February 1-15, 2013 Publication

FEBRUARY 1-15, 2013Vancouver Edition PLANET PHILIPPINES�

FEBRUARY 1-15, 2013 Vancouver EditionPLANET PHILIPPINES�

Love in the time

Love is found so easily over the Internet that real romance, the slow courtship and getting-to-know-you stage that cultures passion steadily, dissolves into the background -- neglected and oftentimes forgotten. Real romance is suddenly upstaged by the convenience of Internet courtship and cyber romance.

By chERiE del rio

N 2010, Hollywood heart-throb Ahston Kutcher wrote a compelling essay answering the question, “Has Texting Killed Romance?” He gave legitimate examples of sce-narios where romance has seemingly taken a backseat because the Internet age has

given so much importance to the mod-ern forms of communication that we have consequently degraded the val-ue of old fashioned correspondence. Kutcher concluded his discourse by saying, “We haven’t lost romance in the digital age, but we may be neglecting it.”

Kutcher is right.The root of any human bond is in-

teraction -- physical interaction, or at least that’s how it should be. There can be a lot of interaction happening on-line: chemistry brewed over Skype or Yahoo Messenger, sparks flying over Facebook and Twitter, kilig spewed forth over comments and likes on Instagram. But these cyber interac-tions are nothing but small specks in what is supposed to be a grandi-ose universe of romance, of a last-ing relationship, of true love.

of social networking

Human progress is often closely associ-ated with technological advancements. The more advance technology is, the more ad-vanced human beings are getting. It seems, however, that the advancements in informa-tion technology and social media are more of a setback than of an element of progress. Hu-man beings appear to be taking steps back-ward in the aspect of life and relationship with every step forward into the future of social networking and the Internet. As more

and more social media platform enhance-ments are made, people become exceedingly caught up in such developments that they stray farther and farther away from what used to be a necessary interaction “in person”. A conversation is now conducted not with the mouth and voice but with fingers -- words typed quickly on a keyboard and sent over the World Wide Web.

This situation is rampant in the Philip-pines as well. In an article entitled, “In Keep-


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A survey found that 90 percent of Filipinos with Internet access have Facebook accounts.

A conversation is now conducted not with the mouth and voice but with fingers -- words typed quickly on a keyboard and sent over the World Wide Web.

of social networking

ing in Touch, Pinoy Families Dump Phones for Facebook”, J.M. Tuazon wrote: “Lending further proof that the Philippines is indeed the ‘social networking capital of the world’, a recent study by software giant Microsoft revealed that Filipino families prefer to com-municate with their loved ones here and abroad through social networking sites over voice calls or text messages.”

At least 34 percent of Filipino respon-dents in MSN’s “Families and Technology 2011” survey said that social networks such as Facebook and Twitter are their top choice for communicating with family, trumping SMS and voice calls, which dominated other countries in Southeast Asia.

Statistics from various research agencies have shown that of the 30 million Filipinos with Internet access, more than 26 million have Facebook accounts, or a high 90 percent penetration rate.

These statistics only prove that Filipinos have joined the bandwagon when it comes to having their lives massively influenced by social networking. Communications with families and friends are not the only aspects affected by the use of Internet. Romantic re-lationships also top that list.

Love is found so easily over the Internet that real romance, the slow courtship and getting-to-know-you stage that cultures passion steadily, dissolves into the background -- neglected and oftentimes forgotten. Real romance is suddenly

upstaged by the convenience of Internet court-ship and cyber romance.

While these relationships that have blos-somed out of online interaction actually have a chance at lasting for long periods or perhaps even a lifetime (as there are a number of great love stories out there crafted by the hands of social media), it cannot be denied that these romances are vulnerable. Their foundation is considerably weaker compared to relation-ships that have sprung from friendship, from office interaction, from blind dates -- unions born out of real, physical, and personal con-

are laid out on the pages of a Facebook mes-sage or a comment on an Instagram photo. A few lines are exchanged through these social media networks and just like that, the bond is sealed albeit weakly. Missing someone no longer entails the feat of having to exert ef-forts in letting the other party know of one’s yearning. “MISS U” is how it is done, sent alongside many other emails and text mes-sages of the day, buried and later on forgotten -- so much unlike the bouquet of fresh flowers or the warmth of a kiss left on the cheek.

The world is witness to these relationships developing from mere acquaintance to full blown romance: a relationship status change in Facebook is always one of the top news items on users’ feeds. Juan dela Cruz went from “single” to “in a relationship”. And just like that, this generation has done away with the old-fashioned ligaw.

A lot can be seen and deduced from social network interaction and oftentimes, couples fall prey to jealousy and doubt. Trust issues arise from likes and comments left by poten-tial third parties, tagged photos reveal lies told and secrets held. And so when it does not work out, when the relationship gets messy, there are two routes: account deactiva-tion and/or “unfriending”. Just like that, the bond is severed -- digitally as well. Love has become digital and it seems that there’s no more turning back. If only the backspace and delete buttons would likewise be sufficient and convenient enough to undo the pains of Internet-based relationships gone wrong. n

nections. After all, a smiley emoticon is really nothing compared to the bright, toothy grin a girl can give a boy. Smiley icons don’t have twinkles in their eyes. People can start hiding behind these emoticons -- their true feelings are concealed behind keyboard characters that will never quite capture real human emo-tions nor reveal them as effectively as a real human, facial expression will.

Even after the online courtship had end-ed successfully, even during the relationship itself, the Internet still plays a major role. Couples communicate via text messaging, or the popular applications of Viber, Tango, WhatsApp, and many more. Almost gone are the days when a lover will go out of his way to visit his beloved and check up on her, bring her flowers maybe. Today, good intentions


ETRO MA-NILA these days is marked by crane-topped cities rising as the property market booms albeit along-

side slums – poverty-stricken households whose hungry members marvel at multimil-lion-peso-per unit high rises amid a much-vaunted strong economy and fiscal position.

Poverty amid a

By siEgFRid 0. alegado

Growth will only trickle down to the grassroots if it is coupled with a strong manufacturing sector that employs Filipinos, says an economist. The country’s strong growth

Inclusive growth – meaning spreading

the fruits of growth to all sectors – should be

the ultimate goal of development.

booming economy

Inclusive growthWhile the inter-agency De-

velopment Budget Coordination Committee targets a 6 to 7 percent growth next year and 6.5 to 7.5 percent in 2014, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Bali-sacan admits achieving “inclusive growth” will take a little longer.

“Achieving rapid economic growth is one thing, and inclusive growth is clearly another,” Bali-sacan said.

Usui has described what ails the Philippines: “The current growth model that depends heavily on con-sumption (backed by remittances from overseas Filipinos) and ser-vices sector cannot do it.”

The 6.5 percent gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the first three quarters – the fastest among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations – was fueled by consumer spending as well as a slight uptick

will not address poverty if quality employment is not generated.

in public expenditure, the National Statistics Office reported.

In a separate interview, Univer-sity of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) economist Victor Abola said growth will only trickle down to the grass-roots if it is coupled with a strong manufacturing sector that employs Filipinos.

“The country’s strong growth will not address poverty if quality employment is not generated,” he said. “Growth would mean more if local industries are strengthened, translating to more domestic em-ployment.”

Despite the pace of growth, the Philippines recorded a 6.8 percent jobless rate in October from 6.4 per-cent a year earlier, according to the latest Labor Force Survey.

“Generating employment and ensuring that these are of good quality remain our greatest chal-lenge,” Balisacan said, noting the latest employment data.

Manufacturing jobs

Citing an already strong ser-vices sector on the back of a boom-ing business process outsourcing (BPO) industry, ADB’s Usui noted the importance of strengthening manufacturing in order to generate more jobs.

“Compared with regional peers, the Philippines does not have a strong industrial base that can cre-ate productive jobs for the wider segments of Filipino workers – both skilled and unskilled workers,” Usui added.

Historical data shows that the share of manufacturing to GDP peaked at around 40 percent in the 1980s, but has since plummeted to a little over 20 percent in the third quarter in 2012.

Foreign firms looking for an ideal relocation site provide an op-portunity to revive the sector. But developing industries and attract-ing more investments is not a walk in the park.

“The government needs to ad-dress the long-term challenges such as deficient infrastructure and poor governance (business and invest-ment climate),” Usui said.

“On top of these traditional constraints, the authorities should realize that there exist huge busi-ness opportunities at the product level,” he added.

UA&P’s Abola noted, “Better local industries could be achieved if the government hones local re-sources and tempers volatility in the exchange rate to support small manufacturers.”

For the government, Balisacan

Rosy prospects for the Phil-ippines, backed by fiscal, mon-etary and political reforms, have prompted consecutive upgrades in its growth outlook for 2012 and beyond, capped by innuendos of a possible credit rating upgrade to the coveted investment grade by global debt watchers.

But these developments mean little for the poor, which comprise more than a quarter of the nearly 100 million population, unless structural changes in the manufac-turing sector take place.

Philippine “growth will contin-ue, but with no significant poverty reduction,” Norio Usui, Manila-based economist at Asian Develop-ment Bank, said in an e-mail corre-spondence with GMA News Online. “I call this problem as growth with-out development.”


If there is one word that would describe Avtar Bains, it is “sewa”. Sewa is a Punjabi word which means giving back or being of service to the community. Avtar said it is the value of

sewa instilled in him by his parents and grandparents which has led him to serve his community of Surrey - tynehead for most of his adult life. Now, Avtar would like to do a bigger sewa and is running for the NDP nomination as provincial MLA (Members of the Legislative Assembly) for the riding of Surrey - tynehead.

To sustain the growth of the economy, the manufacturing sector must be strengthened.

said the Aquino administration is boosting efforts to shore up more investments and reduce the cost of doing business.

He said the “institutional re-forms that we have started are un-deniably pushing the frontiers of our economy and accelerating the confidence in the market

“We hope to institute more re-forms, and it is our earnest desire

that these reforms in the bureau-cracy should fully cascade in all the departments and local government units,” Balisacan added.

The official said the government is also finding ways to mitigate the “appreciation of our currency that is threatening to erode our competi-tiveness.”

The policy-setting Monetary Board has been looking at ways to

curb foreign ex-change volatility, he said.

A tiger on two legs

Big-ticket in-frastructure proj-ects under the flagship public-private partner-ship (PPP) program are also seen addressing the infrastructure gap.

The government has targeted to roll-out eight PPP projects this year, seven of which are already in advanced bidding stages.

Delays, however, marred the program, with government claim-ing that delays were due to stringent review process.

So far, only two PPP projects

– the P1.96-billion Daang Hari- South Luzon Expressway Link Road project and the P16.5-billion School Infrastructure Project Phase I – have been awarded since the flagship program was unveiled with much fanfare in late 2010.

But with good fundamentals and an economy hurtling forward, both Abola and Usui share the view that the gates of change are still open for

the Philippines. The country is just treading

a long, arduous road into losing the title “Asia’s laggard,” said Abola.

“When the Philippine economy can start walking on two legs – on industry and services (BPOs) – the country can be a new tiger even it will be a latecomer,” Usui noted. (GMA News Online) n

AVTAR BAINS SEEKS

TO SERVE SURREY

TYNEHEAD

Avtar said, “for over the past four decades I have lived in this rid-ing, studied, grown and helped to build this community. having seen the changes, I know what our com-munity needs. Positive change that not only elevates ourselves, but also those around us. I believe in the good people of Surrey - tynehead. It would be an absolute honour and privilege to represent the citizens of this riding and the NDP.”

Born in India, Avtar along with his mother moved to the Philip-pines, to join his father who had

emigrated earlier. After nearly 3 years of living in Manila, the Bains family once again moved and settled in Surrey, British Colum-bia. Avtar, who turns 50 this year, said his immigrant background as a youngster has helped him understand the issues facing our youth. he said, “We must inspire our youth, for they are part of the solution. In Canada, we have the choice and the opportunity. We can encourage our youth to be more involved and be more pro-active. A number of our children

have lost hope in our leadership and in their future. Just look at the crime rate and the kids involved in gangs.”

“I was like that new kid on the block, but I worked hard and I was able to engage in a lucrative career (as a process server), provided my family with a home, and education for my children. I will take on pro-grams, provincial and riding-wise, that will motivate our youth to be more proactive in their environ-ment.”

Other community and pro-vincial issues Avtar would like to bring about are: positive change with sustainable growth, advocate for better healthcare, efficient transportation infrastructure, and

policies that will encourage accul-turation of new immigrants with mainstream Canada.

A life fraught with challenges - a loss of an older brother, who died in a tragic industrial accident at the young age of 26 - and later his daughter Suneeta lost her battle with cancer at the young age of 15. Asked how he got through all those heartrending losses, Avtar reflec-tively answered, “I learned every-thing will pass, including pain and heartache. I live in every moment, in that moment, not for the mo-ment, but simply in that moment. ”

for the past 26 years, every year, on his own volition, Avtar has been giving scholarship grants to North Surrey Secondary in honor of his

older brother. he and his wife Sheila have been giving financial help and emotional support to families with a child stricken with cancer. Avtar is also a volunteer board member of the Surrey Memorial Pediatrics Oncology funding Allocation Com-mittee.

through their family business, ricky’s All Day Grill, the Bains have annually supported the Variety Children’s Charity telethon. And within ricky’s restaurant, Avtar has seen to it that his staff are trained to succeed inside and outside the food service industry. In fact former employees include now graduates post-baccalaureate, a scholar in the University of Illinois, and law students, to name a few.

“I have always put our people ahead of profits. I believe by in-vesting back in our people, you will reap the rewards ten-fold.” said Avtar.

Will Avtar be truly a man of and for the people if they have ques-tions, concerns or suggestions?

Avtar replied, “I don’t know all the answers, nor can I solve all the issues facing our riding. I promise you I will always listen. together we will come up with solutions for a bet-ter neighborhood. A neighborhood comprised of people from various ethnic and cultural backgrounds, but joined together in a common goal, of a better life for our families and a great legacy we can leave for our children. I can be reached at tel: 604-240-2043, e-mail [email protected] and at twitter and facebook, voteavtarbains.” n

NDP nomination for MLA Candidate Avtar Bains at far right with his family at son’s graduation ceremony.


HE GHETTO called Aroma reeks of putrefy-ing trash collected by its residents for recycling. Half-naked children with grimy faces play on muddy dirt roads lined by crumbling shanties of tarpaulin walls, cracked tin roofs and com-munal toilets.

From this Manila slum of garbage collectors emerged an unlikely Cinderella: ballerina Jessa Balote who at the age of 10 was plucked out of

her grubby life by a ballet school to prepare her for a life on stage.

unlikely ballerina

slumFrom a

anin Manila emerges

The 14-year-old Jessa’s unlikely success is as much a celebration of a unique effort by the Philippines’ most famous prima ballerina, Lisa Macuja, to help slum kids of Manila by providing them a scholarship and classical ballet training for

six to seven years.

Jessa rehearses during a class at Ballet Manila. As an apprentice, she makes around 7,000 pesos ($170) a month, sometimes double that, from stipend and performance fees.

Jessa outside her cramped home at a place called Aroma in Tondo, Manila, Philippines.

By tEREsA cerojano

In four years since her audi-tion in 2008, Jessa has performed in various productions, including Swan Lake, Pinocchio, Don Quixote and a local version of Cinderella. She rode a plane for the first time in August to compete in

the 2012 Asian Grand Prix ballet competition for students and young dancers in Hong Kong, where she

was a finalist. The 14-year-old Jessa’s

unlikely success is as much a celebration of a unique ef-

fort by the Philippines’ most


Lisa Macuja founded Ballet Manila in 1994 to make the high art of classical ballet more accessible to common people.

From scavenger to ballerina.

famous prima ballerina, Lisa Mac-uja, to help slum kids of Manila by providing them a scholarship and classical ballet training for six to seven years.

More than a quarter of the Southeast Asian nation’s 94 million people live in abject poverty, many in sprawling and unsanitary shanty towns like Aroma in the capital city. Despite a recent economic upturn, there are not enough full-time jobs. Education skills are lacking and in-comes are low. At least 3,000 Filipi-nos leave their families behind every day to seek employment abroad.

Jessa, who would have likely fol-lowed her family to a life of garbage picking, had not much of a future to look forward to.

“I used to tag along with my fa-ther and mother when they collected garbage in the evening,” Jessa said in her home about the size of a shipping container with a small attic.

Her family would gather trash from houses in the nearby Quiapo district or rummage for scrap metal in the huge garbage dump not far from home.

That was until her successful au-dition for the Project Ballet Futures dance scholarship established by Macuja, founder and artistic direc-tor of Ballet Manila who is married to business tycoon Fred Elizalde.

The outreach program of Bal-let Manila — which runs a dance company and a school by the same name — initially accepted 40 stu-dents from Jessa’s charity-run school in Manila’s Tondo district dump site. Some dropped out, but new batches have been accepted.

Today, the program has 55 schol-ars, aged 9 to 18, from five partner public schools such as Jessa’s. They train daily after school along with 60 paying students.

“I can help my parents more with what I do now. I earn money from ballet,” said Jessa, sitting on a plastic bench in her shorts and t-shirt, her long hair loose. The slim teenager, perhaps so used to dancing on her toes, would often have her toes point-ed at the wooden floor even while sit-ting during the interview.

Behind her, the plywood wall of the family shack was adorned with pictures of her in gossamer tutu on stage. Sharing the space were frames of ballet certificates and a newspaper clipping about the gar-bage picker-turned-ballerina. A pair of satin pointe shoes lay on top of a gym bag, a few meters from sacks of used plastic bottles and other garbage piled up outside the door of her cramped home.

Jessa and other kids are trained

in the rigorous Russian Vaganova ballet and are required to keep up with their academics in school. They are provided a monthly sti-pend of 1,200 pesos to 3,000 pesos ($30 to $73) depending on their bal-let level, as well as meals, milk and ballet outfits. They also receive fees of 400 pesos to 1,500 pesos ($10 to $37) for each performance.

Pointe shoes alone cost $50 to $80 a pair — a fortune for someone eking a living on $2 a day — and wear out within weeks or days, said Macuja.

The daughter of a former senior trade official, Macuja was 18 years old when she received a two-year scholarship at the Vaganova Cho-reographic Institute (now the Acad-emy of Russian Ballet) in Saint Pe-tersburg in 1982, where she gradu-ated with honors.

She was the first foreign princi-pal ballerina for the Kirov Ballet in St. Petersburg before returning to the Philippines, where she worked as artist-in-residence at the Cultural Center of the Philippines and a principal dancer at the Philippine Ballet Theatre.

Macuja, 48, founded Ballet Ma-nila in 1994 with the aim of making the high art of classical ballet more

accessible to common people. The dance com-pany has held performances in malls, schools, town halls and remote villages of the archipel-ago. She set up the scholarship program in 2008 as a way of pay-ing back for her good fortunes.

For Jessa and the other slum children, it opened a whole new world. Literally so, when she flew to Hong Kong for the ballet com-petition. Her glee while on a roller coaster in Disneyland was captured in a photo in her humble home.

During the competition in Hong Kong, she said she often felt ner-vous and shy to be dancing among well-off peers. But she overcame her fear, remembering Macuja’s ad-vice “to persist despite the odds and to not let poverty hinder me.”

As a company apprentice she makes around 7,000 pesos ($170) a month, sometimes more, from sti-pend and perfor-mance fees. The money is not enough to lift her family from poverty, but bal-let has given her a choice in life.

Her father, G o r g o n i o , works part-time as a construc-tion worker be-sides collecting garbage. His meager pay is in-sufficient to feed his large family of six children and two grand-children. One son works in a factory while another daugh-ter collects gar-bage.

Jessa’s child-hood dream is to become a school teacher. But she also wants to dance as a professional ballerina. She says she is chal-lenged by the feisty acting and

difficult dance turns of the Black Swan character in Swan Lake and aspires for that role.

For Jamil Montebon, another Project Ballet’s beneficiary, the scholarship was a life saver.

The troubled 18-year-old has left his broken family in a violent slum community not far from Aroma.

He became a ballet scholar at 13 but then dropped out of high school and ballet last year after a fight with his mother. During his time off from ballet and school, he collected garbage and worked in a junk shop.

At night he would go drinking with other kids who often clashed with rival gangs, then sleep in a church where he got one free meal a week.

He was later accepted back into the program, which demands that children keep good grades and stay out of trouble. After shaping up, he moved into Ballet Manila’s dormi-tory.

“I think that the key really is that these kids have been given hope, and that hope will transform their lives,” Macuja said. (Associated Press) n


HISTORIC birth control law that took effect in the Philippines last Jan. 17 after years of opposition from the Catholic Church came too late for Rosalie Caben-an, a housewife who has given birth 22 times.

Frail, with a leathery face streaked with wrinkles, 48-year-old Cabenan suffers from untreated gall stones and constant fatigue because her body has never had the time to properly recover from her successive preg-nancies.

Rosalie Cabenan (second from left) with her husband Danilo and

some of their children at their home in a massive slum in Manila.

By jAson gutierrez

came too late for mother with 22 kidsA devout Catholic who still goes to mass twice a week, the mother with

22 children nevertheless regrets following the church dogma so

strictly and said she welcomed the Responsible Parenthood Law that

officially took effect on Jan. 17.

RH Law “We only wanted three children. But they kept coming and coming,” Cabenan told AFP at her ramshack-le home in Baseco, a massive slum in Manila where more than 60,000 people compete for space.

“I was always pregnant and there was no time to take care of myself because I had to keep work-ing to help my husband feed the children. I have tried everything, a stevedore (dock worker), a laundry woman, fish monger and a vegeta-ble seller.”

Cabenan had her first child when she was just 14. When she nearly died giving birth to her youngest, who is now six, she finally aban-doned the demands of the Catholic Church to not use contraceptives.

A devout Catholic who still goes to mass twice a week, Caben-an nevertheless regrets following the church dogma so strictly and said she welcomed the Responsible Parenthood Law that officially took effect on Jan. 17.

“I tell women now, please do not be like me. I have too many children, and sometimes I do not know what to do and just cry, espe-cially when they fight,” she said.

The law requires government health centres to hand out free condoms and birth control pills,


A health worker shows mothers in a slum area how to use

benefiting tens of millions of the country’s poor who would not oth-erwise be able to afford or have ac-cess to them.

It also mandates that sex educa-tion be taught in schools and public health workers receive family plan-ning training, while post-abortion medical care has been made legal for the first time.

Proponents say the law will slow the country’s rapid population growth, cut widespread poverty and reduce the number of mothers dying at child birth.

“This is a triumph for poor wom-en and girls who would otherwise have no access to these things,” the United Nations Population Fund’s country representative, Ugochi Daniels, told AFP.

While the plight of Cabenan is extreme, it is common in the Philip-pines to see very large families, par-ticularly among the poor masses. One of Cabenan’s neighbours has given birth to 16 children.

The Philippines has one of the highest birth rates in the world -- 3.1 for every woman -- and the highest teenage pregnancy rate in the Asia-Pacific, according to the medical charity group Merlin.

The Catholic Church, which counts 80 percent of the country’s

100 million people as its followers, had for more than a decade suc-cessfully lobbied and intimidated politicians into blocking pro-birth control acts in parliament.

However President Benigno Aquino, a bachelor who is one of the most popular leaders in the country’s history, used his political capital to defy the church and help steer the Reproductive Health Act through parliament last year.

The church has continued to resist, warning pro-life politicians they will be targetted in mid-term elections this year and backing vari-ous groups’ legal challenges to the law.

Asked to comment on the plight

of Cabenan, one of the groups that filed a petition with Supreme Court to strike down the law said her 22 chil-dren should be a cause for celebration and not regret.

“Children are never a liability. In fact, in the provinc-es, the more children you have, the more it is considered a gift,” Serve Life spokesman Anthony Lanicao told AFP.

He also said couples with so

many unwanted children were “partly at fault” because they should have checked their sexual urges.

For Cabenan, however, church leaders are partly to blame.

“They tell you to go forth and multiply, but now when you ask for help, they just pass you by,” she said.

She said n o b o d y taught her proper fam-ily planning methods and there was no easy access to free contracep-tives in Baseco.

Cabenan met her husband, Danilo, when she was in high school, and he, a struggling teenage docker in Manila’s

tough port area.She soon dropped out of school

to be with Danilo, now 50, in a union that quickly resulted in successive births that dashed her ambition of one day becoming a teacher.

“It is very difficult to have many children... many times we sleep without eating,” she said.

Cabenan also mixes up her chil-dren’s names and birthdays.

But she said the most difficult and painful part was failing to pro-vide basic medical care to her chil-dren.

Of the 22, five died young due to diarrhea, a treatable disease that constantly plagues the slums, be-cause they had no money to buy medicines or take them to hospital.

Six of the surviving 17 children are males, while the rest are fe-males.

Six of the eldest are either mar-ried or have children out of wedlock -- and nearly all of them squeeze in a house cobbled together from bricks, drift wood and tarpaulin that is the size of a small garage.

Cabenan said most of her chil-dren were delivered at home by midwives, although one was born on a bus and another by a roadside with the help of passers-by.

Her husband has no permanent job and finds construction work anywhere he can. Only three of the children are studying. None of the older ones were able to finish high school.

“If we had this law in the past, maybe we would have had a better life today,” she said. (Agence France-Presse) n

FEBRUARY 1-15, 2013 Vancouver EditionPLANET PHILIPPINES�0

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Adelayedtake-offMuch of the credit for the starkly improved performance of the economy goes to Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino, a fourth-generation politician whose election to the presidency in May 2010 has proved a watershed. Mr Aquino has put his administration’s weight behind combating corruption, perhaps the country’s biggest failing.

HE PHILIP-PINES is finally picking up eco-nomic momen-tum, but this rapid growth has passed over the vast major-ity of the poor

For years, the Philippines has been the economic laggard of southeast Asia. Blessed with a large English-speaking population of 100 million, abundant natural resources and the trappings of a functional democracy, it has nevertheless managed to fall further and further behind more successful neighbours. Today, in purchasing power parity terms, the Philippines has an in-come per capita roughly a quarter that of Malaysia and half of Thai-land. Outside its glitzy business dis-

By 2015, half the Philippine population – with an average age of 22 -- will be of working age, a phase when many Asian tigers took off.

By dAVid pilling and RoEl landingin

trict, the traffic-clogged capital of Manila is full of slums. Rural pov-erty and corruption are rife.

At long last, though, the tide is turning. Just as many of the world’s best-performing countries of recent years – including Brazil, India and even China – are sagging, the Philip-pines is stirring into life. Last quar-

ter, its economy again surprised on the upside, growing 7.1 per cent and notching up its 55th straight quarter of growth. It now seems to be growing at a steady 5-6 per cent, despite an adverse external environ-ment, against a lowly 3 per cent in the 1990s. The finance ministry be-lieves the potential growth rate can be lifted to 6-7 per cent and eventu-ally to 7-8 per cent.

The fiscal position has altered beyond recognition. The Philip-pines has gone from being a country constantly on the verge of a balance of payments crisis to one with man-ageable external debt and a fiscal deficit of just 2 per cent of output. Such has been the improvement that rating agencies have nudged its sovereign debt to within a whisker of investment grade, a status it is likely to achieve in the next year or so.

As a result, money is pouring in. The stock market, one of the world’s best-performing in 2011, is up 32.5 per cent in the year to date in peso terms. That makes it the world’s fifth-best performing index. The peso itself has strength-ened 7 per cent against the dollar. There is even talk of new investor interest in manufacturing. Japanese companies, looking for an alterna-tive to China, have been nosing around. Philippine exports, not as important to the economy as for The Philippines, together with Indonesia, is one of two countries beating expectations in the region, says the chief economist of the Asian Development Bank.

Financial Times

FEBRUARY 1-15, 2013Vancouver Edition PLANET PHILIPPINES��

Contributing greatly to the economic strides is President Aquino’s war on the corrosive politics-as-usual that has resulted in the ousting of the chief justice of the Supreme Court and the prosecution of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo

many Asian countries, have held up well in spite of falling demand for electronics, suggesting a degree of diversification.

Underlying the story, though, is strong consumption, which makes up early 70 per cent of gross domes-tic product. Remittances from over-seas workers have nearly tripled to $20 billion since 2004, defying ex-pectations that they would wilt after the 2008 financial crisis. Notwith-standing the inflow of money, infla-tion has been kept below 3 per cent thanks to prudent fiscal and mon-etary policy. Adding to this year’s growth impetus, the government – confident that the fiscal situation is under control – has begun to loosen its purse strings, spending more on much-needed infrastructure and so-cial welfare. Spending on education has risen by a third and on health by two-thirds, it says.

“The Philippines, together with Indonesia, is one of two countries beating expectations in this re-gion,” says Changyong Rhee, chief economist of the Asian Develop-ment Bank. “Now, all of a sudden, foreign investors have high expecta-tions of this country.”

Much of the credit for the starkly improved performance goes to Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino, a fourth-generation politician whose election to the presidency in May 2010 has proved a watershed. Mr Aquino has put his administration’s weight behind combating corrup-tion, perhaps the country’s biggest failing. He has led a battle against tax evasion, pursuing several high-profile cases even among the elite – of which he is a part – normally able to evade the law. Tax collec-tion has risen by 2 per cent of GDP without new taxes. The treasury believes it can still squeeze out an-other 2-3 per cent.

In the political sphere, Mr Aqui-no’s war on the corrosive politics-as-usual has resulted in the ousting of the chief justice of the Supreme Court. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the former president, whose ad-ministration is considered one of the most corrupt in years, has been brought to trial. Both moves have won Mr Aquino popular acclaim as has his strong stance on territorial disputes with China.

His clean image has kept his popularity rating well above 60 per

cent, unheard of for a president, es-pecially one already nearly halfway through his six-year term. “He’s set a tone that the rule of law is to be respected,” says Jaime Augusto Zo-bel de Ayala, head of the country’s oldest (and one of its largest) con-glomerates. “People trust him. He’s very black and white about what he thinks is right.”

Mr Aquino has stuck his neck out in other ways. His administra-tion has reached a deal with Mus-lim rebels in the southern island of Mindanao, ending four decades of conflict. Agriculturally rich Min-danao could yet prove a big boon to the economy. The president has also taken on the Philippine Catho-lic Church – no light undertaking – by championing a law that would require government hospitals to provide free contraceptives.

Economists say this could help reduce the birth rate from 3.1 to 2.1 births born per women, enabling the country to make more of its demographic dividend. As Cesar Purisima, the finance secretary, points out, the Philippines, with an average age of 22 – the lowest in Asia – is about to hit its “demo-graphic sweetspot”. By 2015, half the population will be of working age, a phase when many Asian ti-gers took off.

“The president wants to trans-form the entire country,” says Mr Purisima. “All his moves are to show that good governance is a must and that this is something he is going to demand of all sections of government.”

Mr Ayala says he has rarely felt more confident about the country. His group’s Globe Telecom is in-vesting $800 million over two years in overhauling its mobile network, while the property arm is build-ing swanky new shopping malls in second-tier cities such as Cagayan de Oro, Davao and Olongapo. His Bank of the Philippine Islands is also expanding to capture business from what he expects to be a swell-ing middle class. Overall, the Ayala Group, which has tripled capital ex-

penditure since 2010, is invest-ing more than

$2 billion at home this year, helping to counter criticism that big busi-nesses send most of their money abroad. “We are a proxy for many other things that are happening. The country is refreshing itself,” he says. “It’s been a long time coming.”

Several new sectors have been added to the economy. In recent years, the outsourcing industry has grown to such an extent that the Philippines now outpunches India in call-centre revenue. The back-office business already contributes nearly $11 billion and 600,000 jobs. There are hopes it will be a $25-bil-lion n industry by 2016, One man-ager of an outsourcing centre in Makati, Manila’s flashy business district, says his main problem is staff retention and escalating rents. There are also greater ambitions for tourism after an agreement al-lowing foreign airlines to fly direct to resorts. Mining could open up if laws are passed clarifying land rights and environmental codes.

Mr Ayala also defends the country’s old mainstay, the over-seas workers whose existence is often seen as proof of struc-tural weakness. Some 8 million Filipinos work abroad. “Why is it that when the finance in-dustry or the manufacturing in-dustry goes global it’s seen as a positive?” he asks. “But when it comes to people it is seen as a negative?” Philippine workers are no longer just maids or construction work-ers, he says.

They have now taken skilled jobs in shipping, healthcare and telecoms.

Yet the inability to create jobs at home does reflect a fundamen-tal economic weakness, say many economists. Despite the improve-ment in governance and in growth rates, academics and charity work-ers say there is scant evidence that the benefits are reaching the vast majority of the poor. Some 40 per cent of Filipinos still live on less than $2 a day.

“Today we talk of high econom-ic growth, but if I go to the coun-tryside, this growth is not felt by the people,” says Juan Ponce Enrile, a one-time protégé of Ferdinand Marcos who later turned against the dictator. “Wealth remains among a very thin layer of elite.”

F. Sionil José, an author who has chronicled the Philippines’ struggle

with both Spanish and US colonial-ism, says the ruling elite lacks the sense of national mission that gal-vanised the economic take-off in South Korea and Japan. “You can see where the interests of the elites lie – in their malls, condominiums, golf courses and beach resorts – not in factories, not in agribusiness,” he says.

Mr Enrile blames skewed power relations for the failure to create jobs at home. He wants constitu-tional amendments making it eas-ier for foreign investors to take on the country’s vested interests and increase competition. Currently foreigners cannot own land and are restricted, in most industries, to 40 per cent ownership. “These limita-tions have hampered the growth and advancement of this country to the detriment of the common people,” he says.

The Aquino administration has shown more interest in making the current system more honest and ef-ficient than in radical reform.

Once Mr Aquino leaves office in 2016, the fear is that everything may slide back. Without structural and institutional changes, the dan-ger is that the usual clique of politi-cians will again manipulate the sys-tem. “Even if he had a vision and all the dedication in the world, he only has six years,” says Mr Sionil José of Mr Aquino. “And you can-not make a nation in six years.”

Mr Aquino’s supporters argue that the president can change the Phil-ippines’ fortune by example. “Maybe the next guy will think, ‘Hey, if you do the right thing, good things will happen,’” says one close associate. Mr Purisima concedes that “building a nation is more difficult than build-ing a house”. But he argues that Mr Aquino can nevertheless institute ir-reversible change. Having seen what one leader can achieve, voters will

demand nothing less of the next president, he says. “His six

years are crucial to building the foundations and the in-stitutions that will give his successor no choice but to continue.” n

President Aquino’s clean image has kept his popularity rating well above 60 per cent, unheard of for a president, especially one already nearly halfway through his six-year term.

FEBRUARY 1-15, 2013 Vancouver EditionPLANET PHILIPPINES��

HE THING I like about P-Noy is how he delivers results by a single-minded focus on an issue. This is often called political

will. Most politicians hem and haw and put political ex-pediency ahead of national good. Not P-Noy.

From the impeachment of for-mer Chief Justice Corona to the passage of the Reproductive Health bill and the Sin Tax measure, P-Noy has demonstrated he is made of a different stuff from our run-of-the-mill politicians. Now, I have two issues which I hope he would take on. How he handles these is-sues could also be a good test of his determination to make good gover-nance a hallmark of his watch.

The first issue is Boracay. We have a gem of an island that is internation-ally acclaimed as a leisure paradise. It is our tourism industry’s main at-traction. But it is under serious threat from reckless and over development. Some people are just focused on what they can get from it now and do not care about the future.

I just read a report about how Bo-racay’s formerly pristine white sandy beach is now turning brown. I have also heard reports that during sum-mer, some parts of the beach turn green. Contamination with human waste is a foregone conclusion even if connection to a waste treatment plant has been made mandatory.

A serious E. coli contamina-tion is an event waiting to happen. If it does, that will kill the precious tourism goose laying all those gold-en eggs. If that happens, it may be enough to set back our tourism de-velopment efforts by years.

Environmental disasterIt is good to know that the gov-

ernment is not waiting for some en-vironmental catastrophe to happen in the island. Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez was reported to have said at least 80 establishments on Boracay island face demolition by the end of March this year for building too close to the water line.

According to an abs-cbnnews.com report, Jimenez said a govern-ment task force, composed of the tourism, environment, health, justice and interior and local government departments, has already ordered the establishments to self-demolish.

Testing P-noy’s political will

On the matter of EDSA traffic, our officials are merely dancing around the problem.

One very clear course of action is to reduce the number of buses on EDSA. There are

just too many of them as is obvious to anyone with eyes to see.

By Boo chanco

President Aquino’s political will be put to test o two issues: the looming environmental disaster on Boracay and the traffic gridlock on Edsa.

A number of business establishments have mushroomed too close to the shores of Boracay, posing serious threat to the pristine island.

For so long the traffic gridlock on Edsa has evaded a rational and long-term solution. Will P-Noy act on it this time?

None have complied so far.A stakeholders group welcomed

the government demolition order. Boracay Foundation Inc. director and beach front resort owner Nen-ette Graf welcomed the government order saying it will help restore the beauty of Boracay’s beaches. The order will re-establish the easement portion area of the four-kilometer white sand beach in Boracay.

“This is a welcome move from our side, the stakeholders. I think it is about time that we protect our

white beach, to preserve it. At this point in time, we are really at a pan-ic because our beach... is becoming brown already,” she said.

Graf admitted that some resort owners deliberately violated the rules after seeing other establish-ments do the same thing. “Now, it’s payback time,” she said.

It is too bad the local govern-ment is inept. Now the national

buses to as high as 12,000. If that is so, how do you fit some 12,000 buses into two lanes on Edsa that can only accommodate 1,600?

A study made by researchers from the UP College of Engineering has concluded that there is an over-supply of buses on the EDSA route of about 60 percent. The study also concluded that this oversupply situa-tion leads to a low load factor which suggests a minimal profit for the op-erators along EDSA and a prolonged travel time for the passengers.

“This is the reality we are facing today. This will not change unless we do something about it,” MMDA chair Francis Tolentino said. The onus is on the LTFRB to cut the number of franchises it had issued and strictly police the practice of using one franchise for a number of buses… the “kabit” system.

Too many busesIf the LTFRB is doing its job, it

would see to it that not only should the routes be adequately served but that the operators make a reason-able return on investment. That is why the LTFRB must continually do market surveys where they mea-sure demand for bus seats on par-ticular routes and must match the need with the supply.

The fact that there is an excess of bus units on EDSA means the LTFRB had been remiss in its duties all these years. Peg the bus fares to the MRT fares. Lower the bus fares now and let economic concerns do the job of trimming the number of buses running in that route.

Cutting down the number of buses on EDSA won’t necessar-ily make the drivers and conduc-tors jobless. The operators culled out of EDSA can be re-deployed in other underserved routes in the metro area and the rest of the coun-try. Just look at all those commut-ers hanging out of jeepneys during rush hours and see the need for a more effective transport mode.

So, there we have it. Two burn-ing issues that demand the exercise of political will for making the tough decisions needed. I am sure if P-Noy gets involved in manag-ing these issues, the tough decisions will be made.

The right things to do are so ob-vious in both the Boracay and the EDSA cases. People are tired of see-ing no real action through the years.

I hope P-Noy makes the right moves as a no nonsense president would. If he depended on the bu-reaucrats, it would just be more of the same and all to the detriment of public interest. (Philippine Star) n

government must step in. Everyone is watching to see if government can carry out its order or if it is all just press releases as is usual in the past leaderships.

EDSA gridlockThen there is the matter of

EDSA traffic. Right now, our offi-cials are merely dancing around the problem. One very clear course of action is to reduce the number of buses on EDSA. There are just too many of them as is obvious to any-one with eyes to see.

There are supposed to be a num-ber of JICA studies that concluded only 1,600 buses are needed to ply the EDSA route. But at the time of the latest study, the number of is 3,700.

I have actually seen reports that estimated the actual number of


FEBRUARY 1-15, 2013 Vancouver EditionPLANET PHILIPPINES��COMMUNITYneWS

GMA Pinoy tV presents a riveting drama featuring some of the biggest Kapuso stars with fOreVer, which will air starting January 24.

Heart evangelista, geoff eigenmann, and ms. gloria romero banner gma Pinoy tv’s forever

forever promises to steal the viewers’ hearts as it follows a cap-tivating storyline that explores the enduring power of love between two individuals who will let fate de-termine if they are meant to be to-gether despite time, distance, and obstacles.

this original offering features the dramatic talents of prime Ka-puso leading man Geoff eigenmann as ramon/Patrick, multi-award win-ning actress heart evangelista as Adora and the original Queen of Philippine Movies Ms Gloria rome-ro as Adora .

forever begins with the story of Adora, the sole heir to a wealthy sugar plantation in the 1950s. De-

spite her social status, Adora falls in love with the poor and passion-ate ramon, a farmer who works in their farm. her domineering father Don Jamie strongly disapproves of Adora’s relationship with ramon but the young lovers pledge to stay together regardless of Don Jamie’s objection. this forbidden romance eventually leads to ramon’s death who vows to return to be with his one true love Adora.

Adora is devastated with ra-mon’s passing and she realizes her life is now empty and meaningless without him. But she gets a second chance to be reunited with ramon after an old woman gives her an an-tique pocket watch that could bring

back her youth.fast forward to the present

time, Adora will be reunited anew with ramon but this time in the persona of Patrick, a painter who will form an unusual romantic con-nection with Adora. Will the promise of Adora and ramon to rekindle their romance transcends time no matter where or when their paths cross? Can the ill-fated lovers fulfill their destiny to once and for all be together even in the next lifetime? Can anything or anyone still come between the two lovers?

Adding star power to this classic tale of undying love are Isabel Oli as Monique , Saab Magalona as Leila, Gian Magdangal as rico, and Candy Pangilinan as Susie.

the special guests of forever in-clude Marc Abaya as federico and ronnie henares as Don Jaime.

forever, which is created by the GMA entertainment tV Group, is another first in the television indus-try for its refreshing concept and production value.

Directed by acclaimed actor and tV director ricky Davao , forever is supervised by Lilybeth G. rasonable as Over-all in charge of Production, redgie Acuña Magno as Supervis-ing Producer, hazel f. Abonita as Program Manager, and executive Producer Kaye Cadsawan.

the creative team is headed by Creative Director and concept creator of forever Jun Lana. It is composed of roy Iglesias, Creative Consultant Des Garbes - Severino, headwriter Kit Villanueva-Langit, writers Ma. Christina Samson-Velas-co and Angeli Delgado, and Brain-stormers reynaldo Leoncito, Jessie Villabrille, and Luningning ribay.

the theme song, together for-ever, is interpreted by the King of Soul, Janno Gibbs. n


S IT really “more fun in the Philip-pines”?

Well, the pres-tigious Conde Nast Traveller magazine certainly thinks so. In fact, it even pro-claims its infatua-

tion for the country, dub-bing it its “new flame,” and accords the Philippines a top spot in its list of “hot desti-nations to watch” in 2013.

The acclaim thrills Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. no end. He believes the London-based magazine noticed the Philippines because the country has gained the confidence needed in pushing its brand. “We’d like to think it is as a result of what we have painted. We’re no longer insecure in terms of promoting ourselves. For in-stance, when we entered the World Travel Market in London, we en-tered in a big way.”

Coinciding with the official visit of President Aquino to the UK last November, posters of the Puerto Princesa Underground River with the tag, “The underground. More Fun in the Philippines”, were put up along the walls of the London Underground subway network. The ubiquitous London black taxi cabs were also painted with scenes of a sun-kissed white beach with the word “Paradise,” and the prom-ise that it could be reached only two hours from Hong Kong.

The “sunny beaches” theme was carried over at the country’s pavilion at the Travel Market with shots from Boracay and Palawan posted all over. In London where the sun shines only five months in a year, and temperatures drop to an average of 9º C despite the sun, the vacation choice seems quite clear.

Launched in January last year, the slogan “It’s more fun in the Philippines” capitalized on the Filipinos’ innate ability to make guests feel at home wherever they may be in the country. “The Fili-pino more than the Philippines has always scored higher than the rest of the world,” Jimenez explains, as he gives a quick assessment of the brand campaign one year later.

“When you say ‘Philippines,’ you probably get a more check-ered reaction. But when you say ‘Filipino,’ people have wonderful things to say about him, his brand rating is much, much higher. And now we have a campaign that sup-

One year later, is it still fun?

‘When you say ‘Philippines,’ you probably get a more checkered reaction. But when you say ‘Filipino,’ people

have wonderful things to say about him, his brand rating is much, much higher. and now we have a

campaign that supports that.’

By mA. stEllA f. arnaldo

The tourism slogan made a big splash in London during President Aquino’s visit last year.

Immediately after the launch, Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites were buzzing with new memes the public had generated.

ports that.”Immediately after the launch,

Facebook, Twitter and other so-cial media sites were buzzing with new memes the public had gener-ated. “Climbing stairs. More fun in the Philippines” showed people walking up the Banaue Rice Ter-races. “Commuting. More fun in the Philippines” had a lone kayak-er in the middle of the turquoise waters of El Nido, paddling to-wards massive limestone cliffs. Even the party favorite lechon was not spared, and made an appear-ance in “Planking. More fun in the Philippines.”

Measures of successThe success of the campaign

cannot be denied. And the numbers reflect this.

From January to November 2012, total visitor arrivals increased by 8.74 percent to 3.83 million, an all-time-high for the country. Kore-ans accounted for the largest arriv-als at 922,083, or 24 percent of the total. (This statistic has since been surpassed, with the DOT having welcomed the 1 millionth Korean visitor last December 27.)

After Korea, visitors from the United States were in second place at 586,965, representing 15.32 percent of total arrivals; Japan at 375,248 (9.8 percent share); China 233,174 (6.09 percent); Taiwan 203,418 (5.31 percent); Australia 163,270 (4.26 percent); Singapore 134,164 (3.5 percent); Hong Kong 108,115 (2.82 percent); Canada 106,987 (2.79 percent); Malaysia 103,237 (2.69 percent); United Kingdom 99,348 (2.59 percent); and Germany 59,028 (1.54 percent).

Jimenez says he is confident that cumulative tourist arrivals by De-cember 2012 had reached 4.3 mil-lion. He admits the numbers could have probably been higher if it were not for the diplomatic row between the Philippines and China, leading to the latter’s unofficial travel ban on group tours to the Philippines. And before the diplomatic spat, there was the still-unresolved mat-ter of families of Hong Kong tour-ists seeking justice for their deaths in the botched hostage rescue at Lu-neta Park on August 23, 2010.

Meanwhile, Jimenez has always stressed, that “as long as we cross the 4-million mark, we’re on track to meet the 10-million visitor arriv-als target by 2016.”

The DOT chief is even more optimistic that with the return of the group charters from China, 5.3 million tourists will be arriv-ing in the country this year. Since


FEBRUARY 1-15, 2013Vancouver Edition PLANET PHILIPPINES��November, AirPhil Express and Zest Airways planes have been chartered from Shanghai and Bei-jing, bringing enthusiastic Chi-nese tourists straight to Kalibo to enjoy the sun-drenched pleasures of Boracay.

“It has been successful as an entire campaign along with the National Tourism Development Plan. One cannot exist without the other,” comments Aileen Cle-mente, president of Rajah Travel Corp., and incumbent president of the Philippine Travel Agencies Association. In May 2012, the DOT launched the NTDP, a P265-billion national strategy that seeks to address the key challenges in developing the tourism sector, in a bid to increase the sector’s share in the country’s total economic output.

Rude awakeningThe biggest realization from

the implementation of the “fun” campaign, says Jimenez, is “they (foreign markets) love us pala. We’re not as bad as we thought. The rude awakening is we’re not as famous as we thought we were. ‘Kala natin we’re famous for being a horrible place to visit. It’s not

exactly what came out, we were simply not famous.”

He adds that along with the shift in the mindset of Filipinos, that is, now they are eager promot-ers of the country; and in a way, even the bureaucratic mindset has turned as well.“The government now believes more in its ability to run tourism not just another activ-

ity but as an honest-to-goodness industry. It’s now being taken se-riously as an industry. The private sector, as a result of that, is now finally in on it as well.”

Proof of the latter is found in the massive investments pouring into new hotels and resorts in key tourist destinations of Boracay, Palawan, Davao, even Metro Ma-nila, Quezon, and Aurora. “For 2013 alone, we will have 12,500 rooms additionally nationwide. About 6,000 of those rooms will be in Manila already by the end of this year,” Jimenez points out.

But with the rising number

of tourists, the old problems that beset the industry have come un-der renewed microscopic focus. Delays in flights, inadequate air-port facilities or infrastructure to key tourist destinations, limited air connections, and poor bag-gage handling are just some of the complaints that have been raised anew by travelers.

Cebu-based tourism investor Jay Aldeguer is all praises for the “fun” campaign, but raises a valid point.

“I think it is a good campaign. The strategy to go viral was also very strategic and cost-efficient. But just like any campaign, the hard part is to sustain it; not only through advertising and PR (pub-lic relations), but making sure the product delivers. This is where we, the stakeholders, and govern-ment have to step up urgently. Momentum is on our side, the im-age of the Philippines abroad has improved tremendously. But if we do not address basic infrastructure problems and we do not fix our attractions and packages, we will not be able to optimize the poten-tial tourism could bring us in the next few years.” (Excerpts from an article in InterAksyon.com) n

The campaign showed that Filipinos are viewed positively by foreign visitors, contrary to what some of us thought of ourselves.

The success of the tourism campaign is reflected in the growing number of foreign tourists.


TOP 10HOWBIZ‘KILIG’

COUPLESHE PHILIPPINE showbiz industry is home to a multitude of intrigues, rumors, and all things buzz- worthy. Oftentimes, however, there are more stories about breakups than celebrations of love and relationships. A showbiz couple’s sepa-ration is far too often celebrated and glo-rified. And so, when the showbiz news timelines are finally filled with beautiful

love stories, one must take a moment to relish the val-ue of these celebrity couple narratives. Here are the top 10 showbiz kilig couples (in no particular order):

By chERiE del rio

Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera -- The DongYan love team may have had a rough start. Ding-dong’s breakup with singer Karylle was fodder for gossip and speculation that the lovely GMA-7 actress Mar-ian has stolen the heartthrob from his then girlfriend. But when the issues and rumors have died down, Dong-Yan emerged as one of the most ad-mired, not to mention best looking, showbiz couples to date. In a recent interview with Marian as she posed as the cover for a health magazine, she spoke lovingly about how Ding-dong has been a positive influence on her life. The two Kapuso stars continue to head top shows in their network and their pairing remains unparalleled.

Anne Curtis and Erwan He-ussaff -- Kapamilya’s sweetheart Anne Curtis has had her share of showbiz boyfriends -- and these re-lationships have ended quite pain-

fully for the talented TV-host ac-tress. She seemed to have found her true love, however, with boyfriend Erwan Heussaff, a food connois-seur of Filipino-French descent who is incidentally the brother of GMA talent Solenn Heussaff. In an interview late last year, Anne admitted that she considered her relationship with Erwan her first ever mature relationship.

Luis Manzano and Jennylyn Mercado -- Both coming from high-profile relationships and messy breakups, (Luis with Angel Locsin and Jennylyn with Patrick Garcia), these two were an unlikely match. They worked for rival networks, too! But that did not stop Luis and Jenny-lyn from making beautiful romance. Although the couple seems to be growing strong, Jennylyn admitted that they still have no plans of tying the knot anytime soon. “Napag-uu-sapan siyempre pero wala pa talagang

S

Dingdong and Marian

Anne and Erwan


plano. Hindi pa ako handa at bata pa ako,” Jennylyn said. “Marami pa akong dapat asikasuhin at dapat gawin. Ini-enjoy muna namin ang isa’t-isa.”

Richard Gutierrez and Sar-ah Lahbati -- One of the hottest celebrity couples from the Kapuso Network, Richard and Sarah are now under the spotlight for con-troversies involving work and a ru-mored pregnancy. Sarah has recent-ly tweeted very strong statements about her decision to leave GMA, feeling that she was not getting the stardom that she was promised. Ru-mors have sprouted, however, that the real reason for Sarah’s return to Switzerland is that she is pregnant with Richard’s baby. Richard was quick to deny these allegations and further claims that although he is on Sarah’s side, he is likewise torn and conflicted because he loves the GMA Network.

Toni Gonzaga and Paul Sori-ano -- Toni and Paul have been to-gether for five years already, which is past the normal lifespan of show-biz unions. Toni has always been quite conservative and it seems that Paul has blended well into Toni’s world of being a good role model and poster girl for family and God-oriented values. The film director says he is ready to propose to Toni but the TV host-actress is biding her time and waiting for “God’s signal” when she should settle down.

John Lloyd Cruz and Angeli-ca Panganiban -- Although their love story was also surrounded by controversy and intrigue, the hand-some and lovable couple has tran-scended above the default showbiz dirty speculations and came out as a good pair, admired by today’s audiences. Angelica seems to be glowing, inspired by the posi-tive influence that John Lloyd

has brought into her life. Both have beautifully moved on from their past relationships.

Bea Alonzo and Zanjoe Marudo -- Having been friends pri-or to being lovers, Zanjoe was said to have pretended to be Bea’s boy-friend in an attempt to shoo away a persistent stranger in a gathering where they were both in atten-dance. Later on, Zanjoe went from being pre-tend boy-friend to real-life lover.

The timing was perfect as the actor-model was smarting from his break-up with Mariel Rodriguez and Bea was waiting for Mr. Right.

Geoff Eigenmann and Carla Abellana – Geoff and Carla have been together for three years and a lot of people are wondering if the two will be settling down soon. To this, the brainy actress has replied: “Not yet… Maybe we have to plan first before we talk about that. It seems like we have to go through a

lot. We still have to do a lot of things in order

for us to be individu-ally secure, so we have to work on those first before we talk about get-ting married.”

Heart Evangelista and Chiz Escudero -- They seem like an un-likely couple what with the 16-year-age gap and with Heart coming from showbiz and Chiz from poli-tics. It took a while before the two admitted their love affair despite being spotted together on dates sev-eral times. When they came out, supporters of the pair oohed and aahed at the seemingly great chem-istry between the young actress and the politician. Heart’s Instagram account is filled with photos of her and Chiz, each snapshot revealing

just how happy and in love the two are.

Angel Locsin and Phil Younghusband -- Their love story has been fol-lowed by both showbiz and sports enthusiasts alike and people cannot help but gush at how this beautiful pair looks so good together. Phil is head over heels in love with the stunning Ka-pamilya actress. “Lagi

kaming masaya, we’re happy together and enjoying each

other’s company,” said the Fil-Brit soccer player. The secret to their relationship, accord-ing to the Azkals heartthrob, is communication. In one of Phil’s interviews, he said An-gel is already The One and he looks forward to settling down with her. “Alam ko, I want to settle down, but I don’t know yet the exact time,” he said. “Pero alam ko, I want it, gusto ko mag-settle down with Angel.” n

Jennylyn and Luis

Paul and Toni

Angelica and John Lloyd

Bea and Zanjoe Geoff and Carla

Heart and Chiz

Sarah and Richard


cElEBR tYDESPITE the intrigue and controversy that followed reports that Gerald Anderson and Maja Salvador are dating, the Fil-Am actor is bent on pursuing his romantic intentions on the young actress.

“Yeah I would love to [court her] kung bibigyan niya ako ng chance. I’d love to get to know her better, para mas makilala namin ang isa’t isa,” Gerald replied when asked if he would continue his plans to court Maja after all the brouhaha.

Gerald finally broke his silence about his true feeling for Maja after photos of him and the actress vacationing in Albay made their rounds in the Internet.

In an exclusive interview with The Buzz, Gerald reiterated that his photos with Maja in Misibis Bay making the rounds online are real. However, he stressed that he was vacationing in Albay with his family and friends, while Maja was

RAYVER Cruz and Cristine Reyes finally admitted that they have already called it quits, ending months of media speculation about their relationship.

In an interview with The Buzz, Rayver and Cristine faced the cameras together to announce their breakup. The actor said he and Cristine went their separate ways last year but have remained good friends.

GERALD BENT ON PURSUING MAJA

attending a bridal shower of her cousin at the posh Misibis Bay.

Saying they were never really close before, Gerald admitted that it was only in Albay that he saw Maja “on a different level.”

“During sa mga activities namin, parang nakita ko sa kanya na wow, parang masaya siyang kasama, very charming, mabait. Nag-e-enjoy akong kasama siya. So when we came back, being single -- matagal na rin po akong single and siya rin single siya at that time -- parang anong masama kung yayain ko siyang lumabas? Anong masama kung puwede kami magkaroon ng pagkakataon na makilala namin ang isa’t isa?” he told The Buzz host Boy Abunda.

However, the 23-year-old actor said it is unfortunate that things already got blown out of proportion even before he has done anything.

SARAH Geronimo has apologized over her loaded remarks last Jan. 13 during her Sarah G Live! show after performing Britney Spears’ Womanizer.

After performing her song, Sarah urged the audience not to fall in love with womanizers. She then asked co-host Robi Domingo if he was a womanizer as the studio audience went wild.

“Hindi ka womanizer, promise ha,” she told Robi, who then asked the crowd, “Sino ba dito ang womanizer?”

“I think alam na nila ‘yon, sorry. Itaas natin ang bandera ng mga babaeng nagmamahal ng totoo at mga babaeng sinasaktan, joke lang... okey, control emotion na,” Sarah said..

Before her show ended, Sarah sang Take A Bow, which is about saying goodbye to a boyfriend, who has taken his relationships for granted.

Many observers believed that the singer-actress was referring to Gerald Anderson, with whom she had a failed romance.

“’Yun kasi ang outlet ko talaga hindi ko po idi-deny ‘yon. Pero ‘yon tapos na. Nag-apologize ako ng closing... mali, mali po ‘yung inasal ko,” Sarah said in an interview. “Nawalan lang ako ng kontrol sa emotion ko kasi nadala ako sa audience at sa songs na kinanta ko ina-admit ko na personal choice ko po ang mga songs na ‘yon, medyo lumagpas lang ako, pasensiya na,” she added.

She said what she did only shows that she was just being true not only to herself but to the public. “’Yun po ang sinabi sa akin ng staff at bago pa magsimula ang show na ito, just be yourself at ipakita mo kung sino ka talaga at ‘yun lang po ang binibigay ko sa mga tao, yun.”

She denied that she still can’t move on and is bitter over her failed romance with Gerald.

SARAH APOLOGIZES FOR ‘WOMANIZER’ REMARKS

STORM BREWING IN SUNSHINE’S MARRIAGE

in-law and that is my iPhone 5. [Hindi] mo na dapat pinagmalaki sa social networking.”

Another photo post of Krista had this caption, “I hope one day, I’ll be your first priority.”

Sunshine responded: “You might soon be his first priority. Pagdasal mo.”

FIVE years since she first sought to annul her marriage to Cesar Montano, Sunshine

Cruz is again seeking legal counsel on a possible split from her husband of 12 years.

Atty. Bonifacio Alentajan, Sunshine’s lawyer, confirmed with ABS-CBN News that the actress is “exploring her legal options” in connection with a recent controversy involving her husband

and starlet Krista Miller. Krista is appearing in a film

directed by and starring the actor, The Turning Cradle: The

Untold Story of Alfredo Lim.The rift between the showbiz

couple stemmed from pictures posted by Krista on Instagram.

In a series of posts, which have since been deleted, Krista shared photos of an Abercombie and Fitch shirt for men, a pack of chocolates and an iPhone 5. The items, according to Sunshine in her comments on the photos, were gifts from her to Cesar.

Referring to the images, Sunshine said, also via Instagram: “I bought that shirt, and it is a guy’s shirt for heaven’s sake! The chocolate is from my [sister]-

According to Alfie Lorenzo, Sunshine’s talent manager and close friend, Cesar left their conjugal house on Jan. 18 and is staying in a hotel.

This isn’t the first time Cesar has been linked to another woman since his marriage with Sunshine. In 2008, Sunshine planned to file for the annulment of their marriage after the actor was romantically linked to a teen Brazilian model named Mariana del Rio.

The couple eventually reconciled. They have three daughters.

RAYVER, cRistinE conFiRm BREAKUP

“Oo [hiwalay na kami]. Ang maganda dito, okey kami dahil magkaibigan kami. Matagal na kaming naghiwalay, last year pa. We gave our best dito sa relationship namin. Ganun siguro talaga. Hindi naman halos lahat ng relationships nagwo-work ‘di ba?” he said.

Stressing that there was no third party in their relationship, Cristine said they just decided to focus on their respective careers first.

“Siguro kasi bata pa kami pareho. Gusto namin mag-focus sa work. Gusto namin mag-focus sa sarili namin. Walang third party,” she said.

Asked why they kept their breakup from the public, Rayver said: “Dinecide namin na nung naghiwalay kami, discreet na lang, huwag na lang maingay. Huwag na lang sabihin in public kasi nag-start ang relationship namin na sobrang daming naapektuhan. So sa tingin namin ganoon ang tama.”

Cristine also addressed rumors romantically linking her to Derek Ramsay. “Siguro kasi nakikita niya po kami sa labas. Para sa akin wala naman masama doon kasi ever since, kahit nung sila pa ni Angelica (Panganiban), pumupunta kami sa house nila. Nagha-hangout kami doon,” she said.


CELEBRITYfileS

TV host and actress Toni Gonzaga says she has been praying for the right time to settle down.

In an interview with ABS-CBN News, Toni said she always includes her relationship with director Paul Soriano in her daily prayers.

“I’ve always been praying for the right time for me to settle down. When God tells me to slow down, settle down, that’s it for me. So far, wala pa naman. Sabi Niya go pa,” she said.

Toni and Paul have been a couple for five years now.

In a separate interview with The

TONI WAITING FOR THE RIGHT TIMEBuzz, Paul said he is ready to propose to Toni after being in relationship with the TV host since 2008.

While she awaits for that time to come, Toni said she will focus her time and attention to her work this 2013. She said she is looking forward to doing two movies under Star Cinema this year.

“Kanina I just came from Star Cinema. We discussed two movies that I will be doing this year. One is a very big project and the next one is going back to my roots – romantic comedy with a new love team,” she said.

KRIS Aquino, fresh from the huge success of her movie Sisterakas, sees three to five more “excellent” years ahead for her in the entertainment industry.

In an interview with The Buzz, Kris refused to discuss her plans once her contract with the Kapamilya network expires at the end of the year.

“Matagal pa ‘yon kasi October pa naman pinaguusapan ‘yon. It’s 90 days before expiration, doon niyo pinaguusapan kung saan papunta,” she said when asked if she will renew her contract with ABS-CBN.

It was her mother, the late President Corazon Aquino, she said, who advised her to quit while she’s still ahead.

“The one thing my mom said to me when I was signing that five-year contact with ABS – at wala pa siyang sakit noong time na yon. She said, ‘Krissy, I always pray that you will go when you are still on top.’ I’m trying my

KRIS SEES �-� MORE ‘EXCELLENT’ YEARS IN SHOWBIZvery best not to overstay,” the youngest daughter of the late president said.

“Sana, God-willing, I have three to five more excellent years left,” she said.

Kris explained that she is also working to ensure a secure future for her sons. “Sana din talaga, enough ‘yung na-set aside -- not for Bimby kasi alam ko naman na kaya niyang alagaan ang sarili niya in the future -- but really for Josh,” she said of her eldest son with actor Philip Salvador.

“So I just want to make sure na secure na secure ‘yung future ni Josh, na hindi siya maging burden kay Bimb paglaki niya at wala na ako dito,” she added.

Meanwhile, Kris stressed that there is nothing going on between her and Brazilian actor-model Daniel Matsunaga, despite the constant teasing of her good friend, Vice Ganda.

“Inaasar lang niya ako dahil alam niyang napipikon na ako,” she said. “Kaya talagang sinasabi ko, ‘Stop it kasi nagagalit na si Bimb.’”

“IF it (marriage to Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero) comes, I’ll embra-ce it,” declares Heart Evangelista. “I don’t have expectations. That’s what makes [this relationship] bet-ter than my past ones. I’m just en-joying the moment.”

The actress acknowledges that what she and her politician-boyfriend have “is a very serious relationship.” But she hastens to add that marriage is not yet in sight.

“I used to have a deadline for myself,” Heart said in an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer. “I now refuse to feel pressured by it.”

Heart says the lawmaker is a good influence. “I think differently now because of him. He is all about being simple. He also teaches me how to handle different situations. I can be tactless sometimes, so he tells me to be careful not to hurt other people’s feelings.”

“He has never made me feel that he’s a senator. He’s not so different from the rest of us,” says Heart of her 43-year-old boyfriend of eight months.

The 27-year-old actress fur-ther describes Chiz as “humble, not flashy and… isn’t too keen on buying expensive stuff for himself. When he caught me shopping one time, he asked, ‘Don’t you feel bad when you spend too much on some-thing?’ I said, ‘Sometimes.’”

Heart’s parents are known to be very vocal about their disapproval of their daughter’s past romances. However, the actress is thankful that on her current affair, “they’ve learned to keep their opinions private.”

FOLLOWING the reported outburst of Maricel Soriano on the set of her upcoming series, the veteran actress’ camp appealed for un-derstanding as she continues to undergo personal challenges.

Her friends appealed for un-derstanding, given the passing of her mother in 2009. They said the actress can also benefit from un-dergoing anger management to resolve personal conflicts.

Reports said Maricel had an outburst on Jan. 21 on the set of the upcoming drama series Bu-kas Na Lang Kita Mamahalin. The 47-year-old actress allegedly lost her temper over co-star Gerald Anderson’s numerous takes in fil-ming a scene.

Maricel’s manager and ABS-CBN, which produces the TV se-ries, have decided to exclude the Diamond Star from the cast. Sour-ces said Dawn Zulueta is being considered to replace Maricel.

Star Magic, ABS-CBN’s talent management arm, however, bac-ked Gerald’s “unassailable per-sonal character and professional behavior,” following the alleged

REPRESENTATIVES Jules Ledesma of Negros Occidental, Manny Pac-quiao of Sarangani, Juan Ponce “Jack” Enrile Jr. of Cagayan, and Juan Miguel Arroyo of the party-list group Ang Galing Pinoy are among the top absentee congressmen.

Ledesma, the husband of for-mer actress Assunta de Rossi, is on top of the list. He is a perennial top-notcher in the absentee list.

Between July 27, 2010, when Congress convened, up to mid-No-vember 2012, the House of Repre-sentatives held 125 sessions

Ledesma attended only 13 ses-sions, while Arroyo was present in 36, Enrile in 44, and Pacquiao in 47.

Only one congressman, Spea-ker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., scored perfect attendance.

IT’S all systems go for Aga Mu-hlach’s bid to become the congres-sman of the fourth district of Cama-rines Sur.

The actor scored two legal victories in January. First, he was granted a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) by the Court of Ap-peals, which directed the Election Registration Board of San Jose, Ca-marines Sur “to immediately reins-tate and reactivate” his name and his wife’s Charlene in the voters’ list. Had the couple’s names been delisted from the voters’ list, Aga

FAMILIAR NAMES TOP ABSENTEE SOLONSThe other top absentees and

the number of days they attended session are: Augusto Syjuco Jr. of Iloilo, 31; Jeffrey Ferrer of Negros Occidental, 34; Anna York Bondoc of Pampanga, 39; Ferjenel Biron of Iloilo, 43; Valentina Plaza of Agu-san del Sur, 44; and Seth Jalosjos of Zamboanga del Norte, 48.

They are followed by Benjamin Asilo of Manila, 53; Anthony del Ro-sario of Davao del Norte, 53; Narciso Bravo Jr. of Masbate, 54; Evita Arago of Laguna, 54; Patrick Antonio of Agbiag Timpuyog Ilokano, 54; Jesus Celeste of Pangasinan, 56; Raymond Mendoza of Trade Union Congress of the Philippines, 58; Mary Mitzi Cajayon of Caloocan, 58; Vincent Cri-sologo of Quezon City, 58; and Teddy Baguilat of Ifugao, 59.

MARICEL OUT OF TV SERIES AFTER OUTBURST

incident.Bukas Na Lang Kita Mama-

halin, which also stars Cristine Reyes and Rayver Cruz, was seen as the comeback project of Ma-ricel as a Kapamilya after she signed anew with ABS-CBN in November last year.

In 2011, Soriano was embroi-led in a controversy after allege-dly maltreating her former hou-semaids, who took to court their complaints against the actress. The two camps have since repor-tedly reconciled.

HEART-CHIZ RELATIONSHIP ‘VERY SERIOUS’

AGA HURDLES POLL CHALLENGES would have been disqualified from voting and running in the May elec-tions..

Next, the Commission on Elec-tions’ (Comelec) declared Aga “a natural-born Filipino citizen and is therefore eligible to enjoy full civil and political rights, including the ri-ght to seek elective public office.” This was the Comelec’s response to a petition filed by a voter, who alleged that Aga is a Spanish citi-zen who “abandoned his Philippine citizenship” when he was issued a Spanish passport. The case was dismissed for “lack of merit.”

Despite the trials, Aga said he remained hopeful. “Whenever I go around the province, I hear people saying they want change.”

He reported that his team fi-nanced three poll surveys, which, he said, showed him leading his opponent, a scion of the influential Fuentebella clan.

He said he has learned a lot about politics this early in the race. “’Pag malinis ka, ‘di ka matatakot sagutin ang anumang tanong,” he said. “My opponents have a lot of money at their disposal, while my team has nothing but I’m not threa-tened by them.”


H METRO Manila, there are days when it it’s just so hard to see where our relationship is going. But then you sur-

prise us with these gifts that just make us swoon.

Everyone has had a love/hate feeling about Metro Manila but the years have proven that there’s plen-ty of great places, great food, and great people to love to enjoy in this fine collection of cities. We’ve had some setbacks and maybe we’re taking our time getting to our desti-nation, but here is a list of changes that are happening and will be hap-pening that makes us feel like some-one is holding our hand and telling us, “Hey, it’s alright. We’ll work through this.”

Filipino-Developed AGT SystemOn December 2010, the plan for

an Automated Guideway Transit (AGT) System in the University of the Philippines Diliman was re-vealed. The response to it has been, and continues to be, mixed, with people wondering if the location was optimal or the effect it would have on the trademark Ikot and Toki jeepneys.

The team has clarified that the train is not for the UP Diliman campus and the site acts primarily as a development ground for the AGT, which will be constructed in areas where it will be most efficient. The team is still working the details out but while that’s being studied, a successful test run was conducted last December 2012. Things are

Parking meters! Yes, indeed, it would be nice to see places where

New things to love about

Manilathere are parking meters as they are the clearest indication that it is not illegal to park in that space. Bribing a parking meter will also prove to be a very difficult task. Binondo is the “training ground” for this new venture but if all goes well, we’ll also be seeing parking meters in Luneta, Ermita, and Malate.

looking up for the project but the more remarkable achievement isn’t as obvious as the sleeker design of the tracks and the coaches. The country is (finally) utilizing its re-sources.

The development and construc-tion of the AGT is about the fifth of the current cost, specifically be-cause it is being built here. More than that, the greater benefit that we will all enjoy from this project is the enhancement of the local knowl-edge on transportation technology. The two years that it took for the test run to happen might seem like a long time for some but taking our time to invest in actual research is a true hallmark of progress.

EDSA’s Vertical GardenLate last year, steel frames were

installed along the tunnel walls of P. Tuason, Shaw Boulevard and Ayala. This was, apparently, in preparation for the Re-greening Project under MMDA Resolution No. 11-01.

It’s very hard to be against plants because let’s face it, plants are nice. MMDA’s efforts to make the streets a little more pleasant to look at aren’t always been met with appreciation but how can anyone not like plants?

According to MMDA Chair-man Francis Tolentino, this is only the start. The Re-greening Project also includes repairing sidewalks and installing plant boxes in 900 lamp posts along EDSA. It’s been proven in other cities, most notably in New York, that urban aesthetics has a huge effect on how people treat their environment. A clean environment encourages clean be-havior.

MRT’s Directional ArrowsThis could be the best possible

addition to urban train experience if people follow it. The floor of the platform of every station now has very simple indicators where peo-ple should stand.

Much as it’s nice to believe in the good we all have deep in our hearts, rush hour devolves people into brutish, space-hungry enti-ties made of elbows and leather bags. It’s initially amusing to watch people yell and bicker but having to

AGT system in UP Diliman

EDSA Vertical

Gardens

MRT Directional Arrows


Binondo Parking Meters

Circuit Makati

claw your way out of the car with adrenalin pumping in your blood because you might miss your stop isn’t exactly the best way to start your day.

The change is very simple and subtle, and on good days the sight of people organized in neat lines will make your heart skip a beat. Humans are designed to find sym-metry and order attractive. This is a fact.

Unfortunately, it is so simple that some people can’t be bothered to understand that the arrow point-ing towards the train is where they should be standing. Still, we’re hopeful that the act of lining up in an organized fashion without blocking the door for the alighting passengers will catch on and devel-op into a habit.

Bus Segregation SchemeInitially causing a lot of confu-

sion, MMDA’s Bus Segregation Scheme is the most unappreciated given to us during the holidays.

We the people are now free! We are no longer slaves to the whims of chance! Gone are the days when the bus conveniently stops anywhere and everywhere like an oversized cab. Well, almost gone. MMDA has been remarkably strict about the designated stops for buses. Some drivers and passengers have

been just as stubborn in resisting this new scheme but for once, the fault lies in the passengers because following the scheme would greatly affect the flow of traffic in EDSA.

Separating the stops for A and B buses minimizes the unfriendly competition for passengers and reg-ulates the places where people can get off. The obvious finally hit the right people in the face and with a little more time to get used to the scheme, this looks like a proper a solution to the congestion problem.

It also works for people who need to get to a specific place, without hav-ing to make unnecessary stops on the long stretch that is EDSA. The bril-

liant thing is that MMDA assigned “C” buses, which still covers the en-tire avenue for people who need a long, dramatic ride.

There’s a spark of optimism that perhaps, the next move would be buses following a schedule. For now though, there is great joy to be had in the injection of order in the chaos.

Binondo Parking MetersParking meters! Yes, indeed, it

would be nice to see places where there are parking meters as they are the clearest indication that it is not illegal to park in that space. This addresses double parking problems and would, hopefully, make the flow of traffic smoother. Bribing a parking meter will also prove to be

a very difficult task. Binondo is the “training ground” for this new ven-ture but if all goes well, we’ll also be seeing parking meters in Luneta, Ermita, and Malate.

Circuit MakatiPut your fancy pants on because

we’re all going to Broadway!Ayala Land is rebuilding the

Santa Ana racetrack and trans-forming it into Circuit Makati, which yes, features a Broadway-type space called Circuit Theatre, an interactive walk in the form of Circuit Lane, and a two-hectare open grounds area that can accom-modate 20,000 people.

It’s a new district to explore which will offer new places to check out, new food to eat, and new events to go to. Who says nothing is happening here in the metro? Circuit officially launched January 15, and though the space is still “under construction,” it’s nice to see spots and hubs for en-tertainment and leisure being de-veloped. (SPOT.ph) n


AWN HAS broken at the T u b b a t a h a Reef and the morning light streams through the windows of the M/Y

Navorca, our home and bunk for four days. Surrounding us are turquoise waters, so clear and pristine you can see cor-als and fish 30 feet below.

The Navorca is the research ves-sel of the organization I work for, the World Wide Fund for Nature Philippines (WWF-Philippines). Spanning 80 feet and displacing 70 gross tons, the Navorca provides transportation services for WWF conservation initiatives in the Sulu Sea.

For almost two decades now, WWF-Philippines has been work-ing with the people of Palawan, through the Tubbataha Manage-ment Office, to protect Tubbataha’s rich biological resources.

Seeing Tubbataha for the first time is like parting a curtain and see-

Tubbataha:PH’s crown jewel in danger Tubbataha is

home to about 600 species of fish; 360 species of corals, approximately half of all coral species in the world; 14 species of sharks; and 12 species of dolphins and whales, a nesting population of endangered hawksbill and green sea turtles.

By soPhiA dedace

The endangered green sea turtle Chelonia mydas is among the wildlife wonders beneath Tubbataha’s waters. (Photo by Lory Tan/WWF)

Tubbataha Reef is UNESCO World Heritage Site,

a RAMSAR Site, and a priority conservation site of

WWF. (Photo by Claus and Lene Topp/WWF)

ing a mound of jewels. In less than an hour, we find ourselves gliding along with sea turtles, swimming with manta rays, spotting white-tip reef sharks, and chasing a pod of spinner dolphins.

This is my memory of my first visit to Tubbataha in April 2012, but there are constant reminders that this UNESCO World Heritage Site remains a fragile world.

Grounded minesweeperSitting on a thin strip of sand

is the Tubbataha Ranger Station, which houses a composite team of military and civilians working on two-month shifts to protect the 97,000-hectare Tubbataha Reef Natural Marine Park from illegal

fishermen and poachers.At 4 a.m., Thursday, January

17, the rangers monitored on its radar a ship that rammed into the northern tip of Tubbataha’s South Atoll. The vessel, later identified as the USS Guardian, ran aground about two hours earlier.

As of this writing, about two-thirds of the ship remains stuck on the reef and the vessel has turned broadside. Monsoon winds have aggravated efforts to dislodge the US naval minesweeper swiftly and properly. The US Navy, in a state-ment on January 19, indicated that navigational charts that mis-placed Tubbataha’s location may have caused the grounding.

Several sanctions could be im-posed on the ship for committing the following violations of the Tub-bataha Reef Natural Park Act of 2009:

• Unauthorized entry (Section 19);

• Damages to the reef (Section 20);

• Non-payment of conservation fees (Section 21);

• Destroying and disturbing re-sources (Section 26); and

• Obstructing law enforcement (Section 30)

Food, economic powerhousePlowing into a reef in Tubbataha

does not only spell environmental damage. Human development and food security are also at stake. This is why it is imperative to extricate the vessel and all its fuel, oil, and hazardous materials immediately


Tubbataha Reef is the food factory of the Sulu Sea. (Photo by Jurgen Freund/WWF

This year marks the 25th year since the Philippine government declared Tubbataha a marine protected area. (Photo by Claus and Lene Topp/WWF)

to avoid a marine disaster.Tubbataha is not your ordinary

coral reef complex. It is the coun-try’s very own marine Serengeti. It is the standard against which all Philippine reef ecosystems and ma-rine parks are judged.

The reefs’ isolation from the mainland is its greatest protection. Located at the heart of the Sulu Sea, 160 kilometers southeast of Puerto Princesa City, Tubbataha is accessible from the Palawan capi-tal via a 10-hour boat ride. Divers schedule their trips during the short window of calmer seas from April to June.

Just how abundant is the ma-rine life here? Tubbataha is home to about 600 species of fish; 360 species of corals, approximately half of all coral species in the world; 14 species of sharks; and 12 species of dolphins and whales, a nesting population of endangered hawksbill and green sea turtles.

But Tubbataha, also a Ramsar site, boasts of a full range of biodi-versity and its treasures are not just confined beneath its waters. Thou-sands of sea birds breed and find their home on one of Tubbataha’s two small islets.

Tubbataha has often been

dubbed as a Mecca of Philippine diving, but it goes beyond being a spectacular underwater world. Considering that only 5% of the country’s coral reefs are in excel-lent condition, protecting Tubba-taha contributes to food security for millions who depend on Philippine seas for food and livelihood.

A no-take zone, Tubbataha pro-duces at least 200 tons of seafood per square kilometer. This is five times greater than the productivity of an ordinary healthy reef.

The waters of Tubbataha are also the seeding and growth area of the fish stocks of Palawan and the Visayas. Without this protected area, fish would not have the op-portunity to grow to maturity and repopulate other areas.

25 years of conservationThe conservation history of

Tubbataha spans 25 years. It became the country’s first ma-rine protected area in 1988 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site

in 1993. And in 2009, the land-mark Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park Act was enacted to provide more permanent management structures, fiscal autonomy, and steeper penalties for violations of Park rules.

Today, a 224-foot US naval minesweeper is stuck on Tubba-taha’s South Atoll, posing a haz-ard to the fragile ecosystems there. Something of value has been dam-aged; questions must be answered and penalties must be imposed.

Throughout its 25-year con-servation history, Tubbataha has been resilient to many challenges: crown-of-thorn outbreaks, illegal

fishing and seaweed farming op-erations, marine pollution, and the widespread coral bleaching due to the 1998 El Niño phenomenon.

Coupled with proper manage-ment, this resilience gives us hope that Tubbataha – the country’s very own cradle of marine life, the crown jewel of Philippine seas – will ride out the challenge it is facing today. (Rappler.com)

(Sophia Dedace is the Com-munications Officer of WWF-Philippines. She is a former jour-nalist and a neophyte open water diver who considers Tubbataha the most beautiful place in the country.) n


HE PHILIP-PINES is at it again.

After the successful “It’s More Fun in the Philip-pines” tour-ism campaign,

which observed its first anni-versary on Jan. 13, two more respected international pub-lications have included the country on their list of the top destinations in the world for 2013.

New York-based Travel+Leisure Magazine, the rival of Condé Nast Traveler, named the Philippines as one of the 13 “Hottest Travel Destinations of 2013” in its January issue.

On Jan. 11 The New York Times also placed the country at number 17 on its list of “46 Places to Go in 2013,” ahead of Bangkok, Paris and Casablanca.

“A surfing and beach destina-tion goes luxe … Idyllic white sand beaches, secluded, little-known surf towns and pristine reefs are among the natural draws of this country

‘For travelers willing to go the extra thousand miles for a deserted beach,

the Philippines has around 7,000 of the most heavenly islands in the world. It’s

still not the most obvious beach-holiday destination, but it soon will be’ -- Condé

Nast Traveller.

Philippines is among ‘Hottest Destinations’

The island resort of Dedon on the surfing haven of

Siargao in Mindanao.

The private island resort of El Nido Pangulasian in Palawan, right by some of the world’s most pristine diving spots, notes The New York Times.

BEAUtiFUlp h i l i p p i n e S t h E

FEBRUARY 1-15, 2013Vancouver Edition PLANET PHILIPPINES��PHILIPPINESthe Beautiful

made up of over 7,000 tropical is-lands,” The New York Times said.

“Now in addition to the more upscale choices cropping up in for-mer backpacking enclaves like Bo-racay, there is a new generation of luxury hotels opening even further afield,” it added.

The paper noted the new De-don Island resort on Siargao, add-ing that it was “close to one of the world’s best surf breaks, Cloud 9, (of which famous American surfer Kelly Slater is a fan), and has an outdoor cinema along with spa and paddle board classes.”

“And the private island resort of El Nido Pangulasian opens this month in the Unesco biosphere of Palawan, right by some of the world’s most pristine diving spots,” it added.

The New York Times said that while the Philippines has been sub-ject to travel advisories in the past, “they mostly focus on Mindanao in the south.”

“For extra security, outfitters like Asian expert Remote Lands organize private transfers and local guides,” the paper said.

Travel+Leisure Magazine, which has 4.8 million readers, noted that while there were safety concerns before about the Philippines, it was now “safe to visit once again.”

“Two countries written off in recent years -- Zambia and the Philippines -- are safe to visit once again, and thriving with new safari camps and island thatched-roof vil-las,” Travel+Leisure said.

“The archipelago of Palawan, a Unesco biosphere reserve in the Philippines, just added a resort with a scuba center; hop a two-hour flight from Hong Kong, and you’ll soon be diving with the sea turtles,” it added.

The magazine particularly men-tioned El Nido Pangulasian Island and the 125-acre private island of Ariara in Palawan, and the Eskaya Beach Resort and Spa in Panglao, Bohol.

“Boracay hogs the spotlight, but there are thousands of other islands to lure beach lovers,” Travel+Leisure added.

Serious playerTourism Assistant Secretary

Benito Bengzon Jr. said endorse-ment from these top publications showed that the Philippines was now “a serious player” in global tourism.

“This is a very good develop-ment for our country. It is a very

concrete proof that foreigners now have a high awareness and appre-ciation of the great travel potentials of the Philippines,” Bengzon said.

“It shows that we are now a seri-ous player,” he added.

Bengzon said the awareness of foreigners about the country was heightened by the launching of the “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” campaign in January last year.

“We’ve advertised and conduct-ed our marketing campaign in all our major markets like Asia-Pacif-ic, North America, Europe, India, Korea and China. And in 2013, we will be even more aggressive,” he said.

Bengzon said the Department of Tourism (DOT) expected the number of tourist arrivals for 2012 to reach 4.2 million to 4.3 million.

This is higher than the 3.9 mil-lion registered in 2011 but is lower than the 4.5-million target that the DOT set in 2012.

“There was a slowdown from our Chinese market but this is against picking. For 2013, we are targeting 5.5 million and we are very positive that we can reach that,” Bengzon said.

World’s 5th Best HotelIn the same issue, the magazine

also named the Discovery Shores Hotel in Boracay as the 5th Best Hotel in the World.

“Barefoot elegance is undoubt-edly the vibe on this tiny island, where the 2 1/2-mile stretch known as White Beach is often singled out

for being the softest in the world,” the magazine said.

It said that Discovery Shores’ 88 spacious suites all have large glass walls that look toward a scenic rock garden, “but chances are you’ll spend more time by the water.”

“Take a dip in the infinity pool, or jet-ski on the crystalline sea. For people-watching, head to The Sandbar, where they stir up deli-cious mojitos, infused with local flavors like lychee and mango,” Travel+Leisure said.

“Once you’re sufficiently refu-eled, karaoke your heart out, with over 1,000 songs (mostly in Eng-lish) to choose from at the resort’s recreation lounge,” it added.

The endorsement from Travel+Leisure came as the UK edi-tion of its competitor, Condé Nast Traveller Magazine, also named the

Philippines as one of the top 10 hottest new travel destinations for 2013.

“For travelers willing to go the extra thousand miles for a deserted beach, the Philippines has around 7,000 of the most heavenly islands in the world. It’s still not the most obvious beach-holiday destination, but it soon will be,” Condé Nast Trav-eller said.

Sorry, Maldives“Sorry, Maldives… We love

you, but we’ve got a new flame,” it added.

The magazine said the Philip-pines was becoming particularly popular among serious divers, who visit for “the incredible underwa-ter life, unspoilt coral gardens with rainbow-bright fish, green sea tur-tles and dugongs.”

“In Bicol you can swim with the biggest fish in the world, the whale shark. While fish-fans of a differ-ent nature can go deep-sea fishing in one of the deepest trenches in the oceans, not far from the little-known island of Siargao,” the mag-azine said.

“The archipelago of Palawan ticks all the boxes: palm-fringed white-powder beaches, crystal-clear turquoise waters, natural lagoons for wild swimming on Miniloc Is-land -- all of it protected by Unes-co,” it added.

Condé Nast said Bacuit Bay in Palawan was something like Ha-long Bay in Vietnam, “only without all the tourists -- for the time being, at least.”

“There are just a handful of resorts, which are tasteful and de-liberately low-key. Two of the new-est are Ariara Island and El Nido Pangulasian Island, a private-island resort with palm-thatched villas, a spa, its own dive center and sea views to melt the heart,” the maga-zine said.

Palawan in top 10“Another super-stylish new

opening is Dedon Island, on Siar-gao; it’s owned and designed by contemporary furniture brand De-don. And a perennial favorite is Amanpulo, yet another high-design private-island hotel on Pamalican Island,” it added.

In October, Lonely Planet, reput-edly the largest travel guidebook and digital media publisher in the world, also named Palawan among the top 10 best regions to visit in the world for 2013.

Lonely Planet said Palawan was “the ultimate archipelago for ad-venturers” and best for being “off the beaten track,” adventure and culture.

“Palawan incorporates thou-sands of sparkling, rugged islands and is fringed by 2000 km of pristine coastline. So far, Palawan’s natural marvels have only been sampled by plucky backpackers. Not for much longer,” Lonely Planet said.

“The trail these pioneers have blazed is set to explode, with re-gional airlines waking up to Pala-wan’s potential and clambering to schedule direct flights to the capi-tal,” it said.

“Throw in the mushrooming growth of style-conscious boutique hotels normally found in places like Ko Samui or Bali, and you can feel that Palawan is ready to hit the big-time in 2013,” Lonely Planet added. (Philippine Daily Inquirer) n

Travel+Leisure magazine rates the Discovery Shores Hotel in Boracay as the 5th Best Hotel in the World.

Boracay hogs the spotlight, but there are thousands of other islands to lure beach lovers,” says Travel+Leisure added


DAVOS—President Benigno Aquino III has pitched to the international investor community the Philippine story of transformatin from being a “sick man of

Asia” into one dynamic country bucking a global economic downturn.

President Aquino invites investors at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland

AQUINO TO INVESTORS:PLACE BET ON ‘NEW’ PHILIPPINES

“What we offer you today is a Philippines where change has set in. that, perhaps, is the single most compelling reason to come in and in-vest in our country,” Aquino said in a roundtable meeting with global busi-ness executives at the World econom-ic forum on Jan. 25.

the President invited investors to participate in three rapidly growing sectors in the country—agriculture, tourism and infrastructure.

“those who have already bet on the Philippines have not been disap-pointed; they have seen the sincerity of our commitment to restoring integ-rity and leveling the playing field.

“this is a commitment we intend to keep with all who want to conduct honest, fair business in the Philip-pines,” he said in the business forum organized by Credit Suisse.

Mr. Aquino told prospective inves-tors he couldn’t promise a completely risk-free environment, noting that any worthwhile endeavor was not without its risks.

Nevertheless, he said the “sick man of Asia is now revitalized, more dynamic than it ever was in its history, marching toward equitable progress.”

Contrasting his administration from that of his predecessor’s, when he said decisions were based on po-litical factors—mainly, on the desire to stay in power—he said the govern-ment was now earnestly refocusing efforts toward leveling the playing field, minimizing regulatory risks and investing in people.

he said the government was em-powering the filipino through health, education and conditional cash trans-fer programs that would aid their tran-sition from being below subsistence living toward gainful employment.

“We already know that, given the right environment, the filipino is able to thrive; how many of you have rid-den cruise ships or stayed in hotels manned by filipinos? how many have been awed by the creativity, loyalty and professionalism of our workers

in the business process outsourcing industry?”

“In a world increasingly dominat-ed by uncertainty and pessimism, is it not refreshing to witness a country full of optimism, experiencing posi-tive, meaningful change and inviting everyone in to ride its momentum?”

the President again referred to his administration’s thrust of eliminating corruption as a means to drastically reduce poverty and open opportuni-ties for both the filipino people and business, thereby allowing the Philip-pines to achieve inclusive growth.

On efforts to level the playing field, the President said that when contracts are no longer awarded arbitrarily, and when the rule of law applies to all, a sense of justice and fairness naturally takes over. “Among investors, in par-ticular, this instils confidence: That the Philippines is worth the price of admission,” he said.

In the first three quarters of 2012, the domestic economy has grown by an average of 6.5 percent, much fast-er than the 4.9-percent trend growth during the nine-year Macapagal-Ar-royo administration. the stock mar-ket has trebled in the last four years to record highs.

On the priority areas for invest-ment, Mr. Aquino said tourism and agriculture were crucial because they play into the key strengths of our country—an abundance of natural re-sources—and because they tend to spur growth all over the archipelago, not merely in urbanized areas.

On tourism, the President men-tioned the Department of tourism’s “It’s More fun in the Philippines” cam-paign and noted favorable tourism reviews from publications like Conde Nast traveller, the New York times, and travel + Leisure Magazine.

In 2012, he said there were 4.3 million tourists that visited the coun-try, a little short of the 4.6 million tar-get which he said was a consequence of some political tension in the region, referring to the territorial dispute be-

tween the Philippines and China.the hotels that have been sprout-

ing up around the Philippines in the

past two years are proof positive of the tourism boom, Aquino said, noting that an additional 1,599 rooms have

been built in Boracay. “So, whether you want to come to the Philippines for business or for leisure, we will gladly accommodate you,” he said.

Infrastructure is also seen as a priority in attracting investments. the President acknowledged that this was the key to further growth and devel-opment in tourism and agriculture, among other sectors.

Aquino cited the World economic forum’s Global Competitiveness re-port which showed that the Philip-pines was lagging behind Southeast Asian neighbors in terms of quality infrastructure, including the quality of roads. “this presents an opportunity, because we are committed to closing this gap and increasing our competi-tiveness,” he said.

Last year, Aquino said disburse-ments for infrastructure reached $4.9 billion and another $5.7 billion is allotted for this in 2013.

the President added that the country was seeking to boost connec-tivity all around our country through the following: train systems in Metro Manila; expressways that cut across the National Capital region and re-duce travel time drastically; the con-struction improvement of both do-mestic and international airports, as well as the exploration of a new nauti-cal highway that could cut travel time between Luzon to Mindanao, from three days to 15 hours. n

WhAteVer the military’s witness says will not affect the National Bu-reau of Investigation’s finding that the killings of 13 people in Atimo-nan, Quezon province, on Jan. 6 were not the results of a shootout between government security forc-es and alleged criminals, an NBI official said last Jan. 19.

Crisanto Buela, a lawyer for the Army soldiers who, along with po-lice officers from Southern Luzon, are facing investigation for the kill-ings, told reporters on friday that the military has a witness who will prove that what happened was a shootout.

But Vicente de Guzman, NBI deputy director for Metro Manila, said on Saturday that whatever the military’s witness says will not change the NBI’s finding that what-ever it was that happened in Atimo-nan, it was not a shootout.

De Guzman said the govern-ment’s two witnesses who de-scribed to NBI investigators the events of Jan. 6 were “very credible and their statements were corrobo-rated” by other evidence.

“the witnesses came forward, were credible and had no reason to lie,” De Guzman said.

NBI INSISTS THERE WAS NO SHOOTOUThe added that the reenactment

on of the supposed gun battle in Ati-monan validated the witnesses’ state-ments and recollection of the event.

the Department of Justice has placed the two men on the govern-ment’s witness protection program.

De Guzman said the investigators were just waiting for the completion of the results of ballistic tests on the firearms submitted by the soldiers and policemen involved in the killings of the 13 alleged criminals, including Victor “Vic” Siman, alleged operator of the numbers racket “jueteng” in provinces south of Manila.

After the ballistic tests, the NBI should be ready to submit a report to President Aquino, who had ordered the bureau to find out what really happened in Atimonan because of ac-cusations from the relatives of those killed that the victims had been sum-marily executed.

On Jan. 17, after a reenactment of the events of Jan. 6, Justice Sec-retary Leila de Lima said that what happened was “definitely not a shoot-out.”

De Lima arrived at the conclusion after personally visiting the crime site and hearing from witnesses. “[It was] anything but a shootout... Not a

shootout, definitely,” said De Lima told reporters.

De Lima and agents of NBI — the sole government agency tasked to investigate the case — visited the site last Jan. 17 to observe a re-en-actment of the incident.

the police involved said the checkpoint was part of a case op-eration plan to neutralize alleged members of a gun-for-hire group.

however, witnesses said that a phalanx of armed men shot at the two SUVs stopped at a checkpoint without provocation. All 13 passen-gers were killed, including environ-mentalist Jun Lontok who came out with his hands up.

“the witnesses saw the entire incident. they are very vital,” de Lima said.

She said witnesses claimed seeing men in uniform approach the victims’ vehicles and tell them to get out of the cars.

When the victims refused to come out, the uniformed men stepped back and a man in civilian clothing said, “fire!”, prompting his compan-ions to shoot at the vehicles for about “seven to eight seconds.”

De Lima insisted the witnesses are reliable. n

FEBRUARY 1-15, 2013Vancouver Edition PLANET PHILIPPINES��NEWSround-up

the Philippines has taken China to a United Nations arbitration tribunal to challenge Beijing’s claim to most of the South China Sea (which the Phil-ippines refers to as the West Philip-pine Sea) and compel it to respect the Philippines’ right to its exclusive eco-nomic zone (eeZ) and stop Chinese incursions into areas in the disputed waters claimed by the Philippines.

the Philippines initiated the com-pulsory proceedings against China as provided for under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), and asked the UN to declare the Chinese “nine-dash line” outlining its claim to most of the South China Sea, including wa-ters and islands close to its neigh-bors, as invalid and illegal.

PH CHALLENGES CHINA IN U.N.It demands that China “desist

from unlawful activities that violate the sovereign rights and jurisdiction of the Philippines under the 1982 Unclos.”

“the Philippines has taken the step of bringing China before the Ar-bitral tribunal… in order to achieve a peaceful and durable solution to the dispute over the West Philippine Sea,” foreign Secretary Albert del rosario told a press briefing on Jan. 22.

“the Philippines has exhausted almost all political and diplomatic avenues for a peaceful negotiated settlement of its maritime dispute with China… we hope that the arbitral proceedings shall bring this dispute to a durable solution,” he said.

the DfA said the move was a deci-

PreSIDeNt Benigno Aquino III on Jan. 18 approved five big-ticket infrastruc-ture projects that will cost a whopping P146.9 billion.

two of the projects are designed to decongest traffic and cut travel time in the National Capital region and outlying provinces.

the infrastructure projects will be funded through a combination of of-ficial development assistance (ODA) loans and government equity.

Most of these projects will be implemented from 2013 to 2018 and will not be completed until after Mr. Aquino’s term ends in 2016.

“All these projects are meant to promote inclusive and rapid growth,” ricky Carandang, head of the Presi-dential Communications Develop-ment and Strategic Planning Office, told reporters following a Palace meeting of the National economic and Development Authority (Neda) board, which approved the projects. the President chairs the Neda board.

the biggest of these projects are the Cavite-Laguna expressway, or Calax (P35.57 billion), and the North Luzon expressway-South Luzon ex-pressway (NLex-SLex) connector road project (P25.55 billion).

the latter two are on the Aquino administration’s priority public-private partnership (PPP) list. the NLex-SLex connector road project was an unso-licited proposal from the Metro Pacific Investments Corp. that was approved and awarded last December.

three rural infrastructure projects are: the construction of water im-pounding facilities, or Pasa Small res-ervoir Irrigation Project in Isabela City (P1.29 billion); phase 2 of the Cordil-lera highland Agricultural resources Management Project (P2.94 billion); and the continuation of Kalahi-CIDSS National Community Driven Develop-ment Project (P89.1 billion).

Kalahi-CIDSS, which stands for Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan–Comprehensive Integrated Delivery of Social Service, is a community-driven development project being imple-mented by the Department of Social

AQUINO APPROVES P147-B INFRA PROJECTS

A P25.55-bilion project seeks to connect the North and South Luzon express-ways.

A Canadian national opened fire inside the Cebu City court building last Jan. 22, killing a doctor who had filed charges against him and the complainant’s lawyer and wounding an assistant city fiscal before he himself was shot.

John Pope, described as a retired journalist, died at the Cebu Doc-tor’s Hospital around 10:50 a.m. after turning his gun on himself at the Marcelo Fernan Hall of Justice.

Senior Superintendent Mariano Natuel said Police Officer 1 Oriel Hagupit had also shot at Pope after the Canadiangunned down Dr. Rene Rafols, who had filed a case for five counts of malicious mis-chief against the foreigner, and Rafols’ lawyer, Giovanni Achas; and wounded assistant city fiscal Ma. Theresa Casino. Casino remains in critical condition at a hospital.

Initial reports said Pope drew a .38 caliber “paltik” (improvised) pistol as he entered Branch 6 of the Municipal Trial Court in Cities, where his case was being heard, and shot Rafols and Achas.

He then went to Branch 1 and shot Casino.Pope had been arrested earlier near the clinic of Rafols at a Cebu

hospital but posted P80,000 bail on the charges of illegal possession of a firearm filed against him.

Natuel said they also received reports that Pope earned the ire of his neighbors, prompting them to file an eviction case against the Ca-nadian.

Meanwhile, Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno has directed Court Administrator Midas Marquez to go to Cebu and personally look into the incident.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima aid “immediate action is needed to ensure the safety and security of personnel working in the front lines of the rule of law.” n

CANADIAN DEAD AFTER KILLING 2 IN CEBU

sion of the Philippines alone. It said its major allies, the United States and Japan, had nothing to do with the le-gal action.

It said the action was “in defense of our national territory and maritime domain.”

In a “notification and statement of claim” filed before the UN, the Philippine government said the ar-bitration was not seeking to declare who owns which islands in the dis-puted waters.

“the Philippines does not seek in this arbitration a determination of which party enjoys sovereignty over the islands claimed by both of them. Nor does it request a delimitation of any maritime boundaries,” the gov-ernment said.

In its submission, the Philippines asked the UN to compel China to re-spect the Philippines’ rights to exclu-sively explore and exploit resources within its eeZ and continental shelf as declared under Unclos, citing recent Chinese actions that constituted an excessive exercise of sovereignty over disputed territories.

It asked the UN to declare that the Philippines is entitled, as provided for by Unclos, to “12 nautical miles of ter-ritorial sea, 200 nautical miles of eeZ and established boundaries of its con-tinental shelf from the baselines.”

The Philippines ratified the 1982 convention in 1984 and China in 1996, but the two countries have conflicting interpretations of its provi-sions, especially on the scope of ex-clusive economic zones.

“China’s nine-dash line claim encompasses practically the entire West Philippine Sea. We must chal-lenge the unlawful claim of China… in order to protect our national territory and maritime domain,” the DfA said in a statement.

“We hope that the arbitral tribunal will issue an award in accordance with international law that will direct China to respect our sovereign rights and jurisdiction over our eeZ, continental shelf, contiguous zone and territorial sea over the West Philippine Sea, and to desist from undertaking unlawful acts that violate our rights,” it said.

Chinese Ambassador Ma Keqing was summoned to the DfA on Jan. 22 where she was handed a note verbale furnishing China with a copy of the

Philippines’ “notification and state-ment of claim” before the UN.

the Chinese embassy in Manila promptly restated Beijing’s claim to the contested waters and insisted on its position that claimants settle the dispute through negotiations.

In a statement, it said that Ma, on receiving the note verbale, had “reit-erated the principled position of the Chinese side, and stressed that China has indisputable sovereignty over the islands in South China Sea and its ad-jacent waters,” the embassy said in a statement.

“the Chinese side strongly holds the disputes on South China Sea should be settled by parties con-cerned through negotiations,” it said.

China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea overlap those of the Philippines as well as Brunei, Malay-sia, Vietnam and taiwan.

Over the past two years, the Philip-pines and Vietnam have complained at China’s increasing assertiveness in enforcing those claims, particularly around areas believed to be rich in oil and natural gas reserves.

the Philippines earlier protested a string of incidents involving China in the West Philippine Sea, including sea patrols, oil exploration, military exercises and the establishment of a Chinese administrative unit to govern all of the disputed Spratly Islands.

It has filed at least 15 protests against China for incursions into the disputed waters, Del rosario has said. n

Welfare and Development (DSWD).It is widely viewed as an anti-in-

surgency program since it is aimed at providing comprehensive livelihood and social services to the country-side.

According to the DSWD, the pro-gram trains communities and their lo-cal government units “to choose, de-sign and implement subprojects that address their most pressing needs.”

the program is assured of funding until 2018.

On the Calax, a four-lane, 47.02-km highway, Carandang said the to-tal cost of the project was brought down to P35.5 billion, from P43.4 billion, due to “minor revisions in the scope.”

the NLex-SLex connector road will be a 13.4-km, four-lane, mostly elevated expressway that will be con-structed over the existing Philippine

National railway right of way. When completed in 2016, it will run from Caloocan City to Buendia in Makati City.

Among the PPP programs present-ed to investors in 2010, the Aquino administration has already awarded to Ayala Corp. the P1.956-billion Daanghari-Southern Luzon express-way Link Road, the first PPP project of the Aquino administration to be awarded, and two school building contracts awarded to Bf Corp. and Citicore-Megawide consortium for a combined cost of P16.5 billion.

Carandang said the water im-pounding facility project in Isabela would address climate change.

“The benefit of this is it will pre-vent flooding and reroute water for greater irrigation [of agricultural lands],” resulting in higher crop yields, he said. n


NEWSround-up

PreSIDeNt Aquino sees the Philip-pines, which used to be the world’s biggest importer of rice, attaining full self-sufficiency and even turning into an exporter before the year is over.

that assumes that the country will enjoy good weather this year, Aquino said last Jan. 24 in a private session tackling anti-corruption initiatives at the annual meeting of the World eco-nomic forum here.

“from importing almost two and a half million metric tons of rice in 2010, now, if the weather permits, we are looking at full rice self-suf-ficiency—and even the possibility of exporting it—by the end of this year,” the President said.

the long-time quest for rice self-sufficiency was mentioned by the President in the context of reforms pursued by his administration in the operations of the National food Au-

PH MAY START EXPORTING RICE THIS YEAR

Rice self-sufficiency by end of the year.

AN 8th person from the Philippines has been confirmed killed in last week’s siege by Islamic militants of a remote natural gas plant in Alge-ria, the government said on Janu-ary 25.

the 8th Philippine fatality is a male, said Department of foreign Affairs spokesman raul hernan-dez, without naming the victim.

“his body was positively identi-fied by our team in Algeria. We still have one unaccounted for,” her-nandez said.

the Philippine government has said 12 other filipino workers sur-vived the 72-hour hostage drama in the north African desert, including 4 still recovering from their wounds at an Algiers hospital.

Earlier, the DFA had confirmed that seven filipinos died in the hos-tage crisis in Algeria and four oth-ers are still missing.

In a press conference on Jan. 21, hernandez made the announce-ment but declined to give details on the identities of the male fatalities.

hernandez said that based on reports received from the Philippine government’s team in Algeria and the country’s embassy in London, 26 filipinos worked at the In Ame-nas gas plant that was attacked by al-Qaida-linked gunmen last week. The list was confirmed by Algerian foreign Ministry and the employers of filipino workers there, he said.

he said that 12 filipinos were accounted for and confirmed alive. he said that of the 12, four were being treated in Al Azhar hospital in Algiers, four were in Mercure hotel awaiting repatriation, and four have been repatriated or were on their way home.

“the DfA is in the process of no-tifying the kin of the six confirmed dead and coordinating the ship-ment of their remains and we are

8 PINOYS CONFIRMED DEAD IN ALGERIA SIEGE

PNOY: WHAT WAS U.S. SHIP DOING IN HERITAGE SITE?

The USS Guardian, a US Navy minesweeper, is still stuck after running aground Tubbataha Reefs, a Unesco World Heritage Site in Sulu Sea, in this Jan. 17 photo released by the AFP.

PreSIDeNt Aquino said the United States has to explain how and why its ship had run aground in a protected area like the tubbataha reefs but the “first priority” was to remove the USS Guardian and contain the damage it made in the world heritage site.

“After they do that and we’re fin-ished with the immediate issue, then they have to answer so many things. What are you doing in an environmen-tally protected area?” Mr. Aquino told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in an in-terview.

Mr. Aquino noted that US Navy ships had “some of the most sophisticated navigational equipment.”

“And when you assess liabilities and culpabilities, exactly what are the mechanisms or what do they have to pay us? fines? What are the sanc-tions? But that has to be secondary to removing the ship,” he said.

Mr. Aquino said that in removing the USS Guardian from the reef, “we want to ensure that there would not be more damage created.”

“The first priority is stop the dam-age being made,” he said.

Mr. Aquino noted that the Coast

Guard is already in the area with oil booms to ensure that it could immedi-ately contain any leak from the ship.

Meanwhile, the Philippines has fined the US Navy for “unauthorized entry.” the tubbataha Protected Area Management Board, of which WWf-Philippines is a member, was poised to send out the Notice of Violation informing the US government of its transgressions, including penalties, said Jose Ma. Lorenzo tan, WWf-Philippines vice chairman and chief executive officer.

“the Notice of Violation basically includes the standard penalties,” including the P25,000 fine for each square meter of affected coral pro-vided for under the law, tan said.

earlier, tubbataha park superin-tendent Angelique Songco said the US government would also face ad-ministrative fines from P100,000 to P300,000 for its unauthorized entry to the protected area.

Songco said the US crew had not asked for permission from park man-agers to enter the marine sanctuary, as mandated under republic Act No. 10067, or the tubbataha reefs Natu-

ral Park Act of 2009. On top of that, she said the US

government might be asked to pay between P300,000 and P1 million in “reparations” to the government for lost income from the impact of the ac-cident on fish density.

But tan said it would only be pos-sible to arrive at an estimate of the damage until after the USS Guardian had been extricated from the reef.

Even so, officials formally informed the US Navy about the specific viola-tions it committed. the commander of the US Navy’s 7th fleet, Vice Ad-miral Scott Swift, apologized for the incident in a statement from Japan.

Sen. francis Pangilinan said the US government was liable for dam-ages.

“Apologies are not enough. the damage has been done. every day the USS Guardian sits on top of our protected reefs is a day too late as far as the damage being done is con-cerned. We have laws that explicitly express accountability on persons or entities found to have caused dam-age to the tubbataha reef,” he said in a statement. n

thority, the government agency tasked to ensure rice self-sufficiency.

Aquino said his predecessor had allowed the NfA’s debt to balloon to $4.4 billion from $300 million over the course of the former president’s nine-year term, insisting on importing more rice than was needed to feed the people.

“So you had a staggering amount of debt, and rice that no one would eat, rotting in warehouses that the government, of course, had to pay rent for. Any sane and reasonable person would not have done this, but it was done, and that was the reality we had to deal with. this insanity was justified by convincing our people that we were not capable of feeding our-selves through tilling our own land, hence the necessity of importing rice,” he said.

Since his administration assumed

office, Aquino said more funds were plowed into irrigation, arterial roads, research into higher-yielding varieties and other technologies, making the goal of self-sufficiency viable.

In a research on the Philippine rice situation last year by Asian De-velopment Bank consultants, it was noted that the Philippines continued to grapple with significant food insecurity. “Years of preoccupation with rice self-sufficiency and rice supply and price stabilization have not made a dent on the problem,” the research said.

Some of the food insecurity stemmed from rice supply issues and high domestic prices. Some of these might not be apparent in recent years but the research said current trade policies did not augur well for long-term supply and price stability.

the ADB research dated January 2012 noted that in the early 1990s, the government was importing too little and consumers generally paid high prices for rice. In 1995, it said the government imported too late, initially restricting imports but only to see domestic prices spike up, consumers getting alarmed and the government eventually scrambling to restore stability in the market.

“thereafter, the government has imported aggressively and domestic prices have moved considerably clos-er to international prices in the last three years. But the supply stability achieved had cost too much, bloat-ing the NfA’s losses and borrowings and drawing attention to the fact that the strategy is unsustainable,” the re-search said. n

also locating the whereabouts of the four unaccounted for,” hernan-dez said.

hernandez, however, could not clearly state the circumstances of how the six filipinos died but said that “it was the direct result of the hostage taking incident in the area and mostly by gunshot wounds and the effects of the explosion.”

When pressed by reporters whether the deaths of the filipi-nos were caused by the execution from the Islamists or the result of the military action, hernandez said that they did not have specific infor-mation but “the information is they died in the facility.”

he said he could not also give the specific number but most of the filipino workers were employed by the Japanese engineering firm JGC Corporation.

he added that the director gen-eral of the Asia Pacific Affairs of the Algerian ministry of foreign Affairs conveyed on behalf of the Algerian government its deepest sympathies to the families of the victims and to the Philippine government.

“he also emphasized to our Charge d’ Affaires that his govern-ment took the military action and did everything possible to prevent the further loss of life and when it was confirmed that the terrorists had started executing some of the foreign hostages,” hernandez said.

hernandez noted that the four filipinos wounded and being treat-ed in the hospital were generally in stable condition. “One was in seri-ous condition because he was suf-fering from wounds in the neck and spine,” he said.

he said that the DfA was coor-dinating with Algerian authorities for the repatriation of the bodies of the fatalities and the repatriation of the filipinos who were accounted for. n



Documents

February 1-15, 2013 Publication