Taken From: Jojo Robles

You may not like Ramon Tulfo. I personally know a lot of people who don’t—just like I know people who do. But unless you are also in favor of clamping down on the people’s right to know and the freedom of the press, you will have to accept that Tulfo has a job to do.
And that he got beat up for doing it. On the other hand, when people make a spectacle of themselves in a public place, they have already forfeited their right to privacy. The whole point, after all, of the dressing down given by actress Claudine Barretto to the ground personnel of Cebu Pacific at Manila’s Terminal 3 last Sunday was to publicly humiliate them for leaving her luggage behind in Caticlan airport.
As a friend of Tulfo and a colleague of his, I feel obligated to take his side in the celebrated airport beatdown. If taking pictures of known personalities making fools of themselves in public is now wrong, then we are really in worse trouble than we thought.
How different, after all, is exposing the anomalies committed by public officials from documenting celebrities behaving badly? If a self-righteous politician steals from the treasury and a goody-goody actress swears in public like a stevedore, they both deserve to be exposed for lying to the public by the press, whose duty is to do just that. The matter of who started the melee is best left to the authorities to decide.
Both parties in the controversy are not known to be saints, and it will take some time and a lot of impartial investigating to determine how an unfortunately routine airport snafu and the presence of a journalist turned violent.
What seems clear, however, is that Tulfo grabbed his camera phone and started taking pictures of Barretto as she was berating the ground crew. This was resented by Raymart Santiago, the actress’ actor-husband; when Tulfo refused to hand over his camera to Santiago, that’s when things started to get ugly. If a newspaperwoman had not had the presence of mind to take out her camera and snap pictures of presidential adviser Ronald Llamas buying pirated DVDs at a down-market Quezon City mall, would we ever have heard of it?
And if Llamas’ armed bodyguards had seen the journalist taking pictures of their boss surreptitiously and demanded that she hand over her camera, would we not be outraged? But this is Manila, after all. And what should be a debate about the right of Tulfo to do his job is quickly being buried under tangential matters that include allegations that the Inquirer columnist is an arrogant, violent person and that Barretto is basically, well, a female version of him.
If public officials and celebrities do not want the press to catch them acting badly, then they should take measures to avoid being seen or heard. They cannot demand that the media only present them in their best light after they’ve already been captured as all too human. That’s like President Noynoy Aquino telling the press to report only the good news about him and his administration.
The only way to do that is by muzzling the press altogether, like the government did during military rule. I don’t always agree with Mon Tulfo and I have long ago decided to ignore his advice to me years ago, long before any of his brothers enthusiastically did so, to follow closely in his footsteps when I was just starting out. But I will defend Tulfo’s right to do his job.

The alternative—that of keeping silent when any journalist is attacked for portraying the people we should supposedly admire, respect and obey as less than perfect—is what ultimately led to the Ampatuan massacre.

Written by Efren Danao

The senator-judges who have committed the same mistakes or omissions that Chief Justice Renato Corona may have committed in the filing of Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Networth (SALN) should not find him guilty of such charges.

 Sure, it’s true that it’s the CJ and not the senators who are being charged. But if they had done what the CJ had done, then they have no moral ascendancy on this issue. If they persist, then it’s like a pot calling the kettle black.

 I know that many senators had included, just like the CJ, the fair market value of their real estate property as determined by local ordinances and not by the actual value prevailing in the market. Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile once filed a SALN that placed the value of a piece of real property at just ONE PESO per square meter. When I asked him about this valuation, he shrugged his shoulders and replied that that was the price he paid for the property.

The data given to Senate reporters did not mention anything about the fair market value of that property. Recently, Sen. Chiz Escudero listed in his 2011 SALN filed last month two residential units in New Manila, Quezon City that he acquired in 2005 and 2008, respectively. The first one had an acquisition value of P3.6 million and the second, P3 million. What’s interesting is that Chiz placed the current fair market value of the first property at P570,860 and the second, at P1,234,180. The price of real estate properties in the market generally goes up, but since the fair market value used is even lower than the acquisition cost, then this could only mean that Chiz used the value determined by a Quezon City ordinance.

 It’s already a given that there is a general misunderstanding on what the SALN should contain and not contain. Many legislators have been under the impression that they have a choice on what value to put in the SALN, whether the prevailing price in the market, or the acquisition cost or the fair market value as pegged by local ordinances. This is the main reason why some senators and congressmen appeared to be poorer than many journalists, based on their SALN. I’m not saying, however, that they are culpable for this. In fact, they should even be given the benefit of the doubt. Grant them good faith in filing their SALN. After all, there have been no clear-cut guidelines on the proper filing of the SALN.

It’s only recently that the Civil Service Commission tried to institute them. It was a good try but the guidelines proposed by CSC Chairman Francisco Duque just did not get the approval of senators and congressmen.

 This reminds me of what former Sen. Kit Tatad once wrote on the SALN, and it’s worth repeating here. Kit, who I hope would go back to the Senate, said that the House and the Senate had failed to designate two committees required under Republic Act 6713 or the “Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials.” Kit, who was the majority leader during the impeachment trial of then President Erap Estrada, said the two committees were meant to “establish procedures for the review of SALN to determine whether said statements which have been submitted on time, are complete, and are in proper form. In the event a determination is made that a statement is not so filed, the appropriate Committee shall so inform the reporting individual and direct him to take the necessary corrective action.”

 If the lawmakers neglected to create the committees required by law, is the law enforceable? Kit argues that it is not, not in its present state. He said that while the law may be used to punish an official who has failed to file his or her SALN, it may not be used on an official who has filed an incomplete, erroneous, and therefore correctible statement.

 Before the start of the impeachment trial, the prosecution and their spokesmen, relying on the documents submitted to them by a classmate of President Benigno S. Aquino 3rd, charged that CJ Corona had 45 real estate properties. When the magistrate replied that he owned only five and that he would donate the rest to the prosecution if they could prove his ownership, Rep. Romero Quimbo, the chief prosecution spokesman, said CJ Corona would not be donating the property which was not mentioned in his SALN because they would be seized by the government. Well, what’s the number of real estate property of CJ Corona that you’re now claiming he owned?

 Going by the presentation of witnesses and documents, I’d say that the focal point of the impeachment trial is not the valuation of the real estate properties or the time of their inclusion in the SALN of the Chief Justice but rather his bank accounts. I sure hope he would personally appear at the trial and testify on his behalf to explain these.

The Paranaque City Regional Trial Court Judge Fortunito Madrona of RTC Branch 274 on Wednesday formally begun hearing the murder case of former actor Ramgen Revilla nearly seven months after the killing.

Prosecutors presented the head of the follow-up section of the Parañaque police that arrested the two accused gunmen, Roy Francis Tolisora and Michael Jay Nartea, as their first witness.

Taking the witness stand, SPO4 Charlie Bayoca told the court that the arrests of Tolisora and Nartea were prompted by the information provided by their star witness, Ruel Puzon, a self-confessed hired gun allegedly contracted by Revilla’s siblings.

Puzon told police that he was with the original group recruited by one Ryan Pastera that tried to barge into Ramgen’s room at the Revilla’s residence in BF Homes, Paranaque, a few weeks before the October 28 murder.

The murder plot was aborted when they heard a gun being cocked from inside the room and Puzon later said he backed out of the plan, leading Pastera to contact Tolisora and Nartea.

Ramgen’s brother, Ramon “RJ” Joseph, 18, the principal accused, was present in the hearing. Ramgen’s girlfriend, Janelle Manahan, who survived the attack, did not appear.

Wearing the standard yellow shirt for police detainees, RJ expressed confidence that he will be allowed to post bail, although murder is a non-bailable offense, since the prosecution’s case rest on flimsy evidence and suspect testimonies of their witnesses.

“I did not commit the crime and we have strong evidence to prove that I was not involved in this case. I am confident of being acquitted and that I will be post bail,” RJ said as he was being led out of the courtroom by members of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.

Two other Ramgen’s siblings, Maria Ramona Belen or Mara and Maria Ragelyn or Gail were also charged for their alleged roles in the crime.

By: Rita Linda V. Jimeno

Twenty-five years ago, when I was barely into my second year of practice as a new lawyer, a client was referred to me. She and her widowed mother were desperately in need of a lawyer they could trust. The lawyer their family trusted deceived and defrauded them. Before they could understand what he was up to, he had succeeded in selling practically all their valuable properties and pocketed all the proceeds from the sale.

That lawyer, who started from nothing except his guile and legal cunning—which he used to promote injustice—now owns two buildings and has been living in undeserved comfort. I write about my client because she died two weeks ago. I went to her wake which was held in a small house in a remote subdivision in Caloocan City. It broke my heart to see her remains lie in state in such stark simplicity, knowing she grew up with the proverbial silver spoon. Her father had provided well for her and her mom, giving them a life of luxury. But when her father died, the lawyer they trusted to settle the estate left by her father took away their fortunes including the ancestral home in a city which served as the symbol of their prominence in the community.

Perhaps, the legal battles she had waged for the past 25 years against the lawyer have taken their toll on her health. Her mom, who used to be a Doña, died much earlier in despair at seeing all their bountiful riches gone. We had succeeded in getting the lawyer disbarred. To this day, however, we are still in court trying to recover the properties he had fraudulently sold to other persons who knew that he had no power to dispose of them.

The Supreme Court, in his disbarment case, had clearly pronounced that the properties fraudulently disposed of by him, must be deemed to not have been transferred at all and should be returned to the mother and daughter even if the properties may have passed on to innocent purchasers. But implementing the Supreme Court ruling regarding the property issues, embodied in the disbarment decision, proved to be a tough challenge. Trial courts still allowed the disbarred lawyer, acting for himself or though lawyers, to delay and frustrate the spirit of the Supreme Court’s pronouncement in the disbarment case. It is not easy to understand why justice is, sometimes, so elusive and why evil prevails at all in the world. I can only rest in my faith that there is a day of reckoning for every wrong one does to another.

Lawyers who belong to the same breed as that one, who victimized my clients, give the legal profession a bad name. Because of them, jokes about lawyers’ greed and questionable character are a common fare. Ironically, many lawyers get scammed, too; sometimes, because of naivete and a trusting nature. More often, because of greed. There is a scam unique to the legal profession perpetrated through the social media networks. The modus operandi of the con artists goes like this: an e-mail is received by a law firm from an alleged foreign company asking if the firm could handle a collection case against a local company which owes them a big amount of money.

When one tries to be diligent by searching the Internet if such companies exist, one would find that, indeed, the creditor and the debtor companies both exist. Before the law firm could do its job of writing a demand letter to the debtor company; or filing a case in court for the purported client; the alleged client soon sends an e-mail that the debtor company has finally promised to pay within a certain period. And because the foreign company needs a representative in the country to receive the payment; and to file a legal suit in case the payment does not come through, the law firm’s service is engaged with a commitment that if payment is received, the law firm shall be entitled to an agreed percentage. Then, to the law firm’s joy, a check in hundreds of thousands of US dollars is delivered, payable to the law firm. The alleged client sends an e-mail that the law firm should deposit the check in its account and may deduct its retainer’s fee in full even if no legal work has actually been done.

The law firm then deposits the check into its dollar account, eagerly anticipating substantial earnings from an effortless deal. After the deposit, in a day or two later, the alleged client will make an urgent call to the lawyer pleading that while the check is being cleared, if he could advance 50 per cent of the amount immediately. The alleged client will then explain that his company urgently needs the funds now and is willing to give the lawyer the other 50 percent of the entire proceeds of the check, even if the agreed lawyers’ fee was only between five and 20 per cent. Lawyers who get stunned and tempted by the generous offer will only be too glad to advance 50 percent of the face value of the check and immediately remit it to the account of the alleged client. Then the check turns out to be a dud but by then the lawyer would have advanced millions in pesos to an impostor whose real identity is not known. It will be too late for the lawyer to know that the company name used, though existing, does not have in its employ any person by the name of the con artist.

There is an old Filipino adage that says: Matalino man ang matsing napaglalalangan din (Even a wise a monkey gets fooled.) To the naïve ones out there: the rule of thumb is, when something is too good to be true, chances are, it is not for real.

President Benigno Aquino III has appointed new government officials, including an undersecretary at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Malacañang said on Saturday.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte, in a radio interview over drRB Radyo ng Bayan, said that Jesus Yabes was chosen to be the new DFA undersecretary for migrant affairs' workers replacing Esteban Conejos Jr.

Yabes' appointment will take effect on July 30.

Valte did not mention why Conejos was replaced and if he would be appointed to another post.

She said Yabes is not new in the DFA since he is currently the country's ambassador to Pakistan and he also became the deputy chief of mission of the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo, consulate general in Hong Kong, and consul general in China.

"So yes, Undersecretary Yabes is not new to the foreign service," she said.

Valte said that the President also named Amelia Guevarra as an acting undersecretary of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). She was appointed on April 17.

Prior to her appointment, Guevarra was the executive director of the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development of the DOST.

Moreover, Aquino also named Minnie Aquino as register of deeds 3 of the Land Registration Authority; Fritzie Sanoria as member of the Provincial Board in the second district of Negros Oriental; and Edgar Tabacon as acting director 3 of the Department of Public Works and Highways.

Not just one but four Pinoys have been tapped to become torchbearers in this year’s Olympics.
Out of the thousands and thousands of “inspiring individuals” chosen for the rare privilege of carrying the Olympic torch, a quintessential symbol of the Olympic Games-- Pinoys Steven Cheung, Reymund Enteria, Joven Mallo and Marcy Reyes were among the “7,300” confirmed Torchbearers so far who are set to fill the 8,000 mark.

In the April 25 report of GMA News Online, Reyes, 47, an executive housekeeper of Holiday Inn expressed how honored he was to be part of such momentous event.

“Para sa akin, once in a lifetime experience talaga. Personally, the [torch’s] flame represents ‘yung aking pagmamahal at commitment sa aking family, work at community.”

On the other hand, Mallo, a 29-year-old sales and services assistant in Crowne Plaza Manila excitedly opened up about the overwhelming amount of people congratulating him for his feat.

“Sa totoo lang, hindi ko akalain na mapipili ako. Marami po akong mga kakilala na nagsasabi good luck. Nagpapasalamat din po ako at isa ako sa napili. Excited na rin po ako! Grateful din po ako sa mga tumulong sa akin para makapasok po ako.”

Reyes and Mallo were apparently two of the eight delegates who will represent InterContinental Hotel’s Group (IHG), one of the largest hotel chains in world, which has Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn hotels under its wings.

In a recently issued statement by IHG they elaborated why they chose their two employees to become torchbearers.

“Mallo was chosen for his heroic act during Typhoon Ondoy (2009), instead of fleeing to safety with his belongings, he chose to stay and brave the flood to rescue his old neighbor that he barely even knew,” the release read.

Meanwhile, Reyes, who has been working for Holiday Inn for 19 years, was especially chosen above the rest for being an exemplary employee, a mother, and an avid charity worker.

Earlier this month, a post on the Department of Foreign Affairs' (DFA) official website echoed London-based Enteria and Cheung’s collective claim that they would be dedicating their run for all their Kababayans working overseas around the world.

"Being chosen as a torchbearer is a true honor, and I dedicate my run to all my fellow OFWs,” Enteria said.

Cheung, on the other hand, said: "I hope my run does inspire Filipinos and young people everywhere to become more actively engaged in their communities."

Cheung is an Olympic Youth Ambassador for his home borough of Waltham Forest, “responsible for ensuring that the voices of the youth are heard by senior officials,” while Enteria is a Senior Occupational Therapist at the Raphael Medical Centre in Kent specializing in neurological rehabilitation and the mental health of his patients.

The Olympic Flame will be lit in Greece on May 10 and will be flown to Great Britain. The relay will start on May 19.

For 70 days the torch will be passed from runner to runner across Britain. It will arrive at the Olympic Stadium on July 27 for the opening ceremony.

Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Cuisia has demanded Barry to apologize to Filipino nurses for his “deplorable” remark.

According to a Washington Post report, the Councilmember was quoted as saying he wanted more District residents from Columbia to become nurses so hospitals don’t have to rely on “immigrants” from the Philippines.

“In fact, it’s so bad, that if you go to the hospital now, you’ll find a number of immigrants who are nurses, particularly from the Philippines. And, no offense, but let’s grow our own nurses, so that we don’t have to be scrounging around in our community clinics and other kinds of places, having to hire people from somewhere else,” he said.

Cuisia found Barry’s remark “intolerant” and “narrow-minded.”

“Council-member Barry’s penchant for blaming Asians, who only want to work for their American dream, fuels racism, discrimination, and violence. He owes Filipino nurses an apology for his recent tirade,” the ambassador said.

He added that the Philippines, being the biggest supplier of registered nurses, has become a major player in the global healthcare market amid a global nursing shortage.

“Filipino nurses are known to be competent, hardworking, caring, and possess good work ethic. These are some of the reasons why most patients prefer and trust them. Like many good citizens, they pay their taxes and contribute to the American economy,” Cuisia pointed out.

However, according to the same Washington Post report, Barry insisted that his statement was taken out of context and that he was merely stating a fact.

This was not the first time the District Council-member was censured for his “racist” comments.

Earlier this month, Barry was forced to apologize after referring to Asian-owned businesses as “dirty shops.”

Pound-For-Pound world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao earned the top four spot of the Forbes magazine’s Most Influential Athletes of 2012.

Pacquiao is the only boxer present on the list.

Pacquiao's promoter, Bob Arum, said, in Ringtv.com, he is not surprised with the boxer's high ranking.

He said, "It's well-deserved...I've never promoted anyone like him."

Arum is known for promoting, among others, world-renowned boxers Muhammad Ali and Roberto Duran.

The list is based on the latest polls conducted by Nielsen Media Research and E-Poll Market Research on over 1,100 adults.

The candidates were assessed on their likeability and “whether they’re considered influential.”

Included in the top 10 are (1) Jimmie Johnson, Nascar; (2) Tim Tebow, NFL; (3) Peyton Manning, NFL; (5) Tom Brady, NFL; (6) Aaron Rodgers, NFL; (7) Dale Earnhard Junior, Nascar; (8) Drew Brees, NFL; (9) Eli Manning, NFL; and (10) Jeremy Lin, NBA.

Having attractive friends will make you more popular on Facebook, especially if you are a woman, according to a new study that takes Charles Darwin into the domain of cyber networking.

The findings show that signs of reproductive fitness sway our decisions about friendship, Dutch researcher Piet Kommers told AFP.

“People are attracted by other people who look very healthy, happy and productive in a sexual sense. That is an accepted evolutionary law,” he said.

“The very pure healthiness aspect is still dominant. It is hard to suppress that.”

The University of Twente team created four mockup Facebook profiles using pictures of a man and a woman deemed “neutral” for attractiveness in a pre-test evaluation.

Two profile pages were created for each of them.

One page had photographs of two attractive “friends” — a man and a woman — and the other had two unattractive ones.

The profiles were otherwise identical, listing the owners’ place of residence, birth date, interests and favourite movies, music and TV shows.

Scientists then showed the profiles at random to 74 students between the ages of 21 and 31, asking them to rate the profile holder’s “social attractiveness”.

Participants had to consider such questions as “I think he/she could be a friend” or “He/she would be pleasant to be with”.

The respondents were a whopping 20 percent likelier to choose the profile with “attractive” friends, the investigators found.

“The appearance of one’s Facebook friends in fact influences the perception of the profile owner,” the study said.

“More specifically, the attractiveness of one’s associates on Facebook has a direct positive influence on one’s own social attractiveness.”

Having beautiful friends was especially important for the popularity of women, it found.

The study was published Monday in the International Journal of Web Based Communities.

The authors note that the opposite is also true. Having unattractive images could harm the appeal of individuals and businesses using social networking sites, they warn.

show no mercy to Filipino nurse Jonathan Aquino

Jonathan Aquino abusing an elderly patient

Taken from nextping.com

 Filipino nurse Jonathan Aquino was sentenced to 18 months in jail for mauling his patient Maria Worroll almost a year ago in Kentish Town, North London.

 Jonathan Aquino’s violent acts were caught in a video when Jane Carroll, Maria’s daughter, hid a camera in the bedroom after suspecting a maltreatment of her mother. 

The video showed Aquino hitting the 80-year-old Alzheimers patient in the face and then slapping her arms several times.

He then hit her abdomen four times. Judge Henry Blacksell QC of Blackfriars Court issued the one and a half year sentence, adding that the act was “distressing for anybody to have to watch what’s contained on the footage.”

Aquino, 30, admitted the violent assault and ill treatment of the frail elderly.

The annual advocacy concert brings together on stage some of the best local acts, as well as experts and environmentalists who speak about the problems that plague Mother Earth. The event is held in conjunction with the worldwide observance of Earth Day every April.

“Music is one of the few things that bind people. Put instructive and inspiring messages behind it and you have a powerful medium that can spark change,” Bonnevie told the Inquirer in a recent press con.

Bonnevie stressed that learning about our environment doesn’t have to be tedious. She recalled being invited to perform in an Earth Day celebration at the Quezon Memorial Circle in 1999: “I found the event enlightening but I thought it could use a little more pop. There wasn’t much of a crowd participating. The people present were really just the environmentalists … the goal is for everyone to join.”

That motivated Bonnevie to organize free shows that would promote the advocacy. She consulted the late environmentalist Odette Alcantara and, in 2000, mounted the first “Earth Day Jam” which she called “Earth Born” in Subic. The gig featured Barbie’s Cradle, Put3ska and the Manila Youth Symphony Orchestra.

Open heart: “I’ve realized that you don’t have to be an expert to help,” she said. “You only need an open heart.”

In 2007, Bonnevie received the Fr. Satur Neri award for Environmental Heroism from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, Unesco, the Climate Institute and Department of Education.

In its 12th edition, “Earth Day Jam” will be held on Saturday, 6 p.m. at the 9th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. The concert is expected to last till the wee hours. Music lovers can expect a mix of genres ranging from reggae and samba, to alternative rock and acoustic.

Joining Bonnevie are Noel Cabangon, Radioactive Sago Project, True Faith, Nina, Juris, Sino Sikat, Bloomfields, Imago, Mayonnaise, Kjwan, Tanya Markova, Peace Pipe, Nyko Maca and Gafieira, El_Martinos, and many others.

Between sets, representatives from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and other government agencies will give short talks and play videos about their latest projects, and other earth-related topics.

NGOs like Greenpeace will set up booths where people can sign up for various campaigns, and purchase organic food and products.

A glittering rock star welcome awaits Philippine Senator Miriam Santiago when she arrives to join the international criminal tribunal based in this stolid Dutch city of world renown. She will return to the Philippines after the festivities to wait for the tribunal to call her for duty.

Guests from all over Europe and the United States will grace the festivities prepared by the many admirers of the new member of the tribunal. Driving the welcome wagon are top officials of the ICC, or the Interdisciplinary Collegium of Castigators.

Members of the ICC’s worldwide network are self-styled master naggers, complainers, jeerers, hecklers, scolds and know-it-alls who take pride in showing that they’re better than anyone else.

“Madam Santiago is, how you say it, ze best practitioner of our art!” yelled Alain Sacrebleu, the Paris-based ICC president. “We have une big, big bienvenue for her.”

Members of the group are known to boo slightly less-than-perfect tenors and sopranos during opera performances at La Scala in Milan. They also heckle academic lecturers, standup comedians and speakers at various political meetings and conferences worldwide. Their forays in courtrooms, however, are relatively rare.

“Ah, but Madam Santiago is a castigatress par excellence,” Sacrebleu boasted. He patronizingly explained that Santiago specializes in over-the-top hectoring in a court of law. “Is beautifully terrific, yes, her way of humiliating ze castigatee!”

The ICC is practically emptying its treasury to host a gala dinner on May 17 at the five-star Carlton Ambassador Hotel, where Santiago will be awarded the medal of the Légion d’Horreur for her “unique achievements” in judicial abuse.

Exclusive Royal dinner: Meanwhile, diplomats are discreetly jostling for an invitation to the exclusive royal banquet honoring Santiago at the luxurious Hotel des Indes on May 18, hosted by Bristol Myers Squibb Ltd., makers of Monopril, the best-selling blood pressure medication.

Don Tavistroke, a Bristol Myers executive from London, said his company is pulling out all the stops to ensure an affair to remember. Bristol Myers hopes to make Santiago the ballistic “Before” poster girl for its new global advertising drive. Aung San Suu Kyi, the Myanmar leader, will be the inspirational “After.”

Santiago has excellent “high-blood pressure capabilities,” according to Tavistroke. In judicial proceedings it can zoom way up without making her keel over. “It’s her trademark courtroom tactic for driving a point home. ‘You made my BP rise!’ means you’re stupid.”

But it could have killed her by now, if she didn’t medicate, Tavistroke warns. “So she’s a perfect demo specimen for our wonder drug.” A world tour is not out of the question, he said.

The other ICC mum: As for the other ICC, the better-known International Criminal Court where Santiago has been appointed judge, officials kept mum about any plans for welcoming their newest colleague. Court spokeswoman Candace B. Reill tersely read an official statement to reporters:

“As far as this ICC is aware, the Assembly of States Parties gave a nine-year term to a brilliant, astute, compassionate, and poised barrister who is the first Filipino and first Asian from a developing country to sit in the tribunal, which tries crimes against humanity. So help us, God.”

Santiago was named to the world body before her brash and much criticized performance in the impeachment of the chief justice of the Philippines, where at one time she loudly castigated prosecutors as stupid.

Just days after her controversial performance made the news, some ICC judges were seen wandering aimlessly in the court’s hallways, in their robes, mumbling to themselves, “Wha—she’ll be with us for, oh jeez, nine years? What do we do now?”

Object of close scrutiny: Santiago is also the guest of honor at the 45th World Transference of Freudians, or WTF, on May 20. She will give the keynote speech at a grand salon at the surreal, Dali-designed Hotel Cathexis. Convention organizers have ordered hundreds of couches for the intimate event.

“It is our dream to observe and study this famous jurist. Her behavior inspires many Freudian psychoanalysts, BTW,” WTF vice president Dr. Oedipus Angst of Vienna let slip.

“Sometimes a judge is just a judge,” Angst noted, “but Madam Santiago symbolically likes to seize her male opponents by the crotch, shall we say, and crack their, uh, how to put it delicately–she shows a lot of peanuts envy.”

Dubious hosts : However, in the nearby seaside neighborhood of Scheveningen, an altogether different crowd of revelers will descend on the boardwalk and proceed to Holland Casino on May 22. A strange organization is hosting an unseemly, all-night champagne and caviar, no-holds-barred “reception for Judge Miriam.”

“It’s a grand party with her as the cynosure of all eyes,” gushed Sir Inman Paine, the English chairman of the Organisation for the Exploration of Sado-Masochism, or ORGESM.

“Philippinos should be proud that Missy Miriam is arguably the most accomplished dominatrix of our time,” Paine moaned.

“In her presence, all our masochists will suffer deliciously, while our sadists will ecstatically like to watch. Whips, chains optional. It will be more fun,” he added.

A skeptical reporter asked Paine if Santiago even knew that his group was honoring her. Perhaps ORGESM was just cashing in on the publicity she was getting to draw a huge turnout to their orgy.

Paine beggingly responded, “Go ahead, Mr. Reporter. Libel me! I can take it like your slave. Yess! Hohhmigawd! YEHSSS!!”

FLASH: Probably shamed into action by the flurry of unofficial receptions for Santiago, the International Criminal Court, through its public information office, finally announced that it is hosting an official welcome for her after all.

“In keeping with the dignified character of the institution,” the announcement read, “the reception will be a low-key dinner at Garoeda, a traditional rijstafel restaurant. It will be Dutch treat.”

Well, people will now have to think twice before mocking Pinoys' use of the English language.

The Philippines was named the world’s best country in business English proficiency, even beating the United States, according to a recent study by GlobalEnglish Corporation.

GlobalEnglish has released early this month the results of its annual Business English Index (BEI), the only index that measures business English proficiency in the workplace.

For 2012, results showed that from 76 represented countries worldwide, only the Philippines attained a score above 7.0, "a BEI level within range of a high proficiency that indicates an ability to take an active role in business discussions and perform relatively complex tasks."

“This is particularly interesting because the Philippines, a country with one-tenth of the population of India, recently overtook India as a hub for call centers. Over 400,000 Filipinos are now employed in call centers, roughly 50,000 more than in India,” the study said.

The Philippines, which scored 7.11 and the lone country in the intermediate level, were joined by Norway (6.54), Estonia (6.45), Serbia (6.38) and Slovenia (6.19) in the top five.

GlobalEnglish noted that a country’s business English capability is an indicator of its economic growth and business success.

“It is not surprising that both the Philippines and Norway—the only two countries in the top five in both 2011 and 2012—are improving their economies, based on the latest GDP data from the World Bank,” it added.

Meanwhile, struggling economic powers (Japan, Italy and Mexico) and fast-growth emerging markets (Brazil, Columbia and Chile) scored below a 4.0 in business English proficiency, placing them at a disadvantage when competing in a global marketplace, the study said.

It also pointed out that shifts in global talent have put even English-speaking countries at risk.

“Surprisingly the BEI score for global workers in the U.S. declined from 6.9 to 5.09 since the original 2011 BEI benchmark, which is attributed to a majority of test takers being foreign-born engineers and scientists,” the report said.

Rest of the world ranked beginner and basic level

Based on a scale of 1-10, the average 2012 BEI score across 108,000 test takers around the world is 4.15 which is lower than last year’s 4.46.

Nearly four out of 10 (38.2 percent) global workers from 76 countries were ranked as business English beginners, meaning that, on average, they can’t understand or communicate basic information during virtual or in-person meetings, read or write professional emails in English or deal with complexity and rapid change in a global business environment, the study said.

Meanwhile, the majority of global workers (60.5 percent) from the represented countries scored between a 4.0 and 7.0, below an intermediate level, indicating an inability to take an active role in business discussions or perform relatively complex tasks such as presentation development and customer or partner negotiations, it added.

GlobalEnglish stressed that the 2012 BEI which showed a lack of business English proficiency is threatening the productivity of companies, industries and country-specific economies this year.

“Poor Business English skills are bad for global businesses and this year’s Business English Index suggests that many companies will be hard-pressed to achieve their desired performance goals during 2012,” said Tom Kahl, GlobalEnglish President.

“Addressing English skills gaps and ensuring that employees can immediately perform at the necessary proficiency level should be viewed as a strategic imperative for multinational businesses, as Enterprise Fluency, the ability to seamlessly communicate and collaborate within global organizations, can deliver significant financial upside,” Kahl added.

Headquartered in Brisbane, California, GlobalEnglish works with multinational companies – including Cisco, Procter and Gamble, HSBC, Phzer – to support performance in business English across the workforce around the world.

Here's the list of the 10 best and worst countries in the world for business English proficiency based on GlobalEnglish's 2012 BEI:

10 Best Countries: Philippines, Norway, Serbia, Slovenia, Australia, Malaysia, India, Lithuania, Singapore, Canada

10 Worst Countries: Armenia, Cote d'Ivoire, Taiwan, Honduras, Columbia, Chile, El Salvador, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Brazil

Passing the University of the Philippines’ College Admission Test (UPCAT) with top marks, Charlton Sean Gaerlan II started his university life at the podium, addressing newbies like himself at a welcome assembly in 2007 about the challenges and expectations they faced as students.

Finishing his degree with highest honors five years later, the Oblation scholar was once again tasked to speak to his batchmates, reminding them this time that being an Iskolar ng Bayan never stops upon graduation.

With his mom proudly looking on, Charlton Sean Gaerlan II talks to UP’s graduating class of 2012 about duty, respect, and proving oneself worthy of the title Iskolar ng Bayan.

“Bilang mga Iskolar ng Bayan, inaasahang malaki ang ating maiaambag para sa tunay na pag-unlad ng ating bansa,” said Gaerlan during UP’s 101st commencement exercises in Diliman on Sunday.

The College of Business Administration’s (CBA) top student this year represented close to 4,000 candidates from Batch 2012, which produced 862 cum laude, 222 magna cum laude, and 19 summa cum laude graduates.

“When I gave my speech in front of fellow freshmen, I was apprehensive because I felt that I would have to prove myself to them during our stay in UP and not just be all talk,” Gaerlan told GMA News Online. “Giving the speech in front of my fellow graduates made me realize that I have to live up to my words once again.”

Thousands of UP students in attendance rejoice as they shift their sablays to their left shoulders, signifying that they have officially graduated from the university.

The 21-year-old business administration and accountancy student finished at the top of his college’s class with a weighted average grade of 1.134, which also made him the university’s fifth top student this year. He now prepares for the October board exams to be a certified public accountant.

“I’ve known Chase since first year and all I can say is he has never let his successes get into his head,” said Englebert Chua, Gaerlan’s classmate and chairperson of CBA’s local student council.

Both of them were given awards for special services they rendered to the college during a recognition ceremony earlier on Sunday.

“Yet, behind all the achievements and distinctions, you can see that taong-tao rin si Chase,” Chua added about Gaerlan, who he called “a natural genius in everything he does.”

Gaerlan, however, thought of himself as “a typical student who hung out with friends a lot, spent a lot of time with my orgmates, made time for school activities, and found some of my college subjects difficult.”

“I exerted as much effort as my batchmates,” he added. “But I was fortunate to have higher grades.”

Chase, with parents Lt. Col. Charlton Sean M. Gaerlan and Atty. Aileen L. Duremdes.
The class valedictorian of Baguio City National High School fell in love with UP thanks to his lawyer mom and military officer dad, who both studied in the university.

“(They) told me a lot of humorous stories of academic mishaps and blunders, coupled with tales of personal and academic achievements,” said Gaerlan. Seeing UP students with an “air of confidence” during his campus visits, he said “there was that feeling that I wanted to belong, so I eventually chose to study in UP.”

He shared in his speech that UP strengthened his resolve to stand by his principles and protect it when necessary, a lesson instilled in him by his parents.

“Subalit kaakibat nito ay ang pagbibigay-galang sa paniniwala ng iba bagama’t taliwas ang ilan sa mga ito sa aking paniniwala,” he said on stage.

While the next six months will be spent reviewing for the board exam, he looks forward to teaching in UP someday.

Fresh graduates flock to the Oblation for their obligatory souvenir photos. According to urban legend, undergrads who have their pictures taken before receiving their diplomas won't graduate on time.
“I want to be able to uphold the culture of excellence my professors have imparted to me when I was a student,” said Gaerlan. “They inspired me so much that I, too, want to be an inspiration to a new generation of students.”

In his speech, he said that UP students had different methods of addressing their concerns, but the aim was just the same: “ang maipakita ang ating tunay na pagmamalasakit sa kapwa at ang pagtulong sa abot ng ating makakaya kahit na tayo ay may sariling suliranin at responsibilidad.”

Gaerlan himself balanced his time in studying for six-hour (or longer) advanced accountancy exams, preparing for interschool competitions, and serving as Vice President for Education and Research in the UP Junior Philippine Institute of Accountants.

“To survive UP, one must always (be) constantly on his/her toes and continuously improve. Being classmates with the best and the brightest in the country is not easy,” Gaerlan told GMA News Online. “One must always push himself/herself and strive for the best so as not to be left behind by others.”

For now, he and his batchmates will rest from all the academic and co-curricular load of the university.

“Ngunit bukas o makalawa, muli tayong magplano at magsumikap,” he told them from the podium. “Maging karapat-dapat tayo sa bansag at pagkilala sa atin bilang mga tunay na Iskolar ng Bayan.”

Filipino children entering kindergarten and Grade 1 will be able to read before they enroll in Grade 2, Education Secretary Armin Luistro assured President Beningno Aquino III during formal rites launching the Kindergarten to Grade 12 (K-12) in Malacañang Tuesday.

“Masisiguro natin na bawat bata ay marunong nang bumasa bago tumuntong ng Grade 2,” Luistro declared.

The Education chief also updated President Aquino on the K-12 implementation details. He said the summer training program for school teachers who will implement the new Grade 1 and Grade 7 curricula began last week and will end in May.

He also assured that the printed teaching guides and learning modules will be in the hands of Grade 1 and Grade 7 teachers before the next school year starts in June.

Grade 7 is the first year of the six years of high school in K-12. Senior high school will be phased in when School Year 2016-2017 starts.

Activity sheets are also being printed for teachers and pupils at the kindergarten level.

Luistro, who was president of the De La Salle University before he agreed to take the helm of the Department of Education, had earlier said that most private schools have been implementing K-12 for some years now and so that sector need only reflect curricular changes.

“Mapapagbuti  na  natin  ang kaalaman ng mga mag-aaral sa Agham at Matematika  sa  pagsusulong  ng spiral  approach sa  ating  bagong curriculum,” the DepEd chief said.

He admitted though that the new curriculum is not perfect and can stand improvement.

“Mapapagbuti  na  natin  ang kaalaman ng mga mag-aaral sa Agham at Matematika  sa  pagsusulong  ng spiral  approach sa  ating  bagong curriculum ayusin.  Babantayan  namin  sa  unang  taon ng  pagpapatupad  at  lalong  paiigtingin  at itataas  ang  antas,” Luistro explained.

Senator Edgardo J. Angara expressed support for the K-12 program of the DepEd.

"The proposed K to 12 reform—and the wholesale changes aimed at strengthening our educational system—is not only timely, but long overdue," Angara said in a statement.

"The call for educational reforms was sounded off three decades ago, back when I led the chaired the Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM)... But through the resolve of the DepEd, headed by Secretary Armin Luistro, we will finally start delivering world-class education to a larger number of Filipinos at relatively no cost to them," he added.

The chairman of the Senate committee on education, arts and culture said the country "cannot afford to delay this any further. The National Statistical Coordinating Board (NSCB) has warned[1] that over the past decade, the number of college students who graduate each year has not increased fast enough to meet the growing needs of our population."