PhiliPPine Panorama

panorama
PHILIPPINE
SUNDAY MAGAZINE OF THE MANILA BULLETIN • MAY 31, 2015
THE SKY
IS NOT THE
LIMIT
How Reina Reyes and Rogel Sese are opening up a universe of possibilities
in the field of astrophysics, and what it means for the country
You’d Prefer
An Astronaut
I
t was a small dot in a black frame, but it was Jupiter
all right, as seen through a powerful telescope set up
on the view deck of Taal Vista Hotel in Tagaytay.
What was astounding were the lines that criss-crossed the
surface of the dot. “Those are the storms over Jupiter,”
said a young intern from the team of Dr. Rogel Sese,
one of only three astrophysicists in the Philippines (see
cover feature with the other astrophysicist Dr. Reina
Reyes on page 16).
You can’t imagine how violent
the storms are on Jupiter. You
can’t imagine how many celestial
bodies—meteors, comets, asteroids,
the debris of dead stars—slam into
Jupiter at any given time, due to its
strong gravitational pull. But you
can say, “Thank you, Jupiter, for
keeping us alive,” because what
could have hit us, like what hit us
over 65 million years ago, wiping
out the dinosaurs, would have sent
us to extinction long ago, if not for
Jupiter and its gravity, which is the
most intense in our solar system.
It’s all very romantic, but we all know that space
science, though pop culture is obsessed with it, flirting
with it in movies like Melancholia, Interstellar, Gravity,
Armageddon, and even The Theory of Everything, as
well as in music and literature, is more complex than that.
The mathematics alone demands the singularity, focus,
and determination of a genius like Stephen Hawking.
Thankfully, we have Dr. Sese, Dr. Reyes, and also Dr.
Jelly Grace Nonesa (who was not available to join
us in this little “space exploration” of ours), who have
returned to the Philippines over the recent years—Dr.
Sese from Japan and Dr. Reyes from the US—on a
mission, and that is to promote the need for and how
crucial a program is needed for space science in the
country. Among the most important courses of action is
to get young people to find romance in space again and,
with hope, to grow up wanting to devote their life’s work
to it. Don’t get us wrong: Space science is not limited
to what’s out there. Some of its greatest breakthroughs
have to do with what we now consider everyday things, such as GPS,
satellite television, the Internet, and
mobile communications.
When was the last time you
heard a child say, “I want to be an
astronaut,” when asked what he
would want to be when he grew
up? How strange that it is the very
advances in space technology that
are keeping the emerging generation
from looking up enough to ponder
the immensity of the universe. How
very little time do we have to look
up at the stars now that we are more
often looking down tinkering with our smartphones
and gadgets, which draw their “magic” from any of the
thousands of artificial satellites our space scientists have
launched into orbit around the Earth?
But let’s keep our fingers crossed and our eye on
all the possibilities above and around us that, at the
very least, with Dr. Sese and Dr. Reyes, as well as Dr.
Nonesa, now back (“from outer space”), we will all be
inspired to reach for the sky again, even if the truth is
sky is not even the limit.
Remember to look
up at the stars and
not down at your
feet. Try to make
sense of what you
see and wonder
about what makes
the universe exist.
—Stephen Hawking
Sunday, MAY 31, 2015 Philippine Panorama
3
panorama
MANILA BULLETIN Head Office
MANILA BULLETIN PUBLISHING CORPORATION
P.O. BOX 769
MANILA BULLETIN BUILDING
MURALLA CORNER RECOLETOS, INTRAMUROS MANILA
CABLE “Bulletin” Telefax 40240 Fax 5277510 Tel. No. 527-8121
E-MAIL ADDRESS: [email protected]
Tel. 527-7515; 527-7517; 527-7520; 527-7524 Fax 338-4564; 527-7533
PHILIPPINE
SUNDAY MAGAZINE OF THE MANILA BULLETIN
ATTY. HERMOGENES P. POBRE
DR. CRIS J. ICBAN, JR.
AA PATAWARAN
President & Publisher
Editor-in-Chief
Editor
ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT
Display Ads Section
Classified Ads Section
Tel. 527-7523; 527-7530 Fax 527-7534
CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT
Tel. 527-7522 Fax 527-7526
CEBU BRANCH
Manila Bulletin Building
Jakosalem Corner Zamora Pari-an, Cebu City
Tel. (032) 256-0125; 256-0127; 256-0128
DAVAO BRANCH
Manila Bulletin Building
C. Bangoy corner J.P. Rizal STREETS, Davao City
Tel. (082) 225-0660; 225-0661; 225-0662
CAGAYAN DE ORO BRANCH
Manila Bulletin Building
panorama
PHILIPPINE
SUNDAY MAGAZINE OF THE MANILA BULLETIN • MAY 31, 2015
S. OSMEÑA CORNER J. RAMONAL COGON, CAGAYAN DE ORO City
Tel. (088) 857-1764
ILOilO BRANCH
Manila Bulletin Building
Quezon corner Delgado, Iloilo City
Tel. (033) 336-9450; 336-9658
NAGA BRANCH
Manila Bulletin Building
PEÑAFRANCIA AVENUE CORNER DIMASALANG STREET, NAGA CITY
Tel. (054) 473-7522; 473-7526
SANTIAGO BRANCH
Manila Bulletin Building
Maharlika Highway corner Abauag Street, Poblacion, Santiago City
TEL. (078) 305-3339; (078) 305-3378
DUMAGUETE CITY BRANCH
UNIT 4 PAYA BUILDING, BYPASS ROAD, LOOC, DUMAGUETE CITY
TEL. (035) 522-1068; (035) 522-1069
Baguio CITY BRANCH
THE SKY
IS NOT THE
UNIT 102 EGI Albergo DI FERROCA CONDOMINIUM,
#1 VILLAMOR DRIVE, BRGY. LUALHATI, BAGUIO CITY
TEL. (074) 442-6070 ; 422-6204 FAX (074) 422-6324
Metro Manila Branches
CUBAO BRANCH
Manila Bulletin Building
LIMIT
904 Aurora Boulevard corner Harvard Street, Cubao, Quezon City
Tel. 352-4390; 352-4396; 352-4397 Fax No. 352-5974
How Reina Reyes and Rogel Sese are opening up a universe of possibilities
in the field of astrophysics, and what it means for the country
G/F Delta Building, West Avenue corner Quezon Avenue, Quezon City
Tel. 373-3910; 373-3911; 373-3912 Fax 373-3913
WEST AVENUE
Manila Bulletin Building
GRACE PARK BRANCH
Manila Bulletin Building
This Week’s Cover
Dr. Reina Reyes and Dr. Rogel Sese are two of the only three
astrophysicists in the country, a source of pride for Filipinos.
(Image by Cyrus Panganiban)
IN THIS ISSUE: VOL. 43 NO. 22
8 This Week in Arts and Culture
10 Write Here Write Now by AA Patawaran
12 Eat Pinoy by Maia Romulo Puyat
16 Star Trekkers by Angelo G. Garcia
20 Medium Rare by Jullie Yap Daza
22 Of Roots and Wika by Vim Nadera
24 Agri-Talk by Zac Sarian
25 Another Day by Beth Day Romulo
26 Crossword
Editorial Staff: Noraine A. Bago
Graphic Artist: Ma. Eloisa S. Bernabe
4
Rizal Avenue Extension corner 10th Avenue Grace Park, Kalookan City
Tel. 363-2216; 363-1333 Fax 363-1333
ALABANG BRANCH
Unit 104 G/F South Center Tower, 2206 Market,
Madrigal Business Park Alabang, Muntinlupa City
Tel. 772-1901; 772-1902 Fax 772-1903
MAKATI BRANCH
Ground Floor, Atrium of Makati, Makati Avenue, Makati City 1200
Tel. 813-7476; 811-4391; 892-1985; 813-4453 Fax 812-3962
ORTIGAS BRANCH
G/F EAST OF GALLERIA BUILDING, TOPAZ ROAD, Ortigas Center, Pasig City
Tel. 631-0193; 631-0208; 631-0346 FAX 631-0176
THE MANILA BULLETIN OFFICES ARE ALL LOCATED IN THE PHILIPPINES
PHILIPPINE PANORAMA ADVERTISING RATES
SIZE
COLOR/POSITION
1/4 PAGE, BLACK & WHITE 1/4 PAGE, FULL COLOR 1/2 PAGE, BLACK & WHITE 1/2 PAGE, FULL COLOR 1/2 PAGE, CENTERSPREAD, BLACK & WHITE 1/2 PAGE, CENTERSPREAD, FULL COLOR 3/4 PAGE, BLACK & WHITE 3/4 PAGE, FULL COLOR 3/4 PAGE, CENTERSPREAD, BLACK & WHITE 3/4 PAGE CENTERSPREAD, FULL COLOR FULL PAGE, BLACK & WHITE FULL PAGE, FULL COLOR FULL PAGE, CENTERSPREAD, BLACK & WHITE FULL PAGE, CENTERSPREAD, FULL COLOR OUTSIDE BACK COVER, FULL COLOR INSIDE FRONT COVER, FULL COVER INSIDE BACK COVER, FULL COVER * EVAT WILL BE ADDED TO TOTAL AD COST
Philippine Panorama Sunday, May 31, 2015
AMOUNT
R
9,700.00
R 17,400.00
R 19,300.00
R 34,700.00
R 38,500.00
R 69,300.00
R 29,000.00
R 52,000.00
R 58,000.00
R 104,000.00
R 38,500.00
R 69,300.00
R 76,300.00
R 137,200.00
R 80,000.00
R 75,000.00
R 70,000.00
ADVERTISEMENTS
CLASSIFIED ADS
IN THE
MANILA BULLETIN
ARE READ BY MORE PEOPLE
AND
PRODUCE THE BEST RESULT
115 Years of Service to the Nation
Filipino Citizens, Overseas Contract Workers, Teachers, Government Employees,
Firms or Organizations wholly owned and managed by Filipinos
are welcome to buy or invest in Manila Bulletin shares
and become Stockholders of
The Nation’s Leading Newspaper
The Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation led by its
Chairman Basilio C. Yap, Vice Chairmen Former Chief Justice Hilario
G. Davide Jr., Former Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs
Alberto G. Romulo, and Dr. Emilio C. Yap III, and its members namely,
Atty. Hermogenes P. Pobre, Dr. Cris J. Icban, Jr., Dr. Enrique Y. Yap, Jr.,
Paciencia M. Pineda, Atty. Francis Y. Gaw, and Dr. Esperanza I. Cabral
during the meeting of the Board of Directors held on July 10, 2014
declared a 3% stock dividend per share or R95,160,248.00 payable on
September 3, 2014 to Stockholders of record as of August 8, 2014.
The present authorized capital of the Corporation is R6 billion
with outstanding shares of R3,267,168,510.00.
The Manila Bulletin was established on February 2, 1900 or
115 years ago and is the first newspaper company in the publishing
industry to go public in the Philippines. On April 18, 1990, it offered the
general public who are Filipino Citizens, Corporations, Cooperatives
and Associations wholly-owned and managed by Filipino Citizens,
the opportunity to buy and own Manila Bulletin shares and become
Stockholders of the nation’s leading newspaper.
Those who are interested in buying or investing on a longterm basis and owning a minimum of 1,000 shares or more based on
the prevailing stock market price or at the seller’s price are welcome to
contact any Licensed Stockbroker of the Philippine Stock Exchange,
Inc. by placing their purchase orders directly at:
Philippine Stock Exchange Center
Exchange Road, Ortigas Center
Pasig City
Tel. No. 688-7600
Philippine Stock Exchange Plaza
Ayala Avenue,
Makati City
Tel. No. 819-4100
After an investor buys shares at whatever price, the Manila
Bulletin has no control or responsibility over the price at which the
Stockholder may wish to dispose of his shares later on or at whatever
price it may be traded in the Philippine Stock Exchange, Inc.
However, it is the policy of the present Manila Bulletin
Management to do its best to operate the Corporation with profitability
and to share its profits with the investors in the form of cash or stock
dividends whenever and as much as feasible from the surplus profits
of the Corporation.
Since the Manila Bulletin went public on April 18, 1990 or 24
years ago, the Corporation has declared fifteen (15) stock dividends
with a total of 360.2856% and twenty-two (22) cash dividends or a total
of 468.7923% based on par value of R1.00 per share, with a total of thirty
seven (37) stock and cash dividends or a grand total of 829.0779% as
of July 10, 2014 as follows:
Manila Bulletin Cash and Stock Dividends Record
From 1990 to 2014
Dividends
Year
Declared
Stock Dividend
1990
Stock Dividend
1991
Cash Dividend
1991
Cash Dividend
1991
Cash Dividend
1992
Cash Dividend
1992
Cash Dividend
1993
Cash Dividend
1993
Cash Dividend
1994
Cash Dividend
1994
Cash Dividend
1994
Stock Dividend
1995
Cash Dividend
1996
Cash Dividend
1997
Cash Dividend
1997
Cash Dividend
1998
Stock Dividend
1998
Cash Dividend
1999
Cash Dividend
1999
Stock Dividend
2000
Cash Dividend
2000
Stock Dividend
2001
Cash Dividend
2001
Cash Dividend
2002
Cash Dividend
2002
Stock Dividend
2003
Stock Dividend
2004
Stock Dividend
2005
Stock Dividend
2006
Stock Dividend
2007
Stock Dividend
2008
Stock Dividend
2009
Cash Dividend
2010
Cash Dividend
2011
Cash Dividend
2012
Stock Dividend
2013
Stock Dividend declared July 10, 2014
Rate
per Share
Percentage
of Dividends
0.32779
0.67221
0.25000
0.25000
0.25000
0.25000
0.25000
0.25000
0.50000
0.25000
0.25000
1.00000
0.50000
0.25000
0.25000
0.25000
0.29890
0.25000
0.25110
0.41318
0.08682
0.12500
0.07500
0.07500
0.05000
0.06000
0.120095
0.10000
0.15000
0.1056837
0.10000
0.05000
0.05000
0.05000
0.05000
0.05000
0.03000
32.7790%
67.2210%
25.0000%
25.0000%
25.0000%
25.0000%
25.0000%
25.0000%
50.0000%
25.0000%
25.0000%
100.0000%
50.0000%
25.0000%
25.0000%
25.0000%
29.8900%
25.0000%
25.1100%
41.3177%
8.6823%
12.5000%
7.5000%
7.5000%
5.0000%
6.0000%
12.0095%
10.0000%
15.0000%
10.5684%
10.0000%
5.0000%
5.0000%
5.0000%
5.0000%
5.0000%
3.0000%
TOTAL CASH AND STOCK DIVIDENDS
829.0779%
In case of any change of address, to ensure correct delivery of all communications, all Manila Bulletin
Stockholders are requested to immediately advise the following:
The Corporate Secretary
The Transfer Agent
Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation
RCBC Stock Transfer
P.O. Box 769
Ground Floor Grepalife Building
Manila Bulletin Building
221 Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue, Makati City
Muralla cor. Recoletos Street,
Intramuros, Manila
5
DIGITAL
Manila Bulletin Technews Quarterly Supplement
Sunday, MAY 31, 2015 Philippine Panorama
ANG NANGUNGUNANG PAHAYAGANG TAGALOG SA BANSA
G
E
N
E
R
A
T
I
O
N
6
Philippine Panorama Sunday, May 31, 2015
Sunday, MAY 31, 2015 Philippine Panorama
7
This Week in Arts & Culture
Eileen Bondoc
Escueta,
Mexican Bowl
8
Art in the Line
Like creative stars lining up in the night sky to make way for something
brilliant, artists Pinggot Zulueta and Demosthenes Campos
showcase abstract paintings side by side with mixed media pieces in the
two-man-show “Aligned” on view at Kaida Contemporary until June 9.
The exhibit introduces multilayered abstract paintings alongside
mixed media works featuring found objects, toys, and strings. The play in
lines, colors, and textures bound together by yarn, ties, spray paint, text
collages, and studs provide stable ground for the otherwise chaotic mix.
In “Aligned,” Zulueta and Campos bring forth a whole gamut of
concepts from freedom and unpredictability to degradation and the
constant struggle of an artist to bridge the divide. They seek the audience’s
attention and point them toward realities that exist beyond the canvas,
beyond the two-dimensional limitations of a piece of paper.
Kaida Contemporary is located at 45 Scout Madriñan St., South
Triangle, Quezon City. Email: [email protected]
Fluid Colors
After nearly a decade since her last solo show, Eileen Bondoc
Escueta returns to the Ayala Museum to unveil her latest collection of
watercolor paintings. Entitled “Waterdance,” the exhibit puts together
a series of visual movements depicting various subjects, while employing
an assortment of techniques that allow her to work with an unpredictable
medium. Escueta sees watercolor painting as fluid, unexpected, and
permeated by an excitement of possibility and challenge. Escueta considers
painting a language, a means of expression and communication, and may
convey a person’s innermost thoughts and emotions. Her current body
of work showcases her own passion for having a positive outlook on life.
Her paintings are replete with color and light at every turn; nothing dark
or gloomy for this artist to paint. “Waterdance” will run from May 24 to
June 7 in ArtistSpace, Ayala Museum.
Pinggot Zulueta, Untitled I
Take me back to Italy
Award-winning filmmaker Richard Soriano Legaspi’s first documentary Ang Walang
Kapagurang Paglalakbay ng Pulang Maleta (The Untiring Journey of the Red Suitcase)
will have public screenings in selected venues in Italy and Berlin next month. Produced by
Red Room Media Productions and Cine Totoo with the support of Università delle Idee
and ILLY– Italy, the film tells the remarkable stories of inspiration of a close-knit Filipino
community in the town of Biella, Italy and how they create a community where the culture of
both worlds can be freely woven together. During the celebration of the International Labor
Day, the Red Suitcase became part of a contemporary art exhibition “Exploring Resilience”
at MILA Kunstgalerie in Berlin. The film will go back to Biella, Italy on June 6 for a
public screening at Cittadellarte-Fondazione
Pistoletto. This will be an opportunity for
Legaspi, a 2013 UNESCO Laureate Artist
and alumnus of Università delle Idee, to
present his works in one of Europe’s famous
contemporary art institutions. Another film
screening is set on June 14 at the Philippine Embassy in Milan. Also
included in the program are the short films Pipo, Fare L’amore con il Vento,
and Dimensions of Belonging, other narrative and experimental films
directed by Legaspi.
Philippine Panorama Sunday, May 31, 2015
Sunday, MAY 31, 2015 Philippine Panorama
9
Write Here Write Now
By AA PATAWARAN
Why Don’t You?
An imitation of the late Vogue editor
Diana Vreeland’s call for fantasy
S
o, in our search for what’s beautiful in our lives
as Filipinos, why don’t we make like Diana
Vreeland and reshape our realities to match our
fantasies? Why don’t we...
....Gather everything quotable from Filipinos in the
firmament of politics, economics, society, sports, entertainment, fashion, etc. and put them all together to help define
who the Filipino is and what he aspires for or dreams to
be? Or maybe not. We don’t need what some Filipinos
have to say about us to validate the Filipino in us, because
we are Filipinos, whether or not we could write a book
like New York Times bestselling author Marisa de los
Santos, whether or not we could or like to wear Imelda
Marcos’s butterfly sleeves all day, whether or not we
could sing like Lea Salonga, box like Manny Pacquiao, ice-skate like Michael Martinez—all we need
is to recognize the potential in us and unleash it onto the
world, so then maybe we should forge kindred ties with
10
Philippine Panorama Sunday, May 31, 2015
those who have been able to do so and give the honor
back to country and countrymen. We must read up on our
fellows and be proud so we do not become great people
elsewhere in the world and pretend we’re not Filipinos
when other Filipinos cross our path.
...Read up on poverty in the developed nations, the
ghettos of New York (now being “gentrified”) or the
gypsies of Europe; the family of three who might have
died of hypothermia in Saitama, Japan because they had
no yen to pay for heating; the 10.6 million people trapped
in absolute poverty in the United Kingdom as of 2013,
according to labourlist.com; the 10 million children working at China’s factories as estimated on an International
Labor Organization report; or Sevron, a northeastern
suburb in Paris, one of the poorest in France, whose
mayor Stèphane Gatignon went on a hunger strike in
2012 in a desperate call for help and attention? Poverty is
everywhere and nowhere is it justified, but it happens. If
you suffer it, it happens to you—It’s not who you are.
It’s not what the Philippines is, although that seems to
be the picture if you stay tuned on CNN or if you listen
to all the crap some of the ones that got away, living
middle-class migrant lives in Los Angeles or Milan or
Sydney or Singapore, have to say about the nation they
have escaped from or more like abandoned.
...Learn the ways of the rich, instead of lambasting
them all the time and thinking of them in general as
thieves or insensitive or shallow or arrogant or selfabsorbed? Not all of them are. A great many of them
are like you and me, at times driven by passion, at
times paralyzed by fear, always dreaming of a better
place, looking for meaning, searching for peace, hoping for the best. We’re all ordinary people who can be
extraordinary if given the chance. Rich
or poor, the devil is the devil, and a saint
is a saint, except that the rich devil can
buy his way to the Vatican. Still, neither
riches nor poverty can define who we
really are, but it always helps to dream,
even if the dream is no more meaningful than a breakfast of sirloin steak and
black pudding with eggs at the Jumeirah
Carlton Tower in London or a bottle of
Krug Clos d’Ambonnay 1998 or the
2016 Bentley Mulsanne.
...Have a glass of red wine with our
everyday meals? It helps calm the senses
and keep us in tune with the good life. A slightly altered
state gets us in touch with all that is light and happy
inside us. Plus the resveratrol is good for our heart as
well as our skin’s fight against aging. Try the Signos
2011 Malbec Shiraz, cheap, no more that PhP500
per bottle, but enjoyable enough with its spicy, herbal,
plumy, minty notes, according to Manila Bulletin columnist and acclaimed chef Gene Gonzales.
...Catch up on our Filipino reading with Jose
Rizal’s “The Indolence of the Filipino,” perchance we
will at last be rid of our notions that we as a people are
as lazy, as slothful, and as inept as the friars and our
conquerors once painted us to be and, over a hundred
years since our independence from Spain, as we have
continued to paint ourselves to be?
...Help others? Pour your excess energy into helping solve one problem that is not exactly yours, maybe
the education of abandoned children, the rescue of
battered women, the campaign against climate change,
the rescue of neglected dogs, the planting of trees on
your neighborhood streets. If that’s all they do, all these
charitable efforts, all these others-oriented endeavors
keep your mind off your own lack and limitation.
People who need people are the luckiest people in
the world, but no luckier than people who come to
their aid.
...Pray? It helps to make you feel better, if nothing
else, as long as you know you cannot expect God to
Why don’t you paint a map of
the world on all four walls of
your boys’ nursery, so they won’t
grow up with a provincial point of
view?—Diana Vreeland, Harper’s Bazaar, late 1950s
change things around while you stay on your knees
mumbling a litany of petitions.
...And lastly, keep our sense of fantasy in practice,
our sense of wonder at work, our skepticism at bay?
I’ve learned from my decades-long obsession with
Diana Vreeland, the late Vogue editor and Harper’s
Bazaar whim mistress and author of the legendary
“Why Don’t You?” column, that there is in our harsh
reality a factory of lovely dreams from which, in turn,
we can take off to a new, better, more beautiful life. We
think, therefore we are, so dream away, and keep the
dream vivid enough that you can see it, smell it, taste
it, touch it, feel it even before it comes true.
Sunday, MAY 31, 2015 Philippine Panorama
11
EAT
PINOY
Good food is in the hearts of the
Filipinos and, soon, the world
By Maia Romulo Puyat
Image by NOEL B. PABALATE
T
here’s no denying it, the Philippines
has great food.
Eating has always been central to
our culture. We have food for every occasion.
From baptisms to weddings, to a normal gettogether with family and friends, Filipinos make
sure there is food on the table. It’s the secret
to why foreigners love us so much—we love to
feed. Claude Tayag of Bale Dutung once said,
“Our food is meant to be shared.” We eat our
food family style, because everyone around the
table is family. We’re very hospitable people,
after all.
While Filipino food has always been a basic
part of our everyday lives—many of us grew
up with that staple leftover adobo in an empty
tub of ice cream in the refrigerator—our rich
food culture has mostly been confined to the
peripheries of our cultural identity. Aside from
the world-famous balut, no one outside of the
Philippines really raves about our food (unlike
the Italians and Japanese who make a big show
of their gastronomic offerings).
Recently, however, that’s all changing.
The recent Madrid Fusion Manila, the first
full-blown Madrid Fusion outside of Spain,
officially put the Philippines on the world gastronomical map. Some of the best chefs from all
over the globe fell in love with our food. One of
them even expressed the desire to bring sisig back
with him to Spain.
But Madrid Fusion Manila wasn’t even the
beginning of the boom in Filipino food innovation. Chefs, restaurants, and food establishments
all over the country are modernizing Filipino
food, adding new twists and turns to our traditional favorites and getting noticed for their
efforts. The Goose Station’s Rob Pengson has
even created a new Filipiniana menu to show
everyone that we were and still are the “Jewel of
Asia,” especially when it comes to our cuisine.
12
We’re all uniting under the power of Filipino
flavors, and the world is starting to join us.
Another aspect of our love for food is a reflection of our love for humor, another defining
factor of the Filipino people. Don’t believe me?
Look at our love for sour food, our wide array of
vinegars, sinigang, paksiw, kinilaw, calamansi,
green mangoes are among the many Filipino
favorites (and they’ve all got that asim to them).
TV sets are filled to the brim with “mukhasim”
commercials, injecting our world-famous humor
to the flavor that nearly defines us as a people.
The mukhasim is characteristically Filipino,
as well as our uncanny ability to bring out the
depth of sour food.
Pinoys are very true to their food. We
Philippine Panorama Sunday, May 31, 2015
aren’t afraid to make our spaghetti so sweet
it’s practically a dessert, and we aren’t afraid
to sip in so much sourness our lips shrivel up.
And while it’s become easier to travel abroad
and discover delicious food outside the country,
there’s no denying Filipino cuisine is a league
of its own, though many of our local dishes are
influenced by many, albeit already embraced
by us, adapted, recreated, reinterpreted, owned
by all that is unique to our 7,100++ islands:
ingredients endemic to our archipelago, techniques shaped by our history, and nuances in
taste, aroma, texture, and presentation that are
evolved from our unique palate as a people.
And now, the world is starting to see it—
the Philippines has got great taste.
PHILTRUST
BANK
PHILIPPINE TRUST COMPANY
98 YEARS OF BANKING SERVICE TO THE NATION
UNITED
A
UNIVERSAL
BANK
HEAD OFFICE
PHILTRUST BANK BUILDING
NATIONS AVENUE CORNER SAN MARCELINO STREET, MANILA
TEL. NO: (632) 524-9061 E-mail: [email protected]
METRO MANILA BRANCHES
BINONDO BRANCH
CALOOCAN BRANCH
DIVISORIA BRANCH
ELCANO BRANCH
ESCOLTA BRANCH
JUAN LUNA BRANCH
LAS PIÑAS BRANCH
LIBERTAD BRANCH
MABINI BRANCH
MALATE BRANCH
MANDALUYONG BRANCH
MAYPAJO BRANCH
MORAYTA BRANCH
PASIG BRANCH
PUYAT AVENUE BRANCH
SUCAT BRANCH
TABORA BRANCH
AURORA BOULEVARD BRANCH
Philtrust Building
Samson Rd., Caloocan City
Philtrust Building
Quintin Paredes corner Dasmariñas
and Plaza Cervantes, Binondo, Manila
Philtrust Building
Juan Luna corner San Fernando St.,
Binondo, Manila
Philtrust Building
Shaw Blvd. corner Kalentong St.,
Mandaluyong City
REINA REGENTE BRANCH
Philtrust Building
Reina Regente corner Soler St.,
Binondo, Manila
AYALA AVENUE BRANCH
National Life Insurance
Company Bldg.
6762 Ayala Ave., Makati City
Philtrust Building
C.M. Recto Ave. corner
Carmen Planas St., Tondo, Manila
Philtrust Building
Alabang-Zapote Rd., Almanza I
Las Piñas City
Philtrust Building
A. Arnaiz Ave. corner Taft Ave.,
Pasay City
Philtrust Building
Dr. Nicanor Reyes St. corner
R. Papa St., Sampaloc, Manila
Philtrust Building
A. Mabini corner L. Lupa Streets,
Maypajo, Caloocan City
STA. CRUZ BRANCH
Philtrust Building
Plaza Lacson corner Rizal Ave.,
Sta. Cruz, Manila
Philtrust Building
Dr. A. Santos Ave. corner
St. Rita St., Parañaque City
ERMITA BRANCH
EDSA MUÑOZ BRANCH
U.N. Ave. corner Maria Orosa St., Manila
Edsa corner Roosevelt Ave.,
Quezon City
Philtrust Building
Elcano corner Lavezares St.,
Binondo, Manila
Philtrust Building
A. Mabini corner U.N. Ave., Manila
Philtrust Building
Dr. Sixto Antonio Ave.,
Pasig City
Philtrust Building
Tabora corner M. De Santos Sts.,
San Nicolas, Manila
Philtrust Building
277 Escolta St., Binondo, Manila
Philtrust Building
Remedios corner M.H. del Pilar St., Manila
Philtrust Building
259-263 Gil Puyat Ave.,
Makati City
15th Ave. corner Aurora Blvd.,
Cubao, Quezon City
GRACE PARK BRANCH
MAKATI BRANCH
225 Rizal Ave. Ext.,
Grace Park, Caloocan City
835 Liberty Building
A. Arnaiz Ave., Makati City
MAKATI TORDESILLAS BRANCH MALABON CITY BRANCH
G. Puyat Ave. corner
Tordesillas St., Makati City
Rizal avenue corner Leono St.,
Tañong, Malabon City
NAIA BRANCH
NAIA EXTENSION OFFICE
ONGPIN BRANCH
ORTIGAS BRANCH
PACO BRANCH
PADRE RADA BRANCH
QUEZON AVENUE BRANCH
QUIAPO BRANCH
TAFT AVENUE BRANCH
TAGUIG CITY BRANCH
UNIMART BRANCH
VALENZUELA BRANCH
One San Miguel Ave. corner
Shaw Blvd., Ortigas Center,
Pasig City
Simplicia Building
Pedro Gil corner A. Linao St.,
Paco, Manila
BACOLOD BRANCH
COLON BRANCH
ILOILO CITY BRANCH
Philtrust Building
Gatuslao corner Cuadra St.,
Bacolod City
Philtrust Building
Quezon St. corner Delgado St.,
Iloilo City
Greenhills Commercial Center
Ortigas Ave., San Juan,
Metro Manila
Departure Level, Ninoy Aquino
International Airport Terminal 2,
North Wing-International, Pasay City
Quezon Ave. corner
Sto. Domingo St., Quezon City
Ongpin corner S. Padilla St.,
Binondo, Manila
Plaza Miranda corner Villalobos St.,
Quiapo, Manila
Danding Building.
Cecilio Santos Street,
Valenzuela City
PROVINCIAL BRANCHES
ANGELES CITY BRANCH
Philtrust Building
Colon St., Cebu City
Padre Rada corner Ilaya St.,
Tondo, Manila
Unit 101-A One Global Place,
5th Ave. corner 25th St.,
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
1844 Taft Ave., Pasay City
Philtrust Building
Mc Arthur Highway corner
B. Aquino St., Angeles City,
Pampanga
Departure Level,
Ninoy Aquino International Airport
Terminal 1, Parañaque City
CABANATUAN CITY BRANCH CAGAYAN DE ORO BRANCH CAVITE BRANCH
Philtrust Building
S. Osmeña St.corner J. Ramonal St.,
Cogon District, Cagayan de Oro City
Philtrust Building
Km. 41 Aguinaldo Highway,
Silang, Cavite
CEBU BRANCH
Philtrust Building
Burgos Avenue corner Beedle Street
Cabanatuan City
LIMAY BRANCH
NAGA CITY BRANCH
ROXAS CITY BRANCH
STA. ANA BRANCH
Philtrust Building
National Rd., Limay, Bataan
Philtrust Building
Caceres corner Elias Angeles Streets,
Naga CIty, Camarines Sur
Philtrust Building
Roxas Ave. corner Primero
De Mayo St., Roxas City, Capiz
Philtrust Building
Magallanes corner
F. Gonzales St., Cebu City
Philtrust Building
Monteverde Ave. corner F. Bangoy St.,
Davao City
BATANGAS CITY BRANCH BULACAN BRANCH DAVAO RECTO BRANCH FUENTE OSMEÑA BRANCH LA UNION BRANCH LUCENA CITY BRANCH SANTIAGO CITY BRANCH
Rizal Ave. corner P. Gomez St.
Batangas City
Bulacan Trade House
Provincial Capitol Compound,
Mc Arthur Highway, Malolos City, Bulacan
DUMAGUETE CITY BRANCH
Philtrust Building
Caritas Bldg.
Claro M. Recto St., San Pedro
Davao City
Osmeña Boulevard corner Llorente St., Diocesan Bldg. 11 P. Gomez St.,
Cebu City
San Fernando City, La Union
Quezon Avenue cor. Don Queblar St.,
Lucena City, Quezon
OPENING SOON
MARIKINA CITY BRANCH
Philtrust Building
TARLAC CITY BRANCH
Philtrust Building
Philtrust Building
Maharlika Highway corner Abauag St.,
Poblacion, Santiago City, Isabela
URDANETA CITY BRANCH
Philtrust Building
WE ACCEPT R & $ DEPOSITS * SAVINGS ACCOUNT * CHECKING ACCOUNT * TIME DEPOSIT
MONEY MARKET * TRUST FACILITIES * FOREIGN CURRENCY DEPOSIT
OTHER DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN COMMERCIAL BANKING SERVICES
with Correspondents in Principal Trade Centers of the World
PLEASE CONTACT OUR HEAD OFFICE OR ANY BRANCH FOR YOUR REAL ESTATE LOANS
COMMERCIAL & INDUSTRIAL LOANS, IMPORT & EXPORT FINANCING
INTERESTED TO BUY OR LEASE CORNER PROPERTIES SUITABLE FOR BANK BRANCHES
PHILTRUST BANK SHARES ARE TRADED IN THE PHILIPPINE STOCK EXCHANGE, INC.
Member: Bankers Association of the Philippines (BAP)
Member: Bankers Institute of the Philippines, Inc. (BAIPhil)
13
Member of the Philippines Deposit Insurance Corporation
Sunday,
MAY
31, 2015
Philippine
Panorama 500,000
Maximum
Deposit
Insurance
for each Depositor
POSTBANK:
Exploring its growth potential
By JAMILLE JEAN S. DOMINGO
A
s a financial institution that has already been around for over a century, it was
indeed a challenge for the Philippine Postal Savings Bank—now rebranded
as Postbank—not only to improve its historically average performance record,
but also to cope with the dynamic changes in the banking industry and in the
Philippine economic environment.
“When we came in, the bank was losing money, and faced unfavorable
findings from the BSP (Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas). It was also saddled by a lot
of problematic loans, said Postbank President and CEO Cesar N. Sarino.
Under the new management installed by President Aquino, however, not only
did Postbank get back on its feet, it was also able to shore up its financial base
through record income growth and improved its governance and management.
Postbank Senior Vice President Higinio Fabian added that the face of the bank
is now completely different, and is now exceeding its financial targets.
“We succeeded in achieving a complete turnaround of the bank, effecting
improvements in many critical facets of bank operation. Consequently, instead of
a loss, we made a modest profit during our initial year (2011), increased it six-fold
in 2012, doubled this in 2013, and doubled it again in 2014,” he said.
According to Fabian, Postbank’s latest annual report 2014 showed a net profit
of R123.13 million, or double that of the R64.42 million achieved during the
previous year.
In terms of total assets, this increased to R9.15 billion as of end of 2014,
from R7.21 billion in 2013. Fabian also showed that the bank’s loan portfolio
performance increased from R4.41 billion in 2013 to R5.72 billion in 2014.
In regard to deposits, Postbank registered a total of R7.95 billion, higher than
that of 2013 which stood at R6.38 billion.
President/CEO Cesar Sarino
SVP Higinio Fabian
TO BE WHERE THE OTHERS ARE NOT
Postbank president Sarino remarked that the best position to be in business is
to be where there is no competition. This condition prevails in the unbanked and
underserved rural areas. “You are the monopoly in these areas and you therefore
have control. I think that, so far, so good. We are here to serve those who have
no access to credit,” he said.
Sarino added that the bank also aims to attack poverty and unemployment,
justifying that poverty is highest in the rural areas, almost at 70 per cent. He also
aims to help the agriculture sector, stating that it is often this sector that suffers
the most when development priorities are established.
“In a limited way, we have direct impact and that gives us satisfaction.
I think that it is the right way to do it. It takes patience but you get the
satisfaction that you can do something even with limited resources.” Out
of 25 branches, 24 of them are in the provinces—four of them in the
unbanked areas. These include Manolo Fortich in Bukidnon, Himam Island
in Negros Occidental, Asingan in Pangasinan, and Tigaon in Camarines Sur.
OTHER IMPROVEMENTS
According to Sarino, following the bank’s turnaround, he would like to position
it as a major player in the savings bank industry to be able to contribute to the
14PHILIPPINE
4
Philippine
PANORAMA
PanoramaSUNDAY,
Sunday,
MAY
May
24,31,
2015
2015
“Postbank’s vision is
to become a strong
government bank
helping improve the
lives of our people,
especially in the
rural communities.”
been able to rescue the Bank from the
brink, so to speak, and get back on track
in the pursuit of programs called for by its
goal of countryside development.
The Bank’s vision, according to
Two product lines receiving major attention at Postbank: Core banking
Fabian, is to become a strong government
and Microfinance.
bank focusing on rural development by 2020.
He added that the Bank will tap its banking
government’s inclusive financial growth program. He added that
network in synergy with the Philippine Postal Corporation
he wanted to increase the bank’s capital base to provide more
(Philpost) and its postal offices all over the country to widen the
services. “I shall go raise some money, asking the private sector
financial access of the rural population.
local and foreign to invest here. There are so many things to do,
“Basically, our target in our own modest way is to help improve
and we can do these faster if we generate more funds to finance all
the lives of our people in our rural communities. The bank has
our dreams,” he said.
a mandate to help provide financial services in the countryside
He says that expansion for greater access is the key, and
and in the process spur community development through LGU
he intends to set up more branches, more ATMs, cash and
infrastructure project financing and uplifting people through
debit cards.
livelihood and other income generating activities.”
Asked if he finds it a threat that other banks might get attracted to
Sarino also wants Postbank to stand out as the countryside
the unbanked areas if his countryside focus takes root, he answered,
bank.”I would like to give impact directly to the people who need
“That means we are succeeding in our trailblazing effort. It is just fine
our assistance the most,” he said.
with me. The more challenges you get, the stronger you can become.”
Postbank recently established micro banking offices in six
unbanked and underserved municipalities which shall extend
POSTBANK’S EDGE
micro loans to small businesses and livelihood ventures. If
Recognizing that there are competitors and setbacks yet to be
successful, the bank plans to replicate these all over the country
encountered, Sarino expressed confidence in the bank. He considers
using post offices as location venues.
his staff as the Bank’s edge. “The people here know exactly where
Fabian added that the Bank is also strengthening its core
we are going. They have the passion. We have imbibed it here.”
banking product line partly to raise more capital for its new
He also talked about the unique character of the bank, saying
livelihood and entrepreneurial programs in the countryside.
that “this is the only government savings bank in the country.” It
“For you to be able to service the unbanked areas, you also
has the simplicity and flexibility to venture into new concepts and
need to operate in the banked areas. Countryside banking can
ideas which other banks hesitate to pursue.
be costly. You need some subsidy, and you need core banking to
“I am more than satisfied with our financial performance,”
source the needed funds,” he said.
Fabian stressed. “From the time that Sarino came in, we have
15
5
Sunday,
SUNDAY,
MAY
MAY
31,24,
2015
2015
Philippine
PHILIPPINE
Panorama
PANORAMA
STAR TREKKERS
Two of the only three astrophysicists in the Philippines, Dr. Reina Reyes and Dr. Rogel Sese
share how their love affair with space began and how studying its enormity changed their
lives forever.
Interviews ANGELO G. GARCIA
Images by CYRUS PANGANIBAN
Makeup and grooming by PAM MERRERA of Make Up For Ever
Hair by ELVIS REBANAL of Creations by Lourd Ramos
Shot on location at the Ateneo de Manila University
Special
thanks
to University Communication and Public Relations Office, Ateneo de Manila University
16
Philippine Panorama Sunday, May 31, 2015
No Way But Up
(to Outer Space)
A
t age 11, Dr. Rogel Mari Sese
already knew how to splice DNA.
His mom, a botanist, taught him this
rather unique skill. He was exposed to science
early on in life because both his parents are
scientists: His dad is a chemist and his mom,
a biologist. Biology and chemistry did not
interest him, however, because as early as
age five, he already knew what he wanted to
become—an astronomer.
“I learned about the scientific method
early. I started with astronomy but when I
was in high school, I was into physics. So
I combined the two together, and that’s the
field of astrophysics. We don’t have it here so
I took the closest thing I could get, which was
Applied Physics,” Dr. Rogel says.
He finished his BS Applied Physics
degree at University of the Philippines-Los
Baños. He then took up his MS in Physics at UP Diliman. He became a research
student at University of Tsukuba in Japan,
where he also finished his doctorate degree
in Physics.
He currently heads his own space technology company, Regulus SpaceTech Inc. Dr.
Rogel is also the focal person of the Philippine
Science Education Program of the Department of Science and Technology. Space
education is one of the main reasons he also
decided to move back here to the country.
“The reason I came back is to develop
astronomy and space study in the Philippines
that would be beneficial for the Philippines.
It’s a lot of hard work, the sense of fulfillment
is I’m contributing something,” he says.
What was it like growing up with scientists for parents?
It’s just like a normal household. We don’t
discuss science every time, unless I ask specifically. In my case, I’m the only child so I had
a certain degree of independence at an early
age. I learned how to do research about things
I wanted to learn, in short, self study. When
it comes to arguments about scientific facts,
well, my mom’s
into biology, my
dad is into chemistry/communication. I’m into physics, which is the
most fundamental
science (laughs).
Other than that
it’s a fairly normal
household.
What do you
specialize in?
When I was
finishing my master’s degree I was
already researching about stellar
structure. When
I was doing my
research, I was using super computers for simulations
because my field
was massive star formation. I was trying to
model something that was unseen because
we didn’t have the technology yet to see the
unseen. How massive stars form is related to
how the very first stars in the universe were
formed.
Studying the enormity of space, did it
change your perspective in life?
I think that’s one of the good things with
astronomy, it gives you a sense of perspective
about the immensity of the universe. Looking
through a telescope and seeing just a galaxy
that might look like a dot but in actuality contains billions and billions of stars, and seeing
a field of image with numerous galaxies, can
give you a sense of perspective of what is our
place in the universe. In that very small area,
we see this much, what more with the areas
we don’t see? I think it’s only the field of
astronomy that can do that. We are so small
in this grand scheme of things. We have a lot
to learn.
Why did you choose to come back?
When I was in Japan, after getting my
Ph. D., I really thought hard if I should move
back. I already had a comfortable life and it
took quite a while—two years of soul searching. My friends were asking me, “Why will
you go back if there’s nothing for you in the
Philippines?” But that’s the point; I want to
go back because I want to develop the field
of astronomy and space science here in the
Philippines. It took quite some time for me
to accept that I will dedicate my whole life to
developing astronomy and space science here.
In a way, it’s a sacrifice. There are some things
I won’t be able to do anymore but there are
other things which will be more beneficial, not
just for me but also for the Philippines.
It’s all about giving back what we learned
outside and make sure that there would be the
Sunday, MAY 31, 2015 Philippine Panorama
17
next generation of Filipino students who would want to go into
this path. If I can do something about that, if I can at least
encourage them to go into the field, that’s already enough.
Why do you think there are no Astronomy programs
here in the Philippines? Is it because of the lack of
professionals or there’s less interest from students?
I think it’s two things: one, we have very few people in
the field and two, it’s not a very lucrative and enticing career.
The usual question from a freshman is, “Do I have work
after?” So, it’s about economics. We don’t have companies
and institutes that focus on the field of astronomy. Mostly the
jobs are confined in the academe. But if we had institutes or
agencies that could absorb graduates from the field, then the
university would start pursuing Astronomy, although there
are already universities offering degree programs and there
are universities doing research. With the developments that
are going to happen in the future, it needs to stand out. We
focus on education because the things we are doing right now
are not for ourselves but the next generation.
Is there interest among young Filipinos to pursue a
career in astronomy?
Definitely there’s an interest. The only problem is they
do not know how to get there. So that’s where they need to
have guidance. They don’t need to study astronomy immediately; they can go into the field of engineering, structural
engineering, mechanical engineering for space systems. It’s
not a single role. There are a lot of different roles depending
on your interest. There was even a study a couple of years
back: Among the different fields of science that are not being offered here, what field are students most interested in?
Number one is Astronomy.
What does your company do?
It’s one of the very first space companies here. We do
a lot of things, the development of technologies as applied
in the Philippines. We do research work with government
agencies, with civilians, with the private sector. We also work
on education because we want to encourage more people in
the future to go into this field. It’s really different from what I
was trained for in astronomy. It opened up a lot of avenues for
exploration. I had to choose which would be the most beneficial
in terms of the impact on the country, impact in terms of the
education system. Astropreneur, that’s the new term! Starting
a business for a scientist is rare but at some point, we do that
because of economics. We want to provide opportunities for
future education, not just in terms of education but in retaining
them here in the country, so we need to generate jobs.
Any advice for aspiring astronomers?
In a few words, just reach for the stars. It’s a long journey.
Just persevere and work toward your goal. You need three
things: passion, a plan, and perseverance.
18
Philippine Panorama Sunday, May 31, 2015
When the
Planets Align
D
r. Reina Reyes’ reality back then was to follow in the footsteps of her
businessmen parents. This was expected of the children of a Chinese
family. She was lucky enough, however, that they were non-traditional,
so her parents let their kids be whoever they wanted to be. Still, it seemed farfetched that she would become a space scientist, even though her interest really
leaned toward astronomy.
“The career I liked was not clear. It’s not even in the realm of possibility
because we didn’t know anyone who was a scientist back then,” the astrophysicist explains. “It’s not like a kind of ‘I want to become an astronaut someday!’
declaration. It never occurred to me that time
that I could be a scientist.”
The interest in space and planets that
she got from books never went away. She
studied at Philippine Science High School,
which was a huge step into her future career.
Reina finished AB Physics at Ateneo de
Manila University, then a diploma course in
High Energy Physics at Abdus Salam International Center for Theoretical Physics in
Trieste, Italy. In 2011, she finished her Ph.D.
in Astrophysics at Princeton University in
New Jersey, US.
Last year she moved back to the country
to practice here instead. She now works as a
data scientist at a telecoms company. She’s
also an assistant professor at the Department
of Information Systems and Computer Science at Ateneo and a professorial lecturer
at Rizal Technological University under the
school’s Astronomy program.
What attracted you to Physics?
For me, the difference is research.
You study Physics in school, you learn
this and that, and you learn how to
solve a problem. That’s one way of
training. Research is a whole different
thing, you’re solving something that no
one has ever solved before. It’s a different discipline. What’s different after a
Ph. D. is really mental resiliency, you
have a problem, you don’t know, then
you learn how to grasp it. Try this,
keep going. For five years, or well, a
year or two at least. Einstein did 10 years
on the Theory of Relativity, that’s from 1905
to 1915. The discipline, that is what you take
with you with whatever problem you face. We
take that scientific experience with us wherever
we go. It’s also fulfilling. Cliché but true.
star formation. We test Einstein’s theory of
Relativity on large scales, cosmological scales.
You have theories, and you need observation
and experiment to test these theories.
Astrophysics is a broad term, so how
would you explain astrophysics to a
normal person?
Astronomy and astrophysics to me are the
same. It’s just that now, the way we understand astronomical objects, is through physics.
There’s also astrochemistry and astrobiology.
That’s why astronomy is broader because it’s
everything out there—the moon, the sun,
the other planets, the other galaxies, and the
whole universe. That is cosmology. Astrophysics is the study of the things out there.
Did studying space change your perspective in life?
The universe is 13.8 billion years old.
But the incredible thing is we know this, at
That’s a lot to take in. Don’t you get
overwhelmed by the immensity of
space?
I think that was the reason I was in this
nihilistic depression for a time. But you should
go through that, you should come to terms
with it because it’s reality.
You have a life, your career, your background, they are just part of your identity.
There are other aspects and that’s how you
become healthy. For me, it’s coming back
home. It’s grounding. Belonging somewhere
and being part of a community and it makes
sense to do that here. You’re also part of
the world, engaging, that’s the journey I’m
in now.
In the Philippines, there seems to
be a lot of women scientists, which
means there’s equal opportunity for
both sexes. Why do you think there
are more Filipinas going into STEM
(Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) than in other countries?
We actually don’t know the numbers but it is true that the culture is
different. In the Astronomy program
at Princeton, women make up about
30 percent. It’s actually worse with
Physics and Math, because only 10
percent are women.
This is Science, so it doesn’t matter
if you’re a man or a woman. We just
need more people because there are a
few of us. Here we need more people from
all genders and stripes of life. We just say
join us. There’s a lot to be done to be part
of the public discourse and media plays a
part in that. It raises awareness and more
acceptance will happen. It’s a very exciting
world for them now because you can email
professors anywhere in the world. You can
Facebook Stephen Hawking. This whole
new world is really an exciting time for this
generation. One key point also is we don’t
have a problem with women leaders. Of
course, you have to always qualify, but in
general, 50 percent are women managers. It’s
not a big deal. In the US, it’s such a big deal
for women to be an authority. There were a lot
of issues there that I had to face, too, because
I’m a woman.
‘Studying the enormity of
space really gives you this
cosmic perspective and at the
same time you zoom back in,
this is your life, so what will
you do?’
When did you start looking at the stars
and studying space?
I just started in the Ph. D. level.
Do you have a specialization or is it all
about space?
For me, it’s observational cosmology. I’m
studying galaxies, how they form, how they
evolve. That’s where the study of dark energy,
dark matter, the big survey of millions of galaxies, enter the picture. We solve problems to
understand how the dark matter is related to
least from the point of the Big Bang Theory
where this version of the universe started. We
can trace it back to this event that happened
13.8 billion years ago and this brand of the
evolution unfolded. The Earth was born 4.5
billion years ago, and then life, and humans.
We’re just infants, we’re so young. From a
cosmic calendar, if the universe began Jan. 1
this year, we are just in the final minutes of
Dec. 31. That’s how new we are, and yet we
have evolved, and we can now look back with
the machines and understand where we came
from. It’s humbling, the vast scales. We can
see that the sun will die in five billion years.
We will collide with Andromeda galaxy.
Studying the enormity of space really gives
you this cosmic perspective and at the same
time you zoom back in, this is your life, so
what will you do?
Sunday, MAY 31, 2015 Philippine Panorama
19
Medium Rare
By JULLIE Y. DAZA
Black-and-White
from a Golden Age
Photos by JYD
O
Mita Rufino welcomes guests to
Filipino Heritage Month’s exhibition
of pre-war movie ads.
nly five of 600 “old” movies, including those
produced and screened before the war, have
survived the ravages of time and cultural neglect
(or amnesia). In 1993, culture vulture Danny Dolor began
collecting memories of movies from 1936 to 1941, known
as the first golden years of Philippine cinema, through their
black-and-white print ads (not trailers). At Glorietta mall in Makati where he opened “Alitaptap
Kikilapkilap,” an exhibit of the movie ads of those precious
years, Mr. Dolor was asked whatever did he start—and
continue to keep—such a collection for, he answered simply
and plainly, “Because I’m crazy!”
Actually, not so much crazy as driven by his passion to
preserve and promote all forms of Filipino art, from music
to movies, including and specially those from bygone days.
He sponsors lectures, concerts, recitals, soirees, publication
of books, anything that will draw audiences to reminisce or
discover and rediscover the history, traditions, and charms
‘Held in conjunction with the Filipino
Heritage Festival chaired by Mita Rufino,
the exhibition featured ads that were a
flashback to the era of Fernando Poe,
Rogelio de la Rosa, Carmen Rosales, Jose
Padilla, Arsenia Francisco, Tita Duran
(then a child), Rosa del Rosario, Rudy
Concepcion, Norma Blancaflor, and Mila
del Sol, who was to receive an award from
Congress the day after the exhibit.’
20
Philippine Panorama Sunday, May 31, 2015
Danny Dolor: Is he ‘crazy’ for collecting Filipiniana trivia?
Danny Dolor and Czech Ambassador
Jaroslav Olsa Jr.
Vell Baria, coloratura
soprano, sang kundiman.
of Filipino pop culture. “All things Filipiniana, all things beautiful
and worth keeping for the elucidation of the next generations,”
that’s Danny speaking. To which one could add, “Even if they
don’t yet realize that they need something as sentimental as
yesterday’s souvenirs.”
Held in conjunction with the Filipino Heritage Festival
chaired by Mita Rufino, the exhibition featured ads that were
a flashback to the era of Fernando Poe, Rogelio de la Rosa,
Carmen Rosales, Jose Padilla, Arsenia Francisco, Tita
Duran (then a child), Rosa del Rosario, Rudy Concepcion,
Norma Blancaflor, and Mila del Sol, who was to receive an
award from Congress the day after the exhibit. To quote Ronald
K. Constantino, those were the stars of the ’30s and early ’40s,
“when life was simpler and sweeter, the years that were called
peace time.”
But where were today’s stars and superstars? Did anybody invite
them to come to the exhibit? Wouldn’t they have been interested in
the olden golden days of the silver screen that is their investment
and treasure?
Ad for Mila del Sol movie. The actress received an award
from Congress the day after the opening of the exhibit.
Edu Jarque and Chi Chi Salas
Marivic Rufino and
Miguel Realmonte,
former consul general
of Argentina to the
Philippines.
Evie Costa and Mimi Valera
George Natiere of the French
Embassy chats with Charlie Rufino.
Sunday, MAY 31, 2015 Philippine Panorama
21
Of Roots
and Wika
If a creative work was written in
English, how to tell that it was
authored by a Filipino
By Vim Nadera
W
hen Typhoon Milenyo wreaked havoc on the University
of the Philippines Diliman campus in 2006, our nineyear-old son asked why some trees fell and others did
not. My wife and I were taken aback by this question. We answered
him with a story about a bird that ate a fruit and simply dropped
its seed somewhere near the Faculty Center. Then the seed eventually grew until Typhoon Milenyo knocked it down. On the other
hand, I reiterated that the trees that were planted properly were
the ones that survived the strong storm Signal No.3 winds.
“Those trees, the strong and sturdy acacias, survived because
they were firmly rooted,” I told my son. “That’s why we named
you Wika. You, like your siblings Psalma, Awit, and Sulat,
keep us grounded. Aside from naming you after proverbs or kawikaan, we love your name because it mirrors the soul of our country.
The language that we use represents the place where we come
from, our home, our Motherland.”
My nine-year-old son hugged me like he never hugged me
before in the middle of the road amid fallen leaves and branches. That story, nine-year-old now, too, was recently re-told during
the curriculum writeshop on K-12 at the National Arts Center
in Mt. Makiling, Los Baños.
The roots of the Philippines in the Philippine High School
for the Arts or PHSA should start from Grade 7 by offering
once more what had been a buzzword by the likes of Kidlat Tahimik (which seemed to be long-forsaken or forgotten), the
“indiogenius” perspective.
All PHSA arts scholars, and all Filipino students at that, must
find his or her Filipino-ness in studying Creative Writing, Dance,
Music, Theater, Visual Arts, and, eventually, Media Arts in the
eyes of Zeus Salazar’s “Pantayong Pananaw” or Prospero
Covar’s “Pilipinohiya” or Virgilio Enriquez’s “Sikolohiyang
Pilipino.” Thus, the K in K-12 must mean katutubo!
22
Philippine Panorama Sunday, May 31, 2015
That same old gospel I shared during another workshop
in Iloilo City. For four days I did nothing but deal with
rootedness. In teaching Foundation of Arts, I traced the
indigenous roots of Philippine prose and poetry.
On the first day, selected Special Program in the Arts
teachers from Region IV were somewhat shy about their
Hiligaynon, Kinaray-a, and Akeanon backgrounds. Each
one of them came out of their shell upon learning the tricks
of rhyme and meter, introduced by no less than our National
Hero Dr. Jose Rizal who did a lecture entitled “Arte Metrica Del Tagalog in German for the Sociedad Etnografia
de Berlin” in April of 1887.
I allowed them to use their regional languages. I let them,
mostly in their late 20s or early 30s, explore the possibilities
of what they saw or heard—for the very first time—about
our local name for tarsier or malmag and for rice terraces
or payaw/pay-yo. Or for our time-honored tugmang malakas and tugmang mahina.
Reciting or singing like kindergarten kids, they took
pride in their favorite songs from “Pirot” to “Usahay,” even
up to “Siday” or the collection of tulang bayan from Panay
and Negros.
At the end of the day, they all vowed to share this “blessing” with their Westernized students when they return to
their farflung schools not only in Iloilo but also in Aklan,
Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, and Negros Occidental and Oriental.
The next day, they were eager to learn more about
traditional literature in awit, korido, and pasyon, which
they themselves could identify with since most of them
handled in the past such Filipino classics as Florante
at Laura, Ibong Adarna, and the so-called Casaysayan nang Pasiong Mahal ni Jesucristong Panginoon Natin na Sucat Ipag-alab ng Puso nang Sino Mang Babasa,
more familiar to them, during Holy Week as Pasyong Henesis or Pasyong Pilapil since it was actually written in 1814
by Fr. Mariano Pilapil.
It was on the last day when I taught them what they
thought they already knew. All along they believed that they
could write verslibre just like that until they studied how to
cut lines and all. While they were writing, they realized that
their verses (written in their own local languages) are not
that free. So, I let
them taste fiction.
They were surprised
at how complex
and complicated
writing a simple children’s
story was.
They started
to appreciate the val- u e
of their ver y own legends
and myths that they often took
for granted.
They also tried their hand on
creative nonfiction. Wow. I discov- ered how pent-up their
emotions and affects were. These teachers, second parents to
our children, had so many angst directed on themselves, their
families, and even, or rather especially, on their schools, the
government, and, yes, the Church, that remained silent, or
silenced, until that day. At the onset, I was supposed to guide
them but, in the end, we grew up together. Proudly.
Coming back home from the south, I kept them in
the pasiking of my memory. In the North, during the 54th
U.P. National Writers Workshop in Baguio City, one of the
fellows asked: “If a creative work was written in English, how
can we tell if the author was a Filipino?”
Of course, I found my center. That nine-year-old tale
was re-told.
Victor Emmanuel Daelo Carmelo Nadera Jr. is a professor
from the University of the Philippines Diliman on secondment. As the director IV of the Philippine High School for
the Arts, his programs and projects include Perya ni Andres
(2013); Makiling Inter-Cultural Arts Festival (2014); Araw
ng PHSA (2014), Bayani ng Sining (2014) with The Outstanding Students of the Philippines Inc.; the Rice Awareness
Project (2014) with UNESCO; the electrification of the
National Arts Center in Mt. Makiling, Los Baños; and the
establishment of a PHSA Campus in Bay, Laguna. Together
with his wife Ellay, he founded Foundation AWIT (Advancing
Wellness, Instruction, and Talents) Inc. in 2008 after their
four-year-old son Awit succumbed to pneumonia.
Sunday, MAY 31, 2015 Philippine Panorama
23
Agri-Talk
By ZAC B. SARIAN
Growing through Adversity
Leisure farm rises from lahar in Pampanga
B
a c o l o r i n Pa m p a n g a w a s o n e o f t h e m o s t
devastated towns when Mt. Pinatubo erupted in 1991.
The continuous descent of lahar from 1991 to 1997,
especially during the rainy months, buried the town about 20
meters deep.
The residents, many of them farmers, had to relocate since
they could no longer grow the rice, corn, and vegetables that
they used to grow before the eruption. They abandoned
what used to be their farms and settled in a more hospitable
environment, either within the province or elsewhere.
But there were a few who were “stubborn” and did not easily
give up hope. A few years after the lahar had subsided, some
sentimental souls returned to where they had fond memories
of their childhood.
One of them is a lady industrial engineer who had long given
up her job at a big construction company in Manila to devote
her time to raising five kids. Now that four of her children had
finished college and the youngest is in her fourth year in an
engineering course, Annette Cortez-Patdu manages, fulltime, a leisure resort farm Diaspora Farm Resort that her family
built on the lahar-covered property in Brgy. Sta. Barbara in
Bacolor. Annette says that the farm resort serves as a testimony
“that people can dream and persevere amid adversities through
Him who gives strength.”
We met Annette at the recent Mango Festival at Quezon
Memorial Circle where the big mangoes that she displayed
attracted our attention. And she was excited to tell us the
interventions she introduced so fruit trees and other vegetation
would grow. She once attended a seminar on integrated organic
farming at the Costales Nature Farms in Majayjay, Laguna
and put into practice what she learned.
Annette and her staff added a lot of manure to the lahar.
They spread rice hull and other waste materials, spraying
them with molasses to encourage the proliferation of beneficial
microorganisms. Actually, she only had a one-hectare share
of the inheritance from her parents but the family was able to
buy two adjacent hectares for virtually a song because nobody
thought the place could be rehabilitated.
Today, the farm resort boasts about 200 mango trees that
are 10 to 15 years old and are in their peak of production.
They consist of selected carabao mango (Sweet Elena)
as well as imported varieties like Golden Queen, King,
24
Philippine Panorama Sunday, May 31, 2015
Annette Patdu poses with her exotic mango varieties
Florida, Cambodia, Kinabayo, and others.
Aside from fruit trees, the farm also has farm animals
that include 16 cows, more than 20 sheep, goats, chickens of
different breeds, rabbits, turkey, guinea fowl, peacock, wild
pigs, and geese.
Amenities for farm tourists include a swimming pool, function
hall for various events, several bahay kubo, airconditioned room
for those who need such facility, and meal packages that have
to be preordered.
A s t h e y s a y, i f t h e r e ’ s a w i l l , t h e r e ’ s a w a y
to overcome challenges, whatever they may be. Just like the
challenge of the lahar-ravaged land that is now the Diaspora
Resort Farm.
Another Day
By Beth Day Romulo
The Old
and New
U
pon the death of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia last January, his brother,
who was the Crown Prince, took power in a smooth transition. The new
ruler, King Salman, immediately went on television to reassure the
world that the Kingdom would not change course, and would maintain “the
correct policies which Saudi Arabia has followed since its establishment.”
To oil importers’ relief, the Saudis appeared to be convinced that cutting
production in an over-supplied market was not an option. “We expect Saudi
oil policy to remain consistent under King Salman,” a market research analyst
in London emailed his clients. “While it would be within his power to make
dramatic changes and reverse current policy, there are no indications that he might
do so. Saudi Arabia is almost certain to remain
focused on the long-term and its future position in
the global oil market.”
Saudi Arabia is by far the largest producer of oil
among the 12 members of the Organization of the
Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), producing
about 9.6 million barrels of oil per day.
K i n g S a l m a n a p p o i n t e d
his interior minister Mohammed bin Nayef as
his new heir to the throne, and made his own
son, defense minister Mohammed bin Salman,
second in line to the throne. Mohammed bin Nayef has
been interior minister since 2012 and had headed Saudi
Arabia’s security forces before that, during the period
in which they crushed an Al Qaeda uprising in Saudi
Arabia and developed close ties with the United States.
Since assuming the throne the new king has presided over a more proactive foreign
policy, which has included Saudi-led airstrikes against the extremist Islamic State in Syria,
and helped arm rebels who are seeking to oust Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad. He
also replaced his former foreign minister, the 75-year-old Prince Saud al-Faisal, with
Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the US, Adel al-Jubeir.
To oil importers’ relief,
the Saudis appeared
to be convinced that
cutting production in an
over-supplied market
was not an option. Sunday, MAY 31, 2015 Philippine Panorama
25
The Sunday
CROSSWORD
Across
1 Chauffeur’s ride
8 Glass-tinting element
14 Pin sites
20 Otter’s prey
21 Key of Beethoven’s
“FŸr Elise”
22 Fly under the radar
23 Splits evenly
24 Presidential thoroughfare?
26 __Kosh B’gosh
27 Bigger fish to fry?
29 Ask
30 Chem class suffix
31 Mayberry kid
33 Bard’s “bleak”
34 Dieting setback
36 Surname preceder,
perhaps: Abbr.
37 It may be a hit
38 Brewery container
39 Presidential records?
42 Spurs to action
45 Rookie rockers’ recordings
46 Major __: Sherwood Forest
attraction
47 Beach house features
48 Subdued
49 Dome of the Rock floor
plan shape
53 Horatian works
54 Presidential teams?
56 Botanist Gray
57 “Writing on the wall” word
58 What some buds detect
59 Fed. collection agency
60 Hugging duo
61 Sandra Denton, in a hiphop trio
62 Hunting wear
63 Irish nationalist Robert
65 Usually fuzzy tabloid pics
66 Seacrest’s show, to fans
67 Bend’s state: Abbr.
68 Mild oaths
69 1492 Bahamas lander
70 Children’s author Asquith
71 Presidential horse?
74 College address ending
76 Poncherello portrayer on
“CHiPs”
78 Itty-bitty
79 Trail-making mollusks
80 “... further __ ...”
81 Word with free or secret
82 Addressed the nation, say
83 Presidential quintet?
87 SADD concern
88 Like raw silk
91 1997 film apiarist
92 Camembert’s department
93 Obsessed (on)
95 Springfield’s only tavern
96 H.S. equivalency test
97 Poet Teasdale
99 “Cloud Shepherd” sculptor
101 Spartan Stadium sch.
102 Presidential resistance?
106 Less likely to be named
homecoming king
108 “Because you’re worth it”
company
109 Late news time
110 A pad may protect it
111 English assignments
112 Like subarctic winters
113 Certifies
Down
1 They’re off-limits
2 San Luis __, Calif.
3 Presidential tweet?
4 Marlins’ div.
5 Prepare to fire
6 Got in the game
7 Books
8 Charged
9 Horoscope columnist Sydney
10 eBay offers
11 “Star Wars” saga nickname
12 Spanish article
13 Hot spot, with “the”
14 Troubled word
15 Like much radio
16 Boo Radley creator Harper
17 Current phenomenon
18 Cat’s “Get it?”
19 Gummy bears and such
25 It’s off-limits
28 Snow __
32 Perfect self, in
psychoanalysis
34 Dreidel letter
35 Battery terminal
36 “Past Imperfect”
memoirist Chase
39 Underworld river
40 Exodus insect
41 Hoops Hall of
Famer Thurmond
43 Fœtbol cheer
44 OH and OK
45 Cleans with Old English
47 Olympic pool sights
48 Requirement
49 Fiends of fantasy
50 Presidential stand-ups?
51 Notable Mormon family
52 Junkanoo parade city
53 Ottoman, e.g.
54 Predicated
55 “We __ please”
58 __ cotta
60 Uncle Henry’s wife
62 Practice with dolls
63 Physicist Mach or
artist Max
64 Eponymous store
founder
68 “No man is an island”
poet
71 Rages
72 Word from a proctor
73 Kent portrayer on the
big screen
74 Modern evidence
75 Muffin grain
77 Toothed tool
79 Major tea exporter
81 Some chalets
82 John Irving’s “A Prayer
for __ Meany”
83 Manage, as multiple
tasks
Next Up
Museums in the Philippines have evolved from mere
institutions that collect and exhibit important, cultural stuff
to ones that educate people into becoming cultural animators
and social reformers. Some museums now offer interactivity
to entice more people, especially the young, to appreciate our
heritage. In the next issue of Philippine Panorama, let us visit
some of the best museums in the country, including Calle
Crisologo in Vigan as an open-air museum.
26
Philippine Panorama Sunday, May 31, 2015
84 Final Olds models
85 Sources of aromatic
wood
86 “Cheers” shout
87 Wrestler Johnson, a.k.a.
The Rock
89 Move to a new table
90 Takes by force
93 Hardly encourage
94 Nottingham’s river
97 Court postponement
98 Needs a doctor, maybe
99 Baloney
100 __-ˆ-porter: ready-towear
103 Teachers’ org.
104 Suffix meaning “little”
105 Calif. neighbor
107 Fourth grade?
SOLUTION TO PUZZLE