...the Pinoy sounds in Korea

Musimix: Renowned Pinoy Band In South Korea

 

By JONATHAN M. HICAP

February 9, 2012

 

 

 

Musimix in their dressing room and on stage performing at Lotte World (Photos by Jonathan Hicap)

SEOUL, South Korea – Every night, hundreds of visitors at the famous Lotte World theme park in Seoul gather at the Garden Stage to watch an all-Filipino band perform and sing Korean and English songs.

Since 2007, band Musimix has been enthralling Korean and foreign visitors at Lotte World, the largest indoor theme park in the world, which is visited by six million people every year.

Bulletin Entertainment interviewed members of Musimix at Lotte World about their experiences in performing in South Korea.

Musimix is composed of band leader Batch Ramos, main vocalists Daisy Zapanta, Cesar Anonuevo and Jhun Lapaniete, lead guitarist Allan Co, keyboardist Larry Luanzon and bass guitarist Val Villanueva.

Ramos said Musimix was formed in 2007.

“Musimix was formed in South Korea. Its members came from different Filipino bands,” he said.
Since then, the nightly gig at Lotte World has become one of the theme park’s main highlights.

Musimix’s repertoire includes hip-hop and rap, and 80 percent of the songs are Korean. Every night, they dish out 10 to 12 songs to complete the 40-minute show.

During Bulletin Entertainment’s visit to Lotte World, hundreds of Koreans were in the audience. Not surprisingly, the band has its own fans. During the performance, the fans cheered, danced to the band’s music and asked for their autographs at the end of the show.


From the Philippines to South Korea

Musimix members are seasoned musicians whose talents were honed through the years.

Band leader Ramos first started working as a musician in Osaka, Japan from 1979 to 1983. He went back to the Philippines and worked there from 1984 to 1989.

“Rock concerts were very popular then so I decided to stay in the Philippines,” he said. He worked in various clubs in Metro Manila. In 1993, he decided to go abroad and worked in Cambodia and Indonesia.

His band then transferred to Phuket, Thailand and stayed there from 1995 to 1999.

From Thailand, his band went to Seoul upon the recommendation of his cousin, who was a singer. His group later disbanded. His Korean boss decided to form a new group, Musimix, and recruited members of different bands.

On the other hand, Zapanta is the only female and the newest vocalist of Musimix, having joined the group only last year.

She said she was already a singer back in the Philippines and started her career at age 18. Her work in South Korea is her first job abroad.

She was able to work in Korea through the help of her sister, who is also a singer. She met her sister’s Korean talent manager who recruited her to work in Korea.

While working in South Korea, Zapanta also had a chance to be a guest on a TV show by Arirang channel in 2009.

“I really love singing since I was young and singing runs in my family,” she said.

For his part, vocalist Lapaniete started as a solo singer in Iloilo City from 1989 to 1991 until he decided to try his luck in Manila. From 1992 to 1994, he sang with the Southern Idea Band in Quezon City. He then joined Pegasus Band and worked in Hainan, China from 1994 to 1995.

In the next two years, his band worked in the Philippines (where he sang at Cowboy Grill in Manila), and in Taipei, Taiwan. He then joined Haring Gangis Band and sang in Manila from 1997 to 1999.

He went to South Korea in 1999 with Haring Gangis and Fragile Bands until he joined Musimix.

Anonuevo said he started as a minus-one singer in Legazpi City in Albay. He was later recruited by a band, which passed the audition held by a Korean owner of an entertainment agency in Seoul.

In South Korea, Anonuevo also joined contests and won. He won as champion in a singing contest by KBS in 2002 and was second runner-up in a singing contest held by channel ETN TV. He was also the winner of the Ginoong Pilipinas Korea in 2003. He is one of the lead singers of Musimix.

Luanzon started as a musician in 1994 at the age of 22. In 2000, he went to Malaysia to work with Night Brew Band until 2002. From 2002 to 2005, he played at Alicia Hotel in Legazpi City in Albay with Night Brew band and at Cockhouse in Laoag with Shockwave band.

In 2005, he went to Dubai to play with Sound Machine Band at Rocky’s Café at the Regent Hotel for six months and then in Abu Dhabi. He went back to the country in 2006 and played for Psychoscream Band.
 
The following year, he joined Psychoscream to work in the United Arab Emirates and then Dubai until 2008.
 
His last band was the Xound Xirkit before he went to South Korea to join Musimix last August.
 
Lead guitarist Co worked with Luanzon in Psychoscream and Xound Xirkit bands as bassist. He said he played in every barangay in the Calabarzon, Mindro and Manila. He was also able to work in different Asian countries before joining Musimix last year where he is now its lead guitarist.

Val Villanueva started his band career in 1979. In 1981, he worked in Okinawa, Japan and in 1989, he played at Mandarin Hotel in Singapore. Since 1990, he has been playing at Lotte World.

In 2009, Musimix became a guest on “Star King,” the famous talent search TV show in South Korea, which helped propel the career of Charice Pempengco.

One of the most memorable experiences the band had was becoming a guest singer on “Star King,” the show which helped propel the career of Charice Pempengco.

During the show, Musimix sang several Korean songs that impressed the star cast/judges including members of Super Junior and 2PM.

Despite that they are away from their families, Musimix members are enjoying their work at Lotte. They said they only work for 40 minutes every night and get to entertain the theme park’s guests.

They said what they love the most about their contract is the length of their stay in South Korea. Under their contract, they work for two years straight before going back to the Philippines to have their vacation as provided in South Korean law.

And to prevent disruption of the band’s performance, what Lotte World did was to provide each member a different vacation period so that only one member will be absent at a time.

“What Lotte did was instead of sending us all home all at once, they changed our vacation periods,” the band said.

After two years, each member goes home and spends about two months in the Philippines and then goes back to South Korea.

They praise the Lotte World management for treating them very well.

“We won’t last this long if we are not treated very well,” Cesar said.

While they have the option to bring their families to South Korea, members said it is more practical and economical not to.

Instead, they save their earnings and send money to the Philippines and communicate with their families via the Internet.

During their spare time, members also accept gigs. The Philippine Embassy in Seoul regularly invites Musimix to perform in events and they also do front acts for Filipino singers who hold concerts in South Korea.

Musimix has come a long way since starting five years ago.

They said that they are proud that with their talents, they have become sort of ambassadors not only for Lotte World but for the Philippines as well.

“We are very happy that through Musimix, we spread the Filipino talent in singing,” they said.

...the new Maybank regional head

Filipino gets regional post in Maybank Kim Eng

Philippine Daily Inquirer

Friday, February 10th, 2012

 

 

Filipino investment banker Manuel Tordesillas was recently named by Maybank Kim Eng, a leading securities and investment brokerage group in Asia, as its regional head for investment banking and advisory.

 

Tordesillas is president and chief executive of the Malaysian banking giant’s Philippine investment banking unit Maybank ATR Kim Eng Financial Corp.

In a text message, Tordesillas said this job would require him to travel often but that he would concurrently stay as CEO of the Philippine unit.

The Maybank Kim Eng group has an international presence with an extensive network of offices in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, India, Vietnam, London and New York and is now organized under five main areas: investment banking and advisory, retail equities, institutional equities, derivatives and asset management.

As a regional head, Tordesillas will develop and oversee strategies and plans to build Maybank Kim Eng’s global investment banking and advisory business, which includes corporate finance, debt markets, equity capital markets and strategic advisory, Maybank ATR Kim announced in a statement yesterday.

The statement added that Tordesillas would also sit as a member of the Maybank Kim Eng’s critical executive committee, credit underwriting committee and business growth forum as a result of the appointment. Doris C. Dumlao

...the tourists

Koreans Have Fun In Philippines

By JACKY LYNNE A. OIGA

February 9, 2012

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Tourism (DoT) announced Thursday that the number of tourist arrivals in the country has reached 3.917 million in 2011, surpassing the government’s target of 3.7 million.

Officials said that the figure is about 11.28 percent higher than the 3.520 million posted in 2010.

“When the industry exceeds expectations as it had done last year, we feel very encouraged. And with the overwhelming response to our new brand campaign ‘It’s More Fun in the Philippines’ launched last month, we know that we have broken ground on crowdsourcing. The people’s campaign will help bring more numbers,” said Secretary Ramon R. Jimenez Jr.

Jimenez added: “As infrastructure challenges and policy bottlenecks are successfully worked on, marketing the Philippines as a tourist destination and investment haven will be greatly facilitated under the leadership of President Aquino. Optimistically by 2016, the country would have sufficient capacity to host 10 million visitors.”

Helped by gains in all regional markets, the country capped 2011 with 394,567 tourists arriving in December, strongest among all months last year. November proved to be the biggest gainer, improving 19.80 percent from the same month in 2010 with 337,021 visitors.

Ten out of the twelve months last year saw figures north of 300,000. The 2011 figure also includes returning overseas Filipinos, who numbered 207,152.

Korea remains to be the strongest single market for tourism with 925,204 arrivals for a 23.62 percent share of all visitor volume.

Other East Asia regional markets are also increasingly thriving like: Japan (375,496 visitors, 9.59 percent share), China (243,137, 6.21 percent) and Taiwan (181,738, 4.64 percent) ranked 3rd, 4th and 5th among all individual markets respectively, while Hong Kong’s 112,106 visitors were good for 9th place.

Visitors from the US, the Philippines’ second-largest tourist market, totaled 624,527 for 15.94 percent of all tourist traffic. Australia and Canada experienced double-digit growth to 170,736 and 117,423 arrivals, 6th and 9th most among all countries.

...the Canadian Diamond Jubilee awardee

Canadian PM gives Diamond Jubilee medal to Pinoy

 

Balitang America

02/08/2012

 

 

 

CANADA - Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper recently presented a Diamond Jubilee Medal to a Filipino, along with 60 other Canadians who have made outstanding contributions to their communities and country.

 

“Tatay” Tom Avendano was honored during a ceremony at the Rideau Hall in Ottawa, Canada on Monday.

 

Avendano started the Multicultural Support Services Society in Vancouver in 2001, which aimed to help new Filipino immigrants adjust in Canada.

 

The former Pasay City Councilor has been helping new immigrants and migrant workers in British Columbia since 1996.

 

The Diamond Jubilee Medal was created in honor of Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee, to recognize Canadians who have made significant contributions to Canada.

 

...the Berlin Filmfest entry

Filipino Movies Join Berlin Filmfest

 

By ROY C. MABASA

February 6, 2012

Manila Bulletin

 

 

MANILA, Philippines — Four Filipino films will participate in the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) which will be held from February 9 to 19, the Philippine Embassy in Berlin has announced.

According to the embassy, this year's films will be fielded in four competitions. "Captive" by 2009 Cannes Film Festival Best Director Brillante Mendoza will compete in the Main Competition while "Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank," starring Eugene Domingo and the movie directorial debut by Marlon N. Rivera, will compete in the Forum Section.

Rommel Tolentino's "Nono" will be the entry in the Generation Kplus Section while "Pusong Wazak!" by multi-awarded composer, writer and filmmaker Khavn de la Cruz will be the entry in the Short Film Section.

Around 22 films from all over the world are competing this year. The last time that the Philippines fielded an equally large number of films in Berlinale was in 2008.

Mendoza's "Captive" hopes to once more gain Berlinale audience’s attention to the excellence of filmmaking in the Philippines.

The embassy pointed out that for almost the past three decades, the Philippines has not had a film entry in the Main Competition section. The first and only time it did was in 1983 with the film "Himala" by award-winning director Ishmael Bernal.

However, this year, "Captive" is among the first batch of five films selected as official entries in the Main Competition. It is a fiction film which retraces real life events about a hostage drama in southern Philippines.

Director Mendoza is only Filipino to have won the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival for his film "Kinatay" (2009). Director Mendoza, along with his production cast and crew, will be personally present in Berlin to promote his film.

Rivera's directorial debut "Ang Babae sa Septic Tank," is an independent film about how to make independent films. This film is a hilarious take on the Filipino indie film industry, its ups and downs, and the seemingly endless challenges that indie filmmakers face.

The film already garnered the Best Director, Best Actress (for Domingo) and Best Film awards at the 7th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival in Manila in 2011.

For the young generation section, Tolentino's film "Nono," is the Philippines' entry this year. The film is about a young child with a speech disability due to facial deformity, and his desire to join the oratorical contest during his school's National Language Week celebration.

"Nono" has already won the Special Jury Prize in the 2009 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival in Manila.

Tolentino is the first Filipino filmmaker who won the very prestigious Clermont Ferrand International Short Film Festival in France in 2009.

...the Carnegie conductor

Negrense conductor debuts at NY’s Carnegie Hall

By Lydia V. Solis
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Sunday, February 5th, 2012

 

 

NOVÉ DEYPALAN, former student of Philippine music maestro Ryan Cayabyab, went on to get a Master of Music degree (magna cum laude) from the University of Southern California.

NEW YORK—Negros-born Nové Deypalan, alumnus of the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Music, made his conducting debut at storied Carnegie Hall in New York on Feb. 3 with the world premiere of “Dream of a Hundred Flowers.”

“I will be conducting for Saxophone Quartet (PRISM Quartet), percussions and four Chinese instruments by a terrific composer, (China-born) Fang Man,” he said in an interview.

“I am honored to premiere ‘Dream of a Hundred Flowers’ in one of the most prestigious venues in the world.”

Deypalan comes from Victorias City in the sugar-producing region of Negros Occidental. He played piano at an early age, but since they were poor, he said he volunteered to water the plants of his music teacher in exchange for giving him piano lessons. However, it was while watching his sister practice as a member of Victorias’ sugar mill choir when his interest in music started.

He studied at the UP College of Music where maestro Ryan Cayabyab, a former professor, became his mentor. As a student, Deypalan worked at the Cultural Center of the Philippines as a composer and conductor, and his compositions, “Kagat sa Mansanas” and “Florante at Laura,” are nationally recognized.

To further his music studies, Deypalan came to America 15 years ago, and completed his Bachelor of Music degree in conducting at the Chapman University, Orange, California. He graduated magna cum laude with a Master of Music degree from the University of Southern California.

Connecting with Fang Man

“Composer Fang Man and I met for the first time at the University of South Carolina in the beginning of Fall 2011,” narrated Deypalan. “She just joined the School of Music as a research assistant professor there.

Mandy, as friends and colleagues call her, knew about my conducting style after she observed my recitals at the school. However, it was in Los Angeles, during our Christmas break while visiting LA, when she asked me to conduct a world premiere of her brand new music, ‘Dream of a Hundred Flowers.’

“At that time, I did not know much about her or her compositions, but she convinced me to listen to some of her music in her hotel in Westwood. My first reaction was ‘my gosh!’ I did not expect a powerful and captivating huge sound from a composer who has a very soft-spoken and humble demeanor and has a small built. Immediately, we connected.”

The PRISM Quartet is one of America’s foremost chamber ensembles, a two-time winner of the Chamber Music America/
Ascap (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) Award for Adventurous Programming. PRISM has performed in Carnegie Hall’s Making Music series.

The New York Times has hailed Man as “inventive and breathtaking,” according to Deypalan. Her original concert music has been performed worldwide by notable orchestras and ensembles, such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, New Music Group under the baton of Esa-Pekka Salonen, and Music from China, just to name a few.

“Mandy’s choice of instrumentation—four saxophones and four Chinese instruments is about ‘West meets East,’” he said.

“The music is extremely difficult to conduct as each instrument tells a story and each has its own character.”

Doctor of musical arts

“I’m currently concluding work on the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in orchestral conducting at the University of South Carolina,” stated Deypalan, who is also a music teacher at the university. On March 16, 2011, he conducted Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 praised by the Columbia Free Times as “fearless … first-class music-making.” In January 2012, he joins the University of South Carolina in Aiken, SC, as an adjunct professor of music.

It is not Deypalan’s first appearance at Carnegie Hall, though. In 2005, he led his ensemble, the South Bay Women’s Chorus from Torrance, California, where he lives. He also performed at the Vatican in 2007 for Pope John Paul II.

“I was a chorus master and singer but not a conductor,” he clarified, “meaning, I prepared my chorus for two separate performances, for two different conductors.”

In June 2008, he conducted a world premiere of his original composition, “Libera Me,” for solo baritone, chorus and orchestra at Pasadena City College in Pasadena, California.

“I’m very grateful to my family and friends for their continued support and I’m indebted to my music and conducting teachers who inspired me to bring my insatiable desire and lifelong commitment of striving to make music at its finest and highest level of creativity.”

“As a Filipino American musician, I’m proud of my heritage and grateful for the rich culture of the Philippines,” he said.

Lydia V. Solis is a freelance writer. She has retired from the City of Los Angeles after 31 years of service and was West Covina Senior Citizens commissioner from 2003 to 2007.

...the Filipino of the year

Filipino of the Year 2011: The Volunteers

They’re the silver lining behind dark clouds, rainbow after a storm

Philippine Daily Inquirer

Sunday, February 5th, 2012

 

 

EVERYDAY PEOPLE. Filipinos from all walks of life come together to help victims of natural disasters.

(Editor’s Note: Now on its 21st successive year, the Inquirer’s Filipino of the Year honors a living Filipino who made the most positive impact in the past year as voted upon by the editors and assistant editors.  Aside from the one most voted upon, the other nominees in the order of their number of votes were Leila de Lima [some editors have been voting for her the past three years], the Indie Filmmaker, Dragonboat Team, President Aquino [last year’s winner], Azkals, Robin Lim, Netizen, Beauty Queens and Mommy “D.”)

Were an artist to piece together a collage of the names and faces of the rescuers, relief workers, volunteers and donors who stood and delivered during and in the aftermath of Tropical Storm “Sendong” and other calamities in 2011, the resulting artwork would look, without doubt, lit from within.

A good heart beating at its core would cause the collage to glow.

There is no master list of the volunteers and donors, none tracking their names, their hours, their deeds or their gifts (in the future, there should be an effort at keeping one). But they were there—when and where they were needed.

It was in the last quarter of 2011 that the most destructive typhoons hit the country. “Pedring” and “Quiel” blew into Luzon in September and October and left 101 dead. The first affected 3.03 million people in 35 provinces and the latter, 1.11 million people in 18 provinces.

Then one night in December, Sendong unleashed an unprecedented amount of rain on places in Visayas and Mindanao so unfamiliar with such fury that, instead of keeping watch, the villagers went to sleep as the rivers were swelling. The cities of Dumaguete, Cagayan de Oro and Iligan were the hardest hit.

At last count, 1,268 people were dead, 6,071 were injured and 52,435 houses were ruined, with almost 15,000 totally destroyed. The damage to infrastructure and agriculture was assessed at P1.71 billion.

Everyday people

The timing could not have been worse for a nation that was expecting Christmas in two weeks.  Caught in the throes of preparation for the holidays, people could not spare the time to help with calamity relief work.

But not everyone, thank heavens.  There were those who responded to the call for aid.

Everyday people took time off from their lives and loved ones to search for survivors, comfort the grieving, treat the wounded, bury the dead, pack relief goods, feed and shelter evacuees, tutor kids, haul away muck, gut and rebuild houses, fill in expected and unexpected roles in response to the crisis at hand.

Facebook denizens started pages for detailing what the storm victims needed, where to drop them off, where to volunteer manpower, where to deposit funds and other details that could help keep the crisis at bay. “We can do this!” urged the Facebook entries.

Amateur photographers posted grim photos on the Internet and worried the world to weeping because the lifeless bodies were mostly of children.

The emotional reaction to those images rippled out to move folks abroad to do the next best thing to “reaching out and being there”—they wrote checks.

According to reports, the Philippines received P1.12 billion from other countries, separate and apart from over P322 million that the United Nations had raised from its member nations.

College students postponed their trips home for the holidays to help pack goods at instant relief centers on campuses. Some even made a detour to Cagayan de Oro or Iligan to help distribute the same to Sendong survivors.

The University of the Philippines (UP) had a system-wide relief operation manned by faculty, staff, students and other volunteers. Although UP Mindanao was at the forefront, volunteers repacked hygiene kits over at Diliman in three shifts, from 6 a.m. to midnight.


Generous guard

A guard on the Loyola Heights campus of Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) donated the Christmas pack he had received from his employers containing two tins of canned goods, instant noodles and some rice, even before the university could officially launch its relief drive.

ADMU synched its emergency operations with other Jesuit campuses, in particular Xavier University, which served as an evacuation center for Cagayan de Oro residents left homeless by the storm.

Xavier offered  5 hectares of its property to serve as a relocation site for the homeless survivors. Tents were put up at the relocation site in Barangay Lumbia to temporarily shelter displaced families. In time, according to the university spokesperson, materials for constructing homes would be provided.

Hurting, homeless

Dynamism animated most of the relief and evacuation centers. At Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology, students organized thousands of evacuees into clusters. A leader was appointed for each cluster to maintain order, with the evacuees expected to look after their respective groups.

The clusters made mealtimes easier without having to ask the evacuees to form lines three times a day. 

Sometimes, lining up for food can be demeaning, especially when you are hurting and homeless.

Many companies decided to forego their office Christmas celebrations and instead deposited their party funds into the Sendong accounts set up by the banks.

Some even gave their employees leave for volunteer work, in addition to starting a pot for cash donations. Various businesses gave goods, from coffins to tents to underwear.  Water companies delivered their product.

The Inquirer initiated a relief drive and distributed donations it received in kind on Christmas Eve through the Philippine Red Cross.

Other companies offered services.  Airlines picked up and dropped off donations. Doctors and nurses volunteered medical services. Psychologists held debriefing sessions for both victims and volunteers.

Employees of the companies under San Miguel Corp. (SMC) organized soup kitchens in over 21 evacuation centers, serving thousands of families in the cities in crisis. SMC also donated bottles of purified water and food packs to affected families.

‘Drop in the bucket’

All that would have been good enough, but SMC topped its donations with a P500-million check for the construction of houses for Sendong victims, in cooperation with Gawad Kalinga.

Now people will say that amount is a drop in the bucket for a conglomerate as big as SMC.  That is true, but it is also a drop in other companies’ buckets, yet none of them other than SMC gave in such proportion.

Although not quite as large, a Filipino-Chinese businessman, who wished to remain anonymous, offered to bankroll the building of initially 300 houses in Calaanan for Sendong victims in CDO and eventually 700 more.

An Inquirer columnist teamed up with the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines-Northern Mindanao Region for the “Yakapin: Batang Hilagang Mindanao (YBHM)” because she believed stuffed toys were comfort givers in times of trauma and could help heal the “children who have lost almost everything.”  From 12 drop-off centers, YBHM collected thousands of teddy bears and other plush animals.

Good begets good

As Cathy Babao was wrapping up the donations, a friend forwarded to her a YouTube video that showed Sendong images and a 7-year old American girl named Bronte pleading for 3,000 stuffed toys for the children affected by flash floods in the Philippines. “They have to be clean, lovable, plush and, most of all, they need to be there before Valentine’s Day,” appealed Bronte. Good, as they say, begets good.

The damage to schools wrought by Sendong totaled P114.93 million in 60 schools. It affected close to 37,000 students and almost 2,000 teachers and school officials in the razed towns of Mindanao.

Teachers—some of whom lost loved ones to the floods, many of whom lost homes—set aside  personal grief to cook at evacuation centers and to get the students back into the classrooms. Bayug Elementary School, of which only the flooring was spared by Sendong, had a 60-percent attendance on the first day of class after the calamity, thanks to the efforts of its principal and teachers who conducted classes at another site.

Regular guys turned titans

For the 1.17 million people affected by Sendong, these men, women and entities made up the rainbow that broke through after the storm and made a difference.

But even as the waters were raging during Sendong, there were people who, in the words of psychologist Philip Zimbardo, “moved from passive observers to take heroic action.”

Media photos and videos showed ordinary men who seemed to grow instant nerves of steel, regular guys who all of a sudden looked like titans, as they saved people from the perilous currents onto safety.

That the first contact with fellow human beings for these survivors was compassionate is an enormous blessing and a hopeful beginning.

Forever grateful

“We’ll be forever grateful,” said a barangay chair in Iligan, who was roused from sleep and saved with his family by four men just minutes before their home submerged and logs rammed through it.

“Pray to God but row to the shore,” goes the famous adage. This year’s Filipinos of the Year did more than that.  They helped others to the shore.  They gave time, strength, kindness, goods and money. Best of all, they gave of themselves.

The recent losses in this country has suffered will have far-reaching effects on the nation. Because the scope of destruction is so vast, rehabilitation will take a long time. This means volunteer activity will also have to continue.

It is time for the rest of us to roll up our sleeves and pick up where the first responders left off.  That will be the best tribute we can pay these Filipinos of the Year. With a report from Inquirer Research

...the Pacman's step

Donaire outpoints Vazquez for split decision

Associated Press

Sunday, February 5th, 2012

 

 

SAN ANTONIO – Nonito Donaire took a spit decision against Wilfredo Vazquez of Puerto Rico to win the WBO junior featherweight title Saturday at the Alamodome.

 

 

Nonito Donaire. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Donaire (28-1), making his debut in the weight class, won 117-110 on two scorecards and lost 115-112. He controlled the bout despite breaking his left hand somewhere between the second and fourth rounds before a crowd of 14,120.

After capturing world titles in the flyweight, super flyweight and bantamweight divisions, Donaire proved just as powerful in moving up to junior featherweight.

Vasquez (21-2-1) went down in the ninth, staggered by a left uppercut before being dropped by a left overhand. Vasquez rose quickly, smiling as the referee came over to give him a standing eight-count.

Donaire also stunned Vazquez in the third with a left-handed uppercut to the right temple.