May 2013 Edition - Filipino Star

Vol. XXXI No 5 May 2013 http://www.filipinostar.org 

FNAQ Gala celebration marks 21st 

anniversary and Nurses Week 

The Filipino Nurses Association of 

Quebec (FNAQ) held a gala event on May 

4, 2013 at the Holiday Inn Diamond Room. 

to celebrate its 21st anniversary as well as 

Nurses Week from May 12-18 in Quebec 

this year and Mothers’ Day. The guest of 

honor was Mme Lucie Tremblay, president 

and chief executive officer of the Order of 

Nurses (Ordre des Infirmiers et Infirmieres 

du Quebec), accompanied by her 

husband, Mr. Gerald Perron. Upon their 

arrival, they greeted and chatted with all the 

guests consisting of mostly doctors, 

nurses, government officials, community 

leaders, their friends and families. 

The evening’s program started 

with the welcome addresses by President 

Cresconia Fernandez and Vice-President 

Josefina Toledo. This was the first time that 

FNAQ had both officers give the welcome 

address and wish to make it a tradition from 

now on. 

The Director of Nursing and Chief 

Nursing Officer of McGill University Health 

Center (MUHC), Ms. Patricia O’Connor, 

was the inspirational speaker. She was 

escorted to the stage by her husband, Dr. 

Emmett Francoeur. She was introduced by 

The Executive Board 2012-2014 - L-R: Christian B. Plaza, Eugenia F. Magalit, Myrna Sarmiento, Preciosa G. Emboscado, Cirila D. Carrera, 

Mila Gobeil, Thelma Untalan, Aderlina R. Gracia, Clarice A. Mackay, Cresconia A. Fernandez, Sophie R. Toledo, Malou P. Dee, Dolly S. 

Belandres, Corazon D. Abdon, Shirlyne D. Chin, Elvira C. Maximo, and Maggie Calcetas. (Photo: Al Abdon) 

the FNAQ Founder, Maggie Calcetas. 

Ms. O'Connor paid tribute to the 

outstanding leadership of the Filipino 

Nurses Association of Quebec over the 21 

years. She noted the incredibly rich 

contributions of the Filipino nursing 

community, both in their roles played as 

expert clinicians in diverse care settings, 

and as leaders who have dramatically 

influenced the quality of care and overall 

www.filipinostar.org 

performance of the healthcare system in 

Montreal and Quebec. Ms. O'Connor then 

shared stories of how nurses and patient 

Aquino Allies Take Lead in 

Election in Philippines 

MANILA — Philippine voters appeared 

to have strengthened President 

Benigno S. Aquino III’s hand in 

advancing his political agenda, 

according to early unofficial election 

returns on Tuesday that showed his 

political allies poised to take control of 

the Senate. 

Mr. Aquino was not up for reelection 

in the vote on Monday. He has 

three years remaining in his six-year 

term and is not permitted to run again. 

But the midterm elections were seen as 

See Page 4 Filipino Nurses 

crucial for consolidating his power over 

the unwieldy Philippine legislature to 

advance his anticorruption and 

economic-growth program and to 

influence the choice of his successor. 

The Philippines has one of the 

fastest-growing economies in Asia, 

and international organizations and 

ratings agencies have credited Mr. 

Aquino’s policies for that success. 

See Page 4 President Aquino

2 

Harper Government conducting 

consultations on Canada Job Grant 

across the country 

Toronto, Ontario, May 14, 

2013— The Honourable Peter Van 

Loan, Leader of the Government in the 

House of Commons, on behalf of the 

Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of 

Human Resources and Skills 

Development, today announced a 

series of cross-Canada roundtable 

discussions with stakeholders on the 

new Canada Job Grant, an Economic 

Action Plan 2013 initiative that will 

create jobs by transforming the way 

Canadians receive skills training. 

“Through Economic Action 

Plan 2013, the Harper Government 

continues to create jobs and pave the 

way for long-term prosperity by putting 

skills training front and centre,” said 

Minister Van Loan. “The Canada Job 

Grant will take skills-training choices 

out of the hands of government and 

put them where they belong: in the 

hands of employers with unfilled jobs 

and Canadians who want to work.” 

This week, Members of 

Parliament will conduct over 20 

consultations across the country for a 

broad range of input from employers, 

labour organizations, training 

institutions, industries and regions 

across the country. The consultations 

provide an opportunity for 

stakeholders to inform the design and 

implementation of the Canada Job 

Grant, which will be introduced as part 

of the renewal of the Labour Market 

Agreements, negotiated between the 

Government of Canada and the 

provinces and territories. 

The Grant will transform the 

way Canadians receive training by 

placing skills training decisions in the 

hands of employers and Canadian 

workers. It could provide $15,000 or 

more per person, including a 

maximum $5,000 federal contribution 

and matching contributions from 

provinces/territories and employers. 

Once it is fully implemented, nearly 130 

000 Canadians each year will have 

better access to the training they need 

for a new or better job or to reskill for 

their current job. 

Economic Action Plan 2013 

Marché Coop 

The Filipino Solidarity Cooperative, Inc. 

5320-A Queen Mary Road 

(between Decarie & Coolbrook) 

Tel: 514-485-7861 

E-Mail: filipinocoop.com 

Website: marchecoop.com 

Business Hours 

Monday - 1:00 - 9:00 p.m. 

Tuesday - 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. 

Wed. to Friday - 1:00 - 6:00 p.m. 

Saturday - 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. 

Sunday - 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. 

Members can make appointment to 

shop outside these hours. Phone 

your orders and you can pick them 

up by appointment as well. 

Delivery service available for Cote 

des Neiges & NDG areas between 

6:00-8:00 p.m. ( $5.00 delivery 

service fee.) 

We sell phone cards & 

gift certificates. 

The North American Filipino Star 


proposes new measures to connect 

Canadians with available jobs and 

equip them with the skills and training 

they need. These include the Canada 

Job Grant, creating opportunities for 

apprentices and providing support to 

under-represented groups, including 

persons with disabilities, youth, 

Aboriginal peoples and newcomers. 

For more information, visit 

www.actionplan.gc.ca. 

-30- 

For more information, contact: 

Jan O’Driscoll 

Press Secretary 

Office of Minister Finley 

819-994-2482 

Media Relations Office 

Human Resources and Skills 

Development Canada 

819-994-5559 

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BETWEEN ANY PRINTED VERSION 

AND THE ELECTRONIC VERSION OF 

THIS NEWS RELEASE, THE 

ELECTRONIC VERSION WILL 

PREVAIL. 

Newsletter from City 

Councillor Marvin Rotrand 

To the Residents of 

Snowdon District 

Permit me to share the following good 

news about coming events and 

improvements for our district: 

Councilor Marvin Rotrand 

Parks - The City will invest nearly $2 

million for park improvements in our 

neighbourhood. A new synthetic high 

quality soccer field will replace the 

current soccer field at Van Horne Park 

thus substantially improving availability 

for soccer in the Borough. As well, the 

chalets of Mandela , Macdonald and 

Maurice Cullen Parks will be 

completely renovated. Most of this 

work will start in September. 

Roadwork - The Borough has 

confirmed $952,000 for residential 

streets in our district. Streets to be 

repaved will include Macdonald 

between Isabella and Queen Mary, 

Bourret between Lemieux and Victoria, 

St. Kevin between Lemieux and 

Victoria, Mountain Sights between 

Plamondon and Van Horne, Circle 

Road between Glencairn and Ponsard 

and Labarre between de la Savane 

and Sorel. As well, City Council is 

examining topping up these funds with 

May 2013 

projects for the larger arterial roads in 

our area. 

Traffic Calming - The Borough will 

extend its traffic calming measures this 

year. The speed limit on all residential 

streets is 40 kph. Speed bumps will be 

installed on several streets including 

McLynn Avenue and Circle Road . 

Bollards will be placed in dozens of 

streets across the district to slow traffic. 

Some will be narrowed. 

Multiculturalism - I am proud to have 

piloted through Borough Council 

several dossiers supporting events in 

our multiracial , multicultural 

neighbourhood. The Borough will thus 

again partner with the Filipino 

community for Independence Day and 

Pista sa Nayon. Support will also be 

given to a Bangladesh communities 

Bangla Mela and for Jamaica Day. 

The Triangle - The old industrial area of 

Namur-Jean Talon is being transformed 

into housing. Nearly 1000 units already 

have been built and 350 more will be 

constructed this year. City Council 

recently approved $30.9 million for work 

to transform this area which all benefit 

from aqueduct and sewer work as well 

as sidewalk and road reconstruction, 

the redesign of Pare, Buchan, Jean 

Talon and arts of Mountain Sights as 

well as the creation of a new park, 

creation of walkways and planting of 

trees. Eventually this project will have 

400 new housing units. 

Philippine 

Independence Day is 

celebrated on June 16 

by W. G. Quiambao 

Apart from the Pista sa Nayon, one of 

the most anticipated events in the 

Filipino community in summer is the 

Philippine Independence Day 

celebration . Preparations are 

underway to celebrate it on June 16, 

Sunday . Since the tents will be 

installed the night before, the tentative 

time for the restaurant owners to set 

up their equipments at the park is 6:00 

a.m. 

The assembly time for the cars and 

floats participating in the parade is 10 

a.m. at St. Kevin, corner Victoria and 

Westbury Streets. 

The route will be from Mackenzie King 

Park, St. Kevin St., left to Victoria St., 

right to Van Horne Ave., left to Legare 

St., and back to MacKenzie King Park., 

Following the parade is a mass at the 

Mackenzie King park officiated by Fr. 

Frank Alvarez . There will be pot luck 

lunch . then short speeches by 

politicians from the federal, provincial 

and municipal governments who have 

been supporting the Filipino 

community,. One of the highlights of 

the program will be a multicultural 

show that includes Filipinos, Peruvians, 

Japanese, etc. 

For more information, call James de la 

Paz at (514) 577-7787

May 2013 The North American Filipino Star 

3 


Montreal, Quebec H3X 1T7 

Al Abdon 

Alberto Baens Santos 

Columnists 

Editorial 

Nursing, leadership, and caring 

A statement from the inspirational 

speaker of the FNAQ has touched a chord 

that makes us understand an important 

idea that is worthy to remember at all times 

‘ it is not a title that makes one a leader. 

Mrs. Patricia O’Connor said “nurses are 

leaders at every level - it is in all of us.” 

She recognizes the incredible work being 

done by nurses in spite of the challenging 

and stressful work environments 

in almost all hospitals in Quebec, and in 

other parts of the country and the world. It 

is therefore a timely topic to discuss the 

nursing profession during this time of the 

year designated as Nurses Week which is 

also the month of birth of Florence 

Nightingale, an international icon of 

nursing, 

The UK based Royal College of 

Nursing offers this definition of nursing: 

“The use of clinical judgement in the 

provision of care to enable people to 

improve, maintain, or recover health, to 

cope with health problems, and to achieve 

the best possible quality of life, whatever 

their disease or disability, until death." 

As one can glean from this 

definition alone, we see the vital role of 

nurses in our life and we cannot even begin 

to say how much we owe them. Most of us, 

at one time or another, have been sick and 

cared for by a nurse, beginning from our 

birth till the end of our life. Moreover, if we 

look back into the history of nursing, we will 

see that it is not a job but a profession 

devoted to caring for the wounded, the 

sick, and the weak. Florence Nightingale is 

reputed to be the founder of modern 

nursing in response to the Crimean War. 

Upon reading some references, 

we have learned that “Nursing is the most 

diverse of all healthcare professions. It is a 

universal role, appearing in some form in 

every culture. Nursing in the Philippines is 

patterned after the United States of 

America and requires four years of study. 

Some schools train the students as early as 

the second year. Unlike some countries, 

nursing is not considered as a vocational 

Zenaida Ferry Kharroubi 

Chief Editor & Publisher 

course. It is a profession and has become 

an identity of Filipinos worldwide.” 

It is also interesting to discover 

the practice of nursing “in a wide range of 

settings, from hospitals to visiting people in 

their homes and caring for them in schools 

to research in pharmaceutical companies. 

Nurses work in occupational health 

settings (also called industrial health 

settings), free-standing clinics and 

physician offices, nurse-run clinics, longterm 

care facilities, and camps. They also 

work on cruise ships and in military service. 

Nurses act as advisors and consultants to 

the healthcare and insurance industries. 

Some are attorneys and others work with 

attorneys as legal nurse consultants, 

reviewing patient records to assure that 

adequate care was provided and testifying 

in court.” 

The practice of nursing is 

governed by laws that define a scope of 

practice, generally mandated by the 

legislature of the political division within 

which the nurse practices. Nurses are held 

legally responsible and accountable for 

their practice. The standard of care is that 

of the "prudent nurse." 

During the observance of Nurses 

Week in Quebec (May 12-18) we should 

take special notice of the tremendous work 

they perform, not only during their active 

professional life but also during their 

retirement years. In our personal 

experience, we have become accustomed 

to the services the FNAQ renders to the 

Filipino community. They are always on 

hand to provide first aid and blood 

pressure clinics during public events like 

the town festivals we hold during the 

summer months. 

We therefore would like to 

encourage our young people to enter the 

nursing profession, Besides the fact that 

we need more nurses in order to improve 

the services in all our hospitals and clinics, 

we will certainly have a better society 

where there are many more benevolent 

and caring leaders. 

Tel.: 514-485-7861 

E-Mail: market@filipinostar.org 

Published by: Filcan Publications, Inc. 

Sam Kevin 

News & Layout Editor 

Bert Abiera 

Founder 

W.G. Quiambao 

Community News 

Bernardo Sarmiento 

Opinion Editorial 

The opinions expressed by the writers and columnists do not necessarily reflect that 

of the management of the North American Filipino Star nor its editors. 


Jason Kenney 

continues to keep 

families apart 

Dear Editor, 

Letter to the Editor 

For new Canadians, Citizenship and 

Immigration Minister Jason Kenney 

just made it a whole lot harder for 

families to be reunited with loved ones. 

With new criteria introduced last week, 

the Conservatives have made it more 

expensive for families to sponsor their 

parents and grandparents to join them 

in Canada. From hiking the income 

requirements to the changing of 

qualification criteria, fewer residents of 

Canada will be eligible to sponsor their 

parents and grandparents. 

What is worse, Kenney’s freeze on new 

sponsorship applications has now 

been extended until 2014, a program 

that he froze in 2011. The Minister also 

announced that he will only be 

accepting 5000 new applications next 

year. 

Conservative mismanagement of 

citizenship and immigration programs 

has allowed backlogs to swell and kept 

families apart. The reality is that today’s 

families are being punished for seven 

years of Conservative 

mismanagement. 

Ottawa, May 7, 2013 – In 2012, 

there was a 15 percent increase in 

immigration under the family class, 

Citizenship, Immigration and 

Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney 

announced today. 

“The actions taken by the 

government are helping more families 

reunite,” said Minister Kenney. “We 

have created additional avenues and 

flexibility, so that an increasing number 

of families can spend more time with 

each other.” 

In 2012, Canada admitted 

65,000 permanent residents in the 

family class, an increase of 15 percent 

since 2011. This includes a 60 percent 

increase in the number of parents and 

grandparents admitted to Canada, the 

highest level in 20 years. 

These numbers do not include 

family members that immigrate to 

Canada under other immigration 

streams, including the Federal Skilled 

Worker and Provincial Nominee 

It is clear that the Conservative 

government does not care or 

understand the importance of family 

reunification to the successful retention 

and integration of new immigrants to 

Canada. If they did, they would invest 

resources into fixing the program, 

working through the backlog, and 

lifting the freeze on sponsorships. 

While the Conservative government 

views new immigrants as a burden on 

Canada’s social systems, Jason 

Kenney and his party have spent over 

one hundred million of your tax dollars 

on wasteful advertising. Minister 

Kenney’s priority is to travel on 

expensive junkets and photo-ops and 

monitoring his own image, instead of 

providing his department with the 

necessary funding to efficiently 

process applications and fix backlogs. 

Liberals believe in reuniting families to 

build a stronger Canada. That is why in 

2005, we invested $72 million to 

increase the processing of parent and 

grandparent applications. Jason 

Kenney’s anti-immigrant and antifamily 

policies must stop. 

Yours sincerely, 

Kevin Lamoureux, M.P. 

Liberal Party of Canada Citizenship 

and Immigration Critic 

Increasing number of families 

reunited in 2012 

programs. 

“The Action Plan for Faster 

Family Reunification has been a 

success,” said Minister Kenney. “By 

reducing the backlog through 

increased admissions, we have 

dramatically reduced wait times 

so that parents and grandparents 

no longer have to wait close to a 

decade to be reunited with their loved 

ones.” 

By the end of 2013, the 

parents and grandparents backlog will 

have been reduced by about 50 

percent with wait times cut in half. 

Without the Action Plan, the backlog 

was projected to surpass 250,000 with 

a 15-year wait time by 2015. 

The very popular Super Visa 

has provided flexibility for parents and 

grandparents who do not want to 

immigrate permanently but want to be 

reunited with their families quickly and 

See Page 4 Family Reunification

4 

practitioners in leading quality 

improvements by teaching them and 

patient representatives rapid cycle 

improvement processes and new 

leadership skills. Outcomes include more 

time available for direct care as nurses 

learned how to eliminate non value-added 

activities such as hunting and gathering 

supplies and equipment. The introduction 

of whiteboards at each bedside has 

significantly improved patient and family 

satisfaction with communication. She 

ended her talk by reminding everyone that 

leadership is not about a title that someone 

has. Nurses are leaders at every level. It's 

in all of us! 

A part of FNAQ's standing goals is 

the 'Welcoming of the New Nurses, Our 

Hope For The Future.” It welcomes new 

arrivals, new graduates, new members, 

and student nurses. A committee 

responsible for this ceremony is chaired by 

Corazon Abdon and Joel Reyes. Mrs. 

Lucie Tremblay, OIIQ president, read the 

poem written by Ms.Eugenia Magalit, 

FNAQ past president 2009-2012, entitled: 

“Welcome". Mrs. Tremblay is FNAQ 

honorary member, friend and advisor. 

After the welcome ceremony for 

new nurses, Honoring the Retired Nurses 

Who Paved The Way followed. The 

committee in charge of this ceremony is 

chaired by Thelma Untalan and Milagros 


From Page 1 Filipino Nurses 

Gobeil. Dr. Laurie Gottlieb, Nurse PhD, 

read the poem written by Ms. Eugenia From Page 1 President Aquino 

Magalit entitled “Retired.” Dr. Gottlieb is 

care attendants, patient representatives 

and unit clerks at the McGill University 

Health Centre are transforming care 

through their partnerships with patients. 

She described the program Transforming 

Care at Bedside, launched in 2010, which 

engages the hearts and minds of frontline 

FNAQ honorary member, Advisor (2019- 

2012), lecturer, friend, and supporter. She 

is a professor at the McGill University 

School of Nursing. 

The Panday Tinig Choral 

Ensemble of Montreal with Mr. Paul 

Imperial, Music Director and Ms. Editha 

“This victory in the Senate 

means he will not be a lame-duck 

president,” said Ramon C. Casiple, the 

executive director of the Institute for 

Political and Electoral Reform in 

Manila. “He can use his popularity and 

control of the government to pursue 

his agenda and affect the 2016 

presidential election.” 

At stake in the elections on 

Monday were 12 of the 24 Senate seats 

and all 229 seats in the House of 

Representatives. The elections also 

covered 18,000 local political posts, 

including provincial governors. 

With 69 percent of the vote 

counted, nine pro-administration 

Senate candidates were ahead. Their 

victory would increase the number of 

Mr. Aquino’s allies in the chamber to 13 

from 4 and give them the power to 

choose the next Senate president. 

New nurses welcomed: (L-R) Cristina Paac, Grace Goldenberg, Chairperson Corazon Abdon, 

Marissa Unabia, Marigold Lingbawan, Emilieth Pascual, FNAQ Prsident Cresconia Fernandez, 

OIIQ President & CEO Lucie Tremblay, FNAQ Past President Eugenia Magalit, Valia Dumpa, 

Chelo David, Debbie Piccio, Jacqueline Gobeil and Michael Lontok. 

Fedalizo, Pianist, opened the Gala by 

singing the National Anthems of the 

Philippines and Canada. They dedicated a 

very special song: the Impossible Dream. 

There were over 160 guests. 

Among them were, to name a few, Bonnie 

Woolmer, Zenaida Kharroubi, Aurora 

Retired FNAQ Nurses Honored: (L-R) FNAQ Advisor Dr. Laurie Gottlieb, FNAQ President 

Cresconia Fernandez, Co-Chair Thelma Untalan, Co-Chair Milagros Gobeil, Evelina Boayes, 

Estrellita Bote, Aderlina Ramos, Nelson Ortizo, and Nilda Meriales. 

Osdon, Linda Richler, Rose and James 

dela Paz, Jacqui and Marvin Rotrand, 

Lorine Besel and many community and 

nursing leaders. Our many thanks and 

profound gratitude to our community, 

friends, families, colleagues, for their 

encouragement and support. 

The founding FNAQ Executive 

Board present, were called to the stage 

and introduced. They left a message to 

the present and future generations: 

"always remember your past." 

The Co-masters of ceremonies 

Amelia Manon-og, FNAQ Advisor and 

Dindo Miras, Director of Continung 

Education and Program 2009-2012 did a 

fantastic job! The dance floor was opened 

up to 3:00 in the morning. It was a 

celebration to remember! 

Reported by: 

FNAQ Communications & Newsletter 

Committee - Chairpersons: Corazon Diaz 

Abdon & Ma. Eloisa Piccio DeeMembers: 

Alfonso Abdon, Dolores Belandres, Shirlyne 

Chin, Joann Consus, Myrna Francisco. 


Final Senate results were expected by 

late Wednesday. 

Mr. Aquino’s political 

opponents have noted that although 

the economy has expanded, job 

growth has been flat and poverty levels 

have not improved. His critics also say 

corruption remains endemic, 

particularly low-level graft that most 

directly affects the poor. 

In campaign rallies for his 

political allies, Mr. Aquino responded 

that in his remaining years in office, his 

government would focus on extending 

the benefits of economic prosperity to 

the country’s poor and on continuing 

to crack down on corruption. 

The shift in power in the 

Senate would give Mr. Aquino 

extraordinary control over the 

government, Mr. Casiple said. His 

allies’ gains in the Senate would be 

complemented by the traditional 

Cristina Pa-ac psoes for souvenir with FNAQ 

President Cresconia Fernandez during the 

21st anniversary gala, May 4, 2013 

Zumba Classes 

at Gilmore College 

Every Sunday at 

6 p.m. 

Call Cristina at 

514-865-4836 

to reserve. 


control that the administration has over 

the House of Representatives. 

Though the results of many 

races were still unclear on Tuesday, 

party alliances are less significant in 

the House, Mr. Casiple said. House 

members rely on national government 

money to finance projects in their 

districts, giving the administration 

considerable leverage over the body. 

In addition to his expected 

control of both houses of Congress, 

Mr. Aquino is seen as having significant 

influence over the judiciary. Last year, 

he led a successful effort to remove the 

chief justice of the Supreme Court for 

his failure to disclose assets, which 

allowed the president to appoint the 

current leader of the court. 

In the fiercely contested 

mayor’s race in Manila, former 

President Joseph Estrada ousted the 

incumbent, Alfredo S. Lim. Mr. Estrada, 

a former action movie star who was 

removed from the presidency after 

being accused of corruption, remains a 

popular political figure. 

Imelda R. Marcos, the former first lady, 

was re-elected to the House of 

Representatives by a wide margin. Her 

daughter Imee Marcos was re-elected 

governor of Ilocos Norte Province, the 

birthplace of her father, Ferdinand E. 

Marcos, the former president who died 

in exile in 1989. 

Former President Gloria 

Macapagal Arroyo, despite remaining 

in detention in a government hospital 

on corruption charges, won a second 

term as the Congressional 

representative in her home district, 

Pampanga. 

The elections on Monday 

involved less violence and fewer 

delays than in years past. The police 

reported at least seven election-related 

deaths, all in the country’s restive 

south. 

From Page 3 Family Reunification 

spend an extended amount of time with 

them. An average of over 1,000 Super 

Visas have been issued each month 

and the approval rate is very high at 

nearly 90 percent. 

Since 2006, Canada has 

welcomed the highest sustained levels 

of immigration in Canadian history. 

- 30 - 

Follow us on Twitter at 

www.twitter.com/CitImmCanada 

Photos of Minister Kenney are 

available. 

For further information (media only), 

please contact: 

Alexis Pavlich 

Media Relations 

Minister’s Office 

Communications Branch 

Citizenship and Immigration Canada 


613-954-1064 

613-952-1650 

CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca


5 

Action Plan for Faster 

Family Reunification 

on track to cut 

backlog in half 

New Parent and Grandparent 

program re-opens January 2, 

2014 

Mississauga, May 10, 2013 – 

Citizenship and Immigration Canada will 

re-open the Parent and Grandparent 

(PGP) program for new applications on 

January 2, 2014, by which time the 

backlog and wait times in the program 

are expected to have been cut in half. 

“The Action Plan for Faster 

Family Reunification is on track to meet 

the goals of cutting in half the backlog 

and wait times in the Parent and 

Grandparent program,” said Citizenship, 

Immigration and Multiculturalism 

Minister Jason Kenney. “It is very 

important that we continue to make 

progress and not return to the old 

broken system with wait times as long as 

a decade that would be unfair to 

families.” 

Phase II of the Action Plan for 

Faster Family Reunification will provide 

even faster processing times, reduce the 

backlog further, prevent future backlogs, 

ensure that families have the financial 

means to support those they sponsor, 

and protect the interests of taxpayers. 

First – In 2012 and 2013, 

Canada will admit 50,000 parents and 

grandparents as permanent residents. 

This represents the highest level of 

parents and grandparents admitted in 

20 years. In 2014, Canada will maintain 

high levels of admissions for parents 

and grandparents. 

Second – The Super Visa will 

become permanent and will continue to 

provide flexibility for families who access 

the 10-year multiple-entry visa, allowing 

visa holders to remain in Canada up to 

two years at a time. Over 15,000 Super 

Visas have been issued since the 

program’s launch in December 2011 

with approval rates averaging 86 

Minister Kenney promotes 

Canada’s new StarRecruiting the 

world’s best and brightest 

entrepreneurs to Canada the first 

of its kind in the world. 

Ottawa, May 21, 2013 – 

Citizenship, Immigration and 

Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney 

concluded a productive visit to Silicon 

Valley to promote Canada’s new Start-Up 

Visa, the first of its kind in the world. 

“The message was delivered 

loud and clear to the entrepreneur 

community in Silicon Valley that Canada 

is open for business,” said Minister 

Kenney. “The new Start-Up Visa will help 

Canada attract the world’s best and 

brightest entrepreneurs to build 

businesses, create jobs, and fuel 

economic growth.” 

During his time in Silicon Valley, 

percent. 

Third – New qualifying criteria 

for permanent residency sponsorship of 

parents and grandparents will increase 

the financial responsibility of sponsors to 

ensure they have the means to support 

those they sponsor, while limiting the 

program’s cost to taxpayers and 

Canada’s strained health and social 

programs. 

Fourth – 5,000 new sponsorship 

applications will be accepted in the 

program in 2014. By accepting 5,000 

applications in 2014 while maintaining 

high levels, the government will be able 

to further reduce the remaining backlog 

so that families can be reunited more 

quickly. 

“These new criteria ensure 

sponsored family members are well 

supported by their sponsors throughout 

their time in Canada,” said Minister 

Kenney. “The redesigned Parent and 

Grandparent program reunites families 

faster while respecting Canadian 

taxpayers and the limited resources for 

Minister Kenney met with foreign 

entrepreneurs and influential figures in 

the start-up and tech communities, 

including founders of start-ups, 

accelerators, other business leaders, 

venture capitalists, angel investors and 

immigration experts to promote the Start- 

Up Visa and explain why Canada is a 

great place to start a business and invest. 

Minister Kenney met Dave 

McClure, the founder of 500 Start-Ups, 

one of America’s leading start-up 

accelerators which provides mentorship 

and seed fund investments to help 

entrepreneurs become successful. He 

also met with members of C100, a Silicon 

Valley-based organization that supports 

Canadian technology entrepreneurship 

health and social programs.” 

Canada has one of the most 

generous family reunification programs 

in the world. The United States, United 

Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand 

do not allow grandparents to be 

sponsored at all or only in very limited 

circumstances, and they have very 

restrictive criteria for the sponsorship of 

parents. 

The amendments to the 

Immigration and Refugee Protection 

Regulations that are being proposed will 

be pre-published in the Canada Gazette 

(Part I) and the public will be able to 

comment for a 30-day period. 

Building a stronger Canada: 


(CIC) strengthens Canada’s economic, 

social and cultural prosperity, helping 

ensure Canadian safety and security 

while managing one of the largest and 

most generous immigration programs in 

the world. 

through mentorship, partnerships, and 

investment. 

Minister Kenney also took time 

to visit Plug and Play Tech Centre which 

houses business accelerator programs 

for entrepreneurs designed to strengthen 

the growth of their ideas and start-ups. 

Minister Kenney attended 

TiEcon 2013, the world’s largest 

conference for entrepreneurs, where he 

spoke with many international 

entrepreneurs, angel investors, and 

venture capitalists first-hand. 

During his visit, Minister Kenney 

was a featured guest speaker at Stanford 

University where he spoke to scholars, 

See Page 10 Canada Recruiting

6 

EarthTalk® 

E - The Environmental Magazine 

Dear EarthTalk: Now that hot weather is 

coming, I want to upgrade my home’s A/C. 

Which are the most energy-saving models 

and should I go central air or window units? 

-- Jackie Smith, Cary, NC 

According to the American Council for an 

Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE), energy 

consumption for home air conditioning 

units accounts for more than eight percent 

of all the electricity produced in the U.S., at 

a cost to homeowners of $15 billion 

annually. Besides the cost, all this cooling 

leads to annual emissions of about 195 

million tons of CO2—or two tons per year 

for each American home with A/C. 

Of course, foregoing A/C entirely is the 

most energy- and cost-efficient way to go, 

but some of us need a little cooling for 

comfort, especially in warmer climates. If 

A/C is a must, buying the most efficient 

model is the way to save money and 

pollute less. Fortunately, a new generation 

of much more efficient room and central 

A/C units means that upgrading will likely 

pay for itself in energy savings within just a 

few years. 

The main factors to consider in choosing a 

new model are cooling capacity (measured 

in British Thermal Units, or BTUs) and 

Energy-Efficiency Ratio, or EER. To 

determine the correct BTU rating for a 

given space, multiply the square footage by 

10 and then add 4,000. Meanwhile, a given 

unit’s EER is the ratio of cooling output 

divided by power consumption—the higher 

the EER, the more efficient the air 

conditioner. 

According to the U.S. Department of 

Energy, national appliance standards 

require room air conditioners to have an 

EER of 8.0 to 9.8 or more, depending on 

type and capacity. Units with an EER rating 

of 10 or above typically qualify for the 

federal government’s ENERGY STAR label, 

which appears on especially energyefficient 

appliances. Check out the 

ENERGY STAR website for lists of 

qualifying A/C models. 

The Association of Home Appliance 

Manufacturers (AHAM) says that the 

average EER of room A/C units rose 47 

percent from 1972 to 1991. To wit, 

replacing an older room unit with an EER of 

five with a new model with an EER of 10) 

would result in a 50 percent energy cost 

savings associated with A/C. 

As to whether room units or central A/C 

makes more sense, it depends. Room 

units, which only cost a few hundred 

dollars each, will suffice for renters or those 

who only need to keep one or two rooms 

cool at a time. Meanwhile, central A/C is 

more efficient overall at keeping a whole 

house cool, and will also do a better job at 

reducing household humidity than even 

several individual room units—and will save 

more money faster on electricity bills. But 

with a starting price of around $4,000 for 

the condenser and initial set-up (plus any 

duct work needed to distribute cool air 

around a home), central A/C isn’t for 

everyone. 

ACEEE points out that there are ways to 

keep indoor space cooler without A/C: 

improving insulation, sealing air gaps, 

getting rid of old appliances and light bulbs 

that give off lots of heat, running fans, using 

cooler colors on exterior roofing and paint, 

and other strategies. Those in particularly 

arid climates might also consider installing 

From an energy-efficiency standpoint, room A/C units are best for keeping one or two rooms 

cool at a time, while central air is more efficient overall at keeping a whole house cool. 

Credit: Comstock/Hemera Coll 

a swamp cooler (which cools outside air by 

running it over cold water) as a cheaper 

alternative to A/C. By following these 

suggestions and upgrading 

conscientiously, we can all stay a little more 

comfortable in our warming world without 

exacerbating the problem too much. 

CONTACTS: ACEEE, www.aceee.org; 

ENERGY STAR, www.energystar.gov; 

AHAM, www.aham.org; Database of State 

Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency, 

www.dsireusa.org. 

EarthTalk® is written and edited by Roddy 

Scheer and Doug Moss and is a registered 

trademark of E - The Environmental 

Magazine (www.emagazine.com). Send 

questions to: earthtalk@emagazine.com. 

S u b s c r i b e : 

www.emagazine.com/subscribe. Free Trial 

Issue: www.emagazine.com/trial. 

EarthTalk® 

E - The Environmental Magazine 

Dear EarthTalk: What are the big delivery 

companies like FedEx and UPS doing to 

green their truck fleets and operations in 

general? -- Mitchell Glaser, 

Overland Park, KS 

Package delivery companies like FedEx 

and UPS have come a long way in a 



relatively short time regarding 

sustainability, but they still have 

considerable room for improvement. While 

there is only so much these companies 

can do to reduce their huge carbon 

footprints—given their reliance on 

emissions-heavy air transport—they’ve 

made great strides in greening their 

ground fleets, optimizing their choices of 

modes and otherwise streamlining energy 

use. 

For its part, UPS was an early adopter of 

cleaner vehicles, and today operates 

upwards of 2,500 low-emission vehicles 

that run on alternative fuels and 

technologies. The company is particularly 

jazzed about a new generation of hydraulic 

hybrid package delivery trucks unveiled in 

the fall of 2012 in partnership with the U.S. 

Department of Energy’s Clean Cities 

program. These new trucks—which 

employ a diesel combustion engine along 

with a hydraulic high-pressure 

accumulator that stores energy captured 

during braking—get 35 percent better fuel 

economy and generate as much as 30 

percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions 

as compared to the non-hybrid dieselpowered 

vehicles they are replacing. While 

these trucks may cost UPS $7,000 apiece 

more than their traditional counterparts, 

the company estimates the upgrade will 

save $50,000 or more, while substantially 

reducing emissions, over the lifetime of 

each vehicle. 

UPS has also been blazing new trails in 

operational efficiency via intermodal 

shifting, e.g., using the most fuel-efficient 

transport mode (airplane, train, truck or 

ship) or combination of modes to meet 

customer needs. A concerted effort by the 

company to streamline its operations in 

2011 led to savings of two million metric 

tons of greenhouse gas emissions by 

moving delivery volume from air (the most 

emissions-intensive mode by far) to 

ground, and another 800,000 metric tons 

by shifting volume from ground to rail. 

DR. EMILIA ESPIRITU 

CHIRURGIEN DENTISTE / DENTAL 

SURGEON 

5790 Cote des Neiges Rd Suite A-024 

MONTREAL, QUEBEC 

H3S 1Y9 


Package delivery companies like FedEx and UPS have come a long way in improving the fuel 

efficiency of their worldwide fleet of delivery vehicles. Pictured: A FedEx hybrid electric 

delivery van. Credit: Biofriendly, courtesy Flickr 

Meanwhile, FedEx, with one of the largest 

hybrid-electric fleets in the industry and 

upwards of 2,000 alternative energy 

vehicles in service worldwide, is no slouch 

either when it comes to green streamlining. 

Back in 2008 the company worked with the 

Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) in 

setting the ambitious goal of improving the 

fuel efficiency of its worldwide fleet of 

Express delivery vans and trucks by 20 

percent within a dozen years. Then early in 

2013 the company announced that it had 

already exceeded its goal seven years 

ahead of schedule (with an overall savings 

of 22 percent so far) but was also upping 

its goal to a 30 percent fleet-wide efficiency 

gain by 2020. 

With a strong commitment to swapping out 

older vehicles with newer more efficient 

ones, the company is well on its way. It 

now operates 360 hybrid-electric trucks 

and 200 electric vehicles and is replacing 

many of its delivery trucks with “rightsized” 

Sprinter-type vans that are as much 

as 100 percent more fuel efficient than their 

predecessors. FedEx has also been 

upgrading its fleet of Express diesel trucks 

to cleaner-burning models, and is making 

similar upgrades in its Freight and Ground 

divisions as well. Likewise, the company is 

well on its way toward reducing 

greenhouse gas emissions from its 

airplanes by 30 percent by 2020. 

CONTACTS: UPS Corporate 

R e s p o n s i b i l i t y , 

www.responsibility.ups.com/Sustainability; 

FedEx Environmental Sustainability, 

about.van.fedex.com/environmentalsustainability; 

EDF, www.edf.org. 

EarthTalk® is written and edited by Roddy 

Scheer and Doug Moss and is a registered 

trademark of E - The Environmental 

Magazine (www.emagazine.com). Send 

questions to: 

earthtalk@emagazine.com. Subscribe: 

www.emagazine.com/subscribe. Free 

Trial Issue: www.emagazine.com/trial. 

PHONE: 514-340-8222 (4077) 

E-Mail: dr_e_pin@yahoo.ca


7 

‘No thank you’ dahil alam niya na 

wala s’yang nagawang mabuti 

Mukhang sobrang asim ng 

ubas para sa publisher ng isang 

malabasurang local newspaper kaya 

hindi pa man s’ya nakakarating sa 

grapevine ay nag-sour grape na 

kaagad. Sabi n’ya kasi ay hindi s’ya 

magpapa-nominate sa FAMAS Awards 

dahil walang kuwenta raw ang 

nasabing parangal. Meron pa s’yang 

binanggit na Dr. Aranda na diumano’y 

gustung-gustong mag-nominate sa 

kanya sa isang mas kinikilalang 

parangal pero tinanggihan n’ya dahil 

hindi raw s’ya mahilig sa mga award. 

Kung tinanggihan daw n’ya ang 

nasabing parangal, iyun pa kayang 

FAMAS Awards ang di n’ya tanggihan. 

Phooey! Nakakadiri. Nakakapangilabot. 

Nakakatawa. 

Lumunok ako ng ilang aspirin 

dahil sumakit nang husto ang aking ulo 

sa kaiisip kung anu-ano ang mga 

magagandang bagay ang nagawa ng 

publisher ng there’s-nothing-like-it at 

numero unong pahayagang Filipino sa 

Canada (kuno) para mag-abala si Dr. 

Aranda na isumite ang kanyang 

pangalan sa nasabing award. Pero 

kilala na naman ng buong komunidad 

ang taong ito sa kasinungalingan at 

kahambugan kaya wala na namang 

naniniwala sa kanya. Naaawa o 

natatawa na lamang sila sa pobre na 

tanging ang kolumnistang ito lang ang 

nagtitiyagang pumansin. 

Maraming beses nang narinig 

ng mga Pinoy sa Montreal ang tungkol 

sa kanyang pagiging gobernador ng 

kanyang lalawigan, ang kanyang 

pagiging matalik na kaibigan ng 

yumaong Tony Sidayao (ang sikat at 

nirerespetong sports writer sa 

Pilipinas), ang tungkol sa pagpili sa 

kanya ni dating First Lady Imelda R. 

Marcos para sumulat ng biography ng 

asawa ng yumaong diktador, ang 

kanyang pagiging kaklase ni Sen. 

Miriam Defensor-Santiago sa UP 

College of Law, ang kanyang pagiging 

alumnus ng University of the 

Philippines at ang pagiging 

writer/columnist sa Calgary Sun. 

Recognized by SAAQ & AQTR 

4649 Ave Van Horne, Suite 23, 

Montreal, Quebec 

Metro: Plamondon 

514-402-9594 / 514-883-3526 

Marami pa s’yang mga delusions of 

grandeur na puwede kong ilathala 

pero kukulangin ang isang pahina ng 

Filipino Star para sa lahat ng kanyang 

mga kathang-isip at hinabing salaysay. 

Ganoon na lang ang aking pagtatawa 

nang mabasa ko sa kanyang diaryo 

(Yes, binabasa ko rin iyon) na hindi 

s’ya papayag na ma-nominate sa 

FAMAS Awards. Matay kong isipin, 

wala naman s’yang nagawang mabuti, 

lalong higit ay katangi-tangi, sa 

komunidad ng mga Filipino sa 

Montreal para s’ya ipagbunyi at 

parangalan. Walang makapagsabi na 

s’ya ay nag-volunteer man lamang sa 

FAMAS, na s’ya ay miembro o opisyal 

ng anumang samahang lokal, at ni 

hindi rin s’ya nagkaroon ng anumang 

matatag na trabaho kaya dalawang 

beses s’yang napalayas sa tirahan na 

kanyang inuupahan dahil hindi 

makabayad ng renta. Panay at walangpatid 

na paninira lamang sa FAMAS at 

mga lider nito ang kanyang inaatupag 

sa loob ng mahigit na 40 taon. Sa halip 

na tumulong sa pananatili ng 

pagkakaisa, bagkus n’yang winawasak 

ang komunidad. Kung s’ya’y isang 

insekto, s’ya ay anay. Wala akong 

alam na may nagbigay ng parangal sa 

anay. 

Kaya tama na, Mr. Publisher, 

ang iyong palusot dahil wala naman 

talagang magno-nominate sa ‘yo sa 

FAMAS Awards kahit magbayad ka pa, 

at kung meron man, tuloy sa 

basurahan ang iyong nomination form 

dahil tiyak na puro kasinungalingan 

lang naman ang nakasulat doon. At 

saka sa core values pa lang, hindi ka 

na lulusot sa screening committee ng 

FAMAS Awards. To be fair to you, Mr. 

Publisher, may impact naman ang 

iyong “achievement,” kaya lang 

negatibo at nakakasira ang impact na 

iyon. Ang hinahanap ng FAMAS 

Awards ay positive impact, ‘yung 

kapakipakinabang at magandang 

halimbawa sa mga kabataan. 

******* 

• 24 hrs in class & 

15 hours actual driving 

(New Program) 

• Refresher course & 

Accompanied Driver 

• Car rental for road test 

•Preparation for 

knowledge test 

• Payment plan available 


ANG MALAS KO AY MAAARING 

SUWERTE NG ISANG DATING 

KANDIDATO – Bunga ng mga 

sunud-sunod na di-inaasahang 

pangyayari sa buhay ko nitong huling 

apat na buwan (unang-una na ang 

biglang pagkamatay ng aking ina 

noong May 6 sa edad na 86), 

natuluyan akong magbitiw bilang 

chairperson ng Committee on 

Elections (COMELEC) ng Filipino 

Association of Montreal and Suburbs 

(FAMAS). 

Sa aking palagay ang malas 

ko ay maaaring suwerte naman ng 

isang dating presidential candidate 

dahil kung ako pa ang chairperson ng 

nasabing komite at ako ang 

masusunod, hindi ko papayagang 

makatakbong muli ang nasabing 

kandidato sa rami ng kanyang mga 

violation ng FAMAS election rules and 

regulations. Naroroon ang kanyang 

illegal na panunumpa, ang illegal na 

pagrerehistro ng FAMAS sa ilalim ng 

kanyang illegal na pangangasiwa at 

ang di n’ya paggamit ng tama at 

nararapat na paraan ng paglaban sa 

resulta ng nakaraang eleksyon. 

Sa aking pananaw, hindi 

ganoong klase ng lider ang kailangan 

ng FAMAS, lalung-lalo na ngayon na 

mayroon nang malaking ari-arian ang 

nasabing asosasyon at magandang 

pangalan sa siyudad ng Montreal at 

mga karatig nito. 

Ngayon na wala na akong 

kinalaman sa COMELEC at may iba 

nang chairperson at mga miembro, 

nasa kanila na ang pagpapasya 

tungkol sa nasabing former 

presidential candidate at iba pang mga 

sumuway sa alituntunin ng FAMAS at 

COMELEC noong nakaraang 

eleksyon. 

******* 

ELEKSYONG LOKAL SA PINAS — 

Dahil sa aking biglaang pag-uwi sa 

bansang sinilangan, nagkaroon ako ng 

pagkakataon na masaksihan ang di ko 

nasaksihan sa loob ng huling 35 taon. 

Ang tinutukoy ko ay ang nakaraang 

lokal na halalan. Kabaligtaran ng 

eleksyon sa Canada, parang piyesta 

ang eleksyon sa Pilipinas. May 

nagsisigawan at nagsasaya habang 

nanonood ng bilangan ng mga boto, 

may nagpapaputok ng mga kuwitis at 

may pakain pa ang dalawang grupo ng 

mga kandidato sa kani-kanilang 

himpilan. 

Noong gabi ng halalan, May 

13, pumunta ako sa headquarter ng 

aming partido na kung tawagin ay 

“Pula” dahil pula ang official color ng 

partido. Dilaw naman ang sa kalabang 

NOTARY 

M tre. Peter Dimacopoulos 

Real Estate Contracts, Mortgages, Wills, Power of Attorney 

Tel.:514-824-9336 

partido. Napakaraming tao roon, 

kabilang na ang kandidato sa pagkamayor 

na malapit kong kamag-anak. 

Nakatagpo ko roon ang aking iba pang 

mga kamag-anak at mga kaibigan. 

Siyempre pa, bitbit ko ang aking 

kamera. Kuha rine, kuha roon ng mga 

litrato na ilalagay ko sa aking 

Facebook page. 

Nanalo sa pagka-mayor ang 

aking pinsan na si Atty. Eric Aure Vida 

na isang Ateneo Law School graduate 

at former vice-mayor ng Mendez. Ang 

nanalo sa pagka-vice-mayor ay si 

Cocoy Mendoza na isa ring dating 

vice-mayor at kalaban nina Eric. Si 

Cocoy ay pinsan naman ng aking 

kasalukuyang maybahay kaya virtually, 

but not actually, magkalaban kaming 

mag-asawa sa pulitika. Sila ang 

magiging mayor at vice-mayor sa 

susunod na tatlong taon. Tulad ng mga 

nanalong senador, representante, 

gobernador, bisi-gobernador, alkalde, 

bisi-alkalde at konsehal, magsisimula 

ang termino nina Eric at Cocoy sa 

darating na July 1. 

Ngayon pa lang ay pinaguusapan 

na ng mga taga-Mendez na 

sina Eric at Cocoy ang maglalaban sa 

pagka-mayor sa 2016. Si Cocoy ay 

anak ng isang dating mayor. Hindi ko 

alam ang aking gagawin kung 

magkatotoo nga ang kanilang hakahaka. 

Samantala, si Erap ang 

bagong mayor ng Maynila (tinalo n’ya 

si Alfredo Lim, ang kasalukuyang 

alkalde), si Jonvic Remulla pa rin ang 

gobernador ng Cavite (kontra Ayong 

Maliksi na isang dating gobernador), si 

Jolo Revilla sa bisi-gobernador at ang 

asawa naman ni Bambol Tolentino 

(ang dating mayor at kapatid ni Francis 

na chairman ng MMDA) ang nanalong 

mayor sa Tagaytay City (inilampaso 

n’ya si Jesus Crispin Remulla na 

kapatid ni Jonvic). 

Kung sa Tagaytay rin lang ang 

eleksyon, ipapanganak pa ang 

makakabuwag o makakapagpabagsak 

sa mga Tolentino. Ganoong katindi 

ang kanilang kapangyarihan sa 

Tagaytay City, ang tinuguriang 

alternate summer capital of the 

Philippines gawa ng kanyang malamig 

na klema at banayad na simoy ng 

hangin. 

The biggest surprise of the 

past Philippine election is the 

unexpected and sudden surge of 

Grace Poe, anak ng yumaong 

Fernando Poe, Jr., from virtual loser to 

See Page 11 Beyond the Pale

8 

Parangal sa mga yumaong Ina 

Sa tuwing sasapit ang 

ikalawang Linggo ng Mayo ay 

ipinagdiriwang natin ang Araw ng mga 

Ina. Parangal ito sa dalawa kong 

yumaong ina. Masinop na nalikom ng 

aking nanay ang mga liham niya, kung 

paano siya niligawan ng aming tatay 

na inabot nang mahigit na anim na 

taon. 

Bagama't pansarili ang loobin 

ng pitak na ito ay kapupulatan ng 

mambabasa ng mga aral tungkol sa 

pananagalog at matutuklasan ang 

paggamit ng Taglish (sinasamahan ng 

mga salitang Ingles) ay pangkaraniwan 

lang noon pa. 

Dito na nagsimula ang 

panunuyo. 

College of Agriculture 

Los Banos, Laguna 

June 17, 1927 

Josefa, 

Natatandaan mo pa kaya ang 

isang nagkapalad na naging kakilala 

mo doon sa Bagyo? Marahil ay 

maghahalungkat kang muli sa isip bago 

mo matawag sa iyong alaala ang aking 

pangalan at pagmumukha, sapagka't 

pagkaraan ng ilang araw na tayo'y 

magkakilala ay nagkalayo na tayo nang 

marami nang araw. Dahil dito ay 

nangyari nga akong sumulat sa iyo sa 

pagbabakasakaling mapalawig natin 

ang ating pagkikilala. 

Si David ay aking nakausap 

kanginang umaga. Pagdaka'y 

itinanong ko sa kanya kung kayo'y 

kanyang nakita. Ang sabi'y, oo - at 

kayo'y nagbalitaan pa raw tungkol sa 

buhay buhay sa Bagyo. Ayon sa kanya 

ay natatandaan mo ako nguni't 

nakalimutan mo na ang aking 

pangalan. Kung gayo'y isusulat ko ng 

full ang aking name sa ending. 

Kumusta ba kayo ngayon? 

Ipinalalagay kong kayong 

magkakapatid ay maluag ninyong 

naidadaos ang pagtuturo samantalang 

kami dito nila David ay kasalukuyang 

naghihirap sa pagaaral. 

Noong manggaling ako sa 

Bagyo pauwi ng Malabon ay naitanong 

kayo sa akin ni Chayong na kapatid ko. 

Sinabi ko nga sa kanyang kayo'y may 

kahulihan ang pagbaba sa Balanga. 

Marahil ay maitatanong mo sa 

iyong sarili kung bakit nais kong 

maging matalik na kakilala kayo. Hindi 

kaila sa iyo ang aking hinahanap na 

occupation at ang malalapad na 

pataniman ng tubo diyan sa inyo sa 

Balanga. Baka sakaling kung ako'y 

makatapos ay magubra akong 

isang maliit na kasama ng isang 

assenderong pangkaraniwan diyan, ay 

kung manggagaling sa bukid ay nang 

mayoong madalawdalaw kung sakali at 

kung papanhikin. Bukod sa rito'y ang 

mga ninuno ninyo ang mga tubong 

Malabon ay magaang ang dugo sa mga 

katutubo o kababayan. 

Ang mgagandang record ng 

inyong family sa pakikipamayan at sa 

pagaaral, ay hindi kaila sa akin. Dahil 

dito'y nangingimi pa ako nang pagsulat 

sa iyo. Kahit naman marahil ikaw ay 

sadyang bright maging sa pagtuturo ay 

inaasahan kong considerate ka rin. 

Mapagpapaumanhinan mo naman 

seguro ang nakabababa sa iyo, na 

gaya ko na nga. 

Wawakasan ko na rito at nang 

huwag ka namang mapagod sa 

pagbasa. Magsilbi nawang 

tagapagpaalala itong aking liham. 

Best regards for you and other 

sisters, brother, and parents. 

your friend, 

Amado Santos 

P.S. 

Ikaw na nga nag bahalang 

magpaumanhin sa aking Tagalog. Marahil 

ay balibalikuko. 

Same 

Ang kasabihang "Walang 

matimtimang birhen sa matiyagang 

manalangin" ay nagkaroon ng 

katuparan. Ang pangana'y na supling 

ay ipinanganak noong Agosto 18, 1934 

at ang bunso ay noong Mayo 21, 1936. 

Yumao ang aking ina apat na araw 

makalipas ang pagsilang sa akinnoong 

Mayo 25, 1936. 

Hindi lumipas ang maraming 

taon at noong Enero 23, 1939 ay 

nanalanging muli si Ama na ang nasa 

isip ay bigyan ng ina ang dalawang 

naiwan ni Nanay Epang (Josefa). Ang 

pangalawang ina ay hindi gaanong 

matagal na nag-isip dahil ang kaniyang 

aalagaan sa sumunod na matrimonya 

ay kaniyang mga pamangkin. Ang 

Nanay Meliang (Emilia) ay kapatid ng 

Nanay Epang. 

Anim kaming magkakapatid 

na habambuhay na magdiriwang 

tuwing ikalawang Linggo ng Mayo 

kahit ang aming mga ina ay kapuwa 

yumao na. Iniwan kaming lahat ni 

Nanay Meliang noong Disyembre 16, 

1983 na may kani-kaniyang adhikain 

sa buhay. 

* * * * * 

B B B: Binyag, 

Birthday at Bulakbol 

Pichu: Pechay! Pechay! Dalian mo 

namang magbihis. Mahuhuli na tayo! 

Pechay: Nandiyan na, Kuya. Alas 

onse pa naman ang binyag ni Peras, 

di ba? 

Pichu: Oo nga. Pero madalang ang 

dating ng bus dahil Sabado ngayon. 


Pechay: (Pagkabihis ay dali-daling 


Need Money? 


Morgan Virginia Santos (Peras), hawak ni Aaron Santos, tatay, Alma Mendoza, nanay. 

tumakbo sa likod-bahay tungo sa 

pinto sa harap at tumimbre) Ano ba? 

Kuya Pichu kanina pa ako naghihintay 

dito, ah! 

Peras: Ano! Kuya, Ate, nabusog ba 

kayo sa handa ng binyag ko? 

Pichu: Eto na naman kami. Laro.. . , 

Peras, laro ang samantalahin natin! 

Pechay: Tayo na! Ano pa ang hinihintay 

ninyo. Kanya-kanyang hila ng Lolo o 

Lelong. Nandiyan lang sa tapat ang 

Kent Park. 

Pichu: O paano, sa Sabado ay agahan 

ninyo ang punta sa Lolo at Lola ko sa 

Hampton, ha? Doon daw gagawin ang 

birthday ko. Umaga pa lang ikakabit 

na ang inflated toy house at ang 

tanghalian ay puro kids' meal. Sa gabi 

pa ang dating ng mga killjoys. 

Pechay: Kawawa naman ang Lolo 

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May 2013 9 


Pamana's dances and music brought me back 

home to the Philippines 


There are times when I miss the 

Philippines because I`ve not visited it 

since coming here 44 years ago. But 

the stage production of Pamana ng 

LuzViMinda Philippine Folkloric Dance 

Company of Montreal on April 27 at the 

Salle Brebeuf cured my homesickness. 

The dances and music on the show 

brought back happy memories to me. 

Thanks to the collaborative efforts of 

the production staff, especially 

Veraida-Lyn Bermejo, president and 

director/writer and Sherling de la Paz, 

artistic director. They're so talented and 

creative. 

Everything in the show was impressive 

- from the colourful and authentic 

costumes (some were purchased in 

the Philippines and Thailand) to the 

props (bamboo poles, benches) and 

video. The rural and tribal music was 

provided by musicians who used 

traditional musical instruments like the 

gansa (an instrument with metal bars), 

dabaksan (single headed Philippine 

drum), agung (two sets of two-widerimmed 

vertically-suspended gongs) 

and gandigan (Philippine xylophone). 

The stage seemed spacious enough 

for the 23 male and female dancers to 

freely move and execute their dances 

that required agility and flexibility. 

The dance performances were divided 

into 5 parts, each part representing the 

dance from the different regions in the 

Philippines. The enthusiastic audience 

applauded the dancers after each 

performance. 

Some of the dances are: 

Muslim dance - 

Burong Talo - A martial arts dance 

originating from the Tausug people of 

the Sulu archipelago in the 

Southwestern part of the Philippines. In 

this dance, the male dancers depict a 

fight between a hawk and a cat. They 

simulate martial arts movements while 

manipulating daggers and fans. The 

male performers were so convincing in 

playing their parts. Fierce looking, 

they seemed ready to kill each other. 

Kini-kini - This dance represents the 

sophisticated woman of the Royal 

Maranao. Movements and shapes of their 

walk are very articulate and their scarves 

represent their fluidity and grace. Their 

grace is a characteristic of their education. 

The female performers were so exquisite 

and elegant. Pangalay sa Pattong - This 

dance is popular among the Badjao, 

Samal and Tausog groups. Although the 

movements of the dancer were flawless, I 

couldn't take my eyes off watching this 

dance. I was glued to my seat. What if she 

falls? The dance is performed on top of two 

bamboo poles on the shoulders of two 

men. Singkil - Traditionally a depiction of 

the Maguindanao and Maranao 

interpretation of a legend centered around 

Princess Gandingan and the brave Prince 

Bantugan. While walking through the forest 

with her loyal umbrella-bearing lady-inwaiting, 

the Princess Gandingan is 

suddenly caught in the middle of an 

earthquake unleashed by the forest diwata, 

or forest spirits. The Princess must 

gracefully and skilfully manoeuvre through 

the closing bamboo poles which represent 

the falling trees. Fans, or apit, are waved by 

dancers to represent auspicious winds. 

valiant Prince Bantugan enters the scene 

and rescues the Princess. 

Rural dance - 

Karatong - This dance is named after the 

bamboo instrument worn by the dancers 

around the waist. The karatong is struck to 

a fast rhythm, in the hopes of attracting 

good luck and driving away evil spirits. The 


female dancers dance with sticks that are 

representatives of bunga mangga or 

mango trees. Sayaw sa Bangko - This 

is another stunning dance that 

captivated and mesmerized me. From 

the province of Pangasinan, the 

original form of the dance consisted of 

only one narrow bench. As it evolved, 

however, more and more benches 

were added, until the stack of benches 

resembled a tower. No flash 

photography was requested as the 

dance is dangerous. It was 

breathtaking to watch the male 

dancers lifting the female dancers on 

the other edge of the bench. Tinikling - 

Originally from the Province of Leyte, 

this dance is considered by many to be 

the most recognizable folk dance of 

the Philippines. Based on the 

movements of the long-legged tikling 

avoiding bamboo traps in the fields, 

dancers dance through bamboo poles 

that open and close to an accelerating 

rhythm. It was a pure joy watching the 

exuberant and energetic dancers having 

Kalman Samuels, Q.C. 

& Associates, s.e.n.c. 

Attorneys 

• Family Law • Litigation • Immigration 

fun. 

Added attraction to the stage 

production of Pamana ng LuzVi Minda 

Folkloric Dance Company of Montreal 

are the video clips shown after each 

performance. The clips show what it 

meant to be a member of the 

organization - focusing not only on the 

hard work and commitment to their 

craft but also the love, togetherness 

and especially the family spirit that 

infuses everything they do. 

The 2-hour show is worth watching. I 

left the theatre feeling good, smiling 

and telling myself that I'm lucky to be a 

Filipino with a rich and unique culture. 

The next time Pamana performs here, 

make sure you catch it. You will not 

regret it. 

ADVERTISE IN THE NORTH AMERICAN 

FILIPINO STAR 

CALL 514-485-7861 

www.kalmansamuels.com Tel. : 514-939-1200

10 

Ask the 

Video Guy 

Al Abdon 

Recycling Electronic Stuffs 

What do you do when your 

camcorder, computer, tablet or other 

device is no longer useful to you, but still 

has use in its electronics? Do you sell it? 

Donate it? Save it for historical laughs or 

throw it in a landfill? 

April 22 marks the 43rd annual 

Earth Day observance - and as people 

become aware of recycling ordinary 

garbage, there's still a long ways to go 

with disposing of electronic waste. In 

April 2011 an e-cycling initiative was 

launched by leaders in the consumer 

electronics industry to deal with the 

millions of pounds of electronic waste 

rendered annually. The hopes are to 

Have one billion pounds of electronic 

waste recycled annually by 2016. 

How you Can Help and Benefit, Too 

If your electronic gadget still has 

life in it; consider other places you might 

help someone else in need who hasn't 

the means or abilities to purchase a new 

device. 

Computers: Donate your old 

computer to community organization to 

help seniors or non-electronic 

individuals who don't have access to 

computers in your area. 

Mobile Phones: Old cell phones 

could be given to old folks who cannot 

afford the luxury of Samsung or iphones. 

Televisions: A local school, retirement 

home or community center might gladly 

like to upgrade their older set for a notas-old 

set. 

Camcorders: If you have a camcorder 

that runs but has out-lived your needs 

gathering dust in a closet, there are a 

number of places you donate it to that 

would benefit greatly from your 

generosity. That old camcorder you no 

longer use can find a new life in the 

hands of your local charity, theater group 

or school. How many people claim to 

have been "bitten by the movie creating 

bug" using their dad's old Super 8 

camera? A not-too-old camcorder can 

trigger a child's interest in video 

producing. 

Recycling Responsibly 

From CDs to PCs, printers to monitors 

and more you have the responsibly 

disposes of what can't be recycled. 

Giving it Away for Cash or Credit: There 

are several companies what will buy 

your older gadget, some for cash-out, 

others for rebate on a new product from 

their company. In the U.S. kodak has a 

mail-in program for old digital cameras 

and printers, Best Buy has a trade-in 

program. HP has a few choices from 

cash for you to a charity donation or an 

HP gift card for a new purchase. 

Selling it: Depending on the age of your 

device you can sell it outright to sites 

ebay, craiglist Kijiji Of course, you might 

get more the old fashioned way - on 

eBay - but like putting a sign on your car 

in a parking lot hoping for a nibble 

versus selling it to a used-car broker, 

these sites pay for your device then 

resell it, so they need a profit margin, 

too. A quick search on eBay found 50 

used Sony miniDV selling for $40.00 and 

a Sony VX2100 going for $300. 

Recycle it: Not all electronic waste is 

recyclable, but most areas in the 

Quebec, the municipals usually have 

program where you can drop in these 

electronic stuff. When in doubt, the first 

place to look can be as easy as your old 

fashioned Yellow Pages. Most local 

government listings will have some sort 

of service for electronic waste recycling, 

they can point you in the right direction. 

Helping People in Developing Countries: 

The federal 

government have programs that takes 

used/refurbished computers to people in 

emerging nations struggling to get 

caught up in the modern world. 

What can you do with Videotape? 

Recycling video gear isn't just 

about the electronics. You can recycle 

video tape, too. One-sixth of a gallon of 

petroleum goes into the production of 

one videocassette, and as of 2008, video 

duplication companies processed 20 

million of them per month. Although 

videotape production has gone down, 

there's a lot of tape still in use, or going 

to waste sites. 

Thrift stores: Yep - people still use 

videotape, but be forewarned, blacking 

your old footage is a good idea, before 

you donate tape. 

Make Scarecrows: Many farmers in 

Manitoba know this trick - Snip the tape 

and unravel it then hang bits and pieces 

around the garden. The fluttering, shiny 

tape will scare birds away. 

Make art: Yes. Check out this a tutorial 

on crocheting a sling bag using a 

videotape. 

Jim Gibilterra, of Media 

Distributors says the 2011 tsunami in 

Japan put their business in crisis mode 

when a good portion of the world's 

supply of professional video-tape was no 

longer available. Since then, they've 

looked into how they can help lessen the 

impact recording media on our 

environment. They mostly deal with 

high-end tape for broadcast and that the 

product is now back in production with 

everything back to normal, but it 



triggered interest. They sell evaluated 

media or buy it back then totally 

degauss it, run it through evaluators to 

verify no defects, then resell. This resupplied 

tape is good for non-critical 

users, schools, give aways. Media 

Distributors also does certified 

destruction that doesn't hurt the 

environment, as part of their ‘Green 

Partners Program’. 

When Recycling e-waste Doesn't Work 

Not all recycling is good for the 

environment. According to a report 

from Electronics Take Back Coalition, 

caustic gas sits inside old cathode ray 

tube [CRT] TVs and older computer 

monitors, and that approximately 860 

million pounds of CRT glass has been 

stockpiled by recyclers. 

Did you get (or give) any new 

electronics this past holiday season? I'll 

bet nearly anyone who was in the giftgiving 

mode got or gave at least one 

electronic gadget as a gift, but what 

happens to the gadget you're 

replacing? Getting rid of the old to 

bring in the new is becoming a big 

issue; hopefully a few of these sites 

posted today will help you think how 

you can participate in e-waste 

recycling. 

Al Abdon 

Hollywood Junkies Video 

(514) 264-8706 

From Page 5 Canada Star Recruiting 

researchers, and students who have a 

high potential for becoming candidates for 

the Start-Up Visa. While at Stanford, he 

also met with Dan Siciliano, a legal 

scholar and entrepreneur with expertise in 

corporate governance, corporate finance, 

and immigration law, and Vivek Wadhwa, 

Director of Research at the Center for 

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11 

From Page 7 Beyond the Pale 

number one in the senatorial race. 

Nilagpasan n’ya si Sen. Loren Legarda 

na consistent number one sa lahat ng 

polls bago mag-eleksyon. Sabi ng mga 

local political pundit ay sympathy votes 

daw iyon sa pagkatalo ni, o sa 

pagkadaya kay, FPJ noong halalan ng 

2004. 

******* 

I SPURNED HER FACEBOOK 

FRIEND REQUEST – Alam n’yo ba 

na tumanggap ako ng Facebook 

“friend request” mula sa isang tao na 

itinuturing ko na “The Most 

Hypocritical and Most Treacherous” 

member of our community? Well, I 

did. 

Naalaala ko ang kanyang dalawang 

beses na panloloko sa akin noong 

nakaraang halalan ng FAMAS. Ang 

kanyang unang panloloko ay nang 

paniwalain n’ya ako na tunay ang 

kanyang pakikipagkaibigan sa akin. 

Naroon ang beneso-beso n’ya ako at 

nakipag-usap sa akin nang matino. 

Napadala naman ako sa kanyang 

“kabaitan.” Nalaman ko ang kanyang 

pagka-traidor nang sabihin n’ya sa 

akin na hindi naman talaga si Cesar 

Manuel ang kanyang iboboto, at sa 

halip ay pangalan ni Au Osdon ang 

isusulat n’ya sa kanyang balota. Suot 

lang daw n’ya ang yellow t-shirt ng 

Samahang Makabayan (SM) dahil 

kung hindi baka raw makahalata ang 

kanyang presidential candidate at 

masirang lahat ang kanyang mga 

plano. Iyon naman pala ay gusto lang 

n’yang malaman sa akin kung itutuloy 

The 

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erman M MMaimonides 

aimonides 

PACC 

Learning 

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offe offers ers 

a unique tr training aining ooppor 

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as a nursing 

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(PAB) (PA AB) in a state-of- state-of- 

the the-art -art 

environment 

at a at 

the first 

health 

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QQuebec 

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with its own 

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center. 

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DONALD BERMAN 

MMAIMONIDES 

AIMONIDDES 

GERIATRIC GERIAT TRIC CENTRE 

5795 Caldwell 

Avenue Avv 

enue 

Montreal 

( (Qc) Qc) 

H4W 1W3 

ng COMELEC ang desisyon na 

pagbawas sa mga boto ng mga 

kandidato ng SM. At nang hindi ako 

sumang-ayon sa gusto n’yang 

mangyari, biglang naglaho ang 

kanyang “kabaitan” at muli n’ya 

akong siniraan sa pamamagitan ng 

kanyang column sa Forum. 

Ang ikalawa n’yang panloloko 

ay noon mismong election day. Nasa 

loob kami ng St. Kevin’s Church 

Social Hall nang tawagin n’ya ang 

aking anak at humingi s’ya ng 

paumanhin sa bata na noo’y dose 

anyos pa lamang. Ang sabi nya, “Hija, 

I apologize to you for all the nasty 

things that I said about your dad. I 

promise you that I won’t do that to 

him again.” Dahil sa bata na ang 

kanyang kinausap, binigyan ko s’ya 

ng benefit of the doubt na talagang 

totoo na ang kanyang pangako. 

Maling-mali ako dahil ang 

kanyang next column ay punungpuno 

ng mga vituperative remarks na 

laban sa akin. Nang ipabasa ko iyon 

sa aking anak, hindi n’ya napigilan na 

magsabi, “I will never, never believe 

her again. I hate her. She’s a liar.” 

Iyon ang dahilan kung bakit 

tinanggihan ko ang kanyang “Friend 

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OBITUARY 

Benturada Sarmiento Ortiz 

1926-2013 

BENTURADA SARMIENTO ORTIZ, born on July 14, 1926, died on May 6, 

2013 at Mendez, Cavite, Philippines. She is survived by her only child 

Bernardo Sarmiento, daughter-in-law Maritess Almanzor, grandchildren 

Bernardo II, Genevieve, Meredith and Alexandra, and stepdaughter Auring 

Ortiz-Villanueva and her family. 

PUBLIC NOTICE 

Advisory 

Warning concerning misrepresentation and fraud 

8 May 2013 - The Philippine Embassy in Ottawa has received 

reports concerning documents recently notarized by a person 

who is representing himself as Honorary Consul of the Republic 

of the Philippines in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. 

The Embassy wishes to inform the public that there is no existing 

Honorary Consul of the Republic of the Philippines in Montreal. 

The Embassy warns the public about such acts of 

misrepresentation and fraud. 

The Philippine Government concluded on 3 May 2007 the 

appointment of its last Honorary Consul in Montreal and the 

Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of Canada 

has been duly informed.

12 


North American 

FILIPINO STAR PHOTO GALLERY 

The Filipino Youth Center held its monthly Consultative Meeting on the last Saturday 

of April with Tessie Nepomuceno as speaker, shown here delivering her message to 

the youth with their parents and other volunteers led by Pastor Orlan Racacho 

together with Amy Manon-og, Sophie Toledo, Joe Calugay and Zeny Kharroubi. 

The Panday Tinig Choral Ensemble led by Paul Imperial and Edith Fedalizo pose for 

souvenir of the 21st anniversary of FNAQ on May 4, 2013 at the Holiday Inn on Cote 

de Liesse Road. 

The FNAQ founding Executive Board 1992-1995 presented: (L-R) Nilda Meriales, 

Maria Quimpo, Eugenia Magalit, Mierfe Morales, Linda Espallardo, Magdalena 

Calcetas, Anita Lo, and Elsie Reyes. Ten were absent. 



From left: Dindo Miras, Continuing Education Coordinator of the FNAQ, poses with 

the inspirational speaker Mrs. Patricia O’Connor, FNAQ Founder Maggie Calcetas, 

and Mr. Gerald Perron. 

The anniversary cake with the officers, members and guests of the FNAQ, one of the 

highlights of the evening celebration. 

Mothers Day flowers given to Zenaida Kharroubi by her students, Mayette Danao, 

Arlene Manalo, and Edna Lorenzo, on May 12, 2013. 

Pamana ni LuzViMinda Concert, April 27, 2013 

held at the College Brebeuf Auditorium

MARCH 2013 The North American Filipino Star 


Montreal, QC H3X 1T7 

(bet. Coolbrook & Decarie) 

Telephone: 514-485-7861 

www.gilmorecollege.com Snowdon 

Professor Isaac Goodine 

International Educator, Author of 

the book “Leaders Leading 

Leaders”, has delivered many 

workshops around the world. 

If you can read, you can 

also learn how to write. 

Join us in a multi-cultural, interactive 

workshop, the first time to 

be held in Montreal. 

Who is the workshop for? 

• open to all who write 

• anyone who needs to develop and use writing skills 

• professional writers, managers, novelists, business leaders, poets, 

lawyers, editors, professors, journalists, public speakers and anyone who 

needs to broaden their communication skills. 

This is a breakthrough idea. The writing workshop experience plants a 

seed that grows each time you write, long after the weekend workshop has 

concluded. You will gain special insights that open your creative self as 

you continue to write. You will be able to set and achieve personal goals to: 

•learn new and useful methods of solving problems in writing 

• increase your power to know what you want to say 

• increase your ability to put across persuasively what you have to say 

• enable you to see the actual relationship you have with your readers 

SEMINAR FEES: $495 (including taxes and materials) 

DURATION: 2 1/2 days - Friday evening, Saturday & Sunday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Schedule: To be announced to registered participants 

CONCORD TOURS & TRAVEL 

Tours in Canada 

Ottawa & Gatineau 1 Day Tour 

$33 + 

Quebec City one day $28 

La Mauricie National Park 1 Day 

$38 

Algonquin Park, 30 Thousand 

Islands, Toronto 3 Days $138 

Toronto Niagara Falls 2 Days Tour 

$68+ 

Toronto Niagara Falls 3 Days Tour 

$88+ 

Charleviox 2 Days Tour $68+ 

Gaspese 3 Days Tour $108+ 

Maritime provinces 5 Days Tour 

$188+ 

Maritime provinces 6 Days Tour 

$238+ 

Across Canada 10 Days Tour 

For information or reservations 

Call 514-485-7861 


Tours to U.S.A 

Washington, DC – New York 4-Day 

Tour 148+ 

New York City 3 Days Tour $88+ 

I Love NY - Free Bird 3 Days Tours 

$118+ 

New York City - 4 Days Tour 

$128+ 

I Love NY - Free Bird 4 Days Tours 

$148+ 

Washington 

DC,NY,Atlantic,Philadelphia 4- 

Days Tour 128+ 

Little Europe – Chicago 4 Days 

Tour $208+ 

Ivy Lea 4 Days Tour $228+ 

Virginia Beach Deluxe 5 Days Tour 

$298+ 

Florida Disney World 8 Days 

$428+ 

Across USA 10 Days Tour $799+ 

Group Discounts are available 

Prepayment of fees two weeks 

before the scheduled workshop 

13 

Tax deductible receipts and 

certificate to be given 

Seminar Fees are non-refundable 

but transferable. 

Zenaida Ferry Kharroubi, 

Editor & Publisher, The North American 

Filipino Star 

Director-General, Gilmore College 

International 

Workshop Coordinator

14 

FAMAS in a capsule 


Due to the limitation of time and 

space, this article should not be 

considered complete. Thanks to the 

contributions of Pastor Orlan Racacho, 

Bert Abiera, Lina Fernandez, Jake 

Maguigad. and Zenaida Kharroubi for this 

brief history of FAMAS. Likewise, I believe 

that I should also thank all FAMAS 

presidents and their directors for their 

volunteerism and personal sacrifices. 

The Filipino Association of 

Montreal and Suburbs (FAMAS) the oldest 

and biggest association in Quebec that is 

celebrating its fifty years has come a long 

way since its founding in 1963. The 

Filipinos who were with us since its infancy 

and still with us have witnessed its 

evolution into a progressive and 

recognized organization it is today by the 

federal, provincial and especially, by the 

municipal governments. 

The primary goal of FAMAS when 

it was founded was for Filipinos in Montreal 

and suburbs to get to know each other and 

to make sure their separation away from 

the families they left behind in the 

Philippines would be much less 

unbearable. In the early days, the number 

of Filipinos was comparatively small, about 

330. Many of them were professionals, 

namely, doctors, nurses, architects and 

engineers. 

"The Philippine Association of 

Montreal and suburbs, now known as 

FAMAS, had limited activities which were 

mainly social events due to lack of 

creativeness, incentives and civic 

consciousness to project a realistic 

community involvement," said Orlan 

Racacho, former FAMAS president and 

now a pastor. "Leadership skills and 

passion for cultural programs were 

basically lacking in its platform." 

FAMAS then was not as 

community oriented as it is today. In fact, 

the money left by each president after his 

or her tenure was spent more for 

socializing than anything else. Even the 

FAMAS election was so simple that it was 

done by mere raising of hands by the 

voters. Sometimes, the election was held 

at Angrignon Park in La Salle. It was also in 

any of those places that a small group of 

Filipinos usually had their occasional 

picnics for camaraderie and only a handful 

was keen on running for office, more 

particularly the presidency. 

In the early 70s, the community 

saw the changing times in terms of the the 

economy and in the ever-growing number 

of Filipinos in Montreal and suburbs. 

The FAMAS officers decided to 

aim higher, but were confronted with much 

bigger challenges. It dawned on them that 

FAMAS should be community oriented if it 

was to be relevant. To accomplish this 

goal, essential services to the community 

had to be provided. FAMAS officers, 

consisted of volunteers who had to work 

hard not only to recruit members and raise 

funds but also to develop projects. The 

biggest source for FAMAS then and now 

has been the Miss Philippines and 

Munting Bb. Pilipinas conceptualized by 

Norma Flores-Vohra during the terms of 

Alvin Veloso, Angie Ogerio and Bert 

Abiera respectively. In 1978, Norma 

Villarose started the building fund in the 

amount of $500, unlike the previous 

FAMAS presidents who usually spent 

leftover funds after their term on picnics or 

any other social activities because at that 

time, FAMAS had no specific project. 

Therefore, it was during this time when 

massive fund raising was dedicated to the 

community center building fund. Every 

FAMAS president began to work harder in 

order to turn over an amount to the 

building fund. In 1986-1987, during the 

term of Bert Abiera, a committee, led by 

Ogerio, was formed to adopt a `copy cat` 

fund raising idea used in the Philippines, 

the Munting Bb,. Pilipinas which was a 

huge success. It raised more than $20,000. 

"I made a handsome turn over 

which rapidly grew,” said Abiera. “When 

Marlene Birao-Schacter took over, FAMAS 

had the sufficient amount to make a down 

payment for a duplex on Van Horne Ave. 

with the approval of the officers and the 

Board of Trustees. They utilized the 

services of Nemia Saldua, a realtor who 

was a member of the Board of Trustees. 

The mortgage was signed by Birao- 

Schacter and Bartolome Javier who 

represented the Board of Trustees. 

Years later, it was decided to 

convert the duplex into a community 

center where the services that the 

association wanted to provide to the 

community could be served but it was 

difficult since zoning bylaws got in the way. 

When James de la Paz became the 

FAMAS president, he assiduously lobbied 

the City Hall of Montreal to grant FAMAS a 

rezoning permit. The neighbours, however, 

were opposed to the idea of converting the 

duplex into a community center because 

of the noise and disturbance it might bring 

to the quiet neighbourhood. Despite the 

rezoning snag, de la Paz`s request was 

granted within a year. With the help of 

volunteers, the duplex was renovated in 

the late 90s and worthy activities like 

Heritage classes were introduced 

thereafter. 

In addition to the successful 

conversion of the duplex to become a 

center, de la Paz made a bold and 

controversial decision. He called an 

assembly to present his proposal to pay 

the mortgage of FAMAS in full since it had 

enough money for that purpose. He 

believed that payment of the mortgage 

balance would save money by avoiding 

the exorbitant and growing mortgage 

interest rates. 

“Some members of the executive 

board tried to sue me but they couldn’t do 

anything,” recalled de la Paz. “My lawyer 

said that I didn`t pocket the money. A few 

years later, those who were against my 

idea appreciated what I did. If I did not pay 

the mortgage, FAMAS would still be in 

debt.” 

In spite of the criticism hurled 

against de la Paz by those who have 

personal issues with him, FAMAS had 

substantially benefitted from his political 

connections that he shrewdly cultivated 

when he was the FAMAS president. 

Arguably, he paved the way for the Filipino 

community to be more visible in the 

mainstream politics when he was FAMAS 

president. He said, “Politicians used to say 

The Jews, Italians, Chinese, etc. It was 

frustrating for Filipinos because they were 

systematically relegated to ‘others.’ They 

didn't have any identity until de la Pa came 

into the local political scene. Now, 

politicians from municipal, provincial and 

federal levels recognize the existence not 

only of FAMAS but also the entire 

burgeoning Filipino community. 

FAMAS made more changes in 

the 90s. For example, it amended the 

Constitution and Bylaws to allow the 

president to serve for two years rather than 

just one year. The Executive Board at the 

time was convinced that one year was too 

short for any president, particularly a good 

one, to accomplish the goals of the 

association. For reasons of their own, 

many community members came out of 

the woodwork and became more and 

more interested in becoming president or 

at least to be an officer. FAMAS elections 

have become one of the most talked about 

and anticipated events in the community, 

particularly in the summertime. Like the 



Independence Day and the Pista sa 

Nayon, the election day has always been 

an event for many Filipinos to meet friends 

they have not seen for a while. 

In 2009, the leadership of Au 

Osdon, who has a background in 

management, was put to the test after 

winning the presidency of FAMAS. Despite 

her detractors`criticism,’ or perhaps 

because of it, she managed to keep the 

affairs of FAMAS in order. When she took 

over in 2009, a Special Audit Committee 

was established in order to review the 

incomplete financial records submitted by 

the previous administration. The 

committee composed of Hal Sotero, 

Roger Sandoval, Cely Dagsaan and Peter 

Fernandez found out that it would be 

impossible because most transactions 

were made in cash and not properly 

recorded. FAMAS received a bill in 2007-- 

2008 which was paid. She also brought 

back the trust and respect of the 

community for FAMAS which for a while 

were lost because of the smoking, 

drinking and even installation of a camera 

in the toilet. The regular activities like the 

Bb. Pilipinas, Bb. Munting Pilipinas, 

Heritage and French classes still continue. 

Miss Teen FAMAS and the fledgling Project 

Pagsibol are doing well. Some 

renovations in the building were also made 

with the help of Alex Sy, FAMAS vice 

president and an engineer by profession 

which included the new main entrance 

door with electronic push button opener 

located in the office, a new entrance 

French door in the main lobby near the 

stairs going up the office, installation of a 

window near the entrance door, removal of 

the old closet to make the office bigger; 

removal of the partition of the conference 

room and living room to make the space 

bigger, and putting new floor tiles in the 

conference room 

Giving due recognition to de la 

Paz and Osdon is not meant to diminish 

the other presidents before or after them 

who made valuable contributions to the 

status of FAMAS as a community 

organization. All past presidents of 

FAMAS, without exception, had given up 

their time and made personal sacrifices in 

order to do their job. It can be stated 

without any doubt that no one has a 

monopoly of accomplishments for there 

have been other past presidents who tried 

to do what they thought was good for the 

community. Some of the past presidents' 

contributions are: Lee Sanga (deceased) 

introduced Heritage classes; Jose 

Bustamante converted the duplex garage 

into a classroom; Carlos P. Reyes 

(deceased) started the installation of a 

flagpole; Alberto Floresca (deceased) 

brought the idea of constructing the 

balcony; Claro Bermudez celebrated the 

Independence Day jointly with FCAWI; 

Flor Rillo constructed the patio, Carmelita 

Sideco (deceased) must be mentioned for 

being the first female FAMAS president 

whose contributions are not visible but her 

influence over those who worked with her 

are still felt Norma Casaclang-Villarosa 

(deceased) was known to be the first one 

to put aside some funds for the purpose of 

acquiring a community center; Dr. Bart 

Javier, together with Marlene Birao- 

Schacter were the signatories to the deed 

of sale of the FAMAS building. There may 

have been accomplishments of some 

presidents but have not been included 

above but it is hoped that their place in 

FAMAS history is an acknowledgement of 

their volunteerism to the community. 

But the saying that “You can`t 

please everybody” still holds true. After the 

election in 2011, Osdon and COMELEC 

chairman Budz Sarmiento were accused 

of conniving with each other to beat Cesar 

Manuel, presidential candidate for 


Samahang Makabayan. 

“The accusation is untrue," said 

Sarmiento. "The candidates of the SM 

were given the Rules and Regulations to 

read. If they have any objection then, they 

should have discussed it with the 

COMELEC. Instead, they signed the 

Certificatres of Candidacy. After the 

election, they were also given a chance to 

appeal. But they ignored it. What I find 

inappropriate are the things they did: 

protesting in front of the center for a few 

days, freezing FAMAS accouint, illegally 

inducting their officers, etc. " 

FAMAS had and still has its ups 

and down. As noted below, even during 

the beginning, there had been a short-lived 

feud between the east side and the west 

side, resulting in two associations, one 

called Philippine Association of Montreal 

(PAM), and the other, the Filipino Aociation 

of the Province of Quebec (FAPQ). It 

cannot be denied that bickering and 

differences among differeent factions have 

been a constant threat to the solidarity 

among Filipinos. Nevertheless, they are 

always there fior each other in time of 

need.. It is like a big family. After all, other 

cultural associations have had their own 

problems, too. 

List of FAMAS presidents: 

1963-1964 - Vicente Sison; 1964-1965 - Dr. 

B. Oteysa finished the term of Emil 

Assistores; 1965-1966 - Dr. Ben de 

Guzman; 1966-1967 - R. Mendoza finished 

the term started by Carlos Borromeo; 

1967-1968; Dr. Diego Rosales gave up in 

favor of John Alvarado. In 1967, a crisis 

occured that led to the formation of two 

asociations. John Alvarado continued his 

job as president of Philippine Association 

of Montreal (PAM) while Orlan Racacho 

became president of a new association 

called Filipino Association of the Provnce 

of Quebec. In 1968-1969; George Poblete 

became president of PAM and Dr. Deo 

Esguerra was at the helm of FAPQ. In 

1969, according to Jake Maguigad's 

article, FAMAS made the maiden 

appearance with Dr. Nap Magadia and 

later, T. Patrio as president while the name 

of Andy Palomar was recorded by Bert 

Abiera as the president during the period 

of 1969-1970. Abiera also provided the 

names of other past presidents, namely: 

1970-1971 Simeon Orejudos; 1971-1972 

Alvin Veloso; 1972-1973 Roberto Bernas ; 

1973-1974 Carmelita Sideco; 1974-1975 

Orlan Racacho; 1975-1976 Dominador 

Rosales; 1976-1977 Dr. Bartolome Javier; 

1977-1978 Henry Casuga; 1978-1979 

Norma Villarosa; 1979-1980 Dr. Edilberto 

Pelausa; 1980-1981 Liwanag Sanga; 1981- 

1982 - Angelita Ogerio; 1982-1983 

Salvador Cagugao; 1983-1984 Nemia 

Saldua; 1984-1985 Dr. Genoveva 

Santander; 1985-1986 Julita Parado; 1986- 

1987 Alberto Abiera; 1987-1988 Aurora 

Osdon; 1988-1989 Marlene Birao- 

Schacter; 1989-1990 Mario Umali; 1990- 

1991 Erlinda Baltazar; 1991-1992 Limeo 

Collao; 1992-1993 Dick Dahiroc; 1993- 

1994 Malrlene Birao-Schacter; 1994-1995 

Emma Resurreccion; 1995-1997 James de 

la Paz (two consecutive terms) ; 1997-1998 

Ricardo Cosico; 1998-1999 Jose 

Bustamante. 

The change in the terms of 

presidents began in 1999-2001 with Carlos 

P. Reyes 2001-2003 Venancio Parial 2003- 

2005; Santiago Tino; 2005-2007 Alberto 

Floresca; 2007-2008; 2008 - Claro 

Bermjudez who had to leave for a job 

opporuntiy in South Africa and appointed 

Flor Rillo to replace him for the remainder 

of his term until August 2009; Aurora 

Osdon 2009-2013 (two consecutive terms) 

Learn French the fast and easy way. Enroll 

at Gilmore College International. 

Call 514-485-7861


15 

Philippine Cuisine 

and 

Favorite Food 

Pork loin 

Approximately 

15 lbs 

2 .89 lb 

Half or Whole 

pork 

Cut & Wrapped 

1. 

Beef 

Blade steak 

3 .99 lb 

Boneless Pork 

shoulder - $2.89 lb 

Fresh Pork Leg 

1 .99 lb 

Beef 

short ribs 

3 .99 lb 

Ground Beef 

3 .79 lb 4 .49 lb 

Frozen pork blood 

Fresh liver 

Pork skin 

Goat 

Available 

on order 

Compiled by Zenaida Ferry Kharroubi 

Pork Belly Roast 

Balamban liempo style 

Balamban Liempo as the name 

originated in Balamban one of the 

towns located along the western coast 

of Cebu. Several entrepreneurs have 

brought the Balamban Liempo outside 

of Balamban and has become one of 

the must eat food when you are in 

Cebu City. 

Balamban Liempo - Chopped 

The pork belly has to be roasted in 2 

procedures. During the first half of 

89 

lb 

Fresh Pork Belly 

with skin 

Mon. Tue. Wed. 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. 

Thu. Fri. 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. 

Saturday 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. 

Sunday Closed 

Havelock 

203 

Over 20 lbs 4.09 lb 

St.Chrysostome St. Edouard 

St. Remi 

Sherrington 

Barrington 

Hemmingford 

Jackso 

n Road 

Malone 

roasting the pork belly is roasted while 

it is in the roasting pan I used glass. 

This will allow the juices together with 

the aromatics cook the meat, 

remember you have to use top and 

bottom grill of the oven. Halfway the 

pork belly is removed from the pan 

and let grill on the middle of the oven. 

You can also use you’re turbo broiler 

if you have one, again just be mindful 

of your temperatures and timings. If 

you have an oven with rotisserie then 

we would not have to do the above 

complicated roasting method. 

Balamban Liempo - Ingrdients 

BUSINESS HOURS 

219 

Covey Hill Road 

Boucherie Viau Inc. 

Picnic Ham w/bone 

1 .79 lb 

7 .99 Home smoked 

meat 

lb 

Regular smoked 

bacon 

4 .99 lb 

83 Covey Hill, Hemmingford QC J0L 1H0 

Tel.: (450) 247- 2130 or (450) 247- 3561 

219 

Moders 

Canada 

U. S. A. 

Bone-in shoulder chops 

2.19 lb 

Ground Pork 

Special 2.29/lb 

202 

Parc 

Safari 

Class 

Champlain 

Napierville 

Lacolle 

Sortie 

Exit No.6 

15 

1/2 kilo pork belly 

garlic powder 

salt and pepper 

For the filling 

1 small bundle large spring onions, 

chopped 

1 stalk lemon grass, chopped 

1 small bundle chives, chopped 

3-4 cloves garlic, chopped 

black pepper powder 

chili flakes 

salt 

For the baste 

3 tablespoon oil 

1 tablespoon soy sauce. 

Balamban Liempo - 

Cooking procedure: 

Make an incision in the middle of the 

pork belly to form a pocket for the 

fillings. Rub the pork belly with garlic 

powder, salt and pepper, let stand in 

the refrigerator and marinate for a least 

1 hour or more. Mix and blend all the 

filling ingredients, and put it inside the 

belly pocket, keep aside. Preheat oven 

to 300°F to 350°F using the top and 

bottom heating element. In a roasting 

pan with the same size with the pork 

belly place the pork belly with the skin 

on top. Drizzle the pork belly skin with 

soy sauce and rub to evenly coat. 

Balamban Liempo - Grill 

Place the roasting pan in the preheated 

oven and roast for 1 to 1 

1/2hours. Occasionally brush the skin 

with the oil and soy sauce baste 

mixture. Adjust, lower the temperature 

if the skin is drying or cooking too fast. 

Now remove the pork belly from the 

baking pan and place in the middle of 

the oven in a rack, continue to roast for 

another 20 to 30 minutes. Increase the 

oven temperature to 400°F to 450°F 

during the last 10 to 15 minutes of 

cooking or until reddish in color and the 

skin should be crisp at this stage. 

Remove from oven and cover the 

roasting pan with aluminium foil and let 

rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Cut into 

serving pieces and serve with your 

choice pinakurat vinegar dipping 

sauce. 

Pinakbet (Vegetable 

Stew) 

Pinakbet is a very typical and 

popular dish among Filipinos in the 

Ilocos provinces but also adopted by 

other groups in Luzon, except that 

there is a slight difference in the 

ingredients. 


ngredients 

1/4 kilo pork with fat (cut into very small 

pieces) 

3 tablespoons oil 

1 1/2 cup water 

I 2 medium size Ampalaya (cut into 8 

pieces each) 

2 medium size eggplants (cut into 8 

pieces each) 

1 small size kalabasa 

about6-10 pieces okra (halved) 

6 pieces tomatoes (quartered) 

1 small garlic head (minced) 

2 small onions (diced) 

1 small ginger (sliced) 

4 tablespoons bagoong isda 

Pinch of pepper 

Procedure 

In a pan, fry pork until lightly crispy, set 

aside. 

Saute garlic, onion, tomatoes, and ginger 

in the pork fat and mix in pork. 

In a pot, boil water with bagoong. 

Add in the pork and spices. 

Add all the vegetables and cook. 

Serve hot. 

Tilapia with black 

bean sauce 

Tilapia with Salted Black Beans 

Ingredients 

1 large tilapia, sliced crosswise 

(steak cut) 

1/4 cup canned tausi (salted black 

beans) – discard the water 

1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley 

1 medium yellow onion, diced 

2 teaspoon minced garlic 

1 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce 

1 tablespoon soy sauce 

1 teaspoon cornstarch diluted in 1/2 

cup water 

cooking oil 

Salt and pepper to taste 

Cooking Procedure 

Rub salt and pepper all over the 

sliced tilapia. Let it stand for 10 minutes. 

Heat 1 cup of cooking oil in a frying 

pan. 

Pan-fry the sliced tilapia in medium 

heat for about 5 minutes per side or until 

the color turns medium brown. Remove 

the fried tilapia and place in a plate lined 

with paper towel. 

In a clean cooking pan, heat about 2 

tablespoons of cooking oil. 

Saute the garlic and onion. 

When the onion softens,add the 

parsley and salted black beans. 

Put the fried tilapia in the pan. Add 

the soy sauce, oyster sauce, and 

cornstarch diluted in water. Stir gently and 

let boil. Cover and simmer for 10 to 15 

minutes. 

Add pepper to taste. Note: you can 

add more water to make it taste less salty. 

Transfer to a serving bowl. 

Serve. share and enjoy! 

Reminder 

FAMAS 

50th Anniversary Gala 

Saturday, June 15, 2013 

Call 514-341-7477

16 

FILIPINO STAR 

S H O W B I Z G O S S I P 

‘Annaliza’ wants to direct 

someday 

Rising teleserye princess Andrea Brillantes suddenly burst into tears while walking 

on center stage when her first teleserye starrer Annaliza was introduced to 

advertisers at the recently held ABS-CBN trade event at the NBC Tent in Taguig. The 

ten-year old young actress wasn’t able to contain her emotions any longer when 

she realized that she is actually living her long-time dream of playing lead in a TV 

series. 

She may be just 10 years old, and 

her show-biz career just starting to 

take off, but child star Andrea 

Brillantes can already see herself 

working behind the camera, when 

being in front of it has lost its appeal. 

“I enjoy taking photos and my 

mom tells me they look nice!” she 

said. “I want to become a director, a 

writer or a photographer when I grow 

older. I want to be behind the scenes,” 

Brillantes told a small group of 

reporters at a recent media gathering 

for ABS-CBN’s remake of the popular 

1980s television drama “Annaliza,” 

where she plays the title role. 

The late Julie Vega was the 

original Annaliza. 

For her dream first photo shoot, 

Brillantes said she wanted her subject 

to be her idol Kim Chiu. Her directorial 

debut, on the other hand, will most 

likely have “Annaliza” costar Zanjoe 

Marudo (who plays her father, Guido) 

as lead actor, she added. 

Prior to this big break, Brillantes 

often played the role of a teleserye’s 

star as a child. She was the young 

Andi Eigenmann in “Kahit Puso’y 

Masugatan,” Jessy Mendiola in 

“Precious Heart Romances: Paraiso” 

and Kim Chiu in “Ina, Kapatid, Anak.” 

“I’m very thankful and happy that 

I was chosen to play Annaliza 

because it’s my dream to star in my 

own show,” she said. Brillantes said 

she googled Vega on the Internet to 

know more about her, learning about 

her birthday and death. 

Looking sweet and adorable in a 

pink dress, Brillantes was refreshingly 

self-assured when asked if she 

believed she could carry a television 

show on her own. 

But the precocious youngster 

clammed up when the subject of 

competition with other ABS-CBN child 

stars, such as Xyriel Manabat, was 

brought up. “I don’t know,” she 

murmured. “Mas matanda po ako?” 

she offered, drawing laughter from 

the crowd. 

Currently a Grade 4 student in 

Ambassador School for Children, 

Brillantes said she might resort to 

home-schooling next academic year 

because of her increasingly heavy 

schedule. 

Do her schoolmates and friends 

know that she’s an actor? “Yes, 

they’re happy and proud of me. 

Sometimes they approach me for 

photo ops,” she said. 

Brillantes, who joined the kiddie 

gag show “Goin’ Bulilits” in 2010, 

proudly announced she was able to 

buy herself a cell phone and an iPad 

from her earnings. “Someday I want 

to have a nice bedroom!” she said. 

Business unit head Ruel Bayani 

said their version of “Annaliza” would 

be generally faithful to the original 

series. “But, to make it relevant today, 

we incorporated different social 

issues we encounter now,” Bayani 

said. 

Directed by Theodore Boborol 

and Cathy Camarillo, “Annaliza” starts 

airing Monday before “TV Patrol.” a 



After his sold-out birthday 

concert at the Smart-Araneta 

Coliseum, Kapamilya teen 

sensation Daniel Padilla continues 

to sweep off the feet of his fans with 

his sophomore album under Star 

Records titled “DJP.” 

Daniel Padilla Releases 

Sophomore Album 'DJP' 


Daniel Padilla Releases 

Sophomore Album 'DJP' 

Daniel Padilla had his fans shrieking on 

"ASAP" Sunday as he channeled his 

inner "Mr. Suave" while performing the 

Parokya ni Edgar hit, along with three 

other Padillas, RJ, Matthew and JC. 

Following the success of his 

double platinum self-titled album, 

“DJP” features 10 tracks including 

Daniel’s carrier single “Kamusta 

Ka,” “Kung San Ka Masaya,” 

“Sabay Natin,” “Panalangin,” 

“Binibini,” “Naaalala,” “Kisapmata,” 

“Ipagpatawad Mo,” “Sisikat Din 

Ako,” and the acoustic version of 

Himig Handog P-Pop Love Song 

finalist “Nasa Iyo Na Ang Lahat.” 

The album also carries the 

bonus track “Diskarte.” Daniel’s 

“DJP” album is already available on 

all record bars nationwide for only 

P250. The digital tracks of the 

album can also be downloaded via 

www.mymusicstore.com.ph and 

iTunes. 

For more information visit Star 

Records’ Facebook fanpage at 

www.facebook.com/starrecordsphil 

or follow @starrecordsph on 

Twitter. a


17 

Court says Willie Revillame 

'insensitive,' upholds show 

suspension 

Willie Revillame 

The Court of Appeals (CA) ruled 

in favor of the Movie and Television 

Review and Classification Board 

(MTRCB) that suspended TV5's 

noontime game show Willing Willie in 

2011 over an "obscene" segment. 

Associated Justice Manuel 

Barrios of the appellate court's 2nd 

Division said in an 11-page decision 

issued late Thursday that the 

contested episode that showed a 

young boy dancing in a raunchy 

manner while crying was enough 

material for MTRCB to suspend the 

popular show for one month. 

"A review of the recording of that 

segment shows a 6-year old boy 

gyrating like a macho dancer while 

being cajoled and goaded by the 

show's host and the audience ... is 

commonly perceived as transpiring 

only in night clubs and other 

shadowy establishments," the 

decision stated. 

The court also called the show 

host Willie Revillame "insensitive" in 

encouraging the boy to continue with 

the performance in exchange for a 

monetary reward. 

"While money has great utility 

and is beneficial in these times of 

want, it must never be used as 

justification to sacrifice good morals, 

decency, self respect and the 

psychological well-being of its 

citizens especially the young," it 

added. 

MTRCB Chairman Eugenio 

Villareal welcomed the court's 

decision on Thursday night, saying 

he hopes the ruling "be instructive" to 

the television industry. 

Entertainment ( Article MRec ), 

pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 

"May this ... allow the television 

industry, especially those more 

directly concerned, to move on and 

help build an entertainment culture 

that is truly audience-sensitive and 

particularly looking out for the 

welfare of our young," Villareal said in 

a statement. 

MTRCB earlier said in the original 

suspension ruling that the show 

"violated a law against immoral and 

indecent broadcasts that run counter 

to Filipino values."invoking her 

brother's being in power when she 

made a veiled threat. "Wala na siyang 

ibang masabi. Sabi niya, 'Baka 

nakalimutan mo may three years pa 

ang brother ko,'" Yap said. a 

TV5 statement on 

Mr. Willie Revillame’s 

resignation 

So it has finally been confirmed, 

the rumor that Willie Revillame is 

resigning from TV5, and that his show 

“Wowowillie” will end when his contract 

with the network expires on Oct. 15. 

The persistent hearsay was that 

Willie is resigning because he was 

asking for a P90 million talent fee per 

month, which the Kapatid network 

rejected, according to a source. 

Willie’s camp denied the rumor, 

saying at first that while it’s true his 

contract with TV5 is expiring in October, 

there was no negotiation going on yet 

about the possible renewal of such 

contract, much less about any amount 

for the host’s monthly talent fee. 

Willie has his options on whether to 

continue with the show or take his 

much-needed vacation. He has favored 

the latter. 

To this, TV5 has issued this short 

statement: 

“We respect the decision of Mr. 

Willie Revillame to retire upon the 

expiry of his contract with TV5. We wish 

him well in his new pursuits.” a 

We process meat using Halal method 

Our slaughterhouse is very clean and our prices are reasonable 

Reserve your mutton from Aid Al Adha • Sariwa, malinis 


Julian and Julia: From 

reel to real? 

Julia Barretto, the winsome 16year 

old daughter of Marjorie Barretto 

who is fast making a name for herself 

in the show business industry as “The 

Most Beautiful Barretto,” continues to 

capture hearts, including that of teen 

star Julian Estrada - her co-star in a 

recent special episode of ABS-CBN’s 

award-winning fantasy-drama 

anthology “Wansapanataym.” 

Estrada, who, like Barretto, is a 

scion of an established showbiz family 

that includes actor turned president 

Joseph “Erap” Estrada, has now 

admitted to wooing his fellow Star 

Magic 2013 member in a recent 

interview on “Kris TV” – a far cry from 

an earlier statement. 

“Hindi naman po ligaw. (But) 

things are doing pretty well (between 

the two of us), ” he was quoted as 

saying prior. 

Ironically, the 15-year-old spilled 

the truth about courting the young 

Julian Estrada and Julia Barretto 

actress when he was being grilled by 

his own father, actor turned senator 

Jinggoy Estrada, during their guest 

appearance on “Kris TV,” Monday. 

“Nililigawan mo ba?” The senator 

asked his son, who went on to blurt a 

curt, “Yeah.” 

When asked if he thinks he is on 

his way to winning Julia over, the 

young Estrada meekly retorted, 

“Sana.” 

The older Estrada went on to 

dispense seeming sage advice, telling 

his son to give the star of the 

upcoming series “Cofradia” gifts like 

flowers, fruits and chocolates. 

He went on to praise Julia as with 

the rest of the Barrettos for their 

beauty. 

“Maganda talaga ’yung mga 

Barretto sisters,” said he, referring to 

the controversial siblings Gretchen, 

Claudine and Marjorie, Julia’s mother.

18 

Showbiz Gossip Continued from p.17 

Maja Salvador reacts to Gerald 

Anderson’s confession 

Maja Salvador said she is at a loss 

for words when met with greetings on 

her relationship with Gerald Anderson, 

which the actor recently confirmed. 

At the sidelines of the filming of her 

upcoming big-screen project with Sen. 

Jinggoy Estrada on Wednesday, the 

24-year-old actress was asked for her 

reaction to her boyfriend going public 

with their relationship. 

"Marami ang nagsasabi na ang 

ganda ko raw, ang suwerte ko raw. 'Di 

ko alam paano sasagutin 'yun, e," 

Salvador was quoted as saying by 

entertainment news site Philippine 

Entertainment Portal. 

"Siguro sobrang blessed ko lang 

na ganun ako ka-importante sa buhay 

niya talaga," she said, referring to 

Anderson. 

The 24-year-old actor admitted the 

Gerald Anderson and Maja Salvador 

real score between him and Salvador 

in the June 2013 issue of entertainment 

magazine StarStudio. 

Last Sunday, Anderson said the 

decision to admit his romantic ties with 

Salvador was "for everybody's peace of 

mind," citing the endless speculations 

about their relationship. 

Anderson and Salvador's 

relationship, however, came at the cost 

of the actress' friendship with her "Ina, 

Kapatid, Anak" co-star and erstwhile 

best friend Kim Chiu. 

Chiu is the former girlfriend of 

Anderson. The two broke up in 2010. 

In an earlier interview, an emotional 

Chiu said she has already forgiven 

Anderson and Salvador, but added "it 

is difficult to forget what they did to 

you." a 

Ai Ai files raps vs husband Jed 

Salang 

Ai Ai delas Alas with her husband Jed 

Salang (file photo) 

Comedienne Ai Ai delas Alas has 

filed a formal complaint against her 

husband of 29 days, businessman 

Jed Salang. 

According to a report of 

entertainment website Pep.ph 

published on Wednesday, delas Alas 

charged Salang of violating the 

Republic Act 9262 or the act defining 

violence against women and children 

before the Quezon City Regional Trial 

Court on Friday. 

This is in addition to the 

protection order she sought against 

her husband so he could no longer 

come near her by 100 to 500 meters. 

Citing a source allegedly close to 

the comedienne, Pep.ph said delas 

Alas detailed in her petition how 

Salang physically abused her last 

May 2. 

The source added delas Alas also 

consulted with a psychologist, who 

told her that she is in a “state of 

depression” and is suffering from an 

“acute post-traumatic-stress 

disorder.” 

Two weeks ago, delas Alas broke 

down on "The Buzz" as she confirmed 

her breakup from Salang. 

In an interview with "The Buzz" 

host Boy Abunda, delas Alas 

admitted that she was physically 


abused by Salang, which led to her 

decision to leave him last May 2. 

She also tearfully said she 

believes Salang never loved her. 

Delas Alas and Salang were 

married in Las Vegas last April 3. 

It takes two to do the show biz 

breakup cha-cha 

Did Jed Salang really do all those 

awful, awful things and… isn’t he 

going to defend himself? Just you 

wait. 

In the aftermath of Ai-Ai de las 

Alas’ spectacular meltdown on “The 

Buzz” last Sunday over a turbulent 

separation from her husband of less 

than a month, movie reporters have 

been hunting down Salang, a 

businessman. 

Did he really beat up the 48-yearold 

actress routinely? Is he a 

gambling addict, as they say? Is it 

The lady of laughs, Ai Ai delas 

Alas, feels so much better now, days 

after her personal conflict with shortlived 

husband Jed Salang came to a 

head. 

Ai Ai said she never realized how 

much love she enjoys from everyone – 

her family, her friends in and out of the 

business, her fans and even those who 

are just looking – until this thing 

happened to her. 

“I’m overwhelmed by the love and 

support of everybody. I am very 

thankful. Sobrang pasasalamat ko 

talaga sa Diyos at sa lahat-lahat ng 

mga mababait na mga anak ko, mga 

kaibigan ko at mga taong nagmamahal 

sa akin kahit hindi naman nila ako 

masyadong nakakasama o nakikita. 


true that he received a monthly 

allowance of P40,000 from De las 

Alas? Did he use her money to buy 

expensive gifts for another person? 

Awful, awful talk! (Meanwhile, has he 

returned the “dream car” that she 

gave him for their first “monthsary”?) 

Several show biz scribes have 

gone to Salang’s workplace in 

Alabang, others to his reported 

current address. A few claim to have 

talked to Salang, but say he declined 

to comment on the whole sordid 

affair. 

When De las Alas claimed on 

nationwide TV that she had broken up 

with Salang on May 2 after repeated 

incidents of physical abuse, her fans 

went up in arms, as if on cue. They 

wasted no time in flooding Salang’s 

Instagram account with vitriol, 

prompting him to close it on 

Monday—his only link to social 

networking. a 

Ai Ai Delas Alas is much better 

now 

Wala na akong mahihiling pa. 

Napakasuwerte ko pa rin,” she said. 

Ai Ai told us everything is clear with her 

now. “Hindi ko akalain na mangyayari 

sa buhay ko ang gano’n na 

napapanood ko lang sa TV. Pero at 

least okay na ako. Nakalaya na rin ako 

bago pa mangyari sa akin ang mga 

bagay na ikakahiya ko pa balang 

araw,” she said. 

Ai Ai likened her life to a plot of an 

ABS-CBN soap opera. She said, 

“’yung tipong isang medyo 

nakakabatang lalaki na pumatol sa 

isang medyo may edad na babae na 

may pera. Pero meron talaga siyang 

pamilya, at sinabihan niya na sandali 

lang ito at kailangan lang niya gawin 

para na din sa kanyang mag-ina. 

Ganun ang eksaktong nangyari sa 

akin.” 

And what didn’t kill her made her 

stronger. Ai Ai said, “Now I really thank 

God for waking me up just in time. 

Masakit pero ganun talaga. 

Naghangad kasi ako na mahalin ng 

isang lalaki, mapakasalan. Siguro hindi 

talaga ’yun ang buhay na para sa akin. 

Marami namang masyadong blessing 

na ibinibigay si God. Ang mga anak ko, 

sobrang mahal ako. Nahihiya nga ako 

sa kanila, at nagpapasalamat na 

naiintindihan nila ang Mommy nila. Sila 

ang tunay kong kayamanan.” a


19 

Lovi, proud sister to Sen. Grace Poe 

Words cannot express how 

delighted Lovi Poe is about her sister 

Grace Poe-Llamanzares ranking No. 1 

in the May 13 senatorial race. She 

finds it hard to believe that she now 

has a big sister who is a senator and is 

just a phone call away. 

Lovi, during her contract signing 

with GMA-7 last May 17, shared that 

she has gotten to know her elder sister 

well during the campaign season. 

“I’m so proud of her. When we had 

lunch, I met her son, daughter and her 

husband. They are all wonderful 

people talaga. Lahat sila mababait. Si 

Ate Grace, she’s very humble, she’s 

very smart. Talagang I look up to her. 

Kung baga, isa siyang magandang 

halimbawa,” she shared. 

She added that if she is proud, she 

could just imagine how prouder their 

father, the late Fernando Poe, Jr., King 

of Philippine Cinema, would have 

been. 

“I’m sure si Papa, kung anong 

nararamdaman ko kay Ate Grace, mas 

grabe pa siya and I’m sure 

ipagpapatuloy niya ang gusto ni 

Papa… I just really feel so proud 

especially with what happened na 

nag-number one siya. Siya na mismo 

nagsabi that she didn’t expect that.” 

Lovi expressed that she will be a 

supportive sister and intimated that 

Sen. Grace would be having lunch 

with her to discuss her plans in 

politics. She said that she would help 

in her own capacity as an actress but 

won’t be “visible politically.” 

“I don’t want to venture into 

For the first time, Heart 

Evangelista revealed the real reason 

why she and Jericho Rosales, whom 

she considers her “greatest love,” 

broke up in 2008. 

In an sit-down interview with Yes 

magazine for its May 2013 issue, 

Evangelista said her parents made 

her believe that Rosales cheated on 

her with Malaysian actress Carmen 

Soo. 

At that time, Evangelista just 

reconciled with her parents after not 

talking to them for three years 

because she fought for her 

relationship with Rosales. 

Evangelista said her parents did 

not approve of the Kapamilya actor 

because he already had a child from 

a previous relationship. 

“I didn’t see them for three years 

at that time and I missed them so 

much. And I was also going though a 

lot, I was struggling with life. I was 

confused. Although I was happy, it 

was hard to be happy in one area 

and everything else seems like it’s 

falling apart. But the moment I got 

back with them, naging okay kami,” 

she said. 

Rosales was then in Malaysia 

with Soo for the ABS-CBN series 

“Kahit Isang Saglit,” while 

Evangelista was in Dubai for her own 

show in GMA-7. 

politics kasi it’s not my turf talaga. 

Let’s leave it to the experts, sabi nga 

nila,” quipped Lovi. 

These days, Lovi is more focused 

on giving her all in the projects that the 

Kapuso network entrusts her. She 

believes she has the talent and wants 

to prove that she is worthy of her 

three-year contract. Her love life, too, 

could take a backseat to her new state 

of mind, which is work. 

“I’m not dating now. I just want to 

“When they said that he was 

cheating on me with Carmen Soo, I 

really did think that he was. I really 

thought that he cheated on me. I 

really did. And that was because they 

told me that he was and I was 

convinced,” she said. 

Evangelista shared there was 

even a time when Rosales went to 

see her in her condominium unit so 

he could explain himself but they 

never saw each other. 

“My mom didn’t tell me that he 

was waiting for me downstairs in my 

condo for five hours. She didn’t say 

Lovi Poe (Left) and Sen. Grace Poe-Llamanzares 


focus talaga on work. Ito ’yung 

promise ko sa sarili ko na mas 

focused ako now. I’m already 24 years 

old at ibang Lovi na ito. Mas mature na 

kasi medyo before I want to enjoy 

while working of course, but now mas 

focused na.” 

It’s been almost two months since 

Lovi took a break from the Kapuso 

network. Now she is excited to go 

back to work and see her colleagues, 

whom she misses a lot. She also looks 

anything so I didn’t hear from him,” 

she said. 

The 27-year-old actress said she 

just learned in due course that 

Rosales did not really cheat on her. 

“Of course they are your 

parents—when they tell you 

something over and over, you start to 

have fears. You start to doubt certain 

situations. And that’s what happened 

to me before,” she said. 

Through time, Evangelista 

understood that her mom was just 

scared to lose her. 

“She was trying to let me go. She 

forward to the teleseryes she would 

get and the leading men she’d be 

working with. As an actress, she is 

raring to do more challenging roles in 

the near future! 

By the way, Lovi is in the 

upcoming movie of Joel Lamangan 

entitled “Lihis,” with Jake Cuenca and 

Joem Bascon, among others. a 

Why Heart and Jericho really broke up / Jericho has found ‘The One’ 

Early photo of Heart & Jericho 

was really trying her best to not get 

herself involved with my past 

relationships. It was always like that. 

She would try. But in the end, 

everything that she kept inside would 

just blow up, and it would just affect 

me so much and also the 

relationship that I was in,” she said. 

Not meant to be. Former lovers Heart 

and Jericho Rosales.. 

Evangelista recently made 

headlines anew after she found 

herself in another collision course 

with her parents who lambasted her 

current boyfriend, Senator Francis 

"Chiz" Escudero. 

Both Evangelista and Escudero, 

however, have stood firm that they 

are not breaking up amid all the 

issues surrounding their relationship.

20 

David vs. Two Goliaths 

It’s tough fighting the world’s 

second biggest economic power and 

most populous country. But when 

another economic heavyweight joins 

the fight against you, they could 

trounce you very badly. And to make 

the situation worse, the two adversaries 

are the giant People’s Republic of 

China (PRC) and the Lilliputian but 

economically rich Republic of China 

(ROC), which is more commonly known 

as Taiwan. With the Philippines up 

against the two Chinas, her options are 

limited. 

Over the past several years, China 

increased her defense budget to 

double-digit increments. In the case of 

Taiwan, the United States provided her 

with firepower to defend herself from 

China whose ultimate goal is to take 

over Taiwan and complete the 

unification of the two Chinas under one 

government. 

But the U.S. has nothing to do with that. 

Although the U.S. recognizes the PRC 

under a “One China Policy,” she made 

it known that Taiwan would be 

defended should China decide to 

invade Taiwan. 

The Philippines followed suit and 

adopted a “One China Policy” too; thus, 

severing her diplomatic relationship 

with Taiwan. However, the influential 

community of Chinese expatriates and 

refugees in the Philippines identify 

themselves with Chiang Kai-shek and 

his Kuomintang Party who fled to 

Taiwan in 1949 after they were defeated 

by Mao Zedong and his Communist 

Party in a bloody Civil War. 

To continue their “friendship,” the 

Philippines and Taiwan established two 

offices to serve as conduit between the 

two governments. The Philippine 

government opened the Manila 

Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) 

in Taipei; and Taiwan opened the Taipei 

Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in 

Manila. Indeed, the relationship 

between the Philippines and Taiwan 

couldn’t have been better… until last 

May 9 when an incident in disputed 

waters ended in the death of a 

Taiwanese fisherman. 

Fishing boat incident 

Relatives of fisherman killed by the 

Philippine Coast Guard 

According to Philippine Coast Guard 

(PCG) account, two Taiwanese fishing 

Anti-Filipino rally in Taiwan 

boats were sighted in the Balintang 

channel just north of Luzon, which is 

Philippine territory and not claimed by 

Taiwan or any other country. In what 

appeared to be illegal fishing, the PCG 

vessel approached the fishing boats 

but one of them tried to ram the PCG 

vessel. The PCG fired at the charging 

fishing boat to disable it. The fishing 

boat was disabled; however, 

unbeknown to the PCG crew, a 65-year 

old Taiwanese fisherman was hit. Then, 

a “big white ship” came to view and the 

PCG vessel took off. (Source: The Daily 

Tribune) 

The incident created a crescendo of 

events leading to violence against 

Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in 

Taiwan. MECO Chairman Amadeo 

Perez reported that an OFW was 

attacked with a baseball bat by an 

angry mob in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. 

Other attacks on OFWs were reported. 

“The situation in Taiwan now is very 

tense,” said Perez. 

In an attempt to placate Taiwan, 

President Benigno Aquino III 

apologized for the death of the 

“Emperor” Xi Jinping (Credit: The Economist) 

Taiwanese fisherman but the Taiwanese 

government uncharacteristically 

rejected it as “insincere.” 

And to make matters worse, the 

Taiwanese government banned the 

entry of OFWs. The Philippine 

government is preparing evacuation 

plans should the need to bring the 

OFWs home arises. The Taiwanese 

government also issued an advisory to 

her citizens not to visit the Philippines. 

Enter the bully 

"Emperor" Xi Jinping (Credit: The 

Economist) 

Meanwhile, a Chinese foreign ministry 

spokesman said, “We strongly 


condemn the barbaric shooting and 

killing of the Taiwanese fisherman, 

demanding that the Philippines should 

investigate the case and furnish the 

details as soon as possible. We are 

deeply grieved about the death of the 

Taiwanese compatriot and have sent 

condolences to his family.” With China 

openly siding with Taiwan, it makes one 

wonder if China was taking advantage 

of the incident to drive a wedge 

between the two allies of the United 

States. Indeed, China has been trying 

very hard to neutralize the United 

States’ military presence in the Western 

Pacific, particularly in the South and 

East China Seas. 

In August 2012, China tricked the 

Philippines into ending the standoff at 

the Scarborough Shoal (Panatag 

Shoal) by agreeing to a withdrawal of 

the two countries’ naval vessels from 

the area. As soon as the Philippines 

withdrew her Coast Guard vessels, 

China cordoned off the only opening to 

the shoal while several Chinese ships 

stayed. Since then, China has de facto 

possession of the shoal, which is about 

124 miles from Luzon and within the 

Philippines’ 200-mile Exclusive 

Economic Zone (EEZ). 

Ryukyu archipelago 

Ryukyu Islands 

Recently, two events happened that put 

Chinese expansionism into the 

geopolitical equation. First, it 

questioned Japan’s ownership of the 

Ryukyu archipelago, which includes 

Okinawa where the U.S. maintains 18 

army, navy, air force, and marine bases. 

China claims that the Ryukyus were 

once a Chinese vassal state during the 

Ming and Qing dynasties; therefore, the 

island chain should be returned to 

China. 

With this new “territorial dispute,” 

Japan’s ongoing dispute with China 

over ownership of the Senkaku Islands 

takes different dimension. Some 

experts are saying that China is using 

the Ryukyu issue as a bargaining chip 

to her claim over the Senkakus, a group 

of five uninhabited islands and islets 

wedged between Okinawa and Taiwan. 

When Japan and Taiwan recently 

signed a joint fishing agreement around 

the Senkakus, China became furious. 

And right after that, the ownership of the 

Ryukyus came into play. 

Ayungin Shoal 

Relatives of killed Taiwanese fisherman 


China also opened another potential 

area of dispute – right inside Philippine 

territory. A few days ago, several 

Chinese ships were sighted near the 

Ayungin Shoal in the Kalayaan town in 

the province of Palawan. 

Last May 10, a Department of Foreign 

Affairs (DFA) spokesperson said that 

Ayungin Shoal is within the Philippines’ 

EEZ. He said that the entry of foreign 

fishing vessels in an EEZ is a violation 

of the United Nations Convention of the 

Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). China and 

the Philippines are signatories to 

UNCLOS. DFA filed a protest letter with 

the Chinese Embassy in Manila on the 

provocative presence of two Chinese 

maritime surveillance shipsand one 

warship around Ayungin Shoal. 

(Source: The Philippine Star) 

Taiping Island 

Ryukyu Islands 

Taiwan also has a piece of the action 

among six nations involved in territorial 

disputes in the Spratly archipelago. 

Recently, Taiwan announced plans to 

expand a pier in Taiping Island, the 

largest island in the Spratlys. By 

expanding the pier in the fortified island, 

it would allow port calls by Taiwan’s 

2,000-ton frigates. The island has 

already a 3,800-foot runway, which 

Taiwan built in 2006. (Source: New 

Straits Times) 

During the 115th anniversary 

celebration of the Philippine Navy last 

May 21, Aquino declared, “Our 

message to the world is clear: what is 

ours is ours, and we will repel any and 

all attempts to claim what is ours, and 

defend ourselves against any form of 

aggression, especially within our 

backyard.”It seems that it’s going to be 

a battle between David vs. two Goliaths. 

(PerryDiaz@gmail.com)


21 

Embracing the 

Obscure 

By David White 

This past weekend in Sonoma County, 

California, 17 vintners gathered for a wine 

tasting they dubbed "The 7 Percent 

Solution." 

As the organizers explained, "roughly 93 

percent of Northern California vineyard 

acreage is planted to eight major grape 

varietals. The remaining 7 percent is home 

to numerous lesser-known varietals, 

[which] are finding anchor with a small but 

growing number of winemakers." 

The event enabled consumers to explore 

the wines being produced by California's 

revolutionary vintners -- those willing to 

embrace the state's vast and varied climate 

by avoiding popular grapes and bottling 

the obscure. Whether they're producing 

unusual varietals or exploring unheralded 

regions, these winemakers are worth 

celebrating. 

That certain regions of California might be 

better suited to, say, Albarino than 

Chardonnay makes sense. Across the 

globe, commercial wine is produced from a 

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"Year in year out, they get ripe. Year in 

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"Trying to convince a Maryland winery 

that has to worry about marketing to 

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Chardonnay to sell Nero d'Avola, 

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on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Just as 

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Wine production in the United States is 

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take seriously. He produces a delicious 

Verdelho, a white wine that's typically 

associated with Portugal. He produces 

the nation's only 100-percent St. 

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comfortable exploring the unknown. 

David White, a wine writer, is the founder 

and editor of Terroirist.com. His columns 

are housed at Palate Press: The Online 

Wine Magazine. 

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22 

Minister Flaherty 

Highlights Economic 

Action Plan 2013’s 

Strong Support for 

Charitable 

Organizations 

The Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister 

of Finance, today urged Canadians to 

take advantage of the Harper 

Government’s new First-Time Donor’s 

Super Credit and donate to a 

charitable organization. 

Speaking at Lutherwood, a not-forprofit 

health and social service 

organization serving the Waterloo 

Region and Wellington County, 

Minister Flaherty said, “Throughout our 

nation’s history, Canadians have 

worked together to serve others, and 

have made Canada a better place in 

the process. Our Government wants to 

see that noble tradition continue, 

which is why Economic Action Plan 

2013 builds on previous actions by our 

Government to support families and 

communities, and the quality of life for 

hard-working Canadians.” 

These initiatives include the Registered 

Disability Savings Plan, the Family 

Caregiver Tax Credit and the Enabling 

Accessibility Fund, which supports the 

capital costs of construction and 

renovations to improve physical 

accessibility for persons with 

disabilities. 

Minister Flaherty stated, “The new 

First-Time Donor’s Super Credit will 

significantly enhance the 

attractiveness of donating to a charity 

for young and new Canadians who are 

in a position to make donations for the 

first time. By helping to rejuvenate and 

expand the charitable sector’s donor 

base, this important initiative will have 

an immediate impact in supporting the 

charitable sector.” 

The credit will apply on cash donations 

of up to $1,000, claimed in any one 

taxation year from 2013 to 2017. It will 

increase the value of the existing 

Charitable Donations Tax Credit by 25 

percentage points, if neither the 

taxpayer nor their spouse has claimed 

the credit since 2007. 

Kitchener-Waterloo MP Peter Braid, a 

champion for such worthy causes, 

added, “Canadians are some of the 

most generous people in the world 

when it comes to giving time and 

money to charity, and our Government 

is committed to supporting that spirit.” 

“The Super Credit is a very positive 

step for charities wanting to engage 

new donors. We are excited by the 

possibilities and eager to continue 

working with the federal government to 

explore innovative ways to expand 

charitable giving by all Canadians,” 

said Marcel Lauzière, President and 

CEO of Imagine Canada. 

__________________________________ 

_ 

For further information, media may 

contact: 

Kathleen Perchaluk 


Office of the Minister of Finance 

613-996-7861 

Jack Aubry 


Department of Finance 

613-996-8080 

To receive e-mail notification of all 

news releases, please register at 

www.fin.gc.ca/scripts/register-eng.asp 

Treasury Board President 

Announces Major 

Initiative toward a High- 

Performing Public Service 

For immediate release 

May 28, 2013 

Ottawa – The Honourable Tony 

Clement, President of the Treasury 

Board, today announced a new 

mandatory system for tracking 

employee performance aimed at 

boosting productivity and ensuring 

Canadians receive modern, effective 

and efficient public service. 

“Hard-working Canadians look to us to 

provide high quality, affordable 

service. The Government’s new 

performance management regime will 

ensure that we are employing the 

public service to its fullest potential,” 

said Minister Clement. “Complacency 

and the status quo are not an option. 

Excellence must be the benchmark. 

Canadians deserve no less.” 

The new Directive on Performance 

Management introduces, for the first 

time, a government-wide system for 

tracking employee performance. The 

goal is three-fold: 

To recognize and reward excellent 

performance; 

Work with all employees to maximize 

performance; and 

To deal decisively with unsatisfactory 

performance. 

“Performance management is about 

ensuring good workers have an 

opportunity to become great workers 

and dealing effectively with poor 

performers,” said Minister Clement. 

“Either poor performers improve and 

become productive employees or we 

will let them go.” 

The Directive, which comes into effect 

in April 2014, includes a number of 

standardized measures for tracking 

performance. These measures 

include: establishing annual 

performance objectives for all 

employees, mid-year evaluations, 

annual written performance 

assessments and an action plan for 

improving performance with clear 

established time-lines, as well as steps 

to be taken if performance does not 

improve. These steps could include 


demotion or termination. Processes 

will ensure that employees are treated 

fairly. 

“Doing things the way they have 

always been done is no longer good 

enough if we want to build a 21st 

century public service,” said Minister 

Clement. “We owe it to Canadians and 

we owe it to the vast majority of 

committed, hard-working public 

servants to make sure everyone is 

pulling their weight.” 

For more information, please consult 

the Directive on Performance 

Management and visit the 

Performance Management website. 

— 30 — 

For more information, see the Directive 

on Performance Management 

backgrounder or contact: 

Matthew Conway 


Office of the President of the Treasury 

Board and Minister responsible for 

FedNor 

613-957-2666 


Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat 

613-957-2640 

If there is a discrepancy between any 

printed version and the electronic 

version of this news release, the 

electronic version will prevail. 

TTY (telecommunications device for 

the hearing impaired) – 613-957-9090 

Follow us on Twitter: @TBS_Canada 

Backgrounder - Directive on 

Performance Management 

The Government of Canada is 

implementing a new employee 

performance management program to 

foster excellence in service delivery to 

Canadians and improve productivity. 

This Directive will introduce for the first 

time a systemic, mandatory 

performance assessment for all core 

public sector employees. Rigorous 

performance management is a best 

practice and an essential element of a 

modern public service. 

The new Directive on Performance 

Management applies to federal 

employees in the core public 

administration See footnote 1, and will 

come into effect on April 1, 2014. 

The approach to implementing 

Performance Management is systemwide 

and will support deputy heads, 

managers and employees in achieving 

and sustaining a culture of high 

performance in the public sector. 

Highlights 

The Directive calls for consistency in 

how employee performance is 

managed and how employees’ skills 

are developed across the federal 


public service. 

APRIL 2013 

Each federal organization will establish 

an employee performance 

management program that includes 

requirements such as: 

Mandatory annual performance 

management objectives for all 

employees, including commitments, 

performance objectives and expected 

behaviours, and learning or 

development plans; 

Mid-year evaluations of each 

employee; 

Annual written employee performance 

assessments at the end of each fiscal 

year; 

An action plan to support and guide 

employees to improve performance 

within clear timelines; and 

Mandatory attestation by deputy 

heads that an employee has 

successfully completed the probation 

period. 

Requirements for performance 

agreements are already in place for 

public service executives and nonunionized 

employees. With the new 

Directive, performance agreements will 

be mandatory for all. 

To support managers and supervisors 

in adopting the new Directive, 

mandatory training will be provided. 

Each department will have a 

committee made up of senior officials 

to coach managers through the 

process. Managers will also be 

supported with additional labour 

relations advice, and a Labour and 

Employment Law Centre of Expertise 

is also being created by the Treasury 

Board Secretariat to deal specifically 

with employment law and litigation. 

The Values and Ethics Code for the 

Public Sector that came into force in 

April 2012 underpins the objectives of 

the new Directive. 

The Office of the Chief Human 

Resources Officer is responsible for 

monitoring departments’ compliance 

with the directive and conducting 

reviews to evaluate its impact. 

Know Thyself 

He who knows much about 

others may be learned, but he 

who understands himself is 

more intelligent. 

He who controls others may be 

powerful, but he who has 

mastered himself is 

mightier still. 

A journey of a thousand miles, 

must begin with a single step. 

Lao Tzu 

By viewing the old 

we learn the new. 

Chinese Proverb


23 

Notre-Dame-de-Grâce 

Cultural Centre launched 

Montréal, May 28, 2013 – At a special 

meeting held last Thursday, the Côte-des- 

Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (CDN— 

NDG) Borough Council awarded a contract 

to build the new Notre-Dame-de-Grâce 

Cultural Centre. The $15,400,107.10 

contract was won by the Geyser Group inc. 

The Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Cultural Centre 

will house a new Benny Library, and also a 

multi-purpose hall to accommodate cultural 

exhibitions and a wide variety of 

performances. The ecologically-friendly 

building meeting LEED certification 

standards will be prominently located at the 

intersection of avenue de Monkland and 

avenue Benny across from the NDG Sports 

Centre. 

Construction will begin in the next few 

weeks and be completed at the end of 

2014. Originally planned for 2012, the 

project had to be modified in order to meet 

the Borough’s self-imposed budget 

constraints. Construction of the Notre- 

Dame-de-Grâce Cultural Centre represents 

a $23.6 million investment for which the 

Borough is depending in particular on the 

joint financial support of the ministère de la 

Culture et des Communications du Québec 

and the Ville de Montréal. 

ICAO headquarters to 

remain in Montreal 

MONTREAL, May 27, 2013 - The Minister 

of Foreign Affairs, the Honourable John 

6430 Victoria Avenue, Montreal, QC 

Telephone: 514-733-7816 

Coffeemate, 1.4 kg $5.99 each 

Max Candy $1.29 each 

Silver Swan soy sauce - $1.59 bottle 

Baird, the Minister of International 

Relations, La Francophonie and External 

Trade and Minister responsible for the 

Montréal region, Mr Jean Francois Lisée, 

and the Mayor of Montréal, Mr Michael 

Applebaum, would like to invite members of 

the media to a press conference for the 

signing of the renewal agreement with the 

International Civil Aviation Organization 

(ICAO) in Montréal. 

Date : Monday May 27th 2013 

Heure : 5 p.m. 

Lieu : Terrace of City Hall, 

275, Notre-Dame Est 

Metro : Champ-de-Mars 

Come join celebrate the 

Philippine Independence 

Day Celebration on 

June 12 10:00AM at the 

FAMAS Centre. 

The Philippine Declaration of Independence 

simultaneously marked the end of the 

Philippine Revolution and the Philippine 

Islands’ assertion to sovereignty and 

independence from Spanish colonial rule. 

However, neither Spain nor America 

recognized such a stake to independent 

nationhood, and on December 10, 1898, 

the Spanish government ceded the 

Philippines to the United States in the Treaty 

of Paris for the price of US $2 million, 

marking the end of the Spanish-American 

War.1 

A short two months later on February 4, 

1899, armed conflict erupted between 

Philippine revolutionary forces and U.S. 

military occupants in Manila. By June 2, 

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$3.49 / 327 mL 

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Eggplant - $1.29 lb Chicken Wings $2.73 lb 


1899, the First Philippine Republic officially 

declared war against the U.S. that lasted 

until July 4, 1902. Approximately 20,000 

soldiers were killed in action while the 

civilian death toll reached an estimated halfmillion 

persons. Though the war officially 

ended in the summer of 1899, guerilla 

freedom fighters continued to challenge 

U.S. occupation for several more years. 

It was not until July 4, 1946, nearly fifty 

years later, that the United States formally 

recognized full Philippine independent 

nationhood with the enactment of the Treaty 

of Manila. On a rainy day in Manila’s Luneta 

Park, 400,000 onlookers cheered as the 

American flag was lowered and the 

Philippine flag was raised in its place. 

Senator Millard Tydings of Maryland 

reported that the day was “one of the most 

unprecedented, most idealistic, and most 

far-reaching events in all recorded history.”3 

July 4 was officially recognized as the 

National Day until August 4, 1964 when 

President Diosdado Macapagal signed the 

Malacanang Republic Act No. 4166 that 

effectively made June 12—the day that 

General Emilio Aguinaldo and his 

revolutionary peers had originally claimed 

as the Nation’s Day—the country’s official 

Independence Day. 

Today, Filipinos around the world from 

Saudi Arabia to Los Angeles, California 

continue to celebrate Philippine 

Independence Day on June 12. In America, 

Filipino Americans, otherwise known as 

FilAms, use this day to commemorate the 

Philippines’ independence from colonial 

rule, celebrate Filipino heritage-pride, 

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Sale prices valid from 

May 29 to June 5, 2013 

Excellent Rice Stick - $1.29 each Oishi Sunday - 89¢ each 

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preserve cultural roots, promote cultural 

awareness, and bring FilAm communities 

together.4 

The largest Philippine Independence Day 

celebration takes place annually in New 

York City on Madison Avenue between 23rd 

and 38th street on the first Sunday of June. 

An estimated 100,000 people turn out to 

take part in various events and to march in 

a parade that represents FilAms and the 

7,000 plus island clusters that constitute the 

Philippine archipelago. FilAms proudly 

donned outfits representative of their 

regional origins, academic affiliations, 

professions, favored sports team, and 

more.5 

In Washington, D.C., the Philippine 

Embassy and Filipino American 

Organization host an Independence Day 

Gala, commemorative festivals, and other 

cultural activities. 

In Montreal, we commemorate the 

Philippine Independence by a Flag Raising 

Ceremony at the FAMAS Centre every June 

12 every year. 

Come and celebrate with us and meet and 

greet our kababayans and public officials. 

Light refreshments are served, 

Cheers! 

From the FAMAS Executive Board 

Al "Boy" Abdon 

Public Relations Officer - FAMAS 

alabdon@videotron.ca 

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24 

5320-A Queen Mary 

(between Coolbrook 

and Decarie) 

Montreal, QC H3X 1T7 

514-485-7861 

www.gilmorecollege.com 

Gilmore College bldg. 

SNOWDON 

Medical Secretary 


Gilmore College 

International 

PAB/PSW GRADUATION, October 7, 2012. L-R, seated: Annabelle Alloso, Ethel Tugna, PSW 

instructors Terry White, Amy Manon-og, Director General Zenaida Kharroubi, PSW instructors 

Edith Fedalizo, Sophie Toledo, and Lourdes Lubang. Starnding: Grace Calvo, Vilma Lagonilla, 

Mildlred Mendoza, Giselle Arellano, Marilou Hechanova, Edison Taguba, Annie Signey and 

Joesie Bingayen. Not in photo: PSW instructor Clarice Mackay. 

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May 2013 Edition - Filipino Star

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