Volume XXVII No. 1 January 2009 RP ...4711 Van Horne Avenue Montreal, QC H3W 1H8 Tel.: 514-733-8915 E-Mail: [email protected] Come and visit us for our IN STORE SPECIALS Gift

www.filipinostar.org

www.filipinostar.orgVolume XXVII No. 1 January 2009

MANILA, Philippines—Faced

with heavy job losses in export-oriented industries, especiallyelectronics and garments, thePhilippines can find hope in laborpolicies to be set by new US PresidentBarack Obama that may give Filipinosa chance of working in the UnitedStates, according to the OverseasWorkers Welfare Administration(OWWA).

“We are hoping that therewould be new policies that would helphasten migration, particularly for[professionals in the] health sector,because the Philippines has a biggerchance [of finding] employment in thissector,” OWWA AdministratorCarmelita Dimzon told reporters inBaguio City on Friday.

Dimzon said the United States,where about two million Filipinos liveand work, was still the top destinationfor nurses and Filipino migrants.

“The United States has a greatneed for health care because of [its]aging population. [It needs] morenurses and the Philippines hasbecome a good source of manpower,”she said.

Manuela Peña, OWWACordillera director, noted that while the

United States was carrying out belt-tightening measures, she had yet tohear about the displacement of Filipinomigrants.

Suffering from a shrinkingeconomy, the United States shed 2.6

million jobs last year, the highest yearlyjob loss since 1945. One bright spotwas the health care sector, whichadded 372,000 jobs.

Peña expressed confidence“that there will be no retrenchment

among [Filipino] health workersbecause [the United States] needsthem.”

Improving health care alongwith expanding renewable energy isamong the initiatives that Obama ispushing as he seeks to build publicsupport for an $825-billion economicrecovery plan.

In his weekly radio address onSaturday, he pledged to use the fundto create jobs.

Saying more people filed forunemployment this week than at anytime in the past 26 years, Obamawarned joblessness could hit doubledigits and the economy could fall $1trillion short of its full capacity ifnothing was done.

Obama said the economicrecovery plan would save or create 3million to 4 million jobs while investingin clean energy development,education and improving health careefficiency.Jobs lost daily

In the Philippines, hundreds ofworkers are losing their jobs daily,mostly in the electronics industry,which has suffered from plunging

RP Optimistic about Obama

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T o u r i s m . . . . . . . . . . . . p . 6

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P h i l i p p i n e C u i s i n e . . . . . p . 1 1

F i l s t a r P h o t o G a l l e r y . p . 1 2 , 1 3

H o m e B u s i n e s s . . . . . . . p . 1 4

S h o w b i z G o s s i p . . . . . . . p . 1 8

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Stephen Harper meets the ethnic media

January 20, 2009 at 12 noon, the 44th president of the United States,Barack Obama, put his hand on the Bible that Abraham Lincoln used onMarch 4, 1861, and took his oath of office in front of the Chief Justice ofthe US Supreme Court, John Roberts, while Michele and their twodaughters looked on amidst an approximate crowd of 2 million people atthe National Mall in Washington, DC.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper flanked by Senator Leo Housakos, and Federal Minister forPublic Works Christian Paradis, listens intently to a question during the press conferenceheld with the ethnic media, January 9, 2009 at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel.

Montreal, January 9, 2009 - Around table conference with the ethnicmedia was one of the pre-budgetconsultations that the Prime Ministermade during his visit to Montreal.Earlier in the day, he met with CEOs ofmajor businesses. The businessexecutives who met with Harperincluded Pierre Beaudoin ofBombardier Inc. and Power Corp's PaulDemarais. Sources inside the meetingsay Bombardier pushed for high speedtrain service between several Quebecand Ontario cities, while other leadersurged the government to reinvest in theEmployment Insurance program.

A random selection ofquestions from the ethnic press wasconducted by a moderator. and theywere mostly informational. Many of thejournalists’ questions were about theincreasing unemployment. The Prime

See Page 4 Obama

See Page 4 Ethnic Press

January 20092


The North American Filipino Star

Jean Janete AguilarJerry Estrada

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Will Barack Obama’s leadership openthe door to world peace?

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Until now, after over threemonths, the Obama story is still thetopic of conversations, and all kinds ofpeople are expressing their greatadmiration, enthusiasm and optimismabout the future. The economy may bein a dire strait but it has not dampenedthe spirit of people who believe inchange. Yes, we can, and now we will.It just proves once more that BarackObama’s incredible rise to power fromhumble beginnings has inspired many,even those who are not from the blackcommunity. His inauguration waswatched around the world, attended bymore than two million people, and hisspeech surely was heard loud andclear. He recognized the manychallenges he and the nation face buthe is not daunted by the size of theproblems before him. He soundedstrong, confident, and true to his beliefthat by working together, America canbe great once more and lead the worldinto prosperity and freedom. He callsthis period of history the new era ofresponsibility.

It is too early to know ifPresident Obama will achieve all thathe wants to achieve, But from what hehas said and done, the world seems tohave a lot of reasons to hope for abetter world, one that will be governedwisely and justly, If leaders both inAmerica and anywhere else around theworld will take a lead from his example,we will all be encouraged to choose notthe easiest path but the right one to getto where we want to go. If wefollow the news closely and listen to allkinds of people, both in favor or againstthe policies of the new administration,we can detect that there is a vibrantmove to find solutions to all theproblems we all face. There is a feelingof goodwill, even though politics stillseem to play a role in the debates in thelegislative bodies. It is not easy tocapture the essence of the moment in afew words but we seem to feel thatthere is a real change going on that willdramatically result in a “paradigmshift”. Taking the example from the top,we no longer have to do things the oldfashion way, Instead, we have to seethe world under a new light. Newsources of energy must be found inorder to save the earth from furtherdamage from polluti on caused by theold industries. As President Obamasaid, if we had been able to put the firstman on the moon after 10 years of

research, we could also find solutionsto our economic crisis by workingtogether.

It may be a controversial movewhen President Obama allowed himselfto be interviewed by Moslem media butthis certainly shows how sincere he isin his desire to open the channels ofcommunication with those who havegrudges against the United States. Hehas said that he wants to be presidentof all, and he wants to know what iscausing the great divide betweencountries and among people.

It is said that the only constantthing is change itself, but we still do notseem to feel it happening until ahistorical event has transpired likeBarack Obama’s election as the firstAfrican-American president of theUnited States. He made the word“change” a powerful slogan for hiscampaign, and it is now the sameslogan that may lead us all to be pro-active in our daily life. Mr. Obamaconducted himself, not as a blackperson but as a man with vision. Heinspired young people to go out andvote. Because of his experience as acommunity organizer he knew how tomobilize people in the grassroots levelto act. Hopefully, he will continue tocarry the same idea into the otherthings he must do to make peoplefollow him specially those who havebeen against the ideals of democracy.

President Obama also hasshown decisiveness and determinationin his leadership role. He did not wasteany time at all. A day after hisinauguration, he signed executiveorders that he believes will be thestarting point - to make sure that thereare strong guidelines to be followed inthe White House. He calls it“transparency”, and a high standardcode of ethics. How we wish that thiswas done, too, by our Philippinepresident when she first assumedpower in Malacanang Palace. It couldhave been a significant step in theeradication of corruption in thegovernment.

It has been only a week sincePresident Obama came into power butit seems that many things have beendone. At the rate he is going, and thepassion and commitment he isshowing, his popularity may influenceenough people to make world peace areality.

Zenaida Ferry Kharroubi

January 2009 3The North American Filipino Star

Recently, a Filipino-Canadiancommunity leader came to visit theFilipino Coop. I thought he would saysome encouraging words but what Iheard was quite disheartening. Hestated that I would never be able tounite the community. According tohim, I would probably end up like myfather who died before he couldachieve his final goal of defendingthose he believed were unjustly treatedby the government. Perhaps, he has apoint as obviously, it is hard toconvince everyone to join the FilipinoCoop and support it. He, for one, isstill balking at the idea. It is no surprisethat he has this attitude. Fortunately,not everyone is like this man. Incontrast to his point of view, there aremany people who are slowly realizingthat the Filipino Coop is showing signsof progress and that it is notimpossible to make it work. Of course,we cannot avoid the so called“detractors” who pass rumours andremarks unfavorable to me personallyas they are trying to undermine myefforts. They belong to the “oldschool of thought that is based on a“crab mentality.”

With the cooperation of like-minded generous people, we could dothe seemingly impossible task ofmaking the Coop a successfulcooperative enterprise. After all, ourcommunity is not only composed of adozen people but 12000 individuals inCote des Neiges alone. If we couldmobilize even 20-30% of thispopulation, we could make the Coopwork for the benefit of the wholecommunity.

If there is any doubt inanyone’s mind about my motivation,let me make it clear that I did not getinvolved in saving the coop to be apopular figure. I already have enoughin my hands being the editor andpublisher of a newspaper and thefounder and director of a privatecollege. That should be enough if I justwant to feed my own ego. But it wasout of my sincere desire to help myfellow citizens. I felt I could help outand I would have had guilt feelings if Idid not lift a finger when I knew I could.I believe there is no greater evil than tostand idly by in the face of otherpeople’s need. The Coop could haveclosed down more than two years agoif I did not go to the bank to get anoperating credit line. But after all this

time of struggle, there is no moreturning back. I know that I have anuphill battle but I do not feel that Ishould give up at all. as I believe thatfor every problem there is a solution. Itmay only take time to find it but I knowthat with the help of the board ofdirectors and other active members ofthe Coop, we could make history, justlike Barrack Obama did for being thefirst African-American to be electedpresident of the most powerful nationon earth. How did he do it? He did notmake any excuse for himself - he justwent ahead with doing what he knewneeded to be done. His exampleactually should inspire us all - never tomake any short cuts but to work ashard as we can in order to achieve orfulfill a dream. Yes, we can, and we willchange the old mentality of our fellowcitizens, even if it takes another 100years. I could pass on but I amoptimistic that someone else will takemy place one day. Those who are stillwaiting to see the failure of the Coopwill be waiting forever and they will bethe real losers for missing theopportunity to do somethingworthwhile and meaningful for whichthey could be remembered. When thetime comes to ask themselves whatthey have done with their lives, whatwill be the answer?

The time to start workingtogether is NOW. We should leave alegacy to our children, and that of ourchildren’s children. The Filipinos inMontreal should be an example toothers in other parts of the world.Ambassador Brillantes has alwaysalluded to the Red Deer, Albertacommunity. The Filipinos there hadalready decided to work together. Whynot in Montreal? We have a lot to gainby doing so. The Cooperative is one ofthe best ways to help one another bymaking it possible to purchase goodsat a lower price for our ownconsumption. We can also make itpossible to create jobs for both ouryoung people and newcomers fromthe Philippines but in order to be aneffective organization, the Cooperativemust have a bigger and more activemembership in order to have animpact on the political and economiclife of the community.

Those who used to read thiscolumn faithfully have already beenconvinced to be a member, butunfortunately there are still too many

Filipinos who do not seem to enjoyreading in general. Moreover, mostreaders turn to the entertainment pageand look at pictures but once they seea long article, they tend not to read it.This is why I still go out of my way totalk to each person I meet. I try toexplain the concept of a cooperative -why it is good for the community, nowand the future.

I would like to ask our readersto give us a feedback on how we canmake people patronize the FilipinoCoop. In our last meeting of the boardof directors, we have discussed a planto have different types of membership.Instead of having only two types,shareholder-members and memberworker, we will also have honorarymembers and user members. The feestructure will also change to reflect thetrue benefits of membership in eachcategory. For example, honorarymembers may be considered asbenefactors who can give more thanthe regular amount of $100 formembership shares at their discretion.But we need to clarify the duties andprivileges of this type of membership.As far as user members areconcerned, they will be able to buyfrom the Coop but they need to renewtheir membership annually and cannotvote during regular membershipmeetings. The stockholder memberswho paid $100. are owners of theCooperative and are entitled to vote atgeneral assemblies, can run fordirectroship after being a member forone year and also receive patronagedividends when the Coop becomesprofitable. Those without anymembership card will still be able tobuy from the Coop at a different pricebut without the prospect of receivingdividdends. More research must bedone in order to have a fair andequitable distribution of benefits to thedifferent types of memberships.

Our newest members are:0676-08 - Aquino, Jerico Octavo0677-09 - Melendrez, Armando

There are members whosigned up in 2007 whose names havenot yet been published:, some are fullypaid, some are partially paid:0596-07 - Tabunar, Caridad0597-07 - Bernardo, Jasmira Mayo0598-07 - Villanueva, Magdalena0599-07 - Haydock, Janet0600-07 - Gabriel, Zenaida0601-07 - Ward, David0602-07 - Monteagudo, Remedios0603-07 - Mamauag, Lorelly0604-07 - Francisco, Eleuisa0605-07 - Raquepo, Carmela0606-07 - Aplaon, Marilou V.0607-07 - Pelausa, Natalie V.0608-07 - Pelausa, Jesus (Dr.)0609-07 - Pelausa, Ermelinda (Dr.)

0610-07 - Kelly, VilmaWe have many names in our

list who have partially paid theirmembership but we are not sure if theyare still interested to continue as wehave lost track of their new addressand telephone number. If these peoplecan be contacted and they agree tocontinue to pay their balances, we willbe happy to include them as activeowner-members of the Cooperativeand they will certainly help us in oureffort of making sure we have moremerchandise to sell to our members.

The following is the balance ofour list of NOT FULLY PAID members(except if there are errors or omissionsunknown at the time of publication inwhich case, please let us know).0082-05 - Cabantac, Ariel0525-06 - Cabauatan, Catherine0367-06 - Caberto, Remedios0489-06 - Cachero, Myrna0374-06 - Cada. Emelita0110-05 - Calamba, Dominador0268-05 - Calope, Paciencia0254-05 - Calpito, Maxima0207-05 - Camangonan, Conie Jane0274-05 - Cambia, Danilo0276-05 - Campanero,Marilyn0002-05 - Candilosas, Ma. Marilou0164-05 - Canivel, Rosario0039-05 -Carcillar, Desiree0499-06 - Carcillar, Donna0102-05 - Carreau, Alicia0214-05 - Carreau, Michel0475-06 - Carrillo, Leo0560-06 - Casacop, Enriqueta0460-06 - Castillo de Ramos, Marilyn0045-05 - Castillo, Ginabe del0366-06 - Castillo, Gloria0461-06 - Castillo, Lauro0042-05 - Castillo, Lei Mark0283-05 - Castillo, Nancy0284-05 - Castillo, Ronaldo0112-05 - Castro, Edelyn0545-06 - Castro, Judith0557-06 - Cauilan, Olivia0336-06 - Cebu, Ma. Charito0067-05 - Celis, Marydel0540-06 - Cericos, Susan0399-06 - Chavez, Nenita0537-06 - Chu, Mary Lyne_______ - Codera, Ma. Marilie0323-06 - Cornejo, Marites9472-06 - Corpuz, Melo Jane0170-05 - Corpuz, Nelia0272-05 - Cortes, Gracita0081-05 - Cosejo, Linda0573-06 - Cruz, Emmanuel0068-05 - Cruz, Lucia0437-06 - Cubero, Zoilo0004-05 - Danglio, Zenaida0303-05 - Dayo, Rafael0095-05 - De Guzman, Ma. Cristina0353-06 - De Guzman, Ma. Teresa0454-06 - Dejillo, Romeo0346-06 - De la Cruz, Catherine0550-06 - De la Cruz, Christopher (paid in full June 21/08)

COOPERATIVE NEWSTo unite our community isnot an impossible dream

January 20094



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global demand, according to the labordepartment. Last week, US chipmaker Intel Corp. announced it wouldclose down a testing plant in Caviteprovince with 1,800 workers.

Labor Secretary MarianitoRoque said some 60,000 Filipinoscould lose their jobs this year, mainly inthe electronics and garments sectors.

Alarmed by further job cuts dueto the deepening global recession,several workers’ groups, including thePartido ng Manggagawa and the TradeUnion Congress of the Philippines(TUCP), called for a tripartite laborconference to discuss bailout andrescue plans to ensure job security,protect wages and create new jobs forthose retrenched.

“Now is not the time forgovernment to act in isolation from itsconstituents. We need the kind ofconsultative and open environmentprevailing in the United States to drawthe best ideas from our citizens,” saidSusan Ople, president of the OpleLabor Policy Center.

Ople and a group of recruitersalso wanted a summit to tackle thesituation of overseas Filipino workers(OFWs).Amkor, Samsung, Fujitsu

In the Philippines, employeesin at least 65 large companies, mostly inspecial economic zones, are “extremelyvulnerable to layoffs” due to thecollapse of the semiconductors andelectronics export markets, accordingto the TUCP.

By the first half of the year,about 40,000 workers could lose theirjobs in the Calabarzon region,according to the Pagkakaisa ngManggagawa sa Timog Katagalugan(Alliance of Workers in SouthernTagalog, Pamantik). Calabarzon iscomposed of the provinces of Cavite,Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon.

Pamantik chair Romeo Legaspisaid another 2,000 regular workers inAmkor Technology Inc. would be laid offby February. Also facing layoffs areworkers in Samsung, Yazaki, F-Tech,Fujitsu, NEC, TDK and Matsushita.

Legaspi said that in Laguna,Integrated Microelectronics Inc. (IMI),which previously employed 17,000workers, mostly women, laid off 3,000contractual workers last month. Thecompany also implemented forcedleaves for more than 1,000 regularworkers.

Toyota, Nissan and FordStarting January, Toyota Motor

Philippines implemented a Monday-no-production day and it would“temporarily” get rid of its 500contractuals and on-the-job trainees byMarch.

Nissan retrenched 40 regularslast December and would let go of 70more workers in February. KeihinPhilippines plans to implement a four-day work month this February.

Ford now maintains only 18employees out of the previously 400workforce. Isuzu Philippines will soonfollow the steps of its mother company,which displaced 30,000 Japaneseemployees.

The Samahan ng Manggagawa

From Page 1 - Obama

Minister stated that the government willinvest in retraining workers in hightechnology but he did not release anyspecific figures in the budget. In replyto a question: What do you want to seethe media do? the Prime Ministerexpressed hope that the press alsofocus on good news and not only thebad news.

Some of the ethnic groupsrepresented were the Montreal blackcommunity, Greek, Arabic, Italian,Chinese, Armenian, Jewish, Filipino,Korean, Russian, Indian, Pakistani,Lebanese, Moroccan, Persian, etc.Circulation ranges from 500 to 100 000,weekly to quarterly.

From Page 1 Ethnic Press

tOttawa, January 27, 2009The Honourable Jim Flaherty,

Minister of Finance, today tabled acomprehensive budget plan tostimulate economic growth, restoreconfidence and support Canadiansand tgrowth, restore confidence andsupport Canadians and their familiesduring a synchronized globalrecession.

"Budget 2009 is Canada’seconomic action plan," said MinisterFlaherty. "It builds on our position ofstrength. It provides temporary andeffective economic stimulus to helpCanadian families and businesses dealwith short-term challenges. Ourinvestments will build Canada’s long-term capacity, so that when the globalrecession eases, we emerge evenstronger."

Canada’s Economic ActionPlan will provide almost $30 billion insupport to the Canadian economy thisyear. In total, this is equivalent to 1.9per cent of our total economy.The plan will stimulate the economythrough:

Immediate Action to BuildInfrastructure

Expanding and acceleratingthe recent historic federal investment ininfrastructure with almost $12 billion innew infrastructure stimulus funding forroads, bridges, broadband internetaccess, electronic health records,laboratories and border crossings acrossthe country. This will support economicgrowth and employment this year and nextwhile also bolstering Canada’s long-runproductive capacity.Action to Reduce Taxes and Freeze EIRates

Providing $20 billion in personalincome tax relief that will benefit Canadiansover 2008-09 and the next five fiscal yearsas well as continued low EmploymentInsurance rates.

Action to Stimulate HousingConstruction

Providing $7.8 billion to buildquality housing, stimulate construction andenhance energy efficiency. Measuresinclude a renovation tax credit providing anestimated 4.6 million Canadian families upto $1,350 each, funding for energy retrofits,investments for social housing to support

low-income Canadians, seniors, personswith disabilities and Aboriginal Canadians,and low-cost loans to municipalities.

Action to Improve Access toFinancing and Strengthen Canada’sFinancial System

Providing up to $200 billionthrough the Extraordinary FinancingFramework to improve access to financingfor consumers and allow businesses toobtain the financing they need to invest,grow and create new jobs.Canada’s Economic Action Plan willprotect Canadians hit hardest by the globalrecession with:Action to Help Canadians

Providing $8.3 billion for theCanada Skills and Transition Strategy,which includes extra support forCanadians most affected by the economicdownturn, including enhancements toEmployment Insurance and more fundingfor skills and training.Action to Support Businesses andCommunities

Protecting jobs and supportingsectoral adjustments during thisextraordinary crisis with $7.5 billion in extrasupport for sectors, regions andcommunities. This includes targetedsupport for the auto, forestry andmanufacturing sectors, as well as fundingfor clean energy.

When combined with the ongoingbenefits of the tax reductions in the 2007Economic Statement, the Economic ActionPlan in this budget is estimated to boostreal GDP by 2.5 per cent and create ormaintain about 265,000 jobs by the end of2010.

"We are not acting alone," saidMinister Flaherty. "These actions fulfillCanada’s commitments to its globalpartners at the G20 leaders' summit toprovide timely stimulus to domesticdemand, while maintaining long-run fiscalsustainability.

"With this stimulus plan, Canada willemerge from this recession with amore modern and greenerinfrastructure, a more skilled labourforce, lower taxes and a morecompetitive economy."

For further information, media maycontact:

Chisholm PothierPress Secretary

BUDGET 2009: CANADA’SECONOMIC ACTION PLAN

sa Calabarzon confirmed the layoffs inAmkor, IMI as well as in LagunaElectronics Inc. Ramil Cangayao of thelabor group said some 3,000 workers ofIMI remained jobless after being sent onan early vacation in December last year.

“The early holiday break wassupposedly due to low volume of workresulting from the global crisis. Theworkers were asked to return to thefactory last Jan. 6 but instead of goingback to their work, they were sent backon an extended vacation since theforced leave would continue. They werealso informed that if orders do not pickup by Jan. 19 then workers will bepermanently terminated,” Cangayaosaid.

The Partido ng Manggagawachapter in Cebu is monitoring the labordispute at Giardini del Sole, one of thebiggest furniture exporting firms in thecountry, after the union filed a notice ofstrike following looming retrenchmentand work rotation. The managementtemporarily shut down the company onJan. 5.Lifting ban on Iraq

Aside from the United States,the OWWA is exploring the Canadianand Australian labor markets aspossible destinations of Filipinoworkers, according to Dimzon.

The Philippines is alsoconsidering lifting the ban on sendingFilipino workers to Iraq. Vice PresidentNoli de Castro said Sunday that thelifting of the ban would come as soonas the safety of workers in Iraq wereguaranteed.

Dimzon said the Philippinegovernment was expecting thecontinuous retrenchment of OFWs ascompanies and industries worldwidedeal with the economic crisis.

Malaysia’s decision to banforeign workers and threats of furtherlayoffs in Macau and Taiwan wheremany Filipinos work added to the badnews on the labor front.

Dimzon said OWWA’s recentrecords showed that 4,042 OFWs wereretrenched as a result of the globaleconomic slowdown. Most of theworkers came from Taiwan, Australiaand the Czech Republic.

She said a global mappingdone by the Department of Labor andEmployment showed that about 5,000OFWs face retrenchment this month. a




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BackgrounderCanada’s Economic Action Plan

Canada’s Economic Action Plan is abalanced stimulus plan that includesmassive investments in infrastructure,tax relief and transfers, and other newinitiatives.

Stimulus measures in Budget 2009 willprovide almost $30 billion in support tothe Canadian economy this year, anamount equivalent to 1.9 per cent ofour total economy (real GDP).

Many of these investments arepartnerships with provinces, territoriesand municipalities. Over the next twoyears, the total stimulus to theCanadian economy, including stimulusfrom other levels of government, willsurpass $50 billion — an amount equalto 3.2 per cent of real GDP.

Table 1Canada's Economic Action Plan

20092010Total

(millions of dollars—cash basis)

Action to Help Canadians andStimulate Spending5,8806,94512,825

Action to Stimulate HousingConstruction5,3652,3957,760

Housing leverage7257501,475

Immediate Action to BuildInfrastructure6,2245,60511,829

Infrastructure leverage4,5324,3658,897

Action to Support Businesses andCommunities5,2722,2557,527

Sectoral leverage1,300

1,300

Total federal stimulus22,74217,20039,942

Total stimulus (with leverage)29,29822,31651,613

As a share of GDP (%)

Total federal stimulus1.51.12.5

Total stimulus (with leverage)1.91.43.2

-------------------------------------------------------

Notes: Totals may not add due torounding. These cost estimates reflectprojected cash expenditures over thenext two years. The budgetary impactis somewhat smaller because some ofthese expenditures relate toconstruction and renovation costs offederal assets (for which onlydepreciation is recorded on abudgetary basis) and loans to thirdparties (where there is a budgetaryimpact only in the event that there is arisk of loss).

Fulfilling our Global Responsibilities

Canada’s Economic Action Plan fulfillsCanada's commitments at the recentG-20 Special Leaders Summit toprovide timely stimulus to domesticdemand, while also maintaining long-run fiscal sustainability. Indeed, itsurpasses the International MonetaryFund suggestion that countries in aposition to do so should inject fiscalstimulus of 2 per cent of GDP to reducethe effects of a damaging globalrecession.

The death toll in the blast thathit a fireworks factory in TreceMartires City, Cavite rose to twoThursday noon, as authoritiescontinue to battle the fire that was setoff by an explosion.

Citing initial information, TreceMartires City police chiefSuperintendent Reynaldo Galangsaid the two bodies were recoveredjust outside the factory. He addedthat the bodies appeared to be thoseof a man and a woman.

"Isang lalaki at isang babae, salabas lang yan (They appear to bethe bodies of a male and a female.That's just outside the factory),"Galang said in an interview on dzBBradio.

"Putol-putol ang mga ito,pinatawag ang SOCO para ma-identify (The body parts aremangled. We have to bring in thescene of the crime operations teamsto identify them)," he added.

A separate dzBB report also saidburned body parts were found in thearea surrounding the Starmakerfireworks factory in Conchu village.

On the other hand, Caviteprovincial police director Senior

Superintendent Hernando Zafra saidthree persons were alreadyconfirmed dead while 38 werereportedly wounded in the powerfulblast.

In a radio interview, Zafraconfrimed three bodies have alreadybeen recovered from the factory butdid not say whether all the fatalitieswere laborers in the factory.

"Ayon pa rin po yung bilang ngpatay, tatlo po (That is still our officialcount, three dead)," Zafra said,

adding that the factory employs atleast 100 people.

Authorities have identified thefactory owner as Doy Tan. a

Death toll rises in Cavitefactory explosion

A Philippine National Police SWAT member points to a huge crater created by afireworks explosion at a fireworks factory at Trece Martires city, Cavite province, 50kilometers (31 miles) south of Manila, Philippines, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2009. At leastsix people were killed and scores injured when a powerful explosion obliterated afireworks factory Thursday, officials said.

Firefighters train their hose at a still-smoldering structure following thepowerful explosion.

January 20096



TOURISML A N A O

Land Of Beauty AndBounty

D E L N O R T E

Iligan Fiesta, these week-long festivities are held in September in the capital

Maria Cristina Falls Iligan's greatest heritage, it is the most resplendent amongthe city's 20 waterfalls.

Tinago Falls - As literally implied, it is hidden in a deep ravine, the fallscascading beautifully into a basin-like pool, calm, deep and icy cold. It has anelevation of approximately 420 ft.

‘Dancers (top) and children (bottom) at the Lubi-lubi Festival, Linamon. Alsocalled Hudyaka sa Lubi’, it celebrates the city’s charter day.



Dancers performing at the Lubi-Lubi Festival held in January

The province of Lanao is locatedon the Northern Mindanao districtalong the northwest coast of Iligan Bay.The lowland peninsula gives way to arealm of hilly terrene which ascendstowards the mountains in thesoutheast and northeast portion. Therivers flows in deep interval as theycascade from the mountains going tothe coast, constructing many waterfallsand the Maria Cristina Falls is the mostwell-known of all.

One of the famous dish in Iligan isthe binaki, a grated young corn mixedwith milk, then wrapped with freshcorncob and steamed. Other muslim-influenced dishes are utak-utak andlolot.

Being the "Industrial Center of theSouth", the city of Iligan housedsmaller industries like steel, tinplate,pulp and paper and flourmills.Agriculture, fishing and forestry are theprovince’s primary source of livelihood.It is also a major producer of fruits andcommercial crops like bananas,coconut, corn and rice.

Blessed with ample waterresources, which are the province'stourist attractions, there are 22waterfalls cascading the rivers ofLanao. The most famous of is theMaria Cristina Falls with a height of 320ft that plunges into the Agus River. The

Tinago Falls is one of the mostbeautiful falls hidden within the deepravine. And in the town of Munai, runsan intriguing Lidpa Subterranean Riverthat flows through the top of the hill inthe mountain.

The people of Lanao celebratesViva Sr. San Miguel every last week ofSeptember. This is to honor SaintMichael the Archangel. They performdances similar to the Sinulogcelebration. Alongside thismerrymaking, they also perform thePana-ad and Yawa-yawa. Pana-adrefers to the pledges of the loyaldevotees of San Miguel for the favorsthat were granted. And the Yawa-yawais a miracle play performed in theirnative dialect, songs and dances. Other popular spots include: Mt.Agad-Agad which served as a majorlookout during the JapaneseOccupation. Sandayan Cave, locatedin the deep forest of Rorongon. It is athree-chambered cavern with stalactiteand stalagmites looking ominous tostangers.

You can visit Iligan City viaPhilippine Airlines which has a dailyflight to Cagayan de Oro and fromthere several buses travel theCagayan-Iligan route. By sea, WilliamLines and Gothong Lines sails fromManila to Iligan City. a

The many kasadaya costumes and notably headwear are stunning

January 20098



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Montreal, January 10, 2009 -Claro Bermudez called a pressconference to announce his move towork on a big contract he has beenoffered by a company inJohannesburg, South Africa. Much ashe would like to continue with hismandate as president of FAMAS, hehad to make this decision to accept an

opportunity that he could not refuse.He said that he had already postponedthis move because of his commitmentto his obligations in his capacity aspresident. In spite of his hesitation toleave, he expressed confidence inleaving his position to be filled by thevice president of FAMAS, Flor Rillo, Hesaid that all the projects of FAMAS arealready in place and he does notexpect any problems to arise. TheFrench program has been successfullycontinued, a new program in computerliteracy is ready, heritage classes arealso being organized to teach Tagalog,and the improvement of the backyardof FAMAS will be started as soon as theweather improves. The City ofMontreal has approved a budget ofapproximately $20 000 to do theconstruction necessary to make thebackyard useable and add to thefunctionality of the building. The bigtrees that used to pose a hazard topassersby have been cut down.

The term of the presentFAMAS board will expire soon and

there will be another election to be heldin August 2009. As of now, we have noknown candidates for the leadership ofFAMAS.

Some community leaders andmembers were in attendance at thismeeting. Riza Esmeralda, being thecommunication director, gave a 45-minute presentation of the happenings

in the FAMAS administration during thepast year and a half.

Even though Mr. Bermudez willbe away, he is still accessible to thepeople who work with him. Heprovided us with a cell number we cancall him, and we can also send him e-mail messages to consult with him. Healso made sure that a program for theScouts has been prepared beforeleaving.

With Mr. Bermudez departurefrom Montreal, the Laging HandaScout Group will need more Scoutvolunteers. We are appealing to thecommunity to come forward and offerthemselves to be leaders of the youthfrom ages 7 to 14. The time you have todevote to the Scouting program is twohours a week every Saturday from 1 to3 p.m. The activity is being held atFAMAS during the winter, but will alsobe held at other places from time totime when field trips and camping areorganized. (Please see ad belowregarding recruitment of Scoutleaders).

Famous for his contribution tothe development of Scouting, Baden-Powell was also able to make anumber of educational innovations. Hisinterest in adventure, association andleadership still repay attention today.

Robert Baden-Powell, from apainting by David Jagger, 1929. Thisimage (or other media file) is in thepublic domain because its copyrighthas expiredRobert Stephenson SmythBaden-Powell (1857 - 1941) was anaccomplished soldier who first came towide public notice as the ‘hero of theSiege of Mafeking’(1899 - 1900) duringthe Boer War. He is better known as thefounder of the Boy Scout movement.This achievement and his concern with'old values' has sometimes obscuredthe innovational nature of hiseducational thinking. What isoverlooked is his concern with thesocial lives and imagination of youngpeople, and how he was able to buildon this to develop an associationaleducational form. Robert Baden-Powell placed a special value onadventure; on children and youngpeople working together - and takingresponsibility (his 'patrol' building onthe idea of 'natural' friendship groupsand 'gangs'); on developing self-sufficiency; and on 'learning throughdoing' (he was deeply suspicious ofcurriculum forms). In this article weexamine some of the key aspects of hisapproach.Robert Baden-Powell and the earlydevelopment of Scouting

In 1885 Robert Baden-Powellstarted collecting material for a bookon army scouting. Eventuallypublished in 1899, because of hiscelebrity status, it became an instantbestseller- selling more 100,000 copies

within the first few months. The ideaswere seized upon by a number ofpeople working with boys and youngmen and Robert Baden-Powell wasencouraged to write a version for boys.He was also working on his own ideasabout education. The Boys Brigade(founded October 4, 1883 in Glasgowby William Smith [1854-1914) was anobvious place for his work - but whilethere were many things for RobertBaden-Powell to admire in theiractivities he was put off by theemphasis on drill and what he saw as alack of attention to developing themind and sympathy with others.

Robert Baden-Powell hadbecome concerned about the well-being of the nation - and of particularyoung people. It has been said that thepoor physical condition of the youngmen attempting to join the army duringthe Boer War was a central factor in hischampioning and fashioning ofScouting. One report at the time (1904)claimed that of every nine whovolunteered to fight, only two were fit todo so. Diet, poor housing, and harmfulworking conditions were identified ascontributory factors. However, he wasequally worried about people'sphysical and mental well-being.Physical 'deterioration' and 'moraldegeneracy' became themes in manyof the talks and speeches that RobertBaden-Powell gave - especially in theperiod after the Boer War. Reflecting onhis experience of the Boys' Brigade hefirst thought that something could bedone within that organization to moveaway from an over-focus on marchingand drill:

Something, I think, also [could] bedone towards developing the Boy'smind by increasing his powers of

FAMAS President and Head ScoutLeader Claro Bermudez leaves forSouth Africa for a new job

Riza Esmeralda Sarto Claro Bermudez

Do you believe in the importance ofour youth as future leaders of this

country? If you do, pleasevolunteer to be a Scout leader.

Call 514-485-7861Parents are urged to let their children join Scouting.

February is Friendship Month Bring a friend to Scouting

The Founder of Scouting was born in this month,Lord Baden Powell’s birthday is February 22.

Robert Baden-Powell as aneducational innovator (founder ofthe Scouting movement)



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observation, and teaching him tonotice details. I believe that if someform of scout training could be devisedin the Brigade it would be very popular,and could do a great amount of good.Preliminary training in this line mightinclude practice in noting andremembering details of strangers;contents of shop windows,appearances of streets etc. The resultswould not only sharpen the wits of theBoy, but would also make him quick toread character and feelings, and thushelp him to be a better sympathiserwith his fellow-men. (Robert Baden-Powell in the Boys' Brigade Gazette, 1June 1904 - quoted by Jeal 1989: 362)

Having looked at variousdifferent schemes - including ErnestThompson Seton's vision of campingand woodcraft, and explored differenteducational forms, in August 1907 heconducted the famous BrownseaIsland Experimental Camp. RobertBaden-Powell wanted to test out theideas he had been working on for hisscheme of work for ‘Boy Scouts’. Hehad completed the first draft ofScouting for Boys. With the experienceof the camp validating much of histhinking, he began a long series ofpromotional lectures around thecountry arranged with the YMCA(Reynolds 1942: 147-8). On January15, 1908, the first part of Scouting forBoys was published. Like modern day‘bit-parts’ it appeared at fortnightlyintervals (6 parts) price at 4d each. Itquickly appeared in book form (May 1).

Sales were extra-ordinary and quicklygroups of young men wereapproaching suitable adults to formtroupes (Springhall 1977). Theinvolvement of Arthur Pearson (thepublisher) had given the wholeenterprise an unedifying commercialedge. Robert Baden-Powell hadunwisely entered into a ‘gentleman’sagreement’ with him - and had lostvarious rights and a large amount ofmoney as a result. Considerable effortswere made to set up a separateorganization and to limit thepublisher’s power.

Scouting for Boys was alsoread and taken up by a significantnumber of middle class girls on a self-organized basis (Kerr 1936: 16). InSeptember 1908 at Crystal Palace thefirst big rally was held with some10,000 Boy Scouts as well as a numberof self-organized Girls Scoutsattending (Reynolds 1942: 150).Robert Baden Powell was approachedby some Girl Scouts asking him to dosomething for them also. In the secondedition of Scouting for Boys hesuggest a uniform for Girl Scouts -blue, khaki or grey shirt (as with theboys) and blue skirt and knickers.However, Robert Baden-Powell haddecided to set up a separateorganization and scheme. He decided‘Scout’ was inappropriate and alightedon ‘Girl Guide’. The scheme was ‘tomake girls better mothers and guidesto the next generation’. In RobertBaden-Powell's mind though, it was to

be fairly similar in structure and activityas the boys - ‘Girls must be partnersand comrades rather than dolls’ (Jeal1989: 470). (Details of Baden-Powell's'Scheme for "Girl Guides"' waspublished in the Scout's HeadquartersGazette in Novemer 1909. It isreproduced in full by Kerr [1932: 29-34]). With the move to Victoria, the GirlGuides were allocated a separateoffice and Agnes Baden-Powell(Robert’ sister) was asked to form acommittee.

As John Springhall (1977: 64)has noted, in the decade from 1908 to1919, 'no other influence upon Britishboyhood came anywhere near Baden-Powell's movement'. He continues:

The actual timing of theappearance of the first Boy Scout maybe explained as an outcome of thepost-Boer War mood of imperialdecline and social reassessment...[H]owever, the historian needs to goback further, at least to ThomasHughes idealization of Rugby and the'muscular Christianity' of the thirdquarter of the nineteenth century.Despite subsequent new directions,the ideological roots of Scoutingremain buried in the public schoolethos of Charterhouse in the 1870s, themethods of colonial warfare in the1880s and 1890s, and the intellectualclimate of the 1900s.

The key words of the old ScoutLaw: honour, loyalty and duty were partof the old public school tradition; andRobert Baden-Powell's stress on theworth of activity and games (anddisdain for 'effeminate' and intellectualscholarship) could have come directlyfrom the pages of Thomas Hughes'Tom Brown's Schooldays (Springhall1977: 54). When this was combinedwith woodcraft and a love of the openair, a desire for class harmony and anappreciation of what might behappening in the imaginative life ofboys then the scene was set for someserious innovation in informaleducation practice.Robert Baden-Powell and 'doing good'

One of the fascinating featuresof Robert Baden-Powell's scheme isthe centrality accorded to 'doing good'.As we noted above, there is a stronglink here with his own experience ofpublic school. For some years prior tothe publication of Scouting for Boys

Robert Baden-Powell in his speechesto various youth groups andorganizations had been encouragingboys and young men to 'do good'. By'doing good', he once wrote (in 1900),'I mean making yourselves useful anddoing small kindnesses to otherpeople - whether they are friends orstrangers' (quoted by Jeal 1989: 363).This concern famously becameincorporated into Scout Law:

3. A scout's duty is to be useful andto help others. And he is to his dutybefore anything else, even though hegives up his own pleasure, or comfort,or safety to do it. When in difficulty toknow which of two things to do, hemust ask himself, "Which is my duty?"that is, "Which is best for otherpeople?" - and do that one. He must BePrepared at any time to save life, or tohelp injured persons. An he must tryhis best to do a good turn tosomebody every day.

4. A Scout is a friend to all, and abrother to every other scout, no matterto what social class the other belongs.Thus if a scout meets another scout,even though a stranger to him, hemust speak to him, and help him inany way that he can, either to carryout the duty he is then doing, or bygiving him food, or, as far as possible,anything that he may be in want of. Ascout must never be a SNOB. A snobis one who looks down upon anotherbecause he is poorer, or who is poorand resents another because he isrich. A scout accepts the other man ashe finds him, and makes the best ofhim.

"Kim", the boy scout, was called bythe Indians, "Little friend of all theworld", and that is the name that everyscout should earn for himself. (RobertBaden-Powell 1908: 49-50 - thesebecame laws 4 and 5 in the secondedition of Scouting for Boys - 1909)(Editor’s Note: The above excerpt from anarticle about Lord Baden-Powell isprovided to our readers to mark theforthcoming anniversary of his birthday thatfalls on February 22. It is hoped that thosewho read this article may find someinspiration and lead them to do somethingsimilar, perhaps even by volunteering twohours a week in meeting the needs ofFilipino-Canadian youth in Montreal.Parents who want their children to developlife skills should register them in Scouting).

January 200910



GlobalPerspectives

Isaac T. Goodine

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As I am in my 76 Th. Year (inthis incarnation) and have workexperience in 76 countries, so far, Inow take a pause to reflect on my ownlife and times and celebrate my goodfortune with relations, friends andacquaintances around the world. Thisis not a statement about retirement butrather an announcement about ‘retro-retirement’, meaning that from time totime I do return to work for specialtasks. I am not alone; a large andgrowing number of senior men andwomen who have acquired ‘elderwisdom’ through experience continueto contribute to society, particularly inthe international arena where I havedwelt so long. The reasons for retro-retirement vary but include the need formonetary income, or for psychicincome—or both.

I recall the words of R. E. Bouldingwho, some decades ago, wrote thefollowing words (or words to thiseffect):‘An Ecological Ballad

It's great to be the drafter of amonumental plan; For spending lots of money for thebetterment of man; But audits are a nuisance, for itsneither games nor fun;To be asked to look at yester year andsay what you have done. And learning is more difficult, when youhave to do it fast; So it’s pleasanter to contemplate thefuture than the past.

Because of the paradigm shiftin thinking, brought about by thearticulation of a new world-view byPresident Barak Obama, we can dareto hope that a new age of reason maybe at hand. We must look to the futurebut learn from the past.

When I look to my future I amhonoured with opportunities to serveas a member of the World Bank GroupSpeakers Bureau and contribute to thestated mission ‘To fight poverty withpassion and professionalism for lastingresults’. Concurrently, I am serving asGeneral Secretary of the InternationalVocational Education and TrainingAssociation and as an HonoraryMember of the Global Alliance forInternational Advancement. TheAlliance is new, established in 2008,and depends on having somemembers with experience ininternational development helpingthose members who want to expand

their involvement as well as assistingthose members who are just enteringthe international arena. This offers away to carry forward the lessons ofpast success and failure as a means tointernational advancement—and as analternative to war, inequity in humanrights, and economic marginalisationof people in the so called third world.Obama’s selection for appointment tohis Economic Team the former ChiefEconomist of the World Bank Group,Lorne Summers, to serve as Director ofWhite House National EconomicCouncil, and a former senior staffmember of the International MonetaryFund, Timothy Geithner, to serve asTreasury Secretary, bodes well for theUnited States and the rest of the Worldas impending economic adjustmentsreshape the way the world works.

Evoking fears of another greatdepression won’t help, but there arelessons that must be remembered orsome of the effects will be the same. Ina article entitled ‘Children of the GreatDepression’ was published in theOttawa Citizen recently, in which thewriter designated the group bornbetween 1929, the onset of the GreatDepression, and 1939, the onset of theSecond World War as a special group.This group grew-up in hardship butcame of age in a time of opportunity.Many worked hard, did the right things,gained rapid promotion and foundeconomic success. However, now thetide has turned and the this samegroup are among those who stand tolose much in the present economiccircumstances and at seventy (plus)years of age many are again in difficultcircumstances. Since ‘ageism’ hasbecome the major form ofdiscrimination in the workplace inmany countries, including Canada,where being ‘too old’ at fifty-five or ‘tooyoung’ at twenty-five surpasses genderbias or racial prejudice as impedimentsto employment and careeradvancement. For the older group, theloss of investments or pensions canmean that children of the greatdepression are back to where theystarted—learning to survive, andmaybe blossom, while times are tough.

Isaac’s coordinates are: Tel: 613 2325524, Email:[email protected] , Website:www.ikes-world.com

“No confidence in Harper to implementpolicies he’s spent a lifetimeopposing”: Layton OTTAWA – Yesterday’s Conservative

budget will not protect Canada’s mostvulnerable or adequately save andcreate jobs, said New DemocratLeader Jack Layton.

“This budget fails to restoreconfidence in Mr. Harper’s ability toprotect the vulnerable in Canada,” saidLayton.

“In the budget, he prioritized$60 billion in corporate tax cuts andonly $1.15 billion for the unemployed,”said Layton. He also noted Harper’sfailure to reform EmploymentInsurance by freezing payments,maintaining the two-week waitingperiod and not improving eligibilityrequirements.

The budget also contains nomention of childcare spaces andmaintains the attack on women’s abilityto pursue pay equity complaints.

The budget will fail to securethe jobs of the future by continuingHarper’s failed policies oninfrastructure. Recent commitments toinfrastructure have failed due to theregulations and conditions theConservatives have placed onqualifying projects. Municipal leadersacross Canada still have not seeninfrastructure funding despite repeatedannouncements. The Conservatives’onerous regulations for municipalitiestrying to access infrastructure fundingremain in place, ensuring that little ifany of the funding will actually flow.

Layton also criticized thebudget for its failure to seize theopportunities for Canada to collaborate

with the Obama administration’srecently announced cap-and-trademarket to reduce greenhouse gasemissions, as well as the Obamaadministration’s plans for greener carproduction. For more information, please contact:Rupinder Kaur, press secretary: 613-222-5048 or [email protected]

Children of the Depression:Here we go again!

BUDGET FAILS TO PROTECT MOST VULNERABLE, CREATE ANDSAFEGUARD JOBS

FRIENDFEST 2009 - BRING AFRIEND

Objective: Celebrate Scoutingand introduce our programs toNEW youth and adults!

Timeline: January 26 - March 6,2009

Concept: Invite a friend (ormore) to a FREE TRIALsession. Applies to bothYOUTH and ADULTS.

Benefits: Each member thatbrings a friend, who then joinsour organization, is eligible towin one of many excitingprizes. Special campaign crestis sold at the ScoutShop.Campaign Fee: 99$ permember - youth & adult.Requirements: Attach ballot toregistration form of newmember. Available onwww.qc.scouts.ca

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Estimated time to prepare and cook: 50minutesngredients:

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* 1 tablespoon kalamansi or lemonjuice

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pepper* 1/2 cup onions, sliced in rings* 4 tablespoons cooking oil

Pork / Beef Steak CookingInstructions:

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* In a frying, add cooking oil. Add themarinated pork or beef steak and cookslow until done.

* Increase heat for a minute or two tobrown steaks.

* Add the sliced onions and continueto cook for another minute.

* Serve on a platter including the oiland sauce.

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January 200912



The North American Filipino StarPHOTO GALLERY

January 2009

A party to celebrate the 78th birthday of Mme Thérèse Dallaire (cemter)was given by Mr. LegerLavoie (seated, 2nd from left) and Mrs. Juvy Lavoie (standing, 4th from left) at their residencein Repentigny, Quebec. Some of their friends, relatives, and family members as well asstudents from Gilmore International College attended the happy occasion.

Guests and family members of Mr. Tomas Lizarondo pose for souvenir of his birthday held onDecember 29, 2008 at Kum Mon Restaurant in Cote des Neiges, Montreal.

Mary Joy Lizarondo (standing 2nd from left) hosted a birthday party on December 29, 2008in honor of her father, Mr. Tomas Lizarondo who just arrived from the Philippines with his wifeand daughters. Seated with Mr. Lizarondo (2nd from left) are Bea Soliman, Celia Lizarondo,his wife, a guest, Anna Soliman, and Natasha Nuguid. Standing are: a guest, Mary Joy,Zenaida Kharroubi, Melody Lizarondo, and Tomas Nuguid.

The executive board of the Kapampangan Association of Montreal headed by Svetlana Suarezpose for souvenir after the successful conclusion of the Munting Mutya ng Pilipinas-Montrealheld at the TMR Town Hall, January 17, 2009.

Scouts and Cubs of Laging Handa bade farewell to Claro Bermudez (3rd from rigfht, last row)for which this souvenir photo was taken on January 10, 2008 at FAMAS where they hold theirweekly activity.

Scout Leaders Moises Medina (left) and Romeo Valenzuela (on the right) are supervising aScouting activity. Photo taken on January 10, 2009.



Most avid supporters of the cooperative movement pose for souvenirafter the post Christmas & New Year party held January 4, 2009

Photo taken during the Filipino Solidarity Cooperative post Christmas &New Year Party held on January 4, 2009 at the FAMAS building on van Horne Avenue in Montreal.

The contestants of the Munting Mutya ng Pilipinas-Montreal, 2009 in theri evening gowns:

1) April Bernardine Tandoc Zamora, 2) Bianca Joyce Mesias Seridio, 3) Karla Rabanera

Monterrosa, 4)) Hazel Mae Matteo Javillonar, 5) Jaslie Bisares Denault, 6) Arianne Katrina

Esmeria Soriano, and 7) Allyson Camille Punzalan Egenias. Left photo shows the winner,

Candidate No. 6, Arianne Soriano after she was crowned Munting Mutya ng Pilipinas Montreal

2009 during the party held on January 17, 2009 at the TMR Town Hall, Mount Royal, QC.

Sharing the food brought in by members and their guests during the pot luck supper of theFilipino Solidarity Cooperative on January 4, 2009.

January 200914



Making Money Online,Where Do You Start?

The growth of the internet hasbeen surge in the number of homebased businesses over the last 5 to 10years. Type in the “making moneyonline” in the search engines and youwill literally see millions of searchresults! The problem I found wasthere was so much information aboutmaking money online yet most of thewebsites I visited didn’t actuallyprovide information on what you willbe doing on what this so called “easyMoney machine”. Coming from afinance background, I was skepticaland found that the more I researched,the more I got confused.

So, Why So Many People Want toMake Money Online?• You work from home (in yourkitchen or on your pajamas)• You’re the Boss! And you canfire anyone that annoyed you.• Minimal cash – you can startfrom $ 100 • Its flexible as you choose yourown hours• You can make money fromyour hobby, your special interest oreven stuffs you stocks in yourbasement.

I have been running a homebased business Ebay and / dropshipping since 2006 and it’s a greatway to earn extra cash! However it didrequire a lot of hard work at thebeginning to get to this point. I spenda lot of time and effort and not toforget my hard earned money onmemberships, tutorials and resourcesbefore I learned what I know now.Some were great while others were awaste of time. Some can put a smileon your face while you are asleep

while others would make you pull yourhair out of your head.

The purpose of All AboutHome Business Articles is to sharewith you the legitimate informationand resources by simplifying themystique behind making moneyonline and at home and providing realreviews and links on LegitimateProducts Sources, Websites, Dropshipping and e-books of which will betackled on the following issue ofFilipino Star

What about scams? And how toavoid them?

Firstly, avoid any homebusiness/making money online websites that doesn’t actually explain whatyou will be doing prior to investingany money in membership or on-linecourses. Some of these sites havegreat copy about changing your lifeand financial freedom but their ideasare usually flawed. Some commonexample of these sites are multi-levelmarketing schemes and envelopestuffing scams.

Lesson 2 – It’s Too Good ToBe True!Secondly, Any site that promises over$1000 a day within a few weeks ofbuying a membership or completing acourse is unrealistic and probably ascam. I have been lucky enough to besuccessful in the one I’ve chosenbecause of my computer skills andmy years of experienced asaccountant in the Philippines (but inspite of that, I still did a lot of trials anderrors that I don’t regret at all,because after all those mistakes andstupid decisions, I learned, I gainedand still am learning. As onlineentrepreneur, some made it big withinonly a few months while the majoritygrew overtime.

Important tips that you alwaysremember when you deal with anyonline business transaction:• Read the company’s refundpolicy• Pay attention on theiraddress or location ( PO Box # is abig no! no!)• Take advantage of their freetrial offer before you pay• Be smart in using yourpayment option ( I use Paypal - creditcards for refund security)• And make sure that they have goodcustomer support ready to respond toyour problem at anytime.

That way even when you already paidthem, you know you are still holding

the other part of your money and giveyou enough time to try theirproducts/services to the fullest. If thecompany failed your expectation thendon’t hesitate to call Paypal or yourcredit card institution right away toopen a dispute against them and helpyou credit back you money.

Lesson 3 – Is This Really ForYou?

Money, money and moremoney. If you are after quick moneyyou will struggle to make a success ofany online business in vain. Thereality is that many onlineentrepreneur made their fortunesquickly but for every person thatsucceeded another 1000s failed. Youneed to ask yourself a few question tofind out if this is really for you beforeyou click on the pay button.

• Am I ready to start this kind ofbusiness?• What else should I do in orderto achieved my goals?• How much time and effort andcapital am I willing to pour or able toput in?• Can I meet the requirementsto be successful in this business?

“ Please don’t get caught up believingyou will become an instantmillionaire in a short time. For thosewho are serious about home-based,online business or simply makingmoney in your free time, there aresome fantastic business opportunitiesthat’s waiting if your are just willing toput an initial time of getting the qualityresources be it online, books,seminars or by asking real peoplewho been walked on the same roadas you are now. Ultimately howsuccessful you are is up to you.

Any business that provides auseful service or a specialized skill ismost likely to succeed. Any smallbusiness that does cleaning, repairwork, printing, painting, consulting, etcwill succeed because these areservices that people need and willconsistently demand if you provide ahigh standard of service. Becausethere are so many people pursuingsales jobs and desk jobs there is ashortage of people who actually knowhow to do things. Those who know howto fix cars, hang wallpaper, buildshelves, and do landscaping aremaking the big bucks because thosewho use their services are moreconcerned about the job being doneright than what it costs. .a

U.S. President Barack Obama will visitCanada on Feb. 19, the PrimeMinister's Office says.

Stephen Harper and Obamaspoke by phone Friday and set theeconomy, Afghanistan and theenvironment as the key issues fordiscussion during the U.S. leader's visitto Canada, his first foreign trip aspresident.

The prime minister addressedthe news on Tuesday.

"This is a testament, not just tothe size of our trading relationship andthe closeness of our alliance, but alsothe strength of our friendship," he toldthe House of Commons. "I lookforward to an important and productiveworking visit."

The Obama administrationseparately confirmed the trip inWashington.

"The president intends to makehis first foreign trip as president toCanada," White House spokesmanRobert Gibbs told reporters. "He willmake that trip on Feb. 19."

"Canada is a vitally importantally," he added. .a

What type of smallbusiness should I startthat will succeed?

Obama to visitCanada Feb.19

Advertise your businessin the North American

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Roxas ready for 2010, quiet onwedding plans

One of the presidential timbers,Senator Mar Roxas, remains quiet onwhen he will tie the marital knot.

But Roxas, one of theprospective standard-bearers of theopposition, said yesterday he wouldannounce his political plans withinthe year.

“That will surely come,” thegrandson of post-LiberationPresident Manuel Roxas toldnewsmen at his residence in Cubao,Quezon City.

He said he wanted to make surethat he does things at the right time.

One of his aides said it ispossible that Roxas may declare hisintention to run for president on his50th birthday on May l3.

He thinks he is well prepared forthe presidency. “If I will be given achance to serve our people, whynot?”

Roxas has been reportedly toldby his political advisers that having awife will boost his presidential bid.

When asked whether he prefersto marry before the May 2010elections or when he is already inMalacañang, he was tightlipped.

His possible wedding with hisgirlfriend of five years, broadcasterKorina Sanchez of ABS-CBN, is oneof the hottest topics nowadays.

Roxas laughed off differentforecasts made by seers on whenthe wedding bells will soon toll forhim and Korina.

“At my age, many have madethose predictions but all of themproved untrue. So they better stopit.”

Asked whether Korina is gettingimpatient about the matter, he shotback that the newsmen should directthe question at her.

Roxas also said he was notbothered that he is not faring verywell in the presidential preferencesurveys about l7 months before theelections.

He recalled that he was outsideof the magic l2 in the surveys forsenatorial bets several monthsbefore the May 2004 elections. Hisrating picked up by February 2004and eventually he topped thesenatorial race.a

Senator Manuel Roxas III during aninterview at Manila's Makati financialdistrict January 21, 2009. A formerinvestment banker turned politician andone of Manila's most eligible bachelorshas set his eyes on the country's highestoffice, attempting to follow the footstepsof his namesake and grandfather by2010.

‘Fight side by side in 2010’

President Gloria Macapagal-Aroyo pushed for the mergerbetween the two major parties in theadministration coalition, saying theyshould “fight side by side in 2010.”

Speaking at the NationalExecutive Committee Meeting ofLakas-Christian Muslim Democratshere Thursday, Arroyo ordered thecreation of a National Consolidationand Unification Committee to bechaired by her political adviserGabriel Claudio to pursue themerger between Lakas and theKabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino(Partner of the Free Filipino, Kampi)and alliances with other politicalparties that would be “in the interestof the administration coalition.”

The same committee will also setthe criteria and mechanism forchoosing the coalition’s bets for nextyear’s general elections.

“The unification and merger ofLakas and Kampi must now proceedin earnest and with deliberatespeed,” Arroyo said.

Arroyo said merging the twoparties would consolidate supportfor government programs to keepthe economy afloat amid the globalrecession.

“It will also ensure that we fightside by side in 2010… Even as westrengthen our ranks, let us also

commit ourselves to the holding oforderly and credible elections in2010, principally ensuring thesuccessful automation of ourelectoral process,” she said.

In an interview with reportersduring a break from the caucus,Claudio said the unificationcommittee hoped to finish themerger in three months.

“I have every hope andexpectation that all leaders andmembers of both parties will listenintently to what the President sayson this matter. It’s not only a matterof direction or order coming from thechairman of the coalition. There ispolitical logic in being able toconclude the merger of Lakas andKampi,” he said.

When the two parties merge,they will hold 65 to 70 percent of allincumbent positions, said Claudio,senior deputy secretary general ofLakas.

Claudio also maintained thatLakas would be the surviving entityafter the merger, as agreed uponwhen Arroyo first called for Lakasand Kampi to unite in early 2008, asshe consolidated support for heradministration in the wake of briberyallegations surrounding the botched$329-million national broadbandnetwork project.

Claudio added that theCommission on Elections hasrecognized Lakas as the dominantmajority party.

Among those present in the

meeting were former president FidelRamos, Lakas chairman emeritusand Speaker Prospero Nograles,Lakas party president. a

January 200916



Empoweringthe people

By Jerry O. Estrada

Almost no reason to falter

PRIX QUÉBÉCOIS DE LA CITOYENNETÉ 2009Vous avez réalisé des activités qui ont favorisé le rapprochement interculturel?

Vous avez fait des gestes concrets pour contrer le racisme ou la discrimination?

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The Filipino SolidarityCooperative (FSC) held a postChristmas Party on January 4, 2009 atthe FAMAS Building (Van HorneAvenue). Surprisingly, around 50members and non-members attendedthe party. This attendance wasunexpected because most of us arealways pre-occupied by our own hecticschedules.

I have been thinking that itwould take no Peter Drucker or LeeIacocca, both management wizards, toanalyze that FSC will thrive andsucceed in its economic goals even ifonly the abovementioned number ofpeople would become active coopmembers. Why? Because more thanhalf of the ingredients to succeed in theeconomic field is now availablecompared to the experience of leadersin the early stages of the coopmovement. History will give us someclassic example:

Alphonse Desjardins (of Lévis,Quebec) had no idea aboutcooperatives, and didn’t even knowwhere to start except his desire to helpfree the poor people in Lévis, Quebecfrom the yoke of loan sharks. Inaddition, Alphonse was moved to takeup his mission in 1897 when helearned of a Montrealer who had beenordered by the court to pay nearly$5,000 in interests on a loan of $150from a moneylender. DorimèneDesjardins, his wife, had her great fear.She tried to discourage Alphonse fromcontinuing his noble work because thepeople would blame him if the coopfailed. They heard attacks from critics.They called him a fool, a crackpot, adreamer of dreams, a builder of castlesin Spain which they said would surelygo tumbling down. Furthermore,Dorimene’s concerns that quite apartfrom the burden of keeping all theaccounts, there would some day be aloss through bad loans, or even theft,and Alphonse Desjardins alone wouldhave to shoulder the loss. And yet,there was no law at that time to protectthe caisse and its officers.

Alphonse tried to havelegislation introduced into the House ofCommons in Ottawa, that would permitand guide the development ofcooperatives, but failed. When itreached the Senate it was defeated byone vote. Alphonse drew up an Act. Heput his first draft in his pocket andpresented to a Quebec lawyer. Hesought the help of Sir Lomer Gouin, thepremier of the province. Also, he wentto seek the advice of Loui Nazaire

Bégin, Archbishop of Quebec. TheArchbishop said, “Be not discouraged,go forward in this work of justice andcharity for the cause of workingmasses. I commend you. I will give youmy approval and my blessing.”

The Coop Law passedunanimously and Alphonse wasdelighted because it put an end to thedanger that had hung over him andwhich had been the source ofDorimene’s fears.

On September 27, 1906, LaCaisse Populaire de Lévis held aspecial general meeting. Alphonse wasin high enthusiasm seeing his goodneighbors assembled before him. Heannounced that they have now theprotection of the law, thereby callingupon even the most humble workmento band together in a new system forCanada and the benefits which anassociation can bring to be enlargedand multiplied and extended to otherplaces.

Desjardins used his ownhouse and own personal money to runthe caisse. The first deposit was tencents and at end of the first openingthe total sum on hand was $26.40.After five years, the members hadsaved $40,000 and had a littlecooperative of their own.

, Dorimene became a carefulmanager and good listener to themembers she often welcomed in thefamily residence. Sharing herhusband's cooperative ideal and beinggifted in management and accounting,she rapidly got involved in the Caissepopulaire de Lévis's daily activities.Dorimene's exemplary devotion was aninspiration to several other women whofound themselves at the head of acaisse at a time when finances wererestricted to men.

In 1907, two caisses wereorganized. And in 1908, twelve morebranches were created. Within aseven-year period, Desjardinspersonally founded 146 caisses. At thetime of his death in 1920, there were187 caisses populaires in Québec(30,000 members and total assets ofnearly $6 million), 24 in Ontario and 9in the United States.

In 2006, it had over 40,000employees and 6,500 elected andvolunteer officers. It gave its members$483 million CAD in patronage refundsand $64 million CAD in donations,sponsorships and academicscholarships. In 2008, Desjardinsgroup was ranked as the sixth-largestfinancial institution in Canada and the

largest in Québec.The experience of coop

pioneers in the Philippines was almostthe same. Though coop movement inthe Philippines started to thrive in theearly 1960s, all the efforts of coopleaders were back to zero onSeptember 21, 1972 when Marcosissued Proclamation 1081, declaringmartial law over the entire country.Under the president's command, themilitary arrested opposition figures,journalists, students, labor activists,and criminal elements. A total of about30,000 detainees were kept at militarycompounds run by the army and thePhilippine Constabulary headed byJuan Ponce Enrile.

In Cagayan de Oro, wheremost of the coop pioneers came from,coop leaders were also arrested andimprisoned for conducting coopmeetings in relation to illegalassembly. The government officialswere suspicious that coop leadersthen were collecting money, not assavings deposit but to fund subversiveagenda to overthrow the government.Coop financial reports, education andtraining materials, savings anddeposits and other data wereconfiscated. Financial supports fromGermany and other countries to helpthe Philippine coop movement werebeing questioned and frozen.But coop leaders were not stunned,but instead they continue the project,which they believed would help theFilipino people. Later, they were ableto build an enterprise in NorthernMindanao which became the firstPhilippine coop billionaire.

In 1990, Pres. Corazon C.Aquino approved the CooperativeCode of the Philippines (Republic Act6938 and 6939) that protects andregulates the Philippine cooperativesand was signed into law. Atty. MordinoCua and Sen. Aquilino Q. Pimentel, Jr.drafted it. Since then, coops in thePhilippines continue to move and playan important role to help the poorpeople.

If we compare our conditionnow from the pioneers, we could saythat we are in a better conditiion. Theabsence of the law before was ahindrance. With the Cooperative Act,we are protected. In the Philippines,unfortunately, most of the poor coopmembers don’t even know how toread and write except their own name,As they did not go to school, theydon’t know how to run a businessenterprise. It is our advantage thatmost of the coop members now areprofessionals. Lastly, the poor peoplehave a hard time saving P100 to buildcoop capital but it is easier for us toshell out $100 if want to. After all,most of us have good paying jobs.

Our coop’s economic goal isreachable and attainable. Now, onemay ask, is the only Filipino-ownedcooperative enterprise going tosucceed or be doomed to die? Its fateis up to all of us. If we let it fail, it willbe a reflection on the Filipinocommunity’s apathy.

It is not yet too late to change.There is hope to make things better ifall of us will set aside our doubts andlack of faith. Support the first and onlyFilipino Coop in Canada.



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Filipino receives first US anti-child labor award

A Filipino anti-child labor advocatereceived the first annual Iqbal MasihAward for the Elimination of ChildLabor given by the US Department ofLabor.

US Ambassador to thePhilippines Kristie A. Kenneypresented the award to Maria CeciliaFlores-Oebanda of the Visayan ForumFoundation on Friday.

"It is a great honor to present theIqbal Masih Award to Cecille, who is along-time partner of the US Mission inthe Philippines in combatingexploitative child labor as well astrafficking of women and children fordomestic servitude and commercialsexual exploitation," Kenney said at theceremony held at the US Embassy.

"The award recognizes Cecille'swork that has brought real change tothe lives of thousands of children in thePhilippines," she added.

The Iqbal Masih Award wasestablished by the US Congress torecognize the work of an individual,company, organization or nationalgovernment to end the worst forms ofchild labor.

The award reflects the spirit ofIqbal Masih, a Pakistani child enslavedat the age of four who escaped hisservitude and became an outspokenadvocate against child slavery.

In 1995 at the age of 13 and a yearafter receiving the Reebok HumanRights Award, Iqbal was killed in

Pakistan. His dedication to endingchild slavery, however, continues toinspire individuals around the world.

Like Iqbal Masih, Flores-Oebandawas born into poverty. As a child, shehelped to support her family byscavenging. As a teenager, sheadvocated for the rights of youth andfarm laborers.

Flores-Oebanda later founded andnow leads the VFF, a nongovernmentalorganization that has rescued andprovided assistance to more than32,000 victims and potential victims oftrafficking. The VFF has helped to filemore than 65 trafficking cases onbehalf of more than 165 victims.

Flores-Oebanda serves as theSoutheast Asia coordinator for theGlobal March Against Child Labor.

The US government has declaredthe fight against human trafficking as ahigh priority. a

Maria Cecilia Flores-Oebanda

300,000 could lose jobs inPhilippines amid crisis - Official

Up to 300,000 people could losetheir jobs in the Philippines over thenext six months as the global financialcrisis deepens, labor secretaryMarianito Roque warned Wednesday.

Some 15,000 have been laid offover the past two months while 19,000others had their work week cut to fourdays or less, he told reporters.

He said that a "worst-case scenario"would see the number of jobless rise tobetween 250,000 and 300,000 by theend of June.

He described the job cuts so far,which include more than 10,000 in theCalabarzon industrial belt south ofManila, as being within the"manageable level" in relation to anationwide work force of about 37million.

Unemployment in the Philippinescurrently stands at 6.8%.

The government is holding talkswith employers' groups to ease the

fallout from the global economicdownturn, which has heavily hit thecountry's two top export earnerselectronics and garments, where mostjobs have gone so far.

Manila has asked business groupsto prepare measures to mitigate theimpact on their workers and use jobcuts only as a last resort, he added.

Job creation is tough in thePhilippines, where some 27 millionpeople live on a dollar a day or less andwhere one in three adults areunemployed or underemployed,according to official data.

Jennifer Manalili, head of the labordepartment's Philippine OverseasEmployment Administration, said as alast resort Manila could export more ofits work force.

There is an unmet demand for389,000 jobs abroad, including morethan 100,000 in Qatar and 12,000 inKuwait, Roque said. a

Robin Padilla warned: ‘Too risky’

Actor Robin Padilla could end upbeing kidnapped himself if he decidesto go to Sulu to help in the efforts to freethe three workers of the InternationalCommittee of the Red Cross heldhostage there by suspected Abu Sayyafextremists, a Moro rebel leader saidThursday.

In a statement issued on Thursday,Muhammad Ameen, head of the MoroIslamic Liberation Front secretariat,warned that Padilla's desire topersonally negotiate for the release ofSwiss Andreas Notter, Italian EugenioVagni and Filipina Jean Lacaba couldprove to be "too risky" for the actor, aconvert to Islam.

Reports reaching the PhilippineDaily Inquirer indicated that Padilla wasplanning to go to Sulu to help negotiatefor the release of the victims. He was inZamboanga on Wednesday andreportedly offered to help in the ICRCkidnapping case.

"The kidnappers have only onething in mind and that is money,"Ameen said.

He said Padilla's being a Muslimwould not help because the kidnappers"don't discriminate whether you are theirco-religionists or not, as long as youhave the capacity to pay ransom."

"This is an unsolicited advice, butwe are offering this as a sign of ourconcern to you and to protect the imageof Islam," he added, addressing himselfto Padilla.

Ameen also hit the Abu Sayyaf fordestroying the image of Muslims in thePhilippines.

In Basilan, where threehumanitarian workers were kidnappedlast year, a male midwife became thelatest kidnap victim on Wednesday.

Nick de Castro, security officer ofthe Lamitan City government, saidElizar Gomera, 45, was asked to assistin the delivery of a baby in the village ofParangbasak on Wednesday morningbut failed to return home.

At noon on Thursday one of thekidnappers called up the city healthoffice to say Gomera "is in their hands,”De Castro said.

He did not say what the kidnapperswanted.

Another group of kidnappers is alsoholding three Zamboanga City teachersin Basilan. a

Filipina in California accused ofP6-M embezzlement

A Filipina in California has beenaccused with the embezzlement of$130,000 or more than P6 million froman architectural firm where sheworked, an online report said onTuesday.

According to Recordnet.com, 37-year old May Yonzon Torres is just oneof at least five San Joaquin Countyresidents accused of stealing moneyfrom their employer.

Torres has been charged with atwo-count complaint with grand theft ofpersonal property totaling more than$100,000 from 2005 to 2008 andfalsifying the corporate books ofArchitectural Amenities Inc., where she

worked as bookkeeper.The report quoted San Joaquin

County Deputy District AttorneyStephen Taylor as saying that Torreswas accused of using their companycheckbook to pay herself and herrelatives, effectively falsifying thepayroll.

Taylor reportedly asked JudgeRichard Guiliani of the San JoaquinCounty Superior Court to have Torresbooked into the San Joaquin CountyJail.

However, the judge just askedTorres to turn over her passport,preventing her from returning to thePhilippines. a

January 200918



Ellen invites Pinoy YouTubesinging sensation duo

FFIILLIIPPIINNOO SSTTAARRSS HH OO WW BB II ZZ GG OO SS SS II PP

More than just a body beautiful

Five weeks after its pilot episode,ABS-CBN’s afternoon soap Pietacontinues to titillate televiewers withthe sizzling chemistry of Krista Ranilloand Ryan Agoncillo.

To her credit, Krista has becomemore comfortable sinking her teethinto daring roles — tempered no lessby her shockingly brazen portrayal ofa wanna-be starlet in the indie filmPaupahan and her equally revealingspreads as FHM’s August 2008 covergirl.

It’s all clockwork for Krista by now— the torrid kissing scenes, the jaw-dropping two-piece bikini exposuresand other beguiling shots that flaunt

her curves.“It is a sexy role after all and an

equally challenging hurdle to live upto my predecessor,” she explains,alluding to the original Ms. BodyBeautiful Vivian Velez’s inspiringperformance as Martha in the original1983 movie adaptation of Carlo J.Caparas’ comics series.

Spruced up with a more modernstoryline, today’s Pieta (directed byToto Natividad and Don Cuaresma)finds Martha as a well-to-do colegialawho crosses paths with the destitutebut hardy Rigor (Ryan).

Krista and her co-stars anticipatethe forthcoming Pieta Mall Tour series.

Krista also makes a cameoappearance in Iskul Bukol: 20 YearsAfter, where she plays of Oyo BoySotto’s girlfriend.

She also figures in Hush-Hush,TV5’s new all-star drama series thatprobes the exciting and multi-facetedlives of celebrities and showbizpersonalities. Touted as the localversion of Gossip Girls, the show isdirected by Laurice Guillien and starsDominic Ochoa, Bernard Palanca andIna Feleo.

Krista is also a credible celebrityendorser. She has been tapped asPetron’s Calendar Girl for 2009 andhosts PLDT DSL’s weekend promotours in various malls. a

Krista Ranillo

American talk-show host EllenDeGeneres has invited two talentedFilipino "bathroom singers" to gueston her popular “The Ellen DeGeneresShow.”

Rin and Roxanne of "Rin on theRox," who have become a YouTubesensation, are best buddies who docover songs inside their bathroom.

"Recently, I found these twosingers on the internet. These twogirls are singing in the bathroom. Sothey are fantastic. If you are watchingright now, please, please come on theshow if you are watching. We have awonderful bathroom here... Butseriously, you are great. So please,please come on the show if you wouldlike to," DeGeneres said in a recentepisode.

Rin or Erin Paula, 20, and Rox orRoxanne, 21, are based in California,USA. They dream of having a careerin singing.

In Rin's MySpace account, she

said in one post: "Our dreams areactually coming true."

They also said in their YouTubechannel 'hiphoprox' that they areproud to be Filipinos.

“Yes, we both are Filipino, but asfor Roxanne she's half-Filipino andhalf-white,” Rin said.

They also belied they are twins,saying that they are just best offriends.

"Ha! ha! No, we are just bestfriends with the same passion--music," Rin added. In particular, theyboth love R&B music.

Rin and Rox have become aYouTube hit for their version ofpopular songs. They always expressappreciation to their fans andsupporters who watch their videos,

give comments and requests."Thanks for all the love and

support. We will try to fulfill everyone'ssong requests. We are just reallypressured for time. So we will get to it.

Erin & Roxanne, or Rin on The Rox as they are known on YouTube dream of a musicalcareer

Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres sends an open invitation to the talented pair ofamateur singers to appear on her show after discovering them on YouTube.

Thanks for supporting us..keep loving...commenting..and subscribing.Thanks a lot! We love you," Rin said.

To know more of "Rin on The Rox"performances check them out onYouTube. Their account is 'hiphoprox.'You can also check their Myspaceaccount onwww.myspace.com/erinpaula and

www.myspace.com/hiphoprox.Another Pinoy YouTube singing

sensation Charice Pempengco'sappearance on The Ellen DeGeneresShow last year helped catapult her tointernational fame. a

Rachelle Ann Go is obviouslyenjoying the best of both worlds thesedays. While her singing career is doingwell, her love life is on the upswing too.She and Gab Valenciano are currentlyplaying beautiful music together. Theirspecial friendship started lastDecember.

“Funny, but at first, we weren’ttalking to each other,” says thecharming lass. “I knew he’s the son ofGary Valenciano but that’s just it. Infact, we don’t even exchange ‘Hi’s!’whenever we meet in the hallways ofABS-CBN 2. My initial impression ofhim was that he’s a braggart, judgingon the way he talked to people andcarried himself. I thought he was over-confident because he is the son ofGary V.

“But all of that changed when I gotto do production numbers with him inASAP. It gave us the chance to talk andI discovered that basically, he’s a shyguy. When I told him about my firstimpression of him, he said that he isjust like that when he talks to peoplebut definitely, he’s not boastful. Andbecause of his dad, I got to know Gab

better. From there, our friendshipdeveloped.”

Last Christmas, they gave eachother gifts.

“He gave me a MAC Book laptop.I was really touched. In return, I boughthim a computer chair which he can use

Rachelle Ann reveals real reasonbehind breakup with Christian

Rachelle Ann Go




Angellie wishes upon a star

Angellie Urquico’s angelic featuresand sweet smile exude youthfulnessand innocence.

The 16-year old Angellie was thegrand champion on ABS-CBN’s LittleBig Star Season 2 (2006). Sheimpressed the judges and theaudience with her rendition of Whitney

Houston’s Run to You which was herwinning piece. Angellie said shestarted singing when she was fouryears old. “My mom encouraged me tojoin singing contests so I couldconquer my shyness.” She joinedother competitions like Bulilit SingingContest (2004), Sing Like a Star(2003), and Batang ETV (2002) whereshe also emerged champion.

The young singer also decided toembark on an acting career to exploreher range as an artist. One of her mostmemorable performances was on theDiary episode of Maalaala Mo Kayawhere she played Darlene, a young girlwho was in love with Piolo Pascual.“After winning on Little Big Star, myformer road manager informed me thatthere was an audition for an MMKepisode starring Piolo Pascual. Luckily,I got the lead role opposite him.”

She also starred on Palos whereshe played the young Sylvia (BangsGarcia’s character). Angellie learned afew stunt routines required for her role.

Angellie has just finished doing anindie film titled Ugat sa Lupa, aNational Commission for Culture andthe Arts project directed by ArielReyes. a

Angellie Urquico

Their water-colored affair

They have their respective jobsthat keep them busy, but when anopportunity comes for them to makebeautiful music together, French-Spanish singer-songwriter MiguelJuteau and his Filipino wife Evelynwelcome it. It was music that broughtthem together, so it is onlyunderstandable that they will continuetheir common passion.

In 1999, Miguel and Evelyn formedAquarela, which means watercolor inPortuguese. The group readily defineditself as the most genuinerepresentative of Latin and Brazilianmusic in the local entertainmentscene.

Aquarela prides itself in beingauthentic when it comes to samba andbossa nova music. Miguel composesand arranges songs for the band,while Evelyn acts as band managerand record producer, as well asfrontliner.

Two years ago, Aquarela came outwith their debut album, Bossa NovaAffair, a collection of bossa nova andsamba tunes distributed by UniversalRecords. The CD is an expression ofMiguel and Evelyn’s love for Brazilianmusic which conveys a soulful andromantic mood to listeners.

Admittedly, the couple wasinspired by their first musical outingthat’s why they worked on anotheralbum, which took more than sixmonths to make. Recently, Miguel andEvelyn came out with Changes,Aquarela’s second album.

“We’ve made a few, betterchanges in our life, that’s why wewanted that title for our second album”Miguel grants. “Our music is areflection of our life. It took us quite awhile to complete the album becauseit was so difficult to gather themusicians together. We had severalindividual schedules to consider,including ours.”

As the title indicates, the band’smusic took an audacious turn in thissecond release. While Brazilianinfluences are still clearly recognizableon all tracks, this time, the song lineupcomprises mostly originalcompositions from Miguel and Evelyn.

“Changes is a bit jazzy,” informsMiguel. “Our first album containsmostly bossa nova tracks and covers.The second one is composed of nineoriginals and three covers.”

Miguel brings to the recording hisimpressive musical artistry that startedin Northern France, first into pop thenFlamenco, Latin and acoustic. Afterrecording a couple of his owncompositions in his early twenties, hemoved to Granada, Spain to studyFlamenco guitar. He later fell in lovewith Brazilian music, a passion he hasnurtured ever since.

Evelyn, for her part, is a seasonedentertainer from Cebu. She workedwith many leading jazz bands andeventually performed with Miguel inBarcelona and Paris.

The three covers in Changes arethe bossa nova upbeat ditty Berimbau,The Doors’ ’60s classic Light My Fire,re-arranged as contemporary smoothjazz, and a refreshing acoustic take onthe Visayan song Usahay, recorded inthe vernacular by Evelyn, who takespride in her roots.

One of the original tracks is thesoft fusion Boracay, which the coupleplans to launch in the island early nextyear. The Tagalog lyrics (Ala-Ala Mo)were written by Mon David, himself anoted performer, while the Englishlyrics (It Will Always be You) werepenned by Evelyn.

“We went to Boracay five yearsago and we simply fell in love with theisland,” Evelyn shares. a

Evelyn & Miguel Juteau

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in his recording studio. Actually, I waswith him when he canvassed its price. Iadvised him not to buy it and instead,scout for a cheaper one. Without hisknowledge, I had the chair reserved.Then, exactly on Christmas day,together with Tita Angeli (Pangilinan,Gab’s mother), I put it in his room.When he saw it, he was very happy!”

Now that she has found a newlove, Rachelle is open to reveal the realreason behind her break-up with ex-boyfriend Christian Bautista.

“It’s okay to talk about it since it iswater under the bridge now. For therecord, there was no third partyinvolved. The numerous things wedidn’t agree upon triggered ourdecision to call it quits. Unknown to thepublic, during our two-yearrelationship, we were on and offbecause of said differences. Perhaps,we were just good in handling ourfeelings in front of the cameras. Wetried working things out but our efforts

were futile.“So before things get worse, we

agreed to end our relationship butvowed to become friends. Later, werealized that indeed, we’re better off assuch. Now, we understand each otherbetter as compared to the time whenwe were still together.”

Lack of time for each other wasanother pertinent factor for their split-up.

“We spent more time working thanbeing together. It was only duringASAP that Christian and I get to seeeach other regularly and if we hadshows together. Sad but true.

“It’s good that we became goodfriends despite what happened to ourlove affair. In fact, he’s one of myspecial guests in my forthcoming showat the Music Museum titled Falling inLove. Gab will also be one of the guestperformers,” excitingly informsRachelle.a

Willie Revillame got the biggestthrill in his hosting life when USAmbassador to the Philippines KristieKenney dropped by as ‘special guest’of the ABS-CBN noontime show

Wowowee.‘She arrived one hour before

showtime,’ Willie told Funfare, ‘and shetold me that her staff at the USEmbassy are avid followers of myshow,’ just like Filipinos abroad tunedin to TFC (The Filipino Channel).

‘The ambassador was verygracious,’ added Willie who gamelyrequested her to swing and sway tothe show’s theme song.

She obliged with pleasure, muchto the amusement of Willie and his co-hosts (among them Pokwang, inwhite). ‘She had a lot of fun,” saidWillie, addressing AmbassadorKenney, ‘Thank you, Ma’am, fordropping by.’ a

Willie’s ‘shining moment’ inWowowee

January 200920



Showbiz Gossip Continued from p.19 Sarah’s big plans for 2009

Two spectacular shows at theAraneta Coliseum. One highlysuccessful US concert tour. Oneplatinum album. A runaway blockbusterof a movie. Four music awards. SarahGeronimo did it all in 2008. So what canwe expect from the Pop Princess in2009?

Even before 2008 came to a close,Sarah released her new album, OPMSarah Geronimo.

The CD boasts the theme song ofthe movie, Baler, Ngayon, Bukas atKailanman. Also in the album are Ikaw

Ang Aking Pangarap, the theme song ofthe telenovella Lobo; Kailangan Kita,Kung Ako Na Lang Sana, Minsan, PersLab, Bituing Walang Ningning andmany more.

Sarah starts 2009 off with thescreening of the long-awaited sequel toA Very Special Love, the box-office hitthat paired her with John Lloyd Cruz.

You Changed My Life, hits the bigscreens on Feb. 25.

On March she’ll be leaving for theUS for her concert tour, The Next Onewith Billy Crawford, Charlie Green andMark Bautista as guests. Sarah will tour14 cities until April.

In May, Sarah will be off on aprovincial tour covering five cities. InOctober or November, she’ll be back atthe Araneta Coliseum for anotherconcert.

Sarah is also set to do a movie withPilo Pascual.

That’s not all. She’s scheduled tocut two new albums next year and thereare new commercials to film.

Such as a schedule is enough tomake one’s head spin. But Sarah saysshe is used to the pace.

“I hope to do more records,movies, TV shows and endorsements.Marami pa po akong plano atpangarap. Salamat po sa lahat ng ngtulong.” a

Sarah GeronimoActress Angel Locsin has beendischarged from a hospital in QuezonCity after she was confined there lastweek due to dengue, her rumoredboyfriend, Luis Manzano, announcedTuesday.

In a press conference for hisupcoming television series “KomiksPresents: Flash Bomba,” Manzano saidLocsin left the hospital Tuesdayafternoon.

"Nakauwi na po siya. She's on herway to recovery. Siguro mga one weekpa po bago siya maka-fully recover.Very, very good news," Manzano said.

On Thursday evening Locsin wasbrought to St. Luke’s Medical Centerwhere she was diagnosed with dengueinfection.

“As of 5 a.m. (Sunday), her plateletcount has gone up to 58,000. Herdoctor is optimistic that she’s on herway to recovery. Angel would like tothank you all for your prayers,” theactress’ manager, Becky Aguila, toldshow business talk show “The Buzz” onSunday in a text message.

Prior to her hospitalization, Locsinwas supposed to do guestings on“Entertainment Live” and “The Buzz”last week but these were all cancelledbecause she was not feeling well.

Manzano recounted that Locsinhad a high fever and started vomiting.

In Tuesday’s press conference, the“Flash Bomba” lead star divulged thathe even had to force Locsin to go tothe hospital.

"Ako lang talaga ang nag-ayos nglahat na ma-confine siya because Iknew she was not feeling well. At maypagkamatigas ang ulo noon at hindi ko

siya binigyan ng choice. Sinabi kotalaga na kailangan niyang ma-confine," he said.

After visiting his mother, BatangasGov. Vilma Santos, who was on a photoshoot then, Manzano said he wentstraight to St. Luke’s to make all thenecessary arrangements.

"Sabi ko, ‘didiretso na ako sa St.Luke’s, aayusin ko na ito, ‘yong roommo lahat-lahat. Ang kailangan mo langgawin ay pumunta dito, kailanganmong ma-confine.’ Yes, siya angpumunta sa St. Luke’s kasi inaayos koang room, ako ang nauna doon," hesaid.

Manzano said Locsin’s doctor wasthen considering two possibleinfections -- typhoid or dengue.

"So, I think hinintay ‘yong bloodculture at binantayan ‘yong plateletskung ano ang nangyayari talaga.Noong constantly bumaba that's whenthey believed and confirmed na it wasdengue," Manzano said.

The actress also acquired the sameinfection in 2005.

He said he would go straight to thehospital from work to visit Locsin. Healso shared that his mother would sendfood for Locsin when the latter was stillrecuperating at the hospital.

The actor-host said he is happy thatLocsin is now feeling better. He wasalso thankful that Locsin did not have toundergo a blood transfusion.

'No engagement'After their reported rift and eventual

reconciliation, Manzano, meanwhile,denied that he already proposed toLocsin.

His clarification stemmed fromreports saying that Locsin was seenwearing an engagement ring.

"Kung anuman ‘yong singsing nasuot niya, I believe na pinaghirapanniya 'yon sa mga pagpupuyat niya.Wala po akong ike-credit sa kahit anosa mga jewelry niya," Manzano said.

He added that it is not yet time forthe two of them to settle down.

"I have so many things to do. Kungfeeling ko marami pa akong dapatgawin, triple 'yon para kay Angel. Masmarami pa siyang kailangang gawin,"he said. a

Angel Locsin released fromhospital

Judy Ann denies secret marriageto Ryan Agoncillo

She may be madly in love withfiancée Ryan Agoncillo but Judy AnnSantos is not about to tie the knot justyet with the actor-host.

In an interview with ABS-CBNNews, Santos was caught by surprisewhen asked about rumors that she andAgoncillo were secretly married.

"Saan nanggaling 'yon? Hindi.Hindi paano naman mangyayari 'yonDecember umalis ako tapos January,wala pang pangalawang linggo umalisna naman ako, so, no, no, no," she said.

"Hindi ko alam kung saannangggaling 'yan (kung) sa mga taongexcited na talaga masyado o sa mgataong gumagawa (lang) ng istorya perohindi (totoo yan)."

It will be remembered that Santoswent to United States to lobby for herindependent movie “Ploning” to beincluded in the shortlist of Oscars for itsBest Foreign Film category.

Santos said she will be the first toconfirm to everyone that she is gettingmarried because it is a sin to tell a lie.

"Kasalanan sa Diyos kung ide-denyko na kasal kami at kasalanan din samga tao kung kasal nga kami or hindi.Even kung secretly married kami, onething or another ay magpapa-interviewpa din kami to let everybody know nanagpakasal kami," she said.

The actress also dismissed reportsthat she will be getting married on her31st birthday on May 11.

"Alam mo, hindi ko ko nga alamang gagawin ko sa birthday kohanggang ngayon. Nandoon kami sadesisyon ng bahay muna kasi hindikami pwedeng mag-settle down ngwala kaming pupuntahan, na walakaming maayos na foundation," shesaid.

The actress reiterated that she andRyan are setting their sights on theirfuture life together including thepossibility of having children.

“Kinabukasan yung iniisip namin.Palagi naming sinasabi ang kasalmadali lang yan pero sa amin,pinaghahandaan namin yung buhay ng

Ryan Agoncillo & Judy Ann Santos

Actor Piolo Pascual shared that hemade a compromise agreement withhis son Inigo regarding the boy'sdesire to become a star. Pascual saidthat he still does not want his son tojoin showbusiness. But he added thatafter spending time with Inigo duringthe holiday break, he agreed toreconsider his decision once his songraduates from high school.

"Ayaw ko talaga. I'm so strict aboutthat because I want him to prioritize hiseducation. Given a choice, bata pa'yon and iba yung education. Hindi mona mababalikan yon. Sabi ko maskihigh school, then after that we choose.But ako, kung ako ang masusunod,ayaw ko talaga," the actor said.

Pascual said that the agreementwith his 11-year-old son has inspiredthe boy to do better in school.

"He understands it. That's why heis doing better in school. Because he ismotivated, he wants to impress us(para) pumayag kami. But I told himmy condition is that he has to finishhigh school first," he added. a

Piolo shares agreement with son regardingshowbiz aspirations



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Mega and Ai-Ai in StarCinema’s “Mother’s Day” Movie

Ai Ai de las Alas got herself twobonuses from Star Cinema, whichproduced her blockbuster movie, "AngNatatanging Ina N’yong Lahat," its entryin the last Metro Manila Film Festival(MMFF).

She got the surprise during thevictory party Star Cinema hosted for thecast and crew of the movie, which wasadjudged by the MMFF committee asthe festival’s top grosser.

At the party, Ai Ai received a checkwith an amount which she describes as"too good to be true." It was handed toher by ABS-CBN’s CEO Gabby Lopez.

Next came the announcement fromStar Cinema’s managing director MalouSantos that Ai Ai’s next movie will bewith Sharon Cuneta. It will be releasedin May, according to Malou, as StarCinema’s Mother’s Day presentation.

"My God!" Ai Ai exclaimed. "That’sanother bonus na too good to be true."

Although she has always said sheis a die-hard Vilma Santos fan, sheclaims she is also a Sharonian.

Will there be a billing problem?Whose name will have first billing in themovie? After all, her recent MMFF moviehas proven that Ai Ai is a box-office star.

"Naku naman," said Ai Ai, "Mega‘yang artistang pinag-uusapan natin.Alam ko naman kung saan ipupuwestoang sarili ko."

We also heard from Malou that theirMMFF entry for December will definitelybe another Ai Ai movie, another sequelto her "Ina" series.

The films will be directed by WennDeramas, who was at the helm of the"Ina" series. a

Ai Ai De Las Alas Sharon Cuneta

In last Saturday’s edition of theABS-CBN noontime show Wowowee,three Bb. Pilipinas-Universe title-holderssat as judges of the Miss Fitrum search— Gloria Diaz (1969 Miss Universe),Margie Moran (1973 Miss Universe) andMiriam Quiambao (1999 Miss Universefirst runner-up), together with couturiersRajo Laurel and Renee Salud, andGabby Concepcion.

Miriam’s guesting in an ABS-CBNshow made some people wonder whatshe’s up to since she’s an exclusivecontract artist of rival station GMA 7.Was Miriam, or her manager AnnabelleRama, sort of “testing the waters”?

Yes, they were. That’s according toan ABS-CBN insider who added thatMiriam is being eyed by Wowowee host

Willie Revillame as a possiblereplacement of Precious LaraQuigaman (another Bb. Pilipinas beautyand 2005 Miss International no less)who was asked to quit the show whenshe violated an unwritten rule aboutbringing a boyfriend to the set.

“Willie has been looking for apossible replacement for Lara,” said theABS-CBN insider, “at siempre gustoniya ay isa ring international beautyqueen. It was Willie who suggested thatMiriam be included as one of the judgesin the Miss Fitrum finals.”

During a casual on-air interview,Willie sent Miriam a “feeler” while brieflymentioning what happened to Lara.“Wala ka bang boyfriend?” Willie askedMiriam jokingly. Miriam hesitated andsaid, “How did you know?” and thenlaughed.

The truth is that after she separatedfrom Claudio Rondinelli, her Italian-businessman husband, Miriam brieflydated only one guy, also a foreigner.

Don’t get Willie wrong. Any of hisfemale co-hosts can have a boyfriend,why not, but they should refrain frombringing their boyfriends to work sothey (co-hosts) won’t be distracted,especially during Wowowee’s stagingabroad.

If and when Miriam decides to jumpober da bakod and join Wowowee, sheshould take note of that. a

Will Miriam replace Lara asWowowee Co-host?

Miriam Quiambao

pamilya namin, yung pamumuhay nganak namin, ‘yun ang iniisip namin,”she said.

Santos, one of ABS-CBN's foremostdrama talents, is set to topbill the

teleserye "Humingi Ako Sa Langit."Agoncillo is currently the male lead inthe hit teleserye "Pieta" with actressCherie Gil. a

January 200922



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Pacquiao, Hatton finalize May 2fight

Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hattonformally agreed Wednesday to fight forHatton's 140-pound title on May 2,ending several weeks of negotiatingand posturing.

Pacquiao (48-3-2, 36 KOs),generally considered the world's toppound-for-pound fighter, will go afterHatton's IBO junior welterweight belt atthe MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas.

Pacquiao nearly scuttled the boutseveral times in recent weeks whiledemanding a bigger share of thelucrative purse, even forcing GoldenBoy Promotions to cancel a media tourplanned for this week. Top Rankpromoter Bob Arum finally persuadedPacquiao to sign the necessarycontracts after reaching a reworkeddeal with Hatton's representativesearlier this week.

The Philippines' most famous manis at the top of his talents afterbrutalizing Oscar De La Hoya in theirfight on Dec. 6, forcing the Golden Boyto quit after eight rounds. Pacquiaomoved all the way up to welterweightfor that bout after fighting just onceabove 130 pounds in his career beforethen, and the former five-divisionchampion will move back down to yet

another weight class for his next high-profile pay-per-view fight.

"I always like new challenges,which is the reason I am anxious tofight Ricky Hatton," Pacquiao said in astatement released by Top Rank. "Mytrainer, Freddie Roach, will put togethera new game plan which will be muchdifferent than the one we used againstOscar. There are concerns becauseHatton is a very strong puncher, so Imust deal with that in the ring."

Hatton (45-1, 32 KOs) is one ofBritain's most popular athletes, but theManchester-born brawler lost his onlyprevious fight against a boxer ofPacquiao's stature when FloydMayweather Jr. stopped him inDecember 2007. Hatton beat PaulieMalignaggi last fall in his most recentbout.

Hatton has a promotional deal withDe La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions.

"We are very excited that this fighthas been made, as it is the fight fanswanted and the one I look forward toseeing myself," De La Hoya said. "Thisfight has all the makings of a Fight ofthe Year candidate and I think Hattonwill dethrone Pacquiao and becomeboxing's pound-for-pound king."a

Five businessmen have beencharged with syndicated estafa in courtafter they tried to sell the historic LunetaHotel in Manila using a fake title.

Charged were Erlinda Panlilio,Marlo Cristobal, Nicole Morris, JoseMarcel Panlilio and Herminio Valerio.

Prosecutors said the businessmenwere associated with the late strongmanFerdinand Marcos.

In a nine-page resolution dated Jan.19, State Prosecutor Phillip dela Cruzsaid the circumstances of the case showthat all the elements of syndicatedestafa are present in the case.

“Records showed that respondentshave resorted to at least two instancesof falsification of public documents in

order to sell and dispose TransferCertificate of Title NO. T-110068,” hesaid.

“Evidently, respondents’ actuationsnegate their claim of good faith and lendcredence to complainants’ claims.”

Investigations showed the fiverespondents were incorporators of RizalPark Hotel Inc. (RPHI), the registeredowner of the Luneta Hotel and the 450-square-meter lot where it stands in frontof Rizal Park along T.M. Kalaw Street inManila.

The case arose from a complainantfiled by H.E. Heacock Resources Corp.,represented by corporate secretarySantiago Alvarez Jr., before theDepartment of Justice (DOJ).

In his complaint, Alvarez said theRPHI incorporators have transferred alltheir shares through Deeds ofAssignment on Sept. 15, 1973.

The respondents were thenappointed trustees of Heacock, headded. However, Heacock later learnedthat the respondents – using a newcorporate name, Rizal Park Corp., andpresenting another title – sold theproperty to Beaumont Holdings Corp.on May 15, 2007 for P25 million, Alvarezsaid.

Alvarez said the respondents alsotried to sell the Luneta Hotel inSeptember 1987 to JBA Group ofManagement and Development Corp,but the Registry of Deeds of Manilafound that they were using a fake title.

In the second attempt to sell thehotel, Cristobal – representing himselfas the duly elected corporate secretaryof RPHI – filed a petition for lostduplicate copy of the title, Alvarez said.

During preliminary investigation, therespondents denied the charges againstthem. They questioned the Deeds ofAssignment of Heacock as incompleteand the period of its effectivity lapsed.

DOJ prosecutors, however, said thecase has become a question of“credibility of statements of witnesses”that should be resolved in a full-blowncourt trial.

In 2007, Beaumont announced thehotel would undergo structuralrehabilitation and retrofitting. The hotelis dubbed as one of the few remainingstructures that survived World War II.

It is also being touted as the onlystructure in the country reminiscent ofFrench Renaissance architecture withFilipino stylized beaux arts.

Completed in 1918, it was designedby Spanish architect-engineer SalvadorFarre, according to a study by DeanJohn Joseph Fernandez of theUniversity Of Santo Tomas College OfArchitecture.

The dilapidated building wasdeclared a historical landmark by theNational Historical Institute. It isprotected by Presidential Decree 1505,which makes it unlawful to alter ordestroy the original features of an edificeclassified by the NHI “without priorwritten permission from its chairman.” a

5 Marcos cronies face estafaraps



PNP bans patrol cars fromescorting politicians

Mayors, governors and otherpoliticians can no longer use patrolcars of the Philippine National Police(PNP) as their personal securityescort vehicles.

“We do not allow these vehicles to beused for personal purposes. They’reprohibited to be used for other thanofficial police functions,” DirectorGeneral Jesus Verzosa said as hemarked his first 100 days yesterdayas chief of the PNP.

In imposing the order, Verzosasaid there is an existing guidelineagainst the use of PNP-acquiredvehicles for personal purposes andas back-up security vehicles ofpoliticians.

Many politicians, particularly localgovernment officials in far-flungareas, use PNP vehicles that haveofficial PNP markings, sirens andblinkers as personal back-up orsecurity vehicles in moving about intheir areas of jurisdiction, accordingto Verzosa.

He said some of them even usegovernment-issued ambulances incarrying out activities such as ferryingtheir children to and from school.

The PNP chief said thecontinuous use of PNP-marked

vehicles by politicians would deprivethe police of the ability to immediatelyrespond to any crime or emergencysituation.

Verzosa noted that the policywould be applied even to vehiclesdonated by local government units ashe explained that once they areturned over to various PNP units, theorganization shall have control andsupervision of these cars.

“If they need escorts because ofcertain serious security concerns,then they should apply for it. And itcan only be done (for a) very limitedperiod,” he said.

Verzosa said he will askconcerned directorate units to set upa PNP motor pool for police vehiclesto ensure that they are properlymaintained and the assigned driversare required to take care of thevehicles’ maintenance.

Last week, the PNP acquired 664assorted patrol cars and Scene of theCrime Operatives vehicles to bedistributed nationwide. The PNP hasover 9,000 vehicles, includingmotorcycles and patrol cars. a

The “Beverly Hills, California”resident who claimed got mugged onhis first visit to the country is nowbehind bars after police said he wasnothing but a scam artist.

Supt. Franklin Moises Mabanag,chief of the Criminal Investigation andDetection Unit, said that perjury andother charges would be slappedagainst Richard Sangalang, 24, a.k.a.Nathan Santos Smith, for havinginveigled the police official into givinghim P2,500 transportation moneybecause of his sob story.

“We checked all his claims. Wespent money to dig his record at theimmigration bureau, Peninsula Manilaand the address he gave in Baguio City.None of those were true. So I sent himto jail,” a furious Mabanag toldStandard Today.

“When he came back, he actedstrange. He just sat there and stared atnothing for three hours. I guess he isderanged. I might refer him to themental hospital.”

Inside the detention cell, theEnglish-speaking Sangalang, crackedand turned out to be a native Filipinospeaker.

“Ako po si Richard Sangalang taga-Capas, Tarlac po [I’m RichardSangalang from Capas, Tarlac, sir],” hetold this reporter.

He admitted having spun a yarn

about the robbery and that he wasmerely looking for a job in Metro Manila.

Mabanag could well have made outHarvard among Annapolis, Cambridgeor Oxford in Cubao, where Sangalangclaimed he was brought to byPenequito Gallardo, the taxi driverwhom he had tagged as the one whorobbed him Sunday dawn.

Sangalang introduced himself as aHarvard law student, residing in BeverlyHills, California.

“But when I asked him whereHarvard is, he could not give a definiteanswer. Also, the address in Baguioturned out to be a Born-Again Christianchurch while the room in Peninsulawhere he claimed he and his aunt werebilleted, was likewise fictitious.”

In his earlier statement, Sangalangsaid he boarded Gallardo’s cab at theNinoy Aquino International Airport,asking to be brought to a Pasay Citybus terminal for a Baguio-bound ride.

Instead, he said, Gallardo drove toAli Mall, where an accomplice boardedthe cab and purportedly helped inrobbing him.

Mabanag said the driver has beenreleased from police custody but notwithout the usual grilling and much adoabout nothing.

“I also gave him some money tomake up for his lost income when weinvited him for questioning,” he said. a

‘Beverly Hills balikbayan’ takestop cop for a ride

January 200924



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