MANILA, Sept 7 (Mabuhay) – Malacañang on Monday again junked calls for Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Francis Tolentino to be removed from his post.

In a press briefi ng, Communi-cations Secretary Hermino Co-loma, Jr. said Tolentino continues to enjoy the trust and confi dence of President Benigno Aquino III.

“Patuloy ang tiwala at kompy-ansa ng Pangulong Aquino kay MMDA chairman Tolentino sa kanyang pagganap ng tungkulin. Sa nakalipas na limang taon, ipi-nakita ni chairman Tolentino ang isang hands-on, can-do manage-ment style,” Coloma said.

Tolentino’s ability to perform his job as MMDA chief was put

in question after Aquino ordered the PNP Highway Patrol Group (HPG) to help ease vehicular traf-fi c on EDSA.

Starting Monday, the HPG will lead the enforcement of traf-fi c rules and ease the congestion in six major chokepoints along EDSA, including Balintawak, Cubao, Ortigas, Shaw Boulevard, Guadalupe, and Taft Avenue.

Coloma said it was Tolentino himself who proposed that the HPG take the lead in the enforce-ment of traffi c laws on the main highway.

“Si Chairman Tolentino po ang mismong nagpanukala ng paghalili ng PNP HPG bilang lead agency sa traffi c law enforce-ment na kung saan ay patuloy pa

rin nilang katuwang ang MMDA, LTO at LTFRB,” Coloma said.

“Ang panukalang ito ay sin-angayunan ng lahat ng iba pang concerned agencies,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Palace spokes-person also defended Tolentino af-ter he donated P20 million worth of traffi c lights in Albay.

Tolentino is believed to be run-ning for senator in next year’s elections. “Ang pagpunta ni Chairman Tolentino sa ibang lalawigan ay bahagi ng kanyang offi cial functions upang ipaliwa-nag ang kanyang nalalaman at karanasan sa disaster prepared-ness,” Coloma said.

Coloma said Tolentino used “legitimate resources” for the said project.(MNS)

1-877-35-NOPAY(1-877-356-6729)818-334-5445818-552-4500

MANILA, Sept 7 (Mabuhay) – Malacañang on Monday said that the PNP Highway Patrol Group’s (HPG) takeover of traffi c manage-ment along EDSA “went well” de-spite reports of continued heavy traffi c experienced by motorists during the morning rush hour.

“Naging maayos sa pangkala-hatan ang unang araw o unang kalahating araw ng pangangasi-wa ng trapiko sa EDSA ng PNP Highway Patrol Group,” Commu-nications Secretary Herminio Co-loma, Jr. said in a press briefi ng held past afternoon.

Coloma said they received re-ports of improved traffi c fl ow in the Balintawak area due to the clearing operations conducted by the Metro Manila Development

Authority (MMDA) last week.Upon the instructions of Presi-

dent Benigno Aquino III, the PNP HPG will takeover the en-forcement of traffi c rules and ease the congestion in six major chokepoints along EDSA, includ-ing Balintawak, Cubao, Oritgas, Shaw Boulevard, Guadalupe, and Taft Avenue. Coloma said the gov-ernment welcomes feedback from the public to improve the man-agement of traffi c implemented by the PNP HPG and other con-cerned agencies.

“Kasalukuyang isinasagawa ang fi ne-tuning ng implemen-tasyon ng traffi c management upang mapahusay ang daloy ng mga sasakyan sa EDSA,” he add-ed.(MNS)

Members of the Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group manage traffi c at EDSA corner Kamuning Road in Quezon City on Thursday. President Aquino recently assigned the PNP-HPG as the lead traffi c law enforcement agency on EDSA in an attempt to address the worsening traffi c situation in Metro Manila. (MNS photo)

MANILA, Sept 4 (Mabuhay) – Lawyer Levito Baligod will press charges against 50 more lawmak-ers who allegedly funneled their Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) allocations to bogus NGOs.

In a press conference in Quezon City, Baligod said that P5 million is the smallest amount allocated by the lawmakers to question-able non-government organiza-tions (NGOs). Baligod refused to divulge the names of lawmakers until a complaint is fi led before the Offi ce of the Ombudsman.

The lawyer stressed that iden-tifying the lawmakers will unnec-essarily expose the whistle-blow-ers. He said he is counting on the

Ombudsman’s swift response to the complaint he fi led earlier this week.

The fi rst set of malversation charges accuse 20 former and in-cumbent lawmakers of funneling PDAF to bogus NGOs not linked to Janet Lim Napoles.

Included in the said case are Senators Juan Ponce Enrile and Ramon Revilla Jr. and former senator Edgardo Angara.

The P500 million PDAF com-plaint also asserts the participa-tion of some Commission on Audit (COA) offi cials in the anomaly.

Baligod also belied rumors of his supposed involvement in the falsifi cation of documents related to the pork barrel scam. (MNS)

Youth activists from Anakbayan hold up placards as they protest outside the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on Fri-day. Protesters threw paint bombs and vandalized the gates of the AFP headquarters to protest the alleged killing of indigenous group leaders in Surigao del Sur by mem-bers of the military. (MNS photo)

MANILA, Sept 7 (Mabuhay) – Department of Energy (DOE) OIC Secretary Zenaida Monsada assured lawmakers that the de-partment is working to make sure there will be no power supply problems during the 2016 nation-al elections.

She told members of the House Appropriations Committee there may be no more need for emer-gency powers.

Monsada said it is the DOE’s task to ensure there won’t be any power outage during the elections.

The DOE projects a power sup-ply of 13,000 megawatts nation-wide in 2016, well past the 12,000 megawatt demand expected next year.

However, Monsada stopped short of giving a guarantee that there will be no power outages.

Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Neri Colmenares expressed wor-ries that the DOE did not give a more categorical assurance.

Meantime, Monsada also re-vealed that from January 2002 to March this year, there were about P213.2 billion in Malam-paya funds collected by govern-ment. About P43.7 billion were disbursed. There is a balance of about P167 billion after the pay-ment of taxes. There were no dis-bursements from the Malampaya fund in 2014 and 2015.

The DOE collects the fund and remits it to the national treasury where it is kept in a special ac-count.

Monsada presented her agen-cy’s pitch for a P1.8 billion bud-

MEN DEFIANCE VS. SC TRO ON CONTRACEPTIVES. Women groups led by PhilHealth Director Risa Hontiveros conducted a “Family Planning Fair” where they distributed Implanon, a contraceptive implant, to women to help them effectively plan and man-age their families. Hontiveros said the activity was organized an “act of defi ance” and to fi ll in the gaps for reproductive health service delivery created by a temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by the Supreme Court on the Department of Health’s procurement and distribution of the said implant.

PhilHealth Director Risa Hon-tiveros together with Akbayan Women and the Family Plan-ning Organization of the Philip-pines (FPOP) today distributed contraceptives such as Implanon, birth control pills, injectibles and condoms to women of Baran-gay Tatalon in Quezon City as part of a “family planning fair.”The groups said they organized the activity as an “act of defi ance” and to fi ll in the gap for repro-ductive health service delivery that was created by the tempo-rary restraining order (TRO) is-sued by the Supreme Court on the government’s procurement and distribution of Implanon.The Implanon is one of the con-traceptive options that should be made available to families as mandated by the recently passed Reproductive Health Law.

“As a health and women’s rights advocate, I join the differ-ent women’s groups and families in standing up against those who want to undermine the RH Law and limit the options of the people in planning and managing their families. Whatever gaps the Su-preme Court’s TRO has created in providing comprehensive repro-ductive health services, the differ-ent women’s organizations, civil society groups and social move-ments will fi ll in,” Hontiveros said.Hontiveros, who is also a former partylist lawmaker and principal author of the RH Law in the 14th Congress, said the TRO is a step backwards in making healthcare universal in the country.

“The passage of the RH Law was seen by many as a step in the right direction in achieving uni-

MANILA, Sept 7 (Mabuhay) – The Philippine government is set to seek the extradition of the primary suspect in the killing of Aika Mojica, the young woman found dead in a Zambales town in July.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Monday confi rmed that Jona-than Dewayne Ciocon Viane has already been arrested by US au-thorities, and that the Philippines has two months to seek his ex-tradition.

“Subject (Viane) was arrested in Iowa on 4 Sept 2015 (Friday) based on our request for provisional arrest dated Aug 20, 2015, and received by the Embassy on Sept. 1,” said De Lima in a text message to reporters.

“Since it’s a provisional arrest, we have 60 days from his arrest to submit the full extradition request,” she added.

Liane Viane, the suspect’s estranged wife, had earlier said Jon-athan, who lives in the United States, has recanted his previous statement confessing to the crime.

Liane believes Jonathan killed Aika for telling her the where-abouts of the their child, whom Jonathan had brought to the Philip-pines.

Aika burned body was found in a ditch in San Felipe town on

First day of HPG on EDSA ‘went well’ – Palace

50 more solons to face PDAF scam cases: lawyer

PHL to seek extradition of suspect in Aika Mojica slay – De Lima

Palace says Aquino still trusts Francis Tolentino

DESPITE SC TRO ON GOV’T DISTRIBUTION OF IMPLANONHontiveros, women’s groups distribute contraceptive implants to communities

DOE: No power shortage during 2016 polls

See IMPLANON, page 6 See POWER SHORTAGE, page 6 See MOJICA, page 6

Vol. 4. No. 50 LOS ANGELES Wednesday - Tuesday, September 9 - 15, 2015

W W W . U S A S I A N P O S T . C O M

Rica Peralejoexplains

social media rant

See PAGE 7

Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday - Tuesday, September 9 - 15, 2015 THE US ASIAN POST2

MANILA, Sept 5 (Mabuhay) – Vice President Jejomar Binay claimed that he received a call threatening him and telling him not to push through with his scheduled visit in Maharlika Village, Taguig City on Saturday morning.

Binay, who led a boodle fi ght with a group of residents from Maharlika Village, said someone called his home this morning and called him “ kurakot.”

The vice president claimed that the call-er also told him: “Huwag ka nang pumunta ng Taguig.”

Despite the threat, Binay pushed through with the scheduled to Maharlika Village.

During his visit, he spoke with the resi-dents and discussed the importance and

contribution of Overseas Filipino Work-ers. He mentioned that among these Pinoy workers come from poor families in Muslim communities in the city.

The residents warmly greeted Binay and took photos of him.

As Binay was talking with the residents at a school, a group of people carrying plac-ards appeared.

The protesters made noises and attempt-ed to disrupt Binay’s visit by shouting and making deliberate sounds by slapping the school’s waiting sheds.

Binay acknowledged the group and said he respects their opinion.

“May tumatawag nga sa bahay namin, sa Taguig ayaw namin ng kurakot... Okay lang yun sa diwa ng demokrasya meron ta-

lagang hindi mo kakampi part of freedom of speech yan, kinikilala ko yan. Yun lang walang takutan sana,” Binay said.

Binay was accompanied by Princess Jacel Kiram, daughter of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III and Alma Moreno, who are both running for the Senate in next year’s elec-tions under the ticket of the vice president.

Binay, meanwhile, said that he will an-nounce his party’s full senatorial lineup and possibly his running mate in the next few days.

There have been reports that Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. will be Binay’s running mate in the 2016 elections.

Binay declined to confi rm the reports. Instead, he defended Marcos’ position on the Bangsamoro Basic Law.

“He also wants to have peace. Tinatama lang niya na sa kanyang pananaw may mga bagay bagay dun sa proposed agree-ment na baka salungat sa ating Saligang Batas pero I mean si Senator Marcos, hindi ho against ‘yan. Si Senator Marcos kasama ho yan sa bawat Pilipinon na sinasabi ko na gustong magkaron ng katahimikan,” Bi-nay said.

Also present during Binay’s visit was Peping Cojuangco, uncle of President Be-nigno Aquino III and brother of the late President Cory Aquino, who led People Power 1 that ousted the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

Cojuangco is supporting Binay’s run. He, however, declined to comment if he will support a Binay-Marcos tandem.(MNS)

Binay claims receiving threats before Taguig visit

cide or so. When we decide later on, we have the basis for deciding. Hindi basta may isang kinausap lang. Dapat siguro pakinggan ang iba if they are interested of getting the support of NPC. Kasi baka naman may presidential candidates na hindi interesado sa amin, so OK lang,” Sotto said.

Sotto said NPC stalwarts will meet with all the presidential aspirants so they can decide who will receive their support in 2016.

The NPC already met with In-terior Secretary Mar Roxas and Senator Grace Poe. Party mem-bers will have a meeting with Roxas again.

“Tomorrow we will be meeting with Secretary Mar. Probably af-ter that, magkakaroon kami ng meeting ng kami-kami lang and discuss what transpired at kung

ano ang narinig namin na pro-grama nila, charisma nila.” said Sotto.

Asked if NPC chairman emeri-tus Eduardo “Danding” Cojuang-co will attend Monday’s NPC meeting with Binay, Sotto said, “I dont think he can come. Mark (Cojuangco) is there.”

Sotto said NPC members would have to support the party’s choice for president in 2016.

“We will probably crack the whip if we decide to support cer-tain candidate. Whether the can-didate is Senator Poe or Binay or Mar, if the party decides to sup-port only one, most probably the offi cials will crack the whip and have everybody’s support him or her,” said Sotto.

Sotto urged fellow NPC mem-bers to leave the party if they can-

not toe the party’s line.“Mag-leave ka kung ‘di ka ta-

laga makaka-support. Mag-leave ka o umalis ka na or mag-resign,” said Sotto.

Winnability is always a factor in choosing a candidate that the NPC will support, according to Sotto.

“That is the reason na marami ang member ng NPC kaya lang di winnable kaya hindi pinapatak-bo,” said Sotto.

The NPC will support a par-ticular candidate in the 2016 elec-tions. Aside from the national leadership, NPC has political ma-chinery across the country.

“We have 48 congressmen, hundreds of mayors, 20 or more governors. Malaki ang NPC. May local support ang partido namin,” said Sotto. (MNS)

MANILA, Sept 7 (Mabuhay) – The Offi ce of the Ombudsman has fi led a motion for reconsideration on the Supreme Court’s decision granting bail to Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile who is facing plunder and graft charges in connection with the alleged pork barrel scam.

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales said they fi led the mo-tion via registered mail because the high court’s offi ce was already closed last Friday.

Morales said the motion was based on three grounds:that granting the bail plea “was a radical modifi cation of the Con-

stitution on the requirements of the grant of bail;”that the prosecution and the people were “denied due process”

because the “principal and primary” ground of the decision was En-rile’s health; and

equal protection of the law. On August 18, the Supreme Court voted 8-4 to grant Enrile’s bail

petition. Enrile, 91, fi led his petition on Sept. 4, 2014, citing his advanced

age and voluntary surrender to the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court.Enrile is facing plunder and graft charges for allegedly pocketing

P172 million in kickbacks from the supposed pork barrel scam.He posted a P1-million bail on Aug. 20, two days after the Su-

preme Court announced its decision on his bail petition.He also posted an additional P450,000-bail for the 15 counts of

graft charges he is also facing in connection to his involvement in the alleged pork barrel scam. (MNS)

MANILA, Sept 5 (Mabuhay) – The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Saturday urged the public to be more vigilant against robbers and shoplifters as they go about with their shopping at the onset of the so-called “ber” months.

The “ber” months are the months leading to Christmas and New Year’s holidays in the Philip-pines.

The PNP issued this warning as crimes can happen to anyone at the most unexpected time

And to prevent this, PNP Di-rector General Ricardo C. Mar-quez said the public must be kept informed of the various modus operandi of criminal groups like Salisi Gang, Laglag barya Gang, Besfren Gang, Tutok-Kalawit Gang, Ipit/Ipit-Taxi Gang, Las-las Bag/Bulsa, Estribo Gang, Dura Boys, Pitas Gang and other groups.

During the regular Lambat Si-bat meeting at PNP headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City, the Directorate for Investigation and

Detective Management (DIDM) noted a signifi cant decrease in robbery and theft for the past week.

From an average of 794 cases per week on June 2014 to Janu-ary 2015, robbery and theft con-tinuously dipped to 273 recorded incidents last week, Aug. 24-30.

In line with the Lambat-Sibat campaign initiated by Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas, the qualitative analy-sis (from Aug. 24 to 30 2015) con-ducted by the DIDM has recorded that 20 percent of theft cases is due to shoplifting.

DIDM also noted that 27 per-cent of recorded robbery incidents occurred from 12:01 a.m. to 4 a.m.

Furthermore, the DIDM identi-fi ed streets (31 percent), residen-tial areas (26 percent) and PUVs (21 percent) as the most places where robbery incidents exist.

Earlier this month, Nation-al Capital Region Police Offi ce head Chief Supt. Joel Pagdilao, started to deploy 70 percent of its 19,000-strong police personnel to

strengthen security operations in the Metropolis.

“While the PNP is fi elding ad-ditional foot and mobile patrolers, the public must also be wary to what is really happening in their communities and in the streets,” Marquez said as he urged the public to work with the police on its anti-criminality initiatives.

Even if the cases of robbery and theft in Metro Manila are on its downtrend, he wants the public to be more observant and alert at all times.

The PNP’s Oplan Lambat-Sibat, regularly audit crime inci-dent reports at the police station level and use its data to further generate and identify “crime hot spots” and “crime patterns” where and when intensifi ed police inter-ventions are necessary.

These interventions include strategically-placed checkpoints, foot and mobile patrols, focused and intelligence-driven opera-tions against most wanted per-sons and member of criminal gangs. (MNS)

MANILA, Sept 7 (Mabuhay) – Vice President Jejomar Binay met with members of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) on Mon-day, as the opposition candidate attempts to court the support of the country’s second largest po-litical party.

Binay arrived shortly before noon at 8 Bouganvilla Street in Barangay Mariana in New Ma-nila, Quezon City to meet with members of the NPC for a closed-door meeting.

Senator Vicente Sotto III, an NPC member, told reporters that NPC members and Binay had lunch. He was not able to provide other details of the meeting.

“We just have a consultation meeting with the Vice President. We’re just having lunch. I won’t be able to stay because I have an appointment in the Senate at 1 p.m. We started talking about the usual politics,” said Sotto in an ambush interview shortly before leaving for a meeting at the Sen-ate.

Sotto said he excused himself after greeting the Vice President.

Sotto said their party met with Binay to hear his plans on his platform of government.

“As far as NPC is concerned…the intention of leadership is lis-ten to the possible presidential candidates and more or less de-

MANILA, Sept 4 (Mabuhay) – The Court of Appeals has af-fi rmed the multiple murder cases fi led against eight of the 12 police offi cers involved in the January 2013 rubout in Atimonan, Que-zon. The CA junked the petition fi led by the eight police offi cers asking that the cases fi led by the Department of Justice be dis-missed.

The appelate court said there was no grave abuse of discretion on the part of the DOJ when it found cause to press charges, the report said.

It added that the CA also saw

the elements laid out by the DOJ when it recommended that mul-tiple murder charges be fi led in September 2013.

A total of 13 policemen, includ-ing Superintendent Hansel Ma-rantan, face charges for the Janu-ary 6, 2013 bloodbath that left 13 people dead. Marantan was the ground commander of the govern-ment team that carried out the

supposed operation against mem-bers of a gun-for-hire group, but investigators said it was a case of rubout in connection with a turf war between the victims’ group and a “video karera” operator in Laguna.

In April 2014, Marantan and the 12 other cops involved were ordered dismissed from service. (MNS)

Binay meets with NPC members

Ombudsman asks Supreme Court to reconsider Enrile bail

Be wary of crime groups as ‘ber’ months start – PNP

CA affi rms murder raps vs. 8 cops over Atimonan rubout

MANILA, Sept 3 (Mabuhay) -- Ousted Supreme Court Chief Jus-tice Renato Corona has appealed on the special division of the San-diganbayan to overturn its ruling fi nding probable cause to try him for perjury and violation of Code of Conduct for Public Offi cials.

In a 33-page motion for recon-sideration submitted to the Sand-iganbayan Special Third Division on Tuesday that was made avail-able to the media on Friday, Co-rona said the court erred in ruling that there is suffi cient evidence to hold him on trial for the charges.

“There is clearly no probable cause to justify the issuance of a warrant of arrest against accused and to hold him for trial,” Corona said. “As will be shown below, the evidence on record clearly ne-gate the existence of the crimes charged against accused, or of any crime for that matter. Plaintiff er-roneously and maliciously fi led the instant Informations even though a single act cannot give rise to both the crimes of perjury and violation of Section 8 of RA 6713. Worse, the instant Informa-tions were fi led in utter disregard of accused’s right to due process,” Corona added.

In a vote of 4-1, the Special Third Division ruled in August that Corona must be held on tri-

al for perjury under the Revised Penal Code and for violation of Republic Act 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Offi cials and Employ-ees. The court said there is suf-fi cient evidence to assume that “more likely than not, the charg-es has been committed by the accused Corona”. The charges against Corona that the Offi ce of the Ombudsman fi led before the Sandiganbayan in April last year stemmed from his alleged mis-declaration of assets in his State-ment of Assets Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs) from 2001 to 2011. Corona, in his motion for reconsideration, however, argued that under the law, an accused cannot be charged for two sepa-rate offenses with varying penal-ties for the same act.

“Accused respectfully submits that with the variance in the pen-alty imposable for both offenses, arising from the same act, ac-cused can only be prosecuted for either offense,” Corona said citing Section 11 of RA 6713.

Corona also argued that he is not bound to declare the his real estate properties at the time they were purchased but only at the time they were acquired or the title of the properties were trans-ferred under his name.

Corona appeals ruling fi nding probable cause in perjury case

THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday - Tuesday, September 9 - 15, 2015 Visit www.usasianpost.com 3

MANILA, Sept 4 (Mabuhay) – The Court of Appeals has affi rmed the multiple murder cases fi led against eight of the 12 police offi -cers involved in the January 2013 rubout in Atimonan, Quezon.

The CA junked the petition fi led by the eight police offi cers asking that the cases fi led by the Depart-ment of Justice be dismissed.

The appelate court said there was no grave abuse of discretion on the part of the DOJ when it found cause to press charges, the report said.

It added that the CA also saw the elements laid out by the DOJ when it recommended that mul-tiple murder charges be fi led in

September 2013.A total of 13 policemen, includ-

ing Superintendent Hansel Ma-rantan, face charges for the Janu-ary 6, 2013 bloodbath that left 13 people dead.

Marantan was the ground com-mander of the government team that carried out the supposed op-eration against members of a gun-for-hire group, but investigators said it was a case of rubout in con-nection with a turf war between the victims’ group and a “video karera” operator in Laguna.

In April 2014, Marantan and the 12 other cops involved were ordered dismissed from service. (MNS)

MANILA, Sept 4 (Mabuhay) – A party-list representative called on Congress to revisit proposals to scrap the value-added tax (VAT) on power and oil as a way of lower the costs for consumers.

Bayan Muna Representative Neri Colmenares is urging the House of Representatives to pass House Bills 344 and 355 which seek to exempt power and oil products from the 12-percent VAT.

Colmenares fi led the bills in July 2013, but Congress has yet to act on the proposed measures. The prices of petroleum products could decline by P2.80 per liter for diesel and P4.8 for gasoline and P76.8 for liquefi ed petroleum gas, Colmenares said. Scrapping the VAT on power would reduce by P240 the electricity bills amount-ing to P2,000 and by P360 for households running bills of P3,000 a month, Colmenares said. The lawmaker noted that electricity rates may further decline once the VAT on system loss charge is lifted. The charge is imposed by power distributors to recover the costs of supply lost during transmission or due to pilferage or technical glitches. The government must only impose VAT on products that customers directly consume, Colmenares noted.

The Manila Electric Company (Meralco) also called on govern-ment to lower the universal charges and the royalty for the Malam-paya natural gas facility in Palawan.

MANILA, Sept 4 (Mabuhay) -- President Benigno Aquino III has appointed a former consul-tant with the United Nations International Strategy for Disas-ter Reduction (UNISDR) to the country’s Commission on Climate Change

Aquino named Emmanuel de Guzman as the new climate

change commissioner, replacing Naderev Saño, who resigned in April.

De Guzman’s appointment pa-pers were signed by the President last July 25. He will serve as cli-mate change commissioner until February 15 next year.

An economist by profession, De Guzman fi nished degrees

from the University of Geneva, Boston University School of Pub-lic Health and Ateneo Graduate School of Business.

The new climate change com-missioner has years of profes-sional experience in disaster risk reduction, advising national and local government agencies on ca-pacity development. (MNS)

MANILA, Sept 7 (Mabuhay) – Former NPA spokesman Ka Roger Rosal’s daughter Andrea Rosal has been cleared of a mur-der charge and ordered released by a Quezon court, the the Na-tional Union of Peoples’ Lawyers said in a news release Monday.

Andrea Rosal was arrested March last year on charges of murder and kidnapping.

This morning, the court

granted her motion to quash the false murder charge and issued a release order,

This followed a Pasig court’s similar dismissal of a kidnap-ping charge last year, her lawyer Maria Kristina Conti said.

Both cases were junked be-cause no evidence linked her to the crimes, Conti said, add-ing that these were harassment suits.

NUPL lawyers and Karapa-tan para-legal are now working for her immediate release as no legal impediment exists any-more to hold her in police cus-tody.

Andrea Rosal was eight months pregnant when arrest-ed. She lost her baby daughter while in detention, in part due to government neglect and adverse jail conditions. (MNS)

MANILA, Sept 7 (Mabuhay) – The Offi ce of the Ombudsman has fi led a motion for reconsideration on the Supreme Court’s decision granting bail to Senate Minor-ity Leader Juan Ponce Enrile who is facing plunder and graft charges in connection with the al-leged pork barrel scam. Ombuds-man Conchita Carpio Morales said they fi led the motion via registered mail because the high court’s offi ce was already closed last Friday.

Morales said the motion was based on three grounds:

that granting the bail plea “was a radical modifi cation of the Constitution on the requirements of the grant of bail;” that the prosecution and the people were “denied due process” because the “principal and primary” ground of the decision was Enrile’s health; and equal protection of the law.

On August 18, the Supreme Court voted 8-4 to grant Enrile’s bail petition.

Enrile, 91, fi led his petition on Sept. 4, 2014, citing his advanced age and voluntary surrender to the Sandiganbayan anti-graft

court.Enrile is facing plunder and

graft charges for allegedly pock-eting P172 million in kickbacks from the supposed pork barrel scam.

He posted a P1-million bail on Aug. 20, two days after the Su-preme Court announced its deci-sion on his bail petition.

He also posted an additional P450,000-bail for the 15 counts of graft charges he is also facing in connection to his involvement in the alleged pork barrel scam. (MNS)

Winners of the 2015 Miss Global Philippines pose after the coronation at the Resorts World Manila in Pasay City on Sunday. They are, from left: 4th runner up Meryl Angeline King, 2nd runner up Mary Eileen Gonzales, Miss 2015 Global Philippines Mary Candice Ramos, 1st runner up Henna Santos and 3rd runner up Angela Aninang. (MNS photo)

Ombudsman asks Supreme Court to reconsider Enrile bail

Aquino appoints new commissioner on climate change

Ka Roger daughter ordered released

MANILA, Sept 7 (Mabuhay) – Malacañang on Monday ad-mitted that time is running out on having the Bangsam-oro Basic Law (BBL) enacted under the Aquino administra-tion. “Patuloy tayong nakikip-ag-ugnayan sa mga lider ng Kongreso hinggil sa napapana-hong pagpasa ng Bangsamoro Basic Law,” Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. said in a press briefi ng.

“Batid natin na habang lum-alaon ay umiikli ‘yung pana-

hon para matamo ang layun-ing ito, ngunit kinakailangan pa ring kilalanin ‘yung kahal-agahan ng pagtataguyod sa proseso ng pangkapayapaan,” he added.

The BBL is the product of the peace agreement signed between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. It seeks to create a Bangsamoro political entity that will replace the Autono-mous Region in Muslim Min-danao.

The House of Representa-tives and the Senate have come up with their own versions of the Malacañang-drafted law, both of which are still pending for plenary deliberations.

House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. on Sunday told radio dzBB that the passage of the BLL in the chamber is be-coming an “impossible dream.”

The BBL had earlier been identifi ed as one of the priority measures of the present 16th

Congress. (MNS)

Palace admits limited time to have Bangsamoro law enacted

CA affi rms murder raps vs. 8 cops over Atimonan rubout

Lawmaker renews call to scrap VAT on power, oil

LOS ANGELES

Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday - Tuesday, September 9 - 15, 2015 THE US ASIAN POST4

OPINION

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MANILA, Sept 4 (Mabuhay) – Senate President Franklin Drilon wants the Liberal Party (LP) to fi nally pick a vice presidential running mate for its standard-bearer, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas – and leave Senator Grace Poe out of the picture.

Drilon, LP’s vice chairman, said he will ask the party’s national executive committee to convene as soon as possible and nominate a vice presidential candidate.

“Medyo lumalapit na ang deadline (The deadline is nearing),” Drilon told reporters on Friday, refer-ring to the period for fi ling candidacy certifi cates in October.

“Siguro tulungan na namin si Secretary Roxas para mabuo ang ticket (Maybe we should help Sec-retary Roxas to complete our ticket).”

As well as selecting a running mate for Roxas, Drilon said he will ask the party to complete its senatorial slate.

The LP has been courting Poe, the top presiden-tial candidate in voter preference surveys, to be Roxas’s vice president. Poe has remained cool to the idea, and has yet to make a decision about run-ning for higher offi ce.

“In my view, Grace Poe is already a candidate for president,” Drilon said. “The writing is on the wall. She will run.”

Asked why he thought Poe is running for presi-dent, Drilon said, “She has been going around campaigning, making speeches to various schools, various organizations.”

“Hindi naman gagawin ‘yan kung hindi kandi-dato. Hindi madaling mag-ikot eh (She wouldn’t do that if she is not a candidate. It’s not easy to go around).”

Poe has been giving speeches at various occa-sions recently, talking about issues she believes government must focus on and presenting her own plans.

Last week, she visited the vote-rich provinces of Cebu, Pangasinan, and Nueva Ecija. She said her trips were part of her preparations for a possible bid for higher offi ce in 2016.

Drilon said among the possible choices for Rox-as’s running mate are Batangas Governor Vilma Santos, Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo, and Senators Antonio Trillanes IV and Alan Peter Cayetano.

Both Santos and Robredo had said they are not interested in running for vice president.

Trillanes, meanwhile, has already set his sights on the vice presidency, but his group Magdalo Par-ty-list had announced they would back Poe if she runs for president.

Cayetano has disclosed that he held explorato-ry talks with Roxas’s camp, but that nothing was agreed on.

“Insofar as the two gentlemen are concerned, that would necessitate a coalition with the NP (Nacionalista Party),” Drilon said of Trillanes and Cayetano.

Senator Cynthia Villar had said the NP has yet to decide which candidates to support in 2016, and with which party to coalesce. It has an existing co-alition with the LP, however. (MNS)

MANILA, Sept 7 (Mabuhay) – Communication Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. on Monday assured the public that the Ebola virus found in monkeys by local health authorities is not a threat to human health.

The Department of Health (DOH) confi rmed on Saturday that the virus, which has infected some monkeys in an undisclosed facility in the country, is the Ebola Reston Virus (ERV).

“Ayon sa Department of Health, ang uri ng Ebola na nakita sa bansa ay hindi kahalintulad sa strain na kumalat sa Africa,” Secretary Coloma said dur-ing a press briefi ng.

“Ang klase ng Ebolang ito, ang Ebola Reston, ay dati nang nakita sa bansa at naidokumento ng DOH na hindi nakakapagdulot ng anumang sakit sa tao,” the Palace offi cial explained.

Coloma said the inter-agency Committee on Zoo-nosis, which was formed in 2011 by virtue of Presi-dent Benigno S. Aquino III’s Administrative Order No. 10, is working on the Ebola virus case.

“Sa kasalukuyan, ang Philippine Inter-Agency Committee on Zoonosis na kinabibilangan ng DOH, Department of Agriculture, at ng Department of En-vironment and Natural Resources na nilikha noong 2011 sa pamamagitan ng Administrative Order No. 10 ng Pangulong Aquino ay nagtutulong-tulong sa pagpapatupad ng mga programa at istratehiya upang pigilan, kontrolin, sugpuin ang mga tinagu-riang zoonotic diseases o ang mga sakit na naililipat mula sa mga hayop tungo sa tao at vice versa,” he further said.

The DOH on Saturday confi rmed positive cases

of ERV virus among monkeys in a facility that the DOH did not disclose.

According to Health Secretary Janette Garin, the ERV may be transmitted to humans, without result-ing in illness.

The DOH report said, “The threat to human health is likely to be low or none for healthy adults. In order to ensure the safety of the staff in the said facility, blood samples were collected from all em-ployees and were sent to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine for ERV antibodies using ELISA or Enzyme Immunosorbent assay. The results yield-ed negative for ERV.”

While it does not cause any human illness, the DOH said it will continue to monitor the health sta-tus of the staff currently employed in the said facil-ity.

“Maraming klase ng Ebola. Meron Ebola na grabe ang epekto sa hayop ngunit hindi naapektuhan ang tao. This is a possible case of Ebola Reston. Ito ang pinakamabait na Ebola Virus sa tao,” Secretary Garin said. She also called on the public to remain calm and be vigilant.

“We call on the public not to panic as wrong in-formation may lead to more harm than help in the community. Vigilance is still needed. Let us be pre-cautious, and adhere to the reminders given by the DOH. This is not something new and was present in the Philippines before.

Allow us to emphasize that the present situation is limited to monkeys. Ang importante ito ay nakita, nalaman, at hinahanap ang pinanggalingan upang mapigilan ang pagkalat,” Garin added. (MNS)

MANILA, Sept 4 (Mabuhay) – Vice President Je-jomar Binay remained coy on the issue of his run-ning mate for the 2016 elections, but when asked whether he was considering Senator Bongbong Mar-cos as his vice president, the former human rights lawyer declared it was time to move on from ques-tions about the Marcos human rights record.

Asked whether he was open to having either Sen-ator Marcos or Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte as his candidate for vice-president, Binay said that would have to remain, for now, a “secret”.

He did add, however, “kino-consider natin part of the constitution of our selection committee si Senator Bongbong (If ever, we will consider Senator Bongbong as part of the constitution of our selection committee).”

In reply to the question of whether he was looking for a commitment to human rights in his running-mate, he said, “Depende ‘yan sa panahon, eh (It de-pends on the times).”

“Pero alam mo, eh ... we have to move on (But you know, we have to move on). In fact, I want to reiter-ate what I have been saying. I want to be known na, under my administration, we have a unifying and healing administration. Enough of this. Let’s move on. So hindi issue ang human rights (So human rights is not an issue). That’s not even applicable. Si Bongbong, iba naman si President Marcos. Tapos na ‘yun (Bongbong and President Marcos are different

people. It’s over),” he said.Binay was then asked whether he believed the hu-

man rights violations attributed to the Marcos dic-tatorship should no longer be revisited, and whether the Marcos family no longer needed to acknowledge these.

“The debacle is already from the past. ‘Yung nila-banan natin sa human rights, wala na ‘yun, sup-posed to be Martial Law, pero wala nang Martial Law eh (The human rights that we fought for, it’s history. Those were supposed to have happened un-der Martial Law, but Martial Law is no more),” Bi-nay said.

He did acknowledge that human rights violations continue to be committed today, including the en-forced disappearance and murder of “critics”.

“If you talk about human rights, I will condemn and I’ll see to it that there will be no human rights violations,” Binay said. “[These kinds of] human rights violations, I’ll be all-out against it.”

Asked whether he was considering Duterte, who is being linked to alleged extrajudicial executions of criminals and drug lords supposedly under his or-ders in Davao City, Binay said, “No, you are assum-ing that we are considering him.”

“I haven’t heard that he was running for vice president,” he said. “Kasi ang sabi naman ni May-or Duterte, ‘President or nothing’ (Because Mayor Duterte said, ‘President or nothing’).” (MNS)

MANILA, Sept 7 (Mabuhay) – The state-owned Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) has warned the Supreme Court that the Philippine government stand to lose billions of pesos in revenues due to a Court of Appeals rul-ing on Camp John Hay in Baguio City.

In a petition for certiorari, the BCDA said the CA’s July 30 ruling penned by Associate Justice Noel Tijam was “highly irregular and disadvan-tageous to the government” when it reversed and modifi ed a decision of the Arbitral Tribunal of the Philippine Dispute Resolution Center last Febru-ary that ordered the private CJH Development Corporation (CJHDevCo) to vacate Camp John Hay and deliver leased property including new constructions and permanent improvements to BCDA.

The CA, in its 67-page decision, also ordered the BCDA to return P1.42 billion to CJHDevCO, which the latter paid to the BCDA as lease pay-ments.

But in its plea, the BCDA said the “injury [caused by the CA ruling] to BCDA is grave.”

“Because it was ordered to return the rentals paid by CJH DevCo, and because CJH DevCo was allowed to retain the moneys it already collected in advance from its sub-lessees, BCDA will have received no income from its property for the past 19 years and will receive no benefi t for the next 31 years,” read the petition.

“Ultimately, it is the nation that suffers, as the benefi ts to be derived from the development of Camp John Hay are intended to promote the economic and social development of the country in general,” it added.

The BCDA asked the SC to “declare that CJH Development Corporation’s obligation to vacate the Leased Property is immediate and not contin-gent on BCDA’s payment of P1,421,096,052.00.”

The BCDA also wanted the SC to “order CJH Development Corporation and all persons claim-ing rights under it, including all the respon-dents in these cases, to immediately vacate the Leased Premises and promptly deliver it to the Bases Conversion and Development Authority, inclusive of all new constructions and perma-nent improvements introduced during the term of the Lease as reckoned from the execution of the Original Lease Agreement, in good and ten-antable condition in all respects, reasonable wear and tear excepted.”

‘Patently erroneous’BCDA head for legal services lawyer Peter

Paul Andrew Flores branded the CA ruling as “patently erroneous” and expressed confi dence it would be struck down by the SC.

“Public interest will eventually prevail,” Flores said, adding that should the CA decision be en-forced, the government would not benefi t because the sublessees have already paid their lease to CJHDevCo until 2046.

The structures would be worthless by the time these are turned over to the BCDA in 2046 be-cause the useable life of a building is only about 50 years, he said.

“The government has not earned anything from the Camp John Hay lease since 1997 and the government will not earn anything while (the Sobrepeña group, which operates and manages Camp John Hay) continues to exploit and profi t from the use of government property until 2046. Where is the justice in that?” Flores said.

Last March, the Baguio Regional Trial Court had issued a decision for the fi nal award to make the arbitral tribunal decision binding, executory and non-appealable and a writ of execution.

The CJHDevCo, however, was later able to se-cure a TRO from the CA and the CA eventually issued a decision not only stopping the implemen-tation of the fi nal award but also modifying it.

The CA ruling modifi ed the fi nal award declar-ing CJHDevCo’s obligation to vacate and deliver the leased property to BCDA as dependent on BCDA’s payment of P1.4 billion. The state-owned fi rm claimed this “effectively rendered the arbi-tral award empty.”

The BCDA, which was supposed to recover all new construction and permanent improvements as stated in the fi nal award, said it would end up getting nothing.

In its ruling, the CA ruled that sub-lessees should not be evicted, contrary to the admission of Camp John Hay that its contractual relation-ship with the so-called “third parties” was a sub-lease.

The BCDA claimed the CJHDevCo may have misled sub-lessees into believing that they were not affected by the fi nal award.

The BCDA said since the start of the lease of government property to CJHDevCo, from 1998 to 2000, CJHDevCo fraudulently paid more than P1.274 billion as dividends and advances to its stockholders and affi liates but told BCDA that it was fi nancially incapacitated to defer rental pay-ments of at least P1.275 billion during the same period. (MNS)

Drilon asks LP: Find a VP for Mar, stop courting Grace Palace offi cial allays

fears on Ebola virus

Bongbong as his VP? But what of Marcos human rights record? Binay says: ‘Time to move on’

BCDA tells SC: CA’s Camp John Hay ruling irregular, disadvantageous to gov’t

THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday - Tuesday, September 9 - 15, 2015 Visit www.usasianpost.com 5

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a development expected to promote greater Philippines-US coopera-tion on disaster risk reduction issues, nine (9) Philippine gov-ernment offi cials are currently in Washington D.C. to attend the US State Department’s Internation-al Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) on disaster risk manage-ment (DRM).

The participants, coming from the Armed Forces of the Philip-pines, the Department of National Defense, the Philippine National Police, the Department of Foreign Affairs, and the city governments of Pasay, Pasig and Tacloban, are meeting with US government and non-government offi cials to ex-change views and knowledge on DRM. The program, which com-menced on 30 August and will conclude on 19 September, takes the Filipino offi cials to interac-tive sessions with their American counterparts in the capital and fi ve (5) other US cities.

Leading the group is Philippine Navy Captain Roy Vincent Trini-dad, recipient of the 2015 Aquino Fellowship Award for Public Ser-vice. Currently serving as Chief of Staff of Naval Forces Western Mindanao in Zamboanga City, Captain Trinidad is widely recog-nized for his effective leadership as commander in charge of coor-dinating the civil-military relief operations in Tacloban Airport

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015 – Pro-posed rule implements new protections against sex dis-crimination; enhances language assistance; protects individuals with disabilities; and extends to insurers participating in Health Insurance MarketplacesToday, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is-sued a proposed rule to advance health equity and reduce dispari-ties in health care.

The proposed rule, Nondis-crimination in Health Programs and Activities, will assist some of the populations that have been most vulnerable to discrimina-tion and will help provide those populations equal access to health care and health coverage.Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) extended civil rights protections banning sex discrimination to health programs and activities. Previously, civil rights laws enforced by HHS’s Of-fi ce for Civil Rights (OCR) barred discrimination based only on race, color, national origin, disability, or age.

The proposed rule also ex-tends al l civil rights obligations to the Health Insurance Mar-ketplaces and HHS health pro-grams and activities, and clari-fi es the standards HHS applies in implementing Section 1557 across all bases of discrimination.The proposed rule establishes that the prohibition on sex dis-crimination includes discrimina-tion based on gender identity.

It also includes require-ments for effective commu-nication for individuals with disabilities and enhanced lan-guage assistance for people with limited English profi ciency.This proposed rule is an impor-tant step to strengthen protec-tions for people who have often been subject to discrimination in our health care system,” Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell said.

“This is another example of this Administration’s commitment to giving every American access to the health care they deserve.”While OCR has already been accepting complaints under the ACA, the proposed rule makes clear that individuals can seek legal remedies for dis-crimination under Section 1557.Today’s proposed rule applies to Health Insurance Marketplaces, any health program that HHS it-self administers, and any health program or activity, any part of which receives funding from HHS, such as hospitals that ac-cept Medicare patients or doctors who treat Medicaid patients.

9 Filipinos take part in inaugural international visitor leadership program in disaster risk management

HHS takes next step in advancing health equity through the Affordable Care Act

following the November 2013 on-slaught of Typhoon Haiyan.

Also part of the group is Pasay City Administrator Dennis Ber-nard Acorda. Atty. Acorda earned praises for the timely establish-ment of a ‘Tent City’ in Manila for Filipinos from Samar and Leyte displaced by Typhoon Haiyan. The operation involved the effec-tive mobilization of both public and private resources to meet the needs of more than 500 displaced persons.

The other IVLP participants are Pasig City DRM Offi cer Ritche Van Angeles, Atty. Lila Czarina Aquitania of the Offi ce of the Con-gressional Representative of the First District of Leyte, Lieutenant Colonel Dennis Hernandez of the Philippine Marines, Major Teresi-ta Gangan of the Philippine Army, Chief of Police Jhoanna Rosales of the Philippine National Police, Civil Defense Offi cer Lenie Alegre of the Offi ce of Civil Defense, and Mr. Val Roque of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

The program underway is the inaugural IVLP for DRM and is welcomed by the Philippines for its importance and timely in-troduction in this age of climate change. The new IVLP theme is expected to enhance the partner-ship between Manila and Wash-ington on an emerging area of concern that poses a new set of challenges for climate vulnerable communities.

“This program is tangible proof of the growing cooperation be-tween the Philippines and the United States on the very criti-cal issue of disaster risk man-agement. I am confi dent that our two countries have much to share with each other, with the end view

towards safeguarding lives in the event of natural calamities,” Am-bassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. said in a meeting with the group on 03 September.

Now on its 75th year, the IVLP is a US State Department pro-gram launched in 1940 to promote

mutual understanding between the United States and other coun-tries. Filipino participants to the IVLP are selected by the United States Embassy offi cials in Ma-nila and can come from govern-ment and non-government sec-tors.

Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday - Tuesday, September 9 - 15, 2015 THE US ASIAN POST6

MANILA, Sept 4 (Mabuhay) – The government will have to compensate the consortium of Ayala Land Inc. and Metro Pa-cifi c Investments Corp. for unful-fi lled obligations under a conces-sion agreement for the Light Rail Transit Line 1.

In an August 7 letter, Trans-portation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya told Budget Secre-tary Florencio Abad that the De-partment of Transportation and Communications will likely fail to meet certain obligations under the concession agreement.

Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), a multi-sectoral alliance, provided copies of the unsigned letter to members of the media on Friday.

Abaya asked the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to charge nearly P7.52 billion to the P30 billion Risk Management Program Fund under the 2015 na-tional budget to cover the unful-fi lled commitments.

The penalty payment includes P5.41 billion for the government’s failure to comply with obligations relating to the operation and maintenance of the existing LRT-1 system and P106.67 million for failure to increase the minimum fare.

“DOTC anticipates that it may not be able to comply with these

obligations and may be liable to make payments to LRMC in 2016,” Abaya said.

The government, through the DOTC and Light Rail Transit Authority, signed a concession agreement with the Ayala-Metro Pacifi c consortium, Light Rail Manila Consortium (LRMC), on October 2, 2014 for the LRT- 1 Cavite Extension project.

The 32-year contract also cov-ered the management and opera-tion of the existing LRT-1 and the construction of a common termi-nal for Metro Manila’s light rail network in North EDSA.

“The penalty payments are the result of an onerous contract en-tered into by the Aquino govern-ment and the winning bidders. This is a form of sovereign guar-antee that will be borne by the taxpayers,” Bayan Secretary Gen-eral Renato Reyes Jr. said.

The amount compares with the P9.35 billion concession fee that LMRC will pay the govern-ment. The Ayala-Metro Pacifi c group agreed to settle 10 percent or P935 million of the total upon signing the contract and start making staggered payments in the fi fth year.

“Ginigisa tayo sa sariling man-tika. The private concessionaire stands to get more from this than the government. It’s already as if

government is the one fi nancing the private investors,” Reyes said.

Metro Pacifi c owns 55 percent of LMRC through Metro Pacifi c Light Rail Corp., while Ayala holds a 35 percent stake through AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp. The remaining 10 percent is owned by Macquarie Infrastruc-ture Holdings Inc. (MNS)

IMPLANONFrom page 1

POWER SHORTAGEFrom page 1

versal healthcare. However, with the TRO, the government’s uni-versality concept of healthcare is weakened as it limits the available choices the people can use in plan-ning their families and providing themselves quality reproductive health services,” Hontiveros said. The anti-RH law group, Alliance for the Family Foundation Philip-pines, asked for the TRO on Im-planon arguing that it has alleged abortifacient features and did not pass the scrutiny of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“Nothing is farther from the truth. Just like any other contra-ceptive being distributed as man-dated by the RH Law, it passed

the scrutiny of the FDA. These groups are merely raising old arguments that were already de-bunked during the deliberations of the RH law,” Hontiveros said.

“If they think their TRO serves the interest of the Filipino fami-lies, they are wrong. By giving the public less options to fam-ily planning methods, these groups once again subject our women to pregnancy-related health complications and their children to threats of malnu-trition,” Hontiveros explained. Hontiveros called on the Aquino government to appeal the TRO.

“Nananawagan ako sa pama-halaan na agad na i-apela ang

TRO. Sa bawat araw na lu-milipas na may TRO, buhay ng kababaihan at kabataan ang na-sasakripisyo,” Hontiveros said. She also called on the Supreme Court to lift the TRO.

“The high tribunal played an important role in the struggle for the advancement of reproductive health rights when it declared the RH Law constitutional.

It again has the opportunity to relive that role. We look forward to the Supreme Court to immedi-ately lift the TRO on the Impla-non and provide Filipino families the widest array of options in planning their future,” Hontive-ros ended.

get for the agency next year. The DOE has the 18th biggest budget among the agencies of govern-ment, getting 0.06% of the pie. About P1 billion comes from the Malampaya fund as automatical-ly appropriated for local projects.

Colmenares also asked Mon-sada about the power supply in the country and if there is still a threat of asking for emergency powers.

Earlier this year, Congress tried but failed to pass a law grat-ing President Aquino additional powers to contract power generat-

ing capacity to address a possible power shortage in Luzon due to the 1 month maintenance shut-down of the Malampaya gas fi eld.

Monsada told Colmenares that the power supply is already sta-ble, except for some areas in Min-danao.

She said some power plants will be coming in later this year and may even lead to an over sup-ply of power.

Monsada said the DOE is now studying the possible impact of the onset of the El Niño phenom-enon. (MNS)

July 25. Aside from the gunshot wounds, she had marks on her neck suggesting she had been choked.

Regarding updates on Jona-than’s alleged accomplice Niño dela Cruz, De Lima said he has already been slapped with crimi-

nal charges before the Regional Trial Court Branch 71 in Iba, Zambales.

“Dela Cruz, was arrested on 12 Aug 2015, now detained at the Zambales Provincial Jail,” De Lima said. (MNS)

MOJICAFrom page 1

MANILA, Sept 4 (Mabuhay) – Consumer prices continued to de-cline in August, reaching a fresh low in two decades.

Headline infl ation stood at 0.6 percent, compared with the 0.8 percent reading in July and 4.9 percent a year earlier, according to fi gures released by the Philip-pine Statistics Authority (PSA) late Thursday.

The fi gure settles within the 0.2 percent to 1.0 percent fore-cast range of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas for August, given the further drop in power rates and domestic oil prices during the month.

But this further dragged the year-to-date average below the lower end of the central bank’s forecast range of 2 percent to 4 percent for the whole year.

MANILA, Sept 4 (Mabuhay) – President Benigno Aquino III’s as-sistant on food security and agricultural modernization asked the Senate fi nance committee to increase government’s budget for fi ght-ing pests infesting coconut trees, such as the coconut scale insect (CSI) or cocolisap.

The Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) has P125 million for integrated pest management under its proposed 2016 budget, but Secretary Francis Pangilinan said it is not enough.

“Given our experience with CSI, the natural experience should be to increase our own capacity,” Pangilinan said at the agency’s budget hearing on Friday.

Farmers earlier told ABS-CBN they fear another outbreak of the cocolisap infestation due to the prolonged dry spell brought by the El Nino phenomenon.

Senator Cynthia Villar, fi nance subcommittee chair, said she wondered why the budget for pest control was decreased.

She told Pangilinan, a member of the administration party, in jest, “Bakit ibinaba? Eh ikaw ang malakas doon, ikaw ang Liber-al (Why was the budget decreased? You’re close to them because you’re a Liberal).”

“Ma’am, ‘yon din ang akala ko (Ma’am, that’s also what I thought),” Pangilinan replied, chuckling.

PCA Administrator Romulo Arancon Jr. said that aside from the cocolisap, coconut farmers have to fi ght fi ve other kinds of pests. It’s the cocolisap, however, that requires the most funds to eliminate.

Undersecretary Edel Guiza of the Offi ce of the Presidential Ad-viser on Food Security and Agricultural Modernization said at least P100 million is needed for combating CSI.

She said funds would largely go to “bio-control measures” that would prevent pest infestation.

“What we have to do is to propagate, produce, and distribute these bio-control agents, and it entails a lot of money,” Guiza said. “It’s cheaper to do preventive and maintenance measures.” (MNS)

Kiko seeks more funds to fi ght cocolisap Gov’t to pay LRT-1 partner

P7.5-B penalty charge – Bayan

PHL infl ation trips to new 20-year low in July

THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday - Tuesday, September 9 - 15, 2015 Visit www.usasianpost.com 7

Actress Rica Peralejo took to her blog to explain her brief rant on social media criticizing some of the staff members at one of the clinics located inside St. Luke’s Medical Center in Taguig.

On Wednesday, the 34-year-old Peralejo called the “nurses and staff” of the said clinic “un-professional” for supposedly asking for her photo despite her condition. She said that she was suffering from persistent and “ex-tremely painful tummy aches.”

On her blog “Wanders & Won-ders,” Peralejo admitted in a lengthy write-up that she had been hasty in assuming that the women wearing the hospital’s of-fi cial scrubs were nurses.

She was informed by St. Luke’s after media outlets picked up her story that the women were “prob-ably medical secretaries,” who may not have been trained to re-spect a patient’s right to privacy.

“Nevertheless they were sorry and said that they perhaps can send a memo to all clinics inform-ing them of the right of a patient to privacy. I agreed because I said they still carry your name and they work in your building,” she wrote.

Peralejo went on to share that she had received negative reac-tions from her followers on Ins-tagram, mostly from those claim-ing to be nurses.

She then blamed the media for “making it about nurses” and not about the hospital policies, which she claimed was the issue that irked her.

“It is actually the media and their headlines that made things bigger than how things really are,” she said.

“I don’t hate nurses and never expressed that. The media and some narrow-minded followers did that, not me.”

“I have always meant to get at the leaders of the establish-ment, not you. (You might be surprised to fi nd out how my the-sis defended nurses),” she added. Peralejo also called for her fol-lowers to stop criticizing nurses at St. Luke’s, and even posted a video of a song titled “The Apol-ogy Song” as a form of “peace of-fering.”

“Forgive my ignorance for call-ing medical secretaries nurses in a post stating my discontent with St.Luke’s,” she wrote in another blog post.

“I really did not mean to get at you, but more the hospital for policies that allow such but I see that it has gotten out of hand. In-tention aside, I accept this was a consequence of an action I could have thought about thrice or four times even before doing.”

“Some of you were right. I should have immediately clari-

Rica Peralejo explains social media rant

Rica Peralejo

Actress Julia Montes, the lead star of the afternoon series “Doble Kara,” could not keep a straight face when she was asked on whether former leading man Coco Martin is still courting her.

The 20-year-old Montes was asked a series of questions about her “most diffi cult role yet” and the status of her relationship with Martin.

“Mahirap pag ako ang suma-got,” she quipped.

Montes was also asked to name the Filipino celebrity she consid-ers as the most handsome. She answered: “Si Coco.”

Martin and Montes started be-ing romantically linked when they worked together in the phenom-enal ABS-CBN series “Walang Hanggan” in 2012.

Martin has since admitted that he fi nds Montes as “girlfriend ma-terial.” (MNS)

Julia Montes

Julia: Coco is ‘most handsome celeb’

Marjorie Barretto defended her children, especially daugh-ter Julia Barretto, from negative criticisms brought by interviews of ex-husband Dennis Padilla.

In an interview with Marjorie at the “My Fair Lady” press con-ference, she said she’s irked by Padilla’s continued discussion of private matters in public.

She said that what is happen-ing behind closed doors is dif-ferent from what is projected in front of the camera.

“It’s really painful because as much as I know the truth... the whole truth, there’s a different side, the truth is different from what he tells everybody. Hindi ko papatulan kasi naawa ako sa mga bata.

I wish people will hold their judgment fi rst kasi there’s a deeper story and I have no plans of divulging it,” Marjorie said.

Marjorie claimed that Padilla would say things during inter-views without thinking if these will affect their children.

“He says something else in public. Iba siya sa personal, iba yung sinasabi niya sa inyong la-hat.

Ako, nasasaktan ako para sa mga anak ko. Sana ipakita na lang niya yung totong pinapakita niya sa mga bata or yung totoong sinasabi niya sa mga anak ko,” she said.

She also clarifi ed that her dis-appointment with Padilla has nothing to do with their separa-tion nine years ago.

The actress said she’s moved on already and her main concern is her children.

“Lahat ng hinanakit ko ngayon ay sa mga bata because he puts the children in a position na hindi silang pwedeng lumaban. “

Marjorie Barretto defends children from Dennis Padilla

Marjorie Barretto

fi ed those were not nurses and I was not able to do that.

Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday - Tuesday, September 9 - 15, 2015 THE US ASIAN POST8

Saturday September 5 2015 (Relaxnews) – Pressuring teens to get fi t is counterproductive, ac-cording to a new study that sug-gests they are more likely to exer-cise if they feel in control of their choices.

The research team recruited participants of approximately 13 years of age because it’s just be-fore this point – when they are around 10 – that kids are believed to decrease their activity levels by 50 percent.

“Our results confi rm that the beliefs these kids hold are related to physical activity levels,” says lead author Rod Dishman, a pro-fessor of kinesiology at the Uni-versity of Georgia. “But can we put these children in situations where they come to value and en-joy the act of being physically ac-tive?”

Helping kids identify with ex-ercise at a younger age could be one solution, says Dishman, with the goal of them reaching middle school and considering them-selves to be fi tness-savant.

More structured games during the early years that integrate ex-ercise into academics or increas-ing efforts to create community sports leagues are in store, ac-cording to Dishman.

“Just like there are kids who

are drawn to music and art, there are kids who are drawn to physical activity,” he says. “But what you want is to draw those kids who otherwise might not be drawn to an activity.”

Shame is not the answer, ac-cording to the study, which over-whelmingly found teens were less likely to exercise out of pressure to do so.

“The best thing is to do it be-cause it’s fun,” says Dishman. “It’s the kids who say they are intrinsi-cally motivated who are more ac-tive than the kids who aren’t.”

Published in the journal Medi-cine & Science in Sports & Ex-ercise, the study follows on the heels of research conducted in the UK that suggests making a spe-cial effort to motivate young teens to exercise could cut their risk for diabetes.

The researchers measured the insulin resistance of 300 young-sters every year starting when they were nine years old until they turned 16.

Type 2 diabetes was 17 percent less likely to occur in the more ac-tive participants by the time they turned 13, regardless of their body fat levels, according to the study.

According to the study, 13 is the age at which incidence of type 2 diabetes peaks, and unsurpris-

ingly, the 17 percent advantage dwindled progressively until par-ticipants turned 16, indicating the need to start exercising at a younger age.

�Insulin resistance rises dra-matically from age 9 to 13 years, then falls to the same extent un-til age 16,� says study author Dr. Brad Metcalf, of the Univer-sity of Exeter. �Our study found that physical activity reduced this early-teenage peak in insulin re-sistance but had no impact at age 16.�

Encouraging kids to exercise at a young age could keep them healthy and self-motivated, according to new research. ©YanLev/Shutterstock

Guilting teens into exercise doesn’t work: study

Friday September 4 2015 (Re-laxnews) – For the 26th consecu-tive year, participation in high school sports increased, reaching 7.8 million for the fi rst time, ac-cording to a survey conducted by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS).

This marks an increase of 11,389 student athletes from last year, according to the survey.

Increasing interest on the part of girls is to thank for the growth spurt, for 20,071 new girls signed up in 2014-15, the 26th consecu-tive year to see an increase in fe-male players.

What’s worrying is that boys’ interest is waning with 8,682 players dropping out, although this year saw the second high-est participation levels from boys ever behind the all-time high that occurred in 2013-14.

“Despite other out-of-school opportunities that exist in some sports, this year’s survey is yet another confi rmation that our model of education-based sports within the high school setting is the No. 1 choice for boys and girls nationwide,” says NFHS execu-tive director Bob Gardner.

Girls are getting in the spir-it

Spirit squads led the way in new player enthusiasm with girls, counting 5,170 walk-ons, followed by cross country, which added 3,495 new runners.

Track and fi eld remained the number-1 favorite for girls, boast-ing 478,726 athletes and volley-ball knocked basketball out of the number-2 slot, counting 432,176 players.

Basketball, which counted 429,504 players, was the most popular sport among girls ten years ago, with track and fi eld in number-2, followed by volleyball, according to the survey.

Boys aim for the checkered ball

Soccer saw participation in-crease by an additional 15,150 new boys this year, with baseball adding 3,938 newbies and 425 athletes took up basketball.

Wrestling and 11-player foot-ball lost the largest number of players at 11,306 and 9,617, re-spectively.

As far as football is concerned, the decline is not signifi cant con-sidering that over 1.1 million youths participate in the sport at the high school level.

In fact, 11-player football is by far the most popular sport among boys, registering 1,083,617 partic-ipants, followed by outdoor track and fi eld, which counts 578,632 boys. Next comes basketball with 541,479 players, followed by base-ball with 486,567, then soccer with 432,569, according to the survey.

To view the complete sur-vey: http://www.nfhs.org/

Spirit squads added more participation nationwide than any other high school girls’ sport in 2014-15, according to a new survey. ©Amy Myers

Friday September 4 2015 (Mi-ami, United States-AFP) – Re-searchers have long known that growing up on a farm seems to protect children against allergies and now they know the secret lies in the dust, Belgian experts said Thursday.

The fi ndings published in the US journal Science could help lead to a vaccine against asthma one day.

“At this point, we have revealed an actual link between farm dust and protection against asthma and allergies,” said Bart Lam-brecht, a professor of pulmonary medicine at Ghent University.

“We did this by exposing mice to farm dust extract from Germa-ny and Switzerland. These tests revealed that the mice were fully protected against house dust mite allergy, the most common cause for allergies in humans.”

Scientists also discovered that farm dust “makes the mucous membrane inside the respiratory tracts react less severely to aller-gens such as house dust mite” due to a protein called A20, the study said. The body produces the A20 protein when a person comes in contact with farm dust.

Professor Hamida Hammad at Ghent University said the protec-tive effect went away when the A20 protein was inactivated in mice, leaving the mucous mem-brane of the lungs “unable to re-duce an allergic or asthmatic re-action.”

When researchers examined a group of 2,000 people who grew up on farms, they found most did not suffer from allergies or asthma.

Those who were still prone to allergies and asthma were found to be defi cient in the protective protein. “Those who are not pro-tected and still develop allergies have a genetic variant of the A20 gene which causes the A20 protein to malfunction,” said Lambrecht.

Next, researchers will be hunt-ing for the active substance in farm dust that is responsible for providing protection, so that they can use it to develop a preventive medicine against asthma.

Monday September 7 2015 (Berlin-AFP) – As it gets harder to tear our eyes away from smartphones, televisions, tablets or com-puters, concerns are growing over a blue light emitted by their screens, blamed for harming the retina and causing interrupted sleep.

Electronics giants are turning crisis to an opportunity – quickly declaring that their latest products feature “safe” screens.

At the IFA mega consumer electronics show in Berlin, Dutch company Philips is showcasing a new technology for its computer screens called “SoftBlue,” which it claims is gentler on the retina.

“We are shifting the harmful blue light frequencies, which are below 450 nanometers, to above 460 nanometers,” said Philips’ marketing director Stefan Sommer.

Other brands like Asus and BenQ, along with American fi rm ViewSonic, have also seized on “safe” screens as a new selling point.

“We’ve been told from a very early age by parents that too much screen time, in front of a TV or a computer, is bad. So a ‘safe’ screen might resonate with consumers,” said Paul Gray, an analyst at IHS Global Insight.

Because it generates a relatively high intensity of light from just a low amount of energy, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are used to light up smartphones, televisions or computers.

But the problem is the blue ray emitted at the same time, which is feared to pose potentially serious health consequences.

Beware of ‘overconsumption’ -It is all scare-mongering or scientifi c fact? Serge Picaud, a re-

searcher at the Institute of Sight in Paris, has a more measured take on it.

“We should not be so afraid that we bin all our screens,” he said.Picaud carried out a study in 2013 in which he exposed sample

retina cells from a pig – similar to those found in humans – to dif-ferent wavelengths of light, and showed that those between 415 and 455 nanometres killed the cells.

In other words, deep blue light, which is close to ultra-violet light, is particularly harmful to eyes.

Nevertheless, the scientist says, “that must be taken in propor-tion as the light intensities produced by our screens are still rela-tively weak compared to sunlight”.

“Those who worry about harm caused by screens, do they also wear sunglasses at the beach?” asked Picaud.

Vincent Gualino, an ophthalmologist at a French hospital also believes that “we should not be afraid of the screens”.

“The real problem is over-consumption,” the specialist on reti-na illnesses said, warning people against spending more than six hours in front of their screens.

Children’s eyes are most vulnerable, as their retinas are clear and they “will be exposed over 40 or 50 years”.

Longer, faster, stronger: US high school sports more popular than ever

Farm dust protects kids against asthma, allergies

‘Safe’ screens touted for those who just can’t look away

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MOTORING

Thursday September 3 2015 (Relaxnews) – The centerpiece of BMW’s Frankfurt motor show stand will undoubtedly be its all new ultra-luxurious, very con-nected 7 Series. However, the German carmaker will also be using the event to continue hon-oring its commitment to greener, more environmentally conscious motoring with the launch of two new cars that use the company’s ‘eDrive’ plug-in hybrid technology – the 330e compact executive se-dan and the 225xe Active Tourer equally compact MPV.

What sets BMW’s hybrids apart from say a Toyota Prius, is that as well as enabling greater fuel economy and electric-only driving for emissions-free travers-ing of urban areas, eDrive also en-hances performance.

Just like in the current crop of hybrid hypercars – the Ferrari La-

Ferrari, the McLaren P1 and the Porsche 918 Spyder – in BMW’s family-oriented vehicles the elec-tric and traditional motors work together for increased horsepow-er, faster acceleration off the line and for smooth progression right around the rev counter. Turbo-charging an engine makes it more powerful without making it drink more fuel.

However, there is often a lag between depressing the accelera-tor and the car jumping into ac-tion as the turbos need time to spool up. With eDrive, the electric motor fi lls in these gaps so ev-erything is always instantaneous and seamless.

The technology also offers a boost function which, like in For-mula One, will dump all power available to the driven wheels when immediate extra speed is a necessity, such as for motorway

overtaking.Yet both cars are capable of

traveling at speeds of over 70mph (112km/h) on battery power alone and over a distance of over 30km before the lithium ion cells need recharging. This can be done via a standard socket at home or a dedicated charging station. Power from the traditional engine and energy recuperated under brak-ing can also be used to top up while on the go, but not to fully replenish the cells during longer drives.

BMW was one of the fi rst main-stream premium marquees to start investing heavily in alterna-tive fuel technology, from hydro-gen fuel cells to full battery power and hybrid systems. However it is only over the past 18 months that the company has been bringing these developments to market in its cars.

The BMW 225xe and 330e: Two new eDrive hybrids are joining the BMW range in Frankfurt. ©BMW

BMW to expand hybrid range at Frankfurt

Monday September 7 2015 (Relaxnews) – The company behind Europe’s most popular SUV-esque cars – the Qashqai and the Juke – is planning something that blends 4x4 style with dynamic perfor-mance for the Frankfurt motorshow on September 17.

Nissan is being very coy about what exactly to expect from its latest concept other than it will “continue to innovate and move the bar higher” in the crossover market.

However, the car is most likely to be a sports-focused model that will adopt the company’s ‘Z’ premium performance badge.

As such when a production model based on the concept goes on sale in 2017 it will blend all of the styling cues of a crossover with the speed more usually associated with a sports coupe.

To date, Nissan has sold over 2.5 million crossovers in Europe alone and the new concept is part of the company’s plan to make the segment even more appealing to even more drivers.

Saturday September 5 2015 (San Francisco-AFP) – Toyota on Friday announced plans to invest $50 million into building artifi cial intelligence into cars, an indication it could be joining the race to develop driverless ve-hicles.

The joint research with Stan-ford University and the Massa-chusetts Institute of Technology will take place over the next fi ve years, Toyota Motor Corporation said, emphasizing its interest in technology that could be used by people as they grow old or become less able to drive safely.

“We will initially focus on the acceleration of intelligent vehicle technology, with the immediate goal of helping eliminate traffi c casualties and the ultimate goal of helping improve quality of life through enhanced mobility and robotics,” Toyota’s research and development chief Kiyotaka Ise said in a statement.

Lab efforts will be directed by former US Defense Advanced Re-search Projects Agency program manager Gill Pratt, who headed a recent contest for robots that

could be used to help emergency workers in disaster situations.

Google and several major car makers have been pursuing au-tonomous vehicle technology and while the Japanese automobile giant did not mention making cars that drive themselves, it did promise work on “intelligent ve-hicle technology.”

A Stanford lab led by professor Fei-Fei Li will work with Toyota and MIT to use computer vision, machine learning and large-scale data analysis to enable vehicles to navigate complex traffi c situ-ations.

“Our team will work to help intelligent vehicles recognize ob-jects in the road, predict behav-iors of things and people, and make safe and smart driving de-cisions under diverse conditions,” Li said. The joint research will also look at applying innovation breakthroughs in robots, accord-ing to Pratt.

“This bold collaboration will address extremely complex mo-bility challenges using ground-breaking artifi cial intelligence research,” Pratt said.

Toyota getting in gear with smart cars

Nissan teases crossover concept

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

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THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday - Tuesday, September 9 - 15, 2015 Visit www.usasianpost.com 11

FAMILY FEATURES

As family gathers around the table, a fragrant, beautifully plated main dish is the focal point of any holiday meal. A richly fl avored pork or beef dish that

looks as good as it tastes will have guests passing their plates for more.

Whether your tastes lean toward a succulent pork crown roast seasoned to perfection, a prime rib so tender it melts in your mouth or a juicy ham drizzled with a sweet glaze, you can fi nd premium meats to get you started at Omaha Steaks, a leading provider of premium beef and gourmet foods.

Flash-frozen to capture freshness and fl avor at their peak, you can select the right cut of meat from the comfort of your home and have it delivered directly to your door. All that’s left is fi nding the right recipe to complement your main dish.

If preparing an elegant meal from scratch isn’t your idea of a happy holiday, look to Omaha Steaks for gourmet side dishes, appetizers and desserts, as well as complete holiday meal pack ages to fi t any size gathering.

Get inspired to create a special centerpiece for your holiday table at omahasteaks.com.

Prep time: 30 minutesCook time: 2 hours, 30 minutesTotal time: 3 hoursServes: 12-16

1/4 cup kosher salt 2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper 1/3 cup fresh garlic, peeled and fi nely diced 1/4 cup thyme, leaves removed from stem and coarsely chopped 1/4 cup rosemary, leaves removed from stem and coarsely chopped 2 tablespoons sage, leaves removed from stem and coarsely chopped 1/2 cup, plus 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 pounds baby red potatoes, halved 1 pound fresh pearl onions, peeled and halved 1 Omaha Steaks Pork Crown Roast

Th aw roast completely and remove plastic packaging.

Heat oven to 350 F.Prepare rub by combining salt, pepper,

garlic, herbs and 1/2 cup of olive oil.Mix 2 tablespoons of rub with remain-

ing 2 tablespoons of olive oil and toss with potatoes and onions.

Liberally rub all sides of roast with remaining rub, including in between bones. Put any excess rub on top.

Place roast on foil lined sheet pan and spread potatoes and onions around sides of roast. Cook on center rack of oven for approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes to 2 hours and 35 minutes for a 9-pound roast, or until internal temperature reaches 145 F in the middle.

Let rest for 10-15 minutes before cutting away string and slicing between bones for 16 even portions. Serve with roasted red potatoes and pearl onions in natural au jus.

How to Handle Frozen MeatWorking with frozen meat from a quality supplier not only ensures top-notch quality for your holiday dinner, it adds convenience during a busy time of year. Follow this advice from the experts at Omaha Steaks to handle your frozen meats with care. For meats that have been vacuum sealed in

plastic wrap, store in a freezer for up to three months.

For best results, thaw in the refrigerator to allow for juicier, more fl avorful steaks. Always leave the wrapper on while thawing. Use these approxi-mate guidelines for thawing in a refrigerator set to 36-40 F:

Large roast 4 to 7 hours per poundSmall roast 3 to 5 hours per poundSteak (1-inch) 12 to 14 hoursWhole turkey 1 day per 4 to 5 poundsPoultry parts 1 day per 1 to 2 pounds

For quick, safe thawing place meat in cold water while still in its wrapper.

Apricot Ham GlazePrep time: 5 minutesCook time: 10 minutesTotal time: 15Serves: 6-8 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon corn starch 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1 cup canned apricot nectar In small saucepan, combine brown sugar, corn starch and ginger. Stir in apricot nectar.

Cook over medium heat, stirring con stantly, until mixture thickens and boils.

Serving suggestion: Brush glaze over whole ham before roasting or over ham steaks while grilling.

Cranberry Orange Ham GlazePrep time: 5 minutesCook time: 10 minutesTotal time: 15 minutesServes: 10-12 1 can (16 ounces) cranberry sauce 1 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup orange juice 1/2 teaspoon cloves, ground 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, ground 1/4 teaspoon all spicePlace all ingredients in small sauce pan over low heat. Simmer for 5 minutes, then serve.

Salt Encrusted Prime Rib RoastPrep time: 15 minutesCook time: 2 hoursTotal time: 2 hours, 15 minutesServes: 8Salt Crust: 1 box (3 pounds) coarse kosher salt 1 1/4 cups water 1 Omaha Steaks Bone-In Prime Rib Roast (6 pounds) 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 2-3 teaspoons cracked black pepperHeat oven to 425 F. Line shallow roasting pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil.

Combine salt crust ingredients; mix well. (Mixture may appear dry; do not add additional water.) In roasting pan, pat 1 1/2 cups salt mixture into rectangular shape about 1/2 to 1 inch larger than roast.

Brush roast with oil; press pepper evenly into surface. Insert ovenproof meat thermometer into thickest part of roast, not resting in fat; center roast on salt layer. Starting at base of roast, pack remaining salt mixture onto sides and top to encase in salt. (Some salt mixture may fall off , exposing small areas of the roast. Th is will not aff ect cooking.)

Roast in oven approximately 1 3/4 to 2 hours for medium rare or 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 hours for medium doneness. Use thermometer to verify doneness.

Transfer pan with roast to cooling rack; let stand uncovered 15 minutes. Remove and discard salt crust from roast, brushing off any remaining salt. Carve and serve.

Pork Crown Roast with Garlic Herb Rub

Pork Crown Roast with Garlic Herb Rub

Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday - Tuesday, September 9 - 15, 2015 THE US ASIAN POST12

By Abner GalinoBAYANG Lualhati Flores, a college

freshman and only daughter of fellow jour-nalist Nelson Flores, speaks Tagalog like she just stepped out of a plane from Ma-nila. When she speaks English, you’ll know she’s from Texas.

That is a great achievement from some-one who came to the US when she was still a grade schooler and had to grow up with so few people to converse with in Tagalog. But she has to share the credit with her dad who banned English in their household as soon as they settled here.

Migrant children will learn English even without help from the household, Nelson noted.

“Kasi ‘yan ang lengguwaheng gagamitin niya araw-araw paglabas niya ng bahay. Imposible na hindi siya matuto,” Nelson explained.

What is harder for migrant children, Nelson believes, is for them to keep their profi ciency in speaking their native lan-guage without help from their households.

Wait, before I proceed. I will use Taga-log and Filipino as if they mean the same. Technically, they are not. Tagalog is a dis-tinct dialect by itself, although it does con-stitute the big part of the national language that is widely spoken by Filipinos. But that is another story. Meanwhile, I will proceed like I don’t know about the subject and I apologize to the guardians of accuracy.

Now, proceeding to my story: My niece, Maria Karizza Vitan, a background painter at Nickelodeon, also came here as a grade schooler. She has lost her profi ciency in Filipino by about 20 to 30 percent despite her family speaking Tagalog at home.

Bayang, better known in her Texas hometown as Biel (the sound of the fi rst letters of her fi rst and second name), and Maria both have circles of friends who are non-Tagalog speakers – which mainly hap-pened as a matter of chance than by choice.

The little difference between these young women is that Bayang is obliged to speak Tagalog only when she is at home while Maria could talk both in English and Ta-galog when at home. She could talk to her family in plain English or talk to them in plain Tagalog or she could mix up the lan-guages in a speaking style called “Taglish.”

For Maria, losing some of her ability to speak Tagalog appears to have no bearing on the strength of her connection to her Fil-ipino ancestry. In fact, not even to her love of the Filipino language. She vowed to keep speaking it and to pass it on to her children when she got to that point in her life.

For Bayang or Biel, her skills alone make her a compulsory ambassador of Ta-galog among Filipino-Americans.

(From left to right) Paolo, Kristine and Cheene of the Filipino Cultural School.

Keeping the love (for Tagalog) alive

Of course, between these two young women, no one is better than the other as far as the question of who is more “Filipi-no.” We may prefer one over the other, but largely for the community here: They are simply bilingual Americans.

Rewards of being able to speak TagalogThere should be no pressure for young

Filipino-Americans to learn the Filipino language. There is absolutely no guilt for those children we brought here and who later lost their ability to speak Filipino as they grow up. Filipino patriotism does not apply to them because they are Americans.

But if we could encourage them to speak Tagalog, why not? I mean, Fil-Ams who speak Tagalog would tell you it is fun. For one, imagine that you were in public some-where and your parents or siblings were “misbehaving” and you can shush them without anyone getting embarrassed.

Well, that’s just for starter. For those who haven’t spoken Tagalog,

did you know that Tagalog pronouns have no gender and therefore you can talk about someone for lengths without giving away the gender of that person?

Is that cool or what? That trait is poten-tially useful for something, right?

On a more serious note, learning to speak Tagalog is really a signifi cant step for young Fil-Ams who want to fi nd their cultural identity in this very diverse en-vironment. As in the words of the three young people from the Filipino Cultural

School (FCS) whom I recently met: They want to go beyond adobo and pansit.

One of them, Kristine de Austria, said having a good command of your native tongue helps one to fully enjoy the culture that comes forth with it.

It is certainly more fun for kids learning to sing “Bahay Kubo” if they know what a bahay kubo is and all the vegetables that are enumerated in the song.

Another FCS volunteer, Cheene Bus-tos, added that during the recent summer school conducted by the FCS, there was strong clamor from among the Fil-Am chil-dren (most of whom could not speak Taga-log) to learn the language apparently be-cause it gave them better appreciation of the songs and dances that were taught to them.

Paolo Roca, the incoming president of the FCS school board which operates large-ly around the Bellfl ower-Long Beach area, pointed out that being able to speak the language also build up a character that is distinctly Filipino.

“Growing up speaking the language, natutunan ko po na pag nagsasabi ka ng po at opo, nagpapakita ka ng respect at the same time ng pagmamahal sa mga magu-lang mo. I don’t think it is being submissive. But only makes you conscious na alam mo kung saan ilulugar ang sarili mo, na alam mo kailan magsasalita o hindi magsasalita (when in the company of elders having con-versation),” Roca said.

The youngsters also said that being able to speak Tagalog also help them connect better with the members of the Filipino community, particularly the older genera-tion. While most Filipinos can understand English, a sizeable number are not fl uent in speaking it.

There is a relative ease when these dif-ferent generations of Fil-Ams meet and speak in Tagalog, they noted.

Outside of the family and the Fil-Am community, being bilingual actually is a plus when submitting a resumé for em-ployment. Many companies, especially in California where diversity is regarded as strength, give extra points to bilinguals when hiring people.

In a recent New York Times article writ-ten by Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, the author claimed that researchers have found out that learning at least two languages “can have a profound effect on your brain, im-proving cognitive skills not related to lan-guage and even shielding against dementia in old age.”

Research suggests that an interference happens in the brain when a bilingual uses one of his languages which “forces the brain to resolve internal confl ict, giving the mind a workout that strengthens its cogni-tive muscles.”

Well, that should be argument to con-vince even more Fil-Ams parents to put on some more effort into getting their children to learn how to speak and love Tagalog.