POLITICS

Jejomar “Jojo” Binay: Most Popular

BY RITCHIE A. HORARIO REPORTER

VICE President Jejomar “Jojo” Binay may be the second highest official in the country, but in terms of public trust and popularity, he is definitely second to no one.

This has been proven by the Vice President’s consistent performance in various trust and popularity ratings conducted by the country’s top survey firms—Social Weather Station and Pulse Asia.

Binay has also expressed determination to uplift the lives of the marginalized sector of the society.

As the administration’s housing czar, and concurrent chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council and the Home Development Mutual (Pag-Ibig) Fund, Binay continues to provide decent shelter to Filipinos through programs that allow them to avail of affordable homes.

Upon his assumption to office as housing czar, Binay’s first directive was to ensure that clients of the shelter agencies would be served under the principle of good governance and transparency.

The Vice President, who is also acting as the Presidential adviser on overseas Filipino workers Concerns, likewise exerted efforts to protect the rights and welfare of Filipino migrant workers all over the world

On the political front, Binay founded the United Nationalist Alliance where he was able to successfully unite key political figures under one roof such as former president Joseph “Erap” Estrada and Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile.

He likewise assured the Filipino people that he will pursue the government’s reform agenda with greater vigor.
 
“Our people deserve no less than a transparent and accountable government that puts primacy on their needs and aspirations,” Binay said.
 
 
Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile: Decisive

BY JEFFERSON ANTIPORDA REPORTER
 
SENATE President Juan Ponce Enrile may be the most senior Philippine Senator at 88 but his age does not by any means affect his ability to supervise the legislative work in the upper chamber making sure that all priority measures, beneficial to the public, are passed in time.

The Senate under Enrile’s leadership was able to pass 87 of its own bills and 234 bills from the House of Representatives since the start of the third regular session in July 2012 including three controversial bills: reproductive health bill, sin tax reform bill and the Cybercrime law.

But before the Senate acted on the passage of these highly divisive measures, the chamber under Enrile’s watch also handled and completed the impeachment trial of former chief justice Renato Corona.

However, despite the achievements of the Senate under his leadership there are still some members of the chamber who want him replaced for reasons known only to them.

Fortunately, even President Benigno Aquino 3rd can’t find a reason, valid enough, to justify a move to unseat the senate president.
 
Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara Jr.: Future Senator

BY LLANESCA T. PANTI REPORTER
 
Even if he makes it to the Senate, it would still be business as usual for Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara Jr. of Aurora province.

The young, mild-mannered Angara is not mincing his words about his Senate bid, stressing that he is someone who deserves to get elected to the Senate even if his election would mean that he will replace his father, Sen. Edgardo Angara Sr., in the upper House.

The younger Angara, chairman of the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education, noted that he launched his Senate bid because he aims to build on the landmark legislations that his father did in the Senate such as free high school, healthcare through PhilHealth, as well as social legislation like the senior citizens’ discount, which was expanded during the 14th Congress.

 With such accomplishments the younger Angara prided himself for being an equally productive lawmaker like his father.

 “I have a solid legislative record to speak of in three terms in the House including laws to raise teacher salaries, expanding senior citizen’s and women’s benefits, protecting the Filipino culture, encouraging lending to small businesses, among others,” Angara said in a text message to The Manila Times.

His confidence is not misplaced. In various interviews he had since he announced his Senate bid, Representative Angara has always maintained that he has the proper training to be a legislator.

He finished his Bachelor’s Degree in Economics in London School of Economics, Bachelor of Laws in the University of the Philippines and Master of Laws in Harvard University.

Angara also served as one of the spokesmen of the prosecution panel during the unprecedented trial of Chief justice Renato Corona alongside Represebtatives Romero Quimbo of Marikina and Lorenzo Tañada 3rd of Quezon.

“By the campaign season, all candidates will claim that they will help various sectors, but few will be able to say they have already done so, and we belong here in this latter group,” Angara added in closing.

Interior secretary Jesse Robredo: Inspiring

BY CATHERINE S. VALENTE REPORTER
 

“The greatest lesson I have learned is that public servants should feel obliged to heed the people’s will always. Public servants are servant leader. Their mission is ‘to serve and not to be served.” Jesse Robredo

Servant. Leader. Two words that probably best described the life of the late Interior secretary Jesse Robredo, a man who lived to serve, and served to lead.

They say that the death of a great man is not always proportioned to the luster of his life. Rather, it gives way to fuller acknowledgement of the goodness that has characterized his way of life.

Akin to the words of President Benigno Aquino 3rd, the untimely death of Robredo was saddening to say the least; he represented the ideal Filipino government official—one who walked the “tuwid na daan” (straight path).

“Shed no more tears. Let’s be thankful, instead. In his brief stay on earth, it’s been a blessing for us to have Jesse Manalastas Robredo around. No one would dare say Jesse’s contributions were not enough. We who have benefited from his life should now give our part to match his achievements,” President Aquino said.

Robredo’s “tsinelas leadership” sets him apart from his contemporaries in that it his name has become synonymous with politics bereft of corruption and abuse of power. A great leader who serves and makes a difference.

Sans frills and superfluities.

The greatness of his leadership is not being at the top of public office and position of authority, but in his consistent humble identification with the people below and their needs and Robredo’s. life was utterly spent in serving the public.
 
BUSINESS

Secretary Proceso Alcala: Effective

BY CONRAD CARIÑO BUSINESS EDITOR

The challenges confronting the Philippine farm sector were very tough when President Benigno Aquino 3rd appointed Proceso Alcala to head the Department of Agriculture.

While the fertilizer scam took much of headlines even after Alcala took the reins of the Agriculture department, the reality was that the country’s agriculture sector was backward and bearing the wrath of climate change. If that were not enough, the Philippines was the largest rice importer in the world.

Alcala then set forth a lofty goal: the country would be self-sufficient in rice by 2013. Some sectors and even a few department insiders found that an impossible dream, while an Asian Development Bank study even said that would not be a good idea.

But Alcala stuck to his guns and with sheer political will and his knowledge as a hands-on farmer, he may prove his detractors wrong, as the projected palay (unmilled) rice production for this year is expected to hit a record of 18.40 million metric tons. This despite the numerous typhoons that visited the country this year.

Alcala’s prescription for increasing rice production is no even rocket science: invest billions for farm mechanization and irrigation; give farmers the option to use organic solutions; make all field personnel accountable for results; revise the planting schedule to minimize the impact of storms on rice production; and increase hectarage planted to crops. Simple yet effective. Truly the farmer’s ally.
 
Ramon Ang: Visionary

BY CONRAD CARIÑO BUSINESS EDITOR

One of the biggest business news this year was the buy-in of diversifying conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC) into Philippine Airlines (PAL), which set the stage for the massive refleeting of the flag carrier.

Behind that heavyweight deal were two titans of Philippine business: SMC President and Chief Operating Officer Ramon Ang; and PAL Chairman Lucio Tan. After SMC’s buy-in into PAL, Ang announced two mega-deals with Airbus for the purchase of 64 jets for $9.5 billion.

While SMC did not necessarily gobble up PAL (i.e no merger took place), it was obvious that the diversifying conglomerate scored a remarkable coup. And that won’t be possible without Ang, who is the architect of SMC’s moves to diversify and expand its reach amid the bullish sentiments toward the Philippine economy.

Since Ang took over the reins of SMC in 2007, the conglomerate undertook at least 20 corporate acquisitions. And the company is still looking at investments into toll roads, power generation and even an airport outside of Metro Manila.

On the airport, Ang declared that it would an ambitious undertaking that could be finished in three years. To Ang, business is also conquering the skies, literally.
 
SPORTS

Nonito Donaire Jr: Undefeated

BY JOSEF T. RAMOS CORRESPONDENT
 
While 2012 has proven to be a very tough year for Rep. Manny “PacMan” Pacquiao after losing his welterweight title to Timothy Bradley and getting knocked out by arch nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez, it has been a very triumphant year for Nonito Donaire Jr.

The World Boxing Organization (WBO) super bantamweight champion won all his four matches this year including the sweetest victory of all—a third round knockout of Mexican Jorge Arce last December 15 to keep his title belt.

Donaire’s career under Robert Garcia soared beginning in February, when he clobbered Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. to claim the vacant WBO super bantamweight belt. In July, Donaire unified the WBO and International Boxing Federation straps after defeating Jeffrey Mathebula.

He then scored a ninth-round stoppage of former titleholder Japanese Toshiaki Nishioka in October before ending the year with a knockout win over Arce.

Donaire’s win-loss slate now is 31-1 with 20 KOs and he moves up a notch in The Ring Magazine’s mythical pound-for-pound rankings.

Donaire overtook Adrien Broner for the fifth spot in the rankings and is now two spots higher than Pacquiao, who slumped to No. 7 with his loss to Juan Manuel Marquez.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. remains at No. 1, followed by Andre Ward at No. 2, Marquez at No. 3 and Sergio Martinez at No. 4.

His impressive victories made the 30-year-old Filipino-American ESPN’s choice for Fighter of the Year.
 
Smart Gilas 2: Resurgence

BY JOSEF T. RAMOS CORRESPONDENT
 
In the basketball scene, Smart Gilas Pilipinas 2 won the William Jones Cup tournament for the first time since Tim Cone’s Centennial squad in 1998.

The Philippine team won the championship game with a come-from-behind win over the United States, 76-75. Point guard LA Tenorio sank a 19-foot jumper in the last 20 seconds for the go-ahead basket after the Philippine National Basketball team had fallen behind by 14 points in the third quarter.

Smart Gilas finished the round-robin tournament with a 7-1 record to capture for the fourth time in the tournament’s 34-year history.

The country last won the tournament in 1998, when the Philippine Centennial Team swept the competition. SMART-Gilas coach Chot Reyes was Tim Cone’s chief assistant in the Centennial Team, which is the last Philippine squad to win a medal in a high-level Asian competition, winning the bronze in the Asian Games that year.

The Jones Cup tournament marked the return of a team composed mainly of PBA players competing for the flag. The league earlier committed lending 16 players to the national pool, which would form the core of the program’s elite team.

With the victory, many are hoping that it would continue to give the PBA and all of local basketball a big boost.

The Philippine team is now busy preparing for next year’s FIBA Asia Championship, where three seats are up for grabs for the FIBA World Cup.

Lifestyle

Bench vs. Penshoppe: Star-studded

BY EUDEN VALDEZ LIFESTYLE REPORTER
 
This year, the hottest scenes in the local fashion industry didn’t just happen on the runways but also on the towering billboards all over Metro Manila that featured prominent international celebrities for two of the biggest retail brands in the country: Bench and Penshoppe.

As part of its 25th Year Anniversary celebrations, Bench founder Ben Chan first brought in American Idol season 7 Runner-Up David Archuleta in February. Archuleta rewarded his fans by singing Nandito Ako during the launch of Bench Fix Professional Tools..

In May, Penshoppe’s Bernie Liu signed Vampire Diaries star Ian Somelhalder while Bench went for singer Joe Jonas . Somelhalder did a beach photoshoot at El Nido, Palawan, while Jonas had a series of shows at different Ayala Malls to talk about his style and music.

At the Philippine Fashion Week Holiday 2012 event, Penshoppe surprised everyone as it featured Leighton Meester and Maurio Maurer on their runway show. A certified fashionista, Meester is the star of the hit TV series Gossip Girl, while Thai actor Maurer is best known for his romantic comedy film Crazy Little Thing called Love.

Then in August, K-Pop fanatics were abuzz as Bench put up several massive billboards along EDSA that featured two members of the famous Korean boy band, Super Junior. Siwon and Donghae also flew in for a photo-shoot and to meet their local fans.

Bench continued its pursuit of international musical stars as it signed Maroon 5 vocalist Adam Levine and welcomed another American Idol runner up Fil-Am Jessica Sanchez just a few days later.

Not to be outdone Penshoppe posted a 20-second promotional video on Facebook in October entitled Penshoppe Goes One Direction. And true enough, the five-member English boy band declared they were for “Team Penshoppe.”

As the year came to a close, both Bench and Penshoppe hosted the biggest meet-and-greet events for fans as they completed their roster of international stars for 2012.

Penshoppe came first in October by hosting a fan conference for Hollywood hunk Zac Efron.

At the fan conference hosted by Boy Abunda, Efron could only express gratitude and love for his Filipino fans. The High School Musical star could not get over his Philippine visit as he continued to rave about his experience at The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Finally in November, Bench brought in Lee Min Ho, one of the most popular Korean actors. Lee, known for his hit series Boys Over Flowers and City Hunter spent time with his fans for a grand meet-and-greet session at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Janine Tugonon: Miss Universe

BY ED UY REPORTER
 
She had the grace, the beauty and perhaps the best answer among the top 5 finalists. And for the last fleeting seconds before the name of Miss USA Olivia Culpo was announced, Filipinos all over the world thought Janine Mari Tugonon would be finally bringing home the Miss Universe crown.

The Philippines almost had its third Miss Universe as Janine came close to breaking the country’s decades-long drought when she placed second in this year’s pageant.

Janine had been among the favorites to win the competition and often ranked high in the online polls because of her poise and beauty. And if former Miss Universe 2nd runner up Shamcey Supsup, became famous for her “Tsunami walk” famous, Janine utilized an even fiercer version, which she called the “Cobra Walk” that easily made her stand out every time she walks down the ramp.

But perhaps her shining moment came during the crucial question and answer portion. Judge Nigel Barker’s question asked: “As a global ambassador, do you think speaking English should be a prerequisite to being Miss Universe?”

To which Janine replied; “Being Miss Universe is not just about knowing how to speak a specific language. It’s about being able to influence and inspire other people. If you have a heart to serve and a strong mind to show people, then you can be Miss Universe.”

Delivered with such eloquence and confidence, her reply would later be incessantly quoted and circulated throughout various social media networking sites, with some even referring to it as the mother-of-all-beauty-contest answers.

Born in Balanga, Bataan, the 23-year-old licensed pharmacist graduated cum laude from the University of Santo Tomas (UST).

Prior to winning the Binibining Pilipinas-Universe crown this year, she was first runner-up to Shamcey Supsup in 2011. She opted to give up her place for another chance at the Bb. Pilipinas crown.

Her runner up victory was our best finish in the pageant in over a decade, when Miriam Quiambao also won first runner-up in 1999; and marked the third straight year that the Philippines was part of the Top 5 in the pageant, following Venus Raj’s fifth place finish in 2010 and Shamcey Supsup’s fourth place in 2011.

Could we finally bring home the coveted title next year?

ENTERTAINMENT

Dolphy: Beloved

BY ED UY REPORTER
 
His death had been reported prematurely for several months, it had somehow become a tasteless joke. But when veteran comedian Dolphy was finally called to meet his Maker, nobody was truly prepared for his passing.

It was the day the laughter died.

Throughout his career that spanned almost seven decades, Dolphy, not only taught us how to laugh, he also taught us how to dream and most importantly how to love.

The one true Comedy King was so well loved by everyone because he loved everyone back. He was a man of humility, generosity and compassion—a rarity beneath the blinding lights of show business.

He made us laugh not just because he was fun—and funny. We laughed because he made us happy.

Born Rodolfo Vera Quizon on July 25, 1928, in Tondo, Manila, Dolphy’s fascination with movies began at an early age as he worked inside the neighborhood cinema selling peanuts and watermelon seeds to watch the movies for free.

Unlike the privileged stars of today who become overnight sensations because of the availability, accessibility and the power of media, Dolphy rose from the ranks and honed his talents through years of hard work together with some of the legends of Philippine cinema.

Very few of his kind are left. His was the generation whose celebrities had to work their way up, when true talent and not just talent scouts mattered, and when humility and respect were essential to reach the top.

Throughout his career, Dolphy made over 200 movies, winning numerous acting and special awards including the 2010 Famas Awards, Exemplary Achievement Award and Grand Collar of the Order of the Golden Heart—the highest award given to a private citizen by the President of the Philippines.

As famed Director Joey Reyes wrote in one of his articles: “If Fernando Poe Jr. was Da King . . . then Dolphy owned the other half of the kingdom. If FPJ shared the throne with the equally iconic Joseph Estrada, Dolphy reigned unquestioned and unchallenged as the Emperor of Comedy. For he, together with only a handful left, represent the entire evolution of popular entertainment in the country as we understand it today. Dolphy is living history.”

He was so well-loved and respected in and outside of the entertainment industry, that even in death he continued to unite Filipinos. And for the first time in the country’s history, the top three networks ABS-CBN, GMA 7 and TV5 set aside their differences to produce Dolphy: Alay Tawa, a fund-raising tribute concert that featured the top artists of all three networks and aired simultaneously on primetime TV.

True kings live to serve and our King of Comedy, has had a pretty amazing service record both in his profession and as a human being.

If there truly is heaven, then that place will certainly be more enjoyable, knowing that Dolphy, wearing his infamous puruntong, would be there entertaining the angels for eternity.
 Dolphy. Just saying his name puts a smile on your face.
 
Concerts: Eargasmic, fantastic

BY ED UY REPORTER
 
Choosing just one artist for 2012 was simply impossible because of the sheer number of local and international artists that performed in the country this year.

It was a great year to be a music fan as local concert producers made sure that the Philippines would be among the preferred concert destinations of the most popular international artists on tour. The year also marked the opening of the SM Mall of Asia Arena, which provided a new
world-class concert venue.

Christened in controversy and style by Lady Gaga, the MOA Arena served as the stage for some of the most anticipated concerts of Jennifer Lopez, Nicki Minaj, Keane, David Guetta, NOTB and Backstreet Boys, Wilson Philips, Jonas Brothers, Korean group Big Bang and even Cirque du Soleil’s Saltimbanco.

Pop artists, likewise, dominated the concert scene as Katy Perry, David Cook and David Archuleta, returned to the country, while the American Idol finalists with Jessica Sanchez,Nelly Furtado, Gym Class Heroes, Hanson and LMFAO, got their first taste of Filipino hospitality.

Maroon 5 and Avril Lavigne led the invasion of the rock stars that included more big names such as Megadeth, Evanescence, Cranberries, Vertical Horizon, Dashboard Confessional, Lifehouse, Avenged Sevenfold, Secondhand Serenade, The Fray, Creed, Smashing Pumpkins, and Snow Patrol.

We also had our share of music legends with Cyndi Lauper, Olivia Newton John, Sergio Mendes, Tears for Fears with Per Sorensen, and perhaps the most memorable back to back concerts of Elton John and Sting that wrapped up a truly eventful year.

In the local scene, Anne Curtis’ Annebisyosa Concert was among the most talked about performances later in teh year it would be Regine Velasquez and Aiza Seguerra who celebrated milestones in their respective careers with their own major concerts.
Hey Madonna, we’re still waiting for you.