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Volume 9 – Issue 23 • 16 Pages

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MARCH 4-10, 2016

DATELINEUSAfrom the AJPress NEWS TEAM AcroSS AMEricA

11 Filipinos among Forbes 2016 world billionaire list

mANILA—the global stock market downturn has trimmed the fortunes of most tycoons in the Philippines but 11 of them remained on the list of wealthiest people on the planet, based on forbes magazine’s 2016 roster of billionaires.

forbes magazine – which has

ranked the world’s richest for the 30th year – reported a decline in the global headcount of billion-aires to 1,810 billionaires from a record-high 1,826 a year ago. the publication estimated the combined net worth of this rare breed at $6.48 trillion, $570 billion less than last year.

eleven of those billionaires were from the Philippines and this year’s list was pretty much the

same as in 2015 – except that this year, most of these tycoons saw their wealth shrinking. there was likewise some slight realignment among mid-ranked local tycoons.

As expected, the 2016 list was topped by sm group founder henry sy sr., JG summit holdings founder John Gokongwei and Lt Group Inc. founder Lucio tan.

the 91-year-old sy – patriarch

Super Tuesday results show Clinton, Trump as frontrunners

tuesdAy, march 1 was a big day on the road to November’s presidential elections. unofficially nicknamed “super tuesday,” it is when a dozen states (and one us territory) held nominating contests to narrow down party candidates during the primaries.

Also known as the “seC Primary,” 661 republican delegates and 865 democratic delegates were allocated on super tuesday. It is the only day in which a single candidate has a bigger chance to declare certainty over his or her nomination, with that many delegates grouped at once, reported Politico.

real estate billionaire donald trump was the clear winner for the republican Party on tues-day night, with 319 total delegate counts—the most of any candidate in the field. trump won the votes in seven states, including Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, massachusetts, tennessee,

Donald Trump Hillary Clinton

mANILA—Commission on elections (Comelec) Chairman Andres Bautista on Wednesday, march 3, conceded that the poll body could not stop senato-rial bet sarangani rep. manny Pacquiao’s bout with American timothy Bradley on April 9 in Las Vegas.

In a press briefing, Bautista said that in his personal opinion, it is beyond the Comelec’s juris-diction to stop the fight.

Comelec can’t stop Pacquiao-Bradley fight – Bautistaby Sheila CriSoStomo

Philstar.com

AN updated study by the Institute on taxa-tion and economic Policy (IteP) found that undocumented immigrants who reside in California collectively paid almost $3.2 billion in state and local taxes in 2013.

the nationwide analysis released on Wednesday, feb. 24, entitled undocumented Immigrants’ state and Local tax Contribu-tions, concluded that the obama adminis-tration’s executive actions (including the expansion of deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, dACA) would increase state and lo-cal tax contributions in California by at least $184 million.

An even more substantial increase of $450 million is projected under comprehensive im-migration reform granting all undocumented immigrants lawful permanent residence, re-ported IteP and the California #health4All Initiative.

“regardless of the politically conten-tious nature of immigration reform, the data

Study: Undocumented Californians paid $3.2B in state and local taxes

LIBerAL Party (LP) standard-bearer mar roxas and sen. fer-dinand “Bongbong” marcos Jr., a vice presidential candidate, on tuesday, march 1 said a number of members of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) were supporting their candidacies.

they issued the statement after the country’s second big-

gest political party declared that it was supporting sen. Grace Poe for the presidency and sen. francis escudero for the vice presidency.

roxas remained unconvinced that Poe was the NPC official candidate, saying he counts at least 20 allies from the party.

“I talked to the leadership of the NPC and I was told they still have not picked a President,” he told reporters after stumping for votes in Parañaque City.

“[Poe] is the choice of a few members of the NPC. there are NPC members—more than 20 of them—including governors and congressmen who support the daang matuwid (straight path) mar-Leni tandem,” roxas said.

roxas’ running mate is Ca-marines sur rep. Leni robredo, widow of Interior secretary Jes-se robredo.

Godfather Dandingmarcos, for his part, said he

Roxas, Marcos claim NPC backing

Liberal Party (LP) standard-bearer Mar Roxas and Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. Inquirer.net file photos

Inquirer.net, Philstar.com file photos

the senate is set to investigate next week the re-ported $100 million laundered in the country last month and later moved out to overseas accounts, ac-cording to sen. serge osmeña.

osmeña on thursday, march 3 said the oversight committee on money laundering headed by sen. teo-fisto Guingona III would hold a hearing on tuesday, march 1, adding that the latter’s blue ribbon commit-tee could also investigate the matter on its own.

“he’s (Guingona) going to call for a hearing on this on tuesday morning,” osmeña said.

“We will ask the Anti-money Laundering Council to testify, to be a resource person. then we will ask the Philrem, people through whom the money was remit-ted to this country.”

Philrem was the alleged foreign exchange firm that brokered the funds which entered the local financial

Senate to probe $100 millionlaundering via PH

by maila agerInquirer.net

mANILA—the International monetary fund (Imf) expects the Philippines to post double-digit economic growth amid a steady improvement in public invest-ment efficiency over the next 15 years.

In a report, Imf economist takuji Komatsuzaki said the improvement in public investment efficiency generates substantial additional benefits particu-larly through higher gross domestic product (GdP) growth.

“Assuming half of the inefficiency is eliminated in five years, the increase in real GdP after 15 years is nine percent to 11 percent,” Komatsuzaki said.

the Imf considered two scenarios in the working

UNFAIR ADVANTAGE. The People’s Champ Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley pose for photographers in New York last Jan. 21, for their upcoming April 9 fight in Las Vegas. The Commission on Elections (Comelec) that while Pacquiao has the right to fight, the live telecast “will have consequences on his candidacy” if he violates the Fair Election Act. AJPress photo by Troi Santos

IMF: PH capable of double-digit growth

With improved efficiency in public investment

“you have to distinguish the fight from the fact that it is being broadcast in the Philippines. Per-sonally, I don’t think I can pro-hibit Pacquiao from boxing. that is his profession,” said Bautista.

he, however, maintained that the Comelec could regulate the broadcast of the fight.

“I think we can do that be-cause as you all know, we have some form of control, regulatory supervision over entities which have franchise during election period.

“But as to whether we can stop

Pacquaio from fighting, that’s different,” he added.

the full commission discussed Pacquiao’s case in a meeting yesterday and it decided to up-hold the recommendation of the law department to give him five days to comment on two letters that they received concerning the match.

“the Comelec en banc ap-proved the recommendation of the law department that rep. Pacquiao be directed to submit his comment to the letters of rep. Bello and saguisag within

five days from receipt of the no-tice,” he said, referring to former Akbayan party-list congressman Walden Bello and former senator rene saguisag.

the two have sought clarifica-tion whether or not the upcoming boxing match will give Pacquiao “unfair advantage,” thus violat-ing the fair elections Act.

According to Bautista, the law department had provided several “options” on how the commis-sion could look into the case.

one of these is Pacquiao’s

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by lawrenCe agCaoiliPhilstar.com

by DJ Yap

anD Donna pazzibuganInquirer.net

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by DoriS Dumlao-abaDillaInquirer.net

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MARCH 4-10, 2016 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL http://www.asianjournal.com • (212) 655-5426A�

From the Front Page

RE-INTERMENT. President Benigno Aquino III on Monday, Feb. 29 led the re-interment of the remains of former president Elpidio Quirino at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Taguig. Quirino took over the presidency in 1948 after President Manuel Roxas died of a heart attack. Quirino is the third president to be buried in the national cemetery. Both President Carlos P. Garcia and President Diosdado Macapagal were interred at Libingan ng mga Bayani. Photo from Quirino Foundation

was assured by his godfather, NPC founder Eduardo “Dand-ing” Cojuangco, that members of the party were allowed to sup-port him regardless of the official party stand.

Marcos said the party stand was not followed anyway by NPC members during elections.

“My ninong (godfather), my Tito Danding. Did he not form the NPC? Of course, I consult him in every political move I make. And he told me that he will let the members choose their candidate (for Vice President),” Marcos said on Tuesday during the second leg of his sorties in Rizal province.

Even if retired from business and politics, Cojuangco still holds sway with the second larg-est political party in the country, Marcos said.

“When you say NPC, you are talking about Danding Cojuangco and he is still the most closely as-

Roxas, Marcos claim NPC…sociated with the NPC,” he said.

On Monday, the NPC an-nounced that it had endorsed the candidacies of Poe and her run-ning mate, Escudero.

Deputy Speaker Giorgidi Ag-gabao, NPC president, said 90 percent of party members sup-ported the decision of party leaders to campaign for Poe and Escudero, who are running as in-dependents.

Not party standBut Roxas, a former interior

secretary, said the endorsement of the Poe-Escudero team “is not the party stand of the NPC and that’s what the NPC leadership told me.”

The NPC has 2,540 elected members nationwide, including 2 senators, 45 representatives, 12 governors, 14 vice governors, 106 board members, 241 mayors and 249 vice mayors.

Asked to name the NPC leader he was in touch with, Roxas de-murred. “It’s not for me to speak

for the NPC,” he said.Roxas, the chosen successor of

President Aquino, currently trails his rivals, placing fourth in a field of five candidates in the Social Weather Stations voter prefer-ence survey in early February.

He has crafted a campaign platform largely building upon Mr. Aquino’s signature policies with both negative and positive effect.

Crossing party linesIn Cainta, Rizal province, Mar-

cos said many NPC members had committed to support him and that members of other politi-cal parties had also done so.

“Clearly, people are crossing party lines in these elections. That’s why I am still hopeful I can get the support of many NPC members,” he said.

“I think that’s what’s happen-ing. The party is no longer fol-lowed and the voters and the lo-cal leaders look not at the party

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system through an inward re-mittance processed at a Makati City branch of Rizal Commercial Banking Corp.

The funds, which were alleg-edly transferred to Solaire Resort and Casino, Midas Hotel and Ca-sino, and City of Dreams Manila for a Macau-based client of a Filipino-Chinese junket operator, were reportedly used to either “buy chips” or “pay for casino losses.”

Osmeña said the two to three

banks involved in the laundering activity would also be invited to the hearing.

According to the senator, who chairs the Senate committee on banks, one of the biggest “loop-holes” of the Anti-Money Laun-dering Act (Amla) is the nonin-clusion of casinos in the coverage of the law.

When the Senate was amend-ing the Amla, Osmeña said casi-nos lobbied against it.

He said then Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile also asked for

casinos’ exclusion from coverage of the law, noting that at the time, the operations of big casino firms in the country like City of Dreams had not yet started.

Osmeña said he was willing to file a bill seeking to include casinos in the coverage of the law but said it might not have a good chance of passing in the Congress unless there was pressure from the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force for the country to comply with its requirements. n

Senate to probe $100 million laundering…PAGE A1 t

paper including a permanent in-crease in public investment by two percent of GDP financed by borrowing as well as the same increase in public investment fi-nanced by higher taxes.

“All scenarios exhibited sus-tained gains in output because improving public infrastructure leads to gains in productivity, which crowds in private invest-ment,” Komatsuzaki said.

According to the report, when public investment efficiency is improved to the 20 percent inef-ficiency, the same five percent of GDP public investment results in over four percent of GDP contri-bution to public infrastructure and a cumulative increase in GDP of nine percent to 11 per-cent after 15 years.

The government has com-mitted to raise infrastructure spending to five percent this year from around three percent in 2014. The country’s GDP growth slowed down to 5.8 percent last year from 6.1 percent in 2014 due to weak global demand and dismal government spending.

The IMF noted a persistently

low public investment in the Philippines averaging 2.5 per-cent of GDP between 2000 and 2014 – the lowest among mem-ber countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

With this, the Philippines has one of the lowest public capital stock of 35 percent of GDP in 2013 compared with the ASEAN average of 72 percent.

Likewise, the World Economic Forum’s global competitiveness report has ranked the Philippines among the lowest in ASEAN and substantially lower than the ASEAN average in overall infra-structure and all of its subcom-ponents.

On the other hand, the coun-try has made steady progress in governance and fiscal transpar-ency based on the yearly im-provement of its relative ranking in the World Governance Indi-cators of the World Bank since 2010.

However, the multilateral lender noted a need to further strengthen institutions to im-prove public investment effi-ciency as initial results of the Public Investment Management

Assessment (PIMA) framework showed stronger planning and implementing phases but weaker in allocating phase.

With a low capital stock and a fast growing young popula-tion, the IMF said addressing the large infrastructure gap is needed to raise potential growth and reduce poverty and external imbalances.

The IMF said a higher public investment spending can gener-ate sustained output growth, and improving public investment ef-ficiency could bring about sub-stantial additional benefits.

“It also shows that deficit-fi-nancing and tax-financing can have different dynamics in some macroeconomic variables. Given the need to ensure debt sustain-ability amid the large spending needs in other priority spending areas for inclusive growth, con-tinued efforts mobilize revenue will be critical, including by en-acting measures to offset any revenue eroding policy changes and preferably through a com-prehensive tax reform that focus-es on broadening the tax base,” it said. n

IMF: PH capable of double-digit…PAGE A1 t

of the SM group which dominates local property (SM Prime Hold-ings), banking (Banco de Oro and China Bank) and retailing (SM Retail) businesses, and is also a philanthropist – remains the richest person in this part of the world with an estimated net worth of $12.9 billion. His net worth declined from last year’s $14.2 billion but he remains the only tycoon from this country to be among the world’s top 100, based on Forbes’ ranking. He was ranked as the 71st wealthi-est person on the planet.

SM Investments Corp., the flag-ship conglomerate led by the Sy family, is now the most valuable

company in the stock market with market capitalization of P704 bil-lion as of Wednesday (March 2). Its banking arm BDO is the first among local banks to breach the P2-trillion mark in total resources.

JG Summit’s Gokongwei, who is turning 90 this year, remained number two on the list and like-wise saw a decline in estimated net worth to $5 billion from $5.8 billion last year.

Gokongwei has been called the “industrialist challenger,” unafraid to venture into highly competitive new sectors like telecommunica-tions, or dipping into untested waters, like petrochemicals, and nurturing them no matter how long

it takes to achieve profitability. A long time ago, he also planted the seeds for overseas diversification and built an expansive Asia-Pa-cific footprint for Universal Robina Corp. (URC). In 2014, URC bought Auckland-based Griffin’s Foods Ltd., New Zealand’s leading bis-cuit and snack food manufacturer, for about NZ$700 million (P26.37 billion).

JG Summit is a conglomerate seen to have benefited and yet to benefit further from favorable demographics in the country and the region through its food and beverage (URC), airline (Cebu Air) and property (Robinsons Land

11 Filipinos among Forbes 2016 world…PAGE A1 t

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(212) 655-5426 • http://www.asianjournal.com NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • MARCH 4-10, 2016 A�

30TH ANNIVERSARY. President Benigno Aquino III on Tuesday, March 1 joined the Presidential Security Group (PSG) as it celebrated its 30th founding anniversary. The PSG was first formed in March 1, 1986, under the administration of former President Corazon Aquino, as a separate support unit of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It replaced the Presidential Security Command as the group dedicated for the security of the president and his family. Inquirer.net photo

boxing match with Mexican Jorge Solis in Las Vegas before the 2007 elections when he was then running for congressman of South Cotabato.

The Comelec had resolved to allow the airing of only the pre-fight sparring sessions and disal-lowed the broadcast of the actual bout in South Cotabato. For the rest of the country, full-broadcast was authorized.

“But again, there is a differ-ence because at that time, Cong. Pacquiao was running for con-gress as opposed to now that he’s running for national office. That’s why we thought that the best recourse is to ask him to comment,” Bautista added.

The law department also took note that the upcoming fight is not a title match, unlike the one in 2007.

Saguisag asked the Comelec in his letter to “advise him (Pac-quaio) to reset the fight.”

“Candidate Pacquiao had or must have known our elections will be on May 9, 2016. There-fore, for him to agree to fight in April meant he surely must have realized the value of free public-ity for his first bid for national of-fice,” he said.

Saguisag added the Comelec should “make sure that Manny does not enjoy unfair advantage by circumvention.”

Malacañang prefers to let the Comelec decide if Pacquiao could be disqualified as a senato-rial bet if his bout with Bradley pushes through.

Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Her-minio Coloma Jr. pointed out the poll body has the sole mandate to decide on such cases, especially in light of concerns that the Fili-pino boxing champion will have undue advantage over other can-didates.

“We recognize the Comelec’s duty to regulate the candidate’s activities during the election pe-riod, and this includes Rep. Pac-quiao’s scheduled fight,” he told Malacañang reporters.

Comelec commissioner Ro-wena Guanzon and former Com-elec chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. warned that the airing of Pac-quaio’s fight, which will be on pay-per-view worldwide and not just on a national scale, puts the other senatorial candidates in a disadvantageous position.

Brillantes, a veteran election lawyer, advised the people’s champ to postpone the fight.

Pacquiao is running for sena-tor under the opposition United Nationalist Alliance.

Comelec spokesman James Ji-menez said the poll body might have to modify its May 2007 rul-ing where it restricted the show-ing of Pacquiao’s fight with Solis,

but that this was only in South Cotabato.

The commissioners are now in the process of discussing wheth-er the ruling may still be appli-cable.

“In 2007, we also had the same incident and definitely, the com-mission is studying if it can apply in the coming boxing match,” Ji-menez told reporters. (With De-lon Porcalla)

Comelec can’t stop Pacquiao-Bradley…PAGE A1 t

but the individual candidates and they do not totally follow the par-ty line,” he added.

Not death sentenceRobredo said it was “not a

death sentence” even if the NPC was really supporting the Poe-Escudero team.

“Of course if he (Roxas) gets an endorsement, especially if it’s an official endorsement, that would be a good thing for him. But this is not a death sentence,” she said.

“As the campaign goes, there will be pluses and minuses. If we’re on the minus side, we need to work hard to recover the loss,” said the Camarines Sur repre-sentative.

While NPC leaders had an-nounced their support for Poe and Escudero, party members in Negros Occidental province were for Roxas and Robredo.

In the provinces of Cebu and Bohol, members were split be-tween Poe and Vice President Jejomar Binay of the United Na-tionalist Alliance.

Free zoneMayor Isidro Zayco of Kabank-

alan City, Negros Occidental, the provincial NPC chair, said the party had declared a free zone in Negros Occidental, giving them freedom to choose whom to sup-port among national candidates.

He said Cojuangco had given them the clearance in the pres-ence of the NPC chair, Faustino Dy II.

“We have an arrangement with the NPC hierarchy for Negros Occidental only. I cannot speak for other provinces,” Zayco said.

Zayco said Rep. George Arnaiz, the NPC candidate for governor in Negros Oriental, also earlier aired his support for Roxas.

In Cebu, some NPC members were torn between Poe, who was endorsed by the NPC hierarchy, and Binay, who promised to give them funds.

Practical“We have to be practical. We

will go with whoever supports our group,” said Vice Mayor Romeo Villarante of Talisay City, the NPC candidate for mayor in the city.

Aside from campaign funds, Villarante said NPC members were concerned about the dis-qualification case against Poe, which remains pending in the Supreme Court.

Rep. Erico Aristotle Aumen-tado of Bohol province said that while he remained loyal to the NPC, Binay was the only presi-dential candidate he was able to talk to and was the most qualified to run the country. (With reports from Carla P. Gomez, Carmel Lo-ise Matus and Leo Udtohan, In-quirer Visayas)

Roxas, Marcos claim NPC…PAGE A2 t

Corp.) businesses. The group likewise has equity investments in the Manila Electric Co., Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. and Singaporean property developer UIC Ltd.

Tycoon Lucio Tan kept his number three ranking with an estimated net worth of $4 bil-lion compared to $4.4 billion last year. Tan’s group is into tobacco (49.6 percent of Philippine Morris Fortune Tobacco Corp.), beverage (Tanduay Holdings and Asia Brew-ery), banking (Philippine National Bank), airline (Philippine Airlines and property development (Eton Properties).

GT Capital Holdings’ George Ty slid to fourth place on the local list with an estimated net worth of $3.7 billion, down from $4.4 billion last year. Last year, Ty was estimated to be just as rich as Lucio Tan (who has a daughter married to Ty’s son).

Construction magnate David Consunji, property tycoon Andrew

Tan and Jollibee Foods Corp. founder Tony Tan Caktiong were all valued at $3 billion, sharing the fifth place in the local list.

Andrew Tan – who is into prop-erty development (Megaworld Corp.), integrated gaming resort (Travellers International Hotel Group) and beverage (Emperador Inc.) businesses – saw his net value decline from $4.8 billion last year. Tan has been expand-ing his property businesses while Emperador has been gobbling up assets in Europe, the latest of which is the acquisition of Spain’s iconic brandy-maker Fundador.

Consunji also saw a drop in fortune compared to last year’s net worth of $4.1 billion. DMCI Holdings is into construction, property development, water, coal/nickel mining and power generation (Semirara Mining and Power Corp.).

Jollibee founder and recently retired chief executive officer Tony Tan Caktiong is the only one

11 Filipinos among Forbes…PAGE A2 t

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Dateline USa

Virginia, and Vermont.New Jersey governor (and

former candidate) Chris Christie also stunned the nation by endors-ing Trump, standing awkwardly behind him during Trump’s Tues-day night address in Palm Beach, Florida.

“I am a unifier, I know people are going to find that a little bit hard to believe, but believe me that I am a unifier,” Trump told his supporters. “Once we get all of this finished, I am going to go after one person—that’s Hillary Clinton, on the assumption that she’s allowed to run.”

Trump’s main rival Hillary Clin-ton, however, also had a good night. The former Secretary of State won overwhelmingly in all of the big, delegate-awarding states (Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Mas-sachusetts, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia), with 577 counts. Accord-ing to Washington Post, Clinton also had major support (more than 80 percent in Georgia and Virginia) of the black vote.

“Instead of building walls, we’re going to break down barriers, and build ladders of opportunity and empowerment, so that every American live up to his or her potential,” Clinton said in her re-marks. “Then, and only then, can America live up to its full potential too.”

The question that now remains is whether both strong candidates can get the rest of the delegate votes needed to win the party nomination.

For the Republicans, despite Trump’s dominance in the field, Texas Senator Ted Cruz took three

Super Tuesday results show Clinton, Trump....PAGE A1 t states—Alaska, Oklahoma, and

Texas—and won 226 delegates. Cruz is favored to be the alternative to Trump, given that a loss in his home state would have effectively ended his campaign.

Meanwhile, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio struggled behind, winning the vote in just one state (Minne-sota) and 110 delegates. Trailing behind at the end of the night was Ohio Governor John Kasich (25 delegates) and Dr. Ben Carson (eight delegates).

The Republican candidates need a total 1,237 delegates to win the party nomination.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders ultimately lost that night, with just four states (Colorado, Minnesota, Oklahoma, and his home state Vermont) and 386 delegates, out of the 2,383 needed to win for the Democrat nomination.

In his speech given at his home state, before the final results of Super Tuesday votes, Sanders said, “You know, we want to win in every part of the country, that goes without saying. But it does say something and means so much to me that the people who know me best, the people who knew me before I was elected, who knew me as mayor, knew me as congress-man, and know me as senator, have voted so strongly to put us in the White House.”

After Super Tuesday, the next crucial votes will take place on Sat-urday, March 5, with the Louisiana primaries and Kansas caucuses. Over the weekend, Republicans will also vote in Kentucky and Maine, while Democrats will vote in Nebraska, and in Maine on March 6. uPAGE A4

Poll: Clinton and Sanders both top Trump

According to a new CNN/ORC International poll, Trump is not leading among US voters after all.

The poll, which sampled at least 1,000 telephone interviews with American adults between Febru-ary 24-27, and included at least 920 interviews among registered voters, concluded that both of the remaining Democratic candidates easily beat out Republican front-runner Trump.

Although Clinton won by a land-slide over the weekend in the South Carolina primary, putting her well ahead in the race for the Demo-cratic nomination, she is likely to face stronger Republican opposi-tion between Rubio or Cruz.

According to the poll’s hypo-thetical match-up scenario, which appears most likely to emerge from the looming primaries, Clinton tops Trump 52 percent to 44 percent among registered voters. The result has also slanted in Clinton’s favor, since the last CNN/ORC poll in January.

Against Rubio and Cruz, how-ever, Clinton faces the same lik-ability challenge in the polls. The former Secretary of State trails closely behind Rubio, 50 percent to 47 percent, and she holds 48 percent to Cruz’s 49 percent, nar-rowing the race match-up from 3 points to 1.

Sanders, who has the most positive favorable rating (60 per-cent of registered voters) of any presidential candidate in the whole field, beat out all three Republicans by wide margins: outnumbering Cruz 57 to 40 percent; crushing

MARCH 4-10, 2016 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL http://www.asianjournal.com • (212) 655-5426A� Dateline USa

US officials, diplomats fete outgoing DFA Chief del Rosario

AmericAn officials and Filipino diplomats recently honored outgo-ing Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del rosario for his years of dedica-tion in championing the strong ties between the US and Philippines.

US and Filipino diplomats gath-ered in Washington, D.c. to honor del rosario as he is set to step down his office on march 7.

The farewell reception coincided with the inauguration of the newly-renovated chancery Annex of the Philippines along massachusetts Avenue, a few blocks away from the White House.

constructed in 1917, the brick building was the former four-story embassy building of the Philip-pines. it served as the Office of

among Philippine tycoons in the 2016 list who saw an increase in net worth to $3 billion from $2.7 billion last year. Apart from Jollibee – which a globalizing company and a favored consumer play in the stock market – Tan caktiong co-founded fast-growing property developer Double Dragon Proper-ties corp. with younger magnate edgar “injap” Sia ii.

“From Saudi Arabia to the bor-ough of Queens in new York city, Tony Tan caktiong’s fast food res-taurants dot the globe. His publicly traded Jollibee Foods marked its entry into the mainstream burger market with a 40 percent acquisi-tion of food chain Smashburger in October of 2015. Jollibee Foods is the fastest-growing Asian res-taurant chain in the world. They sell Filipino, chinese, American and european recipes adapted to a modern, quick serve, affordable format,” Forbes magazine said.

international port terminal and gaming operator enrique razon Jr. was sixth on the list with an estimated $2.4 billion in net worth, which marked a big drop from last year’s estimated fortune of $5.2 billion. razon is the control-ling shareholder in international container Terminal Services inc. and integrated gaming resort Bloomberry resorts corp. The de-cline in wealth is due to the slump in the shares of gaming stocks in

the region.retailing couple Lucio and Su-

san co of Puregold Price club inc. ranked next on the list with an estimated net worth of $1.6 billion, at par with the fortunes of robert coyiuto, who derives most of his wealth from the family-held private insurance business and a 30 percent stake in the national Grid corp. of the Philippines. The cos’ estimated wealth declined from last year’s $2.3 billion while coyiuto’s fortune also slipped from last year’s $1.8 billion.

completing the list was former Senator manuel Villar, a real estate magnate, who focused on growing Vista Land & Lifescapes after los-ing to President Aquino during the 2010 presidential elections. The businessman – who is making up for decades lost when he was busy with politics – has an estimated net worth of $1.3 billion, lower than $1.6 billion last year. He made it to the global list for the second year in a row.

Amid the global stock market volatility, oil price slump and strengthening of the US dollar, Forbes magazine reported a “dy-namic reshuffling of wealth around the globe and a drop in ten-figure fortunes for the first time since 2009.”

“it was also the first time since 2010 that the average net worth of a billionaire dropped – it is now $3.6 billion, $300 million less than

last year,” the magazine said.Forbes reported a reshuffling of

billionaires starting at the top.“Only two people in the top 20

managed to hold onto their ranks. Bill Gates remains the richest per-son in the world with a net worth of $75 billion, despite being $4.2 billion poorer than a year ago,” the magazine said. Gates has topped the list for three years in a row and topped the list 17 out of 22 years.

Legendary American investor Warren Buffett remained at no. 3. while Zara’s Amancio Ortega climbed to no. 2 for the first time, displacing mexico’s carlos Slim, who slipped to no. 4. The maga-zine estimated that Slim’s fortune had fallen by $27.1 billion to $50 billion in the past year, as shares of his telecom business América móvil tumbled.

Facebook founder mark Zuck-erberg had “the best year of all billionaires,” the magazine said, with the 31-year-old social media tycoon adding $11.2 billion to his fortune and moving up to no. 6 from 16.

Zuckerberg and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos both made it to the top 10 list for the first time.

meanwhile, a billionaire from china’s mainland, Wang Jianlin – whose company owns Amc Theaters and soon will own Leg-endary Pictures – has climbed into the top 20, according to the magazine. n

11 Filipinos among Forbes 2016 world…PAGE A3 t

PROMOTED. Over a hundred police personnel of chief inspector ranks from different units took oath as superintendents in a donning of ranks ceremony held at the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters on Monday, Feb. 29. PNP chief Director General Ricardo Marquez administered the promotion of 121 new superintendent officers after they passed the Police Superintendent Continuous Promotion Program. A total of 146 police personnel applied for the said promotion. “Think of ourselves last. When we get promoted, much much more is expected from us,” Marquez said in a speech. PNP photo

by Michael Joe T. DelizoManilaTimes.net

the resident commissioner of the Philippines to the United States in 1943, then as chancery of the embassy of the Philippines follow-ing the country’s independence and establishment of diplomatic relations with the US in 1946. it was abandoned in 1995 when the diplomatic mission moved to a new office across the street.

“While the inauguration of this historic building is already a com-pelling reason to celebrate, our gathering tonight is made even more special as we pay tribute to a man for whom we hold the highest respect and admiration—the man that the Filipino people are privi-leged and proud to have as Secre-tary of Foreign Affairs,” Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose cuisia Jr. said.

Del rosario was the Philippine

Ambassador to the US from 2001 to 2006 under President Gloria macapagal-Arroyo. He quit his post due to policy differences with the Arroyo government.

in 2011, President Benigno Aquino iii swore in del rosario as secretary of Foreign Affairs.

Former US Ambassador to the Philippines and newly-appointed State Department counselor Kris-tie Kenney said it was through del rosario that she “first came to know and love the warmth, the charm, the grace and the dignity of the Filipino people.”

in a letter addressed to del ro-sario and read by Kenney during the event, US Secretary of State John Kerry expressed pride in call-ing him a “trusted colleague and a personal friend.”

“There’s simply no doubt that

neW YOrK — The Philippine center new York in manhattan was painted yellow as officers, staff and clients of the Philip-pine consulate General cel-ebrated the 30th anniversary of eDSA People Power revolution last February 26.

The day started with the sym-bolic uncurling of the “eDSA 30: Pagbabago ipinaglaban nyo, itutuloy Ko” banner at the show window of the Philippine center along Fifth Avenue. Applicants

and community members joined the ceremony led by consul Gen-eral mario De Leon, Jr. in the afternoon, the officers and staff garbed in eDSA yellow motif gathered at the lobby for a sou-venir photograph.

The February 26 events are a prelude to a bigger commemo-ration of eDSA Anniversary in partnership with the college of mount Saint Vincent to be held in April 26, 2016 in the college premises. Former President

corazon c. Aquino graduated from the college in mount Saint Vincent (cmSV) in 1953. Lec-tures by a Filipino-American his-tory professor and a prominent journalist, as well as a photo exhibit are being organized to highlight the centerpiece event designed to attract students and alumni of cmSV, Filipino-Ameri-can student groups in the new York and new Jersey area, and members of the Filipino-Ameri-can community. n

New Yorkers come out to celebrate EDSA Revolution’s 30th Anniversary. (Top) Consul General Mario De Leon leads the unveiling of EDSA 30th Anniversary banner on Fifth Avenue. (Bottom) The officers and staff of NYPCG don yellow for a photo opportunity. Photos by Jolo Tolentino

NYPCG joins the nation in celebrating EDSA People Power anniversary

On his last official trip to the East Coast US, Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert Del Rosario, together with wife Gretchen were honored with a farewell dinner by the officers and staff of the Philippine Consulate General New York and Philippine Mission to the United Nations last Feb. 28 at the Philippine Official Residence in Manhattan, New York. Consul General Mario De Leon and Ambassador Lorie Yparaguirre expressed their admiration on the principled leadership and sincere dedication that the Secretary displayed during his five-year term. ConGen and Ambassador presented a souvenir portrait of Secretary Del Rosario as a parting gift. The Secretary thanked his DFA colleagues and remarked, “You are all my serendipity.”

today’s close US-Philippines rela-tionship is thanks in large part to your sound judgment and strong commitment to diplomacy. Your steady leadership not only ensured the vitality of our countries’ friend-ship, it has also helped steer the course of events in the Philippines and around the world in the right direction,” Kerry wrote.

“As we live in an increasingly uncertain and complex world, the international community will need more statesmen like you,” he added.

Senator mazie Hirono also ex-pressed appreciation for del rosa-rio’s leadership.

Del rosario said the two coun-tries should not stop working to

enhance their ties.“even if it is our belief that Phil-

ippines-US relations have never been better, we must still persist in working together to further strengthen our alliance so that we can proactively, effectively, and strategically address our shared formidable challenges in the Asia Pacific region,” he added. n

show undocumented immigrants greatly contribute to our nation’s economy, not just in labor but also with tax dollars,” said iTeP State Tax Policy Director meg Wiehe in a statement.

nationwide, undocumented immigrants contribute more than $11.6 billion to state and local cof-fers each year, and pay an average of 8 percent of their total incomes in state and local taxes. (The top 1 percent of taxpayers nationwide pay an average effective tax rate of just 5.4 percent.)

The analysis also found that combined state and local tax

Study: Undocumented Californians paid $3.2B in state...

Trump 55 to 43 percent, and 53 to 45 percent against rubio.

Sanders also fares better than clinton in each match-up among men, young voters, and inde-pendents.

Overall, clinton and Trump are still seen unfavorably by majorities of voters: almost 6-in-10 have a negative view of Trump, with 38 percent in favor; while 53 percent have a negative view of clinton, 44 percent positive.

cruz also has a net negative rating, while impressions of car-son, rubio, and Kasich leaned positive.

According to the poll, 78 percent of US voters (including almost the

Super Tuesday results show Clinton, Trump....

PAGE A1 t contributions of the nation’s total undocumented immigrant popu-lation (around 11 million) would increase by more than $800 mil-lion, under full implementation of President Barack Obama’s 2012 and 2014 executive actions to grant temporary protection for up to 5 million (1.52 million in cali-fornia) eligible undocumented im-migrants living in the US.

Under comprehensive immi-gration reform, these contribu-tions are estimated to rise to over $2.1 billion.

While the report focuses on the financial and economic conse-quences of immigration reform on

state and local-level taxes, iTeP reported, the results mirror those at the federal level. According to a 2010 report from the congres-sional Budget Office, full immi-gration reform at the federal level would decrease the deficit and generate more than $450 billion in additional federal revenue over the next decade.

Obama’s executive actions are also estimated to have overall positive effects on labor market growth, productivity, wages, and economic growth, said the coun-cil of economic Advisers and the center of American Progress. (Allyson Escobar / AJPress)

PAGE A3 t same share among Democrats, republicans and independents) say that the nation is even “more deeply divided on major issues fac-ing the country,” than it has been in the past.

The nationwide survey asked voters to choose which of all the remaining top candidates, regard-less of party, they trust most to handle seven key issues. Accord-ing to cnn, Trump tops the list on the economy, terrorism and immigration, while clinton is the top choice when it comes to health care, race relations and foreign policy. Voters are about evenly split between Trump and clinton on gun policy.

Though the share of leaned re-

publican voters choosing clinton on any of the tested issues tops out at 8 percent on health care, Trump is the most trusted for 15 percent of leaned Democrats on terrorism, 14 percent on the economy and 13 percent on immigration.

republicans generally have the edge on the economy, ter-rorism, immigration and gun policy, while more voters choose either Sanders or clinton on race relations and health care. Foreign policy has about an even split be-tween the two parties.

The margin of sampling error for the results, based on the total sample, is plus or minus three percentage points. (Allyson Esco-bar/AJPress)

(212) 655-5426 • http://www.asianjournal.com NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • MARCH 4-10, 2016 A�

Dateline PhiliPPines

FUN RUN. Senator Pia Cayetano leads Senate officials and employees in a three-kilometer fun run on Tuesday, March 1, as part of the Senate’s year-long centennial celebration (October 2015- October 2016). “A Run for 100 Days Maternity Leave in 100 Years of the Philippine Senate” kicks off a series of month-long activities celebrating Women’s Month this March. Senate photo by Alexis Nuevaespaña Senate photo

PRESIDENTIAL and vice pres-idential candidates on Wednes-day, Mar. 2 proposed differ-ent approaches in dealing with China’s aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea.

The administration’s presiden-tial candidate, Mar Roxas, ap-pealed for sobriety amid reports that Chinese vessels had an-chored near a Philippine-claimed atoll in the disputed sea.

“For me, it’s important for us to stay calm because if we start violence, we don’t know how this would end,” Roxas told report-ers in an interview after visiting loom weavers in Tubigon, Bohol province.

Accompanied by his running mate, Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo, Roxas embarked on a four-town swing in Bohol.

Roxas reiterated that bringing the territorial dispute before the United Nations Permanent Court of Arbitration was still the best option for the government to pre-vent the problem from escalating.

Like ordinary Filipinos who seek settlement of their legal concerns before the courts, he said the country should bring the territorial dispute with China “to the international court of the United Nations.”

“That’s what our government did. Our actions were just and according to the legal process. That’s what we should pursue,” he said.

Chinese Coast Guard ships had reportedly taken over Quiri-no Atoll, which is sandwiched between the Philippine-occupied Lawak Island and the Chinese-occupied Panganiban (Mischief) Reef. The atoll, reef and island lie in the Philippines’ exclusive eco-nomic zone.

The Chinese vessels reportedly left two weeks ago, according to officials in Manila and Beijing.

Bilateral talks

Candidates differ on how to deal with China

BIÑAN CITY—Sen. Ferdi-nand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. remained unfazed as his critics accused him of “distorting” his-tory in order to whitewash the atrocities committed during mar-tial law.

“I am interested to know when did we distort history in any way. Wala naman kaming sinasabi na hindi totoo (We have not told a lie),” Marcos said here on Thurs-day.

“But again, people have their own opinion; they have the right to their opinion. We’ll agree to disagree,I guess,” he said.

Marcos was reacting to a state-ment issued by 412 faculty mem-bers of the Ateneo de Manila University, criticizing the son of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos for his “shameless refus-al to acknowledge the crimes of the martial law regime.”

The Ateneo professors also disagreed to claims that the Phil-ippine economy was at its peak during the Martial Law.

‘Bayanihan’ lostMarcos visited this city on the

second leg of his campaign sortie in Laguna province.

He was accompanied by his cousin and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez when he met with Laguna mayors. Romualdez is seeking a Senate seat.

Marcos to Ateneo faculty: ‘Let’s agree to disagree’

by Maricar cincoInquirer.net

Vice presidential candidate Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. makes the Biotech Institute at the UPLB, an organization initially financed by the Ferdinand Marcos Foundation, his first stop on the first day of his Unity Caravan in Laguna today. He is received by UPLB Chancellor Fernando Sanchez Jr. Senate photo

On Thursday, March 3 Marcos spoke to a crowd of about 500 in a gym in the neighboring city of Sta. Rosa.

A 94-year-old woman, claim-ing to be a “Marcos loyalist,” had asked the senator to autograph a framed photograph of former President Marcos and an old poster of the Marcos family.

In his speech, Marcos called for unity among political parties, saying “bayanihan,” a common Filipino trait, “seemed to have been forgotten by some lead-ers.”

“Sa kakapamolitika, nakakali-mutan na po ng iba na kami, bi-

lang lingkod bayan, ay sumumpa na kami, ang gagawin lang na-min…ay pagandahin ang buhay ng bawat Pilipino (While busy playing politics, others seemed to have forgotten that we, as public servants, have pledged to improve every Filipino’s life),” he said.

“Kaunti lang po ang magagawa ng isang grupo…Sa dinami-dami ng problema ng Pilipinas, kai-langan po natin lahat ng sektor ng lipunan ay ipagkaisa po natin (A group can only do so much. With the Philippines facing many problems, we need to unite all sectors of society),” he said. n

Mar Roxas Rody Duterte

Vice President Jejomar Binay, standard-bearer of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), has said he would rather have bilat-eral, or country-to-country, talks with China.

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, a presidential candidate, said he was open to talks with China to ease the escalation of insurance premiums in the cargo shipping industry, but he added China should first honor the rul-ing of the UN arbitration court.

“I am open to bilateral talks with China about the disputed territories to ease the increas-ing fees of shipping insurance of vessels that have to pass through these areas, which is hurting the industry,” Duterte told the In-quirer.

“But first if the ruling of the ar-bitration court is favorable to us they should honor it. I am open to it, but I will not initiate it,” the mayor said.

Manila initiated arbitration proceedings in January 2013 af-ter Beijing refused to withdraw its ships from the disputed Pana-tag Shoal, internationally called Scarborough Shoal.

A ruling by the UN tribunal is expected later this year, even

while China has refused to par-ticipate in the arbitration pro-cess.

The Asian giant has been mili-tarizing the resource-rich waters of the South China Sea, includ-ing Philippine-claimed atolls and reefs in the West Philippine Sea.

BullyingRobredo does not share the

position of two of her rivals on the need to hold talks with China, saying these may lead to Beijing “bullying” the country.

Robredo stood squarely on the side of the government in filing a case in the UN Permanent Court of Arbitration.

“I do not agree that we become an aggressor in this because we have no capability, but having said that, we need to take all steps to protect our sovereignty,” she told students of a university in Las Piñas City on Tuesday.

Marcos, HonasanSenators Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

and Gregorio Honasan II, both vice presidential candidates, fa-vor talks with China to ease the tension over disputed territories in the West Philippine Sea.

Advising the government not to pin its hopes on resolving the

MANILA—The Sandiganbay-an third division on Thursday, March 3 resolved to affirm its decision denying alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles’s petition for bail for her plunder case.

The anti-graft court said that it finds Napoles’s motion for recon-sideration filed Nov. 4, 2015 de-void of merit.

“An examination of the sub-ject motion for reconsideration shows that accused Napoles has not raised any sound argument that would warrant the reversal of the Court’s Resolution pro-mulgated on Oct .16 2015,” the Sandiganbayan’s ruling read.

“Wherefore, accused Janet Lim Napoles’s motion for recon-sideration dated Nov. 4, 2015 is denied for lack of merit,” the resolution added.

In her motion for reconsid-eration, Napoles asked the Sandiganbayan to reconsider its rejection of her bail arguing that the court failed as it relied heavily on the whistleblowers’ statements which she said are “polluted sources. The whistle-

Sandiganbayan 3rd Division upholds ruling to junk Napoles’s bail plea

by rosette adelPhilstar.com

Alleged pork barrel scam master mind Janet Lim-Napoles’s bail plea for her plunder case was denied anew. Philstar.com photo

blowers include her second-cousin, Benhur Luy.

The Third Division said that even if the whistleblowers are “to be taken with caution, there is no reason to reject their testi-monies at this time considering that the same are consistent and appear to corroborate one an-other.”

The resolution dated March 2, issued on Thursday, was signed by Sandiganbayan Third Divi-sion Presiding Chair Amparo Cabotaje-Tang and was con-

curred by two other members of the division, Associate Justices Samuel Martires and Sarah Jane Fernandez.

Napoles is currently detained at the Correctional Institute for Women in Mandaluyong City for plunder charges stemming from the alleged multi-billion-peso-pork barrel cam.

On February 3, Napoles also appealed her plea to the San-diganbayan Fifth Division after it denied her bail petition last De-cember. n

uPAGE A7

IF Senator Grace Poe wins in May but is disqualified by the Supreme Court (SC), the winning vice presidential candidate will be declared president, the Com-mission on Elections (Comelec) said Wednesday, March 2.

Comelec Chairman Juan An-dres Bautista said that in the event that Poe’s disqualification comes after the elections, the high Court’s ruling will prevail thus, she will not be able to as-sume office despite her poll vic-tory.

“The (winning) vice presiden-tial candidate takes over,” Bau-tista told The Manila Times.

Former Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes agreed with Bau-tista, explaining that if the SC decision comes out after Poe has won or assumed the presidency on June 30, 2016, the vice presi-dent will take over as president.

But Brillantes pointed out that if Poe wins and the disqualifica-tion order comes out before noon on June 30, the presidential can-didate who garnered the second

Winning VP to assume presidency if Poe disqualified

by WilliaM B. depasupilManilaTimes.net

most number of votes will be de-clared president.

Election lawyer Manuelito Luna, said the vice president elect cannot take over as presi-dent if Poe is disqualified.

“She (Poe) technically is not a candidate. Her candidacy is void and all her votes are stray votes. Because of that it’s not the vice president that takes over but the second placer (in the presidential race),” Luna told The Times.

“The second placer is actu-ally the first placer because Poe’s candidacy is void,” Luna stressed.

Also, Bautista said Poe cannot be substituted if she is disquali-fied.

He explained that the rule on substitution is clearly defined un-der the Omnibus Election Code (OEC), and Poe’s case does not fall under the category allowed by law.

“She is an independent, she has no political party. Indepen-dent candidates cannot be sub-stituted,” Bautista pointed out.

Substitution is allowed under Article IX, Section 77 of the Om-nibus Election Code. It states: “If

after the last day for the filing of certificates of candidacy, an offi-cial candidate of a registered or accredited political party dies, withdraws or is disqualified for any cause, only a person belong to, and certified by, the same po-litical party may file a certificate of candidacy to replace the can-didate who die, withdrew or was disqualified.”

Poe was recently adopted by the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) as its presidential candi-date, but Comelec spokesman Director James Jimenez said that this does not mean that she is al-ready a member of the party.

The Comelec en banc disquali-fied Poe in December last year. The commission said Poe is not qualified to join the presidential race because she is not a natu-ral-born Filipino citizen and she failed to meet the minimum 10-year residency requirement.

The Manila Times has reported that a draft decision written by SC Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo disqualified Poe on the grounds that she did not meet the residency requirement for presidential candidates. n

MARCH 4-10, 2016 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL http://www.asianjournal.com • (212) 655-5426A�

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OpiniOn Features

Philstar.com photo

FOR a country infamous for its “dirty politics,” conducting a peaceful and clean conduct of elections will be a challenge for the Philippine government. While the country’s polls have been automated since 2010, some Filipino voters still express concern over possible cheating in the general elections in May.

Pessimistic

About four in every 10 Filipinos believe that there will be cheating in the May elections, according to the latest poll by Pulse Asia. The survey, conducted from Jan. 24 to 28, showed that an alarming 39 percent of the respondents are sure that candidates will cheat, while only 29 percent believed otherwise. 32 per-cent of those polled were ambivalent on the issue.

The same poll also revealed that seven out of 10 Filipinos or 65 percent said there will be massive vote-buying, 37 percent believe that there will be tampering of vote-counting machines. Others be-lieve that there will be changing the actual vote count (32 percent) and the deployment of flying voters (31 percent) as forms of cheating.

Voters hoarding, replacing ballots inserted in machines, threatening other voters and election officers, machines being stolen and brownouts were also among the forms of cheating schemes that the respondents believe may occur.

For the May 9 elections to have a satisfactory conclusion, senatorial candidate Richard Gordon on Monday, Feb. 29, urged the Supreme Court to compel the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to issue receipts to voters after casting their votes.

In his 24-page petition for mandamus, Gordon cited the Republic Act 9369 or the Automated Elec-tion Law, which states that the Voter Verification Paper Audit Trail or VVPAT is one of the minimum systems capabilities of the automated election sys-tem and a major security feature of the vote count-

ing machine. He explained that VVPAT allows every voter to confirm whether or not the machine cast the vote correctly based on the choice of the voter, thereby ensuring the in-

tegrity of the elections.“The right to suffrage is a powerful tool placed

in the hands of every Filipino giving them the abil-ity to change the course of our country’s future. Therefore, it is essential that the sanctity and credibility of our election system be continuously protected from threats putting its results in ques-tion. In order for the system to be protected, it is essential that implementation of various security systems must be complied with,” Gordon said.

The Comelec voted 7-0 “not to enable the fea-ture of printing a receipt,” deciding against using the VVPAT because it could be used as a tool for vote-buying and would also extend the voting pe-riod by seven hours.

Despite some doubts on the accuracy of the au-tomated polls, the Comelec allayed fears of pos-sible tampering of the May 9 elections with vot-ers not getting a print out of their votes. Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista assured that there is no reason to worry because safeguards are in place even in the absence of printed record of votes.

Last week, the Comelec conducted mock polls to identify the possible problems that the Comelec may encounter during the actual transmission of votes in May. Bautista reported that the mock elec-tion would enable the Comelec to improve the sys-

Editorial

tem long before the scheduled May 9 elections.Political reform in the Philippines is hounded by

higher a public expectation. The growing cynicism in Philippine politics is like a cancer where a cure remains elusive. The stakes are higher in May, this makes it imperative to have empowered citizens who appreciate and are responsible for the votes they will cast.

To discourage people who will rely on cheating to win, Filipino voters must exercise the right of suffrage with tenacity and good cheer. They must realize the power that belongs to them, which is to choose the leaders they think are adequate to hold an office. It will strengthen their participation in this democratic process and trust in the system after this election. (AJPress)

WHO won on “Super Tuesday”? As I write this on March 1, primaries and caucuses were held in a dozen states (and one US territory) to select a presidential candidate in both the Republican and Democratic Party nominating contests this year. In the most recent polls leading up to Super Tuesday, news organizations have projected that GOP front-runner Donald Trump and Democratic Party front-runner Hillary Clinton are on the verge of being coronated as the winners, but let the ac-tual figures after the elections tell the story.

What exactly is “Super Tuesday”? Politico explained that “Super Tuesday” is the

unofficial name for a Tuesday during the presi-dential primary election when the largest number of states hold their nominating contests.

The results of these contests will account for about half of all delegates that will determine who will be each party’s nominee.

The states choosing their nominee this day were Ala-bama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mas-sachusetts, Minnesota, Oklaho-ma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and Virginia will hold contests for both Republicans and Dem-ocrats. Republicans in Alaska will hold caucuses. Democrats in Colorado will hold their cau-cuses as well. Finally, Democrats in American Samoa also held their nominating contest this Super Tuesday.

Politico explained the significance of Super Tuesday: “No other primary day has as many del-egates grouped at once, and thus no other day gives a single candidate as much of a chance to declare a sense of certainty about his or her posi-tion.”

The results of Super Tuesday primaries and caucuses will cer-tainly give so much momentum to whomever may win decisively in more states for both parties. Sometimes, many candidates concede and suspend their candi-dacy, making the frontrunner the apparent nominee until formally coronated during their respective

party’s convention. This puts an end to the prima-ries and caucuses scheduled in other states after Super Tuesday.

But there are times, like in 2008 between can-didates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, when the race was been tight, pushing the scheduled primaries and caucuses to continue in all states to determine the nominee.

No matter what the results of Super Tuesday

might be, I hope we have a repeat of the 2008 election process. Citizens in all states must have their voices heard in choosing whom they want to be their party’s nominee. This also gives the voters the opportunity to present their views and aspirations on different issues that may have an impact on how the next president of the United States may stir the country moving forward. This will also energize and motivate citizens from all states to exercise their right of suffrage in the general election in November, after being heavily invested during the primary season.

* * *Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos

The nomination race to the White House must go beyond Super Tuesday

Gel SantoS-ReloS

The Fil-Am Perspective

WHAT was billed as a debate among the candidates in the May presidential elections turned out to be a race against the clock for each speaker and an occasional exchange of light jabs.

It wasn’t really much of a “debate” as typified by the war of innuendos and insults in the US between the Republican presidential wannabes, as well as the cogent expla-nation of plans and policies that have marked the exchanges between Demo-cratic contenders, Hillary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders.

Given the 90-second time limit set for each candidate to respond to a question from the moderators, the 30-second limit set for what was supposed to be a rebuttal from a rival candidate and another 30 seconds for a counter-rebuttal, there was very little by way of depth that could have been expected from the first Philippine presidential debate.

Indeed, there was more meat in the 30-second spots that some of the candidates managed to air within the two-hour session, 48 minutes of which were allotted to commercials.

Perhaps due to her show business upbringing, Senator Grace Poe had obviously spent a lot of time preparing and memorizing her responses to the predictable topics. She delivered her lines well and one could concede that she did a good job of acting presiden-tial.

Of course, between acting and know-ing what to do in a real-life presidential environment, there can be a humon-gous gap.

I’m reminded of the inaugural

speech of President Noynoy Aquino which a delegation of Filipi-nos from the US (of which I was a part) had the privilege of listening to, up close (we had special seats in front of the Luneta grandstand). Aquino

also delivered his lines well and some of them were quite memorable – things like “Wala nang wang-wang.” (No more sirens, meaning no more special treatment).

Unfortunately, between that im-pressive speech and his actual perfor-mance as leader of the country, there has been a wide and disappointing gap. This prompted the late Senator Joker Arroyo to describe the Aquino presidency as OJT or on-the-job train-ing and to compare it to a college stu-dent council.

This was also obviously what LP stan-dard bearer Mar Roxas meant when he patronizingly reminded Poe that the presidency is not meant for OJT.

In the next breath, Roxas then rat-tled off his credentials as a public of-ficial, trying hard to impress his rivals and the audience with them. Too bad, Poe’s 30-second rebuttal was rather tentative and not forceful enough. She could have shot back, “With all of that experience, why haven’t you learned to do your job well?”

She did try to point that out but her statement was diluted by an effort to sound civil. Referring to the problems in the DILG and DOTC, Poe quipped, ‘I don’t need extensive experience to understand our transportation prob-lems.’

That, of course, was a mouthful. True, Poe doesn’t need any experience

to know that there is a transportation problem in Metro Manila but it will take more than memorizing a prepared spiel to get at the root of the mess and untangle it.

In that exchange between Roxas and Poe, Vice-President Jejomar Binay could have butted in with, “Bakit hang-gang ngayon, palpak ka pa rin?” (Why are you still incompetent up to now?).

But the format of the debate did not allow that kind of verbal cross-fire. Ac-cording to the papers, Binay did sub-sequently take a direct dig at Roxas in a campaign stop in Iligan City, the day after the debate. He reportedly de-scribed Roxas as “Secretary Palpak.” He should have said that line during the debate.

Some of the most memorable re-sponses came from Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. Asked to rebut the 90-second answer of Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago to a question from the moderators, Duterte quipped, “There’s nothing to rebut. I agree with what she said.” Or words to that ef-fect.

And when it was Duterte’s turn to re-spond to a question from the modera-tors, this time concerning his reported penchant for extra-judicial killings and his alleged loose morals, he denied the first and attributed the second to “bio-logical” needs.

Like Poe, Duterte also said a mouth-ful when he vowed to stop corruption and criminality, including drug traf-ficking, “in three to six months” from assuming the presidency.

If Duterte had such a talent, he would be the crime fighter of choice for the United States which has had difficulty getting rid of the mob and is not getting far in combating the prob-lem of drugs.

Someone could also have reminded Duterte that when the New People’s Army collects “revolutionary taxes” and demands payment for “permits to campaign,” those are criminal acts – yet he has abetted them. That makes him an accessory to the crime.

At any rate, it was Poe who was des-ignated to react to Duterte’s statement, but she tried too hard to be polite. She only managed to remind Duterte to be careful because the women he dealt with could have a boyfriend or could be married. It was the former teacher in Poe telling a naughty pupil to be-have. Spank. Spank.

One almost wished that it was San-tiago who had been asked to make the rebuttal – she with her convoluted English and barbed tongue – but then, Duterte and Santiago had nice words to say to each other, early on, and could not have been expected to throw verbal daggers.

Mar Roxas was the most pugnacious of the five presidential contenders. Perhaps owing to his poor survey rank-ing, behind Binay, Poe and Duterte, Roxas tried to come on very strong, both in his attacks on his rivals and in his claim to an impressive record of performance.

At one point, Roxas offered an analogy as quoted in media: “I have a simple question with a simple an-swer. Who will you choose as your daily driver to entrust your child: Is it someone with a case of corruption, a hot-head who is prone to accidents, or someone who is just learning to drive? Or will you choose someone you have known for a long time, someone who has never taken advantage of you, and someone who comes with a good recommendation from a former em-ployer?”

This left him wide open for a remind-er from Binay that Roxas had been the epitome of incompetence in dealing with the Yolanda disaster.

Defensively, Roxas protested that he was in Tacloban the day before, on the day of and in the days following the tragedy. He claimed staying for 16 days attending to the problem.

Well, Roxas’s presence was not much help. Millions in Yolanda relief funds are missing, tons of relief goods and food were left to rot, and to this day, thousands of missing persons have not been accounted for in the government’s desperate effort to mini-mize the official casualty count. .

I myself wrote a piece on the Roxas-Soliman-Gazmin management prin-ciple which they called, “The Con-vergent Approach” – meaning, no one was really in charge and each one was left to his or her own devices. No won-der, the result was SNAFU – Situation Normal. All F*cked Up.

As a native of that city, I know that Taclobanons have not forgiven Roxas for his heartless remark, “Bahala na kayo sa buhay niyo.”

One of the most significant ex-changes between Roxas and Binay was when the former pointed out that “there are two Makatis.” He referred to “the Makati of the Ayalas” and the poor sections of the city governed by the Binays.

Someone could have added that, in truth, there are also two countries in our hapless Philippines. The country of the wealthy and the influential and the country of the poor, the jobless and the homeless.

Hopefully the next two presidential debates will focus on that without the forced civility and politeness. (gregma-cabenta@hotmail.com)

Post-script to the first Philippine presidential debate

GReG B. MacaBenta

Street Talk

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dispute through the UN tribunal, Marcos said dialogue with China could be by way of trade, culture or even sports.

In a statement, Marcos said: “(W)e should talk to China and tell them what we want and that we are not in favor of what they are doing and start from there. What is important is we start a dialogue.”

He pointed out that the signing of the Philippine-Indonesia mari-time baseline agreement after 20 years of negotiations could be used as a template for the talks.

Honasan said the country should continue to talk to China in a multilateral arrangement, in-cluding considering joint explo-ration of disputed areas.

“If our bilateral agreements with other countries do not serve

our own interests, then let’s con-tinue to talk to China in a multi-lateral arrangement,’’ the UNA vice presidential candidate said in a statement.

Too complacentIn the House of Representa-

tives, lawmakers criticized the Aquino administration for report-edly allowing another atoll to fall into the hands of China.

Magdalo Rep. Ashley Acedillo said that five years ago, China had already targeted Quirino Atoll off the coast of Palawan province, which should have sent alarm bells ringing for the gov-ernment to increase its presence in the area.

Senatorial candidate Walden Bello said the Department of Foreign Affairs and Department of Defense should have made 24/7 surveillance of the area

much earlier.“We have good air surveil-

lance capabilities and access to international satellite monitor-ing systems. We should have a preemptive strategy from now on, keeping the world informed of China’s possible next moves,” said Bello, a former Akbayan rep-resentative.

Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Col-menares, a senatorial candidate, said: “It seems that China’s strat-egy now is to take as much terri-tory as it can in the West Philip-pine Sea before the ruling of The Hague Arbitral Court comes out, so other claimants would be hard put to evict the rising superpow-er from their claimed areas.” (DJ Yap and Gil C. Cabacungan, Mar-lon Ramos, Nancy C. Carv, Jean-nette I. Andrade and Christine O. Avendaño/Inquirer.net)

Candidates differ on how to deal with…PAGE A5 t

THE body of a missing German adventurer was found inside an abandoned yacht off the coast of Barobo in Suigao del Sur.

Two Filipino fishermen over the weekend dis-covered the body of 59-year-old Manfred Fritz Ba-jorat inside a 40-foot yacht called Sayo, which had been sailing around the world for the past two de-cades. Bajorat’s body, which was preserved in part to salty air, dry ocean winds and hot temperatures, was found sitting at a desk near a radio telephone.

It remains unclear how long Bajorat was dead, but reported sightings of him have not been men-tioned since 2009. Cause of death and how long Bajorat was missing also remain a mystery.

Bajorat’s body was taken to Butuan City for an autopsy, which showed there was no foul play in-volved.

“The doctor believes that the man died of natu-ral causes, and there is no evidence of foul play,” a spokesman from the Barobo police station told MailOnline.

Dr. Mark Benecke, a forensic criminologist in Cologne, Germany, told German newspaper Bild that the way Bajorat was sitting appears to indicate that his death was unexpected, and suggested it could have been from a heart attack.

The German embassy in Manila is working with local officials to find his daughter in Germany,

according to the Daily Mail. Bajorat is believed to have a daughter who works as a captain on a freight vessel.

Police are also attempting to retrace Bajorat’s last voyages and the people with whom he last spoke. One person told Bild he last heard of Bajorat a year ago on Facebook for his birthday, the Daily Mail reported.

Most of the cabin was underwater, but paper-work on board was used to identify Bajorat. The Daily Mail reported that other items retrieved in-clude photo albums of Bajorat’s family and friends, clothes, tins of food, and a letter he wrote to his wife, Claudia, who died of cancer in 2010.

Christopher Rivas, 23, a resident of P-$ Pobla-cion, was fishing with a friend about 40 miles off the coast when he saw the yacht with a broken sail. The pair then informed authorities of what they saw, according to news.au.com. n

Missing German found off PH coast

The wreck of a yacht, with an unidentified dead man inside, was found by fishermen and the Coast Guard off Surigao del Sur province. PNP photo by Christopher Templanza

by Agnes ConstAnteAJPress

MANILA—The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Thurs-day said that no Filipinos were injured in the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that jolted Indone-sia’s western region on Wednes-day, March 2.

“So far we have not received

DFA: No Filipinos hurt in Indonesia quakeby Rosette Adel

Philstar.com

any report of Filipinos affected by the earthquake in Indonesia,” DFA Spokesperson Charles Jose confirmed.

On Wednesday evening, a magnitude 7.8 hit Padang, West Sumatra. According to The US Geological Service, it centered under the ocean at depth of 24 kilometers.

Due to the quake, tsunami

warning was issued but was later on lifted.

There were no deaths and casualties reported during the tremor.

In 2004, a magnitude 9.1 quake also struck off the world’s largest archipelago, Indonesia, which resulted to the world’s deadliest tsunami that killed 230,000 peo-ple in a dozen countries. n

REELECTIONIST Senator Serge Osmeña said he received unconfirmed information that former elections commissioner Virgilio Garcillano is helping a presidential candidate and an-other vice presidential bet in the May elections.

“Meron pero hindi confirmed (There is [information] but it isn’t confirmed yet) and I don’t want to say it publicly because it might not be true,” Osmeña said when asked during a regular forum at the Senate on Thursday if he had information as to the identities of the people who Garcillano has been helping for the upcoming elections.

AFTER 34 years, incumbent Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III denied involvement in white-washing the controversial Pepsi Paloma rape case.

“Hindi totoo ‘yan. Gimik yan ni Rey dela Cruz. (That wasn’t true. That was the gimmick of Rey dela Cruz.),” Sotto said in a radio interview on Thursday, March 3.

De La Cruz was talent manag-er of sexy actress Pepsi Paloma, who was allegedly drugged and gang raped by comedians Vic Sotto, Joey de Leon and Richie D’ Horsie in 1982. Vic, whose real name is Marvic Sotto, is a younger brother of Tito.

Garci could be working for one presidential bet, one VP candidate

by MAilA AgeRInquirer.net

But when pressed for an an-swer, the senator said: “One presidentiable and one vice pres-identiable.”

He did not elaborate but clari-fied that the presidential and vice presidential candidates that he was referring to are not running together.

“Hindi magka tandem (They don’t belong in one tandem),” Osmeña said.

Garcillano, who was tagged in the so-called “Hello Garci” wire-tapping scandal during the Ar-royo administration, was spotted last February 21 at the Seda ho-tel in Cagayan de Oro City, where presidential aspirants Senator Grace Poe and Vice President Je-jomar Binay were staying for the first presidential debate there.

Poe’s adoptive father, the late Fernando Poe Jr. ran but lost to then President and now detained Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo during the 2004 presidential race that was allegedly marred with massive fraud.

Poe was quick to deny that Garcillano was working for her.

Osmeña said it might just be a coincidence that Garcillano hap-pened to be in the same hotel were Poe and Binay were stay-ing.

“Alam mo pag nasa maliit na syudad ka (You know when you are in a small city), there’s only really one or two hotels that ev-erybody will use e. You will bump into everybody in the lobby of that hotel e…” he said. n

Tito Sotto denies whitewashing Pepsi Paloma rape casePaloma died in 1985 in what

was ruled out as apparent sui-cide. She reportedly hang herself due to depression because of “monetary problems.” But there were speculations that she was murdered to silence her further in pursuing the alleged rape case against the comedians.

Sotto, though he wasn’t involved in the alleged rape, was dragged into the controversy when he alleg-edly used his position in government to influence the court’s decision.

“It [alleged rape] happened in 1982. Eh 1988 ako naging Vice Mayor,” he told anchor Alvin Elchico on DZMM Teleradyo.

Sotto served as Vice Mayor of Quezon City before he was elect-ed senator in 1992.

“In fact, Vic and Joey filed li-bel case against Rey dela Cruz. And there were reports in news-papers that time quoting Paloma and she said it’s not true,” Sotto said in Filipino.

“Kaya yang mga kumakalat sa Facebook, hindi totoo yan. Pani-nira lang mga yan. (Those [ar-ticles] circulating on Facebook, they’re false. They’re meant to malign me),” he added.

Running for another term, Sot-to maintains the top senatorial spot in recent surveys. n

GOODWILL VISIT. The Japanese Navy’s Minesweeper Division 51 docks at South Harbor in Manila. The vessel is on a goodwill visit to the Philippines. ManilaTimes.net photo by Czeasar Dancel

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peopleevents

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entertainmentMarch 4 - 10, 2016

Miss Universe Pia alonzo WUrtzbach aPl.de.aP Jessica sanchez

FiliPino billionaire enriqUe K. razon, chairMan and ceo oF the Manila-listed coMPany international container terMinal services, inc. (center) in a dialogUe With aMbassador John negroPonte (right), co-chair oF the Us PhiliPPines society (leFt) and asia society’s toM nagorsKi.

by MoMar G. Visaya/AJPress

2The Asian Journal NEW YORK / NEW JERSEY MARCH 4, 2016

An Asian Journal Magazine

The Philippines has grown at a steady rate, at an average of 6.3% since President Benigno Aquino III took over in 2010, and it has been said that it is the highest five-year average in the last forty years.

Global organizations have also been saying good things about this growth – the International Monetary Fund says the growth may rise to 7% this year and the World Bank Ease of Doing Business Report has placed the Philippines at number 95, among 189 countries and up from being ranked 141 in 2009. In 2013, the three major international credit rating agencies – Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s and Fitch - all raised the Philippines’ sovereign debt to an investment grade rating, the first time it has achieved this status.

All eyes are indeed focused on the Philippines – the sick man of Asia no more – particularly at this crucial point in history since Filipinos will be electing their leaders this May. The continued growth and sustained momentum will be on the hands of the new administration and the new set of leaders who are tasked to continue the rise of the country as one of the major players in the region.

And the buck does not stop there.

That was one of the reasons why the Philippines Business & Investment Forum in New York was conceived. The gathering brought together influential leaders from the Philippine government and private sector, along with their U.S. and relevant international counterparts to look at the economic and political climate of the country, including the possible opportunities it can offer for investors, both in capital markets

NEW York City played host this week to the Philippines Business and Investment Forum, an unprecedented event in Philippine history that gathered public and private leaders who have worked to help the country rise as one of East Asia’s star performers. International investors and analysts have also lauded the Philippines as one of the most promising countries for future growth and investment.

PH officials court investors in NYC business confab

economies in the world, owing to strong fundamentals that include low and stable inflation, and sound financial system backed by prudent monetary policy and banking supervision.”

“Through the PBIF, we will be able to elaborate on how we did it. We will also be able to give potential investors and other observers a picture of where the economy may be headed, as well as the various opportunities that await them,” the BSP Governor added.

While the whole-day event happened on March 3, 2016 at the Sheraton Hotel in midtown Manhattan, a couple of side events, receptions, side sessions and private round table meetings took place in the city to coincide with the historic forum.

Star-studded receptionTo get the ball rolling, the

Philippine Department of Tourism, the Philippine Tourism Promotions Board and Invivalink, the group tasked to stage the business forum, hosted a welcome cocktail party to delegates and guests.

TPB COO Ramon Enerio welcomed the guests and delegates to the event.

Miss Universe Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach was mobbed as she made her entrance to the event.

“Pagpasok ko pa lang, I saw the giant backdrop that said Philippines, I already felt at home,” she told us as she made her way to the stage. “I feel so happy to be here to promote Philippine tourism. Being Miss Universe, I already promote the country and by default, I am the ambassadress

of the country.”The Philippines welcomed

5.36 million tourists in 2015, up 10.9% from 4.83 million the year before, according to news reports.

Apl de Ap and American Idol alumna Jessica Sanchez led the entertainment part of the reception and performed a few duets, singing The Black Eyed Peas classics “Where is the Love,” “The APL Song” and “Bebot”. Sanchez also sang her latest single “This Love” and the Whitney Houston classic “I Will Always Love You,” one of the songs she performed when she competed in American Idol.

“You should come and visit the Philippines!” Apl de Ap exclaimed after he sang the theme song he wrote for the Tourism Promotions Board campaign “Visit the Philippines Again 2016”. “You should experience the culture, go to the beautiful beaches, they’re all amazing from Boracay to Palawan to Mt. Pinatubo!”

“I am encouraging everyone, the second generation Filipino Americans. I know some of you are worried, na nakakatakot. I assure you, it’s not nakakatakot. It’s the best place to visit,” he added.

Offering business opportunities

Various Philippine government agencies and Investment Promotion Agencies such as the Freeport Area of Bataan (FAB) jumped on the chance to be able to engage possible investors here during the three-day business forum.

“The FAB has transformed over the years along with the positive and good developments in the

Philippine business environment. Buoyed also by the improving credit ratings and competitiveness ranking of the Philippines, the Freeport Area of Bataan generated strong interest among investors,” Chairman Deogracias G.P. Custodio said.

“We would like to take advantage of the PBIF to introduce to investors in the United States the strengths of the FAB, including its stable growth and attractive business opportunities in the manufacturing and BPM industries,” he added.

FAB has been tagged as the economic dragon of the Philippines after emerging as the fastest growing Freeport since 2012.It also became famous as the high-end manufacturing hub of the Philippines, with locators like Michael Kors and Coach Bags manufacturing there.

Custodio and his colleagues were part of the Investment Opportunities Session held at the Eisner Amper offices in midtown.

Department of Trade and Industry Undersecretary Nora Terrado delivered a speech extolling the unprecedented economic growth of the Philippines and how it has sustained it through the years.

She cited a few reasons, including the continuous inflow of remittances from the overseas Filipinos, an increase in tourist arrivals for 2015, a renewed global demand for products made in the Philippines, a steady export growth and the Philippines becoming a preferred investment destination.

Ronnie & Tess del Carmen at the 2016 Oscars both in Oliver Tolentino Photo by Sthanlee B Mirador

Oscar Night: Asian American onstage presence, reactions to racist joke

‘Inside Out’ Filipino director takes home prizeBy allyson Escobar

AJPress

AMID the glitz and glamor of the much-awaited Academy Awards, the 88th annual awards show was criticized after the show’s host, comedian Chris Rock, made race the butt of his jokes.

“I’m here at the Academy Awards, otherwise known as the White People’s Choice Awards,” Rock said to an audience during his opening monologue. “Hey, if you want black nominees every year, you need to just have black categories. That’s what you need. You need to have black categories.”

“Hollywood is sorority racist,” he continued.

Another tense moment occurred when Rock brought out three young Asian Americans for a joke that perpetuates racial stereotypes. “The results of tonight’s Academy Awards have been tabulated by the accounting firm of Pricewaterhouse Coopers. They sent us their most dedicated, accurate, and hard-working representatives,” Rock said, before three Asian American kids wearing professional attire came out onstage, named “Ming Zhu, Bao Ling, and David Moskowitz.”

“If anybody’s upset about that joke, just tweet about it on your phone, which was also made by these three kids,” Rock continued, as the audience laughed at the Asian kids--dressed as accountants/bankers--standing onstage.

The award joke upset many people and minority groups alike,

many of whom took to social media to express their views.

“Seriously though, when is this going to change?!? Tired of it being ‘cool’ and ‘ok’ to bash Asians [shaking my head] #Oscars,” tweeted basketball star Jeremy Lin.

“Umm, no @chrisrock. Using little Asian kids to joke about

math stereotypes and child labor isn’t funny,” said Grace Hwang Lynch (@HapaMamaGrace).

“Did that appalling joke about Asian kids actually happen?” asked Justin Chang (@JustinCChang).

Even politicians got involved. CA Rep. Judy Chu of District 27,

Continued on Page 5

Karylle explores her playful side in new albumPOLYEAST Records has

announced Karylle’s new album “A Different Playground,” now out in the market.

In Karylle’s recent interviews, the singer-actress-TV host openly expressed the “pressure” of having a m u s i c i a n - s o n g w r i te r - b a n d vocalist for a husband.

Now, however, Karylle is obviously more used to the “pressure.”

“I can do songs faster because Yael always writes songs at home. He is very used to it, so I have to be more comfortable with it also,” says Karylle. “Now that we have a studio at home, I have to write songs more efficiently.”

She adds, “The pressure is there, but in a good way. I have to keep up.”

The result? Karylle’s latest album “A Different Playground.”

The new album boasts of original songs that capture Karylle’s playful side as a person, songwriter and performer.

Karylle penned most of the songs in the album, including the hit upbeat track “Can’t Shut Up.” The song is obviously a song she wrote for husband Yael, who, according to her, loves to talk.

She shows her versatility in the memorable tracks “Half A Million” and “Sunny Daze.”

Karylle collaborates with childhood friend Robin Nievera in “Sunflowers.” (Trivia: Karylle loves sunflowers.)

The singer-actress opens the album on a high note with a Kiko Salazar-penned song “Baliktanaw,” which was launched last February

20 on the noontime show “It’s Showtime.” She, however, goes sentimental with Tito Cayamanda’s “Paano Ko Tuturuan ang Puso.”

The album also includes Karylle’s surprising rendition of the classic song “Tenderly,” which highlights her silky, sexy voice.

Years ago, Karylle topbilled Ballet Philippine’s revival of the Ballet-Musical “Rama Hari,” where she played the role of the female lead Sita. In the musical, she performed the production’s most

memorable song “Magbalik Ka Na Mahal,” which she recorded for this new album. The song was composed by no less than Maestro Ryan Cayabyab and Bienvenido Lumbera.

For this album, Karylle works with her own band The Passport Holders, composed of musical director and saxophonist Alvin Cornista, bassist Piox Asparen, guitarist Edwin Dimaranan, and drummer Chris Cantada. (Inquirer.net)

NYC BUSINESS FORUM. Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima (second from left) joined the first panel at the business and investment forum in New York to discuss the current political and economic climate in the Philippines He was joined by (from left) Nouriel Roubini, chairman and chief economist of Roubini Global Economics; Ambassador Jose E. B. Antonio, chairman and CEO of Century Properties Group, Inc. and Arsenio M. Balisacan, chairman of the newly-established Philippine Competition Commission. AJPress photos by Momar G. Visaya

Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr.Finance Sec. Cesar V. Purisima

and in industry.Philippine government

officials led by the Secretary of Finance, Cesar V. Purisima, and Agrarian Reform Secretary Virgilio de los Reyes, led the Philippine delegation and delivered keynote addresses at the forum, along with Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr.

Among the forum speakers and panelists were Enrique Razon, Chairman and president of ICTSI; Gregory Domingo, former Secretary of Trade and Industry; Amb. John Negroponte, Co-Chair of the US Philippines Society; Roberto Garcia, Chairman of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority; Arthur Tan, CEO of IMI Global; Alexander B. Cabrera, Chairman and Senior Partner, PwC – Isla Lapina; and Alexander Feldman, President and CEO of the US-ASEAN Business Council.

Secretary Purisima, in a statement prior to the forum said that he was looking forward

to headlining the event. “The Philippines has a great economic story to tell. Our turnaround from ‘the sick man of Asia’ to the region’s resilient, bright spot is something that the Filipino people can be proud of. It is a product of painstaking discipline and good governance. We want to go out there and share the fact that despite strong external headwinds, the Philippines is here to stay as a place for growth,” he said.

“Many have placed their faith in our future as investment partners; they have not been failed with the continued rollout of our good governance agenda. We’d like to invite more partners to come write our story of growth with us for the next 6 years and even beyond.” Purisima added.

Governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Amando M. Tetangco, Jr., commented, “The Philippines has transformed over the years to become one of the most resilient

Consulting and accounting firm Eisner Amper hosted a side event Wednesday, March 2, involving the key players in the manufacturing industry in the Philippines. From left: Deo Custodio, chair of the Freeport Area of Bataan; Aurora Geotina-Garcia, chair of BCDA; Roberto Garcia, chairman and administrator of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority and Eliseo Santiago, chair of Clark Development Corporation.

The Business and Investment Forum also featured a discussion on agribusiness in the Philippines, led by Secretary of Agrarian Reform Virgilio de Los Reyes (right) and Jon Huenemann, VP for US & International Affairs of Philip Morris International and moderated by Keith Rabin of KRW International (left).

Former Trade Secretary Greg Domingo talks about the Philippine advantage

3The Asian Journal NEW YORK / NEW JERSEY MARCH 4, 2016

An Asian Journal Magazine

Atty. MichAel

Gurfinkel, eSQ

ImmigrationCorner

MANY people, desiring to save money, try to handle their immigra-tion matters on their own, rather than hiring an attorney. They may have a relative in the Philippines being processed for an immigrant visa, and when they have any ques-tions, they call or email the National Visa Center (NVC) for advice and guidance on what to do and how to do it.

While the NVC can be very help-ful in processing immigrant visa cases, they are not your “attorney,” who can offer legal advice and/or represent you. Often, the public deals with the NVC’s “contractors” (similar to people at a call center who can answer routine questions, but it is really not their role or func-tion to offer legal advice or repre-sent you).

I know of many people who re-lied on the NVC for their immigra-tion matter, but later on, their visa was refused at the Embassy. In one case, the family e-mailed the NVC, pointing out that one of their chil-dren was “aging out,” and sought assistance or guidance from the NVC in connection with the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA). The

The NVC is not your ‘attorney’, for free legal advice

Monette

AdevA MAglAyA

ImmigrantLiving: 101 and Beyond

THERE are no shortcuts in arriv-ing at a decision to live a simple life. Sometimes, one has to go through a personal hell experiencing an inner fatigue and helplessness over the never-ending chase for the almighty dollar and quality of life in order to come to a conclusion that there has to be a better way than what is com-monly believed.

Money is a major consideration in deciding to simplify one’s life. Let’s face it. Our attitude and relation-ship towards money have a lot to do with it. If you are always strapped for money because you are too deeply buried in debt, then money has you in a stranglehold.

You have to work longer, harder hours in order to pay off the debt. Think of it this way. If you buy a new car which you have to pay on

Money, debt and your psyche“Every time you borrow money,you’re robbing your future self.” — Nathan W. Morris

Saved money can give you op-tions to take an extended leave, ex-tended sabbaticals, switch gears to study for a change in career or sim-ply to do the things you have always wanted to do but could not because you have been slaving your life away over things you have bought stashed in the garage, in the closet or in the basement unopened or things you have been maintaining to impress and create an image.

To be able to save money, you will have to live below your means and pare down your expenses to the barest minimum to cover the basic necessities. Your treacherous, fat ego—the one that keeps wanting to impress others with bogus symbols of power and success—must be cut

Continued on Page 5

John Lloyd: Berlinale has opened my eyesby Bayani San Diego Jr.

Inquirer.net

IT may not be readily apparent, but the usually laidback and reticent ac-tor John Lloyd Cruz seems truthfully inspired—if not, reinvigorated—by his eight-day trip to Berlin, Germany, where his latest work, Lav Diaz’s “Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis,” brought home the Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize.

His words are evidence enough of this revitalized zeal for what he has been doing for two decades now: “My biggest takeaway from the Ber-linale is that it has somehow reset my values and deepened my under-standing of cinema.”

Specifically, he points out that people should look beyond “the glitz and glamour of show business,” which, he concedes, is the main pre-occupation hereabouts. “Yes, movies should be entertaining. But beyond fame, films should be about what

you want to say … what you want to tell the world.”

Pretty strong words from a man who is acknowledged as a box-office champion and much-sought-after product endorser. But then again, he is likewise regarded as among the best thespians of his generation.

Right questions“In Berlin, I saw that film should be

the focus of attention,” he tells the In-quirer in an exclusive interview.

During press conferences held af-ter the screening and the awarding, he recounts, most of the questions were directed at Diaz and the craft of filmmaking. Reporters weren’t re-motely curious about an actor’s love life or what he had for breakfast.

“The journalists asked the right questions,” he recalls. “That’s the way it should be.”

Needless to say, he relished this relative freedom from his celebrity. Continued on Page 5

CREWMAN WENT HOME TO MANILA ON PROVISIONAL WAIVER AND CAME BACK TO THE US WITH A GREEN CARD — ON A SPECIAL ENCORE EPISODE OF “CITIZEN PINOY!” Leading US immigration attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel obtained a Provisional Waiver for Jerome, a crewman who jumped ship. Jerome had filed for Adjustment of Status on his own, but it was denied, because he was not eligible. Gurfinkel got an approved Provisional Waiver of the 3\10 year bar, and Jerome returned to the Philippines for visa processing at the US Embassy in Manila. His wife and children wondered and prayed if Jerome could make it back to the US. Every crewman and their US spouse should watch the outcome of this Provisional Waiver case on an encore episode of “Citizen Pinoy” – on Sunday, March 6 at 6:15pm (PST) on TFC.

NVC e-mailed back, acknowledg-ing the inquiry, and advising the case was “currently under review for applicability of the Child Status Protection Act.”

Thinking the NVC was acting on the case, the family sat back and waited for further word. Unfortu-nately, the CSPA requires that if a child is eligible, the child must “seek to acquire” a visa within one year. That is accomplished by filing certain documents within one year of visa availability. But because the family was relying on, or waiting for, the NVC’s further action, they did nothing else, and that year went by. The child was ultimately refused a visa at the Embassy be-cause the child did not “seek to acquire” the visa within one year. The State Department upheld the denial, stating that e-mailing the NVC for assistance was not enough to satisfy the requirement.

My point is that if you want legal advice, it is always best to consult an attorney. The various govern-mental agencies are not there to provide legal advice and/or repre-sent you. If you sit back and wait for a government agency’s advice, deadlines may be missed, and the government may not recognize

your reliance on its advice as ex-cusing you from compliance with the law.

For the people trying to “save money” by seeking “free” advice from the NVC, how do they now explain to their children who were left behind that they really got their money’s worth? If you have a legal problem, seek legal advice from an attorney.

* * *Michael J. Gurfinkel is licensed, and an

active member of the State Bar of California and New York. All immigration services are provided by, or under the supervision of, an active member of the State Bar of California. Each case is different. The information contained herein including testimonials, “Success Stories,” endorsements and re-enactments) is of a general nature, and is not intended to apply to any particular case, and does not constitute a prediction, warranty, guarantee or legal advice regarding the outcome of your legal matter. No attorney-client relationship is, or shall be, established with any reader.

WEBSITE: www.gurfinkel.comCall Toll free to schedule a consultation

for anywhere in the US: (866)—GURFINKELFour offices to serve you: LOS ANGELES

· SAN FRANCISCO · NEW YORK · PHILIPPINES (Advertising Supplement)

installment for the next five years, you have just signed yourself on to work for the next five years to pay it off. If you love your work and can see yourself doing it for the same company for the next five years, then driving a new car and being able to pay for it are bonuses of the work that you love to do. But if you hate your job, it becomes a big prob-lem. As Shakespeare would say.“Aye there’s the rub…” Overwhelming financial problems will prevent you from living simply.

Many who have taken the simple life path will tell you that being debt-free can be very liberating. It will al-low you to breathe freely and lead you to appreciate everything with a twinkle in your eyes, about life un-der these big blue skies.

John Lloyd Cruz

“All throughout the festival, I never felt the ‘star’ status usually given to actors.”

They were all equal—just film buffs worshipping at the altar of cin-ema in one of the world’s top three film fests.

Cruz managed to squeeze in four movies—in spite of his hectic stay in

4The Asian Journal NEW YORK / NEW JERSEY MARCH 4, 2016

An Asian Journal Magazine

BoBBy T. yalong

On thePEP FrontPeople, Events, Places

Direk Wenn Deramas cried with finality: “Cut…! Pack-up!” then, rested

Continued on Page5

LIFE is a reverie for the judicious but simply a game for hoodwinks… an entertaining tryout for the afflu-ent but a catastrophe for the under-privileged…and a never-ending en-counter with uncertainty for those who relentlessly struggle for life isn’t just about finding one’s self but cre-ating it… for life is what and how we make it!

There are still worth-treading thoroughfares and pathways that we haven’t discovered yet not until we get lost along the way. The best part of the journey is the surprise and wonder we meet along the way. It is the exciting quest and the huge bolt-from-the-blue that offer fulfilling reward at the end of the journey.

But there lies death…an unfore-seen event that could inevitably blight the smooth-sailing flow of life…a sudden morbid episode that cuts off every human’s single con-nection with the mortal world.

Such overwhelming devastation struck multi-awarded director Wenn Deramas’ family and friends after learning about his unexpected pass-ing due to heart attack last Monday,

Direk Wenn Deramas, then, an embodiment of an indefatigable director

February 29, at the age of 48. The shocking news was hard to accept and took a long while before reality finally sunk in.

Atak Araña, Direk Wenn’s loyal protégée and confidante who lives with the deceased since 2003, was the sole reliable source that gave light to the entirety of the shocking incident.

According to the comedian, it was constantly Direk Wenn’s Sun-day routine to spend the day with close friends gallivanting around the mall. Since their taping was wrapped-up around 4 AM, the usual morning mass was moved to noon to enable him to take a short rest.

The group had lunch after mass and proceeded to Nail It Spa in Greenhills where Direk Wenn ex-tended his respite for another 2 hours. A light snack followed. Direk Wenn even bought the latest DVD releases for his collection before they watched “Gods of Egypt.” Be-ing an adventurous gourmand, Di-rek Wenn suggested Pedro ‘N Coi Restaurant, an eatery known for adobo, bistek, and various authen-tic native dishes.

It was while enjoying dinner when Direk Wenn received a call that his elder sister Wawa was

rushed to the hospital after com-plaining of lingering chest pains. Although assured that she was re-vived and being closely monitored, Direk Wenn remained uneasy and worried. Concerned and anxious about his sister’s condition, he left in haste and drove to Capitol Medi-cal Center… and found his sister undergoing a rigid reviving process, the 4th, actually.

He was incessantly on the phone with his two sisters in the US provid-ing the latest development. To get a closer look he entered the emer-gency room only to come out ear-splittingly crying like a lost child---Wawa lost her fight for life and was declared dead at 2:40 AM, Monday! She was 57.

Seeing his sister breathed her last was unbearable for Direk Wenn. He was petrified, shocked, and numbed… weak and deaden. Atak assisted him take a seat. The trauma-tized director complained of breath-ing then unconsciously slumped on Atak’s lap. He was rushed to the ER and instantly revived in 25 minutes. But later the attending medical team failed to re-activate his sys-tems when the monitor run on a flat line…and at 6:20, he was declared lifeless after fighting for his life for 3

hours and 20 minutes. His massive heart attack was di-

rectly triggered by his insufferable reaction to his sister’s untimely pass-ing. It will be recalled that Direk Wenn almost died two years ago due to stroke but a successful angio-plasty procedure on November 2015 gave him an extended lease of life.

Incidentally, another sibling, Bo-bong, died just last December also from the same medical condition.

Close friends June Rufino, ABS-CBN COO Cory Vidanes, Vice Ganda, DJ Durano, and Luis Manzano were among the earliest sympathizers that assisted Direk’s family in the whole post-mortem process. From the Capitol Medical Center, his re-mains in a black and gold casket were brought to Arlington Memorial Chapel along Araneta Avenue where Chapels A, B, and C were reserved to accommodate the anticipated huge turnout of friends and fans that will pay their last respect for the popular director.

His and Wawa’s remains will be laid to rest at Himlayang Pilipino on an undisclosed date awaiting the fi-nal decision of their sisters from the States.

Looking back at Direk’s Wenn humble beginnings and rise to prominence

Once, an adventurous soul was sent out to the world on May 11, 1968 and freed to fight his own battle… merely armed with a prom-ising moniker (Edwin Villanes Dera-mas) and fortified by his unflinching determination to succeed… so he could create an immense change for his family. Though there were cum-bersome and critical situations he met along the way, giving up was far from being an option instead these only challenged him to strive harder and fueled his intention even more.

Edwin, more fondly addressed as Wenn (and later, Direk Wenn) fin-ished Hotel and Restaurant Manage-ment from the University of Santo Tomas (where he was actively in-volved in stage productions in Teatro

This writer with Direk Wenn, Leandro Muñoz, and Marvin Agustin during a break while tapimg MMK on January 21, 2000.

Tomasino) but modestly started as a waiter at the Aristocrat Restaurant after having tried his hands on sales. Although his position was upheld to Food and Beverages coordinator af-ter two years, the promotion wasn’t sufficient to mollify his aspiration for a more exigent job that would challenge his creative capability.

In 1990 he was employed as Production Assistant of ABS-CBN’s “Tatak Pinoy” subsequent to con-fidently meeting the standards of Director Laurenti Dyogi who actu-ally hired him. To keep his pockets locked and subsequently saved his transportation costs, Wenn chose to convert the top of the office cabinets for his bed and merely munched on bread and soup from the studio canteen for sustenance.

His innately smart and clever ways showed potential as a brilliant writer during his worthwhile stint in the show that progressively pushed him to join the studio’s creative team until such time when he was assigned his own show… “Teysi Ng Tahanan,” a morning talk show spiced with day-to-day occurrences hosted by dramatic actress-comedi-enne Tessie Tomas.

It was actually in “Teysi Ng Tah-anan,” where I was an occasional

guest, that he started his directo-rial calling. It came to a point when the production decided to add a 15-minute segment where atten-tion-grabbing stories from letter-senders were dramatized. Since he knew I managed talents, he sought for my support in his maiden direc-torial venture. I could still vividly recall casting college-bred Jackie Aquino and my ward Derick Hibaler as lead actors that delineated the characters in his script. The 15-mi-nuter drama segment took us al-most a day to shoot on location in a middle-class subdivision along Vi-sayas Avenue in Quezon City. Since then, his mini-movies received rave reviews that launched his career as a director …ultimately adding “Di-rek” before his name.

His hard work eventually paid off. After having had established his name as a writer and director, he was promoted as Executive Pro-ducer of “Calvento Files,” a dramati-zation of real life court cases which also gave me the opportunity to provide the show with lead talents and supports.

His baptism of fire was being on the helm of “Maala-ala Mo Kaya, the Movie” which unprecedented

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5The Asian Journal NEW YORK / NEW JERSEY MARCH 4, 2016

An Asian Journal Magazine

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GK USA National Summit 2016There is no better time for Gawad Kalinga (GK) to present the Philippines as the new

land of opportunity, with a steadily rising economy--the fastest growing in the world next to China, according to Bloomberg--and alleviating poverty. GK continues to evolve as a movement, starting with philanthropy expanding to sustainability, and creating hybrid, in-novative systems to end poverty. The Summit will provide an opportunity for Filipinos, GK volunteers, partners, and millennials to reconnect with their homeland, contribute to their country and social entrepreneurship, and help to build bridges for a thriving nation. Asian Americans will have a taste of the emerging market of world-class, affordable Philippine-made products, such as Bayani Brew, First Harvest Peanut Spreads, Human Nature beauty products, and Theo Philo chocolates. Support GK’s humanitarian efforts to provide home and livelihood to the poorest of the poor, and learn about GK, GK USA, and GK Enchanted Farm programs. The Summit will take place from March 4-6, 2016, at the Radisson Midtown at USC, Los Angeles (3540 S Figueroa St. Los Angeles, CA 90007). To register, please visit gk-usa.org.

MARCH 4-6

“An Enchanted Evening” Dinner-Dance for Gawad KalingaAs part of the GK USA National Summit, you are cordially invited to a dinner-dance,

themed “An Enchanged Evening,” to benefit programs of Gawad Kalinga and GK En-chanted Farm. The Dance will take place on Saturday, March 5, 7:00pm, at the Radisson Midtown at USC, Los Angeles (3540 S Figueroa St. Los Angeles, CA 90007). The cost is $100, with formal attire. The all-night program will include dinner, induction of the GK-USA Board of Directors, remarks from the Chairman of the Board, and all-night dancing. For more details on sponsorship packages for Gawad Kalinga builders and feeding programs, as well as GKEF programs and scholarships, please visit gk-usa.org. For tickets, please visit gk-usa.org/dinnerdance.

MARCH 5

Love to Nippon 2016“Love to Nippon 2016” is the fifth-anniversary memorial event and community-wide

tribute to those lost and the survivors of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. The free event will support the recovery and rebuilding efforts in the devastated regions, and helps prepare and train Southern Californians for future natural disasters through sharing information and education, and designating “3.11” (March 11th) as the official statewide natural disaster preparedness training day. The formal program includes peaceful interfaith prayers, incense-burning, musical tributes, panel discussions, and outdoor information booths hosted by the American Red Cross, Home Depot, LA County Fire Dept., US Coast Guard, and affected prefectures of Japan. Love to Nippon 2016 takes place on Sunday, March 6, from 1 pm – 5:30 pm at LAPD Headquarters, Ronald F. Deaton Civic Auditorium (100 West First Street, Los Angeles, California 90012). The event is free. To register (limited auditorium seating available), please visit www.lovetonippon.com. For more information, please call 310.484.1800 / lovetonippon2016@gmail.com.

MARCH 6

If you have an upcoming event and would like us to post it, please email us the details at info@asianjournalinc.com or calendar@asianjournalinc.com

From Page3

down to size. If you have neither the motivation nor the discipline to do this, it won’t happen.

Ergo, put that big, fat ego on a diet, pronto.

If you begin to understand your attitude about money and how you can make it work for you

Money, debt and your...

Oscar winner wears piña by Oliver Tolentino

Fil-Am Oscar winner Ronnie del Carmen, who co-directed and co-wrote “Inside Out,” wore a piña tuxedo by Hollywood Filipino designer Oliver Tolentino at the 88th Academy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 28. “Inside Out” won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film. Co-director Pete Docter and producer Jonas Rivera collected the award.

Del Carmen personally was nominated for Best Original Screenplay for the same film, along with four others. The script was based on a story del Carmen created with Docter.

Going into the awards night, “Inside Out” was favored to win best animated film, but it was a different story in the original screenplay category, as “Inside Out” was competing with “Straight Outta Compton,” “Bridge of Spies,” “Ex Machina,” and “Spotlight,” which won. While it’s often a cliché, it really was a win for del Carmen just to be nominated in this category with all of the live action films.

Del Carmen, who previously worked on “Up,” chose a midnight

blue Oliver Tolentino piña tuxedo to wear to the awards. His wife, Tess del Carmen, also chose a Tolentino creation, opting for an emerald green lace mermaid gown.

Tolentino is known for promoting Philippine eco fabrics, especially in Hollywood. Del Carmen is the first Oscar nominee to wear piña to the Academy Awards. Nominee Matthew Libatique wore an abaca tie with his Tolentino tuxedo in 2011 when he was nominated for cinematography for Black Swan. Celebrities to wear Oliver’s piña outfits in Hollywood have included Carrie Underwood, Emmy Rossum, Jessica Alba, Maria Menounos, Sophia Bush, Tara Lipinski, and Maggie Grace.

Tolentino’s creations are lucky for animated films (and for himself). At the 86th Academy Awards, the designer became the first Filipino in 53 years to dress an Oscar winner when Jennifer Lee won for Frozenwhile wearing his black gown. For more info: www.OliverTolentino.com.

chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, released the statement: ““It is not right to protest the exclusion of one group by making jokes at the expense of another. I am so disappointed that the Academy and ABC would rely on such offensive characterizations, especially given the controversy over the lack of diversity.”

“While much attention was paid to the way African Americans have been ignored by Hollywood, true diversity must include other minorities as well. It is outrageous that the only role that Asian Americans had at last night’s Oscars was to appear as the butt of a joke. Young children stood up on stage as the audience was made to laugh at Asian and Jewish names,” Chu continued. “Reinforcing stereotypes of Asians as good at math or child laborers runs counter to multicultural understanding and inclusion. It’s time for Hollywood to see Asians as more than just punchlines.”

The historic lack of Asian and Asian American representation and recognition at the Oscars was also called out by viewers. According to The Economist and NBC News, Asians make up less than 5 percent of the “Hollywood breakdown” of actors, writers, and directors nominated for an award.

“How unnecessary to make fun of Asians on the Oscars, when Hollywood isn’t even evolved enough to give Asians Asian-specific roles yet,” tweeted Jen Chae (@fromheadtotoe).

Several familiar Asian Americans appeared onstage to present, including South Korean actor Lee Byung-hun, Priyanka Chopra, and Dev Patel. Filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy won an award for her short subject documentary, “A Girl in the River.”

Disney/Pixar’s ‘Inside Out,’ a colorful story about emotions and the wide complexities of the human brain, took home the prize for Best Animated Feature. It was the eighth Pixar film to win in the category, according to USA Today.

“Regardless of whether we get a gold man or not, we get to make stuff,” said the film’s director, Pete Docter. “This film was really born from watching our kids grow up,

Oscar Night: Asian American onstage...From Page2

which is not easy. Anyone out there who is in junior high, high school, working it out, suffering, there are days you’re going to feel sad. You’re going to feel angry, you’re going to be scared. That’s nothing you can choose, but you can make stuff.”

The movie’s co-director, Ronnie del Carmen (from Cavite City and alumnus of the University of Santo Tomas), is the first Filipino to codirect a film at Pixar, as well as the first Filipino to earn an Oscar nomination for best original screenplay.

“Ronnie should be up here, too,” said producer Jonas Rivera in the backstage press room at the Oscars. “Ronnie is an essential part of the movie. He contributed so much to the emotion, the heart of the movie, and we are incredibly lucky to work with him.”

“I am so grateful to be a part of this movie, working with Pete Docter and being part of Pixar! This movie would not be made

if our champion, John Lasseter, did not push for it and support it all the way,” Del Carmen told Inquirer. “As an immigrant from the Philippines, I kept my goals modest and stayed realistic. Because of where I come from, we worked so hard for so little back then. So this means so much to our family for our story.”

At Sunday night’s show, Del Carmen and his wife Theresa wore Philippine-made creations by Hollywood red carpet designer, Oliver Tolentino.

“This is for my parents who worked so hard to save us; my country where so many are like me wishing for what seems impossible,” he continued. “For my people in the Philippines, I can tell you—dreams keep you going. Awards or no awards, let this be a point of reference that anyone can dream the impossible. Do the work, be as good as you can be, fail and learn as you go and you’ll get to a grand place where you’ve become the dream.”

instead of you working for it, then you are on the right track. When it finally hits you that money can either free you or make a slave out of you depending on how you view it and how you use it, you can then begin to exercise the control you never knew you had over it.

The reward is tremendous. You

begin to experience a rare sense of freedom that only a simple life gives. With little or no debt, you can be living in a relatively stress-free state of grace.

* * *Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette.maglaya@asianjournalinc.com

Germany.“I saw the German film, ‘24 Weeks’

[by Anne Zohra Berrached], ‘Creepy’ [by Kiyoshi Kurosawa] from Japan, ‘Genius’ [by Michael Grandage], which stars Jude Law and Colin Firth, and Spike Lee’s ‘Chi-Raq,’ which re-minded me of Mike de Leon’s ‘Kaka-bakaba Ka Ba?’”

He also got the chance to act like a movie fan—when he met Oscar-win-ning actress and jury president Meryl Streep, and Oscar nominee and jury member Clive Owen—during the dinner held in honor of the winners. “That was a pleasant surprise,” he owns up.

He thought he would never get to meet them. “We didn’t see much of Meryl during the premiere. Maybe she wanted to give us (the Philippine team) the floor that time.”

But at the dinner party, Streep sought out the “Hele” cast and crew. “Meryl was genuinely nice and warm. Same with Clive,” he looks back. She made it a point to talk to each of them. “And we were a big, noisy

John Lloyd: Berlinale has opened...From Page3 group. There were 20 of us in our

table.”He says the Hollywood A-listers

wanted to know about the filmmak-ing process in the Philippines. “She asked us how long was the shoot in the rainforest. They found our guer-rilla filmmaking style amazing.”

He asserts that the hype machine should not make a big fuss of his photo with Meryl, which, he admits, went viral on Twitterverse.

“But I hope all this attention would help popularize the film and Lav among our countrymen,” he re-marks.

He saw with his own eyes how Diaz was feted like a rock star in Eu-rope. “Reporters mobbed him. That is so sad because he has to struggle for years to get his films made here.”

He recalls that foreigners were keenly interested in Diaz’s influences and processes. “Of course, there was also this annoying question about the length of the film,” he asserts.

“Hele” runs for eight hours—two hours shorter than Diaz’s previous epic, “Ebolusyon ng Isang Pamilyang Pilipino.”

“A film’s length should not mat-ter,” Cruz clarifies. “A film should be free.”

The cinematic philosophy of Diaz, whom Cruz describes as a humble and self-effacing artist, has become his guiding principle as an actor. “He is now a significant factor in how I will approach my choices.”

Lest his home studio Star Cinema suddenly panics, Cruz swiftly ex-plains: “It doesn’t necessarily mean that I will go against my current plans and commitments. But what will guide my acting decisions will be adherence to the truth.”

Does this mean that he will act in, and produce, more indie films?

“I don’t see that as impossible,” he quips. “I may go into producing, not necessarily directing. The other day, my friends and I were talking about making a short film.”

He speaks with the passion of a fresh convert. “It should be revolu-tionary. I want this to be the begin-ning … the birth of a new creation. As Lav would often tell us. ‘The door is now open. The rest is up to you.’”

success catapulted him as one of the most brilliant directors and gave him mounting assignments… 32 films and over 20 TV drama series. It was Direk Wenn who was solely credited for Vice Ganda’s rise to star-dom and box-office dominance in such tailor-made films as: “Petrang Kabayo” (2010), “The Unkabogable Praybeyt Benjamin” (2011), “Sister-akas” (2012), “Girl, Boy, Bakla, Tom-boy” (2013), “The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin” (2014), and “The Beauty and The Bestie” (2015).

Since his life is in itself loaded with remarkable true-to-life episodes and notable experiences worth-telling, he drew some scenes from his own emotional cache. Take Ai-Ai Delas Alas single working moth-er role in “Tanging Ina,” it was in fact based from Direk Wenn’s own mom who raised all five of them after his father vanished during the Vietnam war that kept them in transitory re-location…about eleven houses in all.

His “Tanging Ina” series undeni-ably established Ai-Ai De Las Alas’ career as a dramatic-comedienne, ditto with Pokwang. Direk Wenn was also behind the success of wide-ly patronized drama series like “Ma-rina,” “Kampanerang Kuba,” “Dyo-sa,” “ Kahit Puso’y Masugatan,” “Flor De Liza,” “Mula Sa Puso,” “Bituin,” “ Saan Ka Man Naroroon,” Sa Dulo Ng Walang Hanggan,” and Buttercup,” just to name a few.

Direk Wenn’s unrivaled directo-rial skill and supremacy among his peers was duly recognized by critics and awarded by prestigious award-giving bodies. He was hailed as Best Director during the 2010 Manila Film Festival for “Tanging Ina Mo,” and Most Popular Film Director for “Sis-terakas” in 2013, for “Girl, Boy, Bakla, Tomboy” in 2014, and in 2015 for “The Beauty and the Bestie.”

His tragic death left behind al-ready conceptualized movie and TV projects plus the launching of his 6-chapter biography book, “Direk 2 Da Poynt,” which took a year and a half to finish. The most awaited book, which rights was bought by Viva’s Vic Del Rosario, extensively chronicles his entire life story from his humble beginning to his promi-

Direk Wenn Deramas cried with...From Page4

nence in the industry and includes advice and tips for would-be direc-tors.

“Direk 2 Da Poynt,” which was originally intended to celebrate his 25 years in showbusiness, also contains quotes and notable side stories from showbiz people he has worked with: John Lapuz, Jaclyn Jose, Claudine Barretto, Vice Ganda, Direk Lauren Dyogi, and Boss Vic Del Rosario.

But what makes the book a hot copy isn’t his daringness to open his life to the public to inspire others but Direk Wenn’s audacious confes-sions about and naming his former male partners. It was already pub-licly shared that one among them was Thaddeus Durano, Jr., a former “That’s Entertainment” alumnus more popularly known as DJ Dura-no… who also happened to be my subject for photoshoots back in the early 90s. Their ten-year relationship ended on February 2013 when DJ decided to marry his longtime girl-friend Joane Dy and establish a fam-ily with their 16 year-old daughter. The separation was devastating for Direk Wenn but everything turned amicably well later and the two still remained friends.

Another unfinished project was a new TV show with a working title, “Picture Perfect,” which features Alex Gonzaga and his new proté-gée, Atak.

Despite having had lived a col-orful past the affable director re-mained tough, approachable, and

has kept his dignity intact. Creative with that distinct brand of original-ity and infectious sense of humor, Direk Wenn’s ultimate cinematic achievements would be his innate generosity and his unsurpassed ca-pacity to entertain, either in person or on screen.

An excerpt from a press state-ment issued by Direk Wenn’s home studio states: “Wenn will be remembered for his unbelievable passion for his craft, his comic ge-nius, and mastery in telling stories centered on family relationships. His voice, his vision, and his pres-ence will be missed in ABS-CBN and the entire entertainment industry. But his legacy will live on in the hearts of the Filipino viewers who laughed, cried, and were inspired by his films and shows. So long and Thank You, Kapamilya Wenn Deramas , Philippine cinema’s box office hit director!”

Death is dreadfully bloodcur-dling like a murderer that attacks during one’s unawareness. Direk Wenn’s rendezvous with death may be disheartening to accept but it enabled him to take an eternal and blissfully serene sleep he deserv-ingly needed.

Goodbye, Direk Wenn… you may be gone but your legacy won’t be hurled to oblivion. Thank you for making us enjoyed living this life with laughter.

For comments and suggestions, please email to: gemini0646@ya-hoo.com

At the dinner party for winners: John Lloyd Cruz, Lav Diaz, Meryl Streep and Clive Owen Photo courtesy of Bianca Balbuena

DJ Durano and Direk Wenn Deramas during happier times

6The Asian Journal NEW YORK / NEW JERSEY MARCH 4, 2016

An Asian Journal Magazine

Prof. EnriquE Soriano

Kite Runner Family businesses in the Year of the Red Fire Monkey

I have decided to prioritize this timely article related to the Year of the Red Fire Monkey hoping our dear readers can use the information as a good reference point in dealing with family members and business owners in the areas of relationships and growth.

At the start of any new year everyone is filled with anticipation and bated breath, eagerly wanting to know what will happen and what will be the trends that will drive the direction of activities in the upcoming year. It’s always useful to read some forecasts from a wide range of industry pros for the information can help validate or adjust one’s direction in his career or business.

2015 has been an interesting year. We have seen businesses experience both success and failure but struggle at times to understand why. This article will present interesting predictions for 2016 from the perspective of Feng Shui experts, the Philippine government, Asian Development Bank and business consultants, both local and foreign.

Feng Shui Predictions While we have officially

welcomed 2016, the Chinese Zodiac New Year ushered in the Year of the Fire Monkey only last February 8, 2016. Cheerful and energetic by nature, monkeys represent flexibility, intelligence and confidence.

The Year of the Fire Monkey, being propitious for regular money supply, is also the right time in 2016 for families and couples to reconsider their daily relationships and break the routine.

Partnerships and new projectsAccording to an online article,

the combination of Fire with the sign of the Monkey brings vitality and innovation to both business and personal relationships. If you start a new project, make sure you get associated with the right business partners, as new sparkling energies also mean heavier risks in case of failure. At work, provided you stay quick, focused and surrounded by the right people, your business might become mature enough for takeoff in 2016.

Although the monkey may bring instability because it is an animal that’s crafty and restless, open to

Illustration by Kendrick Tan

volatility and change, it could also herald major innovation, says Hong Kong-based soothsayer Thierry Chow, as technology falls into the “fire” category.

In an article written by George S i s o n , c o n s c i o u s n e s s guru and founder of the Temple of Prayer, Peace and Prosperity (TOPPP), wrote that the Fire Monkey is particularly good in ventures that are speculative and is an expert in its evaluation of risks to be taken. The key words for this year are achievable, workable and feasible including what many may consider impossible.

Everywhere, new inventions and improvisations will arise. The year is described as highly “competitive” and has also been compared to a big bluff game similar to poker. This will be played in all sectors including politics, big business and even diplomacy – and everyone will be given a chance to join.

The key is to fix all family feuds and misunderstandings

Business will prosper in expected and unexpected ways as a result of new and unconventional ways of doing things. On the other hand, according to Feng Shui expert Marites Allen, future success is likely for anything associated with the water element as well as industries like spa, tourism, banking and shipping.

Lucky colors for this year include blue, black and grey. (No wonder Miss Universe 2016 Pia Alonzo was extra lucky in her stunning royal blue gown by designer Albert Andrada.) As things go, the coming Year of the Fire Monkey is ripe with possibilities, fraught with obstructions and challenges, with people (not necessarily politicians) looking for opportunities and advantages—much like the monkey, who is known for his “scheming tactics.” Of course, one need not be a feng shui expert to know this as the national elections is on May 9.

Change is inevitable“Everybody will be looking

out for themselves, especially financially. The elections will be largely peaceful but marred by conflict, and the next president, whoever that may be, will naturally

have to deal with a lot of politicking and challenges,” Allen says. She refuses to predict who will win the polls without a thorough look at the candidates’ charts. She did say most of the candidates were born in the Year of the Rooster (so expect a cockfight, figuratively, when elections come). Allen also warns against air, shipping or land disasters during the year. Traffic will continue to become a major problem.

On a positive note, those born in the years of the Sheep and Monkey will be financially blessed this year. “The number 8 [Wealth Star] flies to the Southwest this year. This is the corner of the Sheep and the Monkey, so they will enjoy the benefits of the wealth star throughout the year. What’s more there will be two months during the year that the number 8 doubles up. So, you might win in the lotto”, she advises, not totally in jest. Other lucky signs of the year include the Rabbit (prosperity), the Dragon and Snake (victory luck), Horse (windfall), and Rooster (romance luck). (sorianoasia@gmail.com)

* * *Prof. Soriano is an ASEAN Family Business

Advisor, Book Author, Executive Director of ASEAN-based Consulting group, Wong + Bernstein Advisory and former Chair of the Marketing Cluster of the ATENEO Graduate School of Business. He is back in Manila after a 2 week coaching work and book launch in the US where he shared his second book “Ensuring Your Family Business Legacy” to Asian and American Family Business owners. Get Prof Soriano’s book by calling Marianne at +639255224713 or email her at mrevilla@wongadvisory.com. Prof Soriano’s business articles can also be accessed at www.Faminbusiness.com.

Erich Gonzales no pressure in settling down with Daniel Matsunaga

MANILA—Erich Gonzales and Daniel Matsunaga have no plans to settle down yet.

“Wala pa, matagal pa po ‘yan,” Erich replied when asked about plans to settle down, in an interview on Monday when she was launched as first Choobi CHoobi celebrity endorser.

She explained that for now, both of them still have big plans for their careers.

“Pareho kaming may mga pan-garap pa na gustong matupad,” she said. “May mga goals din kami in life na individually, siyempre gusto rin naming mag-grown individu-ally. Siyempre gusto rin namin mas marami pa pong mangyari, like mga roles na magawa, iba pa pong projects.”

For now, she’s happy to be spend-ing a lot of time with Daniel as they star in the morning TV series “Be My Lady.”

Contrary to the belief that couples who work together tend to fight

by Joyce Jimenez Philstar.com

Jolina Magdangal denies Toni Gonzaga causing delay in ‘Written In Our Stars’MANILA—Jolina Magdangal denied that Toni Gonzaga

is the cause of the delay in their shoot of the TV series “Written In Our Stars.”

“Ang huling sinabi nila ‘yong istorya kailangan pang ayusin. ‘Yon pa lang, tapos hindi pa kami nagtanong ulit,” she replied when asked for update in the shoot of their show, in an interview on Tuesday.

She added that Toni has not yet talked to them about her rumored pregnancy.

“Hindi pa siya nagsasabi, e,” she said. “Wala pa talagang confirmation so wala pa talagang alam kung totoo ba o hindi. Ayoko naman magtanong, nahihiya naman ako.”

It was early in February when reports came out about Toni’s pregnancy.

However, the Kapamilya actress remained mum about the issue, saying there’s a right time to talk about the issue.

For now, Jolina and the rest of the “Written In Our Stars” cast are just waiting for the “meeting na mangyayari. Ang sabi lang sa amin magkakaro’n muna ng meeting bago mag-resume. So wait lang kami.”

Other cast of the show are Piolo Pascual and Sam Milby. (Philstar.com) Jolina Magdangal said Toni Gonzaga has not yet confirmed pregnancy

rumors. ABS-CBN photo

Erich Gonzales and Daniel Matsunaga

a lot, Erich said it’s different with them.

“New discovery namin na we love each other, naks!” she said,

laughing. On a more serious note she added, “Okay naman po ‘yong relationship namin and ‘yong work-ing relationship namin.”

Melai not competing with Pokwangby Bot Glorioso

Philstar.com

MANILA—Besties. BFFs. Friend-ship. You can call them whatever you want. After all, Melai Canti-veros and Pokwang are friends in real life.

However, like most relationships under the showbiz spotlight, their friendship has also been viewed by people as either fake or genuine. There were some who surmised that there is competition between the two comediennes. But Melai and Pokwang do not let the “fame game” get in the way of their bond.

“Ate Pokie (Pokwang’s nickname), I really treat her as my Ate. Although we’re not the type who would text each other often, we know in our hearts that we are true friends,” said Melai after the grand press con of ABS-CBN’s latest Primetime Bida offering “We Will Survive” that premiered this week. “Ang bait-bait ni Ate Pokie sa akin kaya nahihiya talaga ako sa nag-iisyu sa amin.”

The close bond began six years ago when Melai entered showbiz right after she became the PBB Double Up grand winner in 2010. Melai shared that it was Pokwang who always gave her “raket” during her “newbie” days when projects only came in trickles. “Whenever she’s not free or cannot attend to her commitments, she would suggest me to the bosses to take her place.”

The 27-year-old comedienne also recalled how Pokwang had been so supportive to her in their first TV project together as main-stays of Happy Yipee Yehey. “Kaya turing ko talaga sa kanya Ate. At kahit sa Banana Split dati, she was there to help me with my outfit and make-up.”

Until this day, Melai and Pok-wang’s relationship exactly defines the old saying, “A friend in need is a friend indeed.” They, too, can easily prove that their friendship is not about fame or money but about trust and having fun.

At the press con, Pokwang re-vealed that Melai became a regular visitor at her home when she and husband Jason Francisco were iron-ing some marital kinks.

“Melai is so genuine; a very kind person,” said Pokwang on their ri-valry issue. “That’s why I cannot take it seriously. Besides, we are working under the same network; magka-kapamilya tayo. We should help one another. Kagaya ng sinasabi ni Mang Dolphy nung nabubuhay

pa siya, ‘Magtulungan kayong mga komedyante.’”

Without a doubt, Pokwang and Melai followed the Comedy King. They are supportive of each other’s careers, especially in their first primetime show We Will Survive.

“I feel nervous. I cannot believe that we will be airing on Monday. That’s why I am praying so hard to the Lord because a primetime (slot) is not a joke. But at the same time, I really am very thankful because I am with Ate Pokie. She helps me how to effectively deliver in drama sequences,” Melai said. “And I’m sure the show will put an end to what-ever comparison is made between us kasi talagang nag-mamahalan kami ni Ate Pokie.”

According to Pokwang, among the stars of We Will Survive, it is Melai who never seems to run out of energy. The former admitted there were times when she felt too sleepy during their location shoot in Bicol where most of the cast members stayed for three weeks. “Pero pag bumulong na si Melai at narinig mo na nagsasalita siya ng ganun, mawawala talaga ang antok mo. Pero ‘pag love life ang usapan, buhay kaming lahat.”

Pokwang added, “Melai has a hard time turning emotional right after completing the light scenes; galing kasi sa katatawa. But once I hold her hand, expect tears in her eyes.”

“But the drama here is not OA (overacting) because we want to show what normally happens in our everyday life na may dumarating talaga na moment na emosyonal

tayo,” Melai said.Asked what she admires most in

Pokwang, Melai replied, “Her being strong in facing life’s challenges. She has survived the painful moments in her life and I cannot think of any-thing that I hate about her because I love Ate Pokie inside out.”

Apart from Pokwang, Melai has also found true friendship with other celebrities like Alex Gonzaga, Angelica Panganiban, Jolina Mag-dangal, Nyoy Volante, Edgar Allan Guzman, Maja Salvador, Kim Chiu, Cacai Bautista, Jay-R and Maxene Magalona. “I can’t mention them all. I have lots of friends in showbiz who I didn’t expect to get along with when we first met. But it only took a short while for me to feel comfortable with them. Nung una kasi na-intimidate pa ko; mababait naman pala sila. Although we don’t normally text one another, still we (have a good time) every time we meet.”

Melai is also blessed with a lot of TV projects. “I am enjoying whatever it is that comes my way. As they say, strike while the iron is hot. I’m contented with whatever project is there for me; I’m not choosy with roles.”

On the personal front, Melai makes sure to spend quality time with Jason and their daughter Mela on weekends. They either go to the mall or stay in a hotel for some leisure.

“I divide my time between work and family because I want to save for the future. Alam mo na may baby na kami kaya ipon pa more, hahaha.”

Melai Cantiveros (left) treats Pokwang as her big sister. They both star in the ABS-CBN latest offering “We Will Survive” that is set to air on the Primetime Bida.

7The Asian Journal NEW YORK / NEW JERSEY MARCH 4, 2016

An Asian Journal Magazine

Filipino community in Metro DC remembers EDSA in Embassy ‘Talakayan’

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Members of the Filipino community in the Metro DC area swapped stories and insights into the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution in a Talakayan held on Monday, Feb. 29 at the Romulo Hall of the Philippine Embassy.

The Talakayan was jointly orga-nized by the Embassy and the Philip-pine Arts, Letters and Media Council (PALM) to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of People Power.

“The first peaceful uprising in his-tory, EDSA not only restored democ-racy and supremacy of civilian author-ity in the Philippines, but also laid out for the world to see the best of the Filipino – courageous, peace-loving, and compassionate,” said Philippine Ambassador to the Philippines Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. in his keynote address.

Consistent with this year’s anniver-sary theme, “Pagbabago: Ipinaglaban N’yo, Itutuloy Ko,” Ambassador Cuisia made a call to action for the protec-tion of People Power’s legacy.

“To honor the memories of those who fought for the restoration of Phil-ippine democracy, we are duty-bound to ensure that the lessons of the Revo-lution are well-learned and never for-gotten,” the Ambassador stressed.

He highlighted the need to engage the younger generations of Filipinos and Filipino-Americans in order to keep the spirit of EDSA alive.

“It is therefore my fervent hope that what we are doing today will make the Filipino and Filipino-Ameri-can youths realize that EDSA is not just a traffic congested avenue in Metro Manila, but the birthplace of modern Filipino empowerment,” Ambassador

Cuisia added. PALM President Mitzi Pickard

echoed the Ambassador’s message as she shared her involvement as a young activist in those days.

“For all of us, EDSA People Power 1986 was a pivotal part of Philip-pine history—a shining period for the Philippines that brought it into worldwide cynosure. EDSA was an exciting experience we were proud to participate in—whether we were in the Philippines or in Metro DC,” Ms. Pickard stated.

“It is more important than ever to pass on these majestic, memo-rable moments in Philippine/Filipino American history to our younger generations. It is incumbent upon the ‘young once’ to pass on the legacy of this peaceful transition of democracy to our ‘young ones,’” she further said.

Richard Villa Mercado, an alumnus of the University of the Philippines

Diliman, offered an eyewitness ac-count of the events on 22-26 Febru-ary 1986 and described the sense of pride felt by the Filipino community when President Corazon Aquino em-barked on her first official visit to the United States in September 1986.

“The People Power Revolution is one of the pivotal moments of my life. I consider myself lucky to be a part of a peaceful People Power Rev-olution in February of ’86 and also, six months later, to be a part of the historic visit of Cory here in DC and in New York,” he said.

Jon Melegrito, a Filipino com-munity leader and National Coor-dinator of the Coalition Against the Marcos Dictatorship (CAMD) from 1978 to 1986, opined that the events in February 1986 were a culmination of years of dissidents’ and activists’ fighting a “lonely battle”. He recalled those who sacrificed their lives in the

name of freedom and democracy. “Like Ninoy, they believed that the

Filipino is worth dying for,” Mr. Me-legrito underscored.

Following the panel discussion was a Q&A that also tackled the role of the US Government and the Fili-pino community in the United States in shaping the outcome of the EDSA Revolution.

Steven Rood, currently the Philip-pine Country Representative for The Asia Foundation, likewise shared his experiences as a professor in UP Ba-guio during People Power.

Enriching the commemorative program were the poignant rendition of “Magkaisa” by Filipino community leaders Drs. Vic and Bambi Lorica and a viewing of the music video “Han-dog ng Pilipino sa Mundo.” Move-ment for Free Philippines member Maurese Oteyza Owens introduced the panelists.

Memories of a peaceful revolution Photo courtesy of Dr. Annabelle Carnice and her husband, Jonathan

Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. delivers the keynote address during the Embassy Talakayan to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of People Power Revolution on 29 February 2016.

Drs. Vic and Bambi Lorica sing a moving rendition of “Magkaisa” during the Embassy Talakayan to commemorate the 30thAnniversary of People Power Revolution on 29 February 2016.

Laban pa rin! (L-R): PALM President Mitzi Pickard, Jon Melegrito, Maurese Oteyza Owens and Richard Villa Mercado are the main speakers at the Embassy Talakayan to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of People Power Revolution on 29 February 2016.

Secretary Del Rosario honorsthe late Steve Bosworth for hisEDSA People Power connectionNEW YORK—At a me-

morial service held for the late US diplomat Steve Bosworth last Feb. 20 at the Harvard University Memorial Church in Cam-bridge, Massachusetts, Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert Del Rosario delivered a per-sonal eulogy for his old friend and fellow fighter for democracy.

During the event at-tended by Bosworth’s family, friends and col-leagues from the US Foreign Service and the academe, the late Am-bassador was mostly me-morialized for his term in the Philippines because of his role in the peaceful overthrowing of dicta-torship during the 1985 People Power Revolu-tion, the highlight of his diplomatic career.

Secretary Del Rosario recalled his own encounters with then Ambassa-dor to the Philippines Steve Bosworth during the pivotal EDSA Revolution. The two were already close friends then, and Secretary Del Rosario was tasked to engage Ambassador Bos-worth for assistance when the dicta-torship cut off all lines of communi-cation between anti-Marcos rebels in Camp Aguinaldo and other military camps around the country. Ambassa-dor Bosworth was credited with help-ing effectively manage the Marcoses’ eventual exit out of Manila.

Their friendship grew even deeper when Mr. Del Rosario became the Philippine Ambassador to the United States in 2001 and then the Secretary of Foreign Affairs in 2011. After hav-ing served as Ambassador to Tunisia, Republic of Korea and the Philippines, Ambassador Bosworth then took on the Deanship of Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts Univer-

sity in Medford, MA. At the time of his death, Ambassador Bosworth was the chairman of the US-Korea Institute at the Pail H Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.

“We Filipinos, in particular, claim a share of his memory, for his advocacy of our freedom, for his support of Phil-ippine democracy and for his commit-ment to excellence in service, whether in Government or academe, from which Filipinos have also benefited. It is from Steve, and from staunch men and women like him, that we are for-ever inspired to build a better world for our children and our children’s children.” Secretary Del Rosario con-cluded in his remarks.

The Secretary was joined by his wife, Gretchen, Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. and Consul General Mario De Leon, Jr. at the event. Others who gave their remembrances were Former South Korean Foreign Minister Hang Sung Joo and Council on Foreign Relations President Richard Haass.

8The Asian Journal NEW YORK / NEW JERSEY MARCH 4, 2016

An Asian Journal Magazine