1. law, govt and politics
2. government

Download our FREE SF POST app for your
smartphones and tablets.
Scan barcode or search for
“sfpost”
in app store / google play store to get exclusive
deals and coupons from our advertisers.
USD TO PHP: $1 = P44.78 as of Oct. 22, 2014
WE PROVIDE PRESS COVERAGE
FOR ANY EVENTS OR PROMOTIONS.
Contact 1-855-454-7678 for more details.
ENTERTAINMENT
Solenn to portray one of Rizal’s
girlfriend - page 13
VIEW US ONLINE: WWW.SF-POST.COM
FREE
Tiu can’t prove ownership of
Batangas property
VOL. 2 ISSUE 52
OCT 23, 2014 - OCT 29, 2014
M
Antonio Tiu failed to present documents to prove he owned the controversial
350-hectare property in Batangas.
ANILA, Philippines – Businessman Antonio Tiu failed
to present documents during a Senate hearing on Wednesday to prove
that he owned the controversial
350-hectare property in Batangas,
saying what he only bought so far
was the ‘usufruct” or the right to
use the land.
Testifying for the first time before
the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee, Tiu explained his businesses
and how his Greenergy Holdings
Inc. bought the majority shares of
M
(Cont. on Page 2)
Trillanes: Binay camp
buying silence of witness
Camarines Norte gov. wife surfaces,
bares husband’s ‘sex video’
ANILA, Philippines – The wife
of Camarines Norte Governor
‎Edgardo Tallado has surfaced after
she was reported missing and said
that she feared for her life following
her discovery of a “sex video” of her
husband and his alleged mistress.
Josie Tallado revealed on television that she had attempted to escape
from her husband who, her lawyer
Lorna Kapunan said in a separate radio interview, had placed her client
the Sunchamp Real Estate Development Corp., operating the Batangas property.
Tiu was tagged as the alleged
dummy of Vice President Jejomar
Binay, who was allegedly the real
owner of the property.
After Tiu’s presentation, subcommittee chairman, Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III asked the
businessman if he was done with
his explanation to which he said
“yes”. “Yan na yun?
under “house arrest”.
In the television interview Wednesday, Mrs. Tallado, 43, disclosed ‎that
her husband got mad at her when she
saw the “sex video” of him and his
28-year-old mistress and accused her
of uploading the footage on the Internet.
After the ‎discovery, Kapunan said
Tallado confiscated all of Josie’s CAMARINES Norte Gov. Edgardo
gadgets and cut off all her commu- Tallado and his wife Josie in this
nication lines that
(Cont. on Page 15) photo taken in 2013. JUAN ESCANDOR JR./
MANILA, Philippines–The camp of Vice
President Jejomar Binay has allegedly
been trying to buy the silence of former
Makati City officials to stop them from
testifying in the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee that has been looking into alleged anomalies in Makati.
Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV on Wednesday
alleged that Binay’s camp has been paying off former Makati city engineer Nelson Irasga P10 million for every subcommittee hearing he skipped.
(Cont. on Page 15)
INQUIRER SOUTHERN LUZON
Sereno: I do not serve Presidents, excuse me…
MANILA, Philippines–She does
not serve any President and she
doesn’t have to endure anyone,
either.
Brave words, and they came
from no less than the country’s
top magistrate.
Chief Justice Maria Lourdes
Sereno made that point clear on
Thursday when she was introduced at a press forum as a chief
magistrate who would “probably
serve three more Presidents,”
with her term lasting up to 2030.
“I do not serve Presidents, excuse me... that’s unforgivable.”
Sereno said at a forum of foreign
correspondents
(Cont. on Page 15)
Accused US Marine a no-show at probe
Story on
page 5
Order for millions of blank work permits, green cards raising amnesty concerns
Story on
page 10
TRENDING
Is John Lloyd Cruz fathering a
teenage daughter? -page 13
PAGE 2
Oct 23, 2014 - Oct 29, 2014
The San Francisco Post
ment,” Tiu ex(Cont. from page 1... ANTONIO TUI CAN’T) plained.
“So you’re not
Yun ang explanation mo?
the
owner
sa
ngayon?” PiYun na yun?” Pimentel asked
mentel asked to which the
again.
“Simple lang po ako Mr. businessman answered: “I’m
Chairman. Ako po ay ne- the owner over the rights.”
And when Pimentel insisted
gosyante, pag-aari ko yung
Greenergy, pag aari ng that he was not yet the owner
Greenergy ang Sunchamp, of the property, Tiu said: “Mapag-aari ng Sunchamp ang giging owner din po tayo …”
Senator Antonio Trillanes IV
Rosario (property),” Tiu,
said referring to the Batangas then asked the businessman
why he was claiming in variproperty.
“Walang mga TCT? Wala ous media interviews that he
kang pinapakita na TCT o was owner of the property.
Tiu said it was because he
kahit ano?,” Pimentel said.
owned
the farm, explaining
TCT is transfer of certificate
that ownership of the land
of title.
“Mr. Chairman, ang nabili was different from ownership
ko yung usufruct of the land. of the farm.
But Pimentel said, “Well sa
Yung TCT upon the completion after nai-turn over sa mata namin, hindi ikaw ang
akin, saka nila matatangap may- ari sa ngayon. So why
yugn next tranche na pay- are you here Mr. Tiu? Why
are you here?”
THEFT OF FREE NEWSPAPER IS A CRIME IN THIS STATE.
WORLD BRIEF
The San Francisco Post
Turkey helping Kurdish fighters cross
into Kobani
SURUC, Turkey – In a significant shift, Turkey’s top
It remains uncertain, however, whether Ankara would
diplomat announced on Monday that his country is allow large numbers of heavily armed Iraqi Kurdish
helping Iraqi Kurdish fighters cross into Syria to “give fighters to make the journey and if significant numbers
support” to fellow Kurds
are likely to do so given the
defending the border town
threat IS still poses to Kurdof Kobani from Islamic
ish areas in Iraq.
State militants.
“Iraq’s Kurdish regional
The remarks by Turkey’s
government
announced
Foreign Minister Mevlut
that they are in cooperation
Cavusoglu came hours after
with Turkey and the U.S.,”
the U.S. military announced
Cavusoglu said at a press
it for the first time had airconference in the Turkish
dropped weapons, ammunicapital, Ankara.
tion and medical supplies
“Actually, we are helpprovided by Iraqi Kurdish
ing peshmerga forces to
authorities to Kurdish forcenter into Kobani to give
es in Kobani.
Oct. 20, 2014 - People walk towards a hilltop on the outskirts support,” he added, speakSunday’s airdrops fol- of Suruc, at the Turkey-Syria border, to watch in the distance ing at a joint news conferlowed weeks of U.S. and just across the border he fighting between Syrian Kurds and ISIS ence with visiting Tunisian
in Kobani, Syria. Turkey’s top diplomat announced
coalition airstrikes in and militants
Monday that his country is helping Iraqi Kurdish fighters cross Foreign Minister Mongi
near Kobani, along the Syr- into Syria to “give support” to fellow Kurds defending Kobani Hamdi.
ian-Turkish border. A U.S. from ISIS militants.
Cavusoglu did not provide
military official, who was
details, and it was not imnot authorized to discuss the
mediately clear where and
matter by name, said the airdrops included small arms. how Turkey was allowing Kurdish fighters into Syria,
Turkey previously has said it would oppose any U.S. after blocking them so long. Also unclear was whether
arms transfers to the Kurdish rebels in Syria. It views this had already happened or was still to take place.
the main Kurdish group in Syria as an extension of
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said it would be
the Turkish Kurd group known as the PKK, which has “irresponsible” and “morally very difficult” not to
waged a 30-year insurgency in Turkey and is desig- support the Kurds in their fight against ISIS.
nated a terrorist group by the U.S. and by NATO.
“Let me say very respectfully to our allies the Turks
Although a significant departure from previous posi- that we understand fully the fundamentals of their options, Turkey’s decision to allow fighters to cross its position and ours to any kind of terrorist group and
territory is not a complete change of policy, since it particularly obviously the challenges they face with
involves Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga forces rather than respect the PKK,” Kerry said.
the PKK.
Hong Kong protests: Can
talks end stalemate?
Hong Kong (CNN) -- Conflicting visions of how to
bring about change marked
the first meeting of prodemocracy protesters and
Hong Kong government
representatives Tuesday.
While
Chief
Secretary Carrie Lam,
H o n g
K o n g ’s
second
in command,
called
on the
protesters, led
by the
H o n g
Kong Federation of Students, to work within the
system, student leaders said
they had no choice but to
work outside it.
“We should work within
the system and enhance the
transparency and competitiveness of the system as a
whole,” Lam said. “This is
a good opportunity and a
meaningful dialogue. I hope
the community will stay
united.”
Marking just over a month
of pro-democracy demon-
strations, Alex Chow, one
of the student leaders, called
for a timetable for political
reform.
“Why did people come
out?” he asked. “People felt
like they had no choice. They
had to
come
out and
make
their
voices
heard.”
Lam
a s sured
t h e
student
leaders that
t h e y
were
listening.
“The voices of students
have been heard by Hong
Kong government, the people and even the central government,” she said. “But no
matter how lofty the sentiments, you must take legal
means.”
It was a message echoed by
several members of the government panel. Hong Kong
police at different times
have cleared groups of prodemocracy demonstrators
by force.
Sweden hunts for mystery
submarine
There are fears of Russians and it is October,
but it’s not a Tom Clancy novel. It is a case of
international naval intrigue off the Swedish
coast that brings back
memories of the Cold
War.
The Swedish military
on Monday intensified
a search in the ocean
off Stockholm for an
underwater
mystery
vessel, but stopped
short of calling it a
submarine.
Civilian
vessels were ordered to
stay at least six miles
(about 10 kilometers)
away from the Swedish warship conducting
the search, the Englishlanguage website The
Local reported.
The search began
Thursday after Swedish intelligence picked
up an emergency radio
call in Russian, reported The Local, citing
the Swedish newspaper
Svenska Dagbladet.
The radio transmissions were being sent
to the Russian enclave
of Kaliningrad, 330
miles (530 kilometers)
south of Stockholm on
the Baltic’s southern
shore, according to The
Local report.
There were also reports that a foreign vessel was spotted in the
waters near Stockholm.
Russia on Sunday denied it has any vessel in
Swedish waters. Moscow suggested the vessel may belong to the
Netherlands and have
been involved in naval
exercises off Sweden,
according to a report
from Russia’s ItarTASS news agency.
The Dutch were quick
to respond, saying a
sub involved in the exercises was anchored in
Tallinn harbor of NATO-ally Estonia for the
weekend, according to
a report from Agence
France-Presse.
‘We have good stamina’
On Monday, the Swedish military vowed to
continue searching at
least for the next few
days, according to The
Local.
Death toll climbs in Himalayas
Kathmandu, Nepal (CNN) -- The
grim search for missing hikers and
bodies buried under snow continued Saturday against the dramatic
backdrop of Nepal’s Himalayas, as
officials confirmed that at least 39
people had died in an exceptionally
heavy snowfall.
Rescue crews combed the high-altitude paths and passes of the popular Annapurna region, as well as
the neighboring Manang district for
trekkers missing for nearly a week.
Nine stranded Israeli tourists were
rescued Thursday, as well as three
Canadians and four Indians who
were pulled to safety, according to
the Trekking Agencies’ Association
of Nepal.
The group said it deployed helicopters to rescue hikers stranded by
snow, floodwaters and avalanches
unleashed along the popular Himalayan trekking trails by heavy snow
Tuesday.
Regional administrator Dinesh
Kumar Thapaliya told CNN that 14
trekkers were now known to have
died near the iconic 5,416-meter
(17,770-foot) Thorung La Pass in
Mustang district, the highest point
of the popular 21-day Annapurna
Circuit trek.
The bodies include
those of Israelis, Nepalis and Poles, he
said.
Even as the total death
toll climbed from the
17 reported Wednesday, Thapaliya warned
that there are chances
of finding more people
dead or lost around the
pass.
A Nepal army team
made it up to 16,000 feet on Thursday -- still short of the pass -- on the
side of the mountain where the 14
bodies were found.
Friday’s search efforts were concentrated on the other side of the
pass, which falls in Manang district, “This is the dangerous part,”
Thapaliya said.
There has been no contact with the
remote area even by phone, he said.
One Israeli was rescued from near
the pass Thursday. Three trekkers
have been confirmed as missing,
two of them Indian and one Japanese.
PAGE 3
Oct 23, 2014 - Oct 29, 2014
American released from North Korea
(CNN) -- Jeffrey Fowle, an
American arrested in North
Korea in May for leaving a
bible at his hotel, has been released and is on his way home,
a senior State Department official told CNN on Tuesday.
An American government
plane picked
up Fowle on
Tuesday before flying to
Guam, the official said.
Fowle was
arrested at the
airport
earlier this year
while trying
to leave North
Korea.
CNN learned of Fowle’s
release earlier Tuesday but
agreed not to report the news
until he landed in Guam.
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest confirmed
Fowle’s release on Tuesday,
saying the Defense Department had arranged his transportation out of the country
at the North Korean government’s request.
“We certainly welcome the
decision,” Earnest said, adding that the United States has
no updates on the status of two
other Americans imprisoned in
North Korea -- Matthew Miller
and Kenneth
Bae -- and
calling
on
North Korea
to “immediately release
them.”
State Department
spokeswoman
Marie
Harf echoed
Earnest’s call, saying the U.S.
government “will continue to
work actively on their cases.”
She praised the “tireless efforts” of the Swedish embassy
in Pyongyang, which houses
the United States’ representation within North Korea since
the U.S. government doesn’t
have an embassy in the country.
PAGE 4
Oct 23, 2014 - Oct 29, 2014
OPINION
The San Francisco Post
Binay overstaying as BSP president
J
As I See It
by Neal H. Cruz
Editorial
T
he good news is that pledges by foreign businessmen to set up shop or expand operations in the Philippines’ special economic zones are up compared to where these
were a year ago. The bad news is that the fund commitments are, so far, nowhere near
the target set by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza).
Latest data show that these investment pledges for the first nine months of 2014 grew
by 6.2 percent to P148 billion, from the P139.6 billion promised by investors in the
same period last year. But with only three months left in the year, these promised investments—never mind actual ones made—are only half of what Peza had initially
expected for the entire year.
Barring a dramatic change of heart that would see foreign businessmen suddenly come
running in the fourth quarter, the growth in our special economic zones this year will
likely be muted. Not bad, but nothing to crow about. (Peza investment figures mirror
those one would see in the broader economy. Last year, the Philippines received $3.8
billion in foreign direct investments—an amount impressive in itself but paltry when
juxtaposed with economically underdeveloped Vietnam’s $8.9 billion in FDIs in the
same year. And let’s not even talk about Malaysia. This Asean powerhouse received
over $12 billion in FDIs in 2013.)
Note that we are talking about Peza—one of the most competent, professionally-run
and red-tape-free agencies in the government bureaucracy, headed by the well-regarded
Lilia de Lima. If the best local business climate—artificially sustained in a physical,
legal and regulatory bubble to protect investors from the pain of the “real world” Philippines—can manage only single-digit growth, what hope of growth do we have for the
rest of the businesses?
Everyone knows what ails the local scene and what is needed to make the Philippines
an attractive place for business. Everyone
knows that the “ease of doing business” is
a perennial complaint of both local and foreign businessmen. Companies want to be
able to start operations after gathering 20
signatures and permits from government
(An Employees owned Publication)
officials and regulators, rather than over
Distributed weekly in Northern California
100. Businessmen want electricity. They
want supply to be reliable so that they can
1290 B Street, Suite 203, Hayward, turn on the machines in their factories and
CA 94541
not worry about rotating outages. And they
Tel # 510-885-8827,
want electricity to be affordable, enough
for them to make goods sufficiently cheap
Fax # 510-538-7115
to compete with those made in China, and
[email protected] /
still leave them a decent profit. [email protected]
men want contracts respected. They want
www.sf-post.com
assurance that deals made today will be
upheld for the next 20 years, and not overTeresita Estanislao
turned when a new administration comes
Editor-in-Chief & CEO
in, like what will happen in two years.
But there is hope. It rests in the hands
Atty. Crispin C. Lozano
of
President Aquino, who has used his
Exec. Vice President
still considerable political capital rather
sparingly—almost like a miser—when it
Adda Humady
comes to issues involving the economy
General Advertising Manager
and the local business community.
Don Orozco
ejomar Binay has this
habit of overstaying.
He
and his wife
and son have
been overstaying as mayors
of Makati; and
Binay
himself has been
overstaying as
national president of the
Boy Scouts of
the Philippines (BSP).
Binay is the longest-serving president of
BSP, having been first elected to it in 1994.
BSP’s previous presidents served only twoto three-year terms. Binay has been clinging to the BSP presidency for 20 years.
Former Makati vice mayor Ernesto Mercado, principal whistle-blower against Binay, was senior BSP vice president for only
three years, from 2004 to 2007. It is easy to
see why Binay does not want to give up the
BSP presidency: it has a membership of 2
million, many of whom are no longer boys
but adult voters. Imagine the advantage of
having an organization with a potential 2
million votes (parents and siblings of boy
scouts also tend to be loyal to the organization).
I used to be a boy scout myself, when I
was in school and I spent some of my happiest times there. I still remember the Scout
oath: “On my honor I will do my duty to
my God and my country, and to obey the
Scout Law….
“A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful,
friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, reverent,” or
words to that effect.
Does Binay fit into these? Judging by recent news and survey reports, he fails on
the very first qualification—trustworthiness. As a former scout, I can say that because of the teachings and experiences of
scouts while they were still young, they try
to live by these rules when they grow up to
adulthood. Alas, it does not seem so with
the organization’s national president, this,
in the eyes of a good number of Filipinos.
Shouldn’t we change the BSP national
president with somebody more trustworthy
and who lives by the Scout rules?
***
Vice President Binay’s camp is panicking. Who wouldn’t, with all that dirt being
revealed by his former associates and the
big drop in his trust ratings? He and his
mouthpieces are desperately trying to stop
the hemorrhage, but because of panic, they
are making mistakes.
“Lalaban tayo (We will fight back)” are Binay’s brave words in response to the slings
and arrows that are coming his way. But
that is not what he is doing. He is desper-
ately asking for mercy. One day he attacks
P-Noy’s administration, but the next day
he runs to the Palace to ask for forgiveness
and help. He is like a boxer who punches
his opponent and then clinches. That’s not
the way a good boxer fights. He should ask
his star senatorial candidate (and potential
moneybag), Manny Pacquiao, how to fight
properly.
He should also ask boxing managers and
coaches what to do when your man is losing a fight. When his boxer is taking a beating, a good coach will throw in the towel to
save his fighter from further punishment.
That’s what Binay’s handlers should also
do: Throw in the towel.
It is plain to see that Binay is taking a
beating. That is why the Binay camp is
panicking. They can see the presidency of
the Philippines slipping away from their
grasp. In their panic, they are making mistakes in trying to prevent Binay from being
knocked out.
One mistake: They concocted the cockand-bull story of an alleged “Oplan Stop
Nognog in 2016.” When nobody fell for
that, somebody must have said during one
of their meetings: “The best defense is offense.” So Binay went on the offensive by
attacking P-Noy’s administration and at
the same time defending former president
Gloria Arroyo in an attempt to get the sympathy of her supporters. Another mistake.
The next day, Justice Secretary Leila de
Lima ordered the National Bureau of Investigation to investigate the allegations of
corruption against Binay. So they turned
their guns on De Lima. That only made
the feisty justice secretary angrier. The
next day, De Lima hit back at Binay in a
speech that hinted at the guilt of Binay. She
said that only the President and the Ombudsman can stop her from going through
with the investigation. Do you get what she
meant by that? It was P-Noy himself who
gave her the go-signal.
That’s when Binay asked the help of
friends to arrange a meeting between him
and the President. Binay’s mouthpieces
said the meeting lasted three hours, but
they did not say that Binay was made to
wait for two-and-a-half hours, and that the
President and he talked for only 30 minutes.
During that half-hour, Binay allegedly
swore that he was not referring to the President when he attacked his administration,
that he was being harassed (“Wawa naman
ako, hu, hu, hu”), and asked P-Noy to stop
the Senate from investigating him.
“If you are innocent, what are you afraid
of?” P-Noy reportedly replied.
Since Binay is afraid, can that mean that
he knows further investigation will reveal
his guilt?
I think that Binay, with all that shady
background, bit more than he could chew
when he aspired for the presidency.
Bureau Chief, Silicon Valley
Alvin Maglan, CPA
Controller
Inquirer.Net
Content Syndication Partner
San Francisco FilAm Post, LLC
Publisher of San Francisco Post & SF Filam Post
The San Francisco Post will be happy to hear
from you. Comments, letters to the editor, contributions, story/picture submissions can be
sent via email to [email protected]. ATTN:
San Francisco Post,. All submissions are subject to editing for style and accuracy.
All Rights Reserved 2013.
NOTICE TO ADVERTISERS
San Francisco Post reserves the right to refuse any advertising not in keeping with the publication nature of San Francisco Post, sf-post.com, and all
or any other material published under SF Filam News, a Limited Liability
Company. For Corrections: Advertisers agrees to verify the corrections of
the advertisement. San Francisco Post will be responsible for only one incorrect insertion. Any error must be reported immediately. For Damages: Advertisers agrees San Francisco Post, sf-post.com and all or any other material
published under the company shall not be liable to the customer for damages
resulting from failure to include in the advertisement any item of advertising
or from errors in spelling or grammar or omission printed or not printed in
the advertisement in which the error or omission occurred, including but
not limited to the loss of business by Advertiser. For Content: Advertisers
assumes full responsibility containing the right to use any name, address,
trademark, service mark, trade name, or other copy in any advertisement.
Advertiser assumes full responsibility for determining that the advertising
will conform in all respects to all applicable laws, including but not limited
to, all licensing requirements of federal, state or local licensing authorities.
Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed herein by writers, columnists,
contributors and advertisers are their own and do not necessarily reflect
those of the publisher, management and staff of The San Francisco Post.
Our publication will not be responsible for incorrect printing, reproduction,
photographical errors or information list or for loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts. Reproduction or redistribution in whole or in part is
prohibited.
Binay needs to resolve his image
If at the outset the presidential ambition of Vice
President Jejomar “Jojo” Binay is saddled with
much doubt on his integrity, particularly on the
unexplained wealth hurled against him and his
family, then that portends an ominous cloud that
the Filipino people are just about to jump from
the frying pan to the fire. The charges are pretty
serious that he simply cannot ignore them by giving the usual retort that they are politically motivated. Should he continue to exhibit defiance,
he might as well kiss goodbye his monumental
ambition.
Maybe the Vice President has the right to say
that the current barrage against him are merely
black propaganda to derail his candidacy, but
propaganda or otherwise, Binay needs to squarely answer them before the bar of public opinion
because it will be the same public who will determine whether he is fit for the public office he
aspires right now. How he astronomically acquired those wealth is something the taipans and
the top-money makers in this country would envy
and even seek his advice.
The Binay’s conduct of acting like a maharajah
awaiting to be enthroned to power and the revelation about his web of corruption while inching his way to become President are worrisome.
Among the properties attributed as owned by him
and his family are: 1) a 400-hectate farm in Rosario, Batangas; 2) a 40-hectarte air-conditioned
piggery farm in Bauan, Batangas; 3) 10-hectares
mango farm orchard; 4) two condominium units
worth 30 million which allegedly are not dis-
by Rod Kapunan
closed in his SALN; 5) a three-storey mansion
with an elevator in Banuyo Street, San Antonio
Village, also not disclosed in his SALN; 6) house
and lot in Orbit Street, Bel Air Village, also not
disclosed in his SALN; 7) house and lot in Palm
Village, Guadalupe Viejo, also not disclosed in his
SALN; 8) rest house in Tali beach ,Batangas; 9)
rest house in Puerto Azul, Cavite; 10) rest house
in Tagaytay Highlands, Cavite; 11) rest house in
Alfonso, Cavite; 12) rest house in Zambales; 13)
rest house in Pangasinan; 14) undisclosed houses
located in Parañaque, Pasig, Mandaluyong and
Muntinlupa; 15) charges that his wife, Dr. Elenita Binay and her “amigas” hired about 600
“ghost” employees costing the city government
P3 million a month for their alleged salary; 16) a
charge also against Binay’s wife for graft in the
public bidding for the awarding of supply contract amounting P72.06 million; 17) graft case for
which Elenita Binay together with businessmen
Li Yee Shing, Jason Li and Vivian M. Edurise,
and Ernesto Aspillaga’s were supposed to be arraigned by the Sandiganbayan’s 4th Division on
January 18, 2008 for the anomalous purchase
of office fixtures and furniture’s for the Makati
City Hall from the Office Gallery International
worth P13.25 million overpriced by P3.6 million; 18) bogus charity project-40 million (sister
cityhood); 19) bogus charity project-27 million
calamity fund to other provinces; 20) bogus charity project-22 million Lakbay Aral Package; 21)
bogus charity project-20 million ambulance for
other cities; 22) 230 million Infor-mercial in TV
2009 using the Makati Foundation Day Funds;
23) 15 million-Komiks for Vice President campaign; 24) Security Services Company contracted
by City Hall believed to be owned by his son, etc.
Maybe most of them remain unfounded that may
even be dismissed by the courts. But as a candidate for the presidency with his entire family
dragged into a seemingly syndicated and deeply
entrenched web of corruption, Binay has to answer them, for ultimately it is his integrity that
will be measured whether he would be able to
live up as an honest public servant. If ever he
wins, just the same the people will be the ultimate
loser because they elected another who, like his
predecessor, also pretended to be honest.
By barricading himself with all those silly defenses intended to skirt those serious allegations,
he only contributed to heighten public suspicion
which like an ebola virus has now become viral
in the social media. His desperate attempt to
elevate to the Supreme Court the Senate inquiry
and the claim by a lawyer that as Vice President
he is immune from criminal suit is plain nonsense. That claim is far out because the issues he
faces have yet to ripen to one of formal charge to
make operable Section 3 (2) of Article XI of the
Constitution. He can never accuse the Senate of
engaging in “fishing expedition.” Rather, for presenting himself as a candidate, he automatically
made his life one of public concern for which the
public ought to know not just on what he accomplished, but on what has he done to enrich himself and his family.
HOMELAND
The San Francisco Post
Accused US Marine a no-show at probe
OLONGAPO CITY – US Marine Private First Class
Joseph Scott Pemberton, the suspect in the killing
of Filipino transgender Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude,
skipped yesterday’s preliminary investigation of the
murder case.
Pemberton was instead represented by his lawyer
Rowena Flores, who argued the earlier subpoena issued by the investigating prosecutor did not compel
the appearance of the American serviceman.
She said the subpoena merely required Pemberton to
submit a counter-affidavit by Oct. 27.
“I would like to avail of the 10 days to study the case
and the various documents submitted by the complainant,” she added.
Flores is affiliated with the Angara Abello Concepcion Regala & Cruz Law office, but said she is representing the US serviceman in her personal capacity.
Flores did not guarantee the presence of Pemberton
in the next hearing, saying they have yet to decide if
he will submit his counter-affidavit.
Later during the hearing, however, Olongapo City
chief prosecutor Emilie Fe delos Santos told Flores to
bring Pemberton to the scheduled hearing on Oct. 27.
“I’m asking you to make him appear before us,” Delos Santos told Flores, who repeatedly told the prosecutors that she will have to confer first with Pemberton.
“The attendance of your Marine will give us an
example on the willingness on the part of the US to
comply with the VFA (Visiting Forces Agreement),”
Delos Santos told Flores.
Delos Santos said Pemberton may waive his right
to submit his counter-affidavit, noting that the current
process is simply a determination if there is probable
cause that would warrant the filing of the case before
the court.
“We will just validate (the evidence) and then we
will decide,” she said.
Ombudsman OKs case vs
Pangasinan gov over black sand mining
MANILA, Philippines—Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales
on Tuesday ordered the filing of
criminal case against Pangasinan
Governor Amado Espino and several others for engaging in illegal
black sand mining trade in the
Lingayen Gulf area.
Aside from Espino, also facing
two counts of violation of Republic Act No. 3019 or the Anti-Graft
and Corrupt Practices Act are
Provincial Administrator Rafael
Baraan, Cynthia Camara and Lolita Bolayog of Alexandra Mining
and Oil Ventures, Inc. ( Alexandra
Mining).
Facing one count of violation
of R.A. No. 3019 are Pangasinan
Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Officer Alvin
Bigay, Alexandra Mining Directors Cesar Detera, Edwin Alcazar,
Denise Ann Sia Kho Po, Annlyn
Detera, Glenn Subia and Emiliano
Buenavista and Michael Ramirez,
Gina Alcazar and Avery Pujol of
Xypher Builders, Inc.
In addition to the criminal indictments, Baraan and Bigay were
found administratively liable for
Grave Misconduct and meted out
the penalty of dismissal from the
service, with the accessory penalties of cancellation of eligibility,
forfeiture of retirement benefits,
and perpetual disqualification
from reemployment in the government service.
Meanwhile, the complaints against
Lingayen Mayor Ernesto Castañeda, Jr., Sabangan Barangay (village) Chairman Hector Fabiana,
Estanza Barangay Chairman Ma-
Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales.
rio Navarro, Malimpuec Barangay Chairman Delfin Velasco and
Provincial Consultant Eric Acuña
were dismissed for lack of merit.
Residents in the area sought an investigation following continuous
mining activities even if the affected villages of Sabangan, Estanza,
Malimpuec and Capandanan have
been declared an environmentally
critical area under Presidential
Proclamation No. 1258.
Zamboanga
‘conjugal tents’ seen
ZAMBOANGA CITY— The city
government is thinking of building
“conjugal spaces” for couples who
lack privacy in their own tents in evacuation centers.
Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar, in a press briefing on Monday,
said the building of “conjugal spaces”
was being considered to address a
“natural” and “urgent need.”
Dr. Marcy Carpizo, director of Peace
and Human Security at Western Mindanao State University, earlier suggested the construction of “a tent or
a room where couples could express
their sexual needs away from their
children.”
“The special room or tent will spare
the children from witnessing their parents’ sexual activity,” Carpizo said in
an earlier interview with the Inquirer.
Ex-Davao del Sur governor Cagas
to seek bail in journalist slay case
DIGOS CITY, Philip- kill Bedolido. Mirafuentes
pines—Lawyers of former also implicated Matanao
Davao del Sur governor Mayor Vicente Fernandez
Douglas Cagas said on and alleged Cagas henchWednesday they would ask men Ali Ordaneza, Bado
the court to grant Cagas Sanchez and three othbail while being tried for the
2010 murder of
journalist Nestor
Bedolido.
Lawyer Marc
Fernandez, one
of Cagas’ lawyers, said they
would insist on
the innocence of
the former provincial executive in convincing the court to
grant him temFormer Gov. Douglas Cagas
porary liberty.
Cagas yielded
on Monday, more than an ers, including his brother,
hour before Judge Carmel- Henry.
ita Davin issued a warrant
Henry would subsequently
for his arrest. The former be arrested while Ordaneza
governor was charged for and Sanchez remained at
allegedly masterminding large, as of Wednesday.
Bedolido’s killing in June Fernandez is currently un2010.
der hospital arrest while
Shortly after he surren- another suspect, Artemio
dered to the Davao del Sur Timosan, has been cleared
police chief, Senior Supt. for lack of evidence.
Michael John Dubria, CaLawyer Fernandez did not
gas issued a statement to say when they would file
media that he had not or- the motion to grant bail.
dered anybody to kill in his Cesar Europa, lawyer for
name.
the Bedolido family, said
The self-confessed gun- he would oppose Cagas’
man, Voltaire Mirafuentes, petition for bail.
said that Cagas told him to
Abad urges accountants to lobby high court on DAP
MANILA, Philippines–Saying the Supreme Court
ruling on the Disbursement Acceleration Program
(DAP) could cripple the bureaucracy, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad Jr. asked the Association of
Government Accountants of the Philippines Inc.
(Agap) on Tuesday in Baguio City to lobby the
Supreme Court into amending its July 1 decision
that declared unconstitutional parts of the government’s stimulus scheme.
In Quezon City, a citizens’ coalition asked the
House of Representatives to thumb down the draft
law setting the 2015 budget on the grounds that
it would “legalize the unconstitutional,” including
Osmeña backs moves to use
Malampaya funds for ILP to avert
power shortage
MANILA, Philippines—Senator Sergio
Osmeña III said on Tuesday he would support moves to authorize President Benigno
Aquino III to use P1 billion in Malampaya
gas royalty funds to support the interruptible load program (ILP), rather than giving
him more powers to establish additional
generating capacity.
Under the ILP, businesses can be reimbursed for expenses in using their own generating facilities,
thus freeing up
distribution utilities to serve other customers.
Earlier, Osmeña
said the Malampaya fund could
not be used to
rent or acquire
generator sets to
avert an expected power supply
shortage in the
summer of 2015. Sergio Osmena II
He noted that the
Electric Power
Industry Reform Act was approved to prohibit the government from interfering in the
power industry.
There is thus no need for a joint resolution
giving the President the additional powers,
according to Osmeña.
He’d rather have a resolution to use part
of the Malampaya funds for the ILP. But he
plans to discuss the matter with the other
senators first.
Actually, there’s no need anymore for a
resolution because there is no need for the
PAGE 5
Oct 23, 2014 - Oct 29, 2014
government to import, or for the government to lease new generating plants and set
… If there’s a resolution that we will pass,
it is a resolution to authorize the President
to use P1 billion of the Malampaya fund
to subsidize the participant in the ILP,” he
said.
According to Osmeña, the Senate Energy
Committee chair, up to 1,000 megawatts
could be tapped from the ILP, out of the
3,000 MW that
could be obtained
from
generating sets
in the Luzon
area.
Five hundred
megawatts are
expected from
new
power
plants
being
constructed.
“So with 1,500
MW, it looks
like we would
be okay,” he
added.
Osmeña also said the Department of Energy’s constantly changing numbers with
regard to the power supply has been confusing people.
But in actuality, he said the country would
really be short on power reserves. The
country has 20 percent reserves, but at any
one time, 10 percent of the plants are either
down or on maintenance.
“So we really need reserves so that we will
not experience brownouts,” he said.
the DAP.
The Pera Ibalik sa Tao (Piso) coalition, during its
launch at the Quezon Memorial Circle on Monday, called on lawmakers not to approve the 2015
General Appropriations bill, which is expected to
be submitted for third and final reading sometime
next week.
A government fact sheet described the DAP as
a mechanism designed to correct government underspending in 2010 by using “savings and unprogrammed or standby fund appropriations” for
priority programs instead of for nonperforming
projects.
TAX CORNER
PAGE 6
Oct 23, 2014 - Oct 29, 2014
IRS Repeats Warning about
Phone Scams
W
ASHINGTON — The
Internal Revenue Service
and the Treasury Inspector General
by: Alvin C. Maglan, CPA for Tax Administration
continue to
hear
from
taxpayers who have received unsolicited calls from individuals demanding
payment while fraudulently claiming
to be from the IRS.
Based on the 90,000 complaints that
TIGTA has received through its telephone hotline, to date, TIGTA has
identified approximately 1,100 victims who have lost an estimated $5
million from these scams.
“There are clear warning signs about
these scams, which continue at high
levels throughout the nation,” said
IRS Commissioner John Koskinen.
“Taxpayers should remember their
first contact with the IRS will not be a
call from out of the blue, but through
official correspondence sent through
the mail. A big red flag for these scams
are angry, threatening calls from people who say they are from the IRS and
urging immediate payment. This is not
how we operate. People should hang
up immediately and contact TIGTA or
the IRS.”
Additionally, it is important for taxpayers to know that the IRS:
Never asks for credit card, debit card
or prepaid card information over the
telephone.
Never insists that taxpayers use a
specific payment method to pay tax
obligations
Never requests immediate payment
over the telephone and will not take
enforcement action immediately following a phone conversation. Taxpayers usually receive prior notification
of IRS enforcement action involving
IRS tax liens or levies.
Potential phone scam victims may be
told that they owe money that must be
paid immediately to the IRS or they
are entitled to big refunds. When unsuccessful the first time, sometimes
phone scammers call back trying a
new strategy.
Other characteristics of these scams
include:
Scammers use fake names and IRS
badge numbers. They generally use
common names and surnames to identify themselves.
Scammers may be able to recite the
last four digits of a victim’s Social Se-
curity number.
Scammers spoof the IRS toll-free
number on caller ID to make it appear
that it’s the IRS calling.
Scammers sometimes send bogus
IRS emails to some victims to support
their bogus calls.
Victims hear background noise of
other calls being conducted to mimic
a call site.
After threatening victims with jail
time or driver’s license revocation,
scammers hang up and others soon
call back pretending to be from the local police or DMV, and the caller ID
supports their claim.
If you get a phone call from someone
claiming to be from the IRS, here’s
what you should do:
If you know you owe taxes or you
think you might owe taxes, call the
IRS at 1.800.829.1040. The IRS employees at that line can help you with
a payment issue, if there really is such
an issue.
If you know you don’t owe taxes or
have no reason to think that you owe
any taxes (for example, you’ve never
received a bill or the caller made some
bogus threats as described above),
then call and report the incident to
TIGTA at 1.800.366.4484.
If you’ve been targeted by this scam,
you should also contact the Federal
Trade Commission and use their “FTC
Complaint Assistant” at FTC.gov.
Please add “IRS Telephone Scam” to
the comments of your complaint.
Taxpayers should be aware that there
are other unrelated scams (such as a
lottery sweepstakes) and solicitations
(such as debt relief) that fraudulently
claim to be from the IRS.
The IRS encourages taxpayers to
be vigilant against phone and email
scams that use the IRS as a lure. The
IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or
financial information. This includes
any type of electronic communication, such as text messages and social
media channels. The IRS also does
not ask for PINs, passwords or similar confidential access information
for credit card, bank or other financial
accounts. Recipients should not open
any attachments or click on any links
contained in the message. Instead, forward the e-mail to [email protected].
Al Maglan is a CPA licensed in California and Nevada. You can contact
him @ 510 432 7438 for yout tax problems. You may e-mail tax questions at
[email protected] or taxsaverspro@
gmail.com.
The San Francisco Post
Back-to-School Reminder for Parents
and Students: Check Out College Tax
Credits for 2014 and Years Ahead
WASHINGTON ― With another school
year now in full swing, the Internal Revenue Service today reminded parents and
students that now is a good time to see
if they will qualify for either of two college tax credits or any of several other
education-related tax benefits when they
file their 2014 federal income tax returns.
In general, the American opportunity
tax credit and lifetime learning credit are
available to taxpayers who pay qualifying
expenses for an eligible student. Eligible
students include the taxpayer and his or
her spouse and dependents. The American
opportunity tax credit provides a credit
for each eligible student, while the lifetime learning credit provides a maximum
credit per tax return. Though a taxpayer
often qualifies for both of these credits,
he or she can only claim one of them for
a particular student in a particular year.
Claimed on Form 8863, these credits are
available to all taxpayers — both those
who itemize their deductions on Schedule
A and those who claim a standard deduction.
For those eligible, including most undergraduate students, the American opportunity tax credit will generally yield the
greater tax savings. Alternatively, the lifetime learning credit should be considered
by part-time students and those attending
graduate school.
Both credits are available for students
enrolled in an eligible college, university
or vocational school, including both nonprofit and for-profit institutions. Neither
credit can be claimed by a nonresident
alien, a married person filing a separate
return or someone claimed as a dependent
on another person’s return.
Normally, a student will receive a Form
1098-T from their institution by the end
of January of the following year (Jan.
31, 2015 for calendar year 2014). This
form will show information about tuition
paid or billed along with other information. However, amounts shown on this
form may differ from amounts taxpayers
are eligible to claim for these tax credits.
Taxpayers should see the instructions to
Form 8863 and Publication 970 for details on properly figuring allowable tax
benefits.
Many of those eligible for the American opportunity tax credit qualify for the
maximum annual credit of $2,500 per
student. Students can claim this credit for
qualified educational expenses paid during the entire tax year for a certain number of years:
The credit is only available for 4 tax
years per eligible student.
The credit is available only if the student
has not completed the first 4 years of
postsecondary education before 2014.
Here are some more key features of the
credit:
Qualified education expenses are
amounts paid for tuition, fees and other
related expenses for an eligible student.
Other expenses, such as room and board,
are not qualified expenses.
The credit equals 100 percent of the first
$2,000 spent and 25 percent of the next
$2,000. That means the full $2,500 credit
may be available to a taxpayer who pays
$4,000 or more in qualified expenses for
an eligible student.
The full credit can only be claimed by
taxpayers whose modified adjusted gross
income (MAGI) is $80,000 or less. For
married couples filing a joint return, the
limit is $160,000. The credit is phased out
for taxpayers with incomes above these
levels. No credit can be claimed by joint
filers whose MAGI is $180,000 or more
and singles, heads of household and some
widows and widowers whose MAGI is
$90,000 or more.
Forty percent of the American opportunity tax credit is refundable. This means
that even people who owe no tax can get
an annual payment of up to $1,000 for
each eligible student.
The lifetime learning credit of up to
$2,000 per tax return is available for both
graduate and undergraduate students. Unlike the American opportunity tax credit,
the limit on the lifetime learning credit
applies to each tax return, rather than to
each student. Also, the lifetime learning
credit does not provide a benefit to people
who owe no tax.
For more info, contact our office
at 510 432 7438 for yout tax problems. You may e-mail tax questions at
[email protected] or taxsaverspro@
gmail.com.
First-Time Home Buyer Penalty
waiver for early distribution from
traditional IRA
For IRA distribution purposes, the
term first-time home buyer does not
mean the taxpayer has not owned a
home before the distribution date.
A taxpayer who has never owned a
home or has not owned a home in the
last two years ending on the date of
purchase qualifies for a penalty exception of distributing up to $10,000
from his or her IRA. If the taxpayer
is married, the taxpayer’s spouse must
also meet the two-year requirement as
well. Taxpayers who take a distribution from their IRA to aid in the buying process of a home and who meet
the requirements will be subject to
income taxation of the amount distributed, but will not be subject to a
10% penalty for the amount that was
distributed.
Besides the two-year ownership rule,
the other criteria that must be met
are:
•The amount must be used for the
home purchase within 120 days of the
date of distribution.
•Any amounts not used for the purchase of the home within the 120-day
period will be subject to the 10% penalty.
The individual taking the distribution
can be the taxpayer, the taxpayer’s
spouse, child, grandchild or an ancestor of the taxpayer.
The penalty can also be avoided if the
taxpayer places any remaining funds
not used for the purchase back into the
IRA within the 120-day period.
Example: Josh is purchasing a new
home and does not have enough cash
on hand to place a deposit. He has
$100,000 in his traditional IRA. Josh
owned a home five years ago, but sold
the home and moved into an apartment because his job required him
to travel several days a week. He has
been promoted and no longer needs to
travel. He heard from his boss that he
can take up to a $10,000 distribution
from his IRA and use this amount as
a down payment without being penalized. He plans to close on the home
on September 1, 2014. As long as Josh
receives the distribution within the
120-day period of paying acquisition
costs and uses the entire $10,000 for
his down payment, the distribution
is taxable but is not subject to a 10%
penalty.
If Josh does not use the entire $10,000
as a down payment, or the closing is
not completed, he will be subject to a
10% penalty on the amount that is not
placed back into the IRA before the
120-day period.
For more info, contact our office at 510
432 7438 for yout tax problems. You
may e-mail tax questions at amaglan@
aol.com or [email protected].
Oct 23, 2014 - Oct 29, 2014
BANKRUPTCY
Judge to rule on Detroit
Ways to keep your home out of
bankruptcy plan in early November
foreclosure
PAGE 7
The San Francisco Post
id you receive a
Notice of Default
D
on your home? Are
You may also be able
to refinance your mortgage is you are current
in your payment.
6. If you received a Notice of Trustee
Sale, you can stop the sale by filing bankruptcy before the Trustee
Sale date. If you have filed a Chapter 7 before and you were already
discharged, you can file a Chapter
13 even immediately after your discharge in Chapter7. The purpose of
filing Chapter 13 bankruptcy is to
stop the Trustee Sale and to offer a
payment plan for your secured debts
such as your house and autos. With
the automatic stay from the Court,
creditors are prohibited from selling
your house until the court approves
your payment plan. While you are in
Chapter 13 proceedings you can continue to apply for loan modification.
7. If you are a victim of mortgage
fraud, you can litigate your case. A
Temporary Restraining Order from
the court will stop the foreclosure of
your house.
Warning:
This is not a legal advice and you should seek an attorney
about your specific circumstances.
By Atty. Crispin C. Lozano
you denied a Loan Modification? If
this is your situation then your home
is in danger of being foreclosed and
you must have a plan of action to
keep your home. Below are some of
the ways you can do to help you keep
your home while your financial situation is in trouble.
1. If you have two loans on your
house and it is underwater, the second loan probably has no equity and
its lender would not be able foreclose
if you have been late in payments
even for years. If this is your case,
then your payment priority is to the
first loan because this is the lender
that is in position to foreclose your
home.
2. If your available money is not
enough even for the first loan of your
house, you have to analyze your financial position. If you have plenty
of credit card debts, you can eliminate those debts by filing Chapter 7
bankruptcy. By this time your credit
score is already very low and filing
bankruptcy will pull it down just a
few points. However after your discharge from bankruptcy you can immediately rebuild your credit. Debt
settlement or debt consolidation will
not solve your problem because it is
a process that will take three to five
years with your credit keep going
down. Debt settlement is a waste
of money and almost everyone who
paid large sums of money for debt
settlement ended up filing bankruptcy. After filing bankruptcy you
can rebuild your credit within three
years. You can buy again real property after three years. Credit cards
and auto loans will be offered to you
within months after your discharge
from bankruptcy.
3. You should review all your expenses and eliminate whatever expenses that can be dispensed with or
eliminated.
4. You should try again to modify
your loan even if you have been denied before. After your bankruptcy
discharge, your financial situation
will improve a lot because you have
no more unsecured debts and you
will have a better chance of getting
approval. I have clients who were
previously denied for loan modification because of large unsecured debts
but after their discharge from Chapter 7 bankruptcy, their financial situation improved and they were now
approved for loan modification.
5. In addition, your chance for loan
modification application is improved
with the settlement by the U. S. government of its lawsuit against the
banks. The top five banks agreed to
set aside $17 billion to modify your
loan and possibly reduce the principal amount by about $20,000 on the
average if your house is underwater.
ankruptcy Basics
1.Bankruptcy will actually imB
prove your credit within one year because your unsecured debts are discharged. Although the bankruptcy
will be in your records for 10 years,
not filing bankruptcy will make your
credit even worse until most your
debts are paid.
2. If you are being sued by your creditors, most money judgment can be
eliminated in bankruptcy.
3. Collection actions continue and
you can be sued if you are in debt
settlement.
4. Chapter 7 will eliminate all unsecured debts. If you are near retirement age, you must eliminate most of
your debts.
5. Bankruptcy will stop foreclosure
actions. If your trustee sale date is
10 days before, you can still file for
bankruptcy.
6. If your salary is being garnished,
you have a court case about debts or
you are being harassed by creditors,
bankruptcy can stop garnishment,
court cases, harassing creditors and
eliminate the debt.
7. Bankruptcy is cheaper, faster and
safer than debt settlement which has
no guaranteed success.
8. Preserve your health, eliminate
stress and live a happy life by eliminating your debts which is the root of
all problems.
Crispin Caday Lozano is an active
member of the State Bar of California, the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the National
Association of Consumers Bankruptcy Attorneys. He specializes in immigration law and bankruptcy law.
How Soon Can I Buy a House After
Bankruptcy or Foreclosure?
Bouncing back from bankruptcy or foreclosure takes time. But that doesn’t mean
you have to shelve your homebuying aspirations for some interminable stretch.
They’re called “boomerang buyers” for
a reason.
Consumers may be able to close on a
home loan just a couple years removed
from one (or both) of these fiscal hiccups.
A lot depends on the type of loan you’re
seeking and how you handle credit in the
wake of your bankruptcy or foreclosure.
Some prospective buyers will struggle
to rebound. For others, a home purchase
might be feasible but might not be the most
financially savvy next step. If you’re set
on buying, work hard to boost your credit
profile and get a good handle on your mortgage options long before you begin shopping for a home.
Buying After Bankruptcy
The most common consumer-centric
forms of bankruptcy are Chapter 7 and
Chapter 13. The type you experience will
play a role in how soon you can be eligible
to purchase a home.
So will the loan product. Different mortgage programs can have different “seasoning periods” following a bankruptcy or
foreclosure. Lenders may have their own
in-house requirements on top of that.
With a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, the seasoning clock begins when the action is discharged. From that point, you’re typically
looking at a four-year wait for conventional loans and a two-year wait for either FHA
or VA financing. (The FHA’s short-term
“Back to Work” program offers qualified
borrowers the possibility of even swifter
movement after both bankruptcy and foreclosure.)
Chapter 13 bankruptcies can be a little
different. You might be able to land a conventional loan two years after a Chapter
13 discharge. FHA and VA loans are even
more lenient.
DETROIT, Oct 20 (Reuters) - A
U.S. judge said on Monday he
would rule during the week of Nov.
3 on Detroit’s plan to adjust its debts
and exit the biggest-ever municipal
bankruptcy.
Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes
said he would issue an oral ruling in
court late that week on whether the
plan is fair to creditors and feasible
for the city to carry out. He also set
Oct. 27 for closing arguments in the
plan’s confirmation hearing, which
began Sept. 2.
The wrap-up of the historic bankruptcy comes after Detroit reached
settlements with all of its major
creditors, including its two retirement systems and companies that
guaranteed payments on the city’s
bonds.
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder
appointed Jones Day lawyer Kevyn
Orr as Detroit’s emergency manager
in the spring of 2013, after the oncethriving industrial hub had suffered
years of population, economic and
fiscal declines. That July, Orr filed
the largest municipal bankruptcy in
U.S. history and moved relatively
fast to forge a plan for adjusting $18
billion of the city’s debt and obligations.
The string of settlements came
with a cost, with outside consultants charging $67.7 million in fees
through March 31, according to a report filed in court on Friday. More
than a third of that, $26.15 million,
has gone to Jones Day, which represents Detroit in court.
Orr told Rhodes last week that he
had asked the restructuring professionals to make a $5 million contribution to the city and “put a little
money in the pot.” Detroit Mayor
Mike Duggan has expressed concerns that a significant portion of
a loan to cover the costs of exiting
bankruptcy would go to paying consultants.
PAGE 8
Oct 23, 2014 - Oct 29, 2014
The San Francisco Post
IMMIGRATION
The San Francisco Post
PAGE 9
Oct 23, 2014 - Oct 29, 2014
What are the convictions that bar
naturalization application?
Q.tion?What is considered a convic: First it is important to note what
constitutes a conviction for immiA
gration purposes. According to USCIS,
“conviction” means a formal judgment
of guilt entered by a court, or an adjudication of guilt is withheld if a judge
or jury has found the person guilty, or a
no contest plea was entered, or sufficient
facts were admitted to warrant a finding
of guilt and the judge has ordered a form
of punishment, penalty, or imposed a restraint on the alien’s liberty. For immigration purposes, if there is no admission
or finding of guilt, then the offense may
not count as a conviction.
: How does a finding of moral turpitude affect a finding of good moral
Q
character?
: According to 8 CFR § 316.10, “an
applicant who has committed or
A
admits the commission of two or more
crimes involving moral turpitude ... is
precluded from establishing good moral
character, even though the conviction
record of one or more offenses has been
expunged.”
happens if I committed one
more CIMTs in statutory period?
Q:or: What
An applicant who is convicted of
or admits to committing one or more
A
CIMTs during the statutory period cannot establish GMC for naturalization. If
the applicant has only been convicted
of (or admits to) one CIMT, the CIMT
must have been committed within the
statutory period as well. In cases of multiple CIMTs, only the commission and
conviction (or admission) of one CIMT
needs to be within the statutory period.
What if the CIMT is a “petty ofQ:fense”?
: An applicant who has committed
only one CIMT that is a considered a
A
“petty offense,” such as petty theft, may
be eligible for an exception if all of the
following conditions are met:
• The “petty offense” is the only CIMT
the applicant has ever committed;
• The sentence imposed for the offense
was six months or less; and
• The maximum possible sentence for the
offense does not exceed one year.
What if I committed more than one
offenses?
Q:petty
: The petty offense exception does
not apply to an applicant who has
A
been convicted of or who admits to committing more than one CIMT even if only
one of the CIMTs was committed during
the statutory period. An applicant who
has committed more than one petty offense of which only one is a CIMT may
be eligible for the petty offense exception.
: I pleaded guilty of a crime and the
judge sentenced me to community
Q
service after which my conviction was
discharged and my record sealed. Will
my conviction impact my citizenship application?
: It depends on the nature of the
crime, but U.S. immigration law
considers you to have been convicted.
That is despite the discharge and any
sealing of your record.
A
What if I was sentenced to more
five years for the crime?
Q:than
: An applicant may not establish
GMC if he or she has been convicted
A
of two or more offenses during the statutory period for which the combined, imposed sentence was five years or more.
The underlying offenses must have been
committed within the statutory period.
the offense was drug-related, can
GMC?
Q:I: Ifestablish
No. An applicant cannot establish
GMC if he or she has been convicted
A
of or admits to having violated any controlled substance-related federal or state
law or regulation of the United States or
law or regulation of any foreign country
during the statutory period. This bar to
establishing GMC also By Atty. Crispin C. Lozano another approval for
waiver of misrepresenapplies to an admission
tation from the Immito committing acts that
constitute the essential elements of any gration Court for an alien who entered as
single but actually married.
controlled substance violation.
: If the violation was only once and 18. On January 14, 2014, we received an
was only for simple possession of approval from USCIS of a green card unmarijuana, does the conditional bar ap- der law on Registry for a person who has
been in the U.S. since before 1972.
ply?
: No. The conditional bar to GMC 19. On January 6, 2014, we received an
for a controlled substance violation approval of waiver of misrepresentation
does not apply if the violation was for a from Immigration Judge for a client who
single offense of simple possession of 30 entered as single but actually married.
20. On November 21, 2013, we received
grams or less of marijuana.
an approval from USCIS for adjust: Can I establish GMC if I was im- ment of status under SAME SEX MARRIAGE.
prisoned for more than 180 days?
: No. An applicant cannot establish
GMC if he or she is or was imprisoned for an aggregate period of 180 days
or more during the statutory period based
on a conviction. This bar to GMC does
not apply if the conviction resulted only
in a sentence to a period of probation
with no sentence of incarceration for 180
days or more. This bar applies regardless
of the reason for the conviction. For example, this bar still applies if the term of
imprisonment results from a violation of
probation rather than from the original
sentence. The commission of the offense
resulting in conviction and confinement
does not need to have occurred during
the statutory period for this bar to apply.
Only the confinement needs to be within
the statutory period for the applicant to
be precluded from establishing GMC.
Q
A
Q
A
STORIES
S1. OnUCCESS
October 7, 2014, we received an
approval from the U.S. Embassy in Manila an immigrant visa for a client who
entered the US without inspection under
the Provisional Waiver Program.
2. On September 26, 2014, we received
an approval from the Immigration Court
for waiver of misrepresentation for a client who entered as single but actually
married at the time of entry to the U.S.
3. On September 9, 2014, we received
an approval from Immigration Court of
adjustment of status for a client who was
previously denied an asylum.
4. On September 8, 2014, we received an
approval from USCIS of Form I-601A
provisional waiver for two clients.
5. On September 5, 2014, we received an
approval from USCIS for Fiancée visa
based on same sex petition.
6. On September 4, 2014, we received an
approval of DACA for a client who has
problem in her birth certificate.
7. On August 28, 2014, we received an
approval of green card based on spousal
abuse.
8. On August 25, 2014, we received an
approval of green card based on same
sex marriage with big age difference.
9. On August 1, 2014, we received an approval of waiver of joint filing of I-751
based on spousal abuse. With the approval she was granted permanent residence.
10. On July 21. 2014, we received an approval of green card based on marriage
that was initially denied due to inconsistencies in interview response.
11. On July 19, 2014, we received an
approval of I-751 removal of condition
on residence waiver based on battered
spouse.
12. On June 11, 2014, we received an approval from USCIS of green card under
Violence against Women Act.
13. On May 12. 2014, we received an approval from USCIS of green card under
the same sex marriage law and the corresponding waiver of certain misrepresentation.
14. On April 21, 2014, we received an
approval of green card after the denial
was appealed to the Board of Immigration Appeals.
15. On March 31, 2014, we received an
approval of green card for a client under
Violence against Women Act.
16. On March 25, 2014, we received
another approval from the Immigration
Court for waiver of misrepresentation for
a client who entered the U.S. as single
but actually married.
17. On January 24, 2014, we received
Crispin Caday Lozano is an active member of the State Bar of California, the
American Immigration Lawyers Association and the National Association of
Consumers Bankruptcy Attorneys. He
specializes in immigration law and bankruptcy law. He earned his Juris Doctor
at Western State University College of
Law in Fullerton, California. He is also
a Certified Public Accountant, a Real
Estate Broker and a Bachelor of Business Administration Cum Laude graduate. He has offices in San Francisco,
Hayward, San Jose, and Cerritos, California. You can contact him at 1-877456-9266. Email questions to [email protected]/. Visit our website at
www.crispinlozanolaw.com.
PAGE 10
Oct 23, 2014 - Oct 29, 2014
IMMIGRATION
Local jails refusing to hold illegal
immigrant offenders, forcing feds to
track them down
Local police agencies across the country
are frustrating efforts at the federal level
to detain and deport criminal illegal immigrants, leaving immigration officials
scrambling to track them down.
In the last nine months, 275 counties have
refused to honor requests from Immigration and Customs Enforcement that they
be notified before releasing an illegal immigrant from custody.
In doing so, those
jurisdictions have released some 9,000 with
criminal records who
otherwise would have
been removed from the
U.S.
In the past, these socalled “detainer requests” from ICE were
routinely granted.
Now, however, the
very counties that once
turned over thousands
of illegal immigrant felons to ICE are refusing
-- afraid of being sued
for holding the wrong person or forced to
renege by immigrant-friendly policies in
Democrat-dominated districts.
According to ICE Field Supervisory Agent
David Marin, police are releasing murder
suspects, firearms offenders, drug traffickers and documented gang members, despite requests not to.
“Statistics show of these convicted felons,
75 percent of them are going to reoffend,”
Marin told Fox News, during an exclusive
ride-along with a fugitive task force. “So if
we can get them in the jails before they get
an opportunity to reoffend and create more
victims, for us it is a win-win situation. By
law enforcement agencies not honoring
our detainers, it really undermines our authority and our mission, which is to go out
and protect the public.”
In southern California, almost every police agency and jail refuses to turn over
criminal illegal immigrants to ICE for removal. Instead, they’re released back onto
the streets where many do not have a local
address.
Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, urged the
Obama administration to get tougher on
these cities.
“If the administration is serious about
enforcing the law and expediting deporta-
tions, it will hold sanctuary cities accountable and end the catch-and-release practices that undermine our immigration laws,”
Smith said.
Earlier this week, a Fox News producer
and cameraman accompanied Marin and a
dozen other agents in Orange County looking for recently released inmates.
The San Francisco Post
Order for millions of blank work permits,
green cards raising amnesty concerns
A government print order for as many as
34 million blank work permits and green
cards is raising concern that the Obama administration could be preparing an executive order for amnesty after the November
election.
An online solicitation by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigrations Services seeks vendors that can produce a minimum 4 million
cards per year for five years, and 9 million
in the early stages.
If the numbers reported by Breitbart.com
on Monday are correct, they are vastly
larger than official estimates of 12 million
illegal residents in this country.
“There aren’t enough federal employees
from here to Pluto to do adequate background checks on 34 million,” said Bob
Dane, spokesman for the Federation for
American Immigration Reform.
Dane told Watchdog.org that President
Obama appears “to be getting his ducks in
a row” before legalizing illegal residents
by executive fiat.
“It’s another petulant display of contempt
of Congress,” he said.
A USCIS official told MailOnline the
solicitation for green cards was published
“in case the president makes the move we
think he will.”
But the official said the agency is not yet
committed to buying the materials.
Illegal Immigrants Caught Hiding In
Washing Machine And Boxes Inside
U-Haul
“I was born in Mexico but I’ve been here
my whole life,” said 19-year-old Omar Del
Rio, as he was processed at an ICE holding
center. “I just had one conviction.”
Del Rio, with tattoos visible from the
Anaheim gang he allegedly belongs to,
had a prior felony conviction for attempted
robbery. Arrested for attempted murder in
2012, the Orange County jail released Del
Rio in September. The release forced ICE
to go find him, a costly and risky proposition for agents and taxpayers.
“I got arrested for something I didn’t do,”
Del Rio argued. “That’s why they dropped
the charges on me. They (ICE) just caught
me off guard. I wasn’t expecting them.”
The ACLU argues police should not treat
ICE detainers like warrants.
“ICE is relying on this shortcut that casts
this wide drag net that has caught U.S. citizens who have been jailed mistakenly as
a result of these detainers,” said Cecillia
Wang, director of the ACLU Immigrants’
Rights Project. “The notion that if these
counties don’t honor these ICE detainers
[it] puts people at risk is simply a fiction.”
Colorado and California have laws prohibiting local agencies from cooperating
with ICE, and several courts ruled agencies are under no obligation to comply with
holds because they do not meet constitutional standards of probable cause.
Illegal immigrants were found hiding in a
washing machine and cardboard boxes inside a U-Haul truck by U.S. Border Patrol
agents. The agents found the illegal aliens
during a Falfurrias, Texas, checkpoint stop
after a K-9
unit alerted
them.
Border Patrol agents
found five
illegal immigrants inside the UHaul truck.
One man
was curled
up inside
a washing
machine,
while four
others were
hiding in
cardboard
moving
boxes. The
male truck
driver and
his female
passenger,
both Americans, were arrested. The Department of
Homeland Security is still investigating
the incident. Falfurrias is located about 90
miles south of Corpus Christi, the southernmost point in Texas.
The influx of illegal immigrants, including unaccompanied children, is still ongoing in Texas. To date, the number of illegal
aliens captured crossing the border has not
reached the anticipated numbers voiced by
experts during the summer months. The
federal government still “struggles” to
house all of the illegal aliens coming into
the United States this year. As previously
reported by The Inquisitr, some of the unaccompanied children have been released to
relatives and sponsors around the United
States. It is not currently know if all of the
relatives are legal immigrants.
A massive holding center for illegal immigrants is being built in Dilley, Texas. The
taxpayer-funded facility will be a 2,400bed family residential center, according to
NPR.
“They’re calling it a residential center.
It’s actually a detention center,” NPR write
John Burnett reported after visiting the
area.
The Dilley, Texas, illegal immigrants
holding center will reportedly include playrooms, snacks and drinks area, a soccer
field, and a basketball court.
“It’s surrounded by a fence and locked
gates, so they can’t leave. The first families are supposed to arrive next month. And
the idea is to detain and deport these Central Americans as quickly as possible once
they’ve had their asylum claims heard. And
then that’s sending a message back south to
deter others who might be considering the
journey,” Burnett added.
A host of Democrats are unhappy about
the “detention center” nature of the holding facilities being built for the illegal
immigrants. House Judiciary Committee
chair Patrick Leahy was one of 10 Democrats who signed a memo to Department of
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson,
asking him to reconsider the center policy.
The members of President Obama’s own
party do not agree with the denial of bond
and the “incarcerating” of families who
want to seek asylum in America. According to Burnett, the politicians do not feel
the women, children, and teenagers pose a
threat to society and are not a flight risk.
The San Francisco Post
AROUND TOWN
PAGE 11
Oct 23, 2014 - Oct 29, 2014
Prominent Pinoy Bay Area
Personality:
Azenith Smith
I
The Alameda County Bar Association Volunteer Legal Services Corporation recognized Atty. Nicole A. Reyes as the
2013 Volunteer of the Year Rising Star at the recent awards
night. In picture are Atty. Nicole Reyes with Judge Pulido.
Atty. Nicole A. Reyes during her acceptance speech
as the 2013 Volunteer of the Year Rising Star at
the recent awards night of the Alameda County Bar
Association.
FEST’ALL @ SAN JOSE FAIRGROUNDS. The 9th annual Festiv’ALL held at the Santa
Clara Fairgroundsin San Jose was participated in by members of the Filipino American
Chamber of Santa Clara County. From left is FACC PRO Don Orozco, Thancy Camacho
Gutierrez; Wells Fargo Bank Home Mortgage Consultant, Alma Ramirez, Treasurer, Nel C
Messersmith of Docs and Images, Anne O Ramirez, President, Mylah Spears of Vista Verde
Homes and Debbie Abad of the Santa Clara Fairgrounds.
FILIPINO COMMUNITY CENTER. Members and Officers of the FilCom Center of San
Jose were in full force in support of Santa Clara County District 3 Supervisor Dave Cortese held at their very own FilCom Center at Japan Town in San Jose. Dave Cortese is with
wife Pattie together with San Jose Councilmember Ash Kalra, former Milpitas Mayor Henry
Manayan, former FACC President Edith Msacayan, President-Elect Benjie Fernandez, Ms
Erlinda Reyes and Board members of FilCom.
BROTHER
PAUL
MEMBRERE. Members of the Iglesia Ni
Cristo especially here
in the United States
were all saddened
with the passing away
of their pioneer minister of the gospel and
the very first head
of the INC’s United
States Main Office.
Ka Paul’s viewing
and internment will
be on October 30 and
31 from 4pm to 9pm
at Cypress Lawn
Cemetery in Colma,
California.
Internment will be on November 1 at 2pm.
Rest In Peace Brother
Paul.
t sure is fun
to have coffee with popular Bay Area
personalities
LET’S HAVE COFFEE
more so if they
By
are Pinoys or
Don Augusto Orozco
Pinays. Due to
space limitations, instead
of focusing on
two people as promised, I will just feature
1 today and next week we will have Assemblyman Rob Bonta.
Today, we focus on Azenith Smith. A
seasoned reporter you always get to see
on our very own local KTVU Channel 2
News. See for yourself how she answers
questions we would have
loved to ask from her.
1. Where did you start as a
reporter?
I got my reporting roots
at the Filipino Channel.
My first story was about
the San Francisco Crab
Festival. I interviewed
Filipinos about their love
for crab. I loved working there. It gave me an
opportunity to hone my
skills as well as celebrate
my culture.
2. How long have you
been in the business?
Ten years ago, I was
fortunate to get my onair start at the Filipino
Channel as a freelance
reporter for the FilipinoAmerican news show
“Balitang America” based
in Redwood City. I then
went on to report in Coos
Bay/North Bend, Oregon;
Monterey/Salinas, California and most recently
Las Vegas, Nevada prior
to landing my current Azenith Smith
job as a general assignment reporter based in the
South Bay Bureau at KTVU.
3. What are the struggles and challenges
you have faced?
This industry is very competitive and
sometimes can be very unfair. You have
to make a lot of sacrifices - often moving
away from your family and friends to get
to your next best place. I always had a vision and a dream and that was to get back
to the Bay Area. If you work hard and pray
hard, your dreams will come true.
4. Are there any difference between mainstream media and ethnic media?
The big difference is ethnic media focuses
solely on a certain ethnicity whereas mainstream media is for the masses. It’s time
there’s more stories representing different
cultures and the diversity in the Bay Area..
Mainstream media should reflect that more
since the Bay Area is a melting pot. I hope
to help with that.
5. What have you done to the Filipino
American community?
I hope when people see me on television, they recognize I am a Filipina in
mainstream media. I hope to inspire other
young Filipinas, other Asian Americans to
pursue their goals and dreams. If I can do
it and get this far, anyone can.
6. What is your message to the aspiring
reporter out there?
Don’t give up. So many times I wanted to
give up. So many times I didn’t think I was
good enough. This job isn’t easy and it’s
only natural to feel that way. But I always
prayed. I prayed for God to use me to help
people and to tell stories that would make
a difference. If you have good intentions,
you will succeed.
7. What are you messages to the youth
especially the Filipino American community?
Be active. Go out there and be known. Be
something. Do whatever you can to keep
growing and to keep improving. Failing
only happens when you don’t try. And be
humble. Carry that quiet confidence with
you and people will take notice. Always
remember - You are God’s gift to the world
- what you do with your life is your gift to
God.
8. Are you actively participating in any
Filipino American organizations and community projects?
I was very active in Las Vegas when Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda happened. I did a
lot of stories in mainstream media about
raising money and awareness for kababayans back home. I honestly would like to be
more active now that I’m in the Bay Area.
Surprisingly I get very nervous talking in
front of a crowd. I can’t even read the Bible
readings at Church anymore. It’s different
in front of a camera. I’m trying to get over
that so I can emcee and be more involved
in Fil-Am events. I would love to be more
involved and help.
9. How can you contribute in the advancement of the causes by the FilAm Community?
I’m passionate about two things - my
hometown of Milpitas/San Jose and the
Filipino community. I’m lucky to follow
in the footsteps of Fil-Am journalist Lloyd
LaCuesta who retired from KTVU. He is
someone I and so many others look up to. I
hope to become as connected as he was in
the Filipino community and to do stories
important to Fil-Ams. Find me on Twitter,
Facebook or send me an email atAzenith.
[email protected]
There you have it. Thanks for this,
Azenith. (For comments/suggestions
please email me at [email protected])
ARE YOU CELEBRATING YOUR BIRTHDAY, ANNIVERSARY,
GRADUATION OR BUSINESS GRAND OPENING?
SF Post can cover an exclusive feature of your event!
Call us at
1-855-454-7678
or email us at [email protected] to learn more.
REAL ESTATE
PAGE 12
Oct 23, 2014 - Oct 29, 2014
One property insurance claim can
hike your premiums by hundreds
File just one property claim
to your insurer and you can
expect to see your premiums
soar by hundreds of dollars in
some states.
On average, filing
a single
c l a i m
-for
anything
ranging
from
a
stolen bicycle to
tornado
damage -will result
in
your
monthly
premium
b e i n g
raised by
9%, according to a report released by InsuranceQuotes.
com. File a second claim and
premiums climb by an average of 20%.
“Winning a small claim
could actually cost you money in the long run,” said Laura Adams, InsuranceQuotes.
com’s senior analyst. “Homeowners need to be really
careful. Even a denied claim
can cause your premium to
go up.”
And the size of the claim has
little impact. Filing a small
claim increases your rates by
just about as much as filing a
catastrophic one. “The insurers have found that people
who make a claim are more
likely to make another,” said
Adams. “You’ve become a
riskier customer.”
Yet, the type of claim does
matter. Liability claims, such
as from personal injuries, are
the most expensive type of
claim, with insurers raising
The San Francisco Post
Boomers and Engineers a Good Sign for Housing Markets
Metropolitan areas that are home to
larger populations of math and science professionals and baby boomers are bucking the usual seasonal
trend of a real estate slowdown as
summer ends, realtor.com® research
shows.
Properties in 12 major metro areas
are spending less than two months
on the market, according to the realtor.com® September National Housing Trend Report, released today.
The 12 markets include the greater
Seattle, San Francisco, Austin, TX,
and Washington, D.C. areas.
“When we see homes moving
quickly in a particular market, we
expect the trend to be supported by
signs of local health like growth in
industrial production and employment,” said Jonathan Smoke, chief
economist for realtor.com®.
The high proportion of math and
science professionals in these fastmoving housing markets likely has
to do with the higher incomes found
in those professions, which also attracts job seekers from other areas,
Smoke added.
“So, assuming the portion of people
moving in have above-average jobs,
you have a recipe for strong demand
up against tight supply,” he said.
As for the baby boomers, Smoke
pointed out this is a huge generation
and the one with the most wealth.
Many of them are approaching or
will soon be thinking about retirement, a major life event that spurs
housing
transactions—whether
they’re downsizing because the kids
are gone, upsizing to their dream
home or selling to move to senior
living communities.
All of those decisions support local
construction and economic activity,
providing a strong base for housing
demand, Smoke said.
“As the technology industry grows
and aging baby boomers decide to
make housing moves to support their
retirement, we’ll continue to see
strong housing demand associated
with these factors.”
One of two Fil-Am CA realtors honored for “changing
clients’ lives for better”
premiums by an average of
14%, InsuranceQuotes.com
found.
Other claims that lead to big
premium increases are theft
and vandalism, which often
indicate that the home is in a
neighborhood that is unstable
or falling prey to blight. In
bad neighborhoods, these
crimes can recur, and the high
premiums reflect that.
The premium increases also
vary greatly by state. Homeowners in Wyoming saw the
biggest increase in their premiums -- an average of 32%
-- after a claim was filed.
While the hikes are high, the
state tends to charge fairly
low premiums of about $770
a year, considerably lower
than the $978 national average.
LOS ANGELES – A multi-awarded
Filipino-American realtor added another
feather on her cap when she was chosen
by the California Association of Realtors (CAR) as one of only two realtors
for the “Champions of Home” Award for
“changing their clients’ lives for the better, raising the standards for others, and
led by example.”
The award was presented to Fil-Am realtor Reeza Gervacio of Cerritos-based
Century 21 Astro during the California Realtor Expo 2014 on Oct. 8 at the
Anaheim Convention Center. The other
awardee was Lois Gerace of Woodland
Hills-based RE/MAX Olson and Associates.
California has over 170,000 realtors and
only two were chosen this year to receive
the prestigious award, which is now on
its second year.
“These two REALTORS® repeatedly
have gone above and beyond in service
to their clients and have shown care and
compassion in making sure their clients’
dreams of owning a home became a reality,” CAR said in a press statement.
“Reeza Gervacio and Lois Gerace are
exemplary REALTORS®
who push themselves and
consistently set higher
standards by showing extreme diligence and persistence in serving their clients,” said CAR President
Kevin Brown. “They rise
above the rest and set an
example to others for their
dedication and passion,
and I’m proud to recognize
them as our 2014 Champions of Home.”
CAR said: “A 16-year
realtor, Gervacio also cares about her
profession and the community in which
she works. She donates her time to local school career days to talk with young
children about the profession she loves.
In addition to her sales duties, Reeza also
helps train agents in her office in farming, client communications, sphere of
influence, and how to expand visibility.”
CAR also said giving back to those less
fortunate also is important to Gervacio.
Every year, Gervacio visits the Holy
Trinity Home for Children, an orphanage
in Quezon City, and spends time with
them, hosting lunch and giving gifts and
food items to the children.
Carol Rayburn, Gervacio’s broker at
Century 21 Astro said: “We need shining
lights like Reeza for whom it’s not just
about the money, but about the people
she serves.”
In their nomination letter to the Awards
Committee, Rayburn and Lou Rosenkranz, co-owner and broker of Century
21 Astro, cited Gervacio’s numerous accomplishments.
SPORTS
Manny Pacquiao makes
PBA debut
BULACAN, Philippines — Manny
Pacquiao’s basketball career is officially underway.
Pacquiao, boxing’s only eight-division world champion, started for
his team Kia Sorento and played the
first seven minutes of the game in the
opener of the 40th Season of the PBA
Sunday at the Philippine Arena here.
But so far, Pacquiao’s debut didn’t
get off the way he would’ve wanted it.
Pacquiao, in a playing coach role,
didn’t get to attempt a shot and committed two turnovers — the first one
was when he fumbled the pass from
Joshua Webb before losing the ball
to Blackwater center JP Erram on his
next touch.
Those seven minutes might be it for
Pacquiao, who has started training for
his upcoming fight against Chris Algieri on November 23 in Macau, in his
debut.
“Depende (It depends),” Pacquiao
said in a TV interview during halftime
on whether he’s going to put
himself back on the floor in the
second half.
The crowd cheered every time
the 5-foot-6 Pacquiao got possession of the ball. Though,
he got limited touches and
wouldn’t receive a pass until
the 7:40 mark of the first quarter.
In his first actual possession of
the ball, he managed to squeeze
out of a double team before opting to pass the ball up.
Erram, the former Ateneo Blue
Eagle, scored the first points of
the season on a hook shot.
As of posting time, Blackwater is leading Kia, 34-25, at the
half.
Pacquiao’s wife Jinkee served
as Kia’s muse in the elaborate
opening ceremonies.
Donaire’s two options: Quit or move down
CARSON, California—Is the featherweight
division too tough
for Nonito Donaire
Jr.?
If there’s any doubt
about that, Nicholas
Walters made sure
he erased it Saturday night.
With a looping
right to just above
the back of the ear
in the sixth round,
Walters emphatically told Donaire
that he is not welcome in the 126 lb
division.
Now it appears
that Donaire’s options are either retirement or a return
to the super bantam
division.
“I thought I will
be [good] in this
weight class, you know, as I’m getting older,” said Donaire. “But I’m not going to take
anything from Walters. I was at my best. I
never
trained
this hard. Never,
ever.”
“I’ve got to go
back to the drawing board,” said
Donaire. “I know
that I can’t compete with guys
like Walters, he
is just amazing,
overwhelming,
a powerful guy
who is running
in the ring. No
matter what I
did, movement
or anything, I
just can’t stand
to his size, his
powerful aura
inside that ring.”
Retirement may
not be on the horizon just yet as
Donaire has recently signed a fresh contract
with Top Rank.
SHOWBIZ
The San Francisco Post
JC Intal, Bianca Gonzalez to tie knot in
December
MANILA, Philippines — TV host Bianca
Gonzalez and cager JC Intal will wed on
JC Intal and Bianca Gonzales
December 10.
This was revealed by Gonzalez in a recent interview with Philippine Entertainment Portal (PEP). She did not give details about the venue but said it would be
a church wedding that is “laidback and not
so formal.”
“I mean people will still have to wear
a coat and tie, and long dress, but kumbaga the feel, the program, it’s very chill
lang.“Nothing na super formal
na may releasing of the doves,
cutting of the [cake]…walang
ganun. Just probably the usual
na magsi-speech yung some
loved ones and then pagkain,
ganun,” she said.
Kris Aquino will also be one of
the sponsors.
Although they hired people to
help them in the wedding preparations, Gonzalez said she is
very “hands-on.”
“I always want to check updates. I made our “save-thedate” [announcement] on our
own, even the lay-out of our
invites. I want to make it on my
own,” she said.
The honeymoon would have
to wait for the two because of
work and other commitments.
“As in after ng wedding, di
ba, trabaho kami, as in the day
after… ganung level. May practice siya,
may work din ako,” Gonzalez said.
Intal plays for the Barako Bull in the
Philippine Basketball Association.
He proposed to Gonzalez last March at
the Ninoy Aquino International Airport
when she was about to leave for London
for a two-week study.
Pinay wins ‘X Factor Australia’
Marlisa Punzalan, the 15-year-old Filipina
based in Western Sydney, emerged as the
grand champion in this year’s “The X Factor
Australia” – the youngest winner in the show’s
history.
Mentored by singer Ronan Keating, Punzalan
bested brooding rocker Dean Ray and teenage
siblings Brothers 3.
Hours after the announcement, Punzalan
thanked her supporters through social media.
Part of her post read: “My X Factor Journey
has been incredible because of the beautiful
people around me. To my loving family, thank
you for standing by me through thick and thin,
you are my rock and my strength!
“To all my supporters, thank you for getting
behind me every single week, for I will not be
where I am today without your support. And to
The Lord above, I thank Him for everything.”
On performance night, Sunday, the teenage
Marlisa Punzalan
singer received a standing ovation from the
four judges performing The Beatles’ “Yesterday.”
No more cosmetic surgery for Jonalyn Viray
Singer Jonalyn Viray admitted she had a
nose job when she was only 15 years old.
Now, at 24, the diva shuns further cosmetic
procedures. Apparently, she’s finally realized that whatever physical flaw she may
have,
s h e
could
easily
conceal
w i t h
makeup.
“Tama
n a .
Happy
na po
ako,”
Viray
states.
The
singer
has also
Jonalyn Viray
let go
of her insecurity concerning her five-foot
frame, saying, “Accept ko na po talaga
‘yung binigay sa akin.”
She adds, “Lagi ko pong sinasabi, kung
hindi man ako nabiyayaan ng height, at
least sa boses po, binawi ni Lord. Okay na
po ako du’n.”
“May mga heels naman po,‘di ba? So it
helps a lot and pipili ka lang din ng mga
styles na babagay sa body built mo. Halimbawa, kung maliit ako, hindi ako puwedeng magsuot ng mga damit na magmumukha pa akong maliit,” she argues.
Indeed, the “Pinoy Pop Superstar” grand
champion does not want to be pressured by
unrealistic demands on celebrities when it
comes to physical appearance. She insists
that being “presentable” should be good
enough.
As confident as she is now with the way
she looks, Viray prefers to stay loveless.
Her last relationship was with commercial
model Arran Phil Sese some five years ago.
PAGE 13
Oct 23, 2014 - Oct 29, 2014
Is John Lloyd Cruz fathering a teenage
daughter?
Is John Lloyd Cruz the father of a teenage
girl studying in UP Los Baños (UPLB)? We
find it hard to believe but all clues lead to
this generation’s Box Office King.
In a Facebook page created for and by the
students and/or people related to UPLB,
called The ELBI Files, three separate posts
from an anonymous but seemingly one person was claiming that she’s a daughter of a
kapamilya star. She used “anakngtagatabingilog” as a pseudonym on her first confession dated December 8, 2013. By then, the
gender of the confessor was still unknown.
John Lloyd was one of the male stars on
ABS-CBNS’s Sunday teen-oriented show
Tabing Ilog aired from 1999 to 2003.
When Phoemela Barranda, revealed her
kept daughter for years (PBB housemate
Nichole), just this year, the girl made a pronouncement why she was still kept hidden
when she’s even more “prideworthy” for a
parent being an UPCAT passer. This time,
she used “AnakngEyebags” as a pseudonym.
John Lloyd has been teased in the past for
having dark eyebags.
Earlier this month, ABS-CBN’s Sunday
noontime show staged a show in LA, California for TFC’s 20th anniversary. John Lloyd
Cruz was
one of
the kapamilya
artists
w h o
w e r e
lined up
to perform.
The girl
u s e d
“KantoGirlLiveinLA”
as
a John Lloyd Cruz
pseudonym. Apparently, the girl was with the
team and her so-called “Pa” but instead of
enjoying a moment with the father, felt bad
because she was introduced as a niece.
Solenn to portray one of Rizal’s girlfriend
Solenn Heussaff has admitted to enjoying
her role as Nellie Boustead in GMA’s “Ilustrado.”
Apparently, the role calls for her to deliver
Tagalog lines, which she welcomes. The
half-French actress had been studying the
language for some time and would want to
better herself.
“Originally, I was to deliver lines in
French, but they decided to scrap it for the
sake of the viewers,” she says.
“Ilustrado” is GMA”s first offering under the “Bayaniserye” on primetime television. It tackles the life of our National
Hero, Jose Rizal, as a young student.
Production promises to show the more
human side of Rizal via the series and Solenn herself attests, “The topics covered
here are more sensitive.”
But does she know who Jose Rizal is?
“Who doesn’t? Even if you live abroad,
you would know who Jose Rizal is,” Solenn says.
Playing Jose Rizal in the series is Alden
Richards whom Solenn is working with for
the first time.
“Alden is a really good actor. Jose Rizal
is a very difficult role to play. Seeing him
in ‘Ilustrado,’ you just know that he really
studied his role. You can see it in his actions,
the way he delivers his lines. I think people
will be surprised by his performance here,”
opines Solenn.
Playing
lovers in
the
series, the
two also
had
an
intimate
scene.
“It was
okay. The
thing is,
we
had
so many
layers of
clothing
on, making it difficult to
undress.
I
never
knew
it Solenn as Jose Rizal’s girlfriend
was that
hard during those times,” shares Solenn,
laughing.
Angelica Panganiban OK with being fat for role
There are no roles, big or small, for Angelica Panganiban. In fact, she is even willing to
take on
roles
t h a t
poke
f u n
on her
weight
problems.
In her
upcomi n g
movie
entitled
“Beauty
In
Angelica Panganiban
A Bottle,” Angelica plays Estelle, an actress who
will start losing her popularity because of
her increasing girth.
Angelica jested that it is a role tailor-made
for her.
Turning serious, she said, “I like it that the
movie talks about how people are quick to
judge celebrities based on their looks.”
Angelica continues to appear in the gag
shows “Banana Nite” and “Banana Split.”
She admitted that her immersion in comedy helped her a lot in portraying her role
as Estelle in “Beauty In A Bottle.”
Contrary to what people might think,
comedy, Angelica maintained, is hard.
“In comedy, you have to be quick and
witty. You also need to have timing,” said
Angelica.
From Quantum Films and Skylight Films,
“Beauty In A Bottle” which opens nationwide on Oct. 29, is directed by Antoinette
Jadaone who also co-wrote the script with
Chris Martinez.
Also in the cast are Assunta De Rossi, Angeline Quinto, Tom Rodriguez, Empress,
Ellen Adarna, Carmi Martin and Nanette
Inventor.
Charice talks about coming out, father’s death,
suicide try
MANILA, Philippines—In an
interview with Oprah Winfrey
aired Sunday, singer Charice
revealed the events and struggles that prodded her to come
out as a lesbian, including the
fact that she once thought of
killing herself.
In an Oprah episode entitled
“Oprah: Where Are They
Now?”, Charice said that she
knew in a very early age that
she is a lesbian.
“I knew when I was 5. I was
in grade school and when I
saw this girl and I felt different. I didn’t know what it was
but I just knew that time, it felt
special. When I was 10, I was
like, ‘Oh, that’s it, I’m gay,”
Charice said.
Charice said that before she
came out, she felt that she
was faking her personality to
please her family. The singer
also added that the murder of
her father, Ricky Pempengco,
in 2011 took its toll on her.
“Before I came out, I was
already a mess. It felt like a
character that I was portraying
for my mom, for my family, to
be happy. When my father got
murdered, that’s when every-
thing fell apart and I got even
more depressed,” Charice said.
She added that after her father’s murder, she thought of
killing herself.
“Losing my dad, knowing
that we didn’t have any closure… When I went to the funeral, I saw him right there and
regretted everything,” Charice
said.
His father died when he was
twice stabbed in the chest in a
drunken street fight in 2011.
Charice was transformed by
her father’s death, saying that
it pushed her to come out.
“I took all those feelings,
I took all the pain in me and
made me stronger to tell myself that ‘It’s time and go out
there,” Charice said.
The singer said that while she
was contemplating her decision to publicly reveal that she
is a lesbian, she knew that she
will be risking everything.
“That night when I was
thinking of coming out, I was
ready to lose my career, lose
my fans. I was confident that
I wouldn’t lose my family that
eventually they’ll understand
me,” she said.
Charice and Ophrah
CLASSIFIED
PAGE 14
Oct 23, 2014 - Oct 29, 2014
To advertise, call (510) 885-8827 or
email us at [email protected]
Northwest Subdivision
BF Homes
4-bedroom, 270 sq meter
For more info, contact
Mike at 707-389-0114
SELLING YOUR
HOUSE AND LOT?
ADVERTISE WITH
US NOW!
CALL
(510) 885-8827
*PROMO FOR FIRST TIME ADVERTISERS:
Only $40 for 4 issues (Classified Section - 6 liner) and $60 for 4 issues (Coupons Section)
We accept
Major Credit Cards
PROPERTY
JOBS
JOBS
USED CARS
INCOME PRODUCING
LAND 11 HECTARES
ALL TITLED, GOOD FOR
RESORT / MUST SELL
HAIR CUT STATION
COOK
WANTED
SELLING
YOUR CAR?
PROPERTY
FOR SALE
The San Francisco Post
*120 young carabao mango trees
harvesting approx. P1.5/ year.
*3 Bed home surrounded with
cashew trees, guavas,
calamansi, coconuts, etc.
*1/4 Hectares tilapia fish pond
approx. income of
P80,000+ a year.
*1/2 Hectares rice plantation
harvesting 100 sacks/ year.
*Close to Olongapo City, Subic
Hanjen Castillejos, Zambales
Philippines
*Asking price is P15M or
$645,000 or BO
Susan (408) 930-4377
Hair Cut Station to rent.
$600 / month
Call (510) 895-1963
Prepare and cook authentic
Filipino cuisine. 2 years training
or 2 years experience required.
$14.30 per hour.
Send resumes to:
Kalesa Restaurant
1783 N. Milpitas Boulevard,
Milpitas, CA 95035
Or email resumes to:
[email protected]
WANTED
CAREGIVER
for Residential Care
Facility for the Elderly
(RCFE)
located in Elk Grove,
Sacramento
Call (916) 505-1933
ADVERTISE WITH US!
(510) 885-8827
ADVERTISE NOW!
[email protected]
FOR
SALE
95’ BLACK
LINCOLN TOWN CAR
STRETCH LIMOUSINE
w/ bar & TV port.
Good for Limo business.
$3,000 or BO.
Call 650.290.0542 for
more details.
CARDS & COUPONS
TRAVEL TOUR PACKAGES
BUS TOURS of Orchid Farms, Gardens, Historical Sites, etc. from $80.00.
CRUISES - round-trips from San Francisco or LA, CA to Mexico ($550.00), Canada ($250.00),
Hawaii ($1,449.00). Fascinating tour onto the life Pope Francis in Argentina and
learn it’s history and role of the church on its culture, society; and their famous tango
(land /tour w/ some meals $2,950.00).
FOR MORE INFO PLEASE EMAIL US AT [email protected]
All prices are for double occupancy and subject to chage. CST 2099748
VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT
WWW.SF-POST.COM
Become a nursing professional
in few weeks!
ACADEMY OF
HEALTH CAREERS
Certification Classes 2014
CNA, HHA & Sterile Processing Training
Classes (Day & Night Classes Available)
777 Southland Dr., Suite 240
Hayward CA 94545
(510) 712-4009
GAMES & ENTERTAINMENT
CROSSWORD
SUDOKU
To solve a Sudoku puzzle, place a number into each box
so that each row across, each column down, and each
small 3x3 square within the larger diagram (there are 9
of these) will contain every number from 1 through 9. In
other words, no number will appear more than once in any
row, column, or smaller 3x3 square. Working with the numbers already given as a guide, complete each diagram with
the missing numbers that will lead to the correct solution.
(Answers for Crossword and Sudoku on page 15)
Across
1. Sun hat of
India
5. Step heavily
10. N.Y.-Paris
carriers
14. “Hallelujah!
I’m __-”
15. Person likely
to say “hubba
hubba!”
16. Drunken
spree
17. Christmas
tree dropping
19. Capital of
South Yemen
20. French pen
21. Hamlet’s
home
23. Karate studio
26. Casual top
27. 1971 TV
movie role for
James Caan
32. Site: abbr.
33. Specialized
angler
34. Green garden
bug
38. Expected, as
payment
40. Waistcoat
42. Like a nobrainer
43. Moisten, as
the morning
grass
45. “Candle in
the Wind”
singer ___John
47. Short for a
movie dog
48. Wedding
ceremony, e.g.
51. He was
Fawlty
54. Brand of
microwave wax
55. Spooky
58. Emitted coherent radiation
62. Child’s
request
63. Classic works
of art
66. ___ the beginning (present
from the start)
67. Alma or dura
follower
68. Suffix with
diet
69. Privation
70. Go-between
71. Ph.D. thesis:
Abbr.
Down
1. Bugler’s evening
call
2. Sad news note
3. Pint-sized
4. Marcos of shoes
5. Record-setting
miler
Sebastian
6. It’s bigger than
a med.
7. Ye ___ Book
Shoppe
8. “Miss Peach”
cartoonist
Lazarus
9. “Abracadabra”
alternative
10. One___seat
carriage
11. “Me, too!”
12. It’s human
13. Pups’ places
18. Opposite of
everybody
22. Land surrounded by agua
24. Photo file
format
25. Slicker
27. 1958 sci-fi film
starring
Steve McQueen,
with “The”
28. “Tamerlane”
playwright
Nicholas
29. Clinched, as a
victory
30. Big strings in
the orchestra
31. Minos, notably
35. WWI espionage
name
36. Does the chasing in tag
37. Small unit of
force
39. Bad marks
41. Senate wear
44. “Able -__ ere I
saw Elba”
46. Simon and
Sedaka
49. Scene stealer
50. Unfit for
youngsters
51. Scholarship’s
Rhodes
52. Grassy plain
53. Actresses Best
and
Purviance
56. Scotsman’s
family
57. Sharp set
59. Org. for probing
outerspace
life
60. Discordia
61. Milit. medals
64. Indochinese
aborigine
65. Suffix with
diction or vision
VIEW ALL OF OUR
PAST WEEKLY ISSUES AT
WWW.SF-POST.COM
HOROSCOPE
Aries March 20 - April 18
Your unique ability to communicate with
many different groups and personalities will
be extremely important today to maintaining a bridge between warring camps, Aries.
Keep things moving and try not to let the
situation stagnate on any one issue.
Taurus April 19 - May 19
You might feel like you’re getting worked up
from all angles today, Taurus. Find comfort
in knowing that things will definitely improve
by tomorrow. Try to stay abreast of information and developments around you so you
can make the most informed decisions possible.
Gemini May 20 - June 19
Try to rise above the potential tension and
rough spots of the day, Gemini. Do yourself
a favor and don’t feel like you have to stoop
to another’s level. Take pride in your actions
and do things with confidence.
Cancer June 20 - July 21
You might want to escape the frenzy of the
day by going shopping, Cancer. Align yourself with partners and allies who share your
views. Try to keep the disagreements to a
minimum.
Leo July 22 - August 21
Your mood should be quite good today, Leo,
although there may be some strong forces
at work trying to subvert this positive attitude. Try not to let other people’s disagreements bring you down. Take the high ground
and you will certainly prevail.
Virgo August 22 - September 21
There will be no shortage of energy to work
with or opinions coming from you. Realize
that your words have a greater potency
about them as people become more intent
on uncovering the truth.
Libra September 22 - October 21
Peace and harmony are in the regularly
scheduled program for the day, but there is
a good chance that there could be a warring force with strong opinions and vindictive
tendencies.
Scorpio October 22 - November 20
I told you so might be your motto of the day.
Try not to rub this in other people’s faces,
Scorpio. Indeed, you have the foresight to
witness an action and see the consequences right away. These consequences might
rear their ugly heads on a day like this.
Sagittarius November 21 - December 20
You may know exactly the right thing to do
today, but for some reason, the action required may be a hard thing for you to implement, Sagittarius. Take an active role to get
involved. Say your peace, but don’t get so
attached to the results that you get upset
and discouraged if things don’t exactly work
out according to plan.
Capricorn December 21 - January 18
Make sure your opinion doesn’t get lost in
the frenzy of the day, Capricorn. Your words
may not quite fit with the things that people
want to hear. Try not to take this personally.
Realize that this isn’t an indication that your
words are any less important.
Aquarius January 19 - February 17
You have two choices today. Either jump
into the thick of the mess with both feet or
stay out of it altogether. There are definitely
two distinct camps setting up their arsenals
for battle. Realize that there is also a soft,
tender, harmonious aspect that just wants
peace.
Pisces February 18 - March 19
You may end up being the peaceful savior that calms
everyone down today, Pisces. Use your artistic nature and love of beauty and harmony to inspire others to put away their differences and concentrate on
the positive aspects. Generous acceptance of others
is the only way to go, especially today, when people
are riled up and ready to fight.
HOW TO PLACE AN AD IN THE SAN FRANCISCO POST:
BY PHONE:
BY EMAIL:
1-855-454-7678
[email protected]
Please have this info ready: Company Name, Contact Person, Contact Numbers &
Complete Address.
Please include Company Name, Contact
Person, Contact Numbers & Complete
Address. Artwork should be attached.
PAGE 15
AUTOMOTIVE
Oct 23, 2014 - Oct 29, 2014
Toyota recalls 247,000 vehicles in U.S. over Takata airbags
The San Francisco Post
Toyota Motor Corp. recalled 247,000
cars, SUVs and pickup trucks in the United States today because of potentially
defective front passenger airbag inflators
from Japan’s Takata Corp. that can rupture and spray metal shrapnel, according
to U.S. safety regulators.
That raised the number of vehicles affected by regional recalls launched in
June by several automakers due to the
Takata airbags to more than 4.5 million.
The regional recalls by Toyota and other
automakers including Honda Motor Co.
and Chrysler Group began in certain
high-humidity areas of the U.S. after the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration started investigating reports of
airbag explosions in Florida and Puerto
Rico.
Prompted by NHTSA, Takata and automakers have been trying to determine
whether exposure to high humidity
caused any defect in the inflators collected though the regional recalls.
“At this point, the issue appears to be
a problem related to extended exposure
to consistently high humidity,” NHTSA
said in a statement today. “However, we
are leaving no stone unturned in our aggressive pursuit to track down the full
geographic scope of this issue.”
Toyota recovered replaced airbag inflators from areas of South Florida and
Takata evaluated them starting in August,
according to the NHTSA documents. On
Oct. 10, Takata informed Toyota that a
number of the inflators performed “improperly” during testing. Five days later,
(Cont. from page 1... CAMARINES NORTE GOV)
(Cont. from page 1... SERANO: I DO NOT)
was why she ran away “for fear of her
life”.
In the interview with Radyo Inquirer 990
AM, Kapunan said Mrs. Tallado ‎met with
her on Tuesday and sought a temporary
protection order from their barangay (village) effective for 15 days before ‎surfacing to the media.
Last Friday, Josie escaped with her friend
Darlene Francisco and left the black Toyota Fortuner they were riding ‎in at Napolidan, Lupi town in Camarines Sur province.
They then rode a motorcycle to Naga
City, also in Camarines Sur, and traveled
for two hours.
“They checked in to a motel. They
thought their whereabouts would be traced
if they took an airplane,” Kapunan said in
Filipino.
In Naga City, ‎Josie was able to buy a
second-hand car, which she used to drive
to Metro Manila.
The Camarines Norte governor broke into
tears Monday in a press conference during
the announcement of the creation of “Task
Force Josie” led by the Camarines Norte
Police in search of his wife and Francisco.
in Pasig City.
Asked if she preferred
the word “endure,”
Sereno said, with a
smile: “Well, I don’t
necessarily have to endure anyone, either.”
Such a statement
seemed to reflect Sereno’s staunch advocacy
of judicial independence, which came
under fire recently after the Supreme Court
struck down as unconstitutional Malacañang’s Disbursement
Acceleration Program
(DAP).
Malacañang has a
pending appeal to the
unanimous July 1 court
ruling finding the presidential
discretionary
fund system a violation
of the budget law.
President Aquino himself warned of a judicial overreach following the ruling. Aquino
also said he was open
to amending the Constitution, if only to keep
after reviewing the data with NHTSA,
Toyota decided on the recall.
Over the last six years, Takata has recalled about 16 million vehicles globally
for defective airbags, including the regional recalls.
The Toyota vehicles affected by today’s
recall are from model years 2002 through
2005, according to the NHTSA documents. They include the Lexus SC coupe,
Toyota Corolla small car, Corolla Matrix small car, Sequoia SUV and Tundra
full-size pickup. Also part of the recall is
General Motors’ Pontiac Vibe, which was
built by Toyota, the sibling of the Matrix.
The vehicles being recalled are registered or originally sold in areas of South
Florida, along the Gulf Coast, Puerto
Rico, Hawaii, the U.S. Virgin Islands,
the powers of the judiciary in check.
Consistent with her
earlier position, Sereno
said the matter of constitutional amendment
was “something that is
completely political.”
Careful not to touch
on the merits of the
case, as it is on appeal,
Sereno said: “I fully believe that the court has
been within its bounds.”
Touching on the
“theory” that the court
was overextending its
powers, Sereno said:
“Maybe what is needed
now is the definition
of the term, the thinking that the judiciary
is too powerful. What
do they precisely mean
when [saying] we are
too powerful?” “I still
have to find a comprehensive
explanation
of that theory. What I
know is that we have to
do everything within
our power to deliver
justice,” she added.
Guam, Saipan and American Samoa, according to the NHTSA documents.
A Toyota spokeswoman said the automaker was not aware of any crashes,
injuries or deaths related to the recall. A
U.S. spokesman for Takata could not be
reached for immediate comment.
Dealers will replace the front passenger
airbag inflator with a newly made replacement. If a replacement is not available as a
temporary measure the dealer will disable
the air bag and advise the customer not to
use the front passenger seat, according to
the NHTSA documents.
Other automakers affected by the regional recalls include BMW, Ford Motor Co.,
Mazda Motor Corp., Mitsubishi Motors
Inc., Nissan Motor Co., and Fuji Heavy
Industries’ Subaru.
(Cont. from page 1... TRILLANES:BINAY CAMP BUYING)
Former Makati Vice Mayor Ernesto
Mercado also said common friends he
had with Binay had approached him
to buy his silence and even asked him
to name his price after he began testifying in the subcommittee on alleged
corruption in Makati, but he refused
the offer.
The Binay camp denied that the Vice
President tried to buy the silence of
his accusers.
“There is no need to buy their silence
because the Vice President is confident of his facts,” Binay’s spokesman, Cavite Gov. Jonvic Remulla,
said in a text message.
Mercado said he had more evidence
against Binay after someone close
to Binay’s office delivered to him a
balikbayan box full of documents that
might help the investigation of the
Vice President.
Binay’s camp has been castigating the Senate subcommittee hearings as a farcical exercise and he
has refused to heed its invitation to
appear before it, but the Senate on
Wednesday stepped up its efforts to
get him to appear before it.
Binay challenge accepted
The blue ribbon committee chair,
Sen. Teofisto Guingona III, on
Wednesday said he was accepting Binay’s challenge, made in a TV interview, where he said he would appear
before the Senate if the invitation
would come from the mother committee.
Guingona appeared for the first
time in the subcommittee hearing on
Wednesday and said he was heeding
Binay’s call.
“What we need from him is the truth
and nothing but the truth. We expect
that he will provide this,” he said.
Guingona also said the Vice President would be treated properly and
would be given the opportunity to explain and would be given respect.
PAGE 16
Oct 23, 2014 - Oct 29, 2014
The San Francisco Post