Take a look at this interesting excerpt from a commentary, criticizing village's home owner's association stickers as he remember a story about President Cory:
And if you think that is bad, many regular readers of this column may remember the story about the late Cory Aquino that I wrote about a year or so ago. One of our readers shared this story about the former president when she tried dropping something off at his house in Corinthian Gardens, when she, too, had a taste of the village people.
The house she intended to visit was in full view of the guard house, yet the guard, who in fairness may have just been doing his job, made her wait on the side of the road while he tried unsuccessfully to call the resident to confirm that he was indeed expecting a package from the former President of the Republic of the very soil he was standing on. This would normally not be too bad, but let’s face it, it is highly unrealistic to expect the owner of the house (a person prominent enough to have Cory Aquino visiting his home) answer the phone and talk to this village guard.
So there they sat.
Eventually, Cory Aquino powers down her window and said quite politely, “Hijo, kilala mo ba ako?” (Son, do you know who I am?) The guard stood up straight and saluted her and said with a big smile, “Oo po, ma’am President!” (Yes, ma’am President) Yet he still made them wait. And wait. And wait. Eventually, sick of waiting, she just turned around and left.
Rules may be rules, but it becomes redundant if it ends up painting people into a corner. You may say that it shouldn’t matter who the person is and that being a celebrity or Cory Aquino doesn’t entitle you to preferential treatment, and everyone should follow the same rules. And I agree. So why doesn’t the guard call up each resident when the PLDT messenger comes through. Or the Meralco guy? Or the mailman?
Which brings me back to my point. Overpriced village stickers are not for security or identification purposes. They are revenue raising scams. Period. Let’s call a spade a spade. Because if the associations were sincere about its function, they would offer the stickers to residents for free, or at the very least, at cost. The mere fact alone that armed guards are ordered by the associations to give both residents and non-residents alike a hard time unless they purchase them, makes it no different to racketeering.
more from here http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=618274&publicationSubCategoryId=72
Friday, October 15, 2010
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Ballsy, Pinky, Nina wear I Am Cory
While browsing, I got across this article from Inquirer which commemorates president Cory in Bayo's apparel. It reminds us of Tita Cory's paintings fused into their garment's designs. Read on:
Limited collection fuses art, history, retail—built on hope for young generation
IT WAS one of those rare afternoons when sisters Ballsy Aquino-Cruz and Pinky Aquino-Abellada with daughter Nina took time off from their busy schedules to sit and talk about their thoughts on a new tribute to the late President Cory Aquino.
“I really liked what I saw,” said Ballsy. “They were very comfortable and how they used mom’s art was so nice.”
The eldest of the Aquino siblings was talking about the new Bayo I am Cory collection.
Bayo, a popular fashion brand, joins the nation in celebrating the life of the most admired Filipino woman of our time with the Bayo I am Cory Collection.
Its designs incorporate chosen artworks of former President Aquino.
Pinky Estrebillo of Bayo explained: “Bayo has always been championing the fabulous Pinay—Filipino and Proud—and who else could be more iconic in this respect than President Cory?”
The former President was the icon of democracy, a caring wife, an affectionate mother and grandmother, and a leader who made an impact on the lives of Filipinos. But, not known to many, she was also a painter.
In painting she saw a way to keep her mind active and her sense of humanity intact.
“I remember she always enjoyed painting ever since I was a kid,” said Nina. “It’s nice that people will get to see and know a different side of her.”
The former President, under the mentoring of Jeff Consumo, enjoyed painting flowers and women in oil or acrylic on canvass.
“The special Bayo collection is a way for people to remember Mom and for those who haven’t seen any of her artworks yet, at least they will be able to see them,” added Ballsy.
Inspired by her colorful floral paintings, Bayo’s I am Cory Collection features staple clothes.
“To distinguish our collection, we thought of something not everybody knows about Mrs. Cory Aquino—her paintings,” said Lynn Agustin of Bayo.
The silhouette is clean and simple, inspired by President Aquino’s simplicity and grace.
The line consists of flower-pot shirts, scoop-neck shirts, striped tank tops, ’50s-inspired dress, and chambray and striped polos with floral print and pockets.
There are also canvas bags with iconic prints of her landscape paintings, flower-pot painting in full and magnified versions.
Sharing their favorite pieces among the collection, President Cory’s daughters and granddaughter were asked about their preferences in clothing. The three agreed that comfort is top priority.
“I really liked the striped blouse with floral piping on pockets and sleeves,” said Ballsy. “It’s very comfortable. I liked how they had the flowers on the sleeves and pockets. Kapag napansin yung flowers, sasabihin, ’ah, ito yung pinaint ni Cory!”
Pinky loved all the clothes she tried on, but had her eyes on the ’50s-inspired dress. “If I were much younger and thinner, I really like the dress with the stripes,” she said.
Nina wanted something she can wear to school. To match her busy lifestyle as a senior Communications Technology major at Ateneo de Manila University, she picked out the grey shirt: “I like that it’s simple and I can wear it every day.”
Of the canvas bags, Ballsy said: “It’s something so useful, very washable and something you can recycle. I think it’s such a nice way to help the environment.”
Bayo has collaborated with Ninoy and Cory Aquino Foundation (NCAF) in this special collection.
NCAF is an organization devoted to building on the democratic legacy of the two great Filipinos who brought out the best in their countrymen. NCAF’s Iamninoy-Iamcory movement has core youth mobilization and empowerment programs which seek to nurture a new generation of Filipino leaders imbued with a selflessness to serve their country.
“You, too, can be a hero,” said Ruben Tangco, managing director of the iamninoy-iamcory movement. “You don’t have to die to do something selfless, something heroic for your less fortunate countrymen,” he said.
With all these retail partnerships, NCAF has made it accessible to everyone to be a “hero”—every retail partner has to tie up with a chosen beneficiary. “When you buy something from a retail partner, you will automatically help a beneficiary,” he added. “In a sense, this is a way of being heroic.”
For this limited capsule collection, part of the proceeds will be donated to the foundation to help support the advocacies of NCAF, particularly the leadership and formation program.
“We want to deepen the engagement with young people,” Tangco said. “We want young people to volunteer and spend time on selfless work. We want them to draw inspiration and transformation from their own experiences and, from there, evolve into spiritually grounded leaders of the future.”
“This partnership has given birth to a confluence of the arts, history, and fashion,” said Corcor Bitong of Bayo.
When asked if they think the former President would want any of the pieces in the collection, the sisters said she definitely would.
“In her younger years, she was really very skinny so ang daming pwede sa kanya. Pwede siya with sleeveless. I’m sure she will also be bringing those bags with her, ang dami kasing malalagay,” Ballsy said.
“I remember she likes colors that are happy. She would also love the blouses,” Pinky added.
“Since it is a Filipino-owned company, Bayo is also using Filipinos for their fashion. It’s really an honor for our family,” she said.
more from here: http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/sundaylifestyle/sundaylifestyle/view/20101003-295649/Ballsy-Pinky-Nina-wear-I-Am-Cory
Limited collection fuses art, history, retail—built on hope for young generation
IT WAS one of those rare afternoons when sisters Ballsy Aquino-Cruz and Pinky Aquino-Abellada with daughter Nina took time off from their busy schedules to sit and talk about their thoughts on a new tribute to the late President Cory Aquino.
“I really liked what I saw,” said Ballsy. “They were very comfortable and how they used mom’s art was so nice.”
The eldest of the Aquino siblings was talking about the new Bayo I am Cory collection.
Bayo, a popular fashion brand, joins the nation in celebrating the life of the most admired Filipino woman of our time with the Bayo I am Cory Collection.
Its designs incorporate chosen artworks of former President Aquino.
Pinky Estrebillo of Bayo explained: “Bayo has always been championing the fabulous Pinay—Filipino and Proud—and who else could be more iconic in this respect than President Cory?”
The former President was the icon of democracy, a caring wife, an affectionate mother and grandmother, and a leader who made an impact on the lives of Filipinos. But, not known to many, she was also a painter.
In painting she saw a way to keep her mind active and her sense of humanity intact.
“I remember she always enjoyed painting ever since I was a kid,” said Nina. “It’s nice that people will get to see and know a different side of her.”
The former President, under the mentoring of Jeff Consumo, enjoyed painting flowers and women in oil or acrylic on canvass.
“The special Bayo collection is a way for people to remember Mom and for those who haven’t seen any of her artworks yet, at least they will be able to see them,” added Ballsy.
Inspired by her colorful floral paintings, Bayo’s I am Cory Collection features staple clothes.
“To distinguish our collection, we thought of something not everybody knows about Mrs. Cory Aquino—her paintings,” said Lynn Agustin of Bayo.
The silhouette is clean and simple, inspired by President Aquino’s simplicity and grace.
The line consists of flower-pot shirts, scoop-neck shirts, striped tank tops, ’50s-inspired dress, and chambray and striped polos with floral print and pockets.
There are also canvas bags with iconic prints of her landscape paintings, flower-pot painting in full and magnified versions.
Sharing their favorite pieces among the collection, President Cory’s daughters and granddaughter were asked about their preferences in clothing. The three agreed that comfort is top priority.
“I really liked the striped blouse with floral piping on pockets and sleeves,” said Ballsy. “It’s very comfortable. I liked how they had the flowers on the sleeves and pockets. Kapag napansin yung flowers, sasabihin, ’ah, ito yung pinaint ni Cory!”
Pinky loved all the clothes she tried on, but had her eyes on the ’50s-inspired dress. “If I were much younger and thinner, I really like the dress with the stripes,” she said.
Nina wanted something she can wear to school. To match her busy lifestyle as a senior Communications Technology major at Ateneo de Manila University, she picked out the grey shirt: “I like that it’s simple and I can wear it every day.”
Of the canvas bags, Ballsy said: “It’s something so useful, very washable and something you can recycle. I think it’s such a nice way to help the environment.”
Bayo has collaborated with Ninoy and Cory Aquino Foundation (NCAF) in this special collection.
NCAF is an organization devoted to building on the democratic legacy of the two great Filipinos who brought out the best in their countrymen. NCAF’s Iamninoy-Iamcory movement has core youth mobilization and empowerment programs which seek to nurture a new generation of Filipino leaders imbued with a selflessness to serve their country.
“You, too, can be a hero,” said Ruben Tangco, managing director of the iamninoy-iamcory movement. “You don’t have to die to do something selfless, something heroic for your less fortunate countrymen,” he said.
With all these retail partnerships, NCAF has made it accessible to everyone to be a “hero”—every retail partner has to tie up with a chosen beneficiary. “When you buy something from a retail partner, you will automatically help a beneficiary,” he added. “In a sense, this is a way of being heroic.”
For this limited capsule collection, part of the proceeds will be donated to the foundation to help support the advocacies of NCAF, particularly the leadership and formation program.
“We want to deepen the engagement with young people,” Tangco said. “We want young people to volunteer and spend time on selfless work. We want them to draw inspiration and transformation from their own experiences and, from there, evolve into spiritually grounded leaders of the future.”
“This partnership has given birth to a confluence of the arts, history, and fashion,” said Corcor Bitong of Bayo.
When asked if they think the former President would want any of the pieces in the collection, the sisters said she definitely would.
“In her younger years, she was really very skinny so ang daming pwede sa kanya. Pwede siya with sleeveless. I’m sure she will also be bringing those bags with her, ang dami kasing malalagay,” Ballsy said.
“I remember she likes colors that are happy. She would also love the blouses,” Pinky added.
“Since it is a Filipino-owned company, Bayo is also using Filipinos for their fashion. It’s really an honor for our family,” she said.
more from here: http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/sundaylifestyle/sundaylifestyle/view/20101003-295649/Ballsy-Pinky-Nina-wear-I-Am-Cory
Monday, September 27, 2010
Bayo and Aquino Foundation collaborate on ‘I am Cory’ collection
Came across this article regarding Bayo's support for the Aquino foundation. Read on:
Bayo, together with the Ninoy and Cory Aquino Foundation, has released its new limited capsule collection called “I am Cory.” It is inspired by the former president’s floral artwork which is featured in flower pot printed shirts, scoop neck shirts, striped tank tops, 1950s-inspired dresses, and chambray and striped polos with floral prints and pockets. Also in this collection are canvas bags which feature one of her landscape paintings and a flower pot painting. Part of the proceeds from every purchase of the “I am Cory” products will be donated to the foundation.
More from here http://www.bworldonline.com/main/content.php?id=18391
Bayo, together with the Ninoy and Cory Aquino Foundation, has released its new limited capsule collection called “I am Cory.” It is inspired by the former president’s floral artwork which is featured in flower pot printed shirts, scoop neck shirts, striped tank tops, 1950s-inspired dresses, and chambray and striped polos with floral prints and pockets. Also in this collection are canvas bags which feature one of her landscape paintings and a flower pot painting. Part of the proceeds from every purchase of the “I am Cory” products will be donated to the foundation.
More from here http://www.bworldonline.com/main/content.php?id=18391
Monday, September 6, 2010
CITFI students top art contest
Got across this news about an art painting contest where the judge was Mar Vidal, a world renowned painter whose artwork was adored by President Cory Aquino. Read on:
Two students from the Catanduanes Institute of Technology Foundation, Inc. (CITFI) won the first and third places in the provincial art painting contest, participated in by 22 artists from all over Catanduanes.
Christopher Tacorda, computer programming student of CITFI, topped the contest to win the P5,000 prize donated by Governor Cua. Tacorda also won a one-year scholarship from CITFI.
Second place went to Christopher Degala, an employee of Rakdel Inn. He won P3,000 and a one-year scholarship from CITFI.
Jerome Terry, another CITFI computer programming student, took the third place with a P2,000 prize from Vice Governor Teves and a one-year scholarship from CITFI.
The art contest was part of Governor Cua's program to tap talented artists in the province and provide them incentives through the Catanduanes Upliftment of the Arts (CUA) program that was recently launched with the participation of CITFI and renowned artist painter Mar Vidal who also served as judge in the contest.
"It's amazing to note that Catanduanes has all these talents in art painting. They ought to be tapped and given every opportunity to widen their sphere towards bringing beauty and color to the province and the world," Vidal said.
Vida recently visited Catanduanes and provided students and officials a free sketching of their portraits. He was recently chosen to oil paint the portraits of Boxing Legend Manny Pacquiao, a life-size portrait that mesmerized everyone so that he was featured in the front page of Cebu Daily News (a subsidiary of Philippine Daily Inquirer) last August 15.
Others who also availed of Vidal's talent were celebrity Monique Lluillier, Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia, President Cory Aquino, Cardinal Vidal, and top businessmen, politicians, actors and actresses. Last year, Vidal was invited to Los Angeles to attend the world competition opera concert of his daughter who won second place.
"I will be back in Catanduanes because there is that unique beauty in your province which I have not seen anywhere else. Surely, I will be helping talents get their chance to be in the spotlight for world competition and make Catanduanes a province of the arts," Vidal declared. He was accompanied by Freddie Esmas, another official from Cebu and CITFI board director, who promised that he will work out that Cebu and Catanduanes become sister cities soon.
more from here: http://www.catanduanestribune.com/Sep-01-2010/OtherStory/Detail.aspx?newsID=7231
Two students from the Catanduanes Institute of Technology Foundation, Inc. (CITFI) won the first and third places in the provincial art painting contest, participated in by 22 artists from all over Catanduanes.
Christopher Tacorda, computer programming student of CITFI, topped the contest to win the P5,000 prize donated by Governor Cua. Tacorda also won a one-year scholarship from CITFI.
Second place went to Christopher Degala, an employee of Rakdel Inn. He won P3,000 and a one-year scholarship from CITFI.
Jerome Terry, another CITFI computer programming student, took the third place with a P2,000 prize from Vice Governor Teves and a one-year scholarship from CITFI.
The art contest was part of Governor Cua's program to tap talented artists in the province and provide them incentives through the Catanduanes Upliftment of the Arts (CUA) program that was recently launched with the participation of CITFI and renowned artist painter Mar Vidal who also served as judge in the contest.
"It's amazing to note that Catanduanes has all these talents in art painting. They ought to be tapped and given every opportunity to widen their sphere towards bringing beauty and color to the province and the world," Vidal said.
Vida recently visited Catanduanes and provided students and officials a free sketching of their portraits. He was recently chosen to oil paint the portraits of Boxing Legend Manny Pacquiao, a life-size portrait that mesmerized everyone so that he was featured in the front page of Cebu Daily News (a subsidiary of Philippine Daily Inquirer) last August 15.
Others who also availed of Vidal's talent were celebrity Monique Lluillier, Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia, President Cory Aquino, Cardinal Vidal, and top businessmen, politicians, actors and actresses. Last year, Vidal was invited to Los Angeles to attend the world competition opera concert of his daughter who won second place.
"I will be back in Catanduanes because there is that unique beauty in your province which I have not seen anywhere else. Surely, I will be helping talents get their chance to be in the spotlight for world competition and make Catanduanes a province of the arts," Vidal declared. He was accompanied by Freddie Esmas, another official from Cebu and CITFI board director, who promised that he will work out that Cebu and Catanduanes become sister cities soon.
more from here: http://www.catanduanestribune.com/Sep-01-2010/OtherStory/Detail.aspx?newsID=7231
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Cory Aquino: The Artist, The Inspiration
Take a look at this article I read from Manila Times. It talks about Tita Cory's talent being a painter. This brought inspiration to other artists as well. Read on:
From a simple housewife, Corazon Aquino became the symbol of democracy and was admired by the whole world for her role in the People Power of 1986 which toppled the two-decade old Marcos dictatorship.
Former President Corazon C. Aquino’s first ever painting
While she was president of the country and even after she had relinquished the presidency to her successor, Fidel Ramos, Tita Cory, as she was fondly called, continuously received honors from various international organizations. Among such honors include Time Magazine’s “Woman of the Year” in 1986, the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award, United Nations Silver Medal, Canadian International Prize for Freedom and International Democracy Award from the International Association of Political Consultants, the Prize for Freedom Award from Liberal International, J. Willian Fullbright Prize for International Understanding, World Citizen Award, David Rockfeller Bridging Leadership Awards, Martin Luther King, Jr. Non-Violent Peace Award, and the Ramon Magsaysay Award for International Understanding, among many others.
While working on measures to reestablish the country, Tita Cory also made sure that culture and the arts would not be left behind.
Under her administration, the Presidential Commission for Culture and the Arts (PCCA) was created. Several years after, the commission was strengthened and became the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) through a bill co-sponsored by Senators Heherson Alvarez, Edgardo Angara and Leticia Ramos-Shahani which she signed into law in April 1992.
Unknown to many though, the country’s first woman-president was also a painting hobbyist. In 1996, after her term as Philippine president, she studied painting under the tutelage of visual artists Jeff Consumo and Araceli Limcaoco Dans. In a short time, she became adept at her new hobby, painting her favorite subjects: flowers and the holy rosary.
Unlike most visual artists though, Tita Cory did not sell her works; instead, she gave them as gifts to family and friends. Among the lucky few who received gifts from her included Philip and Margarita Juico, Secretary Jose de Jesus, Franklin Drilon, Jose Mari Chan and Hexilon Alvarez.
Now, Tita Cory is one of the favorite subjects of young and upcoming artists, depicting her in the various roles she held in the Philippine society: as a woman, as a mother, as a prayerful soul, as president, as mother of democracy and justice, among many others.
In the commemoration of her first death anniversary last August 1, a photo mosaic depicting her smiling face was unfolded at the Luneta Park on July 31 with President Benigno Simeon Aquino 3rd in attendance. Conceptualized by Photographer Revoli Cortez and Deedee Sytangco, the photo mosaic measures 250 feet by 200 feet and comprised of 3,200 photos taken of her in different occasions by 20 photographers who saw through her years as president. The mosaic, sponsored by Edsa People Power Commission and the Spirit of Edsa headed by Chris Carreon, is expected to break the Guinness Book of World Records as the biggest photo mosaic in the world. The current record holder measures 93 feet by 68 feet.
In his speech, President Aquino said, “Beyond the expressing of sympathy [my mother’s death] was a resurgence of hope and a realization that each of us has a role in alleviating our common burden. This mosaic or photograph is a symbol of that hope. The real challenge, however, is in making Cory Aquino’s example and legacy a part of our daily life . . . My mother confronted many challenges and no matter how difficult they were, she never gave up. Remember this when you feel like surrendering to your problems.”
Tita Cory as an Artist, and the multiplicity of roles she played in the Philippine society and the world served as the highlight of the two-hour commemoration of the first death anniversary of former President Cory Aquino in Sining Gising on August 1. Hosted by Cecile Guidote Alvarez, the show had former President Fidel Ramos and DepEd Undersecretary and NCCA Chairman Vilma Labrador as guests.
For the commemoration, Guidote-Alvarez, whose husband was a colleague in the battle against the dictatorship to restore democracy and a former cabinet member of President Cory Aquino, commissioned the transformation of two literary pieces into songs with dance interpretation. She asked Jose Mari Chan to compose the music for Ninoy’s poem to Cory — “I Fell in Love with the Woman Three Times”. She also requested Babes Alejo to compose music for Cory’s “Prayer for a Happy Death” which was translated into Filipino by Noli Dumlao. Heber Bartolome did the arrangement. Heber had two versions from members of Musika, one church version co-sponsored by Jeff Paride and Mandy Ferrer and a chant form folk-style composition. Dance interpretation was rendered by Pamela Ortiz Bondoc Ballet, Theatre Company, the Rizal Technological University, Dance Rondolla Group with the members of the Earthsavers Dreams Ensemble and Pamana Group. The fusion and synergy of collaborating artists is a response to P-Noy’s call for unity and harmony through working together.
Among those who gave their reflections were Vice-President Jejomar Binay, Senator Franklin Drilon, Rodolfo Biazon, Department of Transportation and Communications Secretary Ping de Jesus, Popoy Juico, protocol Ambassador Perez Rubio, former Tourism Secretary Tony Gozales and former Chief of Security Major Gen. Bodet Honrado.
more from here: http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/lifestyle/23076-cory-aquino-the-artist-the-inspiration
From a simple housewife, Corazon Aquino became the symbol of democracy and was admired by the whole world for her role in the People Power of 1986 which toppled the two-decade old Marcos dictatorship.
Former President Corazon C. Aquino’s first ever painting
While she was president of the country and even after she had relinquished the presidency to her successor, Fidel Ramos, Tita Cory, as she was fondly called, continuously received honors from various international organizations. Among such honors include Time Magazine’s “Woman of the Year” in 1986, the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award, United Nations Silver Medal, Canadian International Prize for Freedom and International Democracy Award from the International Association of Political Consultants, the Prize for Freedom Award from Liberal International, J. Willian Fullbright Prize for International Understanding, World Citizen Award, David Rockfeller Bridging Leadership Awards, Martin Luther King, Jr. Non-Violent Peace Award, and the Ramon Magsaysay Award for International Understanding, among many others.
While working on measures to reestablish the country, Tita Cory also made sure that culture and the arts would not be left behind.
Under her administration, the Presidential Commission for Culture and the Arts (PCCA) was created. Several years after, the commission was strengthened and became the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) through a bill co-sponsored by Senators Heherson Alvarez, Edgardo Angara and Leticia Ramos-Shahani which she signed into law in April 1992.
Unknown to many though, the country’s first woman-president was also a painting hobbyist. In 1996, after her term as Philippine president, she studied painting under the tutelage of visual artists Jeff Consumo and Araceli Limcaoco Dans. In a short time, she became adept at her new hobby, painting her favorite subjects: flowers and the holy rosary.
Unlike most visual artists though, Tita Cory did not sell her works; instead, she gave them as gifts to family and friends. Among the lucky few who received gifts from her included Philip and Margarita Juico, Secretary Jose de Jesus, Franklin Drilon, Jose Mari Chan and Hexilon Alvarez.
Now, Tita Cory is one of the favorite subjects of young and upcoming artists, depicting her in the various roles she held in the Philippine society: as a woman, as a mother, as a prayerful soul, as president, as mother of democracy and justice, among many others.
In the commemoration of her first death anniversary last August 1, a photo mosaic depicting her smiling face was unfolded at the Luneta Park on July 31 with President Benigno Simeon Aquino 3rd in attendance. Conceptualized by Photographer Revoli Cortez and Deedee Sytangco, the photo mosaic measures 250 feet by 200 feet and comprised of 3,200 photos taken of her in different occasions by 20 photographers who saw through her years as president. The mosaic, sponsored by Edsa People Power Commission and the Spirit of Edsa headed by Chris Carreon, is expected to break the Guinness Book of World Records as the biggest photo mosaic in the world. The current record holder measures 93 feet by 68 feet.
In his speech, President Aquino said, “Beyond the expressing of sympathy [my mother’s death] was a resurgence of hope and a realization that each of us has a role in alleviating our common burden. This mosaic or photograph is a symbol of that hope. The real challenge, however, is in making Cory Aquino’s example and legacy a part of our daily life . . . My mother confronted many challenges and no matter how difficult they were, she never gave up. Remember this when you feel like surrendering to your problems.”
Tita Cory as an Artist, and the multiplicity of roles she played in the Philippine society and the world served as the highlight of the two-hour commemoration of the first death anniversary of former President Cory Aquino in Sining Gising on August 1. Hosted by Cecile Guidote Alvarez, the show had former President Fidel Ramos and DepEd Undersecretary and NCCA Chairman Vilma Labrador as guests.
For the commemoration, Guidote-Alvarez, whose husband was a colleague in the battle against the dictatorship to restore democracy and a former cabinet member of President Cory Aquino, commissioned the transformation of two literary pieces into songs with dance interpretation. She asked Jose Mari Chan to compose the music for Ninoy’s poem to Cory — “I Fell in Love with the Woman Three Times”. She also requested Babes Alejo to compose music for Cory’s “Prayer for a Happy Death” which was translated into Filipino by Noli Dumlao. Heber Bartolome did the arrangement. Heber had two versions from members of Musika, one church version co-sponsored by Jeff Paride and Mandy Ferrer and a chant form folk-style composition. Dance interpretation was rendered by Pamela Ortiz Bondoc Ballet, Theatre Company, the Rizal Technological University, Dance Rondolla Group with the members of the Earthsavers Dreams Ensemble and Pamana Group. The fusion and synergy of collaborating artists is a response to P-Noy’s call for unity and harmony through working together.
Among those who gave their reflections were Vice-President Jejomar Binay, Senator Franklin Drilon, Rodolfo Biazon, Department of Transportation and Communications Secretary Ping de Jesus, Popoy Juico, protocol Ambassador Perez Rubio, former Tourism Secretary Tony Gozales and former Chief of Security Major Gen. Bodet Honrado.
more from here: http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/lifestyle/23076-cory-aquino-the-artist-the-inspiration
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Artists commemorate Cory through masterpieces
Another great article in commemoration of President Cory's death anniversary:
Julian Paguiligan was barely three years old when President Corazon Aquino, with multitudes of supporters rallying behind her, succeeded in toppling a dictator’s regime in 1986 through the historic People Power Revolution.
Julian, as he admitted himself, grew up learning all of Mrs. Aquino’s deeds from history books.
Yet when he was asked to portray the late democracy icon and her legacy on canvass for a nationwide poster-making contest late last year, Julian, 27, knew precisely what details to include and what emotions to evoke.
The purely-Filipino-inspired image in Julian's painting shows a smiling Mrs. Aquino, with her arms outstretched, ripping open a traditional rattan bird cage and setting free not a dove, the usual symbol of peace and freedom, but a Philippine maya.
So captivating was the image conjured on Julian's canvass that it eventually went on to win first prize last February, besting almost 70 entries and landing on the cover of a telephone directory for Metro Manila.
"Hindi ko siya talaga ganoon kakilala, pero nung nakita ko iyong pagmamahal ng tao sa kanya nung nilibing siya last year, doon ko siya nakilala talaga (I am not that familiar about her. But when I see the outpouring of love when she died, that's when I realized how great she was)," Julian tells GMANews.TV.
Superhero
Julian says from that moment, his respect for Mrs. Aquino was elevated to new heights. "I now consider her my superhero," adds the fourth year Fine Arts student from the Bulacan State University.
Julian says making Mrs. Aquino’s portrait "was my way of giving her my 'thank you.'"
On the eve of Mrs. Aquino’s first death anniversary, he somehow got a feel of how it would have been like to rub elbows with her when the budding painter met with her son, President Benigno Aquino III, to present the telephone directory bearing his artwork.
President Aquino and Julian were at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila for an early commemoration of Mrs. Aquino’s death anniversary, which was highlighted by the unfurling of a 250-by-200-foot photo mosaic of the democracy icon.
Julian Paguiligan was barely three years old when President Corazon Aquino, with multitudes of supporters rallying behind her, succeeded in toppling a dictator’s regime in 1986 through the historic People Power Revolution.
Julian, as he admitted himself, grew up learning all of Mrs. Aquino’s deeds from history books.
Yet when he was asked to portray the late democracy icon and her legacy on canvass for a nationwide poster-making contest late last year, Julian, 27, knew precisely what details to include and what emotions to evoke.
The purely-Filipino-inspired image in Julian's painting shows a smiling Mrs. Aquino, with her arms outstretched, ripping open a traditional rattan bird cage and setting free not a dove, the usual symbol of peace and freedom, but a Philippine maya.
So captivating was the image conjured on Julian's canvass that it eventually went on to win first prize last February, besting almost 70 entries and landing on the cover of a telephone directory for Metro Manila.
"Hindi ko siya talaga ganoon kakilala, pero nung nakita ko iyong pagmamahal ng tao sa kanya nung nilibing siya last year, doon ko siya nakilala talaga (I am not that familiar about her. But when I see the outpouring of love when she died, that's when I realized how great she was)," Julian tells GMANews.TV.
Superhero
Julian says from that moment, his respect for Mrs. Aquino was elevated to new heights. "I now consider her my superhero," adds the fourth year Fine Arts student from the Bulacan State University.
Julian says making Mrs. Aquino’s portrait "was my way of giving her my 'thank you.'"
On the eve of Mrs. Aquino’s first death anniversary, he somehow got a feel of how it would have been like to rub elbows with her when the budding painter met with her son, President Benigno Aquino III, to present the telephone directory bearing his artwork.
President Aquino and Julian were at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila for an early commemoration of Mrs. Aquino’s death anniversary, which was highlighted by the unfurling of a 250-by-200-foot photo mosaic of the democracy icon.
See more from here: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/197551/artists-commemorate-cory-through-masterpieces
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Snapshots of icon capture Cory in magical mosaic
Here's an interesting news about Cory's death anniversary.
A GIGANTIC photo mosaic featuring a larger-than-life image of the late President Corazon Aquino was unfurled at the Luneta grounds yesterday, one of the many tributes commemorating the first anniversary of her death a year ago today.
Her son, President Aquino led family, friends and supporters in the unveiling of the mosaic—mounted on a tarpaulin weighing four tons and measuring 60 by 76.2 meters—containing 3,200 color and black-and-white photographs of his mother. Most of the photos were taken during her presidency by amateur and professional photographers.
Mr. Aquino said the mosaic symbolized the hope that sprung among Filipinos, beyond the expressions of sympathy for the loss of his mother.
“When she passed away a year ago, I must admit that at first I was a bit concerned that public support for the principles that she stood for had waned over the years. However, I was more than reassured at the record number that flocked to pay tribute to her and what she stood for. It was an expression of tremendous love we did not expect,” he said in his remarks.
Symbol of hope
“[However], beyond the expression of sympathy, it was a resurgence of hope and a realization that each of us has a role in alleviating our common burden. This mosaic of photographs is a symbol of that hope,” he said.
He recalled an important lesson about conviction that his mother had taught him which, he said, was critical in his decision to run for President.
“I remember her best for what she taught me when she said, ‘I could not live with myself knowing that I could have done something and I chose not to.’ The burden she once carried is now upon me. She managed to overcome it with the help of the people. [She] confronted many challenges and no matter how difficult they were, she never gave up,” Mr. Aquino said.
“I hope and pray that you will also be by my side so that the change that we committed to work on together will soon become a reality,” he told his audience.
Goosebumps
The President later told reporters how much he missed his mother and how he was touched by the continuous outpouring of love and support for her, particularly from the youth who participated in yesterday’s unveiling.
More than 100 rain-soaked Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila students unrolled the photo mosaic which covered almost the entire grassy area fronting the Quirino Grandstand.
A small remote-controlled model plane fitted with a camera hovered in the air as the mosaic was being laid out on the ground. The camera captured an aerial view of the mosaic that was flashed on to a giant screen, eliciting cheers and applause from the crowd.
“It gave me goosebumps, it was so beautiful,” said one woman bystander.
Main photo by Tess Rivera
Viewed from above, the mosaic of photos formed a giant close-up of Cory’s face.
The main image that was used was contributed by Tess Puzon-Rivera, a breast cancer survivor who said she was a big fan of the late President.
“I took that photo in November 2004 at her house. Originally, I took it with some of her paintings in the background,” said Rivera, who described herself a photo hobbyist.
Rivera said she couldn’t believe it at first when she was told that it was her entry that was chosen for the mosaic’s main photo.
“I feel very proud,” she said, tearing up as the mosaic was flashed on the giant screen.
“It’s really something very special for me because we spent time talking after the shoot, she was really very nice,” she said.
During the program, composer Jose Mari Chan sang “I Have Fallen in Love with the Same Woman Three Times,” a poem that Ninoy wrote for Cory, which left some people in the audience misty-eyed.
Size of 10 basketball courts
The mosaic is the handiwork of photojournalist and mosaic artist Revoli Cortez who covered the Cory presidency.
Cortez is hoping that the mosaic will make it to the Guinness Book of World Records.
“Its size is equal to more than 10 basketball courts combined. It’s also enough to cover the entire facade of a building, say the Manila Hotel, when it’s laid in full from the rooftop to the ground,” he said.
It took Cortez, with the help of Cory’s friends and supporters, about nine months to finish the mosaic.
“It was initially intended for President Cory’s birthday last January but we lacked the time and resources,” he explained.
He said the actual cost of the mosaic was about P1 million, “but with the help of generous sponsors, including the Golden Touch Corp., which printed the tarp, we were able to cut the cost by half.”
Interesting photos
Of the thousands of pictures that were sent in, he found the photograph of Noynoy, the President, holding an Uzi unique. He said the photo was apparently taken during one of the coups d’etat against Noynoy’s mother.
“I also find interesting the one showing President Cory talking to Mother Teresa. There are a lot actually,” said Cortez.
Deedee Siytangco, Cory’s spokesperson who is now a member of the Cory Veterans, said Saturday’s program was called “Cory sa Luneta” because it was here that she decided to celebrate the Thanksgiving Mass after the snap elections in 1986.
“It was here that she saw how much the people loved her,” Siytangco said.
Display period
According to Siytangco, the initial plan was for the mosaic to be on display at the Luneta for a week before being rolled up, perhaps for recycling.
But she later said the organizers would be meeting with the Manila government to allow it to be displayed for the whole month of August.
According to Cortez, who presented the President with a replica of the mosaic, the tarpaulin will eventually be given to the Department of Social Welfare and Development which will fashion tents out of it.
Also at yesterday’s program were Vice President Jejomar Binay, Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, former members of the Cory administration and members of various organizations, including Spirit of Edsa, Cory Veterans, among others.
Most of them were in Cory’s signature yellow.
See more from here: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20100801-284291/Snapshots--of-icon--capture-Cory-in-magical-mosaic
A GIGANTIC photo mosaic featuring a larger-than-life image of the late President Corazon Aquino was unfurled at the Luneta grounds yesterday, one of the many tributes commemorating the first anniversary of her death a year ago today.
Her son, President Aquino led family, friends and supporters in the unveiling of the mosaic—mounted on a tarpaulin weighing four tons and measuring 60 by 76.2 meters—containing 3,200 color and black-and-white photographs of his mother. Most of the photos were taken during her presidency by amateur and professional photographers.
Mr. Aquino said the mosaic symbolized the hope that sprung among Filipinos, beyond the expressions of sympathy for the loss of his mother.
“When she passed away a year ago, I must admit that at first I was a bit concerned that public support for the principles that she stood for had waned over the years. However, I was more than reassured at the record number that flocked to pay tribute to her and what she stood for. It was an expression of tremendous love we did not expect,” he said in his remarks.
Symbol of hope
“[However], beyond the expression of sympathy, it was a resurgence of hope and a realization that each of us has a role in alleviating our common burden. This mosaic of photographs is a symbol of that hope,” he said.
He recalled an important lesson about conviction that his mother had taught him which, he said, was critical in his decision to run for President.
“I remember her best for what she taught me when she said, ‘I could not live with myself knowing that I could have done something and I chose not to.’ The burden she once carried is now upon me. She managed to overcome it with the help of the people. [She] confronted many challenges and no matter how difficult they were, she never gave up,” Mr. Aquino said.
“I hope and pray that you will also be by my side so that the change that we committed to work on together will soon become a reality,” he told his audience.
Goosebumps
The President later told reporters how much he missed his mother and how he was touched by the continuous outpouring of love and support for her, particularly from the youth who participated in yesterday’s unveiling.
More than 100 rain-soaked Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila students unrolled the photo mosaic which covered almost the entire grassy area fronting the Quirino Grandstand.
A small remote-controlled model plane fitted with a camera hovered in the air as the mosaic was being laid out on the ground. The camera captured an aerial view of the mosaic that was flashed on to a giant screen, eliciting cheers and applause from the crowd.
“It gave me goosebumps, it was so beautiful,” said one woman bystander.
Main photo by Tess Rivera
Viewed from above, the mosaic of photos formed a giant close-up of Cory’s face.
The main image that was used was contributed by Tess Puzon-Rivera, a breast cancer survivor who said she was a big fan of the late President.
“I took that photo in November 2004 at her house. Originally, I took it with some of her paintings in the background,” said Rivera, who described herself a photo hobbyist.
Rivera said she couldn’t believe it at first when she was told that it was her entry that was chosen for the mosaic’s main photo.
“I feel very proud,” she said, tearing up as the mosaic was flashed on the giant screen.
“It’s really something very special for me because we spent time talking after the shoot, she was really very nice,” she said.
During the program, composer Jose Mari Chan sang “I Have Fallen in Love with the Same Woman Three Times,” a poem that Ninoy wrote for Cory, which left some people in the audience misty-eyed.
Size of 10 basketball courts
The mosaic is the handiwork of photojournalist and mosaic artist Revoli Cortez who covered the Cory presidency.
Cortez is hoping that the mosaic will make it to the Guinness Book of World Records.
“Its size is equal to more than 10 basketball courts combined. It’s also enough to cover the entire facade of a building, say the Manila Hotel, when it’s laid in full from the rooftop to the ground,” he said.
It took Cortez, with the help of Cory’s friends and supporters, about nine months to finish the mosaic.
“It was initially intended for President Cory’s birthday last January but we lacked the time and resources,” he explained.
He said the actual cost of the mosaic was about P1 million, “but with the help of generous sponsors, including the Golden Touch Corp., which printed the tarp, we were able to cut the cost by half.”
Interesting photos
Of the thousands of pictures that were sent in, he found the photograph of Noynoy, the President, holding an Uzi unique. He said the photo was apparently taken during one of the coups d’etat against Noynoy’s mother.
“I also find interesting the one showing President Cory talking to Mother Teresa. There are a lot actually,” said Cortez.
Deedee Siytangco, Cory’s spokesperson who is now a member of the Cory Veterans, said Saturday’s program was called “Cory sa Luneta” because it was here that she decided to celebrate the Thanksgiving Mass after the snap elections in 1986.
“It was here that she saw how much the people loved her,” Siytangco said.
Display period
According to Siytangco, the initial plan was for the mosaic to be on display at the Luneta for a week before being rolled up, perhaps for recycling.
But she later said the organizers would be meeting with the Manila government to allow it to be displayed for the whole month of August.
According to Cortez, who presented the President with a replica of the mosaic, the tarpaulin will eventually be given to the Department of Social Welfare and Development which will fashion tents out of it.
Also at yesterday’s program were Vice President Jejomar Binay, Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, former members of the Cory administration and members of various organizations, including Spirit of Edsa, Cory Veterans, among others.
Most of them were in Cory’s signature yellow.
See more from here: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20100801-284291/Snapshots--of-icon--capture-Cory-in-magical-mosaic
Friday, August 6, 2010
Malacañang and esteros
A very interesting article by Dennis Murphy from Inquirer.
RECENTLY WITHIN a span of one week, I visited two places that are within walking distance of each other, but look so completely different you wouldn’t think they belong to the same city: Estero de San Miguel and Malacañang.
We had a host in each area: Aling Imelda Ramos, 72, on the estero and President Aquino himself in Malacañang. We were fortunate to spend a good bit of time with each of these persons. At the end, we felt that the places may be very different, but there is the same Filipino sensibility in both, especially the ability to see the serious side of reality, but also the amusing side, which is surely a great virtue for a poor woman or a president to have.
Along one of the dark and narrow alley ways of Estero de San Miguel we met Aling Imelda. She was seated on her bangkito washing clothes, but she stood up to talk to us. It was a dismal place. She could see we were reacting to the smells of urine and worse, so she said, “We don’t smell it anymore. We’re used to it.” Back along the alleyway we had seen human waste pouring from pipes that extended out over the water from buildings across the way. At one point there was an explosion like a bomb going off. We ducked but it wasn’t a bomb. It was a large plastic bag of garbage dropped into the estero from the fourth story of another building. There were other “explosions” as we talked to Aling Imelda.
She is now in her 70s and has lived there since the time of President Elpidio Quirino. There are between 500 and 600 families living in her section of the estero. She says they are happy because they are long-time residents who know each other and trust each other. “We take care of each other. Most of us are vendors, so we are close to our working areas.”
The government is threatening to remove them from the estero, because it is judged to be a “danger” area, she said, though in the 50 years or more she has lived there nothing bad has happened to them. Even “Ondoy” didn’t hurt them. “It came up to my waist but no one was hurt,” she said. She added, “We don’t want anything from government. We wish they would leave us alone.”
The government talks of esteros and the estimated 80,000 families living on them as if they were all the same and as if one solution could suit all. Esteros differ from one another as much as people do. Not all people on esteros have to be relocated. Some can be accommodated along the banks, allowing for proper easement. Some have to move out. Some can live on idle land nearby. In some esteros people may very well block the water. In others they probably don’t. The government should study each estero carefully. God and the devil are in the details.
Rats peered out at us from cracks in the flooring of the alley. Maybe they wanted to know what was going on.
Replacing the warmth, friendship, security and mutual aid practices of such communities as Aling Imelda’s is very, very difficult for government to do in the best of circumstances. How can it do that for 80,000 families who don’t want to move?
Patiently Aling Imelda answered all our questions, though the soap bubbles in her washbasin had disappeared and her once clean looking clothes were lying there like dead fish. It was simple courtesy that kept her there talking to us.
A few days later my wife, myself, some urban poor people and NGOs were invited to meet President Noynoy in Malacañang. My wife had complained to friends in the Cabinet that the President and his advisers had completely neglected the urban poor once the election was finished. When the President heard of that complaint, he called for the meeting.
We met in a truly beautiful room. It is used for meetings, but it had the comfortable lived-in air of a family sala. President Cory Aquino had held office there. There were flowers, rare white orchids and oil paintings, one of which showed the moon and a pine forest at night in a blue mist. Everything was restful. We waited for the President at a table for 20 people.
There was a rustle of activity and a powerful looking bodyguard came into the room and gave us a quick look-over. There was no sign of what he thought of us. Then the president came in, talking even as he came near, drowning out the voice of the female assistant who called out, “The President of the Republic of the Philippines.”
We spent over an hour with the President. He could have handled our complaints in 10 or 15 minutes if he wanted. We presented some good and some not-so-good ideas. He listened to them all and talked about them. He explained why he had made certain appointments. He reminisced about concerns that had recently been brought to his attention, that most Philippine provinces, for example, are at high risk of very damaging disasters, and no province is not at risk. He talked about Pagasa’s failure to predict the path of “Basyang” and how he’ll have to attract investments to get better facilities.
Our group appreciated the way he put everyone at ease. He talked about his problems and listened to his visitors’ problems. He laughed a lot. He is not in a hurry. He had time to inquire into the details of some problems presented.
As I was listening to him talk I was reminded of Aling Imelda on Estero de San Miguel.
“Who do we go to when we have problems?” our group asked.
“Come to me,” he said. An agreement was made that he would meet once a month with the urban poor.
The places are totally different—the estero and Malacañang—but the people living in the two places are very much alike, which promises well for the long-range progress of the country, it seemed to us.
Denis Murphy works with the Urban Poor Associates. His e-mail address is upa@pldtdsl.net.
more from here: http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20100728-283727/Malacaang-and-esteros
RECENTLY WITHIN a span of one week, I visited two places that are within walking distance of each other, but look so completely different you wouldn’t think they belong to the same city: Estero de San Miguel and Malacañang.
We had a host in each area: Aling Imelda Ramos, 72, on the estero and President Aquino himself in Malacañang. We were fortunate to spend a good bit of time with each of these persons. At the end, we felt that the places may be very different, but there is the same Filipino sensibility in both, especially the ability to see the serious side of reality, but also the amusing side, which is surely a great virtue for a poor woman or a president to have.
Along one of the dark and narrow alley ways of Estero de San Miguel we met Aling Imelda. She was seated on her bangkito washing clothes, but she stood up to talk to us. It was a dismal place. She could see we were reacting to the smells of urine and worse, so she said, “We don’t smell it anymore. We’re used to it.” Back along the alleyway we had seen human waste pouring from pipes that extended out over the water from buildings across the way. At one point there was an explosion like a bomb going off. We ducked but it wasn’t a bomb. It was a large plastic bag of garbage dropped into the estero from the fourth story of another building. There were other “explosions” as we talked to Aling Imelda.
She is now in her 70s and has lived there since the time of President Elpidio Quirino. There are between 500 and 600 families living in her section of the estero. She says they are happy because they are long-time residents who know each other and trust each other. “We take care of each other. Most of us are vendors, so we are close to our working areas.”
The government is threatening to remove them from the estero, because it is judged to be a “danger” area, she said, though in the 50 years or more she has lived there nothing bad has happened to them. Even “Ondoy” didn’t hurt them. “It came up to my waist but no one was hurt,” she said. She added, “We don’t want anything from government. We wish they would leave us alone.”
The government talks of esteros and the estimated 80,000 families living on them as if they were all the same and as if one solution could suit all. Esteros differ from one another as much as people do. Not all people on esteros have to be relocated. Some can be accommodated along the banks, allowing for proper easement. Some have to move out. Some can live on idle land nearby. In some esteros people may very well block the water. In others they probably don’t. The government should study each estero carefully. God and the devil are in the details.
Rats peered out at us from cracks in the flooring of the alley. Maybe they wanted to know what was going on.
Replacing the warmth, friendship, security and mutual aid practices of such communities as Aling Imelda’s is very, very difficult for government to do in the best of circumstances. How can it do that for 80,000 families who don’t want to move?
Patiently Aling Imelda answered all our questions, though the soap bubbles in her washbasin had disappeared and her once clean looking clothes were lying there like dead fish. It was simple courtesy that kept her there talking to us.
A few days later my wife, myself, some urban poor people and NGOs were invited to meet President Noynoy in Malacañang. My wife had complained to friends in the Cabinet that the President and his advisers had completely neglected the urban poor once the election was finished. When the President heard of that complaint, he called for the meeting.
We met in a truly beautiful room. It is used for meetings, but it had the comfortable lived-in air of a family sala. President Cory Aquino had held office there. There were flowers, rare white orchids and oil paintings, one of which showed the moon and a pine forest at night in a blue mist. Everything was restful. We waited for the President at a table for 20 people.
There was a rustle of activity and a powerful looking bodyguard came into the room and gave us a quick look-over. There was no sign of what he thought of us. Then the president came in, talking even as he came near, drowning out the voice of the female assistant who called out, “The President of the Republic of the Philippines.”
We spent over an hour with the President. He could have handled our complaints in 10 or 15 minutes if he wanted. We presented some good and some not-so-good ideas. He listened to them all and talked about them. He explained why he had made certain appointments. He reminisced about concerns that had recently been brought to his attention, that most Philippine provinces, for example, are at high risk of very damaging disasters, and no province is not at risk. He talked about Pagasa’s failure to predict the path of “Basyang” and how he’ll have to attract investments to get better facilities.
Our group appreciated the way he put everyone at ease. He talked about his problems and listened to his visitors’ problems. He laughed a lot. He is not in a hurry. He had time to inquire into the details of some problems presented.
As I was listening to him talk I was reminded of Aling Imelda on Estero de San Miguel.
“Who do we go to when we have problems?” our group asked.
“Come to me,” he said. An agreement was made that he would meet once a month with the urban poor.
The places are totally different—the estero and Malacañang—but the people living in the two places are very much alike, which promises well for the long-range progress of the country, it seemed to us.
Denis Murphy works with the Urban Poor Associates. His e-mail address is upa@pldtdsl.net.
more from here: http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20100728-283727/Malacaang-and-esteros
Monday, August 2, 2010
Aquino looks into 'real' state of Philippine finances
PNOY digs further into Philippines' financial health. Go and read from this article:
MANILA, Philippines—President Benigno Aquino and his team spent their first full day in office Thursday inspecting state coffers as a crucial first step in meeting his vow to root out corruption and help the poor.
Already stuck with a record budget deficit, Aquino has accused his predecessor, Gloria Arroyo, of painting an unrealistically rosy picture of the economy to burnish her legacy after nearly 10 years in office.
Aquino has warned massive corruption that infected politics would be rooted out, and in this light his finance secretary promised an unrelenting campaign against tax evaders that could result in prosecutions within days.
Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said Thursday Aquino wanted to be able to report the real situation to parliament during his "State of the Nation" address on July 26, when he will seek funding support for his programs.
"The president gave his marching orders to each cabinet member. They have two weeks to get to know the lay of the land," Lacierda told AFP.
Aquino, a 50-year-old economist, took office on Wednesday with a vow to lift his nation out of poverty and wipe out crippling corruption that he said thrived under his predecessor.
He also pledged to set up a "Truth Commission" to investigate alleged corruption by Arroyo and her official family.
Lacierda said that over the next few weeks Aquino would fulfill his campaign promise to go after tax cheats and begin implementing programs specifically targeted at the very poor who comprise a third of the population.
The Philippines posted a budget deficit of P162.1 billion ($3.5 billion) in the first five months of the year, and analysts agree it is unlikely the full-year funding gap would be kept below P300 billion.
Aquino has also ordered a review of all ongoing government programs and an inventory of all assets to determine which can be sold off to support future projects, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima told reporters.
The government needs more funds to finance Aquino's pledges to increase spending for education, health, and low-income housing.
To underline the government's intent, Purisima said the government would soon start filing charges against tax evaders.
"We are not sure whether we can file some cases next week, but certainly the mandate is to send a very clear signal to the revenue-collecting agencies as well as taxpayers that this administration means business."
Using a basketball analogy, Purisima added: "This will be a full-court press, it will be unrelenting, until we believe we have achieved a tax effort that is commensurate to what our legal system provides for."
Withholding taxes from salaried workers accounted for 90 percent of all individual income tax collections, suggesting tax evasion was pervasive, he said.
The goal is to slash the budget deficit to bring it down to two percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) within three years, he added.
The Philippines posted a record budget deficit of P298.5 billion last year, equivalent to 3.9 percent of GDP.
Aquino won a landslide election victory on May 10 on the back of his message of change from corruption and a culture of impunity in which only 18 percent of all criminal cases were resolved.
He also benefited from his status as the son of democracy heroes Benigno and Corazon Aquino, who remain revered for their efforts to overthrow dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
More from this article here: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20100701-278568/Aquino-looks-into-real-state-of-Philippine-finances
MANILA, Philippines—President Benigno Aquino and his team spent their first full day in office Thursday inspecting state coffers as a crucial first step in meeting his vow to root out corruption and help the poor.
Already stuck with a record budget deficit, Aquino has accused his predecessor, Gloria Arroyo, of painting an unrealistically rosy picture of the economy to burnish her legacy after nearly 10 years in office.
Aquino has warned massive corruption that infected politics would be rooted out, and in this light his finance secretary promised an unrelenting campaign against tax evaders that could result in prosecutions within days.
Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said Thursday Aquino wanted to be able to report the real situation to parliament during his "State of the Nation" address on July 26, when he will seek funding support for his programs.
"The president gave his marching orders to each cabinet member. They have two weeks to get to know the lay of the land," Lacierda told AFP.
Aquino, a 50-year-old economist, took office on Wednesday with a vow to lift his nation out of poverty and wipe out crippling corruption that he said thrived under his predecessor.
He also pledged to set up a "Truth Commission" to investigate alleged corruption by Arroyo and her official family.
Lacierda said that over the next few weeks Aquino would fulfill his campaign promise to go after tax cheats and begin implementing programs specifically targeted at the very poor who comprise a third of the population.
The Philippines posted a budget deficit of P162.1 billion ($3.5 billion) in the first five months of the year, and analysts agree it is unlikely the full-year funding gap would be kept below P300 billion.
Aquino has also ordered a review of all ongoing government programs and an inventory of all assets to determine which can be sold off to support future projects, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima told reporters.
The government needs more funds to finance Aquino's pledges to increase spending for education, health, and low-income housing.
To underline the government's intent, Purisima said the government would soon start filing charges against tax evaders.
"We are not sure whether we can file some cases next week, but certainly the mandate is to send a very clear signal to the revenue-collecting agencies as well as taxpayers that this administration means business."
Using a basketball analogy, Purisima added: "This will be a full-court press, it will be unrelenting, until we believe we have achieved a tax effort that is commensurate to what our legal system provides for."
Withholding taxes from salaried workers accounted for 90 percent of all individual income tax collections, suggesting tax evasion was pervasive, he said.
The goal is to slash the budget deficit to bring it down to two percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) within three years, he added.
The Philippines posted a record budget deficit of P298.5 billion last year, equivalent to 3.9 percent of GDP.
Aquino won a landslide election victory on May 10 on the back of his message of change from corruption and a culture of impunity in which only 18 percent of all criminal cases were resolved.
He also benefited from his status as the son of democracy heroes Benigno and Corazon Aquino, who remain revered for their efforts to overthrow dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
More from this article here: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20100701-278568/Aquino-looks-into-real-state-of-Philippine-finances
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Cabinet ordered to review finances
Take a look at this news on Aquino's order to revisit the Philippine government finances:
MANILA, Philippines - In his first full day in office yesterday, President Aquino ordered his Cabinet to review the government’s financial status as well as its programs and personnel to determine the exact state of the country left by his predecessor, now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Already stuck with a record budget deficit, Mr. Aquino has accused Arroyo of painting an unrealistically rosy picture of the economy to burnish her legacy after nearly 10 years in office.
Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said Mr. Aquino gave the marching orders during their first meeting on Wednesday although he had relayed the same message to his officials in his inaugural address.
“During the meeting it was agreed all departments will conduct an inventory of all assets within their departments and attached agencies to determine what assets can be privatized in the future to support (the administration’s) programs,” Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima said.
Mr. Aquino earlier said his administration would implement “zero-based budgeting” in which every department’s allocation would be reviewed comprehensively, before any increase is made.
All expenditures must also be justified before approval, Mr. Aquino had stressed.
The President said he would be hands-on in preparing the budget just as he had been meticulous in scrutinizing appropriation bills when he was still congressman and then senator.
He said he did not like wastage and that he would go through the budget of each department with a fine-tooth comb.
Purisima said in a press conference Wednesday that Mr. Aquino had instructed the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to proceed with zero budgeting for the 2011 fiscal cycle.
He said all the departments had been asked to assist the DBM in implementing this change by identifying top priorities to facilitate the process.
The finance chief said Mr. Aquino has asked Cabinet members to submit a report in two weeks on the status of departments, particularly on how much was spent and how much was left. The report should also include the outstanding programs that needed to be reviewed or supported.
Plugging tax loopholes
Purisima also said President Aquino’s priority is to ensure that revenue agencies such as the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) meet their targets.
Purisima said they would review the performances of the personnel of these agencies and would use information from the National Economic and Development Authority and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to help the BIR and BOC set better and attainable targets.
Purisima said they would improve the application of the Lateral Attrition Law and make meritocracy work in those two revenue-collecting agencies.
“The third is bringing in good people in government,” Purisima said.
“Leadership by example in simple things such as sirens, hopefully with this we can create tipping points so even the citizenry will help us weed out the corrupt in these two agencies,” Purisima said. “Within the next few weeks we would already see the first actions in this area.”
However, he clarified that this would not necessarily mean filing of cases against tax evaders and smugglers but more on sending a message that “this administration means business.”
Purisima said they need not overhaul the agencies but simply implement the Revenue Integrity Protection Service (RIPS), Run After Tax Evaders (RATE) unit and the BOC’s Run After The Smugglers! (RATS) unit more aggressively.
“We have a very capable secretary of Justice and our handicap in the past was the inability of Department of Justice to properly process our complaints and get to the judiciary,” Purisima said.
Purisima said he had discussed with Justice Secretary Leila de Lima what could be done so that charges could be filed and upheld by the courts.
“We are not sure whether we can file some cases next week, but certainly the mandate is to send a very clear signal to the revenue-collecting agencies as well as taxpayers that this administration means business,” Purisima said.
“This will be a full-court press, it will be unrelenting, until we believe we have achieved a tax effort that is commensurate to what our legal system provides for,” he said.
Purisima likewise announced that Mr. Aquino would want to reduce the deficit and narrow it down to two percent of gross domestic product in three years.
“We are not targeting a balanced budget, which we believe is not necessary at this point to support programs like conditional cash transfer in education and agriculture. Being more efficient on expenditure and revenue sides, that is our goal,” Purisima said.
He also appealed to the public, especially businessmen, to pay the right taxes.
“Hopefully private sector will be more careful in being part of tax evasion or smuggling. The President keeps pointing to his analogy of a pail with a lot of holes (and) we have to plug these holes,” Purisima said.
“You have the assurance of the new administration that the quality of governance will be better than the past. Our goal is to be as transparent as possible and to make sure that the money of the public is spent wisely,” Purisima said.
Purisima said Mr. Aquino’s campaign slogan of “walang mahirap kung walang corrupt (there are no poor where there are no corrupt) is not just a campaign pitch.
“That’s an appeal to our fellow Filipinos. You cannot just sit in your living room and say how you can improve the efficiency of tax collections. The bureaucrats will have to step up on this,” Purisima said.
“We are appealing to the people and businessmen that if we want President Noynoy to succeed, to have a better country, you have no choice but to pay what is due,” Purisima said.
The President, a 50-year-old economist, took office on Wednesday with a vow to lift the country out of poverty and wipe out crippling corruption that he said thrived under the Arroyo administration.
The government has incurred a P162.1-billion budget deficit in the first five months, and analysts say the full-year funding gap is likely to surpass P300 billion.
New AFP chief
Meanwhile, President Aquino will lead today the inauguration of Northern Luzon Command chief Lt. Gen. Ricardo David Jr. as the 41st chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
AFP spokesman Lt. Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr. said the change-of-command ceremony would be held at 10 a.m. at the parade grounds of Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City. This will be Mr. Aquino’s first visit to the AFP General Headquarters as commander-in-chief.
Burgos said the ceremony would also be attended by newly installed Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin.
David succeeds acting AFP chief Lt. Gen. Nestor Ochoa, who assumed the post after former chief of staff Gen. Delfin Bangit opted for early retirement last June 22 after Mr. Aquino announced that he would not be retained as AFP chief.
Burgos said Ochoa may be given another military post.
“After the turnover rites, a command conference will be held and it will be attended by all area commanders and other officers of the AFP. It is customary that such conference is held after the assumption of the new chief of staff,” Burgos said.
Burgos confirmed that there would be changes in the leadership of key military posts but declined to elaborate.
“There will be a lot of movements,” he said in Filipino.
Gazmin, meanwhile, defended David from criticism that his appointment was political payback.
Gazmin said David was chosen for his capabilities and not due to his close links with Mr. Aquino’s mother, former President Corazon Aquino, whom he served as member of the Presidential Security Group.
“I know him (David) to be very hardworking. His only liability is he was a former PSG. He is from Tarlac and the President is from Tarlac so his appointment was linked to various issues,” Gazmin said in am ambush interview.
“But let us look at the service reputation and capability of the man,” he added.
Burgos, for his part, described David as “very professional and competent.”
“We are very confident that with his able leadership, the organization will be moving forward and achieve its mission,” the AFP spokesman said.
More from here: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=589580&publicationSubCategoryId=63
MANILA, Philippines - In his first full day in office yesterday, President Aquino ordered his Cabinet to review the government’s financial status as well as its programs and personnel to determine the exact state of the country left by his predecessor, now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Already stuck with a record budget deficit, Mr. Aquino has accused Arroyo of painting an unrealistically rosy picture of the economy to burnish her legacy after nearly 10 years in office.
Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said Mr. Aquino gave the marching orders during their first meeting on Wednesday although he had relayed the same message to his officials in his inaugural address.
“During the meeting it was agreed all departments will conduct an inventory of all assets within their departments and attached agencies to determine what assets can be privatized in the future to support (the administration’s) programs,” Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima said.
Mr. Aquino earlier said his administration would implement “zero-based budgeting” in which every department’s allocation would be reviewed comprehensively, before any increase is made.
All expenditures must also be justified before approval, Mr. Aquino had stressed.
The President said he would be hands-on in preparing the budget just as he had been meticulous in scrutinizing appropriation bills when he was still congressman and then senator.
He said he did not like wastage and that he would go through the budget of each department with a fine-tooth comb.
Purisima said in a press conference Wednesday that Mr. Aquino had instructed the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to proceed with zero budgeting for the 2011 fiscal cycle.
He said all the departments had been asked to assist the DBM in implementing this change by identifying top priorities to facilitate the process.
The finance chief said Mr. Aquino has asked Cabinet members to submit a report in two weeks on the status of departments, particularly on how much was spent and how much was left. The report should also include the outstanding programs that needed to be reviewed or supported.
Plugging tax loopholes
Purisima also said President Aquino’s priority is to ensure that revenue agencies such as the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) meet their targets.
Purisima said they would review the performances of the personnel of these agencies and would use information from the National Economic and Development Authority and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to help the BIR and BOC set better and attainable targets.
Purisima said they would improve the application of the Lateral Attrition Law and make meritocracy work in those two revenue-collecting agencies.
“The third is bringing in good people in government,” Purisima said.
“Leadership by example in simple things such as sirens, hopefully with this we can create tipping points so even the citizenry will help us weed out the corrupt in these two agencies,” Purisima said. “Within the next few weeks we would already see the first actions in this area.”
However, he clarified that this would not necessarily mean filing of cases against tax evaders and smugglers but more on sending a message that “this administration means business.”
Purisima said they need not overhaul the agencies but simply implement the Revenue Integrity Protection Service (RIPS), Run After Tax Evaders (RATE) unit and the BOC’s Run After The Smugglers! (RATS) unit more aggressively.
“We have a very capable secretary of Justice and our handicap in the past was the inability of Department of Justice to properly process our complaints and get to the judiciary,” Purisima said.
Purisima said he had discussed with Justice Secretary Leila de Lima what could be done so that charges could be filed and upheld by the courts.
“We are not sure whether we can file some cases next week, but certainly the mandate is to send a very clear signal to the revenue-collecting agencies as well as taxpayers that this administration means business,” Purisima said.
“This will be a full-court press, it will be unrelenting, until we believe we have achieved a tax effort that is commensurate to what our legal system provides for,” he said.
Purisima likewise announced that Mr. Aquino would want to reduce the deficit and narrow it down to two percent of gross domestic product in three years.
“We are not targeting a balanced budget, which we believe is not necessary at this point to support programs like conditional cash transfer in education and agriculture. Being more efficient on expenditure and revenue sides, that is our goal,” Purisima said.
He also appealed to the public, especially businessmen, to pay the right taxes.
“Hopefully private sector will be more careful in being part of tax evasion or smuggling. The President keeps pointing to his analogy of a pail with a lot of holes (and) we have to plug these holes,” Purisima said.
“You have the assurance of the new administration that the quality of governance will be better than the past. Our goal is to be as transparent as possible and to make sure that the money of the public is spent wisely,” Purisima said.
Purisima said Mr. Aquino’s campaign slogan of “walang mahirap kung walang corrupt (there are no poor where there are no corrupt) is not just a campaign pitch.
“That’s an appeal to our fellow Filipinos. You cannot just sit in your living room and say how you can improve the efficiency of tax collections. The bureaucrats will have to step up on this,” Purisima said.
“We are appealing to the people and businessmen that if we want President Noynoy to succeed, to have a better country, you have no choice but to pay what is due,” Purisima said.
The President, a 50-year-old economist, took office on Wednesday with a vow to lift the country out of poverty and wipe out crippling corruption that he said thrived under the Arroyo administration.
The government has incurred a P162.1-billion budget deficit in the first five months, and analysts say the full-year funding gap is likely to surpass P300 billion.
New AFP chief
Meanwhile, President Aquino will lead today the inauguration of Northern Luzon Command chief Lt. Gen. Ricardo David Jr. as the 41st chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
AFP spokesman Lt. Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr. said the change-of-command ceremony would be held at 10 a.m. at the parade grounds of Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City. This will be Mr. Aquino’s first visit to the AFP General Headquarters as commander-in-chief.
Burgos said the ceremony would also be attended by newly installed Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin.
David succeeds acting AFP chief Lt. Gen. Nestor Ochoa, who assumed the post after former chief of staff Gen. Delfin Bangit opted for early retirement last June 22 after Mr. Aquino announced that he would not be retained as AFP chief.
Burgos said Ochoa may be given another military post.
“After the turnover rites, a command conference will be held and it will be attended by all area commanders and other officers of the AFP. It is customary that such conference is held after the assumption of the new chief of staff,” Burgos said.
Burgos confirmed that there would be changes in the leadership of key military posts but declined to elaborate.
“There will be a lot of movements,” he said in Filipino.
Gazmin, meanwhile, defended David from criticism that his appointment was political payback.
Gazmin said David was chosen for his capabilities and not due to his close links with Mr. Aquino’s mother, former President Corazon Aquino, whom he served as member of the Presidential Security Group.
“I know him (David) to be very hardworking. His only liability is he was a former PSG. He is from Tarlac and the President is from Tarlac so his appointment was linked to various issues,” Gazmin said in am ambush interview.
“But let us look at the service reputation and capability of the man,” he added.
Burgos, for his part, described David as “very professional and competent.”
“We are very confident that with his able leadership, the organization will be moving forward and achieve its mission,” the AFP spokesman said.
More from here: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=589580&publicationSubCategoryId=63
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Who’s Julia Abad and why is she PMS head?
Take a look at this interesting article on Julia Abad being PMS appointee of President Aquino:
IT WAS PROBABLY THE BRIGHT purple sheath dress she wore when then President-elect Benigno Aquino III announced the members of his Cabinet that made TV viewers take notice of Julia (pronounced Hul-ya) Abad.
The gamine-looking, 31-year-old Abad, who was standing behind Mr. Aquino, literally stood out among the soberly dressed men sitting behind him. Ironically, the new chief of the Presidential Management Staff (PMS) wants a low profile.
Younger sister Patsy thought Abad went overboard in her get-up. “Grabe, Ate, ang arte mo naman,” she said after seeing Abad on TV.
It seems looking good is Abad’s coping mechanism for the stress that is slowly building up.
“I don’t want to be stressed and look it,” she said with a smile. “Stressed ka na nga, pangit ka pa.”
Rented house
Abad was taking time to relax in her rented house in Quezon City when the Inquirer arrived for a hastily arranged interview. This time, she wore a bright yellow sheath dress and walked around her digs barefoot.
Her living room is a calming mix of Asian, shabby chic and minimalism.
On the walls are ink drawings made by her brother Pio. “He drew them straight on the paper. He didn’t use a pencil to draft them first,” she said proudly.
Abad disappeared and quickly came back with a watercolor painting, this time made by her father, Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad, which she hung above a console laden with jars and candles.
“I think this is his only painting. I think he made it during a time when he was very bored,” Abad said.
The work dated 2008 features a lighthouse and two unidentifiable human figures—a scene from picturesque Batanes, where Abad was married two years ago to Englishman Andrew Parker.
Behind the scene
Abad was initially uncomfortable with being interviewed. Most of the time she had her arms crossed in front of her chest, her back very straight as she sat on her sofa.
“I don’t want to be a high-profile personality. I think that ... just as PMS has [lain low] through the years, as just the support mechanism for the President, so should I as the head,” she said.
“We work behind the scene. It’s the President that the public should focus on. It’s just enough to know that we’re providing support for the President and we’re doing the best we can. We know we won’t do everything perfectly but that we’re doing what we can, and giving it our best shot.”
The work of PMS is basically technical in nature, unlike those of busier departments whose secretaries are constantly visible. Abad said this made her “glad.”
“PMS is a support staff system for the President. I think that’s why he asked me to [head] it because that kind of work is what we’ve been doing for him in the [Senate]—so, in terms of being familiar with what his needs are, technical staff work and support,” she said.
PMS as troubleshooter
Asked to explain, Abad said: “PMS does whatever the President asks it to do. It was intended to provide policy support to the President, get inputs from the departments, digest [them], process [them] and [give] feedback to him so that when he asks what’s going on in this sector, you [can] provide a brief for him using inputs from the different departments.
“But I guess over the years, it evolved depending on the personality of the President it was serving. [At some point, the staff] added the screening of certain appointees [to its job description]. Also the preparation for presidential engagements, monitor priority projects if they were being done on time, sort [out] institutional conflicts that needed to be resolved...
“After a while, parang naging troubleshooter.
“But in the end, it really depends on what the President asks you to do.”
Chief of staff
Abad was Mr. Aquino’s chief of staff (COS) during his three years as senator. They met by chance shortly after he won in 2007 and just as she was preparing to take up further studies in Singapore.
He asked if she would consider becoming his COS “because he wanted a young team.”
Obviously, Mr. Aquino was pleased with her performance. Her name was among the first he announced as joining his Cabinet.
Abad said Mr. Aquino had become “used to the style of his [Senate] staff.”
“That’s why he wants to bring it in—so that [the transition] is seamless. You continue providing the same kind of support that he’s been used to, and I would think when you’re going to a new thing, it’s good to have a similar, familiar and dependable kind of support,” she said.
But Abad was not entirely unfamiliar with Mr. Aquino before she signed up as his COS.
She recalled that back when she was a kid in the 1980s until Mr. Aquino’s initial stint at the House of Representatives, he and her father were involved in work in various nongovernment organizations.
Work background
After studying communications at Ateneo de Manila University, Abad worked as a writer for the Ayala Foundation, as the executive assistant of then Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman before the “Hello Garci” election fraud scandal, and as “citizen participation intern” of the Washington-based National Democratic Institute.
She went to the John F. Kennedy School of Government for a master’s degree and returned to Ateneo to teach political science.
By the time Mr. Aquino offered her the COS post, “I was doing foundation work,” Abad said, adding:
“I thought maybe I want to do something related to public policy. So I’d even gone to do some interviews at the National University of Singapore. I was almost going to get a job there when I came back here after [the 2007] elections.
“I saw [Mr. Aquino] and he said, ‘You know, it’s good I ran into you because I want to talk to you. I’m looking for a chief of staff, would you consider?’
“I was surprised. He’s friends with my dad and he wants me to work for him. I thought, ‘Gosh, chief of staff ng senator! I didn’t know how to answer.
“He said, ‘You think about it. Let me know by the end of the week.’ By the evening I thought, it’s a good challenge.
“I come from a political family. But I took up communications in college because everyone expected me to take up political science. I don’t want to go into that just because; I want to know if it’s something I really like.
“I tried to do other things, so it’s a little bit of a tug-of-war. I vacillated between doing private like NGO, foundation work and doing government. So if you look at my CV, you’ll see that [I’m here and there] pabalik-balik ako.”
‘I know him better’
Abad thought Mr. Aquino’s COS offer was “an opportunity to work for someone who believed in things that I cared about even when I wasn’t working in government...”
“In the beginning, it was [an issue] of getting used to what he wants—the kind of writing, what sort of information he thinks is important...” Abad said.
“What’s important to one person is not important to another, so you need to know how to filter to suit your principal... Now [in the PMS], it’s a little easier because I know him better. I don’t have to keep running and asking for approval for everything,” she said.
Mr. Aquino thinks she’s “very macro” and does not “micro-manage,” Abad said. “I pick people that I trust. And then I let them do their own thing.”
She said that when Mr. Aquino got used to her style as his COS in the Senate, he learned that her preferences were “sort of the same as his.”
Abad was part of Mr. Aquino’s transition team that met with its counterpart in the Arroyo administration. She was also privy to how some Cabinet members were selected, but would rather downplay her role.
She said Mr. Aquino “discussed things with me while he was making decisions.”
Her dad’s daughter
Just as Mr. Aquino drew brickbats from campaign critics for capitalizing on being his parents’ son, Abad said she had become aware of similar opinions from some sectors. (Her father earlier warned the Inquirer: “Don’t call her Butch Abad’s daughter!”)
“It was the President who said during his campaign, ‘What kind of person you are today, you cannot deny that who your parents are has contributed significantly to your inborn talents, as well as the character that you’ve developed through the years,’” Abad said.
“As for achievements, those you can claim to be your own. But sometimes I’d like to say [to others], ‘Kayo naman, introduce me as my own person so I have my own personality.’ But I’ve gotten used to it,” she said.
Abad added: “I’m proud to say that I’ve managed to keep my family and my professional life quite separate. It’s hard to work with your dad. We worked together in the campaign also (she as Mr. Aquino’s COS in the Senate and he as campaign manager of the Liberal Party). So you have to really put a fine line between when are you the daughter and when are you colleagues, especially when you relate to your principal.
“When he thinks about us, I don’t want him to think of us as father and daughter, except when he can’t find my dad. ‘Where’s your dad? Hanapin mo (Find him).’ That’s the only time.”
“I really am the daughter of Butch and Dina Abad. There’s nothing you can do about it and actually, I’m quite proud to be their child. I wouldn’t be this kind of person if they were not my parents. But I would like to think that where I got to today, I probably did largely on my own, and I think they will agree.”
More from here: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20100704-279061/Whos-Julia-Abad-and-why-is-she-PMS-head
IT WAS PROBABLY THE BRIGHT purple sheath dress she wore when then President-elect Benigno Aquino III announced the members of his Cabinet that made TV viewers take notice of Julia (pronounced Hul-ya) Abad.
The gamine-looking, 31-year-old Abad, who was standing behind Mr. Aquino, literally stood out among the soberly dressed men sitting behind him. Ironically, the new chief of the Presidential Management Staff (PMS) wants a low profile.
Younger sister Patsy thought Abad went overboard in her get-up. “Grabe, Ate, ang arte mo naman,” she said after seeing Abad on TV.
It seems looking good is Abad’s coping mechanism for the stress that is slowly building up.
“I don’t want to be stressed and look it,” she said with a smile. “Stressed ka na nga, pangit ka pa.”
Rented house
Abad was taking time to relax in her rented house in Quezon City when the Inquirer arrived for a hastily arranged interview. This time, she wore a bright yellow sheath dress and walked around her digs barefoot.
Her living room is a calming mix of Asian, shabby chic and minimalism.
On the walls are ink drawings made by her brother Pio. “He drew them straight on the paper. He didn’t use a pencil to draft them first,” she said proudly.
Abad disappeared and quickly came back with a watercolor painting, this time made by her father, Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad, which she hung above a console laden with jars and candles.
“I think this is his only painting. I think he made it during a time when he was very bored,” Abad said.
The work dated 2008 features a lighthouse and two unidentifiable human figures—a scene from picturesque Batanes, where Abad was married two years ago to Englishman Andrew Parker.
Behind the scene
Abad was initially uncomfortable with being interviewed. Most of the time she had her arms crossed in front of her chest, her back very straight as she sat on her sofa.
“I don’t want to be a high-profile personality. I think that ... just as PMS has [lain low] through the years, as just the support mechanism for the President, so should I as the head,” she said.
“We work behind the scene. It’s the President that the public should focus on. It’s just enough to know that we’re providing support for the President and we’re doing the best we can. We know we won’t do everything perfectly but that we’re doing what we can, and giving it our best shot.”
The work of PMS is basically technical in nature, unlike those of busier departments whose secretaries are constantly visible. Abad said this made her “glad.”
“PMS is a support staff system for the President. I think that’s why he asked me to [head] it because that kind of work is what we’ve been doing for him in the [Senate]—so, in terms of being familiar with what his needs are, technical staff work and support,” she said.
PMS as troubleshooter
Asked to explain, Abad said: “PMS does whatever the President asks it to do. It was intended to provide policy support to the President, get inputs from the departments, digest [them], process [them] and [give] feedback to him so that when he asks what’s going on in this sector, you [can] provide a brief for him using inputs from the different departments.
“But I guess over the years, it evolved depending on the personality of the President it was serving. [At some point, the staff] added the screening of certain appointees [to its job description]. Also the preparation for presidential engagements, monitor priority projects if they were being done on time, sort [out] institutional conflicts that needed to be resolved...
“After a while, parang naging troubleshooter.
“But in the end, it really depends on what the President asks you to do.”
Chief of staff
Abad was Mr. Aquino’s chief of staff (COS) during his three years as senator. They met by chance shortly after he won in 2007 and just as she was preparing to take up further studies in Singapore.
He asked if she would consider becoming his COS “because he wanted a young team.”
Obviously, Mr. Aquino was pleased with her performance. Her name was among the first he announced as joining his Cabinet.
Abad said Mr. Aquino had become “used to the style of his [Senate] staff.”
“That’s why he wants to bring it in—so that [the transition] is seamless. You continue providing the same kind of support that he’s been used to, and I would think when you’re going to a new thing, it’s good to have a similar, familiar and dependable kind of support,” she said.
But Abad was not entirely unfamiliar with Mr. Aquino before she signed up as his COS.
She recalled that back when she was a kid in the 1980s until Mr. Aquino’s initial stint at the House of Representatives, he and her father were involved in work in various nongovernment organizations.
Work background
After studying communications at Ateneo de Manila University, Abad worked as a writer for the Ayala Foundation, as the executive assistant of then Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman before the “Hello Garci” election fraud scandal, and as “citizen participation intern” of the Washington-based National Democratic Institute.
She went to the John F. Kennedy School of Government for a master’s degree and returned to Ateneo to teach political science.
By the time Mr. Aquino offered her the COS post, “I was doing foundation work,” Abad said, adding:
“I thought maybe I want to do something related to public policy. So I’d even gone to do some interviews at the National University of Singapore. I was almost going to get a job there when I came back here after [the 2007] elections.
“I saw [Mr. Aquino] and he said, ‘You know, it’s good I ran into you because I want to talk to you. I’m looking for a chief of staff, would you consider?’
“I was surprised. He’s friends with my dad and he wants me to work for him. I thought, ‘Gosh, chief of staff ng senator! I didn’t know how to answer.
“He said, ‘You think about it. Let me know by the end of the week.’ By the evening I thought, it’s a good challenge.
“I come from a political family. But I took up communications in college because everyone expected me to take up political science. I don’t want to go into that just because; I want to know if it’s something I really like.
“I tried to do other things, so it’s a little bit of a tug-of-war. I vacillated between doing private like NGO, foundation work and doing government. So if you look at my CV, you’ll see that [I’m here and there] pabalik-balik ako.”
‘I know him better’
Abad thought Mr. Aquino’s COS offer was “an opportunity to work for someone who believed in things that I cared about even when I wasn’t working in government...”
“In the beginning, it was [an issue] of getting used to what he wants—the kind of writing, what sort of information he thinks is important...” Abad said.
“What’s important to one person is not important to another, so you need to know how to filter to suit your principal... Now [in the PMS], it’s a little easier because I know him better. I don’t have to keep running and asking for approval for everything,” she said.
Mr. Aquino thinks she’s “very macro” and does not “micro-manage,” Abad said. “I pick people that I trust. And then I let them do their own thing.”
She said that when Mr. Aquino got used to her style as his COS in the Senate, he learned that her preferences were “sort of the same as his.”
Abad was part of Mr. Aquino’s transition team that met with its counterpart in the Arroyo administration. She was also privy to how some Cabinet members were selected, but would rather downplay her role.
She said Mr. Aquino “discussed things with me while he was making decisions.”
Her dad’s daughter
Just as Mr. Aquino drew brickbats from campaign critics for capitalizing on being his parents’ son, Abad said she had become aware of similar opinions from some sectors. (Her father earlier warned the Inquirer: “Don’t call her Butch Abad’s daughter!”)
“It was the President who said during his campaign, ‘What kind of person you are today, you cannot deny that who your parents are has contributed significantly to your inborn talents, as well as the character that you’ve developed through the years,’” Abad said.
“As for achievements, those you can claim to be your own. But sometimes I’d like to say [to others], ‘Kayo naman, introduce me as my own person so I have my own personality.’ But I’ve gotten used to it,” she said.
Abad added: “I’m proud to say that I’ve managed to keep my family and my professional life quite separate. It’s hard to work with your dad. We worked together in the campaign also (she as Mr. Aquino’s COS in the Senate and he as campaign manager of the Liberal Party). So you have to really put a fine line between when are you the daughter and when are you colleagues, especially when you relate to your principal.
“When he thinks about us, I don’t want him to think of us as father and daughter, except when he can’t find my dad. ‘Where’s your dad? Hanapin mo (Find him).’ That’s the only time.”
“I really am the daughter of Butch and Dina Abad. There’s nothing you can do about it and actually, I’m quite proud to be their child. I wouldn’t be this kind of person if they were not my parents. But I would like to think that where I got to today, I probably did largely on my own, and I think they will agree.”
More from here: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20100704-279061/Whos-Julia-Abad-and-why-is-she-PMS-head
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Artists welcome Noynoy with Yellow Paintings
Take a look at this article wecloming PNOY's presidency with painting exhibits.
If you haven't gotten your fix of the incoming administration's sunny shades, follow the yellow brick road to the Tower Club in Makati City. There's no emerald city there, but the 26 works on exhibit are quite a dazzling sight.
The art exhibit "Yellow Paintings," which was formally opened last Friday, is a smaller selection from its first mount in February that commemorated the EDSA revolution.
Yellow became the signature color of former president Cory Aquino's presidential campaign, and on Ninoy Aquino's fateful return - he was greeted by a sea of yellow. Following his death, yellow took on a deeper significance - his martyrdom, and the people's struggle for democracy.
Curated by art historian Dr. Reuben Canete, the exhibit features works from National Artist Arturo Luz, Juvenal Sanso, Lydia Velasco, Amador Barquilla, Jovan Benito, Jomar Delluba, Dominic Rubio, Carlo Magno, Orlina Amenius Aralar, Aileen Lanuza, Vincent de Pio, and Edwin Tres Reyes.
Luz creates an "Imaginary Landscape" of a city in the dark, and "Patina White Temples" against a golden sky.
Magno's "Springtime and Harvest" bursts color on the canvas, and Sanso's painting draws you close to it "As Optimism Approaches." Velasco whispers come hither to her "Yellow Interlude."
Barquilla built a legacy inside the four corners of his "Face of the People," while Delluba captures the future in his work, "Lupang Hinirang." Benito's festive "Yellow Ladies," and Rubio's images of a "Happy Family II" and a "Sunday Afternoon" are also featured in the exhibit.
All the paintings on display are for sale, and proceeds will be donated to the Chosen Children's Village Foundation.
The exhibit does, of course, remind us of Cory Aquino, but not just because everywhere you look is yellow. The pieces are elegant and graceful, and exude a certain poignancy that does justice to Aquino's memory.
more from here: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/194773/artists-welcome-noynoy-with-yellow-paintings
If you haven't gotten your fix of the incoming administration's sunny shades, follow the yellow brick road to the Tower Club in Makati City. There's no emerald city there, but the 26 works on exhibit are quite a dazzling sight.
The art exhibit "Yellow Paintings," which was formally opened last Friday, is a smaller selection from its first mount in February that commemorated the EDSA revolution.
Yellow became the signature color of former president Cory Aquino's presidential campaign, and on Ninoy Aquino's fateful return - he was greeted by a sea of yellow. Following his death, yellow took on a deeper significance - his martyrdom, and the people's struggle for democracy.
Curated by art historian Dr. Reuben Canete, the exhibit features works from National Artist Arturo Luz, Juvenal Sanso, Lydia Velasco, Amador Barquilla, Jovan Benito, Jomar Delluba, Dominic Rubio, Carlo Magno, Orlina Amenius Aralar, Aileen Lanuza, Vincent de Pio, and Edwin Tres Reyes.
Luz creates an "Imaginary Landscape" of a city in the dark, and "Patina White Temples" against a golden sky.
Magno's "Springtime and Harvest" bursts color on the canvas, and Sanso's painting draws you close to it "As Optimism Approaches." Velasco whispers come hither to her "Yellow Interlude."
Barquilla built a legacy inside the four corners of his "Face of the People," while Delluba captures the future in his work, "Lupang Hinirang." Benito's festive "Yellow Ladies," and Rubio's images of a "Happy Family II" and a "Sunday Afternoon" are also featured in the exhibit.
All the paintings on display are for sale, and proceeds will be donated to the Chosen Children's Village Foundation.
The exhibit does, of course, remind us of Cory Aquino, but not just because everywhere you look is yellow. The pieces are elegant and graceful, and exude a certain poignancy that does justice to Aquino's memory.
more from here: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/194773/artists-welcome-noynoy-with-yellow-paintings
Thursday, July 15, 2010
The color yellow
Take a quick look at this interesting article about Filipinos and Aquinos. Read on:
Following the saga of the Aquino family, yellow is the day for all Filipinos, if not most Filipinos, who have grown proud of the color as they are of the flag. Never has any color left such a lasting mark on our social and political life, associated likewise with the L hand sign. Blue has come and gone (although it is showing signs of sneaking around the corner) and red is always somewhere in the background, never completely expunged.
Yellow is dominant at this point in time, as the exhibit Yellow Paintings shows at the Tower Club, 33rd floor of the Philamlife Building on Paseo de Roxas. And, of course, the viewer will expect its political significations, covert or overt, with its paeans to the ruling Aquino family: father, wife, and now son—what family could have it better! Of course, they constituted the principal opposition to the Marcos dictatorship, particularly Ninoy Aquino, who paid with his life. But with Marcos packed off to Hawaii, what then was the opposition that Cory faced? It is a question that begs to be asked. Was it the US? Indeed not. The peasants marching from Central Luzon to Malacañang within a few months of her inauguration, followed by the declaration of total war in the countryside? Do these now belong to the annals of secret history buried in the national archives? After her, of course, and then Erap, we were swamped by a great monstrosity that some forgetting may be excused.
For most people, Cory is the pretty and kindly looking widow of Ninoy dressed in her signature yellow embroidered dress, very much of the elite and de buena familia in her Catholic school refinement, possessing all the visual requirements of an icon. But in this show, only two paintings directly refer to Cory. These works in oil on canvas, of predominant yellow tones, are by Amador Barquilla.
Undoubtedly, their common subject is Mrs. Aquino in Paalam Tita Cory and Face of the People. The first shows her yellow-covered funeral cortege amid a sea of mourners with several big limousines accompanying the procession, large vehicles that affirm her privileged status.
The other work, also by Barquilla, shows many children dancing against a yellow background, possibly a street as they form the smiling face of Cory, thus emphasizing her role as mother of the country, a modern-day Inang Bayan. Both done in oil on canvas, there seems to be some discrepancy between style and medium, because the mourners or the children playing on the street are drawn like linear stick figures in a way that they cannot demonstrate the particular dense and lustrous quality of the oil medium. Perhaps, they could have been better as pen-and-ink illustrations for a more incisive and dynamic character. As they are, the works are naïve and without the exciting flair of excellent comic-strip art. Also tangentially belonging to the theme is Lupang Hinirang by Jomar Delluba with the Philippine flag for background. The artist focuses on the figure of a young boy, his eyes upraised and seeking the light, his lips sensitive and expectant, his nostrils flared to receive the air, and his ears fully open to the sounds around. His entire face bears the entire message of the work as his body is a trifle too small in proportion. This work is on the didactic side which may please people who search for “verities” in our time.
Only one other painting refers to the present times. This is Juvenal Sansó’s work, As Optimism Approaches. Done in acrylic on paper, it features the color yellow with ink dots and rhythmic lines. The human figures are indeterminate and hazy but they come together with a sense of design. The work is marked by spontaneity of feeling that overshadows all realistic detail.
In the rest of the works, yellow is only incidental and has no relation with political connotations. To an extent, they demonstrate the effects of yellow as it acts on the environment, or on the emotions of individuals or a group of people. Such works aptly bring out the entire gamut of the color, its semantic role with its many variations regarding mood, temper, whether open and fully bright, tinged with green, or sourish like a lemon.
In Yellow Interlude, the work of Lydia Velasco, yellow serves only as background sky above the mountains and forest foliage. It casts a soft, radiant glow over the figures of the conversing and interacting women, who are like beautiful geese, with sensitive skin and sensory antennae all over the surface
Karlo Magno has built a distinctive abstract style over the years, as his inventions become more attractive and intriguing. He basically works with a few geometric figures, mainly circles, against a contrasting background of texture or color. Against these bigger articulations of form, he forms sections of design, such as grids made up of embossed dots. The artist has developed an increasingly wider range of contrasting textures and patterns which lend the work its richness and sonority.
Two competing figurative artists are Jovan Benito with his works of good cheer and Dominic Rubio. The works of Benito are saturated with bright colors and the highly stylized figures of men and women in an original kind of genre engaged in communal activities. Rubio’s figures are not so much genre as portraits of Filipinos against a village setting. They are model types, mostly of the illustrado class that give the artist the opportunity to dwell meticulously on their exquisite accessories. They all exhibit a distinctive characteristic: they hold themselves regally upon their spindly necks, like stems to exotic flowers. We have not yet fully explored the meaning of this manneristic device. It could be the sign of utmost refinement which sets itself up above the thick-necked hoi polloi. Would it insinuate the contrast between the high and the low? In many works, meanings are not always articulated clearly and sharply, but may favor ambiguity and comfortable vagueness.
This show implies the links between art and politics, but often does so only incidentally and accidentally.
more from here http://businessmirror.com.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=27317:the-color-yellow&catid=32:life&Itemid=68
Following the saga of the Aquino family, yellow is the day for all Filipinos, if not most Filipinos, who have grown proud of the color as they are of the flag. Never has any color left such a lasting mark on our social and political life, associated likewise with the L hand sign. Blue has come and gone (although it is showing signs of sneaking around the corner) and red is always somewhere in the background, never completely expunged.
Yellow is dominant at this point in time, as the exhibit Yellow Paintings shows at the Tower Club, 33rd floor of the Philamlife Building on Paseo de Roxas. And, of course, the viewer will expect its political significations, covert or overt, with its paeans to the ruling Aquino family: father, wife, and now son—what family could have it better! Of course, they constituted the principal opposition to the Marcos dictatorship, particularly Ninoy Aquino, who paid with his life. But with Marcos packed off to Hawaii, what then was the opposition that Cory faced? It is a question that begs to be asked. Was it the US? Indeed not. The peasants marching from Central Luzon to Malacañang within a few months of her inauguration, followed by the declaration of total war in the countryside? Do these now belong to the annals of secret history buried in the national archives? After her, of course, and then Erap, we were swamped by a great monstrosity that some forgetting may be excused.
For most people, Cory is the pretty and kindly looking widow of Ninoy dressed in her signature yellow embroidered dress, very much of the elite and de buena familia in her Catholic school refinement, possessing all the visual requirements of an icon. But in this show, only two paintings directly refer to Cory. These works in oil on canvas, of predominant yellow tones, are by Amador Barquilla.
Undoubtedly, their common subject is Mrs. Aquino in Paalam Tita Cory and Face of the People. The first shows her yellow-covered funeral cortege amid a sea of mourners with several big limousines accompanying the procession, large vehicles that affirm her privileged status.
The other work, also by Barquilla, shows many children dancing against a yellow background, possibly a street as they form the smiling face of Cory, thus emphasizing her role as mother of the country, a modern-day Inang Bayan. Both done in oil on canvas, there seems to be some discrepancy between style and medium, because the mourners or the children playing on the street are drawn like linear stick figures in a way that they cannot demonstrate the particular dense and lustrous quality of the oil medium. Perhaps, they could have been better as pen-and-ink illustrations for a more incisive and dynamic character. As they are, the works are naïve and without the exciting flair of excellent comic-strip art. Also tangentially belonging to the theme is Lupang Hinirang by Jomar Delluba with the Philippine flag for background. The artist focuses on the figure of a young boy, his eyes upraised and seeking the light, his lips sensitive and expectant, his nostrils flared to receive the air, and his ears fully open to the sounds around. His entire face bears the entire message of the work as his body is a trifle too small in proportion. This work is on the didactic side which may please people who search for “verities” in our time.
Only one other painting refers to the present times. This is Juvenal Sansó’s work, As Optimism Approaches. Done in acrylic on paper, it features the color yellow with ink dots and rhythmic lines. The human figures are indeterminate and hazy but they come together with a sense of design. The work is marked by spontaneity of feeling that overshadows all realistic detail.
In the rest of the works, yellow is only incidental and has no relation with political connotations. To an extent, they demonstrate the effects of yellow as it acts on the environment, or on the emotions of individuals or a group of people. Such works aptly bring out the entire gamut of the color, its semantic role with its many variations regarding mood, temper, whether open and fully bright, tinged with green, or sourish like a lemon.
In Yellow Interlude, the work of Lydia Velasco, yellow serves only as background sky above the mountains and forest foliage. It casts a soft, radiant glow over the figures of the conversing and interacting women, who are like beautiful geese, with sensitive skin and sensory antennae all over the surface
Karlo Magno has built a distinctive abstract style over the years, as his inventions become more attractive and intriguing. He basically works with a few geometric figures, mainly circles, against a contrasting background of texture or color. Against these bigger articulations of form, he forms sections of design, such as grids made up of embossed dots. The artist has developed an increasingly wider range of contrasting textures and patterns which lend the work its richness and sonority.
Two competing figurative artists are Jovan Benito with his works of good cheer and Dominic Rubio. The works of Benito are saturated with bright colors and the highly stylized figures of men and women in an original kind of genre engaged in communal activities. Rubio’s figures are not so much genre as portraits of Filipinos against a village setting. They are model types, mostly of the illustrado class that give the artist the opportunity to dwell meticulously on their exquisite accessories. They all exhibit a distinctive characteristic: they hold themselves regally upon their spindly necks, like stems to exotic flowers. We have not yet fully explored the meaning of this manneristic device. It could be the sign of utmost refinement which sets itself up above the thick-necked hoi polloi. Would it insinuate the contrast between the high and the low? In many works, meanings are not always articulated clearly and sharply, but may favor ambiguity and comfortable vagueness.
This show implies the links between art and politics, but often does so only incidentally and accidentally.
more from here http://businessmirror.com.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=27317:the-color-yellow&catid=32:life&Itemid=68
Monday, May 31, 2010
Casino Español de Manila
See this article about the old casino in manila:
In walking through the Casino Español de Manila, there is so much life and history reflected and safely kept and nurtured in this “home away from home.” Beyond the grandeur it exudes, there are the stories on the walls of the club that make it a classy choice, or, more often than not, the only choice among its members.
Meeting the club’s board of directors, we were welcomed by an incredibly warm and accommodating group of men and their tempting spread of authentic Spanish cuisine.
Though at some point we could barely understand their animated conversation with their classic perfect Spanish accents, we were made to feel a part of their family.
Casino’s rich history
OLD documents reveal that Casino Español de Manila has been in existence since 1832. While the club’s library does not have proper documentation of the date, there is a written account from a Royal Navy surgeon, Alick Osborne:
“A club of these foreign gentlemen have [sic] a billiard table where they meet every evening and enjoy an hour or two of social converse; they play for amusement [no betting permitted] who are exclusively selected, only admitting strangers by introduction of a member on Tuesdays, Fridays and holidays.”
The description fits that of the club, which back then was simply referred to as the Casino. Documents provided after a few years reveal that “Intramuros felt itself upstaged by the incomers, this was the reason why in 1843, the Real Sociedad Economica de Filipinas founded in Intramuros the Sociedad de Recreo [believed to be the original name of the Casino].”
The foundation of the Casino was formalized on October 31, 1844, by Governor General Narciso Claveria y Zaldua. That makes the club now 166 years old.
Casinos back then strictly functioned as clubs, ideal for interaction and relaxation, but not for gambling. Senior people with considerably high salaries joined the nonprofit organization. Soon after, the Casino attracted both Spaniards and foreign traders as members.
Up to 1851, the members of the Casino exclusively catered to Spanish peninsulares and insulares and the foreign community. In time, the club then admitted mestizos to its membership.
The present Casino was the brainchild of Don Antonio Melian y Pavia, the Conde de Peracamps who stood as its first president. As a tribute to the man who unselfishly devoted his time to the welfare of Casino Español de Manila, he was bestowed with the title of Presidente de Honor a Perpetuidad (president for all time).
In an oil painting by Maestro Oscar Navarro, it depicts the façade of the Casino Español de Manila built by architect Don Juan Arellano in 1916. On January 21, 1917, the Casino Español at the corner of San Luis Street (now T.M. Kalaw) facing Taft Avenue was inaugurated.
Compania General de Tabacos de Filipinas’ then-general manager Don Carlos de las Heras, then-Senate President Manuel Luis Quezon, then-American Governor General Francis Harrison and then-House Speaker Sergio Osmeña were some of the high-profile dignitaries who attended the club’s inauguration.
In the last months of World War II, heavy artillery devastated the club. Barely anything was left but for a few pieces of furniture and several valuable works of art. Fortunately, these were saved and moved to a Tabacalera warehouse for emergency storage.
The club officers eventually found a temporary place in a two-story house at the corner of Oregon (now Apacible Street) and Perez streets in Paco, Manila. Don Ignacio Planas, the president of the Casino, was able to generate funds for the reconstruction of the club in 1951.
With the support of various social groups, the club brought itself back on top as the “hub of Spanish social and cultural life in the city.” More improvements were done to the Casino. It expanded its facilities by building tennis courts and bowling alleys.
It was the Spanish game of pelota which became the most popular source of sporting entertainment in Casino Español, especially before the Jai-alai was erected adjacent to the club in 1940.
In 1962 the club reached its crowning glory as it welcomed royal dignitaries in the presence of Prince Don Juan Carlos de Bourbon and his wife Princess Doña Sofia to Manila.
Adding to the colorful narrative of the Casino, its corporate life was extended in July 1963. The board of directors sought an extension of another 50 years. The immediate approval of the petition by the Department of Trade and Industry attested to the good relations between Filipinos and Spaniards.
Spanish feasts
AMONG the feasts celebrated by the Casino is Dia de Santiago, or the Feast of St. James, the Patron Saint of Spain, held every July 25. Male members and guests gather for drinks at the bar, followed by a sumptuous lunch.
Funds generated from the luncheon are donated to Hospital de Santiago, a residence for old and poor Spaniards in the country.
Dia de Hispanidad, another festive celebration, is observed on the Feast of the Virgen del Pilar. This is Spain’s national holiday honoring Spain and also all its former colonies which share a common history, culture and religion. In times past, the club held a dinner dance.
Other memorable celebrations of the Casino include the annual celebration of Fiesta de los Tres Reyes, or Three Kings. The Three Kings festivity is an old tradition which serves to mark the end of the Christmas holiday. Three young men garbed as Melchor, Gaspar and Baltazar ride on horseback from St., Vincent Church in San Marcelino to the club premises to distribute gifts.
The Three Kings is a festival of giving that everyone in the club looks forward to, moreso the members’ children, as they are treated with special gifts, great entertainment, exciting games and an array of delicious delicacies.
Philippines and Spanish ties
Casino Español de Manila maintains its good relationship among its membership, and plays a key role in fostering Filipino-Spanish culture. In the past, membership was done on an individual basis through invitation and sponsorship by an active club member.
Men who have made their mark in the Filipino-Spanish community were accepted. In time, a special resolution by the Casino’s board of directors finally opened its doors to both individual and corporate membership.
The policy will ensure the club’s stability and growth. Today one can be a member of the Casino either in one’s private capacity or upon sponsorship of a company.
The Philippines has had a long history with Spain. The club tries to preserve Spanish traditions, and makes sure that these are still maintained. Even the architecture of the club has been maintained.
Though left unsaid, membership is open to any person who is qualified. Even the late President Corazon Aquino recognized this strong affiliation between Filipinos and Spaniards when, during the club’s diamond anniversary, Aquino wrote: “I am pleased with the continuing efforts of this club in fostering camaraderie among its Filipino and Spanish members, as well as in strengthening the historical ties between the Philippines and Spain.”
The Casino in the modern times
THE club has blended perfectly with the changes brought about by technology. It has installed a Wi-Fi connection for the members’ convenience and integrated its accounting software. Also, the Casino’s web site is now on live and ready for easier access. It has also upgraded the amenities, improved the catering services and added structures in the club.
Despite these changes, the club remains committed to foster Spanish culture and the exquisite and authenticity of Spanish cuisine.
The current composition of the club’s directors and officers:
Sr. Don Francisco Gomez de Liaño, president
Sr. Don Manuel Igual, vice president
Sr. Don Jose Luis Romero-Salas Jr., secretary
Sr. Don Gabriel Ripoll Jr., assistant secretary
Sr. Don Antonio Alumno Jr., treasurer
Sr. Don Jose Miguel Cabarrus, assistant treasurer
Sr. Don Francisco Eizmendi Jr., director
Sr. Don Jack Arroyo, director
Sr. Don Ernesto R. Jalandoni, director
Sr. Don Francisco Magsaysay, director
Sr. Don Francisco Tankiang, director
Sr. Adolfo Manatad Jr., general manager
Sra. Sheena Karen Ojeda, chief finance officer
Sra. Atty. Rachelle Padre-Isip, corporate secretary
more from here: http://businessmirror.com.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=25778:casino-espanol-de-manila&catid=32:life&Itemid=68
In walking through the Casino Español de Manila, there is so much life and history reflected and safely kept and nurtured in this “home away from home.” Beyond the grandeur it exudes, there are the stories on the walls of the club that make it a classy choice, or, more often than not, the only choice among its members.
Meeting the club’s board of directors, we were welcomed by an incredibly warm and accommodating group of men and their tempting spread of authentic Spanish cuisine.
Though at some point we could barely understand their animated conversation with their classic perfect Spanish accents, we were made to feel a part of their family.
Casino’s rich history
OLD documents reveal that Casino Español de Manila has been in existence since 1832. While the club’s library does not have proper documentation of the date, there is a written account from a Royal Navy surgeon, Alick Osborne:
“A club of these foreign gentlemen have [sic] a billiard table where they meet every evening and enjoy an hour or two of social converse; they play for amusement [no betting permitted] who are exclusively selected, only admitting strangers by introduction of a member on Tuesdays, Fridays and holidays.”
The description fits that of the club, which back then was simply referred to as the Casino. Documents provided after a few years reveal that “Intramuros felt itself upstaged by the incomers, this was the reason why in 1843, the Real Sociedad Economica de Filipinas founded in Intramuros the Sociedad de Recreo [believed to be the original name of the Casino].”
The foundation of the Casino was formalized on October 31, 1844, by Governor General Narciso Claveria y Zaldua. That makes the club now 166 years old.
Casinos back then strictly functioned as clubs, ideal for interaction and relaxation, but not for gambling. Senior people with considerably high salaries joined the nonprofit organization. Soon after, the Casino attracted both Spaniards and foreign traders as members.
Up to 1851, the members of the Casino exclusively catered to Spanish peninsulares and insulares and the foreign community. In time, the club then admitted mestizos to its membership.
The present Casino was the brainchild of Don Antonio Melian y Pavia, the Conde de Peracamps who stood as its first president. As a tribute to the man who unselfishly devoted his time to the welfare of Casino Español de Manila, he was bestowed with the title of Presidente de Honor a Perpetuidad (president for all time).
In an oil painting by Maestro Oscar Navarro, it depicts the façade of the Casino Español de Manila built by architect Don Juan Arellano in 1916. On January 21, 1917, the Casino Español at the corner of San Luis Street (now T.M. Kalaw) facing Taft Avenue was inaugurated.
Compania General de Tabacos de Filipinas’ then-general manager Don Carlos de las Heras, then-Senate President Manuel Luis Quezon, then-American Governor General Francis Harrison and then-House Speaker Sergio Osmeña were some of the high-profile dignitaries who attended the club’s inauguration.
In the last months of World War II, heavy artillery devastated the club. Barely anything was left but for a few pieces of furniture and several valuable works of art. Fortunately, these were saved and moved to a Tabacalera warehouse for emergency storage.
The club officers eventually found a temporary place in a two-story house at the corner of Oregon (now Apacible Street) and Perez streets in Paco, Manila. Don Ignacio Planas, the president of the Casino, was able to generate funds for the reconstruction of the club in 1951.
With the support of various social groups, the club brought itself back on top as the “hub of Spanish social and cultural life in the city.” More improvements were done to the Casino. It expanded its facilities by building tennis courts and bowling alleys.
It was the Spanish game of pelota which became the most popular source of sporting entertainment in Casino Español, especially before the Jai-alai was erected adjacent to the club in 1940.
In 1962 the club reached its crowning glory as it welcomed royal dignitaries in the presence of Prince Don Juan Carlos de Bourbon and his wife Princess Doña Sofia to Manila.
Adding to the colorful narrative of the Casino, its corporate life was extended in July 1963. The board of directors sought an extension of another 50 years. The immediate approval of the petition by the Department of Trade and Industry attested to the good relations between Filipinos and Spaniards.
Spanish feasts
AMONG the feasts celebrated by the Casino is Dia de Santiago, or the Feast of St. James, the Patron Saint of Spain, held every July 25. Male members and guests gather for drinks at the bar, followed by a sumptuous lunch.
Funds generated from the luncheon are donated to Hospital de Santiago, a residence for old and poor Spaniards in the country.
Dia de Hispanidad, another festive celebration, is observed on the Feast of the Virgen del Pilar. This is Spain’s national holiday honoring Spain and also all its former colonies which share a common history, culture and religion. In times past, the club held a dinner dance.
Other memorable celebrations of the Casino include the annual celebration of Fiesta de los Tres Reyes, or Three Kings. The Three Kings festivity is an old tradition which serves to mark the end of the Christmas holiday. Three young men garbed as Melchor, Gaspar and Baltazar ride on horseback from St., Vincent Church in San Marcelino to the club premises to distribute gifts.
The Three Kings is a festival of giving that everyone in the club looks forward to, moreso the members’ children, as they are treated with special gifts, great entertainment, exciting games and an array of delicious delicacies.
Philippines and Spanish ties
Casino Español de Manila maintains its good relationship among its membership, and plays a key role in fostering Filipino-Spanish culture. In the past, membership was done on an individual basis through invitation and sponsorship by an active club member.
Men who have made their mark in the Filipino-Spanish community were accepted. In time, a special resolution by the Casino’s board of directors finally opened its doors to both individual and corporate membership.
The policy will ensure the club’s stability and growth. Today one can be a member of the Casino either in one’s private capacity or upon sponsorship of a company.
The Philippines has had a long history with Spain. The club tries to preserve Spanish traditions, and makes sure that these are still maintained. Even the architecture of the club has been maintained.
Though left unsaid, membership is open to any person who is qualified. Even the late President Corazon Aquino recognized this strong affiliation between Filipinos and Spaniards when, during the club’s diamond anniversary, Aquino wrote: “I am pleased with the continuing efforts of this club in fostering camaraderie among its Filipino and Spanish members, as well as in strengthening the historical ties between the Philippines and Spain.”
The Casino in the modern times
THE club has blended perfectly with the changes brought about by technology. It has installed a Wi-Fi connection for the members’ convenience and integrated its accounting software. Also, the Casino’s web site is now on live and ready for easier access. It has also upgraded the amenities, improved the catering services and added structures in the club.
Despite these changes, the club remains committed to foster Spanish culture and the exquisite and authenticity of Spanish cuisine.
The current composition of the club’s directors and officers:
Sr. Don Francisco Gomez de Liaño, president
Sr. Don Manuel Igual, vice president
Sr. Don Jose Luis Romero-Salas Jr., secretary
Sr. Don Gabriel Ripoll Jr., assistant secretary
Sr. Don Antonio Alumno Jr., treasurer
Sr. Don Jose Miguel Cabarrus, assistant treasurer
Sr. Don Francisco Eizmendi Jr., director
Sr. Don Jack Arroyo, director
Sr. Don Ernesto R. Jalandoni, director
Sr. Don Francisco Magsaysay, director
Sr. Don Francisco Tankiang, director
Sr. Adolfo Manatad Jr., general manager
Sra. Sheena Karen Ojeda, chief finance officer
Sra. Atty. Rachelle Padre-Isip, corporate secretary
more from here: http://businessmirror.com.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=25778:casino-espanol-de-manila&catid=32:life&Itemid=68
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Kris’ sacrifice for her ‘Kuya’ Noynoy
Just browsed through some articles from the paper today and found this interesting news about Kris' sacrifice for Noynoy. Read on below:
“The most selfless among us is the greatest. We must grow in selflessness by engaging in acts of humble service day by day… Lord, make me a servant today.”
--Pempe Rodrigo, Rivers of the Living Water Community
We had an hour with president-elect Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III last Wednesday in his home on Times Street, (still decked in yellow) and had a quiet chat. The home he shared with his mother Cory remains frozen in time with her paintings on the wall, on the throw pillows on the two sofas, her collection of Madonnas, and other personal items of the beloved icon. He has his own compact unit adjacent to the main house but now, Cory’s home is his haven, his personal headquarters where he meets his core of advisers.
He still nurses a hoarse voice, but looked relaxed in his jeans and signature black t-shirt with the yellow ribbon and Philippine map and wearing a comfortable pair of loafers without socks. My companion and I were apparently one of the first visitors that morning and the next appointment was with the barber at a nearby mall.
I commented on his tan which was very becoming and he said it was a result of his whirlwind provincial trips. He recalled two nerve-wracking landings his entourage had when the planes had to go up suddenly during their descent.
“I could see the ground coming up already when our plane zoomed up again. Later we found out there was some obstruction on the runway. Oh well, the two trips ended well.”
From the chat that we had, here are some gems we can share- for instance, the flurry of text messages on who will be who in his cabinet are all still products of the imagination and guess work. He still has to come to a decision as to who he will be appointing when he is finally proclaimed. He had a few names they have been vetting like for DPWH, DoJ and DepEd but at this time, only he knows who they are.
“When I took over the campaign, there were many around me who were advising me to do this and that. I finally decided to get hold of it (the campaign) and it will be so for the selection of key people who will work with me,” he stressed. “The chosen ones will be my responsibility alone. As to the others - around 4,000 other positions to be filled - we will work on them.”
He realizes it is not easy to find good, reliable, hard-working, and honest team players with the right job credentials to fill up those positions. He expects them also to function on their own without him breathing down their necks. But give him time, he will find them! He has a search committee but its members will remain unnamed as of now.
And he really hasn’t lost any pounds, but if he looks slimmer now, he thinks it is because he’s all muscle. His weight hovers at 160 -164 pounds which is fine for him.
Meanwhile, the resignation of the president-elect’s youngest sister Kris Yap from her talk shows “The Buzz” and “SNN” should satisfy the most vociferous (on Twitter and Facebook) and cruelest of her bashers. She stands to lose millions in terms of exposure and real income and possibly, endorsements, but it was a selfless act on her part, and we salute her for the sacrifice.
No doubt her ates Ballsy, Pinky and Viel had a hand in her decision to quit the two shows which could cause the president-elect, her kuya Noy embarrassment later on. Kris can be very outspoken and in the past had caused quite some turmoil in the family circle because of her candidness.
However, the decision was hers alone and again, as we pointed out, it is she who will lose from it. Those who know how I have stayed away from anything even remotely connected to Kris lest I be misunderstood again will appreciate my sincere “salute” to her selflessness in taking this bold step for the sake of her brother. Rising above one’s interest is an admirable family trait with the Aquinos. The “bunso” has been weighed and found not wanting.
I haven’t been on Kris’ radar ever since I was the messenger of her mom’s disapproval of her two headline-grabbing love affairs in the past. I displeased her, but my boss, her mom, quietly assured me that I still had her trust , and I continued to speak for her when needed.
President-elect Noynoy has time and again firmly, but gently declared that none of his sisters (including Kris) will have any official role in his administration. I think this is unfortunate, for the public will lose out on what the sisters can bring to his administration, even in non-official capacities. I sincerely believe, based on the sisters’ behavior and appeal during the campaign period, that they fulfilled the Filipinos’ hunger for something akin to Camelot days – with luminous heroines and courageous heroes embodying qualities of virtue and grace.
Kris, in her own irrepressible way and unique style, has made local television talk shows more exciting and fun to watch. You may not always like her gowns, her make-up or her bubbly chatter, but you’ve got to admit, she’s very “watchable!” Ask her millions of fans here and abroad. Those of us who are old enough will remember also how she contributed to our struggle to regain our freedom.
As a precocious five-year-old, Kris campaigned for the opposition against the dictatorship. She could rattle off the names of the candidates on her jailed father’s Laban slate and make the rally crowds weep when she appealed for votes for them and Ninoy.
And yes, as my boss, her mom used to say when her “Krissy” was the butt of sarcasm among columnists and radio commentators, “Why pick on Kris? She hasn’t done anyone harm. She is not a government official, earns her own money honestly through hard work, and she hasn’t stolen a centavo from government coffers!”
See more from Manila Bulletin here: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/258505/kris-sacrifice-her-kuya-noynoy
“The most selfless among us is the greatest. We must grow in selflessness by engaging in acts of humble service day by day… Lord, make me a servant today.”
--Pempe Rodrigo, Rivers of the Living Water Community
We had an hour with president-elect Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III last Wednesday in his home on Times Street, (still decked in yellow) and had a quiet chat. The home he shared with his mother Cory remains frozen in time with her paintings on the wall, on the throw pillows on the two sofas, her collection of Madonnas, and other personal items of the beloved icon. He has his own compact unit adjacent to the main house but now, Cory’s home is his haven, his personal headquarters where he meets his core of advisers.
He still nurses a hoarse voice, but looked relaxed in his jeans and signature black t-shirt with the yellow ribbon and Philippine map and wearing a comfortable pair of loafers without socks. My companion and I were apparently one of the first visitors that morning and the next appointment was with the barber at a nearby mall.
I commented on his tan which was very becoming and he said it was a result of his whirlwind provincial trips. He recalled two nerve-wracking landings his entourage had when the planes had to go up suddenly during their descent.
“I could see the ground coming up already when our plane zoomed up again. Later we found out there was some obstruction on the runway. Oh well, the two trips ended well.”
From the chat that we had, here are some gems we can share- for instance, the flurry of text messages on who will be who in his cabinet are all still products of the imagination and guess work. He still has to come to a decision as to who he will be appointing when he is finally proclaimed. He had a few names they have been vetting like for DPWH, DoJ and DepEd but at this time, only he knows who they are.
“When I took over the campaign, there were many around me who were advising me to do this and that. I finally decided to get hold of it (the campaign) and it will be so for the selection of key people who will work with me,” he stressed. “The chosen ones will be my responsibility alone. As to the others - around 4,000 other positions to be filled - we will work on them.”
He realizes it is not easy to find good, reliable, hard-working, and honest team players with the right job credentials to fill up those positions. He expects them also to function on their own without him breathing down their necks. But give him time, he will find them! He has a search committee but its members will remain unnamed as of now.
And he really hasn’t lost any pounds, but if he looks slimmer now, he thinks it is because he’s all muscle. His weight hovers at 160 -164 pounds which is fine for him.
Meanwhile, the resignation of the president-elect’s youngest sister Kris Yap from her talk shows “The Buzz” and “SNN” should satisfy the most vociferous (on Twitter and Facebook) and cruelest of her bashers. She stands to lose millions in terms of exposure and real income and possibly, endorsements, but it was a selfless act on her part, and we salute her for the sacrifice.
No doubt her ates Ballsy, Pinky and Viel had a hand in her decision to quit the two shows which could cause the president-elect, her kuya Noy embarrassment later on. Kris can be very outspoken and in the past had caused quite some turmoil in the family circle because of her candidness.
However, the decision was hers alone and again, as we pointed out, it is she who will lose from it. Those who know how I have stayed away from anything even remotely connected to Kris lest I be misunderstood again will appreciate my sincere “salute” to her selflessness in taking this bold step for the sake of her brother. Rising above one’s interest is an admirable family trait with the Aquinos. The “bunso” has been weighed and found not wanting.
I haven’t been on Kris’ radar ever since I was the messenger of her mom’s disapproval of her two headline-grabbing love affairs in the past. I displeased her, but my boss, her mom, quietly assured me that I still had her trust , and I continued to speak for her when needed.
President-elect Noynoy has time and again firmly, but gently declared that none of his sisters (including Kris) will have any official role in his administration. I think this is unfortunate, for the public will lose out on what the sisters can bring to his administration, even in non-official capacities. I sincerely believe, based on the sisters’ behavior and appeal during the campaign period, that they fulfilled the Filipinos’ hunger for something akin to Camelot days – with luminous heroines and courageous heroes embodying qualities of virtue and grace.
Kris, in her own irrepressible way and unique style, has made local television talk shows more exciting and fun to watch. You may not always like her gowns, her make-up or her bubbly chatter, but you’ve got to admit, she’s very “watchable!” Ask her millions of fans here and abroad. Those of us who are old enough will remember also how she contributed to our struggle to regain our freedom.
As a precocious five-year-old, Kris campaigned for the opposition against the dictatorship. She could rattle off the names of the candidates on her jailed father’s Laban slate and make the rally crowds weep when she appealed for votes for them and Ninoy.
And yes, as my boss, her mom used to say when her “Krissy” was the butt of sarcasm among columnists and radio commentators, “Why pick on Kris? She hasn’t done anyone harm. She is not a government official, earns her own money honestly through hard work, and she hasn’t stolen a centavo from government coffers!”
See more from Manila Bulletin here: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/258505/kris-sacrifice-her-kuya-noynoy
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
This special time worth timeless, precious mementos
A very nice article about Precious Moments creating a figurine for President Cory Aquino. Read on for more details.
WHEN A BELOVED ARTIST MEETS a beloved former President, it’s one of life’s “precious moments.”
Samuel John Butcher, creator of the “Precious Moments” inspirational greetings cards, posters and figurines, has added a “Cory figurine” to the “Precious Moments” collectibles, in honor of the late President Corazon Aquino and in memory of their friendship.
The porcelain figurine shows a young girl with classic teardrop eyes looking at a shoe marked “Cory,” the nickname of the former President who succumbed to cancer in August last year.
Also inscribed at the base of the figurine are the words, “Who’s gonna fill your shoes?”
According to Jojo Sonillo, a spokesperson for Butcher, the words express the artist’s admiration for the world’s “Icon of People Power” and “Saint of Democracy.”
“He is a big fan of Cory and her family. He admired her clean image; he always liked the simplicity of her lifestyle,” Sonillo said of Butcher, who resides in New Washington, a municipality in Aklan.
According to Sonillo, the image of the young girl looking at Aquino’s shoe was originally a painting Butcher made for the birthday of Aquino’s third child, Pinky Abellada.
After a dinner with the Aquino family in December, Butcher, who is known for artwork that conveys the message of “loving, caring and sharing,” decided to design a figurine based on the painting. The first prototype of the figurine was finished in March.
A “first Philippine exclusive,” the “highly collectible” Cory figurine would be available in the market, retailing for $40 or P1,800, Sonillo said. Part of the proceeds of the sales would be donated to the Aquino Foundation.
Two versions of the Cory doll in the Children of the World Collection would also be launched alongside the Cory figurine, Sonillo added.
Humble beginnings
Originally from Michigan, Butcher, who is now 70 years old, has chosen to retire in the Philippines. He owns the Sampaguita Garden Resort and Spa in New Washington, Aklan, a family-oriented recreation spot that also hosts a “Precious Moments” gallery and a “Precious Moments” Chapel by the Sea.
Butcher’s life is itself an inspiration.
Born poor, Butcher spent his childhood sketching on paper rummaged from a factory. He pursued formal art training following his high school graduation and won a scholarship to the College of Arts and Crafts in Berkeley. After graduation, Butcher married his college sweetheart, worked as an artist for the Child Evangelism Fellowship where he devoted his time to art and studying the Bible.
Forever special
“Precious Moments” was launched in 1975 on inspirational greeting cards and posters designed by Butcher. The first “Precious Moments” figurines were unveiled three years later.
To date, he has painted over 3,000 “Precious Moments” images almost all with the endearing teardrop-eyed child trademark. His designs have propelled an international giftware industry for weddings, birthdays and baptisms.
How does he feel about his life’s work?
In his coffee table book, “Sam Butcher: An Artist for Everyone,” he wrote: “When it comes to special times, ‘Precious Moments’ is forever.”
more from here http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20100516-270241/This-special-time-worth-timeless-precious-mementos
WHEN A BELOVED ARTIST MEETS a beloved former President, it’s one of life’s “precious moments.”
Samuel John Butcher, creator of the “Precious Moments” inspirational greetings cards, posters and figurines, has added a “Cory figurine” to the “Precious Moments” collectibles, in honor of the late President Corazon Aquino and in memory of their friendship.
The porcelain figurine shows a young girl with classic teardrop eyes looking at a shoe marked “Cory,” the nickname of the former President who succumbed to cancer in August last year.
Also inscribed at the base of the figurine are the words, “Who’s gonna fill your shoes?”
According to Jojo Sonillo, a spokesperson for Butcher, the words express the artist’s admiration for the world’s “Icon of People Power” and “Saint of Democracy.”
“He is a big fan of Cory and her family. He admired her clean image; he always liked the simplicity of her lifestyle,” Sonillo said of Butcher, who resides in New Washington, a municipality in Aklan.
According to Sonillo, the image of the young girl looking at Aquino’s shoe was originally a painting Butcher made for the birthday of Aquino’s third child, Pinky Abellada.
After a dinner with the Aquino family in December, Butcher, who is known for artwork that conveys the message of “loving, caring and sharing,” decided to design a figurine based on the painting. The first prototype of the figurine was finished in March.
A “first Philippine exclusive,” the “highly collectible” Cory figurine would be available in the market, retailing for $40 or P1,800, Sonillo said. Part of the proceeds of the sales would be donated to the Aquino Foundation.
Two versions of the Cory doll in the Children of the World Collection would also be launched alongside the Cory figurine, Sonillo added.
Humble beginnings
Originally from Michigan, Butcher, who is now 70 years old, has chosen to retire in the Philippines. He owns the Sampaguita Garden Resort and Spa in New Washington, Aklan, a family-oriented recreation spot that also hosts a “Precious Moments” gallery and a “Precious Moments” Chapel by the Sea.
Butcher’s life is itself an inspiration.
Born poor, Butcher spent his childhood sketching on paper rummaged from a factory. He pursued formal art training following his high school graduation and won a scholarship to the College of Arts and Crafts in Berkeley. After graduation, Butcher married his college sweetheart, worked as an artist for the Child Evangelism Fellowship where he devoted his time to art and studying the Bible.
Forever special
“Precious Moments” was launched in 1975 on inspirational greeting cards and posters designed by Butcher. The first “Precious Moments” figurines were unveiled three years later.
To date, he has painted over 3,000 “Precious Moments” images almost all with the endearing teardrop-eyed child trademark. His designs have propelled an international giftware industry for weddings, birthdays and baptisms.
How does he feel about his life’s work?
In his coffee table book, “Sam Butcher: An Artist for Everyone,” he wrote: “When it comes to special times, ‘Precious Moments’ is forever.”
more from here http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20100516-270241/This-special-time-worth-timeless-precious-mementos
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Villar Plans 'Quick Fixes' for Philippines If Elected President
This is an interesting article about Presidential Candidate Manuel Villar's strategy when he's elected versus Cory's son Noynoy. Please read on:
April 21 (Bloomberg) -- Philippine tycoon Manuel Villar pledged to deliver "quick fixes" for the nation's agricultural and infrastructure shortcomings should he defeat frontrunner Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino in the May 10 presidential election.
"What will impress foreign investors is if they see things moving in this country," Villar, 60, said in an interview yesterday in Manila's business district. "If you go to Shanghai, every three months you will see a different landscape."
Aquino, the 50-year-old son of a former president, has built a lead in polls by painting his rival as corrupt. Villar, ousted as Senate leader in 2008 amid graft allegations, counters that his experience as a property developer who survived a credit crisis makes him the only candidate qualified to revive an economy that trails the rest of the region.
"Our neighbors have left us behind precisely because of the incompetence of our leaders," Villar said. "The next president will be confronted by serious problems. He must be able to manage the country's problems from day one."
Aquino led 37 percent to 29 percent in a Social Weather Stations survey commissioned by Villar. The March 28-30 poll had a 2.2 percentage point margin of error.
The successor to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will be squeezed between the need to alleviate poverty and the lack of funds to do it. One in four Filipinos live on less than $1.25 a day and the government has run an annual budget surplus only four times in the past 24 years.
Investment Gap
The Philippines received $1.5 billion in foreign direct investment in 2008, compared with $7.3 billion for Malaysia, and $9.8 billion for Thailand, Association of Southeast Asian Nation statistics show. Its $167 billion economy ranks 13th among 17 in Asia tracked by Bloomberg, while its population comes in seventh.
Villar's "platform is that what he did in the private sector he can do for everyone else," said Luz Lorenzo, an economist at ATR-KimEng Securities Inc. in Manila.
As a boy, Villar helped his mother sell shrimp in Manila's largest market before earning degrees in business and accounting. After running a sand-and-gravel business, he built low-cost housing before winning a congressional seat in 1992 and taking his company, C&P Homes Inc., public three years later.
Creditor Accord
Laden with debt after the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis, the company settled with creditors in 2007, the same year Villar sold shares in Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc. He has a personal fortune of $530 million, according to Forbes magazine.
Villar almost closed Aquino's lead in January. The gap has since widened amid allegations he's secretly backed by the unpopular Arroyo and used his Senate career to accrue wealth.
If elected, his top priority will be to improve tax revenue by cutting corruption and wringing out bureaucratic efficiencies. To deliver results quickly, Villar said he'll focus on what's achievable and affordable.
"If you really want to reduce poverty significantly, you've got to address agriculture," he said, because more than 60 percent of Filipinos rely on farming for their livelihood. "It may contribute only 20 or 30 percent of the economy, but it affects a lot of people."
Fixing irrigation, providing cheap loans to millers and investing in transportation and storage facilities would provide an immediate boost, he said. The Philippines loses as much rice from poor storage and transportation as it imports, he said.
Road Budget
The roads budget could also be better used, he said, citing the need to extend the main highway through Luzon, the archipelago's biggest island, and improve links with ports.
The challenge is "really tough," Villar said. "Improperly handled, it could be a crisis."
Eliminating corruption may prove equally daunting in a country ranked 139th out of 180 by graft watchdog Transparency International. Villar's ouster as Senate leader came after a fellow member raised graft allegations concerning a highway that ran through his property. He has denied any impropriety and the Senate hasn't voted on censure recommendations laid by 12 of the 23 senators, including Aquino.
"His wealth is tightly related to his being a public official," said Ramon Casiple, executive director of the Manila-based Institute for Political and Economic Reform. "He became rich when he entered government."
Villar said he now wants to focus on the need for leadership, rather than rebutting Aquino's "black propaganda."
"They want to avoid discussing who is more competent," he said. "I am up against someone who has no experience, has not demonstrated any managerial ability, and has not led anything."
Mother's Son
Aquino entered the presidential race following the death last year of his mother, former president Corazon Aquino, who remains a popular figure for her role in toppling dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986. Opponents say the son has achieved little in 12 years as a legislator.
The country's future depends on finding the right leader, Villar said, citing examples such as Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew, and Russia's Vladimir Putin.
"Always there is that one man, that leader, who is able to turn the country around," he said. "My dream is to be that man."
You can read more here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2010/04/20/bloomberg1376-L17B8Y07SXKX-8.DTL
April 21 (Bloomberg) -- Philippine tycoon Manuel Villar pledged to deliver "quick fixes" for the nation's agricultural and infrastructure shortcomings should he defeat frontrunner Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino in the May 10 presidential election.
"What will impress foreign investors is if they see things moving in this country," Villar, 60, said in an interview yesterday in Manila's business district. "If you go to Shanghai, every three months you will see a different landscape."
Aquino, the 50-year-old son of a former president, has built a lead in polls by painting his rival as corrupt. Villar, ousted as Senate leader in 2008 amid graft allegations, counters that his experience as a property developer who survived a credit crisis makes him the only candidate qualified to revive an economy that trails the rest of the region.
"Our neighbors have left us behind precisely because of the incompetence of our leaders," Villar said. "The next president will be confronted by serious problems. He must be able to manage the country's problems from day one."
Aquino led 37 percent to 29 percent in a Social Weather Stations survey commissioned by Villar. The March 28-30 poll had a 2.2 percentage point margin of error.
The successor to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will be squeezed between the need to alleviate poverty and the lack of funds to do it. One in four Filipinos live on less than $1.25 a day and the government has run an annual budget surplus only four times in the past 24 years.
Investment Gap
The Philippines received $1.5 billion in foreign direct investment in 2008, compared with $7.3 billion for Malaysia, and $9.8 billion for Thailand, Association of Southeast Asian Nation statistics show. Its $167 billion economy ranks 13th among 17 in Asia tracked by Bloomberg, while its population comes in seventh.
Villar's "platform is that what he did in the private sector he can do for everyone else," said Luz Lorenzo, an economist at ATR-KimEng Securities Inc. in Manila.
As a boy, Villar helped his mother sell shrimp in Manila's largest market before earning degrees in business and accounting. After running a sand-and-gravel business, he built low-cost housing before winning a congressional seat in 1992 and taking his company, C&P Homes Inc., public three years later.
Creditor Accord
Laden with debt after the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis, the company settled with creditors in 2007, the same year Villar sold shares in Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc. He has a personal fortune of $530 million, according to Forbes magazine.
Villar almost closed Aquino's lead in January. The gap has since widened amid allegations he's secretly backed by the unpopular Arroyo and used his Senate career to accrue wealth.
If elected, his top priority will be to improve tax revenue by cutting corruption and wringing out bureaucratic efficiencies. To deliver results quickly, Villar said he'll focus on what's achievable and affordable.
"If you really want to reduce poverty significantly, you've got to address agriculture," he said, because more than 60 percent of Filipinos rely on farming for their livelihood. "It may contribute only 20 or 30 percent of the economy, but it affects a lot of people."
Fixing irrigation, providing cheap loans to millers and investing in transportation and storage facilities would provide an immediate boost, he said. The Philippines loses as much rice from poor storage and transportation as it imports, he said.
Road Budget
The roads budget could also be better used, he said, citing the need to extend the main highway through Luzon, the archipelago's biggest island, and improve links with ports.
The challenge is "really tough," Villar said. "Improperly handled, it could be a crisis."
Eliminating corruption may prove equally daunting in a country ranked 139th out of 180 by graft watchdog Transparency International. Villar's ouster as Senate leader came after a fellow member raised graft allegations concerning a highway that ran through his property. He has denied any impropriety and the Senate hasn't voted on censure recommendations laid by 12 of the 23 senators, including Aquino.
"His wealth is tightly related to his being a public official," said Ramon Casiple, executive director of the Manila-based Institute for Political and Economic Reform. "He became rich when he entered government."
Villar said he now wants to focus on the need for leadership, rather than rebutting Aquino's "black propaganda."
"They want to avoid discussing who is more competent," he said. "I am up against someone who has no experience, has not demonstrated any managerial ability, and has not led anything."
Mother's Son
Aquino entered the presidential race following the death last year of his mother, former president Corazon Aquino, who remains a popular figure for her role in toppling dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986. Opponents say the son has achieved little in 12 years as a legislator.
The country's future depends on finding the right leader, Villar said, citing examples such as Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew, and Russia's Vladimir Putin.
"Always there is that one man, that leader, who is able to turn the country around," he said. "My dream is to be that man."
You can read more here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2010/04/20/bloomberg1376-L17B8Y07SXKX-8.DTL
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Obama concerned about failed RP polls: ex-US official | ABS-CBN News Online Beta
See this article about Obama's concern to RP's elections:
"MANILA, Philippines – The US government is concerned about alleged efforts to extend the term of the Arroyo administration through different failure of elections scenarios, a former US State department official said.
In an interview over ANC’s The Rundown on Wednesday, W. Scott Thompson said the US government is keeping its eyes and ears on how the May elections will be conducted. He said there are consequences if the process or the outcome of the elections is tainted.
“Now, they (Washington officials) are listening. Yes, they are aware that (failure of elections) might happen. There are awful lots of people warning them about it, and they might just make the difference,” Thompson said Wednesday evening.
He criticized former US Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney for painting an overly optimistic picture of the Philippines. He said the new Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr. and other Washington officials have been getting a clearer political picture just recently.
The May elections in the Philippines, a key ally of the US in Asia, has caught the attention of Washington after political tensions in neighboring Thailand erupted."
In an interview over ANC’s The Rundown on Wednesday, W. Scott Thompson said the US government is keeping its eyes and ears on how the May elections will be conducted. He said there are consequences if the process or the outcome of the elections is tainted.
“Now, they (Washington officials) are listening. Yes, they are aware that (failure of elections) might happen. There are awful lots of people warning them about it, and they might just make the difference,” Thompson said Wednesday evening.
He criticized former US Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney for painting an overly optimistic picture of the Philippines. He said the new Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr. and other Washington officials have been getting a clearer political picture just recently.
The May elections in the Philippines, a key ally of the US in Asia, has caught the attention of Washington after political tensions in neighboring Thailand erupted."
“The immediate reason is what’s happening in Thailand," Thompson said. "That is making the Philippines 10 times as important. That (Thailand) was a very secure, calm ally. Now it is going to pieces.”
The political crisis in Thailand has deteriorated as Bangkok’s ruling elite is pitted against working class groups. The red-clad movement’s continuous call for elections through street protests has claimed 15 lives and is shaking the confidence in the region as a whole.
Thompson is professor emeritus of International Politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in Tufts University. He served the Ford and Reagan administrations. He used to be a Manila resident.
Consequences
Various scenarios—from failure of elections, to military juntas, to other schemes to extend the term of President Arroyo beyond 2010—have been floated. The warnings have come from the likes of former security adviser Jose Almonte, former House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr., and former President Fidel V. Ramos.
“We’re waiting to see if the process is orderly,” he said. “I think it (Washington) has made clear now (to the Arroyo administration) that it is committed to a fair, orderly election process. If that doesn’t happen, then there are consequences.”
Washington, the political capital of the US, can send different signals to the Arroyo administration if the Philippine elections is not clean, Thompson stressed.
“The various elements we know she (President Arroyo) has put in place – the Supreme Court justices, the [PMA] Class of ’78 (Philippine military), etcetera – are ready. If she tries to steal or otherwise postpone the elections, then something can happen from outside,” he noted.
Washington has already sent signals to the Arroyo administration, according to Thompson. He cited how worried President Arroyo has been on the possible judicial reviews of her previous actions after she is no longer president by June 2010. “Officials in Washington might might have something to do with that.”
He said signals of the power relationship between the two countries can be checked through the goings on at the political capitals, Washington and Manila.
“Historically, the power relationship is always played out in the bigger country’s capital, in this case Washington, not here (in Manila),” he explained.
He said the US government has various ways to show its displeasure. “You can recall your ambassador, or send ambassador in (to Washington) for a chat. The first thing that the Secretary of State or Assistant Secretary would do is invite your ambassador. “
“If that doesn’t play out, you can recall your ambassador, slow down aid flows, make speeches. You can warn the President that there are things that might happen.”
Kenny’s failure
The Obama administration has been taken by surprise by the failure-of-elections scenarios because the former US Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney painted an overly optimistic picture of the country under President Arroyo, said Thompson.
He said it was only in the recent months that the Obama administration has been taking a long look at the Philippines, and the picture they are getting is different from Kenny’s reports.
“For the past 3 years, the (US) embassy (in the Philippines) was sending the official message (to Washington) that there is no problem here. It’s like someone in Washington (was) saying in September 2001 ‘Oh what a beautiful month this is,’” he said sarcastically.
“She (Kenney) just didn’t get it. The embassy is just out of touch with the reality here,” he criticized.
He shared that, according to his friends in Washington, Kenney did not listen to her own staff, including opposition groups in Manila. “She had only two sources: GMA (President Arroyo) and (Executive) Secretary (Eduardo) Ermita.”
He criticized Kenny’s efforts to endear herself to the Filipinos by going to fiestas, dancing in entertainment shows on TV, and being a staple in basketball games and tennis matches.
“She was not listening to what was going, which is a diplomat’s first function,” he stressed.
It is only recently that Washington is discovering the political issues in Manila because “they sent
a much higher ranking ambassador and who is more senior than the one here in the past 3 years.”
New, tougher envoy
Thompson expressed confidence in Harry Thomas Jr,, the new US ambassador who replaced Kenney. US President Obama appointed the new envoy to the Philippines last November.
“He’s a tough guy. Has been in Bangladesh, not in tiny Ecuador like Kristie (Kenney). He has ran the biggest foreign service officers show in Washington. I think we should take him seriously,” he said of Thomas.
Thomas is a former Director General of the United States Foreign Service, executive secretary of the US State Department, director of the Department's Operations Center, and special assistant to former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Aside from Bangladesh, his previous postings include India, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Peru.
Thompson said Thomas has the ears of key officials in Washington, and has already sent the message that failure-of-election scenarios are being mulled here.
Thompson said the new envoy will do things differently to continue getting a clearer political picture. “In the first place, there will be more distancing between the (US) embassy and Malacañang. None of the intimacy that you saw in the couple of years.”
‘Obama doesn’t like Arroyo’
Thompson said US President Obama does not like President Arroyo.
“I think he (Obama) doesn’t like her (Arroyo),” he candidly told The Rundown. “(His dislike is) not personal. I think he knows what she’s been up to.”
His basis? “That’s what my friends at high levels have told me. (Another is from) reading his body language with her.”
He gave an example: “His failure to acknowledge her presence on various occasions.”
President Obama did not immediately return the congratulatory call of President Arroyo, who was among heads of states that wanted to greet him after his historic win in 2008.
In February 2009, President Arroyo failed to meet with President Obama in Washington despite efforts by Filipino diplomats. She flew to the US after she failed to get an audience with him during a side trip to Bahrain to attend the National Prayer Breakfast, one of the earliest official engagements of the newly inaugurated President Obama. The foreign trip was originally intended for the economic meeting in Davos, Switzerland.
She finally met with him last July 2009. It was a brief meeting, lasting some 45 minutes. Thompson said it wasn’t taken seriously in Washington. “It was something extended to (different) heads of state. It was pretty routine.”
The cozy relationship between US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also does not matter if, according to Thompson, higher principles like President Obama’s commitment to democracy come into play. Clinton visited Manila last November 2009.
“I don’t think her (Hillary Clinton’s) personal relationship with (President) Arroyo would come to play when it gets up to the level of stealing, postponing, and failing the elections under any guise that’s tainted. And it’s hard to see how it would fail without being tainted,” he stressed.
Why US cares?
The Rundown’s host Ricky Carandang prodded Thompson on why Washington cares about the goings on in the Philippines.
The former US State Department official cited Thailand’s political crisis as the trigger.
He also said that “Philippines is in our guilt conscience. We were not proud of the fact that we were a colonial power. We did a lot of things here we are not proud of. We don't like to think of the fact that we are not doing well here.”
He also said they are wary of “another 1972,” referring to the period leading to the declaration of martial law by former Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos who eventually stayed in power for two decades.
“We paid a high price when we supported Marcos.”
He added that supporting the administration of President Corazon Aquino, who replaced President Marcos after a bloodless revolution, was part of their atonement.
The sentiment of the US government under the Obama administration is to promote democracy, “which is part of his image.”
“Here is a friend (Philippines) where democracy can work with some nudging from its friend (US),” he concluded.
more from here:
Obama concerned about failed RP polls: ex-US official | ABS-CBN News Online Beta
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