Wednesday - Tuesday, November 18 - 24, 2015

Alden Richards denies P100-M

off er to endorse presidential bet

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Vol. 5 No. 8 LOS ANGELES A BALITA MEDIA PUBLICATION

President Barack Obama talks with Captain Vince Sibala on the bridge of the BRP Gregorio del Pilar (PF-15), during a tour of the ship in Manila Harbor, Philippines, Nov. 17, 2015. (Offi cial White House Photo by Pete Souza)

See OBAMA, page 3

By Andrew BeattyManila, Philippines | AFP

| Tuesday 11/17/2015 – ADDS Chinese comments on sea row, Philippines-Vietnam strategic partnership

US President Barack Obama on Tuesday offered the Philippines a warship as part of a $250-million aid package to Southeast Asian al-lies worried about Chinese efforts to control the South China Sea.

Obama made the pledges aboard the Philippine Navy’s flagship, shortly after arriving in Manila for a summit of Asia-Pacifi c leaders to also be attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“My visit here underscores our

shared commitment to the secu-rity of the waters of this region and to the freedom of navigation,” Obama said as he announced the assistance.

The offers were aimed at re-assuring allies that the United States was committed to main-taining security in the region’s waters, following Chinese artifi -cial island building in parts of the South China Sea.

China claims nearly all of the sea, a strategically vital waterway home to some of the world’s most important shipping routes.

The Philippines, Vietnam, Ma-laysia, Brunei and Taiwan have

Obama off ers warship to PHLOther SE allies will also get aid as China tensions rise

Australian gov’t to provide $4M for peace process in Mindanao

MANILA, Nov. 17 (Mabuhay) – The nine-member Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) on Tuesday denied the petition to disqualify Senator Grace Poe over her citizenship issue.

SET member Sen. Loren Le-garda said the tribunal – composed of six senators and three Supreme Court justices – voted 5-4 in favor of Poe, who is seeking the presidency in the 2016 elections.

“It was a vote of fi ve to four. Five dismissing the petition of Mr. David, and four concurring with

the petition of Mr. David. In short, fi ve voted to uphold the natural born citizenship of Sen. Mary Grace Poe Llamanzares, and four voted against that,” she said after emerg-ing from the SET voting held at the Manila Polo Club in Makati City.

The disqualification case was fi led by Rizalito David, a defeated senatorial candidate in the 2013 elections who said Poe, a foundling, is not a natural-born Filipino.

Legarda said that she and fel-low senators Vicente Sotto III, Pia

SET member Sen. Loren Legarda said the tribunal – composed of six senators and three Supreme Court justices – voted 5-4 in favor of Poe, who is seeking the presidency in the 2016 elections.

SET junks disqualifi cation case vs. Grace Poe

See GRACE POE, page 3

MANILA, Nov. 17 (Mabuhay) – The Philippines and Mexico on Tuesday signed agreements on avoiding double taxation, as well as on cooperation among the two countries as regards tourism and fi ghting the illegal drug trade.

President Benigno Aquino III received Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto in Malacañang for the latter’s state visit.

Nieto arrived in Manila ahead of the Asia-Pacifi c Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting scheduled on November 18 and 19.

In his statement, Aquino also cited the Philip-pines and Mexico’s deep historical ties, which can be traced back to four and a half centuries ago.

“Your visit is thus not only a reminder, but also a reaffi rmation of nearly half a millennium of relations between us as sister nations,” Aquino told Nieto.

Nieto, for his part, acknowledged the Aquino government’s vision and political will to push forth a structural agenda to address economic slowdown.

PHL, Mexico sign new agreements, mark historic ties

See MEXICO, page 3

MANILA, Nov. 17 (Mabuhay) – The Australian government re-affi rmed its support to the peace process in Mindanao, saying that it will provide $4-million over the next three years for the joint se-curity and justice mechanisms of the peace process.

“In my meeting with Secretary Teresita Quintos Deles, I con-fi rmed Australia’s commitment to promoting development and

prosperity in confl ict affected re-gions of Mindanao in the Southern Philippines,” Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said in a statement.

“In partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Philippine Busi-ness for Social Progress Organisa-tion, the Australian Government will provide $4 million over the

Student activists burn a replica of the US fl ag and a photo of China President Xi Jinping during a rally at the Mendiola Peace Arch on Friday. The group slammed the Asia Pacifi c Economic Cooperation for its alleged role in the commercialization of the country’s educational system.(MNS photo)

MANILA, Nov 14 (Mabuhay) – The Philippine National Police on Saturday went on full alert nationwide following the deadly terrorist attacks in Paris.

Deputy Presidential Spokes-person Abigail Valte said the declaration of a full alert status is “standard after the occurrence of a suspected terrorist attack in other countries or in the event of a national calamity.”

“We are just taking our usual

precautions, pero naka-full alert na po ang lahat ng PNP units sa ating bansa,” Valte added.

The Palace offi cial also said that modifi cations will be made on the security plan for the APEC Eco-nomic Leaders’ Meeting (AELM) next week because of the Paris attacks, where at least 120 people were killed.

“Our security establishment is already monitoring the situation

PNP on full alert nationwide after Paris attack

See PARIS ATTACK, page 3

See AUSTRALIAN, page 3

MANILA, Nov. 17 (Mabuhay) – The Philippines and Vietnam, both claimants to certain areas in South China Sea, signed a joint agreement to establish a strategic partnership following a bilateral meeting between Presidents Be-nigno Aquino III and Truong Tan Sang.

MANILA, Nov. 17 (Mabu-hay) – Gloria Ortinez, the OFW victim of the “laglag-bala” extor-tion scheme, was re-hired by her employer of 13 years in Hong Kong after initially canceling her contract for her failure to return in October, Balitanghali reported Tuesday.

Lawyer Spocky Farolan, Orti-nez’s legal counsel said that the employer, a single mother of a 13-year-old girl, almost did not ac-cept Ortinez and even scolded her.

PHL, Vietnam to establish strategic partnership

OFW victim of laglag-bala scheme re-hired by HK employer

See VIETNAM, page 3

See RE-HIRED, page 3

Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday - Tuesday, November 18 - 24, 2015 THE US ASIAN POST2

MANILA, Nov 13 (Mabu-hay) – Philippine National Police chief Director Gen-eral Ricardo Marquez has suspended all permits to carry firearms outside of residence during the con-duct of Asia Pacific Eco-nomic Conference meeting from November 16 to 20 in

Metro Manila.In a press conference,

Chief Supt. Wilben Mayor, PNP spokesperson, said only the members the PNP, Armed Forces, and other law-enforcement agencies performing official duties and in agency-prescribed uniforms will be allowed to

carry fi rearms.“Therefore, you are not

allowed to carry your fi re-arms even if you have an issued permit. This is in consonance with the secu-rity measures being imple-mented for the APEC eco-nomic leaders’ conference,” he said.

“Let us also emphasize that violation of these provi-sions is punishable by law from six months to one day imprisonment to six years,” he said.

Also, he said that Na-tional Capital Region Police Offi ce is directed to imple-ment the order. (MNS)

MANILA, Nov 13 (Mabuhay) – Philippine National Police chief Director General Ricardo Marquez has sus-pended all permits to carry fi rearms outside of residence during the conduct of Asia Pacifi c Economic Conference meeting from November 16 to 20 in Metro Manila.

In a press conference, Chief Supt. Wilben Mayor, PNP spokesperson, said only the members the PNP, Armed Forces, and other law-enforcement agencies performing offi cial duties and in agency-prescribed uniforms will be allowed to carry fi rearms.

“Therefore, you are not allowed to carry your fi rearms even if you have an issued permit. This is in consonance with the security measures being implemented for the APEC economic leaders’ conference,” he said.

“Let us also emphasize that violation of these provi-sions is punishable by law from six months to one day imprisonment to six years,” he said.

Also, he said that National Capital Region Police Of-fi ce is directed to implement the order. (MNS)

MANILA, Nov 14 (Mabu-hay) – Rep. Susan A. Yap (2nd District, Tarlac) has fi led a measure increasing penalties against Public Communications Entities (PCE) for violation of the terms and conditions of any certificate, authority, or-der, decision, resolution or regulation of the National

Telecommunications Com-mission (NTC).

“In order to ensure com-pliance by the Public Com-munications Entities with the law and the NTC’s certificate, authority, or-der, decision, resolution or regulation, it is necessary to impose higher penal-ties and to provide a legal

mechanism to allow the NTC to adjust penalties based on a rational stan-dard,” said Yap in House Bill 6161. Yap said the pen-alty imposed in Section 21, Chapter IV (Penalties and Violations) of Common-wealth Act 146 amounts only to PHP200 per day of violation, and the pen-

alty under Section 23 is a maximum of PHP25,000 imposable fi nes or an im-prisonment not exceeding fi ve years.

“These penalties are obsolete and insignifi cant given the high level of income earned by Public Communications Entities,” Yap said.

MANILA, Nov 13 (Mabu-hay) – The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the dismissal of three offi -cials of Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat over the alleged unlawful disbursement and withdrawal of public funds amounting to P13 million.

In a nine-page deci-sion recently signed by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, Palim-bang municipal treasurer Francis Nadar, munici-pal accountant Zaida Apil and municipal budget of-fi cer Pukog Makakua were found guilty of adminis-trative charge of Grave Misconduct for allegedly facilitating the disburse-ment of checks as well as their withdrawal without the necessary certifi cations and other supporting docu-ments.

“Respondents Nadar, Apil and Makakua should have complied with the documentary requirements and rendered their ac-counts in accordance with the regulations prescribed

by the Commission on Au-dit,” the decision read.

Aside from their dismiss-al, the three offi cials were also meted with the acces-sory penalties of forfeiture of retirement benefi ts, can-cellation of eligibility and perpetual disqualifi cation from re-employment in the government service.

Based on the records of the Ombudsman, the three offi cials, from April to June 2010, facilitated the issu-ance of seven checks total-ing P13 million payable to Nadar. The Ombudsman said the checks were drawn from the municipality’s checking account.

The Ombudsman said that at the course of its investigation, it was un-covered that the disburse-ments did not represent any project or appropria-tion and that no documents or records supported the withdrawals.

The Ombudsman also noted a Commission on Au-dit (COA) report saying the checks were not submitted for post-audit.

MANILA, Nov 13 (Mabu-hay) – Environmental, health, and labor leaders on Friday urged newly-installed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who will be in the Philip-pines next week, to take back the trash Canada shipped to the country in 2013.

“We hope tha t the winds of change blowing across Canada will lead to Trudeau’s Cabinet wasting no time to re-import the il-legally exported garbage to the Philippines and bring this prolonged controver-sy to a close,” said Rene Pineda, vice-president of environmental watchdog group EcoWaste Coalition in a press statement.

Pineda said such action will show that Trudeau’s government does not and will not condone illegal garbage trade that is treat-

ing low and middle-income countries as dumps.

Twenty-six of the 50 con-tainer vans of waste shipped from Canada in 2013 were disposed of at the Metro Clark landfill in Capas, Tarlac, between June 26 to July 8, 2015.

EcoWaste said in May 2015, customs authorities discovered 48 more contain-er vans of mixed garbage from Canada, consigned to Live Green Enterprises, bringing the total number of illegal Canadian waste shipments to 103 shipping containers.

Ang NARS party-list Rep. Leah Paquiz said law-makers from both chambers of Congress believe the Phil-ippine government must re-turn the illegal garbage im-ports and that the Canadian government must take them back pursuant to the Basel Convention on the Control

of Transboundary Move-ments of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal to which Canada and the Philippines are state parties.

“In fact, the Committee on Ecology of the House of Representatives had writ-ten to its counterpart in the Canadian Parliament to express its ‘united position’ that the botched 50 contain-ers of garbage shipments and those exported there-after should be re-imported by Canada in line with the Basel Convention,” Paquiz said.

“We hope that Canadian lawmakers will cross party lines and unanimously back our position,” Paquiz said. “Let us all exercise ethical trade as we raise the gear to free trade.”

Shalimar Vitan, chief operations officer of Ban Toxics, said the Asia Pacifi c Economic Conference sum-

mit in Manila next week is a fi tting occasion to re-think transhipment policies on waste and an opportunity for Trudeau to resolve the Canadian garbage issue.

“With PM Trudeau at the helm, we expect the Canadian government to turn around the previous stonewalling by the Harper government, to make things right and just, and take back the waste that Canada exported to the Philippines,” said Vitan.

The three expressed hope the Canadian garbage is-sue will be duly taken up and resolved during the bilateral meeting between Trudeau and President Be-nigno Aquino III.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario earlier said that the importation of Canadian waste to the country was a violation of Basel Convention.

PM Trudeau urged to take back Canadian trash shipped to PHL

PNP suspends permit to carry fi rearms outside of residence during APEC week

Stiff er penalties vs erring Public Communications Entities eyed

PNP suspends permit to carry fi rearms outside of residence during APEC week

Ombudsman dismisses Sultan Kudarat execs over alleged P13-M fund misuse

THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday - Tuesday, November 18 - 24, 2015 Visit www.usasianpost.com 3LOS ANGELES

VIETNAMFrom page 1

GRACE POEFrom page 1

PARIS ATTACKFrom page 1

MEXICOFrom page 1

RE-HIREDFrom page 1

competing claims to parts of the sea, which is also believed to sit atop vast oil and gas resources.

China’s building of ar-tifi cial islands close to the Philippines prompted the US to deploy a missile de-stroyer and B-52 bombers to the area in recent weeks.

China was almost certain to react angrily to Obama’s announcement, as it insists the United States has no right to involve itself in dis-putes over waters that are far away from US coasts.

China had also repeat-edly called for the annual Asia-Pacifi c Economic Co-operation summit, which starts on Wednesday, to focus exclusively on trade

and not be distracted by the rows.

In Beijing just before the US announcement, Chinese vice foreign minister Liu Zhenmin warned the other claimants that China could take control of the islands they occupy. “The Chinese government has the right and the ability to recover the islands and reefs illegal-ly occupied by neighbouring countries,” Liu said.

“But we didn’t do that, we exercised maximum restraint.”

‘Ironclad’ support -The Philippines, which has one of the weakest militaries in Asia and is the most vocal critic of China’s actions in the sea, will receive the

most support under the US package.

Obama said the Philip-pines would get a decom-missioned US Coast Guard cutter to be turned into a new warship that will “bolster the navy’s ability to conduct long-endurance patrols”. He said the Phil-ippines would also get a research vessel to help map its territorial waters, while vowing US commitment to defend its longtime ally was “ironclad”.

The Philippines will re-ceive a record $79 million in assistance to bolster mari-time security this fi nancial year, the biggest recipi-ent in Southeast Asia, the White House said.

OBAMAFrom page 1

AUSTRALIANFrom page 1next three years to support the joint security and justice mechanisms of the peace process,” she said.

This includes support for ceasefi re monitoring to ensure the continuation of peace and stability.

“Australia’s contribution will also enable responsible business investment in the proposed Bangsamoro Au-tonomous area and will support economic develop-ment,” she said.

Australia’s support for the peace process has in-cluded technical expertise

to the Offi ce of the Presi-dential Advisor on the Peace Process (OPAPP) during the negotiation period.

“Australian support and expertise through NGOs in-cluding the Asia Foundation and International Alert, has also increased the capacity of Philippines Government and the MILF to implement the peace process,” she said.

The government is ne-gotiating a peace process with the MILF for the es-tablishment of a Bangsam-oro entity that will replace the Autonomous Region in

Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).It will be recalled that

President Aquino him-self handed over the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law to the leaders of both Houses of Congress on September 10, 2014 in Malacañang.

The government and the MILF signed the Compre-hensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) in Mala-canang on March 27, 2014.

The Aquino adminis-tration hopes to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law within President Aquino’s term. (MNS)

The agreement was signed in Malacañang on Tuesday. The Vietnamese head of state is in the coun-try for the APEC Leaders’ Meeting on November 18 and 19.

“We believe that the es-tablishment of this Strate-gic Partnership will provide further impetus to deepen our cooperation, particular-ly in the areas of economic,

agricultural, defense, and maritime engagement – areas that are truly vital to the strategic interests of both our nations,” Aquino said.

The Philippine Presi-dent noted the strategic partnership comes in light of the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations with Vietnam in 2016.

The agreement, he said,

would increase the bilat-eral trade of both countries beyond 2016, and pave the way for “active engagement and cooperation between our respective defense and military establishments.”

“As seafaring peoples, we look to initiatives that will enhance our capacities to better respond to challenges and situations in our com-mon seas,” Aquino said.

“Nagkaroon ng mga mai-init at maaanghang na palitan ng salita, nagkata-asan ng boses. Umabot pa sa punto na ang kanyang gamit... hindi na siya pina-akyat, pinababa na lamang, nandun siya sa bangketa,” said Farolan, who accompa-nied Ortinez to Hong Kong over the weekend.

It was only when Orti-nez’s 13-year-old charge, whom she helped raise from infancy, went to see her that she was able to regain her job.

“This is more about ‘yung

love story ng yaya at ‘yung kanyang alaga of 13 years na nakita nung nanay sig-uro at ni-respeto niya ‘yun,” said Susan Ople, head of the Blas Ople Policy Center and Training Institute, a group that assists OFWs, in the report.

Ortinez returned to the Philippines on Monday to prepare the necessary docu-ments for her new contract, the report said.

“Back to square one siya. It’s a new contract. May mga permanenteng epe-kto yung nangyari dito na

katiwalian. Lumalabas na kahit re-hire siya, parehong employer, kailangan pa rin niyang dumaan sa isang agency,” Farolan said.

Ortinez’s case has al-ready been dismissed by the Pasay City Prosecutor’s Of-fi ce due to lack of evidence. She was arrested at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport last October for al-legedly carrying a bullet.

Ortinez, 56, who has been working overseas for 26 years, denied that the bullet was hers. (MNS)

Cayetano, Cynthia Villar, and Bam Aquino voted to dismiss David’s petition.

Those who voted in favor of the petition were Associ-ate Justices Antonio Carpio, Teresita Leonardo-de Cas-tro, and Arturo Brion and Sen. Nancy Binay, whose father, Vice President Jejo-mar Binay, is also vying for the presidency next year.

Not yet fi nalLegarda clarified that

David still has the option to move within 10 days for the reconsideration of the SET decision. If David fi les an appeal, the tribunal will

reconvene in early December to decide on the matter, she added.

“Hindi pa tapos ang pros-eso. Mayroon pang 10 araw na nakatakda para sa pos-sible motion for reconsid-eration. So inabisuhan muna kami ni Associate Justice Tony Carpio na huwag muna magsalita tungkol sa issue,” Legarda said.

She said that the SET will have to promulgate its fi nal decision before December 10, the deadline of the printing of the ballots for the 2016 elections.

Legarda said she submit-

ted a separate four-page opinion explaining her vote, which she would upload on her website. “Gusto ko maliwanag ang boto ko. Gus-to kong malaman ninyong pinag-aralan kong husto, siniyasat at ako mismo ang sumulat ng aking desisyon at hindi limitado sa mga le-gal na proceedings,” she said. The lawmaker added that her fellow SET members also submitted their respective opinions on the case.

Lunch longer than votingLegarda, who arrived at

the venue around noon, de-scribed the atmosphere dur-

that is happening and that we will be taking the nec-essary steps to fine-tune, as necessary, our security plans and our contingency plans for the hosting,” she said. She added that the Philippines is committed to ensuring safety to the world leaders who will start arriv-ing next week for the APEC

meeting, which will be held from November 18 and 19.

“This is a message that has been sent not just in light of the incident in Par-is, but this is a message and this is an assurance that we have been making since the time that we have started the hosting December last year,” she said.(MNS)

In the state dinner, Nieto will also be treated to a cul-tural show courtesy of sev-eral artists, including Pops

Fernandez, Jett Pangan, Radha, and the Nightingale Strings Manila. (MNS)

ing the voting as being “very calm, short, friendly.”

“We respected each oth-er’s decision,” she added.

Legarda said the SET members no longer debated over the issue, adding that they spent more time hav-ing lunch than deliberating on the issue. “Sa nangyari kanina, wala nang debate unlike in the Senate. Kami ay nag-submit na ng aming opinyon, nakasulat na iyon. So humingi na lamang si chairperson Justice Carpio ng boto. Sabi niya, ‘Who are those in favor of granting the petition?’ So the four raised their hands,” the lawmaker recounted.

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OPINIONMANILA, Nov 14 (Mabuhay) – The Philippines on Saturday

joined the international community in condemning the coordi-nated attacks in Paris that left more than 100 people dead and dozens others injured.

“The Philippines and its people stand in solidarity with the people of Paris and all of France, in this time of deepest sorrow and the gravest outrage against the perpetrators of these crimes,” President Benigno Aquino III said in a statement.

Aquino said that the coordinated attacks are “atrocities that demand a united voice from the world in condemnation and grief.”

He added: “In our time of need, France and her people stood shoulder to shoulder with the Philippines in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan. We stand with France now, in the fi rm belief that the light must never dim in Paris.”

Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesman Charles Jose, meanwhile, called the attacks in Paris as “cowardly.”

“The Philippines condemns unequivocally the horrifi c terror attacks on Paris. There is no possible justifi cation for such bar-baric savagery. The world must stand together against violent extremism,” Jose said.

French President Francois Hollande declared a state of emer-gency following what he described as an unprecedented terrorist attack that was staged days before France was to host a global climate conference.

Hollande also ordered the French borders closed.At least 100 were reported killed by armed men in the Bataclan

concert hall and more people in various locations – in bars and restaurants – in the city.

Jose said that so far, no Filipino was reported hurt in the si-multaneous gun and bomb attacks in the French capital.

“We are grateful that no Filipinos thus far have been reported hurt in these incidents,” he said.

There are around 48,000 Filipinos in France, according to 2013 data by the Commission on Filipinos Overseas, while more than 10 million are scattered across the globe, making them vulner-able to security threats, calamities and domestic confl icts in their host countries.

Philippine Ambassador to France Ma. Theresa Lazaro said on GMA News’ Balitanghali that there are 10,000 to 12,000 Filipinos in Paris alone.

The Paris attacks also came days after G20 leaders, which include the United States, Germany, Russia, China, India, are scheduled to convene in Turkey on November 15 to 16 and in Manila for the Asia-Pacifi c Economic Cooperation summit on November 18 to 19.

Jose assured that the Philippine government is beefi ng up its security for the high-profi le Manila meetings, where leaders and representatives of 21 economies would attend, including US President Barack Obama, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“Our security offi cials are monitoring and assessing the situa-tion and are taking the necessary precautions to ensure the safety, security and well-being of all delegates,” Jose said.

Aquino said in his statement that there are no credible threats so far in the Philippines.

“The PNP is on alert and our security forces are assessing the situation, including the continuing evaluation of our security procedures. There is no credible threat registered at this time but let us all be cooperative and vigilant,” he said.

Malacanang also asked Filipinos in Paris to abide by the in-structions of the police and local authorities in Paris, which has been placed on lockdown following the attacks.

“The Philippines mourns the dead and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with France. At a time that demands heightened security from all of us, we ask Filipinos in Paris to heed the instructions of the authorities and for all of us to cooperate and be vigilant here at home,” Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said on state-run dzRB radio.

Valte said that the Philippine embassy in Paris is willing and ready to assist Filipinos in need of assistance.

“Our Philippine Embassy is ready and is continuing to moni-tor the situation should assistance be required to be expended to any of our citizens there whether tourist or resident,” Valte said.

“The attacks on a concert venue, the vicinity of a stadium, and on restaurant showed not only premeditation but the cruelty that demands the greatest indignation from the world,” she added. (MNS)

PHL expresses ‘sorrow, gravest outrage’ over Paris attacks

By Philippe SchwabVienna, Austria | AFP | Monday 11/16/2015 –

The Paris attacks and the discovery of a Syrian pass-port near one of the assailant’s bodies have revived the European debate on whether to take a harder line on migrants.

With the continent facing its biggest migration crisis since World War II, EU states have bickered for months on how to stem the fl ow and share out the new arrivals.

There have been steady calls from the right – and more emerged Sunday – for nations to be wary of the wave of people fl eeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East.

“Not every refugee is an Islamic State terrorist. But to believe that there is not a single fi ghter among the refugees is naive,” Markus Soeder, a politician with the conservative Bavarian party CSUtold the German press on Sunday.

“Paris changed everything” and “this is no time for uncontrolled immigration,” said Soeder, whose party has been critical of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s accommodating stance on refugees.

Yet on Sunday European Commission Presi-dent Jean-Claude Juncker defended the line that “there is no need for an overall review of the European policy on refugees.”

The men made their comments days after a team of assailants launched coordinated attacks, claimed by the Islamic State group, in the French capital that killed at least 129 people.

The discovery of a Syrian passport near the body of one attacker has raised fears that some of the assail-ants might have entered Europe as part of the huge infl ux of people fl eeing Syria’s civil war.

Greek and Serbian authorities have confi rmed the passport belonged to a man who registered as a refugee in October on the island of Leros and applied for asylum in Serbia a few days later.

‘It’s a fairy tale’ - Poland’s incoming European Affairs Minister

Konrad Szymanski said Saturday that Warsaw no longer considered an EU plan to redistribute refugees

across Europe as a “political possibility” in light of the Paris attacks.

Dutch anti-immigration politician Geert Wilders weighed in on Twitter Sunday, writing “(Prime Minister Mark) Rutte will you listen at last: Close the borders!”

PEGIDA, the German Islamophobic movement, has predicted that attacks in Germany are inescap-able “if we don’t stop the avalanche of asylum seekers, if we do not properly secure our borders.”

More than 800,000 migrants have arrived in Eu-rope by sea so far this year, mostly from the Middle East, with Germany alone expecting nearly a million migrants in 2015.

Other voices have called for calmer thinking. Ger-many’s Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere, has warned against any “swift links” between the Par-is attacks and Europe’s migrant crisis.

“Those who organised, who perpetrated the attacks are the very same people who the refugees are fl eeing and not the opposite,” said Juncker.

“Those behind the attacks in Paris cannot be put on equal footing with refugees who are seeking asy-lum,” he said.

A source inside Juncker’s entourage noted that his words do not mean there is fl exibility to even partially review the 28-nation bloc’s stance on refugees.

The Netherlands’ Foreign Affairs Minister Bert Koenders noted that “closing the borders creates the illusion that we are safe. It’s a fairy tale that does not help anyone.” “We must not be naive. We have to check migrants so that we know who we are dealing with, but we need to be very careful when linking causes and effects,” he added.

“I understand this fear, and we cannot completely rule out” the presence of jihadists among the mi-grants, but “we are dealing with terrorism that took place both before and after the wave of migration,” Koenders said.

In Croatia, which has become the main Balkan country of transit for migrants, Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic reminded that “closing (borders) and barbed wire does not prevent these kind of tragedies.”

By Juliette CollenParis, France | AFP | Monday 11/16/2015 – With

saturation media coverage of the Paris attacks, parents are asking themselves if they should talk to their children about the killings -- and how they should go about it.

Most child psychology experts believe that children should be told, but warn that parents have to be care-ful not to allow them to be overwhelmed by fear or horror at what happened.

Above all, they must not let their own emotions or anguish intrude.

Bernard Golse, head of paediatric psychology at France’s leading children’s hospital, Necker, said the subject can even be broached with very young children “from the age of three”.

“They feel the anguish and anxiety of adults. Not saying anything is even more worrying for them because they imagine it is worse than it is,” he said.

“There isn’t a wrong way of talking about it. But not talking about it is always bad.”

Psychologist Jeanne Siaud-Facchin argued that before the age of six it is better “to spare” children because until then they do not have the “capacity to understand”.

“There are no rules,” she said, “but I think it is essential to leave them in their child’s world and not to expose them to (these kind of) images or words because they will only take emotions without under-standing their meaning. The only thing that they will understand is raw and worrying fear,” she said.

But if they ask questions, parents should not lie, Siaud-Facchin added.

“Better to keep it a bit hazy. Say that ‘fi ghters have attacked the country’ or that you are worried because serious things have happened in the world of adults that does not concern them,” she added.

“Some parents say to themselves wrongly that

they have to be absolutely truthful to their children. But children are used to us not talking to them about certain things.”

With children aged six and upwards it is vital to talk about the subject, Siaud-Facchin said -- particu-larly if it is likely to come up at school, either brought up by teachers or in the playground.

- ‘I’m there to protect you’ -But how do we explain such terrible things to them?

Above all, avoid using words like “carnage”, “massa-cre” ou “bloodbath”. “These words create more fear than images do. They carry an emotional violence,” said Caroline Gaertner, a journalist at a leading French children’s weekly newspaper.

She questions whether we should even use words like “war” and “terrorism”, arguing that “for a child, war means that there is fi ghting everywhere”.

But according to Siaud-Facchin, “war” is the word that means most to children.

“They have heard it spoken about when they were younger, then in their history classes. You could tell them that terrorism is a new type of war, that war-riors want to fi ght us, but without going into details,” she said.

In a society saturated with information it is hard to hide the front pages, but “if they hear or see things that can terrify them, parents are there to act as decoders,” the psychologist said.

“If children are scared, tell them it’s okay, that you are too. But reassure them by saying they’re not in danger, that protective measures are taken in France and that you’re there to protect them,” she said. Golse of the Necker children’s hospital said “sharing an emotion is good for everyone.”

But it is important not to project your own anxieties about the future on children who live in the present.

“As parents, you must always think about keeping some perspective,” Siaud-Facchin said.

(Manila, November 16, 2015) – The Philippine gov-ernment should immediately release the hundreds of mostly indigent and homeless Manila residents, including more than 140 children, detained before the Asia-Pacifi c Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, Human Rights Watch said today. The arbitrary deten-tions are part of so-called “clearing operations” aimed to beautify the city ahead of the summit, which will bring world leaders to Manila from November 16 to 18, 2015.Since November 9, local authorities have rounded up several hundred adults and children from streets and informal settlements in Manila and surround-ing municipalities of Metro Manila, and detained them without charge. Many of the adults operate food carts or sell scavenged items and were told by offi cials who detained them that they would be able to return to the streets and resume their work after the summit. On the orders of local mayors, including Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, police and social workers are detaining them under guard in government facilities for the homeless and orphans.“Philippine authorities have violated the rights of hundreds of Manila residents to put a cynical veneer of ‘cleanliness’ on the city for APEC delegates,” said Phe-lim Kine, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The removal and detention of homeless and impover-ished residents from where they live and work without due process is a violation of their basic human rights.”Witnesses told Human Rights Watch that police, neighborhood offi cials, and social workers appear on the streets where people are living and examine their tents and hovels. The people detained are then brought by truck to the Reception and Action Center (RAC), a

social welfare facility run by the Manila city govern-ment. Adults and accompanied children from Manila are held at the RAC while children from Manila with no parents present are sent to Boys Town, a shelter for homeless children run by the Manila government in nearby Marikina. Many of those picked up, including people from outside Manila, are then sent to the Jose Fabella Center, a national government-run facility for the homeless in neighboring Mandaluyong City.The national Department of Social Welfare and Development told Human Rights Watch that from November 9 to November 12 a total of 48 homeless or indigent individuals have been detained at the Jose Fabella Center, 40 from Manila, while the others are from nearby Quezon City and Pasay City. The Manila city government reported that authorities had “rescued” at least 141 street children as of No-vember 10, dozens of whom were sent to Boys Town.“Dario,” a scavenger arrested on a street near Roxas Boulevard, said that the development authority personnel who detained him on November 11 were “brutal.” “They were merciless,” Dario told Human Rights Watch. “They took our things or did not al-low some of us to bring our belongings.” He and his wife have been held in custody at the Jose Fabella Center, where they spoke to Human Rights Watch.Local authorities conduct the “clearing operations” in coordination with the Department of Social Welfare and Development. The department’s director for Metro Manila, Alicia Bonoan, told Human Rights Watch the “clearing operations” were part of a government policy of “rescuing” and “reaching out” to the homeless and the poor, particularly children.

Paris attacks intensify migrant debate in EU

Should parents talk to children about the Paris attacks?

Human Rights Watch: Mass arrests before APEC Summit in PHL ‘Clearing operations’ target homeless, poor and street children 

THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday - Tuesday, November 18 - 24, 2015 Visit www.usasianpost.com 5

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In recognition of excellence in leadership, Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. was conferred the Lifetime Contributor Award (public sector) by the Asia CEO Forum on 11 November 2015 at the Marriott Hotel in Manila.

Each year, the Asia CEO Awards recog-nizes extraordinary leaders and leadership teams who have demonstrated outstanding achievement for their organizations and contributions to their fi elds.

In his acceptance speech, Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. thanked the organization for the award.

“I am deeply humbled to be receiving the Lifetime Contributor Award. I offer my sincerest appreciation to the Asia CEO Forum, represented by Mr. Richard Mills and the board of judges, for this tremendous honor. I also wish to congratulate my fellow awardees for their sterling achievements,” said Ambassador Cuisia.

He described his entry into the diplomatic world as a milestone in his professional journey and talked about the unique respon-sibility of every Philippine Ambassador to the United States to harness the potential of the 3.4 million-strong Filipino-American community.

“I never imagined I would ever become a diplomat. For this, I have President Aquino and Foreign Affairs Secretary Del Rosario to thank for entrusting me with one of the most sensitive diplomatic posts of our country - to serve as the Philippine Ambassador to the United States.

While engaging the US Government on a wide spectrum of issues was a given, there was also a need to manage the diverse and complex relationships that make up the Filipino diaspora,” Ambassador Cuisia explained.

The envoy also highlighted the impor-tance of leadership by example, something he learned from serving various adminis-trations.

“There is much to be said about lead-ership by example, and I have had the great privilege of serving three Philippine presidents whose unimpeachable charac-

ters continue to infl uence my leadership style. From President Cory Aquino, who was uncompromising in her beliefs and principles, I learned humility and a strong sense of purpose. President Ramos, on the other hand, redefi ned the word ‘thorough’ by institutionalizing complete staff work, or CSW, in government, thus strengthening my own work ethic. As for President Benigno S. Aquino III, the courage of his convictions evidenced by his unwavering commitment to Daang Matuwid and the rule of law profoundly deepened my sense of integrity. These remarkable leaders compel me to like-wise lead by example, for which colleagues have expressed their appreciation a number of times,” said Ambassador Cuisia.

Ambassador Cuisia also underscored the importance of developing the next genera-tion of leaders.

“In Washington D.C., we have the Fili-pino-American Youth Leadership Program or FYLPRO. Many of you are our partners in this annual FYLPRO program, which, to date, has brought 40 young Fil-Ams to the Philippines. Describing their time here as a “transformative” experience, they are creat-ing an impact in their communities through various legacy projects,” the envoy stated.

Mr. David M. Consunji, Chairman of DMCI Holdings Inc., likewise received the Lifetime Contributor Award for the private sector.

Past recipients of the Lifetime Contribu-tor Award either for the public or private sector include former Prime Minister Cesar Virata, former President Fidel V. Ramos, former Secretary of Foreign Affairs Delia Albert, Philippine Economic Zone Authority Director General Lilia De Lima, Henry Sy, and Washington Sycip.

Other categories awarded each year are Hospitality Destination, Technology Com-pany, Heart of OFW’s Company, Green Company, Young Leader, Most Innovative Company, Service Excellence Company, CSR Company, ASEAN Company, Expatri-ate Executive, Global Filipino Executive, Top Employer, and Executive Leadership Team of the Year.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the world prepares to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on November 25, Embassy personnel and members of the Filipino-American community gathered for a forum on a Campaign to End Violence Against Women (VAW).

In his welcome remarks, Minister Patrick Chuasoto, Chargé d’Affaires of the Philip-pine Embassy, pointed out the importance of discussing the issue of VAW.

“It is ironic that in confl ict situations, for example, women are common targets of violence, and yet they are the ones on whom the families and communities rely the most when it is time to heal and rebuild. It is time that all of us recognize the strength of women, treat them with respect and stop their victimization from violence in their homes and everywhere else,” said Minister Chuasoto.

Marie Ramos, Outreach and Training Coordinator at the Asian/Pacifi c Islander Do-mestic Violence Resource Project, shared her knowledge on addressing VAW and her experience in dealing with cases of domestic violence among the immigrant community in the United States.

Atty. JV Chan-Gonzaga, Minister and Economic Offi cer at the Embassy, talked about Philippine and international laws on the elimination of violence against women and children.

WASHINGTON, D.C., Nov. 8 – The Phil-ippine Humanitarian Coalition (PHC), in partnership with the Philippine Embassy in Washington, DC and the US-Philippines Society, marked the second anniversary of Super Typhoon Haiyan with a Refl ection forum on 06 November 2015 at the Romulo Hall of the Philippine Embassy.

Around 90 representatives from the PHC’s member-organizations, Philippine Govern-ment agencies, and the US-Philippines So-ciety participated in the forum, which was also highlighted by reports on the recovery initiatives of the Philippine Government and the NGO sector, and a video-recorded mes-sage on Resilience and Disaster Prepared-ness produced by the Manila Observatory and featuring former Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Roberto R. Romulo.

Inaugurated on 24 February 2014, the Philippine Humanitarian Coali tion is composed of national and local Filipino-American community organizations that have undertaken the mission to assist in rebuilding lives and contributing to the res-toration of communities affected by natural and man-made disasters.

“Shortly after Super Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines in November 2013, the Filipino-American community heeded the call to action of the Embassy and stepped up to assist in the recovery, rehabilitation, and rebuilding efforts back home. There are numerous Filipino-American organizations in the Metro DC area alone, each one with its own goals and mandate. Some people said it would be impossible to get these organiza-tions together for one cause.

In the case of Typhoon Haiyan, however, the genuine desire to help our kababayan in need was much greater than any individual organization’s goal or mandate. It was in this light, in this very room two years ago that the Philippine Humanitarian Coalition was born,” Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. recounted.

NEDA Deputy Director General (DDG) Margarita R. Songco, head of the NEDA Yolanda Project Monitoring Offi ce, apprised the group of the status of selected govern-ment projects to rebuild damaged infra-structure and provide education, housing, livelihood and social services to the affected communities.

Guided by the principle to “Build Back Better, Safer and Faster,” the Philippine Government is working to restore and recon-struct to a higher level of disaster resiliency; formulate and implement long-term sustain-able programs, standards and guidelines;

and phase rehabilitation activities. “Rehabilitation is the longer process but

for those affected, assistance cannot hap-pen too soon. The Government is committed to providing an enabling environment for rehabilitation,” said DDG Songco. She said that the Philippine Government continues to learn lessons from the Haiyan experience, in-cluding the need to strengthen coordination among stakeholders, streamline processes, and ensure convergence of programs for greater effi ciency in use of resources and for the attainment of better results.

Rene “Butch” Meily, President of the Philippine Disaster Recovery Foundation (PDRF), delivered a brief video recorded message on the rehabilitation and recovery initiatives of the NGO sector.

A highlight of the program was the pre-sentation of ten Filipino-community groups on their PHC-funded projects. The funds came from the proceeds of After the Storm benefi t concert which was held on 14 June 2014 at the Kennedy Center in Washing-ton, D.C. through the collaborative efforts of the PHC, Philippine Embassy and US-Philippines Society.

The grants were given out in September 2014 after a rigorous review and selection process using the US National Institutes of Health methodology of grading blind propos-als based on Problem Identifi cation, Project Description, Organizational Capability and Budget.

The organizations that presented were Answering the Cry of the Poor; Feed the Hungry, Inc.; Philippine Association of Metropolitan Washington Engineers; Fili-pino Family Fund; Migrant Heritage Com-mission; Philippine Nurses Association of America Foundation; Philippine Nurses Association of Metropolitan DC, Inc.; Phil-ippine Medical Association of Metropolitan Washington, DC; University of the Philip-pines Medical Alumni Society in America; and the World Bank Group-IMF Staff Fili-pino Association.

Combined, these organizations have ongo-ing innovative projects addressing areas of food security, shelter, education, children’s rights, livelihood, infrastructure, environ-mental sustainability, and public health.

After the presentations, Ms. Maria Angela of the American Federation of Teachers, and representatives of the non-profi t First Book, launched a Book Outreach Project to help school children in Leyte by replacing some of the books and other educational resources that were lost and destroyed by Haiyan’s onslaught.

Asia CEO forum recognizes Cuisia with lifetime contributor award

Washington Fil-Ams remember Haiyan

Embassy hosts forum on addressing violence against women and children

Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday - Tuesday, November 18 - 24, 2015 THE US ASIAN POST6

ALDEN Richards clarifi ed he had never received a P100 million offer to promote a presidential candidate in the May 2016 elections.

“Walang lumapit to of-fer that much money. Ako, personally, I really don’t want to endorse anyone po. Kungbaga, let them be. Iba ang showbiz sa politics and I don’t want to mix it po,” Richards said.

Richards admitted that in the first two months of “Kalye-serye”, the famous segment of “Eat Bulaga” featuring him and on-screen

love team Maine Mendoza, aka Yaya Dub, there were offers to endorse a politician.

He clarifi ed though that the amount offered was way below P100 million. The actor said that he will not endorse any politician even if he will be offered P100 mil-lion. “There have been offers for me to endorse a political party or person, pero sinabi ko na baka pwedeng dito na lang tayo sa showbiz mag concentrate, not the other side,” he said.

Richards said that when it comes to his endorsements,

GMA Artist Center, the ones handling his career, is close-ly working with him and he has a say in every project.

“Nag-uusap naman kami, yung management, if ever na may endorsements na pumapasok, inquiry, out-of-town or out of the country trips, tinatanong naman nila ako kung gusto ko ba siyang gawin,” he said.

“In fairness naman sa management, they ask me if I want to do this if I want to do that, and (that’s the time) I will say yes to it.”

He added that even with

his busy schedule, his regu-lar stint in “Eat Bulaga” from Mondays to Saturdays and weekend program “Sun-day PinaSaya,” he still gets to take some rest.

The actor said he will not accept a show if he feels that he cannot give his 100 percent on it.

“It’s my decision to do these schedules, to commit myself to a lot of schedules kasi workaholic ako. Hi-nahanap siya ng katakana ko every time (na walang ginagawa). So, I really don’t mind,” he said.(MNS)

Angel Locsin is excited that her project with “Star for All Seasons” and Batan-gas Governor Vilma Santos will be the fi rst movie of Star Cinema for 2016.

“[This is my movie with] Iki-claim ko na po siya—my future mother-in-law, Governor Vilma Santos, and Xian Lim,” Locsin said. “Nakakatuwa na naisipan ng Star Cinema na kami ‘yung pang-opening salvo. Hindi basta-bastang posisyon ‘yun. Maraming salamat sa ti-wala.” “Of course, happy na ma-share itong experience na ito with Tita Vilma. Ilang artista lang ba ‘yung maka-kapagsabi na nakatrabaho

MANILA, Nov 14 (Mabu-hay) -- Will you court Jessy Mendiola? This was the question posed to “You’re My Home” star JC de Vera after his co-star admitted that she found him to be “sexiest man in the country.”

The 29-year-old De Vera was honest in his answer and said that he doesn’t plan to at the moment. He, however, remains open to the possi-bility of falling in love with Mendiola. “Maybe siguro pag naging deeper pa ang pagkakakilala namin sa isa’t isa kasi right now, hindi ka naman puwede mangligaw ng basta-basta eh,” he said.

He added: “Siyempre, nag-kakaroon ka rin ng ibang pri-orities. Ngayon pag minadali mo ang isang bagay, madali rin siyang mawawala.”

De Vera was also asked

if he had any plans to court fellow Kapami-lya Maja Salva-dor, whom he has admitted to having a crush on.

“Not r ight now,” he also said. “Kasi right now, very grate-ful ako sa lahat ng blessings na mga dumadat-ing sa akin. At n g a y o n , I ’ m very hungry for knowledge at gusto kong ma-tuto.” “At ngayon focus ko rin ang career ko sa showbiz at ang aking restaurant busi-ness. Minsan lang mangyari yan eh and I just want to seize the moment,” De Vera

added.“You’re My Home,” which

also stars screen veterans Dawn Zulueta and Richard Gomez,” airs weeknights after “On the Wings of Love.” (MNS)

MANILA, Nov 14 (Mabu-hay) -- After topping a re-cent online survey on who should replace Angel Locsin as Darna, “On the Wings of Love” star Nadine Lustre has expressed her willing-ness to don the role of the iconic Filipina superheroine.

The 22-year-old Lustre said that it would be a “privi-lege” to put on the Darna costume, which has been worn by several big name celebrities such as Vilma Santos.

“Of course I want, gusto ko po siyempre kasi Darna ‘yun, ‘di ba? It’s a privilege

na maging Darna ka. Bigyan nila ako ng gym time, bigyan nila ako ng time mag-train,” the actress said.

For his part, James Reid, Lustre’s co-star in “On the Wings of Love,” added: “If she’s Darna, then I’m Cap-tain Barbell. ...I told her she could do it. She does [have the body do it].”

Star Cinema, the pro-ducer of the planned Darna film, have yet to make a formal announcement on the matter.

Locsin had to back out of the project due to a health problem. (MNS)

MANILA, Nov 13 (Mabu-hay) -- “Yes, I am.”

These were the words of “Pangako Sa ‘Yo” star Daniel Padilla when asked to confi rm if he is throwing his support behind the 2016 presidential bid of Liberal Party standard-bearer Mar Roxas.

The 20-year-old Padilla said he has every right as a registered voter to pick a candidate for the upcoming elections.

“Dahil choice ko iyon at kung nagparehistro kayo, may choice din kayo,” he said. The actor, considered to be one of the most popular among the Filipino youth, surprised many when he posted a video of him on his Twitter account interview-ing Roxas. Titled “Traffic Episode,” the clip has Padilla questioning the former inte-rior secretary about pressing issues such as the worsening metro traffi c.

I n r e s p o n s e , R o x a s claimed that one of the gov-ernment’s solution to decon-gest EDSA is already on its way in the form of the NLEX-SLEX connector. “Ginagawa na iyan at magpapatuloy ang pagtratrabaho niyan, at siguro sa mga susunod na

Alden Richards denies P100-M off er to endorse presidential bet

ALDEN Richards

Is JC de Vera planning to court Jessy?

JC de Vera

Angel on working with Vilma: She’s amazing

Angel Locsin

Nadine Lustre willing to suit up as Darna

Nadine Lustre

Why Daniel Padilla is endorsing Mar

nila ang isang Vilma San-tos?” she added.

Locsin is the girlfriend of Santos’ son, actor-host Luis Manzano. When asked about her experience work-ing with Santos, Locsin said: “She’s amazing.

Ibang klase. Alam mo ‘yung pakiramdam kapag excited ka sa mga scenes na ginagawa namin, laging may pagkain at laging siya ‘yung bangka sa mga kwentuhan. Nakakatuwa na itong taong napaka-successful ay so-brang down to earth at nag-bibigay lang ng tuwa sa mga tao. Sobrang nakakatuwa siyang kasama. Very inspir-ing, very amazing.”

Locsin renewed her con-tract with ABS-CBN days after her announcement that she would no longer play the iconic Filipina super-hero Darna in an upcoming movie. (MNS)

taon ay kumpleto na iyan,” he said.

Roxas added that the gov-ernment will also imple-ment a change in the sys-tem of granting franchises to public utility buses. He claimed: “Iyan ang sistema na ipapatupad natin para gumanda nga ang daloy ng trapiko.”

In another video, Padilla was joined by her mother, veteran actress Karla Es-trada. The two, who hail from Tacloban, asked Roxas about the criticisms that hounded the government’s early rescue efforts in the aftermath of supertyphoon Yolanda.

Roxas noted that Secre-tary of National Defense Voltaire Gazmin was already in Tacloban the night before Yolanda made landfall. He also stressed that the gov-ernment was able to distrib-ute relief goods in the city 24 hours after the calamity struck.

“Doon na nagsimula at hindi na kami bumitiw. Mula nung dumating si Yolanda, hanggang mag-stabilize ang situation, at hanggang sa ngayon, two years later ay tinututukan pa rin natin ang pagbangon muli ng Tacloban at iba pang bayan at lalawigan,” Roxas said. (MNS)

Daniel Padilla

LOS ANGELES

THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday - Tuesday, November 18 - 24, 2015 Visit www.usasianpost.com 7

Sunday November 15 2015 (Relaxnews) – In a study exploring the link be-tween self-reported health and immunity, American researchers demonstrated that if you think your health is not very good, you have a greater susceptibility to infection.

Doctors should perhaps ask their patients to self-rate their health at the begin-ning of a consultation. So suggest the conclusions of this new study, published in the November-December 2015 edition of the journal Psychosomatic Medicine.

Psychologists at Carnegie Mellon University in the US have shown that the self-

rated health of adults aged 18 to 55 could be an indicator of the likelihood of catching a cold.

Self-Rated Health is an indicator commonly used to measure a person’s opinion of their general state of health.

The researchers selected 360 healthy adults with an average age of 33, whom they asked to self-assess their health using a question-naire. Each participant could choose among “excellent,” “very good,” “good,” “fair” or “poor.” None of them gave the last answer, as they had all been selected for their good health, and only 2% answered “fair.”

The volunteers were then exposed to a virus that causes the common cold and were monitored for fi ve days to study the development of illness.

The team noted that near-ly a third of the participants developed a cold. The partici-pants who self-assessed their health as being “very good,” “good” or “fair” were twice as likely to have been affected by the virus as those who self-reported their health as “excellent.”

For the researchers, this increased risk of catching a cold was not due to the infection, but rather the in-creased probability of objec-tive signs of disease once it

had developed.Variables such as a poor

lifestyle, high stress levels, negative emotions and socio-economic factors did not ac-count for this phenomenon.

According to Sheldon Co-hen, the study’s main au-thor, the explanation for this connection between self-assessed health and susceptibility to infection could be indicators—sen-sations, feelings, diffuse symptoms—of dysfunctions in the immune system that warn us that something is wrong even before the clini-cal symptoms appear. They could be things we know about our body that are not detectable by a doctor.

Self-rated health is a good indicator of the likelihood of catching a cold. ©wavebreakmedia/shutterstock.com

Friday November 13 2015 (Relaxnews) – Gentle-men, have you ever won-dered how to get skin as smooth as Ryan Seacrest’s?

Then relax, because all is about to be revealed, thanks to the star’s latest venture – a male beauty product line.

The “American Idol” host is teaming up with Beverly Hills dermatologist to the stars Dr. Harold Lancer on a skincare line for men. Set to launch in late 2016, the collection will be based on the principles of Lancer’s established Lancer Method but incorporating original formulas designed to target the specifi c skincare needs of men today.

Seacrest, a long-time pa-

tient of Lancer’s, is hoping to capitalize on the booming men’s grooming market

with the product line. “It’s no secret that guys

are increasingly embracing the benefi ts and value of grooming, as well as openly talking about it,” he said. “I’ve always credited Dr. Lancer with my own efforts to maintain a youthful ap-pearance, leveraging his skincare regimen.”

According to Lancer, men are increasingly con-cerned about their appear-ance when it comes to sk-incare.

“Over the years at my practice, I’ve seen an evo-lution in how men care about and for their skin,” he explained.

“There is undoubtedly more of a consciousness within this demographic

and a clear shift to more diligent maintenance.”

Lancer, who launched his Beverly Hills practice in the 1980s, is known for both his celebrity clients and his skincare line.

TV and radio host and producer Seacrest is known for his Emmy-winning en-tertainment production powerhouse, responsible for shows including “Keep-ing Up with the Kardashi-ans” and “Kourtney and Khloe Take the Hamptons.”

The new skincare line isn’t his first foray into the fashion and beauty universe – in 2014, he launched a men’s tailored clothing and accessories collection, Ryan Seacrest Distinction, at Macy’s.

US TV host Ryan Seacrest. ©AFP PHOTO OLIVIER LABAN-MATTEI

If you think you’re in poor health, you’re more likely to catch a cold

This study is one of the fi rst to suggest that people are able to predict how their immune system will respond to a virus or other health

risks, and it contributes to the understanding of the biological mechanisms of the link between morbidity and self-rated health.

Ryan Seacrest jumps on the male beauty bandwagon with new skincare line

Friday November 13 2015 (Relaxnews) – Participating in a team sport is a very good way of improving children’s concentration in class and their self-regulation skills, says a new Canadian study.

To be more attentive in class and better able to learn, children should participate in an extracurricular sport from a young age, especially a team sport, says Linda Pagani, a researcher at Mon-treal’s Sainte-Justine chil-dren’s hospital in Canada and a professor at the Mon-treal University’s School of Psychoeducation.

Her research was present-ed in Chicago on November 11.

Linda Pagani and her team said that the aim of

their study was to answer two questions: does par-ticipation in extracurricular activities in kindergarten predict fourth-grade self-discipline?

And do kindergarten self-discipline characteristics predict fourth-grade par-ticipation in sports? These predictive characteristics include classroom engage-ment, physical aggression, impulsivity and emotional distress.

The researchers studied the data on 2,694 children born between 1997 and 1998 retrieved from the Que-bec Longitudinal Study on Child Development based on questionnaires fi lled in by teachers and interviews with parents.

Sports aid children’s ability to concentrate and learn, study says

LOS ANGELES

Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday - Tuesday, November 18 - 24, 2015 THE US ASIAN POST8

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Thursday November 12 2015 (Relaxnews) – To help protect our brains against cognitive aging, it is better is to have strong, muscular legs, fi nds a new UK study.

Gym exercises, running and walking all boost leg power, which in turn im-proves the brain’s ability to age. Researchers at Kings College London in the UK came to that conclusion after a 10-year study (1999-2009) of 324 healthy female twins, with an average age of 55, from the national TwinsUK volunteer registry.

The researchers decided to use identical twins for this study because their genetic makeup is the same and cannot be changed over time.

At the beginning and the end of the study, the team measured various indicators of cognitive capacity, learn-ing and memory, adjusting for factors shared by twins.

Their fi ndings, which were published in the November 10 edition of the journal Gerontology, showed that leg power is a better predictor of cognitive changes than any

Maintaining leg muscle fi tness throughout life is linked to good brain health in old age, says a new study. ©Shutterstock/g-stockstudio

Friday July 10 2015 (Par-is, France-AFP) - People who suffer from psychosis are about three times more likely to be smokers, but sci-entists have long scratched their heads over which one leads to the other.

On Friday, research pub-lished in The Lancet Psychi-atry suggested daily tobacco use, already known to cause cancer and stroke, may be also be a contributor to men-tal illness – not necessarily result of it.

Analysing data from 61 studies conducted around the world between 1980 and 2014, a team found that 57 percent of people fi rst diag-nosed with psychosis were smokers.

The studies contained data on nearly 15,000 smok-ers and 273,000 non-smok-ers, some of whom were diagnosed with psychotic illnesses like schizophrenia.

“People with fi rst episodes of psychosis were three times more likely to be smokers,” said a statement from King’s College London’s Depart-ment of Psychosis Studies, which took part in the meta-analysis. “The researchers also found that daily smok-ers developed psychotic ill-ness around a year earlier than non-smokers.”

It has long been hypoth-esized that higher smoking rates among psychosis suf-ferers could be explained by people seeking relief

from boredom or distress, or self-medicating against the symptoms or side-effects of antipsychotic medication.

But if this were so, re-searchers would expect smoking rates to increase only after people had devel-oped psychosis.

“These fi ndings call into question the self-medication hypothesis by suggesting that smoking may have a causal role in psychosis,” said the statement.

The team stressed they had not conclusively proven that smoking causes psycho-sis, saying further research must be done.

But the results did sug-gest that smoking “should be taken seriously as a possible risk factor for developing psychosis and not dismissed simply as a consequence of the illness,” they wrote.

The researchers theorized that changes in the brain’s dopamine system may ex-plain the association.

Dopamine is a chemical messenger that helps control the brain’s reward and plea-sure centers.

“Excess dopamine is the best biological explanation we have for psychotic ill-nesses such as schizophre-nia,” said King’s College psychiatric professor Robin Murray.

“It is possible that nico-tine exposure, by increasing the release of dopamine, causes psychosis to develop.”

Research published in The Lancet Psychiatry suggested daily tobacco use may be a contributor to mental illness. ©milan2099/Shutterstock.com

Leg power helps to keep our brains young

other lifestyle-related factors that have been studied.

The researchers noted that the twins with more leg power at the beginning of the study remained in better cognitive health and had less cerebral changes caused by aging after 10 years.

“It’s compelling to see such differences in cognition and brain structure in identi-cal twins, who had different leg power ten years before,” said Dr. Claire Steves, the study’s main author. “It sug-gests that simple lifestyle changes to boost our physical activity may help to keep us both mentally and physically healthy.”

Previous research un-dertaken on animals has shown the benefi cial effects of physical activity on the aging brain, as muscular

exercise leads to the release of a hormone that helps with the growth of nerve cells.

But this study is the fi rst to prove a link between the power (strength and speed) of the lower limbs and cog-nitive changes in healthy people.

The researchers pointed out that our legs contain the biggest muscles in the body. It is very easy to work these muscles through various sports and even simple daily activities such as standing and walking.

Other research is needed, particularly to better un-derstand the mechanisms behind this association. The mechanisms could involve other factors such as age-related changes in immune function, blood circulation or nerve signaling.

Can smoking drive you mad? Study suggests it might

Friday July 3 2015 (Relaxnews) – A massive review of 160 clinical trials sheds new light on how – exactly – exercise benefi ts heart and respiratory health.

Our understanding of exercise has come under fi re, as studies emerge revealing that it has less to do with weight loss than we may have thought.

As for cardiovascular health, much remains unknown as to how the benefi ts come into play and why the effects vary from person to person. “Because the exact mecha-nisms linking exercise to intermediate health outcomes are not clear, we also wanted to examine the effects of exercise ... “ says lead author Xiaochen Lin, a doctoral candidate at the Brown University School of Public Health. Working with data on nearly 7,500 participants the research team set out to evaluate how exercise in-terventions affect health – and whether or not they are always the right choice for the individual.

“Based on our fi ndings, exercise interventions are not universally effective across different intermediate out-comes and subgroups of participants,” says corresponding author Dr. Simin Liu, a professor of epidemiology and of medicine at Brown.

Study pinpoints heart benefi ts of exercise

THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday - Tuesday, November 18 - 24, 2015 Visit www.usasianpost.com 9LOS ANGELES

MOTORING (Relaxnews) – From su-

percars to SUVs, in all some 50 new vehicles are sched-uled to make an appearance at this year’s Los Angeles Auto Show. For some, like the Jaguar F-Pace, the show will mark a fi rst glimpse on US shores, but for 30 of that number, including the Fer-rari F12tdf, LA will be the venue for the car’s fi rst-ever appearance anywhere in the world. But despite its brand appeal, Ferrari will have to fi ght for attention. Porsche will be bringing a racetrack-ready version of its Cayman, the GT4 Clubsport, to this year’s show and Lamborghini is prepping a new, more dy-namic version of its Huracan supercar.

For those who want su-

percar performance with extra comfort and elegance, Mercedes will be unveil-ing its latest generation SL coupé complete, as always with folding hard top, and although it’s yet to confi rm or deny rumors, McLaren could be showing off its 570S Spider too.

SUVs and crossovers are also going to be huge draws at this year’s event, espe-cially as the West Coast is the unoffi cial world capital of the offroader. Range Rover is bringing its Evoque con-vertible – the world’s first premium compact SUV drop top. It will be doing battle, so to speak, with the Cadillac XT5, a new crossover that proves US carmakers can do luxury as well as any Eu-

ropean brand, while Infi niti will be taking the wraps off the production version of its sub-compact X30 premium crossover.

Moving up the scale, Mercedes will be debuting its GLS-Class uber-luxury seven-seat SUV, a car it’s marketing as an S-Class with better ground clear-ance, such are its comfort and technological capabilities.At a special event ahead of the show’s press day on November 18, storied Ital-ian marque Alfa Romeo will be honored and a precession of past classics and current models will be on show, mak-ing the event the perfect occasion to finally reveal the brand’s fi rst SUV after nearly two years of teasing.

Saturday November 14 2015 (Relaxnews) – New research suggests that Google’s unrivaled access to complementary technolo-gies could mean it will be offering consumers access to driverless taxis before a traditional carmaker can get its fi rst autonomous car in a dealership.

During his media round-table discussion at the Tokyo Motor Show, Nissan head Carlos Ghosn was very care-ful to make a clear distinc-tion between autonomous driving aids and the concept of self-driving cars.

“Driverless cars are cars without a driver, which is what Google and Uber are pursuing,” he said. “Our ob-jective for autonomous drive is not to take you out of the car. Our objective is to keep you in the car and empower

you.”Al traditional automakers

agree on this point. Technol-ogy should not cancel out driver involvement. When the car’s stuck in traffi c, it takes over. When the car’s on a wonderful stretch of road, the driver takes the wheel again.

“If you want to drive, you drive, if you don’t, you don’t,” said Ghosn.

But while carmakers dis-cuss the finer points and governments are yet to reach a consensus regarding the legislation needed to let cars drive themselves in public, according to IHS Au-tomotive, Google is already streets ahead in the race to make autonomous cars a reality.

“No other company has as much relevant technology to advance autonomous driving

software,” said Egil Julius-sen, PhD., senior research director at IHS Automotive.

The search giant is a leader in mapping, machine learning and artifi cial intel-ligence and has unrivaled access to other innovations, too.

“Google is in a unique position to leverage adjacent technologies for developing self-driving car software,” Juliussen said, “And its strategy and goal is to pro-vide the software and map infrastructure to allow mo-bility services to anyone.”

This progress is why Toy-ota is investing $1 billion in Artificial Intelligence—in order to make up lost ground. But, claims IHS, Google’s progress in this fi eld along with efforts from fi rms such as Uber is already far enough advanced that we

Friday November 13 2015 (Relaxnews) – The annual Kel-ley Blue Book Best Buy Awards have been revealed and with them the best new car in each of 12 individual categories, from luxury sedans and performance cars to SUVs and minivans, in terms of price, long-term cost of ownership, maintenance issues and whether or not they bring a smile to the owner’s face. “After carefully analyzing a wealth of data and conducting extensive vehicle testing and evaluation from the hundreds of models available for the 2016 model-year, we chose this year’s elite group of 12 Kelley Blue Book Best Buy Award winners be-

cause they proved to be the top values in their class,” said Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com.

For 2016, five of the 12 category awards were scooped by Japanese automakers. The Lexus RX clinched the title of Best Luxury SUV or crossover due to its combi-nation of comfort, reliability and desirability, plus the fact that it’s had a total redesign this year. Honda collected the awards for best Mid-Size SUV or Crossover for the Pilotand best Small SUV or Crossover for its CR-V. It also retained

the Minivan category award for the Odyssey and once again – as for the 2015 awards – was declared Best Small Car for its Civic. In fact the new Civic was considered such a great proposition that it was also named this year’s overall winner. “Our group of expert vehicle testers chose the totally redesigned 2016 Honda Civic as the Overall Winner in our Best Buy Awards because it sets a new standard in a seg-ment already known for deliv-ering great value, providing an up-level experience to drivers and passengers in every facet of the driving and ownership experience,” said Nerad.

What to look forward to at the 2015 LA Auto Show

The Honda Civic is America’s best value car

Google in the driver’s seat

Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday - Tuesday, November 18 - 24, 2015 THE US ASIAN POST10 LOS ANGELES

THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday - Tuesday, November 18 - 24, 2015 Visit www.usasianpost.com 11

Friday November 13 2015 (Relaxnews) – On November 13, Ford an-nounced it has become the fi rst automaker to test an autonomous car at the University of Michigan’s “simulated urban environ-ment,” MCity.

A world fi rst, MCity is a 32-acre fake town designed

to recreate urban situations that motorists encounter. The town is part of the Uni-versity’s Mobility Transfor-mation Center.

Ford used MCity to test their Ford Fusion Hybrid Autonomous Research Ve-hicle, in particular its ad-vanced sensing technology. In its announcement, Ford

explained that MCity’s “full-scale urban environ-ment provides real-world road scenarios – such as running a red light – that can’t be replicated on public roads.” The announcement marks the fi rst time that an autonomous car has been tested at the site since MC-ity’s opening in July.

Ford tests autonomous vehicle at MCity. ©Ford

Tuesday October 30 2012 (Relaxnews) – The latest Con-sumer Reports Auto Reliabil-ity Survey names the Prius C the most reliable vehicle and puts Toyota fi rmly at the top overall and Jaguar at the bot-tom in the 2012 league table.

Japanese car manufac-turers occupy eight of the top 10 places in the 2012 survey of over 800,000 US motorists and 1.2 million cars sold between 2010 and 2012 with only two non-Japanese brands -- Audi (8th place) and Kia (10th) making it into the top half of the table.

And while the Toyota Prius C hybrid was named the most reliable vehicle, it was another Toyota brand, Scion,

that took the top spot, fol-lowed by Toyota in second and Lexus in third, giving the car company a clean sweep of the medal places.

At the other end of the table, Ford has dropped from its top-10 position two years ago and fi nds itself one place from last. However, there are mitigating circumstances. Ford’s MyFord telematics system is still problematic and many of its historically reliable models, including the Escape and Fusion were redesigned for 2013 and are therefore not included in the results. Therefore, Cadillac (owned by GM) is the most re-liable US brand in this year’s table. Other US brands to

fall into the bottom 10 places include Lincoln, Ram, Dodge, Chrysler, Buick and Jeep.

European brands have fared much better. As well as Audi returning to the top 10 following reliability issues in recent years, 10 of BMW’s 12 US models have shown signs of significant improvement and were rated ‘average’ or better in the survey. Likewise Mercedes Benz V6 E_Class has moved to ‘above average’ and the C250 is performing well in the fi rst year of its re-lease, even if the new M-Class came in below average in its fi rst year of availability in the US. But most surprising of all is Jaguar’s drop to the bottom of the pile.

Wednesday October 14 2015 (Relaxnews) – The latest addition to BMW’s ultra-performance range is big on speed and power but small on size.

In fact, the M2 coupé, re-vealed at a special event on Tuesday night, live streamed via Periscope, will only take up about the same amount of room on the highway as a Volkswagen Golf GTi when it officially goes on sale next year. But unlike the iconic hot hatchback, the latest two-door BMW coupé won’t simply hold the road, it will own it, thanks to a turbocharged six-cylinder engine that delivers 365bhp and a 0-100kph time of just 4.3 seconds when the car is

specifi ed with a paddle shift rather than manual tran-simssion.

That means that that it’s as fast or faster in a straight line than its direct rivals -- the hottest Mercedes A Class and sportiest Audi A3.

And it will be just as impressive in the corners, thanks to a clever electron-ic limited slip differential digitally juggling the power between initially, the rear wheels (a four-wheel drive version is expected later), a piece of kit that until recent-ly was solely the domain of marques like Ferrari. All of which means that the small car will be worthy of such a big responsibility – carrying the ‘M’ badge.

The new BMW M2 Coupé. ©BMW Group

Wednesday October 14 2015 (Relaxnews) – The lat-est software update for the Tesla Model S, which is set to be delivered on Thurs-day, October 15, 2015, will introduce a new Autopilot mode, making the car semi-autonomous.

Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO, announced the news via Twitter: Tesla Version 7 software including the Auto-pilot mode will be launched on Thursday, October 15. The inclusion of these new features, which were fi rst re-vealed a year ago, is a major step forward for Tesla.

The Autopilot mode com-bines several autonomous driving features. It includes automatic alignment be-hind another car, automatic respect of speed limits and emergency braking, using

a camera, radar and ultra-sound sensor.

This update is aimed at owners of the Tesla Model S, but also covers the brand’s upcoming SUV, the Model X, which is set to launch in the US at the end of the year. Note that to receive the up-date you must have signed up for the Autopilot package.

A pioneer in the electric car industry, Tesla unveiled its fi rst model, the Roadster, in 2008. The Model S range is described as the world’s fastest 100% electric sedan. At the end of 2015, Tesla is set to add to its catalogue with the Model X, its fi rst SUV, which is also 100% electric.

A look back at Elon Musk’s presentation of Au-topilot mode in 2014: youtu.be/FZ6lZJWL_Xk

Thursday October 15 2015 (San Francisco-AFP) – Tesla added autopilot that can even parallel park to thousands of its Model S cars already on the road with a software update sent out over the air Wednesday.

Self-driving capabilities – previously limited to cars tested by technology titans such as Google -- hit the streets “overnight” with the latest Tesla Version 7.0 software.

“We’re being especially cautious at this early stage so we are advising drivers to keep their hands on the wheel just in case,” Tesla founder and chief executive Elon Musk said at a press conference.

“In the long term, people will not need hands on the wheel, and eventually there won’t be wheels or pedals.”

Autopilot allows Model S to steer within a lane, change lanes by tapping a turn signal and manage speed using “traffi c-aware” cruise control.

The car can also scan for available parking spaces, alert drivers when one is spotted and then even parallel park on command, according to Tesla.

A year ago, Tesla began equipping Model S cars with radar, cameras, ultrasonic sensors and other hardware to begin incrementally introducing self-driving capabili-ties, the California-based company said.

Ford is the fi rst to test an autonomous vehicle at Motor City

For trouble-free motoring, buy a Toyota: Consumer Reports

BMW unveils the M2, a supercar for the inner cities

Tesla to launch self-driving features

Tesla adds autopilot to Model S electric cars

Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday - Tuesday, November 18 - 24, 2015 THE US ASIAN POST12

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