Manila Media Monitor -- FEBRUARY 2011

FEBRUARY 2011 Toronto, Ontario

FOR ADVERTISING AND INQUIRIES, PLEASE CALL (416) 285-8583 OR EMAIL [email protected]

INSIDE

“We are a company working with people to define their innerstrength through physical trials,” Christian Alvarez and CarloBalasagay say (left and right in photo), as they welcome guests atthe Grand Opening of Strength-N-U Programs and Facility (on fitnessand nutrition) at 80 Milner Avenue, Unit 10 in Scarborough, Ontario.Some 200 guests and well-wishers came during the open housefrom 12 to 4 PM, Saturday, January 22, 2011. (Courtesy: Kegan Sant)

Torontonians’ concerns on health and active lives receive boostingThe concerns of Torontonians

on health issues and active livesreceived boosting recently withthe inauguration of Strength-N-U Programs and Facility (onfitness and nutrition).

Strength-N-U offersprograms and facility to helpclients dominate life’s dailychallenges.

Even the Heart and Stroke

Foundation’s 2011 Report onCanadians’ Health has

emphasized that nine out of tenCanadians jeopardize the qualityand length of their lives, becausemany are in denial about their riskfactors for heart disease, such asbeing overweight and physicallyinactive – risk factors, which thereport said Canadians couldmanage and control.

Christian Alvarez, proponent of“Strength-N-U”, said the programsof the facility is designed tomaximize an individual’s workouton all planes.

Run by among the veryexperienced and best physicaltrainors in the industry — underwhom some sportspeople andteams of all ages continue toundergo training, Strength-N-Uchallenges and invites sports teamsof all calibers and ages, as well asindividuals who are looking for aserious body blitz workouts, to tryits proven ways and methods.

Among those undergoing trai-ning with “Strength-N-U” are twojunior hockey and a soccer team

and teams from one football leagueAlvarez said Strength-N-U’s

programs promise to unleash aninner potential aimed at obtainingthe competitive edge against thefiercest of opponents andobstacles. He added, “Strength-N-U has a multitude of differentexercises and programs to testparticipants and elevate theirgame.”

He stressed, “The workouts areproven to improve them mentallyand physically.

“We get participants’ nutritionand physical fitness goals in check,while redefining their strength. So,if one is looking to redefine thestrength in him or her, then we cha-

lenge everyone to come in and joinus. From the climbing wall, thejungle gym, rope climb, the tireflips to the absolute onslaught ofexercises we have the mental andphysical test for everyone.”

One special program being runby the facility is called “Strength-N-Youth”.

According to Carlo Balagasay,Strength-N-U’s ProgramsDirector, “Strength-N-Youth” is aneducational in-school program thatteaches exercise and nutritionwhile encouraging youth to begindefining their strengths. “Physical activity, fitness,nutritional counselling, recreationand sports are all importantcontributing factors in youthdevelopment and act as aprotective tool for children whoare at risk,” Balagasay said.

He said that “Strength-N-Youthacts as a strong deterrent to anti-

>>> See Torontonians, page 24

Metro’s Filipino Kiwanis Clubworks to ease RP children’s pain

Quintin Palisoc

Filipino Metro Toronto,Sunday, February 13, in NorthYork, Ontario, Club President

Quintin Palisoc, citedthe work of KiwanisInternational, incooperation with hisclub, among others, onthe project “SleepingBags”, for the thepoor children in thePhilippines.

>>Story , page 14

The Kiwanis Club of FilipinoMetro Toronto has underscoredthe significance of its work inpartnership withKiwanis Internationalin alleviating the plightof disadvantagedchildren in the world,including those in thePhilippines.

In his remarks at the2nd Charter Night ofthe Kiwanis Club of

‘Biggest Summer Event’ slated back to back in Toronto

NEWEST RP TOAST IN BOXING: Donito Donaire stopsMexico’s Fernando Montiel in the second round to take theWorld Boxing Council (WBC) and World Boxing Organization(WBO) bantamweight titles. Donaire took a right to the headfrom the champion, then immediately countered with adevastating left to the head that sent Montiel crumpling tothe canvas. The title bout was held in Last Vegas, Saturday,February 19.

This summer, there will be twobig festivals aimed at FilipinoCanadians and the Toronto com-

munity at large at the MetroToronto Convention Centre(MTCC) in downtown Toronto

this summer.Both events billed themselves as

the biggest summer event inCanada. The first on stage is the“Pinoy Fiesta & Trade Show saToronto” to be held Saturday, June25 this year. The event is theproduct of a partnership signed bythe Philippine Chamber ofCommerce—Toronto (PCCT)

with the Philippine CanadianCharitable Foundation (PCCF).Major sponsor to this event isGMA Pinoy TV – a stationprimarily established by GMANetwork, one of the two leadingnetworks in the Philippines,primarily aimed at overseasFilipinos and their families in the

>>> Biggest, page 3

In the matter ofobjectivity in newsreporting ...

From the Monitor’sDesk >>> page 8

My Facebookfriends are just ...ahh ... ahh ...just doing great onthe site.

Ooops and Bloops>>> page 11

Finally, its own ...

PCCT stages ownTrade Show

>>> page 7

2 Manila Media Monitor, February 2011

Manila Media Monitor, February 2011 3

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Philippines. The network airsprogramming produced by itsflagship station in the Philippinesand could be accessed in Canada,the United States, Japan, Guam,Saipan, Papua New Guinea,Singapore, the Middle East, NorthAfrica, Hong Kong, Europe andAustralia.

Organizers of the “Pinoy Fiesta& Trade Show sa Toronto”, in apress release, said their event is“the largest trade show and eventin Canada”.

The other event, called “OneKapamilya sa Mabuhay Festivaland Trade Show” will be held amonth later, Saturday, July 23this year. Primary sponsor to thisevent is ABS-CBN, whichorganizer, the PhilippineIndependence Day Council(PIDC) in i ts press release,described as “the Philippine’sfirst, and largest, integratedmedia and entertainmentcompany.”

In a press release, the PIDCalso claimed that its event is “thelargest celebration of Philippineheritage and culture in Canada.”

Some members of the FilipinoCanadian media in Torontoopined that the two summerfestivals – each supported by thewarring television networks inthe Philippines, are dividing theFilipino Canadian community.

For one, journalist RomeoMarquez, in an article published

Biggest >>> From page 1 last January 30 in “Currents andBreaking News”and published onthe internet, said,”That’s how farthe Kapamilya (refers to ABS-CBN) and Kapuso(refers to GMA)followers have gone in their battlefor the pockets of thousands ofFilipinos in Toronto, at least,where a thriving Filipinocommunity has been turned into abattleground of competingbusiness interests.”

In the same online publication,Marquez also said in his article,entitled “Philippine NetworksWage Proxy Wars in Toronto’sFilipino Community”: “ThePhilippines’ two giant networksare unwittingly tearing the fabricof Filipino family apart. Theirmostly nonsensical shows -entertainment fare that caters toprurient interests - are aggressivelymarketed in North America,specifically in Toronto, Canada,with little or no regard to whetherthey ruin or uphold Filipinovalues. Their intense marketingstrategies have been reduced toproxy warsb e t w e e nfamilies andorganizationsof competinginterests.”

Compoundingthe issue is thats o m epublishers and/or editors ofFilipino papersin Toronto

easily gave in to solicitationsof either organizers to merittheir headline stories, worst,based on press releases.

Mani la Media Moni to rreached Minda Neri, presidentof the PIDC, who said that shedoes not see the two events atthe Metro Toronto ConventionCent re as a ne tworks warbetween the two te levis iongiants in the Philippines. Sheexplained that it so happenedthat ABS-CBN is this year’smajor sponsor to the MabuhayFestival, in the same mannerthat during the last two years,she was happy working withGMA network as well.

On the other hand, JimmyMarasigan, president of thePCCF – the organization whichis providing the entertainmentpart to the Pinoy Fiesta saidthat both ABS-CBN and GMAPinoy TV have the r ight tocompete for the patronage ofsubscribers to their respectiveprogramming services. He poin-

ted out, however, that as far asthe PCCF is concerned, hisorganization does not haveanything to do with thecompeting interests of the twoPhilippine television networks,but brought in GMA Pinoy TVas its major sponsor for PCCF’s

own charitable work objectives.Marasigan added that he wishes

the best for both festivals at theMTCC this summer.

For more information on the twoback-to-back events this summerat the MTCC, turn to page 4. (AceAlvarez)


Pinoy Fiesta & Trade ShowSa Toronto:‘Biggest Event This Summer’

The Philippine CanadianCharitable Foundation(PCCF) and GMA Pinoy TVhave proudly announcedthat the Greater TorontoArea will witness this yearthe biggest trade show andentertainment event, whichby far, has been organizedby any organization/s for thebenefit of the FilipinoCanadian community.

This announcement wasmade jointly by JimmyMarasigan, president of thePhilippine CanadianCharitable Foundation(PCCF) and RosemerEnverga, GMA Pinoy TVDevelopment andMarketing Consultant forCanada, who said that theyare very excited to workwith the PhilippineChamber of Commerce-Toronto (PCCT) to providethe entertainmentcomponent for the “PinoyFiesta & Trade Show saToronto.

Dubbed as the “PinoyFiesta & Trade Show saToronto”, Marasigan andEnverga said the event hasthree-pronged objectives, asfollows: first, to provide awider exposure to PCCTbusiness and exhibitors, from

where — in the words ofPCCT President OswaldTugadi and Trade ShowChair Rafael Nebres,“visitors from the diversecommunities in the greaterToronto area would have agood grasp of the productsand services that the FilipinoCanadian business sectorcarries and offers, and fromwhich they could engage incross sales and marketing,”

From the point of view ofthe PCCF, Marasiganpointed out that the eventwill be a great avenue for thefoundation to raise fundswhere evrybody could sharetheir bounties in Canadawith those of “our poorbrothers and sisters in thePhilippines.” He said thatfunds generated by thePCCF will be used forcharitable purposes, mainlythrough the building ofhouses for the poor throughANCOP Canada, theKapuso Foundation andother worthy charities. Hesaid that this way, it will notbe too burdensome foranybody to do one’s acts ofcharity – especiallyconsidering the economicweather these times.

On the entertainment angle

angle, Enverga said GMAPinoy TV is excited at thisopportunity to work with thePCCF and the PCCT tobring in person before theeyes of fans their favorite“Kapuso” stars. GMA PinoyTV was primarilyincorporated by GMANetwork for the benefit ofoverseas Filipinos.

Enverga, in the meantime,kept the fans to hold theirbreath on who are coming ,saying, “Will it be MarianRivera and Dingdong Dantes;or, the newly- married Regineand Ogie? Perhaps, AljurAbrenica, with Rachel AnnGo; or, is it possible to be allof them? “Whoever theyare,” she promised, “theKapuso stars are guaranteedto keep the audience in theirseat by the entertainmentprogram being arranged forthem.”

The “Pinoy Fiesta & TradeShow sa Toronto” will beheld from 8 am to 11 pm,Saturday, June 25, 2011 at theMetro Toronto ConventionCentre, Hall C, 255 FrontStreet W, in Toronto.

For info on vendors andexhbitors, call OswaldTugadi, (416) 850-4966,(416) 299-6160 or RafaelNebres, (416) 618-1362; forsponsorships, call RosemerEnverga, (416) 284-9299;Jimmy Marasigan, (905) 472-3194; or Romy Rafael, (416)985-2606.(PR)

>>>

PIDC announces partnership with ABS CBNThe Philippine Independence

Day Council (“PIDC”)welcomed 2011 withrenewed vigor andexcitement for this year’supcoming events.

Members of the volunteer-based organization havebeen hard at work planningfor the new year with asignificant announcementmade at a press conferenceheld January 24, 2011.

This year’s MabuhayFestival and Trade Show, thelargest celebration ofPhilippine heritage andculture in Canada, will beheld in partnership withABS-CBN Canada. ABS-

CBN is the Philippine’s firstand largest integrated mediaand entertainment company.

Spokespersons fromABS-CBN noted PIDC’sproven record of stagingsuccessful, well-attendedevents pointing out it is astrategic partnership thatwill allow them to“continuously serve andbring countless Filipinos inCanada back home not onlythrough programs on TFCbut also by staging ‘relevant’events that reflect theirneeds, dreams andaspirations.” In addition, thecollaboration between thetwo groups will enable both

to accomplish their mutualmandate of showcasing thebest of the Philippines to therest of the world.

Months prior to thesigning of PIDC’sagreement, Request forProposals (“RFP”) weresent to ABS-CBN and twoother entertainmentconglomerates. All weregiven the same deadline butonly ABS-CBN respondedby the due date. A PIDCproject Review Committeeconvened to go over theproposal and negotiationswith ABS-CBN began inOctober. As a result of the

>>> PIDC, page 6



historic partnership, a fewmembers of PIDC’s Board ofDirectors had to resign due toconflict of interest with ongoingrelationships with competingmedia groups.

“One Kapamilya sa MabuhayFestival and Trade Show” will beheld on Saturday, July 23, 2011 atthe Metro Toronto ConventionCentre, South Building Hall E.This year’s chair for the event isLorenzo Villaruz (phone: 416 826-6077 email: [email protected])and the Vice Chair is Buddy Ibe(phone 416 451-2833 email:[email protected]). The 11thannual festival promises to bringhigh calibre talent from theextremely popular ABS-CBNtalent pool. It will also feature thebest Filipino-Canadian performersincluding iconic groups such as theFiesta Filipina Dance Troupe andCulture Philippines Canada. Forticket information, contact NormaCarpio (phone: 416 975-1473e m a i l :[email protected]) andvendor inquiries, call EvelynPagkalinawan (phone: 416 727-5853 email:[email protected])

PIDC Miss Philippines andLittle Miss Philippines have yet toannounce their date and venue butinterested candidates can contactpageant Chair Rorie Elafano(phone 416 733-7818 email:[email protected]) or ViceChair Gene Elamparo (phone 416-

PIDC >>> from page 4 284-3547 and Cesar Mañebo, (647)829-9187. To inquire about LittleMiss Philippines, contact SuzyLlanera at (phone: 416 421-4289)

The Independence Day Gala isscheduled on Friday, June 10, 2011to be held at Le Jardin - VersaillesRoom located at 8440 Highway27, Woodbridge. For details onhow to purchase tickets, contactevent Chair Norma Carpio (phone905 257-1059 email:[email protected]) orVice Chair Filomena Ticzon(phone: 416 736-5068 email:[email protected])

The annual “Salu-Salo sa EarlBales Park” Community picnicwill be held on Saturday, June 18,2011 at Earl Bales Park located atthe corner of Bathurst andSheppard. The event starts at 10am and runs until 8 pm. If you and/or your group would like to joinin this fun-filled day in the park,please contact event chair ImieBelanger (phone: 647 281-5528email: [email protected]) orVice Chair Pete Mauricio (phone:905 301-8408 email:[email protected]),GeneElamparo (phone: 416 284-3547email: [email protected]

and Cesar Mañebo (phone: 647829-9187).

The wildly popular MabuhayCup Basketball ChampionshipTournament is a three-day eventscheduled on July 8, 9 and 10,2011. Teams will compete at theHoop Dome located at 75 Carl HallRoad, Toronto. Teams who wouldlike to sign up for this fantastictournament can contact eventChair Vilma Tahsin (phone 416697-7201 email:[email protected] or Vice ChairManny Villamor - Sport Director(email: [email protected]),Bobby San Juan -Communications (phone: 416 697-5197) and Rory Elefano - Ads andProgramming (phone: 416 733-7818 email:[email protected]) stating “theaddition of new faces to PIDC hasopened the door for people toparticipate. I am confident that thenew team will deliver a first classevent.” Despite its recentchallenges, PIDC remains astalwart organization that providesthe community with events thatserve as a platform to showcase thebest, most talented Filipinos fromaround the world. (PR)

Toronto Police Clearance Check now Online

The Toronto Police Service hasintroduced a new “online”Clearance Letter application.

A police clearance check is animportant process that may affectfuture employment, volunteerwork or acceptance to educationalinstitutions. It is a popular topicthat regularly comes up not onlyfrom newcomers, but alsocommunity members that have, inthe past, neglected to acquire. Most employers and governmentagencies require police clearancechecks to complete the applicationprocess for jobs or volunteer workwhile most schools requireVulnerable Sector Screening orPolice Reference Check Program.

Individuals also need it if theyare applying for permanentresidency in Canada.

Clearance Letterand Criminal Record Check The online Clearance Letter

Application can be found bynavigating at torontopolice.on.caand is located on the left side ofthe main page. If you choose thisoption, you may pick up yourClearance Letter from one of ourdesignated locations.

A Clearance Letter is a formaldocument issued by the TorontoPolice Service indicating that theperson of the inquiry has nocriminal convictions in theNational Repository of CriminalRecords maintained by the RCMP.Two pieces of government issuedidentifications are required, one of

which must contain a photo andsignature.

For special circumstances suchas students teaching at anothercountry or Canadian citizens livingoutside Canada, an authorizedperson may be allowed to submitthe request on their behalf. Pleasecontact the main line: 416-808-8244 for further instructions.

If you have a criminal record,you are not eligible for a ClearanceLetter.

Fingerprints will be required forpositive identification beforecriminal records are released. Youmust attend an RCMP-accreditedfingerprinting agency listed inyour local telephone book or on-line under fingerprinting services.If you have criminal chargesbefore the courts, you may still beeligible for a Clearance Letter;however, your letter will state“before the courts”.

The cost Clearance Letters orCriminal Record Check is $28.25(taxes included).

Fee is non-refundable.Vulnerable Sector ScreeningPolice Reference Check

Program (PRCP form) is aprogram used to assist schools,churches, nursing homes, andother agencies to determine thesuitability of candidates for full orpart-time employment or volunteerduties. This is used to checkworkers having direct contact withchildren and vulnerablepersons.(PR)

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Officers of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce-Toronto (PCCT)and the Philippine Canadian Charitable Foundation (PCCF) seal theiragreement aimed at bringing before the Filipino Canadian and thediverse communities of greater Toronto the “Pinoy Fiesta & TradeShow sa Toronto” at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, June25,2011. Signng the agreement are (L-R), PCCT President Oswald Tugadiand 2011 PCCT Trade Show Chair Rafael Nebres; PCCF PresidentJimmy Marasigan and PCCF Director Romy Rafael. RosemerEnverga, GMA Pinoy TV Development and Marketing Consultant forCanada witnesses the simple ceremony. (Courtesy: RaymondSantos)

PCCT Stages 2011 Trade Show, June 25, 2011The 9th annual Philippine

Chamber of Commerce-Toronto(PCCT) Trade Show promisesmore time on stage and themicrophone for its businessmembers and exhibitors, and withthe largest participation forFilipino-owned businesses.

This was jointly announced byOswald Tugadi, PCCT President,and Rafael Nebres, Chair of the 9thAnnual Trade Show, who said theevent has been planned to be verybeneficial to PCCT businessmembers and exhibitors fromwhich visitors from the diversecommunities in the greater Toronto

area would have a good grasp ofthe products and services that theFilipino Canadian business sectorcarries and offers, and from whichthey could engage in cross salesand marketing.

Nebres said that the PCCT TradeShow will be held Saturday, June25, 2011 (instead of July 9 asannounced in some media outletsearlier) in partnership with thePhilippine Canadian CharitableFoundation (PCCF). The event,dubbed as the “Pinoy Fiesta &Trade Show sa Toronto”, will runfrom 8 am to 11 pm at the MetroToronto Convention Centre, Hall

C, 255 Front Street W, in Toronto.The PCCT Trade Show Chair

said this 9th annual PCCT TradeShow is “first and foremost aboutFilipino-owned businesses inToronto whose contribution to thedynamic economic growth in thegreater Toronto area could not becontinually ignored, especiallyconsidering that our community isthe 3rd largest across Canada afterthe South Asians and the Chinesecommunities.”

PCCT president Tugadi said thatrunning the trade showindependently this year away fromthe Mabuhay Festival will even bebeneficial to members andexhibitors. He said, “This isbecause in the past, while PCCTcontributed to half of the incomegenerated from the MabuhayFestival, the PCCT had to almostbeg for time on the stage and themicrophone for its members andexhibitors from the organizers ofthe Mabuhay Festival.” Tugadiwas the chair of the PCCT TradeShow during the last six yearsprior to his ascent to thepresidency.

On December 27, 2010, thePIDC — organizers of theMabuhay Festival, informedPCCT in an email message, itwanted to run its own trade showfor this year’s festival.

Jimmy Marasigan, president ofthe Philippine Canadian CharitableFoundation (PCCF) said hisorganization will provide the >>>

the PCCT and the PCCF on thisevent. She promises the biggesttrade show and entertainment everto hit the greater Toronto area inrecent years.

For trade show vendors orexhibitors, please contact: RafaelNebres at (416) 618-1362, orOswald Tugadi, (416) 850-4966.(PR)

entertainment component of thisyear’s PCCT Trade Show, incooperation with GMA Pinoy TVwhich will bring its stars andentertainment celebrities from thePhilippines.

Rosemer Enverga, GMA PinoyTV Development and MarketingConsultant for Canada, said thatshe is very excited to work with

GTA Featineans slate Spring affairThe Featineans Association of

Toronto (TFAT) celebrates itsfoundation anniversary, Saturday,April 9,at the Garnet WilliamsCommunity Centre in the City ofVaughan with enthusiastic dancingaficionados and rookies alike inattendance.

TFAT -- a 22-year old FEATIUniversity alumni-based socio-professional organization inOntario with 55 currently activemembers, will sponsor the annualevent to raise funds for its 11- yearold scholarship project and othercommunity-based projects andtargetted beneficiaries.

Among TFAT’s outreachinitiatives are financial donationsto some GTA religious groups andhomeland calamity victims; andparticipation to the annualsummerfest of the PhilippineColleges and Universities AthleticAssociation (PCUAA), held incooperation with the Bicol CanadaCommunity Association and otherFilCan community organizations.

The yearly spring affair is to becoordinated by TFAT president

Oliver Rey with assistance fromseveral officers, directors andmembers, namely : Rolly andBeth Balangue, Cesar Banda,Ron and Florence Carpio, BenDioleta, Dr. Fe Q. Flora, TomFlores, Moises & Virgie Ga,Greg and Fanny Gravador,Norma and Romy Guanzon,Jorge Isidro, Arthur Lasam,Oscar and Lana Lei, Rudy Olay,Rudy and Zeny Ortiz, BertPabustan, Res Paje, MaxRecaido, Nenita Recaido,Darlene Rey, Jocelyn San Juan,Eric and Evelyn Serapio, Luzand John Sider, Florie Silang,Violy Vilan and new membersVirginia Bagarra,Raul Danqueand Renato Soria.

Highlight of the program is aninspirational address by OliverRey. Ballroom and line-dancingfollows.

Among those expected tograce the affair are somepresidents, officers andmembers of PCUAA and otherFilipino Canadian communityleaders. (Jennifer S. McLean/tsj)


Our Journey

We have always wanted to domore for our community. We havealways wanted to share our talentsto those in need; the more wewanted to do more, the more Godwill bless us with the tools andguidance that we need. Ourprayers are always answered inone form, or another.

During the course of years of ourvolunteerism, people have beentelling us to run for office: youshould be that and you should bethis.

Being in an election is basicallyout of bounds for me. First of all,I did not not think that I would beready; we were happy where westood; we did not have theresources, But, people from allparties kept on calling.

It was a tough decision for meto run for a public office. We havenever done something like itbefore.

Last local elections ... in theevening before the filing deadline,I consulted our pastor, and he toldme: “Jun, I strongly encourageyou … you know the communitywell, you will be a good Trustee… I will pray for you!” The wordsof guidance resonated with me thewhole night, hence our decision torun for an elected office.

It was on the last day on the lasthour (on my lunch break) of thedeadline for accepting thenominations did I put forward myname to be on the ballot forelection 2010, basically to launcha campaign that had to be done inless than four weeks — an almostimpossible feat by any election

s tandard ,consideringthat thee l e c t o r a larea is halfo fScarborough.My wifeand I werenot able tosleep thatnight.

People close to me has all thisto say at first when I whispered tothem the plan: “What! You arerunning for election? You shouldhave announced it much sooner”;“You should have planned thiswell ahead”; “Are you ready forthis?”; “ Do you know thatsomebody is already campaigningsince January (2010)?”

There was definitely an urgencyto act … a great appreciation to afew of my friends, who sensed thatsomething had to be done fast;really fast. As soon as Ace Alvarezfound out about my intention, heimmediately talked to theorganizer of an event where wehappened to meet, hence, my firstcampaign speech. From then onAce became my de-facto over-allcampaign manager (I do not evenknow if he knew this). There wasbasically no time to go to anyformality … the campaign had tomove forward and fast.

We placed the Enverga Express(my Family) to action; ourdaughters completed the website,designed the flyers, called theirfriends, announced my candidacyfor the office I run for in their

social network sites.My wife, Rosemer worked,

drawing from her marketingexpertise. My project managementknowledge was placed intoexpedite mode. We blasted thenews in emails too.

There was tremendous wave ofsupport from all over; we wereoverwhelmed when our new andold friends came forward to helpin every way, some of them saying,“we have been waiting for this, itis about time!” As far as I know,the flood of calls and emailssuddenly swept Toronto …” OurKababayan from ages 5 to 85 wasin the malls, restaurants, offices,church grounds and the streetscampaigning.

Most of the local news mediawas very supportive; they havevolunteered to place an ad on mybehalf and published my pressreleases, gratis! My specialappreciation to Manila MediaMonitor … Ace and Gie for theirfull support and endorsement, I amblessed to have good friends in themedia.

The greatest edge I havecompared to the other candidates

was the number of people who prayed for ourcampaign. On October 25, the day of theelection, we were satisfied by what we havedone for the campaign and we left it to God’swill.

The common complaint were the fact thatsome voters were not being given the CatholicBallot; some people were not listed as Catholicrate payers (To all the Catholic supporters:whether you have kids or not in the Catholicschools, please ensure next time that you arelisted as a Catholic supporter and you vote as

Catholics) … The poll closed, allthe scrutineers arrived likeclockwork in the campaign office— our home! They were allecstatic because we were leadingin all the polls that they had beento. They were a bit concernedthough because the lead was quitesmall. The election was reallyclose.

Around 10 PM that electionnight, almost all the othercandidates have declared victory.We were ahead by three pointsand were waiting for three morepolls to complete manualcounting, because for somereason, the computer failed tocount.

By 10:30 PM, one poll wasannounced, after which, we were26 votes behind. We stopped ourcelebration and prayed. After afew minutes, the next poll came.The leading candidate was onlyahead by six votes.

While waiting for the last pollto be announced, the smallfetecontinued because we knewthat anything could still happen.Although anxious, it was not until

Our Journey >>> page 34

On the matter of objectivityin news reporting

We, who practice communitynewspapering, oftenly getconfused in what we are doing, orsupposed to be doing.

Those of us who pride ourselveswith, first and foremost, journalistsfor many years, are not excludedfrom this confusion.

One item at issue is ourobjectivity.

For example, in writing a newsstory, we are supposed to delivera balance report, outlining bothsides of the story. Most often thannot though, this does not happenand only present the subjectivepart of the story – which is howwe, newswriters/reporters, look ata situation, leaving the other partyfend for themselves where to lookfor help in correcting theimpression created by thepublished subjective story. In otherwords, most often than not, whenwe (friends/colleagues, I wrote“we”) newswriters/reporters writea “news” story, we often confusedit as writing our columns – whichby its very nature, are subjective,being a mirror of our own opinionsand views.

But, can we really be objectivein news reporting?

In a new study recently whichasked, “is objectivity possible injournalism?” posted by DanaLacey in “The CanadianJournalism Project”, somerespondents, as reported by Lacey,commented as follows:

Respondent Katie Lohrenzwrote:

“I find writing by people who

disclose and discuss their biases/backgrounds dramatically morecompelling than sterile I-refuse-to-take-sides-so-decide-for-yourselfwriting. I think it’s possible toexplain and analyze both sides ofa story and fulfill a journalisticpurpose without sitting on thefence.”Survey respondent RobertMcClure wrote:

“No journalist is truly objective,if that term is meant to meansomeone who has no opinionsabout the subjects he or she covers.Subjectivity starts right from thepoint at which a journalist choosesa subject to cover and goes righton through to who is interviewed,what quotations are selected, howthe headline is written, and on andon. But what makes journalismdifferent from other practices withwhich it is sometimes confused,such as PR or politics, is thatjournalists are in the business of‘independent’ verification of fact.”

The post made by Lacey from areport written by Sammer Bhucharof “Spot.Us” stated that,“Increasingly, the idea oftraditional objectivity is beingchallenged by this new, proactive

age of media consumers. To thosewho challenge the ideal, it is anoutdated standard that has crippledjournalists from digging deep intostories.”

Bhuchar wrote: “The Internethas bypassed the once highlyregarded norms of gatekeepers ata news desk, and now it seems tobe challenging the long held modelof objectivity in journalism.”

According to Bhuchar, thesurvey polled 500 Spot.Us users.Only 13.5% of respondentsidentified objectivity as being whatjournalism is all about; 44.6% saidobjectivity was “difficult butpossible. It separates the wheatfrom the chaff”; 27.6% chose theanswer “transparency is the newobjectivity.”

Bhuchar also cited surveyrespondent Amy Gahran as havingwritten that “Basically,‘objectivity’ in journalism beganpost WWII as a strategy to makenews content more palatable to abroader advertiser base. Thatworked — and it helped enablenewspaper consolidation in manycities. But the strategy took on alife of its own — and while ityielded some benefits, it’s a

fundamentally not crediblepremise. Journalism is created bypeople, and people are notobjective. As media has becomemultidirectional, it’s becomeridiculous to try to ignore thatreality. News organizations thatchoose a veneer of objectivity overthe practice of transparencyundermine their own credibility.The sad thing is, many news orgscling to their veneer of objectivitybecause they think it buildscredibility. They’re eating theirown dog food.”

With the respondents on thestudy cited above, it seems that thepremises I cited earlier were oldschool approach to news reportingand delivery. With the advent ofthe internet – the so-called “newmedia”, there seems to be a newschool of thought on newsreportage.

A free thinker, my good friend,Bill Andersen, commented that“even if journalists can never becompletely objective, I hope thatthe good ones will at least makean effort to show more than onepoint of view. If they don’t, howare they different from apropaganda machine?

“Propaganda is often full ofpassion and conviction and can bemore exciting and entertaining toread than more even-handedreports, but I don’t look to thenews for entertainment. Iappreciate reminders that there aremore points of view than the one Ifavour, even if the reporter cannot

On the matter >>> page 22


Human eyeshave thate m b e d d e dcuriosity thatdraws them tow h a t e v e rvisually jumpsout of their line

Dare to Stand Outof vision. They zero-in on the subject,focus on it and shiftour train of thought tothe re-composedperspective that nowbecomes the focalpoint.

Whether you like itor not, whatever it isin you that grabs theeye, would mostcertainly pull you intothe spotlight. Youcould be the best, the worstor perhaps just simplydifferent from the rest, theattention would be on you.There is no escape.

Here is a story of afourteen-year old ambitiousgirl who ran for JuniorRepresentative for her highschool Student Council.She was up against the othercandidates who were notonly popular, but also hadinfluential friendscampaigning for them.Being unknown and theunderdog in gaining votes,one would think that theodds of getting electedwould be a futile attempt.But although the chance of

winning was stumpy, shewas not discouraged. Quitepersistent and unrelenting,she dared to standout.

With her clever and wellcalculated strategy, sheturned the table around toher advantage. Shecapitalized on theuniqueness of her name thathad some students laughingat it because it was unheardof and hard to pronounce.She used it in the catchyslogans and taglines of hercampaign. Furthermore, shehad one edge that hercompetition did not have —a supportive father whostrongly believed in her. Herfather fuelled her confidence.

Together, theyworked on herpowerful campaignposters and bannerswith eye-grabbinggraphics and well-coordinated colors.Her highly effec-

signs drew so muchattention. Curiosityinfected the entireschool. Everybody wasasking, “Who is thisgirl?”

Halfway to theelection date, studentsin hallways, parkinglots, gymnasium andthe cafeteria, werecheering for her,pronouncing her namethe proper way. It was

a sure thing, she wasgaining grounds. She wason her way to victory.

She won the position,paving the way to moreachievements. In her senioryear, she stood before herfellow graduates with heremotionally inspiringvaledictory speech. Theaudience was electrifiedand acknowledged her withthundering applause and astanding ovation. She couldbe likened to a pennysurrounded with silverquarters. She stood outamong the crowd. And justlike a penny that appearsworthless on its own, is

Dare >>> page 34

Too often we rush throughlife without taking the timeto really understand what isgoing on around us. Like ajuggler on the railroad tracksfocused on his juggling, weare sometimes so immersedin the urgent that we missthe important. The balls areurgent, demanding yourconstant attention, but thetrain, … well the train, is alife altering and importantevent. Pay attention to thetrain!

It is the little things which,at the time, seem urgent thatgrab us. They shout andscream and demand ourattention. They are littlechicks in the nest, mouthsalways open, wanting to befed. And what a racket theymake. It is no wonder we doeverything we can to quietthem down.

But it takes a strong willto look past all the noise andreally focus on what isimportant. I must admit I amnot immune to this trapeither.

And what is important?Well, that’s going to be

different for each of us. Butthe important — that whichneeds to be done, that whichmust be attended, for eachof us there is a commonthread. It is a long-terminvestment in our future.

Deciding what isimportant and what is urgent

Focus on the Important vs. the Urgent (Don’t wait for the train to run you over)

(but not important) is notalways easy. And oftentimes, the important is alsourgent. It is a life skill wehave to learn and master. Ihave learned that the firststep to mastering this skill isto take a deep breath, stepback and do an honestevaluation of your life.Resist the temptation to fixeverything now. Resist thenoise of the urgent. Askyourself, “what if I don’t fixthis now”. What are the realconsequences. Be honest.

You might find that manyof the burdens you carryduring the day need not beburdens at all. You mightfind your load getting lighterand your head clearing. Youmight discover that youhave been wasting a lot oftime on things that are notreally all that important (justloud loud loud: maybe Ineed ear muffs to mute thenoise).

As you strip away all theloud noisy demands, thereally important thingsbegin to emerge. With a

clear head you begin tounderstand what essentialstrategies and tactics youwill need to put in placeto deal with the future.And you gain the strengthto make the necessarydecisions.

I cannot t t e l l youwhat’s important for you.No one can. I cannot eventell you how to figure outwhat is important insteadof s imply urgent (andloud loud loud). Only youcan do that. What I cantell you is what I havelearned for myself: Toooften, we focus on theurgent as a way to put offhaving to confront thereally important things. Itis a way of keeping busy.It is a way of not havingto make tough decisions.

Don’t wait for the trainto run you over. Put downthe balls and focus on theimportant event. It willno t go away s implybecause you ignore i t!([email protected])

A Lady OctogenarianRecalls Heydays

She once lived a glitterylife in the corridors ofdiplomacy as a diplomat’swife. Now, at 84, AlodeiaBaliao (“Ludi to her friends)lives a withdrawn and sedatelife in a sparsely-furnishedapartment home in UnionCity, California.

Alodeia recalls theheydays during the Marcospresidency when her latehusband Ruperto was in thediplomatic service all of 18years. She hobnobbed androbbed laces with diplomatsand their spouses fromaround the world duringreceptions and socialgatherings, cut ribbons andgraced Filipino affairs,prepared tea parties forPhilippine officialdom andbusiness leaders visitingSan Francisco.

Ludi was born in Sison,Pangasinan and raised inBaguio City when herfather, a master sergeant inthe US Army, was stationedat Camp John Hay. She tookup education at theUniversity of Sto. Tomasbut didn’t finish it to care for

an ailing mother. It was atUST where she met herhusband.

Ruperto Baliao, whocame from a political clan inIloilo, took up law also atUST. He joined thediplomatic service in 1955.His first diplomatic postingwas in Hong Kong where hestayed for four years, thenceto Japan for another fouryears. In betweendiplomatic breaks he wouldcome home to writepresidential speechesespecially during the time ofCarlos P. Garcia. Ludifollowed him to SanFrancisco when Marcosappointed him consulgeneral in 1966.

As the Consul General’swife she was the escort ofchoice of Imelda Marcoswhen she and her husbandvisited the Bay Area. Ludiherself noted the truism ofImelda’s propensity ofbuying expensive branditems, like sunglasses,watches and scarves whichshe lavished to friends andsupporters. But surprisingly,

these did not include shoesto add to her reportedcollection of more than 2000pairs, after trying on severalpairs, opining to theenthralled but soondistraught saleslady of I.Magnin, a fashionableboutique in San Franciscothat Marikina shoes in thePhilippines are more stylishand elegant than thosebranded “Made in Italy.”

Ludi recalled thatImelda’s personalityradiated a brilliant gem. Shewas “tantalizingly beautifuland magnetizing” Ludi said.Well, Imelda wasn’t chosen“Miss Manila” for noreason. But she catapultedto the relentless wooing ofthen rookie congressmanFerdinand Marcos after aweekly courtship.

Marcos was a popularhead of state during his firstterm. But in 1973 Marcosbecame increasingly moreautocratic and corrupt thatcaused civil unrest. Then hedeclared martial law in Sept.21, 1972. He appointed hiswife to several high-rankinggovernment posts, includinggovernor of Metro Manila.Thus started the conjugaldictatorship to last for 18years. Ferdinand andImelda ruled carte blanche.They were dubbed “TheBeauty and the Beast.”Imelda became a prima-donna non-pareil with a

coterie of Malacanan BlueLadies in-tow wherever shewent.

Ruperto Baliao, who wasthen the Consul General inLos Angeles, was treadingon thin line because hedidn’t want to represent andbe identified with a despoticruler. He thought that if hewould cut ties with Marcos,resign his high-profilediplomatic post he wouldmake a statement andgalvanize the opposition inthe home country which wasthen a gathering storm. Theglory days turned troublingfor Alodeia.

In frustration Ruperto didresign and his resignationgenerated thunder andfirestorm in the diplomaticcircuit. He defected andsought asylum in the UnitedStates. Of course his actiondidn’t bide well with theMarcoses. It caused nary aripple but harassment bygovernment forces to theBaliao siblings still living inthe Philippines. This hadcaused them mental andemotional anguish andstresses.

Ruperto’s resignation anddefection was unbeknownstto his family who wereliving in San Francisco.Unable to land a job inasylum he became bitter andlived a reclusive life. Ishealth rapidly deteriorated?He developed maladies,

suffered a stroke thatparalyzed half his body andbecame wheel-chair bound.

The “People Power”uprising in 1986 broughtMarcos down. ThenPresident Nixon orderedhim to “cut clean.” Theopposition forces, acoalesced band of priests,nuns, and ordinary citizensled by then Secretary ofDefense Juan Ponce Enrileand PC chief Fidel Ramos,who both defected fromMarcos (“Are you withme?”) stalked tanks withcandles, rosaries, flowersand min-statues of theVirgin Mary. Amazinglythere were no orders to rollthem down which wouldhave resulted to bloodshed.That proved the power ofprayers.

As the seething mobbesieged Malacanan Marcostook the heat and was flownto Clark Field In Pampanga,thence to Honolulu inHawaii (he thought it wasPaoay in Ilocos Norte, hisbirthplace), where he diedin exile on Sept. 28, 1989.

Ludi wheeled herparalyzed husband to meetCorazon Aquino who tookover the presidency duringan official visit to SanFrancisco.

When Ruperto died in1986 shortly after the fall ofMardos, Ludi moved toUnion City. She has beenthere for 10 years living inintrospection in a one-bedroom apartment atRosewood Terracereminiscing those glory daysof yore. She writes poemspublished in the Terracenewsletter, plays solitaireand other card games withfriends many perhaps maynot know that she was oncein the diplomatic limelightand enjoyed a glittered life.

As Ludi recalled thosehalcyon days, she gingerlyshifted position on herrocking chair, turnedpoignant and looked into thesunset. It was a setting thatjogged a memory.

Ludi has two adultchildren, Victor, a bachelorand Bella Teresa, marriedwith no children.

ANNOUNCEMENT“The Tropical Deli”

IS MOVING TO ANOTHER LOCATION,hence the store at

# 8 Glen Watford Drive, Unit G55Scarborough, ON will be closed Starting March 1st.

THE NEW LOCATION

WILL BE ANNOUNCED SOON.


The Officers and Board Members of the Philippine Canadian Charitable Foundation (PCCF) and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce-Toronto gather together for a souvenirphoto after the signing of an Agreement of Partnership in the staging of the “Pinoy Fiesta & Trade Show sa Toronto”, to be held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, HallC, Saturday, June 25 this year.(Courtesy: Jose Baking/ Little Manila Confidential)

Anti-Americanism at its Peak

Frank Underhill was anoted Canadian historian ahalf century ago, even if heis now almost forgotten. Buthe wrote one sentence thatstill rings true: Canadians,he said, were the first anti-Americans, the ideal anti-Americans, the anti-Americans as they exist inthe mind of God. In noperiod of Canadian historywas that description soexactly right as in the yearsafter 1968.

Pierre Trudeau becameprime minister that year. Hewas a new kind of leader, anintellectual who dressedwell and dated beautifulwomen. But unlike mostCanadian leaders he did notunderstand the UnitedStates, and he believed thatCanada should be as distantfrom the U.S. as from theSoviet Union. He had to dealwith President RichardNixon, no easy task, andNixon was very unpopularin Canada. Trudeau had tohandle rising Canadiannationalism, and hisgovernment put in place theForeign Investment ReviewAgency to controlAmericans buying outCanadian companies. Andalthough Trudeau was inoffice when Moscow was inan aggressive phase, he cutthe Canadian Forces’contribution to Europeandefence in half and soonscrapped Canada’s nuclearweapons. None of thispleased the U.S.

Trudeau left office in1984, and ProgressiveConservative BrianMulroney took power.Mulroney was no Trudeau

-- he set out to make friendswith President RonaldReagan and to declare thatCanada “was open forbusiness” again. And so itwas. Under Mulroney,Canada and the United Statesstruck a Free TradeAgreement in 1988, amassive trade and economicdeal that was the first of itskind since the 1850s. Andwhenever Mulroney coulddo so, he worked closelywith U.S. leaders on foreignand defence policy. Canadawas a smaller power, butMulroney demonstrated thata prime minister could getsubstantial influence byplaying his hand with skill.Some, for example, giveMulroney much credit forGerman reunification afterthe fall of the Berlin Wall.

But many Canadians hatedthat Mulroney seemed to bein bed with the Americans,and he was easily the mostunpopular Canadian leaderin history when he left officein 1993. His successor, afterthe election that year, wasJean Chrétien, a Liberal wholed a very anti-Americanparty. Chrétien clearlyunderstood that Canada hadto get on with the U.S. — theCanadian economy was tooclosely linked for it to beotherwise — but with theCold War over, the defencerelationship with the U.S.seemed less important. Also,he had President Bill Clintonto deal with, and Clinton wasable, intelligent, andpersonable, much easier toget on with than presidentslike Nixon and Reagan. SoChrétien talked publiclyabout keeping his distance

from the U.S., but playedgolf with Clinton, withwhom he was on friendlyterms, whenever he could.

However, hisgovernment annoyedWashington frequently.One issue was aninternational treaty to banland mines, pushed byforeign minister LloydAxworthy. Another was theplan for an InternationalCriminal Court to try warcriminals. Both were goodideas but for variousreasons the United Statesrefused to support them;Axworthy’s openly anti-American sentiments didnot make it any easier to getU.S. support.

Then when George W.Bush became president inJanuary 2001, relationsbecame even more difficultbetween Ottawa andWashington. Canadaopened its airports toairplanes caught in mid-flight by the al-Qaidaattacks on the UnitedStates, but Chrétien seemedcool in expressingCanadian sympathy for theU.S. losses. Chrétien didprovide an infantrybattalion to support theAmerican effort inAfghanistan in 2002, buthis government flatlyrefused to participate in theIraq War in 2003, insteadsending troops back toKabul, the Afghan capital.The Americans had notreceived United Nationsapproval for the war againstSaddam Hussein’s regime,he said. That was true, buta very anti-war and anti-American Quebec was in

the midst of an election andthat may have helped shapeOttawa’s response. So toodid the very strong anti-Bush sentiment all acrossthe nation. Anti-Americanism was at itspeak, and the governmentdid nothing to check it.

The point is that a wiseCanada must always considerAmerican concerns when itacts. With 80 percent of itstrade with the U.S., delays atthe American border can hurtthe economy. With its defencedepending on Americanmilitary support, Canadaneeds to be aware of how theU.S. sees global threats.

Balance is everything.Canadians want to beindependent, and they arenot Americans, not now, notever. But they cannot be soanti-American that theirwords and actions hurt them.Pierre Trudeau and JeanChrétien perhaps pushed thelimits of acceptable anti-Americanism, just as BrianMulroney sometimesseemed to go too far in theother direction. Again,balance is everything, andthe most successfulCanadian leadersunderstand always thatCanada must be on goodterms with the United States.

But not too good. (TheCanadian Experience is ahistory series designed to tellthe story of our country to allCanadians. Sponsored byMultimedia NovaCorporation and DiversityMedia Services/Lingua Adspartners, the series featuresarticles by our country’sforemost historians on a widerange of topics. Past articlesand author bios are availableat http://www.cdnexperience.ca. TheCanadian Experience iscopyright © 2010-2011Multimedia NovaCorporation.)

By J.L. Granatstein

A migrant-sending country’s searchfor a long-term Filipino vision

By Jeremaiah M. OpinianoInstitute for Migration

and Development Issues (IMDI)

What does the Philippineshas to do with a southernCaribbean country namedTrinidad and Tobago?

This former Spanish andBritish colony of 1.338million people not onlyhosts an estimated 1,200Filipinos (including 1,000overseas workers), but did abold attempt at nationaldevelopment that aSoutheast Asian archipelagocan learn from.

At the onset of its own oilboom come the newmillennium, and during thetime of the country’s formerhead of government, PrimeMinister Patrick Manning,Trinidad and Tobago’sMinistry of Planning andDevelopment started in2002 the groundwork toformulate a strategic plancalled Vision 2020. By theyear 2020, governmentofficials hope Trinidad andTobago “will be a united,resilient, productive,innovative and prosperousnation with a disciplined,caring, fun-loving society,comprising health, happyand well-educated peopleand built on the enduringattributes of self-reliance,respect, equity, andintegrity”.

The work of the planningcommittee to formulateVision 2020 ended in 2005,and the country’s parliamentapproved Vision 2020’sdraft national strategic planin 2006. This nationalstrategic plan thenformulated its firstoperational plan thatcovered the years 2007 to2010. Even a unit withinT&T’s Ministry of Planning

and Development wascreated to monitor theoperational plan.

Vision 2020, says an

informative video(www.vision2020.info.tt/v i d e o /vision2020_intro.htm), isanchored on five pillars:enabling competitivebusiness, developinginnovative people, nurturinga caring society, investing insound infrastructure and theenvironment, and promotingeffective government.

This republic has a two-party political system and abicameral parliamentarysystem. Head of state is aPresident, currently GeorgeMaxwell Richards; a PrimeMinister, currently KamlaPersad-Bissessar, heads thegovernment.

Of course, politicaldynamics affected thecountry. Former PrimeMinister Manning (of thePeople’s NationalMovement or PNM party)dissolved parliament inApril 2010 and called fornational elections, whichBissessar ’s party, thePeople’s Partnership, wonmost seats.

Still, the upper-incomeCaribbean country’s Vision2020 goes on.

While Vision 2020outlined specific strategies,the migration phenomenonis integrated in it,considering that there aresome 300,000-plus overseasTrinidadians and there areabout 40,000 foreignersworking and residing inT&T.

Migrant >>> page 34


My facebook friends are just… ahh … ahh .. DOING GREAT

on the siteAfter about a year ofresistance to facebook, Ifinally gave in to requests ofmy nephews, nieces andplainly old friends who arescatttered all over world tojoin the networking site.

What follows are thecomments and actions onFacebook that myfriends,simply … ahh …ahh .. DID GREAT!

***Oh yes, for you, readers,who are facebook lovers, Iadmit that the site has farso many advantages. Inthe words of mycompadre, Jun Tobias (notto be confused with therecently-elected CatholicSchool Board Trustee forWard 8 in Scarborough,Tobias ‘Jun’ Enverga):“Facebook is nice in that Iwas able to trace back oldfriends and dearclassmates of yesteryears,pero makunsumo pala saoras.”

***My wife, Gie, posted recently

in her wall that “Thousandsflee as Philippine volcanoerupts”. One of herfacebook friends pressed the“Like” button.

I didn’t know thoughwhat her friend liked aboutthe feed: Was it for thethousands who had to fleetheir homes; or theexcitement over the eruptionof the volcano?

***At least three, or fourtimes, I saw facebookfriends pressing the“Like” button after ourcommon friends on the siteannounced that a closefamily member washospitalized, or worse,went to the life hereinafter.Oh yes, I’m not kiddin’you, kiddos!

***From one of the brilliantmusical minds in thecommunity, RodneyRonquillo. He posted,addressed to his very dear,

Chyrell Samson: “HappyValentines Day Sweetheart!I’ll make a Valentines dinnertonight for both of us :)”

I commented: “Rodney ...I hope the Valentines dinneryou make for you andChyrell to share and feast ontonight does not have theformula as follows:

“Drive To SheppardAvenue East + Park the carhurriedly + run to theChinese Fast Food Outlet =Take Out”

I saw Rodney’s responsethe following day. It turnedout that the dinner he was tocook turned out the way Ihad imagined.

***Another post from Rodney:“Piano, pen and paper, amicrophone and a millionideas going thorugh thebrain at the moment.”

I commented: “And yousurvived them all, Rodney!”

***On February 19, the fede-

ral government issued apress release, saying,Canada’s gov’t launchesmulti-million dollarcampaign vs. crookedimmigration consultants.

I had participated in atleast three of the projectsin the campaign.

After Gie read therelease in the email notice,she simply put her hand onmy pocket, probablylooking for my share of the“multi-million”.

***I got an invitation for twobig and important midweekfunctions recently, wheremy presence was “a must”by reason of involvementin those organizations. Thetwo events were to be heldthe same evening and timeat two separate places.

I thought, “Gosh, I onlyhave one body. No wonder

I’m inefficientin any of myfunctions withan organization!

***As everybodymight haveknown by now,t h a tc o m m u n i t ycivic worker bythe name ofR o s e m e rEnverga wasappointed asGMA Pinoy TV

Development andMarketing Consultant forCanada.

Rosemer really loves herfunction to the point thatgiven an opportunity tospeak at any function, shetakes every opportunity topromote her product (ofcourse!).

It’s not true, howeverthat in the photo below,former PhilippinePresident Fidel Ramos, inone visit to Toronto, wastellingthe dedicated GMAPinoy TV Canadianconsultant (left), “Teka,Rosemer. Ako ang bidadito, pero lagi na la’ng‘GMA Pinoy TV’ angsinasabi mo, e!”

It’s not true also thatAction Honda GeneralManager Rafael Nebres(right, standing) wassaying, “Oo nga, Rosemer,”

as everybody roared intolaughter.

***Referring to one electedCatholic school boardtrustee, Balita ManagingEditor Tess Cusipag cap-tioned one photo in herpublication’s November 15-30, 2010 issue as follows: “...one of the invited guestsshowed up as the forum waswinding down, to the cha-grin of the press people.Media colleagues said as arookie politician he has a lotto learn. First off is to respectthe press who can wield itspower to either make orbreak you ...”.

Kaya ako, I align with thepress people para ma-”make” naman ako.

(Addressing my wife, Gie,now:) Why do you look atme like that? I said, ma-makeand not ma-”do”!

***Related to theabove item,when formerToronto Con-sul GeneralMinerva JeanFalcon (nowCharge ‘dAffaires at theP h i l i p p i n eEmbassy inOttawa) spokeas guestspeaker at theOoops>> P 34


ANCOP CANADA LAUNCHES CHILD SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM IN NNEWI, NIGERIAfor an initial batch of 15 children. The agreement was signed with Bishop HilaryOkeke of the Diocese of Nnewi. ANCOP said this was the result of the efforts ofCouples for Christ (CFC) fulltime pastoral workers, Aurelio ‘Boy’ and Radel GuintoJr. The Child Sponsorship Program of ANCOP Canada started in the Philippineswhere over 1,500 children are now currently enrolled in the program. (Malou Clarito)

Professor launches complaintfor delayed immigration processing

processing his parent’simmigration application.

Prof. Amir Attaran said,?”For a government thattalks so much about familyvalues, the Conservativeshave the worst record, ofany government, inreuniting immigrants withtheir families,” said Attaran.

On February 14, NewDemocrat ImmigrationCritic, Olivia Chow(Trinity–Spadina) said that“Immigrants are waitinglonger than ever before to bejoined by their spouses,parents or children.Especially on thisValentine’s Day, MinisterJason Kenney must shortenthe wait times and allowCanadians to show somelove to their parents,” saidChow.

The NDP saidgovernment documentsobtained through Access toInformation, show that thereare 147,769 people waitingto have their applicationsprocessed. This means thegovernment has beenaccepting millions of dollarsin fees from Canadianswithout processing theira p p l i c a t i o n s . T h eConservatives’ newimmigration targets cutintakes by 90 per cent insmaller countries.(NDP-PR)

O T T A W A – Aprofessor of lawand medicine at theUniversity ofOttawa, had filed ahuman rightscomplaint recentlyagainst theC o n s e r v a t i v eg o v e r n m e n tbecause of a 60-month delay in pro-

Canadian Museum ofImmigration opens in HalifaxHALIFAX, February 7, 2011 –The government hasinaugurated a Museum ofImmigration at Pier 21 here.

Peter MacKay, Minister ofNational Defence and Memberof Parliament (Central Nova)said, “This national institutionpays tribute to the women,men, and children from all overthe world who chose Canada astheir home. I know I speak forall Nova Scotians in saying thatwe are proud to be part ofensuring this important chapterof Canadian history ispreserved, promoted, andshared with all Canadians—now, and for generations tocome.”

James Moore, Minister ofCanadian Heritage and OfficialLanguages said during theceremonies, “This museum isfor all of us because with onein five Canadians tracing arelationship back to this site,we know that Pier 21 hasplayed a key role in creating theCanada we cherish today .. Bycreating this National museum,we’ve ensured that the storiesof those who travelled far,toiled long, and sacrificedmuch for a better life in thisgreat country, will be foreverpreserved in the national fabricof Canada’s broad andcolourful history.”

Minister MacKay with members of the Board of Trusteesof the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, andMiss Azam Chadeganipour (Designer of Museum newlogo)Left to right: Richard (Cy) LeBlanc, MinisterMacKay, Miss Azam Chadeganipour, John Oliver, andRalph Chiodo. (Courtesy: Prime Minister’s Office)


The University of the Philippines Alumni Association (UPAA) TORONTO gather forits regular monthly KAPIHAN on February 19, 2011in Mississauga to honor its outgoingCouncil and to publicize the forthcoming annual general meeting and elections onMarch 18 at downtown YMCA, 20 Grosvenor St. in Toronto. Please contact the UPAATofficers for more info, or Rene Reynoso at 416 884 7367. (Mogi Mogado)

U.S. proposed new border tax a cash grab: Harperan additional fee wouldfurther drive Canadiantravellers to take to their carsand fly out of U.S. borderairports,” said CanadianAirports Council chairmanBill Restall.

to compete with low-costoperations at borderairports...,” said NationalAirlines Council of Canadapresident George Petsikas.

“We share the concern ofour tourism partners that

Foreign Affairs MinisterLawrence Cannon said thetraveller’s fee was “just a draftidea.”

He noted that the measurewas in the recently unveiled2012 U.S. budget. The 2011budget has not yet passed byCongress.

Currently, visitors fromCanada, Mexico and a numberof Caribbean countries areexempt from “passengerinspection fees.”

The new U.S. budgetincludes a proposal to liftthose exemptions.

The U.S. Department ofHomeland Securityestimated an extra $110million a year. from the fees.

Canada and the U.S. arein talks to put up a NorthAmerican securityperimeter. The proposed feecould become a sticking

OTTAWA — PrimeMinister Stephen Harpersaid he does not think muchof a new border tax that isbeing proposed by theUnited States, calling it acash grab designed to helpa budget crisis.

The U.S. governmentwants to slap a $5.50inspection fee on Canadianswho travel into the countryby air or by sea. Canadianscrossing into the U.S. byland would not have to paythe fee.

“I think it’s clear the U.S.government is castingaround for ways to raiserevenue,” Harper said.

“We want to ensure thattrade and travel between ourcountries is easier, and wedon’t need additional taxeson that kind of economicactivity,” he added.

point in the negotiations.Several aviation industry

groups also came out againstthe proposed fee.

“An additional tax on airtravellers will decrease theability of Canadian airlines

Message of PhilippinePres. Benigno S. Aquino IIIon the commemoration ofthe 25th Anniniversary of

the People Power Revolution

My warmest greetings to all theFilipinos around the world, as wecommemorate the 25th Anniversary ofthe People Power Revolution.

We Filipinos continue to demonstratethe same ideals of unity and patriotismthat freed us from oppression 25 yearsago. These values embody ourdetermination to tackle the challenges oftoday. Thus, this celebration is not onlya day to remember, but also a day toaffirm our duty to our fellow Filipinos andto our country. I am grateful for ourcountrymen abroad who have beenkeenly following the course of ourcountry’s progress and have remainedproud of our multifaceted heritage, whichdefines our identity as one people. Nowthat we are in a period of transformation,let us keep alive the spirit of PeoplePower and democracy, as we worktogether and fulfill our aspiration of apeaceful and progressive Philippines.

We are moving forward in this era ofdaylight and hope, and it is incumbentupon each of us to take on theresponsibility of realizing our dreams forour beloved country on the straight andrighteous path to change.

BENIGNO S. AQUINO III (Sgd.)

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-Learn how to start theirown Summer Company;

-Apply for summer jobswith the Ontariogovernment;

Employers may hirestudents and provide hands-on training for tomorrow’sworkforce through a $2-per-hour hiring incentive.Vis i t :www.Ontar io .ca/SummerJobs


Kiwanis Club of Filipino Metro Toronto works to ease RP children’s painThe Kiwanis Club of Filipino

Metro Toronto has underscored thesignificance of its work inpartnership with KiwanisInternational in alleviating thesufferings of disadvantagedchildren in the world, includingthose in the Philippines.

In his remarks at the 2nd CharterNight of the Kiwanis Club ofFilipino Metro Toronto, Sunday,February 13, in North York,Ontario, Club President QuintinPalisoc, cited the work of KiwanisInternational, in cooperation withhis club, among others, on theproject “Sleeping Bags”, wherethey distributed sleeping bags andother necessities in life to the poorchildren in the Philippines.

The Kiwanis Club of FilipinoMetro Toronto president also citedthe work of various local clubs in96 countries composing KiwanisInternational – and in cooperationwith UNICEF on their projectaimed at eliminating iodinedeficiency disorders (IDD). Hestressed that IDD is the world’sleading preventable cause ofmental retardation.

Through this initiative, Palisocsaid, around $80 million dollarswee invested by KiwanisInternational, thus, saving millionsof children in 80 countries beingborn with mental disability.

Palisoc outlined Kiwanis Clubof Filipino Metro Toronto’sDivision 9 (where the club belongsunder Kiwanis International’sOrganization Chart) to raise $1million. On its third year-campaign, the fundraising effort isaimed at assisting againsttransmission of HIV/AIDS frommother to child in Guyana,Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.

As “Kiwanis Club is a globalorganization of volunteersdedicated to changing the world —one child, one community at atime,” Palisoc also urged his club’sofficers and members to attractnew members to the organization,reminding them, “the moremembers we recuit, the morehands we will have for help.”

Special guests at the event wereKiwanians from Division 9, led byLt. Gov. Mark Brewer and its PastLt. Gov. Betty Wilson.

Introduced by one of theorganizers of the Kiwanis Club ofFilipino Metro Toronto andincumbent board member ErnestoQuinit to the the guests andmembers, Brewer agreed withPalisoc and suggested ways toattract new members, amongothers, by developing hands-onprojects that will appeal to the“Volunteer spirit” of theindividual. “Usually,” Brewer said,“these projects begin small withonly a few people participating.But if they meet a need in thecommunity, then the project cangrow and become your signatureevent.”

The officers of the Kiwanis Clubof Filipino Metro Toronto are asfollows: Quintin Palisoc,President; Abraham Matabang,President – Designate; RobertCacapit, 1st Vice President; Julius

Pastor, 2nd Vice President;Teresita Burguillos, Secretary;Joylyn Bachar Aficial, Asst.Secretary; Elizabeth Liclican,Treasurer; Lt. Gov. Mark Brewer;

Advisors are John Hermant,Past Lt. Governor; and, BettyWilson, Past Lt. Gov.

Members of the Board are Dr.Ernie Quinit; Charito Macaraeg;Cipriano Pastor, JohhnyBurguillos, Raymond Tano, FelixTulagan, Mylyne Ebue, RoseCruz, and Rodel Baylon. (AceAlvarez)

President Quintin Palisoc welcomes members andguests >>>

Photo below: Guest speaker, Mark Brewster, Lt.Gov. Division 9, addresses the club.

<<< Guests from Division 9of Kiwanis Club International...

Some of the officers andmembers, including one of the

local club founders, Dr.Ernesto Quinit >>>

... and now, the winners in the Raffle Draw as guests eagerly await if Lady Luckis with them ...

The Officers, Board Members and Advisers of the Kiwanis Club of Filipino of Metro Toronto for a souvenir photo.

Top Photo: Kiwanis officers incharge of projects for the youth...

Out-of-town guests from another Kiwanis Club ...

Manila Media Monitor, February 2011 15NEW ONTARIO LAWYER: Linelle S. Mogado (center, below) is nowan Ontario Lawyer. She took her oath during ceremonies at RoyThomson Hall, January 28, 2011. In photo with the Filipino Canadianlawyer are parents, Mogi and Marlene Mogado of Markham, Ontario.Before her admission to the Ontario Bar, Linelle practiced law inSan Francisco for several years. She is a member of the CaliforniaBar. Linelle works on occupational health and safety policy at theOntario Ministry of Labor.

ALFONSO, CAVITE WILL BE SITE FOR BIGGEST MARIAN IMAGE: Philippine diversifying conglomerate San MiguelCorp. donates its 33-hectare property in Cavite to the Philippine Foundation of Blessed Mary Mother of the Poor, whichaims to build the biggest Marian image in the world, placed at 110-meter high. The Marian image was promised to thefollowers of healing priest, Fr. Fernando Suarez (left, in photo), a Filipino Catholic priest living in Ottawa. With him isCardinal Rosales. Religious workers Jun and Rosemer Enverga will be part of the fundraising efforts in Toronto. (RAE)

Fourteen Filipino studentstrapped in New Zealand rubbleMANILA — Retrieval and recovery continues forthose who were trapped at the CanterburyTelevision (CTV) building, which collapsed aftera 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck Christchurch,New Zealand, leaving at least 98 people dead andover 200 still missing -- incljuding fourteen Filipinostudents.

This was confirmed following text messages ofthe victims to their relatives.

Sources identified those trapped at the CTVrubble as Jesse Lloyd Redoble, John ChristopherChua, Ezra Mae Medalle, Emmabel Anova, JewelFrancisco, Ivy Jane Cabunillas, Elisa Torres, MaryLouise Anne Amantillo, Valquin Bensurto, RheaMae Sumalpong, Erica Nora, and Lalaine Agatep.

Two other Filipinos – Rita Estrella and HayleyConcepcion – are believed trapped in other areaswithin the vicinity of the CTV building.

The fourteen students were studying at KingsLanguage School housed in the CTV building. Ithas 14 staff, 87 regular students, including Chinese,Koreans, Saudi Arabians, Thais, and Filipinos, plus21 visiting students from Japan and two visitingstaff.

Principal Brian Taylor, who was held in highregard internationally, was inside the building atthe time of the earthquake.

The school could not immediately giveany idea how many got out of the buildingor how many were trapped inside becauseall school documents and computer systemswere completely destroyed.

Staff members are now trying to workthrough travel insurance companies andwitnesses’ accounts to work out whoescaped.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)Office of the Undersecretary for MigrantWorkers Affairs is checking thedepartment’s passport database forinformation and biometrics about themissing persons, and also appraising thefamilies about the incident.

The DFA said the team from thePhilippine embassy in Wellington flew toChristchurch and coordinating with localpolice, rescue teams, and the Red Cross.

An estimated 2,000 Filipinos live inChristchurch -- the country’s second-largesturban area.

The DFA-Office of the Undersecretary forMigrant Workers Affairs has set up a hotlinefor families of Filipinos based inChristchurch. The hotline numbers are 834-4488 and 834-4596.

Emergency powers for PNoyurged to address oil crisisMANILA - Two congressmen said recentlythat the House of Representatives should beprepared to grant President Benigno“Noynoy” Aquino III emergency powers incase the situation in oil-producing MiddleEast and North Africa worsens.

“If the situation escalates into a crisisespecially since oil has a direct impact onthe day-to-day lives of our people, Congressshould also consider granting the Presidentwith emergency economic powers toaddress our oil and energy problem,”Western Samar Rep. Mel Senen Sarmientosaid in a statement.

Sarmiento said that the energy and financedepartments should already prepare worst-case-scenario contingency measures in casethe situation in countries such as Bahrainand Yemen worsens.

He said the contingency plan shouldinclude oil rationing and the temporaryreinstitution of the Oil Price StabilizationFund (OPSF).

In 2010, the Philippines sourced 81% ofits crude oil imports from countries in theMiddle East, including Saudi Arabia, theUAE, Qatar, Oman, and Iran.


Language training follows newcomersinto the workplace

It’s a challenge to get ajob, but it’s also difficult tokeep a job after being hired,especially for newcomers toCanada. Many newcomersare not proficient in Englishlanguage skills and/or areunaware of the Canadianworkplace culture and howto navigate successfullythrough it.

The LearningEnrichment Foundation ispleased to offer LINC INTHE WORKPLACE, a pilotprogram with a curriculumtailored to individualbusiness needs and free toemployer and employee.

The new program,funded by Citizenship andImmigration Canada, helpsworkers improve theirEnglish language andworkplace culture skills tobecome more successful,safety-conscious andproductive employees.

These classes are held ata time and locationconvenient to the workplace

The program offers:All levels of English –

from basic literacy toadvanced workplacecommunication:

o Vocabulary, grammar,and pronunciation;

o Topics include: Healthand Safety, CustomerService Skills, ProductivityImprovement and more!

o Effective writing,including e-mails, letters,reports and other businesswriting;

o D y n a m i ccommunication: over thephone, in person, inmeetings, and forpresentations;

o Canadian workplaceculture, includingperformance evaluations,effective teamwork, timemanagement and more.

In a recent article,Tamara Shephard, of theToronto Community News,quotes a TD BankFinancial Group report,

entitled Literacy Matters:Helping NewcomersUnlock Their Potential.“Weaker than desirableproficiency in English andFrench amongst newcomersis leading to higherunemployment, socialisolation, lower earningsand is exposing manyimmigrants to living inpoverty for some period oftime after arriving inCanada,” the report states.The article can be foundonline here: http://www.insidetoronto.com/communi ty /educa t ion /a r t i c l e / 1 5 6 9 0 7 — l i n c -elevates-employees-at-toronto-community-news.

The Learning EnrichmentFoundation is offering aprogram that gets results andenables immigrants andnewcomers to feel more incharge of their performancein the workplace.

For more info, contactThe Learning EnrichmentFoundation.

“The Tropical Deli”IS MOVING TO ANOTHER LOCATION, HENCE, THE STORE AT

# 8 Glen Watford Drive, Unit G55Scarborough, ON will be closed Starting March 1st.THE NEW LOCATION WILL BE ANNOUNCED SOON.



War waged on FAT!Do you ever wonder why

reaching your weight loss goalsseems to be impossible? Doyou get frustrated when everyexercise routine you try neverproduces results? Strength-N-U, the newest workout regimenin Scarborough, realizes thatmany people are dealing withthese issues and have come upwith a solution.

Strength-N-U’s programs con-nects the mind and body whileigniting the movement fromwithin that accepts responsibil-ity and produces a will toachieve something more.

While pushing the limits andtipping the boundaries of physi-cal fitness, Strength-N-U will getyou jumping, climbing, runningand lifting based on your activ-ity level. With a mix of athleticequipment, conventional gymmachines, and old playgroundfavorites, you are sure to bepushed passed what you areuse to.

Group Body Blitz -- This onehour group interactive sessionhas participants completing atotal body blast through a vari-ety of exercises that target all

fitness components. Theclass is offered in beginner,intermediate and elite levels.

Transformation Package- This six-week physical train-ing program includes an as-sessment, one session witha personal trainer, three nu-trition plans over six weeksand a follow up appointment.Take advantage of the granopening special -- $200.

Team Training Package-If you are part of an athleticteam, this is a unique oppor-tunity for you to train withyour teammates at a dis-counted rate. The experts atStrength-N-U will create acustomized program thatwill benefit your team’s ath-letic needs and require-ments. Take advantage ofthe grand opening special-$120. Drop-in on any of theclasses on Tuesday andThursday at 6 PM, or Sat-urday and Sunday at 11:30AM. Strength-N-U is locatedat Unit 10, 80 Milner Av-enue, Scarborough, ON.Call 416-886-9462 or visitwww.strength-n-u.com


Denial putting Canadians at high risk of cutting their lives short: 2011 Annual Report on Canadian’s HealthThe Heart and Stroke

Foundation warns that nine out of10 Canadians are jeopardizing thequality and length of their lives. The Foundation found that manyCanadians are in denial about theirrisk factors for heart diseasesuchas being overweight and being

physically inactive – risk factorsthey can manage and control.

Each year, about 250,000potential years of life are lost inCanada due to cardiovasculardiseases, including heart attacksand other chronic heart-relatedconditions.

“Canadians know what to do tolive healthier, longer lives. Butthere’s a huge disconnect betweenwhat we think we are doing toaddress our risk factors andreality,” says Dr. Beth Abramson,cardiologist and spokesperson forthe Heart and Stroke Foundation.

“The fact is that we’re notmanaging some of the mostcommon and deadlycardiovascular risk factors as wellas we think we are. We Canadiansare living with a false sense ofsecurity that could be fatal.”

According to a new Heart and

Stroke Foundation poll, Canadiansare aware of the importance ofaddressing their risk factors. Butthe Foundation poll also showedthat Canadians have a false senseof security that is cutting their livesshort. They overestimate their ownhealthy behaviors.




be perfectly objective.“What a world it would be

if we only did the things wecan do perfectly.” BillAndersen is a retired artdirector and promotionsman in an advertisingagency in Toronto.

Stephen J. A. Ward, theJames E. Burgess Professorof Journalism Ethics in theSchool of Journalism andMass Communications atthe University ofWisconsin-Madison and anadjunct professor at theUniversity of BritishColumbia (UB) andfounding chair of theCanadian Association ofJournalists’ (CAJ) ethicsadvisory committee andformer director of UBC’sGraduate School ofJournalism, said in onecolumn: “The existence ofimmoderate voices hassocial value. Silencing loudvoices means silencingdissent and whatever truththey have to offer. But it is

On the matter>>> from page 8

an exaggeration to praisethis type of journalism ascrucial to democracy, or asthe best form of opinionjournalism.

Ward believes on thecontrary that if immoderateforms of opinion dominatepublic discussion, they cando more harm than good todemocracy. That’s whyassumptions behind thepraise of immoderatejournalism need to bechallenged.

Ward opined that whatdemocracy needs isdeliberative opinionjournalism, which allowscitizens of different views tospeak respectfully butfrankly to each other.

However, he pointed outthat “opinion should berigorously based on a widerange of evidence, solidstudies, and perspectives onthe data,” an attitutude thathe said allows one “to

follow the facts where theylead.”

Likewise, “opinion mustbe committed to the overallpublic good and be guidedby what is best for the publicas a whole, not what isexpedient for the reporter’scause or his/her politicalgroup; that one must not beso attached to his/her “truth”that one is ready to usealmost any means topersuade others and topromote one’s aims.”

Further, Ward stressedthat opinion should not hideinconvenient facts, so as todistort the truth to suit one’saims; not misrepresent theviews of others or demonizethem.

So, there you have it ontop. With the new thinkingon news reporting – and inthis age of Wikileaks, beyour own guard privatec i t i z e n s !([email protected])

Guests at the launchingof the Search for the “Binibining Pilipins Canada” join the promoters of the pageant. From left, Rose Cruz, Front PagePhilippines’ tv program host Gie Alvarez, entertainer Jenifer Camacho -- star of the “Jenifer Forever 3” concert, slated Friday, April 8 at theCapitol Event Theatre on midtown Yonge St. in Toronto, photographer Ramil, Mayette Morillo of Mayette’s Restaurant, reputed to be the restau-rant for Filipino entertainers and government diplomats visiting Toronto, Tonnie Furto and Tina Gutierrez -- the promoters of the pageant,together with Chicky Guerrero (not in photo). [Manila Media Monitor Photo]


HEALTH

Torontonians’ concerns on health and active lives receive boostingSTRENGTH-N-U Programs and Facility(on fitness and nutrition) opens in Scarborough

The front office staff greet guests and well-wishers ...Some of the members of Strength-N-U Team, (L-R) Kegan Sant, David Milburn, Steve McGeachy,Christian Alvarez, Carlo B and James Thomp-son.

Strength-N-U’s Christian Alvarez (left) and Carlo B ... Guests listen to the presentation on what Strength-N-U does as a company. Some 200 guests camebetween 12 to 4 PM during the open house.

David Milburn briefs Tobias Jun Enverga, CatholicSchool Board Trustee for Ward 8, Toronto on thefacility’s “School-N-Youth” program.

Some of the members of the junior hockey teamundergoing training with Strength-N-U. Currently,two hockey teams, one soccer team, and teamsfrom one football league train with Strength-N-U.

David Milburn briefs Marlene Mogado,Catholic School Board Trustee for Area 2,Wards 4, 5, 7 & 8 with the York CatholicDistrict School Board on Strength-N-U’sspecial program, “Strength-N-Youth.

Deejay pumps upenergy at the facilityduring the open house

THEY ARE THERE, TOO! Canadian Pop/R&B ce-lebrities Shawn Desman and Shiloh (L and R, re-spectively) specially flew in from London, Ontario --where they had a performance the evening before,to grace the grand opening of Strength-N-U. At cen-ter is Christian Alvarez, proponenent of Strength-N-U Programs and Facility (on fitness and nutrition).

In photo with Christian Alvarez, Shawn Desman andShiloh, on the second row, are (L-R) Christian’s mom- Front Page Philippines TV program host, GieAlvarez; Gie’s personal fitness trainer and Christian’slongtime friend, “Big D”; Longtime client, CatherineLang and longtime friend, Pic.

Filipino business and civic leaders are also present: WithChristian Alvarez (from left) are Isa Tugadi, PhilippineChamber of Commerce-Toronto president OswaldTugadi, Ace and Gie Alvarez, Rosemer Enverga, BingMarasigan, Mogi Mogado and Marlene Mogado.

Writer, sculptor/painter and activist Mogi Mogadohaving refeshment with business and civic leaderRafael Nebres. >>>

Those guys in the posters are notmodels. They are existing clientsof Strength-N-U’s ChristianAlvarez >>>

Strength-N-U’s CertifiedNutritionists >>>>>>>>>

<<< Call for an appoint-ment with Strength N-U’s Registered Mas-sage Therapist ...

>>

All photos eitherby Kegan Sant or Manila Media Monitor

Strength-N-U is located at 80 Milner Avenue,Unit 10 in Scarborough. Call (416) 886-9462for info, or visit www.strength-n-u.com


social behaviour and provides ahealthy outlet for emotions.”

“Strength-N-Youth helpsdevelop and contribute to a youngperson’s socialization whileincreasing physical well-being.Strength-N-Youth empowers itsparticipants through physicalactivity.”

Alvarez said the first“Strength-N-Youth” programwas conducted by his fitness andnutrition facility last November26 at the Enniskillin PublicSchool in Enniskillin, Ontariofor around 200 students. “They

Torontonians >>> From page 1

The value you receiveis the price you paid for

Frequently, family and friendsask, “Doesn’t it cost more whenI service my car at thedealership?”

The answer is “no”. The priceis what you pay, but the value iswhat you receive.

Three months ago, I asked anemployee to bring her 1995Honda Civic to a popular “QuickLube” station to have her oilchanged. The facility changed heroil, checked her fluids, andrecommended some additionalservice work – and all inside of25 minutes. The total cost of herinvoice was $51.34. Not badyou say, but let’s compare thisto what you would receive at thedealer.

At a dealership, the staff valueyour time, but maintain that 25minutes is an unrealistic durationto properly evaluate a vehicle.They endeavour to inspecteach vehicle thoroughly andapprise you of anymaintenance requirements. A

brand-trained technician whoworks exclusively on the brandof the car that you are drivingwill complete your service. Theoil change includes an originaloil filter engineered specificallyfor that brand to protect yourengine. They use the highestgrade oil in accordance withyour car engine’s specifications.Most dealers check yourvehicle’s serial number to ensurethat there is no outstandingrecalls. They provide you witha vehicle check list indicatingareas of concerns and the levelof urgency for repair. Your tiresare measured for tread wear andadjusted to the proper pressures.You get all this for 2 to 5 dollarsmore than the leading “QuickLube”.

Please remember next timethat the price is what you pay butthe value is what you receive.

Another way to “make yourcar ownership easy.”([email protected])

loved it; they really had a blast thatday,” he recalled.

In a letter to “Strength-N-U”later, Bryan Beers, Principal ofEnniskillin Public School, wrote,“Your program was inclusive andallowed the students with autismand special needs to fullyparticipate in the activities. Youalso provided these students withopportunities to shine in front oftheir classmates. This was a realboost to their self-esteem.”

Strength-N-U is at 80 MilnerAvenue, Unit 10 in Scarbroough.Call (416) 886-9462 or visitwww.strength-n-u.com. Email [email protected]. (ManilaMedia Monitor)

Dear EarthTalk: In his recentState of the Union Address,President Obama called for amillion electric vehicles onAmerican roads by 2015. Howlikely is it that we’ll attain thatgoal?

— Jerry Mitlitski, Salem, OR

“We can break our dependenceon oil…and become the firstcountry to have one millionelectric vehicles on the road by2015,” President Obama said in hisJanuary 2011 State of the Unionaddress. “The future is ours towin.”

It’s difficult to say how likelysuch an arbitrary goal might be,but green leaders and others areoptimistic. The waiting list for thenew electric Nissan Leaf, rollingoff the factory floor as we speak,is some 20,000 Americans long.The auto industry expects similardemand for other new electric andplug-in hybrid cars hitting U.S.roads this year and next fromGeneral Motors, Ford, Toyota,Mitsubishi and others.

Of course, the Obamaadministration realizes thatattaining such a goal will beimpossible without help from thefederal government. To that end,consumers and businesses can gettax credits worth up to $7,500 onthe purchase of each new electricvehicle (EV). The feds have alsocommitted $2.4 billion forresearch and development intoimproving EV batteries, andanother $115 million for theinstallation of EV charginginfrastructure in 16 differentmetroareas around the country—

not to mention some $300 millionin clean cities grants to dozens ofAmerican communities working toreduce petroleum use, and the $25billion being doled out to help U.S.automakers retool. So muchfederal involvement has helpedspur state governments and privateindustry to make significantinvestments in the EV sector aswell.

But even with all this funding, amillion EVs on the road by 2015may still be just a pipe dream.James Sweeney of StanfordUniversity’s Precourt EnergyEfficiency Center calls the plan“very aggressive.” He reasons thatit took over a decade for hybrids—which “did not require anydifference in infrastructure andhad as great a range asconventional vehicles, neither ofwhich is likely to be the case withelectric vehicles”—to capturethree percent of the U.S. passengercar and light truck market. EVswould have to achieve the samemarket share in just four years ifObama’s goal is to be realized.“Even with a large subsidy, itwould be very hard to move tosuch a large market share thatquickly,” Sweeney concludes.

The Electrification Coalition, anorganization of pro-EV businessleaders from companies includingNissan, Federal Express, Coda

Automotive and CoulombTechnologies, would take issuewith that conclusion, however. Thegroup’s November 2009 study,dubbed the ElectrificationRoadmap, predicted that as manyas 14 million EVs could be onAmerican roads by 2020 iflawmakers create “electrificationecosystems” in several major U.S.cities simultaneously. If the groupis anywhere near the mark,reaching Obama’s goal of a millionEVs by 2015 should be a no-brainer. The group also says thatEVs could account for as many as75 percent of all miles driven bylight duty vehicles in the U.S. by2040.

Now if only we could clean upour supply of electricity too, thenwe really might be onto somethinggood for the planet…

CONTACTS: Precourt EnergyEfficiency Center, http://peec.stanford.edu; ElectrificationC o a l i t i o n ,www.electrificationcoalition.org.

SEND YOURE N V I R O N M E N T A LQUESTIONS TO: EarthTalk®, c/oE – The Environmental Magazine,P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881;[email protected]. E is anonprofit publication. Subscribe:www.emagazine.com/subscribe;Request a Free Trial Issue:www.emagazine.com/trial.

Left Photo: Dr. Romeo Tan surprisingly walks into one function room of the Delta Chelsea Hotel indowntown Toronto, not knowing that the gathering he and his wife, Zee (with him in photo), wereattending was intended for him to celebrate his birth anniversary. Around 80 of the couples’ closefriends, family members and some of Dr. Tan’s patients at his several clinic locations braved the deepfreezing weather for Dr. Tan’s special day. At right photo, among those present are Financial AdvisorJerico Esguera -- a neighbor of Mrs. Tan from her Pangasinan hometown -- and Jerico’s wife, Janet.Front Page Philippines TV host Gie Alvarez emceed the party’s program. (Manla Media Monitor Photo)

ELEVATE YOURMARKETING EFFORTS TO A NEW LEVEL

The only Filipino program that is free-over-the air, Ch 69On Basic Cable, OMNI 2, Cable 14Airs across the country via Bell ExpressVu & Star Choice

Sundays, 10 PM with Alternative viewing, Thursdays, 4 PM Call 416.285.8583


THE 2011 “BINIBINING PILIPINAS CANADA” AND “MUNTING BINIBINI” LAUNCH-ING: The “Pinoy Spotlight Media Entertainment Productions” presents their beau-ties, Saturday, July 16 this year at the TICC, 190 Railside Road in Scarborough whowill vye for the titles. In photo (L-R), company executives Tonnie Furto, Tina Gutierrezand Chicky Guerrero, brief contestants on what they described as the most presti-gious and extensive pageants that will be held in Canada. They said the winner to the“Binibining Pilipinas Canada” will be sent to the Philippines to compete at the “BinibiningPilipinas” pageant — whose winner, in turn, will represent the Philippines to the MissUniverse Pageant in 2012. The company executives said exciting prizes await the win-ners. Among the prizes at stake are $1,000 cash to the winner, official Binibing PilipinasCanada ring and brooch, a modelling contract for a calendar for Honda Canada, one-year music lessons at the Ontario Conservatory of Music, modelling and social graceslessons, including those on speech and eloquence, a professional portfolio and re-sume, local radio and television appearances, spa treatment and pampering, dentalcare courtesy of Dr. Evangeline M. Bernabe Dentistry Professional Corporation, fit-ness classes, dancing lessons with professional providers, workshops with ABS-CBN TV Network in the Philippines, a TFC Box, and, topmost, according to theorganizers is the experience one gets from their participation in the pageant. Formore info, please call Tonnie, (647) 868-5935 and Tina, (647) 718-1175.


©Copyright 2006Mindmaster Publishing Inc.Quezon City, Philippines

MGA SAGOT SA PAHINA 29

The Board Members and Officers of the Lopez, Quezon Association of Ontario, Canada for a souvenir photo during their 10th anniversary celebration in Scarborough. In theorganization’s ten-year history, the group did fundraising drives aimed at helping their townmates in Lopez. Among their accomplishments were donation of medicines,medical missions to the town, distribution of food and groceries during the Christmas season, cash donation to the “Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary” parish to help financeits construction work, a $2,000 cash donation to buy water pump for the local fire unit, donation of firefighting equipment courtesy of the London, Ontario Fire Department.The association’s president, Zena Flores (seated, 3rd from right) said that her group will continue to help the town and its people have a better quality of life.

FOR YOUR ADVERTISING & PROMOTIONAL NEEDS,CALL (416) 285,8583

Manila Media Monitor / Front Page Philippines TV

YOUR PATRONAGE TO THE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES OF OUR ADVERTISERSIS SUPPORT TO THE PAPER YOU LOVE TO READ -- MANILA MEDIA MONITOR.


Above are among the men and women composing the Philippine Canadian Charitable Foundation (PCCF) with whom the Philippine Chamber of Commerce-Toronto (PCCT)partnered with in the delivery of its trade show event at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Hall C, on Front Street in downtown T.O., Saturday, June 25, 2011. Billed as the“Pinoy Fiesta and Trade Show Sa Toronto”, the PCCF is tasked with planning, organization and delivery of the day-long entertainment at the event, promising the biggestentertainment showcase and trade show ever to hit Canada. GMA Pinoy TV is the celebration’s primary sponsor. (Courtesy: Raymond Santos)

MEDIA

Newspaper ad revenue down 14% in 2009: StatsCanCommunity papers saw

ad sales decrease of 10% to$911.6 million in 2009,according to StatisticsCanada.

The report noted that adrevenues for community anddaily newspapers slipped acombined 14% to $3.1billion from $3.6 billionin2008. Dailies were thehardest hit as ad salesdropped 15.5%–to $2.2billion from $2.6 billion ayear earlier.

According to StatsCan,overall revenues for theCanadian newspaper indust-

ry fell to $4.9 billion in 2009from $5.4 billion a yearearlier, while pretax profitslipped from 12.3% to 9.9%.

After accounting for69.2% of all newspaperrevenues in 2007,advertising accounted for66.1% in 2009 according tothe StatsCan report.

Elsewhere newspaperscontinued to trim operatingexpenses. While salaries,wages and benefitscomprised 40% of theindustry operating expensesin 2009, labor costs weredown 5.1% – primarily be-

cause of layoffs attributableto decreasing ad sales.

But a renewed emphasison fiscal responsibility alsoled to a 21.4% reduction inspending on advertising,marketing, travel, meals andentertainment costs, whichfollowed a 5.4% decline theprevious year.

The report said that thehardest-hit regions wereOntario and WesternCanada, where pretaxprofits slipped 6.5% and anegligible 0.3%respectively. Revenues inQuebec were +0.2%.

Elevate your marketing efforts to the next levelIn this trying economic

times for businesses, pro-motional efforts must be el-evated to new grounds toreach a wider market; andthis is what trendsettingbusinesses are doing tomaximize the potential oftheir products and services.

Those targetting the Fili-pino Canadian communityare turning to “Front PagePhilippines” -- a televisionprogram aimed at the Fili-pino Canadian communityin Ontario for a wider pros-pect on their targetted mar-ket.

Now on its 8th season onair, Front Page Philippinesairs on prime 10 PM tv timeon Sundays, 10 PM, OMNI2, Cable 14, in Toronto.

The only Filipino programaired free-over-the-air onChannel 69, the program issimulcast across the countryvia satellite television andbeing carried by the two sa-tellite tv carriers allowed bythe Canadian Radio-televi-sion TelecommunicationsCommission (CRTC) to op-erate in the country. FrontPage Philippines could beseen by subscribers of Bell

ExpressVu on channel 216and Starchoice on Channel395.

The production arm ofFront Page Philippines TV isworking on the script devel-opment of three commer-cials, which, after client ap-proval will immediately goon the production stage. Re-cently completed were twotelevision commercials andwhich are now airing on theprogram.

For inquiries on how tele-vision advertising could en-hance your promotional ef-forts, call (416) 285-8583.

28 Manila Media Monitor, February 2011MONEY

When it makes sense toborrow for your RRSP

Loans are a part of life formost Canadians. We take outloans to pay for our cars andour homes, for vacations,furniture and TVs. And, at thistime of year, as the deadlinefor making your 2010Registered RetirementSavings Plan (RRSP)contribution looms, you maybe asking yourself if it makessense to make one more loan– a loan to increase your RRSPcontribution.

The right answer for youdepends on the overall shapeof your financial life. Let uslook at the factors you shouldconsider.

Makes sense to borrow …* Because contributing to

your RRSP can pay off in twoways: First, you’ll increase thesize of your tax refund;second, you’ll have more tax-deferred money growinginside your retirement plan.But the first rule is this: Theloan must fit your budget.

* When you intend to payoff the loan within a year.Remember: Interest on anRRSP loan is not tax-deductible. Consider a seriesa smaller RRSP loans with

payments within yourbudget. Longer term loansare more suitable forpurchasing non-registeredinvestments (when theinterest is tax deductible).

* When size of the loanmaximizes tax savings.Tax rates rise with income.More tax can often besaved by spreading RRSPdeductions over more thanone year. Whilecontributions made in oneyear can be deducted in afuture year, it does notalways make sense toborrow to make an RRSPcontribution if it will takeseveral years to fullyutilize the deduction.Again a series of smallerloans may produce thebetter financial result.

* When you use your taxrefund to pay off the loanas quickly as possible.

Or maybe not …* If you expect to be

taxed at, or near, thelowestmarginal rate overtime. In that case, youwon’t get the full tax-reduction benefit ofmaking your maximum

RRSP contribution, so the costof taking out an RRSP loandoesn’t make sense. Instead, youmight want to considercontributing to a Tax-freeSavings Account (TFSA). Thecontribution isn’t tax deductiblebut money and interest inside aTFSA is tax-free and, unlikeyour RRSP, so are withdrawals,which can be made at any timefor any purpose.

* If your increased RRSPrefund is already earmarked, inwhole or in part, to pay taxes youowe on other income.

* If you are unsure yourincome level will allow you tomeet your RRSP loanobligations, which you will berequired to do regardless of yourincome level and theperformance of your RRSP inthe shorter term.

Borrowing to increase yourRRSP contribution can be auseful strategy but it also comeswith specific risks. Perhaps youcan avoid the need to borrownext year through a Pre-Authorized Contribution (PAC)plan that automatically deductsand saves any amount youwantfrom your regularpaycheques.

And of course, your professional advisor can help you map out the RRSPcontribution strategy that fits the overall shape of your financial life. (This column,written and published by Investors Group Financial Services Inc. (in Quebec – aFinancialServices Firm), presents general information only and is not a solicitationto buy or sell any investments. Contact a financial advisor for specific advice aboutyour circumstances. For more information on this topic, please contact your InvestorsGroup Consultant Rhowena Adolfo, Director and Senior Consultant, InvestorsGroup Financial Services Inc., Toll Free-1-888-801-9406 Ext. 538,[email protected] or visit www.investorsgroup.com/consult/rhowena.adolfo)

In photo are the officers and directors of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce-Toronto (PCCT) for 2011-2012 who will take their oath of office, Saturday, Febru-ary 26 in simple ceremonies in Scarborough, Ontario. Standing from left: EdgarGonzales, Ace Alvarez, Rafael Nebres, Sonny Montojo, Elizabeth leggett, JosephAlilio, Cori Naron, Oswald Tugadi, Rose Ami, Cora de la Cruz, Flor Vendiola, CherylCantonjos, Cherrie Liu, Steve Pagao and Edwin Corton. Seated at the front roware the members of the Commission on Elections at the PCCT election, January9. From left: Julito Longkines, Jess Cabrias, Winston Lim and Serge Amante.(Manila Media Monitor Photo)

Canada’s Currency MuseumA Place Where Money Talks:

We associate museums withrooms full of valuableartefacts that visitors quietlynavigate as they learn a thingor two about the past.Canada’s Currency Museumalso contributes to oureconomic well-being.

It plays a key role infostering confidence in thecash we use every day, helpsus understand the value ofmoney, and to grasp economicconcepts that aren’tnecessarily easily understood.

Polymer NotesThe Museum is the public

face of the Bank of Canada,and will play an important rolein educating Canadians whena new series of polymer banknotes makes its debut later thisyear.

You likely take it forgranted, but the cash in yourwallet is jam packed withtechnology to protect it againstcounterfeiting. The Museumhelps by showing how to usethe security features on ourbank notes to identifysuspected fakes.

Distinctly CanadianWe think of cash as an

everyday tool, a means ofobtaining goods and services.But our currency is also aboutwho we are, and each banknote’s design reflects a certain

time and place rich inCanadian history.

The CurrencyMuseum’s other role is tobring that history to lifethrough over 100,000artefacts of bank notes,coins and other money-related paraphernalia.

From the furtrade and “beavereconomics” all the way toour current series whichillustrates Canada’sjourney from explorationto recent innovation, ourculture and identityfeatures prominently onour cash.

If Canada’snumismatic heritage peaksyour interest, theMuseum’s website is likea virtual museum withaccess to the vastcollection of artefacts.

Exhibitions on NowIn a comic strip

format, The Good, the Badand the Fake is a youth-oriented exhibition thattells the story of twoteenagers who stumbleonto a bag of money thatturns out to be fake. Alongwith the two teens, you’lllearn about counterfeiting,get to handle actualcounterfeit notes, and learn

the difference between funnymoney and the real thing.

Penalties of Counterfeiting isnot for the faint of heart. Thisaudio tour takes you on ajourney through time to learnabout the creative tricks of thetrade, and the equally creativepunishments devised to stop thiscrime.

Programs Availableto Schools/the PublicNot everyone can visit the

Museum in person, so severalprograms about currency andmonetary policy are designed tobe delivered externally. Noclassroom or community is outof reach.

Inflation Busters:A fun and dynamic lesson on

how economics affects us all.(for grades 9 to 12, CEGEPs andcommunity colleges)

Safe Money:A hands-on program about

Canada’s paper money—whichactually arrives on your doorstepin a safe! (for grades 5 to 6)

Counterfeit Detection Kit:A curriculum-based program

that teaches how to tell a realnote from a counterfeit. The kitincludes engaging activities,presentations and lesson plans,while providing a useful job-readiness skill. (for grades 10-12) For more information, visitwww.currencymuseum.ca

FAO sees repeat of 2008 food crisisMANILA — The Foodand AgricultureOrganization (FAO) ofthe United Nations haswarned of a repeat ofthe 2008 global foodcrisis as crop harvestsfall in the United States,Europe, Australia andArgentina, anda g r i c u l t u r a l -commodity prices spikein global markets.

FAO DirectorGeneral Jacques Dioufnoted that the volatility

in the price of agriculturalproducts is due partly to thefailure of rich and poorcountries to address thestructural imbalances in theinternational agriculturalsystem.

He warned that if currenttrends persisted, one of theMillennium DevelopmentGoals (MDGs) set by worldleaders would not be met by2015.

“Reducing by half thenumber of hungry people onthe planet by 2015 would

only be achieved in 2150 ifcurrent trends persist,” saidDiouf.

FAO said there is a needto conclude the Doha Roundof negotiations at the WorldTrade Organization (WTO)to put an end to “marketdistortions and restrictivetrade practices.”

FAO said implementationof such policies at the globallevel requires the respect ofthe commitments of thedeveloped countries at theirvarious summits.


SAGOT SACROSSWORD PUZZLE

SPORTS

KCCC prepares for 2011 Golf ClassicThe Kalayaan

Cultural CommunityCentre (KCCC) isinviting golfers toparticipate in its 2011KCCC Golf Classic atthe Royal Ontario GolfClub, Saturday, August27, 2011.

This is the fourth yearfor KCCC’s annual golftournament and everysucceeding year, thenumber of golfers and

sponsors has steadilyincreased. This promises to beanother exciting tournamentthat will provide players withthe opportunity to play andcompete with fellow golfersat a challenging golf courseand at the same time supportKCCC.

Royal Ontario Golf Club inHornby (Milton), Ontario isconsidered one of KaneffGolf’s premier golf courses.

After the games, the awards

ceremonies will im-mediately follow.Raffle prizes alsoawait the partici-pants. An auctionwill also be held onitems such as TaylorMade driver R9-460and Titlist ScottyCameron Putter withhead cover signed byCamilo Villegas.

To register,contact the KCCC

at 905-602-0923, [email protected] or visitwww.kalayaancentre.ca/golf.

North York Pinoy sports groupholds winter Fundraiser

By Jennifer S. McLean

Determined to meet itscommitment in hosting the24th North AmericanBasketball Association’sbasketball tournament in theFall, the North York PinoyAthletic Association(NYPAA) held a DinnerDance on February 20th,2011 at the KoreanCanadian Cultural Centre,Toronto. The successful andfun-filled event was carriedout with the main goal ofraising funds in support ofNYPAA’s hosting the 25-city, Labour Day longweekend NABAcompetitions in Toronto onSeptember 3 and 4, 2011.

Led by NYPAA presidentVilma Tahsin and aptlysupported by theassociation’s sports leadersRoger Tarca, Bob San Juanand Ed Sotto, the officers,members and volunteerswelcomed more than 175guests, parents, friends andfamily members to theevening’s Western-themedcelebration.

The well- receivedevening program was ablyemceed jointly by AshleyTahsin, Robbie Tarca and

Raph San Juan.Among the highlights of the

event include the : group singingby NYPAA’s young players ,presentation of fourteen candidatesof the “2011 Miss Caregiver”pageant and the raffle of door andtickets prizes with TV set as majorprize.

NABA executive adviser GaniGregorio, in his inspirational talkencouraged the party attendees andtheir friends and families tocontinuously support NYPAA andto fully participate in the 2011NABA basketball tournaments, aswell. Addressing likewise theguests and her members, NYPAAprexy V. Tahsin stressed the valueand contribution of volunteerismespecially in sports activities. Shealso warmly thanked all the ever-active officers, supportive parents,goal- driven players, and generousdonors & benefactors of the 11-year old community based sportsorganization.

Coordinators of the event wereCristina Fernandez and MaggieSoriano, Bebot and Malou Silva,Marlene Moscoso, Myrna Corpuz,Myrna Bulotano, Eva Agua, TessAcevedo, Alice Baguistan, BabySan Juan, Leah Borja, MyleneEscalona, Suzette Merced, SallyMontero and Arnel Dipaling.



MOST PRESTIGIOUS PHILIPPINE-CANADA PAGEANT IS NOW ACCEPTING CANDIDATES: Philippine Canadian Charitable Foundation on its inaugural pageant year launchingattracted a good number of candidates who will soon become the first Little Miss Philippines Canada, Miss Philippines Canada and Mrs. Philippines Canada. The overallchair of the pageant committee, Rosemer Enverga, promises that the pageant will be the biggest and the most prestigious. The biggest, because for the first time, apageant will be held at the confines of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on June 25th in conjunction with the celebration of the much-awaited event, “The Pinoy Fiestaand Trade Show sa Toronto”. It is not too late to register yet. Experience of a lifetime awaits you! Please contact Rosemer, 416 284 9299, Bing, 905 472 3194, Shiela, 416209 2338, Ben, 647 726 3878, Sena, 416 284 3938, Mitz 647 808 4823. To be part of the TV taping for National broadcast, register before March 20. Part of Proceeds of theevent will go towards the building of houses for poor families in the Philippines. Limited candidates will be accepted. Join NOW! (Note from Editor: Readers are cautionedthat this photo release refers to a distinct and separate pageant other than those described in the press release published on top)

Philippine Independence Day Council launches Miss Philippines and Little Miss Philippines Pageants(Note from Editor: Readersare cautioned that this pressrelease refers to pageantsthat are distinct and separatefrom the pageants describedin the photo release andcaption below)

The PhilippineIndependence Day Council(“PIDC”) PageantCommittee comprised ofEvent Chair, Rory Elefano,Vice-Chairs, Suzy Llaneraand Gene Elamparo andCesar Mañebo, Productionand Stage Director, isformally announcing thisyear’s Pageant launchscheduled on Sunday,February 20, 2011 andsearching for candidatesandinviting girls to be a partof this prestigious event and

PIDC – Qualifications:Filipino descent or at least50% Filipino ancestry; up to11 years old; with talent

The pageant will be heldon Saturday, May 21, 2011.The winner will wear acrown, sash, receive atrophy, flowers and a round-trip ticket to the Philippinesplus a take home of $500.00cash. ABS-CBN is alsooffering a studio tour whilevisiting the Philippines.

Candidates will have anopportunity to participate inall the PIDC’s events suchas the Independence DayBall scheduled on Friday,June 10th at the Le Jardin –Versailles Room, the MissSports Model competitionheld in conjunction with the

along with their courttoge ther and o therpageant winners such as“Miss Manila” will alsopar t i c ipa te in theSantacruzan and Paradea t the Cabbage townFes t iva l he ld everySeptember.

For more informationon how to join, pleasecontac t the Pagean tChairs: Rory Elefano at(416) 733-7818 orEmail:[email protected] orGene Elamparo at (416)2 8 4 - 3 5 4 7 E m a i l :[email protected] Suzy Llanera at (416)4 2 1 - 4 2 8 9 E m a i l :[email protected] Cesar Mañebo at (647)829-9187. (PR)

Mabuhay Cup Invitationalbasketball tournament at theHoopdome on Saturday,July 9th, Santacruzan at theMabuhay Festival onSaturday, July 23rd at theMetro Toronto ConventionCentre, ‘parada ng mgabeauties’ at the annual“Salu-Salo sa Earl BalesPark” community picnic.They will also join othercommunity events andfestivals, such as thecelebration of PhilippineIndependence Day atNathan Phillips Squarewith the Filipino CentreToronto (“FCT”)organizers of ‘Pista saNayon’. MissPhilippinesPIDC, LittleMiss Philippines PIDC

have an experience of alifetime!

“The PIDC beautypageant is an eventorganized by volunteersfrom the Filipino-Canadian

Community. Our goal isto foster unity amongFilipino-Canadians and topromote betterunderstanding of theFilipino Culture withincommunity and with theCanadian people in general.The event is sponsored bycivic-minded businessmenand individuals.

The roles of the MissPhilippines and Little MissPhilippines – PIDC willserve as Ambassadors ofGoodwill to all activitieswithin the Filipino and

multi-cultural communitiesthat PIDC is involved in.They will promote not onlythe Filipino culture, butPhilippine Tourism, as well.They will serve as a rolemodel to the youth,showcasing the beauty, thetalents and virtues of a trueFilipina.”

Miss Phi l ippinesPIDC – Qualifications:Fi l ip ino descent or a tl eas t 50% Fi l ip inoancestry; between 16 and25 years old; she mustpossess beauty of faceand figure; with talent;s ing le , never beenmarried;of good moralcharacter ; outs tandingpersonalityLittle Miss Philippines

Once again, these very young–talented Filipino-Canadian kidshave added another performanceof their lives when they wereinvited to sing the National anthemduring the Ontario Medal for GoodCitizenship Investiture ceremoniesat the Queen’s Park in Toronto. They sang the bilingual anthemin an acapella quartet style, rightin front of the Honourable Lt.Governor David Onley , theawards recipients coming from allover the province of Ontario, withtheir families and audience whocame to witness the ceremonies. “The kids sounded great!

“The Champions”perform at Queen’s Park

L-R: Candace Santos, Roy Tugbang, Glenn Montera and JasmineRagual. Foreground is Hon. Ontario Lt. Gov. David Onley. (PR)

start of many performances tocome at the historic Queen’s Park,alandmark in Ontario.

The group is composed ofJasmine Ragual (of Brampton),Roy Tugbang (of Newmarket),Glenn Montera (of York) andCandace Santos (of Mississauga).

discovered them.Way to go “The Champions” for

bringing another feather on yourcap. You are truly a group ofwonder and thank you forchampioning the Fil-Canadiankids to the mainstream audience. This may very well be just the

Everyone had nothing butcompliments. His Honour DavidOnley and Her Honour were verypleased with their performance”:said Maria D’Addona, who invitedthe kids and who was the ProgramLead of the Ministry ofCitizenshipand Immigration,Citizenship Branch of the OntarioHonours and Awards Secretariat.

Last June 3rd, the group alsoperformed before Premier DaltonMcGuinty at the Elgin’s WinterGarden Theatre during theAmethyst Awards Night for theOntario Public Service. Thatwaswhere D’Addona >>>

YOUR PATRONAGE OF OUR ADVERTISERS ...

is support to the paper you love to read. Manila Media Monitor.

Intn’l Film Festival forChildren and Youthopens April 8, 2011

Sprockets TorontoInternational Film Festival forChildren and Youth is thrilledto open this year’s festival,Friday, April 8 with the WorldPremiere of Pixar AnimationStudio’s newest short,Hawaiian Vacation, a Toy StoryToon.

As part of the SprocketsOpening Night programme,audiences will also be treatedto a sneak peek at the upcomingDisney Pixar release, Cars 2. Attendees will learn how themagic is made during a specialbehind-the-scenes presentationby a Pixar animator whoworked on both HawaiianVacation and Cars 2.

For the past 14 yearsSprockets provide children andyouth the best in film.



The long-awaited concert of theyear is now coming. If she didtremendous performances inJenifer Forever 1 and 2, part 3 willbe a very spectacular one. Thistime she stages a more explosiveand more extravagant performanceto conclude the concert series.Jenifer Forever 3 will be held atCapitol Event Theatre, 2492Yonge Street in Toronto, Ontarioon April 8, 2011 at 8:00 PM.

Jenifer, the Toronto ConcertQueen, will entertain the peoplefrom all walks of life, with herabsolute performance of modern,pop and R&B genre.

Jenifer Camacho in ... J e n i f e r Forever 3After one year of tedious

preparation, the musical geniusNoel Garcia of Com 11 Studio isready to unveil the muchanticipated second CD, entitled“Jenifer Reveals”. Songs includedin the album are Centuries, Burnit Down, Modern Day Romance,Poison, Lost, and Dedication.

With her singing prowess, heractive role in the community andher entire experience from hermodest beginnings and success asa “DIVA” in her own right -inspires a lot of people and eveninfluenced some upcoming talentsto pursue their singing career.

Shimmering every minute,Jenifer has won a lot of accoladesand became one of the mostsought, visible, prominentperformers in the community. Sheis an awardee of the 2010 MostBeautiful Filipinos in Canada,Maharlika awardee of MusicFestival in 2006, crowned as Ms.Lakambini 2004 by the KalayaanCentre in Mississauga and shereceived the Tuklas FemaleVocalist of the year in 1996.

Be there and witness as Jeniferreveals the epitome of herperformance in Jenifer Forever 3.(PR)

Encore! Live! AS1 Part 2JREM Entertainment has

announced its production of AS 1,Part 2, a much - requested repeatperformance of Mr. Pure Energy,Gary Valenciano and Concert KingMartin, Nievera to be held onSaturday, May 28, 2011 at JohnW.H. Bassett Theatre (MetroConvention Centre).

Gary and Martin — a perfectduo! They combine musicalversatility and showmanship.

AS1 was conceived in 2009 andhad tremendous success in NorthAmerica.

Their first concert in Toronto onOctober 30, 2009 at the MasseyHall was a sold-out show; andthose who watched theirperformance then still talk aboutit — how much they enjoyed the

show and that it was really“unforgettable” for them.

“So do not miss this theirsecond appearance in Toronto,”said Rene and NenengMaalihan, producers of theshow, “as we assure you of newacts and mesmerizing songsfrom Gary and Martin that willleave you ‘breathless’ all overagain.”

Contact JREM Entertainmentfor ticket reservation by phoneNeneng (647) 401-5818, Rene(647) 401-7363, or Elvie (416)656-8269; by e-mail:j r e m c o @ r o g e r s . c o mwebsite:www.jrementertainment.com.

Ticket prices are: Orchestra$150(VIP), $125, $100 andBalcony: $110, $85, $65. (PR)

<<< Filipino-American actor J.P.Viernes is guest in “Pearl of theOrient” program, hosted andproduced by Joel Recla (left inphoto). The California-based 14-year old plays the title role inElton John’s “Billy Elliot -- aBroadway musical currentlyrunning at the Canon Theatre inToronto. Photo was taken afteran interview in the program,February 15, 2011. “Perlas ngSilangan” airs Tuesdays, 11 PM,CHIN Radio- 100.7 FM.

<<< Matthew and Len Mahoneyjoin pop/ R&B recording artistShawn Desman for a photo op atthe opening of Strength-N-U atthe grand opening of the pro-grams on fitness and nutritionfacility, 80 Milner Avenue, Unit 10in Scarborough, Ontario. Des-man was one of two specialguests at the event. Desmancame straight from the PearsonInternational Airport, togetherwith fellow pop/R&B artistShiloh, flying in from London,Ontario where they had a perfor-mance the the evening before theStrength-N-U event. At presstime, Desman is in Germany fora series of sold out concerts.(Manila Media Monitor Photo)

The larger-than-life adventures ofDWARFINA on GMA Pinoy TV!

What she lacks in height, shemakes up for in character, courage,and immeasurable kindness. Smallwonder then how a girl her size canfind her way in the big andunpredictable world out there.

See the world from theperspective of a precious littleheroine with in GMA Pinoy TV’stelefanstasya offering,“Dwarfina”.

Guaranteed to delight bothyoung and old, Dwarfina followsthe majestic and magicaladventures of a girl barely the size

Dennis Trillo and HeartEvangelista are the lead in GMAPinoy TV’s telefantasya offeringongoing. GMA said the series isguaranteed to delight both theyoung and old throughDwarfina’s adventures. (GMAPhoto) >>>

of a finger, and how she finds her place in both themortal and supernatural realms.

Playing the lead characters no less are award-winning actress Heart Evangelista as the fun-lovingDwarfina, and multi-awarded actor Dennis Trillo asLyndon, Dwarfina’s beloved friend. After theirsuccessful team-up in an episode for Dear Friend andin the movie Mano Po, Heart and Dennis are readyto reignite their tandem and deliver fresh andremarkable performances on television.

Forming the ensemble of prominent actors andactresses in Dwarfina’s earthly world are Janice deBelen as Marissa, Dwarfina’s mother who was cursedby a black duwende before giving birth to her child;Chanda Romero as Selya, Dwarfina’s cruelgrandmother; Cris Villanueva as Kardo, Dwarfina’saffectionate father; Mark Bautista as Estong,Lyndon’s friend who works at the pier; Iwa Moto asLucille, Dwarfina’s jealous sister; Yogo Singh asBuddy, a batang kalye adopted by Lyndon; and up-and-coming Kapuso teen stars Derrick Monasterioas Darius, Estong’s co-worker, and Kylie Padilla asChloe, Lyndon’s younger sister who was raised inthe U.S.

Meanwhile, playing equally significant charactersin the land of duwendes are Jackielou Blanco as DitaAbiana, Queen of the duwendes; Jestoni Alarcon asDitu Calixto, King of the duwendes; Angelika delaCruz as Romera, a powerful yet evil dwarf; Emilio

Garcia as Hulyano, a rich andambitious dwarf and husband ofRomera; Pauleen Luna asGwendina, daughter of Romeraand Hulyano, another antagonist inthe story; and Tony Mabesa asNuno Umberto, adviser to theroyal duwende couple.

Completing the cast are WillDevaughn as Elvin, Dwarfina’sbestfriend in the supernaturalworld; Vaness del Moral asCamila, Dwarfina’s loyal servant;and Mico Aytona as Duwentukin,a dwarf tasked to look afterDwarfina. DWARFINA will alsofeature the special participation ofMs. Lani Mercado as Andrea,Lyndon’s doting mother.

The story of DWARFINA begunwith Kardo (Cris Villanueva) andMarissa (Janice de Belen), acouple who has always wanted tobear a child. One day, Marissaaccidentally destroys a moundbelieved to be a nuno sa punso,killing the daughter of Calixto(Jestoni Alarcon) and Abiana(Jackielou Blanco), the heir to thethrone of the Kingdom ofduwendes.

Abiana and Calixto are leftdevastated as this marks the endof their rein as well as chaos in theland of the duwendes. Knowingthat the women in the duwendeworld can only bear one child intheir lifetime, Abiana uses herpower to curse Marissa’s child soshe can take the baby and replaceit with the dead princess.

Abiana stole Dwarfina uponbirth and presented her as theirprincess, much to the surprise ofRomera. Romera is the one whowas truly responsible for the deathof Abiana’s daughter, aware thatonce the death of the real princesscomes out, Calixto and Abiana willbe forced out of their thrown andshe will become the new queen.

Calixto, however, is filled withremorse upon seeing how muchMarissa and Kardo loved theirchild. The royal duwende couplethen decided to return Dwarfina toher family while keepingeverything as a secret from theduwendes. Watch the story unfoldbefore your screen.(PR)


3 AM – when everyone wassomuch tired waiting. thateveryone eventually decided torest for the night.

While we were so tired andburnt out by all the day’s activities,my wife and I decided to pray theHoly Rosary, then slept it out.

By 5 AM, we were awakened bya call from our good friendsextending their congratulations.We won! By 36 votes! ... Thanksbe to God!

We have always prayed forguidance and ways to help ourkababayans. It was never in ourdreams that we would be blessedto have the opportunity to do more,and to more for the diversecommunities around us.

My Special thanks to our othercampaign managers, namely, Ra-mon Cruz, Jimmy and Bing Ma-

Our Journey >>> from page 8

rasigan, Gil Zamora, Gil Dicion,Norma and Milo Briones, theFlores Family; and again, to allof you who voted for me, helpedin the campaign through emails,phones, canvassed, walked door-to-door, talked to their friends,donated funds, gave flyers,prayed for us and just plainwished us all the best.

Being elected is a uniqueprivilege and honor, and I trulythank God for this opportunity tomake a difference and to beentrusted this greatresponsibility. Added icing in thecake were making history as thefirst Filipino elected in Torontoand being the first elected VisibleMinority in the Toronto CatholicDistrict School Board.

If we were able to do this feat,so can you! These are just myopinions and stories. You areentit led to them!([email protected])

Two days later the three get tothe camping site only to find Ronsitting there with a tent set up,firewood gathered, and dinnercooking on the fire.

“Dang man, how long you beenhere, and how did you talk yourwife into letting you go?”

“Well, I’ve been here sinceyesterday. Yesterday evening, Iwas sitting in my chair and mywife came up behind me and puther hands over my eyes andsaid, ’Guess who?’.” I pulledher hands off, and she was wearinga brand new nightie.

She took my hand and pulled meto our bedroom. The room hadcandles and rose petals all over. Onthe bed she had handcuffs, andropes! She told me to tie and cuffher to the bed, and I did.

And then she said, “Dowhatever you want.”

So, Here I am.***

From Philippine-basednewsman Ramon Bernardo:

A new supermarket opened inDavenport, Iowa. It has anautomatic water mister to keep

Dare >>> from page 9actually a dollar when added to99 cents.

There is always a penny inevery dollar, but never a dollar ina penny. We are all like pennies.Let us all be the 100th cent ofevery dollar. No matter how simpleand how insignificant we think weare, we can make a difference inthis world.

When Jesus formed hisdisciples, he picked out theseemingly insignificant men. Afterguiding them, they stood out andbecame outstanding within thecircle of Christian faith. Except forJudas, he also stood out, but outof the circle. And outside — hestood.

So, dare to standout. It is whenyou standout that you becomeo u t s t a n d i n g .([email protected])

Overseas migration is under thepopulation segment of Vision2020, and two of the sixpopulation-related goals of Vision2020 are where overseas migrationoperates: developing a reliablepopulation database (that ishopefully 95 percent accurate),and minimize the negative impactsof migration on Trinidadiansociety.

Under the goal of developing areliable population database,Michele Reis of The University ofthe West Indies observes Vision2020 hoped to precisely determinehow migration impacts oneducation, the work force, and thecountry’s elderly population.Meanwhile, Vision 2020 hoped toreduce the emigration of skilledTrinidadian labor, facilitate theintegration of returning migrants,and facilitate the full integration ofdocumented and non-documentedmigrants in T&T.

Such bold integration ofmigration in T&T’s Vision 2020 isso even if the country is not amajor recipient of remittances(around US$ 87 million reachedT&T in 2007, with that amountcoming from more than half ofoverseas Trinidadians who havecollege degrees). T&T, Reis alsonotes, is a destination country oftrafficked and smuggled persons,asylum-seekers and refugees.

Compare Trinidad and Tobagoto the fourth largest remittanceeconomy, the Philippines: acountry with an elaboratemigration management system thatreceived over-US$17 billion in2009, and where an estimated 8.5million overseas Filipinos,scattered in 220 countries andterritories, come from.

As the government of popularly-elected President Benigno SimeonAquino III is about to finishproducing the 2010-2016 Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan(MTPDP), something seemsmissing: Where does the Philippineswant to go, regardless of who is thiscountry’s president?

Six years, thus Aquino’s term, arenot enough for the Philippines togenerate some 13-15 million qualityjobs to reduce joblessness visibly, ifestimates by economists FernandoAldaba and Reuel Hermoso are tobe believed. Poverty levels remainedthe same (26 million living inpoverty), says initial results of the2009 Family Income andExpenditures Survey. It may take aherculean effort to bring backagriculture’s old glory, or evenrevitalize the stagnant industry or

Migrant >>> from page 10 manufacturing sector. A government agency, the

Commission on Filipinos Overseas(CFO), just revised its vision andmission in the hope that migrationand development, by 2020, hasbeen mainstreamed in thebureaucracy. In the short term,thinktanks like the ScalabriniMigration Center hope a nationalmigration and development plan isformulated by June 2011.

But where the Filipino boatintends to sail remains a question.One remembers a vision by formerPresident Fidel Ramos (1992-1998) during his term:“Philippines 2000” where, by theturn of the new millennium, thecountry would have become aTiger economy.

While many factors did notachieve such a vision, and thePhilippines continues to be abasket case in Asia, at least therewas a vision to direct an entirenation’s efforts.

The National Economic andDevelopment Authority (NEDA)may want to think about draftinga long-term strategic plan similarto T&T’s Vision 2020, one thatgoes beyond a current president’sregime. After launching the newMTPDP by early 2011, NEDA canconvene the country’s best mindsto, without partisanship, help draftsuch a development vision for thelong haul —and have PresidentAquino endorse this process. And overseas migration’s placein such a long-term Philippinevision? It is time to optimize a“Philippine diasporic dividend” —the net of net benefit from overseasmigration— that supplements along-term, not just a short-term,vision of Philippine development.

Since the overseas exodus hasimpacted many aspects of Filipinosocio-economic and cultural life,it is time to develop a migration-and-development system that seesthe country and her institutionsaddress systemically the variousimpacts of migration ondevelopment. The Philippines hasyet to have a system to address theeconomic and social impacts ofmigration —or even a set of goalsto manage these impacts andoptimize migration’s gains.

Integrating such a migration-and-development system into along-term Philippine vision will begood first step to see the progressof this migrant-sending countrybeyond merely sending peopleabroad and receiving dollars.

But if the boat just sails anddoesn’t know where to go, theregoes the thrill of looking ahead toa brighter Filipino future.

Ooops >>> page 11event where the PhilippineChamber of Commerce-Torontohonored ten of its past presi-dents, it is better to be in busi-ness, rather than the governmentservice because, in the latter, onewrong move and the mediapound on them.

Newly-elected Catholic SchoolBoard Trustee Jun Enverga whowas seated near the location Iwas working at covering theevent, said, “Yes, that’s right!”.As I turned my head to Jun, hewas looking at me.

I responded, “Don’t look at melike that. I have nothing to dowith what befell you, my friend!”

***From a forwarded email by mediacollague Mogi Mogado:

Four guys have been going tothe same deer camp for manyyears. Two days before the groupis to leave, Ron’s wife puts herfoot down and tells him he isn’tgoing.

Ron’s friends are very upset thathe can’t go, but what can they do.

Top Photo: Ten past presidents of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce-Toronto (PCCT) are honoredat the recent 20th Anniversary Gala Dinner of the organization. Feted during the event, are as follows:Winston Lim,1991-1992; Clemente Benedicto, 1992; Joe Sagala, 1994; Mann Nacario, 1995 – 1996;Rubi Talavera, 1997; Jess Antonio, 1998 – 1999; Eddie Lee, 2000 – 2001; Monina Lim-Serano, 2002;Rafael Nebres, 2003 – 2004; and, Cora dela Cruz, 2005 – 2006. Not all recipients were able to attendthe recognition ceremonies, but were represented by fellow PCCT members. With them in photo arethe officers and directors of the PCCT. In the same event, Rafael “Paeng” Nebres (photo at right)receives a Plaque for Service Recognition from Philippine Embassy Charge d’ Affaires Minerva Falcon,for his many accomplishments as president of the PCCT for the years 2003-2004; 2007-2008; and,2009-2010. With them in photo are then PCCT VP-Membership, Oswald Tugadi and directors SonnyMontojo and Cori Naron.

the produce fresh. Just before itgoes on, you hear the sound ofdistant thunder and the smell offresh rain.

When you pass the milk cases,you hear cows mooing and youexperience the scent of freshmown hay.

In the meat department thereis the aroma of charcoal grilledsteaks with onions.

When you approach the eggcase, you hear hens cluck andcackle, and the air is filled withthe pleasing aroma of bacon andeggs frying.

The bread departmentfeatures the tantalizing smell offresh baked bread & cookies.

I don’t buy toilet paper thereanymore.

***Back to Facebook ... Havingnoticed that most of my postingson Facebook were business-related, my nephew, Rafi, postedon my wall: “Uncle, how muchdoes it cost to advertise full pagein your facebook wall?”

With a smiley on my reply, Icommented, “There’s no cost,except the sales pitch is in mysystem already!”



Documents

Manila Media Monitor -- FEBRUARY 2011