Weekend Balita July 18, 2015

AFP to station military hardware amid China row

Manila, Philippines (AFP) Thursday 7/16/2015 – The Philippines said Thursday it would re-open a former US naval base that was closed more than 20 years ago, stationing its own military hardware at the facility that faces the flashpoint South China Sea.

The announcement comes as the Philip-pines is embroiled in a bitter dispute with China over rival claims to parts of the sea, including a rich fishing shoal close to the military base.

Defense department spokesman Peter Galvez said the Philippines would station aircraft and naval vessels at Subic Bay, which was one of the US military’s big-gest overseas bases until it closed in 1992.

“It’s location is very strategic,” Galvez said, referring to its position facing the South China Sea, which Manila calls the West Philippine Sea.

LOS ANGELES

VOL. XXIII, NO. 24 THE LEADING SOURCE OF NEWS AND INFORMATION FOR FILIPINO-AMERICANS JULY 18 - 24, 2015

Julia, Enrique agree: Experience is best teacher

See JULIA-ENRIQUE page 21

See US BASE, page 10In this photo taken in 2008, the USS Essex is guided by Philippine tug boats as it enters port at the former (Subic naval base) now Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, Philippines. The former US base has a natural harbor and is facing the South China Sea. The Philippines says it plans to open this once sprawling US naval base. PHOTO: MARK R. ALVAREZ, U.S. NAVY

PHL to re-open former US base

Manila, Philippines (AFP) Wednesday 7/15/2015 – The Philippines said Wednes-day it was repairing a crumbling ship serv-ing as its lonely outpost in the disputed South China Sea as China deploys more vessels and builds new islands nearby.

As this developed, Beijing has hit out at Manila for repairing the ship branding the

Philippines as a “hypocritical troublemaker and rule breaker”.

This would ensure the rust-eaten World War II-vintage BRP Sierra Madre remains livable for a tiny unit of marines guarding Second Thomas Shoal, said Philippine Navy spokesman Colonel Edgard Arevalo.

“Maintenance repair is being done to

ensure the vessel’s minimum habitability. We are morally and duty-bound to provide for our troops there,” he told AFP.

The Philippine military deliberately grounded the 100-metre (328-foot) vessel atop the reefs in 1999 in a last-ditch effort to check the advance of China, which four

Manila, Philippines (AFP) Wednes-day 7/15/2015 – The Philippines said Wednesday it is seeking to recoup $12.5 million in assets from Janet Na-poles, a Filipina businesswoman at the centre of a massive corruption scandal, as the United States attempts to seize her possessions.

The US Justice Department filed a civil forfeiture complaint Tuesday to gain control of assets purchased in the US with money intended for de-velopment and disaster relief in a case dubbed the “pork barrel scam”.

They include a swanky Los Angeles condominium, a motel near Disney-land, and a Porsche Boxster Napoles allegedly bought for her daughter using aid funds.

Manila is helping its US counter-part in the effort to seize the assets, Philippines Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said.

“If and when they succeed, (Manila) will request that the money will be turned over to us,” she told AFP in a text message.

The complaint filed in a Los An-geles Federal District Court alleged Napoles paid tens of millions of dollars in bribes to Philippine politicians and officials from 2004-2012 to get $200 million in funds which were supposed to help poor Filipinos.

The organisations Napoles ran did not deliver the services, and she took the money for her own personal use, the department said.

Napoles, who is already in jail in the Philippines for kidnapping her cousin

Taken in 2008, some of these World War II veterans have already joined their Creator without even realizing the true benefi ts of their valor, not thanks to a US law that discriminated Filipino-American World War II veterans who were recruited and fought alongside US soldiers in the war. PHOTO: RHONY LAIGO

By Nimfa U. RuedaLOS ANGELES – The aging Filipino-

American World War II veterans will soon be able to reunite with family members who have been waiting for years to join them in the United States.

A new policy, announced by the White House yesterday (Thursday in Manila), will allow children of the aging Fil-Am veterans to live and work in the US.

The veterans “have endured so much pain waiting for many years for this to

happen,” said National Federation of Filipino American Associations (Naffaa) Chair JT Mallonga, who hailed the Obama administration’s latest executive action on immigration that would benefit thousands of Fil-Am veterans.

“Our veterans are now in their late 80s and 90s and many of them need caregiv-ing by family members, but their families currently have to wait many years to come to the United States,” said immigration

PHL repairs crumbling South China Sea ship outpost

New Obama policy to help Fil-Am WWII vets reunite with family

PHL seeks to claim US assets of Napoles

See PHL REPAIRS, page 10

See NEW OBAMA, page 10 See NAPOLES, page 10

2 Visit www.Balita.com Weekend, Sat. - Fri., July 18 - 24, 2015 BalitaLOS ANGELES

3Visit www.Balita.comBalita Weekend, Sat. - Fri., July 18 - 24, 2015 LOS ANGELES

the Internal Revenue Service and State tax agencies like the California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) for some of our clients, but not all will qualify. Likewise, we have also been successful at convincing the Internal Revenue Service and State tax agencies to remove erroneous tax liens filed against some clients which had prevented them from buying or refinancing a residence. However, this can take time, and a lot of patience.

Federal and State tax laws generally al-low the government to involuntarily collect from you taxes, penalties, and interest they claim you owe without a Court order or judgment. Although the primary method of collection is placing a tax levy on the wages and bank accounts of a taxpayer, occasionally they will also seize an auto-mobile, retirement account or real property.

Wage levies, particularly those imposed by the Internal Revenue Service can be financially devastating as they force the employer to turn over most of the wages of the employee to the Internal Revenue Service. In most cases, the issuance of a tax levy can be often avoided if the Internal Revenue Service or State tax agency can be contacted in time. Although the case is generally made more difficult once a levy is in place, it is still possible to negotiate a levy release or modification.

Tax liens appear on the credit report of the taxpayer and are generally filed in vari-ous counties in order to secure the claim of the government against any property owned by the taxpayer. Tax liens are par-ticularly problematic if you own any real property including your residence or you are trying to obtain any type of loan.

While tax collection laws do give the government broad powers, taxpayers have been given a number of rights, including the right to a Court hearing if it is believed that the collection action being taken by the Internal Revenue Service is illegal or

unfair. However, the right to a hearing is subject to very strict time and procedural constraints.

If you have received a notice that your wages or bank accounts have or will be subject to levy by the Internal Revenue Service or State tax agency like the Cali-fornia Franchise Tax Board, you should call our office. We may be able to help you negotiate a payment plan and avoid a crippling seizure of your bank held assets.

While income taxes generally can be dischargeable in Bankruptcy, they must meet a complicated sets of rules, to deter-mine eligibility. These rules govern if and when an income tax can be discharged. There are also Bankruptcy alternatives like the Offer in Compromise program provided by the Internal Revenue Service, which may be a better option than Bank-ruptcy. This is something we obviously would check out as a possible option.

If you owe income taxes and want to know your options, give me a call. Bank-ruptcy may be one option, but there may be others. While It’s important to consider all options, it takes an attorney familiar with both tax strategies, as well as bank-ruptcy and non-bankruptcy alternatives to determine the best course of action available in your specific circumstances. For example, when to file bankruptcy is a major consideration if you owe discharge-able taxes. Filing for Bankruptcy even one day too early could render a tax debt non-dischargeable. This means that you will still be stuck with having to pay the taxes after your bankruptcy is complete.

If you have a tax issues, or other finan-cial problems, give my office a call. I will personally meet with you and provide you with practical options to your problems. Call the Law Offices of Paul M. Allen today at 818-552-4500 and schedule a free consultation. We have two convenient loca-tions: Glendale and La Palma.

What to do with tax liens and levies?Tax liens can be stripped off in reorganization proceedings

(Chapter 13) to the extent that the lien does not attach to equity in property. Tax liens can’t be avoided in Chapter 7 on the grounds that they impair exemptions; if the tax is dischargeable in the Chapter 7, the bankruptcy court can determine the amount of the lien that is secured at the time of the filing. Payment of that sum entitles the debtor to the release of the lien.

We have successfully nego-tiated the release or modifica-tion of wage and bank levies by

MANILA, July 15 (Mabuhay) – Plunder charges were filed against the president and other executives of the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) over alleged excessive bonuses amounting to P312.077 million.

In a complaint filed before the Office of the Ombudsman on Wednesday, DBP Vice President for Program Evaluation Mario P. Pagaragan Jr. and Association of the DBP Career Officials (ADCO) president Francis Romulo Badilla Jr. accused DBP President Gil Buenaventura and eight bank directors, including the chairman of the board, of com-mitting plunder. Also named in the complaint were officials of the Governance Commission for GOCCs (GCG).

Top officials of the DBP and GCG “illegally conspired” to release the 2014 performance-based bonus (PBB) of the DBP executives, according to the complaint. The amount was allegedly over 10 times higher than what is mandated by the rules.

The complainants pointed out that under GCG Memorandum Circular No. 2014-05, offi-cials and employees of a profitable government-owned and -controlled corporation (GOCC) are allowed to receive bonuses of up to 2.5 times over the amount of their basic salaries.

The GCG officials gave the DBP officials PBBs of up to 12 times over their basic salaries, the complainants alleged.

Citing records that they have obtained, the complainants alleged that Buenaventura received a PBB of P2,798,400.

According to the complaint, the GCG of-ficials violated Section 10 of Republic Act No. 10149 or the GCG Law which states that the commission must recommend to the President the amount of incentives for certain positions in consideration of the good performance of the GOCC.

“Said GCG Officials acted with grave abuse of authority and acting in excess of their authority in illegally and maliciously arrogat-ing unto themselves the Presidential power and prerogative to grant additional incentives,” the complaint read.

Aside from Buenaventura, the eight other executives named in the complaint were Chair-man of the DBP Board of Directors Jose Nuñez Jr. and directors Reynaldo Geronimo, Daniel Laogan, Lydia Echauz, Alberto Lim, Raul Serrano, Vaughn Montes and Cecilio Lorenzo.

Also named as defendants in the complaint were DBP officials Fritzie Tangkia-Fabricante, Donna Shotwell, Ma. Teresa Jesudason, Ma. Teresa Atienza, Benel Lagua, Anthony Robles, Perla Melanie Caraan, Rafael Danilo Reynante, Cris Cabalatungan, Susan Prado, Alexander Patricio, Dennis Decena, Marietta Fondevilla, Isidro Sobrecarey and other members of the DBP Management Committee.

DBP offi cials fi le plunder charges vs. president, execs over bonuses


MANILA, July 16 (Mabuhay) – Presi-dent Benigno Aquino III said Thursday he is already “closer” to choosing his preferred successor after his Wednesday night meeting with Interior Secretary Mar Roxas and Senators Grace Poe and Francis Escudero.

In a media interview in Camp Crame, Aquino said he and the three other politi-cians agreed that they will not put “at risk” the reforms he started come election time in 2016.

The President further said he is not just a leader of the ruling Liberal Party, but also a representative of other sectors.

Poe, who has been leading in recent presidential surveys despite having yet to announce her plans for 2016, said the meeting went well.

She said all of them agreed to listen to the voice of the people to ensure that

efforts toward good governance will not go to waste.

“Maganda at maayos ang aming pag-uusap... Lahat kami ay sang-ayon na na-kasalalay sa tamang liderato ang pagsulong ng ating bansa,” Poe said.

“Kaya naman, nagkasundo kami na ang pinakamahalaga ay isa alang-alang ang bo-ses at gabay ng ating mga kababayan para masiguro na hindi mawaldas at mapalakas pa ang maayos na paraan ng pamamalakad ng gobyerno sa darating na susunod na anim na taon,” she added.

For his part, Escudero said the meeting was cordial and relaxed.

“We talked about a lot of things other than 2016,” he said.

The senator also confirmed Poe’s ac-count of the meeting. He believed that Aquino will also issue a statement regard-ing the dinner that he hosted. (MNS)

Workers repaint the logo of the House of Representatives at the Batasan Hills in Quezon City on Wednesday as part of the preparations for President Aquino’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 27. Aquino’s last SONA is much anticipated, as it comes at a critical point going into next year’s elections. (MNS photo)

Aquino closer to anointing successor after meeting with Poe, Chiz, Mar

MANILA, July 16 (Mabuhay) – Even highly experienced leaders falter too, so said Senator Grace Poe, responding to a colleague’s statement that it would be bet-ter off for her to run first as vice president in 2016.

Poe said she understands Senator Sergio Osmeña III’s sentiment when the latter said in an interview Wednesday that she would make a better president if she would serve six years as Vice President first.

“However, we have seen that even highly experienced leaders falter if they do not have the best intentions of the people at heart,” the lady senator said in a text message, without naming names.

Osmeña was not the first politician who question Poe’s lack of experience or at least advised her to gain more experience if she intends to run for president in the future.

If Poe runs and wins for president in 2016, she would not be the first leader, who would become president without having been elected first as vice president. The

senator though has yet to declare whether or not she would run for a higher post next year.

On the contrary, former presidents Glo-ria Macapagal-Arroyo and Joseph Estrada became vice president first before they assumed office in Malacañang. Both have been charged with plunder and detained after they stepped down from office.

Vice President Jejomar Binay was longtime mayor of Makati City before he assumed his post in 2010, Like Estrada and Arroyo, Binay is also facing plunder and graft charges at the Office of the Ombuds-man over corruption allegations when he was still the city mayor.

Despite Osmeña’s remarks, Poe still thanked him “for his continued trust in my character as a leader.”

“Even as he mentions the short time I have so far holding public office,” Poe added.

Osmeña helped Poe when she first ran and won in the 2013 senatorial race. (MNS)

MANILA, July 16 (Mabuhay) – Vice President Jejomar Binay has accused Om-budsman Conchita Carpio-Morales of con-victing him “in the bar of public opinion,” even as he insisted that the anti-graft body has no jurisdiction to conduct an investiga-tion on him, an impeachable official.

“Exhibiting extreme bias against me, the Ombudsman herself has already con-victed me in the bar of public opinion as she has been quoted by various media outlets as stating that the evidence of guilt in the instant criminal action is strong,” Binay said in his counter-affidavit submit-ted before the Ombudsman regarding the alleged overpriced Makati Science High School building.

A copy of the affidavit was sent to the media Thursday.

Binay, who has openly expressed his intention to run for president next year and is performing well in surveys, said Morales made the remarks even without the benefit of the respondents—including him—submitting any counter-evidence.

He said with “the arbitrary, whimsical, and capricious actions of the Ombudsman that were made with much publicity and media coverage, I am constrained to submit this counter-affidavit in order to put on re-cord the utter lack of merit, both in fact and in law, of the charges levelled against me.”

Binay expressed apprehension that his “non-participation might again be twisted by the Ombudsman and my political oppo-nents as a purported admission or evidence

of guilt.”He further said that his submission

of affidavit should not be construed as a waiver of his right to question the jurisdic-tion of the Ombudsman over impeachable officers.

“[The submission of affidavit should not] be considered as a precedent for the Office of the Ombudsman to similarly ha-rass other impeachable officers who are not favored by the current administration,” he said. The Vice President said an impeach-able officer, during his incumbency, cannot be proceeded upon by any criminal action which carries with it the penalty of removal from office or which would amount to removal from office. Binay reiterated his denial on the accusations against him as “the same are unfounded and the evidence offered to prove them are incompetent based on Rules of Evidence.”

He further said that the alleged wrong-doings attributed to him were done during his term as city mayor, which is prior to his election as vice president in 2010.

He also said that the charges were hear-say and have no evidentiary value, as they are solely rooted on the allegation of one Mario Hechanova.

Hechanova reportedly claimed that Engr. Nelson Morales had told him that Binay directed the rigging of the bidding for the project.

Binay noted that Morales has long been deceased and can no longer contradict Hechanova’s claims.

MANILA, July 16 (Mabuhay) – SM Supermalls has agreed to make its 52 malls nationwide available as voting centers in the 2016 polls, according to the Commis-sion on Elections.

Comelec said in a statement that following a meeting between Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista and SM Supermalls President Annie Garcia, the mall giant agreed to offer its malls as voting centers in 2016.

“The COMELEC remains committed to improve the voting experience of the public. This is why we are delighted to learn that SM is willing to offer its malls as voting centers in the forthcoming elections,” Bautista said.

Garcia, for her part, said, “In line with this and as part of our commitment to give all the convenience to the public, especially to the mall-goers, we would like to tell COMELEC that our 52 malls will be made available as voting centers in the 2016 national elections.”

Garcia said SM Supermall’s accessibility and facilities make it an ideal place for people to cast their votes. She also noted that in the last October 2013 Barangay elec-tions, four SM malls had been used as voting precincts for senior citizens and PWDs.

“We have done this before, being the first mall to have been made into a voting center in the last elections and this is another opportunity for us to give our customers all the convenience especially at a most crucial period in our country,” Garcia said.

Another mall chain, Robinsons Malls, had earlier agreed to make its malls avail-able for the 2016 elections.

Grace Poe: Leaders need more than just experience

SM agrees to make its 52 malls as voting centers

VP Binay: Ombudsman Morales already convicted me


By Cecil MorellaManila, Philippines (AFP) Wednesday

7/15/2015 – Thousands of critically endan-gered turtles have been saved from possible extinction after being rescued from terrible conditions in the Philippines, conservation-ists said Wednesday.

More than 4,000 live freshwater turtles and 90 dead ones were found in a dry concrete pond in a remote warehouse on the western island of Palawan four weeks ago in one of the country’s biggest wildlife rescues.

They included 3,831 Palawan forest turtles, a critically endangered species found only in the north of the large island, as well as 160 Asian leaf turtles and 25 Southeast Asian box turtles.

“The turtles were in terrible condi-tions,” said Sabine Schoppe, director of the Philippine Freshwater Turtle Conservation Program.

The reptiles had apparently been with-out food or water for about six months, destined for the pet and food markets in Hong Kong and China, Schoppe said in

a statement.Veterinarians worked round the clock

over the next few weeks to save the animals and prevent a potential species die-off.

“This number equaled the estimated re-maining population of Palawan forest turtle in the wild, hence bringing the species to the brink of extinction,” the statement said.

Many of the turtles were in “shocking, sickening” condition, suffering from eye ulcers, dehydration and other health prob-lems, according to the Turtle Survival Al-liance, an international conservation group that helped treat the reptiles.

Some 360 of those rescued had since died, according to Schoppe.

About 230 are still being treated, while the rest were released back into the wild, she added.

The owner of the building where the turtles were kept could not be found after the June 17 raid, according to Jennifer Lyn Yap, of the Palawan Council for Sustain-able Development.

The Palawan forest turtle, which weighs as much as 3.5 kilograms (7.7 pounds) is

The Philippine forest turtle can be found in water bodies and upland forest. Protecting aquatic habitat and forest are essential in saving this endangered species – Endangered Species International as posted on www.endangeredspeciesinternational.org.

Rescue saves rare PHL turtles from ‘brink of extinction’

an “aggressive” species that cannot be kept in groups, Schoppe said.

The turtles were transferred by truck to a rescue centre for critically endangered Philippine crocodiles in the provincial capital Puerto Princesa, the only location on the island capable of housing such large numbers of rescued animals.

Trapping or trading in the species is punishable by jail terms and fines.

However, the Palawan provincial gov-ernment has struggled to prevent poaching in one of the country’s most biologically diverse areas. Wildlife authorities suspect northern Palawan poachers had sold the turtles to a trader who transported them to the other end of the island.

“Our assumption is they would have ended in the Chinese markets, where they are sought after as food or pets,” Yap said.

LOS ANGELES – Abundant islands and beaches. Endless thrills and adventures. Great shopping destinations. Haven for relaxation. Exotic food. Friendly, kind and hospitable people.

These are just few of the many reasons why “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” which the Philippine Department of Tour-ism (PDOT) highlighted at the recent travel agents’ trade show in Arizona. PDOT was one of the featured presenters in the recently concluded “Fiesta in the Desert XII” trade show organized by the Arizona Chapter of the American Society of Travel Agents at the Doubletree Resort-Scottsdale/

Paradise Valley, Arizona.In his presentation, Manny Ilagan,

Officer-in-Charge of Philippine Depart-ment of Tourism-Los Angeles showcased and highlighted popular destinations in the Philippines, especially Boracay and Palawan, including Cebu and Bohol and the endless choices of beaches and island destinations that are in abundance in the country. DOT’s presentation also empha-sized the diversity that the country can offer to the tourists – from adventure, shopping, history and cultural immersion, dining and entertainment, to conventions, meetings, exhibitions and other special events.

PDOT showcases why ‘It’s More Fun in the Philippines’ at Arizona travel agents’ trade show


Manila, Philippines (AFP) Tuesday 7/14/2015 – Tons of imported Canadian rubbish has been sent to a northern Philip-pines landfill, ending a two-year standoff with activists who called for the waste to be returned to Canada, officials said Tuesday.

The 55 containers full of household rubbish were seized at Manila’s port in mid-2013 on grounds that the waste was being passed off as plastic scrap material for recycling.

The country’s Customs Bureau initially labeled the rubbish “contraband,” but the Canadian embassy said the Philippine government later agreed to “dispose of the shipment in an environmentally sound

manner in accordance with its laws and regulations”.

“The government of Canada worked closely with the government of the Phil-ippines with regard to the shipment,” the Canadian embassy in Manila said in a statement.

Trucks began hauling the estimated 1,375 tons of waste to a landfill about a three-hour drive north of Manila in late June. Disposal teams are set to finish transporting the rest of the waste soon, the Customs Bureau and landfill operator said.

Activists remain angry that the garbage is being sent to a landfill in the Philippines, instead of being returned to Canada.

“It’s sad that local communities will be the ones to suffer from this foreign waste dumping in our land,” Angelica Carballo, communications manager for the Manila-based environmental watchdog group Ban Toxics, told AFP.

“It’s sad that our government appears to be conniving with Canada.”

While local officials claim the Philip-

pine government has certified that the ma-terial was not toxic or hazardous, Carballo insists that the rubbish contains “electronic waste” that the landfill is not allowed to process.

The fiasco has become a major rallying point for local environmentalists, who have held protests at the Canadian embassy de-manding that Ottawa take the rubbish back.

Manila, Philippines (AFP) Thursday 7/16/2015 – Philippine authorities said Thursday the poison in a batch of candy that sent nearly 2,000 children to hospital was likely a common germ from dirty hands or sweaty armpits.

Health Secretary Janette Garin appealed for better hygiene standards in the food industry, as she announced test results indicating a bacteria found in human skin and hair likely contaminated the sweets.

“This could be because they (candy makers) did not wash their hands, or their sweat dripped into the candy, or the candy touched their armpits, or they didn’t wash up after going to the bathroom,” Garin told reporters.

At least 1,925 people, mostly children, in the southern Philippines were hospi-talized over the past week with stomach cramps, vomiting, diarrhea and other ill-nesses after eating the fruit-flavored candy.

Nearly all have since recovered, with only one remaining in hospital.

Poor enforcement of food safety regu-lations has been blamed for past cases of food poisoning in the Philippines, an

impoverished nation of 100 million people. Garin acknowledged that the govern-

ment has had a tough time enforcing food safety rules in small towns, where busi-nesses prepare candy, rice cakes and other sweets in their home kitchens.

“These backyard industries are not regulated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration),” she said.

“The bottom line is, hygiene is often overlooked.”

The bacteria identified by Garin as the likely culprit can be easily neutralized with heat or common sanitizing agents, accord-ing to the US Food and Drug Administra-tion’s website.

However Garin said the laboratory tests on the sweets had not been fully completed, and further testing was underway to check for the presence of pesticides and toxic chemicals.

Controversial Canadian rubbish heads to PHL landfi ll

Basic hygiene blamed for mass food poisoning in PHL

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than 130 years,” including incorporating well-being programs for veterans, seniors and people with disabilities..

Through its various programs, the YMCA reaches “more than 120,000 youth, where they learn to develop healthy habits and they encourage active liv-ing. They also have onsite “elementary, middle school and high school campuses, providing child enrichment, recreation, education and leadership development

opportunities for the youth.”As I recall, when my children were

growing up, the YMCA in our area of-fered after-school programs where our kids would be picked up from school and they were transported to the YMCA fa-cilities behind an elementary school, thus, they were in a safe environment while par-ticipating in activities such as painting, judo, swimming or table tennis, until we (the parents) pick them up by its closing

time of 7:00 pm. Now that it’s sum-mertime, most of the YMCA facilities around LA have opened their swimming pools, where they offer various swim-ming programs such as: Family and open swim (a great time to relax with friends or loved ones in the pool); Lap swim (a swimming instructor is usually on hand teaching people how to lap swim or circle swim); Water exercise (usually aimed at adults; these classes have instructors on hand); Water Aerobics ( this class is designed “to improve range of motion, increase joint mobility, tone muscles and build cardiovascular health in the shallow end of the pool); Aqua Motion (this class in the shallow-end of the pool is recom-mended for seniors or those recovering from surgery, which includes stretching, water resistance with weights, walking in the water or floating with noodles to improve balance) and Deep Water Exer-cise (this class is done at the 9-foot deep

end of the pool for total body workout where water belt is recommended but not required).

On a side note, this author particularly recommends the water exercise and water aerobics classes, but for those who are more experienced, open swim is truly fun because you’re there to enjoy swimming while meeting new friends and get envigo-rated by the soothing waters of the pool.

Private swimming lessons are available for pre-school children ages 3 - 5 years old, where they learn the basics of swim-ming and water safety. Adult swimming classes are also available for beginners as well as those who wish to “improve their swimming skills.” The YMCA programs and services are funded through “member-ship dues and donations amounting to $5.2 million dollars, in order to assist families in need.” For more information on the vari-ous programs of the YMCA, log on to their website at: www.ymcala.org.

YMCA promotes summertime programs for health, well-being and fi tness Now that it’s summertime, some of us become more

aware of our health, well-being and fitness. If you’re like me, I like to take advantage of the various well-being and fitness activities offered by your neighborhood community YMCA.

The YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles is a “non-profit organization that improves the quality of life for more than 250,000 families each year, through 26 branches that stretch over 100 miles through-out LA County.” It has “served the LA community for more

MANILA, July 16 (Mabuhay) -- The National Telecommunications Commis-sion (NTC) should immediately rectify the “questionable” setup of routing Internet data to other countries instead of doing so on the Philippines’ own unified internet exchange point as a simple measure to speed up Internet service, a senator said on Thursday.

“The NTC should start cracking the whip and fix the system immediately. It cannot be ‘business as usual’ anymore. Let’s do away with the mentality of just accepting the present situation and start doing something about it,” Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero said in a statement.

Escudero said the NTC should start by asking the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), the country’s larg-

est telecommunications company, why it continues to refuse to connect to the coun-try’s own Internet exchange facility called the Philippine Open Internet Exchange (PHOpenIX).

PHOpenIX, he said, was developed by the Department of Science and Technol-ogy (DOST) primarily to allow a faster exchange of data among users.

“PLDT does not want to connect to PHOpenIX. Instead, it connects to the Hong Kong Internet Exchange (HKIX) through its private Vitro Internet Exchange (VIX). I find this questionable because routing data overseas and then terminating here in the country takes a lot longer than routing and terminating data flow within the country,” Escudero said.

“Why doesn’t PLDT just connect to

PHOpenIX? PLDT is the biggest telco in the country. Its sheer size, and the influence it wields in the information and technol-ogy industry, could very well change the IT landscape overnight. But by refusing to connect to PHOpenIX, PLDT is hold-ing the country’s Internet world hostage,” he added. The PLDT, he said, chose to route data outside the country despite the availability of PHOpenIX, which allows all-local data traffic routing.

The senator also asked the NTC to look into reports that the PLDT refuses to establish direct peering with telco com-

petitors, saying this may be considered a monopolistic business practice.

“The problem is that government agen-cies that are supposed to monitor these telcos and help consumers don’t seem to feel the urgency of the situation,” he said.

Escudero earlier cited recent reports by global Internet providers Ookla and Akamai that showed the dismal state of internet speed in the Philippines.

The latest Ookla household download index report ranked the Philippines 21st out of 22 sample countries in Asia, trailed only by Afghanistan. (MNS)

NTC, PLDT chided for ‘questionable’ Internet routing setup

MANILA, July 16 (Mabuhay) – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) main-tained its growth forecast for the Philip-pine economy on the back of sustained private investment and household con-sumption.

Philippine output as measured by the gross domestic product (GDP) will expand by 6.4 percent this year and 6.3 percent in 2016, the Manila-based lender reported in the Asian Development Outlook Supple-ment on Thursday.

The bank expects private investment and household consumption to stay strong with election-related spending boosting demand through May 2016.

The economy grew by 5.2 percent in the first quarter, the slowest pace in over three years, due to sluggish exports and weak government spending, ADB noted.

“Net exports were a drag as import growth, driven by buoyant domestic de-mand, outpaced a modest rise in exports. Sluggish government expenditure is at-tributed to slow budget disbursement and caution exercised by agencies following Supreme Court rulings... that found some public funds unconstitutional,” it said.

But fiscal spending poses a threat to growth on the domestic side, and the economic headwinds from advanced economies.

ADB affi rms PHL growth forecast on private spending


MANILA, July 10 (Mabuhay) – President Benigno Aquino III on Friday chal-lenged the new Armed Forces chief, Lt. Gen. Hernando Iriberri, to ensure the peaceful conduct of the 2016 presidential elections.

“Alalahanin ninyo, malapit na ang eleksyo. Kasama sa inyong ang tungkulin siguraduhing malinis at mapayapa ang pagpili ng pinuno,” Aquino said in a speech during the military change-of-command rites in Camp Aguinaldo.

Earlier in the day, Iriberri was installed as the 46th chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in ceremonies in Camp Aguinaldo.

A member of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1983, Iriberri, however, is scheduled to retire on April 22, 2016, less than a month before the May 9 national polls.

In his speech, Iriberri assured the Filipino people that “I am all yours to serve.” Iriberri laid out the five priorities he will focus on, including peace in the

countryside, treading the straight path, being an advocate of transformation, and implementing national policy.

Aquino challenges new AFP chief to ensure peaceful polls

MANILA, July 15 (Mabuhay) – Major General Eduardo Año, who was linked to the disappearance of activist Jonas Burgos in 2007, is the new chief of the Philippine Army, defense and military officials said Wednesday.

The confirmation was made by Defense spokesman Peter Galvez and Army spokes-person Lt. Col. Noel Detoyato.

President Benigno Aquino III will pre-side at the change of command ceremony at the Philippine Army headquarters in Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City Wednesday morning.

Año will fill in the post of Army chief after Lt. Gen. Hernando Iriberri took over the post of chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines last week.

Iriberri and Año both belong to the Philippine Military Academy class of 1983.

At the time of his appointment, Año was the commander of the 10th Infantry Divi-sion. His most recent accomplishment was the killing of New People’s Army leader Leoncio Pitago, alias Kumander Parago, in Davao City last month.

Año was also the former head of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP).

He is also one of the respondents in the case about the alleged abduction of activist Jonas Burgos. However, he was cleared for lack of evidence.

Año’s promotions in the military ranks have been repeatedly blocked by Burgos’ mother, Edita, before the bicameral Com-mission on Appointments, saying the Army official had a hand in her son’s disappear-ance. Año, however, has repeatedly denied the allegation.

AFP exec tagged in Jonas Burgos disappearance named new Army chief

There are clients who received a large amount of cash before they file for bankruptcy. They may have received cash from a refinance of their residence with net cash out, obtained a business loan, or sold an asset. These, and similar type of transactions, generate cash for clients which have been used

Hard evidence required to prove dissipation of assetsSenior seeks Chapter 7 relief for $5k debt

up, and somewhere along the line, something goes wrong, and they decide that they need bankruptcy relief from debt. Bankruptcy trustees generally watch out for these kinds of transactions because they may be able to get some of the money back as preferential transfers.

The bankruptcy code provides for a look back period of 90 days pre-filing for con-sumer debtors (not business) for amounts over $600 paid to ordinary creditors, 12 months paid to creditors who are insiders, and transfers of assets absolutely or by way of security other than in the ordinary course of business made 24 months before the bankruptcy petition is filed. Some trust-ees have a look back period of 48 months because the California Civil Code has this period of look back for transfers that defraud creditors, assuming other factors such as transfers for less than fair market value are present that possibly makes the transfer avoidable.

In all of these situations, the best de-fense is documentary evidence that proves that the money was used for the right

reasons. For instance, if you cashed out $100K when you refinanced your house 10 months ago and you don’t have that money anymore, you must be able to explain how the money was used, and more importantly, you must have the documentary evidence to prove that your explanation is true and correct.

Let’s say that your explanation of how the $100K was used is as follows: 1) $20K was used to get a new roof 2) $30K was sent abroad to pay for the medical expenses of your father who lived abroad and did not have medical insurance 3) $20K was used as a down payment to buy your retirement condo with a mortgage of $80K 4) $20K was invested in a business, which is now defunct 5) $10K was used to pay the col-lege tuition of your son. This accounts for $100K. It’s well and good that you testify at the hearing that the $100K was used that way. Even though your testimony is under penalty of perjury, you need to corroborate

your testimony with hard evidence. Hard evidence consists of documents that prove what you are saying.

To prove that your net cash out was $100K, you must provide the escrow papers. Contract with the roof repair company, copies of the medical bills of your father and the wire transfers sending the money, copies of the mortgage for the condo abroad, an internet assessment of the market value of the condo abroad, copy of the check that paid the $20K business investment, and copies of the college tu-ition fees statement. Copies of the checks covering the payments made must also be provided.

Without hard evidence, the trustee does not have enough basis to believe what you are saying and may be inclined to dismiss your case for lack of evidence to prove dissipation of assets. I had a recent case where debtor owned a business with a lot of inventory destroyed by fire. Debtor received an insurance payment of $175K but could not provide hard evidence of how the money was used up. He testified that the money was used to pay back salaries and to restart the business but could not provide any more evidence to corroborate his testimony. Case was dismissed.

So, don’t throw away your hard evi-dence. Gather them and compile them into an easily readable format so that in case you have to file for bankruptcy relief, you have a bulletproof defense to justify the fact that you used the cash legitimately.

On another note, 68-year old senior tells me that he wants to file a Chapter 7 case for $5K of credit card debt. I was taken aback because he only owed $5K. I asked him why he wanted a bankruptcy for $5K of credit card debt. He said his social security is $1000. He lives with his daughter but pays her $500 of rent, leaving him with $500, which he uses for gas, car insurance and his credit cards. He says he pays $150 a month to keep the $5K current, and he’s been paying it for 20 years! He said he’s just tired of paying for it and just doesn’t want to pay it anymore. So, at 68 he wants a fresh start without debt, even if its $5K.

The amount of debt owed becomes

a burden depending on how much your income is. The best situation is where you don’t owe any short term or credit card debt. Long-term debt for the purchase of a house is good because the house normally increases in value over time. This means that you’re not wasting your money. And in the meantime, you have a nice house to live in and raise a family. After paying the house for 20 years, barring a major catastrophe in the economy, the value of the house will probably double or triple if its in the right location. So you can look at a house as a safe investment over the long run. Hence your house payments are not wasted. But with credit card payments, you’re basically throwing your money away.

Even if it took client 20 years to figure out that he was wasting his $150 monthly payment on the $5K credit card debt, he finally realized that he threw away $36K to keep $5K of credit card current. It’s never too late to get rid of your debt. But getting rid of your debt is the right thing to do at any age. My oldest client was 92 and he still opted for Chapter 7 to get rid of $20K of credit card debt. He migrated here 70 years ago to work in the pineapple planta-tions in Hawaii. I don’t know how he keeps young, but at 92, he looked about 60 and his wife is only 38. He said his plumbing still works well. Enough said.

“THIS IS THE MESSAGE WHICH WE HAVE HEARD FROM HIM AND DECLARE TO YOU, THAT GOD IS LIGHT AND IN HIM IS NO DARKNESS AT ALL.” 1 JOHN 1:5.

Lawrence Bautista Yang is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and has been in law practice for thirty years. He specializes in bankruptcy, business and civil litigation and has handled more than five thousand successful bankruptcy cases in California. He speaks Tagalog and looks forward to discussing your case with you personally. Please call Angie, Barbara or Jess at (626) 284-1142 for an appointment at 1000 S Fremont Ave, MAILSTOP 58, Building A-1 SUITE 1125, Alhambra, CA 91803 OR at 20274 Carrey Road, Walnut, CA 91789.


Filipinos make up 2.4 percent of the Asian population after the Vietnamese, Koreans and Chinese.

Orange County is the third-most popu-lous county in California, the sixth-most populous in the United States, and more populous than twenty-one U.S. states.

More than 11 years ago, Orange County declared bankruptcy but today is now a far cry from where it was more than a decade ago.

Orange County is where entrepreneurs thrive because of its “vibrant entrepreneur-ial economic climate considered the best in the nation.’’ The county has outpaced growth of other counties in the U.S. an average of 8 percent.

Supporting Orange County’s entre-preneurial spirit is its strong network of small businesses with no more than four employees and which make up 61% of the businesses .There are now over 68,000 small businesses in Orange County which employ more than 543,000 people.

Orange County entrepreneurs shun the traditional 9-to-5 employment scheme opt-ing to “stay out-of-the box and venture into unbeaten path and seek cooperation with like-minded people to bring their produc-tive years to the next level”.

Entrepreneurs are not without help from their peers who are just more willing to extend the necessary assistance with their new ventures.

At least two support groups of dozens of

similarly future-minded associations offer a variety of service to the daring – the Suc-cessful Entrepreneurs in Anaheim which is a group of passionate entrepreneurs interested in taking their firms to the next level and the Orange County Entrepreneur Community established in 2005 by people seeking to build their own businesses.

Successful Entrepreneurs is an empow-ering group “that seeks to help one another by sharing personal and business experi-ences”. The group offers a cocktail of help from business coaching, networking, strategizing and a host of others.

The Orange County Entrepreneur Com-munity established with just a handful of members is the “only entrepreneur busi-ness networking group in Orange County sponsored by American Express and has grown to over 700 members which include

local successful business owners, entre-preneurs, business advisors and investors.

Monthly social networking meetings help connect members to the members who share general business advice, experiences and ideas.

The group conducts monthly social networking meetings that help connect members to members and share general business advice, experiences and share ideas. Services to small business owners and entrepreneurs include business devel-opment, web design and programming, sales and marketing and other business services.

“Noli Me Tangere”: At the intermission of the “Noli Me Tangere” musical show at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts last July 11 : Andy Z. Edralin (Filipino American Chamber of Commerce), Jim Dear of the City of Carson, Edith A. (former FACCOC president) and Cristina Rosel of Petals and Trends Event Management and Floral Design).

Orange County is where the action is for the enterprising

Orange County’s 34 cities remain on top of the heap in with its economy expected to accelerate through 2015 with the re-gion’s “better than expected job-growth driving the recovery” according to a UCLA report.

Figures by economic parameters of growth point to a ro-bust days ahead in many sec-tors of the county peopled by more than three million where Asian Americans comprise 6.1 percent of the population.

MANILA, July 16 (Mabuhay) – The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board has approved the second phase of the Civil Registry System-Information Technology Project (CRS-ITP) worth an estimated P1.59 billion.

The project is designed to collect, ac-cess, store, maintain and manage civil registry documents and the specimen sig-natures of all city and municipal registrars using imaging technology.

It aims to make the civil registry ser-vices available nationwide through the Civil Registry System outlets and other authorized partners.

The project will succeed the CRS-ITP Phase 1 project of the National Statistics

Office, the predecessor of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

Aside from the CRS-ITP2, government is set to roll out two more Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects, including the P23.2 billion NLEX-SLEX Connector Road and the P298 million Road Transport IT Infrastructure Project Phase II.

Meanwhile, the Department of Trans-portation and Communications (DOTC) recently published an invitation to bidders for the P170.7-Billion South Line of the North-South Railway Project (NSRP), government’s most expensive PPP project so far.

Thirteen PPP projects are currently under procurement. (MNS)

NEDA Board approves P1.59-B IT project

MANILA, July 15 (Mabuhay) – The death toll from rain brought by the en-hanced Southwest Monsoon over Luzon and Visayas in past weeks rose to 16 as of Tuesday night, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said.

In an update posted on its website, the NDRRMC said that as of 8 p.m. Tuesday, the 16 fatalities were from Metro Manila, Ilocos, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mima-ropa and Cordillera.

At least 11 were reported injured in Western Visayas and Cordillera, while four are missing in Ilocos.

The NDRRMC said the most recent fatalities included:

Gerald Borla, 10, drowned in Caloocan City on July 8 but body recovered July 9

Francis de Vera, 24. Body recovered at Creek Zabarte in Malabon City

Josar Pason, 30, reported missing July 9 but retrieved at the floodway near Pasig on July 11

Cedric Mercado, 18, reported missing July 11; body found along shoreline of Barangay Ihatub in Boac, Marinduque

Damage to agriculture in Central Luzon was pegged at P3,897,888. (MNS)

NDRRMC: Death toll from monsoon rain goes up to 16


US BASE

PHL REPAIRS

NAPOLES

NEW OBAMA

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“If we need to deploy to the West Philip-pine Sea, it (Subic) is already there, we do not deny that. It’s a deepwater port.”

After the Americans left, the sprawl-ing base about two hours’ drive north of Manila was converted into a trading zone and industrial hub with tax concessions for businesses who set up shop.

The Philippine military has recently leased back some of those facilities from the government authority that manages the business zone, presidential spokesman Herminio Coloma said.

Last year, Manila signed an agreement giving its defense ally the United States more access to Filipino military facilities, as part of plans by the poorly equipped Fili-pino forces to attain a deterrent capability.

However this deal, under which US forces could potentially have regained use of Subic Bay, has been postponed amid a legal challenge now being heard by the Supreme Court.

China claims most of the South China Sea – home to strategically vital shipping

lanes and believed to be rich in oil and gas – and is currently pursuing a rapid program of artificial island construction in the region. The Philippines is among the most vocal critics of China’s claims, and has asked a United Nations-backed tribunal to declare China’s claim over most of the South China Sea as illegal.

Following a stand-off between Chinese ships and the weak Filipino Navy in 2012, China took control of a rich fishing ground called Scarborough Shoal that is within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

Subic Bay is 198 kilometres (123 miles) east of Scarborough Shoal.

The Philippines said Wednesday it was also repairing a crumbling ship serving as its lonely outpost in the disputed waters.

The move, which will ensure the rust-eaten World War II-vintage BRP Sierra Madre remains livable for a tiny unit of marines guarding Second Thomas Shoal, was lambasted by China, who branded the Philippines a “hypocritical troublemaker and rule breaker.”

years earlier occupied Philippine-claimed Mischief Reef some 40 kilometers (25 miles) away.

The disputed outcrops are located around 200 kilometers from the western Philippine island of Palawan and roughly 1,100 kilometers from the nearest major Chinese land mass. The Philippines regu-larly rotates a group of around nine marines aboard the tank landing ship, which first saw service for the United States navy in World War II. It was acquired by the Philip-pine Navy in the 1970s.

In recent months the Philippine mili-tary has accused China of employing its maritime surveillance ships to harass the former’s resupply missions to the Sierra Madre. In an incident witnessed by Filipino journalists, a Chinese coast guard ship at-tempted to block a Philippine vessel that was to bring fresh supplies to Filipino troops on the Sierra Madre in March last year.

Arevalo said the repairs were not a re-

sponse to China’s island-building.“We do not look at the deployment of

the ship as addressing that issue,” he said.“The decrepit condition of the ship is

no secret. Such (a) sorry state has gained notoriety when it was reported by interna-tional print media,” he added.

Arevalo said he could not confirm reports of a plan by the military to build a helipad on the ship.

The Philippines has asked a United Nations-backed tribunal to declare China’s claim over most of the resource-rich South China Sea as illegal.

The arbitration body based in The Hague is expected to decide within months whether it has jurisdiction over the case after hearing arguments from Filipino of-ficials in the past week.

China has refused to participate in the arbitration.

Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei also have overlapping claims in the area, which straddle major shipping lanes.

in 2014, has been charged along with fam-ily members in the corruption case.

Three opposition senators have been de-tained and charged in connection with the scam. “It is US policy to keep no share of stolen money... It is possible they will turn over the entire amount to us,” de Lima said.

She said a similar mechanism had been applied after a Philippine general was found in 2010 to have stashed millions of dollars in military funds in the US.

“We support this action on the part of

the US based on their law,” de Lima added.Filipino officials are also concurrently

seeking to recover Napoles’ assets that have been hidden or invested in the Philip-pines, she said.

However, the cases are still pending in court, de Lima added.

Napoles’ lawyer, Steven Uy, said he did not know how the US calculated the amount of $12.5 million, telling Manila radio station DZBB that some of these assets had already been sold.

and human rights lawyer Arnedo Valera, who serves as legal counsel of the Los Angeles-based Justice for Filipino Ameri-can Veterans.

The new policy will create a shorter im-migration path for these families allowing certain family members to come to the US under parole status on a case-by-case basis.

The announcement came as part of a report issued by the Visa Modernization Task Force, an interagency group created November last year as part of President Obama’s executive actions on immigration.

“This is a day to celebrate,” said Mee Moua, president and executive director

of Asian Americans Advancing Justice, which issued a report last month calling on Obama to grant parole for children of Filipino World War II veterans.

Moua said it took more than 50 years before Filipino World War II veterans re-ceived their US citizenship, which the US government promised to grant to them in recognition of their service and contribu-tions to America.

“Until now, the inhumanely long visa backlog has separated them from their children and denied them the opportunity to live together in the United States,” Moua said in a statement.


ex-spouse had community asset and/or debt that was left out of the divorce judgment. This may be a pension, retirement account, a hidden bank account, or a piece of real estate property which was not divided in the judgment. What is one to do in this situation? The answer can be found in California Family Code §2556.

California Family Code §2556 pro-vides “In a proceeding for dissolution of marriage, for nullity of marriage, or for legal separation of the parties, the court has continuing jurisdiction to award com-munity estate assets or community estate liabilities to the parties that have not been previously adjudicated by a judgment in the proceeding.” California Family Code §2556. Even if the parties did not expressly reserve jurisdiction on that piece of asset,

the Court retains the power to divide a specific property if there is a community interest in it.

The Court’s “continuing jurisdiction” over omitted community estate assets or debts is invoked by filing a post judgment Motion, or Request for Order in the di-vorce case. Family Code §2556 provides “A party may file a postjudgment motion or request for order in the proceeding in order to obtain adjudication of any com-munity estate asset or liability omitted or not adjudicated by the judgment.” The postjudgment partition of the unadjudi-cated community estate claims is properly entertained by the court even absent an express reservation of jurisdiction in its prior judgment. Marriage of Moore & Ferrie (1993) 14 CA4th 1472, 1483, 18

CR2d 543, 549, fn. 9. The postjudgment motion is available to any omitted asset or debt not adjudicated by the divorce judg-ment. However, Family Code §2556 does not extend to division and adjudication of any separate property. Marriage of Klug (2005) 130 CA4th 1389, 1396, 31 CR3d 327, 331–332.

If an asset was partially omitted, the Court can still divide and adjudicate the portion that has been omitted postjudgment under family code §2566. Community Property adjudicated under § 2556 shall be divided equally “unless the court finds upon good cause shown that the interests of justice require an unequal division of the asset or liability.” Family Code §2556.

Please note that this article is not legal advice and is not intended as legal advice. The article is intended to provide only general, non-specific legal information. This article is not intended to cover all the issues related to the topic discussed. The specific facts that apply to your mat-ter may make the outcome different than would be anticipated by you. This article does create any attorney client relationship between you and the Law Offices of Ken-neth U. Reyes, APLC. This article is not

a solicitation.Attorney Kenneth Ursua Reyes is a

Board Certified Family Law Specialist. He was President of the Philippine American Bar Association. He is a member of both the Family law section and Immigration law section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He is a graduate of Southwestern University Law School in Los Angeles and California State University, San Bernardino School of Business Admin-istration. He has extensive CPA experience prior to law practice. LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, APLC. is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 747, Los An-geles, CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail [email protected] or visit our website at Kenreyeslaw.com

Dealing with assets omitted from a divorce caseYou and your spouse may have gone through a lengthy

and contentious divorce proceeding. This is usually the most difficult period of a person’s life. Finally, time heals all pain. You and your spouse get tired of bickering and being mean to one another that you both decide to compromise each other positions and resolve all issues in your divorce case through settlement. Shortly thereafter, the divorce judgment is finally entered by the Court and you get a sigh of relief. Later you discovery that “Oops!,” your

Yogyakarta, Indonesia (AFP) Friday 7/10/2015 – Boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao visited a Filipina on death row in Indonesia on Friday, with the convict breaking down in tears as she prayed be-hind bars with the Philippine sporting hero.

Mary Jane Veloso was sentenced to death in Indonesia after being arrested in 2009 with 2.6 kilograms (5.7 pounds) of heroin sewn into the lining of her suitcase.

She had been due to face the firing

squad along with other foreign drug con-victs in April but was granted a temporary reprieve after a woman suspected of re-cruiting her was arrested in the Philippines.

Indonesian authorities have insisted the case of Veloso, who has always maintained her innocence claiming that human-traf-fickers duped her, has only been postponed while legal proceedings run their course in the Philippines.

“We’re hoping to help save Mary

Jane’s life, I think Mary Jane is a victim of human-trafficking,” Pacquiao said after visiting the single mother of two young children in Wirogunan prison on the main island of Java.

During a 30-minute meeting, Pacquiao and his wife Jinkee prayed with Veloso. The convict broke down in tears as she prayed, a government official who wit-nessed the meeting told reporters, and at one point tightly embraced the boxing star.

Tearful prayers as Manny Pacquiao visits death row Filipina


gave him an “interest only” loan for 5 years. Of course, he also had to buy a nice car to go with the house- it looked great in his driveway. He thought he was living the “American Dream”.

Everything seemed OK until one day,

my client lost his job of 15 years. He thought he “owned” everything he had until he found himself scrambling just to keep from losing it all. That’s when real-ity hit him like a ton of bricks- He realized that he actually owned NOTHING and that

the banks actually owned EVERYTHING. The moment he could no longer pay, they took everything away.

Have you become a prisoner of debt? See, as long as you owe people money, they actually own you- until you pay your debt. A lot of people who come to me for help tell me that they just want to live a better life and build wealth so they can be financially free one day. But see, it is impossible to save any money when you have excessive debt hanging over your head.

A government study shows that 95% of the population will actually never achieve financial independence. That’s almost everybody! Yes, 95% of all the people in this country, at the age of 65, will end up depending on the government, charity or their families or they just need to keep working until the day they die!!! Can you believe that? Is this the kind of life you want to live?

I know how stressful life can be when you are in debt. For the last 14 years, I have counseled thousands and thousands of people whose lives have been wrecked by debt problems. If you are currently in debt and have been honest with yourself,

don’t be afraid of taking a reality check and seeing exactly where you are at the current moment.

Face the cold hard facts now and figure out a way to get out of debt- the sooner, the better. Some people may find that they have no other way out but to file bankruptcy and start over. Some may find that bankruptcy is not necessary and other options are available. Before you can build up personal wealth, you must eliminate all the debts that are hindering you from plan-ning for the future. If you do the opposite of what everyone else is doing, there’s a good chance you will be right.

If you’re struggling with debt, you may need professional help in finding a solution. For a free consultation, call Toll-Free 818-208-2478. We have offices in Pasadena, Cerritos and Valencia.

(None of the information herein is intended to give legal advice for any specific situation. Atty. Ray Bulaon has successfully helped over 5,000 clients in getting out of debt. For a free attorney evaluation of your situation, please call Ray Bulaon Law Offices at TOLL FREE 818-208-2478).

Reality check: When debt controls your lifeA client of mine said he never saw it coming. Everything he

ever wanted in life, he always purchased on credit. The “pre-approved” credit cards just kept coming in the mail and he never said NO to any of them. Buy now and pay later, why not? As long as they allow you to pay in installments, just charge it.

When the time came he was able to save a little bit of money for a down payment on a house, he purchased the biggest house he could buy because the bank

MANILA, July 10 (Mabuhay) – The number of African tourists to the Philip-pines, and the other way around, is going to increase at a faster rate as a result of the air agreement between Manila and Addis Ababa, the Department of Tourism (DOT) said.

The Addis Ababa-to-Manila route would increase foreign arrivals from Africa “faster than what we see in the traditional market,” Tourism Undersecretary Benito Benzon told reporters and guests in a program held for the inaugural flight of Ethiopian Airlines late Thursday.

Nearly 10 months after the Philippines and Ethiopia forged an air service agree-ment, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) welcomed the first com-mercial flight of Ethiopian Airlines.

“For the whole of Africa we’re only talking about 6,000 foreign visitors a year. In the current report that we’re generating, the figures for Ethiopia are not even pre-sented,” Benzon told GMA News Online.

The Addis Ababa-to-Manila route is also expected to boost the number of Fili-

pino tourists going to Ethiopia and other African countries.

“Ethiopia is the best gateway to the African continent. It’s located in a stra-tegic place. That’s why we were able to increase our route to over 50 destinations in Africa,” Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde Geremariam said. Ethiopia, however, has no embassy in the Philippines. Its nearest embassy is located in South Korea.

“We are very serious towards this because it is a means to expedite [visa processing]. A Philippine delegation will go to Ethiopia in September to discuss many issues including this,” said Ethiopian Ambassador Dibaba Abdetta.

Provisions for special visas for Filipinos and Ethiopians are also being considered.

“The policy of the [Philippine] govern-ment is to relax the visa requirement. Last year, we extended the visa-free privilege from 21 days to 30 days for over a hundred countries. So the trend’s really to make it easier for foreigners to come in and one way of doing it is to relax the visa require-ments,” Benzon said. (MNS)

Air deal to boost tourism between PHL and Africa – DOT

MANILA, July 17 (Mabuhay) – For the first time since it was built in 2013, the Philippine National Police (PNP) chief’s controversial official residential compound – dubbed the “White House” – has been opened to the media.

Chief Supt. Wilben Mayor showed to members of the media on Friday the façade of the new house which has a floor area of 848.72 square meters.

The residence itself, which earned the monicker White House because of its color, was not opened to the media due to security reasons.

“Kinukunsidera natin ang seguridad ng ating PNP chief,” Mayor told reporters.

He also refused to give specific details of the building such as its number of rooms.

New PNP chief Director General Ricar-do Marquez is expected to start occupying the house by next week.

Mayor said they started cleaning the house since Wednesday.

Near the new building is the old resi-dence built in 1985 with a total floor area of 290 square meters. The old building is now occupied by some PNP officers.

The old “White House”, situated right next to the controversial new structure, was built in 1985 but has been prone to flood-ing from the nearby creek. Amita Legaspi

Both buildings are inside a Camp Crame compound that has a gazebo serving as a receiving area.

“Kakag pumupunta kami doon, sa ga-zebo lang kami nire-receive,” Mayor said.

The “White House” became controver-sial when a group questioned the funds used for its construction – allegedly do-nated by friends of dismissed PNP chief Alan Purisima, who first occupied the building after its completion.

Mayor said the new building costs P11 million but he refused to give other details as it is now the subject of an investigation by the Ombudsman. “Naka-file na iyan sa Ombudsman, bigyan natin ng respeto ang mga nag-iimbestiga,” he said.

Moreover, he said the PNP decided to build the new building because the old one is low and prone to flooding because under it is a creek. He added that Marquez can oc-cupy the new building as there is no order preventing anyone from using it.

PNP opens compound of controversial ‘White House’ to media


An Expert Immigration Attorney for All your Immigration needsAn Expert Immigration Attorney for All your Immigration needs

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4,000 people reached out on website asking about “pre-approved” and “pre-approval” phrases. It’s also one of the most common questions I get from mostly first time buy-ers and would be buyers now a days.

Here are the questions related to this subject:

How do I get pre-approved for a home loan?

What kind of documents do I need?Is there a no income verification loan

yet?My credit might not be good enough yet

due to my pass history?Is it free, or do I have to pay an applica-

tion fee?I’ll answer each of these questions in

detail later on. But first, I want to give you a basic definition.

Mortgage Pre-Approval DefinedPre-approval is when a mortgage lender

reviews your credit and financial situation to determine how much they are willing to lend you. Normally, you would do this before shopping for a home. The idea is to get a rough idea what you can afford, and then shop within those parameters. Later, after you’ve made an offer to buy a house, you would go back to the same lender for final approval. This is usually how it works, anyway.

A good interviewer will ask you a lot of questions to really get down to your financial status, you also should help by volunteering all information correctly and accurately. There is no point to hide any-thing, trust me we will find out sooner or later. In a sale situation it’s better to find out things upfront in order to find ways to

resolve them. Otherwise you will might drag yourself and everyone involved into a very stressful failed transaction and loose time and money in the process.

Note: Getting pre-approved for a mort-gage loan is not a guarantee. It does not obligate the lender in any way. You’ll face a secondary review process later on, in order to get your final approval. There’s a lot more underwriting involved with the final approval.

How It Benefits You, as a Home BuyerIn my opinion, every home buyer should

get pre-approved for a loan (unless you’re paying cash for the house). It only makes sense when you think about it. You could spend days or weeks looking at houses in a certain price range, only to find out that you’re qualified for a lesser amount. What a waste of time. But when you start with the pre-approval, you’ll have a pretty good idea what you can afford—or what the lender says you can afford, any-way. Also this will tell you how to prepare to buy in the future in case you are not quite ready at this moment. Sellers will take you seriously.

Put yourself in the seller’s shoes for a moment. Imagine you get two offers from potential buyers. One has been pre-approved already and has a lender lined up. The other buyer hasn’t even spoken to a mortgage lender yet. If the offers were for the same amount, which one would you take? It’s sort of a no-brainer. This is especially important in an active market, where multiple offers are a reality.

How Do I Get Pre-Approved for a Home Loan?

Your first step is finding a mortgage lender or broker. Do you know someone who has purchased a home recently? If so, ask them what lender they used (and if they would recommend them). If you have an existing relationship with a bank, you could start there as well. The same goes for a credit union. If you use a mortgage broker, you’ll probably have access to a handful of lenders the broker works with. There’s certainly an advantage to this. I believe finding the right person is most important, you want someone with experi-ence who knows the typical lending guide-lines in getting a loan approved. Again, someone who will ask you a lot of ques-tions, be doubtful about lenders who just willingly give out Pre-Approval Letters without properly conducting a thorough interview.

Ready to Get Started?What Documents Do I Need?What documents are needed for mort-

gage pre-approval? This is another com-mon question among first-time home buyers. The list of documents will vary, depending on which lender you use. But most of them will ask for some or all of the following items:

a. 2 years complete federal taxes with your W-2’s to show history of your in-come. Determining whether you are self employed or salaried.

b. 2 recent paystubs to prove recent employment and current income.

c. 2 months of banks statements to show your ability to put a down payment on a house and to show reserves after a purchase transaction.

d. A credit report will show all your cred-it history and current liens and debts. This will give the lender an accurate measure to calculate for debt to income ratios.

Your lender will give you a complete list of the documents they need, at the time you submit an application. For Self Employed borrowers there could be more documents required.

This Service should be free except for the credit check. Do not pay anyone for this Pre-approval letter or a Commitment to buy a house.

Conclusion and SummaryI’ve thrown a lot of information at you

with this article. So let’s summarize some of the key points. Mortgage pre-approval is a process in which the lender reviews your financial background (credit score, income, debts, etc.). They do this to find out whether or not you’re qualified for a loan. They’ll also tell you how much they are willing to lend you.

You can start the pre-approval process right now. It’s the only way to find out if you’re qualified for a mortgage.

Call Ken Go of 1st Innovative Finance Group at 562-508-7048, it’s never too early to get Pre-Qualified. Call Ken or write to [email protected] for your inquiries and comments.

Getting a mortgage pre-approved Q&A Caller: “We want to buy a house in the near future our rent

payment continue to rise. A friend of ours who is a real estate agent said we should get pre-approved for a mortgage loan. I’ve started researching this, and now I’m even more confused than I was before. What does the pre-approval process involve? How is it different from pre-qualification?”

Start the Pre-approval Pro-cess Online

You’re not alone in wonder-ing this. Last month, more than

Deal to resolve Tom Selleck water row in California

Los Angeles, United States (AFP) Fri-day 7/10/2015 – US actor Tom Selleck has struck a “tentative” deal to resolve allega-tions he stole water from local authorities in drought-stricken California, an official said Friday.

The veteran “Magnum P.I.” star was accused of procuring deliveries of water taken illegally by truck from a fire hydrant in Thousand Oaks, northwest of Los An-geles since 2013.

The Calleguas Municipal Water District accused the 70-year-old of illegally moving water to his 60acre Hidden Valley estate, according to court documents cited by the Los Angeles Times.

But the district’s resources manager Eric Bergh told AFP that a provisional

agreement had been reached to resolve the row. The deal still has to be approved by local authorities next week.

“We are pleased and believe the tenta-tive settlement is a positive step towards an ultimate resolution of this matter,” he said.

“Staff intends to recommend Calleguas’ Board of Directors approve the settlement at its meeting next Wednesday,” he added, declining to give any further details.

According to the , the water district spent some $22,000 on a private investigator to track the deliveries, which were first observed in September 2013.

Representatives for Selleck did not re-spond to requests for comment on the case.

California is in the fourth year of its worst-ever drought. In April the western US state’s governor Jerry Brown an-nounced sweeping statewide water restric-tions for the first time in history.

Did he or did he not steal precious water?

Mexico City, Mexico (AFP) Tuesday 7/14/2015 – Mexican authorities seized $11.5 million in cash hidden in a truck carrying strawberries at a customs checkpoint near the US border, officials said Tuesday.

The stash was concealed in 306 packages wrapped with black and found Sunday in San Emeterio, Sonora state, after a gamma-ray scanner found “a variation” in the cargo, the defense ministry said in a statement.

The seizure was conducted by the army and border agents at the customs check-point south of the Arizona city of Lukeville. Some 600 bullets of various caliber were also found in the truck.

The statement did not say whether the truck was coming or going to the United States. The driver was handed over to prosecutors.

Drug cartels regularly ship weapons and cash from their drug proceeds into Mexico from the United States.

Mexico seizes $11.5-M hidden in strawberry truck

14 Visit www.Balita.com Weekend, Sat. - Fri., July 18 - 24, 2015 Balita LOS ANGELES

OPINIONBy Ivan Couronne

Washington, United States | AFP | Friday 7/10/2015 – An undocu-mented Mexican, deported five times from US soil, allegedly killed an American woman last week. Although federal authorities had ordered him expelled, police freed him in San Francisco – a “sanctuary city” for unauthorized immigrants.

The seemingly senseless attack re-opened a fierce debate over cooperation between federal law enforcement – responsible for crack-ing down on illegal immigration – and the police in state and local jurisdictions where the priority is crime prevention, not deportation.

With the 2016 presidential election looming, the issue has a national political dimension, with Republicans accusing President Barack Obama of going soft on immigration after he issued executive orders shielding millions from deportation.

Since 2008 the government has implemented the Secure Communi-ties program, a cooperation framework that urges state and local police to inform federal authorities when they apprehend undocumented foreigners, and to file detainer requests to keep them in custody while deportation is arranged.

Several cities have refused to cooperate in full, citing public safety concerns.

If an immigrant is afraid of law enforcement, local officials argue, he will be more vulnerable to abuse and less likely to contact police if he witnesses a crime.

The movement has grown quickly, with most undocumented im-migrants now believed to be living in so-called “sanctuary cities,” a controversial term coined during efforts to protect Central American refugees in the 1980s, said Marc Rosenblum of the Migration Policy Institute.

More than 350 jurisdictions in total offer limited or no deportation cooperation, according to the Immigration Legal Resource Center.

The list includes San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Denver, New Orleans, national capital Washington and three states including California.

Critics left and right “You’re effectively putting a huge barrier for anyone to want to

cooperate with the police if they’re worried that reporting a crime or being a witness to a crime is going to result in them being deported,” said Avideh Moussavian of the National Immigration Law Center.

In practice, San Francisco last year barred its police from detaining someone solely on the basis of immigration status, except under a court order. A federal administrative request is insufficient.

Exceptions exist for immigrants with felony convictions who pose a public safety risk. Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, the man accused of shooting Kathryn Steinle dead on July 1, had been charged in the past with illegally entering the United States. He was transferred to San Francisco in March on an outstanding warrant for marijuana-related offences. The charges were dropped, and San Francisco’s sheriff de-partment released him in April. Three months later he allegedly shot Steinle, in circumstances that remain murky.

Federal immigration authorities had asked the sheriff to notify them before releasing Lopez-Sanchez. But in the absence of a court order, police said, the request was not honored.

In the 18 months to June 19, some 10,500 detainer requests have been declined in California alone, according to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

By Paula Bustamante / Kelly VelasquezAsuncion, Paraguay (AFP) Saturday 7/11/2015

– Pope Francis decried the scourge of corruption as the “gangrene of a people” on Saturday in Paraguay, one of the poorest countries in South America and where graft is rampant.

The 78-year-old pope – in Paraguay on the last stop of a three-nation tour of South America – also railed against ideologies and hammered home the central theme of his trip to his home continent: equality.

Speaking to an enchanted crowd of 5,000 at a small stadium in the capital Asuncion, Francis drifted away from his scripted remarks, saying that “ideologies end badly, they do not work, they do not take into account the people.”

“Look what happened with ideologies in the last century... they ended in dictatorships, always,” he added, applause ringing out in response.

In a question-and-answer session, he denounced corruption, which plagues several countries in South America.

But perhaps to avoid offending his hosts, he stressed that it was a recurring problem “among all peoples of the world.”

As he had done on previous stops during his trip, first in Ecuador, and then Bolivia, Francis called for an end to poverty – also endemic in the region – and lamented today’s consumer society.

Wealth creation should not be “only for the ben-efit of a few,” he said to more acclaim, and must be extended to “each citizen, without exclusion.”

He urged political leaders not to “sacrifice human lives on the altar of money and profit.”

“In economics, in business and in politics, what counts first and foremost is the human person and the environment in which he or she lives,” he said.

‘Glorious women’ Earlier in the day, before hundreds of thousands

of worshipers at the country’s main pilgrimage site, the first pontiff from Latin America praised the sacrifices of Paraguay’s “glorious” women during a history marked by war.

Paraguay was left reeling during the so-called War of the Triple Alliance against Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay fought from 1865 to 1870, with a large majority of its male population killed.

Francis was speaking on the esplanade of the

domed shrine of the Virgin of Caacupe, not far from the border with his native Argentina.

“I would like especially to mention you, the women, wives and mothers of Paraguay, who at great cost and sacrifice were able to lift up a country defeated, devastated and laid low by war,” Francis said.

“You are keepers of the memory, the lifeblood of those who rebuilt the life, faith and dignity of your people.

“God bless your perseverance. God bless and encourage your faith. God bless the women of Paraguay, the most glorious women of America.”

The huge crowd was delighted to hear the pope deliver the Lord’s Prayer in Guarani, the language of the country’s indigenous people, spoken by 80 percent of the population.

Caacupe, about 55 kilometers (35 miles) east of Asuncion, has become a place of international pilgrimage thanks to a small wooden statue of the Virgin Mary that has been credited with various miracles.

The vast crowds played guitar, shook maracas and sipped gourds of mate – the herbal drink beloved by many in the region.

Francis was apparently so moved by their singing that he was late to emerge from the basilica to say mass, but Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi later dismissed any notion that the pope was unwell.

“As you can see for yourselves, the pontiff is fine, everything is ok,” Lombardi said.

Thousands of Argentines traveled across the border by bus – some on journeys lasting 50 hours – to welcome the pope in a homecoming of sorts.

“The pope has inexplicable powers of attraction, almost like a lover,” said Graciela Sosa, adding she had barely slept all night so she could get a prime viewing spot.

Francis also met with several family members and close friends who came in from neighboring Argentina to see him, according to Lombardi.

‘Learn from the children’ At a children’s hospital in Asuncion, the pope

said: “We need to learn from your ability to fight, from your strength, from your remarkable endur-ance.”

He also made a quick surprise visit to a clinic for the terminally ill.

Washington, D.C. – “We are extremely pleased to hear the good news coming from the White House, that Filipino World War II Veterans will soon be reunited with their families,” said JT Mallonga, National Chair of The National Federation of Fili-pino American Associations. “They have endured so much pain waiting for many years for this to happen. But with this latest executive action by the Obama administration, our ailing and aging heroes will no longer be separated from their loved ones.”

The immigration relief announced this week is part of a report issued by the Visa Modernization Task Force, an inter-agency group created in No-vember as part of President Obama’s executive ac-tions on immigration. The Department of Homeland Security will now work with the State Department to establish a program that allows eligible family members of the veterans to come to the U.S. under parole status on a case-by-case basis, rather than through the general family immigration process. As a White House official pointed out to The Huff-ington Post, “These are people who are eligible for an immigration visa by virtue of their U.S. citizen family member, who also happens to be a veteran who served in the World War II. But because the family immigration system is so backlogged, it can take decades for them to actually get a visa.”

Mallonga also thanked Asian Americans Advanc-ing Justice (AAJC) for its advocacy of family reuni-

fication, calling on President Obama to grant parole for children of Filipino War World II veterans. Mee Moua, AAJC President and Executive Director, points out that “Even though the U.S. government promised Filipino World War II veterans U.S. citi-zenship in recognition of their service and contribu-tions to America, it took more than 50 years before they actually received citizenship. Until now, the inhumanely long visa backlog has separated them from their children and denied them the opportunity to live together in the United States. We’re grateful the Obama Administration is taking action so our veterans can be reunited with their children and receive the love and care they need during their golden years. It’s long past time the United States made good on its promise and we hope USCIS will implement this as soon as possible.”

“We appreciate as well the efforts of our US Representatives and Senators who have championed the cause of our veterans,” adds Mallonga. “They, like Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, have tried over the years to push for a bill on this issue, fighting to end the visa backlog for the sons and daughters of our veterans. We agree with her that today’s action of expediting reunification is long overdue and the right thing to do.”

Marites “Bing” Branigin, Capitol Region Chair of NaFFAA, welcomed the news with mixed feel-ings. “My first reaction was happiness,” she says.

San Francisco in center of debate over US ‘sanctuary cities’ Pope laments corruption

as ‘gangrene of a people’

NAFFAA hails executive action allowing Fil-Am WWII vets to reunite with their families


than Secretary Roxas, who until know, seems to be the sentimental choice of LP bigwigs to be their presidential candidate.In a recent story that came out on the front pages of The Daily Tribune, it was reported that House Speaker Sonny Belmonte and his “runaway group” were threatening to split from the Liberal Party to support a winnable presidential candidate in 2016.

This will complicate matters for Roxas who is banking on the all-out support of all his partymates as well as the endorse-ment of the President as his successor. I have no doubt the President will endorse Roxas as the administration presidential candidate within the next few weeks.Roxas has sacrificed a lot for the Presi-dent. He even absorbed all the blames for the administration’s failure to address the basic needs of the people, particularly the downtrodden. The President has no choice

but to pick Roxas as his candidate for 2016. Roxas knows too much about what President Noynoy and his KKK and “Ka-maganak” Inc did during his incumbency.However, as of presstime and in spite his continued media exposure, Roxas remains in fourth place among possible presidential contenders preferred by voters in previous poll surveys conducted na-tionwide for the May 16 national election.Roxas has always been lagging behind Senator Grace Poe and the much-maligned Vice President Jejomar Binay in almost all polls conducted nationwide this year, prompting some LP bigwigs to cast doubts on the winnability of Roxas in 2016.It has been rumored that Belmonte and his group are in favor of adopting independent neophyte Senator Poe to be the presidential candidate of the Liberal Party. Belmonte’s group are pushing for a Poe and Roxas

tandem instead of a Roxas and Poe pairing.Even the President has been reportedly trying to convince Poe to run as Roxas’ vice presidential candidate. So far, Poe remained firm in her decision not to run alongside Roxas.

Secretary Roxas and Speaker Bel-monte never had a cordial relationship after the former lost his bid for the Vice Presidency in the 2010 national election against former Makati Mayor Jejomar Bi-nay. The statement attributed to Belmonte regarding his possible departure from LP might not have jolted Roxas after all. He knows that he cannot and will never have the support of Belmonte and his group.Belmonte and President Aquino’s uncle, former Congressman Jose “Peping” Co-juangco, were the chief architects of the “Noy-Bi” tandem in the 2010 presidential election. Both worked hard for the election of Aquino and Binay.

In the event that President Aquino suddenly changes his mind and anoint Senator Poe as the administration can-didate, Roxas can act as the spoiler. If this scenario plays out, Roxas and his loyal followers can always wrest control of the LP and support another candi-date other than the bet of the President and Belmonte’s runaway LP group.Meanwhile, former Senator Panfi-lo Lacson’s plan to question the 2015 P2.6 trillion national budget before the Supreme Court is commendable.The former Senator made the disclosure in a speech he made before members of the Philippine Institute of Certified Accountants. Lacson said he will file a case before the Supreme Court regard-ing his findings about the existence of some P426 billion in pork barrel lump sums inserted in the 2015 budget.Senator Serge Osmeña confirmed the exposé of Lacson about the insertions of lump sums and discretionary funds , previously known as Disbursement Ac-celeration Program (DAP) and Priority

LP in a quandary over Mar RoxasInterior Secretary Mar Roxas, the presumptive administration

presidential candidate, appears to be losing his political appeal even from some key members of his own Liberal Party (LP).

There are even reports that the LP is heading for a breakup as a result of their leaders’ failure to reach a consensus as to who will be their candidate in the coming 2016 presidential election.

I think the break-up of the party will only happen if President Aqui-no will endorse someone other

MANILA, July 15 (Mabuhay) – Inte-rior Secretary Mar Roxas’ not-so-good showing in surveys will not stop President Benigno Aquino III from pushing him as the administration’s standard bearer in next year’s elections, Senate President Franklin Drilon said Wednesday.

In a radio interview, Drilon, who like Aquino and Roxas is an official of the rul-ing Liberal Party (LP), reiterated that the President will choose someone who can continue the reforms he started.

“Regardless of the odds, kung sa tingin niya ay kung sinong kandidato ang maka-kapagpatuloy ng kaniyang reporma, iyon ang kaniyang ii-endorso,” he said.

He noted that Aquino is known for pushing for things even in the face of strong opposition, citing his support for the Reproductive Health bill, which was opposed by the Catholic Church, the sin tax law, which was opposed by businessmen, and even the impeachment of Chief Justice Renato Corona.

“Yung sinasabing mababang survey ni

Secretary Mar, ang basa ko sa Presidente ay kung sa tingin niya ay si Secretary Mar ang makakapagpatuloy ng reporma na kaniyang inumpisahan, haharapin niya yung hamon at sisikapin niya na ang kani-yang anointed candidate ay mananalo,” Drilon said.

Roxas’ ratings have gained in the past months but still lagging behind Senator Grace Poe and Vice President Jejomar Binay. Asked if he is consulted regarding LP’s bet in the 2016 polls, Drilon said, “We defer to the President being our leader, and we get signals from him.” Drilon is a vice chairman of LP, while Aquino is chairman. He said what Aquino is doing now is pre-serving the alliances of LP.

“Si Pangulo, he wants to preserve the political alliances na nabuo noong 2010 at 2013, kaya siya muna ang namumuno para ma-maintain ang alliances na ito. After that, mag-uusap kami,” he said.

Drilon also said he was not aware of the reported dinner among Roxas, Poe, and Sen. Francis Escudero.

Drilon optimistic Aquino will push for Mar Roxas despite low ratings

Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).Osmeña even told the media that Malaca-ñang gave assurances to Congress that they can still identify projects placed in the budgets of different agencies as much as P200 million. He was also quoted as saying that some Senators have projects even worth P1 to P2 billion.Although he refused to divulge the iden-tity of these Senators, Osmeña said that lawmakers are entitled to have at least P200 million for their specific projects.Both DAP and PDAF were declared un-constitutional by the Supreme Court last year. The DAP and PDAF were crafted by Budget Secretary Florencio Abad to bribe lawmakers to pass all pending pet bills of President Aquino in Congress.Hopefully, the Supreme Court will give weight to the petition of Senator Lacson if only to do what is legally right. The Fili-pino people are already tired of the “daan matuwid” rhetoric of President Aquino and his allies.

MANILA, July 17 (Mabuhay) -- President Benigno Aquino III will once again gather his administration’s potential candidates in the 2016 elections after a six-hour meeting Wednesday night ended with no consensus as to who will run for what position.

In a text message, Senator Grace Poe said she, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, and Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero are scheduled to meet with the President again before his State of the Nation Address on July 27.

Poe, a neophyte senator and daughter of the late actor Fernando Poe Jr., said that during their meeting last Wednesday, they did not discuss the details of who will run for which post in next year’s elections.

Poe, however, could not give an assurance that they will be able to come up with a final decision when they meet again.

“I feel it is a personal choice when a decision should be reached by each indi-vidual,” said Poe when asked whether they are expected to make a decision in their next meeting with the president.

No exact date has been set yet for their meeting.President Aquino is expected to announce his Liberal Party’s standard bearer

after his SONA.Roxas is the LP’s presumptive presidential candidate, but he has not topped

surveys on preferred presidential candidates.Poe, on the other hand, has consistently garnered high ratings and recently over-

took Vice President Jejomar Binay in presidential preference polls.House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, an LP stalwart , had earlier said that Poe’s

victory as president is “unstoppable” unless Roxas does something to shore up his survey ratings. Many LP members, including Aquino, are believed to courting Poe to be Roxas’ running-mate instead.

No assurance there’ll be a decision on 2016 plans in next meeting with Aquino, says Poe


HEALTH & BEAUTY Wednesday July 15 2015 (Relaxnews)

– A study from Lund University in Sweden has demonstrated that women with low levels of the painkilling hormone pro-enkephalin have a much higher risk of contracting breast cancer. The discovery should allow doctors to put into place a new breast cancer detection test for earlier diagnosis.

Directed by Professor Olle Melander, the study aims to establish the link between enkephalin, a hormone that also possesses anxiolytic properties, and breast cancer risk.

Published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology the results show that omen who have lower levels of the hormone are three

times more likely to develop breast cancer than women with a significantly higher level of the hormone.

Researchers based the study on blood samples from 1,929 women in the city of Malmo. They were treated for breast cancer for an average of 15 years.

The results were adjusted to take into account age, menopause, hormonal treat-ments, tobacco and other factors that could have influenced the contraction of the disease.

The researchers assert that “the find-ings show evidence of a statistical cor-relation between small concentrations of enkephalin in the blood cells and a higher breast cancer risk,” and other studies have

confirmed these results.A direct effect on tumor cellsIn order to verify the findings, scientists

have compared the results with those of an older study comprised of 1,569 women of a median age of 70 also from Malmo. In this particular group, the link between low levels of the hormone and breast cancer risk was even more evident.

Other studies, including those conduct-ed on animals, have showed similar results.

The study has also been able to demon-strate that enkephalin can strengthen the

immune system’s response to cancer cells and have an inhibitive effect on tumor cells.

These conclusions hold enormous promise for researchers as they hope to rapidly put into place a new system using enkephalin that allows for an earlier detec-tion of breast cancer and breast cancer risk.

The release comes shortly after publi-cation of several studies in the American JAMA review of Internal Medicine and the British Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine that raise questions about mam-mography screening and overdiagnosis.

The discovery should allow doctors to put into place a new breast cancer detection test for earlier diagnosis.

Study links breast cancer and hormone pro-enkephalin levels

Thursday July 16 2015 (Relaxnews) – Yves Saint Laurent Beauty presents its new fall 2015 makeup line entitled “Pretty Metal.” Rock-inspired and neo-grunge, all products from the collection will be avail-able from August 26.

Following the playful and warm Moroc-can hues chosen for summer 2015 by Lloyd Simmonds, artistic makeup director at YSL Beauty, the luxury house is introducing a much edgier style. The Pretty Metal col-lection highlights various shades of black, matte finishes and studs.

Nail centralThis fall, the collection focuses on your

fingertips with the use of dark shades, golden and silver tints. More than a simple manicure, the collection offers true fash-ion accessories for the upcoming autumn period.

To get the look of the season, YSL intro-duces Couture Metal Manicure – stickers in Grunge Sequins featuring the iconic fashion house logo or Crystal Studs embel-lished with metallic gems.

For an eye-catching effect that oozes

rock’n’roll and a slight rebel attitude, the Couture Palette Collector Metal Clash eye makeup collection is the perfect fit. Completely revisited with a white studded YSL logo, the eye-shadow palette includes five shades: an ashy gold, a ruby-wine red, lilac, prune and chocolate brown.

For the final touches on your eye makeup, the 3-in-1 Couture Kajal pencil combines eyeliner, khol and eyeshadow in black, cobalt blue, petrol blue and a deep emerald green. Eyebrows get some special attention with the Couture Brow 3D mascara wand available in both a golden brown and ashy blond hue.

Subtle or bold lips, the choice is yoursThis coming season, lips are either

daring or understated and Saint Laurent Beauty has the perfect product for each style.

The Rouge Volupté Shine lipstick col-lection welcomes three new shades this fall: Rose in Sound, a bright coral pink; Fuchsia in Grunge for a much flashier pink and Rouge in Rock for an edgier Bordeaux red.

A Pretty Metal Yves Saint Laurent beauty look worn by Edie Campbell. ©Yves Saint Laurent

Fall makeup: Yves Saint Laurent gives us a metal-rock aura from our head to our fi ngertips


ENTERTAINMENT

Actress Diana Zubiri, who married model-host Andrew Smith at the Sampa-guita Gardens in Quezon City recently, will no longer accept sexy roles.

“Siyempre ngayong may asawa na ako, hindi na siguro ako pwedeng kagaya ng dati. Tumatanda na rin naman ako, ibigay na lang natin sa iba. Tapos na ako doon. Masarap na napagdaanan ko na siya. Look-ing back, tapos na ako doon. Naging happy naman ako during that time,” she said.

But this doesn’t mean Zubiri is turn-ing her back on showbiz. After all, Smith himself vowed to support his wife in all her projects.

“I’m very supportive. Ever since we met a few years ago, she had two shows at that stage. So most times, we hang out in the tent on the set. At least now, she has one show. We see each other more. I still come to the set. I’m there to support. I’m happy that she has projects,” he said.

Meanwhile, Zubiri revealed that they would have to postpone their plans of hav-ing a baby due to her prior work commit-ments. “Happy kami na sumasabay kami sa agos. Kasi kapag pinaplano, ‘yung mga expectations mo kasi nababago. Masakit kapag hindi natutuloy. [Pero ‘yung baby], pinaplano namin ‘yun. Sana next year kasi baka mahirapan naman kami if masyado

namin i-delay,” she said.Zubiri also said nothing much has really

changed in their relationship since they tied the knot.

“Actually wala nga talagang [nagbago except last name]. Nagpapalit ako ng pan-galan. Hindi ako maka-get over. Minsan hindi ako sanay. Nung nakuha ko nga ‘yung new license ko, totoo na, Smith na,” she said. (MNS)

Zsa Zsa Padilla admit-ted she could no longer wait to have a grandchild from her daughter Kar-ylle and son-in-law Yael Yuzon.

Padilla said: “When-ever they are ready. I’m trying not to push her be-cause you know, before I got pregnant with Zia, it took me two years before I got pregnant. I know that feeling of just waiting and waiting in frustration.”

Padilla said she some-times asks Karylle about when she and Yuzon are planning to have a baby.

“I make parinig but most of the time I don’t anymore because I’m just waiting for it to happen,” she said.

Asked if she wants Kar-ylle’s first child to be a boy or a girl, the veteran singer said: “A boy kasi puro kami babae, lahat ng pamangkin ko, I only have one pamangkin na boy so I think we need a boy in the family.”

Padilla said she is even willing to babysit for Karylle. “I will be a spoiler,” she said. “If they are both busy, I can always babysit and I can always do that, I would love to do that.” Karylle said she and Yuzon are not rushing to have a baby but she is preparing herself in case God blesses them with one.

“I’m preparing myself because that will be a big change. Right now, I’m ad-justing to married life and once we’ve moved to our new home, that’s when we’ll really prepare for that,” she said.

Asked how many children they plan to have, Karylle said, “Hindi ko alam, bahala na ang Diyos.” (MNS)A half-sister of Maja Salvador has sur-

faced amid intrigues about the actress’ ties with her late father’s other family.

Jessy Salvador clarified that Maja, whom she referred to as “ate,” has been kind and generous to her.

“Okey na okey kami ni ate. Ngayon, hindi lang nagkikita kasi busy [siya] sa ‘Bridges of Love,’” Jessy said, referring to Maja’s ongoing primetime series. “Minsan nag-bi-visit kami sa set niya.”

Jessy was introduced last month as an image model of a liniment brand, but only addressed speculation about her half-sister when she spoke recently with reporters.

Jessy and Maja are daughters of late ac-tor Ross Rival from different relationships. They are both nieces of action star Phillip Salvador, Rival’s brother (born Rosauro Salvador).

According to Jessy, Maja also looks after her other half-siblings. “Puro damit,

sapatos,” she said, when asked how Maja treats them with gifts. “Nagbibigay siya monthly.”

Amid intrigues surrounding their rela-tionship, Maja has yet to speak up about Jessy. (MNS)

CRISTINA Gonzales is making a movie comeback in “Yolanda,” a drama about three women affected by the killer typhoon that hit Tacloban on November 8, 2013. It’ll be directed by U.S.-based filmmaker Gregorio Vicuna. She revealed this to us when we visited Tacloban for their annual Sangyaw Festival in honor of the fiesta of the Sto. Niño de Tacloban.

“I will play the mom of a teenage girl na semi-retarded,” she says. “She’ll go missing during the typhoon and I will search for her. The other two women are played by Kate Coseteng (a councilor in Valenzuela) and Gwen Pang (Philip-pine Red Cross secretary). We’ll start shooting next month but magwo-workshop muna kami. I’m excited but kinakabahan kasi matagal na kong hindi umarte. My last movie was in 1987 pa, ‘Bakit Iisa ang Pag-ibig’, with the late Mark Gil and director Danny Zialcita. Ang tagal na. I agreed to do it because it’s set and will be shot in Tacloban. And also it offers an intimate look at what the people experience because of Yolanda.”

A year and a half after Yolanda, Tacloban is back on its feet. There are still tell tales of destruction in some ruined houses and buildings that were not repaired, but as a whole, most of the edifices have been renovated and repainted. It was Tacloban’s town fiesta on June 30 and they decided to celebrate it this year, unlike last year when everything was so simple as the people are still reeling from the disaster and they focused more on rebuilding the city. The theme of the fiesta now is focusing on Tacloban’s being a resilient city.

Diana Zubiri to stop doing sexy roles after wedding

Diana Zubiri

Meet Maja’s ‘hot’ half-sister

Jessy Salvador

Kring Kring to do a movie again set in ‘new’ Tacloban

Zsa Zsa already wants to be a grandmother

Karylle


FOOD & DINING

Olive Oil Poached Tuna with Crisp Romaine SaladServes: 4 2 romaine hearts, cleaned and leaves separated 4 hard boiled eggs, cut into quarters 25 Haricot Vert/French green beans, blanched 4 Olive Oil Poached Tuna portions, recipe follows 4 yellow potatoes, peeled Salt and pepper to taste 20 Kalamata olives, pitted 12 grape or cherry tomatoes, washed 8 lemon quartersPrep romaine, eggs and green beans, and chill the day before. Poach tuna and let cool to room temperature.

Boil potatoes until tender and drain. Season potatoes with salt and pepper while still hot. Let potatoes cool to room tem-perature, cover with plastic and reserve.

Arrange romaine, eggs, green beans, olives, tomatoes and potatoes on four dinner plates. Break and fl ake tuna on top and drizzle with olive oil from poaching. Squeeze one lemon wedge on each plate and season with fresh pepper and salt. Serve with another lemon wedge.

Olive Oil Poached Tuna 4 tuna portions

FAMILY FEATURES

You may be surprised to learn that cooking with olive oil is a simple way to add heart-healthy “good” fats to your diet. In fact, the health benefi ts, fl avor and versatility of olive oil are all good reasons that olive oil is a staple in many kitchens.

Not only can you replace other oils in recipes with olive oil (or extra virgin olive oil for added fl avor), in many recipes you can also replace butter with olive oil to reduce saturated fat, cholesterol and calories.

Studies show that your body absorbs nutrients from greens and vegetables better when they are consumed with a monounsaturated fat such as olive oil. Th ese recipes help you get the most out of your veggies, and enjoy a decadent dessert too. Learn more at www.aboutoliveoil.

Grilled Flat Bread Pizza with Hidden Vegetable SauceServes: 1 1 large slice peasant bread cut 1/4- 3/8-inch thick, or any type artisan/ crusty bread Extra virgin olive oil Salt and pepper to taste Hidden Vegetable Tomato Sauce,

SIMPLE SUBSTITUTIONS

Margarine/Butter Olive Oil 1 teaspoon

1 tablespoon

2 tablespoons

1/4 cup

1/3 cup

1/2 cup

2/3 cup

3/4 cup

1 cup

3/4 teaspoon

2 1/4 teaspoons

1 1/2 tablespoons

3 tablespoons

1/4 cup

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons

1/2 cup

1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon

3/4 cup

(5 ounces each) 2 cups extra virgin olive oil Kosher salt to taste Black pepper, freshly ground to taste 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary 4 tablespoons parsley cut in long, thin strips 2 lemons, zested and juiced Drizzle tuna with extra virgin olive oil. Season tuna gener -ously with salt, pepper, garlic, rosemary, parsley and lemon zest. Place tuna in 12-inch saucepot and cover with extra virgin olive oil and juice of lemons. Heat over moderate heat until tuna poaches to medium rare, approximately 7-10 minutes depending on thickness of tuna. Remove from heat; allow tuna to con tinue to poach and cool to room temperature.

Mozzarella, grated Parmesan Reggiano, gratedHeat oven to 350°F and heat gas grill or grill pan to medium high.

Brush bread generously with extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill bread crisp on each side and transfer to baking sheet lined with baking paper. Top each slice with tomato sauce. Cover with grated mozzarella and sprinkle with grated parmesan Reggiano.

Bake until cheese is melted, about 10-15 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.

Hidden Vegetable Tomato Sauce 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 2 cups peeled and small diced eggplant 1 cup small diced onion 1 cup small diced carrot 1 cup small diced celery 2-3 garlic cloves, chopped 3 quarts canned crushed tomatoes 2 teaspoons chopped

Olive Oil Ice Cream with Grilled PineappleServes: 6 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 3 tablespoons honey 2 teaspoons Sriracha chili sauce 1 golden pineapple Olive Oil Ice Cream, recipe follows Mint sprigs Sliced strawberries Combine extra virgin olive oil, salt, honey and Sriracha. Set aside.

Cut top and bottom off pineapple and remove outer skin. Turn pineapple on side and cut even slices about 3/8-inch thick leaving the core in. Place cleaned pine apple slices in large resealable bag, pour marinade over them, and gently rotate bag to distribute. Marinate overnight or at least 4 hours.

Heat charcoal or gas grill for direct grilling. Use sharp round cutter to remove core before grilling, if preferred. (Th is is optional; you can eat the core and it is easier to grill with it intact.) Brush grill grates and wipe with rag soaked with olive oil. Grill pineapple on each side about 3 minutes.

Transfer grilled pineapple to plate and top with scoop of Olive Oil Ice Cream. Garnish with sliced straw-berries and mint.

Olive Oil Ice Cream 12 ounces heavy cream 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped 2 pinches ground cinnamon 12 ounces milk 1/2 cup egg yolks 1/2-2/3 cup honey 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, delicate/fruity fl avor profi le In saucepot scald cream, vanilla, cinna mon and milk. In bowl whip yolks and honey. Temper whipped mixture with scalded cream mixture. Pour tem pered mixture back into sauce pot and cook until it coats the back of a spoon. Don’t boil. Strain mixture and cool. Stir in olive oil. Cool and freeze in ice cream machine.

fresh thyme 2 tablespoons fresh basil cut in long, thin strips 1-2 dry bay leaves Salt and pepper to tasteIn large (5-quart or bigger) thick-bottomed pot, heat extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add eggplant, onion, carrot, celery and garlic, and saute gently (not browning vegetables or garlic) until vegetables start to become tender. Add tomatoes, herbs and bay leaves. Simmer, uncovered, for about 1 hour, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Puree until all veg etables are hidden in tomato sauce. Chill and reserve to make quick pizzas. Freeze unused sauce in smaller portions for future use.


SPORTSManila, Philippines (AFP) Sunday

7/12/2015 – The Philippines has agreed to host the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games after the two other countries next in line, Brunei and Vietnam, declined, a sports official said Sunday.

This was agreed upon during a SEA Games Federation executive meeting in Singapore in June when Brunei, which was scheduled for the 2019 games, asked to pass due to “organizational reasons,” said Joey Romasanta, spokesman of the Philippine Olympic Committee.

Vietnam, the 2021 hosts, also declined so the federation offered the event to the Philippines, he told AFP. The federation must still issue a formal invitation to the Philippines which the country must accept but in principle, the Philippines is assured of being the venue, Romasanta said.

“We agreed to host it but formalities

still have to be complied with,” he added.The cash-strapped country is not likely

to build new facilities but will use existing arenas, stadiums and hotels for the games, he added.

One request is that all the games be ac-cessible by land unlike the last SEA Games in the country when some sporting events were held in the central islands.

The sprawling, former US airbase of Clark, north of Manila, which has been turned into a light industrial zone and tour-ism centre, will likely serve as the base of the games but some events will be held elsewhere.

“All we need is a state-of-the-art track oval. We can work on that,” Romasanta remarked.

He said the funding for the games has yet to be determined as they will still select certain sports and events.

Makati city skyline, Manila, Philippines. ©skyearth/shutterstock.com

By Greg FraserSt Andrews, United Kingdom (AFP)

Tuesday 7/14/2015 – AFP Sport takes a look at eight of the players to watch at this week’s 144th Open Championship which begins on Thursday at St Andrews and although he’s the eighth in the list below Filipino-Australian Jason Day may have a crack at the British Open.

Day, 27, has finished runner-up at major tournaments on three occasions, the 2011 and 2013 US Opens as well as the 2011 Masters. However his results on European soil have yet to produce a victory and his best result at the British Open was a tie for 30th in 2011.

His Asian looks are of course down to his mother who was from the Philip-pines and he once gained inspiration from reading a book about Tiger Woods. The 27-year-old from Queensland reached a career high ranking of world number four in 2014 thanks to victory in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship that same year. Tragically lost eight family members, including his grandmother, in November 2013 during Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. Day is ranked Number 8 in the world.

The top seven are:Jordan Spieth (USA), 21, World rank-

ing - 2All eyes will be on the 21-year-old

Texan who has turned the 2015 season on its head by winning the first two majors at

the Masters and US Open. He will be at-tempting to become only the second man, after Ben Hogan in 1953, to win the first three Grand Slam events to open the year.

Justin Rose (ENG), 34, World rank-ing - 7

The popular South African-born Eng-lishman enjoyed his greatest success at the Open back in 1998 when he finished in a tie for fourth place as an amateur. Early struggles in his career were soon forgotten as he rose to number three in the world in 2013, winning his first major the same year at the Philadelphia-hosted US Open

Tiger Woods (USA), 39, World rank-ing - 241

The iconic 39-year-old American al-ways draws massive galleries wherever he plays and this week will be no different on a course he describes as his favorite in the world. Once the dominant force in golf, Woods has struggled in recent seasons and underwent back surgery in late 2013 that also saw a further dip in form.

Louis Oosthuizen (RSA), 32, World ranking - 17

The soft-spoken South African stunned the world of golf in 2010 when he won the British Open at St Andrews with a brilliant performance against the odds. Coming into the tournament, the now 32-year-old had made the cut only once in eight major appearances.

Tom Watson (USA), Age – 65, World ranking - 1124

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (AFP) Tuesday 7/14/2015 – Move over the Olympics. First, Brazil’s hosting games for the world’s indigenous tribes, featuring traditional arrow shooting and a little-known cousin of football.

As Rio de Janeiro gears up for next year’s Summer Olympics, the city of Palmas in the Ama-zon jungle state of Tocantins is staging the World Indigenous Games from October 23 to November 1, the state tourism agency said Tuesday.

Twenty four Brazilian ethnic groups and an-other 22 from around the world will take part, the agency said in a statement.

One of the most intriguing events will be Xikunahity, otherwise known as head football, a South American tribal game where competitors play the ball with their heads.

Athletics and swimming are also featured, but archery – long a hunting skill practiced in Latin America’s jungles – is likely to be hotly contested.

One indigenous youth, Dream Braga, has already made Brazil’s national archery team after taking part in a program meant to encour-age native bowmen to transfer their expertise at shooting fish and other animals to sport.

PHL to host 2019 SEA Games after Brunei, Vietnam decline

Move over Olympics, bring on World Indigenous Games

Brazilian Justice Minister Jose Eduardo Cardozo attends the launch of the I World Games of the Indigenous Peoples at the Mane Garrincha national stadium in Brasilia on June 23, 2015. The I World Games of the Indigenous Peoples will take place in the city of Palmas, Tocantins state, western Brazil next October with athletes from 24 countries. ©AFP PHOTO/EVARISTO SA

Half-Pinoy, half-Aussie among those to watch out at British Open





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COMMUNITYBy Hannah De Castro-Abinuman

Have you ever noticed how your gad-gets have become an integral part of your daily routine? Whether it’s a phone, a tablet, a laptop or a game console, these gadgets are being used daily by people of all ages, and have become so detrimental to one’s way of life, that it seems rather impossible to even survive without it. Even among children, gadgets have been a staple in playing their games, and sometimes even considered as a status symbol! But whatever happened to using one’s imagina-tion? Whatever happened to being able to interact with your playmates, friends and parents or actually use your hands to create or build something?

Although there is nothing wrong with using technology, James Ronald Lo, Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of Taktyl Studios LLC, noticed that kids nowadays can be too engaged in gadgets. So he thought of a way to use these digi-tal devices and yet still encourage social interaction, creativity and imagination. Recently launched via a Kickstarter cam-paign, Taktyl Studios introduces a digital app called, “ActionCraft Toy Box,” which is an arts and crafts digital/mobile ap-plication that provides users with tools to design and customize their own paper toy action figure. Users can choose from a variety of templates in order to customize their very own action figure or paper toy. Once the user is satisfied with the look of his character, he then has to print the template. To assemble, the user has to cut

along perforated lines from the template and glue together the edges to create the ActionCraft paper toy.

Toys do not come cheap. However, not all kids understand the concept of frugal-ity at a young age. Sometimes within days after unboxing a toy, our kids, because of their excitement and imagination, end up dismantling the pieces, or worse, break the toy altogether. Being a single dad living in the Philippines, Lo thought that there had to be better ways to play with his kids, without breaking the bank. So, he decided to design his own action figures using a commodity that’s easily accessible to everyone – paper. Thus, began James Ron-ald Lo’s “Paper Toy Adventures.” What started out as a pastime for him and his son, evolved into a blog, which he started 6 years ago. The blog was so well received, that it had followers from people all over the world (about 3,000 subscribers). His “paper toys” were being assembled, col-lected and enjoyed by people of all ages, from all walks of life. A publisher then took notice of his work and together, they de-signed and published the book, “Construct your Own Paper Robot” in 2012. Pretty soon, the demands for creating new paper toy design templates in the blog became too high for Lo to manage, which then led him to create “ActionCraft Toy Box.”

“In my blog, I upload pre-designed templates. But then I figured, why not involve the people in the creative process? And that’s why I launched ActionCraft. It lets users create and customize their own

Manny Pacquiao: Sample customized “Pacman” look-alike paper toy.

Filipino launches app that encourages creativity, more bonding time between child and parent

paper toys instead of just printing the ones I have designed,” said Lo.

ActionCraft Toy Box aims to encour-age children to interact with their parents, siblings and other playmates. For younger kids, who cannot use scissors and cutters yet, the parent or adult helps the child create the paper toy. And in the process, shares a bonding moment between parent and child - a process that’s lacking in the use of most digital apps for kids. Action-Craft Toy box also instigates the user’s imagination and creativity. By customizing the clothes, armor and physical features of the toy, the child is encouraged to be creative. And after assembling the paper toy, he is encouraged to play with it, do puppet shows, create a video or make his

own comics, and therefore, encouraged to unlock his imagination.

Currently, the app has been launched in Kickstarter, but their funding is not com-plete. In order to complete their funding goal, ActionCraft Toy Box needs backers or supporters who can pledge money to join them in bringing their project to life. Help this Filipino-owned company com-plete this project by supporting them at www.kickstarter.com/profile/taktylstudios. Pledges start at $5.

For more info on ActionCraft or on how to help, visit these websites: www.taktylstudios.com

www.papertoyadventures.com, www.facebook.com/actioncrafttoybox/,

Instagram -@papertoyadventures

By Mylene BillupsFifty years of marriage is a milestone that

every married couple strives for. My parents, Vic and Emy Paysan celebrated their 50 years of Catholic marriage on May 1, 2015. Originally, they didn’t want to celebrate it with fuss; but the children made sure our parents’ milestone was recognized with a church blessing and small family gathering on June 27, 2015.

My parents met in the Philippines when my dad was 25 and while my mom was 21. I remember my mom telling me that they met at Bureau of Lands in the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources in 1964 where they were both working as casual or temp workers. I guess the attraction and love between them was intense that in April 1965, they decided to elope and get a civil wedding against the wishes of my strict Grandma Josefa. My parents’ marriage has not been devoid of any rough patches. There had been challenges with finances early on in the marriage because of hardship getting a stable job and drama experienced from relatives on dad’s side of the family. Based from what I heard, the marriage grew stronger during these trying times because they both faced the challenges together. Life got better for my parents when my dad was hired by Glaxo Philippines in 1965 to work as a Pharmaceuti-cal Sales Representative.

One of the milestones was when the whole family immigrated to the US in 1989 from the petition received from Lola Epang. This resulted to my dad filing for a tempo-rary resignation from Glaxo Philippines, his employer of 23 years. His employer advised him he would never get the same position he already had in the Philippines if he decided to quit his job at Glaxo. My dad was already a Regional Sales Manager that time. True enough, finding a better-paying job and a se-nior level management position didn’t happen

at all. My dad had to accept menial jobs such as working as a Pharmacy Clerk at FEDCO. We knew that this was a hit on my dad’s ego. He could have turned his back and decided to return to the Philippines where his comfort zone was; however, my dad has always been a man of conviction with rooted love for his family. He decided to officially resign from Glaxo Philippines and decided to stay with his family in the US. For him, having a complete family was far more rewarding than a high position and a better paying job back home. God rewarded his efforts because soon after, he was accepted to work in Glaxo America (now called GlaxoSmithKline) as a Pharma-ceutical Sales Representative and his years of service from the Philippines were credited towards his retirement years. He worked for them for another 17 years until his retirement in April 2006.

My parents have been blessed with 5 children: Joy, Michael, Mylene, Mervin and Michelle, and have been doubly blessed with 13 grandchildren and 1 great-grandchild. Currently, my parents live in Austin, Texas where my younger brother Mervin and his family live as well since 2008. They enjoy traveling and spending quality time with the family at every opportunity.

What has made their marriage work for 50 years? A major part of it is because from the beginning, their relationship remained primarily focused on the positive coupled with deep faith in God. My dad and mom have stayed connected when life has not been easy or even when life has gone well.

When they received their 50th year wed-ding blessing on June 27 at San Antonio Catholic Church in Anaheim Hills, my parents were presented a Certificate of Apostolic Blessing from Our Holy Father, Pope Francis.

Mylene Billups and her husband Jim have three children and live in Altadena, California.

Vic & Emmy: A celebration of love through the years


By Mylene BillupsFifty years of

marriage is a mile-stone that every mar-ried couple strives for. My parents, Vic and Emy Paysan celebrated their 50 years of Catholic marriage on May 1, 2015. Originally, they didn’t want to celebrate it with fuss; but the chil-dren made sure our parents’ milestone

Vic & Emmy: A celebration of love through the years

By Abner GalinoFor actor Miguel Vera, the second

time around must have always been sweeter (pun intended, or not). Happily meeting the press after the successful restaging of the well-known play Noli Me Tangere at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, Vera said he was happy with his performance as the lead character Crisostomo Ibarra.

The actor said he was more relaxed that night and believed that he has done as much or perhaps better than when the play debuted in Los Angeles in August last year.

The fans who gave the cast a standing ovation during the curtain call certainly confi rmed Vera’s assessment.

Nonie Belarmino, one of the show’s producer, added that if things would turn our right, they would bring Noli me Tangere to San Diego, another Filipino-American hub in southern California.

Belarmino believes that Noli Me Tangere remains a potent vehicle, not only for showcasing Filipino culture, but as well as for passing on the patriotic sentiment to the younger generation of Filipino-Americans.

“Ang nag-iba lang naman yung panahon at yung mga karakter, pero ang sitwasyon (sa Pilipinas) ganon pa

rin. Nandiyan pa rin ang korupsiyon at abuso,” Belarmino explained.

A young man, Leandro Salud, 17, said he was able to relate to the play despite not having read the book Noli Me Tangere, from which the play was adapted, and not having lived in the Philippines for a long time.

“But I was in Manila months ago. I think (the play) it’s still relevant cause it talks about independence.”

Marides Uytiepo, also 17, a family of one the actors, said she understood the messages conveyed in the play as they grew up in the Philippines and felt that a lot of them remain to be true.

“Even if I did not read the book, in the way they portrayed it, I get it. I think Jose Rizal is going to be relevant even in the years to come,’ the young girl added.

Doc Mae, who played the role of Sisa, added that while many of the scenes in the play were depressing, it still managed to bring out a message of hope in the end.

“Nasa atin na ngayon kung paano natin pagagandahin ang ating kinabukasan,” the actress concluded.

The other members of the cast who were notable in their performances were soprano Cristina “Kit” Navarro (Maria Clara), Annie Nepomuceno (Dona

The cast of Noli Me Tangere poses for the fans shortly after the curtain call.

Noli Me Tangere hurdles 2nd restaging in LA, producers eye San Diego

Victorina), Joji Isla (Padre Damaso), Ariel Dayanghirang (Padre Salvi), Joseph Gelito (Kapitan Tiyago), Bacchi Garcia and Joey Uytiepo.

Noli Me Tangere is a well-known play, not only because it was adapted from a novel of national hero Jose Rizal, but also because it was originally created by contemporary Filipino icons namely; national artist Bienvenido Lumbera (libretto), Ryan Cayabyab (music) and

Felix “Nonon” Padilla (direction.)The play fi rst saw light in 1995 at

the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Its original cast included Monique Wilson (Maria Clara), Audie Gemora and John Arcilla, alternating as Crisostomo Ibarra, Bernardo Bernardo and Bodjie Pascua as Padre Damaso.

Both the restaging in the US were produced by Teatro Pilipino USA.

Thank you to the public, clientele, and our partners for making our employment and immigration workshop last July 10, 2015 a success!

The workshop entitled: “Know what’s on the Other Side” was a proactive ses-sion especially with our Vice President’s orientation and open panel discussion on employment and immigration concerns and updates, specifically on the path to citizenship.

With LA-ORT College and Westwood College representatives as guest speakers, both schools were able to promote their programs to our audience; and we can say that their respective curriculum and mission truly inspired and motivated our participants.

A fun dart game also further enticed the audience during our ice breaker; and winners received cool prizes.

CSI Professionals Inc. understands that being new to a different country can be difficult, but if you receive guidance and assistance from the right people, things will become somewhat easier. This is why we continuously provide informative workshops, consultations and orientations to our clientele, for proper preparation and guidance to start off or continue their journey towards the American Dream.

Now that our attendees have learned about the “other side” and their options, they already have a clearer view and ac-tion plan on what to do next and what to expect as to their next move on job search and sponsorship process; and we will be continuously guiding them.

Equally important is also CSI’s effort to a long term commitment of reaching out not only within our local community but also to diverse communities as a call for change and unity amongst the next generation of working professionals that will define the future workforce in America.

Missed our free workshop? Watch out for our announcement for the next schedule in our Facebook, Twitter and Blog site.

Call us! 213.487.5059 or 818.476.0082NEW MAIN OFFICE: 100 N Brand

Blvd 6th Floor Glendale CA 91203LA Branch Office: 3255 Wilshire Blvd

Ste 1520 Los Angeles CA 90010Visit our website at: www.csipro-

fessionalsinc.com Like us on Face-book: www.facebook.com/csipro-fessionalsinc Visit our Blog: www.csiprofessionalsinc.wordpress.com Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/csiemployment

Now, our clients have discovered what’s on the other side

CSI’s July 10’15 Workshop on Employment and Immigration (Path to Citizenship)

Family members joined the celebrants in this photo were: (from left, back row) Patricia, Michael, Miguel, Gina, Sabrina, Roel, Paula, Michelle, Reanna, Basil, Marjorie, (middle row) Corey & Joy Estrobel, Jim & Mylene Billups, Andee, Kyle, Mikee, Alex (front Row) Mateo, Ian & Noah

was recognized with a church blessing and small family gathering on June 27, 2015.

My parents met in the Philippines when my dad was 25 and while my mom was 21. I remember my mom telling me that they met at Bureau of Lands in the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources in 1964 where they were both working as casual or temp workers. I guess the attraction and love between them was intense that in April 1965, they decided to elope and get a civil wedding against the wishes of my strict Grandma Josefa. My parents’ marriage has not been devoid of any rough patches. There had been challenges with finances early on in the marriage because of hardship getting a stable job and drama experienced from relatives on dad’s side of the family. Based from what I heard, the marriage grew stronger during these trying times because they both faced the challenges together. Life got better for my parents when my dad was hired by Glaxo Philippines in 1965 to work as a Pharmaceuti-cal Sales Representative.

One of the milestones was when the whole family immigrated to the US in 1989 from the petition received from Lola Epang. This resulted to my dad filing for a tempo-rary resignation from Glaxo Philippines, his employer of 23 years. His employer advised him he would never get the same position he already had in the Philippines if he decided to quit his job at Glaxo. My dad was already a Regional Sales Manager that time. True enough, finding a better-paying job and a se-nior level management position didn’t happen at all. My dad had to accept menial jobs such as working as a Pharmacy Clerk at FEDCO. We knew that this was a hit on my dad’s ego. He could have turned his back and decided

to return to the Philippines where his comfort zone was; however, my dad has always been a man of conviction with rooted love for his family. He decided to officially resign from Glaxo Philippines and decided to stay with his family in the US. For him, having a complete family was far more rewarding than a high position and a better paying job back home. God rewarded his efforts because soon after, he was accepted to work in Glaxo America (now called GlaxoSmithKline) as a Pharmaceutical Sales Representative and his years of service from the Philippines were credited towards his retirement years. He worked for them for another 17 years until his retirement in April 2006.

My parents have been blessed with 5 children: Joy, Michael, Mylene, Mervin and Michelle, and have been doubly blessed with 13 grandchildren and 1 great-grandchild. Currently, my parents live in Austin, Texas where my younger brother Mervin and his family live as well since 2008. They enjoy traveling and spending quality time with the family at every opportunity.

What has made their marriage work for 50 years? A major part of it is because from the beginning, their relationship remained primarily focused on the positive coupled with deep faith in God. My dad and mom have stayed connected when life has not been easy or even when life has gone well.

When they received their 50th year wed-ding blessing on June 27 at San Antonio Catholic Church in Anaheim Hills, my parents were presented a Certificate of Apostolic Blessing from Our Holy Father, Pope Francis.

Mylene Billups and her husband Jim have three children and live in Altadena, California.


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FEMALE CAREGIVERFull-time live-in female caregiver needed immediately for a board & care facility for elderly in North-ridge. With experience but not necessary. We will train. Pls call 818-742-8045.


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

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PRAYER to the BLESSED VIRGIN(Never known to fail)

Oh most beautiful ower of Mt. Carmel, fruit wine splendor of Heaven.Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. Oh Star of the Sea. Help me and show me here you are my Mother. Oh Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to succour me in my necessity. (make request). There are none that can withstand your power. Oh Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee (3 times). Holy Mary, I place this prayer in your hands (3 times). Say this prayer for three consecutive days and then you must publish and it will be granted to you.Grateful Thanks.-LEA

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Though most celebrations for the coun-try’s 117th Independence day are held in the Philippines, LBC Express, Inc., the leading courier service, logistics, and money remit-tance provider has brought festivities to Filipinos across the globe. In celebration and commemoration of Philippine free-dom, LBC Express held a series of games, raffles and freebies across the Middle East, Asia Pacific, North America and Europe.

Middle East“Among the regions, the Middle East is

one of the most popular choice for over-seas Filipinos,” said Barty Espino, Vice President for Middle East Operations. “So it only makes sense that we bring a touch of home, even if we’re thousands of miles away.”

Over 20,000 Filipinos attended the Independence Day celebrations in malls in United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Kuwait, and Qatar, with the support of the Philip-pine Embassy and Consulate offices in the GCC. Our “Ka-LBCs” enjoyed games, raffles and freebies, such as discounts on cargo, and complimentary sea cargo servic-es and balikbayan boxes. Some attendees were also treated to Shopping Suki deals to maximize their cargo sending. New members of the LBC Plus card were also gifted with premium LBC merchandise and Max’s Restaurant vouchers.

In Bahrain, singer Angeline Quinto and model Daniel Matsunaga celebrated with Filipinos at Lost Paradise of Dilmun Water Park and visited the LBC Bahrain branch to meet and greet our Ka-LBCs.

Asia-PacificIn the Asia-Pacific region, LBC held

fun-filled activities in Malaysia and Hong Kong. In Malaysia, LBC set up booths offering exciting games and freebies, and a colorful fiesta-themed parade. In Hong Kong, LBC also had booths loaded with freebies and a stage where games were held. The courier service gave free LBC Plus cards to over 150 Filipino registrants in both countries.

“Our celebrations are catered to the global Filipino,” shared Karen Sanchez, Brand Manager for Asia Pacific and Australia. “And because there is a large concentration of Filipinos in Malaysia and Hong Kong, we make it a point that we join all Philippine Independence Day celebra-tions wherever LBC is present.”

North AmericaIn the United States and Canada, the

company delivered personalized cakes to consulate offices in Hawaii, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, British Columbia and Toronto.

“Our role at LBC Express is to serve as the bridge between overseas Filipinos and their loved ones back home,” said Patricia Garcia, Brand Head for North America. “So wherever there is a Filipino, you can always expect LBC to be there to be their partner in sending the love back home.”

EuropeKababayans and Ka-LBCs in Europe

also joined the Independence Day festivi-ties in the region, where LBC is present: the United Kingdom (UK), Italy, Spain, Germany, France and Austria.

A series of Barrio Fiestas were held in UK cities where there are large Fili-pino communities: Manchester, Yorkshire, Bradford, Bristol, Manchester, Swansea, Scotland, Birmingham, London, and Hounslow had games, raffles, and pag-eants, while Newcastle, Morden, Oxford, and Milton Keynes held their own celebra-tions.

The Filipino communities in Barcelona, Madrid, Milan, Rome, Napoli, and Paris also organized events; the German cit-ies of Recklinghausen, Oberhausen, and Wilhemsfeld had festivities with a beach party, a Santacruzan, a gala night, and a celebration of Dr. Jose Rizal’s birthday. The Filipinos in Belfast, Dublin, and Vi-enna toasted to a new year of independence as well.

“Globally, it has become a tradition among Filipinos abroad to gather in cele-bration of their Filipino roots. We organize local community events offering different types of entertainment like cultural presen-tations, performances from celebrities from the Philippines or local talents and booths featuring Filipino delicacies and products,” said Miguel Vecin, Vice President of Eu-rope Operations.

“This is meant to make our new envi-ronments feel like home.”

LBC’s partnerships with Filipino com-munities is part of its commitment to serve overseas Filipinos across the globe. In total, the courier service has over 4,400 branches, partners, and agents in over 30 countries, ready to serve as the bridge between the more than 10 million Filipi-nos overseas and their loved ones in the Philippines. With LBC’s global presence, any country can feel like home.

For more information on LBC Express, please visit http://www.lbcexpress.com; or call the following hotlines: 800-035-702-444 (UAE), 800-8-110332 (KSA), 17006522 (Bahrain), 00-800-100-130 (Qatar) or 222-00-428 (Kuwait), 8585-999 (Asia Pacific), 1-800-241-1312 Extn. 7007 (North America), (UK), (Spain), (Italy), (Germany), (France) and (Austria).

Model Daniel Matsunaga and singer Angeline Quinto visiting an LBC branch in Bahrain with sponsor Ali Al A’Ali and the LBC Bahrain team (left photo). LBC gave free LBC Plus Cards to over 150 Filipino registrants in Malaysia and Hong Kong. The LBC Plus Card is a rewards and loyalty program where customers can avail of special discounts and freebies on exclusive LBC products and services, and deals and discounts from partner establishments around the world.

LBC celebrates PHL Independence Day across the globe

Kids aged 3 to 13 are invited to attend Vacation Bible School from July 20 to July 24 at the Living Bread Ministries Church in Harbor City.

With the theme: Everest Conquering Challenges with God’s Mighty Power, the 6 p.m. to :9:30 p.m. Bible study will provide Christian guidance and moral value formation to our young, especially in these most challenging times.

The Living Bread Ministries Church is located at 25000 Normandie Ave., Harbor City, CA 90710.

For more information, please call 310-784-0722.

Vacation Bible School July 20-24 in Harbor City



MOTORINGhighest initial quality in the small SUV seg-ment and the 2015 Hyundai Accent earned the highest honor in the small-car segment for the second year in a row.

“Hyundai is committed to delivering its owners exceptional quality vehicles,” said Frank Ferrara, executive vice presi-dent, customer satisfaction, Hyundai Motor America. “Not only do we take the improvement of quality on our existing models seriously, but we must also launch new vehicles with the highest quality right out of the gate. It is important for our customers to be happy with their vehicles, and that starts with quality and educating them on how to use all the features of their vehicle. Results like these demonstrate how well we’re succeeding in connect-ing with our customers on all levels.”IQS, now in its 29th year, serves as the industry benchmark for new-vehicle qual-ity measured at 90 days of ownership. According to the study, Tucson and Ac-cent owners reported fewer problems with their vehicles than any other small SUV or small car, respectively.

“Small SUVs and small cars are some of the most popular vehicles on the road today and nearly every automaker has products that compete in these segments, giving consumers many options to choose from,” said Mircea Gradu, executive di-rector, engineering and quality, Hyundai Motor America. “Both the Accent and Tuc-son were ranked highest in their crowded segments for high quality, which provides owners peace of mind when it comes to an important financial purchase.”

In total, Hyundai had four models ranking in the top two in their segments, including segment awards for Tucson an-dAccent, and second-place finishes for Elantra and Santa Fe. The Hyundai overall score was 95 problems per 100 vehicles, 17 problems fewer than the industry average. This year’s results mark the fourth time Hyundai has fin-ished among the top four brands overall.The 2015 IQS is based on responses from more than 84,000 purchasers and lessees of new 2015 model-year vehicles surveyed after 90 days of ownership. The study is

Hyundai earns high marks in annual J.D. Power IQSTucson and Accent Receive J.D. Power Initial Quality Awards

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., June 17, 2015 – Hyundai ranked fourth among all brands in the J.D. Power 2015 U.S. Initial

Quality StudySM (IQS) and second among non-premium automakers. In addition, the 2015 Hyundai Tucsonwas awarded for the

based on a 233-question survey designed to provide manufacturers with informa-tion to facilitate the identification of problems and drive product improvement.H y u n d a i Q u a l i t yDuring the last eleven years, Hyundai Motor Corporation has invested in a series of quality control initiatives, including a 24-hour, 365-days-a-year Global Quality Situation Room enabling engineers to re-spond in real-time to diverse quality issues. “Quality Cluster” facilities have been built around the globe to ensure the highest level of quality is integrated at every step in the production process – further promoting the company-wide belief that customer safety and satisfaction is at the core of Hyundai vehicle development.

Whether you prefer Sonata or other Hyundai vehicle, Hyundai is one of America’s sought-after car brands.

And if you would like to check out why Hyundai is among the best selling cars, call our kababayans Jun Milan or

Jay Trinidad, Filipino Sales & Leasing professionals at Win Hyundai of Carson at 1-888-718-7473. Better yet, drive down to Win Hyundai and feel the luxury of Sonata first-hand.

Win Hyundai is conveniently located at 3462 N Peck Road, El Monte, CA 91731 in San Gabriel Valley and at 2205 East 223rd St. in Carson, CA 90810.

Tuesday July 7 2015 (Relaxnews) – Two members of Honda’s research and development team have managed to achieve an average fuel economy of 100.31mpg (2.8l/100km) during a drive across Europe in a standard, diesel-powered Honda Civic Tourer. The journey, which started in Aalst, Belgium, saw the car travel clockwise through each of the 24 contiguous EU countries and cover a total distance of 8,387 miles (13497.57km) in 25 days. As well as averaging 100.31mpg – a 25% increase on the car’s officially quoted fuel efficiency (74.3mpg) – the Civic Tourer also averaged 932 miles (1500km) on a tank of fuel, mean-ing that there were only nine refueling stops in total. Of the achievement of winning the title for “Lowest Fuel Consumption - all 24 contiguous EU countries,” co-driver Fergal McGrath said: “It was tough, but we really enjoyed it, and setting this new Guinness World Records title has made all of the hard work worthwhile.”

Honda sets new world record for fuel effi ciency



TORRANCE, Calif. (July 1, 2015) – Toyo-ta Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., today re-ported June 2015 sales of 209,912 units, an increase of 4.1 percent from June 2014 on a volume basis.

With one more selling day in June 2015 than in June 2014, sales were down 0.1 percent on a dai-ly selling rate (DSR) basis. Toyota division post-ed June 2015 sales of 183,791 units, up 3.1 percent on a volume basis and down 1 percent on a DSR basis. For the first half of the year, TMS reported sales of 1,231,440 units, up 5.6 percent versus the same period in 2014 on a DSR basis.

With the same amount of selling days in the first half of 2015 compared to 2014, sales were up 5.6 percent on an unadjusted raw-volume basis.

June 2015 Highlights:• Camry posted sales of 37,408 units• Corolla posted sales of 30,645 units• Total Toyota light trucks up 16.5 per-

cent, a June record• Highlander up almost 20 percent• RAV4 sales rose 15.1 percent to

24,843 units• Combined Tacoma and Tundra pickup

sales up 22.4 percentEarlier, Cars.com has named two Toyota

models as most American-Made.

The Toyota Camry and the Toyota Sienna have claimed the top two spots, respectively, in the annual Cars.com Amer-ican-Made Index. This marks Toyota’s return to the American-Made pin-nacle for the first time in three years and the fifth time overall that Camry has been ranked number one on the index.According to Cars.com,

the “American-Made Index rates vehicles built and bought in the United States. Factors include the percentage of parts considered “domestic” under federal regulations, whether the car is assembled in the U.S. and U.S. sales. Models with domestic-parts content ratings below 75 percent are disqualified, as well as models built exclusively outside the U.S. or models soon to be discontinued without a U.S.-built successor.”

Whatever the competitors make, pro-duce or advertise with aplomb, Filipinos always prefer the Toyota brand and our population is one of America’s biggest markets.

And speaking of markets or if you are in the market for a new car, which most likely you’re looking for a new Toyota, just call our kababayan Alex Almalvez at Wondries Toyota. You can easily reach Alex at 818-653-4410. Wondries Toyota is located at 1543 W Main St, Alhambra, CA 91801.

Toyota reports nearly 210,000 sales in June; Buy yours now at Wondries Toyota in AlhambraToyota Division is No. 1 retail brand in June; DCH Toyota of Torrance among the leaders in So-Cal

Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) achieved its 16th consecutive month of year-over-year sales increases in June, reporting 7,963 units sold – an increase of 32.3 percent from June 2014. Sales for the first half of the year are up 24.9% over a strong performance in 2014.

“The first half of last year was pretty incredible for Mitsubishi Motors,” said Don Swearingen, executive vice president of MMNA. “And this year our January through June sales are even stronger, up 24.9% for the year. We expect this pace to continue as the new 2016 Outlander starts to roll into dealerships.”

The Mitsubishi Outlander Sport com-pact crossover reached an all-time monthly high with May sales of 3,384 units, an increase of 20.0 percent from May 2014. The highly fuel-efficient Mitsubishi Mi-rage 5-door sub-compact also completed a historic month with sales of 3,369 units, an increase of 98.2% over May 2014. The seven-passenger Outlander crossover demonstrated continued consistent sales performance with 1,341 units sold – its best May sales since 2008.

“Mirage, Outlander Sport, and Outland-er continue to lead the charge for the brand and, frankly, that comes as no surprise,” explains Don Swearingen, executive vice president of MMNA. “Each model brings to its segment the Mitsubishi value propo-sition and clearly that message is resonat-ing with consumers. Later this summer we will be introducing the featured-loaded new 2016 Outlander and it will be priced to further add to our value story.”

Earlier, the 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport crossover has been named by Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com as one of its “10 Most Affordable SUVs.” Known for a long list of features at an affordable price point, the Outlander Sport also received this same recognition in 2014.

In its assessment this year, Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com noted that the 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport “combines bold, sporty styling with an exceptional warranty that includes 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain coverage.”

If you’re interested to know why the SUV and the Mitsubishi has captured the fancy of millions Americans through the years, all you have to do is get in touch with out kababayans – Filipino Sales & Leas-ing professionals Alex Jacinto and Norm Bustillos and Finance Manager Norm Bustamante at Puente Hills Mitsubishi. You can reach them at 1-866-400-1067.

Mitsubishi Motors reports sixteenth month of year-over-year sales increases

Lance Elarmo shows off his brand-new 2015 Mitsubishi Mirage he purchased at Puente Hills Mitsubishi who was ably aided by our friendly kababayan Filipino Sales & Leasing professional Alex Jacinto (inset) at the dealership.



N A S H V I L L E , Tenn. – As Nissan readies to launch the 2016 Nissan Rogue this fall, demand for the boldly designed crossover has never been higher – a trend that is expected to continue with a number of significant enhancements for the new model year.

Totally redesigned just two years ago, Rogue adds to its already impressive suite of available safety, security and convenience features with the addi-tion of available Forward Emergency Braking (FEB), a Motion-Activated Power Liftgate, Siri Eyes Free and new telematics services. Additional changes to the Rogue lineup will be announced later in the 2016 model year.

“The crossover segment, particularly small crossovers, is the hottest part of the automotive market right now,” said Fred Diaz, senior vice president, Sales & Marketing and Operations, U.S.A., Nissan North America, Inc. “The Nis-san Rogue is leading the sales growth pace and has not yet shown us the upper limits of the potential in the market.”

The Rogue nameplate has experi-enced seven consecutive year-over-year sales gains since its launch in 2007. From first full-year sales of 73,000 units in 2008 to nearly 200,000 unit sales last year, Rogue has been one of the hottest-selling small crossovers in the U.S. market.

Sales of Rogue and the all-new Mu-rano are leading Nissan’s recent sales surge, with Murano sales up 73.8 per-

cent in June and Rogue up 54.3 percent (versus June 2014 sales). The 2016 Maxima, which went on sale in early June, is already show-ing strong consumer interest.

As in the previous two years, the 2016 Rogue combines emo-tive styling, a premium interior created with

comfort and multi-tasking in mind, and an array of available affordable technologies. Rogue again offers optional 3-row/7-passenger seating, along with exceptional passenger and cargo flexibility with its innovative EZ Flex Seating System™ and innovative Divide-N-Hide Cargo System.

The engine is matched with an ad-vanced Xtronic transmission. Rogue comes in three well-equipped models: S, SV and SL, each in a choice of front-wheel or all-wheel drive.

Nissan’s advanced Forward Emer-gency Braking (FEB), which is usually found on more expensive luxury ve-hicles, uses radar technology to moni-tor speed and proximity to the vehicle ahead. It is available now on Murano and Maxima.

Specific Rogue enhancements for 2016 include:

Forward Emergency Braking (FEB) added to Rogue SL Premium Package

Motion-Activated Power Liftgate added to Rogue SL

NissanConnect Services powered by SiriusXM added to Rogue SL

Blind Spot Warning (BSW) func-

2015 Nissan Rogue: The 2015 Nissan Rogue’s bold, sharp bodylines offer a sporty and confi dent appearance, balancing its sleek style with an aggressive stance provided by large wheelwells and available 18-inch wheels and tires.

Nissan Rogue crossover’s hot sales continue as it readies for 2016 with new features and technology

Manuel Lava of Nissan of Mission Hills

tionality changed from camera-based to radar-based

Siri™ Eyes Free added to Rogue SV Premium Package and Rogue SL

Body-colored outside mirrors with

integrated turn signals and chrome door handles added to Rogue S Appearance Package

Addition of one new exterior color: Magnetic Black

Sunday July 12 2015 (Mexico City-AFP) - It was a symbol of the Mexico City landscape, zooming, honking and fuming in the mega-capital’s infamously dense traffic.

But the beloved Volkswagen Beetle is nearly extinct, a victim of anti-pollution campaigns.

A few “vochos,” as the curvy car is known in Mexico, can still be spotted oc-casionally in the city’s chaotic streets while so-called “Vochomania” clubs of collectors try to keep it alive.

But the once ubiquitous white and green

– and later red and gold – Beetle taxis that clogged boulevards are gone from the metropolis, home to 20 million people and four million cars.

“We could have thought about keeping a few in the historic center to preserve the symbol. But it wasn’t meant to be,” said Rodrigo Diaz, an urban planning consul-tant who writes a blog on transport issues.

The unceremonious demise of the vo-cho is surprising for a country that has had a long love affair with the Beetle.

The “people’s car” born in Germany in the politically charged 1930s arrived in Mexico in 1954, where it became an instant hit.

Seen as affordable, easy to fix and a fun ride, Mexicans scooped up 50,000 Beetles in just one year. It was quickly adopted by taxi drivers and the Volkswagen was given the diminutive nickname, vocho.

“In case of a breakdown, you could re-place the fan belt with panty hose,” recalled Ricardo, a nostalgic taxi driver.

The car’s success prompted Volkswagen to build a plant in the central state of Puebla in 1964. By 1973, a third of cars sold in Mexico were vochos.

During that era, the Beetle became the most produced single model car in history with 15 million vehicles made, overtaking Ford’s Model T.

Beetle fever spread across the region. In Brazil, where it was also built, people called it “Fusca.”

In Uruguay, former president Jose Mu-jica declared only one asset in 2010: His 1987 Beetle.

Queen of HollywoodWhile the bug was adored in Mexico,

its charm won over Hollywood, where it was immortalized as “Herbie” in a Disney film series about the Number 53 race car with a big heart.

In 1980, the production took the Beetle to Mexico in “Herbie Goes Bananas,” in which the intelligent car faces off with a bull in an arena, dismantles a network of smugglers of Aztec artifacts and acceler-ates like a Formula 1 race car.

The films contributed to the Beetle’s worldwide popularity.

But after the era of the oil crisis, the Beetle began to lose its charm. It was sud-denly seen as too polluting, too noisy and too uncomfortable.

Its backseat was too hard compared to newer vehicles. The passenger seat was often removed by taxi drivers. When the driver hit the brakes too hard, the passenger risked flying through the windshield.

In Mexico City, once beloved ‘Beetle’ car nearly extinct


CELL:

NISSAN OF MISSION HILLSNissan Dealer in the Nation*BASED ON SALES OF VERSA SEDAN AS DOCUMENTED ON NISSAN AUGUST 2014 RDR REPORT#1

0%LONG TERMFINANCING

APR FACTORYON APPROVED CREDIT ON SELECT MODELS

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Heading out for a road trip with your family this summer? Got your sunscreen? Check. Road tunes? Check. Sunglasses? Check. A properly installed car seat? The answer may not be as simple as you think.In fact, many people are surprised to learn that a staggering three out of four car seats are incorrectly installed. This is so alarming because motor vehicle crashes are one of the leading causes of death among children. However, a properly installed car seat can dramati-cally reduce injury and prevent death.That’s why as travel season heats up, Buck-le Up for Life, the national child pas-senger safety program from Cincin-nati Children’s and Toyota, released the following must-know tips for keep-ing child passengers safe this summer:Always use the “Inch Test” and the “Pinch Test”. Pinch the car seat strap near the child’s shoulder; if you can pinch a wrinkle in the fabric, tighten the strap until it is snug. For the “Inch Test,” grab the car seat from the back and bottom and tug from side to side and front to back. If the seat moves more than an inch in either direction, tighten it.

Never add towels or extra layers be-tween the seat and your child. Car seats can get hot in summer weather, and sticky treats like ice cream can cause spills – but don’t be tempted to pile up towels in your child’s seat to keep them cool or tidy. Ex-tra material could interfere with the seat’s ability to restrain the child in the event of a crash, so it is important to only use acces-sories and products specifically approved for use by the seat’s manufacturer.

Take time to cool off; then buckle up. If the car seat is hot because of high sum-mer temperatures, take some extra time to cool the car down before placing your child in the seat. Open the windows, turn on the air conditioner, and test to ensure plastic or metal buckles are not hot. Once the seat’s temperature has reached a com-fortable level, always buckle your child in as usual – even for short trips. Never leave children alone in the car, especially in the summer, when temperatures can escalate dangerously in a matter of minutes.

Don’t rent a car seat. If you are rent-ing a car this summer, use your own car seat. When you rent a seat you don’t know important facts about its history that could affect its ability to protect your child (e.g., expiration date, crash history, etc.) The good news is that most airlines allow you to check your car seat for free.

Secure loose items in the car. Make sure all loose items – particularly summer travel essentials such as beach chairs, cool-ers, umbrellas and suitcases – are tightly

secured in your vehicle. These objects could become projectiles in the event of a crash.

“Summer is a wonderful time to travel with your family and build memo-ries that will last a lifetime, but it’s important that parents and caregivers do all they can to make sure their littlest passengers are protected,” said Gloria DelCastillo, child passenger safety expert at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and national program manager for Buckle Up for Life. “This summer, we hope all families will put these safety precau-tions in place before getting on the road.”The tips are part of Buckle Up for Life’s mis-sion to educate families about the proper use of car seats and seat belts and provide free car seats to families in need. Over the last ten years,Buckle Up for Life has grown to include a network of 14 of the nation’s leading children’s hospitals and has educated more than 17,000 people. Toyota’s sponsorship has provided fund-ing for over 40,000 car seats for families in need. To learn more visit www.Buckle-UpforLife.org.

This friendly reminder is from Hooman

Summer travel safety alert: Hooman Toyota reminds everyone of the ‘Five Must-Know Car Seat Tips for Child Passengers’

Toyota and from its Filipino fleet Alfie A., Arvin and DJ Mouth.

Call them toll free at 1-800-519-2446 at be a VIP for life with a lot of free perks

for those who purchase a Toyota vehicle at Hooman Toyota. Hooman Toyota is located at 4401 East Pacific Highway, Long Beach, CA 90804.




Date post:	22-Jul-2016
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