4 people stabbed at US church – police Associated Press

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico – Police said a 24-year-old man stabbed four people at a Catholic church in New Mexico as a Sunday mass was nearing its end.

Police spokesman Robert Gibbs said Lawrence Capener jumped over several pews at St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic Church around noon Sunday and walked up to the choir area where he began his attack.

The injuries to the four church-goers weren’t life-threatening. All four were being treated at hospitals.

An off-duty police officer and others at the church subdued Capener and held him down until police arrived.

Some of those who were stabbed were members of the choir.

Gibbs said Capener is now being interviewed by police and is expected to face felony charges.

It’s not yet known whether Capener has an attorney.

Gibbs said investigators didn’t yet know the motive for the stabbings, whether Capener had ties to the victims or whether he regularly attended the church.

Archbishop of Santa Fe Michael Sheehan released a statement saying he was saddened by the attack.

“I pray for all who have been harmed, their families, the parishioners and that nothing like this will ever happen again,” Sheehan said.

The church didn’t immediately return calls seeking comment on Sunday afternoon.

She danced while a nation burnt

By Luis H. Francia

2:17 pm | Monday, April 29th, 2013

NEW YORK - Was it Oscar Wilde who quipped that one thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about?

In this regard, Imelda Romualdez Marcos need not worry. The ex-czarina of the Philippines has never been out of the spotlight even after her less than glamorous exit from center stage. Still, the provincial lass-made-good lived very well in Honolulu, though perhaps not as luxuriously as when, with Ferdinand, bringing the country to ruin. When apparently unable to touch her bank accounts while being tried in a US federal court for alleged crimes committed while in office, she was bailed out, literally, by her glam friend Doris Duke—a trial in which she was acquitted, on her birthday no less, leading her to remark that it was Ferdie up in heaven who made it all possible. Of course, I doubt it was from heaven that the dead tyrant pulled strings. Besides, it has always struck me as odd, the implication of that statement, that only a miracle would save her from federal prison, suggesting that if there had been no divine intervention she would have been found guilty.

Former first lady Imelda R. Marcos

David Byrne’s musical Here Lies Love, labeled a “poperetta,” would surely not surprise Imelda, did she care to notice, that her life story has been reclaimed for the stage at the Public Theater, a theatrical mainstay of downtown Manhattan. Would the work please her? She probably would consider that question irrelevant, apropos of Wilde. Byrne has fashioned a piece of musical theater that attempts to depict a psychological portrait of La Imelda within the setting of a discotheque—his and Fatboy Slim’s music, lights, DJ, slide shows, the works—going by the much publicized fact of Imelda’s fancy for discoing.

He with some singers performed the music at a Carnegie Hall concert gig some years back, and was rightly criticized (by myself, among others) for overlooking the much darker side of the woman who would be queen. This time there is more of that side, while still hewing to the pop psychologizing of a poor girl’s need to satisfy her craving for acceptance and respectability by acquiring all the conventional tokens of a high-end lifestyle: jewels, artworks, real estate—not to mention shoes, of which there is blessedly no mention here.

Here Lies Love has catchy, danceable tunes, and, as staged by Alex Timbers, motion, sound, images and lights combine to not just evoke an era but also actually transform the theater into a disco. There are no seats, except for the upper boxes, so most of the audience becomes disco goers, standing and dancing beside moveable platforms where different parts of the poperetta unfold. Ruthie Ann Miles and Jose Llana bring verve and magnetism to their roles as Imelda and Ferdinand, embodying the real-life duo’s view of themselves as the mythical Malakas (Strength) and Maganda (Beauty).

It is a thoroughly enjoyable spectacle. And yet, pop psychology is in the end unsatisfying, simply because it adheres to a rather simplistic intellectual frame. Yes, Imelda was driven by an unflagging insecurity about her humble origins but one’s social genesis is not the only determinant of future behavior. Played with convincing grit by Melody Butiu, Estrella Cumpas—the loyal servant who took care of Imelda and her siblings when they were poor relations of the father’s first family—tells Imelda, in one of the sharper encounters, that there was nothing wrong with growing up poor.

Rather than point to that as a measure of her character, Imelda shied away from this inconvenient bit of reality and deliberately made moral and ethical decisions in her personal and political life (to her, they were inseparable) that stressed appearance above everything else. In Byrne’s telling, she causes the disappearance of Estrella and also warns Ninoy Aquino not to return once he leaves with his family for the United States.

The poperetta stresses Imelda’s penchant for culture and the arts. True enough, but nowhere is there a mention of the huge scandal due to the1981 tragedy that befell workers rushing to complete the Film Palace, as part of the Cultural Center complex, with strict orders from Imelda that they were to do so 24/7 to ready it for her ill-advised Manila International Film Festival. The haste led to a top floor collapsing and burying those underneath it, in quick-drying cement. Attempts were made to suppress the deaths—after all, these bodies belonged to nobodies—but the event was too much of a tragedy to be kept from the news.

Political and social events are sketched that point the way to the 1986 People Power movement that forced the Marcoses to flee. Towards the conclusion, a member of the terrific ensemble starts playing on acoustic guitar songs whose lyrics are based on the actual words of those who had taken part in the 1986 uprising. He is joined shortly by two other drum-playing ensemble members. It is a beautiful, reflective scene, and I initially thought, what a great way to end the night, hearing from the too-often anonymous. I was mistaken, however, for the last number is reserved for Imelda and the ensemble, singing the lead song, “Here Lies Love.”

Good music, wrong notes.

Copyright L.H. Francia 2013

Philippine Campaign Violations you Need to be Aware Of

Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote (and who do not give a damn!). 

As the May 2013 election draws near, more and more campaign violations can be observed along the streetwalk and other campaign venues. 

Here are the set violations by our Commission on Elections: 

Unlawful Campaigning

Campaigning on Maundy Thursday, March 28

Campaigning on Good Friday, March 29

Campaigning on the eve of Election Day, May 12

Campaigning on Election Day, May 13

Foreign Intervention

A foreigner, or foreign entity, aiding a candidate directly or indirectly, or spending for a candidate’s campaign

Prohibited Campaign Propaganda

- Printed materials such as leaflets, exceeding eight and one-half inches (8 ½”) in width and fourteen inches (14”) in length

- Posters made of cloth, paper, cardboard or any other material, whether framed or posted, with an area exceeding two feet (2’) by three feet (3’)

- Streamers exceeding three feet (3’) by eight feet (8’) in size displayed at the site and on the occasion of a public meeting or rally.

- Said streamers displayed more than five (5) days before the date of the meeting or rally or NOT removed within twenty-four (24) hours after said meeting or rally

- Use of hazardous materials in campaign materials; use of plastics in jurisdictions where plastics are banned

-Absence of this information on printed propaganda material: “political advertisement paid for,” followed by the true and correct name and address of the candidate or party for whose benefit the election propaganda was printed or aired; and “political advertisements paid by,” followed by the true and correct name and address of the payor

Source: www.philstar.com

- To print, publish, broadcast or exhibit any such election propaganda donated or given free of charge by any person or publishing firm or broadcast entity to a candidate or party without the written acceptance by the said candidate or party and unless they bear and be identified by the words “printed free of charge,” or “airtime for this broadcast was provided free of charge by”, respectively, followed by the true and correct name and address of the said publishing firm or broadcast entity

-To show, display or exhibit publicly in a theater, television station, or any public forum any movie, cinematography or documentary portraying the life or biography of a candidate, or in which a character is portrayed by an actor or media personality who is himself a candidate

-To post, display or exhibit any election campaign or propaganda material outside of authorized common poster areas, in public places, or in private properties without the consent of the owner thereof.

NB: “Public places” include any of the following:

-Electronic announcement boards, such as LED display boards located along highways and streets, LCD TV displays posted on walls of public buildings, and other similar devices which are owned by local government units, government-owned and controlled corporations, or any agency or instrumentality of the Government;

-Motor vehicles used as patrol cars, ambulances, and other similar purposes that are owned by local government units, government-owned and controlled corporations, and other agencies and instrumentalities of the Government, particularly those bearing red license plates;

-Waiting sheds, sidewalks, street and lamp posts, electric posts and wires, traffic signages and other signboards erected on public property, pedestrian overpasses and underpasses, flyovers and underpasses, bridges, main thoroughfares, center islands of roads and highways;

-Schools, shrines, barangay halls, health centers, public structures and buildings or any edifice thereof;

Public utility vehicles such as buses, jeepneys, trains, taxi cabs, ferries, pedicabs and tricycles, whether motorized or not;

Within the premises of public transport terminals, such as bus terminals, airports, seaports, docks, piers, train stations, and the like.

So what will you do if you see these violations? Report it. COMELEC has a program called ISUMBONG MO which is open to valid reported violations. All submitted reports to COMELEC are treated as CONFIDENTIAL unless the one reporting requests otherwise.

You can call in your valid and detailed report through the COMELEC Cebu hotline: 4169773. Manila hotline numbers are 5275574; 5259345; 5259302

For those more "techie", the COMELEC earlier called on the public to report violations on campaign rules by tweeting the poll body @comelec and using the hashtag #sumbongko. Don't forget to give out your email address and just wait for COMELEC's Direct Message (DM) where they will reply to your report or they can ask further queries regarding your report. 

You can also leave a comment or PCOSdemo fanpage. The same thing, you need to give out your email address and other contact information. 

Visit www.mycomelec.tv for more information.

Or-- you can also leave a valid comment below so we at iSTORYA.NET can also help out in reporting such violations. 

So, what are you waiting for? Be vigilant and let us help each other in having a smooth-flowing campaign period and a successful election day this May! 

And to all registered voters, do not forget to vote!

“Have you ever stopped to ponder the amount of blood spilt, the volume of tears shed, the degree of pain and anguish endured, the number of noble men and women lost in battle so that we as individuals might have a say in governing our country? Honor the lives sacrificed for your freedoms. Vote.” - Richelle Goodrich

Source: www.comelec.gov.ph

Haemophilia patients demand better treatment, infrastructure

Sumitra Deb Roy, TNN | Apr 28, 2013, 06.28 PM IST

MUMBAI: This World Hemophilia Day, the city's Hemophilia Society, brought focus on how the government needs to do much more in terms of awareness, diagnosis and management of the disease. A programme to discuss these issues was organized at the Parel's KEM Hospital, where over 400 patients participated.

Out of 11,200 haemophiliacs in the state, only 2,500 feature in the registry of the State Blood Council. And even though, the Rajiv Gandhi Jeevandayi Arogya Yojana that covers over 900 diseases, includes Hemophilia in the list, a clear demand for better infrastructure and day care centers for proper care and rehabilitation, was echoed by patients.

President of Mumbai's Hemophilia Society Indira Nair said, "Not only we want to raise the awareness about the Hemophilia disease among physicians and the public, but also to provide patients who suffer from Hemophilia a total care. We are thankful to the government for making the availability of factor VIII and IX concentrates as the safest treatment option for patients with hemophilia." She said that the government will continue to support with the availability of free treatment to patients with hemophilia at all the government hospitals.

"Improving Infrastructure and establishing hemophilia treatment centre's can be one step to ensure these patients get the best care. The next step would be a creating more awareness about the disease and providing comprehensive psycho-social care mechanism for the PWH in the state," said Nair.

However, one of the major challenges for these chapters is treating poor as most of the patients are from poorest of poor background and more than 80% of patients suffering from hemophilia are undiagnosed. A wellness centre for the hemophiliac patients, the first of its kind in the city, was started at the KEM Hospital.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Jayashri Kale, professor and head Occupational Therapy, KEM Hospital said "Hemophilia is the oldest known uncommon genetic bleeding disorder that disrupts the blood clotting process. It is caused by the absence of a certain blood clotting factor in the blood. Prolonged bleeding may occur after sustaining injury or can happen spontaneously. A hemophilic has to be injected with the appropriate clotting factor on a prophylactic or demand basis to help control a bleeding episode, and each injection costs Rs 9,000. Replacement therapyof a deficient coagulation of factor VIII and IX are the safest available treatment options. We have been demanding free diagnosis and free treatment for patients with hemophilia at Government hospitals and today we have been successful in launching the first wellness centre for these patients. Thera-band exercises which are safe and effective, especially for home maintenance in the PWH are being incorporated in the rehabilitation regime.

File SALN before April 30, govt officials, employees reminded April 28, 2013 2:07pm

Malacañang on Sunday issued a last-minute reminder to public servants to file their Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs) on or before Tuesday, April 30.

Filing the SALNs on time is the “personal responsibility” of each government employee," she said on government-run dzRB radio.

Also, Valte said that in the case of the Office of the President, employees had been given a deadline of April 15, so a review committee can check how they filed their SALNs.

Review committees set up by individual government agencies and departments will check if the employees complied with the new guidelines of the Civil Service Commission in filing the SALNs.

“Dapat naibigay na sa review committee bago dumating ang deadline para matingnan nila (The employees should submit their SALNs to the review committees before the April 30 deadline),” she said.

Earlier, the Office of the Ombudsman reminded public servants to file their SALNs by April 30.

Government officials and employees are to file SALNs within 30 days after assuming office, and on or before April 30, and within 30 days after their separation from government service.

Failure to do so may carry a suspension of up to six months for the first offense, and dismissal from the service for the second offense. — LBG, GMA News

Aussie woman raped at knife-point in Bali

BY:BY KARLIS SALNA, 
AAP SOUTH-EAST ASIA CORRESPONDENT 
From: AAP April 29, 2013 5:37PM

AN Australian woman assaulted as a knife was held to her throat during a violent robbery in Bali is believed to be the latest victim of a serial rapist.

The 28-year-old from Perth was attacked in the early hours of Saturday morning after being woken by an intruder who had entered her room at Villa Damais in Kerobokan where she was staying with family.

Details of the horrific assault emerged on Monday with the woman telling police she was first forced to open a safe in her room, before being raped while a knife was held to her throat.

The attack occurred as seven other members of her family, including children, slept in rooms inside the rented villa on the popular holiday island.

"The victim was then threatened with knife by the perpetrator," a spokesman with the North Kuta police, Reinhard Habonaran Nainggolan, told AAP.

"His right hand held the knife while his left hand held a flashlight.

"She was under threat of knife that she could not make a sound."

The woman was treated at a local hospital and returned to Perth with her family on Sunday.

Police said that the woman's description of her attacker matches that of a man believed to have carried out previous rapes.

A number of people were involved in the robbery.

"They entered the villa by jumping on to the wall," Mr Reinhard said.

Three iPads, two mobile phones and about Rp1.5 million ($A150) in cash were stolen.

It is the latest in a spate of violent incidents in an area of Bali popular with tourists, especially Australians.

In March, Mercedes Corby was bashed by a gang in Kuta as she returned home from a party.

The older sister of convicted drug smuggler Schapelle Corby needed minor surgery after suffering a broken nose and bleeding to the cornea during the assault.

PNoy vows arrest of NPAs in Guingona attack

MANILA (UPDATE) - President Benigno Aquino on Monday vowed that government troops will track down New People's Army (NPA) rebels who attacked a convoy carrying Gingoog Mayor Ruthie de Lara Guingona.

Guingona, wife of former Vice-President Teofisto Guingona Jr. and mother of Senator TG Guingona, suffered serious injuries but survived the attack.

"Nabalitaan naman po natin ang pag ambush kay Ruth Guingona," Aquino said in a speech in Misamis Oriental. "Nangangako po ako na sa abot ng ating kapangyarihan at kakayahan, at sa ngalan po ng batas, mananagot po ang dapat managot. Huhulihin at dadakipin po natin ang mga taong nasa likod ng karahasang ito."

Aquino also visited Guingona in a hospital where she is recuperating.

The 78-year-old Guingona went under the knife because of injuries sustained in a clash between members of the communist group and her police escorts.

Her son said she is still in pain after she suffered fractures in her arms and legs, as well as shrapnel wounds in different parts of the body.

Guingona was on her way home from a fiesta last night when they passed an NPA checkpoint.

Her 2 aides, brothers Nestor and Bartolome Velasco, were killed.

"They alleged that they fired upon my mother because my mother breached a policy of bringing arms in their checkpoint. The persons that were carrying the arms are members of Philippine National Police," Sen. Guingona said in a press statement.

"The New People’s Army has fired upon an elderly and innocent woman who is already bowing out of politics," he said.

"We would like to remind everyone in this country that there is only one government of the Republic of the Philippines. There is only one President who is in-charge in executing the laws of this land. That is President Noynoy Aquino. He is the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. And most importantly, he is the leader of this nation. No one has the right to usurp the laws of this country," he added.

Casiño blasts NPA attack

The attack has drawn wide condemnation, including criticism from left-wing senatorial candidate and former party-list lawmaker Teddy Casiño.

"I strongly criticize the New People’s Army’s military action on Mayor Ruthie Guingona’s convoy that resulted in the death and injury of civilians. What happened is wrong and unacceptable," he said. "Civilians, especially women and the elderly, should be spared from such actions."

"Although the NPA has admitted its mistake, we expect them to make a thorough investigation, hold those responsible to account, take remedial actions and make amends to the victims’ families," he added.

"My prayers go out to Mayor Guingona and for her speedy recovery. Likewise, I condole and offer my prayers to the families of her two companions who were killed," he said.

Palace: Don't give in to NPA demands

Malacañang also condemned the NPA attack and said the Armed Forces of the Philippines is ready to protect candidates from NPA threats.

Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda asked local politicians not to give in to demands of the NPA for protection money.

"The AFP is fully aware and they have taken steps also to ensure that the politicians are spared from all these permit-to-campaign," Lacierda said.

"Those in the local [campaign] can inform us and we let our AFP units go and make sure that there are no NPA checkpoints. This is not tolerated under this system of government," he added.

Lacierda said that the government remains committed to continue peace talks with the CPP-NPA-NDF but said that the group should show its sincerity.

"It's obvious that the CPP-NPA-NDF is not interested in pursuing peace talks with us. Our position has been very, very clear. We are committed to resolving the internal armed conflicts peacefully. However, there seems to be disconnect between the Netherlands and the people on the ground," he said.

"So is it worth discussing peace with them? Certainly, we would like to pursue peace talks with them but the burden is on the CPP-NPA. If they want to do so, we will pursue peace with them. If they are not interested in pursuing peace then we will be prepared to defend our citizens." - with reports from Willard Cheng, ABS-CBN News; Primy Cane, ABS-CBN News Northern Mindanao

 ABS-CBNnews.com Posted at 04/22/2013 11:55 PM | Updated as of 04/23/2013 2:09 AM

Senators deplore poverty situation in Phl

By Christina Mendez

MANILA, Philippines - Administration allies in the Senate on Wednesday deplored the latest report of the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) which revealed that the percentage of Filipinos living below the poverty line has remained unchanged since 2006.

Senators Ralph Recto, chairman of the Senate committee on ways and means, said that with the latest NSCB report the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program is "not enough” to address the country's problem on poverty.

Recto there is a need to provide “more investments to educate the poor families so they can help themselves.” He also cited the need for the government to invest more in infrastructure and factories to create more jobs.

He said health care must be accessible and affordable to the poor as well.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has listed the government’s poverty reduction and empowerment of the poor and vulnerable program as among the highlights of the Aquino administration for 2013.

The CCT is also known as the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

In the summary report of the DBM about the 2013 budget, the agency recognized poverty “which brings about a sense of powerlessness”, causing frustration and despair among the poor.

“This vicious cycle has to end; thus, the government seeks to rescue the poor who are drowning in the morass of poverty through social protection packages, such as the CCT,” the DBM said in its briefer.

When the CCT program was first implemented under the Arroyo administration in 2007, there were 6,000 initial beneficiaries with P50-million budget. In 2008, there was P 1.27-billion budget for 337,416 beneficiaries; P6.61-billion for 777,505 beneficiaries in 2009; P10.93-billion for 999,432 beneficiaries in 2010; P21.19-billion for 2.3-million beneficiaries in 2011; and P39.45-billion for 3.1-million beneficiaries in 2012.

For 2013, the DBM said P44.26-billion budget has been allocated for 3.8-million beneficiaries of the program.

What’s new?

Sen.Sergio Osmeña III, meanwhile, said that poverty has been a phenomenon not only this year but for over a decade. “Not only in our country but in many countries, even first world nation.”

Osmeña described the phenomenon as “jobless growth,” which he explained as when highly-skilled workers become more productive and earn raises in pay.

“The question is what to do to create more jobs? But that’s a long discussion, ask the trained economists,” Osmeña said in a text message to reporters.

For his part, Sen. Panfilo Lacson said the poverty survey is validated during his visits to various neighborhoods in the National Capital Region.

“I can actually validate that survey result on poverty situation when I go around and see for myself poverty at its worst,” Lacson said.

He said he had seen a number of communities “very close to NCR, if not within NCR itself where one cannot imagine how the residents can last a day under the conditions they are in.”

Maribago Bluewater's My BlueARTh: Keeping the World Blue

Bluewater Maribago Beach Resort successfully celebrated its second year of creating awareness of the annual Earth Day event last April 21, 2013, the “My BlueARTh” – a festival of arts, food and music. A day of environmental service and awareness.

Families and friends celebrated and witnessed everything eco-fabulous, easy-going and eco-savvy with Bluewater Resorts’ activities such as the Inter-departmental Chime Making Competition, Recycled-To-Wear Fashion Show and Competition.

Many of us also learned new things especially kids and we were all encouraged to be bold and creative to make our lives a little greener and more artistic such as doing craft out of recycled items, Outdoor Art and other Earth day treats. There was also the fabulous ‘Bamboo House of Chimes dubbed Huni sa Hangin’, Humanitree wherein you can write your pledge for the environment, Tibetan Stretch, A Talk on Natural Farming and the ever fantastic cooking demonstration and the food was really delicious!

They also featured the electrifying and relaxing live performances of Cebu local band Bethany , Martina San Diego, Percussion Duo and Pohaku. The ‘My BlueARTh’ festival continues through the day with University of San Carlos-Talamban Campus Fashion Design students who showed off their creative and artistic flair of designing clothes made of recycled materials. Sky lanterns were perfectly released into the night.

Project BLUE (Bluewater Loves the Underwater Environment) Divers also conducted simultaneous SCUBASURERO dives earlier in the morning in the waters of Maribago for a coastal clean-up activity which was in line with the ‘My BlueARTh’ festival joined by Maritime Police 7, BFP divers and by yours truly and my fellow iSTORYAn. As I was following the other divers holding a full bag of garbage from the sea, a thought came to my mind, that it is really important to keep this kind of idea alive and that Bluewater Resorts has it. We can take care of our planet by keeping it clean and by following the rule of ‘REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE’ - doing these things every day, not just every April 22.

My Sunday was filled with fun activities--an experience I'd always be so proud to be a part of. I hope you celebrated Earth Day in your own way as long as your art reflects what really means to you and if you have yet to decide how you are going to celebrate this particular day, get involved, come and join the ‘My BlueARTh’ festival next year because it’s more fun in BLUEWATER RESORTS!

Maan B. Cajipe iSTORYAn League of Writers Lifestyle- Fashion and Events

Team PNoy bets bares Labor Day wishes for working class

By Ellson Quismorio
Published: April 29, 2013

LUCBAN, Quezon—More non-wage benefits, diminished cost of living, additional jobs.

These were among the wishes of a handful of Team PNoy senatorial candidates for the labor sector this coming Labor Day even as they individually tackled the rationality of an across the board wage hike for workers. 

Former Akbayan party-list representative Risa Hontiveros told manila-based reporters here that pushing Congress or the executive branch for a legislated wage increase is “worth a try” but offered other measures that could alleviate the burden on Filipino workers. 

“For the next three years, it’s worth a try (wage hike). If it could be worked out within the next three years, at least (give the workers) security of tenure and other non-wage benefits that will basic goods and services accessible to the working people,” said the Senate hopeful. 

Hontiveros stressed that providing workers with security of tenure should be treated as not just a mere benefit but as their right. 

“I know President Noy (Benigno S. Aquino III) isn’t too hot on it (security of tenure) right now but I still want to pursue it if only to protect our workers in this climate of contractualization, which is happening not only in the Philippines but in the whole world.” 

Hontiveros reckoned that workers should also have more bang for their buck as far as basic goods and services are concerned. 

“Let’s raise their non-wage benefits. Their buying power should be enhanced by giving them better access to prices of basic goods and services.” 

Fellow Team PNoy bet, former senator Jamby Madrigal echoed Hontiveros’ sentiments, lamenting that the cost of living in the Philippines is too high compared to other Asian countries. 

“For me, the Philippines has three problems, these are the high costs of electricity, food and water. If you go to Thailand, India or Indonesia, you’ll see that food prices are low, as well as power and at water. All of these drive up our cost of living,” she said. 

While she noted that a wage hike is necessary to improve the people’s quality of living, Madrigal stressed that it is more important to lower the cost of living here to make sure that workers are actually able to save a chunk from their salaries. 

Another former senator on the administration ticket, Ramon Magsaysay Jr., had a simpler wish for Filipinos this Labor Day—more jobs. 

“I wish there’d be more jobs. Of course we need to increase wages, but it would be better to generate more jobs because of sheer number of jobless people,” said Magsaysay, who estimated that around four million out of the country’s labor force are unemployed. 

“So number one, more jobs, more businesses. That’s what the President is doing. Without business, there is no employment. Capital needs to keep pouring in. And that’s exactly what he is doing.” 

When asked about his stand on legislated wage hike, Magsaysay, son of former president Ramon Magsasay, preferred to let the wage boards handle the matter although he said he was in favour of increasing salaries “based on workers’ merits”. He also wanted additional non-wage benefits as well as strengthened social safety nets like Philhealth coverage. 

Re-electionist Senator Koko Pimentel III for his part vowed to work together with the labor sector to come up with what he called a “decent wage”. 

“My commitment to the labor sector is I will continue for decent wages for all workers. Now the question is what is that decent? I’m willing to go through number-crunching to determine what is a decent wage on a per region or city basis if necessary,” he said. 

“I can’t tell what a decent wage is but we will continue to pursue that concept. We’ll meet with a representative from the labor sector and let us compute, let’s do some number-crunching so that we will have a basis once we reach a figure.”

Pimentel said that his fellow Team PNoy candidate Magsaysay’s suggestion of a merit-based wage hike could work hand-in-hand with a legislated wage increase, which he said he was open to.

“It can be both things. There should be a minimum increase plus (another) based on merit on the point of view of the employer—a merit-system of the employers. It’s like a scholarship program. There’s a scholarship for the general population and there’s a scholarship program for the best and the brightest. That’s where the merit comes in, it’s the same thing.”

Scholarships and ‘Marcial Bonifacio’

by DUCKY PAREDES

Published on Monday, 29 April 2013 00:00

‘Ninoy believed that, as a citizen, he could not be barred from coming home. Apparently, Joes Ampeso agreed with Ninoy. You know the rest of the story.’

ONE heartily agrees with House Deputy Majority Leader Roman Romulo that others should follow the lead of the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP). The DBP has set aside a P2-billion special loan program for high school graduates who wish to obtain a college education.

“We laud the DBP’s ground-breaking program, which will surely enable a greater number of high school graduates to acquire a bachelor’s degree. Other banks should replicate the lending facility,” says Romulo.

Our country, more than others, needs this program. Do you know that three out of every 10 high school graduates do not proceed to college, largely owing to lack of funds? This is also the reason why a lot of them do not complete the regular four-year course. 

Adds Romulo: “Besides DBP, we have 35 licensed universal and commercial banks. If each of them just set aside P1 billion, or one-half of what DBP has allotted, then we can easily have some P35 billion available for lending to students.”

Even if for now, we may have enough college graduates in the population, the rising cost of education could mean that the nation will have a diminishing number of college graduates in the years ahead.

Roman points out: “The cost of a college education has become increasingly prohibitive. It has been doubling every five years, with tuition soaring by roughly 15 percent annually.” 

The P2-billion DBP Higher Education Loan Program for Students, or DBP HELPS, is a wholesale credit facility using qualified colleges as conduits for student loans.

Qualified schools that have tie-ups with companies or employers are eligible to borrow under DBP HELPS.

The schools and their partner-employers pre-qualify and select the students eligible to borrow money for tuition, board and lodging, books, uniforms, transportation and other expenses.

The employers shall also be contracted to provide on-the-job training, subsequent employment, and automatic payroll deductions for borrowers to repay their loans.

Romulo is author of the proposed Act Establishing a Student Assistance Program by Banks and Government Financial Institutions, which the House has already approved on third and final reading.

Under the program, an eligible student may obtain a low-cost bank loan to pay for the tuition of the college where the borrower has been accepted. The student may also use the money to finance all other schooling as well as living expenses.

The loan would have an effective interest rate pegged to the 91-day Treasury bill rate, which stood at 0.040 percent per annum as of Apr. 24.

The bank may apply an add-on 3.0 to 5.0 percent annual interest rate. But instead of the student paying for the extra interest charges, the lender may claim the corresponding amount as tax credits. The bank may then use the credits to pay or offset its tax obligations.

The borrower would pay off the loan periodically, starting two years after graduation, but not later than eight years after leaving college.

***

As the PE (President-Elect ) of my Rotary Club (RC Pasig) with a term to begin on July 7, 2013, may I suggest that participant banks tap Rotary Clubs (or other similar organizations) to find the scholars and the employers who will take them in after graduation. The clubs could even, perhaps, partially match the funds that the banks are willing to lend to poor students with donations to these bank scholars for books or other expenses.

***

Jose Ampeso, the Philippine consul general to Vancouver, apologizes for any offense his videotaped rant may have caused but explains that he was provoked by a Filipino-Canadian offering “to give a measly dollar” to his mission’s fund drive for typhoon victims in the Philippines. 

“The video alone is not sufficient to draw any reasonable conclusions, one way or the other. Hence, it is unfair and unjust to use it to malign my character,” says Ampeso, a 30-year career diplomat. 

Ampeso says that the 28-second video “does not tell the whole story” about his run-in with a Filipino who was applying to renew his passport during the Vancouver mission’s passport renewal outreach program in Alberta, Canada.

Apparently, the passport applicant “insulted me and poked fun at being requested to make a donation to the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC).” 

“That’s why I became so agitated while explaining to him that if he had to give anything at all, it has to come from the heart for the typhoon victims. It was purely voluntary.

“And definitely, it was not a requirement for a passport application or rendition of any other consular services, contrary to what some allege. Thus, any allegation or insinuation that we were forcing people to give is entirely untrue.” 

The passport applicant, Proceso Flordeliz Jr. of Edmonton, wrote an account of his encounter with Ampeso in a Filipino online forum. He said Ampeso became angry when he offered to donate only a dollar to the fund-raiser, and threatened to disregard his passport renewal application. 

Flordeliz began recording Ampeso right after that encounter. 

The 28-second video clip, captioned “Rude, arrogant, drunk consul. More fun in the Philippines!,” was posted on YouTube. This brought on widespread comment resulting in the recall of Ampeso by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). 

Ampeso denies being rude or arrogant at the event. 

“Please take note that this incident took place at about 4 p.m. I was visibly tired after continuously assisting hundreds of passport applicants in the front of the line that afternoon, ending in fact until 10:30 p.m. on that day,” he says. 

He also says he instructed a volunteer to help Flordeliz despite their earlier confrontation. 

“Be that as it may, I apologize to anyone whom I may have offended. I assure you that I had only the best intentions in reacting in that manner,” Ampeso says. 

The DFA, which seems (to me) to have it in for Joey, has recalled Ampeso to the home office to explain his behavior. 

The Alberta incident is not the first Ampeso controversy. Luli Arroyo, the daughter of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, once accused Ampeso of sexual harassment when the Philippines hosted the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders’ summit in 1996. 

Ampeso also denied those allegations and the administrative charges were dropped after he apologized to Luli in writing and in person. 

You may wonder why I seem to be taking Joey Ampeso’s side. I really am not. Rudeness by any public servant is never forgivable. 

What I know about Joey, however, is this: He was the consular officer who issued a passport to a senator who was then banned from ever returning to his country during the Martial Law years. Ampeso issued Ninoy Aquino a passport in his name as requested. The fake passport in the name of “Marcial Bonifacio,” however, was the one that the government claimed Ninoy used. It was not. In travelling home, Ninoy used the legitimate passport issued by Ampeso. 

Ninoy believed that, as a citizen, he could not be barred from coming home. Apparently, Joes Ampeso agreed with Ninoy.

You know the rest of the story.

‘Muscat-Manila flight in 2014’

Muscat: If all goes well, Philippine Airlines (PAL) will fly directly to Oman by early 2014, social news network Rappler.com quoted PAL as announcing.

The Sultanate and the Philippines signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in 2010 to operate direct flights between Muscat and Manila.

When the MoU was signed between the civil aviation authorities of the Sultanate and the Republic of the Philippines, it was decided that at least 19 direct flights would operate between Oman and the Philippines.

The aeronautical authorities of the government of the Sultanate had designated Oman Air as the airline of the Sultanate to operate services along these routes, and the Philippines authorities had designated PAL for this purpose.

Direct flights will not only benefit the 40,000-strong Filipino community in Oman, who are eagerly awaiting a more convenient way to fly back home, but they will also help the Philippines export industry. The country is a major exporter of semiconductors and electronic products, transport equipment, garments, copper products, petroleum products, coconut oil, and fruit. A faster and more efficient way of sending goods would be a boon for Filipino exporters.

PAL last week launched 11 new international destinations in Australia, China, Malaysia, and the Middle East, as well as a new domestic service to Northern Luzon as it continues to expand its route network.

The new destinations include Basco in the Batanes province of the Philippines to be launched on May 1; Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia on May 2; Darwin, Brisbane, and Perth in Australia on June 1; Guangzhou in China on June 2; Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates on October 1; Dubai in the United Arab Emirates on November 1; Doha in Qatar on November 1; and Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam in Saudi Arabia on December 1. 

by Times News Service