Manila, Philippines | AFP | Sunday 2/22/2015 - 07:09 GMT | 239 words French President Francois Hol- lande will discuss international terrorism when he meets his Phil- ippine counterpart Benigno Aqui- no this week, a spokesman said Sunday. The French leader’s state visit from Thursday-Friday will focus on climate change but the recent attacks in Paris have also brought security to the forefront, said Aquino spokesman Herminio Coloma. “The two leaders will also exchange views on global and regional issues like terrorism such as what happened involv- ing Charlie Hebdo in Paris that claimed the lives of 20 people,” he told reporters. A series of at- tacks by three Islamist gunmen between January 7-9 in and near Paris began with shootings at the offices of the Charlie Hebdo sa- tirical newspaper. Coloma did not elaborate on how the two nations would take up the issue. The largely Roman Catholic Philippines has been the longtime target of local Muslim extremist attacks, especially in the south where the Muslim minority is based. The Abu Sayyaf, a loose band of a few hundred militants in the south founded with seed money from Al-Qaeda, has been blamed for some of the worst ter- ror attacks in Philippine history. Coloma said Hollande would use his visit to drum up support for action to curb global warming before the 21 st UN Conference of the Parties on Climate Change in Paris in December. The French leader will bring two Oscar-winning actors, Mar- ion Cotillard and Jeremy Irons, to the Philippines as part of the campaign. But murder trial will proceed vs L/Cpl. Scott Pemberton By Joel Guinto Olongapo City, Philippines | AFP | Monday 2/23/2015 – A US Marine charged with murdering a transgender Filipina refused to enter a plea on Monday as he sought to have the case dismissed, but his trial will go ahead never- theless, lawyers said. The court overseeing proceed- ings against Lance Corporal Jo- seph Scott Pemberton entered a not guilty plea for him, meaning the trial can start within weeks, lawyers for the victim told report- ers outside the court. The cramped courthouse, sur- rounded by market stalls selling dried fish and rice, is about a five- minute drive from a motel in a northern Philippine red-light dis- trict where the battered remains of Jennifer Laude were found in October last year. Pemberton, who was 19 at that time, was the last person seen with Laude before her death, ac- cording to police. He faces life im- prisonment if found guilty. On the night of the death, Pem- berton and other Marines had just finished joint training exercises with Filipino troops at a military base. Pemberton had ventured into the nearby red-light district in Olangapo city for some rest and relaxation, met Laude at a bar, then beat her to death at the mo- tel, prosecutors allege. The pre-trial hearings will con- tinue this week, with his trial ex- pected to start in the third week of March, one of the lawyers rep- resenting the victim’s family, Vir- ginia Suarez, told reporters. Prosecutors will present at least 18 witnesses at the trial, including a friend of Laude who accompanied her and Pemberton to the motel as they checked in, Suarez said. Vol. 4. No. 22 LOS ANGELES Wednesday - Tuesday, Feb. 25 - Mar. 3, 2015 Kris Aquino will not run in 2016 See PAGE 11 W W W . U S A S I A N P O S T . C O M 1-877-35-NOPAY 818-334-5445 818-552-4500 See US MARINE, page 6 Marilou Laude, sister of slain Filipino transgender Jeffrey ‘Jennifer’ Laude, shows a picture of USMC Private First Class Joseph Scott Pemberton, from her cellphone at the Olongapo City Regional Trial Court on Friday, December 19. The press was barred from the court hearing where court officials said Pemberton’s camp asked the judge to suspend proceedings. (MNS photo) MANILA, Feb 21 (Mabuhay) – Despite earlier reports that Floyd Mayweather Jr. was pushing for a rematch clause in the contract, the superfight with Manny Pac- quiao is confirmed to be a single- bout affair now that the official announcement has been made. Showtime Vice-President Ste- phen Espinoza disclosed the de- tail shortly after the American boxer declared the fight “a go” according to a report by RingTV, but the promoters are not closing their doors to arranging a possible rematch. Ken Hershman, the president of HBO Sports which has shown most of Pacquiao fights, said there will be follow-up interview the day after the fight to deter- mine if the largest bout in the sport would give birth to a sequel. “If it’s something the fans and fighters want, we’ll make it hap- pen,” he said. Mayweather is putting his un- blemished 47-0 record at stake in the fight, while Pacquiao carries the burden of dealing the pound- for-pound king the first loss of his professional career. The fight took five years to materialize after talks to pit the two best fighters of the genera- tion against each other started in 2009. The bout is scheduled on May 2 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. (MNS) Manila, Philippines | AFP | Monday 2/23/2015 – Philippine boxing hero Manny Pacquiao hinted Monday his long-awaited fight against American Floyd Mayweather could be his last, saying he would head into the May bout with retirement on his mind. “It is coming close. We will announce it,” the 36-year-old told local television network ABS-CBN with a meek smile when asked about retirement. He gave no further details. After years of failed negotiations, Pacquiao and Mayweather hammered out a deal to face each other in Las Vegas on May 2 that will finally give fans the chance to see the best “pound-for-pound” fighters of their generation face off. Pacquiao said he agreed to take a smaller cut of the purse just so the fight could push through. “If we only thought about our pride, there would not be a fight. If we had equal pay, the fight would not have pushed through so for the fight to push through, I agreed to it,” he said. US media has reported that the undefeated Mayweather, who turns 38 this week, will receive 60 percent of the purse and stands to make some $120 million with the Filipino taking $80 million. At Camp Crame on Wednesday, February 18, President Benigno Aquino III (center) meets with the families of the 44 PNP Special Action Force commandos killed in the January 25 Mamasapano clash. The meeting was held at the Philippine National Police Multi-Purpose Center in Camp Crame, Quezon City. (MNS MANILA, Feb 21 (Mabuhay) – The family of the Special Ac- tion Force (SAF) trooper whose gruesome death was captured on video was hurt by the statements of President Benigno Aquino III during a meeting with bereaved families in Camp Crame last Wednesday. Lorna Sagonoy, the mother of slain SAF trooper PO1 Sagonoy, said her family is still grieving the death of her son who was shot at close range by a still unidenti- fied gunman. The incident was captured on video that has gone viral. The President, Lorna said, ex- plained that he and the families of SAF troopers are now “equal” because his father, the late sena- tor Benigno Aquino II, was also killed. “Kagaya daw ng ginawa [sa] tatay niya noon, masakit daw sa kalooban niya kaya daw ‘tabla- tabla tayo.’ Yun ang sinabi ni President,” she said. An uncle of the elite cop was also present during the meeting on Wednesday. “Sabi niya, ‘Ganun din, ma- sakit din sa akin, masakit din sa kalooban ko yung namatay ang tatay ko... Syempre yung nara- ramdaman ninyo, naramdaman ko rin.’ Kaya sabi niya, ‘Tabla- tabla na tayo.’ Pangit pakinggan,” Ronnie Sagonoy said. Ronnie said it would have been better had the President just MANILA, Feb 23 (Mabuhay) – President Benigno S.C. Aquino III received conflicting reports while the deadly Mamasapano clash was ongoing, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas said Monday. At the resumption of the Senate probe on the bloody Jan. 25 clash between elite PNP-Special Action Force and Moro Islamic Libera- tion Front combatants, Roxas told the senators: “The President asked some questions in the nature kung ano ba ang nangyayari… PNoy was getting in other reports that are conflicting [with] each other.” Roxas then recalled sending a One lucky winner has won a pair of tickets to see Gary V at the Pechanga Resort and Casino on March 8. Maphilindo Catibay- an won the tickets during a raffle held early this week, whose win- ning raffle entry gives him and his date to see “Mr. Pure Energy” and one of Philippines’ greatest performers Gary Valenciano. Gary V will rock the theater of the famous Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, California. Pechanga Resort & Casino is well-known for hosting the best and the brightest Filipino enter- tainers and performers such as Megastar Sharon Cuneta, the PHL, French leaders to discuss ‘terrorism’ Kin of SAF in viral video hurt by Aquino’s ‘equal’ statement Aquino got conflicting reports on Mamasapano clash – Roxas No rematch clause for Mayweather- Pacquiao superfight deal – execs Pacquiao hints at retirement after Mayweather bout Raffle winner gets pair of tickets to see Gary V at Pechanga US Marine enters no plea See MAMASAPANO, page 6 See KIN OF SAF, page 6 See RAFFLE WINNER page 6 See PACQUIAO, page 6 Manny Pacquiao flexes his muscles for an official weigh-in prior to a previous fight.
French President Francois Hol-lande will discuss international terrorism when he meets his Phil-ippine counterpart Benigno Aqui-no this week, a spokesman said Sunday. The French leader’s state visit from Thursday-Friday will focus on climate change but the recent attacks in Paris have also brought security to the forefront, said Aquino spokesman Herminio Coloma.
“The two leaders will also exchange views on global and
regional issues like terrorism such as what happened involv-ing Charlie Hebdo in Paris that claimed the lives of 20 people,” he told reporters. A series of at-tacks by three Islamist gunmen between January 7-9 in and near Paris began with shootings at the offi ces of the Charlie Hebdo sa-tirical newspaper. Coloma did not elaborate on how the two nations would take up the issue.
The largely Roman Catholic Philippines has been the longtime target of local Muslim extremist attacks, especially in the south where the Muslim minority is
based. The Abu Sayyaf, a loose band of a few hundred militants in the south founded with seed money from Al-Qaeda, has been blamed for some of the worst ter-ror attacks in Philippine history.
Coloma said Hollande would use his visit to drum up support for action to curb global warming before the 21st UN Conference of the Parties on Climate Change in Paris in December.
The French leader will bring two Oscar-winning actors, Mar-ion Cotillard and Jeremy Irons, to the Philippines as part of the campaign.
But murder trial will proceed vs L/Cpl. Scott PembertonBy Joel Guinto
Olongapo City, Philippines | AFP | Monday 2/23/2015 – A US Marine charged with murdering a transgender Filipina refused to enter a plea on Monday as he sought to have the case dismissed, but his trial will go ahead never-theless, lawyers said.
The court overseeing proceed-ings against Lance Corporal Jo-seph Scott Pemberton entered a not guilty plea for him, meaning the trial can start within weeks, lawyers for the victim told report-ers outside the court.
The cramped courthouse, sur-rounded by market stalls selling dried fi sh and rice, is about a fi ve-minute drive from a motel in a northern Philippine red-light dis-trict where the battered remains of Jennifer Laude were found in October last year.
Pemberton, who was 19 at that
time, was the last person seen with Laude before her death, ac-cording to police. He faces life im-prisonment if found guilty.
On the night of the death, Pem-berton and other Marines had just fi nished joint training exercises with Filipino troops at a military base.
Pemberton had ventured into the nearby red-light district in Olangapo city for some rest and relaxation, met Laude at a bar, then beat her to death at the mo-tel, prosecutors allege.
The pre-trial hearings will con-tinue this week, with his trial ex-pected to start in the third week of March, one of the lawyers rep-resenting the victim’s family, Vir-ginia Suarez, told reporters.
Prosecutors will present at least 18 witnesses at the trial, including a friend of Laude who accompanied her and Pemberton to the motel as they checked in, Suarez said.
Vol. 4. No. 22 LOS ANGELES Wednesday - Tuesday, Feb. 25 - Mar. 3, 2015
See US MARINE, page 6Marilou Laude, sister of slain Filipino transgender Jeffrey ‘Jennifer’ Laude, shows a picture of USMC Private First Class Joseph Scott Pemberton, from her cellphone at the Olongapo City Regional Trial Court on Friday, December 19. The press was barred from the court hearing where court offi cials said Pemberton’s camp asked the judge to suspend proceedings. (MNS photo)
MANILA, Feb 21 (Mabuhay) – Despite earlier reports that Floyd Mayweather Jr. was pushing for a rematch clause in the contract, the superfi ght with Manny Pac-quiao is confi rmed to be a single-bout affair now that the offi cial announcement has been made.
Showtime Vice-President Ste-phen Espinoza disclosed the de-tail shortly after the American boxer declared the fi ght “a go” according to a report by RingTV, but the promoters are not closing their doors to arranging a possible rematch.
Ken Hershman, the president of HBO Sports which has shown most of Pacquiao fi ghts, said there will be follow-up interview
the day after the fi ght to deter-mine if the largest bout in the sport would give birth to a sequel.
“If it’s something the fans and fi ghters want, we’ll make it hap-pen,” he said.
Mayweather is putting his un-blemished 47-0 record at stake in the fi ght, while Pacquiao carries the burden of dealing the pound-for-pound king the fi rst loss of his professional career.
The fi ght took fi ve years to materialize after talks to pit the two best fi ghters of the genera-tion against each other started in 2009.
The bout is scheduled on May 2 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. (MNS)
Manila, Philippines | AFP | Monday 2/23/2015 – Philippine boxing hero Manny Pacquiao hinted Monday his long-awaited fi ght against American Floyd Mayweather could be his last, saying he would head into the May bout with retirement on his mind.
“It is coming close. We will announce it,” the 36-year-old told local television network ABS-CBN with a meek smile when asked about retirement. He gave no further details.
After years of failed negotiations, Pacquiao and Mayweather hammered out a deal to face each other in Las Vegas on May 2 that will fi nally give fans the chance to see the best “pound-for-pound” fi ghters of their generation face off.
Pacquiao said he agreed to take a smaller cut of the purse just so the fi ght could push through.
“If we only thought about our pride, there would not be a fi ght. If we had equal pay, the fi ght would not have pushed through so for the fi ght to push through, I agreed to it,” he said.
US media has reported that the undefeated Mayweather, who turns 38 this week, will receive 60 percent of the purse and stands to make some $120 million with the Filipino taking $80 million.
At Camp Crame on Wednesday, February 18, President Benigno Aquino III (center) meets with the families of the 44 PNP Special Action Force commandos killed in the January 25 Mamasapano clash. The meeting was held at the Philippine National Police Multi-Purpose Center in Camp Crame, Quezon City. (MNS
MANILA, Feb 21 (Mabuhay) – The family of the Special Ac-tion Force (SAF) trooper whose gruesome death was captured on video was hurt by the statements of President Benigno Aquino III during a meeting with bereaved families in Camp Crame last Wednesday.
Lorna Sagonoy, the mother of slain SAF trooper PO1 Sagonoy, said her family is still grieving the death of her son who was shot at close range by a still unidenti-fi ed gunman. The incident was captured on video that has gone viral.
The President, Lorna said, ex-plained that he and the families of SAF troopers are now “equal” because his father, the late sena-
tor Benigno Aquino II, was also killed.
“Kagaya daw ng ginawa [sa] tatay niya noon, masakit daw sa kalooban niya kaya daw ‘tabla-tabla tayo.’ Yun ang sinabi ni President,” she said.
An uncle of the elite cop was also present during the meeting on Wednesday.
“Sabi niya, ‘Ganun din, ma-sakit din sa akin, masakit din sa kalooban ko yung namatay ang tatay ko... Syempre yung nara-ramdaman ninyo, naramdaman ko rin.’ Kaya sabi niya, ‘Tabla-tabla na tayo.’ Pangit pakinggan,” Ronnie Sagonoy said.
Ronnie said it would have been better had the President just
MANILA, Feb 23 (Mabuhay) – President Benigno S.C. Aquino III received confl icting reports while the deadly Mamasapano clash was ongoing, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas said Monday.
At the resumption of the Senate probe on the bloody Jan. 25 clash between elite PNP-Special Action Force and Moro Islamic Libera-tion Front combatants, Roxas told the senators: “The President asked some questions in the nature kung ano ba ang nangyayari… PNoy was getting in other reports that are confl icting [with] each other.”
Roxas then recalled sending a
One lucky winner has won a pair of tickets to see Gary V at the Pechanga Resort and Casino on March 8. Maphilindo Catibay-an won the tickets during a raffl e held early this week, whose win-ning raffl e entry gives him and his date to see “Mr. Pure Energy” and one of Philippines’ greatest performers Gary Valenciano.
Gary V will rock the theater of the famous Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, California. Pechanga Resort & Casino is well-known for hosting the best and the brightest Filipino enter-tainers and performers such as Megastar Sharon Cuneta, the
PHL, French leaders to discuss ‘terrorism’
Kin of SAF in viral video hurt by Aquino’s ‘equal’ statement
Aquino got confl icting reports on Mamasapano clash – Roxas
No rematch clause for Mayweather-Pacquiao superfi ght deal – execs
Pacquiao hints at retirement after Mayweather bout
Raffl e winner gets pair of tickets to see Gary V at Pechanga
US Marine enters no plea
See MAMASAPANO, page 6
See KIN OF SAF, page 6 See RAFFLE WINNER page 6 See PACQUIAO, page 6
Manny Pacquiao fl exes his muscles for an offi cial weigh-in prior to a previous fi ght.
Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday - Tuesday, Feb. 25 - Mar. 3, 2015 THE US ASIAN POST2
MANILA, Feb 23 (Mabu-hay) – Resigned Police Direc-tor General Alan Purisima fi nally admitted during a Sen-ate hearing on Monday that he was the one who informed President Benigno Aquino III of the Special Action Force (SAF) raid on Mamasapano, Maguindanao, last Jan. 25.
During the last hearing of the Senate committee on pub-lic order, joint with commit-tees on peace, unifi cation and reconciliation, and fi nance last Feb. 12, Purisima refused to say who informed Aquino about the raid, saying he has yet to get clearance from the President.
But when he returned to the Senate this Monday, the resigned police chief readily obliged when Senator Grace Poe, who heads the hearing, asked him to read his ex-change of text messages with the President on Jan. 25.
Purisima said he began tex-ting the President at 5:45 a.m. of Jan. 25 when he informed him that terrorist Zulkifl i bin Hir, alias Marwan, had been killed and that a SAF trooper was wounded in the encoun-ter.
“The body of Marwan was left behind but pictures were taken,” he said, reading his text message to the President.
He said the President re-plied at 7:36 a.m: “Why was its left behind, the other two targets?” Aquino was appar-ently referring to Marwan and the other suspected terrorist, Abdul Basit Usman, who was also the target of the opera-tion.
Responding to the Presi-dent’s text message, Purisima said the SAF troopers did not reach Usman because they were fi red upon by some 15 to 20 armed elements.
The President’s reply was:
“If I remember correctly, 160 (SAF) troopers were directly involved in this operation plus provisions for (for) other PNP (Philippine National Police) and AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) units to assist…”
“Are they still in contact with the two targets? If not, and the opposing force has escaped, are we now back to square one?” Aquino further asked.
Purisima’s reply was that the containment forces were the ones in contact and that “they are supported by mecha-nized and artillery support.”
“Basit should not get away,” the President said in a text message to Purisima at 10:16 a.m.
Purisima said his last mes-sage to the President was at 6:20 p.m. of January 25 where he informed that the SAF troopers “suffered heavy casu-alties.” (MNS)
MANILA, Feb 21 (Mabuhay) – If the Bangsamoro Islamic Free-dom Fighters won’t return the fi rearms of the 44 Special Action Force troopers killed in a clash in Mamasapano, Maguindanao last Jan. 25, government will look for other ways to get the materiel back.
Malacañang stressed this Saturday after the BIFF said Friday it has no plan to return the slain SAF men’s fi rearms.
“Sa pagbalik ng armas, kung ayaw nilang gawin makakahanap tayo ng ibang paraan,” deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said on government-run dzRB radio.
On Friday, BIFF spokesman Abu Misry Mama said returning the fi rearms is not in its vocabulary.
Mama added they consider the slain policemen’s equipment as spoils of war.
He even likened the encounter to a boxing match where they “knocked down” the opponent.
“Barilan muna bago mabawi [ang mga baril nila]. [Makipag-] re-match sila,” he said.
Meanwhile, Valte deferred to the Philippine National Police on reports that the returned fi rearms were cannibalized.
As for Moro Islamic Liberation Front spokesman Mohagher Iqbal’s claim it will not surrender its men involved in the clash, Valte de-clined to comment, saying such information has not yet been relayed to President Benigno Aquino III.
MANILA, Feb 21 (Mabuhay) – Interior and Local Government Sec-retary Manuel Roxas II ordered the Philippine National Police (PNP) to run after the remaining targets in its list of Most Wanted Persons (MWPs) “to prevent them from committing crimes.”
During the weekly meeting in Camp Crame, PNP offi cials reported that of the PNP’s 603 target MWPs, 230 have been ar-rested from Aug. 13,2014 to Feb. 17, 2015.
Roxas said the arrest of these targeted individu-als “has an immeasurable contribution to the reduc-tion of crime statistics” in Metro Manila: from 919 in June 2014 to 446 reported incidents per week.
He said “by any mea-sure, these (arrests) con-stitute substantial accom-plishment. Let’s just keep it up.”
He ordered the PNP of-fi cials to hunt down the re-maining targeted persons even if they are already outside of the National Capital Region (NCR) fol-lowing the “one PNP” prin-ciple.
The capture of the MWPs is part of the PNP’s Oplan Lambat-Sibat initi-ated by Roxas, aimed at combating crimes through “deliberate, programmatic and systematic” approach.
OPLAN Lambat-Sibat is a system that uses crime data management and in-terpretation, which helps the PNP in the strategic deployment of police per-sonnel in densely populat-ed areas in NCR.
Through Oplan Lambat, the 38 stations within the National Capital Region (NCR) have increased the number of checkpoint ar-eas, conducted Oplan Bu-labog, Oplan Katok, Oplan Bakal/Sita and intensifi ed the serving of warrants.
“We are getting more ar-rests and reducing crime. It starts a virtuous cycle – the people trust the po-lice more, and the citizens start reporting to them,” said Roxas.
“A good anti-crime cam-paign relies on the cooper-ation of the people and the policemen,” he added.
With Roxas’ guidance, the PNP implemented OPLAN Lambat-Sibat in accordance with the presi-dent’s goal to create an effective anti-crime cam-paign for the country. This intensifi ed anti-crime cam-paign has already been scheduled to be cascaded to Regions III and IV-A in the fi rst week of March and fi rst week of April, re-spectively.
Roxas also believes that this effort of the PNP is the most professional, most competent, and most responsible form of honor the PNP can give to the 44 fallen heroes of Mamasa-pano. (MNS)
Purisima admits he informed Aquino about Mamasapano incident, SAF casualties
Palace: We’ll fi nd other ways to get SAF men’s fi rearms from BIFF
DILG chief orders intensifi ed operation vs most wanted persons
THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday - Tuesday, Feb. 25 - Mar. 3, 2015 Visit www.usasianpost.com 3
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OPINIONMANILA, Feb 23(Mabuhay) – The United States was not
involved in the planning and execution of the January 25 Mamasapano operation which left 40 PNP-Special Action Force commandos dead, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Monday.
“In our own discussions with the US, we have ascertained from our own discussions that the plan and the execution of the operation were 100-percent Filipino,” DFA Under-secretary for Policy Evan Garcia told a Senate inquiry on the deadly operation.
Garcia also stressed that US participation in combat op-erations in the Philippines is prohibited under the 1987 Constitution.
The DFA offi cial likewise said the Philippines “has been working with the US on military intelligence, training, ca-sualty evacuation and care, and humanitarian and devel-opment assistance.”
He, however, did not say whether the US indeed provid-ed intelligence for the Mamasapano operation.
“As to the alleged American participation in the opera-tion in Mamasapano, we respectfully defer to our colleagues on operational details,” Garcia said.
Citing an unnamed source from the PNP-SAF, the Phil-ippine Daily Inquirer earlier ran a report saying that the US provided logistics, intelligence and funding for the so-called “Oplan Exodus.”
The operation involved the arrest of alleged Malaysian terrorist Zulkifl i bin Hir, alias Marwan, who was one of the most wanted terrorists of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Authorities claimed killing Marwan, but another sus-pected bomb-maker, Filipino Basit Usman, was able to es-cape.
The operation proved costly as 44 PNP-SAF members were killed when they engaged combatants from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and its breakaway group, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF). The MILF said 18 of their fi ghters were killed in the clash. (MNS)
MANILA, Feb 23 (Mabuhay) – Armed Forces of the Phil-ippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Gregorio Pio Catapang is seek-ing an “independent and higher body” to probe the Mama-sapano incident.
Speaking before senators on Monday, Catapang noted a panel of AFP and Philippine National Police (PNP) offi -cials will determine the operational gaps, coordination is-sues, responsibilities, and liabilities arising from the Ma-masapano incident.
He noted that the morale of soldiers has been affected by the Mamasapano incident in the wake of allegations that the Armed Forces dilly-dallied in helping the Special Ac-tion Force (SAF) troopers, leading to the death of 44 com-batants.
“Labis na naaapektuhan ang morale ng ating kasunda-luhan. Sa aking pag-iikot sa mga units, ito ang kanilang tinatanong at sinasabi: Bakit tayo nasisisi? Di po ba’t tinu-lungan natin silang sagipin? Ano ang ginawang aksyon ng SAF na mahigit 300 na di napasabak?” Catapang said.
A board of inquiry, composed of offi cials from the police, is currently investigating the incident.
Ground, battalion and company commanders were at the gallery to support their chief.
Catapang explained the chain of command and levels of war at the military, with the President giving “strategic guidance” for the troops. He said this guidance included proper coordination between the police and the military in a high risk operation such as running after terrorists.
“Sa malungkot na pangyayari, ang horizontal lines na kumakatawan sa koordinasyon ay wala,” he said.
Catapang sought an executive session with the senators, noting his ground commanders are willing to explain the strategies they incorporated during the operation.
He said his ground commanders will answer the allega-tions of sacked PNP-SAF chief Getulio Napeñas in an ex-ecutive session sans revealing the “capabilities, strengths, weaknesses” of the AFP.(MNS)
By Andrew BeattyWashington, United States | AFP | Monday
2/23/2015 – Barack Obama is expected to issue the third and most signifi cant veto of his presidency Tuesday, embracing raw executive power in the twi-light of his administration.
“This is even better than the veto pen,” said a steely Obama, griping a silvery hockey stick gifted to him in the midst of another fi ght with Republi-cans.
Combative and confi dent, it is just the sort of defi -ant tone that Obama has adopted since Republicans seized control of both houses of Congress.
Since last November, Obama has threatened to veto more than a dozen Republican-backed bills—from tougher sanctions on Iran to rules undercut-ting his hallmark healthcare reforms.
On Tuesday he is likely to make good on another veto promise, rejecting the Keystone XL pipeline, which would bring oil from Canada to the United States.
While fl exing his veto power Obama has also embraced the use of controversial executive orders, which bypass hostile legislators to make law by de-cree.
In one of over 200 orders so far, Obama protected fi ve million illegal immigrants from deportation, leading to a fi erce legal challenge from Republicans.
There is a “clear political imperative” for Obama’s more muscular use of presidential power, said Ju-lian Zelizer, a Princeton University professor.
“The opposition is strong, time is limited and you can’t do much pro-actively.
“It’s important for Democrats not to end the last two years (of Obama’s term) with Republicans not only controlling Congress, but doing a lot.”
No Franklin RooseveltYet despite the tough talk, Obama is a relative
neophyte when it comes to the ultimate expressions of presidential political power.
Before Keystone, the 44th commander-in-chief used his veto power only twice in six years, to reject rules on notarizations and a defense funding resolu-tion that had become obsolete.
That is fewer vetoes than any president since James Garfi eld, who was in offi ce in 1881 for 200 days – close to half of them spent (unsuccessfully) trying to recover from an assassin’s bullet.
According to Senate records, you have to go back
two centuries – to the age of the Seminole wars, the fi rst Mississippi steam boats and the presidency of founding father James Monroe – to fi nd a two-term president who has issued fewer vetoes.
At the same time, Obama has averaged around 33 executive orders a year, the lowest rate since Grover Cleveland’s fi rst term ended in 1889, according to the American Presidency Project.
“I think there is genuine hesitance about over-reaching,” said Zelizer, pointing to Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, when he repeatedly voiced concerns about George W. Bush’s use of executive power.
“He also ultimately believed that he would be able to get the legislative process moving. It took him a long time to realize that is not the case.”
Obama’s low veto tally could also be a sign of his political success.
For most of Obama’s time in the Oval Offi ce Dem-ocrats had a strangle hold on Congress.
“In Obama’s fi rst two years in offi ce, his party had big majorities in the House and Senate,” said Kyle Kondik of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics.
“Given how ideologically similar Obama and congressional Democrats are, Congress generally wasn’t going to pass something through both houses that was not also supported by the president.”
Even until last November Obama had the buffer of a Democrat-controlled Senate, which prevented Republican-backed bills from landing on the Reso-lute desk.
Minority lawmakers’ willingness to use proce-dural rules to stall legislation may also have helped Obama avoid executive action, according to Sarah Binder of the Brookings Institution.
“I suspect that the minority’s increased willing-ness to fi libuster majority party priorities in the Senate also limits the frequency of veto bait sent up to the White House,” she said.
With Republicans now in control of both houses, Obama could yet emulate Bush, who vetoed 11 bills in his last two years following the Democratic take-over of Congress in 2006.
But even if Obama embarks on a spree of orders and vetoes, he cannot come close to Franklin Roos-evelt, a fellow Democrat, who used his veto 635 times and issued over 3,700 executive orders.
Existing DACA program not impacted; Preliminary injunction on expanded DACA and DAPA programs only temporary
Los Angeles, CA – Last night, Judge Andrew S. Hanen, a G.W. Bush-appointed district court judge in Brownsville, Texas, issued a preliminary injunc-tion that temporarily blocks the implementation pro-cess of the new immigrant deferred action programs. While the ruling delays the start date for millions of immigrants to come forward and apply for deporta-tion relief and work permits, it is important to note that today’s decision is only temporary and is likely to be overturned by a higher court. Meanwhile, yes-terday’s court ruling does not impact the existing DACA program, which continues to operate with over 600,000 individuals already granted DACA and many more eligible who can apply immediately.
Join Advancing Justice – LA and National Immi-gration Law Center (NILC) for an important press briefi ng on Thursday, February 19, at 10:00 a.m. to learn more about the impact of the decision and available resources for those interested in applying for immigration relief programs, For complete infor-mation, visit: http://bit.ly/1Fo6pev
Asian Americans Advancing Justice-LA (Ad-vancing Justice-LA) statement:
Over a hundred lawyers and legal scholars have affi rmed the President’s legal authority to create relief for the millions of undocumented people who would be protected under the Expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Perma-nent Residents (DAPA) programs.
“DACA and DAPA are victories that immigrant communities won. In California, we are moving for-ward regardless of today’s ruling, and will continue getting ready for the deferred action programs that will give millions of immigrants the chance to come
out of the shadows and have an opportunity for a better life,” said Stewart Kwoh, Executive Direc-tor, Advancing Justice-LA. “We have confi dence in the legal grounds for the programs and are disap-pointed that this lawsuit wastes precious resourc-es that could be better used for outreaching to and educating eligible immigrants, particularly in the Asian American community where fear and mis-understandings about the programs run deep. We commend the Obama Administration for fi ling an appeal of this misguided ruling. We are confi dent that a higher court will overturn today’s temporary decision and affi rm President Obama’s legal author-ity to implement the expanded DACA and DAPA programs.”
Advancing Justice-LA encourages potentially eli-gible individuals to continue collecting documents that they may use as proof for their application. Free, in-language, assistance is available at Ad-vancing Justice-LA’s DACA and DAPA clinics every Thursday.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Los Angeles is the nation’s largest Asian American, Native Ha-waiian and Pacifi c Islander (AANHPI) legal and civ-il rights organization and serves more than 15,000 individuals and organizations every year. Founded in 1983 as the Asian Pacifi c American Legal Cen-ter, Advancing Justice - LA’s mission is to advocate for civil rights, provide legal services and education, and build coalitions to positively infl uence and im-pact Asian Americans and Pacifi c Islanders and to create a more equitable and harmonious society. Through direct legal services, impact litigation, pol-icy analysis and advocacy, leadership development and capacity building, Advancing Justice - LA seeks to serve the most vulnerable members of the AANH-PI community while also building a strong AANHPI voice for civil rights and social justice.
Washington, United States | AFP | Monday 2/23/2015 – The US Supreme Court appeared divid-ed Monday over whether American citizens can ap-peal the government’s decision to deny their spouse a visa, after a California woman’s Afghan husband was barred from entering the country.
Fauzia Din, a naturalized US citizen from Af-ghanistan, sued the government after it denied a visa to her husband, Kanishka Berashk of Afghani-stan.
The government had cited a law referring to “ter-rorist activities,” declining to provide any further in-formation about why he was turned down.
During an hour of oral arguments in the case, some of the nine justices seemed favorable to Din, but the high court is likely to side with President Barack Obama’s administration, which says a visa denial cannot be repealed.
Berashk, who had worked for the Kabul govern-ment while it was still in Taliban hands ahead of the US-led invasion of 2001, was denied a visa in 2009.
Din had stressed that she herself had fl ed the Taliban, who took power in 1996, and yet obtained political asylum and citizenship from the United States.
“There’s a liberty of not being arbitrarily denied the right to live with your spouse,” said her lawyer, Mark Haddad.
But Berashk “was denied entry for security rea-sons. Neither he nor his wife is entitled to a great-er explanation,” Deputy Solicitor General Edwin Kneedler said in presenting the government’s argu-ments.
“It is excessively rare that the government has to submit classifi ed information.”
Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who appeared sympa-thetic to Din’s case, spoke of the woman’s “adminis-trative nightmare.”
“The result is that an American citizen has to live separately for her spouse forever,” agreed Justice Stephen Breyer.
A ruling on the case is expected in June.
DFA: Mamasapano mission’s planning, execution were 100-percent Filipino
Catapang: Soldiers’ morale affected by Mamasapano
Emboldened Obama embraces presidential power
Asian group disappointed by temporary injunction on Immigration Action
US Supreme Court divided over right to appeal visa denial
Mag Tayo!www.usasianpost.com
Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday - Tuesday, Feb. 25 - Mar. 3, 2015 THE US ASIAN POST4
By Hannah De Castro-AbinumanFollowing President Obama’s recent announce-
ment of immigration reform, there have been al-legations that several scam artists have emerged in different ethnic communities, callously tricking people into giving away their hard-earned money in exchange for services that are actually fake.
According to New America Media and Federal Trade Commission, each year, scam artists de-fraud our communities of hundreds of millions of dollars by offering fake services on everything from immigration, housing, health care to debt col-lection and education certifi cates. In response and to protect the community, the Federal Trade Com-mission (FTC) and New America Media (NAM) held a briefi ng last February 10 at the Japanese American Cultural Center in Los Angeles. And the main agenda was to educate the people on spotting and avoiding scams in our communities.
New America Media brought in top local en-forcement offi cials and consumer protection ex-perts together with representatives of the FTC to discuss the different types of fraud that are cur-rently on the rise. Panelists included Rigo Reyes, chief of investigations at the County of LA Dept. of Consumer Affairs; Thomas Syta, Assistant Re-gional Director of FTC Western Region-Los Ange-les; and Monica Vaca, Assistant Director of Bureau of Consumer Protection- FTC.
There are various types of scams that report-edly occur in our communities. Some scammers pretend to be from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) who claim that the “potential victim” owes the government a large sum of money and needs to pay immediately. Otherwise, he will be subject to trial and be charged with even more money. Oth-er scammers pretend to be from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and ask for the person’s credit card information for their supposed “payment.” In some cases, people are deceived into purchasing something or acquiring a service that is not delivered.
Due to Obama’s recent immigration reform an-nouncement, more scammers have been targeting immigrants, the panelists said. These con artists even set up offi ces that look very legitimate. They pretend to offer legal services for the people’s im-migration needs, promising that they will fi le the immigration papers, and then end up just running away with their client’s money.
Based on the testimonies by the victims of these scams, there is one common factor: the language used. Oftentimes, the scammer will use the poten-tial victim’s native language to gain his trust. One of the testimonies shared during the briefi ng was from Alba, a victim of an immigration scam. She went to a law offi ce named “Liberty Immigration Group.” There, she found a lawyer who spoke her native language, thus, making her feel comfortable to do business with the company. She paid $2,000 for the company to fi le her husband’s immigration
papers. Days later, the company was nowhere to be found, and so was Alba’s money.
Sadly, many people have fallen prey to these scammers because of misinformation or lack of knowledge about the law and how the government operates. “Talking to someone, whether a relative or someone from the FTC or the police about the incident and verifying what it is that you are being asked to do is very critical in preventing you from losing money to these scammers,” said Monica Vaca (FTC).
“One thing you should know is that the IRS will never call you. They will send you letters. But the IRS will never call people to collect money, and even more specifi cally, ask for credit card informa-tion over the phone,” added Thomas Syta (FTC).
Here are some tips from the FTC on avoiding scams against immigrants:
Don’t go to notario or notary public for legal advice. In the U.S., notaries are not lawyers, they can’t give you legal advice or talk to government agencies for you, like the US Citizenship and Im-migration Service (USCIS) or the Board of Immi-gration Appeals (BIA).
Never pay for blank government forms. Govern-ment forms are free, though you will need to pay once submitted for fi ling to the USCIS.
Get immigration information from US govern-ment websites. If the URL/website does not end with a dot gov (.gov), then it is not from the US government.
Do not let anyone keep your original documents, such as birth certifi cates or passports.
Never sign a form before it has been fi lled out. Keep a copy of every form that you submit as
well as every letter from the government about your application or petition.
You will get a receipt from USCIS when you submit your paperwork. Make sure that you get a copy. Federal Trade Commission, protects con-sumers from fraud through law enforcement regu-lation and education. To report a scam, visit ftc.gov/complaint or call 1-877-382-4357.
Los Angeles, 20 February 2015 – The Philippine Consulate General and the Department of Tourism in Los Angeles launched on 17 February 2014, the 10th Ambassadors, Con-suls General, and Tourism Direc-tors Tour (ACGTDT) to the Philip-pines scheduled for July 6-10, 2015.
The 10th ACGTDT is a joint proj-ect of all Philippine Foreign Service Posts in the United States (Aga-na, Chicago, Honolulu, Los Ange-les, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.) in cooperation with the Department of Tourism, Philippine Airlines, China Airlines, EVA Air, Korean Air and Rajah Tours Philippines.
The theme for the 10th ACGTDT is “Join, Explore and Experience.”
About 65 tour representatives, friends from the media and mem-bers of the Filipino-American Com-munity attended the offi cial launch at the Rizal Hall of the Consulate.
The ACGTDT is organized to en-able Filipinos based in North Amer-
ica to revisit their homeland and experience the beauty of the coun-try’s top tourist destinations, take a vacation with family and friends, and explore business opportunities.
The Basic Tour is from 06 to 10 July 2015 and covers an Economy roundtrip airfare for the Los An-geles-Manila-Cebu-Manila-Los An-geles route with choices either via Philippine Airlines (PAL), China Airlines or EVA Air.
The tour program in-cludes; one (1) night stay at Sofi -tel Hotel with buffet breakfast; Manila City Tour or Corregidor Tour w/add-on of US$67/passen-ger; followed with three (3) night stay at Radisson Blu and Shangri-La Mactan in Cebu with daily buffet breakfasts, dinners with cultural show and entertainment; Cebu City Tour; Suroy-Suroy sa Sugbo Tour and Island Hopping Tour.
Optional tours to Bohol, Bora-cay and Palawan are offered at ad-ditional cost.
Photo shows Consul General Leo Herrera-Lim giving the Welcome Remarks.
Cebu visit included in Ambassadors’ Basic Tour 2015; 10th ACGTDT edition launched
Beware of scammers in your community, immigrants warned
Courtyard at Ventura Canyon condos offer the most value in SFV(2/10/15) – Thinking of renting
a condo? If you are looking for the newest, highest quality, largest and
Sandy Close, executive director of New America Media heads the panel discussion on “Scams.”
September 7, 1969 - February 23, 2015:Kristina Sanchez-Ultra passed away Monday, February 23, 2015 at 11:34am in Henry Mayo Hospital in Valencia, California surrounded by her loving family.
Kristina was born in Cagayan De Oro City, Philippines on September 7, 1969 and became naturalized first generation Filipino-American. Kristina was one of six children and only daughter to Bernardita and Antonio Sanchez. She went to Lourdes College in high school and graduated with a bachelor in nursing at the Liceo de Cagayan University. She was the founding director of Preferred College of Nursing. She worked as an ER Registered Nurse in downtown Los Angeles for about 15 years and volunteered in medical missions; twice in parts of Africa to take care of the towns ravaged by HIV/AIDS crisis outside Nairobi, Kenya and another time in the jungle of the Amazon in Manaus Brazil stricken by profound poverty. She has graced the world through prolific traveling that boasted 32 countries, over a hundred cities and 40-some United States of America. Her favorite iconic landmark is La Tour Eiffel de Paris. And at one point she dared her brothers to plunge off a perfectly flying airplane and soared above the blue horizon 12 thousand feet off the ground in a skydiving fit - none of her brothers followed. If she wasn't too weak from treatment in summer of '05 she would have jumped with her husband and brothers at the seven sacred pools in Maui.
most livable rentals in the San Fernando Valley, look no fur-ther than Courtyard at Ven-tura Canyon, just down the street from Kaiser. According to building developer Stephen Ross, “Our new condos have been wildly successful with all kinds of renters. We’ve been open just 60 days and we have only 9 apartments left out of 50. Our extra large units are complemented with an out-door courtyard that renters just love.”
Additional features include quartz kitchen counters, stain-less steel microwave, dish-washer, stove and oven, gran-
ite bathroom counters, and a washer and dryer in every unit. All you need to move in is a toothbrush.
There is a gym, a communi-ty BBQ, underground parking, secured intercom entry and that beautiful courtyard with fountains. You really need to see it to believe it. 2 bedroom units start at just $1,795. You can visit The Courtyard at Ventura Canyon at 7851 Ven-tura Canyon Ave. in Panorama City. Models are open daily. For more information please call John at 818.836.1425, or visit www.sfvapts.com. Mon-tage. Neighborhood Builders.
Twenty-eight people were injured Tuesday when a Los Angeles-bound commuter train smashed into a produce truck that had become stuck on the tracks, authorities said.
The stranded vehicle exploded into a fi reball after being hit by the four passenger cars and the locomotive pushing the Metrolink train, offi cials said.
Three passenger coaches came to rest on their side after fl ying off the rails near Oxnard, about 75 miles (120 kilome-ters) from Los Angeles, a spokesman for Metrolink said.
A total of 48 passengers and three crew were on board the train when it crashed, at around 5:45 am (1345 GMT).
Twenty-eight people were hospitalized, with seven for-mally admitted for further treatment, offi cials told a press conference.
Patients were being treated for spinal injuries and mul-tiple fractures, Ventura County Emergency Medical Service spokesman Steve Carroll said.
The 54-year-old driver of the truck – which appeared to have been ripped into two by the impact – was found by po-lice wandering around one mile from the crash site.
Initial reports had said police arrested the man after he had fl ed the scene.
However, Oxnard assistant police chief Jason Benites later told reporters the truck driver had not been formally detained.
“He’s not under arrest,” he said. “However, I can say we are looking into this with regard to any acts that may re-quire a criminal investigation.”
Benites said it was not clear why the driver had mistak-enly turned right onto the tracks from an adjacent street.
Nearly 30 injured as train hits truck
THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday - Tuesday, Feb. 25 - Mar. 3, 2015 Visit www.usasianpost.com 5
Korean delicacies: Raw horse meat and coagulated pork blood
One of the things I enjoy about traveling is discovering delightful dishes from different cultures. I have traveled to South Korea a total of four times, so far; and when I recall those trips, one of the memo-ries that stick out are those involving food.
Here are my top 4 gastronomic highlights:
2010, I discovered more. There were street foods that were mostly fried or stewed, pre-pared from mild to spicy, sold by street ven-dors called “pojangmacha.”
Tteokbokki is a popular Korean snack made with soft rice cake and chili sauce. Sometimes, fi sh cake is added to the mix. If you’re like me who has a low tolerance for spicy food, make sure you have a cup of water handy. I almost choked, when I tried it. The cylinder-shaped rice cakes tasted bland. It reminded me of mochi, also be-cause of the soft, chewy texture. The spices, particularly chili paste, defi nitely added a kick!
The sundae was next for me to try; al-though this particular kind is not to be con-fused with the sweet ice cream dessert. In the streets of Korea, particularly in popular night markets Namdaemun and Dongda-emun, sundae refers to sausage made with coagulated pig blood. It is more akin to the English black pudding, except that in sun-dae, the ox blood is mixed with glass noddle and barley. Pork or cow intestine is used for the skin. I loved it! But then again, I am a fan of the Filipino dish dinuguan, to begin with.
Fish cakes are served in skewers, and usually dipped in a clear broth; or a salty dip. But for the sweet tooth, there are choc-olate-syrup or red-bean-paste-fi lled pan-cakes in a variety of shapes and sizes. And candies made from a block of honey, cold fl our, and peanut or almond.
I came across a stand that featured a demonstration of how these candies were made. It was hilarious, complete with a script: “Block of honey, It’s very hard. But watch this, mix with cold fl our... and poke a hole in the middle.” The person doing the demo then proceeds to stretch the block into strings. In the end, totaling 16,000 strings within seconds. “Stretching, stretching,” he said, while doing multiplications of the strings, that started with 4 strings, “Dou-ble, double is eight; double double is 16... and so on.”
In the end, the result is “Not so sweet. Not so sticky, But oh so yummy!” But not so cheap either. 5,000 won would get you a dozen candies in a box. Apparently, accord-ing to the spiel/script of the person doing the demo, these candies are the preferred dessert of their kings.
2. Young Chicken Soup – This is a dish that is mostly served with side dishes, like kimchi, and is connected to a popular Ko-rean tradition and belief.
Samgyetang is a hot soup that consists of a whole young chicken stuffed with garlic and rice, scallion and spices, usually jujube and ginseng. In Korean culture, this dish is consumed during three distinct days of the lunar calendar – Chobok, Jungbok and Malbok. These are commonly known as the hottest days in Korea. And it is widely be-lieved that eating this soup during those three days will lead to good health.
I’m not sure about the time to eat it. But I know young chicken is very good for the body, anytime. Also in a soup, it gives the body energy. This is why chicken soup is a common remedy to some common illnesses, right? Jujube is a Korean red date that’s known for its medicinal qualities, among which is stress alleviation. Boiled with the soup, it tasted like chestnut, albeit sweeter. Ginseng is believed to be a stimulant; in some cultures, an aphrodisiac, especially for men.
Whether you believe in its medicinal ef-fects or not, young chicken soup is a must try when in Korea.
3. Black Pig – We Filipinos are no strang-er to pork. We love pork. Think lechon, or pork adobo or pork sinigang! But I realized, in my travels to the southern coast of South Korea, that we don’t really know pork un-til we’ve tried black pork. This is a popular delicacy in Jeju island, considered the “Ha-waii” of South Korea.
1. Korean Street Foods – The most popular Korean foods are kimchi and bibimbap. But when I went to Seoul in
Horse meat sashimi, raw horse liver, and ground raw horse meat with sesame seeds and oil - a common course in a specialty horse meal - a delicacy on Jeju Island in South Korea.
See JANNELLE, page 12
Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday - Tuesday, Feb. 25 - Mar. 3, 2015 THE US ASIAN POST6
US MARINEFrom page 1
MAMASAPANOFrom page 1
PACQUIAOFrom page 1
KIN OF SAFFrom page 1
A preliminary police report and autopsy fi ndings that showed Laude, 26, died due to “asphyxia by drowning” will also be pre-sented as evidence, she said.
“We have enough evidence and witnesses to convict Pember-ton of murder,” she said.
“He (Pemberton) was the only person with Jennifer the entire time she was in the hotel and the (motel) cashier can attest to that.”
‘Conjectures and speculations’ Pemberton’s lawyers had earlier asked the justice ministry to
dismiss the case, stating evidence linking him to the case was “based on nothing but conjectures and speculations”.
The ministry rejected the petition, and an appeal against that decision is still pending with a higher court.
Pemberton’s lawyers said on Monday that he would not enter a plea until those proceedings were over, according to Suarez.
Pemberton appeared in the court for the arraignment on Monday, but the proceedings were closed to the media.
The state prosecutor and lawyers for Laude’s family, as well as her relatives, relayed to reporters outside the court his deci-sion to not enter a plea, as well as the emotion inside.
Surrounded by 16 burly guards, Pemberton looked calm and fl ashed a faint smile during the proceedings, which lasted about an hour, Laude’s sister Marilou, who was in the courtroom, told reporters.
“He had the nerve to kill my sister, yet he was meek in the courtroom... I am seething with anger,” she said.
Marilou said the Laude family were determined to see Pem-berton jailed for the maximum time possible, and would not agree to a plea bargain if there was an offer.
“There will be no compromise. He must pay for what he did to our sister... Finally the trial is moving, fi nally we can get justice,” she said.
Laude’s death re-ignited long-simmering anti-US sentiment in the Philippines, a former American colony that still allows a signifi cant American military presence via joint training exer-cises.
Under a Visiting Forces Agreement governing US troops’ con-duct in the Philippines, the United States is allowed to retain custody of Pemberton during the legal proceedings against him.
While awaiting trial, Pemberton is being detained at an American-guarded facility inside the Philippines’ military head-quarters in Manila.
text message to PNP offi cer-in-charge Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina asking for more information.
“We did not know that there was such an operation launched. We cannot put into context how many were at risk,” he added.
Espina was also informed about Oplan Exodus after the op-eration was carried out.
On January 25, the President was in Zamboanga City to check on the security situation there fol-lowing a car blast that killed two people and injured 52 others.
At the same hearing, resigned PNP chief Director General Alan Purisima informed the Presi-dent that the PNP-Special Action Force commandos were “support-ed” by military troops, despite in-formation from Armed Forces top
offi cials that their men could not get inside because the area was marshy.
The January 25 incident re-sulted to the deaths of the 44 elite police commandos, 18 members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and four civilians.
The MILF’s breakaway faction, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, was also involved in the encounter.
The PNP SAF’s mission was to serve the warrant of arrest to two suspected terrorists – Malaysian Jemaah Islamiyah leader Zulkifl i bin Hir also known as Marwan and Filipino bomb maker Basit Usman – who were confi rmed to be hiding in the area.
Authorities claimed killing Marwan, but Usman was able to escape. (MNS)
apologized and divulged more in-formation regarding his involve-ment in the January 25 Mamasa-pano operation.
“Hindi naman tayo perpektong lahat eh. Lahat tayo may pagka-kamali,” he said.
Like the Sagonoy family, the wife of another slain SAF trooper also felt slighted by the Presi-dent’s words. “Janet” said Aqui-no admitted that he knew about the Mamasapano clash as early as 7 a.m., but directly blamed now-sacked SAF chief Getulio Napeñas for the fi asco.
Aquino also allegedly asked
one family if they wanted him to get the fi ngerprints of all enemy combatants in the Mamasapano clash.
“Janet” quoted the president as saying, “Ano gusto niyo gawin ko? Kunin natin ang fi ngerprint ng mga kalaban? Aba madami yun, para malaman natin sino puma-tay sa mga kamag-anak niyo.”
A relative of another SAF com-mando killed in the encounter also felt insulted by the Presi-dent’s overall demeanor during their meeting.
“Jennifer” claimed that Aquino was laughing at certain times
even as the relatives of the fallen police commandos asked for direct answers on who ordered the oper-ation and why so many died.
Meanwhile, the family of Sagonoy said they are hoping that the government will stay true to its promise of assistance to them.
“Masakit sa kalooban ko dahil hindi ko na makikita anak ko,” Lorna said. “Sabi ko huwag lang pabayaan yung mga pangako ni President, mga sinabi niya na may mga scholarship tapos mga benepisyo para sa amin... Yun lang kasi inaasahan namin kaya sabi namin sana matupad yun.”
RAFFLE WINNERFrom page 1singer/actress and Tony Award winner Lea Salonga, popular co-median and actor Vice Ganda, winner of “Star Power Search 2011” Angeline Quintos, interna-tional actress and top endorser Anne Curtis, and Pop Star Prin-cess Sarah Geronimo – who all gave wholesome entertainment to the delight of the crowd.
Aside from fi ne dining, re-laxation and entertainment, Pechanga Resort & Casino wish to provide the ultimate expe-rience especially, to Filipino-American patrons. Thus, Gary V, with 31 years of solid inter-national exposure in the fi eld of singing and dancing will ‘wow’ the crowd in this year’s opening extravaganza.
Gary V, a singer/songwriter/musician, was born to a Puerto-Rican mother and a Filipino
But more importantly for fi ght fans, the match will fi nally show which of the two boxers can really be called the best.
Pacquiao has held world cham-pionships belts in an unprec-edented eight divisions, and will go into the Mayweather fi ght with a record of 57-5, with two draws and 38 knockouts.
Mayweather has a 47-0 record with 26 knockouts. He is hom-ing in on the iconic 49-0 record of 1950s legend Rocky Marciano, who retired as an undefeated heavyweight champion.
Pacquiao, a devout Christian, said he was confi dent of winning because he had God on his side.
“God is with me and I believe the Lord will deliver him into my
hands,” he said.Pacquiao, who last year em-
barked on a much-criticized pro-fessional basketball career with a playing-coaching role for a Phil-ippine team, said Monday he in-tended to play again in the local competition this week.
He said he expected to then head to the United States late in the week to resume full training under the guidance of his long-time mentor, Freddie Roach.
Pacquiao reiterated that he ac-tually enjoyed being rated below Mayweather by oddsmakers in Las Vegas.
“I like being the underdog. I am more motivated,” he told ABS-CBN.
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Evan Garcia and Eduardo Oban Jr., take their oath as they appear in the Senate probe on the Mama-sapano incident for the fi rst time. In between Garcia and Oban is former PNP Chief Alan Purisima. (MNS photo)
MANILA, Feb 23 (Mabuhay) – Detained Senator Ramon Bong Revilla Jr. on Monday denied reports that he partied with fel-low pork scam respondent Sena-tor Juan Ponce Enrile during the latter’s 91st birthday celebration at the PNP General Hospital on February 14.
In a statement, Revilla admit-ted that he was at the PNP Gen-eral Hospital on the said date but denied the claim of government prosecutors that he was there to party with Enrile.
“On February 14, at about 3 o’clock in the afternoon, I was rushed to the PNP General Hospi-tal after experiencing cold sweats, stiffness and pain on the back my head and neck, and a debilitating migraine attack. It appeared that I had a spike in my blood pres-sure,” Revilla explained.
He pointed out that he had se-cured the permission of PNP Cus-todial Center for an immediate checkup which, he said, the Cus-todial Center management grant-ed as his debilitating health con-dition can be considered a matter of emergency.
“Reports that I was sneaked out by PNP personnel from the
Custodial Center are absolutely false...I was taken to the hospi-tal by Custodial Center guards after a written request was made to Col. Fabro, the Director of the Custodial Center,” Revilla said.
He said that aside from the Custodial Center personnel, he was also accompanied by his two sons, Bryan and Cavite Vice Gov-ernor Jolo. Revilla claimed that he only stayed in the hospital for 30 minutes and was immediately taken back to his detention cell.
Revilla is currently detained at the PNP Custodial Center in Camp Crame for plunder and graft charges for allegedly funnel-ing millions of his Priority Devel-opment Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel to fake foundations allegedly owned by businesswom-an Janet Lim-Napoles.
“I stayed in the hospital for less than 30 minutes and was immedi-ately taken back to my detention cell to rest, after my blood pres-sure was taken and injected with medication,” Revilla said.
“It is not true that I was at the hospital to visit Senator Juan Ponce Enrile. I did not go to his room as I did not even know where that was,” he added.
Revilla denies partying with Enrile; prosecution shows proof
father. He remain consistently visible in the public eye since he began his career in 1983. At 18, he fi rst burst on the Philip-pine music scene with look-a-like antics of Michael Jackson and Al Jarreau’s pyro-techniques.
To date, Gary V has released 32 albums including those re-leased in the USA and the Asian Region. The Pop idol has the most illustrious track re-cord in the Philippine recording scene winning a total of 12 Awit (Song) Awards (US counterpart of Grammy Awards) in the Best Male Recording category alone. Aside from the critical acclaim given to his album releases, he has also been consistently collect-ing Gold, Platinum and multi-Platinum awards for the sale of his products. His songs enjoy millions of hits online. The wide acceptance of his recordings has led many fi lm producers to use
his songs in the soundtrack of their movies. Likewise, Gary has starred in 14 full-length movies over the span of his career.
As a concert performer win-ning global audience, Gary V stands head and shoulders with the world’s best. He has per-formed with some of the most respected musicians and sing-ers including Brian McKnight, George Duke, Julia Fordham, George Black, The Emotions, and Ricky Martin, to name a few.
If you want to have a date with Gary V and the lucky win-ner Maphilindo Catibayan, buy your tickets now – from $85, $75, $65 and $50.
Tickets are available at the Pechanga Box offi ce or online at www.Pechanga.com/tickets. Room and show packages are available. To purchase wheel-chair seating, please call the Box Offi ce at 1-877-711-2946.
THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday - Tuesday, Feb. 25 - Mar. 3, 2015 Visit www.usasianpost.com 7
FAMILY FEATURES
An ancient grain with roots that trace back as far as 8000 B.C., sorghum is seeing a resurgence as demand for non-GMO and gluten-free food grows.
Sorghum is an excellent substitute for those with Celiac disease or gluten intolerance, and can be used to make both leavened and unleavened breads, various fermented and unfermented beverages and can be steamed, popped, fl aked or consumed as a whole grain or syrup.
“Sorghum is light in color, has a pleasing texture and tastes similar to wheat, which makes it perfect for use in gluten-free baking,” said gluten-free expert and cookbook author Carol Fenster.
Sorghum also provides iron, calcium, potassium, as well as polycosinol, which research has shown to lower serum cholesterol and may improve heart health.
Contrary to the perception that some grains lead to a spike in blood sugar, research has indicated that sorghum off ers slow digestibility and a lower glycemic index. Foods with a lower glycemic index are believed to increase satiety, which means people feel fuller longer, aiding with weight management.
White, food grade sorghum can be milled directly into whole grain fl our to produce foods such as cookies, cakes, breads, pizza dough, pastas, cereals and more. Whole grain sorghum is also a healthy addition to salads. Sorghum’s natural attributes make it possible to enjoy deliciously healthful and gluten-free versions of some of America’s favorite foods, thanks to these recipes.
For more recipes and tips for cooking with sorghum, visit www.HealthySorghum.com.
Pearled Sorghum Tangy Pear Salad Contributed by Nu Life MarketSalad: 1/2 cup cooked Nu Life Market Pearled Sorghum Grain 8 cups prepared mixed baby greens 1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced 1/3 cup dried cranberriesToppings: 2 red Anjou pears, halved vertically and thinly slicedDressing: Favorite dressing or balsamic vinaigretteTo cook sorghum, a ratio of one part sorghum to four parts water should be used. In appropriate size saucepan, add water and heat until boiling. Add sorghum and allow to simmer on medium heat, stirring occasionally, for approxi mately 45 minutes or until desired tenderness.
Once cooked, drain water from pan and rinse cooked grain. Allow cooked sorghum to cool completely before adding to salad, to avoid wilted lettuce.
Toss together cooked sorghum, baby mixed greens, onion and dried cranberries in large bowl.
To serve, place desired amount of tossed lettuce mixture onto salad plate, adorn with 5 pear slices and drizzle with desired amount of dressing.
Th in & Crispy Sorghum Pizza Crust Contributed by Nu Life Market 1 cup white whole grain sorghum fl our 2/3 cup potato starch 4 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar 2 teaspoons sugar 2 teaspoons xanthan gum 1/2 cup shortening 2/3 cup rice milk Olive oil Garlic powder or granulesWhisk dry ingredients together. Cut shortening into fl our mix until crumbly. Add rice milk and mix until dough forms sticky ball. Knead on fl oured surface and continue to work dough, adding fl our if necessary. Dough is ready when it no longer sticks to your hand.
Roll into ball and fl atten onto ungreased pizza pan. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder. Gently roll edges over to form ridge.
Bake for 12 minutes at 450°F. Top with your favorite toppings and bake for additional 10–15 minutes.
Mushroom and Garlic Pearled Sorghum Contributed by Nu Life Market 1/2 cup of Nu Life Market Pearled Sorghum Grain 2 cups vegetable stock 1/4 onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 cup mushrooms, quartered 3–4 asparagus shoots 1/4 cup thyme, choppedBring sorghum and veggie stock to a boil and simmer for approximately 50 minutes.
In small skillet, over medium heat saute onion, garlic and mushrooms until tender. Add to cooked sorghum. Garnish with steamed asparagus shoots and fresh thyme. Serve.
Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday - Tuesday, Feb. 25 - Mar. 3, 2015 THE US ASIAN POST8
MOTORING By Luc Olinga
New York, United States | AFP | Sunday 2/22/2015 – Is the future of the US car industry in Silicon Valley?
After Tesla and Google, Ap-ple appears to be readying for a plunge into the industry long rooted far away in the steel belt of the US upper Midwest.
According to various media re-ports, the maker of iPhones and iPads has created a special unit baptized “Titan” with hundreds of staff to begin developing an elec-tric car, with 2020 the target date.
Apple remains silent on the project, but the reports were par-tially backed up by a lawsuit fi led against the tech giant. Battery
maker 123 Systems has accused Apple of aggressively poaching its staff.
But it puts Apple in line with Tesla, the current champion of the electric car, and Google, the online giant which is focused on the self-driving, also-electric Google Car.
The Big Three US automak-ers—General Motors, Ford and Chrysler (now a part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, FCA) -- are taking the threat from the Detroit outsiders seriously.
“Given the company’s (Apple’s) tremendous capabilities, that is no surprise to anyone,” GM spokesman Dan Flores told AFP.
Tesla, Google, Apple: Is Silicon Valley the future of the US car?
Maynes said: “We can’t comment on something we haven’t seen.”
Ford too had no com-ment on Apple’s plans, but the number two au-tomaker recently opened a research center in Palo Alto, the heart of Silicon Valley, as it looks to the future of self-driving au-tomobiles.
Bill Visnic, an analyst at industry specialist Edmunds.com, said that given the seven-year av-erage time frame to de-velop and bring a car to the mass market, the De-troit giants are not under serious pressure yet.
Even with the unex-pected success of Tesla, for instance, the company still sold less than 35,000 cars last year in an na-tional market of more than 16 million units. And Tesla’s cars are con-fi ned to a very high-end niche market.
“Apple is not an im-mediate threat to the US auto industry. I don’t think you’ll see the vol-ume there, the number of cars won’t really begin to approach anything like Detroit is making right now at any time soon,” said Visnic.
Alec Gutierrez, a mar-ket analyst at Kelley Blue Book, said Apple’s strength is its role as a “disruptor” in industries, and that the “compre-hensive ecosystem” of its popular consumer elec-tronics could be extended to an “Apple car”.
Money to spend Apple has the money
to put into a new car – some $180 billion in capi-tal built up to invest in new projects.
Even so, said Gutier-rez, given the costs and competition in the auto industry, “it’s fraught with risk.”
“The automotive space is so highly competi-tive today, and margins in new car sales are ex-traordinarily thin, which is something Apple is not used to.”
“How many companies have totally failed into trying to enter the auto-motive industry? It’s a tough thing and it’s very expensive,” added Brett Smith, program director at the Center for Auto-motive Research.
He pointed to Tesla continuing to lose mon-ey despite its success in marketing its luxury cars with battery systems su-perior to any offered by Detroit.
And the major auto-makers are all working hard on making more and better hybrid and all-electric vehicles.
That sets a high bar for any new entrant, notes Smith.
“Does Apple have bet-ter technologies than Mercedes or Ford or GM or Toyota to build a car? I really doubt it.”
What Apple could bring to the industry is what Google brings: ways to process and use data.
THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday - Tuesday, Feb. 25 - Mar. 3, 2015 Visit www.usasianpost.com 9
(Relaxnews) – It’s long been suspected that chocolate, pizza and French fries are more than just tasty and a new study from the University of Michigan has etched in the tomes of science that these foods can trigger addictive-like eating behavior.
One thing they all have in common is that they’ve been highly processed, meaning that they’ve been touched up with extra fat, refi ned carbohydrates from white fl our and added sugar, among other things.
The fi rst of the two experiments involved 120 univer-sity students aged 18 to 23 who completed the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS), a 25-point questionnaire devel-oped in 2009 by researchers at Yale’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity.
Next, they had to confront the foods that were among the hardest for them to stop eating after the fi rst bite.
Researchers presented them with two photos at a time, the photos depicting two of 35 different foods varying greatly in nutritional composition.
Participants were asked to select the more problematic of the two in terms of how addictive they found it.
Of the 35 food items, 18 of them qualify as “highly pro-cessed,” such as cake, chocolate, pizza and chips, whereas the remaining 17 were unprocessed items such as bananas, carrots and nuts.
Overall the food items each could be categorized as high in fat and refi ned carbohydrates; low in both; or high in one but not the other.
The researchers processed the data, scoring each food
based on feedback about YFAS symptoms, ranging from 0 to 6, and chocolate topped the list as the most addictive of the 35 food items.
It was followed by ice cream, French fries, pizza, cook-ies, chips and cake, in that order.
The 15 most addictive of the 35 food items were all pro-cessed, and the 16th item on the list was cheese, the fi rst unprocessed item. Least addictive of the food items were beans without sauce, followed by broccoli, plain cucum-ber, water, brown rice, carrots, bananas and salmon in that order. Researchers conducted a second experiment using data from 384 participants aged 18 to 64.
Rather than choosing between two foods, participants were asked to come up with the foods that were most ad-dictive to them and rate them accordingly.
This time, pizza topped chocolate and cucum-ber was the least addictive of the same 35 items; cheese fi nished 10th.
The study, published in the online journal PLOS One, is likely to inspire more dialogue among nu-trition and food science experts, government watch dogs, the food industry and individuals concerned about increasingly confl icting messages.
“If properties of some foods are associated with addictive eating for some people, this may impact nutrition guidelines, as well as public policy initia-tives such as marketing these foods to children,” says author Erica Schulte, a UM psychology doc-toral student.
Miami, United States | AFP | Monday 2/23/2015 – Young babies who are fed formula have far high-er levels of arsenic in their bodies than breast-fed infants, according to research released Monday.
Arsenic in the urine of six-week-old babies who were fed formula was 7.5 times higher than babies who were drinking breast milk, said the study in the February 23 edition of the journal Environmen-tal Health Perspectives.
A total of 72 babies in the north-eastern state of New Hampshire were included in the study. Breast milk from nine mothers was also tested and was found to contain very low concentrations of arsenic, the researchers said.
The study found that arsenic levels in tap water far exceeded the
amount found in powdered formu-la, but said that both contributed to arsenic exposure.
“This study’s results highlight that breastfeeding can reduce arse-nic exposure even at the relatively low levels of arsenic typically expe-rienced in the United States,” said lead author Kathryn Cottingham of Dartmouth College.
“This is an important public health benefi t of breastfeeding.”
Arsenic is found in bedrock and often contaminates well water.
It can be cancer-causing and had been linked to increased fetal mor-tality, decreased birth weight and problems with brain development.
The study authors urged people, particularly those in rural areas, to have their water wells tested for arsenic.
Arsenic in the urine of six-week-old babies who were fed formula was 7.5 times higher than babies who were drinking breast milk, said the study in the February 23 edition of the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
Arsenic levels higher in formula-fed babies: study
Beyond delicious: Study says highly processed foods are highly addictive
(Relaxnews) – A study released in the journal Pediatrics reveals that kids living in households in which dishes are washed by hand may experience fewer allergy-related illnesses.
The Swedish questionnaire-based study looked at 1,029 kids aged 7 and 8 in two areas of Sweden and included questions on asthma, eczema and rhinoconjunctivitis taken from the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood ques-tionnaire.
Hand dishwashing was associated with a re-duced risk of allergic disease development. That risk was further reduced in households where chil-dren were served fermented food or food bought directly from farms.
The study was based on the notion that certain household practices – including, potentially, the less-effi cient method of washing dishes by hand rather than with a dishwashing machine – may
Washing dishes by hand could keep allergies at bay
Miami, United States | AFP | Monday 2/23/2015 – Men who regularly visited a sauna lived longer and were less likely to die of sudden heart attacks than men who did not visit as often, said a Finnish study out Monday.
In often frigid Finland, going to the sauna is a popular activity, and is believed to confer good health and relaxation.
While other studies have examined the link be-tween better circulation and sauna use, the latest study in the Journal of the American Medical As-sociation (JAMA) Internal Medicine looked at the link between sauna bathing and the risk of sudden cardiac death, fatal coronary heart disease, fatal cardiovascular disease and dying from any cause among a group of 2,315 middle-aged men (42 to 60 years old) from eastern Finland.
The men – all of whom went to saunas but some more often than others – were tracked for a me-
dian, or midpoint, of 21 years.Comparing the risk of sudden cardiac death
among those who reported going to sauna once a week to those who went two to three times, the more frequent sauna-goers had a 22 percent lower risk of sudden cardiac death.
Those who went four to seven times a week had a 63 percent lower risk than those who went once.
Similarly, coronary heart disease risk was 23 percent lower for two to three bathing sessions per week and 48 percent lower for four to seven sauna sessions per week compared to once a week, the study said.
And the risk of dying from heart disease was 27 percent lower for men who took saunas two to three times a week and 50 percent lower for men who were in the sauna four to seven times a week, again compared to those who went to saunas once per week.
Sauna-goers may live longer: study
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Holy 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
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THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday - Tuesday, Feb. 25 - Mar. 3, 2015 Visit www.usasianpost.com 11
Actress-host Kris Aquino con-fi rmed on Sunday that she will not run for any government posi-tion in the 2016 elections.
Speaking on “The Buzz”, Aqui-no answered guest Nora Aunor’s question about her plans to run for public offi ce.
“Hindi po,” she told the vet-eran actress, adding that she was surprised when she learned that people have been talking about the topic.
“You all know what my prior-ity is, mga anak ko,” Aquino said, noting that her son’s nanny is also getting married later this year and will soon leave them.
“Kasi ‘yung yaya ni Bimb ika-kasal sa September. The yaya was there from the start, siyempre wala kami ni James...so I really promised him na for the entire adjustment period, I’m gonna be there,” Aquino explained.
“Ang pulitika requires some-one who has no other responsibil-ity but the responsibility to serve the constituents. Boy, I want to be the best mom I can be, and I cannot be the best mom I can be if hahatiin ko,” she told co-host Boy Abunda.
Instead of entering politics, the youngest sister of President Be-nigno Aquino III vowed to instead create more jobs for Filipinos, which she believes is her “calling.”
She also added that she needs to be available next year to take care of her brother once his term as president ends. (MNS)
Diether Ocampo fi nally broke his silence on allegations that he is hiding from the production staff of an independent fi lm which he produced after failing to pay them.
Ocampo became a hot topic on-line when accusations surfaced that he did not pay some of his staff members despite their ren-dered work.
In a statement, Ocampo said he is taking full responsibility for what happened.
“As the executive producer of Tandem Entertainment, I take full responsibility. There are mat-ters beyond my control that led to this predicament. I will never run away from my responsibilities,” he said.
Ocampo said his camp has al-ready arranged a meeting with his staff in order to resolve the problem.
“I treasure the people behind the project and I would not allow
them to suffer. I assure the staff that I will give them what is due them,” he said.
One of the staff members agreed to an interview but re-fused to show his face on camera.
“Actually nagbigay siya sa ibang mga staff ng post-dated check last January. Naka-date ‘yun ng February 10. Pero noong ‘yung iba nagpapalit na, hindi daw napondohan. All in all, sigu-ro mga milyun-milyon ang utang ni Diet sa aking estimate,” he said.
While some production staff members were paid in install-ments, the staff member said there are others who were not paid at all.
“Yung ibang staff, hanggang second down payment pa lang ang nare-receive and the other staff, wala pa talaga. ‘Yung mga hul-ing pumirma ng kontrata, kahit piso walang na-receive. Sana as soon as possible, ma-resolve ‘yung problema na ito kasi sobrang ta-
gal na. Hindi rin naman kami ganun kayaman para basta na lang i-give up yung utang niya sa amin,” he said. (MNS)
Months after admitting that she went through depression, Megastar Sharon Cuneta looks healthy and happy with her new curves.
The seasoned actress took to Facebook to share photos with cousins Lala and Ciara Sotto at the latter’s baby shower party during the weekend. The post earned Sharon thousands of likes and hundreds of comments com-plimenting her fi tter body.
The Megastar also shared in a separate Facebook entry that her weight goal is to be able to share clothes with her cousins. She add-ed that the Sotto siblings inspired her to make an effort to always look her best.
“I told my cousin Lala that my goal is to one day soon be able to borrow her clothes – for us to be able to wear each other’s clothes!” Sharon said.
She added: “They have al-ways inspired me to look my best (though I haven’t always let the inspiration move me! Hahaha! Now I do again). Soon, baby sis! Humanda ka at si Apples at si Ci-ara! (You can raid my closet too!)”
Previously, Sharon’s daughter
Former “Darna” star Anja-nette Abayari clarifi ed some issues involving her former boyfriend, TV personality and triathlete David Bunevacz.
Abayari confi rmed that Bu-nevacz sold her car and Rolex watch, as reported in some en-tertainment websites. She added that her ex-boyfriend also tried to sell her condominium unit.
“’Yung condo, he tried [to sell it]. Meron akong na-receive na fax na power of attorney na gusto niyang i-sign ko ‘yun. Pero ‘di ko na-sign ‘yon,” she said.
“The car and Rolex were sold. Pero na-recover ko ‘yung car, ang Tito ko ang nag-recover para sa akin. ‘Yung Rolex, never [ko na-recover] kasi ibinenta daw niya ng 1/5 of the cost,” she added.
Abayari said that since the incident, she has not seen Bune-vacz in Los Angeles, where she is also based.
“I think by the grace of God, I have never run into him,” she
said in jest. “He’s also in LA. I don’t even know how I would re-act up to this point [kung mag-kita kami].”
The former sultry actress went on to recall an awkward moment after she and Bunevacz
called it quits.She said Bunevacz still vis-
ited her condo unit even if he is already engaged to another woman.
“Noong nawala ako, nan-doon pa rin siya sa condo ko, ayaw niyang umalis. Tapos na-engage na siya, sabi ko: ‘Wow, kapal naman. Umalis ka muna sa condo ko.’ Tapos may mga kaibigan akong nagte-text na, ‘oy, nakita ko si ano, pumapa-sok sa condo mo.’ But I have to let go of that, that’s poisonous if I keep it inside,” she said.
Despite her failed relation-ship, Abayari said she is still happy with how her life is go-ing, noting the other blessings she has received over the years.“I know I still have a lot of
blessings kasi,” said the actress, who was involved in a drug case in Guam in 1999.
After experiencing all the pain in the past, Abayari said she’s happy being blessed. (MNS)
Kris will not run in 2016
Kris Aquino
Diether Ocampo not paying his workers?
Diether Ocampo
Anjanette says ex-BF sold her car, Rolex
Anjanette Abayari
Sources have confi rmed that celebrity couple Sam Concep-cion and Jasmine Curtis-Smith have called it quits.
Sources said Concepcion and Curtis-Smith decided to end their relationship during the latter part of 2014.
The source explained that Curtis-Smith fi nally gave up on their relationship due to the lack of effort on Concepcion’s part to reach out to her elder sister, Anne Curtis.
The source said Concepcion was invited to attend Curtis’ concert as well as at the pre-miere night of her movie “Blood Ransom” but he did not even attempt to approach the Ka-pamilya actress.
Another reliable source said it was only in January when
Concepcion and Curtis-Smith offi cially separated.
Prior to their alleged break-up, the two were already hav-ing petty fi ghts.
The source added that Con-cepcion and Curtis-Smith re-
main civil towards each other whenever they would cross paths in various events, the most recent of which was at a high-end bar.
The source said the two arrived at the bar separately but were seen boarding a car where they supposedly had a chance to talk.
Despite this, it would seem that Cur-tis-Smith already de-leted on Instagram her photos with Concepcion
as they could no longer be seen online.
Curtis-Smith is currently with her sister in Amanpulo celebrating the birthday of the “It’s Showtime” host. (MNS)
Sam Concepcion, Jasmine have broken up?
Jasmine Curtis-Smith and Sam Concepcion
Sharon Cuneta shares weight goal
Sharon Cuneta and Ciara Sotto
KC Concepcion shared that her mother already lost 30 pounds and is working hard to shed more weight.
“Sobra siyang serious sa weight loss niya. But more than that she’s just trying to cope with the loss of my grandmother. Ang maganda naman, we’re a typical Filipino family na we’re really close na hindi nag-iiwanan. Andiyan kami lagi sa isa’t isa,” KC said.
KC added that Sharon is also preparing for her television come-back. (MNS)
On her 10th year as a Kapamilya talent, actress-host Toni Gon-zaga on Monday inked a new three-year-contract with network ABS-CBN.
“Very special ang pagpirma ko with ABS-CBN because I’m cel-ebrating my 10th year as a Kapamilya this 2015 and I’m happy to renew my contract with them kasi, in my heart, I’m certifi ed and forever a Kapamilya,” Gonzaga said.
According to the actress, ABS-CBN agreed to some adjustments as she is set to settle down this year with long-time boyfriend, director Paul Soriano.
“May mga kaunting adjustments doon sa contract but defi nitely one thing I can assure... no matter what happens I’m still a Ka-pamilya,” she said.
Asked if there will be a problem with her contract if ever she gets pregnant right after her wedding, Gonzaga said: “Hindi na-man siguro. Kaya siguro medyo natagalan ng pag-aayos nung con-tract kasi may kaunting adjustments but defi nitely it’s within the contract. Kung ano ang mangyayari sa akin in the future, may adjustments at fl exible ‘yung contract for that.”
“I’m happy kasi iba talaga magmahal ang Kapamilya,” she added.
Part of Gonzaga’s new contract is hosting a new reality show, as well as the new season of “Pinoy Big Brother” in June.
Gonzaga also revealed that she will be doing a new series – her fi rst in almost a decade as her last teleserye was “Crazy For You” with Luis Manzano back in 2006.
“Parang fi rst time ko yata after eight or nine years,” noted Gon-zaga, who is also currently shooting a movie with actor Coco Mar-tin.
Meanwhile, Gonzaga also shared that she has already picked her wedding gown. “Nag-fi tting na. Magpa-fi nal fi tting na lang, I fl y back for the fi tting,” she said, adding that she will announce her wedding date after her movie with Martin.
Still a Kapamilya, Toni gears up for a new soap
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BEST LOOKING AND
MOST LIVABLE.
MOVE-IN SPECIAL IF IN BY APRIL 1! “Black pork is not smelly. That’s the fi rst noticeable difference,” said Kelly, our tour guide. “The quality is also better, softer and more tender. These pigs are all grown in Jeju island and the people here are very proud of this.”
It’s cooked on a grill, like Korean BBQ. Some restaurants serve spices to spirnkle specifi cally on the meat while grilling. There’s a salty spice that’s also available on the island. When the meat is cooked, there are dipping sauces, such as the onion sauce – which is mainly pickled onion in vinegar. To eat, wrap the meat in a leafy vegetable, along with your choice of veggies. An order comes with several side dishes that can be eaten on their own, or mixed with the meat wrapped in the leaf.
4. Horse Meal – So after trying the black pig which is actually not very foreign to us Filipinos, our second dinner on the is-land of Jeju consisted of something more different. See, it is said that Jeju island is abundant in three things – women, wind and rocks. But the island is actually also known for horses – breeding horse, grazing horses, horseback riding; and even restau-rants that specialize in horse meals. Yes, a complete multi-course meal that serves the different parts of a horse, prepared in a variety of ways.
For an appetizer, a horse bone shooter was served. To be honest, it didn’t sound appetizing – a powder made with ground horse bone, and mixed with a broth from boiled horse blood. I was told that it’s healthy. Perhaps it was, and thankfully, because it wasn’t savory. At least there was a benefi t to ingesting the concoction.
The second course was a platter of 3 dif-ferent kinds of horse meat sashimi. The raw horse meat sliced very thinly, as in beef carpaccio was my least favorite. It re-ally didn’t taste like anything. It was more bland, although chewy. There are two kinds of dipping sauce for it, the salty one with sesame oil; and soy sauce with ginger. The meat is a tad tougher than beef. I liked the raw ground horse meat mixed with ses-ame seeds and oil better. It tasted sweet. The raw horse liver tasted like regular beef liver.
The third course was horse steak, which is raw meat cooked in BBQ style. The fourth course was horse meat bulgogi. Bulgogi is a common Korean dish that consists of grilled marinated meat, usually beef. The marinade is a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, pepper, and other ingre-dients such as scallions, ginger, onions. And because we were having a horse meal, we had horse meat bulgogi. I must admit I couldn’t tell the difference from beef bulgo-gi. It tasted the same, to me. If I didn’t
know I was eating horse meat, I could have sworn I was eating beef. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.
The fi fth course was boiled horse intes-tine which tasted more like pork intestine, but had a more bitter aftertaste. This was served with the sixth course which was horse stew, made of horse ribs boiled with carrots and other veggies. In Filipino, it’s called “bulalo.” And it also tasted like the regular Tagalog beef “nilaga.”
The seventh course is the horse rib eye cut which was also grilled. And boy, did they save the best for last! I almost forgot I was eating horse meat. Again, don;t know if that’s good or bad.
But whether you’re trying this very ex-otic meal in Jeju Island, or sampling the interesting street foods in Seoul, have fun! And don’t forget the Do and Don’t of eating Korean food – Do wash your hands. And with all garlic, onion, kimchi, don’t even think about kissing anyone. [Jannelle So is credited for creating, hosting and producing America’s fi rst and only locally-produced daily talk show for Filipinos, that ran for 8 ½ years under her leadership, making it the longest-running Filipino talk show outside of the Philippines. On her spare time, she loves to travel. This new column will docu-ment her sojourns as she shares what she learns an discovers on her trips. Connect to her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram; or email her at [email protected].
JANNELLEFrom page 5
Samgyetang is young chicken soup with jujube and ginseng, a popular Korean dish that’s both delicious and healthy.
Side dishes cover the table, during every Korean meal.
