Wednesday - Tuesday, January 8-14, 2016

Donita Rose: From

cameras to spatulas

See Page 8W W W . U S A S I A N P O S T . C O M

Vol. 5 No. 15 LOS ANGELES A BALITA MEDIA PUBLICATION

See NEW YEAR, page 12

The Singpoli Group’s entry themed “Marco Polo: East Meets West”, depicts his travels from Venice to China. “We continue our eff orts to bridge the eastern and western cul-tures” according to CEO Chin Hui. The main highlight of the fl oat is the fi re breathing dragon, it’s smoke emanates from the fl aming purple heart in the dragon’s claw. The fl oat was made of 85% fresh fl oral product. In Chinese mythology, a fi re-breathing dragon symbolizes the beauty of the east. Tournament of Roses President Mike Mat-thiessen was also on hand and hopes the millions of parade viewers will get the fl oat entry’s connection with the parade theme, “Find Your Adventure.” “Hopefully some-body will be inspired by Marco Polo and the fl oat, to do something great and fi nd their own adventure,” he said. (See story on page 6) Photo: JUN CAMACHO

In New York, around 6,000 po-lice were watching over a bustling Times Square as Mayor Bill Bla-sio fl icked the switch, sending the city’s massive glittering glass ball down in the fi nal seconds of 2015.

Colorful confetti fl uttered in the cool night air as the boisterous crowd roared with glee, mirroring similar scenes of revelry which took place around the world.

But after a year in which Is-lamic militants staged a wave of deadly attacks, sewing carnage from Paris to California, the cel-ebrations were held in tight secu-

rity, with the New York police de-scribing it as the biggest security operation in the city’s history.

Since the Paris attacks in No-vember, which saw Islamic state jihadists slaughtering 130 people in a series of gun and suicide at-tacks, Europe has been on high alert with France and Belgium cancelling their traditional New Year fi reworks displays in their respective capitals.

And just half an hour before the celebrations began in Germa-ny, police evacuated two stations in the southern city of Munich

after receiving “reliable informa-tion” about a plot to carry out a suicide attack at midnight by Is-lamic State jihadists.

Police said they were hunting “fi ve to seven suspects” after the authorities were tipped off by a “friendly intelligence service”, which media reports suggested was French.

In France, more than 100,000 police were deployed to guard cel-ebrations, as defi ant Parisians turned out on the Champs Ely-sees to greet 2016 in the biggest

World welcomes New Year despite terror fearsBy Mariano Andrade

New York, United States | AFP | Thursday 12/31/2015 – Millions welcomed in the New Year with Champagne and cheers Friday, although tightened security put a damper on festivities in Europe where Germany evacuated stations over an imminent terror threat and a huge hotel fi re sparked panic in Dubai.

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Sat-urday 1/2/2016 – Republican White House frontrunner Donald Trump’s call for a ban on Muslims entering the US have been used by Somalia’s Shebab in a jihadist recruitment video, a US monitor-ing group said Saturday.

The Al Qaeda-affi liated Shebab use an excerpt from Trump’s De-cember 7 speech to try and woo Muslims in the West to wage ji-had, the SITE Intelligence Group reported.

In his speech, Trump proposed a “total and complete shutdown” on Muslims entering the US un-til the US was “able to determine and understand this problem” of Islamist violence, following the killing of 14 people by a radical-ized couple in California.

In the Shebab video, the Trump soundbite is preceded by a speech by the late Anwar al-Awlaki, a

People watch the fi reworks display to welcome the new year at the Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City on Friday despite the rain. Fireworks in many neighborhoods were toned down compared to previous years because of a selective ban on fi recrack-ers.(MNS photo)

Manila, Philip-pines | AFP | Friday 1/1/2016 – Stray bullets and exploding fi recrackers have killed two and injured hundreds in the Philip-pines, authorities said Friday, amid the country’s traditional ri-otous New Year celebrations.

A drunk man died after he em-braced a giant fi recracker, called “Goodbye Philippines”, as it was about to explode, health secretary Janet Garin told reporters.

“His jaw was shattered. He was so intoxicated he hugged the

Goodbye Philippines,” Garin said, adding the man was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Eighty percent of the country’s 100 million people are Catholic but Filipino superstition dictates making ear-shattering noises during New Year’s Eve to ward off bad luck.

Revellers set off fi recrackers and shoot guns into the air to cel-ebrate the December festive sea-son.

The health department listed

MANILA, Dec 31 (Mabuhay) – Some customers are making their last-minute fi reworks purchase in Bocaue, Bulacan, hours before the New Year revelry offi cially be-gins.

However, fewer customers have visited their “suki” stores in Bocaue.

Some of the last-minute cus-tomers said they are buying fi re-crackers amid the government’s warnings because it has been a tradition in their families to light fi recrackers during New Year’s Eve to wave off bad luck and bring life to their celebrations.

Some of the people buying fi re-crackers are reselling in their re-spective towns.

The authorities, including the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), continue to inspect establish-ments selling fi recrackers in Bo-caue.

The authorities wanted to make sure that the establishments are complying with the requirements, including the compulsary one drum of water per store.

The Philippine National Police earlier warned the public of the damage that illegal fi recrackers

MANILA, Dec 30 (Mabuhay) – Three children have been hit so far by stray bullets ahead of the New Year. The most recent case was in Ormoc City, Leyte, follow-ing a death in Bulacan on Christ-mas Day.

The seven-year-old child, who was not identifi ed, fell to the ground while playing outdoors after being hit by a bullet on the right chest.

Authorities are still determin-ing what kind of gun was used.

The child’s condition is condi-tion, but still needed to undergo surgery, the report said.

The investigation of the inci-dent is still ongoing.

An autopsy conducted on the remains of Lorena Cruz, the nine-year-old Christmas victim, showed that the stray bullet hit her pancreas, kidney, and several

By Rebecca BryanLos Angeles, United

States | AFP | Wednesday 12/30/2015 – Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao will return to the ring on April 9 in Las Vegas to take on Timothy Bradley for a third time, promoter Bob Arum said Wednesday.

Top Rank promotions chief Arum confi rmed to AFP that the bout was slated for the MGM Grand.

While Pacquiao has spoken this year of retiring after an April bout to pursue his political career, Arum said he would not market

the bout as Pacquiao’s last.“I’m not certain it is his last

fi ght,” Arum said. “It may well be his last fi ght, it may not be his last fi ght. You cannot in good con-science sell it that way.”

A congressman since 2010, Pacquiao announced in October that he would seek a seat in the Philippines senate in 2016.

The 37-year-old, who owns a record of 57-6-2 with 38 knock-outs, hasn’t fought since a May 2 unanimous decision loss to un-beaten Floyd Mayweather in their long-awaited bout that shattered

MANILA, Dec 31 (Mabuhay) – A total of 103 people were injured during the thanksgiving procession of the Black Nazarene.

Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offi ce (MDRRMO) Chief Johnny Yu told the media that only minor inju-ries have been recorded and these were immediately given fi rst aid treatment.

Meanwhile, Yu said only two devotees suffered chest pains and were given immediate medical assistance.

The thanksgiving procession was supposed to start at 4 a.m. However, it was delayed due to the huge volume of devotees shov-ing their way to get near the replica of the revered Black Nazarene.

The route of the procession started at Plaza Miranda then to Evangelista, Recto, Loyola, Bilibid Viejo to G. Puyat Streets. Next, it turned left to Z.P. Guzman, R. Hidalgo, Quezon Boulevard, back to Recto then went back to Quiapo Church.

The procession took seven hours before the replica went back to church at 12:07 p.m.

Trump Muslim remark used in jihadist recruitment video

PHL New Year mayhem kills two, injures hundreds

Fewer fi recracker buyers in Bocaue this year

Pacquiao to fi ght Bradley in April: Arum

103 injured in Black Nazarene procession

Three children hit by stray bullets ahead of New Year

See MUSLIM REMARK, page 12

See MAYHEM, page 12

See FIRECRACKER, page 12 See STRAY BULLET, page 12

See PACQUIAO, page 12

See 103 INJURED, page 12

Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday - Tuesday, January 8-14, 2016 THE US ASIAN POST2

MANILA, Dec 31 (Mabu-hay) – The military has claimed that two more Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) mem-bers were killed in an en-counter in Patikul, Sulu on Wednesday, bringing the death toll in the clash to 11.

Maj. Filemon Tan, spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Western Mindanao com-mand, said a total of 10 members of the ASG were killed in the encounter with Scout Rangers in Barangay Buhanginan, Patikul at around 4:15 p.m. Wednes-

day.Tan added that 15 more

bandits were wounded in the clash.

He identifi ed the slain soldier as 2nd Lieutenant Ronald Detalla of the Phil-ippine Army.

Six more soldiers were wounded in the clash. They were identifi ed as Privates First Class Ernie de Guz-man, Joemar Andrez, Den-nis Desembrana, Albert Dinio; Staff Sgt. Wilson Fontanil, Sgt. Arthur An-dama and Capt. Edmar Samonte.

Tan had announced ear-lier that only eight bandits were killed in the clash.

He said troops from the 1st Scout Ranger Battalion encountered more or less 300 members of the ASG in Barangay Buhanginan at around 4:15 p.m.

On Wednesday, Tan said the clash happened in an harboring site of the ASG.

The bandit group was be-lieved to be led by ASG sub-leader Hajan Sawadjaan.

Tan could not say if the bandit group was holding hostages. (MNS)

MANILA, Dec 30 (Mabuhay) – The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) on Wednesday demolished several “kubol” at the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) after another “Oplan Galugad” raid yielded contraband items.

Authorities tore down the kubol of convicted car theft syndicate leader Ray-mond Dominguez at the

Maximum Security Com-pound, where they found drug paraphernalia and an air-conditioning unit.

The BuCor also demol-ished a hardware-like kubol brimming with sacks of sand, gravel, and steel.

Authorities also seized various appliances, six cellphones, four luxury wristwatches, 10 knives, and P34,000 cash from

quadrants 1 and 2 of the Maximum Security Com-pound.

The area houses gangs “Batang City Jail,” “Batang Cebu,” and “Batang Mind-anao.”

The BuCor has required visitors to submit biomet-ric samples, to discourage the smuggling of prohib-ited items inside the na-tional penitentiary. (MNS)

MANILA, Dec 30 (Mabu-hay) – The Department of Justice (DOJ) has thrown its support behind a pro-posed law requiring busi-ness establishments and public offi ces to install closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras to deter crimes.

The DOJ expressed its support for a draft substi-tute bill following a request from Pangasinan Rep. Leo-poldo Bataoil, chair of the Technical Working Group of the House committee on public order and safety, for the department’s legal opinion on the matter.

The draft bill is titled, “An Act requiring business establishments, public of-fi ces and facilities, schools and local government units to install closed-circuit tele-vision cameras to deter the commission of crimes and prescribing penalties for violation thereof.”

Last August 5, the TWG asked the DOJ for its posi-tion on the bill’s penal pro-vision.

In response to the re-quest, the DOJ, in a letter dated August 27, recom-mended that the 30-day compliance period, if there is a violation, should be ap-

plied to both private indi-viduals and public offi cers, removing the distinction between the two.

“Seeing that Section 19-Penalties of the new draft substitute bill sub-stantially complies with our suggestion, we inter-pose no further objections,” said DOJ offi cer-in-charge Assistant Secretary Adonis Sulit

Sulit also commended the House TWG for adopt-ing the DOJ’s prescribed penalty for the bill, which is imprisonment not exceed-ing six months or a fi ne not exceeding P50,000. (MNS)

Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero said the Land Transportation Offi ce (LTO) should stop collect-ing P50 from motorists for non-existent car registra-tion stickers until problems surrounding the long-de-layed issuance have been resolved.

Escudero, who is the frontrunner in the vice-presidential race, issued this call as the LTO, an agency under the Depart-ment of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), begins accepting renewal application for motor vehi-cle registration for 2016.

“The LTO should refrain from charging our motorists for unavailable car stick-ers. 2015 is almost over but most motorists have yet to receive their registration stickers that they have paid for,” the senator said.

“Motorists got nothing from paying the amount so it is just right for the agen-cy to refund the cost of the stickers,” he added.

The veteran lawmaker said he has received com-plaints that some motorists have been paying for regis-tration stickers for the past fi ve years but they did not receive any sticker at all since the agency encoun-tered supply problems in 2011.

“It is tantamount to robbing motorists of their money for non-existent reg-istration stickers,” Escu-dero said. “Matindi pa ito sa budol-budol gang dahil harap-harapan kang kinu-kuhanan ng pera kada taon para sa produktong walang katiyakan kung kailan mo mahahawakan,” he pointed out.

Reports said the LTO late this year started re-leasing stickers for two-wheeled vehicles but has failed to do the same for four-wheeled vehicles espe-cially those seeking regis-tration renewal.

The independent vice-presidential bet thus called on the Commission on Au-

dit (COA) to look into the money collected by the LTO for undelivered registration stickers over the past fi ve years.

“The COA should look into this because it involves a huge amount of money considering the number of motor vehicles registered in the country,” Escudero said. Based on 2013 data from the LTO, there are close to 7,690,038 registered mo-tor vehicles in the country consisting of 868,148 cars; 1,794,572 utility vehicles; 346,396 sport utility vehi-cles; 358,445 trucks; 31,665 buses; 4,250,667 motor-cycles/tricycles; and 40,145 trailers.

On top of the delay in releasing registration stick-ers, the LTO is also suffer-ing from a backlog on li-cense plates issuance.

This after the COA barred the LTO from con-tinuing its P3.85-billion motor vehicle plate stan-dardization program as it deemed the project illegal.

Manila, Philip-pines | AFP | Wednesday 12/30/2015 – The Philippine Catholic Church has apolo-gised after a priest was fi lmed riding a hoverboard in church while celebrating Christmas Eve Mass.

In clips that have gone viral on YouTube and social media sites, a middle-aged man in a white cassock sings a Christmas song while riding a self-balanc-ing electric scooter between packed pews.

The diocese of San Pablo said the priest rode the hov-erboard inside his Miracu-

lous Medal church in the town of Binan, about 30 ki-lometers (19 miles) south of Manila, “as a way of greet-ing his parishioners”.

“That was wrong. The Eucharist demands utmost respect and reverence... it is the Church’s highest form of worship,” the diocese said. Its statement was released to AFP on Wednesday by the Catholic Bishops Con-ference of the Philippines, which named the priest as Father Albert San Jose.

“Consequently, it is not a personal celebration where one can capriciously intro-

duce something to get the attention of the people,” the statement added.

“The priest said that it was a wake-up call for him; he acknowledged that his action was not right and promised that it will not happen again.

“He will be out of the parish and will spend some time to refl ect on this past event,” it said, adding the priest also offered an apol-ogy. The Philippines is a conservative bastion of the Catholic Church in Asia, the only state outside the Vatican to ban divorce.

President Benigno S. Aquino III, accompanied by National Historical Commission chair Ma. serena Diokno and AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Hernando Iriberri, graces the commemoration of the 119th Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Dr. Jose Rizal at the Rizal National Monument in Rizal Park, Manila City on Wednesday (Decem-ber 30), with the theme: “Rizal 2015: Dangal Ng Pilipino, Gabay Sa Pagbabago. (MNS photo)

Patikul clash toll rises to 11

BuCor tears down ‘kubol’ in 10th Bilibid raid

DOJ throws support behind CCTV bill

Chiz to LTO: Stop collecting car sticker fee, start refunding motorists

Sidelined Filipino priest ‘sorry’ after hoverboard Mass stunt

THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday - Tuesday, January 8-14, 2016 Visit www.usasianpost.com 3

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Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday - Tuesday, January 8-14, 2016 THE US ASIAN POST4

OPINIONMANILA, Dec 30 (Mabuhay) – For the last time in his

term, President Benigno Aquino III led the fl ag-raising cer-emony at Rizal Park to commemorate the 199th anniver-sary of the martyrdom of national hero Dr. Jose Rizal.

In his message for Rizal Day, Aquino said Filipinos should be inspired by Rizal’s intelligence, sense of duty, hunger for knowledge, passion for reform and undying love for the country.

“Dr. Jose Rizal worked hard to pursue our independence, serving as a catalyst for change; his works remain relevant to this day, a reminder of a past when freedom seemed beyond our reach. Let us remember him on this occasion, along with other heroes who shared their strength and vi-sion to make the Philippines the nation it is today,” Aquino said.

“Let us all be heroes in our own way, and reaffi rm our commitment to the Daang Matuwid. Only by traversing this road towards fairness and progress can we translate our dreams into tangible realities for our people,” Aquino added.

Aquino was joined by former President, now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, and Vice President Jejomar Binay.

This year’s celebration featured the newly acquired su-personic fi ghter jets, the FA-50s.

The fi rst two FA-50 lead-in fi ghter trainer jets arrived in the country last November following the Philippine Gov-ernment’s 12-jet purchase from Korea Aerospace Indus-tries.

The deal which amounted to P18.9 billion is part of the government’s military modernization program. (MNS)

2015 has been an inspiring and fruitful year for the Philippines and the Filipino people. From the visit of Pope Francis in January to the Philippine Chairmanship of the Asia Pacifi c Economic Cooperation (APEC) culminating in the Economic Leaders’ Meeting in November, and every-thing else in between, the Filipino’s faith, hospitality, and resilience have shone brightly. These innate Filipino traits have served as a driving force behind the Philippines’ emergence as one of the most dynamic economies in the world today.

However, as we take the time to refl ect on the accom-plishments and challenges that our country faced in 2015, we should also look towards the New Year with the strong resolve to sustain and build on the gains we have so far achieved.

2016 promises to be an exciting year as we expect to expe-rience great transformations stemming from the upcoming Presidential elections, the ASEAN-US Summit in Sunnyl-ands, California, the reality of an ASEAN Economic Com-munity, the implementation of the Paris Climate Agree-ment, and the ruling of the international Arbitral Tribunal with regard to the South China Sea.

With all these interesting developments in the coming year, I remain confi dent that the Filipino communities in the United States and in the Caribbean will continue to play an integral role in shaping the ongoing story of nation-building, growth, and progress of the Philippines. I fi rmly believe that it is high time for overseas Filipinos to demon-strate their commitment and empowerment by participat-ing in the selection of new Philippine leaders in May 2016. Therefore, I strongly encourage the Filipino communities in the U.S. and in the Caribbean to let their voices be heard and participate in the Philippine electoral process.

I wish you all a Happy New Year that is fi lled with the blessings of peace, harmony and prosperity.

MANILA, Dec 30 (Mabuhay) – Vice President and opposition presidential bet Jejomar Binay on Wednesday expressed hope that what he consid-ers as the era “vindictiveness and selective justice” would end with 2015, and that 2016 would usher in a time of “tenderness.”

In his New Year’s message, he said that 2016 has been designated by Pope Francis as the “The Holy Year of Mercy” in response to the world’s need for a “revolution of tenderness” from which “justice and all the rest derives.”

“It is in this same vein that I pray that the new year will usher in a new hope that the era of vin-dictiveness and selective justice will soon end. A new hope that everyone – not just a select few – will reap the benefi ts of economic progress,” he

said.Also, he said that economic achievements mean

nothing if these are not felt by everyone.He encouraged Filipino voters to choose in 2016

“competent leaders who will build a truly benevo-lent nation that respects the dignity of all.”

VP Binay has been a subject of a number of graft and corruption complaints before the Ombuds-man. His and his family’s bank accounts –as well as his colleagues’ –have been ordered frozen upon the recommendation of the Anti-Money Launder-ing Council.

He repeatedly denied the allegations, claiming that those just are part of the operation to defi le his reputation and diminish his chances of win-ning in the 2016 presidential polls. (MNS)

MANILA, Dec 31 (Mabuhay) – More than two years after super typhoon Yolanda ripped through the Visayas region, the National Economic Devel-opment Authority (NEDA) on Thursday said the implementation of projects, programs, and activities (PPAs) envisioned to bring forth rehabilitation and recovery to the devastated areas is nearing comple-tion.

In a press statement, NEDA said the overall weighted physical accomplishment (OWPA) of com-pleted and ongoing Yolanda PPAs now stands at 63.2 percent – 30.3 percent completed and 33.1 per-cent ongoing.

NEDA said most of the ongoing projects are scheduled to be completed by 2016.

In October 2014, weeks before the fi rst anni-versary of Yolanda, President Benigno Aquino III signed the “Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Re-covery Plan” or CRRP which identifi ed a total of 18,400 projects, programs, and activities (PPAs) to be implemented in 171 cities and municipalities in 14 provinces in Visayas affected by super typhoon Yolanda.

The total funding requirement for the CRRP’s implementation is P167.86 billion ($4 billion), which the government said will be primarily sourced from the national budget.

In April this year, Aquino through Memorandum Order No. 79, transferred the task of leading the implementation of the PPAs from the Offi ce of the Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recov-ery to NEDA.

The PPAs indentifi ed in the rehabilitation and recovery masterplan were divided into four clusters namely, resettlement, infrastructure, livelihood and social services.

Most challenging aspectFor the resettlement cluster which has the big-

gest funding (P75.67 billion) under the CRRP, the NEDA reported that as of November 15, 2015, the government’s Emergency Shelter Assistance (ESA) has already benefi tted 788,747 households or 76.3 percent of the targeted 1,033,827 families whose houses were damaged by the typhoon.

The ESA aimed to help the affected families re-build sturdier houses, provided that the houses are not located in th danger zones.

Under the ESA, families with partially damaged houses will receive P10,000 worth of cash or con-struction materials while families with totally dam-aged houses will receive P30,000 worth of cash or construction materials.

“Distribution of ESA is still ongoing,” NEDA said.Meanwhile, in the same statement, NEDA Direc-

tor General Arsenio Balisacan admitted that the the resettlement of the survivors from the danger zones continues to be the most challenging aspect of the government’s recovery efforts.

The NEDA reported that to date, only a total of 13,335 permanent housing units have been complet-ed. The NEDA, however, noted that construction of 79,219 houses is ongoing and scheduled for comple-tion by December 2016.

Balisacan said among the issues slowing down the building of resettlement sites are policies on procurement and land acquisition and the many re-quired permits and clearances needed to start cer-

tain projects.“NEDA is intensively coordinating efforts to ad-

dress these policy and implementation issues with the concerned agencies,” Balisacan said.

Build back betterMeanwhile, on the PPAs under the infrastructure

cluster, the NEDA reported that 94.6 percent or 35 out of the 37 damaged airports have already been rehabilitated.

Also rehabilitated, according to the NEDA report are 95.5 percent or 295 out of 309 municipal facili-ties such as civic centers, municipal halls and public markets.

The NEDA said “a signifi cant majority” or 89.21 percent of the total target of 1,852.53 lineal meters of damaged bridges have been rehabilitated as well as 72.24 percent or 77.9 kilometers out of the 107.6 kilometers of damaged bridges.

“True to our aim to ‘Build Back Better,’ the recon-structed roads, bridges, ports, telecommunications facilities, as well as health and education facilities, are now subscribing to more stringent structural standards,” Balisacan said.

Livelihood and social servicesIn terms of livelihood PPAs, NEDA reported that

a total of 48,995 Yolanda survivors, or 89.4 percent of the targeted 54,825 benefi ciaries, have had their fi shing boats repaired or replaced.

“Meanwhile, thousands more received fi shing gears and paraphernalia than originally targeted: 76,598 sets were distributed while the original tar-get was 68,636; distribution of an additional 4,779 sets is ongoing,” the NEDA statement read.

NEDA said distribution of rice and corn seeds is also nearing completion, with 94,020 or 85.7 percent of 101,708 targeted bags distributed to benefi ciaries.

“In addition to restoring the livelihoods of farmers and fi shers, the government has also undertaken to provide new livelihood opportunities to survivors; an example of this is the entrepreneurship training,” it added.

NEDA said 80.22 percent of the targeted 364 en-trepreneurship trainings have already been com-pleted.

Meanwhile, in terms of the social services, NEDA said the distribution of 339,745 learning kits to Yolanda-affected schools has been completed.

The Department of Social Welfare and Develop-ment (DSWD) had earlier stated that the distri-bution of medical kits and deployment of doctors and midwives has already been undertaked in the Yolanda-affected areas as well as the distribution of iron supplements to pregnant women and post-partum women. “The government is making strides in rebuilding resilient communities in the Yolanda corridors in the Visayas regions, as well as in MI-MAROPA region, particularly through sustainable infrastructure development and responsive social services,” Balisacan said.

“Many Yolanda survivors now have better pros-pects with the help of government’s various liveli-hood assistance programs,” he added.

Based on government records, Yolanda, which hit central and eastern Visayas on November 8, 2013, left 6,245 people dead, 28,626 injured and 1,039 missing. The typhoon also damaged P39 billion worth of property. (MNS)

By Stephanie Griffi thWashington, United States | AFP | Friday

1/1/2016 – President Barack Obama made fi ghting gun violence his chief resolution for 2016 in a New Year’s Day address, calling it a major piece of “unfi n-ished business” for his White House administration.

The US leader announced he would meet with At-torney General Loretta Lynch on Monday, his fi rst day back at work after the year-end break, “to dis-cuss our options” in reducing the toll of deaths and injuries from fi rearms.

As he marked the start of his fi nal year as presi-dent, Obama expressed regret at the little progress made in the past seven years towards remedying the fi rearm “epidemic” that claims more than 30,000 lives in America each year, over half of them sui-cides. “My New Year’s resolution is to move forward on our unfi nished business as much as I can,” he said. “That’s especially true for one piece of unfi n-ished business, that’s our epidemic of gun violence.”

With time running out on his presidency, and with little prospect of reaching common ground with Congress on the highly contentious guns issue, Obama is expected to resort to the use of executive powers that would allow him to unilaterally impose certain new anti-gun measures. The United States is one of the most gun-loving countries in the world, with more guns than inhabitants, according to a re-cent Congressional Research Service report.

In his New Year’s address, the president said measures to be discussed with Lynch will focus on “keeping an irresponsible, dangerous few from in-fl icting harm on a massive scale.”

According to CNN and the New York Times, which cited gun control advocates familiar with the administration’s plans, Obama is expected to announce executive action to expand background checks on gun sales before his State of the Union address on January 12.

Reports said the measures imposed by the presi-dent could include tighter restrictions on reporting guns lost or stolen in transport, as well new licens-ing restrictions on small gun sellers.

‘Every single day’ -Obama is taking the action against the backdrop

of a relentless succession of shootings, which cast him each time in the role of “consoler-in-chief” to a grieving nation. The president has made increas-ingly plain his frustration at the bloodshed, faulting Congress for its lack of action to curb gun violence.

“Last month, we remembered the third anni-versary of Newtown,” Obama said in his address, referring to a December 2012 mass shooting at a Connecticut elementary school that left 20 young children and six adults dead.

“This Friday, I’ll be thinking about my friend Gabby Giffords, fi ve years into her recovery from the shooting in Tucson,” he said, speaking of a former US congresswoman and victim of another of the na-tion’s spasms of gun violence.

“All across America, survivors of gun violence and those who lost a child, a parent, a spouse to gun vio-lence are forced to mark such awful anniversaries every single day, and yet Congress still hasn’t done anything to prevent what happened to them from happening to other families,” the president said.

‘Be a hero’ – President Aquino in Rizal Day rites

New Year’s Message Ambassador Cuisia to Fil-Ams

VP Binay hopes 2016 will bring ‘revolution of tenderness’

Yolanda rehab projects just 63% ‘accomplished’: NEDA

Obama to tackle ‘unfi nished business’ of gun violence in 2016

THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday - Tuesday, January 8-14, 2016 Visit www.usasianpost.com 5

USCIS recently began transferring certain case-work from the Vermont Service Center (VSC) to the California Service Center (CSC) and Nebraska Ser-vice Center (NSC) to bal-ance workloads. The CSC will now process Form I-539, Application to Ex-tend/Change Nonimmi-grant Status.

The NSC will pro-cess Form I-765, Applica-tion for Employment Autho-rization, fi led by an asylum applicant with a pending asylum application fi led on or after Jan. 4, 1995. The eligibility category for the application is ©(8).

How You Will Be Af-fected If We Transfer Your Case

If we transfer your case, we will send you a transfer notice. Your original receipt number will not change, and the transfer will not delay the processing of your case except for the addition-al time needed to transfer the fi le.

The fi ling location and instructions for these forms will not change. Please continue to fi le the forms at the address on the form instructions and on the US-CIS website at www.uscis.gov.

How to Track the Sta-

tus of Your CaseYou can check your case

status at Case Status On-line by entering your re-ceipt number. You can also sign up to receive automat-ic case status updates by email.

If you do not receive a de-cision on your case within the published processing time, you may submit an inquiry using e-Requestor by calling the National Customer Service Cen-ter (NCSC) at 800-375-5283 (TDD for the deaf and hard of hearing: 800-767-1833). When asking about your case status, please provide us with your origi-

nal receipt number and specify that your case was transferred to a new loca-tion.

If we send you any notice (such as a Request for Evi-dence), please read the no-tice carefully and follow the instructions provided.

If you move while your case is pending, you must inform USCIS of your ad-dress change. You may fi le a change of address on our website or by calling the NCSC. It is important that you notify us of any address change as soon as possible, so that you continue to re-ceive notifi cations from US-CIS.

SACRAMENTO – The health advisory regard-ing Dungeness and rock crabs caught along the coast between the Santa Barbara/Ventura County Line and Latitude 35° 40’ N (near Piedras Blancas Light Sta-tion, in San Luis Obispo County) is being lifted along the coasts of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo coun-ties. California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Director and State Public Health Offi cer Dr. Karen Smith updated the advisory today because recent tests show that levels of domoic acid have declined to low or undetectable levels in crabs caught in these areas.

The advisory remains in effect for state waters around Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, and San Miguel Is-lands and areas north of Latitude 35° 40’ N due to con-tinued elevated levels of domoic acid in crabs caught in those areas. Consumers should not eat Dungeness or rock crabs from those areas. The advisory will be lifted in those areas once ongoing monitoring by CDPH determines crabs from those areas are safe to consume.

CDPH and the Offi ce of Environmental Health Haz-ard Assessment concur that crabs caught along the coast south of Latitude 35° 40’ N are safe to consume. However, as a precaution, consumers are advised not eat the viscera (internal organs, also known as “butter” or “guts”) of crabs. The viscera usually contain much higher levels of domoic acid than crab body meat.

When whole crabs are cooked in liquid, domoic acid may leach from the viscera into the cooking liquid. Wa-ter or broth used to cook whole crabs should be dis-carded and not used to prepare dishes such as sauces, broths, soups or stews (for example, cioppino or gum-bo), stocks, roux, dressings or dips.

The best ways to reduce risk are:1) Remove the crab viscera and rinse out the body

cavity prior to cooking, or2) Boil or steam whole crabs, instead of frying or

broiling, and discard cooking liquids.Symptoms of domoic acid poisoning can occur within

30 minutes to 24 hours after eating toxic seafood. In mild cases, symptoms may include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, headache and dizziness. These symptoms disappear within several days. In severe cases, the victim may experience trouble breathing, confusion, disorientation, cardiovascular instability, seizures, excessive bronchial secretions, permanent loss of short-term memory (a condition known as Am-nesic Shellfi sh Poisoning), coma or death. There have been no reported illnesses associated with this year’s domoic acid event.

Domoic acid accumulation in seafood is a natural occurrence that is related to a “bloom” of a particular single-celled plant. The conditions that support the growth of this plant are impossible to predict. While the bloom that occurred earlier this year has dissi-pated, it takes a period of time for the organisms feed-ing on the phytoplankton to eliminate the domoic acid from their bodies.

CDPH will continue to coordinate its efforts with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the fi shing community to collect crab samples from the central and northern California coast until the domoic acid levels have dissipated.

LOS ANGELES—The U.S. Environmental Protec-tion Agency and U.S. De-partment of Justice today announced that a group of 40 parties have agreed to conduct the cleanup of the Cooper Drum site in South Gate, 10 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles. The settlement requires an estimated $15 million to construct the additional groundwater treatment sys-tem needed, including wells, piping and treatment costs, plus $7 million to reimburse EPA for its past cleanup ac-tions at the Superfund site.

“Today’s settlement is a binding commitment to pur-sue the fi nal cleanup of this former industrial site,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacifi c Southwest. “Our goal is to protect the resi-dents of South Gate from the toxic chemicals that have contaminated their lo-cal groundwater.”

Cooper Drum is a 3.8 acre site located in a commercial, industrial and residential area of South Gate. From 1974 until its closure in

1992, the Cooper Drum Com-pany reconditioned used steel drums from industrial customers, such as chemi-cal manufacturers, chemi-cal packagers and oil com-panies. The 55 gallon steel drums, which contained residual oils and solvents, were washed and prepared for reuse. Residual wastes from the drums, primarily volatile organic compounds such as trichloroethylene (TCE), spilled and leaked on the site, contaminating soils and groundwater. Cooper Drum was placed on Super-fund’s National Priorities List in 2001. Over the last 14 years, EPA has overseen the design, construction and operation of soil and ground-water treatment systems aimed at cleaning up TCE, lead, PCBs and petroleum hydrocarbons. The site’s soil vapor extraction system, which has been operating since 2011, has removed over 742 pounds of chemi-cals from affected soils. The groundwater extraction system has treated more than 17 million gallons of contaminated groundwater

since 2012. All water that is served to the residents and businesses in South Gate meets state and federal drinking water standards.

Drinking high levels of TCE may cause damage to the nervous system, liv-er and lungs. PCBs are a known human carcinogen and may cause a variety of other adverse health effects on the immune, reproduc-tive, nervous and endocrine systems. Long term expo-sure to lead can lead to kid-ney problems or high blood pressure.

Between 2001 and 2009, EPA’s cleanup activities at the Cooper Drum site relied on public funding. In 2009, agency investigators were able to identify former cus-tomers of the drum recon-ditioning business. Since then, the settling parties, known as the Cooper Drum Cooperating Parties Group, have funded the cleanup and worked cooperatively with EPA. This is the fi nal phase of work for the site for known conditions, and implements the cleanup se-lected in the Record of Deci-

sion in September 2002.The settlement, lodged

in Federal District Court on December 29, 2015 as a con-sent decree, will be posted in the Federal Register and available for public com-ment for a period of 30 days. The consent decree can be viewed on the Justice De-partment website: www.jus-tice.gov/enrd/Consent_De-crees.html.

Southern California’s I-710 freeway passes through 15 cities and unin-corporated areas including South Gate, where the ef-fects of pollution are dispro-portionately higher than in other areas of Los Angeles County. Approximately one million people, about 70% of whom are minority and low-income households, are severely impacted by indus-trial activities and goods movement in the area. In a multi-year effort, federal, state, and local governments and nonprofi t organizations are working together to im-prove the environmental and public health conditions for residents along this cor-ridor.

SAN DIEGO, Decem-ber 30, 2015 – United States Attorney Laura E. Duffy has announced that a San Diego-based medical diagnostic labo-ratory, Pathway Genom-ics Corporation, has paid $4,036,622.74 in a civil settlement to resolve al-legations that it violated the False Claims Act by paying improper kick-backs to physicians and physician groups in ex-change for patient refer-rals.

Pathway provides analysis of genetic test-ing kits for a variety of purposes within the fi eld of clinical genomics, in-cluding tests that ana-lyze the risk for certain genetic diseases and tests concerning the respon-siveness of certain medi-cations. These tests are performed on a patient’s saliva sample, typically collected by a physician and mailed to Pathway’s laboratory for analysis.

To ensure that health care providers remain motivated solely by their patients’ medical needs, the federal Anti-Kick-back Statute and False

Claims Act prohibit offer-ing, paying, soliciting or receiving money or items of value to induce referral of goods or services cov-ered by federally funded health care programs.

The settlement re-solves allegations that Pathway induced health care providers to refer Pathway genetic testing kits and services, and then received govern-ment reimbursement for those tests in violation of the law. As alleged, Path-way offered physicians and medical groups reim-bursements of up to $20 for each saliva kit they collected and submitted to Pathway for testing. The United States al-leges that individual phy-sicians received as much as $13,534 in reimburse-ments from Pathway and that most of the physi-cians had never ordered these costly genetic tests before enrolling in Path-way’s reimbursement program. It is further alleged that, as its refer-rals increased, Pathway billed the high costs of these laboratory analyses to federal health care pro-

grams such as Medicare and TRICARE. Pathway has since voluntarily dis-continued its physician reimbursement program.

“Kickbacks to health care providers in ex-change for patient re-ferrals undermine the medical judgment of physicians and exploit the trust of patients,” said U.S. Attorney Laura E. Duffy. “Kickback ar-rangements with phy-sicians also place vital taxpayer funds at risk. As this settlement dem-onstrates, this offi ce will continue to aggressively combat fraud against federal health care pro-grams.”

“While genomic testing is a valuable and rela-tively recent medical tool, when specialized labora-tories pay for referrals they aren’t breaking any new ground but rather engaging in the same old kickback schemes,” said Chris Schrank, Spe-cial Agent in Charge for the Offi ce of Inspector General, U.S. Depart-ment of Health and Hu-man Services South-ern California Region.”

USCIS moves visa applications from Vermont to California

EPA announces $22-M settlement for cleanup of Cooper Drum Superfund Site in South Gate

San Diego laboratory settles kickback allegation case for $4-M

Ban on dungeness, rock crab Lifted along the California coast

On Sunday, January 17, 2016 at 3:30 pm, a mass sponsored by Santo Niño Cruzada USA with the par-ticipations of the Cathedral Knights of Columbus and Southern California Sinulog Dance Co. will be held at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels to celebrate

its 29th year anniversary of the solemn Feast of Santo Niño, the Divine Infant Jesus. Main celebrant is Monsignor Kevin Kostelnik with Father David Gallardo as concelebrant. For more information, please contact any of the following offi-cers: Romy & Tess Esturas

(213-387-6982), Rey & Tess Edpao (818-469-7292), Lilia Figuracion (626) 394-2661, Carmen Estrada (213) 413-2881, Fe Montano (323) 218-1587, Ester Paredes (213) 864-1149, Fe Reyes (213) 413-5286, Laurie Dolorfi no (213) 407-0097 and Cherry Guerrero (213) 632-2096.

Mass celebration for the 29th year anniversary of the solemn Feast of Santo Niño

Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday - Tuesday, January 8-14, 2016 THE US ASIAN POST6

It was ‘Showtime’ at the 127th Rose ParadeBy Abner Galino

First, the news: Skywrit-ers benefi tted from a cloud-less blue sky off the scenic town of Pasadena to trash Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Five planes circled the skies and wrote: America is great. Trump is disgusting. Anybody but Trump.

The letters that formed out of white smoke spewed out from the planes frit-tered away almost as fast they were written in the sky. But the buzz that was created by the messages lingered in all of social me-dia channels.

It turned out that the skywriters were paid by someone from Alabama who was identifi ed by mainstream news sources as Stan Pate. The same sources disclosed that Pate was actually someone who has a lot of similarities with Trump, among them: he is also a Republican, also a millionaire (or a billion-aire), also involved in real estate business, also active in politics and also some-what raucous.

Apparently, the sky-writing was meant for the Iowans – who were from a state that conducts its party candidates’ nomina-tions ahead of the other US states – who fl ew in to Los Angeles in droves to support their football team known as the Hawkeyes.

The Iowa Hawkeyes were routed by the Stan-ford Cardinals in a subse-quent football showdown in a related event known as the Rose Bowl to a blowout score of 45-16. A lost that was not spared from politi-cal intrigues as the social media went awash with in-nuendoes about the football team supposedly being jin-xed by another Republican presidential candidate Car-ly Fiorina.

The crowd was clapping after the fi rst line, “AMERICA IS GREAT,” a very patriotic statement that later turned to laughter because the sec-ond line read, “TRUMP IS DISGUSTING.” It was like playing “Jeop-ardy” as the plane formed the shapes of the letters. This and other scenes made the the 127th edition of the Tournament of the Roses Pa-rade in Pasadena more exciting. Photo: JUN CAMACHO

Colorado Street was packed with people who braved the 35 degrees Farenheit wetaher just to secure a spot. This was taken around 4:25 am Saturday. People camped as early as Friday.

The tower for media outfi ts covering the event.

Honda’s fl oat “Nature’s Hope” celebrates majestic beauty of National Parks. The sign reads “Tomo Dachi” meaning “friend” that refers to the relationship between America and Japan.

The Tournament of Roses Queen and her Court.

The Los Angeles Lakers fl oat starred Kareem Abdul Jabbar.

Marshalls preparing before the parade.

Fiorina, a Californian who lost both bids for sen-ator and governor of the state, rooted for the Hawk-eyes despite being an alum-nus of Stanford University.

“Love my Alma mater, but rooting for a Hawkeyes win today,” Fiorina tweet-ed.

Her tweet was met with widespread mockery as many saw her words as pandering to Iowan voters who will caucus on Febru-ary 1.

The skywriters could have not taken anything away from the 127-year tra-dition called Rose Parade or Tournament of the Roses – aside from the fact that the planes appeared in the sky as soon as the last fl oat left the parade’s staging gate. But apparently, they stole the lights out from the supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Ber-nie Sanders who marched along Colorado Boulevard behind the parade’s last fl oat.

The supporters of the US senator from Vermont came in huge number and were equipped with attention-grabbing placards and effi -gies. However, they hardly got attention from the

mainstream media and the social media.

But California being a Democratic Party major-ity state, the supporters of Sanders were able to draw applause from many parade spectators.

All these incidents also combined to somewhat up-stage the dramatic effect of the retirement of the pa-rade’s longtime hosts Bob Eubanks and Stephanie Edwards.

Eubanks started host-ing the event in 1979 and Edwards joined him three years later. To the loyal fans, the retirement of the duo was arguably a big epi-sode in continuing history of the Rose Parade.

The sidelightsIt was somewhere

around 40 degrees Fahren-heit when we got to Colo-rado Boulevard at about 5:30 a.m. I wore three lay-ers of clothes but as soon as I stepped out of the car, I in-stantly wished I brought a blanket to wrap myself up.

As expected, the side-walks were already teem-ing with people – mostly sit-ting on folding chairs while some were bundled up in blankets and lying right on the concrete. I was told that

no known threats but the recent tragic mass shooting in San Bernardino prompt-ed organizers to install more security measures and call up more security personnel.

Around 700,000 people come every year to watch the Rose Parade and the Rose Bowl. This year was no different despite a con-siderable hype over possi-ble terrorist attacks against parade spectators weeks before the event.

There were 44 fl oats, 18 marching bands and 19 equestrian units in the pa-rade and Colorado Boule-vard did not seem as spa-cious as it usually was. And if you don’t have a paid seat or didn’t camp out to secure a spot on the sidewalks, viewing the parade could be a real challenge. In fact, for about a dozen times that I tried to situate myself by the sidewalks, were as much times I wished I was at least three inches taller. (And I was simply standing behind clusters of women in many of those instances).

The Los Angeles Lakers fl oat, despite a losing re-cord, still drew big applaus-es from the crowd. The fl oat, titled “Every Second Is An Adventure” carried basket-ball great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and pop star Paula Abdul, formerly a member

of the Lakers’ cheer squad.But Disney’s Star Wars-

themed fl oat drew the big-gest cheer with its white robot-like “storm troopers” and characters from anoth-er hit movie “Frozen.”

The so-called “white suit-ers,” who were actually volunteers wearing the tra-ditional parade white uni-form, were also routinely given hoots of laughter and applauses as they marched behind equestrian units with their shovels, brooms and wheeled trash bins. The white suiters gamely returned the audiences’ adoration by vowing or by making other friendly ges-tures.

Fun, of course, wasn’t an unbroken chain roped throughout Colorado Bou-levard. When nature calls, if you have to pee or do the other thing, a trip to por-table restrooms would be much like a queue for an MRT ride in Manila.

So, beer drinkers are forewarned.

Persistence could pay off. As in my case, after several attempts, I was able to get close enough as to be able to smell the scent of the fl ow-ers as the fl oats pass by.

Well, that was certain-ly one of the reasons why people put up with all the troubles of being there from midnight to dawn.

the temperature dropped to around 35 degrees during the night.

Well, that certainly spelled the difference be-tween watching the Rose Parade on TV and being right there on Colorado Boulevard. Without the roof and the walls to protect you from the elements, endur-ing 35 degrees and below was an adventure by itself. Or probably, even a life-risking adventure for peo-ple like me who lived most his life on tropical weather. Had we camped out like the most of the people here, I might’ve certainly found a personal meaning to this year’s parade theme: Know your Adventure.

A mild wind was blowing and the smell of grilled ba-con-wrapped hotdogs cook-ing with onions permeated the air. There were sporadic bursts of laughter from dif-ferent directions. People were generally cheerful but noticeably observant of every new person entering their enclave. There were

The Wells Fargo stagecoach were originally used to deliver mail and other communication between the east and west coasts.

A traditional dance from India was performed with colorful attires.

The marching bands were among the hightlights of the parade.

THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday - Tuesday, January 8-14, 2016 Visit www.usasianpost.com 7

It’s a “new year, new me” for Ruffa Gutierrez.

For her New Year’s resolution, Ruffa plans to spend more time with her kids, and hopes “to have a successful 2016.”

As a gift to herself, Ruffa now aims to live a healthi-er lifestyle and will start by becoming a vegetarian. She also plans to come up with a regular exercise routine.

“Hindi na rin tayo bum-abata kaya kailangan al-agaan natin ’yung katawan natin,” she explained.

But there’s one problem – her sweet tooth.

“I crave for desserts pero kailangan talaga ingatan natin ’yung pag-intake natin ng mga sweets,” she said, adding, “If you go to different parties there’s al-ways wine, or champagne, so siguro as long as you do everything in modera-tion kasi it’s the holidays naman, ’di ba? So kailan-gan mag-celebrate naman tayo.” Ruffa will welcome the New Year in Palawan with her two daughters.

BusinesswomanThe 41-year-old ac-

tress has ventured into the health and wellness business. She plans to in-

Don’t think Donita Rose is being diffi cult whenever she tastes something and goes, “This isn’t quite right” or “Something is missing.” She isn’t playing know-it-all – it’s just the chef in her thinking out loud.

Ever wondered where the stars go or what they do away from the spotlight? While others attend to their families or a business, the actress does both.

In 2015, Donita has had several shows on GMA Net-work including “Let The Love Begin” and “Buena Familia.” But, she is also a chef at casual dining res-taurant Poco Deli.

In a recent interview, Donita revealed her love for cooking was sealed upon watching the animated fi lm “Ratatouille,” about a rat who became a renowned cook. The movie inspired her to study culinary arts at the Academy for Interna-tional Culinary Arts then

Actress Karla Estrada addressed some critics claiming that she is us-ing the fame of her own son, “Pangako Sa ‘Yo” star Daniel Padilla, for her own gain.

The 39-year-old Estrada asked: “Hindi ba mas ma-hirap kung gamitin mo ang ibang tao?”

She added: “Kung anak ko iyon wala tayong karapa-tan sabihing ginagamit ko, dahil unang una ako nag-dala nun ng isang buwan. So kung ano man ang gusto ko gawin para sa kabuti-han niya, ako lang ang may karapatan nun.”

“So kung sumunod-su-nod man ako sa kanya at lagi niya akong kasama, ina niya ako wala na akong magagawa doon at hindi na nating maibabago iyon.”

Estrada, who is part of the 2015 Metro Ma-nila Film Festival entry

troduce the product to the public next year.

In addition, she is still busy preparing for the fourth season of “It Takes Gutz To Be A Gutierrez.”

She is also coming out with a book – following her mom’s “’Day, Hard” – un-der ABS-CBN Publishing and intended for release in time for Valentine’s Day.

In the book, Ruffa will share tips and pieces of advice on matters of the heart inspired by her past experiences on love and heartbreaks.

“I guess (with) every person that ’ve loved before

there is always a reason; a certain fondness for that person. (I have) no regrets being with my ex because I had two kids with him,” she expressed.

Ruffa was married in 2003 to Turkish business-man Yilmaz Bektas, with whom she has two daugh-ters, Lorin Gabriella and Venezia Loran. They sepa-rated in 2007.

Her mom has always been vocal when it comes to Ruffa’s relationships. But Ruffa understands that it’s her mom’s way of protecting her unica hija. (MNS)

A happy and healthy new year for Ruff a

Ruff a Gutierrez

Donita Rose: From cameras to spatulas

Donita Rose

Using son for fame? Karla Estrada speaks up

Karla Estrada

train in a top hotel in Ma-nila.

When she and her fam-ily left for Las Vegas and lived there, Donita worked as freelance caterer special-izing on Italian, Japanese and, of course, Filipino cui-sine. A year later, she was employed as a prep chef by a high-end Japanese restaurant owned by an award-winning chef.

“Sabi nu’ng chef, he hired me because he liked my pas-sion,” Donita said. “Minsan daw kasi ay mas mahirap turuan ’yung mga magaling

na (mag-luto dahil) nagsho-short cut na, hindi na (sila) teachable…”

It was a great learning experience for her but un-fortunately, she lost the job allegedly because the res-taurant “overhired.”

“Sabi ng executive chef, ‘We have to let you go,’ so ako parang, ‘But I just got interviewed?’ Tapos sabi niya, I’m so sorry,’ she said. “Sobrang devastated ako nu’n.”

Then again, when a door closes windows open. Soon enough, she landed another job.

“It was perfect timing (nu’ng natanggal ako) kasi it was my son’s birthday that weekend. So I spent the rest of the summer with him and while we were hiking one day, (someone called saying) I got hired…”

Donita was assigned at headquarters where she honed her skills in cold food preparation.

“Beauty and the Bestie,” also talked about her fi ve-year relationship with boy-friend, Mark Yatco.

Estrada admitted that she has been talking about settling down with Yatco, but explained that she’s not rushing things.

“Of course we talk about it,” she said. “Nasa 40s na kami eh. Hindi nanaman kami mga bata. Pero ga-noon pala iyon, mas pina-plano, mas hindi namama-dali kasi mas alam niyo na at mas nagiisip na kayo.” (MNS)

Now that she’s back in the Philippines, Donita wants to take things slow and concentrate on Poco Deli. A few days ago, they had a booth at outdoor Christmas market Vermosa Holiday Escape on Daang Hari in Cavite.

Other celebrity partici-pants at the bazaar were Gladys Reyes with her skin care products, Vina Morales with children’s clothes and shoes, and Nene Tamayo with her Spanish-style ban-gus, among others.

By the way, Donita is also a certifi ed barista in Indonesia. “Eating for me is a sensory experience. It’s about the crunch, the tex-ture, the sound of eating it, the temperature, the mouth feel…”

Donita could go on and on talking about food and you better believe she knows her subject even beyond the books.

“I’m a world traveler that knows food and what tastes

Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday - Tuesday, January 8-14, 2016 THE US ASIAN POST8

FAMILY FEATURES

Busy weeknights can make for hectic meals, but these simple recipes prove you

diced, whole and stewed tomatoes using steam from simple hot water, so no chemical

Rely on these additional tips to help save time with your weeknight dinner prep:

Eggplant Lasagna, while getting a youngster excited about dig ging into a

Brussels Sprouts with Tomatoes in the morning and slip them in the refrig erator,

Eggplant LasagnaPrep time: 50 minutesTotal time: 1 hour, 45 minutesServings: 8 Pam Original No-Stick Cooking Spray 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 3/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning 1 large eggplant (about 1 pound), cut into 1/4-inch thick lengthwise slices 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 package (20 ounces) Italian-seasoned ground turkey 3/4 cup chopped yellow onion

garlic 1 can (14.5 ounces) Hunt’s Diced Tomatoes, drained (or Hunt’s Organic) 1/4 cup Hunt’s Tomato Paste (or Hunt’s Organic) 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil 1 1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

In small bowl, combine ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese and Italian

oil; sprinkle both sides with salt and

Remove and place on baking sheet lined with paper towels; pat to remove

Spray large skillet with cooking

Add turkey and cook 3 minutes,

onion is tender and turkey is crumbled

tomatoes, tomato paste and basil to

Assemble lasagna by spreading

mixture, half of ricotta cheese mixture

layers, ending with a layer of eggplant slices topped with meat mix ture and

Spray underside of aluminum foil with cooking spray; cover dish tightly

*

Easy Chicken ParmesanPrep time: 10 minutesTotal time: 45 minutesServings: 6 1 can (15 ounces) Hunt’s Tomato Sauce 1 can (14.5 ounces) Hunt’s Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic and Oregano, undrained 6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided 6 small boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 1/2 pounds total) 3/4 pound spaghetti, uncooked 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Pour tomato sauce and undrained

coat both sides of each breast with

Bake 30 minutes or until chicken

Mean while, cook spaghetti as directed

Top chicken with remaining cheeses; bake, uncovered, 5 minutes

Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts with TomatoesPrep time: 10 minutesTotal time: 30 minutesServings: 6 1 pound small fresh Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise 1 can (14.5 ounces) Hunt’s Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes, drained 2 tablespoons pure canola oil 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

toss together Brussels sprouts, drained tomatoes, oil, garlic powder, salt and

minutes or until Brussels sprouts are tender and browned, stirring once

Quick Mini MeatloavesPrep time: 10 minutesTotal time: 40 minutesServings: 6 Pam Original No-Stick Cooking Spray 1 can (8 ounces) Hunt’s Tomato Sauce

brown sugar 1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard 1 pound ground chuck beef (80 percent lean) 1 can (14.5 ounces) Hunt’s Petite Diced Tomatoes, drained

onion 3/4 cup Italian-style bread crumbs 1 egg, beaten 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

In small bowl, combine tomato sauce,

In large bowl, combine remaining

sauce mixture to meat mixture and

THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday - Tuesday, January 8-14, 2016 Visit www.usasianpost.com 9

MOTORING Friday January 1 2016

(Relaxnews) – From true, go-anywhere off-roaders like the Range Rover or Mercedes G Wagon to cross-overs like the Nissan Qa-shqai with rugged styling and hatchback practicality, there can be no doubt that in automotive terms, 2015 was the year of the SUV. But what is fueling the craze and where is it head-ing? Potentially to a future where every car company has an identical crossover in its lineup and car design ideas are exhausted, says the man that ushered in the trend.

“Given the current con-text for the automobile – lots of female drivers who appreciate sitting high above traffi c, lifestyles geared for go-anywhere-anytime car use, regard-less of the weather; station wagon load carrying needs; etc., – it is not surprising how the SUV phenomenon has maintained its power in the market,” begins Chris Bangle.

One of the most infl u-ential, challenging and re-spected car designers of his generation, Bangle is the man to talk to on the subject seeing that it was he, while in the role of BMW’s Chief of Design (1992-2009), that essentially ushered in the age of the crossover. The 1999 BMW X5 was the fi rst SUV to shrug off what were seen as the segment’s ‘coun-try club’ design limitations.

And once the X5 showed that ditching the design language while retaining

the essence was indeed pos-sible at the premium end of the market, “There was no excuse [for other brands] not to participate,” explains Bangle of the move into the mainstream.

Today, the only estab-lished car companies with-out a crossover or SUV in their range or about to add one are McLaren and Fer-rari.

“It is clear that the SUV together with its iterations is more than here to stay; it is here to conquer – no brand is complete without it in the portfolio,” says Bangle, whose own car is a BMW X6.

New challenges in de-sign

Crossovers are also offer-ing automotive designers a new outlet for their ideas. “[They] can enjoy creat-ing styles that are ‘rugged’ and ‘aggressive’ and ‘im-posing’ and all those cool adjectives that now make up ‘sexy’ in SUVs but were beginning to sound ‘forced’ in a limousine. The change from sedan to SUV design is probably like the evolu-tion of actors playing James Bond—to be suave and so-phisticated now requires a 6-pack of muscles bursting beneath the cummerbund,” he explains.

But this can be a chal-lenge for brands ‘crossing over’ for the fi rst time. In Bangle’s opinion, a com-pany must “Create useful and purposeful design with the identity and charac-ter needed to give it a ‘life’ worth living,” rather than

“Stretch their brand identi-ties like a rubber mask to fi t all typologies of vehicles,” he says. “Their lack of origi-nality qualifi es them as what in German is known as a ‘trittbrettfahrer’ – free-loaders riding on the efforts of others.”

Of the biggest SUV launches of 2015, Bangle says that Audi is still man-aging to fi nd the right visu-al balance and that he’s cer-tain the Bentley Bentayga will impress him. But “Most of the others are still trying too hard...they are visually exhausting without being enriching.”

He is worried this will step up a gear in the years ahead. “SUVs are trying to keep up with their custom-ers, and the world around us is spinning them into all sorts of non-stop slap-dash experiences where the car with all its desirability sim-ply cannot keep up with the energy of the context.”

Still, this chaos could lead to new design lan-guage, something Bangle feels is overdue. “We know a lot about designing for sim-ple authenticity but lately whenever car designers try it, it becomes retro. What we need is better rules for designing the short-lived and complicated.”

The 2002 BMW X5 4.6is: The original, Chris Bangle-designed BMW X5 is considered the fi rst modern-day SUV. ©BMW Group

Is the all-conquering crossover at a design crossroads?

Monday December 28 2015 (Relaxnews) – BMW will share its au-tomotive vision of the future at the 2016 Con-sumer Electronics Show and, more importantly for sportscar fans, will be showcasing it inside a production-ready ver-sion of its i8 Spyder.

The hardtop, environ-mentally and racetrack friendly i8 is already a very cool and incred-ibly capable car. Using a combination of battery and gasoline power it performs like a supercar -- 0-100km/h in 4.4 sec-onds – yet sips fuel like a supermini thanks to a 1.5-liter engine, and, as such, demand is out-stripping supply despite its hefty €135,000 pre-mium.

The only way to make it better is to build it in

convertible form, and af-ter several years of de-velopment it looks like BMW is ready to deliver.

However, just as im-portant as the car will be the technology it will be showcasing when CES opens its doors on Janu-ary 6 in Las Vegas, Ne-vada. Called AirTouch, BMW is billing it as the interior and user inter-face of the future and one that does away with taps, swipes, touches and on-screen taps alto-gether.

In October during a press gathering with Rolls-Royce design chief, Giles Taylor, the subject of integrating technolo-gy into automobiles was raised and particularly the idea of going from buttons and knobs to touchscreen interfaces as the convergence be-

tween cars and technol-ogy continues at pace.

He said the reason why Rolls-Royce had so far rejected touch screens was that he hated the idea of leaving fi ngerprints all over the beautiful fascia of one of his cars and that, more importantly, forcing the owner of a Rolls-Royce to have to reach forward and touch something rather than that some-thing coming to him or her went completely against the grain of what a luxury car expe-rience should be.

The story is important because as Rolls-Royce’s owners, it’s BMW that provides the infotain-ment aspects of each Phantom, Wraith or Ghost, and the two com-panies are clearly on the same page.

BMW is bringing an air of in-cabin class to CES

Mag-

tayo!

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Wednesday December 30 2015 (Relaxnews) – In the US alone, nearly two thirds of drivers now want connec-tivity to be built into their next new car, suggesting that 2016 could be the year when cars take their fi rst real step towards safer, au-tonomous motoring.

According to new Parks Associates research pub-lished ahead of the 2016 In-ternational CES, 44% of car owners in US broadband households already have some a connected car fea-ture on their current vehi-cle and 64% of drivers want connected car features as standard on their next new ride.

This should be greeted as good news for anyone in favor of self-driving cars. Connected cars are safer cars. They can access real-time information on traf-fi c and weather conditions and, crucially, communi-cate with other vehicles and even road infrastructure so that they know when there’s a car around the corner, out of sight, or if

Android Auto in the 2015 Hyundai Sonata: For the moment it is smart-phone functionality that is driving the trend. ©Hyundaithe light ahead is about to change color.

As Gerhard Steiger, the president, Chassis Systems Control division, at Bosch explains: “For highly au-tomated driving to become reality, we need a certain level of connectivity. Highly automated vehicles rely on environmental informa-tion – information that goes beyond what sensors can gather.” Meaning a connec-tion to a server, and to each other.

This year in Japan, Toyo-

ta launched the world’s fi rst mass-market connected car, the Crown. It can talk to infrastructure and other vehicles.

Starting with the in-car experience

However, for now, the driving force behind this demand according to Parks research, is more about having smartphone-like systems and user experi-ences in the cabin.

Respondents ranked turn-by-turn navigation as the most important con-

nected car feature, followed closely by systems such as GM’s OnStar which auto-matically alerts the emer-gency services in case of an accident.

“Automakers are key-ing into this demand by embedding connectivity in new vehicle models. Many are also supporting Apple CarPlay and Android Auto – they do not want these mobile-centric solutions to be differentiators for their competitors,” said Jennifer Kent, Director, Research Quality & Product Develop-ment, Parks Associates.

Yet, consumers are also intrigued by how the car could control the Internet of Things. A quarter of those polled were intrigued by the idea of their car automati-cally activating and deacti-vating settings within the home.

New-model Mercedes can already communicate with the Nest thermostat, for example, fi ring up the heating or air conditioning automatically when the car is within a certain distance from the house.

Smartphones are driving consumer demand for connected cars to an all-time high

Sunday December 27 2015 (Relaxnews) – Tesla may have pushed out the ability to abdicate driving responsibility while high-way cruising via little more than an over-the-air soft-ware update and Audi is currently prepping a sedan to dazzle the crowds at the International CES this Jan-uary with its autonomous capabilities. But one thing is clear, 2016 will not be the year that self-driving cars become a real-world reality.

In fact, according to Bosch, we’re still a decade away. “Automated driving will come step by step,” be-gins Gerhard Steiger, presi-dent of the Bosch Chassis Systems Control division. Cars will go from being able to change lanes unaided to avoiding obstacles and by 2020 they will be able to cope with navigating the highway. However, “Fully automated driving will not be ready before 2025,” says Steiger.

One of the reasons why the demonstrations of tech-nology have been so impres-sive yet still seem to be at the conceptual stage is test-ing. “Using current meth-ods, a highway pilot has to complete several million kilometers’ worth of testing before it can be released for production,” says Steiger.

Finding real-world situ-ations to do this testing can also be extremely chal-lenging beyond the US. As well as dedicated test fa-cilities, a number of states can license car companies to develop their autono-mous tech on the road. It’s how Google has managed to clock up over 1 million test miles and why both Ford and Kia in December se-cured licenses in California and Nevada respectively.

Mapping the journey towards self-driving cars

Saturday January 2 2016 (Relaxnews) – At the 2016 Washington Auto Show (January 22-31) The Green Car Journal will announce the winners of its annual awards for Green SUV and Green Luxury Car of the year and, for the fi rst time, the Greenest Connected Car.

The publication, consid-ered the most infl uential in the US for helping to shape government attitudes to-wards responsible trans-port policy and for helping consumers make more in-formed, more responsible personal mobility choices, won’t be crowning the over-all Green Car of 2016 until October.

However, the journey towards the ultimate prize will start on January 21 during the fi rst Public Pol-icy Day of the Washington Auto Show where the initial three-category winners will be named.

In the SUV category, the new BMW X1 XDrive 28i, Honda HR-V, Hyundai Tuc-son, Mazda CX-3, and Toyo-

ta Rav4 Hybrid will do bat-tle. Surprisingly, the Rav4 is the only nominee to be powered by anything other than a traditional gasoline engine. But, effi ciency isn’t simply about using hybrid powertrains.

“Green SUV fi nalists il-lustrate that advanced internal combustion will continue to play a major role in new models,” said Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of the Green Car Journal. “After years of fo-cus on building more effi -cient and environmentally positive sedans and hatch-backs, a growing empha-sis is now being placed on SUVs and crossover vehi-cles, one of the hottest seg-ments in the auto market.”In the luxury car category, BMW is again a nominee and again for a crossover, this time its plug-in hybrid X5 xDrive40e. It will hope to stand out against three other hybrid SUVs: the Vol-vo XC90 T8 PHEV, Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid and Lexus RX 450h, plus one cutting-edge hybrid luxury

sedan, the Mercedes-Benz C350e.

Meanwhile, for the fi rst time, fi ve cars will be com-peting for the title of Con-nected Green Car of the Year, which recognizes the use of connected technolo-gies in order to improve effi ciency and safety. They are the Audi A3 Sportback e-tron plug-in hybrid, BMW 330e, Chevrolet Malibu Hy-brid, Toyota Prius, and the Volvo XC90 T8 PHEV.

“The fi eld includes green luxury and connected mod-els that all feature hybrid or plug-in hybrid power,” said Cogan. “Effi ciency-enhanc-ing electrifi cation plays a signifi cant role in this year’s Green Car Awards.”

German and Japanese carmakers lead nominations for 2016’s fi rst Green awards

Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday - Tuesday, January 8-14, 2016 THE US ASIAN POST12

NEW YEARFrom page 1

PACQUIAOFrom page 1

MAYHEMFrom page 1

103 INJUREDFrom page 1

MUSLIM REMARKFrom page 1

FIRECRACKERFrom page 1

STRAY BULLETFrom page 1

LOS ANGELES

public gatherings since the November 13 attacks.

And in Belgium, police were holding fi ve people over an alleged New Year plot in Brussels, as they also announced the arrest of a 10th suspect linked to the Paris attacks.

In Dubai, a vast blaze ripped through a luxury 63-story hotel, the Address Downtown, close to the world’s tallest tower where people had gathered to ring in the New Year.

Despite the dramatic scenes from the inferno, which injured 16 people, the festivities went ahead as planned and crowds cheer-ing the bursts of light and colour from a massive fi re-works show at nearby Burj Khalifa skyscraper, even as smoke billowed from the nearby hotel.

380 injuries due to fi re-works and four others due to stray bullets.

In many hospitals across the country, fi recracker vic-tims rushed into emergency rooms grimacing in pain as they held their bloodied limbs.

An eight-year-old boy in the northern farming prov-ince of Nueva Vizcaya had three of his fi ngers ampu-tated after a fi recracker ex-ploded in his hands, Garin said. At least nine children had their fi ngers amputat-ed due to fi recracker inju-ries, she said.

In a Manila shantytown, a lit fi recracker started a slum inferno, which quickly spread, fi re bureau spokes-man Renato Marcial told AFP. The blaze destroyed a cramped maze of wood and cardboard huts in the early hours of Friday, leav-ing 3,000 people homeless, city disaster offi cer John-ny Yu told AFP. Panicked and weeping residents fl ed their burning homes carry-ing clothes and furniture while men, many of whom were drunk from a night of merrymaking, desperately tried to put out the fi re with buckets of water, an AFP photographer at the scene saw. A 65-year-old woman died from a heart attack as she watched her house burn, Yu said.

Many Filipino civilians keep licensed guns in their homes to protect themselves in a high-crime society and most fi recrackers are legal and easily available.

US-born radical imam, call-ing on Muslims in Amer-ica to “fl ee the oppressive Western atmosphere for the lands of Islam”.

Al-Awlaki, who Wash-ington alleges was a se-nior Al Qaeda operative, was killed by a US drone strike in Yemen in Septem-ber 2011. The video, which lasts more than 50 minutes, specifi cally targets black youths, urging them to con-vert to Islam and leave for the Somali battlefi eld using footage of Malcolm X, pro-tests against police actions, and speeches of white su-premacists, SITE said.

It portrays America as a country hostile to its Mus-lim population, with the narrator claiming that “in the United States, basic human rights and concepts such as justice, tolerance, and the rule of law do not apply if you are a Muslim.”

‘ISIS’s best recruiter’Trump’s infl ammatory

remarks sparked a wave of global outrage, with his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton warning that his words were playing into the hands of extremist groups.

During a Democratic de-bate last month, Clinton accused Trump of being “ISIS’s best recruiter,” re-ferring to the self-described Islamic State group, and said the radical jihad-ists were “going to people showing videos of Donald Trump insulting Islam and Muslims in order to recruit more radical jihadists.”

Trump hit back, accus-ing her of lying, but Clin-ton’s spokeswoman insisted that his remarks were “be-ing used in social media by ISIS as propaganda... to help recruiting,” sourcing the information to groups that monitor IS’s online activities. US media out-lets were unable to fi nd any footage evidence to back up Clinton’s initial claim.

The video was uploaded onto Twitter by the Al-Kataib Media Foundation, a regular conduit for the group’s propaganda mate-rial, SITE said.

The Shebab was born out of the Islamic Court Union, which controlled central and southern Somalia for six months in 2006, includ-ing the capital Mogadishu.

may cause, with some as de-structive as bombs.

“Maari po ito siyempre makamatay ng tao. Maka-destruct ng properties, halimbawa sasakyan, mga crystal, at kung confi ned pa ‘yung area sa loob ng ba-hay maari po mawasak ang bahay ninyo,” said Senior Superintendent Hector Mae-stral of the PNP-Explosive and Ordnance Division.

The Department of Health has repeatedly called on the public to refrain from using fi recrackers.

On Wednesday, it report-ed that 148 people have been injured by fi recrackers.

Majority of the victims were children injured by the piccolo.

Health Secretary Janette Garin said the annual prob-lem of injuries may ulti-

mately be solved by an total ban on such products.

Garin added that some lawmakers are “amenable” to this, though there are others with reservation, given pro-tests from the local fi reworks industry.

“Merong mga amenable, pero meron rin siyempre na tinitingnan nila ‘yung mga magrereklamo ng hanapbu-hay,” she said. “We are think-ing of alternative livelihood, pero sa pananaw naman po ng departamento, marami naman po ang maaaring pan-gkabuhayan.” She added: “Pu-wede namang ituloy ang pub-lic fi reworks display.”

The BFP said it supports a total fi recracker ban as it would drastically reduce the number of fi re incidents dur-ing the New Year celebra-tions.(MNS)

major arteries.Cruz, who died on Christ-

mas Day, is the fi rst fatality from stray bullets this holi-day season. Earlier, on De-cember 16, 3-year-old Cal-sum Henio of Zamboanga del Norte was also hit on her right upper abdomen, data from the Philippine National Police as of the morning of Dec. 25 showed.

The PNP also listed oth-er victims of stray bullets:

Hawati Asakil Hana-pi, 50, who was hit on the left leg in Zamboanga City last Dec. 20; Ryan Aspa, 32, who was hit on Christ-mas Day in General Trias, Cavite; Danilo Apulidar Carpio, 34, of Bayambang, Pangasinan; and Ronald Paguinto, who was at Rizal Park when a stray bullet grazed his back on Christ-mas night.

In the case of pool atten-dant Eric del Mundo Pad-rigral in Barangay Gulod, Novaliches, Quezon City, a bullet of still unidentifi ed caliber pierced through his roof and ceiling last Dec. 22, but no one was reported hurt in the said incident.

revenue records for the sport, generating some 4.5 million pay-per-view pur-chases and $600 million in gross revenue.

Pacquiao aggravated a shoulder injury in the Mayweather bout and un-derwent surgery fi ve days later. This week in a ques-tion and answer with fans on his Facebook page Pac-quiao said his shoulder was “100 percent”. Arum, too, said the shoulder “seems to be 100 percent”.

“He’s playing basketball with it, scuba diving with it,” Arum said.

Although not all the pa-perwork has been fi nalized, Arum said there were no obstacles to the fi ght tak-ing place, with major terms such as guaranteed money and the purse split decided.

“These fi ghters have fought for me for many years,” he said, adding that the fi ght would be formally announced with Stateside press conferences in Janu-ary. Pacquiao and Bradley have met twice before, with the American taking a con-troversial split decision in

Chief Inspector John Guiagui, chief of Plaza Mi-randa Police Community Precinct, said the proces-sion was generally peaceful. No any untoward incident was reported.

After the thanksgiving procession, authorities will start their preparation for the bigger procession which is the Translacion sched-uled on Jan. 9, 2016.(MNS)

Sydney, traditionally the fi rst to host a major New Year’s bash, kicked off the global festivities when it lit up the skies with pyrotech-nics at the stroke of mid-night (1300 GMT Thurs-day).

After Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa, the chimes of midnight will fi nally move across the Americas. Jakarta re-mained on high alert after anti-terror police foiled de-tailed plans for an alleged New Year suicide attack in the Indonesian capital.

And Turkish police also detained two Islamic State suspects allegedly planning attacks in the center of the capital Ankara.

In Moscow, police for the fi rst time closed off Red Square, where tens of thou-sands of revelers tradition-ally gather.

Britain deployed around

3,000 offi cers across central London in a reportedly un-precedented security effort, while in Italy, fi reworks were banned in towns and cities due to fears that the loud explosions could spark panic.

And US offi cials said they had arrested and charged a 25-year-old American Mus-lim convert over an alleged attempt to launch a New Year’s Eve attack in up-state New York in the name of the Islamic State group.

An estimated two million people watched fi reworks over the sea at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro which will later this year host the Olympics.

Alongside the party, swarms of worshipers dressed in white waded into the ocean to leave offerings for Yemanja, the goddess of the sea in the Afro-Brazil-ian Candomble faith.

a fi ght many thought Pac-quiao had won in June of 2012.

Pacquiao avenged the polarizing defeat and re-gained the World Boxing Organization welterweight world title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Bradley in April of 2014.

Bradley, 33-1-1 with 13 knockouts, has since regained the WBO wel-terweight belt and will be coming off a ninth-round technical knockout of Bran-don Rios on November 7.

Other fi ghters reportedly on the short-list as April opponents for Pacquiao included England’s Amir Khan, a former unifi ed su-per lightweight title holder or Terence Crawford, the current WBO super light-weight world champion.

Arum said fi nancial stakeholders in the bout, in-cluding satellite and cable television providers, voiced a preference for Bradley.

And as for fans who feel Pacquiao has already proved himself against the American, Arum said Brad-ley has changed signifi cant-ly – especially since linking up with trainer Teddy Atlas prior to his win over Rios.