The Filipino Post

Pinoys in Korea stay put

2010-11-25T22:45:00.000-08:00

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Esteban Conejos yesterday said no Filipino in South Korea has expressed intent to return home following the attack by North Korea on the South last Tuesday.

Some 60,000 Filipinos are in South Korea, most of them factory worker-trainees, entertainers, and construction workers. In North Korea, there are nine Filipinos, five of them working for the United Nations and the four for an international company.

The Department of Labor and Employment has set aside an initial P25 million in case of repatriation. – Gerard Naval

ABS-CBN hits Willie Revillame with P127-M copyright case

2010-11-25T22:42:00.001-08:00

MANILA, Philippines - ABS-CBN has filed a P127-million copyright infringement suit against estranged talent Willie Revillame, his company Wil Productions, Inc., and the president of his new home network, TV5's Ray Espinosa.

The Kapamilya network, through a 33-page complaint filed before the Makati Regional Trial Court on Nov. 24, claimed that the parties in question “deliberately and intentionally imitated ‘Wowowee,’” a top-rating noontime show which Revillame previously hosted on ABS-CBN, thereby violating section 172.2 of the Intellectual Property Code.

Section 172.2, under Chapter Two of the IPC’s Law on Copyright, states that “works are protected by the sole fact of their creation, irrespective of their mode or form of expression, as well as of their content, quality and purpose.”

These “works” are defined under section 172.1 as “original intellectual creations in the literary and artistic domain protected from the moment of their creation.”

ABS-CBN claimed that they own the copyright of “Wowowee” since they are the producer of the said show.

Revillame is currently hosting a variety-game show on TV5 called “Willing Willie,” which, ABS-CBN alleges, is "undeniably a copycat of Wowowee,” thus “[stealing] the goodwill that ‘Wowowee’ has built over the past 5 years of airing in ABS-CBN."

The network enumerated in the same complaint, the portions on “Willing Willie” which allegedly bear striking similarities to “Wowowee.”

These include the production number done at the beginning of the show; segments called “Big Time Ka” and “Willtime Bigtime” which are allegedly similar with “Wowowee”’s “Biga-Ten” and “Willie of Fortune,” respectively; “Willing Willie” dancers and other characters who previously appeared on “Wowowee”; and even lighting, camera angles, studio audience seat layout, stage and set design.

The TV host had also signed a contract with ABS-CBN which they stated includes the following statement:

“Talents acknowledge that ABS-CBN is the sole and exclusive owner of the copyright of its shows in which he/she is to appear and that he/she waives or assigns, whatever moral or other intellectual property rights he/she may have in the show.”

TV5’s continuous airing of “infringing work ‘Willing Willie,’” the Kapamilya station added, “has caused and continues to cause irreparable damage to ABS-CBN.”

Apart from the copyright infringement case, ABS-CBN also asked, for the third time, the court for a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) and/or a Writ of Injunction to stop the production and airing of “Willing Willie.”

The Quezon City Regional Trail Court, under the sala of Judge Luisito Cortez, as well as the Court of Appeals, have dismissed the previous TROs that the network sought.

Confidence in PH grows despite economic slowdown—Palace

2010-11-25T22:41:00.000-08:00

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine economic growth slowed in the third quarter to 6.5 percent, new data showed Thursday, but analysts said consumer and investor confidence were growing under the nation's new president.

The year-on-year expansion for July-September was down from 7.9 percent in the previous quarter, when the economy was artificially boosted by a government spending spree to coincide with national elections in May.

Storms that cut agricultural output – destroying rice crops – also contributed to the slowdown, according to the government's economic planning department.

However a 4.2-percent rise in consumer spending helped offset weakness in other sectors, suggesting Filipinos are optimistic about the direction of the economy under President Benigno Aquino III.

"The good news is that consumption has picked up and most of the other indicators seem to indicate robust consumption spending moving towards the end of the year," Aquino's spokesman, Ricky Carandang, told reporters.

Aquino, who took office on June 30 after winning the presidential elections in a landslide, has said one of his top priorities is to improve investor confidence in a national economy long afflicted by corruption.

His anti-graft efforts and restrained fiscal policies appear to be working, according to Neeraj Jain, head of the Philippine country office of the Asian Development Bank.

"The mood has gone up and... the economy is doing better than expected," Jain told Agence France-Presse, adding the third quarter growth topped the bank's forecast in September of 6.2-6.3 percent.

He said there had been a positive response to a pitch Aquino made this month for $3.4 billion worth of investment in infrastructure. Aquino promised a level and graft-free playing field for foreign companies.

"The investors' conference... improved the mood on the Philippines. It was very well organised and the government came out with very clear policy statements," Jain said, but added this was not the only reason for optimism.

"This administration has shown exemplary fiscal prudence in the last four months. It must continue to show that fiscal prudence."

In another signal of growing confidence, Jain pointed to the decision by international ratings agency Standard and Poor's this month to raise the Philippines' sovereign credit rating by a notch to "BB".

Manny Aquino, a senior economic policy researcher at the House of Representatives, also said investors liked the government's priority of wooing investors to upgrade crumbling roads, erect new airports and build rail lines.

"He's treading the right path because the lack of infrastructure is one of the bottlenecks to productivity," said Aquino the economist – no relation to the president.

However, state revenues must rise substantially to support government spending that would lead to higher growth over a longer period, he said.

Economic Planning Secretary Cayetano Paderanga said the government was optimistic about the short-term prospects for the economy, and that full-year growth would exceed the official target of 5-6 percent.

Aside from consumer spending, he cited double-digit growth in durable equipment investment, which would suggest business activity will pick up amid benign inflation and low interest rates.

Revised data announced by the economic planning ministry showed gross domestic product expanded at 8.0 percent in the first half, up from 7.9 percent.

It brought the nine-month GDP growth to 7.5 percent.

Pesos now bear Aquino signature

2010-11-25T22:39:00.001-08:00

MANILA, Philippines—President Aquino told monetary officials that he practiced his penmanship for the new peso notes which will be in circulation starting Friday.

The complete set of Philippine peso bills bearing the signature of Mr. Aquino was presented to him Thursday in Malacañang by Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) officials led by its governor, Armando Tetangco.

“(The President) narrated how he practiced to improve his penmanship and showed several practice sheets to us,” said Monetary Board member Ignacio Bunye, who was at the closed-door BSP presentation of the new peso notes.

The new peso bills have the same design and features as the existing ones.

Bunye said Mr. Aquino was pleased with the new peso notes.

The President confirmed his meeting with BSP officials on December 16, this time for the presentation of the first set of new generation currencies, according to Bunye.

He was referring to the launching next month of a new redesigned batch of bank notes that will feature an upgraded design and security features.

It was the first time Bunye and fellow Monetary Board member Peter Favila—who both served under then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo—were with Mr. Aquino in Malacañang.

Bunye had served as press secretary and presidential spokesperson of Ms Arroyo, while Favila had served as her trade secretary.

Design, security upgraded

Fe de la Cruz of the BSP’s Corporate Affairs Office said the central bank had stopped printing peso notes bearing the signature of Arroyo when Mr. Aquino assumed office on June 30.

She said the current peso bills would “still be legal tender” and that these would “coexist” with the new redesigned bank notes to be circulated next month.

“For three or more years, the present design will still be legal tender,” De la Cruz told reporters.

She said the BSP was giving the present design at the most four years before these are demonetized.

“We can’t disclose the (new) design but we’d like to tell you we’re excited about it,” De la Cruz said.

Only the design and security features of the new notes will be upgraded, she said. The color of the new bank notes will be retained so as not confuse the people.

She assured the public that the security features would be “more difficult and more costly” for counterfeiters to copy.

The BSP prints about 2 billion pieces of bank notes every year.

Webb dares Vizconde to name SC justices

2010-11-25T22:37:00.000-08:00

MANILA, Philippines – Lauro Vizconde should name the Supreme Court justice he claimed was trying to convince his colleagues to reverse the life sentence ruling by a lower court against the convicted killer of his wife and two daughters and the other justice who tipped him about it.

The challenge came from former Senator Freddie Webb, father of Hubert Webb who has been in prison for the last 15 years after he and six others were found guilty of murdering Estrellita Vizconde and her daughters Carmela, 18, and Jennifer, 7, in June 1991.

“Napakadami niyang sinabi na di makatotohanan, masakit din naman
lalung-lalo na sa mga members na kanyang binabanggit [He has said a lot of things that are not truthful, this is causing pain as well, especially to the members he is referring to],” Webb told Radyo Inquirer’s Jay Sonza of “Tapatan” Friday.

Vizconde “should bare” his sources to be fair to them, said the older Webb, now a broadcaster.

The former senator cautioned Vizconde to be careful about his allegations and challenged him to identify the high court magistrate involved.

Vizconde expressed fears that that the Supreme Court would reverse its decision because one of its justices was allegedly trying to convince colleagues to reverse the ruling of Paranaque Judge Amelita Tolentino.

Vizconde refused to identify the justice who was allegedly doing the rounds but said that this justice testified in favor of Webb during the trial at the sala of Tolentino, now a justice of the Court of Appeals.

The widower also did not identify the Supreme Court justice who told him of the purported on-going effort to have Webb acquitted.

But the former senator reiterated that was impossible for his son to be involved in the murders because he was in the United States when it happened.

He said his family released all records furnished by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which detailed his son’s activities for the whole month of June in 1991 when he was in the US.

“We made public all these reports, that’s why it’s unbelievable [that] he’s still jailed,” he added.

But Webb said he and his family remained steadfast in their belief that his son would be reunited with them.

“We don’t know where this case is gonna go, . . . but have faith, things happen in God’s time,” said the older Webb.

When asked whether there was a time when he wanted to take justice in how own hands, Webb said, “I have to answer you truthfully, it has crossed my mind, but what keeps me sane is my trust in the Lord. Sometimes, you get to the point when you don’t believe anymore [in the justice system],” he said.

Asked if he still felt bitterness towards Vizconde, the former lawmaker said, “I always say wholeheartedly that I sympathize with them, I could not imagine what he went through. But I hope he feels also what my family, what Hubert is going through, he’s been jailed for 15 years even if he is innocent,” Webb said.

Asked anew if he could forgive the judge who gave the life sentence to his son, he said, “That’s very difficult to answer.”

Facebook banned for hours in Saudi Arabia

2010-11-25T00:41:00.000-08:00

Riyadh, Nov 14 : The social networking website Facebook was restricted in Saudi Arabia for several hours Saturday, according to users.

Users of the widely-popular Facebook were only able to access the website around sundown.

According to a source at the Telecommunications Agency in Saudi Arabia, the site was restricted most of the day because it did not conform with social values.

Facebook, which has over 200 million active users, was temporarily restricted in Pakistan and Bangladesh earlier this year due to a group on the website that was planning an "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day", which led to massive demonstrations by people in both Muslim-majority nations.

Appeal to Pope: Allow condom use for couples

2010-11-24T22:29:00.001-08:00

MANILA, Philippines—Iloilo Representative Janette Garin said the statement of Pope Benedict XVI on condom use was laudible, but wanting.

Why is condom use acceptable among male prostitutes and not among couples who need it as much, asked Garin, a medical doctor and author of one of the reproductive health bills pending in the House of Representatives.

"It's good that the Vatican is now trying to open its door but it's quite ironic for them to allow condom use only for male prostitutes," she said.

"We pity couples with HIV and partners whom they continuously deprive of the right to copulate as husband and wife," she added. "More detrimental are the children born to HIV-positive parents."

Garin appealed to the Pope to support the advocacy for a better quality of life, "by allowing governments to improve their social capital and by giving every couple the right to plan their family."

"If condoms are for male prostitutes, is it highly immoral to deprive married couples with this? We believe in the sanctity of marriage and family, the basic unit of our society. They should be prioritized more than prostitution," she said.

In his upcoming book, the Pope had said that for some people, such as male prostitutes, using condom could represent a first step in assuming moral responsibility “in the intention of reducing the risk of infection.”

The Vatican’s ban on contraception remains, but Alberto Melloni, an Italian church historian, said Benedict “opened without a doubt a crack that cannot help but have consequences,” according to an Associated Press report.

Benedict has waded into an issue where no Pope has gone since Paul VI’s famous 1968 encyclical “Humanae Vitae” barred Catholics from using condoms and other artificial contraception.

Pressure to lift that ban has grown with the spread of the HIV virus, which has infected some 60 million people worldwide and led to 25 million AIDS-related deaths over three decades.

‘Don’t argue with Church, lobby for LGU ordinances’

2010-11-24T22:26:00.001-08:00

BALER, Aurora—Gov. Bellaflor Angara-Castillo, one of the original supporters of the reproductive health (RH) bill when she served as Aurora representative, said advocates, instead of arguing with Church leaders, should lobby for ordinances in local governments to promote RH rights and family planning.

“I never took a confrontational stance against the Church. But we want to tell the Church that the bill is not about abortion because abortion is a crime,” she said.

The Church and prolife groups have opposed the passage of House Bill No. 96 (the proposed Reproductive Health and Population Development Act of 2010) filed by Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, saying it promotes the use of contraceptives that are considered to induce abortion.

Castillo, who co-authored HB 8110 (The Integrated Population and Development Act of 1999) and authored HB 4110 (proposed Reproductive Health Care Act of 2002), said “localizing” the RH bill was a good strategy to ensure that the measure’s objectives would reach the grassroots.

Not about religion

“We should not deepen the conflict with the Catholic Church because its leaders would not change their position on the bill.

“But the RH bill is not about religion; the bills pending in Congress are not going against the [teachings] of the Church. The bills are actually prolife legislation,” Castillo said.

She said HB 4110 sought to promote the giving of accurate information on reproductive health to couples and individuals and to provide access to safe, affordable and quality reproductive health care services.

She said the bill also sought to provide services for the prevention of abortion and management of post-abortion complications and the elimination of violence against women, among others.

Castillo said if local governments passed their own versions of these RH measures, foreign funding agencies, such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), could come in and help implement the projects.

In July 2005, a year after she ended her three terms in Congress as representative of Aurora, Castillo led provincial officials in crafting and passing a provincial ordinance on reproductive health, family planning and responsible parenthood.

Political will

Among the ordinance’s features are the holding of information drives on reproductive health, training of barangay health workers and distribution of contraceptives in the province.

The information campaign included lectures on responsible parenthood, birth spacing and nutrition programs in relation to sustaining a healthy family.

Castillo said lawmakers who supported the RH bill should not waver and must have a strong political will to fight for its passage.

‘Condom lesser of 2 evils’

2010-11-24T22:21:00.001-08:00

VATICAN CITY—In a seismic shift on one of the most profound—and profoundly contentious—Roman Catholic teachings, Pope Benedict XVI on Tuesday clearly acknowledged that the need to prevent diseases like AIDS could outweigh the Church’s long opposition to the use of condoms.

It was a significant and stunning personal pronouncement from the conservative Pope after more than two decades of heated debate inside the Roman Catholic Church and condemnation by health workers, who said the Church’s ban on prophylactics was morally indefensible during the AIDS crisis.

The Vatican said condoms were the lesser of two evils when used to curb the spread of AIDS, even if their use prevented a pregnancy.

The Vatican still holds that condom use is immoral and that Church doctrine forbidding artificial birth control remains unchanged. Still, the reassessment on condom use to help prevent disease carries profound significance, particularly in Africa where AIDS is rampant.

The position was an acknowledgment that the Church’s long-held anti-birth control stance against condoms doesn’t justify putting lives at risk.

The new stance was staked out as the Vatican explained Benedict’s comments on condoms and HIV in a book based on his interview with a German journalist.

Not only to men

The Vatican spokesperson, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, told reporters on Tuesday that he asked the Pope whether he intended his comments to apply only to men. Benedict replied that it really didn’t matter, the important thing was that the person took into consideration the life of another.

“I personally asked the Pope if there was a serious, important problem in the choice of the masculine over the feminine,” Lombardi said. “He told me no. The problem is this: ... It’s the first step of taking responsibility, of taking into consideration the risk of the life of another with whom you have a relationship.”

“Whether it’s a man or woman or a transsexual,” Lombardi added.

Lombardi said the Pope didn’t use the technical terminology “lesser evil” in his comments because he wanted his words to be understood by the general public. Vatican officials, however, said that was what he meant.

“The contribution the Pope wanted to give is not a technical discussion with scientific language on moral problems,” Lombardi said. “This is not the job of a book of this type.”

‘A game changer’

In the book, the Pope reaffirms Vatican opposition to homosexual acts and artificial contraception, as well as the inviolability of marriage between man and woman.

But by broadening the condom comments to also apply to women, the Pope was saying that condom use is a lesser evil than passing HIV onto a partner, even when pregnancy is possible.

“We’re not just talking about an encounter between two men, which has little to do with procreation. We’re now introducing relationships that could lead to childbirth,” declared the Rev. James Martin, a prominent Jesuit writer and editor.

“By acknowledging that condoms help prevent the spread of HIV between people in sexual relationships, the Pope has completely changed the Catholic discussion on condoms,” said Martin, a liberal-leaning author of books about spirituality and Catholic teaching.

“This is a game changer,” he said.

Conservatives reeling

Though Benedict did not endorse the general use of condoms or change official Church teaching, his words ricocheted around the globe, greeted with anger from some conservative Catholics and enthusiasm from clerics and health workers in Africa. The Pope considers the continent to be a major area of growth for the Church.

“We’re in a new world,” said the Rev. Jon Fuller, a Jesuit priest and a physician at the Center for HIV/AIDS Care and Research at Boston Medical Center.

The Pope is “implicitly” saying, he said, “that you cannot anymore raise the objection that any use of the condom is an intrinsic evil.”

Catholic conservatives who believed Catholic teaching against contraception to be inviolable were reeling.

“This is really shaking things up big time,” said Dr. John M. Haas, president of the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia, who serves on the governing council of the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy for Life.

Haas, a moral theologian, said he had seen an embargoed copy of a new book in which the Pope conceded there might be extreme cases in which there were grounds for the use of condoms. “I told the publisher, ‘Don’t publish this; it’s going to create such a mess,’” he added.

In the book, “Light of the World,” Benedict says that condoms were not “a real or moral solution,” but that in some cases they could be used as “a first step in the direction of a moralization, a first assumption of responsibility.”

But his words left room for ambiguity.

Lost in translation

In the book’s German and English editions, the text cited the example of a male prostitute, implying homosexual sex, in which a condom would not be a form of contraception. The Church opposes contraception on the grounds that every sexual act should be open to procreation.

But questions emerged when the book’s Italian edition, excerpted by the Vatican newspaper on Saturday, used the feminine form of prostitute.

On Tuesday, Lombardi said that the Italian translation was an error, but that the Pope had specifically told him that the issue was not procreation but rather disease prevention—regardless of gender.

Lombardi said he had spoken directly with the Pope at least twice since Sunday and that Benedict had personally approved a statement he released on the condom question, indicating how adamant the Pope was.

Pope’s courage

Benedict’s papacy has suffered from frequent communications missteps. But this time, it appeared that the Pope was sending an intentional message.

Lombardi said he had asked Benedict if he had recognized the risk in publishing a book of interviews in a complex media landscape where his words might be “misunderstood.”

“The Pope smiled,” Lombardi said.

Lombardi praised Benedict for his “courage” in confronting the problem.

“He did it because he believed that it was a serious, important question in the world of today,” Lombardi said, adding that the Pope wanted to give his perspective on the need for greater humanized, responsible sexuality.

Helping fight AIDS

“What the Pope said about the use of condoms to prevent illness certainly is significant and helps the comprehensive fight against AIDS in Africa,” said Mario Marazziti, the spokesperson for the Community of Sant’Egidio, a Catholic group in Rome that runs 40 AIDS clinics in 10 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

During the decades of debate about condoms, the chorus of voices from inside the Church challenging its position had grown increasingly louder—especially in Africa.

When a committee of American bishops issued a document in 1987 arguing that public AIDS-prevention programs could include information on condoms, they were roundly criticized by Vatican officials, including Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict, who was then head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican’s doctrinal office.

In 2001, the Southern African Bishops Conference issued a landmark pastoral letter, which said that in a case of a married couple in which one spouse was HIV-positive and the other was not, the use of “appropriate” protection to prevent the spread of HIV was acceptable.

That notion had gained wider acceptance in the Church, as it became clear in 2004 when a priest from the conservative Opus Dei movement wrote an article that also supported the concept.

HIV cases falling

The latest development came on a day when UN officials announced that the number of new HIV cases has fallen significantly—thanks to condom use—and a US medical journal published a study showing that a daily pill could help prevent spread of the virus among gay men.

The groundbreaking shift would appear likely to restrain any public criticism from Catholic conservatives, who insisted that the Pope was merely reaffirming the Church’s moral teaching.

Conservatives have feared that a comment like this would give support to Catholics who want to challenge the Church’s ban on artificial contraception in an environment where they feel they are under siege from a secular, anti-Catholic culture.

Degrees of evil

Msgr. Jacques Suaudeau, an expert on the Vatican’s bioethics advisory board, said the Pope was articulating the theological idea that there are degrees of evil.

“Contraception is not the worst evil. The Church does not see it as good, but the Church does not see it as the worst,” he told the AP. “Abortion is far worse. Passing on HIV is criminal. That is absolute irresponsibility.” Reports from Associated Press and New York Times News Service

RH bills to go to the last inch

2010-11-24T22:18:00.001-08:00

CONGRESSMEN opposing the reproductive health bill yesterday tried to derail the first committee hearing on the controversial measure by questioning the jurisdiction of the House committee on population and family relations chaired by Biliran Rep. Rogelio Espina.

Cebu Rep. Pablo Garcia asked why the measure was not referred to the committee on health when the principal subject matter is reproductive health and "there can be no negation of that statement."

"Why is it in the committee on population? This referral is pre-meditated to change the real intention of the bill," he said, noting that the implementing agencies of the RH are the Department of Health and the Population Commission which is also under the Department of Health.

Garcia said the House Bill 96 of minority leader Edcel Lagman was tailored to justify the bill’s referral to the Espina panel instead of the health committee "where the bill truly belongs."

"Perhaps it is because they thought that the population issue is more defensible or less difficult to defend. The health provisions of the bill are not easy to defend, because even the World Health Organization classifies the contraceptives are carcinogenic. Why should we now say that this is principally a population bill rather than a reproductive health bill?" he said.

Lagman, principal advocate of the measure, said it was the committee on rules which decided to refer the RH bills to the population committee which has the "sole and exclusive" jurisdiction on the measures.

It is very obvious, he said, that those questioning the panel’s jurisdiction are the ones against the use of contraceptives like condoms as a family planning methods.

"This bill aim to ensure that people can choose free and responsible family planning suited to their needs and personal conviction which is a basic human right," he said.

Lagman said his bill’s aim is to provide married couples the right to sustainable development and to lower the incidents of abortion.

Parañaque Rep. Roilo Golez, another anti-RH lawmaker, said the issue should have been referred jointly to the committees on health and on poverty alleviation because this concerns basic obstetric care, health care service, early child mortality, teenage pregnancy, maternal health, the prevention of HIV-AIDS and others.

"These are health issues, not a population issue," he said.

Espina said the committee will have to ask for the guidance of the committee on rules chaired by majority leader Neptali Gonzales II.

He said, however, that in the course if the hearings, the committee we will be briefed by experts from the DOH and other resource persons "who can provide us with information of what is healthy and safe."

The Church, through the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, is strongly opposing the passage of an RH bill. The pending bills allow the use of artificial contraceptives like condoms and pills. The Church wants couples to use only the natural family planning method.

Opposing sides were face-to-face during the hearing which began at about 9:30 in the morning at the Andaya Hall of the Batasan Complex.

Anti-RH groups from Pro-Life Philippines and the Apostolate for Family Consecration/Family Land Television Network wore pins with the words "I love life" while some of them prayed the rosary during the hearing.

Former Manila mayor Lito Atienza was with the anti-RH groups along with Fr. Eric Genilo of the Institute for Church and Social Issues.

Members of the Apostles of Mary, Catholic Youth League of the Philippines, Legion of Mary, and Knights of Our Lady also attended the hearing carrying an image of St. Joseph, who they said is the patron of the universal Church and protector of the family.

The Church expressed willingness to initiate a new survey on the RH bill, despite numerous surveys showing overwhelming approval for an RH measure.

Bishop emeritus Teodoro Bacani said he sees no problem if CBCP members conduct surveys in their dioceses.

"Ako nga, sabi ko sa inyo, nasubukan ko na. Hindi lang 80 percent, kundi 100 percent ang pagtutol (sa RH bill)," Bacani said.

He said his personal poll is different from the ones being conducted by survey firms because his thoroughly explained the contents of the RH bill.

"Kasi sa survey, gusto niyo ba family planning? Sino naman hindi sasagot ng oo dun. Pero kung paliwanagan mo, gusto niyo ba ang gagawin na pagtulong sa inyo nakakapagpalaglag ng laman ng inyong sinapupunan? Hindi kasi pinapaliwanag yun sa ginagawang survey kaya dapat linawin kung ano talaga ang kahulugan ng bill," he said.

A January survey of the Social Weather Stations showed that almost seven out of 10 or 68 percent of respondents favor giving couples access to all legal means of family planning.

An October 2008 Pulse Asia survey showed 82 percent of the respondents think that the government should not only educate couples regarding modern methods of family planning but also provide them with services and materials on these methods.

Economist Dr. Bernardo Villegas, a leading light of the Opus Dei movement, and George von Winternitz, an expert on demography, asked lawmakers to junk the RH bill.

Villegas, citing studies, said economic development or the state of poverty has been shown to have no correlation with overpopulation.

He said these studies were been conducted over 118 countries in a span of 30 years.

"There are many countries with higher population densities than the Philippines, yet they are richer than our country. There are also many more countries with lower population densities than the Philippines, and yet they are poorer than us," Villegas said.

"It only means that population control is not really the answer to economic growth. Poverty is often caused by poor organization and incompetent and corrupt governments, not by too many people," he added.

He also cited a study from the World Bank that showed that the economic success of eight East Asian countries, excluding the Philippines, was attributed to political stability, macroeconomic stability, focus on early education, accent on agricultural development, sound financial system, openness to foreign ideas and technology, and market-oriented economic policies.

"No mention of birth control," he said.

Villegas also said poverty in the Philippines is a product of corruption, neglect of export promotion, underdeveloped agricultural and infrastructure sectors, as well as lack of quality education.

"Time and again, we have been told by international agencies, both public and private, that P200 billion is being lost to corruption every year. About half of this is due to those who cheat the government by not paying their taxes," he said.

On the morality issue, Villegas agreed with the Church that the RH bill contradicts the Constitution and the divine and natural law; that the individual right of women to space their children as they deem appropriate is subject to the right to life for everyone, from conception to natural death; and that artificial contraceptives, some of which are abortifacients, have adverse side effects on health.

Winternitz said an increase in birth rate is not a problem.

"It would create balance in the continuous economic activity in the country. If we have less people in the future, the demands for products and services decrease," he said.

"Besides a high birth rate would increase the country’s workforce in the future…A healthy economy relies on a healthy proportion of working people," he added.

According to Winternitz, overpopulation is not really a product of bearing so many children, but of a decrease in the death rate.

He said older people live longer nowadays because of improvements in medicine.

Winternitz said an RH law would just pave the way for a decrease in the number of babies that would eventually be added to the number of working population. – With Gerard Naval and Angela Lopez de Leon

Filipino-owned logistics company to expand to Vietnam, Cambodia

2010-11-24T22:15:00.001-08:00

Logistic company Airspeed International yesterday said it is extending its reach to Vietnam and Cambodia to take advantage of the growth of intra-Asia trade.

Rosemarie Rafael, president of Airspeed International, said its expansion to Vietnam and Cambodia was prompted by the transfer of many garments manufacturers to these two countries.

Airspeed is a privately-owned Filipino company engaged in air and sea freight forwarding (inbound and outbound Manila) as well as international door-to-door parcel and cargo service, and customs brokerage.

It handles shipment of garments, perishables and tropical fish, handicraft, electronics and pharmaceuticals. Garments account for 30 to 40 percent of shipments handled while pharmaceuticals account for roughly the same volume.

Most of the garments are shipped to United States and Middle East countries while the destination for pharmaceuticals is Singapore. Exports of tuna, mangoes and okra go to Japan.

In 2009, the company handled $3.61 million worth of air cargo business, against $4.21 million in 2008, because of the economic crisis.

"Coming from a very low level (of revenues) in 2009, we expect a 100 percent increase this year, but in 2011 the growth will be about 20-30 percent," said Mariz Regis, vice president and general manager.

No data was available as to how much was shipped using ocean freight, which is the fast growing revenue generator with 60 percent, compared to airfreight with 40 percent.

She said the growth in the company’s revenues will be driven by the expansion in Vietnam and Cambodia. Sea freight will also lead the growth with the inflow of oversized cargo deliveries.

On the domestic front, Airspeed already covers the entire country, providing logistic service even to remote areas.

"We deliver a variety of products. We even had cargoes drawn by carabao to reach clients in mountainous areas. We always think of service innovations to address our customer’s need," Regis said.

She added that the also deliver lechon from Cebu. And on time to preserve the freshness of the product.

Airspeed use different airlines, including Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, Delta Airline, China airline, Asiana, Korean Air, Emirates, Etihad, Gulf Air and United Airlines.

It uses the Lorenzo Shipping and some ro-ro ships for domestic deliveries. The company has a fleet of more than 20 trucks.

Airspeed has been consistently ranked among the top 10 in the forwarding category by the International Air Transport Association.

"We are proud that a Filipino-owned company is in the elite company of such industry giants in the logistics industry. We will continue to strive and do better by continuously providing price-competitive rates and delivering world-class service to clients. In this way, businesses will find us to be good partners as we understand their needs and offer them the best possible rates," Rafael said.

Airspeed marks it 25th year in service on December 2.

Selling the ‘Philippine’ brand the easy way

2010-11-24T22:14:00.001-08:00

He did not have a hard time selling the "Philippine" abroad. But he is not promoting tourism; he is selling processed fruits.

Justin S. Uy, president of Cebu-based Profood International Corp., started as a small-scale producer of dried mangoes in 1978 but it was not until 1983 when he began exporting little by little to the United States.

Today, Profood is present in 40 countries, selling 11 types of tropical fruits in various forms. It also supplies Nestlé, Del Monte, Coca-Cola, Pepsico and Asahi, among other multinationals.

But its No. 1 market is the US where its products have been distributed since 1997 in mainstream retail chains like Costco, Target, Safeway and Walmart.

Due to the financial crisis in 2009, sales to the US market dropped 10 percent but Uy said sales have recovered since and are in fact increasing.

Uy said the company is targeting to expand its reach to Eastern Europe and China.

Uy said Profood spent P200 million in 2009 to support capacity expansion, which now stands at 50,000 tons of fruits per day. Of the output, 95 percent is exported.

This year, prospects continue to be bright as Uy sees a 20 percent growth from the $50 million export receipts it chalked up in 2009.

Due to the large-scale operations, Profood has put up 30 buying stations all over the country from Ilocos Norte down to General Santos City, benefiting several thousands of farmers. Around 65 percent of Profood’s gross income benefits the rural areas. Today, Profood has 12 manufacturing plants in four sites -- Cebu, Bulacan, Iloilo and Davao.

During peak mango season, about 6,000 workers are employed by the plant.

Dried mangoes are the bestsellers among its products. Other fruits in its product basket include pineapple, guava, passion fruit, jackfruit, among others. These come in dried, pureed, concentrate, jams, jellies, ready-to-drink and other processed preparations.

Uy said Philippine mangoes are twice more expensive than those from Thailand and Vietnam but have definitely better quality.

With the "Philippines" as Profood’s brand, Uy said, "We want to promote the image that Philippine mangoes are the best."

Profood is the first and only mango processing company to achieve certifications such as ISO 9001:2008, HACCP, kosher and halal.

Uy is 2010 Agora awardee for outstanding achievement in entrepreneurship (large-scale).

The best countries to retire to

2010-11-24T08:05:00.000-08:00

With the weather turning icy, thoughts begin to turn to sunnier climes, not just for the Christmas period but for life generally.

The number of Brits trying life abroad has grown significantly over the past few decades — there are more than a million Brits living abroad, according to the Institute for Public Policy research.

And it's not just students taking a year out to 'discover' themselves making pots in a shack in Peru, but older Brits too. According to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, an extraordinary 38% of over-55s are planning to relocate in the next few years.

So if you fancy retiring somewhere abroad, which countries should top your wishlist?

Quality of life

HSBC Bank International has recently published parts of its Expat Explorer Survey, encompassing the views of more than 3,000 expats across more than 100 countries to find which nation performs best in various different areas.

And it found a clear correlation between those countries that offer a great quality of life to all expats, and that nation's popularity among silver expats — those looking for a new country for their twilight years.

But what does quality of life actually mean? The survey took into account a range of features, including the following:

accommodation,
food/diet,
entertainment,
healthcare,
work life balance,
social life,
commute to work,
opportunities for sports
opportunities for travel,
the ease of organising schools for their children,
the ease of learning the language,
how easy to make friends,
healthcare and utilities,
weather,
how easy to fit into the new culture/lifestyle.

The top nations

With that in mind, below are the top 15 ranking nations for overall quality of life according to the Expat Explorer Survey.

Rank	Nation
1	Thailand
2	Bahrain
3	South Africa
4	Canada
5	Bermuda
6	Spain
7	France
8	Switzerland
9	Australia
10	Malaysia
11	Philippines
12	Germany
13	Belgium
14	Singapore
15	Hong Kong

Some of the top-performing nations boast extraordinarily large numbers of retirees among their expats — in Spain, just shy of 40% of all expats are retirees, while France (33%), South Africa (24%), Thailand (24%) and Canada (17%) also boast a large proportion of retired expats.

Perhaps a touch worryingly, the UK finished 23^rd in the survey, behind nations like Qatar and Mexico, but just ahead of Russia and India. And you can't blame that entirely on the weather.

If you can't make your mind up on which nation you'd like to retire to, why not have a read of Ditch Britain for somewhere better!

Metro Pac commits up to $700M for MRT 3

2010-11-24T03:48:00.000-08:00

Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC) is prepared to spend up to $700 million to improve Metro Rail Transit 3.

MPIC chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan, who earlier indicated interest in acquiring a major stake in MRT 3, said the high $700 million and the low $300 million estimates for upgrading MRT 3 are, at this point, based on "desktop analysis."

The money would be used to acquire additional trains, rolling stocks and signaling systems as well to refurbish platforms.

Pangilinan said MPIC has no timeframe yet for the investment because the company is "not in yet" in the project.

MPIC is set to acquire 29 percent in four MRT companies from the Sobrepena group which control the consortium that earlier won the contract to build and operate the train line.

The four companies are Metro Rail Transit Holdings Inc., Metro Rail Transit II Inc., Metro Rail Transit Corp. and Monumento Rail Transit Corp.

The government, through the Development Bank of the Philippines and Land Bank of the Philippines, has taken control of 70 percent of MRT by buying the interest of the other members of the MRT 3 consortium.

MRT 3 stretches 17 kilometers along EDSA. It carries 500,000 passengers a day.

SC freezes ruling on Webb appeal

2010-11-24T03:46:00.001-08:00

THE Supreme Court yesterday indefinitely deferred ruling on the petition filed by Hubert Webb, principal accused in the Vizconde rape-slay case, to reverse his conviction affirmed by the Court of Appeals.

Court administrator and spokesman Jose Midas Marquez said the Webb petition was among the 300 cases tackled by the SC during the resumption of its regular en banc session yesterday, but some justices had asked to be given more time to study the records of the case.

"There were deliberations earlier today during the en banc session. However some justices, after hearing both parties, asked for more time to study the case. There has been no definite day given on when this will be brought again to the en banc," he said.

Marquez said some magistrates requested for more time to come up with their revised or separate opinions.

Webb, son of former senator Freddie Webb, asked the high court to review the ruling of the Court of Appeals which affirmed the guilty verdict handed down by the Parañaque regional trial court on him and his co-accused for the killing of Estrellita Vizconde and her daughters Jennifer, 7, and Carmela, 18. The latter was also raped.

Webb and his co-accused Peter Estrada, Hospicio Fernandez, Michael Gatchalian, Antonio Lejano, Miguel Rodriguez and a certain Joey Filart who remains at large until now, were all sentenced to life imprisonment.

Lauro Vizconde, patriarch of the victims and vice chairman of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption, said he is "disgusted" with this new delay.

"Our case has been lodged with the SC for four years without action. And now this time, after the CA affirmed the lower court’s decision, we have to wait for another time. Pag-aaralan pa raw. Kailan kaya ang katapusan, may katapusan pa kaya? It’s disgusting. We have to wait for an indefinite period again."

The ailing Vizconde, accompanied by a handful of VACC members, held a vigil in front of the SC beginning at 5 a.m. yesterday in anticipation of the high court’s dismissal of Webb’s plea for acquittal.

In a last-ditch effort to prove his innocence, Webb earlier asked the SC to allow the DNA analysis of the semen sample found in the body of Carmela to disprove the prosecution’s claim that he raped her.

When the NBI failed to produce the specimen, which had apparently been lost, Webb moved for his acquittal and subsequent release from detention, saying he was deprived of an opportunity to fully amplify his defense to reverse his conviction.

Go live on carnage trial

2010-11-24T01:46:00.000-08:00

MANILA, Philippines — President Benigno S. Aquino III has written Supreme Court (SC) Chief Justice Renato Corona reiterating his support for the live media coverage of the Maguindanao massacre trial, citing that such would send the message that “justice can and will be dispensed without fear or favor and in the full light of day.”

In a letter dated Nov. 22, President Aquino said that it is his earnest hope that the SC “will, within the many considerations that enter into such a historic deliberation,” attend to the petition of some groups for the High Tribunal to lift the ban on television and radio broadcast of trials, “with the dispatch, dispassion, and humaneness, such a petition merits.”

“I have stated publicly that I support the petition filed before the Supreme Court for this purpose. You and I, and the respective independent branches of government we head, are duty-bound to uphold the Constitution and our laws. We are all bound to ensure that justice is done, and her interests served. Furthermore, we need to make people aware of, and convinced that, justice is being done and her interest served. This can be done by making the trial of important and sensational cases such as the Maguindanao massacre case, public,” Aquino said.

“Permitting the trial to be broadcast and covered fully by media would be a great consolation to the relatives of the massacre victims and our fellow citizens who might otherwise have no opportunity to see justice taking its proper course. A trial conducted in full public view, with the entire nation and the world allowed to witness the proceedings, sends the message that justice can and will be dispensed without fear or favor and in the full light of day,” he pointed out.

In Nov. 23, 2009, 58 individuals, including 32 media practitioners, were massacred at the town of Ampatuan in Maguindanao.

The primary suspects, who are members of the Ampatuan clan, have been arrested but the trial proper has yet to begin.

The gruesome massacre prompted the previous administration to place Maguindanao under Martial Law, which was eventually lifted.

“The trial will also teach us the important lessons of history. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it, as Santayana warned,” President Aquino said.

“So it will be educational for the rest of the people to find out what actually transpired, the reasons behind the atrocity, and what steps should be done to prevent the same from happening again. The more who participate in this great teaching and corrective experience, the faster and the greater the chances will be, of this tragedy never being repeated again,” he said.

Solons back live coverage
Like President Aquino, lawmakers also called on the Supreme Court to reconsider its earlier stance on prohibiting live media coverage of the celebrated Maguindanao massacre.

Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone and Deputy Speaker Lorenzo “Erin” Tañada, one of the authors of the 12 Freedom of Information (FOI) bills pending at the Lower House, asked the High Court to change its mind in banning print, radio, and television networks from making a live media coverage of the trials and hearings, particularly on the cases filed against the alleged perpetrators of the Nov. 23 carnage of 58 people in Maguindanao, including 32 journalists.

“I filed a resolution this (Tuesday) morning expressing the sense of the House of Representatives, supporting the call of the President and the Filipino people for the Supreme Court to reconsider its decision prohibiting the live media coverage on the trials and hearings,” Evardone, chairman of the Committee on Public Information, told a press conference.

In his Resolution No. 671, he argued that the ongoing trial “is not only imbued with public interest, but also the interest of the entire civilized world.”

He said the petitions to allow the conduct of live media coverage are essentially in the nature of requests or applications which must be treated on a case-to-case basis.

“The danger that is sought to be avoided in allowing the conduct of live media coverage is more apparent than real, as there had been cases more notorious than the Maguindanao massacre which had been successfully and fairly concluded despite the live media coverage, such as the trial of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, among others,” Evardone said.

“The right of the people to public information and the freedom of the press are constitutionally recognized and guaranteed right which the Supreme Court must uphold although on a case-to-case basis,” he said.

Promote transparency
Tañada also agreed with Evardone that the media coverage should be allowed to promote transparency.

“There is nothing to hide. I agree that the Supreme Court should reconsider its decision,” he told in the same news conference.

He said the media coverage will help “hasten in providing justice to the 58 massacre victims.”

The Quezon lawmaker said those who have impish plans to derail the court proceedings will be warned not to commit any irregularities because they are under the glare of live cameras.

“The camera can be placed behind so that the people can observe the proceedings,” Tañada said.

Evardone said should the Supreme Court decide to allow live media coverage, it is appropriate if it would issue guidelines on media covering the trial.

Lawmakers, including House Senior Deputy Minority Leader and Maguindanao Rep. Simeon Datumanong and Zambales Rep. Mitos Magsaysay have vowed to craft laws that would pursue the rights of the victims.

Datumanong even said that he would support the imposition of death penalty to help address numerous killings, as he expressed hopes for the immediate prosecution of the perpetrators of the Maguindanao massacre.

State of emergency
President reiterated that the state of emergency declared by the previous administration in Maguindanao, Cotabato City, and Sultan Kudarat will remain as incidents of violence continue in these areas.

He, however, thumbed down calls by some sectors to abolish paramilitary groups who have been blamed for the spate of human rights violations in the country, including the November 23, 2009 massacre in Ampatuan, Maguindanao.

“Not yet at this time,” Aquino said at a press conference after keynoting the 3rd annual convention of the Regional Tripartite Industrial Peace Council (RTPIC) IV-A at the Yazaki-Torres Manufacturing Center, Calamba City, Laguna, when asked why the state of emergency in Central Mindanao has not been lifted.

President Aquino noted that there are still incidents of violence in spite the declaration of the state of emergency.

Measures vs private armies
House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. likewise expressed the Lower Chamber’s readiness to come up with a legislation that would resolve the lingering problem of private armies.

Police and military records showed there are 72 remaining active private armed groups out of the total number of PAGs numbering to 107. The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) has still the highest number of private armies with 19, followed by Region 1 with eight, and Regions 5 and 10 with seven.

The Zenarosa Commission, which was formed during the Arroyo administration, has recommended the passage of an Anti-Private Armies Act, an Anti-Political Dynasty Law, and a law imposing stiffer penalties against those who will be arrested on illegal possession of firearms and those who will be apprehended in committing crimes with the use of firearms.

‘Glacial pace’ trial
British Ambassador Stephen Lillie has scored the Philippine judicial system as he pointed out that one of the reasons why the Maguindanao massacre case is moving at a “glacial pace” is that the judge has other cases to handle in parallel to the murder trial.

“What is alarming, given the importance of this case, is the glacial pace of the trial, with the court sitting only once a week,” Lillie wrote in his blog and posted on Tuesday to commemorate the first anniversary of the Maguindanao massacre. “This is because the judge (Quezon City RTC Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes) has other cases to handle in parallel, a distinctive feature of the Philippine judicial system. Many commentators have voiced doubts as to whether the trial will ever be concluded.”

Judge Reyes earlier allowed a twice-a-week hearing of the Maguindanao massacre case upon request of the prosecution and the defense.

However, Reyes explained the request of both parties to continue the twice-a-week hearing until January next year is not likely since the assisting judges will only be up to December.

Last September, the Supreme Court assigned two judges, Caloocan City RTC Judge Rowena Tan and Quezon City RTC Branch 77 Presiding Judge Vivencio Baclig, to assist Reyes on her other loads so she can concentrate on the Maguindanao massacre hearing.

Lillie also noted that Justice Secretary Leila de Lima has pledged that the trial will be completed in the term of President Beningo Aquino III's administration.

“But this administration still has close on six years to run,” Lillie pointed out.

The British envoy, likewise, cited the debate about whether the trial should be televised in order to demonstrate that justice is being done in the court room.

“I can hardly take exception to the Supreme Court’s opposition to this: British court proceedings are not televised either,” Lillie explained.

He pointed out that ensuring a timely and credible conclusion to the Maguindanao massacre case remains crucial in order to reassure domestic and international opinion of the Philippine administration’s commitment to human rights and the rule of law.

“President Aquino has made clear his determination to see justice for the victims of the massacre,” Lillie said. “Clearly, there must be due process and no short cuts.”

The gruesome massacre took place one year ago when 57 civilians, 32 of them from the media, were abducted and murdered in a brutal political killing in Maguindanao. Lillie described this atrocity as “horrific both in its scale and in the brutality of the killing, with many of the victims raped and mutilated first.”

“A fact which earned the Philippines the dubious distinction of being the most dangerous country in the world for journalists last year,” Lillie said.

He said even Manila Bulletin took up his quote with a front-page banner headline – “The World is Watching” – last year shortly after the massacre took place.

Australia for speedy trial
The Australian government, meanwhile, stressed that the credible and expeditious conduct of the trial will be critical in demonstrating the Philippines’ commitment to protecting human rights and upholding the rule of law.

Australian Ambassador Rod Smith made this statement even as he welcomed the efforts of the Aquino Administration to bring the perpetrators to justice.

According to Smith, Australians join Filipinos in recalling with horror the brutal killing of innocent civilians and journalists in the Maguindanao massacre.

Prelates speak
Likewise, Catholic prelates called for the swift dispensation of justice for the massacre victims, saying justice delayed is justice denied.

“It will be in the best interest of both the accused and the victims nearest of kin to see to it that justice is rendered at the soonest possible time,” Manila Auxiliary Bishop Bernardino Cortez said in an article posted on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) website.

The chairman of the Episcopal Commission on Social Communications and Mass Media said the judicial process could have moved at a much faster pace.

Cotabato Auxiliary Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo also echoed the call of Cortez who is greatly disappointed with the slow pace of the case.

“It’s good that they are looking into the case but the progress is a bit slow,” he said.

The Mindanao prelate then called on the Department of Justice (DoJ) to give importance to the case.

Meanwhile, the National Press Club (NPC) held on Tuesday afternoon a motorcade to condemn the Nov. 23, 2009 massacre.

Exactly one year after the tragedy, officials and members of the NPC held a motorcade starting at 1 p.m. on Tuesday from the NPC office in Intramuros, Manila to the foot of the Chino Roces Bridge (formerly Mendiola). (With a report from Roy C. Mabasa, Leslie Ann G. Aquino, and Jeamma E. Sabate)

Pacquiao camp split over next opponent

2010-11-24T01:44:00.000-08:00

MANILA, Philippines — While Shane Mosley has the full backing of promoter Bob Arum as the leading candidate to face Manny Pacquiao in 2011, Juan Manuel Marquez remains in the mix as Marquez’s promotional team will move heaven and earth to make a third fight happen with the Filipino pound-for-pound king.

Golden Boy Promotions (GBP) big boss Oscar De La Hoya told the Mexican media that a third meeting between Pacquiao and Marquez should be made owing to the controversial outcome to their rematch held in March 2008.

De La Hoya said Marquez “was robbed” of a win over Pacquiao, who eked out a 12-round split decision.

Interestingly, Pacquiao and Marquez had battled to a 12-round split draw the first time they collided in May 2004.

“We will continue looking for that (third) fight (with Pacquiao),” De La Hoya told Ernesto Castellanos of notifight.com.

De La Hoya, who was sent into retirement by Pacquiao after a stoppage loss in Dec. 2008, added: “It is Pacquiao who is avoiding Marquez.”

The first Pacquiao-Marquez showdown was at featherweight (126 lbs), while the second was at super-feather (130). Should a third takes place, it will either be at super-lightweight (140) or at a catch weight of 145 lbs (welterweight).

Pacquiao is coming off a hard-earned 12-round unanimous decision win over Antonio Margarito in Texas and according to his Canadian adviser Mike Koncz, “boxing is still far from his mind.”

“I haven’t talked to him about boxing,” said Koncz. “It’d be better if he relaxes first.”

Members of Team Pacquiao are not on the same page as to who to fight next.

Conditioning coach Alex Ariza said he prefers Marquez over everyone else because if it’s Mosley “Manny might not even train for that fight.”

Pacquiao’s close friend, Cebu promoter Wakee Salud, also believes Marquez is a much better alternative in the event a match with Floyd Mayweather doesn’t materialize.

Arum and Koncz, however, are singing the same tune: They both want Mosley.

Meanwhile, Pacquiao is arriving in Manila from Los Angeles via Philippine Airlines at 5 a.m. Saturday.

PH ready to evacuate all OFWs from Korea

2010-11-24T01:34:00.001-08:00

MANILA, Philippines – The government is prepared to “evacuate all” 60,000 Filipinos in South Korea “if and when needed,” Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs Esteban Conejos said Wednesday.

“Everything is in place. We have an updated plan that addresses the security contingent arising in Korea. We will evacuate all if and when needed,” he said in a phone interview with INQUIRER.net.

The constant tension in the Korean Peninsula starting with the North Korea’s nuclear testing about two years ago prompted the Philippine government to draw up a plan that includes mobilizing its “extensive network” of Filipino community leaders in dangerous situations, Conejos said.

The plan is regularly updated and the last update was on June 9, he said.

“Right now, the Philippine embassy in Seoul has raised alert level 1, which means heightened security for our nationals,” Conejos said. The plan involves four alert levels.

In his phone conversation with Philippine Ambassador to Seoul Luis Cruz, Conejos said the situation as of posting time was “quiet.”

“There have been no new [artillery] exchanges,” he said.

Asked if the Filipinos in South Korea were feeling anxious, Conejos said they were “concerned about the situation, hoping that it would de-escalate soon.”

The DFA official also said that he has not received any report of an unusually high number of OFW departures from South Korea.

“We have the usual number of returns,” Conejos said.

“Right now, they are always free to come home; coming home is an individual decision. But we will enforce compulsory evacuation if we reach alert level 3,” he added.

President Benigno Aquino III has ordered the Department of Foreign Affairs and other agencies concerned with migrant workers and other overseas Filipinos to ensure their safety.

“We are closely monitoring it and I have tasked the relevant agencies to review their plans concerning the safety of our citizens there,” the chief executive said.

Conejos said the plan involved a two-step movement. “In case of escalation, we will move our people out of harm’s way from the danger zone to converge halfway in relocation sites. If the security situation deteriorates, we move them to evacuation centers, from where we will airlift them to safety,” he said.

The DFA official, who has been in charge of overseas Filipino workers in dangerous situations as in Somalia and Iraq, said Philippine military planes and ships, as well as commercial vessels, would be used in case of an evacuation.

Most of the 60,000 Filipinos in South Korea work in factories or as service workers deployed through the government-to-government Employment Placement System. Conejos pointed out that the same system puts the responsibility of repatriation on the employer.

Ban on contraceptives stands, say Vatican officials

2010-11-23T04:27:00.000-08:00

VATICAN CITY—Vatican officials insist it’s nothing “revolutionary,” but to many other people Pope Benedict XVI’s comments regarding condom use mark an important moment in the battle against AIDS and an effort by the Pontiff to burnish his image and legacy.

In the Philippines, the Pope’s remarks immediately sparked a lively debate, with a Malacañang official saying Benedict’s comments could boost the argument for the passage of the reproductive health bill.

Just a year after he said condoms could be making the AIDS crisis worse, Benedict said that for some people, such as male prostitutes, using them could represent a first step in assuming moral responsibility “in the intention of reducing the risk of infection.”

The Vatican’s ban on contraception remains, but Alberto Melloni, an Italian church historian, said Benedict “opened without a doubt a crack that cannot help but have consequences.”

Benedict stepped where no Pope has gone since Paul VI’s famous 1968 encyclical “Humanae Vitae” barred Catholics from using condoms and other artificial contraception.

Pressure to lift that ban has grown with the spread of the HIV virus, which has infected some 60 million people worldwide and led to 25 million AIDS-related deaths over three decades.

The Pope says in his own writings that he takes personal responsibility for the remarks, meaning they are not official Church teaching.

Teaching reaffirmed

The conservative Benedict previously had given little sign of budging on the issue of condoms.

A number of top churchmen have been calling for a humanitarian gesture on the issue of condoms. Others have said condom use is worth considering when one partner in a marriage is HIV positive.

Benedict did not address such cases in his interview, and he reaffirmed Church teaching against artificial contraception.

No change

But he said, “There may be a basis in the case of some individuals, as perhaps when a male prostitute uses a condom, where this can be a first step in the direction of a moralization, a first assumption of responsibility.”

Asked if that meant that the Church wasn’t opposed in principle to condoms, the Pope replied:

The Church “of course does not regard it as a real or moral solution, but in this or that case, there can be nonetheless in the intention of reducing the risk of infection, a first step in a movement toward a different way, a more human way, of living sexuality,” according to an English translation obtained by The Associated Press.

The Holy See’s chief spokesperson, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, issued a statement stressing that the Pope’s comment neither “reforms or changes” Church teaching.

“The reasoning of the Pope cannot certainly be defined as a revolutionary turn,” he said.

Benedict has a reputation as a shy intellectual, and the interview was clearly an attempt to show a more human, more modern thinker.

Clergy can't be more popish than the Pope - Palace

2010-11-23T04:22:00.001-08:00

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang welcomed yesterday the pronouncement of Pope Benedict XVI that condom use may be allowed to prevent the spread of HIV-AIDS, and urged local Church officials to take the same stand because “they cannot be more popish than the Pope.”

“That’s a good step. I think our own clergy should be informed by the views of the Vatican because they’ve always referred to the Vatican when they stated their position, now that the Vatican’s position is such then I think that should result in a corresponding flexibility on the part of our Church,” Presidential Communications Development Secretary Ricky Carandang said.

Carandang said the Pope’s statement could “absolutely” boost support for the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said a meeting on the RH bill between the Palace and the CBCP has been tentatively scheduled between Dec. 7 and 15.

President Aquino has said he is for responsible parenthood, including educating couples on how to plan their families and providing them assistance with artificial birth control methods such as the use of condoms.

“I don’t want to misquote the Pope. I think he was very qualified in what he said but still what you can say is the Pope has shown some flexibility on an issue that is still controversial here. It’s not controversial in the rest of the world anymore,” Carandang said. “I think the Pope’s position should inform the position of the local clergy. Like I said, our clergy cannot be more popish than the pope.”

In excerpts of his upcoming book, the Pope cites the example of the use of condoms by prostitutes as “a first step toward moralization,” even though condoms are “not really the way to deal with the evil of HIV infection.”

The 219-page book embodies Benedict’s responses to questions raised by German Catholic journalist Peter Seewald in over a month of meetings at the papal summer residence.

On the Pope’s mention of condom use as justified in certain cases, such as by prostitutes, Seewald asked: “Are you saying, then, that the Catholic Church is actually not opposed in principle to the use of condoms?”

The Pope answered: “She of course does not regard it as a real or moral solution, but, in this or that case, there can be nonetheless, in the intention of reducing the risk of infection, a first step in a movement toward a different way, a more human way, of living sexuality.”

Appeal to local Church

Militant lawmakers also lauded Benedict’s declaration and urged local Church leaders to show the same “open-mindedness on social realities.”

“It is time to consider the plight of the poor, the sick and the marginalized in particular and the flock in general,” Rep. Luz Ilagan of the party-list group Gabriela said.

Ilagan said the Pope’s declaration “boost our Reproductive Health Bill because one of its provisions is protection from HIV/AIDS.”

“If the condom is seen by the Pope as a way of protecting people against this increasing plague in our world, then we believe this is the beginning of a rational discussion of what the RH is all about,” she said.

She said Gabriela’s version of the RH bill is not only about contraceptives.

“We really want comprehensive health services especially for poor, marginalized women,” she added.

She pointed out that the Pope’s statement could lead to an “open, rational” discussion of the RH measure.

Another party-list representative, Kaka Bag-ao of Akbayan, said lawmakers should treat the RH bill as a “public health and not a theological issue.”

“By justifying the use of condoms to fight the spread of HIV and AIDS, the Pope is making a realistic stance to address the spread of a deadly virus which can be prevented by effective and consistent use of condoms and providing programs such as sex education to discuss vulnerabilities to infection, prevention and treatment of HIV and AIDS,” Clara Rita Padilla, executive director of EnGenderRights, said.

“At the start of 2010, there are already four new cases being reported every day compared to the two new cases reported daily in 2009,” she said.

Padilla said the Department of Health’s National Epidemiology Center projected that by December this year, there will be 1,500 more Filipinos infected with HIV.

Of the total 4,424 reported cases of HIV, 90 percent got infected through sexual contact, she said.

“The Pope has already exhibited some openness in the use of condoms to prevent HIV/AIDS, why can’t the CBCP do that? The CBCP should reconsider its stand on condoms,” Reproductive Health Alliance Network (RHAN) secretary- general Elizabeth Angsioco said in a phone interview.

Angsioco added the CBCP is contradicting itself when it opposes condoms as a means to avoid contracting HIV but endorses a training manual that recognizes condom as a tool for curbing AIDS.

The training manual, she claimed, was designed for Catholic Church pastoral workers and was prepared by the Philippine National AIDS Council and Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS.

Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development Foundation (PLCPD) executive director Ramon San Pascual also lauded Benedict’s statement, saying “the papal statement is a welcome shift of Catholic position on condoms, even if it sounds convoluted.”

“We hope that the Catholic hierarchy will follow suit by opening up its mind on contraceptives,” he maintained.

Out of context

In Dagupan City, retired Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz said Benedict “was taken out of context and the quotations were not according to the whole.”

“Perhaps what they wrote were only bits and pieces and they failed to get his message in its entirety,” he said over Bombo Radyo Dagupan.

He said RH advocates would surely ride on the issue.

“Of course it is understandable they are already doing that. All the ammunitions they could use, they would sure fire them to succeed in their aim but it is difficult to succeed firing the wrong ammunition,” he said.

He said that while the RH bill might be approved eventually along with other controversial measures like the divorce bill, “this doesn’t mean that that is correct.”

But the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines said it could not yet issue a “definite statement” on the Pope’s pronouncement.

“Since the book is not yet available, and I think the bishops (of the Philippines) have not yet read it, we could not make any definite statement on the matter,” CBCP secretary-general Monsignor Juanito Figura said in a statement.

“For the moment, what is clear as reported is that the Holy Father’s latest teaching on condom use does not in any way change the position of the Church against artificial contraception. Likewise as reported, neither does the Holy Father speak of it in the context of population issues,” he said.

“He speaks of condom as a permissible tool, not the primary tool, to arrest further spread of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV); condom is not the moral solution of the alarming spread of the virus and disease,” he said.

“We are expecting an official Vatican statement tomorrow… from there, we shall make our own statement,” said CBCP-Episcopal Commission on Family and Life (ECFL) executive secretary Fr. Melvin Castro.

For his part, Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles accused reproductive health proponents of “exaggerating” their interpretation of the Pope’s statement “to beguile those who are opposed to it.”

“As far as I am concerned, the real debate is whether or not there is really a need to enact a law on population management,” he said.

“There is no question that some families need to limit the number of their children but the use of various birth control methods, whether natural or artificial, is being practiced by many Filipino families long before many of us, including those who are pushing this bill, were even born. There’s nothing in our laws that stops us from planning the size of our families so I don’t see any sense why we even need this RH bill,” he said.

He added that even without any Reproductive Health law, the government has been spending millions of funds to buy condoms and other contraceptives purportedly for population management.

“Therefore, it is completely unnecessary for Congress to be crafting a law that basically compels the government to do the same thing,” he stressed.

For his part, Parañaque Rep. Roilo Golez said the Pope “did not say the Church is not at all opposed to condom use especially to fight AIDS.”

“He said it is for male prostitutes with AIDS so they don’t infect others,” he clarified.

“The pro-RH folks should address male prostitutes with AIDS to promote condoms if they are in agreement with the Pope’s stand,” Golez said. – With Jess Diaz, Delon Porcalla, Evelyn Macairan, Eva Visperas, Sheila Crisostomo, and Helen Flores

SC asked to disbar Ampatuan lawyer

2010-11-23T04:20:00.001-08:00

MANILA, Philippines - The lead counsel of the principal accused in the Maguindanao massacre is set to face proceedings to take away his privilege to practice law.

Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu and other relatives of victims of the massacre are set to ask the Supreme Court (SC) today to disbar Philip Sigfrid Fortun, lead counsel of principal suspect Anadal Ampatuan Jr. and his father, Andal Sr.

Mangudadatu and the other complainants accused Fortun of violating the professional ethics for lawyers mandated by the SC.

Meanwhile, one of the Ampatuans accused in the killings insisted yesterday that he is innocent of the murder charges.

Former governor Zaldy Ampatuan of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao denied involvement in the massacre and declared that he is innocent of the murder charges.

In an urgent motion, Zaldy asked the Court of Appeals (CA) to resolve his petition and clear him of the charges he is facing before Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221.

“Further delay of this case results to more days suffered by petitioner (Zaldy Ampatuan) in detention which amounts to an injustice as he has nothing to do with the alleged crimes imputed against him,” read the motion.

Zaldy is asking the CA to reinstate the April 16, 2010 resolution of the Department of Justice that evidence was insufficient to indict him for multiple murder.

Mangudadatu’s wife and sister were among those killed in the Maguindanao massacre.

“Attorney Fortun used and abused legal remedies available and allowed under the rules, muddled the issues and diverted the attention away from the main subject matter of the cases,” read the complaint.

“Attorney Fortun had astutely embarked on an untiring quest to obstruct, impede and degrade the administration of justice by filing countless ancillary motions and initiating suits based on imaginary causes of action, all in the hope of burying the principal issue of his clients’

participation or guilt in the murder of 57 people that ill-fated day of 23 November 2009.”

The complainants accused Fortun of violating Rules 1.01 and 1.02 of Canon 1 of Code of Professional Responsibility.

They said during Andal Jr.’s arraignment, Fortun told the court that his client could not understand English or Filipino, and could only speak and understand his native Maguindanaoan.

This claim was later disproved by media interviews of Andal Jr., they added.

The complainants also accused Fortun of violating Rules 10.01 and 10.02 of Canon 10 when he supposedly misled the court and the prosecution in deferring bail proceedings, only to file another motion seeking inhibition of the judge a week later.

“Respondent Attorney Fortun’s act of misleading the prosecution and trial court is a dishonest/deceitful conduct violative of Code of

Professional Responsibility,” read the complaint.

“In so doing, he diminished public confidence in the law and the legal profession, rendering him unfit to be called a member of the Bar.”

The complainants also raised before the SC Fortun’s alleged participation in the attempt to bribe state witness Chief Inspector Sukarno Adil Dicay.

Based on an affidavit executed last Oct. 27, Dicay said the lawyer was with the emissary of the Ampatuans who went to Camp Parang in Maguindanao last January and offered him P10 million to recant his testimony against Andal Jr.

“Not only did respondent Atty. Fortun commit a highly unethical act, he also committed serious misconduct and malpractice when he attempted to induce Dicay to change his statement and perjure himself by pointing to Rasul Sangki as the mastermind of the massacre, contrary to what he actually knows, and to lie about the whole incident that he personally witnessed,” read the complaint.

Joining Mangudadatu in the complaint were other relatives of victims Nenita Oquendo, Gemma Oquendo and Dennis Ayon.

Media group Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists also signed the complaint.

Accused ordered released, but authorities hesitant

An accused in the Maguindanao massacre has been ordered released by a court in Pasig.

However, jail authorities are in a quandary whether to release Datukan Malang Salibo because a Quezon City court had ordered his commitment.

Judge Briccio Ygaña of the Pasig City Regional Trial Court Branch 153 had granted the petition for habeas corpus of Salibo, who claimed that he was on a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia on Nov. 23 last year.

He was mistaken for a suspect named Butukan Malang, he added.

Subido said police in Datu Hoffer town detained him when he went there to explain his side.

“Perhaps and probably because of the P250,000 reward,” he said.

The Pasig court granted Subido’s habeas corpus petition after he presented his passport and other evidence like the flight manifest of the airplane that he boarded.

“The petition is meritorious,” read Ygaña’s order.

“Petitioner was not in the country when the massacre took place. The arrest could not qualify as a warrantless arrest, hence, illegal from the very beginning.”

The Pasig court’s order, dated Oct. 29, was promulgated on Nov. 9.

Senior Inspector Emmanuel Tolentino, warden of the Quezon City Jail annex in Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig, wrote a letter to Quezon City RTC Branch 221 Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes to clarify the release of Subido.

Solis-Reyes is handling the case of the Maguindanao massacre.

“As the committing authority and (the one who) has jurisdiction over Datukan Malang Salibo, this unit respectfully requests your honor to affirm/accredit the court order issued by Hon. Briccio Ygaña… or comment either to release him from detention or to restrain said inmate who is still detained in our unit for legal purposes,” read Tolentino’s letter received by Solis-Reyes’ staff on Nov. 12.

A staff member of Solis-Reyes said they were not furnished a copy of the Pasig City court’s order.

In response, Solis-Reyes wrote a letter to Tolentino on Nov. 15 and suggested that “proper coordination be made with the OSG (Office of the Solicitor General) which is in the best position to advise you for legal implications of the appeal which it seasonably filed.”

“In deference to Hon. Briccio Ygaña… underscored deems it proper not to give further comment relative to your aforesaid letter,” read the letter of Solis-Reyes to Tolentino.

NPC wants special court for Maguindanao massacre

The National Press Club (NPC) asked the SC yesterday to designate Quezon City RTC Branch 221 under Judge Solis- Reyes a special court to try the Maguindanao massacre case.

“We believe this (creation of special court) would expedite the trial,” read the petition.

Joining the petition was Alyansa ng Filipinong Mamahayag. -- With Reinir Padua, Aie Balagtas See

Aquino vows justice for massacre victims

2010-11-23T04:18:00.001-08:00

AMPATUAN, Philippines (AP) – President Aquino today promised justice for at least 57 people massacred a year ago in the country's worst election-related violence, amid concerns that politically powerful suspects will be spared.

"We will not rest until justice has been served," Mr. Aquino said in a statement on the first anniversary of the killings in southern Maguindanao province, where the justice secretary and the provincial governor led about 3,000 mourners in remembering the victims.

The main suspect, former Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr., is accused of ambushing an election convoy and ordering about 200 gunmen to mow down the family and supporters of his political rival. Also among the dead were at least 32 journalists and their staff, the single worst killing of media workers in the world.

The journalists in the convoy were accompanying the mostly female relatives of Esmael Mangudadatu in filing his nomination papers for the gubernatorial race in May national elections. Mangudadatu said he believed that women and journalists would not be harmed by his political opponents.

Ampatuan Jr., the scion of a powerful political clan, surrendered days after the killings and has pleaded not guilty. His father and brothers also have been charged along with scores of others, mostly government-armed militiamen. Among the 79 suspects in detention, 51 have been arraigned and more than 100 are in hiding.

"How the Philippine government handles this case will demonstrate how serious President Aquino is about reining in private armies and curbing human rights violations," said Sam Zarifi, human rights watchdog Amnesty International's director for Asia-Pacific.

Mr. Aquino said the case is a litmus test for the justice system and a top priority for the Justice Department.

At the massacre site, a remote hilltop near the main highway in the town named after the Ampatuan family that has ruled the impoverished province for years, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said the magnitude of the atrocity was such that "we Filipinos realized that we just woke up to a world that will never be the same again."

Take a rest from boxing, Roach tells Pacman

2010-11-23T04:14:00.000-08:00

LOS ANGELES — Freddie Roach wants Manny Pacquiao to take a sabbatical from boxing for six months.

Roach said that while Pacquiao scored a lopsided 12-round unanimous decision over Antonio Margarito over the weekend in Texas, the Filipino took a severe pounding from the 165-lb Mexican slugger.

“He needs a nice, long rest,” Roach told Manila-based scribes at the Wild Card Boxing Club on Monday.

Pacquiao hasn’t decided when and where his next fight will be, leaving it all up to his promoter Bob Arum to make the call and it doesn’t look like that he will be in a boxing mood for the next few months.

Although Margarito’s face took the form of a mangled squash from Pacquiao’s power punches, Roach said Pacquiao was in trouble in the tenth round when he got caught with shots to the ribcage.

“That was a hard and physical shot and Manny almost went down,” said Roach, referring to the moment in that round when Margarito struck the hardest as Pacquiao was pinned on the ropes in his corner.

Still, Roach likewise felt the pain that Margarito went through and believed that be will never fight again or he will never be a threat again because the punishment that he took was too much.

Canadian Mike Koncz, who acts as Pacquiao’s adviser, echoed the same sentiment as Roach, stressing that his big boss needs to relax after all the sacrifices that he has taken the past few months and the punishment that he endured against Margarito.

“I haven’t talked to him yet about the future but I think he has to take a break for a while,” said Koncz.

While Pacquiao takes a break from boxing, he will have all the time in the world to concentrate on his congressional duties and prepare for his 32nd birthday celebration on Dec. 17.

He flew to Lake Tahoe on Monday night to fulfill a previous commitment after being cleared by doctors who checked on him.

“Manny just had a checkup and took an x-ray, that’s it,” said Koncz.

Ara Mina reveals Pacquiao once conveyed romantic feelers

2010-11-23T04:10:00.001-08:00

MANILA, Philippines - Controversial sexy actress Ara Mina finally disclosed what many suspected all along—Manny Pacquiao did express interest in her.

Mina and Pacquiao were once paired in the movie “Anak ng Kumander.” The two were rumored to have engaged in an alleged illicit affair soon after.

Though had been denying it to this day, Mina, in an interview with “Paparazzi,” November 21, said that Pacquiao seemingly communicated romantic feelers to her at the set of that movie.

Not that it was something novel for the voluptuous actress.

“Lahat naman yata ng leading men nagpapahaging,” said she.

And how did the Pacman make his overtures felt? According to Mina, the pugilist’s line of attack was a bit on the comical side.

“Hindi siya seryoso. Parati siyang nagpapatawa,” she intimated.

An example, said Mina, was when Pacquiao would utter the line, “Beautiful” every time she was able to render her scene in one take.

That said, Mina denied that it led to an affair.

“Wala. Wala talaga,” she emphasized.

She went on to deny rumors that they had been sending each other “personal text messages” thereafter.

“Siguro once lang, nuong hindi ko mahagilap ang location manager [for the shoot]. Tini-text ko siya kung saan ‘yong location. Ganun,” she said.

Mina is downplaying any chance for her and Pacquiao to do a movie again anytime soon even as she vowed to “retire” from showbiz in the very near future.

“Parang ano lang, naisip ko na nagawa ko na rin naman lahat na ng gusto kong gawin, so, parang iba naman. Gusto ko mag-business naman,” said she.

Mina is hoping that younger sister, Cristine Reyes, who herself is trying to make a name as a sex nymphet, will inherit her “throne.”

“Iniiwan ko na ang trono ko sa kapatid ko,” she declared.

As to her sister’s supposed love life—Reyes is rumored to be dating actor Rayver Cruz—Mina is taking a hands-off policy.

“Hindi ko na siya pinakikialaman sa love life, pero kung ako tatanungin, opinion ko lang, gusto ko si Rayver para sa kapatid ko,” she said.

Mina divulged that her sister already introduced Cruz to her.

During the same interview, Mina was able to bury the hatchet with “Paparazzi” co-host Mo Twister.

Mo Twister and Mina had a slight misunderstanding after the former put the latter in a spot during an interview at the height of the recently concluded local elections, wherein Mina was made to look as if she was uninformed concerning current events.

Mo Twister hugged the teary-eyed Mina, who then quipped, “Hindi kasalanan ni Mo ‘yon.”

To which Mo Twister simply replied, “I’m glad to see you again.”

Smart-Gilas Pilipinas outguns Taiwan, 82-73

2010-11-23T04:07:00.001-08:00

Games Wednesday (Huangpu gymnasium)
1:15 p.m. — South Korea vs Smart Gilas-PH
3:30 p.m. — Japan vs North Korea
7:15 p.m. — Iran vs Jordan
9:30 p.m. — China vs Qatar

GUANGZHOU — The Smart Gilas national team outgunned Chinese-Taipei, 82-73, Monday to set up a keenly-awaited quarterfinal showdown with South Korea in the 16th Asian Games.

The Nationals beat the Taiwanese in their own game, firing eight three-point shots, three each from Chris Tiu and Marcio Lassiter while holding them to just 6 of 27 shooting from that distance.

Prior to the match, Chinese-Taipei fired 50 three-pointers against four teams, including a high of 20 against India.

It marked the first time the Nationals failed to hold their opponents under 70 points, but shot 53 percent from the field after averaging 42 percent in the first five matches.

Against Smart Gilas’ relentless full-court defense, the Taiwanese struggled to get into a scoring rhythm, making only three in 13 attempts in the first half.

Lin Chih Chieh, Taipei’s top gunner with 21 points, was held down to five points in the second half where the Filipinos made their move.

Asi Taulava poured eight of his 18 points in a 16-6 run as the Filipinos turned a two-point deficit into a 60-52 lead with 3:31 left in the third quarter.

The Filipinos posted their biggest lead at 71-56 early in the fourth quarter before Taipei made its final run, cutting the deficit to just six points, 69-75, with three minutes remaining.

Unable to set up well against Gilas’ aggressive defense, the Taiwanese turned to playmaker Lee Hsueh Lin who had six free throws and a fastbreak point during that stretch.

But Tiu, who had 15 points on 5-of-9 from the field, made a huge three-point shot, drawing a foul from Taiwan center Wu Tai Hao, his fifth. Tiu completed the four-point play to give Gilas a 79-69 edge with 1:51 remaining.

After a Taiwan turnover, Marnel Baracael put the final nail on Taiwan’s coffin with a three-point play with 44 seconds left.

Lin, struggling against the defense of Kelly Williams, scored the last basket of the game with a layup.

“We knew they wanted to penetrate and then kick out the ball to the short shooters. We had to avoid that and we pushed them to shoot three-pointers which they didn’t do well,” said Rajko Toroman, the Serbian coach of Gilas.

The Filipinos limited their turnovers to 13 after averaging 20 in their last three outings while crushing the boards, 41-27, including a 14-5 edge off the offensive glass.

Taulava and Williams combined for 25 rebounds, including nine that gave the Filipinos an 18-6 advantage in second chance points.

Marcio Lassiter, who had a welt near his right eye, matched Taulava’s 18 points while Baracael made 11 points off the bench.

Lee admitted the team panicked toward the end that resulted in missed hurried three-point shots.

“We didn’t think too much. Actually, we were too in a hurry to think of anything. All we could do was to keep moving ahead. There’s no turning back for us. We had to win,” said Lee who played the entire game, shooting 19 points.

Overall, Toroman was happy.

“It was a very difficult match in a very difficult group. We didn’t deserve to be out and we didn’t deserve to be in this group. I’m very satisfied. It’s very important for us,” said Toroman.

Solomon Mercado, the Rain or Shine quarterback nursing foot injuries, showed up in uniform but did not see action for the third straight game.

The scores:
PHILIPPINES 82 — Taulava 18, Lassiter 18, Tiu 15, Baracael 11, Williams 8, Casio 7, Lutz 3, Barroca 2
CHINESE -TAIPEI 73 — Lin 21, Wu 20, Lee 19, Mao 7, Hung 5, Chien 1, Yang 0, Tien 0, Chen S.N. 0, Chen S.H. 0, Chou 0
Quarters: 20-21, 42-40, 64-54, 82-73