Get rid of carriers’ taxes, Aquino prodded

THE 30-strong organization of foreign carriers with routes to the Philippines has urged President Aquino to put more teeth to his tourism advocacy and boost other economic sectors by certifying as “urgent” a new bill that will be filed in the Senate. The bill aims to eliminate current taxes that supposedly hamper the carriers’ operations in the country.

Steven Crowdey, first vice chairman of the Board of Airline Representatives (BAR), told the BusinessMirror, “The repeal of these taxes will help accelerate the development of the secondary gateways of the Philippines under [Mr. Aquino’s] ‘pocket open skies’ policy to benefit both tourism and trade investments. We hope that this bill will be certified as urgent by the Office of the President and that the legislative process will be completed within the year 2012 under the current 15th Congress.”

(Steven Crowdey, BAR First Vice Chairman, and GM for Australia, Micronesia and the Philippines for Delta Air.)

Crowdey said an instruction from the President to the Senate to pass the new bill quickly would help the foreign carriers “plan for capacity in the next three to five years to service the needs of the tourists, exporters, importers, overseas Filipino workers and the general riding public.” Crowdey is also general manager for Australia, Micronesia and the Philippines for Delta Air Lines Inc., a US carrier.

Sen. Ralph Recto, chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, is expected to file a new bill soon that would reflect results of a public hearing held February 2 this year on his earlier proposed legislation to remove the 3-percent common-carriers tax (CCT) and the 2.5-percent tax on gross Philippine billings (GPBT) imposed on foreign carriers, which he filed in November 2011. Recto, however, could not be reached for comment as of press time.

The Aquino administration has been pinning its hopes on the tourism sector as a major driver of economic growth for the country. It aims to attract 10 million foreign tourist arrivals by 2016, the year the President steps down from office.

The BAR, in a press statement on July 25, commended the administration for the aviation reforms it has adopted, foremost of which is the “pocket open skies” policy, which “proves” the government’s “global openness.” The policy allows foreign carriers to land in provincial international airports, thus bringing more foreign tourists and businessmen directly to their intended destinations, instead of having to pass through Manila.

Sang Woo Noh, regional manager for the Philippines of South Korea’s Asiana Airlines, said, “The airport infrastructure backlog is now being addressed by the [Department of Transportation and Communications]. The Economic Development Cluster of the Cabinet has already approved the implementation of the 24/7 operations by [Customs, Immigration and Quarantine] personnel. Again, this is a landmark policy reform happening for the first time under President Aquino’s office. The tax issue is the remaining stumbling bloc to realizing the expected benefits of open skies.”

In a letter to Mr. Aquino on April 13, Anthony Tyler, director general and chief executive officer of the International Air Transport Association (Iata), also appealed to the President to certify the new Senate bill as urgent as doing so will “send the signal to the global airline community that the Philippines under the leadership of your administration is finally open to global business and investments.”

Citing studies done by economic think tank Oxford Economics and the Iata, Tyler said “the aviation impact in the Philippines is comparatively lower than many other countries in the region, thus indicating the untapped aviation and tourism potentials…. Abolishing these taxes will reduce the likelihood that additional airlines will remove the Philippines from their network or further downsize their operations.”

The Iata is an international trade body representing 240 airlines around the world, which account for 84 percent of global air traffic.

The House of Representatives approved on third and final reading House Bill (HB) 6022 on May 21, which also removes the CCT applied on passengers and cargo and eliminates the GPBT as long as the home countries of the foreign carriers do the same for the Philippines. Entitled “Rationalizing the Taxes on International Air Carriers Operating in the Philippines,” HB 6022, sponsored by Rep. Jerry Treñas of Iloilo, seeks to amend Sections 28 (A) (3) (a), 108 (B) (6) and 118 of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, as amended.

Crowdey said the BAR was grateful that the President had certified as urgent HB 6022. Such certification, he added, pushed congressmen to speedily act on it.

(Qatar Airways terminated its Doha-Cebu flights in March, claiming it was burdened by Philippines aviation taxes. Photo from airline's web site.)

Meanwhile, Cees Ursem, regional manager for KLM in the Philippines, said in the same press statement issued by the BAR that recent developments on the airline-tax issue will “definitely help to reconsider our operations in the future and continue our 60 years of uninterrupted services to the Philippines.”

KLM stopped flying directly from Amsterdam to Manila in March this year, saying taxes were affecting the economic viability of the carrier’s operations in the Philippines. “There are no more direct connections [from the Philippines] to Europe today [compared to 22 frequencies per week a decade ago], and carriers with long haul and extensive global and regional connection have left the Philippines, citing these taxes as a major reason for their exit,” the BAR said.

Also in March, Qatar Airways terminated its Doha-Cebu connection for the same reason. The BAR, quoting Abdallah Okasha, Philippine country manager of Qatar Airways, said, “Cebu is a destination with tremendous potentials for tourism and trade. We closed our Cebu operations because our operations have become expensive relative to all other destinations where we have presence, particularly in emerging Asian markets where we are not burdened with such taxes.”

Crowdey said “there is no distinction between CCT for passenger and cargo on any passenger carriers’ financial bottom line. Removing CCT for cargo also goes toward the goal of easing connectivity for the Philippines for the betterment of tourism. The repeal of the CCT for both passenger and cargo will help improve our margins and therefore enable us to increase our capacity to the Philippines rather than to neighboring countries.”

He added, “Ease of access to a location is a critical factor in decisions about where to establish offices, particularly for shared services, and factories. Additional frequencies and capacity will be used by exporters and will tend to lower freight rates, thereby enhancing export competitiveness. Access to more non-stop destinations will provide new markets for exports, particularly for agribusiness and other time-sensitive commodities.”

(This piece was originally published in the BusinessMirror on July 31, 2012. Photo of Steven Crowdey courtesy Delta Airlines.)

DOT lists 78 tourism sites protected from mining

THE Department of Tourism has listed 78 "existing and emerging tourism development areas" that the Aquino administration will be protecting from mining activities.

According to the list obtained by InterAksyon.com, among the protected areas are islands with known fragile ecosystems like Batanes Island; Palawan (San Vicente-El Nido-Taytay, Puerto Princesa, Southern Palawan, Busuanga-Coron-Culion Islands); Boracay Island in Western Visayas; Bantayan Island and Malapascua in Central Visayas; Dinagat and Siargao Islands in Surigao del Norte; Camiguin Island in Cagayan de Oro; Samal Island in Davao; as well as Basilan, Tawi-Tawi, and Jolo in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

According to sources in the Department of Tourism, this was the same "list of TDAs (tourism development areas) which the DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources) was furnished to work on. As you can see, some are as big as regions, provinces, or as detailed as coastal areas, lakes or islands." (The rest in InterAksyon.com, July 9, 2012.)

Off-limits to mining (NTDP - List of Cluster Destinations and TDAs)

EDSA people power revolution...26 years after

ME pagbabago ba?

* * * *

Wynn sues Okada in US for 'bribing' Pagcor officials; Mike Arroyo got free accommodations

Wynn complaint vs Kazuo Okada

ADDITIONAL READS:

PNoy double standard for Pagcor chief hit

After days of defending the Pagcor chief, and calling the freebies he received as "industry practice", finally Aquino orders PAGCOR chief Naguiat probed on Okada bribery scandal. Better late than later. But we all know where this is going right?

Now this is a gem. What do Grace Lee and the Pagcor chief have in common?

Finding love in the Year of the Water Dragon

(Feng shui expert Marites Allen gave a preview of her 2012 predictions during a recent press briefing at Manila Hotel. On January 22, 2012, the hotel will usher in the Year of the Water Dragon with a Chinese bazaar, fireworks, blessing ritual by Allen, and an exquisite midnight feast at the Mabuhay Palace. The dishes will symbolize luck, longevity and wealth in the coming year. Copyright Stella Arnaldo)

EVERYONE’S still talking about the bombshell that showbiz princess KC Concepcion dropped last Sunday.

Well, I won’t dwell too much on it, since I don’t want to add any more to the noise. And as her mega-mom Sharon Cuneta did say, KC and Piolo are adults. In other words, KC knew exactly what she was getting into.

Of course, like many single, unattached women...KC’s desperate cry about wanting to find true love does tug at the heartstrings. But who, where and how to find it—that’s the big question.

Well, if you ask feng shui consultant Marites Allen about love, she can tell you that she is proof positive of how geomancy can help us single women find Mr. Right. After a failed first marriage back home in Cebu was annulled, Marites says she was able to activate her love life and attract many suitors with the help of feng shui.

She says she found her Prince Charming—an Englishman whose name she declines to reveal due to privacy issues—and married him. That is, “only after I carefully studied his chart!” Marites says she is very much happily married, with a wonderful family life with their four children. What’s more, she now has a great career as one of the country’s top feng shui consultants.

Marites, who is president of the World of Feng Shui Philippines, spoke to the media recently in a preview of Manila Hotel’s festivities to help usher in the Year of the Water Dragon on January 22, 2012.

So, of course I asked her: What can KC do to find that elusive “true love”? (KC, by the way, was born in 1985, the Year of the Ox.)

Marites says that KC’s “best match are those born in the Year of the Rat.” She cites the UK’s Prince Harry (Rat) and his girlfriend Chelsy Davy (Ox)—“they were having an on-and-off relationship but they seem to keep going back to each other.... So an Ox pairing with a person born in the year of the Rat is surely a very good start in finding the right one.”

Marites adds that KC’s best allies or friends are Snakes or Roosters.

But the feng shui expert counsels: “For a very pretty, intelligent and independent lady like KC, surely too many guys are already waiting for their turn to woo her heart. However, it is best for her to enjoy her singlehood and surely, when the time is right, she will find another love.”

Marites assures that love will come a-calling again, especially if “KC activates the southwest section of her bedroom with love charms such as peony flowers or double happiness symbols, such as the dragon and phoenix symbol, etc.”

***
(Just some of the lucky charms and feng shui books available at Marites' World of Feng Shui shops in the metro.)

SPEAKING of Rats, guess who was born in that year, KC?

Well, it’s none other than President Noynoy Aquino, who was born in 1960.

Hmmm...KC and P-Noy? Well, why the hell not?! I think it could be a perfect match!

Both of them are smart, well-bred individuals.

They are currently loveless.

They both belong to respectable families with their feet dipped into politics and show business. So there would be an immediate understanding of each other’s priorities, background, and ways of thinking.

Okay, so there’s a 25-age gap. But maybe a more mature man (accent on the latter quality) is exactly what the young KC needs.

After all, this is a lady who virtually grew up without a strong male figure in her life. It was really her mom Sharon who was both mother and father to her, rearing KC as best as she could.

As for PNoy, he is no stranger to relationships with younger women. His ex-girlfriend Shalani Soledad is 20 years his junior—so what’s an additional five years in the case of KC?

And apparently, he is not intimidated by intelligent, outspoken women, having had relationships with Korina Sanchez, Bernadette Sembrano, Shalani, Liz Uy, Bunny Calica, etc. And KC is the same...articulate, well-read, and with just a touch of the right demureness. (She is actually like a slightly refined version of presidential sister Kris Aquino, don’t you think?)

But more important, KC and P-Noy have compatible Chinese zodiac signs! She’s and Ox. He’s a Rat. Who knows, it may just work!

***
(Manila Hotel Executive Chinese Chef Sun Bing will be preparing a delectable feast for the Chinese New Year celebration at Mabuhay Palace, on Jan. 22, 2012. Photo courtesy Manila Hotel.)

KIDDING aside, Marites says the year 2012 brings a “general” risk of illness for those born in the Year of Rat, so the President should watch out. “It is a mixed year, so look after your health. Adjust to a less demanding schedule.”

She advises Rats in general to “focus on mentally-challenging activities, rather than doing the party scene.”

Marites adds that stress will bring tension to a Rat’s life, but his allies “are there to the rescue him.” A Rat’s best friends are Dragons and Monkeys.

To avoid falling ill, Marites advises Rats to acquire a Medicine Buddha Moving Mantra Watch “to create an aura of good health around you.” Also they should place a Brass Wu Lou in the Northern sector of the bedroom “as an antidote to the illness star.”

The year 2012 will be a generally favorable for those born in the year of the Tiger, Rabbit, Horse and Sheep, she says.

According to Marites, the Water Dragon’s power will help push dramatic changes in 2012. It may not mean the end of the world as the Mayan calendar supposedly indicated, but it will certainly be a “year of transformation.”

To indicate how momentous the transformation in 2012 would be, Marites recalled the previous Water Dragon years, the last one occurring in 1952. That year saw the passing of King George VI of the United Kingdom and assumption into office of his daughter Queen Elizabeth II. The first hydrogen bomb was detonated in 1952, ushering in the nuclear age. World War II also came to an official end with the Treaty of Peace signed between Japan and 48 countries aligned with the Allied powers coming into force.

She says although 2012 “will be better than 2011,” the Year of the Rabbit, “it does signify continuing disharmony, with conflicts between governments and social classes, and political and social unrest. There are to be key leadership changes; and social and industrial disputes are to escalate.” 2012 in an election year in the US, France, Russia and India, she points out.

Asked whether this meant a new President for the U.S. next year, Allen said: Yes, [US President Barack] Obama is an Ox (1961), and is slowly losing popularity with the yearly economic challenges in the U.S. So chances are, he may not make it to another term… unless he implements major changes more favorable to the U.S. economy.”

Marites will unveil her other 2012 predictions on January 22 at Manila Hotel’s Chinese New Year celebration. A Grand Chinese Bazaar will be held on the hotel premises featuring different stores selling lucky charms, house decorations and delectable Chinese delicacies.

While the fireworks light up the evening sky, hotel guests will dine on a feast prepared by Executive Chinese Chef Sun Bing at the Mabuhay Palace. The dishes will symbolize luck, longevity and wealth in the coming year.

Doomsday enthusiasts believe the world would end on December 21, 2012 because the calendar of the Mayans—a now-extinct indigenous civilization that once dwelled in Mexico—ends on that date. Well, I looked through Marites’s feng shui almanac for 2012 and it does include a 2013 calendar at the back. Whew!

(For ticket inquiries and reservations to Manila Hotel’s Chinese New Year celebration, call 527-0011 local 1108 or 1243.)

(My column, Something Like Life, is published almost every Friday, in the Life section of the BusinessMirror. This piece was originally published on Dec. 2, 2011. If you need to borrow the entries and photos on these pages, pls. cite your source. Thanks.)

A man for mothers

The Hapinoy Store Program trains Southern Luzon’s women micro-entrepreneurs in personal and business development, management systems, and better priced goods, and introduces additional revenue channels.

GROWING up in a political family like the Aquinos of Tarlac, it was inevitable for Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV to become involved in social development issues, he said. Aside from having the late Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., and President Corazon Aquino as his uncle and aunt, Bam’s cousin, Noynoy, is now president as well.

And his father, Paul (the youngest of the late senator’s brothers), has been a key player in most political campaigns involving the Aquinos. His mother, Melanie, on the other hand, is a keen volunteer in religious social services groups.

Gasgas na to say this, I know, but Bam does bear a striking resemblance to his late uncle, it’s almost unnerving. Of course I’ve seen him on TV before hosting a morning show, but now just seated six feet across me, I marvel at the uncanniness of it all.

Bam is just as articulate and confident in public speaking as his Tito Ninoy, though I have yet to hear him sound bombastic as the late senator was in his speeches. The younger Aquino attributes this skill to having been honed in political rallies since he was six years old, campaigning for his Tito Ninoy while the latter was in jail. (It’s ironic though that Bam has actually never known his Tito Ninoy, and has no memory of meeting him, although his parents did bring Bam to the jail where the late senator languished.)

This was no political meeting I was attending, however. In a lunch tendered by MasterCard Philippines, a select group of journalists including myself met with Bam to talk about his Hapinoy Store Program. It is the micro-entrepreneur program of Microventures Inc., an organization he set up with friends Michelle Pabalan and Mark Ruiz, targeting the poor and disaffected members of our society, specifically the women and mothers in the rural communities.

The program won for Microventures a $25,000 Women’s Empowerment Grant from the Singapore National Committee for UN Women and MasterCard—the grand prize in the “Project Inspire: 5 Minutes to Change the World” grand finals which was held at the INSEAD Asia Campus in Singapore.

There were 10 finalists all over the world, selected out of 450 teams who submitted their “life-changing ideas” to empower women and girls across Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, in the form of a five-minute pitch videos or written proposals. Two finalists, including Microventures, were from the Philippines.

“Part of the reason we set up Microventures was that we realized that were was a gap in the microfinance sector in terms of business development. There are a lot of NGOs [nongovernmental organization] and social development organizing but when it comes to business development for the really small entrepreneur, there’s a gaping hole. That’s one gap we see in terms of getting the poor out of poverty. Finally, there’s financing, there’s capital, but there is no assistance to get their businesses to a higher level,” Bam explains. The target beneficaries not only get loans but are trained in all aspects of running a business, making it a more sustainable framework for social development.

He adds there are about 800,000 sari-sari stores nationwide accounting for 40 percent of the total retail sales in the country. Clearly, sari-sari stores provide a vital lifeline to many communities, especially those in remote areas, as these are the only establishments that provide basic commodities and daily needs of residents.

So in 2007, Microventures launched the Hapinoy Store Program, with microfinance borrowers in mind. “Upon realizing that 15 percent to 20 percent of microfinance borrowers use the capital to put up sari-sari stores, the Hapinoy Store Program first focused on aggregating these stores for bulk product discounts.”

Through the program, the storeowners are given access to capital through Microventures’ partner institutions such as the Center for Agriculture and Rural Development (CARD-MRI), the largest microfinance institution in the Philippines.

“Usually it’s P3,000 to P5,000 for sari-sari store owners, and tens of thousands [of pesos] for community store owners,” says Bam. A community store acts like the main commissary in an area of Hapinoy sari-sari stores.

Women micro-entrepreneurs, dubbed Hapinoy Nanays, are tapped for the program which aims to help them establish “a profitable and sustainable business, reap practical and tangible benefits from partners and microfinance institutions, become knowledgeable with the help of training programs and support services, and be confident and empowered. Why women and not men? Bam’s group of course follows the basic microfinance model set up by the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh, where women have been found to be the most dependable in terms of repaying loans. “They have a loan repayment rate of 99 percent!” he enthuses.

Bam Aquino, president of Microventures Inc., receives the Project Inspire winner's certificate from Vicky Bindra, president of MasterCard Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa.

Although he does note that in the past four years of the program, a number of men—the husbands of their Hapinoy Nanays—have started attending the women’s meetings. Mostly they do this out of curiosity, as the men try to find out what’s keeping their wives so busy. Eventually, Bam says, the men become involved in the program indirectly, as most sari-sari stores or community stores are family enterprises anyway.

Microventures doesn’t close the door to eventually assisting the men as well in these communities, but for now, Bam says, the focus is more on the women entrepreneurs who are still the most disadvantaged members in society. (In the Philippines most women are still unable to tap loans directly from banks and still need their husbands or fathers as co-guarantors. The alternative, especially in rural communities, is to turn to informal lenders, commonly called “5-6”, who unfortunately charge exorbitant interest rates on loans.)

Today, Bam says, the program has evolved into a full-service microentrepreneur enhancement program: a network of micro, small, medium and large enterprises where Hapinoy community stores and sari-sari stores “serve as the hubs of a network for goods and services that are coursed through the program.”

The products and services sold by these stores range from basic commodities and common grocery items to “more specialized projects with community impact like solar lanterns, medicine and affordable technologies,” he stresses.

What I find appealing about the program is that there is an effort to tap local suppliers which helps even more people other than the targeted beneficiaries. The program boosts the community producers and downstream micro-industries in project areas, as well.

“For example, in Laguna, we can have peanuts and sweets from their area. But you won’t find the same type of sweets in Bicol. Like the rice in the Laguna stores will come from farms in the area, but the rice in Bicol will come from there,” explains Bam. Among the community producers, he says, are the agrarian reform farmers who are Hapinoy’s source for the rice and sugar the nanays sell in their stores.

The Hapinoy Store Program currently covers 150 communities mostly in Southern Luzon and Bicol, and has targeted to expand to 400 communities by the end of the year. Bam says the $25,000-grant his group received via Project Inspire will help them expand their program.

“When we started this program, we envisioned that in five years, we will be present in all cities and municipalities in the Philippines with hundreds and thousands of sari-sari stores.”

Project Inspire was launched in March 2011 to commemorate the 100th year of International Women’s Day and to celebrate MasterCard’s 25th year in the region.

According to Judith Dayrit, MasterCard’s vice president for marketing and member relations, Project Inspire “serves as a worldwide platform for 18- to 35-year-olds, offering them the chance to make their ideas a reality in an effort to empower disadvantaged women and girls in Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa.”

She explains that despite the great strides in their socioeconomic standing in the last 100 years, statistics show that women account for 70 percent of the world’s poor.

“There is a growing body of research that demonstrates that there is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women,” she says. This is why MasterCard’s corporate social responsibility thrust is “to help empower women and children, because they are really the underdogs in society.”

It’s probably not easy being an Aquino, considering the pinnacles of success many of its members have reached. But having become an advocate for the oppressed and the poor mothers of this land, Bam, only 34, certainly more than measures up to the task of keeping the family name not only respectable, but honorable. I’m pretty sure he will reach far greater heights, as well.

•For more information on Project Inspire, click on www.5MinutestoChangetheWorld. Those who wish to support Hapinoy and its projects, click www.hapinoy.com.

(My column Something Like Life is published every Friday in the Life section of the BusinessMirror. This piece was published on Oct. 7, 2011. Photos courtesy MasterCard/Microventures Inc.)

One year of the Noynoy Aquino presidency is over - what now?

What Now? (May-June 2011 Asian Dragon)

(This piece was originally published in the May-June issue of the Asian Dragon magazine.)

Animo La Salle!

An Atenean President pays tribute to La Sallian Brothers and their 100 years of educating Filipinos.

Happy Centennial celebration, my fellow La Sallians!

Will we survive a major earthquake?

THE news and images from Japan after it was hit by a massive earthquake then a tsunami continue to trouble us. Of course, this again brings up the question if we would survive an earthquake of such a proportion if it happens here in the Philippines, specifically Metro Manila.

In 2004, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, which is one of the most generous sources of grants for the Philippines, made a study along with the Metro Manila Development Authority and Philippine Volcanology and Seismology on what areas are most vulnerable to earthquakes. The study found that an earthquake of 7.2 magnitude would damage 38% of residential buildings, 38% of mid-rise buildings (below 30 stories), and 14% of high-rise buildings (30-60 stories).

The following is an executive summary of the study:

Earthquake Impact Reduction Study for Metro Manila 2004

As per the letter of Architect Jun Palafox included in above document, he recommends 60 measures to mitigate the impact from potential disasters like an earthquake, tidal wave (tsunami), and other natural calamities. These include drawing up of disaster preparedness/crisis response plans, preparation of hazard maps, securing open spaces, creation of disaster-proof zones, designation of evacuation sites, to name a few.

Architect Palafox first sent his recommendations to former President Arroyo, after the Typhoon Ondoy disaster in Sept. 2009, but I suppose with so few months left in her term, no action was taken on Palafox's recommendations. He again sent the above document to President Noynoy Aquino right after he got elected, but according to Boo Chanco's column, Architect Palafox has yet to receive a response from Malacañang. (Many thanks to Mr. Chanco for sending us a copy of the study and Palafox's recommendations.)

Let's hope this Japan tragedy spurs our gov't leaders, esp. PNoy, to take action on these recommendations.

Btw, for those seeking more info on the Japan earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, click the Google Crisis Response site here.

In the thick of controversy*

TOURISM Secretary Alberto “Bertie” A. Lim likes to joke that his “claim to fame” is really being the younger brother of award-winning broadcast journalist Che-Che Lazaro. But it was their mother, Estefania Aldaba Lim, who was really the first “rock star” in the family. Fanny to her friends, she was the first female psychologist in the Philippines, the first woman appointed Cabinet Secretary, and the first woman to become special ambassador to the United Nations. (Her husband Luis Lim Sr., a San Miguel Corp. executive, passed away when Bertie was only 12.)

Now 61, Secretary Lim says his mother “was able to balance a busy career and being both mother and father to six children. She traveled a lot yet she was able to more than adequately meet our emotional and physical needs. Whenever she was abroad, she would write long letters to us. There was no Internet then so her letters were written longhand and sent by mail. She encouraged us to write her so that she had her finger on our collective pulse all the time. She was very firm but not overbearing. She was a strong woman but we never resented her brand of discipline. Her advantage was that she was a trained clinical psychologist so she knew human behavior quite well.”

I ask what his mother taught him about working for the government. Lim recalls: “My mom did not bring home her work. She did not talk about the rigors of public service. Perhaps we were too young to have been able to appreciate such a conversation anyway, but she did instill in us the value of hard work. At a young age, she sent me to the municipio to acquire a municipal permit. I had to go back several times before I got it right. From her, I learned to deal with people with politeness, and to be very meticulous in my work.”

Smarting from the critics
Patience and politeness are traits Lim certainly needs these days. Less than a day after the Department of Tourism (DOT) launched its new marketing slogan, “Pilipinas Kay Ganda!,” a hail of negative feedback rained on him and his other officials. (See “DOT launches new campaign” in the November 17 issue of BusinessMirror.)

(Botolan beach, Zambales)

Lim admitted in a radio interview on Wednesday that the criticisms hurt (“Masakit ang batikos.”), many of which ridiculed the slogan as being “too showbiz” or “lacking oomph!” Although he did tell me earlier that it was still in its conceptualization stage and was, by no means, final, I asked Lim if he was still open to changing the slogan itself. He texted back, saying: “PKG (Pilipinas Kay Ganda!) will undergo focus group discussions and other market tests before we spend money on its execution. If there are better ideas out there, we are open to them. But if there are only criticisms, then we hope there will be support for the superior idea of PKG.” (See BusinessMirror, Nov. 18, 2010.)+

Controversy is nothing new to Lim. When he was a director of the Civil Aviation Board (CAB), he was unceremoniously booted out by Malacañang after his statements supporting an open-skies policy reportedly ruffled the feathers of Lucio Tan, owner of Philippine Airlines, an ally of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (PGMA).

“I never got to talk to PGMA nor to her Executive Secretary about the decision to relieve me of my position at the CAB. I was merely told by a Palace functionary that ‘we all serve at the pleasure of the President.’ Then he made me guess what that meant. Since it was an election year, I knew what he meant. I was not surprised.”

That was a learning experience, he says. “The enemies of reform used heavy-handed tactics to force me out of office. I was bloodied, figuratively speaking, but unbowed. That experience taught me that what does not kill you makes you a better person,” Lim stresses.

Under the new administration of President Aquino, his policy push may soon come to fruition. In a speech at the launching of a new hotel in Cebu on November 10, Aquino hinted that he could be leaning toward a “pocket-sized” open-skies policy, where certain provinces would give liberal flying rights to foreign carriers.

If you build it they will come
Of course, Lim recognizes that more than a marketing plan and a liberalized aviation policy, a country first has to have the correct infrastructure to allow tourists to move freely about, from one destination to another.

(Our Lady of the Gate Parish Church, Daraga, Albay)

Fortunately, President Aquino has already made tourism a priority in his administration and has directed the Department of Public Works and Highways to work with the DOT to identify the infrastructure projects in tourism areas that need to be completed.

“The previous DOT administration has identified the Central Philippines as the focus for tourism infrastructure—this includes Palawan, Cebu, Sorsogon, Negros Occidental, Iloilo, etc. But that doesn’t mean we are to neglect the others. We can still push our medical tourism in Luzon…and we are thinking of developing a good destination in Manila. The Jesuits want to rebuild its old San Ignacio Church in Intramuros, so we can showcase all our ecclesiastical art there. We have so many of them just stored in the church bodegas. Then we can open the ground floor of some structures to cafés.”

But it isn’t merely a numbers game for the tourism chief. He would rather go for value than volume. “My philosophy is that if we keep the tourists here longer, it’s better because it will mean more revenues. So it’s important that we connect the destinations via better roads and airports.” So he envisions tourists spending a few days swimming in Boracay, then perhaps move on to Iloilo City to visit its old churches, then on to Guimaras for more beach time. Hopefully, these longer-term activities will help double the country’s tourism receipts which average only $2.5 billion a year, according to DOT statistics.

“We tend to spread the infrastructure across many places, we never complete the infrastructure in one place. For example, we build an airport, but there’s no road to the airport. How can you develop the product (tourist destination) and promote it if infrastructure isn’t complete?” Lim asks.

This has been essentially the template of Thailand, which has similar natural attractions as the Philippines, but has been able to attract the tourist numbers. In 2009, there were 14.15 million visitors to Thailand, compared to the Philippines’ three million. “Ninety-five percent of Thai roads are well-paved compared to our 20 percent. Their main gateway in Bangkok has several times the capacity of ours in Manila. They have pursued a more liberal civil aviation policy. There is three times the number of flights from Tokyo to Thai airports than there are from Tokyo to Philippine airports. So airfares from Tokyo to the Philippines are higher than airfares from Tokyo to Thailand due to greater competition. The Thais do not impose the common carriers tax (3 percent of the foreign carriers gross receipts here) that we do, and their airport officials do not charge the airlines for overtime as they are on three shifts, 24/7. We have to overcome these barriers to be more competitive,” Lim stresses.

Lifting of aviation taxes eyed
He also says it is imperative that the Aquino administration “work overtime to get an upgrade” from the U.S. Federal Aviation Agency and the European Union. In 2007, the FAA downgraded the Ninoy Aquino International Airport to category 2, because of its failure to meet safety standards, while in April 2010, the EU banned Philippine carriers from operating in the region. “The FAA downgrade has prevented one of our carriers (Philippine Airlines) from utilizing their new aircraft from flying into their originally intended destination. As a result, the airline has to continue to use their old and less fuel-efficient aircraft which are not as passenger-friendly. The European downgrade means that travelers from Europe are not covered by their insurance policies when taking domestic flights in the Philippines. Since tourists have lots of choices in their destination, they will pass over the Philippines to avoid all these hassles.”

(Songsong Ruins in Batanes)

But even if the government does manage to get the Naia upgraded, it is already too congested, what with its limiting runways. So the solution goes back to one already hatched during the administration of former President Fidel V. Ramos, that is, to move the international traffic to Clark, Pampanga. “While Naia has two runways, they are perpendicular to each other. Hence, the two are as good as one since both cannot be used simultaneously. Since [the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in Clark] has the space to expand to a third parallel runway, it is the logical gateway to the country's main port of entry,” he explains.

He adds that he is also working with the Bureau of Internal Revenue to see if certain taxes imposed on foreign carriers could be lifted, such as the carriers tax and the gross billings tax. "If we remove this tax, the revenue to be generated for the increase in tourists will more than compensate for that loss of that common carriers tax (3% of the international carrier’s gross receipts),” he said. This tax isn’t imposed by any other country.

The gross billings tax, meanwhile, imposes a 2.5% tax on the gross revenues earned by the international carrier in the country. “Each tourist spends about $750 directly in this country. This, in turn, creates jobs in other allied sectors like transportation, agriculture, so you will need only 200,000 extra tourists to make up for the loss of the common carriers tax alone.”

Lim is also batting for the professionalization of tour guides. Having been president of Ten Knots Development Corp., former owner and operator of El Nido Resorts, he helped set up the El Nido Foundation which aims to improve the quality of life of the residents, as well as preserve the destination’s natural beauty and resources. He says they could use the same template in El Nido where “we got local guides who could give local color to the tourists. It was easier to keep them because they already resided there. We want those who have been trained already to, in turn, train the local guides in the provinces and regions, because they are the ones who know the history, the culture and the stories behind those local landmarks.”

When Lim is not busy rushing to yet another meeting, battling the mounting paperwork on his desk, or fending off his critics, he tries to keep fit by swatting at tennis balls every morning. He is married to the former Carla Campos Abreu, and they have been married for 38 years. “We lived one block apart from each other. I was studying in Ateneo, she in Maryknoll, so we were also neighbors in school. We met in a group date watching a movie.” The couple has three accomplished children—Lorenzo, 34; Laszlo, 32; and Liana, 23—and two grandchildren.

*This is an expanded version of my column, Something Like Life, originally published in the Nov. 19, 2010 issue of the BusinessMirror. Due to space constraints, I wasn't able to include Secretary Lim's position on other tourism-related issues for the paper. Let me add that this feature was planned a long time ago, even before the PKG controversy blew up, and was updated to reflect Lim's views on the matter. Something Like Life is published every Friday in the Life section of the BusinessMirror. Photo of Lim courtesy DOT. Tourism images copyright Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo, 2010.

+(UPDATE) Govt drops ‘Pilipinas Kay Ganda’ slogan. Read it here.

(UPDATE 2): 'Pilipinas Kay Ganda' officially dead, according to Sec. Lim. However, I think DOT still owes the public a more detailed explanation about what really happened especially in the light of the Campaigns & Grey press release. Was C&G actually paid or not? The taxpayers have a right to know. Abangan!

A plea for a return to sanity

I’M sure everyone by now knows how one assistant secretary named Mai Mislang, working for P-Noy’s communications team, tweeted insensitive remarks about Vietnam while the President and other officials were being hosted by that government.

Suffice to say, what she did was wrong. She has come to this realization, has apologized to all, and deleted her Twitter account. In a few months or so, those tweets will be gone from cyberspace, contrary to the common belief that it will hang around forever. (Believe me, I’ve done it. Not even goggling my old deleted tweets have turned up as a cache file. Look it up in the Twitter FAQ.)*

Let me say that I personally don’t know Ms. Mislang. Whatever my comments about the incident are purely from my own insights as a tweeter, and as one who has done probably more stupid things than Ms. Mislang. And, yes, my parents would probably never have forgiven me if they had known about those little indiscretions at the time.

As someone who tweets, I know exactly how a thought that pops into one’s head can be out the door and onto cyberspace in less than a minute. One can be thoughtful or stupid, generous or heartless, forgiving or cruel, funny or corny...and the entire world (or your band of followers) will know about it in a split second.

You know it’s just like texting your private thoughts to your friends, except that in the case of Twitter, you tweet them via a computer or a cell phone to a whole bunch of people, some of whom you personally don’t know. I started using Twitter because of my advocacy during the last presidential elections, as I sought to inform people about their candidates @Pulitika2010.

Post-May 2010, however, I started using the same account as a personal pulpit. I post links to my column, news items I deem important and that I want to share with my “followers”, post photos of dishes I like in this or that restaurant, joke around with a few pals who are also on Twitter, and basically share my general thoughts on certain issues.

Tweeting is almost like having a microphone stuck to your mouth, only it works faster. Sometimes using the medium does make one an unthinking dolt and liable to hurt people’s feelings. I realized one day that I was still tweeting in a public setting and, more or less, some of my tweets could be misconstrued in a negative way if other people read them. So I deleted some seemingly insensitive or idiotic comments, and have put my account in privacy mode.

I have since restrained myself from shooting off and now behave in a more respectable tweeting manner that my parents and other relatives wouldn’t be ashamed of. Once in a while, of course, the dirty jokes will be tweeted but we can have a little fun sometimes, right?

In Ms. Mislang’s case, her tweets were public and reaped a barrage of negative comments. As of today, there have been two reported Facebook pages dedicated to hating on Ms. Mislang. I didn’t visit those pages, because I abhor that kind of cruelty.


People have talked about Ms. Mislang’s insensitivity and her lack of breeding. Her parents may have not brought her up well, as one columnist suggested. As someone who grew up with three other siblings who received generally the same kind of lessons and nurturing from our parents, I can say that one can’t blame the parents all the time. My siblings and I all turned out differently. A person is shaped not only by one’s parents attitudes, but also by one’s environment, specifically one’s education and one’s peers.

When you read all the comments about Ms. Mislang, I wonder sometimes who actually lacks breeding. The commenters themselves have become the ones insensitive and cruel, calling into question even Ms. Mislang’s general appearance. Some have even been so downright self-righteous, it’s like no one ever said or did anything stupid or remotely indecent when they were young! I’m just bothered that the level of discourse on this issue has degraded to one of shallowness and an utter disregard for another person's humanity.

The media seems to have even joined the crusade against Ms. Mislang with one outlet publishing a piece (I call it a dissertation) on...hala kayong lahat...the “Dangers of Tweeting”. Slow news day, eh? No more babies left in airplane bathrooms lately? One generally respected columnist who also joined the drubbing of Ms. Mislang has actually written some factually inaccurate pieces before, but no one’s crucified her for those stories.

Good God, people, get a grip already! No one died. There was no diplomatic protest filed over Ms. Mislang’s tweets. In the grand scheme of things, she is so low in the Palace hierarchy, why would anyone bother? She’s just a speechwriter, isn’t she? And I use the word “just” not to denigrate it, but to differentiate her job from those of higher government officials with the larger responsibilities of running the country. Her tweet had nothing to do directly with her job, so why should she be fired? She certainly is no Rico Puno! And yes like any young person who has made any stupid mistake before, she deserves a second chance, or else how will she learn and redeem herself?

Sure, you say this is symptomatic about how the present dispensation in Malacañang likes to run things, and the kind of people P-Noy wants to be surrounded with. Then maybe we should direct all our comments to P-Noy instead, right? Or to Ricky Carandang maybe, who even tweeted her back asking if it was the red or white wine. Ricky was a terrific broadcaster, but as head of P-Noy’s communications team, sadly he has misfired and mishandled this entire situation. He already should’ve called Ms. Mislang’s attention with her first wrongful tweet. Why? Because he’s older and should’ve have known better. (Although I’ve just read his tweet page to check if it was still up and was absolutely horrified at the awfully offensive comments there. Don’t these commenters have any work to do? Good grief!)

I believe Ms. Mislang has ready learned her lesson, so everyone should calm down already. I pity the girl because this experience will surely scar her for life. She will be forever known as “the girl who tweeted that the wine sucked.” She probably deserves it, you say, but, gads, can’t we give her a break already? Like Jon Stewart, I urge us all to return to sanity.

Peace, people.

(My column Something Like Life is published every Friday in the Life section of the BusinessMirror. Cartoon from the Sketchbook of Aaron Riddle.)

*(UPDATE): Of course I didn't count on people actually capturing the image of the back and forth tweets by Ms. Mislang and Ricky, so yes, apparently this unfortunate exchange will remain in cyberspace forever. Tsk, tsk. I think the way to go now for most gov't officials is, not to use their personal Twitter accounts for the meantime, unless these are used directly for info purposes. But I know the Official Gazette already has its own Twitter account, so maybe they can use that for info dissemination or the Palace and other gov't agencies can set up their own accounts for that purpose. For unofficial communication, try texting or the good old phone call instead.

Boob jobs

I HAVE a couple of issues I wanted to raise today.

First off, the reported Shalani-P-Noy split.

No one really knows the exact details of the parting of ways of the erstwhile couple.

There have been a number of rumors circulating about the purported reason(s) for the breakup: a) P-Noy is extremely busy with his job as is Shalani, being a councilor in Valenzuela; b) P-Noy is seeing someone else; c) Shalani is supposedly dating someone else; or d) all of the above.

As you may recall, as early as the July inaugural of P-Noy at the Quirino Grandstand, the grapevine went hyperactive because of persistent reports that the two had already gone their separate ways. It was only Shalani who actually denied it, but she was there at the inaugural, albeit seated behind the presidential sisters. Then later that evening, she was also at the People’s Party at the Quezon Memorial Circle, where P-Noy sang “Watch What Happens”—to her utter delight. So people thought they were still an item.

Crooned the newly elected President then:

Cold
No I won’t believe your heart is cold
Maybe just afraid to be broken again.
Let someone with a deep love to give
Give that deep love to you
And what magic you’ll see.

Sigh. What a difference three months make.

But as I wrote then (Shalani's long wait), the burden of that relationship really fell on Shalani’s pretty shoulders, now that her beau had been elected President. While she herself will no doubt be busy attending to her konsehala duties, she still would not be as occupied as the President. So like any typical girlfriend, she would, no doubt, wish they could spend what little free time they had together.

No doubt, she would’ve been racked with guilt had she imposed on P-Noy’s time. After all, there are more pressing problems to attend to than a lonely girlfriend’s issues. Then again, Shalani may also have deeply considered whether P-Noy was such a good catch that she should wait for six years until he made up his mind about marriage and her part in it. Take note that P-Noy had already said he didn’t see himself getting married while seated in Malacañang.

So as the rumors go, P-Noy was supposedly the one who called it quits, as he recognized that Shalani was no longer happy in the relationship. And quick as a pistol, he was espied to be already seemingly dating someone else. It would now seem that he was not really much into Shalani as we all thought, as much as she was into him. Her reaction when asked by media about the issue: “Next time na lang po. Thank you.” Honey, if it’s over, just say it’s over, and move on.

Perhaps, she’s still holding out a candle for the President? Only natural, especially if the woman’s in love. P-Noy, on the other hand, was already able to joke about his date with the still-unidentified mystery woman at Nuvo.

Meanwhile, it’s been pretty interesting, even downright hilarious, to read the reactions from the men on social-networking sites:

From Namby: “To me the best mistake he ever made was break up with Shalani. She deserves a better-looking boy friend.”

Pitutuy: “THAT was maybe the best thing that he did...releasing Shalani, yehehey!”

Dwayne: “eto ang pagbabago after 100 days: si pnoy at liz uy na raw; at si shalani at mayor gatchalian naman daw.”

Big Guy (on news reports of Shalani dating Mayor Gatchalian): “C’mon, guys, give the lady a break! Masyadong pakialamero kayo.”

Seriously, I feel that Shalani is better off without P-Noy. Sure, he may be a good catch because of his family name. He’s intelligent naman and sometimes witty. And, yes, he is the second most powerful man in the country (the first being Interior Undersecretary Rico Puno, of course). But you can’t force yourself on someone who really doesn’t love you.

I just think that if a man is really in love with a woman, he will find the time to be with her. And if he knows that she’s the one he’d like to spend the rest of his life with, he will marry her, or do something to prove that he’s committed to her. An engagement ring would be nice. It will be an unmistakable assurance of his devotion. There will be no vagueness, no uncertainty, no waffling.

It was good while it was lasted, but it’s now time to move forward, Shalani. Go on, you have a whole world of eager adorable men waiting at your feet. God willing, you will get the man you deserve.

****

“I LIKE it on the countertop.”

“I like it on my small bed near the door.”

“I like it carried from the car, flung onto the couch, then unzipped and spread wide open....”

If you’ve been reading these mysterious messages on your female friends’ Facebook status, don’t fret, it’s just another Breast Cancer Awareness Month campaign. This year it’s all about where you like putting your handbag. Spoilsport that I am, I did not post any status to that effect. During last year’s campaign, I didn’t post my bra color as asked, so no reason for me to tell you where I put my bag.

Apologies to all the girls who got oh-so-excited with this year’s campaign, but I just think it’s all silly and really doesn’t amount to much. How many of you actually went to your OB-Gyn’s and gotten a breast exam or a mammogram while participating in these campaigns? Raise your hand, anyone? No? Thought so.

Oh, I know it’s supposed to be fun and all, but the whole idea behind these campaigns is to get women thinking about how we can reduce our risks for the disease. Did you know, for instance, that 70 percent of breast cancers occur in women who have no known risk factors?

These are the other facts from the Philippine Breast Cancer Network:

* About 80 percent of women diagnosed with breast cancer will be the first to be victims in their families.
* Breast cancer is the leading killer of women ages 35 to 54 worldwide.
* One out of four who are diagnosed with breast-cancer die within the first five years.
* The incidence of breast cancer has been rising for the past 30 years.

And this to me is the most shocking fact of all: “The Philippines has the highest incidence rate of breast cancer in Asia.” (For the rest of the breast-cancer facts, visit www.pbcn.org.)

While early detection may not prevent a woman from getting full-blown breast cancer, and mammography supposedly doesn’t detect as much as 20 percent of breast cancers, it is still advisable to put yourselves through these exams.

The former can be conducted by your OB-Gyn, and she can even teach you how to do it yourself. Using her hand, the doctor will try to detect any changes in your breasts, e.g., if there is some unusual hardening, or lumps. The American Cancer Society (ACS) recommends that women beginning the age of 30 should have a clinical breast exam made by a health-care professional.

Mammography is a bit uncomfortable as your boob is squeezed between two panels before it’s given an x-ray dose to see what’s inside. ACS advises mammography for women beginning the age of 40. It may be painful, yes, but what if it can help save your life?

***For more information about breast cancer, also visit icanserve Foundation. While it’s unfortunate that the advocacy group no longer holds those successful Pink Kitchen eat-’til-you-drop fundraising activities, you may still support its programs by purchasing the goods being sold at its booth at The Power Plant Mall on all weekends of October.

(My column, Something Like Life, is published every Friday in the Life section of the BusinessMirror. Still photo from the film, Un couple parfait.)

Slow starters*

I HAVE never been a perfect student.

The nuns and teachers in St. Theresa’s will probably attest to the fact that I was diligent enough and applied myself well all through the elementary grades.

But when I got to high school, I floundered a bit. My math subjects confounded me. Seriously, when would I ever need subjects like algebra? Or trigonometry? (You know how it was when we were teenagers—we’d question everything and rebel against certain ideas.)

In grade school, while I wasn’t a math lover, I could see how the subject was useful. We all still need to add, subtract, divide and multiply, especially when it comes to money. Fractions come in handy when we’re talking about intercompany disputes and, well, uhm...family feuds over inheritance.

But whatever did I need to study sine and cosine for? Bless my teacher Ms. Ortiz wherever she may be, and she was really not the terror she was made out to be by the older girls, but I still can’t figure out why I needed to study trigonometry.

Geometry at least has some practical applications...like playing billiards. In a semi-drunken state at some friend’s birthday one time, I asked my friends who were good at playing pool if they aced their geometry subject in school. They all said yes. Well, it’s all about shooting the ball in the right hole using the perfect angle, isn’t it?

So when I got to fourth year high school, I needed help. I was failing my Trigo and sought another math teacher at St. Theresa’s to tutor me after school, three times a week. Needless to say, I got my act together and managed to pass the subject by the third and fourth quarters. Whew.

In college, I believed I did well in most of the courses. But there were other things that occupied my attention. I was very active in my extracurricular activities, maybe more than the usual student, which would get my Pop all fired up. He would chew my ear out regularly because sometimes he would wait in the car for ages ‘til I decided to appear, but usually it wasn’t because I came from class.

But, hey, the university president, then Bro. Andrew Gonzalez, knew me well enough to offer me a teaching job even before I graduated; I got my class absences wiped out by a few professors just because they liked what I wrote in the paper; and, most important, I got exempted from P.E.! Hahaha.

Seriously, I admit that I probably attended my classes to justify my memberships in the school organizations. I would usually coast along, pushing the allowable absences of each class to the limit, then get to the midterm exams. Depending on the results, I would either study like mad to make sure I passed my final exams for that particularly class, or just do more of the same if I got a good grade.

There were classes that were easy; I passed them even if I was half-asleep most of the time. Most other classes were average—all I needed was just to read up and participate in the discussion, or do the practical work required by the professor.

Then there were a few courses which took more effort to study—these were usually, again, the math-based subjects. Like in high school, I wasn’t ashamed to ask for help when I needed it, and sought it out from my classmates or some guy majoring in that particular field. I would eventually do a good job in the final exams and pass the course. There were very few classes which I dropped, and I usually only did so when the teacher wasn’t inspiring enough to hold my attention.

When I finally graduated, my thesis-mate Chinky and I even managed to each snag a gold medal for producing the Best Project in our Communication Arts batch that year. O, di ba? Overall, I don’t think I really had any major difficulties in the university. I actually enjoyed my time in De La Salle.


All this talk about P-Noy and his failing marks in the first 100 days of his leadership obviously made me look back and assess my own student life. Which is why, despite my thinking that he deserves at least a 76—a grade just above pasang-awa—I think he will still come around.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, there are Presidents who are pretty much Dean’s List material the moment they get to Malacañang. They are self-starters, like FVR maybe, who perform brilliantly at the beginning of their term and are consistent throughout, until they step down from office. They come up with the right policies, implement them, and the whole country benefits.

Then there are sluggish ones, like P-Noy, who is like the student that I once was. He has certain strengths in some areas, but in other subjects, he really needs to crack open those books, and ask more knowledgeable people to explain the topics to him. The key is for him to recognize and accept that he needs help, because I’m pretty sure, there are so many smart people willing to extend a hand to him, if only he would asked.

So far, we’re just in the first quarter of his presidency. There is still some time for him to improve those grades. And as any student knows, what’s really most important is making a difference by the third- and fourth-quarter grading periods.

This may not give the rest of us know-it-alls any measure of comfort because it sounds like we’re on a slow boat to China. But I still have just this much hope that P-Noy will take our country where we want it to be in due time. He just needs to get a grip on his own weaknesses, focus more intently and study matters he doesn’t understand, and ask help from the right people. (Published Oct. 8, 2010)

*My column Something Like Life is published every Friday in the Life section of the BusinessMirror.

PNoy eats a NY dog

Didn't your mother tell you not to talk when your mouth is full? hehe. But this is nice, if only to show how down to earth President Aquino really is. (His yaya has been quoted as saying that PNoy is not a fussy eater at all.) And yes, there's nothing like a New York dog, especially the ones at Gray's Papaya. Yum.

Who really rocks though is Chief of Protocol Miguel Perez Rubio, who at 84, can still keep up w/ all this presidential business.

Btw, in case you guys are interested, on Sept. 22 (NY time), PNoy had lunch at Serafina restaurant and then a steak dinner at the moderately-priced Keens restaurant. Malacañang is apparently making sure the public knows exactly where and how we, the taxpayers, are feeding the President. Check out the President's Day at the Official Gazette.

Caption this

(Photo courtesy The Official Gazette of the Philippines)

PNoy: O, be a good boy ha?

VP Binay: Opo. Pero 'wag ka magmadaling umuwi ha?

ES Ochoa: Pare, isang Blue Label lang, ayos na ako.

Black sheep (and my own wishful thinking)

ALL families have one.

It’s the relative who doesn’t quite fit in the traditional mold of the rest of the family.

He is the relative who possesses the least number of personality traits that usually marks one as a member of that clan.

He is the one who sometimes brings embarrassment to the rest of the kin because of the things he or she says, or his or her aberrant behavior.

* * * *
Often called the family oddball or eccentric, his antics sometimes run from the quirky and harmless—you know, like Lady Gaga, who dresses up in outlandish but creative costumes—to the truly wild and jawdropping, like the relative who feels the urgent need to declare to the entire world that her partner gave her a sexually transmitted disease.

There’s no rhyme or reason for the black sheep. He just happens, much like the Joker in the deck of cards you’re shuffling which you thought you’d already removed.

In a number of families, he or she is just the constant butt of jokes—like your elderly aunt who always shows up for the family reunion with yet another escort young enough to be her grandson.

Then there is the drug addict in the respectable family of lawyers who constantly fails to get rehabilitated.

* * * *
I MUST admit that when I was campaigning for then-senator Noynoy Aquino last year, the most difficult criticism I had to fend off was not that he had no credible political track record to speak of, but that he had Kris Aquino, the TV celebrity, as his sister.

Unwarranted or not, Kris has become the epitome of what family black sheep are all about. One could easily dismiss it as her being born in the month of February and being an Aquarian, given to eccentricities, but even I, who share the same birth month and zodiac sign with her, and can come from the left field at times, am constantly stumped by her erratic behavior.

The potential voters I talked with then warned me that if and when Senator Aquino would become president, Kris would lord (lady?) over it in Malacañang. After all, Aquino has no wife, so who else would function as his First Lady? Certainly, they said, his other sisters—Ballsy, Pinky and Viel—had their own lives and families to get back to, and they felt that Kris, who always seems to crave the spotlight, would revel in the role of de-facto First Lady.

I, of course, defended my then-candidate that, no, Kris would have her showbiz life to go back to, and also her family—Josh, Baby James and Big James. I remember saying that with the amount of financial support Kris would send her brother’s way for his campaign, she would need to earn these back through more showbiz projects and product endorsements. I supremely believed then that when he won, Aquino would thank the bunso for her tremendous backing, then send her merrily away back to showbiz.

I guess those guys I talked with last year are now laughing at me, because what they had predicted has come to pass. Who else could have suggested to now President Noynoy Aquino to appoint Girl Abunda as tourism secretary? Ach. (By the way, just for the record, I also admit that I eventually didn’t vote for Senator Aquino after seeing how he poorly handled the infighting in his camp.)

* * * *
BUT what family, like I said, doesn’t have a black sheep—a relative who can be a continued cause of embarrassment? Of course, for political families, it can be quite devastating.

A story by ABC News in 2007—published on the occasion of the arrest of Al Gore III, son of the former US Vice President and then-yet-to-become Nobel Laureate, for possessing marijuana and prescription drugs—cited a number of famous political black sheep.

Former US President John Henry Adams had a son, Charles, who was an alcoholic. Others include the great Democrat Franklin Roosevelt’s son who became a Republican; the drinking and free-wheeling Alice, daughter of Theodore Roosevelt; William Henry Harrison’s sons (one an embezzler, another an alcoholic); the late Sen. Teddy Kennedy—himself a black sheep because of the infamous Chappaquiddick incident—and his son Patrick, now a congressman himself, who had a substance-abuse problem in his youth and was dragged into a rape controversy with his cousin William Kennedy Smith, among others.

And even before Kris, there have been also quite a number of presidential siblings who had gained notoriety: Jimmy Carter had Billy, who was on the payroll of the Libyan government; George W. Bush had Neil, who was said to have engaged the services of prostitutes; and Bill Clinton had a half-brother, Roger, a cocaine user and alcoholic (not to mention, a bad Elvis Presley impersonator).

To their credit, the older Aquino sisters knew that Kris could be a liability to their President-brother’s governance, so they apparently exhorted her to give up her showbiz talk shows.

(Of course, Kris being Kris, she stole the show once more just three days before her brother’s inaugural by admitting to the entire world that she has given up on her marriage to basketball player James Yap. UPDATE: Kris and her children flew to the U.S. on July 8, 2010 and is said to be taking a 3-week vacation.)



One only wonders how these six years of semi-seclusion from the public life will affect Kris. For all we know, being under the constant watch of her sisters could do her good. It can’t be easy for Kris, who lives to hog the headlines, to have her every action monitored and controlled by her siblings.

What many wish for Kris—and really, despite her antics, I admire how she always puts her children’s needs ahead of hers—is perhaps, a Teddy Kennedy moment. Once an embarrassment for his entire family, Kennedy - also the bunso among nine siblings and born in February as well - eventually shed off the bad behavior and became one of the most revered politicians of our generation. (Now, I don't mean that Kris should become a politician like Kennedy or her brother and father, although it wouldn't be surprising if she does enter the field herself, but to just well, grow up. And maybe shut up about herself sometimes. It doesn't have to be all about you all the time, Kris!)

So, you see, there is some hope for black sheep after all. I would like to believe that, eventually, Kris will find her real place in the sun, and instead of being someone that her siblings would always have to watch over, become a constant and major source of pride for her family.

(My column Something Like Life, is published every Friday in the Life Section of the BusinessMirror. Black sheep photo from www.mi9.com. Yap family photo from Reuters via www.daylife.com)

Shalani's long wait

(President Noynoy Aquino and Valenzuela Councilor Shalani Soledad. Photo from Inquirer.net)

IT all started with my friend Casper’s Facebook status one morning last week.

He said: “P-Noy should exercise presidential prerogative and break protocol to let his girlfriend sit at the front row with his sisters at his inaugural. Pinoys love a good love story, and this is a good one for this nation of telenovela lovers.”

Casper, of course, was referring to the lovely Shalani Soledad, who recently won another term as councilor of Valenzuela. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like the fresh-faced Shalani...except maybe for presidential sister Kris? Hehehe.

The girl seems to be shy and soft-spoken—remember how she absolutely avoided talking to the press about her relationship to then just plain Sen. Noynoy Aquino after he had just filed his certificate of candidacy? This was one of the endearing things about Shalani, I suppose, and the romantics among the media who covered the then-senator just couldn’t stop needling him when he would marry the young lady.

After Casper’s declaration, his friends followed suit, commenting that they agreed with him. I was the spoilsport who didn’t support his proposed seating arrangement.

First of all, Shalani and her disarming smile, is still just a girlfriend, I said. The relationship between her and now President Noynoy could prosper—or it may not. There is no commitment between these two lovebirds to get married to each other, at least, that's what they've said so themselves. They are not engaged, so strictly speaking, Shalani isn’t family (unlike, of course, Girl Abunda, who has declared himself to be the fifth Aquino sister).

Also I told Casper, the electoral campaign was over, P-Noy had already won and “[he] should have enough sense not to use the relationship as a gimmick just to entertain the masses. There are more than enough telenovelas to deliver on that.”

But on the day Casper made his statement of support on behalf of Shalani’s place at her boyfriend’s inauguration, the gossip mill started churning out the bit that the President and his girlfriend were no longer an item. There was even one news report quoting Shalani denying the rumor which apparently had been swirling since P-Noy’s proclamation in Congress.

The rumor pointed to the fact that Shalani was seated four rows behind P-Noy’s sisters during his proclamation in Congress, and just beside singer/composer Ogie Alcasid. Also, she was absent at the small dinner celebration the Aquinos held with P-Noy’s buddies and schoolmates at Luk Foo, that Cantonese restaurant beside Puregold Supermarket along Commonwealth Avenue. (Good restaurant choice by P-Noy, by the way. Just simple and straightforward Chinese dishes, and inexpensive.)

Apparently, Casper also heard the rumor and by late afternoon of that day, he told me that the breakup was all true. He added that his respect for P-Noy even rose higher because of the latter’s reason for the breakup. “Para sa bayan?” I asked. Casper confirmed that, yes, supposedly P-Noy did it because he wanted to focus first on the task at hand, i.e., leading the nation.

Well, P-Noy’s inauguration on Wednesday went swimmingly without much incident at the Quirino Grandstand, and thank God it didn’t rain. But, of course, quite a number of people watching the ceremonies on TV noticed that Shalani was seated behind the Aquino sisters, specifically behind the President's sister, Viel Aquino-Dy. I don’t know if the seating plan is a clue to whether Shalani and P-Noy are still together or not. But why would you invite an ex-girlfriend to your inaugural ceremony, right? That’s kinda weird. And according to a GMA news report, it was P-Noy himself who chose Shalani’s designer for the event.

I think it’s already significant that Shalani was there. I don’t think people should make mountains about the molehill-fact that she was seated behind P-Noy's sisters. To me, it just means protocol was strictly followed by the inauguration team. We’re under a new administration after all, so it’s to be expected that proper decorum and rules on conduct are followed.

But gads, I would really hate to be in Shalani’s shoes these days. It can’t be easy when one’s relationships are put under the microscope, or in P-Noy and Shalani’s case, under close media scrutiny. Every move each partner in the relationship is constantly dissected, assessed, deconstructed and analyzed to no end. God help Shalani if on her way to work, she leaves her house with her hair all wet and unkempt. People will probably immediately dismiss her as unfit to be P-Noy’s wife!

Of course, the same kind of scrutiny goes for P-Noy’s siblings.

For instance, Miggy noticed that when Kris arrived at the Quirino Grandstand, she kissed a number of the guests, but didn’t even bother to greet Shalani. No beso-beso, no nothing. When Miggy put this out on her Facebook status, the comments poured in from her friends who also noticed the same. I missed that bit on the screen myself, so I couldn’t comment. (At the inauguration street party at the Quezon Memorial Circle later that night though, many noted that Shalani was seated beside Kris. So all's well, perhaps between this two?)

As a woman, I feel for Shalani. There is just too much pressure put on her, being the presidential girlfriend. As she said so in a lengthy newspaper interview back in April, she really has to mind what she wears these days. When before she could just dress up casually (“I go to the supermarket na naka-slippers, naka-shorts”), she now checks herself constantly, making sure her shorts or her skirts are of the proper length. (Well, Shalani was so gorgeous in her yellow terno by Rajo Laurel—a surprise—during the inauguration. She really stood out in her simplicity, and looked so much better than, sorry, P-Noy’s sisters, Kris included. Whoever made that 'Big Bird' terno for Kris and those updated Maria Claras for the other sisters should be shot.)

Of course, many people wonder if the relationship will last, now that Shalani's boyfriend is the new President of the Philippines. Sure, it’s a feat any girlfriend should be awfully proud of, but as Shalani said so herself, she expects there would be less time for them to be together. Even if she is mature enough to comprehend the realities of the situation, I’m sure she can’t help but wonder when she and P-Noy are even going out on a date again. At the same time, she will feel guilty for thinking just that. How can she put that kind of pressure on someone who has more problems to think about than setting the next date with his girlfriend?

Fortunately for Shalani, she will be busy with her own job as councilor, filing ordinances, and trying to get them passed by their city hall. She will have her family or close set of friends to hang out with after her work is done for the day.

Whatever happens, I wish Shalani the strength to take whatever difficulties may come in maintaining such a high-profile relationship with P-Noy. Between her and P-Noy, she will have to be the more understanding one. She will have to be the patient one, and the forgiving one, especially when dates have to be broken for reasons of the state, or when, yes, he bitches a little because he’s too busy to listen to her making lambing on the phone.

(President Noynoy and Shalani are certainly no Michael Douglas and Annette Benning in The American President.)

The romantics among us continue to imagine P-Noy and Shalani’s relationship as the same as Michael Douglas and Annette Benning’s which managed to beat the odds in the film The American President, but, really, it isn’t. In real life, a 30-year-old woman who could have anyone as her beau, and with marriage and children perhaps on her mind, is bound to ask herself if her boyfriend, the President, is worth the six-year wait.

(My column, Something Like Life, is published every Friday in the Life section of the BusinessMirror.)