Manila Media Monitor -- October 2009

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YEAR 13, No. 4 OCTOBER 2009

Home Paper of the 1999 Canadian Ethnic Journalists’ and Writers’ Club Winner for Best Editorial

FOR TYPHOON-DEVASTATED PHILIPPINES

CANADIAN RELIEF FCT TYPHOON RELIEF MOBILIZATION. Sorting out the numerous donations of clothing, non-perishable goods and medicines brought in at the Filipino Centre Toronto for the Philippine flood victims are Baby de Villa, Wendy Arena, Dante Ylagan, Felino Javier and Ed Birondo. The FCT had special arrangements with FOREX that will transport the donated items to two distributing centers in Manila run by the Assumption nuns and the Sandigan Bayan, respectively. Photo: AIDA D’ ORAZIO

“Our hearts go out to the victims of floods, landslides and other disasters spawned by typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng that recently devastated Metro Manila and the whole of northern Luzon.” “Photos, videos and reports of these victims in desperate need of food, medicine and shelter continue to haunt us. “And in the true spirit of bayanihan (collective cooperation), Filipinos abroad have speedily and willingly responded in cash and kind to ease the situation and meet the urgent needs back home.” This was how Filipino Centre Toronto (FCT) publicist Aida D’ Orazio described the frenzy of relief mobilization the community and its multi-diverse friends went into in the wake of twin calamities that hit the Philippines. (To page 4)

Toronto, Ontario

INSIDE From The Monitor’s Desk Thank You, SuperMar! -8 Ang upo Dancing ni To Be A Star - 33 Pons - 14 Sonsona defends title in Nov. 21 Rumble - 17 Unity Concert for RP disaster victims -33 Gawad Kalinga’s Tony Meloto (center) meets with leaders of the Archdiocesan Filipino Catholic Missions (AFCM) in a visit to Toronto on Oct. 16. They discussed plans to help rebuild the lives of people devastated by deep floodwaters spawned by the recent spate of typhoons in the Philippines, particularly the poor in Metro Manila and neighboring areas of Rizal province. From left are Lady of the Assumption Church priests Fr. Joe Pena, Fr Ben Ebcas - also AFCM pastor -- and Fr. Romeo Tolentino, Rocel Enverga, Jun Enverga, AFCM Laity Rosemer Enverga and Temi Pangilinan of ANCOP-Canada. At the background are boxes of relief goods ready for shipment to Manila. PR

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MANILA MEDIA MONITOR OCTOBER 2009

news Western Union supports caregivers’ welfare, sponsors Juana Tejada Room at OLA church Western Union has a long history of looking after the well-being of Canada’s Filipino caregiver community. This year, Western Union paid tribute to Filipino caregiver Juana Tejada, whose life story and contribution to promote the welfare of caregivers continue to inspire people. While Western Union provided a beautiful memorial for Tejada, it also sponsored a room in the Our Lady of Assumption church named after her. The room is equipped with computers for

caregivers to keep in touch with their families back in Philippines. The room is not big; but it is filled with love and hope of a brighter tomorrow for caregivers. The room’s blessing on Aug. 29 was officiated by Father Ben Ebcas and was attended by Western Union vice president and general manager Brian Fox and country development manager for the Philippines Chito Gonzales. Western Union Canada understands the caregivers’ situation and is proud to (To page 34)

Western Union vice president and general manager Brian Fox, Fr. Ben Ebcas and Western Union country development manager for the Philippines Chito Gonzales show Western Union’s plaque of support for caregivers’ welfare. PR

MANILA MEDIA MONITOR OCTOBER 2009

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Police Chief Blair set to meet community leaders on issues, concerns Toronto Police Service (TPS) chief William Blair is set to discuss issues and concerns with community leaders in a Town Hall meeting at the police headquarters along 40 College St. on Nov. 3. In an invitation to the public, TPS-Asia Pacific Community Consultative Committee (APCCC) cochair Superintendent Jane Wilcox said the meeting would start at 6:30 p.m. “Chief Blair is looking BLAIR forward to meeting everyone and to discuss and listen to community concerns and issues,” Wilcox said. “It is also an opportunity to communicate to the Chief directly,” she said. The Town Hall meeting is a joint effort of APCCC members “representing the Japanese, Korean, Filipino and Vietnamese communities” in Toronto, she added. (See related photo on page 13.) The event is being facilitated by TPS Community Liaison Officer Constable Philip Mendoza. Attendance may be brought to Mendoza’s attention through phone by calling 416-808-7071 or by e-mail through [email protected].

WESTERN UNION OFFICIALS with Juana Tejada Room facilitators. PR

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MANILA MEDIA MONITOR OCTOBER 2009

news

Canadian relief

(From page 1) Pepeng Supertyphoon Pepeng (IN: Parma) unleashed its fury in the Philippines on Oct. 3. Its path blocked by Typhoon Melor that hit Japan, Pepeng stayed for a week, spawning heavy rainfall that caused massive floods and landslides in northern Luzon. It is the 17th tropical cyclone to have hit the country in 2009. Philippine disaster officials said Pepeng left 375 people dead, most of them victims of landslides; 185 injured; and 52 others still missing. At least 675,680 families or 3.1 million persons were affected. Some 17,500 families or 83,400 persons are still in evacuation centers. Ondoy Ondoy (IN: Ketsana) dumped 30 days worth of average rainfall in nine hours on Sept. 26. It triggered 20-foot deep flashfloods in the Philippine premier city of Metro Manila (pop.: 17 million) not seen in 40 years. It is the 16th tropical cyclone to have hit the country in 2009. Disaster agency records showed Ondoy claimed 337 lives. At least 308 were injured and 37 went missing.

The tropical storm affected over four million people in Metro Manila and neighboring provinces. Devastation Philippine agriculture officials placed the damage at P18.4 billion (US$368 million). Affected were 121,949 hectares of farms, destroying 925,523 metric tons of rice, corn, and other crops. Gone were fishery, livestock and poultry products and P2.7 billion worth of irrigation facilities. Food security is theatened; more rice imports are mulled. Further, more than 100,000 houses and things in them were either damaged or destroyed by flashfloods, mudpools and landslides. More storms Luckily, the Philippines was spared from Typhoon Ramil (IN: Lupit), which veered away from northern Luzon. But weather officials said that by month-end, a strong typhoon to be named Santi -- the country’s 19th - is expected over areas still reeling from Pepeng and Ondoy’s wrath. Canadian response ► Minister of International Cooperation Beverley Oda said the Canadian gov-

Volunteers sort out, pack and stack box after balikbayan box of relief clothing and canned food at the height of relief mobilization efforts for flashflood victims of Typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng in northern Philippines. The basement of the Our Lady of Assumption Church turned into a beehive of kind hearts who would give and the kind hands who would do almost everything to help devastated fellowmen. ernment has made available up to $5 million (P220 million) in humanitarian assistance for typhoon victims. The new financial aid came after an initial contribution from the Canadian Embassy in Manila of P2.2 million given to the Philippine National Red Cross to buy basic food and essential non-food items for 3,500 families in Marikina City and Rizal.

► The Provincial Government of Manitoba also sent $100,000 (P4.4 million) to support relief efforts. “I am pleased to be able to offer support on behalf of the Province in this time of great need,” said Manitoba Premier Gary Doer. ► In Calgary, remittance centers waived fees for those sending donations to the Philippines. The Filipino Chan-

nel (TFC) Canada and the cast of Star Cinema’s In My Life used the last leg of their movie’s screening in Calgary and Toronto to call for more help for victims of Ondoy. Batangueños in Calgary donated a check to Gov. Vilma Santos for victims in Batangas. ► Immigration Minister John Kenney announced a faster immigration process

for those affected by typhoon Ondoy in the Philippines specifically those who have pending sponsorship by citizens and permanent residents in Canada. Kenney said the visa office in Manila would prioritize those identified as “significantly-affected” by the Ondoy flashfloods. Applicants should call citizenship and immigra(To page 6)

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MANILA MEDIA MONITOR OCTOBER 2009

Canadian relief

(From page 4) tion Canada’s call center for more information. New sponsorship applications meanwhile should put “Philippines” on their mailing envelope. Community response Persons, groups and agencies set up fund drives and collection centers for canned goods, medicines and clothing for the disaster victims. Among the groups were: ► The Archdiocesan Filipino Catholic Mission (AFCM) of the Archdiocese of Toronto that received and processed relief goods at the Our Lady of Assumption (OLA) Church. Fr. Joe Peña, OLA head of relief operations, said some 800 balikbayan boxes of food, clothing and other relief goods, shipped out via Reliable Cargo Express on Oct. 12 and 18 in two container vans, are due for Manila by mid-November. The relief goods will be distributed through the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). OLA pastor and AFCM director Fr. Ben Ebcas said over $30,000 in cheques and cash were raised as of Oct. 12 from donations made

through ShareLife, which allocates donated funds 100 percent to the victims devoid of any administration cost. All funds would be chanelled to Caritas Manila through the CBCP . Ebcas said the AFCM’s Temporalities Ministry led by Rosemer Enverga has also started coordinating the work on rebuilding typhoon hard-hit communities, in cooperation with the Philippine Independence Day Council. He said the AFCM has partnered with Gawad Kalinga on the matter. ► The Filipino Canadian Association of Vaughan (FCAV) has shipped some 140 boxes of used clothes, blankets, bed sheets, shoes and nonperishable food received from donors from all over Vaughan, the Greater Toronto Area, Newmarket, Aurora and Mississauga. The boxes were shipped to the Sagip Kapamilya/ ABS-CBN Foundation in Quezon City, the Philippines. FCAV also acknowledged the $10,000 disaster relief donation of the City of Vaughan, sister city of Baguio, one of those

news severely affected by the typhoons. ► The Filipino Centre Toronto, Folkorico Philippines Canada, Quezon Provincial Association, University of the Philippines Alumni Association and Batangas Provincial Association, which leaders and members worked as

one to receive and process relief cash and items. FCT president Linda Javier took the helm in the effort. Donations in balikbayan boxes have been shipped. FCT director Dr. Nenette de Villa left for Manila to hand over cash donations to the Sandigang Bayan and Assumption Convent nuns.

► The Kapisanan Philippine Centre for Arts and Culture shipped out, through Forex, 20 balikbayan boxes of relief goods to San Juan, Metro Manila where Carmita Mangosing would distribute the goods to affected families. (Related story on page 33) Kapisanan also allocat-

ed boxes of relief goods to the Children’s Rehabilitation Centre in Quezon City. ► The Toronto Police Service (TPS) - Pilipino Internal Support Network (P-ISN) has also raised cash donations coursed through the Red Cross. TPS Community Liai(To poge 7)

Scenes like this are seen all over the Greater Toronto Area as members of the community mobilize -- giving their time, energy and money -- to raise and process contributions in cash and kind for victims of Typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng that recently battered the Philippines, spawning flashfloods that swept away lives, homes and the future of many Filipinos. Photo: AFCM

MANILA MEDIA MONITOR OCTOBER 2009

VIEWS Canadian relief (From page 6) son Officer Philip Mendoza said uniformed and civilian members of the force contributed to the relief fund. ► The Pangasinan Association of Canada (PACA) launched a relief drive and first to respond was Emmanuel Galapate, a representative of Sison, Pangasinan, who shipped seven boxes of relief items to Pangasinan, said PACA founder Ernie Quinit. PACA president Quintin Palisoc appealed for more financial and relief help. Others who sent help included Palisoc, Quinit, Cesar Ramirez, Willy Rafanan, Julio Sison, Zosie De Vera, Theresita Burguillo, Leli Victorino, Felix Tulagan, Noel Lalicon, Ben Sison, Robert Cacapit, Tony Ramos, Vodka Calicdan, Gloria Medina, Merly Aldana, Cristy Pe Benito, Conrado Mayo, Rose Peregrino and presidents of town associations of Pangasinan. Meanwhile, PACA would have a fundraising dinner-dance at the St. Ambrose Catholic Church hall in Etobicoke on Nov. 7, at 6 p.m. The hall was offered free by Fr. Edward Smith to help PACA’s efforts.

Cultural fundraisers ► At the Kalayaan Cultural Community Centre in Mississauga, a Jamming Session and Ondoy fundraiser was conducted. (Related item on page 18) Guests danced and sang along all night to a live band playing 60’s and 70’s music led by guitarist Bob Lesaca. ► In nearby The Gateway Centre for New Canadians, also in Mississauga, a “no ticket” concert was staged on Oct. 17. The concert, entitled One Voice, One Heart, accepted donations of relief

goods. ► The Community Alliance for Social Justice, Kababayan Community Centre, Kapisanan Philippine Center, Filipino Migrant Workers Movement, Philippine Press Club-Ontario, Philippine Advocacy Through Arts and Culture, Silayan Community Centre, Philippine Heritage Band, Santaginians, Canadian Aid Relief Project, Joy of the Lord, Philippine Independence Day Council, Couples for Christ Foundation for Family and Life, and other regional, religious and alumni associations will stage a Unity Concert for Ondoy victims at the University of Toronto

Convocation Hal on Nov. 29, 3 to 6 p.m. (Related story on page 33) Official sympathy Ontario Members of the Provincial Parliament took time to sympathize with the community, through FCT. They included Mike Colle, Dr. Eric Hoskins, Brad Duguid, Peter Fonseca, Gerry Phillips, Kathleen Wynne, Amrit Mangat, Khalil Ramal and Dave Levac whose ridings contain a fairly large concentration of Filipinos. Member of Parliament Jim Karygiannis also made efforts to discuss immigration updates in expediting the family class applications and visitor visas of significantly-affected fam-

Donors and volunteers never wasted time to ensure that relief goods are processed and packed for immediate deployment to flashflood-affected areas in the Philippines. Photos: AFCM

ily members of Canadians and permanent residents. Karygiannis and members of Global Medic also updated the community on what the latter had been doing in the Philippine disaster areas. Aid from Israel The United Jewish Appeal (UJA) established a Philippines Disaster Relief Fund that raised over $25,000 used to assist sixman medical teams of the Israel Forum for International Humanitarian Aid or IsraAid in the affected areas. Medical teams, on 16day shifts, provided medical treatment, including general first aid. IsraAid members also distributed food and clothing, said relief mission chief, Elad Seker. “We opened a medical station and hundreds stood in line waiting for assistance. We are treating some 300 people a day; mostly women and children suffering from the most serious conditions,” Seker said. IsraAid is a coalition of Israeli and Jewish non-government organizations. “In working with IsraAid, UJA not only is able to efficiently and effectively deliver aid rapidly to many of those in the disaster zone. We also help reveal the car-

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ing spirit and generous soul of the Israeli society to a troubled part of the world,” said Ted Sokolsky, president and CEO of the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto. Disaster information Rogers Digital Cable Television provided customers in Ontario free access to Filipino channels GMA Pinoy TV (channel 870) and Filipino TV (channel 869) at the height of typhoons that flooded and devastated most of northern Philippines. Rogers Wireless and Fido customers were urged to help those affected by donating $5 to the Canadian Red Cross International Disaster Relief Fund by text message. Rogers said it would match up to $20,000 the donations made. “Our heartfelt sympathies and concern go out to everyone affected by the natural disasters and devastation in AsiaPacific,” said Rob Bruce, Rogers president of communications. Rogers Communications said the initiatives helped people stay connected with friends and family in the Asia-Pacific region during tumultuous times and to help with relief efforts in the area. Internet sources and reports sent to Manila Media Monitor

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MANILA MEDIA MONITOR OCTOBER 2009

With cable television, internet, phone and fax lines disconnected on Saturday, September 26 as my wife Gie and I downsized, I was completely detached from the outside world, while unknown to me in the meantime, typhoon Ondoy battered metropolitan Manila. Sorting out things and clothing at the same time, Gie and I donated clothes, appliances and electronics that we will no longer be using, or thought, we were no longer to use. You see, our policy at home has always been that for things that we haven’t used for the last one year meant that we did not really need them at all, hence, donation to Goodwill. But regardless of such policy, because of the deadline-driven environment that Gie and I do work in, we have not really paid attention on all those things, hence, an accumulation of six years of those possessions that supposedly have been donated during the past recent years. Some of the clothings had even tags on them, but because I did not see the need for retaining them since I have not used them during the last one year, donated them anyway. At our new place, when Gie was unpacking my clothes, she asked how come I had only one bag of clothing, and I said I donated them to Goodwill.

The battle for credibility and audience support had entered another arena: calamity. Little Yuri and Yuljin were nonchalant that the rest of Metro Manila was under siege by Ondoy. The siblings, aged 5 and 3, were snugly warm at home and enjoying the suspension of classes. It was a day for cartoons and anime and Gameboy. When they clicked to ABSCBN, they were confused to see Kris Aquino unabashedly cajoling sponsors and fellow stars to make substantial donations. It was, to children like Yuri and Yuljin, an unwelcome interruption to daytime viewing, their favorite pastime. To the adults around them, it meant a number of other things. First that ABS-CBN indeed was living up proudly to its vow to be of service to the Filipino. By chucking regular programming in favor of coverage of the calamity unfolding and promptly staging a telethon in aid of the victims, the station was telling the world that it had a heart and also rightfully deserved to be called kapamilya. By all counts, the Kapamilya station had a headstart and it helped that the TFC subscribers were tuned in to lend succor in dollars and cents. On the other hand, people wondered: Could Kris be unconsciously brandishing about her clout which to many seemed cute at the start but, later, a bit brash? Was she forgetting that the

VIEWS From The Monitor’s Desk ACE ALVAREZ

Thank you for helping me open and use the gift, SuperMar! What was funny, however, was that since at the time of our move, the weather was changing to a colder one, I realized that I donated every sweatshirt meant for the colder season that I had. As I borrowed from my son Christian one of his, he smiled and said, “Good, it’s time to buy for new ones, dad, as you make space from old ones to new. You taught me that, right?” *** As our cable, internet and phone services were connected back one after the other, Gie and I got in touch with our siblings and their families living all over metropolitan Manila. Everyone was okay, but we were saddened that some of our friends lost their possessions from lifetime investments: houses, appliances, cars, etc. We thank the Lord that no life was lost from among them.

Never mind the material things, they could be replaced, but lives couldn’t. We were told that some of them were rescued from the rooftop by friends using every available mode possible to do so. *** As we discussed the updates on our siblings and our friends back home one recent night over dinner in the presence of our son, Christian, we recalled the friends we left behind in the Philippines. Christian said that he remembers me telling him 15 years ago when he was 11 years old, that when my brother Nelson passed away in 1994 and when the funeral car at the time of internment was already entering Manila Memorial Park in Sucat, Paranaque, one fourth of those who were to go with the funeral procession had not left the chapel at JPA Subdivision in Muntinlupa

Roundabout MAG CRUZ-HATOL

No break in competition even during calamities brother was presenting himself as a likely presidential contender? Given the sorry history we have had of wives, kith and kin unduly influencing the chief executive, many couldn’t resist forecasting: minus a wife, a younger sister might hold sway in palace influence peddling and decision making. Switching to GMA Network was a smart move for Yuri and Yuljin. It was on regular broadcast, interrupting the programming only with occasional news flashes. At the start, the station was rather tentative about what it planned to do in the face of the destruction. We even think it was probably caught by surprise at the competitor’s blitzkrieg action. By calling it business as usual, GMA swung in the children as well as audiences in the provinces who were oblivious or indifferent to what was happening in the metro. It however repelled a huge chunk of the Mega Manila population still with power.

Many thought only ABS-CBN was responding appropriately to the episode at hand. To children who have no idea what inundation could do, everything but television was on normal mode. Electricity was soon gone. Yuri and brother promptly switched to playing with toys that did not require batteries or power. Noise was the order of the day in the household. Battle for credibility A day after the tragedy, GMA 7 found its niche. It must have accepted that it was no match to the star power the competitor was employing to generate the millions. GMA subdued its fundraising efforts and focused on helping reunite separated kin, providing helpful tips and going more in depth with its coverage. In the end, the station became what it was during the Cory funeral: more staid but intelligent, less sensational but more level headed. (Now if only some of its reporters can zip down their shrill voices and temper their annoying

City – a 15 kilometer span. Christian commented that it was the same kind of relationship he wants to have with people he meets and develops friendship with, stressing, “after all, in this world, what matters is not how one looks, how much one has accumulated in wealth, but how one’s relationships with his Creator and people were; you taught me that, dad, right?” *** I have always admired the work of my neighbor in this publication – that of Mario Dimain, in all medium he uses: print, photography, blogs, video; indeed, a multi-media person! I felt honored, likewise, after getting an e-mail message from this friend of mine (whom I fondly address oftentimes as “Super Mar”) when he informed me that he has just posted his first piece on a blogsite he created for his short story writings. (Why would I not be honored when the ordinary mortal in my person was the very first person to be informed for such great piece of writing?) Immediately after reading Super Mar’s piece, I wrote him the following message: “My very good friend, Mario. “A very moving story. My eyes welled as I read through ‘The Gift of Seeing’. “Many times in the past, I (To page 9)

hysteria.) On the other hand, the Kapamilyas lorded the airwaves with their successful fundraising. The phenomenal amounts raised were reminiscent of their Pinatubo drive. The station made certain that the goods they received were distributed by their stars so television could be used to a hilt. The message inadver-tently transmitted was that government was not as proactive and helpful as ABS-CBN, the true hero of the moment. For every hour of coverage, a scant few minutes were devoted to government action. Woefully, even President Arroyo did not enjoy ample coverage. Gerald Anderson repris-ed his role in a vitamin ad by swimming to save neighbors. Not to be outdone, Richard Gutierrez used a speed boat to rescue a fellow star from the roof. The calamity had morphed into a circus of stars. The battle for credibility and audience support had entered another arena: calamity. Suddenly it was not only how much was raised and how many victims were aided; it was also a battle for which stars shone with their acts of heroism. But Yuri and Yuljin could not care less. They just enjoyed the weeklong furlough by switching to cable and TV 5. (If interested in the advocacy for family-friendly television, visit anaktvweb.com or email the foundation at anaktv_seal@ yahoo.com.)

12 years of dedicated community service Managing Editor ACE ALVAREZ Editor BUTCH GALICIA Associate Editor GIE ALVAREZ Contributing Editors Ben Viccari Ricky Caluen Mag Cruz Hatol Grace P. Freires Manny Freires Pete Lacaba Mel Tobias Editorial Assistants Lennart Leigh Alvarez-Mahoney Dods Andrada Contributors Eva Agpaoa Mario Dimain Noel Perada Larry Torres Edwin Acuna Bien Garcia Jeannie Pilapil Account Executive MYRNA SORIANO Graphics IDTech Solutions 416-875-2541 [email protected]

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MANILA MEDIA MONITOR OCTOBER 2009

VIEWS

Commentary BEN VICCARI

ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT

Alberta oilsands emit more greenhouse gas than other countries By MARY JO LAFOREST The Canadian Press Alberta’s oilsands produce more greenhouse gas emissions than some European countries right now and will produce more than all of the world’s volcanoes in just 11 years if the pace of development continues, says a new report. The report -- “Dirty - How the tar sands are fuelling global climate change” -- was released this month. Greenpeace commissioned author Andrew Nikiforuk, a business and environmental reporter, to write the report. “Nobody in Canada wants to talk about the scale issues,” he said in an interview. “The emissions are bigger than Estonia and Lithuania right now and in 2020 will be larger than countries like Belgium, Austria, Ireland and Denmark.” The report documents the “real” cost of the oilsands, which Nikiforuk says is the world’s largest energy project. “The major energy projects in the Middle East ... they don’t come anywhere near - none of them approach the scale and capital intensity of the oilsands.” The report says almost $200 billion has been or will be invested in the projects in northern Alberta, and that includes not only the oilsands, but pipelines, refinery expansions and other associated infrastructure. It adds that the liabilities are a nearly threefold increase in greenhouse gas emissions, enormous amounts of natural gas used and wasted to produce synthetic oil from bitumen - which consists of tarry pitch, or asphalt - and the “economic nightmare” of carbon capture and storage, a technology that has yet to be developed. The premiers of British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan earlier inked a deal pledging to work together on carbon capture and storage technology. In June, the Alberta government announced it was giving $2 billion to seven companies to fund three pilot projects. But Nikiforuk points out that there is no commercial carbon capture and storage facility operating yet anywhere in the world. The technology is being designed mainly for the coal-fired electricity plants operating in Alberta to fuel the energy-hungry oilsands and associated projects. This is how it’s envisioned to work: Carbon dioxide is captured from smokestacks and the gas is compressed and transported to be stored underground. The waste must be monitored for an undetermined amount of time, possibly for thousands of years, at an uncalculated cost to ensure that no leaks occur, says the report. “Most governments are not good at monitoring things for five years, let alone a thousand years,” Nikiforuk says. He also says the money to pay for carbon capture and storage will come out of Canadian taxpayers’ wallets. “The estimate from the Carbon Capture Council in Alberta is that we’re going to need $2 billion to $3 billion a year for the next 20 years. That’s extraordinary, that’s taxpayers’ money ... Any fiscal conservative in the country should look at this and just be absolutely alarmed.” Nikiforuk compares it to the fledgling nuclear power industry nearly 50 years ago. “It was going to be too cheap to meter, then it became too expensive to build and I think carbon capture and storage will probably leave the same kind of legacy.” Nikiforuk says Prime Minister Stephen Harper and former U.S. president George Bush are a lot alike. “Both men share a real dissidence and skepticism of climate change, which is a real convenient ideology if you want to accelerate hydrocarbon production.” “The stuff cannot be produced economically and in great quantities to ease a global oil crunch,” Nikiforuk says. “For most of the world, bitumen will not be an affordable substitute for cheap light oil and we’ve already seen the first economic correction in 2008 - the whole global economy tanked when oil hit $150 a barrel.” “How many times will we have to go through that to learn that lesson?”

Celebrating OctoberREST History is the study of the past. Many questions of why and how are answered by a person’s interpretations of the evidence collected from a historical event. However, what happens when a person or people are limited in telling the story because of the lack of historical evidence -- either by accident or design? Critic James Knockelby wrote on the publication of Novelist Rudy Wiebe’s novel The Temptations of Big Bear, which Wiebe now reprises in biography form for the Extraordinary Canadians series: “A society disinterested in the plight of the Plains Cree created an information vacuum in which little of their history remained to reference. To tell their story, the historian must recreate conversations, lives, even people; the storyteller must flirt with the fine line between fact and fiction divining it from the past.” One senses that much of this spirit remains in the biography.

The Plains Cree were hunters pure and simple and conscious only of Hudson’s Bay trading posts as friendly symbols of white presence. Then came the soldiers establishing the sovereignty of the White Grandmother, establishing reserves and endeavoring to make Plans Cree farmers – a disaster. Slowly, Big Bear emerges as a

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leader of his people, intransigeant, refusing to understand or acknowledge the new colonial laws and even at times entering into armed conflict with white soldiers. Falsely accused of supporting the Riel rebellion, Big Bear is tried for treason in 1883 and sentenced to three years in Stony Mountain Prison, where he sickens and released to die in 1888 on the Poundmaker Reserve. The heritage of Big Bear lives on in Rudy Wiebe’s biography – a Penguin Extraordinary Canadians Series containing 230 pages and costs $26 at most of your better bookstores. *** You’ve heard of OctoberFest but perhaps not OctoberRest… the hiatus that I am taking this month. Recently, too many other matters have demanded my attention and I don’t have my usual new postings to offer. Nothing to be alarmed about. Until I have time to do new Canscene material. (Ben Viccari is past president of the Canadian Ethnic Media Association and frequently appeared on OMNI TV Commentary, until his retirement last month from the TV commentary series. Some of his commentaries are republished in this publication and slightly expanded in some cases from their 70-second broadcast originals. For more of his work, please visit Ben’s website at http://canscene. ripple.ca)

Pangasinan: No Christmas until February? (Editors Note: In many places in the Philippines, people devastated by the recent spate of typhoon disasters have to forego with so many things, as they struggle to rebuild lives. The following article reflects a bird’s eyeview of rather bleak circumstances and situations.) DAGUPAN CITY - It will be Christmas or New Year in February in Pangasinan due to hard times brought about by the recent massive flood that hit 34 towns and three cities of the province. Governor Amado Espino Jr. might not be joking at all when

By LEONARDO V. MICUA he said with deep regrets that he could see the days ahead to be the most difficult period in the life of the 2.7 million Pangasinenses. Espino said that considering the magnitude of destruction wreaked by floods, probably there might be many Pangasinenses who could not afford even to exchange gifts with each other by Christmas or New Year. “Probably, they may do it just by sign language to express their best wishes to each other this Christmas as a result of this life’s difficulty,” he said in jest.

The flood affected about 80 percent of the farmers in this traditionally farming province, with practically nowhere to go but to the loan shark to get help. But Espino was nevertheless upbeat that if farmers would replant their rice fields or restock their fishponds with fingerlings now, they might be able to harvest in 120 days. Thus, probably they could hold Christmas on Feb. 14, which is Valentine’s Day, the exact time they might harvest palay or milkfish. Espino said the flood, which (To page 28)

Thank you for helping me open and use the gift ... (From page 8) got those forwarded audio-visual presentations attached to my email, rightfully glorifying God for His presence in everything we do and see. “In spite of those repeated reminders, people -- including I, oftentimes, do not even notice what a beautiful morning it is when I wake up, and a ray of sunshine touches my cheek. God’s way of making His presence known to us. “Mar, in many of the photos you have shot before, I must admit that somehow, you reminded me of the beauty of nature; God’s creation! “ ... and just like the characters in your story, I have always been a ‘Ben’ to your Efren’s and his photography.

“Also, I am honored to have the first notice to your first entry at this site. “I wish you always the best, my dear friend.” Readers, if you want to read Mario Dimain’s first short story piece, The Gift of Seeing, you may send me an e-mail at ace. [email protected] and I will send you the link. *** My dear readers, all the items in this corner have bearing on this last item: Over the years, my and my wife’s lives have become complicated as we pursued our media careers together, and as we downsized after our children have become more independent,

we vowed to live life more simply, allowing ourselves the luxury of spending time more on what matters, rather than, either wittingly or unwittingly, spreading ourselves everywhere. We started ourselves with unloading ourselves with unnecessary material things; came next, unloaded ourselves with the onerous demands for time of organizations we were involved in and, by God’s design, we do not know what follows next. Probably, with all these, I might have time already to even admire the beauty of nature using the gift for seeing that I was given by my Creator. Thank you for helping me open and use the gift, SuperMar!

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MANILA MEDIA MONITOR OCTOBER 2009

It must be true. What they say about tragedy and death getting people to act collectively -- instinctively, subconsciously or with pure intent -- to pursue one underlying cause. Human nature may be such, in the face of bitter loss and seemingly endless adversity. Perhaps, just perhaps, the Creator, whatever those who believe call Him, made man to live in an imperfect world so that His Likeness and Goodness would be remembered and reflected in times that retell the Biblical truth of Noah’s Ark, Sodom and Gommorha and the Tower of Babel. Perhaps, just perhaps, He meant wars and disasters to happen to show humans the ill effects of their follies, whims and caprices to amass worldly wealth, gain social recognition, and grab power and influence. Perhaps, just perhaps, He did unleash the devil and did give it the widest leeway to bewilder a few minds and souls so that the many would know and understand how evil works and veer away from it. Perhaps, just perhaps, tragedy and death in an imperfect world are ways to make humans keep in mind

VIEWS

Omerta BUTCH GALICIA

Perhaps, just perhaps that life is short and does not offer warranties and guaranties -- no matter what one’s wealth, status, influence or power is. But just the same, we who are relatively out of harm’s way have to faithfully play along with a Divine Plan -- some term it as fate and destiny -- so that when we reach the tailend of existence, we might -- perhaps, just perhaps -- hopefully inherit the perfection of the Creator. Wistful thinking? Yes. Until then, I am reminded of a line in Alfred Lord Tennyson’s Ulysses: That which we are, we are ... made weak by time and fate but strong in will to survive, to seek, to find and not to yield. ***** Going through the enormous pile of blogs written about the recent typhoons

that devastated the Philippines, I came across Unsung Heroes by Ganns Deen, communications officer of Victory Fort, a Taguig-based church that is a member of the Every Nation group of international churches. I am sharing (call it copying or plagiarizing, I don’t care) Deen’s blog in full: In no particular order, I would like to honor the following for their work since September 26, 2009, the day Typhoon Ondoy began its destructive work in our nation: ☻ Every person who laid down his or her life in the attempt to save lives. Some may have been fortunate to have their stories told in media; others have been anonymously washed away to watery graves, but God knows who they are.

The 3rd Eye MARIO DIMAIN

Weddings Of all the festivities known to man, it is undisputable that weddings are the most celebrated occasions in the universe, and embraced by people from all walks of life regardless of cultures, race, religions and beliefs. In a diverse society such as Toronto, weddings come in many forms and colours. To anybody who is photographically-inclined and is genuinely interested in learning about other cultures, shooting weddings could prove to be a rewarding experience. What I find most interesting about being a wedding photographer is the great opportunity to witness a variety of ethnic groups, practice some of their fascinating traditions and wedding rituals that are distinctive from the rest of the world. Although most young “Canadianized” brides and bridegrooms shy away from their roots, their parents

often encourage them to be proud of their heritage and to keep it alive, at least on the wedding day. In Scottish and Irish weddings, bridegrooms prove that weddings are not just about the brides. The sharp-looking kilts they wear that depict the unique pattern of their clans can also compete with the princess-like dress of their new wives. A Hindu bridegroom, on the other hand, with his sultan-like headdress, can justify the regal greetings that welcome his arrival at the temple. From a non-racial perspective though, most men such as firefighters, police and the military prefer their modern uniforms over the black tuxedo or cultural attire, thereby appearing like knights in shining armour in the eyes of their beautiful brides. However, there is also the other side of (To page 11)

FILIPINO BRIDE

HINDU BRIDE

HUNGARIAN BRIDE

The world is not exactly an apple or full of apples but here are the apples of my eyes enjoying an apple-picking stint at the Applewood Farm Winery. (Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. – Jn 15:13) ☻ Every person who helped organize relief efforts. Whether a member of a larger organization, or one sole person working to do whatever he/she could in his/her own village, I honor you for your selfless dedication. (We continuIn the wake of last month’s terrible typhoon that swept through the Philippines, two things became clear. First, the countless families devastated by this disaster stagger my mind. Every Filipino in the GTA (and I would argue all of Canada), was touched somehow by this event. Either directly, because the raging storms swept through his, or her village, or indirectly, because a relative or friend back home had their life disrupted. My heart goes out to everyone affected by the typhoon. I know in my case, countless friends back home found themselves stranded. Even today, as I write this column, many many people back home are without adequate food, shelter and medical attention. While the government is doing its best to meet these needs with the help of the international community, this disaster laid bare the woefully poor preparedness and crumbling infrastructure which, to this day, exacerbate an already dire situation (but that is a topic for another column). What is important is that slowly, our villages, towns and cities are getting back on their feet. The overwhelming international support is the

ally remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. – 1 Thess 1:3) ☻ Every person who volunteered at these relief efforts. Whether you helped pack relief goods, load them into trucks, drive the trucks, deliver them to the

evacuees/victims, manned the phones, directed traffic … you helped save lives. (Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. – Matthew 5:16) ☻ Every person who donated to these relief efforts. Whether you gave out of your own meager (To page 11)

Our Journey EVA AGPAOA

Time to heal, rebuild second revelation for me. Driven by the Filipino communities around the world, governments and private organizations, stepped up to the plate and undertook to provide aid in all forms. Here in Toronto, countless fundraising events took place to raise money and awareness for the plight of the nearly four million people affected. I’m deeply touched that so many did so much in such a short time. And still more events are being scheduled. For example, next month, the “Unity Concert 2009: Rebuilding People’s Lives” will take place and help raise funds and awareness. With many acts and organizations committed to participate this event will be a powerful voice in our community. Other organizations and

individuals are also rising to the challenge. The Canadian Aid and Relief Project (CARP), a Toronto-based organization founded and headed by noted Filipino local family physician, Dr. Francisco Portugal; the Isabela organization, Mountain province (Benguet); are just two of the many that have done their part. It’s heartening to learn that the world did not forget us in our time of need. When disaster struck, we reached out and our call was answered. But there is still so much to do. The lives lost, the property destroyed, these will take time to heal and rebuild. We, as a community, cannot rest after the first wave of sympathy and help. You can be sure that (To page 26)

MANILA MEDIA MONITOR OCTOBER 2009

Views Perhaps, just perhaps (From page 10) savings or spared no expense in ensuring the needs of the victims or those helping them would be met, you were the conduit of blessing for this immense outpouring of love upon a nation in desperate need of it. (Share with God’s people who are in need. – Romans 12:13) ☻ Every person who helped spread information. There was a different army working the communication lines overtime. Bloggers, photographers, reporters, IT personnel, and many others came together to spread information, create spreadsheets, reunite people with lost loved ones, and help make a disaster easy to cope with and handle. Many did so for hours with little sleep in front of laptops and telephones, persisting to ensure people would be saved. (In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ – Acts 20:35) ☻ Every person who prayed. I thank the prayer warriors who spiritually protected everyone in need and everyone working to

get to people in need. (The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. – Ja :16) ☻ Every person who opened his/her home to those affected. Whether your houses became a refuge for those caught in the onslaught of the flood, or whether you offered a room – or more – to families still reeling from the loss of everything material in their lives, you reminded them that home is where the heart is. (Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. – Hebrews 13:2) Countless more may not be in this list, but do know that I speak for many when I say “Thank you.” I thank you because you – whether you intended to or not – became God’s instruments of love. The sheer magnitude of this flood was not enough to overpower the strength of your concern and love for your fellow man. (Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away. - Song of Solomon 8:7) You showed many people the value of hope and became beacons of light and

11

Weddings inspiration on people who may have lost all desire to carry on in the light of such catastrophe. You may have given them more than their lives back; I believe you’ve rekindled their faith in human nature, and hopefully, in God. The King will reply: I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me. - Matthew 25:40. ***** Thus said, I wish mankind would not have to wait for tragedy or death to occur to remind them that life is worth living. Perhaps, just perhaps, the time has come for everyone to live for the better but prepare for the worse. The idea of antonyms - perhaps, just perhaps - should work well with sound minds and hearts and fair and just acts. Good and evil. Charity and greed. Love and hatred. Hope and despair. Humanity and bestiality. Choose one. That’s the essence of free will. But remember, when a choice is made, its outcome would always serve its purpose. [email protected]

(From page 10) masculinity. In one of the Chinese weddings that I covered, the bridegroom was required to eat two whole hard-boiled duck eggs that symbolized his testicles, for fertility and power. It is also believed that this practice is a statement that marks the man’s ability to raise a family. On the other end of the spectrum, the common concept that brides are generally seen in a white wedding dress is not the case in other cultures. In the Hindu religion, brides are beautifully dressed in vibrant colours adorned with glittering jewels and intricate henna on both hands. They look like royalty and are always a delight to photograph. As for the Caribbean and African brides that I have shot, they all shared a common timeless clock. They took their time getting ready and often reached the church in what’s known to many as island time. On their wedding day they’re given the special privilege of the day to make everyone wait.

When it comes to arriving on time, the typical Filipina bride would most likely be on the top of the list, but her overcrowded Academy Award-style wedding entourage could easily be labelled as the “Longest Wedding Parade” for its many sponsors joining the march. A priest once whispered to me in a joking way, “When are we going to see the end of this?” His words may sound funny, but Filipinos take wedding vows very seriously as demonstrated in the spiritual symbolisms of the candles, the veil, the cord and the coins. These four symbols that have been injected into the wedding ceremony for many generations all stand for lasting commitment and are probably the best explanation as to why the divorce rate in the Filipino community is extremely low and almost unheard of. A Greek bride, who equally takes marriage seriously, would mark her departure from her parents’ nest by breaking a wine

glass with her foot, at the front door of the house. The broken glass represents her freedom to join the man who won her heart and the symbolic gesture is joyfully witnessed by her parents and siblings. Near or far, the merriment of weddings always pulls families and friends together. They all come to the happiest and the most emotional family gathering -- the union of two people in love. The interaction of mixed cultures from the lively guests, certainly adds international colours to the joyous celebration of the newlyweds. With Canada’s multicultural society that is perpetually present in all Toronto weddings that I have covered, I can imagine the possibility of lasting peace among nations if the people of the world can only learn to co-exist with one another, just like the families and friends coming together in a wedding celebration -- in the name of love, commitment, respect and peace.

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MANILA MEDIA MONITOR OCTOBER 2009

THAT YOU MAY KNOW

Workplace Safety, Injury Compensation By EDWIN MERCURIO Over 300,000 workers are injured on the job every year in Ontario. When workers sustain injury, they lose earnings and require special services. When this happens, it then becomes the responsibility of the workers’ compensation system. In Ontario, the law governing workers compensation is called the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act (WSIA). The agency tasked to administer the law is the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB). There are two types of injuries: Sudden and Gradual -arising out of and in the course of employment. Section 13 (1) of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act states that benefits are payable for “personal injury by accident arising out of and in the course of employment”. Workplace accident as defined in section 2(1) of

the Act states that benefits are payable for any work related personal injuries. If the work performed caused the injury, and is proven, compensation is payable. Sudden onset injuries or chance events are injuries suffered when a worker become injured lifting, pushing, twisting, or making any other type of movement arising of and in the course of employment. Gradual onset injuries include repetitive strain injuries, injuries caused by unaccustomed workloads, injuries and disease that result from workplace substance exposures, disabilities caused by heat or cold, heart attacks and others. In some cases, gradual onset of injuries comes while the worker is still on the job. In other cases, there can be many years of delay or latency between the workplace exposure to hazards

and the onset of disability. In this case, it is important to determine whether or not the work was a significant contributory factor of the injury. Proof of causation may involve vital medical evidence which workers may have no control. Lack of proof that the work caused the injury is the major reason for the denial of some claims. Workers have better chances of obtaining favorable medical evidence when reports of injuries contain clear descriptions of the workplace conditions that led to the disability. About 90 percent of the 300,000 WSIB claims filed each year are allowed. WSIB pays a large percentage of the claims without delay. However, there are lengthy investigations and more frequent denials when an injury is not reported properly.

GENERAL DENTISTRY Dr. Gilbert Chan Dr. Daphne Chien Dr. Janet Ho Dr. Janet Wong Dr. Michael Chin

People & Events

MANILA MEDIA MONITOR OCTOBER 2009

13

PPC-O forum with TPS APCCC Members and guests of the Philippine Press Club-Ontario gather for posterity following the Sept. 26 breakfast forum with members of the Toronto Police Service (TPS) and TPS-initiated Asia Pacific Community Consultative Committee (APCCC) that covers the Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean and Japanese communities in Toronto. Community concerns were discussed during the forum with APCCC co-chairperson Superintendent Jane Wilcox and other committee officers. Photo: ARIEL RAMOS

Featinians donation for OLAC church rehab True to its spirit of benevolence, the Featinean Association of Toronto (TFAT) donates $1,000 to the Our Lady of Assumption Church Parish, through Fr. Ben Ebcas, to help in the renovation of the church. The donation was raised in an event initiated by Annie Buiza. It was handed over during the Bicolanons’ Our Lady of Penafrancia feast celebration. From left are Oliver Rey, president; Max Recaido, vice president; Julio Buiza, founder; Nita Recaido, treasurer; Fr. Ben; Annie Buiza, founder; Res Paje, secretary; Tirso Balitian, founder; Rudy Olay, auditor; and Cesar Banda, director. MANUEL PAPA/SJNS

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MANILA MEDIA MONITOR OCTOBER 2009

People & events Ang upo ni Pons Pons Padua Sr., a member of the Filipino Seniors of Mississauga, has a very “fruitful” pastime – vegetable gardening. He is shown in left photo with a six-foot, two-inch long upo or white squash from his garden. He has harvested about 20 of these long upo; some of which he gave to friends, and some he cooked and brought to the seniors’ drop-in to share with fellowmembers at lunch on Saturdays. Some more are to be harvested, and he plans to share these with his Filipino senior friends. The upo in the photo below are either hanging from his balcony or from the roof of his house. He says these are left-overs from the first batch he reaped. These are ready for the picking and the table. The seniors of Mississauga are eagerly awaiting another picnic lunch, “on Pons.” Pons’s backyard garden is planted with other vegetables. He has tomatoes, zucchini, ampalaya, green beans, eggplants, peppers and spinach. He says zucchini and its flowers, together with pepper are good for tinolang manok; going well too with the Ilocano dinengdeng with fried fish for flavoring. Pons really knows how to spend his senior years. Others his age should take the cue from him. Instead of just sitting before the TV set, they should engage in some activity that is not only enjoyable but also fruitfully healthful.

AN INVITATION TO THE

Road to Asia Festival

Philippine Consul General Alejandro Mosquera and other consular staff visit the Philippine booth /exhibit at the ‘06 Road to Asia festival. FILE The Philippine Consulate General in Toronto is inviting members of the Filipino-Canadian community to the 2009 Road to Asia Festival at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre, 6 Garamond Court, Toronto on Nov. 7 and 8. The festival hours are from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. This year’s festival will again celebrate the richness and exciting diversity of Asian culture. It will highlight

the arts, crafts, music, food and martial arts of the Philippines, China, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Tibet, Japan, and Laos. This is a celebration of “friendship through culture,” said a consular press release. Queries on the festival may be directed to Christine Takasaki, cultural events and volunteers coordinator at 416-441-2345 ext. 221 or by e-mail at christine@jccc. on.ca.

People & Events Study on deprofessionalized Filipinos in Toronto to be launched Oct. 29 The Ontario Metropolis Centre, or Joint Centre of Excellence on Immigration and Settlement (Ontario), is launching a groundbreaking research that looks at why immigrant Filipino professionals and skilled workers in Toronto generally end up in lowpaying jobs below the merits of their education and experience. The newly published study by CERIS -- titled Explaining the Deprofessionalized Filipino: Why Filipino Immigrants Get Low-Paying Jobs in Toronto authored by Dr. Philip Kelly, Mila Astorga-Garcia and Enrico Esguerra, and the Community Alliance for Social Justice (CASJ) -- will be formally presented in a free public seminar at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education auditorium on Oct. 29 from 6:30 p.m. up. The launch-seminar will present the findings of the new study, including the factors responsible for the deskilling of Filipino professionals and skilled workers, including systemic racism and workplace discri-

mination. The four-year academiccommunity study began with a survey of Philippine educated immigrants in Toronto in 2005-06, where 421 completed survey forms were returned out of 1,100 distributed.

The survey was followed by two sets of focus groups, the first conducted in 2006-07 with Filipino professionals, and the second in 200708 involving individuals working in occupations for which professional licensing

MANILA MEDIA MONITOR OCTOBER 2009

15

Sebastian-Chua Wedding

is not a requirement. For CASJ, the research is part of its work towards access to trades and professions, which is one of the three priority issues of the five-year old alliance of various organizations and individuals. PR

14 pass FCT ’09 OSA screening Four high school (HS) graduates and ten elementary school (ES) graduates have passed the screening for the Filipino Centre Toronto (FCT) 2009 Outstanding Student Awards (OSA). The successful candidates are: (HS) Thundil Michael Champion, Sarah Obtinalla, Mark Joseph Sotto and Vincent Valdrez; (ES) Jessica Cariño, Bryan Oliver Chavez, Charmaine De Castro, Abigail Dela Cruz, Alexandra Dela Cruz, Jeunice Vianca Evangelista, Nicole Nalani Pearl Gumapac, Eunize Lao, Ann Claudinne Naidas and Paul Alfredson Reyes. The candidates faced a panel of interviewers on Oct. 18. The panel is composed

of a vice-principal, a newspaper columnist, a project director and retired high school teachers. The awards ceremony will be at the FCT Rizal Hall on Nov. 8 at 2:00 p.m. Meanwhile, FCT released the schedule of its activities in November: ► Nov. 2, 3:00 p.m. - Free Medical Clinic with Dr. Patricio. Please call for an appointment. New patients are requested to come on the 1st Monday of the month instead of the 2nd Saturday of the month. ► Nov. 13, 6:00 p.m. – TGIF fund-raising dance sponsored by the seniors at the FCT. ► Nov. 14, 12 noon to 2:00 p.m. – Free Medical Clinic with Dr. Mario An-

dres. ► Nov. 20, 7:00 p.m. – Filipino Day with the Raptors at the Air Canada Centre. This would be an exciting game between the Toronto Raptors and the Miami Heat. (See ad below) The National Anthems will be sung by Filipino Singing Idol winner Maria Teresa Panaligan. Discounted tickets for sale are available at the FCT. ► Nov. 29, 2 – 4 p.m. – Diabetes Seminar (Part 2) ► The Filipino Language classes and Homework Club are on-going at the FCT every Saturday, from 10 to 12 noon. ► The Line-Dancing class is also open every Tuesday evening at 6:30. PR/AIDA D’ ORAZIO

Newlyweds Mark Oliver Lavina Sebastian and Catherine Camenforte Chua stand in front of their wedding cake table during their wedding reception at The Terrace in Vaughan on Sept. 26. The wedding ceremony took place at the St. Thomas Aquinas Roman Catholic Church in Toronto. PR/ AIDA D’ ORAZIO

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MANILA MEDIA MONITOR OCTOBER 2009

People & Events

MANILA MEDIA MONITOR OCTOBER 2009

17

First defense of WBO Jr. Bantam title

RP’s Sonsona vs Mexico’s Hernandez in Rama Rumble On Nov. 21, the eyes of the boxing world will once again be on Casino Rama in Orilla, Ontario, as one of the sport’s budding superstars, 19-year old dynamo Marvin “Marvelous” Sonsona (140, 12 KO’s) mounts the first defense of his newlycaptured World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior bantamweight title in the main event of Rumble @ Rama X. Brad Duguid, Scarborough Centre Member of Provincial Parliament, will host a gala reception in honor of Sonsona and the community at the Armenian Community Centre on Nov. 15 at 5 p.m. In the same occasion, the Canadian Red Cross will be on hand to accept monetary donations for Philippine flood victims. In just his 14th pro fight, the teenage sensation lived up to his nickname “Marvelous” when he dominated reigning champ Jose Lopez to clinch a

SONSONA thrilling unanimous decision at Rumble @ Rama IX. Sonsona’s opponent is WBO contender 23-year old Alejandro “Payasito” Hernandez (22-7-1, 11 KO’s) of Mexico City. A veteran of 30 pro fights, Hernandez has never been stopped and promises to give Sonsona all he can handle. The “Canadian Kid”, Steve Molitor (30-1, 12 KO’s) will appear as the comain event in a match that has yet to be finalized as he bides his time awaiting another shot at the world

title in early 2010. Orion Sports Management has inked WBO #6 ranked Super Bantamweight contender, Ciso “Kid Terrible” Morales (13-0, 8 KO’s) and indicated he will make his Canadian debut on the Nov. 21 card. Morales, from Cagayan De Oro City in the Philippines, hopes to follow in the footsteps of Marvin Sonsona in establishing himself on the Canadian scene, joining Sonsona’s consortium of promoters in his quest for a world championship. Also appearing are fan favorite Greg “The Steel Pole” Kielsa, (100, 5 KO’s), the reigning Canadian heavyweight champion who is making his debut under new trainer, Egerton Marcus. To round up a stacked undercard, both Justin “The Matrix” Fountain (6-1-2, 2 KO’s), and hot prospect Felix “El Destino” Mercedes (3-0, 2 KO’s) will return in action-packed fights. (To page 34)

CISO MORALES

SONSONA raises flag

SONSONA, team rejoice after unanimous decision win was announced

Brad Duguid, MPP invites you to an evening with the Filipino Community in honour of the newly-crowned

Jr. Bantam World Champion Boxer

“Marvelous” Marvin Sonsona The Red Cross will accept monetary donations for the Filipino Flood Relief. (a tax receipt will be issued for eligible donations) on

Sunday, November 15, 2009, 5:00pm at

Armenian Community Centre, 45 Hallcrown Place (Victoria Park Avenue and Hwy. 401)

FREE PARKING • LIGHT MEAL WILL BE SERVED SPACE IS LIMITED • R.S.V.P. BY NOVEMBER 12, 2009 • RESERVE YOURS SEATS NOW For more information: 416-615-2183 • [email protected]

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MANILA MEDIA MONITOR OCTOBER 2009

People & Events

Baluca couple’s 40th wedding year, fundraiser for RP disaster relief services at KCCC

Elpidio and Madoline Baluca celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary on Sept. 25 at the Kalayaan Cultural Community Centre (KCCC) in Mississauga. Their renewal of vows was officiated by Fr. Aris Miranda, MI, (Camillians), first cousin of Elpidio. In photo above are the 40 members of the entourage, all of them close friends and relatives of the bride and groom who came from Canada and the U.S.A. Father Miranda presen-

ted the mission of the Servants of St. CamillusDisaster Relief Services and the Camillian Task Force, an international arm of the Camillians of their disaster relief ministry during the affair. All gifts for the occasion were donated to the ministry; but because of the Ondoy disaster, the amount donated was channelled to relief operations in Marikina and Cainta led by the Camillians. In right photo, Mama Ching Quejas (3rd from

left), KCCC president, received the $500 cheque from Fr. Miranda (left). Witnessing the turnover were Madge Baluca and Luis Carbonell, KCCC executive vice president. Tributes to the celebrants were given by their children and grandchildren and heads of organization to which the Balucas belonged – the Bohol Association of Canada by Arnold Silagan, the KCCC by Mama Ching and Kalayaan Cultural Organization by Vangie Alcasid.

Luz del Rosario did the honors of a toast to the couple on behalf of her husband, Resty. Ruffy Romano showed a video of the fun times of the bride and groom’s forty years together. The couple danced to a beautiful serenade by Pons Canonizado. Chris Valles provided the affair’s music, Adie de la Cruz managed the bar and Jojo Sebastian was nutrition coordinator. It was all in all an evening to remember. PR

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OCTOBER 2009

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People & Events Joaquin bares bid in Nov. 23 Markham Council bi-election Noted community leader and volunteer Ed Joaquin has announced his bid to be Ward 3 councillor in the Markham Council bi-election on Nov. 23. He filed his candidacy before the deadline on Oct. 9. “I am eagerly anticipating a spirited and competitive campaign and look forward to the opportunity to discuss issues with residents of Ward 3” said Joaquin. A community activist, Joaquin has worked with many charities and organizations in Markham, the region and the Greater Toronto Area for the last decade. He brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm for the Ward 3 council, having worked with organizations such as the Centre for Dreams, Markham Board of Trade, Markham District Veterans

Association, and Markham Arts Council, to name a few. “In my 20 years of community involvement and volunteerism I have built networks a c r o s s various

groups to successfully deliver events, programs and achieve fundraising goals” Joaquin said. “I want to bring those skills and more importantly the enthusiasm and drive, to the Markham Council” he

added. Joaquin’s campaign will focus on issues near and dear to him as follows: ► The environment and environmental initiatives at the Town of Markham. ► Volunteerism and youth engagement, encouraging participation in all aspects of society. ► Diversity, ensuring continued support and representation that reflect the diversity of the Town and the Region. “I will be announcing a series of policy issues which I hope to focus on during this campaign in the coming days and I look forward to hearing the ideas of the residents of Ward 3 and the other candidates,” he said. “In my experience, the best policies and initiatives come about through open and honest dialogue across a wide array of individuals and groups and that will be my approach in the council as it has been in my years of community involvement.”

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People & Events

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ED JOAQUIN: PROFILE OF AN ACHIEVER ED JOAQUIN organizes Canada’s Largest Asian festival, the Taste of Asia in Markham, Ontario. The festival was founded in the summer of 2003 as a band-aid solution to the SARS crisis in Canada, which helped revive the downturn in the local economies in Markham and York Region. In June 2010, the Taste of Asia festival will be celebrating its 8th annual event in partnership with the City of Richmond, British Columbia. This is expected to expand the popularity of the event across Canada, and between the two most visibly diverse cities in Canada, attracting over 100,000 people annually. Joaquin was inspired to join the special events industry as a student at St. Elizabeth high school in Thornhill, Ontario in 1991, where

he first organized hockey and sports collectible card shows as a hobby. The hobby grew to be one of the largest networks of memorabilia touring shows in southern Ontario by the time he graduated. Opportunities continued during the charity casino industry expansion in Ontario when Joaquin began helping charities organize fundraising drives and raise millions of dollars for the charities. In the mid-1990’s, he was attracted to the tiger economies of Asia, apprenticing with the largest special events companies, entertainment venues, touring concert companies, festivals and became a brand advisor of many below-the- line marketing campaigns for advertising agencies in Southeast Asia. After six years of hands-on training and mentorship overseas, Joaquin moved back to

Canada to pursue his passion for community advocacy and political outreach and continues to organize and serve as a board member and fundraising advisor to over a dozen community groups, including the Markham Arts Council, North American Association of Asian Professionals, Federation of Chinese Canadians in York Region, Philippine Chamber of Commerce-Toronto, Canada-Philippines Association, Centre for Dreams, Fiesta Canada’s Multicultural Day’s World Potluck Fiesta, Helping Homeless Pets’ Barkham Dog Show, Markham District Veterans Association, Social Services Network’s Health Fair, the Liberal Party of Canada, chair of the Markham Village Music Festival, and founder of FCCM Diversity Job Fair.

Aklanon’s Halloween Night in B.C. to fuel Aklan’s 2010 Ati-atihan fest

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ATI-ATIHAN REVELRY IN TORONTO KALIBO, Aklan - The Aklanon Sto. Niño Association in British Columbia, Canada will stage its Thriller Night Halloween party at the St. Patrick Gym on Oct. 30 as a fundraising campaign to fuel its Ati-atihan festivity in 2010. Jojo Quimpo, president of the association, said Filipinos in B.C. have been doing the rounds for last minute Halloween costume hunting. “They are either visiting the Value Village or Spirit Store at Metro Town,” Quimpo said.

The Thriller Night contest is their own version of the defunct Aswang Festival. The Halloween costume contest has two categories: one for children and another for adults. Cash prices will be awarded to the top three best Halloween costumes for each category. There will be dinner, a live band and lots of fun, Quimpo added. “This is also our association’s fundraising event in preparation for the major celebration of Ati-atihan

Festival (Ati-atihan Day in Vancouver) on Jan. 9, 2010 at the St. Patrick Gym. “This is a pre-Olympic Filipino Festival. Watch out for that,” he said. The Thriller Night is one of several major activities of the association. The others are the annual Sto. Niño Ati-Atihan Festival and the Grand Picnic, a fellowship among Aklanons living in Canada. This year, the Mayor of Vancouver has recognized the Ati-atihan festival as one of the official festivals in the city. PNA

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TCF president to speak on city, community issues in CEMA forum Rahul Bharadwaj, president & CEO, Toronto Community Foundation (TCF), is set to expound on issues and concerns affecting Toronto’s multi-diverse communities as he speaks before members of the ethnic media during the Canadian Ethnic Media Association Speaker’s Series at the Majestic Boardroom of OMNITV on Nov. 5, at 6:45 p.m.. Bharadwaj is also expected to touch on Vital Signs. He was formerly a corporate lawyer with a leading Canadian law firm, vice

president of the Toronto 2008 Olympic Bid, and then chief executive officer of United Way of York Region. In 2007, Bharadwaj was named by the National Post as one of the Next Generation of Toronto Civic Leaders. In 2008, he was named as a member of Toronto Mayor David Miller’s Blue Ribbon Fiscal Review Panel. Recently, the Province of Ontario appointed him to the Board of Metrolinx. CEMA PR

Time to heal, rebuild (From page 10) this disaster will fade from the world stage, maybe replaced by an equally terrible event somewhere else in the world. But our families will continue to struggle for months to come and even though the spotlight might have turned towards something else, our efforts here and around the world cannot stop until the effects of this typhoon are healed.

While the international community did not forget us in our time of need, there are so many demands, that its attention is easily distracted. We have to keep our voices strong to help the international community stay focused with us until the devastation wrought by typhoon Ketsana are completely healed. info@ thenannyexpert.com

People & Events Ruben Empalmado marks 82nd birth year

Ruben Empalmado (standing 2nd from right) and his wife, Maring (seated at left) received close friends who flocked to their residence recently to greet him on the occasion of his 82nd birthday. Ruben headed the seniors group of Kababayan Community Centre in Toronto and served as member of the center’s board of directors for several times. Others shown with him and his wife are (seated, from left) Ester Batara, Mameng Quidayan, Ludy Prescilla, Perla Andaya, Consolacion Carandang, Nelly Sicat, Lily Sison, and FelyDaligdig and (standing behind) Tony Sicat, Rudy Prescilla, Ruben, and Joe Quidayan. PR

The Pillars CA takes a trip (See photos right of page) Members of the Pillars Cultural Association brought the spirit of showmanship to life at the Cabbagetown Parade on Sept. 12, as they hopped and quick-stepped to the beat of Irish polka music and entertained a large number of spectators watching from downtown’s sidewalks. The Cabbagetown Festival draws Toronto’s diverse communities together in fun and cultural exchange. It remains one of the few annual city fests where attendance is a must. The dance, officials said, was to showing appreciation and support to Cabbagetown’s warmth and hospitality to the FilipinoCanadian community. “We’re really delighted to have entertained the crowd. Our group had so much fun and it was a great pleasure to watch the crowd follow the dance steps and signal their thumbs up to us”, said Gerry Elises, Pillars president.

In another development, the group earlier went on a recreational tour of St. Jacobs County in Waterloo/ Kitchener. They had the chance to explore the Village of St. Jacobs where one would find traditional crafts, antiques, and homemade maple syrup sold by Mennonite farmers who travel to market by horse and buggy. Also available were locally-grown produce, oven -fresh pies, and a massive acre full of vendors indoors and out. Next door to the Farmer’s Market is the St. Jacobs Outlet Mall where a shopping spree is a pleasure. Before heading back to Toronto, the group visited the Mennonite Farm and enjoyed the scenic agricultural landscape. Relatedly, the Pillars had its Halloween Masquerade and Costume Dinner and Dance Party at the Our Lady of Assumption Church hall on Oct. 24. PR

Press and captioned photo releases submitted to the Manila Media Monitor are for PUBLIC SERVICE and FREE OF CHARGE; but subject to strict editorial appreciation. Send them to [email protected] on or before the 15th of each month. For inquiries and AD PLACEMENTS, call 416-285-8583.

THE PILLARS AT A FARM IN ST. JACOB’S COUNTY

THE PILLARS AT CABBAGETOWN PARADE

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MANILA MEDIA MONITOR OCTOBER 2009

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MONEY

GOT A FOREX DEAL? Check out if you got your peso’s worth for the dollars you have had exchanged since September 24. This is a public service item from Manila Media Monitor’s Money and Business section.

October 23 October 22 October 21 October 20 October 19 October 16 October 15 October 14 October 13 October 09 October 08 October 07 October 06 October 05 October 02 October 01 Sept. 30 Sept. 29 Sept. 28 Sept. 25 Sept. 24

US$ 46.89257 46.25317 46.60894 46.60621 46.79282 46.63185 46.28616 46.42530 46.43186 46.51757 46.51421 46.53535 46.67310 46.67121 47.03215 47.27700 47.61389 47.53661 47.57532 47.21301 47.25893

Cdn$ 44.65700 45.08611 44.81426 44.38425 44.42807 44.92281 44.93597 45.11476 45.12051 44.64005 44.17098 43.85771 44.15352 43.41209 43.38551 43.89433 44.41317 43.72932 43.80575 43.27296 43.51439

177 non-performing RP nursing schools warned MANILA - In the wake of the overwhelming number of jobless nursing graduates produced in the Philippines each year, a recruitment consultant has lauded warnings to close at least 177 non-performing

nursing schools by Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Emmanuel Angeles. “This is the right step towards the rationalization of the nursing sector,” recruitment consultant Emmanuel

Geslani said. The recruitment sector had been asking for the rationalization of over 1,000 nursing schools which have contributed over 500,000 jobless nurses, half of them boardpassers with nowhere

NEW NURSES TAKING THEIR OATH

Rogers Wireless/Mabuhay text contest winners bared Two Filipinos in Toronto were the lucky winners of this year’s Rogers Wireless Mabuhay Text Trivia Contest. Lucky winner were Rico Nepomuceno and Allan Diccion. They each received a Samsung Gravity. The contest showed how Filipinos love sending text messages which Rogers recognized. The contest started at 12:01 a.mm on July 13 and ended at 11:59 p.m. on July 18. The contest was open only to residents over 16 years old who are residents of the Greater Toronto Area (To page 34)

Susan Gordon (right), Rogers Wireless vice president for national/regional marketing, with winners of the Rogers Wireless/Mabuhay texting contest. PR

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to go except to accept jobs in call centers, sales, hotel or the service industry. Angeles earlier warned the 177 schools to produce a single student who passed the nurse licensure exams. Failure to do so meant the schools have not done enough to improve teaching standards or put in place facilities for better on-the-job training. He added that schools with passing rates above zero but below the national average would also be evaluated. The rise in the number of jobless nurses was expected since the country produces more than 60,000 boardpassers yearly, but the local labor market could only hire 5,000 new nurses and another 15,000 for placement abroad especially in the Middle East and the U.S. where there is acute shortage of nurses. PNA

Changes to TFSA rules sought Finance Minister Jim Flaherty on Oct. 16 proposed amendments to the Income Tax Act (ITA) to strengthen the rules applicable to Tax-Free Savings Accounts (TFSAs). Since Jan. 1, Canadian residents 18 years old or older are eligible to contribute up to $5,000 annually to a TFSA. The TFSA is a flexible, registered, general purpose account that allows Canadians to maximize savings. Contributions to a TFSA are not tax-deductible, but investment income earned in a TFSA, as well as TFSA withdrawals, are tax-free. The proposed changes respond to concerns that have arisen on the use of TFSAs in tax-planning

schemes. The proposed amendments would: ► Make any income attributable to deliberate overcontributions and prohibited investments subject to existing anti-avoidance rules in the ITA. ► Make any income attributable to non-qualified investments taxable at regular income tax rates. ► Ensure that withdrawals of deliberate overcontributions, prohibited investments, non-qualified investments or amounts attributable to swap transactions, or of related investment income, from a TFSA do not create additional TFSA contribution room. ► Effectively prohibit asset transfer transactions

between TFSAs and other accounts. “These proposals will ensure that the TFSA remains viable and strong for Canadians and the use of inappropriate transactions to draw excessive benefits are avoided,” Flaherty said. The Minister of National Revenue (MNR) will maintain the discretion to waive or cancel all or part of any tax that would otherwise be payable because of the application of the proposals. Flaherty asked the MNR Jean-Pierre Blackburn to ensure that the Canada Revenue Agency closely examines any unusual TFSA transactions that have occurred to date, and to apply TFSA rules to challenge aggressive tax planning. PR

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MONEY

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EDC keen on giving strategic support

Canadian exporters urged to sell to bigger RP companies VANCOUVER, B.C. - Bill Hogg, President of the Philippine Canadian Trade Council (PCTC) in Vancouver, and Forte Gerardo, President of the national Canada Philippines Business Council (CPBC) based in Toronto, had a common message to exporters in Canada, notably entrepreneurs of Filipino origin: Step up to learn how to deal with larger companies in the Philippines and join big and medium sized Canadian businesses in the rally to export more goods and services to Philippine industrial and commercial firms especially in the private sector. They issued this call at the conclusion of their co-hosted Dinner and Networking Event on “Export Development Canada – Strengthening Canadian Trade and Investment in the Philippines” conducted here on Sept. 9. Canadian companies have incurred a deficit of at least half a billion dollars in the balance of trade and payments with the Philippines annually on average in the past five

years. “We need to specially train and help, say, a thousand Canadian exporters – and/or Filipino importers -- each shipping about a half a million dollars a year to manage an equitable balance in our trading with the Philippines,” CPBC head Gerardo suggested in an update slide show presentation on the bilateral trade. “This could be done, and we are recruiting more individual and corporate members and organizing a strong selling mission to the Philippines in March 2010 to impel this movement ahead,” PCTC president Hogg added. Export Development Canada (EDC) Chief Representative in Southeast Asia, Rob Simmons, in his keynote address to a focused gathering of business leaders including bankers, traders, Canadian entrepreneurs of Filipino origin; engineering, environmental and educational management consultants, and civic leaders from Vancouver and Toronto, said: “I am certainly very interested to work with

small size companies to introduce them to medium size and larger buyers in the Philippines.” Simmons said that “one of the things we try to do is open the door for small and medium sized Canadian companies” by leveraging EDC’s strategic relationships with large companies developed over many years. “If you’re a small technology provider with a real good technology that might be of interest to a large company like PLDT (Philippine Long Distance Company ) … if you go knock on their door it might get you a while to get to their top technical officer or decision makers,” he said. “So what we try to do in that case is try to start with the top and work down, starting with the CFO and say ‘CFO, we’d like to have an agreement for our Canadian client to meet with you.’ So you can, see we can be a sort of rubber stamp to say that the Canadian supplier we introduce will do exactly what they said they can and so open the doors so that

Financial plan? How do I get one? By INVESTORS GROUP FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC. Financial Planning is a general term used by most professional advisors – but not all financial plans are created equal … and they shouldn’t be. Your financial plan should be a perfect fit for your life as it is today, easily and quickly adaptable to the constant changes life throws at you, and always focused on achieving your longer term life goals. That’s a big – and important – deal. So, the first question you must ask yourself is, Do I need a financial plan? The simple answer is yes – if you have an income, a family (or the hopes of one), dreams of a comfortable retirement, and any of the dozens of other financially-rooted reasons that are unique to you. The next question is, What are the elements of a sound financial plan? There are two answers to that question: the general and the specific. In general, every financial plan should include: investment planning, cash flow planning, education planning, estate planning, insurance planning, retirement planning, and income

tax planning. The key to a successful financial plan is making sure that each of those elements is made specific to you and your needs. To do that, a competent professional advisor will take you through this six step planning process: 1. Goal setting – to determine and prioritize your goals and concerns. 2. Data gathering – assembling the relevant financial information to understand your current financial situation. 3. Financial analysis – using your current and projected financial situation to identify and answer questions like: “How much tax must I pay?” How can my taxes be reduced?” Will I have enough income to cover my expenses during retirement?” “How can I better meet my income needs?” “How can I protect my family and income if I should become disabled or die unexpectedly?” 4. Plan formulation and recommendations – discussing, reviewing and deciding on various alternatives and solutions for achieving your financial goals and improving your

overall financial life. 5. Plan implementation – providing you with a written report summarizing the steps you need to take to make your plan work. 6. Monitoring and plan review – financial planning is not a one-time event. You should review your plan at least annually or when major life events occur. Comprehensive financial planning is complex and necessary. To be sure you get exactly the right one for your situation, it’s a good idea to put a professional advisor on your financial team – an advisor with the qualifications, tools and track record you can count on to develop a personalized financial plan that will the job for you – today and tomorrow. (This column, written and published by Investors Group Financial Services Inc., presents general information only and is not a solicitation to buy or sell any investments. Contact a financial advisor for specific advice about your circumstances. For more information on this topic please contact your Investors Group Consultant.)

you can make your pitch to the right person…” Citing a recent “success story,” Simmons remarked that it was in such as way that a Canadian high-tech company got involved in

the international consortium that is bidding to supply the Philippines with an automated voting system worth about US$300 million for possible use in the presidential election set for

May 2010. Simmons reminded that “the reason that EDC has people like me around (in Asia) is not so much to help Canadian companies (To page 31)

Officers of the Canada Philippines Trade Council (CPBC, Toronto) and Philippines Canada Trade Council (PCTC, Vancouver) pose for posterity following the 1st Joint Trade Councils Networking Update on EDC’s Works in the Philippines. From left are former Ambassador and advisor to both councils John Treleaven, PCTC secretary Manny Ilao, keynote speaker Rob Simmons, EDC chief representative in South East Asia; Sal Laganse, CPBC; PCTC president Bill Hogg, CPBC president Forte Gerardo, PCTC director Felipe Calderon, PCTC vice president Mike Calingo, PCTC directors Ryan Ferrer and Liza Muyco and treasurer Melecia Azares. PR

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MANILA MEDIA MONITOR OCTOBER 2009

MONEY Cebu, Panay big-ticket projects get nod BSP sees 0.8 - 1.7% inflation rate in October

MANILA - The Cabinet Committe of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) has approved multibillionpeso flood control and airport development projects in the Visayas. NEDA said the interagency body approved the P5-billion Panay River Flood Control Project, which is expected to address flooding problems along the sub-basins of Panay River. The project would be bankrolled with a P4.2-billion loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency and local counterpart fund of P741 million. NEDA said the project would be implemented in five years, from 2011 to

2015, with actual operations seen to start in early 2016. The committee also approved the proposed 75percent increase in the cost of the revised Panglao Island Airport Development Project, from P4.27 billion to P7.54 billion. “The project cost rose due to the increase of item prices and quantity because of design modification and additional acquisition of 14.5 hectares of land, among others,” NEDA said. The project aims to develop a new airport facility in Panglao Island, Bohol that complies with domestic and international standards for operational safety and efficiency. It envisions to open up the entire region to more

economic activities and to enhance the tourism potential of Bohol Province. The project is seen to be implemented in the first semester of 2010 and completed in 2012. The Cabinet committee also approved the Philippines’ Response to Indigenous People and Muslim Education (PRIME) Facility, that would improve access to quality basic education particularly by indigenous peoples and students in Muslim communities. The Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) will grant P700 million to finance the project while the government shares P140 million. PNA

MANILA - The impact of recent calamities to the economy of the Philippines and the rise in domestic oil prices have prompted the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to project the October 2009 inflation between a range of 0.8 and 1.7 percent. BSP Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. said the damage from the typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng that recently hit the country has reached about P30 billion. Damage and destruction figures are expected to increase further as assessments on affected areas continued. In October last year, the inflation rate stood at 11.2 percent. The Central Bank’s inflation rate projection was higher than the 0.7 percent

rate from last September. The continued rise in oil prices in the international market has been cited earlier by monetary officials as the upside risk to inflation along with the expected recovery of the global economy. Tetangco earlier said the upside risks have increased, thus, their average inflation projection for this year and the next were raised to 3.03 percent from three percent and to 3.4 percent from 3.3 percent, respectively. He said that amid the slight increase in the forecast, “both would still be within their respective target ranges.” The government’s inflation target for 2009 is a range between 2.5 and 4.5 percent while it is between 3.5 and 5.5 percent for

2010. “We will consider these developments” during the upcoming rate setting meeting of the central bank’s policy-making Monetary Board (MB), Tetangco said. The MB decided to maintain for the second consecutive time this year the central bank’s policy rate last Oct. 1, after cutting a total of 200 basis points off the rate since December 2008 on account of the continued drop in inflation. To date, BSP’s overnight borrowing rate is at its record lowest of four percent while the overnight lending rate is at six percent. MB’s next policy meeting is scheduled on Nov. 5 and the market expects monetary officials to maintain its present stance until next year. PNA

Pangasinan: No ...

(From page 9) he blamed on the abrupt release of a huge volume of water from the San Roque Dam at the height of Typhoon Pepeng, Pangasinenses are facing a very bleak future. Pangasinan disaster council records showed losses of some P10 billion in public and private infrastructure and agriculture from the flood. The figure did not include houses partially and totally destroyed, damaged merchandise of traders and others. Espino said that rehabilitation would be long and hard. “Replacing lost crops won’t be easy,” he said. Farmers might not have money to rent tractors that would cultivate their rice fields or cash to buy seeds and fertilizers, he lamented. Another factor that might delay replanting is the availability of irrigation water. As in the past, the possibility of a drought settling in after the rainy season could not be discounted, he added. Displaced fishpond owners said they were still in the dark on where they could source out fingerlings to replenish lost stocks. Dalisay Moya, provincial agriculturist, said households are being urged to engage in backyard gardening. Moya said the agriculture department would distribute vegetable seeds to households. She added the agency is ready to provide fingerlings and look for sources from which local fish farmers could buy fry at lower prices to replenish their lost stocks. PNA

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MONEY

Flaherty pushes federal pension reform plan Finance Minister Jim Flaherty released on Oct. 27 a reform plan for the federal private pension legislative and regulatory framework. Flaherty said the plan proposes a balanced package of measures to benefit pension plan sponsors, plan members and retirees. The package includes measures to: ► Enhance protections for plan members. ► Reduce funding volatility for defined benefit plans. ► Make it easier for participants to negotiate changes to their pension arrangements. ► Improve the framework for defined contribution plans and for negotiated contribution plans. ► Modernize the rules for investments made by pension funds. “These reforms will provide enhanced benefit security for workers and retirees while allowing pension plan sponsors to better manage their funding obligations as part of their overall business operations,” Flaherty said. The government plans to restrict an employer’s

ability to take a contribution holiday unless a fivepercent funding cushion remains, change the solvency funding methodology to make it less volatile and less pro-cyclical by basing the funding requirements on a three-year average, and require employers to fully fund pension benefits on plan termination. The government also intends to increase the pension surplus threshold under the Income Tax Act, which applies to both federally and provincially regulated defined benefit plans, to 25 percent from 10 percent. The proposals are aimed at federally regulated private pension plans, which represent about seven percent of pension plans in Canada. While some of the proposed changes can be introduced by changes to regulation, others will be implemented by legislation. The reform plan was a product of extensive consultations with Canadians. In a related development, the Finance ministry said that protecting seniors is a priority.

In addition to pension framework reforms, the hovernment has introduced laws to implement results of the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) Triennial Review, made at the May 2009 federal/provincial/territorial Finance Ministers’ meeting. The review includes a measures to improve the effectiveness and resilience of the CPP while ensuring it remains affordable and fair. “This builds government’s record on seniors’ issues, which provides $1.9 billion annually in tax relief to seniors and pensioners,” the ministry said. Other actions include: ► An increase in the Age Credit amount by $1,000 as of 2009, on top of the $1,000 increase introduced as of 2006. ► A raise in the age limit for maturing pensions and Registered Retirement Savings Plans to 71 from 69 as of 2007. ► Pension income splitting as of 2007. ► Doubling the amount of income eligible for the Pension Income Credit (to $2,000 from $1,000) as of 2006. PR

31

NAPBTTC skeds 2010 trade mission to RP The National Alliance of Philippine Business Trade and Tourism-Canada (NAPBTTC) is urging owners and senior executives of Canadian companies, including small and medium sized enterprises in a broad range of sectors, to participate in a trade mission to the Philippines from Feb. 14 to 19, 2010. The NAPBTTC said the mission is expected to bring together businesses and governments in both countries to explore ways to further expand business, trade, investment and tourism. The mission is conducted in coordination with the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto, the Philippine Embassy in Ottawa and trade and business councils in Canada. “Presently, we have interested participants involved in Education, Information and Communications Technology, Business Process Outsourcing, Human Resources and Manpower Sourcing, Hospitality and Tourism, Mining, Alternative Energy, Agriculture, Recycling and Recycled

Products, Retirement and Leisure, and Real Estate,” officials said. “We are not limiting the mission to these specific industries, and we expect more sectors to join,” they said. Mission participants could be: ► Canadian companies already doing business in the Philippines. Make new contacts and reinforce existing relationship to increase your profile, as well as raise important issues that could advance your business activities. ► Canadian companies not yet familiar with the Philippines. Meet with senior business and government leaders to increase your understanding of the Philippine business and regulatory environment. Learn about opportunities in the country and leverage the experience of other companies present there. ► Canadian companies already established in the Philippines. Learn about the benefits of manufacturing in the Philippines and discover its role as a manufacturing base for goods destined for

the North American market. The mission’s partner organizations include the Philippine Chamber of Commerce-Toronto, the Federation of Philippines Canada Trade and Commerce of Quebec, the Southeast Asia Canada Business Council of British Columbia, Trade and Investment Services Alliance Network, Canadian Embassy in the Philippines, the Philippine Department of Trade & Industry, the Philippine Department of Tourism, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines. “We hope that this trade mission will serve as an avenue to Canadian and Philippine businesses to explore more trade opportunities. Further details could be obtained at www.napbtt. com or contact Cora dela Cruz at (416) 925-0013 or Evelyn Pagkalinawan at (416) 369-1318. The NAPBTTC’s e-mail address is info@napbtt. com. PR

(From page 31) do business with developed economies like Singapore, but to help more companies do business with emerging markets like the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia where business is not that straightforward and there is need for some support. We know that Canadian exporters have to look beyond the U.S. border for other opportunities.” He advised micro exporters to involve their banks with Letters of Credit and insurance coverage for their export transactions at the start, and access EDC’s services for these needs online, and not to shy from trying to do business with larger companies. “We are certainly very interested in supporting smaller exporters,” he reiterated. Simmons said that of the 8,500 or so companies that EDC supports with financing and insurance coverage of Canadian exports and loans, most, following the 80-20 norm, are small and medium sized companies. During the past three

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MANILA - TORONTO - USA - EUROPE Guests at the First Joint CPBC-PCTC networking event in Vancouver included Derral Moriyama, senior vice president commercial of BMO Greater Vancouver District; Scott Shepherd, president of Northstar Trade Finance, Vancouver; and Jamie Bateman, president, Bateman Technology, Toronto. PR years, EDC has supported over $350 million worth of Canadian exports to the Philippines. This included financing to leading corporate groups such as BDO, Metro, First Pacific, PLDT, Globe Tele-

com and Medical City. Simmons, based in Singapore since January 2004, has over 20 years of experience in assisting Canadian business in Asia. He is on the advisory Board of CPBC. PR

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MANILA MEDIA MONITOR OCTOBER 2009

Entertainment

Joining Lilac Caña (3rd from left) on stage to sing Amigos Para Siempre are the equally brilliant artists (from left) Andrea Garofalo, Eleanor Calbes, Lilac Caña sings Sa Kabukiran, with the Fiesta Filipina Dance Troupe in a dance back-up, during the Anthony Macri, Heidi Cylko and Leander Mendoza. Blossom Concert at the Jane Mallett Theatre on Sept. 19. Caña also launched her latest CDs Blossom PR/AIDA D’ ORAZIO and Believe during the concert. PR/AIDA D’ ORAZIO

Folklorico Philippines Canada marks 35th year

Lilac captivates audience

Filipino Centre Toronto (FCT) Director Popoy Caña and his wife Ligaya were both radiant with happiness over the success of their daughter Lilac’s Blossom Concert at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts Jane Mallet Theatre on Sept. 19. The exceptionally talented Lilac enraptured the audience with her repertoire of songs that ran the gamut from operatic to jazz. With equally brilliant performers joining her on stage, such as Eleanor Calbes, Andrea Garofalo, Anthony Macri, Heidi Cyfko and Leander Mendoza, as The Folklorico Philippines Canada troupe performs an indigenous Muslim Mindanao dance number, in well as performances from the Fiesta Filipina Dance a show celebrating Folklorico’s 35th year. PR/AIDA D’ ORAZIO

Troupe and the Ote’ A Tane group, the audience was wonderfully entertained. There was a father and daughter rendition of The Impossible Dream, which brought about a few remarks – ah, that’s where Lilac’s singing talent comes from. The Blossom Concert served as a kick-off for a pet project, the Caña Caridad Foundation; launching of the CDs Blossom and Believe; and in celebration of Lilac’s 40th birthday. Part of the proceeds will benefit the Free the Children Foundation and the Immaculate Mary Queen of Heaven Missionaries in Cebu City. AIDA D’ ORAZIO

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MANILA MEDIA MONITOR OCTOBER 2009

aRTS/eNTERTAINMENT

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Unity concert set for Ondoy, Pepeng victims Various community organizations and concerned Filipino-Canadians have joined hands in hosting the Unity Concert 2009: Rebuilding People’s Lives next month in Toronto. The project aims to gather groups willing to work together in a collaborative project that would directly benefit typhoon victims in the Philippines. Typhoon Ketsana (Ondoy) hit the Philippines at the end of last month, causing widespread damage unseen in the country’s recent history. Agricultural systems and infrastructure in Metro Manila and surrounding areas suffered extensive damage. Many lives were lost, homes destroyed, electricity and clean water are still unavailable in many regions of the country. The lives of four million people had been affected by Typhoon Ketsana alone. Flood water levels

By EDWIN MERCURIO reached a record 20 feet high in worst affected areas at the peak of typhoon Ketsana’s fury. Typhoon Parma (Pepeng), another tropical storm also hit the Northern part of the Philippines after Ketsana causing rising flood waters, landslides and further damage. Filipinos need help desperately and the large Filipino community and various organizations in Ontario have responded to their cry for help. The unity concert aims to harness the great compassion, desire to help and community building capacity of various organizations in the urgent task of helping rebuild the lives of those hard hit by Typhoons Ketsana and Pepeng in the Philippines. The ticketed concert is being planned for Nov. 29 from 3 to 6 pm at the Uni-

versity of Toronto Convocation Hall. This three-hour musical extravaganza will be showcasing diverse Filipino talents from classical, jazz, pop, rock, and progressive songs plus folk and hip-hop dances. Musical artists who have signified participation are Ma-Anne Dionisio, Lilac Cana, Karen Tan, Josie de Leon, Emilio Zarris, Vonnie Beltran and Chyrell Samson. Youth bands and music groups like Melodious Vibes, Panyolito, Couples for Christ Foundation for Family Life, Rhythms of Faith and Joy of the Lord are slated to perform. Participating organizations include the Community Alliance for Social Justice, Kababayan Community Centre, Kapisanan Philippine Center, Filipino Migrant Workers Movement,

Philippine Press Club-Ontario, Philippine Advocacy Through Arts and Culture, Silayan Community Centre, Philippine Heritage Band, Santaginians, Canadian Aid Relief Project, Joy of the Lord, Philippine Independence Day Council, Couples for Christ Foundation for Family and Life, and

other regional, religious and alumni associations. Concert organizers have identified the Citizens Disaster Response Center (CDRC) as main administrator for funds in the Philippines. CDRC is a 25-year old organization respected nationally and internationally

for its integrity and accountability in terms of ensuring that relief goods and donated funds go directly to the most vulnerable among the disaster victims. It is recognized by the United Nations and various disaster relief and rehabilitation organizations throughout the world. PR

Poetry para sa Pilipinas By: MARTINNE IGNACIO-PALANCA Toronto’s annual Nuit Blanche is an event many people enjoy from sunset to sunrise. The free all-night contemporary art thing, quoting the website for Nuit Blanche, is for any artist to showcase his or her art. This year, Nuit Blanche took place on Oct. 3, closing off most of Toronto’s downtown streets for everyone to enjoy the free art. From Nathan Phillip Square, Harbourfront to the

University of Toronto, free art was being experienced, and if you were closer to Kensington Market; you would have found an art and culture centre familiar to those in the Filipino community holding an event, not just for Filipinos but for all cultures, to enjoy. Kapisanan Philippine Centre for Arts and Culture Centre is a youth-led Filipino community-based, multidisciplinary and cultural centre that fosters artistic

expression, professionalism and positive cultural identification as a foundation for youth empowerment. One of their programs, Poetry as our Second Language, commonly known as PSL, was a four-week program held by Kapisanan for poets to get together and share their craft. The intent was, at the end of the four weeks, PSL poets would put on a show during Nuit Blanche, al(To page 37)

‘The Champions’ gets raves at RCOY fete Four young and talented Filipino-Canadians called The Champions is a fast, up and coming musical group in the mainstream community. Recently, they were the special guest performers of the Rotary Club of York during the club’s Dinner/ Gala where they left the audience very impressed. Michelle Chan, club sergeant-at-arms, opined: “These kids are truly amazing, with wonderful voices and they truly gave me chills.” Wendy Mong, club VP, said: “Individually, they are undoubtedly great singers but they blend very well when singing as a group.” A week prior, they also guested at the Association of Taiwanese of Toronto’s Typhoon Disaster Charity. The Champions -composed of Candace Santos, Roy Christian Tugbang, Jasmine Elaine Ragual and Glenn Montera - has truly emerged as one of the most sought performers in the Greater Toronto area and south of the border. They have the passion, dedication and endless energy to hone their Godgiven talents, share these with the community, and inspire the young and old, truly make them loved and respected by all. Each has achieved accolades on their own rights, emerging as

“Champions” in prestigious competitions in Canada and the US. Candace Santos was the 2008 Champion of the First Young Asian-Canadian Singing Competition. She also reaped golds in the World Championship of Performing Arts in Hollywood, California. She was 2006 Junior Grand Champion of the CNE Rising Star Search; 2005 Junior Champion of the Culture Philippines of Ontario’s Singing Idol; and 2004 Junior Champion of the FCT Singing Idol. She is a Grade 11 student of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Mississauga . Roy Tugbang, whose powerful baritone voice earned him the title Young Pavarotti, has guested in TV and radio shows and in concerts. Last August, he was awarded the highest Bursary Scholarship by the York Arts Council. He sang O’ Canada for the home opening game of the Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre in Sept. 2008. He was 2007 1st runnerup and Best in Vocals at the CNE (Junior) Rising Star Search and 2006 Junior Champion of the FCT Filipino Singing Idol. In July 2007, he launched his singing career in a solo concert at the Playhouse Theatre in Vaughn. He is a Grade 9 student

The Champions -- Glenn Montera, 14; Candace Santos, 16; Jasmine Elaine Ragual,13; and Roy Christian Tugbang, 14 (2nd to 5th from left) -- impressed members of the Rotary Club of York with their vocals and singing prowess. The four young Filipino-Canadian talents were recent guests during the annual dinner-gala of the club. With them in photo are (from left) past president Michael Wong, Mandy ChengHui, director Janet Fung, vice president Wendy Mong, and sergeant-at-arms Michelle Chan. PR of the Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts. Glenn Montera was the grand champion of the 2008 GMA Talent Search, 2003 Junior Champion of FCT Singing Idol. At 6, he won the King of Karaoke contest at Center Point Mall and at age 7, was 1st place of the Model and Talent Search Canada in Montreal. He has appeared in TV commercials, has done recordings and a finalist of the Kidz For It TV Reality

Show. He is a Grade 9 student of the Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts. Jasmine Elaine Ragual is a Brampton City 2008 Arts Acclaim awardee and has performed with the Brampton Symphony Orchesta in its US tour. On Jan. 3, 2009, she was awarded the Most Potential Child Female Performer at the USA World Showcase Talent Competition in Las Vegas, Nevada. On Nov. 28, 2008, she

played a major role in the Christmas musical Amahl and the Night Visitors presented by the City Centre Musical Productions of Mississauga. Her other awards and accolades included being the 2008 Junior Champion of the CNE Rising Star Search, 2008 Best Female Solo Performance at the USA Worldshowcase Talent Competition, 2007 Junior Champion of the Culture Philippines of Ontario’s 1st Battle of the Champions,

2007 Champion of the St. Anne’s Brampton 1st Singing Idol Search. She received the 2007 scholarship award by the City Centre Musical Production of Mississauga. A member of the Fiesta Filipina Dance Troupe of Canada, she also joined the Brampton Music Theatre and the (Junior) Himig Pilipino Chorale Ensemble. She is a Grade 8 and an Arts@Newman student of the Cardinal Newman Catholic School. PR

34

MANILA MEDIA MONITOR OCTOBER 2009

Arts/Entertainment

KCCC prepares for Mississauga zarzuela presentation on Nov. 14

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In photo above, Imelda Espiritu Papa (foreground, with keyboards) rehearses the Kalayaan Cultural Community Centre (KCCC) Senior Choir for the KCCC’s two one-act zarzuela performances at the Meadowvale Theatre in Mississauga on Nov. 14. The first play, Valentina, tells a tragic tale of the triumph of Valentina’s love for Celso over her secret life as a vampire and is performed in Tagalog. Chiqui Pineda, well-known musical performer with the hit song How Did You Know and star of the musical play Rama’t Sita, plays the lead role in Valentina. Kelly Topacio, Vangie Alcasid, Joy Almojuela, Edwin Dumlao, Elly Rosalin, Del Palileo, Marilyn Palileo, Randy Fabico and Jack Azimi, with the special participation of the KCCC Senior Choir, round up the cast of the second play, New Yorker in Tondo. The play will be performed in English and is a hilarious play about Kikay, a Tondo girl who goes to New York and comes back changed with her New York ways, which are not necessarily to the liking of her Tondo friends. New Yorker ... casts talented actors Audrey Fabico, Bernice Fabico, Jason Nepomuceno, Francis Pendon, and Alma Torreno. Also in Valentina and New Yorker ... are community youth and senior talents. The KCCC zarzuela performances were made possible by a grant from Service Canada thru the New Horizons for Seniors Program. PR

Western ...

(From page 3) support them. Western Union Canada makes it a point to celebrate important moments such as this with them. Educational thrust In a related development, a Western Union press release noted the company’s commitment to support education programs crucial to easing poverty in the Philippines. As the top money senders in the world, Filipinos strive for a better future for their family by working in another country with better pay and sending money home to support the education of their children and relatives. Inspired by this spirit, the Western Union Foundation in the Philippines and its agent PetNet have offered a scholarship program for migrant families’ children. This year, it supported 12 children from the Mano Amiga Academy to complete elementary school. In the Mano Amiga Academy, a broadband connection facility was also handed over to the school to make it possible for families of Overseas Filipino Workers to communicate with their kin abroad.

RP’s Sonsona vs Mexico’s ...

(From page 17) Allan Tremblay, president of Orion Sports Management said “this array of talent will provide our fans with one of the best nights of boxing they have ever witnessed. Get your tickets early.” Jeff Craik, vice president of marketing for Casino Rama, added Rumble @ Rama IX would feature “one of the best all-around fight cards we’ve seen in the Rumble series. We’re looking forward to Rumble X capturing the same excitement; it should be a sensational fight night!”’ Staged in Casino Rama’s state-of-the-art 5,200 seat Entertainment Centre, the

Rumble at Rama series has firmly established the Casino as the premier venue in which to see the big time excitement of a world-class fight in Ontario. Rumble at Rama X starts at 8 p.m. with the undercard bouts. The co-main event takes place at about 9:45 p.m., and the main event set to begin at 10:30 p.m. While television arrangements are still being negotiated, Orion Sports Management has confirmed that both Mexico and the Philippines will carry the show live. (See ad on page 16) With PR and Internet reports

Rogers Wireless/Mabuhay ... (From page 28) and surrounding region (Oshawa through Burlington and north to Orillia within the telephone area codes 416, 647, 289 and 905. Contestants were asked to send a text message containing the word ‘mabuhay’ using Rogers Wireless device to shortcode 111, marking the

celebration of the 111st year of Philippine independence. They were also asked to send a 50-word essay on “How do you celebrate Philippine heritage?” The contest was coordinated with the Philippine Independence Day Council, coinciding with the Mabuhay fest. PR

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Arts/Entertainment

MANILA MEDIA MONITOR OCTOBER 2009

35

Yeats pair quicksteps to PIDC’s Dancing ... crown Gertrude and Robert Yeats were in their elements as they impressed the judges to eventually win the gold in the 3rd Philippine Independence Day Council (PIDC) Dancing To Be A Star at the Sts. Peter and Paul Banquet Hall on Oct. 3. Dancing ... chairperson Leonie Manzanares likewise described as equally talented silver winners Helen and Don Truong and third placer Christine and Carlos Ortiz. “Talented competitors set the ice on fire. They were spellbinding, with each having awesome performances that wowed professional ballroom instructors and judges Christine Muszynski, Giorgio Argentini, Richard Thibeault and Abby Mina,” Manzanares said. The contest highlights included exhibitions of Samba, Rumba and Paso Doble, with in-between competition performances by Alan Gilin and Anastacia Trutneva of Elite Dance Studio.

Adding spice to an already spectacular evening of music and dance were performers Roy “Young Pavaroti” Tugbang, Newfoundland star Carmen Hauyon, Little Miss PIDC Philippines Kim Da Silva, Miss PIDC Philippines Natalie Rafael, and You Know You Can Dance champion Jesse Catibog. Gie Alvarez, Front Page Philippines host, and Joel Recla, radio producer and director of Perlas ng Silangan, emceed the program. Dancing ... was cochaired by Rory Elefano and Rosemer Enverga. REMMVI Studio provided the music. Manzanares said Dancing ... capped this year’s series of programs carried out by PIDC under president Jun Enverga. She credited the PIDC Board for the event’s success, with mention of the special moral support from PIDC executive vice president Minda Neri and Evelyn Lao of Ezee Dancing. PR

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Artist Endaya opens art exhibit, launches book Renowned artist Imelda Cajipe Endaya opened a one-woman art exhibit at the Kalayaan Cultural Community Centre (KCCC) on Oct. 9. In the same occasion, Endaya also launched a book titled Stitching Paint into Collage. The art exhibit, which ran from Oct. 10 to 16, was sponsored by the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto, KCCC, University of the Philippines Alumni Association (UPAA) Toronto, College of the Holy Spirit North America Foundation (CHSNAF) Canada, and the Philippine Artists Group

(PAG) of Canada. Philippine Consul General Alejandro Mosquera led the ceremonial ribbon cutting, assisted by Consolacion Quejas, KCCC president; Bob Delaney, MPP Mississauga-Streetsville; Joe Zagala, UPAA president; Beng Lorayes, CHSNAF president; and Omel Masalunga, PAG president. Endaya’s contemporary Philippine artwork embodies the themes of cultural identity, gender, race, nation, migration, displacement, and globalization from the distinct point of an enlightened Filipina visual artist.

The exhibit showed how Endaya has developed a rich and expressive discourse from various sources and cultural elements in the use of mixed media, printmaking collage, and painting. In addition to her artwork, she also launched her book that brought together six essays on Endaya’s work and the culture that nurtured her art. Book co-authors are Patrick Flores, May Datuin, Scott Koterbay, Ruben Defeo and Elizabeth Lolarga. Over thirty images of Endaya’s later, more celebratory mixed media

works were featured in the 80-page book. Endaya has won the Irwin and Florence Zlowe Memorial Art Award from the American Society of Contemporary Artists. In 2009, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts honored her with the Ani ng Dangal trophy as a Filipino artist reaping international recognition. Her works are in the permanent collections of the Fukuoka Art Museum, Okinawa Art Museum, The Singapore Art Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Manila, and Philippine National Museum. PR

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Arts/Entertainment Poetry para sa Pilipinas (From page 33) lowing others to experience their work and talent. However, recent events in the Philippines caused many Filipinos to pause and take a few seconds to catch their breath. Typhoon Ondoy or typhoon Ketsana, caused the world to keep their focus on the Philippines. The aftermath left hundreds dead, many other missing and the victims and survivors of the typhoon homeless, powerless, and hopeless. The typhoon affected both the rich and poor, leaving the whole nation helpless. There was not much that the Philippines could do for itself without the help of other countries. With the world watching and responding too, in different positive degrees; one of those, Global Medic, sending water purification systems to the Philippines, to help purify water and provide fresh, clean water in the affected areas. As a Filipino based-community, Kapisanan, took the lead and began their own fundraiser for the victims of typhoon Ondoy. Incorporating PSL and the fundraiser, Kapisanan

had their own Poetry Night Fundraiser. The overwhelming donations that both Filipinos and non-Filipinos had given, ranging from clothes to shoes and canned goods to medicine, left Kapisanan with more than 20 boxes full to send and a truck bursting with more donations that needed to be packed. Kapisanan Philippine Centre was jampacked with supporters and wanderers during the PSL fundraiser. Kapisanan could not fully express their gratitude to donors and supporters. I was given the opportunity to do my cooperative education at Kapisanan, through my high school. where I spend my afternoons at the centre, participating in event organization, planning, outreach, and creating art with one of the many professional artists in the Kapisanan community. The start of my co-op placement, had me promoting Kapisanan’s PSL fundraiser and getting companies to donate whatever they could. It wasn’t my expectation to see that many donations from people around the city and even the country. From personal experi-

ence, I have seen the support that the centre has received, but the new and old faces that I saw at the centre, was exciting. People who didn’t even know there had been a typhoon in the Philippines and only found out about it during their visit were kind enough to return a few minutes later with donations of whatever they could find or afford. It wasn’t just the kindness of people or the bayanihan that got me excited, it was also the show itself. To see the young Filipino poets and musicians involved in PSL, only reassured me that real talent is no stranger to our people. The energy of both the young performers and the very culturally diverse audience made the show even more exciting. To say that Kapisanan’s PSL was a successful fundraiser, would be an understatement. “Not only were we able to reach our goal, but we surpassed it, thanks to the generosity of Filipinos and their non-Filipino friends,” says Caroline Mangosing Executive Director of Kapisanan Philippine Centre for Arts and Culture.

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Culture/Entertainment

Ati-atihan celebration slated on Jan. 9, 2010 The United Aklanon Association of Toronto (UAAT) has announced that the much-acclaimed Ati-atihan Party will be conducted on Jan. 9, 2010, at the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto in Scarborough, Ontario. The annual celebration is a very well attended event. “Last year, we had about 500 guests, and this coming year, we are expecting more,” according to UAAT president Bobby dela Cruz. “We had a great costume competition among the different groups. We are inviting other groups to join us in this joyful celebration.” The Ati-atihan is a world-renown celebration in Aklan, similar to the Mardi Gras in Rio and New Orleans. Every third weekend of January, over a million people flock to the town of Kalibo and the surrounding towns in Aklan for merry making. In North America, Ati-atihan is seen and enjoyed in most major cities, such as New York/New Jersey, Los Angeles and Vancouver. PR

Joel Recla Producer/Host

BATID WIKA PAHALANG 1. Lumang wika, daglat 4. Tawag sa pera 8. Buay 12. Duhagi 13. Sahog sa bigas 14. Mabangong butil 15. Unang anak 17. Matinding galit, pag dinoble 18. Baktot 19. Di-makaya ang trabaho 20. Kabisera ng Guam 22. Sebo 24. Talupak ng saging 25. Mambabatas 29. Hamak 30. Walang takip 31. Diumano 32. Sakyan ang kabayo 34. Pampakinis 35. Marka ng mall 36. Sapilitan 37. Malaking karayom 40. Kutkutin 41. Higaan 42. Kanggreho 46. Payat na payat 47. Sedang laso 48. Kahawig 49. Usapin sa korte 50. Abang 51. Pantukoy, Kastila PABABA 1. Yugto ng karera 2. Barkilyos 3. Basar 4. Hinuha

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5. Pangkulay 6. Unang bilang 7. Pang-ukol 8. Pita 9. Iyak ng baka 10. Panayam 11. Pustura 16. Suweldo 19. Prutas 20. Yamot 21. Lamang-lupa 22. Nangungulimbat 23. Sakit sa balat 25. Una ang paa nang ipinanganak 26. Manuskrito

GMA Network won several major awards at the recently concluded 31st Catholic Mass Media Awards (CMMA). Topping GMA Network’s list of honors is the public affairs program Wish Ko Lang, which was elevated to CMMA’s Hall of Fame after winning in the same category four times. Hosted by award-winning broadcast journalist Vicky Morales, Wish Ko Lang bagged the Best Public Service Program for the years 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2008. The award-winning IWitness: GMA Documentaries was chosen as this year’s Best Adult Education/cultural program for its episode Batang Langoy hosted by Jay Taruc. The documentary tackled the unforgettable struggle of the Magalumbi island children in Iloilo who have to swim home from school every day. The longest running morning talk show, SIS, hosted by the unbeatable trio of Janice de Belen, Gelli de Belen and Carmina Villaroel, has proven that quantity works alongside quality by winning the Best Talk Show award. The Best Entertainment Program (Special Citation), meanwhile, was bagged by the award-winning Sunday concert TV, SOP. Q Channel 11, GMA Network’s sister station, also received glorious recognition as it won Best Children’s Program for Kids on Q (hosted by Tonipet Gaba with Ella Guevara, Renford Alano, Aria Cariño, among others) and Best Public Service Program for the Jessica

BUBOY FAVOR, GELLI DE BELEN, CARMINA VILLAROEL of SIS

VICKY MORALES Soho-hosted public affairs program Reunions. GMA Network’s radio program Nagmamahal Manay, Gina of DZBB won best Drama Program. Radio show Talk to Papa of Barangay LS received a special citation for Best Counseling Program. The CMMA was organized in 1978 by the Archdiocese of Manila to recognize values-filled products in radio, press, advertising, television and film. The abovementioned GMA shows are shown internationally on GMA Pi-

JESSICA SOJO

JAY TARUC noy TV. Q Channel 11 shows are available thru GMA Life TV. PR

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27. Pinuno ng mga datu 28. Apaw 30. Hayop sa bukid 33. Daig sa pusta 34. Tela ng hayop 36. Kakuriputan 37. Bitak 38. Libot 39. Mahinhing tawa 40. Seremonyas sa simbahan 42. Artistang Mina 43. Silid-agham 44. Palayaw ni PGMA 45. Bayan sa Albay (Sagot sa PAHINA 28)

Here are the other winners of the 31st CMMA 2009 conducted at the San Carlos Seminary Auditorium in Makati City: Sports Unlimited (ABS-CBN) – CMMA Hall of Fame Jess Abrera – Hall of Fame Awardee “Bakit Siya Meron, Bakit Ako Wala?” (Christine Bersola-Babao) – Best Short Story dzMM – Best Radio Ad for public service Sikap Pinoy (dzMM) – Best Business News or Feature Maalala Mo Kaya (dzMM) – Best Drama Program Radio Patrol Balita Alas-Siete (dzMM) – Best News Program Pasada Sais Trenta (dzMM) – Best News Commentary Sidewalk (ABS-CBN Cebu) – Best Educational Program for radio “The Greatest Love” album (Kris Aquino) – Best Album (Secular) Start Up (ANC) – Best Business News or Feature program “Kwento ng mga Peligrino” (ABS-CBN) – Best TV Special “Kidnap” (ABS-CBN) – Best Special Event Coverage Wonder Mom (ABS-CBN) – Best News Magazine TV Patrol Northern Luzon (ABS-CBN Baguio) – Best News Program “May Bukas Pa” and “Tayong Dalawa” (ABS-CBN) – Best Drama Series Niño Jesus Orbeta – Best News Photograph Emmie Velarde – Best Special Feature Nestor U. Torre – Best Entertainment Column Michael L. Tan – Best Opinion Column Former president Corazon Aquino – posthumous Serviam Award.

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