Serviceman was PHL-US ‘war games’ participant; Victim strangled

By Cecil MorellaOLONGAPO CITY, October 14,

2014 (AFP) - The Philippines said Tuesday it would seek custody of a US Marine currently detained on a war ship under suspicion of the murder of a local transgender person as police readied murder charges against him.

The body of Jeffrey Laude, also known as Jennifer, was found by hotel staff in the northern port city of Olongapo on Sunday, less than an hour after the victim checked into a room with an un-identifi ed blonde male.

The suspect was part of the 3,500-member US contingent in the Philippines to conduct joint military exercises, which ended last week.

A police statement issued Tuesday said the US serviceman had been identifi ed by a witness and that a murder charge was be-ing prepared against him.

Earlier the American embassy had confi rmed: “A US Marine has been identifi ed as a possible sus-

pect in the ongoing investigation. The suspected Marine is assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, out of Camp Lejeune, North Caro-lina.”

It added that the soldier was being held onboard USS Peleliu while a joint Naval Criminal In-vestigative Service and Philip-pine National Police investigation is conducted.

Eduardo Oban, executive direc-tor of a commission overseeing the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the two countries, said the USS Peleliu would remain in the country while the investiga-tion is going on.

He said charges against the American would be fi led “very soon,” but would not give details.

Asked if the Philippines would seek custody of the suspect, Oban said: “The Philippine government should exert that position: that we would like to take custody of the US serviceman.”

The United States could turn down this request but Oban stressed: “It’s an extraordinary case, yes. That’s why we are as-

See US MARINE, page 12

Vol. 4. No. 4 LOS ANGELES Wednesday - Tuesday, October 15 - 21, 2014

KC downedby dengue;

confi ned

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MANILA, Oct 13 (Mabuhay) – There are impeachable offi cials who may only be removed from offi ce through impeachment pro-ceedings, and there may be im-munity from suit, but there is no such thing as immunity from in-vestigation.

This was stressed by Justice Secretary Leila De Lima in the wake of criticisms from the Unit-ed Nationalist Alliance (UNA) against her pronouncements that she may order the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to

investigate allegations against UNA stalwart Vice-President Jejomar Binay, members of his family, and other individuals im-plicated in the Binays’ alleged pocketing of public funds through rigged Makati City projects.

Due to the gravity of the alle-gations against the Binays, and considering that public funds are involved, De Lima said it may be diffi cult for the country’s premier investigative agency to turn a blind eye on the issue considering that the bureau’s core mandate is

precisely that: to investigate.“There is no such thing as im-

munity from investigation. There is an immunity form suit, may mga impeachable offi cials na they can only be removed through im-peachment, but it doesn’t mean na hindi na po sila pwede imbestiga-han. Pwede mag-positive, pwede mag-negative. Kung positive, de-pende din if it will fall under the grounds of impeachable offenses under the grounds set forth by the Constitution then saka pwede to

Justice Secretary Leila De said she may order the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to investigate allegations against UNA stalwart Vice-President Jejomar Binay, members of his family, and other individuals implicated in the Binays’ alleged pocketing of public funds through rigged Makati City projects.

MANILA, Oct 13 (Mabuhay) – A spokesman of Vice President Jejomar Binay on Monday said members of the ruling Liberal Party and the Nacionalista Party are conspiring to discredit the vice-president before the 2016 presidential election.

Attorney JV Bautista said Oplan “Stop Nognog in 2016” is an organized take-down orches-trated by members of the LP in-cluding Interior and Local Gov-ernment Secretary Mar Roxas and members of the NP including Senators Alan Peter Cayetano, Antonio Trillanes IV and other Binay accusers.

“This is a well-funded, well fi -nanced, well organized conspira-cy, the principal aim of which is to destroy chances of Vice-President Binay to become next president in 2016,” said Bautista.

In the interview, Bautista described Nognog as a Filipino komiks character with dark skin color.

“[Nognog] is supposed to be small and dark-skinned. If you ask any Liberal Party operative, when they speak of the vice-pres-ident, they refer to him under the code Nognog,” he added.

Binay is being accused of pock-

MANILA, Oct 11 (Mabuhay) – The Palace said it expects signifi -cant improvements in the coun-try’s major airports next year as the Philippines aggressively pro-motes its tourism sector.

Deputy Presidential spokes-person Abigail Valte said part of it is the ongoing rehabilitation work at the Ninoy Aquino Inter-national Airport Terminal 1.

“Nakikita naman natin that the work is taking place, which is why we continue to seek the understanding of our passengers because of the inconvenience that the rehab work is causing,” Valte told dzRB Radyo ng Bayan in an interview Saturday.

Aviation authorities also trans-

ferred at least fi ve of the interna-tional airlines from Terminal 1 to NAIA Terminal 3, she said.

With the transfer, major air-lines could fully utilize NAIA Ter-minal 3 easing the passenger con-gestion at the Terminal 1. Among those transferred to Terminal 3 include Singapore Airlines, Ca-thay Pacifi c, KLM, and Delta Air-lines.

“So at least the remaining air-lines there, mas kakaunti na sila, mas kakaunti na ang mga pasa-herong dadaan doon sa terminal na ‘yun, (Terminal 1) especially now that it’s undergoing rehabili-tation,” she noted.

The government has to im-

President Benigno S. Aquino III observes the arrival of Emirates Airbus A380 from Dubai at the Singapore Travelers’ Lounge (beside Emirates Gate 115) at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City on Tuesday night (October 07). (MNS photo)

MANILA, Oct 11 (Mabuhay) – President Benigno Aquino III is confi dent that he will be given additional powers to address the looming power shortage in the summer of 2015.

Speaking to reporters in Indo-nesia, Aquino said, “At the end of the day, sino kaya sa mambaba-tas natin ang magvo-volunteer na kung saka-sakali dumating ang brownout natin next year at wala tayong mahugutan, sino kaya sa kanila ang papayag na maalala, ‘Kung pumayag kayo meron tay-ong pagbubunutan. Hindi kayo pumayag, ayan wala tayong pag-

MANILA, Oct 11 (Mabuhay) – The Philippine National Police’s going on heightened alert is re-lated more to President Benigno Aquino III’s recent foreign trip and not to a supposed bomb plot in Metro Manila, Malacañang said Saturday.

Deputy presidential spokesper-son Abigail Valte said the PNP has a standard operating procedure to go on heightened alert when the head of state goes abroad.

“May protocol ang PNP kung kailan ibababa ang heightened alert. It’s SOP for the PNP when a head of state goes out of the coun-

try,” she said on government-run dzRB radio.

“’Yan ang dahilan bakit nag-increase ng alert at walang ibang dahilan,” she added.

Aquino returned to the Philip-pines Friday night after taking part in the Bali Democracy Fo-rum in Indonesia.

Earlier this week, the embas-sies of the United States and Australia advised their nationals in the Philippines to take precau-tions due to a supposed bomb plot in Metro Manila.

On Thursday, the US Embassy

MANILA, Oct 13 (Mabuhay) – Justice Secretary Leila de Lima has created a special fact-fi nding committee that will look into al-leged extortion by supposed Na-tional Bureau of Investigation agents targeting Saudi nationals in the country.

Through Department Order 729, the committee was formed and would be composed of mem-bers of the Department of Justice, the NBI, and the National Pros-

US Marine suspect in death of transgender

De Lima to Binay: No such thing as immunity from probe

Stop Nognog 2016: Binay camp blasts ‘conspiracy’

Aquino to lawmakers: Grant additional powers now

Palace: PNP’s heightened alert not due to ‘bomb plot’

De Lima forms team to probe NBI agents‘ ‘extortion’ of Saudi nationals

Gov’t determined to improve country’s airports, says Palace

See NOGNOG, page 12See DE LIMA, page 12

See AQUINO, page 12

See EXTORTION, page 12See BOMB PLOT, page 12 See DETERMINED, page 12

(BALI, Indonesia) Members of the Philippine Media got an oppotunity to have a “self-ie” taken with President Benigno S. Aquino III during the coffee with media held at the Nusa Dua Hotel Resort on Friday (October 10). (MNS photo)

Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday - Tuesday, October 15 - 21, 2014 THE US ASIAN POST2 LOS ANGELES

MANILA, Oct 13 (Mabuhay) – Vice President Jejomar Binay’s satisfaction rating fell to its low-est in four years, according to a new survey by pollster Social Weather Stations.

The Vice President had a net rating of +52 (70 percent satisfi ed, 17 percent dissatisfi ed), down 15 points from +67 (78 percent sat-isfi ed, 11 percent dissatisfi ed) in the second quarter.

While Binay’s rating was with-in the “very good” range, this was lower than the previous record low ofa “very good” +57 in Novem-ber 2010.

Binay has recently been linked to several controversies, includ-ing the alleged overpricing of the Makati City Hall Building II.

SWS classifi es net satisfac-tion ratings of +70 and above as “excellent”; +50 to +69 as “very good”; +30 to +49, “good”; +10 to +29, “moderate”; +9 to -9, “neu-tral”; -10 to -29, “poor”; -30 to -49, “bad”; -50 to -69, “very bad”; and -70 and below as “execrable.”

The poll was taken from Sep-tember 26 to 29, from 1,200 re-spondents. Sampling error mar-gins of ±3% for national and ±6% for area percentages applied to the survey.

Other top offi cialsDespite the drop in the satisfac-

tion poll, Binay still rated highest among the top fi ve government of-fi cials.

President Benigno Aquino III had a “good” +34 in September (59 percent satisfi ed, 25 percent dissatisfi ed).

Senate President Franklin Drilon’s score rose 16 points to a “good” +36 (58 percent satisfi ed, 23 percent dissatisfi ed) from a “moderate” +20 (50 percent sat-isfi ed, 30 percent dissatisfi ed) in June.

House Speaker Feliciano Bel-monte Jr.’s ratings rose 11 points to a “moderate” +13 (40 percent satisfi ed, 27 percent dissatisfi ed) from a “neutral” +2 (34 percent satisfi ed, 32 percent dissatisfi ed).

Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno’s ratings rose four points to +10 (37 percent satisfi ed, 27 percent satisfi ed) from +6 (36 per-cent satisfi ed, 30 percent dissatis-fi ed).

Government institutionsThe September poll also found

better satisfaction ratings for top government institutions.

The Senate recorded a 16-point upswing to a +28 (53 percent sat-isfi ed, 26 percent dissatisfi ed), though this was still a “moderate” rating.

The House of Representatives’ score also remained at “moder-ate,” despite an eight point im-provement to +21 (45 percent satisfi ed, 24 percent dissatisfi ed) from +13 (44 percent satisfi ed, 31 percent dissatisfi ed).

Public satisfaction with the Supreme Court remained at a “good” +32 (54 percent satisfi ed, 22 percent dissatisfi ed). This was two points better than the +30 (55 percent satisfi ed, 25 percent dis-satisfi ed) in the second quarter.

As for the Cabinet, its score improved to a “moderate” +18 (43 percent satisfi ed, 26 percent dis-satisfi ed), from a “neutral” +7 (39 percent satisfi ed, 32 percent dis-satisfi ed) in the second quarter. (MNS)

VP Binay satisfaction rating falls to lowest since Nov 2010 – SWS

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MANILA, Oct 11 (Mabuhay) -- President Benigno Aquino III declined to give an advice to Vice President Jejomar Binay on whether he should face the Sen-ate blue ribbon sub-committee which is investigating alleged cor-ruption in Makati City.

Speaking to reporters in In-donesia, Aquino said he does not think it is proper to give Binay unsolicited advice on the matter, especially that the vice president is more senior than him in public service.

“He is an astute politician. He’s a lawyer... He’s older. He should know what should be done,” Aqui-no said.

“Ano bang tawag doon sa sabi

ng nakakatanda sa atin adelan-tado ba, yon bang nagmamarun-ong pa ako sa kanya. Bibigyan ko naman siya, siyempre, the respect and courtesy due his offi ce and as a friend na yung he will be the best judge as to what he has to do,” he added.

The president also refused to comment on the new accusa-tions thrown against Binay that he owns a sprawling mansion in Tagaytay and a 350-hectare prop-erty in Batangas.

He noted that he has no per-sonal knowledge of the issues nor the alleged illegal transactions entered into by the city govern-ment of Makati when Binay was still mayor of the city.

He said he has also not talked to Binay about the allegations against him.

But as far as the vice presi-dent’s duty as housing czar is concerned, Aquino said there has been no allegation that Binay has done something wrong.

“Parang the strides that we have done as far as housing is con-cerned, he should be given credit rin naman for his role in helping us achieve those targets,” he said.

“At the end of the day, I re-ally believe that the truth will come out. Anybody and everybody who knows and who has person-al knowledge of the issue should help contribute to ferreting the truth,” Aquino said. (MNS)

Aquino not keen on giving Binay unsolicited advice

MANILA, Oct 13 (Mabuhay) – Vice-President Jejomar Binay is no “Rambotito” or a little John Rambo, according to the secre-tary general of the United Na-tionalist Alliance.

Atty. JV Bautista twitted Sen. Chiz Escudero for asking why the vice-president has not shown his more aggressive side in tak-ing on his critics.

“Unfortunately for Chiz Escu-dero, the ‘Rambotito’ he is look-ing for is no longer there. He is saying he is kind of surprised that Rambotito has not come into the picture. He claims that Vice President Binay has this reputation of being a Rambotito meaning a little Rambo,” he said.

“That’s too 1980s. That’s too 80s. The vice-president was just in his 40s during that time. He has matured. He has outgrown that. He is now the second high-est leader in the land. The vice-president is now a statesman. He is an experienced leader and he is a true leader of the people

and he is poised to become the leader of this nation from the highest offi ce.”

Escudero earlier claimed Bi-nay used to don fatigues and clutch an Uzi submachine gun to show his support for President Corazon Aquino during her ad-ministration.

Meanwhile, Bautista said the vice-president’s personality is very different from that of Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago.

Santiago has also questioned why Binay has not answered the corruption allegations against him. She said any public offi -cial accused of corruption would throw a fi t and punch his accus-er.

“She can throw a tantrum. She can scream and pull her hair but the vice-president cannot do that. The personality of the vice-president is far, far different. He is very soft-spoken now,” Bau-tista said.

Binay is accused of pocketing millions of pesos in kickbacks

from various Makati infrastruc-ture projects including the P2.2 billion Makati City Hall building 2.

A property appraiser earlier said his estimate on the cost of construction of the Makati City Hall Building 2 is only P877.1 million.(MNS)

Binay no longer a ‘little Rambo’: spokesman

MANILA, Oct 14 (Mabuhay) – Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Tuesday said the pieces of evidence the National Bureau of Investigation could gather may be used to initiate an im-peachment complaint against Vice President Jejomar Binay.

“Depende kung ma-validate at makakalap ng sapat na ebidensya na sinusuportahan at corroborate ang akusasyon o alegasyon ni former Vice Mayor [Ernesto] Mercado,” De Lima

NBI evidence may beused in VP Binay impeachment: De Lima

said on whether Binay could be impeached us-ing the evidence the NBI could gather.

Mercado earlier tes-tifi ed before a Senate inquiry that Binay ben-efi ted from the alleged overpricing of the P2.7-billion Makati City Hall Building II, which was built during his incum-bency as Makati mayor.

He added that Binay had received a 13-per-cent kickback for every contract the city govern-ment entered into dur-ing his mayoralty.

Mercado also alleged that Binay was the own-er of a 350-hectare farm in Rosario, Batangas as well as mansions in Ta-gaytay City.

“Depende if ma-verify and ma-back up with suffi cient evidence (that would determine if the acts) would constitute an impeachable offense,” said De Lima.

She, however, said that it was not for the Department of Justice to determine whether the allegations against Binay fall under im-peachable offenses such as culpable violation of te Constitution, high graft and corruption, or betrayal of public trust.

“Hindi kami ang magsasabi kung iyan ay impeacheable offense kasi dadaan ulit iyan sa Ombudsman,” Justice Secretary Leila De Lima said.

THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday - Tuesday, October 15 - 21, 2014 usasianpost.com 3LOS ANGELES

MANILA, October 12, 2014 (AFP) – Lava is again fl owing out of Mayon, the Philippines’ most active volcano, raising fears an eruption could be imminent, au-thorities said Sunday.

The government has already evacuated around 63,000 people living inside a six-kilometre (3.7-mile) danger zone around the vol-cano, after it began to spew out white smoke and some lava last month.

Activity had appeared to quieten down but a fresh cas-cade – confi rmed by the Philip-pine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology Sunday – this time stretching further down the slopes, has prompted concerns that an eruption may soon take place.

“The fi rst activity started on September 15 and lasted for a few days. After that, there was a lull or no summit activity, but this morning, our volcanologists spot-ted a lava fl ow,” said Renato Soli-

dum, head of the government vol-canology agency told ABS-CBN television.

“What is happening now is that there is very slow movement... of lava fl ow about 350 meters (1,148 feet) in length from the summit,” he added.

Solidum warned lava fl ow from Mayon was usually followed by “an explosive phase of eruption” although he could not estimate when such blasts could occur.

He explained magma inside the volcano was now rising to the summit slowly but added that it could accelerate, prompting quakes and small explosions and potentially causing a much larger eruption.

The 2,460-metre (8,070-foot) Mayon, located about 330 kilome-ters (200 miles) southwest of Ma-nila, has a long history of deadly eruptions.

Four foreign tourists and their local tour guide were killed when Mayon last erupted, in May 2013.

In 1814 more than 1,200 people were killed when lava fl ows bur-ied the town of Cagsawa.

An explosion in August 2006 did not cause direct deaths, but four months later a typhoon un-leashed an avalanche of volcanic mud from Mayon’s slopes that killed 1,000 people.

The head of civil defense op-erations around Mayon, Bernardo Alejandro said the government had done an aerial survey of the volcano and cabinet ministers were in the area to assess the needs of people who had fl ed their homes.

He told AFP they would now be stricter in enforcing a ban on the entry of people into the danger zone.

Mayon is now rated on “level 3” meaning a possible eruption in weeks but Alejandro said they were now assessing whether to raise this to “level 4” meaning a possible eruption in days or even hours.

MANILA, Oct 11 (Mabuhay) – The national government extend-ed more than P55 million for Albay province through various gov-ernment agencies as assistance to communities affected by Mayon volcano’s impending eruption.

In a radio interview Saturday over dzRB Radyo ng Bayan, Deputy Presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said that national government agencies have been lending help to the province of Al-bay since the evacuation of affected families started.

The government relocates the people away from the six-kilome-ter permanent danger zone near Mayon volcano.

Valte also said government agencies as well as the local govern-ment continue to monitor the situation near the volcano.

With regards to Typhoon Ompong that brought heavy fl ooding in Iloilo and Zamboanga, Valte said the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) also continues to lend assistance to affected residents.

“Kasi nang pumasok naman po ang Typhoon Ompong ay naka-preposition na ang mga goods and medicines natin, and handa na ‘yung pagbibigay ng saklolo sa mga kababayan natin doon sa mga apektadong lugar,” she told the radio station. (MNS)

MANILA, Oct 13 (Mabuhay) – Two regional Department of Ag-riculture offi cials and an instruc-tor from an agricultural college in Bulacan have been dismissed from service in connection with the Arroyo administration’s Ginintuang Masaganang Ani program, the Offi ce of the Om-budsman said Monday.

In a news release, the Om-budsman said Regional Field Unit (RFU) III project coordina-tor Ponciano Vinuya and Bula-can Agricultural State College instructor Julita Ponce were found guilty of grave miscon-duct for misappropriating public funds and falsifying offi cial docu-ments.

Vinuya and Ponce were also found guilty of serious dishon-esty along with RFU III cashier Elena Miranda, it added.

According to a 24-page deci-sion on the case, the Commission on Audit (COA) found in a spe-cial audit that offi cial receipts,

vouchers, and other supporting documents used in the liquida-tion for the program’s High Val-ue Commercial Crops (HVCC) project were falsifi ed.

RFU III received P4.9 million for the HVCC project in Novem-ber 2001 from the Philippine Coconut Authority, the Ombuds-man said.

The unit then tapped the Phil-ippine Agriculture and Resour-ches Research Foundation (PAR-RFI) as NGO-partner to conduct an impact assessment of the pro-gram of P3 million.

COA’s special audit report found that PARRFI only re-ceived P150,000, not P750,000 as Miranda claimed.

It added that no training was conducted at the BASC, and that attendance sheets did not indi-cate trainings and dates. Meals for the training were also con-sidered overpriced. Ponce report-edly signed the offi cial receipt in behalf of the caterer.

COA also found that Vinuya falsifi ed liquidation vouchers and supporting documents for Miranda’s cash advances, which totaled to P847,765.

The Bureau of Internal Reve-nue (BIR) also certifi ed the claim of Cicero Garcia, proprietor of Manyaman Keni restaurant, who denied any transaction with RFU in August 2002.

Vinuya, Ponce, and Miranda’s dismissal comes with accessory penalties, including the forfei-ture of their retirement benefi ts and permanent disqualifi cation from public offi ce.

Their eligibility for civil ser-vice will also be cancelled, along with their chance to take the civ-il service examination.

Meanwhile, the Ombudsman junked charges against former regional director Pepito de Dote, who died in 2009, and accoun-tant Narcisa Maningding, whose case was dismissed for lack of substantial evidence. (MNS)

MANILA, Oct 14 (Mabuhay) – The equity value buyout of the Metro Rail System-3 (MRT-3) will push through in 2015 as far as government is concerned, Trans-portation Secretary Jun Abaya said on Tuesday.

The MRT is owned by MRT Corp. (MRTC) and is operated by government as part of the sys-tem’s original build-lease-trans-fer agreement. Abaya said an es-timated P54 billion has already been allocated as part of the bud-get for 2015 for the government takeover of the MRT facility.

He said that the buyout will no longer be negotiable, citing the build-lease-transfer agreement between government and MRTC that specifi es a formula on how to compute an equity value buyout.

“As far as government is con-cerned, yes it will happen [in buy-out]. No negotiations, the formula is fi xed, we will execute,” he said.

Abaya said buying out the rail system will allow government to make decisions without the inter-ference of the private sector.

He said this issue arose when government decided to purchase new light rail vehicles (LRV) from CNR Dalian Locomotive & Roll-ing Stock Co. of China, but it was blocked by the MRTC.

“It was clearly manifested when we bought 48 new trains, which is obviously the solution to the long lines and uncomfortable

trains, we got a TRO. And guess who fi led the TRO? It was the pri-vate sector owners, insisting that government shouldn’t buy, that they should have the right. We want to get rid of those.”

“When you’re upgrading, the last thing that you want is a TRO against you when you’re do-ing something for the people,” he said, adding that a buyout elimi-nates the “irregular, weird, queer relationship” involving the owner-ship of the MRT.

The TRO has since lapsed, al-lowing the Department of Trans-portation and Communications (DOTC) to push through with the acquisition of new trains.

But while government is set on the takeover, Abaya said he is expecting resistance from the pri-vate owners of the MRT over the planned government takeover.

“You could already assume that the private owners won’t be happy with our execution. They’ll fi nd ways to stop us, they’ll put a TRO on it, they’d want to con-tinue to be part of this queer rela-tionship,” he said.

Senator Serge Osmeña III ear-lier suggested that the fastest way to solve MRT management issues is to simply negotiate with busi-nessman Manny V. Pangilinan.

However, Abaya said offers made by Pangilinan were reject-ed because it will involve higher fares for commuters.

Fresh lava spews out of Mayon, stoking eruption fears 

2 DA execs, college instructor sacked over anomalous agri project

Gov’t extends P55-million assistance to Albay residents

Abaya: No MRT buyout

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MANILA, Oct 13 (Mabuhay) – The Philippine government is prioritizing efforts against the deadly Ebola virus and the Middle East respirato-ry syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), President Benigno Aquino III assured international health offi cials on Monday.

At the opening session of the World Health Or-ganization (WHO) Western Pacifi c regional com-mittee meeting in Pasay City, Aquino said the suppression of these diseases is a “paramount con-cern” of his administration.

“Outbreaks of illnesses and diseases like the MERS-coronavirus and Ebola are among the great-est challenges the world faces today. For the Phil-ippines, specifi cally, the fact that we have 10 mil-lion of our countrymen living and working abroad makes these kinds of outbreaks a paramount con-cern,” Aquino said.

The President also shared how the Department of Health managed to successfully prevent the spread of the MERS-CoV in the country over the past months.

Meanwhile, a World Health Organization (WHO) offi cial said the Philippines is “vulnerable” to the threat of the deadly Ebola virus due to its migrant population.

During the same session, WHO executive di-rector Ian Smith described the Ebola outbreak in West Africa as the “most severe, acute health emergency seen in modern time.”

“The large number of Filipino migrant workers all over the world makes this country vulnerable to the importation of disease whether involving the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus or even more deeply feared, the Ebola virus dis-ease,” Smith said.

Some 10 million Filipinos are living outside the Philippines, while over 1,700 are currently in Ebo-la-hit West Africa.

Smith also warned of the possible “economic cost” of the Ebola threat if efforts against the virus will be “irrational and disorganized.”

“We at the WHO are very well aware that fear of the infection has spread all over the world much faster than the virus,” the WHO offi cial said.

“We do need to be deeply concerned. The world’s public health community must continue to focus on major health threats,” he added.

But Smith expressed confi dence that the Phil-ippines can prevent the importation of the Ebola virus in the country, describing Filipinos as “well-known survivors.”

“You have been hit with more than your share of disasters and misfortune in recent years. You survive. You learn. You prepare better using these lessons, and then you share these lessons with oth-ers,” he said.

He also commended the Department of Heath (DOH) for already tapping both the public and pri-vate sectors in efforts against the deadly virus.

For his part, Health Secretary Enrique Ona also described the “Ebola threat” as one of the most pressing issues that need to be tackled by WHO member-states.

The Philippine government earlier said that the country is prepared against the Ebola threat.

Based on WHO fi gures, over 4,000 people have already died from Ebola, with 8,399 registered cases in seven countries.

This was the fi rst time in 25 years that the Phil-ippines hosted the WHO Regional Committee meeting. The last time was during the administra-tion of President Aquino’s late mother, Corazon.

The Philippines is a founding member of the WHO, and a signatory to the UN agency’s Consti-tution. (MNS)

Aquino: PHL prioritizing efforts vs. Ebola, MERS-CoV

MANILA, October 10, 2014 (AFP) – The Philip-pines is considering deploying substantial numbers of health workers to West Africa amid a global ap-peal to deal with the Ebola virus, Health Secretary Enrique Ona said Friday.

The United States and United Kingdom have both specifi cally asked Manila to provide “human resources”, Ona said, adding that the nation’s high number of qualifi ed health professionals make it well-placed to provide help.

The United Nations has meanwhile called for a 20-fold increase in the world’s response to the Ebola epidemic, which has killed nearly 3,900 people in West Africa since the beginning of the year.

“I think it is also something of a responsibility for our country... to respond to that global call for as-sistance,” Ona said at a joint news conference with World Health Organization Western Pacifi c direc-tor Shin Young-soo.

“We (Philippine offi cials) are meeting on this is-sue and should be able to make a fi rm decision... maybe in a week or so.”

The Philippines is expected to decide after Presi-dent Benigno Aquino meets key offi cials to discuss the specifi c US and UK requests, Ona added.

Shin said the Philippines was in a unique posi-tion of having “so many qualifi ed health workers” and wanting to express its gratitude for the global

rescue and rehabilitation effort after it was struck by Super Typhoon Haiyan last year.

Other Asia-Pacifi c countries have also offered support including medics from China, fi nancial sup-port commitments from Australia and South Korea, and laboratory experts from Japan, Shin added.

The health secretary said the Philippines would only be sending volunteers, and noted it had a po-tentially large pool.

The health department has fi elded queries from Filipino health workers wanting to work in West Africa, he added.

“The human resources that may be needed (may) not necessarily be working only in the Ebola-affect-ed facilities,” Ona said when asked about the poten-tial size and composition of the Philippine contribu-tion.

“(There) may also be workers needed, for ex-ample, in public health, or taking care of hospitals where the usual non-Ebola patients go,” he added.

The United Kingdom has specifi cally offered fi -nancial assistance that could potentially cover the salaries of Filipino volunteer health workers, Ona added.

Ona said about 3,000 Filipinos already work in worst-hit Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

About 150 Filipino soldiers also serve as peace-keepers under United Nations command in Liberia.

By Joel Guinto

MANILA, October 12, 2014 (AFP) – Manila’s creaking train network means a miserable three-hour work commute for salesman Gerard Galang – just one example of major infrastructure woes that analysts say threaten to cool the Philippines’ red-hot economy.

Peak-hour hell comes in many forms in the city of 12 million people, with commuters experiencing a sweaty, stinky crush on dilapidated trains and giant queues to buy tickets.

“I pity myself and my fellow commuters but I don’t have any other option than the train,” said Galang, 29, who inhales antiseptic rubbed on to his hands to help negate the stench on the train.

“It gets so crowded our faces get pressed against each other and on doors and windows.”

Galang spends three hours commuting to work every day, half of which is spent in queues.

For other commuters on buses or in cars, daily gridlock worsens to a complete standstill that can trap people for hours when even small rain storms trigger fl ash fl oods.

The Philippine economy has in recent years shed its reputation as one of Asia’s laggards, with growth of 6.4 percent in the second quarter maintaining its status as the region’s best performing after China.

The country also recently gained its fi rst invest-ment grade scores from the big three global credit rating agencies.

Urban decay -Infrastructure development, however, hasn’t

moved at the same pace, and economists warn the creaking systems that are of so much frustration to millions of people will also have a growing impact on economic growth.

“Our facilities are not built for an economy that is growing at seven percent every year,” Ronald Men-doza, a senior economist at the Asian Institute of Management, in Manila told AFP.

Mendoza said growth could have been faster had it not been for the ageing airports and road networks that turn off foreign investors and tourists, and limit the movement of local trade.

Manila already loses 2.4 billion pesos ($53 mil-lion) in potential income daily due to traffi c jams, according to a study by the Japan International Co-operation Agency.

Among the other infrastructure problems are pow-er shortages that lead to brownouts, clogged drain-age that exacerbate frequent rainy season fl oods and an Internet network so slow that it sparked a parlia-mentary enquiry.

Millions of people in slums, and even some resi-dents of middle class districts, do not have access to

running water.And Manila’s decades-old international airport,

with malfunctioning air conditioning and leaking toilets, has been cited by a travel website as the worst in the world.

No quick fi xPresident Benigno Aquino and his team are

acutely aware of the problems.“Sustaining the economy’s high-growth trajectory

requires continued investment in infrastructure,” Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan told Japanese businessmen last week.

The government is planning to increase infra-structure spending from 2.2 percent of gross do-mestic product in 2012 to fi ve percent by the end of Aquino’s term in 2016.

As part of that, the government will pursue its so-called public-private partnership program. More than 50 projects are being put out to private build-ers.

Balisacan also said implementing a 2.6-trillion-peso ($58 billion) “dream plan” drafted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency was a top prior-ity.

The agency’s plan calls for an expansion of rail and toll road networks to provinces north and south of Manila, spreading economic activity, as well as a subway system for the capital.

It also envisages a new Manila airport terminal.Many of the projects cited by the Japanese plan

are included in the PPP pipeline, but these have moved painfully slowly due to regulatory delays and court cases between rival bidders.

Fewer than 10 contracts for the public-private partnership program have been awarded during Aquino’s fi rst four years in offi ce, with no projects yet completed.

And while Aquino’s intentions are laudable, there is only a limited amount it can do before his term ends in the middle of 2016, according to Mendoza.

“Many of these projects are perfectly doable, es-pecially the airports and toll roads,” Mendoza said.

“What’s needed is a multi-administration plan... many of them take up to three administrations to fi nish.”

Philippine leaders are elected to single, six-year terms, raising continuity problems.

Manila residents, in the meantime, have little choice but to count the personal cost of the urban decay.

Jury Domino, who owns a catering business, said ever-growing delivery times eat into his profi ts – with his vans held hostage for hours guzzling fuel in traffi c and staff having to be paid overtime.

“It’s a big hassle, expenses rise every month and the problems pile up,” he said.

Oct 13, 2014 – Asians and Pacifi c Island-ers (APIs) are a fast-growing population and as a voting bloc, their numbers have nearly dou-bled since 2000, but political candidates con-tinue to ignore them, according to a new study.APIs are the fastest growing population in the Unit-ed States, having outpaced Hispanic growth in 2012. In terms of political power, the API electorate nearly doubled to 3.9 million voters between 2000 to 2012, according to a poll of 1337 registered Asian Ameri-can voters by Asian Americans Advancing Justice.

The study highlighted several characteris-tics of this increasingly powerful electorate. 1. About a third (27 percent) of about 4 million API voters are “up for grabs.”

“The largest group is ‘independent,’ or ‘don’t know,’” the survey found, “while among partisans, Democrats have a 2 to1 advantage.”

The results are similar to fi ndings in 2012, with one big difference: “There’s a stronger identifi ca-tion with Democrats among women in 2014 than in 2012,” according to the study, 2. Asian American voters tend to favor Democrats on key issues. “The Democratic advantage is strongest on healthcare, income inequality, moderate gun control, immigra-tion and smallest on taxes.” Republicans, on the other hand, are seen as stronger on national secu-rity. Notably, Vietnamese Americans by far fi nd na-tional security a “very important issue” at 72 per-cent, followed by Korean Americans at 56 percent. 3. The role of ethnic media is a crucial source of in-formation for API voters. Since API voters have the highest rates of limited English profi ciency, (35 per-cent) and since 77 percent speak another language other than English at home, many rely on ethnic me-dia to get their primary source of information. Viet-namese Americans lead among the the groups at 61 percent followed by Chinese Americans at slightly over half, Korean Americans at just over a third.

4. As a group, API voters favor Democrats in U.S. House races. Asian Indians emerged as the group with highest Democratic Party favorability at 68 percent, whereas Korean Americans leaned toward GOP candidates more than half the time, followed by Vietnamese Americans at 45 percent. But, there are two exceptions. “The two parties are evenly matched among Chinese Americans and Repub-lican candidates hold an advantage among Viet-namese American voters,” according to the report. 5. Voter enthusiasm is the same as before. Overall, women are not as enthusiastic as they were last elec-tion, and Vietnamese American voters and Repub-licans are the most enthusiastic this time around. “In elections to come, it is clear Asian Ameri-cans and Pacifi c Islanders will have the oppor-tunity to infl uence positive change,” the study noted. “By 2025, APIs will make up fi ve percent of the national electorate and by 2044, the group will constitute 10 of the national electorate.”This year, Asian American votes can also matter in battleground states. In competitive races, the API vote could mean the margin of victory. In Virginia, for instance, Asian Americans make up about 10 percent of eligible voters, and in Nevada, that num-ber is about 11 percent, according to AAJC. “In 60 House races in the midterm elections, Asian Ameri-cans make up more than 8 percent of the district’s citizen voting age population,” the study noted. In May of 2014, Slate.com published a story with maps that got policy wonks talking. Entitled“Tagalog in California, Cherokee in Arkansas,” it showed how counterintuitive it might be for Americans to guess who’s where in America. Under the section of “Most common Language Spoken Other Than English and Spanish,” (in other words, the 3rd most popular lan-guage spoken) one is surprised to fi nd that it’s Viet-namese in states like Washington, Texas, Nebraska and Oklahoma. In Virginia and Georgia?

Filipino health workers sought for Ebola-hit West Africa 

Urban decay threatens hot PHL economy

Why candidates shouldn’t ignore Asian American voters

THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday - Tuesday, October 15 - 21, 2014 usasianpost.com 5LOS ANGELES

WASHINGTON, D.C., October 10, 2014 – AARP was proud to sponsor the 23rd Annual Festi-val of Philippine Arts & Culture (FPAC), a celebration of Filipino food, music, dance, crafts and culture, on October 4-5 at its new venue, Los Angeles Coun-ty’s Grand Park during Filipino American History Month. Nearly 25,000 visitors from around the country attended Southern Cali-fornia’s longest-running Filipino cultural celebration.

As the offi cial sponsor of the

FPAC Dance Floor at the Senior Pavilion, AARP hosted free dance performances, lessons, and social dancing for festival attendees. Dancing is a fun and easy way to keep active, get involved in your community, and enjoy longer and healthier lives.

“AARP is pleased to partner with FilAm Arts, a leading pre-senter of traditional and emerging Filipino American artists in the country,” said Daphne Kwok, AARP Vice President of Multicul-tural Markets and Engagement,

Asian American and Pacifi c Is-lander Audience. “We are proud to sponsor a unique event like FPAC where multigenerational families have the opportunity to experience a variety of tradition-al and contemporary Filipino art and dance.”

For more information about how AARP helps Asian American & Pacifi c Islander families get more out of life, visit www.AARP.org/AAPI, www.facebook.com/AAR-PAAPICommunity and www.twit-ter.com/AARPAAPI.

MoneyGram Chairman and CEO Meets with Philippines Ambassador Jose Cuisia: Pamela Patsley, Chairman and CEO of MoneyGram International, met on Tuesday, October 7 with Philippines Ambassador Jose Cuisia where they discussed MoneyGram’s business, services and outreach to the Filipino com-munity.

PARIS, October 11, 2014 (AFP) – Hollywood legend Ar-nold Schwarzenegger has gone from being the “Terminator” to the “Innovator”, France’s For-eign Minister Laurent Fabius said Saturday, praising him for his work to prevent climate change.

The actor turned politician was presiding over a climate change conference of the world’s regions in Paris on Friday and Saturday in the run-up to a crunch global summit on the problem in the city in 2015. The

two-time governor of California – who introduced the fi rst cap on greenhouse gas emissions in the US – founded the R20 Regions of Climate Action as an envi-ronmental counterweight to the G20 in 2010, to push for a sus-tainable low carbon economy.

“We know him as the Termi-nator but it is pretty rare that a Terminator can be at the same time an innovator and a ‘vision-ator’,” Fabius said after meeting the actor, whose most famous role was as “The Terminator” in the 1984 action fi lm of the same

name.Schwarzenegger met French

President Francois Hollande on Friday and discussed next year’s Paris summit of world lead-ers which aims to limit global warming.

“Climate change is not sci-ence fi ction... it’s the challenge of our times,” Schwarzenegger said afterwards.

He insisted that given the progress made on energy effi -ciency in California, it was not a question of “chosing between the economy and ecology”.

AARP sponsors Festival of Philippine Arts & Culture during Fil-Am History Month

ROSEMEAD, Calif., Oct. 1, 2014 – Edison International, the parent company of South-ern California Edison (SCE), an-nounces the application period for its 2014-15 Edison Scholars Program begins today and runs through Feb. 1.

The $1.2-million program, which offers 30 scholarships val-ued at $40,000 each paid over four years, is for Southern Cali-fornia high school seniors with a 2.8 GPA or above who either live in or attend public or private high schools in SCE’s service area and plan to pursue college studies in the science, technology, engineer-ing and math (STEM) fi elds. Stu-dents from underserved commu-nities and ethnic minorities are especially encouraged to apply.

“I encourage high school se-niors from SCE’s service area who qualify to apply for an Edison scholarship. As an energy compa-ny, we recognize the skills needed

for our future workforce and to advance our country, and so our scholarship program is geared to students preparing for careers in science, technology, engineering and math, also known as STEM,” said Tammy Tumbling, director of Philanthropy and Community In-vestment for SCE.

Since 2006, Edison Interna-tional has awarded nearly $4 mil-lion in scholarships to more than 400 Edison Scholars.

“We place special emphasis on awarding scholarships to un-derrepresented students pursu-ing careers in STEM because our philosophy of giving is that all people should have opportunities to do well,” Tumbling said.

To apply and to get additional eligibility information, students are encouraged to go to: https://www.scholarsapply.org/edison-scholars/

Scholarship recipients will be announced in April and recipients

may also be eligible for summer internships at SCE after complet-ing their second year of college. Dependents of Edison Interna-tional employees are not eligible for the Edison Scholars Program.

About Edison InternationalEdison International (NYSE:EIX), through its subsidiaries, is a gen-erator and distributor of electric power and an investor in infra-structure and energy assets, in-cluding renewable energy. Head-quartered in Rosemead, Calif., Edison International is the par-ent company of Southern Cali-fornia Edison, one of the nation’s largest electric utilities.

Edison International’s support of charitable causes is funded entirely by Edison International shareholders. The company’s community donations are part of its commitment as a leading cor-porate citizen. Southern Califor-nia Edison (SCE) customers’ bill payments do not fund donations.

Application period begins for $1.2-M 2014-15 Edison Scholars Program

Schwarzenegger goes from Terminator to climate ‘Innovator’

AARP is a nonprofi t, nonpartisan organization, with a membership of nearly 38 mil-lion, that helps people turn their goals and dreams into real possibilities, strengthens communities and fi ghts for the issues that matter most to families such as healthcare, employment and income security, retirement planning, affordable utilities and protec-tion from fi nancial abuse.

New E-Verify service combats fraud, protects identity, educates workersmyE-Verify allows individuals to create secure personal accounts

WASHINGTON – U.S. Citizen-ship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director León Rodríguez announced the launch of myE-Verify – a new website designed for employees. myE-Verify is a one-stop shop for employees to create and maintain secure per-sonal accounts and access new features for identity protection.

“Since its inception, E-Verify has provided employees with valuable online tools and resourc-es regarding the employment eligibility verifi cation process,” said Director Rodríguez. “myE-Verify signifi es a signifi cant step forward for added transparency, features, and identity protection.”

myE-Verify gives workers a free and secure way to participate in the E-Verify process by access-ing features dedicated for em-ployees, including Self Check and the Employee Rights Toolkit. For added security, individuals will have their identities verifi ed through Self Check, in order to create a myE-Verify account.

myE-Verify introduces the fol-lowing new services: myE-Verify accounts – Allows

employees and job seekers to set up free and secure personal ac-

counts. Self Lock – Allows individuals to

lock their social security numbers to prevent unauthorized or fraudu-lent use within E-Verify.

myResources – A section of the myE-Verify site that contains in-formation in multi-media formats to educate employees about their rights as well as responsibilities of employers in the employment eligibility verifi cation process.

myE-Verify accounts and Self Lock will initially be accessible to individuals in fi ve states.

- Arizona, Idaho, Colorado, Mississippi, Virginia - as well as the District of Columbia. In fu-ture releases, USCIS will roll out myE-Verify across the country with plans for additional features focused on employees and job seekers.

E-Verify is the free web-based service from the U.S. Depart-ment of Homeland Security used by nearly 550,000 employers to verify the employment eligibil-ity of persons they hire. For more information on E-Verify, visit the www.dhs.gov/E-Verify. For more information about USCIS and its programs, please vis-it www.uscis.gov or follow us on Twitter (@uscis), YouTube (/uscis) and the USCIS blog The Beacon.

Baguio City-based Saint Louis Uni-versity alumni members and friends worldwide has slated a grand reunion on Nov. 8, 2014 (Saturday) from 6 p.m. to midnight billed Journey to the Past and the Future at Harrahs Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

A registration fee of $110 per person must be pre-paid and payable to SLU Reunion. Payments should be mailed to SLU Alumni Assn. c/o Michael Mon-temayor, P.O. Box 7151, Mission Hills, CA 91346. Attire is semi-formal.

Purple & Hearts Band, a popular band in Los Angeles will provide music and entertainment. Former SLU in-structor and Baguio City broadcaster Eddie C. Ferrer will host the festivi-ties.

St. Louis University was founded in 1911 in Baguio City by the Bel-gian CICM fathers as a Catholic in-stitution. The Philippine government granted its university status in 1963

and became a leading Catholic univer-sity in Northern Luzon. As Msgr. Wil-liam Brasseur, former Vicar Apostolic of the Montanosa on the granting of the school its university status stated; “May the light of Saint Louis Univer-sity shine as the Light of the North. May its alumni, through their intellectual standing and Christian formation, be the leaders of Baguio City and the whole of Montanosa.

Inquiries, reservation, sou-venir program ads and pay-ment may contact Henry Fine at 949-683-1869 or henryfi ne@yahoo.com; Mike Montemayor at 818-687-2534 or michaelm@datalinknetworks.net; and Larry Caguioa at 760-207-1887 or caguioa@hotmail.com.

Please visit its website: SLUAlumninternational.org. (Dan E. Nino)

St. Louis University Alumni celebrates its journey on Nov. 8

Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday - Tuesday, October 15 - 21, 2014 THE US ASIAN POST6 LOS ANGELES

Los Angeles, 09 October 2014 – A team from the St. Vincent Medical Center conducted its fi rst medical outreach program for 2014 at the Philippine Consul-ate General in Los Angeles on 07 October 2014.

St. Vincent Medical Center is scheduled to conduct regular medical outreach programs ev-ery 1st Tuesday of the month at the community hall of the Philip-pine Consulate General.

The medical team from St. Vin-cent Medical Center provided par-ticipants with:

· Free screenings: Body Fat Analysis/BMI, Glucose/Diabetes Screenings with Counseling, and Blood Pressure

· Free services: Mammo-gram screening referrals, infor-mation on Low-Cost/Free Health Insurance such as Medi-Cal, in-formation on Covered California/Affordable Care Act, information

on chronic diseases such as can-cer, diabetes, heart disease, and information on nutrition.

The program was conducted under the terms of the Memoran-dum of Agreement forged between the Philippine Consulate General and St. Vincent Medical Center on 05 February 2013 as a demon-stration of the Consulate’s com-mitment to provide services to the Filipino community in Los Ange-les.

Philippine national hero Jose Rizal once remarked that a use-less life is a life not consecrated to a great ideal. Fast forward to the 21st century. With more and more Filipinos living abroad, the Fili-pino diaspora has truly become global. Nevertheless, the call to know one’s roots and to live a life of excellence – as echoed by Rizal – continues to challenge the next generation of Filipinos.

It is undeniable that Rizal’s legacy has inspired the birth of patriots of the next century - a new group of individuals who would dedicate their lives to reig-niting the spirit of the Filipinos to rise up. Amongst those inspired to embrace this call was a man by the name of F. Sionil Jose.

Considered a national treasure of the Philippines, F. Sionil Jose is one of the most prolifi c Filipino authors in the English language. TIME Magazine proclaimed Mr. Jose as “One of the [Philippines] most distinguished men of let-ters....” He has been awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award as well as the National Artist Award for his writings, which have been translated into 28 languages. His short stories have often been ac-knowledged as equivalent to the modern Filipino national epic.

This coming October 19, 2014, the Filipino-American community of Los Angeles will have the great privilege and honor to share and discuss with Mr. Jose himself as

Anglahi presents: “The New Fili-pino: A talk on Jose Rizal by Na-tional Artist for Literature F. Sio-nil Jose.” The event will be held at the Pinnacle Village in Glen-dale located at 5027 New York Ave and will be from 130 to 5pm.

It is not every day that we get to engage in dialogue with a na-tional artist!

For more information, please contact Bruce Vivero at (818) 293-LAHI (5244) or email info@angla-hiusa.com.

Thank you so much and we hope that you can be a part of this special event!

F. Sionil Jose (above) is one of the most prolifi c Filipino authors in the English lan-guage. TIME Magazine proclaimed Mr. Jose as “One of the [Philippines] most distin-guished men of letters....”

The Filipino Veterans Founda-tion /E.R.B. Foundation in cooper-ation with the City of Carson and Carson High School, hosts a 5-K Walkathon at the Carson Civic Center on October 19, from 8 AM to 12 Noon to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of Leyte Landing. The walkathon starts and ends for 3 laps at the Rizal Monument of the Carson Community Center, 801 E. Carson St., Carson.

The Liberation of the Philip-pines has been immortalized by the following historical passage:

“Returning once again to the beach, MacArthur stepped before the microphone of a portable ra-dio set. His voice refl ected the deep emotion behind his words as he began: ‘This is the Voice of Freedom, General MacArthur speaking. People of the Philip-pines: I have returned.!’

Stanley Falk, Liberation of the Philippines.”

The 70th Anniversary of Leyte Landing will be marked with a fes-tival air to say “thank you” to the Liberators who are in our midst but are few and far between. Me-morializing the 200,000 Ameri-can GI’s who landed in Leyte 70 years ago, this event will honor a few of the 10 % of survivors who are now in their 90’s. The youth

and the community participating in the Walkathon would dedicate this day to the Liberators by celebrating an expression of our freedom and democracy. Every-one is invited to join. Please call Mr. Romy Bejo at E.R.B. Founda-tion for details: 310-835-8365. T-shirts are available for a donation of $25. Registration is $ 20.

On October 20, The Filipino Veterans Foundation hosts a Historical Forum which will be presented at the Bob Hope Patri-otic Hall, 1816 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, starting at 9 AM to Noon.

A fi lm on the Liberation of the Philippines and the Final Days of WWII in the Pacifi c will precede the presentations of Historians, namely Ret. Col. Roger McGrath and Jay Wertz, emceed by Ret. Col. Ralph Ramirez, former Direc-tor of California Military Educa-tion Project. The Honor Guards and elected Offi cials will present their tributes along with Special Guests. A Keynote Address will be delivered by Consul Gen. Leo Herrera-Lim.

Admission is FREE to the pub-lic. Contact Don Lawrence of the Filipino Veterans Foundation at Bob Hope Patriotic Hall: 213-765-9635 for details.

St. Vincent Medical Center conducts medical outreach program at PHL Consulate

Anglahi presents: ‘The New Filipino: A talk on Jose Rizal by National Artist for Literature F. Sionil Jose’

Mag

Tayo!

2-day celebration for the 70th Anniversary of Leyte Landing in Carson Oct. 19

The Mapua Institute of Technology High School (MITHS) will hold its fi rst grand reunion and formal dinner-dance in the USA at the Airtel Hotel in Van Nuys, California on November 8 and 9, 2014.

Led by MITHS Batch ’74 in celebration of its 40th anniversary, this two-day event billed “Red Robin Rockin’ Reunion” begins with a full day of fellowship on Saturday, November 8th at the hospitality suite of Airtel Hotel. According to the organizers, “This fun-fi lled “Meet & Greet” is a day of reminiscing and story sharing about our high school days in Mapua. We will also take this op-portunity to formally organize a MITHS alumni association, USA Edition.

The weekend will be capped by the fi rst formal dinner-dance on Sunday, November 9th at Airtel Hotel ballroom starting at 7 p.m.

If for some reason, the Mapuans are unable to join in this mo-mentous occasion, they are encouraged to participate by placing their ads in the commemorative souvenir program. “Share you family pictures, promote your business, and more importantly, share your batch pictures,” the convenors announced.

For more details and registration inquiries, interested parties may call Bhot Salas @ 818-335-2417 or Dony Rondilla @ 661-373-0991.

Mapua High School (USA Edition)’s ‘Red Robin Rockin’ Reunion’

THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday - Tuesday, October 15 - 21, 2014 usasianpost.com 7LOS ANGELES

October 13 2014 (Relaxnews) – Google is testing a new feature that will let web users talk to a physician via video chat without leaving home.

The search engine already doubles as most households’ fam-ily doctor – how many of us have visited a real life doctor armed with a diagnosis courtesy of Googling? – so why not offer us-ers access to a consultation when they type certain systems into the search bar.

The virtual consultations will be offered via Google’s Helpouts service, which launched last year as a marketplace where experts can create, post and sell access to

pre-recorded and live how-to and training videos, and for the mo-ment at least, the tests are small-scale and restricted to the US.

In typical Google fashion, the new feature went completely under the radar until some-one on Reddit stumbled upon it over the weekend. But since the mainstream media has picked up on the story, Google has offered more background on the idea.

“When you’re searching for ba-sic health information – from con-ditions like insomnia or food poi-soning – our goal is to provide you with the most helpful information available,” a company spokesper-son said in an email to Re/code.

“We’re trying this new feature to see if it’s useful to people.”

Of course, a virtual consulta-tion with a physician is limited. With no ability to physically ex-amine a patent or run tests, di-agnostic abilities will be limited. However, as well as Google, there are a host of other companies moving into the healthcare space, including those offering at home testing facilities such as Cue, whose clever little box can check for vitamin D levels, testosterone levels, the fl u and whether or not the user is pregnant.

And of course the latest Sam-sung Galaxy S5 has an integrated heart-rate monitor. Google is examining the effectiveness of offering consumers live video access to doc-

tors. ©everything possible/shutterstock.com

The virtual doctor will see you now

(Relaxnews) – It’s getting hard-er for microbes to pass through the doors of hospitals thanks to evolving technology in sanitary gel dispensing.

Pure Hold Hygiene Handle was recently featured on the medical equip-ment blog Medgadget. The device is a simple, “why didn’t I think of this?” door handle that dispenses hand sanitiz-ing gel directly when touched. Above the handle is a refi llable reservoir that contains the gel.

If you’ve scrubbed up enough at any given moment when you pass through

the doors, you can opt for a gel-free opening by pulling on the handle be-low.

It’s recommended for use in food processing plants, healthcare facilities, public restrooms and pharmaceutical facilities.

The concept is similar to Pull-Clean, which makes receiving a help-ing of sanitizing gel an option at the touch of a button.

However, Pure Hold reduces the time it takes to sanitize and even the time necessary to make the decision of whether or not to do so.Screenshot from PullClean promotional.

out weighing down the look, line the base of the lashes with a well-sharpened eyeliner pencil. Brides with shorter eyelashes may want to use a curler to give the appear-ance of more open eyes. In terms of mascara, a product that adds volume and length at once is ide-al. Falsies are out of the question: too risky on the big day.

7) Well-defi ned lips The perfect lip makeup starts

with a liner. “If your lips are not well-defi ned, draw the outline with a rosewood shade, which suits everyone,” says Blavet. To fi ll in the shape, there are several options. If your pout is already rosy, keep it simple and just put on balm. On lips that are natu-rally pale, a little color goes a long way. “Tap with a wine-colored

(Relaxnews) - While lighter for-mulas may have done the trick over the summer, the cooler seasons may call for a little more coverage. But to each her own when it comes to foun-dation.

Imitation skin Lately, several cosmetics brands have set out to de-velop ultra long-lasting liquid foun-dations that mimic the appearance of skin as closely as possible. The challenge, of course, lies in striking a balance between effective cover-age and lightweight texture. Their latest secret weapon? Volatile oils combined with pure pigments that transform on contact with the skin for a natural fi nish. These formu-las also include moisturizing in-

gredients to keep the skin soft and hydrated all day long. (Le Teint Encre de Peau by Yves Saint Lau-rent, €47.50/around $60 and Phy-to-Teint Expert by Sisley, $137).Light refl ectors Another major trend this season, light-refl ecting foundations act like camera fi l-ters that blur out imperfections. The concept is simple: the prod-ucts are formulated with refl ec-tive micro-particles, which diffuse light in multiple directions to cre-ate the illusion of a fl awless com-plexion. (Diorskin Star by Dior, $50 and Photo Filter Foundation by Smashbox, €39.50/around $50). Newcomer This year, the most noteworthy newcomer on the make-

up scene is defi nitely Gucci, which just launched its very fi rst cosmet-ics collection. Of course, the Italian luxury brand thought of everything, especially foundation. Available in seven shades, the brand’s Lustrous Glow Foundation promises a deli-cate and luminous fi nish (Lustrous Glow Foundation, Gucci Face, $65).Heavy-duty coverage

For those looking for more serious coverage, the American brand NYX offers its Invincible Fullest Coverage Foundation. With its high pigment content and soft texture, this is the foundation for the most challenging cover ups that may come your way this winter. (Invincible Fullest Cov-erage Foundation by NYX, $12).

Bridal beauty: 8 essential makeup tips(Relaxnews) – Your wedding

is around the corner, and you’ve bravely decided to do your own makeup. Chanel makeup art-ist Claire Blavet shares a few guidelines to follow and pitfalls to avoid.

1) Stick with your complex-ion

Whether your skin tone is olive, dark, mocha, porcelain or peaches and cream, your makeup should match your natural complexion as closely as possible. Paler brides may hit the tanning bed in moder-ation before the big day, but “the face, neckline, arms and hands should all match,” Claire Blavet points out.

2) Don’t cake it on Too much powder is a guaran-

teed faux pas, especially in the unforgiving outdoor lighting con-ditions likely to provide the back-drop for your wedding photos.

“The light is beginning to get colder in September. And the fur-ther along we go into winter, the colder the outdoor light becomes. You are going to be spending a lot of time outside. If there is already too much [makeup], the effect will be doubled.”

3) Foundation is not con-cealer

A common mistake is attempt-ing to conceal fl aws and even out skin tone with the same product. “Foundation is foundation and concealer is concealer,” the expert reminds us. “Conceal what there is to conceal on a case by case ba-sis and set with a sheer powder.” When choosing a foundation, look for a fl uid texture you can spread as thinly as possible between your hands. In terms of the quantity, a pea-sized amount should suf-fi ce. For the blush, choose pinks or rosewoods, which complement

pale, tanned and dark complex-ions alike. One pitfall to avoid is wearing orange-tinted blush over a tanned complexion, as the re-sult is too tone-on-tone.

4) Matte above all elseWhen it comes to powder,

choose a transparent product that mattifi es without adding extra pigments. Apply powder with a wide brush for normal to dry skin, or with a puff for oily skin. The advantage of working with pow-der sparingly, Blavet says, is that it allows you to mattify where necessary while maintaining just enough shine to capture the light on the cheekbones, a small edge of the nose and the jawline. The makeup artist also suggests that brides use powdered blotting pa-pers, which are easy to carry and come in handy for absorbing ex-cess oil.

5) Clean your canvasAfter putting on concealer,

foundation and powder, take a mo-ment to clean your lips and eyelids with a cotton swab and makeup remover. Lipstick and eyeshadow typically go on smoother and stay put longer when they are not on top of powder or foundation.

6) Keep the eyes subtleSmoky eyes may be trendy in

other circumstances, but you’ll most likely want to walk down the aisle with something more subtle. “Avoid creamy eyeshadows that may smudge, and choose colors in the same family as those found in the skin,” the expert says. “Everything that’s close to nude, rosewoods, brownish rosewoods, bronze, candied chestnut, slightly faded colors, eggshell shades to bring light to the eyes, very pale pinks to bring light and fresh-ness.”

To add depth to your gaze with-

shade and spread with the fi nger to set the texture,” the makeup artist advises.

Those with small lips can create the impression of great-er volume with a gloss. Avoid bright red shades, which have a tendency to run and could ruin your entire look.

8) Careful how you set the look

Every bride wants her makeup to last all day, but Bla-vet warns against the dubious solution of setting a look with hairspray.

“None of that on the face. Imagine if it gets in your eye and you have a reaction to it. Especially not on one’s wed-ding day!”

What to do instead? Pre-pare your face ahead of time by moisturizing so that you only need a base layer, as this helps prevent the skin from produc-ing too much oil throughout the day.

Makeup: Foundations for fl awless skin this winter

Trending: squeaky-clean public facilities

Too much powder is a guaranteed faux pas, especially in the unforgiving outdoor lighting conditions likely to provide the backdrop for your wedding photos.

Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday - Tuesday, October 15 - 21, 2014 THE US ASIAN POST8 LOS ANGELES

Helpful Tips for the Perfect Holiday Turkey When shopping for your turkey, look for one with a pop-up timer.

To thaw your turkey, keep it in the refrigerator based on its weight. For example, it should remain in the refrigerator for 24 hours for every 5 pounds. To thaw quickly, place it in the sink and cover with cold water, changing the water every half hour per pound.

Once the turkey has thawed, always refrigerate or cook immediately.

When you’re ready to cook, baste the bird with extra virgin olive oil. Place turkey with the breast up on a rack in a shallow roasting pan in an oven preheated to 325°F. Loosely cover turkey with foil to prevent over-browning.

Th e turkey is done cooking when the meat thermometer reads 180°F, or if the red stem on the pop-up timer is up and the drum-stick feels soft or moves easily.

Always allow the bird to rest for at least 20 minutes for easy carving.

Present your turkey on a platter with a fresh and colorful garnish, such as California grapes.

FAMILY FEATURES

As you prepare for this season of celebrations, consider recipes that off er a fresh approach to the traditional holiday menu.

With its sweet simplicity and vibrant color, a garnish featuring California grapes can make your meal presenta tion even more enticing. Keep those mealtime traditions intact by serving favorites like Brussels sprouts, but pair them with sweet California grapes in a salad for the perfect balance of fl avor and crunchy texture.

A beloved side dish, such as cornbread dressing, will exceed all expectations with ingredients like red and green grapes, butternut squash, walnuts and pan cetta. Complete the meal with a new twist on a trifl e that results in a rich dessert worthy of any gathering for the holidays and beyond.

For more ways to increase the freshness and fl avor of your holiday meals, visit GrapesfromCalifornia.com, Facebook.com/GrapesfromCalifornia and Pinterest.com/GrapesfromCA.

A Tasty TraditionA Spanish custom spanning back to 1895, those who practice “the twelve grapes of luck” are said to be provided with a year of prosperity. Add this festive ritual to your celebration by eating a grape with the ringing of each bell at midnight on New Year’s Eve.

Servings: 122 cups red seedless California

grapes 2 cups green seedless California grapes 2 cups cubed butternut squash 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil Salt and pepper, to taste 6 ounces diced pancetta 3/4 cup sliced celery 1 large onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 5 cups coarsely crumbled cornbread (either store-bought or prepared from a mix), toasted 3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth 3 tablespoons butter, melted 3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar 1 egg, beatenPreheat oven to 400°F. Toss grapes and squash cubes together in large bowl with oil, salt and pepper, to taste. Spread in single layer on baking sheet and roast for about 20–30 minutes, until grapes have begun to slightly

shrivel and squash is tender. Set aside.Heat large nonstick skillet over

medium-high heat and cook pancetta until it begins to brown slightly. Add celery and onions and cook until tender and onions are translucent, about 5–6 minutes. Add garlic and cook for one minute more. Remove from heat.

In large bowl, combine cornbread, pancetta mixture, grapes, squash, walnuts, sage and salt and pepper to taste, if desired. Set aside.

In medium bowl, whisk together broth, butter, vinegar and egg. Pour over cornbread mixture and toss well to combine.

Spray 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon dressing evenly into dish. (At this point, you can either bake immediately or cover and refrigerate overnight to bake the next day.)

Bake, covered with foil, at 350°F for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake another 20 minutes, or until warmed through and golden brown. Nutrition information per serving: 442 calories; 18 g fat (4 g saturated fat); 37% calories from fat; 14 g protein; 54 g carbohydrate; 2 g fi ber; 75 mg cholesterol; 1103 mg sodium; 475 mg potassium.

Raw Vegetable and Grape SaladServings: 6Salad: 2 cups shredded or very thinly sliced Brussels sprouts 1 cup shredded carrots 1 cup thinly sliced fennel 1/2 cup cooked, chopped bacon (6 slices) 4 cups green and red seedless California grapes, halved 1/2 cup sliced green onionsDressing: 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Toss all salad ingredients together in large bowl. Whisk together all dressing ingredients in medium bowl and drizzle over salad. Toss until ingredients are well coated with dressing.Nutrition information per serving: 226 calories; 14 g fat (4 g saturated fat); 55% calories from fat; 8 g protein; 19 g carbohydrate; 3 g fi ber; 17 mg cholesterol; 516 mg sodium; 471 mg potassium.

Peanut Butter and Grape Trifl e Servings: 14 1 (16-ounce) container nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt 8 tablespoons creamy peanut butter 2 tablespoons honey 1 (8-ounce) container lite whipped topping, divided 1 (16-ounce) store-bought

pound cake, sliced into 1-inch cubes 3 cups red seedless California grapes, plus more for garnish 3 cups green seedless California grapes, plus more for garnish 1/4 cup honey-roasted peanuts, chopped (optional garnish)In medium bowl, stir together yogurt, peanut butter and honey until well combined. Gently fold in half of whipped topping. Set aside.

In clear glass trifl e dish or bowl,

layer half each of pound cake cubes, peanut butter mixture, red grapes and green grapes. Repeat layers a second time and top with remaining whipped topping. Garnish with additional grapes (sliced in half) if desired, and chopped peanuts, if desired.Nutrition information per serving (with peanuts): 313 calories; 15 g fat (5 g saturated fat); 42% calories from fat; 8 g protein; 38 g carbohydrate; 1 g fi ber; 73 mg cholesterol; 197 mg sodium; 206 mg potassium.

Cornbread Dressing with Roasted Grapes, Walnuts and Pancetta

THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday - Tuesday, October 15 - 21, 2014 usasianpost.com 9LOS ANGELES

©2014 BMW of North America, LLC. The BMW name, model names and logo are registered trademarks.

BMW i

The UltimateDriving Machine®

MOTORING

Interbrand’s 2014 Best Global Brands rankings, published Thurs-day, deem the Japanese company the world’s most powerful and valuable car brand and the eighth most impor-tant brand across all business catego-ries.

The latest rankings, announced on Thursday, are based on three crite-ria: the fi nancial performance of the branded product or service; how that brand infl uences consumer choice; and how able the brand is to demand a pre-mium price. All of which gives Toyota a brand value of $42.39 billion, sig-nifi cantly more than Mercedes-Benz, ranked in second place.

The third most valuable automobile brand is BMW, with Honda and Volk-swagen making up the top 5.

It is the tenth year in a row that Toyota has come top in the rankings, and Interbrand puts this sterling per-

formance down in part to its perceived dominance in greener technology. The Prius has become the environmentally friendly personal mobility status sym-bol of choice among a growing number of motorists, particularly in the USA.

The company that has risen the most in this year’s rankings is Audi, now in eight place.

The company has had back-to-back record years for sales but it is also cap-turing people’s imaginations with its very impressive demonstrations of au-tonomous driving technology.

Self-driving cars are generating a huge buzz at the moment, even if they won’t become a reality for some years to come. And Audi is one of the com-pany’s generating the most attention and excitement in this area, boosting its brand.

Interbrand claims that this associa-tion with autonomous driving technol-

ogy has had a similar positive effect on BMW, Volkswagen and Nissan and their brands.

The top 10 global automotive brands1 Toyota

2 Mercedes-Benz 3 BMW 4 Honda5 Volkswagen6 Ford 7 Hyundai 8 Audi9 Nissan10 Porsche

The results are part of a larger report into the World’s top 100 brands across all industries and sectors of which Ap-ple comes top,

Google second and Coca-Cola third, but in which Toyota (8th) and Mer-cedes-Benz (10th), BMW (11th) and Honda (20th) still managed to break into the top 20.

The Toyota Prius+. ©Toyota

Drivers using hands-free virtual assistants like Apple’s Siri can be dis-tracted by the technology, creating safety hazards, according to a study released Tuesday.

The study produced for the AAA Foundation for Traffi c Safety found that some systems offering hands-free communications for tasks such as navi-gation or changing radio stations can create “cognitive distractions” which compromise safety.

The research comes amid growing use of hands-free technology which aims to get drivers to avoid the danger-ous use of hand-held phones behind the wheel.

But with the technology offering more complex functions – such as making dinner reservations or updating social media profi les – these virtual as-sistants have their own perils.

“Technologies used in the car that rely on voice communications may have unintended consequences that ad-versely affect road safety,” said Peter Kissinger, president and chief execu-tive of the foundation.

“The level of distraction and the im-pact on safety can vary tremendously based on the task or the system the driver is using.”

The study by researchers at the Uni-versity of Utah found that Siri was par-ticularly distracting when it was used for certain tasks such as updating Face-book or Twitter feeds.

The study found that when perform-ing commonly used tasks, Siri gener-ated a “category 4” level of distraction on a fi ve-point scale, which was the highest in the research.

By contrast, some automakers’ vir-tual assistants performed better. Mea-suring the most common voice-based interactions – changing radio stations and voice dialing – the researcher gave Toyota’s Entune system a low distrac-

Toyota is the world’s top car brand

Siri can be distraction to drivers: US study

Even when drivers have both hands dedicated to the task of driving, making reservations or updating social networks through the use of hands-free digital as-sistants can be distracting, a survey has found. ©Minerva Studio /shutterstock.comtion rating of 1.7.

Other systems tested included the Hyundai Blue Link (rating 2.2), the Chrysler Uconnect (rating 2.7), Ford Sync (rating 3.0), the Mercedes Ccommand (rating 3.1) and Chevrolet MyLink (rating 3.7).

One factor affecting the rate of dis-traction was the accuracy of voice de-tection.

Systems with low accuracy and re-liability generated a high level of dis-traction.

“It is clear that not all voice systems are created equal, and today’s imper-fect systems can lead to the perfect storm for driver distraction,” said Beth Mosher of AAA, which is also known as the American Automobile Associa-tion.

“We already know that drivers can miss stop signs, pedestrians and other cars while using voice technologies because their mind is not fully focused on the road ahead. We now understand that current shortcomings in these products, intended as safety features, may unintentionally cause greater lev-els of cognitive distraction.”

AAA said it urges vehicle and de-vice manufacturers to use the study to improve their voice systems to pro-mote road safety.

Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday - Tuesday, October 15 - 21, 2014 THE US ASIAN POST10 LOS ANGELES

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Concepcion has been diagnosed with dengue.

The actress on Sunday night posted a picture of her and “Ikaw Lamang” co-stars Amy Austria-Ventura and Alora Sasam on her Instagram account.

The picture was taken in her hospital room, with Sasam and Ventura visiting the sick actress.

Concepcion wrote that she has been di-agnosed with dengue on Saturday.

“Hi guys, nag positive ako for Dengue ka-hapon. Kaya pala ako nagkaka-high fever na on/off these past 2 days. I’m confi ned sa hospital Pero I know I’ll be ok!!!” the actress wrote in the caption.

Concepcion also thanked her visitors, as well as her fans for their prayers. (MNS)

Taus, however, ad-mitted that she has yet to catch up with Dantes since she returned to the Philippines and rebuild her career in the country.

“Actually hindi pa [kami nakakapag-usap]. Ilang beses na kami muntik magkita pero hindi pa lang nagkakat-aon na talagang nang-yari. Pero I’m sure sooner or later, it will happen,” she said.

Asked if she will at-tend Dantes and Rivera’s wedding in case they in-vite her, Taus said: Naku I don’t know. If they in-vite me, of course I would love to share their spe-cial day with them.”

In a previous inter-view, Taus said she is open to work with Dantes in a project anew, noting that they have become friends even after they ended their relationship years back.

“Ako I’m open to any-thing. Kaya nga hindi ko maintindihan ‘yung mga nagpapaaway-away . Wala naman talagang anything negative on my end. I’m happy to be here and I’m excited to work with anyone. I’m excited. Feeling ko maraming ex-citing na pwedeng mang-yari kung magkaroon ng projects na reunion so I’m open to anything,” she said.(MNS)

Antoinette Taus insists she is genuinely happy for her former boyfriend Dingdong Dantes, who is set to marry actress Marian Ri-vera later this year.

Taus said she is actually excit-ed for Dantes and Rivera to start their own family.

“I’m super happy for them. I’m excited for them. I’m really excited that they decided to take this next step in their relation-ship. I think it’s really about time at marami na ding naghihintay para makagawa na rin sila ng maliliit na Marian at Dingdong of their own,” she said.

Amy Perez announced that she will soon tie the knot with her long-time partner, Carlo Castillo.

Perez referred to her upcoming marriage as “a new journey” with her partner and sons.

“I’m just very happy to share with everybody itong bagong journey sa buhay ko. Ayaw ko tala-gang maiyak. Alam na-man ng lahat ng tao kung ano ang pinagdadaanan ko. So I’ll be taking on a new journey sa buhay ko and I’m very, very happy to be sharing it with you guys. Kasi after 15 years, ito na ang hinihintay ko. Akala ko nga baka 60 (years old) na ako ikasal, at least hindi naman. Yes, oo sa wakas [ika-kasal na ako],” she said.

“This is another jour-ney for me and Carlo, together with our boys, of course. At napakahalaga nito para sa aming dala-wa ni Carlo, and siyem-pre para sa mga bata. ‘Yun talaga ang priority namin, ‘yung mga bata. Kasi naman, eight years na kami together so we are very happy and so blessed na fi nally, it’s happening,” she added.

Castillo is the father of Perez’ youngest son. The TV host also has a son with her former hus-band, musician Brix Fer-raris. (MNS)

KC hospitalized for dengue

KC Concepcion

What Antoinette thinks of Dingdong-Marian wedding

Antoinette Taus

Amy Perez to marry long-time partner

THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday - Tuesday, October 15 - 21, 2014 usasianpost.com 11LOS ANGELES

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NOVENA of CONFIDENCE

O Lord, Jesus Christ, to Your Most Sacred Heart I con de this intention. (Here,

mention your request) Only look upon me, then do what Your Heart decides....I

count on You...I trust in You...I throw myself at Your mercy...Lord Jesus! You

will not fail me. Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust in You. Sacred Heart of Jesus,

I believe in Your love for me. Sacred Heart of Jesus, I have asked for many

favors, but I earnestly implore this one. Take it, place it in Your Sacred Heart.

When the Eternal Father sees it covered with Your Precious Blood, He will not

refuse it. It will be no longer my prayer but Yours, O Jesus. O Sacred Heart

of Jesus, I place my trust in You. Let me never be confounded. Amen. -LIZ

PRAYERS

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PRAYER to the BLESSED VIRGIN(Never known to fail)

Oh most beautiful ower of Mt. Carmel, fruit wine splendor of Heaven.Blessed

Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. Oh

Star of the Sea. Help me and show me here you are my Mother. Oh Holy Mary,

Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, I humbly beseech you from the

bottom of my heart to succour me in my necessity. (make request). There are

none that can withstand your power. Oh Mary conceived without sin, pray for

us who have recourse to Thee (3 times). Holy Mary, I place this prayer in your

hands (3 times). Say this prayer for three consecutive days and then you must

publish and it will be granted to you.Grateful Thanks.-B.A

PRAYERS

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Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday - Tuesday, October 15 - 21, 2014 THE US ASIAN POST12 LOS ANGELES

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serting Philippine jurisdiction over this case.”

The city of Olongapo, which had once teemed with US servicemen fresh from the recent exercises, was now silent and gloomy, much to the disappointment of lo-cal businesses.

“The Americans disappeared from red light district on Sunday, hours after the killing,” said Elvira Medrano, an attendant in a pay parking area.

Laude, who arrived at the hotel dressed as a woman and checked in with a “foreign man”, was found lifeless on the bathroom fl oor with marks on the neck police said Monday, adding that initial investigations suggested the victim had been strangled.

Leftist and nationalist groups have seized the issue and condemned the coun-try’s alliance with the United States.

pormasyon and assessment ko kay former Vice-Mayor Mercado ay malamang mag-iimbestiga na rin ang NBI.”

“Hindi naman ho malayo at inaasahan naman ho namin na part of the recommen-dations of the Senate sub-committee pag natapos na yung inquiry na yan ay ipapa further investigation sa amin yan or other investigative body. So ano ang magiging desisyon ko po? Hihintayin ko pa ba ang rekomendasyon na yan ng Senate sub-committee or pwede na ho ba kami na NBI mag-imbestiga dahil mandato ho namin yan,” De Lima said.

She pointed out that if the Binays have nothing to hide, there is no reason for them not to cooperate in any investigation.

come into play na yung impeachment pro-cess.”

“Pero yung sabihin na huwag ninyong imbestigahan simply because impeachable offi cials yan, wala pong ganun because there is no such thing as immunity from investigation. Hindi rin po pwede pigilan ang imbestigahan ng isang ahensya na ang mandato at precisely to investigate,” De Lima said.

The justice chief said she was surprised at the reaction of the Binay camp through one of the Vice-President’s spokespersons, Navotas Representative Toby Tiangco, who has accused her of nitpicking at the opposi-tion.

De Lima said the reaction was an “over-reaction.”

When the Senate Blue Ribbon Sub-Com-mittee that is holding hearings on the is-sue wraps up its probe, De Lima said she anticipates that investigative bodies, such as the NBI, will be directed to do a further probe as was the case in the Blue Ribbon’s previous investigations.

The question is whether to wait for that, or to motu proprio act now.

“Nagugulat po ako sa nagiging over-reaction ng ilan ilan na mouthpieces from the Binay camp. Bakit ho ganun na inan-nounce ko lang last week na tutulungan na-min ang senado para i-trace ung ilan ilan na personalidad na napangalanan na ni former [Makati City] Vice-Mayor [Ernesto] Mercado na sangkot din daw, as alleged bagman. Sinabi ko tutulong ang NBI and then ganyan ang reaction nila. nasabi ko rin na depende sa magiging developments and depende sa mga makukuha kong im-

eting millions of pesos in kickbacks for various Makati infrastructure projects in-cluding the P2.2 billion Makati City Hall building 2. A property appraiser earlier es-timated the building should only cost P877 million to build.

Binay has refused to appear before the Senate inquiry and has answered the alle-gations through press conferences.

Bautista scored the senators in the Sen-ate Blue Ribbon Sub-committee investigat-ing the Makati City Hall Building 2 and accused them of harassing witnesses in-cluding the Commission on Audit auditors and the supposed owner of the Batangas property.

He noted that Cayetano, Trillanes, Atty. Renato Bondal and former Makati Vice-

Mayor Ernesto Mercado all come from the NP. “They all come from one political par-ty,” he said.

Asked if President Aquino knows about the alleged LP-NP conspiracy, he said: “I can’t say that. This conspiracy goes all the way up only to Mar Roxas.”

The UNA offi cial said Mercado was not on a helicopter that took photos of a 350-hectare property in Batangas that is allegedly owned by the vice-president.

Instead, he claimed a graphic designer, Dexter Estacio, working for Senator Cay-etano was one of fi ve passengers on the he-licopter that took photos of the property.

“He was probably the one taking the graphic illustrations...Mercado was not on that fl ight,” he said.

bubunutan.’”Aquino, however, appealed to lawmak-

ers to grant Malacañang’s request right away.

He explained that the government needs time to lay the groundwork.

“Kung ipapasa niyo ipasa naman niyo sanang mas maaga kaysa mas matagal dahil iba na rin yung marami tayong oras para asikasuhin itong isyung ito,” he said.

The president noted that among the as-sets government is looking to tap are diesel generators.

He said negotiating the contracts, trans-

porting, and installing these generators take time.

“Kung kokontrata tayo nung mga diesel plants dahil may physical movement, di ba? Iyong diesel generators na malakihan, 300 megawatts, parang modules of 100 – kung tama ang tanda ko. Kabuuan 300 nung dati na kwentahan tapos modules of 100,” Aquino said.

“So kailangan mo i-transport sa pang-galingan nila at i-install dito tapos lahat nung mga –may other civil works doon e. Iyong fuel tanks, yung pipes, lahat non,” he added. (MNS)

in Manila cited reports that suspects in-volved in such a plot were arrested in Que-zon City.

In a security message, the embassy cited Oct. 8 media reports that three men “known to have links to terrorist organiza-tions” were arrested in Quezon City.

“The Embassy wishes to remind all US citizens to remain vigilant and maintain an appropriate level of personal security in all circumstances by reviewing your per-sonal security plans,” it said.

The embassy advised US nationals who see a suspicious package or object to not disturb it and instead notify an appropri-ate offi cials such as a police offi cer or build-ing security staff, then leave the area.

“If you are in the vicinity when a secu-rity threat occurs, leave the area immedi-ately. Do not approach the scene of a bomb-ing or remain in the area,” it said.

On Friday, Australia similarly advised its nationals in the Philippines to take pre-

cautions against possible bomb attacks.In an update to its travel advice on the

Philippines, the Australian embassy said the supposed bomb plot had targets in Metro Manila.

“On 9 October 2014, the US Embassy is-sued an alert noting that, according to me-dia reports, police had arrested suspects involved in a bombing plot planned for tar-gets in metro Manila. The plot was exposed on October 7 following the arrest in Quezon City of three men known to have links to terrorist organizations,” it said.

The embassy reiterated its advice to its nationals not to travel to central and west-ern Mindanao, including the Zamboanga Peninsula and Sulu archipelago, “due to the very high threat of terrorist attack, kid-napping, violent crime and violent clashes between armed groups.”

Also, it maintained its advice for its na-tionals “to reconsider your need to travel to eastern Mindanao.”

ecution Service.De Lima said she was informed about

the extortion incidents by the Royal Em-bassy of Saudi in Manila through a letter dated September 12. Both the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Tourism also referred the Saudi Embassy’s concern to the DOJ.

According to the Saudi Embassy, a “team of NBI agents” and their cohorts in-cluding a woman named “Arlene” or “Dar-lene” have conducted “continuous extortion operations targeting Saudi nationals as one form of extracting money illegally.”

Among the victims were Majdi Abdul-hamed Yaghmoor, Hassan Alharbi, Ah-mad Al Ghaneem and Farhan Alsolobi, who were purportedly arrested “based on unsubstantiated claims,” and were later released only after the victims paid large sums of money.

Alhari said he paid P20,000, while Al-solobi paid P250,000. In Yaghmoor and Al Ghaneem’s case, they paid P300,000.

prove the country’s facilities as it invites more tourists to come to the Philippines, she said.

More visitors are expected to visit the Philippines next year as it hosts the Asia Pacifi c Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings, Valte said.

Spain’s Madrid Fusion is also coming to the Philippines in 2015, she said.

“That was one of the agreements that the President witnessed the signing of in Madrid when he was there. So, we expect more visitors and we really have made plans also for them,” she added. (MNS)