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Why Princess Punzalan returned to PHL

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Vol. 5 No. 29 LOS ANGELES A BALITA MEDIA PUBLICATION

See TOP ASIAN, page 12

MANILA, Apr 11 (Mabuhay) – The Philippines will remain one of the fastest-growing countries in East Asia and the Pacifi c despite a “modest” easing in economic ex-pansion in the region in the next three years, a new World Bank report showed.

“Among the large developing Southeast Asian economies, the Philippines and Vietnam have the strongest growth prospects, both expected to grow by more than 6 percent in 2016,” the World Bank said in a statement, based on its latest East Asia and Pacifi c Eco-nomic Update released Monday.

The Washington-based lender expects the Philippine economy to expand by 6.4 percent this year

and 6.2 percent in 2017 and 2018.Across developing East Asia,

growth was projected to ease to 6.3 percent this year from 6.5 percent last year.

“The forecast refl ects China’s gradual shift to slower, more sus-tainable growth, expected to be 6.7 percent in 2016 and 6.5 percent in 2017, compared with 6.9 percent in 2015,” the World Bank explained.

“Developing East Asia and Pa-cifi c continues to contribute strong-ly to global growth. The region accounted for almost two-fi fths of global growth in 2015, more than twice the combined contribution of all other developing regions,” it said.

President Benigno S. Aquino III views the Clark Green City scale model during the groundbreaking ceremony of the project in Sitio Baloy, Barangay Aranguren, Capaz, Tarlac on Monday (April 11). In photo are Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio Singson, Interior and Local Government Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento, Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) president and chief executive offi cer Arnel Paciano Casanova, BCDA chairperson Ma. Aurora Geotina-Garcia and Capas, Tarlac Mayor Antonio Rodriguez, Jr. (MNS photo)

A member of the Army Skydiving Team carrying the Philippine fl ag attracts the crowd’s attention during the opening of the Palarong Pambansa 2016 at the Albay Provincial Sports Complex inside the Bicol University compound in Daraga, Albay on Sunday afternoon (April 10, 2016). (PNA-Legazpi Bureau photo)

By Nancy Ibo MediavilloLEGAZPI CITY, April 11 (PNA)

– The grand and unique opening of the Palarong Pambansa 2016 at the Albay Provincial Sports Complex inside the Bicol Univer-sity compound left a mark on the map of the Philippines as it drew praises from delegates, visitors and local residents who fl ocked to the red-accented oval ground and braved the heat of the afternoon sun on Sunday.

Now on its 59th year, the annual national games’ opening became a byword among the almost 25,000 spectators who witnessed what the Palaro and the hosts – Albay province and Legazpi City – had to offer.

“I was glued with awe to where I stood as I watched the entire activ-ity that ended with pomposity with a colorful display of fi reworks, said Dr. Rosa Kabutahe of Region 7 who

disclosed that it was the fi rst time that she had this experience for the 25 years of attending national scholastic games.

Kabutahe said she was also amazed by what the Province of Al-bay and Legazpi City have shown her and her group—beautiful place, rich culture, and magnifi -cent people.

The fantastic torch relay partic-ipated in by a disabled man and the story of the Friendship Urn, she said, left a permanent mark in his mind.

The Torch Relay was done for three days around the Mayon Volcano.

Important guests headed by De-partment of Education Secretary Armin Luistro were also made to ride ATV vehicles.

The spectators were also treated to the sight of beautiful and tal-

By Lolito T. delos Reyes

DAVAO CITY, April 11 (PNA) – Boxing managers, promoters, trainers and fellow Filipino box-ers think that 8-division world champion Manny Pacquiao can still fi ght and should postpone his retirement after scoring a convinc-ing unanimous decision against Timothy Bradley last Sunday.

“Ok pa si Manny, puwede pa I match kahit sinong boxer pa diyan kahit si (Floyd) Mayweather pa (Manny is still ok. He can still be matched with any of the boxers even Mayweather),” said Raides “Nonoy” Neri, one of Pacquiao’s as-sistant trainers in a text message.

Sanman Promotions chief exec-

utive offi cer Jim Claude Manangq-uil, on the other hand, said that he had changed his opinion on Pacquiao’s retirement.

“I’ve changed my opinion about Manny retiring after this. I think he can still go for one more big fi ght with that kind of performance. Pacquiao showed his old form and a very good performance,” said the 23-year-old boxing promoter-man-ager from General Santos City.

WBC 2015 Asia Pacific Pro-moter of the Year Brico Santig of Highlands Promotion said that Pacquiao showed that he can still catch up with his opponents and also has that knockout power.

“However, he might have no

By Azer N. ParrochaMANILA, April 11 (PNA) –

Tourist arrivals in the Philippines marked a double-digit growth of 20.42 percent to 549,725 visitors in February 2016 compared to the 456, 524 visitors in the same period last year, the Department of Tour-

MANILA, April 11 (PNA) – Bu-reau of Immigration (BI) Commis-sioner Ronaldo Geron has ordered its newly designated intelligence head to tighten the security and monitoring of all foreign nationals arriving in the country.

He issued the directive to Intel Chief Rommel De Leon to ensure

MANILA, April 11 (PNA) – Hong Kong has posted the most number of Filipino voters, three days since the overseas absentee voting began on April 9, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Monday.

Since absentee voting for Filipinos abroad was introduced in 2004, Hong Kong has consistently topped the list of areas with the most number of voter turnout.

For this year’s 2016 National Elections, the Asia-Pacifi c region registered the highest number of voters with 9,167 as of 2:30 p.m. on April 11, followed by the Middle East and Africa with 7,159, Europe with 1,927 and the Americas, which include the United States, Latin America and Canada with 107.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Rafael Seguis, concurrent Chair-man of the DFA Overseas Voting Secretariat, said he expects the voter turnout to increase in the coming days, noting the momentum picks up as it nears the end of the voting period.

Overseas Filipinos have until 5 p.m. Manila time on May 9 to vote in embassies, consulates or Commission on Elections-desig-nated areas.

For the 2016 National Elections, Philippine Foreign Service Posts have been authorized to implement one of the following modes of

MANILA, April 12 (PNA) – If elected to the presidency during the May 9 elections, PDP-LABAN standard bearer and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte vowed to intensify the war against crime by running after big-time drug lords.

“I will run after the big fi sh. I will order the police and the mil-itary to run after the drug lords,”

PHL among top Asian economiesOne of fastest-growing economies in Asean in 3 years: WB

Boxing fans still want Pacquiao to fi ghtPHL tourist arrivals grow 20.42% to nearly 550,000 in February 2016

BI on alert over foreign terrorists trying to gain entry into PHL

Duterte vows to go after big-time drug lords if elected president

Grand, unique Palarong Pambansa 2016 opening draws praises from delegates, guests

Hong Kong posts highest voter turnout in Philippine overseas absentee voting

See BOXING FANS, page 12

See PHL TOURIST, page 12

See TERRORIST, page 12

See DUTERTE, page 12See PALARONG PAMBANSA, page 12 See HONG KONG, page 12

Visit www.usasianpost.com Friday - Thursday, April 15 - 21, 2016 THE US ASIAN POST2

CAPAS, Tarlac, April 11 (PNA) – President Benigno Aquino III on Monday led the groundbreaking cere-mony of the Clark Green City which is set to become the country’s first green and intelligent global me-tropolis.

The Chief Executive, in his speech, cited the eco-nomic gains of his admin-istration which regained the confidence ”both in ourselves, and the confi-dence of investors here and around the globe.”

He said the Clark Green City is another major ex-pression of such confi dence as it is one of the biggest ever joint undertakings between the government and the private sector.

The project will cover 9,450 hectares and its de-velopment will cost around Php607 billion.

It will be home to compa-nies, retail outlets, schools, government offices, res-idential communities, parks, and even urban farms that are seen to ac-commodate an estimated 1.12 million residents and 800,000 workers.

Aside from its economic benefi ts, the President said the Clark Green City also embodied the vision for a more resilient Philippines.

He said the Clark Green City is an example of a development that has ap-proached the problem on climate change strategi-cally as it will not be fl ood-

prone since its lowest ele-vation is 56 meters above sea level, while its central park will serve as a fl ood catchment basin.

Likewise, the Clark Green City enjoys natural protection from typhoons, with the Sierra Madre to the West and the Zambales mountain range to the east.

He also thanked part-ners in the private sector, particularly Filinvest and Japanese agencies such as the JICA for their active participation in making the dream a reality.

”There is nothing that can forestall our ambitions except ourselves. Let us devote more and more to seeing our dreams fulfi lled today,” he added. (PNA)

President Benigno S. Aquino III shovels dirt during the groundbreaking ceremony of Clark Green City in Sitio Baloy, Barangay Aranguren, Capaz, Tarlac on Monday (April 11). In photo are Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio Singson, Interior and Local Government Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento, Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) president and chief executive offi cer Arnel Paciano Casanova, BCDA chairperson Ma. Aurora Geotina-GarciaCapas, Tarlac Mayor Antonio Rodriguez, Jr. (MNS photo)

Aquino leads groundbreaking ceremony of Clark Green City

By Filane Mikee Z. CervantesMANILA, April 12 (PNA)

– The second Philippine Ex-tractive Industries Trans-parency Initiative (EITI) country report has revealed that the government re-ceived PHP40.7 billion as payment for its minerals and oil and gas in 2013.

According to the EITI report recently published in December 2015, the Philip-pine government collected a mere PHP2.2 billion for its minerals. The said amount is the sum of total collection from the 5 percent mineral royalties and 2 percent excise tax on minerals im-posed by the government.

The report also showed total reconciled payments from mining amounting to PHP5.6 billion, which is less than 1 percent of the total government revenues. This is partly attributable to the low tax rates in the country, which is also among the lowest in the world.

EITI is a global standard of transparency that re-quires extractive industry companies to publish what they pay to the government, and governments are re-quired to publish what they receive from companies.

Following the report, Bantay Kita (BK), a coali-tion of civil society organiza-tions advocating for trans-parency and accountability in the extractive industries, has urged the government to formulate fi scal reforms that would allow Filipinos to benefi t from these limited resources.

BK national coordina-tor Cielo Magno said that the mainstream paradigm, wherein taxes are reduced to attract investments, does not work for developing countries such as the Phil-ippines and is considerably deterrent in attaining sus-tainable development.

Magno cited the proposi-tion of the United Nations Conference on Trade and

Development (UNCTAD) to employ a different over-all development strategy which involves building a diversified economy, as well as investing in human capital, infrastructure and productive capacity.

”Investment in the min-ing sector did not translate into sustainable develop-ment. It did not translate to development gains,” said Magno, noting that the extractive industry is cap-ital-intensive, not labor-in-tensive.

In 2013, Philippine ex-tractive industries gener-ated about 239,000 jobs for mining and 1,600 jobs for oil and gas, both of which ac-count for less than 1 percent of the total employment.

Additionally, some com-munities hosting mining activities have higher inci-dence of poverty than com-munities without mining, according to the national coordinator.

Magno proposed restruc-turing the mining develop-ment framework by putting in place four necessary con-ditions that, in turn, will incite sustainable develop-ment and management of natural resources.

The conditions include good governance of the pub-lic and extractive sector; link of the extractive sector and the rest of the econo-my; institutional capacity to regulate the sector and manage the returns from the sector; and fair share in the extraction of resources.

Magno emphasized that the government must guar-antee that the public — spe-cifi cally local communities on the receiving end of ad-verse social and environ-mental effects of mining — have their fair share of extractive revenues.

”The government has to secure an appropriate share from its minerals above reg-ular tax. The citizens have

a right over the minerals—a share or payment for those materials,” argued the BK national coordinator.

Estimates using EITI data reveal that only 23 percent of mining revenues went to local government units (LGUs) while only 4 percent went to indigenous peoples (IPs) groups where there is presence of mining.

IPs are entitled to 1 per-cent of gross revenues of mining companies operat-ing under their ancestral lands. A total of PHP242 million was paid by six companies to IPs in their respective localities in 2013.

Meanwhile, LGUs are entitled to 40 percent of total excise tax on minerals collections and 36 percent of mineral royalties. In to-tal, LGUs received PHP1.2 billion while the national government retained 73 percent of total mining rev-enues.

Thus, the BK is pushing for the imposition of the 5 percent mineral royalties on all mine sites in the country.

Currently, only those in mineral reservation areas such as in CARAGA region and Zambales are paying royalties, noted the coali-tion group.

Estimates show that gov-ernment revenues could have reached PHP8.5 bil-lion, or PHP2.9 billion high-er than the PHP5.6 billion, had the royalty been im-posed on all operators.

Furthermore, the gov-ernment lost 3 billion, or 34 percent of foregone rev-enues, from income tax holidays granted to eight mining companies in 2013.

BK is also pushing for export tax on raw mineral ores in order to encourage processing of minerals in the Philippines and create a downstream industry that will generate employment and higher revenues for the state. (PNA)

By Joann SantiagoMANILA, April 11 (PNA)

– Rizal Commercial Bank-ing Corporation (RCBC) President and CEO Loren-zo V. Tan filed civil and criminal cases on Monday against former RCBC Jupi-ter-Makati branch manag-er Maia Deguito.

The criminal charges – libel and false testimony – and complaint for dam-ages amounting to Php32

million were filed before the Makati City Regional Trial Court (RTC).

In a statement, Tan said Deguito made “scur-rilous remarks” after she claimed that he (Tan) knew about the laundering of the USD81-million stolen from the Bangladesh Bank in February 2016, which was coursed through RCBC’s Jupiter branch before it was remitted to several

individuals, who are now facing money laundering charges before the Depart-ment of Justice (DOJ).

In his complaint, Tan said Deguito’s allegations “were products of mere assumptions.”

“The imputation of the foregoing acts diminished, if not destroyed, my rep-utation as a banker,” he said.

The RCBC chief ex-

Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV (left) directs clarifi catory questions to the resource persons during the 5th Senate hearing on the USD81-million money cyberheist from the Bank of Bangladesh at the Senate Building in Pasay City on Tuesday (April 12, 2016). Also in photo are (2nd from left) Philrem Service Corporation President Salud Bautista; businessman Kim Wong; former Customers Relations Offi cer of RCBC-Jupiter Branch Angela Ruth Torres; former RCBC-Jupiter Branch Manager Maia Santos Deguito; RCBC Head Legal and Regulatory Affairs Group Atty. Maria Celia F. Estavillo; and RCBC President & CEO Lorenzo V. Tan. (PNA photos by Avito C. Dalan)

plained that his profession “is based on utmost trust and confidence between myself and the Bank’s cli-ents” thus, he “have striven hard to keep my reputation from being sullied as it is my source of livelihood and productivity as as a professional.”

He noted that Deguito’s statements in media inter-views, the Senate hearings and in her March 7, 2016

reply to the bank’s Show Cause Memorandum “is a clear ploy to create a defense for herself against the various criminal ac-cusations made against her by implicating me as a complicit in her caper.”

He said the charges were fi led to protect his honor as he “have no other asset but my reputation.”

“Even if her accusations against me are found un-

true, my reputation, which I had carefully built and guarded for almost thir-ty-fi ve (35) years, has al-ready been irretrievably tainted,” he said.

“In fact, to clear my name, I have taken a vol-untary leave just to avoid any perception of undue influence on my part in the ongoing internal inves-tigation by RCBC on the matter,” he added. (PNA)

RCBC prexy fi les criminal, civil cases vs. former branch manager

Increasing taxation on extractive industries’ revenues vital towards sustainable dev’t

THE US ASIAN POST Friday - Thursday, April 15 - 21, 2016 Visit www.usasianpost.com 3

Supporters of PDP-Laban presidential candidate and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte from Marikina City are ready for the Duterte-Cayetano tandem motorcade from the Marikina Freedom Park to Our Lady of Perpetual Succor College in Marikina City on Tuesday (April 12, 2016). (PNA photo by Joey O. Razon)

MANILA, Apr 11 (Mabu-hay) – Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte wrestled the top spot of presidential race away from Senator Grace Poe, according to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.

The poll, conducted on March 30 - April 2 and commissioned by Busi-nessWorld, saw 27% of the candidates picking the tough-talking mayor.

In the survey conducted after the second presiden-tial debate in Cebu, Dute-rte surged four points from his 23% in the March 8 - 11 SWS survey.

Poe, meanwhile, ranked second with 23%, six per-centage points down from her 29% in the previous poll.

Given the survey’s mar-gin of error of +/-3, the

senator was statistically tied with Vice President Je-jomar Binay who got 20%.

Binay jumped two points from the previous poll’s 18%.

At third place was Lib-eral Party (LP) standard bearer Mar Roxas with 18%.

Senator Miriam Defen-sor Santiago steadied at 3%.

The BusinessWorld-com-missioned survey was done using face-to-face inter-views with 1,500 adults nationwide.

Speaking to dzMM, po-litical analyst Prof. Ed-mund Tayao attributed the rise in Duterte’s popularity to the 71-year-old mayor’s performance in the March 20 #PiliPinas Debates com-pared to that of Poe, the ertswhile frontrunner.

“Hindi lang naman iyung mensahe ang napa-pansin ng mga nanonood kundi pati na rin iyung composure at personalidad ng kandidato... Si Senator Grace, halimbawa, kahit malaman ang sinasabi at alam nating preparado, e parang napikon at kum-baga, hindi na nga siya sumusunod sa rules,” Ta-yao said.

“Siguro isa ito doon sa pinagkumparahan ng mga nanonood at nakita si May-or Duterte na cool na cool. Mas alam niya ang ginaga-wa at sinasabi niya.”

The University of Santo Tomas (UST) professor added that Duterte’s mem-orable one liners during the face-off may have also appealed to voters.

The popularity figures of the candidates in the

face-to-face polls differed slightly from the Bilang Pilipino-SWS Mobile Sur-vey conducted last March 30.

Duterte’s rating was down four points if com-pared to the 31% he got in the last mobile survey.

Poe, meanwhile, was the frontrunner with a prefer-ence rating of 34 %.

in the mobile poll, Binay placed third with 20% while Roxas followed him with 17 %.

Roxas saw his number decrease by 1 percent from 19 percent in early March.

On the other hand, San-tiago was fl at at 3 percent.

Aside from the second presidential debate, the poll was conducted also after the Supreme Court’s ruled in favor Poe’s presi-dential bid. (MNS)

M A N I L A , A p r 1 1 (Mabuhay) – The camp of administration standard bearer Mar Roxas on Mon-day described Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte as a “threat to democracy” whose “politics of fear” has seduced Filipinos.

“It is becoming clear that more and more of our countrymen are being se-duced by the politics of fear of Mayor Duterte,” said Akbayan party-list Rep. Barry Gutierrez, spokes-man for the administra-tion coalition, in reaction to the latest Social Weath-er Stations presidential survey showing Duterte on top.

“To ease our fears, we give him our freedom and rights. He is a threat to the democracy we cherish,” Gutierrez added as he called on “decent Filipinos” to support Roxas in the May 9 elections.

According to Gutierrez,

Roxas, who was fourth in the recent SWS survey, “is the only candidate with the proven integrity, ex-perience, and competence to realize our dream of having a decent country.

“Only Mar has proven to be capable to standing up to Mayor Duterte, to have a solid base of support, and to have an organization that can deliver victory,” he said.

Based on SWS’ first quarter 2016 presidential preference poll, Duterte has a score of 27 percent, with Sen. Grace Poe in close second with 23 per-cent. Vice President Je-jomar Binay came in third with 20 percent, followed by Roxas with 18 percent and Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago at three percent.

In his statement, Guti-errez urged voters to “show our courage in not giving in to fear” on Election Day. (MNS)

MANILA, Apr 11 (Mabu-hay) – A former Commis-sion on Elections (Comelec) commissioner said the in-clusion of the term “Daang Matuwid” in the names of Liberal Party (LP) bets Mar Roxas and Leni Robre-do on the offi cial ballot for the 2016 elections violates the Omnibus Election Code (OEC).

Former Comelec com-missioner Gregorio Larraz-abal, who now serves as le-

gal counsel of the National-ist People’s Coalition, said candidates can only use their nicknames and not other phrases and terms such as “Daang Matuwid,” the slogan of the adminis-tration. “The OEC says the use of government funds to directly or indirectly campaign for a candidate is prohibited so if there’s bill-board that has the phrase or nickname ‘Daang Matu-wid,’ that’s a violation of

the OEC. That has to be taken down. If you see a billboard, a streamer or other material that has the phrase ‘Daang Matuwid,’ technically, that’s violation of the law and the person can be charged with an election offense,” he said.

Larrazabal made the comment amid complaints and inquiries he received after the start of the overseas absentee voting (OAV). “At the start of the

OAV a lot of people con-tacted me, asking about the ballot face. They were wondering why ‘Daang Matuwid’ was included in the name of some candi-dates and asked me if it was allowed. I looked at the rules. Comelec only al-lowed the use of nicknames and ‘Daang Matuwid’ is not a nickname. I told them the candidates are supposed to be allowed to use only their nicknames.” (MNS(

M A N I L A , A p r 1 1 (Mabuhay) – Sen. Ferdi-nand “Bongbong” Marcos has taken the sole lead in the Social Weather Sta-tion’s (SWS) latest voters’ preference survey for vice president.

Marcos got 26 percent in the latest survey con-ducted from March 30 to April 2.

The survey, which had sampling error margins of ±3 points, was conducted through face-to-face inter-views with 1,500 adults.

Business World, which published the SWS sur-vey, said 1,377 of the re-spondents are validates voters.

M a r c o s g a i n e d a one-percent increase from SWS’ March 8 to 11 sur-vey, where he got 25 per-cent.

Sen. Francis Escudero fell to second place with 21 percent. He lost seven percentage points com-pared to the March 8 to 11 survey.

Escudero was statisti-cally tied with Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo who got 19 percent, which is 6 percent lower com-pared to her score in the previous survey.

Sen. Alan Peter Cay-etano, meanwhile, got 13

percent, gaining one-per-centage point from the March 8 to 11 survey.

Sen. Gregorio Honasan and Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV both got fi ve percent.

Honasan had four per-cent and Trillanes got fi ve percent in the previous survey.

The six candidates faced off in the first and only

vice presidential leg of the Commission on Elec-tions-initiated PiliPinas Debates 2016 held at the University of Santo Tomas on Sunday.

In a Facebook survey conducted by GMA News during the debate, Marcos was chosen by by more than half of the 40,158 respondents as of 11:47

p.m. Sunday as the can-didate who was able able adequately answer all questions thrown at him.

Cayetano was chosen by 30 percent of the respon-dents while Robredo was chosen by 12 percent.

Escudero got 4 percent followed by Honasan with 2 percent and Trillanes with 1 percent. (MNS)

MANILA, Apr 11 (Mabuhay) – In the end, it will be a race between Binay and Roxas.

A confi dent Jejomar Binay walked into the Inquirer radio studio, saying that he would win the 2016 pres-idential elections by a landslide four million votes in a two-way race with his nemesis, administration bet Mar Roxas.

The vice president gave Radyo Inquirer 990AM an exclusive interview on Monday even as he fi led a damage suit against the Philippine Daily Inquirer for publishing reports about his alleged corruption activ-ities when he was Makati mayor.

In the interview, Binay was asked about the radio hosts’ observation that he seemed to be in it to win it.

“I know I am going to win,” Binay said.He said his chief of staff had already calculated their

solid votes and predicted that he would have a seven to 10 percent lead from the next candidate, or a margin of four million votes.

He said he does not doubt for a moment his chief of staff, who was also able to predict his win in the 2010 vice presidential race against then candidate Roxas, who is now gunning for the presidency against Binay.

In 2010, Binay won with 14,645,574 votes against Roxas’ 13,918,490 votes, or a lead of only 727,084 votes.

Binay’s target of a four million margin against Roxas is close to that of President Benigno Aquino III when he won by a landslide in the 2010 elections.

Aquino won with 15,208,678 votes, or a margin of 5,720,841 votes from the second placer former Pres. Joseph Estrada who got 9,487,837 votes.

Asked about the scenario if he loses the presidential race, he said: “What if I don’t win? Hindi ko iniisip yun.”

Binay explained that his confi dence stemmed from his deep grassroots organization with allies at the local level.

Asked if he thinks the May 9 polls would end up be-tween him and Roxas, despite the latter’s poor ratings in the survey, Binay said: “At the end of the day, (yes). These are practical politics.”

He said only Roxas has the same level of grassroots organizing, but his other rivals Sen. Grace Poe and Davao city mayor Rodrigo Duterte have only started making local alliances and are only banking on the popularity of their names.

Duterte and Poe are the ones leading in the surveys.READ: Duterte is new frontrunner in SWS pollHe said the elections have two stages–the fi rst stage

was image building, but the second stage closer to the election day was about party machinery and grassroots organization.

“Sa second stage ng kampanya, makakapareho ko rito si Mar Roxas; napakalaki ang ginastos ng pama-halaan, may organization. Yung iba, walang organiza-tion ‘yun, at saka ngayon lang sila lumalapit sa mga supporters at political leaders; ngayon lang sila naki-pag-uusap sa mga tao, kasi inuna nila ung perception, ung image sa media,” Binay said.

“Wala silang machinery in the fi rst place. Sila lum-aban sa image popularity; ‘yun ang unang yugto ng labanan. Nasira ang popularity ko dahil dun sa dem-olition by perception. So ‘yun ang kaibahan. Ngayon pa lang sila nagkukumahog sa kanilang organization,” Binay said.

Binay has expressed confi dence of his victory despite his failure to regain the top spot in the voters’ prefer-ence polls ever since he and his son, dismissed Makati mayor Junjun, were indicted by the Ombudsman for graft, malversation and falsifi cation of public docu-ments for the alleged rigging of the procurement for the design and construction of the allegedly overpriced P2.8 billion Makati car park building.

While the Ombudsman has yet to charge the vice president because he is immune from suit, it has charged Junjun before the Sandiganbayan for graft and falsifi cation.

The vice president’s family has also been a subject of a Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee hearing on the allegations of kickbacks from graft-ridden deals in Makati, but Binay has dismissed the probe as a political inquisition meant to derail his presidential bid. (MNS)

Duterte tops new SWS survey

‘Daang Matuwid’ as Mar and Leni’s nicknames on ballots questioned

Bongbong takes solo lead in latest SWS survey; Chiz, Leni tied at 2nd

Roxas camp says Duterte ‘a threat to democracy’

Binay: In the end, presidential race only between me, Roxas

Visit www.usasianpost.com Friday - Thursday, April 15 - 21, 2016 THE US ASIAN POST4

OPINIONBy Leilani S. Junio

MANILA, April 11 (PNA) – The Department of Social Welfare and Development on Monday urged voters not to vote for candidates who utilize deceptive ways such as exploiting women and children in order to advance their political agenda.

“To our people, do not elect politicians resorting to deceptive ways to gather votes. They are still not in the positions, yet they are using people, what’s more if they got elected?),” said DSWD Secretary Corazon J. Soliman.

Soliman made the remarks as she began to get emotional after hear-ing the stories of the women and children who had undergone critical stress debriefi ng sessions due to trauma that they experienced during their involvement in the violent dispersal of a mass action in Kidapawan City, North Cotabato last April 1.

Soliman said such women revealed that they will receive a sack of rice in exchange for their participation in the rally.

The women admitted that they were lured into joining the rally due to such promise without knowing that such was just a deceptive strategy.

The DSWD Chief said that fooling and using women and children is a hateful act and dirty trick of politicians seeking votes.

“Politicians should not do such act. This will only show that they are afraid to lose in the polls because they are using women and children for their own interests,” she pleaded as she burst into tears.

She added that if politicians who are behind such false promises really wanted to help, they can just directly provide assistance to those in need instead of resorting to violent ways that can hurt and affect the vulnerable women and children.

She further said for the part of DSWD, the agency had been provid-ing assistance in the form of cash for work (CFW) and food packs since November of last year and in February of this year.

Early preparation of assistance and distribution came ahead as a result of early planning that was done last August 2015 when the Philip-pine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Administration (PAG-ASA) warned authorities of the adverse effects of the El Nino Phenomenon.

She assured that victims of El Nino phenomenon will continuously received the necessary assistance from the government.

Meanwhile, the critical debriefi ng sessions continue for affected wom-en and children. This seeks to bring them to normalcy and reduce the trauma and pain they suffered from the tragic incident.PNA)

MANILA, April 11 (PNA) – Vice presidential can-didate Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano said only federalism can bring peace to war-torn Mindanao.

He made the statement during the Pilipinas Debates for the vice presidential bets held at the University of Sto. Tomas, Manila Sunday.

Cayetano is the running mate of PDP-LABAN standard bearer and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

This is in response to how he proposes to achieve lasting peace in Mindanao.

“Sabi nga ni Mayor Duterte, na aking pinanini-walaan, nothing short of federalism can solve the problem in Mindanao,” Cayetano added.

“Ang pederalismo lamang ang kayang magbuklod

sa lahat ng sektor. Ang hindi lang pumapayag dito ay ang mga nakikinabang sa sistema ngayon,” the senator stressed.

Back in January, Senators Grace Poe and Francis “Chiz” Escudero rejected Duterte’s and Cayetano’s call for federalism. They said that it would not work well in the Philippine setup, a statement which Cay-etano dubbed as a “classic Manila-centric” attitude.

“The very essence of federalism is to ensure that growth and prosperity are spread to every part of the Philippines, not just in Manila. It’s a pity that Senators Poe and Escudero are against this. Kawa-wa naman ang ibang parte ng bansa kung sila ang mamumuno,” he said. (PNA)

MANILA, Apr 11 (Mabuhay) – A political analyst was not surprised that Sen. Bongbong Marcos got a beating during the fi rst televised vice-presidential debate.

Ramon Casiple, Executive Director of the Institute for Election Reforms, said his impression of the debate was it focused on Marcos, but it was “worth it.”

“The real issue at the vice-presidential level is Bongbong, not only because he’s leading, but be-cause the issues being brought up—not only in the vice-presidential but also in the presidential—actu-ally concern him.”

Casiple underlined the historical connection be-tween the present state of poverty, peace, order, and corruption to Ferdinand Marcos’ Martial Law.

“There is a historical linkage between issues like poverty, peace and order, corruption. You mention those things, obligado kang pag-usapan ‘yun nangyari nung martial law,” he said.

With Marcos leading the surveys, he added “the more important issue is the fi tness of Bongbong for the position considering that background.”

Casiple said Marcos’ solid base of loyalists are not likely to be swayed by the debate outcome.

“You’re talking here of Marcos loyalists—that’s hard. You’re talking here of Ilocano vote—that’s a little bit hard. And you’re talking here of the part of the youth that had not been there during the martial law—this is the soft part, but I would say that a por-

tion of this is already hard because they have been organizing this since 2008.”

But he maintained that it is also likely for Marcos to not have additional support than his current base, saying if Marcos stands at 25%, “the 75% won’t be his.”

For Casiple, it was Rep. Leni Robredo who stood out during the debate, especially during the anti-Marcos repartee.

“From my vantage point, it was Leni Robredo who started the Marcos issue,” he said.

“It’s only Leni Robredo who doesn’t have that kind of association in the past with the Marcos regime; the families of these other candidates have that connec-tion,” he added.

Her performance during the debate, he said, proved that she is no neophyte and that she can “more than roll with [the more experienced senators]; she domi-nates some issues there.”

He also commended Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, but said he was not convinced of the senator’s anti-Marcos stance.

“I have this feeling it’s all for the moment because he’s down. He’s not known to be anti-Marcos before.”

He attributed Cayetano’s aggressiveness to wooing the anti-Marcos voters.

“He’s not fi ghting the Marcos vote; he’s fi ghting for the anti-Marcos vote that’s why he needs the strong anti-Marcos image,” he explained. (MNS)

Manila, Philippines | AFP | Friday 4/8/2016 – Italian hostage Rolando Del Torchio was released on Friday on a southern Philippine island known as a stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf, an Islamic militant group.

Here are fi ve facts about the Abu Sayyaf, which is notorious for kidnappings-for-ransom:

Origins The group is a radical offshoot of a Muslim sepa-

ratist insurgency that has claimed more than 100,000 lives in the south of the mainly Catholic Asian nation since the 1970s.

It was established in the 1990s with funds from a relative of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Although the Abu Sayyaf is believed to be made up of just a few hundred gunmen, it has defi ed a decade-long US-military campaign to destroy it and regularly kidnaps foreigners who venture near its sphere of infl uence.

MethodsSallying forth in fast boats from bases in the

Muslim-populated islands of Jolo and Basilan, the Abu Sayyaf snatches local and foreign victims and demands ransom payments for their freedom.

Hostages, many of them western tourists but also Christian missionaries, are hidden amongst sympa-thetic Muslim communities on Jolo or Basilan, about 950 kilometers (590 miles) from Manila. Victims are often murdered if ransoms are not paid.

Kidnapping spree The group has abducted 22 foreigners and more

than a dozen Filipinos since 2014. It ransomed off

a German yachting couple, with millions of dollars believed to have been paid. It murdered two other victims, including a Malaysian tourist snatched from the Malaysian port of Sandakan.

Ten Indonesian sailors on a tugboat laden with coal were abducted sailing from Malaysia to the southern Philippines in late March. Last week, four Malaysians were kidnapped off Borneo island, with the Abu Sayyaf the prime suspects.

US helpThe United States lists the Abu Sayyaf as a “for-

eign terrorist organization”. From 2002-2014 the US deployed Special Forces advisers to train and provide intelligence to Filipino troops, which led to the killing or arrest of many Abu Sayyaf leaders.

US assistance was scaled back after the Pentagon concluded the group, originally with about 1,000 fi ghters, had lost the ability to launch international attacks. The Philippine military believe about 300 gunmen, loosely organized into several sub-groups, remain.

Black fl agsAfter the US military left, the threat took on a

new dimension as several Abu Sayyaf units, along with other small armed groups in the area, pledged allegiance to Islamic State fi ghters who hold vast swathes of Iraq and Syria.

Philippine authorities and security analysts say the pledges are mere ploys to draw attention and potential funding from the Islamic State group. They say they the Abu Sayyaf is less interested in Islamic ideology than getting rich from kidnappings.

Manila, Philippines | AFP | Sunday 4/10/2016 – The son and name-sake of the late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos came under attack over his father’s record of corruption and rights abuse during a vice-presidential debate on Sunday.

Surveys show that Ferdinand Marcos Jnr., popularly known by his nickname “Bong-bong”, is running either fi rst or second in the race for the vice-presidency in the May 9 elections.

But he came under fi re from both the audience and rival vice-presi-dential candidates in the debate.

Even before he could speak, a group of protesters had to be escorted out of the auditorium because they refused to stop jeering him.

Marcos Jnr. touted more than two decades of experience in govern-ment, calling himself dedicated to the people.

But rival candidates and moderators raised the massive corruption and human rights violations during his father’s rule. Members of the audience booed Marcos Jnr. as he answered some questions.

Marcos Senior ruled the Philippines for 20 years, much of the time under martial law, until a military-backed popular revolt sent him and his family fl eeing into exile in 1986.

The family was allowed to return home after he died in Hawaii in 1989 and has made a remarkable political comeback.

Marcos Jnr. has been at the forefront, getting elected to the House of Representatives and then the powerful Senate before mounting his bid for the vice-presidency.

The Marcos family has never admitted any wrongdoing and Bong-bong Marcos has depicted his father’s rule as a virtual golden age, angering the many victims of the regime who are still alive.

Challenged during the debate about charges his family stole $10 billion during his father’s term, Marcos Jnr. responded: “I can say that I have never been touched by corruption.”

Asked if he would apologise for his father’s human rights abuses, he replied, “I can only apologise for myself. I cannot apologise for anyone else.”

He brushed aside allegations of massive corruption, saying that “all those big numbers came out of nowhere.”

If Marcos Jnr, 58, wins the vice presidency, he would be well positioned for a run at the top post at the next elections in 2022.

In the Philippines, president and vice-president are elected separately for a single six-year term and are sometimes from different political parties.

The dictator’s fl amboyant widow Imelda has said she hopes her son will eventually run for the presidency.

MANILA, Apr 11 (Mabuhay) – Four senatorial candidates—Senate President Franklin Drilon, Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, and former senators Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan and Panfi lo “Ping” Lacson – emerged statistically tied for the top four spots in the latest survey of Social Weather Stations (SWS) on voting preferences for senators.

Drilon got 45 percent while erstwhile leader Sen-ator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III cornered 42 percent in SWS’ First Quarter 2016 Social Weather Survey conducted from March 30 to April 2.

Sotto consistently topped recent SWS polls scoring more than 50 percent and even peaked by 59 percent during the December 12-14, 2015 survey. Most re-cently, he scored 53 percent in the March 4-7 survey, seven points ahead of Drilon’s 46 percent.

Liberal Party (LP) candidate Pangilinan and Inde-pendent candidate Lacson each got 37 percent in the latest SWS poll.Pangilinan dropped six points from his 43 percent, while Lacson dropped nine points from second spot in the March survey.

SWS said the remaining eight seats in the Magic 12 are all in statistical contention due to the survey’s sampling error margins of +/-3 percentage points.

Three candidates scored 31 percent: former Jus-

tice Secretary Leila de Lima, Juan Miguel Zubiri, and United Nationalist Alliance candidate Manny Pacquiao.

Zubiri dipped the biggest among the three losing 10 points from 41 percent compared to the previous survey. Pacquiao lost seven points from 38 percent while de Lima only shed one point from her rating.

Meanwhile, Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel, re-election-ist senators Sergio Osmena III and Ralph Recto, and Richard Gordon followed the list with 30 percent each.

Recto shed the biggest points among all candidates in the poll losing 13 points (43 percent) from his fourth spot showing in the March survey.

Former Technical Skills and Development Author-ity Director General Joel Villanueva capped the top 12 with 28 percent, up by four points from his rating in the March poll. He overtook the twelth spot over Senator Teofi sto Guingona III who dropped to the seventeenth spot and lost fi ve points with 21 percent.

Nationalist People’s Coalition candidate and Valenzuela Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian, meanwhile, ranked 13th and scored 25 percent.

SWS conducted the survey using face-to-face in-terviews with 1,500 adults nationwide, 92 percent or 1,377 among them are validated voters. (MNS)

Politicians exploiting women, children do not deserve votes: DSWD

Sins of the dictator dog Bongbong in VP debate

Only federalism can bring peace to Mindanao: Cayetano

Marcos grilling expected; Leni stands out in debate, says analyst

PHL: Five things to know about the Abu Sayyaf

Drilon, Sotto, Pangilinan, Lacson statistically tied for top 4 spots in SWS poll

THE US ASIAN POST Friday - Thursday, April 15 - 21, 2016 Visit www.usasianpost.com 5

ILOILO CITY, April 11 (PNA) – The Department of Health has raised a nation-wide alert on the emergence of “6S” or six illnesses of summer as the temperature continues to rise.

In Iloilo City and the rest of Panay Island provinces, the temperature rose to 36 degrees and above, inten-sifying the El Niño phe-nomenon had caused havoc to crops, livestock and the population. DOH Regional Director Marlyn Convocar said the 6S are diarrhea and vomiting, sore eyes or conjunctivitis, sunburn, skin diseases, cough and colds,

and rabies, which are the six common ailments the Ilong-gos must watch out for in the next two-to-three months.

Convocar also said that many people heading to the beach or swimming pool may accidentally drink wa-ter that is infected with the E. Coli bacteria that may cause nausea, diarrhea and vomiting. Poorly chlorinated swimming pools may also cause sore eyes or conjunc-tivitis when the virus enters through the eyes.

Sunburn is caused by prolonged exposure to the sun without proper protec-tion against the harmful

ultraviolet rays and painful, itchy, irritated patch of skin that often peels off. When combined with dehydration, overexposure may lead to heat stroke. Cough and colds may cause discomfort any-time of the year and tend to linger in the summer. DOH also warned against dog bites as dogs become irrita-ble due to the heat.

Vaccines against dog bites and rabies are now available at the health center and in Iloilo City. The dog bite center is at the Western Vi-sayas Medical Center and at the health center in Rosario Duran. (PNA)

A student reacts before a nurse administers the anti-dengue vaccine at Parang Elementary School in Marikina.© AFP PHOTO/NOEL CELIS

By Leilani S. JunioMANILA, April 10 (PNA)

– The government under the administration of President Benigno S. Aquino III has made various investments in vaccines and vaccination programs that it will be leav-ing as a “legacy” for the next generations.

According to Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Janette L. Garin, the latest of such programs is the free dengue immunization program that they started this month for nine-year-old grade 4 children studying in public elementary schools in three targeted regions with high incidence of dengue cases.

‘‘It’s a legacy that we can leave to our children... It’s a legacy that the Aquino gov-ernment will leave behind,” the Health Chief said.

The three regions covered by the free dengue immuni-zation program are the Na-tional Capital Region (NCR), Regions III (Central Luzon) and IV-A (Calabarzon).

Secretary Garin ex-plained that in the efforts to bridge the problems with inequities in healthcare, the Aquino administration has made free and accessible vaccination programs for the poor among its top health priorities in the attainment of Kalusugang Pangkalaha-tan or Universal Healthcare Agenda.

She recalled that in the past years, there have been

several vaccines made avail-able to prevent and reduce the impact of illnesses, but these cannot be accessed by the poor who cannot afford the high costs in private clinics and hospitals.

The Health secretary said that because of “political will” and determination of the government to really not leave behind the poor, the DOH is bringing closer such vaccines to the poor and vul-nerable sectors of society so that the vaccines normally meant only for the rich can also be accessed by the poor who also need them.

“Mali ba na hangarin ng departamento (DOH) na ang bakuna para sa mayayaman ay ibigay sa mahihirap? Mali ba na hangarin ng ‘Kalusugang Pangkalaha-tan’ na we have equity to health, that we have equity to access and making health-care a primary program of the government?” the Health Chief said.

In naming the vaccines that have been made accessi-ble to the poor (children and even to the senior citizens), she cited the following as examples:

Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV); Human Papilloma Vi-rus (HPV) Vaccine; Tatrava-lent Vaccine, Pneumoccocal Vaccine; Pneumonia Vaccine (for senior citizens); Flu Vaccine; Measles, Rubella, Diphtheria and Tetanus (MRDT) Vaccine in school–based immunizations and

even Rabies Vaccine.“That’s an evidence on

how the government has moved forward to shifting from Oral Polio Vaccine to Inactivated Polio Vaccine; to making Human Papilloma Virus Vaccines or the Cer-vical Cancer Vaccines avail-able in 20 poorest provinc-es…. We have included the school-based immunization program which actually cov-ers the two booster doses for the four diseases—Measles, Rubella, Diphtheria and Tetanus or MRDT, among others,” Dr. Garin said.

She added that investing on vaccination programs is in the heart of the adminis-tration to help in reducing out-of-pocket expenditures that are usually high in terms of providing the treat-ment, aside from enduring emotional burden and loss of productivity.

“There are illnesses that can actually be prevented with vaccination; and that is why we have included it in our health agenda,” the Health Chief said.

She also said that while there is no vaccine that will really provide a 100 percent or full protection, the vac-cines will signifi cantly help in “cutting” the sources of disease wherein it is actually preventing the transmission because those who have been vaccinated have high-er chances of not becoming agents for transmission of the ailment to others.

WASHINGTON, April 12 (PNA/Xinhua) – The Zika vi-rus, thought to be the cause of birth defects known as microcephaly, is “a bit scar-ier” than scientists initially thought and the fi rst vaccine candidate could be ready for human trials in September, top US health offi cials said Monday.

“Most of what we’re learn-ing is not reassuring,” said Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Everything we look at with this virus seems to be a bit scarier than we initially thought.”

Schuchat said that the Zika virus, that is mainly spread to people primarily through the bite of an infect-ed Aedes species of mosqui-to, is linked to a broader set of complications in pregnan-cy, not just microcephaly but also premature birth, eye problems and some other conditions.

Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious

Diseases, detailed that Zika may also cause an autoim-mune disorder called the Guillain-Barre syndrome, a spinal cord infl ammation called acute myelitis, a brain infl ammation called Menin-goencephalitis, as well as an autoimmune condition called Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis, which shares some traits with multiple sclerosis.

“I’m not an alarmist... but the more we learn about the neurological aspects, the more we look around and say this is very serious,” Fauci said.

Both Schuchat and Fau-ci made the remarks at a White House press briefi ng, where they were invited to provide an update on this virus and the risk that it poses to the US public.

Schuchat said the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that spread the virus are present in about 30 US states, in-stead of 12 states as initially thought.

Meanwhile, the virus is likely to be a problem during

much of the pregnancy peri-od, not just the fi rst trimes-ter but potentially through-out the pregnancy, she said.

Fauci said researchers have developed two mouse models to study how Zika infects the neurological tis-sues, as well as a monkey model that showed that the virus stays around the blood signifi cantly longer in preg-nant monkeys than it does in non-pregnant monkeys.

He said it’s “very likely” the fi rst vaccine candidate, which is being produced in a pilot plant outside of Bethesda, Maryland, where his agency is situated, could be available for human trials in September.

In addition, US research-ers have screened about 62 Zika drugs, 15 of which “have some degree of activi-ty,” Fauci said.

Currently, there is no vaccine to prevent or med-icine to treat the Zika dis-ease, which is usually mild with symptoms lasting from several days to a week in humans. (PNA/Xinhua)

Aquino’s vaccination programs will be his legacy: DOH Sec. Garin

US health offi cials say Zika ‘a bit scarier’ than initially thought

DOH raises alert on summer illnesses

Visit www.usasianpost.com Friday - Thursday, April 15 - 21, 2016 THE US ASIAN POST6

For the love of her craft, explained veteran actress Prin-cess Punzalan when asked about her decision to return to the Philippines and join the cast of the late night drama “The Story of Us.”

The 47-year-old Punzalan admitted that she would often fi nd herself missing the limelight.

“Mahal na mahal ko talaga ang pag-arte,” said Punzalan, who is perhaps best known for her role as Selina in the 1997 series “Mula sa Puso.”

“So, may mga desire ako na gawin iyon pero every now and then I come back to the Philippines para mag-guest-ing, para ma-fulfi ll naman iyong desire ko na iyon bilang artista,” she added.

Punzalan, who moved to the United States back in 2005 for a quiet life with husband Jason Field, also downplayed suggestions that her return to the country is permanent.

“Panandalian lang dahil tinanggap ko ang isang napak-agandang proyekto sa ABS-CBN,” she clarifi ed.

In the series, Punzalan will portray the role of Claudette, the mother of CJ (Byran Santos), who will be the third wheel to the relationship of Xian Lim and Kim Chiu’s characters.

Asked if Claudette will play out in a similar vein as Seli-na, Punzalan said: “Si Selina, dark siya talaga. Sa sobrang desire niya na maging powerful, kaya niyang pumatay.”

“As opposed to Claudette na ang nagdri-drive sa kanya is love for her son. Gusto lang niya maging protektado ang kanyang son.”

Directed by Richard Romes, “The Story of Us” airs week-nights after “Dolce Amore.” (MNS)

Almost a year since ap-pearing on a major TV se-ries, Andrea Torres returns via “The Millionaire’s Wife” which puts a smile on her face that seemingly says good things come to those who wait.

“Medyo napatagal pero sabi nga nila na ‘slowly but surely,’” she said. “Nag-an-tay ako at naging masaya kasi ’yung role na binigay sa akin ay napakaganda.”

On “The Millionaire’s Wife” that airs its pilot epi-sode tonight, the 25-year-old actress plays a hardworking single mother who will do anything and everything for her son, even marrying a rich old man.

“Dito ipapakita namin kung ano ’yung nangyayari sa kabilang banda kapag nag-asawa ka ng matandang mayaman” is how she put the long and short of it.

Andrea denied she has gotten unnecessarily picky with her roles. Note that she’s not had a TV series after “Ang Lihim Ni Anna-sandra” ended early last year.

“’Di naman po (picky). Basta kapag maganda po ’yung story, okay naman sa akin,” she said, adding, “Iniiwasan ko lang naman na puro sexy roles ang gawin kasi may mga fans na gusto akong mag-drama. Eto na (this show) ang sagot dun.”

Asked if she is willing to do play sweet on cam with veteran actor Robert Arevalo as their roles require, Andrea said, “Kung merong eksena na kailangan ng mga ganung bagay, okay lang naman pero feeling ko wala naman ata.”

Also in the cast is awarded actress Jaclyn Jose, whom Andrea approached as soon as she saw her on the set. The younger actress said she always shows her respect to stars of Jaclyn’s stature this way, knowing that they have had far longer tenure in show business.

“Nu’ng unang meeting palang namin nag-hi na ako kaagad and kinausap niya naman ako,” Andrea recalled. “After nu’n, kwento na agad siya and nag-small talk na kami.”

Andrea believes she will learn a lot working with Robert and Jaclyn. “Ang gagaling kasi nila na i-feel mo nalang ’yung mga eksena tapos madadala ka na lang,” she said.

Sharing what she’s learned, she said, “Ayaw nila ’yung parang naninigas ka when you’re with them. Gusto nila ’yung natural lang.”

Andrea only has good words for Mike Tan, who plays a crucial role on the series.

“Sobrang dali niya katrabaho. Nu’ng una nga naming scene eh, natulala ako kasi ang dami niyang luha. Ti-nanong ko nga siya kung may pinagdadaanan ba siya,” she shared, laughing.

“The Millionaire’s Wife” also stars Ina Raymundo, Rich Asuncion and Sid Lucero. It airs on GMA Afternoon Prime.(MNS)

Hashtags member Ron-nie Alonte and young ac-tress Sue Ramirez have been making buzz on social media since their cute self-ies surfaced online.

The photos, which were taken in Baguio City, made fans speculate that some-thing special is going on between the two.

The 18-year-old Alon-te, however, clarifi ed that he and Ramirez are just friends.

“Wala. As in natural na magkaibigan lang. Siguro

kaya rin nae-exagge kasi nabi-big deal rin ng mga fans namin kaya ganon,” he said.

According to him, they went to the summer capital to endorse a clothing brand.

Meanwhile, Alonte ex-pressed joy over the op-portunity to work with Ramirez.

“Super saya kasi si Sue ‘yong tipong babae na super simple lang. Walang arte sa katawan. ‘Di kagaya ng iba,” he said. “Kasi gusto ko ‘yong ganon eh, kung

ano ang ugali ko ganon din ugali niya. Siya ‘yong tipo ng babae na palingkera na chill lang, go lang. Kung ano siya ‘yon siya.”

Alonte teased his fans by revealing that he and Ramirez are currently tak-ing workshops for an up-coming project.

“Opo abangan nila kasi nagwo-workshop na kami eh. Ayoko nalang muna magsalita kasi baka alam na, baka maudlot. Pero promise may aabangan sila,” he said. (MNS)

Singer Michael Pan-gilinan struggled to hold back his emotions after he was asked about his new-born child.

“Ginagamit ko iyong baby ko bilang lakas ko, bilang in-spiration ko. Kumbaga, kung ako ang tatanungin po ninyo, siya na ang buhay ko,” said the 19-year-old singer, who was close to tears.

“Sa baby ko kasi kahit mamatay ako basta para sa kanya kasi simula noong du-mating siya ang dami dam-ing blessings na dumating sa akin,” he added.

Pangilinan also shared his one wish for his child with his former girlfriend, whom he has yet to name.

“Ang dasal ko lang kay God, kung ano man mang-

yari sa akin, sana hindi siya makaramdam ng kahit anong pambu-bully ...Gab-ayan siya lagi ni God. Kahit wala nang magmahal sa kanya basta mahal lang siya ni God.”(MNS)

Since the turn of the year, actor Derek Ramsay and his girl-friend, model Joanne Villablanca, have been more vocal about their feelings for each other on Instagram.

It might be partly because of their promise to each other to make the most out of 2016.

“I promise to build a new world for us two, with you in the middle,” wrote Villablanca as the caption to a photo of her with Ramsay during their recent vacation to Palawan.

In another photo of them together posted on Tuesday, Villab-lanca told her boyfriend: “No way but up, love! Matira matibay. Love you always, Mr. Pakipot.”

For his part, Ramsay, in a screenshot of a comment he made on one of Villablanca’s posts, told his girlfriend: “I love you more, babe!”

Ramsay and Villablanca celebrated their fi rst anniversary as a couple last January. The two have since been photographed together in public events, with Villablanca attending the pre-miere night of Ramsay’s fi lm, “Love is Blind”.

In an earlier interview, Ramsay, who previously dated ac-tresses Angelica Panganiban and Cristine Reyes, said that he wants his relationship with Villablanca to last.

“We enjoy each other’s company and we’re very much in-trigued by each other —we want to know each other more,” Ramsay shared. “She supports the things I do and seems gen-uinely interested in them. There’s no pressure. And I love it.” (MNS)

Note that the 26-year-old actor earned a degree in English Literature at the University of Guam, grad-uating Summa Cum Laude, no less, in 2012.

Despite his busy sched-ule, Benjamin still finds time to create poems that he publishes online through his Tumblr account dedicated solely to his writings.

“Even when I’m on a set, I write. I just simply pick up my notepad or iPhone and do it. The great thing about social media is, you can post your work instantly,” he said. We asked Benjamin if he ever thought of reading his poetry live in front of an audience. “I don’t know if I have enough courage to do it,” he said, “but… I actual-ly write some poems in the mindset na baka pwede si-yang piyesang pang-spoken word.”

He mulls coming out with a book but notes, “Not any-time soon. I’d have to write

Why Princess Punzalan returned to PHL

Princess Punzalan

Ronnie clarifi es real score with Sue

Ronnie Alonte

Pay off comes for Andrea Torres

Andrea Torres

How being a dad changed Michael Pangilinan

Michael Pangilinan

Derek, girlfriend profess love for each other

Benjamin, in a word

Benjamin Alves

Derek Ramsay

When speaking is not enough, actor Benjamin Alves resorts to the written word to express himself. He pools his artistic energy and creates poems or short stories.

“I may have a hard time putting my thoughts into words when speaking but writing them down was nev-er a problem,” he said.

more. If there’s a demand for it, maybe I’ll do it.”

His love for writing start-ed when he was a kid, and it became an outlet for him to express himself despite his shyness.

“It always felt natural for me, and every time I write, I feel great,” he said.

It helps that he’s also a bookworm and being so further developed his vocab-ulary and focus.

“ ’Yung makabasa ng isang buong libro from be-ginning to end ay napaka importante na achievement dahil natapos mo siyang basahin nang walang ibang distractions,” he said.

He doesn’t differentiate between an e-book and a physical copy; he believes reading is worthwhile whichever way you enjoy it. “As long as you’re reading, may it be poetry, short story, novel, whatever it is, maybe on an e-book or a real book, it’s going to be good for you.”

Benjamin is taking his passion for reading to an-other level, opening Books And Borders Café with good friend Karylle. The coffee shop now has branches along Tomas Morato, in Quezon City and at Tuscany in McKinley Hill, Bonifacio Global City.

“It’s a place for people like us who like coffee and books. It’s cozy and inviting and isn’t too distracting like oth-er crowded cafés,” he said.

This interest aside, Ben-jamin assures fans he isn’t giving up on acting. “There’s more to explore… and I want to delve deeper into it,” he said.

He relies on his home network for projects, noting, “I trust GMA fully in that; that wherever they’re gonna push or take me in terms of my acting career, it’s some-thing that is good for me, something that would help develop further my under-standing of acting.”

THE US ASIAN POST Friday - Thursday, April 15 - 21, 2016 Visit www.usasianpost.com 7

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The fi nal testing and sealing (FTS) of COMELEC vote counting machines (VCMs) for the 2016 Philippine Na-tional Elections was held at the Romulo Hall of the Phil-ippine Embassy on Wednes-day, 06 April 2016.

Consul Katrina Bor-ja-Martin led the FTS along with Embassy personnel who took their oaths as Special Board of Election Inspectors (SBEI) and Spe-cial Ballot Reception and Custody Group (SBRCG) last 23 March 2016.

The FTS checks the se-curity and accuracy of the VCMs using test ballots, which are fed to the ma-chines. It also checks if the count of the machines will match the manual counting done after the actual voting.

The Embassy tested three (3) VCMs during the FTS, using 10 test ballots each for the 47 precincts under the

Post’s jurisdiction.“The machines are in

good condition, but it is very important that the voters follow the instructions about shading the ovals that cor-respond to the respective candidates that they want to vote for, to ensure that their votes will be read and counted by the VCMs,” Con-sul Borja-Martin said.

“The ovals have to be fully-shaded in black ink, no check or cross marks. The votes cast should also not exceed the number of vacan-cies,” the Consul re-iterated.

The FTS is the last prepa-ratory step for the Overseas Voting that will start on 09 April 2016, and will run through 09 May 2016.###

PHOTO CAPTIONS:1.) Consul Katrina Bor-

ja-Martin (left) feeds test ballots to one vote counting machine (VCM), during the final testing and sealing (FTS) of COMELEC VCMs

at the Philippine Embassy on 06 April 2016.

2.) Consul General Emilio Fernandez facilitates the oath taking of Embassy per-sonnel as Special Board of Election Inspectors (SBEI) and Special Ballot Recep-tion and Custody Group (SBRCG), for purposes of the 2016 Philippine National Elections at the Romulo Hall of the Philippine Embassy on 23 March 2016.

National Printing Offi ce (NPO) personnel test run offi cial ballots to vote-counting machines (VCMs) at National Printing Offi ce (NPO) in Diliman, Quezon City, on Saturday (April 9, 2016). (PNA photo by Joey O. Razon)

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 2016 – “Our veterans have rendered a service that has no equal, and one which we can only hope to repay by living up to the promise of a free and peaceful and civi-lized nation”, Charge d’af-faires and Minister Patrick Chuasoto said in his opening remarks during the recep-tion and symposium held in commemoration of the 74th Araw Ng Kagitingan or Day of Valor at the Romulo Hall of the Philippine Embassy on 08 April 2016.

The Philippines cele-brates Araw ng Kagitin-gan (Day of Valor) every 9th day of April to commem-orate the heroism of Filipino soldiers during the day in the Second World War in 1942 when the Philippines was invaded by the Japa-nese forces, leading to the eventual fall of Bataan and Death March.

Also present during the reception were two (2) of the remaining Filipino WWII veterans, Lt. Celestino Al-meda and Private Rodolfo Panaglima.

Mr. Panaglima, 86, was among the youngest mem-bers of Filipino guerillas who fought the Japanese forces while Mr. Almeda, 98, was a member of the underground guerilla units during the second world war.

“This year’s theme, Is-abuhay ang Kagitingan, Kapayapaan ay Pagkai-sahan, Kamtin ang Mithi-ing Kaunlaran, reminds us how peace and progress go hand in hand. The sacrifi ce of our veterans to forge a lasting peace ensures the path to economic prosper-ity,” the Minister further stated.

The Philippine Govern-ment and Filipino commu-nity also continue their joint campaign to mobi-lize Congressional sup-port for the bill seeking to award the Congressional Gold Medal collectively to Filipino WWII veterans.Currently, the bill has 33 co-sponsors in the US Senate and 67 in the House of Rep-resentatives. To pass into law, the bill needs 34 more co-sponsors in the Senate

and 152 co-sponsors in the House.

“I hope that you will con-tinue to join me in getting them the recognition they truly deserve to restore their dignity and honor”, MGen Antonio T. Taguba USA (Ret), Chair of the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project (FIL-VETREP) said during the symposium.

Earlier before the recep-tion, a wreath-laying cere-mony was held at the World War II Memorial, led by Minister Patrick Chuasoto and MGen Delfi n Lorenza-na, Head of the Office of Veteran Affairs, along with the WWII Veterans, Phil-ippine Embassy personnel, and Fil-Am Community of Metro DC.

A documentary on the Filipino WWII veterans entitled “Duty to Country” was also shown during the symposium, followed by a brief discussion on the Rescission Act of 1946 and its lasting effect on WWII Filipino Veterans by MGen Delfi n Lorenzana.###

Lt. Celestino Almeda and Private Rodolfo Panaglima, two of the remaining Filipino WWII veterans, were present during the reception and symposium held at the Romulo Hall of the Philippine Embassy on 08 April 2016

Los Angeles, United States | AFP | Friday 4/8/2016 - A federal judge in California has ruled that including a small Christian cross on the offi cial seal of Los Angeles County is un-constitutional, siding with civil liberties advocates.

Thursday’s decision, fol-lowing a two-year legal bat-tle, was handed down by US District Judge Christina Snyder, who said that in-cluding the religious emblem in the government symbol “places the county’s power, prestige and purse behind a single religion, Christi-anity.”

The case erupted in 2014 when the county had the cross drawn on top of the San Gabriel Mission which

appears in the logo.The move reversed a de-

cision by offi cials a decade earlier to remove the cross from the seal, amid threats of legal action by various groups opposing the inclu-sion of the crucifi x on the county symbol.

The LA county seal ap-pears on fl ags and offi cial stationery and government buildings across Los Angeles County.

Supporters of keeping the cross on the mission in the seal said it is a historically accurate symbol, given Cal-ifornia’s early settlement by Franciscan missionaries from Spain.

They also noted that courts have upheld the con-stitutionality of the phrases

“in God We Trust” on US currency and “one nation under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Thursday’s ruling is a vic-tory for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which brought the suit.

Hector Villagra, execu-tive director of the ACLU of Southern California and attorney Linda Burrow who represented plaintiffs in the case said in a statement Thursday that they were “heartened” by the ruling.

“It recognizes that Los Angeles is a diverse county comprised of adherents of hundreds of faiths as well as non-believers, all of whom are entitled to be treated with equal dignity by their government,” they said.

By Olivia HamptonWashington, United

States | AFP | Sunday 4/10/2016 – Mass depor-tations, riots and a loom-ing trade war: The Boston Globe on Sunday ran a fake front page imagining the state of America under a Donald Trump presiden-cy—and denouncing his “deeply disturbing” vision.

Posted in the US newspa-per’s idea section alongside an op-ed with the title “The GOP must stop Trump,” the mockup appeared three months before the Repub-lican Party convention confi rms its White House nominee.

“Deportations to begin,” ran the Globe’s fictitious headline, dated April 9,

2017, above a spoof arti-cle about Trump’s push to expel more than 11 mil-lion undocumented immi-grants—sparking nation-wide riots and curfews.

“ T h i s i s D o n -ald Trump’s America,” read a note from the editor at the foot of the page. “What you read on this page is what might happen if the GOP frontrunner can put his ideas into practice, his words into action.”

A number of main-stream US newspapers, from The New York Times to The Los Angeles Times or The Washington Post have taken strong positions in their editorial pages against Trump’s election bid, urging Republicans to

reject the populist rhetoric against migrants, Muslims or women that has fueled his campaign.

But the Globe’s satire marked the most spectacu-lar example to date.

“Markets sink as trade war looms,” read the head-line of a make-believe piece detailing the meltdown of US commercial relations with China and Mexico.

One article features US soldiers refusing to obey orders to kill the families of Islamic State fighters, another has a Republi-can-controlled Congress passing a libel law target-ing “absolute scum” in the press—both riffs on cam-paign pronouncements by Trump.

PHL remembers, honors Filipino WWII veterans on Day of Valor

Judge bans Christian cross from Los Angeles County seal

Riots, deportations headline spoof ‘President Trump’ front page

PHL Embassy tests vote counting machines

Visit www.usasianpost.com Friday - Thursday, April 15 - 21, 2016 THE US ASIAN POST8

Cod Parmesan with Zucchini NoodlesServes: 4Prep time: 15 minutesCook time: 20 minutes

2 medium zucchini (5-6 ounces each), thinly sliced

1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1 teaspoon olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon dried basil1/8 teaspoon dried oregano1/8 teaspoon onion powder

4 Alaska cod fillets (4-6 ounces each)2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese,

divided

In nonstick skillet, saute zucchini slices in butter and oil just until soft. Add salt and pepper, to taste.Keep warm.

Heat oven to broil setting. Mix grated Parmesancheese, mayonnaise, lemon juice, basil, oregano andonion powder together. Add salt and pepper, to taste.Divide and spread topping onto the top of each fillet.

Place fillets on foil-lined broiler pan. Broil 5-7inches from broiler element for 3 minutes, or untiltop is browned and bubbly. Reduce heat to 300 F and cook 3-5 more minutes. Cook until fish is opaquethroughout.

To serve, place 1/4 of zucchini on each plate. Top with cod fillet and garnish with 1/2 tablespoonshredded cheese.

Smothered Cod or PollockServes: 4Prep time: 15 minutesCook time: 20 minutes

1/4 cup olive oil1/2 cup red onion

2 teaspoons garlic, chopped1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced

salt and pepper, to taste 4 tablespoons flour2 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup tomato, seeded and chopped2 teaspoons fresh thyme4 wild Alaska cod or pollock fillets

(4-6 ounces each) 2 cups mashed potatoes, warmed4 fresh thyme sprigs, for garnish

In hot saute pan, cook olive oil, onion and garlic for 1 minute. Add both peppers and salt and pepper,and saute 2 minutes. Add flour and stir until flourturns light brown. Add chicken stock and stir untilliquid smooths and starts to thicken. Add tomato and thyme.

Season fish with salt and pepper, to taste, and placeinto simmering sauce and cover. Cook 3-4 minutes,carefully turn, cover and continue to cook until done,3-4 minutes.

To serve, place 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes on 4 serving plates. Carefully remove each piece of fishand place on top of mashed potatoes. Evenly dividesauce over each piece of fish. Garnish each plate with1 sprig of fresh thyme, if desired.

FAMILY FEATURES

Now more than ever, food choices matter.People want healthy, environmentallyfriendly foods without sacrificing flavor.Substituting the traditional protein in your

favorite dishes with seafood is one deliciously smartway to satisfy these demands.

Seafood offers numerous health benefits. In fact,because seafood is high in protein, omega-3 fattyacids and essential vitamins and minerals, but low insaturated fat and calories, several health organizationsrecommend two servings per week.

When it comes to the environment, seafood offersan advantage as well – it’s the most environmentallyfriendly of all the animal proteins. In a comparison of environmental costs, wild-capture fisheries have a miniscule cost compared to foods such as beef,chicken, pork and dairy.

Changing up traditional meals to incorporate thegoodness of seafood is easier than you may think.Just pick a non-seafood protein dish that youregularly enjoy, and replace the protein with one of Alaska’s many species of seafood. For example,replace veal in veal parmesan with delicious Alaskacod or the chicken in chicken Marsala with flavorfulAlaska salmon.

Find more easy, meatless recipes and inspiration at wildalaskaseafood.com.

Salmon MarsalaServes: 4Prep time: 10 minutesCook time: 20 minutes

4 Alaska salmon fillets (4-6 ounces each)salt and pepper, to taste

2 cups flour1/2 cup olive oil

1 cup Marsala wine2 cups mushrooms, sliced2 cups chicken stock2 teaspoons fresh thyme2 tablespoons cold butter4 fresh thyme sprigs, for garnish

Season salmon fillets with salt and pepper, to taste.On plate, season flour with salt and pepper, to taste.Dredge both sides of each salmon fillet in seasonedflour, shaking off excess.

Heat large saute pan and add olive oil then placeeach piece of salmon in pan. Cook for 2-4 minutes,turn fillets over and cook until almost done. Removefillets from pan; set aside.

Off heat, add wine to pan, scraping bits off thebottom. Return pan to heat and add mushrooms.Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and cook for 1 minute. Add stock and thyme, and let liquid reduceby half.

Return salmon fillets to pan. Cook, while bastingfish, until fillets are heated through. Remove fillets to 4 serving plates.

Return pan to heat, add cold butter and swirl untilincorporated and sauce slightly thickens. Removefrom heat and divide sauce evenly over salmon fillets.Garnish each plate with 1 thyme sprig, if desired.

What’s in a name?For many ingredients, substitutions are no problem. For example, pollock, which is amember of the cod family and shares many of its attributes, including a firm texture, mildflavor and snow-white fillets loaded with lean protein, works in any recipe calling for cod.

However, at the fish counter it pays to pay attention to names because the Food & DrugAdministration regulates what foods sold in the United States are called. This allowsconsumers to know more about their origin and be confident in the safety and environ mentalstandards used to raise or harvest the product.

Recently, the FDA made a change regarding pollock. Alaska pollock was previously aspecies name, which meant pollock from Russia or China could be sold as Alaska pollock.To clear up the confusion and help ensure consumers know the source of their food, nowonly pollock from Alaska can be called Alaska pollock.

Alaska pollock Alaska cod

Cod Parmesan with Zucchini Noodles

Smothered Cod or Pollock

Salmon Marsala

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Life and Leisure News for Filipino-Americans

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MOTORING

By Kris M. CrismundoMANILA, April 7

(PNA) – Korean car maker Hyundai is con-sidering the Philippines as its new location for car assembly or car parts manufacturing, Hyundai Asia Resources Inc. (HARI) President and CEO Ma. Fe Pe-rez-Agudo told reporters on Thursday.

At the sidelines of the 2016 Manila In-

ternational Auto Show (MIAS), Perez-Agudo said Hyundai is review-ing its business strat-egy for Southeast Asia which will involve in-vestments and comple-menting the assembly in the region.

“(We’re) reviewing not only investments but possible comple-mentation assembly in ASEAN because there will be a swapping of

products in terms of complementation,” she said.

She added that one of the strategies that the company is looking at is putting up a manufac-turing plant in ASEAN which can also serve as source for Hyundai vehicles for the entire region.

When asked if the Korean car firm eyes investments for man-

Hyundai eyes PHL for car assembly

Nash Jimenez

By Angel Tahimik “Everyone is expecting

for a better car but they are not willing to put their res-ervations aside and consid-er getting a car that may be pricey, but with exceptional benefits that far outweigh its cost.”

This was Nash Jimenez’s first statement. He is the Fleet Sales Manager of Penske Mercedes-Benz in West Covina.

“I have been selling cars half my life. I started in 1993 but it still feels like yesterday. Mercedez-Benz is a different breed alto-gether since it is a luxury car but that it is worth the price.

Unfortunately, every-body has misconceptions about owning a luxury car. And that is where I come in,” says Nash.

As a car enthusiast, Nash considers his job at Penske Mercedez-Benz as a challenge. He says dealing

Fil-Am Nash Jimenez: A ‘driving force’ at Mercedes-Benz of West Covina

tomers by changing their impression about luxury cars.

You will be paying al-most the same for a top-of-the-line car of another make, but getting the most advanced technology.

I want my loyal clients to experience that. They deserve to know the truth about owning a luxury car.”

It was an eye-opener for this author as I get a crash course on luxury cars from an empathetic car expert who’s been highly recognized in car sales and dealership.

His reputation in ar-ranging the best car deals and converting a “car win-dow-shopper” into a car owner is his legacy. When

asked, “what makes him good a salesman”, he said: “Selling is easy. It is serving your customers that makes a lasting impression.

I take it upon me to educate them and make their buying experience a memorable one.”

Buying a car is one of the major decisions one will make in his lifetime. If he’s

lucky, he will meet some-one who is willing to break misconceptions to serve his customers. Someone like Nash Jimenez.

Nash Jimenez, Fleet Manager of Penske Mer-cedes Benz of West Co-vina 2010 E Garvey Ave West Covina, CA 91791. You may reach him at (909) 225-9983

with family cars has been a fruitful experience for his clients as his customer service never waned, but his transition to a luxury line (of cars) would be like proving to himself that he can still arrange great deals regardless of the type of car.

According to Nash, he wants to offer the same level of expertise and cus-tomer service in making great deals for his clients to get them – this time – a luxury car. He said, “It’s like giving back to my cus-

ufacturing in the Phil-ippines, Perez-Agudo said, “We’re getting there. But as I’ve said, we are currently re-viewing the strength, the business strategy of Hyundai not only in the Philippines but for the entire ASEAN”.

After China, the Phil-ippines is the strongest partner of Hyundai in ASEAN, according to the president of HARI—the exclusive distributor

of Hyundai vehicles in the country.

She mentioned that HARI target sales for this year is at 35,000 units, a 15-percent growth from last year’s sales at 22,058 units.

Hyundai is bene-fitting from the ASE-AN-Korea Free Trade Agreement which cuts tariff of Korean cars im-ported to ASEAN mar-kets from 25 percent to 5.0 percent, making

Korean-made cars more competitive in the re-gion. (PNA)

THE US ASIAN POST Friday - Thursday, April 15 - 21, 2016 Visit www.usasianpost.com 11

&Fil-Am News Lifestyle

Balita.comYour premier source for Fil-Am Lifestyle. Updated daily with local, national and international news.

By Azer N. ParrochaMANILA, Apr i l 12

(PNA) – This year’s 2016 Lubao International Bal-loon Festival, which will run from April 14-17, 2016 at Lubao, Pampanga, will feature Taiwan’s Taitung No. 1 Hot Air Balloon called “Kid’s Hooray”.

This was after the Tai-tung County Government and the Lubao Interna-tional Balloon Festival Inc. (LIBF) signed a “memo-randum of understanding” (MoU) to have a better collaboration to further promote hot air balloon festivals in the region.

They have also invited the LIBF to join the Asia Hot Air Balloon Alliance which aims not only to pro-mote Hot Air Balloon Fes-tivals but also multi-desti-nation travel in Asia.

During the event, Tai-wan’s Taitung County Gov-ernment Tourism Depart-ment Vice-Director Wang will lead two pilots and Taitung’s “Kid’s Hooray”

during the launching cer-emony on April 14.

“Kid’s Hooray”, which is the first ever legally registered balloon in Tai-wan, was a created by fi ve elementary students in the East Rift Valley of Taitung, Taiwan.

Taitung is the third largest county in Taiwan, located in Eastern Coast and they are much known for their hot air balloons because of their strategic location.

“Kid’s Hooray” serves as a good-will ambassa-dor representing Taitung, which has already fl own in countries, such as Austra-lia, Vietnam, Canada, New Zealand and Spain.

The Taitung County Government expressed confi dence that participat-ing in the LIBF would en-hance Taiwan-Philippine substantial relation and people-to-people under-standing.

Wang noted that Tai-wan’s participation in the

balloon festival symbolized the friendship between pilots of Taiwan and those of the Philippines under the bright sunshine in the heartwarming province of Pampanga.

This is the third Lubao Hot Air Balloon Festival in Pampanga and is the big-gest annual hot air balloon festival in the Southeast Asia. A total of 40 beau-tiful balloons will join the festival.

Concerts, aerial and land exhibitions, street activities, games and many attractive events are pre-pared for all the guests. The organizers expect to draw more than 100,000 visitors to this event.

The 2016 Lubao Inter-national Festival is orga-nized by the LIBF & For-thinker, Inc in cooperation with the Arts, Culture and Tourism Offi ce of Pampan-ga (ACTO) and with the support from Provincial Government of Pampanga. (PNA)

Over a hundred employees of the new delivery center of Accenture in San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte conduct a coastal clean-up drive at the Pangil rocks formation as part of its commitment to help protect and preserve the environment. (PNA photo by Lailane G. Adriano)

LINGAYEN, Pangasin-an, April 12 (PNA) – People attending the annual Pis-ta’y Dayat (sea festival) of the province of Pangasinan will be welcomed through a beach party when this year’s revelry starts on April 22 at the Capitol beachfront here.

Dubbed as “I Love Pan-gasinan” beach rave con-cert/party, the kickoff con-cert at night will be preced-ed by an opening program and the launching of the Pangasinan Tourism and Trade Expo at the Pan-gasinan Training and De-velopment Center (PTDC) ground, said special events offi ce head Marife Acerit.

Acerit added more beach parties are slated for the rest of the festivity.

Also, on April 23, the provincial government, in partnership with local artists, will hold the “Pa-nagARTela Art Workshop” simultaneous with the opening of an art exhibit at the Pangainan Trade and Development Center (PTDC).

In the evening of the 23rd, the 24 ladies vying for the “Limgas na Pan-gasinan” crown will show-case their respective skills during the Talent Night to be held at the Capitol Plaza.

Other events which form part of the Pista’y Dayat 2016 celebration are the following: Bat-tle of the Bands (April 25-27); “Pangkalikasang Suporta sa Ummunlad na Lingayen/Pangasinan” tree planting (Apr. 27); “Sayawan at Musikah-an sa Dagat” beach par-ty (Apr. 28-29); boxing (Apr. 29); 1st Pangasinan Pista’y Dayat Carshow and Motorshow, “Limgas na Pangasinan” Pageant Night, and “Sayawan at Musikahan sa Dagat” beach party (Apr. 30); sand sculpting competition and Beach Volleybelles (Apr. 30-May 1); youth activity, thanksgiving mass, “Bance Parada”, 1st Pangasinan Skateboarding Competi-tion, Pangasinan Tourism and Trade Expo Awarding

Ceremony, Night Job Mar-ket, and “Mitoy Concert” (May 1); and Lingayen Gulf coastal cleanup (May 2). (PNA)

LAP/LVM/JOHANNE MARGARETTE R. MA-COB/RMA

By Azer N. ParrochaMANILA, April 12 (PNA)

– Aside from poor com-munities, indigenous peo-ples (IPs) are also seen to greatly benefi t from various tourism activities in the region of Soccskargen or Sox (Region 12), a tourism offi cial said.

Department of Tour-ism-Region 12 (DOT-12) director Nelly Dillera said that it was part of the de-partment’s mandate to pre-serve their culture, protect their sites and promote their products.

“As far as the IPs are con-cerned, they are very much present in the communities. They have a School of Liv-ing Tradition wherein they

are taught their language, their weaves, crop produc-tion so they have a sense of pride in their culture,” Dillera noted. “We also help them package their homes into home-stay so tourists can experience the life of IPs in the area. After all, the objective of tourism is business, we want them to earn from this activity,” she added. Diller said that the IPs themselves operate tourism activities and serve as tour guides, performers, food servers, storytellers, chanters among other jobs.

She said that the Depart-ments of Environment and Natural Resources, Agricul-ture, Trade and Industry and Tourism cooperated to

ensure that the sites were protected, culture was pre-served and enterprise was developed so IPs earned from the crafts that they produced.

Sox is currently staging the Treasures of Sox: A Travel and Trade Expo from April 11 to 14, 2016 at the Glorietta Activity Center, Makati City.

The event is meant to generate awareness on sales on its tour packages, export and other processed products, cultural crafts, fresh produce and generate investments on the iden-tifi ed projects proposed by local government units (LGUs) and private propo-nents.

‘Pista’y Dayat’ to kick off April 22 with beach party

MAG

TAYOwww.usasianpost.comVISIT OUR WEBSITE

Pampanga’s balloon fest to feature Taiwan’s top hot air balloon

Indigenous peoples to benefi t from Sox tourism: DOT

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It added, “The region has benefi ted from careful mac-roeconomic policies, includ-ing efforts to boost domestic revenue in some commodi-ty-exporting countries.”

“But sustaining growth amid challenging global conditions will require con-tinued progress on struc-tural reforms,” said Victoria

Kwakwa, incoming World Bank East Asia and Pacifi c regional vice president.

“Developing East Asia and Pacific faces elevated risks, including a weak-er-than-expected recovery in high-income economies and a faster-than-expected slowdown in China. At the same time, policy makers have less room to manoeuver in setting macroeconomic

policy,” said Sudhir Shetty, chief economist of the World Bank for East Asia and Pa-cifi c Region.

Shetty added, “Countries should adopt monetary and fiscal policies that reduce their exposure to global and regional risks, and contin-ue with structural reforms to boost productivity and promote inclusive growth.” (MNS)

ented products of the Albay Pageant Academy as well as the grace of the BU and Cagsawa dancers.

Delegate officials noted that this was the fi rst time that the guests did not leave the place at once, even after the program had long ended.

They witnessed the pre-paredness of Albay province, the 15 towns and three cit-ies, national government agencies – especially the fa-mous Team Albay, the Joint

Operation Center based at the Governor’s Guest House and the different working committees manned by provincial government and DepEd personnel.

Each delegation showed its best during the parade, including the Bicol dele-gation headed by Gover-nor Joey Sarte Salceda and DepEd Bicol Regional Direc-tor Ramon Fiel Abcede.

Region 10 was acclaimed as best in moving choreogra-

phy and received Php50,000 as cash prize from Salceda.

One of the special num-bers was the skydiving ex-hibition by members of the Philippine Army who show-ered the place with confetti.

After the welcome mes-sages, speech of President Benigno C. Aquino III giv-en by Luistro, hoisting of banners, and the penetrat-ing and inspiring message of Salceda, white doves of friendship were freed into the sky. (PNA)

ism (DOT) said on Monday.DOT attributed this surge

to the government’s efforts to raise greater awareness among the international community and unlock in-vestments in the Philip-pines’ emerging economy.

“The biggest change during this Administration is that we now have the Filipino people more en-thusiastic about tourism it-self,” DOT Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. said.

“We, as a country, believe that we can deliver an ex-perience to tourists that is more fun because we allow visitors to take part in our joy. And the whole world is as convinced that more peo-ple should visit and revisit the Philippines,” he added.

The total number of in-bound visitors recorded from the January to February 2016 period is already at 1,091,983, a 16.71 percent increase from the same pe-riod in 2015. The country surpassed the one-million visitor arrivals in just two months. Top visitor market was still Korea with around 284,763 visitors, accounting for 26.08 percent or more than one- fourth of the total arrivals. Korea was followed by the United States with 155,796 visitors, represent-ing 14.27 percent of the total arrivals, and China, with 130,916 visitors or 11.99 percent of the total arrivals.

Fourth top visitor mar-ket was Japan with 92,531 visitors, which accounts for 8.47 percent of the total ar-rivals, followed by Australia

with 43,712 arrivals or four percent of the overall total.

Rounding up the top 10 visitor markets are Canada (36,773 arrivals); Taiwan (35,344 arrivals); Singapore (28,376 arrivals); the United Kingdom (28,238 arrivals); and Malaysia (23,990 ar-rivals).

The DOT chief also noted that the growth is also the work and effort of the Filipi-no people who have nurtured and sustained progress de-spite various political and economic challenges.

He said that the depart-ment has also established itself as “the country’s pri-mary marketing and selling unit” by restoring confi dence in the Philippines through a professional, well-planned, and well-supported tourism industry.

that wanted persons from friendly nations and foreign terrorists with links to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) will not use the Philippines as their hiding place and jump-off point to their foreign targets.

For his part, the new chief of the Intelligence Division vowed to assign skilled and experienced immigration

agents in all international airports and seaports to screen arriving foreigners and prevent the entry of suspected international ter-rorists and wanted foreign persons.b With this, De Leon reported that they in-tercepted a Korean national wanted in his home country for various crimes, including extortion and blackmailing his countrymen living in the Philippines.

The fugitive was identi-

fi ed as Choi Yeong-ik, who also used fraudulent Philip-pine passport under a Filipi-no name Bryan Cruz Chua. He also claimed that he was born in Motiong, Samar, to gain easy entry at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

The BI reported that the foreigner also holds a Phil-ippine driver’s license, while his Philippine passport was allegedly issued in Cebu province.

Duterte said to an estimated crowd of 50,000 in Taguig City Monday night.

The rally, organized by Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano, wife of Duterte’s running mate and vice pres-idential aspirant Sen. Alan Cayetano, lasted until the wee hours in the morning.

The activity included song and dance numbers and was graced no less than one of the country’s music icon Freddie Aguilar, who belted out two songs.Duterte had declared to suppress crime and illegal drugs and stop corruption in the fi rst three to six months of his term if elected.

Addressing his critics and the Doubting Thomases, the PDP-LABAN standard bear-er reiterated he is capable of fulfi lling this vow as he is ready and determined to serve the country.

more time to fi ght if he gets elected as Senator. He will be very busy already,” said Santig, who just arrived from Bangkok, Thailand.

Santig’s prized fighter Rey “Singwancha” Loreto, the reigning IBO world light fl yweight champion and two-time Gabriel Elorde Boxer of the Year awardee, said that Pacquiao should not yet retire after scoring a con-vincing win. Jerwin “Pretty Boy” Ancajas, who slated to challenge International Box-ing Federation (IBF) world super flyweight champion McJoe Arroyo of Puerto Rico on April 16 at the Strike Coliseum in Bacoor, Cavite also thinks Pacquiao should still fi ght.

“He can really still fi ght. It was a great fi ght although sometimes Bradley was al-ready hesitating to attack probably he’s scared to get hit again,” said Ancajas.

However, WBF Interna-tional featherweight cham-pion John Rey “Mulaw-in” Moralde of Davao City thinks Pacquiao should al-ready retire.

“Condition masyado si Pacman. Maingat din siya sa kanyang mga kilos. Pero dapat na din siguro siyang mag retire kasi may edad na rin siya. Mahirap na baka my mangyaring masama pa sa kanya (Pacman was very conditioned. He was also very careful in his moves. But he should really now retire because he has aged also. It will be unfortunate if something happens to him),” said the 21-year-old Moral-de. But Moralde of the San-man Stable said that all the boxers and even those who are not are all happy for his victory. Former world-rated boxer Edito Villamor, chief trainer of ALA Stable, said that he thinks Pacquiao will not yet retire after giving an exciting fi ght.

voting: Automated Election, Personal/Manual Voting, Postal Voting, and Modifi ed Postal Voting.

The DFA said this year’s polls had the most number of overseas Filipino voter reg-istration with 1.376 million, Seguis said, adding the DFA is targeting a turnout of 80 percent.

The fi gure is quite small compared to the estimated 10 million overseas Filipinos

abroad, but for Seguis the increase in the number or registrations signifi es “polit-ical maturity” for Philippine nationals living and working overseas.

“Our Filipinos overseas should exercise their right to vote because a big number of votes will have an impact on the number of votes in the Philippines. They will be game-changers in our politi-cal and democratic process,” he said.

Seguis attributed the res-idence status of the Filipi-

nos, their proximity to the polling centers and political indifference as factors in the low turnout of registration and voting.

“What we are doing now is to intensify our informa-tion drive with the Filipino community through social media and our local media partners with bureaus in abroad to encourage all reg-istered overseas voters to cast their votes and partici-pate directly in the election and in this nation-building,” he said. (PNA)