12

YEAR 12, No. 11 MAY 2009 Home Paper of the 1999 Canadian Ethnic Journalists’ and Writers’ Club Winner for Best Editorial Toronto, Ontario

MOSQUERA TO FIL-CAN COMMUNITY IN TORONTO

UNLEASH
POTENTIALS
By ACE ALVAREZ and BUTCH DG. GALICIA

The Filipino-Canadian community in the Greater Toron-

INSIDE to Area is a strong mix of highly-educated and multi-
talented compatriots.
Ooops & Bloops
“Individually, the members of the com-
Mindanao munity are potential forces to reckon
peace ends with. It is but a matter of collectively un-
as fast as leashing and engaging these potentials
Pacman’s so that the power of a cohesive Filipino
win - 7 sector would be seen and felt in Canadian
mainstream life,” said Philippine Consul
General in Toronto Alejandro Mosquera.
(To page 6) RP CONSUL GENERAL IN TORONTO ALEJANDRO MOSQUERA

Flores de Mayo - 28 Gutierrez-Ramos tandem

topbills Mabuhay! Fest
No less than Philippine TV’s hottest love duo - the Richard Gutierrez and Rhian
Ramos tandem - topbills this year’s Philippine Independence Day Council (PIDC)
Mabuhay! Philippines Festival at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on July 18.
The chemistry between two of Philippine entertainment’s most popular
Sari-sari stores RHIAN RAMOS RICHARD GUTIERREZ celebrities sizzles in Zorro - the newest TV series from GMA-Kapuso (One Heart
as agent banks - 31 With) Network.
Gutierrez’s showbiz background is well-known to his legion of fans, given
that his parents are 1960s matinee idol Eddie Gutierrez and the Cebuana actress-
turned talent manager Annabelle Rama, perhaps better known as the mother of
Dancing To Be A Star the beauteous Ruffa Gutierrez. His half-brothers, Tonton Gutierrez and Ramon
- 33 Christopher Gutierrez, are also known movie and TV celebrities. So is Richard’s
Elise identical twin brother Raymond, the successful TV host.
Estrada: Launching his career as a child actor, Gutierrez carved his own niche in the
Real deal Philippine Entertainment industry in the TV series Mulawin (2004-2005), which
was made into a full-length movie. From thereon, it was a string of successes for
- 37 (To page 34)
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MAY 2009
 news MANILA MEDIA MONITOR
MAY 2009 3
Sen. Kiko Pangilinan to talk on RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL SERVICES

RP issues in Canadian Kapihan

Philippine Senator ‘Kiko’
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4 MANILA MEDIA MONITOR
Positive aspects of ‘unoffocial’ UN torture report on RP very encouraging
MANILA - An unoffi-
cial report from the United
Nations Committee Against
Torture has noted and appre-
ciated many positive aspects
in the Philippines’ compli-
ance with the April 28 to 29
Convention Against Torture
in Geneva, Switzerland.
This is very encourag-
ing, said Philippine govern-
ment Executive Secretary
Eduardo Ermita.
During the convention,
the Philippine delegation
submitted its report and
stressed the country has rati-
MAY 2009
fied or approved the:
► Convention on the
Rights of Persons with Dis-
abilities in 2008.
► Optional Protocol to
the Convention on the Elim-
ination of All Forms of Dis-
crimination against Women
in 2003.
► Optional Protocol
to the Convention on the
Rights of the Child on the
involvement of children in
armed conflict in 2003.
► Optional Protocol to
the Convention on sale of
children, child prostitution
and child pornography in
2002 and ► Convention on
the Rights of the Child in
1990.
► Optional Protocol to
the International Covenant
on Civil and Political Rights
in 1989 and Second Option-
al Protocol to the Covenant,
in 2007.
► International Conven-
tion on the Protection of the
Rights of All Migrant Work-
ers and Members of their
Families in 1995.
► Protocol to Prevent,
Suppress and Punish Traf-
news
ficking in Persons, Espe-
cially Women and Children,
in 2002, supplementing the
United Nations Convention
against Transnational Orga-
nized Crime.
The delegation also
noted reforms in legisla-
tion, including policies and
procedures to ensure better
protection of human rights,
including the right not to
be subjected to torture and
other cruel, inhuman or de-
grading treatment or punish-
ment, in particular.
The measures included
the adoption of the:
► Juvenile Justice
Welfare Act (RA 9344) for
which the Juvenile Justice
Welfare Council was formed
in 2006.
► Republic Act 9346
abolishing the death pen-
alty.
► Anti-Violence against
Women and Their Children
Act (RA 9262) that pro-
tected victims and punished
perpetrators of the violence
in 2004.
► Anti-Trafficking in
Persons Act (RA 9208) in
2003.
► Indigenous People’s
Rights Act (RA 8371) in
1997.
► Administrative Order
249 that directed state agen-
cies to institute policies,
programs and projects en-
hancing human rights.
In October 2007, the Su-
preme Court promulgated
the Recourse to the Rules of
the Writ of Amparo and the
Writ of Habeas Data.
The High Court also
set into motion its Access
(To page 24)

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MAY 2009 5
6 MANILA MEDIA MONITOR
MAY 2009

ConGen Mosquera: Unleash potentials

(From page 1)
“Somewhere along the
line, there is a commonality
among us. This should be
empowered. We must rally
on issues of mutual con-
cern,” Mosquera said in an
interview with the Manila
Media Monitor.
Leaders teem
The consul general said
the community had never
been wanting of good lead-
ers and committed follow-
ers who “would stand tall
at the forefront of influence
and decision.”
This was proven a num-
ber of times by the commu-
nity, “which had occupied a
vital role in Toronto’s social,
economic and even political
growth,” he said.
The community‘s rela-
tively imposing presence in
the city’s multicultural mo-
saic could have contributed
much to the community be-
ing recognized for its role.
“I see a lot of commu-
nity leaders coming out and
excelling in carrying out
their group’s mission-vi-
sions,” Mosquera said.
Community members
have taken on essential
visibility in the business,
health, medical, media, en-
tertainment, professional,
religious and civic sectors
in Toronto. “Soon, the com-
munity would ably get into
Toronto’s political arena,”
he said.
Disunity rebuked
The big number of
groups and associations in
the community should not
be construed as fragmenta-
tion nor disunity, Mosquera
stressed.
“Rather, it should be
seen as a movement of
people with varied interests
and persuasions working
towards a common goal,”
he said.
Like other Filipinos
in diaspora, these groups
have been one in thought
and action in helping their
kababayans in need in the
homeland.
“I have seen this in how
these groups conducted
medical missions; donated
books and computers and
medical supplies and equip-
ment; raised funds to build
schools, churches and multi-
purpose halls,” he said.
“Most importantly, I
have seen how they gave
quick wholehearted re-
sponses when natural and
manmade tragedies struck
the Philippines, way be-
yond parochial and regional
parameters,” he added.
Moreover, many mem-
bers of the community have
adopted the “brain gain”
initiative, sharing and trans-
ferring knowledge and tech-
nology to assure that many
Filipinos would improve
Philippine Consul General in Toronto Alejandro Mosquera (2nd from right)
accepts from the Kalloo couple, Mila and Tony, a cheque for $10,000 to put
up four homes in the $75,000 30-house GK Village of Unity pushed during
the Uniting for A Cause: A Farewell Dinner Dance for the ConGen at the
Rembrandt Banquet Hall on May 22. Looking on are ANCOP-Gawad Kalinga
president Ricky Cuenca (left) and event program chair Jojo Querubin. PR
community members have ing with Canadian society.” have to divide the work to
taken on dual citizenship. He saluted the com- meet community obliga-
“In the Philippines, munity for a job well done tions. I commend my staff
this has prompted a posi- as he admitted that he was for their tireless dedication
tive psychological boost as “still enjoying very much to duty,” he said.
those back home believed my soon to lapse six-year Parting shot
their compatriots abroad tour of duty in Toronto.” Before he ended the
‘have returned’,” Mosquera He ends his Toronto as- interview, Mosquera once
noted. signment at June’s end. more cited community
This also validated the “Here, I am like home members in the health care
notion that the Filipino has away from home. I am hon- sector -- those in the medi-
become a global denizen. ored have been with com- cal, health care and caregiv-
“This has given rise to patriots who have come to ing professions -- who have

www. FinancialProblem.ca their quality of life, he said.

“Assisting kababayans
with credit cards and bank loans back in the Philippines and
Too many loans & credit cards? those living, studying and
Paying too much interest? working in Toronto or the
Afraid to pick up your own phone?
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Looking for consolidation?
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in addressing the interests
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End of tour
Mosquera urged mem-
bers of the community “to
maintain the Filipino iden-
tity, culture, heritage and
traditions while assimilat-
live, study and work in To-
ronto,” Mosquera mused.
“But what I enjoy most
was the warm welcome we
in the consulate are given by
the community. We get four
to five invitations during
weekends. Due to time and
distance constraints, Con-
sul Imelda Panolong, Vice
Consul Edna Mae Lazaro,
other consular staff and I
time and again shown that
they excelled in what they
do, even in the face of dan-
ger, as in the Canadian ex-
perience when the dreaded
SARS broke out in 2003.
Recalling, he said:
“SARS greeted me when I
came to Toronto for my as-
signment. I hope the Swine
Flu threat is gone when I
leave.”
 VIEWS
ACE ALVAREZ
Pacquiao’s win ends peace
quickly in Mindanao
Before he flew to the breakfast forum for May 2009,”
Philippines on April 25, Philippine bearing in mind my president’s
Press Club-Ontario (PPC-O) directive. To repeat the quotes:
president Tenny Soriano e-mailed “Please provide your support
members as follows: to Ace as you would your
“TO ALL PPCO MEMBERS: president.” Hhhmmm ….
“WILL BE AWAY FROM ***
APRIL 25 TO MAY 17, 2009 for An e-mail we were copied
a much-needed vacation. recently sent by a friend to another
“In this regard, your vice person informing the latter of a
president, Mr. Ace Alvarez, will death in her husband’s family
assume the duties of the President requested the primary recipient to
in my absence.” inform her group of such event.
The following day, PPC- The sender’s complimentary
O Secretary and Manila Media close was “Cheers!”
Monitor editor Butch Galicia I thought, “Cheers to what?
asked me if the PPC-O will be “The death of her husband’s
having its monthly breakfast family member?”
forum for May, 2009. Probably, slip of her finger.
My reply was: “Why work? ***
The cat is away, so let us all Two weeks before the
play!” submission of ad copies to
*** Manila Media Monitor’s April
The last paragraph of 2009 issue, my good friend
president Tenny’s message to Danny “The Great” Samson
PPC-O members was, “Please phoned me asking to reserve a
provide your support to Ace as full page black and white page
you would your president.” for his advertising.
Nadisgrasya na! On deadline day, I phoned
That was precisely the reason him, but he said he was in
why I didn’t want to have a Montreal, and that he would
attend to and send us the ad copy
that evening upon his return to
Toronto.
To this writing, I never
received such e-mail, nor a
telephone call from the great
Danny S.
Probably still in Montreal,
eh!
***
The following are excerpts
from a story, entitled “Quick win
leaves fans wanting more”, in the
internet edition of the Philippine
Daily Inquirer of May 4 (the story
referred to Manny Pacquiao’s
boxing match vs. Hatton):
-- “In parts of Bicol, residents
failed to see the fight because a
storm had toppled power lines
and plunged their communities
into darkness.” (Iyan na nga
ba ang sinasabi ko. Filipino
legislators should have listened
in the past to that solon who filed
a bill in Philippine Congress to
outlaw typhoons? Incidentally,
the legislator who filed this before
the Philippine Congress was from
Bicol )
-- “As in previous Pacquiao
MANILA MEDIA MONITOR
MAY 2009
fights, soldiers and Moro
guerrillas briefly stopped fighting
in some areas of Mindanao so
they could follow the fight on
radio and television.” (Kita mo
nga naman ang buhay, since
time immemorial, no person
who served as president in the
Philippines could find a solution
in stopping war in Mindanao.”
E, si Pacquiao la’ng pala ang
kailangan. Madam President
Gloria, I think you should order
Pacquiao to fight everyday in the
international boxing arena.), or
VOTE FOR PACQUIAO AS RP
PRESIDENT!
-- “But there was no respite
for some units pursuing the Abu
Sayyaf bandits in Jolo. Saying
duty came first, they captured
one of the bandits’ camps in
the village of Bunot in Indanan
town yesterday morning, police
said.” (Probably, police knew that
Pacquiao is the weakness point of
the bandits)
-- Remonde said the dele-
gation could not believe that the
fight was over in less than six
minutes.” (That ends the moment
of peace in the Philippine island
of Mindanao, too)
-- “Deposed President
Joseph Estrada said Pacquiao ‘is
truly an inspiration to Filipinos
everywhere’.” (Now, forget
sending all Filipinos as overseas
contract workers. With more
reason, all Filipinos should be
boxers, too!)
-- “Agence France-Presse said
‘millions of Filipinos danced in
the streets and joined raucous
7
parties’ after Pacquiao’s victory.”
(Had the Philippine Independence
Day Council’s [PIDC] first lady,
Rosemer Enverga, been in the
Philippines, it would have been
more fun. Ballroom dancer yata si
Rosemer!)
-- “Hatton may be their
countryman, but to British citizens
like Paul Pryde and Arthur Conn,
who have stayed and fallen in
love with the Philippines, their
hearts belong to Pacquiao.”
(Traitors? No, their commission
is not covered in the Philippines’
Revised Penal Code)
***
Various organizations,
including CTV Network, held
open houses on Saturday, May
23, 2009.
On the other hand, several
road closures on major streets
and highways were in effect.
To this writing, we are
contemplating on how to reach
the open houses with all the
road closures
***
On Tuesday, May 12,
Singapore’s The Straits Times
reported on the Philippines:
“Jobless Rate Rises to Record
34%, Private Figures Show; Gov’t
Says Total is 7.7%”
That’s what the Philippine
government really needs –
creativity!
***
On Thursday, May 7, Aida
D’Orazio - Publicity Chair of the
Filipino Centre-Toronto (FCT)
on Parliament Street - sent out
(To page 25)
8 MANILA MEDIA MONITOR
MAY 2009 VIEWS
Since the onset of this recession
when the fate of both print and
conventional radio and television
From The journalist in this multimedia age.
This thinking of media
enthusiasts is wrong as they think
media apparently became
uncertain and lead to bankruptcy
some of even the strongest media
Monitor’s Desk of schools of journalism in what
Professor Stephen J.A. Ward of
the School of Journalism and 12 years of dedicated
with 100 or so years’ history, ACE ALVAREZ Mass Communications at the community service
many things have been written University of Wisconsin and
and talked about where this sector adjunct professor at the University Managing Editor
of our society is heading to.
This led academicians and
Training and practice of British Columbia call the
general and “minimalist” sense of
ACE ALVAREZ

Editor
media experts from two schools
of thought to argue whether our
‘separate the men what these schools are for.
Professor Ward said the
BUTCH GALICIA

Associate Editor
present society continues to need minimalist definition “ignores
journalism schools. from the boys’ richer notions that define a
GIE ALVAREZ

Contributing Editors
Ben Viccari
Relative to this, some media journalist, according to complex
Ricky Caluen
technologists even doubt if our because I am the publisher of this Monitor, I must say, “Excellent methods and norms of practice.” Mag Cruz Hatol
society still needs newspapers publication. job, Butch and Larry!” Professor Ward pointed out Grace P. Freires
Manny Freires
with the progress and development Admittingly, however, I never The Manila Media Monitor that historically, the first schools Pete Lacaba
of online media. had a hand on the front cover story April 2009 issue adds among my of journalism usually had the Mel Tobias
As advanced by technology and picture of that issue which favorite covers in this paper’s 12th higher ambition to teach a richer Editorial Assistants
consultant, teacher and writer combined year history, notion of journalism, and cited Lennart Leigh Alvarez-Mahoney
Dods Andrada
Clay Shirky in his blogsite on the great story so far. that Joseph Pulitzer started his
social and economic effects of by editor The April school at Columbia University to Contributors
Eva Agpaoa
the internet on traditional media, Butch Galicia 2009 issue of create professionals with special Mario Dimain
good journalism is what society that goes Manila Media skills and an “anti-commercial” Noel Perada
needs (and to which this column with great Monitor attitude – an allegiance to the Larry Torres
Edwin Acuna
fully agrees, but cautions readers photography certainly sets public good. Bien Garcia
of this column that I do not fully by Larry one very good Reading through the lead Jeannie Pilapil
agree on everything that Shirky Torres. model of good story, “Colle’s Law”, in Manila Account Executive
MYRNA SORIANO
wrote in his article Newspapers My only journalism. Media Monitor April 2009 issue,
and Thinking the Unthinkable). participation This view I found that the article was written Graphics
IDTech Solutions
Meanwhile, while the two was seeing the is shared critically, philosophically and 416-875-2541
trains of thought argue whether front cover by many broad-mindedly, without regard
projects@idtechsolutuionsnetwork.com
our society still needs print media, and the rest readers of this to personalities (even affecting
at our end -- and those serving of the files publication, those, to my mind, are people Philippine Communication Facility
GRACE MEDIA SERVICES
the multicultural/multilingual for review finding that close to the writer of the story 974 Metrica Street
communities of Canada, the print an hour to the front himself, Butch Galicia; people 1008 Manila, Philippines
Tel/Fax: (632) 742-1484
media will be here with us for midnight cover was who are connected with non-
at least sometime while the first before the the result of profit community organizations,
generation of immigrants are with PDF files of the work that government and business entities Published by
Manila MEDIA MONITOR, INC.
us. the issue were “separates the around us), but rather only on the 98 Comrie Terrace
Speaking of good journalism, to be sent to men from the issues. Scarborough, Ontario M1M 3T2
CANADA
one such example was the front the printer’s FTP site for the final boys,” so to speak; one proof that And these qualities, my
cover and lead story of the April stage. society continues to have a need friends, are what journalists with Tel. 416.285.8583
2009 issue of Manila Media Certainly, you don’t want me for journalism schools versus professional training can do,
Monitor. to hold credit where credit is due, the declaration of new media unlike those in what Professor YOUR TOTAL, CONCISE
(To page 11) and COMPREHENSIVE
This might sound self-serving, thus, as publisher of Manila Media enthusiasts that anybody can be a Manila MEDIA MONITOR
is published and circulated
once a month
in Toronto and its suburbs.
There is so much abuzz in the The Failon headline-hogger in
Metro and at some point, any or fact eclipsed what partner broad- Manila MEDIA MONITOR is a

all of the following are simmering
in people’s minds.
One is the exponentially in-
creasing number of motorcycles
that whiz thru the metro’s already
congested streets.
Think of Beijing and Ho Chi
Minh City a decade ago with their
multitude of bicycles; replace
the two wheelers with motorized
bikes, and you have a vague idea
of how the metro might look a few
years from now , no thanks to high
gas prices, choking traffic and in-
creasing public transport fares.
Today in fact, daily news fare
includes spills, collisions and ac-
Roundabout
MAG CRUZ-HATOL
What’s the buzz
in Manila?
That there will constantly be a
repeat of history escapes us: there
will always be masters as there
will be vassals, colonizers as well
the suicide of broadcaster Ted
Failon’s wife.
To everyone’s horror, live cov-
erage of the Philippine National
caster Korina Sanchez would have
wanted to land front page: her en-
gagement to presidential wannabe
Mar Roxas.
Even the big Araneta reunion
somewhere in Panay island was
washed out by the rains so news
about the event and the announce-
ment became as flaccid as a
whimper.
Ask any man in the street these
days and his chief preoccupation,
‘the others’). The views and opinions
besides landing or keeping a job
and a stable future, is how he will
fare when he faces the rotten jus-
tice system.
The resurrection of the evil de-
publication dedicated
to the formation of positive
values in the Filipino-Canadian
social and business community.
Manila MEDIA MONITOR
covers all aspects of interest
to the community it serves.
Every effort is made
to verify the information published
in Manila MEDIA MONITOR -
your one of only two
community papers in Toronto
(the other paper being ...
expressed, however, by individual
writers are not necessarily the
opinion, nor reflect those, of the
publisher. Thus, the publication
accepts no responsibility in
connection with any liability
which might develop resulting
from articles published.

cidents involving motorcycles.
Not too long ago, there were
a lot of ruffled feathers among us
caused by a nonchalant remark
by some Hong Kong idiot to the
effect that we are a nation of ser-
vants.
as the colonized.
The reality is nowhere more
obvious than in how we have di-
vided the world between the First
and the Third.
Another is what people fear as
the unusually early arrival of the
Police’s heavy handed treatment of
his family and househelp drove us
back to memories of martial law.
We are made to wonder how
justice was being served suspi-
ciously fast when no crime was
even established.
sire to tinker with the bylaws of the Manila MEDIA MONITOR
land is also prominent in people’s accepts submissions, subject to
availability of space, but reserves
minds, particularly those whose the right to edit for publication.
economic and political lives are
Contributed articles must be
intertwined with the elections. in word document format.
The daily zarzuela at the Con- Photo releases must be with
gress provides ample humor that captions and in JPEG format.

The truth did hurt and it sent
everyone into frenzy.
The Chinese writer only under-
scored what is the painful truth.
In the globalization scheme
of things, Pinoys are pigeonholed
in service roles like domestics,
nurses, chambermaids, therapists,
sailors and similar occupations.
That we perform these jobs
outside of our country’s physical
boundaries proudly armed with
college diplomas only stresses the
sad point.
monsoons.
Folks are scared about the bul-
letin that the Philippines is among
the four countries likely to be
most adversely affected by global
warming.
These days, any weather ab-
normality is blamed on the buzz
phrase ‘global warming’ even if
we have been enduring such freak
weather for most of our lives.
And yes, the patent militari-
zation only made more manifest
during the events surrounding
When the bigger fish were
taken into custody because they
allegedly squandered millions of
pesos through scams, the scums
were given kiddie glove treatment
and an absurd stretch of consider-
ation and leeway.
And talking about scums, the
real big time criminals who fig-
ured prominently in rape and mur-
der cases were being ushered out
of prison one by one, all recipients
of controversial presidential clem-
ency.
the need for Dolphy and AiAi in
our humdrum existence has be-
come moot.
So much is happening in the
city of our childhood that days
scurry past with a speed that will
make octogenarians nauseous and
jailbirds happy.
The colorful days of the infa-
mous Marcos years are upon us
again … the endless speculations,
distrust of the establishment, mili-
tary reign, and yes, systematic
chaos.
Item and photo submissions
must be sent by e-mail via
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Articles published in
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 VIEWS MANILA MEDIA MONITOR
MAY 2009 9
out and then managed to get

Commentary accepted by the Air Force.

Just after graduating from
the University of Toronto with a
degree in law, he became a sausage
BEN VICCARI stuffer for Armour and Company,
STATISTICS CANADA SAY but was at Oxford a few years
later, leading to to an eventual job

Wives work harder, longer The man who drove in Canada’s diplomatic corps.
Seldom, if ever, losing his
“cool”, a tireless worker into
While many husbands are reeling from job loss, shorter work
hours and other effects of a lingering recession, wife power has
Diefenbaker wild the small hours of the morning,
Pearson the diplomat followed a
slowly seeped into the economic recesses of the home and the path that led to his election as a
workplace. In 1973, I had agreed to travel Liberal member of Parliament.
A Statistics Canada study showed that the relative contributions to Vancouver to assist in the He was appointed External
of wives and husbands to paid work hours and earnings have be- announcement of the Lester B. Affairs Minister after Louis
come closer over the past 12 years. Pearson College of the Pacific. Saint Laurent had succeeded
Wives have started to work longer hours at paid jobs; earning At the Toronto Airport, I ran into the indecisive and stupidly vain
more than in the past. some have become primary earners in the a friend, a corporate lawyer who Mackenzie King.
household. was an ardent supporter of the In 1956, the Suez crisis and
Between 1997 and 2008, the number of wives earning at least federal Progressive Conservative Pearson’s participation in its
45 percent of the family total family income increased from 37 per- Party. When I told him why I was resolution led him to a Nobel Prize
cent to 42 percent. travelling to Vancouver, I thought and a reputation as peacekeeper.
In 2008, 65 percent of wives were considered equal workers in he was going to have an apoplectic As leader of the Liberal Party
terms of weekly paid hours, up from 60 percent in 1997. fit. after Louis St. Laurent’s retirement,
The study also noted that the average weekly hours wives spend This most reserved and genteel Pearson suffered a crushing defeat
rose steadily, while husbands put in fewer hours on the job. of men actually began to shout his in the 1957 election by Progressive
In 1997, husbands worked over nine hours a week more than invective-laden condemnation of a Conservative prairie lawyer John
their wives (43.3 percent against 33.8 percent). By 2008, the differ- man who had died the year before “Dief the Chief” voices his Diefenbaker, but came back
ence had narrowed to to just over seven (42 against 34.7). and had, in his own quiet way left opinion of Mike Pearson with a minority government in
On earnings, the married women’s average weekly pay in- the Liberal government’s mark on 1963, earning the lifelong hatred
creased at a faster pace than men’s. so much that is Canadian. Pearson as soldier, scholar. of Diefenbaker, who though a
In 1997, $640 of total family earnings came from wives. By At one point, I expected him sportsman, teacher, diplomat, champion of human rights had a
2008, wives were contributing $740, if not more. to change into John Diefenbaker, cabinet minister and eventually sycophantic attitude toward Queen
The study said that on average, dual-earning couples with full- Pearson’s vitriolic adversary. But Prime Minister. and country and bitterly opposed
time jobs earned $1,770 a week before taxes in 2008, up from that is the kind of anger this decent He did perhaps more than the government’s replacement of
$1,610 in 1997. and gentlemanly Pearson evoked. any other Canadian to help us see the Union Jack with Canada’s own
However, dual-earning families continue to make work-life bal- (A sardonic twist: in 1984, the ourselves as a nation and no longer Maple Leaf flag. One recalls his
ance an important issue. airport was to be re-christened as a colony. By his birthright and near-hysterical attacks on Pearson
Around one in four men in full-time, dual-earner families with Pearson International.) calm nature, he might well have for daring to suggest that Canada
young children at home, and more than one in three women, re- Lester Bowles Pearson, Mike become a minister of the Church has its own flag.
ported feeling severely time-stressed, which is associated with to his many friends and admirers, like his father and grandfather, Both Pearson’s governments
significant lower rates of satisfaction with work-life balance. JEY qualifies as one of Penguin Books but from an early age showed a were minority governments, but
DHARMARAJ extraordinary Canadians on many propensity for moving quietly but leading them Pearson got things
counts. This book by political firmly into wider fields. He joined done.
Better education, higher pay biographer Andrew Cohen shows the Canadian Army, was invalided (To page 25)

Generally, earnings get higher as the level of study moves to a

The ongoing story about Ruby

Our Journey
higher rung.
Dhalla underscores the plight of
A Statistics Canada study said over 80 percent of college and
caregivers in Toronto.
university students who graduated in 2005 and did not pursue fur-
Whether Ms. Dhalla is found
ther studies had found full-time employment by 2007.
to be at fault or not, is not all that
But in 2007 or two years after they graduated, a higher number
relevant to the wider issue (unless EVA AGPAOA
of graduates with a master’s degree worked full time than college
of course you are Ms. Dhalla
graduates or those with a bachelor’s degree or a doctorate.
or one of the three caregivers
The pool of graduates with a master’s was higher in 2005 than it
involved).
was in 2000 for both men and women.
The employment rate among master’s graduates remained sta-
This will be up to the
government committee and
Really, who cares?
ble for men at 94 percent, while it rose for women, from 89 percent
potentially the courts to decide.
in 2002 to 92 percent in 2007.
What is relevant is that into inaction. Our culture is so hung up
The median annual earnings among those who were working
protection for caregivers in There are times in everyone’s about failure.
full time in 2007 was lowest for college graduates at $35,000.
Toronto brought in under the life when the burden is so heavy it We go out of our way to hide
This increased to $45,000 for bachelor’s graduates, $60,000 for
Live-in Caregiver Program is feels impossible to go on. it and if we discover it in someone
master’s graduates and $65,000 for doctorate graduates.
almost non-existent and must be I know. I’ve felt this many else, we take pleasure in pointing
The earning gap between the bachelor’s and master’s levels sug-
addressed. times and so have most of my at it, reveling in it.
gested that investing in postgraduate work is financially beneficial.
Since I wrote about this last friends. Why is that?
Full-time employment
month, the government has taken It’s during those times when But there really is no shame in
In 2007, two years after graduation, 9 out of 10 college, bach-
some tentative steps towards a you are most vulnerable. bad luck and hard times.
elor’s, master’s and doctorate graduates who had not taken further
solution. Your confidence is low, and Failing to achieve or to hold
education were working.
Let’s hope that this continues in you feel close to a complete on to an achievement does not
A higher proportion of graduates of master’s programs were
the right direction and that practical failure. make you a bad person.
working full time in 2007, compared with college, bachelor’s or
solutions are implemented. Everyone around you is doing Failure is a sign of ambition
doctorate graduates.
Let’s keep our voices heard at things, going places, becoming and courage.
Student loan repayments
every opportunity. successful and leaving you far It tells those around us that we
Among graduates in 2005 who did not pursue further education,
For now, there are enough behind. had the courage to try something
about half financed their postsecondary education without taking
voices speaking about Dr. Dhalla And you are prepared to accept risky.
on any education-related loans.
and her plight that I will turn my almost anything that might help. Sure, we might have failed at
In 2007, two years after graduation, loans exceeded $20,000 on
attention somewhere else. Regardless of the cost. it, but so what?
average for graduates with student debt (both government and non-
Here is what I’ve been thinking But the reality is that all things Remember, life is a journey
government) at the bachelor’s and doctorate levels.
about. will pass with time. and stumbling along the way is
In 2007, graduates with a doctorate still owed the highest amount
I’m thinking about my friend Things do get better. expected.
from all sources, $22,500 on average, while bachelor’s graduates
Dora who is going through a really You only have to be willing I don’t know of anyone who
had an average debt owing of $20,400.
rough time. to be patient and willing to work has achieved success that did not
Master’s graduates owed an average of $19,500, while college
She feels like her life has hard for them. fail one or more times along the
grads had the smallest debt in 2007, an average of $11,800.
been crumbling about her for the Dora is so scared that people way.
Graduates who were still paying off their government debt two
past few months. She‘s in such will learn the truth about her and Dora is frantic about her
years after graduation earned less on average than those who had
despair, she can’t see past her that the truth will shame her and situation.
(To page 14) (To page 11)
problems. And they paralyze her her family.
10 MANILA MEDIA MONITOR
Philippine Consul Gen-
eral in Toronto Alejandro
Mosquera made me think
hard when, in a recent inter-
view, he urged members of
the community to maintain
the Filipino identity, cul-
ture, heritage and traditions
while assimilating them-
selves into the Canadian
mosaic.
Come to think of it.
‘The Filipino in me’ could
be the only rallying point of
members of the community
to keep themselves - despite
variances in individual in-
terests and persuasions - co-
hesive in facing and resolv-
ing issues that affect them.
To be a Canadian, by
way of citizenship pro-
cesses or by birth right, is
indeed a great honor; and
members of the community
are duty-bound to render to
Canada the same brand of
love and loyalty for coun-
try imbibed in them by their
forefathers.
I believe that love and
loyalty for country would
work well with ‘The good
Filipino in me’ to equal a
well-rounded, socially and
economically productive
Canadian citizen and com-
munity member.
***
I am always amazed
by people who could sing
The 3rd Eye
Wish list
The month of June
never fails to bring one
good reason to celebrate. Its
third Sunday marks the day
of great importance to my
three daughters. Together,
they observe its yearly
significance in the same
manner that I remember
their grandfather on Father’s
Day.
June is also the month
that touches a nerve that
is deeply rooted in me. It
painfully reminds me of
the death anniversary of
someone very dear to me.
He was a soldier who fought
and lived the horror of the
Korean War in the fifties.
More than four decades
later, this one heck of a
man fought his final battle,
against a much stronger
foe. On June 9, 1995, lung
cancer defeated him. I lost
my father, my great mentor,
my hero and my best
friend.
During the grieving
years that followed, I eased
the pain by immersing
myself more in photography,
the art I learned from him. It
MAY 2009
Omerta
BUTCH GALICIA
‘Bayang magiliw ...’
by heart the Philippine
National Anthem Lupang
Hinirang (Beloved Land)
and the Canadian National
Anthem O’ Canada.
Having attended a lot
of community functions,
I have seen how many
lipsynch or pretend to sing
any of the two anthems
whenever played one after
the other.
Some even forget the
words of any of the two
anthems. Worse, many feel
that the DJ’s tape is enough
to pass away the time allot-
ted for the anthems.
Frankly, I feel shame
for those who should, but
did not, keep close to their
hearts these icons of being
Filipino and Canadian.
***
But I have seen Filipinos
bring out the best of love
and loyalty for country.
Here is an experience I
MARIO DIMAIN
is our common ground and
our strongest bond. It is the
only dimension where our
spirits connect. Holding a
camera is like touching his
hand. I feel his presence in
every photo that I shoot. His
passing away also inspired
me to write a short fictional
story about a son’s heart-
warming relationship with
his father. It is a story that
mirrors my grief-stricken
self, still longing for him
every Father’s Day.
The story begins:
John is up in the attic
of his father’s house,
cleaning up. The morning
sunlight beaming through
the window makes the
floating dust even more
visible. Boxes of garbage
to be thrown out are finally
separated from the items
that he thinks are worth
keeping. The house where
John grew up is now listed
for sale. His father passed
away just a month ago.
An old shoebox with
string tied around it catches
John’s eyes. He wonders
what is so important inside
love to tell and retell:
June 8, 1986. Aboard a
Lufthansa plane.
Weary from a three-
month advanced journalism
course at the International
Institute of Journalism in
Berlin, I longed to be back
home -- to my family and
my Philippines News Agen-
cy bureau desk.
The intercom boomed:
“This is the captain speak-
ing. In a short while, we will
be landing at the Manila In-
ternational Airport. Please
extinguish your cigarettes
and fasten your seat belts.”
The plane’s mid and
rear, seating mostly over-
seas Filipino workers going
home for the first time af-
ter long-term job contracts,
buzzed to marketlike life.
Home addies and phone
numbers were passed
around. “Tuloy ang ligaya.
(To page 25)
the box. It seems like a well
guarded treasure. He opens
it. An old sepia photo greets
him. Faded and torn around
the edges but otherwise still
recognizable. It’s a picture
of a smiling little boy,
mounted on his father’s
shoulder. They both look
happy. John remembers the
day when the photo was
taken. It was on a bright
summer day. His father took
him out to see the Air Show.
He remembers everything
about it. The thundering
roar of the fighter planes
flying overhead, the ice
cream cone melting in his
hand and dripping on his
Dad’s shoulder are still
crystal-clear in his memory.
Underneath were more
photos of family events and
important documents. John
wants to see more photos of
his father. He continues to
dig in. Reaching the bottom,
he finds a folded lined
paper. It looks very familiar.
He examines it closely and
quickly realizes that it was
the Wish List that he wrote
when he was in his fourth
grade, over thirty years ago.
His teacher gave him an
“A” for it. With a smile on
his face he reads….
1. I wish my father was
as brave as Batman so he
could stand on guard and
scare the ghosts away while
I sleep.
2. I wish my father was
as strong as Hercules so he
could protect me from the
(To page 23)
VIEWS
Perspective
RICARDO J.S. CALUEN
No room for
double standards
While you were
having coffee, yet another
“Nannygate” hit the dailies
and radio talk programs.
The last episode involved
no less than a member of the
Ontario legislature.
I understand the case is
sub judice. Thus, media is
barred from discussing the
case that could sway opinion
- either in the court system
or among the general public
- one way or other.
But this will not stop
the community and pundits
from discussing the subject.
I’ve attended several
social functions lately, this
being the start of the party
season, and invariably I am
asked by friends and new
acquaintances what is going
on with Filipino caregivers
and the rush of publicity
they are getting these days.
I feel like a tape recorder
being played and replayed
over and over again, giving
the inquisitive a rundown of
events from the infamous
Tejada case to the latest
Living in the Moment
Amid the hustle and bustle of making a living and living
a life, there exists moments we all wished would come to
a standstill; not because these moments are forever etched
in our memories but because these moments tell us that life
is worth living.
Mother’s Day is one of them. When I chanced to bring
five mothers (above) together, I froze time with a snapshot.
From left is my mother Isabel; Teodora David, my balae
and mother to my daughter-in-law Mylene David (right),
who is mother to my first granddaughter Zoe Karel (the
baby in all three pictures); Evelyn (who marked her birth
anniversary on May 8), my wife and mother to my three
children; Lynette, my daughter and mother to my grand-
sons Gabriel and Raphael.
Another moment I lived
in was when I first cuddled
Zoe Karel. I felt great as she
nestled herself comfortably
on my arms.
Moments like birthday
parties are flickers of time
to live in too. Right, balae
Teody marks her birth an-
niversary on April 27 with
family: Evelyn, Lynette,
Francis, Mylene, Raphael,
Gabriel and Zoe Karel.
Live in the moment.
to commit, these pale in
comparison to the greater
crimes believed to abound
in other countries where
Filipino caregivers work in
greater numbers.).
Ano ba naman ang
dalawang taong paghihirap
at pagtitiis para maging
landed at madala ang
pamilya sa Canada?
One has to swallow the
bitter pill to reap rewards
later.
The above observations
allegations where MPP reinforce two perceptions
Ruby Dhalla has taken the (in some instances, self-
hot seat. image) of Filipinos: their
While the majority in generally servile mindset
my encounters have taken and resilience amidst
the side of the caregivers, adversities.
not because they are If this is true, we might
Filipinos but because they as well throw the Ontario
believe in the validity of Code of Human Rights, the
the issues, there are the few Employment Standards,
usual skeptics to whom the and our general sense of
caregiver cause appears to ethics and fairness out the
be a hard sell. window, rather than to have
One thinks some a double standard of things.
caregivers are simply being To subscribe to these
“ma-arte”, too fussy over attitudes changes altogether
small breaches on their the prism with which we
employment contracts. view many issues affecting
Another (in fact a caregivers - not only Fili-
few) believes caregivers pino caregivers but all
should just grit their teeth others as well.
and go the extra mile - do I work for a division of
unpaid overtime work or the City of Toronto where
accomplish non-caregiver public service is fiat.
tasks, etc. - since this is Yet, as the clock strikes
a small price to pay for 4:30 p.m., one could hardly
getting one foot inside the expect anyone staying on
permanent residence status for an extra five minutes to
system. finish a task.
(Besides, for all the Nor could you expect
abuses that some Canadian a clerk to print a page for
employers are alleged (To page 11)

Training and practice ...
(From page 8)
Ward calls the “minimalist”
journalists.
With over 30 years in
journalism, the Manila
Media Monitor editor is a
graduate of the International
Institute of Journalism in
Berlin, and has echoed what
he has learned by conducting
basic communication and
journalism
for Filipino
laboratories
students,
professionals and aspiring
peers.
He also completed a
Trainors’ Training Course
for ASEAN Journalists
sponsored by Friedrich
Ebert Stiftung and the Press
Foundation of Asia.
Editor Butch’s choice
from among the photos
shot by Larry Torres for the
April 2009 issue was best
to go with the excellently
written lead story, in lieu
of the “firing squad type”
photo of the speaker with
the attendees that the
community is accustomed
to seeing in the front pages
of community papers.
Back in the Philippines
in the mid 80s to early
90s, when we would be
watching TV entertainment
programs, such as those of
German Moreno’s That’s
Entertainment, viewers
VIEWS
would hear from actors
line, such as, “Thank you so
much, Tito Larry.”
Unknown to many, that
Tito Larry was who we
know here as Larry Torres.
Larry’s artistry and
business engagements back
in the Philippines ranged
from music, video and
entertainment promotion.
Among those in
his stable in mostly
Southern Luzon roadshow
engagements belonged
very familiar names to us:
Sunshine Cruz, Romnick
Sarmenta, Vina Morales,
Manilyn Reynes, Ara Mina,
Judy Ann Santos and a long
roster of big name stars.
Regular practice derived
from continuous training
results to perfection in the
case of Larry – who runs his
professional photography
business called Innovation
Video/Photo Services..
Without proper training
and practice, the Manila
Media Monitor news
organization would not be
able to produce such issue
– as many issues before it.
Thank you so much,
Butch and Larry, that
even without my detailed
scrutiny, you delivered the
goods to our readers’, and
our team’s immeasurable
satisfaction.
***
Speaking of training
and practice, the Centennial
College School of
Communication, Media and
Design has approached us at
the Canadian Ethnic Media
Association (CEMA) – the
premier and all embracing
organization of people
working in the multicultural/
multilingual print, radio
and television across the
country, and which yours
truly preside over, to sit
as panelists, together with
the Canadian Association
of Black Journalists, in a
forum that the school is
organizing for September
this year about concerns on
where conventional media
is heading.
Meanwhile, on Friday,
June 26, at 7 PM, the 31st
CEMA Awards Gala will see
eight individuals recognized
for their work in 2008 on
radio, television and the
internet categories at the
Velma Rogers Theatre on
Jarvis Street in downtown,
T.O.
Three Filipinos (two
from print and one from
radio) have submitted their
work to the committee and
now being reviewed by a
group of independent jurors,
composed of peers, but are
Really. Who cares? ...
(From page 9)
To be sure, she is
working hard trying to
rebuild her life to the level
it was at before. And I have
every confidence she will
make it.
In the mean time, her
mind is consumed with
what others might think if
No room for double ...
(From page 10)
you if doing so is not in the
job description. And this
is true wherever you go in
Ontario.
I am not a lawyer by
training but I seem to
recall a principle of law
interpretation: that which is
not included, is excluded.
We are only at the tip of
this Caregiver Issue.
Various community
groups sympathetic to the
caregiver cause have revved
up their efforts in taking up
the cudgels for caregivers.
One such group is the
not CEMA members.
This prestigious awards
ceremony will be taped live
for later airing on all City-
TV and OMNI stations:
OMNI 1 and 2 in Ontario,
OMNI-British Columbia
and OMNI-Alberta.
MANILA MEDIA MONITOR
MAY 2009
they realized she is having
problems.
Will they laugh at her?
Will she lose status in her
community? Could she ever
recover from the shame?
The answers to all these
questions is this: Who
cares? Really, who cares?
newly-organized Grassroots
Hub initiated by Fr. Ben
Ebcas, parish priest of Our
Lady of the Assumption
on Bathurst Street, the new
heart of Little Philippines in
Toronto.
Even the Philippine
Consulate (c/o Consul
General Mosquera) and the
attached overseas office of
the Dept. of Labor (c/o Atty.
Luna), favorite whipping
boys of critics of the
Philippine Government’s
policy on overseas Filipino
workers, have been getting
good marks for raising the
banner of the caregiver
cause, particularly in their
efforts in working closely
with provincial legislators
on the implementation
of labor standards and
the passage of new and
corrective legislative
11
In the end, all that matters
is what Dora achieves in
the long run. Not the small
stumbles along the way.
How others think
about her, and worse what
they may say about her,
is largely irrelevant in the
grand scheme.
What is important is
her focus on the future and
getting there.
measures supportive of
caregivers and temporary
workers.
There is certainly room
for debate on any given
public issue.
That’s what democracy
and free press are all about.
But there is also such a thing
as shaping an informed
opinion.
St. Augustine, the
famous Doctor of the
Catholic Church, one of the
most famous converts to the
Catholic Church, was once
asked how he could believe
in an unseen God.
His famous reply was:
Credo ut intelligam ,intelligo
ut credam. I believe that I
may believe, I know that I
may believe.
Now, if we can only start
with the knowing part … of
getting ourselves familiar
with so-called caregiver
issues ... Enlightenment is
certainly not too distant.
12 MANILA MEDIA MONITOR
Asia grappling to balance
migration, crisis-hit labor mart
PASIG CITY - Pro-
fessors studying Southeast
Asian labor migration said
countries in the region
would scuttle to protect
their economies but would
avoid edging out foreign
workers as the global fi-
nancial collapse seeped into
real sectors.
In Singapore
Dr. Yap Mui Teng, of
the Lee Kwan Yew School
of Public Policy under the
National University of
Singapore, said that while
Southeast Asia’s financial
hub would experience a
“sharp economic downturn
that is the most severe in
the country’s history,” Sin-
gapore would still need for-
eign workers.
As countries grappled
with the catatonic effects
of a global financial crisis,
nation-states witnessed the
decapitation of their respec-
tive labor markets.
Dr. Teng termed as un-
avoidable the move of com-
panies to cut costs and fire
foreign workers first and
nationals last.
Singapore companies
forecast a minus five per-
cent gross domestic product
GENERAL DENTISTRY
Dr. Gilbert Chan
Dr. Daphne Chien
Dr. Janet Ho
Dr. Janet Wong
Dr. Michael Chin
MAY 2009
By JEREMAIAH OPINIANO and
ISAGANI DE LA PAZ
(www.ofwjournalism.net)
growth rate for 2009.
What is happening in
Singapore, said Dr. Teng,
was that more foreign
workers were complaining
of unclaimed salaries, being
subjected to “no work, no
pay” situations.
He added there were
some instances of repatria-
tion if manpower agencies
could not place foreign
workers.
Dr. Teng affirmed the
forecasts of analysts that
an expected 50,000 foreign
workers would lose their
jobs this year, especially
those in the manufacturing
and construction sectors.
Some 143,000 highly-
skilled foreign workers in
Singapore held job passes.
In addition, about
757,000 semi-skilled for-
eign workers held work
permits. This category in-
cluded domestic workers.
A World Bank report af-
firmed Dr. Teng’s views.
“As unemployment in
the region and around the
world begins to climb, mi-
grant workers, wherever
they are, are likely to be
among the first to lose their
jobs,” the report Battling
the Forces of Global Reces-
sion said.
Report writer Ivailo Iz-
vorski added this “will mean
lower remittance flows to
the poorest countries in the
region and, if the migrants
return home, a worsening
unemployment in those
countries as well as further
downward pressure on real
wages, especially in the in-
formal sector that would di-
rectly affect the poor.”
In Malaysia
Near Singapore is Ma-
laysia, which Dr. Vijay-
amukari Kanapathy said
was also feeling the pinch,
adding that migrant work-
ers would be among the
400,000 hands Malaysia’s
employers federations fore-
cast to be laid off this year.
The situation was es-
pecially glaring for Malay-
sia’s manufacturing sector,
FEATURE
Daily, thousands of Filipinos attend job fairs and mill around public and pri-
vate agencies where possible overseas employment opportunities are post-
ed. They are all hoping - despite the hard times brought about by a global
recession - to clinch whatever spot could change, for the better, their quality
of life.
whose biggest market is re- workers as it had a “soft ing and a receiving country
cession-hit United States. policy” to encourage these of migrants and refugees.
The policy responses of foreign workers to leave Dr. Supang Chanta-
Malaysia’s government for Malaysia. vanich of the Asian Re-
migrant workers was that Since migrant workers search Center on Migration
they would be terminated held an annual work per- based in Chulalongkorn
first, that there would be mit, “it is easy for Malay- University said she expect-
a freeze in hiring migrant sian employers to retrench ed an increased hiring of
workers, and that the de- them,” Kanapathy said. construction and domestic
portation of undocumented As of September 2008, workers amid the crisis.
migrants would be fast- Kanapathy said Malaysia These two sectors of
tracked, Kanapathy said. has retrenched 5,5867 mi- migrant workers would be
A bright spot, Kanapa- grant workers - most of least affected by the crisis
thy added, was that the cri- whom were in the manufac- “due to increasing needs for
sis might possibly see the turing sector. them,” she added.
government regularizing She said she did not have Chantavanich said Thai-
some of the undocumented the data on which country land has 76,206 foreign
workers in Malaysia’s in- these workers came from. construction workers and
formal sector. In Thailand 53,933 foreign domestic
“But Malaysia is ex- Another country is po- workers.
tremely cautious,” she said, litically-rocked Thailand, It was likely possible,
in dealing with migrant which had been both a send- (To page 26)
 FEATURE MANILA MEDIA MONITOR
MAY 2009 13
What recession?

Ilonggo nurse
enjoys success in AMIT BHATIA
US home health Credit Counsellor

By ALEX P. VIDAL
OAK BROOK, Illinois - While many trad- IF
ers and financial managers in the United States
are groping in darkness over the gloomy eco- - All your income is going to pay bills.
nomic atmosphere wrought by recession, a 41-
year-old nurse from Miag-ao, Iloilo in the Phil- - Everyday there is fight & argument at home.
ippines has successfully inched her way into - You can not pick your own phone out of fear.
home health business in Fairfield Way, Bloom-
ingdale. - Creditors and collection agencies are calling you and they are
The success of Lira Faicol Mueda’s four- threatening to take legal action.
year-old home health business that serves the
entire state of Illinois however didn’t happen - Your salary is being garnished.
overnight.
“We also encountered some problems in the
beginning, but me and my husband, Edwin, do
ONE SMALL MONTHLY PAYMENT FOR ALL YOUR DEBTS
the marketing and directly manage the busi-
ness,” quipped Mueda, who considers Edwin as THEN, WE CAN
the business’ “most effective hands-on admin- - reduce your debts to less than half,
istrator.”
Problems such as nurses not following in- - stop the interest right away,
structions, marketing and staffing, manpower
shortage, employees being pirated by rival - save you from threatening phone calls,
home health centers, immediately hounded
- bring back your stress free family life,
Mueda’s business, put up in partnership with
another Ilonggo nurse and entrepreneur Roland - stop the garnishment.
Hedriana, according to Edwin.
“But despite the recession, we haven’t laid - And you will not lose your house and car.
off anyone,” Mueda sighed.
“In fact, we keep hiring people.”
Filipino staff HERE IS WHAT SOME SATISFIED CLIENTS HAVE TO SAY ..........
Mueda, who worked in home health for 12 “I had six credit cards and was ing with Mr. Amit Bhatia, I felt very in huge debt. Credit Manage-
years, said 90 percent of their staff are Filipino paying $550 per month. Bank relaxed and he reduced my $34,000 ment Services reduced my debts
nurses, physical therapists, nursing aides, occu- did not give me consolidation debts to just half. Amazing .......... which I am paying in interest-free
pational therapists, speech therapists, and social loan because I had bad credit. I can pick up my own phone now.” monthly installments now and I
workers. Then I met Mr. Amit Bhatia and M.M. can keep my car.” E.J.
he reduced my loans and made
Mueda described home health as “like a hos- one payment of just $200. I’ll be “After making us debt free, now Amit “My husband was so stressed
pital but is done in the home and the nature of debt free in 36 months. Credit Bhatia helped us getting the mort- with these credit card bills that
this business is professional health care staff.” Management Services is the best gage. We are happy to move to our once he forgot to stop at a red
She and Edwin valiantly decided to establish place to contact when you have a new house.” S.S. traffic signal. Fortunately no ac-
their own home health upon the advice of their money problem.” J.G. cident happened but I called
doctor friends who made firm assurances to use “I went back home to get married, Credit Management Services
“I was afraid to pick my own then I had to go again because my right away. Two weeks later my
the home health for the doctors’ patients.
phone. I was so confused and mother got sick. Because of that I husband was back to stressfree
“Thus, we became independent and deci- stressed all the time that I didn’t had to borrow money from my credit life.” M.A.
sion-making is the most important,” Mueda ex- know what to do, but after meet- cards and also, I lost my job. I was
plained.
“We figured it is easy to run it (home health)
if you have the knowledge, background and ex-
perience.”
Mueda graduated at St. Paul College (now CREDIT MANAGEMENT SERVICES
university) in Iloilo City in 1989 and credited
Call for a free and confidential consultation
the Catholic-run institution “for what I am to-

416-780-1020; 416-791-9292
day as well as the other nurses who graduated
there.”
Chicago home health
In 1992, Mueda, a board passer and full- Head Office : 970 Lawrence Ave. West # 105 (Lawrence & Dufferin)
fledged nurse, arrived in the United States and Toronto ON M6A3B6 (Located on the main floor in back of the building)
landed right away in home health in Chicago’s
central nursing home. Web : www.cmsgroup.ca
“That’s the only nursing field I know since 3 convenient locations - Toronto, Mississauga and Scarborough
then,” she humbly stressed in an exclusive in-
terview at the Braxton Seafood Grill, here, re-
cently. not have the qualms to brag great raffle prizes are given rare and the job is really in dependent instead of letting what Obama calls a “down
She finds her fellow Fil- about, is “patient or client away.” demand.” them stay in the hospital. payment on health care re-
ipino medical professionals satisfaction.” Recession-proof Mueda disclosed that Health budget form”: $633.8 billion over
to be “flexible and trustwor- “We provide their needs Why is nursing consid- health care in the U.S. “is Mueda said she was the next 10 years.
thy” and “always willing to on time, we give excellent ered a “recession-proof” not yet and may not be af- “less worried” when Presi- About half of the money
go out in the field.” patient care, and courtesy profession? fected by recession.” dent Barack Obama un- would come from reduc-
Competitions among visits,” she pointed out. Mueda volunteered that Home health, according veiled a multi-trillion-dollar tions in payments to health
home health centers in Il- “Our nurses in the field in the health care system to her, “is the cheapest form budget on Feb. 26, an am- care providers who serve
linois are tight owing to who are mostly Filipinos are in the U.S., no one is being of homecare.” bitious plan to boost clean the Medicare and Medicaid
growing patient population really good and well-known turned down and there are Home health helps pa- energy development, access programs.
and longer life expectancy (in the U.S.) as excellent more demands for the job. tients stay for a shorter pe- to education and health care The other half would
among Americans, accord- caregivers.” “Aside from being ac- riod in the hospital; it helps coverage. come from limiting the val-
ing to Mueda; “but our ad- A Filipino male em- cessible, health care is basic save Medicare a lot of mon- Some of those costs ue of itemized deductions
vantage is we operate for 24 ployee described both Lira and a right, not a privilege. ey, she admitted. would be offset in part by for wealthier families, those
hours and we keep that as a and Edwin as “one of the Health care in the U.S. is Other advantages of allowing tax cuts to expire earning $250,000 a year or
standard.” most generous couples in very open and most elderly home health, she added, for the wealthiest house- more.
Mueda said her main business” saying “they al- here live longer,” she en- are the following: It avoids holds. An overview of the The budget also lays
satisfaction and something ways recognized employees thused. cross infections for patients; spending plan for health out eight principles for
any operator of home health by holding annual gathering “Lay off (among medi- patients heal better; and care showed the budget Congress to use in fashion-
anywhere in the U.S. would like Christmas party where cal professionals) is very helps patients how to be in- sets aside a reserve fund for (To page 14)
14 MANILA MEDIA MONITOR
MAY 2009 People & Events
Gamma Epsilon
Fundraiser
Members of the Gamma Epsilon Fra-
ternity and Gamma Lambda Epsi-
lon Sorority Toronto chapters take
a breather with friends and guests
who went with them on a fundraising
trip to Casino Rama on April 26. The
funds raised from the trip, said frat
coordinator Sonny Montojo, would go
to the chapter’s internal and external
programs. He added that proceeds of
previous fundraising activities of the
fraternity/sorority went to programs
and projects initiated by the groups’
chapters in the Philippines. Besides
Sonny, other frat members who came
were Nap Abarillo, Vic Distrito, Ruel
Cadavos, Calvin Familial and founder
Amor Gaborno. Sorority members in-
cluded Malou Distrito, Bella Buesa,
Angie Diose and Maricel Fajardo. PR

StatsCan ... Carassauga Festival of Cultures Festival of Cultures from Carassauga is an

(From page 9)
completely paid off their
student loans.
Bachelor’s graduates
who had paid off their debt
earned over $8,000 more
than those who still had
debt two years after gradua-
tion. About 46 percent of all
2005 bachelor’s graduates
completed their studies free
of debt; as did 56 percent
of doctorates, 55 percent of
college grads and 54 percent
of those with a master’s.
In 2007, just over a
quarter of those who owed
student debt at the time they
graduated in 2005 had paid
it off.
Graduates from 2005
with student debt had lower
average debt levels than
their 2000 counterparts:
doctorate graduates owed
about $1,300 less on aver-
age, while college gradu-
ates owed about $700 less.
JEY DHARMARAJ
May 22 to 24. Various
40 Countries, 3 Days, 1 Ticket community centers in
Mississauga will mark the
The Filipino community 39 other countries in performances, vibrant cos- festival from 7:30 p.m. to
in Mississauga joins other celebrating their proud tumes and delicious food, midnight on May 22; 3 p.m.
communities representing heritage through inspiring during the Carassauga to midnight on May 23; and
1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on May 24.
A ticket entitles its
Antea Garcia turns 80 holder to entry to all
pavilions during the three-
day festival. Children 12
years old and under gets
free admission.
Among the cultures this
year’s festival will highlight
are those from Africa,
Caribbean, China, Croatia,
Cyprus, Egypt, Germany,
Greece, Hawaii, India,
Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan/
Lebanon, Latin America,
Malaysia/Singapore,
Pakistan, the Philippines,
Poland, Portugal, Serbia,
Turkey and the Ukraine.
Carraussauga is celebra-
Antea Garcia (center), widow of Filipino comedian Doro delos Ojos (inset), ting its 24th anniversary this
celebrates her 80th birthday with her children, grandchildren and relatives year. The festival boasts of
in Scarborough. Her late husband’s real name was Victor Garcia. PR over 250,000 visits.
incorporated non-profit vo-
lunteer community organi-
zation. It first operated in
1986 with 10 pavilions.
The festival was deve-
loped in response to a
challenge put out by Mayor
Hazel McCallion to all
ethno cultural groups at a
meeting in the old City Hall
in the fall of 1985.
The festival has evolved
into an important annual
event for Mississauga
and surrounding areas. Its
popularity has been steadily
increasing in recent years.
The Carassauga Festival
ranks as Mississauga’s
largest cultural festival, its
largest indoor festival, and
its second longest running
community festival.
It is the largest multi-
cultural Festival in Ontario.
It was voted by Festivals
& Events Ontario as one of
the Top 100 Festivals in
Ontario. PR

No extra costs Ilonggo nurse enjoys ...

TV ADVERTISING? (From page 13)
for ONLINE ADS?
ing a health overhaul plan,
ADVERTISE with including making health
coverage affordable; guar-
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of plans (including keep-
ing the coverage they have
Call 416-285-8583 through their employers);
Visit
manilamediamonitor.com Call 416-285-8583 and investing in prevention
and wellness.
Another principle: “Aim
for universality.”
The budget says any
health care overhaul “must
put the United States on a
clear path to covering all
Americans.”
When they started the
home health, Mueda figured
it will be good if it stays for
five years. “But it’s now
(in full operation for) eight
years and it will be there for
a long time, for the future of
our children,” said Mueda,
referring to Joshua, 13; Ma-
halia, 2; and one-month old
Ethen.
Mueda’s parents are Ra-
fael and Lilia and her elder
sister is Cecile Pearce who
is also a nurse in California.
Youngest among five sib-
lings, Mueda’s other broth-
ers are Carlo, Dante, and
Angelo, all living in Miag-
ao town, some 42 kilome-
ters away from Iloilo City
in southern Philippines.

MEETING. Troy Parungao (3rd from right) and Dottie Pira (2nd from left) of
the Century Properties in Metro Manila, the Philippines, met with friends in
Toronto, at the Richtree Restaurant. Others in photo are (from left) Mon Tor-
ralba, Irene Villa Juan, Teresa Torralba, and Jojo Taduran. Photo: CARLOS
DE LEON
 People & Events 15 MANILA MEDIA MONITOR
MAY 2009

Silayan starts
Online youth resources IT learning Kalayaan ready for RP Freedom Day events
database launched
BullyingCanada.Ca
has launched an online
youth resources database
located at: www.youthda-
tabase.org.
The database hosts
community resources for
youth to keep up-to-date
to information on types of
services in their area.
Resources include so-
cial services, school dis-
trict office contact infor-
mation, provincial/federal
politicians, child protec-
tion, suicide prevention,
and youth-related groups
with many other sections.
Youth, parents and ed-
ucators are urged to visit
the website and request
for information from the
database administrators.
Organizations may
visit the website to sub-
mit their information to
be added to this free da-
tabase.
“This database will be
an excellent way to relay
current information to
youth from across Cana-
da” said Katie Neu one of
the database administra-
tors.
“This will be a very
valuable tool in order to
use technology in a posi-
tive way in ensuring our
youth know that they can
receive information at
anytime” said Rob Fren-
ette, a database adminis-
trators.
The database was cre-
ated and donated by Web
Nodes of Toronto, On-
tario. PR
program
The Silayan Communi-
ty Centre (SCC) has started
on May its skills and tech-
nology program dubbed
AWARE, which stands for
Assimilate, Worked, Apti-
tude, Reliance, and Educa-
tion.
Leonora Taculad, SCC
board chair and president,
free Internet-accessed com-
puter course would be of-
fered under the program.
Taculad said this would
be complimented with a
newsletter and supported
by a pilot project “learn and
earn.”
She said SCC facilities
would be improved to con-
form with the needs of com-
munity participants.
Funding for the program
came from Citizenship and
Immigration Ontario for
The Kalayaan Filipino
Cultural Organization (Ka-
layaan), has slated a series of
events to celebrate the 111th
Philippine Independence
Day.
Among the events are:
► The Philippine
Independence Day Gala,
jointly hosted by Kalayaan
and the Philippine
Independence Day Council,
at the Double Tree Hotel on
June 6.
► The Summer Festival
picnic at the Mississauga
Valley Park on June 7.
A Mass and ceremonial
parade will precede the
picnic, highlighted with
entertainment from Filipino
talents.
The winning tickets for
INFINITY TRAVEL AND TOURS
the annual lottery to raise
funds for the Kalayaan
Kalayaan thanks its
sponsors Office of the
Cultural Community Centre Arts and Culture, City of
will be drawn during the Mississauga; Dr. William
picnic. Rodriguez and Associates;
► The cultural show Dr. Annette Simbulan
Malayang Pilipinas at and Associates; Pizza
the Living Arts Centre in Pizza; Provident Financial
Mississauga on June 13. Concepts Inc.; Clem
Conceptualized and Cabillan; and Neil Padilla.
directed by Eno Mascalado PR
Kalash, the show will
feature the journey of the TV ADVERTISING?
Philippines to freedom,
interpreted through songs
and dances.
Three major Filipino
dance troupes - Culture
Philippines, Fiesta Filipina
and Folklorico Filipino
Canada - will perform
together in one show, joined Call 416-285-8583
by popular singers.

Atenogenes Sicat passes at 42 Skills Development Train-

ing and a donation from the -*/&0-2&1011 -*/&0-2&1+))
Florida-based Info Source CHEAPEST AIRFARE IN: BEST PRICES FOR:
Atenogenes Antonio Learning.
(Ateno) Tesoro Sicat III AWARE has been a spe- • Asia • Vacation packages
passed away peacefully on cial project of SCC since
• Europe
Lowest and Cruise
May 3, at age 42, at St. Mi- 1989, helping new migrants
chael’s Hospital. and Filipino domestic work- • Middle East Manila • Last minute deals
He is survived by his ers who came to Canada • South America fares • Emergencies
dear parents, Antonio and under the Foreign Domestic • Caribbean • Group travel
Nelida; loving daughter Movement Program (now
• And anywhere else • Honeymoons
Esme Hazel; Suzanne Way- the Live-In Caregiver Pro-
brant, mother of Esme Ha- gram). in the world! • And so much more!
.))*.201
zel; sisters Adelwisa, Leo- SCC, established in
nina, Maria Raidis, Angela 1969, is the pioneering so-
and Sandra Lissa; brothers Plutarco, Angelo and Andrew;
brothers-in-law Hermie, Nicanor, Geraldo, Arnulfo and
cial service and charity or-
ganization for Filipinos. MENDOZA’S DEBT /
FINANCIAL CONSULTANT
Jericho; sisters-in-law Maria Antonieta and Hazel; neph- Through the years, it
ews and nieces John Ray, Godfrey, Reinard, Genesis, Jer- has evolved into serving the
emie, Johanna, Esther Mae, Jericho Manuel, Alexandra city’s diverse ethno-cultural
Claire and Baby Hannah Grace. groups.

FINANCIAL PROBLEMS?
The family thanks all those who condoled with them Among its significant
and came to visit Ateno’s remains at the Highland Funeral achievements is its partici-
Home on May 9 and 10. pation in building multi-
Gratitude also goes to everyone who attended the fu- million dollar housing proj-
neral Mass at the St. Boniface Roman Catholic Church and
the interment of Ateno’s remains on May 11.
ects that benefited families
living at the Tahanan Non-
CONSOLIDATE YOUR DEBTS
Family and friends will surely miss Ateno’s uncompli- Profit Homes in Toronto WITHOUT INTEREST INTO ONE LOW
cated way of life and his gentle manly character, punctu- and the Bayanihan Housing
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He was a 3rd degree member of Knights of Columbus
Council 10516.
St. Jamestown News
Service (100% GUARANTEED)
Pacita Gardiner Mendoza vda. De Leon NO MATTER IF YOU ARE:
May 9, 1928 – April 30, 2009 UNEMPLOYED
PENSIONER
The family of Pacita She was always crowned DIVORCED
Gardiner Mendoza vda. de queen of event balls and
Leon has announced the carnivals in her early social STUDENT
peaceful passing of their life. DENIED BY THE BANK
mom on April 30, a few After marriage, she lived WORKING VISA
days shy of her 81st year. most of her life in Project OWN A BUSINESS/BUSINESS FAILURE
A beloved wife to the 8, Quezon City where the
OR ANY OTHER NUMBER OF REASONS
late father Col. Sixto O. de couple established a home,
Leon, Pacita is survived by guiding their children
children Ramon, Aurora, through life, until all REBUILD YOUR CREDIT
Rosario, Sixto, Jr., Patricia became professionals.
and Josefina; grandchildren Pacita was a very loving, FOR FREE CONSULTATION
Anthony, Regina, J.R, supportive, and often funny private caregivers, Praisy DON’T HESITATE TO CALL AT:

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Camille, Zachary, Stephen, mother, always there to give and Mimi.
Therese, Tara, Nicole, a hand. Pacita’s remains were

Eunice and Jomil; and great
grandchild Rafael.
Born in Paco, Manila,
Pacita was the eldest among
the cousins, and often the
favorite companion of her
aunts and uncles.
When Sixto passed away
in 1998, Pacita visited and
stayed in Mississauga for a
year with her children.
The family thanks the
medical staff at the Veterans
Memorial Hospital and her
(416) 457-4145
cremated on May 6. Her
ashes will be taken to the
St James the Great Parish
Cemetery in Ayala, Alabang Evening and Weekend Appts. Available
on June 9, after 40 days of
prayers, to join the remains
of her husband.
Putting you into a better life!
16 MANILA MEDIA MONITOR
MAY 2009

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 People & Events
FCT slates language skills sem-workshop RGen Financial offers repatriation insurance for OFWs
Some 60 foreign-trained
professionals are expected
to benefit from the Filipino
Center Toronto (FCT)-spon-
sored free 18-hour semi-
nar-workshop on Enhanced
English Language Training
at the center’s Rizal Hall for
six Saturdays starting May
30 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon.
Participants are either
newcomer-immigrants,
work permit holders, per-
manent residents or citizens
in Ontario who are unem-
ployed, underemployed,
and/or those wanting to
upgrade language skills to
be competitive in the work-
place and social landscape.
Among the resource
speakers are Butch Gali-
cia, editor of Manila Me-
dia Monitor and a Europe-
trained print journalist; Rey
Tolentino, business execu-
tive-consultant and former
Philippine broadcast media
personality; Albert Quiran-
te, management trainor
and a program manager at
Salvation Army; Norma
Bernal, counsellor and fa-
cilitator at Skills for Change
and a columnist of Filipino
Bulletin; Elsa Mangune,
English specialist-teacher at
the Toronto District School
Board; and Virginia Tum-
baga-Parucha, a Toronto
Catholic District School
Board English teacher.
They will talk on theme-
based integrated topics: Oral
Fluency and Pronunciation,
Business and Academic
Presentation, Career-related
Writing (resume, cover and
job search letters), Writing
for Specific Purposes (aca-
demic and technical) Job
Interview Tasks and Strate-
gies; Advanced Vocabulary
and Idiomatic Expressions,
and Public Speaking.
At the helm of the proj-
ect are FCT president Rosa-
St. Jamestown fest set June 13
Residents of historic
St. Jamestown district are
ready to celebrate the an-
nual daylong St. Jamestown
Festival on June 13.
Community leader
Gene Lara said that besides
residents, people and busi-
nessmen from other parts
of the Greater Toronto Area
are expected to flock to the
district for the festivities.
Lara said the festival
is multicultural and activi-
ties are focused on varied
cultural arts, music, cuisine
and others.
Most of the festival
events would be conducted
at the Wellesley Commu-
nity Centre.
17
linda Javier, board chair Dr.
Victoria Santiago and FCT
directors.
Course director-facilita-
tor is Tony San Juan, with
the Ontario College of
Teachers and vice president
of the Philippine Teachers
Association Canada that de-
veloped the project.
The project committee
is composed of Lapulapu
Caña, chair; co-chair Ed Bi-
rondo, and members Wendy
Arena, Cieleto Drapeza and
Joan Ang. JSJMACLEAN
LARA
A business and product
exhibit would also highlight
the festival, Lara said.
The festival is a part
of the initiatives of the St.
Jamestown Safety Commit-
tee. PR
MANILA MEDIA MONITOR
MAY 2009
Roland Jude
Chan (right), Di-
rector of RGen
Financial (www.
rgenfinancial.
com), discuss-
es the mechan-
ics of repatria-
tion insurance
for Overseas
Filipino Work-
ers (OFWs)
during a press
conference at
the Philippine
Overseas Labor
Office in Toron-
to. Repatriation
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the first product offering of RGen Financial -- which insurance undertak-
ing will be underwritten by Assumption Life. Also in photo is Bon Ramat,
RGen Financial’s Senior Associate. Chan said RGen Financial’s Repatria-
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and Employment (DOLE) and the Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration
(OWWA). Congratulatory messages from the heads of DOLE and OWWA in
Manila were read by the representatives of those two offices in Toronto,
namely Frank Luna and Eric Parungao, respectively. Photo: MANILA MEDIA
MONITOR
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18 People & Events
Strong community,
police ties cited as
FCT Victoria cage
tourney kicks off
It was clear from the opening tip-off that
Alok Mukherjee has got game, so to speak.
The Toronto Police Services Board
chair took his spot in the tip-off circle and
tossed the ball, opening the third annual
Filipino Centre of Toronto (FCT) Victoria
Invitational Basketball Tournament at the
HoopDome on May 16.
The yearly tournament was dedicated
three years ago to Dr. Victoria Santiago,
who has supported activities and programs
for Filipino communities over the past 30
years.
This year, 54 teams made up of 648
youngsters, aged eight to 17, were vying
for the championships.
“This tournament is an excellent ex-
ample of the kind of healthy activities that
encourage our youth to acquire key values
like cooperation, teamwork and respect,”
Mukherjee said.
“As importantly, this event is also about
fun and friendship,” he added.
The TPS-CRU Basketball Team, led
by Community Mobilization Unit (CMU)
Constable Rod Chung, opened the two-day
tournament by playing an exhibition game
with a community select team.
Toronto Raptors’ mascot, The Raptor,
treated participants to acrobatic dunks, as
CMU members were introduced by Inspec-
tor Frank Bergen, who heralded each one
on their commitment and participation at
the annual community event.
Community Service Awards were also
presented to Police Chief Bill Blair, Chair
ADVERTISERS’ INDEX
Western Union (2)
Dr. Evangeline M. Bernabe
and Associates (3)
Liudmila Tomarovskaya (3)
All Debt Solutions, Consul-
ting Services (4)
Tatyana Petrak (4)
RBC (5)
Dr. Albine A. Miciano Cosme-
tic & General Dentistry (6)
Dr. Arla Rondilla Professional
Corp. (7)
Kaakbay Financial Services
(11)
Ellesmere-Kennedy Dental
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Amit Bhatia Credit Manage-
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Innovation Video/Photo (14)
Infinity Travel & Tours (15)
Mendoza’s Debt/Financial
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Dr. Roslyn Sabilano Dentistry
Professional Corp. (16)
Russell International (16)
Forex (17)
Photographers for Christ (18)
Henderson Weekes (19)
Tropical Deli (19)
Clem Cabillan (20)
areyouindebt.ca (20)
Townshend Colleges (20)
Philippine Independence Day
Council (21)
Car for Sale (22)
Mukherjee and CMU Constable Philip
Mendoza.
“The Toronto Police Services Board
is committed to forging and sustaining
partnership with members of all the com-
munities that make Toronto their home,”
Mukherjee said.
“We, at the Board, believe that these
relationships result in safer, healthier and
happier neighbourhoods,” he said.
“For this reason, I am pleased to see the
growing partnership between the Service
and the Filipino-Canadian community.”
Chief Blair said the Service has a long
New Conservatory of Music
(22)
UMAC Toronto (23)
Gonzales Dentistry Profes-
sional Corp. (23)
Timeless Images (24)
Fay & Eugene Tsatskina (24)
Church location for lease (24)
LDV Computers (26)
Liland Insurance Inc. (27)
Lovely Travel and Tours (28)
needananny.ca (29)
Dr. Miriam Bernacer (30)
Superb Travel Services (30)
Seoul Driving School (30)
Villa Movers (30)
Ravi Suri (31)
T.H.D. Consultants (32)
Front Page Philippines (32)
Rhowena Adolfo, Investors
Group (33)
musicpad.com (33)
Roadsport Honda (35)
Body Bliss (36)
OCDC Parcel Services (37)
Dr. Bernarda Rosales
Verzonilla Family &
Cosmetic Dentistry (37)
Perlas ng Silanganan (38)
Retail Space for Lease (38)
Ultra-Sound Promotions, Inc.
(39)
Dr. Santiago & Associates
(40)
Fairview Dental Centre (40)
MANILA MEDIA MONITOR
MAY 2009 CALENDAR
► MAY 21: Philippine Chamber of
Commerce Toronto Seminar on Busi-
ness Planning and Marketing.
► MAY 22 to 24: Carrassauga Festival
of Cultures, community centers in Mis-
sissauga.
► JUNE 6 & 7: Kalayaan Cultural
Community Centre Independence Gala
Night and Summer Festival Picnic, re-
spectively.
► JUNE 7: Sharon Cuneta & KC Con-
cepcion Live in Toronto, Metro Toronto
Convention Centre, 6 p.m.
► JUNE 7: The Juan Tomas Show
Band in Concert, Scarborough Civic
Centre, 2 and 3 p.m.
► JUNE 13: Kalayaan Cultural Show
Malayang Pilipinas, Living Arts Centre,
Mississauga.
► JUNE 13: The Pillars Cultural Asso-
ciation Mother and Father’s Day.
► JUNE 13: St. Jamestown Festival,
Wellesley Community Centre.
► JUNE 13 & 14: Filipino Centre To-
ronto Pistahan sa Toronto, Nathan Phil-
ips Square.
► JUNE 14: Filipino Centre Toronto
2009 Filipino Singing Idol Competitions,
Final Round, Nathan Philips Square.
► JUNE 18: Philippine Chamber of
Commerce Toronto Seminar on Health
history in the area of youth engagement. and Safety in the Workplace.
“We have made it a priority to reach out ► JUNE 20: Quezon National High
to our young people in a constructive and School Alumni Association of Toronto
beneficial way,” the Chief said. Dance-O-Rama, Malvern Community
Rey Tolentino, co-chair of the TPS Asia Centre.
Pacific Consultative Committee, echoed ► JUNE 20: The Pillars Cultural Asso-
Mukherjee’s and the Chief’s comments. ciation Seniors Picnic.
“As we celebrate the third year of hold- ► JUNE 20: Marikina Association of
ing these games, we are privileged to have Canada Annual Summer Picnic, Neil-
the support and partnership of the Toronto son Park.
Police Services Board, the Toronto Police
Service through its Community Mobiliza- A public service feature of the
tion Unit and the TPS Asia Pacific Consul- Manila Media Monitor. Also visit
tative Committee,” Tolentino said. PR pakulo.com.
“Let your light shine before men in such a way
that they may see your good works and glorify
your father who is in heaven.”
MATTHEW 6:16
To all gifted photographers out there who have the third eye
in capturing photos that reflect a Christian message, there is a
Christian Fellowship of talented photographers that awaits you.
They are Photographers For Christ who use the art of photography
in spreading the word of God.
Listen to your hearts, the Holy Spirit is calling you.
Pick up your camera and follow us.
PHOTOGRAPHERS FOR CHRIST
www.the-3rd-eye.com
photographersforchrist@gmail.com
MAY 2009 MANILA MEDIA MONITOR 19
20 MANILA MEDIA MONITOR
MAY 2009
MANILA MEDIA MONITOR
MAY 2009 21
22 MANILA MEDIA MONITOR
MAY 2009

12 YEARS OF SERVICE IN THE COMMUNITY

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MANILA MEDIA MONITOR
MAY 2009 23
A priest once asked a 12-year old boy: How do you make
FAMILY meaningful?
The boy replied: It’s when I say: Father And Mother, I Love You.

From the Manila Media Monitor editors, writers and staff:

HAPPY FATHER’S and BELATED HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

Wish list
(From page 10)
school bully.
3. I wish my father was
a millionaire so he could
buy me the most expensive
bicycle.
4. I wish my father was
a famous musician so that
the whole world could hear
his music on the radio.
5. I wish my father
was as smart as Einstein
so he could do my all my
homework and I could get
the highest mark in school.
6. I wish my father was
the president of our country
so he could be the most
powerful man across the
land.
7. I wish my father was
the best in all sports so that
all the boys in school would
envy me.
8. I wish my father was
a handsome movie actor and
admired by many people.
Just below the last wish
is a hand written note. He
can almost hear the usual
soft-spoken words of his
father as he reads, “Son, I
am sorry to disappoint you.
I could never be what you
wished for.”
After all those years,
John did not know that his
father replied to his selfish
wishes.
He looks at the picture
of his father and with his
voice almost like a whisper,
he says: “Dad, you were
not as brave as Batman, but
you showed me the courage
to keep going in the most
difficult times; you were not
as strong as Hercules, but
you gave me the strength
to grow and face the harsh
reality of the world; you
were not a millionaire, but
you provided for me with
the best you could possibly
afford; you were not a
musician, but the stories
you told me were like music
to my ears; you were not
as smart as Einstein, but
you sent me to school so I
could obtain the education
you never had; you were
not the president of our
country, but you held our
family together with your
values and principles; you
were never an athlete, but
you always played with me
when no one would; you
were not a movie star, but
you were always real. You
never pretended to be what
you were not.”
With his teary eyes, he
continues, “Dad, if you only
knew….you are far above
my wishes. You surpassed
what I expected of you. And
on that list, I would like to
add one more, my last and
final wish. On the day that
I face my own death, may
your spirit be there by my
side, to comfort the scared
little boy in me ... thank you
for making me what I am
today.”
And that ends the story.
To all fathers out there, I
extend my warmest greeting,
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!
24 MANILA MEDIA MONITOR
MAY 2009

CHURCH LOCATION
FOR LEASE
Warden and Eglinton Area
Apply (416) 399-1030 or
(416) 751-0644 28th Infantry Battallion Army troopers offer free haircut (above) while
the Municipal Health Office of Lupon, Davao Oriental offers free cir-
cumcision for children in a civic action program. Photo: PNA

Ask for Harry or John

Positive aspects of ‘unofficial’ UN ...

(From page 3)
to Justice for the Poor and
mobile court or Justice on
Wheels programs.
The National Police
Commission also ordered
the activation of human
rights desks in all police
stations nationwide; and set
Weddings • Birthdays • Graduations detention safeguards to de-
ter torture and ill-treatment
& other special events of prisoners while imposing
penalties and sanctions on
erring police personnel.
The state also put up co-
ing the release of 3,677 in-
mates in 2008, done by the
Bureau of Jail Management
and Penology.
► Enactment of laws to
prevent sexual violence in
detention, and the establish-
ment of 31 female dormito-
ries to date.
► Reduction in the
number of children in de-
tention, including the enact-
ment of the 2006 Juvenile
Justice Welfare Act (RA
of unjust detention and for
victims of violent crimes .
► Prohibition as to the
admissibility of evidence
obtained through torture
or duress as contained in
Republic Act 7438 and the
2007 Human Security Act.
“We view the report as a
review-in-progress as State-
members’ compliance to
international human rights
treaty is hinged upon pro-
gressive implementation,”

Timeless
ordination and investigation
task forces and an indepen-
dent commission to address
media and activist killings
and reported extrajudicial
9344), a variety of social
welfare services provided
for children in conflict with
the law, and the release of
565 minors in 2008.
Ermita said.
The Philippine govern-
ment has assured the UN
Committee Against Torture
that all its pertinent and rel-

Images
deaths.
The country’s Revised
Penal Code classified all
acts of torture as criminal
offences.
VIDEO and Other steps were:
PHOTOGRAPHY ► Continued pursuit of
the peace process despite
the presence of a protracted
Contact us at internal armed conflict in
X
T: 647.343.9359/416.266.5705 E: info@mytimages.com
or visit us at mytimages.com
the Philippines.
► Improvement of con-
ditions of detention, includ-
► Inclusion of human
rights components in train-
ing programs for military
and law enforcement units,
in close cooperation with
the Commission on Human
Rights.
► Strengthening the
Witness Protection Pro-
gram.
► Creation of a Board
of Claims under the Depart-
ment of Justice for victims
evant concerns and recom-
mendations would be acted
upon, he added.
“We call on all non-gov-
ernment and civil society
groups to formally pres-
ent their cases of alleged
torture before the govern-
ment, specifically though
the Presidential Human
Rights Committee, so that
these can be properly acted
upon,” Ermita said. PNA

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MANILA MEDIA MONITOR
MAY 2009 25
PIDC Mrs. Philippines Winners
RIGHT, TOP: Rose Bongolan (3rd from left), 2009 Philippine Independence
Day Council (PIDC) Mrs. Philippines, joins her court (from left) 3rd runner-up
Appoline Aldea, 1st runner-up Marilou Tamboong and 2nd runner-up Magda-
lena Moreno following their coronation on April 24. RIGHT, BELOW: Pageant
chair Rosemer Enverga (2nd from left) presents to Bongolan her trophy
as co-chairs Ethel Stewart (left) and Sena Flores look on. PIDC Mrs. Philip-
pines, Little Miss Philippines (see page 21) are highlights of the annual PIDC
Mabuhay! Philippines Festival. This year, the festival reaches its peak at the
Metro Toronto Convention Centre on July 18. Photos courtesy of PIDC

Pacquiao’s win ...

(From page 8)
an e-mail as follows:
“Hi to all! You
are invited to attend an
impromptu meeting re
MP Ruby Dhalla at the
FCT tomorrow, May 8, at
7:00 p.m. It is organized
by Julius Tiangson who
is calling all Filipinos
to unite as one Filipino
community and stand
up in solidarity.”
I now ask, Aida: Do
you ever practice for all
the meetings at the FCT?
What happens if attendees
deviate from the practiced
script?
***
On April 26, PR woman
Kathleen Pascual Binaday
sent us something, stating,
“For Immediate Release”.
We could only stare on
her message and could not
act on the same; ours is a
monthly publication.

The man who drove Diefenbaker ...

(From page 9)
Pearson, who died in
1972, was a man who gave
us our own
flag, the
Canada
Pension
P l a n ,
Expo 67
and above
all sense
of pride
in being
Canadians
that led
to the
patriation
of our own
Constitution
and the
Canadian Charter of Rights
under his successor Pierre
Elliott Trudeau.
Summing up Pearson’s
life, Cohen writes: “Peter
C. Newman once told
Diefenbaker, ‘You are a
great man, sir’. More likely,
Diefenbaker was a great
story. Pearson was a great
man.”
***
The admirable
Extraordinary Canadians
series of books published
by Penguin Canada under
the overall editorship of
John Ralston Saul includes
former prime ministers
Pierre Elliott Trudeau and
Lester Bowles Pearson.
On the surface, neither
of the two could be farther
apart in personality and
style. Yet, each in his own
way did more to persuade us
to be proud of our Canadian
nationality rather than of
our colonial heritage.
Lester B. Pearson is
written by political author
and columnist Andrew
Cohen while novelist Nino
Ricci was chosen to pen
the story of Trudeau. Each
volume sells for $26.
***
Nino Ricci’s take on
Pierre Elliott Trudeau must
have been a difficult task.
To cast new light on
the person who is arguably
the most written-about
Canadian of all time is a tall
order.
Wisely, Ricci eschews
h i s for acting within his own
novelist’s
flair for the
dramatic
and gives
us a concise
r e c o r d
of the
man who
became
C a n a d a ’s
all-time
b e s t -
k n o w n
personality
both at
home and
internationally.
Ricci chronicles
Trudeau’s early years as
student at the Jesuit Jean
Brebeuf College where
he developed a rebellious,
contrarian nature. After
graduation, he flirted with
Communism and Fascism.
Then he matured into a
champion of French Canada,
not as a separatist, but seeing
it as part of a harmonious
nation. His entry into politics
led to his nomination and
inevitable Trudeau-mania.
For me, Nino Ricci’s
most absorbing chapter
deals with the October Crisis
of 1971 and the kidnapping
of British diplomat James
Cross and Pierre Laporte,
the latter an old Jean
Brebeuf school chum.
The sound byte that
gave us “just watch me!”
was part of a much longer
interview and its isolation
served to paint Trudeau as
an arrogant dictator-in-the-
making.
Much maligned for
invoking the War Measures
Act that led to the murder of
Laporte, Trudeau has been
blamed for the vacillation
of Quebec Premier Robert
Bourassa and the excesses
of the RCMP and local
police in enforcing the act.
Ricci presents the
evidence of many Canadians
to justify the measure in the
light of existing knowledge
of the FLQ at the time,
and vindicates Trudeau
conscience and concern
for other innocent lives. To
a novelist, peaks like this
and the failed marriage to a
woman 29 years his junior
are of interest but Ricci
never sensationalizes.
His conclusion is a
precise summation of a
character that has dominated
its times and beyond.
One cannot refrain from
comparisons with prime
ministers like the blowhard
Mulroney and the colorless
Harper.
“Trudeau died on
September 28, 2000, a
month short of his eighty-
first birthday. Arrangements
had been made for him to lie
in state in Ottawa then to be
taken by train to Montreal
for a funeral.
“Organizers were
unsure what the public’s
response would be to the
death of someone who had
left public life more than 16
years earlier. They had their
answer.
“From the long lines
on Parliament Hill, to the
school children lining the
tracks … to the crowds
who met his casket when it
arrived in Montreal … to the
millions of Canadians who
followed the events across
the country on television,
the response was dignified,
emotional and massive.
“He had been hated
and loved, but mostly
respected….”.
(Used with permission.
Ben Viccari is past
president of the Canadian
Ethnic Media Association
and frequently appears on
OMNI TV Commentary.
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)
‘Bayang magiliw ... soft screech as it touched
(From page 10) Philippine soil.
Tawagan, ha!” national anthem. Ang mamatay nang da-
Bags were inspected to May dilag ang tula at hil sa ‘yo ... Then, silence
make sure the pasalubong awit ... Some had the right ... as if in a brief prayer of
was there. “Matutuwa ang palm on the left breast ... Sa thanks for having been de-
mga bata.” paglayang minamahal ... a livered safely and soundly
Then, amid the noise few saluted, others doffed ... broken only when a Cau-
and haste echoed a distinct baseball caps casian tourist started clap-
voice with a familiar tune Ang kislap ng wa- ping and everyone joining
... Bayang magiliw, Perlas tawat mo’y ... A lady I later in pure jubilation.
ng Silanganan ... the noise learned lost her husband sol- Sure, I shed tears during
ebbed and movements dier in the Mindanao war ... the few emotional minutes
stilled as everyone ... Alab Tagumpay na nagniningn- when we fervently sang Lu-
ng puso ... turned to look ing ... pulled from her bag a pang Hinirang.
for the voice. Philippine tricolor, her only “I am a proud Filipino,”
Sa dibdib mo’y buhay memoir of a dear life lost in I told a guy seated next to
... then there were two ... a senseless conflict ... Ang me.
Lupang hinirang ... three bituin at araw niya ... and “Pare, ako rin!” he re-
and more singing in unison unfolded it for all to see ... plied, as he offered his right
... Duyan ka ng magiting. Kailan pa ma’y ‘di magdi- hand and we shook.
People began to stand dilim ... and honor. ***
... Sa manlulupig ... as the The singing grew louder, On June 12, the global
blonde stewardess and other the fervor stronger ... Lupa Filipino community will
cabin crew ... ‘Di ka pasisiil ng araw, ng luwalhati’t once more celebrate Philip-
... cajoled them to sit and pagsinta ... Tears welled pine Independence Day.
put on seat belts. in many eyes ... Buhay What better way to mark
Sa dagat at bundok ... ay langit sa piling mo ... the event by reaffirming our
the chorus was infectious ... voices quiverred but never roots, culture and heritage,
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bughaw ... that soon, every- Aming ligaya, na ‘pag ditions. Happy Indepen-
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MAY 2009

prises that would replace higher levels of employment of the Global Financial Cri-
Asia grappling to balance migration ... foreign workers with Ko- in host countries would be sis on Employment, Labor
(From page 12) rean workers, to the tune of the same scenes this year as Undersecretary Rosalinda
however, that the Thai gov- Young Bum of Hansung 9 visa) to foreign workers 1.2 million won per newly- in 1997. D. Baldoz said a total of
ernment would not extend University, has further until the year 2010. hired local worker. For countries like the 6,406 workers were dis-
the work permits of some “polarized” the Korean la- The Korean govern- Since November 2008, Philippines that send out placed as of March 12.
200,000 documented mi- bor market as some 6,707 ment has an annual quota of Korea sent back home some labor to overseas markets, Some 4,197 came from
grant workers in 2010, and foreign workers have been 72,000 work visa issuances 8,000 undocumented mi- one should expect increas- Taiwan, and 1,357 from the
that Thai nationals would retrenched as of December until last February. grant workers. Again, no ing documented and un- United Arab Emirates.
be hired first. 2008. “But don’t expect an in- breakdowns by nationality documented overseas mi- The 74 Korea-based
If foreign workers These retrenchments crease of the E-9 visa quota were given. gration, rising numbers of OFWs were part of the 5,036
wished to extend their work were due to the bankruptcy for the country soon,” said As of October last year, returning migrant workers, displaced OFWs reported
permits, “they have to apply and shutting down of small- Park. The move considered the estimated undocument- and an increasing role of by the POEA, said POEA
through Thai line govern- and medium-sized enter- the “shrinking labor mar- ed migrant workers in Ko- remittances this year as in director Liberty Casco dur-
ment agencies,” she added. prises in Korea, Park said. ket”. rea numbered to 219,596, 1997, Asis said. ing a multi-sector workshop
In Korea The Korean government Korea’s government down from 224,965 in Jan- Singapore, Malaysia, on the global financial crisis
The global economic has suspended the issuance would also try to subsidize uary 2008. Thailand and Koreahave that the Department of La-
crisis, for economist Park of work visas (called the E- small and medium enter- Yet Park thought that been among the target desti- bor and Employment con-
the country would likely nation countries for Filipino vened on January 30.
PBComers Reunion depend on unskilled foreign migrant workers. De La Salle Univer-
labor as a massive repatria- Few displacements sity professor and migra-
tion of foreign workers “is Figures of deployed mi- tion expert Stella Go told
not possible.” grant workers in 2007 from participants to a workshop
Familiar the Philippine Overseas organized by the Scalabrini
These situations affecting Employment Administra- Migration Center and the
foreign workers in East and tion (POEA) showed that International Labor Orga-
Southeast Asia are familiar the four countries received nization that despite the
territory for these countries, 76,565 new-hired and re- crisis,, international labor
especially so that the region hired Filipino workers. migration “hasn’t adversely
had experienced the 1997 As of January, 74 OFWs affected” the Philippines,
Asian financial crisis. who worked in Korea’s owing to increasing deploy-
Thus, Scalabrini Mi- electronics sector have been ment to old and new labor
gration Center director retrenched. markets, and because of ris-
Dr. Maruja Asis said that There were no reported ing remittances.
repatriation, more border displaced OFWs from Sin- What worried Go, how-
controls, punitive penalties gapore, Thailand, and Ma- ever, was that the crisis
for undocumented migrant laysia thus far. might increase the risks
A group of former employees of Philippine Bank of Communications (mid- workers, and no new or In her paper The Impact facing OFWs who work in
sized bank based in Binondo) welcome the arrival of Willie and Rose As- “vulnerable occupations”
trologo and family in Canada . They were met by ex-banker friends and their such as domestic help and
spouses in a gathering in Scarborough. Those who graced the occasion
include Jun and Kim Miranda, Tito and Bernice Adona, Roy and Rose Ca-
SURF construction. “They might
be exposed to wage cuts
sido, Erol and Adi de Luna and Marissa Angeles. The group of ex-PBComer and less-ideal work condi-
is active in assisting in the settlement of newly-arrived friends. manilamediamonitor.com tions,” she added.
MANILA MEDIA MONITOR
MAY 2009 27

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28
THIS MAY ALL OVER THE PHILIPPINES AND ABROAD
Santacruzan, Flores de Mayo takes center stage
In May all over the Phil-
ippines, processions liter-
ally fill streets to honor the
Virgin Mary. This is the
Santa Cruz de Mayo.
Also known as the
Santacruzan, the novena
procession commemorates
the mythical finding of the
Holy Cross by St. Helena,
mother of Constantine the
Great.
Legends say that 300
years after the death of
Christ, then 75-year old St.
Helena went to Mt. Cal-
vary.
After diggings, three
crosses were unearthed at
the site of the Crucifixion.
She tested each one by
making a sick servant lie on
all three.
The cross where the ser-
vant recovered was identi-
fied as Christ’s.
St. Helena’s feast day
falls on Aug. 8 but the anni-
versary of the finding of the
Cross is on May 3.
In the Philippines, the
celebration took the form of
the Mexican Santa Cruz de
Mayo.
Another legend puts it
that Constantine the Great,
facing a battle against Ro-
man Emperor Maxentius in
312 A.D. turned despairing-
ly to the new Christian God
for help.
Constantine cast his
eyes heavenwards and saw
in the night sky a glowing
sign of the cross with the
words ‘In hoc signia vincit’
meaning ‘By this sign thou
shalt conquer.’
He adopted the Cross
as his battle insignia with
the words and went to van-
quish the Roman army and
entered Rome a victor. He
pledged his faith in Chris-
tianity.
The Santacruzan differs
from most other religious
processions in that it does
not parade images of patron
saints.
Instead, biblical and his-
torical characters are repre-
sented by people dressed in
appropriate costumes.
A nine-day prayer no-
vena in honor of the Holy
Cross precedes the Santa-
cruzan. On the ninth night,
the procession is long and
colorful.
Bamboo clappers herald
the procession led by the
bearded Methuselah, bent
with age, riding a cart where
he toasts grains of sand in a
pan over a fire, to remind
everyone that all that glit-
ters will end up as dust.
Behind him walks the
Banderada, a lady in red
carrying a miniature Philip-
pine flag, symbolizing the
Christian army.
Next follow halfclad
MANILA MEDIA MONITOR
MAY 2009
boys, bodies blackened with
soot, representing the Negritos
or the Filipino pagans and fi-
nally, Reina Mora in a Muslim
costume representing Muslim
Philippines.
The Philippine Independence Day Council will once more bring to life Today, the Santacruzan cross-
the spirit of the Santacruzan during the Mabuhay! Philippines Festi- es between a beauty pageant and
val at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on July 18. (All photos a religious procession, with the
courtesy of PIDC president Jun Enverga) village’s most beautiful woman
being chosen as Reina Elena.
Gone are the days when peo-
ple, candle in hand, crowded the
streets to pay homage to a Catho-
lic myth and throw sampaguitas
at the passing beauties.
Gone are the days when one
can enjoy the dazzling splendor
of the flowers of May and the
smell of burning native candles.
But the Santacruzan contin-
ues to play an important role in
the spiritual and religious life of
Filipinos.
And this May, for whatever
reason, people line up the streets
in procession, invoking that
which is holy and searching for
the true Christian spirit.
MANILA MEDIA MONITOR
MAY 2009 29
30 MANILA MEDIA MONITOR
MAY 2009

Members of the Canada-Philippines Parliamen-

tary Friendship Group takes a pose with Philip-
pine Ambassador to Ottawa Jose Brillantes (right,
seated) and visiting Members of the Philippine
Congress during the group’s meeting on May 12.

CanPhil friendship
group organized
OTTAWA - Member
of Parliament (MP) Judy
Wasylycia-Leis (NDP, Win-
nipeg North) announced the
formation of the Canada-
Philippines Parliamentary
Friendship Group in a meet-
ing on May 12.
In the meeting, the group
named Wasylycia-Leis and
MP Rod Bruinooge (Winni-
peg South) as co-chairs.
“It is significant that the
co-chairs of this new asso-
ciation are both from Mani-
toba, which is home to one
of the largest Filipino com-
munities in Canada,” said
Wasylycia-Leis.
She said the group would
provide a forum for the ex-
change of ideas and promote
the expansion of relations
between the Canada and the
Philippines.
“There are many ties
that bind our two nations
making the establishment
of the group both important
and timely,” she said. Canadian mosaic, it is long ship group be established,”
“Filipino Canadians have overdue that such a friend- she added. PR
made an outstanding contri-
bution to Canada’s social,
economic, and political life.
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 MONEY MANILA MEDIA MONITOR
MAY 2009 31
GOT A FOREX DEAL?
Check out if you got your peso’s worth for
the dollars you have had exchanged since
Nokia sees RP as world’s mobile e-mail hub in 3 years
April 20. This is a public service item from MANILA - Nokia, the cent of Filipinos did not The phone maker will e-mail of the world. This
Manila Media Monitor’s Money and Busi- world’s leading manufac- have a digital identity that offer Nokia 2330 classic, change can happen in the
turer of mobile devices, enabled them to participate Nokia 2323, Nokia 2700 next three years,” he said.
ness section. sees the Philippines to be in the digital world. classic and Nokia 2730 cost He also projected that
US$ Cdn$ the next mobile e-mail capi- William Hamilton- ranging between P3,000 Internet mobile penetration
tal of the world over the Whyte, Nokia Philippines and P6,000. would hit 30.8 million users
May 18 47.45216 40.79888 next three years. general manager, said “the “We’ve seen mobile in the Philippines by 2013.
Nokia Philippines on power of Internet is undeni- technologies catalyze the Whyte also said that
May 15 47.59784 40.50646
May 19 introduced new able.” growth of the informal Nokia would partner with
May 14 47.67312 40.67402 phones, which are Internet- Whyte said Ovi Mail had sector across the world, local telecom operators
May 13 47.30272 40.49675 ready and work with Ovi the potential to be the first empowering local entre- like Smart Communica-
May 12 47.08345 40.34395 Mail. digital identity for many preneurs and having an im- tions Inc., Globe Telecom
May 11 47.11979 40.65380 This would give first- people in emerging markets mediate and lasting impact and Sun Celluar to have a
May 08 47.11754 40.68693 time e-mail users the op- like the Philippines. on people’s lives. Services “consumer friendly” mobile
May 07 47.27408 40.36897 portunity to set up and start Unlike most other e- like Ovi Mail, combined Internet services.
May 06 47.67046 40.63725 using an e-mail account mail services, Whyte said with the mobile phones we In another development,
directly on their mobile an Ovi Mail account ccould are showcasing, bring pow- Smart Communications
May 05 47.84658 40.68403 phone. be created and used directly erful solutions that can be Philippines said it has re-
May 04 47.97038 40.72009 Paula Laine, Nokia’s on a Nokia device without the gateway to knowledge, duced surfing costs with its
May 01 47.97037 40.41080 vice president for entry cat- ever having to use a PC. entertainment and people new mobile Internet pack-
April 30 48.07053 40.25772 egory marketing, said the “The mass market can’t without the need for a PC,” ages.
April 29 48.53988 40.44734 mobile phone was a perfect access Internet, that’s why Whyte said. The bucket-priced pack-
April 28 48.39357 39.56778 platform to connect in the we are launching our new With the affordability ages enable Smart Buddy
April 27 48.56600 40.13477 Internet. products that are Internet of mobile Internet cost and subscribers to use their cell-
“Half of the people in ready,” Whyte said. high penetration rate of mo- phones to go and stay on-
April 24 48.49162 40.10674
emerging markets prefer He added that many bile phones in the country, line to post photos and vid-
April 23 48.56085 39.51005 to use a phone instead of a people were still primar- Whyte expects the Philip- eos, update their blogs, chat
April 22 48.54592 39.27726 personal computer (PC) for ily using voice and text, as pines to be the world’s capi- or send e-mails, and browse
April 21 48.35191 39.14884 Internet,” she said. the Internet did not offer a tal for mobile e-mail. through their favorite social
April 20 48.03031 38.91981 Laine, however, said whole new range of oppor- “The Philippines will networking sites at a fixed
that 45 percent to 60 per- tunities. be the next capital mobile and low cost. PNA

Sari-sari stores as agent banks? ‘Why not?’, says BSP

MANILA - The Bangko
Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP)
is seeking a legal opinion
on whether or not they have
basis for allowing third-par-
ty entities such as sari-sari
(convenience) stores to act
as agent banks.
The plan, which in-
cludes such other agents as
retail chain stores and gov-
ernment-owned post offic-
es, forms part of the BSP’s
larger program of financial
inclusion.
Financial inclusion, as
the term suggests, ideally
includes every Filipino to
have access to financial ser-
vices that often leaves out
rural-based entities as farm-
By JUN VALLECERA
ers and fisherfolk.
Deputy BSP Governor
Nestor Espenilla Jr. said it
took the central bank one
year to convince authorities,
to included the policy-mak-
ing Monetary Board, to sell
the idea of e-money, or elec-
tronic money popularized
by Globe Telecommunica-
tion’s G-Cash product and
by Smart Communication’s
Smart Money.
The hardest thing about
this product, according to
Espenilla, was convincing
everyone they were not de-
posits, which then compli-
cates regulation.
“It took us a year to put
it together, including the ap-
propriate circular,” he said.
The same thing is hap-
pening about the plan, al-
lowing sari-sari stores, re-
tail chains as 7-Eleven and
Mercury Drug Stores and
the various post offices to
act as agent banks.
Under the plan, the
neighborhood sari-sari store
in empowered to help the fi-
nancial inclusion program
become reality by allow-
ing it to act as cash centers
where one can buy or encash
so-called e-money.
Globe’s G-Cash centers
and its equivalent Smart
Money services are mostly
urban-based products.
(To page 32) TYPICAL FILIPINO SARI-SARI STORE TRANSACTION
32 MANILA MEDIA MONITOR
Sari-sari stores as agent ...
(From page 31)
Espenilla said the Phil-
ippines continued to be one
of the leading proponents of
e-money, along with Kenya
and other Latin American
countries like Brazil.
But the Philippines has
a potential to become a pio-
neering entity in e-money
transactions because most
Filipinos own a cellular
phone.
In Brazil, for instance,
e-money usage was via
points-of-sale, which was
limited in nature, Espenilla
said.
When approved, Fili-
pinos may convert hard
MAY 2009 Money
CPBC Officers inducted
cash into e-money in any
sari-sari store and send it
via cellphones to pay for
utilities charges, settle a
personal debt or even make
a deposit, he said.
“The question now is
whether we can use third-
parties like sari-sari stores
to act as agent banks”, Es-
penilla said.
But he ruled out autho-
rizing sari-sari stores as de-
posit-taking entities. Philippine Ambassador to Ottawa Jose Brillantes (right) inducts into office Canada Philippines
“I have problems Business Council (CPBC) officers and directors (from right) Forte Gerardo, president; Alicia Natividad,
enough monitoring activi- past president and ex-officio director; Bill Pomfret, vice president; Otch von Finckenstein, director-
ties of regular banks. I don’t at-large; Camilo Tabalba, treasurer; Yuri Cañete, secretary. Inducted in absentia are Rey Pagtakhan,
want added pressures at this director-at-large; and Elliott Tepper, special adviser. CPBC’s thrust is to assist Canadian firms export
point,” Espenilla said. PNA suitable technologies, services and products to the Philippines. PR

Dela Cruz is finalist in ‘09 Asian of the Year Awards

T.H.D. CONSULTANTS Businesswoman Cora
dela Cruz has been named
4800 Sheppard Ave., East Unit 123, Scarborough, Ont., M1S 4N5 a finalist in the business/
Tel. Nos. (416) 335-8555; (416) 609-8912 public service category of
the 2009 Asian of the Year
ACCOUNTING/BOOKKEEPING SERVICES Awards.
Computerized Accounting Dela Cruz - president of
Financial Statement Delamarc Corp., principal
INCOME TAX SERVICES of CDC Consulting and for-
Individual & Corporate Tax Returns mer president of the Philip-
Small to Medium Size Companies pine Chamber of Commerce
COMPUTER SYSTEMS Toronto, was cited with co-
Installing, Training & Support of category finalists Dr. David
ACCPAC Simply Accounting Package Fung, chairman and CEO
of ACDEG Group, and Dr.
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Inc., during the National
To book your appointment please call ........... Anna Eusebio @ (416) 609-8912
Presentation and Awards
awards are run and funded
by the AsiaNetwork Maga-
zine and the Asian of the
Year Awards Society
The award selection
committee, chaired by Shei-
la Copps, said that among
the 15 finalists in five cat-
egories is a Hollywood star,
an Olympic gold medalist, a
newspaper editor, a former
governor general, and a for-
DELA CRUZ mer prime minister.
The categories included
Gala in Ottawa on May 6. arts and sports, business and
The awards is Canada’s public service, outstanding
only such national program volunteer, lifetime achieve-
for Asian Canadians. ment, and outstanding Can-
On its third year, the ada-Asia relations. PR

3 P.M.
 Money MANILA MEDIA MONITOR
MAY 2009 33
Send $1,000 for only $13.50 per transaction

RBC opens new easy, safe remittance service

RBC has announced
a new remittance service
that will give thousands of
Canadians - including new
immigrants - an economical
and secure solution for
sending money back home
to family and friends.
RBC International
Remittance enables
individuals to send the
equivalent of up to $1,000
CAD each day for only
$13.50 per transaction.
“The new immigrant
market is a priority for
RBC and being able to
send money home to family
and friends is an important
service for people coming
to Canada, whether they’ve
just arrived or have already
established themselves
here,” said Andrea Metrick,
head, Client Strategy and
Multicultural Markets.
“With RBC International
Remittance, people can
send funds 24/7, when
it’s convenient for them,
wherever they have internet
access and for a fraction
of the cost they might pay
for sending money through
wires or through other
remittance providers,”
Metrick said.
Like any other money
transfer or bill payment,
clients can access this new
service through RBC Online
Banking from their Account
Balances, Account Details
or Pay Bill and Transfer
Funds pages.
Remittances can be sent
from the client’s personal
banking account in various
currencies directly to the
recipient’s bank account
or picked up at a specified
foreign bank.
RBC has correspondent
banking relationships with
over 1,400 banks in over
120 countries worldwide.
“We are pleased to
add RBC International
Remittance to our suite
of electronic payment
services,“ said Tracy Scott,
senior manager, Payment
Services.
“It’s convenient for
individuals who send money
overseas for weddings,
birthdays and special
holidays, and to offer
financial support to love
ones back home. It’s also
ideal for one-time needs
such as emergencies and
vacation plans,” Scott said.
In addition to RBC
International Remittance
which enables individuals to
send funds overseas, RBC
Online Banking personal
banking clients can also
transfer funds electronically
to other RBC clients, to
clients of other financial
institutions, and between
RBC accounts in Canada
and the U.S.
“We are seeing consistent
growth in the use of all our
electronic payment services,
which shows that clients are
taking advantage of the ease
and convenience of sending
funds and making payments
online,” added Scott. PR

Planning for a longer life

by Investors Group Financial Services Inc.
Congratulations! If you
are a senior or close to it,
you’re part of a terrific good
news story: You are likely to
enjoy a longer and healthier
life than any generation
before you.
According to Statistics
Canada, life expectancy at
the age of 65 continues to
improve.
Canadian men aged
65 are expected to live an
average of 17+ years and
women aged 65 are expected
to live an additional 20+
years on average.
That is great news - but
there is another side to longer
life: the need to extend your
income over those years to
ensure you continue to have
a comfortable lifestyle.
That could also include
significant additional expen-
ses for health care.
You hope to remain
healthy, but statistics say:
► 43 percent of those
over 65 will require an
average of three to four
years of long-term care in a
nursing home or long-term
care facility.
► 66 percent of married
couples will have at least
one spouse enter long-term
care, personal care or health
care facility at some point.
► 28 percent of
Canadians aged 65 and over
who do not live in a health
care facility are likely to
receive care due to a long-
term health problem.
► One in 13 Canadians
over age 65 is affected by
Alzheimer Disease or related
dementia.
You don’t want to out-
live your retirement savings
or see them eroded by
unexpected health care and
medical costs.
More than ever, an
effective retirement
financial plan is an absolute
necessity.
Here are some planning
tips to set you on the right
path to a long and financially
comfortable retirement:
► Add to your
retirement income from
your Registered Retirement
Savings Plan with a well-
chosen portfolio of non-
registered investments.
Look at investments that
benefit from preferential
tax treatment such as tax-
advantaged investment
structures.
► Consider Universal
Life insurance as a means
of sheltering excess capital
while maximizing the value
of your estate and/or a life
annuity that will provide
you with guaranteed regular
income for the rest of your
life.
► Protect your income
(or your spouse's) with
carefully selected insurance
coverage that could include
life insurance, supplemental
health insurance, disability
insurance, critical illness
insurance, and long-term
care insurance.
Planning for retirement
has never been more
important.
A professional advisor
can help you develop a
retirement plan that will
work for you through all the
years of your retirement.

SAGOT(MULA
SASABATID
PAHINA 43)
WIKA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
M A N N A S I Y A H A N
12 13 14
A L A A L I T G I S A
15 16 17
P A K K U P I A L I N
18 19 20
A L U M A N A U T A N G
21 22
A R I G A T O
23 24 25 26 27 28 29
P U G O G A P A N G A N
30 31 32
A S A A N T I K A R A
33 34 35
D A L A G I T A U S I G
36 37
L A G A P A K
38 39 40 41 42 43 44
H U W A D L I W A S A N
45 46 47
A L I S L I H A A P O
48 49 50
B A L A A N A N B A T
51 52
I T I N A N O N G I W A
34 MANILA MEDIA MONITOR
Juan dela Cruz Band rocks Toronto
Gutierrez-Ramos tandem topbills ...
(From page 1)
the tall and very handsome
Richard, who was born on
January 21, 1984 in Los
Angeles, California, USA.
Richard chalked up so
many awards (FAMAS
and Metro Manila Film
Festival, among others) that
critics have heaped upon
him the titles of Prince of
Philippine Movies & TV
and Telefantasya King.
Yet, for all his success
as actor and model, the
25-year old Gutierrez
manages to be educated at
the De la Salle University
in Manila and contributes
to his favorite cause -
preserving the environment.
Richard has been an active
supporter of Greenpeace
Southeast Asia, advocating
for energy efficiency. He
was the narrator for a global
warming documentary
Signos and he starred in the
show Full Force Of Nature
explaining global warming.
Rhian Ramos is a mestiza
beauty born to a Welsh father
and Filipino mother from
Bicol (full name is Rhian
Denise Ramos Howell).
Joining a school play
while in Grade Five at De
La Salle-Zobel (Cavite)
gave Rhian her first acting
experience. There were
offers for her to enter show
business even at a very
tender age but she was
MAY 2009
determined to finish high
school and, thus, declined
initial offers.
But by age 15, Rhian
began modeling. Soon
enough, her appearance
in a major commercial for
MacDonalds caught the eye
of movie producer Annette
Gozon. And the rest, they
say, is movie history.
Rhian’s initial success
came by way of playing
the role of Leah, Captain
Barbell’s leading lady and
love interest in the Captain
Barbell TV series. This
was the first time Richard
Gutierrez and Rhian Ramos
were paired. This led to
other TV projects such as
the Lupin TV series where
Rhian was reunited with
Richard as leading man.
Also coming from the
Philippines to rock the house
is the Juan de la Cruz Band.
A trailblazer of sorts, it was
one of the first rock and roll
bands in the Philippines.
The JDLC Band
participated in the first open
field rock festival in the
Philippines in December
1970 - the Antipolo Rock
Festival, the country’s
answer to Woodstock.
The group gained more
fame in September 1971
when it backed up the
production of Jesus Christ
Superstar at the Cultural
Arts & Entertainment
Center of the Philippines
(CPP). It scored another first
when again, for the first time
in the Philippines, a rock
group on its own, backed by
the National Philharmonic,
was presented in concert at
the CCP.
Front-acting on the
Mabuhay! Philippines
Festival stage is funnyman
Ron Josol. Known in
the industry for his
modish comedy style and
commanding stage presence,
this Torontonian is arguably
the most recognizable Asian
comedian in Canada.
Profiled on the Comedy
Network, CBC, Showtime
Dubai, Discovery Channel,
Echo, Omni 1 & 2, MTV
Canada, and recently the
Biography Channel Canada,
Ron will show what it
takes to win in Craven A’s
Funniest in the Home-
grown Competition at the
Just For Laughs Comedy
Festival in 2000.
Ron performs regularly
in Canada, U.S., the Pacific
Islands, Persian Gulf,
Asia, Central America, the
Caribbean, and the Middle
East. He has also taped
numerous stand-up comedy
specials in his career. He first
achieved his own comedy
special in 2000, Comedy
Now, on CTV/Comedy
network. In January 2009,
ABOVE LEFT: Legendary Juan dela Cruz Band members (from left) Joey
“Pepe” Smith, Wally Gonzales and Mike Hanopol continued to amaze audi-
ences with their rendition of original Filipino rock tunes they pioneered and
made popular in the 70s, when they performed before Toronto-based fans
at the main auditorium of the Toronto International Celebration Church on
May 3. The trio’s song and guitar wizardry were once more seen in the same
venue on May 23. ‘Himig Natin’ Juan dela Cruz Band Canadian Reunion Tour
was produced and presented by Segga Productions Inc. Part of the proceeds
would benefit cancer patients in the Philippines. ABOVE RIGHT: Lolita Car-
bon of Asin fame lent her melodious folk-rock music as guest performer
during the band’s Canadian Reunion Tour that brought them to Toronto, Ot-
tawa, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. Tour guest performers included
the Robert Desmond Band. LEFT: Wally Gonzales (3rd from left) hosts a get-
together with band-member contemporaries, before he enplaned for Canada
for the ‘Himig Natin’ Juan dela Cruz Band Canadian Reunion Tour. With him
at the Heckle and Jeckle rock pub in Makati are (from left) Agnes Matriano,
Tenny Soriano, Danny Calixto, Elmore Ibias and Emy Figueroa. Jun Matriano
took the picture. Photos above by LARRY TORRES
Mabuhay! Fest chair Minda Neri
is Outstanding Asian Canadian
Mabuhay! Philippines Festival chair Minda Neri (6th from left, standing) presents
her 2009 Outstanding Asian Canadian Community award for volunteerism given by
the the Canadian Multicultural Council - Asians in Ontario on May 3, highlighting
the celebration of Asian Heritage Month. In photo, she is joined by proud fellow
Kagay-anons and officers of the Philippine Independence Day Council led by Jun
Enverga (left, standing).
Neri holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of the Philippines.
After passing the Nursing Board Exam, she worked briefly at the Philippine General
Hospital before she left for the USA to work as a graduate nurse in the surgical and
orthopaedic disciplines.
Like many fellow nurses of her generation, Neri immigrated to Canada after the
expiration of her US visa and worked for a time in her profession.
Shortly thereafter, she made the unusual career change of training in Information
Systems (IS).
(To page 38)
Hollywood producers have The Mabuhay! Festival tradition juxtaposed with
taken notice and gave him is where it all happens in the contemporary. It’s a
the opportunity to film his one day under one roof celebration of the Filipino
1st US national spot in the - entertainment galore, in Canada.
LOL Comedy Festival on food extravaganza, and Come! Halina sa
Showtime USA. trade show. Culture and Mabuhay! Festival.
 Arts & Entertainment
Live at the John Bassett Theatre on Aug. 8
Men of the 80s Gino, Louie, Raymond,
Randy sets roadshow in Toronto
GINO PADILLA, LOUIE HEREDIA, RAYMOND LAUCHENGCO, RANDY SANTIAGO
It’s ‘80s night and the time
is right – right for a trip down
memory lane with the decade’s top
male singers Gino Padilla, Louie
Heredia, Raymond Lauchengco
and Randy Santiago.
Ultra-sound Promotions Inc.
proudly presents the quartet who
will croon 80s top hits and favorites
individually and collectively
when they go live onstage at the
John Bassett Theatre of the Metro
Toronto Convention Centre on
Aug. 8. (See ad on page 39)
Randy Santiago
Randy Santiago shot to fame
in 1987 via the release of his very
first single ‘Di Magbabago.
The song became so big that
it topped the charts all over the
Philippines and stayed on radio
stations’ playlists for a solid year,
consequentially earning Song of
the Year status.
‘Di Magbabago and the
equally successful follow-up
single, Babaero, made Randy a
multimedia star who had television
shows and stints at the movies.
Randy is a singer, TV host
and concert performer in the
Philippines. His trademark is his
dark sunglasses.
Raymond Lauchengco
Raymond Lauchengco was
already a veteran of several stage
productions like The Sound of
Music when he was discovered for
films and recordings in 1982.
It was Megastar Sharon
Cuneta who heard him sing and
recommended him to Viva.
It proved to be very easy for
Raymond to make the transition to
motion pictures and recordings.
In the ‘80s, he broke into
showbiz as one of the Bagets.
Home studio Viva backed him up
in his singing and film career.
Raymond did two albums
(his self-titled album in 1983 and
Dream Boy in 1984) and produced
a string of hits that included I Need
You Back, So It’s You, Farewell,
Saan Darating ang Umaga and
Shadow of Time.
A versatile singer who can go
from pop to classical, Raymond is
hopeful that his interesting take on
the hits of the 80s will earn him
another set of hits.
Gino Padilla
Gino Padilla was first noticed by
Filipino music lovers on the Pepsi
commercial shot in Hollywood
(To page 38)
MAY 2009 35
MANILA MEDIA MONITOR
CELEBRITY FAST BREAK:
Basketbol Na, May Concert Pa!
Celebrity Fast Break
is bringing to Canada the
excitement of a novel
entertainment fare that has
made raves in the Philippines
and the United States.
On Aug. 14 and 15, Philip-
pine television and movie art-
ists will shoot hoops against a
team of Philippine community RICKETTS MARIZ
basketball greats at the Ryer-
son University gumnasium. winning actor Jay Manalo.
But more than the exhibition After the final buzzer, Mariz
game, the artists, led by action star Ricketts - together with local
Ronnie Ricketts and wife singer, artists Jenifer Camacho, Zach
actress and TV host Mariz, will Bandolin, Inah Canlapan and more
give the fans a concert of sorts. - will perform for the audience.
This is part of the former’s Ca- The artists will also be on hand
nadian Celebrity Fast Break tour for autograph signing and picture
that takes them to Hill Park Sec- taking.
ondary on Aug. 16 in Hamilton, Proceeds from the event
and to Montreal and Winnipeg. will be donated to the Isabella
With Ronnie and Mariz are Organization to help out with some
matinee idol Joross Gamboa, of the group’s projects, such as the
comedians Bayani Agbayani construction of a new orphanage.
and Gene Padilla (son of Dencio Gracing the event are
Padilla), Mano-Mano boxing Isabela Governor Grace Padaca,
champion hunk Jordan Herrera, Congressman Edwin Uy and
flick villain (like his dad Paquito Mayor Ando Cumigad. EVA
Diaz) Joko Diaz, and award AGPAOA/PR
ADVERTISE with the
MANILA MEDIA MONITOR
Call 416-285-8593
ONLINE AT manilamediamonitor.com
36 MANILA MEDIA MONITOR
MAY 2009
 Arts & Entertainment MANILA MEDIA MONITOR
MAY 2009 37
Elise Estrada: The Real Deal
Filipino-Canadian Elise Estrada is the Wild Card nominee in the Favorite New Artist
and Favorite Canadian Video categories of the 2009 MuchMusic Video Awards to air live
at Much Music, the Canadian music video channel in downtown Toronto, on June 21.
Since the age of four, this former Miss Vancouver
Princess has worked diligently to reach her dream
of making a mark in the music industry. Born on
July 30, 1987 in Marikina, the Philippines, Elise
has gone on defying odds in climbing the charts
of success.
After a series of accolades, including winning
an international American Idol-like TV singing
contest in Canada and being in the rated Pinoy
Pop Superstar TV series in Asia, Elise moved to
Los Angeles for a starring role in a Disney TV
pilot loosely based on her life as a singer.
In March 2007, Elise won The Beat 94.5 Music
Awards competition in hometown Vancouver
and earned a recording and management deal
with RockSTAR Music Corp. where she worked
with pop super-producers that included
Adam H, Sean Hosein and Dane DeViller
of BananaToons, and Steve Smith and
Anthony Anderson of SA Trackworks and
with which she launched a self-titled CD.
On her 6th MediaBase Canadian Top 10
song in a row, Elise has reached an audience
of over 415 million to date. She topped the
Canadian charts with two singles. At the 2009
JUNO Awards (Canada’s equivalent to The Grammy’s), Elise was nominated for the Best
R&B/Soul Album Of The Year. She won The Canadian Radio Music Award for Best New
Artist or Group (Rhythmic/R&B/Urban/Dance) and other awards including the CHUM
Emerging Artist Award, a FACTOR Emerging Artist Award, and a BDS 20,000 Spins
Award for her mega-hit UnLove You.
She toured with superstars including The Backstreet Boys, Rihanna, Nelly, 50 Cent,
Lady Gaga. In the summer, she will be with L.L. Cool J. Elise will also return to the small
screen, starring in the MuchMusic television pilot, Much Love.
“Being a Filipino singer in North America hasn’t always been easy. There is nothing
more rewarding than being a role model for my culture and showing aspiring artists that if
you want something bad enough, you can achieve it, regardless of the odds stacked against
you”, says Elise. With an unprecedented work ethic, an great amount of talent, and an
unstoppable determination, Elise Estrada is the real deal. PR
38 MANILA MEDIA MONITOR
MAY 2009 Arts & Entertainment
Mabuhay! Fest chair ...
(From page 34)
She enjoyed a long and Foundation - Ontario of the festival.
fruitful career in the IS which mission went This also resulted in
field, working for some of beyond medical assistance PIDC’s ability to keep its
Canada’s major companies and instead looked commitment to make a
like Mutual of Omaha and into providing holistic significant contribution to a
RBC Financial Group. opportunities for livelihood massive housing project for
Neri’s last position in skills training, education, the poor in the Philippines.
the corporate world was as and other developmental Appointed as festival
department manager, Group programs. chair again this year,
Health Insurance Systems. Neri grew in stature as a PIDC is assured of yet
The late 1990’s was volunteer when she joined another banner year for the
Neri’s time to give back to the Philippine Independence organization.
the community. Day Council in 2002. “Although success
This was when she She has been a co- is satisfying, the deeper
started to get involved in chair and finally chair of gratification is in being
community development, the Mabuhay! Philippines able to provide houses and
helping organize medi- Festival which has been livelihood training to the
cal missions to the Phi- successful in the past four poorest of the poor in the
lippines. years. Philippines,” says Neri,
Later, she joined and Her extensive experience who is known within the
became vice president of in project management has PIDC as the quiet go-getter.
People Helping People contributed to the success PR
Men of the 80s ... Louie Heredia
(From page 35) Remembering the ‘80s
where he performed with in his own solo concerts all is never complete without
Tina Turner. over the Philippines and has Louie Heredia.
His first professional wowed audiences abroad. The mestizo singer is
stint was in Las Vegas, His first album is responsible for hits like
Nevada at the Flamingo Shifting Gears, a certified Nag-iisang Ikaw, Iisang
Hotel as the opening act of platinum. Closer You & I, a Damdamin and Una’t
the Reycards. single from the album won Huling Mamahalin.
Gino became one of the the Awit Award as Record Louie’s career as an
most in-demand concert of the Year and Song of The entertainer and recording
artists after that debut. Year. Gino also starred in artist began in 1985 with
He had been featured TV and movie shows. his first hit single Can Find
No Reason which
RETAIL SPACE FOR LEASE turned platinum.
With numerous
Very affordable, High traffic area, chart-hitting
albums under his
Perfect, Exposure, belt, Louie is a
Philippine movie and television artists Bea Alonzo and John Lloyd Cruz per- recipient of Gold
form before fans in Toronto in the recent 2009 Extreme Heartthrobs Concert St. Clair West Ave. West, and Platinum Re-
produced by Ystillo, Inc. Alonzo and Cruz came with fellow artists Piolo Pas-
cual, Sam Milby and Pokwang. Photo courtesy of FRANCIS REMENTILLA
Also good for live/work situation cord awards.
He also hosted
Let’s make deal! television shows
such as Penthouse
Call Marion (416) 735-7702
BATID WIKA
Live and Lunch
Date. PR
PAHALANG
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
1. Din
4. Nakontento
12. Bagwis
12 13 14 Joel Recla
13. Away 15 16 17 Producer/Host
14. Luto sa mantika
18 19 20
15. Tunog ng sampal
16. Tiklop 21 22
17. Tanong sa mamimili
18. Pansin 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
20. Bayarin 30 31 32
21. Salitang Hapon
23. Ibong panlupa 33 34 35
26. Balag
36 37
30. Paniwala
31. Antigo 38 39 40 41 42 43 44
32. Mina, artista
33. Dalaginding 45 46 47
35. Tugis
48 49 50
36. Tagupak
38. Palsipikado 51 52
41. Plasa
45. Yao
46. Papel na pampakinis 6. Katangian ng 29. Unlaping pang-
47. Anak ng anak mayaman aksiyon
48. Punglo 7. Disinteriya 31. Ora mismo
TV ads reach far.
FinancialProblem.ca
49. Sakit sa balat 8. Sikat na abogado 34. Kulay ng kabayo
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52. Saksak 11. Pang-abay 38. Lala
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PABABA 20. Isip 40. Pagkahilig sa
1. Gamit ng 22. Pinagsasaman- ginagawa Afraid to pick up your own phone?
manlalakbay talahan 42. Wika Looking for consolidation?
2. Pinong kikil 23. Sulatan 43. ‘Di makapagsalita
Please see page 13 for our detailed advertisement
3. Bulalas ng 24. Mailap na hayop 44. Maikling liham
damdamin 25. Yunit ng likido 46. Termino sa computer CREDIT MANAGEMENT SERVICES
4. Madre perla 27. Panggatong
5. Eko 28. Biyenes (Sagot sa PAHINA 33)
Call 416-285-8583 416-780-1020; 416-791-9292
MANILA MEDIA MONITOR
MAY 2009 39
40 MANILA MEDIA MONITOR
MAY 2009

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