Category: Malaya

BEST: Binay-Jinggoy Estrada in 2016

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Vice President Jejomar Binay and Makati Mayor Junjun Binay lead a rally to support themselves during Makati City's anniversary last June 11.

Vice President Jejomar Binay and Makati Mayor Junjun Binay lead a rally to support themselves during Makati City’s anniversary last June 11.

Vice President Jejomar Binay won’t be where he is now if he were not an astute political operator.

His strategies reflect a good grasp of the factors involved in the political game.

He must therefore have sensed that things are not going right for him after three of the political personalities he mentioned he is eyeing to be a running mate in 2016 elections turned him down.
It gives the impression that no one wants to be associated with him.

Last month, Binay floated the idea of having Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte as running mate for the 2016 elections.

Duterte, who has stopped saying that he will kill the person behind the Duterte-for-president-movement and is now thinking of running for the highest post in the land, declined the offer.

Binay’s daughter, Rep. Abigail Binay, then told media that a “Binay-Poe” team would be ideal in the next election. She was referring to Sen. Grace Poe, who is seen now as the one likely to win the presidential elections in 2016.

Poe did not give any false hope to Binay telling media that she believes that a public official should be honest and transparent of his dealings. “Naniniwala ako kasi na katapatan at pagiging bukas para mabusisi ng ating mga kababayan ay napakahalaga sa iyong trabaho so marahil medyo may pagkakaiba kami dun.”

Poe’s remark was seen as a jibe to Binay for his refusal to face the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee investigating the alleged overpriced Makati City Hall Parking Building 2. The investigation has led to exposes on other unexplained wealth of the Binays.

Poe also signed the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee report recommending the filing of charges against Binay, his son Makati Mayor Junjun Binay and 18 other associates.

Then Binay thought of former President Joseph Estrada, who is now Manila mayor. He even coined a name for their team: BEST.

“Hindi na Erap-Binay, Binay-Erap na. ‘Yun, ang tawag doon “BEST”. Alam mo anong “BEST”? BINAY-ESTRADA,” the vice president said.

Estrada didn’t find it the best idea. His answer made a lot of sense: “I am done being Vice President. I’ve been there.”

Estrada was vice president to President Fidel Ramos from 1992 to 1998. He even became president in 1998 but was ousted in 2001.

Estrada ran again for president in 2010 with Binay as running mate. He lost to Aquino but Binay won over Liberal party candidate Mar Roxas.

VP Jejomar Binay

VP Jejomar Binay

But Binay can still have his BEST. There’s an Estrada who might be interested: Sen. Jinggoy Estrada who is currently in detention for plunder charges due to his alleged misuse of his office’s share of the Priority Development Assistance Fund.
Sen. Jinggoy Estrada

Sen. Jinggoy Estrada

Until the PDAF scandal exploded, Jinggoy was really eyeing the vice presidency in 2016.

There’s a possibility that Binay might also be in jail in the coming months once the Office of the Ombudsman files a plunder charge, which is unbailable, against him at the Sandiganbayan.

Since Binay and Estrada are not expected to be convicted by October, which is the filing of certificates of candidacy, they can both run even if they are both in detention.

Binay-Jinggoy Estrada. They would make the BEST team.

BEST: Binay-Jinggoy Estrada in 2016

Ellen Leave a comment

Vice President Jejomar Binay and Makati Mayor Junjun Binay lead a rally to support themselves during Makati City's anniversary last June 11.

Vice President Jejomar Binay and Makati Mayor Junjun Binay lead a rally to support themselves during Makati City’s anniversary last June 11.

Vice President Jejomar Binay won’t be where he is now if he were not an astute political operator.

His strategies reflect a good grasp of the factors involved in the political game.

He must therefore have sensed that things are not going right for him after three of the political personalities he mentioned he is eyeing to be a running mate in 2016 elections turned him down.
It gives the impression that no one wants to be associated with him.

Last month, Binay floated the idea of having Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte as running mate for the 2016 elections.

Duterte, who has stopped saying that he will kill the person behind the Duterte-for-president-movement and is now thinking of running for the highest post in the land, declined the offer.

Binay’s daughter, Rep. Abigail Binay, then told media that a “Binay-Poe” team would be ideal in the next election. She was referring to Sen. Grace Poe, who is seen now as the one likely to win the presidential elections in 2016.

Poe did not give any false hope to Binay telling media that she believes that a public official should be honest and transparent of his dealings. “Naniniwala ako kasi na katapatan at pagiging bukas para mabusisi ng ating mga kababayan ay napakahalaga sa iyong trabaho so marahil medyo may pagkakaiba kami dun.”

Poe’s remark was seen as a jibe to Binay for his refusal to face the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee investigating the alleged overpriced Makati City Hall Parking Building 2. The investigation has led to exposes on other unexplained wealth of the Binays.

Poe also signed the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee report recommending the filing of charges against Binay, his son Makati Mayor Junjun Binay and 18 other associates.

Then Binay thought of former President Joseph Estrada, who is now Manila mayor. He even coined a name for their team: BEST.

“Hindi na Erap-Binay, Binay-Erap na. ‘Yun, ang tawag doon “BEST”. Alam mo anong “BEST”? BINAY-ESTRADA,” the vice president said.

Estrada didn’t find it the best idea. His answer made a lot of sense: “I am done being Vice President. I’ve been there.”

Estrada was vice president to President Fidel Ramos from 1992 to 1998. He even became president in 1998 but was ousted in 2001.

Estrada ran again for president in 2010 with Binay as running mate. He lost to Aquino but Binay won over Liberal party candidate Mar Roxas.

VP Jejomar Binay

VP Jejomar Binay

But Binay can still have his BEST. There’s an Estrada who might be interested: Sen. Jinggoy Estrada who is currently in detention for plunder charges due to his alleged misuse of his office’s share of the Priority Development Assistance Fund.
Sen. Jinggoy Estrada

Sen. Jinggoy Estrada

Until the PDAF scandal exploded, Jinggoy was really eyeing the vice presidency in 2016.

There’s a possibility that Binay might also be in jail in the coming months once the Office of the Ombudsman files a plunder charge, which is unbailable, against him at the Sandiganbayan.

Since Binay and Estrada are not expected to be convicted by October, which is the filing of certificates of candidacy, they can both run even if they are both in detention.

Binay-Jinggoy Estrada. They would make the BEST team.

More tourists and excellent dimsum from Taiwan to Manila

Ellen Leave a comment

Taiwan Representative Gary Song-Huann Lin

Taiwan Representative Gary Song-Huann Lin

At the reunion of Filipinos who have been to Taiwan upon the invitation of Taiwan government last week, Dr. Gary Song-Huann Lin, head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Manila, announced a number of good things that would strengthen relations between the Philippines and the Republic of China.

The one that I was interested in was the information that the famous Taiwanese dimsum restaurant, Din Tai Fung, will soon be in Manila.

The other welcome announcement was the increase of flights between Taiwan and the Philippines.

These developments show that despite institutional diplomacy limitations, relations between the Philippines and Taiwan continues to improve.

The Philippines adopts the One-China policy which recognizes the People’s Republic of China which has its capital in Beijing, as the representative of the Chinese people. PROC considers Taiwan its province.

Taiwan has adopted a “no unification, no independence and no use of force” policy with mainland China which has resulted in a vigorous economic relations between them.

The Philippines maintains a people-to-people relations with Taiwan (represented by TECO in Manila and the Manila Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei) which has always been robust except for a strain in 2013 caused by the shooting of a Taiwanese fishermen by the Philippine Coast Guard in Balintang channel where the economic Exclusive Zones of both The Philippines and Taiwan overlap. The incident has been resolved.

What is still missing is a fisheries agreement that would formalize how to resolve fishing disputes, including procedures on the detention and release of any fishing vessels or fishermen.

Lin is enthusiastic about tourism between Taiwan and the Philippines. He said,“The first step to encourage tourism between our two countries is to increase more flights to and from Taiwan and the Philippines. To achieve this goal, our two countries have already held air service talks recently to liberalize and increase the two-way traffic of the flights.”

He said aside from increase in the number of flights between Manila and Taipei, there will soon be flights from Taipei direct to Boracay and Taipei to Palawan.

There are now direct flights from Taipei to Cebu.

Lin further announced that the Philippine government will liberalize the visa requirements for the Taiwanese visitors by launching the Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) system as from July 1, 2015.

“Thus, including the Philippines, there will be 142 countries and regions, including the E.U., U.S.A. and Australia which have given the visa-free treatment and ETA to the ROC (Taiwan) nationals. I believe that the Philippine government’s new approach will certainly facilitate the two way traveling so as to boost the tourism industries in our two countries,” he said.

Lin said Taiwan is interested to offer the expertise of its nationals in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

He noted that the business structure of Taiwan and the Philippines is quite similar. “Taiwan’s companies are not only energetic, but also flexible. They have strengths to adapt to the fast-changing international economic market. This is why the Taiwanese economy is doing very well. I believe that Taiwan’s experience and economic development model can be borrowed by the Philippines. If we work together, we can complement each other. That also may create many jobs for the young people in the Philippines,” he said.

Making xiao long bao at Din Tai Fung Pacific Sogo, Taipei.Photo by Fred Hsu.

Making xiao long bao at Din Tai Fung Pacific Sogo, Taipei.Photo by Fred Hsu.

Which brings us back to Din Tai Fung.

Lin said the owners of the world famous dimsum restaurant is finalizing talks with Filipino partners.

Din Tai Fung is known for xiaolongbao (soup dumplings).Outside Taiwan, Din Tai Fung also has branches in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, the United States and Thailand. In 1993, it was named by New York Times as one of the he top ten restaurants in the world.

There are, of course, more to relations between the Philippines and Taiwan than dimsum and tourists.

Lin said, “My government has spent tireless efforts in promoting digital education exemplified in the establishment of the APEC Digital Opportunity Centers (ADOCs).”

He said Taiwan has helped the Philippines set up 17 ADOC Centers, allowing more than 180,000 Filipinos to receive training. Among them, 47.77 percent are female.

He said it Taiwan’s way of “assisting young Filipino generation to catch up with the digital era.”

But Lin noted that there are “still some blind spots in which we do not fully understand each other’s strengths, culture, history and the characteristics of the people” despite the fact that there are more than 110,000 Filipino workers in Taiwan and Taiwanese corporations are in various fields in the Philippines – from fishery, banking, trade, mining, electric power, wind energy, telecommunications.

He said there is an urgent need to have a bridge upon which we can have more exchanges, more mutual understanding, more educational and cultural exchanges and more investments.

He said during his stint here, “I intend to act as that bridge builder.” He encouraged the “Taiwan alumni” to join him in that mission.

A wealth of stories from the Murillo-Velarde map

Ellen Leave a comment

Looking at the 300- year-old Philippine map by Fr. Pedro Murillo Velarde which businessman Mel Velarde acquired for P12 million in an auction in London last year, one can see that the Jesuit priest is a great storyteller.

A portion of the Murillo Velarde map

A portion of the Murillo Velarde map

The 1734 Murillo map shows more than just locations. It has two panels on both sides engraved with images depicting lifestyles and special features of places. One panel shows a farmer plowing the field not far from a river with crocodiles. It’s noted that in Zamboanga, there’s “Pozo de Agua Dulce.” In general it showed Filipinos enjoying a highly civilized society.

But the most significant feature of the Murillo map is a tiny spot off the shores of Nueva Castilla, which was then the name of Luzon labeled “Panacot.”

It’s a coral reef known now as Scarborough shoal, after the tea-carrying British boat Scarborough sank in the vicinity in 1784.

Another portion of the Murillo Velarde map.

Another portion of the Murillo Velarde map.


It is also known as Bajo de Masinloc (shoal of Masinloc). Fishermen refer to coreal reef, 124 nautical miles off Zambales, as Panatag. The Chinese which also claims the shoal, which is 467 nautical miles from its mainland calls it Huangyan Island.

I’m intrigued by Fr. Murillo’s identification of the coral reef a “Panacot”, which means fear in contrast to how the fishermen refer to it as “Panatag” which means calm.

Could it be that it was called “Panacot” because any one who ventured into the shoal would have to go through rough seas? Masinloc fishermen, on the other hand, say that they called the rock formations Panatag because it provides them a solid refuge during bad weather.

Mel Velarde, president and CEO of the Information Technology based- One Corp and chairman of the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication, has decided to donate the map to the National Museum since the government has no funds to buy it from him.

Businessman Mel Velarde

Businessman Mel Velarde

The map is still being stored in the vault of the auction house Sotheby’s in London. It will be used as one of the pieces of evidence to debunk the claim of China that they own a almost the whole of the South China Sea, including Scarborough shoal, with its nine-dash line map.

How the map by a Jesuit priest in Manila got to London and became part of the collection of the Duke of Northumberland who owns the magnificent Alnwick Castle could be another interesting story.

It could be that it was during what historians refer to as “The First Rape of Manila” that the Murillo map was taken out of the country as part of the British loot.

History accounts relate: On 24 September 1762, a British fleet of eight ships of the line, three frigates, and four store ships with a force of 6,839 regulars, sailors and marines, sailed into Manila Bay from Madras…Once Manila fell to British troops, the churches and government offices were ransacked, valuables were taken and historical documents such as Augustinian records, government documents and even the copper plates for the grand 18th-century Murillo Velarde map of the Philippines were taken. The naval stores at the Cavite Naval Yard, the paintings in the Governor General’s Palace, the contents of Intramuros churches and the possessions of wealthy houses were also not spared. “

The Murillo map had lain together with hundreds of heirlooms collected by the Duke of Northumberland for more than 200 years in Alnwick Castle, a favorite location for period films. In the first two Harry Potter films, the castle was the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Alnwick Castle

Alnwick Castle

It happened that two years ago the Northumberland County was hit by heavy rains that destroyed a culvert of the Alnwick Castle and caused severe flooding not only to the Duke’s property but also the surrounding community.

To recoup the millions that he spent for the repair of the property, the current Duke of Northumberland, Ralph George Algernon Percy, decided to auction off 80 family heirlooms which included the Murillo map.

That’s how the Murillo map was acquired by Velarde.

Velarde has bought a large format printer to reproduce the map. The first copy will be presented to President Aquino on Friday as the nation celebrates Independence Day.

He would like to distribute copies of the maps to schools and in the provinces through local government units to rekindle the sense of patriotism among the young people.

“I’m also proposing a stone etch of the map in front of the Jose Rizal monument (in Rizal Park),” he said.

Movies Filipinos can relate to in French Film Festival

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La Famille Belier

La Famille Belier

In the movie “La Famille Bélier,” which is one of the featured movies in the ongoing 20th French Film Festival, there’s an election campaign because the father of the main character was running against the incumbent mayor.

Filipinos, who loves election campaigns, should be able to identify with the movie especially when the mayor was trying to look down on his opponent who was a deaf dairy farmer.

The mayor condescendingly asked Paula, the farmer’s 16-year old daughter who can hear and speak, if they really think anyone will vote for a deaf person for mayor, the young girl replied: “Well, they did vote for an asshole.”

That was a good one.

The movie centered on the dilemma of Paula when she was discovered by the music teacher to have the potential for a singing career which required her to go to Paris. Since she was the only hearing and speaking person in the family (her mother and brother are also deaf), she does a lot of translation for them as well as dealing with customers and suppliers.

She was torn between leaving the family in rural Normandy and going to Paris to study. It didn’t help that her parents were caught off-balance by the prospect of life without her.

The audition scene was so touching. After the movie, there were not a few moist eyes in the audience.
This is the kind of movies that make the French Film Festival a much awaited event for those who love good movies.

Credit should go to the one in charge of choosing the kind of movies to be shown during the festival. Is it Audiovisual Attaché Martin Macalintal?

Amb. Gilles Garachon

Amb. Gilles Garachon

Ambassador Gilles Garachon said, “French films tell everyday stories inspired by human experiences and relationships –stories that anybody can easily relate to.”

He said the movies they bring for the festival are “by some of the most revered film directors and brought to life by exceptional actors and actresses.”

As a special feature, Brillante Mendoza’s Taklub starring Nora Aunor was also shown during the opening day last Wednesday.

Taklub, which was made through the efforts of Sen. Loren Legarda and supported by the Communications Operations Office-Philippine Information Agency (PCOO-PIA), tells of how survivors of typhoon Yolanda “survive” post –tragedy challenges.

Legarda said, “You will see the creative genius of an artist mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction and climate change adaptation in a feature film. The way the story was told was not direct. There’s so much symbolism and it is very touching.”

Taklub is the kind of movie that you need a few moments to recover at the end of the film. It will leave an impact one the viewer.

And yes, it will it is something that enriches one’s soul.

Taklub received special citation from the 2015 Ecumenical Jury at the recent 68th Cannes Film Festival. It would not be easy to get it out of your mind.

There are two or three more that I’d like to watch: Saint Laurent, a biopic of the famous French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent; “Diplomatie,” that centers on a Swiss diplomat during the WWII; and “Timbuktu,” and “Timbuktu,” a movie about the effect of foreign occupation of a country.

Participating theaters in the festival are Greenbelt and Bonifacio High Street. It ends on Tuesday, June 9.