By Julia ZappeiKUALA LUMPUR, March 25,

2014 (AFP) – Malaysia drew criti-cism at home and abroad on Tues-day for announcing that a miss-ing passenger jet with 239 people aboard had been lost at sea, even before any wreckage was found.

The country’s fl ag carrier also received ire for informing some relatives of the plane’s loss by text message, although it insisted this had been a “last resort”.

A sombre Prime Minister Najib

Razak said Monday that Malay-sia Airlines Flight MH370, which vanished more than two weeks ago, had “ended in the southern Indian Ocean”.

He cited fresh analysis of satel-lite tracking data and said the in-formation was being shared “out of a commitment to openness and respect for the families”.

Malaysian authorities have come in for repeated criticism for perceived secretiveness and con-

1-877-35-NOPAY(1-877-356-6729)

Vol. 3. No. 28 LOS ANGELES Wednesday - Tuesday, March 26 – April 1, 2014

Why Kaye Abad

broke up with Guji

See PAGE 7W W W . U S A S I A N P O S T . C O M

See MH370 RELATIVES, page 13

March 24, 2014 – Able Seaman Januario Callos keeps watch on the starboard bridge-wing of HMAS Success during the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370. The supply ship will use visual lookouts and is equipped with radar and communica-tions equipment to support a coordinated search with other assets within the area. With a displacement of 18 thousand tonnes and carrying a crew of 218, HMAS Success is one of the RAN’s largest vessels, capable of providing a valuable surface search, investigation and recovery capability to support the ADF air operations. Photo: LSIS James Whittle aboard HMAS Success/Com-monwealth of Australia, Department of Defence

MH370 jet crash announcement draws criticism

KUALA LUMPUR, March 24, 2014 (AFP) – Malaysia Airlines on Monday told relatives of the 239 people on board a missing passenger jet that “we have to assume” the plane went down in the southern Indian Ocean, but vowed the search for the jet would continue.

“Malaysia Airlines deeply re-grets that we have to assume that MH370 ended in the southern In-dian Ocean,” the airline said in a statement to the families, citing

new analysis of satellite data.“On behalf of all of us at Malay-

sia Airlines and all Malaysians, our prayers go out to all the loved ones (of those on board) at this enormously painful time,” the statement continued.

“We know there are no words that we or anyone else can say which can ease your pain. We will continue to provide assistance and support to you.”

The airline vowed in its state-

MANILA, Mar 24 (Mabuhay) – Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Monday said the Tiamzon couple cannot use the joint agree-ment on safety and immunity (JASIG) as their defense because it has no effect on their standing warrants of arrest.

Under JASIG, which was signed by the government and the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) back in 1995, people participating in the peace talks are immune from arrests.

Benito Tiamzon is the chair-man of the CPP-NPA while his wife, Wilma, is the secretary gen-eral. They were nabbed by ele-ments of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Phil-ippine National Police (PNP) in Barangay Zaragosa, Aluginsan in Carcar, Cebu last Saturday.

THE NDF has asserted that the Tiamzon couple is covered by JASIG but the government panel insists otherwise.

Rachel Pastores, lawyer of the Tiamzon couple, said those listed

MANILA, March 22, 2014 (AFP) – The Philippines’ high-est-ranking communist guerrilla leader was arrested Saturday in a “victory” for national peace and security, the armed forces chief said.

Communist Party of the Philip-pines chairman Benito Tiamzon and his wife, the party’s secretary general Wilma Tiamzon, were ar-rested in a joint police and mili-tary operation, military chief of staff General Emmanuel Bautista

said in a statement.“The arrest... is another victory

for the combined efforts between the (military, police) and other stakeholders in pursuit of peace and security,” he added, urging their followers to lay down their arms and end the 45-year-old in-surgency.

The Maoist rebellion has claimed 30,000 lives according to government estimates.

Though the communist party’s armed wing, the New People’s

Army, is down to about 4,000 guerrillas from more than 26,000 in the late 1980s, the rebels con-tinue to pose a threat according to the government.

The rebels frequently ambush or raid small military and police units, as well as extorting money from rural businesses, military of-fi cials say.

In April last year President Benigno Aquino’s government announced that the peace talks

MANILA, Mar 22 (Mabuhay) – After the Philippines sealed deals to purchase FA-50 fi ghter-train-ers and eight Bell 412 helicopters to boost its defense capability, a Philippine Air Force offi cial on Saturday said they would have wanted more sophisticated fi ght-ers.

However, PAF spokesman Col.

Miguel Okol said they will make do with the 12 brand-new FA-50 from South Korea and eight heli-copters from Canada.

But he stressed PAF still needs Multi-Role Fighters or “real fi ght-ers” for the country’s defense.

Okol said a Multi-Role Fighter has swing-role capabilities, “it can

MANILA, Mar 22 (Mabuhay) – The Philippine Coast Guard said on Saturday it had rescued 21 persons, 14 of them foreigners, after an outrigger of their boat was damaged off Sojoton Point in Cauayan, Negros Occidental while sailing to Oslob, Cebu Fri-day night.

PCG Western Visayas com-mander Commodore Athelo Ybanez said the foreigners in-cluded French, Swiss, German and Spanish nationals.

He said the captain of the boat, which had come from Antique,

Philippine Vice-President Jejomar Binay pays tribute to seven marines killed last year in a clash with Abu Sayyaf militants in Jolo, southern Philippines, during the wake at the Philippine Marines headquarters at Fort Bonifacio in Taguig city, east of Manila, Philippines last May 27. At least seven Filipino marines and an equal number of Abu Sayyaf militants were killed in a clash in a new U.S.-backed offensive aimed at rescu-ing six foreign and Filipino hostages and stopping the al-Qaida-linked gunmen from staging more kidnappings in the country’s south, a military commander said Sunday. (MNS photo)

MANILA, Mar 22 (Mabuhay) – It does matter that the Philip-pines does not have nuclear weap-ons nor operate nuclear power plants; millions of Filipinos - par-ticularly those working abroad - are vulnerable to any act of nucle-ar terrorism.

This was the warning of Vice President Jejomar C. Binay on Saturday, just before leaving for the 2014 Nuclear Security Sum-mit in the Netherlands. The Vice President is representing Presi-dent Benigno S. Aquino III in the biennial summit. He is also the Presidential Adviser on OFW Concerns.

“With over 10 million of our kababayans living and working overseas, any act of nuclear ter-

MANILA, Mar 24 (Mabuhay) – Broadcaster Erwin Tulfo fi led Monday a P12 million libel suit against the Philippine Daily In-quirer for publishing a story linking him to alleged media payoffs in 2009.

In his complaint affi davit, Tulfo fi led a case against PDI editor-in-chief Letty Jimenez-Magsanoc, managing editor Jose Ma. Nolasco, news editor Artemio Engracia and news reporter Nancy Carvajal.

Tulfo’s libel complaint stemmed from the alleged libelous and ma-licious article in PDI dated March 19, 2014, headlined “Payoffs to media bared.”

The report quoted former National Agribusiness Corporation (NABCOR) offi cials Rhodora Mendoza and Vic Cacal as saying that TV5 news anchor Erwin Tulfo and Radio DzBB broadcaster Melo del Prado received payoffs in the form of “advertising expenses” from the government agency in 2009.

Mendoza and Cacal said Tulfo received a check for P245,535 on March 10, 2009 drawn from a NABCOR account at United Coconut Planters’ Bank (UCPB), Tektite Branch PSE Center, Ortigas, Pasig City.

Malaysia Airlines tells families it will keep searching for jet

Most senior NPA rebel leaders held captured

Gov’t defends arrest of NPA ‘power couple’

21, including 14 foreigners, rescued off southern Negros Occidental

OFWs vulnerable to nuclear terrorism, Binay warns ahead of world nuke summitTulfo fi les libel suit vs PDI

PAF wants more sophisticated fi ghter planes, but will make do with FA-50

See MALAYSIA, page 13

See POWER COUPLE, page 13

See NPA REBELS, page 13

See RESCUED, page 13

See FA-50, page 13

See TULFO LIBEL, page 13See OFWS, page 13

President Benigno S. Aquino III is being apprised by PhilHealth president and chief executive offi cer and former peace negotiator Alexander Padilla during the launching of Alaga Ka para sa Maayos na Buhay (ALAGA KA) program at the Quezon Memorial Circle in Elliptical Road, Quezon City on Monday (March 24, 2014).

Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday – Tuesday, March 26 – April 1, 2014 THE US ASIAN POST2

MANILA, Mar 24 (Mabuhay) – The Maritime Industry Au-thority (MARINA) is more than capable of taking over as the country’s single-maritime agen-cy provided that it be given ad-ditional manpower, equipment and funding.

MARINA administrator Max-imo Mejia Jr said this after the legislation, approved by the House of Representatives and Senate and signed by President Benigno S. Aquino III as Re-public Act 10635 last March 13,

tasked MARINA to take over the manning, certifi cation and train-ing functions.

These functions were formerly undertaken by the Professional Regulation Commission, Com-mission on Higher Education, Maritime Training Center, Tech-nical Education Skills Develop-ment Authority, and Depart-ment of Health. He added that MARINA is capable of doing all these functions but stressed that it would take 12 months to transfer all these functions to

the maritime agency.Mejia said that the 12-month

period would allow the agency ample time to formulate the budget, equipment and person-nel request to the Department of Budget and Management, a task Transportation Secretary Emilio Joseph Abaya said that he would assist them. Once these are approved, the MARINA chief said that they could easily un-dertake all the functions earlier performed by the fi ve agencies. (MNS)

The view of M/S Europa 2 (left) from a distance, while foreign tourists (right photo) embark Tuesday (March 18) the luxury ocean cruise ship at the port of Tagbilaran City. The province of Bohol continues to be one of the favorite tourist destinations despite the destruction brought about by the 7.2 magnitude earthquake last year. (MNS photo)

MARINA capable of doing task of single-maritime agency

MANILA, Mar 24 (Mabuhay) – For some commuters from south-ern Luzon traveling on roads go-ing to and from Manila, pictures simply paint a thousand words.

In a motion and reply sub-mitted to the Supreme Court, a group of bus commuters led by Angeles Bayot has included 23 photographs showing that the government’s newly introduced Southwest Interim Transport Terminal (SITT) did not meet in-ternational standards and would only make things harder for trav-elers.

“These photos clearly show that the questioned bus terminal is far from the ‘international standards’ of a public terminal,”said the peti-tioners, who even sent one of their lawyer, Antonio Carlos Bayot, to personally inspect the terminal in Parañaque City earlier this month.

One of the photos showed the terminal being surrounded by makeshift structures, such as carinderias and other stalls, which could “serve as hotspots for bystanders, and even drug users/pushers.” Another one showed garbage, rubble and debris scat-tered around the terminal, expos-ing passengers to pollution and health hazards.

“Surroundings of the SITT ap-pear to be more like dumpsites

rather than a ‘world class’ termi-nal for commuters. Considering Uniwide Coastal Mall’s dilapi-dated facilities and condition, it is very questionable why respon-dents agreed to lease these prem-ises,” the petitioners said, adding that an asphalt plant can also be found near the terminal.

Other photos showed that is-land bays for waiting passengers are “squeezed” between buses with a space of only around “two to three feet.”

“Amidst the long queue of bus-es, bystanders are totally oblivi-ous of the hazards/accidents wait-ing to happen... (of the) danger they are in because of the very small distance between them and the moving buses,” they said.

The terminal also has a low ceiling and is “very dark, small, and fi lled with smoke/fumes from the diesel emission of buses.

“Literally, the smoke inside the SITT is so bad that one cannot stay for 5 minutes without getting dizzy or immediately developing cough,” the petitioners said, even suggesting that the Department of Health should study the pollu-tion levels inside the terminal.

“Surely, this kind of a facility is very harmful for the health of those sick, disabled, pregnant women, infants, children, and se-nior citizens,” the petitioners said.

Commuters to SC: Parañaque terminal makes things worse

MANILA, Mar 24 (Mabuhay) – The Philippine government has lowered the alert level in Bangkok and surrounding ar-eas in Thailand from 2 to 1, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced on Monday.

Under Alert Level 1, Filipinos in Bangkok and the concerned areas, namely Nonthaburi Prov-ince, Lad Lum Kaew District of Pathumthani Province, and

Bang Phli District of Samut-prakan Province, are advised to take necessary precautions.

“There is no ban on the de-ployment of overseas Filipino workers under Alert Level 1,” the DFA said.

Manila raised Alert Level 2 over Thailand in January follow-ing the enforcement of a 60-day state of emergency by the Thai government to quell weeks-long

protests aimed at pressuring elected Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to step down in fa-vor of an unelected council.

The Thai government lifted the state of emergency on March 19.

There were an estimated 16,000 Filipinos in Thailand based on the 2012 data from the Commission on Filipinos Over-seas. (MNS)

PHL lowers alert level for Thailand from 2 to 1

SINGAPORE, March 24, 2014 (AFP) – Singapore has stepped up security checks at Changi Airport as a “precau-tionary measure” after Ma-laysia Airlines fl ight MH370 went missing earlier this month, the city-state’s police said Monday.

Soon after the plane car-rying 239 people vanished on March 8, authorities revealed

by someone on board. But the absence of fi rm evidence of the plane’s fate has fuelled intense speculation and a wealth of con-spiracy theories, including a hi-jacking.

Changi is an “international gateway” where nearly 7,000 fl ights land or depart weekly and 147,000 passengers pass through daily, the Singapore police said in a statement.

“Arising from the MH370 in-cident, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) have raised the security alert at Changi Airport as a precaution-ary measure,” the statement said.

The statement did not give de-tails of the additional steps taken.

Security measures at the air-port are “in accordance with in-ternational best practices and the security standards prescribed by

the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO),” it said.

“The Police and ICA are moni-toring the security threat situa-tion closely,” the statement said.

“We appreciate the under-standing and patience from trav-elers as we conduct the various security checks to ensure safe and secure travel.”

Flight MH370 disappeared from civilian radar 16 days ago, nearly an hour after taking off from Kuala Lumpur for Beijing.

Chinese passengers comprised two-thirds of the 239 people aboard the Boeing 777 aircraft.

A massive international search is currently under way in the southern Indian Ocean after sat-ellite data indicated the plane may have ended up there, with evidence mounting of debris in the area that may be connected to the mystery.

that two passen-gers had board-ed it using stolen passports in a major breach of airport security that triggered fears of a terror link.

Malaysia be-lieves the fl ight was deliber-ately diverted

Singapore steps up airport security after MH370 incident

PARIS, March 24, 2014 (AFP) – French investigators said Monday it was too soon to consider launching undersea searches for the wreckage of the Malaysia Airlines jet that offi cials said went down in the Indian Ocean.

France’s BEA accident investigation ser-vice, which had sent three investigators to Kuala Lumpur, said the “vast area (in-volved) does not, at present, make it feasi-ble to conduct undersea searches.”

“An undersea phase to localize the aero-plane from fl ight MH370 could be launched only if the operations under way today en-able a more limited search area to be de-fi ned than the current search areas,” the BEA said in a statement.

It said its investigators, who had re-turned from Kuala Lumpur at the week-end, had discussed possible techniques for undersea searches with Malaysian authori-ties.

In particular they discussed “their expe-rience... acquired during the search between 2009 and 2011 for the wreckage of Rio-Paris fl ight AF447,” it said.

It took 23 months for BEA investigators to fi nd the wreckage of the Air France fl ight after it went down in the Atlantic in 2009.

Malaysia on Monday said the MH370, which went missing more than two weeks ago, crashed in the Indian Ocean, but shed no light on the mystery of why it veered from its intended course.

Too soon to launch undersea search for MH370: French investigators

MANILA, Mar 24 (Mabuhay) – Con-sumer Water For All Refund Movement (WARM) is criticizing government for fail-ing to implement the water rate reduction that the state-owned Metropolitan Water-works and Sewerage System (MWSS) ap-proved in 2013.

WARM president Rodolfo Javellana said the rate cut should’ve been implemented since no there was no temporary restrain-ing order from the courts.

“Wala namang pumipigil sa MWSS na ilabas ang kanilang resolusyon, at mala-man ng buong bayan ang resulta. Ang prob-lema ay itinago mismo ng MWSS ‘yung re-sulta na kanilang pinirmahan,” he said.

MWSS are holding arbitration proceed-ings with Maynilad and Manila Water, but Javellana said no information is being re-leased to the public.

Javellana said the secrecy has raised suspicions that there are government offi -cials who are opposing the rate cut.

“Kung totoo na ang gobyerno natin ay nasa Tuwid na Daan, ito ay dapat ipagmal-aki ng gobyerno at sabihing, ‘Ipinagtanggol namin kayong mga water consumers, may-roon tayong rate reduction.’ Ito’y political victory sa ating mga water consumers. Na-kakalungkot lang na hindi ito nilalabas,” said Javellana.

“Sa tingin namin ay mayroong pumip-igil sa loob ng Palasyo sa usapan na ito,” he added.

The MWSS board earlier approved a 29.47 percent downward adjustment on Manila Water’s 2012 average basic water charge of P24.57 per cubic meter, which would be implemented in fi ve equal tranch-es of -5.894 percent per year. Manila Water proposed a basic rate increase of P5.83 per cubic meter.

The board also approved a negative ad-justment of 4.82 percent on Maynilad’s 2012 average basic water charge of P30.28 per cubic meter, which would be implemented in fi ve equal tranches of -0.964 per charging year. Maynilad requested for an P8.58 per cubic meter rate hike for 2013 to 2018.

The existing water rates remain in ef-fect until the arbitration proceedings reach a fi nal decision on the tariff determination. (MNS)

Consumer group cries foul over delay in water rate cut

Mag

www.usasianpost.comVISIT OUR WEBSITE

Tayo!For more news & information,

THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday – Tuesday, March 26 – April 1, 2014 Visit www.usasianpost.com 3

OPINION

Vice President for OperationsAlan Michael

Automotive Advertising ManagerLiza Rafallo

Offi ce Manager/Classifi ed AdvertisingLyn Mendoza

PhotographerPhillip Ner

Executive EditorRhony Laigo

Advertising CoordinatorMyra Portez

Circulation ManagerRonnie Villo

MANILA, March 23, 2014 (AFP) – Prospects of reviving peace talks with Philippine communist insurgents have faded following the arrest of a married couple who are senior rebel leaders, offi -cials and analysts said Sunday.

The armed forces have hailed the arrest on Sat-urday of Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) chairman Benito Tiamzon and his wife, the party’s secretary general Wilma Tiamzon, as a victory.

Military chief General Emmanuel Bautista said Benito Tiamzon heads both the party and its armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA).

He “directs the armed struggle all over the coun-try, directs the (use of landmines), the killings, and the violence perpetrated by the NPA”, Bau-tista said.

He told reporters the arrests would leave the 45-year-old rebel movement with a leadership vac-uum, adding he hoped more guerrillas would re-alise the futility of their struggle.

But the detentions also prompted harsh accusa-tions from both sides over the stalled peace pro-cess.

The Tiamzons were held in a raid in the central island of Cebu on three warrants for multiple mur-der and attempted murder, Bautista said.

He said fi ve other people arrested with the couple were also believed to be insurgents since they were found in possession of fi rearms and explosives.

Luis Jalandoni, chairman of the insurgents’ ne-gotiating panel, condemned the “illegal arrest”, saying both Tiamzons were covered by immunity guarantees.

Jalandoni, in a statement on the insurgents’ website, called the arrests a “fl agrant violation” of an immunity deal signed in 1995 when the latest peace talks began.

It “most seriously prejudices the peace negotia-tions”, he added.

President Benigno Aquino had hoped to reach a peace agreement with the communists by the end of his term in 2016, but in April 2013 the govern-ment declared that talks had collapsed.

Government negotiators denied the arrests vio-lated the immunity deal, and said Wilma Tiamzon would not have been covered in any case since she had jumped bail in 1989.

Possible retaliation -The government panel said in a statement the

rebels’ position was “ridiculous” as it meant they could stage attacks and then claim immunity when arrested.

“It is even more outrageous considering that the peace negotiations have not moved for over a year now,” the panel added.

Aquino’s spokesman Edwin Lacierda also said any further talks should be “time bound” and not open-ended as in previous negotiations.

Despite the collapse of the talks in 2013, the Aquino government revealed that in January, it had been working with the Norwegian govern-ment, which had brokered previous negotiations, to reopen the stalled talks.

Rommel Banlaoi, chairman of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Re-search, said the arrests would damage prospects for further talks since the rebels could demand the release of the Tiamzons as a precondition.

He said guerrillas might also mount retaliatory attacks.

The NPA’s ranks have shrunk to about 4,000 guerrillas from more than 26,000 in the late 1980s.

But the rebels frequently ambush or raid small military and police units and also extort money from rural businesses, military offi cials say.

On March 10 the guerrillas staged one of their most daring attacks in years, raiding a police sta-tion and then ambushing a pursuing military con-voy, leaving 10 soldiers and police dead.

Peace prospects dim after arrest of NPA rebel couple

MANILA, Mar 24 (Mabuhay) – President Benig-no Aquino III said the resumption of peace talks de-pends on the willingness of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Dem-ocratic Front to cooperate with the government.

“They [CPP-NPA]...walked out [of] the peace talks, if you remember correctly. It really depends on their willingness to go back to the bargaining table,” Aquino told reporters during an interview.

He issued the statement after authorities ar-rested over the weekend CPP chair Benito Tiamzon and his wife, the party’s secretary general Wilma Tiamzon.

Earlier, the CPP during its 45th founding anni-versary said it will no longer engage in formal talks with the Philippine government, citing the “proven unwillingness of the Aquino regime to negotiate a just peace.”

But citing media reports, Aquino said the Tiam-zons were in possession of hand grenades and pis-tols, something he said “normally does not occupy the belongings of a peace negotiator.”

As for possible retaliation, the President said it would not make a difference since “the attacks [from them] have not ceased.”

“So what are they saying? For them, it’s business as usual, I guess,” he said.

Benito is included on the “Big Five” fugitive list alongside fellow NPA leader Jorge Madlos. His arrest follows the arrest of Delfi n Lee, who was nabbed in connection with a multibillion-peso es-tafa case.

Last Wednesday, Aquino hinted another big-name fugitive would be arrested soon, but did not elaborate.

On Monday, the President confi rmed he was per-taining to Benito.

“It [The arrest] wasn’t a surprise because I did mention it,” he said.

“I believe it does deliver a serious blow [to the NPA]. And it shows you also the competency of our security forces,” he added.

Aquino, meanwhile, said they still have to deal with the “root causes” of the insurgency problem.

“That’s why we are focused on empowering our people especially in trying to move them out of pov-erty in the various interventions that we have been doing from education, to health, to livelihood, to housing, to disaster preparedness and so on and so forth,” he said. (MNS)

MANILA, Mar 22 (Mabuhay) – Malacañang said Saturday that President Benigno S. Aquino III re-mains fi rm in his stance that he is not for Char-ter change despite some lawmakers’ proposals to amend the 1987 Constitution.

Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte raised the issue in an interview on state-run dzRB Radyo ng Bayan following Senator Miriam Defen-sor Santiago’s call for making a new provision in the Constitution, particularly in banning political dynasties.

The senator also wanted to include in the provi-sion the requirement that a candidate who would want to run for national offi ce should have a college degree.

“Senator Santiago has always been very frank about parts of the Constitution that on her opinion need to be amended. However, at present, it’s really not a priority of the administration,” Valte said.

Valte noted that there is an anti-political dynasty

bill being pushed in the House of Representatives but has yet to reach the plenary for debates.

She said that Malacañang would fi rst have to wait for the outcome of the bill.

Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacieda had previously mentioned that President Aquino’s stance on Cha-cha is very well known among his al-lies.

The President does not want to “interfere” in the process as he is preoccupied with governance, among other things, he said.

He also noted that the Philippine economy is do-ing well even without Cha-cha.

“If you look at the situation right now, our econ-omy has grown better even without amending the Charter,” Lacierda said.

Despite such reasons, President Aquino has ex-pressed his willingness to discuss the proposed Charter change with the leaders of the House of Representatives, he added. (MNS)

HONG KONG, March 24, 2014 (AFP) – Hong Kong is failing to protect victims of human traf-fi cking for forced labour, a report said Monday, calling for new legislation to prevent “modern-day slavery” in a city which relies heavily on migrant workers.

The report comes at a time of growing anger over the abuse of foreign domestic helpers in the southern Chinese city, and a day before the trial of a Hong Kong employer accused of torturing her Indonesian maid is set to resume.

“Current legislation merely prohibits human traffi cking ‘for the purpose of prostitution’, but not for the purpose of forced labour or other forms of traffi cking,” said the joint report by Justice Centre Hong Kong and Liberty Asia.

New legislation expanding the defi nition of traf-fi cking would help in tackling forced labour abuse by perpetrators including placement agencies, loan companies and employers, it said.

“Recent allegations of domestic helper abuse in Hong Kong bear many of the characteristics of forced labour,” said report co-author Victoria Wis-niewski Otero, adding that a comprehensive anti-traffi cking law could help protect the city’s maids.

Hong Kong is home to nearly 300,000 domestic helpers, mainly from Indonesia and the Philip-pines, and criticism from rights groups over their treatment is growing.

In January, 44-year-old housewife Law Wan-tung was charged with assault relating to her treat-ment of her maid Erwiana Sulistyaningsih, who

was reportedly left unable to walk following eight months of abuse. The employer was also charged with abusing two previous Indonesian maids.

Sulistyaningsih had been admitted to an Indo-nesian hospital in critical condition after returning home.

The incident triggered anger from thousands of domestic helpers who took to the streets of Hong Kong to demand justice.

The problem of forced labor is only deepening as Hong Kong widens its search for cheap sources of labor, according to the report.

“The main reason for traffi cking is simple: Hong Kong has a high demand for cheap labor and there is a proximate abundance of supply from neighbor-ing countries in the Asia-Pacifi c region,” it said.

In February, Hong Kong received its fi rst offi cial group of maids from Myanmar, as the city tries to plug a shortage of domestic helpers.

Around 200 are expected to arrive in the city over the next three months, but activists have ex-pressed fears that Myanmar women are one of the groups most vulnerable to abuse due to their lim-ited skills in English and Cantonese.

In September, a Hong Kong couple were jailed for savagely beating their Indonesian domestic helper, including burning her with an iron and hit-ting her with a bicycle chain.

Amnesty International in November condemned the “slavery-like” conditions faced by thousands of Indonesian domestic helpers in Hong Kong and ac-cused authorities of “inexcusable” inaction.

BY JONATHAN FOWLERGENEVA, March 24, 2014 (AFP) – The Philip-

pines’ devastating Typhoon Haiyan and drought in Australia are among recent weather extremes con-sistent with man-made climate change, the UN’s weather agency said Monday.

“Many of the extreme events of 2013 were con-sistent with what we would expect as a result of human-induced climate change,” Michel Jarraud, secretary general of the World Meterological Orga-nization (WMO), said as he released his agency’s an-nual climate report.

“We saw heavier precipitation, more intense heat, and more damage from storm surges and coastal fl ooding as a result of sea level rise – as Typhoon Haiyan so tragically demonstrated in the Philip-pines,” he added.

While individual extremes cannot be pinned on man-made climate change alone, due to a complex web of factors, Jarraud said they are part of a clear trend.

He pointed to data from Australia showing that record heat there last year would have been “virtu-ally impossible” without human emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases.

Other 2013 weather events fl agged by the agen-cy included extreme cold in Europe and the United States, fl oods in India, Nepal, northern China, Rus-sia, central Europe, Sudan and Somalia, snow in the Middle East, and droughts in southern China, Bra-

zil, southern Africa and the western United States.‘No standstill’ in global warmingExtreme cold in no way undermines the idea of

global warming, Jarraud said, noting that climate change by defi nition skews weather patterns.

“When some people say global warming has stopped, what is now a record cold year is actually warmer than any year before 1998,” he said.

Phenomena such as volcanic eruptions or the El Nino and La Nina weather patterns in the Pacifi c have always infl uenced temperatures and sparked disasters, but human activity is an accelerator, Jar-raud explained.

“There is no standstill in global warming,” he said.

“Levels of these greenhouse gases are at record levels, meaning that our atmosphere and oceans will continue to warm for centuries to come. The laws of physics are non-negotiable,” he added.

The report said 2013 tied with 2007 as the sixth warmest on record.

The average global land and ocean surface tem-perature for the year was 14.5 degrees Celsius (58.1 degrees Fahrenheit) – 0.5 C (0.9 F) above the 1961-1990 average and 0.03 C (0.05 F) higher than the av-erage for 2001-2010, which was already the warmest decade on record.

Thirteen of the 14 warmest years on record oc-curred in the 21st century, and each of the last three decades has been warmer than the last.

Aquino: Resumption of peace talks depends on ‘willingness’ of CPP-NPA

Charter change still not President Aquino’s priority, Palace maintains

Hong Kong fails to protect human traffi cking victims: report

Haiyan, other weather extremes ‘consistent’ with man-made climate change: UN

Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday – Tuesday, March 26 – April 1, 2014 THE US ASIAN POST4

All legal services are provided by and under the supervision of active members of the State Bar of California. *Some restrictions apply. Please call for details. **Employer sponsorship not guaranteed & based on qualified education, training & experience in specific professions

in fo@korenimmigrat ion.com • www.korenimmigrat ion.com

• REMOVAL/DEPORTATION DEFENSE • FAMILY-BASED IMMIGRATION • BUSINESS AND INVESTOR VISA• EMPLOYMENT-BASED• HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS• PERM (Approval Guaranteed or we'll Refile for FREE*)

• NATURALIZATION/CITIZENSHIP• DACA/Deferred Action

1-714-300-0606 • 1-888-838-38181475 S. State College Blvd., Suite 110,

Anaheim, CA 92806(corner of Cerritos, between Ball and Katella roads)

WE WILL WORK HARD FOR YOU TO FULFILL YOUR IMMIGRATION GOALS!

15260 Ventura Blvd., Suite 1200Sherman Oaks, CA 91403

(City National Bank building)

We Handle ALL Immigration Matters:

Law Offices of

Gali Koren, PLCImmigration rights for samesex married couples.Contact us for details.

NEWS!!!

Attorney Gal i Koren is the firm's founder and managing attorney. She received her Juris Doctor Degree, Magna Cum Laude , f rom Weste rn State University. She obtained her LLM in International Law from the Universi ty of San Diego Law School, majoring in Immigration Law. Ms. Koren is a member of the State Bar of California and is authorized to r e p r e s e n t c l i e n t s o n immigration matters in all 50 states.

Graduate of Ateneo de Manila University.Member of State Bar

of California andPhilippine Bar.

Licensed Attorney

Licensed AttorneyAtty. Gali KorenAtty. Gali Koren

Atty. Carlo BorjaAtty. Carlo Borja

Our experienced attorneys & staff will help you navigate the complex immigration system and offer you personalized attention on your specific case. All of us understand your goals because we all come from immigrant backgrounds. Our mission is to provide effective and aggressive representation of your interests in all immigration matters in an efficient manner.

CONTACT US FOR A FREE* INITIAL CONSULTATION WITH ATTY. KOREN

Get involved! Become a mission partner, benefactor or donor for poverty alleviation foundation LONG BEACH – Mast Sisters, Missionary Volunteers of the Poverty Alleviation Foundation held their regular meeting at the Mission House of the Mast Sisters in Long Beach, CA. They also prepared fundraising materials for distribution to different parishes. These fundraising materials are for the Poverty Alleviation Foundation Fund Campaign, asking for fi nancial support to sustain their care and shelter for orphans in the Philippines. The foundation’s doors are open to all who are interested in becoming a mission partner, a benefactor, or a donor. For more sit their website at www. povertyalleviationfoundation.com.

The Leyte Dance Theater, the pride of Tacloban City, Leyte, Philippines, will be performing on April 19, 2014 at 7 p.m. in Fuller-ton, Orange County at the Plum-mer Auditorium. This is just one of the series of performances on their US Tour 2014.

Watch the “Yolanda/Haiyan” survivors as the y rise from dev-

astation, dancing and singing to your heart’s delight showing the world that the Filipino People are strong and can overcome any ob-stacles.

LDT has traveled to the USA six times since 1997 and performed for Filipino-American audiences with overwhelming response. Other major performances are as

follows: Philippine representative to the Chingay Festival in Singa-pore; International Folk Festival in Turkey; International Folk Festival in Indonesia; and Inter-national Folk Dance Competition in Sabah, Malaysia where it was adjudged as Grand Champion and winning the Best in Choreogra-phy, Best in Music, and Best Male

Dancer. In 2013, LDT was among the 40 or more performers around the world that performed during the Grand Prix event in Bahrain. LDT is also a regular performer in the yearly International Dance Xchange event sponsored by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts Dance Committee.

Today, aside from its regu-lar performance and travels, the LDT continues with its dance productions and free training for talented dancer. These programs of training, production and per-

formance make LDT a venue for dance development, artistic expressions and national pride. As recognition LDT’s efforts, the Sangyaw Foundation, Inc., cit-ed the group for its meritorious achievement in the fi eld of Arts and Entertainment on June 2013. Also, the ALIW Awards Founda-tion, Inc., recently awarded LDT a “Lifetime Achievement Award” in the fi eld of Performing Arts dur-ing the 26th Annual Aliw Awards ceremony at the Manila Hotel last October 8, 2013.

Leyte Dance Theater on stage April 19 in OC

LOS ANGELES, March 24, 2014 (AFP) – More than 100 peo-ple are still unaccounted for after a devastating landslide in the northwestern US state of Wash-ington, while eight people are so far confi rmed dead, offi cials said Monday.

The number reported missing or unaccounted for rose dramati-cally from 18 to 108 after the mas-sive landslide slammed “like a freight train” into a mountainside in Snohomish County.

“We’re still in rescue mode here, but the situation is very grim,” said Snohomish County fi re district chief Travis Hots.

“We’re holding out hope that we’ll fi nd people that are still alive, but we haven’t found any-one alive since Saturday.”

Emergency management chief John Pennington stressed that 108 is the number of reported missing or unaccounted for, not necessarily actually missing after the disaster on Saturday.

But he said there were a total of 49 dwellings of various types in the area hit by the devastat-ing landslide, and that there were likely to have been more people at home on a Saturday than during the week.

“To date there are 108 reports of names of individuals who are either unaccounted for or miss-ing,” he said. “This doesn’t mean that there are 108 injuries, or 108 fatalities, it’s 108 reports,” he told reporters.

“It was Saturday, and it was probably a higher number than you would see during a weekday,” he said.

Voices heard, then silence -The wall of mud, rocks and

trees smashed into the rural town

of Oso, northeast of Seattle, de-stroying houses and part of a highway.

The fi eld of rubble is about 2.4 kilometers (1.5 miles) across and some four to six meters (13-20 feet) deep in areas, The Seattle Times reported.

Rescuers reported hearing voic-es calling for help on Saturday, but Hots said they “didn’t see or hear any signs of life” on Sunday.

Among the missing was a four-month-old baby and her grand-mother, local media reported.

Washington state Governor Jay Inslee, who declared a state of emergency for the area, told reporters there is “a full-scale, 100-percent, aggressive rescue effort” going on, adding that he-licopters, hovercrafts and res-cue personnel had rushed to the scene.

The muddy area was so un-stable that some rescue workers “went in and got caught literally up to their armpits” and had to be pulled out themselves, Inslee said.

People injured in the landslide include a six-month old infant and an 81 year-old man, both hos-pitalized in critical condition at a Seattle hospital, local media said.

“It sounded like a freight train,” landslide witness Dan Young told Komo4News. “In just 35 to 45 sec-onds it was over.”

Young’s home survived but is fl ooded. “It’s much worse than ev-eryone’s been saying,” a fi refi ght-er who did not want to be named told The Seattle Times.

“The slide is about a mile wide. Entire neighborhoods are just gone. When the slide hit the (Stillaguamish) river, it was like a tsunami.”

Eight killed, 108 unaccounted for in huge Washington landslide

CHICAGO, March 24, 2014 (AFP) – More than 30 people were in-jured early Monday in Chicago when a com-muter train derailed and barreled up an escalator at a station at one of the busiest airports in the United States.

Some of the people injured in the incident at the O’Hare Interna-tional Airport station were taken to hospi-tal while others were treated at the scene, a spokeswoman for the Chicago Transit Au-thority told AFP.

None of the injuries were life-threatening.

“The train did not decelerate and went past where it should have stopped,” said the spokeswoman, Lambri-ni Lukidis.

The Blue Line train crashed just before 3 a.m. – a relatively quiet time at the airport. The transit authority said the train had roughly 50 people on board.

The CTA and the Na-tional Transportation Safety Board were to in-vestigate the incident.

“It’s too early for us to be able to speculate what happened here,” Lukidis said.

More than 30 hurt as Chicago commuter train derails

THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday – Tuesday, March 26 – April 1, 2014 Visit www.usasianpost.com 5

PALA, CA, March 24, 2014 – Asia’s “Nightingale” Lani Misalu-cha and Filipino recording artist Jed Madela will bring a night of Filipino star power to the Events Center at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, May 31, when they co-headline the“Perfect Combination” concert at Pala Casino Spa & Resort.

Misalucha, a world renowned, award-winning recording artist wows audiences with her three-octave vocal range and sings ev-erything from rock and roll to op-eratic arias. She also possesses a comedic fl air and can perform dead-on impressions of well-known divas. She became the fi rst Asian to headline a 15-month successful run performing with

Hawaii’s premier show band So-ciety of Seven (SOS) in the main showroom at the world-famous Jubilee Theater at Bally’s Hotel & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip.

Madela dubbed “The Voice,” for his uniquely wide vocal range, is a Filipino recording artist and co-host of the popular Filipino TV variety show, ASAP, where he also performs. He was the fi rst Filipino to become the world grand champion of Hollywood’s World Championship of the Per-forming Arts (WCOPA), which recently elevated him to Hall of Fame status.

Lani Misalucha and Jed Madela7:30 p.m., Saturday, May 31;

Events Center; Pala Casino Spa

& Resort; Tickets, $79, $69, $59, $49; Tickets on sale at 10 a.m., Friday, March 28, with no service charge, at the Pala Box Offi ce, or 1-877-946-7252. Tickets also are available at www.startickets.com, or 1-800-585-3737.

Pala is located in Northern San Diego County; from San Diego/Riverside, take I-15 to Highway 76 east fi ve miles; from Los An-geles County and Orange County, take I-5 south to Highway 76 east, then travel 23 miles. Pala is 15 miles north of Escondido, 12 miles south of Temecula.

Address: 11154 Highway 76, Pala, CA 92059; Telephone: 1-877-WIN-PALA (1-877-946-7252); Web site: http://www.palacasino.com Other shows coming to Pala:

Creedence Clearwater Revis-ited, 8 p.m., Friday, March 28, Events Center. Tickets, $50, $45, $35, $25, at www.startickets.com SOLD OUT

Hill Country Reunion Con-cert, 8 p.m., Friday, March 28, In-fi nity. FREE Show. General Ad-mission Seating. Doors will open at 7 p.m.

Queen Nation, a tribute to Queen; Bonfi re, a tribute to AC/DC, 7:30 p.m., Saturday, April 5, Events Center. Tickets, all gen-eral admission, $12 in advance, $14 at door

Pala Gala Cuoi Vietnamese

Concert, 8 p.m., Saturday, April 12, Infi nity. Admission is FREE. Tickets will be distributed to guests at 6 p.m., April 12, in the Pala Hotel lobby.

The Temptations, The Four Tops, 8 p.m., Friday, April 18, Events Center, Tickets, $65, $55, $45, $30 at www.startickets.com SOLD OUT

Theresa Caputo, Psychic Medi-um, 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 22, Events Center. Tickets, start at $49.75 and are subject to change without notice, at www.startick-ets.com SOLD OUT

Gabriel Iglesias, 8 p.m., Fri-day, May 2, Events Center. Tick-ets, $65, $55, $45, $35 at www.startickets.com

Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Touring Pro Division, 7 p.m., Sat-urday, May 17; 2 p.m., Sunday, May 18, Pala Rodeo Grounds. Tickets, Reserved: $48 and $28 for children 12 and under; Gener-al Admission, $28, Saturday, May 17; $20 Sunday, May 18, at www.startickets.com

Chippendales, 7 p.m., Satur-day, June 7, Infi nity. Tickets, $32, $22, at www.startickets.com

Dru Hill, Silk, Shai, 7:30 p.m., Saturday, July 19, Events Cen-ter. Tickets, $65, $55, $45, $30, at www.startickets.com

Michael McDonald and Toto, 6 p.m., Sunday, August 10, Events Center. Tickets, $90, $80, $70,

$55, at www.startickets.comAbout Pala Casino Spa & ResortPala Casino Spa & Resort in-

cludes a Las Vegas-style casino with 2,000 slot machines, 13 poker tables and 87 table games; a 507-room hotel; a 10,000-square-foot, full-service spa and salon that fea-tures 14 treatment rooms; a state-of-the-art fi tness center; swim-ming pool with 12 private poolside cabanas, and dual-temperature outdoor Jacuzzi. Pala also offers 10 restaurants and 40,000 square feet of meeting and convention space. Pala Casino Spa & Resort is an AAA Four-Diamond Award winner for 11 consecutive years. Its state-of-the-art Pala Spa was named the number one spa on the West Coast and one of the top 100 spas in the United States for 2013 by Spas of America.

Previously, Pala Spa was named the 2009 Best Casino Spa by Spas of America, the 2009 Best Casino Spa by the Southern Cali-fornia Gaming Guide and in 2012 received a spaAward and was se-lected by Spas of America as one of the top 100 spas in the United States.

In 2011, Pala Casino Spa & Re-sort was voted Best Casino in San Diego by the public in the 10News.com annual A-List poll sponsored by KGTV-TV 10 News in San Di-ego. For more information, vis-it http://www.palacasino.com.

Filipino stars Lani Misalucha, Jed Madela to co-headline at Pala Casino May 31

7 March 2014, Los Angeles, CA - Philippine Consulate General Offi -cials attended the fundraising concert to benefi t the victims of Typhoon Hai-yan organized by the Rotary Club of Historic Filipinotown in collaboration with APO GLA and UP APO Founda-tion on 15 March 2014 at Incarnation Community Center Gym, Glendale, California. The concert features the REO Brothers, Raymart, RJ, Ralph and Reno, who were Taclobanons and sur-vivors of Typhoon Haiyan.

Acting Head of Post, Deputy Con-sul General Imelda M. Panolong gave the opening remarks during the con-cert. Dep. Con. Gen. Panolong high-lighted the resiliency of the Filipino people amidst tragedies and calami-ties as embodied by the REO broth-ers. With their guitars, a few cookies and a business card of an acquaintance in hand, they started their musical jour-ney in the road to recovery not only for themselves but also for their fellow Taclobanons. This journey has brought them all the way to the United States with performances at the Madison Square Garden in New York and now in Los Angeles.

The Mayor of Glendale, Hon. Dave Weaver, and Atty. Alma Luna from the Offi ce of Sen. Leland Yee also graced the occasion and presented certifi cates of commendation to the REO brothers, Rotary Club of Historic Filipinotown,

APO GLA and UP APO Foundation. The event Chairperson, Mr. Ben

Aranda, and Rotary Club President Leo Pandac told the public that this benefi t concert and their fundraising activities are in line with Rotary International’s 2013-2014 theme of “Engage Rota-ry, Change Life.” They even recent-ly held a successful martial arts benefi t event raising $1,500 to build homes in Bantayan Island with the help of The Peace Project of Ms. Lisa Schul-tz. APO GLA and UP APO Foundation also found this recent collaboration with the Rotary Club of Historic Fili-pinotown as a success and hopefully a start of future collaborations.

The REO Brothers had an amazing standing room concert covering songs from the Beatles, Beach Boys, Chicago, and many more. The REO Brothers even sang some Original Pilipino Music of the VST and Company bringing the crowd to their feet dancing. They had numerous stand-ing ovations and requests for encore.

Their manager, Mr. Tom Banguis Jr., mentioned that the REO Brothers are truly a testament as to how Fili-pinos rise above challenges with courage, resiliency and determination.

Consulate attends fundraising concert of REO Brothers of Tacloban

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Unifi ed School District (LAUSD) held a two-week festi-val celebrating the arts that began March 1 through Saturday, March 15, 2014.

In honor of Arts Education Month, the District showcased student art across multiple dis-ciplines during the Arts Fest, including music, dance, fi lm, theatre and visual arts in an ef-fort to raise awareness about the importance of arts education as well as raise funds to support arts programs at both the individual school site and district-wide.

The Arts Fest celebration kicked off with school-site per-formances, leading to a grand fi -nale event.

On Saturday, March 15, in partnership with LA County’s Grand Park in Downtown Los Angeles, the District hosted a culminating festival, “LAUSD Arts Fest in the Park,” where more than 2,000 students had per-formed. The “LAUSD Arts Fest in the Park” was held in front of City Hall beginning at 10 a.m. It featured live stages with student performances; an artist market; a “screening room” featuring student short fi lms; a creativity zone; a mass performance to Pete Seeger’s “Turn, Turn, Turn”; an opportunity drawing for student art; vendor booths, celebrity ap-pearances, food trucks and give-aways.

The idea for the Arts Fest came from Hamilton High School freshman, Jordyn Sacino, who asked the question – “why not use art to save art?” Last year, LAUSD challenged its students

in the “My Bright Idea” Chal-lenge to come up with programs they would like to see in the Dis-trict that promotes positivity. Jor-dyn’s suggestion towered above the rest.

The event was to showcase the talent of students in “such an amazing public forum” said Michelle King, Senior Deputy Superintendent, School Opera-tions. “This festival gave us the opportunity to proudly celebrate the accomplishments of our stu-dents with our parents, employ-ees, business partners and the community while providing a platform to show what a posi-tive role arts plays in the lives of young people.”

Studies have shown that arts education has a signifi cant and direct impact on student achieve-ment. It has been shown to im-prove test scores in all subjects and improve graduation rates, particularly for low performing students, allowing them to de-velop higher self-esteem and self-confi dence.

“Because art has such a broad and powerful impact on our society, we must continue to raise awareness of its im-portance and infl uence in our schools and beyond,” said Dr. Steven McCarthy, K-12 Arts Coordinator.

LAUSD was joined by its part-ner ‘I’M IN’ in hosting the event. The “I’M IN” campaign is an all-inclusive program designed to raise awareness about LAUSD’s wellness initiatives to fi ght child-hood obesity, as well as to en-courage student attendance and dropout prevention.

LAUSD celebrates the artsStudent inspires fi rst district-wide arts fest

Lani Misalucha Jed Madela

Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday – Tuesday, March 26 – April 1, 2014 THE US ASIAN POST6

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

FAMILY FEATURES

With fresh inspiration from the season’s juiciest, most delicious fruits, you can create jams, jellies and other spreads with ease right from your own kitchen.

For many, the thought of turning their favorite fruits into sweet and scrumptious jams and jellies may sound like countless hours in a hot, stuff y kitchen. But creating your own, homemade fruit spreads can be quite simple with the right ingredients and tips.

“Any cook can create delightful jams and jellies, regardless of their canning abilities,” said Shirley Camp, M.S., registered dietitian, licensed dietitian nutritionist and retired University of Illinois Extension master canner and educator. “Th ere are so many great products, such as Mrs. Wages No Cook Freezer Jam Fruit Pectin, which allow you to whip up homemade spreads, without cooking, saving time without a messy kitchen.”

Whether you need a sweet topping for a slice of break fast toast or a dollop for thumbprint cookies, these simple jam and jelly recipes are sure to please every one in your family. From the ease of Fast Fruity Freezer Jam to the cool blast of Mint Jelly, these recipes all feature Mrs. Wages fruit pectin, which provides the perfect consistency to enhance all your favorite fruit fl avors.

Best Blue Ribbon Basil JellyYield: 6 half pints 4 cups water 2 cups fi rmly packed fresh basil leaves,

Fresh, fl avorful canning recipes

For the best results for your canning creations, follow these four simple tips for canning success:

1. Pick ’em right.When picking berries, keep in mind these fruits have high water content and are very fragile. So, use smaller containers when picking them so the berries do not get crushed under their own weight.

2. Rinse, don’t soak.Due to their fragile nature, the berries should be lightly “rinsed” to remove surface dirt. Do not allow them to sit in water for very long because they tend to take on more water and will become mushy.

3. Firm and ripeWhen selecting berries for jellied products, ripe berries are best, but not overripe ones. Choose those that have good fl avor and are still fi rm to the touch. For strawberries, look for the smaller, juicier berries instead of larger types that are available today.

4. Mix fl avors.While many people prefer their jams to be one fl avor, mixing two or more diff erent types of berries together produces great jams with good fl avor. Try a mix consisting of blackberry and red raspberry, or strawberry with red raspberry. Another great com bi-nation includes pureed berries and peaches mixed together to make jam. Red raspberry peach jam is always a huge hit.

Four canning tips for great jams and jellies

For canning or preservation questions, call the Mrs. Wages Customer Care Center at 1-800-647-8170, Monday–Friday 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. CST. For additional canning recipes and how-to information, visit www.mrswages.com

fi nely chopped 1 package Mrs. Wages Fruit Pectin Home Jell 3 drops green food coloring, optional 5 cups sugar In large saucepan, bring water and basil to a boil. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 10 min-utes. Strain and discard basil. Return 3 2/3 cups liquid to pan. Stir in pectin and food coloring, if desired. Return to rolling boil over high heat. Stir in sugar. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat. Skim off any foam that forms on top of jam. Ladle mixture into hot, clean jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Remove air bubble. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece

lids. Twist lid bands so not loose but not too tight. Process for 15 minutes in boiling water bath canner.

Best of Show Apricot-Pineapple JamYield: 8 pints5 1/2 cups prepared fruit (about 2 1/2 pounds apricots and 1 1/2 pounds pineapple) 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice1 package Mrs. Wages Fruit Pectin Home Jell1/2 teaspoon butter 8 cups granulated sugar Pit unpeeled apricots, then fi nely chop or grind. Measure exactly 3 cups apricots into 8-quart sauce pan. Cut, peel, core and fi nely chop pineapple. Measure exactly 2 1/2 cups pineapple into saucepan with apricots. Mix well. Add lemon juice. Add pectin and butter and stir over high heat until reaches rolling boil. Add sugar and stir thoroughly until reaches rolling boil. Continue cooking for four minutes, stir ring constantly to avoid scalding.

Remove from heat. Skim off any foam that forms on top of jam. Ladle mixture into hot, clean jars, leav ing 1/4-inch headspace.

Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids.

Twist lid bands so not loose but not too tight.

Process for 10 minutes in boil ing water bath canner.

THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday – Tuesday, March 26 – April 1, 2014 Visit www.usasianpost.com 7

MANILA, Mar 24 (Mabuhay) – While she refused to give details about her breakup with Guji Lorenzana, her boyfriend of three years, Kaye Abad admitted that “some things just don’t work.”

“Gano’n lang talaga, e. Trial and er-ror. Nagkataon lang siguro na error na naman ngayon,” Abad told reporters, when asked about the reason for the breakup. “Gano’n lang talaga... May mga hindi lang talaga nag-wo-work.”

Abad, who earlier admitted initiat-ing the breakup, said she is still hurt-ing, “kasi napamahal sa ‘yo ‘yung tao, nasanay ka na kasama mo siya na ga-noon katagal.”

“Pero kailangan ko isipin ‘yung brighter side o ‘yung mas importan-teng side na para sa aming dalawa rin naman ‘yon, na para sa future din na-min,” she added.

Afraid to love again?The former couple fi rst got ac-

quainted in 2009 when they co-starred in the afternoon series “Bud Broth-ers” and “Somewhere In My Heart.” At the time, Abad said Lorenzana was already forthcoming about his feelings for her.

Asked why they never confi rmed being a couple, Abad recalled how she and Lorenzana gradually grew into the relationship, noting that they never had the talk of becoming offi cially to-gether.

“I told him na hindi pa ako ready, dahil galing ako sa seven-year rela-tionship ko with Chito [Miranda],” Abad said, referring to Parokya ni Ed-gar frontman. “Naging masugid siya, naghintay siya, ta’s sabi ko, ‘Hindi pa ako handa.’ Tapos sabi ko, ‘Nasa sa iyo iyan kung gusto mo gumive up o kung

gusto mo maghintay.’”“Naghintay siya hanggang sa nag-

ing gradual nalang, e, na parang after a year... Parang gano’n narin naman. Wala kaming anniversary. Ganoon ka-gradual ‘yung nangyari, na parang un-derstood nalang na, ‘O, siguro nga tayo na,’” she narrated. While he was open in media interviews about his hopes of settling down with Abad, Lorenzana, according to the actress, did not pro-pose to her during their relationship.

“Hindi pa rin naman ako handa,” she said. “Hindi ko pa nararamdaman na kailangan ko na mag-settle down.”

Asked if she is afraid to fall in love again, the actress answered, “Actually, hindi. Mabilis ako ma-fall, e. Lalo na pag ‘yung weakness nandoon sa taong ‘yon. Pero ngayon, medyo natatakot. Ngayon ko nararamdaman ‘yung takot na siguro, hindi na muna.” (MNS)

Why Kaye Abad broke up with Guji Lorenzana

MANILA, Mar 22 (Mabuhay) – Sarah Geronimo is fl attered that Matteo Guidicelli fi nds her new look “hot and sexy.”

Geronimo said she is grateful that the “Galema” actor, who is her rumored boyfriend, appreci-ates her new style.

“Napanood ko ‘yung interview [ni Matteo]. Siyempre thank you naman. Okay naman po,” she briefl y said.

The singer unveiled her short hairdo two weeks ago dur-ing the launch of a shampoo brand’s ad cam-paign amid speculation that she cut her hair following a dis-agreement with her parents.

The 25-year-old singer has reportedly been wearing hair extensions in re-cent weeks, dur-ing live perfor-mances and at

Sarah fl attered that Matteo fi nds her new look ‘hot’

Sarah Geronimo

Mag

Tayo!

GOLD REMODELING INC.100% Customer Service Top Quality Work Affordable Prices

We specialize in: Bathrooms, Kitchens and Roofing

Up todiscount on 40%with this admaterials

100% Financingw/ 0% Interest

No Money Down!No payment for 1 Year!

Exterior & Interior Painting Stucco Patio Cover OUR SERVICES:Electrical Work Plumbing & Re-piping Windows Doors Tile Work Driveways Cement Work Air Conditioning & Heating AND SO MUCH MORE...

CALL NOW! 213-908-7235www.goldremodelinginc.com License #955584

fi lm shooting, to hide the drastic change.

Asked how she feels now that she’s sporting a short hair, Geronimo said: “Siyempre feel-ing fresh tayo and in dahil ma-sarap yung feeling na short hair ka and new look.”

With the summer sea-son fast approaching, will Geronimo fi nd time to go on a getaway?

“Baka wala kasi dirediretso na yung ‘The Voice’ namin,” she said.

“Bukas mags-start na kami ng ‘The Voice Kids.’ Ito yata ang pinakamahirap kasi mga bata ang kakausapin mo and ime-

mentor mo. Mags-start na din po ‘yung season two ng ‘The Voice,’” she added.

Aside from the hit talent show, Geronimo said she will also be busy in the coming months as she continues to shoot her up-

coming movie.“Currently po nagshu-shoot

kami ng movie, the one with Coco Martin. Directed by Jerry Sineneng ito and under Viva Films and Star Cinema,” she said.(MNS)

After her successful reunion with Richard Gomez on “Walang Hanggan,” actress Dawn Zulueta is now being paired with actor Al-bert Martinez in ABS-CBN’s new-est fantasy series “Dyesebel.”

In a recent interview, Zulueta noted that it’s only her second time to work with Martinez after she did a cameo appearance years ago.

“We spend a lot of time together kasi nag-taping kami, naka-lock in pa nga kami sa Batangas. Ang masasabi ko lang talaga, he is so dedicated to his work. I admire him because he is one of the few actors we have in our generation that takes his craft seriously,” Zu-lueta said.

Aside from being professional, Zulueta said she admires Marti-nez’ intelligence when it comes to developing his role.

“Talagang hindi nagrereklamo. Ang hirap ng trabaho tapos ang galing galing. Tapos ang dami niyang ideas, actually ang dami kong natutunan sa kanya. And it made working with him in as far as our characters were developing, it made easier for me. Kapag ang kasama mong artista ay inteli-hente, he is interested in develop-ing his character, masarap ‘yon kasi may katapunan ka at ‘yung chemistry siguro doon lumala-bas,” she said.

Aside from working with new a leading man, Zulueta said she’s also thrilled to work with young stars including Anne Curtis, who plays the title character.

“I’m always excited to work with new blood. Ah, tinagal ko na sa industriya ay marami ka ng makakatrabaho. I always look for-ward working with veterans but I also look forward working with the young ones and these young ones they are also talented. To be

Dawn enjoys working with new leading man

Dawn Zulueta

part of this wonderful pro-duction at Dreamscape pa ang naghahandle siyempre talagang exciting for me. At ang ganda ng role na ibinigay sa akin, ‘yung role ng nanay ni Dyesebel,” Zu-lueta said.

The pilot episode of “Dyesebel,” which aired on Monday night, focused on the love story between the parents of the lead char-acter – Tino ( Martinez), a prince of the merfolk, and Lucia (Zulueta), a young woman from a fi shing vil-lage. (MNS)

Kaye Abad

Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday – Tuesday, March 26 – April 1, 2014 THE US ASIAN POST8

MOTORING BY TALEK HARRIS

SINGAPORE, March 21, 2014 (AFP) – The man behind the new Formula E racing series has insisted fans will love the elec-tric cars’ “futuristic” sound after the intro-duction of quieter engines sparked a row in Formula One.

CEO Alejandro Agag refused to com-pare the battery-powered engines’ sound to F1, but he said they reminded him of the Podracers seen in Star Wars fi lm, “The Phantom Menace”.

As Formula E prepares to debut this year, F1’s new hybrid engines have been criticized by fans, organizers and top boss Bernie Ecclestone as being simply too qui-et for motor-racing.

But Agag told AFP that people would be

pleasantly surprised by the sound of the Formula E cars – and that video will be released online next week to prove it.

“We think the sound of Formula E is go-ing to be a big surprise for everyone. The sounds that comes out is completely futur-istic, new, different,” he said in a telephone interview.

“Next week we will put video online of the car with the sound and I think this will be quite a shock, the sound that these Formula E cars are making... it’s actually quite loud.”

He added: “It sounds more like a jet, a fi ghter jet. Or like the Podracer in Star Wars. So that’s the kind of feel we want to give to the fans, much more futuristic. It doesn’t sound at all like a combustion

engine.”‘Vacuum cleaner’Motorsports enthusiasts are tradition-

ally fans of roaring engines and the row over the new “vacuum cleaner” power units in Formula One has gone right to the top level.

Organisers of last week’s season-open-ing Australian Grand Prix said the en-gines may be a breach of contract, while Ecclestone pledged to try to make them sound “more like racing cars”.

Such perceptions loom as a potential problem for Formula E, a showcase for the potential of electric cars which has high-level backing and now needs to build its fanbase.

Last October, four-time F1 world cham-

pion Sebastian Vettel was critical of For-mula E, saying “it’s not the future” partly because of its expected lack of noise.

“I think people come here to feel Formu-la One and there is not much to feel when a car goes by and you don’t even hear any-thing but the wind,” Vettel said at the In-dian Grand Prix.

But Agag said Formula E could be a “game-changer” for motorsports and the car industry when it fl ags off in Beijing in September, the fi rst of 10 stops around the world.

“The event we think is going to be an eye-opener,” he said.

“We want it to be a game-changer for the electric car sector because really the wider public don’t have the opportunity

Formula E: Electric cars ‘loud enough’ for fans

mbzlongbeach.com2300 East Spring St. • Signal Hill, CA 90755At the 405 and 605 in Signal Hill. Exit Cherry Ave. off the 405.

View Our Pre-Owned Inventory at www.mbzlongbeach.com/vehicle/search/preowned

One Of The Largest Pre-Owned And Certified Mercedes-Benz Pre-Owned Selections To Choose From.

2012 Mercedes-Benz GL550

2011 Mercedes-BenzC300

2011 Mercedes-BenzE350

Now$51,815*

CPO, Appearance Package, Blind Spot Assist, Leather, Navigation 792783/P8599

Now$32,479*

CPO, AMG® Sport Package USA, Premium 1 Pkg., Nav., Moonroof 420187/L8553

Now$27,311*

CPO, Premium 1 Package, Navigation, Heated Front Seats, Low APR 518443/L8613

2013 Mercedes-Benz C250

CPO, Sport Package, Sport Sedan Package, Moonroof, Low APR

$28,990*865680/SL132184

2013 Mercedes-Benz C250

CPO, Sport Package, Moonroof, Low APR

$29,937*267087/SL131225

2013 Mercedes-Benz C250

CPO, Sport Package, KEYLESS-GO®, Moonroof, Low APR

$30,750*269203/SL131391

2012 Mercedes-Benz GLK350

CPO, Navigation, Low APR, Moonroof, SIRIUSXM

$30,806*844095/L8581

2012 Mercedes-Benz GLK350

CPO, Low APR, Panoramic Roof, Alloy Wheels

$31,990*934798/L8584

2011 Mercedes-Benz ML350

CPO, Premium 1 Package, Navigation, Heated Seats

$33,894*692623/L8590

2011 Mercedes-Benz ML350

CPO, Lighting Package, Memory Package, Navigation, Moonroof

$34,990*725511/L8579

2011 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500 Passenger

12 Passenger, M2PV170 High Capacity Heating & AC, Premium Package

$35,990*570859/P8612

2012 Mercedes-Benz E350

CPO, AMG® Sport Package USA, Premium 1 Package, Rear-View Camera

$38,265*555718/L8585

*All prices plus government fees and taxes, any finance charges, dealer preparation charges and any emission testing charges. All vehicles subject to prior sale. **Qualified customers only. See dealer for details. 1.99% APR limited term financing for up to 72 months on select Certified Pre-Owned models through Mercedes-Benz Financial Services. 1.99% APR limited term financing applies to Mercedes-Benz Model Year 2010, 2011 & 2012 Certified Pre-Owned C, E, M, GL, GLK, & S-Class vehicles. Available at Mercedes-Benz of Long Beach through Mercedes-Benz Financial for Super Tier through Tier II customers only, subject to credit approval. See dealer for complete program details. Offers expire close of business 3/23/14. 866.870.2966

Nelson SiosonFilipino Fleet Manager

1.99% APRFor up to 72 Months

On Select Certified Pre-Owned Models***

$369Lease for per monthfor 27 months**

Over 50 C-Class Available!

Indulge In Luxury With Confidence

2014 C250 Sport Sedan

Unlimited Mileage Warranty

UNLIMITEDCONFIDENCE

An unlimited-mileage warranty for 1 year that can be extended for up to 2 additional years onCertified Pre-Owned models.

to see these cars in ac-tion.”

He admitted the launch was a “bit early” in some respects with electric car technology still in its infancy.

Cars will race at speeds of about 230 ki-lometers (142 miles) per hour, slower than F1, and drivers will initially have to switch vehicles twice per race because of the diffi culty of changing batteries.

“Remember mo-bile phones when they were like, one kilo? We are there,” Agag said. “We took the decision to jump, basically. We feel like pioneers in a sense,” he added.

“We took the decision to go before technol-ogy was ready now. Of course, we could have waited 10 years for the perfect solution but then probably some-body else would have already done it.”

‘War’ on pollution -The long-term, $100

million initiative is backed by motorsports’ governing body FIA, and Formula One’s Wil-liams, McLaren and Renault collaborated on the inaugural Formula E car.

This year, drivers including Bruno Senna and Jaime Alguersuari will be competing in identical vehicles with the fi eld thrown open to manufacturers in fol-lowing seasons.

Racing will get un-derway around Beijing’s “Bird’s Nest” Olympic stadium and then move on to other high-profi le sites including London, Los Angeles, Miami, Berlin, Rio de Janeiro and Monaco.

Underlining rising concerns about pollu-tion worldwide, this week Paris ordered half of all cars off the roads after the French capi-tal was shrouded in a murky haze.

And it is no coinci-dence that the clean-energy racing series will start in notoriously smoggy China, which also this week declared “war” on the fi lthy air choking its cities.

“It’s a game of chang-ing perceptions (about electric engines),” Agag said. “The broader goal is to fi nish with com-bustion (engines) every-where. “That’s a goal that will take maybe a few years or many years, but we have to start somewhere.”

MAG

TAYOwww.usasianpost.comVISIT OUR WEBSITE

THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday – Tuesday, March 26 – April 1, 2014 Visit www.usasianpost.com 9

(Relaxnews) – For mo-torcycle fans, there is nothing like the com-bination of breathtak-ing landscapes and mile upon mile of open road. Some of the world’s most iconic routes offer just that. Here is a selection of roads that are heaven on earth for bikers.

Route 66More than a road,

this legendary highway is a key part of Ameri-can identity. At 4,000km long, Route 66 spans nearly the entire length of the US from east to west, from Illinois to California. “The Mother Road,” as it is known colloquially, crosses through three time zones and eight states. Packs of Harley Da-vidsons are frequently seen roaring down this desert highway. Riders can take in countless symbols of Americana, from the stunning desert landscapes of Arizona to the Cadillac Ranch in Texas.

Trans-Himalayan RoadOpen only four

months out of the year, this route takes riders through mountain-top landscapes in India, Tibet and Nepal. Expe-rienced motorcyclists can even ride up to the highest motor-able road in the world, at 5,600 meters. Glaciers, fl ow-ing rivers and Buddhist monasteries are among the sights along the way.

Silk RoadOnce the primary link

between East and West,

More than a highway, Route 66 has become a symbol of adventure and Americana. ©donvictorio/shutterstock.com

From Route 66 to the Silk Road: Five mythical motorcycle trips

(Relaxnews) – Compet-ing luxury carmakers are taking very different approaches to develop-ing their forthcoming SUV models.

How do you make a luxury SUV stand out from the crowd? Ac-cording to Bentley, the answer is to make it in-credibly fast. When its new off-roader rolls off the production line in 2016, it could well be ca-pable of hitting 200mph (320km/h). At least, ac-cording to reports, that’s the challenge the compa-ny’s engineering depart-ment has been set.

Making a sports-car that fast is diffi cult enough, but to achieve those levels of perfor-mance, safely, in a ve-hicle that could stand nearly 2 meters high and need massive ground clearance (to avoid rocks and potholes) would be some feat indeed. And, it would no doubt have poten-tial buyers forming a neat and orderly line outside dealerships.

But while Bentley is fo-cusing on the ‘S’ for Sport, Rolls-Royce is getting ob-sessive about the ‘U’ for Utility.

The BMW-owned luxury brand fi rst admitted that it was loosely considering the idea of a rugged limousine in January, but unlike its closest direct competitor, it is in no rush to even develop a working concept.

Speaking to Autocar, Jolyon Nash, Rolls-Royce’s global sales and market-ing chief, said, “Sports and utility are not two words you normally associate with Rolls-Royce. The challenge we have given to our de-signers is a concept that fi ts Rolls-Royce.”

And, if the designs don’t meet the brief then “We won’t be entering the seg-ment,” Nash is quoted as saying.

The premium SUV mar-ket is growing quickly and until recently Range Rover and the AMG reworked Mercedes G-Wagon pretty much had the segment to themselves.

Bentley feels the need for speed while Rolls-Royce is in no rush

the Silk Road is one of the oldest trade routes that still exist today. Though the road originally spanned from China to Turkey, many riders choose to fol-low adjacent routes further west into France or Italy. Among several other re-markable attractions, rid-ers will come across the ancient city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan, with its Islam-ic architecture dating from the 15th century. Travelers should be warned, how-ever, that the route crosses through a number of politi-cally unstable regions, in-cluding Syria.

Great Ocean Road Located on Australia’s

southwest coast, in the state of Victoria, this coast-al road of over 240km pro-vides an unparalleled view over the Indian Ocean and its turquoise waters. The Great Ocean Road begins in Torquay to the west, near the popular surfi ng

destination Melbourne, and ends in Allansford. Among the nearby attrac-tions are the Kenett River reserve, where koalas can be observed in their natu-ral habitat, and the Port Campbell National Park, famous for its “Twelve Apostles,” immense rock formations emerging from the ocean (today there are seven).

Eagle RoadOffi cially named Nor-

wegian County Road 63, this winding route passes through the village of Gei-ranger, known for its fjord, which is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Thrill-seeking bik-ers will enjoy the road’s 12 hairpin turns. An obser-vatory located 625 meters above a glacier allows visi-tors to observe some of the country’s most exceptional landscapes. The Seven Sisters Waterfall alone is worth the trip.

Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday – Tuesday, March 26 – April 1, 2014 THE US ASIAN POST10

(Relaxnews) – The company is set to start consumer trials of its latest futuristic two-seater elec-tric car.

Expect huge queues of willing participants to start forming on the streets of Tokyo on Monday as testing gets underway, but those hoping for a test drive will be disappointed. Toyota is limit-ing the initial trial to 20 partici-pants and 10 vehicles. Until June anyway.

The i-Road is by no means the only ultra-compact futuris-tic electric car in development, but what makes it so much fun is that it has three, rather than four wheels, and combines the best elements of a car with the best features of a motorbike.

Like a bike, it’s small and very maneuverable – four of them can fi t into a standard car-parking space – and it even tilts into cor-

ners. Yet it has doors, windows and

a roof and is as stable and as comfortable as a car.

Capable of hitting a top speed of 28-37mph (45-60km/h) and of travelling 31 miles (50 km) on a single charge, the i-Road is so small – less than a meter wide and less than 2.5 meters in length – it should never get held up in traffi c and, as early reviewers have noted, it drives like nothing else currently on the road and is charming and com-pelling in equal measure.

Toyota hopes that the consum-er testing of the i-Road will pro-vide valuable feedback regard-ing ease of use. Also, satisfaction and suitability in urban environ-ments will be known, and, as well as ‘typical’ consumers, has select-ed ‘trend’ and industry experts as initial testers in the trial. The Toyota i-Road: The three-wheeled electric vehicle is a cross between a motorbike and a car and could be the future of indi-

vidual urban mobility. ©Toyota

Toyota’s i-Road hits the streets

W A S H I N G T O N , March 19, 2014 (AFP) – Toyota Motor Corp. will pay $1.2 billion to settle US criminal charges that it lied to safety regulators and the pub-lic as it tried to cover-up deadly accelerator de-fects.

The Japanese auto gi-ant eventually recalled 12 million vehicles worldwide in 2009 and 2010 at a cost of $2.4 bil-lion as the scandal over sudden, unintended ac-celeration spread and tarnished its once-stel-lar reputation.

Dozens of deaths were blamed on the de-fects which caused vehi-cles to speed out of con-trol and fail to respond to the brake.

“Toyota’s conduct is shameful,” Attorney General Eric Holder said in announcing the settlement Wednesday.

“Rather than prompt-ly disclosing and cor-recting safety issues about which they were aware, Toyota made misleading public state-ments to consumers and gave inaccurate facts to members of Congress,” Holder said.

“In other words, Toy-ota confronted a public safety emergency as if it were a simple public relations problem.”

In reaching the set-tlement, Toyota admit-ted that it lied when it insisted in 2009 that it had addressed the “root cause” of the problem by fi xing fl oor mats that could trap the accelera-tor.

As part of the cover-up, Toyota scrapped plans to fi x the “sticky pedal” defect in the United States and in-structed employees and its parts supplier not to put anything about the design changes in writ-ing.

Lying to public, regu-lators -

Toyota eventually re-vealed the sticky pedal problems and recalled millions of affected ve-hicles.

But it continued to try to cover its tracks by lying to the public, safety regulators and even a US congressional hearing about when the problem was discovered, the settlement agree-ment said.

Perhaps most dis-turbing for the families of those who died is the fact that Toyota knew about the fl oor mat problems as early as 2007 but did not think it was serious enough to fi x until affected models received a “full redesign”—something that happens only every three to fi ve years.

Offers subject to availability. Net cost based on current rebates. *Nissan Customer Cash in lieu of Special Financing. **Must finance through NMAC. ***All U.S. Military personnel (active and reserve) All advertised prices exclude government fees and taxes, any finance charges, any dealer document processing charge, any electronic fi ling charge, any emission testing charge, and dealer add-ons or accessories. Vehicles subject to prior sale. Interest accrues from date of contract. Ad prices good thru 3/23/14 close of business. NMAC financing may be required on some vehicles see dealer for details. All financing subject to credit approval. Factory rebate in lieu of special APR.

San Fernando Mission BlvdSepulveda Blvd.

S. Brand Blvd.

N118

888-588-7635888-588-7635 WE SERVE ALL AAA, COSTCO, AARP, CREDIT UNION, SAM’S CLUB MEMBERS

3566

5855

11000 Sepulveda Blvd.Mission Hills, CA 91345www.nissanofmissionhills.com

& Receive 2 FREE Movie Tickets or Gift Cards!!! & Receive 2 FREE Movie Tickets or Gift Cards!!!

Manuel LavaInternet/Fleet ManagerManuel Lava

Internet/Fleet Manager

“Ang MISSION Ko ay tulungan Kayo!”

“Ang MISSION Ko ay tulungan Kayo!”

818-408-5860818-408-5860

NISSAN OF MISSION HILLSNISSAN OF MISSION HILLS#1 #1 Out To Be The Nissan dealer in the World*Out To Be The Nissan dealer in the World*

*TAKE A TEST DRIVE *TAKE A TEST DRIVESchedule a Test Drive on the vehicle of your choice at Nissan of Mission Hills. Call Manuel and Test Drive today!*Offer good while supplies last. CELL:CELL: 661-644-0944661-644-0944

FACTORY REBATESFACTORY REBATESON APPROVED CREDIT ON APPROVED CREDIT ON SELECT MODELS ON SELECT MODELS

00%% APRAPRLONG TERMLONG TERMFINANCINGFINANCING

99009900$$APRAPR

March Sales EventMarch Sales Event

Toyota to pay US $1.2 billion over defect cover-up

THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday – Tuesday, March 26 – April 1, 2014 Visit www.usasianpost.com 11

(Relaxnews) – After present-ing a music-themed collection for spring, the French fashion and beauty brand is emphasizing light and refl ections in its Summer 2014 makeup line, titled “Refl ets D’Été” (“Refl ections of Summer”).

Combining subtle pastels and stunning bright shades, the new collection provides plenty of shim-mery effects around the eyes. Chanel has introduced three new shades of its Illusion D’Ombre eyeshadow: Mirage, (bronze), Utopia (lavender), and New Moon (copper). All intensely luminous, these long-lasting eyeshadows can serve as the basis for daytime and evening looks alike.

In the latest Chanel fashion shows, models’ eyes were high-lighted by intense shimmery liner. So it’s no surprise that the brand has introduced a metallic amber hue (Ambre Doré) for its Stylo Yeux Waterproof eyeliner this season. The Inimitable Wa-terproof mascara, meanwhile, is available in two fl ashy colors for summer: Violet Touch and Orange Touch, both fl ecked with gold.

Natural lipsAlongside these vibrant eye

makeup shades, the collection has presented more subdued lip col-ors. The Chanel Makeup Creation

Chanel emphasizes ‘refl ections’ in summer makeup collection

The Chanel Refl ets D’Été Summer 2014 collection will be available from June. ©Solve Sundsbo pour Chanel

Studio has introduced fi ve new shades of its Lèvres Scintillan-tes lip gloss, all sheer and with-out shimmer for a natural look. The new colors range from light pink and coral to more daring shades of orange, fuchsia and purple/pink.

The lip glosses can be matched to the new Le Vernis nail pol-ishes, offered in similar shades.

Chanel has introduced “Eastern Light,” an opaque white polish that can be worn on its own or combined with other shades for a dramatic effect. The new col-lection also features polishes in fuchsia, hot orange and lilac.

The Refl ets D’Été collection will be available at cosmetics counters from June at prices ranging from $27 and $36.

(Relaxnews) – After running and fi tness programs, in-room gym set-ups and customizable beds comes another trend in ho-tel wellness concepts: medita-tion.

In response to growing de-mand, major hotel chains have been tweaking their menus and

services to help health-conscious travelers – notably globetrotting business travelers – maintain their healthy diets and regimens while on the road.

But the Westin Hotels & Re-sorts has taken the concept of well-being one step further by introducing another dimension

to its new Westin Well Being Movement campaign: mindful-ness and meditation.

For the global launch, the ho-tel chain has partnered with the makers of Headspace, a mobile app that provides short, guided meditation sessions and exer-cises.

The collaboration will see guests offered a similar program on the hotel website Westin.com, with videos and audio fi les spe-cifi cally designed for business or leisure guests, pre and post-stay.

To launch the program, Wes-tin hotels around the world have also been holding 5 km runs, mini spa appointments, group yoga sessions and opened up juice bars.

The six-pronged well being program includes aspects like “Sleep Well, Eat Well, Move Well, Feel Well, Work Well and Play Well.”

In addition to meditation and nutritious meal options, the campaign also focuses on physi-cal fi tness by lending New Bal-ance running gear to guests.

The latest development out of Westin follows on the heels of the Even hotel launch, a con-

The next trend in hotel wellness programs

Meditation services is poised to become the next hotel trend. ©iofoto/shutterstock.comcept out of the InterContinental Hotels Group.

The entire brand was developed with health and fi tness as the guiding prin-ciples and include features like in-room gym zones, nutrient-packed meals and snacks and all-natural eucalyptus linens.

Headspacecan also be found at http://www.getsomeheadspace.com/.

(Relaxnews) – Could a new device you wear inside the nose alleviate al-lergies?

A small study reports that a tiny “nasal fi lter” about the size of a contact lens that works by fi ltering pollen and other allergens signifi cantly reduced daily nose-related allergies. The device’s brand name is Rhinix; it is not yet commercially available.

“We found clinically relevant reductions in daily nasal symptoms with Rhinix compared to placebo, especially in sneezing, itching and runny nose symptoms,” said Peter Kenney, the study’s lead author and a medical and doctoral student at Aarhus University in Denmark. He’s also the Rhinix company’s founder and CFO and has fi led an application for device approval by the US Food and Drug Administration.

The fi lter consists of a fl exible frame inserted into both nostrils. The frame features a fi ltering membrane for each nostril, with a small plastic band visible at the bottom of the nostrils.

A study on the fi lter’s effectiveness involved 24 people with allergies to grass pollen. Participants were exposed to grass pollen for a total of 210 min-utes.

“Depending on the fi lter’s density, it blocks specifi c particles in the air – including pollen from grass, which is one of the most fre-quent causes of hay fever,” Kenney said.

The study found wearing the device reduced total daily nasal symptoms by 21 percent compared to a placebo. Daily itching decreased by 36 percent, and daily sneezing by 45 percent. Throat irritation decreased by 75 percent.

The study found no airfl ow difference between those wearing the fi lter and those wearing the placebo, which indicates wearing the device doesn’t cause people to breathe through their mouths. Kenney notes the device is disposable and shouldn’t be worn for more than one day.

“Some people will probably use them for an entire day whereas others might just use them when they are in an exposed environ-ment [such as a park],” he said. Kenney also remarked that only one participant had concerns about appearance when wearing the device.

Dr. Mark Glaum, vice chair of the rhinitis, rhinosinusitis and ocular allergy committee of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, said the nasal fi lter could work for those who don’t have eye-related allergic reactions.

“For certain individuals who want to try allergen avoidance rath-er than medications, this might be a more practical solution than wearing a mask. It’s less obvious and more cosmetically appealing than a mask,” he said.

Scientists testing nasal fi lter to reduce allergies

Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday – Tuesday, March 26 – April 1, 2014 THE US ASIAN POST12

TEL.: (818) 552-4503 ext 402 • Fax: (818) 550-7635 • MAJOR CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED

For advertising, call (818) 552-4503 ext 402 • Fax (818) 550-7635 • email: advertising@balita.com

ANNOUNCEMENTS

advertising@balita.com

INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO PLACE CLASSIFIED/JOB MARKET ADS

BY PHONE BY FAX BY SNAIL MAILOR E-MAIL

818-552-4503 818-550-7635Please have this information ready: Company Name, Contact Person, Address, Phone # and Fax #. Payment is made using a credit card.

Faxed ads should include this information: Company Name, Contact Person, Address, Phone # and Fax #. Payment is made using a credit card.

Check or Money Order should be made payable to Balita Media Inc.

520 East Wilson Ave. Ste. 210Glendale, CA 91206

advertising@balita.com

PRAYER to the BLESSED VIRGIN(Never known to fail)

Oh most beautiful ower of Mt. Carmel, fruit wine splendor of Heaven.Blessed

Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. Oh

Star of the Sea. Help me and show me here you are my Mother. Oh Holy Mary,

Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, I humbly beseech you from the

bottom of my heart to succour me in my necessity. (make request). There are

none that can withstand your power. Oh Mary conceived without sin, pray for

us who have recourse to Thee (3 times). Holy Mary, I place this prayer in your

hands (3 times). Say this prayer for three consecutive days and then you must

publish and it will be granted to you. Grateful Thanks. -TIM

PRAYERS

NOVENA TO ST. JUDEO most holy apostle, St. Jude, Faithful servant and friend of Jesus, people honor and invoke you universally, as the patron of hopeless cases, of things almost despaired of. “Pray for me, for I am so help-less and alone. Please help to bring me visible and speedy assis-tance. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolation and help of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations, and sufferings, particularly (state your request) and that I may praise God with you always. I promise, O blessed St. Jude, to be ever mind-ful of this great favor, to always honor you as my special and power-ful patron, and to gratefully encourage devotion to you by publishing this request. Amen. -N.A

PRAYERSPRAYER TO THE HOLY SPIRIT

Holy Spirit Thou who make me see everything and show me the way to reach

my ideal, You who give me the divine gift to forgive and forget the wrong that

is done to me and who are in all instances of my life with me. I, in this short

dialogue, want to thank You for everything and con rm once more that I never

want to be separated from You no matter how great the material desires may

be. I want to be with You and my loved ones in Your perpetual glory. Amen. A

person must pray this for three consecutive days without stating his wish. After

the 3rd day the wish will be granted, no matter how dif cult it may be. Promise

to publish this as soon as your favor has been granted. Grateful Thanks -ADDY

PRAYERS

BalitaGET RESULTS!ADVERTISE WITH

US TODAY!

Mag Tayo!www.usasianpost.com

I will make your computer working again, fast and virus-free,install new parts or even upgrade your computer software (if applicable). Desktop or laptop, I'll find out why your computer is malfunctioning and fix it right away!

COMPUTER REPAIRGot virus? Is your computer so sloooowww; has a blue screen; the videos are not playing; or your Internet's not working?Is there something wrong with your computer?

I WILL Fix IT*For a flat fee of

Call us at (818) 823-5388 Email us: LAComputerShop@yahoo.com(* Dr y rdwar r r ra y r a y.)

LA Desktop & Laptop Services

d f

p*

FACILITY CAREGIVERSWanted immediately! Ful l -time. 2770 Highgate Pl. Simi Valley, CA 93065 w/ or w/out experience w/ valid working status only. 1-888-237-5945 or 805-582-2188 for apmnt, application & personal interview

YOUR ADHERE!

818-552-4503CALL

WANTED CAREGIVER

FEMALE LIVE-INLAKEVIEW TERRACE AREA

MUST HAVE GOOD REFERENCES

818-334-5462

NEEDED IMMEDIATELYLOOK FOR CHRISTINELOCATED IN VERNON

T: 323-588-7666 F: 323-581-4840

LOOKING FOR FULL TIME

WAREHOUSE DRIVERWANTED

FEMALE CAREGIVER

CALL (480) 248-7351

IN ARIZONAFULL TIME/LIVE-IN

Transportation to Arizona provided

TELLS THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTUREWILL HELP YOU IN ALL MATTERS

GIFTED PSYCHIC NADIA

CALL HER AND SHE WILL ANSWER YOUR QUESTION

323-253-1731

ONE FREE QUESTION BY PHONE

BEDSPACER $325Panorama C i t y. C lose to Wa l M a r t , I s l a n d P a c i f i c , Food4Less & bus line. Month to month. Call 818-205-8655.

CAREGIVERCouple only. Live-in. DD or dementia experience & driver’s license required. Pls call 909-636-7848.

THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday – Tuesday, March 26 – April 1, 2014 Visit www.usasianpost.com 13MH370 RELATIVESFrom page 1

NPA REBELSFrom page 1

FA-50From page 1

TULFO LIBEL OFWS

POWER COUPLE

From page 1 From page 1

From page 1

MALAYSIAFrom page 1

RESCUEDFrom page 1

tradictory information since the plane fell off air traffi c control screens on March 8 on a fl ight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Najib’s announcement drew further criticism.

Scores of Chinese relatives marched on Malaysia’s embassy in Beijing on Tuesday, shouting slogans including “The Malaysian government are murderers”.

And China’s government de-manded authorities in Kuala Lumpur hand over the new satel-lite data.

Malaysia Airlines insisted that it was doing best to handle rela-tives with care and dignity, and had tried to spread Najib’s mes-sage with tact before the prime minister spoke.

“Wherever humanly possible, we did so in person with the fami-lies or by telephone, using SMS only as an additional means of en-suring fully that the nearly 1,000 family members heard the news from us and not from the media,” said airline chief executive offi cer

ment that the ongoing search for the plane and an intensive in-vestigation into its fate “will con-tinue, as we seek answers to the questions which remain”.

The statement echoed the words of Malaysian Prime Minis-ter Najib Razak, who – also cit-ing satellite data – told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur late Monday:

“It is therefore with deep sad-ness and regret that I must in-form you that, according to this new data, fl ight MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean.”

MH370 vanished without warning on March 8 while fl y-ing over the South China Sea en

route from Kuala Lumpur to Bei-jing with 227 passengers and 12 crew on board.

Malaysia believes the plane was deliberately diverted by someone on board.

But the absence of fi rm evi-dence has fuelled intense specu-lation and conspiracy theories, and tormented the families of the missing for 16 days.

The search swung deep into the Indian Ocean last week after initial satellite images depicted large fl oating objects there, and further sightings of possible de-bris in the area energized the massive, multinational opera-tion.

being brokered by Norway had collapsed, dampening hopes of a political settlement before the president’s six-year term ends in mid-2016.

Manila has since asked Oslo to help the Philippine government convince the rebels to return to the negotiating table.

Bautista did not say how the

arrests of the two top communist leaders would impact on the pros-pects for renewed peace talks.

“They were arrested by virtue of a warrant of arrest for their crimes against humanity that in-clude murder, multiple murders, and (attempted) murder,” he add-ed.

Bautista said the couple were

arrested on the central island of Cebu, but gave no other details.

The Aquino government is scheduled to sign a peace treaty on March 27 with the largely Catholic country’s largest Muslim guerrilla group, ending the coun-try’s other long-running rebellion that had claimed 150,000 lives in the south.

swing air-to-air, air-to-surface, air-to-maritime,” and with its at-tack capabilities, enemies who will try to infi ltrate the country will be “mangled up.”

He also noted that while Presi-dent Benigno Aquino III, who is also the Armed Forces of the Philippines Commander-in-Chief, is aware of what is needed, the acquisition of brand-new FA-50 fi ghters “is already a good start [in] good direction.”

“Kung anong ibbiigay sa atin

ngayon, we make do what is giv-en,” he said, noting that FA-50 fi ghters can “carry missiles, inter-cept aircrafts, deliver bombs, per-form maritime strikes....”

Defense vs China?Okol was quick to deny that the

planned acquisition of fi ghter jets and helicopters is solely due to the “creeping expansion” of China in the West Philippine Sea.

“[The purchases are] for home-land defense against all external threats. It’s just a start of our ca-

pability upgrade,” he said.Asked when will the country’s

defense attain “minimum capa-bility,” he said it will be by 2023. “Dahan-dahan nating ia-attain ito,” he added.

On Friday, Fernando Manalo, undersecretary of defense for fi -nance, munitions, installations and materiel, said the Philippines would acquire 12 brand-new FA-50 fi ghter-trainers and eight Bell 412 helicopters under a govern-ment-to-government deal.

On the other hand, Del Prado, Carmelo del Prado Magdurulang in real life, received three checks totaling P245,535 on April 27, May 14, and July 6 in 2009, also drawn from the same UCPB ac-count.

The checks were part of docu-ments submitted by Mendoza and Cacal to the Offi ce of the Ombuds-man.

Cacal said apart from the vouchers justifying the process-ing of the payment, no other docu-ments were provided to justify the expenses.

Tulfo said the article placed him in a bad light for being one of the alleged benefi ciaries on the diversion of congressional alloca-tions engaged in ghost projects of bogus foundations.

He said what he received was legitimate payment for advertis-ing slots when he was still a radio commentator of RMN radio.

Lawyer Nelson Borja added that those payments were subject to taxes signed by Mendoza.

Tulfo said that he is willing to face any Senate inquiry or justice department investigation. (MNS)

sent a distress call to the PCG sta-tion in Guimaras.

All the foreigners were trans-ferred to the PCG’s MCS 3006 and ferried to Iloilo City, where they arrived around 6:40 a.m. Satur-day.

“‘Yung mga Pinoy na crew ng nabalawa na bangka ay guma-

wa ng paraan para madala nila mismo ang kanilang bangka sa pampang at nakaraos naman at nakarating sa Nueva Valencia sa may Guimaras Island (The Filipi-no crew of the damaged boat found a way to reach Nueva Valencia on Guimaras Island),” Ybanez said.(MNS)

rorism in any part of the world will inevitably victimize scores of Filipinos,” Binay said. “The Phil-ippines does not possess nuclear material that may be turned into a nuclear weapon by terrorists or other non-State actors, nor does it operate nuclear power plants. Yet the relevance of nuclear security to the Philippines cannot be un-derestimated.”

North America and the Middle East have the highest concentra-tions of OFW populations. Fili-

pino workers are represented in every continent, and the Philip-pines is also the highest provider of manpower for the global mari-time industry.

The Nuclear Security Sum-mit will gather around 53 heads of state, including United States President Barack Obama, who initiated the holding of a summit on nuclear security in 2009. The fi rst Nuclear Security Summit was held in Washington, DC, in 2010. (MNS)

in the JASIG list use aliases as a form of security. “There is the id to prove that he is the person bearing that alias. The use of an alias is not an issue. This is un-fortunate. We are hoping that this coming May, there will be talks and I hope that it will still push through,” the lawyer said. Malacañang, however, said that while Benito used an alias, the NDF failed to prove his identity thus voiding the agreement.

His wife, meanwhile, jumped

bail in December 1989 before the JASIG came into effect, making her ineligible for protection.

“The issue on whether or not they are JASIG-covered would not have an effect on the validity of their arrests.

These are outstanding war-rants of arrest. Their immunity under JASIG...would not apply under the circumstances because it presupposes that there is an ongoing peace negotiation but we don’t see that,” she said.

Ahmad Jauhari Yahya.The carrier added that it had

deployed more than 700 “dedicat-ed caregivers” to support the next-of-kin, who have been given hotel accommodation as well as initial fi nancial assistance of $5,000 per passenger with more on the way.

“Our sole motivation last night... was that the families heard the tragic news before the world did,” Ahmad Jauhari said at a news conference, which fea-tured pointed questioning from Chinese journalists.

“There are no words which can ease that pain.”

‘Damned’ either way Bridget Welsh, an expert on

Malaysian politics at the Singa-pore Management University, said the authorities’ intentions were good but the means of break-ing the news could have been im-proved.

“The use of SMS messages even for additional communica-tion could have been rethought. I imagine every time a person looks at their phone they will be reminded of their loss,” she told AFP.

Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday – Tuesday, March 26 – April 1, 2014 THE US ASIAN POST14

Personal Attention. Honest Answers. Real Solutions

THE LAW OFFICES OFPAUL M. ALLEN

STOPSTOPNO WAY OUT?

TOO MANY DEBTS?

We are a federally designated debt relief agency. We help people file for Bankruptcy relief under the Bankruptcy code. All attorneys are members of the California State Bar and all services are supervised by an attorney. This is a legal advertisement. Nothing contained in this advertisement implies any guarantee, warranty or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter or the result of any legal representation.

Glendale:520 E. Wilson Ave. Ste. 110. Glendale, CA 91206

Cerritos:17215 Studebaker Rd. Ste 380. Cerritos CA 90703

CALL US FOR FREE CONSULTATIONSaturday and evening appointments available.

1-877-35-NOPAY(877-356-6729)

• Foreclosure • Repossessions • Wage Garnishments • Creditor Harassment • Lawsuits • IRS Levies

• Foreclosure • Repossessions • Wage Garnishments • Creditor Harassment • Lawsuits • IRS Levies

LAS VEGAS, March 25, 2014 (AFP) – Manny Pacquiao is tak-ing extra motivation from taunts by unbeaten Tim Bradley that the Filipino boxing icon has lost the hunger and killer instinct he once displayed with great passion.

“The more he says that, the more he inspires me to show the hunger and killer instinct he’s talking about,” Pacquiao said Tuesday. “It’s good for me but not for him I think.”

Pacquiao, 55-5 with two drawn and 38 knockouts, will fi ght Brad-ley, 31-0 with 12 knockouts, for the American’s World Boxing Or-ganization welterweight title in Las Vegas on April 12.

The fi ght will be a rematch of a controversial Bradley victory by split decision in June of 2012 in which all three judges scored the fi ght 115-113, two of them for Bradley in what was seen as a robbery from Pacquaio.

“You don’t get mad. It’s part of life,” said Freddie Roach, Pac-quaio’s trainer.

“Revenge is great. That’s what we have a chance to do here. If ev-erything goes right we will knock this guy out.”

Bradley has noted how Pac-quiao has not stopped a foe since Miguel Cotto in 2009 and has not won a fi ght inside 12 rounds since dropping Ricky Hatton nearly fi ve years ago, helping rekindle the fi res inside the 35-year-old Asian southpaw.

“I’m not angry or disappointed at what he told me. I’m happy he told me that,” Pacquiao said. “It inspired me to train harder and focus on the fi ght. It will benefi t me.

“I have not lost the hunger. Sometimes we knock the guy out

ATHLETICS

Manny Pacquiao Obliges: Manny Pacquiao autographs mementos of his fans who patiently waited for him at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles where he trains for his April 12 rubber match with Timothy Bradley “to take his title back”.

Pacquiao more motivated after Bradley’s taunts and sometimes not.”

Pacquiao said he sees no more need for a knockout than usual even after the controversial loss to Bradley in their fi rst meeting.

“We’re not focusing on the knockout,” Pacquiao said. “The fo-cus is on being more aggressive, throwing more punches. If that outcome comes, it’s fi ne. I just want to prove that I can have the killer instinct.”

‘we’ll be able to stop him’ -Roach says Pacquiao relaxed

late in the prior fi ght after domi-nating early rounds, he thought, on the judges’ scorecards. This time, there will be no coasting as the 12-round fi ght goes on.

“It was so easy for him in the early rounds,” Roach said. “In the later rounds he wasn’t throwing combinations. He was throwing single punches because he had done so well in the earlier rounds.

“We need to be a little more aggressive in this fi ght. I think if we fi ght at an aggressive pace in this fi ght I think we will be able to stop him somewhere along the way. Whatever Bradley brings to the table we’ll be ready.”

But, Roach cautions, that does not mean seeking a knockout to appease taunts by Bradley and forget strategy and planning.

“We don’t go into fi ghts looking for knockouts. If they come they come,” Roach said. “We’re plan-ning to beat him every round. If you try to knock the guy out you will be waiting all night.”

Pacquiao said he does not feel angry at the judges from the fi rst fi ght.

“No one is perfect in this world. Sometimes they make mistakes,” said Pacquiao. “I wasn’t both-ered after that fi ght when I went

home. The reaction of the people was not negative. It was positive. They thought I won the fi ght.

“I’m not thinking about the judges. What I want to do is focus on the ring about the strategy and techniques that we work on in the gym.”

Pacquiao also said that his US and Filipino tax issues and politi-cal life would not be distractions.

“There’s nothing I have to wor-ry about,” said Pacquiao of tax cases against him. “I didn’t hide

anything. I’m not worried about that.”

As for his role as a lawmaker in the Philippines, Pacquiao said, “Politics is really about the na-tion, the small people. You cannot compare politics to boxing.”

Earlier, after a workout, Roach said that Pacquiao was “just bril-liant in his sparring a week ear-lier. His footwork was effortless, his hand speed was blazing and his power is as good as it’s ever been.”

Roach said, “We are training for big game in this fi ght. Manny knows he is going to have to hunt Bradley down and close the show this time. The fi rst fi ght with Bradley was so easy for Manny that after six rounds he just took it easy on him. Not this time. Our Mantra is ‘Close the show. No mercy.’ You don’t have don’t have to be a groundhog to know that Bradley’s days as welterweight champ are numbered. It’s Last Call for Bradley on April 12.”