MAY 2010
Ben Viccari: ethnic media icon,
champion of multiculturalism
writes 30 at 92
By Zuhair Kashmeri
Ben Viccari, a champion
of Canadian multiculturalism,
who led the Canadian Ethnic
Media Association (CEMA)
for ten years, establishing it
as a force to be reckoned with
when it came to ethnic media
and communications, died ear-
ly May 6 at the St. Michael’s
Hospital in Toronto as a result
of complications arising from
pneumonia. He was 92.
Viccari remained an active
writer, journalist and broad-
caster a year before his death,
when his physical condition
forced him into retirement.
Born Benedetto Viccari on
July 2, 1918, he was the son
of an Italian barber who im-
migrated to England with his
wife.
Viccari was educated at the
Clapham Xaverian College
in London, England, but kept
his knowledge of Italian, a tal-
Ben Viccari: Ethnic media icon and champion of multicul- ent that would serve him well
turalism during the Second World War,
PPCO elects officers and
board for 2010-2012
By Ace Alvarez and who will lead the club in the
Romeo Marquez next two years.
The PPCO houses Filipino
Given the importance of me-media practitioners in one
dia to society, some 50 mem- compact organization that has
bers of the Philippine Press a president, vice president,
Club-Ontario (PPCO) went to secretary, treasurer and three
the polls Saturday, May 15,
to elect the officers and board PPCO continued on p. 12
when he fought with the Allied
forces, first as an artilleryman
and later as a member of the
Military Mission to the Italian
Army.
In 1946 and 47, he worked
as a film story analyst with
Rank Organization. He arrived
in Canada in 1947, acquired
citizenship in 1953, worked
in public relations and then
as managing editor of an Ital-
ian language weekly, televi-
sion commentator, and with
In Sync Productions, where he
was the co-producer and co-
writer of documentary films,
one of which, The M Word,
won a Canadian Association of
Broadcasters Gold Ribbon for
OMNI-TV in 2008.
For fifteen years, he was
managing editor of the now de-
funct Canadian Scene, a mul-
tilingual, free news service for
ethnic media, and Webmaster
of Canscene – Canada’s Mul-
ticultural Scene and Losode;
BEN continued on p. 15
Toronto, Canada
Free Live
Performance!
Charice
Pempengco
at Toronto
Eaton Centre
Red hot new singing sen-
sation, powerbelter Charice
Pempengco, delights her fans,
6 PM, Friday, June 4, with a
free live performance at the
Albert’s Way, Toronto Eaton
Centre. She will also sign cop-
ies of her new CD following
the performance.
Last May 10, Charice cel-
ebrated her 18th birthday. The
CHARICE continued on p. 3
Charice Pempengco
(Courtesy: Warner Music Canada)
PHILIPPINE PRESS CLUB-
ONTARIO TOP BRASS,
2010-2012: (1st row, L-R)
Rose Tijam, VP; Riza Kha-
mal, Secretary; Joy Sarm-
iento, director. (2nd row,
L-R) Hermie Garcia, direc-
tor; Mogi Mogado, treasurer;
Paul de la Cruz, president;
and, Jess Cabrias, director,
take their oath of office be-
fore ComElec chair Rosemer
Enverga (right, foreground).
Courtesy: Raymond Santos
2 Manila Media Monitor May 2010
NEWS
Kalayaan Centre June
5, 2010 Raffle Draw
cancelled
The Kalayaan Cul-
tural Community Centre
raffle for 2010 under GIN
KCC006, license no.
M634883 with final draw
scheduled for Saturday,
June 5, 2010 has been
cancelled. This announce-
ment is issued with a re-
quest for all ticket holders
to return their tickets and
get their refunds as soon
as possible. The KCCC
apologizes for the incon-
venience this cancella-
tion has created. If there
are any questions and/or
clarifications, please call
Kalayaan Centre at 905-
602-0923 or email us at
kccc@bellnet.ca. Thank
you very much for your
continued support of
KCCC.
CHARICE from p. 1 future,” commented Re-
prise Records president
following day, she ap- Diarmuid Quinn
peared on The Oprah
Show giving fans a rea-
“Charice has record-
ed a brilliant record and
son to celebrate as well, is a thrilling performer.
with the release of her David Foster has once
highly anticipated self- again brought us an artist
titled debut album. that we fully expect will
“Everyone at Reprise continue his amazing
Records is passionate in track record for discov-
their commitment to the ering unique talent like
success of Charice and Josh Groban and Michael
the early indications have Bublé,” he concluded.
already told us that we “I feel very blessed to
have a tremendous star have people like David
with an extraordinary Foster, Oprah Winfrey
and my Reprise family
believe in me … I know
the week of May 10th
will be a week I will re-
member for the rest of
my life,” said Charice.
Charice who has al-
ready racked up more
May 2010 Manila Media Monitor 3
than 13 million views
on YouTube began her
followed, the Foster-pro-
duced track sold 110,000
singing career at age four total downloads in Amer-
when her mother dis-
covered her singing on
ica. This track and the
first single, the anthemic
a table and went on to love song “Pyramid” fea-
perform in several sing- turing Iyaz, will appear
ing contests in Southeast on the new CD. For more
Asia. One of her many on Charice, please read
fans (“Chasters”) put one Manila Media Monitor
of her performances on columnist Jun Enverga’s
‘‘
YouTube and a star was interview with the new
born. She first appeared Filipino international star
in the U.S. on The El- on page 17.
len Show and then came
to the attention of “Hit Without
Man” David Foster who friends no
signed her to his 143/Re- one would
prise Records. choose to
In 2009, Charice re- live, though
visited the Oprah Show to he had all
perform the Diane War- other goods.
ren-written and David
- Aristotle
Foster-produced “Note to (384 BC - 322 BC)
God”. In the weeks that
ADVERTISE with
the best Filipino
media brands
Manila
Media
Monitor
Call
416-285-8583
4 Manila Media Monitor May 2010
Why are Ontario parents leaving
the public school system?
By Derek Miedema
The Institute of Mar-
riage and Family Canada
released a paper on edu-
cation in Ontario last May
6, revealing data show-
ing that public school
enrolment is decreasing
and independent school
enrolment is increasing.
The paper further high-
lights that in spite of de-
clining enrolment, fund-
ing for public schools is
increasing.
The purpose of that
paper was to show the
hard numbers, and high-
light that the Ontario
education system is not
adapting to the desires
of Ontario parents who
are choosing alternatives
to the public system. The
question remains: Why
are Ontario parents leav-
ing the public school sys-
tem?
For many parents, a
decline in academic qual-
ity is the motivation. The
Society for Quality Edu-
cation, an Ontario-based
group that tracks educa-
tion trends and quality,
notes that Ontario stu-
dents fare poorly in con-
trast with other provinces.
“In most comparisons of
student achievement over
the past 25 years,” they
write, “Ontario students
have performed poorly
relative to students in Al-
berta, BC, and Quebec.”
An Ontario govern-
ment organization, the
Education Quality and
Accountability Office,
finds likewise that On-
tario education outcomes
are not improving com-
mensurate with funding
levels. For example, the
percentage of grade four
students achieving inter-
national academic bench-
marks in mathematics
showed no more than a
one percent improvement
between 2003 and 2007.
In that same time pe-
riod, grade eight student
percentages showed no
improvement and even
slight decreases in the
percentage achieving the
highest benchmark.
Quality (or lack of it)
is one of the main reasons
parents choose to educate
their children outside the
public system writes the
Fraser Institute, a Van-
couver-based think tank
that ranks schools across
the country. They sur-
veyed 919 Ontario house-
holds where parents were
educating their children
in independent schools.
In this study, over 70 per
cent of parents surveyed
stated that the dedica-
tion of teachers was an
important factor in their
decision. About 66 per
cent cited academic qual-
ity. Other desirable char-
acteristics of independent
schools were factors,
such as “…no danger of
teachers going on strike”,
“educates the whole
child”, “is conducive to
character development”
and “is a safe school.” In
addition to this, parents
with children in schools
with a religious founda-
tion also responded that
their child’s school “rein-
forces our religion” and
“supports our family’s
values.”
The enrolment facts
Enrolment in Ontar-
io’s elementary public
(including Roman Cath-
olic) schools is declining
and yet funding levels
are skyrocketing. At the
same time, enrolment
in independent schools
in Ontario is increasing.
Thus, parents of indepen-
dent school students pay
once for the school their
kids attend and again for
the public school they do
not.
Between 2000 and
2005, independent school
enrolment increased by
8.8 per cent.
Between 2000 and
2005 Ontario public
schools saw an enrolment
decrease of 1.1 per cent.
Between 2008 and
2013, projections show
another 3.8 per cent de-
crease.
NEWS
From 2002-3 to 2009-
10 public (elementary and
being adopted by the lo-
cal public school board.
secondary) school fund-
ing increased from $14.4
In so far as independent
schools quite often learn
billion to a government to do more with less, the
estimated $19.5 billion, a Ontario public school
36 per cent increase. system could definitely
Ontario Ministry benefit from their ex-
of Education numbers pertise in austerity. In
state that independent these provinces, parental
elementary and second- choice is part and parcel
ary school enrollment in of the education system.
2005 was 119,584. Sta- Ontario parents who
tistics Canada states that choose to educate their
the average expenditure children outside the pub-
per public school student lic and Roman Catholic
in Ontario in 2004 was systems pay twice. To
$9,200. In 2005 alone, adapt to the educational
independent schools desires of parents, On-
should have saved the tario should follow the
Ontario Ministry of Edu- example of Alberta or
cation over a billion dol- British Columbia and
lars, $1,100,172,800, to provide partial relief to
be exact. Yet, in Ontario, these parents by provid-
there is no government ing partial funding to the
funding for independent schools their children at-
schools. tend.
Recommendations The Ontario Ministry
Alberta and British of Education needs to
Columbia already offer adapt to the changing de-
partial funding of schools sires of Ontario parents.
outside the public sys- Simply increasing public
tem, there is evidence school funding is not the
in Calgary that charter answer. (Derek Miedema
schools there have im- is a Researcher with the
proved the public system, Institute of Marriage and
as their innovations are Family Canada)
NEWS May 2010 Manila Media Monitor 5

Medical Fair 2010

and companies. The ex-
hibits/displays will be
housed in at Ottawa Hall ENHANCE THE QUALITY OF
The Filipino Cana- and physiotherapists will The Medical Fair will
and available for viewing
by the physicians and the
YOUR LIFE AND WELL-BEING!
dian Medical Association be participating in these be conducted from 9 public.
(FCMA) and the Filipino activities. a.m. to 5 p.m. The for- An admission fee of Be inspired by your personal trainor on
Centre Toronto (FCT) A “brown bag” pro- mal lectures at the Rizal $10 will be charged at your health and fitness goals!
with the cooperation of gram will be going on Hall and will be divided the door or ticket can be
the various para-medical throughout the day. into two sessions: 10-12 purchased in advance CALL CHRISTIAN
Filipino professional as-
sociations will hold a
Anybody can clear their
medicine cabinets with
a.m., and 2-4 p.m. The
rest of the period will be
through the FCT and
FCMA. The fee includes
(416) 886-9462
Medical Fair at the FCT, the advice of a qualified allocated to inter-action light lunch and a lecture Can-Fit-Pro Certified Personal Trainer
597 Parliament St., To- pharmacist. Please bring between the public and kit. (Press Release)
Specialist (PTS), Can-Fit-Pro Certfied
ronto on Sunday, June 6, all your medicines to the the physicians and the
2010. Medical Fair to be sorted viewing of exhibits by
Manila Media Monitor Nutrition & Wellness Specialist (NWS)
Dr. Mario Andres, out. the various associations Tel. (416) 285-8583
who co-chairs the
event with Dr. Nen-
ette de Villa, said
the members of the
FCMA will conduct
information sessions
geared towards edu-
cating the general
public.
The formal lectures
will include topics
addressing common
medical conditions:
detection, preven-
tion, treatment, and
health promotion.
Other para-medical
associations, such
as those by nurses,
dentists, pharmacists,
6 Manila Media Monitor May 2010
A C E A LVA R E Z
Paeng Nebres says, “Listen to your
car and talk to your mechanic.”
Jun Enverga replies: I get the Foint
The Philippine Press Club- ing president. He has been an
Ontario (PPCO) held an elec- editor of several Filipino news-
tion for its new board and of- papers in Toronto and in the
ficers for the years 2010-2012. Philippines.”
After the election, PPCO Jojo, again, baka ma-over-
member Jojo Taduran sent in qualify ang bagong presidente
a press release (na di umano ng PPCO.
written by Romy Zetazate and ***
Dindo Orbeso) to this publica- Further, the press release
tion, stating among others: outlined the following:
“Peter Paul de la Cruz was “He laid down a 7-point pol-
elected president of the … icy platform, which include:
PPCO during an election held “1) to foster an environ-
on May 15, 2010 (Saturday) ment in the organization that is
….” inclusive, conciliatory and with
Jojo, baka ma-over-quali- a strong sense of camaraderie;
fy ang bagong presidente ng “2) to lead under the guid-
PPCO; Peter na, Paul pa. Baka ance of the Constitution and
lumampas sa langit. act to update and improve it;
*** “3) to adopt policies and
The press release also stat- make decisions in a democratic
ed, “De la Cruz was one of manner and in consulttion with
the founders of the Philippine those with similar and diferent
Press Club Ontario and at the views;
same time, he was the found- “4) to be accountable to the
VIEWS
the eight years that the PPCO hearing this.
has been in operation. ***
Napag-uusapan ang lahat, The 7th item was, “to be
especially that Jojo Taduran guided by a comitment to press
is a compadre of the immedi- freedom and editorial and or-
ate past president of the PPCO, ganizational independence.”
the latter being the godfather
in her confirmation of Jojo’s
Paul, I think you should
start rallying the PPCO to
daughter. raise funds now. Believe, me,
Paul, any answer?
***
maraming matatapang na ma-
nunulat sa loob ng PPCO.
In number 5 of Paul de la Guidance towards a commit-
general membership through
Cruz’s seven-point policy plat- ment to press freedom is not
reports, a policy of transpar-
form, it was stated, “to help enough, because once those
ency and being open to the
members access journalism brave and the mighty within
criticism;”
and media-related jobs and the PPCO are charged with
Jojo, basta hindi ako ang
professions.” libel and seek your help, you
immediate past president ng
Is there anybody among the better have PPCO funds to
PPCO, ha? I was the vice
PPCO members who continue back you up.
president, and under the PPCO
to use the typewriter? Aba, e, Kung sabagay, election plat-
Constitution and By Laws, “In
mag-aral gumamit ng internet form la’ng naman ito, e. Sige
the absence of the President,
ang hindi marunong, so mem- na nga! And, congratulations
the Vice President shall fill the
bers may access journalism and for winning the election!
vacancy, and he shall exercise
media-related jobs and profes- ***
all the duties and prerogative
sions. Pero, ngayon pa. Slump In the last paragraph of the
of the office of the President
ang media industry, Paul! release was written, “It was
until such time that the presi-
*** learned that a PPCO Council
dent returns ....”
In number 6, Paul’s plat- of Advisers will be formed to
But the immediate past
form states, “to raise the pro- help in identifying programs
president survived his office.
fessional standard of journal- and projects for the advance-
Alleluia!
ism among members and, in ment of the journalistic profes-
In the meantime, while I am
the community.” sion of the members.”
smiling, I wonder at the same
Again, I’m smiling. This Suggestion, Paul. Please
time what those first four of
is the 5th election in PPCO’s change the title to Council of
the seven-point program meant
history since it was organized Consultants. I volunteer Jojo
since those four-point program
eight years ago that I’ve been
“ought to be” anyway during OOOPS continued on p. 7
VIEWS May 2010 Manila Media Monitor 7
OOOPS from p. 6 poll watchers. There were four to cheat, or that the volunteer pino fortnightly and monthly tions;
looking over the shoulders of tabulators would engage in newspapers and magazines 2) In relation to the
Taduran, dahil si Jojo consul- a five-member adhoc commis- miscount.” catering to a booming market above, if the function is held at
tant iyan ni Joy Sarmiento and sion on elections as the count- Romy, I think the reason was of an estimated 250,000 Fili- a community center, we get to
her Pinoy TO.at maraming ing started. Another watcher more on the last part as stated pinos.” eat rice, pancit bihon guisado,
pa’ng iba. was on the floor, her eyes glued in your opinion piece. Wala Some community leaders menudo, and, with two pieces
Anyway, Paul, as a protec- to the tally board.” naman sa likod ng mga PPCO and visitors in the GTA oftenly of egg rolls; mind you, two --
tion for my good friend, Jojo “For such a relatively small members ang poll watchers, e. wonder why we have so many and not one;
Taduran, “Kung sakali, paano organization with such a few Rather, the four were behind newspapers and magazines. 3) In relation to number
naman kikita si Jojo sa planong candidates and members vot- you, ‘di ba? Perhaps, reason is the perks 1, if the function is held at the
ito?” But fine, let us figure it ing, the number of poll watch- *** of the media types among us, Royal York Hotel in downtown
out later (winking my eye). ers, to me personally, spoke of Romy Marquez also wrote: such as: T.O., we get to drink pitchers
*** mutual distrust. It was as if one “In the Greater Toronto Area 1) We get invited to func-
When Tenny Soriano as- or the other party was poised alone, there are at least 15 Fili- tions of community organiza- OOOPS continued on p. 10
sumed the PPCO presidency
during his first term four years
ago, his predecessor Paul de la
Cruz thereafter, occasionally
introduced himself, I heard,
with this line: “Ako ang dating
presidente ng Philippine Press
Club-Ontario.”
Now that my good friend
Paul is back at the helm of the
PPCO, I suggest the following
line when he introduces him-
self: “Ako ulit ang presidente
ng PPCO.”
Whew! Oh boy, I’m in trou-
ble for writing this. My new
president at the PPCO might
declare me ex-communicated
from the club.
Mr. President, I invoke the
7th item in your platform that
I am guided by a commitment
to press freedom and editorial
independence. Thank you, Mr.
President.
***
Meanwhile, after the new
PPCO board and officers were
sworn into office, I must say
that it is not true that their pre-
decessors to the PPCO offices
(except this writer, who did not
run for any position, as well as
Philippine Courier publisher
Mon Datol; Philippine Report-
er’s Hermie Garcia and Mogi
Mogado – who both sought re-
election and won) said in cho-
rus: “Belat, buti nga sa inyo.”
***
In a related development,
journalist Romeo Marquez,
who was one of the members
of the COMELEC at the PPCO
elections wrote about the elec-
Bawat patak ng pawis at pagod mo........
tion which he dispatched to
news organizations in Toronto,
L.A., Chicago and … where
buong pusong ihahatid ng Forex sa
else, I do not know:
“TORONTO - One might
pamilya mo.....
laugh at this but it’s true. One
might say it’s unbelievable but
then again it’s true. I’m talking
kahit saan....... kahit kailan
about the election on Saturday
(May 15, 2010) of the new of-
ficers of the Philippine Press
Club of Ontario.
“…What caught my interest
was the number of eagle-eyed

Manila Media Monitor

Tel. (416) 285-8583
8 Manila Media Monitor May 2010
In the management of hu-
man resources, motivations for
people to work are pay, ben-
efits, workplace environment,
empowerment, recognition for
work well done, among many
other motivators. These work
motivators are true in both for
profit and non-profit organiza-
tions.
While the pay motivator is,
most often than not, the highest
in the order enumerated above
in all kinds of organizational
environments, such is not ab-
solute if applied across the
board to individual preferences
on what motivates each one to
work in the environment cited
here. Others may say that their
utmost consideration working
with the organization they are
connected with is the friendly
atmosphere, or, perhaps, the
empowerment they enjoy from
management; maybe, even a
simple recognition of work
well done.
Apparently, absent the pay
motivator, only workplace en-
vironment, empowerment, rec-
ognition for work well done,
and benefits, if any, are left for
someone to work in non-paying
environments – including most
community organizations. Take
them away, and a community
organization is left without
workers (otherwise popularly
known as volunteers).
In organizations where the
pay motivator is present, it
News from overseas say
there had been a series of school
massacres in China. Why they
are killing children in China is
beyond us.
In the Philippines, we are
killing our children in a dif-
ferent way. Rich kids are ei-
ther invariably pampered or
exposed to dangerous levels
of consumerism or premature
sexuality. Their poorer cousins
are thrust to labor.
Little wonder that urbanized
kids look forward to summer
vacation because of the myriad
offerings they enjoy. They go to
swimming classes, art and the-
ater workshops, sports camps,
and out of town sojourns. To
get them off their backs, par-
ents enroll kids in tutorials or
ship them off to relatives in the
provinces in the guise of bond-
ing with their kin.
On the other hand, the sum-
mer months when children
are on a hiatus from school is
when the levels of child labor
rise in countries like the Philip-
pines. This is especially so in
the rural setting where many
parents shirk their responsibili-
ties by assigning their kids to
help in the farm, sea or quarry,
share in domestic enterprise,
do repairs at home, and tend
From the
Monitor’s Desk
A C E A LVA R E Z
Mr. President or Madam President,
The adage, “what are we in
power for” is not absolute.
may be easier for anybody to
lead his, or her pack, for the
latter will certainly do what are
expected of them for fear that
they might lose their jobs, al-
though, I hastily add that this is
not absolute. On the other hand,
in organizations where the pay
motivator is absent, workers,
or rather, volunteers are harder
to manage. It takes somebody
with human resources skill to
lead this kind of organizations,
otherwise, failure is certainly
written from Mr. President’s,
or Madam President’s day one
in office.
Although many volunteers
in community organizations
could hardly be relied upon to
perform the tasks agreed upon
during meetings, the fact is that
leaders in such kind of group-
ings could not rule the same
with iron fists, lest their valued
volunteers reason out, “I don’t
get paid. I’m only a volun-
teer.”
Mr. President, or Madam
President must remember that
Roundabout
M A G C R U Z - H ATO L
How summer could shape
or debase kids
to animals. There are many
cases where rural children are
expected to raise money to add
to their allowances when they
start becoming scarce at home
because of school.
It is also the season when
poor little girls are unwittingly
pushed into early womanhood.
The Flores de Mayo tradition
has a junior edition that is more
a display of juvenile pulchri-
tude than a devotion to Mary.
Innocent lasses are dolled up
and made to look like vamps,
forced to parade around town
in heavy gowns and thick
make-up.
WRONG SIGNAL
Two separate visits to a
popular mall in Iloilo showed
exactly what summer can do to
shape kids properly or to de-
base them.
On day one, a TV station
while he, or she might have
been placed at the helm of
the organization by the gen-
eral membership assembled
in an election, his or her hon-
or’s presidency is not abso-
lute, hence, must always bear
in mind the motivators cited
above, among other things,
prompting someone to work
on the tasks agreed upon. This
is in addition to the provisions
of the basic law governing the
organization; its constitution
and by laws. Further, the laws
governing corporations passed
by the government within the
jurisdiction where the corpo-
ration operates kicks in absent
the specific provisions outlined
in the organization’s constitu-
tion and by laws.
Having stated this, if you
have been newly elected to the
office of the presidency of your
organization, heed the sugges-
tions above, before it is too late;
or, if you have just lost your
office as a re-electionist, then
take the same suggestions as
showcased what it advertised
as a recital of their students
who enrolled in a variety of tal-
ent workshops. The fees were
prohibitive to ordinary fami-
lies, we were told.
The youth participants at
the culminating exercise came
in all manner of Western dress,
singing songs alien to the audi-
ence, some kids declaiming or
singing in their most corrupted
American twang. Doting par-
ents in the wings were taking
pictures and smothering their
kids with attention. Save for
scores of friends and relatives
in tow, there were only a few
unimpressed mall bystanders.
The crowd was obviously un-
impressed and had a difficult
time relating to Snow White
and juvenile beauty queens.
We shudder at the possibility
that these parents were sending
VIEWS
a lesson to remember the next
time you run for the same, or
similar office you held before;
and may God bless you. The
same applies if you are intend-
ing to lead your group for the
first time in a coming election.
While for various reasons,
violations of the provisions
of the primary laws and rules
governing community organi- 13 years of dedicated
zations have not always been community service
intentional on the part of their
leaders, the latter must not Managing Editor
make an excuse of the fact that ACE ALVAREZ
they are simply volunteers,
Associate Editor
expecting leniency from their GIE ALVAREZ
members, fellow officers and
board members, but foremost, Contributing Editors
the laws of government on RICKY CALUEN
their persons and their proper- MARIO DIMAIN
MAG CRUZ HATOL
ty. If this is not true, count the GRACE P. FREIRES
incidence among us of officers MANNY FREIRES
and board members taken to BEN VICCARI
court by their colleagues over
matters affecting community Editorial Assistant
organizations. Always remem- LEN ALVAREZ-MAHONEY
ber the legal maxim: the law Contributors
may be harsh, but it is the law. EVA AGPAOA
NOEL PERADA
Basic among the basics, read LARRY TORRES
your fundamental law govern-
Account Executives
ing your organization, so you MYRNA SORIANO
know who you are, what you JOHN TAN
can do, the limits of your pow-
ers, etc., etc., etc. Mr. President, Graphics
or Madam President, you have COBIE CRUZ
a board of directors – which, Published by
if this corner may stress, will Manila MEDIA MONITOR, INC.
always be above you, and not 10 - 300 Invergordon Ave.
vice-versa. (ace.alvarez@rog- Scarborough, ON M1S 4K7
ers.com) Tel. 416.285.8583
Manila MEDIA MONITOR
the wrong signals to their inno- is published and circulated
once a month
cent lasses. The only difference
in Toronto and its suburbs.
the recital had from the prosti-
tuted Santacruzan was that the Manila MEDIA MONITOR
presentation was staged in an accepts submissions,
air conditioned mall and there subject
to availability of space, but
was a prior workshop which
reserves the right to edit for
warranted a graduation recital. publication. Contributed
Otherwise, both Santacruzan articles
and the mall recital had all
the hallmarks of child abuse
must be in MS Word
document
format.
where the child was propelled
to adulthood way before her Photo releases must be with
time. captions and in JPEG
format.
The next day, on the same Item and photo submissions
stage, another local group must be sent by e-mail at
with more grounded principles mediamonitor@rogers.com
staged a recital concert. This
time they featured simply-clad Articles published in
Manila MEDIA MONITOR
kids playing violins. The pre- may be reproduced only
sentation was cheered by the with the permission
large crowd that gathered, the of the publisher.
number swelling as passersby
were enthralled by the untypi- SUBSCRIPTIONS,
cal music. The kids, not as pho- ADVERTISING,
togenic as those the day before, CIRCULATION
were cuter and more becoming and other inquiries
may be addressed at the
because they were themselves.
following:
It was a comfort to watch them
because there was a palpable
sense of honesty and genuine- TEL. (416) 285-8583
ness.
We patted a few parents on e-mail:
the back for the smart choice of manilamediamonitor@
summer course rogers.com
VIEWS
By Ace Alvarez
Long-time Manila Media
Monitor columnist Ben Viccari
passed away peacefully last
May 6 at 4:00 a.m. at St Mi-
chael’s Hospital in Toronto. He
had been struggling with pneu-
monia for a couple of weeks
that the condition became too
much for his 91-year old body
could handle.
Last month’s issue was the
final one he wrote over the
eleven years that his writings
appeared in this publication.
When I came to Canada
in 1990 (and up until the mid
90s), I concentrated on our
own community.
When I put up Manila Me-
dia Monitor in 1996, it was
Ben’s writings in Canadian
Scene (which was brought
to my attention then by Bong
Faldas) that inspired me to
be involved and write also on
what was happening in other
communities, thus, giving my
readers the whole multicultural
picture of the society in which
Filipinos move about.
I even recall that in the mid
90s, Liland Insurance execu-
tive Roland Chan, having read
about an event to be staged by
the “new mainstream” – a term
being used by propagators of
diversity in Canada, went to
the event with his wife, Lilia.
Roland told me the following
week that he, and Lilia, went to
the event that was featured in
this publication, and it seemed
to them that they were the only
Filipinos in the event.
It was four years later after
Manila Media Monitor was
In Canada and in many oth-
er parts of the world, the third
Sunday of June is specially
set aside as the day for all Fa-
thers to be recognized. To me,
Father’s Day is the day when
each of my three daughters was
born.
It was on September 21,
1978 when I became a Dad for
the first time. I was young, and
energetic but surely an inexpe-
rienced parent. Although just a
rookie in a sense, I fully knew
what I was getting into. I want-
ed to be a father; the best father
I could ever be.
To be the best father a man
could possibly be, he must first
accept the fact that he has be-
come the student of his child.
In my case, I learned many
things about babies from my
first child. I got better in par-
enting when my second child
was born, and became an ex-
pert dad when my third child
arrived.
founded that I would
meet Ben personally,
this time at an event
organized by busi-
nessman Mann Nac-
ario.
That conversation
with Ben started my Farewell, my good
very beautiful friend-
ship with him. Dur- friend and father
ing the latter years, I
did not look at Ben though as
only a friend. To me, he was
not only a father of the ethnic
media, but served as a father-
figure to me, too, having lost
mine at the age of 16. My wife,
Gie, would always tell me,
“Your father just phoned and
requested if you may return his
phone call, please.”
Before I met Ben, I entered
the Canadian Ethnic Journal-
ists’ and Writers’ Club (now
Canadian Ethnic Media As-
sociation, or CEMA) national
journalism awards for 1999,
and was adjudged winner for
“Best Editorial Writing” for
Print Journalism that year.
Eight months later, I got a per-
sonal phone call from Ben in-
viting me to his slate as a board
member and secretary for a
forthcoming election that the
organization had scheduled.
What I had planned as a one
or two-term corporate officer’s
position as CEMA’s secretary
and director turned out to last
eight years, and, at one point,
holding concurrently the posi-
tions of vice president to Ben
and secretary, even becoming
one confidante to Ben on is-
sues affecting CEMA.
While enjoying working
with Ben (who was also my
Just
like any-
thing else,
you must
love what
you do to
become
good at The Making of a Father
it. Loving
your
child
and lov-
ing the
fatherly
obliga-
tions are
two dif-
ferent
things.
It just
makes perfect sense that you
must embrace the two without
any compromise.
When you give a toy to a
child, the act of giving is not
complete until you and your
child play with it. Children
need attention and plenty of it.
Commentary
BEN VICCARI
neighbor in this publication
for the last eleven years) and
the entire group composing
CEMA, I felt that my involve-
ment with the organization
likewise brought me so many
opportunities meeting people
on the decision level of various
public and private organiza-
tions, which, in several ways
influenced very positively the
media business that I am in,
most specially, Russell Interna-
tional -- the print and broadcast
production house that my wife,
Gie and I, operate.
In the print media industry
front, CEMA’s great work in
collaboration with “Save Our
Voices” Coalition, led among
others, by businessman and
publisher Dave Nguyen, the
Ontario Community Newspa-
pers Association (OCNA) and
the Philippine Press Club-On-
tario (PPCO), among other or-
ganizations, to turn-around the
decision of the Ontario provin-
cial government in 2008, slap-
ping community papers with
the Provincial Sales Tax (PST)
retroactive to five years saved
all Ontario-based communi-
ty newspapers. Had the PST
pushed through, Manila Media
Monitor – and all community
papers would have been history
The 3rd Eye
MARIO DIMAIN
Toys could be forgotten but the
quality time you spent together
stays forever; the same way as
I remember my own father.
As a little boy, I flipped
through the colorfully illustrat-
ed pages of the book, Arabian
Nights. I was captivated by
May 2010 Manila Media Monitor
by this time. Thoi Bao,
a Vietnamese weekly
newspaper alone, was
assessed the amount
of some $700,000
in back taxes for the
five-year period.
On a more per-
sonal level, and while
a close friendship
developed between
us, Ben “multiculturated” (as
CEMA Executive Director and
National Vice President for
Television, Rogers TV Mad-
eline Ziniak coined it) me and
saw to it that he guided me in
handling the affairs of an orga-
nization with the magnitude of
membership and the scope of
work that CEMA has, and with
me not knowing that I would
succeed him at the helm of the
organization.
Together – and with Mad-
eline’s participation in the de-
cisions we pursued, Ben and
I accomplished many things,
both internally and externally
redounding to the benefits that
the whole ethnic media in gen-
eral are enjoying today.
CEMA members, among
others, Alexander Gershtein –
reporter for Russian Television
International (RTVi) with stu-
dios in New York, Moscow and
Tel Aviv, repeatedly told me
that it was only when Ben and
I joined together at CEMA that
the national membership roll
of the association was placed
into order. Minnie Grewal of
Sur Sagar Radio and Televi-
sion also said the same thing.
Likewise, before my time with
Ben at CEMA, the group had
an unwritten constitution and
the pictures,
but noth-
ing could
surpass the
thrill of lis-
tening to
my Dad’s
story-telling
of “Aladdin
and His
Magic
Lamp.” It
was the
only chil-
dren story
he ever
told me,
but I have
always
cherished
it all my life.
My eldest daughter has a
little girl of her own now; a
two-year old.
Being a grandfather, makes
me feel like a young father
again, pushing a stroller, sing-
ing lullabies, reading and tell-
9
by laws – which means that
the guiding law for the organi-
zation could be found not in a
single document, but from past
practices, a little there and a
little here. In mid 2000s, I sat
down and compiled everything
in one single document and on
January 31, 2006, the CEMA
Constitution was passed.
On December 12, 2007,
while having coffee with Ben
at the cafeteria at Queen’s Park,
he said to me, “Ace, I’m 88 and
I won’t be staying too long in
this world. I have lived my life
fully. I don’t regret anyting in
my life. I believe I have lived a
very good life. I’m ready to go
anytime.”
I responded, “Don’t say
that, Ben,” momentarily for-
getting (because of his numer-
ous accomplishments) that Ben
was mortal, too, and which …
the realization of Ben’s mortal-
ity came to me two years later
in the afternoon of last May 6
after coming from a day’s work
of video editing work at the stu-
dio and reading messages one
after the other in my inbox.
My wife, Gie, and I are
grateful to have known Ben
Viccari – a print/tv journalist/
writer, blogger, audio-visual
documentary producer, a sol-
dier, public relations man, film
buff, screenwriter, book re-
viewer!
Farewell, my good friend
and father.
Eternal rest grant unto your
soul, Ben, and let perpetual
light shine upon you. (ace.al-
varez@rogers.com)
ing children stories and playing
make-believes. Babysitting my
granddaughter is like re-living
those very special moments of
my early fatherhood.
On June 20th, all fathers will
be acknowledged by their fam-
ilies and by most of the media.
But there is something more
significant for me in the month
of June; I will be the Father of
The Bride for the second time.
I will walk up the aisle of St.
Michael’s Cathedral with my
daughter to the wonderful man
who will change her maiden
name. She will drop my name
but she will always call me
Dad, after all I am still the fa-
ther of my children.
On Father’s Day, I urge ev-
eryone to say a prayer for all
the fathers in the world and
may you remember to praise
God, the Father of all fathers.
Amen. (mariodimain@ymail.
com)
10 Manila Media Monitor May 2010
“I am a Fffroud Pppilipi-
no!”
Oh yes, those misspellings,
and succeeding ones – at least
in this written form, were in-
tentional.
You must have heard about
the jokes about Filipinos and
how they talk: “I have a pather
who works in a facking com-
pany; all he does is fack door-
to-door boxes after voxes with
pood for the Filippines.” This,
and similar jokes are a con-
stant hit to everyone who un-
derstands Filipinos; even Fili-
pinos themselves like to laugh
at themselves.
We can perhaps trace this
tongue-twisting dilemma to
the mere fact that we live in the
Philippines, the “PH” sounds
more like “F”. Most us came to
learn that we live in the country
everyone calls the “Fi-li-pins”.
It is almost automatic for those
who were born and raised in
the Philippines to visually
speak the letter P as Ph.
What more the Americans
called us Filipinos with a lan-
guage called Pilipino who live
in the Pffff….Pffff…Pffff..
Phfffilippines.
Filipinos like to laugh, like
to have fun, like to make jokes
… but at our own expense? The
youth, or even our kids some-
times call us FAB or “fresh
from the boat”, or PROMDI or
from the province or somebody
who just arrived and not cultur-
ally acclimatized in Canada.
What do you do when ev-
erything seems so desperate:
when bills are overdue; when
collection calls are constant;
when everything in your life
feels like it is blowing up?
How do you cope? How do
you summon the strength to
smile and face each day with
optimism?
It is hard. Sometimes it is
so hard that in the quiet night,
when no one else sees or hears,
your tears well up. You look at
your children and doubt your
ability to care for them. You
begin to feel isolated and alone.
And your self confidence crum-
bles as your troubles grind you
down. It feels hopeless.
But let me tell you some-
thing: It is not; not hopeless.
This is the time in your life that
you have to call on all your in-
OOPS from p. 7
of water; but iced water, na-
man.
4) We get a very sincere,
sometimes even colorful (this
is to say that the fonts are in
rainbow colors) “Thank You”
note on our e-mail, and a series
Oftentimes,
we laugh
it out too,
knowing
that con-
sciously,
or uncon-
sciously, Pilipino Fride, Filipino
Proud
we have
built in that
habit of in-
terchanging
the P and the F sound.
What I would always tell my
kids whenever they corrected
me on my speech were, “That
is what I am; that is what we
are; and, that is what we should
be … because we are proud of
what we are and what we have
become.” We are Filipinos, Eh!
Right?
We can laugh at ourselves,
why not? We can have fun at
ourselves? Should we be em-
barrassed about this? Should
we put ourselves down be-
cause of this? Should we allow
others to make a mockery of
Filipinos because of this? I do
not think so!
This pronunciation is a part
of our cultural upbringing; this
fronounciation set us apart
from other nationalities. We
should be proud of it!
We should all stand up and
be proud to speak English the
way we do, a big percentage of
other nationalities hardly speak
English, the International Lan-
guage. I believe we are the
fifth largest English speaking
ner strengths.
The time you
must muster all
the courage you
have to face and
deal with the
unimaginably
difficult things
Hope: a weapon to take
that
you.
trouble control of problems
Every prob-
lem has a solution. Believe me
when I tell you this. You are
tempted at this point to throw
the paper down and roll your
eyes. “Dreamer,” you might
mutter in response. “I have
tried everything, I am working
so hard, but nothing seems to
work. It’s only getting worse.”
Repeat after me: Every
problem has a solution. Every
problem has a solution. Every
problem has a solution. Just
of press and photo releases af-
ter the event, UNTIL such time
that we get an invitation anew
from the organization;
***
Lumipat naman tayo sa
Philippine Independence Day
Council (PIDC) … I had a lit-
tle problem, deciding whether
You’re Entitled
to My Opinion
JUN ENVERGA
nation apart from the United
States, UK, India and Nigeria.
The Philippines even has three
times more English speakers
than Canada, or four times that
of Australia.
We should not shy away
from speaking engagements or
even conversations, because we
have this kind of pronunciation
or this kind of Filipino English.
Our professors are considered
to be one of the best English
speakers in the world.
Look at the Italians. Listen
to how they speak English; lis-
ten on how they pronounced
their words: “I will giv yuo an
o-fer you cannot reh-fuse!” or,
the French with the words com-
ing from their nose: “…boun
journoooohse, crohsahnnnt …;
or, the German, “Kapten Kra-
zy, tsokolet Karamel ” or, the
Japanese: “to yo taah”; Even
the Carribean, or Pidgin Eng-
lish: “Yo da man ! hello man!
Dis is the weey.”
From my experience work-
ing with different nationali-
ties, our hold of the English
Our Journey
E VA A G PA O A
like Dorothy in her struggle to
find a way home from the land
of Oz, you, too, have to be-
lieve. Believe in yourself, be-
lieve in your goals and believe
in your future. Believe that you
deserve better. Believe that you
can survive. Have hope.
Belief does not put food on
the table. Belief does not pay
the mortgage. Belief does not
find a job. But anyway, I do
believe in myself. That’s not
to print the press release and
full page color ad copy of the
PIDC on the pages of this is-
sue; and the reason was that,
when PIDC president Minda
Neri sent me the artwork and
press release through e-mail,
there was a note stating: “1
page ad included + press re-
language is
much su-
perior. Es-
pecially in
the spell-
ing section,
we say it
the other
way, but I
am sure we
write them
the right
way. How many of us have
seen our boss with memos
with the wrong spelling and
grammar, or the grocery stores
with signs that will make you
laugh out loud when you read
the names of the different veg-
etables: Koli Flower or egplan;
how about letis? Thanks to
software word checker that our
officemates are doing well in
their jobs, but for the sign mak-
ers, it will be another story.
Our kids, or even us, are re-
ally proud to greet our friends
from other countries in their
different form of English pro-
nunciation. If we are proud to
speak to the different nationali-
ties in their own kind of Eng-
lish, then, why are we some-
times embarrassed when we
hear our kababayan speak in
our own way of enunciation?
Why do we have to speak
perfect American English,
when we are not exactly Amer-
icans? I know a lot of people,
especially the young Filipino-
Canadians, born and raised
here, will disagree. I suggest to
my problem.
My problem is
MONEY, and
I do not have
enough.
Well Ok. I
agree that be-
lieving in one-
self does not
solve the practi-
cal problems. It
certainly will not pay the bills.
If that were true, then I would
send Rogers my self-confidence
at the end of every month and
settle my bill. But belief gives
you hope; and hope is the first
step in taking control.
Without hope, your troubles
take control. That is my point.
Before you can really solve
your problems, you first have
to control them, rather than
have them control you. With
lease …. Confidentiality – all
… documents are for internal
PIDC use only and are confi-
dential.”
With the publication any-
way of both the press release
and the ad copy, Manila Me-
dia Monitor and I might have
violated the confidentiality
VIEWS
them, or to whomever, to just
look at themselves in the mir-
ror, then they will know who
they are. They do not have to
speak our way, but at least they
should be proud that we are the
true Filipinos, born and raised
in the Philippines, and raised
by Filipinos.
Do not be surprised when
you hear other nationalities
speak the way we do. I am pret-
ty sure those kids may proudly
say, “I am bery hungry”; “I ate
Prench Pries”; or, “I flayed with
my priends yesterday.” Most of
them, after all, were raised by
our very well-versed and edu-
cated caregivers. More power
to all Filipino Caregivers!
In another development,
June is the month we celebrate
Philippine Independence from
the Spaniards. On June the
12th, or days around this cel-
ebration, lots of activities are
scheduled. Filipinos with all
kinds of background will con-
gregate together. Different or-
ganizations, different provinc-
es, different schools, beliefs,
different barangays will cel-
ebrate in parks and town halls
around us. If you cannot come
to this activities but happen to
meet one of our kababayan in
the subway, or in church, greet
him, or her: “Mabuhay Kaba-
bayan!” with a smile and say,
“I am a Fffroud Pppilipino!”
These are just my opinions,
and you are entitled to them.
(junenverga@gmail.com)
hope you take control. When
you take control, your self-
confidence gets stronger. When
your self-confidence is strong,
you have a clear head and you
begin to see opportunities and
solutions. Not every solution is
practical; and/or legal, too. But
when your head is clear, you
can sort through them properly.
Maybe your problems are not
as bad as you imagined. Maybe
you have overlooked good so-
lutions in the past, because of
your panic.
Maybe the right solution
has been there all along, but
your fears and hopelessness
has blinded you to it.
Have hope. Do not fear the
difficult solution. Use your
hope to take control of your
life. (info@thenannyexpert.
com)
clause.
***
In his column in this issue,
Paeng Nebres says, “Listen to
your car and talk to your me-
chanic,” to which Jun Enverga,
in his column on page 9, re-
sponds, “I get the Foint.” (ace.
alvarez@rogers.com)
COMMENTS
May 9, 2010
Dear Kuya Ace and Ate
Gie,
How are you? I hope and
pray you are always well and
happy. Please allow me to call
you kuya and ate not for any-
thing else but because I admire
you both and I see inspiration
in what you do.
Mar and I would like to say
THANK YOU SO MUCH! We
just saw in your April issue,
and Manila Media Monitor’s
website a story on us; we can-
not, but be very thankful po.
Honestly, right now, as we
are re-starting our lives, life
has been very difficult for us
with all the adjustment issues
and of course source of liveli-
hood.
While our kids love it here,
as newcomers, our kids are
also experiencing challenges.
People like you touching our
lives in a very encouraging
way make Mar and I believe
that we will make it here too.
Life now, maybe, is so chal-
lenging as all immigrants’ ex-
perienced, but we know God’s
hands through people like you
tell us it will be alright and
Letters to the Editor
that everything
will fall into place
eventually.
Mar and I re-
ally hope we’d be able to repay
you. Your kindness and gesture
alone are enough to affirm to
us that God is out there watch-
ing us.
Kuya and ate, may all your
good deeds come back to you
a hundredfold. Maraming
maraming salamat po :) Thank
you for allowing yourselves to
be God’s instruments of hope
and inspiration for us! We hope
to be one, too, for you :)
Always take care po and
God bless you and your fam-
ily.
Sincerely,
Lily and Mar Mendoza
East York, Ontario
May 11, 2010
I am an avid reader of Eva
Agpaoa’s column in Manila
Media Monitor.
Her column last April, enti-
tled, “What is life well lived?”
is a keeper.
In the column, I put special
emphasis to these lines that
stick in my mind:
“... live like a storm, and of
satisfied urges (in my world il-
legal ones are included).”
Secondly, this is the first
time I have read a material
from her outside her “business
world”, or about her. Well
done!
What is a life well lived?
Well explained. I give her a 10
on that. Of course, on a scale
of 1 to 10.
Keep on writing. Just a
thought I can share … we were
taught, “The purpose of life is
to praise God”. This line sum-
marizes a life well lived.
See you sometime.
Smile, God loves you.
Caesar1@rogers.com
May 22, 2010
I read in your website a
story about the Manila Boys
Town.
I wanted to know more
about the condition of the boys
at the complex. We might be
May 2010 Manila Media Monitor
able to help. If
you got some more
pictures and ad-
dtional info will be
much appreciated.
Kind regards,
Fred Alba
Sydney, Australia
May 22, 2010
(Editor’s Note: We endorsed
the letter above to Victoria Ew-
ert—the project coordinator
of a fundraising event for the
benefit of the Manila Boystown
Complex)
Hello Fred,
The condition of the or-
phaned boys at Manila Boys-
town is worst now because they
were badly affected by typhoon
Ondoy last last year.
We are unable to get any key
player to coordinate our proj-
ect until now as the members
of the Rotary Club of Marikina
West that we are co-ordinating
with also lost their homes dur-
ing the Ondoy typhoon and
flooding. Members moved to
different parts of the Philip-
11
pines as a result and only one
was left behind in Marikina.
We could not just release
the money we raise as we are
bound by the Rotary Interna-
tional rules and regulations.
The money we raised will
remain in our Rotary Bank ac-
count and will be matched by
the District and Rotary Inter-
national once we find a repu-
table organization which can
help us on our project.
My brother and sister-in law
who live in Marikina visited the
Boystown last December before
they flew to Canada for a visit.
They brought food and clothes
and gifts to the boys through
the courtesy of the employees
of United Laboratories.
My sister-in law told me
that the water and sanitation is
a big problem as the toilets are
not functioning well in the boys
complex and the sewage sys-
tem is bad and one could smell
the foul odor coming from the
toilets. They do not have safe
drinking water as well.
My sister in-law noticed
that the boys have big bellies,
which means that they have
LETTERS
continued on p. 12
12 Manila Media Monitor May 2010 NEWS

LETTERS from p.11 when I saw them first-
hand two years ago on
my first visit. They do
parasites and suffering not get any funding from
from malnutrition. the City of Manila and it
I will try to meet seemed to me that they
with Father Marciano were totally abandoned
“Rocky” Evangelista, by the Philippine govern-
founder of Tuloy Foun- ment.
dation Inc. and member The girls in the Manila
of the Rotary Club of Al- Boystown complex are
abang, Metro Manila as better off than the boys
he is one of the Keynote as they get supported by
speakers at the Plenary local charities.
Session 3 on June 22 at The Director of the
the Rotary International Boystown sent us a long
conference to be held in llist of medical supplies
Montreal, Quebec. His that they urgently need as
need matresses.
I have attached a copy
of the Boy’s Town flyer
they sent me and the list
of items they need. (Ed.’s
Note: For reasons of
space, we are unable to
print the list, but we can
make it available through
e-mail)
Victoria A. Ewert,
MBA, FCIP, CRM, RF
PRINCIPAL
The Osborne Group
Edmonton, Alberta
cast, digital and web
media in the province of
Ontario
In the Greater To-
ronto Area alone, there
are at least 15 Filipino
fortnightly and monthly
newspapers and maga-
zines catering to a boom-
ing market of an estimat-
ed 250,000 Filipinos.
While the look of
hostility was in the eyes
of some candidates and
supporters in the early
hours of the day at the
venue of the election in
Scarborough, Ontario,
Paul de la Cruz – the
first president of the club
and one of the founding
members; Tony Sicat,
a veteran journalist and
retired editor of a Philip-
pine daily; and, writer/
historian Ricky Caluen.
De la Cruz got 23 votes
out of Sicat’s 10 and Cal-
uen’s 17.
Tallies in other posi-
tions are:
Vice president: Rose
Tijam, 31; Tenny Soria-
no, 18; Secretary: Riza
Khamal, 28; Miguel
Caducio, 20; Treasurer:
Mogi Mogado, 26; Kar-
en Pascual-Binaday, 22:
Directors are: Joy Sarm-
iento, 37; Jess Cabrias,
36, Hermie Garcia, 30;
Joe Damasco, 23; Nestor
Arellano, 17. The first
three won as directors.
The newly elected
board and officers im-
mediately took their oath
of office before ComElec
Chair Rosemer Enverga
after they were proa-
claimed winners.

‘‘
foundation is focused on their in-house clinic sits PPCO from p. 1 the proceedings went on
the orphaned and street empty. They also want us smoothly.
children in the Philip- to provide new beds for directors. The members To the credit of out-
pines. the 174 boys. They have represent journalists, edi- going PPCO president
I am not giving up on the metal frame of the bed tors, publishers, writers, Tenny Soriano, the ten-
this project as I cannot from the Army surplus photographers, videogra- sion was defused when
turn a blind eye on these but they need something phers and all those asso- he asked the presidential
orphaned boys especially to make it usable and will ciated with print, broad- contestants to come for-
ward, and to which the
three gentlemen glee-
fully obliged, then joined
Forgiveness does not always lead to a healed hands in a show of soli-
relationship. Some people are not capable of love, darity. For one fleeting
moment captured by vid-
and it might be wise to let them go along with your eos and still photos, unity
anger. Wish them well, and let them go their way. was back where it proved
to be elusive.
- Real Live Preacher The presidency was a
three-way contest among
NEWS
Introduction: rive each year?
The Canadian Expe-
By J.L. Granatstein rience, a collection of
52 columns by some of
Canadians are a Canada’s best historians,
strange people — confi- will explain who we are,
dent and quiet most of the where we came from,
time, but also frequently and where we’re going.
uncertain and sometimes The columns will be po-
boisterous. Newcomers to lite — we’re Canadian,
Canada often find it diffi- after all! — but they’ll be
cult to get to know them, blunt and point to short-
this strange multicultural comings as often as they
people in an officially sing Canada’s praises.
bilingual country. How Self-criticism is another
did Canadians develop Canadian habit. What the
into a French-English- columns will always be
First Nations-multiethnic is interesting and infor-
society? What historical mative, a good guide for
and institutional forces Canadians old and new.
made us what we are to- The series will begin
day? And how can Cana- with a look at Canada’s
dians communicate what geography and climate —
shaped them, how their we know it’s cold! — and
governmental systems then discuss the basics of
operate, and what they Canada’s government.
think to the quarter-mil- What’s a Governor-Gen-
lion newcomers who ar- eral?, for example, and
why should someone
appointed by the Queen
(and why does Canada
still have a Queen?) be
the commander-in-chief
of the Canadian Forces?
Why does a liberal de-
mocracy like Canada
have an appointed Sen-
ate? How do elections
work here? The courts?
The public service?
Then we turn to poli-
tics: the present political
parties, Conservatives,
Liberals, the New Demo-
cratic Party, and the Bloc
Québécois. Just how is it
that Quebec sends sepa-
ratist Members of Parlia-
ment to Ottawa? What
kind of nation permits
separatists dedicated to
the destruction of Canada
as it is to sit in its Parlia-
ment? The answer, Cana-
dians will say, is a demo-
cratic nation. Then the
May 2010 Manila Media Monitor 13
series will examine the and the Middle East. A the country with richer
nation’s greatest prime formerly “white” nation provinces contributing
ministers, Sir John A. became “a coat of many funds to reach a rough
Macdonald, Sir Wilfrid colours,” as someone balance of services for
Laurier, William Lyon once described it, a na- all. It’s far from being
Mackenzie King, and tion with citizens from perfect, but Canadians at
Lester “Mike” Pearson to every part of the globe. least try.
name a few Soon Parliament had de- The Canadian Expe-
And then we turn to clared Canada a multi- rience then looks at the
the people of Canada. cultural nation, recogniz- way Canada and Britain
The First Nations, appro- ing the reality. have managed their re-
priately enough, come The series then looks lations. London was the
first, as they were the at the provinces and centre of the world for
initial inhabitants of the regions that make up much of Canada’s early
land that became Canada. Canada and at the way colonial history, and Ot-
They were followed by the federal government tawa played an important
the French, the British, in Ottawa deals with the role in turning the British
and a host of others, set- provinces and territories. Empire into the Com-
tling the land and arguing Federal-provincial rela- monwealth of Nations.
with each other over lan- tions are a critical part But if Canada became in-
guage, religion, and po- of Canada’s governmen- dependent of Britain, as it
litical power. Over time, tal system, and as some was by 1931, its sharing a
and especially in the last provinces grow quickly continent with the United
50 years, the population and get richer, others States forced it to deal
changed dramatically as lose people and wealth. with the giant next door.
immigrants came to Can- Canada is one of the few
ada from China, India, nations that attempts to CANADIAN
Latin America, Africa equalize wealth across continued on p. 18
14 Manila Media Monitor May 2010
Finger-pointing by slay
suspects in Dulnuan case
By Romeo P. Marquez
Philippine Village Voice
Toronto, ON
A second accused in the
grisly slaying of a Filipino
housekeeper denied responsi-
bility for her death but refused
to say who did it, saying he was
afraid for his family, the Supe-
rior Court in suburban Bramp-
ton heard, Thursday, May 20.
The testimony followed a
police revelation that the DNA
of the other accused, Cristian
Figueroa, had been found in
the victim’s fingernails.
Ecuadorian immigrants
Fabian Loayza-Penaloza and
Cristian Figueroa are held in
jail on murder charges for the
killing in October 2007 of Joc-
elyn Dulnuan, a 27-year-old
native of Hingyon, Ifugao in
the Philippines, who worked
as housekeeper for an Indian
couple in the nearby city of
Mississauga.
Dulnuan’s mother, Gode-
liva Dulnuan, and a younger
sister, Joyce Dulnuan, arrived
courtroom as part of the trial.
Dulnuan apparently stood
in the way of the two Ecua-
dorians who robbed the huge
30,000-square-foot mansion
that she had been hired to keep
for the couple Vasdev and Jaya
Chanchlani. Her employers
were out at the time of the rob-
bery-slaying.
Both men knew the man-
sion quite well, having worked
there for some time. They also
knew that there were no secu-
rity cameras. The alarm system
was not working either.
“Who’s reponsible for her
death?” the police interroga-
Filipino caregiver advocates Imie Belanger (left) and Coco tor hammered him. In between
Diaz emerge from the courtroom of Mr. Justice John Sproat questions, Loayza-Penaloza
In Brampton after a luncheon recess at Jocelyn Dulnuan
murder trial on May 20. At right is John Readino of the Phil- would remain pensive, then
ippine Consulate General in Toronto who keeps tabs of sneezed and sobbed, his head
the developments in the trial. (Courtesy: Philippine Village bowed.
Voice, Toronto, ON) “I am innocent,” he barked.
at the courthouse early in the during the police interrogation “Everybody makes mistakes. I
afternoon, shortly after the trial but would not name who be- made mistakes. I want to make
sure my family will be okay,”
at the sala of Mr. Justice John tween him and Figueroa slew
Sproat went on a luncheon re- Dulnuan by strangling her with he said, insisting he wanted to
cess. copper wire. talk to a lawyer before answer-
Government officials Figueroa, meanwhile, said ing all the questions.
shielded from the media the “it was impossible” that his The interrogator then asked
older Dulnuan, who planed in DNA would be found on Dul- him again and again: “Who’s
from Hongkong. A request for nuan, in effect denying he had responsible for her death? Was
an interview by this reporter a hand in her murder. it Cristian (Figueroa)?”.
was firmly denied. CD copies of the interroga- “If he’s responsible, I don’t
Loayza-Penaloza repeat- tion was played on three closed know what happens to me,”
edly professed his innocence circuit television inside the Loayza-Penaloza replied. He
NEWS
had been expressing fears
which he refused to explain.
Dulnuan’s murder has gal-
vanized the Filipino commu-
nity in Toronto where there is a
large presence of Filipino care-
givers and nannies.
Among those who have
been religiously attending the
hearings were Imie Belanger, a
cousin-in-law of Dulnuan and
an advocate for caregivers, and
Coco Diaz, a volunteer coun-
sellor at Intercede, who also
does her advocacy. The Philip-
pine Consulate General sent its
representative, John Reandino,
to monitor the developments.
YOUR GATEWAY TO
THE FILIPINO
CANADIAN MARKET
IN TORONTO IS
A MANILA MEDIA
MONITOR
ADVERTISING.
CALL (416) 285-8583
to book yours today.
e-mail: manila
mediamonitor
@rogers.com
NEWS
BEN from p.1
President, CEMA 1989-
2008. Ben won the first
Sierhey Khmara Ziniak
Award in 1995 which is
given by CEMA for ex-
cellence in ethnic jour-
nalism.
Ben was active in eth-
nic media and communi-
cations until the very end,
and was all set to dial in
to the CEMA Board of
Directors meeting sched-
uled twelve hours later
the day he died.
Until the fall of 2009,
he continued recording
his bi-weekly commen-
taries for OMNI-TV, lam-
basting errant politicians
and religious leaders
alike, fighting any kind
of censorship, reviewing
books on politics, litera-
ture and ethnicity, lend-
ing the full force of his
English accented voice to
anti-racism struggles and
proclaiming Canada as
the beacon of successful
multiculturalism that was
an example to a conflict-
ridden world.
He leaves his wife
Anne, son Paul (Susi),
daughter Brenda (Josh),
step-daughters Bever-
leigh (Sandy) and Cheryl
(John), brother John (Bet-
ty) of England. Beloved
poppa of Aaron, Claire,
Camille, Jayson and Tara,
predeceased by Tracey
and Sean. Beloved poppi
of Avery, Elena, Mia,
Devon, Kayla, Jennifer,
McKenzie, Noah, Tyler
and Marcus.
After his death, trib-
utes poured in from all
quarters, praising Ben’s
single-minded devotion
to the cause of Multicul-
turalism and the Ethnic
Media. Among many
others from:
Lenny Lombardi,
President of the multi-
cultural CHIN Radio-TV
International, said in his
tribute:
“I will always remem-
ber Ben as a charming,
sophisticated and thor-
oughly lovable man that
was a leading voice for
multiculturalism. I will
miss his enthusiasm for
CEMA and our multicul-
tural reality. I’ll miss his
visits to CHIN RADIO
and to the CHIN Picnic,
which he always attend-
ed. I’ll miss his gentle
May 2010 Manila Media Monitor 15
spirit. Thank you, Ben media profession. Thank encapsulated bio of Ben * Canada (1981-85)
for your leadership and you, Ben, and may you Viccari – A lifetime de- Communications con-
commitment to building, rest in peace. My sincere voted to communications, sultant, mainly to York
promoting and support- condolences to Anne and language, multicultural- Division , Canada Post
ing the development of the family.” ism and the ethnic media Corporation.
ethnic media in Canada. Renato Zane, Vice * Born, July 2, 1918, * Canada (1986-2000)
Your path has shown the President / General Man- London, England. Managing Editor, Cana-
way for so many to fol- ager for Citytv Vancouver * Educated: Clapham dian Scene a multilingual
low. God Bless.” and OMNI B.C., another Xaverian College Lon- news and information
Madeline Ziniak, Na- close friend and col- don. service for Canada’s eth-
tional Vice-President of league, wrote from Brit- * France, Northern nic media, publishing in
OMNI-TV and Chair of ish Columbia: “Ben was Ireland, England, Italy 13 languages
CEMA’s Board, and a a man of infinite integrity (1939-46) Wartime ser- * Canada (1996-2009
close friend of Ben’s for and dignity who made a vice with Royal Artillery ) Commentator, OMNI
many years, said: “Ben tremendous impact in the and Military Mission to TV’s Commentary.
Viccari” was a trail- lives of untold numbers Italian Army (1939-46). * Canada – 2005 –
blazer and champion of of people. His elegance, 2008, Writer, host and
ethnic media. His zeal wit and wisdom will be Work History co-producer of OMNI-
and passion for multilin- missed greatly.” * England (1946-47) funded documentaries
gual media to have a de- Irene Chu, CEMA Story Analyst, Produc- The Third Element and
served and rightful place Treasurer and TV Pro- tion Facilities, Films, a The ‘M’ Word
in Canadian society was ducer and Publisher, had department of J. Arthur * Freelance writer,
inspirational. He leaves a this to say: “I’m deep- Rank Organization Toronto Star, Performing
legacy of determination, ly, deeply saddened by * Canada (1947 -79) Arts in Canada, Mayfair
positive thinking and Ben’s passing. He was Various management and Magazine and other me-
feistiness.” one of those rare leaders consulting positions in dia.
Dat Nguyen, Publisher who was tireless in his communications industry. * Author three unpro-
of the Thoi Bao Newspa- efforts and gave all he (General Foods, Turnbull duced screenplays
per and Acting President could for the causes he Elevator Limited, Ontar- Volunteer Service:
of CEMA: “Ben had been championed. Those of io Lottery Corporation. * Founding editor, PR
a tower of strength in the us who have known him Olympic Coin Program, in Canada, national organ
Ethnic Media. He has for many years always 1976, Government of Re- of Canadian Public Rela-
been a pioneer, a leader, marvel at his energy, his gion of Campania, Italy, tions Society (1957 -59)
a mentor in the multicul- vigour and his total dedi- Canada’s Wonderland) * President, Canadian
tural media field in Cana- cation. His legacies will * Canada (1980) Pub- Public Relations Society
da. He has inspired many always live on among lisher and Managing Edi- Toronto (Inc) 1960-61
of us during our journey us.” tor, Oggi Canada, Italian
in the journalism and The following is an language weekly. BEN continued on p. 17
16 Manila Media Monitor May 2010 NEWS

Exciting activities planned for Pistahan anyone of the renowned

stage and recording per-
be Board of Judges to
pick up the winners.

Sa Toronto, June 12-13

formers. We see an abun- Music loving perform-
dance of these talents in ers are invited to come
karaoke bars, entertain- and show their talents.
The annual FCT Pis- individual small plastic tacruzan will end the fes- plan to perform in any of ment numbers in many Who will you be? Feel
tahan Sa Toronto will bags and distributed for tivities. the shows are requested parties, or even in casual free to call FCT (Fili-
take place on June 12 free to any one who lines A new drawing/art to sign up at the Centre. gatherings. pino Centre of Toronto)
and 13 at Nathan Phil- up for it. contest will be open for Please phone Wendy at Prizes will be awarded at (416) 928-9355 for
lips Square from 12:00 to Entertainment on stage elementary school chil- (416) 928-9355. to the best Impersonators further details. (Press Re-
10:00 p.m. As in previ- will be non-stop. The hip dren. Prizes include Another new excit- – performers who could lease)
ous years, there will be hops, rock bands, folk brand new bicycles. ing Pistahan presentation best portray their music
a Parade of Filipino As- dances, singing divas and The Toronto Police will be the Impersonators idols in singing styles Manila Media Monitor
sociations to kick off the the Filipino Singing Idol will conduct the Bike Contest. and costumes. There will Tel. (416) 285-8583
activities. Grand Finale will keep Rodeo. Bikes, helmets FCT Director Poy
There will be a Lechon you glued to your seats. and drinking bottles will Caña, who chairs the
Parade each day of around A Mass will be celebrat- be given out for free, contest, sends us this an-
16 crisply browned ed by Fr. Macalipay at complete with on hand nouncement:
lechons, which will be the start of the event on instructions on how to The Impersonators –
chopped up, placed in Saturday, while the San- bike safely. Those who Who Will You Be?
FCT Director Poy
Cana, who chairs the pro-
gram said the next Annu-
al Pistahan Extravaganza
at the Nathan Phillip’s
Square will have a new
segment in the musical
talent show that will be
introduced to the public.
The new segment Photo shows the Filipino Centre Toronto’s 2010
will give an opportunity YEPA recipients, namely, Rafael Fabregas, a law-
yer, for the Young Professional Award and Vince
for talents to show their Gutierrez, proprietor/manager of Remely’s, a Fili-
versatility in portraying pino restaurant on Sheppard Avenue in Scarbor-
legends in the music in- ough, Ontario, for the Young Entrepreneur Award
dustry such as Elvis Pres- (3rd and 4th from left, respectively). Flanking
FCT President Rosalinda Javier and FCT Chair Dr. Victoria Santiago ley, Michael Jackson, them are co-chairs Geny Torribio and Dr. Nen-
continue to lead and inspire the Filipino Centre Toronto board of ette De Villa with Atty. Maria Louisa Diaz, a recipi-
directors, volunteers and supporters in their successful projects Tom Jones, Madonna, ent of the 2008 Young Professional Award. (Aida
for the community. (Aida D’ Orazio) Beyonce, Lady Gaga or D’Orazio)
NEWS
Exclusive Interview
Charice Pempengco
With Jun Enverga
I totally discarded my
plans and enjoyed the
conversation while intro-
ducing questions as we
went along…
When I was requested
to interview powerbelter
Charice Pempengco, my
first thought was that I
would be interviewing a
sophisticated, over confi-
dent, reserved and straight
forward individual.
I had that notion that
because she is already up
there with the big stars
and very well known per-
sonalities, she must have
already adjusted herself
according to her new-
found stature, prompting
me to prepare my inter-
view with care. I also
planned to be overly for-
mal on my approach and,
admittedly, scared some-
how that I might offend
royalty.
It was 12 noon in To-
ronto, three hours ahead
of LA’s time, so that I
would practically be wak-
ing her up for our phone
interview. I thought of
my struggles waking up
my kids on weekends,
thus, if so, what more of
a star!
Charice’s representa-
tive from Warner Records
phoned me first, saying,
“Mr. Enverga, Charice
will be on the line soon
… 20 minutes,” then a
long pause ….
Expecting to hear
someone on the phone
that was commanding
and rushing, my fear di-
minished as I heard a
voice of humility, of gen-
tleness, meekness, and
foremost respectful!
“Hi How are you? I
am Charice,” the voice
BEN from p. 9
* Founder-director,
Toronto Outdoor Exhibi-
tion, (1961-64).
* Publicity chair, Villa
Colombo, Toronto (1974-
1980)
* President, Toronto
Press Club (1981-82)
* President, Canadian
Ethnic Journalists’ and
Writers’ Club (1998 –
2008)
baffled me, putting me on
the edge of my seat.
I continued the con-
versation, saying, “I’m
so sorry that I woke you
up. I know it is pretty
very early in LA.”
I got the sweetest of
all replies: “Do not worry
po … I’m okay!”
Because I was to talk
with an international star,
I had planned to control
the tempo of the con-
versation, be more pre-
scribed. But as soon as
my subject spoke, my
heart melted for I could
not control the gentle
breeze, so to speak, com-
ing through the ear piece
of the phone. I totally
discarded my plans and
enjoyed the conversation
while introducing ques-
tions as we went along:
JE: I heard about
your newly released sin-
gle, “Pyramid”. I am so
impressed and feel re-
ally proud of you when I
watched your videos on
YouTube. How do you
relate your life to the lyr-
ics of “Pyramid”?
CP: The Pyramid
video that everyone can
watch in YouTube, is just
like my life story. In the
video, the first thing you
will see is that I did not
make the cut to a show,
and I was so disappoint-
ed. In the end, somebody
raised my spirit in the
form of Iyaz which in
real life is my mother.
From the video, I feel I
can see my life, and in
the future…. The video is
really comparable to my
real life.
JE: You have been
singing “big songs”
from various artists like
* Member, Celebrate
Canada Committee for
Ontario (1998 –06)
* Publisher, Canscene
— Canada’s Multicul-
tural Scene (2001 –) an
internet magazine also
carrying Canadian Ethnic
Journalists’ and Writers’
Club newsletter.
More Tributes
From Ace Alvarez,
publisher, Manila Media
liked what we heard and
the rest is history. Be-
sides, Iyaz is famous in
the Philippines!
JE: Your song a “Note
to God” was a very very
inspirational song. How
would you compare
Mariah Carey, Whitney “Pyramid” and “A Note
Huston or Celine Dion. to God”? Which music
Do you think Pyramid captures your talent the
will be your “big song” most, and which one is
that will line you up with closer to your heart?
your favorite Diva’s Ma- CP: Base on the lyr-
riah, Whitney and Ce- ics , a “Note to God” is
line? Why? my number one, but both
CP: My album “Pyra- songs are very close to
mid” is my first R&B, me. Certainly, based on
different from my other the lyrics, the “Note to
songs. With David Fos- God” is very important
ter’s suggestion, we to me.
mixed in some ballad, so JE: I was told you
‘‘
that my fans will not feel are going to Canada next
I want to thank everyone for
supporting me. Of course, al-
most all Filipinos have been
supporting me. They are there
wherever I go. I would like to
thank them. I hope they support
my album.
left out from the song. I month … here in Toron-
can compare Pyramid to to, to promote your new
the “big songs”. single, “Pyramid”. Have
JE: What do you think you been to Canada be-
of Iyaz, your singing fore? What are your ex-
partner in Pyramid? Are pectations from the over
you planning on work- 250,000 Filipino Canadi-
ing with him again in the ans? What do you think
future? of Canada?
CP: Iyaz is my label CP: I have been to
mate. We are both from Vancouver, but not in To-
Warner Records. Last ronto. I wish I can tour
year, when I was record- around (with a giggle).
ing songs, it was sug- I wish I can meet every-
gested that it would be one. I am so excited to
beautiful if there would go to Toronto. I am also
be a guest artist. We had hoping that I can perform
so many choices to be in front of all of you.
my label mate. Just a I want to thank every-
few months ago, without one for supporting me. Of
me knowing, Iyaz was course, almost all Filipi-
requested to record the nos have been supporting
song, and they told me me. They are there wher-
to listen to the music. We ever I go. I would like to
Monitor, and producer Filipinos move about.
of TV program Front It was four years later
Page Philippines: “When that I would meet Ben
I put up Manila Media personally, after which,
Monitor in 1996, it was started a very beautiful
Ben Viccari’s writings in friendship. I didn’t look
Canadian Scene that in- at Ben though as only a
spired me to be involved friend. To me, he was
and write also on what not only a father of the
was happening in other ethnic media, but served
communities, thus, giv- as a father-figure to me,
ing my readers the whole too, having lost mine at
multicultural picture the age of 16. Thank you
of the society in which so much for everything,
May 2010 Manila Media Monitor
thank them. I hope they
support my album.
JE: Your first movie
appearance with the chip-
munks’ sequel has truly
started your international
movie career. Are there
other plans to make more
movies? Any offers?
CP: I have so many
offers. Of course, I can-
not announce yet what
they are. I am willing to
do some acting, but for
now, I have to focus on
my album.
JE: In the Philippines,
you have been called an
inspiration; the pride of
Filipinos.
Sort of like Manny
Pacquiao. Manny excels
with his arm, and you,
with your voice. What is
your advice for the aspir-
ing would be idols and
heroes? What kind of
work ethic, or regimen
they should follow?
CP: Manny Pacquiao
went to a lot of struggles
just like me. We cannot
reach our status right now
if we did not persevere.
We are both Filipinos.
JE: Your schedule
must be really hectic.
What are your plans for
this year?
CP: I will be a guest
in tv shows like “Good
Morning America”, then,
we will tour around to
promote the Pyramid
album. We will have a
tour called “David Fos-
ter and friends”. We will
tour Asia and we will be
in the Philippines around
October with David Fos-
ter and other celebrities.
JE: You have been an
inspiration for a lot of
Filipino-Canadians and
all Canadian youth for
that matter here in Toron-
to. What message would
you impart to them?
CP: What I can say is
… as a teenager, it is re-
ally important to listen to
your mom. They know
what is best!
Ben.” (Author’s Note:
Ace Alvarez served for
eight years as secretary
to Ben’s 10-year tenure
as CEMA president, later
succeeding him to the
CEMA presidency after
his retirement)
From Erick Nettel, Se-
nior Producer Diversity
Programming, OMNI
Television: “Ben taught
me that the relevance and
importance of Diversity
17
JE: Your debut is
coming very soon, what
are your plans for your
coming-out day?
CP: I will celebrate
my debut in New York;
just a party. I will fly to
the Philippines immedi-
ately as soon as my al-
bum commitments are
completed. I will cele-
brate with the under priv-
iledged children in the
Philippines.
JE: I read stories all
about you, and your mom.
Who do you think kept
the two of you together
the most? Has your re-
lationship changed at all
after all your successes
and accolades?
CP: Nothing really
changed. We are always
together … (with gig-
gle)….
I ended up my con-
versation with Charice
Pempengco with this
parting statement: “Talk-
ing about schedules, I
know you have a lot of
them and I do not want
to take too much of your
time, on behalf of all the
Filipinos and everyone
else in Canada, from the
bottom of our hearts,
we would like to thank
you for inspiring us and
making us all proud. We
will all pray that your al-
bum and all the albums
that are coming up, goes
platinum a hundred fold!
We can’t wait to see you
here in Toronto! See you
soon!”
Charice had to run.
She had a scheduled in-
terview with the most
popular radio station in
Los Angeles, and mil-
lions of listeners were
waiting to hear her.
It was a long ‘bye. It
was only 20 minutes, but
I know that the thoughts
about what I have just
experienced will be with
me for a long long while
(junenverga@gmail.com)
and Multiculturalism re-
side on each one of us
and on our constant re-
minder not to keep quiet
when faced with racism,
discrimination and lack
of consciousness. It was
an honour to work with
Ben for several years
in the production of the
CEMA Awards show, as
this was a yearly testa-
BEN continued on p. 18
18 Manila Media Monitor May 2010
GO makes it easier to zip
down to Niagara this season
Last May 21, GO
Transit started offering
seasonal weekend train
service allowing passen-
gers to zip between To-
ronto and Niagara Falls
once again this summer.
GO has partnered with
a variety of Niagara Re-
gion tourist and recre-
ation establishments to
offer a weekly “Zip &
Win Wednesday” con-
test.
On the first day of ser-
vice and every week un-
til Labour Day weekend,
GO will announce week-
ly Zip & Win Wednesday
contest draws that will
offer a variety of Niagara
Region entertainment
packages.
The prize each week
will be unique and can
include a variety of
things from overnight
CANADIAN
from p. 13
This was not always easy
and Canadians, one his-
torian said, were the first
anti-Americans. We’ll
look at how Canadians
get on with Uncle Sam.
The series ends with
a long look at Canada’s
military history. Some
Canadians think their
nation has been and
still is the world’s best
peacekeeper, and many
do not even realize that
Canada has fought wars
for its survival. More
than 115,000 Canadians
died in World Wars I and
II, fighting for democ-
racy and freedom; others
fought in Korea early in
the 1950s, and Canadians
today are fighting the Tal-
iban in Afghanistan. But
Canada has indeed been
a peacekeeper, one of the
inventors of the idea at
the United Nations and
one of the major partici-
YOUR GATEWAY TO THE FILIPINO CANADIAN
MARKET
IN TORONTO IS A MANILA MEDIA MONITOR
ADVERTISING.
CALL (416) 285-8583 to book yours today.
e-mail: manilamediamonitor@rogers.com
accommodations, theatre
tickets, restaurant gift
certificates, amusement
park passes and round-
trip tickets. To enter, visit
gotransit.com and answer
the skill-testing question.
This seasonal weekend
train service provides an
easy way to trade a week-
end in the busy city for a
weekend in Niagara Falls,
or head downtown to en-
joy a weekend adventure
in Toronto. With stops
in Toronto, Port Credit,
Oakville, Burlington, St.
Catharines and Niagara
Falls taking this service
also takes a scenic tour
through other great day
or weekend getaway des-
tinations in the GTA.
GO is pleased to be
offering this service to
Niagara again this sea-
son. Nearly 50,000 pas-
pants in dozens of peace
operations.
Canada’s history is a
proud one. This is a na-
tion that has never in-
vaded another country
in its own self-interest.
This is a country that
has never fought an ag-
gressive war. Canada
is a liberal-democratic
state that, of course, has
its national interests and
its cherished values, and
as such, it tries to work
out its domestic and for-
eign policies in peaceful
ways. Welcome to The
Canadian Experience.
The Canadian Experi-
ence is a 12-month history
series designed to tell the
story of our country to all
Canadians. Sponsored by
Multimedia Nova Cor-
poration and Diversity
Media Services/Lingua
Ads partners, the series
features articles by our
country’s foremost histo-
rians on a wide range of
topics. Past articles and
PEOPLE & EVENTS
sengers enjoyed our inau-
gural service last summer
and this season’s contest
is one more reason for
passengers to give the
service a try. More infor-
mation about the Niagara
Falls weekend GO Train
service, including sched-
ules and fares is available
online at gotransit.com.
GO Transit is the Prov-
ince of Ontario’s interre-
gional public transit sys-
tem linking Toronto with
the surrounding regions
of the Greater Toronto
Area (GTA). GO carries
nearly 55 million passen-
gers a year in an exten-
sive network of train and
bus services that spans
over 10,000 square kilo-
metres. GO Transit is a
division of Metrolinx, an
agency of the Province of
Ontario.
BEN from p. 17
ment and recognition of
the values for which Ben
stood up, wrote about and
defended. Thanks Ben,
we’ll miss you!”
From Jules Elder, As-
soc. Producer and Head- members upon the pass- He was a fellow Mac (in- Peace Ben.”
line Editor, OMNI-TV: ing of Ben. He was both tosh) fan, a good friend Arnim Joop, editor/
“Ben’s passing is a great the head and the spiritual and an inspiration.” publisher, The Albertaner
loss. So many of us have leader of CEMA, and Naeem (Nick) Noora- and CEMA Board Mem-
benefited from his wis- always will be an inspi- ni, Founder/Publisher, ber: “Ben hosted me and
dom, guidance and gen- ration to all who knew The Canadian Immi- my wife when we visited
erosity. I am thankful for him.” grant Magazine and a Toronto in 1997 to ac-
having known him. Fare- Bill Andersen, a Ben CEMA Board member: cept my first award; and
well Ben!” fan who helped him “Canada and the ethnic he was very gracious.
From Elena Zolotko, take Canscene online, a media scene has lost a He was the one, with his
CEMA Board Member, CEMA friend, and a ma- gentle giant! I remem- Canscene, who inspired
Columnist for the Rus- jor supporter and helper ber Ben fondly as he got me to start a multicul-
sian Courier: “Very sad of the CEMA website: me in as a member and tural newspaper in Al-
news. My deepest sym- “Ben started his first web later presented me with berta, and he invited me
pathies and condolences site, Canscene when he a cherished award. Gone to serve on the board of
to Anne and all family was nearly 80 years old. but not forgotten. Rest in CEMA. I will miss him.”
author bios are available
at http://www.cdnexperi-
ence.ca. The Canadian
Experience is copyright
© 2010-2011 Multimedia
Nova Corporation.
Overall Philippine Independence Day Council (PIDC) Pageants’ Chair Rose-
mer Enverga and Little Miss Philippines PIDC 2010 Pageant Vice Chair Shei-
la Canizares hand over to Krystal Brigo her prizes for winning the title during
ceremonies in North York, Ontario last May 8. (Courtesy: Raymond Santos)
May 2010 Manila Media Monitor 19
 May 2010 Manila Media Monitor 21

100% Approval Or We Pay You $500.00

Ne Ca
A
ed r?
Henderson Weekes at
henderson.weekes@northyorkchev.com specializes Buying a Car: MADE EASY
in providing car loans to good people with less than Step 1: E-mail or Phone Henderson Weekes
perfect credit.
Step 2: Apply Online
As long as you have a full time job, you are
APPROVED! Step 3: Buy a Car
So, GRAB your share now by applying with Cars, All Makes, ALL Models
henderson.weekes@northyorkchev.com, or by
calling 1-877-311-1141.
We offer you:
• A new and used car inventory that is the largest in the G.T.A., and prices that are so low, other dealerships
can not compete.
• A dealership-owned leasing company that can lease all makes and models.
• An outstanding on-site body shop that has earned “direct repair” status with most major insurance companies,
and will offer you a lifetime warranty on all your paint and body work.
• A service department that has achieved a customer satisfaction rating higher than any other dealership in
G.T.A., and will include a 17-point inspection, chassis/hinge lubrication and top-up all of your fluids with
every oil change.

Don’t need a car. BUT you know someone that does? We’ll pay you a $250.00
referral fee after they buy from us!
Mercedes Benz, BMW and other high-end, or luxury cars available
henderson.weekes@northyorkchev.com
*Bankruptcy, Divorce, Repo, Slow Payments. No Credit, New Immigrants
– ALL APPROVED
* Some Conditions Apply
22 Manila Media Monitor May 2010
PEOPLE & EVENTS
The Mabuhay Festival and
Trade Show is Coming!
Headlining the Mabu-
hay Festival and Trade
Show are the GMA Ka-
puso Stars!!! Sit back,
watch and be entertained
or participate in the talent
and game show and win
fabulous prizes!!
The much awaited
Mabuhay Festival and
Trade Show will finally
be here. The venue has
changed from the South
Building Hall D to the
North Building Hall A &
B, Metro Toronto Con-
vention Centre, 255 Front
St. West. Great location
in the heart of downtown
Toronto with easy public
access from Front Street.
The venue has over
125,000 sq ft of space
with plenty of room for
everyone. WE ARE IN-
VITING ALL EXHIBI-
TORS – RESERVED
YOUR BOOTH NOW!
Take advantage of a good
marketing opportunity,
CALL Evelyn Pagka-
linawan 416 369-1318
Pete Mauricio 905 301-
8408 Rorie Elefano 416
733-7818 Josie Consunji
905 828-0205.
As usual, we will have
the GMA Kapuso artists
who will present a vari-
ety show, a Game Show
with Deo Moreno and
GMA artists. Participants
will be selected June 19th
at the Earl Bales Park
community picnic. Not
to be outdone, the Tal-
ent Show will be audi-
tioning for participants.
Are you GMA material?
Do you have what it
takes to send your demo
to GMA Talent Centre?
Can you sing, dance or
juggle spears? Are you a
comedian or actor? Here
is your chance! Show us
your talent and become
one of the ten finalists at
the festival’s Most Tal-
ented Showcase. Judging
you will be GMA’s star
maker – Kuya Germs.
Winner gets a free pro-
fessional demo made at
May 2010 Manila Media Monitor 23
Minerva Studio that will
be sent to GMA Talent
Centre. Get ready, audi-
tions starts May 28th at
the Fiesta Filipina Centre.
To sign up call Estring at
416 527 4271 or Deo 416
230-6067. The rest of the
audition schedule as fol-
lows:
June 4, Friday - 7-
11:00 pm
June 18, Friday - 7-
11:00 pm
June 24, Thursday -
7-11:00 pm
Excitement is in the air
! Hold your breath! They
are coming to entertain
you. Curious? Want to
know who?
Katrina Halili – Close
your eyes, think beauti-
ful, and she will be here!
The much awaited Ka-
trina was an alumna of
StarStruck, she was voted
FHM’s sexiest woman
of the year in 2006 and
MABUHAY
continued on p. 24
24 Manila Media Monitor May 2010 PEOPLE & EVENTS

Trustee Luz del Rosario runs for provide expanded school

bus services so our young
Luz and her husband
Resty recently celebrat-
and Gamble, and daugh-
ter Justine, a student at

Ward 11 Councillor
Luz del Rosario, the in-
cumbent Separate School
Board trustee for Wards 6
and 11, registered today
her Certificate of Can-
didacy for Councillor of
Ward 11.
“I decided to run as
Councillor to contribute
my ability and experience
to the City Council”, del
Rosario said. “We need
new ideas in the Coun-
cil.”
“I am not a traditional
politician, who repre-
sents some special in-
terest groups. I see the
need to take care of the
concerns of many Mis-
sissauga residents, most
especially those in Ward
11, whose voice has not
been heard in the Council
for all these years”.
Del Rosario has been
actively involved in many
community events. She
has been chair of Caras-
sauga Festival from 2003
to 2006, past president
of the Catholic Women’s
League (St. Joseph Par-
ish), Grant Review Team
member of the Ontario
Trillium Foundation and
member of the Missis-
sauga Arts Review Task
Force.
“When Luz del Ro-
sario was Chair of Car-
assauga, the event ex-
perienced tremendous
success in terms of more
participation pavilions,
higher attendance, and
good financial manage-
ment,” cited Mississauga
mayor Hazel McCallion.
For her efforts, del
Rosario was recognized
as the City of Mississau-
ga’s Citizen of the Year
kids will not be required ed their marriage of 31 the University of Water-
to cross busy streets on years. They are blessed loo.
their way to and from with their son Jonathan, For more information,
in 2006. school”. an engineer with Procter visit www.luzdelrosario.ca
Del Rosario and her
family have been resident
of Mississauga for over
25 years. “I have seen
the city develop all these
years. Eglinton Avenue
and Creditview Road
were one-lane streets
then. The old Mead-
owvale was like an island
surrounded by farms and
trees. My children were
born and grew up in the
city”.
“I know most of the
challenges that face
young families, as well
as those new to our coun-
try and our city. I have
first hand experience, and
I have a vision to effec-
tively address these chal-
lenges”, she added. “I THEY ARE ALL WINNERS! From day 1 of the pageant, it was an exciting expe-
rience, all fun, friendship and sportsmanship for the contestants of the Miss
need your vote to realize
Philippines PIDC 2010 pageant, while at the same time, raising funds for the
that vision”. Philippine Independence Day Council’s charity projects for the poor people
“My heart always goes in the Philippines through the PIDC ANCOP Village and GMA Pinoy TV’s
to the under represented Kapuso Foundation. Twelve beautiful young ladies vied for the title, name-
sector of our community. ly (not in order in the photo) Chantelle Yumol, Joanne Magbanua-Nguyen,
Regine Alaina Semira, Renee Jaojoco, Lindsay Anne Farrell, Michelle Ama-
As a school Trustee, I al-
ral, Jessica Eusebio, Lilly Malloy, Naomi Ruth Macapagal, Catherine Amaral,
ways care for the children Aileen Gomez and Kyra Joy Pagsanghan. Adjudged by a panel of jurors as
who need special educa- Miss Philippines PIDC 2010 is Naomi Ruth Macapagal (8th from left). [Manila
tion, and look for ways to Media Monitor Photo]

MABUHAY
from p. 23
2007. “She is the first
StarStruck contestant to
top the FHM Philippines’
100 Sexiest list and the
only Filipina celebrity to
have won the title twice
in a row”.
German Moreno – Af-
fectionately known as
“Kuya Germs”, German
Moreno has been a staple
of the entertainment in-
dustry for over 47 years.
He is beloved by Filipi-
nos around the globe for
his enduring sense of hu-
mour and his undeniable
ability to spot talent. The
“Master Showman” will
be bringing his legendary
persona to Canada along
with other young GMA
Stars at this year’s festi-
val.
Mark Herras was a
StarStruck phenom where
he honed his dancing tal-
ent earning him a nick-
name of “Bad Boy of the
Dance Floor”. His danc-
ing moves earned him
more votes than Rainier
Castillo winning him the
crown at the 1st Ultimate Kuya Germs in Walang Of course, abangan ang Food for the soul rem-
Star Struck Survivor of Tulugan, Mastershow- susunod na update from iniscent of home and typ-
Season One. man. He is an accom- GMA Kapuso stars. We ical at fiestas, delectable
Wendell Ramos start- plished actor and tv host may be in for a big sur- Filipino cuisine, desserts,
ed his career when he was and very much in de- prise! halo-halo, suman, puto
cast in “Bubble Gang’. mand for product launch- Not to be outdone, ,you name it they got it!
From that beginning, he ings, beauty pageants, leading the pack with our There will be Kids
went into “matinee idol” conventions and more. If local talents are Culture Zone for the kids and the
status and finally into you don’t know yet, he is Philippines Ontario, Fies- young at heart, a cultural
“leading man” roles in also a balladeer. He has ta Filipina Dance Troupe, display and many more.
GMA shows Sinasamba ventured abroad and has a revival of Tuklas spon- The festival invites your
Kita, La Vendetta and travelled to Vancouver, sored by Norma Carpio, group or association to
many more. He also be- Winnepeg, Toronto and the Champions lead by
came a model with Bench Victoria. Emil Zarris, Santa Cruzan MABUHAY
along with other famous Will there be more? and many many more. continued on p. 25
stars.
John Nite – is cur-
rently co-hosting with

The men and women of the Filipino Centre Toronto who continue to work for
the betterment of the Filipino community during the FCT’s Presidents’ Gala
at the Royal Fairmon Hotel. (Aida D’ Orazio)
PEOPLE & EVENTS May 2010 Manila Media Monitor 25
UPCOMING EVENTS OF
THE PHILIPPINE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE-TORONTO
Part 2 of Seminar: “What do we do after the storm?”
6:30 PM, Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Quiapo! Quiapo! Banquet Hall
# 2 Principal Road in Scarborough, Ontario
Seminar on Health and Safety in the Workplace
(with emphasis on the enforcement on the new Workplace
Violation and Harassment legislation taking effect
June 15, 2010)
6:30 PM, Thursday, June 24, 2010
Quiapo! Quiapo! Banquet Hall
# 2 Principal Road in Scarborough, Ontario

MABUHAY Call to find out SELLER’s In-

from p. 24
participate in the cultural dis-
play. Call Minda 416 621-
4985.
Prepaid tickets are currently
selling for $15 and reserved
seating at $25 ($30 at the door
if seats are available). Call
Norma Carpio 416-975-1473
Jun Villaruz 416 826-6077
Romy Rafael 905 997-7977
Cesar Mañebo 647 829-9187.
centives.
BUY EARLY AND WIN A
TRIP TO THE PHILIPPINES
OR LAS VEGAS ! EARLY
BIRD DRAW WILL BE HELD
JUNE 19TH AND FINAL
DRAW AT THE FESTIVAL The leadership of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce-Toronto (PCCT) affirms further its
JULY 24TH. TRIPS COMES commitment for continuous business development and training seminars of members. In
WITH CASH IF YOU ARE photo are PCCT members who availed of the PCCT’s latest offering in cooperation with the
THE LUCKY ONE!!!
Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) on how the latter financial institution could
help entrepreneurs grow their businesses. The seminar was facilitated by Edmar Selda -
For more info, pls go to branch manager of BDC-Scarborough Branch, and Justin Montano - a partner in the Con-
www.pidctoronto.com sulting Group of the BDC (inset, left and right). [Photos: Manila Media Monitor and Raymond
Santos]
26 Manila Media Monitor May 2010 PEOPLE & EVENTS

Rol Ponce Lampitoc, Sr.

of Scarbor- National Gallery of Ot-
ough show in tawa on 1988, featuring

The Passing of a Master

1987, he won the work of Edgar Degas.
two awards, His work was shown at
first prize for the National Archives to-
“The Band”, gether with the works of
By Romi C MananQuil
and “Mo- other pastel painters from
Rolando Ponce American Embassy in won the ments of all over the world.
Lampitoc, Sr., foremost Manila. most cov- Reflection”. Rol P Lampitoc is sur-
Filipino-Canadian artist Lampitoc studied fine eted award In 1992, the vived by his loving wife,
in Canada and considered arts at the University of in the Phil- City of Guel- Cecilia, his children and
a master by his peers and the Philippines and has ippine Na- ph sponsored their spouses with his
colleagues in the Philip- always pursued a career tional Art a “Mardi grandchildren: Reuben
pine Artists Group, died in art. He has been and Exhibit, Gras” art and Cherry with Reuela
on May 16, 2010 at age premiere portrait painter. print cat- show where & Pia; Maria Christina
85 at his house in Scar- In Canada, he taught egory. He he won First and Philip Conlon with
borough, Toronto. art at Windsor’s St. Clair was then Prize and Adrian, Finbar & Em-
Rol Lampitoc was a College and Willistead asked to Best in the ily; Maria Theresa; Ma-
remarkable painter, por- Art Gallery. Some of his represent Show. ria Louisa and Patrick
traitist, photographer, portrait paintings now Philippines Rol’s ar- with Caleb, Timothy &
serigrapher, pastelist and hang at the University of at the “In- tistic passion Nathaniel; Rocille; Ro-
watercolourist; an award Toronto’s Woodsworth ternational Rol Ponce Lampitoc, Sr. showed a lando Jr and Kasumi;
winner in all of these College, Emmanuel Col- Salon Sud” broad spec- Arlina Inez and Les with
categories. This multi- lege, Engineering Col- in Paris. In 1981, Mr. cepted into the Pastel So- trum of subjects executed Jacqueline & Alexandria;
talented artist was also lege, Centenary Hospital Lampitoc won an award ciety of America at that in a variety of media, Courtney and Maria with
known for his most casu- and other private collec- in the internationally at- time. In 1989, he won the including watercolours, Gian Carlo & Manika.
al ukulele strumming but tions. His commissioned tended portrait competi- “First Prize Award” and pastel and oil. Lampitoc’s The Philippine Artists
most amazingly could works include portraits tion in New York City. His the “Most Favourite in works were celebrations Group of Canada honors
play music using an ordi- of Philippine Presidents work, “The Model” was the Show” of the Pastel of colour and form invok- their departed founding
nary carpenter’s saw like Carlos P. Garcia and Di- one of those chosen from Society of Canada. ing intensely emotional member who gave them
a violin. osdado Macapagal, both the 108 finalist to hang In the summer of experiences. This talent so much pride with their
When Rol Lampitoc in 1959; Chigago Mayor at the 5th Annual Juried 1987, he experienced in various media brought forthcoming annual Phil-
arrived in Canada in Richard Daly in 1960; Show of the Blue Moun- the Caribana Festival in invitations to exhibit in ippine independence art
1972, he was already a American President Har- tain Foundation of the Toronto and came forth major cities including show in June entitled, “
painter of note whose ry Truman in 1969; and Arts in 1985. Lampitoc’s with his interpretation Tokyo, Detroit and New Pinsel, Alay kay Manong
works graced the homes Detroit Mayor Roman S. pastel “Inday”, gained of the flamboyance and York. He was invited to Rol.”
and boardrooms of the Gribbs in 1973. him the honour of being merry-making of the fes- exhibit his pastel painting Manila Media Monitor
Philippine elite and the In 1972, Lampitoc the only Canadian ac- tivities. At the Arts Guild during the opening of the Tel. (416) 285-8583
 May 2010 Manila Media Monitor 27

LILAND INSURANCE INC.

Sponsored by
1996-2009 TOP MGA IN CANADA AWARDEE
Registration is on going for the next batch
call: 416-759-5453 x-222
28 Manila Media Monitor May 2010 MONEY

How the HST is going to built home after July 1st,

2010, you will be sub-
affect the buyers and ject to the full HST on
the purchase price which
sellers come July 1, 2010? currently only charges
GST. HST will also be
By Rose Ami
So, you have decided from your friends and
to buy a home but you family members and the
have not found anything idea of HST makes you
yet. With the HST in ef- scared to buy a home.
fect in Ontario come The Harmonized Sales
July 1st, you are starting Tax (HST) is a combina-
to worry about how that tion of the 5% federal
may impact the costs goods and services tax
of buying a home. You (GST) and the 8% pro-
probably have heard dif- vincial sales tax (PST).
ferent opinions and ideas If you are buying a newly
applied to all home clos-
ing costs. Currently, you
only pay GST on law-
yer’s fees, administra-
tion, title insurance and
registration charges and
PST on CMHC fees.
The $24K Rebate
You probably have
heard of the $24,000 re-
bate. To ease the burden
of this new tax on home
purchases, there is a pro-
vincial rebate offered in
Ontario. Currently, new
homes are exempt from
PST.
When the HST comes
into effect, new homes
worth less than $400,000
will qualify for a full 6%
tax rebate to a maximum
of $24,000 to help offset
the costs to the new hom-
eowner.
Homes above
$400,000 would only
get a marginal tax break
because of the $24,000
limit.
Example:
$350,000 - Purchase
Price of a BRAND NEW
HOME
$ 45,500 - HST on
Purchase Price (13%)
$ 21,000 - HST Re-
bate (6%)
HST when you are
selling a home
If you are buying or
selling an older home,
you won’t have to pay
HST on the purchase
price but you will feel the
HST effect on various
realtor commissions and
fees you pay.
Under the new rules,
a seller will have to pay
HST (13%) instead of
GST (5%) on realtor
commissions. Services
such as appraisals will
also be subject to HST.
If you are planning
to sell your home, you
should be talking to a
real estate agent now and
hopefully you will be able
to sell prior to July 1st to
avoid the HST. (Rose L.
Ami is a Licensed Mort-
gage Agent)
Manila Media Monitor
Tel. (416) 285-8583

Western Union bridges

gap between families
Remedios Adduru has been
a caregiver in Toronto for 5
years now. Her husband and
six children are in the Philip-
pines – typical of Filipino mi-
grant workers in Canada.
With hope of giving them
better education, a better qual-
ity of life and a brighter future,
this hopeful mother left and en-
deavored to fulfill that dream
for her family.
At a party sponsored by
Western Union a few months
back, a crying Remedios was
seen, comforted by Western
stage. The lights dimmed, and
before she knew it, a video of
her son was staring her in the
eye.
Anthony, her first born, is
seen on the video at their apart-
ment in Quezon City being in-
terviewed about the challenges
they faced as a family. All he
could muster was appreciaton
for his mom and his pride of
completing his Nursing course.
Reflected on his face was pride
and joy, not for his own accom-
plishment but for the sacrifices
of his mother.

Union Senior Marketing Man-
ager Joycelyn David. All the
while, she thought she was just
attending another event spon-
sored by the money remittance
giant. Little did she know that
the Western Union team had a
surprise for her; a surprise so
personal that she was taken
aback and overwhelmed how
they rewarded her loyalty in
a manner that meant to her
the most. While celebrating
with fellow migrant workers,
she was requested to go to the
The words of a son to his
mother, saying “Salamat” and
“Mahal na mahal ka namin,
Ma,” echoed in the hall and
pierced the hearts of each and
every one present that day.
Truly, there is no better reward
for a mother’s sacrifice than to
see her children accomplish
their dreams.
Western Union further re-
warded Remedios for her loy-
alty with a cheque, another
pleasant surprise for her.
In accepting the cheque, a
‘‘
Western Union executives Brian Fox and Joycelyn David share Filipino migrant worker Re-
medios Adduru’s mixed emotions after she was unexpectedly called to the stage to receive
gifts from the money remittance giant.
teary-eyed Remedios thanked able to meet all through West-
Western Union for the gesture. ern Union.
She recounted using West- The cheque was only a tran- Men are equal;
ern Union since the day she ar- sient reward Remedios got
rived in Canada. from using Western Union. The it is not birth but
Known for its speed and re- most significant reward she virtue that makes
liability, it was Western Union
who bridged the gap and re-
got from using Western Union
through the years was peace of
the difference.
sponded to the need of support mind, knowing that her hard- - Voltaire
and urgency; everything from earned fruits get to her family
(1694 - 1778)
tuition fee to school supplies to safely and timely. (AVC-PR)
everyday needs. Remedios was
MONEY May 2010 Manila Media Monitor 29

Mom-surance – a ‘life value’ for an invaluable life

‘Mom’ has a big
meaning for every fam-
ily. A ‘mom’ can be
many things: a spouse,
common-law partner,
sister, aunt or mother;
your family’s primary or
secondary wage earner; a
stay-at-home parent who
cares for young children
and manages or co-man-
ages your household; a
small business owner;
or even an empty-nester
who may be financially
alone.
If something happened
to ‘mom’ – an accident
or illness, a disability or
even death -- what would
you do? Insurance may
be the solution.
Life insurance could
provide tax-free funds at
a critical time to pay your
mortgage or other house-
hold debts or as a source
of investment income to
replace mom’s income.
Term life insurance
can be a good ‘starter’ op-
tion for younger couples
but gets more expensive
over time and does not
allow you to renew after
age 75 or 80.
Permanent life insur-
ance stays ‘in force’ for
a lifetime and the premi-
ums are set at the time of
purchase and depending
on the policy acquired
may never change.
If ‘mom’ is a busi-
ness-owner, life insur-
ance could be used to
repay business debt or a
co-owner could obtain
‘key person’ insurance on
‘mom’ and use it to buy
out mom’s interest in the
business.
Mortgage insurance
will cover your mortgage
debt. You can get mort-
gage insurance from your
lender but the more flex-
ible option is renewable
term insurance that al-
lows your named benefi-
ciaries – probably ‘dad’ if
mom is insured – to use
the proceeds to pay off
some or all of the mort-
gage or other pressing
expenses.
Disability insurance
can provide a source of
income should ‘mom’
become unable to earn
a living or manage your
household for an extend-
ed period.
Critical illness insur-
ance provides a lump-
sum of money that can
be used to pay for the
replacement of ‘valuable’
services and/or the costs
of medical care.
Long term care insur-
ance pays the costs of
medical and home care
including respite care
that allows a caregiver to
take a break. It protects
your family’s existing fi-
nancial assets and helps
ensure a surviving spouse
or children will receive
an undepleted estate.
Today’s “moms” can
usually be found at the
wheel of a minivan full
of hockey skates and bal-
let slippers, birthday par-
ties at local amusement
centers and running a
business or career all at
the same time. Whether
that describes one person
or a combination of fam-
ily members, high activ-
ity - high ‘life value’ con-
tributors can and should
be protected by insur-
ance. Your professional
advisor can help you
make the right insurance
choices for your family.
(This column, written
and published by Inves-
tors Group Financial Ser-
vices Inc. (in Québec – a
Financial Services Firm),
presents general infor-
mation only and is not a
solicitation to buy or sell
any investments. Con-
tact a financial advisor
for specific advice about
your circumstances. For
more information on this
topic please contact your
Investors Group Consul-
tant).

PCCT continues information and training seminars

Bob Lane
The Filipino premier
business organization in
Toronto, the Philippine
Chamber of Commerce-
Toronto (PCCT), con-
tinues its commitment
to members in updating
new ideas in marketing
their products and/or ser-
vices.
The PCCT, in cooper-
ation with the Centennial
College Centre of Busi-
ness Entrepreneurship,
will deliver before mem-
bers and non-members
alike part 2 of their
seminar on “What
do we do after the
storm?”. The seminar
is slated, Wednesday,
June 16, at the Qui-
apo! Quiapo! Banquet
Hall at # 2 Principal
Road in Scarborough,
Ontario. Registration
starts at 6:30 PM.
Seminar Facilita-
tor Bob Lane said the
training session will deal
with a review of the ba-
sics of marketing with a
look at social media, such
as Linked In, Twitter and
Facebook.
“As we saw in Part
1 of our program, doing
business in the ways we
have always done may
not be the best approach
in today’s economy. In
Part 2, our program will
look at the basics of mar-
keting reminding our-
selves about who are pri-
mary customers are, what
they are looking for and
how we can best get our
message to them,” Lane
said.
PCCT president Ra-
fael Nebres told Manila
Media Monitor that the
marketing review course
will include specific sub-
ject matters, such as Mar-
keting 101: A Fail Proof
Marketing Sequence,
Market Research: The
Foundation of Market-
ing, Building Market-
ing Strategy, and Meth-
ods which can be use
in implementing ones’
strategy, including social
media.
The PCCT President
also announced that a
seminar on health and
safety in the workplace
will be held at the same
venue, Thursday, June
24.
The presentation will
deal specifically on the
enforcement of the new
Workplace Violence and
Harassment legislation
which will take effect on
June 15, 2010.
Under the legislation,
employers are required to
develop policies and pro-
grams on violence and
harassment, employee
reporting and incident
investigation procedures,
emergency response pro-
cedure on violence at the
workplace, and processes
to deal with incidents,
complaints and threats of
violence. The Labour Force Survey conducted by Statistics
Canada shows that employment increased by 109,000
The seminar will be in April, the largest monthly gain in percentage terms
facilitated by Norman since August 2002. The unemployment rate edged
down 0.1 percentage points in April to 8.1%, as more
Kramer, a Canadian Reg- people participated in the labour market. The gain
istered Safety Profession- in April was of a similar magnitude to some of the
al and Certified Human monthly losses observed in the most recent employ-
ment downturn, which began in the fall of 2008.
Resources Professional. The employment increase in April brings total gains
For registration and since the start of the upward trend in July 2009
other inquiries, please to 285,000. In April, two-thirds of the employment
growth was among men aged 25 and over (+72,000),
call PCCT Vice President the strongest monthly increase for this group since
for Membership Oswald comparable data became available in 1976. Employ-
Tugadi at (416) 850- ment growth in April was in both part-time (+65,000)
and full-time (+44,000) work. Since July 2009, growth
4966. (AA) has been concentrated in full-time work.
30 Manila Media Monitor May 2010 ENVIRONMENT

Q
Dear EarthTalk: Can airplanes be The company claims you must fly, compensate
run on cleaner fuels or be electric pow-
ered? Are there changes afoot in the EarthTalk® the Hy-Bird is the
first 100 percent eco-
for your flight’s emis-
sions by buying a “car-
airline business to find cleaner fuels? From the Editors of friendly plane, and is bon offset” from Terra-
E/The Environmental Magazine readying a round-the- Pass or CarbonFund.org,
-- Reema Islam, Dhaka, Bangladesh world flight punctuat- which will use the money
ed by 30 event-filled to fund alternative energy
Gasoline or Electricity? stopovers. and other greenhouse-gas
Even more unusu- reduction projects.

A
Given air
travel’s huge
contribution to
our collective
carbon foot-
print—flying
accounts for about three
percent of carbon emis-
sions worldwide by some
estimates—and the fact
that basic passenger and
cargo jet designs haven’t
changed significantly in
decades, the world is cer-
tainly ready for greener
forms of flying.
But since air travel
emissions were not regu-
lated under the Kyoto
Protocol, the interna-
tional agreement signed
in 1997 that set bind-
ing targets for reducing
greenhouse gas emis-
sions, the friendly skies
aren’t much greener than
they were a few decades
ago. And most national
governments have been
reluctant to impose new
environmental restric-
tions on the already ail-
ing airline industry.
Nonetheless, some
airlines and airplane
manufacturers are tak-
ing steps to improve their
eco-footprints. Southwest
and Continental have im-
plemented fuel efficiency
improvements, waste
reduction programs and
increased recycling, and
are investing in newer,
more fuel efficient air-
planes. Another airline on
the cutting edge of green
is Virgin Atlantic, which
made news in early 2008
when it became the first
major carrier to test the
use of biofuels (liquid
fuels derived from plant
matter) on passenger jet
flights. Now Air New
Zealand, Continental, Ja-
pan Airlines (JAL), Jet-
Blue, and Lufthansa are
also testing biofuels.
Even airplane maker
Boeing is getting in on
the act by developing a
carbon-neutral jet fuel
made from algae. Boe-
ing’s newest commercial
jet, the much vaunted 787
Dreamliner (now in final
testing before late 2010
delivery to several air-
lines), is 20 percent more
fuel efficient than its pre-
decessors thanks to more
efficient engines, aero- al is the proposed fuel- CONTACTS: Lisa
dynamic improvements free plane dreamed up by Airplanes, www.lisa-air-
and the widespread use Mississippi-based Hunt planes.com; Hunt Avia-
of lighter composite ma- Aviation. The company tion, www.fuellessflight.
terials to reduce weight. is working on a proto- com; TerraPass, www.
Airbus is also incorpo- type small plane that har- terrapass.com; Carbon-
rating more lightweight nesses the natural forces Fund.org, www.carbon-
composite materials into of buoyancy (thanks to fund.org.
its new planes. helium-filled pontoons) SEND YOUR ENVI-
On the extreme end for lift-offs and gravity RONMENTAL QUES-
of the innovation spec- for landings—along with TIONS TO: EarthTalk®,
trum are zero-emission an on-board wind turbine c/o E – The Environ-
airplanes that make use and battery to power ev- mental Magazine, P.O.
of little or no fuel. The erything in between—to Box 5098, Westport, CT
French company, Lisa, achieve flight without 06881; earthtalk@emag-
is building a prototype any fuel whatsoever. azine.com. E is a non-
small plane, dubbed the Don’t look for these fu- profit publication. Sub-
Hy-Bird, that uses solar turistic planes on airport scribe: www.emagazine.
power (via photovoltaic runways anytime soon. It com/subscribe; Request
cells on the elongated will likely be decades be- a Free Trial Issue: www.
wingspan) and hydrogen- fore this technology fil- emagazine.com/trial.
powered fuel cells to fly ters its way up to the big
with zero emissions—and leagues. Until then, take Manila Media Monitor
nearly no engine noise. a train or bus instead. If Tel. (416) 285-8583

An average working
person who lives within
30 kilometres from work
spends approximately 20
to 25 minutes in the car,
either listening to his, or
her favourite radio sta-
tion, or violating the law
that prohibits using the
cell phone while driving.
Another possibility
is that he, or she maybe
contemplating life: what-
ever happened in the
past, what is happening
at present, which may
determine the future.
Maybe, even just listen-
ing to himself, or herself
about what to do
today at work, with
friends or with the
family. We do this
every day to and
from work, spend-
ing approximately
an hour.
Let us make a
plan. As part of
our desire to make
our “car ownership easy
”, let us start by mak-
ing a resolution: “That
we will resolve to spend
the first 10 minutes in-
side our car, on our way
to work and on our way
from work to ‘listen to
Car Ownership
Made Easy
RAFAEL NEBRES
Listen to your car but
talk to a mechanic!
our car’.” In detail, with
our cell phone turned off,
our radio turned off and
our ears engaged, start to
listen to our car.
Start the engine, listen
to any change in the noise
of your engine, differ-
listen to unusual
squeaks from front
and rear of your
car; and, rattles
while you are driv-
ing. Whatever un-
usual noise you
hear, note them
down and then af-
ter all this listen-
ing, resolve to talk
ent from what you usu- to a mechanic.
ally hear every time you When relaying to
start your engine. Note it your mechanic what you
down. heard, be specific and
Listen to the noise of detailed for a qualified
your tires while driving; interpretation and advice.
listen to squeaks when Definitely, this will pre-
you hit the brake pedals; vent or cure the mounting
problem on your car.
Listening to your car
is compared to listening
to your body -- that by
ignoring what you hear
could lead you into big
trouble. Likewise, talk-
ing to a mechanic about
your car is compared to
talking to your doctor
about your body -- that
ignoring the advice given
could lead to big trouble.
Another simple way
“to make your car owner-
ship easy”. (rafael168@
yahoo.com)

FIFTEEN SECONDS TO AIRTIME: Philippine movie actor and commercial

An idealist is a person who helps other people
to be prosperous. - Henry Ford (1863 - 1947)
model Patrick Guzman and Front Page Philippines tv host Gie Alvarez wait
for their cue from the voiceover announcer to emcee the exciting evening to
choose from among twelve beautiful ladies the Miss Philippines PIDC 2010
as overall production manager and event organizer Rosemer Enverga wears
a relaxed smile after several weeks of rehearsals and dry runs for the annual
PIDC pageant. The event was held May 8 at the Korean Cultural Centre in
North York, Ontario. (Manila Media Monitor Photo)
ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT May 2010 Manila Media Monitor 31

Gabby Lopez: Stars come havior, both positive and

negative, “goes with the
lame accused Sucaldito
of making negative com-
cide that, for the interim,
we will both keep silent

and go, but the institution

territory” added the net- ments against him and about what’s going on,
work executive. Wowowee contestants. and these discussions will

stays.
“So we will take into Earlier on, a com- be made in the course of
consideration the wide promise was reportedly the next several months,”
variety of factors that are reached by Willie and Lopez told the stockhold-
involved in dealing with ABS-CBN management: ers.
MANILA -- The issue the controversy during discussions now with stars like Willie. He is not that Willie would take an Lopez, likewise, made
involving Wowowee host a stockholders meeting Willie and we prefer to the first or the last star “indefinite leave” from the most of the occasion
Willie Revillame con- held recently at the Dol- keep these discussions at that will reflect this kind the popular noontime va- by issuing a stern re-
cerns even those who are phy Theater. this point between our- of behavior,” continued riety show although his minder to the network’s
sitting in the boardroom, One of the network’s selves and Willie,” Lopez Lopez. contractual obligation stable of talents while at
ABS-CBN reports. partners reportedly raised replied. The controversy start- with the network stands. the same time comfort-
Talking before the the negative financial im- The ABS-CBN top ed after Willie asked his “These decisions will ing its business partners:
network’s group of share- pact of Revillame’s re- honcho acknowledged the home network to release be made in the proper “Stars come and go, but
holders, ABS-CBN head cent conduct during the business repercussions him following a rift with time. I think the best the institution stays.”
honcho Eugenio “Gab- open forum. brought by the incident. reporter and radio anchor decision we made is for (Bong Godinez, PEP.ph)
by” Lopez III addressed “There are ongoing Dealing with a talents be- Jobert Sucaldito. Revil- both Willie and I to de-
32 Manila Media Monitor May 2010
Celebrity winners and losers in May 2010 polls
More than a hundred celeb-
rities tried their luck in the re-
cently concluded May 10 elec-
tions, but whose stars shone on
the ballots?
Here are some of the celeb-
rities who made it to their re-
spective bid.
Senators Ramon “Bong”
Revilla Jr., Jinggoy Estrada,
Tito Sotto and Lito Lapid won
seats in the senate.
‘Star for All Seasons’ Vil-
ma Santos was re-elected as
governor of the province of
Batangas, while Emilio Ejer-
cito, more popularly known
as George Estregan Jr., was
elected as governor of Laguna
province.
In Bulacan, Daniel Fernan-
do was elected vice governor.
Fernando was almost disquali-
fied by the Comelec for using
his screen name instead of his
real name.
Sarangani’s lone district
will have for its Congressio-
nal representative Pinoy box-
ing icon Manny Pacquiao. TV
host Lucy Torres-Gomez, who
replaced her husband Richard
Gomez in his electoral bid, also
won as the next representative
of Leyte’s 4th district.
Bong Revilla’s wife Lani
Mercado-Revilla was elected
in the Congressional race for
Cavite’s second district.
Actor Dan Fernandez’s bid
for re-election as Laguna’s
first district representative has
also prospered, even as he was
ousted by the House of Repre-
sentatives Electoral Tribunal
(HRET) due to residency is-
sues. The Supreme Court later
reversed the HRET decision.
Former child star Herbert
Bautista has been proclaimed
as Quezon City mayor. Alfred
Vargas, Roderick Paulate, and
Precious Hipolito also garnered
enough votes to win seats in
the city council.
In Manila, Isko Moreno was
re-elected as vice mayor, along
with city councilors Lou Ve-
loso and Robert Ortega.
Marjorie Barretto and Ro-
selle Nava were likewise lead-
ing elected as councilors in the
cities of Caloocan and Para-
ñaque, respectively.
According to a GMA News
Research report, 16 out of the
109 celebrities eyed for nation-
al positions.
Falling stars
The candidacy of so many
showbiz stars have
indeed dazzled the
first ever automat-
ed polls, but for the
more unfortunate
celebrities, their
future in politics
seems bleak as seen
in the results of the
counting of votes,
among others for-
mer president Jo-
seph Estrada.
In the vice pres-
idential derby, pop-
ular television host
Edu Manzano was
in fourth place.
In Bohol, action
star Cesar Montano
The Filipino Singing Idol 3rd round winners and runners-up, at last April
trailed two other 30 contest, are Noel Manalo (winner, Adults), Vianne Gaerlan (runner-
candidates in the up, Children), April Joyce Bulangcao (winner, Children), Camille Men-
‘‘
gubernatorial race doza (winner, Teens) and Genesis Anne Ruiz (runner-up, Teens). They
while Rommel Pa- will again compete against the winners and runners-up of the lst and
dilla meanwhile 2nd rounds in the Grand Finals of the 2010 Filipino Singing Idol at the
Pistahan at Nathan Phillips Square on June 13. (Aida D’Orazio)
placed second
place in the vice gubernatorial tively.
race for Nueva Ecija. Tito Varela and Jestoni
Aiko Melendez failed to se- Alarcon were also unable to
cure the vice mayoral position clinch Congressional posts
God must become
of Quezon City while in Para- for Caloocan City and for the an activity in our
ñaque, comedians Joey Mar- second district of Rizal Prov- consciousness.
quez and Anjo Yllana faced ince, respectively. (Updated by
defeat in the electoral races for Manila Media Monitor from a - Joel S. Goldsmith
mayor and vice mayor, respec- GMA News dispatch)
 May 2010 Manila Media Monitor 33

PhilConGen starts tional Civil Aviation Or-

processing applications
for Epassport
The Philippine Con-
sulate General will of-
ficially start processing
applications for the elec-
tronic passport (ePass-
port) starting June 15 this
year.
Before the official
starting date, the Consul-
ate will randomly process
applications for ePassport
as a dry-run.
The ePassport features
an integrated circuit chip
which contains the fol-
lowing:
- the passport holder’s
data found on the data
page of the passport;
- the biometrics of the
passport holder;
- a unique identifica-
tion number;
- and a digital signa-
ture.
These special features
make the ePassport high-
ly secure, allow faster
verification of the identi-
ty of the passport holder,
and compliant with the
standards of the Interna-
ganization (ICAO) .
size photograph (3.5mm
x4.5mm) with white
e.g. work permit, perma-
nent residence card, valid
order, bank draft or cer-
tified cheque. No debit
Following are the re-
quirements for the issu-
background taken within
the last six (6) months;
record of landing, visi-
tor’s visa, etc.;
card or personal cheque
will be accepted.
ance of the ePassport:
- personal appearance
- copy of evidence of
legal status in Canada:
- fee of C$69.00 -
payable in cash, money
EPASSPORT
continued on p. 38
is a strict requirement for
the taking of the biomet-
rics;
- current passport;
- copy of the data
page of the passport;
- if passport has ex-
pired for 5 years or more,
proof that a permanent
residence card has been
applied for or a certifica-
tion from the Citizenship
& Immigration Canada
that applicant has not ac-
quired Canadian citizen-
ship;
- one (1) passport

Filipino Canadian
broadcaster Joel Re-
cla with Filipino actor
Jackie Lou Blanco
during his recent trip
to Manila. Joel hosts
"Perlas ng Silangan"
radio program over
CHIN Radio Inter-
national, 100.7 FM,
Tuesdays, 11:00 to
11:30 PM.
FOR POSTERITY: (L-R) Dr. Solon Guzman joins Miss Philippines PIDC 2009
Natalie Rafael, as the latter was about to turn over her crown to the next Miss
Philippines PIDC title holder before the curtain call for the pageant. Next to
Natalie are Philippine movie actor and commercial model Patrick Guzman,
Front Page Philippines tv host Gie Alvarez -- who would both emcee the
suspense-filled evening, May 8, in North York, Ontario; and, Rosemer En-
verga -- vice president of the Philippine Independence Day Council (PIDC)
and overall production manager and event organizer for the largest Filipino
association in the GTA. Dr. Guzman was one of the judges in Little Miss Phil-
ippines 2010 pageant held earlier the same day at the same venue. (Manila
Media Monitor Photo)

Classic Pilipino Puzzle 4

PAHALANG 1 2 3 4 5 6 6 7 8 9

1 Asawa ng hipag
6 Itim na ibon 10 11 12

11 Sana 13 14 15
12 Pinuno ng palasyo
13 Repinado 16 17 18
15 Sawata
16 Moog
B A G
19 20

17 Walang imik
19 Buti 21 22 23 24 25 26

20 Kalye sa Cubao
G A S
27 28 29
21 Lano
23 Asim 30 31 32 33
27 Bubong
29 Asam 34 35 36

30 Pukyutan
33 Mataas na baraha 37 38

34 Tila
35 Marangal
39 40

37 Palos
38 Dingas
39 Pinatuyong karne
40 Kastrado

PABABA
2 Imbalido 25 Gawi 32 Ismid
3 Barnis 26 Panalangin 33 Yapos
4 Lunos 28 Sayaw 36 Bagwis
5 Lunsad 30 Himno
6 Sinusuotan ng 31 Lungsod sa Bikol
butones
7 Bunganga ng ilog
8 Turo
9 Suweldo
10 Karamdaman
14 Kinatawan
18 Alapaap
20 Marahil
22 Paghihirap
24 Bayan ng Aaklan

Sagot sa puzzle sa pahina 36

34 Manila Media Monitor May 2010
By Edwin C. Mercurio
An exotic fabric made
through a centuries-old pro-
cess of tie-dye weaving by the
T’boli women of Lake Sebu,
South Cotabato has captured
the fancy of Filipinos as well
as people around the world.
Called t’nalak, it is made into
bags of different sizes, attaché
case, wall decors, blankets,
jackets, purse, clothing,
cigarette case, belts,
portfolio and others.
The t’nalak occu-
pies a special signifi-
cance in the lives of the
T’boli tribe. Basically
used for blankets and
clothing, the t’nalak is
considered helpful for
safe delivery when used
as pre-natal covering. Sla-
i (marriage arrangements)
are considered lousy with-
out it during the exchange
of kemu (traditional prop-
erties) such as heirlooms,
gongs, horses, work animals,
ancient swords and other tribal
artefacts.
The presence of the cloth
during certain feast gives it a
sacred value. T’bolis consider
it taboo to cut the cloth because
they believe that act will make
them seriously ill. Tribe mem-
bers who sell the fabric often
attach bells to appease the
spirits said to have guided the
weavers.
Superstition surrounds the
making of the fabric. T’boli li-
bon (tribeswomen) who make
the elaborate weaving and de-
sign find it easy to process the
cloth after a dream. Designs
they see clearly in their dreams
have certain meanings and re-
quirements.
“When I dream about the
gamayaw logi, a cloth design
embodying the male and fe-
male symbol, that means my
Max Out on Your
Promotional and
Marketing Efforts.
Get Combo Ad Rates
for Television,
Newspaper &
Radio.
Call (416) 285-8583
T’boli T’nalak Weaving
A Centuries-old Tradition
of Tie-dye Weaving
in the Philippines
A t’nalak wallet
husband and myself have to ab-
stain from any sexual contacts
for the duration of the weav-
ing,” said first class weaver Ye
Lo.
“If we do, the threads will
break and the woven design
won’t emerge clearly,” she
adds.
Gabriel Ungkal, an expert
T’boli classifier said that out
of some 2,000 T’boli weav-
ers, only 21 are class “A” rated
weavers. “Majority of the ex-
pert weavers, refuse to follow
any ordered designs unless
they dream about it,” he said.
Expert weavers are being
encouraged by the Santa Cruz
Mission of Lake Sebu, to pass
on their unique skills to their fe-
male children to ensure a next
generation of women weavers.
The making of the t’nalak is
a tedious process composed of
rituals especially done during
the night when the air is cool
and the fibre is at the right elas-
ticity.
The weaving of the cloth
takes almost two and a half
months for a piece about 20
feet long.
During the weaving process,
silence and an atmosphere of
solemnity is observed by the
members of the household. A
single mistake in the weaving
pattern due to distraction would
mean repeating the whole pro-
cess from the very beginning.
The t’nalak is a product of
a unique and tedious method
of tie-dye weaving, a very me-
ticulous process of cloth de-
signing done on a bamboo and
wooden loom.
The gathering and process-
ing of materials alone are high-
ly complicated. Fibres selected
Various t’nalak designs
from fruit-bearing abaca plants
(Manila hemp) usually about
18 months old, are stripped by
hand from the soft wet pulp of
the plant’s stalk. This is then
made flaxen and pliable by re-
peated combing and weeks of
air drying.
After some time, the fibres
are laid out on a simple wood-
en loom. The abaca fibres now
stretched out on the loom are
tied with other fibres rubbed in
beeswax. The area covered by
the waxed strings will not be
penetrated by the dye.
The process of tying itself
is real artistry because no mea-
suring instrument is used. Only
the finger joints (length of the
index fingers) are used to mea-
sure the intricate designs. Yet,
patterns emerge with artistic
consonance and precision.
After the painstaking tying,
FEATURE
the fibres are then prepared for
dyeing. The black dye is ex-
tracted from the leaves of the
kenalum tree. The red dye is
taken from the roots of the loco
tree.
In the dyeing process, two
earthen pots, one on top of
the other, mouth to mouth, are
then used to boil the fibres re-
peatedly, for three weeks, for
the black colour and only two
days for the red. Steam pushes
the dye upwards to the
bundle of tied threads
in the upper pot. After
the dark colour has been
achieved, some waxed
strings are removed.
The newly-exposed
areas are then dyed red. A
variety of colours (black,
dark, cream and the natural
flaxen colour of the fibre)
can be produced by remov-
ing the remaining waxed
ties. When the dyeing pro-
cess is completed, the fibres are
then removed and rinsed along
river banks or streams.
Patterns and designs range
from the tranan suwu (snake),
sobo bun (frog), betek boluk
(flower designs), bed buyus
(spear), buling longit (clouds),
bangala (house) and scores of
others.
After the rinsing process,
the cloth is again air dried for
a week. It then undergoes the
lemubag (wood pounding)
where the fibres are rendered
pliant and flexible.
For the final touch, the
t’nalak is laid out on a bamboo
fixture where it finally passes
through the ‘smaki’ (shell rub-
bing), a method of bringing
out the lustre of the finished
cloth. T’boli craftswomen use
the saki, a big turtle-shaped sea
shell for this purpose.
The ‘smaki’ (saki shell-
T’BOLI cont’d on p.36
ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT
Marian Rivera tops partial
and unofficial results of
FHM Sexiest Woman in the
World 2010
MANILA -- More than
260,000 votes have been cast
since the voting for the FHM
100 Sexiest Women in the
World poll started in April.
With only two weeks left be-
fore the voting period ends on
June 15, Marian Rivera is still
a force to reckon with, as she
stays strong on number one
spot in FHM’s partial and un-
official tally.
The GMA-7 Primetime
Queen topped the annual
list back in 2008, a feat she
achieved despite never being
featured on the cover of the
country’s number one men’s
magazine. If she ends up tak-
ing the top spot for 2010, it will
come on the heels of the suc-
cess of her recent movie outing
with Dingdong Dantes, You
To Me Are Everything, and
the launch of her newest series
with her home network, End-
less Love.
Trailing her in the second
May 2010 Manila Media Monitor 35
and third spots are Angel Loc-
sin and Cristine Reyes, respec-
tively. Returning to FHM’s
cover this May after a five-year
hiatus, Angel seems poised to
become this year’s Sexiest
Woman in the World, a title she
last had in 2005. Cristine, on
the other hand, recently starred
in Working Girls 2010 and is Marian Rivera (Courtesy: GMA Pinoy TV)
the reigning Sexiest Woman in
the World. The complete top top after five years? Or would
10 based on partial and unof- you like Cristine to extend
ficial results is as follows: her reign for another year and GET FAST RESULTS
1. Marian Rivera
2. Angel Locsin
make her the second woman to
hold the title for two straight
FROM YOUR ADVERTISING ...
3. Cristine Reyes years? Call (416) 285-8583
4. Iwa Moto To vote for your favor-
5. Erich Gonzales ite hottie to be included in Manila Media Monitor
6. Angelica Panganiban the FHM 100 Sexiest Women and
7. Anne Curtis in the World 2010, log-on to
8. Katrina Halili www.fhm.com.ph. You can Front Page Philippines TV
9. Ehra Madrigal
10. Jennylyn Mercado
also text in your votes by send-
ing in FHM100 to 2948 to get
Two Best Media Brands
a complete list of keywords, or catrering to the
Would you like to keep Mar-
ian at number one? Would you
fill out the ballots found in the
April and May issues of FHM.
Filipino Canadian market
rather see Angel return to the (AA Abjelina, PEP.ph)
36 Manila Media Monitor May 2010 ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT

Mars Ravelo’s ‘Basahang mother Ising (Rita Avila),

and sister Gilay (Charm-
leaving her permanently
incapacitated. As such,
his grandmother’s house.
Nurturing a broken heart

Ginto’ on GMA Pinoy TV

ing Lagusad) were left Orang was left with the from her scheming girl-
with no choice but to responsibility of single- friend Sylvia (Vaness del
evacuate and seek new handedly caring and pro- Moral), Danny plans to
MANILA -- The cap- they played very life in the city. viding for her entire fam- use Orang to claim re-
tivating tandem of Geoff special roles before But life in Manila ily. venge against Sylvia by
Eigenmann and Carla finally reuniting in turned out to be crueler By a stroke of fate, educating and dressing
Abellana breathes new this soap. than they expected. One Orang meets Danny their housemaid to act
life to another Filipino night, while selling rugs (Geoff), a wealthy bache- and look like a real social-
classic as they star on on the street, a speeding lor who mysteriously of-
GMA Pinoy TV’s latest car accidentally hit Ising, fers her a job as a maid in MAR’S cont’d on p.38
Sinenovela offering titled
“Basahang Ginto” begin-
ning May 28. T’BOLI from p. 34 handed down from gen- the Mindanao “Lumads”
Based on the 1951 eration to generation (People of the Earth) cou-
graphic novel by the rubbing process) brings for thousands of years. pled with the loving desire
legendary Mars Ravelo, out the waxy sheen of the Perhaps what made the of the indigenous women
which was later made cloth. t’nalak clothe making to teach their daughters
into a movie by Sam- Davao City residents endure for centuries is this special skill and life-
paguita Pictures, Basah- who recently took a pen- the artistic and spiritual time livelihood continue
ang Ginto is about the as- chant for things ‘native’ dedication by the T’boli to strengthen the bond
tonishing transformation are craving to lay their women of Lake Sebu. between the old and the
of a simple housemaid hands on various t’nalak (The hinterland town of new generations of na-
into a sophisticated and designs (all designs are Lake Sebu situated two tive women.
high-powered socialite. uniquely different). Home thousand feet above sea Indeed, the t’nalak
In this version, Carla owners with ‘a touch of level in South Cotabato. which gives colour to the
will assume the role of class’ use t’nalak for up- Southern Mindanao, T’boli world stands as a
Orang, originally played holstery of sofa sets, din- Philippines is populated proud symbol of a rich
by Alicia Vergel, while ing tables and wall de- by five other indigenous cultural heritage and a
Geoff will reprise the cors. Professionals with tribes speaking entirely strong bond which con-
character of Danny, pre- sophisticated taste go for different and distinct lan- tinue to remind Filipinos
viously portrayed by the Geoff Eigenmann and Carla Abellana t’nalak attaché case, port- guages not found in other of their long forgotten
late Pancho Magalona. folio or handbags and provinces of the country ancestors.
Both Geoff and Carla Orang (Carla) was ing accident. When her layered jackets. or elsewhere).
were last seen in the raised in an Aeta com- father was killed while The exceptional qual- The cultural and spiri- Manila Media Monitor
high-rating telefantansya munity by a couple who trying to protect their ity of the fabric is a rich tual significance of the Tel. (416) 285-8583
The Last Prince where rescued her from a min- land, Orang, her pregnant legacy of creative art t’nalak in the lives of
REFLECTIONS May 2010 Manila Media Monitor 37

Fast Food For

The names Normandy, Due to the terview with 6000 Filipino veterans who
Dunkirk, Bastogne, Iwo Jima, relentless as- a survivor, the have acquired US citizenship
Bataan and Corregidor are hal-
lowed names of places where
saults by land
and by sea by Thought 91-year
uncle of my
old and $9000 each to the 12,000
living in the Philippines. This
epic battles of World War II the Japanese -- Rudy M. Viernes deceased wife, 18,000 is roughly 7% of the
were fought. and because of now bedridden 250,000 veterans who have
Those fought in Bataan and dwindling sup- in the Philip- filed claims.
Corregidor became the wa- plies of food, The Fall of Bataan pines. He said Most of them have faded

and the Death March

tershed of the war of attrition
in the Philipines where the
Filipinos, trained during the
Commonwealth period, had
proved their mettle in combat
alongside their GI comrades-
in-arms.
The remaining forces of the
United States Armed Forces in
the Far East (USAFFE) com-
posed of Filipinos and Ameri-
cans then commanded by Gen.
Douglas MacArthur were with-
drawn to the Bataan peninsuila
where they made their last stand
against the Japanese banzai at-
tack. The defending army was
renamed United States Forces
in the Philippines (USFIP) and
placed underr Gen. Jonathan
Wainwright. Gen. MacArthur
then retreated to Australia upon
order of then Pres. Roosevelt,
to plan the liberation of the
Philippines which started in
October 1944 in the Leyte
landing. Before that he made
his famous “I Shall Return”
vow that resounded around the
world.
medicines and
munitions,
the resistance
forces held up
in Bataan and Corregidor ca-
pitulated on April 9, 1942, a
day of ignominy.
That was the Fall of Bataan
and the infamous Death March
begun. The fall of Bataan
meant the surrender to the
Japanese of more than 75,000
soldiers, 67,000 of whom were
remnants of the Philippine
Scouts and those who served
in the Commonwealth Army.
This was the single, largest
surrender of a military force in
the annals of war.
The Bataan Death March
was accounted as a Japanese
war crime and the account-
ability fell into the lap of Gen.
Masharu Homma, then the
over-all commander of the Jap-
anese Imperial Forces in the
Philippines. He was convicted
to die by an Allied Commis-
sion on April 3, 1946 outside
Manila.
he was beaten away, like old soldiers, a sorry
by a rifle butt lot they have not seen the light
when he tried of day. Those still living are
to assist a fall- now in their twilight years and
The March involved the en comrade due to exhaustion. suffering from a host of health
transfer of the 75,000 war pris- He could not imagine how he issues and maladies.
oners from Mariveles, Bataan had pulled through under such If it is any solace this pal-
to Camp O’Donnell intern- atrocious circumstances which try sum is better than nothing,
ment camp in Capas, Tarlac -- he credited to his will to live though late, or never. It was
a 60 mile (97 kms) walk lasting and his fortitude in God. He a relief and gratitude that the
nearly a week -- a litmus test could not contain his emotion US government had finally ad-
of endurance, agony and pain. that we felt his anguish as he dressed an inequity and injus-
Under searing summer heat, broke down during the inter- tice that had festered these ag-
some walking with blistered view. ing and sick veterans for over
feet on hot, dusty roads, the It was a bitter-sweet period six decades.
march was characterized as a in their lives, like my Uncle But a story goes that when
gory spectacle of brutality and Ambo, because after decades of one veteran received his
insensate evil. painful waiting they are finally cheque, in his exultation he
Thousands died enroute starting to receive the benefits collapsed and died of glee, the
from disease, starvation, de- promised them by Pres. Frank- cheque still clapsed over his
hydration, heat prostration and lin D.Roosevelt in his Exec. heart -- which is tantamount to
wanton decapitation. Thou- Order of July 26, 1941 when saying “Aanhin pa ang damo
sands more perished in the con- they were conscripted to fight kung patay na ang kabayuo!”
centration camps in Capas and for America. (What is the grass for if the
Cabanatuan. Fortunate were The Filipino Veterans Eq- horse had already died!)
those who were able to escape uity Compensation Act, in- Last April 9, as on the same
under cover of darkness when cluded in the stimulus package day every year, the Philippines
they came upon sugacane fields signed by Pres. Obama, pro- commemorated Araw ng Kagit-
on both sides of the route. vides a one-time compensa-
We had a brief phone in- tion of $15,000 each to about THE FALL cont’d on p.38

‘‘
Sagot sa PUZZLE
The secret B I L A S K U W A K
of a good S I N A W A A H A R I
sermon is to A S U K A L P A W A T
have a good K U T A T U L A L A
beginning and I G I Y A L E N
B A G
a good end- T O L D A A S K A D
ing, then hav- G A S A T I P A S A
ing the two as A N I L A N A L A S
close together
W A R I T D A K I L A
as possible.
I G A T A L A B L
- George Burns T A P A K A P O N
38 Manila Media Monitor May 2010

UPCOMING PHIL. INDEPENDENCE DAY COUNCIL EVENTS:

Open Letter:
Joint PIDC – Kalayaan Philippine Independence Day Gala
PCOS VOODOO 6 PM, Saturday, June 12, 2010
My dear Fellow Filipinos: Doubletree By Hilton, 655 Dixon Road, Toronto, ON
From the very beginning, I knew it would take a miracle for me to win. I was ecstatic enough that I had the cour-
age, the strength (I’m 62), and the opportunity to run for the Senate. I thought that the long-suffering and complaining - Brought to you jointly by the PIDC and Kalayaan Group of Mississauga, ON
Filipinos could perform a miracle. I believe in the Filipinos and in their capacity for greatness. Contact: Estrellita Aguinaldo (416) 527-4271; or, Buddy Ibe (416) 451-2833
The miracle of a victory did not happen. Something else happened. A black magic against the Filipinos was per-
formed. But the Lord would not allow it to take place without a little miracle in our favor -- in the form of a concrete ***
evidence of vote-shaving and vote-regrowing. It is a PCOS “ Voodoo” or PCOS “Shave & Regrow”. Salu-Salo sa Earl Bales Park (Community Picnic)
I went to Congress to share this story at the House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reform but I have some
eerie feeling that this story will just be buried among the countless stories of Filipino grievances.
10 AM – 8 PM, Saturday, June 19, 2010, Earl Bales Park
I waited patiently for my chance to ask questions and clarifications from the Smartmatic representatives but Bathurst Street, North York, ON
I might be wasting my time waiting forever in the midst of the cacophony of aggrieved and angry voices. When I
presented my case, no Smartmatic representative was present. - Brought to you by the PIDC –
Background Contact: Jun Villaruz (416) 826-6077; or, Gene Elamparo 1 (905) 606-1000 Ext.
I am from Nasugbu, Batangas, residing in Quezon City. I ran for the Senate under Ang Kapatiran Party. The
Nasugbu canvass of votes came out 2:35:55 a.m. of May 11. This is evidenced by the certified true copy of the Cer- 50450
tificate of Canvass (COC) for Nasugbu. The Nasugbu canvass appearing at the ibanangayon.ph shows the correct
results as follows:
Nasugbu
Canvass
Batangas
Canvass EPASSPORT and as a stop-gap mea- passport and the ma-
from p. 33 sure, the Consulate can chine readable passport
President : JC de los Reyes 54
Vice : Jun Chipeco 43
8
7
extend the validity of (maroon) are assured
Senators: - optional: if you want a passport for one year that their passports re-
Tamayo: 606 156
David: 568 154 your old and and new from date of payment, main valid until their ex-
Sison: 421 104 passports mailed back to provided that the pass- piry date. Holders of the
Imbong 324 213
Valdehuesa 157 39 you, please include a pre- port to be extended is green passport, hoswev-
Tarrazona
Riñoza-Plazo
138
11,894
48
47
paid registered envelope, valid at the time of appli- er, are urged to apply for
Ibangayon.ph is the website showing also the partial results like those from the cluster precinct. As of May 11, e.g. xpresspost envelope cation. The fees are Cdn. the ePassport not only
ibanangayon.ph was already showing the completed canvass of Nasugbu votes. As of 3:00 p.m. of May 12, the
COMELEC National Canvass (election results.comelec.gov.ph) for the whole of Batangas was showing the shaved
with the “signature stick- $23.00 for extension and for its security features,
results (appearing above opposite the Nasugbu figures for your easy configuration. er option” paid for. Cdn. $28.75 for an affi- but also for the personal
The votes of all AKP candidates were shaved; worst of all was mine—from 11,894 to a measly 47 votes. These
computerized cheating by shaving or “bawas” was there for all to see at the websites: ibanangayon.ph and for the Processing for ePass- davit on the reasons why convenience provides for
COMELEC national canvass at: electionresults.comelec.gov.ph. Both websites showing varying results were avail- port is one month. Ap- the applicant needs the the holder, such as use of
able until the afternoon of May 12, 2010 as evidenced by affidavits executed by AKP volunteer Administrative Staffs
Jackie Losala and Joyce Solatre. AKP has it in soft copy. plicants are reminded passport urgently. Affida- automated border clear-
When Ang Kapatiran saw the shaved Nasugbu results, our Presidential candidate JC de los Reyes withdrew his
previous act conceding defeat. This withdrawal was prompted by the Nasugbu vote shaving – among the other elec-
that Philippine passports vit forms are available at ance, automated issu-
tion irregularities which were starting to surface. may be renewed at least the Consulate. ance of boarding passes
The retraction by JC de los Reyes was all over the radio and television stations. Within a short period of time,
Jackie Losala reported that the Comelec website could not be accessed. When it reappeared, electionresults.comelec.
six months before expiry Even with the intro- and faster travel arrange-
gov.ph has restored my missing votes—like magic; with the flick of a switch or a sleight of hand. date. duction of the ePassport, ments with airlines.
Notes:
The local municipal canvass such as that of Nasugbu is forwarded to the provincial canvasser such as Batangas In emergency cases holders of the green
only after the total votes had been canvassed in the municipal level. Batangas then forwards the consolidated pro-
vincial canvass to the National COMELEC Canvassing center at the PICC which is supposed to reflect my total
Nasugbu results of 11, 894 votes. But up to May 12, at about 3:00pm it was reflecting only 47 votes out of 11, 894.
It remained that way for almost 2 days from the date and time of the completion of the Nasugbu Municipal Canvass. THE FALL dressed in full regalia gleaming Cross towering
The shaved figures however were magically rectified after the fraud has been discovered by the AKP staffs and after
JC de los Reyes already withdrew his act of conceding defeat -- with the Nasugbu shaving as one of his reasons. from p. 37 with their families. The 92 meters in the sky as if
Questions and Probable Answers Japanese ambassador to it’s still sounding “Taps”
1. Why were there two varying sets of figures representing the canvassed Nasugbu AKP votes when these num-
bers were supposed to have been sent by one and the same counting machine (PCOS)? There must be two or more ingan (Day of Valor), a the US would deliver a that reververates all over
PCOS handling the same votes but performing different functions such as diverting, adding, shaving, etc. Or the
Nasugbu Municipal votes were simply shaved while being transmitted to the Batangas Provincial canvasser.
public holiday, in tribute speech in abject apology. a vast expanse of reverent
2. How was the shaved figures rectified after the discovery of the shaving and the publicized retraction by JC to our veterans. In many But the most enduring silence of what was once
de los Reyes to make them conform to the correct number of votes appearing at the Nasugbu COC (Certificate of
Canvass)? This rectification/regrowing shows that with the flick of a switch or a sleight of hand of those manning the
cities of the US where shrines of all that keep a scorched land where
PCOS the canvassed votes can be subjected to subtraction, addition, multiplication; may be made to disappear into still live Bataan and Cor- the memories alive for all once fought the Battle of
the cyberspace, even dance Cha-cha and/or follow any other action at the whim of the operator.
3. During the almost two days when the AKP votes were missing in the COMELEC canvass, where were they regidor veterans, or had eternity are those in the Bataan.
being kept or stored? Were they waiting for the highest bidder or have been diverted already in favor of other can- lived, there are similar Philippines. There is the All these are fitting
didates? When the correct figures of AKP votes were restored, were these numbers taken back from the candidates
in whose favor they were credited or did the PCOS manufacture the missing number of votes? This must be one tributres, i.e. a highway, a Capas National Shrine in tributes to the fortitude,
explanation for the avalanche of excessive number of votes in favor of the winning candidates right after the closing
of the poles.
bridge, a school building, Camp O”Donnell in Tar- valor and courage of our
Coming out with this expose can pit me against heartless machines operated by men and women with devious an edifice, a trail, or an an- lac along the MacArthur veterans who fought in
schemes. But I trust in the Filipinos’ basic sense of righteousness. With this faith in you, I believe that you will help
me get to the bottom of what may be called Precinct Count Optical Scam ( PCOS 2010). Or at the very least, you
nual Bataan Day March. highway to commemorate Bataan and Corregidor,
have given me a chance to present to you my case. And for this I thank you. There is the American the Death March. There suffered or died in the
May God bless us all and light our road. Defenders of Bataan and is the Dambana ng Kagit- Death March that fol-
Corregidor that holds ingan (Altar of Valor) on lowed, a wartime event
Sincerely yours,
regularly scheduled con- Mt. Samat in Mariveles, never before witnessed
Atty. Grace Riñoza-Plazo
AKP Senatorial Candidate
vention attended by the Bataan with a collonade anywhere in the history
Quezon City, Philippines survivors, well-nigh their that houses an altar, es- of mankind. (rudmanfri-
octo years and beyond planade, a museum and a day@yahoo.com)

MAR’S from p. 36 bearing two things in as Gogo, Carlo’s driv-

ite. Danny also changes
her name from Orang to
Laura Esquiviel.
But Danny soon re-
alizes that he no longer
needs to make Sylvia
jealous as he is already
falling in love with the
beautiful Laura. Upon
this discovery, howev-
er, Laura also finds out
about what really hap-
pened during the night of
the accident, which pre-
sumably involves Danny.
Laura ends up running
away from the mansion
mind: to seek revenge
and to unravel the mys-
tery that conceals her true
identity.
Completing the cast
of “Basahang Ginto”
are Celia Rodriguez as
Donya Mariana, Danny’s
grandmother; Jackie Lou
Blanco as Elaine, Dan-
ny’s mother; Samantha
Lopez as Lilian, Orang’s
biological mother; Tony
Mabesa as Cecilio,
Orang’s etiquette tutor;
Kevin Santos as Carlo,
Danny’s cousin; Bearwin
Meily as Manoro, Ising’s
husband; Jim Pebangco
er; Dion Afi as Bebot,
Orang’s Aeta bestfriend;
and Byron Ortile as Mi-
chael, Orang’s younger
brother.
With multi-awarded
director Joel Lamangan
at the helm, another time-
less literary piece gets to
touch and inspire today’s
television viewers. The
much-awaited pilot epi-
sode of this Sinenovela
airs on May 28 on GMA
Pinoy TV. Call your pre-
ferred pay-TV operator to
subscribe. (GMA7 Pinoy
TV PR)
May 2010 Manila Media Monitor 39
40 Manila Media Monitor May 2010