Sought for comment on the matter by one of her Twitter followers, the Megastar posted on Jan. 24, “She stole my pose but I think she’s beautiful! Hahahaha!”

On Wednesday last week, Sharon addressed KC also on Twitter, saying, “tutti! I’m nervous about rogue! Did u stay your decent self or steal my future daring pose?!!”

KC’s reply read, “I’m nervous too! Kasi I did the future daring pose. Hahaha don’t look na! :)”

In white one-piece swimsuit-like garb and with her recently-cut hair brushed up, the actress-host posed with her back to the camera while looking over her shoulder. Props included were a wooden bust of a man by her feet, and KC’s pet ball python named Coco wrapped around her left wrist.

Reactions from netizens have mostly been on the positive side.

“Smokin’ HOT!!! I’ve been waiting sooo long for KC to be the cover girl of #Rogue..MUST HAVE MAG for ds yr :))” user @aelohomora17 tweeted on Monday.

“Danggg! #RogueJanFeb2012 Ms. @kc_concepcion Way to start Rogue’s New Year, talk about Man Slayer-literally! #WomenEmpowerment,” @dnsd4lyf said.

Director Yam Laranaz tweeted, “love KC’s cover! Very very sexy cool :-)” while TV personality-model Bianca Gonzales said that the cover was “nicely done!!”

It also turned out that some netizens have been decoding symbolisms allegedly found on the cover.

User @thysz observed, “KC as Medusa. That severed head looks like Pi… nevermind.”

Artist JP Cuison went as far as specifying certain elements as seen in a photo posted on his Facebook account, such as the snake which supposedly meant “a reptilian representation of treachery and deceit”; and the word “roué,” which was originally the magazine title but KC’s head covered the letter G, which meant “a dissolute man in a fashionable society.”

For her part, KC found JP’s interpretation “quite interesting.”

Renowned photographer Mark Nicdao, who shot KC for Rogue, explained via Twitter on Monday that the cover “is open for interpretation. Up to you what you want to see.” However, he said that Cuison’s interpretation was “astig.”

In other tweets, he shared, “During the shoot I saw genuine happiness and contentment from Kc. she’s moved on:-) one of our bravest shoot.:-)” and “The photos inside you’ll see the new and improved stronger Kc:-) a new year indeed. The article is a Must Read.”

In a tweet posted also on Wednesday last week, KC explained what her Rogue issue is about: “Women have a strength they might not always believe they have…” and “is all about trusting in the truth & finding ur strength. :)”

“We’re seeing each other,” Aquino told reporters in an ambush interview at the 25th anniversary celebration of the Philippine Information Agency in Quezon City on Wednesday.

He did not provide further details, citing his constitutional right to privacy.

“I think I’ll leave it at that,” Aquino said.

The news was first shared by controversial radio host Mo Twister, who is currently in the United States. He said on Twitter: “We are talking about Grace Lee’s date last night with President Aquino. #itsmorefuninthephilippines.”

This after a certain Adrian Abella tweeted Mo Twister: “Just asked Grace Lee if it’s true that she had dinner with President Aquino. She said she did.”

Asked about the supposed date last week, Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said: “We do not comment on private matters of the President.”

Lee, for her part, denied a newspaper report claiming that she admitted dating Aquino. “I never said we dated. Nor did I say we are text mates. Nor that he comes to visit me,” she said on Twitter.

Aquino first met 29-year-old Lee last year during the inauguration of the Korea Electric Power Corp. power plant in Cebu, where the latter was a co-host.

“Pati ang bisita nating si Miss Grace Lee, kala ko tuloy Pinay, eh. Hindi nga pala, Korean. Pero pati ‘yung mga Korean na dumarating talagang gwapa lahat. Kailangan yatang buhayin ang Malacañang sa Sugbu. Baka dito na rin tayo magkatuluyan,” the President said in his speech during the event.

Aquino, 51, is said to be lucky during the Year of the Water Dragon, especially in the love department.

“This year, he will have a love life if he is willing to get married… The First Lady is coming out,” Hong Kong-based feng shui master Joseph Chau Kam Shing said early this month.

The bachelor President’s past dates include celebrity stylist Liz Uy and stockbroker Len Lopez. He has also been linked to Bais City Mayor Karen Villanueva, Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, actress Iza Calzado and Sabrina Chua of Singapore-based Channel News Asia.

His former girlfriend, Valenzuela City councilor Shalani Soledad, recently tied the knot with Pasig City Rep. Roman Romulo.

More than 11 million Filipinos live and work in the Middle East, Australia Europe and US. Eleven-hour flights are considered long haul.

“After sixteen years in the airline industry, we are going long-haul,” said Gokongwei. “We’re confident we will succeed in serving millions of Filipinos living and working overseas.”

Cebu Pacific will lease eight new Airbus 330-300, Gokongwei said. It carries up to 400 passengers, allowing the airline to sell the cheapest seats in the business at a 35 percent discount, Gokongwei added.

“This aircraft is very well-suited to the kind of network we want to build and the routes we want to launch,” he said.

Since the airplanes are on lease, Gokongwei noted the airline’s biggest cost is in developing and marketing routes.

“These will be direct flights offered at a lower cost. The aircraft works best from point to point, and flying direct is more convenient and cheaper,” he said.

Cebu Pacific has no long-haul routes yet.

“Any flight within 11 hours to areas where there many Filipinos, we will go to these destinations,” Gokongwei said, notably the US, Europe and Middle East.

More than half of Filipinos deployed in these regions take multiple stops and connecting flights because no home carrier can fly them there non-stop, according to the young tycoon.

He cited Saudi Arabia, saying only 165,000 passengers flew direct non-stop from Manila in 2010 even though 293,000 Filipinos work in the Kingdom.

“With our long haul operations, we will provide more affordable, direct flight options to Filipinos overseas,” he said.

Foreign affairs and defense officials from the Philippines are visiting Washington for preliminary talks, and in Manila last week, leaders told a visiting American Senate delegation that the government would welcome closer military ties. The United States has about 600 troops in the Philippines, many of them trainers assisting in countering terrorist groups in the south.

American military interest in the Philippines is a touchy subject, and both sides appeared to be moving carefully. The American presence in the Philippines began with the capture of the islands from Spain in 1898, introducing decades of near-colonial rule.

The Philippines gained independence in 1946, with the vast American presence often proving an irritant in the country’s uneasy relations with the United States. Resentments sharpened after the ouster of President Ferdinand E. Marcos in a popular uprising in 1986, and within a few years, major American air and naval bases were closed, notably at Subic Bay, long the American hub in Asia.

In Manila, the Philippine defense secretary, Voltaire Gazmin, said the talks in Washington would cover intensifying joint military exercises within the limits of a 1999 accord that lets ships and American troops visit temporarily. “That agreement will prevail,” The Associated Press quoted him as saying.

FULL STORY

Senator Lapid confirmed yesterday that his wife Marissa was arrested but she was released on bail. She will, however, remain in Las Vegas pending the resolution of the case involving the alleged smuggling of $50,000 in cash last November.

He said an American lawyer is now assisting Marissa.

“I have also sought the help of the Department of Foreign Affairs to find out what really happened,he said, adding that he has coordinated with the US embassy in Manila for clarification.

Reports from the US said agents of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Marissa Lapid at the Las Vegas International Airport last Jan. 15.

Marissa’s arrest arose from a US federal warrant issued against her on Jan. 5, 2012 in connection with her earlier arrest on Nov. 27 last year for the dollar smuggling attempt.

US authorities filed an affidavit that said Marissa was caught after she declared to Customs personnel at the Las Vegas airport that she had in her possession only $10,000.

A search of her luggage, however, yielded two socks containing $10,000 each and another $20,000 was recovered inside a cloth bag.

Under US laws, anyone carrying more than $10,000 cash should fill out Customs Form 4790 and submit it to Customs authorities at the point of entry or departure. The possessor must also be prepared to prove legitimate ownership of the cash.

US Customs officials at the Las Vegas airport reportedly seized the $50,000 cash pending investigation of the case.

Apparently, Marissa was released without posting bail and no charges were filed against her pending the investigation.

Lawyer Filmer Abrajano, Sen. Lapid’s chief of staff, said that the information they had received regarding Marissa was still sketchy and he could not say why she was released last November.

Abrajano said that Marissa spent Christmas here in the Philippines.

He said Marissa was nabbed when she returned to Las Vegas last Jan. 15. She was apparently not aware that a case had already been filed against her.

Abrajano declined to give other details upon the instruction of Marissa’s American lawyer in Las Vegas.

Sen. Lapid said that he was informed that a hearing on the case has been set on Feb. 7.

Marissa could be sentenced up to five years in jail, fined up to $250,000, and made to forfeit the $50,000 cash recovered from her if she is convicted of the offense.

The criminal complaint against Marissa cited violation of US laws, regardless of whether or not the $50,000 was acquired legally.

After a court appearance, Marissa was allowed to post bail.

The court reportedly ordered Marissa to surrender her passport, restrict her travel to only within Clark County, Nevada unless the pretrial services office of the court gives her permission to leave.

The court also ordered her to wear an ankle bracelet monitoring device.

Marissa is the mother of former Pampanga Gov. Mark Lapid, now the general manager of the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Authority under the Department of Tourism.

Sen. Lapid and Marissa have four children, with Mark being the youngest.

Personnel at Mark’s tourism office in Manila said their boss left for the US sometime last week with the permission of Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. and that he is on leave without pay.

Sen. Lapid said that Mark is in the US to arrange for his studies at Stanford University.

Not only that, P-Noy could still be smarting from the “epic fail” of the botched matchmaking attempted by his youngest sister Kris, who tweeted, after watching her brother entertain visiting Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra at a lunch reception in Malacañang that she thought the visitor, described as “tall, slim and attractive” was “bagay (a good fit) for P-Noy!”

But a few things stand in the way of a match: Prime Minister Shinawatra apparently has a relationship of long standing with low-key businessman Anusorn Amornchat with whom she has a son, Suparek. Then there is Yingluck’s oldest brother Thaksin, widely regarded as her business and political mentor who is now on self-exile from Thailand, who described his youngest sister as “my clone,” and may not relish losing her to the bachelor president of this country. And as one snippy online commentator huffed, Yingluck’s husband “has thick hair.”

It wasn’t the bald comparison that especially irked P-Noy, though. It was the report (in this paper) that Yingluck, who stands a statuesque (by Asian standards) 5’7”, is an inch taller than the President, who is 5’6”. “I am not 5’6,” nor do I engage in 5-6,” commented P-Noy (in what I hope was a humorous aside), referring to the erroneous report on his height (he claims to be 5’10”) which he likened to the usurious daily lending rate of informal creditors.

* * *

Many of the commentators got on Kris’ case, but this is not the first time the presidential sister, famous for her gift of gab, has given away secrets in the complicated world of show business, including her own life. This may be the first time, though, that she has transgressed into the political arena, and may even have committed a diplomatic faux pas.

“Very polite and diplomatic” is how a long-time observer of Thai culture (who lived in Thailand for some time) describes the prevailing ethos among the Thai. And the impression that Premier Yingluck Shinawatra is single may have been created because her husband has chosen to keep a very low profile. “The spouse may have some influence but never openly intervenes especially if it is the woman who is in control,” writes this observer. “You don’t have a first gentleman like Mike Arroyo hanging around and seen actively pushing things.”

We Pinoys, who tend to see the funny side of things, may think this is all a laughing matter, but “in Thailand the Philippines is fast becoming a laughingstock,” writes the observer. Under Thai culture, he explains, “for a bachelor head of state to be seen in public needing a marriage broker is questionable.” It says something about that leader’s masculinity, for one.

Or it could all be a mistake due to ignorance and a sister’s eagerness to find a good match for her brother. Still, a briefing from the DFA not just for P-Noy and his officials but even for members of his personal family could have saved us all from this embarrassment. Again, another case for banning tweets from anyone remotely connected to official affairs, or invited to official doings. Some things are best kept to personal conversations with trusted confidantes.

* * *

I warned relatives visiting our home in Alfonso, Cavite, over the last weekend that, departing on Sunday morning, they could face considerable delays since they would be passing by Sta. Rosa where the wedding reception of the Romulo-Soledad nuptials was taking place.

Accounts said the reception area would be located around the lagoon of Nuvali, an upscale residential and business development that can be glimpsed from the highway as one drives down toward the South Luzon Expressway.

At least, though, even if they faced a crawling line of cars, commuters could still catch a glimpse of what could easily be the “Wedding of the Year.” Described as a “whirlwind romance,” the Shalani-Roman pairing is less than a year old. But considering the rather mature ages of the principals, I can fully understand why they saw no need for a prolonged courtship or dragged-out engagement. Time’s a-wasting, they may have thought, and it was time for them to get down to the serious business of marriage, which is having children. (All right, building a durable relationship is also part of it!)

And I am so happy for both Councilor Shalani and Congressman Roman that they found each other at the right time in their lives—finding themselves at the right place, mature enough to carry their responsibilities, but still young enough to believe in love and new beginnings.

* * *

I personally thought Shalani would have made an excellent first lady, liking the way she comported herself during the campaign, allowing her privacy to be breached to help P-Noy win the office he sought but without claiming privilege when she felt the limelight should be properly on him.

In the course of things, the relationship had to be sacrificed but I had always been rooting for Shalani to find her own place in the sun. And that apparently is by the side of Roman, who still faces a bright future in politics.

P-Noy was right to choose to spend his own “private time” in Baguio, to yield the limelight to the newlyweds, when his presence would not only have distracted, but also led to needless speculation.

Besides, love or romance does come when you least expect it, and from the most surprising of sources. Our bachelor President may yet surprise us all—and himself as well

Tikoy, hopia, mooncake? Pinoy, Tsinoy? Kung hei fat choi! That means, Wishing you prosperity and wealth. We splurge on getting charms and trinkets and loud firecrackers to drive evil spirits away, attract good luck, good health, and the blessings of long life.

The Chinese in the Philippines figure in practically the entire history of the country. Others say even beyond.

The first Chinese probably arrived in the archipelago as traders. Porcelain from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) unearthed in construction sites are living proof of the civilized interaction between the pre-Hispanic Filipinos and the Chinese.

Today, Filipino-Chinese communities and Sino-cultural enclaves, or “Chinatowns,” bear witness to how trade, commerce and culture flourished and evolved through the centuries. In Cebu, Davao and Manila there is a Chinatown.

The presence of the Chinese in our history is more than enough reason for Malacañang to declare the Chinese New Year as national holiday, practically the first in the calendar year after Jan. 1.

Not to mention that President Benigno C. Aquino III is of Chinese descent, and his middle initial stands for Cojuangco. His great-great grandfather, Co Yu Huan of Hong Chian town in China’s Tongon province arrived in the Philippines in 1861, converted to Catholicism and was baptized as Jose Cojuangco. [See: Cory Aquino's family tree.]

Dancing dragon, smokeless firecrackers

Manila’s Binondo District is, of course, the Chinatown of the Philippines, which the Spaniards established in 1594 as an enclave for the Chinese who have converted, in lieu of the old Parian where the non-converts resided. Binondo is said to be the world’s oldest Chinatown.

More than six centuries later, there is a relatively new product in town —electronic firecracker — that, according to a sales lady in Binondo, is getting a lot of attention. Made in China, of course.

These electronic firecrackers are smokeless, and thus eco-friendly, and are bound to bring in lots of luck as the device can fire “infinite rounds” as long as they are plugged into the electric outlet. They are produced by a company based in Hunan, China, the Liuyan Victory Celebration Product & Equipment Manufacturing Co. Ltd.

The shopkeepers in Binondo are all smiles as customers inquire about the electronic firecrackers and lucky charms — how much, and then haggle for the best deal.

Once a good luck charm is bought and sold, the shopkeeper reveals the secret: harnessing positive energy by uttering certain Catholic prayers, according to the niece of a hardware store owner whose shop is located near the Arch of Friendship marking the southern entrance to Chinatown after Jones Bridge which spans the Pasig River.

The dragon dance, a venerable tradition, also comes as a form of entertainment — and this is the Year of the Dragon.

According to chinesezodiac.com, “the Dragon, occupying the 5th position in the Chinese Zodiac, is the mightiest of the signs.

“Dragons symbolize such character traits as dominance and ambition. Dragons prefer to live by their own rules and if left on their own, are usually successful. They’re driven, unafraid of challenges, and willing to take risks. They’re passionate in all they do and they do things in grand fashion. Unfortunately, this passion and enthusiasm can leave Dragons feeling exhausted and, interestingly, unfulfilled,” it said.

Three days before Jan. 23, when the Chinese New Year starts this year based on the lunar cycle, dragon dance groups like the Strong Dragons led by Ramon Sy start performing on the streets of Binondo and visit certain shops.

The Chinese believe that dancing dragons are harbingers of good luck. To spice up the belief and the experience, shop owners command the dragons to perform tricks in reaching for the ang pao or the money to be given at the end of each performance.

The ang pao — literally meaning “to cover in red paper,” and so a red envelop — filled with money is a traditional way of ushering in the New Year, instead of buying things and wrapping them, says Rachel Chua, elementary math and art teacher at Binondo’s UNO High School. It also symbolizes a blessing, more than a gift, she adds.

Appeasing the gods

The Chinese household appeases the gods in general by offering fish, pork and noodles, usually prepared by the mother, and burn joysticks. Tikoy or nián g?o is the centerpiece of the Chinese household in celebrating the Spring Festival. It is basically a rice cake made out of glutinous rice flour.

Legend has is that a Kitchen God observes the family for a year and goes back to heaven on the eve of the New Year to report how the family has behaved and what punishment or reward it deserves.

Bad behavior portends bad luck for the year to come, and a good family gets good luck.

To keep the Kitchen Gods busy and make it difficult for them to speak, they are given the sticky rice cake.

It is particularly at this time of the year when the Chinese seek deep communion with their gods by talking to their temple monk, who is supposed to be spiritually linked to the gods and saints and other good spirits.

Chua says that problems are supposed to be solved by the seeker through hints and clues spoken by the gods through a Buddhist monk.

Alas, temples are full these days with long queues guaranteeing many hours’ worth of waiting for one’s turn to speak to the holy one.

For those who have neither the patience nor the will to wait in line, there is the puah-puei. Chua describes the puah-puei as a pair of half-moon wooden chips, colored red, each having a flat and a rounded side.

After praying to the gods, and asking for a favor posed as a question — “Will I be totally rich this year?” for instance — a devotee rolls the chips on the floor. Same sides up means no. One flat and one rounded side up means yes. A definitive answer is the result of three consecutive throws with the same results.

A fun celebration

What is most interesting about celebrating Chinese New Year in Binondo is how the community organizes events to keep the traditions alive. The Chinese have decided to hold true to their cultural traditions and beliefs while giving the event a decidedly Filipino twist by making it fun and engaging even for the non-Chinese participants.

Filipino-Chinese ties also thrive as tourists from China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong flock in droves for the holidays. According to Tourism Undersecretary Benito Bengzon Jr., the number of Chinese tourists in the country is consistently high around this time of the year.

He says that the Philippine edge over other destinations is how Filipinos are hospitable and friendly, not to mention fun.

A fourth generation Chinese in her early 20’s echoes Bengzon’s view, noting that their ancestors decided to stay because Filipinos made them feel at home.

Business is brisk at the Tsinoy Food and Merchandising, a snack store on Benavidez Street, and practically all Chinese shops in Binondo. The gods must be happy.- GMA News

The video footage—which Cartago shared with GMA News—showed fragments of the incident, including rows of passengers putting on life vests and a messy kitchen that seemed to be shaking in real time.

As he helped out, Cartago also videotaped his Filipino colleagues—mostly cooks, dishwashers, and waiters—as they ran around, searching every nook and cranny to make sure that nobody was left behind the ship.

Some of the poignant moments in the video include a Filipino cook running to the altar and making a sign of the cross, two Filipinos helping a limping colleague walk, and Filipinos letting the foreign passengers get out of the ship first.

One can also overhear bits like a Filipino consoling a female passenger who was afraid of jumping off the ship. He said: “If something happens, it’s my responsibility, so I hope you understand. You’re going to have to, Madame.”

Panic was evident in the middle of the video, where a Filipino could be heard yelling at a colleague: “Kailangan na natin ibaba, lalo tayong tumatagilid! Lalo tayong sasabit ‘pag lalong tumagilid ‘to!”

By the end of the footage, calm was evident in the dark, where Cartago spoke: “Awa ng Diyos, naka-separate na kami sa mother ship, Concordia.”

For the sake of duty

In an interview with GMA News reporter Sareema Refran, Cartago said: “Basta [para] sa amin, ginampanan po namin ‘yung alam naming magagampanan namin.”

Another Filipino crewmember, Rogelio Barcita, said their team effort only made him prouder of being a Filipino.

“Sa dami dami po, Pilipino ang una pong nagkapagligtas sa mga pasahero, so talagang hindi ko po ikahihiya na Pilipino po ako,” he told GMA News.

Barcita made it back to the Philippines in his kitchen uniform. He had two items with him: a wooden rosary, which he wore around his neck, and a teddy bear—his pasalubong to his two-year-old daughter.

He tearfully handed his humble gift to his child, who—given her age—still seemed confused about the emotional air at the airport’s welcoming area. “Ang regalo ko po sa kaniya ‘yung buhay ko, wala na pong iba,” he said.

‘To the end’

Following the incident, some of the Costa Concordia’s foreign passengers shared their experience to the media, highlighting the Filipino crew’s effort to make sure they made it out safe.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Magsaysay Maritime Corporation—which deployed majority of the 296 Filipinos—said it is “proud of our crew” after receiving the news about their “brave efforts.”

“A French passenger said, ‘Those who helped us were cooks and stewardesses, all Filipinos. They roped themselves together to help us get down to the lifeboats. We were able to get in at the last moment,’” the statement read.

On Friday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) commended the Filipino crewmembers of “Costa Concordia” for their professionalism while the ship was in trouble.

DFA Secretary Albert del Rosario also reassured them of the Philippine government’s continued support and assistance as they recover from their experience.

“You are men and women of courage, heroism and dedication. We commend you for showing to the world the best traits of the Filipino seafarers. In the words of President Benigno S. Aquino III, you are our ‘sailing ambassadors,’” he said.

He said the Philippine Embassy in Rome received important feedback from other crewmembers as well as passengers of the Filipino crewmembers’ “brave acts manifesting competence, professionalism and humanity, even under extreme pressure.”

The DFA “recognizes and appreciates” all the assistance provided to them by the Philippine Embassy in Rome, the Filipino community in Italy, the local residents of Giglio Island, and the relevant Italian authorities, he added.

“We assure you of the Government’s continued support and assistance, as you join your families, recover from your recent sad experience, and return to work at the earliest opportunity,” he said.

Meanwhile, a Reuters report on Friday quoted Giglio Island parish priest Don Lorenzo Pasquotti, who said that “the passengers reached the church first and the crew later, proof that the ship’s staff, unlike the captain, had manned their posts to the end.”

Captain under fire

Barcita was apparently the Filipino cook quoted by the British newspaper The Daily Mirror, which reported that Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino “had a meal with a mystery brunette” and had “sipped drinks in the restaurant and had dessert almost 30 minutes after the collision.”

“Everything was falling apart, including our cooking. I willed myself not to get scared. I peered out and saw the captain was still waiting for his drink. I asked myself why he was still there waiting for his companion’s dessert with what was happening,” he said in the report.

Schettino is also currently under fire after Italian newspapers released the transcript of theaudio recording of his telephone conversation with coast guard official Gregorio Maria De Falco.

On Tuesday, a post on “The Lede” blog of the New York Times site said: “After initially reaching the captain of the ship by radio late Friday night, subsequent calls were unanswered and the Italian Coast Guard finally reached Mr. Schettino by telephone, apparently aboard a lifeboat alongside the stricken liner. He told them he had abandoned the ship, then immediately denied it.”

The transcript of exchanges in Italian, translated in English, showed that De Falco was telling the captain that there are already dead bodies.

When De Falco told the captain to check how many are dead, Schettino replied: “But you realize that it’s dark and here we see nothing…”

“Do you want to go home, Schettino? It’s dark and you want to go home? Go up on the bow of the ship on a rope ladder and tell me what you can do, how many people are there and what they need. Now!” De Falco ordered.

The incident’s death toll went up to 11 on Tuesday, after rescue workers found five bodies in the submerged part of the Italian cruise liner, which carried around 3,000 passengers, Reuters reported.

The 52-year-old Schettino was placed under house arrest on Tuesday after being released from jail, the Mirror said, adding that under Italian law, a captain who abandons his ship before all crew and passengers are accounted for can be jailed for 12 years.

This was said by senior vice president of Coach International Limited, Martyn James, during the grand opening of the D’Luxe Bags Philippines in Barangay Sta. Rosa in Concepcion, Tarlac which is part of the Luen Thai Group that manufactures and exports leather goods under the brand Coach.

“Philippine workers with their skills, dedication and drive have achieved remarkable growth and success for the factory here in Tarlac, where it has grown 20,000 units in nine to 10 months,” James said.

He added his company will be “employing more Filipino talents in the future following the Philippine philosophy on working on the rural areas and building a bigger and more successful business.”

This is because when Luen Thai became a major shareholder in 2008, Coach has grown the business 10 times quicker and bigger, James said.

FULL STORY

Let fairness and speed be the rule for public acceptance and political stability.

* * *

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, presiding officer of the impeachment body, denies for lack of merit Corona’s motions for dismissal of the complaint and preliminary hearing.

The real battle begins. Prepare for bruises and judgment.

* * *

Corona’s defense panel is led by former Supreme Court Associate Justice Serafin Cuevas while the House prosecution panel is led by Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas.

Legal brilliance vs Youthful zest and speed. And a judge who vows not to do a Pontius Pilate.

* * *

In case of setbacks, Corona’s lawyers say they are ready to exercise other legal options.

Options, options vs unfavorable decision or doom?

* * *

“I think the charges leveled against the Chief Justice are very solid. My expectation is that the Senate would look into the accusations and judge based on the evidence that will be presented. I think the evidence is very strong,” President Aquino asserts in an interview.

It’s high voltage for Corona.And high expectation for Angry P-noy.

* * *

But Corona vows to fight all the way, saying “If they want to remove me from my post, they should kill me.”

Uneasy but unbowed is the head that wears the Crown. But cool resolution is the best option.

* * *

The Chief Justice, in a fighting mood, tags at least three persons whom he claim want him ousted as chief magistrate.

It’s someone, somebody, and a former buddy who want him to become a nobody.

* * *

Five of the senator-judges in the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona have fathers who acted over as judges in the trial of former President Joseph Estrada in 2000.

The children also rise to the bloody occasion. Whew!

* * *

And as the impeachment grinds, the Bangko Sentral reports that remittances from overseas Filipinos amounted to more than $18.31 billion last year.

Conclusion: Pinoys at home are politically disruptive while Pinoys abroad are economically productive. He-he!