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VOLUME 7 NUMBER 105WED - THU

MARCH 12 - 13, 2014

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BY DING CERVANTES

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO - The chief legal counsel of arrested real estate businessman

Delfi n Lee has expressed optimism that the Court of Appeals (CA) would order today the freedom of his client who has been in jail since his arrest for syndicated estafa last March 6.

Lawyer confi dent CAto free Delfi n Lee today

PERILS OF EDUCATION. Graders precauriously perched on a tricycle on the way to their school in Calulut, City of San Fernando. PHOTO BY BONG LACSON

BY ASHLEY MANABAT

CLARK FREEPORT – The most progressive province in Central Lu-zon which was once dubbed by critics as “the Vatican of jueteng” has

Pampanga tops STL collectiontopped the government sanctioned Small Town Lottery (STL) revenue collection for the whole country.

A report from the Phil-ippine Charity Sweep-stakes Offi ce (PCSO)

No cover-up for jueteng, PCSO Chair Juico says of STL. PHOTO BY BONG LACSON

showed that Pampan-ga grossed a staggering P386,352,016.75 in only a seven-month period based on the gross re-ceipts of the STL’s aver-age monthly sales.

Laguna is a far sec-

ond with gross sales of P280,871,916.50 in the same period while landing third place is Quezon province with P227,277,301.42 gross sales.

ANGELES CITY -- The Pinoy Gumising Ka Movement (PGKM) has lambasted anew the De-partment of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) after the latter’s recent announcement

PGKM hits DOTC’s airport proposals in Cavite, Laguna‘Highly vulnerable to climate change disasters’

that it is looking at Sangley Point in Cavite and Laguna de Bay as the possible site of a new interna-tional gateway that would replace the congested Ninoy Aquino Inter-national Airport (NAIA) in Manila.

PGKM Chair Ruperto Cruz said Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya is “bank-rupt of ideas” for insisting on an airport in Cavite which is at sea

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CITY OF SAN FERNAN-DO - Farmers from Cen-tral Luzon, the country’s traditional rice granary, warned yesterday of a serious rice glut in the market arising from im-portation.

Farmers score glut of imported rice

A joint statement from the Alyansa ng mga Magbubukid sa Gitnang Luson (AMGL) and the Aguman Dareng Magla-lautang Capampangan (AMC) said the import-

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get collection and request-ed for an adjustment to lower the amount” since petroleum revenues could no longer be collected due to the effect of a revenue regulation which meant that duties and tax-es of petroleum products are paid already at the port of dis-charge in Subic rather than at the port of destination which is Clark.

Castro said the new rule has caused a big revenue loss to their collection as petroleum is the top revenue source. But

BOC Clark fetes top exporters, importershe said the BOC leadership insists that Clark has a good potential and among them is the good economic indicators in the region that even without petroleum revenues the target can still be achievable.

Clark Development Corp. (CDC) President-CEO Arthur P. Tugade and Clark Interna-tional Airport Corp. (CIAC) President-CEO Victor Jose “Chichos” Luciano assist-ed Castro in handing out the awards after delivering their respective speeches.

Yokohama Tire Phils., Inc. (YTPI) president Tadashi Su-zuki as well as representatives of the other awardees were also on hand to receive their awards.

Meanwhile, the other top exporters were Nanox Phil-ippines, Inc. which occu-pies second place and has an export performance of $897,123,806.12; third place is YTPI which has an export volume of $239,685,102.82; fourth place is HLD Clark Steel Pipe Co., Inc. with $127,377,601.85 and fi fth is L&T International Group with an export volume of $107,374,024.07.

The second place for the top importers was United Par-cel Service International, Inc. having paid the amount of P569,200,814 in duties and taxes; third place went to TIP-CO which paid P56,896,179 in duties and taxes; fourth place was Viskase Asia Pacifi c Corp. which paid P38,875,239 in duties and taxes; and the fi fth place went to Yokoha-ma Tire Phils. Inc. which paid P22,815,363 in duties and tax-es to the Port of Clark.

Newly-designated Depu-ty Collector Greg L. Pineda rounded up the program with his closing remarks.

The awardees with (from left) CIAC President-CEO Luciano, CDC President-CEO Tugade and BOC acting district collector Castro. At extreme right is Deputy Collector Poneda. PHOTO BY ASHLEY MANABAT

BY ASHLEY MANABAT

CLARK FREEPORT – The top fi ve exporters and import-ers here were handed plaques of appreciation by newly-des-ignated Bureau of Customs (BOC) Port of Clark Acting District Collector, retired Gen. Esteban A. Castro last Mon-day.

Topping the list of the top exporters is Phoenix Semicon-ductor Philippines Corp., Ko-rea’s leading provider of semi-conductor packaging which

contributed $1,377,951,830.45 or 50 percent of the freeport’s total export performance to the Port of Clark in terms of value declared.

The top importer is Thai-land’s PTT Philippines Trad-ing Corp. for having paid the amount of P648,514,717.94 in duties and taxes to the Port of Clark.

Also recognized were COAM Philippines, Inc. and Outback Five Star Clark Phil-ippines for their special contri-bution to the Clark Port in be-

coming alternative hubs for ex-port in Central Luzon through their volume exports in 2013.

The awarding marks the 112th Founding Anniversary of the BOC which had for its theme: “Sama-samang makii-sa sa pagbabago sa aduana.”

In his welcome remarks, Castro said “for this year the Port of Clark is facing a big-ger challenge which is to col-lect P1.58 billion - higher by 80 percent than last year.”

Castro said he had “raised some concerns over the tar-

ANGELES CITY--To ward away loan sharks, Senate Majority Floor Leader Alan Peter Cayetano has de-viced a way to provide loan assistance to the coun-try’s working class.

Cayetano, whose banner initiative for liveli-hood enhancement among Filipinos is anchored in his “Presyo. Trabaho. Kita.” or PTK program, said that by raising institutions which grants loans with low interest rates can the government combat loan sharks.

Loan shark is the term used for individuals or companies that grants loans at steep interest rates--often times as high as 20 percent--or those com-monly referred to as “fi ve-six.”

Cayetano said “fi ve six” has been in existence for a long time and no law has really stamped it out.

“Usually, there are no contracts signed for the fi ve-six and if there were, the full interest rate is not refl ected on it,” Cayetano said.

The senator from Pateros on Monday distribut-ed fi nancial assistance to various tricycle operators and drivers associations (TODA) in this city. The dis-tribution was held at the covered court of Barangay Anunas here.

Cayetano stressed that the problem pn loan sharks is economic as the proliferation of these in-dividuals or group is credited to the increase in the number of people needing immediate fi nancial as-sistance and the absence of low-interest loan facil-ities.

In providing the assistance, Cayetano remind-ed the TODA offi cials to make sure that the money would be properly handled and that they will make loan applications easy to each member.

So far, he said, initial releases of the loan assis-tance have been successful with many borrowers repaying their debts on time.

Only one recipient cooperative has been noted to be delinquent and it was only because of in-fi ght-ing between its offi cers.

Cayetano pledged to return to this city to grant fi nancial assistance to TODA in other barangays.

LOAN-SHARK BUSTER. Sen. Cayetano (center), along with Angeles City Vice Mayor Vicky Vega-Cabigting (extreme right) turns-over fi nancial assistance to offi cers of various tricycle operators and drivers association as seed capital for their loan assistance to members during simple ceremonies in Barangay Anunas. The project aims to save the tricycle drivers from loan sharks. Also in photo is Anunas chairman and Angeles City Association of Barangay Captains President Lito Ganzon (far left).

Cayetano takes role as ‘5-6’ buster

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BY ERNIE ESCONDE

BALANGA CITY - From sunrise to sunset, one can enjoy in myriad ways the sea breeze and the beau-tiful surroundings along the wetland park by the sea-side village of Tortugas here.

One can go kayaking or paddle boating and stand-up paddle boarding along the mouth of Manila Bay in the Talisay River for only P75 an hour.

Eat your breakfast, merienda and lunch and rest or whisper sweet nothings to your loved ones or friends on board a bamboo raft or balsa.

“Guests can bring food with them in riding the bal-sa,” said caretaker Claudia Isidro.

The boats are guided by experienced boatmen from the fi shing village and have life jackets on hand.

Resting on nipa huts by the sea and the balsa is enough to drive away depressing thoughts while watching the calm sea, fi shing boats and the moun-tain from a distance.

“Ganda ng lugar ninyo. Nice to visit your place. Magaling itong ginawa ni mayor, congrats sa kan-ya,” said three fi rst timers in the place from the Phil-ippines General Hospital. They tried the balsa and toured the wetland park.

Children have bicycles for rent to ride and swing to play with.

When tired of boating, visitors can go to the wet-land park nearby where a tourist information center, viewing decks and nipa cottages are sights to enjoy. In the two viewing decks are pictures of water mi-gratory birds frequenting Balanga from September to end of March every year

Looking at the wide expanse of Manila Bay with boats fi shing and lush mangroves at the side of the bay from the viewing decks are even enough to call the day a beautiful and refreshing day.

“Maganda ngayon kaya pabalik-balik kami,” said Dianne Alegre after her lunch at the nipa cottage fronting the sea.

Wetland park adds boating, kayaking to birdwatching

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LLL Trimedia Coordinators, Inc.Publisher

General ManagerEditor

Marketing ManagerLayout

Circulation

Atty. Gener C. EndonaCaesar “Bong” LacsonJoanna Niña V. CorderoDondie B. VenturaJojo Manalo/Lacson Macapagal

EDGAR V. MOVIDOFounder

Business & Editorial offi ce at Unit B Essel Commercial Center,McArthur Highway, Telabastagan, City of San Fernando

Tel. No. (45) 625•0244 Cel. No. 0917•481•1416puntogitnangluzon@yahoo.com or marketing@punto.com.ph

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Zona Libre Bong Z. Lacson

OOpinion

Living the WordAT 77 last Sunday, March 9, the Most Rev. Paciano B. Aniceto is two years past the age of retirement for Church prelates.

That he remains the shepherd of the Kapampangan faithful can only be divinely ordained.

Apu Ceto makes that classic defi nition of the priest that impacted me on my very fi rst day at the Mater Boni Consilii Seminary eons ago – “the best gift of God to men, the best gift of men to God.”

He simply lives the Word. So that hearing him is ever a renewal in faith. Like that time in 2003 when I accompanied him in his pastoral visit to California.

“The two priceless treasures of our people, coveted by other peoples… undiminished in value even through our worst economic dislocation,” Apu Ceto says of faith and family as the defi ning character of the Filipino.

Live the faith. Love the family. That was the message he brought to the hundreds of Filipinos who came to his Masses. A message that reached out to, and touched Americans and Latinos too.

“Modernism and materialism, especially in wealthy America, besiege increasingly the very foundation of the Filipino-American family. Against this onslaught, we need to return to our core values and be steadfast in our Christian faith to prevail.”

Apu Ceto refreshed the congregations with the Filipino core values grounded on Christian virtues – of respect for human life, love for the elders, the bayanihan culture of sharing and malasakit, and family prayer, especially to those already born in America.

And anathematized abortion and euthanasia as “pillars of the culture of death…high crimes against the family and against God.”

“The baby and the elderly are integral elements in the nucleus of the Filipino family. Take them out, fi ssion ensues, and the nucleus suffers a total breakdown.”

In a clear jab at the pro-choice lobby in the US: “The baby in the womb is not a simple choice. It is a human being created in God’s own image and likeness and therefore should come into the world to fulfi l God’s plan for him. Man has no business playing God, usurping His power over life and death.”

Of love and respect of the elderly: “Filipino culture puts premium in the wisdom of age. Thus, we take good care of our elders, never treating them like overused rags fi t only to be

shut in some retirement home, left to die alone, and as fast forgotten.”

And recalled the attendant promise of a blessed long life for those who subscribe to the Fourth Commandment – “Honor thy father and thy mother” – “so that all may go well with you, and you may live a long time in the land.” So the Apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians. So it was written in Exodus 20:12. So it has become Apu Ceto’s apostolate too.

PrayerAnd then there was his birthday celebration

six years ago – also a Sunday – distinguished – graced, I cannot force myself to write – by the presence of Her Excellency, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the Reverend Governor Eddie T. Panlilio, Congressman Dong Gonzales, City of San Fernando Mayor Oscar Rodriguez, and a host of other politicians and local leaders.

“If we really pray together, (we would discern that) one cannot monopolize truth. Truth begins in the heart, the sanctuary of our conscience.” Apu Ceto’s sermon searing the very soul of the congregation.

“We need to purify and change. If we follow that process, we will have a peaceful and just society with integrity. You should watch and pray that you don’t fall into temptation.”

He did not have to say it. Apu Ceto could only mean the temptation of corruptive power – for those in government, that which denies the people of their right to live with human dignity.

Warning: “Our country is at a crossroad. We are a divided people, eternally quarreling, bickering. Some media contribute to this. We are falling into the pit.” Ouch!

And pointing the way: “We are asking the Lord to permeate every strata of society. Families and leaders should work so there is a holistic approach in the search for a real, authentic, common good, for the progress and development of our people.”

Ora et labora. Pray and work.Christian life at its most essential.“Let us pray together, discern together

so that we could know the will of God for the Filipino people.”

He lives the Word. He is a sermon we see, we feel, and – prayerfully – we live. Apu Ceto – blessed are we.

Passed, but…LAST MONDAY, the Senate passed the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill on third and fi nal reading.

“In honor of the landmark principle enshrined in the 1987 Philippine Constitution that ‘public offi ce is a public trust.’” So explained the bill sponsor, Sen. Grace Poe of her vote, recalling the fi rst FOI bill fi led in Congress 21 years and eight months ago.

“It was also in the same period that the citizens wanted to have access to information on public debts incurred by the country and data on the status of the land ownership of hacenderos [landowners] and sakadas [tenant farmers] in the agrarian reform sector,” Poe furthered.

Poe cited the “high signifi cance” of FOI as “refl ected in the very situation as well as problems confronting the country at present.” Read PDAF and DAP there.

Said she: “We simply need to pass the law. We simply need to be transparent and accountable. We simply need to honor that public service is serving with honesty and integrity. Ang pagsisilbi sa pamahalaan ay serbisyong tunay, paglilingkod na matapat, at pagkilos na marangal (Service in government is genuine service, honest service, and honorable deed.)

Senate Bill NO 1733 or People’s FOI, she stressed, is one “that the Filipino people can be proud of,” assuring the public that “it is not an inutile law so we made sure that the passed version is not diluted.”

Enthused Senate President Franklin Drilon: “The disclosure of government actions under the FOI bill will be a crucial and effective deterrent against possible malfeasance and corrupt practices by those in power. The proposed legislation is our way of acknowledging that the people’s eye is the most potent tool against corruption in our government.”

Okay, we believe you, Madame, Sir.Meanwhile, at the House of Representatives

the counterpart version of the FOI bill has remained stalled at the committee level.

The struggle continues…

Pagtatapos

Heto at Marso na namanPagtatapos ay makakamtanInasam-asam na diplomaHalos abot-kamay na

Hindi lang pala diplomaMay kasamang medalya paParangal sa ipinamalasNa kahusayan sa pagtuklas

Ang angking katalinuhanNa siyang naging puhunanSa pagsusunog ng kilayKaya umani ng tagumpay

Wala nang mas sasaya paSa ama at inang dakilaKaligayang pinagyamanNg anak na pinakaingatan

ANNABELLE B. SINGIAN SAN ANTONIO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

BACOLOR DISTRICT

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Napag-uusapanLangFelix M. Garcia

COMMENTARYCOMMENTARY

Php 502.5-M: Panibagong problema niCong Dong

MALABSA ang katwiran ni Dong GonzalesSa alibi niyang siya’y “vindicated”Sa naging resulta ng ‘election protest’Niya laban dito kay Oca Rodriguez

Kung saan ang naging kanyang kahilinganSa HRET ay ipa-disqualifyItong si Oca sa pagkapanalo niyanSanhi ng ‘vote buying’ na idinadahilan

Ni Mr. Gonzales sa kanyang protesta,Gayong siya mismo yata ang anilaItong sa puntong yan ang dapat ihablaNg ‘rampant vote buying’ ni Oca kumbaga?

Pagkat siya itong lumalabas ngayonNa mas malaki ang naging gastos ni DongSa re-election bid niyang .5 bilyonAng salaping napasa-kamay ng Solon

Bago maghalalan na hinihinalangNagamit marahil ng nag-aakusangSi Dong ng ‘vote buying’ sa kanyang kalaban,Gayong siya itong dapat akusahan

Ng ‘vote buying’ dahil ang perang naturanNa nakalaan sa anong proyekto niyanAy di malaman kung saan napunta yanBase sa report ng kinauukulan?

(Aba’y mantakin mong higit na malakiKaysa kay 2nd District Congressman MikeyAng nakuha ni Dong sa Admin ng MommyNitong kapwa mismo niya Representante?

Kung di malakas yan kay Pangulong GloriaNang panahong iyong sila pa ang bida?Pero anong naging sukli sa kanilaKundi ng pagtawid sa kampo ng iba?

Nang kumbaga sa isang barkong naglalayagAy abutin sila ng bagyo sa dagat?Iniwan si Madam bago pa lumigwakAng barko upang ang sarili’y iligtas!)

Di ko sinasabing ibinulsa ni DongItong nawawalang kalahating bilyon,Pero ano’t wala din namang malinawNa ulat kung saan yata napunta ‘yon?

Maliban dito sa posibleng nagamitNg butihing 3rd District RepresentativeAng kuwartang naturan sa ‘re-election bid’Nito laban dito kay Oca Rodriguez?

Kaya sa puntong yan si Gonzales na rinItong sa nasabing isyu ang posiblengMaipit kapagka’ di naisumitingMabuti ni Sir ang PDAF niyang missing.

At kung sa talagang kinauukulangProyekto nagamit ay kinakailangangMalinis at walang pag-aalinlanganAng ‘accounting’ na dapat isumite niyan

At kung saan pati ‘located’ kumbagaAng ‘fi nished projects’ ay dapat ipakitaNi Dong kasama ang buong ‘team’ nilaNg mga Engineers saka kontratista.

Upang ma-determine na hindi ‘ghost projects’Itong kay Congressman Aurelio GonzalesAy naka-report na mga ‘fi nished projects’Pero kung di man ‘ghost’ ay ‘over priced-rated!?’

EVERYDAY at work we are confronted with things to do and choices to make. But how should we go about arriving at a decision? How do we know which among a lieu of options is the right or the best one?

Before we go to the actu-al problem-solving and deci-sion-making, it is important to come to terms with some facts about decision-making in rela-tion to a leader in a workplace.

Accept that as a leader you really have to make numer-ous decisions each day. As a leader you have the opportuni-ty and the authority to decide, so you should know how and when to take control, how to turn ideas into reality, and ac-cept accountability for conse-quences.

Then remember that a good decision does not hap-pen by chance, but is borne of intention, effort, direction and execution.

When you make decisions fi rst collect pertinent informa-tion. Gather facts and ask peo-ple for advice.

Since at times, there is fear about making the wrong deci-sion, it helps when you imag-ine the best and worst case scenarios so you would know the pros and cons for each al-

ternative or option at hand. Realize that there are always a variety of options to choose from for every situation that you face. Lastly, it helps if you accept that you cannot control every outcome each decision you make.

Detox on work overloadQuick, think about what has

you feeling tensed and upset at work lately? Tension and feelings of upset, and frustra-tion are what we commonly re-fer to as stress. Psychologist Hans Selye refers to this feel-ing as distress.

Distress is caused by stressors like arriving late, deadlines and getting laid off. Dr. Selye has been known to say that we cannot control stressors from happening to us, but what we can control is our response to stressors.

Over time, stress can cause damage to our health, relationships, productivi-ty and happiness about our lives. Good thing is our body has a way of alerting us when we get stressed. Some symp-toms of getting stressed-out at work include anxiety, ir-ritability or depression. The person can also lose interest in his work and might have

trouble concentrating. He could also suffer from muscle aches, headaches and stom-ach aches.

So, how can we break ad habits at work and manage our distress? Here’s how:

• Stay away from situations that stress you out on a daily basis.

• Change the situation. Be assertive and face the prob-lem head-on

• If you can’t change the situation, change the way you look at the situation and think about whether it is really up-setting or not.

• Accept the things you cannot change.

Leadership skill: Decision-making

Genesis Z. Macapagal

ANGELES CITY – “Womanhood should not only be celebrated today but rather every day - for women are known to be champions.”

Thus said Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan during the Women’s General Assembly at the city’s Bayanihan Park held in celebration of the Na-tional Women’s Month.

With the theme “Juana, ang Tatag Mo ay Tatag Natin sa Pagbangon at Pagsulong!”, this year’s observance aims to celebrate women empowerment and participation as well as their excellence in their different roles in a growing society.

Pamintuan, in his message, expressed his salutations to all the women who have been continuously contributing in nation-building as he strongly encouraged them to fi ght for their rights.

He also emphasized that the city will lead a continuous fi ght for gender equality.

ActivitiesIn line with the celebration, the city has slat-

ed a free osteoporosis screening and Breast Cancer Awareness Seminar on March 17. Con-cerns about laws and issues relating to women will be tackled on March 21st also at the same venue. On March 21st and 24th, an awareness seminar about anti-human traffi cking is slated and is followed by an HIV and AIDS conscious-ness campaign on March 27. These will all be held at the Sangguniang Panlungsod Hall, in Angeles City Hall at Pulung Maragul.

A free Pap Smear and consultation for the women of Angeles City Jail is scheduled on

Angeles City celebrates National Women’s Month

March 20 to 21 which is sponsored by Council-or Maricel Morales.

On March 28, the city will hold a Hilot Well-ness and Beauty Day Treat at the SM Clark Wellness Zone where all women are welcome.

The city’s celebration of Women’s Month is spearheaded by the Gender and Development (GAD) Offi ce. Interested participants for the said events may contact the offi ce at local 260.

AC aims to be themost gender sensitive

Vice Mayor Vicky Vega-Cabigting lauded all the women who have been active in lead-ership and service. From government employ-ees, barangay offi cials, NGO’s and police wom-en present in the event.

“We all deserve to be congratulated for we have been able to build up the women’s sector in terms of their leadership and participation in the government’s decision making procedures. Angeles City’s goal to be one of the most gen-der sensitive city in the country is now at hand,” Vega-Cabigting added.

On the other hand, Councilor Maricel “Ma-rang” Morales, committee chairperson on Women and Children’s Affairs, proudly said that women today have been successfully pav-ing their way to politics which only shows that they excel in their chosen fi elds.

“We do not stop fi ghting, not only for equality and for our rights but also the fi ght to give hope to the women who are abused and help them embrace their womanhood,” Morales added.

NI JOHNNY R. REBLANDO

OLONGAPO CITY-- Bumag-sak sa kamay ng mga tau-han ng Bataan Criminal and Investigation and Detection Team ang isang rapist sa kanyang pinagtataguan sa Boton Area sa loob ng Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

Kinilala ni CIDT provin-

Rapist nasakote sa SBMAcial officer Chief Inspector Ruben Tampis ang suspek na si Armando Gavino Jr., 32, ng Barangay Tugatog, Orani, Bataan.

Ang suspek ay dinakip sa bisa ng warrant of ar-rest na ipinalabas ni Judge Remigio Escalada ng RTC Branch 3 ng Balanga City sa kasong three counts of

rape ng walang kaukulang piyansa.

Ang suspek ay inireklamo ng kanyang sister-in-law na menor de edad makaraan nitong pauli-ulit na pagsa-mantalahan noong 2010.

Batay sa talaan ng pu-lisya ang suspek ay nasa No. 2 sa Most Wanted Per-sons sa bayan ng Orani.

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FROM PAGE 1

In an interview with Punto, lawyer Willie Ri-vera said that Lee is slated to appear before the CA at 10 a.m. today after he fi led last Mon-day an extremely urgent petition for habeas cor-pus with a plea for the appellate court to man-date the Regional Trial Court (RTC) to quash

Lawyer confi dent CA to free Delfi n Lee todaythe warrant of arrest against his client.

“I am confi dent that the CA will cause his re-lease today. I think that his opponents realize victory in our case that’s why they are rushing with other cases against him,” Rivera said.

In a meeting Monday with alleged victims of Lee at the Xevera sub-division in Mabalacat

City, Vice Pres. Jejomar Binay, who is also the government’s housing czar, said three more syndicated estafa cases are pending against Lee before the Department of Justice.

Pag-IBIG Fund President-CEO Dar-lene Marie Berberabe said the three cases are of similar nature in-volving anomalous sale

of housing units worth some P7 billion at the Xevera and Semeera housing projects in this province. She said, however, that the com-plainants differ.

Rivera said, howev-er, that multiplicity of the same cases are not per-missible and that each case has to be differed for it to become legal-ly acceptable. He also

said that even if the three cases were admit-ted by the Department of Justice, they would undergo preliminary in-vestigation yet.

“They seem to be aware that we are go-ing to win in our asser-tion that the CA verdict dismissing the case against my client would be upheld. So they are rushing with more cas-

es,” Rivera added.At the same time, Ri-

vera said Lee would no longer object to being transferred from a cell in the regional headquar-ters of the National Bu-reau of Investigation to a cell at the nearby pro-vincial jail. “It’s okay so that people would not think there is special treatment for him,” he said.

ed 525,000 bags of rice from Vietnam which ar-rived at Subic Freeport last January are now fl ooding the market.

“Traders now use this rice fl ooding as leverage to even depress farm gate prices of locally produced palay,” the statement said, noting that the importa-tion was part of the gov-ernment’s commitment to liberalize the agriculture industry as commitment to the World Trade Orga-nization (WTO).

Aquilino Lopez, vice-chairperson of AMGL for external af-

fairs, said “imported rice from Vietnam and other countries are not helping us but are actually un-dermining our capacity to produce our own rice.”

“If farmers face in-debtedness and become landless, lands devoted to cultivating rice are to decline, putting us more dependent on imported rice. Our food security is systematically degrad-ed,” he said.

The groups’ state-ment said that during pre-WTO period of the data from Bureau of Agri-cultural Statistics (BAS), imported rice only shared two percent of the total

Farmers score glut of imported rice

PCSO Chair Margar-ita P. Juico said the STL is the “government’s way to curb jueteng” which is illegal and critics say it abets corruption among government offi cials and the police hierarchy in-cluding the military.

Juico, who was guest of the weekly “Balita-an” forum hosted by Ca-pampangan In Media, Inc. (CAMI) in partner-ship with the Clark De-velopment Corp. (CDC) and the Social Securi-ty System (SSS) at the Bale Balita here last Fri-day, said STL operators have agreed to abide by the new Presumptive Monthly Revenue Re-ceipt (PMRR) formula which has a computation of “30 percent of the vot-ing population multiplied by P3 per bet times 30 days.” The product will be the PMRR, she add-ed.

In a letter to the PCSO Board and gen-eral manager Ferdinand

Pampanga tops STL collectionFROM PAGE 1 M. Rojas II on January

28, STL operators in the country agreed that if they failed to meet the target based on the new PMRR formula, it will re-sult in sanctions against them. Suncove Corpo-ration, which operates STL in Pampanga and Lake Tahoe Gaming and Amusement Corp., which operates STL in Ange-les City, were among the STL operators that signed the letter.

In the knowWhen asked why al-

leged jueteng operators are also STL operators Juico said: “actually they are.”

She explained that “two years ago they opened STL to outsid-ers for coverage of the whole Philippines but we only got a little more than 200. So I asked why so few? There are a lot of provinces how come there’s only 200?”

Juico continued, “I even asked Ramon S. Ang (president of San

Miguel Corp.) and (to-bacco magnate) Sonny Dominguez if they want to get into it. But they an-swered we don’t know the business.”

“So you cannot get somebody coming in not knowing a thing about the business. Kasi paii-kut-ikutan lang daw sila. So you end up with the same people,” Juico said. “So what you do is just look at how they op-erate,” she added.

When asked of the probability of STL collec-tions being diverted to jueteng, Juico confi dent-ly said, “not true” that’s why they have a PRMM which is based on how much they should be generating.

“Mayroong naka peg na quota sa kanila. They can go over their quota but they cannot go under it or sanctions will be im-posed,” she said.

According to PCSO Angeles City branch manager Ma. Lourdes Soliman, Lake Tahoe Amusement and Gaming

Corp. fi led a case against the alleged bookie op-erations in their area. A hearing on the case is now ongoing, she add-ed.

“They don’t want bookies to come in,” Juico said.

“When asked if she believed in STL, she said: “If it’s done right, why not.” She said when they fi rst came in, the revenues from STL oper-ations was very low.

“So I called them (STL operators) to a meeting and told them, if they keep on remitting very low revenues, then the PCSO would just consider removing STL in favor of the lotto which turns in huge remittanc-es.”

Juico said after that meeting STL operators increased to 300 percent their remittances.

The PCSO chair said only 16 provinces have STL outlets but Pampan-ga has two because of Angeles City, and Zam-bales has also two be-

cause of Olongapo City.Juico stressed that

“we want to combat juet-eng, but we only oper-ate in 16 provinces and our critics say we are not successful, how can you be successful when your presence is only in 16 out of 82 provinces?”

“Right now we cannot even expand because it’s too controversial. We would like to open more but we are still waiting for guidance especially from Malacañang,” she lamented.

RoxasJuico said among the

critics is Department of Interior and Local Gov-ernments (DILG) Secre-tary Mar Roxas, who is not in favor of STL. Rox-as observed that STL operations were not suc-cessful in curbing juet-eng in the country.

“But that is not even our role. We are not law enforcers. If there’s gam-bling, the DILG and the police should go after them. So if there are 16

provinces with STL, why don’t they target the oth-er provinces which don’t have STL operations and anything that moves there is clearly illegal,” she said.

“Yun and habulin nila (They should run after those),” she said.

Juico stressed that STL is doing okay.

She said there is a joke that goes around about a Metro Manila mayor who was proud of the STL operation in his area when in fact there was none.

“Sabi niya, ‘Chair-man, sa amin maayos ang aming STL.’ Sabi ko, mayor walang STL sa lu-gar mo (So chairman in our place STL is doing fi ne. I said mayor there is no STL in your area). To that the fl abbergast-ed mayor said ha? ‘Wala ba?’ (Don’t we have one?).

Roxas and the po-lice should go after that mayor because obvious-ly there is only jueteng there, Juico said.

FROM PAGE 1 41 million metric tons rice supply from 1990 to 1994, but jacked up to about 10 percent of 226.8 million metric tons supply from 1995 to 2012.

“It is also noticeable that pre-WTO period rice buffer reached to 21 per-cent that plunged to only 17 percent since WTO entry. Thus, food secu-rity in rice was concrete-ly degraded. The groups said that the continua-tion of this trend would make the region and the country critically depen-dent on rice imports,” the statement also noted.

Lopez asked: “Isn’t it dense that our country

has the 8th largest rice production in 2009 but also imported the most in the world in 2010?”

“The country’s pol-icies and program are weakening our agricul-ture, thus, no different from putting the people into hunger and misery,” he added.

The statement also lashed at a statement of National Food Authori-ty (NFA) Regional Direc-tor Amadeo De Guzman that the Vietnamese rice offl oaded at Subic Free-port was to augment the local supply in the region.

“This totally contra-dicts the agency’s man-

date of supposedly pro-moting and protecting the locally-produced food supply,” it said.

It noted that Nue-va Ecija province, which contributed nine percent of total palay production in 2013, and Central Lu-zon which contributed more than 18 percent of production in the same year are not being fl ood-ed with imported rice,

The statement also criticized the Aquino gov-ernment for “drumming up rice self-suffi ciency when it only means in-creasing rice imports and totally opposing rice food security.”

“This government abandoned protecting local production and di-verting the country to becoming import-depen-dent on food, when an international crisis erupts disrupting importation, we are all going to die of starvation,” Lopez said.

He noted that the government also import-ed 350,000 metric tons of rice last year as com-mitment to the WTO.

Lopez said “We should oppose liberal-ization of agriculture and WTO as they only mean starvation and misery for the people of Central Lu-zon.” –Ding Cervantes

NI ARMAND M. GALANG

SAN JOSE CITY – Na-matay habang ginagamot sa ospital ang dalawang lalaki matapos magka-banggaan ang kanilang sinasakyang motorsiklo at tricycle sa kahabaan ng Maharlika Highway, Ba-rangay Abar 1st sa lung-sod na ito kamakalawa ng gabi.

Sa ulat ni SPO1 Apoli-

2 patay sa banggaan ng motorsiklo, trikenario Tolentino, may hawak ng kaso, ang mga biktima ay nakilalang sina Jayson Mendonez, 24, binata, ng Barangay Burgos, Carran-glan, Nueva Ecija at Mark Grospe,23, binata, mula sa Barangay Baloc, Sto. Do-mingo, Nueva Ecija.

Nagtamo rin ng pinsa-la ang kani-kanilang mga back-rider na sina Kenneth Mendonez,18, at Jennifer Elias,22, ng Barangay Riv-

erside, Zone 7, Barangay Abar 1st, sa lungsod na ito.

Sa imbestigasyon, mina-maneho ng nakatatandang Mendonez ang isang sin-gle na motorsiklo (7248 YN) samantalang isang tricycle naman (PN 5145) ang mina-maneho ni Grospe bandang alas 9:40 ng gabi nitong Sa-bado sa naturang lugar.

Magkasalubong uma-no ang dalawang sasakyan

nang biglang magsalpu-kan at dahil sa lakas ng banggaan nang umano’y mag-overtake ang single na motorsiklo at kinain ang lin-ya ng tricycle.

“Due to impact, all of them sustained serious in-juries,” ulat ni Tolentino at mga kasamang imbesti-gador.

Isinugod sa ospital la-hat ng biktima, ayon sa pu-lisya, subalit ang driver na

si Mendonez ay namatay ilang minuto pa lamang ng gamutan. Kinailangang isugod sa isang pagamu-tan sa Cabanatuan City si Grospe ngunit binawian rin siya ng buhay saman-talang nilalapatan ng lu-nas, ayon sa pulsiya.

Patuloy naman ang pagpapayo ng mga otori-dad na mag-ingat sa pag-mamaneho, lalo sa mo-torsiklo.

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The GossipmillerCesar Pambid

Alice Dixson di papatolsa lalaking walang pera

GAME at masayang kausap si Alice. Kinukulit na siya kung kailan niya ilalantad ang lalaking nagpapa-inspire sa kanya ngayon.

Winner sa kanya ang matangkad na lalaki, may face value, at marunong mag-carry ng conversation. Gusto rin niya halos kaedad niya para ‘di siya masabihang bagets killer. Pero sabi ng press, karamihan ng kaedad niya ay may mga pamilya na rin o kaya’y bading kaya walang asawa.

Binanggit naman ni Alice na hindi niya priority ngayon ang magkaroon ng asawa. Kaya naman daw niyang alagaan ang sarili niya at maging independent. Basta ‘pag dumating daw ‘yung right guy para sa kanya, eh, ‘di go.

Paano kung matangkad, guwapo pero walang datung?“Bakit wala siyang datung?” gulat na tanong ni Alice.Baka nakilala lang niya sa bar?“Paano siya magbabayad ng bill namin, ako pa? Waley,” tugon niya.Pero malaki… ang future niya?“Patingin nga muna,” tumatawa niyang pahayag.Ang alin?“’Yung future niya,” casual na sagot ni Alice sabay tawanan.Wala raw siyang nakikita sa showbiz na napupusuan ngayon.

Richard-Sarah balik-GMA

NAGKASUNDO na ang magkaaway na sina Sarah Lahbati at Annette Abrogar. Sarah was on the verge of being one of GMA’s top leading ladies after being successfully launched in “Kokak” and being Richard Gutierrez’ leading lady in “Makapiling Kang Muli,” so we don’t know what came over at bigla siyang nagluka-lukahan in suing GMA. Nadiskaril ang career kumbaga.

As one writer says: “Papataas na sana, naudlot pa.” And now, she has to start all over again. For starters, GMA Artist Center is allowing her to do a

telemovie for TV5’s “Studio 5 Original Movies”. But it looks like it’ll be a tough uphill climb for her, judging

from the reactions of a netizens who post negative reactions about her on social media.

As for Richard, no doubt his relationship with GMA then was affected as he had to side with his girlfriend.

This must be one of the reasons why he didn’t renew his contract with them. But now that GMA and Sarah have

kissed and made up, he can probably reconsider his options and return to GMA. After all, he still has movie for GMA Films

which he just completed, “Overtime,” an action-thriller where he’s paired with Lauren Young. A few days ago, Chard has

already agreed to be a guest in “The Ryzza Mae Show” and the feedback is great.

Now that GMA is having problems with their primetime shows that seem to lag in the ratings game, maybe they should

cook a good project for Richard. We should remember that GMA7’s performance in the ratings started zooming up with Chard’s “Mulawin.” We have no doubt that if they could fi nd a good mature material for Chard (not another telefantasya ala-Captain Barbell or Kamandag), it would give him a very good chance of having a second wind in his career. But

for now, he’ll be busy promoting his movie with GMA Films, “Overtime,” an action thriller which has an April playdate.

Cristine Reyes gusto nanggumawa ng baby

NAGING ex-boyfriend ni Cristine Reyes si Mark Herras bukod pa nga sa magkakasabayan sila dati sa Starstruck with Jennylyn Mercado, Yasmien Kurdi, Rainier Castillo, Nadine Samonte, etc.

Kaya naman hindi maiwasang mahingan ng reaksyon si Cristine hinggil sa pagkakaroon ng baby ni Mark at pagiging

unwed father nito.“Nagulat ako kasi, daddy na siya,” say ni Cristine.

May communication pa rin naman kasi sila ni Mark at aniya, medyo nararamdaman nga niya na may kakaibang nangyayari

kay Mark pero dahil nga bisi-bisihan daw siya ay hindi na sila nakapag-usap pa nang masinsinan.

“Alam naman ni Mark na ’pag may kailangan siya, alam naman niya kung saan ako hahanapin. And pamilya pa rin kami, meron

kaming grupo sa Starstruck. Lagi pa rin kaming nag-uusap. Lahat kami, meron kaming isang group, Survivor,” say ni Cristine.

Ayon kay Cristine ay kilala niya ang handler ni Mark na sinasabi ngang ina ng anak ng aktor.

“Handler ko siya dati,” say ni Cristine. “Model-type,” pagdi-describe niya sa ina ng anak ni Mark.

Natanong nga si Cristine kung how would she feel kung siya naman ang nasa posisyon ni Ynna Asistio na girlfriend ni Mark at the time na nakabuntis ito.

“Wala. Eh, di, ganoon talaga ang buhay, eh. We have to deal with it,” say pa ng leading lady ni Paulo Avelino sa Honesto.

Hindi ba siya naiinggit sa mga ka-batch niya sa Starstruck na karamihan ay may mga anak na ngayon?

“Gusto ko na nga rin, eh,” natatawa niyang sagot. “Kaya nga, lagi ko ngang hinihiram ang mga pamangkin ko, eh. Alam nila ’yun. ’Yon ’yung hinaing ko nu’n sa kanila, ‘gusto ko ng baby.’ Pero wala, bawal, eh.”

Mga after two years pa raw siguro bago niya isipin ang mag-settle down at magkaroon ng sariling anak.Alice DixsonAlice Dixson

level. He said Laguna is also a bad choice since it will not help in decongesting Metro Manila but would actu-ally lend more conges-tion into it.

“It’s like pouring money into the sea. It’s a total waste,” Cruz said explaining that what happened to the Tacloban airport in the wake of super ty-phoon Yolanda should be both a wake-up call and an eye opener.

“Sangley and Lagu-na are highly vulnera-ble to climate change devastation,” Cruz stressed.

But Abaya said in published reports that “the Japan Internation-al Cooperation Agency (JICA) is initially look-ing at the former US naval base Sangley Point in Cavite as well as the country’s largest lake as the possible site of the new airport which are both near Metro Manila.”

“Our initial feed-back is that they (JICA) are looking at Sangley because it is within the 20-minute parameter and is accessible. One could also be I think Laguna de Bay,” Aba-ya said.

The DOTC secre-tary also said the proj-ect could be under the public-private partner-ship (PPP) scheme as the government is veering away from un-solicited proposals.

“Interested inves-tors could join the bid-ding. Defi nitely unso-licited proposal won’t happen,” he added.

But Abaya admit-ted that both locations entail massive recla-mation as the new in-ternational airport re-quires at least 2,000 hectares.

The PGKM pointed out that land reclama-tion would have dev-astating effects as it will destroy marine life in the place which can translate to loss of live-lihood for thousands of coastal communities.

Abaya also admit-ted in published re-ports that without land reclamation it is near-ly impossible to get an area as big as 2,000 hectares or even 1,000 hectares that is 20 min-utes away from Manila.

JICA is reportedly conducting a site se-lection study for the new international air-port that is a long-term development to

be commenced and completed in 15 to 20 years.

But the PGKM not-ed that Abaya will no longer be around in 15 to 20 years and to con-sider a site that is both detrimental to the envi-ronment and illogical is absurd.

The DOTC said it wants to put into op-eration a new interna-tional airport by 2027 with the joint develop-ment of the congested NAIA in Manila and the Clark International Air-port (CIA) in Pampan-ga.

The PGKM, which is advocating for the full and immediate de-velopment of the CIA, said the DOTC should instead focus on what is doable and attain-able now by develop-ing CIA which already exists and most of all operational.

Cruz said all it (CIA) needs is a policy state-ment and direction from the national gov-ernment for its full and immediate develop-ment.

With that, he said, Metro Manila which is already bursting at the seams will be decon-gested and the fully expanded CIA will act as a catalysts for de-velopment not only in Central Luzon but in the entire archipelago because of its strategic location.

“Why should the fast train be only up to Malolos, Bulacan when there is practi-cally nothing there?” Cruz asked. “Why not extend it all the way to Clark not in 2030 but now in order to fer-ry airline passengers to their destinations in less and predictable time.”

The JICA study showed that “the num-ber of passengers in Greater Capital Region would hit 106.7 million by 2040, from 31.88 million in 2012.”

It expects passen-gers from the Nation-al Capital Region as well as Central Luzon and Calabarzon to rise steadily to 49.8 million in 2020, 75 million in 2030, and 106.7 mil-lion in 2040.

The PGKM said Malacañang should waste no time in mak-ing a policy statement and direction to real-ize a fully developed CIA which can accom-modate airline pas-sengers even beyond 2040.

PGKM hits DOTC’s...FROM PAGE 1

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