Fil-Canadian seeks Federal Liberal Party nomination for Scarborough South West

 News
Jan 252015
 
Fil-Canadian seeks Federal Liberal Party nomination for Scarborough South West

Michelle Serrano (second from right) with her supportive family. PHOTO BY MARISA ROQUE TORONTO, Ontario — Michele Serrano has always been drawn to “conceptualizing, creating and building.” While growing up, she wanted to be an architect and her art projects were good enough to go on display at the Art Gallery of Ontario and other government buildings. She then acquired a string of professional titles in business and immigration. Now, Michelle Serrano has gone full circle, back to her love of conceptualizing, creating and building, and combining them with her desire to help others. Serrano is running to secure the nomination as the federal Liberal Party’s ‎ candidate in Scarborough South West for the upcoming federal election. If she gets the nod to be the federal Liberal Party’s person, her name will go on the federal election ballot. And If she wins that election — no one knows when the Prime Minister will call for federal elections — she will be the Member of Parliament representing the riding of Scarborough SW. “You get sick of hearing people being taken advantage of.  You can’t keep complaining and not do anything about it,” she says. So this time the residents of Scarborough South West, where she grew up, may become the recipients of her talent and expertise in crafting doable strategies for government and the framework in which to build them. “Having grown up in Scarborough South West, I am aware of the different issues that matter to the constituents of the area. I intend to Read More …

US execs to see Aquino, hope to bring back ‘more good news’ about PH

 News
Jan 252015
 
US execs to see Aquino, hope to bring back ‘more good news’ about PH

Former US Ambassador to the Philippines John Negroponte WASHINGTON, DC — When the leadership of the US-Philippines Society led by Ambassador John Negroponte call on President Aquino in Manila next week, they expect to be able to bring back with them more good news about the Philippines. Negroponte and other US-based personalities will be in Manila from 29 to 31 January to attend the annual board meeting of the US-Philippines Society, a Washington-based non-profit organization launched during President Aquino’s official visit to the US in 2012. “Our meeting with President Aquino presents a timely opportunity for us to learn more about all the exciting new developments in the Philippines,” said Negroponte, who co-chairs the US-Philippines Society with Filipino tycoon Manuel Pangilinan. “We also want to examine ways on how we can be even more effective in carrying out our mission of raising awareness in the US about today’s Philippines and promote business opportunities,” said Negroponte, a prominent American diplomat who had previously served as US ambassador to Manila. Aside from Ambassador Negroponte and Pangilinan, the Society’s binational board includes more than 30 prominent Filipino and American private sector and community leaders led by Washington Z. Sycip and Maurice Greenberg who both concurrently serve as Honorary Chairmen. In addition to Negroponte, three former US ambassadors to the Philippines sit on the Society’s board: Tomas Hubbard, Frank Wisner and Richard Murphy. The President of the Society, Ambassador John Maisto, and its Executive Director Hank Hendrickson, were also diplomats who served at the US Embassy Read More …

Philippine forces, rebels report casualties in rare clash

 General
Jan 252015
 
Philippine forces, rebels report casualties in rare clash

Philippine security forces and a Muslim rebel group clashed Sunday in the country’s south killing at least six police officers, both sides confirmed, in violence rarely seen since the signing of a peace treaty. Police commandos and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) members fought near the remote town of Mamasapano on the main southern island of Mindanao before dawn, regional military spokesman Captain Joan Petinglay said. “Ceasefire monitors are now on the ground to separate the forces and remove the casualties,” said Petinglay, speaking to AFP by telephone from the neighbouring town of Shariff Aguak. Regional police chief Noel Armillo told AFP that they have so far recovered the bodies of six police officers, adding that the extraction of more is ongoing. No rebel bodies had been recovered, he said, and he declined to say how many officers remain unacounted for. “Operational information from the field (is) still sketchy at the moment but what we know so far is that there is an ongoing operation in the area against a high-value target believed to be behind the recent spate of bombings in Central Mindanao,” national police chief Leonardo Espina said in a statement. Mohagher Iqbal, the lead MILF negotiator in a landmark peace deal signed in March last year, also confirmed the incident, but would not say how many fighters were wounded or killed. – Decade-long rebellion – The 10,000-member MILF had agreed to end decades of rebellion in the mainly Catholic nation in exchange for a proposed law now Read More …

Revolution in the time of Facebook

 Entertainment
Jan 252015
 
Revolution in the time of Facebook

I’m back in the US for a few weeks, to give a series of lectures on Philippine culture and politics as a Pacific Leadership Fellow with the Center on Emerging and Pacific Economies at the School of International Relations and Pacific Studies (IR/PS) of the University of California, San Diego. The PLF is a post usually reserved for senior government officials and business leaders engaged in economic and political affairs, and it’s the first time they’re bringing over someone from the humanities; some years ago, I was preceded in this fellowship by former Central Bank Governor and NCCA chairman Jimmy Laya. I have a major talk coming up this week on the ponderous topic of “Democracy and Cultural Expression: Confronting the Challenge of Modernization in the Philippines,” but last Wednesday, I sat down with a group of graduate students from IR/PS for a more personal chat. The general topic was “The Youth and Social Reform,” and I decided to share some of my experiences as a former student activist in the 1970s and to observe how protest movements and actions have changed since then. I began by talking about the First Quarter Storm — our own version of Tiananmen, to use a metaphor more familiar to my audience, and the subject of my current research — my arrest and imprisonment in 1973, and the novel that I wrote about that experience. I recalled the many friends and comrades I lost, remarking on the ironic truth that “If I hadn’t been Read More …

Miracle needed

 General
Jan 252015
 
Miracle needed

THE POPE may be long gone from our shores, but Francis fever is still on in the country. One day before the Pope’s visit to the Philippines earlier this month, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) unveiled designs for new commemorative coins to mark the Supreme Pontiff’s trip. Two coins were initially released, with P50 and P500 denominations. And for the first time in history, these coins were not sold over the counter. Instead, people were asked to fill out order forms and e-mail these to the BSP. So how many orders has the BSP received? As of last Friday, there were 22,000 e-mailed order forms, with each person requesting for more than one coin. Three people were originally working on taking the orders and sorting them all out. But with thousands of e-mails, the responsibility of handling distribution has now been spread out over three departments, our sources say. “We’re oversubscribed!” one BSP official noted, when asked about the coins. So strong has been the demand that the policymaking Monetary Board has approved the production of more coins—but this still won’t be enough to meet current orders. See, apart from its scarcity (and Pope Francis’ superstar power), the coins are also legal tender, which means the owners can use them to pay for actual stuff. According to the BSP, pure commemorative coins that are not legal tender just aren’t as valuable among collectors.So if you want the coins but haven’t ordered yet, you’ll be needing a miracle.  Paolo Montecillo Read More …

Norwegian, Filipina nabbed for using banned premium hardwood in resort

 News
Jan 252015
 
Norwegian, Filipina nabbed for using banned premium hardwood in resort

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan, Philippines – Palawan’s provincial enforcement authorities on Sunday arrested and booked a Norwegian national and his Filipina partner following a raid at their resort facility in the tourist town of El Nido, which netted over P7 million worth of banned premium hardwood species. Charged with forestry law violations was Jan Nielsen, a Norwegian passport holder, and Michelle Gasacao, a local. Both were brought to Puerto Princesa City by the apprehending team on Sunday for inquest before the Provincial Fiscal’s office. The raid on the couple’s property, the El Nido Adventure Resort still under construction in Barangay (village) Corong-Corong, El Nido, on Saturday, yielded over 8,000 board feet of banned hardwood with an estimated black market value of over P7 million, according to Niño Rey Estoya, head of the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Staff (PCSDS) Regulation and Enforcement Division. The lumber were mostly Palawan Ipil, nato and amugis species, he said. Estoya said the raid, which they conducted on the basis of an arrest warrant issued a day before the operation by Palawan’s “green court” judge Ambrosio de Luna, netted one of the largest haul of illegal logs in recent months. “We have not yet established where all those illegal logs came from but it’s likely they were all from the forests of El Nido and the adjacent towns of Taytay and Roxas,” Estoya said. He said the enforcers first received a tip from a local resident about the reported acquisition by the resort owners of Read More …

So loses to Dutch grandmaster, hopes for a strong finish

 News
Jan 252015
 
So loses to Dutch grandmaster, hopes for a strong finish

Wesley So (left) shakes hand with Anish Giri of the Netherlands in the Tata chess tournament in Wijk ann Zee, the Netherlands. CHESSDOM.COM PHOTO LAS VEGAS, Nevada — Wesley So bowed to an old nemesis, grandmaster Anish Giri of the Netherlands after an epic, eight-hour battle ending in his first loss. But he remained just one point behind the tournament leader with one round left in the Tata Steel chess tournament in Wijk ann Zee, the Netherlands. Giri beat So after 111 moves in the 12th round, handing the Filipino his first loss in about a year and grabbing solo second with eight points behind Margnus Carlsen, who is showing the way with 8.5 points. The 20-year-old Giri, the youngest in the tournament, outplayed So in a queen-and pawn endgame, promoting a distant passed as the Filipino grandmaster gallantly held on, hoping for at least a perpetual check to draw the game. Despite the loss, his first since April 2014 – a span of 55 games – the 21-year-old So remained within striking distance with 7.5 points, a point behind Carlsen, the Norwegian world champion who drew his 12th round match. So will play the white pieces against another Dutch player, Loek Van Wely, in the 13th and last round today, Sunday. Giri, who beat So in 2010, also in Wijk ann Zee – “when we were kids”, So said – jumped to No. 5 in the world in live rating, with 2797.2, ahead of former world champion Vishy Anand, while Read More …

 Older Entries  Newer Entries