Nov 112017
 

MANILA – Ad Interim Health Secretary Francisco Duque III has expressed support for the use of medical cannabis in the country, provided it is under strict regulation. “It is supposed to be for compassionate use, so there must be a very narrow applicability and must be strictly regulated,” Duque said Monday. He said the Department of Health (DOH) is closely working with lawmakers regarding the technical aspects of House of Representatives Bill (HB) No. 180 or the proposed Philippine Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act to prevent the abuse of medical marijuana. “There are continuing consultations where we provide them our technical positions in order to ensure that the final version of the law will be clear and acceptable,” said Duque. He noted that the DOH would have to make sure that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is fully capable of implementing the law once it is passed. “If it gets approved, the FDA must really do its mandate well, in terms of adhering to the standards of quality, safety, and efficacy, coupled with compliance with all its rules and regulations,” said the health chief. HB 180 was unanimously approved by the House committee on health last month after consulting patients, advocacy groups, health care practitioners, and experts in the regulation of controlled substances for medical use. Under the bill, the use of marijuana to treat debilitating medical conditions would be allowed only for medication purposes. Proponents of medical cannabis have said that medical anecdotes show that marijuana is capable of easing Read More …

Nov 112017
 
‘Hollywood March’ for Filipino WW II veterans this Saturday By Abner Galino

A Filipina American marcher poses in front of Philippine jeepney while holding a placard during last year’s Hollywood march. Photo: Abner Galino The highly successful annual march for justice for Filipino World War II veterans, better known here as the Hollywood march, is all set this Saturday (November 11, 2017). Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV) national coordinator Al P. Garcia said participants to the 17th annual Veterans Day March would be converging at the corner of Ivar St. and Hollywood Boulevard from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Veterans, widows of veterans and their family members would be converging at the Filipino Cultural Center (FCC) at 1740 W Temple St., Los Angeles. Garcia added that this year’s Hollywood march is special because we also celebrated this year the 75th Anniversary of the Fall of Bataan (April 9, 1942) and the infamous “Death March” that followed the surrender of United States Army of the Far East (USAFFE) forces to the invading Japanese army. The marchers, according to Garcia, would be doing five symbolic stops to commemorate the five places in the Philippines where the American and Filipino soldiers were allowed to stop during the grueling 70-mile march. The Japanese Imperial Army forcible transferred some 80,000 captured Allied soldiers from Bagac in Bataan to Capas in Tarlac. The transfer began on April 9, 1942 after a three-month battle in the mountains of Bataan. It is estimated that around 5,000 to 18,000 Filipino died while around 700 Americans died during the march. The Read More …

Nov 112017
 

Critically acclaimed Philippine movie “Birdshot” was among the foreign films that were screened in the just concluded 3rd Asian World Film Festival (AWFF) held in Culver City from October 26 to November 6. An AWFF organizer told Weekend Balita/US Asian Post that Birdshot’s screening was well attended and was amply supported by the staff of the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles. Almost simultaneously, Birdshot won in the recently concluded Los Angeles Philippine International Film Festival (LAPIFF). The movie tied with movie Imbisibol for LAPIFF’s Best Picture Award. Entries to LAPIFF were screened at the SouthBay Pavilion Cinemark at 20700 Avalon Blvd., in the City of Carson. Birdshot is a mystery and drama film about a farm girl who shot a protected Philippine eagle, not knowing that it is illegal to kill protected animal species, as she wandered off a forest reservation. Commendably, as the movie unfolded, director Mikhail Red and his crew were also able to accurately illustrate — visually and cerebrally — the faces and lives of Filipino policemen as they go about their daily grinds. The filmmakers were also able to examine the challenges that rank-and-file policemen face as they are caught in the intricacies of a corrupt justice system. Birdshot is one of the 22 Oscar® Foreign Language contenders. The AWFF started on an emotional pitch when it opened through the screening of Ayla: Daughter of War. Ayla is a movie about a story that happened during the Korean War in the 1950s. The main character, Read More …

Nov 112017
 

MANILA – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is looking to register some 850,000 regular and youth voters in the ongoing nationwide voter registration which started on Monday and will run until the end of the month. “The Comelec expects less than 500,000 new Barangay registrants (18 years old), and approximately 350,000 Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) registrants,” said Comelec Spokesperson James Jimenez in a statement Monday. He reported that the first day of the voter registration on Monday went on smoothly, with some areas in the National Capital Region (NCR) reporting long queues. “The first day of voter registration is going smoothly thus far. Various cities in Metro Manila are seeing massive numbers — Makati 1st and Taguig, in particular, are reporting queues of up to 200 people,” Jimenez added. The poll body official added that public response from other areas in the country is “light” as expected. “Outside the NCR, registration turnout is light. This is not entirely unexpected for two reasons: historically, voter registration turnout increases as the deadline draws near; and the fact that only those who missed the last registration cycle earlier this year are expected to come now,” he said. The continuing voter registration resumed on Monday and will end on November 30. Qualified voters were urged to file their applications for registration, reactivation, and change/correction of entries/and inclusion/reinstatement of records in the list of voters at all city/district/municipality Offices of the Election Officer (OEOs), except in the province of Lanao del Sur. The OEOs are open from Read More …

Nov 112017
 

MANILA – Malacañang on Monday said the drop in the number of Filipinos expecting President Rodrigo Duterte to fulfill most, if not all, of his campaign promises is normal in any administration that has been a year in office, stressing however that what matters most is that majority of Filipinos remain satisfied with the performance of the Duterte administration. According the Third Quarter 2017 Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, done on September 23-27, 35 percent of respondents said they expect President Duterte to fulfill most, if not all, of his promises. This consists of 8 percent saying Duterte can fulfill “all or nearly all,” and 27 percent saying he can fulfill “most” of his promises. Meanwhile, 57 percent answered “a few,” and 6 percent said “none or almost none.” The September 2017 proportion of those expecting most, if not all, of President Duterte’s promises to be fulfilled is 17 points below the 52 percent (17 percent all or nearly all, 35 percent most) in March 2017. “I think it is normal that after about a year in office, that people will say that the election promises may not be met. But having said that, the same survey indicated that the people still rated the President with ‘very good’ in terms of performance,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a Palace briefing. The survey showed that 71 percent of adult Filipinos satisfied, 16 percent neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, and 13 percent dissatisfied with the general performance of the current National Administration, for Read More …

Nov 102017
 
5 Powerful Money Lessons We Can Learn from Chinoy Tycoons, Sy, Gokongwei and Tan

Chinkee Tan SM’s owner, Henry Sy. Robinson’s owner, John Gokongwei. PAL’s owner, Lucio Tan. What do they have in common aside being wealthy, they are all Filipino Chinese. The Chinese are very unique when it comes to money judging from both the culture’s superstitious beliefs and practical applications. Here are some interesting Chinese beliefs that I have come across over the years that may sound familiar to a lot of Filipinos: Burying money under the floor or a house or business attracts wealth. Wearing a jade ring on the little finger brings wealth. Never allow your wallet to be empty. At least leave some coins in it when not in use. Do not put your bag on the floor if you want to attract money. Putting plants with round-shaped leaves inside the house can bring one a lot of good fortune. The list can go on and on. While there is no acceptable scientific explanation for these practices, the Chinese are careful to abide by them. In fact, they are careful to pass it on to the next generation. When it comes to PRACTICAL applications on the effective use of money, there are so many helpful tips that we can learn from the Chinese. Here are a few famous ones that I know you may be aware of: LESSON 1: SAVE MONEY AT ALL COST. Putting aside money for a rainy day is always a good idea. LESSON 2: PAY FOR PURCHASES IN CASH. Like what I would always say, Read More …

Nov 102017
 
Fil-Am Gini Santos is lead animator for Disney Pixar movie Coco

The first female supervising animator at Pixar Animation Studios is a Filipino-American. Gini Santos, the studio’s lead animator for the upcoming Disney Pixar movie Coco, is responsible for earning rave reviews about the animation and graphics work shown in the movie’s trailers. The 31-year-old Pixnoy (Pinoys working at Pixar) has been with the studio since 1996 when she began working as a character animator for Toy Story 2. Her film animation credits also include Finding Nemo, Monster’s Inc., The Incredibles, A Bug’s Life, Ratatouille, Up, Lifted and Brave. She was nominated in 2004 for an Annie award for her detailed lifelike animation on Finding Nemo, and was nominated by the Visual Effects Society for an award for this project as well. In a media briefing in the Philippines, Santos talked about how Coco reminded her of Filipino culture. “I was able to relate because I felt that the dynamic of the family was the same that we had here. And you know, the example of like in the States or in the Western world, your personal space is really big. Whereas here in the Philippines, your personal spaces are really tiny. Like, people stand really close to each other on the streets. And even for family members, that’s also the case,” Santos said in a Rappler report. The University of Santo Tomas Fine Arts graduate also revealed how she is faring as a female leader in the male-dominated animation industry. “I think my struggle was just trying to get my Read More …

Nov 092017
 
After Everest, This Pinay Will Head To China On An Ancient Filipino Ship

This picture taken on October 6, 2017, shows a traditional Philippine wooden boat known as balangay sailing in Manila Bay. After conquering Mount Everest, Philippine adventurer Carina Dayondon is set to sail to China aboard a wooden replica of an ancient boat in the hopes of boosting national pride in a forgotten maritime prowess. Dayondon is planning to sail from Manila to southern China in early 2018, recreating trade and migration voyages made before Spaniards colonised the Philippines in the 1500s./ AFP PHOTO / NOEL CELIS / Philippine adventurer Carina Dayondon is no stranger to adversity. She, along with two other Pinays conquered Everest in 2007, the first Filipino women to ever summit the world’s highest mountain. But Dayondon is undertaking a new challenge: sailing to China in a replica balangay early next year, hoping to recreate trade and navigation voyages made by her ancestors before the country was colonized by Spain in the 1500s. “People tell me I am crazy. They ask: ‘Wow, why climb Mount Everest? Why go to China on this tiny thing,’” Dayondon told AFP in Manila Bay aboard one of the two boats that will make the expected six-day sailing journey. “I’m excited because our team will be more inspired realizing how good our forefathers were. We have to let people know we should be proud of being Filipino,” the 39-year-old added. The balangay she will be using is an 18-meter by 3-meter wide wooden boat that’s known as the oldest watercraft found in the Philippines. Read More …

Nov 092017
 
Sun Life CEO Riza Mantaring wins ‘Asia Talent Management Award’ in Shanghai

SUN Life Financial Philippines CEO and country head Riza Mantaring was among the top executives in Asia who were honored in the Asia Business Leader Awards (ABLA) organized by global business news network CNBC. The lone winner from the Philippines and the first Filipina to win in the Asia Business Leader Awards, Mantaring was bestowed the “Asia Talent Management Award” in the ceremony held recently in Shanghai, China. She was honored for being a leader who recognizes the importance of talent in both word and deed, and is committed to supporting, developing, and retaining talent, as well as nurturing the next generation of leaders in Asia. It was under Mantaring’s leadership that Sun Life became the No. 1 life insurance company in the Philippines. Sun Life Asia President Claude Accum lauded Mantaring for the achievement. “Riza is truly deserving of the honor. Her accomplishments in leading Sun Life in the Philippines has been such an inspiration for the rest of our Asia offices, and I know that we will continue to see her shine bright in the future,” he said. For her part, Mantaring dedicated the honor to the Sun Life Financial Philippines team, emphasizing that the success of an organization relies heavily upon the work of the collective. “For a company like ours that offers products that are not tangible, it’s really the employees and the advisors who enable Sun Life to connect with clients and demonstrate what we stand for,” she said. “They are the ones who set Read More …