...committed to serve

Pinay scientist committed to find vaccine vs malaria

By Henni Espinosa

ABS-CBN North America News Bureau

Posted at 01/08/2011

 

 

REDWOOD SHORES, California – A Filipina scientist and researcher has made it her mission to find a vaccine to cure malaria, a leading cause of death in the Philippines.

“Ang malaria kapag napabayaan iyan, nakakamatay. Pupunta iyung parasites sa utak, sa organs sa katawan. Dumadami sila doon tapos kapag hindi nagamot, mamamatay,” said Pamela Magistrado, 36.

Malaria is caused by a parasite that’s transmitted through mosquito bites. At least 57 provinces in the country are malaria-epidemic, putting the lives of 11 million people at risk.

Magistrado’s commitment to find a cure led her to Africa. Magistrado is the first and the only Filipina recipient of the Bill Gates Malaria Scholarship.

“Mayroong mga drugs para sa malaria kaya lang pagkalipas ng ilang taon nagiging resistant 'yung mga parasites sa drugs so kailangan na namang maghanap ng bagong drugs,” said Magistrado.

Magistrado has spent 4 years in Tanzania doing research with other scientists.

Malaria kills a million people annually in Africa. And hundreds of millions more are infected with the disease every year.

“Ang aking research based sa Tanzania, naghahanap kami ng bakuna. For many years, wala pa din bakuna kasi ang hirap nga ng research. Kapag nag-succeed, makakaramdam ako ng self-fulfillment,” she added.

Magistrado and her peers could win a Nobel Prize should they find a vaccine for Malaria. But she said helping save lives is the ultimate reward. Balitang America

...ring masters

Pacquiao is Ring mag's top fighter; Donaire 5th

By JONATHAN PEREZ

01/07/2011

Manny Pacquiao has not thrown a single punch against Floyd Mayweather Jr. but the Fighting Congressman from Sarangani province has once again beaten the brash American boxer outside the ring.

Pacquiao, the reigning World Boxing Organization (WBO) super-welterweight champion, trumped Mayweather in The Ring magazine’s 100 best fighters of the world roster that covers all (17) weight classes.

This is the fourth time Pacquiao earned Ring's top ranking, He now joins the ranks of Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali as the only fighters to achieve the feat. Pacquiao has also topped Ring magazine’s year-end rankings in 2006, 2008 and 2009.

Pacquiao's unanimous decision victory over Joshua Clottey last year and a sensational 12-round demolition of Antonio Margarito to win his record eighth world title belt in as many divisions strengthened his case for the No. 1 spot.

While he had a tough time chasing Clottey inside the ring when the Ghanaian fighter refused to engage him, the Pacman bulldozed his way against Margarito's defense, beating the Mexican to a pulp and breaking his right eye socket in the process.

Ever the gentleman inside the ring, Pacquiao chose to go easy on Margarito in the final two rounds to avoid causing permanent damage on his opponent.

Mayweather came in second in the Top 10 best fighters list, followed by Argentina's Sergio Martinez and Pacquiao's so-called nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico.

Nonito Donaire Jr., another Filipino, placed fifth, while his February 19 opponent, Mexican champion Fernando Montiel, placed seventh in the rankings.

Pongsaklek Wonjongkam of Thailand (sixth), Wladimir Klitschko (eighth), American Timothy Bradley (ninth) and Juan Manuel Lopez (10th) rounded up the Top 10.

 
Pacquiao holds a record of 52 victories (38 KOs), three losses (2 KO) and two draws in his 15-year boxing career. He is scheduled to defend his WBO welterweight title against Mosley on May 7 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Pacquiao also topped the welterweight category, beating nine other boxers that include Mayweather (No. 2), World Boxing Council (WBC) title holder Andre Berto (No. 3), former foes Miguel Cotto (No. 4) and Clottey (No. 6), and 2011 opponent Shane Mosley (No. 5).

Also in the Top 10 list in the welterweight division are International Boxing Federation (IBF) titlist Jan Zaveck of Germany, Ukraine’s Vyacheslav Senchenko, Rafal Jackiewicz of Poland and American Timothy Bradley.

Mayweather's status in question
While Pacquiao has earned the respect of the boxing world, many have questioned what Mayweather has done to deserve his lofty second spot in the rankings.

Mayweather, who is facing legal problems since retiring for the second time, has only fought once in 2010, and has continued to stay out of Pacquiao’s radar.

The Ring editors saw it fit for Mayweather to remain behind Pacquiao in the rankings because of his outstanding win over Mosley last May. It was Mayweather’s lone victory last year to remain unbeaten after 41 fights with 25 KOs.

Heir to Pacquiao’s throne?
Donaire Jr., who many consider as the next top Filipino fighter in the mold of Pacquiao, placed fifth in the pound-for-pound rankings. He made the biggest leap in the rankings, from 17th in the 2009 list.

Donaire, nicknamed "The Filipino Flash," went 3-0 last year with all of his fights ending up either by technical knockout (TKO) or KO. He scored a third-round KO against Manuel Vargas, then followed it up with a TKO in the eighth over Hernan Marquez before ending 2010 with a dominating four-round demolition of Volodymyr Sydorenko.

The San Leandro, California-based Donaire improved his record to 25 wins (17 KO) and one defeat. He has won 24 straight fights and has not suffered a setback since a unanimous decision loss against Rosendo Sanchez early in his professional career.

Donaire is hoping to unify the WBC and WBO bantamweight titles when he goes up against Montiel. – With a report from Carlo Pamintuan

...nature's charm

Nat Geo lists Palawan among the best destinations of 2011

By ROWENA JOY A. SANCHEZ

January 7, 2011

 

MANILA, Philippines - Editors of the world-renowned National Geographic Traveler have listed Palawan in the Philippines among the “20 Best Trips of 2011.”

They lauded the largest province in country for its “limestone karst cliffs, coral atolls, mangrove forests, sugar-white sandy beaches, and extensive fringing reefs [that] create one of the Philippines' most biodiverse terrestrial and marine environments.”

Top spots of Palawan were also highlighted in the National Geographic website:

“On the main island (also named Palawan) near Sabang, hike the three-mile (five-kilometer) Monkey Trail to Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park's navigable underground river. The five-mile (eight-kilometer) coastal rain forest route is home to long-tailed macaques, blue-naped parrots, and other indigenous wildlife.

“In the province’s northern Calamianes islands, Coron Island is considered one of the world’s top scuba diving destinations, offering World War II-vintage wreck diving and snorkeling in calm, crystalline waters.

Nearby Culion Island, a former leper colony surrounded by sea grass beds and coral reefs, is an emerging ecotourism destination worth a day trip.”

Nat Geo first heralded Palawan “one of the best destinations in the world” back in 2007, for its “incredibly beautiful seascapes and landscapes.”

Apart from its magazine, the National Geographic Channel has also put its spotlight on Palawan, the fish and wildlife sanctuary of the Philippines since 1967, on some its programs, such as “Word Travels.”

The adventure-travel documentary series, hosted by the husband and wife tandem of Robin Esrock (who also serves as co-creator and co-writer of the show) and Julia Dimon, featured Palawan, as well as the Philippines' busy capital, Manila, in its second season with the episode, “A Taste of Paradise.”

The 19 other destinations selected by the prestigious publication are: Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia; Plitvice Lakes in Croatia; Sardini, Italy; Tasmania, Australia; Fjord Norway (Western Norway); Uruguay; Shimla, India; Messinia Region, Greece; Dominica, island-nation in the Carribbean Sea; Namibia, South Africa; Laos; Kodiak Island in Alaska; the Scottish Highlands; Tunisia, Africa; Black Sea Coast, Crimea; Gaspé Peninsula in Quebec; Shikoku, Japan; Papua New Guinea; and Kurdistan, Iraq.

...confidence rating

Moody's hikes Philippine credit outlook 

AFP - Friday, January 7

 

MANILA, Jan 6, 2011 (AFP) – Moody's Investors Services on Thursday raised the Philippines' sovereign credit outlook from "stable" to "positive", reflecting improved economic prospects under President Benigno Aquino.

"An increasingly strong external payments position and well-anchored inflation expectations have provided the new government an advantageous position from which to pursue its reform agenda," Moody's said in a statement.

The landslide election of Aquino in May last year had "added further momentum" to economic growth by boosting consumer confidence and foreign investment, the Moody's statement said.

It also praised the Aquino government for helping keep the deficit under control during its first six months in office.

The ratings agency's lead sovereign analyst for the Philippines, Christian de Guzman, said the upgrade was due to the country's rising foreign exchange reserves, partly resulting from increased remittances by Filipinos working overseas.

More money from service exports, such as the booming business process outsourcing sector, and capital inflows also contributed to the increasing reserves, according to de Guzman.

However Moody's said it would still be closely watching the government's fiscal management and its implementation of Aquino's "public-private partnerships" effort to finance crucial infrastructure projects.

The new Moody's rating came after Standard and Poor's gave the Philippines an upgrade in November from "BB-" to "BB", which Aquino hailed as a sign the country was emerging from the economic doldrums.
Aquino's spokesman, Ricky Carandang, said the Moody's upgrade would hopefully be similarly followed soon by an actual hike in the country's credit rating.

"We look forward to an actual ratings upgrade in the near future," he said.

...spider's web

Another Fil-am bags role in Broadway's 'Spider-Man'
By Chuck Smith,
For Yahoo! Southeast Asia 
Wednesday January 5, 2011 10:37

Filipino-American actress and singer T.V. Carpio will be part of the much talked about Broadway musical "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark." Carpio will play the role of the mythical character Arachne, who gave Peter Parker his Spider-Man suit.

The musical will feature music and lyrics by U2's Bono and The Edge.

The actress (who previously starred in the Beatles-inspired movie musical "Across the Universe" and became part of the musical "Rent" in 2006) will replace another Fil-Am, Natalie Mendoza, who was injured during the first preview show of the musical. The role is one of the show's lead characters and involves Cirque de Soleil-like flying sequences and elaborate stunts.

"T.V. is a superb singer and actress whom I've loved since we worked together on 'Across the Universe.'

She brings a unique talent and take on the role of Arachne and is already mesmerizing audiences in the few previews in which she's performed. We are thrilled she is taking over the role," director Julie Taymor said in a statement.

Taymor was Carpio's director in "Across the Universe."

Carpio, who was previously cast as Miss Arrow, will star in Broadway's most expensive production. The show has also been plagued with accidents since rehearsals began. So far, four actors have already suffered from injuries.

Injuries and controversies aside, "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" is doing well in the box office. USA Today reports that the musical has earned more than five million dollars for 29 preview shows.

The show is set to premiere on February 7 at the Foxwoods Theatre.

AP Photo

...spots and beyond

PHL tourism: Approaching 2011 from another angle

 

MELAY LAPEÑA, GMANews.TV

01/05/2011 | 08:03 PM

The Philippines is one of Lonely Planet's Top 10 best value destinations for 2011, nearly replacing Thailand as the go-to spot for the best cheap beaches "for those who desire nothing more than to find great, undiscovered beaches, surf the odd wave and eat unique, distinctive food for under $20 a day."

According to travel guide publisher Lonely Planet, the ideal island hopping destinations are those in the Zambales Coast northwest of the country and the Bacuit Archipelago via El Nido in Palawan.

With the country still reeling from a string of unfortunate incidents last year, such commendations from Lonely Planet, which is 75 percent owned by BBC Worldwide, gives Philippine tourism a much needed boost.

Led by Secretary Alberto Lim, the Department of Tourism is still recovering from the Aug. 23 hostage tragedy, the Pilipinas Kay Ganda fiasco, and the negative travel advisories by six nations.

As 2010 and those incidents fade from memory, the DOT has taken on an optimistic stand and a different tact this year.

The department said more than 2.84 million tourists arrived in the country in January-October — the latest numbers available — up 15.85 percent in the same 2009 period.

Beyond sun and sea destinations

The approach to tourism this year veers off Lonely Planet’s focus on island life, as the DOT intends to zero in on cultural travel spots rather than the many white-sand beaches that dot the country's 7,000 plus islands.

"This year we are going beyond the sun and sea destinations. We want to highlight our cultural and heritage sites as well as health and wellness destinations," said Lim, former president of Ten Knots Development Corp., the owner and manager of El Nido resorts.

The key is quality, according to the former high-end resort developer.

“Unbridled tourism is also bad because the environment suffers. So, we are very careful about the type of tourism we want. The people who come for culture, history and nature, maybe we can receive them," he said in a statement.

While attractions like Boracay are overdeveloped, many beautiful artifacts are deteriorating in warehouses that "We should get museums in the old style operating in the old city," Lim said.

Also a former executive director of The Makati Business Club, Lim plans to double the country’s tourism revenues in six years by attracting high-paying tourists instead of the mass-market as instituted by other Southeast Asian countries.

Focus is also being eyed on developing nature tourism, a niche market that Philippine tourism officials think has a lot of potential.

Lim said he will support the first Malasimbo Arts and Music Festival next month in Puerto Galera.

Festival tickets are expensive and a portion of the proceeds will fund reforestation along the famous Baclayan Trail, a project that may give the indigenous Mangyans livelihood activities.

"This event will be a worthy example of how the private and public sectors can work together to bring about sustainable development and alleviation of poverty in our country," said Lim.

Blue, open skies ahead

A former board member of the Civil Aeronautics Board, Lim co-founded the Freedom to Fly Coalition whose main advocacy is open-skies policy to promote economic development. “Access creates investments, investments create hotel facilities and that will also lower prices," according to the tourism secretary.

His stand has elicited the ire of other stakeholders.

Travel Cooperative of the Philippines chairman Robert Lim Joseph has accused Lim of prioritizing foreign interests in advocating an "unlimited" open skies policy.

Joseph has opposed Lim's appointment as tourism chief, citing the Pilipinas Kay Ganda campaign to attract tourists that ended in a flop.

Malacañang is set to issue this week an executive order (EO) on President Benigno Aquino III's "pocket open skies policy," reaffirming EO 219 issued in 1995 by then President Fidel V. Ramos to boost tourism and investments with a more liberal international aviation policy.

Public-private partnership

A priority of the Aquino administration is the public-private partnership (PPP) initiative with many projects on infrastructure development supporting travel and tourism.

Lim said such projects will help increase tourist arrivals from 3 million a year to 6 million by 2013.

But former Finance Secretary Roberto de Ocampo earlier countered that the effects of PPP projects on tourism and agribusiness would only be felt two years from now. “As of the moment, these projects are still in their early stages. We can barely say [that] their effects will be felt too soon," he said.

Lim also plans to refocus the department’s budget to product development from marketing and promotion.

“We need to develop first-rate products and come up with impeccable services to draw more tourists. We have to be more visible by generating very good projects and we should deliver what we promised," Lim said. — VS, GMANews.TV

...the pacman

Pacquiao named Fighter of the Decade by WBC

January 5, 2011 09:31:26

The World Boxing Council (WBC), one of the top boxing bodies in the world, has recognized superstar Manny Pacquiao as the best fighter in the last 10 years.

The WBC bestowed its Fighter of the Decade honor to Pacquiao as part of its yearend "Best for 2010" selection.

The 32-year-old Pacquiao was conferred the award after tallying the most number of votes from boxing fans who logged in at the website of the 47-year-old boxing body. No official number of votes, however, was posted.

Nonetheless, Pacquiao bested a handful of great fighters in winning the honor, including super-welterweight champions Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr., heavyweight titlist Vitali Klitschko, super-lightweight king Erik Morales, and flyweight champion Pongsaklek Wongjongkam.

The Fighter of the Decade award is just the latest in a long list of yearend accolades to be conferred on the honorable congressman from the province of Sarangani, who was also earlier named the best fighter of the past 10 years by the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) as well as ESPN.

Pacquiao won a record eighth world title in eighth different weight classes last year by beating Mexican Antonio Margarito in 12 rounds to bag the WBC's super-welterweight belt.

Incidentally, Filipino Justiniano Montano was among WBC's founding members and president. The WBC was established on February 14, 1963 in Mexico City, with former Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) commissioner Atty. Rudy Salud drafting its original Constitution and By-Laws in his capacity as secretary general.

No Fighter of the Year honors
However, Pacquiao failed to score a double as he was beaten by WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez of Argentina for the Fighter of the Year honors.

Martinez clinched the award after defeating Kelly Pavlik via unanimous decision to win the 160-pound title, and then successfully defended his belt with a dramatic second round knockout of Paul Williams.

"Two great fights in the year," said the WBC in its small item on the 35-year-old Argentine.

Martinez's sensational one-punch knockout of Williams was also adjudged as the Knockout of the Year, which the WBC described as a "knockout that will go down in history."

The controversial majority draw between aging Bernard Hopkins and WBC light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal was named Fight of the Year, while Klitschko was the Exemplary World Champion of the Year.

Fernando Montiel's demolition of Hozumi Hasegawa was the winner of the Most Dramatic Fight of the Year, one which saw Montiel, a heavy underdog, knock out Hasegawa in the fourth round to put an end to the Japanese fighter's five-year title reign.

The victory allowed the durable Mexican to unify the WBC and World Boxing Organization (WBO) bantamweight titles, which he will defend against Filipino Nonito Donaire Jr. on February 19 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

Unbeaten middleweight and Pacquiao stablemate Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Saul Alvarez were named Hope and Revelation of the Year. – JVP, GMANews.TV

...vocal power

 Charice makes it to "11 to Watch in 2011" list of a popular Hollywood website

PEP - 05 January 2011

abs-cbnnews.com

 

MANILA, Philippines - The country's pride and joy Charice has joined the list of rising celebrities in the United States who are expected to shine in 2011.

In the introduction to its “11 to Watch in 2011” list, “Entertainment Weekly (EW)” wrote, “Familiar with Sky Ferreira? Alex Pettyfer? Charice? We have a feeling by 2012, that'll be a silly question.”

EW noted that “this pint-size star with the powerhouse pipes” might have had the backing of big personalities such as Ellen DeGeneres and Oprah Winfrey, but Charice’s debut on “Glee 2” has proven that she's got what it takes to make it big in Hollywood.

"YouTube, Ellen, and Oprah may have helped bring us this pint-size star with the powerhouse pipes, but the 18-year-old (last name: Pempengco) made her own splash on Glee's season 2 premiere playing Sunshine Corazon. She'll be back this spring to wow us," it said.

Also on the list was Tom Hardy, who got noticed for his "scene-stealing turn in 'Incepcion,'" and Rooney Mara, who played Mark Zuckerberg's girlfriend in "The Social Network."

Below is the complete list of EW.com’s "11 to Watch in 2011."

No. 1 — Rooney Mara (25, actress) - The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
No. 2 — Adam Scott (actor) - Parks and Recreation
No. 3 — Rosie Huntington-Whiteley (23, actress) - Transformers: Dark of the Moon
No. 4 — James Newman (18, actor) - Skins
No. 5 — Tom Hardy (33, actor) - The Dark Knight Rises, This Means War, and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.
No. 6 — Daniel Sunjata (39, actor) Grey's Anatomy, One for The Money
No. 7 — Wiz Khalifa (23, rapper) - ''Black and Yellow"
No. 8 — Michael Fassbander (33, actor) - Jane Eyre, Haywire, X-Men: First Class
No. 9 — Charice (18, singer) - Glee Season 2
No. 10 — Alex Pettyfer (20, model turned actor) - I Am Number Four, Beastly, Now
No. 11 — Sky Ferreira (18, singer) - ''17'' and ''One"

...footwork

Neil Etheridge back in UK to play for Fulham Club

abs-cbnNEWS.com

01/04/2011

LONDON – Rising football star Neil Etheridge is back in the United Kingdom to play for his team, Fulham Club, as its reserve goal keeper.

Etheridge is the first British-Filipino included in the English premier league.

He is a reserve goal keeper of Fulham Club that has millions of fans all over the world.

Etheridge also serves as the goal keeper of the Philippine football team “Azkals” that made history in the recent Suzuki Cup.

The goal keeper wants to make football a popular sport in the Philippines.

“Hopefully, this will be the start of something new for the Philippines. Hopefully, we can continue our success in the Challenge Cup in February,” Etheridge said.

Fulham’s main goal keeper Mark Schwarzer will play for his country, Australia. This will give Etheridge the chance to show his skills and talent as a reserve goal keeper.

“I will just be doing my work here as hard as I can. It will be the manager’s decision what happens,” he said.
Etheridge has not forgotten his fans in the Philippines while he is back in the UK.

“Without the fans, without the support, we will not be doing our job on the pitch,” he added.

To the fans who have been inquiring on his Facebook fan page about his relationship status, Etheridge replied, “Yes, I am single.”

Etheridge hopes that Fulham would again allow him to play for the ASEAN Football Confederation Challenge Cup this February. Rose Eclarinal, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau

...belief in Pinoy

Maltese employers prefer OFWs—labor chief

INQUIRER.net

02anuary 2011

MANILA, Philippines—Employers in Malta , a small country in the Mediterranean , have expressed desire to hire Filipino caregivers, seafarers, and service industry workers, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said in a news release.

Citing a report of Nasser Mustaffa, Philippine labor attache stationed in Tripoli, Libya, Baldoz said Maltese nationals now want the services of Filipino caregivers primarily because of their efficiency and love of work.

“Labor attache Mustaffa reported that he had travelled to Valletta, the Maltese capital, to meet with the 1,000-strong Filipino community and assess the prospects of deploying more workers there. His assessment was positive,” the labor chief said.

In his report, Mustaffa said Filipino caregivers he had spoken to in Malta, a prime tourist destination, expressed preference to stay and work in this prime tourist destination in the Mediterranean because of high salaries.

“Malta’s minimum wage is 620 euro (about $820) and Filipino workers there receive not less than this minimum wage amount. Besides, Filipino workers in Malta are allowed to do part-time jobs after eight hours of regular work,” he said.

Baldoz, however, warned jobseekers desiring to work in Malta to check their prospective employers, as well as their recruitment agencies, with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) to ensure that there are valid job orders from Malta and that they would undergo legal application and deployment processes.

“There is no Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Malta. It is under the jurisdiction of our POLO in Libya and it is our POLO in Tripoli which will verify employment contracts for Malta,” Baldoz said.

“Go to POEA first,” she urged prospective applicants, before you entertain any job offer from Malta,” she reiterated.

...designing

Pinoy designs toys for Disney

By Steve Angeles, ABS-CBN North America News Bureau

12/31/2010

 

 

GLENDALE, California – At 30, a soon-to-be-father of 2 is still playing with toys for a living.

From "Toy Story" to "Cars" to "Pirates of the Caribbean", PJ Palijo leads the creative Disney Team that takes movie and television characters from the screen and puts them into the hands of children.

For New York-born Palijo, a former fashion major, it was a Disney movie that would eventually influence his career.

“[The year] 1995 is when I saw 'Toy Story' when it first came out. Oh my gosh! I want to be a toy designer. How do I become a toy designer? Fortunately, an after-school I was attending had a toy design program,” said Palijo, Disney’s Design Director of Toys.

Palijo now designs "Toy Story" figures as well as other Disney and Pixar characters.

But he also went back to his Pinoy roots. Recently, the Disney team helped create limited edition Manny Pacquiao-Mickey Mouse figures available only in the Philippines.

Palijo said despite new technologies and characters, they continue to follow basic behavioral science when it comes to creating toys.

“The play pattern for a boy or girl never ever changes no matter how old you are, no matter generations of generations of kids. Little boys play with vehicles the same way little boys played with vehicles back in the 60s,” he said.

2 other Pinoys at Disney

One of his lead designers is another Pinoy, Rey Leoncio. His duty is to design toys and make them look as lifelike as possible.

“It’s a lot of work. But you know, at the end of the day, I think for me the most gratifying is when a kid tells his mom I want that figure,” Leoncio said.

Meanwhile, Bobby Saygen started his career interning for Palijo. He now designs non-action figure Disney toys such as board games and puzzles.

“The players are kinda really an international language so I explore different kinds of play throughout the world,” said Saygen, manager of Design Multi-properties.

Aside from racking up sales, they are also raking in awards.

A gravity-defying vehicle from the movie "Tron Legacy" has been nominated for the Toy of the Year by the Toy Industry Foundation. Balitang America