AUGUST 2010 Toronto, Canada

Alberta MLA’s election

promise haunts him back
Carl Benito, a Filipino-Ca-
nadian Member of Legislative
Assembly (MLA) in Alberta
made the front page of the Ed-
monton Journal, Friday, Au-
gust 22, over his pledge to do-
nate his MLA salary to charity.
The Liberals said Benito has
not met his promise.
The Liberals said that Beni-
to made the promise himself in
his 2008 campaign pamphlet:
“If elected as a Member of the
Legislative Assembly (MLA)
for Alberta, I will donate my
MLA salary as a scholarship to
young people in Mill Woods.”
And, to make sure there was
no confusion, the Liberals pre-
sented Benito’s campaign liter-
ature: “Carl Benito will donate
his MLA salary for scholar-
ships to young people in Mill
Woods.”
The Edmonton Journal sto-
ry said the Liberals twice used
an automatic call system in the
riding during the third week
of August. The first call was
an informal poll asking voters
whether Benito should resign
for what they said was a bro-
ken promise. They said that 63
per cent of the 718 people who
responded think Benito should
step aside. The second series
of calls allowed people to au-
tomatically connect with the
premier’s office to voice their
displeasure.
The Liberals’ executive di-
rector Corey Hogan said the
move was inevitable, given
Benito’s failure to donate his
entire salary to scholarships.
“Some behaviour is just inex-
cusable and demands action,”
he said. “The residents of Ed-
monton-Mill Woods deserve
more than broken promises.”
The riding was held by op-
position parties from 1986 to
2008, when Benito defeated
Liberal incumbent Weslyn
Mather.
In the 2008 election, Benito
promised to donate his annual
MLA pay to charity. Provincial
MLAs make a base salary of
$78,000, but committee work
and other duties push average
salaries to about $130,000.
After the election, Benito
reiterated his promise, telling
reporters that as a real estate
agent he had done remarkably
well in the 2006 housing boom:
“Let’s put it this way -- I don’t
have to work anymore.”
So far, Benito has donated
only $6,000 and plans to do the
same this year, the story said.
Benito said his campaign
promise was misunderstood
and that he only intended to
give the equivalent of one
year’s salary to scholarships,
which he said he will still do.
Benito told The Journal, “I
think there’s no issue about
how much I will be donating
because that’s very clear ... No-
ALBERTA continued on p. 3 Carl Benito, PC MLA for Millwoods in Edmonton, Alberta.

RP to reactivate tourists Hong Kong officials.

police, security forces

President Benigno Aquino
III said he would reactivate
“tourist police, security forces
designed to protect the tourist
areas” in tourist areas all over
Philippine President Benigno Aquino III inspects the bullet- the country.
ridden tourist bus of Hong Thai Travel, which was used by This developed after nine
Hongkong nationals before the unfortunate hostage-taking persons died in a hostage-tak-
incident at the Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park, Manila on
ing aboard a tour bus in the
midnight of Tuesday, August 24. The President expressed
his condolences to the families of the victims, who are Philippines, Monday, August
mostly tourists from Hongkong. (NIB-PCOO Photo) 23, at least two of them, at this
writing, were identified as Ca-
nadian citizens travelling in the
Philippines.
According to presidential
spokesperson Edwin Lacierda,
the President held a one-on-
one meeting with Chinese am-
bassador Liu Jianchao, then
an expanded meeting that in-
cluded officials of the Chinese
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
President Aquino III gave
the same assurance to Hong
Kong Chief Executive Don-
ald Tsang during a 15-minute
phone conversation, and reit-
erated his government’s “deep
sorrow” over the death of eight
Hong Kong tourists in Mon-
day’s hostage-taking incident.
The hostage-taking began
when a former policeman with
an M16 rifle commandeered
the bus carrying tourists, main-
RP continued on p. 12
2 Manila Media Monitor August 2010
NEWS
A letter from a teenage Filipino to the
whole world
As you read this let-
ter, I bet that you have
seen/heard about what
happened earlier in our
country.
Tourists were hostages
of a policeman in Manila,
Rolando Mendoza. After
a few hours of the hor-
rible crime, some of the
victims were dead includ-
ing the hostage-taker.
I wrote this letter not
just to apologize, but also
to let everyone know that
we Filipinos are not all
like Mendoza.
We are loving and
good-hearted people. For
so many years, our coun-
try has been standing
tall and surpassing every
dilemma; be it small or
big.
Years ago (back when
I wasn’t born yet), you
have watched us fight for
what we think is right.
We fought for the de-
mocracy of our nation..
The EDSA revolution.
But that’s just one out of
many.
RP from p. 1
ly from Hong Kong.
The gunman, who was
apparently trying to de-
mand that he be rehired,
initially released nine of
his hostages, but kept an-
other 15 on the bus.
The 12-hour standoff
ended in a spray of bul-
lets. Eight passengers
were killed, as well as
the gunman, 55-year-old
Rolando Mendoza.
Tour organizers said
earlier that five of the peo-
ple in the hostage-taking
were carrying Canadian
passports. The two who
died in gunfire were sis-
ters and identified as Jes-
sica Leung, 14, and Do-
ris Leung, 21, who, their
mother told Hongkong
Cable Television, were
students in Canada. The
Canadian mission in Ma-
nila was working closely
with local authorities on
the matter.
Here at home, Law-
rence Cannon, Minister
of Foreign Affairs, of-
fered Canada’s condo-
lences to those affected
by the incident, saying
that Canada welcomes
the commitment of Phil-
ippine authorities to con-
We Filipinos have
been serving other coun-
tries for our families and
we treat you as our own
as well.
With all due respect,
I thank you all for giv-
ing us the trust through
the years; for helping us
to become what we are
now.
The Philippines is
more than just a group of
islands. We are a nation
of strong and remark-
able people; a country of
beauty and love known to
be hospitable and well-
valued.
I humbly apologize for
what happened tonight.
No one in this world
would want something
like that to happen, for
life should be valued.
I politely ask the atten-
tion of the world: please
do not judge and mistreat
us just because of what
happened tonight.
I have been searching
the net and found terrible
things.
duct a full investigation
of the incident.
The Canadian Foreign
Affairs Ministry said
that friends and relatives
seeking information on
Canadian citizens they
believe may have been
affected may call Foreign
Affairs and International
Trade Canada’s Emer-
gency Operations Centre
at (613) 943-1055, or
toll-free within Canada at
1-800-387-3124.
Meanwhile, in an in-
terview with Hongkong
television, a woman
whose family members
were killed in the inci-
dent accused Philippine
authorities of having
botched negotiations
with Mendoza. She and
others feel the Filipino
tactical police unit acted
recklessly when it shot at
the bus repeatedly to end
the hostage-taking.
Officials in Hong
Kong and Beijing issued
warnings against travel
to the Philippines and
angrily demanded a full
investigation into the in-
cident.
Chinese Foreign Min-
ister Yang Jiechi said his
RP cont’d on p.17
Hong Kong advices to
avoid travels here; China
and HK bans Filipinos …
and that the Philippines is
the worst place to go.
I can’t blame you for
what you have decided,
but I hope that you could
understand.
Our country is now in
a sea of problems. And
I know for sure that we-
helped you in a way, or
another.
Let peace and under-
standing reign this time.
I know that this letter
will just be trash , but I
wish that you would un-
derstand.
On behalf of the Phil-
ippine population, WE
ARE SORRY.
As a song puts it…
“… And I believe that
in my life I will see an
end to hopelessness, giv-
ing-up and suffering.”
And if we all stand to-
gether this one time then
no one will get left
behind.
Stand up for life.
ALBERTA from p. 1
body told anybody that
it’s the entire thing.”
Graham Thomson of
the Edmonton Journal
said in his article, “Ar-
guably, Benito told ev-
erybody it was the entire
thing when he offered up
a promise as stark as, ‘I
will donate my MLA sal-
ary’. The wording does
not leave much room to
manoeuvre but it hasn’t
stopped Benito from try-
ing to wiggle his way
out.”
Thomson further
wrote, “Not only does he
now say he didn’t mean
he’d donate the salary
every year for four years,
he says he didn’t even
mean the whole salary.
A government MLA’s
total salary with commit-
tee work runs well over
$100,000. Benito says he
was only referring to the
MLAs’ basic indemnity
of $52,000 but for the
sake of public relations,
he has decided to bump
the scholarship fund up
to $75,000.
“However, even by
that measurement, Beni-
to has fallen short. In an
interview, Benito said he
August 2010 Manila Media Monitor
STAND UP FOR
LOVE.
Sincerely yours,
Reigno Jose Dilao
Catbalogan City,
Samar
The Philippines
August 23, 2010
(Shared by Chuchi
Punsalan for Manila Me-
dia Monitor readers)
Manila Media
Monitor
Tel. (416) 285-8583
awarded $8,000 worth
of scholarships to high
school students going on
to post secondary educa-
tion in 2009. To make the
issue even more confus-
ing -- and Benito is very
good at confusing this is-
sue -- he told The Journal
… he had awarded only
$6,000 in scholarships in
2009.
“Anyway, in his four-
year term he hopes to
award a total of $24,000
in scholarships. That
means he still needs to
add $51,000 to reach his
self-imposed, self-regu-
lated $75,000 goal.
Thomson said that
Benito is scrambling to
make up the shortfall,
not just to save his own
reputation but to placate
a very irritated premier.
Officials at Ed Stel-
mach’s office said the
premier is concerned that
Benito’s bent, arguably
broken, election promise
threatens to sully all poli-
ticians, not just Tories
and not just Benito.
They suggested Ben-
ito hand over the money
to the Edmonton Com-
munity Foundation to
run the scholarships after
2012.
‘‘
Anger makes you smaller,
while forgiveness forces you to
grow beyond what you were.
- Cherie Carter-Scott
“We’re giving $41,000
to the Edmonton Com-
munity Foundation and
then we are managing
the $24,000 so the to-
tal commitment will be
$75,000,” said Benito.
But the Journal article
by Thomson pointed out,
“Except that $41,000 plus
$24,000 equals $65,000,
not $75,000. When asked
if he had made a simple
math error, Benito re-
alized he is actually
$10,000 short and said
he’d make up the differ-
ence by giving $34,000
in scholarships over four
years. Benito may have
been a whiz as a real es-
tate agent; his math skills
could use some work.
“It all sounds a little
makeshift and a lot con-
fusing. Benito said he
never meant to deceive
anyone and blames the
mixup on his inexperi-
ence as a rookie politi-
cian.”
“I’m sorry if there’s
any confusion,” said
Benito. “My apologies.”
By late afternoon of
Friday, August 20, the
Liberals said roughly 94
people had been con-
nected to the premier’s
office.
3
But the premier’s of-
fice said only 22 calls
came in and not all were
against Benito.
Cam Hantiuk, the pre-
mier’s communications
director, said Stelmach
has no plans to ask Beni-
to to step aside.
“Mr. Benito’s com-
mitment had nothing
to do with government
policy,” Hantiuk said.
“Ultimately it’s a matter
between the MLA and his
constituents.”
The Liberals plan to
pick a candidate October
2 to face Benito. Mather
has already declared her
intention to run again and
Hogan said at least one
other person is consid-
ering it. (Manila Media
Monitor with files from
Graham Thomson, Ar-
chie McLean of The Ed-
monton Journal)
Asking a work-
ing writer what he
thinks about crit-
ics is like asking
a lamppost how it
feels about dogs.
- Christopher Hampton
4 Manila Media Monitor August 2010
Public outraged over video
showing police torturing suspect
MANILA – The Com-
mission on Human Rights
(CHR) launched recently
an investigation on the
Philippine National Po-
lice (PNP) amid pub-
lic outrage over a video
showing an officer tortur-
ing a naked man.
The graphic video,
which ABS-CBN televi-
sion said it had obtained
from an unidentified in-
formant who recorded it
on a cell phone, showed
the officer in civilian
clothes whipping the man
with what appeared to be
a stick.
A rope appeared to be
tied to the victim’s penis,
which the torturer would
yank in between blows to
the body.
“This is very disturb-
ing. They treated him
worse than an animal,”
said Coco Quisumbing,
the CHR chairman, who
had reviewed the clip.
“This is the very first
time that this happened
NEWS
Teachers’ group asks SC to void
faulty GSIS deductions
MANILA -- A The said policies are mandated shares which
[actual torture caught on police station under his TEACHERS’ group has the Premium-Based Pol- the government-employer
video] and it is ground- jurisdiction. filed a petition asking the icy (PBP), Automatic fails to pay, with interest
breaking,” she added. He confirmed that the Supreme Court (SC) to Premium Loan Policy of 6 percent per annum
“Police should now torturer was a police of- nullify the recurring de- (APL), and Claims and compounded monthly.
submit to our investiga- ficer who had since been ductions allegedly made Loans Interdependency CLIP, they said, sub-
tion in a timely manner,” sacked from his post and from the salaries of the Policy (CLIP). jects a defaulting mem-
Quisumbing told an ABS- was now under investiga- teachers and other gov- TDC claimed that un- ber’s claims and benefits
CBN radio affiliate. tion related to possible ernment employees on der the PBP, the teachers’ to compensation against
While allegations of criminal charges. three Government Ser- benefits are computed such member’s loan pay-
torture and extra-judicial “There is no place for vice Insurance System by the GSIS not on the ables to the GSIS.
killings carried out by a policeman like that,” (GSIS) policies. basis of actual premium The TDC, together
police and military are Magtibay said. In its petition for re- payments deducted from with the Manila Public
nothing new, the airing The PNP high com- view on certiorari, the members, but on pre- School Teachers Associ-
of the video was the first mand also on Wednesday group Teacher’s Dignity mium payments actually ation (MPSTA) and four
time such incident was vowed to prosecute po- Coalition (TDC) said the remitted to and posted by individual petitioners,
shown on public televi- licemen involved in the deduction under the poli- the GSIS in its database. earlier filed a complaint
sion. reported torture of a rob- cies initiated by former Meanwhile, the APL against GSIS but the
ABS-CBN did not say bery suspect inside a po- GSIS President and Gen- allows the GSIS to au- Court of Appeals upheld
when it took place, and lice community precinct eral Manager Winston tomatically convert as last month the constitu-
the fate of the victim was (PCP) in Manila, setting Garcia were unconstitu- personal loan of the em- tionality of the GSIS pol-
unclear. the tone for a wider in- tional. ployees the amount of icies. (Manila Times)
One of those who had vestigation of similar
closely reviewed the clip incidents perpetrated by
Divorce bill revived in House
‘‘
at the rights commission policemen elsewhere in
said she could hear the the country. (With reports
torturer berating the vic- from AFP) MANILA - The Ga- remedy in addition to the House Bill 1799 or “An
tim as a criminal. briela women’s party-list country’s existing laws Act Introducing Divorce
The Manila police Short is the joy group has revived a mea- on legal separation and in the Philippines” that
commander, Chief Supt. that guilty sure legalizing divorce annulment. drew strong opposition
Rodolfo Magtibay, said pleasure brings. in the country to give Representatives Luz- and little support from
that the incident appeared couples in “irreparable viminda Ilagan and Eme-
- Euripides
to have taken place in a marriages” another legal renciana de Jesus filed DIVORCE cont’d on p.11
(416) 671-0577)
www.alldebtsolutions.ca
NEWS August 2010 Manila Media Monitor 5
6 Manila Media Monitor August 2010
My good friend, Lino
Montillano, was so excited
to be in touch with me
After my wife, Gie, and I
went to join my townmates,
August 7, from Muntinlupa
City for our grand picnic at
Erindale Park in Mississauga,
my townmate, Lino Montil-
lano (whom I last saw almost
twelve years ago) e-mailed me
two days later, saying, “Thank
you to you and Gie for coming
over at our picnic,” adding, “I
will be in touch.”
Another two days passed,
and I was copied with an e-
mail which Lino sent to Chit
Unira – another townmate and
likewise, a schoolmate, saying,
“Ikaw na Chit ang bahala kay
Ace.”
… so, there goes the “I will
be in touch.” I think Lino just
broke the contact with me.
Lino Montillano is one of
NEWS
she is on the microphone, she reputation for handling those
announces all the events – the sold-out events we saw around
fundraising efforts that she during the recent years.
volunteers to work on in the ***
community. IT IS NOT TRUE that when
A C E A LVA R E Z
Even at the debut of her the Philippine Independence
daughter, Reeza, last July 2, Day Council (PIDC) directors,
Rosemer announced forthcom-
ing events that she was raising
officers committee chairs and
members met for the first time
funds for. She says, “Ayoko after the Mabuhay Festival last
na, ano ba ‘yan? Nagiging au-
tomatic na.”
July 24 at the Metro Toronto
Convention Centre, the follow-
At the 30th
the pillars of the shirts (which Filipino Pilgrim-
informally orga- GMA TV people age to Midland,
nized Muntinlu- wear at special Ontario on August
pa City organiza- events) for Rose- 7, the photo in this
tion. The others mer were on their page speaks for it-
are Bert Unira, way to T.O. self; Rosemer was
Mon Marcelino, There’s no handing out flyers
Perry Delfin, truth that Rose- for the “Pistahan
Mert Bunyi and mer declined sa Ola” for last
Rey Molera. them, so that she August 15. No lost
*** may go in style at time and opportunity to mar- ing was the agenda:
Shortly after GMA TV-spon- ket events and generate funds.
Rosemer Enver- sored special “Pistahan sa OLA” was aimed 1) Apology to the Media;
ga was appointed events, similar to at raising funds for the repair 2) Apology to the en-
Consultant for the photo you see of the kitchen at the “Our Lady tertainers, specifically to Roy
Eastern Canada in this page. of Assumption” parish hall on Tugbang and his group, “The
by GMA Pinoy *** Bathurst Street. Champions”;
TV, her superi- Still on Rose- Indeed, GMA Pinoy TV had 3) Apology to the Metro
ors in California, mer … the right choice in the selection Toronto Convention Centre for
namely Jush An- One proof of its GMA Media Consultant the dumping of food …
dowitt and Tony that her new job in Eastern Canada. As I wrote 4) … Oh … I can’t even
Rulloda, phoned Rosemer Enverga for GMA Pinoy in this column in February
her, saying that the black t- TV befits her is that whenever 2010, Rosemer Enverga has a OOOPS cont’d on p 26
NEWS
Manila gets $434 Million in US grants
WASHINGTON, D.C --
The United States has given
the young Aquino administra-
tion a virtual vote of confidence
by approving $434 million in
grants for four programs aimed
at combating poverty and cor-
ruption. ”Congratulations to the
people and the Government of
the Philippines for tackling dif-
ficult challenges to create tan-
gible opportunities for growth
and prosperity,” said Millen-
nium Challenge Corp. (MCC)
Chief Executive Officer Daniel
Yohannes in announcing the
grant approval.
The outright MCC grants
called “compacts” will go to:
First, $54.3 million in in-
vestments to computerize and
streamline business processes
in the Bureau of Internal Rev-
enue. This project will bolster
the effectiveness of revenue
collection and reduce opportu-
nities for corruption.
Second, $120 million to
expand Kapit-Bisig Laban sa
Kahirapan-Comprehensive and
Integrated Delivery of Social
Services, a community-based,
rural development program.
This innovative approach to
development strengthens local
accountability and empowers
poor communities to design
and drive the projects they
need to increase their incomes
and improve their lives.
Third, $214.4 million to
construct and repair 220 kilo-
meters of roads in Samar and
Eastern Samar. This road proj-
ect, which traverses 15 munici-
palities, will improve access
to markets and services for
farmers, fishers and small busi-
nesses in some of the poorest
provinces in the Philippines.
According to an MCC fact
sheet, the compacts include
approximately $37 million for
administrative and oversight
costs of the projects. This bud-
get includes the cost of ad-
ministration, management and
auditing as well as fiscal and
procurement agent services and
environmental and social over-
sight. The cost of monitoring
and evaluation of the compacts
is budgeted at $8.26 million.
The compacts may be signed
after a 15-day congressional
notification period, which fol-
lows MCC board approval on
August 5.
Philippine Ambassador to
the United States Willy Gaa,
who has shepherded the Phil-
ippines’ quest for MCC com-
pacts, said the MCC board ap-
proval was a breakthrough of
sorts for Manila.
Earlier this year, the MCC
board headed by US State Sec-
retary Hillary Clinton deferred
approval of the compact agree-
ment until after the Philippine
national elections in May this
year.
Apparently, the MCC board
at the time wanted a firm com-
mitment from the new admin-
istration that it would abide
with MCC policy objectives,
particularly the provision on
corruption and transparency.
The Philippines actually
became eligible for a compact
agreement as early as 2008.
But the Arroyo administration
failed the corruption criterion,
including the last one released
for Fiscal 2010 (the US fiscal
year starts in October).
Strong pitch
According to diplomatic
August 2010 Manila Media Monitor
sources, then President Gloria
Arroyo also sought the MCC
compact because it would give
her administration a “seal of
approval.” But as she became
embroiled in one scandal after
another, some involving her
family, the MCC became in-
creasingly reluctant to give the
compact agreement.
But when the new admin-
istration of President Beni-
gno Aquino 3rd asked for the
MCC grants, the aid agency’s
board did not have to wait for
its fourth-quarter board meet-
ing to act on the Philippine re-
quest.
President Aquino, who ran
and won on a promise to end
corruption, is apparently get-
ting positive response from the
US government.
He actually made a strong
pitch for his anti-poverty and
anti-corruption priorities of
government in his July 8 letter
to President Barack Obama.
“The elimination of pover-
ty, through sustained economic
growth, the promotion of good
governance and addressing
corruption, has been a solemn
7
pledge during my campaign
and which I and my govern-
ment fully intend to accom-
plish,” the Philippine President
told Obama as he mentioned
the immediate benefits an
MCC compact will have on his
priority programs.
The MCC was created
by the US Congress in 2003
through the Millennium Chal-
lenge Act of 2003. It is an in-
dependent US development
agency that helps lead the fight
against global poverty with in-
novative infrastructure projects
through five-year grants called
compacts.
The MCC partners only with
countries that can show mea-
surable support for a free and
open political system with ac-
cess to open markets, according
to its website. Only countries
with proven track records in
anti-corruption, civil liberties
and the rule of law may part-
ner with the MCC in crafting
a development program unique
to their local conditions.
Manila Media Monitor
Tel. (416) 285-8583
8 Manila Media Monitor August 2010 VIEWS

I had not been to Earl Bales
Park for a couple of years until
recently when my wife and I
were at the Tanza, Cavite As-
sociation of Canada for the
annual picnic and Caracol Fes-
tival of the organization upon
the invitation of fellow jour-
nalist Tenny Soriano and his
wife, Myrna.
I was so surprised how Earl
Bales Park really became the
hub of Filipinos for its sum-
mer picnics and gatherings that
when we arrived at about 1:30
PM on a Saturday, parking
space was so scarce.
Before Earl Bales Park en-
joy its closeness to the Filipino
community by late 90s as the
site of many organizations’
summer gatherings, most orga-
nizations did hold their gather-
ings at Seton Park on Thornc-
liffe Park Drive in the former
Borough of East York.
While Filipinos enjoy to the
max the use of Earl Bales Park
for numerous weekend activi-
ties – not to mention afternoon
summer leisurely walk, most,
probably, did not know how it
all started.
It was in the late 90s toward
the celebration of Philippine
Centennial that Earl Bales Park
“took over” Seton Park as the
site for most of the activities
described above.
It started when businessman
Emanuel ‘Mann’ Nacario chose
Earl Bales Park as the venue
From the
Monitor’s Desk
A C E A LVA R E Z
Remembering those who started it
all at Earl Bales Park
for the event he organized and ty collected by the Knights of
led, and which he dubbed as Rizal (KoR). The donors opted
“The Philippine Fiesta Picnic to waive inscription of their
and Musical Show – 100” in names in lieu of the Filipino
celebration of the 100 years community in Toronto.
anniversary of the declaration Annually since then, the
of Philippine Independence. KoR holds simple but appro-
Together with then Toron- priate ceremonies by laying
to Consul General Francisco wreath at the foot of the Rizal
Santos, Mann spearheaded to monument at Earl Bales during
make representation with the events of special significance
City of Toronto leading to the to the independence of the
installation of the bust of Dr. Philippines and its people.
Jose Rizal in the grounds. The ***
installation of the monument Having late dinner one eve-
of the Philippine national hero ning with my wife, Gie, and
was the last one allowed by Danny Samson and his wife,
the City of Toronto. I gathered Wilma, at a Scarborough res-
that after such, the city did not taurant, Danny commented on
allow further construction of my column in July, “Manifes-
monuments in the grounds. tations of ‘His righteousness’,”
During those times, the by affirming the same is true.
monument costs $5,000 to He narrated about what his
build. Mann donated the first brother, Noli, who lives in Al-
thousand. The following also berta with his family told him.
contributed a thousand each Danny said that before Noli
on the fund: Roland Chan of took his retirement from his
Liland Insurance, Dr. Guiller- long-time employment, he was
mo de Villa, Dr. Victoria San- advised to apply for credit lines
tiago and the balance from as he would have difficulty
contributions of the communi- getting such when retirement
kicks in; and so Noli did, leav-
ing the credit line available
when need arises.
Danny proceeded by saying
that later in Noli’s retirement,
a relative in the Philippines in
need of urgent financial help
for a hospital emergency ap-
proached the latter for such.
Regardless that Noli has
retired – and aware even that 14 years of dedicated
payment to such loan sought community service
could not be repaid by his poor
relative in the Philippines, Noli Managing Editor
wholeheartedly run to the res- ACE ALVAREZ
cue.
Associate Editor
Noli concluded his story, GIE ALVAREZ
“Alam mo, Danny, today, I
don’t even know where money Contributing Editors
is coming from. The money I RICKY CALUEN
lent and was never settled af- MARIO DIMAIN
MAG CRUZ HATOL
terwards came hundred fold GRACE P. FREIRES
back to me; I don’t even know MANNY FREIRES
where they are coming from.” BEN VICCARI
***
We, who practice commu- Editorial Assistant
LEN ALVAREZ-MAHONEY
nity newspapering, oftenly get
confused in what we are doing, Contributors
or supposed to be doing. EVA AGPAOA
Those of us who pride our- NOEL PERADA
selves with, first and foremost, LARRY TORRES
journalists for many years, are
Account Executives
not excluded from this confu- MYRNA SORIANO
sion. JOHN TAN
One item at issue is our ob-
jectivity. Graphics
For example, in writing a COBIE CRUZ
news story, we are supposed to Published by
deliver a balance report, out- Manila MEDIA MONITOR, INC.
10 - 300 Invergordon Ave.
REMEMBERING Scarborough, ON M1S 4K7
cont’d on p.18 Tel. 416.285.8583

Manila MEDIA MONITOR

We were dismayed that
the supposed July relaunch of
“Batibot’’ on television never
came true despite an earlier an-
nouncement by TV 5.
The news, released in April
when the station disclosed its
plans under a new ownership,
sent many parents spinning
with glee. We wonder what
prevents TV5 or the show pro-
ducers from coming out with
the landmark program.
Two recent announcements
from the PNoy administration
also delighted us and the ex-
citement mounts over the pos-
sibility that finally, the plans
can bear fruit this time.
RPN and IBC, heretofore
sequestered stations, will be
privatized and NBN will be
converted into what could be
the country’s public broadcast-
ing system akin to BBC.
In truth, this is old news.
Privatization attempts have
been bandied four times since
1986. The lure of free broad-
cast publicity and exposure,
helpful during election period,
had always come in the way of
serious privatization efforts.
The RPN case is contentious
because the Benedictos claim
to be rightful owners. They
have been in the doldrums for
Roundabout
M A G C R U Z - H ATO L
IBC is an unpolished jewel
years and when Solar took over
nearly 90 percent of the pro-
gramming grid, its employees
were left with hardly anything
to do. Gone are its halcyon
days of John ‘n Marsha, Super-
star, Marimar, and other huge
hits.
IBC seems to be the sta-
tion ripest for privatization. It
was already declared by the
Supreme Court as an acquired
asset of government based
on PCGG’s statement of fact
as far back as 1992. Hence,
technically, IBC is already a
non-sequestered station and its
previous patriarch-owner, the
former Ambassador Roberto
Benedicto, had already ceded
his claims over the station.
Hence, the Supreme Court
statement. (The only fly in the
ointment, as it were, is a claim
of its former general manager
who to this day insists he owns
20 percent of the station. The
case is still filed in the lower
courts. )
The Marcoses, not surpris-
ingly, are again noisy about
the planned privatization for
reasons we all understand. If
they lay claim ownership, in
part or whole, of either or both
stations in question, then a lot
of legal and political equa-
tions will have to be reworked.
We now wonder why they are
against privatization.
IBC has transmitters situ-
ated all over the country with
potential capacities the envy
of major networks. It is not
surprising why the giants have
been wooing IBC to trade
channel assignments. Which-
ever of the three major players
acquires IBC’s signal is prom-
ised the lead in terms of reach,
clarity and strength and these
can be parlayed into billions in
the ratings game.
Former IBC president Bob
del Rosario spent much of his
term at the helm securing mon-
ey to pay the salaries of his res-
tive employees. The programs
on his station were mostly
blocktimer-produced which
brought in meager funds.
The station produced shows
were, by and large, non-per-
formers even if a handful of
them won Anak TV seals dur-
ing their heyday.(Good Take,
Entrepinoy and Serbis on the
Go)
Glory days
Like its neighbor, RPN,
IBC-13 was used by previous
administrations as receptacles
for people that the Palace owed
some form of political debt to.
Del Rosario, a no-nonsense
broadcaster who rose from the
ranks through decades of dili-
gence, was the best thing IBC
leadership had in years.
He was well-loved by the
employees and had both feet
planted firmly on terra firma.
It was simply his sense of
journalistic balance that cost
him his position. The lady in
Malacañang was tipped that
IBC continued on p.17
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VIEWS August 2010 Manila Media Monitor 9

I have attended dozens of
events in my lifetime in Canada
and in most of those, they sing
the Philippine national anthem,
“Bayang Magiliw”.
For us living outside the
Philippines, singing the anthem
in another country evokes vari-
ous feelings.
Especially for those who
were born and raised in the
Philippines, we proudly and
passionately sing “Bayang
Magiliw”. For most people,
singing the anthem during In-
dependence Day celebration,
goose bumps and tears were
just, but normal.
When we hear our National
Anthem, we could not help,
but sing with fervor “Bayang
Magiliw … Perlas nang Silan-
ganan … Alab ng puso … sa
dibdib mo’y buhay…! Some of
us even scream in unison to the
lyrics, as if by screaming, we
say, “We want to go home! We
are missing our beloved Coun-
try! Some of us even sing with
a question, “What are we doing
here? Take me home!
Then the song continues …
“Sa dagat at bundok sa simoy
at sa langit mong bughaw”. On
this note, a good number of us,
close our eyes and try to pic-
ture our beloved country: the
green mountains and the gentle
breeze that cool us up, as we
stroll along the
shores of the
blue sea. We
could feel the
warm touch of
the Philippine
sun; we could
hear the laugh-
ter of our chil- Bayang Magiliw, Perlas nang
dren playing
in the streets Silanganan … We miss you!
of our barrio
….What a feeling!
The anthem ends with
verses … “Lupa ng araw, ng
lualhati’t pagsinta, buhay ay
langit sa piling mo”. For us
outside the Philippines, we
clamor so much to be with our
loved ones -- people we left be-
hind; people we want to give a
better life to. These are the rea-
sons why Filipinos work hard
and endure sacrifices for years,
just to have the opportunity to
bring their kids with them to a
better life.
“Aming ligaya na ‘pag
may mang-aapi, ang mamatay
ng dahil sa iyo.” From here,
I feel that each of us sing the
same tune, but with a different
meaning. For many Filipinos,
the verse “ang mamatay ng da-
hil sa iyo” meant to strengthen
the promise to the families that
was left behind. For some, a re-
minder of the reasons why they
left the Philippines: to escape
You’re Entitled
to My Opinion
JUN ENVERGA
poverty, the abuse of power
and the threat of harm. These
last verses could also mean our
desire to go back to our native
land, retire, rest and be with the
land we forever call home.
If you have not tried it yet,
close your eyes next time when
you sing “Bayang Magiliw”.
With your eyes closed, listen,
enjoy, be proud and feel the
beauty and grandeur of the
Philippines and of being a Fili-
pino.
On another note, when fam-
ilies from the Philippines send
you a text or email you about tu-
ition for your favorite niece, or,
“kailangan ng gamot ni inang”
… “our house needs repair” …
“tinangay ang kalabaw nang
baha!” … the next anthem we
sing sometimes is quite appro-
priate, “Oh Canada!! I need the
money… I will follow thy boss
command …”.
While writing this column, I
had this feel- Filipino, Filipino ano ang
ing to give ating gagawin,
back more
… what can
Kung ang pagbabalik ang
tanging Layunin,
I offer our Ang ating natutunan sa ating
OFWs; our hiram na lupain
new heroes? Ay ating itaguyod at e remit
Here is the din natin.
best I can of-
fer, the song Tayo ay magsamasama at
for OFW’s: ipunin ang ating puwersa
Ang bayan nating mahal
Bayan Ko, nasa Ibang Ban- kailangan nang dangal.
sa Ako Dangal nating natutunan ay
Ako ay isang dayuhan ating ipadala
Malayo sa bayan kung si- Para sa pag-unlad nang
napupunan ating sambayanan.
Ako ay masipag, matiyaga
at matatag Filipino, Filipino nasa mun-
Sa trabaho, ang amo ay pa- dong ibayo
natag Filipino tayo !
Ipagmalaki ! Ipagdiwang !
Sa pabrika , ospital at opi- Mabuhay Tayo !
sina
Wala tayong katulad, sulit If you do not know the tune
ang ating bayad. to the foregoing lyrics, do not
Filipino, Filipino sa iba’t worry; I don’t either! :) Please
ibang lupain email me the tune that will
Malayo sa bayan, tayo ay be best for the lyrics. Let us
pagpalain, create this music that will be
sang by all OFWs all over the
Kailangan tayo ay Magsu- world. Let us put all our musi-
mikap cal talents together and build
Ang ekonomiya nang ating the OFW anthem! These are
bayan ay mahirap, just my opinions … Please be
Walang hinaharap na sagana entitled to them. (junenverga@
para sa lahat, gmail.com)
Nag-aantay lamang nang
ating mga remittance.

The outcome of any given carried out, individuality.

plan to make us generous to

The 3rd Eye

project fully depends on its
planning or the lack of it. With-
out the well drafted blueprints
of engineers and architects,
the construction of bridges,
roads and buildings would be
in chaos. To simply put it, one
must have a plan or at least the
understanding to follow one.
When we fail to plan, we
are actually planning to fail.
What about failing after thor-
ough planning? Well, we can
always go back
to the drawing
board and make
the necessary
changes to iron
out the flaws.
With some luck,
the revision may
yield our high
expectations,
the second time
around. But then
again, there are
still no guaran-
tees. In a heart-
beat, unforeseen
elements could derail our
plans. That is why in the truest
common sense, an alternate
plan is a must.
James Bond, the famous
secret agent 007 is a classic
example. In every mission he
he always We cannot stop
others and give Him praise. It
had a plan it, nor change
is also His absolute intention
“B” -- a swift MARIO DIMAIN
it. Nothing
that when we find the talents
escape plan can. But we
that He has provided us, we
when things can count our
must pursue them; put them
go awry.
Clever? No. The Master Plan blessings for
into good use; share them
knowing that
and make our world a better
Scripted is we are each as-
place.
the better word to describe it. are blowing in the wind. signed a master plan prepared
When Jesus said, “I am the
He is just a character created If we just pay attention to by the hands of the Master
truth, the way and the life,” He
by an author’s vivid imagina- what is going on around us, Builder who knows what is was being precise with God’s
tion. we could see the underlying best for us. master plan for us. He is the
In the real world, when ma- messages and the little hints When we are hurting, it
gateway, and as Christians, all
we need to do is
enter the narrow
“When we are hurting, it is His plan to teach us en- gate and follow the
durance, forgiveness and allow us to seek our hidden path.
From here on,
strength. When we succeed, it is His plan to make us let us all stop
excel and maintain humility. When we are in abun- questioning and
give thanks. Like a
dance, it is His plan to make us generous to others and drifting leaf on the
give Him praise. It is also His absolute intention that rapids, just sit tight
and go with the
when we find the talents that He has provided us, we flow. Have faith,
must pursue them; put them into good use; share them God is behind the
wheel. We are
and make our world a better place.” merely passengers.
The Master of all
jor setbacks befall us, we tend from above. Everything hap- is His plan to teach us endur- navigators is steering the way
to get disheartened and utter pens for a reason. Our past, ance, forgiveness and allow us and will never let us down.
the big WHY? We ask bitterly our present lives and the fu- to seek our hidden strength. His master plan has already
in disapproval. Are we being ture are all interwoven like When we succeed, it is His been laid out. Let us all stick
cursed? Is the world unfair to connected dots that shape the plan to make us excel and to it. Praise God _ and Amen.
us? What have we done wrong master plan, designed for each maintain humility. When we (artisticam@rogers.com)
to deserve such a fate? Listen one of us; tailor-made for our are in abundance, it is His
closely my friend; the answers
10 Manila Media Monitor August 2010
“U.S. citizenship is an hon-
or and a privilege” said a natu-
ralized citizen from Sudan. I
say “Amen” to that for I, too,
am now honored and a privi-
leged American citizen after
I have taken the solemn Oath
and Pledge of Allegiance to
America.
The historic date and place:
July 29, 2020 at he Paramount
Theater in Oakland, Califor-
nia..
To become a citizen of this
great country is the highest
privilege. It marks a new era
in one’s life and this will not
be easily forgotten. For me it
is now indelibly etched in my
memory; a footnote of my per-
sonal life and a tale to tell.
There were 1,310 of us com-
ing from 109 countries from
every point in the compass:
from Afghanistan, to Tonga, to
Zimbabwe – comprising a great
diversity of colors, creeds,
backgrounds, cultures, heri-
tages, ancestries, persuasions,
shapes and sizes, moneyed and
marginalized, but are equal as
“peers of kings.” They braved
the oceans to come to these
shores starting from the pil-
grims of old, landing at Angel
Island in the West Coast near
San Francisco and at the El-
lis Island in the East Coast of
New York harbor, where they
were welcomed by the Statues
of Liberty bearing a beacon of
hope and promise.
They all came in assiduous
quest for the proverbial holy
grail, for adventure, for great-
er opportunities, and brought
with them their vast wealth of
talents and skills, new ideas
and ideals that have defined,
enriched, and strengthened the
fabric of this great nation.
I was reminiscing this week
about my personal journey and
this column. I wanted to tell
you that it has been a joy writ-
ing this column and talking
with each and everyone of you
over the past three years. Your
feedback and encouragement
(and yes sometimes criticism)
has been a constant source of
inspiration. I have learned so
much from you and I want to
thank you from the bottom of
my heart.
I also owe Ace and Ge Al-
varez a debt of gratitude. Their
generous support has been
unwavering. They offered me
space to write this column at
a time when I was unproven
and without credentials. They
took a chance on me and I will
VIEWS
The
Pledge Fast Food For the flag of the
United States,
do as you wish as long as you
do not bother or harm others
of Al-
legiance
Thought place your
right hand over
in doing it, to believe in any
creed and to enjoy certain un-
was first Rudy M. Viernes your heart and alienable rights among them
published repeat after are liberty, life and the pursuit
on Sep-
tember
An Honor and Privilege me. I pledge
allegiance to
of happines. No dream is be-
yond reach in this tolerant so-
8, 1892. the flag, of the ciety that is the United States
The original pledge reads United States of Amer- of America. With industry and
as follows: “I pledged al- ica, and to the republic, resolve, anyone can find one’s
legiance to my Flag, and for which it stands, one own footing.
the Republic for which it nation under God, indi- God bless America, land
stands, one Nation indi- visible, with liberty and that I love, and now my own
visible, with Liberty and justice for all. Thank you sweet home. As I sang the Star
Justice for all.” very much.” It said a lit- Spangled Banner with my fel-
In 1942 Congress of- tle but said it all. low inductees, I felt chill up the
ficially recognized the Now I am officially a back of my spine. And when I
pledge. On June 14, 1954, member of the American reached the last line ”O’er the
by another act of Con- Club, a part of a “new land of the free and the home
gress, the phrase “under generation of Americans: of the brave”, I was already
God” was added. In sign- even at my late age, in the overwhelmed by a profound
ing the legislation, then same league as Barack sense of patriotism that stirred
Pres. Dwight Eisenhower Obama, as Robert Gates, my soul, my feeling saccha-
said: “In this way, we are as Kobe Bryant, as Karya rine sweet.
reaffirming the transcen- Shivashankar, with a pre- The last part of the hour-
dence of religious faith cious possession that of long ceremonies was the dis-
in America’s heritage and United States citizenship. tribution of the Certificate
future; in this way, we When I got home, sur- of Naturalization. I felt the
shall constantly strength- California-based Manila Media Moni- prise and happenstance, privilege of being the first to
en those spiritual weap- tor columnist Rudy Viernes leads the I found a letter from the receive mine from Mr. Randall
Pledge of Allegiance to the United
ons which forever will be States for a new batch of 1,310 new Marin County (Califor- Ricks of the U.S. Citizenship
our country’s most pow- American citizens, the very first ever nia) Superior Court, Of- and Immigration Service in
erful resources in peace Filipino to have done so at such oath- fice of the Jury, summon- San Francisco who was seated
taking ceremonies.(Courtesy: Angie
and war.” Wilson)
ing me to report for jury at my right on stage.
On July 29, 2010, I duty on Aug. 20, 2010. Let us toast to ourselves.
took the stage to lead my The last portion of the sheet There have been five This occasion comes only in a
fellow inductees read the re- says “Thank you very much.” summons that I have received lifetime. It was a defining mo-
vised and current pledge. In I added, “As we say in Fili- since I became an immigrant ment for me that will endure,
reading the Pledge I ad-libbed: pino, ‘Maraming maraming in 2001, but I could not answer for it begins a new episode in
First part of the sheet I was pro- salamat at Mabuhay’.” The them because I was not quali- my life as a United States’ citi-
vided says “Good Morning.” I crowd clapped lustily. Then I fied. Now that I am, I will zen and to participate in this
repeated it “Good Morning” waved a tiny American flag as gladly do so. government of the people, by
and added “Magandang um- they, too, waved theirs, as the Serving in the jury is one the people and for the people.
aga po sa inyong lahat. I am cameras clicked to record the of the responsibilities and du- Now I am ready to do some-
Adolfo ‘Rudy’ Viernes from event for posterity. ties of responsible citizen- thing for my new country.
the Philippines.” There was It was a moment to soak for ship, aside from participation Pres. John F. Kennedy said
an effervescent cheer from all its worth. in the democratic processes, “Ask not what your country
Filipinos who constituted a The whole text of the pledge like right to vote and be voted can do for you. Ask what you
big portion of the inductees, that I read (without ad-lib): upon, the freedom to express can do for your country.” (rud-
as were Hispanics and Hindus. “Good Morning! Please fade oneself, to have a free rein to manfriday@yahoo.com)
always be stand on that when something goes wrong.
grateful for
their courage. Our Journey foundation
tall and proud
But we took whatever was
available, because we had a
I started E VA A G PA O A and continue vision of a community in the
out writ- to strengthen not to distant future of law-
ing about it so that our yers, doctors, politicians and
the journey
many of us
An Inspiration for community
may have
business leaders. We put our
knowledge, our education,
have taken in
this country.
Everyone a powerful
voice in this
our experiences and wisdom
aside to clean the floor, wash
Though each country. the dishes, change diapers. We
of us has a different story to of the things our community We are the first wave. The did this for our children, our
tell, there are many common has achieved. laborers, the maids, the nan- parents and all the family back
threads which tie us together We come to this country nies, the PSWs. Many with home depending on us to pave
as a community. with virtually nothing -- and education well beyond the the way for their future.
Time and time again, I many of us from poverty and in need of these tasks. We are the I applaud your courage and
am awed by the sheer cour- desperate need. We came here invisible people who clean up heart. It has been a humbling
age many of you have shown and started to build. With only at hospitals, take the dishes experience to learn from you
throughout your journey. To our determination, we build up away in restaurants. We are the the true meaning of sacrifice.
say this has been an inspiration our lives brick by brick. And anonymous faces of large cor- We are a community built on
would be a gross understate- the foundation we built was a porations and chain stores who INSPIRATION
ment. I have witnessed many strong one. Our children will get screamed at and abused continued on p.15
NEWS
Ramon Magsaysay Foundation
honors awardees
MANILA -- Two Fili-
pino science educators, three
Chinese environmentalists, a
Japanese advocate for nuclear
disarmament, and a Bangla-
deshi advocate for the rights of
disabled persons were honored
recently by the Ramon Mag-
saysay Foundation for excel-
lence in their respective fields
of endeavor.
The 2010 Ramon Magsay-
say Awards ceremonies were
held at the Cultural Center of
the Philippines.
The seven awardees were
Christopher Bernido and Ma.
Victoria Carpio-Bernido of the
Philippines; Huo Daishan, Pan
Yue, and Fu Qiping of China;
A.H.M. Noman Khan of Ban-
gladesh; and Tadatoshi Akiba
of Japan.
President Benigno Aquino
III presented the awards to
each laureate at the CCP main
theater.
The Ramon Magsaysay
Awards was founded in 1957
in honor of the late President
Ramon Magsaysay Jr., who
died in a plane crash in March
that year. Since then, 267 indi-
viduals and 17 organizations
have received the prestigious
award.
Aquino in his speech
thanked the awardees “for be-
ing symbols of the highest
ideals of human kind, and for
shining your light in a world
that is in constant need of good
examples.”
He personified Magsaysay
as “perhaps the most beloved
president in the history of our
nation.”
Aquino’s mother, the late
President Corazon C. Aquino,
also received the Ramon Mag-
saysay Award in 1998.
Two of the three Chinese
awardees, Pan Yue and Fu Qip-
ing were not present to receive
their awards.
One of the Chinese recipi-
ents, Huo Daishan, arrived in
the Philippines on Aug. 25,
two days after the hostage in-
cident. Huo, a photojournalist,
was honored for his work that
raised awareness on the effects
of pollution in China’s river
Huai.
Huo said he has no hesita-
tions about visiting the Philip-
pines even after the hostage in-
cident. “[Filipinos] are really
hospitable, very friendly, and
very hardworking, he added.
‘Dynamic learning’
The Bernidos are physicists
who run a progressive high
school for underprivileged stu-
dents in Jagna, Bohol. Through
a system they call “dynam-
ic learning,” students at the
school spend most of their time
doing independent study rather
than listening to lectures.
Upon receiving the award,
Carpio-Bernido said, “Far
from being barriers to educa-
tion of the highest standards,
poverty and scarcity allow us
to systematically zero in on the
core of the learning process.”
Akiba is the three-term may-
or of Hiroshima, Japan. He has
led a worldwide campaign for
a nuclear weapons-free world.
In 1999, he formed a coali-
tion of city mayors from 144
countries to pressure national
governments into nuclear dis-
August 2010 Manila Media Monitor
armament by 2020.
Photojournalist Huo was
honored for his efforts to raise
awareness about the effects of
pollution on China’s third-larg-
est river, the Huai. He vowed
to use his prize money “for
building more water purifying
systems in the villages along
the Huai River,” saying this
would ensure that the Magsay-
say Award would directly im-
pact the lives of poor farmers
in the area.
Khan created in 1996 the
Center for Disability in Devel-
opment, an organization that
has since provided services
and inclusion opportunities for
people with disabilities in Ban-
gladesh. “I salute... the persons
DIVORCE from p.4
their colleagues in the House
of Representatives.
The bill states five grounds
for the filing of a petition for
divorce. According to the mea-
sure, couples who may apply
for divorce include those who
have been separated in fact for
five years and those already le-
gally separated for two years.
Grounds for legal separa-
tion may also apply when these
same grounds have already
11
with disabilities who made us
realize that it is not their impair-
ment, but rather the attitudinal
and environmental barriers that
impede their full and effective
participation in society on an
equal basis as others,” he said.
The final award was shared
by Chinese government offi-
cials Pan Yue and Fu Qiping,
who were not present at the
awards ceremonies.
Pan Yue is currently the
vice-minister of the Ministry
of Environmental Protection,
while Fu Qiping is the leader
of Tengtou Village in Zhejiang
province, one of the small-
est yet most environmentally
progressive communities in
China.
caused the irreparable break-
down of the marriage. In addi-
tion, psychological incapacity,
causing one’s failure to comply
with essential marital obliga-
tions, and irreconcilable differ-
ences causing the irreparable
breakdown of the marriage are
also recognized as grounds for
divorce, the bill said.
“We cannot ignore the fact
that existing laws just do not
DIVORCE cont’d on p.14
12 Manila Media Monitor August 2010 NEWS

Toronto City Council enacts new been killed.

Amid a storm of criti-
lacked helmets and ap-
propriate communication
giving them the chance to
meet with him, and also

zoning bylaw cism from Hong Kong’s

The Toronto City The new zoning by-
Council has enacted a law, now in effect, is the
new, single, city-wide result of an eight-year
zoning bylaw. harmonization exercise,
The zoning bylaw with the principal em-
regulates the use of land phasis on developing a
and buildings as well as common terminology,
their height, size, bulk structure and set of de-
and location. Previously, fined zoning terms that
the City of Toronto had apply across the city.
43 different zoning by- The new zoning bylaw
laws inherited from the maintains current devel-
six pre-amalgamation opment standards (height,
municipalities. density, setbacks and use)
RP from p.3 cent Fang, a legislative
councillor in Hong Kong.
government was “ap- “The Hong Kong people
palled” and phoned his are very furious over this
Philippine counterpart, whole situation.”
Alberto Romulo, to voice Police promise inter-
concern. nal audit
Hong Kong residents Philippine police con-
expressed outrage and ceded that they had made
media outlets in the Chi- blunders ending the bus
nese territory denounced hijacking amid outrage
Philippine police as in- over a bloody assault that
competent. was played out on live
“We are going to television.
condemn the Philippine Commandos fired doz-
government,” said Vin- ens of bullets into the bus
as much as possible, pro-
tecting Toronto’s existing
neighbourhoods. It was
developed with extensive
opportunities for the pub-
lic to comment and pro-
vide feedback. Citizens
and stakeholders were
encouraged to participate
in the public consultation
process to ensure their
comments were heard on
BYLAW continued on p.14
and smashed its windows
with sledge hammers as
they tried to storm it, but
were then forced to wait
outside helplessly for
over an hour as the hi-
jacker used his captives
as human shields.
The standoff in Ma-
nila’s tourist district on
Monday finally ended
when police fired tear gas
into the bus and a sniper
shot the gunman in the
head, but by then eight of
the tourists on board had
government and people
around the world who
watched the shoot-out
live on television, Manila
police commander Leo-
cadio Santiago admitted
mistakes had been made.
“We saw some ob-
vious shortcomings in
terms of capability and
tactics used, or the pro-
cedure employed, and we
are now going to investi-
gate this,” Santiago said
on local television.
Earlier, Philippine
police defended their
actions but promised an
internal audit to review
the events leading to the
deaths.
National police
spokesman Agrimero
Cruz told the Associated
Press, “Of course what
happened was far from
ideal … Nevertheless,
we are congratulating
our personnel because
despite the lack of equip-
ment ... they risked life
and limb.”
Reports had it that
some police commandos
equipment, and the team
had no ladder vehicle to
help climb aboard the
seized bus, while storm-
ing it — shortcomings
that hampered a speedy
response.
Newspaper reports
from 2008 indicated that
Mendoza was among five
police officers charged
with robbery, extortion
and grave threats. The
charges were laid after
a hotel chef in Manila
complained that officers
had falsely accused him
of using drugs in order to
extort money from him.
The presidential
spokesperson said that
Hong Kong officials
asked the government to
conduct an investigation
into the incident, and to “
cooperate with the Hong
Kong Working Group in
the investigation to en-
sure that nothing like this
would occur again.”
Lacierda said that
the Chinese ambassador
“thanked the President
for his immediate atten-
tion on the matter and
making sure that all the
instrumentalities of the
government are already
in place to assist the vic-
tims.”
Further, the presiden-
tial spokesperson said
that Liu “expressed ap-
preciation for the swift
attention given by the
Philippine government.”
Lacierda also said that
the meeting might be
enough to keep bilateral
ties between the Philip-
pines and China from
getting strained.
President Aquino de-
clared Aug. 25, 2010 a
national mourning day
“in solidarity with the
people of Hong Kong
and the families of the
slain”.
Aquino instructed all
public institutions in the
Philippines and embas-
sies and consulates over-
seas to lower the Philip-
pine flag to half mast on
that day. (Manila Media
Monitor with files from
the Xinhua, CBC, The
Associated Press and The
Canadian Press)
NEWS
Canadian Law and Order: The Courts
By Adam Chapnick
To an outsider, the
structure of the Canadian
judiciary is just as com-
plicated as the legal chal-
lenges that it faces every
day. The British North
America Act of 1867
granted the federal gov-
ernment jurisdiction over
criminal law but left the
provinces with the pri-
mary responsibility for
the administration of jus-
tice. So the provinces run
the federal courts, but the
judges in those courts are
appointed by the federal
government.
To confuse matters
further, the provinces
also have their own
courts, and in this case
they appoint the judges
themselves.
The final court of ap-
peal in Canada is the Su-
preme Court. It replaced
Britain’s Judicial Com-
mittee of the Privy Coun-
cil in 1949.
Canada’s policy of ap-
pointing judges differen-
tiates us from the United
States where most judges
are elected. Critics of the
Canadian process call
it undemocratic. In the
U.S., they like to argue,
judges are accountable
to the people. In Canada,
they owe their allegiance
to the political elite.
Supporters of the Ca-
nadian approach argue
that the appointment pro-
cess is better. First, the
political elite typically
make their recommenda-
tions based on the advice
of legal experts, and this
ensures that Canadians
receive the best possi-
ble treatment before the
law. Second, they note
that the permanent ap-
pointments give judges
the freedom to interpret
the law without fear of a
popular backlash ending
their employment after
the next election.
Canadian law also
says that judges be well-
paid and, thus, not open
to bribery or other efforts
to sway their thinking.
The power and promi-
nence of the courts in
Canada increased dra-
matically in 1982. By
creating the Charter of
Rights and Freedoms and
putting it in the constitu-
August 2010 Manila Media Monitor
tion, the elected politi-
cians transferred signifi-
cant responsibilities for
interpreting the law into
the hands of the judges. In
other words, Parliament
still makes law in Cana-
da, but governments and
members of parliament
need to keep the Charter
in mind at all times, and
it’s up to the courts to de-
cide if they have.
Admittedly, the Char-
ter includes a “notwith-
standing” clause, allow-
ing federal or provincial
parliaments to override
the courts temporarily,
but it is rarely invoked.
Critics complain that
the Charter has contrib-
uted to the decline of
democracy in Canada
as judges, who are not
elected, can now over-
rule the will of the popu-
larly elected members of
the House of Commons.
But it is worth recalling
that the judiciary never
asked for the Charter.
Members of parliament
made a conscious deci-
sion to include the Char-
ter when they changed
the Constitution in 1982
and brought it home from
Britain.
The role of the courts
in Canadian society be-
came particularly impor-
tant shortly after the Que-
bec referendum of 1995.
Voters there had in effect
been asked to decide if
they wanted to remain
in Canada, and by a very
narrow majority decided
they did. The following
year, Canada’s attorney
general asked the Su-
preme Court to comment
13
on the legal implications
of any effort by the prov-
ince of Quebec to unilat-
erally leave Canada.
The court concluded
that Quebec did not have
the right to declare inde-
pendence on its own. But,
it said, the government of
Canada had an obliga-
tion to negotiate if a clear
majority of Quebeckers
supported independence.
As a result, the federal
government began work
to clarify matters.
Passed in 2000, the
Clarity Act established
the conditions under
which Quebec could ne-
gotiate separation from
Canada. This was an ex-
ample of the new level
of dialogue between the
democratically elected
CANADIAN LAW
continued on p. 18
14 Manila Media Monitor August 2010 NEWS

Lawyers ask Immigration bureau the accused engaged in human

trafficking by facilitating the
ported after due proceedings.”
It was suspected that the
government, adding that Con-
solidated Mines, the tenement

to deport 7 Chinese executives entry of around 80 Chinese re-

MANILA -- A GROUP of
pro-environment lawyers asked
the Bureau of Immigration
to deport and blacklist seven
Chinese mining executives in
Zambales province for human
trafficking and illegal exploita-
tion of natural resources.
In a three-page Complaint
for Deportation dated August
10, the Green Lawyers of the
Philippines Inc., through its
President Dante Carandang,
lodged a complaint with the
immigration bureau against the
Chinese executives allegedly
operating the Coto Mines in
Masinloc, Zambales.
Officially charged before the
bureau were: Ye Zhou, Shen
Bing Hua, Shi Jian Chu, Dong
Guilin, Shen Hui, Shi Zhen Yu
and Shen Zhen Huan.
The document alleged that
cruited supposedly to work in
the mines.
The complaint also stated
that these workers did not have
valid work permits and visas,
as well as not passing immi-
gration inspection formalities
when they entered the country.
“Respondents are undesir-
able aliens [who violated con-
stitutional], immigration, and
other laws of the Philippines,”
the document added. “Accord-
ingly, they must be ordered de-
foreigners acquired the right
to operate the mine when they
entered into a P250-million
agreement with Compania
Minera Tubajon Inc.
The executives allegedly
established a new management
team and infused funds for the
maintenance and development
of the Masinloc chromite proj-
ect.
Carandang also said that the
mining operation is not covered
by any financial and technical
assistance agreement with the
owner, did not sanction it.
“Wherefore, complainant
prays that this honorable com-
mission give due course to this
Complaint for
Deportation; and after due
hearing, order their [the execu-
tives] immediate deportation
. . . and bar their re-entry into
the Philippines,” the complaint
says.
Manila Media Monitor
Tel. (416) 285-8583

BYLAW from p. 12
this important subject. Feed-
back from public consulta-
tion was consolidated and re-
viewed by the project team and
changes were made to the draft
bylaw where appropriate and
necessary.
Some key parts of the by-
law:
• The entire bylaw will be
available online through inter-
active maps which allow the
user to search by address and
see the specific zoning details
that apply to that property.
• The new zoning bylaw
sets out comprehensive perfor-
mance standards for each zone
category and it also includes
new standards related to built-
form, including minimum
heights in commercial/residen-
tial (CR) zones.
• The bylaw aims to protect
existing regulatory standards
with respect to setbacks, height
and similar building require-
ments.
• Site-specific zoning by-
laws and minor variance per-
missions will continue to be
recognized.
• The bylaw introduces new
regulations related to vehicular
and bicycle parking and load-
ing requirements, as well as
new definitions for terms such
as “gross floor area” and “es-
tablished grade,” which will
help to ensure regulations are
interpreted the same way in all
parts of the city.
• The bylaw has been made
user-friendly for residents and
businesses, with the follow-
ing new features: The bylaw
is cleanly organized and uses
plain language and coloured
maps to increase user accessi-
bility.
• Rules applying to rooming
houses are replicated from ex-
isting provisions.
• The new bylaw strives to
protect ravines by applying
regulations to lands, buildings
and structures in or partly in
the areas identified on the Con-
servation Overlay Map.
• A transition protocol has
been developed that aims to
protect existing development
permissions and prevent delay
of active development applica-
tions.
• As the former 43 zoning
bylaws will not be repealed,
if a property is shown as “Not
Part of this Bylaw” on the new
zoning bylaw maps, the former
zoning regime and regulations
that existed prior to the enact-
ment of the new zoning bylaw
will continue to apply. The
intent is for these properties to
eventually be incorporated into
the new zoning bylaw.
DIVORCE from p.11
suffice. Getting an annulment
can be very expensive while
legal separation will not give
estranged couples the right to
remarry,” Ilagan said.
The measure’s explanatory
note further elaborates on the
need for a measure to address
the commission of violence in
marital relations.
Official figures from the
Philippine National Police in
2009 showed that 19 women
fall victim to marital violence
every day. Among the forms
of violence and abuse against
DIVORCE continued on p. 17

Philippine Chamber of Commerce-Toronto president Rafael Nebres (center)

and PIDC Adviser Jun Enverga (right) are among those who led the recep-
tion team for Progressive Conservative Provincial Party Leader Tim Hudak at
the PIDC Mabuhay Festival and Trade Show 2010, Metro Toronto Convention
Centre, July 24. MPP Hudak sent his, and his party’s congratulatory mes-
sage to the Filipino community. (Manila Media Monitor Photo)

1075 Bay Street Toronto, Ontario M5S 2B1

Tel.: (416) 928.3113 Toll Free: (800) 463.1512
Fax: (416) 928.0821
Web: www.newwavetravel.net
GINA MONTOJO
E-mail: gina@newwavetravel.net Travel Consultant
Reg. # 1337762
NEWS August 2010 Manila Media Monitor 15

INVITATION
Newly elected president Eva Agpaoa of the Isabela Cultural Organization of Ontario
is calling all the Isabelans to participate in the organization.
The date, venue and other information on the induction of the the new officers and
directors will soon be announced. The inducting officer will be the Governor of Isabela.
Invitations have likewise been sent to the mayors of the various towns comprising the
province.
The newly elected president said that the Isabela organization website will be run-
ning up soon. A Facebook account was likewise opened. For additional information,
please e-mail evaagpaoa.isabelaorg_toronto.ca.

INSPIRATION from p. 10
the shoulders of heroes and giants.
And it can be frustrating and demor-
alizing. And we begin to doubt our-
selves. Over the years, I have talked
about many of the things which affect
our daily lives. But throughout, I have
tried to be honest and consistent in my
message to you. One of the things I have
talked about often is this: First and fore-
most, believe in yourself. Don’t ever let
anyone tell you that you are not capable
of something greater. You are the only
person who is allowed to set limits on
your future.
I know there are times when things
look so dark and bleak;times when even
the smallest thing seems impossible. I
know, because I have lived those times
as well. Those were the times that made
us vulnerable. They shook our belief in
our abilities. They made us doubt. But
nothing has changed. You are still the
same strong, capable person. Only the
circumstances are different. Believe in
yourself. More than ever, in these tough
times, believe in yourself. And others
will believe in you too.
I wish for each of you peace and

‘‘
prosperity in your journey. (info@th-
enannyexpert.com)

You’re alive. Do some-

thing. The directive in
life, the moral impera-
tive was so uncompli- Bawat patak ng pawis at pagod mo........
cated. It could be ex-
pressed in single words,
not complete sentences.
buong pusong ihahatid ng Forex sa
It sounded like this: pamilya mo.....
Look. Listen.
Choose. Act. kahit saan....... kahit kailan
- Barbara Hall,

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IN TORONTO IS A MANILA MEDIA
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16 Manila Media Monitor August 2010
NEWS
Agriculture department
investigates sugar smuggling
Manila – The Depart-
ment of Agriculture (DA)
said that it was investi-
gating alleged connec-
tion between smuggling
activities within the sugar
industry and the “abrupt”
shortage in the supply of
sugar in the country.
According to Agricul-
ture Secretary Proceso
Alcala, the agency was
IBC from p. 8
one evening newscast
featured the opposition
about half a minute lon-
ger than it did the admin-
istration. The sentence
was swift and merciless.
The poor del Rosario,
who did not seek the top
post in the first place, was
given the runaround and
was made to accept terms
of separation not even
closely commensurate to
his decades in service.
What the Palace for-
got was that he was an
organic employee, not
mere presidential stooge.
Del Rosario regrets
August 2010 Manila Media Monitor 17
country’s last importa-
tion record of sugar was
or 72 percent.
“For women in abu-
edly weaken the solidar-
ity of the family. It would
in 2002. sive marital relationships,
also encourage married
couples who have dif-
During a press confer- the need for a divorce law
ferences to immediately
checking on the allega- the allegations claiming ence , he maintained that is real. It is high time that
seek divorce, though dif-
tions that several indus- that smuggling activities there should be no reason we give Filipino couples,
ferences can still be rec-
try stakeholders were in- within the sugar industry for sugar prices to shoot especially the women,
onciled,” Barzaga said.
volved in the smuggling have made sugar avail- up, saying that there is a this option,” De Jesus
He said he anticipates
of sugar products, citing able in the domestic mar- possibility of an “artifi- said.
various religious groups
sugar importation records ket, at the cost of hurting cial shortage” in the sup- Cavite Rep. Elpidio
to lobby against the bill.
over the last decade. our prices,” he said. ply of the commodity. Barzaga strongly opposed
“I still adhere to the bibli-
“For the past several Alcala added that he the bill, saying “the fam-
cal saying that what God
years, we have not expe- was informed by several DIVORCE from p.14 ily is the foundation of a
had join together, let no
rienced any shortage in stakeholders about the il- women committed in good citizenry.”
the supply of sugar. Now, legal practices by several 2009, wife battery ranked “Allowing absolute DIVORCE
we are now checking on people, citing that the the highest at 6,783 cases divorce would undoubt- continued on p. 18
that in his time, he was ees because there was no
Canadian
unable to produce any continuity.
children’s programs We could not go back
simply because they did to the glory days of Iskul
not have funds or part-
ners who committed to
support such endeavor.
When one checks the ex-
Bukol, Chicks to Chicks
and our regular block-
buster films,” he added.
Whoever gets IBC
Businessman,
isting IBC programming,
one will see a wasteland
and the prime land where
it sits and can pump in
48 years, 5’6”,152 lbs.,
peppered by inane info-
mercials, canned docu-
mentaries and a slew of
billions to improve the
station’s technical facili-
ties, will have his hands
seeks younger,
ho-hum programs. “What
can one do no production
full with a lot of creative
possibilities.(maghatol@
petite, slim female,
funds and with equip-
ment that have seen better
yahoo.com)
5’ or shorter.
years?” asks del Rosario.
“The frequent changes
in management have de-
Manila Media Monitor
Tel. (416) 285-8583
Call (647) 274-7179.
moralized the employ-
18 Manila Media Monitor August 2010 PEOPLE & EVENTS

KALAYAAN CENTRE
LOGO CONTEST DEADLINE
EXTENDED TO SEPTEMBER 30
The logo contest of
the marketing committee
of the Kalayaan Centre
would like to inform the
public that the contest
deadline has been ex-
tended to Thursday, Sep-
tember 30, 2010. Please
email new entries with
your high resolution jpeg
files to kalayaancentre@
gmail.com. Those who
have submitted entries
do not have to resubmit.
For contest rules, please
check our website www.
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For more information
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CANADIAN LAW for native peoples who years, they continue to

from p. 13
legislature and the ap-
pointed judiciary in the
development of Canadian
public policy.
At about the same
time, the creation of the
territory of Nunavut in
the Canadian North added
something different to the
judicial system. Unlike
Canada’s other provin-
cial and territorial courts
which deal with basic
cases separate from ap-
peals, the Nunavut Court
of Justice deals with both
types of claims.
Another recent addi-
tion to the Canadian court
system is the sentencing
circle. In some First Na-
tions communities, these
circles advise judges on
appropriate punishments
REMEMBERING
from p. 8
lining both sides of the
story. Most often than
not though, this does not
happen and only present
the subjective part of the
story – which is how we,
newswriters/reporters,
look at a situation, leav-
ing the other party fend
for themselves where to
look for help in correct-
ing the impression cre-
ated by the published
subjective story. In other
words, most often than
not, when we (friends/
colleagues, I wrote “we”)
newswriters/reporters
write a “news” story, we
often confused it as writ-
ing our columns – which
by its very nature, are
subjective, being a mir-
ror of our own opinions
and views.
This comment is
have been declared guilty
under the law.
A final and increas-
ingly prominent element
of the broader court
system in Canada is the
administrative tribunal.
These bodies can deal
with controversial issues
such as allegations of
human rights violations
(although their decisions
are still subject to judicial
review). Such tribunals
have generated emotional
debates among Canadians
over the extent to which
governments should in-
trude upon the right of
individuals to speak their
opinions freely.
Canada’s courts have
come a long way since
1867. Today, just as they
have for close to 150
prompted by the recent
stories published on GMA
Pinoy tv artist Wendell
Ramos disrobing his top
before the audience at the
Mabuhay Festival and
the choice of GMA TV
sending Katrina Halili
as one of its top billers at
the same festival.
While one story stated
that it sought the com-
ments of the organizer of
the event -- the Philippine
Independence Day Coun-
cil (PIDC), on these mat-
ters and no response was
received, still the story
did not seek the views of
other people who saw the
show and might have dif-
fering views from those
presented in the story.
Back to the issue of
objectivity -- and in fair-
ness to my colleagues in
community media, who
wrote the stories men-
tioned above, in a new
change to meet new de-
mands.
Further Reading: Da-
vid E. Smith, The Peo-
ple’s House of Commons,
Ian Green, The Courts.
The Canadian Experi-
ence is a 52-week history
series designed to tell the
story of our country to all
Canadians. Sponsored by
Multimedia Nova Cor-
poration and Diversity
Media Services/Lingua
Ads partners, the series
features articles by our
country’s foremost histo-
rians on a wide range of
topics. Past articles and
author bios are available
at http://www.cdnexperi-
ence.ca. The Canadian
Experience is copyright
© 2010-2011 Multimedia
Nova Corporation.
about the subjects he or deep into stories.” That worked — and it
she covers. Subjectivity Bhuchar wrote: “The helped enable newspaper
study recently which starts right from the point Internet has bypassed consolidation in many
asked, “is objectivity at which a journalist the once highly regarded cities. But the strategy
possible in journalism?” chooses a subject to cover norms of gatekeepers at took on a life of its own
posted by Dana Lacey in and goes right on through a news desk, and now it — and while it yielded
“The Canadian Journal- to who is interviewed, seems to be challenging some benefits, it’s a fun-
ism Project”, some re- what quotations are se- the long held model of damentally not credible
spondents commented as lected, how the headline objectivity in journal- premise. Journalism is
follows: is written, and on and on. ism.” created by people, and
Respondent Katie But what makes journal- The survey polled people are not objective.
Lohrenz wrote: ism different from other 500 Spot.Us users. Only As media has become
“I find writing by practices with which it 13.5% of respondents multidirectional, it’s be-
people who disclose is sometimes confused, identified objectivity as come ridiculous to try to
and discuss their biases/ such as PR or politics, is being what journalism ignore that reality. News
backgrounds dramati- that journalists are in the is all about; 44.6% said organizations that choose
cally more compelling business of ‘independent’ objectivity was “difficult a veneer of objectivity
than sterile I-refuse-to- verification of fact.” but possible. It sepa- over the practice of trans-
take-sides-so-decide-for- The post made by rates the wheat from the parency undermine their
yourself writing. I think Lacey from a report writ- chaff”; 27.6% chose the own credibility. The sad
it’s possible to explain ten by Sammer Bhuchar answer “transparency is thing is, many news orgs
and analyze both sides of of “Spot.Us” stated that, the new objectivity.” cling to their veneer of
a story and fulfill a jour- “Increasingly, the idea Bhuchar also cited objectivity because they
nalistic purpose without of traditional objectivity survey respondent Amy think it builds credibility.
sitting on the fence.” is being challenged by Gahran as having writ- They’re eating their own
Survey respondent this new, proactive age ten that “Basically, ‘ob- dog food.” (ace.alvarez@
Robert McClure wrote: of media consumers. To jectivity’ in journalism rogers.com)
“No journalist is truly those who challenge the began post WWII as a
objective, if that term ideal, it is an outdated strategy to make news Manila Media Monitor
is meant to mean some- standard that has crippled content more palatable to Tel. (416) 285-8583
one who has no opinions journalists from digging a broader advertiser base.

DIVORCE
from p.17
man put asunder.”
Parañaque Rep. Roilo
Golez also objected to
the bill, saying “that is
like giving a married
couple a Weapon of Mass
Destruction that they can
use against each other
even for petty, solvable
marital problems.”
He said half of his
classmates at the United
States Naval Academy in
Annapolis ended up di-
vorcing their spouses just
a few years after getting
married.
Aurora Rep. Juan Ed-
gardo Angara warned
that allowing divorce
could lead to the prolif-
eration of “gold diggers”
and broken families.
Akbayan party-list
Rep. Walden Bello, how-
ever, backed the measure,
saying the Philippines is
the only country with no
divorce law.
“Let’s join the 20th
century,” Bello said.
(Philippine Star)
August 2010 Manila Media Monitor 19
 August 2010 Manila Media Monitor 21

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22 Manila Media Monitor August 2010

PANGASINAN
ASSOCIATION
OF CANADA
Celebrates
20th Anniversary
President Quintin Palisoc and wife, Emily, ad-
Dr. Ernesto Quinit, PACA Founder and Ad- dress body to recognize outstanding members
for the support.

with Accomplishments
viser, thanks everybody for support on the
organization’s projects

of Projects, and ...

Fun ... Fun ... Fun ...

PACA Officers, Directors, District Representatives and Advis-

ers pose for a souvenir photo of one memorable evening
PEOPLE & EVENTS August 2010 Manila Media Monitor 23

‘‘
An exhibition dance by the Bayanihan Youth Club of Simcoe County:(BCYSC)
vice president Audrey Bushell and club president Andre Campos during the-
group’s “Filipiniana Induction and Summare Party 2010” in the north of To-
ronto.(Courtesy: Remy Cabansag)

Any reviewer who expresses rage and loathing

for a novel is preposterous. He or she is like a
person who has put on full armor and attacked a
hot fudge sundae.
-Kurt Vonnegut (1922 - 2007)
24 Manila Media Monitor August 2010 PEOPLE & EVENTS

L-R: Oswald Tugadi, president of high-end, all service printing company Al-
bee Enterprises on Canadian Road in Scarborough celebrates his birth an-
niversary over dinner with friends, Action Honda general manager Rafael
Nebres, Mrs. Sylvia Nebres, Oswald’s wife, Isa; Gie and Ace Alvarez. (Manila Parishioners of Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church on Central Parkway E
Media Monitor/Front Page Philippines photo) in Mississauga host a party for Fr. Sol Paranas (3rd from right, 2nd row) to
celebrate his 30th anniversary in priesthood. Fr. Sol came to Canada from
Bohol, Philippines some 20 years ago. Among those with him in photo are

Discounts up to
Divina and Jimmy Villamater; Doming and Tita Badilla; Ruben and Linda
Javier; Val and Jean Mape; Jaime and Carmen Hauyon; and, Buddy Paras

30%
and Deedette Potes. (Courtesy: Cely Factura)

on car insurance
Auto Insurance, Home Insurance, Renter Insurance,
Business Insurance, Life Insurance, Vehicle Financing,
RESP, RRSP, Health/Dental Insurance

Li Chen, Agent
P: 416-431-6800
C: 416-571-7219
li.chen.m8zn@statefarm.com
http://www.licheninsurance.ca
1200 Markham Road, Suite# 123,
Scarborough, ON M1H 3C3

Office Hours:
Mon-Fri 9:30am to 9:30pm
Saturday 11:00 am to 5:30 pm
After Hours by Appointment
Paul Pigon was graduated by the Ryerson University with a degree of BS in
Biology. The graduate is the only son of Danny and Suzanne Pigon of Scar-
borough.

LIKE A GOOD NEIGHBOUR STATE FARM IS THERE

Providing Insurance and Financial Services
State Farm • Head Office, Aurora, Ontario • statefarm.ca™

GET-TOGETHER FOR VISITING FRIENDS: Rudy and Ludy Priscilla (stand-

ing at extreme left in back row), Gloria Dy, Mr. and Mrs. Arwyn Dy, hosted a
get-together for visiting friends from the US and Peru recently. The visiting
friends are Mr. & Mrs. Sergio Yap from New York, Mr. and Mrs. Alden from
Florida, Mrs. Elena Fuellas and family from Chicago, and Mrs. Isabel Vda
Neyra with daughter Ema and son Alonso from Peru. (Tony Sicat)

In silence man can most readily preserve his

Silayan Community Centre kicks off its mid-term activities with line and folk integrity.
dancing at the May Auditorium, 20 West Lodge Avenue .The next SCC’s ac-
tivities will be Halloween, Christmas and SCC’s 42nd anniversary celebra- - Meister Eckhart
tion next year. For details call Silayan Community Centre at (416) 926 9505.
PEOPLE & EVENTS August 2010 Manila Media Monitor 25
26 Manila Media Monitor August 2010 ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT

PIDC’s ‘DANCING
TO BE A STAR’
SLATED OCT. 2, 2010
The 4th season of “Dancing To Be A Star”will
once again buzz with excitement!
Leonie Manzanares, event chair, said the PIDC
event to be held at Studio 8 Banquet Hall in Toron-
to on October 2 will highlight Ballroom, Latin and
Standard dance competition.
Organized by the PIDC, the organizers are work-
ing to make this competition bigger and better.
Canadian top ballroom Latin and standard compet-
itors will once more show off their dancing skills.
For details on how to participate, tickets and other
matters, please contact the following: Leone Man-
zanares - 905 567-4829; Rory Elefano - 416 733-
7818 (Aelefano@yahoo.com); Gene Elamparo - 416
284-3547 (Gene.elamparo@rbc.com); Nene Ticzon -
416 560-8433 (Fticzon@schulich.yorku.ca); or, Pete
Mauricio - 905 301-8408 (Mauricio@sympatico.ca)
‘Dancing to be a Star” is the last event of the PIDC Caregivers working in Thornhill at a summer gathering, attended also by their employers, wards and
for this year. representatives from the Philippine Labor Office.in Toronto (Terry Olayta)

OOOPS from p.6

remember the rest of the apologetic items in
the agenda! (I’m scratching my head).
A consolation to the PIDC though is: Not
to worry, they’re not “major, major mistakes”
– to borrow from Miss Philippines-Universe
Venus Raj. So, PIDC doesn’t have to change
really the name of the event next year to
“MABUWAY FESTIVAL”. But more power
to you, friends!
***
From a forwarded message from Edgar
Morado, formerly of the National Media Pro-
duction Center in the Philippines: “We’ve
gone from a computer that takes up a whole
room to one that is almost too small to read.
Now the trend is reversing. They are getting
bigger and bigger again.
“Oh, and the inventor’s bank accounts just
keep getting bigger.”
***
From a forwarded message from Phil-
ippine Press Club-Ontario Treasurer Mogi
Mogado:
These should make you laugh and feel sad
(if it’s true).
Were we this inteligent at 16????

GCSE are the standard exams in the UK

for kids 15 - 16 yrs

The following questions were set in last

year’s GCSE examination
These are genuine answers (from 16 year
olds)....... .....and they WILL breed.

Q. Name the four seasons.

A. Salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar
-----------------------------------------------
Q. Explain one of the processes by which
water can be made safe to drink.
A. Flirtation makes water safe to drink
because it removes large pollutants like grit,
sand, dead sheep and canoeists
-----------------------------------------------
Q. How is dew formed?
A. The sun shines down on the leaves and
makes them perspire
-----------------------------------------------
Q. What causes the tides in the oceans?
A. The tides are a fight between the earth
OOOPS cont’d on p.28
 August 2010 Manila Media Monitor 27

LILAND INSURANCE INC.

Sponsored by
1996-2009 TOP MGA IN CANADA AWARDEE
Registration is on going for the next batch
call: 416-759-5453 x-222
28 Manila Media Monitor August 2010 ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT

Manila ready to dazzle

as Liza Minnelli and Di-
ana Ross.
Of the nightclubs, Bed

for historic gay beauty has remained one of the

most popular since open-

pageant
MANILA (AFP) - Fifteen
muscular gay men strut the
stage in a whirlwind of sequins,
feathers, gold and glitter while
a transvestite dressed as Lady
Gaga performs the American
pop-star’s latest hit.
The scantily clad men are
vying for the crown of “Mr
Gay World Philippines” and
Filipino-Arab fashion designer
Sherwin Abuel wins the title
in a crowded suburban Manila
nightclub after wowing the
judges on the catwalk.
The contestants were re-
quired to compete in tradi-
tional pageant categories such
as “Best in swimwear”, “Best
in formalwear” and “Mr Con-
geniality”.
But the contest was also
about promoting equal rights,
and Abuel started his reign as
Mr Gay with an expression of
pride.
“Being gay is not my
choice. I was born with it and
I love it,” said Abuel, 34, who
will represent the Philippines
when it becomes the first Asian
country to host the annual Mr
Gay World contest next year.
The Philippines is a devout-
ly Catholic country but Abuel
said he had never faced dis-
crimination.
Organisers of the Mr Gay
World contest said this was one
of the main reasons why the
Philippines was chosen to host
the global contest in March
next year, after the first two
events were held in Canada
and Norway.
The vice chairman of Mr
Gay World Philippines, Mac
Bordallo, pointed to conserva-
tive Muslim religious values
in countries such as Malaysia
as reasons for not hosting the
event there.
He said efforts to establish
a presence in China also failed
last year when police stopped
them from hosting a national
Mr Gay contest.
And while Bangkok may
have a reputation for being
Asia’s most gay-friendly me-
tropolis, Bordallo said Manila
was increasingly attracting the
pink tourist dollar.
“Foreigners have only
known Thailand as a gay
tourist destination, but this is
changing”, Bordallo said.
He said the Mr Gay World
event was expected to bring in
many more gay tourists, and
ing its doors in 2003.
On a national level,
there are many examples
of acceptance for gay
men despite opposition
from the Catholic church
and a macho culture in
which boxing and cock-
fighting are two of the
male population’s favou-
rite pastimes.
The Philippines made
headlines when it held
the first gay pride march
in Asia in 1994 and it re-
cently became the first
country in Southeast Asia
to have an official gay po-
litical party.
“Mr Gay World Philippines” and Filipino-Arab fashion de-
signer Sherwin Abuel with his court. That party -- Ang Lad-
lad (Out of the Closet)
-- said it attracted more
organisers were already pre- haunts have extended to mas- than 120,000 votes in the May
paring packages to some of sage parlors and gay bars, the national elections.
the country’s best destinations type that feature men dancing The Philippines also allows
such as the tropical island of half-nude on the stage. gays to serve in its armed forc-
Borocay. “Comedy bars where most es.
In Manila, the gay enter- of the entertainers are gay or But gay rights advocates say
tainment scene has exploded transgender have also become much more work lies ahead.
over the past decade, accord- hugely in demand of late.” There are no anti-discrimi-
ing to Glenn Maboloc, presi- Manila also boasts a range of nation laws in the Philippines
dent of the non-government drag-shows, with the Moulin- and same-sex relationships are
organisation KRYSS, which Rouge-style cabaret at Club not officially recognised.
promotes gender equality, hu- Mwah, which opened in 2004, An anti-discrimination bill
man rights, and sexual health one of the top attractions. that seeks to “prohibit discrim-
for the youth. At Club Mwah, transexual ination on the basis of sexual
“The gay nightlife took performers in flamboyant cos- orientation and gender iden-
off in the late ‘90s,” Maboloc tumes regale a mainly local tity” was first submitted to par-
said. audience with song and dance liament in 1999, but has never
“These days, the daily numbers from gay icons such been passed.

OOOPS from p.26
and the moon. All water tends
to flow towards the moon, be-
cause there is no water on the
moon, and nature abhors a
vacuum. I forget where the sun
joins the fight
---------------------------------
--------------
Q. What guarantees may a
mortgage company insists on?
A. If you are buying a house
they will insist that you are
well endowed
---------------------------------
--------------
Q. In a democratic society,
how important are elections?
A. Very important. Sex can
only happen when a male gets
an election
---------------------------------
--------------
Q. What are steroids?
A. Things for keeping car-
pets still on the stairs (Shoot
yourself now , there is little ---------------------------------
hope) --------------
--------------------------------- Q. What happens to a boy
-------------- when he reaches puberty?
Q. What happens to your A. He says goodbye to his
body as you age? boyhood and looks forward to
A. When you get old, so do his adultery (So true)
your bowels and you get inter-
continental OOOPS cont’d on p.31
ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT August 2010 Manila Media Monitor 29

Tanza, Cavite Association of Canada celebrates

Caracol Festival

(All photos are courtesy of Ramon Datol, Publisher/Editor of the

Philippine Courier)

What’s Cooking, Toronto? cagoland, has also been

captivating hearts with
his down-to-earth inter-
Philippine Artists
Group wows French
Life…Pinoy Style, A meet-and-greet can help them stay con- views or chats with his
the cooking and lifestyle event with fans of Life… nected with our heritage guests. Canadians
hit TV program aired Pinoy Style will be held and the global Filipino “Isa sa mga goals
over GMA Pinoy TV, is on September 12 start- community,” said Ex- namin ay ang ma-inspire Coaticook, Quebec by the Coatic’Art (PAG’s
visiting the Greater To- ing at 11 in the morning ecutive Producer Rome ang ating mga kaba- is now embedded in the equivalent organization
ronto Area on September at the Aristokrat BBQ Nichols. bayan, lalo na yung mga hearts and minds of Fili- there) and the officials of
10-13, to tape a few epi- Restaurant located at Since 2007, the TV dumadaan sa hirap bilang pinos who visited that the town of Coaticook,
sodes for its upcoming 355 Wilson Ave in North program has whetted the immigrants, kaya we es- scenic, friendly place Quebec. The event, a
season. York ON. Aristokrat appetites of Filipino im- peciallwant to connect recently. Situated about summer art festival, Rêve
Program host celeb- owner Ray Sunga says migrants especially in the with caregivers in Cana- seven and a half hours by d’août (August Dream)
rity chef Ron Bilaro will he will give a discount of United States and Can- da during this visit,” Bi- car east of Toronto, Coa- was held in August 5, 6
check what’s cooking in 25% to all who come to ada, with its impressive laro said. ticook is so beautiful and and 7, 2010, with the col-
the homes of some Pinoy the event. presentation of Filipino Life…Pinoy Style memorable the place and laboration of Coatic’Art
households, including “Everyone is welcome cuisine and fusion reci- is being aired in North its gracious people will (Artists of the Coati-
that of immigration at- to come to this casual pes. America via GMA Pinoy haunt and beckon you to cook River Valley), the
torney Rafael Fabregas gathering. We want to Chef Bilaro, a Le Cor- TV, and in the Midwest- return again and again Philippine Artists Group
in Niagara Falls, and see how our kababayans don Bleu graduate who ern United States via The visit there started – Canada, and the Con-
dentist Bill Rodriguez in are doing in Toronto, and has a successful career Comcast. with the Philippine Art-
Brampton. how Life…Pinoy Style as a private chef in Chi- ists Group being invited PAG cont’d on p.31

L-R: Josie Tole-

do, Carmen Hill,
Deedette Potes,
Nydia Nene, Lin-
da Javier, Jean
Mape, Tita Badilla
and Nini Atencio
pose for a sou-
venir photo of
the Silver Lining
Hawaiian Dance
held at the South
Common Mall in
Mississauga, On-
tario, Saturday,
August 14.
30 Manila Media Monitor August 2010
Q
Is there any way to harness volcanic
energy to meet our electricity and other
power needs? EarthTalk ®
-- Antonio Lopez, Chino, CA
A
The short
answer is yes:
Heat generated
by underground
volcanic activ-
ity can and has
been harnessed for elec-
tricity for over 100 years
around the world. Utili-
ties can capture the steam
from underground water
heated by magma and use
it to drive the turbines in
geothermal power plants
to produce significant
amounts of electricity.
Getting at the sources
is not so easy or cheap,
though, as it requires
drilling into unstable sec-
tions of the Earth’s crust
and then harnessing the
heat energy miles below
the surface.
Despite these difficul-
ties, volcanic geothermal
energy reserves account
for about a quarter of Ice-
land’s energy consump-
tion (with the rest taken
up by another clean re-
newable resource, hydro-
power dams). Accord-
ing to statistics from the
Geothermal Energy As-
sociation, the Philippines
is also a big user of geo-
thermal power: About 18
percent of that country’s
This is another very
important, yet understat-
ed topic. Most people are
under the presumption
that the engine oil is the
only FLUID that requires
replacement. There are
a number of other fluids
in your car, which are of
equal importance.
Today I will focus
on the transmission and
brake fluids in your ve-
hicle.
It is a fact that 90% of
all transmission failures
ENVIRONMENT
triggered by volcanic megawatts of power from
activity. Methane and
carbon dioxide from
the operation. Extracting
the methane also signifi-
From the Editors of an adjacent volcano cantly reduces the risk of
E/The Environmental Magazine mix methane and explosions, thus provid-
carbon dioxide into ing a measure of safety
the lake, making it a for area residents.
veritable tinder box, Humans have barely
threaten- put a dent in the amount
electric- ing the of power that can be cap-
ity comes lives and tured from volcanic ac-
from un- homes of tivity, but analysts expect
derground some two to see much more of this
volcanic million form of power coming
sources. people online over the next few
And in New in the re- decades. The U.S. Geo-
Zealand, gion. logical Survey refers to
geothermal In re- this phenomenon as the
accounts sponse to “plus side of volcanoes.”
for about the risk— Environmentalists and
10 percent and also others are hopeful that
of total to pro- volcanic geothermal en-
electricity duce ergy can become a major
consump- ener- player in meeting a sig-
tion. gy—the nificant portion of our en-
But be- Rwandan ergy needs in our increas-
lieve it or govern- ingly carbon-constrained
not, the ment has world.
United started CONTACTS: Geo-
States is using thermal Energy Associa-
actually Volcanic geothermal energy provides significant amounts of power in Ice- a large tion, www.geo-energy.
the world’s land, New Zealand and the Philippines. Some analysts believe that the U.S. barge to org U.S. Geological Sur-
largest pro- has enough geothermal capacity to provide 20 percent or more of electricity suck up vey, www.usgs.gov.
ducer of needs. Pictured: The Palinpinon Geothermal power plant in the Philippines. water SEND YOUR ENVI-
volcano- (Mike Gonzalez, Wikipedia) and ex- RONMENTAL QUES-
derived tract the TIONS TO: EarthTalk®,
geothermal electricity, lysts believe that the U.S. nation of Rwanda is hop- methane gas therein. The c/o E – The Environ-
but still only derives less has enough geothermal ing to provide power for methane is then used mental Magazine, P.O.
than one percent of its capacity to provide 20 its people by harnessing to fire the gas-powered Box 5098, Westport, CT
total power from such percent or more of the na- the energy from volcanic Kibuye power plant. Al- 06881; earthtalk@emag-
sources. California and tion’s electricity needs. gases at Lake Kivu, one ready the system is pro- azine.com. E is a non-
Nevada are the leaders Against the back- of the continent’s larg- ducing 3.6 megawatts of profit publication. Sub-
in this nascent form of drop of diminishing oil est lakes, covering some electricity—some four scribe: www.emagazine.
renewable energy do- reserves, tapping volca- 1,000 square miles. The percent of Rwanda’s total com/subscribe; Request
mestically, but promising nic energy has become lake is one of three known power supply. Within a a Free Trial Issue: www.
efforts are also underway a high priority for some “exploding” lakes sub- few years, project back- emagazine.com/trial.
in Oregon, Utah, Alaska other regions as well. The ject to violent and some- ers hope to be generat-
and Hawaii. Some ana- war-ravaged East African times deadly “overturns” ing between 50 and 100
Car Ownership
are caused by It is also internal damage leading
overheating. a fact that to expensive repairs. It
Most of these
can be blamed
Made Easy brake flu-
id attracts
is strongly recommended
to replace the brake fluid
on worn out RAFAEL NEBRES moisture, at the intervals set out by
fluid that which cor- your manufacturer (usu-
should have
been replaced. How Important is it to change rodes
internal
the ally every 3 years) to pro-
tect the braking system of
Transmission
fluid breaks
the fluids in your vehicle? components
of your
your vehicle.
Another prevention
down over brake sys- tip, “that can make your
time due to tem. With car ownership easy ” .
heat. This heat destroys burnout, and other costly the recommended inter- today’s anti-lock brak- (rafael168@yahoo.com)
the fluid’s lubricating damage. It is strongly vals set out by the man- ing systems, the rust and
qualities leading to trans- recommended to replace ufacturer to protect the other debris accumulat- Manila Media Monitor
mission slippage, clutch the transmission fluid at transmission. ing in the fluid causes Tel. (416) 285-8583
ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT August 2010 Manila Media Monitor 31
PAG from p. 28 president Omel Masa- cion . FRONT PAGE Q. How are the main Q. What does ‘vari-
lunga who are both heads The French-speaking from p. 28 20 parts of the body cat- cose’ mean?
necticut River Artisan of delegation, and Frank Coatic’Art association egorized (e.g. The abdo- A. Nearby
Group (artists from New Cruzet, Jun Afable, Rolly has been long graced Q. Name a major dis- men)? --------------------------
Hampshire and Vermont, Abarilla, Toots (Calixto) by the membership of ease associated with cig- A. The body is con- Q. What is the most
USA). The Americans’ Quiachon, Teody Asun- Filipino impressionist arettes. sisted into 3 parts - the common form of birth
participation is aptly so, cion and Cobie Cruz. Oth- painter Koni Pineda Mar- A. Premature death brainium, the borax and control?
as Coaticook is straddled ers in the delegation are coux, a well-respected ----------------------- the abdominal cavity. A. Most people pre-
by New Hampshire in Rose Tijam, a friend and member of the Greater Q. What is artificial The brainium contains vent contraception by
one side, and Vermont in supporter of PAG and an Toronto-based Philip- insemination? the brain, the borax con- wearing a condominium
the other. officer in the Philippine pine Artists Group. She A. When the farmer tains the heart and lungs (That would work)
The delegation of Fili- Press Club-Ontario; Ma- moved to Coaticook in does it to the bull instead and the abdominal cavity -----------------------
pino Canadians are com- rissa Corpus, president of 2003 with her husband of the cow contains the five bowels: Q. Give the meaning
posed of prominent artist the recently formed Phil- Luc Marcoux, a retired ----------------------- A, E, I, O and U (with!) of the term ‘Caesarian
Romi MananQuil, who is ippine-Canadian Art Col- Canadian military dip- Q. How can you delay ----------------------- section’
a founder of the PAG and lectors Club (PCACC), lomat formerly based milk turning sour? Q. What is the fibula? A. The caesarian sec-
its long-term president Necie MananQuil, and A. Keep it in the cow A. A small lie tion is a district in Rome
for many years; current Cecile and Trisha Asun- PAG cont’d on p.33 (Simple, but brilliant) ----------------------
32 Manila Media Monitor August 2010 ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT

GMA Pinoy TV
True to its word of provid- Male Star of Movies sorcerers. His loving sonalities, the twin sisters still
ing superior entertainment to and TV winner Aljur wife, Elsa (Ara Mina), profess similarities as they like
Pinoys around the world, GMA Abrenica as Iñigo, and will help Romano get the same things. The twins’ re-
Pinoy TV brings to light anoth- Starstruck Season 3
er ground-breaking program Ultimate Female Sur- lights up the through the situations
they find themselves
lationship starts to falter, how-
ever, when Romana discovers

screens with
– the newest drama-fantasy se- vivor Jackie Rice as in. she has telekinesis. This leaves
ries, “Ilumina.” Krisanta. Little does the cou-
the powerless Krisanta ex-
“Ilumina” premiered on Au- ple know that the sor- tremely envious, and that the
gust 5, featuring a powerhouse With seasoned fan-
cast and a captivating plot that tasy series director ‘Ilumina’ cerers’ search for the
elusive Ilumina will
only magical thing she has is
a streak of veins on her cheek
will surely keep the that becomes promi-
viewers – children and nent when she gets an-
adults alike – glued on gry or emotional.
TV. Regardless of their
Leading Ilumina’s differences, Romana
grand ensemble of still loves her twin
stars are King of Phil- sister very much. The
ippine Drama Christo- conflict arose when
pher de Leon as Fred- they meet Iñigo (Aljur
erico, multi-awarded Abrenica), a wealthy,
actress Jean Garcia in a free-spirited young
dual role as Elvira and man who has been
Melina, award-win- longing for the atten-
ning actress Ara Mina tion of his father. He
as Elsa, and featur- will be the love inter-
ing the return of 2004 est of both Romana
Brussels International and Krisanta.
Film Festival Best Ac- Unknown to the
tor Cesar Montano to twins, the mysterious
GMA Network as he Elvira (Jean Garcia)
plays Romano. Christopher de Leon as Frederico Jean Garcia as Elvira Cesar Montano as Romano has been keeping tabs
Ably complementing on them. She is the second
them are some of the hottest Ka- Mark Reyes at the helm, “Ilu- ever possesses the Ilumina will intertwine the lives and loves wife of wealthy philanthro-
puso stars today – 2007 Golden mina” unveils a legendary tale achieve enormous power. of their own children – for- pist Frederico (Christopher de
Screen Awards’ Breakthrough of the white and black sorcerers Romano (Cesar Montano) merly conjoined twins Romana Leon) who has been playing
Performance winner Rhian Ra- and their struggle to seize the is a farmer who accidentally (Rhian Ramos) and Krisanta a part in the lives of both Ro-
mos as Romana, 2009 Box Of- powerful Ilumina, the Book of finds himself amidst the power (Jackie Rice).
fice Awards’ Most Promising Magic. Legend says that who- struggle of the white and black Despite their opposite per- GMA cont’d on p.33
ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT
PAG from p.31
in Washington, DC, and
now a Councilor and in-
charge of Arts and Cul-
ture in Coaticook. Koni
Marcoux has retained her
membership and contact
with the PAG, and in fact
has continued to partici-
pate in its art exhibits in
Ontario and in Quebec.
She is concurrently with
the Coatic’Art.
On another ground-
breaking feather on its
cap, the Filipino artist’s
works were prominently
exhibited at the Fran-
çoise-Maurice Library.
There was also an exhibit
of a collection of Phil-
ippine books on its his-
tory and culture, mostly
GMA from p.32
mana and Krisanta – as
financier of the medical
procedure that separated
the conjoined twins, and
as the father of Iñigo, the
young man both sisters
love. Elvira seeks the
powerful Ilumina, and
she believes that Romana
and Krisanta would lead
Coaticook Mayor Bertrand Lamoureux (2nd from left) cuts the
ribbon at the opening of the PAG art exhibition at the Francoise-
Maurice Library in Coaticook. Shown are (L-R) Vice-President
Gisèle Perron (Library Board of Directors), Mayor Lamoureux,
Library Director Patrick Falardeau (partly hidden), Coatic’Art
President Bertrand Thibeault, writer Rose Tijam (behind), PAG
President Omel Masalunga and PAG founding President Romi
MananQuil.
written or translated in
French, at the Arts and
Culture Pavilion. Mayor
Bertrand Lamoureax, at
ribbon-cutting ceremo-
her to where the Book of
Magic is hidden.
In her effort to get
the Ilumina, will Elvira,
whose dark past remains
a secret, be able to entice
Krisanta to join her? Will
Romano be able to save
his daughters from the
hands of Elvira? Who
will conquer the heart of
ny, expressed his thanks
and appreciation to the
Filipino delegation, and
expressed his desire that
the Filipino artists’ par-
Iñigo: will it be Krisanta
or Romana? Are the for-
merly conjoined twins
destined to be separated
forever? And who will
finally possess the pow-
erful Ilumina?
Catch the enchant-
ing new GMA Pinoy TV
series, “Ilumina,” begin-
ning August 5.
August 2010 Manila Media Monitor 33
ticipation at that momen-
tous event will be a start
of future collaboration
and interaction with their
French-Canadian coun-
terparts
In the other hand, Ber-
trand Thibault, president
of Coatic’Art and him-
self an artist of note, ex-
pressed his admiration of
the works of the Filipino
artists, and expressed his
hope that there would be At Koni Marcoux’s gallery cum studio. Standing L-R: Necie
future collaboration be- MananQuil, Cecile Asuncion, Frank Cruzet, Koni & Councilor
Luc Marcoux, Trisha Asuncion, Marissa Corpuz. Front L-R:
tween the Quebec and Romi MananQuil, Rose Tijam, Omel Masalunga and Teody
Asuncion.
Greater Toronto artists.
Omel Masalunga and artists. Their works were in Quebec is a testament
Rolly Abarilla presented exhibited at the fare- to PAG’s individual and
Mayor Lamoureax their well cocktail party at the collective strength. She
art works as gifts to the Coatic’Art Gallery. enthused that “We raised
Coaticook Council and Koni Pineda Marcoux the flag of not only PAG
the people of the com- stated that the visit of but of our beloved Pilipi-
munity. Also presented the Filipino artists is a nas.”
as gift to the Council and historical event as it was The Philippine Artists
‘‘
to Coatic’Art is a pre- the first time that Filipino Group, fresh from their
cious set of prints of se- artists won recognition in successful out-of-prov-
lected paintings from the Quebec. She commented ince work, is currently
PAG collection. These that the well-acclaimed preparing for their year
art works will be on per- presence of the Philip- end shows and other ar-
manent exhibit in Coati- pine Artists Group in tistic activities. (PR)
cook. the art and social scene
The art festival also
covered two days of out-
Everything that is really great and
door painting of selected
inspiring is created by the individual
historical spots in Coati-
who can labor in freedom.
cook by the Quebecois,
American and Filipino - Albert Einstein
Classic Pilipino Puzzle 5
PAHALANG 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 Hampas
5 Pag-iisang dibdib 9 10
9 ___Amin 11 12 13 14
10 Mr. Taulava
11 Talas 15 16
13 Ani sa bukid
15 Natutuhang bagay 17 18 19
16 Tulisang dagat
17 Kaharap 20 21 20 21
19 Sisidlan ng gamit
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
20 Patse
22 Petrolyo 29 30 31
25 Kasama ng sago
29 Artistang Fuentes 32 35 33
31 Putol
32 Palayaw ni Edgar 34 35
Mortiz
33 Igib
36 37
34 ____Engkantada
35 Iyak ng Sanggol
36 Damong Parang
37 Sedang artipisyal
PABABA
1 Marka 27 Aliw sa Nalulungkot 30 Uri ng ibon
2 Bakas ng sugat 28 Tatak ng bentilador 33 Ilocos o
3 Imulat Camarines
4 Artistang Chiu
5 Puhunan
6 Inis Sagot sa puzzle sa pahina 38
7 Dingas
8 Sinta
12 Artistang Mina
14 Marahil
16 ___ New Guinea
18 Patlang
21 Pang-ahit
22 Alikabok
23 Taong Pinagsisilbihan
24 Kalat
26 Ulirat © Copyright 2006 Mindmaster Publishing Quezon City, Philippines
34 Manila Media Monitor August 2010 BUSINESS

New ADB study recommends Hacienda Luisita plans to

better wages
MANILA – (Manila Times,
Aug. 23, 2010) MIDDLE-
class Filipino families with
a large number of household
members are at risk of falling
into poverty if the government
fails to create policies that im-
prove wages, education and
healthcare, an Asian Develop-
ment Bank (ADB) study has
warned. In the study, “The
Rise of Asia’s Middle Class,”
the Manila-based lender said
that middle-class households
with large family size and an
equally large member of de-
pendents are more likely to fall
into poverty.
”The larger the number of
household members working
as own-account members and
casual/temporary employees,
the greater the risk the house-
hold will fall into poverty,” the
ADB added.
The bank considers a family
middle class if it has a purchas-
ing power parity (PPP) of be-
tween $2 and $20 a day.
In 2006, 53.9 percent of Fil-
ipinos were considered middle
class, higher than the 43.8 per-
cent in 1988.
The ADB study said that
73.8 percent of the middle class
are in urban areas and 34.5 per-
In the Philippines, middle-
class individuals are much
more likely to work in the gov-
ernment and in private corpo-
rations.
The ADB’s estimate was
based on the country’s Family
Income and Expenditure Sur-
vey for 1988 and 2006.
The National Statistical Co-
ordination Board (NSCB) ear-
lier reported that the number of
middle-class Filipinos shrank
from 19.9 percent of the popu-
lation in 2003 to 19.1 percent
in 2006.
But this collapse was not as
sharp as that between 2000 and
2003, when the number fell
from 23 percent to 22.7 per-
cent.
In 2006, the NSCB said
that the middle-income class
may be defined as being com-
posed of families with annual
income ranging from P246,109
to P2,000,072.
In 2008, however, a family
needed an income that ranged
from P276,626 to P2,251,551
to be considered middle class.
And in 2009, it would need to
earn close to half a million pe-
sos to be in the middle class.
The ADB study said that the
middle-class population (PPP
”Even in the Philippines,
with far slower economic
growth than other countries,
the middle class had grown
significantly over the last two
decades,” ADB said.
It, however, added that low-
er-middle class—consuming
$2 to $4 per person a day—is
very vulnerable to slipping
back into poverty at this level,
which is only slightly above
the developing world poverty
line of $1.25 per person a day.
Jong-Wha Lee, ADB chief
economist, said that policies
are needed to encourage the
creation of and access to more
well-paid jobs and more ad-
vanced education and health
care to help prevent slippage
back into poverty, and these
policies mitigate additional
environmental constraints and
health concerns.
With appropriate middle-
class-friendly policies, the re-
port said that Asia will be able
to move away from export-led
to domestic-led consumption
growth and reduce its exposure
to negative external shocks,
such as the 2008 global finan-
cial crisis, which began in the
US.
In turn, such move will also
convert 500 hectares into
model farm
MANILA - The manage-
ment of Hacienda Luisita Inc.
(HLI) is mapping out plans to
convert more than 500 hectares
of land into a model farm that
would be managed and con-
trolled by farm-workers living
in the Cojuangco-owned es-
tate.
As part of its plan, HLI, now
led by lawyer Fernando “Nan-
do” Cojuangco, signed recently
a memorandum of agreement
with Goldbrix Ventures Inc. to
pursue a 50-hectare farm proj-
ect in Tarlac City that will cre-
ate job opportunities for farm-
workers in Luisita.
“As we firm up our future
plans for HLI, the farm-work-
ers will be given the chance to
earn more both from farming
and from the Stock Distribu-
tion Option. And this is a win-
win solution for all parties,”
Cojuangco said.
PCA endorses medical
studies on virgin coco oil
MANILA -- Without medi-
cal evidence supporting the
HLI and Goldbrix have
agreed that they will handle
the technology and sales and
marketing of the farm produce,
while the farm-workers will
manage and control the plant-
ing of high-yield crops.
Villacrusis said that the
farm-workers can learn about
small greenhouse technology
which will help minimize loss-
es during the rainy season and
maximize their yield.
“We will use a new technol-
ogy called small greenhouses
that even if it’s raining, our
vegetables will not be affect-
ed,” Villacrusis said.
To further boost productiv-
ity, the Luisita management
has earmarked some 500 hect-
ares for sugarcane farming
which will also be managed by
the farm-workers. (Philippine
Star)
ippine Coconut Authority said
recently.

cent in rural areas.
According to the study,
there were 30.7 percent of Fili-
pinos with a PPP of $2 to $4
a day; 11.8 percent, $4 to $6 a
day; 8.1 percent, $6 to $10; and
1.5 percent, $10 to $20.
Filipinos with PPP of more
than $20 a day are considered
rich, while those with PPP of
$1.25 a day are poor.
In 2006, the number of poor
Filipinos went down to 21.8
percent from 28.8 percent in
1988.
of between $2 and $20) in de-
veloping countries increased
from 44 percent of the popu-
lation in 1988 to 54 percent in
2006 (about 45 million people),
a moderate and unsurprising
increase given laggard growth
in the economy.
The increase meant that
about 21 million people were
added to the middle class dur-
ing the 18-year period, the vast
majority of whom were added
to the $2 to $4 and $4 to $10
consumption groups
help correct the global imbal-
ances that contributed to the
financial crisis.
The ADB study showed
that Asia’s consumers spent
an estimated $4.3 trillion (in
2005 purchasing power par-
ity dollars), or about one-third
of Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development
consumption expenditure, in
2008 and by 2030 will likely
spend $32 trillion, comprising
about 43 percent of the world-
wide consumption.
‘‘
beneficial effects of virgin co- After almost a decade, the
conut oil on human health, the PCA is encouraging manufac-
product might not “secure its
sustainable future,” the Phil- PCA continued on p. 35
Look to your health; and if you have it,
praise God and value it next to con-
science; for health is the second bless-
ing that we mortals are capable of, a
blessing money can’t buy.
- Izaak Walton

Max Out on Your

Promotional and
Marketing Efforts.
Get Combo Ad Rates
for Television,
Newspaper &
Radio.
Call (416) 285-8583
BUSINESS
Biggest Southeast Asia
corn facility rises in
Isabela
MANILA -- Southeast
Asia’s biggest corn-processing
facility in Isabela province will
soon be functional.
President Benigno Aquino
III will inaugurate the post
harvest facility during next
month’s Philippine National
Corn Congress.
Philippine Maize Federa-
tion president Roger Navarro
said the Reina Mercedes Corn
Processing Center has the ca-
pacity to process as much as
200,000 metric tons (MT) of
yellow corn per year.
The P500-million facility
is also equipped with state-of-
the-art bulk silos that can store
as much as 60,000 MT of grain
for more than six months, he
said.
Navarro said the facility will
buy fresh corn-on-cobs and
process these into high quality
grains for the feed millers.
The center will be using ad-
vanced renewable energy tech-
nologies to help reduce green-
house gases and attain energy
self-sufficiency. The facility
will use corncobs as biomass
fuel for the dryers, he added.
“The immediate benefit to
our small corn farmers will be
higher income by as much as
15 percent as the center will
buy the produce from farmers
directly as corn-on-cobs, by-
passing trader and layers and
give them spot premium on
cash basis,” Navarro said.
The Reina Mercedes Corn
Processing Center is a project
of Mindanao Grains Process-
ing Co. Inc., a unit of La Fil-
ipina Uycongco Corp. Group
of Companies and the Depart-
ment of Agriculture.
Based on government fig-
ures, corn production from July
to December 2010 will contract
to 3.80 million MT from 3.82
million MT in the same period
last year.
For the 2010, the whole year
production is expected to drop
to 6.22 million MT from 7.03
million MT in 2009. (GMA
News)
PCA from p.34
turers of virgin coconut oil to
study its effects on humans.
What manufacturers are
highlighting are personal testi-
monies and anecdotal stories of
people from around the world,
about how virgin coconut oil
changed their lives, PCA ad-
ministrator Oscar Garin said.
Virgin coconut oil, once
considered as a sunset industry,
has already “suffered badly,”
the PCA said.
“It is by the researches done
by people around the world
who kept their faith on coconut
that enabled the industry to rise
up again,” Garin said.
These researches are indica-
tive of the beneficial effects of
coconut oil — the so-called
“healthiest oil on earth” — to
heart and vascular diseases and
HIV/AIDS, he added.
“But these findings together
with innumerable anecdotal
stories still need a definitive
clinical study to establish that
virgin coconut oil is beneficial
to body cholesterol,” Garin
pointed out.
He said PCA is now consid-
ering the adoption of public-
private partnership, as enun-
ciated by President Benigno
Aquino III, for the research
August 2010 Manila Media Monitor 35
and development cooperation.
“We know for a fact that all
Garin said.
A portion of manufacturers’
business entities, including our income may be pooled to help
coconut products manufactur- fund very timely and vital re-
‘‘
ers, are allowed by law to set search on the product.
aside a certain percentage of
their income for use in their Manila Media Monitor
research and development,” Tel. (416) 285-8583
Our character...is an omen of our des-
tiny, and the more integrity we have
and keep, the simpler and nobler that
destiny is likely to be.
- George Santayana (1863 - 1952), “The Ger-
man Mind: A Philosophical Diagnosis”
GET FAST RESULTS
FROM YOUR ADVERTISING ...
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Manila Media Monitor
and
Front Page Philippines TV
Two Best Media Brands
catrering to the
Filipino Canadian market
36 Manila Media Monitor August 2010
BUSINESS
How to sell your home Quick at a Higher Price!
In this month’s article, I will
discuss two of the many ways
to get your home sold quickly.
When we are listing a house
in the market, we all want to
sell it at the highest price pos-
sible.
There are many ways to
achieve this goal, but one of the
most profound, established and
proven way to get more money
from your house is through
renovations and staging.
We only have one shot at
impressing potential buyers,
so it is important to take some
time to prepare your house
Critical Illness insurance – why you need it
Critical Illness insurance
– you need it not because you
are going to die, but because
you are going to live … and
because you may have illness-
related expenses that you may
not have considered.
While you might be sur-
prised at the growing number
of Canadians who are being di-
agnosed with a critical illness
at an increasingly early age,
the good news is that medical
advances are increasing life
expectancy and there are much
brighter prospects for surviv-
ing. Check out these statistics:
• 70,000 Canadians suffer a
heart attack each year and 1 out
of 2 heart attack victims is un-
der age 65 – but 95% survive
their first attack*
• 1 in 3 Canadians will de-
velop some form of cancer –
but 65% will survive at least
five years*
• After age 55, the risk of
stroke doubles every 10 years
and 1 out of 20 Canadians suf-
fers a stroke before age 70 –
but 75% will survive it*
• Women have a 1 in 9
chance of developing breast
cancer – but only a 1 in 27
chance of dying from it.**
• Men have a 1 in 7 chance
of developing prostate cancer
– but only a 1 in 26 chance of
before the start of your show-
ings. When a potential buyer
comes up to your home, you
need to make a really good first
impression. Keep in mind that
first impressions always last.
Many Sellers do not want
to renovate before selling their
house because they believe that
it is too costly to do so. The
fact is sellers do not have to
spend a lot to renovate. Some-
thing as simple as painting the
front door and changing the
door handle can go a long way
-- making the potential buyer
feel that the home has been
dying from it**
You might expect that pro-
vincial or employee health
plans will pay for all the ex-
penses associated with critical
illnesses like these but many
are not covered. The benefits
of critical illness insurance are
most important during the first
few months after diagnosis
when emotions and costs are
typically at their most intense.
With this type of insurance,
you receive a lump sum cash
payment, after a 30 day waiting
period after diagnosis for any
life-threatening illness covered
by the policy, usually including
the most common such as can-
cer, heart attack and stroke. The
benefit is tax free under current
tax legislation and yours to use
any way you wish -- perhaps to
pay for expenses not covered
by provincial and health plans
like these:
• Many drugs or other med-
ical expenses
• Private treatment, a nurse,
child care provider or house-
keeper
• Medical treatment outside
Canada or in another province
• Medical equipment – a
wheelchair, scooter or home
care bed
• Retrofitting your home
or vehicle to accommodate a
August 2010 Manila Media Monitor 37
updated. Three key points • Make sure that the cabi- the price you want. Staging in-
that will help any house going nets are re-phased as they be- volves decorating and making
on the market is to ensure that come worn out and used the your house look its best.
your home is fresh, clean and most. Keep these pointers in
has a nice paint job. • If you want to save, you mind when you decide to sell:
The Kitchen and Wash- can make your cabinets look paint, consider renovating your
rooms are the main areas that new with new paint or just an- kitchen, consider renovating
sell a house. When looking other coat of varnish. your washrooms, and stage.
over these main areas in the To back up and support the Feel free to contact me, Romeo
house you want to keep these renovation, it is best to follow Chadley Crisostomo, at Home-
points in mind: it up with staging. life Dreams Realty, Inc., (416)
• Ensure that there are no I do agree that renovating 806-9225 or (905) 477-5200,
leaks in your faucets and toi- is often enough to sell a house, for any questions or concerns.
lets. but a staged and renovated
• Change your faucets and home is irresistible to buyers Manila Media Monitor
the knobs in your kitchen and giving you a better chance of Tel. (416) 285-8583
bathroom cabinets. selling your house faster and at
wheelchair or chairlift tors Group Financial Services please contact your Investors
• Pay off your mortgage, Inc.(in Québec – a Financial Group Consultant. Insurance
car loan, credit cards, lines of Services Firm), presents gen- products and services are dis-
credit or business loans eral information only and is tributed by I.G. Insurance
• Avoid dipping into your not a solicitation to buy or sell Services Inc. (in Québec – a
RRSP or your child’s RESP any investments. Contact your Financial Services Firm). In-
You want to be able to fo- own advisor for specific advice surance license sponsored by
cus on recovery not costs – and about your circumstances. For The Great-West Life Assurance
critical illness insurance can more information on this topic Company outside of Quebec)
help you do that
at a most critical
time. Please call
your profession-
al advisor, Rho-
wena Adolfo, at
(416) 558-3078
(or e-mail: Rho-
wena.Adolfo@
InvestorsGroup.
com) to show
you how critical
illness insurance
can complement
your other forms
of insurance pro-
tection and fit
into your overall
financial plan.
*Disability
Insurance and
Other Living
Benefits, CCH
**Canadian
Cancer Society,
2006
(This column,
written and pub-
lished by Inves-
Home Karaoke exec-
utive Andrew Cheng
(7th from left) pres-
ents his performers
and production staff
at the conclusion of
excellently produced
20th anniversary pre-
sentation of Home
Karaoke held recent-
ly in Scaborough, On-
tario. They are joined
in the photo op by
Gie Alvarez (5th from
right), host of tv pro-
gram Front Page Phil-
ippines. The show
with carefully audi-
tioned talents from
the diverse commu-
nity of Toronto was
taped for later airing Front Page Philippines tv program host Gie Alvarez joins
on Front Page Philip- Home Karaoke Ltd. executive Andrew Cheng on the stage to
pines.(Courtesy: Joe announce the grand prize raffle winner.(Courtesy: Joey Bak-
Baking) ing/ Manila Confidential)
38 Manila Media Monitor August 2010

Pistahan sa OLA -- a two-day event of

prayers, entertainment and mini trade show

ANCOP Canada By popular request for the Cana- Crimson Rice Band Natalie Rafael, Miss Philippines
dian Idol participant -- Martha Joy PIDC 2009, with a tahitian dance
sings number

Sagot sa PUZZLE
T A P I K K A S A L
A I D I A S I I
T A L I M P A L A Y
Daughters of Isabela
A R A L L P I R A T A
Filipino handcraft
Pistahan lead organizer K A T A P A T B A G
Rosemer Enverga
N T A P A L
Pistahan organizer Jun
Enverga with newsmen
G A S G U L A M A N
Tenny Soriano and Ace A M A L I A L B A L I
Alvarez (Joe Baking Pho-
to) B O B O T S A L O K
O O R A U H A O
Not even a heavy downpour could K U G O N R A Y O N
dampen the audience’s spirits
 August 2010 Manila Media Monitor 39

A concelebrated mass, prayers, entertainment and a mini trade show mark the “Pistahan sa OLA”, August 14 and 15, at the “Our Lady of Assumption”
parish on Bathurst Street, Toronto in celebration of the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The “Pistahan ...”, organized by the Temporali-
ties Committee of the Archdiocesan Filipino Catholic Mission, also served as a fundraiser for the much-needed repair of facilities at the parish. Observers
believe that the “Pistahan ...” will grow to become bigger in the next coming years and an event to reckon with in the future. “Pistahan ...” also featured a
mini trade show with booths from various Filipino-owned businesses and services, including food stalls where visitors enjoyed Filipino food delicacies.
(Manila Media Monitor Photos)
40 Manila Media Monitor August 2010