Weekend Balita August 1, 2015

LOS ANGELES

VOL. XXIiI, NO. 26 THE LEADING SOURCE OF NEWS AND INFORMATION FOR FILIPINO-AMERICANS AUGUST 1 -7, 2015

Julia Montesgets new menin new series

See JULIA MONTES page 16

President Aquino raises the hand of DILG Secretary Mar Roxas to the shower of confetti after Aquino endorsed Roxas for the presidential race at the Club Filipino in Greenhills on Friday. Aquino cited Roxas’ record and pointed to him as the best bet to continue the “Daang Matuwid” (Straight Path). (MNS photo)

Beij ing, China (AFP) Tuesday 7/28/2015 – China’s navy carried out a “live firing drill” in the South China Sea Tuesday in a bid to improve its maritime combat ability, state media reported, as tensions flare over the disputed waters.

The exercise involved at least 100 naval vessels, dozens of aircraft, missile launch battalions of the Second Artillery Corps and information warfare troops, Xinhua news agency said, citing navy sources.

It added that dozens of missiles and torpedoes, as well as thousands of shells and jamming bombs, were fired during the drill, which tested the navy’s air defense and early warning system.

It also “improved its ability to react quickly”, Xinhua said.

China has rapidly expanded its navy in recent years, commissioning its first aircraft carrier in 2012 and adding to its submarine and surface fleets.

It is currently pursuing a rapid program of artificial island construction in the South China Sea, despite being locked in disputes with several countries over its claims to almost the entire area.

Japan last week slammed Beijing’s bid to reclaim land there as a “coercive at-tempt” to make sweeping maritime claims that comes as Tokyo is expanding the role of its own military.

The Philippines is meanwhile planning a 25 percent hike in its defense budget next year, mainly to bolster its claims in the disputed waters.

China holds ‘live fi re drill’ in disputed waters

MANILA, July 29 (Mabuhay) – The Armed Forces of the Philippines on Wednesday downplayed the live-ammu-nition drills conducted by China in the disputed South China Sea, saying it is the nation’s right to conduct such exercises.

“It’s the right of any sovereign nation to conduct any kind of exercises that they think are relevant to their own security interest,” said military spokesperson Col. Restituto Padilla Jr.

Chinese state media reported that the air and sea drills held Tuesday involved more than 100 ships, dozens of aircraft, several missile launch battalions, and information warfare troops.

Reports did not specify where exactly the exercises took place.

China has become increasingly asser-tive as it claims most of the potentially energy-rich South China Sea; while Phil-ippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, Viet-nam also have overlapping claims in the disputed area.

Padilla said the government of China should be transparent in all its exercises so as not to be misinterpreted to be threaten-ing anyone.

“Everybody in the region, the United States also included, is encouraging them to be transparent so that all of their motives,

By Joel GuintoManila, Philippines (AFP) Friday

7/31/2015 – Philippine President Benigno Aquino endorsed long-time ally Manuel Roxas on Friday for the country’s 2016 presidential election, saying the interior minister was the best person to advance anti-corruption reforms.

“We choose the one who is certain to pursue the straight and narrow path,” said Aquino, alluding to his hallmark

anti-graft crusade that he says ushered in unprecedented economic growth in the impoverished archipelago nation.

“I believe that person is none other than Mar Roxas,” the president told cheering members of his Liberal Party, using the minister’s nickname.

The Philippines elects a new leader in May 2016. Contenders must register their candidacy ahead of a mid-October

Rescue teams come to the aid of two persons trapped in a car that hit a lamppost, during the earthquake drill in Marikina on Thursday. City governments participated in the metrowide drill in preparation for the projected 7.2 magnitude earthquake that can hit the Metro Manila area. (MNS photo)

What should prevail over proposed fl oodwater catchment area?

MANILA, July 29 (Mabuhay) – Malaca-ñang on Wednesday defended the govern-ment’s proposal to build a catchment area at the University of Santo Tomas (UST), saying public safety during floods should prevail over the university’s concerns over its open field earlier declared as a historical landmark.

At a press briefing, presidential spokes-

man Secretary Edwin Lacierda said that the government’s plan to build the UST catch-ment area is “scientifically well-founded and scientifically proven.”

“This is a situation where the interest and the safety of many should prevail over the concerns of, unfortunately, a univer-sity… Why is it difficult for us and for all the people involved to join and cooperate in building that catchment area?” Lacierda told reporters on Wednesday afternoon.

Who else but Mar Roxas

AFP downplays China’s air, sea drills

Public safety vs UST’s historical frontyard

See MAR ROXAS, page 13

See PUBLIC SAFETY, page 13See AFP DOWNPLAYS, page 13

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Washington, United States (AFP) Tuesday 7/28/2015 – Some 15 percent of American adults are not using the Internet – a figure which has not changed over the past two years, researchers said Tuesday.

The findings in the Pew Research Cen-ter survey suggest it may be difficult to get the remaining non-Internet adopters online.

“The size of this group (of non-Internet users) has changed little over the past three years, despite recent government and social service programs to encourage Internet adoption,” the Pew researchers said.

“But that 15 percent figure is sub-stantially lower than in 2000, when Pew Research first began to study the social impact of technology. That year, nearly half (48 percent) of American adults did not use the Internet.”

Demographics were a major factor: among people over 65, some 39 percent were not using the Internet, Pew found. And 24 percent of those in rural areas did not go online.

Low-income people were also less

likely to use the Internet: one out of four with incomes under $30,000 reported being unconnected.

And one-third of those with less than a high school education also reported they did not use the Web.

“Despite some groups having persis-tently lower rates of Internet adoption, the vast majority of Americans are online,” the Pew report said.

“Over time, the offline population has been shrinking, and for some groups that change has been especially dramatic. For example, 86 percent of adults 65 and older did not go online in 2000; today that figure has been cut in half. And among those with-out a high school diploma, the share not using the Internet dropped from 81 percent to 33 percent in the same time period.”

In its 2013 survey, Pew reported that most of those who were not using the In-ternet had little interest in doing so. Some said they were too old, that the technology was too complicated or that it was too expensive to get online.

Still offl ine: US non-Internet users stuck at 15%

According to government statistics, 1.664,000 Americans filed for bankruptcy between September 2010 and September 2011. What does this mean? It means you are not alone!

For many, bankruptcy provides a second financial chance.

Life after bankruptcy

Although a bankruptcy filing will stay on your credit record for up to 10 years, it need not be the dire problem some people seem to think. First, there are laws that forbid discrimination against you if you have filed bankruptcy. Second, providing you show consistent employ-ment history and financial responsibility, you can rebuild your credit. Our office has the expertise to show you how.

Filing for bankruptcy is not hard, It’s the time leading up to that decision that is hard. You worry about what people may think. You worry about whether you can ever get credit again. Can you ever buy a car, or a house? Can you refinance your home? How do you begin to rebuild your credit so that you can move forward? You need credit to get credit but who will give you credit and trust you.

Don’t worry, it’s not as difficult as you may think. While filing bankruptcy is ini-tially considered a negative on your credit report, since it lowers your fico score, it can also help you secure new credit. How is that, you may ask?

That is because a bankruptcy on your credit report also sends another message. It tells future creditors that you do not owe any more unsecured debt. Your risk of col-lections and lawsuits on these items have been wiped out. It also shows that your debt to income ratio has improved significantly, since you (hopefully) still have employ-ment income, but no debt. Furthermore, if a new creditor gives you credit, it cannot be discharged in a bankruptcy for a minimum of eight years.

Bottom line, it’s easy to re-establish credit. Creditors know you cannot dis-charge debt again, but you can afford to service new debt. Creditors can also charge you more, because of the low fico score. There is a whole industry of banks, credit card programs and retail charge cards that are targeted to consumers discharged in bankruptcy. I

n fact, it’s an essential criteria for the reasons given above. Never has it been easier to rebuild credit then now.

You should be aware, that all three-cred-it reports will still contain adverse informa-tion from the time before you filed. This information may still show some of the charge offs, judgments, collection accounts and the like. However, once your bank-ruptcy has been successfully discharged, those debts are no longer collectable, and

new credit granters know what to look for. They see past this, focusing instead on the date of the bankruptcy discharge.

Creditors will rarely update your credit reports to reflect “Included in Bankruptcy.” They will leave the postings as they were; since the debts are discharged, and they have already closed your account in their computer files. Remember, the credit reporting agencies do not post or un-post creditor information. That is posted di-rectly by the creditors, who are direct subscribers to the credit reporting agencies.

According to the FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act), only accurate debts can be listed. Your credit reports should only show the actual bankruptcy and then the debts as “included in BK.” What this does is to give you the opportunity to dispute the accuracy of the information on your report, and clean it up.

Below are some helpful pointers so you can achieve the best possible credit reports and tips for rebuilding.

Check your reports for errors Correct the errors by writing to the

credit reporting agency.Apply for a few secured credit cards Open a bank account and secure credit

with a savings book Keep employment stable Pay utilities on time (they may also

report when delinquent)How long may bankruptcy information

be included in my credit report?Both the Bankruptcy Code and the Fair

Credit Reporting Act (which regulates what a consumer reporting agency may include in your credit report) are federal law, so the same rules apply to all states. A consumer credit report may include information on a Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy for 10 years from the com-mencement of the case. However, those clients who follow our credit building tips, have rebuilt adequate credit to qualify for credit cards and home loans within two years of a bankruptcy discharge.

For real help in dealing with debt, and re-building your credit, call the Law Of-fices of Paul M. Allen today at 818-552-4500. Consultations are free. We have two convenient locations to serve you:Glendale and La Palma.


Manila, Philippines (AFP) Tuesday 7/28/2015 – The Asian Development Bank is to lend about $3 billion to the Philippines over the next three years, part of which will help support a peace deal ending a long-running Muslim in-surgency, a joint statement said Tuesday.

The loan – up 66 percent from the $1.8 billion agreed for 2015-2017 – will help the Philippines build roads and other infrastructure, improve its basic education system and reform its capital markets, said the statement issued jointly with the Philippine government.

Bank president Takehiko Nakao said boosting lending to the country was in part aimed at “supporting the govern-

ment in its effort to bring lasting peace and development” to the Catholic na-tion’s Muslim south.

His comments come after a peace deal was struck in March last year with the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, aimed at ending decades of fighting that has claimed 120,000 lives.

Parliament is currently debating a proposed law to grant minority Muslims self-rule in the violence-racked area, which President Aquino hopes will be passed before next year.

The government also plans to pour large amounts of aid to the region, and the ADB said it is now working with local authorities to prepare a develop-

ment plan.The bank will also help the govern-

ment raise adult literacy and improve job prospects for residents there, the statement added.

The Muslim rebellion, which began in the early 1970s, has plunged the region into widespread poverty with poor infra-structure like rutted roads, rudimentary ports, and schools destroyed due to in-termittent fighting between government forces and communist guerrillas.

Rebuilding basic infrastructure, as well as improving literacy levels, would help the region attract business invest-ment necessary to create jobs to help its people get out of poverty.

MANILA, July 29 (Mabuhay) – Revers-ing her earlier decision, Senator Grace Poe on Wednesday said that her committee report on the deadly Mamasapano incident will now be tackled in the plenary.

“Magkakaroon ng plenary na ukol dito sapagkat si Senator Alan Cayetano ay nagsulat upang pabuksan ang hearing sa Mamasapano. I-e-schedule na nila kung kailan,” Poe told reporters.

Poe, who chairs the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs that led the inquiry on the Mamasapano inci-dent, said the tragedy that befell 44 elite members of the PNP Special Action Force and the substitute bill for the Bangsamoro

Basic Law can be discussed side by side.“Para mas klaro,” she said.Just last month, Poe said she will no

longer present before the plenary the com-mittee report which held President Benigno Aquino III responsible for the incident for giving assent to, and for failing to prevent the unlawful exercise of official functions by then-suspended PNP chief Director General Alan Purisima in connection with the Mamasapano anti-terror police opera-tion. Purisima has since been ordered dis-missed by the Office of the Ombudsman over an anomalous contract with a service courier in 2011.

In saying that she will no longer present

the report at the plenary, Poe said in June that the “report is about facts and findings. The Office of the Ombudsman acknowl-edged receipt of our recommendations. I will no longer present in plenary.”

She also said that the remaining ques-tions on the bloody operation which led to the deaths of 44 police Special Action (SAF) troopers, 17 Moro Islamic Libera-tion Front fighters, and five civilians could be entertained during the plenary discus-sion on the BBL.

To date, no formal charges have been filed against those deemed responsible for the deaths arising from the January 25 incident. (MNS)

Manila, Philippines (AFP) Tuesday 7/28/2015 – Three Philippine soldiers were killed and 13 wounded in a midnight ambush by Maoist guerillas in the northern highlands, the army said Tuesday.

The rebels detonated a roadside bomb and then opened fire on three military trucks driving on a dirt road in the moun-tain town of Pinukpuk on Monday night, local military commander Brigadier-General Paul Atal said.

“It was a treacherous attack. They really wanted to inflict casualties that’s why they used landmines,” he said.

The 30-man unit was returning to base after security patrols when it was attacked, he added.

In a separate incident on Sunday, rebel forces attacked a security outpost in the southern province of Compostela Val-ley, where they burned an excavator and seized two security guards, said regional military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Eduardo Gubat.

The 4,000-strong NPA, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philip-pines, has waged a guerilla campaign for 46 years, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives, largely in rural areas mired in poverty.

Peace negotiations have stalled under President Benigno Aquino as the govern-ment has refused to grant the rebels’ de-mand to free some of its captured leaders who are facing criminal charges.

Last month, the government detained a senior leader of the communist party and killed one of its most prominent guerrilla fighters in separate operations.

$3-B ADB lending boost to help end Muslim rebellion

Mamasapano report to be discussed in Senate plenary soon – Poe

NPA ambush leaves 3 soldiers dead: Army


MANILA, July 29 (Mabuhay) – A friend of Interior Secretary Mar Roxas is trying to woo boxing icon and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao into supporting his rumored presidential bid.

Pacquiao is already a member of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) founded by Vice President Jejomar Binay, who has already announced his presidential run in 2016.

YACAP party-list Rep. Carol Jayne Lopez confirmed Wednesday that she is holding talks with Pacquiao to throw his support behind Roxas’ run for higher of-fice next year so that “Sarangani could be one for Mar.”

Caloocan City Rep. Edgar Erice, Lib-eral Party chairman for political affairs, had said that Aquino will officially endorse Roxas before the end of the week.

Some LP members are pushing Cama-rines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo and Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos for the vice presidential post.

“Naniniwala ako sa kakayahan ni Sec. Mar, na siya ang pinaka-qualified at best bet natin na maging presidente.

Kami naman ni Cong. Manny, lagi kaming nag-uusap dahil sa mga issue sa Sarangani. Napag-uusapan din namin ang politika at naging sunud-sunod na ang pag-uusap [namin]. Syempre gusto ko magkasama kami [sa pagsuporta kay Sec. Roxas] para buo ang Sarangani for Mar,” Lopez said.

Pacquiao and Lopez, who both hail from Sarangani, are known to be close friends. The party-list lawmaker is also a friend of Roxas though she is not allied with the Liberal Party.

MANILA, July 29 (Mabuhay) – Is Senator Francis Escudero still eyeing the presidency?

Escudero denied he is dead-set on gun-ning for the presidency and that he is using his closeness to Sen. Grace Poe to be a step closer to his dream.

Asked if he wants the presidency, he said: “I’m not even sure I want the vice-presidency.

I will cross that bridge when I get there. I might not even reach that bridge. Let me cross this one first.”

Escudero also denied that he twice spurned former president Joseph Estrada’s offer to run as his vice-president.

He said there is no truth to reports he told Estrada in 2010: “It’s the presidency

or nothing.”“That’s not true. That even came out

in a book somewhere. Hindi ko sinagot yon. Hindi ko bibigyan ng kawalan ng paggalang si dating pangulong Estrada sa pagbigay ng ganyang uri ng sagot. Naalala ko yang conversation na yan sa bahay niya at sa opisina, at ang sabi ko ay hindi pa ako tiyak at sigurado sa tatakbuhan ko o pagtakbo ko,” he said.

“Hindi bargas, hindi ko rin ugali yun,” he added.

He said that at the time of his conver-sation with Estrada, he and Sen. Loren Legarda had already been endorsed by the Nationalist People’s Coalition even though he had not made up his mind if he was running.

MANILA, July 28 (Mabuhay) – Saying he is seriously considering running for a higher post in 2016, Senator Francis Escudero on Tuesday resigned as chairman of the powerful Senate Committee on Finance and as co-chairman of the Joint Congressional Oversight Committee on Public Expenditures.

“Seryoso kong pinag-iisipan pero wala pa akong pasya,” Escudero said when asked if he is running in 2016.

Escudero sent a letter of his resignation to Senate President Franklin Drilon.Last month, Escudero confirmed that he and Poe have talked about a possible

Poe-Chiz tandem in the 2016 elections but stressed that nothing final has been decided yet.

The two senators have been leading presidential and vice presidential surveys for 2016.

Escudero and Poe, along with Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, had a meeting with President Aquino for five hours last week. The two senators had also met with former President Fidel Ramos.

In his letter to Drilon, Escudero said he resigned to keep the upcoming budget deliberations free from politics.

“I believe that it behooves me to step down at this juncture to ensure that delib-erations on the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) – considered the single most important piece of legislation passed by Congress each year – are untainted by suspicions or perceptions of partisan politics,” the senator said.

“It is, Mr. President, what propriety requires; it is, I believe, what our people expect from us all: delicadeza,” he added.

The senator said public pronouncements regarding his possible candidacy for higher office dictate that he should give up the two powerful finance panels and spare the budget deliberation from possible misperception that he may use it to further his own political plans and actions.

The senator told reporters at the Senate that he will remain a member of the majority bloc.

“We (he and President Aquino) remain friends and my support for him will continue,” he said.

Mar’s ally wooing Pacquiao to drop Binay

Chiz quits powerful Senate committee over possible 2016 run

Chiz denies telling Erap: It’s presidency or nothing


GMA, bumitiw at kumalas sila sa pagbi-gay ng suporta sa kanya. Walang masama dun,” he said.

“I don’t regret anything I’ve done sim-ply because I did not know those things at that time...I do not regret and it is not my habit to regret the things that I’ve done. I learn from it. I pick up from it but I do not regret it,” he added.

Escudero pointed out that while there were allegations of corruption against Bi-nay before the 2010 polls, the testimonies and other evidence only came to the fore after the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommit-tee started its investigation on anomalies during Binay’s time as mayor.

Among the allegations are the rigging of biddings for various infrastructure projects including the Makati Science High School and Makati City Hall Building II; and the Binay family’s alleged ownership of huge tracts of land in Rosario, Batangas.

He noted the Court of Appeals has already issued a freeze order on 242 as-sets of Binay and his associates based on the recommendation of the Anti-Money Laundering Council.

“At the very least, there is sufficient ba-sis. Otherwise the AMLC or the CA would not have issued such an order,” he said.

The senator is one of several signatories to the committee report recommending the filing of charges against Binay and sev-eral others in connection with the Makati corruption allegations. He said this is in compliance with Binay’s own request that he be given his day in court.

In 2010, Escudero told radio DZMM that he did not want to endorse Mar Roxas for vice-president because Aquino and

Binay would be a more balanced team in Malacanang.

He also said Roxas was “kulang sa kalyo”, indicating that the latter lived a wealthy life.

Asked if he regrets not supporting Roxas, he said: “I don’t regret and I can-not change anything in the past. I just learn from it.”

Meanwhile, Escudero also denied that he twice spurned former president Joseph Estrada’s offer to run as his vice-president.

He said there is no truth to reports he told Estrada: “It’s the presidency or noth-ing.” “That’s not true. That even came out in a book somewhere. Hindi ko sinagot yon. Hindi ko bibigyan ng kawalan ng paggalang si dating pangulong Estrada sa pagbigay ng ganyang uri ng sagot. Naalala ko yang conversation na yan sa bahay niya at sa opisina, at ang sabi ko ay hindi pa ako tiyak at sigurado sa tatakbuhan ko o pagtakbo ko,” he said.

He denied that he declined Estrada’s offer, saying he had not yet decided when he talked to the former president.

He also said he is willing to meet with Estrada to clear things up.

Escudero is widely rumored to be eye-ing the vice-presidency in 2016, opposite Sen. Grace Poe who is allegedly seeking the presidency.

On Tuesday, Escudero resigned as chairman of the powerful Senate Commit-tee on Finance and as co-chairman of the Joint Congressional Oversight Committee on Public Expenditures.

He said he is stepping down “out of delicadeza” since he is seriously consider-ing running for the 2016 elections. (MNS)

MANILA, July 29 (Mabuhay) – Sena-tor Francis Escudero, who is rumored to be running for higher office in 2016, said Wednesday he has no regrets supporting the vice-presidential candidacy of Jejomar Binay in 2010.

Escudero came out in TV ads in 2010 supporting the candidacies of Liberal Party standard-bearer Benigno Aquino III and opposition candidate Jejomar Binay. Both candidates won in the 2010 polls.

The senator said he does not regret sup-porting Binay since he did not know about the corruption allegations against the then

Makati mayor.“Knowing what I knew then, no. Know-

ing what I know now, but then again hind-sight is 20/20. Wala ka nang magagawa nun,” he said.

He compared his support for Binay to President Aquino’s and Secretary Mar Roxas’ own support for then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in 2004 before allegations of widespread cheating came out.

“Si Secretary Roxas at Pangulong Aquino sinuportahan din si GMA nun. Nung nalaman nila ang mga ginawa ni

MANILA, July 28 (Mabuhay) – A Lib-eral Party (LP) stalwart said on Tuesday that President Benigno Aquino III will officially announce the candidacy of the Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II before the week ends.

This was revealed by LP chairman for political affairs and Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice a day after Aquino’s sixth and last State of the Nation Address (Sona) where the president said that Roxas epitomized the saying “you can’t put a good man down.”

“Palagay ko hindi matatapos ang week na ito ay maiindorso po officially si Secretary Mar Roxas ng ating Pangulo,” Erice said.

(I think that the President will officially endorse (Interior) Secretary Mar Roxas before this week ends.)

“Wala namang duda na iisang puso’t diwa at direksyon ng pangulo at ng partido na wala nang ibang kwalipikado na ituloy ang mga nagawa ng administrasyong ito ay walang iba kung hindi ang kanyang co-pilot na si Secretary Mar Roxas,” Erice added.

(The President and the party are one in heart and mind that the President’s co-pilot, Secretary Mar Roxas, is the only one qualified to continue the initiatives of the administration.)

The lawmaker said that the adminis-tration party believes that Roxas has the “integrity, competence, and experience” to continue the gains of the Aquino ad-ministration.

When asked why Aquino stopped short of endorsing Roxas in his swan song to the country, Erice said that announcing Roxas’ endorsement will eclipse the true vision of

the Sona which is to report on the achieve-ments of the administration.

“Kasi Sona ‘yan eh. It’s all about the achievements of the president and his vision.

So ‘yun dapat ang mahighlight at hindi ‘yung endorsement. Kasi kung may en-dorsement, ‘yun ang magiging highlight,” Erice said.

(It’s the Sona. It’s all about the achieve-ments of the president and his vision. That should be the one that should be high-lighted and not the endorsement.)

Meanwhile, Erice said that Senator Grace Poe is still the Liberal Party’s ideal candidate for vice president.

“Hindi naman namin ikinakaila, ang gusto talaga namin si Senator Poe as vice president. Kaya bukas po (ang alok na) ‘yan,” the lawmaker said.

(We do not deny that we want Senator Poe to be our vice president. The offer is still open (for her to be LP’s candidate for vice president).)

In his last Sona, Aquino praised Roxas for withstanding attacks hurled against him.

“To Secretary Mar Roxas: whether you are in or out of government, the enemies of the Straight Path have not stopped criticiz-ing you. Because you count, because your words matter, they have continued to do their best to put you down.

Through their constant attacks on your character, your critics themselves have proven that they are afraid of your integrity, skill, and ability to do the job. It’s only because they have nothing to boast of that they’re trying to bring you down. Mar, you are proving: You can’t put a good man down,” Aquino said.

Chiz: No regrets supporting VP Binay

LP solon: Aquino to offi cially endorse Roxas ‘before week’s end’


MANILA, July 31 (Mabuhay) – The plot is out.

The President would have wanted Sena-tor Grace Poe to be the running mate of Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas in 2016, then she would be given a Cabinet portfolio and an administration’s endorse-ment in 2022, a Liberal Party (LP) official disclosed on Friday.

But that plan apparently did not ma-terialize supposedly because of Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero, said LP treasurer and Oriental Mindoro Governor Alfonso “Boy” Umali Jr.

Umali is also a close friend of Presi-dent Benigno Aquino III since they were members of the House of Representatives.

“Ang gusto kasi ni Presidente continu-ous ‘yung matuwid na daan, 18 years,” he told reporters in an interview at the Club Filipino in San Juan city.

(The president wants continuity in the straight path for 18 years)

“So after him, Mar sana at kinukuha si Grace as Vice President tapos after that bibigyan ng magagandang portfolio para come 2022, si Grace ang magpi-presiden-te,” he said.

(So after him, Mar would continue it, then Grace as Vice President will be given a good portfolio to aid her in 2022.)

But Umali said Escudero suddenly came into the picture. “Ang sabi ni Grace, papano naman si Chiz? Mukhang commit-ted s’ya kay Chiz,” he said.

(But Grace said, what about Chiz? She looks committed to Chiz.)

“So ‘yun ang problema. So gusto sana pag-ayusin si Chiz at Mar kaya lang parang mahirap kasi alam naman natin ag nang-yari noong eleksyon, Noy-Bi si Chiz,” the governor said. (So that’s the problem. We wanted to fix the relationship of Chiz and Mar, but that’s quite impossible because of what happened in the last elections.)

Noy-Bi stands for Aquino and Vice President Jejomar Binay, a tandem en-dorsed by Escudero during the 2010 presidential race.

Roxas was Aquino’s running mate in 2010 but Escudero opted to support Binay, who was then the running mate of former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada. “As the ruling party kami LP, al-angan naman kumuha kami ng president at vice president from the outside, mukhang out of the picture ‘yun. Malabong-malabo yun,” said Umali.

(As the ruling party, we at LP wouldn’t endorse someone outside the party for president and vice president. That is quite impossible.)

Since Escudero could not be endorsed by the party for vice president since he is not a member, Umali said he could still be given a Cabinet post such as head of the Department of Interior and Local Govern-ment, which is now being headed by Roxas or the senator could become the next Sen-ate President .

Senator Grace Poe talks with Senator Francis Escudero during a break in the Senate session on Tuesday (July 28, 2015) after the latter resigned from his post as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and co-chairman of the Joint Congressional Oversight Committee on Public Expenditures. (MNS photo)

LP exec: Poe ties with Chiz mired Aquino plans for her

MANILA, July 27 (Mabuhay) – Presi-dent Benigno Aquino III personally en-dorsed the passage of the Anti-Dynasty Bill in Congress during his last State of the Nation Address (Sona) on Monday.

The bill, which has been stalled in Con-gress for more than a decade, aims to limit the number of relatives in public office.

Advocates of the bill believe that its passage will help level the playing field and bring development in areas that have long been under control of only one family.

Critics have been saying that it is

difficult to pass an anti-dynasty bill in Congress because a large number of law-makers are members of so-called political dynasties.

It is not the first time that Aquino ex-pressed support for the said bill.

In a radio interview last year, Aquino said members of the same family should not wield too much political power.

He said it is difficult to have free and honest elections if one family controls the economic, political and sometimes judiciary and security sectors. (MNS)

MANILA, July 27 (Mabuhay) – The reforms set by his administration have made companies in the country and abroad more confident in investing in the Philippines, thus moving the economy forward, President Benigno Aquino III said Monday.

“Pinakita nating seryoso tayo sa pagbabago... Ang resulta, kumpiyansa sa ating ekonomiya. Noong una, hindi ko inasahang agad magbabalik ang tiwala ng mundo sa Pilipinas. Ang inisip ko lang noon ay itigil ang kalokohang umiiral sa sistema para huminto ang paglubog ng mga mahihirap,” Aquino said in his sixth State of the Nation Address.

Aquino pointed out that in his five years in office, the Philippines has bounced back in various economic indicators, among them the Global Competitiveness Index of the World Economic Forum, where the Philippines is currently at 52nd place, 33 steps up from 85th place in 2010-2011.

“Sumagi lang ba sa isip ninyo na magtutuluy-tuloy ang ating pag-angat sa Global Competitiveness Ranking at magiging tanyag tayo sa bilis ng pagtaas ng ating ekonomiya? Ngayon, ang Pilipinas ay nabansagan nang ‘Asia’s Rising Tiger,’ ‘Asia’s Rising Star,’ at ‘Asia’s Bright Spot,’” he said.

He added: “Ngayon nga po, sa kauna-unahang pagkakataon, investment grade na tayo ayon sa mga pinakakilalang credit ratings agencies. Malinaw ang sinasabi nito sa mga negosyante: Sulit mamuhunan sa Pilipinas. Nabawasan na ang peligro sa pagnenegosyo dito.”

Citing figures, Aquino said the “direct result” of reforms they launched via “daang matuwid” include an increase in net foreign direct investments to $6.2 billion in 2014 from $1.07 billion in 2010, a record high.

“Ngayon, ang Pilipino, tumataya sa kapwa Pilipino,” he said, adding that do-mestic investments have leaped to P2.09 trillion from the third quarter of 2014 from P1.24 trillion in 2010.(MNS)

Aquino pushes for anti-dynasty law

‘Daang matuwid‘ made investors more confi dent in PHL, PNoy says in SONA 2015


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MANILA, July 27 (Mabuhay) – President Benigno Aquino III on Monday pledged to provide more new equipment for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), as part of his administration’s effort to modernize the military.

During his final State of the Nation Address (SONA) before Congress, Aquino recalled how the AFP only had limited capabilities before he assumed the presidency.

The President said from one C-130, his administration was able to procure three more, and plans to acquire two similar aircrafts soon.

Three C-295 medium lift transports have also been bought by his government for the military’s use, he added.

Aquino also boasted of how his administration was able to increase the number of the AFP’s landing craft utilities from 4 to 10.

Twelve new FA-50 fighter planes will also be provided to the Philippine Air Force (PAF) to help them patrol the country’s territory, he added.

Aquino also showed a clip of a new soldier in the PAF, who said the administra-tion’s modernization program has boosted his morale. (MNS)

MANILA, July 27 (Mabuhay) – President Benigno Aquino III cited the Philippine National Police Capability Enhancement Program in his last State of the Nation Address on Monday, boasting that his administration was able to achieve a 1:1 police-to-pistol ratio.

“Sa kapulisan naman, sa unang pagka-kataon, ang bawat pulis may sarili nang baril,” Aquino said.

Aquino also reported that out of the 2,523 patrol jeeps to be procured, 302 have already been distributed.

He also cited the Oplan Lambat Sibat of the PNP, which was aimed at combat-ing crimes.

Aquino said under the program, 163,000 fugitives have already been ar-rested, 1,000 gangs neutralized and at

least 29,000 unlicensed firearms have been confiscated.

Among those caught under the Oplan Lambat Sibat is international terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan, who was the target in the controversial police opera-tion in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.

A total of 44 members of the elite Special Action Force were killed in the operation. The policemen were engaged by members of the Moro Islamic Libera-tion Front as they were leaving Barangay Tukalanipao, Mamapano town.

As the President reported the PNP’s achievements, Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas was cheered by the attendees of the state address.

Roxas is the presumed standard bearer of the administration party. (MNS)

Employees carry a “victim” who was trapped in rubble during an earthquake drill at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig on Thursday. The earthquake drills were held simultaneously in several areas around the country in preparation for a magnitude 7.2 earthquake that can hit the country. (MNS photo)

MANILA, July 27 (Mabuhay) – Sena-tors Francis Escudero and Grace Poe met with former President Fidel Ramos over the weekend amid rumors of a possible Poe-Escudero tandem in 2016, but Escu-dero said politics was not discussed.

Interviewed on Monday, Escudero said the meeting stemmed from Ramos’ request to meet with Poe, a neophyte senator who is leading in recent pre-election surveys on preferred presidential candidates.

“Nagkita kasi kami ni Pangulong Ra-mos I think less than a month ago,” Escu-dero said. “Sabi niya nais niya ring makita at ma-meet, samahan ko daw si Senator

Grace, kaya kami nagpunta at nagtungo doon.” Escudero said Ramos wanted to see Poe personally because she was the only one he has yet to meet among the supposed 2016 candidates.

“Karamihan daw ng mga senador, karamihan ng mga pangalang nababanggit para sa 2016 ay nakausap na niya at na-kaupo pero siya daw ay hindi pa,” he said.

But Escudero was quick to add that the meeting was not all about politics. “Actu-ally karamihan ng pinag-usapan namin, joke lang. Maraming napag-usapan. Hindi lamang naman eleksyon at tulad ng iniisip ng marami,” he said.

MANILA, July 27 (Mabuhay) – Noting that they are racing against time, Senate President Franklin Drilon on Monday rallied his colleagues to set aside political interests “and think of solutions to the nation’s pressing problems.”

In his speech during the opening of the third regular session of the 16th Congress, Drilon said lawmakers should remind themselves that they are in their positions to serve the people, and not special interest groups.

“We should continue in the last regular session of this Congress, and even beyond, the pursuit of good governance and the audacity to implement meaningful reforms, no matter how unpopular they may be,” he said.

He then stressed the importance of passing the proposed 2016 national budget on time as they have done so in the past five years.

“So that the government would not operate on a reenacted budget. If you recall, because of the reenacted budget, the previous administration converted the entire General Appropriations Act into a single lump sum appropriation,” he said.

“We assure our people that the pork barrel system is a thing of the past,” he added.He further said that they will continue to promote lasting peace and sustainable

development in Mindanao through a Bangsamoro Basic Law that is consistent with the 1987 Constitution.

The other proposals he said they should focus on are the Customs and Tariff Modernization Act (CTMA), Tax Incentives Monitoring and Transparency Act (TIMTA), creation of the Department of Information and Communications Tech-nology (DICT), and modernization of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration.

Aquino vows additional equipment for AFP

Police-to-pistol ratio now 1:1 under my term – Aquino

Chiz admits introducing Poe to FVR over the weekend

Drilon urges colleagues: Set aside politics, resolve pressing problems


them were apparently “married to other people when they met” and Rosie was born from that affair.

She became a “ ward of the State of New York when her mother took her from an aunt who was raising her and she was transferred to a group home at the age of 3 until she reached the age of 12.” Though her mother and aunt visited her frequently, her father also tried making an unsuccess-ful custody.

In the book, Rosie narrated how being housed at Saint Joseph’s Catholic Home for Children in Peekskill, New York, which was called “the home” was where

at the young age of three, she learned their daily routine on everything: they were told “what to do, when to do it, how to do it; when to wake up, when and how to shower, when and how to clean up, when to eat, when and how to play, how to pray and even when to pee and poop and how to clean them.”

She recalled being punished one morning, when the nuns found out she had a nightmare the night before, and she ended up soiling her bed sheet A nun named Sister Elizabeth-Claire “lifted my nightgown and smacked me hard across my bottom; I tried to use my hands to

block the stinging and painful blows, but she grabbed both of them straight up in the air and resumed the spanking. “ As punishment, Rosie ended up deprived of breakfast that morning.

Further, when she was around five years old, she witnessed the “brutal, strict, evil-reincarnated dorm mother, Sister Renata who ran the Home like a Nazi and her demented viciousness.” There was one girl who wouldn’t eat her vegetables but was commanded to do so. On the fourth bite, the girl vomited all of it onto her plate and Sister Renata pushed the girl’s face close to the plate and told her to eat all of the mess and that she better not see any morsel left on the plate. The girl slowly picked up a heaping spoonful of her vomit and swallowed it! Sister Re-nata looked around the room like General Patton after reprimanding the troops and then walked away.”

Another significant scene she recalled was when she was around seven or eight years old and on a visit at her mom Lydia’s “over decorated to the nines - very seven-ties, hip and tacky” house. “There was this glass coffee table shaped like an hourglass that captured my attention. I thought it was cool-looking, I smothered my hand

across it, admiring its slickness. “Don’t touch!” my mother yelled so loudly that my hand jumped up and my elbow crashed onto the glass coffee table, shuttering it. She grabbed me by my arm so hard that I thought she was going to rip it off . I yelped in pain. So, I went upstairs, and my oldest half-brother was lying under the covers on my mother and stepfather’s bed watching television. Her brother asked her to watch TV with him but there he was naked, so she went to the bathroom and stayed there until one of her half-sisters came in.”

It is remarkable how a brave but gifted, artistically talented lady has survived all the abuse she has experienced and chron-icled, yet in the end, she has accepted everything with grace and forgiveness, which enabled her to move on, thus giving her the freedom to show the world that anything is possible with one’s “intense determination” to succeed in life.

Most recently, after a year with a daily TV talk show, Rosie has announced that she will be leaving “The View” but surely, with her artistic prowess, the viewing public will more than likely see her shine again on stage or on screen sometime soon. ‘Yo, Wosie...more power to you!’

Finding peace and forgiveness amidst childhood abuse: a story of survivalThe riveting story of “Handbook For An Unpredictable

Life,” written by actress/dancer/choreographer Rosie Perez is a heartbreaking book of surviving a mentally ill mother and the rigid rules of the Catholic nuns who ran the chil-dren’s home in New York’s Westchester County.

Rosie Maria Perez was born on September 6, 1964 in the Bushwick area of Brooklyn, New York to her mother, Lydia Perez and merchant marine dad, Ishmael Serrano. Both of her parents were from Agua-dillo, Puerto Rico but both of

MANILA, July 29 (Mabuhay) – The prosecution has asked the Sandiganbayan to order the suspension of Optical Media Board (OMB) chairman Ronnie Ricketts and three other officials of the agency in connection with their graft case for the alleged mishandling of confiscated DVDs and VCDs in 2010.

In an eight-page motion submitted to the Sandiganbayan Fourth Division on Wednesday, the prosecution panel said Ricketts and the three other OMB officials must be suspended pendente lite or pending the litigation of their graft case in order to prevent them from “intimidating or influ-encing witnesses, tampering documentary evidence or committing further acts of malfeasance while in office.”

“This is based on the presumption that unless public officer is suspended, he may frustrate his prosecution or commit further acts of malfeasance or both,” the prosecu-tion said. Aside from Ricketts, the other OMB officials that the prosecution wanted to be suspended were Enforcement and Inspection Division (EID) head Manuel Mangubat, EID investigation agent Joseph Arnaldo, and EID computer operator Glenn Perez. The prosecution also argued that since the four accused have already been arraigned and have pleaded “not guilty” to their graft case, the information of the case is now considered as “valid.”

“In addition, when Accused entered their plea of ‘not guilty’, they acceded impliedly to the validity of the information [of the case],” the prosecution said.

The prosecution pointed out that under Section 13 of the Republic Act 3019 or the

Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, “any incumbent public officer against whom any criminal prosecution under a valid informa-tion” is pending before the court “shall be suspended from office.” Cases covered in Section 13 of RA 3019 are those “involv-ing the crime of direct bribery, or of any offense involving fraud upon government, public funds or property.”

“Considering the nature of the indict-ment and the validity of the information filed against the Accused, their suspension pendente lite are mandatory under the premises,” the prosecution said.

In a graft complaint filed by the Office of the Ombudsman last month, Ricketts and the other respondents were accused of “conspiring” with each other in “giv-ing unwarranted benefit, advantage or preference” to private company Sky High Marketing Corporation.

Based on the information of the com-plaint, personnel from the OMB under the leadership of Ricketts confiscated from Sky High Marketing building in Quezon City tons of pirated DVDs and VCDs on May 27, 2010, but in the afternoon of the same day, the confiscated items were “re-leased and reloaded into the corporation’s vehicle” instead of filing the appropriate charges against the company.

Ricketts and the three other OMB offi-cials have earlier posted P30,000 bail bond each for their temporary liberty.

Meanwhile, another co-accused in the case, OMB executive director Cyrus Paul Valenzuela, has yet to be arraigned as he had just recently posted the bail bond for his temporary liberty.

Prosecution moves for suspension of OMB chair Ronnie Ricketts, 3 others

MANILA, July 27 (Mabuhay) – Isaias Samson Jr., former editor of “Pasugo,” the official publication of the Iglesia ni Cristo, is facing a libel complaint, following his expulsion from the church.

The Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office said the complaint was filed last Friday.It is set for raffle this week.Iglesia ni Cristo spokesman Edwil Zabala said he “could not confirm nor deny”

the filing of the complaint. He said he has been busy with the church’s centennial closing ceremonies during the weekend.

Samson, along with his family, was expelled from Iglesia ni Cristo last week for his refusal to submit to the authority of the church.

The former minister claimed he was illegally detained by the church’s Sang-gunian.

He also said the church’s general auditor, Glicerio Santos Jr., was involved in corruption.(MNS)

Ex-Pasugo editor slapped with libel complaint for anti-Iglesia rant


Washington, United States (AFP) Tues-day 7/28/2015 – US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew urged Congress on Tuesday to pass laws that would enable heavily indebted Puerto Rico to enter bankrupcy to restructure its debt.

Lew said in a letter to Senator Orrin Hatch, chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee, that because current law prevents the US territory from filing for bankruptcy, any attempt to restructure its $73 billion in debt faces “numerous creditor lawsuits and years of litigation.”

That would further “depress the lo-cal economy, increase costs, and make long-term recovery harder to achieve,” he warned.

“By granting Puerto Rico access to an orderly bankruptcy regime as soon as

possible, Congress can help put Puerto Rico – and the millions of US citizens who live there – on the best path to a sustained recovery,” he said.

Lew told Hatch that the situation is “ur-gent”, adding that the federal government is not considering a bailout of the island territory of 3.5 million people, even as it nears a massive debt default.

“Without a tested legal regime in place, a resolution of Puerto Rico’s financial obli-gations would likely be chaotic, protracted, and costly both for Puerto Rico and more broadly for the United States.”

Earlier this month two senators intro-duced legislation that would allow Puerto Rico’s municipalities and public utilities to restructure their debt under the guidance and protection of a bankruptcy court.

US Treasury urges bankruptcy law for indebted Puerto Rico

ARTICLE I, SECTION 8, of the United States Constitution authorizes Congress to enact “uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies.” Under this grant of authority, Congress enacted the “Bankruptcy Code” in 1978 and 2005. The new Bankruptcy Code, which is codified as title 11 of the United States Code,

U.S. Constitution guarantees right to bankruptcy for fresh start in life without pre-existing debt and wildly successful for people who sought fresh start with bankruptcy

has been amended several times since its enactment. It is the uni-form federal law that governs all bankruptcy cases.

The Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Proce-dure (Bankruptcy Rules) and Local Rules govern the procedural aspects of the bank-ruptcy process of each bankruptcy court. The Bankruptcy Rules contain a set of official forms for use in bankruptcy cases. The Bankruptcy Code and Bankruptcy Rules (and local rules) set forth the formal legal procedures for dealing with the debt problems of individuals and businesses.

There is a bankruptcy court for each judicial district in the country. Each state has one or more districts. There are 90 bankruptcy districts across the country. The bankruptcy courts generally have their own clerk’s offices. The court official with decision-making power over fed-eral bankruptcy cases is the United States bankruptcy Judge, a judicial officer of the United States district court. The judge

is different from the bankruptcy trustee who is responsible for administering the bankruptcy estate. The bankruptcy judge may decide any matter connected with a bankruptcy case, such as eligibility to file or whether a debtor should receive a dis-charge of debts. Much of the bankruptcy process is administrative, however, and is conducted away from the courthouse. In case of conflict between the debtor and the trustee or creditors, the parties have to bring the matter to the judge for resolu-tion by way of an adversarial proceeding, which requires a trial, or by motion which requires a hearing before the judge. Nor-mally, the debtor only appears at the “341 meeting” which is held at the office of the U.S. trustee and conducted by the Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 trustee. Creditors can ques-tion the debtor about debts and property at this meeting.

WILDLY SUCCESFUL PEOPLE WHO FILED BANKRUPTCY FOR FRESH START: DISNEY, HERSHEY AND WALTON (WALMART)

The fundamental goal of the federal bankruptcy laws enacted by Congress is to give debtors a financial “fresh start” from burdensome debts. The Supreme Court made this point about the purpose of the bankruptcy law in a 1934 decision: …”It gives to the honest but unfortunate debtor… a new opportunity in life and a clear field for future effort, unhampered by the pressure and discouragement of preexisting debt.” Local Loan Co. v. Hunt, 291 U.S. 234, 244(1934). This case was decided probably way before you were born. Many famous people have filed for bankruptcy to get a fresh start in life. For instance, Walt Disney’s first venture failed causing him to seek bankruptcy relief. But after he got his discharge, Mr. Disney went on to found Disneyland, which celebrates its 60 anniversary now as a multi billion worldwide enterprise.

I don’t think Mr. Disney would have been able to find success if he was saddled with burdensome preexisting debt. He got his “fresh start” and was given a news opportunity in life and a clear field for future effort, unhampered by the pressure and discouragement of pre-existing debt. Another spectacular example of the bank-ruptcy fresh start is Mr. Milton Hershey, owner of Hershey Chocolates, probably the biggest worldwide chocolate enterprise, now doing billions of business worldwide. He also sought a new opportunity in life unburdened by preexisting debt before he became successful. Mr. Sam Walton, owner of Wal-Mart and the largest retailer in the world has also filed for bankruptcy before he became successful with his Wal-Mart stores. Believe it or not, President Thomas Jefferson filed for bankruptcy not once, but

several times.The fresh start goal is accomplished

through the bankruptcy discharge, which releases debtors from personal liability from specific debts and prohibits creditors from ever taking any action against the debtor to collect those debts. However, not all debts are discharged. For instance, debts obtained through fraud are not discharge-able. The bankruptcy code provides which debts are not dischargeable.

Chapter 7 is entitled liquidation, con-templates an orderly, court supervised procedure why which a trustee takes over the assets of the debtor’s estate, reduces them to cash, and makes distributions to creditors, subject to the debtor’s right to retain certain exempt property and the rights of secured creditors. Because there is usually little or no nonexempt property in most chapter 7 cases, there may not be an actual liquidation of the debtor’s assets. Experienced bankruptcy lawyers have the expertise to exempt most if not all of your assets, so that you end up keeping most if not all of your assets without any of your pre-existing debts. You can keep your as-sets, retirement accounts, house and cars, which you need for the fresh start. Cases with no non-exempt property are called “no asset” cases. The debtor normally receives a discharge just a few months after the petition is filed. A “means test” is required to determine whether individual consumer debtors qualify for relief under chapter 7.

If you need a fresh start in life without pre-existing debts, please contact my office for an appointment. I don’t think you have anything to be ashamed of, just ask Mr. Disney, Mr. Hershey, Mr. Walton or Pres. Jefferson. You can look forward to being more productive without the burden of old debt, proven by Disneyland, Hershey’s Chocolates, and Wal-Mart. In fact, Mr. Trump’s businesses have reorganized and gotten rid of pre-existing debt through Chapter 11 bankruptcy several times. I will interview you personally.

“THE NAME OF THE LORD IS A STRONG TOWER; THE RIGHTEOUS RUN TO IT AND ARE SAFE.” PROV-ERBS.8:10.

Lawrence Bautista Yang is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and has been in law practice for thirty years. He specializes in bankruptcy, business and civil litigation and has handled more than five thousand successful bankruptcy cases in California. He speaks Tagalog and looks forward to discussing your case with you personally. Please call Angie, Barbara or Jess at (626) 284-1142 for an appointment at 1000 S Fremont Ave, MAILSTOP 58, Building A-1 SUITE 1125, Alhambra, CA 91803 OR at 20274 Carrey Road, Walnut, CA 91789.


“As the investor-driven housing recovery faded in the first half of 2015, first-time homebuyers, boomerang buyers and other traditional owner-occupant buyers started to step into the gap and pick up the slack,” said Daren Blomquist, RealtyTrac vice president. “This is good news for sellers in many markets, providing them with strong demand from a larger pool of buyers, and U.S. sellers so far in 2015 are realizing the biggest gains in home price appreciation since 2007.”

I have been noticing Move up sellers becoming Move up buyers. Boomerang buyers are those previous homeowners that had their homes foreclosed upon or had to short sale their homes due to declin-ing home prices. These types of buyers are now aggressively looking to finance homes that are available in the market. Now, that cash buyers and investors have taken a couple of steps back. Hurry though, rates are creeping up, usually these types of buyers don’t care but increase in rates would affect mortgage payments and it would create a whole new outlook for more conservative buyers, which in re-turn could slow down the RE activities.“Higher-value markets with a larger share of homes priced above the loan limits set by FHA and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac markets are the most likely to struggle in the second half of the year as the recov-ery continues to become more dependent on traditional buyers relying on financing,” Blomquist said. “The health of these high-priced trophy markets will in many ways be tied more to global economic forces driv-ing foreign cash buyers than U.S. economic and real estate fundamentals.”

There are visible signs that higher priced homes are starting to sell a lot slower and their inventory are rising. In some markets I have seen listing inventories ris-

ing to about 6-9 months where it was up to only about 3 months a year ago.

Mortgage underwriting guidelines are still understandably cautious, following an economic recession that was due in large part to lax mortgage underwriting stan-dards and the ease of obtaining subprime loans. However, it seems that the market has slowly but surely increased its appetite for risk, meaning more Americans will qualify for mortgages and more origina-tions for loan officers to tap into.

NONE QUALIFYING CASH OUT LOAN!

I am currently researching on a com-pany that gives you cash today for a share of the future appreciation of your property. You decide how much appreciation to sell and you still own your home. There are no monthly payments – the debt gets paid at the end of the agreement, when you decide to sell your home. It’s not a loan – it’s an investment we’re making right alongside you. This company will assess how much appreciation you will be getting and then give u an upfront cash for a future value partnership agreement. There will be no monthly payments or no interest payment every month. This is another option for homeowners will a healthy equity reserves who wants to cash out on the current equity without paying an payment.

Summer is near to an end for some and that means the RE market should start to tone down, but the usual trend that RE mar-ket picks up in the summer time to me is a thing of the past. Now, buyers are always on the lookout and sellers are basically waiting for the best price to sell.

Thanks for all your support and com-ments, please call Ken Go of 1st Innovative Finance Group at 562-508-7048, or write to [email protected] for any comments or inquires.

Great Real Estate Sales number for 2015U.S. single-family home sales have hit their highest level

in nearly a decade, according to a new report from RealtyTrac.The number of single-family homes and condos sold in the first four months of 2015 was also at its highest level since 2006 in 43 metropolitan areas, including Tampa, Denver and Columbus. That’s the highest sales level for the first four months of a year since 2006. RealtyTrac also found that distressed sales, cash sales and sales to institutional inves-tors were at multi-year lows.

Paris, France (AFP) Saturday 7/25/2015 – French high-tech retailer Boulanger apologized Saturday for vitriolic comments about its customers in its computer files and promised an internal investigation.

France’s CNIL privacy and data protec-tion agency found 5,828 instances of “inap-propriate” comments about clients in the company’s files, including: “stupid” “fat b_ _ _h”, “ball-breaker”, “retard”, “Jew”, “strong African accent”, “alcoholic” and “nutcase”.

After a public upbraiding by the watch-dog, which gave the company three months to ensure its files contain only pertinent information about clients, Boulanger

apologized.“They were rare occurrences, but did

happen and we shouldn’t try to not own up to this serious failure,” Boulanger manag-ing director Etienne Hurez said in state-ment, asking clients to accept his apology for the “unacceptable comments”.

He said the company would conduct its own probe into the thousands of below-the-belt comments and comply with the CNIL’s orders.

Boulanger is controlled by the Mulliez family, which owns many of France’s top retailers including supermarket chain Auchan, DIY shops Leroy Merlin and sporting goods outfit Decathlon.

French retailer apologizes for insulting its ‘stupid’ customers


The University of the Philippines Alumni Association of Greater Los Angeles Area (UPAAGLA) will hold its Induction Dinner and Dance on August 29 at Glendale Embassy Suites to send deserving scholars in school in much the same way that it kept Armel Grace Lugod’s future ensured through the kindheart-

UPAAGLA August 29 event is all about caring

edness of the Philippines’ top university alumni. Lugod was a high school valedictorian who went to major in architecture in the University of the Philip-pines in Mindanao.

The nonprofit UPAAGLA whose mem-berships are representatives of what good educations means in terms of having the right tools for competitiveness in life hopes “to fund the education of more deserving low income students especially in the wake of disasters like Typhoon Yolanda in the

Philippines”.The theme of the evening is “U.P. Balik

Tanaw” – a nostalgic journey for the mem-bership body, which spans from the 1950s to present day.

The event will also provide the products of the most prestigious public university in the Philippines “to reconnect with former classmates and enjoy the camaraderie and reminisce the glorious days of their life in college”.

The evening will also be an occasion to install in office the officers who will steer the organization through the chal-lenges of 2015-2017 which will include: President Arnel Jouquin, President-elect Mutch Cariño, 1st Vice President Nati Mercado, 2nd Vice-President Yvee Gue-varra, Recording Secretary Angie Alvarez, Corresponding Secretary Maribel Catala, Treasurer Gil Guinto, Assistant Trasurer Melette Lampino, Auditor Dick Cu, and PRO Bobby Canseco.

Serving in the board are Annie Nepo-muceno, Benny Uy, Bob Shroder, Carina Pilapil, Ethel Rubio, Evelyn Andamo,, Ivy Bautista, Jess Española, Maning Rivera, Maria Drees, Mario Kasilag, Sonny Gan-cayco, Steve Firme, Tina Escueta, Tish Sigman and Dr. Fely De La Cruz.

The entertainment portion of the event will be hosted by Direk Maning Rivera and

Tots “Climb” Mt. Everest at VBS: Close to 100 children had their vacation season highlighted by a unique summer experience of being exposed early to spiritual values as more than 30 members of the Climbing Crew joined hands in the annual Vacation Bible School sponsored by Cornerstone Christian Fellowship of Orange County. This month, it will be the indigenous children in Tecate, Mexico who will experience the rare summer treat as the team reaches out to them as they have done in previous years.

UPAAGLA Scholarship Fundraiser: University of the Philippines alumni from Los Angeles and elsewhere will display anew the spirit of unity and benevolence as they meet for a fundraiser on August on August 29 in Glendale. Shown are members of the Board of Directors in one of their meetings.

Yvee Guevarra featuring Bob Shroder, Ed and Annie Nepomuceno and other guests.

UPAAGLA’s principal mission “is to link, build, network, and sustain lifelong relationships amongst alumni from various UP schools, particularly those residing in the Greater Los Angeles area.” It’s vision is “to enlighten UP Alumni in the Greater Los Angeles area and elsewhere to share their current resources, talents, and efforts with their Alma Mater and to give back and support the University at large.”

UPAAGLA has produced success-ful fundraisers by sponsoring two world renowned UP alumni concert artists “The Madrigal Singers” and “The UP Concert Chorus” and the Barona Casino Turnaround Trip and the Annual Lantern Parade.

The University of the Philippines whose successful graduates could be found in the different sectors of the Philippines was founded by the American colonial government on June 18, 1908. It was an institution of learning conceived for the Filipinos by virtue of Act No.1870 of the 1st Philippine Legislature which seeks to provide “advanced instruction in literature, philosophy, the sciences and arts, and to give professional and technical training

to eligible students regardless of age, sex, nationality, religious belief and political affiliation.”

UP has institutional autonomy as the country’s national university under Repub-lic Act No. 9500.

Tickets to attend the event which is open also to non-alumni are $70 inclusive of dinner. Self-parking is $7. For ticket and sponsorship inquiries, please contact Arnel Joaquin (213) 880-3305 or Dick Cu (562) 547-0560 or email [email protected] or visit www.upaagla.org to pay online.

MANILA, July 31 (Mabuhay) -- Senator Grace Poe on Friday expressed hope that the 2016 presidential campaign will focus on good governance with Interior Secretary Mar Roxas as one of the possible candidates.

“I recognize Secretary Roxas has decided to offer himself as a possible president, and I wish him well,” Poe said in a press statement.

“I am hopeful that the 2016 election campaign will be one of open discussion of issues and proposed programs of government that will build on what President Aquino has started,” she added.

Poe said this will allow the Filipino people to arrive at a clear choice on elec-tion day.

The senator thanked President Aquino for considering her among those who can continue his vision for “Daang Matuwid.”

“I see this as an acknowledgement of my efforts in our shared desire to improve the lives of all Filipinos,” she said.

Poe and President Aquino met four times to discuss the 2016 polls but no deci-sion was reached.

She, however, assured Aquino that she will continue to walk the Daang Matuwid “because I believe it will be made more meaningful if more people continue the journey, wherever they may be and in whatever role they play.

Senator Francis Escudero said he respects the decision of Roxas to join the presidential race next year.

“Alam ko na hindi naging madali ang kanyang pagpapasya at bilang kaibigan, nadarama ko ang hirap ng kanyang pinagdaanan. Iginagalang at nauunawaan ko ang kanyang pasya,” he said in a text message.

President Aquino also met with Escudero to discuss the 2016 polls. (MNS)

Poe to Roxas: I wish him well


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MAR ROXASFrom page 1

deadline.The interior secretary is likely to run

against Vice President Jejomar Binay, who is being investigated by a special prosecu-tor over graft allegations, and the popular Senator Grace Poe, who had also sought Aquino’s endorsement.

Supporters in yellow clapped and chanted “Roxas Now” as the 58-year-old grandson of the Philippines’ first president choked back tears and thanked Aquino.

“I accept the challenge,” said Roxas. “I will never stray from the straight and narrow path.”

Aquino said he interviewed three poten-tial candidates ahead of Friday’s endorse-ment, but in the end chose Roxas, even though he has been polling poorly.

Risky move However, analysts say Aquino’s pick

was laden with risk.“On paper, he looks like a competent

technocrat and successor,” Richard Javad Heydarian, a political science professor at Manila’s De La Salle University, told AFP.

“But he lacks the popular touch,” Hey-darian said of the interior minister, whose wealthy family owns one the capital’s largest commercial centers.

According to recent polls, Roxas trails Binay, whose populist policies as mayor of Manila’s financial district won the hearts of the area’s poor.

Heydarian also warned that Roxas and

Poe could split Aquino’s support base, giving Binay an edge. Aquino on Friday downplayed Roxas’ poor polling numbers.

“If something is really important, you must work hard for it, fight for it,” he told an audience of senators, congressmen, mayors and campaign organizers.

Binay said he was looking forward to a rematch with Roxas, after beating him in the 2010 vice presidential election.

“If this were boxing, we fought as light-weights, now we’re welterweights,” Binay told reporters.

Senator Poe, after wishing Roxas well and pledging support for Aquino’s corrup-tion fight, remained coy about her political ambitions.

Aquino is unable to run for another stint in office, thanks to the country’s single-term limit set by a constitution that his late mother, former president and democracy icon Corazon Aquino, endorsed in 1987 to prevent a repeat of the 20-year dictatorship of the late Ferdinand Marcos.

“I do not wish to open the possibility for an individual to stay in power their whole life,” Aquino said, adding that he has rejected calls to rewrite the constitution.

Thousands of dissidents were killed or went missing during the rule of Marcos, who has been accused of plundering bil-lions of dollars from the nation’s coffers.

Aquino’s mother led a bloodless revolt that eventually toppled Marcos in 1986.

AFP DOWNPLAYSFrom page 1all of their activities will not be questioned. This is something that the community of nations and among the military are trying to establish,” he said.

Padilla said authorities are closely monitoring China’s exercises to ensure that these are not conducted within the Philip-pines’ exclusive economic zone.

“We have our forces in our own territo-rial waters so from that end and from the capabilities that we have, namomonitor naman natin,” he said. (MNS)

PUBLIC SAFETYFrom page 1

In his final State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, Aquino criticized a certain university – apparently referring to UST – for supposedly standing in the way of the government’s execution of its flood control plan.

“Para matugunan ang madalas na pag-baha sa Maynila, isinulong natin ang pag-papagawa ng catchment area; pero tumutol po dito ang isang malaking unibersidad. May lumang gusali daw kasi silang baka maapektuhan,” Aquino said in his speech.

The UST administration earlier opposed the construction of the catchment area un-der the university’s opening grounds, citing security concerns and possible disruption of school activities.

UST alumni also criticized Aquino for the plan to build the catchment area, saying this will affect the university’s historical and cultural significance.

The UST open field, the site of the proposed water storage tank during heavy rains, was earlier named by the National Historical Commission as a national his-torical landmark.

Lacierda, however, said that Aquino only had public welfare in mind when he mentioned the plan to build the catchment area in UST during his final SONA.

“Does it make sense for government to put a catchment area in a place where it is a given fact na kapag malakas ang ulan, binabaha ang area na iyon? Does it make sense for the President, as ama ng bayan, to protect citizens who traverse España?” the Palace official asked.

“Is it too much to ask to put a catch-ment area and make sure that the lives of people who are there are protected? Is it too much to ask for the President to protect the welfare of Filipinos?” he added. (MNS)

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OPINIONMANILA, July 27 (Mabuhay) – President Benigno

Aquino III said Monday that the country will only be able to move on from corruption allegations against erring of-ficials only after justice has been achieved.

“May nagsabi na bang sorry sa ginawang katiwalian? Makaka-move on lang tayo ‘pag nakamtan ang katarun-gan,” he said in his 6th State of the Nation Address.

The President harped his appointment of efficient of-ficials to fight corruption amid the efforts of some public servants to abuse the system.

“Noon pa man alam na nating katiwalian ang ugat ng pagdurusa. Ang mga dalubhasa ng lumang kalakaran ay hindi papayag na matigil ang kanilang pagsasamantala. Patuloy na ginagamit ang salapi at poder para gumamit ng salbabida sa oras ng panghuhusga,” he said.

Aquino said he replaced resigned Ombudsman Mercedi-tas Gutierrez with then retired Associate Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales and impeached Supreme Court Justice Renato Corona with Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno.

“May sapat silang panahon para magpatupad ng reporma sa ahensiya,” he said.

He added that he also immediately appointed Grace Pulido Tan to the Commission on Audit, Kim Henares to the Bureau of Internal Revenue, and Leila de Lima to the Department of Justice.

“Marami silang sinuspindi at ikinulong,” he added.Aquino said if there is any doubt about the administra-

tion of justice, one only need to look at the three detained senators who are facing plunder and graft charges in con-nection with the multi-billion pork barrel scam. He was referring to Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr.

He noted that some are using the Filipinos’ compassion to make them forget about the alleged corruption com-mitted.

“Ang makalimot sa mali ng nakaraan garantisadong uulitin ito. Ipinapalimot nila sa atin ang kanilang nagawa, sasabihin nilang kawawa naman kami. Sinasamantala nila ang likas na pagkamawaain ng mga Filipino. ‘Yan naman talaga ang kanilang masterplan para patuloy tayong pagsa-mantalahan,” Aquino said. (MNS)

MANILA, July 28 (Mabuhay) – Vice President Jejomar Binay is not affected by the potshots sup-posedly aimed at him by President Benigno Aquino III during the latter’s final State of the Nation Ad-dress (SONA).

In an interview at the opening of the Security Congress APAC 2015 at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza, CCP Complex, Binay told reporters to wait for his own True State of the Nation Address that will an-swer Aquino’s statements.

He also said he did not feel alluded to when the President alluded to someone who said “gaganda ang buhay” if he becomes president.

“Merong isang bahagi doon palagay ko hindi naman ako pinatutungkulan ‘nun. Kasi ang pagka-kasabi meron diyan nagsasalita na giginhawa ang bayan pero ang salita lage ay basta, basta. Wow na wow naman ‘yun!” Binay said.

Atty. Rico Quicho, Binay’s spokesperson for political affairs, also said the vice-president did not feel that he was alluded to by the president when the latter cited a presidential aspirant who has so far failed to present concrete plans for the country.

“The Vice President does not feel alluded to because he has solidly delivered the social and eco-nomic programs that uplifted the lives of the people he has served as Makati mayor and continue to serve as Vice President,” Quicho said.

“From the start, the Vice President has articulated that the Makati experience is his template for a car-ing and competent government, the opposite of the manhid at palpak government that we have today.”

Quicho said the vice-president’s camp was no longer surprised that the president took a swipe at him during his last SONA. Binay was present at the Batasan Pambansa yesterday to listen to the president, and he has vowed to come up with his own version of SONA.

“It is a small price to pay for showing the

people the “palpak at manhid” governance of the administration that further marginalized the poor,” Quicho said.

“In his True SONA, Vice President Jejomar Binay will remove the gloss and tell the plain truth as experienced every day by ordinary Filipinos.”

In his final SONA, President Aquino took a swipe at a critic who routinely slams his administration for supposedly being slow at solving problems.

“Mabagal daw tayo. Kapag sila raw ang naging Pangulo, sigurado, gaganda ang buhay. Sa mga me-dyo may edad po, ang isasagot dito, “Ah, ganun?” sabay taas ng kilay. Para naman sa kabataan, iba na raw po ang tugon nila sa ganoong pahayag, iba na daw po ang uso ngayon eh: E di wow,” he said.

“Ang tanong natin: Paano nila gagawin ang mga pangakong iyan? Ang sagot nila: Basta. Nasaan ang detalye at kongkretong mga plano? Basta. Paano ninyo ipatutupad ang inyong mga pangako? Basta. Pakiramdam yata nila nadadaan sa basta-basta ang solusyon sa ating mga problema.”

The president mentioned a litany of his admin-istration’s accomplishments yesterday, but this did not prevent his critics from noting the controversial issues that he omitted from his speech.

Aquino likewise urged the Congress to finally pass the Anti-Dynasty Bill, a proposed measure opposed by Binay, whose three children are holding elective posts.

Quicho said Aquino “glossed over pressing mat-ters which his government failed to accomplish.”

He said this includes attaining justice for the slain 44 policemen in Mamasapano, distribution of Ha-cienda Luisita to farmer beneficiaries, alleged cor-ruption in some government departments, agencies and bureaus, the use of Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) funds, alleged selective justice and politicization of the Ombudsman and the judiciary, and alleged abuse of legislative authority.

MANILA, July 29 (Mabuhay) – The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Wednesday said it is ready to defend the legality of its joint military exercises with Japan before the Supreme Court (SC).

“From the perspective of the Armed Forces and the Philippine Navy, we believe that the exercises were conducted with firm basis on our existing poli-cies and laws,” Col. Restituto Padilla, Jr., spokes-person of the AFP, said.

The SC on Tuesday ordered the AFP and Malaca-ñang to respond to the petition filed by a group led by ACT Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio. The petitioners asked the high court to declare as unconstitutional a memorandum on defense coop-eration, and a joint declaration providing for the joint military exercises between the two countries.

“The Armed Forces is actually appreciative of these kinds of measures to clarify certain activities we conduct with other countries,” Padilla said, add-

ing the AFP is closely working with the Department of National Defense (DND) to argue the legality of the military exercises before the court.

Padilla also maintained that the exercises were conducted in international waters contrary to the claim of the petitioners that two military exercises were held in the Philippines since the signing of a memorandum for the partnership.

According to the petitioners, maritime exercises were held off the coast of Corregidor Island last May 12, and joint exercises at the Antonio Bautista Airbase in Palawan from June 22 to 24, 2015.

“The conduct of the exercises were actually done in agreed areas that are international waters,” Padilla said. “The most important consideration, ang pinakamahalaga na bagay na dapat iniisip din natin ay yung national interest, ano ba ang mas makaka-buti sa bayang Pilipinas at saka sa mga kababayan natin,” he added. (MNS)

MANILA, July 28 (Mabuhay) – Former First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo lashed out at Presi-dent Aquino on Tuesday, saying the Chief Executive lied about his accomplishments on solving problems in the education sector.

“Grabe, what a liar about textbooks and class-rooms,” he said, a day after President Aquino deliv-ered his sixth and last State of the Nation Address.

Aquino earlier said the Department of Educa-tion was able to address the need for 61.7 million textbooks and 2.5 million chairs in the first two years of his term.

He said a backlog of 66,800 classrooms and 145,827 teachers was addressed in 2013 through the help of local government unit partners. He said government hired 29,444 teachers in 2014 and is eyeing another 39,000 teachers hired this year.

The President also defended the implementation of the K-12 program.

Meanwhile, Mr. Arroyo criticized the President for again blaming his predecessor, former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, for many of the country’s woes.

“He doesn’t have any accomplishment, that’s why. It shows he has no accomplishments. What he is saying is inaccurate. He even uses unknown people to lift himself. So self serving. All propa-ganda, no meat,” he said.

Aquino earlier reminded the public about the various corruption scandals and allegations against Arroyo including the NBN-ZTE deal, the fertilizer fund scandal, her midnight appointments, and the “Hello, Garci” wiretapping scandal that showed alleged cheating in the 2004 presidential election.

Cabinet Secretary Rene Almendras, meanwhile, said the President talked about Arroyo because he wanted to show what kind of government he was inheriting from the previous administration.

Aquino: Justice must be served against corruption VP Binay on Aquino SONA: Wow na wow

AFP ready to defend military exercises with Japan before SC

Mike Arroyo blasts Aquino: What a liar

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Washington, United States (AFP) Mon-day 7/27/2015 – Hillary Clinton laid out ambitious plans Monday to invest in solar and other renewable energy if elected US president, drawing a contrast with her fossil fuel-loving Republican rivals.

“We will make America the world’s clean energy superpower,” she declared at a campaign event in Des Moines, Iowa, unveiling highlights of a concept she said could ultimately impact every American household.

But she declined to weigh in on the con-troversial Keystone XL pipeline that would send Canadian crude oil to US refineries, a project criticized by environmentalists and many Democratic lawmakers that is awaiting a final State Department review.

“I refuse to turn my back on what is one of the greatest threats and greatest op-portunities America faces,” the Democratic 2016 frontrunner said about greenhouse gas emissions and their climate impact.

“I refuse to let those who are deniers, who disagree with what we need to do, to rip away all the progress we’ve made and leave our country exposed to the most severe consequences of climate change,” she added.

“America needs to lead this fight, not go MIA.” Clinton laid out a two-pronged renewables agenda.

“We need to have more than half a bil-lion solar panels installed across the coun-try by the end of my first term,” she said.

“Second, we’ll set a 10-year goal of generating enough renewable energy to power every single home in America.”

According to her campaign, those goals translate into an installed solar energy ca-pacity of 140 gigawatts by 2020, or a 700 percent increase over the number of solar panels installed today.

Her plan calls for using renewable energy to generate a third of all electric power in 2020, along with investments that her campaign says will put America’s economy on the road toward “deep decar-bonization by 2050.” Climate change is a hyper-partisan issue in the United States, with many Republicans, including some 2016 presidential candidates, questioning whether human activity contributes to global warming.

In Congress, the Republican majority has fought anti-pollution standards estab-lished by President Barack Obama, notably for coal-fueled power plants.

Clinton pledges to be America’s renewable energy president

made by a church based and civil society groups, only 73,000 poor families of the 205,000 rendered homeless by “Yolanda” were placed in several resettlement areas, leaving behind 130,000 families still staying in makeshift quarters or tents in Tacloban city.

The study also pointed out that the ap-parent snail’s pace construction of housing for these flood victims were being ham-pered by snags for the timely release of funds for housing resettlements.

The study also showed that only P21 billion out of the P75 billion allocated for housing resettlement had been released by the Department of Budget and Manage-ment (DBM).

With less than a year left in Office, President Benigno Aquino still has to give the “green light” to Budget Secretary Butch Abad to release the remaining P54billion fund for resettlement housing.

I don’t expect President Noynoy to ex-pedite the release of the remaining funds for resettlement areas for flood victims in Leyte. It is the home province of former First Lady Imelda Marcos , wife of former President Ferdinand Marcos. It was Marcos who was responsible for the incarceration of former Senator Ninoy Aquino, father of President Aquino.

There is too much politics going on that has hampered the construction of houses for calamity victims. A week after the destruction of Leyte, DILG Secretary Mar Roxas berated Tacloban city Mayor Alfred Romualdez for complaining too much for the apparent slow response of the national government to the needs of the flood victims.

Roxas was quoted in the newspapers as saying “What do you expect?” “Come to think of it, you are a Romualdez and he

(President Noynoy) is an Aquino. If you want us to speed up the rehabilitation of your city, you have to resign as mayor in order for us to take control of the city.” Roxas, however denied saying that. He said he was quoted out of context.

We will see how many votes Roxas will get in the Eastern Visayas region, particu-larly in Leyte and Samar.

During the recent visit of Pope Francis in Tacloban, Leyte, he appealed to those who have more in life and Philippine government officials to show mercy and compassion to the poor. Too bad, Poe Fran-cis’ pleadings did not resonate to the rich and powerful people, particularly ranking government officials, whose wealth are unmeasurable.

Too bad also that the words “mercy” and “compassion” are aliens to President Aquino that it did not get inside his hol-low head. Instead of being vindictive to his political foe, he should have shown mercy and compassion to the displaced flood victims.

Unabated corruption and petty squab-bles among government officials tasked to undertake the early completion of the resettlement houses prompted former Senator Panfilo Lacson to quit his job as head of the Presidential assistance of Re-habilitation Recovery (OPARR).

An exasperated Lacson exposed in the media the construction of sub-standard bunkhouses for flood victims. Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Rogelio Singson denied Lacson’s accusation.

Although there was an investigation done by Congress that look into the mat-ter, nothing came out of it just like other previous probes done by grandstanding lawmakers. No subsequent charges were

also filed against individuals involved in the supposed sub-standard bunkhouses, including purchases of overpriced con-struction materials.

As of today, people in the flood ravaged areas of Leyte are still in need of medica-tions, safe drinking water and a sturdy roof over their head in this raining season.

I wonder whatever happened to the nu-merous financial donations that were sent by many civic organizations from all over the world. Even NBA players like Kobe Bryant, Lebron James and Dwayne Wade donated thousands of dollars to facilitate the speedy recovery of the ravaged areas of Eastern Visayas.

Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soli-man, up to this time, could not account

the total amount of financial donations her office received on behalf of the flood victim. She was quoted in the newspapers as saying that she has a hard time figuring the total amount of money that her depart-ment has received from donors since they have no list.

Some of my friends in the media in Manila are saying that most of the financial assistance the government has received from foreign donors have not been spent for flood victims.

Where did the money go? Maybe to the beauty salon frequented by Secretary Soliman who has the flair of changing the color of her hair whenever she pleases. That’s just one of the perks enjoyed by cor-rupt cabinet secretaries under the Aquino regime, particularly if your close with President B.S. Aquino.

130,000 families still in makeshift tents in TaclobanIn November of 2013, a powerful typhoon devastated large

sections of Eastern Visayas region, particularly the province of Leyte, killing an estimated 6000 people and washed away the homes of more than 200, 000 families.

Despite a P75 billion fund approved last year by Congress for housing resettlement for calam-ity victims, thousands of indigent families are still living in tents and sub-standard bunkhouses in the flood ravaged areas of Leyte.

According to a recent study


ENTERTAINMENTMontes said: “Na-kaka-excite din at siyempre kinak-abahan at nahihiya din, kasi ‘di pa kami masyadong kumportable sa isa’t isa po. Pero excited po kasi la-hat ng nakakasama ko at nakatrabaho ko, natuto ako sa kanila . So this time nae-excite ako kung ano ang matututuhan ko.” (MNS)

Young actress Julia Montes will star in the upcoming “Doble Kara” with lead-ing men Edgar Allan Guzman and Anjo Damiles, Dreamscape announced.

Montes, whose last teleserye was “Ikaw Lamang” in 2014, said she feels “super happy and blessed” to be cast in the series, which also stars Alora Sasam, John Lapus, Allen Dizon, Patricia Javier, Ariel Rivera, Mylene Dizon and Gloria Sevilla.

“Sabi ko nga po parang God’s perfect time kasi hindi lahat ng bagay kailangan mabilis. Ang sarap ng pakiramdam kasi after a long time ito ang ibibigay na next

project,” Montes said.Montes considers her role in the up-

coming soap to be her most challenging role yet.

“Siguro nasanay sila sa akin na kapag sinabing Julia, ‘Naku ano kaya ang gaga-win niya?’ Medyo ‘di normal sa age ko or medyo challenging nga. This time I can say na ito ang pinaka-challenging for me. So hindi lang puso’t isip ang kailangang i-dedicate dito kung ‘di buong ako kasi ganoon talaga siya kahirap at the same time,” she explained.

Asked about her new leading men,

Julia Montes gets new leading men in upcoming series

Julia Montes

Young star Daniel Padilla has broken his silence after a photo of him smoking an e-cigarette made the rounds online.

“Hindi yosi ‘yun. Hindi rin ‘yun droga. Vapor po ‘yun. Hindi naman ako nag-yosi, talagang vape lang. Hindi ko naman lahat sinasabi mag-vape na pero siguro tayo namang tao, may mga sariling buhay din naman tayo. May mga sarili tayong gusto,” he said.

Padilla’s photo was met with mixed reactions from his fans. While some still support the actor, others felt that he sets a bad example to his young fans.

The actor, however, emphasized that he does not have other vices except for two. “Magpuyat at basketball, ‘yun lang,” he said.

As a celebrity, Padilla admitted that it is difficult when people watch his every move.

“Mahirap kasi parang ‘yun nga, nakita akong nagve-vape, mali kaagad. Mahirap.

Pero kung ayaw niyo na sa akin, ayaw niyo na,” he said.

Daniel Padilla explains vaping photo

Daniel Padilla

Gladys Reyes, who is a member of the Iglesia ni Cristo, took to Instagram to share her thoughts about the controversy the religious group is cur-rently facing.

The actress said it took her a while to speak about the matter because she has been busy taping for her series and attending to her other responsi-bilities.

A c c o r d i n g t o Reyes, she appreci-ates that her friends and others were not quick to judge when the controversy about INC first came out.

“Sa aking mga katrabaho at ‘kaibigan’ sa tunay na kahulugan ng salitang yun, maging hindi ko personal na kakilala, na hindi ko naringgan ng sarkastikong komento, na hindi agad-agad nanghusga, di nagpadama ng pagiging insensitibo, bagkus nagpaabot ng pagmamalasakit, simpatya at respeto sa aming nararamda-man kulang ang salitang salamat,” she said.

She then urged her fellow INC mem-bers to just strengthen their faith in God at this time.

“Sa mga kapatid sa Iglesia, mas lalo tayong magpakatatag at pakahigpitan ang pagkapit sa doktrina at aral na tumimo sa ating puso, isip at kaluluwa. Mas lalo

natin pagtibayin ang pundasyon ng ating pananampalataya,” she said.

“Sa mga ganitong panahon, wag tayong manghina, wag tayo manlupaypay, hindi kahinaan ang pagluha, iiyak natin lahat sa ating Panginoong Dyos sa pamamagitan ng panalangin, ang lahat ng hapis at suli-ranin. Pakatandaan po natin sa Dyos tayo naglilingkod at hindi sa tao,” she added.

Reyes then ended her post by saying: “Ako’y Iglesia ni Cristo.. mananatili at maninindigan!!”

Last Thursday, the INC announced the expulsion of Tenny Manalo, widow of former executive minister Erdy Manalo. Tenny’s son, Angel, was also expelled. (MNS)

Gladys Reyes speaks up about INC issue

Gladys Reyes


HEALTH & BEAUTYTuesday July 28 2015 (Relaxnews) – A

group of US scientists believes that fat deserves to be called the sixth taste and have even invented a new name for it: oleogustus.

After sweet, sour, salty and bitter, as well as the most recently acknowledged flavor profile on the palate, umami, sci-entists from Purdue University in Indiana have published a paper showing that the tongue can also ‘taste’ fat.

Researchers are quick to point out, however, that the taste of fat should not be confused with mouthfeel, or the feel of fat, often described as creamy or smooth.

“Fatty taste itself is not pleasant. When concentrations of fatty acids are high in a food it is typically rejected, as would be the case when a food is rancid. In this instance, the fat taste sensation is a warning to not eat

the item,” explained lead author Richard D. Mattes in a statement.

“At the same time, low concentrations of fatty acids in food may add to their ap-peal just like unpleasant bitter chemicals can enhance the pleasantness of foods like chocolate, coffee and wine.”

For the study, scientists asked 102 par-ticipants to categorize different solutions aimed at stimulating the six tastes. And even after controlling for odor, texture and appearance, participants were able to group fatty acids together on their own.

To describe the taste sensation, scien-tists are hoping their newly coined name “oleogustus” – oleo being the Latin root for oily or fatty and “gustus” referring to taste – will stick.

The findings were published recently online in Chemical Senses.

Scientists in the US believe fat is the sixth taste. ©Madlen/shutterstock.com

Scientists identify the taste of fat as sixth taste

Monday July 27 2015 (Relaxnews) – Ombré hair is without a doubt one of the huge hair trends of the past few years, but now it’s time to shake things up a bit. So without further ado allow us to introduce you to the next big thing for summer 2015: colombré.

Using the same technique as ombré hairstyles but with brighter, bolder, sum-mer hues, colombré is a great way to up-date your look for the sunny season. The concept involves leaving the roots their natural color and adding flashes of pastel or fluo tones to the bottom half of your tresses, making it both fun and practical in terms of regrowth.

Different shades are often blended to-gether to create a rainbow effect (in fact the trend is a kind of mashup of ombré and rain-bow hair, which was also a big hit this year). Spearheaded by celebrities such as Kylie Jenner, who is known for her love of the turquoise colombré look, the trend is now taking over Instagram, with women ev-erywhere posting images of their kaleido-scopic tresses using the hashtag #colombre.There are a couple of different ways to go colombré – if you’re nervous then clip in ex-tensions such as this set from Rainbow Hair Colour, which are a great way to test it out before committing to anything permanent. Kylie even launched her own range of blue locks over at Bellami at the end of last year. However, if you’re ready to get the dye out then there are a few tips that might make

Colombré hair is a trend for summer 2015. ©Dmitri Mihhailov/shutterstock.com

Introducing summer’s hottest hair trend: What you need to know about Colombré

the process easier. Beauty blogger Irene Mahmud

Khan suggests using Garnier Color Styler, a product which only lasts a few washes so is the perfect way to get colombré for a special occasion and is applied by hand for an individual effect. Over at The Faux Theory, the advice is to ‘feather’ the color using a downward stroke when applying dye with a brush to avoid any harsh divi-sion lines between the colombré and your natural shade.

Tuesday July 28 2015 (Washington, United States-AFP) – Defective or ‘leaky’ vaccines may lead to even more powerful viruses, according to a study on poultry that raises concerns about vaccine development in humans.

When a vaccine works as intended – such as for smallpox, polio and measles 0 it protects those vaccinated and prevents the transmission of the virus.

But the study, published in PLOS Biology, reported that imperfect vaccines shielded poultry but also allowed the virus to survive in an even more pernicious form.

“Our research demonstrates that the use of leaky vaccines can promote the evolution of nastier ‘hot’ viral strains that put unvaccinated individuals at greater risk,” said co-author Venugopal Nair of the Pirbright Institute in the UK.

“These vaccines ... allow the virulent virus to continue evolving,” he said.The researchers did not claim that the vaccine was directly responsible for

increasing virus strength. The process, they said, was not as clear as the evolution of germs that develop resistance to antibiotics.

But the study did show an unmistakable correlation between vaccination and the development of Marek virus strains that changed from being harmful to deadly for some livestock.

Current human vaccines are not in doubt, but the findings raise questions about the developement of future vaccines, scientists said.

‘Leaky’ vaccines may strengthen viruses: study


FOOD & DINING

A spicy new take on cheesy pasta

FAMILY FEATURES

If cooler days have you wishing for savory dishes, give your menu a boost this fall with a bold, spicy

twist on your favorite comfort foods. Rich, creamy dishes featuring pasta and a kick of spicy heat will warm you up from the inside out.

A traditional pasta and cheese is the perfect foundation for a delicious skillet dish, one-pot pleaser or casserole that blends familiar fl avors with new ones to make an easy and complete weeknight dinner. Packaged options such as Velveeta Shells & Cheese can help shave preparation time, and with new bold Jalapeño and Chipotle fl avors, you can bring the heat to a whole new level.

Th ese recipes show how easy it is to combine simple proteins, such as chicken or beef, in addition to your favorite cheesy pasta and spices for a cozy dish in minutes. Find more recipes at Velveeta.com.

Perfect Your PastaNo cheesy pasta is com-plete unless it’s perfectly prepared. Follow these dos and don’ts to get your pasta just right:

Do use lots of water. Th e ideal amount is 4 to 6 quarts per pound of pasta. Th is allows the pasta enough room to cook without sticking together.

Don’t add oil. If you have enough water, you won’t need to add oil to prevent sticking.

Do stir pasta when you fi rst add it to the water to prevent it from sticking together and to the bottom of the pot.

Don’t throw pasta against the wall. Instead, use the cooking time on the package as a guide, then try a piece to see if it’s the right texture. Italians like their pasta “al dente” (a little chewy), but you might like it soft er.

Don’t rinse cooked pasta; you’ll rinse away the starch, which actually helps the sauce stick. Only rinse pasta if it will be used cold, such as in a salad.

Smoke and Spice Chicken Shells and CheeseServings: 3

1 package Velveeta Shells & Cheese Bold, Chipotle 3/4 pound chopped, cooked chicken

Boil 6 cups water in saucepan. Stir in shell pasta; cook 8-10 minutes or until tender, stirring occasion ally. Drain pasta. Do not rinse. Return to pan. Add cheese sauce and seasoning; mix well. Add chicken to prepared pasta.

Beefy Nacho Shells and CheeseServings: 3 1 package Velveeta Shells & Cheese Bold, Jalapeño 1/2 pound lean ground beef 2 teaspoons taco seasoning mix 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup crushed tortilla chipsBoil 6 cups water in saucepan. Stir in shell pasta and jalapeños; cook 8-10 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta and jalapeños. Do not rinse. Return to pan. Add cheese sauce; mix well.

Meanwhile, brown ground beef in skillet; drain. Add taco seasoning mix and water; simmer until most of the water is cooked off . Add meat mixture to cooked pasta with cheese sauce; mix well. Top with tortilla chips.

Jalapeño-Bacon Shells and CheeseServings: 3 1 package Velveeta Shells & Cheese Bold, Jalapeño 4 slices cooked and chopped baconBoil 6 cups water in saucepan. Stir in shell pasta and jalapeños; cook 8-10 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta and jalapeños. Do not rinse. Return to pan. Add cheese sauce; mix well. Add bacon to prepared pasta.


SPORTSNew York, United States (AFP) Mon-

day 7/27/2015 – Boston withdrew as a can-didate for the 2024 Olympics on Monday, citing a lack of public support as the US Olympic Committee pondered a replace-ment bid ahead of a looming deadline.

A quest that began six months ago when Boston defeated Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington to become the US hopeful for the 2024 race ended shortly after Boston Mayor Martin Walsh said he was not ready to commit taxpayers to financing any cost overruns for the multi-sport spectacle.

Add the lack of support from Boston citizens for the idea in multiple polls and US Olympic Committee chief executive Scott Blackmun had little choice but to pull the plug.

“We have not been able to get a majority of the citizens of Boston to support hosting the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, therefore, the USOC does not think that the level of support enjoyed by Boston’s bid would allow it to prevail over great bids from Paris, Rome, Hamburg, Budapest or Toronto,” Blackmun said in a statement.

“Boston 2024 has expressed confidence that, with more time, they could generate the public support necessary to win the bid and deliver a great Games. They also recognize, however, that we are out of time if the USOC is going to be able to consider a bid from another city. As a result, we have reached a mutual agreement to withdraw Boston’s bid.”

With only seven weeks before official

nominations are due to the International Olympic Committee, US officials are in the humbling position of having to pull together a short-notice plan to offer against their global rivals.

The United States has not hosted the Summer Olympics since 1996 in Atlanta and has not hosted the Winter Olympics since 2002 at Salt Lake City. A 2012 New York bid was undone by the last-minute wipeout of the planned main stadium site while a 2016 Chicago bid was the first ousted in IOC voting.

“The USOC would very much like to see an American city host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2024,” Blackmun said.

“We will immediately begin to explore whether we can do so on a basis consistent with our guiding principles, to which we remain firmly committed. We understand the reality of the timeline that is before us.”

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti promptly said the Southern California city was still interested, although he said his office had not spoken to members of the USOC.

“I continue to believe that Los Angeles is the ideal Olympic city,” Garcetti said. “I would be happy to engage in discussions with the USOC about how to present the strongest and most fiscally responsible bid on behalf of our city and nation.”

Blackmun said the USOC would have no comment about the subject before next month.

Monumental decision - In the meantime, Walsh said it was

worth scuttling the Olympic bid to ensure financial responsibility.

“No benefit is so great that it is worth handing over the financial future of our city and our citizens were rightly hesitant to be supportive as a result,” Walsh said.

“We always anticipated having the time to do our due diligence on the guarantees required and a full review of the risk. This is a monumental decision that cannot be rushed, even if it means not moving for-ward with our bid for the 2024 Summer Games.”

Steve Pagliuca, the managing co-owner of the NBA Boston Celtics, joined the Boston bid and helped push a new vision to sell to citizens, heralding the benefits

of new neighborhoods that would be cre-ated by construction for the Olympics and cost savings to some subway renovations that would be needed. But the idea never mustered support.

But Pagliuca acknowledged that their efforts to win public and political support had not produced results in time.

The No Boston Olympics opposition group issued a statement welcoming the decision.

“We need to move forward as a city, and today’s decision allows us to do that on our own terms, not the terms of the USOC or the IOC,” the group said in a statement.

“We’re better off for having passed on Boston 2024.”

The executive committee of the IOC met in Malaysia on Tuesday, ahead of a Friday vote on the host of the 2022 Winter Games. ©AFP PHOTO DDP/JOHANNES SIMON

Boston ends 2024 Olympic bid, Los Angeles interested






COMMUNITYBy Abner Galino

AN hour or two before President Benig-no Aquino III could deliver his sixth and last State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday (Philippine time), his former energy secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla spoke to the media here in Los Angeles and credited his former boss for cutting down corruption in the government.

“I could vouch for (him) on that,” Petil-la said, adding that the proof of the success of President Aquino’s anti-corruption drive can be seen in the budget that the govern-ment was able to generate.

“The numbers that we have is 3 trillion and then you have money for armaments. Yan ang mahirap badyetan eh, defense. Without sacrificing DepEd (Department of Education). Baka naman wala nang matira for DepEd. And of course, debt servicing,” Petilla explained.

Part of the administration anti-corrup-tion drive, according to the energy secre-tary, was President Aquino’s efforts to put the right people on key government posts. Although, he clarified that while not every choice of the president was perfect, they were generally well thought of.

These appointees, Petilla said, were mostly drawn from the private sector and were people “who do not need jobs” and instead “sacrificed” to join the government

and serve the people.“We don’t need the government to

survive,” Petilla added, implying that he was one those people picked by President Aquino to head a government position because of perceived proficiency and integrity.

The former energy chief also said that the anti-corruption campaign of the Aquino administration should be cred-ited for regaining the trust of investors which consequently resulted in a healthy economy.

“Pag walang investors confidence, walang mangyayari sa atin,” Petilla stressed.

President Aquino, according to Petilla, should also be credited for having the po-litical will to implement or push policies that were deemed to be unpopular.

Petilla did not specifically cite any of those unpopular policies pushed by President Aquino but among them were the Reproductive Health Act of 2012 and the Basic Bangsamoro Law which still pending in Congress.

Lastly, Petilla said President Aquino’s legacies would also include the ability to keep a big margin of people behind the causes being espoused by his administra-tion.

While it has been routine for presidents

Part of the administration anti-corruption drive, according to the energy secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla (leftmost), was President Aquino’s efforts to put the right people on key government posts, who recently held a news conference with the members of Filipino-American media in Los Angeles.

Former energy chief credits Aquino for cutting down corruption in gov’t

to gradually lose their popularity as their terms progressed, Petilla noted, that Presi-dent Aquino’s satisfaction rating among the constituents remains relatively high compared to his predecessors.

Pressed why he left Cabinet a couple of months back, Petilla admitted that he and President Aquino had some policy differences. However, he said, this was patched up before he resigned and that it ended well for the two of them.

The former energy secretary added that

he thought it was the perfect time to leave the Cabinet post as such gave him enough momentum to explore his options.

Petilla admitted that he has a plan to run for the Senate in the 2016 elections. He would try to be elected as a senator under a platform that espouses government policies that would make the energy sector serve the interest of the poor.

The former energy secretary was also the governor of Leyte before he joined the Cabinet of President Aquino.

JULY 25 Los Angeles – Chanting “China Out of the Philippines, Now” and singing “China, China Magnanakaw,” scores of Filipino-Americans rallied and picketed Friday at the People’s Republic of China (PRC) Los Angeles Consulate to join what they call is a global action against China.

The rally was led by organizations such as Bantay Pilipinas-USA, Talakayan sa FACLA, Knights of Rizal-HFT and the Overseas Filipinos for Good Governance (OPGG), a US-wide organization that led the rallies in San Francisco, New York, the Marianas and other places worldwide.

The more than an hour-long demonstra-tion was held in front of the PRC Consul-ate located at 443 Shatto Place St. in Los Angeles.

Among the demonstrators was Califor-

nia lawyer Atty. Roman Mosqueda, who said that “This rally is in support of the Philippine government and our delega-tion at The Hague” where a Philippine delegation argued why China’s actions on the islands within the disputed waters in West Philippine Sea constitute violations against Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone territorial claim.

According to Mosqueda, “There is ample evidence that the Chinese claim does not hold water and can be described as preposterous.”

Along with Mosqueda, other Fil-Am civic leaders included Andrea Aquino of NAM-USA, Dr. Orly Cagampan of the Knight of Rizal and Rotary Club of HFT, Macky Fortu of RVNC and Knights Com-mander of the KOR-HFT Arturo Garcia and Talakayan sa FACLA.

The rally at the People’s Republic of China (PRC) Los Angeles Consulate was led by organizations such as Bantay Pilipinas-USA, Talakayan sa FACLA, Knights of Rizal-HFT and the Overseas Filipinos for Good Governance (OPGG), a US-wide organization that led the rallies in San Francisco, New York, the Marianas and other places worldwide.

Fil-Ams stage protest vs China at China Consulate in Los Angeles

legal basis for a spouse to request the fam-ily court to order the other spouse to pay for their adult children’s college expenses. However, the divorcing couple can agree to pay for their adult children’s college education as part of a marital settlement agreement. Family Code section 3587; In re Marriage of Rosenfeld and Gross, 225 Cal. App. 4th 478 (2014). Pursuant to statute and court cases, college expense payment provision in a stipulated marital settlement agreement, as incorporated into a Court’s judgment, constitutes adult child support such that court had jurisdic-tion to modify the provision in light of the settlement’s failure to specifically provide that adult child support was not subject to modification. In re Marriage of Rosenfeld and Gross, 225 Cal. App. 4th at 488 (2014). Providing for payment of adult children’s college expenses is recognized more of an “add on” to adult child support. Family Code 4062(b)(1).

However, the parties may “opt out” or restrict the court’s jurisdiction to modify an adult child support order (including college expenses) but the parties must expressly and specifically state in their marital settlement agreement that any re-sulting adult child support order will not be subject to modification or termination by the Court because the adult child support order is rooted in the parent’s contractual agreement. Cal. Family Code Section 3587, 3651(a).

So if you are concerned about your spouse sharing for the college tuition and expenses of your children after the divorce, you should negotiate a provision in your marital agreement that both of you will share on the college tuition and expenses of your children. In doing so, you should

also think about whether you want this provision to be non-modifiable or not. In the absence of a specific provision limiting adult child support as non-modifiable and non-terminable, the default is that child support is modifiable. Sometimes, leaving the adult child support provision as modifi-able protects the spouses from unforeseen future events such as a disability or retire-ment which limits the earning capacity of a spouse and ability to comply with the adult child support provision in the MSA.

Please note that this article is not legal advice and is not intended as legal advice. The article is intended to provide only general, non-specific legal information. This article is not intended to cover all the issues related to the topic discussed. The specific facts that apply to your mat-ter may make the outcome different than would be anticipated by you. This article does create any attorney client relationship between you and the Law Offices of Ken-neth U. Reyes, APLC. This article is not a solicitation.

Attorney Kenneth Ursua Reyes is a Board Certified Family Law Specialist. He was President of the Philippine American Bar Association. He is a member of both the Family law section and Immigration law section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He is a graduate of Southwestern University Law School in Los Angeles and California State Univer-sity, San Bernardino School of Business Administration. He has extensive CPA experience prior to law practice. LAW OF-FICES OF KENNETH REYES, APLC. is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 747, Los Angeles, CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail [email protected] or visit our website at Kenreyeslaw.com

Can a divorcing couple agree to pay for their adult children’s college expenses in their divorce judgment?

Divorcing couples with children sometimes worry about who is going to pay for their children’s college education after the divorce once their children graduates high school. They want a guarantee that their soon to be ex-spouse will share in the college expenses of their children. This is specially the case when the other spouse has moved on with a new family. The old family becomes less of a priority.

In California, there is no


By Abner GalinoPhilippine gymnasts Tanya, Althea,

Jovelyn and Sheila were hugging and shed-ding tears of joy with their coaches and I was clicking away, capturing the moments with my camera. The emotions passed on from the lens and travelled deep inside me and I suddenly found myself genuinely celebrating with them – even if I just met them at that very moment.

I guess the emotions were there because they were fellow Filipinos, or perhaps be-cause I am a parent and I could have felt the pride and joy of the mothers and fathers of these kids.

Weird, but a scene from Two and a Half Men popped out of my head shortly after waving goodbye to them. Remem-ber? When Charlie came to Jake’s soccer game and asked his brother about the game’s score? And Alan said they were not keeping score, which of course, horrified Charlie and minced no words in declaring how ridiculous an idea it was.

Charlie’s point: You take out the scoring part in a game and you take out the fun part of it. Or, you take out the scoring part of the game and you take out the competition part of it.

I can’t remember the actual line. But Charlie must have blurted: Are you out of your freaking minds?

Humor, of course, cannot be expected to be philosophically perfect.

My take on it: You play the game for whatever little cause it was worth to you.

For Tanya, Althea, Jovelyn and Shiela, that moment was overwhelming.

I guess the same experience would have been overwhelming even to kids who don’t require special care. The weight of those medals hanging on their necks certainly gave them different feelings – feelings of accomplishment, pride, confidence and of being accepted.

These girls certainly have a sense of what they have achieved and those tears of joy said it all.

I honestly don’t know whether it i s a good or bad thing to imagine these kids having enough sense to realize that there

Our very special Filipino team are gold medal winners in gymnastics.

The Olympic golds we never had

was a real Olympic where one gold medal could make an athlete become P1 million richer. Tanya alone has 4 golds.

Philippines has not won a gold medal in the Olympics. The closest shot we had to a gold medal was in 1996 Summer Olympics with Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco fighting in Men’s 48 kg boxing category. But if was any consolation, the country holds the record for having most medals without a gold.

If these kids were coming from the Olympics, with 10 gold medals hanging on

their necks (as of this writing), the country would be in a very big party. There will be a big parade. There will streamers, confet-tis and marching bands to fetch them from the airport.

How wonderful would it have been to have our athletes come home to pure celebration, without the routine finger-pointing and fault-finding.

But let’s face it, it is not going be that way and we know why. And we don’t even question why it would be so. It is what it is.

But we should be happy because these

happy moments are certain to make small ripples here and there back home. And that would be good because there will be more understanding, more love, more attention and hopefully, a little more money – from the government and from the private sec-tor – to make the lives of these girls better.

Yes, that is why they play. They play for better lives. They play because they want to be loved and accepted.

They play because they want to be part of our team.

Yes, that team that we all wish we have.

The USCIS recently issued a policy memorandum that eases the work require-ments that a Religious Worker must fulfill in order to be eligible for a green card as a Special Immigrant Religious Worker. The

DHS eases requirements for religious workers

shift in the USCIS’ interpretation of the law may now allow more individuals who are performing religious work to qualify for permanent residency.

There are special immigrant visas given to religious workers who seek to enter the United States or adjust status to that of a permanent resident in order to perform religious activities. The special category of visas is known as the Special Immigrant Religious Worker category.

To qualify as a Special Immigrant Religious Worker, the following re-quirements must be fulfilled:

1) The petitioner must be a bona fide religious organization. The or-ganization petitioning the religious worker must have a recognized creed, form of worship, and established place of worship. Additionally, the organiza-tion must be legitimate and bona fide.

Lastly, the organiza-tion must be incor-porated and either have tax-exempt status or qualify as a nonprofit organi-zation.

2) The applicant must have an offer

of employment by a U.S. religious organi-zation to work in “a religious vocation or occupation.”

A religious occupation is one that relates to a traditional religious function, such as religious instructors, liturgical work-ers, cantors, and catechists. A minister is a person who is authorized to conduct religious worship, such as priests, pastors, and rabbis. A professional is one where the religious position requires at least a bachelor’s degree and where the individual has that degree. A nonprofessional is one wherein a bachelor’s degree is not required.

3) The immigrant must be working in a full-time religious vocation or occupation continuously for at least 2 years before applying for a visa. This requirement may be fulfilled through religious work either in a foreign country or in the United States.

Although the qualifying employment may be compensated or voluntary, the burden is on the individual to prove that he/she has been employed on a full-time (at least 35 hours per week) basis in a religious vocation or occupation. The recent policy change involves the last requirement of 2 years of continuous full-time work as a religious worker immediately prior to the submission of the visa petition.

Previously, the USCIS interpreted the law to require that if the religious work is performed in the United States, that the work must have been lawful and authorized by the USCIS. This interpretation was challenged in the court case of Shalom Pentecostal Church v. Acting Secretary DHS, 783 F.3d 156 (3d Cir. 2015).

In that case, the court ruled against the USCIS, stating that it is beyond their legal authority to mandate that the required work must be authorized.

Consequently, the USCIS issued the recent policy memorandum in order to implement apply the court’s decision na-tionwide to all religious worker petitions. The USCIS now confirms that the 2 years of required work experience in a religious capacity can either be authorized or not

authorized by the USCIS. If an individual who is undocu-

mented in the US is performing full-time religious work for at least 2 years, the change in policy may now allow them to be classified as a Special Im-migrant Religious Worker.

The new policy regarding Special Immigrant Religious Workers was effectively immediately when it was announced on July 5, 2015. Individu-als who have selflessly devoted their efforts for a religious cause should take the opportunity that is afforded to them so that they may find the security necessary to allow them to continue sharing their charitable deeds.

For further information, please schedule an appointment with an at-torney at Aquino & Loew, Certified Immigration Law Specialists; (888) 797-1140 or (626) 799-3089; [email protected]. Please also visit Aquino & Loew at www.aquinoloew.com and connect with us on Facebook and Twitter. Aquino & Loew also handles family law and criminal mat-ters. Providing Personalized Service Nationwide & Abroad Since 1996.


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Washington, United States (AFP) Thursday 7/23/2015 – US deportations of undocumented immigrants should decline significantly as a result of decrees issued by President Barack Obama last November, a new study released Thursday concludes.

The new enforcement priorities set forth in the decrees “could provide a degree of protection from deportation” for about 9.6 million undocumented immigrants, or 87 percent of the estimated 11 million liv-ing in the shadows, the Migration Policy

Institute said.Under previous enforcement guidelines

dating from 2010, only about 73 percent of undocumented immigrants, or about eight million people, were safe from deportation, the report said.

It is a “significant narrowing of who falls into the priorities,” said Mark Rosen-blum, deputy director of the institute’s program on US immigration policy.

The shrinking universe of deportable immigrants is a result of Obama’s decision

to focus enforcement on border security and dangerous criminals, according to the study.

Obama’s best known immigration mea-sures called for the legalization of certain categories of immigrants—parents of US citizens or adolescents brought to the country illegally by their parents, known as “dreamers.” Those measures, which would have benefitted some four million undocumented immigrants, were frozen by a court ruling.

But the institute said that the new guidelines for deportations are equally significant, and could affect a larger num-ber of people.

Under those directives, US immigration authorities are instructed to focus on the deportation of people who pose a threat to national security, people convicted of serious crimes, gang members or undocu-mented immigrants caught near the border.

The institute estimates that that encom-passes about 1.4 million people.

Study predicts drop in US deportations

Washington, United States (AFP) Tues-day 7/28/2015 – Republican White House hopeful Jeb Bush vowed Monday to launch comprehensive immigration reform, in-cluding stronger borders and finding a way for the 11 million undocumented people in the country to make their status legal.

Back in 2008, then-candidate Barack Obama pledged to seek a major immi-gration policy reform that would let the undocumented stay indefinitely. But his efforts hit a wall in the Republican-run Congress.

According to former Florida governor Bush, a president is only going to be able to carry off the sometimes controversial issue if the new leader “is committed to protecting the border” and to building people’s trust.

“That is the way it is. I am making the commitment, and I know that we can get it done,” Bush said in an interview with Telemundo network, the first he has done completely in Spanish since throwing his hat in the ring.

The son of ex-president George H.W. Bush and brother to former president George W. Bush explained his plan would see 11 million people come out of the shad-ows, get a legal work permit, pay taxes and a fine, as well as learn English without get-ting federal benefits but while eventually obtaining permanent legal status.

Jeb Bush’s take on immigration – far more liberal than most Republicans’

stands – could help him get more support from Hispanics, the United States fastest-growing minority group.

He raised some eyebrows among con-servatives last year when he said illegal immigration sometimes is an “act of love” by one relative desperate to be reunited with their US-based family. The issue is expected to be a divisive one for Bush’s party this year.

But it is a personal matter for Bush. His wife, Columba, was born in Mexico.

“We speak Spanish at home. We eat Mexican food at home. Our kids are His-panic in a lot of ways. So the Hispanic influence in my family is very important in my life,” Bush added in Spanish.

Bush also faces intense competition from a deep Republican field, including several candidates with stronger backing from evangelicals, supporters of traditional values and religious freedom advocates.

Toronto, Canada (AFP) Sunday 7/26/2015 – Half of the Cuban men’s field hockey team at the Pan American Games in Toronto defected to the United States, a player and sources close to the Cuban delegation said Saturday. The sources said eight of the 16 Cuban players had deserted, while team member Roger Aguilera put the number at seven, just the latest in a rash of Cuban defections across several sports.

“Everyone knows what happened to our team, we have seven of them in the United States,” said Aguilera, after the decimated Cubans were hammered 13-0 by Trinidad and Tobago. Short of manpower, Cuba could only field eight players instead of the standard 11 plus five substitutes.

They are not the first Cubans to defect during the Pan Am Games, after four row-ers disappeared last week, including silver medalist Orlando Sotolongo.

It is not uncommon for Cuban athletes to defect, with baseball, boxing and volley-ball – sports where Cuban stars can com-mand big salaries internationally – particu-larly hard hit. At the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, eight members of the Cuban delegation defected.

In January 2013, Cuba eliminated legal barriers to foreign travel, but that did not end the defections of artists and athletes, who remain susceptible to the lure of higher pay abroad.

In an attempt to stem the losses, Cuba raised salaries of athletes, and began al-lowing them to sign contracts with foreign clubs.

But the defections have continued, including at this month’s football Gold Cup, despite a historic thaw in ties between communist Cuba and the United States.

Jeb Bush would give undocumented a way to stay in US

Half of Cuba men’s hockey team defects

Thursday July 23 2015 (Miami, United States-AFP) – Arsenic in rice is a global health concern, but research-ers in Northern Ireland have found a way to remove it by cooking rice the way coffee is brewed, a study said Wednesday.

A percolator that cooks rice by pass-ing hot water through it, rather than boiling it in a pot, was able to remove 85 percent of the grains’ cancer-caus-ing inorganic arsenic, said the study in the open-access journal PLOS ONE.

“This is a very significant break-through as this offers an immediate solution to decreasing inorganic ar-senic in the diet,” said Andy Meharg, professor of Plant and Soil Sciences at Queen’s University in Belfast’s Insti-tute for Global Food Security.

“We discovered that by using perco-lating technology, where cooking wa-ter is continually passed through rice in a constant flow, we could maximize

removal of arsenic,” he said.Chronic exposure to inorganic arse-

nic has been linked to developmental problems, heart disease, diabetes, ner-vous system damage, lung and bladder cancers.

Rice is a staple for many cultures worldwide, and is often fed to babies in the form of rice cereal.

Since rice is grown under flooded conditions, it absorbs inorganic arsenic from soil minerals.

Rice typically contains 10 times more inorganic arsenic than other foods, and the European Food Stan-dards Authority has warned that people who eat a lot of rice, are exposed to worrying concentrations.

Queen’s is seeking a patent for its rice cooking percolation system, “which means consumers could soon have this technology in their own kitchen,” a statement from the uni-versity said.

Cooking rice in a brewer could erase arsenic: study


California cuts water use beyond target

By Paul Netter, Southern California EdisonJuly 28, 2015 – With the National

Weather Service predicting triple-digit temperatures and thunderstorms in some areas of the region beginning Wednesday, Southern California Edison (SCE) urges its customers to stay safe while staying cool.

SCE has also called a Save Power Day for Wednesday. Customers partici-pating in the conservation program can earn up to $100 in bill credits per year for conserving energy between 2-6 p.m.

The weather service is forecasting that a hot and humid weather pattern, along with possible isolated thunderstorms, will linger over SCE’s service area, including Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, San Ber-nardino and Riverside counties, through at least Saturday. Lightning is possible as well.

“During heat waves and especially thun-derstorms, it is important that people size up their situation and take the appropriate precautions,” said Don Neal, SCE director of Corporate Environmental, Health and

Safety. “For example, if you hear thunder, even in the distance, immediately find a safe place. Fully enclosed buildings with wiring and plumbing or hard-topped metal vehicles with closed windows are best.”

SCE also reminds customers to never approach or touch a downed power line or dangling wire – even if it appears not to be live – and call 911 immediately. Out-ages also may leave traffic signals out, so approach those intersections as four-way stops.

Customers may report or inquire about outages at 1-800-611-1911 and get the latest information from the outage page at sce.com/outages. They can also down-load the “My SCE” app for outage updates on their smartphones. Updates also are shared via Twitter.

To sign up for the Save Power Day pro-gram, go to: sce.com/spd. Customers can select how they would like to be notified, either by phone, email or text.

To stay cool – and conserve energy –during the heat wave, SCE customers

Southern California Edison urges its customers to stay safe and cool as heat wave nears

Safety urged as heat wave, thunderstorms approach

are urged to set their thermostats no lower than 78 degrees and to reduce electricity use between noon-6 p.m., the peak hours of energy usage.

Other tips to conserve energy and stay cool, include:

Use electric fans instead of air condi-tioning when practical.

Close drapes and blinds to keep out direct sunlight during hot periods.

Limit how often you open your refrig-

erator door. When possible, businesses should shift power-intensive work pro-cesses to morning or evening hours. “In addition to thunderstorm precautions, customers should minimize outdoor activi-ties during severe heat and drink plenty of water in order to stay hydrated to avoid heat illness or heat stroke,” said Neal. “And if you’re planning outdoor activities the rest of this week, monitor the weather. Don’t be caught off guard.”

San Francisco, United States (AFP) Wednesday 7/29/2015 – Online retail co-lossus Amazon wants to carve out a special zone of the sky to shuttle commercial drones that would deliver goods to its customers.Amazon Prime Air project vice president Gur Kimchi used a NASA convention in Califor-nia on Tuesday to fly the idea of dedicating separate air zones for commercial drones.

Kimchi proposed setting commercial drone zones between 200 and 400 feet (61 and 122 meters) above the ground, with a no-fly buffer of 100 feet above to keep them safely apart from other aircraft.

Less sophisticated drones, such as those used by hobbyists, could be given air space below that used by the faster, more sensor-equipped commercial models.

“Amazon believes the safest and most efficient model for sUAS (small Unmanned Aerial Systems) with mixed equipage and capabilities is in segregated airspace with a defined structure for operations below 500 feet,” said a written portion of the Amazon Prime Air presentation. “The public and private sUAS industry should work together to realize this new concept of airspace op-erations if we are to bring the remarkable innovations of sUAS to bear in a safe and responsible way.”

Drones would need to meet technical standards to enter commercial drone zones, which would have their own air traffic con-trol systems. Amazon last month insisted on a significant change to proposed US drone regulations before it introduces 30-minute Prime Air parcel delivery by unmanned aerial vehicles to its American customers. The online retail giant – a major player in the development of UAVs for civilian mis-sions—acknowledged safety concerns as the Federal Aviation Administration hammers out a final set of commercial drone-flying rules.

But it balked at the FAA’s proposal, set out in a notice of proposed rule-making in February, that small UAVs fly only in full view of their operators on the ground – not at a distance beyond the line of sight.

Amazon disagrees with the FAA’s claim that flying drones beyond their operators’ line of sight is a major safety concern.

The FAA is poised to miss a September deadline for a long-awaited final set of rules to govern civilian drones in crowded US skies – prompting industry fears that the United States is falling behind other countries in developing high-value UAV technology.

Amazon wants air space for delivery drones

Los Angeles, United States (AFP) Thursday 7/30/2015 – Californians cut water use by more than the 25 percent demanded by Governor Jerry Brown in June, the first month that new emergency rules came into force, officials said Thursday.

The 27.3 percent reduction was recorded in a month which saw record high temperatures throughout the western US state, gripped by the fourth year of an unprecedented drought.

“Californians understand the severity of the drought and they are taking action, as shown by the numbers released today,” said Felicia Marcus, Chair of the State Water Resources Control Board.

“This report shows that residents knew they had to keep conserving even during the summer heat and they kept the sprinklers off more than they would in a normal year. She added: “That’s the right attitude as we head into August and September heat – in the drought of the century with no certain end date.”

In April, California announced sweeping statewide water restrictions for the first time in history in order to combat the region’s devastating drought, the worst since records began.

The executive order issued by Governor Brown aimed to achieve a 25 percent reduction in water usage across cities and towns throughout California by a com-bination of measures.

By Jean-Louis SantiniWashington, United States (AFP)

Thursday 7/30/2015 – Trees and other vegetation take longer than expected to recover from extreme drought, thus storing less carbon dioxide and accelerating global warming, a study said Thursday.

Previous climate models assumed that forests bounced back rapidly after periods of severe water shortage, but a report in the US journal Science found that trees actually took two to four years to resume normal growth rates after droughts ended.

During this prolonged recovery period, forests can store less carbon dioxide than completely healthy forests, according to the study.

The amount of time needed to recover after a drought was previously unknown.

Trees and other plants play an important role in stemming the effects of climate change by storing carbon dioxide and other harmful emissions released by hu-man activity.

“If forests are not as good at taking up carbon dioxide, this means climate change would speed up,” said study lead author William Anderegg.

Scientists warned that climate impacts could be detrimental, with more and harsher dry spells predicted.

“This really matters because in the future droughts are expected to increase in frequency and severity due to climate change,” said Anderegg, who is also an assistant professor of biology at the Uni-versity of Utah.

“Some forests could be in a race to recover before the next drought strikes.”

The study warned of the impact of higher temperatures.

“The fact that temperatures are going up suggests quite strongly that the western regions of the US are going to have more frequent and more severe droughts, sub-stantially reducing forests’ ability to pull carbon from the atmosphere,” Anderegg said.

‘Lethal drought’The impacts in some parts of the United

States have already been made clear.Following a drought in the southwestern

part of the country from 2000 to 2003, temperatures were three to six degrees Fahrenheit (1.6 to 3.3 Celsius) warmer than the long-term average, according to the study.

“It really seemed to make the drought le-thal to vegetation where previous droughts with the same rainfall deficit weren’t,” Anderegg said.

Slow forest drought recovery may boost climate change: study

The researchers examined the recovery of tree stem growth after severe drought since 1948 at 1,300 forest sites globally.

They looked at the International Tree Ring Data Bank to determine the history of wood growth and track carbon uptake of the surrounding ecosystem.

The researchers found that in most forests – and especially in arid ecosystems – trees “struggled for years after experienc-ing drought.”

Forests in parts of California and the Mediterranean region were the only ex-ceptions. Growth was about nine percent slower than expected in the first year, and five percent slower than expected in the second year.

The delay has major implications. Over the course of a century, carbon storage

capacity in semi-arid ecosystems could drop by 1.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide.

That’s more than the total energy-related carbon emissions the US produces in a year. There were 32.3 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions in the world last year, according to the International Energy Agency.

The researchers were comparing data to virtual climate models.

It is not known how droughts may cause long-lasting harm, though it could be from loss of foliage and carbohydrate reserves that impair growth, according to the study.

Pests and diseases can also accumulate in drought-stricken trees.

As a third hypothesis, the researchers said lasting damage to vascular tissues could impair water transport.

President Benigno S. Aquino III is being brief by MWSS Administrator Gerardo A.I. Esquivel during his inspection of the Angat Dam and Dyke Strengthening Project at the Angat Hydroelectric Power Plant Hilltop in Norzagaray, Bulacan Wednesday, (July 22). The Project involves the strengthening of the Angat Dam and Dyke in order to ensure its stability and safety to withstand the potential risk posed by possible seismic activity associated with the West Valley Fault. (MNS photo)


MOTORINGBy Myrna Aquitania

In the late 1930’s businessman/entrepre-neur B. Y. Lam (the father of current DCH Chairman, Shau-wai Lam), established a trading company in Shanghai which rap-idly expanded in Hongkong naming it the Dan Chong Hong (DCH) Limited compa-ny. EIghteen years later, in 1948, Mr. Lam opened their American subsidiary DCH (USA) in New York City. This particular branch specialized iin commodity trading and importation of food and clothing.

However, after almost 29 years in the import food/clothing and commodity trading market, the Lam family decided to shift their business focus on the automotive dealership market. Subsequently, in 1992, the Lam family partnered with the Wing On Group of Hongkong and jointly, they acquired the American subsidiary, DCH (USA). right after its Hongkong parent was sold to another company.

Through its tenacity, the DCH Group now has 27 new car and used car deal-erships.in New York, New Jersey and California where they specialize in offering and marketing “distinguished” automo-bile brands such as: Acura, Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Kia, Honda, Lexus, Nissan, Scion and Toyota.

Currently, the DCH Auto Group is the largest automotive group in New Jersey and it is among the top ten auto groups in the US, in terms of new vehicle retail sales. They have also received numerous awards inside and outside the auto industry for exceptional sales and service, as well as for contributions to business and the community.

Their dealership covers the heavily-populated Filipino areas of Southbay such as: Carson, Wilmington, Lomita, Lawn-dale, Hawthorne and Long Beach

At DCH Toyota of Torrance, they offer new and certified pre-owned Toyota and Scion vehicles, as well as other cars such as: Mercedes Benz, BMW, Ford, Nissan and Honda. They are headed by a seasoned General Manager, Chris Hunter, who has quite a lengthy career in the automotive business, and an equally knowledgeable professional Filipino Sales Director, Loyd Aler.

Both Chris Hunter and Loyd Aler aim to introduce not only DCH Toyota of Torrance’s topnotched vehicles but also their sales staff’s outstanding and friendly customer service. Their Sales and Leasing Consultants are: Philip Rivera , Edgar Re-lova, and JP Panganiban. DCH Toyota of Torrance is located at: 2909 Pacific Coast Highway, Torrance, CA. 90505; Tel. No: 888-311-0102..

DCH Auto Group rises to prominence and expansion

Friday July 24 2015 (New York, United States-AFP) – Fiat Chrysler Automobiles issued a safety recall for 1.4 million US cars and trucks Friday after hackers dem-onstrated that they could remotely control their systems while they are in operation.

The recall came after cybersecurity experts Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek remotely commandeered a Jeep Cherokee, made by Chrysler, to demonstrate the vulnerability of the vehicles’ electronic systems.

“The recall aligns with an ongoing software distribution that insulates con-nected vehicles from remote manipulation, which, if unauthorized, constitutes criminal action,” said FCA US, the American arm of the Italian auto group, in a statement.

As reported in Wired magazine and elsewhere, working from laptop comput-ers at home, the two men were able to enter the Jeep’s electronics via its online entertainment system, changing its speed and braking capability and manipulating the radio and windshield wipers.

After the report, Chrysler said Wednes-day that it was offering a free software patch for vulnerable vehicles even while saying it had no first-hand knowledge of hacking incidents.

The recall announced Friday involves a broad range of Dodge, Jeep, Ram and Chrysler cars and trucks produced between 2013 and 2015.

Customers with recalled vehicles will receive a USB device which they can use to update the vehicle’s software.

Fiat Chrysler recalles 1.4M vehicles after Jeep hack



Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – The all-new BMW 7 Series, the brand’s flagship in its sixth generation, has been unveiled. The 2016 BMW 7 Series sets a new bench-mark in lightweight design, driving dynamics, comfort, intelligent connectivity and intuitive operation.

The extensive use of car-bon-fiber-reinforced plas-tic (CFRP) in the structure of the passenger cell and the strategic application of lightweight design reduce weight and increase both the overall torsion strength and bending stiffness of the passenger cell.

The all-new BMW 7 Series will be introduced in the US as a 740i and a 750i xDrive model featuring BMWs newest and groundbreaking technologies such as Gesture Control, Wireless Charging and the standalone option of the Display Key.

An Active Kidney Grille will also be available for the first time in the US. The all-new BMW 7 Series once again sets the standard for luxury performance, deliver-ing the highest level of driving refinement in the premium class.

The 2016 BMW 7 Series will arrive in the US showrooms in the fall of 2015. The MSRP for the BMW 740i will be $81,300 and the BMW 750i xDrive will be $97,400 (prices do not include Destination and Handling).

BMW’s flagship vehicle reflects the company’s dedication to pioneer with the development of groundbreaking technol-ogy while upholding the 7 Series precedent of comfort and driving dynamics.

First introduced to the U.S. market in 1978, the new BMW 7 Series will be in its sixth generation.

The second generation, incorporated groundbreaking technologies such as Automatic Stability Control, adaptive transmission control, anti-tapping windows with express up and down on all four door windows and moonroof in addition to the world’s first use of integrated body elec-tronics with advanced diagnostic capabili-ties and Xenon Headlights (750iL).

Technologies such as Dynamic Stabil-ity Control, Head Protection System and on-board Navigation System with mov-ing map, CAN Bus technology for body electronics (5 integrated control units) and the revolutionary side-impact Interlocking Door Anchoring System defined the third generation.

For the first time in the US the V8 featured VALVETRONIC variable valve lift technology. In its fourth generation, BMW introduced Active Roll Stabilization (ARS) on a sedan, MOST Bus technology

for body electrical with 70+ control units on common busses and infinitely variable intake manifold.

For the first time, the world also benefit-ted from adaptive brake lights and electro-mechanical parking brake and electronic adaptive headlights.

BMW continued with the introduction of pace-setting technologies in its fifth generation 7 Series which hit the U.S. market in 2009.

Night Vision 2 with Pedestrian Detec-tion, Integral Active Steering, Adaptive Headlights with Dynamic Headlamp Control system with sensors measuring speed, steering angle and yaw as well as “reverse flow” cylinder heads to facilitate better packaging and minimize turbo lag defined this generation.

The BMW core principle of safe transportation was assured with features such as Blind Spot Detection and Lane Departure Warning system. Active Cruise Control with frontal Collision Warning System, Dynamic Damping Control and Driving Dynamic Control assured the 7 Series reputation of safe and efficient long-distance comfort.

The new 7 Series Innovative Design The 7 Series is the BMW’s flagship when it comes to innovation in design and tech-nology. The design of the new BMW 7 Series aligns elegance of the exterior and interior with luxurious workmanship creat-ing harmonious proportions for a distinct look and feel.

A smoothly downward-sloping roofline, displaying familiar BMW proportions, headlined by a long hood, short overhangs, long wheelbase and set-back passenger compartment highlight a sporting elegance and powerful sense of dynamics.

BMW needs no introduction. To own one or change your BMW, call our kababayans at Pacific BMW Eduardo Tiempo at 818-601-5667 or Ronald Ro-dillas at 323-683-9351. Pacific BMW is located at 800 S. Brand Blvd., Glendale, CA 91204.

The all-new 2016 BMW 7 Series

The all-New BMW 7 Series: Ground-breaking Carbon Core passenger cell

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Thursday July 23 2015 (Relaxnews) – As Daimler, Audi and BMW move to acquire Nokia’s Here mapping division, TomTom and Bosch have revealed that they’re now working together to develop ultra-accurate maps and the specifications that will enable autonomous cars to read them.

Digital maps, the type we access every time we fire up a car’s satnav or reach for the smartphone, have been revolutionary in preventing people getting lost and helping drivers navigate unfamiliar surroundings.

And while they’ll form the foundation of the guidance systems that will one day see the car take care of the journey while its occupants put their feet up, they need to become much more accurate, first.

“Only with high precision maps will automated driving on freeways be possible from 2020,” said Bosch board of manage-ment member Dr. Dirk Hoheisel.

How accurate? According to TomTom, they need to have decimeter precision and consist of several layers of information. The first layer is simply the route -- where the car’s going and how it gets there.

The second offers the accuracy needed for a car to determine if it is actually within a lane on a road.

A third layer provides speed limits, information on the types of lane markings, slopes, curves and bends. And, only with all of these layers working in sync with a

car’s sensors can it know exactly where it is and is able to calculate the next move – such as to stay in lane or to exit – to perfection.

And it’s those layers that sit on top of the navigation information that the companies are working to define and develop together.

“By the end of 2015, we want to have new high-precision maps for automated driving for all freeways and freeway-like roads in Germany,” said Jan Maarten de Vries, Vice President Automotive at TomTom.

Thereafter the companies will concen-trate on developing similar maps for the rest of Europe and North America.

The vital importance of real-time mapping information and the facilities to constantly re-chart areas that are under development or regeneration is why Audi, Mercedes-Benz and BMW are currently in negotiation with Nokia over the purchase of Here, and is why Google has been able to clock up over 1 million autonomous miles in the US.

TomTom’s mapping fleet is always on the road collecting data and reshaping exist-ing maps and Nokia’s capabilities are great-er than Google’s when it comes to keeping track of road-going geographical changes. Bosch meanwhile is already using Tom-Tom maps in autonomous driving tests in highway situations in Germany and in the US.

Mapping the future of the self-driving carMaps for autonomous driving require multiple layers of information and decimeter accuracy. ©Stephen VanHorn/shutterstock.com

By Laurent Thomet Mexico City, Mexico (AFP) Saturday 7/25/2015 – On the mean and traffic-

choked streets of Mexico City, a fearless superhero is fighting to protect the planet from the worst the internal combustion engine can throw at it.

The mighty Peatonito (Little Pedestrian) pushes cars blocking the path of pe-destrians, creates crosswalks with spray paint, and climbs on vehicles parked on sidewalks—though his mother has begged him to stop stepping on them.

“Pedestrians are happy because they finally have a defender,” Peatonito said, his face covered by a wrestling mask adorned with a pedestrian symbol and wearing a striped cape (sewn by his grandma) adorned with the black and white stripes of a pedestrian crossing.

“We live in a car dictatorship. Nobody had fought for pedestrian rights until some activists emerged a few years ago.”

Meanwhile, below the city streets five clowns are on a similar mission to send up urban incivility, barging into a metro carriage making monkey noises and hold-ing a sign saying “It’s better without pushing.”

Peatonito and the clowns from the civic association the Claustrofobos (Claus-trophobes) are among a wave of activists fighting uncivil behavior and bad urban planning in this metropolis of 21 million people, four million cars and five million daily metro commuters.

In 2013, around 30 groups from across the country formed The Pedestrian League, which published a “Mexican Charter for Pedestrian Rights” and lobbies against public policies that favor cars.

Some groups post pictures on social media to shame drivers illegally parked on sidewalks or in handicapped spots. With buckets of paint, they create crosswalks or trace sidewalks.

But humor is the weapon used by Peatonito and Claustrofobos.They face a city where drivers only need an ID and 704 pesos ($46) to get a

license and joke that red lights are a “suggestion”. Underground, moody metro riders battle to enter and exit trains like rugby players in a scrum.

Metro clownsSix philosophy graduates founded the group “Ponte la del Metro” to restore

metro etiquette in 2010, and later created Claustrofobos.“We think that giving information through art and culture makes information

more fun,” said co-founder Aldo Giordano, 27, who works at a film production company.

This year, the city gave them one million pesos ($65,000) to fund the clown troupe, conduct research and make a short film.

As the clowns entered one of the orange metro trains, some riders stared blankly at their phones, but many smiled and took pictures, happy to see something other than illegal sellers of CDs or other contraband.

A curly-haired clown moaned and pretended to faint while holding a “baby” (her purse) wrapped in a purple scarf, mocking the unwillingness of younger com-muters to give up their seats.

“There are no gentlemen like before. Now they act like they’re half asleep to avoid giving up their seats to women or the elderly,” said Susana Hernandez, a 53-year-old housewife whose frown turned into a smile during the brief show.

The performances can have an immediate effect. At escalators, they convince people standing still on the left side to move to the right and let others pass.

The clowns also bring smiles at ticket booths, where sellers and customers are often rude to each other.

“We’re trying to break a vicious circle,” said Julio Cesar Ortega, the 27-year-old artistic director of the Clownoscopio troupe, which works with Claustrofobos, after dabbing white make up on his face with a red dot on his nose.

But changing attitudes will take longer than the daily commute.“Many people congratulate us but also tell us that nothing will change,” Gior-

dano said. “I think we are planting the seeds, and another generation will obtain this change.”

Mexico’s masked hero making streets safe – for pedestrians


C h e r r y Hill, N.J. – Subaru of A m e r i c a , Inc. has an-nounced the 2016 Series.HyperBlue limited edi-tion avail-able exclu-s i v e l y o n B R Z a n d WRX STI models. As a follow up to the 2015 Series.Blue BRZ, the 2016 Series.HyperBlue cars feature exterior paint in Subaru’s exclusive Hyper Blue with matching interior trim. Production will be limited to 700 WRX STI and 500 BRZ cars for the United States. Vehicles will go on sale this Fall.

Se r i e s .Hype r.B lue WRX STIPowered by the legendary 305-horse-power 2.5-liter turbocharged/intercooled BOXER engine, the WRX STI helped to pioneer the sport compact segment with a rally-bred drivetrain and Multi-Mode Driver Controlled Center Differential (DCCD) Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive. Standard handling technologies include Active Torque Vectoring, Multi-Mode Vehicle Dynamics Control and a Brembo Performance Brake System with Super Sport ABS.

The Series.HyperBlue trim brings exclusive blue stitching to the standard Alcantara seats, leather wrapped steer-ing wheel, manual transmission shifter boot, console as well as carpeted floor mats with the traditional Cherry Red STI logo. Series.HyperBlue WRX STI wears 18-inch BBS Black Alloy wheels and black badging with black painted exte-rior mirrors. SUBARU STARLINK 7.0” Multimedia Navigation System comes standard on this trim with 9 Harman/Kar-don® speakers and 440-watt amplifier.

The WRX STI is equipped exclu-sively with a specially reinforced 6-speed manual transmission. A flat-bottom, leather-wrapped tilt/telescoping steering wheel integrates switches for audio and Bluetooth. The STI Design electrolumi-nescent gauge panel integrates a 3.5-in. central LCD screen that displays various functions such as windshield washer fluid and the selected gear.

The Series.HyperBlue models come standard with Keyless Access with Push-Button Start and PIN Code Ac-cess. Standard Welcome Lighting automatically turns on interior illu-mination and exterior lights as the driver approaches or departs the car.Series.HyperBlue BRZ

The Subaru BRZ marked a return to the fundamentals of sports car design, emphasizing low vehicle weight, an ultra-low center of gravity and precision steering. A 200-horsepower 2.0-liter BOXER engine powers all BRZ models.For 2016, the BRZ receives the STAR-LINK 6.2” Multimedia System with a 6.2-in. single-touch gesture display, AM/FM stereo with HD Radio®, SiriusXM Satellite Radio, Radio Data Broadcast System, single-disc CD player, Bluetooth hands-free phone connectivity and audio streaming, iPod® control, iTunes Tag-ging, a USB port and an auxiliary input jack.

Smartphone integration features Aha and Pandora, along with STARLINK cloud applications iHeartRadio, Stitcher, Calendar, Music Player, News and Weather. New for 2016, the BRZ receives standard rear vision camera.

Subaru to off er Limited Edition SeriesHyperBlue BRZ, WRX STI models

Christian Marilla, Sales &Leasing Consultant of Subaru of Glendale

The Series.HyperBlue BRZ cabin features an exclusive design scheme. The leather and Alcantara upholstery includes Hyper blue leather seat bolsters and head restraints. Blue stitching accents the seats

and the blue and black leather-wrapped steering wheel, as well as the shift lever boot and leather-wrapped parking brake handle. The blue motif carries to the center console kneepads and door trim, accented

Subaru 2016 WRX

by an embroidered silver BRZ logo on the front seatbacks. Carpeted floor mats also pick up the BRZ logo and blue stitching. The exterior continues the Series.Hy-perBlue theme with 17-inch black alloy wheels, black glossy badging and painted black finish exterior mirrors. A frameless day/night rear-view mirror and simulated carbon fiber center dash panel add a high-tech look, and the finishing touch is an illuminated engine start / stop button.Pricing on these models will be an-nounced this Fall.

For more information about Subaru or become a new member of the elite Subaru club, all you have to do is to come on down to Subaru Glendale and our kababayan Christian Marilla will be more than happy to inform you why Subaru is becoming a favorite of Filipinos and the whole American market.

Subaru of Glendale is located at 1308 S Brand Blvd, Glendale, CA 91204. You can reach them at 1-855-230-1547 or you can visit their website www.subaruof-glendale.net.


New 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander: A redesigned and reengineered crossover value

Much more than a traditional mid-cycle design “refreshing” that consists of minor aesthetic updates, the new 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander has been redesigned and reengineered to stand out in the competitive small crossover segment with its powerful and dynamic appearance and refined driving experi-ence. Combined with Mitsubishi’s reli-ability and safety standards, the 2016 Outlander is an unmatched value.

The new 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander features a bold new exterior design, an eloquent yet functional interior space, and over 100 engineering and design improvements to the platform for bet-ter structural rigidity, ride quality and reduced noise, vibration and harshness (NVH).

The 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander comes equipped with the following standard features:

New for 2016 (U.S. Model):New exterior design with redesigned

front fascia, front fender, halogen headlights, LED position lights, lower door sections, 18-in. alloy wheels, rear fascia, tailgate garnish and LED tail-lights (all models) and power-folding

and engine compartment trim (all models) New generation continuously-variable transmission for improved acceleration, performance, shift feel and torque delivery (all CVT-equipped models)

Lower price for high-tech safety

systems including Forward Collision Mitigation, Lane Departure Warning and Adaptive Cruise Control (available for SEL and GT models)

If you’re interested to know why the Outlander and the Mitsubishi has cap-tured the fancy of millions Americans

through the years, all you have to do is get in touch with out kababayans – Filipino Sales & Leasing professional Alex Jacinto and Finance Manager Norm Bustamante – at Puente Hills Mitsubishi. You can reach them at 1-866-400-1067.

2016 Mitsubishi Outlander at-a-glance

Thursday July 23 2015 (Relaxnews) – For the 11th time in succession German sportscar and latterly SUV maker Porsche has topped the JD Power Automotive Per-formance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) study.

The aim of the annual study, now in its 20th year, is to determine which technolo-gies, driver aids and features -- plus the way they’re executed -- are having the biggest impact on driver gratification. Over 840,000 drivers of new cars, who had had their vehicles for fewer than three months, were questioned for the report, and results are calculated by giving individual cars and marques a score using a 1000-point scale.

With a score of 874, Porsche topped the table, followed by Jaguar (855), BMW (854), and Mercedes-Benz (853). With 852 points, Audi completed the top five.

In the non-premium segment, Mini was head and shoulders above the competition, scoring 825 points, putting it ahead of Volvo and Acura, both of which are con-sidered luxury marques for the purposes of the study.

In second place in the non-premium sector is Hyundai (809), followed by Volk-swagen (806), GMC (804) and Ram (803).

Premium marques are expected to perform better than mass-market models, simply because they are the most likely to have the types of cutting-edge tech-nologies and features that consumers crave. However, JD Power notes that the gap is closing. The overall average APEAL score for premium models is 841 while the aver-age for non-premium brands has this year moved up to 790.

“Over the past several years, we have seen non-premium brands increasingly offer the types of in-vehicle technologies that used to be available only to premium buyers,” Renee Stephens, vice president of US automotive quality at J.D. Power.

Porsche has greatest ‘APEAL’ American drivers

Alex Jacinto of Puente Hills Mitsubishi presenting the new 2016 Outlander SE Labrador Black. Please call him for special offers at 1-866-400-1067.

side mirrors, windshield wiper de-icer and LED headlights (GT model)

New updated interior featuring a redesigned steering wheel, seating surfaces, accent trim, rear folding seat, headliner, display audio system (all models) and auto-dim-ming rearview mirror with Homelink® (GT model)

Numerous improve-ments to the chassis in-cluding increased body and suspension struc-tural rigidity, redesigned suspension and Electric Power Steering, noise-isolating windshield and rear door glass, more sound insulation through-out the vehicle, dynamic front suspension and rear differential dampers, im-proved weather stripping



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Weekend Balita August 1, 2015