famas elections countdown - filipino · pdf filenamely, bringing back the french courses to...

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C o n t e n t sC o m m u n i t y N e w s . . . . . . . p . 6

C o o p e r a t i v e M o v e m e n t . . . . p . 7

C l a s s i f i e d A d s . . . . . . . . p . 9

P h i l i p p i n e C u i s i n e . . . . . . p . 9

T o u r i s m . . . . . . . . . . . p . 1 0

S h o w b i z G o s s i p . . . . . . . p . 1 4

P o e t ’ s C o r n e r . . . . . . . p . 1 6

R e a l E s t a t e T i p s . . . . . . p . 1 9

G l o b a l P e r s p e c t i v e s . . . . p . 2 0

C o o p e r a t i v e N e w s . . . . . . p . 2 1

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Boracay Island

www.filipinostar.orgJuly 2007, Vol. XXV, No. 7

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FAMAS elections countdownMontreal, July 3, 2007 - FAMAS

voters will have only two choices thistime, unlike previous years when thereare at least four candidates forpresident. Claro Bermudez, a pastdirector of Famas, and past presidentof APO, is running against theincumbent Albert Floresca who wantsto be re-elected.

To help our readers in theirevaluation of the candidates, the StarEditor, Zenaida Kharroubi, interviewedAlbert Floresca on Sunday, July 1, andClaro Bermudez on Tuesday, July 3.They were asked the followingquestions: 1. Why do you think people will, orshould vote for you?2.What is your definition of leadership? 3.What are your goals in running forpresident of Famas?4.If elected, what will be your priority?6.What is the biggest obstacle tocommunity unity? How do youpropose to solve or overcome this

obstacle? Mr. Floresca began by saying that

people vote on the basis of whatsomeone has done, not only during aterm of office but also what someonehas done in his life, regardless ofeducation and experience, it is stillbased on what one has done. Herecalled what he had said during theinterview we had two years ago whenhe replied to a question about hisachievements. He had said then thathe did not have any outstandingachievements yet, but now, he believeshe has two outstanding achievements,namely, bringing back the Frenchcourses to Famas, and the facaderenovation of the community centerbuilding. In spite of difficulties heencountered and the lack ofcooperation from other boardmembers, he felt quite proud that hemanaged to overcome them. Hetherefore feel that people would votefor him because of what he had

achieved during his term. “These twooutstanding achievements will pushme to ask again for re-election.because I think by setting up anexample, this is just a part of the bigplan that I have.” In his reply tothe second question, he said thatleadership is not only what is definedin a book. For him, leadership ismodeling something good that otherswill follow, or setting up an example.

People follow you because of the goodthings you are doing.”

In answering what his goals are,he said that our (FAMAS) constitutiondoes not let us go forward. Amendingthe constitution is therefore included inhis list of goals. He said: “When theCity is ready to help the community, itis the time that the president has tomake his exit. There should be

Claro Bermudez Albert Floresca

See Page 4 FAMAS

See Page 4 Pista sa Nayon

QP8 Band performs at “Pista sa Nayon” Festival at MacKenzie King Park, July22

Montreal, July 7, 2007 - TheFilipino-Canadian community inMontreal will be treated to theperformance of a seven-piece bandwho will play not only the latest tuneand dance hits but also the nostaligicsounds of yesterday. This band isbeing promoted by the InternationalEntertainment (Mtl-Phil) Inc., a groupthat specializes in bringing Philippineartists to Canada to promote newtalents in the industry with thecollaboration of the Quebecgovernment. through an exchangeprogram. The band is scheduled toplay from 1:00 to 2:00 P.M. If peoplewant to enjoy going out on a Saturdayevening to listen or dance to the Band’smusic, they should go to Chez Mauricein St. Lazard, on four consecutiveSaturdays, July 7, 14, 21, 28 at 10 p.m.A round trip transportation by bus isprovided for a modest cost of $8 . Toget tickets or make reservations, call514-889-1263 or 514 927-6429.

QP8 comprises of Richard U. Sampana on keyboards, Jesus Nino E.Espiritu on base guitar, Alex Andrew Abuda on lead guitar, Fernando N.Barquin Jr. on drums, Alvin F. Laranang, Arwin D. Domino and Vernie M.Masangkay are vocalists.

July 20072


The North American Filipino Star

Lina V. FernandezDr. Victor Gavino

Prof. Isaac GoodineEsther StansfieldAnna May Tappan

Alvin D. VelosoContributors

Bert AbieraFounder

4950 Queen Mary Road Penthouse(5th Floor) near Snowdon MetroMontreal, QCH3W 1X3

Zenaida Ferry KharroubiChief Editor & Publisher

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The North American Filipino StarSUBSCRIPTION

Opinions, comments of writers and columnists do not necessarily reflect that ofthe management of Filcan Publications, Inc.

EEDDIITTOORRIIAALL

Hilda T. VelosoCommunity News

Sam FerryAssistant Editor

News & Tourism Editor

How aware and interested are youin community issues?

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It seems easy to complainabout things and talk about problemsbut there are no visible nor concretesigns that people are really interestedin doing anything about makingchanges to the status quo. Take forexample the issue about having twoFederations. Since about two yearsago, this has been an issue.. Who issupposed to resolve the impasse? Thelast time we heard about it was whenthere was a hearing held lastNovember 2006. What is going tohappen? No one can hazard a guess.

FAMAS elections will be heldon August 12. Two candidates arebusy campaigning. To give both sidesa chance to present their platforms, wehave interviewed them both. It is nowin the hands of all voters to reflect moreon what they have heard and what theyactually know first hand. Usually, thereare two sides to anything and it iscertainly a good idea to be objective.That is to say, before making anyconclusions, we should attempt toknow the facts, and not just listen torumors, regardless of whether or notthey are coming from our closestfriends.

It is common knowledge thatthere are programs which thecommunity can benefit from. Thisrequires some work in doing properresearch and then making a proposal tacceptable to the government for thepurpose of receiving grants necessaryto realize projects that will benefit thecommunity. But this seems to beimpossible when there are competinggroups who are unable to settle theirdifferences, just like the case of the twoFederations. It has been rumored thatfunds are frozen and the governmentcannot release them until the problemis settled. Which one of the twoFederations can legitimately be calledthe Federation of Filipino CanadianAssociations of Quebec? Is there anysense at all in allowing this impase togo any longer? Meanwhile, thecommunity cannot go forward andnothing can be accomplished,

People have expressed theirwish to have unity. It is an ideal thatseems highly unrealistic for now.Perhaps, it is indeed difficult to forgetour regionalist tendencies. We identify

more with those who come from thesame province or who speak the samedialect. There are many differentassociations organized along theselines. There are also many otherassociations that are politicallymotivated. How much informationdoes our community know about thetrue nature of these different groups?Do they play a role in terms of helpingthe less fortunate, the youth who arerecruited by gangs, the families whoare disadvantaged, the caregivers whoare subject to abuses by bademployers and those who have drugaddictions? Do the people knowwhere to turn and seek help when theyneed it? When do we decide to say“enough is enough” and get down tobusiness?

Perhaps, there is a need for aninformation center where all thesedifferent groups will be listed and theirprojects publicized. Will the differentassociations be willing to publicizetheir objectives, and their activities? Ifthey are, this paper will also be willingto help disseminate information. At thevery beginning of our publication inApril 1998, we offered to give a sectionto community organizations to informthe public about their mission and theirprojects. At the end of their fundraising drive, we also offer space topublish their financial statements. Sofar, there has been only oneassociation that took this opportunity.

If people are aware ofcommunity issues and they want toexpress concern about them, they canwrite to us. We will try our best to findthe answer from the experts, whetherthey are in government or in the privatesector.

Starting next issue, we willhave a column devoted to our readersquestions. They can write to us, butwe request that their true names beidentified or signed at the end of theirquestions. The answers to thesequestions will be publicized as soon aswe obtain the answers from the properauthorities.

Our primary objective is andalways has been to inform and tomake everyone become interested inpromoting community unity. a

Zenaida Ferry Kharroubi

PRIME MINISTERSTEPHEN HARPERCOMMEMORATES175th ANNIVERSARYOF THE RIDEAUCANAL

Merrickville, Ontario – PrimeMinister Stephen Harper todaycommemorated the 175th anniversary ofthe Rideau Canal at the 40th annualopening festivities of the MerrickvilleBlockhouse Museum .

To mark the occasion, PrimeMinister Harper unveiled a new exhibit atthe Blockhouse Museum . Createdthrough a $95,000 contribution fromCanada ’s New Government, as part of theoverall Rideau 175 program tocommemorate the 175th anniversary ofthe Rideau Canal, the exhibit illustrates themilitary links between Lieutenant ColonelJohn By’s Rideau Canal and the earlyyears of settlement in Merrickville.

“The Rideau Canal was an epicinfrastructure project, as big and bold asthe young country that built it,” said thePrime Minister. “It stands as a testamentto the resourcefulness and determinationof our people.”

Designated as a national historic

site of Canada in 1939, the MerrickvilleBlockhouse was built in 1832 as part of achain of four Blockhouses for the defenceof the Rideau Canal . The building isdirectly adjacent to the Merrickville locksof the Rideau Canal, in what is todayknown as Blockhouse Park . The village ofMerrickville-Wolford and Merrickville andDistrict Historical Society, operate andmaintain the Blockhouse Museum andArchives and help bring the site ofMerrickville locks to life, telling the story ofthe Town’s early years through guidedtours, museum displays and specialevents.

“Thanks to events and facilitiessuch as these, Canadians and our guestsfrom other countries have opportunities tolearn about the rich history of this regionand its contributions to the developmentof our great country,” the Prime Ministerconcluded. The Merrickville BlockhouseMuseum is working in partnership withParks Canada throughout 2007 tocelebrate the 175th anniversary of theRideau Canal .

PMO Press Office: (613) 957-5555This document is also available athttp://pm.gc.ca

Become a member nowand enjoy a 5% discountfor everything youpurchase effective July 15, 2007.

Save money and get allshopping done atDivisoria.

July 2007 3The North American Filipino Star


On Thursday, June 21, 2007,guests invited to the official opening ofthe Firemen’s Academy in Becancour,were quite impressed with the facilitiesto be used in the specialized training ofsecurity personnel in the industrialpark .

When the Institut de recherche etd’expertise en séurité publicque(IRESP), a private organization thatgroups the largest network of partnersin public security announced inOctober 2005 the installation of the firstCentre for specialized training, thepromoters had already talked about aninvestment of more than one milliondollars.

At the beginning, the Centre was

giving courses three days a week toenterprises which have securitybrigades for emergency as well as tothe municipalities and their firemen ona part time basis. Meanwhile, thedemand is so strong that the training

now at the Center has become fulltime seven days a week and about twomillion dollars have been invested.Thiswill double until the 2nd and 3rdphases of the project are finished.

The Fireman’s Academy hasalready operated since 1979 a centerin Mirabel where firemen were trainedfull time. The Centre at Bécancour isthe second one.

The vice-president and director-

general of IRESP, Martin Ruel, said thathe was very proud of the realization ofthe project: “What you see here is notthe conclusion of a project but just thebeginning. It’s the initial start up andwe are going towards innovation. Wewant to work with you to be the leaderin this field..”

For his part, Pierre Lahaie,director-general of Petresa Canadaand president of CEOP (Centre desentreprises et organismes du Parcindusriel) recalled that it is evident thatthere is a need, space and willingnessto do this type of project. He said: “Wehave had several pojects which werepresented to us but none was realized.I can tell you today withut hesitation

that it is worth waiting for..” The Mayorof Becancour, Maurice Richard, alsoagreed to his statement.

For the president of CEOP, thisCenter fits all the training needs incombatting fires and otherr measures

of security that can be practiced in thepark of Becancour. “This answersexactly the needs of the industries andwe are very happy to welcome you.,”he said.

The Centre employs 5 persons fulltime and 20 others part time.According to Ms. Janice Belair, incharge of communications andmarketing for the Academy, three othertrainers on a full time basis and one

new secretary will be hired in Augustfor the Centre in Becancour. Sheestimates that around 2 000 people willbe receiving training annually.

The director of the Centre, PascalCaron, said that the first phase of theproject has used an area of 100 000square feet The second phase of theproject will be implemented in the nextfew months from the southern sidebecause of the big demand. The thirdphase will be developed from thewestern side of the installation.

Mr. René Gélinas, a CIDAconsultant, has been to the Philippinesand is currently working on thefeasibility of installing an exactduplicate of the Fireman’s Academy tobe built in Subic Bay, Zambales. It willcertainly be an excellent project whichthe Philippines will benefit from.

For further information, thetelephone at Becancour is: 819-294-4460, Mirabel - 450-258-4460. a

Official Opening of the Fireman’sAcademy in Bécancour

The members of the Administration pose with the Star Editor. From right to left: Janice Belair,Director, Marketing; Bernard Belair, President; Martin Ruel, Vice-President; Jean RenéBeaulieu, Consultant, René Gélinas, CIDA consultant, and marc Decarufel, CGA.

A fireman is explaining the simulation of fire to the reporters and visitors to the site

Pascal Caron, Director-General of Academie des pompiers being interviewed duringthe official opening of the Academy, June 21, 2007 at Bécancour.

By Zenaida Ferry Kharroubi

July 20074



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continuity between the incumbent andthe incoming president so that therewill be a continuity of their projects.”This amendment does not involvechanging the term of office of thepresident but a certain provision thatwill allow the endorsement of theprevious administration’s project to thenext one.

Mr. Floresca has severalpriorities if elected. Amending theconstitution is just one of them. Theother two priorities are securing agroup insurance for all FAMASmembers, especially for caregiversand newcomers, and sprucing up thebackyard of the community centerwhich should be cemented.According to him, the trees need to becut down as they are posing a dangerto the neighboring buildings. He alsoplans to put a retaining wall.

Identifying the obstacle tocommunity unity is not easy to answer.Until now, the issue of having twoFederations is unsettled. Mr. Florescatook more time to answer the questionbut according to his observation it is amatter of “who has the bigger ego.” Itis a common knowledge that there aretwo groups who apparently do not likeeach other, but even if the conflict isresolved, even if these two groupsdisappear, there will be other groupsthat could stand in the way ofcommunity unity because ofregionalism which has always beenpart of Filipino culture back home.However, if there is a bigger goal thatall of us could support and worktogether, he thinks it may be possibleto have some semblance of unity andcooperation. He cited the fact that thePhilippine community has been herefor over 40 years and yet, the onlycommunity center we have is a duplexwhile other groups who arrived here inthe 1980s already have biggerbuildings. He implied that thecommunity maybe united under abigger goal and that is why he wants toamend the constitution of FAMAS “sothat unity will at least flourish a littlebit...”

When asked to give his finalmessage to the community, hesummarized the projects done duringhis term such as, the French courses,kitchen renovation which he credits toNilo Parial through the bayanihanspirit, the facade renovation, andsummer camp of Filipino children atFAMAS. The reason why he wants torun for another term is that this willallow him to do a couple of goodprojects more which will set up an

example for the next leadership. “Iwanted to do several good things moresuch that when my second term will befinished I think I have done enough forthe community that a leader has to dogood things and will serve as a goodprecedent to the incoming presidentand their measurement of success willnot be based on money, but it will bebased on the good things they havedone for the community. When we didnot have the building before, theirmeasurement is: how much money didyou make during your administration”Now that we have a building, themeasurement of a leader should bebased on what good things they havedone. He said that if he could domore good things and set an examplefor others to do the same thing; hewould be the happiest man on earth.

On Tuesday, July 3, ClaroBermudez was interviewed to answerthe same questions. He said that theFilipino community wants to havechanges in order to have a bettercommunity, a better organization thatwill be respected, and people can betrusted. He believes that if he can dothese changes, people will vote for him

His definition of leadership isnot only winning and understandingpeople but the most important thing fora leader is to know what is needed andto know how to persuade people to dogood things for the community.According to him, there are manytypes of leaders. Some are bornleaders but the better kind of leader isthe one with ability, commitment andexperience in leading which issynonymous to having a managementexperience. Moreover, having acommitment to do what is needed is aquality of a good leader.

To answer the third questionabout his goals, he said that if he couldoffer good leadership, he thinks thatthe people’s trust will be back. “Notonly that, the people will support anassociation that seeks to have acommon ground with the rest of thecommunity.” He admitted that the taskof running for FAMAS president is noteasy but the only thing he could do isto show his commitment. He said hehas a proven track record where hehas always shown commitment anddedication to every position orresponsibility given to him.

If elected, his priority is to “letthe people know first what we aredoing so that together we will have theparticipation of everyone.” He believesthat everyone’s participation is of greatadvantage to the administration ofprojects. Even though we all havedifferent ways of doing things, if we ask

people first for their input, he believesthat there will be a better chance ofworking together, and we can achievemuch bigger goals.. He plans to openup the channel of communication withthe whole community through variousways like working with the board ofdirectors and using technology like e-mail, etc. Briefly, his priority is toestablish true communication andobtain community consensus.

Concerning the problem ofunity as reflected by having twoFederations, he believes that thegovernment should know whorepresents the community. Everyonecan see during elections that FAMAShas the biggest membership. Ifelected, he would see to it that it isproperly introduced to thegovernment. By doing so, theambiguity or confusion caused by twoFederations both claiming to representthe community may be clarified andcommunity unity may start to bedeveloped.

Mr. Bermudez’ final messageis: The best contribution that one cangive to the community is to choose theright leader.

FAMAS UPDATEThe elections of FAMAS is

confirmed to be held at the Van HornePark located on Westbury and VanHorne Avenue on Sunday, August 12,from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you are astudent, you have to bring yourstudent ID of the last semester.Medicare cards are absolutelynecessary for all voters to bring duringthe elections.

Members should renew theirmembership based on the followingrates:

Singles $7.00Couples $10.00Students & Seniors $4.00

Pre-registrations will be held atthe FAMAS building on 4708 VanHorne Avenue on August 5 and 11,time to be determined later. Call 514-341-7477 for more information.

Pre-registrations are intendedto facilitate the election process bymaking those who pre-registered togo to a quicker line to vote. a

From Page 1 FAMAS

QP8 (Quarter Pass Eight) is aseven piece band made up of six maleand one female members. Lively,versatile and talented are some of theterms thta could be used to describethem. QUP8 is a well-balanced group,

From Page 1 Pista sa Nayon

composed of four musicians, who playforeceful and precise music, matchedperfectly with the three vocalistsblending in harmony.

QP8 is composed of Richard U.Sampan on keyboards, Jesus Nino E.Espiritu, on bass guitar, Alex AndrewAbuda on lead guitar, Fernando N.Barquin Jr. on drums, Alvin F. laranang,Arwin D. Domino and Vernie M.Masangkay as vocalists. They all haveonly one common goal and that is toperfect their showmanship, their soundand their music. Even though QP8 hasalmost achieved this goal, their thirstfor perfection still remains and they arecontinuously aspiring for more andmore. From professionals toteenagers, everyone will enjoy hearingthe QP8 Band performing live.

AMAS, in collaboration with theCDN/NDG Borough is sponsoring the“Pista Sa Nayon” (community festival),which is usually held during the monthof July. It is a day-long festival ofcultural activities such as traditionaland modern dancing, selection of themuse “Mutya ng Nayon,” Karaokesinging, games, sports, authenticFilipino food and native delicacies.Father Frank Alvarez of the FilipinoCatholic Mission will officiate at the holymass which will be held at 3 p.m. , justafter the QP8 Band has played live.

There will be plenty of food andlots of fun for everyone. This is anopportunity to see all old and newfriends and neighbors. a

Montreal, July 5, 2007 -Gilmore International College met withthe Order of Nurses (Ordre desinfirmières et infirmiers) to submit aprogramme to integrate foreigngraduates of nursing, particularly forthose who are from the Philippines.It was recommended that theprogramme be reviewed by acommittee of nursing practitioners,specifically those who have anextensive working experience inQuebec.

During the meeting, it wasmentioned that there have been somedifficulties faced by Filipino caregiverswhen they want to integrate into theprofession because of working outsidetheir field of training. After more thanthree years of not practicing, they havea hard time in acquiring the skillsrequired in the new environment. Inview of this observation, Gilmore willattempt to look into the possibility ofestablishing an exchange program itohelp Filipino nurses integrate moreeasily into the Quebec healthcaresystem. a

Integration of ForeignGraduates of Nursing



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Photographs raisehopes Bossi still alive July 9, 2007

The 12th and last senator whowill join the 14th Congress may beproclaimed on Tuesday, depending onthe results of a marathon sessiontonight of the Commission on Elections(Comelec), sitting as the NationalBoard of Canvassers.

And it looks like the winner is TeamUnity’s Juan Miguel Zubiri, who leadrival Aquilino Pimentel III by some17,000 based on still unofficial count.The Comelec has not been releasingofficial tallies since a week ago.

In a late afternoon pressconference tonight, Comelec chairmanBenjamin Abalos said the NBC wouldhave something on the possible

proclamation on Tuesday. “Itdepends,” he said.

The extrapolation was based onthe canvassing today of certificate ofcanvass (Coc) from Bais City in NegrosOriental, Bogo municipality in Cebuand leftover precincts from the town ofPagalungan in Maguindanao province.

Bogo gave Zubiri 12,656 voteswhereas Pimentel earned just 4,434votes -a difference of 8,222 votes.

Though Bais yielded 13,381 votesfor Zubiri and only 5,473 votes forPimentel -a difference of 7,183votes-questions arose as to whether ornot these will be included in the tallybecause of a pending petition todeclare a failure of elections in the city.

Atty. Leila de Lima, Pimentel’scounsel, said this encumbrance shouldfirst be settled.

In today’s canvassed precincts inPagalungan, Pimentel earned 740votes as against Zubiri’s 1,216 votes.

Garcia asked that Zubiri beproclaimed already, but de Limaopposed it, arguing that her client’spetition with the Supreme Court not toproclaim a 12th senator is still pending.

Pimentel had filed the petition latelast week as a legal remedy to excludethe Maguindanao votes from the nation

a

July 8, 2007Hopes for kidnapped Italian priest

Giancarlo Bossi were raised Saturdaywhen it emerged that a fellow priesthad been sent photographs of himapparently unharmed.

The pictures show Bossi, who wastaken hostage almost a month ago,looking thin and haggard but otherwisewell.

There has been no word on the fateof the 57-year-old Roman Catholicmissionary since he was kidnapped inZamboanga Sibugay on June 10 bysuspected Muslim extremists.

The photographs were sent viamobile phone to Bossi’s friend, AngelCalvo, and show him in a forest. In one,he is holding a radio.

Regional military chief, Lt. Gen.Eugenio Cedo, said he was trying toauthenticate the pictures and find outwhen they were taken.

Special Italian envoy Mar-ghe-ritaBoniver, who arrived in ZamboangaCity Friday to meet with military andofficials, was cautious about thephotographs, saying, “We cannot saythat this hard proof that he is still alive.”

Boniver, who met with members ofBossi’s order, the Pontifical Institute forForeign Missions (PIME), said therewas “no precise date [for thephotographs.] So apparently, theycould have been taken some 12-14days after his abduction.”

“His fellow PIME have nticed thathe has lost a lot of weight and his beardis different from when he waskidnapped,” indicating some time hadpassed since his abduction, saidBoniver.

She said the photographs wouldhave to be studied by experts.

She told reporters she was not inthe south to negotiate for Bossi’srelease, and reiterated that both Italyand the Philippines had a policy of notpaying ransom money.

Boniver said it was still not certainwho had seized Bossi or what theirdemands were. The PIME order, in astatement, said it also had copies of thephotographs and that Bossi was“wearing the same clothes he wore onthe day of his kidnapping.”

Bossi’s abductors are believed tobe renegade members of the MoroIslamic Liberation Front, a Muslimseparatist group that signed a ceasefirewith the government to open the doorto peace talks.

The MILF was initially helping in theefforts to free him, but the group hassince pulled out its forces from thesearch. a

Handout photo released 07 July 2007shows Italian priest Giancarlo Bossi

Zubiri may be proclaimed 12th senator this week

July 20076 The North American Filipino Star


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COMMUNITY NEWSImprovement of the admission ofprofessional immigrants into ourhealth sectorSaul Polo congratulates the Charestgovernment on its initiatives

Montréal, June 18th 2007 – MrSaul Polo, President of the CulturalCommunities Commission of the QuébecLiberal Party is pleased with theannouncement made by Yolande James,Minister of Immigration and CulturalCommunities, concerning projects that willfacilitate the integration of professionalimmigrants into our health sector. Theseprojects principally concern nurses,doctors, mid-wife and medical technicians.

Minister James announced thatthe Government of Québec will invest inhelping the professional orders be betterequipped to evaluate the diplomas andtraining of new immigrants acquiredoutside of Québec. New immigrants will bebetter prepared for finding jobs in theirrespective domains.

“The measures announced by theMinister demonstrate the Charest’sgovernment willingness to integrate newimmigrants into the workplace. It’s with ajob that new immigrants will be able to findtheir place in Québec’s society”, said SaulPolo.

Mr Polo highlighted that since2003, the Québec Liberal Partygovernment has concluded severalagreements with the professional orders,so that they may be better equipped toprocess the recognition of foreign helddiplomas by new immigrants. “Significantprogress has been made since the arrivalof the Charest government in 2003. Whilethe PQ was in power, very few candidates

were permitted to work in the healthsector. There is still work to be done,and the QLP has shown the politicalwill to help new immigrants at all stepsin finding a job. a

needed increases for legal aid and fornew funding for civil legal aid that wouldinclude family law and domestic violencecases.

While the provinces continue toincrease funding to legal aid, the levelof federal support has remained virtuallyunchanged since 2003/04. The last timethe federal government was a 50/50partner was 1990/91. The federalgovernment, in its 2007 Budget, indicatedthat criminal legal aid funding would bemaintained at current levels for the nextfive years.

"The Saskatchewan Legal AidCommission also gets four times morefunding from the province than from thefederal government," said SaskatchewanJustice Minister Frank Quennell. "Not onlyhas the federal government refused torecognize the current need for legal aidfunding, they must recognize that theirchanges to Canada's criminal justicesystem are costly. They must be willing toinvest to meet both the current andincreased demands for legalaid."

"We're asking the federal governmentto step up to the plate," said Nova ScotiaMinister of Justice Murray Scott. "Theprovinces strive to provide legalassistance for family law clients who areoften women and children. But we canonly do so much. We are asking thefederal government to commit to fundingfor civil legal aid."

"Legal aid is fundamental in terms ofaccess to our justice system and itgreatly impacts the most vulnerable in oursociety," said Newfoundland andLabrador Minister of Justice TomOsborne. "In Newfoundland andLabrador, the lack of sustained fundingmakes the process of building a legal aiddelivery system that is capable of meetingthe needs of our citizens difficult. And

we,as a provincial government, arecommitted to providing equal access tofamily law related services to all citizens ofour province."

"Without additional federal resources,provinces and territories areconcerned about whether we canmaintain current levels of civil legal aidservice," said Québec Attorney GeneralJacques P. Dupuis. "We would like afederal commitment on legal aid fundingnow."

ssssssus - regardless of means - must beassured of effective and equal access tothe judicial system when our fundamentalinterests are at stake."

Legal aid protects constitutional andlegal rights and ensures fair andequal treatment for people with lowincomes facing criminal charges. Theprovinces and territories fund legal aid forparents with low incomes involvedin child protection proceedings or seekingcustody, access or financial support forthemselves or their children.

"The provinces and territories are incritical need of new, dedicated andspecific funding for civil legal aid," saidBryant. "Federal funding would meanmore family law clients would get the legalservices they deserve. The provinces andterritories stand united in calling forincreased federal funding for legal aidservices."www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.caFor further information: Greg Crone,Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General,Minister's Office, (416) 326-1785; BrendanCrawley, Ontario Ministry of theAttorney General, CommunicationsBranch, (416) 326-2210; Debi McEwen,ABC,Director, Communications & PublicEducation, Corrections and Public Safety,(306) 787-6043; Cathy MacIsaac,Atty General of Québec, (514) 402-4128 a

OTTAWA, June 20 /CNW/ - Provincialjustice ministers united on Parliament Hilltoday to call on the federal government toincrease federal funding for legal aidservices, Ontario Attorney GeneralMichael Bryant announced. A Liberal,Conservative and a NDP provincialjustice minister made the tri-partisan casetoday for federal action.

"We are joining together to ask thefederal government to pay its fairshare as a partner in the justice system,"said Bryant. "While legal aid is asharedresponsibility between the federalgovernment and the rovinces andterritories, the provinces continue tocontribute a disproportionate amounttoward their legal aid systems. TheMcGuinty government, for example, hasincreased provincial funding to Legal AidOntario significantly since takingoffice,paying four times as much as the federalgovernment." In October 2006, provincialand territorial justice ministersunanimously agreed that current federalcontributions to legal aid were notenough. They once again asked thefederal government to commit to critically

Provinces Call ForIncreased FederalFunding For Legal Aid Justice Ministers StandTogether



COOPERATIVEMOVEMENTBigger than whatyou thinkBy Jerry EstradaPhilippine Correspondent

T hirty years ago, I still rememberthose small-time backyard businesses inthe rural community like the poultry andpiggery businesses which were ownedand operated by “family-size” enterprises.Today, the ubiquitous small businesseshave become absolute monopolies, withthe poultry business controlled by fourbig firms, namely San Miguel, Robina,RFM, and Purefoods.

Let’s take again the example ofsoap, a processed product from copra.As of now three foreign companiescontrol the soap industry in thePhilippines, namely Procter and Gamble,Unilever, and Colgate-Palmolive. Evenbagoong (salted fish), soy sauce, vinegar,and table salt were family size enterprisesin the past, but now have becomeveritable businesses by rich corporations.What is true of the above-mentionedbusinesses can be said as well with manyother businesses.

Now let’s have a wider glance onthe companies owned to a large extent bysome of the super-rich individuals:TAN YU. A&A Group; Agricultural,Industrial and Commercial Group; AICRealty; American Chinese Investment;Asia World International; Asia WorldPlaza; Fuga Intl. Group; Great Wall Corp.;Marina Properties; Taiwan &Communications Hotels, and OverseasChinese Comml. Bank. (With 20 thousandhectares of real estate in various places inthe Philippines, Tan Yu is the country'slargest landowner after the government.He also controls huge tracts of land inChina, Taiwan, Canada and the US.) ANDREW GOTIANUN. East AsianFinancial Corp.; FCP Finance; FilinvestLand; Filipinas Mgt. and Leasing; EastWest Bank; Festival Supermall, andFilinvest Dev. Corp.MANUEL VILLAR. C&P Homes; CamellaInt’l. Trading; Golden Haven MemorialPark; Household Devt.; Britanny Corp.;Adelfa Properties; Fine Properties; MBVillar Co.; Macy’s Inc., and PalmeraHomes. GEORGE TY. Bankers Express Corp.;

Charter Insurance; First MetroInvestment. Corp.; Int’l. Bank ofCalifornia; Metrobank; Phil. LifeInsurance; PS Bank, and Toyota Phils.JAIME ZOBEL DE AYALA. Ayala Corp.;Ayala Insurance Group; Ayala Land;Ayala Life; BPI Bank; BPI Family SavingsBank; FGU; Globe Telecoms; IMI;Integrated Micro-electronics; ITTI Phils.;MWSS; Purefoods, and UniRe.EUGENIO LOPEZ. ABS-CBN; BayanTel;Benpres Holdings; Eastern VisayasTelephone; First Phil. Infrastructure Devt.;First Philippine Holdings; Global Food;Meralco; PCI Bank; RCPI; Int’lCommunication; Rockwell Land Corp.,and Sky Vision. HENRY SY. Banco de Oro; Beach Rubber;CBC Finance; China Banking Corp.; FEBInvestments; First East Asia Realty Dev’t.;Intercontinental Dev’t.; Multi-Realty Dev’t.;Shoemart; SM Aca; SM Aquaculture; SMFund; SM Insurance & Brokers; SMInvestment; SU Stores, and TagaytayResort Dev’t.LUCIO TAN. Air Philippines; Allied Bank;Allied Banker Insurance; Allied CapitalResources; Allied Leasing; Allied LondonOffice; Allied National Import Corp.; AsiaBrewery; Atlas Steel Varoni; BahrainOffshore Bank; Century Park Hotel;Century Park Sheraton Hotel; FirstMalayan Dev’t. Bank; Foremost Farms;Fortune Tobacco; Grandspan Dev’t.Corp.; Lapu-Lapu Packing; Lotte Phils.;Lucrative Realty Inc.; Malayan TextileMills; Micronesia Shopping Center;Oceanic Commercial Bank; Pan Phil.Industries; Phil. Cellophane Film Corp.;Philippine Airlines; PNB; Sipalay TradingCorp. Tanduay Distillers, Inc., andUniversity of the East. JOHN GOKONGWEI, JR. Apo Cement;Britannia Industrial Company; CambridgeElectronics; Cebu Pacific Air; CFC; DigitelTelecomunications; Far East Bank; FirstPower; JG Summit Holding; JG SummitPetrochemical; Litton Mills; ManilaMidtown Hotels and Land; MarkElectronics; PCI Bank; Robina Capital;Robina Textile Mills; Robinson’s Land;

Savanah Ind’l.; Toledo Power Corp.;Unicon Insurance Brokers Corp.;Universal Consolidated; UniversalRobina, and Westpoint Industrial Mills.

BALANCING ECONOMICDEVELOPMENT AND SOCIALPROGRESSHow could we narrow down the gapbetween the extreme poor and the superrich? Enormous riches are accumulatedin the hands of a few, while large numbersof workingmen with insufifficient wagesfind themselves in conditions of ever-increasing hardship.Rural industrialization is not enough.There must also be “family size”industrialization. The reason is obvious.One may have rural industrialization, but ifthe industries were controlled by only oneperson or by a few, the vast majority of thepeople in the rural area would remainpoor.

arket economists theorize thatonly the private sector really createswealth; all other sectors of societyparticipate in the consumption of wealth,but the creation of wealth happens in theprivate economic arena.

However, economic progressmust be accompanied by acorresponding social progress, so that allclasses of citizens can participate in theincreased productivity. The utmostvigilance and effort are needed to ensurethat social inequalities which are so farincreasing, are reduced to a minimum.SOCIAL AND ECONOMICRECONSTRUCTION

We could streamline the situationby creating programs that are targeted tohelp people help themselves and becomeself-reliant.The Encyclical Letter of Pope John XXIIIon Christianity and Social Progressentitled Mater et Magistra (Mother andTeacher), issued on May 15, 1961,mentioned the importance ofcooperatives as a vehicle to distributewealth. Mater et Magistra proposescooperatives as the means for a moreequitable distribution of wealth. Withoutcooperatives the big private corporationsget all the business and all the profits. Butif the large corporations are substitutedby cooperatives, the profits get dividedinto the many members of thecooperatives. With no cooperatives in theland, all the wealth is theirs for the taking.Mater et Magistra points out, "The smalland average sized undertakings inagriculture, in the arts and crafts, incommerce and industry, should besafeguarded and fostered. Moreover, they

should join together in co-operativeassociations to gain for themselves thebenefits and advantages that usually canbe gained only from large organizations." By doing away with the monopoly of thelarge companies, and by subdividing thebusiness into family size firms andcooperatives, wealth from the smallbusinesses gets distributed to manypeople.

SOLIDARITY AND CO-OPERATIONPoverty is still prevalent today, which iswhy the cooperative movement has notstopped working and has in fact grown.This organization allows coop leaders todedicate time and effort to contribute tothe alleviation of poverty throughcooperativism. By the force of theirexample they are helping to keep alive intheir own community a true sense ofresponsibility, a spirit of co-operation, andthe constant desire to create new andoriginal work of outstanding merit.First cooperatives were established 150years ago as the coop leaders’ responseto the widespread poverty that wasprevalent at that time, and so it is today asunemployment bites, the poor getspoorer and the rich gets richer in themidst of massive deprivation andsuffering, not only in the Philippines butall over the world. Cooperatives are not into dole outs; thatis not the point. The point is to get peopleto stand up for themselves and thereforegain for themselves a significant level ofhuman dignity. If you do not work foryourself, if you do not rely on yourself foryour own survival, you are deprived ofyour dignity as a human being and youare less effective as a contributor todemocratic society.Cooperatives have significant interests incontributing to the development of thecommunity. Cooperatives through thehelp of dedicated volunteer members andleaders, participate in the creation anddistribution of wealth.The existence of large corporations isalso good and important because theygenerate jobs for the people, but it is notgood to see these super-rich corporationsto exist as an island of prosperity in a seaof poverty.To distribute the wealth of every nation tothe people, Cooperativism is not only thebest way but also the only way! a

Distribution of Wealth

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As Chinese SeafoodExports Rise, So DoContamination Fears(International Herald Tribune)

At the Xulong eel factory here, ateam of workers is slicing eels, lopping offtheir heads and pushing them through ahuge assembly line that will cook andpackage them for millions of customersaround the world.

The precision round-the-clockoperation, aided by a roasting oven thatspans the length of a football field, is onereason China now dominates the world'sseafood trade, and supplies 80 percent ofAmerica's imported eel and 70 percent ofits tilapia.

But the U.S. Food and DrugAdministration says Xulong and otherChinese companies will be restricted fromselling certain types of seafood in theUnited States because regulators keepfinding Chinese imports contaminated withcarcinogens and excessive antibioticresidues.

Here in the Pearl River Delta area,near Hong Kong, it is not hard to see why.Rivers, lakes and coastal waterways are sofouled with industrial chemicals or farmeffluents that many seafood exporters areforced to rely on antibiotic drugs to keeptheir fish alive.

China's coastal regions, after all,are also home to its biggest factories,which are famous for churning outelectronics, processing chemicals anddumping mountains of toxic waste.

At the Xulong factory, officialsoffered a tour of what they said was an up-to-date plant that forces workers todisinfect themselves by going throughmultiple washing stations. The officialsshowed off on-site testing labs andboasted that pure water from a localreservoir made their eel the best in China.

Even so, the company's eel hasbeen refused entry into the United Stateson multiple occasions. Last April, the FDArefused four shipments of roasted eel froma nearby Xulong factory because theycontained residues of banned antibioticsthat could prove harmful to consumers.

In an interview here Saturday, XuLiming, vice chairman of the XulongGroup, defended the quality and safety ofhis products.

"There are a lot of poor places inChina that don't care about food safety,"said Xu, who helped found the companywith two brothers in 1983. "But we're a bigcompany and we've invested a lot in foodsafety. We're the only eel producer certifiedto ship to Europe."

But if Xulong - which is the world'sbiggest eel producer and claims to havesome of the cleanest operations in China -at times cannot pass muster with U.S.regulators, how many Chinese seafoodcompanies can?

The question has hugeimplications for the global seafood trade,and for the United States, which imports 80percent of the seafood Americansconsume.

The new FDA restrictions,announced Thursday, effectively ban someof China's biggest seafood imports,including shrimp, catfish, eel and a type ofcarp. The move drew a quick rebuke fromChina, which Friday warned the UnitedStates about acting "indiscriminately."

The heightened concern has alsoset the stage for a nasty trade dispute.After a series of high-profile recalls ofChinese-made goods - from taintedtoothpaste and pet food to toxic toys anddefective tires - some members ofCongress are pushing for strongermeasures against Chinese imports. AndEuropean Union officials say they areconsidering their own restrictions.

Experts say a broader crackdowncould be a severe blow to China's $35billion fish- and seafood-farming, oraquaculture, industry, which is helping tomeet soaring demand for seafood at a timewhen supplies of wild fish stocks are beingdepleted.

" This is certainly bad for Chineseaquaculture," said Rohana Subasinghe, afish-farming expert at the UN Food andAgriculture Organization. "A ban on anyproduct to any major region or country hastremendous repercussions for the countryand the industry."

China is already the leadingsupplier of seafood, garlic and apple juiceconcentrate to the United States, and it isgaining market share in processedvegetables, frozen foods and foodingredients. That is worrying food safetyexperts, who say U.S. regulators are illequipped to deal with China's rise as amajor food supplier.

"China has gone from literallynowhere to No. 3 in food imports behindCanada and Mexico," said Michael Doyle,director of the Center for Food Safety at theUniversity of Georgia. "And if we're going tocontinue to import more and more of ourfood, we're going to have to have a betterinspection program."

In the United States alone,Chinese seafood imports jumped fromabout $550 million in 2001 to about $1.9billion last year, about 22 percent of totalseafood imports. But 60 percent of theseafood shipments that were refused entryby U.S. regulators came from China.

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And those figures may not tell thefull story. Robert Schubert, director ofresearch at Food and Water Watch, anonprofit group, says the FDA is samplingonly a tiny fraction of the food shipmentsentering U.S. ports, which means much ofthe tainted seafood may be making it tostores.

"The FDA needs its budgetmassively increased, and it needs torespond with more testing," said Schubert,co-author of a study on the growth of U.S.seafood imports.

What inspectors have found isalarming. In May alone, regulators tagged"filthy frozen scallops"; catfish, eel andshrimp laced with banned chemicals;unsafe additives; pesticides; and cancer-causing agents.

EU officials say they have alsonoticed a rise this year in the number ofChinese seafood shipments turning upwith banned chemicals, despite strictprocedures, including food safety testcertificates presented by the Chinesegovernment.

"We are reviewing our measuresin light of a number of factors," Philip Tod,a spokesman for the EuropeanCommission, said Monday, noting that EUmember countries have issued nineChinese seafood alerts so far this year, upfrom three in all of 2006. "That is a cause ofconcern. We are aware there appears tobe a problem with veterinary medicineresidues."

This is not the first time Chineseseafood has run into problems. In recentyears, the EU and Japan have both placedrestrictions on imports of Chinese seafoodafter detecting banned antibiotics, likemalachite green. And this year, severalSouthern states in the United Statesbanned or blocked imports of Chinesecatfish after detecting illegal antibiotics.

Part of the problem, experts say,is that breeding ponds in China areovercrowded to bolster production in thegigantic factory-style fish farms. And fishexcrement and bacteria in the water can

devastate large schools of fish."When you're raising thousands

and thousands of fish together, you havedisease spreading," Schubert said. "Andthe operators try to control that by usingdrugs and antibiotics."

In addition, a recent study byscientists from the Chinese Academy ofSciences found that seafood products in11 coastal cities in the Pearl River Deltaarea were heavily contaminated withpesticides, including DDT, which wasbanned in China in 1983.

Many Chinese seafood exporterssay they get their supplies from local fishfarmers, who sometimes overuseantibiotics. But the exporters also say theFDA restrictions are overly harsh andsmack of politics.

"This is all about tradeprotectionism," said Gao Hua, director ofquality at the Meihua Aquatic ProcessingFactory in Fujian Province. "Some U.S.states suddenly raised their standards onthe content of antibiotics in seafood inApril. Maybe they saw too many importsfrom China."

States, Japan and the EuropeanUnion have pushed Beijing to improveinspections.

"I think it would be better if themedia would stop playing up this issue,"the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman,Qin Gang, said at a regular news briefing.

"China has taken measures andenacted relevant legislation regardinginspection and monitoring of its foodexport process. China has been veryresponsible in this regard to ensure thegood quality and safety of its exports," Qinsaid.

Qin acknowledged there are"some illegal and unscrupulous retailers"and also attributed the problems todifferences between China's monitoringsystems and those of other countries. a



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Rising sea levels pose threat to rice - studyJuly 9, 2007

Rising sea levels triggered byclimate change pose an "ominous"threat to some of the world's mostproductive rice-growing areas, theInternational Rice Research Institutehas warned.

The Philippines-based institutionis devoting fresh efforts to mitigatingthe coming threat, but senior climatescientist Reiner Wassman saidadequate funding had yet tomaterialise.

"Some of Asia's most importantrice-growing areas are located inlow-lying deltas, which play a vitalrole in regional food security andsupplying export markets,"Wassman told the IRRI magazineRice Today.

"With Vietnam so dependent onrice grown in and around low-lyingriver deltas, the implications of a sea-level rise are ominous indeed."

Wassman said the impact ofglobal warming on the key cereal"will depend on the actual patterns of

change in rice-growing regions".But he warned a threatened rise

of between 10 and 85 centimetres insea levels over the next centurywhich could have "enormous"impacts on some countries,including key rice exporter Vietnam.

Wassman said both highermaximum and higher minimumtemperatures could decrease riceyields.

But he said the IRRI wasoptimistic it would be able todevelop new varieties that couldcope with higher temperatures.

Scientists are also confident thatthe resilience of rice productionsystems to climate extremes, suchas floods and droughts, can beimproved, he said.

However, he warned it unclear towhat extent the impact of higher sealevels could be compensated for,and what the costs andsocioeconomic consequences ofany such changes would be. a

July 9, 2007He needed the money for his

sick wife and overdue rent, buthonesty prevented a motorcycletaxi driver from keeping $17,000left behind by a passenger.

Iluminado Boc returned themoney to police in Tagbilaran cityon central Bohol island last week,the Philippine Daily Inquirerreported Monday. The woman wholost the bag of cash had justreported it to police when Boc

showed up at the precinct."It was not mine," Boc was

quoted as saying.Boc, 45, said he was struggling

financially because his wife wastaken to a hospital the same day hefound the money, and they hadunpaid rent.

The owner rewarded him with$32 _ about seven times what amotorcycle taxi driver makes a day.a

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Enjoy a visit to Park Safarion Sunday, August 26, 2007

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Assembly place: Plamondon Metro (Van Horne Exit)Departure time: 8:00 A.M. SharpReturn to Montreal: 5:00 P.M.

When you want to see the sea,sand and the sun Boracay is the bestplace! Hailed as one of the finestbeaches in the world, the island hasdefinitely lived-up to its name. Thesparkling, translucent water andpleasant, warm weather will surelyentice you for more. It’s a really nicegetaway for your friends and family.

This beautiful paradise island ispart of the Western Visayas island-group located in Region 6 andsurrounded on the northwest part bythe province of Mindoro and on thenorth by Romblon. The province ofAklan is your access to the island andAkeanon is widely spoken there as wellas Filipino and English.

There is nothing much to saywith the history of the island besidesbeing part of Aklan where it isconnected. A couple of decades ago,Boracay were nothing more than asimple fishing village where a typicallocal house is composing of a bambooand nipa hut. The beginning of tourismtransformed Boracay completely.Because of its exceptional beauty,tourists began arriving and now it

becomes one of the country’s hottestattractions.

Boracay brags of its powdered-likewhite sand beach and cerulean watersand one of its best appeals is its four-kilometer White Beach. Its’ contiguouswater is so low and sands so refinedand shiny that it is dubbed as one ofthe best beaches in the world.

Because of its beauty and grace,the island is a perfect site for all kindsof water sports. Here, you canparticipate in an exciting and thrillingaqua adventure. You can swim,snorkel, scuba dive, wind surf, sailboat,kayak, board sail or simple just canoearound. Many popular activities andcompetition are held in the island, likethe annual Paraw Regatta, whereinternational sailboat race can be seen.

After an afternoon of fun in thesun, have a blast with the islandssuperb nightlife. Swing and boogie allnight with their beach discos, have fununder the glow of the moon and thesensational feel of the sand while youdance. Boracay is surely a one bigparty place and all you see is Fun, Fun,Fun! . a

You can find almost anything along Borocay’s beaches; from Bonzai growing on rocks,to traditional fishing boats, to a perfect place in the shade to take in the view

July 200712


The North American Filipino StarThe North American Filipino Star

100% Job opportunity!A big demand exists

for properly trained healthcare providers.

Register now in a nursing aid course (P.A.B.)or personal support worker (PSW)

Call for an appointment to register atGilmore International College

Telephone 514-485-7861

Guests at the Novo Ecijano party at the Holiday Inn, June 30,2007

Ambasador Jose Brillantes posing with the Executive Board of the Novo EcijanoAssociation of Quebec during the gala party, June 30, 2007 at Holiday Inn



North American Filipino Star Photo Gallery

A close up photo of Gary Valencianowhile singing a sentimental song

Quebec citadel tour by students and friends of Gilmore International College, June 24 2007. Tour Guide: Valerie (8th from left)

Aida Padida with her mom at Citadel Gaby and Gary Valenciano performing a numberZenaida Kharroubi in a cable car at Montmorency Falls ,June 24, 2007

Gary Valenciano poses with Zenaida Kharroubi andBetty Corpuz, during welcome dinner, June 9, 2007

July 200714



6

June no longer anunlucky month forRuffa Gutierrez

Yes, June is no longer an unluckymonth for Ruffa Gutierrez. It used to bethat during this, her birthday month, alot of unfavorable things would happento her. Controversies and intrigueswould always hound her. This time, hermarital split from husband YilmazBektas happened in May, but the wordwar and mudslinging between thecouple continued till early this June andfinally has stopped.

Yes, as Ruffa has happily said "thestorm is over for me. Yilmaz hasapologized for all the bad things he'dsaid about me, and I've forgiven him,knowing that he said all those in the fitof anger. Ganun naman siya, he wouldhurt me in the past, but then he wouldalways, in remorse, ask for myforgiveness. I hope that in the future wewould be able to talk at length, andwho knows we could still be friends?After all, we have two beautifuldaughters and this fact would bind usforever. Someday, I'd want him to comeover to visit them.

"But in the meantime, I'd like tofocus on my career and do moreproductive endeavors. And about ourmarital problem, I've said enough, I'vesaid everything in the past weeks so Iwouldn't want to say anything more.You'll have to talk to my lawyers if youhave any more questions about Yilmazand me."

Everything really happens with areason, she added. "If this trial in mymarriage didn't happen, I wouldn't behere today to resume my showbizcareer."

With the many projects coming herway, and with the tremendous supportgiven her by family, friends, associateand colleagues, it seems this unluckynotion (of June being an unluckymonth of her) has been reversed. And

We asked Pia Guanio the mostendearing qualities of Vic Sotto. "He’svery patient," she says. "I’m amazed atthe amount of understanding he has.My past boyfriend (Mike Jacob), kapagnandiyan na, nape-pressure ako tofinish my work right away. Pero si Vic,dahil siguro he’s also in showbiz, hedoesn’t mind waiting. He’s also a goodmentor in various work concerns. Hewatches all my shows then gives mefeedback. He has wide experienceabout hosting so I really value hisopinion, sila ni Joey de Leon."

Why did she break up with Mike?"Siguro, it just ran out of gas after sevenyears."

Who initiated the break up? "I did. Ifelt it’s not going anywhere and I’vebecome so busy that my work becamemy priority. I told myself I’m going togive my heart a rest for a while, pero

It looks like Toni Gonzaga is trulyattracted to Paul Soriano who directedthe music video of her new album"Falling in Love," released by StarRecords. "He is mabait kasi andtalented. Magaling pa siya as a director.He is every inch a gentleman, too,"says Toni.

Is he courting her? "I hope so," sheresponds. "I do think he will make agood boyfriend."

Paul, at 25, is as handsome as hisdad, commercial director Jeric Soriano,and lolo, the late matinee idol Nestorde Villa. Had he chosen to follow hisgrandpa’s footsteps, he easily can giveseveral actors today, a run for theirmoney.

Paul, though, would rather dodirecting like his dad. Now a fullfledged director like Jeric, he wants totry the movies, too. Jeric once directeda movie, "Hot Shot," starring AgaMuhlach and Gary Valenciano.

We asked Toni which among thesongs in her album would describe herfeelings for Paul right now.

"Catch Me I’m Fallin," she replieswith a wink. "It happens to be one of myfavorites, too."

"Catch Me I’m Fallin" is also thetheme song of the No. 1 Koreanovela,"Which Star Are You From?" which airsdaily on ABS- CBN.

In the album, Toni sings "I’ve Fallenfor You," a Jamie Rivera original. It willalso be the theme song of a movie,which stars Kim Chiu and GeraldAnderson, under Star Cinema with LinoCayetano at the helm.

Also included in the album is"You’re My Right and Wrong," whichToni herself composed. a

Pia preferssmall, simplewedding

FFIILLIIPPIINNOO SSTTAARRSS HH OO WW BB II ZZ GG OO SS SS II PP

Toni Gonzagaattracted to herdirector

she feels so blessed, she said.The thing that makes her so happy

now is that "the storm is over and so it'stime to move on, to be happy and tofocus on my career," she said duringthe press conference that ABS–CBNheld for her to announce that she hasofficially replaced Kris Aquino as co-host of the network's toprating Sundayshowbiz-oriented talk show "The Buzz."

"Officially, starting on Sundaywhich is also my birthday, kapamilya naako, so this is a joyous occasion."Aside from "The Buzz," Ruffa said she'llbe doing a sineserye (based on themovie "Kookey" which starred AlmaMoreno) and another project forABS–CBN. "I'm so grateful to thenetwork for the projects they've lined-up for me."

Watch her this coming Sunday on"The Buzz" which will be special sinceit's also her birthday. By the way, Ruffa'sbirthday wish is "to have peace of mind,for Yilmaz and me to be able to talk atlength someday, be civil to each otherand settle things for the sake of ourchildren, to really move on and closethe page and start another chapter inmy life."

What gift would she buy herself onher birthday? She'd rather give back,since she'd received more than enoughin life, she said. "I'll visit some charitableorganizations and do some gift-giving.I'll also be at the Museo Pambata onSaturday to read for about 100children." a

ang nangyari, napaaga nang kauntihaving another boyfriend because ofVic."

Will they face the altar soon? "No.We’re not in a rush. But if ever, I want itto be a small, simple and solemnwedding. I’m not particular about mygown or the reception. The importantthing is the people who’ll be there andI only want those who really matter tous." a

Buong buhay ko inialay ko sacareer ko, sa audience ko. Ngayonnaman, gusto kong magkaroon ngkaligayahan. Kung kinakailangan kongi-give up ang career ko para lang kayOgie, gagawinko,” habangmaluhaluhang ipinahayag ng Asia 's

Songbird na si Regine Velasquez.Sa kauna-unahang pagkakataon

ay sabay na nagpa-interview sina OgieAlcasid at Regine Velasquezpagkatapos ng exclusive tell-allinterview ni Ogie sa June 2007 issue ngYES! Magazine.

Magkasamang humarap sa mediakahapon, June 20, sa Los Angeles angdalawa at malaya nilang pinag-usapanang tungkol sa kanilang relasyon. SaScientology Celebrity Center sa LosAngeles , California , naganap angpagpapa-interview nang sabay ninaOgie at Regine sa media.

Ito ay may kaugnayan sa pressconference ng Love To Laugh concertsa Los Angeles ni Ogie kasama si Ai-Aidelas Alas. Special guests sa nasabingconcert sina Regine at Martin Nievera.

Ayon sa correspondent ng PEP(Philippine Entertainment Portal) saL.A. , nag-dialogue daw si Regine na“I'm here in Los Angeles because ofOgie. This is the first time we faced thepress as a couple, and I'm happy. I'mhappy to be with Ogie.” a

Regine is ready toquit her careerfor Ogie

July 200716



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Who will be the first-everMister Philippines?July 5, 2007

Unlike their female counterparts,male pageant candidates do not haveplatforms on education, environmentprotection, communicable diseases,children’s rights and world peace.Nevertheless, their pageants can be asexciting and colorful as the beautypageants we’ve all grown to watchingall these years.

A new male pageant has beenlaunched for the first time in thePhilippines, and its task is to select thecountry’s deserving representatives tothree of the most prestigious malepageants in the world. On Sunday, July8, pageant aficionados will troop to thePalacio de Maynila on RoxasBoulevard to witness the first-everMister Philippines 2007 pageant.

The three winners will be thecountry’s official candidates to thefollowing international competitions:the Mister International pageant to beheld in Mexico by the end of October;the Mister ExpoWorld International inGuatemala sometime November andthe first International Man pageant tobe hosted by Indonesia in December.

Eleven modern Filipino men fromthe different regions have passedthrough a rigid screening process: IanLeonel Porlayagan (Nueva Ecija),Joaquin Casado (Cebu), MichaelRaymond Lim (Manila), Jose BernardoRoa (Cagayan de Oro), Christian de laCruz (Ilocos Norte), Dennis Barrion(Cavite), Genesis Cabrillas (Baguio),Rico Lazaro (Cavite), Louie StefanZambarrano (Guimaras), GilbertMalabanan (Caloocan) and RobertPare (General Santos).

They will be joined by threecandidates representing the Filipinocommunities in Germany and Canada.Carsten Ertel and Michael Koegel areboth half-Germans and Nino Sazonwas born and raised in Toronto,Canada.

Mister Philippines organizationpresident Robert Delgado hasreiterated that the local contest willfollow strict international standards andfactors like height, physique,personality and wit will determine thefinal winners. “Of course, the winners

we are looking for must be able torepresent the country very well. Theymust be charming, pleasant, and theirphysical attributes must be of world-class standards so when they are linedup with the contestants from the otherparticipating countries, they will not bedwarfed and brushed aside,” heexplained during the presspresentation of the candidates at theImperial Palace Suites in Quezon City.

Looming as early favorites are twoof the tallest candidates, Christian de laCruz from Ilocos and Filipino-Chineseboy-next-door Michael Raymond Limfrom Binondo, Manila. De la Cruz tooka nine-hour bus ride just to make it tothe Manila screening. Lim is a formerbasketball varsity player withendearing boyish charm, ready o takeon show business.

Other potential winners includeJose Bernardo Roa, whose naturalcurly locks make him look like a SouthAmerican, and Ian Porlayagan, a fair-skinned farmer from Nueva Ecija whodivides his time between his work inthe rice fields and taking care of hissick mother.

Fil-Canadian Nino Sazon used tobe with the singing group 604. RobertPare is a clinical instructor who hailsfrom Cagayan de Oro. The Germanduo, are also touted to be strongcontenders, but we have receivedreports that they are not very friendlyand they continue to detachthemselves from the other candidates.

Some of the brightest talents havejoined forces to ensure the success ofthis pageant. Ace photographerWesley Villarica spent a day takingtheir photographs at his ParallaxStudio in Makati. Beauty queen, modeland comebacking actress BingPimentel is giving the candidatespersonality enhancement workshops.Frederick Peralta is providing theofficial swimwear and the candidateswill be featured in a special fashionshow modeling the creations of RaoulRamirez, choreographed by CatalinoFigueroa. Angel Aquino will host thepageant. a

A finger-length metal shard on a whitetissue nearly made Ailyn Mateo’smother faint. Taken from Ailyn’s rightshoulder, the shrapnel from a bombthat killed 22 armed combatants and 11civilians is a terrible testament toFilipino desperation for work, even inthe hell hole of Iraq.

Ailyn, a mother of two, is a migrantworker whose survival from thatepisode in a now four-year old war wascaptured in “Someone Else’s War,” adocumentary by the Chinese-Americanfilmmaker Lee Wang.

Shown recently to NGOs andgovernment officials, the 24-minutevideo documentary revealed theuncanny ability of Ailyn Mateo andover-6,000 Filipinos like her to earn aliving deep in violence-riddled Iraq.

It also showed an elaborate trail ofhiring “third-country nationals” -orTCNs, as migrant laborers from thePhilippines, India, Sri Lanka, and Nepalare called– through recruiters in Kuwaitand the United Arab Emirates.

“Someone Else’s War” showedthat Filipino workers remain availabledespite a three-year old governmentban on their going to Iraq. DirectorWang and his producers, as well as

Filipino migrants’ rights advocatesconsider the continued recruitment ofFilipino hired help for American militarybases in Baghdad a form of trafficking—and the accountability trail forwhatever happens to these workersleads to US companies. a

An American face to trafficking’ Pinoy workers in Iraq


Albert Candoleta

Noel MendigorinSylvestre “Boy”

Pimentel

July 200718



July 9, 2007Filipino scientist has been chosen

as 2007 Harvard Foundation Scientistof the Year for his discovery of a drugcomponent proven to be more potentthan pain-killing morphine.

Dr. Baldomero M. Olivera, aUniversity of the Philippines BSChemistry alumnus, worked ondeveloping a unique peptide source --venomous Conus sp. marine snails(Cone shells) which are abundant inthe Philippines, which could be usedas alternative drug to patients sufferingfrom disorders such as Alzheimers orepilepsy.

Olivera and his team of expertshave identified and characterizedseveral dozen neurotoxins that targetspecific ion channels in the centralnervous system.

Olivera's studies bared that thetoxins derived from the snail affect thenervous system in different ways -some instantly shock the snail's prey,as does the sting of an electric eel,scorpion or sea anemone. Otherscause paralysis, like the venoms ofcobras and Japanese puffer fish.

His discoveries are now widelyused in neuroscience research. Majorpharmaceutical firms abroad havebeen testing the potential of dozens ofcone snail toxins to treat epilepsy,cardiovascular disease and otherdisorders.

He has joined the roster of expertsin the field of neuropharmacology, abranch of science which deals with thestudy of drugs and nervous system.Such field is the branch of medicinethat studies the effects of drugs on thenervous system and his works.

Olivera, fondly known as 'Toto' tohis friends, earned a degree in B.S. inchemistry from the University of thePhilippines.He has also a Ph.D. in chemistry fromthe California Institute of Technologywith Dr. Norman Davidson, and didpostdoctoral work at StanfordUniversity with Dr. I. Robert Lehman.

Beginning with his selection as aFulbright Scholar in 1961, Dr. Oliverahas continued to receive honors andawards and has served on severaleditorial boards. a

Pinoy discoverer of drug more potent than morphinehailed as 2007 Harvard Scientist of the year

July 1, 2007Filipino scientist has been chosen

as 2ailed military mutineer AntonioTrillanes on Friday took his oath assenator, promising to use his newposition to work for the ouster ofPhilippine President Gloria Arroyo.

Trillanes, 36, was allowed out ofdetention to take his oath in a suburbof Manila following his victory in the

May 14 midterm elections.More than 11 million voted for the

former navy lieutenant accused ofleading a failed military mutiny thatparalysed Manila's financial district inJuly 2003. The rising was swiftlycrushed without a shot being firedwhen the rest of the military refused tojoin the revolt.

Trillanes told reporters Friday thatwhen he begins his work in the Senatenext month, he would work to proveArroyo cheated to win the May 2004presidential elections.

"If we want to serve the country, wehave to get rid of Gloria Arroyo," hesaid. He declined to give details.

Trillanes ran as part of theopposition slate while in detention in amilitary stockade. He is still on trial oncharges of trying to topple thegovernment.

A case is now pending in court onwhether Trillanes can be allowed out ofdetention to attend Senate sessions.

The 24-member Senate isdominated by Arroyo opponents whohave consistently charged that thepresident cheated to beat theopposition presidential candidate,movie star Fernando Poe, in 2004. a

Jailed military mutineer Antonio Trillanestook his oath as senator, promising to usehis new position to work for the ouster ofPhilippine President Gloria Arroyo

Elected coup plotter vows to fightArroyo in Philippine Senate

DR. EMILIA ESPIRITU

CHIRURGIEN DENTISTE / DENTALSURGEON

PHONE: 514-340-8222 (4077)E-Mail: [email protected]

5790 COTE DES NEIGES RD.SUITE A-024MONTREAL, QUEBECH3S 1Y9



Real Estate TipsRent or buy your own property?

By Rachel ReyesCentury 21 Services Plus

514-817-5000

Renting an apartment is not abad idea - you don’t have to pay citytaxes, pay a fortune for a renovation,insurance and maintenance. Butbuying your property is a decision tomake when you visualize your longterm goal. First, it’s an investment youmake. You pay every month the sameamount as you pay when you arerenting. Second, anything you spendfor decorations and maintenance willadd more value to your house. In a fewyears’ time, your equity will help youtremendously financially. The firstquestion to ask is: “Am I ready to buyor not?” Here are few reminders whenbuying your property.1. Analyze your finances byreconciling your revenues against yourdebts such as credit cards, line ofcredit or other loans. You can walk in atany bank and have a mortgagespecialists help you to get a pre-approval at no cost. Banks or anyfinancial institution can calculate yourrevenue by taking the GDR or GrossDebt Ratio. By computing the GDRthey will come up with the amount aftercalculating all your debts andexpenses and tell you how much youcan afford to buy. Getting a pre-approval will allow you to decide onwhat kind of property you can afford.Is it a single dwelling house or aduplex?2. Once you get pre-approved,

check if you have the budget for thenotary fee, adjustments of taxes(municipal and school taxes), welcometax, and moving expenses. Knowingthat you have the budget for theseexpenses will make you much more atease and happy before moving into thehouse.3. After having been pre-approved, you pick your favorite agentor an agent referred by a friend or arelative. Engaging an agent is alwaysadvised by the ACAIQ (Association descourtiers et agents immobiliers duQuebec) and it’s absolutely free ofservice because it is the vendor whopays for both agents. Agents can helpyou do the shopping for you and willtell you the beauty or bad sides of oneproperty compared with the others.Agents will always protect yourinterest, negotiate for you and mostdefinitely will help you to decide whichproperty suits you as a buyer and yourfinance. 4. Inspections: As I alwayssuggest to my clients, do theinspection regardless of whether or notthe house is relatively new. Expect thatthere are some defaults in the houseespecially when it takes so muchmoney to repair a default. You candefinitely use this default in re-negotiating the price even after theprice has already been accepted. a

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July 4, 2007The ubiquitous jeepney, a brightly

painted commuter minibus that hasbeen roaming the Philippines sinceWorld War II, has just becomehealthier.

The country’s first electric-powered jeepneys (e-Jeepney) rolledoff Makati City Friday in an initial testdrive.

The 10 to 12-seater electric-powered version of the vehicle that hasits origin in surplus US Army jeepswere developed by Greenpeace andthe Makati City government andfinanced by the Green RenewableIndependent Power Producer Inc(GRIPP) in an effort to encourage theuse of alternative fuels as well as toreduce the effects of greenhousegases on climate change. The vehicleswere made in China.

The e-Jeepneys are powered byfive-horsepower electric motor engineswith 12 batteries that, at full capacity,allow the vehicles to run 120 to 140kilometers at around 40 kilometers perhour.

The batteries are charged for eighthours on ordinary 220-volt powersockets at a minimum cost of P120. Incontrast, regular fume-spewingjeepneys guzzle P300 (US$6.50) ormore of diesel each day.

Each e-Jeepney costs at leastP400,000 to build, around P100,000more than most shop-built dieseljeepneys.

Robert Puckett, president of theSolar Electric Company Inc. (Solarco),which designed the engines, said 50electric e-Jeepneys will serve as

mobile billboards in the promotion ofcleaner energy at a time of growingconcern over the impact of globalwarming due to worsening pollution.

Solarco, the sole distributor andmarketer of the E-jeeps, will pilot therest of the 50 units in Bacolod City inNegros Occidental later this month.

"The iconic jeepney remains, butwithout wasteful and carbon emittingdiesel, while providing increasedincomes to the vehicles' drivers,"GRIPP’s Athena Ronquillo said. "If theproject is successful, our hope is thatthe project will be replicated in othercities in the country and possibly otherAsian capitals."

Greenpeace said Makati hasagreed to provide a facility that willgenerate power for the jeepneys usingwastes from the city's foodestablishments and wet markets.

"The electric jeepneysdemonstrate how cities can helpmitigate the problem of climatechange," said Von Hernandez,campaigns director for GreenpeaceSoutheast Asia.

Ronquillo said drivers wereexpected to earn two or three timesmore because of savings on fuel.

"Greenpeace supports solutions-oriented technological and scientificinnovations that can help stop climatechange,” Hernandez said. “The e-Jeepneys are a clear example of our‘Simple Lang’ project that calls uponFilipino citizens and institutions toadopt simple yet effective measures tohelp avert catastrophic climatechange.” a

Electric jeepney rolls out in Makati

An e-jeepney, left, during its test run Wednesday, July 4, 2007 in Manila's financialdistrict of Makati.

July 200720


The North American Filipino Star 2007

Isaac T. Goodine

GlobalPerspectives

The Canada PhilippineBusiness Council, (CPBC), held itsAnnual General Meeting in Ottawa onJune 8, 2007 and appointed severalnew directors of the Corporation andaccepted resignations from others oncompletion of their respective terms.During the AGM, chaired by theCouncil’s President, Alicia Natividad,the CPBC appointed the followingpersons as directors to hold office untiltheir successors are appointed: Dr.Elliott Tepper, Isaac (Ike) Goodine,Otch von Finkenstein, Dr. Yuri Canete,Dr. Bill Pomfret, Patrick Cuenco, andPeter Kucherepa. A vote of thanks forpast service was extended to thefollowing council members whotendered their resignations asdirectors: Rafael Nebres, ArturoSantos, Hazel Alpuerto, and Grace Yip.

The CPBC is a legal entity,duly registered with CorporationsCanada, and is the only cross-Canadabusiness association dedicated to theadvancement of trade and investmentbetween Canada and the Philippines.As such, the Council is well positionedto strengthen the links betweenCanada and the Philippines incommercial as well as culturalexchange. It is in that context that thenewly appointed directors seemuniquely qualified to help promotemutually profitable undertakings inthree interrelated sectors of humandevelopment including; economicdevelopment as a necessary factor inovercoming poverty, fair trade laws andanti-corruption practices that facilitateinternational trade, andinternationalization of education andtraining designed to unlock culturalresources that promote anunderstanding of the benefits of unityin diversity.

After the AGM, the firstdirectors meeting of the CPBC washeld on June 18, 2007, in Ottawa, withone director, Dr. Yuri Canete,participating by Phone-Link from hishome base in Cornerbrook,Newfoundland, and is was agreed thatthe directors will meet on a monthlybasis from now on. The next meetingwill address aspects of a division ofresponsibilities and assignment ofindividual roles. Each new directorbrings special interest and uniqueexperience to enliven discussions andenrich the proceedings of the Council. Dr. Elliott Tepper is a Professor atCarleton University, Ottawa, and serves

as board member of Canada-IndoBusiness Council, Pakistan CanadaBusiness Council, Friends of Sri Lanka,President of Canadian Asian StudiesAssociation, and member ofImmigration Canada Advisory Councilon Research.Dr. Yuri Canete is a Medical Doctor andEntrepreneur, based in Cornerbrook,Newfoundland with business andfamily links in Cebu, Philippines. Patrick Cuenco is a board member ofthe Hong Kong Canada BusinessAssociation and Junior Hong KongCanada Business Association. He isbased in Ottawa and involved inInvestment Marketing.Dr. Bill Pomfret, based in Kanata, isPresident and Founder of InternationalCaregiver Development Centre andPresident of Safety Projectsinternational Inc. He has long standinglinks in the Philippines.Otch von Frinkenstein, is ManagingDirector of Palliser International. Healso has diplomatic experience andstrong interest promoting business inthe Philippines.Peter Kucherpa is an independentLawyer based in Ottawa. He hasprevious experience in the Philippinesand is an energetic supporter of theCPBC.As a new board member, I haveexpressed interest in the Educationportfolio. I am already a board memberof the International EducatorsAssociation of Canada; AdvisoryCommittee of the Colombo Plan StaffCollege, Manila; and a member of theSpeakers Bureau of the World Bank,Washington, D.C. and continue tosupport Gilmore College, in Montrealwhose founder, Zenaida FerryKharroubi, is also a member of theCPBC.

The challenge for the CPBC isto find the ways and means to harnessthe diverse interests and demonstratedskills of the directors, first, and throughthem the general membership, to bringto bear the expertise that is scattered atthe moment. If the CPBC can provide alens to focus the energy currentlyexpended through an array of effortsthe resultant synergy would bringbenefits far greater than the sum of theindividual efforts. To do this we wouldneed to address the deep seatedcultural conditioning that has createdthe solitudes that insulate us fromothers.

Much has been accomplished topromote Canada-Philippines relationsin the past so there is a solid base onwhich to build. On the other hand,much of what was accomplished in thepast has been lost because theexperience was not adequatelyinstitutionalized as corporateknowledge. And it has much to do withthe concept of solitudes. Canada’relationship with the Philippines took agreat leap forward after the EDSARevolution in 1987 when Canadajoined in with several developmentagencies, coordinated by the WorldBank, and agreed to provide financialand technical assistance to theGovernment’s National EconomicDevelopment Authority (NEDA) toenable the Philippines—then the LameDuck of South East Asia—to catch upwith the neighboring NICs of Asia asthe Newly Industrialized Countrieswere called. This coincided with thechanges in Canada when theGovernment decided that, based onexperience; the Canadian InternationalDevelopment Agency wouldconcentrate its efforts on HumanResource Development and makeHRD the lens through which to focusofficial development assistance (ODA).To do this CIDA would decentralizeoperations by placing professionaldevelopment officers in the field. ThePhilippines became a DecentralizedPost for CIDA and NEDA assigned thetask of capacity building through HRDto Canada as its main role in theeconomic development plan. The planwas euphemistically called the “MiniMarshall Plan” and was designed toutilize pledges from several donors toinvest a total of 10 billion dollars indevelopment projects in thePhilippines, provided that the Countrycould demonstrate an absorptivecapacity to handle such investments.In consultation with NEDA, Canadaapproved a $125, 000,000 CountryProgram designed to provide a fullrange of human resource developmentactivities needed for the Philippines toconvert educated people into atechnologically competent workforcecomparable to the NICs of Asia. Anintegral part of the country programinvolved institutional linkages ofFilipino institutions with counterpartsfrom Canada. The Canadian executingagencies included the Association ofCanadian Community Colleges, McGillUniversity, Dalhousie University, andthe University of Calgary as well asnumber Non GovernmentalOrganizations and Intergovernmentalagencies. The success of theselinkages depended heavily on cross-cultural technology transfer throughskills development and necessitatedworkshops in cross-cultural teambuilding and leadership developmentdesigned specifically to help

participants transcend the respectivesolitudes or cultural paradigms thatformed their comfort zone.

A series of cross-culturalcommunications workshops weresuccessful in enabling Canadians andFilipinos to work more effectivelytogether once they were able torecognize and accept culturaldifferences. The experience wasdocumented and the processes wereinstitutionalized during the period ofdecentralized operations only.However, once that period ended andoperations reverted to control fromHeadquarters in Canada, much of thebenefit of cross-cultural training waslost, except for the individuals wholearned from the practical experience. Iam one of the persons most involvedand have retained the reports andtraining materials that are still valid forworkshops in cross-cultural teambuilding and leadership development.Many of the Filipinos and Canadianswho benefited from these cross-cultural programs are still active; SomeCanadians opted to stay in thePhilippines, and some Filipinos optedto Immigrate to Canada. Several ofthese people would be available toassist me and the CPBC in providingcross-cultural workshops on bothsides of the Pacific; that is in Canadaand in the Philippines. Trade missionswould benefit greatly from suchworkshops and follow-up sessionswould be arranged on demand andcustom designed for the participants.Gilmore College, in Montreal, and theColombo Plan Staff College in Manilacould serve as venues for suchworkshops. Gilmore College alreadyhas a Mandate to conduct programsunder the auspices of the Forum forInternational Trade Training (FITT) andthe Colombo Plan Staff Collegealready offers custom designedcourses under an InternationalBusiness and Management (IBM)program. Both the FITT and IBMprograms are internationallyrecognized. Currently the FITTprogram is well suited for trade with theUnited States, but not so much forother places, and the IBM courses areaimed at working in the Asia Pacificregion where Canadians are not veryactive just now. It is possible to developa custom designed module tocomplement these programs thatwould be specific to the needs of theCPBC membership. Once again I amreminded of the words of Monod, whosaid:

Between the big things that wecan not do;

And the little things that we willnot do;

The danger is that we will donothing. a

Canada Philippine Business Council

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Cooperative News

August 4, 2007, Saturday 6:30 P.M.St. Kevin’s Church Hall5600 Cote des Neiges

Donation: $30.00For more information, please call:

Jayjay Villanueva 514-345-0143Glo Mondoux 514-744-1964

Barry Florece 514-343-4427Hanna Jamil 514-739-2211

MANILEÑO ASSOCIATION OF QUEBECL’ASSOCIATION MANILEÑO DU QUÉBEC

Montreal, July 7, 2007 - Wehave just received the applications formembership of three prominentmembers of the community and theyare all in the same family - thePelausas. This gesture of trust andsupport of the Cooperative will go along way in encouraging others tofollow suit. We thank Dr. EmmiePelausa for the purchases she made atthe Coop recently.

During the first info session onSunday, July 1st, the members whoattended volunteered to share some oftheir time to help out by being presentin the store in order to do some of thetasks that need to be done. Thefollowing are examples of tasks thatcan be done by volunteers:1) To survey other stores’ prices;2) To check prices are marked andvisible on every item in the Coop;3) To note down low inventory forreplenishment;4) To help customers who cannoteasily find what they want in the store.5) To help in the physical inventory ofmerchandise semi-annually;6) To update members list and find outif they have moved;6) To help in stocking up merchandisewhen new shipments are delivered aswell as re-arranging stock when someitems are displaced fromthe shelves;7) To help in purchasing merchandise

from nearby stores;8) To offer delivery service tocustomers for purchase of over $40.00.The service fee charged to thecustomer will be given to the volunteerfor his gasoline expense. Any memberwho has a car and wants to volunteer,is requested to call 514-485-78619) To help in the production ofmembers ID cards.

We need a volunteer who canuse a computer and who is proficient inusing Microsoft Word to format eachID card. When ID photos have beensubmitted by a majority of themembers, photos will be trimmed to fitthe size of the ID card, and gluedbefore lamination. The ID cardsystem is needed in charging lowerprices to members. It is also requiredto keep track of members purchasingactivities and in calculating theirrebates or patronage dividends. Atpresent, this is not yet beingimplemented as the Coop is not yetmaking any profit and is still operatingon a deficit.

The accounting records arenot yet finished as there are manythings to be verified yet. It is not easyto estimate how much more time isneeded to produce the year’s trialbalance which the auditors needbefore proceeding with the finalstatement. Mr. Jason Prince, CDEC

social economy agent, has beeninformed of the complicated problemsof recording data from the confusingnature of the documents and thetremendous amount of work involvedin sorting them out, hence, hevolunteered to write a letter on behalfof the Coop and ask the Minister ofCooperatives to give us more time. Bylaw, it is required to submit a financialreport four months after the end of thefioscal year but it is now over sevenmonths and the work is still beingdone.

The bill for accunting servicesso far is over $2 000 for 237 hours ofwork over a period of two months.There is still a lot of work to be done,not only to finish the work for fiscal year2006 but also for 2007 in order tomaintain control of the finances of theCoop. However, we still have to hearfrom CDEC if they will allow the use ofthe frozen funds dedicated to the storemanager’s salary while there is no oneyet hired for the position. Mrs.Kharroubi wrote an appeal to CDEC tohire instead an accounting clerk ratherthan a store manager.

In preparing for the informationsession and reviewing theCooperatives Act of Quebec, it is quiteinteresting to note the rights andobligations of members. UnderChapter 1, Section 4. The rules ofcooperative action are as follows:

1) membership of thecooperative is subject to the memberactually using the services offered bythe cooperative and to thecooperative’s ability to provide himwith them.

Under Division II, Section 57.The board of directors may suspend orexpel a member

1) If he is not a user of thecooperative’s services;

2) If he no longer is capable ofactually being a user of thecooperative’s services;

2) If he does not comply withthe by-laws of the cooperative

3) If he has not paid for hisqualifying shares in accordance withthe terms and conditions prescribed inthe by-laws;

4) If he is dispossessed of hisqualifying shares;

5) If he does not carry out hisengagements with the cooperative;

6) If for one fiscal year, he hasneglected to do the amount ofbusiness with the cooperativedetermined by the by-law

7) If he carries on any activityin competition with the cooperative.

There are members who seemto forget to buy anything at the Coop.Should they be expelled? It soundsquite counter-productive to thisbecause if they are expelled for notdoing business with the Coop, do theyhave a right to claim their membershipfee?

We would just like to remindour members to do business with theCoop and buy something once a week.If all 600 members do this, I am surethat the financial troubles of the Coopwill be solved in no time at all. Also, ifmore people become members, wewill be able to buy the equipmentneeded to buy fresh vegetables andfresh meat.

We also appeal to thePaluagan members to be patient. Youwill help us refund your money soonerif you buy from us using cash insteadof debiting your account in order toallow us to buy more merchandise. Ifyou donot pay for your purchases, itwill take longer for us to improve ourfinancial position, making it difficult tomeet our financial obligations to you. a

By Zenaida Ferry Kharroubi

Summer tours Departures every SaturdayHoliday Inn, Chinatown

• Toronto, 1000 Islands, NiagaraFalls (2 days)

Quad - $72, Triple - $95, Double -$128; Single - $178, Child (2-12) $68

• Washington, DC, New York, Atlantic City, Philadelphia (4 days)

Quad - $178, Triple $218, Double$258, Single $378, Child $118

• New Brunswick, Nova Scotia,Prince Edward Island (6 days)

Quad $268, Triple $328, Twin $378, Single $568;Child $198 (Transportation only)

Tours Organized by Concord Toursin collaboration with Gilmore and FilipinoStarCall 514-485-7861 to reserveReservations confirmed with cash payment.

July 200722



Gary Valenciano promises to come back to his adoring fans

Montreal, June 10, 2007 - Theshow was indeed a blast. GaryValenciano, dubbed as “Mr. PureEnergy”, dazzled his fans with dancemoves and acrobatic routines “a laMichael Jackson” style. He looked asif he was doing a circus act, his flipsand turns were quick and sharp givinghis fans a reason to scream withdelight.

Gary started at exactly 6:55 P.M.and performed non-stop until 9:30P.M., a record-breaking 2 1/2 hours ofa combination of ballads, rock,religious songs and pop music. Fansloved Gary - they swayed and sangalong, and screamed, “Gary, Gary,Gary,” offering him their bandannas,hankies, and even jackets to wipe hisperspiration. Gary’s showmanshipwas evident all throughout the show.He entertained his fans with apassionate gusto and delight.. Number after number, Gary toldhis story - he thanked the Lord for his24 years of entertaining his fans. Heseemed to wear his heart on hissleeves, telling them how he had toinject himself with insulin. His diabetesis under control but he has to becareful.

Although I did not have a chanceto interview Gary due to circumstancesbeyond my control, I found out a lotabout him by just listening to his songsand his stories. He sounded like asincere, religious man, who loves hisfamily and his fans. He performed withhis son, Gaby. He showed how proudhe is of him, and his other children,another son and a daughter. Eachnumber they did together showed theirdeep connection They hugged eachother after performing together.

Although Le Medley Theater is notthe right place for a talent like Gary, thefans were quite happy and satisfied.They clamored for more, and Garyobliged by going back to do an encoreseveral times.

It was unlike other shows wherethere was an intermission. Gary’senergy was seemingly bottomless,and he was like an electrical dynamo -never for a moment did he show anyfatigue. He was tireless, and showedthat he deserves his title “Mr. PureEnergy.”

Gary showed a mastery ofshowmanship which explains the

reason why people love to see himperform. He told them how happy hewas to see such a great reaction froman audience and he promised to tellall his friends back home to come toMontreal. He also said he will becoming back next year. Then thepeople screamed again and again.Some fans put up a sign “WelcomeGary,” and he said he would like tohave someone take a picture of thisand send it to him.

I was quite impressed with Gary’sperformance. Before watching him, Ihad no idea how good he was. Iwanted to write an article about him inthe Filipino Star for the June issue tobe published in two days after theconcert but I was not allowed by thepromoters to have access to Garyalthough it was my understanding that

as a sponsor, I should have been ableto interview him. I was disgusted withthe unprofessional way they treatedme as a member of the press andsponsor. To add insult to injury, theyhad told me that Gary was too tiredand that he was going back to hishotel, that their contract with him wasover at the end of the concert but itwas a blatant lie as they actually invitedhim and his group to their place for afarewell party where they invitedothers. To think that these peoplesolicited me to be a sponsor and thenignored me after the concert isupsetting. The experience left mewondering why there are people whoare good in asking favors but do notknow how to return any. Needless tosay, they would never fool me again. a

Zenaida Ferry Kharroubi

Gary bidding farewell tohis fans



World boxing champion goes back to schoolJuly 1, 2007

World boxing champion MannyPacquiao has decided to studybusiness administration and English ina bid to manage his earnings and toimprove his language abilities inschool.

"It is good to study business sothat I can take care of my businessinterests," Pacquiao said in a TVinterview.

He has established the Manny

Pacquiao Promotions Incorporation,which will handle his boxing bouts andoversee all other business interestsand ventures.

Pacquiao has made millionsendorsing products in the Philippinesand is worth millions of dollars.

"I will no longer take up politicalscience," he said, hinting he has givenup his dream of becoming a politician.

But Pacquiao has enrolled his two sons

at the pre-school section of the BrentInternational School in suburban Pasig.They will both study law.

Career

Upon leaving school, Pacquiaobecame a baker and then aconstruction worker before he madehis name in boxing.

He recently passed a test, given bythe education department, whichallowed him to graduate from highschool. a

Arroyo gov't won'tbe pressured byU.S.July 4, 2007

The Arroyo government will not bepressured by a proposed bill from theUnited States Senate that seeks tostrictly monitor how this administrationis using US aid, a senior Malacanangofficial said Wednesday.

The US Senate appropriationscommittee approved last week theForeign Operations Spending Billinstructing the Secretary of State tomonitor US military assistance to thePhilippines so that this would not be"misused by units of the [Philippine]security forces…against civilians,including civilians who are members ofpolitical opposition parties and human

rights groups."The bill's approval followed a

lobby by Filipino and Americanchurch groups that were protestingthe spate of extrajudicial killings inthe Philippines.

Executive Secretary EduardoErmita said the Arroyo administrationhad nothing to hide and reiteratedgovernment efforts to stop the spateof extrajudicial killings.

"Some people would look at it asa pressure on us, but we will notallow ourselves to be pressuredbecause we have nothing to hideand the US government knows themeasures that the Philippinegovernment is undertaking,especially through the AFP [ArmedForces of the Philippines] to addressthe extrajudicial killings," Ermita saidin his weekly news briefing inMalacañang.

Ermita said the action taken bythe US was "a normal thing," sayingthat during the term of the latedictator Ferdinand Marcos, the USdid the same thing through itsforeign relation and appropriationscommittees.

Asked if the Philippinegovernment would make anyintervention, Ermita said this couldbe done through the embassy, whichwould reiterate to the US governmentthat the Philippines was addressingthe killings and to give the Americans"an accurate picture on the situationof the Philippines." a


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