See NAPOLES, page 6 Vol. 3. No. 32 LOS ANGELES Wednesday - Tuesday, April 23-29, 2014 Why Solenn chooses to live in with boyfriend See PAGE 7 W W W . U S A S I A N P O S T . C O M See TRAFFIC CZAR, page 5 See SLOWEST, page 5 MANILA, Apr 20 (Mabuhay) – Malacanang expects that the visit of US President Barack Obama to the Philippines will center on the strategic partnership between the two nations, specifically on de- fense and security. Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said the discussion between Obama and President Aquino on April 28 is expected to revolve around “the strategic partnership between the US and the Philippines.” He said an important part of the discussions is the “defense and security” amid a new deal that will allow American troops to share bases with the Philippine’s military. The Enhanced Defense Coop- eration, which is expected to raise the much-needed protection ver- sus China, could finally be signed when Obama visits. “The context of [the discussions between the two leaders] is the Obama is scheduled to visit Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and the Philippines, and will be under duress to address maritime ter- ritorial disputes between US allies and China. Aides said the president would restate staunch US support for its friends, underline its role as a Pacific power, and seek to reassure the region that his Asia “rebalancing” strategy is not running out of steam. White House Photo by Pete Souza Defense, security partnership eyed in Obama visit MANILA, Apr 20 (Mabuhay) – Another Hamilton class cutter is in the works for the Philippine Navy (PN), defense officials said Sunday. The ship is of the same type as the country’s BRP Gregorio Del Pilar (PF-15) and BRP Ramon Al- caraz (PF-16). Both vessels were converted to frigates after their donation to the Philippines. This develops as the US Coast Guard is slated to decommission two Hamilton class cutters by this year. Defense sources said that US government has expressed its in- tention to “donate” one of the cut- ters to the PN with the other one being given to the Nigerian Navy. They added that the ship will be handed over to the Philippines with its 76mm Oto Melara main gun and whatever sensors and Another Hamilton class cutter being eyed for the Navy MANILA, Apr 22 (Mabuhay) – Alleged pork barrel scam player Janet Lim Napoles is now ready to tell everything she knows about the multi-billion peso scam, Jus- tice Secretary Leila de Lima said, in what could be a major devel- opment in one of the biggest cor- ruption scandals in the country’s history. Napoles said she will finally speak up after remaining silent on her alleged illegal pork barrel transactions with several law- makers and government officials, de Lima said in an interview at the Ospital ng Makati before dawn on Tuesday. “I came to see her on her re- quest. Nag-padala siya ng feel- ers before the Holy Week and sabi niya she’s ready to speak up. She’s ready to tell all and would execute an affidavit kaya kinunan namin siya ng statement ngayon. I agreed to talk to her on those conditions that she would tell all that she knows about the PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund) scam,” De Lima said. De Lima said Napoles has also asked if she could be turned into a state witness, but the Justice sec- retary said she has not made any promises to Napoles yet. “Sabi niya she would of course want to be a state witness, but I told her I cannot make such a commitment because it is not for me to decide because it is with the Ombudsman,” de Lima said. According to de Lima, Napoles made the decision to speak up be- fore her scheduled operation. The businesswoman is set to undergo an operation at the Ospi- tal ng Makati on Tuesday to ad- dress her uterine cyst, according to her lawyer Faye Singson. “She will be undergoing sur- gery so ang pinaka-request niya - that’s why I had to see her na rin - because ang sabi she needs to talk to us and tell what she knows before siya mag-undergo ng sur- gery,” de Lima said. “Maybe she thinks na - you don’t know, may danger - when you undergo medical procedure anything can happen that’s why she pleaded to talk to me para makuha na raw ang kanyang statement for her consideration.” De Lima said she cannot yet reveal the rest of what the contro- Napoles ready to tell all – DOJ MANILA, Apr 21 (Mabuhay) – One hundred passengers of the flight carrying the Filipino nurse initially diagnosed with the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coro- navirus (MERS-CoV) have tested negative for the same, Malaca- ñang announced Monday. During a press conference, Presidential Communications Operations Office head Herminio Coloma Jr. said that as of 8 a.m. Monday, 173 out of the 414 pas- sengers or 42 percent have been contacted by the government. Of this number, he said 100 passengers or 24 percent tested negative while they are still await- ing the results of the test on the 73 others. Coloma said President Benigno Aquino III has directed the De- partment of Health (DOH) and the Inter-Agency Task Force MERS coronavirus to “intensify [their] efforts” in locating and contacting the more than 200 remaining pas- sengers of the flight. “The President instructed the DOH to ensure that all the passen- gers undergo a free nose and throat swabbing tests for the MERS coro- navirus in all public hospitals or Health Secretary Enrique Ona read his statement on MERS-CORONA VIRUS, saying that upon the President’s instruction, the Deparmtent of Health (DOH)has mobilized Task Force MERS-CoV to heighten awareness among our people on the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-Corona Virus (MERS-CoV) and prevent spread of the commu- nicable disease. Also in photo (right) is Dr. Lyndon Lee Suy, DOH Program Manager of Emerging Infectious Diseases, who assisted Secretary Ona at the press conference held at the DOH Head Office in Sta. Cruz, Manila on Saturday, April 19,2014 (MNS photo) Palace: 100 Etihad passengers tested negative for MERS-CoV MANILA, Apr 21 (Mabuhay) – In light of its “world’s worst air- port” tag, a lawmaker wants a probe into the supposed misman- agement of the Ninoy Aquino In- ternational Airport (NAIA). Valenzuela City Rep, Sherwin Gatchalian filed House Resolu- tion 909 “inquiring into the mis- management in the administra- tion and operations of the NAIA vis-à-vis the label as the worst airport in the world and urging the Department of Transporta- tion and Communication (DOTC) and the Department of Tourism Probe mismanagement of NAIA – solon Filipinos frolic at the polluted water of Manila Bay to mark Easter Sunday at Manila Bay, the Philippines, 20 April 2014. Despite government health warnings due to the polluted waters, many Filipino families from poor districts flock annually to Manila Bay for a dip on Easter Sunday, which in Catholicism marks the biblical account of Jesus Christ’s rising from the dead after being crucified on Good Friday. (MNS photo) MANILA, Apr 19 (Mabuhay) – The environment department will further improve air quality moni- toring in Metro Manila to better generate data needed in its bid to clean up the air. According to air quality chief Jean Rosete from the depart- ment’s Environmental Manage- ment Bureau (EMB), the agency will gradually phase out from 2014 to 2015 its existing manual facilities for monitoring airborne pollutive particles called total suspended particulates (TSPs). “We’ll replace those with state- of-the-art, real-time automatic air quality monitoring stations (AQMSs) that can measure levels of all health-threatening criteria air pollutants,” she said. Criteria air pollutants are air pollutants that cause health haz- ards like smog and acid rain. Rosete noted sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone, carbon monoxide (CO) and Gov’t tightens bid to clean up Metro Manila’s air MANILA, Apr 20 (Mabuhay) – Malacañang said Sunday that there is no need for President Be- nigno S. Aquino III to appoint a traffic czar. “Kuntento ang Pangulo sa isi- nasagawa ng ating kapulisan, ng ating mga lokal na pamahalaan, at ng Metro Manila Development Authority,” said Presidential Communication Operations Of- fice Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr., during a press briefing aired Sunday over radio station dzRB Radyo ng Bayan. When asked if there is a need for a point person to ease the traf- MANILA, Apr 20 (Mabuhay) – An infographic posted by ASEAN DNA shows what most Pinoy netizens already know to be true: Internet speed in the Philippines is the slowest in the whole As- sociation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). At 3.6 megabytes per second (Mbps), the country lags behind Laos (4.0 Mbps), Indonesia (4.1 Mbps), Myanmar and Brunei (4.9 Mbps), Malaysia (5.5 Mbps) and Cambodia (5.7 Mbps). The report showed that the average internet speed for the ASEAN region is 12.4 Mbps, or roughly four times faster than current Internet speed in the Philippines. In comparison, ASEAN DNA – which describes itself as a site “to promote a better understanding and appreciation of shared values and common characteristics of ASEAN” – showed that Singapore leads the region in terms of fastest Internet speed, reaching up to 61.0 Mbps or more than 1500 percent faster than the Philippine Internet. Other countries mentioned in the report include Vietnam (13.1) and Thailand (17.7), the only two other Southeast Asian countries No need for traffic czar, Says Palace PHL Internet slowest in ASEAN – report See TIGHTENS, page 5 See HAMILTON, page 5 See OBAMA VISIT, page 5 See MISMANAGEMENT, page 5 See MERS, page 5 1-877-35-NOPAY 818-334-5445
Transcript
See NAPOLES, page 6
Vol. 3. No. 32 LOS ANGELES Wednesday - Tuesday, April 23-29, 2014
Why Solenn chooses to live in with boyfriend
See PAGE 7W W W . U S A S I A N P O S T . C O M
See TRAFFIC CZAR, page 5 See SLOWEST, page 5
MANILA, Apr 20 (Mabuhay) – Malacanang expects that the visit of US President Barack Obama to the Philippines will center on the strategic partnership between the two nations, specifi cally on de-fense and security.
Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said the discussion between Obama and President Aquino on April 28 is expected to revolve around “the strategic partnership between the US and the Philippines.”
He said an important part of the discussions is the “defense and security” amid a new deal that will allow American troops to share bases with the Philippine’s military.
The Enhanced Defense Coop-eration, which is expected to raise the much-needed protection ver-sus China, could fi nally be signed when Obama visits.
“The context of [the discussions between the two leaders] is the
Obama is scheduled to visit Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and the Philippines, and will be under duress to address maritime ter-ritorial disputes between US allies and China. Aides said the president would restate staunch US support for its friends, underline its role as a Pacifi c power, and seek to reassure the region that his Asia “rebalancing” strategy is not running out of steam. White House Photo by Pete Souza
Defense, security partnership eyed in Obama visit
MANILA, Apr 20 (Mabuhay) – Another Hamilton class cutter is in the works for the Philippine Navy (PN), defense offi cials said Sunday.
The ship is of the same type as the country’s BRP Gregorio Del Pilar (PF-15) and BRP Ramon Al-caraz (PF-16).
Both vessels were converted to frigates after their donation to the Philippines.
This develops as the US Coast
Guard is slated to decommission two Hamilton class cutters by this year.
Defense sources said that US government has expressed its in-tention to “donate” one of the cut-ters to the PN with the other one being given to the Nigerian Navy.
They added that the ship will be handed over to the Philippines with its 76mm Oto Melara main gun and whatever sensors and
Another Hamilton class cutter being eyed for the Navy
MANILA, Apr 22 (Mabuhay) – Alleged pork barrel scam player Janet Lim Napoles is now ready to tell everything she knows about the multi-billion peso scam, Jus-tice Secretary Leila de Lima said, in what could be a major devel-opment in one of the biggest cor-ruption scandals in the country’s history.
Napoles said she will fi nally speak up after remaining silent on her alleged illegal pork barrel transactions with several law-makers and government offi cials, de Lima said in an interview at the Ospital ng Makati before dawn on Tuesday.
“I came to see her on her re-quest. Nag-padala siya ng feel-ers before the Holy Week and sabi niya she’s ready to speak up.
She’s ready to tell all and would execute an affi davit kaya kinunan namin siya ng statement ngayon. I agreed to talk to her on those conditions that she would tell all that she knows about the PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund) scam,” De Lima said.
De Lima said Napoles has also asked if she could be turned into a state witness, but the Justice sec-retary said she has not made any promises to Napoles yet.
“Sabi niya she would of course want to be a state witness, but I told her I cannot make such a commitment because it is not for me to decide because it is with the Ombudsman,” de Lima said.
According to de Lima, Napoles made the decision to speak up be-fore her scheduled operation.
The businesswoman is set to undergo an operation at the Ospi-tal ng Makati on Tuesday to ad-dress her uterine cyst, according to her lawyer Faye Singson.
“She will be undergoing sur-gery so ang pinaka-request niya - that’s why I had to see her na rin - because ang sabi she needs to talk to us and tell what she knows before siya mag-undergo ng sur-gery,” de Lima said.
“Maybe she thinks na - you don’t know, may danger - when you undergo medical procedure anything can happen that’s why she pleaded to talk to me para makuha na raw ang kanyang statement for her consideration.”
De Lima said she cannot yet reveal the rest of what the contro-
Napoles ready to tell all – DOJ
MANILA, Apr 21 (Mabuhay) – One hundred passengers of the fl ight carrying the Filipino nurse initially diagnosed with the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coro-navirus (MERS-CoV) have tested negative for the same, Malaca-ñang announced Monday.
During a press conference, Presidential Communications Operations Offi ce head Herminio Coloma Jr. said that as of 8 a.m. Monday, 173 out of the 414 pas-sengers or 42 percent have been contacted by the government.
Of this number, he said 100 passengers or 24 percent tested
negative while they are still await-ing the results of the test on the 73 others.
Coloma said President Benigno Aquino III has directed the De-partment of Health (DOH) and the Inter-Agency Task Force MERS coronavirus to “intensify [their] efforts” in locating and contacting the more than 200 remaining pas-sengers of the fl ight.
“The President instructed the DOH to ensure that all the passen-gers undergo a free nose and throat swabbing tests for the MERS coro-navirus in all public hospitals or
Health Secretary Enrique Ona read his statement on MERS-CORONA VIRUS, saying that upon the President’s instruction, the Deparmtent of Health (DOH)has mobilized Task Force MERS-CoV to heighten awareness among our people on the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-Corona Virus (MERS-CoV) and prevent spread of the commu-nicable disease. Also in photo (right) is Dr. Lyndon Lee Suy, DOH Program Manager of Emerging Infectious Diseases, who assisted Secretary Ona at the press conference held at the DOH Head Offi ce in Sta. Cruz, Manila on Saturday, April 19,2014 (MNS photo)
Palace: 100 Etihad passengers tested negative for MERS-CoV
MANILA, Apr 21 (Mabuhay) – In light of its “world’s worst air-port” tag, a lawmaker wants a probe into the supposed misman-agement of the Ninoy Aquino In-ternational Airport (NAIA).
Valenzuela City Rep, Sherwin Gatchalian fi led House Resolu-tion 909 “inquiring into the mis-management in the administra-tion and operations of the NAIA vis-à-vis the label as the worst airport in the world and urging the Department of Transporta-tion and Communication (DOTC) and the Department of Tourism
Probe mismanagement of NAIA – solon
Filipinos frolic at the polluted water of Manila Bay to mark Easter Sunday at Manila Bay, the Philippines, 20 April 2014. Despite government health warnings due to the polluted waters, many Filipino families from poor districts fl ock annually to Manila Bay for a dip on Easter Sunday, which in Catholicism marks the biblical account of Jesus Christ’s rising from the dead after being crucifi ed on Good Friday. (MNS photo)
MANILA, Apr 19 (Mabuhay) – The environment department will further improve air quality moni-toring in Metro Manila to better generate data needed in its bid to clean up the air.
According to air quality chief Jean Rosete from the depart-ment’s Environmental Manage-ment Bureau (EMB), the agency will gradually phase out from 2014 to 2015 its existing manual facilities for monitoring airborne pollutive particles called total
suspended particulates (TSPs).“We’ll replace those with state-
of-the-art, real-time automatic air quality monitoring stations (AQMSs) that can measure levels of all health-threatening criteria air pollutants,” she said.
Criteria air pollutants are air pollutants that cause health haz-ards like smog and acid rain.
MANILA, Apr 20 (Mabuhay) – Malacañang said Sunday that there is no need for President Be-nigno S. Aquino III to appoint a traffi c czar.
“Kuntento ang Pangulo sa isi-nasagawa ng ating kapulisan, ng ating mga lokal na pamahalaan, at ng Metro Manila Development Authority,” said Presidential Communication Operations Of-fi ce Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr., during a press briefi ng aired Sunday over radio station dzRB Radyo ng Bayan.
When asked if there is a need for a point person to ease the traf-
MANILA, Apr 20 (Mabuhay) – An infographic posted by ASEAN DNA shows what most Pinoy netizens already know to be true: Internet speed in the Philippines is the slowest in the whole As-sociation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
At 3.6 megabytes per second (Mbps), the country lags behind Laos (4.0 Mbps), Indonesia (4.1 Mbps), Myanmar and Brunei (4.9 Mbps), Malaysia (5.5 Mbps) and Cambodia (5.7 Mbps). The report showed that the average internet speed for the ASEAN region is 12.4 Mbps, or roughly four times faster than current Internet speed in the Philippines.
In comparison, ASEAN DNA – which describes itself as a site “to promote a better understanding and appreciation of shared values and common characteristics of ASEAN” – showed that Singapore leads the region in terms of fastest Internet speed, reaching up to 61.0 Mbps or more than 1500 percent faster than the Philippine Internet.
Other countries mentioned in the report include Vietnam (13.1) and Thailand (17.7), the only two other Southeast Asian countries
No need for traffi c czar, Says Palace
PHL Internet slowest in ASEAN – report
See TIGHTENS, page 5
See HAMILTON, page 5
See OBAMA VISIT, page 5
See MISMANAGEMENT, page 5 See MERS, page 5
1-877-35-NOPAY(1-877-356-6729)818-334-5445
Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday - Tuesday, April 23-29, 2014 THE US ASIAN POST2
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MANILA, Apr 21 (Mabuhay) – A week after beating Timothy Bradley Jr., boxing champion and Sarangani Rep. Emman-uel “Manny” Pacquiao paid a courtesy call on President Benigno Aqui-no III in Malacañang.
Pacquiao arrived at the Palace at around 2 pm and met with the President. The two then talked in private.
During a press confer-ence on Monday, Presi-dential Communications Operations Offi ce head Herminio “Sonny” Co-loma Jr. also did not di-vulge any details about what the two may talk about but said the two were “friends.”
“Sa aking palagay ito ay pagkikita lamang ng dalawang magkaibi-gan at pagpapalitan ng paghanga at pasasal-amat,” he said.
As for Pacquiao’s tax woes, Coloma said there has been a “friendly en-gagement” between the boxing champ and Inter-nal Revenue chief Kim Jacinto-Henares.
“Nililinaw lang na-tin: There is no ill will or animosity that is present in all of these conversa-tions,” he said.
The Sarangani law-maker returned to the Philippines last Friday after winning the WBO welterweight title from Bradley by unanimous decision last Saturday (Sunday, PHL time). (MNS)
Filipino boxing hero and congressman Manny Pacquiao, left, smiles with Philippine Presi-dent Benigno Aquino III during his courtesy call at the Malacanang Presidential Palace in Manila Philippines on Monday, April 21, 2014. Pacquiao recently defeated American Timo-thy Bradley during their WBO welterweight title bout in Las Vegas. Pacquiao said Friday he is ready to seek revenge against another fi ghter: Mexican boxer Juan Manuel Marquez. During a press conference in General Santos City, Pacquiao said he will closely watch Mar-quez’s bout against American boxer Mike Alvarado for the WBO International Welterweight title on May 17.
Pacquiao pays courtesy call on Pres. Aquino
Assistance-to-Nationals (ATN) offi cers from the Philippine Embassies and Consulates General in the Middle East and African region gather in Ankara, Turkey this week to partic-ipate in the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Re-gional Workshop on Traf-fi cking in Persons for For-eign Service Posts (FSPs).
The Workshop, which will be held from April 22 to 27, is spearheaded by the DFA’s Offi ce of the Un-dersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs (DFA-OUMWA) and the Philip-pine Embassy in Ankara. It is the fi rst Regional Work-shop to be organized in partnership with the Unit-ed Nations Offi ce on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the International Organi-zation for Migration (IOM).
The Workshop aims to enhance the institutional capacity of the twenty (20) FSPs in the Middle East and Africa to assist Filipi-nos who are victims of or vulnerable to human traf-fi cking. It is designed to provide ATN Offi cers with adequate legal, psychologi-cal and practical training that will enable them to properly identify situations of traffi cking, and render appropriate assistance with due regard to the vic-tims’ rights, safety and spe-cial needs.
DFA to launch regional workshop on human traffi cking
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OPINION
Vice President for OperationsAlan Michael
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WASHINGTON, April 19, 2014 (AFP) – President Barack Obama will use an Asian tour beginning next week to bolster US alliances in the region at a time of increased geopolitical tension.
Obama is scheduled to visit Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and the Philippines, and will be under duress to address maritime territorial disputes between US allies and China.
Aides said Friday that the president would restate staunch US support for its friends, underline its role as a Pacifi c power, and seek to reassure the region that his Asia “rebalancing” strategy is not run-ning out of steam.
Obama will also attempt to make progress in dragged out negotia-tions over the Trans Pacifi c Partnership (TPP) trade deal, and reas-sure potential partners that he could get it endorsed by a reluctant Congress.
Obama is set to travel to Asia on Tuesday, but will certainly re-main preoccupied by simmering foreign policy crises elsewhere, es-pecially in Ukraine and in the Middle East.
Maritime dispute headache -“The president’s trip to Asia is an important opportunity to under-
score our continued focus on the Asia-Pacifi c region,” said Obama’s national security advisor Susan Rice.
“At a time of ongoing regional tensions, particularly with regard to North Korea and territorial disputes, the trip offers a chance for the United States to affi rm our commitment to a rules-based order in the region.
“There’s a signifi cant demand for US leadership in that region, and our strategy of rebalancing to Asia includes economic, political, security and cultural interests in Northeast and Southeast Asia,” she said.
Obama would emphasize that Washington wants maritime dis-putes in the South and East China seas settled peacefully, in accor-dance with the rule of law, Rice said.
Washington does not take a position on the various territorial claims of regional powers, but has in the past angered China by sug-gesting that these claims should be solved through a multi-lateral process.
China, taking advantage of its size and infl uence, prefers to dis-cuss the maritime rows in a bilateral fashion with individual nations.
Obama’s trip will be his fi rst to the region since Beijing declared an Air Defense Zone in the South China Sea last year, which Wash-ington branded as illegitimate.
Fifth offi cial Asian trip -The president begins his fi fth offi cial trip to Asia when he lands in
Japan for a state visit on Wednesday, and has a private dinner with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
The next day, after an offi cial arrival ceremony at the Imperial Palace and then formal talks, he will hold a press conference with Abe.
After several engagements during the day, including a meeting with business leaders, Obama will attend a state dinner hosted by Emperor Akihito.
Senior US offi cials said Friday, speaking on condition of ano-nymity, that both Japanese and US trade offi cials were working to narrow gaps on market access in the auto and agricultural sectors that have slowed wider TPP talks.
They declined to put a timetable on the talks, but the rest of the region will be looking to Obama and Abe to at least demonstrate concrete progress in the discussions in Tokyo.
In Seoul, Obama will hold talks with South Korean President Park Geun-Hye that focus on North Korea’s belligerence. The US presi-dent will also attempt to ease tensions between Seoul and Tokyo.
Ben Rhodes, a deputy US national security advisor, said Obama will also address the US-South Korean Combined Forces Command and be briefed on efforts to meet North Korean “provocations.”
Obama will then travel to Malaysia, where he will become the fi rst US president to visit since Lyndon Johnson stopped by in 1966 as part of an Asian tour designed to check the spread of communism.
Obama begins his Malaysia program with a state dinner on April 26. The next day he will hold talks with Prime Minister Najib Razak and visits the National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur.
In one of the keynote moments of the trip, he will host a town hall style meeting with young leaders across Southeast Asia at Malaya University.
On April 28, Obama will head to the Philippines for talks with President Benigno Aquino. He is scheduled to hold a joint press conference with Aquino, and be the guest of honor at a state dinner.
The US president will also lay a wreath at the World War II Amer-ican cemetery.
Obama to bolster US ‘rebalance’ to Asia BY STEPHEN COLLINSON
BY STEPHEN COLLINSONWASHINGTON, April 20, 2014 (AFP) – President
Barack Obama will not visit China on his Asia tour next week, but its broadening shadow will be cast everywhere he goes at a time of complex regional disputes and questions about US strategy.
American China policy has been based for two decades on the goal of easing the emerging giant into the interna-tional system while avoiding a classic geopolitical clash be-tween an established power and a rising one.
China’s regional ascent is now reality, with its grow-ing economic and military infl uence nudging and worrying neighbors that look to Washington as a counterweight.
China is the “leitmotif that’s going to be running through the trip,” said Christopher Johnson, a former CIA China ana-lyst now at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
“The thing that both Beijing and those of us who watch at all closely will be watching ...will the president be saying the ‘C-word’ – China – on a regular basis throughout the trip?”
Balancing act -Obama will use visits to Japan, South Korea, Malay-
sia and the Philippines to placate allies uncertain over his diplomatic and military “rebalance” towards Asia – with Washington preoccupied by crises elsewhere, including in Ukraine.
But he must at the same time fi nd language that will not exacerbate suspicions in Beijing that the true aim of the re-balance is to contain China.
Obama’s tour will be his fi rst to Asia since Beijing de-clared an air defense zone in the South China Sea last year, raising the temperature of festering maritime and territorial disputes.
Washington branded the move as “illegitimate” and ig-nored the zone by sending its aircraft through it.
The episode, however, compounded worries in the US capital about China’s ultimate military intentions.
But the two sides have continued talking.Obama met Chinese President Xi Jinping in The Hague a
few weeks ago, following their successful informal summit in California last year.
US offi cials appreciate Xi’s diplomatic style, which is more freewheeling than that of former Chinese leader Hu Jintao.
First Lady Michelle Obama recently got a warm wel-come in China. And the US president will go to November’s APEC summit in Beijing.
Washington was also intrigued by China’s decision to ab-stain but not to veto a UN resolution condemning Russia’s referendum in Crimea last month.
But the potential for blunt exchanges remains, as evi-denced by the public face-off between US Defense Secre-tary Chuck Hagel and his counterpart Chang Wanquan over Japan and territorial questions this month.
Obama’s national security advisor Susan Rice says
Obama will make clear that regional territorial disputes must be resolved “not through coercion, not through threats, not through anything other than peaceful diplomatic means based on the rule of law ... particularly the law of the sea.”
Jeff Bader, who ran Obama’s fi rst term White House East Asia policy, said the president faces a balancing act with Beijing inside its rebalance.
“The message for China is the US is here to stay in the Asia Pacifi c, that the US expects international norms to be respected and countries not to be bullied, and that the US has developed and will continue to develop a cooperative relationship with Beijing,” said Bader, now with the Brook-ings Institution.
But Chinese leaders will parse Obama’s language.Comments by top State Department offi cial Danny Rus-
sel in February that China had created “uncertainty, insecuri-ty and instability” in the region angered Beijing and opened debate on whether Washington had adopted a more hawkish policy.
There is talk in Washington that China might have again overplayed its hand with its neighbors, replicating the open-ing that Obama exploited in his fi rst term to launch a diplo-matic offensive.
Beijing’s handling of the disappearance of a Malaysian airliner, its military buildup and the air defense zone may make Obama’s audience especially receptive.
The Americans “want to take advantage of the fact that China is scoring own goals throughout the region,” said Douglas Paal of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
US-China economic relations are not without aggrava-tion but the Treasury declared last week that Beijing was not a currency manipulator – though Washington wants the yuan to rise further.
Trade disputes also niggle. What’s more, the two sides are at odds over alleged Chinese cyber hacking of the US mili-tary and businesses though US leverage has yet to recover from revelations of National Security Agency eavesdrop-ping by Edward Snowden.
Chinese concernsSo how will Obama’s visit play in Beijing?Professor Shen Dingli of Fudan University said China
would rest easy in the knowledge that, ultimately, the US-China relationship was more important than Washington’s ties with either Japan or South Korea.
China would also like Obama to tell Japanese Prime Min-ister Shinzo Abe that acknowledging war criminals with vis-its to World War II shrines is unacceptable, Shen said.
Jia Qingguo, dean of international studies at Peking Uni-versity, said the US swing to Asia made sense given the re-gion’s growing infl uence and prosperity.
“But of course there are people in China and in other countries who are worried about its intentions – that is only natural. The US is a big country.”
China’s shadow to follow Obama around Asia
MANILA, Apr 19 (Mabuhay) – A Malacañang of-fi cial on Saturday said the return from the US of Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile’s former chief of staff Jessica “Gigi” Reyes is a step in attaining “due process” she has been seeking.
“[Her return] will afford her the opportunity for the full application of her right to due process,” Malacañang spokesman Edwin Lacierda said.
Reyes, a key personality in the multibillion-peso pork barrel scam and one of several people charged with plunder because of it, arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 via PR-105 from San Francisco.
“I’m facing the charges. I’ve always faced it,” Reyes quoted as saying upon her arrival.
On April 7, Reyes’ representatives asked the Of-fi ce of the Ombudsman to reconsider its decision to fi le plunder charges against her over the alleged P10-billion por barrel scam.
Reyes claimed her constitutional right to due pro-
cess was violated, and denied receiving any commis-sion from Enrile’s Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), popularly known as pork barrel.
Last April 1, the Ombudsman found probable cause to indict Reyes, Senators Enrile, Ramon Revil-la Jr. and Jinggoy Estrada, as well as alleged scam operator Janet Lim-Napoles, with plunder.
The National Bureau of Investigation had alleged that Reyes had signed documents related to the re-lease of Enrile’s pork barrel funds to bogus non-gov-ernment organizations linked to Napoles.
Meanwhile, Enrile’s camp declined to comment on Reyes’ return. Commenting on the Reyes’ return, Senator Grace Poe on Saturday said, “Our country-men clamor for the truth and expect its unsullied ex-position in pursuit of the nation’s highest interest.”
“Together we should encourage and support those who will champion the truth and those who will favor the public good,” she added, in a post on her Twitter account. (MNS)
Gigi Reyes’ return will help her attain due process – Palace exec
BY MYNARDO MACARAIGBINANGONAN, April 20, 2014 (AFP) – On a
small rock wall a short drive from the Philippine capital, enigmatic carvings that are believed to date back 5,000 years are in danger of disappearing be-fore their mysteries can be solved.
The 127 engravings of people, animals and geo-metric shapes are the Southeast Asian nation’s oldest known artworks, but encroaching urbanisa-tion, vandals and the ravages of nature are growing threats.
“Eventually they will disappear...preservation is out of the question,” veteran anthropologist Jesus Peralta, who did an extensive and widely respected study of the carvings in the 1970s, told AFP.
The artworks have been declared a national trea-sure, regarded as the best proof that relatively so-phisticated societies existed in the Philippines in the Stone Age.
“They show that in ancient times, the Philippines did have a complex culture. It’s a recording of our ancestors,” said Leo Batoon, a senior researcher of the National Museum.
Museum scientists believe the carvings date back to 3000 BC, based on carving tools and pottery shards discovered at the site, indicating they origi-nated before the use of metal tools.
This makes them far older than the country’s second oldest known artworks, a series of geomet-ric shapes in the mountainous northern Philippines that are believed to date to 1500 BC, according to Batoon.
But museum workers say it is diffi cult to conclu-sively determine the age of the carvings—scientifi -cally referred to as ‘petroglyphs’—due to technical and fi nancial constraints.
“Most of our artifacts in the museum are sent
abroad and only if we have partners and proponents to spend for such dating,” said Batoon.
Little known about neglected carvingsLittle else is known about the fi gures, or the peo-
ple who etched them.One clue is that many of the human carvings ap-
pear to be in a squatting position, which has led scientists to theorise that the area was a place of worship.
The carvings were fi rst documented by acclaimed Philippine artist Carlos Francisco in 1965 while he was leading a Boy Scout troop on a hike.
Since then, they have been known as “the Angono Petroglyphs,” after Francisco’s hometown nearby.
The World Monuments Fund, a New York-based private group that works to protect historical sites, placed the Angono Petroglyphs on its list of endan-gered monuments in 1996 and has provided help in their preservation.
The UN Educational, Scientifi c and Cultural Or-ganization (UNESCO) has also placed the petro-glyphs on its “tentative list” of world heritage sites.
But that has done little to stem the powerful tide of neglect.
The carvings are in mountains about 90 minutes’ drive from Manila that only a few decades ago were entirely forested.
But most of the trees have since been chopped down to make way for the country’s fast-growing population, with a holiday resort, a golf course and upper-class housing now surrounding the rock wall.
A real estate developer owns the land on which the petroglyphs sit.
He donated the hillside on which the carvings are located back to the national museum but allowed only a small buffer zone, and a road runs just 10 metres (33 feet) from the carvings.
PHL oldest artworks in danger of disappearing
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PHL ConGen of Los Angeles Leo M. Herrera-Lim assumes offi ce: The Philippine Consulate General wishes to inform the Filipino-American community on the assumption of Hon. Leo M. Herrera-Lim, a career diplomat as the new Philippine Consul General in Los Angeles with jurisdiction over Southern California, Southern Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. Consul General Herre-ra-Lim arrived on 17 April 2014 after serving as the Consul Gen-eral at the Philippine Consulate General in Chicago.
Los Angeles – Hundreds of Filipino-Americans and other minorities joined the Days of Service from April 9-12, 2014 most especially on Saturday, April 12 during the free showing of the Pacquiao-Bradley fi ght.
FACLA conducted this days of service as a part of its community outreach. Hundreds of Filipinos joined the days of service during the GEPENC and RVNC Neighborhood Councils elections on Saturday, April 12.
On the night of april 12, a free-public viewing of the Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley fi ght during the night was hosted by FACLA at its social hall.
Talakayan Sa Facla Every ThursdayOther activities held were: • On April 9, scored of senior joined
the Wednesday Social Dancing and Bataan Day or April 9 remembrance at FACLA. The Buddy Reyes Band played the music
• On April 10, Talakayan sa FACLA Pub-lic Forum. Talakayan’s guest was Dr. Leonar-do Pandac of the Rotary Club and the HFNC,
He discussed the development in Min-danao especially the roots of the Muslim-Christian Confl ict. Filipino-American leaders joined in the interesting discussions.
Talakayan Moderator, Dr. Marc Caratao on the other hand reported the RAND Corpo-ration’s report on the Ukraine-Russian crisis especially the Eastern Ukrainian border prob-lem. Dr. Caratao was invited by the RAND
100s join FACLA Days of Service
The City of Carson will once again be joining a growing number of cities that celebrate Children’s Day by hosting the fourht annual Healthy Kids/Children’s Day event on Saturday, April 26.
Children’s Day will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Gardena-Carson
Carson to host 4th Annual Healthy Kids/Children’s Day April 26
Splash Dogs – Dock jumping dogs. Watch these high-fl ying ca-nines make a splash as they compete for longest jump
Extreme Canines Stunt Dog Show– jumps, tricks and fl ips by these four-legged, tail wag-ging pups
Police Dog Demon-strations – Watch as these crime fi ghting dogs show how they serve and protect our community
Free Flight Bird Show – Watch as these magnifi cent birds spread their wings and take fl ight
Kids Aquarium Con-test – Design and create a 10-gallon aquarium
Repticon - Reptile Show and Sale – Touch and hold snakes, liz-ards and tarantulas in hands-on demonstra-tions
Weiner Dog Races – Cheer on your favorite “hot” dog as they race to the fi nish line.
Pony rides, face paintings, Human Ham-ster Wheel and “The Great American Petting Zoo” – Fun for the whole family
Adoptions – Hun-dreds of animals looking for a forever home.
General Admission, $13.00; seniors 60 and over, $11.00. Children 6-12, $8.00. 5 yrs and under, free. Active and retired military free with ID.
Family Pet Expo returnsto Orange County Apr. 25
ORANGE COUNTY (February 2, 2014) – Celebrating a quarter of a cen-tury of promoting responsible pet care, animal entertainment and introducing the newest pet trends and products, the 25th annual America’s Family Pet Expo returns Friday, April 25 -Sunday, April 27, 2014 to the OC Fair & Event Cen-ter in Costa Mesa (88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa 92626).
All weekend long, guests will have the opportunity to meet, see and in-teract with a show-stopping display of all creatures great and small. From rare birds, exotic reptiles, colorful fi sh, miniature horses, fancy felines to pre-cocious pups, the America’s Family Pet Expo promises to entertain and educate guests with a variety of animal stage shows, features and attractions.
Promising fun for every one of all ages, the 2014 America’s Family Pet Expo will offer:
Corporation in Santa Monica offi ce to join in its discussion and analysis.
• Also on April 10, the Asian American Pa-cifi c Policy and Planning Council (AP3CON) conducted a forum on mental health for the Filipino community. Scores of Filipinos led by the FACLA directors joined the fruitful discussion.
• April 11 – The Ms. FACLA and Ms. Teen FACLA Search Committee held its plan-ning meeting.
Ms .FACLA and Ms. Teen FACLA will hold its 2nd canvassing and a Search for Ms. Talent last April 20. Buddy Reyes and his band will provide the music for the dance party.
NC Election Services and Free Viewing of the Pacquiao FightOn April 12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., hundreds of voters for GEPENC converged in FACLA to vote at the GEPENC and the RVNC elec-tions in Historic Filipinotown.
The FACLA service bus was used to ferry the voters especially the seniors to do their civic duty. FACLA also provided informa-tional services about the neighborhood coun-cils elections.
This was a public service feature of FACLA for the residents of GEPENC and RVNC. FACLA also conducted this free pub-lic service during the last 2011 GEPENC and RVNC elections.
In the evening of April 12, 2014 FACLA held a free-public viewing of the Pacquiao-Bradley fi ght at the Social Hall.
Hundreds of Filipinos cheered the Filipino champion during the fi ght and went home happy that the Filipino boxing champ won over his opponent timothy Bradley by a unan-imous decision.
For more information please call us at (213)484-1527 or email us at [email protected] and visit our website at www.newfacla.org.
YMCA, located at 1000 West Artesia Blvd. in Gardena. The event is open to the public and ad-mission is free.
The city is part-nering with Garde-na-Carson YMCA, a non-profi t organi-zation dedicated to youth development for healthy living and social responsi-bility.
The event will feature kids’ fi tness classes and sports activities for all ages. Children will also get a chance to participate in vari-ous children-cen-tered activities, a magic show and get free toys, books, and health screenings.
There will also be a visit from Ronald McDonald for the children attending the event as well as raffl e prizes and more. Free shuttle bus pick-up and drop-off available from the following
locations beginning at 9 a.m. and the last pick-up will be a 1 p.m.
Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald Community Center, 801 E. Carson St., Carson CA 90745
Carson Park, 21411 Orrick Ave., Carson CA 90745
Veterans Park, 22400 Moneta Ave., Carson, CA 90745
Del Amo Park, 703 E. Del Amo Blvd., Carson, CA 90746
For more information on the event, please contact Riezl Pe Benito at (310) 952-1743 or Kristen Zearbaugh at (310) 523-3470.
Showcasing thousands of pets, products and the people who love them
THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday - Tuesday, April 23-29, 2014 Visit www.usasianpost.com 5
OBAMA VISITFrom page 1
MISMANAGEMENTFrom page 1
MERSFrom page 1
TIGHTENSFrom page 1
TRAFFIC CZARFrom page 1
LOWESTFrom page 1
US’ rebalancing of [as-sets] and the Asian piv-ot,” Coloma said.
The White House dubbed the US strat-egy as the Asian “pivot,” which is meant to refo-cus policies towards Asia away from the costly wars of Iraq and Afghani-stan.
Obama will also visit Japan, South Korea, and Malaysia.
Some pundits said the US has become a mere ob-server to the sea disputes with the end goal of pro-tecting its economic ties with China, an emerging world power.
Meanwhile, Mala-canang said all security protocols are being pre-pared for the coming visit of the world’s most pow-erful leader.
Coloma understands that militants will stage rallies on that day. “We respect their rights to free speech and expres-sion,” he said.
He said the police, on the other hand, will en-sure that laws will be ob-served in monitoring the militant groups.(MNS)
Mag
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(DOT) to institute measures to erase NAIA’s disturbing label.”
He anchored his resolution on the fi ndings of website sleepingi-nairports.net, where netizens voted NAIA as the worst airport in the world in the past 3 years.
He also noted the “over three-decade-old structure has earned the distinction as the world’s most notorious airport by travel-ler’s votes in the year 2010, and then again landed in the topmost category of the worst in the years 2011 and 2012.”
Just last week, President Be-nigno Aquino III apologized for the busted air conditioning sys-tem in Terminal 1. Passengers had complained of the extreme heat inside the terminal, which also coincided with the Holy Week exodus. Add to this, com-puter glitches also affected im-migration processing leading to long queues for irate passengers.
Gatchalian said Malacañang has promised to look into several concerns but “until these days, problems of an old and congested
terminal, the same complaints of bribery, lack of comfortable seats, rude staff and poor facili-ties hound us and continue to be a challenge for the government.”
“Negative assessments that tend to overshadow the beauty and world class tourist destina-tions in the country should be carefully reviewed and addressed to provide solutions,” he said. He said Congress should also review the P1.16 billion budget for Ter-minal 1, which was approved in November 2011. (MNS)
DOH-accredited medical facili-ties,” he said. Because of this, he reiterated the government’s call for the passengers to voluntarily contact the DOH. He said they can contact the DOH through its 24-hour hotlines 711-1001 or 711-1002 (landline) and 0922-884-
1564; 0920-949-8419; and 0915-772-5621 (mobile). First reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012, MERS is a novel virus often referred to as the Middle East version of the Se-vere Acute Respiratory Syndrome or SARS. Signs of MERS include fever, cough, shortness of breath,
and diarrhea. A Filipino nurse who returned
to the country from United Arab Emirates on board the Etihad fl ight last week was initially di-agnosed with the virus but was later on cleared along with other passengers. (MNS)
fi ne particulate matter (PM) are among air pollutants the high-tech AQMSs will be able to mea-sure.
The AQMSs are also capable of monitoring meteorological condi-tions, she continued.
She said such information in-cludes wind direction which will enable EMB to track where air pollutants are headed.
EMB already commenced the process of procuring this year 36 AQMSs for installation nation-wide.
Rosete said seven of those AQMSs will be for Metro Manila.
The remaining 29 AQMSs will be for Cebu, Davao and other key cities in all regions of the country, she also said.
Each of the AQMSs costs some PhP10 million, she noted.
“Automatic AQMSs are appro-priate for measuring air quality
as we can use data these gener-ate to get average pollution levels anytime of the day,” she said.
She noted averaging with the manual facilities takes several days, however.
In 2011, EMB installed its fi rst AQMS in the De La Salle Univer-sity campus along Manila’s Taft Avenue.
EMB also later installed an AQMS each in Metro Manila’s Valenzuela City as well as along Commonwealth Avenue and the public works department’s com-pound in Quezon City.
Experts continue caution-ing against SO2, warning this is among leading causes of respira-tory diseases and can damage one’s lungs.
NO2 and nitrogen oxide can cause asthma, acute bronchitis and even death, they also warned.
They likewise noted exposure to
ozone can cause headaches, chest pains, sore throat and cough.
Experts further said CO can cause harmful health effects by reducing oxygen delivery to the body’s organs and tissues, noting exposure to high levels of this pol-lutive substance can be deadly.
PM also consists of particles suspended in the air.
Authorities linked PM expo-sure to health conditions ranging from changes in the respiratory tract and impairment of pulmo-nary function to increased risk of death from cardiovascular and re-spiratory diseases or lung cancer.
Earlier, the environment de-partment said Metro Manila’s TSP level already declined.
Much work still needs to be done since such level still exceeds the 90 ug//Ncm guideline set for TSP, however, the department added.(MNS)
fi c situation in Metro Manila, Coloma said “Wala po siyang (Pangulo) balak hinggil diyan, sa aking pagkaaalam.”
Coloma took the opportunity to apologize to the public for the cur-
rent traffi c condition.“Kaunting sakripisyo lang po
ang kinakailangan para maka-tikim na tayo ng mas malaking benepisyo. Mahalaga rin kasi ang pagpapalawak, pagpapala-
pad, pagpapatibay sa ating mga pambansang kalsada at pam-bansang highway. Madali pong maunawaan kung bakit nagta-traffi c dahil sa dami na rin ng bumibiyahe.” Coloma said.(MNS)
joining Singapore as those with Internet speeds above the ASEAN average.
Meanwhile, Japan (41.7 Mbps), China (18.3 Mbps) and the USA (22.3 Mbps) round up the coun-tries included in the infographic. All three have speeds above the global average of 17.5 Mbps.
A recent study on the state of the Internet conducted by Inter-net content delivery network com-pany Akamai showed that there was a very broad range of high broadband adoption rates across the Asia Pacifi c.
However, the study also re-vealed that only Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong were the only Asia Pacifi c countries with high broad-band adoption levels. In contrast, the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam did not even “qualify for inclusion in the global ranking [since] high broadband adoption in these countries is extremely low.” In 2011, the United Na-
tions recognized Internet access as a human right. A report by the UN Human Rights Council’s 17th session underscored the “unique and transformative” nature of the Internet allowing individuals to exercise a range of human rights, and to promote the progress of so-ciety as a whole.
The UN report encouraged states to include Internet litera-cy skills in school curricula, and support similar learning modules outside of schools.
In addition to basic skills train-ing, modules should clarify the benefi ts of accessing information online, and of responsibly contrib-uting information.
That same year, a study found that in terms of average Internet broadband download speed, the Philippines lags behind rough-ly two-thirds of the world. The Philippines ranks 139th out of 185 countries, surpassed even by small countries such as Lithuania and Kenya. (MNS)
versial businesswoman told her.She added the recent return
to the Philippines of Gigi Reyes, Senator Juan Ponce Enrile’s for-mer chief of staff, was not consid-ered by Napoles as a factor in de-ciding to come forward.
The Offi ce of the Ombudsman earlier found probable cause to fi le plunder and graft charges against Napoles, Senators Enrile, Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada Jr., Ra-mon “Bong” Revilla and several other personalities for the alleged pocketing of billions of pork barrel
funds coursed through bogus non-government organizations.
Napoles was earlier detained at Fort Sto. Domingo in Laguna for a separate serious illegal detention case fi led by her former aide, pork barrel scam key witness Benhur Luy.
Earlier, Senator Miriam De-fensor Santiago believes Jessica “Gigi” Reyes, the former chief of staff of Senator Juan Ponce En-rile, returned to the Philippines to become a state witness. San-tiago said Reyes, a lawyer, knows full well that she will be detained once the Offi ce of the Ombudsman fi les the graft and plunder raps
NAPOLESFrom page 1
against those allegedly involved in the pork barrel scam.
Santiago said: “What’s the rea-son why you’re coming back after eight months when you know that you will automatically be under preventive detention? You could have thought of applying as a state witness.”
Reyes arrived Saturday on-board a Philippine Airlines fl ight from the San Francisco Interna-tional Airport. Upon her arrival at the Ninoy Aquino Internation-al Airport Terminal 2, she was es-corted by two security personnel in civilian attire.
Santiago also said socialite
Ruby Tuason could have accom-plished a special mission in the US besides selling her properties to pay the P40 million she re-ceived as kickbacks from the pork scam. Tuason earlier claimed she personally delivered Senator Jinggoy Estrada’s kickbacks to his offi ce in the Senate. She said she also delivered money to Reyes and claimed Enrile was around
during those several meetings.“[Tuason] could have swayed
Reyes to turn state witness,” San-tiago said. Santiago said she will write a letter to the Senate re-questing for a special session that will hear out Reyes’ story. Regu-lar sessions will commence again in May, but Santiago said she can always ask for a special session as long as there is a quorum.
LOS ANGELES
communication devices the PN will request.
If this donation pushes through, the Philippines will be fi elding three Hamilton class cutters, two brand-new general purpose frigates and an air-to-air warfare frigate.
The ships are now being bid out by the Department of National Defense.
The two Hamilton-class cut-ters in PN service are a big boost
to the military’s “maritime situ-ational awareness” capability.
The two ships are part of twelve Hamilton class cutters built for the US Coast Guard during the 1960s.
It weighs 3,250 tons, has a length of 378 feet, beam of 43 feet, and draft of 15 feet.
Its propulsion systems consist of two diesel engines and two gas turbine engines, giving it a top speed of 29 knots.
HAMILTONFrom page 1
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Solenn Heussaff does not mind ad-mitting that she has been living in with her boyfriend, Argentine busi-nessman Nico Bolzico, for two years now.
Explaining her decision, Heussaff, who is half-French, recalled an advice given to her by her dad about choos-ing a partner for marriage.
“Dapat, to know someone perfectly, you have to live with them, before mar-rying the person,” she said. “Kasi iba ‘yung tao pag na sa bahay. Behind closed doors, baka baliw siya, baka iba ‘yung personality. So kailangan matikman, kailangan ma-try!”
Heussaff shared that while her boyfriend supports her career, they have made an effort not to have him be part of showbiz.
“Well, he doesn’t involve himself in it,” she said. “At ako rin, pag may interviews na gusto mag-interview sa kanya, sabi ko, ‘No, he’s out of this business.’”
Heussaff, who co-stars with Vhong Navarro in “Da Possessed,” said she does not expect Bolzico to watch the comedy fi lm when it premieres na-tionwide Saturday.
“He’s never been to any of my pre-mieres,” she said, adding Bolzico has not watched any of her movies. “Lahat wala. He supports naman pag concert, gano’n, okay naman. Pag movie, hindi niya naman naiintindihan ‘yung Ta-galog, so bakit siya manonood?”
Aside from being an actress, Heus-saff is also a recording star.
Asked if she thinks her relation-ship with Bolzico will lead to mar-riage, notwithstanding different ca-reer paths, Heussaff said, “Feeling ko siya na ‘yan!” (MNS)
Why Solenn chooses to live in with boyfriend
Solenn Heussaff
“Ikaw Lamang” actor Jake Cuenca has gone public with his new romantic relationship, six months after he admitted to courting actress Jessy Mendiola.
The 26-year-old actor took to Instagram early this week to share several photos of him with a woman, who is tagged in the posts as Chanel Olive Thomas.
On her own Instagram page, where she is described as a Ma-nila-based Filipina-Australian model, Thomas similarly posted photos of her with Cuenca, including one where they are seen kissing on the lips.
Among the captions used by Thomas for the photos are, “Us” and “He makes me happy.” Another caption referred to Cuenca as “my No. 1.”
Cuenca was last romantically linked with Mendiola, his co-star in “Maria Mercedes.” He admitted wooing the 21-year-old actress in October last year, but admitted last month that he has stopped pursuing her.
Cuenca confi rmed this in a interview where he also said he has been “dating around,” but not exclusively.
“Natutunan ko na mga pagkakamali ko noon,” he said at the time, referring to past failed relationships. “I’m very loyal to a woman, especially kung naging girlfriend ko siya.”(MNS)
Jake Cuenca goes public with new romance
Jessy Mendiola and Jake Cuenca.
Lani Misalucha still seems uncertain about moving back to the Phil-ippines permanently and continue her successful career in her home coun-try.
The veteran singer said it is hard for her to leave her life in the United States because of her chil-dren and grandchild.
“Kami ng husband ko, nasa retirement age na kami. Nag-umpisa na ka-ming maging empty nest-ers. Just recently, we had our fi rst grandchild. ‘Yun pa ang isang nakakapagpahirap sa amin na umalis,” she said.
“Nung lumalaki ang mga anak namin, it was really diffi cult for us to leave them. Kahit nung malalaki na sila, very attached kasi kami sa bawat isa. But of course kailangan mo gawin ‘yung dapat mo gawin. Dadating din ang araw na kailangan niyo maghiwalay. Pero lalo na mas mahirap umalis ngayon dahil may apo ka na. It’s another chapter of our lives,” she added.
Since she relocated in the US, Misalucha continued perform-ing and was able to establish a name for herself as a sought-after Las Vegas lounge singer.
But the singer said it still feels different every time she per-forms before a Filipino audience.
“Bawat punta ko naman sa Pilipinas, meron akong gagawing trabaho. ‘Yun lang ‘yung lagi kong pag-uwi dito. Kung for good, hindi ko pa alam kung kailan mangyayari ’yun… But defi nite-ly we enjoy each time that we come home kasi meron pa akong nanay at mga kapatid dito,” she said.
Meanwhile, Misalucha shared she is looking forward to re-lease her latest album titled “The Nightingale Returns” under Star Records.
Lani Misalucha moving back to PHL for good?
Lani Misalucha
It was Sharon Cuneta who played cupid for veteran singer Zsa Zsa Padilla and renowned architect Conrad Onglao.
In a newspaper article, the two shared how Cuneta, whose house Onglao is building, played a key role in setting them up for a date. More than a month ago, Onglao said he was asked by the veteran actress if she could set him up with her friend, who she did not identify at fi rst.
Cuneta asked the same thing to Padilla, who also agreed say-ing she’s already tired of mourning. Padilla’s long-time partner, Philippine Comedy King Dolphy, died almost two years ago.
The two then met up for an early dinner in Makati one Sunday, which lasted for three hours. The article said the two couldn’t recall much of what they talked about. Despite this, Padilla and Onglao’s “blind date” was followed by two other meetings – with-in the same week. “He’s good to me. He treats me well,” said Pa-dilla. Onglao, for his part, said he admires Padilla’s simplicity.
“She’s funny, witty, simple and so grounded. What I love about her is her simplicity and she’s never full of herself; it’s never it’s-about-me. A sense of selfl essness. And we share values when it comes to family, career,” he said.
Before their fi rst date, Padilla and Onglao admitted they did not know anything about each other and even had to Google each other before their fi rst meeting.
Prior to Padilla, Onglao was married to interior designer Ivy Almario, with whom he has two sons. They were divorced in the United States and obtained a legal separation, and church an-nulment here in the Philippines.
How Zsa Zsa met Conrad Onglao
Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday - Tuesday, April 23-29, 2014 THE US ASIAN POST8
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(NEW YORK-AFP) - Ford celebrated the 50th birthday of its beloved Mustang by displaying a new model of the convertible on top of the Empire State Building in New York on Wednesday.
The Triple Yellow 2015 Mustang was taken apart, whisked up by elevator to the observation deck and painstakingly reassembled overnight in freezing wind, rain and snow.
More than 1,000 feet (304 meters) above the crowded streets of Manhattan, the observation deck is too high to send the car up by crane and although open air, too narrow for a helicopter drop.
So a team of eight or nine spent more than fi ve hours reassembling the car by hand overnight, bat-tling strong wind on the 86th fl oor of New York’s sec-ond tallest building.
“Zero visibility to start with,” George Samulski, manager of Ford North America design fabrication,
told AFP. “It got better as the night went on, but it was bad, it was cold, it was windy.”
By sunrise, the convertible was glittering and the views stunning.
Visitors can admire the car until Thursday. After the deck closes to the public at 2:00 am on Friday, the crew will dismantle the car all over again and remove it. It is the second time a Ford Mustang has gone on display atop the Empire State Building. The fi rst time was in 1965.
The stunt marks 50 years since US auto giant Ford put the fi rst Mustang on sale during an expo in New York on April 17, 1964.
Ford received 22,000 orders on the fi rst day and sold 418,000 in one year.
The 50th birthday will be celebrated in great pomp at the New York International Auto Show from April 18 to 27.The 2015 Ford Mustang convertible is revealed at the top of the Empire State Building
(Relaxnews) – Volkswa-gen has chosen to unveil its new Jetta in the US, one of the car’s strongest markets. Slated to pre-miere at the New York Auto Show, the latest Jetta boasts a new, more effi cient drivetrain and new driver assistance features for enhanced safety.
The 2015 version of Volkswagen’s compact sedan presents a slight-ly tweaked design. New features include the three-blade grille with active shutters, bi-xenon headlights and an updat-ed rear VW logo.
Among the engines available with the new Jetta is the 2.0 TDI Clean Diesel with 150hp, which consumes just 6.3L/100km over a mixed driving cycle. Regardless of the engine confi gura-tion chosen, the new Jet-ta is more effi cient than previous models, accord-ing to the German manu-facturer.
In addition, the new Jetta is equipped with blind spot detection, rear cross-traffi c alert and frontal collision warning.
The model is sched-uled to arrive at US dealerships during Q3 of 2014.
The 2014 New York International Auto Show takes place from April 18 to 27. Website: auto-showny.com
New Volkswagen Jetta promises improved effi ciency, safety
(Relaxnews) – Volkswa-gen has equipped its Golf R with a motor develop-ing up to 400hp for its new concept car, which will go on display at the Beijing Auto Show from April 23.
The Golf R 400 is ca-pable of going from 0 to 100km/h in 3.9s and boasts a top speed of 280km/h. According to Volkswagen, the model is merely a concept and is not destined to hit the market.
The latest produc-tion model of the Golf R, powered by a TSI engine with 300hp, is the most powerful yet. In Europe, where the hatch went on sale earlier this year, prices start at €40,700 (around $56,200). Unveiled at the 2013 Frank-furt Motor Show, the model accelerates to 100km/h in 5.1s, or in 4.9s when equipped with Volkswagen’s optional dual-clutch gearbox. The top speed is electronical-ly limited at 250km/h.
The Beijing International Automotive Exhibition (Bei-jing Auto Show) takes place from April 23 to 29. Web-site: china-autoshow.com
New Golf R concept to push 400hp
THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday - Tuesday, April 23-29, 2014 Visit www.usasianpost.com 9
By Julien GiraultBEIJING, April 20, 2014 (AFP) – China’s desire for luxury cars
remains undimmed by an economic slowdown and political auster-ity drive as the country’s growing band of wealthy motorists set their sights on high-end wheels.
In a lavish event off Tiananmen Square, ahead of the opening of the Beijing Auto Show on Sunday, bejewelled models dressed in haute-couture graced the unveiling of Rolls-Royce’s Pinnacle Travel Phantom.
The new edition of its fl agship luxury sedan, which comes in a two-tone dark red and silver, boasts intricate marquetry in its inte-rior, customised to buyers’ requests, a refl ection of the expensive tastes of the country’s elite.
Mainland China is already Rolls-Royce’s biggest market in terms of sales, representing 28 percent of the company’s revenue.
Despite the slowing pace of overall economic growth in China, the future still looks bright for the luxury brand, says the company’s chief.
“If you compare to (Rolls-Royce) growth fi gures we saw here two or three years ago, big double-digit numbers... we see that growth is slowing down, but I am still optimistic about the Chinese market in the medium to long term,” CEO Torsten Muller-Otvos told AFP.
“The whole Chinese market has become a more mature car mar-ket and that was to be expected,” Muller-Otvos said.
But Rolls-Royce can maintain its edge, he said.“We have the ability to customise cars, which is exactly what
Chinese customers love. Our clients are mainly entrepreneurs... who want to reward themselves for their outstanding business suc-
cesses, and we know everybody personally.”‘Affordable luxury’ -Since becoming head of the Communist Party in November 2012
and China’s president in March last year, Xi Jinping has mounted an austerity campaign among top offi cials and a highly publicised crackdown on corruption designed to rein in spending.
China’s business community has also suffered as growth fi gures stagnate – last month the country set an annual growth target of around 7.5 percent, the lowest levels seen in nearly a quarter of a century after years of breakneck expansion.
“The economic slowdown, austerity campaign and crackdown on corruption have already created negative impact on the sales of superluxury vehicles,” said James Wu, auto expert at Ernst & Young.
“Bentley and Lamborghini reported (fewer) sales in China in 2013 year-on-year,” he said.
However, Wu said the “more affordable” luxury cars have out-paced the growth rate of the auto industry as a whole, with three German companies at the helm: BMW, Daimler (Mercedes) and Audi.
The popular trio dominates the high-end Chinese market and en-joyed sales increases of 20 percent (BMW), 18 percent (Daimler) and 21 percent (Audi) last year.
Audi, the sector leader, sold nearly 492,000 cars in China – its biggest market – and will this year surpass half a million, according to Audi chairman Rupert Stadler.
A new wave of consumers -With offi cials bound by austerity measures, Audi can no longer
rely on the tinted-black window crowd, and is turning to younger
drivers, women and those buying their cars for leisure purposes.“In the past, our customers were very much associated with the
government, we had a majority of senior management,” said Domi-nique Boesch, president of Audi’s sales division in China.
“Now, over 90 percent of Audi customers are private ones, a third are women, and 70 percent are younger than 40 years old.”
But rivals are sharpening their strategies, such as the UK-based group Jaguar Land Rover. China was the top market for Land Rover and Jaguar last year, group sales operations director Andy Goss told AFP.
“We provide an alternative to these German brands,” he said, adding that a new joint-venture plant was due to open later in 2014.
Also targeting the nation’s gilded youth is Japan’s Nissan, which has announced the introduction of a compact crossover model ex-clusively for the Chinese market.
Audi, as well as Jaguar Land Rover and other luxury brands, is aiming to push beyond its traditional base on China’s prosperous east coast to other more developing regions.
There is even a hint of such a strategy by Rolls-Royce: its 21st retail space opened in recently in the southwest, in Kunming. Four more are to follow.
Finally, the luxury used car market, still in its infancy in China compared with Europe and the US, is also being eyed by luxury brands such as Audi and Jaguar Land Rover, who both said they want to increase this segment amongst their dealerships.
With an ambitious new wave of consumers from a wider geo-graphical area, China’s auto sector is motoring forward despite set-backs – and if consultancy fi rm McKinsey is correct, by 2016 it will have become the largest car market in the world.
China’s love of luxury cars undimmed by domestic troubles
BEIJING, April 21, 2014 (AFP) – Factfi le on new and concept cars at the Beijing auto show, which opened to the public Monday and spot-lighted sport utility vehicles (SUVs), luxury cars and large sedans:
SPORT UTILITY VEHICLESMercedes-Benz of Germany’s Daimler pre-
sented a Coupe SUV concept, aimed at com-peting with BMW’s X6, which was the fi rst to combine the utility of an SUV and the attrac-tiveness of a coupe, with great success.
Audi, part of the Volkswagen Group, likewise presented the TT Offroad, a fi ve-door model with traditional Audi features such as a promi-nent single-frame grille, trapezoidal headlamps and a heavily curved roof line.
Lexus, the premium brand of Japan’s Toyota, displayed a compact 4x4, the NX, which will be available in two versions, one with a traditional engine and a hybrid-powered one
France’s PSA Peugeot Citroen showcased the fi rst premium SUV from its DS line. The DS 6WR was inspired by the Wild Rubis, a concept car unveiled in 2013.
Citroen offered a small SUV concept, dubbed
the C-XR it has a wide front grille. The vehicle is expected to be launched in China at the end of the year.
SEDANS AND OTHER TYPESFrench brand Peugeot presented a concept
for a large sedan, the Exalt, featuring a hybrid engine
America’s Ford, which celebrated the 50th an-niversary of its iconic Mustang brand on Sat-urday, presented its latest incarnation of the model just as China happens to be marking its year of the horse
Britain’s Rolls-Royce, the leading luxury au-tomaker, unveiled its Pinnacle Travel Phantom, the new edition of its fl agship luxury sedan, which boasted intricate marquetry in its interi-or and can be customized at the buyers’ request.
BY LAURE FILLONBEIJING, April 21, 2014 (AFP) –
China’s car market is just gearing up as the world’s largest, yet automakers are already eyeing the next big thing – the market for reselling them.
Their eagerness to attract buyers in the world’s largest car market is on full display at the Beijing Interna-tional Automotive Exhibition, which opened to the public on Monday with more than 1,000 vehicles on show.
Motor enthusiasts crowded around the displays with their spouses and children in a festive atmosphere to seek inspiration from the new models, while executives representing brands from across the globe also made ap-pearances at the show, China’s big-gest.
China has become a vital market for foreign brands as business in other regions fl ags.
Yet the boom in sales – which last year rose 14 percent to 22 million ve-hicles – only took off a decade ago.
And the nation only overtook the United States in 2009 to become the world’s biggest auto market.
With such a brief period for new cars to hit the market and for China’s
still-expanding middle class to make the costly purchases, the second-hand market has yet to develop.
Also lacking is the necessary infra-structure such as dealerships and, in particular, guarantees of quality.
But by setting up the systems to provide such assurances, automakers hope to win over second-hand buyers and sellers who have otherwise large-ly resorted to doing informal deals among themselves.
“This is a massive new car market in China, which creates a bywave of a pre-owned car market as well, so all our retailers should be ready for this,” said Andy Goss, director of group sales operations for Jaguar Land Rover.
The second-hand market is “a fun-damental part of our footprint”, he added.
Jaguar Land Rover is setting up the systems needed to support such a market, including insurance, vehicle checks, presentation standards and marketing, Goss told AFP.
Used-car sales lag behindAt present used-car sales in China
lag far behind new ones, although es-timates are rough because of the large informal market.
Luxury and large cars claim China auto show spotlight
Mag Tayo!www.usasianpost.com
Automakers in China eager to sell – and resell
Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday - Tuesday, April 23-29, 2014 THE US ASIAN POST10
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THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday - Tuesday, April 23-29, 2014 Visit www.usasianpost.com 11
US Asian Post fi rst learned about this educator when she produced a benefi t concert for the typhoon Haiyan victims. We watched that concert and were blown away by the performance of students from different cultures sharing their time and talent to help people they don’t even know. Before she sang Beth Middler’s “From a Distance” and led the faculty in singing “Lean on Me,” she delivered s short speech ex-plaining how the concert students shared their visual, communica-tion, and performing arts abilities for a cause. There was something about her spirit; there was some-thing about her heart. Thus, we followed her up and found out more about her in this interview:
How did you prepare for the concert?
Right after I watched the news and videos about the typhoon in the Philippines, I wrote a letter to my school community which I read during the Monday assem-bly. A copy of the letter was sent home to all Incarnation families. I showed the video to my students in junior high, and my very tal-ented moderating class (8th grade) decided to raise funds in differ-ent ways. We initiated a Thanks-giving and Christmas collection amounting to $1,500. In Decem-ber 2013, we conducted auditions for the benefi t concert. In January 2014, we rehearsed for two Thurs-days and before we knew it, we were all set for the concert. We sold out all the tickets that night and raised $2,144! We sent all of the money to the Philippines thru the Catholic Relief Fund.
How did your moderating class plan for the benefi t con-cert?
First, we all committed to go all out for it. We formed different committees: steering, promotions, fi nance, stage and decoration, and program. Each member of my class joined at least one com-mittee. The solo, duet, and group performers were not required to be member of a committee, but some still joined. Then, we voted on the theme “Love is in the air; let us show that we care,” date, and time, and worked backwards. We also chose our fi nale song which was Michael Jackson’s
the names of her students in the record book, she would call on me. Sometimes, I substituted for her class when she was sick. I was deciding whether or not to pursue law after college when the Jesu-its told me about the job opening at Ateneo de Manila High School. At that time, I needed to leave Naga City for my safety as a re-sult of my student activism dur-ing the Marcos regime. Thus, I started teaching and felt at home with it. (Thanks to my Mom!) I never thought of pursuing law or politics again and found a reason to make a difference: by shaping the minds and hearts of the fu-ture leaders of our country.
What adjustments did you make to teach successfully in the US? What academic re-quirements did you have to meet to be a full time teacher in the US?
I accepted that every class is multicultural. I never knew that I am tolerant, acceptant, and respectful of all cultures un-til I taught in the US. Academi-cally speaking, I had to pass the CBEST and CSET (Single Subject in English and Multiple Subjects). I also had to go back to school and obtain a preliminary clear creden-tial then clear credential. I had to fi nish my masters degree, too. I had to keep myself abreast with educational reforms like data-driven instruction, differentiated instruction, and common core standards.
Did you receive any recog-nition as an educator?
After teaching for 3 years at the Ateneo de Manila High School, I became an annual recipient of the Eagle Award for my outstanding performance. Eagle awardees received a certifi cate and a check (one month bonus) which was great! When I taught at Leuz-inger High School, my English Department Chairman and the principal gave me a certifi cate of recognition for my creative teach-ing strategies.
How about at Incarnation School?
Many parents of my 8th graders thank me for preparing their chil-dren for the High School Place-ment Test and high school appli-cation. Parents also tell me about
Imelda Cledera-Rodriguez: ‘Make each day a masterpiece’“Man in the Mirror.” Believe it or not, we rehearsed the fi nale song and dance number after school for only one week, and it was well applauded. Some of the audience stood in awe for fi ve minutes after this fi nale act.
So you let your students vote?
Even if they are 13-14 years old, my 8th graders are mature enough to make decisions that are good for the class, so I let them suggest and decide on mat-ters that will directly affect them. When they are involved, they are willing to cooperate and contrib-ute to its success.
What did your students learn from that experience?
They learned some Tagalogwords like “Magandang umaga” and “Maramig salamat po” which they used when they promoted the event in each classroom. They learned about the need to be aware and involved, and to take action. That’s what I emphasize when I teach history. They also learned to organize and work to-gether, and solve problems to-gether. The students also learned to think of and do something for others.
Was that the fi rst time that your school had a benefi t con-cert for Incarnation School?
It’s actually the second time. Two years ago, my class and I also produced a benefi t concert for one of my students who was diagnosed with acute lymphoma leukemia She decided to stay in school even if she had to undergo a two-year treatment in six phas-es. We prayed the rosary every-day and gave her all our love and support. During the most diffi cult phase of the treatment, she had to be absent for many days, so 8th
grade families took turns in visit-ing her. I went to her house ev-ery Saturday to teach her the les-sons that she missed. We wanted to help her family fi nancially, so we produced a concert dubbed as “Because We Care.” We sold out all the tickets the night be-fore the concert and raised twice the ticket sales from on the spot donations from the audience. To our surprise, she decided to do-nate the money to the Children’s Hospital. We were featured in
The Tidings, the offi cial publi-cation of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. At the end of the year, she graduated with high honors and received standing ovation. The class valedictorian, saluta-torian, and principal’s awardee mentioned in their speeches that their medallions should be for her because she showed faith, cour-age, and determination through-out the treatment. They pointed out that they can’t forget the let-ter that she gave to each of her classmates and teachers during Thanksgiving Day and the per-sonalized Christmas gift each of them received. It was the most emotional graduation ceremony I ever attended. The worst situ-ations do have a way of bringing out the best in us.
How long have you been teaching?
I’ve been teaching for 20 years now. I taught for 9 years at Ateneo de Manila High School, 1 year at Leuzinger High School, and 10 years at Incarnation School.
Why did you become a teacher?
My Mom was a teacher, but she never verbally encouraged or per-suaded me to become like her es-pecially because my Dad wanted me to be a lawyer and/or a politi-cian. However, when she needed help with monitoring homework, checking test papers, preparing teaching materials, or inputting
the feedback from high schools and even mention my name when their children attend shadow days at their prospective high schools. Hearing and receiving messages of gratitude is enough reward for me. Teaching will never make one materially rich, but there are things about teaching that money can’t buy like fulfi llment, respect, etc.
What is the most memora-ble moment in your teaching career?
There are many memorable moments in my teaching career. One was on my last year of teach-ing at Ateneo de Manila High School. I delivered my farewell message to one of my classes, and my students stood on their desk said, “Oh, captain, my captain” which reminded me of a scene from Dead Poets Society. They did not want me to quit my job but understood that I had a daughter to take care of. Another one was several years ago when I told the valedictorian not to mention me in his speech but ended up saying, “Mrs. Rodriguez pushed me to ex-cel not because she wanted me to fail but because she knew I would succeed.” There are more stories, and they are all about what be-came of my students. Teaching is never about the teacher; it is about what becomes of your stu-dents.
Your philosophy is “Make each day a masterpiece.” How do you do that?
I give my best in whatever I do – going to graduate school, writ-ing a paper, teaching my students, coaching decathletes, producing a concert or a play, rehearsing for a musical performance, raising funds for a cause, planning, or-ganizing, and implementing ac-tivities and projects. That’s what the Jesuits taught me – to always give my best, to always do more, to be a man or woman for others.
Imelda Rodriguez completed with high honors her Clear Cre-dential from UCLA and Master of Arts in Education and Prelimi-nary Clear Credential from Uni-versity of Phoenix. She graduated Cum Laude from Ateneo de Naga University and took some gradu-ate courses in Literature at Ateneo de Manila University.
Ateneo de Manila product Imelda Rodri-guez, the teacher behind “Because We Care” concert held at Incarnation School that raised thousands of dollars for Chil-dren’s Hospital of Los Angeles
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