Weekend balita files july 5, 2014

MANILA, July 2 (Mabuhay) -- Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago on Wednesday said President Benigno Aquino III can be impeached for approving the creation and use of the Disbursement Acceleration Pro-gram, although she immediately acknowl-edged that his allies have the numbers to fend off any bid.

“Let’s assume there is a circular for the sake of argument, and the President can be impeached, definitely yes in a theoretical way. But you know, impeachment is both a legal and political topic and you cannot separate one from the other,” Santiago said at a press conference at the Senate, a day after the Supreme Court declared key provisions of the DAP unconstitutional.

“Now if you are asking me if he can be impeached, definitely. But can he be impeached in reality, meaning you have to count, you have to have votes … as you know, you need enough votes to raise it to a committee, to the plenary and so on,” she added.

Nevertheless, Santiago said Aquino’s critics would be justified in trying to im-peach him.

“I (don’t) think it’s bound to pay off, but I will not blame them (for the) attempt, to test the water, and to float a trial balloon because it is a violation of the Constitution, as the Supreme Court has already said,” she said.

In a related development, Kabataan party-list Representative Terry Ridon, who broached the possibility of impeaching

See IMPEACHED, page 14

President Benigno S. Aquino III answers questions directed to him during the 67th Anniversary of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) at the Haribon Hangar of the Air Force City in Clark Air Base, Pampanga on Tuesday (July 01). This year’s celebration is anchored on the theme “Soar High PAF for Peace, Freedom and Development.” The PAF was founded on July 1, 1947- two years after the end of World War II. It traces its lineage to the Philippine Army Air Corp, which was established in 1941. (MNS photo)

Miriam: Aquino can be impeached over DAP

MANILA, July 2 (Mabuhay) – Describ-ing impeachment calls unproductive and divisive, Vice President Jejomar Binay on Wednesday urged the public to support President Benigno Aquino III.

“President Aquino is our leader duly elected by our people. He has the people’s mandate and we should support him. This is why talks of impeaching President Aquino is both unproductive and divisive,” Binay said in a press statement.

The Vice President made this appeal amid impeachment calls triggered by the Supreme Court (SC) decision declaring parts of the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) unconstitutional.

Binay called for sobriety and an end to partisanship and speculation on the extent of liabilities of government officials.

“I would instead encourage all parties to set aside partisan political acts and just accept and respect the ruling of the SC,” Binay said.

As to the accountabilities of other gov-ernment officials, Binay appealed to let the effects of the SC decision take its course.

”As of now none of us has read the de-cision in its entirety so any discussion on

ANILA, July 2 (Mabuhay) – Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago on Wednesday told a televised press conference that she has stage 4 lung cancer.

She said doctors who examined her after she complained of shortness of breath found “genetic mutation” in her left lung.

Santiago said she will not undergo chemotherapy but will instead take “one tablet a day” to fight the disease, which doctors said is not spreading to other parts of her body.

“I was assured I can work,” she said.

SAN ANTONIO, June 30, 2014 (AFP) – More than 200 US and Filipino Marines launched a mock amphibious assault Monday on an enemy beachfront close to a disputed South China Sea outcrop.

Amid driving rain and rough waves, five amphibious assault tanks roared off from a US destroyer anchored off Zambales province, about two hours drive northwest of Manila, and landed on the soggy beach peppered with imaginary foes.

US Marines scanned the horizon on scopes mounted on assault rifles as they

dramatically emerged from the hatch, while their Filipino counterparts took firing posi-tions on the ground.

Shots later rang out towards enemy positions in an assault that lasted about an hour.

The drill was part of week-long, annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training that the United States bilaterally holds with Asian allies, including the Philippines, to boost maritime security.

About 1,000 US and Filipino troops

Sen. Miriam reveals she has stage 4 lung cancer

US, PHL in mock invasion

VP Binay calls for support to President amid impeachment calls

See BINAY, page 14

See MIRIAM, page 14

See INVASION, page 14

Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago

LOS ANGELES

VOL. XXII, NO. 22 THE LEADING SOURCE OF NEWS AND INFORMATION FOR FILIPINO-AMERICANSJULY 5-11, 2014

Nora Aunorhurt by Nat’lArtist snub

See NORA AUNOR page 23

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Solaire Resort and Casino, the Philip-pines’ premier integrated resort, in partner-ship with AirAsia unveils a breakthrough branding project in the Philippines.

Solaire again raises the bar as it wraps its brightly colored logo on AirAsia’s popular Airbus A320, which is scheduled to embark on its maiden flight this July. Solaire is the first consumer brand in the country to embark on this logo wrap campaign with a commercial airline partner, to further promote tourism in the Philippines and in greater Asia.

This dynamic collaboration between Solaire and AirAsia represents another step forward in an on-going journey towards providing modern travel experiences for its customers, with a fresh new approach to their target market. This partnership will facilitate more passenger and cargo traffic in both regional and domestic flights, and further enhance strong trade, cultural and tourism ties within Asia.

Jasper Evangelista, Vice President, Brand & Marketing, Solaire Resort and Casino said, “This aircraft branding project is an innovative marketing tool that literally al-lows us to take our brand to greater heights. We have created amazing moments for our customers since the launch of Solaire last year, and now we’re aiming to further con-nect with our local and foreign guests and travelers by strengthening our presence in the country’s international and domestic airports. Sky Solaire will enable us to get immediate traction on this campaign and take it to a higher level.”

Currently, Solaire’s brand colors are donned by just one airplane, but nothing is stopping them from further rolling out this innovative wrap on additional aircrafts in the future wih broader partership arrangements. The campaign will continue till 2016 and it is envisioned that this high-impact ad in the

sky will generate more hype and publicity as things progress.

In-line with Solaire’s “Create Your Mo-ments” campaign, which highlights Solaire as the perfect place to create unforgettable memories, this fitting partnership with AirAsia, one of Asia’s leading and multi-awarded airlines in their category, harmo-niously evokes the key thrusts of customer service, hospitality, and excitement in both industries. This marketing initiative is also primed to open up new revenue streams for both the integrated resort and the airline carrier.

“This milestone is a key undertaking between two passionate brands with en-trepreneurial and dynamic mindsets. This unprecedented branding project in the Philippines may be taken as a “leadership statement,” which attests to Solaire’s strong growth momentum in the industry. Yes we are again raising the bar; this time we’re taking it to the skies.” Says Donato Almeda, Board Director Solaire Resort and Casino.

AirAsia Zest Chair and Philippines AirA-sia CEO Maan Hontiveros said, “AirAsia Philippines is a sociable and innovative brand. We also take pride on our collabora-tive nature. This new livery demonstrates our creative approach to partnerships and marketing opportunities especially with companies that support and promote tour-ism. We are thrilled to carry Solaire’s brand in the sky and on the grounds at the airports here and abroad extending to as far as our destinations in Malaysia, China and Korea.”

The Solaire experience is stamped with an unparalleled brand of service style, world-renowned Philippine hospitality, top-of-class luxurious accommodations, diverse dining options and impressive gam-ing facilities, which have all contributed to the way people people view resort casinos in Manila. Many have opted to extend their

stay at the resort, to have simply grown to embrace the aspirational and stress-free lifestyle offered to them at Solaire. Solaire Resort and Casino clearly offers the utmost experience of comfort, elegance and luxury in the Philippines right now.

About Solaire Resort and Casino:Solaire Resort & Casino, the primary

property of Bloomberry Resorts Corpo-ration, is a USD $1.2 Billion integrated destination resort on an 8.3-hectare site in Manila, Philippines opened March 2013. Solaire, a luxury destination casino resort, is the first property to open in the Entertainment City, a government sponsored (Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation) economic development zone.

Solaire’s Phase 1 features 500 luxurious rooms, suites and bay side villas, 18,500 square meters of gaming space, a wide range of award-winning dining experience and signature restaurants, sophisti-cated bars and lounges, and an ample multi-level car park. The property has additional 258,721 square meter expansion project under development which is expected to open 3rd quarter of 2014. For more information and reservations, please contact a travel professional or access the website at www.solaireresort.com.

AirAsia Philippines holds 49 per cent stake in AirAsia Zest after a sign-ing an agreement with Ambassador Alfredo M. Yao, prominent business-man and owner of Zest Airways Inc., in March 2013. In the same year, Filipino Low Cost Carrier ZestAir has been rebranded as AirAsia Zest to reflect its partnership with AirAsia, the leading and largest low-cost car-rier in Asia and voted as the World’s

Best Low Cost Airline in the annual World Airline Survey by Skytrax for five consecu-tive years from 2009 - 2013.

AirAsia Zest and AirAsia Philippines currently operate a combined fleet of 18 aircraft servicing domestic destinations of Kalibo (Boracay), Puerto Princesa (Palawan), Tagbilaran (Bohol), Cebu and Tacloban with international destination in Asia, China and Korea from Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and Kalibo International Airport.

The Aerobatic Demonstration and Opener Pass of the PAF during the 67th Anniversary of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) at the Haribon Hangar of the Air Force City in Clark Air Base, Pampanga on Tuesday (July 01, 2014). This year’s celebration is anchored on the theme “Soar High PAF for Peace, Freedom and Development”. The PAF was founded on July 1, 1947- two years after the end of World War II. It traces its lineage to the Philippine Army Air Corp, which was established in 1941. (MNS photo)

Solaire Resort and Casino ad wraps AirAsia plane


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WASHINGTON, July 3, 2014 (AFP) – US job creation picked up solidly in June, pushing the jobless rate down to 6.1 percent, boosting confidence in the economy and sending stocks flying to new records.

Leaving behind the first-quarter contraction, the economy pumped out a much better-than-expected 288,000 net new jobs last month, Labor Department data showed Thursday.

The June numbers capped the best half-year for the US employment market since the 2008-2009 Great Recession: an average of 231,000 new positions added each month since January.

That has helped pull the unemployment rate down much faster than predicted. At 6.1 percent, the rate was down 0.2 percentage points from May and 1.4 points from a year ago.

“In light of the recent volatility of GDP, we look to the employment report as the key barometer to measure the health of the economy,” said Doug Handler, chief US economist at IHS Global Insight.

“This report puts a smile on the face of all economists who, like IHS, are fore-casting strong economic growth in the second half of the year.”

Signal for early rate rise? -The report sparked fresh buying in the US equity market, boosting the Dow Jones

Industrial Average past the 17,000 mark for the first time in history.In late-morning trade, the Dow was up 0.4 percent to 17,043.63 while the S&P

500 added 0.3 percent to a record intraday high of 1,981.98.But the data also, for some analysts, moved forward expectations for the Federal

Reserve’s first interest rate hike since the recession. The Fed, concerned that growth is still weak and the jobs market still slack, has consistently pointed to mid-20015 at the earliest to lift its federal funds rate up from near-zero.

“We are firmly of the view that the Fed will have to raise rates much faster than they or the markets expect,” said Ian Shepherdson at Pantheon Macroeconomics.

Indeed, bond prices fell and yields jumped as traders adjusted their medium-term expectations. The 10-year Treasury rose to 2.68 percent, up from 2.63 percent Wednesday and 2.52 percent Monday.

Jobs gains were broad-based across industries, with a surge as well in government hiring, a sector that has overall continued to pare jobs since the economic crisis.

There was a key exception to the gains. The construction industry lagged with only 6,000 new jobs, a poor showing for a sector expected to continue driving growth.

But that might not be for long: the ISM purchasing managers survey for June, also released Thursday, showed strong growth in construction sector activity that could lead to more hiring.

The total number of officially unemployed fell by more than 300,000 to 9.4 mil-lion, with only a slight uptick in the number of those not in the labor force, another sign of strength in the economy.

Another sign of strength was the continued fall in the number of long-term un-employed, a group that has particularly worried policy makers who fear they will forced to drop out of the work force permanently.

People out of work for more than 27 weeks fell by nearly 300,000 to 3.1 million, compared with 4.3 million a year ago.

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By Teodoro AljibeBATAC, July 2, 2014 (AFP) – Imelda

Marcos, the Philippines’ most famous political survivor, toasted her 85th birthday Wednesday as the former first lady made plans for a triumphal return to the presi-dential palace.

Wearing a flowing red gown and diamond rings, the self-declared “poverty-stricken” Marcos was serenaded by throngs of supporters as she emerged from her private chambers in the family mansion in their northern stronghold of Batac.

“My only wish is for God to give me a little more strength to prolong my life,” Marcos told reporters who asked about her birthday wish.

She said she had seen “the best, best, best and the worst, worst worst” in life, but insisted she has no plans to ride into the sunset just yet.

“I still have a vision and hope to bring more help to the Filipino people,” she said in a free-wheeling, often rambling, interview.

She insisted that Ferdinand Marcos Ju-nior, her senator son and namesake of her late husband, was “qualified” to contest the presidency in May 2016 when incumbent Benigno Aquino, son of the Marcoses’ top

political foes, ends his six-year term.“(Returning to) Malacañang would be a

great help,” in implementing her projects, said Marcos, referring to the presidential palace.

The flamboyant matriarch became the symbol of excess during the brutal 20-year regime of her late husband, who was also accused of looting state coffers and whose martial law rule was marked by human rights abuses.

While the rest of the country wallowed in poverty and thousands of activists were killed or went missing, Imelda Marcos and her children enjoyed a jet-setting lifestyle.

She amassed a jewelry collection valued in the tens of millions of dollars and acquired hundreds of paintings by international masters, including Monets and Picassos.

The government conservatively esti-mates that Marcos plundered government coffers of about $10 billion.

A military-backed “People Power” re-volt in 1986 chased Marcos and his family into exile in Hawaii, where the dictator died three years later.

As the public stormed the abandoned presidential palace, they discovered Imelda’s 3,000 pairs of shoes that came to

symbolize the extent of her extravagance.Imelda Marcos and her three children

were subsequently allowed to return home, and have since regained significant po-litical clout in the late dictator’s northern home province of Ilocos Norte.

Imelda Marcos won a second term as congresswoman representing Ilocos Norte last year, the same year her son was elected senator. He has hinted at joining the presi-dential race in 2016.

Her eldest daughter, Imee, is the pro-vincial governor.

On Wednesday a regal but tired-looking Imelda dramatically planted a kiss on her husband’s glass coffin as photographers jostled for position.

The dictator’s wax-like remains are kept in an airconditioned crypt at the family compound which has become a macabre

tourist attraction.Declaring herself the “mother of world

peace”, Imelda then hit out at plans by the Aquino government to auction off her jewelry collection.

She accused Aquino’s mother, the late democracy hero Corazon Aquino who was installed as president after the Marcos fam-ily fled, of persecution.

“Her first act was to confiscate and sequester all Marcos wealth even before we were tried, and that was illegal,” Mar-cos said.

She said she would prefer to have the jewels put on public display “because I want the Filipinos to know what is world-class and see that”.

Marcos did not discuss her fragile health. She was rushed to hospital last year for extreme fatigue but later recovered.

Imelda Marcos, 85, and Bongbong plot to reclaim presidency

MANILA, July 2 (Mabuhay) – A for-mer budget secretary believes Budget Sec-retary Florencio “Butch”Abad should take the fall for the disbursement acceleration program after it was declared unconstitu-tional by the Supreme Court.

Former budget secretary Benjamin Diokno said Abad cannot escape account-ability for the DAP after he was identified as the program’s brainchild. He also said the DAP could not have been implemented without the President’s approval.

“The President took the bullet for him on October 13, 2013. He made that speech. Hindi mo nga makita si Butch Abad but here is the President defending the DAP. I think it is time for Butch to take the bullet for the President,” he said.

“You are the secretary on budget af-fairs. Dapat si Butch Abad ang mananagot diyan. To me, that is the minimum...you cannot keep this hanging. Somebody has to pay,” he added.

He said it is up to Congress if the offense could be used to impeach the President.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday threw out as unconstitutional a fund overseen by President Benigno Aquino III to stimulate the economy, dealing a setback to his bid to portray himself as a champion of the fight against corruption.

Theodore Te, a spokesman for the Supreme Court, said certain “acts and practices” under the president’s DAP were illegal and unconstitutional. The vote among 13 justices was unanimous.

Te said the government had violated the constitution by allowing practices like cross-border transfers of government sav-ings to increase funds available to other offices. It was also illegal, the court said, for the government to fund projects “not covered by any general appropriation act”.

Nearly 158 billion pesos ($3.62 billion) from 2011 to 2013 were disbursed under the DAP.

Diokno said the Supreme Court deci-sion is consistent with its earlier ruling that declared the priority development assistance fund (PDAF) as illegal.

He said the practice of collecting gov-ernment funds in the middle of the fiscal year and declaring the funds as “savings”

was clearly illegal.“The President impounded in the

middle of the fiscal year the money from the agencies and then put them together and called them savings. That is illegal,” he said.

“What they are saying is – mabagal kayong gumastos, kukunin namin yan, savings na yan. Mali yun.”

Former Manila Councilor Greco Bel-gica, one of the petitioners against the DAP, even described the DAP as one of the biggest corruption scandals in Philip-pine history.

“Not even President Marcos could pull in funds all to himself until he declared martial law. Ito walang batas, walang Senado, walang Kongreso, sila lang,” he said.

Also illegal is the use of those sav-ings to fund new projects, programs and activities of the executive department not included in the national budget.

Diokno said that under the Constitution, savings can only be used to augment an item already in the budget.

He said one item declared as illegal is the cross border transfer of funds. These include the use of DAP funds to buy new cars for the Commission on Audit and ad-ditional funds for the confidential funds of the Commission on Elections chairman.

The former budget chief said he does not see how senators and congressmen could be held liable for the DAP. “Walang liability ang senators because they only identified projects. There should be li-ability in the part of the executive depart-ment,” he said. What is more disturbing, he said, are allegations that some lawmakers were allegedly bribed to render a guilty verdict in the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona.

“To behave in a certain way, call it brib-ery, incentive or coffee money. That is a different case...Mas mabigat yun,” he said.

Diokno said the beauty of the SC deci-sion is that it will force the executive to spend more time on preparing the national budget before it is approved by Congress.

“Now the rules on fiscal behavior are more defined and the agencies will be more careful. They will give budget prepa-ration a lot of respect,” he said.

Abad should bite the bullet for DAP: Diokno


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MANILA, July 1 (Mabuhay) – Detained Senators Ramon Bong Revilla Jr. and Jing-goy Estrada no longer need to be suspended while facing plunder and graft charges in connection with the alleged pork barrel scam, their respective camps said Tuesday.

In a phone interview, Revilla’s lawyer Joel Bodegon described as “unnecessary” the Ombudsman’s motion – filed before the Sandiganbayan – to suspend Revilla.

“This no longer serves the purpose of suspension. Bakit ba sinu-suspend? Para hindi na maka-take advantage sa official position or maka-influence sa investiga-tion. Naka-detain na si Senator Bong, kaya walang saysay na talaga ito,” Bodegon said.

He described the Ombudsman’s mo-tion as “premature,” noting that Revilla has pending motions before the Supreme Court contesting the plunder charges filed against him.

“May issue pa sa validity noong infor-mation. Kinu-question pa namin ang pro-cedure at ang preliminary investigation,” Bodegon said.

Revilla’s lawyer further said that their camp will ask for time to file a comment to the Ombudsman’s motion during the scheduled hearing on Thursday.

The Ombudsman on Monday asked the

Sandiganbayan First and Fifth Divisions to issue a suspension against Senators Revilla and Estrada while they are facing plunder and graft charges in connection with the alleged pork barrel scam.

Revilla is being accused of pocketing P224.5 million in kickbacks from 2006 to 2010 by allocating his Priority Develop-ment Assistance Fund (PDAF) to ghost projects of businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles’ foundations.

Estrada, meanwhile, was charged for allegedly amassing P183.79 million in kickbacks from dealings with fake non-government organizations (NGOs) from 2004 to 2012.

Lawyer Alexis Abastillas, Estrada’s legal spokesperson, for her part said their camp has not yet received a copy of the Ombudsman’s motion. She, however, maintained that suspension should not be viewed as a punishment for the senator.

“The suspension is just preventive, not punitive. Usually, it is imposed to prevent a person charged from causing further harm,” Abastillas said in a separate interview.

Echoing Bodegon, she said that a suspension order seems no longer neces-sary since Estrada, like Revilla, is already detained.

“Naka-detain na nga siya. Paano pa siya mag-cause ng harm o makaka-damage sa investigation?” Abastillas said.

She, however, acknowledged the fact that the suspension of an official charged with plunder is already provided for under the law and jurisprudence.

Under Republic Act 7080 or the Plun-der Law, public officers charged with this offense “shall be suspended from office. Should he be convicted by final judgment, he shall lose all retirement or gratuity ben-

efits under any law.”A Supreme Court ruling on a petition

filed in 1989 by then-Zambales Governor Amor Deloso, meanwhile, directs the “au-tomatic application” of the suspension for 90 days of a public official facing criminal charges.

Senate President Franklin Drilon had earlier said that senators implicated in the alleged pork barrel scam will be auto-matically suspended once they are formally charged with plunder. (MNS)

Bong, Jinggoy camps: Suspension not needed

MANILA, July 1 (Mabuhay) – The for-mer head of an alleged Janet Lim-Napoles’ conduit to lawmakers’ pork barrel funds decried selective persecution in the charges against him, tagging high-ranking Cabinet and Congress officials as “equally liable” to the offenses.

Former Technology Resource Center (TRC) director general Antonio Ortiz said this in his motion before the Sandiganbay-an fifth division to quash the information against him and recall the arrest warrant.

Ortiz said equally liable were:Budget Secretary Florencio AbadoSenate President Franklin DrilonSpeaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr.House appropriations committee chair-

person Isidro UngabFormer Budget secretaries Emilia

Boncodin, Romulo Neri, and Rolando Andaya Jr.

Former Senate Presidents Manny Villar and Juan Ponce Enrile

Former Speaker Jose De Venecia Jr. And Prospero Nograles

Former House appropriations commit-tee chairpersons Jose Ma. Salceda and Joseph Emilio Abaya

“The selective and arbitrary filing of the case against the accused, and biased exclu-sion of other public officials who appear equally liable, constitute discriminatory persecution,” Ortiz’s motion read.

Ortiz said documentary evidence would show that “there are other public officials and persons who jointly or by their indis-

pensable cooperation, committed the same offense, together with the named accused, in the above-captioned cases.”

Enrile and Drilon were also tagged as former Senate finance committee chairper-sons while Andaya as former appropria-tions chairperson.

Among the incumbents tagged by Ortiz, the following are allies of President Benig-no Aquino III – Abad, Drilon, Belmonte, and Ungab. Andaya, now Camarines Sur Representative, was accused of allegedly receiving P255 million from alleged pork scam mastermind Napoles while he was budget secretary.

Andaya also reportedly signed almost all the special allotment release orders (Sa-ros) from 2007 to 2009 issued to the three senators – Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada and Juan Ponce Enrile – indicted for plunder in the Sandiganbayan.

While Andaya has not been charged for his involvement in the pork barrel scam, he is implicated in the Malampaya Fund scam, in which P900 million meant for agrarian reform communities devastated by storms in 2009 was allegedly pocketed by officials through bogus nongovernment organizations (NGOs) created by Napoles.

Faced with graft charges, Ortiz left for San Francisco, California, on Sept. 6, 2013 long before the Sandiganbayan issued a hold-departure order against him.

Since he is still out of the country, Ortiz is considered at large and has yet to post bail from his seven counts of graft. (MNS)

MANILA, July 1 (Mabuhay) – Benhur Luy, the whistleblower in the alleged P10-billion pork barrel scam, admitted Tuesday that he did not personally hear alleged scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles threaten him or his family.

However, he was sure that it was her who ordered him detained, telling the court hearing Napoles’ serious illegal detention case that on December 19, 2012, Napoles hysterically shouted, “Ikulong na yan! Ikulong na yan! P... yan!”

Luy said this was when Napoles confronted him regarding his supposed transactions with staff of lawmakers. He said she accused him of securing the transactions intended for her company

for himself.Luy said Napoles’ brother and co-ac-

cused, Reynald Lim, stormed to the room where he is being confronted by Napoles and accosted him..

Asked during the hearing if he person-ally heard Napoles threaten him and his family, Luy said he did not because it was Lim who was dealing with him allegedly upon the instructions of Napoles.

“Wala [pong personal na narinig kay Napoles], pero palaging sinasabi niya dati na hawak niya ang gobyerno,” Luy said.

He earlier said that Lim told him that something bad will happen to him or his family if they will not follow Napoles’ instructions. (MNS)

Hold Cabinet men, solons ‘equally liable’ in ‘pork’ scam, Sandigan told

Luy: I did not personally hear Napoles threathen me or my family

MANILA, July 3 (Mabuhay) – Sandiganbayan justices on Thursday chided the lawyer of detained Senator Ramon Bong Revilla, Jr. for giving media interviews regarding the pork barrel scam case.

“We are not happy about you giving your opinion after the hearing,” Associate Justice Efren Dela Cruz, chairman of the Third Division, told lawyer Joel Bodegon during the hearing on different motions regarding the case.

“Leave your opinion out of the cases,” Dela Cruz added.Associate Justice Rafael Lagos, member of the division, told Bodegon that the

court is open for all his arguments.“Sometimes it could be too much,” he further said, referring to Bodegon’s grant-

ing of interviews regarding the case.Dela Cruz said they just want to be fair.

Revilla lawyer chided for interview on ‘pork’ case


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MANILA, July 2 (Mabuhay) – After it was disqualified from the bidding process, San Miguel Corp is asking Malacañang to reconsider its offer to build and operate the P34.5-billion Cavite Laguna Expressway (CALAX) Project of the government.

In a 37-page memorandum appeal to Malacanang, San Miguel’s unit, Optimal Infrastructure Development Inc, (OIDI) asked President Benigno Aquino III to set aside the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) resolution that barred the company from bidding for the project and declare its bid security and proposal as compliant.

The DPWH disqualified OIDI because of a defective bid security.

In addition, OIDI wants Malacanang to accept its financial bid by way of “judicial notice” – amounting to P20.105 billion in concession payment—as officially opened. Its bid was higher than the P11.65 billion offered by the Aboitiz-Ayala consortium.

Moreover, OIDI said the DPWH Appellees’ decision to disqualify OIDI from the bidding process “needlessly prejudices” private participation in public infrastructure projects just because of an

“inadvertent and harmless typographical error (which was later on clarified and corrected).”

“As such, this decision defeats the con-stitutional policy of encouraging private sector participation in national develop-ment, as well as the declared policy of the Amended BOT Law. This Honorable Office should not allow this blatant error to remain uncorrected,” OIDI said, pertaining to the build-operate-transfer law.

The company also said that DPWH “committed serious legal error and acted with grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack of jurisdiction,” when it decided to disqualify OIDI from the CALAX project bidding despite its submission of “complete and substantially responsive documents.”

It also said the DPWH “arbitrarily ignored the clarifications submitted, even though they requested for the same, reveals that manifest partially against petitioner [OIDI].”

To recall, OIDI informed DPWH’s Special Bids and Awards Committee that the alleged inconsistency in its bid security was a mere typographical error and its is-

suing bank, ANZ confirmed that the expiry date should be indicated as November 29 instead of November 25, 2014.

The appeal was received by DPWH, Public Private Partnership (PPP) Center last June 27.

No awardingSought for comment, Cosette Canilao,

executive director of PPP Center said there would be “no awarding until the appeal [of OIDI] is resolved.”

The CALAX project involves the fi-nancing, design, construction, operation and maintenance of a four-lane, 47-ki-lometer closed-system toll expressway connecting the Cavite Expressway (CAVI-TEX) and the Southern Luzon Expressway (SLEX).

The expressway will start from the CAVITEX in Kawit, Cavite and end at the

SLEX-Mamplasan Interchange in Biñan, Laguna.

The project will have interchanges in nine locations, namely Kawit, Daang Hari, Governor’s Drive, Aguinaldo High-way, Silang, Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay, Laguna Boulevard, Technopark, and a toll barrier before SLEX.

Upon completion, the CALAX is envisioned to decongest traffic along the Cavite-Laguna road network, reducing the travel time from Metro Manila to the CALA area and back.

CALAX is the DPWH’s third infra-structure project under the government’s public-private partnership (PPP) program. The first project, the Daang Hari-SLEX, was awarded to the Ayala group, while the second, the NAIA Expressway, went to Optimal Infrastructure. (MNS)

San Miguel asks Malacañang to intervene in Cavite expressway bid

MANILA, July 2 (Mabuhay) – Former First Gentleman Jose Miguel “Mike” Ar-royo purchased helicopters that he sold as brand new to the Philippine National Police (PNP) five years ago, a witness testified at the Sandiganbayan Wednesday, the start of Arroyo’s trial for graft.

Lionair owner Archibald Po told the anti-graft court fifth division that he sold to Arroyo five Robinsons helicopters, two of which the former first gentleman allegedly sold to the police as brand new, in 2009.

Po added that he even called Arroyo to update him about the transaction, which was worth half a million dollars to expedite the delivery of the five helicopters.

Po said the helicopters arrived two months before the 2004 presidential elec-tions, which wife and then incumbent

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo won amid cheating allegations.

The former first gentleman was accused as being behind the P62 million sale of two choppers to the police through an accred-ited supplier, Manila Aerospace Products Trading Corp. (Maptra).

Arroyo denied owning the helicopters and denounced the statements of Po, who testified in a 2011 Senate inquiry that he delivered $700,000 in cash to Arroyo at the LTA Building in Makati City follow-ing the sale.

Po, however, had yet to bring up before the court the issue of the sale of the two choppers to police.

Arroyo was present in Wednesday’s hearing but refused an interview with reporters.(MNS)

Mike Arroyo sold second-hand choppers to PNP, witness tells Sandiganbayan

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, July 2 (Mabuhay) – The national government is setting aside P289 million for infrastructure projects in the Kalabugao Plain, the tri-boundary of the provinces of Misamis Orien-tal, Bukidnon, and Agusan Del Sur, a senior local government official said Tuesday.

Rene K. Burdeos, regional director of the Department of Interior and Local Gov-ernment (DILG) in Region 10, said that the Kalabugao Plain has seven barangays and a total land area of about 51,000 hectares.

He said that a provincial road that would traverse the Damay-Kalabugao lines in Bukidnon would be constructed in the area in 2015. The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) has commit-ted the amount for the road project in the Kalabugao Plain, Burdeos said.

He said that the development of the Kal-abugao Plain is important because it affects other parts of Mindanao.

“The bulk of the flood waters in the cit-ies of Gingoog, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, and Cotabato usually originate from the Kalabugao Plain, home of the Higaonon tribes and a strategic watershed area of Pu-langi River,” he said.

The 320-kilometer Pulangi River, the longest in Bukidnon, provides approximately 25 percent of Mindanao’s power needs and the main water source of Bukidnon both for drinking and irrigation.

The development of the Kalabugao Plain would also benefit the indigenous people,

the most vulnerable target of the insurgency movement in the region, because of the feel-ing that the government has not taken care of them, Burdeos said.

For the project known as the Peace and Development Convergence Program for Kalabugao Plain, the Technical Working Group (TWG) of the Regional Peace and Order Council in Region 10 (RPOC-10) has conceptualized the program aimed to de-velop Kalabugao Plain into an economically, environmentally, and culturally developed community.

Based on the existing Ancestral Domain Sustainable Protection Plan and Barangay Development Plans (BDP), the project has identified various sectors which the conver-gence intends to be developed. One is the economic sector where livelihood, organic agriculture production, agro forestry, irriga-tion canal, animal dispersal, fisheries, or fishponds among others, are seen to provide sustainable income to community members. Second is the environment sector. Under this classification would be the purchase of land for farmers, establishment of barangay nursery, maintenance of crops, medicine for animals, and rejuvenation of coffee produc-tion and others.

There is also a proposed greening pro-gram or reforestation, landfill for solid waste, tree growing and greening program, establishment of dump site, and eco-tourism and community awareness of environmental protection.

P289-M allocated for Northern Mindanao infra projects


ILOILO CITY, June 28 (Mabuhay) – President Benigno S. Aquino III on Friday led the inauguration of 1,000 low-cost housing units in Jaro district for informal settlers who used to live on the banks of the Iloilo River.

President Aquino unveiled the proj-ect marker and inspected the completed low-cost housing units of the Iloilo River Plains Subdivision Phase 1, Barangay Lanit in Jaro district.

In his speech, the President said the P170 million allocation for the construc-tion of the housing units came from the Disbursement Acceleration Program and 2011 General Appropriations Act.

“Dalawa po ang pinagmulan ng mahigit 169 milyong pisong pondo ng proyekto. Ang isandaang milyong piso po, nagmula sa ating 2011 Disbursement Ac-celeration Program, o DAP. Ang nalalabi namang mahigit 69 milyong piso, mula sa 2011 General Appropriations Act o GAA,” he said.

“Kongkretong patunay po ito sa pa-giging epektibo ng ating sistema sa pag-popondo. Kitang-kita nga po na kapag sa tapat ginamit ang pondong mula sa buwis na pinaghirapan ng taumbayan, may kaukulan itong benepisyo sa Pilipino, at hindi napupunta lang sa bulsa ng iilang

mapanlamang,” he added.President Aquino said the NHA hous-

ing project would accomodate 1,000 informal settler families.

The President added the beneficiaries would now have peace of mind and they can now sleep well in their newly-con-structed homes.

“Kapanatagan po ang kaakibat ng mga bagong bahay na ito. Noon po, nakatira ang mga pamilya sa paligid ng Iloilo River. Dahil sa alanganin at delikadong lokasyong ito, para bang laging nasa bin-git ng peligro at kawalang-katiyakan ang mga naninirahan dito,” he said.

“Kaunting ulan at kulog lang, kakabog ang dibdib mo dahil sa posibilidad ng malakas na ulan o bagyo, ng pagtaas ng tubig sa ilog at pag-apaw nito sa komu-nidad. Ngayon, mas ligtas na ang inyong lokasyon at mas matibay na ang inyong mga tahanan. Hindi na po kailangang mangamba. Umulan man o umaraw, mas panatag na ang buong pamilya,” he added.

Apart from the housing units, President Aquino also inaugurated and inspected the P2.1-billion Iloilo circumferential road, the P700-million Iloilo Convention Cen-ter, and the P500-million Senator Benigno Aquino Jr. Avenue here.

Aquino inaugurates 1,000 low-cost housing units for informal settlers

MANILA, July 1 (Mabuhay) – The Senate committee on agriculture is set to investigate on Thursday the cause of the recent spike in the prices of garlic, ginger, rice and other agricultural products.

According to media advisory from committee chairperson Sen. Cynthia Vil-lar, expected to attend the hearing are Secretary Francis Pangilinan, Presidential Assistant on Agricultural Modernization; and Department of Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala.

Villar said Secretary Gregory Domingo, Department of Trade and Industry; Adm. Arthur Juan, National Food Authority; Commissioner John Philip Sevilla, Bureau of Customs; and agricultural stakeholders from the private sector have also been invited to attend the 10a.m. public hearing.

”We will invite all those in-charged in this problem. We will review this and determine who should be blamed so that it will not happen again in the future,” Villar said in radio dzRH interview.

Villar said the price coordinating coun-cil of the DTI has power under the Price Control Law to stop the spike in the prices of prime agricultural commodities.

”The law provides power to DTI chairman to stop the unnecessary price increases,” Villar said.

The lady senator said the committee would like to know whether the private sector played big role in the hoarding and price manipulation of the garlic, onion, ginger, pork and rice.

”At least 95 percent of the supply is with the private. If they want to manipulate the prices, we have the law that gives power to the DTI to stop the price increases,” Villar said.

Villar set the inquiry based on four Senate resolutions including Nos. 238 and No. 262 filed by Villar and Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago, seeking probe into the alleged anomalous importation dealings that allow monopoly of garlic importation in the country.

Senate probe into high prices of garlic, rice set on Thursday

President Benigno Aquino III inspects the rowhouse and a model housing unit, assisted by Senate President Franklin Drilon (left) and NHA General Manager Chito Cruz (R) during the inauguration of the Iloilo River Plains Subdivision Phase 1 in Brgy. Lanit, Jaro District, Iloilo City on Friday (June 27). (MNS photo)

MANILA, July 3 (Mabuhay) – A lawmaker has called for the investigation of the reported erroneous entries in the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) clearances issued to job applicants.

Rep. Al Francis C. Bichara (2nd District, Albay) said this practice of the NBI jeopardizes the chances for employment especially of those Filipinos applying for jobs abroad.

Bichara fi led House Resolution 1169, which urges the House Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs to inquire, in aid of legislation, into the said practices of the NBI and to correct such entries.

He said one of the requirements in seeking employment in other countries is the NBI clearance to certify that the job applicant has no derogatory record with government agencies.

The Bicol solon further said that the NBI clearance is the primary clearance that foreign employers look for and the only remarks acceptable to them is “No Derogatory Record”.

Bichara deplored the practice of the NBI in putting other remarks such as “No Criminal Record” even if the person has no pending case nor a criminal record.

“This jeopardizes the chances of some of our countrymen of getting overseas jobs which could bring better future for the family, especially a good quality education for their children,” Bichara said.

He said as the modern day heroes, the OFWs’ huge remittances are a big factor in making the country’s economy the fasting growing economy in Asia.

Solon: Probe erroneous entries in NBI clearances of OFWs


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Belina’s company, 1Heart Caregiver Services is a certified member of CAHSAH

1Heart CS CEO Belina Calderon (6th from left) was bestowed the Ambassador of Goodwill Award by Historic Filipinotown Neighborhood Council Los Angeles California for her exemplary services to the community.



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funds to pay the mortgage? The commu-nity in this situation acquires a pro tanto interest in the ratio that the payments on the purchase price made with community funds bear to the total payments on the purchase price and any appreciation should be apportioned accordingly. Marriage of Moore (1980) 28 C3d 366, 371, 373, 168 CR 662, 664, 665. Other expenses associ-ated with the property are not considered in the calculation such as mortgage interest, taxes, and insurance. In essence, the real property would accumulate both a sepa-rate property and a community property component by the date of separation. The appropriate remedy in this situation where separate property is subsequently paid with community funds is “apportionment.”

The process of apportioning between the separate and community property component is laid out in the Marriage of Madsen. In that case, the court determined the ratio or percentage in which the mort-gage loan principal was reduced during the marriage and applied that percentage to the appreciation of the real property during the marriage. The community property com-ponent would then consist of the reduction in the mortgage loan principal during the marriage plus the portion of appreciation during the marriage applying the ratio discussed above.

In the Marriage of Madsen, the real property was purchased by the husband for $38,300 prior to the marriage. The original mortgage was $30,000. By the time the husband got married, the house was now worth $65,000 while the mort-gage has gone down by $7,000. Both the appreciation of $26,700 and the mortgage reduction of $7,000 would be separate property since it occurred prior to marriage. Marriage of Madsen (1982) 130 CA3d 426, 181 CR 910.

During the marriage until the time of trial, the property has appreciated an-other $117,500 (property now valued at $182,500) while the mortgage has further declined by $9,200 up to the date of separa-tion. The ratio at which community funds paid down the mortgage ($9,200) during

the marriage to the original purchase price ($38,300) amounts to 24.02%. This per-centage of the property appreciation during the marriage of $117,500 ($28,223.50) plus the reduction in mortgage balance during the marriage ($9,200) would constitute the community component of the real prop-erty. The rest was the husband’s separate property. The husband in that case was awarded his separate property component of the real property plus one half of the community property component.

The Madsen apportionment method is also applicable to situations where a community real property is later trans-muted into one spouses separate property through execution of a quit claim by the other spouse but is subsequently paid using community funds. Marriage of Broderick (1989) 209 CA3d 489, 257 CR 397. If your divorce case involves complex issues of asset distribution, it is best to retain the representation of competent counsel.

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 matter 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 Kenneth U. Reyes, P.C. This article is not a solicitation.

Attorney Kenneth Ursua Reyes is a 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 South-western University Law School in Los Angeles and California State University, San Bernardino School of Business Admin-istration. He has extensive CPA experience prior to law practice. LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, P.C. is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail [email protected].

Is real estate property purchased prior to marriage considered community property in a divorce?

Generally in California, property acquired by a spouse prior to marriage is considered under the family code as separate property while those acquired after marriage are consid-ered community assets. What ever happens when one spouse purchases real property before marriage but retains it during marriage and uses community

MANILA, June 30 (Mabuhay) – A neo-phyte lawmaker is seeking the granting of two weeks of unpaid leave a year to employ-ees whose spouse, parent, unmarried child or who themselves suffer from serious illness.

Rep. Gus Tambunting (2nd District, Para-ñaque City) raised this proposal through House Bill No. 4317 or the “Family and Medical Leave Act of 2014” which aims to give employees a new venue to attend further to their family and medical needs without necessarily compromising the work-ers’ future income.

Tambunting, a vice chairman of the House committee on trade and industry, noted that during prolonged sickness, most often than not, accumulated sick and vaca-tion leaves are consumed by employees to attend to such exigency. Members of the families are also obliged to attend to said incapability, according to him.

“Under such exigency, the employees are obliged to monetize accumulated leave credits to augment their financial burden thereby reducing the amount employees

are to receive upon terminal or separation from employment. Hence, diminishing the retirement money that will help them in their twilight years of non-employment,” said Tambunting.

He said his proposal complements the constitutional provision that “The State rec-ognizes the sanctity of family life and shall protect and strengthen the family as a basic autonomous social institution.”

House Bill 4317 provides it is the policy of the State to reinforce the importance of the family as the primary social institution of society. The State shall support and uphold the health and well-being of the family, the bill further provides.

The bill, now pending at the committee on labor and employment chaired by Rep. Karlo Alexei Nograles (1st District, Davao City), provides that any employee, regard-less of status, may apply for and shall be granted by the employer an unpaid family and medical leave of up to two weeks when the worker’s spouse, parent or unmarried child suffers from a serious illness.

Solon seeks granting of two-week family and medical leave for employees


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MANILA, June 28 (Mabuhay) – A law-maker wants to promote the well-being and health of the Filipino citizens by creating community fitness centers in all barangays nationwide.

Rep. Mark Villar (Lone District, Las Piñas City) introduced House Bill 4316 to involve all Filipino citizens in maintaining good physical and mental health condition.

“The collective health of the people af-fects to a great extent the success of their overall socio-economic development. The state of health and mental fitness of every person are controlling factors on the ability to take advantage of education, technical capabilities and business entrepreneur-ship,” Villar said.

Villar filed the bill citing the consti-tutional mandate for the State to pro-mote physical education and encourage

sports programs, league competitions and amateur sports, including training for international competitions to foster self-discipline, teamwork and excellence for the development of a healthy and alert citizenry.

Under the measure, a community fitness center in every barangay nationwide shall be established under the supervision of the municipal or city health officer.

Free seminars to would-be physical fit-ness leaders and trainors in the barangaysshall be provided.

Upon the recommendation of the local health board of the municipality or city where the fitness center is located, a full time fitness coordinator with a monthly compensation of not less than Php10,000, shall be appointed to manage the center.

The fitness coordinator shall formulate President Benigno Aquino III leads the unveiling of marker of the four bridges along Iloilo circumferential road at Brgy. Unka Pavia, Iloilo City on Friday (June 27). In photo are DILG Sec. Manuel Roxas , DPWH Sec. Rogelio Singson, Senate President Franklin Drillon, Usec. Engr. Romeo Momo, Iloilo Governor Arthur Denfensor Jr., Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, Pavia Mayor Michael Gorriceta, and Iloilo Rep. Arcadio Gorriceta. (MNS photo)

Bill seeks to establish fi tness center in every barangay

criteria for the selection of qualified indi-viduals for training and accreditation as physical fitness instructors in the center.

Among others, the fitness coordinator shall also introduce and implement varied physical fitness and sports competition within the barangay; conduct consulta-tion with the residents of the barangay in identifying any physical fitness activity and

sports program that shall be implemented by the center; oversee and ensure the continuous and effective implementation of the activities and program undertaken by the center; and, disseminate proper information on the policy and objective of the physical fitness and sports activities to encourage the active participation of all the residents of the barangay.(MNS)


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encouraging Tomiko to finally showcase and build the Glass Museum which dis-plays a collection of 2,000 glass pieces he collected over the span of 20 years.

Tomiko’s collection of glasses include: depression glasses, which are colored glassware “made primarily in the United States during the depression years, from 1904-1940, with various colors and shades such as: green, pink, red, yellow, amber, ruby, cobalt blue aquamarine and delphite ( opaque blue glass).”

Other vintage glasses in the museum include: opalescent glasses, which have two layers of glass: one colored while the other one is clear; carnival glasses, are incandescent glasses that were pattern-molded and treated with metallic salts.

Tomiko’s glass collection also in-cludes: rare vaseline glasses, which are no longer produced due to tis uranium content that usually presents a transparent yellow to yellow-green color; rare jadite, a type of uranium glass that appears in shades of

pale green and milk which has translucent or milky white colored glass, blown or pressed into a wide vareity of shapes; and pressed glass pieces and crystals which have sterling silver overlays.

It was Tomiko’s creative passion which inspired his glass collection. While work-ing as a floral designer, he had to search for vases to complement his flower arrange-ments and this was when he discovered the vintage glasses, which made him pursue a passion to conceptualize and develop a glass collection.

The Laguerta Museum also houses rare Victorian lamps, historical com-memorative plates, dinnerware, decant-ers and decorative objects of various shapes, colors and intricate designs. It is opened 10:00:am to 4:00 pm, Tuesdays through Sundays.

To all of you who’s heading for a vaca-tion back home, try to visit and experience Bacolod’s new Laguerta Museum - feast your eyes on a sight to see!

R E D W O O D C I T Y, CA, July 2, 2014 - The 3rd Bayanihan Cup, an an-nual Filipino golf tourna-ment held in Sunol Valley Golf Club in Sunol, Califor-nia, rang true to its name by raising funds for ABS-CBN Foundation International’s Bantay Bata (Child Watch) program last June 29.

Bayanihan Cup is the brainchild of Ed Salagu-ban, president of the Phil-Am Gol f Assoc ia t ion (PAGA). An avid golfer, he founded the tournament as an event where members of various Filipino American golf clubs can get together for “something fun” and “something good” at the same time.

With the support of golfing buddies like Mango Tours owner Johnny Francisco and tournament co-founder Sonny Manuel, they aimed to show that the Filipino prac-tice of “bayanihan” - where people pull together for the “bayan” (town, community or nation) through the “bayani” (a person

Laguerta Glass Museum: Bacolod’s new tourist destination

The new Laguerta Glass Museum had its grand opening recently in Baranggay Sum-ag, near Bacolod City, Negros Occidental. The Museum was conceptualized, designed and developed by former LA floral designer to the stars, Tomas “Tomiko” Claridad Casiano.

The Museum in itself is an “architectural masterpiece” according to former Congressman and LA DOT head, John N. Orola in that its built from recycled rock and materials. Mr. Orola was instrumental in

ABS-CBN Foundation Int’l, Phil-Am Golf Association, Mango Tours partner for 3rd Bayanihan Cup to benefi t Bantay Bata Golf tournament with a cause raises $8k to assist medical patient under Bantay Bata in PHL

See ABS-CBN, oage 14

Pinoy golf tourney for a cause: Celebrating victory at the 3rd Bayanihan Cup are Ricky “Kadok” Tejada, Ed Salaguban (PAGA President), Johnny Francisco, Rudy Paez (Hampas Lupa President) and members. The tournament raised funds for a medical patient under the care of ABS-CBN Foundation International’s Bantay Bata Program. Photo: Joseph Bornilla

who heroically dedicates his/her life to serve others) – is alive and well on the golf course among Filipino players of the sport. This year, the event raised more than $8,000 net revenue to support a medi-cal patient under the care of Bantay Bata (Child Watch), a program of ABS-CBN Foundation International. “The energy and commitment of the

The new Laguerta Glass Museum had its grand opening recently in Baranggay Sum-ag, near Bacolod City, Negros Occidental.


IMPEACHEDFrom page 1

BINAYFrom page 1

ABS-CBNFrom page 13

INVASIONFrom page 1

Aquino soon after the high court issued its DAP ruling, slammed administration allies for “blindly defending a president who clearly violated the Constitution” and for “failing to see Aquino’s culpability.”

He also claimed that Aquino, “silent but apparently flustered,” undertook a “quick

and five warships, including an American missile destroyer, took part in the training, which began last week.

Philippine fleet commander Jaime Ber-nardino told reporters at the start of the war games last week that they were designed to upgrade the Filipino navy’s capability in guarding the country’s long coastline.

“These are the gaps that we would like to address (to) make sure we detect (foreign vessels) properly, we intercept them and we neutralize them if necessary,” he had said.

Monday’s exercise took place on an uninhabited beach near a naval outpost on Zambales on Luzon island, 220 kilometers (137 miles) east of Scarborough Shoal on the South China Sea.

The shoal, a traditionally-rich fishing ground, has been effectively taken over by China following a tense year-long standoff with the Philippines in 2012.

China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, including waters near its

smaller neighbors’ shores.It has been accused of becoming in-

creasingly aggressive in staking its claims to the sea, a vital shipping lane also believed to contain vast oil and mineral deposits.

Parts of the sea are also claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan.

Filipino military officials had said the maneuvers were designed to plug “capa-bility gaps” within the Philippine military, considered one of the weakest in the region.

The Philippines has increasingly looked at the United States to boost its military capabilities amid the Chinese threat.

In recent years, the Philippine acquired two US ships to patrol its coasts.

In April, the allies signed a defense pact that would see thousands of US troops stationed in the country in the next decade, including in Subic, once the country’s larg-est naval shipyard outside US soil until 1992 when it was shut.

accountabilities at this point on is purely speculative,” he said.

The Vice President also appealed to all

parties “to work together and advance the welfare of our people, which should be our overriding goal.” (MNS)

The new DTLA Night Market was launched last Friday, June 20 and Satur-day, June 21, 2014, by a team called 626 Night Market, the original Asian-themed night market here in the Unites States. DTLA Night Market featured a Pan-Asian selection of food, entertainment, arts and culture.

The 626 Night Market, spearheaded by founder, Johnny C. Hwang presents local talents in one event, along with a selction of food choices ranging from food trucks, restaurants, local artists and Asian performers. DTLA’s mission is to promote local Asian talent to the growing Asian community here.

Visitors to the DTLA Night market features around 200 food vendors, mer-chandise, crafts, games and entertainment attractions. It offers a variety of experience

in entertainment including: popular DJ’s, muralists on the Art Walk, independent artists, a Booba Cup contest and a whole night’s celebration of fun and camaraderie with family and friends.

Founder Johnny Hwang said that the DTLA Night Market will be presented on a monthly basis during Spring, Summer anfd Fall nights.

For those interested, the next events are scheduled on: Friday, July 18 and Saturday, July 19, 4 p.m. – 1 a.m.; Friday, August 15 and Saturday, August 16, 4 p.m. - 1 a.m. and Friday, September 12 and Saturday, September 13 - 4:00 pm - 1:00 am at the Santa Anita Park. Sponsors to the event are: Mercedes Benz, Wells Fargo, Metro and Asahi Beer Company.

For further information, log on to their website at: www.dtlanightmarket,com.

Catch the DTLA Night Market in Los Angeles

core team who worked so hard to make this event a very successful one is truly inspiring and impressive. Philanthropy can be fun when people of the same noble intention come together for a meaningful purpose,” says Jo Ann Kyle, Managing Director of ABS-CBN Foundation Inter-national.

The winner of the 3rd Bayanihan Cup is team Hampas Lupa led by its presi-dent, Rudy Paez. They bested 127 golfers from different Northern California cit-

ies. Prizes included branded golf parapher-nalia donated by Fely Merchan, a home theater system from JBQ, Velaqua water filter, a round trip ticket to the Philippines donated by Philippine Airlines and many more.

The event was graced by May-or David Canepa of Daly City who is very supportive of Filipino groups and a firm advocate of charity work. “It is PAGA’s desire to hold and grow this event annually,” said Salaguban.

“PAGA’s main goal is to make this event sustainable so that in the years to come, Filipino American golf clubs and its com-munities will continue the PAGA legacy.”

loyalty check last night (Tuesday) among his allies in Congress.”

Ridon cited the statements of Aquino’s allies in the wake of the DAP ruling.

“The common thread that ran in the statements of the administration allies is that they are confident that any attempt to impeach the president will not hold water, since they practically control Congress,” he said. (MNS)

MIRIAMFrom page 1

She said the doctors don’t know how she got the disease. Her doctors expect the cancer to degenerate after six months with the treatment, but if it does not, she said she might have to go to Mount Sinai in Los Angeles for a more extensive treatment.

Santiago sais her sister who is a doctor

in Mount Sinai is constantly monitoring her lungs through X-rays and CT scans taken by a local specialty hospital and sent to the United States. She said there’s a huge possibility that she will survive. “I don’t know what the reaction of my enemies are. Maybe they’ll be happy because, on one hand, I might die and they could get rid of me, but on the other hand, I might survive and I will get rid of them,” she said.



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ones. Even the landscaping is changed. So, we all know what extreme makeover means.

Extreme makeovers not only happen with human bodies and houses. Extreme makeovers can also happen to a debtor’s financial landscape. Take my client’s example:

Client is a registered nurse who has gross annual income of $100,000. Hus-

band recently lost his job as a warehouse person. Since husband used to gross $30,000 yearly, the household income is reduced by 24%. Husband ‘s unemploy-ment benefits have terminated. Their credit card debt is $110,000, which they have not paid for 8 months. They own a house worth $400,000. Their monthly mortgage is $3,100, excluding real estate tax, with a balance of $500,000. They have not paid

the house for over a year and owe arrears of $44,000. They have a 2nd trust deed of $120,000 payable at $1,000 monthly which they have also not paid for more than a year.

Client filed a Chapter 13 with another lawyer in 2013 with a plan payment of $1,500 for 60 months. Since she could not afford the plan payment, her case was dismissed on month 3. The first mortgage files a notice of default for the $44,000 with intent to foreclose in 90 days.

After she explained what had happened which apparently started out with follow-ing the instructions of a loan modification person to stop paying her mortgage so she could qualify for LM which was eventu-ally denied, I explained the future steps that we could take to straighten out her financial situation and save her house. In a span of 14 months everything we planned out happened with facts that I would have to say is miraculous. Since we were both Christians, I said let’s pray for the best, and she said “Amen.”

First we filed a Chapter 7. It stopped the foreclosure and discharged all of her credit card debt of $110,000. The first mortgage holder could have, but did not file a mo-tion for relief to ask court permission to continue foreclosure while the Chapter 7 was pending.

For 5 months, secured creditor sat and did nothing. I will call this the first miracle because if creditor asked for court permis-sion to continue foreclosure then we would have to convert 7 to 13, which we did not want. The Chapter 7 discharge was entered on month 6.

On month 7, we filed their Chapter 13 case to handle the default of $44,000 of the first mortgage and to cancel the 2nd trust deed of $120,000. After we filed the motion to avoid the 2nd trust deed, the

second miracle happened. Two weeks after the motion was filed, client received a letter from the bank saying that they had FORGIVEN the 2nd trust deed, that client owes bank nothing anymore, and attached to the letter a deed of reconveyance for the 2nd trust deed. The reconveyance is absolute proof that the debt has been forgiven and the mortgage released and satisfied in full!

So, the only problem left was the first mortgage default of $44,000. The plan payment of $800 monthly for 60 months took care of this. However, it was still a burden for client to pay the current portion of $3,100 plus $800 for the plan payment. That’s almost $4,000 for the house pay-ment alone!

We file for loan modification. Creditor is Nationstar. Next to One West Bank, this bank is probably one of the hardest banks to talk to. After 4 months, Nationstar reduces her mortgage payment by $800 to $2,300. This is the third miracle for her!

The LM puts her back in current status with the mortgage; therefore, the Chapter 13 case is no longer needed to protect her house. With God’s help, clients’ fi-nances indeed went through an EXTREME MAKEOVER.

“You are my lamp, O Lord; the LORD turns my darkness into light.” 2-Samuel 22:29.

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 appoint-ment at 1000 S Fremont Ave, Mailstop 58, Bldg A-1 Suite 1125, Alhambra, CA 91803.

Combination of Chapters 7, 13 and loan Modifi cation gives clients extreme fi nancial makeover

When an obese person weighing 500 lbs. implements steps to lose 300 lbs. and actually succeeds, people take note and are happy for that person. The reality shows call this extreme makeover. Real estate TV shows call the new look of the prop-erty after improvements are made on it as extreme makeover. The kitchen cabinets are torn down and new ones are installed. Walls are torn down. Carpets are removed and marble tiles are installed. The bathroom fixtures are replaced with new

CERRITOS – The Scholarship Program of the Philippine Society of Southeast Los Angeles (PHILSELA) honored 11 gradu-ates at a dinner reception on June 19 at the Cerritos Liberty Park.

It is a long standing program of the organization that gives financial awards and special recognition to high achieving local area graduates.

The guest speaker, Dennis Arriola, President/CEO of the Southern Califor-nia Gas Company, spoke directly to the honorees and inspired them to work hard to pursue their goals and to be open to the possibilities ahead. Arriola is an alumnus of the ABC school District and a very generous supporter.

The awardees were Tiffanie Louise Ab-acan, Whitney High School; Bernard Louie Bagorio, Cerritos High; Kristen Danielle Carlos, Cerritos High; Monique Ann De-maisip, Gahr High; Jillian Perl Manalang, St. Joseph High; Rodel Manalo Jr, St. John Bosco; Matthew Nocon, Cerritos High;

Beah Tolentino, Whitney High; Eriel Lois Uy, Cerritos High; Lowell Palacpac, UCLA Civil Engineering; and Tatiana Yokoyama.

Special guest for the evening were: Mark Pulido, Mayor of Cerritos; Dr. Mary Sieu, ABC School Superintendent; Armin Reyes, ABC School Board Member; and Abelardo Estacion, of the Estacion Foun-dation. Corporate sponsor to the program Wells Fargo Bank was represented by three of its Executives: Jason Arayata, Matthew Regan and Sharon Kaplan. – Alice Ramos

PHILSELA scholars with PHILSELA offi cers, scholarship committee members, and guests.

PHILSELA honors graduates, grants scholarships

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tractors rather than employees. As a result, the workers were denied benefits such as health insurance, life insurance, retirement savings plan and workers compensation insurance.

The workers argued that even though Lowe’s classified them as independent contractors, they were really employees because the company had the right to control, and did control, all aspects of their installation jobs. The company designated which customers the workers would do installations for. Customers must pay for the installation service directly to the company. The company would then pay the workers. The workers were required to wear Lowe’s shirts and hats, and were instructed to identify themselves to custom-

ers as Lowe’s employees. The company oversaw all the work performed by the workers, and directed what they could or could not do as installers. The installers were prohibited from working for anyone aside from Lowe’s.

In August 2013, the installer were granted class certification by the court. Rather than proceed to trial, the parties recently agreed to settle the case for $6.5 million.

Misclassifying workers as “independent contractors” results in companies depriv-ing workers of their rights and protec-tions as employees. Unlike employees, independent contractors do not have to be paid minimum wage, overtime, or missed break. They are not entitled to benefits

such as health insurance, retirement or pension benefits, and workers’ compensa-tion protection.

There are also no deductions for taxes and Social Security. Some companies pass on the costs of doing business to the “independent contractors” by deducting them from workers’ pay. As a result of misclassification, workers lose money. If the misclassification occurred for several years, the back wages and reimbursements owed may be significant.

Courts look at several factors to deter-mine if a worker is truly an independent contractor. The most important factor is the employer’s right to control the worker’s manner and means of performing the job. If the employer dictates how the worker should do the work, what tasks to accomplish and how to accomplish them, then the worker is an employee and not an

independent contractor. “Independent contractors” or “1099

workers” who have doubts about their status should consult with experienced employment attorneys to determine if they are really employees entitled to greater protections under the law.

[C. Joe Sayas, Jr., Esq. is trial attorney who has obtained several million dollar recoveries for his clients against insurance companies and employers. He has been selected as a Super Lawyer by the Los Angeles Magazine, featured in the cover of Los Angeles Daily Journal’s Verdicts and Settlements, and is a member of the Million Dollar-Advocates Forum. He is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center Washington, D.C. and the Univer-sity of the Philippines. Visit his website at www.joesayaslaw.com or contact his office at (818) 291-0088 for a no-cost inquiry.]

Why workers lose when misclassifi ed as independent contractors(And what they can do to fight Back)Ronald Shephard worked as an installer for Lowe’s, a home

improvement retailer in California. Lowe’s offers customers installation of products bought at its stores. In June 2012, Shephard sued Lowe’s in a class action for misclassifica-tion, reimbursement and denial of benefits. The case claimed that Lowe’s misclassified their workers as independent con-

By Aaron TamHONG KONG, July 1, 2014 (AFP) –

Waving colonial-era flags and chanting anti-Beijing slogans, more than half a million protesters staged a pro-democracy march in rain-soaked Hong Kong Tues-day, organisers said claiming the largest turnout since the city was handed back to China.

The scale of the rally reflects surging discontent over Beijing’s insistence that it vet candidates before a vote in 2017 for the semi-autonomous city’s next leader.

It comes after nearly 800,000 people took part in an informal referendum de-manding that voters be allowed a say in the nomination of candidates. The poll irked Beijing, which branded it “illegal and invalid”.

The protest route from the city’s Victo-ria Park to the skyscraper-packed Central business district was a sea of umbrellas and banners emblazoned with slogans such as “We want real democracy” and “We stand united against China”.

Some protesters sang the Cantonese version of “Do You Hear the People Sing?” – the rabble-rousing anthem from the musical “Les Miserables”.

Despite torrential downpours, swarms of protesters continued pouring into the clogged streets through the afternoon and evening.

Johnson Yeung, a rally organiser, said at least 510,000 protesters had attended the march – believed to be a record for July 1 protests, an annual outpouring of discontent directed at both China’s communist government and the local leadership.

“This year people came out braving the rain and wind and many citizens joined along the way,” Yeung told a cheering crowd in the city’s Central business dis-trict late Tuesday.

Yeung told AFP that the turnout marked a “record” since the handover.

Official estimates of the turnout were more conservative, with police saying 98,600 people took part during the “peak” of the rally, without elaborating.

“There is a strong desire for genuine democracy that offers choice and compe-tition without (political) vetting,” Anson Chan, a former number two official in Hong Kong who is now a pro-democracy activist, told reporters.

The chairman of the Hong Kong post office union, marching in the muggy heat,

said the city’s government was kowtowing to Beijing.

“This march is not for us, it’s for our children. Without universal suffrage there’s no way to monitor the govern-ment,” said Ip Kam-fu.

The city’s Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying sought to strike a conciliatory note, saying his government would do its utmost to forge an agreement on imple-menting universal suffrage.

He offered no details on the 2017 elec-tion when he spoke at a ceremony earlier Tuesday marking the 17th anniversary of the city’s handover from former colonial power Britain.

Surging crowdsA handful of marchers pushed against

police barricades but the rally was largely peaceful, and a carnival atmosphere pre-vailed in several stretches of the route.

In one street performance, a model tank hurtled towards a protester, pointing its gun barrel at his neck as he attempted to push back.

“Hong Kong is turning into a place with less and less freedom,” Eric Wong, a 24-year-old photographer who took part in the rally, told AFP. “It is transforming into the mainland.”

Under the “one country, two systems” agreement reached at the time of the handover, Hong Kong enjoys liberties not seen on the mainland, including free speech and the right to protest.

But there are heightened fears that those freedoms are being eroded.

Among other worries, there has been a series of attacks on media workers in recent months, including the brutal stab-bing of a liberal former newspaper editor.

Concerns increased in June when Beijing published a controversial “white paper” on Hong Kong’s future that was widely seen as a warning to the city not to overstep the bounds.

“They (Beijing) promised Hong Kong people a high degree of autonomy. Now they are trying to take everything back,” lawyer and veteran democracy cam-paigner Martin Lee told AFP.

Venting angerTwo student groups have said they will

hold an overnight rally after the march to “occupy” a street in Central and an area outside the government headquarters.

One of the group’s leaders, Joshua Wong, said the student rally would be held to vent “anger” towards the authorities,

Hundreds of thousands march for democracy in Hong Kong

18 Visit www.Balita.com Weekend, Sat. - Fri., July 5 - 11, 2014 Balita LOS ANGELES

OPINIONMANILA, July 1, 2014 (AFP) – Philippines President Be-

nigno Aquino on Tuesday defended a controversial decision he made to withhold a top award from one of the country’s accomplished film stars because of a drug conviction.

Last month’s snub against multi-award-winning actress Nora Aunor sparked a nationwide furor with millions of fans insisting no one deserved a “national artist” prize more than the 61-year-old fondly nicknamed the “Superstar.”

“Ms. Nora Aunor has been convicted for drugs and was punished for it.... By making her a national artist are we putting out the right message?” Aquino told a news conference aired on national television.

“I respect her and I recognize her body of work. But our mes-sage of zero tolerance against drugs takes priority.”

The Order of National Artist award, issued by presidential proclamation, recognizes a person’s significant contributions to the development of Philippine arts and letters.

The honor includes a cash prize, monthly pension for life and a state funeral when the awardee dies.

Reacting to the snub, Aunor on Sunday said she was hurt by Aquino’s action but overwhelmed by the public support.

“The Filipino masses ... have conferred the highest honour on me, by declaring me the people’s national artist in their hearts,” she said.

Six awardees were announced last month, taking the total to just 66, including six in the film industry, since it was created in 1972.

From humble beginnings Aunor – born Nora Villamayor – burst onto the entertainment scene in the 1960s as a singer with a powerful, soulful voice.

She also starred in movies where her petite, dusky looks broke stereotypes of fair-skinned leading ladies patterned after Hollywood.

Aunor has won several “Best Actress” awards at local and international film festivals.

Last year she took home the “Best Actress” trophy at the an-nual Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong for her powerful portrayal of a midwife in the locally produced “Thy Womb”.

But her personal life has suffered several setbacks including an arrest in the United States for illegal drug possession, and ties to various scandal-plagued Filipino politicians.

In 1972 she campaigned for Ferdinand Marcos who later ruled as a dictator, and she also endorsed the presidential candidacies of fellow movie star Joseph Estrada in 1998 and Gloria Arroyo in 2004.

Current president Aquino has been at odds with all three.

MANILA, July 1 (Mabuhay) – Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago on Tuesday praised the Supreme Court decision declaring several acts and prac-tices under the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) unconstitutional.

“It’s basically a no-brainer. The DAP is illegal because it was not contained in the 2011 or 2012 budgets, and because the alleged savings were used to augment new budget items which was not previously authorized by Congress,” Santiago said in a statement.

The senator pointed out the same logic in the SC ruling: that the Constitution allows fund transfers only if there are savings, meaning that the project was completed, and yet the appropriation was not exhausted.

Santiago said there are no savings if a project was merely deferred.

“The first issue is that the DAP was not taken from savings. The second issue is that the DAP was not used to augment items in the budget that were previously authorized by Congress. The alleged savings were used to augment new budget items not previously authorized by Congress,” the former UP College of Law constitutional law professor said.

Santiago said that it appeared that DAP funds were taken from alleged slow-moving projects. She said the budget department should have sought the approval of Congress, because under the Constitu-tion, it is Congress that exercises the power of the purse. “Using the DAP, the budget department is basically realigning funds without public discussion in Congress. In effect, they are chipping away at the legislative power of the purse by fiddling with the budget,” she said.

Nine petitions were filed against the DAP, which some believe was a form of presidential pork.

The discretionary fund earlier hit the headlines when Senator Jinggoy Estrada bared that several senators received some P50 million to P100 million supposedly in exchange for voting to convict former Chief Justice Renato Corona.

Estrada had questioned the “persecution” he has received for allegedly diverting his pork barrel, the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), to bogus nongovernment organizations.

The PDAF, which was also a discretionary fund, has since been declared unconstitutional by the SC.

Malacanang, through the Department of Budget and Management, denied the DAP was used to bribe the senators.

Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said the DAP funds were realigned savings meant to spur govern-ment spending.

Santiago said the DAP funds appear to have been disbursed in violation of the Constitution’s equal protection clause.

According to Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, additional funds under the so-called DAP (Disburse-ment Acceleration Program) were released report-edly during and after the impeachment trial against former Chief Justice Renato Corona.

Santiago said it should be illegal for the budget department to discriminate among senators.

“While all other senators received an average of P50 million in DAP funds, reportedly three senators got P100 million each. They are Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, Sen. Franklin Drilon, and Sen. Francis Es-cudero,” she said.

The three senators did not explain why they got more than the others, but merely defended them-selves with the excuse that they spent the money on public projects. By contrast, each representative allegedly received P15 million.

MANILA, June 28 (Mabuhay) – Malacañang said Saturday the government is prepared to defend the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), after a third suit questioning the contro-versial mutual defense pact was lodged before the Supreme Court Friday.

While presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said it is the right of any citizen to file a petition questioning the legality or constitutionality of the pact, he said the Palace believe the deal is consti-tutional.

“We believe this is constitutional. We are pre-pared to defend the EDCA before the Supreme Court,” he said on government-run dzRB radio.

He said the Solicitor General will defend the constitutionality of the pact, which was signed on the first day of US President Barack Obama’s visit to the Philippines last April.

The latest suit questioning the EDCA was lodged before the Supreme Court Friday by labor groups from the public and private sectors.

Friday’s petitioners, including the Kilusang Mayo Uno and the Confederation for Unity, Recog-nition and Advancement of Government Employees, claimed the government committed grave abuse of discretion and violated the 1987 Philippine Constitu-

tion when it signed the EDCA.Named as respondents were Executive Secretary

Paquito Ochoa, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, and Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff Gen. Emmanuel Bautista.

Other respondents included defense undersecre-tary Pio Lorenzo Batino, who chairs the country’s negotiating panel for EDCA, and panel members Ambassador Lourdes Yparraguirre, Ambassador Eduardo Malaya, Justice undersecretary Francisco Baraan III, and Defense undersecretary Raymund Jose Quilop.

The petitioners said the EDCA violates provi-sions of the Constitution pertaining to the prefer-ential use of Filipino labor and domestic materials; tax exemption; national sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national interest; freedom from nuclear weapons; role of the judiciary in settling disputes; autonomy of local government units; and treaties with other countries, specifically military treaties.

Under EDCA, the US may build structures, store and preposition weapons, defense supplies and ma-teriel, station troops, civilian personnel and defense contractors, transit and station vehicles, vessels, and aircraft for 10 years.

CLARK AIR BASE, Pampanga, July 1 (Mabu-hay) – Why would you hurt someone you call brother? That was the sentiment of President Be-nigno Aquino III on Tuesday in reaction to the recent death of an 18-year-old college student allegedly due to hazing.

“I am not a member of a fraternity but to inflict such harm on people you will call brothers really escapes any logic that I can fathom,” Aquino said after the Philippine Air Force’s 67th anniversary held at the Clark Air Base.

“And I think I would like to call upon all the elders of these various fraternities (and tell them), ‘Even if you had to undergo the same, isn’t it about time that you are the most active in making sure that

it stops?’” he added.However, Aquino thumbed down proposals to

fully ban hazing.The President admitted that the problem may lie

in the enforcement of the law.“So one has to ask, ‘What is lacking in terms of

enforcement that prevents us from exercising the full penalties embodied in that law?’” he said.

Aquino said the Philippine government will study how the problem of fraternity hazing can be resolved.

The statement came days after Guillo Cesar Servando, a sophomore student of College of St. Benilde, died allegedly due to injuries he sustained from the initiation rites of the Tau Gamma Phi.

Aquino defends Nora Aunor snub over drugs Miriam praises SC ruling vs DAP

Palace: Govt prepared to defend EDCA

Aquino to frats: Hurting your ‘brother’ escapes logic


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By Stephen CollinsonWASHINGTON, June 30, 2014 (AFP)

– President Barack Obama ignited a new power showdown with Republicans Monday, vowing to fix America’s broken immigration system alone after Congress refused to vote on his top remaining do-mestic priority this year.

Obama rebuked Republican leaders who will not pass a “darn bill” because they fear conservative activists who oppose offering a path to citizenship for 11 million undocumented migrants as “amnesty.”

If the lawmakers allowed a vote, “they would be following the will of the major-ity of the American people who support reform,” Obama said in a statement to reporters in the White House Rose Garden laced with sarcasm and bitterness.

“Instead, they have proven again and again that they’re unwilling to stand up to the Tea Party in order to do what’s best for the country.”

Obama said House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner told him last week that his chamber would not vote this year on comprehensive legislation that passed the Democratic-run Senate a year ago.

Searching for a genuine legacy-enhanc-ing achievement to adorn his battered sec-ond term, the president argued that he thus had no choice but to act to stem a building immigration crisis.

“If Congress will not do their job, at least we can do ours,” Obama said, revealing he had asked the Department of Homeland Security to come up with recommendations within the next few

months, which he pledged to immediately implement using his executive powers.

Obama said he would surge resources to secure the southwestern US border, where a flood of tens of thousands of child mi-grants from Central America has stretched customs services and deepened the partisan bile over immigration reform.

Fiery mid-terms -The moves will further inflame the

fiery showdown between the Democratic president and Republicans ahead of mid-term congressional elections in November.

Republicans accuse Obama of exceed-ing his presidential power in a series of actions on health reform, immigration enforcement and personnel issues.

Their case was bolstered by a unani-mous Supreme Court ruling last week that found the president overstepped his pow-ers by appointing several officials to the National Labor Relations Board without the consent of Congress.

Obama’s salvo against Republicans came after the administration announced over the weekend that it would ask Con-gress for more than $2 billion to enforce the southern border and speed up repatriations of some of the 52,000 unaccompanied mi-nors that crossed illegally into the country since October.

The decision will ensure that deporta-tions are handled as humanely as possible, while still ensuring the protection of asy-lum seekers and refugees, the president wrote in a letter to congressional leaders.

The president also asked for additional authority for the Department of Homeland

Security to process and remove unaccom-panied child migrants from nations like Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador who transited through Mexico.

Obama wants to surge immigration judges to the area and to do more to crack down on criminal and smuggling networks.

The request will also include funds for Central American nations to reintegrate returned migrants.

Obama campaigned in the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections for compre-hensive immigration reform—racking up huge majorities from Hispanic voters, for whom the issue is deeply resonant.

The president said he was certain that Republican leaders did in fact want to move on the issue, but were unable to get their party’s rank and file on board.

He is almost certainly correct. Politi-cal analysts warn that Republicans cannot continue to alienate the rapidly growing Hispanic population and win presidential elections.

But the issue leaves Republican lead-ers deeply exposed among the party’s grassroots, and activists are whipped up

every day by a chorus of invective about the reform bill on conservative talk radio and other forums.

Earlier this month, the number two Republican leader in the House, Eric Cantor, lost a primary nominating contest in his seat in Virginia in a shocking result largely attributed to conservative outrage over the possibility of reform. He quit his post as a result.

Political power players in Washington quickly adopted political positions after the president spoke.

“Speaker Boehner has made it absolute-ly clear that he won’t lift a finger to fix our broken immigration system, so President Obama is right to protect families from being torn apart,” said Senate Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Boehner said that he told Obama last week that the American people and their elected representatives did not trust the president to enforce existing immigration laws.

“Until that changes, it is going to be difficult to make progress on this issue,” Boehner said.

Obama to act on immigration ‘alone’

PANAMA CITY, July 1, 2014 (AFP) – US Secretary of State John Kerry reiterated Tuesday Washington’s calls for Central American cooperation in addressing the plight of tens of thousands of illegal child migrants making their way to the United States.

The rapid surge in unaccompanied children making the dangerous journey, most of them from Central America, has prompted US officials to talk of a “hu-manitarian crisis” and to issue reminders the vast majority of the minors will be deported.

Kerry met with Salvadoran President Salvador Sanchez Ceren and Guatemalan President Otto Perez plus Honduran For-eign Minister Mireya Aguero in Panama City.

“The lives of children cannot be put at risk in this way and we all have a re-sponsibility as leaders to do our part in

order to solve this problem, and we will,” Kerry said.

“We obviously understand people who want to be able to do better, to look for a better life. But at the same time, there are rules of law,” he added.

And he cautioned that “there is false information that is being spread about ben-efits that might be available to these young people who are looking for that better life.”

Kerry declined to say whether the United States would heed calls from Cen-tral America for US authorities to focus on reunifying families whenever possible.

Central American authorities yesterday said they would ask Kerry to allow children immigrants to stay if their parents were already in the country.

Since October, 52,000 unaccompanied children aged under 17 have been detained crossing the border, twice the number from the same period a year ago.

Kerry urges Central America cooperation on child migrants

By Ella IdeROME, July 1, 2014 (AFP) - Horrific

accounts emerged Tuesday of how 30 mi-grants were left to die, bolted by traffickers into the suffocating hull of an overcrowded fishing boat, as their bodies were brought to Sicily for burial.

“There were too many of us. They forced us onto the boat, though there was no space left. Those inside, with the hatch closed, they were killed,” a young Syrian survivor was quoted as saying by the Cor-riere della Sera daily.

“When they tried to get out, to escape the heat, the lack of oxygen and the fumes, the traffickers – fearing the boat would cap-size – gave the order to keep them inside,

bolting the hatch,” the paper said.Sobbing migrants told police of their at-

tempts to rescue their friends and relatives, and of the traffickers’ refusal to open the hatch or turn back even as the tiny hold filled with engine fumes.

“We tried to rescue them as soon as we realised what was happening. We did everything, but it was too late. They looked like they were sleeping,” one distraught man was quoted by La Repubblica as saying. Another said “they piled us in like beasts. We asked to turn back but they said it was too late.”

Two of the survivors were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of people trafficking, Italian media reports said.

Traffi ckers left migrants to die ‘like beasts’: survivors


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On the 6th month of this year, 2014; and after 6 years of work from the Philippine government and the Philippine aviation sec-tor, Philippine Airlines (PAL), the nation’s flag carrier, proudly announced its upgrade to Category 1 by the United States Federal Aviation Administration. These big numbers ushered in a big celebration at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills.

“I commend Ramon Ang and his management team for all

Big celebration of big numbers from PAL

the significant improvements they have implemented in PAL’s operations,” said Philippine Ambassador to the U.S., Jose Cuisia, Jr., who offered a toast during the PAL “Big Event” that was held at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel last June 12th 2014.

The date of the event couldn’t have been more appropriate as it also coincided with the celebration and commemoration of the 116th anniversary of the proclamation of Philippine Independence Day, another big number to celebrate.

“As the Asia’s first republic, the Philip-pines has gone through many tough times and tribulations; yet has successfully proceeded on its course for development over the years,” Ambassador Cuisia added. “Now we continue our nation-building even from abroad.”

Filipinos abroad, especially those in Southern California, may now benefit from the big reveal that evening as PAL Presi-

dent and Chief Operating Officer Ramon S. Ang talked about the latest addition to their fleet, the Boeing 777-300ER.

“It can carry at least an additional 40 tons of cargo. And it emits 20% less car-bon. It will have an additional 600 nautical miles range over the 747, allowing us to fly direct from LA to Manila without stop-ping in Honolulu or Guam, even during the winter season,” Ang said. “We have also installed the latest wifi, internet and GSM connectivity, allowing passengers to call, text or surf during the flight.”

It was clear to the close to 300 invited guests in attendance that evening that PAL was making it possible for Filipinos and non-Filipino flying patrons to enjoy 3 very important things during air travel – safety, newer aircraft, and excellent service.

“Now, the ‘more fun’ experience in

the Philippines can start with Philippine Airlines,” said Rene Delos Santos, Deputy Tourism Attaché from the Department of Tourism-San Francisco, adding that tourism is one of the priorities of the cur-rent administration; and PAL is one of the private companies that’s helping to develop and improve this industry.

“From PAL’s Boeing 747 to 777, now tourists can experience a more re-laxed. Comfortable jour-ney to the Philippines,” he said.

Boeing representatives also shared their thoughts about the celebration that evening. Boeing Vice

Yours truly with Philippine Airlines Chief Operating Officer Ramon S. Ang. Photo: Benny Uy

President and Head of Marketing Randy Tinseth recalled his 2011 trip to the Phil-ippines where he had an opportunity to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the first airline in Asia: “Philippine Airlines fleets have carried millions passengers in com-fort and style across the Pacific,” he said, as he continued to talk about the Boeing 777-300ER, “an airplane that is more than 25% more efficient than the airplane its replacing. It will build upon the excel-lent comfort and service that Philippine Airlines has offered throughout the years.”

Mr. Tinseth’s speech drew applause when he talked about “perfect timing” of these big changes and big partnerships implemented by PAL, emphasizing that the strong Philippine economy and the robust economy in Southeast Asia will lead to more travel opportunities between North America and Southeast Asia. “This is an opportunity for Philippine Airlines to gain a lion’s share of that market.”

While the acquisition of Boeing 777 planes and the upgrade to Category 1; along with the 116th anniversary of the dec-laration of Philippine Independence were the big numbers celebrated that evening, the sense of Philippine pride was also felt in the ballroom... and more strongly when one of the Philippines’ most esteemed performers was called on stage. Lani Mis-alucha, dubbed as the Asia’s Nightingale,

brought the house down with some covers and medleys.

Indeed, everyone in the audience was pampered with good food, great news, awesome entertainment; and even amazing surprises. Two lucky guests went home with round-trip business class tickets to the Philippines, plus a ticket to any domestic destination of their choice, once in Manila.

At the end of the evening, the whole affair oozed with class, style, comfort, and fun entertainment – words I know I can also use to describe a PAL flight experience.

Jannelle So is taking a break from 20-years of print and broadcast journalism career that began in the Philippines and continued here in the US. Connect to her on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Jan-nelleSoOFFICIAL); Twiiter (www.twitter.com/JannelleSo); and Instagram (www.instagram.com/JannelleSo) or email her at [email protected].

Los Angeles, July 2, 2014 – The Phil-ippine Consulate General in Los Angeles is inviting the public to the 34th Lotus Festival on 12-13 July 2014 at the Echo Park Lake, Los Angeles. A special cultural program of Philippine dances and songs will unfold on the Opening Day on 12 July 2014.

The Philippines, as the Festival’s country of honor this year will showcase a 2-hour cultural extravaganza featuring Philippine traditional art, music, food and dances to be held from 12 noon to 2:00 pm. The Lotus Festival is organized by the L.A. Lotus Festival, Inc. with the Department of Recreation and Parks and the City of Los Angeles as the main sponsors.

The L.A. Lotus Festival, Inc. President, Leo Pandac, announced that the 34th Lotus Festival will kick-off at noon on 12 July, with the Philippines commencing the fes-tivities with cultural experience followed by approximately 30 that will programs for the two-day event. The public will again experience a variety of cultural and musical entertainment complete with food booths and a variety of vendors selling their crafts from the Asia Pacific Islander communities.

For more information, please visit: www.facebook.com/pages/lotus-festi-val/32372488176

Philippines, featured country at the 34th Lotus Festival of L.A

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(Relaxnews) – Growing concern over fertility and the controversy of preserving it has inspired a Danish research team to assess what, exactly, drains a woman’s ovarian reserves, and they concluded that the oral contraceptive pill could be a major culprit, at least temporarily.

Ovarian reserve is a measure of the ovary’s capacity to produce fertile oocytes (egg cells). Modern science assesses it via two measures: levels of anti-Mullerian hor-mone (AMH) in the blood and the number of early (antral) follicles in the ovary.

The latter is quantified by means of a vaginal ultrasound in a test of antral fol-licles count (AFC), which coupled with AMH testing provides the most reliable measure of fertility, with the two consid-ered indicators of ovarian age.

Researchers tested 833 women between the ages of 19 and 46 and found the AFC measurements 16 percent lower in pill users and AMH levels down 19 percent.

An unexpected additional finding was that pill users’ ovaries were between 29 and 52 percent smaller than those of non-pill users, particularly in the youngest of the

subjects, between the ages of 19 and 29.9.AMH was still up to 30 percent lower

and AFC up to 20 percent lower in pill users after the results were statistically adjusted for age, BMI, smoking, maternal age at menopause, maternal smoking dur-ing pregnancy and prematurity.

“We expected to find an effect of the Pill,” says Dr. Katherine Birch Petersen, from the Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark. “But during the project we were surprised at the quantified effect on ovarian reserve parameters as defined by anti-Müllerian hormone, antral follicle count and ovarian volume.”

To what degree the pill’s effects on the ovaries are permanent and how long they last is yet to be discovered, says Dr. Birch Peterson, who remains optimistic that they are temporary but says additional research is necessary to better understand the recov-ery phase after women stop taking the pill.

Although statistics indicate plenty of pill users eventually become pregnant, the effects of long term pill use have remained a concern.

Dr. Birch Peterson advises pill users

Tick tock, the contraceptive pill could speed up the biological clock. ©AFP PHOTO MYCHELE DANIAU

Oral contraceptive use could diminish fertility: studynot to count on AFC and AMC tests as an accurate measure of fertility and says that tests should be repeated three months after having stopped pill use for a better measure of fertility potential.

“The Pill may mask a severely diminished ovarian reserve,” says Dr. Birch Peterson, “and this is important to recognize.”

The study was presented Monday the European Society of Human Reproduc-tion and Embryology (ESHRE) Annual

Meeting in Munich by Dr. Birch Petersen.

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Hot Cinnamon Fireworks CakeYield: 12 servings 2 3/4 cups all-purpose fl our 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 cups (4 sticks) butter, soft ened 2 cups granulated sugar 6 eggs 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 bottle (6 ounces) Cinnamon Drops, crushed 1 box (1.5 ounces) Blue Colorburst Batter Bits 1 cup sift ed confectioners’ sugar 3 to 4 tablespoons milk Red, white and Royal Blue Candy Melts candy, melted Red, white and blue colored sugarsPreheat oven to 350°F. Spray Dimensions Cascade Pan with vegetable pan spray.

In large bowl, combine fl our, baking powder and salt. In second large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fl uff y. Add eggs one at a time, scraping bottom and sides of bowl oft en. Add vanilla; beat until well combined. Add fl our mixture and beat at low speed until just combined. Fold in Cinnamon Drops and blue Batter Bits. Pour into prepared pan; smooth out top. Bake 60 to 65 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on cooling grid. Remove from pan and cool completely. In large bowl, whisk together confectioners’ sugar and milk. Drizzle melted candy onto cake to look like fi reworks. Sprinkle sugars onto melted candy.

No-Bake Cheesecake Star PopsYield: 6 servings 1 envelope (2 1/4 teaspoons) unfl avored gelatin 1/4 cup granulated sugar 3/4 cup boiling water 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, soft ened 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 bag (12 ounces) royal blue Candy Melts candy Lollipop SticksPrepare 6-cavity Mini Star Silicone Mold with vegetable pan spray. In small bowl, combine gelatin, sugar and water; whisk until com pletely dissolved. In large bowl, beat cream cheese, vanilla and salt with electric mixer until smooth. Gradually add gelatin mixture, beating well. Scrape bottom and sides of bowl. Continue beating until fully combined. Pour into prepared pan. Refrigerate 2 hours or until completely set. Carefully unmold cheesecakes onto cookie pan. Melt small amount of Candy Melts candy. Dip lollipop stick in melted candy and insert 3/4 way into cheese cake stars. Freeze 30 minutes or until fi rm. In large bowl, melt remaining Candy Melts according to package directions. Drizzle or pipe candy over cheesecake stars as desired. Refrigerate 10 minutes or until set. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.Note: Some cream cheeses are fi rmer than others. Firm is best for this recipe. Choose a brand name, full fat cream cheese for best results.

Host a patriotic bash with dazzling desserts

Quick Pickled Strawberry Hand PiesYield: 8 hand pies 1 cup red wine vinegar 3/4 cup water 1 cup sugar, plus additional for sprinkling 1/4 teaspoon salt 10 black peppercorns 5 sprigs fresh thyme, plus 1/2 teaspoon roughly chopped fresh thyme leaves, divided 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and cut into quarters (or eighths if berries very large) 3 tablespoons cornstarch 1 egg 1 package (14 ounces) refrigerated pie crustsIn small saucepan, stir together vinegar, water, 1 cup sugar, salt and peppercorns. Add thyme sprigs. Cook over medium

heat, stirring occasionally, until boiling; let boil 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour over cut strawberries, until fully submerged in liquid. Cover and let sit at room temperature 4 to 8 hours. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line cookie pan with parchment paper. Strain straw berries from pickling liquid and discard peppercorns and thyme. Toss berries with cornstarch until evenly coated. In small bowl, whisk egg with 1 tablespoon water until smooth. Unroll pie crusts and cut with 3 1/2-inch round cutter. Each crust yields 8 rounds. To assemble pies, top half of rounds with about 3 tablespoons of berry mixture each. Brush edges of rounds with egg wash. Cut out a hole or pierce remaining rounds with fork. Place on top of berries. Using a fork, press edges of crusts together tightly to seal. Transfer to prepared cookie pan. Brush tops of pies with egg wash and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake 18 to 22 minutes, or until pies are lightly golden and fi lling is bubbling. Cool slightly before serving.

Cool down with delicious ice cream treats


ENTERTAINMENTInternationally acclaimed and multi-

awarded actress Nora Aunor has finally broken her silence about her exclusion from the latest batch of National Artists proclaimed recently by Malacañang.

Aunor, more popularly known as the country’s superstar, thanked supporters who have rallied behind her.

The “Himala” star went on to admit that she was hurt by the snub but she remained grateful nonetheless.

“Gusto ko pong magpasalamat sa lahat ng mga taong sumuporta at patuloy na sumusuporta sa akin sa panahong ito ng usapin tungkol sa National Artist Awards,” she said in a statement.

“Inaamin ko pong nasaktan ako sa mga nangyari. Pero ang dagsa ng suporta na nakita ko at naramdaman mula sa aking mga kababayan, mga katrabaho ko sa in-dustriya, mga fans at mga kaibigan, mga pari at madre, mga guro at iba pang taga-akademya, mga taga-media, mga National Artists, mga pangkaraniwang mamamayan dito at sa ibang bansa, ay sapat-sapat na upang maramdaman kong maski wala mang tropeo o karangalang igawad sa akin ang mga nasa kapangyarihan, iniluklok naman ako ng mga kababayan ko habang buhay sa kanilang mga puso bilang isang artista ng bayan.

“Para sa akin po ay mas totoo at mas masarap ang karangalang ito dahil taus-

pusong nanggagaling sa mga taong siyang dahilan kung bakit ako nagpapakabuti bilang isang artista – ang mga mamama-yang Pilipino,” TV5’s contract star added.

“Ang pagsuportang ito ang lalong nagbibigay ng lakas ng loob sa akin, at ng walang kapantay na inspirasyon, upang lalo kong pagbutihin ang aking sining, upang lalo akong sipagin sa pag-babahagi ng kung anumang talento meron ako, at upang lalo ko pang pag-ibayuhin na maging isang mabuti at marangal na mamamayang Pilipino. “ (MNS)

“Karirin na natin ‘to!”This was Claudine Barretto’s message for her estranged husband, actor Raymart

Santiago, on fulfilling together their responsibilities to their children, following a bitter exchange of lawsuits and scandalous allegations starting last year.

The 34-year-old actress said she and Santiago have been discussing an arrange-ment concerning their two kids – 6-year-old Santino and 10-year-old Sabina.

“All I can say is that, thank God, it’s gearing towards good signs and good direc-tion para sa mga anak namin at sa amin,” Barretto said.

Citing a gag order, the former ABS-CBN star said she cannot discuss the details of possible agreements on financial support, visitation rights to the children, and claims to properties.

Clarifying that they are not back together, Barretto was happy to share that she and her husband recently attended a parent-teacher conference together for one of their kids.

Over the weekend, the actress also posted on Instagram photos of her with her children and Santiago posing inside what appears to be a restaurant. “Happy day,” she said in one caption.

MANILA, July 1 (Mabuhay) – Follow-ing her admission that she is in a romantic relationship with Matteo Guidicelli, Sarah Geronimo now reveals when she plans to walk down the aisle and tie the knot.

The singer-actress was asked what is her ideal marrying age considering she is already turning 26 next month.

“Ang ideal age for me is before 30, or sana 29. Kahit matagalan nang konti basta wala naman po sa edad iyan. Kapag natagpuan mo na ang tamang panahon, tamang ikaw at tamang partner din, yun na,” she said.

Geronimo said she is grateful to have Guidicelli in her life because he makes an effort to make her feel special.

“Siyempre thankful naman tayo sa Diyos dahil everything that’s happening, kumbaga na-bless ako ng ganitong klaseng relationship, ganitong klaseng karelasyon kasi mabait na tao naman si Matteo at talagang matiyaga,” she said.

Just like Guidicelli, the singer-actress said she also calls him “mahal.”

“Oo. Oo naman, kasi mahal ko yun eh. Mahal ko yun talaga,” she beamingly said.

When told that Guidicelli seems to be the only suitor who won her parents’ hearts, Geronimo said, “Ano naman iyan eh, continuous iyan. Dapat hindi natatapos ang effort mo na ligawan [ang magulang]. Kasi ako okay na ako, yung magulang na talaga.”

Nora hurt by National Artist snub

Nora Aunor

Claudine has positive message for Raymart

Sarah on Matteo: Mahal ko ‘yun talaga


Pre-4th of July Savings


Pre-4th of July Savings




COMMUNITYMANILA, July 1 (Mabuhay) – The

first of the country’s South Korean fighter jets won’t arrive until 2015 year but the Philippine Air Force has slowly built up its capability over the past few years after decades of neglect, President Benigno Aquino III said on Tuesday.

Speaking at the 67th anniversary of the PAF in Clark Field, Aquino said the military already has two additional C-130 planes, 18 basic trainer aircraft, eight So-kol combat utility choppers, 20 upgraded MD-520 MG helicopters, and four of the 21 recently purchased Huey helicopters.

The modest build-up happened amid an ongoing dispute with China over territories in the West Philippine Sea.

Aquino said he expected the remaining 17 Huey helicopters to be delivered by the end of the year and two of the 12 FA-50 lead-in fighter trainers to arrive from South Korea next year.

“Kaya naman sa paglapag ng sarili nating FA-50 sa ating bakuran, muli nat-ing magagawang ipagtanggol ang ating teritoryo sa mas epektibong paraan,” Aquino said.

Aquino said the government was mov-ing to acquire eight combat utility heli-copters, two long-range patrol aircraft, six close-air support aircraft, radar systems, and other upgrades for the Air Force.

The President said his administration has been seeking such upgrades since he assumed office in 2010.

“Sa apat na taong nakalipas, sinagad natin ang pagkakataon para lalong isulong ang modernisasyon sa inyong hanay. Para po sa Air Force, kabilang sa ating mga inisyatiba ang paglinang sa kasanayan ng mga piloto, pagpapalawak ng ating airlift capability, at pagdaragdag ng mga fixed-wing at rotary assets,” Aquino said.

He said this is a big difference from his predecessors, who supposedly did not give the Air Force the support it needed.

“Nakakalungkot nga pong isipin ang estado ng Air Force na ating dinatnan: Ang dating tinitingala bilang isa sa pinakamal-akas na hukbong himpapawid sa Asya, tila hindi na naka-take-off dahil sa maraming dekada ng katiwalian, panlalamang, at kakulangan ng pansin. Tila ba sinalamin ng kalagayan ng Air Force ang malubhang estado ng ating lipunan dahil sa baluktot na pamamahala,” Aquino said.

“Malinaw po, sa tuwid na daan, ang hangad natin: Itama ang maling pama-malakad upang muli nating maabot ang matatayog na tagumpay na tatak ng ating Hukbong Himpapawid,” he added.

AwardeesBefore his speech, the President also

witnessed the flyby of the Air Force’s assets.

These include: 3 S-211 jets, 3 C-130 Hercules, 1 F-28, 2 F-27 Fokker, 3 N-22 Nomad, 2 OV-10 Bronco bombers, 2 SF-260TP warrior, 16 SF-260FH/M trainer, 9 T-41D trainer, LC-210 weather aircraft,

4 MG-520 gunship helicopter, 4 UH-1H Huey, 1 Bell 205, Huey II, 6 Sokol rescue helicopters, and 3 S-76A air ambulance.

Aquino also led the recognition of the following PAF units and personnel:

Brigadier General Benito N Ebuen Air Base (Mactan Air Base) for Model Base of the Year

3rd Air Division for Division Category of the Year;

Air Logistics Command for Command of the Year;

205th Tactical Helicopter Wing for Tacti-cal Wing of the Year

520th Air Base Wing for Support Wing of the Year;

TOG 10, 3rd Air Division for Tactical

Operations Group of the YearHeadquarters Service Support Group,

HPAF for Support Group of the YearMaj. Jonathan De Leon O-13360 PAF

for Officer of the Year SSg. Winthor Caingles 842587 PAF for

NCO of the YearA1C Jayson DS Galvez 882869 PAF for

Airman of the YearEusebio Ramos Jr CE (410th MW) for

Model Supervisor of the YearElton Monet B Merelos CE (205th

THW) for Model Employee of the Year1st Air Force Wing Reserve, AFRC for

Ready Reserve Wing of the Year220th Airlift Wing for CG’s PAF Award

for Flight Safety of the Year. (MNS)

The FA-50 light combat aircraft is equipped with state-of-the-art systems and weapon systems, according to airforce-technology.com.

Aquino defends jetfi ghter buyFA-50s will make PHL air defense ‘eff ective’

WASHINGTON – Mee Moua, president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC), issued the following statement in response to the recently released Federal Communications Commission’s biennial Report on Owner-ship of Commercial Broadcast Stations:

Even though the Asian American com-munity is growing, we are disheartened to see a significant decrease minority and women-owned commercial TV and radio stations. In the last three years, the num-ber of low-powered TV stations dropped by half, from 28 stations in 2011 to 14 in 2013. Furthermore, minority ownership of broadcast stations has dropped to less than two percent of all full-power TV stations, with Asian Americans only owning five stations in the entire country.

Broadcast diversity yields many ben-efits for the Asian American community, where one out of three is limited English

proficient. An inclusive media landscape helps integrate language minority groups into their communities by providing cul-turally relevant programming, in-language news, and emergency alerts. We urge the Commission to work diligently to promote broadcast diversity and ask lawmakers to pass measures that promote minority own-ership, such as a minority tax certificate program.

Asian Americans Advancing Justice is a national affiliation of four leading organizations advocating for the civil and human rights of Asian Americans and other underserved communities to promote a fair and equitable society for all. The affilia-tion’s members are:

Advancing Justice | AAJC (Wash-ington, D.C.), Advancing Justice | Asian Law Caucus (San Francisco), Advancing Justice | Chicago, and Advancing Justice | Los Angeles.

FCC report shows decline of Asian American-owned broadcast stations

The Los Angeles Unified School Dis-trict’s Beyond the Bell Division in their Office of Communications launched their “Make Music LA” concert at the Visconti Plaza in Los Angeles recently.

The “Make Music LA” concert, hosted by Beyond the Bell Division is an eleven-hour celebration of musical creativity participated by the after-school program of Beyond the Bell, performed by students throughout the entire county of Los An-geles in schoolyards, sidewalks, street cor-ners, community gardens and parks, used as backdrops or stage for the free concerts. During its kick off concert, performers include LAUSD empoyees, musicians, dancers, students and other local talent.

The outdoor event was free to the pub-lic which included a variety of food truck vendors. “Make Music LA” provides a plat-form for LAUSD students and employees who have entertainment abilities as musi-cians, poets, dancers, storytellers, actors, visual and media artists to showcase “their community’s landscape and help people rediscover their surroundings as well as experience new ones.”

Alvaro Cortes, Executive Director of LAUSD’s Beyond The Bell Division, spearheaded the event with the mission that bringing concerts such as “Make Music LA” brings everyone together “to experience a shared cultural environment.” (Myrna Aquitania)

LAUSD’s Beyond The Bell Division launched musical concerts


Concerts take place at county parks, outdoor amphitheatres, community centers, libraries, museums and more

Free family-friendly concerts featuring music from popular standards and jazz to mariachi and world music are taking place throughout Los Angeles County this summer. Concerts are scheduled through October in parks, outdoor amphitheatres, community centers, libraries and museums.

Since its inception in 1947, the Los Angeles County Arts Commission has sponsored free concerts at community venues throughout the County to provide

access to quality music programming rep-resenting the diversity of County residents. Each County Supervisorial office funds the concerts in its district.

Artists who perform at Free Concerts in Public Sites are chosen by the concert pre-senters from the Arts Commission’s Musi-cians Roster featuring more than 80 LA County based groups representing a range of musical styles. This online directory is accessible to the general public. Artists included are chosen by a panel of experi-enced and respected music professionals based on artistic excellence, cultural diver-sity and the ability to work cooperatively with other organizations as representatives of the Free Concerts program.

Free summer concerts offered throughout Los Angeles County (Paul Choi is an immigration attorney and professor of law

located at 5900 Sepulveda Blvd. Ste 303, Sherman Oaks, CA.

Petitioning for a fi ancé

91411. Atty. Choi will answer all questions regarding im-migration and naturalization for free. Address questions to [email protected] or tele-phone 818 714-2226. Atty Choi is pleased to announce that his administrator is Philip Abramowitz .)

Question: I am married a U.S. citizen. I travelled to the Philippines a few months ago and I was introduced for a very lovely lady. We saw each other for the two weeks that I was there and we have kept in touch ever since. We are becoming closer and I am considering either marrying her or bringing her here and getting married in the U.S. I am thinking about how to get my girlfriend into the U.S. if we decide to marry here. How fast is it to get a fiancé visa. Am I better off marrying her in the Philippines first and then bringing her here? How if I bring her here and decide afterwards that I don’t want to marry her? What happens next?

Answer: U.S. immigration laws an-ticipated the need to address overseas romances and the K-1 fiance visa was created for this purpose. You may wish to consider seeking a fiancé visa for your girlfriend as a means of bringing her here easily and quickly. However, you should be aware of some of the rules and restric-tions covering this type of visa.

First, fiancé visas are limited to intend-ing spouses of U.S. citizens. There is no provision in the law for a fiancé visa for the intending spouse of a permanent resident. Secondly, there are many restrictions on K-1 visas so that persons do not attempt to abuse them as a means to seek entry into this country.

The restrictions: In order to obtain a fiancé visa, it must be proven that you, the petitioner are a U.S. citizen by birth or naturalization and that you have personally met the fiancé during the last two years. (There is an exception available for those who have not met in the last two years but this exception is rarely ever granted. I recall a case where the petitioner was severely disabled and unable to travel and still the USCIS refused to approve the K-1 visa since he had not met his intending spouse.) In this day of internet dating, Twitter, and Facebook, personal meeting seems outdated, but that is still the law. Be prepared to show proof of the personal meeting in the form of photos, airline tick-ets or other evidence.

Secondly, the K-1 visa is only granted

for a short period of just a few months. This means that once the fiancé comes to the U.S., its decision time. If you intend to marry you must do so right away. If not, the visa expires and the fiancé becomes illegal.

If you do not marry within the time permitted to remain here, the fiancé is automatically illegal and cannot obtain a greencard under any other manner. This does mean that the U.S. citizen calls all the shots and if he or she backs out the fiancé is left to fend for himself or herself and must return home. Marrying someone else, or being petitioned by a relative or employer will not work at all to bring legal status. This means that the fiancé is at the citizen’s mercy regardless if he changes his mind for any reason.

The benefits: A K-1 visa is relatively easy to get. Filing the petition called an I-129F is quite easy and usually it is adjudi-cated quickly, often in just a few months or less. The approved petition is then sent to the U.S. embassy abroad where the fiancé can secure the visa. All in all, the waiting time from start to finish can be as little as six months. You, the petitioner can change your mind and not marry the beneficiary so there is no obligation. However, if you do marry, your fiance can easily file for adjustment of status to permanent resident. No additional petition is required so adjust-ment is quick and easy. Minor children of the fiancé can also come with the principal applicant and can adjust as well to lawful permanent resident. A recent case decided that children over 21 can also be included so this is a terrific benefit

Generally, a fiancé visa is faster to obtain than an immigrant visa. You do not need to marry the fiancé until after he or she arrives in the U.S. So there are some benefits over the normal immigrant visa petition. Certainly if your loved one is living abroad, consider a fiancé visa as a quick and easy alternative to the I-130 immigrant visa petition.

(Paul Choi will answer all questions re-garding immigration and naturalization for FREE. Address questions to [email protected] or call 818 714-2226. He is located at 5900 Sepulveda Blvd. Ste. 303, Sherman Oaks, CA. 91411. Phil Abramowitz can be reached at [email protected] or on his cell at 818 324-8110)

LOS ANGELES, July 3, 2014 (AFP) – Texas governor Rick Perry warned Thursday that a growing wave of immigrant children flooding into the US risks becoming a “monumental tragedy” and a national security crisis unless they are sent back as soon as possible.

He said a policy of housing unaccompanied minors in detention centers or allow-ing family members living in the US to care for them risks encouraging a “deluge” of more immigrants from Central America and elsewhere.

“Allowing them to remain here will only encourage the next group of individuals to undertake this very very dangerous and life-threatening journey,” Perry told a meeting of US lawmakers held on the US-Mexico border.

If they are not sent back as soon as possible “a humanitarian crisis will turn into a monumental tragedy for those children and... citizens along this border,” added the Republican governor and former White House contender.

“This second crisis is one of national security,” he added, saying resources which should be used to protect the border were being diverted by the huge influx of immigrants.

“The border between the United States and Mexico is less secure today than any time in the recent past,” he said.

Republican lawmaker Michael McCaul, chairing a meeting of the US House Homeland Security Committee Chairman on the US-Mexico border, said Texas is “facing an escalating refugee and national security crisis.

“Since October, more than 50,000 unaccompanied minors have crossed our southern border into the United States,” he added, citing estimates that over 150,000 unaccompanied children may try to cross the border next year.

US child immigrant surge a ‘tragedy’: Gov. Perry


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pre-qualified”, and are sometimes issued an actual certificate that you can show to a seller. While this is a good thing to do and may even expedite the buying process, it is usually better to get “pre-approved”. Becoming “pre-approved” means that all your financial information has been checked and verified. So instead of being “pre-qualified” you are actually APPROVED for the loan and the only loose end is the appraisal on the property. This process can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks depending on your situation.

Sell your property first, then buy the house.

If you have a house to sell, sell it before selecting a house to buy! Contingency are as always as strong as one that comes in with a ready, willing, a and able buyer. Consider this scenario: You have found the perfect house- now you have to go make an offer to the seller. You want the seller to reduce the price and wait until you sell your house. The seller figures that this is a risky deal, since he might pass up a buyer who DOESN’T have to swell a house while he’s waiting for you. So he okay, he’ll do the contingency but it has to be a full price offer! You have now paid more for the house than you could have because of the contingency, and you have to sell your existing house in a hurry!

Otherwise you lose the house! So to sell quickly you might take an offer that’s lower than if you had more time. The bottom line is that buying before selling might coast you THOUSANDS of dollars.

Play the game of ninesBefore house hunting, make a list of the

things you Then make a list of the thing you don’t want. You can use this list as a guide to rate each property that you see. In the end, the one with the biggest score wins! This helps avoid confusion and can help keeps things in perspective when you’re comparing dozens of homes. When house hunting, keep in mind the difference between “STYLE AND SUBSTANCE”. The SUBSTANCE are things that cannot be changed, such as the location, view , size of lot, noise in the are, school district, and floor plan. The STYLE represents easily changed surface finishes like carpet, wallpaper, color, and window coverings. Buy the house with good SUBSTANCE, because the STYLE can always be changed to match your particular tastes. I always recommend that you imagine each house as if it were vacant. Consider each house on its underlying merits, not the seller’s decorating skills.

Don’t be pushed into any houseYour agent should show you everything

available that meets your requirements. Don’t make a decision on a house until

you feel that you have seen enough to pick the best one. Recently in the past 2 years, homes are selling quickly, usually a few days after listing. In that kind of market, agents advise their clients to make an offer ON THE SPOT if they liked the house. That was good advise at the time. Right now, the market has already slowed a bit that and there may not always be this urgency, unless a home is drastically under priced, and you’ll know if it is.

Also, don’t forget to check into the SCHOOL DISTRICTS of the area you’re considering. Information is available on every school; such as class sizes, percent of students that go on to college, SAT scores, etc. You can usually get most of this information on the Internet.

Stop Calling Ads!Ads are sometimes created to make the

phone ring! Sometimes many of these homes have some drawback that may not be mentioned in the ad, such as traf-fic noise, power lines, or litigation in the community. What’s not mentioned in the ad is usually more important that what is.

For this reason, I want you to be very

careful when reading ads. Remember that the person writing the ad is represent-ing the seller and not you! Pick an agent you feel comfortable with and enlist the services of that agent as a buyer’s broker. Then you become a client with all the rights, benefits, and privileges created by this agency relationship, and you’re no longer just a shopper.

Did you know that many homes are sold WITHOUT A SIGN ever going up or an AD EVER PUT IN THE PAPER? These great deals to those people who are usu-ally committed to working with one agent. When an agent hears of a great buy, who do you think he’s going to call first? His cli-ent, who he has a legal obligation to work hard for- or someone who just called on the phone and said “keep your eyes open”? … So to get the best buy on a property, I always recommend that you hire your own agent and stick with him or her.

Thanks for the inquiry, please call Ken Go of 1st Innovative Finance Group for your mortgage needs and Real Estate ques-tions. Call Ken at 562-508-7048 or write to [email protected].

5 secrets to buying the best house for your moneyGet “ Pre-Approved” or at Lease “Pre-Qualified!”Do you want to get the best property you can for the lease

amount of money? Then make sure you are in the strongest negotiating position possible. Price is only one element in the negotiations, and not necessarily the most important one. Often other terms, such as the strength of the buyer or the length of escrow, are criti-cal to a seller. Some people recommend that buyers get “

WASHINGTON, July 1, 2014 (AFP) – Government spending was the only driver of overall US construction spending in May, which edged up a scant 0.1 percent from a year ago, the Commerce Depart-ment said Tuesday.

May private sector spending on con-struction fell at an annual rate of 0.3 percent from April, dragged down by a 1.5 percent drop in home building spend-ing. Nonresidential construction rose 1.1 percent.

Government construction spending

advanced 1.0 percent, led by spending on highways.

The May headline number was weaker than expected. Analysts on average esti-mated overall construction spending would increase 0.4 percent.

“We anticipate that the blip in resi-dential construction will be temporary; construction spending should continue to recover over the next few months,” IHS Global Insight said in a research note.

US construction spending edges up in May

NEW YORK, July 3, 2014 (AFP) – Wall Street rode improving economic data to fresh records this week, spawning comparisons to July 4th fireworks on the eve of the US Independence Day holiday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 216.42 points for the four-day week (1.28 percent) to 17,068.26, while the S&P 500 increased 24.48 (1.25 percent) to 1,985.44. Both indices notched closing records three days in a row and the Dow closed above 17,000 for the first time.

The gains were also strong on the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index, which tacked on 88.00 (2.00 percent) to 4,485.93.

The highlight of the week was Thurs-day’s Department of Labor employment report, which showed the US economy added a healthy 288,000 jobs in June, while the unemployment rate fell to 6.1 percent from 6.3 percent in May.

Economists characterized the report as the latest indication of pickup in the US economy after activity plummeted in the first quarter mainly due to unusually cold weather.

However, some analysts viewed the market’s buoyant reaction with concern.

“Investors are growing concerned with the increased bullishness in the market and ... wondering if the time is growing close to a correction,” said David Levy, portfolio manager at Kenjol Capital Management.

Levy said the market could retreat in the coming weeks if second-quarter earnings disappoint, or if investors conclude the Federal Reserve is likely to move up its timetable for raising interest rates.

But Scott Wren, a senior equity strat-egist at Wells Fargo Advisors, said the market has plenty of running room.

“Earnings are at a record high, valua-tions are reasonable, and the global recov-ery, albeit slow, continues to ramble on,” Wren said in a note.

Wall Street hits new peaks after US jobs report


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L A R R Y YA N G i s a g r a d u a t e o f Georgetown Universi ty Law Center with a master’s degree in law and practicesbefore California State Courts, United Sates District Courts, the California Appeals for the 9th Circuit and US Bankruptcy Courts.

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Year inLaw Practice30th

and other personal properties.

late to start fresh again and that “today” is all you have to work with. Forget the past as that is now behind you. You create your own future by doing the right things in the present.

For example, it’s a fact that a lot of hom-eowners have lost their home to foreclosure in the last several years because of the real estate market crash. But this doesn’t mean that these people will never become homeowners again. While it may take 2-3 years to rebuild credit and save money for

a down payment, it is doable and there is no point in feeling frustrated about what happened in the past. Blaming yourself, the economy, your lender, your spouse or other people for what happened to you is counterproductive and will only keep you from moving forward with your life.

Yesterday, I was counseling a single mom who raised her two children on her own without any help from her loser ex-husband when they got divorced 12 years. She had to work two jobs to pay

her mortgage, buy food, keep the lights on and send her kids to college. As difficult as it was for her, she never blamed anyone for her hardships and has instead taken responsibility for her own life through the years. On top of all of that, she has man-aged to go back to school and earn her master’s degree in business which will help her get a job promotion! That’s what I call a positive mindset- a mindset that refuses to accept defeat no matter what the circumstances are.

If you have suffered financially because of everything that has happened with the economy, the housing market, your em-ployment or whatever it may have been that led to your present circumstances, it’s time to pick up yourself and dust yourself and try again. You can do it. You may have lost your home, your retirement account and your savings as a result of your hard-ships but this doesn’t mean that you can’t

start planning again for your future. Life is too short to get depressed. Focus on the good things in your life and you will be amazed to see how happier you will be.

If you need to get out of debt and start saving again, call my office so we can talk and I will help you figure out the best solution for your situation. For a free con-sultation, call Toll-Free 1-866-477-7772. If you’re considering filing bankruptcy for the first time, or even if this is a second or a third filing for you, I‘d like to help you so please call my office. We have offices in Pasadena, Valencia and Cerritos.

(None of the information herein is intended to give legal advice for any specific situation. Atty. Ray Bulaon has successfully helped over 5,000 clients in getting out of debt. For a free attorney evaluation of your situation, please call Ray Bulaon Law Offices at TOLL FREE 1-866-477-7772).

Who else needs to get out of debt and start saving again?A lot of people who find themselves at the end of their

financial rope wonder about how they could rebuild their finances again. Out of desperation and in an effort to avoid filing bankruptcy, they use up all their savings and deplete their retirement plans hoping to survive from month to month until “things get better.” Unfor-tunately for a lot of people, that day never comes. I often tell my clients that it is never too

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By Rob Lever, Kerry SheridanWASHINGTON, July 3, 2014 (AFP)

– The scientific journal that published a controversial Facebook experiment on mood manipulation said Thursday it was concerned that the company did not follow scientific ethics and principles of informed consent.

While it stopped short of retracting the study, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences said it typically publishes experiments that have allowed subjects to opt out of research.

Facebook appeared to have been ex-empt from this rule because all users agree to a policy on data use when they open an account, constituting informed consent for research, according to PNAS.

“Based on the information provided

by the authors, PNAS editors deemed it appropriate to publish the paper,” said a statement by editor-in-chief Inder Verma.

“It is nevertheless a matter of concern that the collection of the data by Facebook may have involved practices that were not fully consistent with the principles of obtaining informed consent and allowing participants to opt out.”

The journal explained that the US gov-ernment protects those who participate in research by establishing best practices that scientists obtain informed consent and al-lowing subjects to opt out, a policy known as the Common Rule.

It said that Cornell University review-ers determined ahead of publication that Facebook’s experiment did not fall under the government’s human research protec-

tion program because it was conducted for internal purposes.

“Adherence to the Common Rule is PNAS policy, but as a private company, Facebook was under no obligation to conform to the provisions of the Common Rule when it collected the data used by the authors, and the Common Rule does not preclude their use of the data,” Verma said.

‘Messed with minds’PNAS’s statement followed a formal

complaint filed by privacy activists to US regulators seeking an urgent investigation.

In its complaint to the US Federal Trade Commission, the Electronic Privacy Infor-mation Center said the study – which has been widely criticized online – deceived consumers and violated an agreement on privacy settings.

Science journal says Facebook experiment ‘a concern’ “The company purposefully messed with people’s minds,” the complaint said.

It said that Facebook’s manipulation of users’ news feeds to elicit positive and negative emotional responses also “failed to follow standard ethical protocols for human subject research.”

The complaint asked the US regulatory agency to investigate, to order a halt to any similar practices and to require Facebook to make public its algorithm used for the news feed. An FTC spokesman declined to comment on the complaint.

The privacy group, which joined other groups in complaints in 2009 and 2010 that led to Facebook’s 20-year agreement with the FTC on privacy, said that the huge social network did not get users’ permis-sion to conduct the study and failed to notify participants that their data would be disclosed to researchers.


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PRAYER TO THE HOLY SPIRITHoly Spirit Thou who make me see everything and show me the way to reach my ideal, You who give me the divine gift to forgive and forget the wrong that is done to me and who are in all instances of my life with me. I, in this short dialogue, want to thank You for everything and con rm once more that I never want to be separated from You no matter how great the material desires may be. I want to be with You and my loved ones in Your perpetual glory. Amen. A person must pray this for three consecutive days without stating his wish. After the 3rd day the wish will be granted, no matter how dif cult it may be. Promise to publish this as soon as your favor has been granted. Grateful Thanks -RAIN

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8 life lessons from my 8 years as a ‘Kababayan’Two weeks ago, I tendered my resigna-

tion as host/producer of America’s first and only daily talk show for Filipinos in the United States, “Kababayan Today.” I have posted my farewell message on my social media accounts – www.facebook.com/JannelleSoOFFICIAL; www.twitter.com/JannelleSo and www.instagram.com/JannelleSo. And aired my farewell show last Monday, June 30th.

As I have been saying, it has been a great run; but time has come for me to move forward with my life. And as I look forward to the future, I look back on some poignant life learnings from last eight years as a “kababayan.”

1. Never compromise your integrity and credibility... not even for a job.

2. What matters in life is that you have the love and respect of the people you love and respect.

Being on television made me feel “ex-posed” to the public. Hosting a daily talk show sometimes felt like an invitation to viewers to not just watch me and listen to what I was saying; but also to form an opin-ion about not just the topic of discussion; but also about me – how I was speaking, the words I was choosing to use, what I was wearing, how my hair was done...There were even viewers who wrote an email to tell me how they think I should stand in front of the camera; or viewers who had totally opposite observations.

Accepting the FilAm library award in 2007

Last few days on Kababayan Today set, 2014

Taping farewell show with family and LA18 staff, 2014

Happy hour with production staff of LA18, 2008

I started having thoughts of leaving “Kababayan Today” about 4-5 years ago. Yes, I never made my hesitation public. “The show must go on.” But all my close family and friends knew my struggles. Those were most stressful days when my only recourse were prayers and meditation.

Like many of you when trying to discern the perfect path, I prayed for the wisdom to know when it’s time to walk away. But then blessings started pouring – new advertisers/sponsors who had faith in my ideas; travel opportunities, to film exotic locations; even the launch of “Kababayan Today” syndica-tion in Hawaii last year. I took these as God’s way of telling me to stay. He has been bless-ing me and who was I to resist?

Then I started changing my prayer. In-stead of imploring Hs help to take me out of my situation or take the difficulties away, I prayed for a change in perspective: “If this is where you want me to stay, change my thoughts. Put in me a perspective about work that will make my heart joyful about what I’m doing,” I prayed incessantly, even during the day, whenever I encountered stressful and upsetting situations, and yes, even people.

In the end, He lead to me to a different path, one that I’ve been praying for years. In the end, He blessed my decision to finally

leave LA18. It was a sad undertaking for me, as well; but I had peace in the knowledge that I am doing the right thing... only obey-ing and following His plan for me.

5. Passion should be the purpose of work.

People ask me how I did it – hosting, producing, marketing, editing, advertising, client relations, community relations, and everything else I did to build and grow “Kababayan Today” – and how I did it all at the same time. Regular people work 40 hours per week. Anything beyond that is considered over time. I worked all those hours and more... and often without proper remuneration. To be objective about it, it all boiled down to time management... basi-cally all the time for work and whatever’s left for my personal or social time. This is not necessarily how life should be lived. Everyone talks about work/life balance. But you see, I was able to devote all that time because to me, “Kababayan Today” was not just work. Beyond my job, I had a passion for growing this platform for our Filipino-American community. I had a passion for telling stories. I had a passion for informing and engaging people. That made it easy for me to deal with the obstacles, to overcome my daily difficulties and in the end, it was also what drove me to leave.

6. Spreading one’s wings entails effort and self exertion.

I believe that passion grows as it is fulfilled. And when it gets a point where

passion is bigger than your platform, then you know it’s time to look for other options.

It would have been easy to stay as host/producer of an established program, and one that was built and established also because of my hard work. After a while, it became a routine. And though I was able to satisfy my passion to share stories and meet and interview personalities, I knew that there was more. And while I felt secure in my position at the station, I knew the only way to quench my thirst for “more” or “other” was to leave.

Most of us stay in a situation because it’s comfortable. But is that all there is to life? Is comfort something to aspire for?

We are encouraged by the phrase: “Spread your wings.” I guess because we know that it’s the prelude to flying, to soaring into higher altitudes. But you can’t spread your wings without effort. It doesn’t happen by accident. It takes a conscious decision and active exertion of effort.

7. Everything else is background noise.Faith, family and friends, knowledge of

self – to me that’s all that matters. Every-thing else is background noise, distracting you from your peace. Don’t let them.

8. Always be thankful.Jannelle So is taking a break from

20-years of print and broadcast journalism career that began in the Philippines and continued here in the US. Connect to her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram; or email her at [email protected].

“You have too much make up on,” one viewer wrote one day. But on that same day, I get another comment: “Nice make up on the show today. You looked good!” Were they watching different shows? Or maybe one was watching an old or malfunctioning or an inferior brand of TV?

Because I got these comments and criti-cisms, albeit well-meant, from all directions, I decided to surround myself with people I trust – my mom, fiancé, and very few dear friends – who I knew would tell me the truth; and whose judgment I trust because I know

that their observations are coming from a place of love, because they want what’s best for me. Yes, even when my mom would oc-casionally call after the show, to tell me that my neckline was too low; or that my skirt was too short.

3. The only thing we can control in this life is ourselves – our thoughts, feelings, actions and output.

Community leader and a good friend of mine, Ted Benito asked me in one of the segments of my farewell show: “What will you miss the most?”

I believe I blurted out a list of things I will miss the most. But added that one of the most important things I will miss is “being in control.” As producer of the longest-running daily talk show for Filipinos outside of the Philippines, I made every call – what to talk to about; who to invite as guests; how to adjust if a guest canceled; how to tie in segments; and so on. I probably made about 50 plus major and minor decisions on any given day, including sales pitches, dealing with advertisers and sponsors, dealing with community leaders. So yes, I was in control.

But as I ponder about that now... I realize I was wrong. Really, as I made those calls when I thought I was “in control,” those were decisions about how I was going to react or act or think or what I was going to do, faced with a challenge.

I couldn’t and didn’t control to make a guest come in if he or she felt like cancel-

ing at the last minute. I couldn’t and didn’t control how advertisers would support me and my program. I couldn’t even control the situation when it called for me to leave my post and move on with my life.

I can only control myself. And I should be doing that, anyway, whether or not I’m a host/producer.

4. God is in control. And His timing is always perfect.

While our control as human beings is limited to ourselves, as a believer, I know God is ultimately in control of everything.


SPORTSBy Rebecca Bryan

REDONDO BEACH, July 2, 2014 (AFP) – Belgium broke US hearts with two extra-time goals in a 2-1 World Cup win Tuesday, but the Americans depart football’s global showcase having garnered a raft of new fans back home.

Thousands turned out at Veterans Park in Redondo Beach, California, a coastal town just south of Los Angeles, to watch Jurgen Klinsmann’s plucky men battle Belgium for a quarter-final berth.

It was just one of the many “watch par-ties” that have drawn huge crowds in cities across the country, and included not only longtime fans of football and the US team, but also those like Jackie Marchand, who described herself as a “new soccer fan.”

Marchand said her interest had been piqued during the 2010 World Cup, but this year she’s found herself drawn more and more to “the drama and excitement of this game”—a game that has famously struggled for popularity in sports-mad America.

“This demands attention,” said March-and, a writer for children’s television pro-grams. “You can’t turn away or you will miss something.

“There’s a joy in this game. It makes people so happy. I think it makes people happier than a lot of other sports.”

The atmosphere at the beachside venue was festive, many fans draped in US flags or with their faces painted in the stars and

stripes.They mingled effortlessly with swim-

suit-clad onlookers wandering up from the beach to see what the fuss was all about.

Unprecedented interestPre-game chants of “I Believe That

We Can Win!” gave way to gasps and groans at the close calls for each side, the tension mounting as full time approached and neither the United States nor Belgium had scored.

When Belgium’s Kevin De Bruyne finally broke the deadlock in the 93rd min-ute, a collective sigh seemed to escape the crowd, before defiant chants of “U-S-A” rang out once more.

Romelu Lukaku’s 105th-minute strike to double the lead brought a shocked hush, and had a few packing up their picnics and heading for their cars.

Those that stayed were rewarded with teenaged substitute Julian Green’s goal that halved the deficit – keeping fans glued to the match and cheering until the final whistle.

The viewing party was hosted by the Los Angeles Galaxy, and Brendan Hannan, senior director of communications for the Galaxy, said he wasn’t surprised at the turnout, or at the strong Stateside interest in the World Cup.

More than 15 million Americans tuned in to watch Germany defeat the United States 1-0 in their World Cup group fi-nale, broadcasters ESPN and Univision

reported.The Americans’ previous 2-2 draw with

Portugal pulled in an average 18.2 million viewers on ESPN alone to become what the network called “the most-viewed soccer match in the United States ever.”

Hannan said he thought interest in football, or “soccer,” among US sports fans was “under-reported,” noting that in many markets – including Los Angeles and Seattle – Major League soccer teams routinely draw crowds that rival those of NHL or even some NBA teams.

On the bandwagon -Galaxy employees meanwhile worked

the crowd, offering free giveaways and touting their team to prospective ticket buyers.

Sam Saig, who works in season ticket sales for the Galaxy, said it was too soon to tell if World Cup interest would translate into season ticket purchases.

“We’re meeting a lot of people – we’ll see what that translates into,” he said. “I can tell you our phone has been ringing like crazy – our inbound calls are up a lot. We hope it translates after.”

Perhaps he’ll be hearing from Moku Yoshikawa and Kimo Carlos, two more fans who “just jumped on the bandwagon.”

MILWAUKEE, July 1, 2014 (AFP) – Jason Kidd, who made his NBA coaching debut with the Brooklyn Nets last year, has been officially named the new coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, the club said on Tuesday.

The Bucks acquired the 41-year-old on Monday from the Nets in exchange for two second-round picks in the 2015 and 2019 NBA entry drafts.

“When you list the characteristics that make a successful head coach, you would include leadership, communication and a competitive drive,” said Bucks general manager John Hammond. “Jason used all of those traits to become a 10-time all-star player in the NBA, and has now translated his on-court success to the bench. “We welcome him to the Bucks organization and look forward to building a Championship-caliber team with him as our head coach.” Kidd compiled a 44-38 record with Brooklyn last season, his first as a head coach at any level, and was named Eastern Conference coach of the month twice.

Terms of his contract with the Bucks were not released, but the US media is reporting that the deal is for three years and worth between $12 million and $15 million.

He was entering the second year of a four-year, $10.5-million deal with Brooklyn. But bad feeling between Kidd and Nets general manager Billy King increased when Kidd recently approached ownership to ask for a bigger role with the team.

World Cup whets US appetites, breaks hearts

Bucks offi cially welcome new coach Kidd


LOS ANGELES, July 1, 2014 (AFP) – Disgraced home run king Barry Bonds, who is serving a two-year probation sen-tence for giving evasive testimony to a federal grand jury, has won a review of his conviction.

The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals agreed in a brief filed Tuesday to rehear the case in mid-September with an 11-judge panel.

The former San Francisco Giants slug-ger is seeking to overturn a 2011 obstruc-tion of justice conviction associated with the BALCO steroids scandal.

“Upon the vote of a majority of nonre-cused active judges, it is ordered that the

case be reheard en banc pursuant to Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 35(a) and Cir-cuit Rule 35-3,” the court documents said.

Bonds, who turns 50 in three weeks, argued he was found guilty of simply providing an evasive answer to a federal grand jury which was investigating Major League Baseball’s steroid scandal in 2003. Bonds’ lawyers said even though their cli-ent gave rambling, long-winded testimony he should not be punished for trying to tell the truth. A three judge 9th Circuit panel upheld that conviction last year.

In 2011, a federal court convicted the American of providing deceptive answers to questions regarding whether he used

performance-enhancing drugs. The court hung on the three perjury charges against Bonds.

He was sentenced to two years’ proba-tion, 250 hours of community service, a $4,000 fine and month of monitored home confinement. He began serving his sentence in September.

Despite his tainted past, Bonds is trying to get back into the game as a coach. He spent a week working with the Giants’ bat-ters at their spring training camp in March.

Bonds holds numerous league records, including most career home runs (762) and the most home runs in a single season (73 set in 2001).

Ex-SF Giants’ conviction to be reviewed

Barry Bonds

LONDON, July 1, 2014 (AFP) – US superstar Serena Williams was at the centre of a Wimbledon health scare on Tuesday when she appeared to be close to fainting in a doubles match with sister Venus before retiring after just three games.

Serena, the 32-year-old world number one singles player, called the doctor to Court One just after she and Venus had warmed up for their second round women’s doubles match against Kristina Barrois and Stephanie Voegele. She broke down in tears as she consulted with the doctor and physio before the tournament referee and supervisor were also called to court in a reflection of her status in the sport.

After a 15-minute delay, during which she also had her blood pressure monitored,

Serena served up four double faults in her first service game, wobbled on the baseline before Venus led her back to her chair by the hand.

Umpire Kader Nouni, having already come down from his chair to talk to the Americans, announced that Serena was retiring from the match through illness with the sisters trailing 3-0.

Later Tuesday, the WTA Tour said that Serena was suffering from “a viral illness”.

Serena had been knocked out of the singles by Alize Cornet in the fourth round while Venus made the third round where she was defeated by Petra Kvitova.

The American has suffered health problems in the past, notably enduring life-threatening blood clots in 2011.

By Dave JamesLONDON, July 1, 2014 (AFP) – Rafael

Nadal warned his Wimbledon conqueror Nick Kyrgios on Tuesday that he will become a hunted man in the aftermath of his shock Wimbledon demolition of the 14-time Grand Slam title winner.

Kyrgios, just 19, stunned the world number one 7-6 (7/5), 5-7, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 in a fourth round sensation which sent Nadal, the 2008 and 2010 champion, crashing to his third successive loss at the All England Club to a player ranked outside the top 100.

But 28-year-old Nadal refused to anoint world number 144 Kyrgios as a future Grand Slam champion-in-waiting, insisting that he will need to handle the growing ex-pectations which will arise from his Centre Court triumph. “The sport is a mental part a lot of times. He has things, positive things, to be able to be a good player,” said Nadal, sounding a trifle world weary.

“But at the end, everything is a little bit easier when you are new. Everything is new. Nothing to lose. Everything is good. Everything is positive. You can do what-ever and will be positive, and everybody sees just the good things in you.

“When you are already there yourself, the rest of the people start to see the nega-tive things in your tennis. We’ll see if he’s able to improve and to play at very high level for a long period of time.”

Kyrgios is the first wildcard to make the Wimbledon quarter-finals since Germany’s Florian Mayer in 2004 and he made the fourth round the hard way, having to save nine match points in his second round clash with Richard Gasquet.

In the run-up to Wimbledon, he won a second-tier Challenger event in Not-tingham before losing in the first round of another grasscourt event in the English city the following week.

Nadal said the fact that Kyrgios is still in his teens doesn’t necessarily mean that fame and riches will follow—Nadal had already won his first Grand Slam title at the 2005 French Open just a week after he had turned 19.

“At 19, I was already playing these kind of tournaments and competing well. Now, it is very strange that the young players are coming so late,” said Nadal, who will lose his world number one status should Novak Djokovic win Sunday’s final.

“To be 19 is a perfect age to be on the tour and to play well. That’s what happened with all the great players in the past. It’s nothing new.” Kyrgios fired 37 aces and 70 winners past Nadal but the Spaniard insisted he was happy with his general level of play as he made the second week of Wimbledon for the first time since 2011.

“I lost the match losing my serve just once during the whole match. I created my opportunities,” he said.

“But I was not able to read his serve dur-ing the whole match. I was not able to put enough returns inside. We had one break each. “In the tiebreak he was able to serve better than me. So that’s an advantage.

“That happens when you have nothing to lose. You can play that way. Players who really play for being in the last rounds, think about winning the titles, it’s not easy to create the second serve 214-215 in the tiebreak, but that’s what happened today.

By Steven Griffi thsLONDON, July 1, 2014 (AFP) – Maria Sharapova refused to give up on her

hopes of winning another Wimbledon title in the aftermath of her latest shock exit from the All England Club.

Sharapova’s miserable recent record continued as inspired German ninth seed Angelique Kerber handed her a 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 6-4 loss in the fourth round on Tuesday.

The 27-year-old Russian has now failed to get beyond the last 16 at Wimbledon in seven of her last eight appearances, losing four times in the last 16 and three times in the second round.

It is 10 years since Sharapova famously shocked Serena Williams as a fresh-faced 17-year-old in the 2004 final.

She reached the semi-finals for the next two years, but since then Sharapova’s only remotely successful Wimbledon campaign came in 2011 when she made the final for the second time.

Even that ended in the bitter disappointment of an unexpected loss against Petra Kvitova.

It will only get tougher, Nadal warns Kyrgios

Weeping Serena in Wimbledon health scare

I can still be queen of Wimbledon, vows ousted Sharapova



MOTORING

TORRANCE, Calif. (July 1, 2014) – Toyota, Scion and Lexus today reported total June 2014 sales results of 201,714 units, an increase of 11.9 percent from June 2013 on a daily selling rate (DSR). On a raw-volume basis, unadjusted for 24 selling days in June 2014 versus 26 selling days in June 2013, sales in-creased 3.3 percent from year-ago month.For the first half of the year, Toyota, Scion and Lexus reported sales of 1,165,607 units. With 152 selling days in the first half of 2014 versus 153 selling days dur-ing the same period in 2013, sales are up 5.8 percent on a DSR basis. Unadjusted, sales were up 5.1 percent year-over-year.Toyota division posted June 2014 sales of 178,196 units, up 11 percent year-over-year on a DSR basis. Volume-wise, Toyota division sales increased 2.5 percent over June 2013. Calendar-year-to-date, Toyota division posted sales of 1,026,918 units, up 4.4 percent on a DSR basis and 3.7 percent volume-wise over the same period in 2013. “Sales in the first half of 2014 indi-cate a steadily recovering industry, and we expect this pace to increase as we move into the second part of the year,” said Bill Fay, Toyota division group vice president and general man-ager. “In June, Camry and Corolla posted double-digit gains as passenger cars showed renewed strength industry-wide.”Lexus reported June sales of 23,518 units, a 19.3 percent increase on a DSR basis and

a 10.1 percent increase on a raw-volume basis, both year-over-year. Calendar-year-to-date, Lexus division posted sales of 138,689 units, up 17.9 percent on a DSR basis and 17.1 percent volume-wise over the same period in 2013. “While the industry has been posting healthy gains, Lexus has been able to more than double the average growth rate with a combination of fresh new products, improving availability and industry-leading customer satisfaction practices,” said Jeff Bracken, Lexus group vice president and general manager. “The new Lexus IS and GX models were two of the industry’s strongest performing prod-ucts during the first six months of 2014.”Other Highlights:

• Camry up over 13 percent in June; up over 7 percent in first half

• All-new Corolla up 17 percent with sales of nearly 31,000 units in June

• Toyota and Lexus hybrids post sales of almost 28,000 units in June

• Prius posts sales of 18,649 units in

Paul Luong (left) and Quang Huynh of Wondries Toyota in Alhambra.

Toyota No. 1 retail brand in fi rst half of 2014Camry and Corolla lead their segments in fi rst six months of 2014

CARSPECS USA main partner Romeo Morales and his staff – the men and women behind the success of CARSPECS USA – invite Filipino-Americans in Southern California to experience today’s “very personalized” car buying approach that focuses on customers’ specifi c preferences on any car model. Find the car that is tailored for you by visiting these fi ne men and women at CARSPECS USA located at 1678 Broadway, Anaheim, CA 92802. Call them at 626-244-4262 or visit their website at www.CARSPECSUSA.com.

June• Toyota division trucks flat in June; up

7.8 percent in first half• All-new RAV4 increased 5.1 percent

in June; up almost 16 percent in first half• All-new Highlander up 4.2 percent

in June; up nearly 17 percent in first half• 4Runner up 41.7 percent in June; up

about 39 percent in first half• All-new Tundra posts sales of almost

9,000 units in June; up 12.5 percent in first half

Tacoma posts sales of more than12,000 units in June So for a closer look at the all-new Toyota vehicles and their certified pre-owned, come and visit our friendly salespeople at Wondries Toyota in Al-

hambra where the Yaris and all other2012 Toyota vehicles of various models are now available and on sale right now.

And with Paul Luong and Quang Huynh assisting you, you can also take advantage of the great deals now happen-ing at Wondries Toyota, not to mention the extra customer service Paul and Quang al-ways provide to their Filipino customers.

For more information, please contact Paul at [email protected] or call him at 626.414.2528 or Quang at or qhuynh88@gmail or by phone at 626.524.0579. Won-dries Alhambra is located at 1543- 1601 W. Main St., Alhambra, CA 91801 and see why Yaris is a “great blend” of performance, fuel efficiency and safety.



Mabuhay! It was a great pleasure having done business with Victory Autos. It was my first time to visit the sales staff and all of them, even the owner himself, will talk with you and entertain you personally. Then, they gave me a great affordable deal. Right from the beginning I thought I wouldn’t be qualified but then I was sur-prised. Definitely I’m going back again to get a BMW X5 this weekend. Thank you. – Josephine

Backed by their 25 years in car business, Victory Autos is dedicated to offering high-quality, pre-owned vehicles to our custom-ers. And in order to make a bigger impact in the community, Victory Autos has come up with a new logo that was designed to show Victory Autos’ commitment to high quality service and a friendly staff that is ready to help.

From the moment you walk through our door, “we’re committed to providing you with a great car-buying experience. With our skilled sales staff and financing options, we’ll help you get the vehicle you want, at the great price you deserve,” Victory Autos owner and proprietor Heddy Trinidad said. And if you think you need a

new car, a pre-certified vehicle, or a luxury automobile, “I urge you to call my very reliable staff in Danilo Tirante who can help you with your car needs.”

Victory Autos is dedicated in providing the ultimate automobile buying experience. Victory Autos is your #1 source for buying a quality pre-owned vehicle at wholesale price. We have extensive relationships in the dealer community allowing us to purchase a wide variety of lease returns and new car trades at exceptional values. This enables Victory Autos to pass along huge savings on the highest quality vehicles of your choice. In addition, we offer a full array of financing options to meet your needs.”

For more details, please visit Victory Autos Showroom at 791 E. Arrow High-way, Azusa, CA 91702, (626) 859-9199 or (626) 969-6169; Victory Auto Broker at 1579 E. Amar Road, West Covina, CA 91792, (626) 253-7576; and Victory Auto Care at 352 S. Irwindale Avenue, Azusa, CA 91702, (626) 334-7573.

For more information, please call Victory Autos’ toll free number at 1-877-821-7145. Or, visit their website at www.victoryautoconnect.com.

‘Unqualifi ed’ buyer gets great affordable deal at Victory Autos

(TOKYO-AFP) – Honda’s first busi-ness jet has logged its maiden flight ahead of its expected certification and delivery next year, the Japanese company said in a weekend press release.

The 84-minute flight of the first pro-duction HondaJet took place on Friday near the world headquarters of Honda Aircraft, the aviation subsidiary of the automobile giant, in Greensboro in the US state of North Carolina, the statement said.

“With this first flight, the HondaJet program has entered the next exciting phase as we prepare for delivery,” Honda Aircraft president and CEO Michimasa Fujino said.

“Today’s celebration is the culmination of extensive engineering and production

efforts, and this is an important achieve-ment in bringing the world’s most ad-vanced light jet to market.”

The HondaJet is currently offered for sale in North America and Europe through the HondaJet dealer network, the state-ment said.

The plane, which seats up to five pas-sengers in a standard configuration, flies at a maximum cruise speed of 483 miles per hour (777 kph) and has a maximum altitude of 43,000 feet (13,106 meters), it added.

Priced at $4.5 million, it has received more than 100 orders from businesses and affluent customers, Japanese media said.

In 2006, Honda announced its plan to commercialize business jet production.

This handout picture taken by Japan’s auto giant Honda Motor on June 27, 2014 shows Honda Motor’s aviation subsidiary Honda Aircraft’s fi rst production HondaJet during a test fl ight at Greensboro, United States. Honda’s fi rst business jet has logged its maiden fl ight ahead of its expected certifi cation and delivery next year, the Japanese company said in a weekend press release. ©AFP PHOTO / HONDA MOTOR

Honda’s fi rst jet takes to the skies

Victory Autos owner and proprietor hands over a 2007 BMW 335i car to Josephine (right) who just purchased the car from Victory Autos even when she thought that she wouldn’t qualify to purchase a luxury vehicle.



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TORRANCE, Calif. – More than 10 million Honda and Acura vehicles pur-chased in the U.S. feature pedestrian injury mitigation features and designs

More than 95 percent of model year 2014 Honda passenger vehicles and 100 percent of model year 2014 Honda light trucks come equipped with standard rear-view cameras, reaching 100 percent overall application for 2015 model year

Honda’s commitment to introduce ad-vanced vehicle designs aiming to reduce pedestrian injuries and enhance driver visibility with standard rearview camera application has earned Honda recogni-tion as a “Highway Safety Hero” by the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates). For 2014, Honda was the sole company honored receiving the “Highway Safety Hero” award along with 26 current and former members of Congress, eight state officials and 14 citizen activists “in recognition of efforts to save lives, prevent injuries and make roads safer.”

As part of its commitment to improving safety for all road users, Honda has led the U.S. automotive industry in the application of safety and driver assistive technologies as standard equipment – including features that aim to reduce injuries to pedestrians in a collision, such as collapsible hood hinges and breakaway windshield wiper pivots, with a focus on reducing severe head injuries, which account for roughly 60 percent of pedestrian fatalities.

Further, Honda has taken a compre-hensive approach to the application of rearview cameras. More than 94 percent of Honda and Acura models sold in the U.S. in 2013 were equipped with standard rear-view cameras. No other brand has as many models equipped with standard rearview cameras for the 2014 model year and by the 2015 model year, rearview cameras will be standard on all Honda and Acura models.

“For more than a decade, Honda has focused on reducing the threat of injuries

to pedestrians as part of our ‘Safety for Everyone’ approach,” said Chuck Thomas, chief safety engineer at Honda R&D Americas, Inc. who accepted the award on Honda’s behalf. “As we continue to research other advanced technologies such as vehicle-to-pedestrian sensing technolo-gies, this work will be an integral part of our dream to eliminate motor vehicle col-lisions entirely.”

Rearview cameras are just one aspect of Honda’s overall approach to enhanced driver visibility and situational awareness, demonstrated by the broad application of technologies such as Forward Collision Warning (FCW) and Lane Departure Warning (LDW) systems on Honda mod-els. These systems use a camera mounted behind the windshield or a front mount radar system to identify and alert drivers to a potential collision with a vehicle de-tected in front of them, or to alert drivers if the car is unexpectedly moving out of a detected lane. Other available features aimed at improving driver visibility are the Expanded View Driver’s Mirror, Honda LaneWatch display and Acura’s Blind Spot Information (BSI) system.

Although a Honda is a Honda wherever you see one, Filipinos flock to Carson Honda because of the friendly Filipino staff at the dealership and of course because of the service our kababayans provide. One of them, Rohmer Manalese, has even earned the “Best in Customer Satisfaction,” an honor he keeps consistently, along with the three other Filipino sales staff in the persons of Ricky Agagas, Terzo Pallen and Christian Reyes, all of whom are veterans in the car sales industry.

“We have a great staff and this is a great dealership,” Carson Honda General Manager Krisztian Kratky said. “We have a friendly atmosphere.”

Carson Honda is located at 1435 E. 223rd Street, Carson, CA 90745. They can be reached toll free at 1-800-503-2321.

Honda Honored as a ‘Highway Safety Hero’ by the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety for Advancing Pedestrian Safety

WASHINGTON, June 30, 2014 (AFP) – General Motors said Monday it will pay at least $1 million in compensation to the families of each person killed in accidents apparently caused by defective ignition switches in its cars.

GM has so far publicly acknowledged 13 deaths linked to the ignition switch defect, but federal safety officials suggest the toll could be higher.

The top US automaker is under investi-gation for failing to recall the problem cars for more than a decade, even after some in the company were aware of the defect.

GM began recalling 2.6 million older model cars only in February.

Kenneth Feinberg, the prominent lawyer GM appointed to head the com-pensation fund, announced Monday that claims will be taken from August 1 through December 31.

“There is no ceiling on the aggregate dollars,” he told a press conference.

For each eligible death claim, in ad-dition to the $1 million for the victim, $300,000 will be awarded for the surviving spouse and another $300,000 for each of the victim’s surviving dependents.

Financial and medical treatment com-pensation will also be offered for those with eligible physical injury claims from

an accident.People who were killed or injured prior

to GM’s government-backed bankruptcy reorganization can file claims with the “new” GM.

“For accidents, the GM bankruptcy is no bar to filing a claim on this program,” Feinberg said.

GM is reportedly facing a federal criminal probe and is under congressional investigation for not having recalled the cars years ago.

The company says it knows of 13 deaths and 54 accidents in which air bags did not deploy, possibly due to the ignition problem.

The US auto safety regulator, the National Highway Traffic Safety Admin-istration, said it thinks the death toll could be higher. And the independent Center for Auto Safety says it has counted more than 300 deaths linked to air bag non-deployment in the GM cars covered by the ignition recall, though it has not linked that problem to ignition shutdowns.

Since the first recall in February, GM has scoured its safety files and initiated recalls of more than 20 million cars, in an effort to ward off fresh scandals and begin rebuilding the company’s battered reputation.

GM offers at least $1-M for each ignition switch death

Carson Honda Filipino sales team (from left) Ricky Agagas, Rohmer Manalese, Terzo “T” Pallen and Christian Reyes.


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TORRANCE, Calif. (June 9, 2014) – On average, Americans drove away in a new Camry every minute in the month of May. Nearly 50,000 owners placed their trust in Camry’s safety, reliability and long-term value. “There’s a reason Americans choose Camry, and it shows in sales month after month,” said Bob Carter, vice president of automotive operations for Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. “It’s America’s best-selling car, but more important is the one Camry in the customer’s driveway. The one Camry that gets you and your family to work, school, vacation, the Camry that works in a business enterprise, the one Camry you trust to be reli-able and help keep your family safe.”Recently, Camry’s quality was affirmed by top honors in the JD Power and Associates IQS and VDS studies.

It was also awarded a 5-star safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Admin-istration, was placed on the “Best Midsize Car for the Money” list by US News and World Report and “Most Popular” list by Edmunds.Of the 10.3 million Camrys sold in the U.S. in the last 31 years, more

than 6.7 million are still on the road. Today, every Camry sold in North America comes from plants in Indiana and Kentucky, manufac-tured by more than 7,000 skilled U.S. workers who take pride in every Camry that rolls off the line.Camry May sales of 49,584 units were up over 26 percent, topping its segment by almost 10,000 units.

To put it into perspective, Camry has exceeded monthly sales of 50,000 units only four other times in its history.America’s best-selling car will get even better, as the redesigned 2015 Camry comes to market later this year aimed at satisfying thousands, one customer at a time. If you need to “adorn” your garage with a brand-new Toyota, all you have to do is come down ton Hamer Toyota located at 11041 Sepulveda Blvd., Mission Hills, CA 91345 and get in touch with any of our kababayans Matt Morente (Floor Manager), Ma-rylou Santiago (VIP/Internet Coordi-nator), Wency Magno, Reno Reyes, Tony Pijuan and Rico Ayala (Leasing & Sales). Call our kababayans now toll free at 1-855-592-7077 and make your dream of owning a new Toyota vehicle a reality today.

RENO REYESLeasing & Sales

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TONY PIJUANLeasing & Sales

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Hamer Toyota Filipino Sales Department

Gone in Sixty Seconds: Americans take home a Camry every minute in MayMay sales refl ect Americans’ trust in best-selling car

By John BiersNEW YORK, July 1, 2014 (AFP) – Leading automakers, including scandal-

plagued General Motors, Tuesday reported better-than-expected June auto sales in the United States, an indication of higher consumer confidence.

Three of the four biggest auto sellers in the US – GM, Toyota and Chrysler – notched increases from the June 2013 period, while Ford Motor reported a smaller decline than expected.

The companies reported lower sales in June than in May, when overall industry sales rose 11.4 percent from the year-ago period.

The June total vehicle sales of 1.42 million marked a 1.2 percent rise compared with a year ago, according to industry specialist AutoData. There were two fewer selling days than in June 2013.

That lifted the June annual sales rate to 17.0 million vehicles from 16.8 million in May, the highest level since July 2006 and much above many forecasts.

“It’s an indication of consumer confidence. It’s the result of the unemployment rate continuing to come down slowly but surely,” said Alec Gutierrez, a senior analyst at Kelly Blue Book.

Gutierrez said some consumers also may be moving up purchases to take advan-tage of favorable financing conditions in anticipating that the US Federal Reserve will raise interest rates in 2015.

“If interest rates start to creep up, that could have a negative consequence on some of the momentum we’re seeing,” he said.

General Motors, the largest US automaker, eked out a one percent rise in sales to 267,461 vehicles compared with June 2013, much better than the 8.5 percent decline forecast by online car shopping site Edmunds.com.

“June was the third very strong month in a row for GM, with every brand up on a selling-day adjusted basis,” said Kurt McNeil, US vice president for sales opera-tions. “In fact, the first half of the year was our best retail sales performance since 2008, driven by an outstanding second quarter.”

US auto sales best expectations for June


IRVINE, Calif., July 1, 2014 – On the heels of its highest-ever J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS) ranking – sixth among all automakers – Kia Motors America (KMA) today announced June sales of 50,644 units, contributing to the com-pany’s best-ever first-half performance with 297,413 vehicles sold thus far in 2014. With Kia’s year-to-date sales up 7.2 percent, the brand’s aggressive new product cadence continues in the third quarter with the scheduled launches of the all-new Sedona midsize multi-purpose vehicle and Soul EV.

“Kia is celebrating its 20th anniversary in the U.S. this year, and our record-setting first half is a testament to how far the brand has come in an extremely short period of time,” said Michael Sprague, executive vice president of sales and marketing, KMA. “Over the last two decades, Kia has earned a reputation for delivering world-class design and cutting-edge technology as well as outstanding safety, quality and value across our entire range, from sub-compact to luxury. With more exciting new products on the horizon, we are poised to continue our momentum into the second

half of the year and beyond.”In addition to its climb in the IQS rank-

ings – with Cadenza and Sportage topping their respective segments – Kia also moved up two positions on Interbrand’s annual list of the Top 50 Global Green Brands, which was published in June and highlights the brand’s commitment to providing clean mobility options for consumers.

But while Kia maybe the fastest selling vehicle brand in the U.S. – Car Pros Kia of Carson is selling more than 600 cars a month – Carson of Kia General Man-ager Juan Alarcon attributes hard work, a

friendly staff and the excellent service that Car Pros Kia of Carson provides as the reasons for the dealership’s rise to become a member of the nation’s elites.

If you want to find out why Kia is among the leading car brands of today, drop by Car Pros Kia of Carson at 21243 S Avalon Blvd, Carson, CA 90745 (tele-phone # 310-221-9131), or at Car Pros Kia Huntington Beach at 18835 Beach Blvd., Huntington Beach, CA 92648 (714-613-1119) and last but won’t be the last, at Car Pros Kia Glendale at 400 S. Brand Blvd., Glendale, CA 91204 (818) 745-1400.

(Relaxnews) – The search company’s answer to Apple’s CarPlay will, like the iPhone system, project smartphone apps and functionality to consumers’ car dash-boards, and the first vehicle to boast the new system will be the Volvo XC90, which goes on sale at the end of 2014.

And the XC90 will be followed in 2015 by cars from Audi, General Motors, Hyundai and Honda that will all feature the system.

The point of Android Auto is to make it safer and more intuitive to use a phone while driving. So, when a handset is con-nected to a car, certain apps won’t be accessible – for example video streaming or anything that presents dense text – that could increase distraction, and those that are accessible will be slightly tweaked for the same reason.

So, there’s an in-car version of Google Maps and certain non-Google apps will also appear on screen, like Spotify, but for the most part Google’s core features are front and center but in voice operation mode. You can dictate text messages while driving and have the system read received messages to you, and saying “OK Google” will access Google Now or initiate a web search.

As the smartphone becomes more and more indispensable to modern life, so do the risks of them being the cause of a road traffic accident. A 2013 study by the University of Utah, highlights the risks that mobile devices, including those with in-car settings can cause. It found that even smartphones with full hands-free function-ality can lack effectiveness as although the driver’s eyes remained fixed on the road, his or her concentration is split between the driving conditions and interacting with devices.

As Volvo’s Senior Vice President, Product Strategy & Vehicle Line Manage-ment, Lex Kerssemakers, said about the company’s decision to sign up to Google’s system: “Volvo Car Group’s philosophy when it comes to the use of the technology in our cars reflects our customers’ desire to get the best from their lives without add-ing complexity. Android Auto represents another step towards creating a unique,

enjoyable and easy-to-use experience in Volvo cars.”

Both Google and Apple are trying to cut these risks by developing in-car systems and although some are worried that the competitive tactics the two tech titans typi-cally adopt could lead to entire car com-panies being incompatible with a phone’s operating system – e.g., General Motors is Android but Ford is iOS, – nothing could be further from the truth.

Following Android Auto’s official unveiling at the Google I/O developers conference, 15 car makers and a host of after-market companies announced that they would be supporting the system, and many of them, including Honda, Volvo, Ford and Nissan, have already pledged to support Apple’s CarPlay system too.

Volvo Cars adds Android Auto to its next generation of cars. Like Apple’s CarPlay Android Auto brings smartphone apps safely to the car dashboard. ©Volvo

Kia Motors America announces best fi rst-half sales performance in company history

Google drives into infotainment with Android Auto

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

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

†Available only to qualified customers at participating authorized Mercedes-Benz dealers through Mercedes-Benz Financial Services (where applicable to advertised lease) through July 31st, 2014. Advertised lease rate based on a gross capitalized cost of $37,693. Includes destination charge and optional Premium 1 Package. Excludes title, taxes, registration, license fees, insurance, dealer prep and additional options. Total monthly payments equal $9,693. Cash due at signing includes $2,999 capitalized cost reduction, $795 acquisition fee, and first month’s lease payment of $359. Total payments equal $13,487. At lease end, lessee pays for any amounts due under the lease, any official fees and taxes related to the scheduled termination, excess wear and use plus $0.25/mile over 22,500 miles, and $595 vehicle turn-in fee. Subject to credit approval. No security deposit required. *All prices plus government fees and taxes, any finance charges, dealer preparation charges and any emission testing charges. All vehicles subject to prior sale. **Certified Pre-Owned limited warranty coverage for one (1) year (and no mileage maximum) from expiration date of the original 4-year / 50,000 mile Mercedes-Benz new vehicle limited warranty. If the new vehicle limited warranty has expired, Certified Pre-Owned limited warranty coverage is for one (1) year from the date of purchase, with no mileage maximum. ***2.99% APR for up to 66 months at $16.01 per month per $1,000 financed applies to Mercedes-Benz Model Year 2010, 2011 and 2012 Certified Pre-Owned C, E, M, and GL-Class models. Also available 2.99% APR for up to 72 months applies to Mercedes-Benz Model Year 2010, 2011 and 2012 Certified Pre-Owned S-Class models. Excludes leases and balloon contracts. Available only at participating authorized Mercedes-Benz dealers. Subject to credit approval by Mercedes-Benz Financial Services. Qualified customers only. Not everyone will qualify. Must take delivery of vehicle between 7/1/14 and 7/31/14. Minimum finance term applies. See Mercedes-Benz of Long Beach for complete details. Offers expire close of business 7/31/14.

866.870.2966

Nelson SiosonFilipino Fleet Manager

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

2012 Mercedes-Benz GL4502011 Mercedes-Benz C300 2011 Mercedes-Benz E350

Now$46,991*

CPO, Memory Package, Navigation, Parktronic, 4MATIC®, Moonroof 794217/L8775

Now$29,376*

CPO, Multimedia Package, Navigation, Heated Front Seats, Moonroof 174451/L8754

Now$35,555*

CPO, Luxury Sedan Package, Navigation, Heated Front Seats, Low APR 461771/L8743

On Select Certified Pre-Owned Models***

2.99% APRFor Up To 66 Months An unlimited-mileage warranty for 1 year that can be extended for up to 2

additional years on Certified Pre-Owned models.**

Unlimited Mileage WarrantyUNLIMITED CONFIDENCE

$359per month for 27 months†

Lease A 2014 Mercedes-Benz C250 Sport Sedan

Over 50 C-Class Available!

2012 Mercedes-Benz C250

CPO, Sport Package, Sport Sedan Package, Navigation, Moonroof

$28,938*635898/L8745


CPO, Premium 1 Package, Moonroof, Navigation, Voice Control

$28,990*205087/L8771


CPO, Multimedia Package, Moonroof, Naviagtion, Low APR

$30,338*652263/L8755

2012 Mercedes-Benz GLK350

CPO, Navigation, Low APR, SIRIUS XM

$30,990*836589/L8764

2011 Mercedes-Benz ML350

CPO, Memory Package, Navigation, Rear-Veiw Camera, Premium 1 Package

$35,699*727407/L8751

2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK350

CPO, Lane Tracking Package, Navigation, Panoramic Roof, Premium 1 Package

$38,595*975397/L8786

2012 Mercedes-Benz E350

CPO, AMG® Sport Package USA, Premium 2 Package, Nav., Low APR

$40,795*616104/L8763

2012 Mercedes-Benz ML350

CPO, Premium 1 Package, Leather, Rear-View Camera, Navigation

$41,990*049145/L8713

2011 Mercedes-Benz E350 Convertible

CPO, Premium 1 Package, Leather, Navigation, SiriusXM, Low APR

$42,990*093026/L8774

Documents

Weekend balita files july 5, 2014