hulls running the length of the ship, the Lider, on the other hand, has four torpedo-shaped pods.

Stabilizing

These pods, along with a computerized stabilizing system, allow a smooth sailing and guarantee comfort for its passengers.

Unique to this slice vessel is the dual stabilizing role that its four propellers play. Attached to the four pods, these propellers or fins are responsible for stabilizing and steering the ship.

The Lider, which can carry up to 150 people, is built to operate in extreme weather conditions and has a wave resistance of up to five meters.

But although great importance is placed in reducing wave action, its speed is in no way sacrificed.

The vessel is capable of going 22 knots in full load condition in calm water.

The ship, which took approximately $9 million to build, is equipped with thrusters that pull the boat sideways, as it goes alongside, resulting to minimized noticeable motions when the ship makes a turn.

The slice design used in the vessel is ideal for any type of use whether for the military, for cargo or for passengers.

adverg

May 16th, 2006, 05:32 AM

Not to be subjective, it is already in the blood of Filipino people to be a talented singers and in performing arts.

sugbuanon

May 16th, 2006, 05:37 AM

^^ agree.. we have plenty of artists who are at par with their counterparts from the u.s and europe but sadly they just lack exposure and the support from large recording companies..

chixbebe

May 17th, 2006, 06:12 AM

In the 58-year history of the International Theater Institute, the Philippines is the first Southeast Asian nation to host the ITI World Congress to be participated in by artists from its 100 member-states. The National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the Philippine Center for International Pen (ITI Philippines) are spearheading preparations for this momentous event.

UNESCO Director-General Koichiro Matsuura is arriving on May 22 to chair one of the highlights of the Congress — the Leaders’ Forum. UN officials, Ministers of Culture, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassadors and Artists for Peace will discuss the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of eradicating poverty and covering concerns on children, women, health, AIDS, the environment, peace, partnership for development and cultural diversity and the role of the performing arts in creating awareness and shared responsibility in the achievement of these international commitments in cooperation with the UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines and the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Born on Sept. 29, 1937 in Tokyo, Japan, Matsuura studied law at the University of Tokyo and economics at Haverford College in Pennsylvania and speaks English, French and Spanish. Matsuura had a distinguished diplomatic career beginning in 1959 in the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). During these years, Dr. Matsuura became involved with development work — chiefly with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Paris (1968-72), Development Cooperation Division, MOFA (1975-1977), Aid Policy Division, MOFA (1980-92) and Economic Cooperation Bureau (1988-90). He also had diverse diplomatic assignments from West Africa to Asia, the Americas and Europe.

In one of his first addresses as UNESCO DG, Matsuura outlined his vision of how UNESCO as an organization figures in international development as the lead agency of the UN system on education, culture, sciences and communication.

During International Education and Global Challenges Forum to Launch US International Education Week in Washington, DC in 2000, he made these remarks: "The world must learn how to live, and work and exist together — in peace, with an appreciation for the diverse cultures and perspectives and wonderful creativity of mankind. Such learning is key to prosperity, opportunity, productivity and human progress. It is key to the changes in cultures and attitudes and commitments, at all levels, which lead to reduced poverty and inequity, to respect for human rights and to increased participation for open, confident, resilient societies."

Matsuura was the chairman of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO (1998-99) based in Paris, France. He is now on his second term as UNESCO director-general, a post he won by an overwhelming majority during the 33rd Session of the General Conference.

Matsuura’s leadership in UNESCO introduced administrative and programming reforms.

In the first year of Matsuura’s reforms, the number of divisions in UNESCO was cut in half, allowing a corresponding halving, at the same time, of the number of field units from a 1999 high of 79 to 52 today. Today, more UNESCO staff and funds are at work in the field.

Since the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, when resources for international development became scarce, Matsuura focused the resources of UNESCO on five main programs — Education for All, freshwater resource management, cultural preservation, bioethics, and increasing access to the new information and communication technologies, which saw an increase of 50 percent in funding. At the same time, results-based budgeting and programming were established. All programs are subject to monitoring and evaluation by internal and external auditors.

As UNESCO’s effectiveness grew, member-states and private partners have voluntarily increased their support with extra-budgetary funding more than doubling to over $200 million per year. Each UNESCO program area operates from a combination of assessed and voluntary support. Leading UNESCO partners include the UN Foundation, L’Oreal, Microsoft and Intel, working on areas ranging from biodiversity to Internet access to support for women in the sciences.

Aside from mobilizing international cooperation to support the Education For All (EFA) program, Matsuura is known for pushing to the forefront of the world’s agenda the "Dialogue Among Civilizations," spawning other initiatives and projects worldwide including the most recent "Interfaith Dialogue." He was also instrumental in gaining international assistance for the preservation of Philippine World Heritage Sites. For the culture sector’s most recent program on Intangible heritage, the "Hudhud" chant of the Ifugao and the Darangen epic of Mindanao were both proclaimed as Masterpieces of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity which should be preserved in order to protect the diversity of cultures and man’s rich history. Matsuura also gave the Philippines the honor of hosting the 2002 World Press Freedom Day, the first for the Asia-Pacific Region.

Matsuura will be conferred an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree by the UST academic community in the afternoon of May 22.

ITI Congress activities and events

Other activities lined up as part of the ITI Congress are World Festival of Drama Schools in which 12 international theater groups from countries such as Mexico, India and Romania will have the opportunity to share experiences with theater groups around the Philippines. Workshops will run until May 30, 2006.

Another major meeting is the 2nd Ministerial Meeting on Asian Media Content and Creative Industries on May 26-27 to be participated in by the ministers of culture from Asian countries.

The afternoon sessions of the Congress will be devoted to the meetings of the 10 committees of ITI, namely Communication, Cultural Identity and Development, Dance Theater, Dramatic Theater, Monodrama Theater, Music Theater, New Projects, Playwrights Forum, Theater Education and Young Theater Practitioners.

The Philippine Star 05/17/2006
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/NEWS200605170408.htm

_jose_

May 19th, 2006, 02:20 AM

This is little old but if you're a music lover like me and don't know who Chad Hugo is then here you go! I'm sure people have "heard" him before on some of his Grammy Winning/Nominated music. :)

Chad Hugo: Rock Star
By: Renan Balanga
Yolk Magazine (www.yolk.com)

"Make it bling like that Neptunes sound," goes Jay-Z's hit "I Just Wanna Love You." Bling-bling, as most of you know, is Urbanese for the "sound" made by something bright and shiny. But what is "that Neptunes sound"? If you listen to the radio or watch MTV, chances are you've heard it before. It's the infectious, staccato sound that is the trademark of pop music's hottest and most in-demand production duo, Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo—collectively known as the Neptunes. Jay-Z was right on the mark: the Neptunes' sound is so good, you can practically see it shine.

One look at their résumé validates this: aside from Jay-Z, the duo has added their Midas touch to the likes of mainstream hip-hop stars Mystikal, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Foxy Brown, Ludacris, Beenie Man, and Kelis. Branching out even further, the Neptunes have diversified their hit list by working with Backstreet Boys, No Doubt, Limp Bizkit, and Sugar Ray. When asked which artist was a surprise to work with, Hugo offers "Britney Spears and *Nsync!" Not too shabby for a couple of kids who grew up listening to Stevie Wonder, Steely Dan, and ELO.

Hugo grew up like many Filipino American kids living in military-influenced suburban Virginia Beach. "My dad's retired from the Navy," he admits. And your mom was a nurse, right? "No, but close—she's a medical technician." And what about standard Pinoy household artifacts like the giant wooden spoon and fork, the infamous barrel man? "No, but there is a picture of 'The Last Supper' in my parents' dining room." Aha! "I'm looking for a dope artist to make a (graffiti) version of 'The Last Supper.'" Okay...so goes the stereotype. And in case you're wondering, there is a Victor Hugo in the family (his older brother).

Although they attended different schools, Hugo met his future production partner in a jazz workshop during grade school. "Chad...was a cool motherfucker," Williams said of his alter ego. Back in 1990, the teens formed the Neptunes—a "Native Tongue, R&B type of group," says Hugo—with Sheldon Haley (a.k.a. Shay) and another friend, Mike Etheridge, as a band to enter a talent show where they were discovered by producer Teddy Riley, who "set up camp across from Pharrell's high school."

However, this led to producing for Hugo and Williams, instead of recording. Through Riley, the duo helped out with the first Blackstreet album (Hugo even contributed some saxophone), while Williams also helped write the Wreckx-N-Effect hit "Rump Shaker." From there, the duo started racking up production gigs with S.W.V., Maxi Priest, MC Lyte, and Noreaga, all the way up to likes of Janet Jackson and Mary J. Blige. The list goes on and on, and the Neptunes have become inescap-able in pop.

Now, you can't escape N.E.R.D. ("No One Ever Really Dies"), the hot project where Hugo and Williams, along with Haley, become the performers. The trio has finally released their much-anticipated debut album, In Search Of... after re-recording it with the help of Minneapolis rock band Spymob (who recently signed to the Neptunes' new Star Trak label). "(We re-recorded it) to do something different," Hugo explains. While the original version was classic Neptunes bling-bling, its fall 2001 release was cancelled (save for a European release last year) after working with No Doubt—the inspiration to re-invent their own album with a raw, organic yet tight rock sound. "People have a way of boxing us in," Hugo explains. "It's a way of expanding."

The lead single "Lapdance," also featured in both Jet Li's Kiss Of The Dragon and John Travolta's Swordfish, is a coarse snapshot of vice that would probably offend your mom, complete with a racy video unfit for broadcast.

While working with Asian artists isn't out of the question, it's not necessarily a priority. "I'm just looking for a dope artist; talented, good-looking kids," he explains. "It's not like 'Let's go find somebody to represent' or 'Oh, you're representing! Cool!' Talent speaks for itself."

The Neptunes continue to book studio time with A-list talent, including upcoming material from LL Cool J and Macy Gray, with more sure to follow. "(But) we don't plan everything. If it comes our way, we'll do it," Hugo states. When asked about projects he'd like to consider in the future, he throws out film soundtracks, Björk, and Enya as potentials. Wait...Enya? To elaborate, Hugo ambitiously wants to change the way people hear music, like the background ambience (Enya) that goes ignored at some supermarkets. "(I want to) do stuff you would hear in the grocery store!" That'll be the day.

For a Virginia Beach kid so far detached from the entertainment hubs of LA and New York, becoming involved with music was pretty much inevitable. "There's new stuff that hasn't been discovered!" he proclaims. "Music, to me, is everything I breathe."

_______________

More on Chad http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chad_Hugo

amras

May 19th, 2006, 02:59 AM

Askal82

May 19th, 2006, 03:22 AM

^^ Yes Amras!! It is simply mind blowing.

demented_pigeon

May 19th, 2006, 05:02 AM

^^ i would have wanted if Rivermaya sang their old hits with Bamboo Manalac as surprise frontman.

marites4

May 19th, 2006, 05:09 AM

yeah i always loved rivermaya. Pero yung song medyo plain. but galeng paren nonetheless. mukha atang hapon sila sa video.
thanks for the link i didn't get to watch it.

chixbebe

May 19th, 2006, 06:16 AM

By Joyce Pangco Pañares
http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=politics02_may19_2006

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo yesterday ordered the mass production and distribution of a new cooking device that runs on oil harvested from plants to 18 “hotspot” urban poor areas all over the country.

Mrs. Arroyo said the Leyte State University should fast track the production of Protos, which can run on jatropha oil, among other plant-based oil products, to help Filipino consumers cope with the rising cost of living.

“We will support the mass production and distribution of this cooking oil in 18 hotspots in the country to benefit those living in urban poor areas,” she said.

The Leyte State University is producing Protos, which is manufactured by German firms Bosch and Siemens Home Appliances Group.

Mrs. Arroyo said while the introductory price at P2,000 may be considered prohibitive, mass production will eventually lower the price of the plant oil-powered appliance.

Protos, also known as jatropha stove, was officially launched in Malacañang yesterday.

The President also ordered the immediate release of P500 million for the Philippine National Oil Co. for the planting of jatropha plants, locally known as tuba-tuba or tubang-bakod.

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Romulo Neri said the country imports about $7 billion worth of oil and petroleum products, 25 percent of which is diesel.

Once the jatropha methyl ester product is mass-produced, it can translate to a savings of $1.75 billion.

The PNOC and the Armed Forces have signed an agreement for the conversion of idle lands in military camps into plantations for jatropha, a potential biofuel source.

Another P500 million will be sourced from National Development Co. for the mass production of jatropha cooking oil and jatropha methyl ester as an alternative gasoline blend.

Lt. Gen. Romeo Tolentino of the Northern Luzon Command said 150 hectares have been allotted by the Armed Forces for the test planting of jatropha.

The Camarines Sur provincial government has also set aside 10,000 hectares of land in the towns of Lagonoy, Caramoan, Presentacion, Pili, Calabanga and Sipocot to serve as jatropha farms.

According to Jun Lozada, president of the Philippine Forest Corp. which is a subsidiary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, about P50 million of the P500 million PNOC budget will be used for further research.

“Per hectare, a jatropha farmer can earn P10,000 to P15,000 for the first year, and after five years that will plateau at P60,000 per hectare,” Lozada said.

Neri, however, gave a conservative view on the private production of jatropha oil products. “Let’s give it one year with the Philippine Army first. I do not want to be overoptimistic because this is still in the testing stage although some people are making glowing remarks over this.”

Jatropha planted from seedlings would start yielding fruits after six months, while those planted from cuttings would have an earlier yield at one to two months.

The University of the Philippines-Los Baños is now developing the protocol for the tissue culture of jatropha to mass produce the plant cuttings.
UPLB aims to come up with a high-quality jatropha seedling that is free from viruses, bacteria and fungi.

About three tons of usable oil or an equivalent of 3,000 liters of diesel can be produced from one hectare of jatropha plants.

beads_strawberries

May 19th, 2006, 10:06 AM

I would have to laud the students of Leyte Sate University for doing their share of finding alternative sources of energy. In this case, the Filipino youth joined the nation by sharing their knowledge with this innovation.

It just goes to show that we Filipinos are very much innovative when we are faced with concerns and situations.

sugbuanon

May 21st, 2006, 03:11 AM

SULTAN CAPTURES PABA WELTER TITLE IN RUSSIA!
KO's erstwhile undefeated opponent in 1st round

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/4783/sultanwinsinrussia4vp.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

SGG Stable's Dondon Sultan captured the PABA Welteweight Title today by knocking out defending champion and erstwhile undefeated Russian opponent Anton Solopov in the 1st round at the Energetik Sports Complex in Surgut, Russia.

Sultan, 27, who holds the Philippine welter diadem, finally captured the PABA title in his second attempt after a failed bid against Thai Parkpoom Jangphonak in Bangkok, Thailand in October last year. Sultan now improves his record to 13-6-3 with 7 KOs.

His opponent, the Kostya Tszyu-managed Anton Solopov, who wrested the title from Jangphonak in Australia in January this year, was undefeated in 12 fights with 9 KOs coming into the fight and has the advantage of fighting in front of a hometown crowd.

The 24-year-old southpaw Solopov, a permanent resident of Australia, had spent part of his childhood in an area in Russia where Tszyu was raised.

Solopov, who was born in Western Siberia, had a distinguished amateur career, winning 180 of 205 bouts. He had won the lightweight division title at the 1998 games in Argentina. Solopov's victim in the gold-medal round was Miguel Cotto, the popular World Boxing Organisation junior welterweight champion, who is regarded as the hottest youngster in the sport.

sugbuanon

May 21st, 2006, 09:30 AM

BAUTISTA WINS BY DEVASTATING TKO OVER BONILLA IN 3rd ROUND

http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/1127/bautistaoverbonillawires1ac.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista stays on course with the upcoming big fights of his career after demolishing Nicaraguan superbantam Roberto "El Chucky" Bonilla in the 3rd round of their 10-round scheduled fight today in the undercard of the Barrera-Juarez boxing event at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA.

In an action-filled contest, Rey Bautista stopped Robert Bonilla with a devastating right uppercut with 27 seconds left in the 3rd round.

Boxing superstar and Bautista's promoter Golden Boy Oscar de la Hoya climbed into the ring to personally congratulate Bautista.

"I thank God that our hard work and dedication have paid off," said Antonio L. Aldeguer, Bautista's manager and benefactor to many rising Filpino boxers, right after the fight. "This just shows that our Filipino boxers are really world class," Aldeguer added.

Bautista's remaining hurdle will be against Mexican Alejandro Felix Montiel in the undercard of the Pacquiao-Larios fight in Manila on July 2 before coming up with probably the biggest fight of his career underneath the projected farewell fight of Oscar de la Hoya on September 16 this year in Las Vegas. De la Hoya was rumored to take on the undefeated and number 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the planet today Pretty Boy Floyd Mayweather in what was projected to be the biggest fight in boxing in recent times.

Bautista now improves his immaculate record to 20 wins with 15 KOs. Bonilla dropped to 23-8.

karirista

May 21st, 2006, 03:46 PM

MABUHAY ANG PILIPINO!!!

amras

May 21st, 2006, 04:53 PM

^^ i would have wanted if Rivermaya sang their old hits with Bamboo Manalac as surprise frontman.

i heard that Bamboo (his group) is also planning to penetrate the ASEAN Market, which is a good news IMO. I find Bamboo's songs really interesting. It is also good to know that Filipino artists are becoming more popular in Asia. Maybe they also do some collaboration with Chinese (Taiwan and Hongkong) artists also, you know, to establish their name. For example, Regine became popular in Singapore after she made a song with Jacky Cheung.

marites4

May 21st, 2006, 06:00 PM

I think bamboo is good too. I think they're international caliber. It would be great if they can get out of the PHilmarket only. THat's how you make the big bucks by penetrating outside market. But somehow i'm jaded i feel the world is racists as who can make it big in the world.

Rence

May 22nd, 2006, 03:21 AM

http://images.inq7.net/news/opinion/images/2006/may/21/noel0521-large.gif

Daughter of 1st Sherpa on Everest married Pinoy

First posted 01:11am (Mla time) May 21, 2006
By Fe B. Zamora
Inquirer

Editor's Note: Published on page A1 of the May 21, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

A BLUE pen lies somewhere under the snow at the summit of Mt. Everest, left there by Sherpa Tenzing Norgay when he reached the “roof of the world” with Sir Edmund Hillary on May 29, 1953.

The Sherpa’s young daughter Nima had given him the blue pen, and he dug a hole in the snow and buried it along with a few biscuits and chocolates as gifts to the mountain, while Hillary planted the British flag.

This is among the memories of her father that Nima, widow of the Filipino graphic artist and book designer Emmanuel “Noli” Galang, treasures.

She was in grade school at the time. “I just gave him the pen. I must have said, ‘If you go up to the top, here, bring this,’” she said, chuckling.

Herself a mountaineer in her youth, Nima, now 62, expressed elation that three Filipinos had reached the summit of Everest, duplicating her father’s feat 53 years ago.

“This is a great achievement. My congratulations to the mountaineers and to the Filipino people,” she said by
telephone from Singapore, where she now lives with her son Palden.

Nima said her father was “among the pioneers who opened the routes that these mountaineers now follow.”

“As my father always said, teamwork is the secret. Without teamwork, you cannot make it,” she said.

Marriage to a Filipino

Unknown to many, Tenzing Norgay’s daughter married a Filipino and lived in Quezon City where she learned the language “enough to haggle in the market.” (They met in Europe in the 1960s, where the then Belgium-based Nima, an employee of the Indian government, had been promoting Indian products like Darjeeling tea.)

Noli and Nima Galang lived in Singapore, Hong Kong and the Philippines in the course of Noli’s career as a graphic artist. They had a son, a daughter and a granddaughter.

After Noli died in 2003, Nima moved to Singapore. She now spends much of her time shuttling between Singapore and Canada where her daughter lives, and traveling to other countries.

But when she was young, school vacations were usually spent trekking in the Himalayas with her father.

He was a Buddhist, which was why he viewed mountaineering as a way of honoring nature, said Nima, who recalled that climbing the peaks of the Himalayan range required a lot of courage and stamina.

“I think it’s easier now because there are small planes that can take [climbers and] the luggage to base camps. In the 1950s, we walked,” she said.

Youngest at 16

Nima said she reached as high as 23,000 feet when she tried to scale Mt. Cho-Oyu, at 26,750 feet the ninth highest mountain on earth.

She was then 16 years old, the youngest member of the first international women’s expedition.

Nima said the ascent and descent each took three weeks. In some instances, she said, the climbing expedition would take as long as three months.

But her old man was all for it.

“My father encouraged us to climb. He said it did not matter if we were girls,” said Nima, the second of Tenzing Norgay’s six children. (Her mother, Tenzing Norgay’s first wife, died in 1944.)

The successful British expedition on Everest in 1953 opened the world to the Sherpa mountaineer and his family.

Nima said she and her sister, Pempem, joined their father when he was awarded a medal in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace in London.

She said the Norgays also met with British royals during the latter’s state visits to Nepal and India, where the family had a house in Darjeeling.

Tenzing Norgay died in Darjeeling on May 9, 1986.

No more mountains

Nima said she had planned to climb more mountains but that marriage to a quiet, non-athletic Filipino artist changed all that.

“I was not able to climb any mountain in the Philippines,” she said, laughing. But she recalled with fondness her trips to Bohol and Northern Luzon.

She also took pride in saying that her brother, Jamling, reached the summit of Everest in 1996, following the trail opened by their father and Hillary in 1953.

Jamling would later recount the experience in the book, “Touching My Father’s Soul—An Odyssey to the Top of Everest.”

sugbuanon

May 22nd, 2006, 03:46 AM

Equatorial Guinea leader brings home RP fish technology

DAGUPAN CITY — Equatorial Guinea President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo expressed deep interest in bringing extensive Philippine technology in fish culture to his country after coming from Dagupan City to observe the projects of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.

Accompanied by his host, Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr., President Obiang toured the 24-hectare National Integrated Fisheries Technology Development Center (NIFTDC), a research facility of the BFAR located in barangay Bonuan Binloc here.

He was met at the NIFTDC by BFAR Director Malcolm Sarmiento, Dr.Westly Rosario, interim director of the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NRDI), also concurrent chief of NIFTDC; BFAR Regional Director Nestor Domenden, Immigration Commissioner Alipio Fernandez Jr. and Dagupan City Vice Mayor Alvin Fernandez.

At a hastily assembled news conference that broke the barriers of presidential protocol, President Obiang expressed his readiness not only to bring the technology in fish culture to his country but also to send students from his own country to learn fisheries in the Philippines.

At the NIFTDC, he saw for himself a very sanitized laboratory for the culture of P. vannamei, a kind of white shrimp whose initial seedlings were imported from Hawaii; macrobrachium rosenbergii, called locally by the BFAR as ‘Hipon ni Gloria’; bangus, top-shell, aquaria of different species of rare fish and others.

He told newsmen in Spanish through an interpreter that they had contemplated various arrangements and agreements on fish culture which he promised to bring home to his country, that has about the same tropical climatic condition as the Philippines.

Welcomed here by children waving both the Philippine and Equatorial Guinea flags, President Obiang described the people of Dagupan and Pangasinan as sympathetic, pleasant, and hospitable as if “we are in our own home”.

He told newsmen that the Philippines and Equatorial Guinea both share the same common roots, culture and background being former colonies of Spain.

‘We should feel like brothers, firstly for historical reason because now, in this same day and age of globalization, there is no distance between peoples”, he said.

Thus, he said, he looks forward to a very fruitful relation between the Philippines and Equatorial Guinea.

Answering a question from a television reporter, President Obiang explained he embarked on a state visit to the Philippines as they share the experience of 3,000 Filipinos today working in Equatorial Guinea.

He expressed hope that his visit to the Philippines would open the door for Filipino Equatorial Guinea businessmen, as well as other workers and students to have fruitful exchange of ideas and experiences.

Arriving at the residence of Speaker de Venecia, he saw real cockfighting at close-range in a fabricated cubicle, pointing out that this is something similar to what they have seen in Latin America, particularly Mexico.

“It is an impressive game,” he said, after witnessing two cockfights.

Equatorial Guinea is a west African state that is rich in oil and whose population speak Spanish, being once a colony of Spain.

At the NIFTDC, he did the honor in doing the ceremonial seeding of juveniles of top-shell (trochus niloticus), a marine gastropod that lives on weed-covered rocks in reef areas, which has high commercial value, being used in shirt buttons as well as in jewelries.

He said he and his wife expressed high hopes that they can bring this innovation similarly to Equatorial Guinea.

chixbebe

May 22nd, 2006, 05:15 AM

Filipino-Americans aboard the United States Naval Ship Mercy (T-AH 19) are serving as ambassadors of goodwill between their native land and their adopted country.

Commander Henry Villareal, executive officer for the military equipment facility of the hospital side, joined the US Navy in 1975 and is now a ranking naval officer.

Villareal said he had doubts that he would get promoted when he enlisted in the US Navy 31 years ago. "Siempre proud ako (Of course I am proud). I enlisted in the Navy and then I got commissioned. Who would have thought then, in 1975, that I would be doing what I’m doing now?"

He said the USNS Mercy’s missions show that "you can use medical assistance as a diplomatic tool."

Though he serves the US government as part of its naval forces, Villareal added that "the Philippines will always be my home."

HM1 (Hospital Corpsman 1) Ria Villena also comes home on a personal quest — to be reunited with a mother she has neither seen nor heard from in 14 years.

Villena, 23, hopes to find her mother after years of having no contact at all with her.

Villena said she is looking forward to being part of the USNS Mercy’s medical and dental mission in the provinces of Zamboanga, Tawi-Tawi and Sulu despite reports of war-related conflict in these areas.

After the mission in Mindanao, Villena wants to search for her mother, whose last known location was Quezon City, before the Mercy leaves for its next mission in Indonesia.

Villena replied with silence to queries by reporters about her reasons for seeking out her mother, whom she had last seen in 1997 before she flew to the US to join her father, who is based in Los Angeles, California. Villena’s parents are separated.

"Hindi pa ako umuwi (I haven’t come home) since 1997 when I left for the US. My mom is here and I will look for her. She does not know I’m here," Villena said.

Working at the ward for stable patients who have undergone surgery on the hospital ship, she said she finds fulfillment in taking part in humanitarian missions.

Despite of the oft-reported violence in Mindanao, she believes that providing much-needed health care services to poor people in far-flung and conflict-wracked areas should not be prevented by any group.

"Sana maintindihan nila na ang punta namin dito is to help our kababayan (I hope they will understand that our visit here is to help our countrymen)," she said.

Villena remembered that former President Joseph Estrada was the vice president when she left in 1997. In 2002, she joined the US Navy.

"Masaya ako nakauwi ako sa Pilipinas (I am happy I have come home to the Philippines). It has been nine years. I heard about Roxas Boulevard na maganda na daw (that it is beautiful now). Namiss ko din ang mga tanawin dito, gaya ng Tagaytay (I also miss the scenic spots here, such as Tagaytay)," she said.

The presence of Filipino-Americans on the USNS Mercy also shows the ladder to success that they climbed through their rank promotions.

The other Fil-Am members of the US Navy on this mission of mercy are: HM1 Daisan Dumlao, a native of Olongapo City; laboratory chief HMC Ernie Alviar, 39, from Laguna; Officer First Class Rod Erece, from Olongapo; TO1 Eduardo Cortez, who is in charge of the hospital ship’s drugs and pharmaceuticals; HM1 Glenn Custodio, from the Bio-Medical Research Technical Services, whose father is from Cavite; and Senior Chief Daniel Bassig, a native of Pasig City.

Most of the Fil-Ams reside in San Diego, California and they comprise about 50 percent of the hospital ship’s crew.

Meanwhile, US Navy Amphibious Squadron Seven commander Capt. Bradley Martin said that while the USNS Mercy is a military vessel capable of providing treatment and surgery for combatants, combat surgery is not the mission they will undertake in Mindanao: "We have that capability but that is not what we are here to do."

He added that the US Navy is aware of the violence in Mindanao "but we are ensuring the people who are operating anywhere are fully protected."

US Navy officials emphasized that the ship’s mission is not a counter-terrorism program, rather, it is a mission of mercy, goodwill and peace.

"We are here solely for the purpose of delivering humanitarian assistance to the people who need medical attention and assistance," said Ship’s Master Captain Robert Wiley.

Capt. Joseph Moore, of the US Navy Medical Corps, said the US military has carried out humanitarian assistance as requested by their host nations: "This is a large mission but we have been doing this for quite a while."

The USNS Mercy arrived at the Port of Manila on Saturday for a month-long mission of humanitarian and civic assistance in the country, beginning with Mindanao.

It will visit select locations in Mindanao, including Sulu, which are the areas identified by government as in need of the hospital ship’s aid.

The deployment of the USNS Mercy is an effort carried out in conjunction with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and in close coordination and partnership with local medical care professionals.

Volunteers from the US Public Health Service, Aloha Medical Mission, Project Hope and the University of California and the San Diego Pre-Dental Society are boarding the USNS Mercy in Manila, as are a contingent of medical specialists from the US and Canadian military forces.

Medical personnel from the Armed Forces Philippines (AFP) Surgeon General’s Office will also embark the ship for the Philippine portion of the deployment, providing focused medical care in partnership with their American counterparts.

A number of US and Philippine government, military and civilian agencies were involved in planning the myriad details that go into this month-long mission of medical, dental and civic-action programs to provide focused humanitarian assistance to the people of the Philippines.

For this deployment, the USNS Mercy has been configured with special medical equipment and a robust multi-specialized medical team of uniformed and civilian health care providers to provide a range of services onshore as well as on board the ship.

The ship, which calls San Diego harbor its home port, can support various services such as casualty reception, optometry screenings, eyewear distribution, physical therapy, burn care, radiological and laboratory services, dermatology, urology, obstetrics and gynecology, general surgery, ophthalmologic surgery, plastic surgery.

It is also equipped to provide basic medical evaluation and treatment, preventative medicine treatment, dental screenings and treatment, immunizations, public health training and assessment and vector control to curb infections and prevent epidemics. It even provides veterinary services.

The embassy said a small team of sailors from the Naval Construction Force, or Seabees, will also perform repair and minor construction projects ashore. Some of these construction projects can directly improve medical and sanitary situations.

The USNS Mercy is capable of meeting and resolving a wide range of medical and humanitarian assistance needs and can rapidly respond to these situations on short notice.

It was also deployed in response to the December 2004 tsunami that struck Southeast Asia. This deployment of the hospital ship resulted in the treatment of over 107,000 patients by providing 466 surgical procedures, the distribution of 11,555 pairs of eyeglasses and over 6,900 dental procedures in hard hit areas of Indonesia, East Timor and Papua New Guinea.

By Pia Lee-Brago
The Philippine Star 05/22/2006
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/NEWS200605220403.htm

Animo

May 22nd, 2006, 08:09 PM

By REY BANCOD

THREE KEY figures in the Philippines’ sterling finish two years ago in Mallorca, Spain return to fuel the country’s drive in the World Chess Olympiad that officially opens Saturday in Turin, Italy.

Grandmasters Mark Paragua, Eugene Torre and Joey Antonio will man the top three boards for the team hoping to surpass its Top 20 finish in 2004.

In one of their finest showings in the biennial event, the Filipinos collected 32 points in 14 rounds to finish in a tie for 12th place, finishing ahead of regional rival China and traditional powers England, Hungary and France.

The team capped its performance by toppling former world champions Serbia-Montenegro (formerly Yugoslavia) and Hungary in the final two rounds.

"It will be a tall order, but the team is highly motivated to do well," said RP team captain Sammy Estimo during an overseas call. "Our early arrival has enabled us to relax and enjoy the sights offered by the city."

The RP delegation checked in at the Olympic Village Friday, three days after arriving in the industrial city that just hosted the Winter Olympics. Occupying an area of 80,000 square meters, the Olympic Village can accommodate up to 2,600 athletes.

Estimo said the team barely touched a chess piece during the last three days in anticipation of the hard grind ahead.

"The weather is fine, parang Baguio," quipped Estimo who will be making his third straight tour of duty as men’s captain.

International Master Jayson Gonzales, the team’s top scorer in Mallorca, failed to qualify in the team, but is in Turin nevertheless to coach the women’s squad.

"I’m confident that the rest of the team will make up for Jayson’s absence," said Estimo.

National champion Darwin Laylo, who scored 4.5 points in eight games in Mallorca, takes the place of Gonzales at board four.

FIDE Masters Oliver Dimakiling and Wesley So, the youngest in the team at 12 years old, will play the fifth and sixth boards, respectively.

The women’s team, captained by former Olympian Cesar Caturla, is made up of Woman International Masters Sheerie Joy Lomibao and Beverly Mendoza and WNMs Catherine Perena and Sherily Cua

The National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP), headed by president Rep. Prospero Pichay Jr., is bankrolling the expedition with the help of private sponsors.

Prior to their departure, the players trained for two weeks in Tagaytay City under the auspices of NCFP secretary-general and Tagaytay Mayor Bambol Tolentino.

The first round would be played Sunday at The Oval, the biggest playing venue ever seen for a Chess Olympiad.

A rectangle of 210 x 107 meters, The Oval is nearly double the size of a football field with the ceiling height varying between 12 and 18 meters.

http://www.mb.com.ph/issues/2006/05/20/SPRT2006052064497.html

chixbebe

May 23rd, 2006, 09:02 AM

Malacañang yesterday said it is studying a compromise deal with the Marcoses to recover billions of dollars in assets allegedly stolen during the 20-year term of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos.

“Our fight to regain what is due our farmers and the human rights victims during the martial law era should be given utmost consideration. It may be time for us to consider a compromise as a solution to these decades-old cases,” Press Secretary and presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye told a press conference in the Palace.

“While only prosecution and actual punishment may satisfy some of our people, we must also be realistic and acknowledge that too much time has already passed without yet reaching a solution. A compromise (deal) may allow us to close this chapter in our history and enable us to learn from and rise about the mistakes of the past,” he added.

Bunye said that discussions on the possible compromise were ongoing and said that anything was “speculative at this point.”

“It will be the courts that shall be the final arbiter on this matter,” he said.
But he stressed that a compromise “may allow us to close this chapter in our history and enable us to learn from and rise above the mistakes of the past.”

The Palace also yesterday assured the public that if the proposed revival of the compromise deal with the Marcoses pushes through the money that the government would get from the deal would be properly used for the benefit of the people.

Full Story (http://www.tribune.net.ph/nation/20060523nat1.html)

3cr

May 23rd, 2006, 11:07 AM

chixbebe

May 24th, 2006, 09:46 AM

^^^I wish too....

Compromise deals with Marcoses lawful, says PCGG

Chairman Camilo Sabio of the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCCG) declared yesterday that his agency is authorized to enter into compromise agreements with the Marcos family and their cronies to amicably settle the cases they are facing in court.

Speaking to reporters at his office in Mandaluyong, Sabio said a Supreme Court ruling allows the PCGG to enter into compromise agreements in civil cases and to grant immunity, under certain circumstances, in criminal cases.

"So if you obey the law, if you obey the charter of our office, we should encourage compromise agreements and/or amicable settlements," he said.

Sabio said the Supreme Court had ruled that amicable settlements and compromise agreements were not only allowed, but actually encouraged in civil cases.

"The authority of the PCGG to validly enter into compromise agreements for the purpose of avoiding litigation or putting an end to one already commenced was indisputable," he said.

Sabio said in the case of Marcos associate Jose Y. Campos and his family, the PCGG issued a resolution on May 28, 1986 granting Campos and his family immunity from civil and criminal prosecution.

"Undoubtedly, this resolution embodies a compromise agreement between the PCGG and Jose Y. Campos in exchange for voluntary surrender of the ill-gotten properties acquired by then President Ferdinand E. Marcos and his family, which Campos controlled," he said.

"Campos and his family were given full immunity in both civil and criminal prosecutions."

Sabio said in the absence of an expressed prohibition, the rule on amicable agreements and/or compromise agreements in civil cases, under the Civil Code, is applicable to PCGG cases.

"The vital task of the commission is the just and expeditious recovery of such ill-gotten wealth in order that the funds, assets and other properties may be used to hasten national economic recovery," he said. — With Delon Porcalla

By Sandy Araneta
The Philippine Star 05/24/2006
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/NEWS200605240411.htm

heathcliff

May 24th, 2006, 10:52 AM

^^ I'm just afraid that whatever financial windfall GMA's Gov't end up getting from this compromise will not really go to proper hands due it. Hindi ako magtataka kung sa ibang bulsa lang mapupunta yan at malamang (figuratively) barya-barya na lang and maiiwan sa mga mamamayan. As an example, bakit di ma-account saan napunta yung initial proceeds from those sequestered swiss accounts na-itinurnover sa gobyerno noon? Ang tsismis ay ginamit sa election campaign at panuhol ni GMA. Ang pinapangamba ko kanya minamadali nila GMA ang pagcompromise with the Marcoses eh pinag-iisipan na nila yung makukuhang financial windfall. Saan nanaman kaya mapupunta yang perang yan? Baka naman sa cha-cha (charter change) kaya at kung sa ano-ano pang kalintikan gamitin ang pera ngayon. Sobrang kawawa na talaga ang sambayanang Pilipino kung mapapabayaan pang kurakutin ito ng Gobyerno ni GMA. Sorry but I really just don't trust the present government will do the right thing with the money they will get from the Marcoses. I wish I'm wrong on this one. I really do.

Well, unproven rumors shouldn't be allowed to hinder the government from making decisions that could prove beneficial to the people in the long run. As long as other priorities are not neglected, I don't see why something of tremendous importance to the future of the country, such as charter change, should not benefit as well.

Moreover, this alleged lack of accountability is one of the ills of the present system, for which remedy is sought by a shift to the parliamentary system. No matter how loud the rumors, the protests and accusations are, there is actually no mechanism for real accountability within the framework of the present presidential system. The separation of powers principle dictates that the three branches of government be virtually "absolute monarchs" of their respective departments. Thus, no real checks and balances (the kind clamored for by the people) are conducted, as these would be inconsistent with the separation of powers clause, and would be deemed encroachment on a co-equal branch's autonomy.

The proposed parliamentary system offers a more adequate system of checks and balances-- but this discussion would more appropriately be in the charter change thread. Suffice it to say that GMA would be rendered more legally accountable for her actions under a federal parliamentary system. In the present system, we can only resort to rumors and trials by publicity.

3cr

May 24th, 2006, 12:56 PM

^^ Heathcliff, Don't get me wrong, I think chacha can be good for the country in the long run but I'm just of the opinion that whatever financial windfall recieved from this compromise agreement should not be used and disbursed for pushing political agendas such as chacha or other GMA programs without iron-clad checks and balances already in place. I just don't trust GMA's government will do the right/honest thing with the money and I'm afraid that the bulk of the said money will just disappear/vanish without proper accountability. Just that nangyari na nga yan with the proceeds from those swiss accounts di ba so why in heavens sake would we let her get away with it again? Besides I don't think the money should be used as a means to push and get chacha in place; rather, have the money put to good use after chacha is in place so that the proper checks and balances are already in place bago hayaan gamitin ng gobyerno yung perang makukuha nila from the Marcoses. This way protectado ang mamamayan.

terrapinoy

May 24th, 2006, 08:32 PM

From the Village Voice. A very positive review of the independent film "Cavite".

http://www.villagevoice.com/film/0621,lim,73311,20.html

beads_strawberries

May 25th, 2006, 07:59 AM

A leading spa magazine in Asia cited an island spa resort in Cebu whose services feature local massage "hilot" therapy as one of the world's best.

Our nature and major tourist spots coupled with the local services which only serve the best makes our country more attractive.

heathcliff

May 26th, 2006, 01:11 PM

overtureph

May 27th, 2006, 02:25 AM

Salonga: ‘Like cutting deal with Hitler’s men’
PCGG’s compromise with Marcoses hit

First posted 01:04am (Mla time) May 27, 2006
By Norman Bordadora
Inquirer

Editor's Note: Published on page A1 of the May 27, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

THE man who launched the global search for Ferdinand Marcos’ hidden wealth has urged President Macapagal-Arroyo to pull out of settlement talks with the Marcoses, and said striking a compromise with them would be like the Holocaust victims cutting a deal with Hitler’s Nazis.

“The victims of the Holocaust hounded the Nazi war criminals wherever they went. The criminals were pursued until ... the last one of them was sentenced,” former Senate President Jovito Salonga said in an interview yesterday.

“The Holocaust victims hounded the war criminals to the very end. That took more than 50 years. We’re just into our 20th year.”

Salonga was the first chair of the Presidential Commission on Good Government formed in 1986 by then President Corazon Aquino to track down assets owned by Marcos and his cronies after the dictator was ousted in a People Power revolt.

He was reacting to moves by PCGG Commissioner Ricardo Abcede, apparently with Malacañang’s support, to negotiate a compromise with the Marcos family over Marcos-linked assets variously estimated at between $5 billion and $10 billion.

In an open letter to Ms Arroyo published by his group’s magazine Kilosbayan, Salonga called on the President to order the PCGG commissioners to pull out of negotiations with the Marcoses.

“Despite our boast that we are the only Christian country in Asia, the Philippines is already known to be among the most corrupt in Asia and the rest of the world,” Salonga said in his letter.

Sense of right, wrong

“A compromise agreement, such as has been outlined by PCGG Commissioner Abcede, will surely make us the most notoriously corrupt among Asian nations and a pariah to the whole international community.”

Salonga told the Inquirer there were fundamental issues at stake.

“You can’t give up the moral sense of right and wrong ... If we enter a compromise agreement with the Marcoses, we’d be showing that crime pays.”

Salonga took exception to Abcede’s argument that after 20 years, it was time to negotiate a settlement with the Marcos family.

“Allow me to say that questions of right or wrong do not fade away or disappear after 20 or 50 years,” Salonga said.

“Up to now, the Marcoses are telling the people they have no more money and yet the Marcoses are saying they can pay off the country’s foreign and domestic debts,” Salonga said, referring to a boast once made by former first lady Imelda Marcos.

She has also said the Marcos family has so much wealth that she no longer knows extent of its total assets.

“Where did they get all this money? If your legitimate income is P10 million and your total assets are worth more than twice your legitimate income, the proof is on you to say that all these are legitimate acquisitions,” Salonga said.

Lost evidence

The PCGG cannot use the excuse that some of the documentary pieces of evidence against the Marcoses had been lost through the years.

He said the Marcos documents used by the PCGG in its cases versus the family were “duplicate originals” or photocopies that may still be presented as valid pieces of evidence. If these were lost, the originals are still in the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, he said.

“There is also a set of duplicate originals that I brought to the Bank of Philippine Islands,” Salonga said.

Salonga, however, said he no longer knew what had become of the duplicate originals inside the BPI vault. He said he gave the key to the documents’ vault to his successor, Ramon Diaz, who has since died.

Evidence in USA

“For good measure, another set of duplicate originals are with PCGG lawyers in California. They computerized and classified these documents,” he added.

Salonga said the proposed out-of-court settlement with the Marcoses also faced serious legal obstacles.

“It is completely against the 1998 decision of the Supreme Court penned by then Associate Justice and now Supreme Court Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban,” Salonga said, referring to the SC ruling striking down the PCGG’s first compromise deal with the Marcoses.

The Supreme Court, at that time, ruled that the provision in the agreement about the government causing dismissal of court cases against the Marcoses “is an encroachment on judicial powers, particularly in regard to criminal jurisdiction.”

The high court also said that a deal with the Marcoses would be a warrant for public officials to amass public funds illegally “since there is an open option to compromise their liability in exchange for only a portion of their ill-gotten wealth.”

Change of tack

Abcede, for his part, indicated he would now talk less about the Marcos issue.

“I intend to keep my silence on these matters after this one last statement, after which I will be inclined to talk about reconciliation or settlement issues only when public interest so demands,” Abcede told reporters yesterday.

He said he would invest “all of my waking hours on legitimate, backbreaking official work, to help pump badly needed funds into government coffers, rather than to fritter away time speaking in my defense.”

“My inviting Mrs. Marcos to my party was my way of announcing to the world that the former first lady and I were indeed in good enough terms to jointly embark on a possible amicable settlement on the disputed Marcos wealth. Mrs. Marcos was gracious enough to ask me for a dance and I was civil enough to accept,” Abcede said.

Abcede promised to keep the people informed not only of “the final terms of any settlement that may be arrived at, but also of the twists and turns that develop on our way to that possible settlement.” With a report from Alcuin Papa

Copyright 2006 Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

http://news.inq7.net/nation/index.php?index=1&story_id=77131

Rence

May 28th, 2006, 12:11 PM

Pinoy film wins in Germany fest

One more Filipino film has won honors abroad. Here’s a report from Funfare contributor Meyor Sanchez:

Khavn´s latest work, Rugby Boyz, has just won in the 52nd Oberhausen International Short Film Festival, one of the oldest and most renowned film festivals in the world. It received the Special Mention Prize from the Jury of the Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia last May 9.

The members of the jury were Theda Kluth from Düsseldorf, Agnes Meyer-Brandes from Köln, Michael Girke from Herford, Claudia Siefen from Köln, and Rainer Komers from Mülheim/Ruhr. The Jury gave this statement: "Rugby Boyz is a documentary about boys living in Philippine slums. With a unique colour and lighting design and a poetic narrative approach, the filmmaker manages to show the boys’ indomitable will to live and the fragility of their situation in life."

Aside from the International Competition section of Oberhausen, Rugby Boyz was also shown in the Kids And Youth programme, the only international Children’s and Youth Films Competition in Germany.

Rugby Boyz had its world premiere in Rotterdam International Film Festival early this year. Gertjan Zuilhof writes in the catalogue: "Slim and cheerful boys. They seem to be playing rugby without a care. Maybe because they don’t have anything to worry about. Just one of the slums in the Philippines. A documentary doesn’t need to be long. This one already says more than enough."

Rugby Boyz will also compete in the Busan Asian Short Film Festival (Korea), Hamburg International Short Film Festival (Germany), and Vila Do Conde International Short Film Festival (Portugal). It was also shown locally last March in the Ateneo Video Open and at the Kampo Sining Pambata, a summer camp for children from urban poor communities, held last May in Antipolo.

Rugby Boyz is about boys who know the dual essence of rugby: playing football and sniffing solvent. They tell vampire jokes, rap about river deaths, and dive like jack-knives into the murky water. The cruel irony of the hope these children bring.

Khavn is currently finishing a children’s full-length movie, Larombata, the first digital animation feature in the Philippines. Supported by Cinemalaya, Larombata is a musical fantasy about Philippine games and toys, featuring Niño Muhlach´s voice and footages from his early films.

Rugby Boyz is written and directed by Khavn. Cinematography by Albert Banzon. Assistant direction by Rayg Generoso. Editing by Caloy Carlos. English translation by Merv Espina. Produced by Filmless Films. Running time: eight minutes.

Rugby Boyz is included in the first volume DVD of Khavn’s short-film collection which is exclusively sold in Datelines Bookstore (Cubao Shoe Expo) and Mag:net (Katipunan, ABS-CBN, & Paseo).

overtureph

May 29th, 2006, 01:37 AM

COMMENTARY
Forged in revolution, RP flag unites people

First posted 07:29am (Mla time) May 28, 2006
By Peter Jaynul V. Uckung
Inquirer

Editor's Note: Published on page A1 of the May 28, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

THE flag symbolizes freedom and patriotism and nothing comes close to evoking patriotic sentiments when it flies high in the middle of a raging battlefield.

Forged in the furnace of revolutionary fervor, the Philippine flag integrates the history of resistance of a nation disenchanted with her experience of being oppressed, discriminated against, and abused. The very thought of having to relive such wretched captivity is so abhorrent to Filipinos that a waving flag in the midst of communal resentment will unite the people against a common foe.

Such a united, determined force, spurred on by the flag, is a juggernaut that can topple any oppressive government. This is undeniably true today.

During the early years of American rule, the authorities recognized the power of the flag to galvanize nationalistic sentiments that its display was prohibited. Later, when social circumstances indicated a more relaxed and trusting relation between Filipinos and Americans, the flag was permitted to fly again in 1919.

From then on, the Philippine flag flew alongside the Stars and Stripes, although most of the time, it flew under it.

It was a gay era then, an era of improved social life. There was no reason for the flag to stir up antagonism. Although there was social uneasiness in the countryside, majority of the ruled were contented.

It was when Japan invaded the Philippines in 1941 that the flag’s true power unfolded.

Before Bataan, Filipinos tried hard to become professional soldiers, but American racial discrimination soon became apparent.

Pay was seldom equal. Equipment used by Filipino servicemen was glaringly disproportionate to that of the Americans.

The first Filipino graduate of West Point, Vicente Lim, was even called “Cannibal” by his American classmates, perhaps believing that the Philippines was a land of savages.

Three hundred years of Spanish racial discrimination heightened Filipino resistance to that kind of slur. But composure was maintained in the face of such affronts.

The defense of Bataan in 1942 found the Philippine flag and the “Old Glory” swaying side by side in the wind. Combined Filipino-American forces put up such a defense under the inspiration of the flags that the Japanese military timetable was thrown off track.

Tattered but proud

The world then saw, towering over the battlefields of the Bataan peninsula, the Philippine flag, tattered, ripped by bullets, still proudly clinging to a battered pole, urging a people to fight on even in the face of certain defeat.

Never was a flag so obeyed in its call for sacrifice. Bataan and Corregidor became synonymous with the indomitable spirit of Filipino resistance.

In September of 1950, a Filipino military contingent landed in South Korea in fulfillment of the Philippine pledge to help in the United Nations’ effort to stem communist North Korea’s invasion of South Korea.

Summer warriors in winter

Filipinos thrive in tropical climate. In Korea, they faced the reality of a winter war. Raid after successful raid against the enemy gave the Filipinos a fighting reputation.

China’s entry into the war would further give them the chance to sew into the fabric of the Philippine flag the meaning of valor to its highest degree.

When Allied forces neared the Yalu River dividing Korea and Manchuria, Chinese troops attacked. The UN forces withdrew. Except the Filipinos.

MacArthur impressed

Not having received the order to withdraw, they remained, determined to fight to the last man. They were finally ordered to retreat, the last to leave a battlefield full of dead enemies.

Operation after operation, the Filipinos shone. Even Gen. Douglas MacArthur was impressed. On several occasions, they were, among the UN forces, the unit farthest north.

The story behind the Filipino defense of Yultong Ridge is a tale to be told. When the Chinese attack came, all UN forces retreated, except the Filipinos who, rallying under the flag and defying orders, remained and engaged the Chinese in bitter close quarter fighting.

Inspired UN effort

Knowing the strength of the Chinese, the UN Command wrote off the Filipino forces. The Command was surprised to learn later that the Filipinos were still fighting the enemy. They were ordered to disengage. The order was ignored. They fought on and helped inspire the UN effort to ward off the communist attack.

It would be an understatement to say that they prevented the UN front from collapsing.

And so it was that the world saw the Philippine flag waving gallantly in Korean sky. No doubt, the ultimate standard of courage.

Copyright 2006 Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

http://news.inq7.net/nation/index.php?index=1&story_id=77254

overtureph

May 29th, 2006, 01:50 AM

Joker to Palace: Stop the ‘loose cannons’ at PCGG

First posted 05:47am (Mla time) May 29, 2006
By TJ Burgonio
Inquirer

Editor's Note: Published on page A24 of the May 29, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

SENATOR Joker Arroyo yesterday urged Malacañang to stop the “loose cannons” in the Presidential Commission on Good Government from striking a deal with the Marcos family and to make its position clear in the matter.

Otherwise, the government would lose the “moral high ground on accountability,” the maverick administration lawmaker warned.

“The PCGG chair and its commissioners are loose cannons. They can’t do that on their own (make deals),” said Arroyo, a former human rights lawyer, in a phone interview.

Malacañang, he stressed, “must step in in the current PCGG mess and make a policy pronouncement on the matter.”

“You can’t let loose cannons talk more and lose the government moral high ground on accountability. That’s what the government is all about -- accountability of public funds,” he said.

Resolve criminal, civil cases

The PCGG, under Chair Camilo Sabio, has stepped up efforts to enter into a deal with the family of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, hoping to resolve the criminal and civil cases it has been pursuing against them the past 20 years.

Despite the criticism, PCGG Commissioner Ricardo Abcede has said he was pressing ahead with negotiations over the sharing of the Marcos assets estimated at between $5 billion and $10 billion, in exchange for the dropping of all cases.

While the Palace has defended the PCGG move, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has neither encouraged nor dissuaded the PCGG officials from forging a compromise with the Marcoses, Presidential Chief of Staff Michael Defensor has said.

Senator Arroyo stressed that the ill-gotten wealth cases were “essentially moral and accountability issues.”

“The money issue is included because public funds are involved and, therefore, must be recovered. But that is incidental to the moral issue,” he said in a statement he issued after the interview.

Principle of accountability

“The statements of the PCGG officials undermine the inherent commitment of the government to uphold the principle of accountability without which no government can long exist,” he said.

Abcede came under fire last week for inviting former First Lady Imelda Marcos to his birthday party and even dancing with her.

“What’s wrong with that?” he had said, insisting his hobnobbing with her would not affect his job at the PCGG.

Arroyo also chided the PCGG officials for negotiating with the Marcoses over pending cases “whose status are not unfavorable to the government.”

“So why settle? One settles because he is in a weak position and the government is not so situated,” he said, pointing out that past Supreme Court decisions on Marcos cases had been “generally favorable” to the government.

In a radio interview, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. reiterated that he was open to a deal with the Marcoses on condition they fully disclose all their ill-gotten wealth and the assets are divided 90-10 in favor of the government.

He stressed, however, that only the civil, not the criminal, cases be the subject of any compromise.

Defending Salonga

Arroyo also chided Abcede for belittling the accomplishments of past PCGG chairs, including former Senate President Jovito Salonga who recently criticized the current move to settle with the Marcoses and likened it to the Holocaust victims striking a deal with the Nazis.

Arroyo pointed out that in the recent Senate budget hearings it was established that an estimated P60 billion had been turned over by previous PCGG administrations to the Department of Agrarian Reform for the beneficiaries of land reform in keeping with the law.

“Without those funds, tenant beneficiaries would not have the lands they presently own,” Arroyo said.

“Yet the present PCGG, which did not contribute one centavo to the P60 billion, has the gall to belittle the work of the past commissions under four presidents and crows that it can do better through compromise, overlooking the fact that the status of the remaining pending cases are not unfavorable to the government,” he said.

Arroyo also wondered what could be behind the negotiations between the PCGG and the Marcoses.

“One thing is missing in all this brouhaha. It is an axiom that even before one starts with negotiations, the parties must agree on an inventory or list of what will be discussed,” he said.

“Both the Marcoses and the PCGG are ominously silent on that inventory. Public funds are involved. The public has the right to know. That cannot be ignored.”

Copyright 2006 Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

http://news.inq7.net/nation/index.php?index=1&story_id=77359

sugbuanon

May 29th, 2006, 04:41 AM

Gorres bombs Miranda, aims for world title next

http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/4910/gorrescarsonvictory032de.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Cebuano ring star Z "The Dream" Gorres of the famed ALA Boxing Gym knocked down Pedro Rincon Miranda of Colombia three times on the way to hacking out a lopsided unanimous decision win over 10 rounds yesterday at the Home Depot Center in Carson City, California.

The WBO top super flyweight contender Gorres sent Miranda crashing into the canvass in rounds one, five, and 10, but the tough as nails Colombian journeyman showed iron will and somehow made it to the final bell.

All the three judges had unanimous scores of 100-87 for the 22-year-old Gorres, who improved to 24-1-1 (12KOs). Miranda fell to 31-11-2 (25KOs).

Gorres, the reigning OPBF jr bantamweight title-holder, now trains his sights on a possible title shot at the WBO 115-pound title currently held by Mexican Fernando Montiel.

Montiel stayed as the WBO super flyweight champion after he lost in his WBO bantamweight title bid by split decision to defending champion Jhonny Gonzalez (33-4, 28KOs).

In the other featured main event, Daniel Ponce de Leon (28-1, 26KOs) retained his WBO super bantamweight crown by stopping Gerson Guerrero (31-7, 23KOs) in the second round.

"I'm so happy with Gorres. This only proves that Gorres' is a world class fighter despite doubts on his power. I hope he gets a chance to fight Montiel for the WBO championship," said boxing patron Antonio "Bidoy" L. Aldeguer, the manager of Gorres.

The resounding victory was Gorres' third on US soil since he scored a spectacular first round knockout of Fil-Am Glenn Donayre in the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Erik Morales I on March 19 last year at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Gorres completed a twinkill for the Golden Boy Promotions' prized fighters in California in one-week span as Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista floored Nicaraguan Roberto Bonilla in the third round last May 20 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

beads_strawberries

May 30th, 2006, 07:58 AM

Two Filipinos were given rewards when their tips led to the capture of a suspected terrorist leader, the US Embassy said. With a reward worth $500,000 each, I know others will be encouraged to help the government locate these terrorists. I do hope we'll find more of them so as to put an end to these terrorist attacks.

sugbuanon

May 31st, 2006, 02:01 PM

BUHAIN TO SUPERVISE CASTILLO-CORRALES 3

Games and Amusements Board chairman Eric Buhain has just made the country proud once again as he has been appointed by the World Boxing Council to supervise this Sunday's mega-fight pitting Jose Luis Castillo versus Diego Corrales at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Only in his 30's, Buhain, considered as a highly cerebral boxing leader, has earned plaudits for his quick mastery of supervising world title bouts, as the time he supervised a world championship event in Japan where he impressed old-timers with his flawless hosting of the rules meeting.

Buhain is set to fly to the United States tonight, in time to join the press conference as well as weigh-in and rules briefing for the big event.

The Mexico-based WBC appointed Buhain, a member of its Board of Governors, to sit alongside officials of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, as well as other WBC officials.

Corrales and Castillo will be meeting for the third time for the world lightweight title. Corrales had prevailed in their epic first encounter, while Castillo blasted Corrales in their rematch.

The third encounter is expected to be a terrific encounter, said promoter Bob Arum, who promotes Castillo.

Solar Sports will air the fight starting at 12:30PM on Sunday.

3cr

June 6th, 2006, 01:07 AM

Heathcliff, Don't get me wrong, I think chacha can be good for the country in the long run but I'm just of the opinion that whatever financial windfall recieved from this compromise agreement should not be used and disbursed for pushing political agendas such as chacha or other GMA programs without iron-clad checks and balances already in place. I just don't trust GMA's government will do the right/honest thing with the money and I'm afraid that the bulk of the said money will just disappear/vanish without proper accountability. Just that nangyari na nga yan with the proceeds from those swiss accounts di ba so why in heavens sake would we let her get away with it again? Besides I don't think the money should be used as a means to push and get chacha in place; rather, have the money put to good use after chacha is in place so that the proper checks and balances are already in place bago hayaan gamitin ng gobyerno yung perang makukuha nila from the Marcoses. This way protectado ang mamamayan. Well, there's apparently a law that appropriates the money for land reform, but Congress can amend this law so that those proven to have been victims of human rights violations could be accommodated. Perhaps it can do the same for chacha. GMA certainly has enough allies in Congress to push this one through. Guess we'll have to see what the future brings though personally I think it will only get bleaker than better for the country and its people while Arroyo is in power. This article below touches some of the points why I'm quite leary of the Arroyo administration.

This is one scary future for the next generation!.... :eek2:

http://www.pcij.org/blog/?p=977

The debt burden and Arroyo’s ‘borrowing addiction’

June 3, 2006 at 2:55 pm · Posted by Alecks Pabico
Filed under Governance

EVEN as the Senate has slashed billions of pesos in suspected Malacañang pork barrel funds in favor of additional funding for basic social services, the Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) thinks such efforts to introduce meaningful reallocations in the proposed 2006 national budget are piecemeal without the legislators seriously confronting the issue of the debt problem.

“Succeeding national budgets like in the past will simply become creditor budgets that are meant to appease international lending institutions,” said Ana Maria Nemenzo, FDC president. “In the end, these budgets subject our people to deeper poverty and misery.”

For this year’s proposed P1.053-trillion budget, interest payments alone, at P340 billion, account for 32 percent of the entire fiscal pie. With the amount for principal amortization at P381.7 billion, the total debt service bill is worth P723 billion.

Senator Panfilo Lacson is of the same mind and has urged Congress to take a closer look at the provision for debt servicing instead of approving the automatic appropriation.

“While not a high-profile issue, the debt burden robs Filipinos of much-needed basic services especially if the debts were acquired with onerous conditions,” Lacson said.

The national government’s total indebtedness has ballooned to P3.96 trillion as of end of February 2006, P2.17 trillion in domestic debt and 1.79 trillion in foreign debt. This amount does not include debts guaranteed by the government worth P575.25 billion — P48.15 billion in foreign debts and P527.1 billion in domestic debts.

Twenty years ago, the country’s debt stood at P472.5 billion. At its present aggregate value, the debt has increased by more than 725 percent, which corresponds to an annual average growth of 36 percent.

Of the post-Marcos governments, it is the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration that holds the distinction of being the country’s highest single borrower. From 2001 to 2005, the Arroyo government has incurred additional debts amounting to P2.44 trillion, more than half of the current outstanding debt, for an average of P487.9 billion every year.

What is mind-boggling, FDC points out, is that the Arroyo administration’s debts far exceed the combined borrowings of its post-Edsa predecessors by almost P1 trillion. The Aquino (1987-1991), Ramos (1992-1997) and Estrada (1998-2000) governments incurred P338 billion, P401 billion and P725 billion, respectively, for combined total borrowings of P1.46 trillion.

National Government Outstanding Debt by Administration
(in million pesos)

GDB - GROSS DOMESTIC BORROWINGS
GFB - GROSS FOREIGN BORROWINGS

AQUINO
Year GDB GFB TOTAL
1987 58,618 15,420 74,038
1988 47,339 17,290 64,629
1989 37,210 19,953 57,163
1990 30,096 24,406 54,502
1991 64,722 23,086 87,808

GRAND TOTAL 338,140

RAMOS
Year GDB GFB TOTAL
1992 148,146 34,143 182,289
1993 -16,992 38,223 21,231
1994 4,620 12,285 16,905
1995 58,653 16,833 75,486
1996 62,584 21,955 84,539
1997 -2,430 22,995 20,565
GRAND TOTAL 401,015

ESTRADA
Year GDB GFB TOTAL
1998 105,311 48,302 153,613
1999 160,450 120,354 280,804
2000 145,330 145,434 290,764
GRAND TOTAL 725,181

ARROYO
Year GDB GFB TOTAL
2001 206,358 68,482 274,840
2002 235,989 200,267 436,256
2003 290,283 240,122 530,405
2004 383,780 199,533 583,313
2005 396,819 217,908 614,727
GRAND TOTAL 2,439,541

Source: Bureau of the Treasury

Economist Maitet Diokno-Pascual, in her assessment of Arroyo’s economic strategies, attributed the lingering debt burden to the government’s reliance on borrowing — even overborrowing — to raise revenues and finance the deficit, including the international reserves of the Bangko Sentral. This, she said, is meant to “improve” the country’s fiscal condition so as to maintain the confidence of creditors who are only after the bottom line.

Pascual added that Arroyo is also engaging in a “Ponzi game” of borrowing to repay maturing principal.

By FDC’s accounting, these debts have not been used to propel real economic growth and development. Expenditures for capital outlay for productive public investments and services have consistently declined under Arroyo’s term, claimed Nemenzo, citing the dwindling capital outlay as a ratio of gross total borrowings, down from 27.2 percent in 2001 to only 10.5 percent last year.

CO - Capital Outlay

YEAR GROSS TOTAL BORROWINGS CO CO as % of BORROWING
2001 274,840 74,793 27.21%
2002 436,256 70,728 16.21%
2003 530,405 81,274 15.32%
2004 583,313 63,240 10.84%
2005 614,727 64,469 10.49%

Source: Bureau of the Treasury; Proposed National Expenditure Program

So where did all the money go? A comprehensive audit of public sector debt and contingent liabilities is precisely the task of a congressional commission sought by Senate Joint Resolution No. 1. Unfortunately, since Senator Rodolfo Biazon filed the resolution during the first regular session of the 13th Congress, it has yet to be adopted.

tigidig14

June 6th, 2006, 01:09 AM

maka-marcos pamilya namin dati :lol:
loyal lolo ko tatandaan ko :no:

3cr

June 6th, 2006, 01:23 AM

Here is another disturbing report which actually counters the Arroyo gov't's claim they are looking after the country's best interest. On the contrary they are looking out for their own best interest instead just like the other post Marcos governments. Pare-pareho lang silang lahat corrupt kanya hindi umunlad ang ating bayan. Kaibahan lang ay mas matinik magmanipula ng economic data ang Arroyo gov't. In reality I think the country's future looks bleaker instead of better than what the gov't would like everybody to believe.
This is one disturbing report from PCIJ :eek2:

http://www.pcij.org/blog/?p=864

Unmasking the myth of ‘Arrovonomics’

April 26, 2006 at 6:35 pm · Posted by Alecks Pabico
Filed under Governance, Gloriagate

SHOULD Filipinos believe the rosy picture being painted by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo about the state of the economy? Can they take her word for it when she claims that the economy is on the verge of take-off, the fiscal condition is improving, the peso is really strong, and the debt burden is being prudently managed?

http://pcij.org/blog/wp-images/maitet-diokno.jpg
Largely unchallenged, Arroyo’s stewardship of the Philippine economy was the focus of yesterday’s first public forum on the economy at the University of the Philippines campus in Diliman sponsored by the Active Citizenship Foundation, the year-old political think-tank of the Akbayan party-list organization. The forum’s main speaker, economist Maitet Diokno-Pascual, painted a different picture, debunking what the Arroyo government trumpets as its economic achievements.

Unmasking the myth of what she calls “Arrovonomics,” Pascual said that Arroyo’s economic successes remain anchored on short-term solutions, only this time with the central objective of ensuring her political survival.

“‘Arrovonomics’ sees credit upgrade as the key to survival,” Pascual said. “Its main strategies are to finance the machinery for survival, and maintain the confidence of the creditor community by continuously stressing that the problem is political and not economic.”

Pascual, chairperson of the Institute for Popular Democracy and former president of the Freedom from Debt Coalition, said Arroyo’s solution to the problems of a heavy debt burden and chronic fiscal deficit is to have a strong peso, lower interest rates, higher VAT, and to include non-cash tax revenues in the government’s declared revenues.

“So that the desired outcome would be a lower debt to GDP (gross domestic product) ratio, lower debt service, and smaller deficit to GDP ratio,” explained Pascual. “Hopefully, these will give her the credit upgrade that she needs and therefore she can hang on until 2010 and beyond.”

Access to credit is really a big confidence game, said Pascual. “And what we’ve been told is that the government hires PR agency consultants to facilitate dialogs with the credit rating agencies just to improve its rating. It figures the credit rating agencies are easy to deceive since they are only after the bottomline.”

So far, she conceded, the strategy seems to be working. “Arroyo is playing the game very well.”

But there are unplanned consequences, warned Pascual. “With a strong peso, your customs and export revenues are bound to fall. Higher imports will have an impact on trade deficit and on tax collections. If the government will have to improve its deficit through spending cutbacks, all of that will have an impact on economic growth. There will be reduced growth and it will need more borrowing. So you go back to the same problems again.”

The cycle, she said, is compounded by the fact that the economy remains vulnerable to a crisis.

If the Arroyo government is able to sustain itself, Pascual said it is because of two things: OFW remittances and overborrowing. She also pointed to the country’s elite whose fortunes — profitability of banks being tied to their lending to the government — apparently are more important than ousting her.

Pascual’s critique of the following claims of “Arrovonomics” is as follows:

Claim No. 1: The economy is on the verge of take-off

Official growth is suspect.

The National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) reported that real GDP grew by 5.1 percent last year. This was lower than the original target of 5.3 to 6.3 percent. It was also lower than the previous year’s actual growth at six percent.

Real GNP (gross national product) growth was at 5.7 perent, also lower than 2004.

http://pcij.org/blog/wp-images/gdp-statdiscrepancy.jpg
Closely examining the GDP, Pascual said that what balances the supply (production) and demand (spending) sides is a statistical discrepancy or error that contributed 1.8 percent to GDP growth last year. Without the discrepancy, GDP grew by only 3.3 percent from the demand side.

Government’s accounting method for GNP and GDP is also unable to capture all items to be able to provide a clearer picture. Pascual said there are indications that imports are being understated. Services like business process outsourcing are also not being captured and the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) is anticipating an understatement of $2 billion from this.

This makes the data less credible, Pascual said. “And it’s hard to say with the adjustments what the growth picture would look like since you don’t know the extent of change for each of the years. You really wouldn’t know what the impact on the real growth figures after the new data comes out.”

Overseas employment is fuelling what little growth there is.

In its original development plan targets, only two were actually met — overseas employment and the deficit.

The government was able to deploy 981,677 migrant workers last year compared to its target of one million. The national government budget deficit was better than target at 2.7 percent compared to 3.6 percent of GDP in 2005.

Yet in everything else, the government failed. With job generation, only 702,000 jobs on the average (using labor force data surveyed every quarter) were created when the original plan eyed 1.4 to 1.6 million per year.

Export growth, targeted at 10 percent per year, registered only an actual growth of 3.7 percent. Import growth projected at 12 percent, on the other hand, only hit 7.4 percent.

Inflation, targeted at 4.5 percent, was pegged at 7.6 percent last year.

With regard to employment, one thing that government has also done is to redefine who are unemployed. Before, one has to be out of work and looking for work to be declared unemployed. Nowadays, under the “pure, clean concept” of unemployed, one is not counted as part of the labor force if he or she is not looking for work for more than six months.

But even if you go by the new definition, the unemployment rate, said Pascual, is increasing.

The domestic economy is weak and highly vulnerable to crisis.

The National Statistics Office’s survey of the manufacturing sector showed a shrinking number of establishments, with the number of paid workers also falling. Profit as a percentage of revenues are similarly falling, although the value of output per paid worker is rising. Another indicator of a weakening manfacturing sector is that households have already overtaken industries in electricity demand.

Prices are rising faster than wages, which Pascual said should be the other way around if the government wants some of the benefits of the growth to go to the producers.

Taxes and jobs are also not growing as much as GDP.

Historically, the debt seems to be the only one that’s growing faster, although that trend was not repeated in 2005 because of the “strong” peso.

Filipinos continue to face joblessness, hunger, no money, dwindling access to “commons.”

While there has been a slight reduction in poverty incidence, the 2003 survey of the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) on hunger showed that 21 percent of chidlren 0 to 5 years old and 34 percent of mothers have experienced food insecurity — unable to eat, ate only one meal a day, missed a meal. More than half of households had an experience of food insecurity. The survey, which asked children to name the food they eat, surprisingly listed coffee among the 30 top food items.

NSO’s annual poverty indicator survey in 2004 found 35 percent of the poorest 30 percent of households with no access to safe drinking water compared to 32.5 percent in 2002.

In terms of employment, only 59 percent of the working-age population have a job. That figure has not changed over the years. The quality of employment is also deteriorating — jobs are less permanent, seasonal or part-time, low wage or unpaid, low-skilled.

While jobs are being created in the agriculture and services sectors, these are mostly unpaid (in agriculture) and low wage (services). In both cases, they are even seasonal.

In terms of income, the 2003 Family Income and Expenditures Survey (FIES) found that the poorest 30 percent are dissaving — spending more than what they are earning. The poor are not able to save because whatever income they have is not enough to cover their expenditures. They, said Pascual, are also probably in debt.

The income of all families, rich and poor, fell between 2000 and 2003, with the family income of the poorest 10 percent falling by 8.7 percent.

Claim No. 2: Improving fiscal condition

The so-called improved fiscal condition was attained by borrowing heavily so Treasury earns from borrowed funds, and cutting infrastructure and social spending — in short, dagdag bawas.

http://www.pcij.org/blog/wp-images/fiscal-performance.jpg
If there was a very good improvement in the deficit last year despite juetenggate and Gloriagate, Pascual said it is because the Arroyo government relied on two easy ways to do it, in patented dagdag-bawas fashion — padding revenues and cutting spending.

For the 2005 fiscal performance, the actual revenue was bigger by P12.5 billion while actual spending was smaller by P21 billion, which resulted in an actual deficit that was also smaller by P33.5 billion.

How were the revenues padded:

* by borrowing more than what was needed
* by earning interest from dagdag utang
* and by allowing the Bureau of Internal Revenue and Bureau of Customs to declare as part of revenue non-cash tax revenues — e.g. taxes paid by a government agency to another government agency

http://pcij.org/blog/wp-images/padded-revenues.jpg
Tax revenues were also actually lower than target. What accounted for the increase were Bureau of the Treasury revenues, which was P34 billion more than the target. What the government did was to borrow money and then earn profit from it.

Pascual said that part of how the Treasury earns is by lending to bankrupt government corporations like the National Power Corp. (Napocor). In 2004, the government absorbed P200 billion of Napocor debt, from which it profited from by holding on to P200-billion worth of Napocor bonds.

Cutbacks on spending were done on the interest on domestic debt and on everything else like infrastructure and social spending.

Since it is mandated by law, the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) — the annual share of local governments from the national internal revenue taxes — was not subjected to any cuts, and was in fact even restored by Arroyo partly to buy local government support which she needed in 2005 at the height of the Gloriagate crisis.

http://pcij.org/blog/wp-images/spending-cuts.jpg
Overall, P21 billion was cut in government expenditures primarily to please credit rating agencies. With the IRA, the increase by P40.4 billion is dictated by the exigency of political survival. The amount, Pascual said, was made possible by cutting non-IRA, non-subsidy spending by P50 billion, which represented a 10-percent cut of all other expenses of the government.

Tax targets were also not reached. So the government is declaring non-cash tax payments of government agencies as part of revenues.

Pascual believes the Arroyo government could be in violation of the Administrative Code for cutbacks in spending by more than what it saved in interest expense.”You have to declare something as savings, which theoretically is the interest expense,” she said.

Claim No. 3: Strong peso

OFW remittances and earnings are contributing to the current strength of the peso.

A strong peso, Pascual said, means that there is a greater supply of dollars in the country compared to the demand for them. She also traces the current strength of the peso to the weakness of the dollar and the excess global liquidity which found a lot of foreign money that came in during the first quarter of 2005 and made the picture look good despite the political crisis.

Only, the peso is strong for the wrong reasons.

On the supply side, the only thing that is coming in a lot are OFW remittances, now estimated at $12 billion a year. At the same time, the demand for dollars is low because of weakening production.

Other plus factors, however, don’t apply because of the weak export growth, trade deficit (9 percent of GDP in 2005), net outflows of investment and loan capital ($3B in 2005), and flight of resident capital ($4.8B in 2005 from $2.3B in 2004).

The increase in the dollar supply is also a result of borrowing. Early this year, the government borrowed 70 percent of all of its borrowing needs for the year. This was loaned from the bond market, which, unlike loans from the usual lending agencies (International Monetary Fund or the World Bank), are available right away in cash.

Government, claimed Pascual, got the the borrowed funds worth $2 billion and earned interest from it for several months. The reliance on external borrowing, she said, is in fact a sign of weakness and vulnerablity.

Besides, not everybody benefits from a strong peso. Only importers will gain and not be hurt by it, Pascual said. The government gets hit because there will be less customs revenue. For instance, earnings from oil importation will be less because the value in peso is lower.

OFW families, while they will benefit from cheaper imports, will really lose money. Their relatives will be sending the same amount of dollars but which are now cheaper in peso terms.

Domestic producers who import some of their production inputs will also benefit from cheaper imports. But they will have to contend with cheaper foreign-made goods that compete with their products. So they will have to scale down their production.

Claim No. 4: Prudent debt management

The debt problem persists with Arroyo’s heavy reliance on borrowing.

Pascual said she is no longer sure how much we really owe as there are many things that don’t get counted in the official debt figures like the contingent debt and footnote debt.

The official foreign debt figure is pegged only at $54 billion. But with contingent and footnote debts, it’s actually $71.1 billion.

Contingent debt are debts of government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs) or private businesses (BOT projects) guaranteed by the national government. Footnote debt refers to figures they don’t count as debt but which the government has to report because IMF wants it to do so.

There are also government-issued dollar bonds (ROP bonds) denominated in foreign currency that, Pascual said, don’t get counted as part of foreign debt if a resident bought those debts. The national government reports it as part of foreign debt but the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) doesn’t, treating it only as part of the footnote.”The lines are being blurred about what is foreign and domestic debt, what is in dollars and peso,” she said.

Domestic debt, at P2.164 trillion, is also increasing as a result of the government’s reliance on borrowing to raise revenues and finance the deficit, including the international reserves of the Bangko Sentral. The Arroyo government also resorts to borrowing to finance infrastructure, including participation of the private sector. In fact, it has been borrowing more than program, in excess of deficit and of principal.

“Let’s not bullshit each other that privatization is letting private sector come in. Even the concerns of creditors of the private sector have to be addressed by the government, particularly in water and power projects,” Pascual claimed.

While our debt managers have learned to stay away from short-term foreign debts after the 1983 and 1991 crises, domestic short-term debt is still greater than 25 percent, though domestic long-term debt is lower than 30 percent.

In 2005, government’s debt-related spending exceeded revenues by 113 percent.

The Ponzi game cannot be played indefinitely.

Arroyo is also engaging in what economists call the “Ponzi game” of borrowing to repay maturing principal.

A recent study of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said the Ponzi game played by Arroyo is working but is not sustainable. To which Pascual agreed, adding that the Ponzi game, whose main strategy is to keep treasury bills below market rates, cannot be played indefinitely without squeezing out bank profits.

“The role of the Treasury is crucial to maintain the borrowing addiction. It needs to keep treasury-bill rates below the market. Once you don’t do that, then you’re in trouble as it will affect the profitability of the banks. if you keep lowering T-bill rates, the bank will keep lowering the deposit rate until you will have to pay the bank for your deposits, which happened in Japan. It’s going to be that absurd.”

Napocor troubles not over

The troubles with Napocor are also not yet over. It is still the biggest headache of government, she said. At the time that the government absorbed P200 billion of Napocor’s debts, the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM) borrowed $1.4 billion in 2004. It again had to borrow PhP1.6B and $400M last year.

The ADB study said that every year that Napocor’s privatization is delayed, PSALM will have to borrow so much.

Pascual likewise assailed government’s policy of socializing private debt even as profits remain private. She said the next big deal to watch out for is the Napocor-Meralco settlement. “It started out at P43 billion. They made a deal, then it became P20 billion. It looks like it will become zero.”

3cr

June 6th, 2006, 01:37 AM

Another one...Kanya ang hirap talaga paniwalaan ang mga positive propaganda news ng Arroyo gov't. Hard to trust a gov't like this will do the right thing.
Time to Cry?

A time to cry? You be the judge
Friday, March 31, 2006
Peter Wallace

I think that no one can deny but that the past five years have been unsettled ones. The President claims it’s because of an opposition determined to unseat her regardless of the cost. The opposition says it’s her, her style of leadership, the questionable way she won the last election, her lack as a leader.

Whatever it is, three unconstitutional attempts to remove her do more than suggest that things aren’t right, and that change must occur if the Philippines is to get out of the rut it’s in. Rut it’s in? Yes, I’m going to discuss, despite some good numbers, just how poorly the Philippines has performed in the past half decade by focusing on the issues the President stated would be her priority when she first assumed power. And, therefore, can be presumed to be the ones where we’d see the most success.

As a start, take gross domestic product (GDP)/capita, the well-accepted measure of how well-off the people are (actually it’s not in a highly skewed economy like the Philippines where the rich are far, far removed from the poor. But nonetheless, it’s a good general guide of an economy). In 2001, Philippine GDP/capita was $896. In 2005, it was $1,111. Thailand, a country the Philippines once used to be able to compare itself with has gone from $1,836 to $2,563. Backward, little old Vietnam has risen 38 percent, from $413 to $568. It won’t be long according to the Asian Development Bank before it overtakes the Philippines in absolute numbers—about six years from now. The Philippines ranks last in GDP/capita growth amongst the Asean countries over the past five years. If I were leading this country, I’d cry.

According to Social Weather Station, 14.3% of Filipinos had had less food than they needed. In 2001 it was “only” 11.4%. That’s some 13 million Filipinos who go hungry. Hungry in a country that has a favourable climate and fertile soil. A country that should be the bread basket of Asia. Instead, it imported 1.8 million metric tons of rice in 2005—up from 800,000 in 2001. 3.3 million more Filipinos went hungry than did in 2001.

Transparency International (TI), an unbiased, credible source, has moved the Philippines from 65 in 2001 to 117 on the list of corrupt countries in the world. Yet this was the reason Joseph Estrada was evicted, so became a major plank of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s platform.

It seems not only has she not reduced corruption, it’s gotten worse. Unless you’re prepared to question TI. And in the UNDP human development index, which measures quality of life in a country, the Philippines has slipped from 70 to 83.

Let me give you some other facts and, remember they are facts, not a columnist’s biased opinions. And, yes, I’m looking at the negative, because I want it addressed. I want to scare the leadership into recognizing they must change.

Unemployment has risen, not much, but it has risen, not fallen as intended, from 11.4% to 11.7%. Forget the new definition, it’s meant to deceive you (Oh yes, it conforms to international standards—but the Philippine economy doesn’t. Here everyone needs a job).

We had wanted to make a comparison on the level of poverty now and a few years ago—but the government has changed this one, too. Poverty level now is measured with a different basket of goods and services for each region. Fair enough but it means we can’t make a direct comparison based on official statistics. However, SWS’s self-rated poverty data for 2001 and 2003 (the reference years used in the official statistics) indicate barely a change in the poverty situation: 62% in 2001 to 60% in 2003. In absolute numbers, it actually means an increase of some 400,000 in the number of poor people, contrary to government pronouncements.

Next is infrastructure. The Philippines has been one of the worst performers in Asia in the past 30 years—at 2.3% of GDP versus the Asian average of 6.9%. Under President Arroyo, it’s been even worse: it slipped to only 2% by 2005. The only major infrastructure project initiated by her has been the Ro-Ro nautical highway. Not much in five years is it? And one that business points to all the time—Ninoy Aquino International Airport-Terminal 3, remains unopened. Forget a “soft opening,” whatever that is. The terminal must be fully paid for, and then made fully operational. Anything less is cosmetics.

Let me give you some more facts: Kidnapping incidents dropped in 2004 from 99 in 2001 to 20, according to the police. But the reported kidnappings got out of control again in 2005, doubling to 44 incidents. Watchdog Citizens Action Against Crime puts it at 116 in 2001 to 94 in 2004, so some improvement, but 100, or so people kidnapped is still pretty scary. Index crimes have risen from 48.5/100,000 population to 50.7.

A particularly upsetting number is the level of foreign direct investment (FDI). Forget the stock market, that money’s ephemeral. It can go as easily as it came. FDI is the basic foundation, when added to local investment, of the economy.

FDI has seen no real improvement. It finally touched the $1 billion-mark in 2005, but it was almost the same at $982 million in 2001. During the Ramos years, it averaged $1.5 billion annually. Sadly, too, this is almost the lowest level in Asia. Incidentally, this is the actual amount that came in. Other numbers you see are promises or approvals or commitments that may, or may not eventually occur. History shows that many don’t.

Mining has held up to its promise of bringing in needed FDI into the country—some $250 million was poured in last year, for exploration and initial development activities. As in the past, however, political will has been the key risk for investors in this field. What has investors worried right now is the recent call of the President to have the Mining Act reviewed. A law that took almost 20 years to put into effect. Now it’s in question all over again.

Gross international reserves are a healthy four months of imports at $20.6 billion. But, despite the government hype, this covers about the same number of months of import as the 2001 figure of $15.7 billion. And that’s the key figure in measuring any improvement. So, there’s been none.

Mind you, there’s been some good achievements too. The budget deficit has been brought under control, (from 4.05% of GDP to 3.87%) but by cutting expenses, not raising revenues. The first two months of this year though showed revenues exceeding both target (by 6.6%) and last year (up 21.1%), so this could be starting to improve. It’s too early to say whether the newly implemented 2% increase in VAT will produce the revenues expected. But whether they do or not, a better and fairer way of raising the needed revenues is simply to go after the cheats who don’t pay their taxes. And the cheats to catch aren’t the small guys eking out a living in 168 Mall, wrong as that may be, but the big guys who are the source of all this. And who are never caught. The only one who was, was let go.

GDP itself has also performed reasonably credibly, with an average growth rate of 4.5%. But this is no better than the 4.4% achieved in President Ramos’ time before the Asian crisis hit the region. Nonetheless, if something around 5% can be achieved on a sustained basis, it will be better than the 3.6% average in the past three decades. But it won’t be the 7%+ everyone agrees is needed to seriously reduce poverty.

Another little snippet of good news is that the Philippines ranks 47, up from 41 in 2004, in the UN e-Government Readiness Report. This brings it to fourth in Asia after South Korea, Singapore, and Japan. That’s something to be proud of.

The Philippines has also managed to establish itself as a key regional player in the field of information technology (IT-enabled services or ITES). This has been one of the fastest growing industries during the past five years, and will continue to be in the next five. Opportunities will increasingly be spread out beyond Metro Manila, hence more employment opportunities; 18% of ITES investments was outside Manila in 2005, it was only 2% in 2001. The major risk facing the ITES industry right now is the lack of skilled labor.

Skilled labor requires education. Here the news is much less positive. There was a shortage of 8,000 classrooms when President Arroyo assumed power. Today it’s 40,000! And English, an essential for ITES, has deteriorated dramatically.

Admittedly the President has made English a primary language again, an essential step in this globalized, highly technological age. But there aren’t enough qualified teachers—only 20% of examinees pass the national teachers examination annually.

Tourism started a turnaround in 2004 despite lingering security and infrastructure concerns (it grew by 21% in 2004 and by 14% last year). We’ve finally sustained tourist arrivals at more than two million, so there’s been a rush to tourism-related projects lately. Investments in tourism facilities like hotels, resorts, and transport services reached P11.9 billion in 2005, many times more than the investments in past years. Hence, government’s goal of attracting five million tourists by 2010 appears doable, if it can muster the will to put in place the necessary support facilities.

The President has also been successful at bringing the fiscal situation under control with the successful introduction of EVAT and a reduction in government expenditures (but was it a real reduction, and what needed spending was depressed or cancelled to achieve this better fiscal position? That hasn’t been answered). And, anyway, the real solution to how revenues still hasn’t been addressed: Putting the big tax cheats ad smugglers in jail.

So there’s some balance to the bad news. But the bad news is all in areas that were listed as the top issues to address. Five years later there are more people in poverty (in absolute numbers,). Corruption is listed as being worse. Investment is at some of the lowest levels in years. And virtually no infrastructure has been built.

President Arroyo may indeed think things are going well, as she often proclaims. The trouble is the numbers don’t back her up. Areas she’s proclaimed as her key priorities are little better today than they were when she assumed the leadership. In most cases, in fact, they are worse.

Must we have another five years of this, or will she now listen to critics (like me) who want her to do well for the sake of the country, and change how she is leading? Will she? You be the judge.

http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=peterWallace_mar31_2006

swatch69sg

June 7th, 2006, 10:54 PM

By Katherine Adraneda
The Philippine Star 06/08/2006

Some 100 scientists have declared the Philippines as the world’s "center of marine biodiversity" — not the Great Reef Barrier off east Australia — because of its vast species of marine and coastal resources, according to the World Bank.

However, the scientists raised the alarm that the country’s marine diversity is under threat of degradation.

Based on the WB report, "Philippine Environment Monitor 2005," the Philippines appears to be using its coastal resources "in a very inefficient manner" compared to other Southeast Asian countries.

The overall performance of the Philippines in marine and coastal resources conservation "is generally poor or very poor relative to other developing countries," the report added.

Elisea Gozun, former environment secretary and WB consultant, said the broad trends affecting the Philippine coastal areas include rapid population growth, widespread poverty, declining fishery productivity, increasing environmental damage and loss of biodiversity, and climate change.

"The coastal and marine waters of the Philippines are considered the center of marine biodiversity in the world," Gozun said during the National Forum on Sustainable Development of Coastal and Marine Resources at the Philippine Plaza hotel in Pasay City yesterday.

Gozun gave a presentation on the "State of Marine and Coastal Environment in the Philippines."

"(But) many of the important marine species in the Philippine marine environment are threatened (mainly by) habitat loss and degradation, pollution, destructive local and commercial fishing activities and rapid growth in Southeast Asian regional market for marine products," she said.

Her presentation is part of the Philippine Environment Monitor 2005, which hopefully will be released next month.

Gozun said the country’s fishery resources are considered more heavily exploited than elsewhere in the world, and that the country has the most degraded reefs compared to five other Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia.

"The country’s total fisheries yield per year is estimated to be $2.5 billion, as more than one million people are employed in the fishing industry; 2.3 million tourists generated $1.99 million in tourist receipts in 2004; while 6.2 million are people employed in tourism-related businesses," she said.

Gozun said only seven percent of the country’s reefs have been declared as marine-protected areas, which is the lowest among Asian countries, as the mangrove decline in the Philippines is considered "very significant."

"But the country has to do more to sustain this, it has to face the challenges (to ensure conservation of marine and coastal resources) for the future," she said.

Gozun said the Philippines’ main fish species, such as round scad or galunggong and tuna, are showing "severe signs of overfishing," and that economic loss over fishing is estimated at about P6.5 billion per year in lost fish catches.

Increasing pollution of bodies of water resulting in harmful algal blooms or "red tide" had produced yearly losses in fish exports of around P1.6 billion during the 1990s, she added.

Gozun said the government should take action to increase the protection of threatened marine and coastal resources, improve local livelihood for communities in coastal areas, and strengthen and simplify institutional arrangements to achieve a sustainable marine and coastal resources.

"As it has always been said, we have so many good laws but we lack proper enforcement of these laws," she said.

During the same forum, President Arroyo announced that she had signed an executive order adopting the Integrated Coastal Management.

Mrs. Arroyo said she had directed Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes to lead the formulation of a national integrated coastal management plan jointly with other concerned government agencies such as the Departments of Agriculture, Interior and Local Government, Foreign Affairs, Tourism, Transportation and Communications, and the National Economic and Development Authority.

"We are the second largest archipelago in the world with a fragile island ecosystem," Mrs. Arroyo told guests and participants of the National Forum on Sustainable Development of Coastal and Marine Resources.

"To protect our coasts and marine waters, however, we must protect the entire environment — our forests, our lands, our waters, our air — for almost everything that ensues from environmental degradation flows down and impacts negatively on the quality of our seas," she said.

chixbebe

June 8th, 2006, 06:01 AM

News said the House of representatives just approved last night a bill that will set aside some P8B in fund from the supposed ill-gotten wealth of the Marcos Family for the human rights victims.

Congressmen has agreed to the House bill proposal which is expected to benefit 9,539 victims of abuse during Marcos regime that is with the vote of 140-13 with 6 abstentions.

Rep. Casiño said that HB3315 is one of the good things that the house did in passing different bills and that the bill is really not about the money nor compensations but its about getting the Justice for the people who were victimized during Marcos time.

Well, now atleast this victims, whom i guess just get old waiting for the result, has finally calm down and overjoyed because the long waiting is over. Lets just wait if this bill will really reached them.... :cheers:

beads_strawberries

June 8th, 2006, 06:45 AM

^ I am for the passage of this bill. May this become a law as soon as possible.
This manifests that the Marcos family cannot be adamant that the ill-gotten wealth they have will not be distributed to the human rights victims of the Martial Law years.
As much as the victims during the Marcos regime will definitely given monetary compensation, the justice the human rights victims have been longing is now being served to them.

Kudos to our legislators who have agreed to the House bill.

OtAkAw

June 8th, 2006, 08:42 AM

^^Good news with a reality check. The government needs to do more than just deal with the economy...

heathcliff

June 8th, 2006, 09:50 AM

Guess we'll have to see what the future brings though personally I think it will only get bleaker than better for the country and its people while Arroyo is in power. This article below touches some of the points why I'm quite leary of the Arroyo administration.

3cr, the PCIJ is known to be adversarial to the Arroyo administration and has never given it any credit for its efforts to rein in government spending, which have produced concrete results. It is inevitable that the government continue to borrow to pay its personnel, fund its various programs, and yes, pay previous debts. We must also factor in peso depreciation which worsened during the past several administrations, thus our ballooning debt. However, the strengthening peso in the past months allowed us, I hear, to pay 64% more on debt than what was initially projected, which is a significant improvement in our capacity to pay our debts.

If I'm not mistaken, this Freedom from Debt Coalition is foremost among those advocating for debt abolition. This would only be feasible if you want the Philippines to be treated as a pariah internationally. No one will want to invest in our country if we prove to be incapable of keeping our commitments. The way I see it, Pres. Arroyo is doing her best under the circumstances. Using her veto power will perhaps be the only way of preventing Congress from making huge slashes on capital expenditures that are vital to a growing economy.

chixbebe

June 9th, 2006, 08:16 AM

Another news Pinoy should really be proud of.... Marielyn Quintana, a Social Science and Education teacher at the University of Santo Tomas (UST), prodded him on from 93 km away. At the same time, Lucy Guya, a parateacher, stood over Tirso’s shoulder to guide him as he copied the letters of the alphabet.

This is UST’s unique approach to distance education – non-formal classes conducted through a two-way radio. Lessons are broadcast four days a week to five sitios in Bamban town, mostly populated by Aeta adults who never had a chance to go to school.

Tirso, an Aeta with curly hair, dark skin and a small frame, lives in the sleepy and mountainous Sitio Malasa in Bamban. His people and their unat (straight-haired) neighbors peacefully coexist despite the lack of electricity and paved roads.

Parents in the community gather twice a week to attend classes facilitated by Quintana and Guya. Their room serves as a morning daycare center and a learning haven for adults in the afternoon. The walls are adorned with bright drawings of animals and plants.

Modules on environmental conservation, livelihood, health, responsible parenthood and community life are discussed with parateachers assisting each class of readers and nonreaders. From these modules, the adults learn to read, write their names and do simple math.

“The learning of adult learners is heightened if they are able to relate to the topic of discussion, or if they find it relevant to their daily lives,” said Jose Cruz III, director of UST’s Office for Community Development.

Galing talaga ng pinoy...maparaan... :bow:

Full story (http://news.inq7.net/nation/index.php?index=1&story_id=78572 )

swatch69sg

June 9th, 2006, 09:21 PM

7 June 2006

Philippine Ambassador to Paris, France José A. Zaide reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that the Philippine Madrigal Singers – the
Madz – topped the European Cup eliminations in Tours, France on 4 June 2006, besting 15 international choral groups to represent Tours in the 2007 European Cup competition among six regional champions. Ambassador Zaide said that the Madz, led by choirmaster Mark Anthony Carpio, bagged the Grand Prix awarded by the city of Tours to the best performance by a group during the International Competition for Choral Singing at the Florilege Vocal de Tours on 4 June 2006. They also took first prize in all the categories they competed in: Category III Vocal Ensemble, Category IV Free Program and the Special Renaissance Category.

The Ambassador stated that, as Tours 2006 champion, the Madz qualifies for the 2007 European Grand Prix for Choral Singing competition to be held in Italy, which will pit the previous year's winners of competitions in Arezzo, Italy; Debrecen, Hungary; Gorizia, Italy; Tours, France; Varna, Bulgaria; and
Tolosa, Spain. “Tours has a special resonance in the Madz’ history
for it was in this city that it first earned its Palmares as the World's Best Choir in 1997. It was not allowed to compete for two consecutive years after
that,” Ambassador Zaide explained. To qualify for the 4 June 2006 finals, the Madz had to sing three pieces: one from the Renaissance, Baroque or Classical periods; one work written after 1900 and a song freely chosen by the group from any musical period. The songs should be sung in the original
language in which it was written. On Sunday Madz sang three songs for the finals, written in the 19th century, by a French conductor after 1940 and a piece chosen by the choir. For the Special Renaissance Category, a choir is
required to sing a Renaissance program of up to four songs totaling 11 minutes, which set to music a poem by 16th-century Gallic bard Pierre de Ronsard, the leader of the Pleiades circle of poets. The Madz launched their current European tour in Moscow, signaling a return to the Russian capital for
the first time in three decades of performances to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Philippine-Russian diplomatic relations. After five concerts in one week in Moscow, the Madz performed in
another five concerts the following week in Finland and Sweden. They further honed their voices in concerts in Berlin and Biarritz, France before heading to Tours on 2 June 2006, the Ambassador stated. He added that the Madz, upon returning to Paris, performed at the Cathedral of Les Invalides as the
highlight of the Embassy’s commemoration of the 108th Anniversary of the Declaration of Philippine Independence. Prior to the concert, Ambassador and Madame Zaide tendered a reception for French government officials and members of the diplomatic corps. After Paris, the Madz will proceed to Brussels and The Hague to participate in the Independence Day celebrations in the Philippine Embassies there.

ramvingar

June 9th, 2006, 09:29 PM

^^ Yeah they always win international awards. I've seen them several times and they are really good. I love their rendition of "Beh, buti nga!" Hehe

driftwood

June 9th, 2006, 10:52 PM

^^ Sayang!!! I would love to see them sing. Di pa sila dumaan sa Switzerland. Paso na 'yung schengen ko, and I haven't gotten around to renewing it yet. :( Oh, well... maybe next time.

jun_of

June 16th, 2006, 08:02 AM

Not sure if this is the right thread, but this is a soul-searching essay for Pinoys by Tricia Capistrano of New York which appeared in the June 19 issue of Newsweek.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13248490/site/newsweek/

chixbebe

June 21st, 2006, 08:03 AM

THE governor of the western Pacific island of Guam has issued a proclamation honoring the 19,000 Filipinos working in the tiny US territory, the Philippine Consulate General in Agana said yesterday.

Gov. Felix Camacho signed Proclamation 2006-056 recognizing the Filipino workers’ contributions to Guam’s development and declaring June 2006 as the Philippine Independence Month.

There were 19,394 Filipino workers in Guam as of December 2005—mostly skilled construction workers, accountants, computer programmers, and teachers.

“Guam’s Filipino community is an integral part of our island home,” Camacho said.

Proclamation 2006-056 was issued to celebrate the Philippines’ 108th independence in Guam, Philippine consul general Teresita Mendiola said.

The Filipino community in Guam is the largest ethnic group on the island after the indigenous Chamorros. Guam’s 171,019 Filipino population comprises 26 percent of the total. Ferdinand Fabella

http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=news07_june21_2006

terrapinoy

June 26th, 2006, 12:14 AM

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/education/bal-te.md.teacher16jun16,0,5102878.story

From the Baltimore Sun
Classroom trials, triumphs
A Filipino teacher completes her first year in a city public school

By Sara Neufeld
Sun reporter

June 16, 2006

Last in a series of occasional articles.

At the school in the Philippines where Aileen Mercado used to teach, students got dressed up for the last day of classes, which they spent singing and dancing for their parents and celebrating the year's accomplishments.

At Mercado's school in Baltimore, there was no such closure.

During the Filipino teacher's final weeks at Highlandtown Middle School, the children just stopped coming. Some already knew they had failed. Others were tired of sitting in the heat, tired of school in general.

On the fifth-to-last day, only 11 sixth-grade pupils showed up for a language arts class with 37 on the roll. On the second-to-last day, the two kids present helped Mercado pack. On the final day, about a dozen wandered in and out.

It was a cultural adjustment Mercado had been bracing for since early on in her year at Highlandtown, where she started last summer as part of a corps of 109 teachers recruited in the Philippines to fill some of the city's toughest teaching assignments.

She was stunned in November when a Somali girl she was helping with English left without a goodbye. By spring, so many pupils had come and gone that she treated every day as though it could be their last together.

"You never know the last time you will see these kids," she said in April. "I always think, I should give my best to these kids because this could be their last day."

Student transiency was one of many surprises awaiting Mercado, 35, a year ago when she left her husband and three young children seeking a professional challenge. When city school administrators waving red, white and blue flags greeted her at the airport, her only impression of American schools was what she'd seen in the movies. She figured kids might talk back to teachers more than in her country, where she taught in a private school for the disabled. Maybe they'd throw food in the cafeteria.

The talking back part turned out to be true. The food-throwing wasn't too bad.

Yesterday, Mercado boarded a plane to go home to the Philippines for the summer. When she returns in August for the second leg of a three-year commitment to the city schools, she will come back to a different life.

She'll be going to a different school, Canton Middle, after the closure of Highlandtown this summer as part of a citywide effort to make more efficient use of school building space.

If all goes well, her husband and kids will be with her. So will her sister, who's leaving her own husband behind next school year to teach in Baltimore. Mercado has spent the past year living in a downtown apartment building with 74 other Filipino teachers, all separated from their families. This spring, she signed a lease for a townhouse in Perry Hall, so her kids, ages 3, 5, and 11, can go to school in the suburbs.

Meanwhile, the presence of Filipino teachers in Baltimore will continue to grow. While about 100 from the first batch plan to stay for a second year, the city school system is planning for at least 120 more to start this summer. The hires come amid a wave of international recruitment as American schools, particularly urban ones, struggle to find enough qualified teachers in math, science and special education. The Philippines has a teacher surplus.

Mental toughness

For Mercado, the past year has been a time for gaining independence and developing mental toughness. She learned to tune out the constant noise of running in the halls, and of interruptions on the loud speaker. She got used to broken heat and no air conditioning in classrooms.

She learned she could raise her soft voice and yell when kids misbehaved, and she learned how to break up fights. She learned to dull her homesickness by throwing herself into her work.

The past year has also been a time for becoming flexible in the face of change, at a school where change was everywhere.

Mercado signed up to go to Highlandtown, in southeast Baltimore, last summer after hitting it off with Principal Veronica Dixon. Then in January, Dixon left for medical reasons. An assistant principal filled in for the rest of the year.

As a special education "inclusion" teacher, Mercado's job was to work with children with disabilities in regular language arts and math classes, alongside a regular language arts teacher and a regular math teacher.

Shortly after Dixon's departure, a girl with behavior problems accused the math teacher of hitting her. The teacher spent the next four months sitting in city school system headquarters waiting for his case to be investigated. He was eventually cleared and permitted to return to Highlandtown for the final seven days of school. But in the interim, Mercado worked with a string of substitutes and, sometimes, did both jobs herself.

She adjusted to a midyear schedule change that resulted in class sizes nearly doubling and a new language arts curriculum after the city scrapped the one it was using.

Early in the school year, Mercado was baffled that Highlandtown was one of six city schools labeled "persistently dangerous" by the state. The atmosphere was remarkably calm.

But after the increase in class size and the departure of the principal and the math teacher, things got rowdier.. There were three fights in Mercado's classes in a single day. At first, when kids would fight, she recalled, "I wanted to throw up. But I got used to it."

When she was the only adult in a math class with 30 regular and special-education pupils, classroom management was a challenge. (Though nearly 40 kids were enrolled in each class, rarely did more than 30 attend on any given day.)

On a morning in April, kids threw a plastic bag filled with water - a melted ice pack for a girl's sprained ankle - back and forth across the room as Mercado tried to teach about negative integers.

On a morning in May, a group of girls from another class banged on the door in the back of the room. As Mercado rushed to the door to keep the kids from opening it, they ran to the front of the room and opened a second door there. One boy wrote "kill" on the chalkboard, erased it and wrote it again. Another threw a notebook.

From the beginning, though, kids were drawn to Mercado, who has a gentle demeanor and is always quick to giggle or smile. She would put stickers on their papers, write them notes of encouragement, and give them candy to reward good behavior and mark their birthdays.

Late last fall, a boy with an unstable home life confided in Mercado that he felt he had no choice but to be in a gang. Before she left to visit her family in the Philippines in December, he hugged her tightly and begged her to take him with her. When she got back, he was gone. Some other kids thought he'd gone to jail for stealing a bike. She made several calls but couldn't find him. She dreamed about him and prayed for him, but never saw him again.

Many of the 20 special-education pupils assigned to Mercado drastically improved their behavior under her tutelage, even as non-disabled peers acted out.

She opened their eyes to the world outside Baltimore. When Filipino rebels attempted a coup in February - down the street in Manila from the hotel where city school system recruiters were staying that week - some of Mercado's pupils followed developments in the news.

When it came time for Mercado to choose a new school for next year, she toyed with the ideas of going to an elementary school or of going somewhere in the northeast part of the city, closer to where she'll be living. But she chose Canton, one of three schools receiving Highlandtown pupils, so she can work with some of the same kids. A key factor, again, was that she was drawn to Canton's principal. But three days after she'd committed to go, the school system announced the principal was being replaced in response to low test scores.

As school let out for the summer Tuesday, pupils hadn't yet received their new school assignments. So Mercado doesn't know which ones she might see again.

During a year filled with daily frustrations and triumphs, culture shock and homesickness, the Filipino teachers turned to each other. Mercado was the elected leader of the group, organizing weekly Bible study sessions and prayer meetings.

In the teachers' personal lives, a lot happened in a year. Three couples in the group fell in love, with one marrying at Baltimore City Hall. One teacher spent six weeks in the hospital before giving birth to a premature baby. One was unable to return home for her mother's funeral. Mercado's roommate nearly died of pneumonia.

Mercado saw her family on a Web camera almost daily, but her absence clearly took a toll on her children, particularly 3-year-old Adrienne, who started crying a lot and throwing tantrums. Earlier this month, when Mercado told her over the phone she'd be home soon, Adrienne ran outside and looked to the sky for her plane. She sobbed when she learned her mother wasn't coming that day.

Mercado's husband, Isagani, and the three kids are awaiting word, expected to come next month, on their visas. Then Isagani, who works in a prison in the Philippines, will have to look for a job in Baltimore. Mercado is confident that things will work out, because she can't bear to think of the alternative. Though many of the Filipino teachers will be apart from their families for all three years in Baltimore, a year was as much as Mercado could handle.

At the same time, she was sad for the year to end, sad for the built-in community of friends living together in one apartment building to disperse around the metropolitan region. The teachers marked the conclusion of their chapter together Monday night at a Filipino restaurant. Like students on the final day at Mercado's old school, they dressed up and sang and danced for an audience: the American principals, central office administrators and colleagues who have supported them.

One last fight

The next morning, Mercado went to Highlandtown Middle School for the last time. She broke up one last fight and let a few girls braid her hair. She asked the kids stopping by her classroom to write their best memories of the school, which invariably involved having her as their teacher. She hugged them, gave them a final handful of candy and told them to be good. She passed out scraps of paper with her cell phone number and new home address.

When the clock struck 12:30 p.m. and the children were officially seventh-graders, two girls stayed behind for Mercado to walk them outside. As they reached the sidewalk, Mercado noticed that one had tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Don't cry," Mercado said, stroking the girl's arm. "It's OK."

But she was crying, too. As the girls walked away, Mercado sat alone on the steps outside the school, her wet face in her hands, and reflected on the end of her journey.

sara.neufeld@baltsun.com

Copyright © 2006, The Baltimore Sun | Get Sun home delivery
> Get news on your mobile device at www.baltimoresun.com

tyronne

June 28th, 2006, 09:04 PM

i'm not sure if this belongs here. just sharing some interesting info about Wimbledon and Philippines :D

The ambassador also said that all tennis balls used in Wimbledon are manufactured here in the Philippines. “Dunlop Slazenger has reason to be proud,” he said.

Danny Jugno, Dunlop Slazenger managing director, said Slazenger tennis balls have been manufactured in the Philippines since 1977, at their plant in the Bataan Economic Processing Zone.

The company, which employs more than 1,000 Filipinos and produces around 6.5 million dozens tennis balls for the market, is going to celebrate its 30th year in the Philippines next year. source (http://newsinfo.inq7.net/breakingnews/sports/view_article.php?article_id=7103)

3cr

June 28th, 2006, 09:12 PM

hindi ba matinding kademonyohan na gamitin mo ang mga mahihirap na magsasaka at kumuha ng million million sa marcos ill gotten wealth para kunyari e fertilizer fund para gamitin mo sa eleksyon? ...

tapos kapag nagreklamo magsasaka sa mendiola babatutain ng gobyerno at bobombahin ng tubig ... :bash:
Well said Doggman. It definitely aint right maski papano pa nila paikutin. How is it that they can not account for it di ba? That's irresponsible and unforgivable talaga. That's also one of the reasons I do not want GMA to get her hands on any of the financial windfall coming from this so-called Marcos wealth compromise they are hatching.

overtureph

June 29th, 2006, 06:09 AM

If I'm not mistaken, this Freedom from Debt Coalition is foremost among those advocating for debt abolition. This would only be feasible if you want the Philippines to be treated as a pariah internationally. No one will want to invest in our country if we prove to be incapable of keeping our commitments. The way I see it, Pres. Arroyo is doing her best under the circumstances. Using her veto power will perhaps be the only way of preventing Congress from making huge slashes on capital expenditures that are vital to a growing economy.

I believe Argentina was able to do this.

Æsahættr

June 29th, 2006, 06:16 AM

ARroyo needs to to try and spend 10% of our GDP on infastructure which is what is RECCOMENDED by the UN.

tigidig14

June 29th, 2006, 07:21 AM

UN doesnt make money for us, so who cares whatever they say

chixbebe

June 29th, 2006, 10:11 AM

A US court has authorized partial compensation of $2,000 each to about 7,500 victims of human rights abuses under the regime of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, a lawyer said yesterday.

Judge Manuel Real of the US District Court in Hawaii issued the order on Tuesday, but no immediate payment could be made because the move had been blocked by the Presidential Commission on Good Government, which is tasked with recovering Marcos’ alleged ill-gotten wealth, said Rod Domingo Jr., lawyer for the victims.

“It is both pathetic and unfortunate that the 7,500 victims cannot immediately get hold of this miniscule partial distribution because of the Philippine government’s opposition to the payment,” Domingo said.

“The victims, who are mostly destitute, poor and impoverished, especially those residing in Mindanao who constitute about 30 percent of the claimants, are so helpless,” he added.

Full Article (http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=news04_june29_2006 )

beads_strawberries

June 30th, 2006, 08:28 AM

chixbebe

June 30th, 2006, 11:14 AM

LOS ANGELES, California: The exploits of Filipino soldiers who fought side by side with the Americans during the Second World War, will be incorporated in the California history textbooks once a bill is enacted into law. Joey Quinto, publisher of California Journal For Filipino Americans, gave his full support to Assembly Bill 1076 during his appearance before the California Senate Committee here last Wednesday. Assembly Bill 1076, a landmark state assembly bill, authored by Assemblyman Jerome Horton (51st District), will include the role of Filipino soldiers during World War II in California history textbooks.

Filipino WWII veterans have suffered the pain of discrimination, despite the sacrifices they have made in defending Bataan and Corregidor during the Japanese occupation of Philippines. Quintos lamented that that this episode in history where Filipinos gallantly fought in defense of freedom and democracy, is now almost forgotten, and fast fading from the minds of people of the free world.

Veterans still denied benefits due them For the remaining 20,000 living Filipino veterans of World War II, the cruelty comes in the form of remembering the Fall of Bataan for the past 60 years and yet they have been denied the benefits due them by the US government.

What is sad, Quinto said, is that Filipino veterans belonging to the United States Armed Force in the Far East (Usafe), the Philippine Scouts and the various pro-American guerrilla outfits—are dying at the rate of five a day, some of them penniless and homeless. Last month, Horton received a certificate of recognition from the predominantly Filipino City of Carson during a town hall meeting commending Horton for authoring AB 1076.

During the meeting, which was also attended by Los Angeles Philippine Consul General Willy Gaa, Horton called on the Filipino Americans to tell friends and relatives to write and urge Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to sign the bill. More than simple recognition of Filipino gallantry is at stake with the passage of the landmark California bill.
--PNA

http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2006/june/30/yehey/metro/20060630met10.html

This only proves that Filipinos really can never be forgotten in any part of the world... :cheers:

3cr

July 1st, 2006, 03:23 AM

bagel

July 6th, 2006, 03:32 AM

I wasn't sure which thread to put this under-- whether it should be in GOOD NEWS, NOT SO GOOD NEWS or this thread. This news is about a Pinay, though some may not be too proud of her.

1) A Filipina-American is running for governor of Nevada.
2) The Filipina-American starred in movies.
3) She starred in porn movies.

However, she did get the endorsement of political blogger, Wonkette (one of my favorite political blogs).

Her name is Melody Mimi Damayo and she is running for governor of Nevada.
She is running under the Republican ticket. I don't know whether to be happy or sad for the Republicans.

Anyway, here is the endorsement:
http://www.wonkette.com/politics/endorsements/official-wonkette-endorsement-melody-mimi-miyagi-damayo-174187.php

And here is her official page:
http://www.melodydamayo.net/

http://www.melodydamayo.net/picts/wallpaperthumb.jpg

Edit: Okay... after reading about her political views (http://www.melodydamayo.net/views.htm), I will now say I am definitely not proud of her. In fact, I'm downright ashamed of her and her stunted views, her membership in the National Rifle Association, and her sophomoric analysis of homeland security. But then, what can we expect from someone like her? On the other hand, I have met porn stars who are rather intelligent and do their porn starring as a sideline to support their careers as graduate students, so intelligent porn stars and exotic dancers do exist (despite their problematic participation in the objectification of women).

tigidig14

July 6th, 2006, 03:35 AM

i posted that in wala lang awhile ago because its funny

diz

July 6th, 2006, 03:39 AM

Porn Star for governor? :D Im proud

bagel

July 6th, 2006, 03:39 AM

i posted that in wala lang awhile ago because its funny

^^ Ah ok... sorry. Hindi na ako nakaka basa nang Samahan masyado eh...

amigo32

July 6th, 2006, 03:44 AM

Porn Star for governor? :D Im proud

mabibigyan ng boses ang mga mahihilig sa porn movies.
kakaiba :)

ergit222

July 6th, 2006, 04:06 AM

Porn Star for governor? :D Im proud
Her courage and confidence to run for nevada governor is exemplary. I'm sure our church will frown over this but I'm proud too to have a gutsy and extremely sexy pinay in our midst. Mabuhay!

chixbebe

July 7th, 2006, 08:34 AM

Now there is a way to grow certain fruits and vegetables by simply setting the plants on water mixed with a little amount of fertilizer. No need for soil, daily watering, and machines.

After five years of experiments, a technology for a basic kind of hydroponics that suits the needs of busy urban dwellers or the capital-strapped farmer-entrepreneurs has been released.

The system is called SNAP hydroponics, which stands for Simple Nutrient Addition Program (for hydroponics).

The Institute of Plant Breeding (IPB) of UP Los Baños (UPLB) tried it out in 2000—a time when its hydroponics set-up was beset with "brownouts" rendering the machine that circulated water among the plants useless. Researchers carried on and used instead "stagnant" water and recycled materials.

This reduced the expensive technology of hydroponics to its simplest and therefore, lowest cost. IPB has successfully raised tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber, zucchini, watermelon, melon, pepper, cauliflower, broccoli, and celery using the technology.

Growers or garden enthusiasts can use Styrofoam fruit packaging and cups for smaller plants and old pails and basins for larger plants. These are half-filled with water mixed with a small amount of liquid fertilizer (available at P50 per liter at IPB, with commercial counterparts in the outside market). The white color of the Styrofoam repels mosquitoes.

Because the plants are in the water, there is no need to "water" them. The crop need only be checked from time to time for pests or the usual diseases, which can be avoided by using screens. In the urban setting, the plants are placed where they can receive plenty of morning sunlight while being shielded from both rain and direct noon sunlight. In larger-scale farming, greenhouses can be used.

SNAP hydroponics researchers, Primitivo Jose A. Santos and Eureka Teresa M. Ocampo of IPB, said they are currently testing indigenous vegetables such as pechay, kangkong, camote tops, saluyot, ampalaya, and kalabasa for SNAP. They are also busy promoting the technology to interested parties and providing them with training. The IPB’s hydroponics research is being conducted with the help of the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Agricultural Research.

http://www.malaya.com.ph/jul07/agri4.htm

oz.fil

July 8th, 2006, 10:43 AM

Porn Star for governor? :D Im proud
ahahah, you make me laugh :) i dont know whether to be proud or ashamed T_T

lochinvar

July 8th, 2006, 05:13 PM

By the way, is she really seeking a gubernatorial "position"?

c0kelitr0

July 9th, 2006, 04:55 AM

Miss Philippines JUSTINE GABIONZA is the new Miss Tourism Queen International 2006

1ST RUNNER UP - SERBIA & MONTENEGRO
2ND RUNNER UP - CONGO
3RD RUNNER UP - SINGAPORE
4TH RUNNER UP - BRAZIL

Animo

July 9th, 2006, 10:47 PM

Speaking Out: Ignacio R. Bunye

THE Federation of Philippine Industries, Inc. led by its president Jesus Arranza, came out with a fullpage ad in major dailies to appeal for sobriety amid "alarming moves and quarrels in almost all corners." The FPI pointed out that the business sector is "emphatically disappointed, confused and distressed" by all these needless and distracting quarrels.

This corner agrees with FPI that poverty is the biggest enemy of all and it is to its obliteration that we must all come together as Filipinos regardless of partisan inclinations. Although a constitutional process, impeachment of a president is the kind that distracts from the urgent and monumental work that needs to be done for poverty to be defeated.

Thankfully, President Arroyo has learned to take these challenges to her leadership in stride. It must be her spiritual faith that has kept her above the fray, and steadfast in steering the ship of state to calmer waters.

***

We are glad to find out that many of our compatriots are doing well in their respective professions in Madrid. On our first evening in Madrid, during the recent official visit of President Arroyo, Cerge Remonde and I had dinner at El Botin which, at 300 years old is the oldest restaurant in Madrid.

Madrid experts Migs Zubiri and wife, Audrey, had earlier told us not to leave Madrid without passing by El Botin and sample its specialty, the cochinillo, ovencooked suckling pig. According to our ambassador, Lani Bernardo, the suckling pigs are 21 days old or less and are fed only with milk.

The Hotel Ritz concierge had earlier booked us for an 8:30 p.m. dinner because as the concierge said it would be difficult to make reservations thereafter. Spanish dinners normally start at 10 p.m.

Cerge and I had to struggle for almost an hour to get a cab because the cab drivers were in a hurry to get home to watch the Spain vs France football game that evening. By the time we reached El Botin, it was almost full. But already, Senator Miriam Santiago and senior aide, Cynthia Blardony, were seated in a separate table sampling red wine and about to order El Botin’s specialty.

The restaurant’s succulent specialty dish lived up to its billing and Cerge and I had our gastronomic fill. We were pleasantly surprised to find out that restaurant’s chef is Mario Aguinaldo, a native of Isabela. Mario was originally hired by El Botin as a waiter, the first foreigner employee in its 300 year old history, but because he is good at cooking, he eventually ended up as chef. Super Mario, as he is known in the restaurant, is ably assisted by two other Filipinos, Roel Alim and Alain Torrenueva.

Another culinary success is Estrellita Seguin, owner of Bar La Taperia. A native of Ilocos, Ate Lita, as she is called by Filipino habitués, put up her resto in partnership with other Filipinos, It is easy to find her place because it is just a stone’s throw from the Rizal Monument (an exact replica of the one at Luneta park), which was erected by former President Ramos to commemorate our centennial year. Ate Lita serves the usual tapas and other Spanish delicacies but for the weary Filipino travelers who are already sated with foreign dishes, she can easily cook sinigang na bangus and sizzling sisig on request.

Just a stone’s throw from our hotel is small restaurant called Cerveceria La Piconera. And the chef is – you guessed it right- a Filipino but whose name escapes me at the moment. When he learned that there were Filipino guests in the restaurant, he came out of the kitchen and served us the La Piconera’s specialty beer – on the house, of course.

***

Pursuant to Presidential Proclamation 1053, which declares the first week of July as "National Biotechnology Week," the Department of Science and Technology (DAST), in cooperation with the Departments of Agriculture Health, Environment and Natural Resources, Trade and Industry, and Interior and Local Government, together with private sector partners (including the Licensing Executives Society Philippines, which my daughter Trisha currently heads, sponsored a series of activities from July 3-7 with the theme "Securing the Philippines’ Niche in the Global Bio-Enterprise."

The activities included, among others, an entrepreneurship fair, technology exhibit and trade fair, a forum on Intellectual Property Rights and Business Strategy, a stakeholders’ forum and media videoconferencing.

According to DOST Secretary Estrella F. Alabastro, the celebration of the National Biotechnology Week highlights the government’s recognition of biotechnology as a strategic tool for the country’s sustainable development and growth. To achieve this, the DOST has been working hard to build an entrepreneurial climate in biotechnology and develop our competitive position in the global bio-enterprise. A key component in this effort is the creation of synergy between R&D institutions and industry.

Studies show that a country’s industrial development is very closely linked to its R&D spending. Rapidly developing countries, such as Korea, devote considerable government resources to R&D. Korea, for example, considers biotechnology as a "next generation growth engine" and has even housed most, if not all, of its research institutions in a "Science Town."

Secretary Alabastro and her colleagues at DOST proudly note that our local scientists and researchers can compete with the best in the world, as can be seen from the biotech success stories that have been in the news lately. Note: Past issues may be viewed at http://www.news.ops.gov.ph/palace_bunye.htm

http://www.mb.com.ph/issues/2006/07/10/OPED2006071068937.html

Dvorak

July 10th, 2006, 04:12 PM

he's back!!! and he's wearing a Philippine tatoo!!! Dave Bautista aka BATISTA makes us proud to be pinoy!

http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/6005/225rj.jpg

http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/3796/214fj.jpg

Lili

July 10th, 2006, 04:25 PM

^^ Personal information
Batista is of Filipino and Greek heritage. His year of birth was disputed for several years. His website originally listed him as being born in 1969, while several contradictory news reports, as well as the IMDB, had claimed that he was actually born in 1966. In addition, Obsessed with Wrestling claimed for a time that, when Batista re-signed with WWE in January 2005, he revealed that he had been working under a fake age (a common practice in the entertainment field) and admitted that he was actually thirty-nine years old (and would therefore have been born in 1966). [1] However, this claim was later removed. In March 2006, Batista stated in an interview that he was born in 1969. [2], [3]

Batista married wife Angie in October 1998. Angie is a survivor of ovarian cancer. In the August 2006 edition of WWE magazine Batista revealed that he and his wife are separated.

Batista has three daughters, two from a previous marriage and a step daughter.

Batista has numerous tattoos, including a large Chinese dragon on his back, red Kanji lettering on his upper left biceps which says "Angel" in tribute to his current wife, a signature design on his upper right biceps, and a small Sun on his stomach which encircles his belly button. He would go on to get a small signature design tattoo on the back of his neck aswell as what appears to be the Flag of the Philippines showing that he is proud to be Filipino.

In an edition of SmackDown! magazine, he stated that he collected lunchboxes. This collection started when he bought his wife an ET lunchbox and she did not want to break it, so he bought a second one.

Batista can breakdance. This was shown in a commercial promoting WWE SummerSlam 2004 where he did his take on a "floor routine" (basically mocking the floor routines shown at the Olympic Games).

Batista has torn his right triceps three times, and has had four surgeries on it (three reattachments, one to clean up due to infection).

From: Wikipedia

Dvorak

July 10th, 2006, 04:41 PM

He was the WWE heavy weight champion in 2005.. there were ugly rumors that he sexually assualted a WWE Diva when he was still the champ that's whay he had to disappear in the scene, WWE's press release was he had an operation in his triceps, but the truth was they were fixing the case filed against him. Now that the case has been dropped (or was it fixed?) Batista is now back to reclaim the belt (which is now being held by Rey Mysterio.

Oh.. the announcers were having a hard time pronouncing BAUTISTA.. that's why he was named BATISTA..

chixbebe

July 13th, 2006, 07:33 AM

We here in Pinas, has been tagged as the 17th Happiest country on "Earth" (http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2006/july/13/yehey/top_stories/20060713top5.html)...Kahit pala puro problema dito sten, masaya pa rin tayo.... :scouserd:

It only proves that we can handle any situation happends around us. :runaway:

overtureph

July 13th, 2006, 09:34 AM

Group seeks to create new generation of patriots

By Edson C. Tandoc Jr.
Inquirer
Last updated 05:40am (Mla time) 07/11/2006

Published on page A1 of the July 11, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

THIS GROUP is planning a revolution.

The members are young and idealistic, brilliant and patriotic, possibly among the best minds in the country.

They are determined to influence more and more people, hoping to speed up change and turn this nation into something “we all deserve.”

The police and the administration need not freak out, however. The group does not maintain a cache of firearms or explosives. They don’t have blueprints of government buildings. They are just armed with sheer academic excellence and a pure desire to serve.

The group is called the Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines Alumni Community. But don’t be fooled by the first word.

The group now has more than a hundred active members, quietly striving to make a difference individually and collectively, hoping to inspire others.

“The mission of the community is to create a new generation of people who will love this country,” TOSP-AC leader Pamela Gracia Asis told the Inquirer.

The community boasts of members who have displayed excellence in various fields. There are medical board exam and bar exam topnotchers, as well as honor graduates from the best universities in the country. The late Sen. Raul Roco was an alumnus.

But the group also takes pride in having members quietly serving their own communities, like Noralyn Sharief, who exchanged her dreams of being a surgeon in big hospitals abroad to setting up schools for the poor in Mindanao.

The TOSP-AC was sired by the Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines, an annual nationwide student search, which began in 1961 as a project of businessman Jose Concepcion Jr.

The project was shelved during the martial law years, but Concepcion held on to his vision of creating a “laboratory of leaders” and resumed giving out the awards in 1989.

Schools nominate deserving students, who are screened in regional and national searches. The national committee, handled by the RFM Foundation, selects 30 national finalists who undergo a training program. From them the 10 winners are chosen.

Something was lacking

But in 2001, many winners felt something was lacking in the initiative.

“It is not enough that you are recognized. We asked ourselves what really was the meaning of winning in the search,” said Asis, who won in 1998.

With the ouster of President Joseph Estrada as the backdrop, she and other past winners approached RFM and proposed to “reposition” the search.

“The need for good governance was very obvious. We had to answer the need for young leaders and role models,” Asis said.

The past winners started to initiate changes in the search. They created a “nation-building” program to inspire finalists to be of service to the country.

Knowing that more is not only merrier but also more effective, the past winners also started the alumni community, this time composed of not only the previous winners, but also all national finalists.

Youth workshops

Asis and other alumni have been organizing leadership and nation-building workshops and seminars for the youth. They plan to go around colleges and universities in the country this year, drawing strength and inspiration from knowing that the community is growing soon.

The alumni community also designs and facilitates the training program for the annual national finalists for the search.

The program, called the “formation process,” spans about four days and works by helping finalists to reflect on what really is the meaning of excellence.

The activities, which range from film viewing, discussions with outstanding leaders to group sharing and reflections, are usually done at the Balai Taal, the Concepcions’ picturesque rest house in Tagaytay City.

Finalists need not worry about transportation, food and accommodation as the RFM Foundation and its partners, National Bookstore and the Rotary Club of Makati Central, shoulder the costs.

There are 29 finalists this year from all over the country. The formation process began on Friday and the 10 winners will be awarded in Malacañang on Friday.

Being a TOSP alumna (she won in 1995), Sharief is a regular speaker in the formation process, sharing her own story, of how she discovered real fulfillment.

A turning point

Sharief herself considers her stint at the TOSP as the turning point in her life. Better than the trophy she got, the recognition meant a “covenant” for her to dedicate her life to service.

Right after finishing medicine at the Mindanao State University in Lanao del Sur in 1995, she started getting juicy offers from big hospitals.

But she stayed, citing the situation in her community. That year, Estrada had just declared an “all-out war” against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in Mindanao.

“I would see patients picking out maggots from their wounds. They had no money to buy medicines,” Sharief recalled.

She would shell out her own money for her patients, even during her stint as a trainee at the Iligan District Hospital. But her limited allowance was no match for the number of poor patients trooping to the hospital.

Soliciting aid

She knew she could help more people if she went out of the hospital.

Sharief started the Mindanao Center for Training, Research and Extension Services in 1998 to offer training for youth leadership, women empowerment and even health education.

She would solicit help from government officials in Metro Manila and go back to her province to train people and distribute relief goods during the war.

She knew that was not enough, however. Being a graduate of a state university, she knew there were many poor students deprived of quality education because they could not pass the entrance exam.

“Those who failed the entrance exam are those who needed more training and teaching. So what would we do with those who did not pass the exam?” she said.

Using her own money, just like in her years as a student-trainee, and getting help from sponsors and partners, Sharief set up the Philippine Muslim Teachers College in 2000. Last year, she also started the Buad Agricultural School.

Her relatives would tell her she had given up so many opportunities because of her social work.

A trophy is not an end

“Receiving a trophy does not end your student career of serving and leading,” Asis said.

She said that winning “is only the beginning to ensure that you continue your advocacy” even outside the comfort zone of academic institutions.

Born to activist parents who had trained her when she was a child never to talk to strangers on the phone for they could be soldiers out to arrest them, Asis saw with her own eyes what it took her parents to help improve the country.

She is doing her share now: “I don’t want to tell my children I have not done my part. My worst fear is we are still in such a mess and I have not done my part.”

Though she has been busy with her work with the Asian Development Bank, she always finds time to organize activities of the TOSP-AC.

Leadership institute

She dreams of soon creating a “leadership institute” out of the community as a way to provide the younger generations “real role models,” who are difficult to find now, she said.

The community also dreams of expanding the annual search to reach out to more colleges and universities in the country, to inspire more students to strive to be of better service to the country.

There are many things in this country that need to be fixed and it is no longer enough to point out things that have gone wrong.

People also need to do what is right, to sustain the idealism of the youth and continue, as the TOSP saying goes, “learning, leading and serving for life.”

Copyright 2006 Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

http://newsinfo.inq7.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view_article.php?article_id=9169

Animo

July 18th, 2006, 10:29 PM

A FAREWELL DINNER. In this case, a special bond of friendship binds the host with the honorees. The honorees were the outgoing Portugal Ambassador Joao Jose Gomez Caetano da Silva and his charming wife Ulrike and their host was Ambassador Bienvenido R. Tantoco Sr.

In the year 2003, Ambassador Tantoco received the Order of Merit of the Republic of Portugal, Rank of Commander. It was the first ever given to a Filipino and one of the highest that can be conferred to a non–Portuguese. It was Ambassador Caetano da Silva who presided over the ceremonies then, ergo binding the ambassadors in friendship.

Both families have also worked in a number of endeavors to promote trade and cultural exchanges between the Philippines and Portugal.

So the farewell dinner hosted by Amb. Tantoco for the Portuguese ambassador and his wife was warm yet sentimental.

Among the guests were other diplomat friends — Spanish Amb. Ignacio and Aurora Sagaz, Panama Amb. & Mrs. Juan Felipe Pitty, Argentina Amb. & Mrs. Mario Schuff, Mexican Amb. Erendira Araceli Paz Campos, Guatemala Honorary Consul Amelia Ablaza with her husband Louie, Angola Hon. Consul Helen Ong… other guests were artist Phyllis Zaballero, Lufthansa GM Christopher Zimmer, L’Oreal GM David Ennes, Cesar Virtusio, Susing and Maritess Pineda, Olga Martel, Efren Gono, and Patrick Jacinto.

The Tantoco family was there in full force … Rico Tantoco, Nedy Tantoco, Marilou and Eddie Pineda, Marilen Valbueva, Maritess Enriquez, Anton Huang, Noel and Krie Lopez,

In his dinner toast, Amb. Tantoco expressed his profound admiration for the Portugues Ambassador and offered hope that the mutual endeavors of the two countries remain as strong long after Amb. Caetano da Silva ends his tour in the Philippines this July.

Highlight of the evening was a musical program featuring opera artists — soprano Camille Lopez Molina, tenor Randy Gilongo, with Dra.Myrna Lopez, pianist. They sang arias from the operas "Samson et Delilah" and "La Boheme" and Filipino compositions like "Minamahal Kita," "Saan Ka Man Naroroon Sinta" and "Hindi Kita Malimot."

*****

BY THE WAY… Birthday greetings this week go to — publicist Alice Bonoan Balangue, Geny Tan, today, July 17; Robert Pagdanganan (president, Philippine Int’l Trading Corp.), Jaime Zobel de Ayala, July 18; Carmen "Chitang" Guerrero Nakpil, Jorge Fores, my STC classmate Madeleine Tecson Quiban in Canada, July 19; Manila Bulletin VP Emil C. Yap, Nedy Tantoco of Store Specialists Inc., Jorge Araneta of Araneta Center, TV celeb Cristy Fermin, Patrick de Koenigswarter, July 20; singer Ding Mercado, Vic Ordoñez, July 21; Mita Rufino of CCP, July 22;Anne Conejero of Cebu, July 23 … we would like to greet Paul Rene Lee, regional general manager Philippines, of the Intercontinental Hotels Group and GM of Crowne Plaza (an Intercon property) in Ortigas Center… welcome also to Christopher Chia, the new GM of Edsa Shangri–La Manila who takes the place of John Rice who has moved to Pudong Shangri–La Shanghai as GM…a thrilla in Manila will be the visit of Queer Eye’s Fab 5 who we see on TV — Kyan Douglas, Ted Allen, Carson Kressley, Jai Rodriguez and Thom Felicia. The Fab 5 will be visiting the Ayala Malls in Greenbelt (July 20) , Glorietta (July 21) and Alabang Town Center (July 22)… enjoy life — it’s short enough as it is, and SMILE!

http://www.mb.com.ph/issues/2006/07/17/SCTY2006071769432.html

marites4

July 25th, 2006, 05:59 PM

galeng talaga mga pinoy basta me pagkakaisa lang.

RP ballet dancers wow Singapore
By Rainier Allan Ronda
The Philippine Star 07/26/2006

A delegation of young Filipino ballerinas and ballet dancers arrived home in Manila yesterday after dancing their way to victory in an international competition in Singapore.

The 72 Filipino children, aged 6 to 19, from the Shirley Halili-Cruz School of Ballet harvested a crop of gold trophies and medals in the Lion City.

The dancers were given a warm welcome at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Centennial Terminal after disembarking from Philippine Airlines flight PR 502, which landed at around 2 p.m. yesterday.

The ballet prodigies wowed an international audience during the two-day competition held at the Overseas Family School auditorium in Singapore last week.

Led by artistic director Shirley Halili-Cruz, the group won 23 gold, eight silver and nine bronze trophies as well as 18 medals.

The ballet dancers bested 23 other dance teams from Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, China, Thailand and Indonesia.

The Filipinos won the top awards dubbed "Perpetual" trophies in the Classical, Neo-Classical, Modern Solo, Groups under 13, Groups under 16, and Duos/Trios Open categories.

Cruz, who came with her victorious students in their return flight to Manila, expressed pride over the accomplishment of her charges.

"I’m very proud of them. They really impressed the audience especially the judges of the competition," -Cruz said.

She pointed out that the big victory of her school’s contingent did the Filipinos in Singapore proud since it showed that Filipinos also excelled in cultural endeavors such as ballet.

Animo

July 31st, 2006, 07:12 AM

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/images/news/newspics/07-02-2006/luz225.jpg

By JACK TEOTICO

In 1997, Arturo Rogero Luz was named the seventh National Artist for Visual Arts (Painting). Before Luz, the first painter to receive the National Artist award was Fernando Amorsolo (1972), followed by Carlos "Botong" V. Francisco (1972), Victorio Edades (1976), Vicente Manansala (1981), Cesar Legaspi (1990) and H.R. Ocampo (1991). In the Philippines, the National Artist award is one of the most prestigious accolades that is bestowed on luminaries of the arts and culture. The honor is comparable to a knighthood in a European country, but nonetheless only one of the endless recognitions conferred on the highly talented and much respected Luz.

Art start

Art did not come early to the youngest child of Valeriano Luz and Rosario Dimayuga. If there was any art in the Valeriano Luz household, it came rather late to influence the young Arturo.

Luz’s father was a quiet and withdrawn government official who worked with the Bureau of Commerce (now the Department of Trade and Industry). His mother was a late bloomer of sorts as an artist for it was only at the senior age of 70 when she found an interest in interior design. Nevertheless, she moved on to become one of the top interior designers in the country and was even awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for Interior Design.

Luz himself hardly expressed any interest in art. Although a diligent student at San Beda, he mostly excelled in swimming. Apparently, art just crept up on the boy when during the Japanese occupation, on an idyllic afternoon, he suddenly grabbed a pencil sketched a portrait of his mother. As the story goes, he found it very fulfilling that then and there he decided he was going to be an artist.

Luz the pupil

Unlike most families during the immediate post-American colonial period where parents forbade their children to become full time artists because it was not a lucrative career, Valerio and Rosario proved supportive to their son. He was allowed to take art lessons from Pablo, the brother of the noted artist and dean of the UP School of Fine Arts, Fernando Amorsolo. The lessons were held at Fernando’s house. But because Pablo was always late for the art lessons, Fernando would take it upon himself to entertain Luz and show him his latest sketches and paintings, as well as discuss art with the pupil. From Pablo Amorsolo, Luz learned on-the-spot painting.

Eventually, Luz studied Fine Arts at the University of Santo Tomas with professors such as Galo Ocampo, Diosdado Lorenzo and Ricarte Puruganan.

In 1947, his father was appointed commercial attaché in San Francisco so together with the family, Luz made the monthlong voyage to the United States by boat. In California, he enrolled at the California College of Arts and Crafts, which was a very competitive institution that demanded hard work from its students. A three-and-a-half-year course, Luz only had to pay tuition for the first semester. He was awarded an art scholarship for the rest of his schooling.

His subsequent education was at the art school at the Brooklyn Museum and then at the Academie de la Grande Chaumiere in Paris, France. In Paris, he found himself drawing incessantly, his sketchbook filled with figures, cityscapes, landmark buildings, simply anything his eye fancied. These drawings were what comprised his first one-man show at the Raymond Duncan Gallery. He then exhibited his watercolor works (done during his stay in California) at the Manila Hotel, which was followed by an exhibit at the Philippine Art Gallery (PAG) where he met six of the Neo-realists (Romeo Tabuena, HR Ocampo, Vicente Manansala, Victor Oteyza, Ramon Estella and Cesar Legaspi) who were at the forefront of the modern art movement in Manila then. He also started a close friendship with Fernando Zobel and subsequently met the other important contemporary artists of that era—Nena Saguil, Anita Magsaysay-Ho, Jose Joya, Manuel Rodriguez Sr., Lee Aguinaldo and David Cortez Medalla among others.

Luz the awardee

In 1951, Luz won the first prize in the Annual Art Competition of the Art Association of the Philippines for his work "Bagong Taon." The following year also won him a first prize in AAP’s genre category for his piece Hopscotch Marbles.

In 1978, he received the Order of Arts and Letters with the rank of Chevalier from the Republic of France. This was later upgraded to the rank of Officiel in 1988. In 1989, perhaps as a precursor to his National Artist award, Luz received the Gawad CCP Para sa Sining award from the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Luz’s milestone

On November 30, Arturo Luz turns 80. It is in celebration of this milestone that the country’s top cultural institutions have calendared no less than eight events in the last quarter of 2006 as tribute to this great artist (see sidebar). These include an exhibit on his life at the National Commission on Art and Culture; an exhibit of his work in the context of Philippine abstract art at the National Museum; an exhibit on how he has influenced design at the Design Center of the Philippines; a show featuring performances by artists, dancers and musicians inspired by his works; an exhibit of his prints at the CCP Main Gallery; an exhibit of his paintings at the Metropolitan Museum and at the Ateneo Art gallery; and an exhibit at the Ayala Museum’s multipurpose area on how Luz’s work and the architecture of National Artist for Architecture Leandro Locsin relate to one another.

It is in the light of paying tribute to this great artist and distinguished gentleman on his forthcoming birthday that Galerie Joaquin assembled some 36 paintings done by Luz over the past decade on the theme "Temples, Performers and Cities of the Past." The exhibit opens on July 12 at Galerie Joaquin Main in San Juan, Metro Manila. The show runs until July 26, 2006. (Galerie Joaquin is located at 371 P. Guevarra St., Addition Hills, San Juan. Tel: 723-9253 or 723-9418. www.galeriejoaquin.com)

Painting performers

In the book Arturo Luz by noted art critic and biographer Cid Reyes, Luz recalls having started painting cyclists sometime in the early 1950s. He had seen someone riding a bicycle with a man seated in front at the handlebar with a passenger behind him. He found this scene "so Filipino" that he made a painting out of it. He added a tooting horn to one of the figures and called it Bagong Taon. He has been painting cyclists ever since.

During the same period, there were people who would go door-to-door around Metro Manila, usually in pairs, with an odd combination of musical instruments such as cymbals and horn, clarinet and drum, usually playing some form of unintelligible jazz. It was to capture scenes like these that Luz started his Musikero series.

In Spain, while on a study grant from the Instituto de Cultura Hispanico, he likewise saw a group of Spanish musicians, which created a lasting impression. He has, since painted musicians.

The acrobats came sometime in 1954. He first painted them as if in a totem pole, standing one on top of the other.

It is these musicians, cyclists and acrobats that have become the main subjects of his highly popular Performers series.

At two previous auctions of the Southeast Asian Art in Singapore, it was Luz’s paintings of Performers that were included by the auction house Sotheby’s.

Cityscapes

Among the earlier cityscapes Luz has done is an ink-on-paper work of Venice (titled Venezia) in 1955, which now is with the Roberto Villanueva collection; and an enamel on canvas simply titled City done in 1959 which is with the Ateneo Art Gallery.

Since his earlier visits to Europe, Luz has tried to capture cities in his art. Speaking to Cid Reyes, he said, "These architectural paintings—which I call Cities of the Past series—are imaginary landscapes, recollections of my Asian pilgrimage. They have one common element: they are not literal, but rather composite images from memory. They are imagined, transformed, invented."

In 1988, Luz went on a pilgrimage to ancient cities and temple sites in Asia. These included Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Sukhothai, the original capital of Thailand, Borobodur in Indonesia as well as Hindu and Buddhist temples and ancient cities in India, Pakistan and Nepal. In India, he visited Jaipur, Rajsthan and Jaisalmer at the edge of the Thar Desert.

The resultant paintings are the artist’s attempt to translate ancient and monumentally expansive structures into canvas that is at once an interpretation and a synthesis of what he has seen. Undoubtedly, he has successfully captured the solemnity as well as the grandeur of these edifices. Cid Reyes refers to it as a simplification but where a symphonic line clearly arises.

And that is what is fascinating in Luz’s paintings—how the artist with his unique vision on how he sees the world around him succeeds in simplifying, in a most joyful manner, the forms and figures he sees, establishing an almost lyrical relationship between subject, form, tone and color.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=43291

Espma

August 1st, 2006, 06:52 AM

Philippines : Designer Rafe Totengco, a vogue in Hollywood
July 31, 2006

In 2002, Rafe Totengco, was named one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines (the first and only one to be cited for fashion till date), is a celebrated bag, shoe and accessory designer.

He has highlighted the Filipino originality since the mid ’90s, has now opened a store in New York at One Bleecker St. cor.
Bowery and has also launched a line for men that are sold at Barney’s New York.

Rafe bags, shoes and accessories, available in Saks Fifth Avenue, are a fad with celebs like Eva Longoria, Paris Hilton and the teen-queen Lindsey Lohan.

The Lucky shopping manual has listed Rafe store as one of the coolest stops in the United States that has also bannered a red Rafe bag on its cover.

source: http://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/fashion-news/newsdetails.aspx?news_id=20733

Animo

August 19th, 2006, 07:13 PM

By YUGEL LOSORATA

The international stage set by singing stars with Filipino blood seems to be big enough to accommodate more talents. If that’s the case, then 23-year-old Phoebe, another foreign land–based Pinay discovery, is likely to find a space available for herself. Besides, she possesses a voice strong enough to get much attention, while her album "The Love Revolution" contains a couple of tracks that best capture that power.

Her first single, the tuneful "Your Love Is Like Sunshine," has already received radio airplays locally and presents her as an R&B singer with singing style remarkably reminiscent of Cristina Aguilera’s. This assessment, though, can be best noticed in the emotion–driven ballad entitled "Crying Like A Girl" which is one of the highlights on her album released locally by Alpha Music.

In a phone interview with the Manila Bulletin, the London–based singer expressed her hope that Filipinos will like her singing and her 10–song album that contains four songs she co–wrote with some foreigners, including her producer and manager Steve Ancliffe. "I love being a Filipino in as much as I love to sing and dance in front of people," she stressed.

Phoebe was born in Manila but grew up in Hong Kong. With strong Spanish blood running through her Filipino veins, she’s a certified Asian Latina whose singing influences include Aretha Franklin, Mariah Carey, and Whitney Houston. Among the local stars, she hails the Asia’s songbird Regine Velasquez, but considers Lani Misalucha her ultimate personal favorite. She was obviously surprised upon learning that the Divine Diva, who, years ago, left for the States and shocked fans of her sudden showbiz departure, is no longer around. "Lani is really a great singer. I’d been amazed of her, especially when I heard her version of "Queen Of The Night."

Discovered in 2003 while singing in Hong Kong, Phoebe is set to come home soon to promote her album she recorded in London. Her taste of the global music circuit, with performances and recordings both in UK and mainland Europe, honed her confidence that she is truly determined to make a name in the global scene. "I represent my home country, The Philippines, and I hope to give a global perspective to my music. It’s important that everyone shares each other’s cultures and experiences. And for me, being an Asian within a global music market helps much in that process."

As for her album which is reaching record bars abroad, Phoebe believes that it’s a package that reflects her artistry and the kind of person that she is. "We wanted to make sure that we chose the right songs. When it’s your first album, it’s important to define who you are because it’s those first impressions that count. I believe ‘Love Revolution’ has captured all aspects of my personality."

These days, quite a bunch of singing talents with authentic Pinoy roots have conquered, in their own right, the international crowd. The trend that started with Jasmine Trias of the "American Idol" fame is certainly on the upswing. Good thing they’re usually vocally proud of their Filipino blood (Apl.de.ap,born Allan Pineda, member of the popular Black Eyed Peas; Nicole Scherzinger, frontwoman of Pussycat Dolls; and Mig Ayesa, a dashing rocker who failed to win the INXS’s frontman search but won the hearts of many Filipino fans).

Not pressuring herself of the tough competition she is ahead in the music biz, Phoebe focuses on her work and leaves everything to listeners. She is satisfied sharing stories about her recording, and the way she considers the significance of lyrics vis a vis good melody. On "Crying Like A Girl," "When you’re recording a great ballad like ‘Crying,’ you have to have the emotion and pictures that portray the words you’re singing. Recording the vocal for that song occurred at a sad time in my life. I’d just split from a long relationship and I was miles away from home and my emotions were high. I guess my producer realized it would be a perfect time to record that vocal. We had the vocal down so quick, capturing just the way that I felt. I lived every single word in the song."

So, will Phoebe’s passport get through the hearts of audiences here and abroad? Well, that question remains to be answered. At least, she has the record and talent to show, denial or approval is up to them.

http://www.mb.com.ph/issues/2006/08/20/ENTR2006082072179.html

chymera00

August 20th, 2006, 07:56 AM

I've just launched a new website I hope you find it useful :)

Philippine Headlines (http://headlines.exploreiloilo.com)
The Philippine news with a regional perspective
http://headlines.exploreiloilo.com

marites4

August 22nd, 2006, 06:53 PM

The hero within
DIRECTLINE By Boy Abunda
The Philippine Star 08/23/2006

"Give a man fish and you feed him for a day; teach him how to fish and you feed him for life." It is an age- old adage lawyer Francis Padua Papica has been practicing in his life. A Bicolano based in the US with a lucrative law practice, he founded and has been bankrolling the Francis Papica Foundation, one that does not only see deserving kids through school via scholarships, but furthers the twin advocacy of literacy and leadership.

"Filipino kids are innately intelligent and hard- working," Francis said in an interview. "And the only reason they sometimes do not succeed in life is because they lack direction and opportunity. To give opportunity and direction to as many kids as possible is our sole aim." It’s not lip service for the 38 year-old Bayaning Pilipino awardee. When the Francis Papica Foundation started, they only had about 100 students participating in their seminars and leadership conventions. This year, they will be having close to a thousand young students in attendance.

"The seminars have successful people from different fields talk about their stories. These inspire kids and give them ideas on what path they can take to make something of themselves,"he says. "As they say, all fire comes from a flicker." Personalities who shared their stories and precious time in the past included, Martin Nievera, Dick Gordon, Leandro Muñoz, Korina Sanchez, Nene Pimentel.

In line with this, the Francis Papica Foundation has a Read to Live program that encourages kids to read books. Annually, about 100,000 titles are shipped directly from the US that Francis solicits personally from US publication houses. "Reading is important. It’s for everyone and not just for nerds," says he. "Reading broadens the vocabulary and more importantly contributes to how people think about themselves and the world. Let’s face it, not everyone can afford to travel to learn about life first-hand. Most of the time, it’s only through pages of books that people can reach all corners and cultures of the world."

The Read to Live program, Francis proudly says, has been a sustainable project for several years now. Francis also realizes follow through is what really makes the difference. An example of this is the launching of a story writing contest by kids and for kids dubbed Mga Kwentong Pambata ng Papica Foundation. Winning stories on any theme submitted by kids between six to 12 years old will be compiled into a single book to be published later this year.

All proceeds will be used to buy school supplies such as backpacks, erasers, pencils, etc. Winning authors get P10,000 each. "It’ a small amount by adult standards but that’s not the point," he says. "What’s important is for kids to realize they can make a difference."

Entries may be submitted to Backroom at Rm. 206 CRM Bldg., Kamias cor. Kasing kasing St., Quezon City up to Sept, 15. In November, Papica Foundation will launch the compilation of winning short stories via a concert featuring top artists including Pops Fernandez and Piolo Pascual.

Francis has also been sending students through college by paying for their tuition fees and some as foundation scholars. Francis Papica Foundation also offers livelihood programs providing financial assistance to those who want to go into small-time businesses. "God really provides when you are doing what He wants," says Francis. "Whenever we have a project and finances are dire, He provides." Sometimes it’s I suddenly negotiate for a settlement. Other times, strangers who have heard of what we are doing call from out of the blue offer to help. Money comes via miracles."

The vision of the Foundation could only come from someone like Francis. A success story himself, he migrated to the US when he was 16 to take up a course on Asian History in UCLA. On the side, he took up a job as janitor. "It was really hard in the beginning because I came from a middle income family," he says. "Back here, I never would have cleaned a toilet bow. We had househelp do household chores for us."

But the experience taught Francis invaluable lessons including how to value money and appreciate hard work. Later, Francis would graduate cum laude and then go on to finish Law also a cum laude. He now works in a company where he is the lone Filipino in a group of Americans who all marvel at his endeavors here. "Some ask me, ‘Why are you doing this?’ and I tell them ‘Because it feels right.’ They point out that with my hard-earned money I spend on the Foundation, I could have bought a third house or perhaps another car or use it for travels around the world. But doing my share for my country is more fulfilling than all of the above," he says.

There’s nothing Francis would like more than to live in the Philippines. Despite its problems, Francis says, he is proud of his country. To this day, he still has not given up his Filipino citizenship. But settling here is something that’s far from happening.

"I’d love to be here but what would happen to the foundation if I choose to do that?" he asks. "What I earn abroad allows me to be of help to others." It’s the classic mindset of the Overseas Filipino Worker. Of heroes. So everyday, Francis Papica looks at his Filipino passport. And he smiles.

MarkiiBoi

August 24th, 2006, 02:31 PM

Filipinos reap medals in Hollywood singing Olympics

By Nikko Dizon
Inquirer
Last updated 07:30pm (Mla time) 08/24/2006

MANILA -- With a perfect blend of voices, two sets of Filipino siblings reigned supreme at the World Championship of the Performing Arts (WCOPA), known as the "Talent Olympics," recently held in Hollywood, California.

With an average height of 4'11", The Cercado sisters -- Almira, 18, Irene, 16, Mylene, 14, and Celina, 10 -- have powerful voices that won them the gold medal in the overall vocal group junior division.

The Siblings -- Beverly, Paolo, and Jem Marquez -- impressed the judges with their soul-style and bagged the silver medal in the overall senior vocal division.

The Cercados and The Siblings -- the singing groups' professional names -- bested over 4,000 artists from 43 countries at the competition held from August 5 to 12.

"The experience motivated us to improve and gave a boost to our self-confidence," Beverly, 31, said at a press conference held at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport .

The Siblings and The Cercados were discovered after winning the grand prize and third place, respectively, at "Fam Jam," a talent show for families aired on GMA Network’s QTV 11 developed by TV director Bert de Leon and launched by entertainment stalwart, Kitchie Benedicto.

To augment their parents' income as Tupperware dealers, The Cercados would perform in town fiestas, weddings, and special occasions in Isabela and Tuguegarao, their hometowns.

Their mother, Erlinda, 47, said that their earnings and winnings helped put their eldest sister, Fatima, through nursing school.

"Fatima also sings, but she had to skip Fam Jam because she's already in fourth year," Erlinda said.

Beverly Marquez, on the other hand, decided to quit her job at a call center to concentrate on the talent show.

Even with their feat at the Talent Olympics, her brothers, Paolo, 27, and Jem, 20, said they would have to finish their computer science courses.

Record deals and performances both here and abroad are already in the offing for these world-class talents.

"We're shooting for the moon but until all those materialize, we'll patiently wait and continue their training", de Leon said.

De Leon, along with Benedicto, trained The Cercados and The Siblings during the three-month preparation for WCOPA.

De Leon described the Talent Olympics as a "go-see opportunity" for aspiring artists all over the world, what with more than a hundred international showbiz personalities, casting directors, and record producers sitting as judges.

In particular, Shele Sondheim, son of renowned composer, Steven Sondheim, "expressed his belief in the Filipino performers' high level of musicality," de Leon said.

This was only the second year that the Philippines sent a delegation to the decade-old WCOPA, but already, Filipinos have made a mark in the Talent Olympics.

Popular balladeer, Jed Madela, was its grand champion last year.

"Despite having to battle jet lag and tension during the long elimination process, at crunch time, the Filipinos deliver," de Leon said.

The Cercados came home with 16 golds, four plaques, and a sparkling trophy after sweeping the top prizes in all the four categories they participated in -- Broadway, Gospel, Original Works, and Pop/R&B.

They sang His Eyes on the Sparrow (Gospel), Phantom of the Opera (Broadway), Ryan Cayabyab's Paraiso (Original Works), and Billy Jean (Pop/R$B).

"The judges told us they liked Michael Jackson again after hearing us sing Billy Jean," Almira said.

She and her sisters performed the Jackson hit, complete with dancing the moonwalk.

The judges were so impressed that they awarded The Cercados the Worldstar Champions in the Pop Category in the junior division.

The Siblings had a total of nine silver medals from the same categories.

They sang another Jackson classic, "Man in the Mirror" for Pop/R&B; Freddie Aguilar's "Anak" for Original Works; Ella Mae Sayson's "Till My Heartaches End" for Gospel; and "Corner of the Sky" for Broadway.

"The judges were impressed with The Siblings soul style of singing which is attributed mainly to the African-Americans. They can't believe hearing soul from Asians," de Leon said.

The Talent Olympics actually gave The Cercados and The Siblings their first trip abroad.

And when they arrived in Manila yesterday, they all wore identical white sweaters bearing the Philippine flag, ecstatic to have brought pride and honor to their country.

oz.fil

August 28th, 2006, 10:31 AM

that is so inspiring!! ^^^

le Reine

August 29th, 2006, 02:16 PM

Ang galing! Go Philippines grand slam na naman.

Louman

August 30th, 2006, 08:38 AM

*Really* proud of this guy (since I'm majoring in animation.)

RP entry to int’l animation tilt

By Marinel Cruz
Inquirer
Last updated 09:27pm (Mla time) 08/29/2006

Published on Page F1 of the August 30, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

INQUIRER comics strip contributor Blog Caliguia’s short animation film “Doodle of Doom” is the Philippine representative to the prestigious Nickelodeon’s Nicktoons Network Animation Festival.

Caliguia and partner Jason Confesor are competing with 30 other finalists from countries like France, Canada, Germany, England and the United States to win a cash prize of $10,000.

According to its website, www.nicktoonsnetwork.com, the festival was launched in 2004. Its aim: “To showcase the diversity of worldwide animation filmmaking.”

Animators from around the world were asked to submit entries until May 31. “Doodle of Doom” and Yeo Lee Nah’s “Crocodile Journals” (Singapore) are the only two entries from Asia. Korean finalist Dong Jun-heo, whose film is titled “Egg Song,” is based in the United States.

Judging this year’s competition are Hollywood comedians Shawn and Marlon Wayans (“Little Man,” “White Chicks” and the new animated special “Thugaboo”), Seth MacFarlane (creator of “Family Guy”), Andreas Deja (“Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin” and “Lilo & Stitch”), independent animator Bill Plympton (“The Tune,” “Microtoons,” “Boomtown” and “Plymptoons”), and last year’s Producers Choice and Student Award Winner, JG Quintel.

All six judges screened the submitted films during the festival held in Los Angeles, California, on Aug. 12 and 13, and rated them based on “story, animation, design, entertainment value and fun factor.” Winners will be announced tomorrow.

Other prizes at stake are the Producer’s Choice Award, Student Award, Diversity Award and Viewer’s Choice Award.

Already a winner
Nelson “Blog” Caliguia Jr., 21, is a multimedia arts student at the College of St. Benilde. He is the creator of “Inday Wanda,” which comes out weekly in the Inquirer’s Comics section. Confesor is his classmate.

Caliguia said “Doodle of Doom” was initially made as an entry to two local contests—the 4th Animazing Shorts competition and The Graphic Expo. It won the grand prize (amateur level) in both contests.

“It was just a school project,” Caliguia told Inquirer Entertainment on Saturday. “Our instructors exempted us from other school work just so we could concentrate on it. They said it had been four years since the school won any animation award over Ateneo.”

When Caliguia’s mom, Mina, first told him about the Nickelodeon contest, the young artist was hesitant. “It’s an international contest. We really didn’t think our work stood a chance,” he pointed out.

He added that the other finalists are already professionals—art directors and animation directors in their respective countries.

“Milya-milya ang layo namin sa mga kalaban (We were miles behind),” said Mina, who is the managing director of Artfarm Asia Animation, an RP-based animation training and service provider. “I think Blog and Jason’s work was chosen because it’s a novelty. It really looks like something from a Third World country. Seeing people living in shanties maybe common to us Filipinos, but not to Westerners. Most of the other entries are comedy films.”

The Caliguias said they didn’t expect “Doodle of Doom” to win the top Nicktoons prize, and that they considered being part of the competition prestige enough.

But there’s another prize that Caliguia and Confesor could bring home—the Viewer’s Choice Award, whose winner will be announced on Sept. 18. Viewers could vote online until Sept. 15. The finalists are already being aired on Nickelodeon.

Animation forum
Meanwhile, Artfarm Asia hosted an animation forum held last week with Pixar Animation Studio’s Ronnie del Carmen as main speaker.

Del Carmen, a Filipino, worked on the hit animation film “Finding Nemo” as head of story. Prior to joining Pixar, he worked at Dreamworks and Warner Bros.

Reported Mina: “What we got out of the forum was a commitment from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Film Development Council (FDCP) to come up with something written and tangible for the animation industry. This will either be to set up an agency for local animators, or to look for grants.”

Panelists at the forum were: Christine Dayrit, chair of the Cinema Evaluation Board and vice chair of FDCP, Mark Meily, filmmaker, Tony Gloria, Unitel Pictures producer, Clodualdo del Mundo, filmmaker and head of the National Committee on Cinema of the NCCA, Tikoy Aguiluz, founder of the Cinemanila International Film Festival, Cecille Alvarez, NCCA chair and Rod Cornejo, GMA Network’s communications relation officer.

“It’s good that we’re now discussing the state of the animation industry here,” said Mina. “Even (Hollywood production firm) Bigfoot Entertainment has announced that it has a film fund that can be made available to local filmmakers. This could also [benefit] the animation industry. Not all films are shot live; there could be opportunities for animators, too.”

Bigfoot recently announced it was willing to finance or co-produce a movie “with a Filipino concept and an English script” for as much as $1-2 million. The Cebu-based Hollywood production company is working with the FDCP on this project.

OtAkAw

August 30th, 2006, 02:36 PM

Has anybody seen the video for "BEBOT" by Black Eyed Peas? Kurot sa puso!

ergit222

August 31st, 2006, 01:47 AM

World Cup of Pool CHAMPIONS - REYES & BUSTAMANTE
http://www.insidepoolmag.com/billiard-tour-news/philippines-billiards-team-capture-world-cup-of-po/content/view/3850/76

chixbebe

August 31st, 2006, 11:27 AM

Tailors are busy sewing the biggest Filipino flag that may soon replace the US Super Flag as the world’s biggest in the Guinness Book of Records, organizers said yesterday.

The Praise God Ministries, in coordination with two herbal drugs companies, in a media advisory said they are set to formally announce today the launching of the 100 meter by 200 meter (330 ft by 660 ft) Pinoy Super Flag.

The biggest flag will be unfurled at Luneta Park on Sept. 10.

The date is the eve of the infamous Sept. 11 terror attacks in the US which claimed thousands of lives when two hijacked jet liners crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York. Sept. 11 is also the birthdate of the late President Ferdinand Marcos.

Organizers, however, said there is nothing political in their bid to challenge the US Super Flag.

"We just want to raise the Filipino Super Flag as symbol of unity," a staff at the PG ministry told The STAR.

The US Super Flag, owned by Thomas Demski Trust, measures 255 feet X 505 feet and has been in the Guinness Book of Records for the part 20 years.

According to the website www.superflag.com, at least 600 people are needed to unfurl the US super flag, which is available for display during special events in the US.

Smaller versions, the Super flag 11, 1 and Jr. are also available for special historical and military events.

"We want to get the Guinness record as the new holder of the Super Flag," the ministry staff said.

Tailors have already begun working on the flag in the past two weeks, she said, but declined to give more details saying that their group will make the official announcement in a formal press conference today.

The staff however clarified that aside from their bid for the Guinness record they also want the Filipino Super Flag to become a symbol of unity among Filipinos.

http://www.philstar.com/philstar/NEWS200608310408.htm

MarkiiBoi

August 31st, 2006, 04:33 PM

some more info:

2 hectares in size

made by 10 sewers, 2 artists and 40 volunteers using pure nylon

10,000 people will hold the flag on Sept 10 in Luneta

bitoy

August 31st, 2006, 04:50 PM

I guess, we can still be proud of them. :D

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/nm/20060830/2006_08_30t055416_300x450_us_environment_philippines_spill.jpghttp://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/nm/20060830/2006_08_30t065145_450x325_us_environment_philippines_spill.jpg

Inmates shave heads to mop up Philippine oil spill

By Pedro Uchi
Wed Aug 30, 5:55 AM ET

MANILA (Reuters) - Thousands of prisoners have been shaving their heads and chests to donate hair to help mop up the Philippines' worst oil spill, officials said on Wednesday.

The 15,000 inmates at a maximum security prison in southern Manila, including 1,000 on death row, began donating hair on Tuesday as health officials ordered the evacuation of residents of a fishing village on Guimaras due to health risks.

"We're collecting plenty of hair to send to Guimaras to solve the oil spill problem," Vergilio Santos, 42, who is serving a murder sentence at New Bilibid Prison, told Reuters television after his head was shaved by a barber.

"This is a contribution even though it's a small part," said Nigel Richard Gatward, a 37-year-old British national convicted of drug smuggling.

Philippine oil spill (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060830/sc_nm/environment_philippines_spill_dc_1)

diz

August 31st, 2006, 07:37 PM

Local families host softball Little League World Series delegation

http://www.asianreporter.com/stories/local/2006/35-p10-Softball%20WS.JPG

By Maileen Hamto
The Asian Reporter

Every year in August, Portland becomes the center of attention in international softball circles as the city hosts the Little League Softball World Series. Regional champions from across the country and all over the world convene every summer to play ball at Alpenrose Field.

During the past 12 years, a team from the Philippines has headed the Asia-Pacific delegation. For each of those years, the Rivera family home in Beaverton has been the Asia-Pacific delegation’s headquarters when the World Series come to town.

Gloria Rivera, who has been an active member of the Fil-Am Friendship Club for a number of years, serves as the host families’ coordinator. Team players — consisting of 11- and 12-year-old girls — stay with host families in the Portland metro area. Rivera leads a network of local Filipino families that have generously agreed to host the players during their two-week stay in the U.S.

"We have their schedule planned out for the players and coaches, from the moment they step off the plane when they first arrive, to the final moments when they’re about to get back on the plane to go home," she said. "The most important part of my job is to make sure the coaches and team managers get all the help they need."

Host families provide transportation and meals for the delegation. Merly Keith, a longtime volunteer, takes time off from her job at a manufacturing firm whenever the girls come to town. She and her husband Larry have opened their homes to a number of players throughout the years. "It’s great to meet the kids every year. This year is the first time we’ve ever had parent chaperones, so the dynamics were a lot different, yet still a lot of fun."

According to Rivera, this year’s delegation represented the International Little League Association of Manila, led by head coach Ulysses Carillo and trainer Joey Carillo. "We work closely with the coaches to make sure we’re helping them achieve what they came here for: to compete and win," said Rivera.

Players hailed from private secondary schools in metro Manila, including Miriam College and Multiple Intelligences International School, said Weena Mendoza, head of the Filipino delegation. She travelled with her daughter Isabella, the youngest member of the team.

Softball is fast becoming a popular sport in the Philippines, said Mendoza. "It started out as a way for expatriate families to provide sports training for their children. But it is becoming more popular among Filipinos who want to expose their children to sports and athletics," she said.

A few of the players on the team are daughters of expatriate businessmen and women. Hiroyuki Bamba, team manager, is a Japanese national whose daughter Chihiro plays on the team.

"Softball is a great way for kids to learn discipline, sacrifice, and how to make decisions on their feet. They gain a lot of confidence playing with other teams," Bamba said.

While the Asia-Pacific team did not rank high in this year’s tournament, the players were grateful for the chance to compete against the best teams in the world.

"It’s been a long journey for the girls, and being able to represent the Asia-Pacific region in this tournament is an honor in itself," Mendoza said. "The kids really enjoyed themselves, and being able to live with U.S. families during their stay was a great experience."

For photos and highlights of this year’s Little League Softball World Series, visit www.softballworldseries.com (http://www.softballworldseries.com).

http://www.softballworldseries.com/teams/Philippine%20team1.jpg

diz

August 31st, 2006, 07:39 PM

2006 Champions: Mattawan Little League, Mattawan, Michigan

oz.fil

September 1st, 2006, 12:36 AM

bitoy

September 1st, 2006, 12:53 AM

i still dont get what they'll do with the hair ? -.-"

The hairs will be packed up in a boom to suck those spilled oil in the Visayan seas.

ergit222

September 1st, 2006, 01:41 AM

i still dont get what they'll do with the hair ? -.-"
oz.fil, here's how...
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=9666604&postcount=15

Animo

September 4th, 2006, 06:39 PM

http://www.thenewstoday.info/2006/09/04/emilion1.jpg

When JD Bakeshop opened in 1975, it instantly became the pioneering bakery in Iloilo to innovate an exceptional process for breads to have a longer shelf life which is not perishable until seven days. It was then operated by another company but eventually merged with the Diez Family and the intermarriage routed towards triumphant expansions which spread out in major strategic sites in the city. The transformation initially embarked in 1993 when JD Bakeshop fused a fast food service which soon became popular for quality food at an inexpensive cost. It became an invariable eatery for economic value-conscious customers primarily comprised of students. Not long after, a branch in Jaro was born, followed by another in Molo (Citadel), added with a new one in front of St. Paul's, and subsequently followed by the establishment of the Grand Dame Hotel which gave birth to a specialty restaurant called Emilion.

http://www.thenewstoday.info/2006/09/04/emilion4.jpg

Marked as the "good food company", the management converted a deeply embedded credibility as the most trusted in providing quality food at a very economical price, deliberately returning your money's worth. "Nothing beats quality," Mannie Gruenberg, manager of Emilion, enthusiastically explains. "Price is a big factor but we created a formula for quality food that we can market at a lower price but still upholds the best quality that our consumers are looking for." True enough, it is remarkable to note that they devote a sizable investment in Research and Development to concoct and come up with substantial food products. "It usually take 11 months for our cakes to formulate and conceptualize and spend 2 to 3 months for additional foods," says Mr. Gruenberg. Even the chefs are required to train in Manila or by skilled and professional chefs invited to go here in Iloilo to further familiarize their own with specialty cuisines and further polish their expertise and competence in cooking.

http://www.thenewstoday.info/2006/09/04/emilion2.jpg

Emilion was conceptualized in a conglomeration of business principles which aptly applies to costs, quality, and flair for class which is eminent in the construction and design. "People are now choosy when it comes to food and place where they are seen eating. We want to exceed from our target market of BC class to ABC and that is exactly why we created a restaurant where everybody can go and feel the ambiance of elegance, comfort and grandeur," says Gruenberg. We made a virtual tour of the new Emilion at the Roadhouse in Gen. Luna Street as Gruenberg explains the intricacies of the designs incorporated to achieve the kind of ambiance that they were aiming for. Evidently, each piece, from the chandelier, to the artworks, to the tiles used--some of which are expensively imported from Spain, to every little detail, all unified resulting to a superior realm of exquisite haven of gatherings searching for haute Filipino cuisine. "All of this boils down to careful and constant planning," adds Emil Diez, "we sacrifice more time in planning and conceptualizing than on the construction process. Time and money, both are our primary investment that made us achieve whatever we have now."

http://www.thenewstoday.info/2006/09/04/emilion5.jpg

They were the first to offer Japanese cuisines priced lower than any other competing Japanese restaurants. With more than 200 variants, they are now adding 30 more to increase their variety. Gruenberg further explains, "we always bring in new things through persistence in innovation, to ensure that the quality of our products be maintained and we stray our business from deterioration, like in equipment for instance, by believing in the "no scratch policy".

The new Emilion offers Filipino dishes cooked and twisted in a new way. Included in the menu are sumptuous concoctions of galunggong pasta, ginataang chicken, and a whole new variety of dishes done modernly. It also has a function room which can accommodate 270 to 300 persons, subdivided into three function areas intended to cater for business meetings, conferences, corporate events or reservations for any family gatherings.

http://www.thenewstoday.info/2006/09/04/emilion3.jpg

"As a manager, personally my philosophy is that teaching the ownership method to my employees helps a lot. I try to make them feel as if the restaurant, the hotel, the bakery is their own so that each of them will feel the way I feel and that will be the single denominator between me and them to always achieve and do our best," Gruenberg explains on the importance of good management. EmilionHis staff was the first to implement "bowing" to guests and handing things to them with two hands which consequently are now being imitated by other hotels and restaurants. With the excellence in services that they offer, the Grand Dame Hotel was confirmed and declared as the finest hotel by the national award giving body in the Philippines.

It is not a hard fact that many are interested to franchise JD and Emilion in many areas outside the city. But the Diez family humbly resists offers due to their continuing goal to further develop their products and facilities as well as perfecting the services to constantly exceed people's expectations.

http://www.thenewstoday.info/2006/09/04/a.family.business.flourishes.to.a.good.food.company.html

3cr

September 5th, 2006, 08:54 AM

Totoo ba ang balitang ito?

Imelda Marcos may run for mayor of Manila in 2007
Mon Sep 4, 5:41 AM ET
Reuters

MANILA (Reuters) - Imelda Marcos, the Philippines' former first lady, may return to politics next year and run for mayor of the capital Manila, her eldest daughter Imee said on Monday.

The widow of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, famous for owning 1,200 pairs of shoes and a vast collection of jewelry that the cash-strapped government is trying to auction, was a one-term member of the lower house of Congress from 1995 to 1998.

"My mother has a solid vote in the depressed areas of Manila," said Imee Marcos, a congresswoman representing her late father's northern province of Ilocos Norte, adding her mother was "seriously contemplating" running as mayor of Manila in 2007.

Imee said her mother would formally announce her decision whether to return to politics in the coming months because she may want to consult local leaders in Manila.

The current mayor, Jose "Lito" Atienza, a staunch ally of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, is no longer eligible to run after serving as mayor for three straight terms.

Some of Arroyo's political enemies in the upper house of Congress, Senators Panfilo Lacson and Alfredo Lim, have announced their intention to enter the mayoral race.

"If all of them would vie for mayor, my mother obviously has the advantage," Imee told reporters, adding the former first lady was former governor of Metropolitan Manila in the 1980s and was the city's beauty queen in the 1960s.

In 1992, Imelda ran for president, garnering almost 2 million votes, but lost to Fidel Ramos, a cousin of her husband who led the popular revolt in 1986 that ended Ferdinand Marcos' 20-year dictatorship.

Last week, her lawyers petitioned the court to allow her to go to Hong Kong for Chinese traditional medicine treatment, but the anti-graft court stopped her from leaving on Tuesday because she still has to undergo arraignment for a graft case.

heathcliff

September 5th, 2006, 10:34 AM

I believe Argentina was able to do this.

And what happened next?

Several years ago it was predicted that the Philippines would likely end up with the same fate as that of Argentina. That is no longer on our horizon today, largely because of the implementation of stringent fiscal policies by the Arroyo administration. It is even likely that we may be exiting the IMF intensive care soon. The Philippine economy is on its way from long being called the sick man of Asia.

chixbebe

September 13th, 2006, 05:55 AM

From what I read, Malacañang will comply with the decision of the court. As much as the indemnification would very much help financially to the victims of Marcos dictatorship, we should ascertain that those who will be given the amount deserved to be indemnified. Otherwise, it would defeat the purpose of giving justice to the human rights victims.

The palace has actually assured the victims that they will release P10 Billion (http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=politics02_sept13_2006) if the Bill will be passed by House of representatives, although they before agreed on giving only P8B.

They added that the Martial law Victims's fund are intact and held as a "special trusts account" in the National Treasury.

A big change on the lives of the Marcos's victims are on its way...thanks to the present administration for giving an eye on this issue which was long time waited. :cheers:

beads_strawberries

September 13th, 2006, 06:10 AM

^^That would certainly be good news to the victims during the Marcos era. After all, they have waited for indemnification for so long.

ikra

September 13th, 2006, 02:53 PM

imelda should sell her shoes.... no matter how beautiful her shoes are shes still ugly....

lol

i mean, its the biggest example of a government official (ex-wife) living in luxury while its people are suffering

MarkiiBoi

September 27th, 2006, 12:06 AM

Filipina plays Evita in US musical

http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/319/jenniferpaz1ap2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

A Filipina plays the title role Evita Peron in a US production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Musical Masterpiece EVITA!

Jennifer Paz, born in Manila, brought up in Renton, and now a rising musical ingénue nationally, plays the role of Eva.

According theatre critic Mary Martin, Jennifer plays the role of the former first lady of Argentina with taut, and controlled passion. One of her secrets is her ability to communicate that something bigger than the event of the moment is happening, and something even more momentous is just about to happen.

She adds that Jennifer's tiny body and her enormous presence create the dichotomy of a crushable creature who at the same time is capable of crushing world leaders.

http://img60.imageshack.us/img60/5161/jenniferpaz2ej3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Jennifer Paz is no stranger to the big stage, she has played the lead roles in the national tour of Miss Saigon, and Broadway's Les Misérables.

The musical will be staged in 2 theaters in West Virginia. In Issaquah at the Francis J. Gaudette Theatre from September 13-October 22, 2006. In Everett at the Everett Performing Arts Center from October 27 to November 12, 2006.

The Tony Award-winning masterpiece opens Village Theatre's 2006-2007 Mainstage Season. From the creators of Jesus Christ Superstar and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, EVITA tells the story of Argentina's beloved and controversial, Eva Perón, and her ascension to power as the wife of influential President, Juan Perón. Set to a Latin beat, this stirring tale of one woman's rise from poverty to power is a bracing journey of redemption, and a moving meditation on the perils of pride and fame.

Joining Jennifer in the lead roles are Louis Hobson (The 5th Avenue Theatre's Pippin, Miss Saigon, Hair) as Che, and Eric Jensen (South Pacific) as Juan Perón.

“Each year, EVITA is consistently voted as the number one musical our patrons want to see on stage,” said Robb Hunt, executive producer for Village Theatre. “Pushing ourselves artistically with each passing season, we're excited to produce for the first time what is considered by many to be one of Andrew Lloyd Webber's best musical theatre pieces.”

EVITA is directed by Steve Tomkins and Brian Yorkey and choreographed by Steve Tomkins, with musical direction by R.J. Tancioco; scenic and lighting design by Tom Sturge; and costume design by Alex Jaeger.

http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/6996/jenniferpaz3hu3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://www.goodnewspilipinas.com/docs/we_are_pinoys/current/jennifer_paz.html

Lili

September 27th, 2006, 12:19 AM

^ Haha! Imagine that. We are finally breaking more racial barriers with a Filipina playing a blonde Evita Peron in a West Virginia play! lol.

Next up! A Filipina for the role of Thoroughly Modern Millie who hailed from mid-West backwoods Americana. :D

kiretoce

October 2nd, 2006, 02:46 AM

Filipino Businesses Make Presence Felt at Eagle Rock Mall
Amee R. Enriquez/Asianjournal.com October 1st, 2006

This September, Filipino-American supermarket chain Seafood City opened at the Eagle Rock Plaza Mall in Eagle Rock. Seafood City, one of the largest and most successful Filipino-owned business ventures here in the West Coast, joined other established Filipino businesses, food chains Goldilocks and Jollibee, beauty retailer HBC Home of Beauty Exclusives and Philippine National Bank (PNB) Remittance Center, who have made their homes in this mainstream American mall. These businesses, along with soon to open fast food chain Chowking and clothing company Bench, among others, are proof that the robust Filipino presence in the community of Eagle Rock and neighboring cities has translated into economic clout.

“The Eagle Rock management team did specifically seek out these establishments because the demographics showed that there is a strong Filipino presence in this market and that these establishments would be a good fit for the Eagle Rock community,” said Bryan Paul, General Manager of the Eagle Rock Plaza Mall, when the Asian Journal asked him about the strong presence of Filipino businesses at the mall.

The community of Eagle Rock is located in the northeastern part of the City of Los Angeles. It is bordered by the Cities of Glendale and Pasadena, where there are also noticeable numbers of Filipinos, and Highland Park.

The Los Angeles Almanac, based on the 2000 US census, pegged the total population of Eagle Rock at 17,763. Of the 17,763, 4,369 are Asians. Of the 4,639 Asians, 3,079 are of Filipino ethnicity. Six years after the last official census, the numbers are most certainly higher.

This robust Filipino presence and its being adjacent to neighboring cities with a significant number of Filipinos has translated into businesses targeting the community. The Eagle Rock Mall, located along Colorado Boulevard, one of Eagle Rock’s major thoroughfares, is owned by major developer Centro Watt, which has 98 properties with nearly 21 million square feet of leasable space in 18 states.

“I think the Filipino-owned establishments also did their research and agreed that this is a community that would support their businesses. The successful openings of Jollibee in February 2005, and Goldilocks in July 2005, confirmed that the Filipino-owned establishments would do very well here at Eagle Rock Plaza,” Paul said.

“Retailers seek out locations convenient to their customer base. The demographics for Eagle Rock’s trade area show a high concentration of Filipino families. This, coupled with the success of Jollibee and Goldilocks, have helped attract additional Filipino-oriented retailers into Eagle Rock,” he added.

“The decision to open in that location is due to the fact that there a lot of Filipinos residing in the Eagle Rock/Glendale area. The mall also has a huge Filipino patronage,” said Beth de la Cruz, General Manager of Jollibee USA, of their decision to open at the mall. Considered as the number one fast food chain in the Philippines, with over 500 branches nationwide, Jollibee has 11 stores in California alone and 12 restaurants in 5 other countries. Chowking, which is part of the Jollibee group, is also set to open at the Eagle Rock Plaza soon.

The management of Seafood City echoed this sentiment, saying that it was the strong Filipino presence in the community that made them to try out a mainstream mall set-up for their 13th branch, the first time they are doing so in their 17 years of operations.

During their first day of operations last September 25, it was reported that people were lining up to get in even before doors opened. Representatives from Seafood City said that this particular set-up has set the bar a notch higher in terms of their business operations, as they are an integral part of the mall, since they are the main anchors, along with American retail giants Target and Macy’s.

Like Seafood City, Goldilocks Bakeshop, also one of the more recognized Filipino chains, set the bar a notch higher for their Eagle Rock Mall branch. When the Asian Journal sat down with the bakeshop’s management last year, they revealed their goal of making Filipino food friendly to the American mainstream. Their Eagle Rock Mall branch, with its convenient location, revamped interiors and beefed up menu offering full-service dining, with the streamlined bakeshop adjacent, became the working model for their other branches.

“Our business grew more than what we expected,” said Rene Paras, Senior Vice President for Business Development in the US for PNB Remittance Centers Inc., of their sharing the same location with other Filipino business in the mall.

“It adds to the attractiveness of the location,” said Paras, explaining that being in the same location with other businesses geared towards Filipinos at the mall afforded them high visibility and more foot traffic. PNB Remittance is one of the bigger remittance centers catering to the Filipino community, with 19 remittance centers in California and a total of 39 in the US.

Glenn Bolado, VP for International Operations for HBC Home of Beauty Exclusives, which officially opened in the mall in August of this year, said that they chose their first US branch based on its strategic location.

“We have good foot traffic,” Bolado said, with their clients coming from as far as Monrovia, Cerritos and Carson. Bolado said.

“It attracts other nationalities. It is an opportunity for them to try our products. It creates an impact for them to see Filipinos grouped together,” he added. HBC is one of the largest beauty retail stores, with over 200 branches in the Philippines.

The coming together of these business establishments geared towards the Fil-Am community to a mainstream mall can only mean good things. They have set the bar high for Filipino-oriented businesses and have managed to bring something new to the American mall set-up. In the Philippines and in most parts of Asia, the mall experience is a complete one, a one-stop-shop dining destination, where everything that the shopper needs can be found under one roof. The Eagle Rock Plaza set-up approximates this mall experience.

These businesses have also elevated the level of sophistication of doing business with the Filipino community in mind. From just the traditional food markets and mom and pop stores, they have evolved to become at par with the mainstream market. With them joining big American businesses Target and Macy’s, especially with Seafood City becoming a major mall presence at the Eagle Rock Plaza, these Filipino-oriented establishments have managed to physically quantify the buying power of the Filipino community here in California and made the community an economic force to reckon with.

3cr

October 7th, 2006, 12:23 AM

Sandigan acquits Imelda of graft cases. Kasing dulas ni Ate Glo si Ate Ime! So pareho nalang silang inosente! Hehehe...:) :) :)

The scorecard: Imelda 15, PCGG 0
BY PETER TABINGO
Malaya
http://www.malaya.com.ph/oct07/news4.htm

IMELDA Romualdez Marcos was acquitted of a 13-year-old graft case by the Sandigan-bayan Fifth Division yesterday.

"Thank God, thank God. I survived 20 years of relentless persecution. Justice has prevailed," Marcos said in between sobs.

Marcos has 10 more graft cases at the Fourth Division.

The Presidential Commission on Good Government had filed 68 criminal charges against her, 35 before the Sandiganbayan and the rest before the Manila court.

The courts previously dismissed 14 of the cases while prosecutors withdrew nine graft indictments.

Also exonerated was Jose Conrado Benitez.

Marcos and Benitez were accused of conflict of interest for holding positions in the Technology Resource Center Foundation Inc. (TRCFI), a private corporation, when Marcos was minister of human settlements and Benitez was her deputy.

The court held that the foundation was a "non-stock and non-profit" entity, hence there was no conflict of interest. Although TRCFI made investments in real estate by leasing lands and building and selling townhouses, the court said the money raised did not go into the pockets of foundation officials.

Defense witness Arthur Aguila had told the court that the funds went into such projects as raising hybrid tilapia and researching alternative power sources in rural communities.
"The foundation cannot be held to have been in the realty and housing businesses as charged. As disclosed by evidence, it had technology transfer projects as its principal concern or occupation, basically aimed at addressing human settlement issues," the court held.

"The essential elements of the offense charged have not been proven, the projects in question not being ‘businesses’ in contemplation of law," it added.

Marcos said her acquittal was based on the merits of her defense and not due to some favors from the administration.

"I believe in the courage and integrity of our courts," she said.

Known for her fashion sense, Marcos was in a purple terno highlighted by a silk floral scarf, with emerald brooch and earrings. She was accompanied by lawyers Robert Sison and Benjamin Santos and two personal medical attendants.

Marcos appeared tense and refused to grant interviews before the start of the hearing. She just nodded and smiled when asked by media on how she was feeling.

When the verdict was read, her supporters in the audience applauded as Marcos wept.

Marcos went straight to the nearby St. Peter’s parish church on Commonwealth avenue, Quezon City, where she offered prayers, recited the rosary and kissed the icon of St. Peter.

Marcos was found guilty of corruption in 1993 and was sentenced to 24 years in jail for her alleged role in anomalous deals involving the construction of a mass transit system in Manila but the Supreme Court reversed that decision in 1998.

On her birthday on June 2, 1991, a New York court also found her innocent on racketeering charges. – With Reuters

marites4

October 7th, 2006, 01:08 AM

abolish the PCGG. this is a crime line them up and shoot them all!

kevinb

October 7th, 2006, 03:55 AM

le Reine

October 7th, 2006, 02:50 PM

Why vote for her? I like her as a person but I don't like her as a politician. But seriously, I'm getting worried about their cases. The Marcoses seem to be tough. Very very tough. What are we going to do if all the cases are dismissed? The Marcos critics before seemed to be not bothered at all (or maybe because I'm just too deaf to hear them all.)

marites4

October 7th, 2006, 11:11 PM

oh my god . One kid will vote for her one kid likes her as a person.
Her critiques are silent because they are being bought off. Even her prosecuter is dancing with her. THat's why we are not progressing too many pinoys selling their country . How can this multibillionaire live in a country where so many live in poverty and Filipinos accept this. NO logic at all.
As long as one sector is benefitting the hell with the rest . NO sense of community ,common good for the majority.

OtAkAw

October 8th, 2006, 04:50 AM

marites4

October 8th, 2006, 04:53 AM

kung sabagay nanakaw niya na lahat ano pa ba nanakawin niya. "lahat naman magnanakaw kaya pwede na ren " . Plus she's one leg away fr the grave.

le Reine

October 8th, 2006, 10:44 AM

Well, if she wins, let's look at the bright side, the woman's a BIG spender! Just imagine if she made another Manila Supercultural Center Supernova of the Universe kinda thing. Oh that would be good! And she's optimistic about Tourism in Manila, a very good heritage appreciator (she built Casa Manila right?), and a stylish person kaya goodbye na sa mga jologs na projects. Kung may nanakawin man, sana wag nalang damihan, lahat naman ng mga pulitiko nagnanakaw eh...

Sobrang natawa naman ako sa "Manila Supercultural Center Supernova of the Universe." Ahehehe...

In fairness to her, halos lahat naman ng project niya eh successful ngayon. Yung CCP, Folk Arts, LRT, Lung Center, Heart Center, etc. Yung BLISS parang ganito lang din yung ginagawa ng present gov't iniba lang ng pangalan. Sa totoo lang iba nga siya magisip ng projects. Yung Coconut Palace siguro weird sa mga tao noon. Pero ngayon isa siya sa mga profitable and much used structure sa CCP Complex. Kailangan mo pang magpareserve ng isang taon para lang magamit yung place!

Sabi ng mga critics 'superficial' daw yung projects niya. But look hindi ba't ito yung mga ginagamit natin ngayon? Dati maraming local artists ang ayaw sa CCP. But look, halos lahat na lang ata ng arts subject namin dito sa UP eh kailangan pumunta sa CCP para manood ng ganyan ganito. IBig sabihin nito eh nakatulong din naman ang CCP sa mga local artists natin unlike dun sa criticisms nila before. Read Gilda Cordero-Fernando's Pinoy Pop Culture and you would see the same opinion.

Yung Manila Film Center maganda sana yung building. Actually isa siya sa pinkagusto ko sa CCP Complex. Malaki sana ang tulong nito sa mga film fests natin. Pero kamusta naman mas naniwala pa tayo sa multo. Kaya pala ang Amazing Philippines ay nandoon. Siguro sila yung mga tinatawag na mga nilalang na naglilipina tuwing gabi. :jk: Yung tungkol naman sa mga namatay na workers, may napanood ako dati sa GMA 7 tungkol dun. Pero wala naman siyang nakitang relative na nagrereklamo tungkol sa nawawala nilang kamag-anak. Namatay siguro oo, pero na-compensate naman sila. Sa totoo lang, hindi ko alam kung maniniwala rin ako kay Cory at mga Anti-Marcos kasi minsan exaggerated na sila.

Actually, much of what we see today in Luneta and Intramuros is also because of her initiative. Museums and hotels are built up around Manila. And let's admit it; the image of Manila before is so high compared today. Before, critics were jeering at her because she wanted the IMF-WB Conference in 1976 and the Manila Interantional Film Fest to be held here. And she actually made it that's why the PICC and Manila Film Center was built. Now, I can't even think of an international event being held here (perhaps the Miss Universe 1994?). I guess Manila is already out of their radar screens.

Animo

October 12th, 2006, 12:41 AM

http://www.balita.com/photos/2006/Garcetti-&-Villaraigosa.jpg

CELEBRATING LA: Council President Eric Garcetti, left, joins Mayor Antonio Villaraigoza in marking the 225th observance of Los Angeles cityhood. In right panel, the mayor officiates the cutting of a three-tiered LA birthday cake with Councilmember Jose Huizar (in black shirt) and Mickey Mouse. Disneyland sponsored this year’s event.

On the occasion of the city’s 225th anniversary, LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and other city officials joined about a thousand other people who retraced the nearly nine- mile distance from the City of San Gabriel to Olvera Plaza, believed to be the site of the once tiny settlement that became El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora La Reina de Los Angeles.

However, unlike last year when Mayor Villaraigosa profusely extolled Antonio Miranda Rodriguez, a Filipino, as part of the expedition sent by the Spanish government to establish what is now known as the City of Los Angeles, on Monday he barely mentioned his name during the celebration ceremonies.

On the other hand, LA Council President Eric Garcetti told BALITA that among the mostly Spanish pobladores who set out from Baja, California, was a Filipino.

Garcetti added: “Since 1781, Filipinos have been a critical part in Los Angeles’ growth, which is typical of the significant contribution of Filipinos not only in this country but throughout the world. Creating (Historic) Filipinotown recognizes that part of history—the first Filipinotown established anywhere in [the United States].”

The head of the city council also said that his grandfather served in the Philippines during World War II. He is proud to represent the Filipinos in the council, he said, and that among his staff are Filipinos representing their community.

“Although my blood is Latino, my heart is Filipino,” Garcetti said.

Also present during the morning ceremonies were Speaker Fabian Nunez of the state assembly, City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo, and Councilmembers Jose Huizar and Wendy Gruel.

In a speech last year Mayor Villaraigosa said: “The original pobladores were a very diverse group, nearly half of them of African heritage. There were Europeans as well and mestizos and one Filipino.”

In a book copyrighted by the Automobile Club of Southern California, authors William and Roberta Mason described Antonio Miranda Rodriguez as a Malayan Filipino who enlisted in Sinaloa, Mexico, for the expedition. Rodriguez instead ended up in Santa Barbara where he was employed as a gunsmith by military authorities. “Certainly,” according to the Masons, “he was Santa Barbara’s first Filipino resident, and perhaps the first permanent Filipino resident of California.”

An entry in a book entitled Spanish Mexican Families of Early California: 1769-1850 Volume II by Marie E. Northrop, reads:

Antonio Mirando Rodriguez
Born—About 1730 at Manila, Philippines
Buried—26 May 1784 at Presidio Chapel Santa Barbara
Child—Juana Maria Rodriguez
Born—About 1769 Sonora, Mexico
Died—About 1780 at Loreto, Baja California, Mexico
Antonio Mirando Rodriguez: Enlisted 17 November 1780 at Rosario, Sinaloa,
Mexico; accompanied the expedition to Loreto, where he remained with his daughter who contracted smallpox and died; absent from padrons of Pueblo de Los Angeles 19 November 1781, 2 December 1781; excluded from Los Angeles 5 December 1783.

About the pobladores, the record continues:
Their task was to provide food for the soldiers of the presidios and to help secure Spain's hold of the region. They included farmers, artisans, and stock raisers necessary for the survival of the settlement…

On Sept. 4, 1781 the pobladores were escorted by Spanish soldiers from Mission San Gabriel on the last leg of their travel to what was to become the City of Los Angeles. A program and a fiesta is held each year on the spot to mark the event. (DIONESIO C. GRAVA)

http://www.balita.com/xshell.php?id=1024

jadebench

October 14th, 2006, 02:10 AM

Sobrang natawa naman ako sa "Manila Supercultural Center Supernova of the Universe." Ahehehe...

In fairness to her, halos lahat naman ng project niya eh successful ngayon. Yung CCP, Folk Arts, LRT, Lung Center, Heart Center, etc. Yung BLISS parang ganito lang din yung ginagawa ng present gov't iniba lang ng pangalan. Sa totoo lang iba nga siya magisip ng projects. Yung Coconut Palace siguro weird sa mga tao noon. Pero ngayon isa siya sa mga profitable and much used structure sa CCP Complex. Kailangan mo pang magpareserve ng isang taon para lang magamit yung place!

Sabi ng mga critics 'superficial' daw yung projects niya. But look hindi ba't ito yung mga ginagamit natin ngayon? Dati maraming local artists ang ayaw sa CCP. But look, halos lahat na lang ata ng arts subject namin dito sa UP eh kailangan pumunta sa CCP para manood ng ganyan ganito. IBig sabihin nito eh nakatulong din naman ang CCP sa mga local artists natin unlike dun sa criticisms nila before. Read Gilda Cordero-Fernando's Pinoy Pop Culture and you would see the same opinion.

Yung Manila Film Center maganda sana yung building. Actually isa siya sa pinkagusto ko sa CCP Complex. Malaki sana ang tulong nito sa mga film fests natin. Pero kamusta naman mas naniwala pa tayo sa multo. Kaya pala ang Amazing Philippines ay nandoon. Siguro sila yung mga tinatawag na mga nilalang na naglilipina tuwing gabi. :jk: Yung tungkol naman sa mga namatay na workers, may napanood ako dati sa GMA 7 tungkol dun. Pero wala naman siyang nakitang relative na nagrereklamo tungkol sa nawawala nilang kamag-anak. Namatay siguro oo, pero na-compensate naman sila. Sa totoo lang, hindi ko alam kung maniniwala rin ako kay Cory at mga Anti-Marcos kasi minsan exaggerated na sila.

Actually, much of what we see today in Luneta and Intramuros is also because of her initiative. Museums and hotels are built up around Manila. And let's admit it; the image of Manila before is so high compared today. Before, critics were jeering at her because she wanted the IMF-WB Conference in 1976 and the Manila Interantional Film Fest to be held here. And she actually made it that's why the PICC and Manila Film Center was built. Now, I can't even think of an international event being held here (perhaps the Miss Universe 1994?). I guess Manila is already out of their radar screens.
lahat ng sinabi mo TAMA! maganda talaga ang mga plano ni First Lady Imelda (she's still the First Lady for me) sa bansa natin.

dancethingy

October 14th, 2006, 05:58 AM

Honestly, everything that was just said by XP IS COMPLETELY TRUE

Imelda has done some crazy things, but the woman is A RIOT I TELL YOU, A RIOT

Im fucking loving it!!!!!!!!!!

demented_pigeon

October 14th, 2006, 08:37 AM

^^ but she's still a thief and someone who is sooooooooooooo detached from reality.

OtAkAw

October 14th, 2006, 02:35 PM

^^And a Guinness World Record holder at that! (for being a thief)

demented_pigeon

October 14th, 2006, 02:37 PM

^^And a Guinness World Record holder at that! (for being a thief)

you watched that documentary film "Imelda"? my god! she was so naive.

le Reine

October 14th, 2006, 03:20 PM

May i-ququote lang ako sa sinabi niya sa film. Hehehe... Nakakatawa pero totoo: "There's a thin line that separates a genius from the insane" and "Thank God I was naive. If I were smart, I would not have done something." These two quotes best describes her.

demented_pigeon

October 14th, 2006, 03:27 PM

mas natawa ako dun nung idinrawing nya yung "philosophy" niya... mga symbols ng hearts atbp. na pagsinama-sama magiging isang malaking smiling face.

habagatcentral1

October 14th, 2006, 03:32 PM

mas natawa ako dun nung idinrawing nya yung "philosophy" niya... mga symbols ng hearts atbp. na pagsinama-sama magiging isang malaking smiling face.

Napanood mo pala ang "Imelda"?! hehehe! I like that philosophy of hers. Di ko maintindihan, really. Ang haba ng explanation pero walang pumapasok sa kukote ko, hehehehe! :D

Para yatang 6 times 6 equals thirty-six na teddy bear. :D

demented_pigeon

October 15th, 2006, 03:37 AM

bitoy

October 15th, 2006, 03:52 AM

I have a weblink of all the properties, gold bars and dollar account with different names that lead to Mr. Marcos... but like any other site, it is unreliable to find out the truth.

Kung sa meron kinurakot, meron talaga. Let's leave that to the (slow) fact-finding group.

3cr

October 15th, 2006, 05:29 AM

Lahat naman ng mga Presidenteng sumunod kay Marcos eh nangurakot din so malaki man o maliit ang kanilang hinuthot eh pare-pareho lang lahat silang nagnakaw. Aminin man nila o hindi bahala na ang Diyos sa Kanila!

pau_p1

October 16th, 2006, 08:31 PM

Sobrang natawa naman ako sa "Manila Supercultural Center Supernova of the Universe." Ahehehe...

In fairness to her, halos lahat naman ng project niya eh successful ngayon. Yung CCP, Folk Arts, LRT, Lung Center, Heart Center, etc. Yung BLISS parang ganito lang din yung ginagawa ng present gov't iniba lang ng pangalan. Sa totoo lang iba nga siya magisip ng projects. Yung Coconut Palace siguro weird sa mga tao noon. Pero ngayon isa siya sa mga profitable and much used structure sa CCP Complex. Kailangan mo pang magpareserve ng isang taon para lang magamit yung place!

Sabi ng mga critics 'superficial' daw yung projects niya. But look hindi ba't ito yung mga ginagamit natin ngayon? Dati maraming local artists ang ayaw sa CCP. But look, halos lahat na lang ata ng arts subject namin dito sa UP eh kailangan pumunta sa CCP para manood ng ganyan ganito. IBig sabihin nito eh nakatulong din naman ang CCP sa mga local artists natin unlike dun sa criticisms nila before. Read Gilda Cordero-Fernando's Pinoy Pop Culture and you would see the same opinion.

Yung Manila Film Center maganda sana yung building. Actually isa siya sa pinkagusto ko sa CCP Complex. Malaki sana ang tulong nito sa mga film fests natin. Pero kamusta naman mas naniwala pa tayo sa multo. Kaya pala ang Amazing Philippines ay nandoon. Siguro sila yung mga tinatawag na mga nilalang na naglilipina tuwing gabi. :jk: Yung tungkol naman sa mga namatay na workers, may napanood ako dati sa GMA 7 tungkol dun. Pero wala naman siyang nakitang relative na nagrereklamo tungkol sa nawawala nilang kamag-anak. Namatay siguro oo, pero na-compensate naman sila. Sa totoo lang, hindi ko alam kung maniniwala rin ako kay Cory at mga Anti-Marcos kasi minsan exaggerated na sila.

Actually, much of what we see today in Luneta and Intramuros is also because of her initiative. Museums and hotels are built up around Manila. And let's admit it; the image of Manila before is so high compared today. Before, critics were jeering at her because she wanted the IMF-WB Conference in 1976 and the Manila Interantional Film Fest to be held here. And she actually made it that's why the PICC and Manila Film Center was built. Now, I can't even think of an international event being held here (perhaps the Miss Universe 1994?). I guess Manila is already out of their radar screens.

yeah... Imelda really did a great job as Governor of Manila back then... she had concrete plans on what she wanted Manila to be.... to bad that the mayors who took over Manila and may other cities in the Metro that they have let the old glory to be lost... she may have wanted to portray Manila as a prosperous city (which it was back then) by uplifting the arts.. making the Philippines the center of performing arts in Asia in the 70s...

nowadays, politicians focused more on getting their votes rather than keeping their cities in order... ika nga... nung nawala yung malaking buwaya.. yung maliliit naglabasan kung kaya mas masmahirap na ang buhay ngayon...

Imelda may be naive and have a tarnished image because of the wrongs she and her husband did... but still they have left good lasting legacies that we still use today... I just hope that current politicians and the public will not shrug them off...

MyNameIsJonathan

October 16th, 2006, 11:03 PM

Imelda had really good visions for our country, she just got caught up in herself, and did them in bad ways.

October 16th, 2006, 11:13 PM

those good things we just usual to come becoz the philippines is booming at that time not becoz of imelda and the marcoses are such geniuses!!!... actually they are the ones who caused the downfall of the philippines and the mess they left behind we still carry on till today...!!!

jadebench

October 18th, 2006, 02:50 AM

mas natawa ako dun nung idinrawing nya yung "philosophy" niya... mga symbols ng hearts atbp. na pagsinama-sama magiging isang malaking smiling face.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slDXmHQg09s

chixbebe

October 19th, 2006, 05:38 AM

At last, Imelda with her three children will be facing charges for a P51-billion corruption case that the PCGG has filed in 1987.

The case was not dismissed when the Marcos’s asked for the dismissal of the case for the former President Ferdinand Marcos has been deceased, but court ruled that the government must proceed in pursuing its claim against Marcos’ widow and the children as legal heirs.

The Sandiganbayan noted that it was vested with “exclusive and original jurisdiction” over all cases of the PCGG concerning funds, properties and any other assets acquired by the Marcos family, their relatives and associates.

This only proves that no matter whom you are, if you disobey the rule of law, if you will not be punished now, you will still get it at the later part of your life and the worst thing is that you get along with you your love ones that has become also the victim of your mistake.

TheAvenger

October 19th, 2006, 06:05 AM

siguro ako sa kanya, gumawa siyang dambuhalang museum tungkol kay ferdinand na kasama lahat ng naisulat nun pati lahat ng articles tungkol kay marcos, hindi lang yung puro positive isama din pati negative. para makatulong naman si imelda sa aming mga history majors na gumagawa ng thesis papers sa Marcos Studies.

isama nyo rin sa thesis na bawat ipinagawang project ni Imelda ay inutang lang sa world bank at maraming porsiyento silang nakuha sa bawat project na ipinagawa nila. hindi rin dapat ipagmalaki ninuman ang paggawa ng Cultural Center building sa reclamation area, dahil sa noong mag collapse ang parts ng
building na yaon ay maraming natabunan ng buhay pa noong sa pagmamadali ni Imelda na matapos agad para makahabol sa International Beauty contest noon, ay pinatabunan na lang nila ng concrete. at na suppress ang mga news sa nangyaring yaon. sana kasama nang natabunan sila Imelda at Ferdie noon.

OtAkAw

October 19th, 2006, 09:25 AM

you watched that documentary film "Imelda"? my god! she was so naive.

Nope, I can do better than just scowl at old people.

heathcliff

October 19th, 2006, 09:44 AM

le Reine

October 19th, 2006, 01:52 PM

isama nyo rin sa thesis na bawat ipinagawang project ni Imelda ay inutang lang sa world bank at maraming porsiyento silang nakuha sa bawat project na ipinagawa nila. hindi rin dapat ipagmalaki ninuman ang paggawa ng Cultural Center building sa reclamation area, dahil sa noong mag collapse ang parts ng
building na yaon ay maraming natabunan ng buhay pa noong sa pagmamadali ni Imelda na matapos agad para makahabol sa International Beauty contest noon, ay pinatabunan na lang nila ng concrete. at na suppress ang mga news sa nangyaring yaon. sana kasama nang natabunan sila Imelda at Ferdie noon.

It was not the Cultural Center it was the Manila Film Center. And if there were really a lot of victims, why don't they run now against the Marcoses as what was being pointed out in eye-witness?

And granted na may corruption sa pagpapagawa ng mga projects na iyon, hindi ba't nagagamit pa rin natin sila ngayon? Unlike sa mga projects ng mga politiko natin ngayon na madaling masira at walang kuwenta. At least yung pinagawa niya ay may long-term benefits. Hindi ko naman sinasabing walang corruption eh, sabi ko lang useful pa rin siya ngayon. And not to mention yung mga ideas niya na kakaiba naman talaga compared sa mga pag-iisip ng mga politiko ngayon. Imelda's right when she said in the film that polticians were only concerned in mediocre things.

demented_pigeon

October 20th, 2006, 09:34 AM

OtAkAw

October 20th, 2006, 09:38 AM

Wala na tayong magagawa sa mga kabalstugang ginawa ng mga Marcoses, remember MOST Filipinos are very FORGETFUL.

3cr

October 23rd, 2006, 10:11 AM

Dang ninakawan nanaman ang mga taong bayan. So this is what happened to the so-called Marcos ill gotten wealth. Ano ba naman yan GMA where's the checks and balances? Aba abuso na yan at hindi naman dapat gamitin yang perang iyan for these purposes. How many times do you have to F***K us people over with your gov't corruption! Maawa naman kayo sa mga taong bayan.

FM wealth ends up as milking cow
Projects unrelated to CARP charged to recovered P35B
By PETER J.G. TABINGO
Malaya
http://www.malaya.com.ph/oct23/news1.htm

FOR 23 months between February 2004 and December 2005, the P35 billion recovered Marcos Swiss deposits was everyone’s milking cow.

Politicians, media outfits, non-government organizations, officials of national agencies, executives of government-owned and controlled corporations, and private individuals all siphoned off millions that should otherwise have gone exclusively to implementation the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.

Where some took efforts to conceal the looting, others simply did their embezzlement with the ease and familiarity of withdrawing cash from an ATM.

Preliminary findings from a special audit of disbursements made by CARP-implementing agencies (CIAs) for 2004 and 2005 revealed questionable fund releases amounting to P419.56 million.

The team of government auditors clarified that the sum was based only on their "review of selected accounts."

In some cases, funds released were only compared to reported accomplishments. Verification of claimed accomplishments has yet to be completed.

In a 233-page report, the COA said the total amount squandered stands at least P3 billion. The actual amount involved in hundreds of irregularities so far documented could be much larger as the investigation conducted was hampered by time constraints and the refusal of several agencies to cooperate.

Among the irregular charges were payment of salaries, bonuses and benefits and operating expenses of personnel of CIAs; purchases of drugs and other medical supplies delivered to congressmen and provincial governors instead of agrarian reform communities; insurance coverage for DAR college scholars; and hiring of "additional janitors" who ended up doing clerical work and contractual workers whose functions had no relation whatsoever to CARP.

Also held invalid were cellular phone subsidies for government officials and employees; reimbursement of travel expenses of personnel not related to CARP; funds skimmed off as "overhead" from CARP appropriations to the Department of Public Works and Highways and the National Irrigation Administration, and hiring of consultants who did not render work for CARP.

Auditors said the Department of Agrarian Reform usurped the functions of the Department of Health and local government units when it entered into drug/medicine procurement contracts for P27.96 million in 2004 and 2005.

Of this amount, P4,006,623.60 worth of medical supplies was delivered to nine congressmen and three provincial governors.

The COA noted that there was no evidence provided by the DAR or the recipient lawmakers and LGU executives to prove that the medicines were intended for agrarian reform beneficiaries or if they actually went to these beneficiaries.

"Medical missions are (the) responsibility of the LGU and the Department of Health. There were even no documents to show that these medicines were indeed distributed to ARBs," the audit report pointed out.

The recipient lawmakers from biggest downwards were: Rep. Luis Villafuerte (Kampi, Camarines Sur), P599,676.80; Rep. Rafael Nantes (LP, Quezon), P459,526.80; Rep. Aurelio Umali (LP, Or. Mindoro), P450,075.60; Rep. Eileen Ermita-Buhain (Lakas-CMD, Batangas), P299,968.00; Rep. Lorenzo Tañada (LP, Quezon), P263,523.20; Rep. Eduardo Fermalo (sic) (Kampi, Romblon), P250,079.60; Rep. Eduardo (sic) Suarez, P214,882; Rep. Manuel Ortega (NPC, La Union ), P199,996.00, Rep. Ding (sic) Roman, P119,144.80.

(Editor’s note: The only member of the House of Representative surnamed Suarez is Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez (LP). (Rep. Antonino Roman (LP, Bataan ) is the only Roman in the House. His father is former Bataan Gov. Leonardo "Ding" Roman.)

Likewise named in the COA report were: Gov. Josephine Sato (Occ. Mindoro), P449,994; Gov. Bellaflor Angara-Castillo ( Aurora ), P449,677.20; Gov. Barceles (sic) P81, 153.20.

(Editor’s note: There is no "Gov. Barceles" sitting as governor of any province. The closest name in spelling is Gov. Leandro Verceles whose province, Catanduanes, also received a separate delivery of P168,926.40 worth of medical supplies.)

DAR explained the medical disbursements were made at the request of LGUs concerned "in support of their health/medical services program involving farmer beneficiaries in their localities" but auditors insisted funds for such programs should come either from the LGUs or the DoH.

CALL AND TEXT TO THE MAX

CARP is all about the soil – and electronic gadgets galore.

Officials and personnel of DAR and the Land Registration Authority went shopping for the some of most expensive mobile phones in the market and incurred runaway bills.

DAR bought 58 mobile phone units in 2004 with prices ranging from P16,227 to P32,500.

The following year it acquired 52 more to the tune of P1.42 million with tag prices of P10,120 to P48,000.

The agency paid a whopping P4.53 million in cellular line and prepaid accounts in 2004 which further ballooned to P5.34 million in 2005.

Not satisfied, a number of them even reimbursed prepaid card expenses, even if their cellular phones were enrolled in post-paid plans.

"The line subscribed by DAR with Smart and Globe already covered free units. The procurement of 110 cell phone units is already questionable unless it could be demonstrated that the same were given to other authorized cell phone users not enjoying line services. The cost per unit of as much as P48,000 could also not be considered reasonable," the report said.

Who ended up using the 110 phones cannot be traced however as there were no names written on the acknowledgment receipts. DAR failed to submit the list of en-users despite repeated requests.

Not to be outdone, LRA officials also charged P552,243 cellular phone bills to the Agrarian Reform Fund although their work were not related to CARP. The huge bills were incurred because many were allowed to secure post-paid lines with both Smart and Globe while others reimbursed prepaid card expenses.

LRA administrator Benedicto Ulep led the list with P166,418.40 followed by Makati Registry of Deeds Ronaldo Ortile with P59,431.65 and Records Officer III Matilde Silang with P45,554.18.

On the other hand, CARP personnel assigned at the LRA exceeded their mobile account limits by P245,949.57.

MEDIA GOODWILL AT A PRICE

DAR shelled out P127.24 million for its media blitz in 2004 and 2005.

Audit records showed print and broadcast advertising got P45.6 million while media "consultancy" bled the ARF for P34.08 million in addition to "printing and binding" amounting to P33.04 million and subscriptions worth P14.51 million.

Of these four expenditures, only advertising underwent audit evaluation.

Under the law, regulations need to be published in at least two newspapers of general circulation before they can take effect.

DAR published its advertisements for CARP anniversaries and accomplishments/activities in as many as eight different print media outlets.

The agency said its extravagant media campaign was crucial in "maintaining peace and order in the rural areas" because it shed light on what the government is doing to address unequal distribution of land.

The Free Press Magazine was the runaway choice of DAR for its print advertising cornering P1.59 million followed by:

Philippine Daily Inquirer, P832,678; Philippine Star, P639,679; Manila Bulletin, P630,525; Manila Standard Today, P444,852; Graphic Magazine, P295,000; Manila Times, P291,051; The Daily Tribune, P204,484; Malaya, P174,011, and Businessworld, P160,380.

pau_p1

October 25th, 2006, 07:39 AM

WTF!... that's why I think that that fund should have gone directly to the IMF or World Bank.... it could have eased out our debts instead of it waiting in the banks for the DAR to slowly milk it out...

demented_pigeon

October 25th, 2006, 07:43 AM

wag naman sa imf at world bank... hilig nilang magbigay ng utang na di kayang bayaran. sa dar, palpak naman ang CAR. masyadong maraming pabor na binigay sa mga haciendero at mga crony ni marcos at ni aquino na malalaking mga panginoong maylupa at mga haciendero... gaya na lang nung stock distribution option.

pau_p1

October 25th, 2006, 07:48 AM

well... kung sa IMF at World Bank syempre di sya basta ibibigay.. kasi ipambabayad natin sa utang natin sa kanila...

demented_pigeon

October 25th, 2006, 07:52 AM

basta dapat lesson na natutunan after kina marcos: huwag umutang ng hindi kayang bayaran at huwag gawing cornerstone ang paggamit ng chemical pesticides and fertilizers sa isang policy of agrarian revolution.

3cr

October 26th, 2006, 06:37 PM

FM funds handled by Palace vanishes
Not a centavo of P20M was received by ‘recipient’
BY PETER TABINGO
Malaya
http://www.malaya.com.ph/oct27/news1.htm

THE Office of the President received at least P53 million of the questionable releases by the Department of Land Reform from the confiscated Marcos Swiss deposits.

Of the amount, P20 million disappeared without a trace.

A review by the Commission on Audit of DLR’s expenditures in 2004 showed the agency transferred P20 million to the OP under the President’s Social Fund in December 2004 as "assistance to calamity stricken agrarian reform communities (ARCs) affected by typhoons Winnie and Yoyong."

According to the resident auditor of the OP, the sum was forwarded to the Department of National Defense-National Disaster Coordinating Council (DND-NDCC).

Along the way, the money vanished.

A letter of the resident auditor of the NDCC confirmed that not a single centavo of the P20 million from the President’s Social fund arrived.

Auditors were puzzled why DLR undertook such a fund transfer as NDCC had a P700 million appropriation under the 2003 re-enacted budget.

"The fund released to DND-NDCC was not yet liquidated to DAR and could not even be traced by the audit team leaders in both OP and NDCC books. The DAR’s (DLR’s) claim then that the (sum) was used to ease the difficulties of calamity-stricken ARCs has no basis," the COA said.

Also questioned was a P2 million "financial assistance" to the Aniban ng mga Magsasaka sa Niyugan Inc. under the National Anti-Poverty Commission-Farmer Secretariat Council, an agency also directly under the OP.

Auditors said NAPC had its own regular allocation of P49.544 million under the re-enacted 2003 national budget.

In addition, DLR handed P514,095 to the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, another agency under the OP.

According to DLR, P334,095 was earmarked for "reimbursement of expenses during the NCIP’s consultative activities" while P180,000 was in the form of "financial support."

COA said NCIP also had its own regular allocation.

On whose authority the fund transfers were carried out remained murky as the executive committee of the Presidential Agrarian Reform Council had issued no resolution or order of special release.

The PARC disputed the portion of COA’s report that contained a negative review of a supposed P30-million livelihood development aid handed by DLR in 2004 to the National Council on Food Security and Job Creation (NCFJBC), yet another agency under the OP.

The amount was described as "long-term equity investment" in the Calauag, Quezon Province Integrated Coconut Processing Plant Inc. (CQPICPPI). Less than 18 months after getting the money, the project was shut down.

Again, not a single centavo could be accounted for.

With the money, NCFJBC was directed to "establish a coconut processing plant" whose earnings were supposed to be turned over to the National Agribusiness Corp. for "reinvestment in similar undertakings."

On inspection by the COA audit team of the plant site on Aug. 25, 2006, the area was silent and cold – as silent and cold as the trail of the P30 million it devoured.

DLR said it was exerting efforts to recover the investment, along with any cash it was hoping to find in the project’s bank account.

It said it was having difficulties in transferring CQPICPPI’s facilities to the government "due to the difficulty in locating the concerned officials who handled the project (the NCFJBC) because said office under the OP has been abolished."

PARC, in its response to the COA review, tried to pass the blame on former Budget Secretary Emilia T. Boncodin, who was allegedly responsible for proposing the investment during a cabinet meeting in September 2003.

COA, however, had the last word on who had the responsibility.

It said PARC-Excom Resolution No. 2003-93-01 says that, "whereas, in March this year, the Office of the President directed the establishment of a coconut processing plant…"

Animo

October 27th, 2006, 09:45 PM

http://media.collegepublisher.com/media/paper823/stills/4366vx3o.jpg

Since he was six years old, senior Anton Del Rosario hasn't been able to get away from his love of soccer. He fell in love with the game from the first day he played.

His parents stirred his interest in the game as a child when he started playing for a team in Hillsborough. He had a successful career at Burlingame High School. He continued his passion when he decided to play club soccer in Burlingame.

Anton's inspiration for the game is very family-inspired. Not only did his parents encourage him to play, but his brother inspired him as well.

"My brother is very close to me. He is the one who turned soccer into my life."

Not only does Anton play soccer for NDNU, but he has also made an amazing accomplishment of playing on the Philippine National Team. When he lived in the Philippines for a couple years as a teen-ager, they asked him to try out for the team. Despite the nerves that come with trying out for any team, let alone a country's national team, he was selected as a member.

"I have been involved in the team since 2000. My first tournament was in 2004. I am now the starting RB for the team in this next tournament coming up in November."

On Oct. 31, Anton will leave California to play in the Philippines and won't be back until Nov. 24. Though he will miss a lot of school, he said representing one of his home countries (the other being Spain) is very important to him.

His coach once said to his team, "We are diplomats through sports."

This has stuck with Anton through his experience playing soccer for the Philippines. It gives him a sense of pride and passion to play for a country that is a part of his life.

http://www.theargonaut.net/media/storage/paper823/news/2006/10/25/Sports/Anton.Del.Rosario.Makes.Name.For.Himself.On.The.Philippine.National.Soccer.Team-2401646.shtml?norewrite200610271543&sourcedomain=www.theargonaut.net

oz.fil

October 28th, 2006, 12:30 PM

nayki

October 29th, 2006, 05:17 AM

Puto-kutsinta’ mix sets an int’l invasion

SASA, Davao City—Nenita Abad-Balino is a Tagala from Nueva Ecija who won over Davao with her, Kanegie Kakanin brand of puto, kutsinta, sapin-sapin and maja blanca instant mixes. The mixes are found in supermarket shelves all over Davao del Norte and have recently begun to be “exported” to Manila through the SM supermarket chain. She also has two mall-based pasalubong centers that sell ready-to-eat kakanin-sa-bilao like proverbial hotcakes.

When Nenita settled with husband Sammy in the latter’s native Davao City in 1993, she tried one small business after another to help her seaman husband support their young family. She had an ace up her sleeves: she knew how to formulate vanilla, lemon, and other food flavors, thanks to her Ate Rosario who learned the trade working in her husband’s food flavor enterprise in Malabon and passed it on to Nenita

Retailing was what Nenita tried at first. She ran a rolling store, a public market stall, and a sari-sari store—one after the other. She also supplied a leading store in Davao with volume quantities of the food flavorings she has learned to formulate, but orders from this one big client began to dwindle in time.

Within a year, it was clear that these tiny ventures were not getting them anywhere. Sammy suggested going back to Manila, but Nenita wasn’t about to go home “a loser.”

Giving birth twice

In 1994, after seven years of marriage and trying to have a baby, Nenita finally became pregnant and delivered a baby girl. Motherhood kept her homebound for a while, as Sam, who had just then turned his back to seafaring, minded the store.

As it turned out, it was not only a baby Nenita gave birth to but also another business project.

Boredom and the natural drive to create led Nenita to detour from the nursery to the kitchen, experimenting with food flavor and flour. Everyday, she had a new batch of puto and kutsinta. Today, pandan-flavored. Tomorrow, ube-flavored. The day after, durian-flavored. She must have exhausted her entire rack of flavorings.

Nenita’s first batches of puto-kutsinta found their first market at the canteen of a grade school nearby. Before long, she was supplying seven school canteens on consignment. She wasn’t making money, however, as bilaos of the kakanin were returned unsold and spoiled. Her luck with puto-kutsinta turned when she began supplying big hotels—Menseng Grand and Grand Royale hotels. As demand grew, she improved her bargaining position. Today, Nenita deals with these outlets no longer on consignment but on cash basis.

Within a year, Nenita had added sapin-sapin to her line of kakanin-to-go.

Next, she thought of producing kutsinta solution—a mixture of lye and water. This clicked and she was soon supplying NCC Supermarkets and Park ‘n’ Shop with bottles of the solution.

Diversifying, growing

It was just a matter of time and more kitchen experiments before Nenita developed an all-in-one pack kutsinta solution, flour and sugar. All a buyer had to do was to add water and then steam the mixture.

It was also just a matter of time before she introduced other all-in-one powdered mixes—cheese puto, maja blanca and sapin-sapin.

Today, Kanegie powdered mixes in many variants can be found in all supermarkets around Davao. These include Gaisano, Victoria Plaza, Park ‘n’ Shop, NCC, South City, SM Davao, and Buena Supermarkets. In addition she has a network of 15 distributors as far as GenSan and Cagayan de Oro City.

Last year, during a visit to Davao, SM-Manila’s procurement manager took an interest in Kanegie Kakanin mixes. The deal forged was an exclusive distributorship for SM of the products in the Manila and Luzon areas.

By this time, Nenita had moved production from her small kitchen to a 40-sq.m. area on the second floor of her two-story home in Sasa.

Eyeing more growth

With the successful entry of Kanagie Kakanin into the Manila market, Nenita expects bigger production volume. She needs to hire more people and buy more equipment like heavy-duty mixers and dispensers, pumps, and automatic packing and sealing machines.

As she is averse to sharing decision-making, she shuns suggestions to enter joint venture arrangements or look for financiers. What she needs, she says, is a big loan to enable her to upgrade her facilities.

Not that she lacks sources of credit. Her sister-in-law and some friends are open handed: she approaches them for small, quick loans. Cooperatives are also a good source of capital, she found out. Finding herself cash-strapped two years ago, she joined a cooperative and liked the experience. Today she is a member of four coops.

Sometimes she gets desperate enough to take her post-dated checks to someone willing to rediscount them.

She got wind of Micro Enterprise Bank’s credit program for micro entrepreneurs three years ago. She got a P50,000 loan to augment her working capital. She is now on her umpteenth loan cycle where she was able to get P150,000.

She is aware she has “graduated” from micro to small scale, and may no longer belong to the target clientele of Micro Enterprise Bank. Nenita wonders if a commercial or government bank would be willing to give her the kind of credit she needs, which she estimates to be “to the tune of about P1 million.”

In the meantime, she grabs every chance to promote her products. Last year, she joined the trade fair at the World Trade Center in Manila. This put her in touch with a Pasig-based international agent with whom she has begun negotiating to sell Kanegie Kakanin mixes to Australia, the United States and Guam.

Beyond Davao, Beyond Manila

Nenita’s ready-to-go kakanin and ready-to-cook mixes have undoubtedly won over Davao. And after successfully entering the Metro Manila and Luzon markets, she sees the international market beckoning.

Going by her record, Nenita seems bound for wherever she sets her eyes on.

http://business.inq7.net/money/topstories/view_article.php?article_id=29355

chixbebe

October 31st, 2006, 06:32 AM

GUILIN (via PLDT) — Bohol Gov. Erico Aumentado has signed a general sisterhood agreement with officials of Jiangxi province, which is expected to boost the exchange of tourists and investors between the two provinces.

The two provinces both have famous mountains. Bohol has the world-renowned Chocolate Hills, the only geological monument in the Philippines, while Jiangxi is noted for the Lushan mountain resort, which is included in the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s world cultural heritage site.

The sisterhood agreement aims to promote the beaches and mountains of Bohol as a destination for tourists from Jiangxi that has a population of 43 million, more than half of the Philippine population.

"If we can get only one percent of the 43 million population of Jiangxi, that would be 430,000 tourists and you can just imagine the impact of that to the economy," Aumentado said.

The agreement is also expected to heighten cooperation between the two sides in agriculture, mining industry, education and culture.

"Our hybrid rice came from Jiangxi and we have a technical cooperation in agriculture," Aumentado said.

In the mining sector, both provinces agreed to encourage and support the expansive exchanges in the exploration and development of mineral resources in coordination with the relevant mining and environment agencies of their governments.

In culture, sports and education, both governments will also have cooperation in the field of teacher and students exchange, joint research, sports, exhibitions, personal training in arts and corporate exchange between cultural and education departments, institutions of higher learning and existing organizations of the two provinces.

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said President Arroyo decided to include Jiangxi in her tour of China to convince Chinese businessmen to come to the Philippines the way Filipino-Chinese tycoons like Carlos Chan, manufacturer of the popular snack Oishi and Lucio Tan, with his Asia Brewery, have invested here.

mygz14

November 2nd, 2006, 04:32 AM

Arroyo daughter comes to defense of Filipinos in NAIA queue

http://newsinfo.inq7.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view_article.php?article_id=30102

adverg

November 3rd, 2006, 01:33 PM

That's the best thing Arroyo daughter do, I experience that also, sometimes our immigration are too boustful because they feel that they always have to be respected, it depends.......

dive-cebu

November 3rd, 2006, 02:17 PM

http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o2/slerz4/monique1.jpg

http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o2/slerz4/monique2.jpg

credits: slerz

MarkiiBoi

November 3rd, 2006, 02:38 PM

^^ But are the Americans aware that Monique is a Filipino? :dunno:

dive-cebu

November 3rd, 2006, 02:43 PM

^^ i think for some, not all...

le Reine

November 4th, 2006, 03:16 AM

^I'm so proud. That's all I can say right now. I'm really really proud of her.

OtAkAw

November 4th, 2006, 08:22 AM

Me too. Well she's French too right? And since she is a fashion designer people will focus more on her being French rather than her being Filipino.

dive-cebu

November 4th, 2006, 08:34 AM

^^ you're right but she's born and raised in the philippines. she studied fashion design in the US and had her apprenticeship in France...

chixbebe

November 6th, 2006, 12:37 PM

EFREN “Bata” Reyes scored a nerve-wracking 8-7 victory over young Polish star Radoslaw “The Choir Boy” Babica to keep his hopes alive of qualifying for the knockout Round of 64 in the 2006 Philippines World Pool Championship.

In a match that at times agonized the hometown crowd at the Philippine International Convention Center, Reyes looked ready to be ousted when he missed some easy-looking shots like those he flubbed in his 7-8 loss to American Tony Crosby in an error-filled performance on opening day Saturday.

Reyes is regarded as the greatest pool player of all time, but the capacity crowd who cheered his magic shots grew restless when Babica won the lag and took the opening rack. But Reyes capitalized on an error by Babica to move ahead, 2-1, before a break and run-out saw him take a 3-1 lead.

The Polish star put Reyes under constant pressure with some excellent safeties that forced the Filipino to foul. After tying the count at 4-4, Babica grabbed the lead at 5-4 behind a superb break and precise pocketing.

Reyes switched to the right side of the table because his break was not working, and that quickly paid off as he pocketed three balls on the break and ran out in style to once again draw level at 5-5.

Then it was Reyes’ turn to resort to testing safeties, forcing Babica to use his jump cue twice without getting anything down. The Magician then went ahead 6-5 with a series of exquisite shots.

After Reyes missed his shots on the 2-ball when on the hill at 7-6, Babica clawed back to bring it to a hill-hill showdown. But Babica missed a tough shot early in the rack and Reyes, with a table-length bank shot on the 1-ball, wrapped up the match.

Reyes said later that he succumbed to unusual pressure. He made his shots in tight situations but missed the easy ones. He said he was hoping to win by a big margin to give him a cushion in the event of a three-way tie for second place in their group of four.

He would have to beat Indonesia ‘s Roy Apancho by a spread in his final match to be assured of a place in the Round of 64, after Apancho defeated Babica earlier, 8-1.

In the other matches, Ramil “Bebeng” Gallego scored an 8-6 win over favored Rob Saez of the US to advance to the knockout phase after an 8-4 victory over Tepwin Arunnath of Thailand.

Promising young lefty Jeffrey De Luna, who is representing the Philippines in the Asian Games in Qatar this December, scored an 8-6 win over England’s Kevin Uzzel to the delight of Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines president Ernesto Fajardo, who had predicted a great future for him.

But lanky Ronnie Alcano bowed out of the tournameant. After losing to Vietnam’s Luong Chi Dung 7-8 on opening day, he was routed by German ace Christian Reimering, 3-8.

In an all-Filipino clash, Rudy Morta beat Roland Garcia 8-6, while US-based Santos Sambajon lost 3-8 to Indonesia’s Ricky Yang, who was runner-up to Reyes in the Jakarta leg of the San Miguel Asian-Ball Tour recently.

Truly...Pinoys Pride!!!!:banana:

kiretoce

November 6th, 2006, 03:53 PM

Imelda Marcos to launch bling-bling accessories line
By Karishma Vyas www.washingtonpost.com (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/06/AR2006110600266.html) Monday, November 6, 2006

MANILA (Reuters) - Imelda Marcos, the Philippines' former first lady famed for her rapacious extravagance, plans to launch a line of cheap accessories and sports shoes aimed at the youth market this month.

The widow of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, renowned for amassing 1,500 pairs of shoes and a vast collection of jewels during her husband's 20 year regime, told reporters on Monday her trinkets and sneakers would be affordable to the masses.

"This is more than about money because money can only buy you food and things like that, but only beauty can feed your soul and your spirit," said Marcos, wearing a chunky blue brooch and matching earrings.

The Imelda Collection, a range of low-cost but glitzy jewelry, bags and trainers, is aimed at a generation not yet born when the former beauty queen swept through Manila's corridors of power in sequined stilettos and diamond tiaras.

"I think the younger generation are much more open to my mother because the older generation has prejudged her," Imee Marcos, a Congresswoman and the eldest of the Marcos children, said.

Reporters were not shown the accessories, which Imee said would include pieces from her mother's own collection as well as designs created by Imee and her son, underwear model Fernando Manotoc.

Ferdinand Marcos and his family have been accused of looting up to $10 billion from the impoverished Southeast Asian country in bank deposits, shares, jewelry, art and property before he was ousted by an army-backed popular revolt in 1986.

Decades before hip hop artists came up with the term "bling bling" to describe gaudy ostentation, Filipinos used the phrase "Imeldific" to describe acts of excess.

Imelda returned to the Philippines in 1991 from exile in Hawaii, where her husband had died in 1989. Once feared, she is now seen by many as an eccentric figure of fun and has run for president and won a term in Congress.

A Manila court found her innocent of one set of corruption charges last month but she still faces 10 more graft cases and dozens of civil suits over billions of dollars in unexplained wealth amassed during her husband's rule.

She still faces hundreds of cases accusing her of illegally transferring millions of U.S. dollars overseas.

Animo

November 6th, 2006, 08:36 PM

http://www.theepochtimes.com/news_images/highres/2006-11-4-festival-sd.jpg

SAN DIEGO - The Samahan Filipino American Performing Arts and Education Center (Samahan) showcased another beautiful performance this year with their 32nd Annual Concert of Philippine Dances and Music.

The show began with the traditional dances of the Cordillera Mountain people. Dancing to the deep ring of bronze gangas, a tongatong, and the sound of drums, performers illustrated stories of courtship, hunting and celebration.

"It's a little stressful at times to practice and rehearse everyday," said dancer Samantha Manuel, "but when it's time to perform it all comes together."

The second part of the performance showcased the culture of the indigenous tribes of the islands of Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago – a region with cultures similar to Indonesia, Cambodia, and Thailand. One of the dances, entitled "Pangalay Hapattong" was gracefully performed atop bamboo poles. The most popular Mindanao dance, "Singkil" (A traditional Maranao women's bamboo dance) was especially choreographed for the performance and told the story of a lost princess and her heroic rescue.

"This was my favorite part of the show, I like the sound of the kulintang." Said Michelle Calimlim.

The later part of the show featured beautiful music performed by a Spanish-derived string orchestra called a "Rondalla" and presented the elegant dances that were popular after the Spanish colonization. The show ended with lively dances from the rural countryside, depicting the simple and playful lifestyles of the people who live there.

"If you have an art form, make it beautiful for the people," said Samahan founder Lolita Carter. "A lot of people are seeing this for the first time. What you are seeing here is a true expression of art."

http://www.theepochtimes.com/news/6-11-5/47789.html

Animo

November 6th, 2006, 08:40 PM

http://cmsimg.guampdn.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=M0&Date=20061021&Category=COMMUNITIES&ArtNo=610210301&Ref=AR&MaxW=600&Q=80

From the Pattong, or Bontoc War Dance, to the Spanish-influenced Jota Caviteña with its castanets, a student cultural dance group from the Philippines will spotlight traditional song and dance.

The Central Luzon State University's Student Cultural Society Dance Troupe is scheduled to perform next Friday at the Palace Hotel Guam, says event organizer Emelio Uy.

The dance group will be joined by singing veteran Renz Verano, who returns for a second performance in the last three months. Verano performed with The Aegis Band at the University of Guam in August.
The performances are expected to bring family-fun entertainment that also may teach a new generation of Filipino-Americans about the importance of song and dance in Filipino culture, Uy said.

The Central Luzon State University Student Cultural Dance Troupe will perform at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 27 at the Guam Marriott Resort and Spa.

The show, titled "Handog 15," is brought to Guam by the University of Guam Tagalog Language Program in cooperation with the Nueva Ecija Family Association of Guam. General admission tickets are $20, and $15 for students. The cultural concert will benefit the UOG language lab and the victims of Typhoon Xangsane, dubbed 'Milenyo' in the Philippines.

PRESERVING CULTURE
Preserving the cultural heritage has been the main objective of the Student Cultural Society. This goal has been carried out over the years through its series of cultural shows in different tourism areas and key cultural venues in the Philippines, such as the Folk Arts Theatre, Cultural Center of the Philippines, Intramuros, Westin Philippines Plaza Hotel, Marikina Riverbank, Paskuhan Village and more. The group has catered to local and international audiences.

Under the tutelage of different skilled choreographers over the years, the legacy of the SCS lives on and continues to penetrate even the international arena.

From a simple group of talented performers known as the University Cultural Group in 1972, the Student Cultural Society was created and named as the university's official dance troupe through resolution. Incorporated in this resolution were full and partial scholarships granted to SCS members who would pass the year-end evaluation. Later, in the 1980s, the free dormitory privilege was approved.

"Handog" is a Tagalog word meaning "a tribute, a gift." The show is titled No. 15 because the show on Guam is the 15th in a series of cultural shows featuring Filipino songs and dances.

The first "Handog" was for international scientists at PhilRice; the second "Handog" for University of Hawaii students when they visited CLSU; the third presentation was for the Masons; the fourth for the University of Guam students when they visited CLSU; the fifth for the Rotarians; the sixth for the freshmen and new students of CLSU; and seventh for the Guam community.

http://www.guampdn.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061021/COMMUNITIES/610210301

Animo

November 6th, 2006, 08:41 PM

Australian-based Filipino artist Edd Aragon, 57, has just successfully mounted his second one-man show in Sydney which featured paintings that are all blank, white canvases! However, the images are revealed under ultra-violet light. What makes Aragon’s paintings unique and innovative is his use of ultra-violet reactive paint he personally formulated, emitting a mesmerising, bluish glow under UV lights. The artist calls this medium “Aragonite” (from a UV light reactive mineral first discovered in Aragon, Spain), which he explored and synthesized with various acrylic polymers for the past six years in his Sydney studio.

During the opening on Oct. 7, two rock personalities from the Philippines, Wally Gonzalez and Pepe Smith of the iconic Juan dela Cruz Band, graced the event. Alfredo “Ding” Roces gave a speech, which gave insight not only on the artist but on the condition of the Filipino artists in Australia:

“Noong 2003 meron po akong sinulat na tatlong tanaga (In 2003, I wrote three tanagas):

Ang Pinoy parang maya

lahat ng sulok, dyan s’ya

para munting ligaya

lilipad sa Ostralya

Japayuki at mama

TNT sa ‘merica

Atsay pa sa Roma

mail-order bride sa Mt. Isa

Sana sikat ang Pinoy

sana utak ‘di tsampoy

Kung lilipad ang baboy

babangun din si Macoy

“As it is impossible to provide an English translation for these tanagas, nonsense rhyme, let me explain to true blue Aussies among us here tonight that is it all simply a laugh at our migrant status here in Oz.

“Edd Aragon and I go back to green years here in Sydney in the late ’70s. Edd successfully negotiated that which for some other new migrants proved impossible, the difficult transformation from cartoonist for the Philippine Daily Express to editorial illustrator for the Sydney Morning Herald. Thrice he has bagged the prestigious Artist Of The Year award from the Australian Black and White Artists Society.

“As well as occupying himself with serious painting and sculpture, Edd—who let me tell you is one hyperactive guy —is into music: wheezing the harmonica, banging the piano and punishing us along the way with his singing while smoking whatever it is he is smoking. In like manner, Edd physically attacks wood with an electric saw, while also fooling around with a paint media he calls aragonite, and smoking whatever it is he is smoking.

“In our early years here in Sydney of the blissful ’80s, a handful of like-minded souls would get together wherever we could find a suitable room to sketch from life. Most often this was at the Kirribilli Community Arts Centre. We all had to pitch in to cover the model’s fee.

“Edd was, and still is, the great source for curvaceous models. Whereas sexy women take one look at me and instinctively cross their legs, Edd happily draws young chicks like moths to a flame.

“Among our companions of those good times I can recall a Pinoy TNT named Bogs Bolinao who worked at a plant manufacturing spoons and forks for Qantas Airlines. Bogs would send his paintings of the nude back to his wife in Manila which she parlayed for a tidy sum. We subsequently exhibited our work as a Manila-Sydney Group at an art gallery in Paddington.

“Throughout those times, Edd and I have invariably joined various group exhibits set up by the Filipino community, on one occasion held at the well-known Museum for Contemporary Arts. We never succeeded in selling anything. Through all our art activities here for over two decades we never ever got the slightest passing notice from the art community much less the feeblest of mentions from the media. As artists, we were invisible then. We remain invisible now.

“Nevertheless, the Filipino artist is also part of Australian culture whether this is recognized or not. Perhaps our artistic role of expressing the state of Australian culture today lies in our very invisibility. It says something doesn’t it? We came to Australia to be free, and if the price of freedom is anonymity, so be it.

“Tell me, does the artistic community know of a Filipino artist in Australia? They could stroll right past one in the busy streets of Sydney and walk right through him as if he were a ghost. In fact, were you to jog any city street, beach or bushland in Oz in search of a Filipino artist, you will encounter only an anonymous face in a faceless crowd. In the effort to keep at least body, if not soul, in one piece that elusive Pinoy artist is probably a kitchen hand, or a masseur, or an advertising illustrator.

“The reason for this hapless situation may well be because Filipino art is not exotic enough to stand out like Aboriginal or Chinese art; or inversely, it could also just as easily be that the Filipino artist has not managed to successfully depict Australian life—the kangaroos, the gum trees, the hand-wrestling with crocodiles, the intoxicating life in the barbecue pit. That’s understandable, considering he is after all a new migrant—not quite dinky-di Aussie but no longer adobo-marinated Pinoy. Whatever the reason, the Filipino as artist in Australia is one hundred percent invisible.

“Now and then, with modest exhibits here and there, there have been attempts at going public. But as far as I can tell, after two and a half decades of breathing the air here, no one in Australia has spotted this phantom of the art gallery.

“Whether ignored or not, Filipino artists do exist in this country. And how nice it would be were they recognized as artists.

“By now you are asking yourself, why the hell is he banging the tub about the invisibility of the migrant artist instead of talking about this exhibit of Edd’s? Because to my mind, looking at these new paintings on show, Edd’s current work speaks to me about visibility and invisibility. Under ordinary light his new canvases are white and empty. Invisible paintings. But under ultra violet light, or what is known as blacklighting in the billboard advertising game, strange images appear.

“It seems to me, the new migrant to Australia is like these aragonite paintings. Blank and invisible to those who only see from a certain cultural framework, to those who apply only one special code for recognition within a closed exclusively English speaking mode. But place him under a different light, his own light, a light equally valid and equally luminous, and we might uncover perhaps unique noble traits and virtues. We may encounter basic humanity behind that anonymous facade

“Painting is not merely an image on canvas hanging on a wall. The viewer is asked to confront that image. The result of this confrontation decides what happens to the work of art. You have the artist-creator, you have his work, and you have the viewer. The three must interact and come together to produce the beauty and magic of art.

“From ancient Greek philosopher Aesculus come these words: ‘Though they had eyes to see, they saw to no avail; they had ears, but understood not; but like to shape in dreams, throughout their length of days, without purpose they wrought all things in confusion.’

“If we are not prepared to see, if we are not prepared to give the art and the artist, be he migrant or not, a fair go, we will encounter only a blank canvas. If we keep our minds open to the variety and wonders of Life and Nature, if we turn on a responsive light, we will see rainbow, lightning, a flight of sparrows, the Milky Way. We will discover people with different looks but identical dreams and hopes, with common fears and loves. And we will learn.

“Now some of you may say: It’s just a gimmick. UV painting is nothing new, even tattoos come in UV form these days. And you may well be right. As Spanish poet Ramon de Campoamor once wrote:

En este Mundo traidor

Nada es verdad ni es mentira

Todo es segun el color

Del cristal en que se mira

In this treacherous world

There is neither truth nor lie

Everything depends on the color

Of the crystal through one sees

“Good onya, Edd Aragon! May those mysterious rumblings beneath your clean white canvas give the Filipino artist a touch of visibility. Mabuhay si Edd at ang secreto ng mga blank canvas niya.”

http://www.tribune.net.ph/life/20061105lif1.html

chixbebe

November 7th, 2006, 09:24 AM

The Philippines’ abundant supply of educated, English-speaking workers is the country’s ticket to rapid development, the World Bank (WB) said.

WB country director Joachim Von Amsberg said the Philippines can join the ranks of developed East Asian countries by developing its human resources.

According to Von Amsberg, the country has great assets and potential, citing that Filipino workers are strong in the electronics and business services industry.

However, he said some government policies may have an adverse effect on the country’s growth like tax incentives given to some industries.

That is why there are many of us being hired in the different parts of the world because of our talents and capabilities in any kind of work.

kiretoce

November 7th, 2006, 07:35 PM

Julio Iglesias sings in Tagalog
By Isah V. Red

Lower those raised eyebrows, because it’s true. The Spaniard who conquered the world with Spanish boleros is back in romantic mode, singing all those romantic classics of the American pop, like “Everybody’s Talking,” “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart?,” “Always On My Mind,” “Waiting For A Girl Like You,” and ‘‘It’s Impossible,” among others.

Julio was once married to a Filipina, Isabel Preysler, who bore him three beautiful children —Chabeli, Julio Jr., and Enrique. Although the couple has been divorced since 1978, they remained quite close as friends. Julio, at every chance, would tell Filipinos he meets—most recently Ryan Cayabyab who worked with him on two songs in Marbella, Spain—that he has a soft spot for the Philippines.

The Filipino songwriter/arranger/orchestra conductor and most recently Philippine Idol judge flew to Spain (along with local Sony BMG’s Vic Valenciano) to work on two tracks for the Philippine edition of Romantic Classics, Julio’s newest CD release. They stayed in a villa inside the Iglesias’ estate in Marbella for four days during the recording of the song “Crazy” with Tagalog lyric, and “All of You,” also with Tagalog words. The latter is a duet with Filipino singer Lea Salonga, although they didn’t record it together. Lea’s part was recorded in Manila and the master was sent to New York for mixing.

The two bonus tracks are exclusive to the Philippine market, although Julio also did the same in Bahasa Indonesia for the Indonesian market. For the Chinese market, he only did “Crazy” in Mandarin.

Over lunch at Chateau 1771 last weekend, Ryan recalled the experience working with the most famous of the Iglesias brood—although lately he is getting tough competition from Enrique—at his expansive estate.

“Julio seems to be a perfectionist,” Ryan said. “He would record the whole song and then we listen to it, and then he would ask where he did badly. He would listen to comments, make notes on a piece of paper, and then record the whole thing again. That would last for about two to three hours, then he’d call it a day. The following day we would be at the studio again, repeating the process until he heard everything. From the takes, he’d work on the final cut with his engineer.”

Ryan appeared to have been amazed at how Julio arrived at the final vocal track of the two tunes he did for this album. “I wanted to share this experience with Filipino recording artists, although it was kind of tedious, but it produced very satisfying results.’’

The two tracks for the Philippine edition of Romantic Classics is apparently Sony BMG’s way of re-introducing Julio Iglesias to a new generation of music audience, and at the same time attract the devoted fans of Julio to lap up the new album.

“He is every bit excited about the Tagalog tracks, but he had some difficulties in the enunciation of the words,” Ryan said. “He was at some point irked at phonetics peculiar to the Tagalog language, particularly the ‘nga’ and ‘ang’ sounds. But he tried his best to pronounce the words correctly.’’

So, Julio Iglesias fans, go and get your copy of Romantic Classics at music and video stores now. If you’re a Lea Salonga fan as well, you might as well get a copy for posterity. After all, no other Filipino singer had the privilege of singing with the legendary Latin lover Julio Iglesias. That’s on record.

kiretoce

November 7th, 2006, 07:40 PM

RP makes history, ranks 3rd in Yahoo! time capsule project
By Erwin Oliva 11/07/2006

THE PHILIPPINES has made Internet history, according to Yahoo!

The country now ranks third in terms of the most contributions to the Yahoo! digital time capsule, a digital anthropology project that allows people all over the world to contribute digital photos, text and videos in a portal, said Jason Coates, regional communications manager of Yahoo! Southeast Asia, in a telephone interview.

Coates said more than 5,000 contributions have come from the Philippines. Most of the contributions were in the form of digital photos of Filipinos.

“A lot of the images featured wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, kids and people on holiday,” Coates added, noting that most of these images were placed under the “love” category.

“This is a snapshot of life in the Internet today,” he added. “What this shows is an active Internet community in the Philippines. In fact, your country is way ahead of Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, Japan and other countries with bigger Internet population.”

The top three contributors are the United States (45,000), Mexico (8,000), and the Philippines. A total of 140,000 contributions have been recorded at this writing.

He said other Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia and Singapore were also active in sharing photos, text and video.

The Internet time capsule will be sealed for 15 years, and will be opened on Yahoo!’s 20th anniversary.

Since October 10, 2006, Yahoo! said contributions to the time capsule have come from more than 200 countries, with a large percentage of “uploads” from Asia.

Contributions will be accepted until November 8, 2006.

Contributions from the Philippines can be viewed at this website (http://timecapsule.yahoo.com/capsule.php), and click search and type "Philippines."

Lili

November 7th, 2006, 08:43 PM

^^ Hey, can we submit our SSC Photo collage there so that 15 years from now, we can view it and reminisce how our paths have come across all over the world through SSC and the internet?

Wouldn't that be neat? :)

Oh, we only have until tomorrow, Nov. 8.

kiretoce

November 7th, 2006, 08:52 PM

^^ That's a wonderful idea Lili! :okay: We still have some time left.

===========================================================================
Addendum:

Okay I contributed this photo for Yahoo's time capsule.
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d33/kiretoce/SSC%20pix/sscpinoy26pm.jpg

I will get confirmation from Yahoo (via my email) once they have accepted and added it to their collection. :colgate:

Lili

November 7th, 2006, 09:19 PM

^^ I made several attempts to submit this one complete with a description but I coudn't get to the 'submit' portion part.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k60/ECdoesit2/SSCPinoyMembers2.jpg

kiretoce

November 7th, 2006, 09:32 PM

^^ Yours was much better and I've taken the liberty and sent it in for consideration for the Yahoo! Time Capsule. Awaiting confirmation via email. :colgate:

Lili

November 7th, 2006, 09:41 PM

^^ Thanks Kimber! :okay:

kiretoce

November 7th, 2006, 11:16 PM

Got confirmation back from Yahoo! Here are the links:

@Lili's (http://timecapsule.yahoo.com/capsule.php?i=166689&t=fun&l=en)
@kiretoce's (http://timecapsule.yahoo.com/capsule.php?i=166580&t=fun&l=en)

Animo

November 8th, 2006, 07:42 PM

11/08/2006

By Roel Hoang Manipon, Staff Writer

Notable fashion designer Monique Lhuillier returns to the Philippines, arriving Monday, after making a name in the United States and the world, for a gala benefit dinner and fashion show on Nov. 12 at the Rizal Ballroom of the Shangri-La Hotel in Makati City. The show will feature the latest RTW Spring 2007 and Bridal Fall 2006 collections with Lhuillier’s famous Manolo Blahnik shoe collection.

Manila’s high society, business sector and media gave a warm welcome to Lhuillier, one of their own daughters who has made it big in the international realm. The diminutive and fresh Lhuillier sashayed in the press conference for the upcoming show yesterday together with her dashing husband and business partner Tom Bugbee.

This is her first big show in the country. Lhuillier revealed that the show had been planned for last year, but was pushed to a year later. During that time, she gave birth nine months ago. She said that she agreed to do the show because of its charity aspect. Lhuillier has been involved in charity before, from breast cancer research to helping children.

The proceeds of this dinner and show will go the Asia Society Philippine Foundation and ABS-CBN’s Bantay Bata 163. Asia Society’s thrust is to provide public high school teachers and children access to education programs and materials focused on Asia, while Bantay Bata concentrates on intervention in child abuse, as well as rescue and rehabilitation.

The RTW spring collection was shown in New York in September while the bridal collection was shown three weeks ago. There will be 48 looks for the night, Lhuillier said.

Fashion writers and critics have said that Lhuillier’s collections are safe, reprising many of her past designs, but her choice of colors and fabrics remain interesting. The colors forest green, bordeaux and black orchid were pointed out to be standouts in a season of pastels and florals. For fabrics, Lhuillier used linen raffia and burlap, which she said are like the local pineapple fabric piña. She said this is a perhaps the Philippine element in the show, and expressed a desire to use local fabrics in her future designs.

Another Philippine element is her penchant for beautiful dresses. How we like dressing up in beautiful dresses, she said. At least that was what she saw through her mother when she was growing up. Lhuillier’s designs are known for their femininity, luxury and modernity.

Of French and Spanish-Filipino lineage, Lhuillier was born in Cebu and studied at a boarding school in Lausanne, Switzerland, where she decided to pursue a career in fashion. She attended the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) and moved to Los Angeles. After school, she and Bugbee engaged and got married.

As a young bride, Lhuillier said that there was a void in the bridal gown market, and they decided to embark in a venture to fill in that void, opening a store featuring her first bridal collection in 1996. In 2002, she launched her ready-to-wear and evening wear division. Since then, her designs have been worn by celebrities and featured in prominent fashion magazines and television shows. Her collections are available in 140 stores worldwide including retailers like Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom. The collections in their entirety are in the Monique Lhuillier flagship salons in Beverly Hills and Minneapolis.

Starting with a staff of four, their company now employs 135 people. Lhuillier takes the creative side, while husband Tom handles the business aspect. Now, Lhuillier is currently building her own design team. Bugbee, on the other hand, is embarking on expansion. They are now starting with tabletop items like linens and china and undergoing negotiations with a handbag company. Down the line are fragrance and shoes. “The whole luxury lifestyle line,” Bugbee declared.

Lhuillier credited her success to having a “clear vision of where you want to go.”

Lhuillier said she looks up to prominent designers Vera Wang, Oscar dela Renta and Karl Lagerfeld, among several others. Although not very familiar with local designers, Lhuillier mentioned Inno Sotto, Rajo Laurel and Philip Rodriguez (“who made clothes for me when I was growing up”) as the Filipino designers she keeps track of.

Now, the Philippines will have a chance to see the stunning designs that have made Lhuillier famous. She also said that international singer Lea Salonga will be a special guest, singing in the middle part and the in the conclusion of the show. The pace will be a bit slower than in New York, where fashion editors rush around to see as much as they can, she said.

She also mentioned that she wants to do the show because of its goal-oriented-ness, and she would have done it sooner if they were “not so far away.”

For the Nov. 12 gala, MAC will be doing the makeup styling, Robbie Carmona directing the show and Tina Ocampo doing the venue styling. Organizers are promoting the show to be the ultimate in this year’s social calendar.

http://www.tribune.net.ph/life/20061108lif1.html

chixbebe

November 9th, 2006, 11:39 AM

A Filipino journalist was named as Fronde Synergy NZ’s Hi-Tech Journalist of the Year during the PricewaterhouseCoopers New Zealand Hi-Tech Awards held last Nov. 4 in Auckland.

The winning entries of Divina Paredes, editor of CIO New Zealand Magazine, consisted of three cover stories in MIS Magazine, now CIO Magazine.

Only proves that Filipinos can excel in any kinds work in any place around the world. The undeniable talent of Filipinos can never be compared to anything else.

sista

November 9th, 2006, 02:54 PM

somehow I'm not fond of Monique as she seems not so proud with her heritage

MarkiiBoi

November 10th, 2006, 09:42 AM

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/4506/untitled1ex8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

www.goodnewspilipinas.com (http://www.goodnewspilipinas.com/)

Animo

November 12th, 2006, 03:36 AM

RP CUE artist Rodolfo "Boy Samson" Luat bowed to Chinese Taipei bet Fu Che-Wei, 7-11, in the quater-finals of the 2006 Philippines World Pool Championship at the Philippine International convention Center (PICC) Saturday.

Luat's loss gave the host country another blow after 19 other Filipino players led by Efren "Bata" Reyes, Francisco "Django" Bustamante and Alex Pagulayan were eliminated in earlier rounds.

Ronato Alcano, who is the last man standing for Team Philippines, was still playing Wu Chia-ching as of presstime.

Fu Che Wei entered the WPC semi-finals for the first time. He made it to the Round of 32 in 2003 and 2004 then ended his stint in Round of 64 last year. Thus, this year is his best finish so far despite the outcome of his semis match.

It was Luat's second quarterfinal appearance after he reached the same stage in the 2000 edition of the world's premier billiards spectacle. He ousted Davao City-born Lee Vann Corteza tormentor David Alcaide of Malaga, Spain in the Round of 16 Friday night.

Luat will still receive $10,000 for his quarterfinals finish while Fu Che Wei is assured to earn $20,000 for advancing to the semis round.

Dabawenyo Gandy "Yang-Yang" Sapsal-Valle also joined the event but failed to qualify to the knockout stages. Filipinos Jose Parica, Antonio Lining, Marlon Manalo, Leonardo Andam, Rudy Morta, Dennis Orcollo, Roberto Gomez, Israel Rota, Jeff de Luna, Ramil Gallego, Romeo Villanueva, Rolando Garcia, Santos Sambajon and Jharome Peña.

A $100,000 cash prize awaits the champion.

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/dav/2006/11/12/sports/rp.s.luat.bows.out.in.world.pool.championship.html

dive-cebu

November 12th, 2006, 04:51 AM

somehow I'm not fond of Monique as she seems not so proud with her heritage

I beg to disagree. Based on the articles published, she seems to be proud of her heritage, and that does not mean that her heritage is purely FILIPINO. Her bloodline is not 100% Pinoy naman, she has French and Spanish blood din. That means she should be proud of not just being a Filipino but of being partly French and Spanish. What I'm sure about is that she's proud to be BORN and BRED in CEBU where her folks and family are still based.

marites4

November 12th, 2006, 05:00 AM

yeah but i wish her name were monique luningning or something at least people would know she's pinoy.

dive-cebu

November 12th, 2006, 05:25 AM

Lili

November 12th, 2006, 06:00 AM

I beg to disagree. Based on the articles published, she seems to be proud of her heritage, and that does not mean that her heritage is purely FILIPINO. Her bloodline is not 100% Pinoy naman, she has French and Spanish blood din. That means she should be proud of not just being a Filipino but of being partly French and Spanish. What I'm sure about is that she's proud to be BORN and BRED in CEBU where her folks and family are still based.

Her mother Amparito was once asked if she was wearing a Monique Lhuillier gown, and she retorted, "Are you kidding? I can't even afford her dress."

That was in an article before that I read.

dive-cebu

November 12th, 2006, 06:05 AM

^^ if you're being compared with the likes of oscar de la renta and vera wang, there's no reason her gowns are that expensive... latest news: she made a gown for madame president.

marites4

November 12th, 2006, 07:26 AM

^^ why should she be using that surname if her father's surname is really lhuillier? her father is michel lhuillier, that's how M Lhuillier pawnshop got its name, from its owner of course. and whether we like it or not, filipino surnames are quite a mixture, karamihan nga spanish sounding di ba?

I didn't say she shouldn't use her surname. I know that is her real surname. I'm just saying if someone doesn't know she's filipina they would never associate her being a Filipina because her last name is French. which works out well for her since French is synonymous with fashion. But it's a whitey world we live in. oh well.

OtAkAw

November 12th, 2006, 04:14 PM

yeah but i wish her name were monique luningning or something at least people would know she's pinoy.

Hehe, natawa naman ako sa luningning.:)

MarkiiBoi

November 12th, 2006, 04:49 PM

http://img366.imageshack.us/img366/1026/untitled1pf5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

flesh_is_weak

November 12th, 2006, 04:56 PM

^^maghanap na kayo ng kamag-anak dyan...para may backer sa embassy...hehehe

salamangkero

November 12th, 2006, 06:38 PM

:cheers1:
congrats to Ronnie Alcano for winning the 2006 World Pool Championship

MarkiiBoi

November 12th, 2006, 07:08 PM

2006: A Golden Year for Philippine Billiards

http://img428.imageshack.us/img428/1410/philippineswithtrophyzv3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

World Cup of Pool
Efren Reyes and Django Bustamante

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/7324/alcanowithtrophyry7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

World Pool Championship
Ronato Alcano

salamangkero

November 12th, 2006, 07:27 PM

makamukha sina Bata at Alcano....prehong bungal

MarkiiBoi

November 12th, 2006, 07:29 PM

^ yan siguro pampaswerte nila. kaya nga hindi pa nananalo si Django sa World Pool Championship eh.

sugbuanon

November 12th, 2006, 07:30 PM

Ronnie Alcano Takes WPC Crown

RONATO Alcano is the 2006 Philippines World Pool Champion following a runaway 17-11 victory over Germany's Ralf Souquet at the PICC in Manila on Sunday night.

Alcano, 34, from Calamba, Laguna, Philippines went into the final as an underdog against the 1996 champion but never looked in trouble as he led throughout the alternate break race-to-17 final.

He now becomes the third Filipino following Efren Reyes in 1999 and Alex Pagulayan in 2004 to hold pool’s most coveted title. Alcano takes the trophy, the title and with it the $100,000 top prize which will surely change his life forever.

There were scenes of bedlam in the venue when Alcano completed a 1/9 combination for glory and the thousand or so people in the arena and watching on the balcony erupted in a show of national pride as one of their own became champion.

For Souquet it was a bitter disappointment as he lost his second WPC final in six years. The game German was magnanimous in defeat as he praised his opponent’s all-round superior play on the day.

Alcano used a precision soft break throughout and it paid dividends time and again as he bagged the wing ball and gained shape to pot the 1 ball into the centre pocket. Souquet’s luck betrayed him constantly but at times he seemed a little too conservative to gain any momentum.

The Filipino opened up a huge 8-2 lead and from there it was always going to be an uphill struggle for Souquet. Alcano maintained his lead and the closest the German got was at 14-9 as he won three racks on the spin.

When he needed it, Alcano always had something in reserve – either a stunning pot or a tight safety – and he started to move away from his opponent.

His sole hiccup came in the 25th rack when he buckled on a 9-ball to hand the rack to Souquet. With games in hand though, Alcano took his time and his moment arrived in the 28th rack.

He locked Souquet in a snooker and when Souquet hit the 9-ball first en-route to the 1 the scene was set. The balls fell perfectly for Alcano and with ball-in-hand he held his nerve for the most illustrious victory of his career.

Alcano almost did not make it into the knock-out stages of the competition as he got off to the worst possible start in the group stages.

Two consecutive defeats left him teetering on the brink but a late win over Holland's Marcel Martens saw him scrape through as one of only two players to qualify with a single win.

Unfancied at that stage, Alcano experienced a transformation that saw his play in the single elimination knock out stages go into overdrive.

First he bust up fellow Pinoy Roberto Gomez 10-1 and then came his make or break moment as he drew national hero Efren Reyes in the round of 32.

‘Calamba’ rose to the occasion superbly as he quietened the crowd with an excellent 10-7 win. Next up was 2005 runner-up Kuo Po-cheng of Taiwan who fell by the wayside 11-5.

Gunning his way through the top half of the draw was defending champion Wu Chia-ching and Alcano was a big underdog for their main arena quarter-final match. He delivered the goods though as he brushed Wu aside by 11-6.

Standing between Alcano and the championship match was unknown Chinese player Li He-wen who had impressed throughout. It was a tense affair as Alcano prevailed 11-8 to set up a final against Souquet.

tyronne

November 12th, 2006, 10:03 PM

ang galing talaga ng Pinoy sa billiards:okay: mabuhay si Alcano!:cheer:

beads_strawberries

November 13th, 2006, 07:44 AM

Congratulations to Ronnie Alcano. As he said, a combination of skill and luck made him win this time. He has been playing since he was 12 years old.

The Filipino audience never failed to support Alcano in his final match. With this, it is not only Alcano which we could be proud of but our undying support to our athletes competing in behalf of the Filipinos.

What more in the upcoming Pacquiao-Morales fight?

chixbebe

November 13th, 2006, 11:01 AM

Truly Pinoys talent cannot be ignore. Ariel de Guzman,from Paniqui Tarlac, a US navy, during his service as a sailor he decided to join the elite rank of seven Navy cooks who were selected to serve the incoming Vice President Bush in 1981 and luckily during Bush's time as VP he took with him de Guzman everywhere until he retired to the Navy and decided to ask the Bush Family if they needed his service. In 1995, he was hired as the family's personal chef and house manager.

Last year, De Guzman published "The Bush Family Cookbook," which features more than 200 of the Bush family's favorite recipes, including Filipino dishes, like pork adobo.

Thats what we call a real Pinoy, simply grabs the opportunity whenever he has the chance to. Never forgets his home town, its culture and traditons that in the long run could make them famous.

kiretoce

November 13th, 2006, 05:32 PM

Bayanihan continues to dazzle international audiences

For 50 years, the Philippine National Dance Company, also known as the Bayanihan, has continued to dazzle international audiences with its award-winning performances.

In its latest visit to the United States, the group once again lived up to its reputation as the country’s premier dance company and earned raves from critics, and the audience. Staged at the Artermus Ham Hall — part of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Performing Arts Center’s New York stage & Beyond series — the Bayanihan production number consisted of six parts depicting Filipino life, customs and tradition.

Las Vegas Review Journal critic, Anthony del Valle wrote: "Choreographed by Ferdinand D. Jose, the cast that included 25 dancers and seven musicians ‘proved equally adept at singing’ while showing their dramatic attitude." The Review cited Director Suzie Moya Benitez who "paid wise, careful attention to the technical aspects of the show."

"The first Filipino group to ever perform in Broadway, Bayanihan featured a stage production that was part Broadway musical, part concert and part raw folklore," added Del Valle.

A segment in the show had multi-cultured merchants hawking their wares that, Del Valle viewed, "had the grandeur and the sweep of traditional European opera."

The dancers performed the pandango, tinikling and the famous Singkil which were crowd-pleasers.

Bayanihan is the first non-American dance company to perform at Lincoln Center. Its much applauded US performance recently chronicled the early history of man, centuries of Spanish-European dance influence and present-day fiesta celebration. The show has proven once more that indeed Bayanihan represents the country’s cultural richness.

Meanwhile, Patty Lim-Yusah, a Bayanihan alumna from Worchester, Massachusetts, wrote: "It was nostalgic for me when I saw the stage at Mechanics Hall. The exits were meticulous and systematic. Their vinta dancers plus the Singkil Prinsipe perched on ‘bamboos on steroids’ had to go down steps and through a thick curtain. Not one slip nor did they flinch! They flowed past those drapes as natural as walking through electronic doors. All credit goes to dancers’ discipline."

"The other challenge was that it was a Monday night. Hard-working Filipinos do not go out on a work-night. So the audience was 90 percent white; you could literally count the Pinoys. It was a curious breed of aging suburbia folks and young hip artistic theater-goers with a curious mind. It would have been a great night for the local Filipinos to see interesting folk dance repertoire. Of course, you also want the good old standards and that they did (pandango, tinikling, bangko)always a crowd pleaser. The costumes, as usual, were fabulous! Whispers on the way out of the auditorium were really raves about the stunning garments. Tita Bills did it again. She looks as enduring and enthused as she did in 1973."

In parting she wrote: "Bayanihan had pioneered in many ways. When they "interpret" and "stylize" our dance culture, you’re fodder for the critics ire. I bought tickets to this show for two reasons: To be entertained and to see what is new. I got what I wanted: I had fun and I was updated."

Bayanihan is still on tour in the US. Their performances this November will be in Providence, Rhode Island; Rochester, New York; Wilmington, Delaware; Norton, Wise, Hampton, Fairfax in Virginia; Anapolis, Maryland; Philadelphia and Fairfield, Connecticut.

OtAkAw

November 14th, 2006, 03:14 PM

^^I've read somewhere that they are really good. Nakaka-excite tuloy, kulang lang talaga sa mga Pinoy ay EXPOSURE.

MarkiiBoi

November 16th, 2006, 01:56 AM

http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/7232/toyp225pa4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

2 Pinoys win world TOYP award

By DOREEN G. YU
The Philippine Star

Two Filipinos were among 10 outstanding young people honored at the ongoing JCI World Congress in Seoul, South Korea.

Illac Angelo Diaz and Juan Sajid Imao were awarded as The Outstanding Young Persons of the World (TOYP) at a gala reception on Monday.

Diaz, chosen by a distinguished jury in the category "Business, economic and/or entrepreneurial accomplishment," is a social entrepreneur who has established several companies that provide sustainable solutions to societal problems.

Among these is PierOne Seafarer’s Dormitory, which provides safe and affordable temporary housing for the thousands of Filipino seamen who are in Manila looking for jobs. He also established the MyShelter Foundation, which builds clinics and classrooms and creates sustainable housing solutions in rural areas.

Combining social relevance with business savvy, Diaz had earlier won business ideas competitions at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston for a coral regeneration project using a turbine powered by sea currents; a low-cost, easily replicable cement peanut sheller; and an "earth classroom" that uses locally available materials like soil to build low-cost classrooms in rural areas.

Diaz is currently developing micro-financing linkages for a food-based livelihood project to benefit poor agricultural communities. He has successfully combined business acumen and a strong sense of social responsibility in projects that meet the needs of marginalized groups in society and are at the same time economically viable and self-sustaining.

Diaz has a master’s degree in Entrepreneurship from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an MBA from the Asian Institute of Management. Next year, he will enter the Mason Fellow Program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

Last year, he became the first TOYM awardee for social entrepreneurship.

Imao, recognized in the "Personal improvement and/or accomplishment" category, is an award-winning sculptor whose forte is cast bronze and brass using the age-old "lost wax" method.

Gradually losing his vision because of retinitis pigmentosa, a rare degenerative disease, he has created exceptional public art pieces including a brass sundial monument entitled "History at Every Hour," larger than life size statues of Juan Luna, Lapu-Lapu and other historic Filipino figures, as well as the Marikorea monument, the first monument honoring the 7,000 Filipino soldiers who fought to defend South Korea during the Korean War in the 1950s.

Imao has also shown exceptional achievement in classical portraiture despite his disability, because of which he now has no peripheral vision and only a very small window of sight. By his achievements, Imao demonstrates that it is possible to overcome physical disability and continue to pursue lofty goals.

Sajid Imao is the son of National Artist for Sculpture Abdulmari Imao.

Other TOYP awardees are Fatimah Binte Abdul Lateef of Singapore, Maria Kidney of Ireland and Jyki Pekka Emil Linnankivi of Finland for Humanitarian and/or voluntary leadership; Hayley Dee Westenra of New Zealand for Cultural achievement; Akseli Eetu Hemminki of Finland and Jayanto Kumar Tapadar of India for Medical innovation; Rene Nielsen of Denmark for Personal improvement and/or achievement; and Chung C. To of Hong Kong for Contribution to children, world peace and/or human rights.

By recognizing these young people, JCI seeks to encourage young people all over the world to continue seeking excellence and serving others.

chixbebe

November 16th, 2006, 04:10 AM

chixbebe

November 17th, 2006, 05:27 AM

Human Rights victims during the Martial Law can now expect a reparation for the pain that the Martial law has caused them. The Senate has approve the Human Rights Victims Compensation Bill, providing a P10-billion fund for them.

Though not all the hurt could heal from this damage payment, it could still help in moving on with their lives. Let us remeber that because of that incident, they almost lost everything...

chixbebe

November 17th, 2006, 07:23 AM

Fil-Am is ‘Dancing with Stars’ champ (http://newsinfo.inq7.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view_article.php?article_id=33103)

Only proves that Pinoy talents can really go far and be known worlwide.

beads_strawberries

November 17th, 2006, 09:38 AM

^ I've read about that. Since it has passed its third and final reading, we will have to wait a little more time before this may be enforced. Until such time, the victims of the Marcos dictatorship will be given financial compensation.

At least, our legislators have addressed this issue.

MarkiiBoi

November 17th, 2006, 12:00 PM

http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/7660/untitled2ep4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

www.GoodNewsPilipinas.com

adverg

November 17th, 2006, 12:30 PM

Kaya nga siguro di tayo umaangat ng mabilis dahil sa sobrang galing ng Pinoy.
Ummh sounds weared, Think about it..........
______________________________________

I am really proud to be P I N O Y................, the best talaga

MarkiiBoi

November 17th, 2006, 12:34 PM

dahil ba hindi na tayo nagsusumikap para umunlad pang lalo?

KT88

November 18th, 2006, 02:01 AM

Forgetful and STUPID. i saw grand imelda prancing on TV with her alalays launching her new brand of shoes(?), so she's still alive. I thought there was a long queue of suicide bombers who wanted their photos taken with her. :lol:

Wala na tayong magagawa sa mga kabalstugang ginawa ng mga Marcoses, remember MOST Filipinos are very FORGETFUL.

Animo

November 18th, 2006, 08:13 PM

http://www.miami.com/images/miami/miamiherald/16020/256652766440.jpg
http://www.miami.com/images/miami/miamiherald/16020/256652782460.jpg

BY LINDA BLADHOLM
food@MiamiHerald.com

HOME-COOKED: M. Evelina Galang prepared this feast (clockwise from left) of egg rolls, braised noodles, flan, chicken adobo and rice.

* Recipe | Braised Filipino noodles (side dish)
* Online-Only Recipe | Filipino egg rolls (appetizer)
* Food- and wine-related author appearances at Miami Book Fair International

It is almost impossible to read M. Evelina Galang's new book without getting hungry. The novel, One Tribe (Western Michigan, $26), is a coming-of-age story set in Virginia Beach, Va., where the largest Filipino community on the East Coast resides, and pots of adobo and pans of pancit simmer between the pages.

Filipino-Americans are emerging as the largest Asian group in this country, yet their food is not well-known, mainly because is family-oriented and cooked in homes. Unless you have Pinoy friends, as Filipinos call one another, there is not much opportunity to try the dishes except in small storefronts that offer up steam-table fare along with groceries.

Galang, who appears at the Miami Book Fair on Sunday, says food is such an integral part of Filipino culture that she wasn't really aware that it pervaded the book until someone pointed it out. When Filipinos gather, whether at a party or the family dinner table, they connect through the collective heritage of their food.

The Philippines consist of 7,000 islands scattered between Taiwan and Borneo in the South China Sea, and the cuisine is a mix of culinary influences including Spanish, Dutch, Malay, Chinese, Indonesian and American.

Food weaves its way through every chapter of Galang's book. Piles of golden lumpia (egg rolls), siopao (steamed white buns stuffed with sweet adobo meat), garlic-laced vinegary chicken and pork stews (adobo), lechon (whole roasted pig) and various steamed, braised and fried noodle dishes known as pancit bring the disparate generations together, especially the teens struggling with their dual identities.

Galang, 45, was born in Harrisburg, Pa. Her family moved a lot as her physician father did residencies and internships from Milwaukee to Peoria. As the oldest of six children, she trailed her mother around the kitchen, learning to cook the family favorites. She studied broadcasting and film at the University of Wisconsin, and eventually got a master's degree in creative writing, sensing that somewhere in her was a book.

It took seven years to write One Tribe, as Galang played around with the shape and form. The story is multilayered, told through the main character, Isabel Manalo, brought to the Tidewater community to teach Filipino myth and history through drama. At heart it is a story about respect, deep family ties and the comfort of soul food like adobo and rice and earthy dinuguan (blood stew) redolent with ginger and garlic bringing a sense of unity to fragmented existences.

Galang teaches creative writing at the University of Miami, and she often cooks in her campus living quarters. She loves bringing people together through food almost as much as she loves telling the untold stories of her people.

She invites colleagues and students to share her egg rolls stuffed with a mixture of ground pork and beef, water chestnuts, egg and scallions; chicken adobo in soy, vinegar and garlic, seasoned with salt, pepper, bay leaves and tarragon; and cellophane noodle pancit with snow peas, carrots, chickpeas, celery, cabbage lightly braised in soy sauce and lemon, seasoned with garlic, onions, salt and pepper.

She usually ends the long evenings of lively discussion by bringing out homemade flan. I kain na tayo! (Let's eat!)

Linda Bladholm's latest book is Latin and Caribbean Grocery Stores Demystified.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/entertainment/books/16015777.htm?source=rss&channel=miamiherald_books

marites4

November 18th, 2006, 09:29 PM

amras

November 19th, 2006, 11:54 AM

It's not about wrong priorities... It is just that Filipinos are motivated differently. Now, is it a good or bad thing? That depends on one's perspective.

salamangkero

November 19th, 2006, 03:41 PM

Congrats to PACMAN for the 3rd round KO of Erik Morales

MarkiiBoi

November 19th, 2006, 07:30 PM

Highschool students KIM MARCO PEREZ with ther students, will be joining World Robotics Olympiad (http://newsinfo.inq7.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view_article.php?article_id=32844)at Naning China tomorrow.
I somtimes think that cartoon shows most especially now adays are helping this children to be more creative in a positive way. Let us support the kids for uplifting the country's talents.

3 RP high school students top robot contest

By Marlon Ramos
Inquirer
Last updated 09:45pm (Mla time) 11/19/2006

LIPA CITY--FILIPINOS have another victory to be proud of in the international arena.

Three high school students from Batangas put the Philippines on top of the world.

The robotics team of the First Asia Institute of Technology and Humanities (Faith), a small educational institution in Tanauan City, won the 2006 World Robot Olympiad held in Nanning, China over the weekend.

The team, composed of a senior and two freshmen high school students, bested 30 other entries from 20 countries--including highly regarded participants from Japan, South Korea, Russia and Singapore.

“This is like a dream. We really didn’t expect to win. It’s unbelievable,” Merlina Placino, coach of the robotics team, told the Inquirer over the phone on Sunday.

“We are very happy. All our hard work and sacrifices paid off,” said team leader Kim Marco Perez, 14.

Placino, Perez and teammates Dan Joseph Garcia, 13, and Francisco Gabriel Nunez, 13, were still waiting for their flight at the Nanning airport when they spoke with the Inquirer.

They were expected to return to the country before midnight Sunday.

“We are excited to come home,” said Garcia.

The team from Faith was one of six local entries to the robotics tournament.

The entry of the Grace Christian School won one of the seven special awards. They were conferred with the “Best Team Spirit” award.

Placino said their team topped the open category (secondary school level) of the annual competition of young robot inventors from all over the world.

They received a trophy and gold medals from the event organizers.

In 2004, the school, which had dominated the local robotics tournament for five years in a row, placed fourth in the event held in Singapore.

This year’s competition had humanoids, or robots which display human-like characteristics and behavior, as its main theme.

Placino said the entries were judged on their creativity, originality and relevance to the theme.

“Winning the Olympiad is more than what we expected. When we went here, we thought winning a special award was more than enough,” she said. “This is just too much.”

When asked what could have won them the top award, she humbly said: “Maybe it was our unique design and presentation. Others didn’t have a concept.”

While others made big robots which can lift things, some measuring up to one and a half meters tall, the team from Faith designed a scene inside a café.

Inside the 2.25-meter café are 11 humanoid robots which include a waiter, a receptionist, a coffee mixer, a customer, bar attendant and security guards.

It also had a three-piece robot band--composed of a pianist, a guitarist and a drummer.

“What’s more important is that we showed robots serving and drinking kapeng barako because we wanted to show the culture of Batangas,” Placino said.

Placino only had praises for her over-achieving wards.

She said the team overcame lack of support from the government and a relatively little experience in building robots.

“They just showed what the Filipinos can do,” she said.

She said the three-day event had already taken its toll on the young winners.

Because of the weather and physical and mental stress, the three kids were taken ill, she said.

“Aside from the stress brought by the competition, the kids had to lift our heavy cargoes,” Placino added.

But more than the pride that their win brought the country, Placino said their triumph could serve as a catalyst and a wake-up call for the government to take a more serious look into the promotion of robotics and information technology among the grade and high school students.

“Our win also proved that even schools in the provinces can win in events like this and offer better education than some Manila schools. We’re really not behind in terms of (quality education),” she said.

MarkiiBoi

November 19th, 2006, 07:32 PM

Gina Pareño wins 3rd int’l acting award for 'Kubrador'

By Bayani San Diego Jr.
Inquirer
Last updated 10:27pm (Mla time) 11/19/2006

ACTRESS Gina Pareño has won best actress again for “Kubrador, ” this time at the 26th Amiens International Film Festival in France.

This is her third acting award from a foreign panel—after winning at the 8th Osian Cinefan Festival of Asian Cinema in New Delhi, India in July, and at the 33rd International Festival of Independent Film in Brussels, Belgium last week.

The news was relayed to the Inquirer by the film’s director, Jeffrey Jeturian, who accompanied Pareño in France.

“This latest honor only confirms that Gina’s previous triumphs were not flukes and that our artists can compete with the world’s best,” Jeturian told the Inquirer via text message from Europe.

After the film’s screening, Pareño was mobbed by festival participants, mostly women, on the streets of Amiens. “They wanted to tell her how much they loved her performance. In all the festivals we’ve participated in, from Toronto to Valladolid, Gina’s acting has always been praised. She was a shoo-in," he said.

At the awards ceremony, Pareño turned heads. “She wore a black satin opera coat over a plain black dress, with an orange rose neckpiece,” Jeturian said.

As she reached for her trophy, “which weighed around three kilos,” it almost slipped from her hands. “The audience laughed and cheered. They loved her," he said.

Pareño called her director onstage, to share the award with him.

Other winners in Amiens are: best film, “10 Canoes” (Australia); special jury prize, “Dreams of Dust” (Burkina Faso/Canada/France); best actor, Damian Alcazar, “A Wonderful World” (Mexico); Amiens City Award, “A Wonderful World.”

Jeturian said competition in Amiens was tough. “We competed with films that had won in other prestigious festivals. ‘Daratt’ from Chad won the jury prize in Venice, while ‘10 Canoes’ won the jury prize in Cannes.”

Pareño’s victories in Brussels and Amiens are fitting birthday gifts for the seasoned performer who celebrated her 55th birthday on Oct. 20, according to Joji Alonso of MLR Films, producer of “Kubrador.”

She has been in show business for four decades, having started as a teen star in Sampaguita Pictures in 1966.

In “Kubrador,” she plays a jueteng (numbers game) bet collector, who cheerfully and willfully goes about her business, in spite of the trials and tribulations of life in the slums of Manila.

As of presstime, Pareño and Jeturian were en route to Thessaloniki, Greece—where “Kubrador” would be screened.

Next stops are the Asiaticafilmmediale event in Rome, Italy, as well as festivals in Bratislava, Tallin, Dubai, Chennai/Bangalore and Cairo.

“Kubrador” has been invited to 31 film fests so far.

Meanwhile, another Filipino digital film, Brillante Mendoza’s “Manoro,” won the CinemAvvenire Prize at the 24th Torino International Film Festival in Italy, on Saturday.

The special award is handed out by a jury composed of 15 young people and journalists. The Torino jury praised the film, “for its choice to exploit the mechanisms of fiction to analyze contemporary Philippine reality, in a voyage of discovery of the local culture that becomes a lucid, deep study of the first stirrings of a new democracy.”

Produced by Centerstage Productions, the Holy Angel University Center for Kapampangan Studies and Roadrunner Network, “Manoro” tells the story of an Aeta girl who teaches her tribe’s elders how to read and write so that they can vote in the presidential elections.