San Diegans join ACGTTID tour to RP

By Marvin Sy PhilStar

President Arroyo inaugu-rated recently the country’s

rst landll gas-to-energy

project in Rodriguez (former-ly Montalban), Rizal.The President led theceremonial switch-on of thegenerator of the power plantin the Rodriguez sanitary

landll.

The $33-million build-operate-own project is beingundertaken by the Montal- ban Methane Power Corp.(MMPC) using the technologyof a British company.

RP’s frst landfll gas-to-energy plant on

(Continued on page 2)

By Zinnia De La Peña Philstar

Imagine Jollibee meals de-livered to your door as a giftfrom Tatay in Dubai.That’s the beauty of virtual pasalubong: Jollibee Yum,

Champ, palabok esta and

peach mango pie delivered toyou even if she’s a thousandmiles away.While it is customary for overseas Filipino workers(OFWs), Fil-Ams and other Filipinos abroad to send mon-ey, they can now surprise their loved ones back home withtheir favorite Jollibee mealsduring special occasions withthe collaboration of Banco deOro (BDO) and fastfood giantJollibee Foods Corp.

OFWs can

now send

burgers

(Continued on page 9)

Passengers line up at the immigration area of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport recenty. The Bureau of Immigration will be

bringing in newly hired ofcers to shorten the long queues as well as install signal jammers to avoid speculation that some ofcers

connive with undesirable aliens using cell phones. Photo by RUDY SANTOS Street children sniff Rugby Cement to get high under a bridge in Inayawan, Cebu. Photo by Ferdinand Edralin.

Snaphot of Philippine Life

A TASTE OF LIFE By Heny Sison Philstar

I am amused by ManangBiday, the classic character that Gloria Romero charm-ingly brought to life in theglorious dayswhen black-and-white motion pictures werein fashion. Thetobacco-chompingIlocana is the leadcharacter, a no-nonsense womanwho gets the jobdone, whether it’sin the kitchen or putting up withthe kontrabidas inher life. Manang

Biday is denitely

not your typicaldemure probinsya-na, neverthelessher boldness andgumption are verymuch alive in thehearts of today’snative Ilocanas, sans thetobacco — in most cases,that is.Last week, I took a

ve-day trip to one of my

The women of Ilocos Sur

favorite places in the world,Ilocos Sur. I’ve been there

countless times. At rst, I

was captivated by the ro-mantic grandeur of Vigan, but little did I know thenthat I was just scratchingthe surface. I am hooked onVigan and I have made it mymission to visit each of its32 towns and two cities toexplore its unique culinaryofferings.

(Continued on page 13)

Beautiful Philippines

San Fernando, Cebu. Photo by Ferdinand Edralin.

ave you ever been to theRichard M. Nixon PresidentialLibrary and Birth- place in Yorba Linda,California? If not,you should visit itone time and enjoyan entertaining andinformative day withyour family.

See page 9

Richard M. Nixon Birthplace

A day at the Richard M.Nixon Presidential Library

People should visit it to learn lessons from history, and from the life

of a man, a tragic Watergate gure, who in one interview said: “I

have had ups and downs in my life, but now in my twilight years,I must say, it has all been a good day!”

FUNFARE By Ricardo F. Lo Philstar

Could it be true that Wil-lie Revillame has found anew love in the person of asimple CEU student, young-er than Meryll Soriano (theeldest of Willie’s children)who hails from Bulacan?(Good for him, after all,

hasn’t he been “complain

-ing” on Wowowee that hegoes home to a big, empty,lonely house which has ev-

erything except a “queen”?)

Could it be true that he

has already drawn a “last

will,” with all his lovechildren well provided for?(Willie has a country housein Batangas, a few more in

Has Willie found Miss Right?

Willie Revillame, host of the popular TV show, Wowowee,might have found a new love,according to some sources.

various Metro Manila loca-tions — with the one inAyala Heights in Alabang

(Continued on page 6)

A group of Filipino Americans from San Diego joined others fromall over the world in a recent visit with the 4

Ambassadors, Con- suls General, Tourism, Trade and Industry Directors to the Phil-ippines, hosted by Malacanang Palace. Photo shows, from left toright Pat Maceda, Dione Maceda, Greg Alabado, Fely Alabado,and Joe Nicolas. See story on page 18.

August 29 - September 4, 2008

Msgr. Gutierrez

Riz A. Oades

Entertainment

The Future of Non-

Proft Organizations

Who do you think weare in God‘s eyes?

Marian nds a defender halfway across the globe

Page 2 August 29 - September 4, 2008 Asian Journal - (619) 474-0588 Visit our website at http://www.asianjournalusa.com

Philstar

“It was my idea, but I never thought they would actually letme do it since I’m a Filipino.”Filipino artist and philatelist,Marco Ruben Trinos MaltoII, designed the Namibia Tw-yfelfontein UNESCO WorldHeritage Site commemorativestamps, launched last June 27 in Namibia.Twyfelfontein, with its pre-historic rock engravings, is Namibia’s (formerly South-West

Africa) rst and only World

Heritage Site to date, proclaimed by UNESCO on June 29, 2007.These rock engravings, depict-ing a lion, elephant, giraffe andother wild animals of Africa, are believed to be the creation of the ancestors of present-day SanBushmen some 3000-5000 yearsago.“My wife and I went on atour to the site and seeing the pre-historic rock engravings upclose inspired the thought. I then personally delivered a handwrit-ten letter to the NamPost Chief Executive suggesting that theycome up with such stamps, butI wasn’t expecting any reply, atall. I did not even know the guy.So I was really surprised whenin my next visit to the post of-

ce, one of the employees who

recognized me, approached me

Filipino artistdesigns specialNamibian stamps

and said they’ve been looking allover the city for me!”Meetings and deliberationswith the Chief Executive,Managers and Namibia StampAdvisory Committee late lastyear, just before Malto left thecountry, eventually led to theapproval of the proposal to issuethe commemorative stamps.“A local artist has to designthe stamps, which I understandcompletely being an artist anda philatelist myself. This is notonly due to preference for localover foreign artists, but also because of NamPost policy. Butsince I initiated the idea and I ama stamp designer, too, the Chief Executive thought it is only fair that I be awarded the project. Naturally, this raised a lot of

debates and conicts among the

members of the Stamp Advi-sory Committee, and even after

sending the nal artwork for

the stamps last February, I haddoubts whether they were goingto use my design.”Malto stayed in Windhoek, Namibia in 2007, to accompanyhis wife who served as a devel-opment worker in the country.For six months, Malto traveledaround Namibia, taught artclasses to orphans and vulnera- ble children due to HIV & AIDS,and cooked meals for his wife.“I was content with being mywife’s personal chef and doingvolunteer activities on the sideduring my time in Namibia, I

never imagined being the rst

Filipino artist to design Namib-ian stamps… and a special seriesat that.”Malto teaches Fine Arts at theUniversity of the Philippines-Diliman and was the Chair of the Department of Studio Arts, prior to his trip to Namibia. In1994, he designed the PhilippineUN stamps series commemo-rating the International Labor Organization’s 75th Anniversary,the International Civil AviationOrganization’s 50th Anniversaryand the International Year of the Family. His other designsinclude four miniature sheets inconjunction with the ASEANPhilatelic Exhibition in 1996(ASEANPEX’96), and Far East-ern University’s 75th Anniver-sary stamp in 2003.

By Antolin Paule PhilStar

I was working with the govern-ment in 1963 when Mr. HenrySy, Sr. offered me a jobin his company. I was 25then and starting a fam-ily. My entry point at SMwas as a timekeeper andchecker with a daily payof six pesos. That was a big amount then, as the jeepney fare to Quiapofrom our house was 25centavos.A few months later, I

was promoted to eld

superintendent in chargeof the buildings that SMowned. I would over-see all the engineeringaspects of the buildings — from its plumbing andelectrical requirementsto its civil works. Mr. Syliked to challenge us thathis deadline was alwaysyesterday, and not to-morrow, and that taught me to domy work fast and to do it well.As I was rising from the ranks,

It’s about building stores,malls and relationships

my responsibilities at SM in-creased. When I became opera-tions manager in 1966, I becamemore involved in the projects,overseeing everything from thecanvassing and the purchasingof supplies to the supervision of projects. If there were problems,I would talk to the consultants,and carefully assess the situation.I would make daily reports toMr. Sy, who was a very hands-onowner and always eager to knowhow the projects were progress-ing.The Makati Merchandise

Building was the very rst proj

-ect I handled. After that, I helped build more and more buildingslike SM Cubao (where the Bancode Oro building is today), theManila Royal Hotel, SM Makatiand the present SM Cubao build-ing.

At rst, we were happy if we

could open a branch a year, butnow we open four malls at an av-erage every year. Then, we were

happy if we could nish a 2,000-

to 3,000-square-meter project.Today, we speak of our projectsin terms of hectares. That was achallenge to all of us, but thanksto the vision and support of theSys, especially Mr. Sy and nowhis son Hans, who heads the en-gineering division, we managedto pull it off.Tatang, as we fondly called Mr.Sy, believed in hard work anddiligence. We put in long hours

every day to nish our assign

-ments. There were times whenI even slept on the site. That,however, served me well. I was promoted to assistant vice presi-dent in 1991 and senior assistantvice president for Engi-neering and Security in2000.When people learnthat I am part of SM’sEngineering Depart-ment, they often ask me which mall I wouldconsider my favorite.That gives me pause — especially whenI realize that our 30malls total almost four million square metersand include three of the 10 largest malls inthe world. That’s whenI realize that when wework on projects at SM,we just keep movingon and doing our best.I tell them that I haveno favorites, as I placethe same importance on building each of these.But more than just buildingstores and malls, my long yearsat SM have been about buildingrelationships. Having been oneof SM’s pioneer employees, Ihave had the opportunity to work closely with the Sy family, andlearned much from them. I havealso learned a lot from our busi-ness associates, including someof the country’s top architectsand engineers who have helpedus build our malls. In recentyears, I have also worked withforeign architects and designteams.One of the things that warmsmy heart and gives me greatsatisfaction is that I often en-counter former staff memberswho now live abroad or in someother part of the Philippineswhen I travel. They will oftengreet me, introduce themselves,and ask how SM is. They havewonderful memories of SM, andthat’s when I realize that SM hasindeed become part of the livesof so many people. Just as it has been a big part of mine.The MMPC is a 60-percentFilipino-owned company led by Salvador Zamora II, whilethe rest of the shares are owned by the Carbon Assets Funds,managed by fund manager andcarbon trader Carbon CapitalMarkets.The power plant is expected to produce a total of 15 megawattsduring its 10-year lifespan.The power generated by the plant would be sold to the Ma-nila Electric Co. (Meralco) as thedistribution utility in Rizal.For hosting the plant, Ro-driguez town will receive 10 percent of the gross revenue of the project, as royalty.The Rodriguez gas-to-energy plant is said to be the fourth larg-est in the world.The Ecological Waste Coali-tion (EcoWaste), however, raised“serious doubts” on the environ-

mental benets of the Rodriguez

power plant.The group also questioned thePresident’s endorsement of the project as a “model solution” toclimate change and a “renewableenergy source.”According to EcoWaste, sincemethane is an offshoot of dump-ing, and dumping is such a de-structive way to manage waste,

landll gas-to-energy cannot be

deemed as a renewable energysource.Instead, EcoWaste said the bestway to cut the release of meth-ane into the atmosphere is to banthe disposal of biodegradable or organic matter in dumps and toenforce “zero waste” programsanchored on waste prevention,reduction, separation at source,recycling and composting. –

With Katherine Adraneda

RP’s frst land

fll gas-to-en

-ergy plant on

(Continued from page 1)

“I can write better than anybodywho can write faster, and I canwrite faster than anybody whocan write better.”- A. J. Liebling (1904-1963)

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Page 3 Asian Journal - (619) 474-0588 Visit our website at http://www.asianjournalusa.com August 29 - September 4, 2008

EAT’S EASY By Ernest Reynoso Gala Philstar

All the ingenious men, and all

the scientic men, and all the

imaginative men in the worldcould never invent, if all their wits were boiled into one, any-thing so curious and so ridicu-lous as the lobster. — CharlesKingsley (1819-1875)Lobster is one of the most popular shell-

sh dishes

in the worldand is soughtfor its tender meat and greattaste. Availablethroughout theyear, lobsterscan be boughtlive in themarket, fro-zen and evencanned, withmost preferringthe fresh catchto retain the

natural avors.

It comes indifferent sizesfrom one half kilo up to twokilos each, with chefs preferringthe one to two kilos because their meat texture is just right. To seeif the lobster is alive, just pick itup by the tail and wait for it tocurl with the legs moving side toside. If the tail is straight, soft,with no movement, the lobster has long been dead. Fresh catchis best and cooking it right awaywill give you the best results.The female lobster is tastier

than the male because the esh

is more tender. To identify if itis a male or female just invertthe lobster, belly-side-up. Pressthe area where the body and tailmeet. If it is bony and hard, thenit is a male. The orange eggsfound in females are called roeand are excellent to eat and also

Gaga overlobster

used for sauces. The green sub-stance found in the cavity is theliver. The smoothest part is theclaws. Rock or spiny lobster issimilar to regular lobster exceptit has small claws, all the meatis located at the tail, and it haslong antennae on top of the head.

These are more rm and less

juicy but delicious when cooked properly.Steaming and boiling lobster alive is the best way to cook it because you retain the natural

avors and keep the esh soft.

Some say lobsters lack thenervous equipment to feel pain but if you feel uncomfortablecooking it, just freeze the livelobster for one hour until it dies before cooking. Add the lobster in boiling liquid and simmer

over low re. The length of time

depends on the weight and sizewith one kilo taking 15 minutes,

and an additional ve minutes

for every succeeding kilo. Re-move with thongs and let cool.With the lobster on its back, splitit open by cutting from the headto tail. Crack claws using a mal-let or nutcracker or the back of the knife. Remove stomach sacwhich is located near the headand the intestinal vein which isattached to the sac. Remove allmeat and serve with sauce.

Lobster Curry Butter Sauce

1) Ingredients: 1 kilo lobster,1/2 cup butter, 1 tbsp. crushedgarlic, 1/2 cup chopped violetonions, 1 tbsp. curry powder, 1tsp. each rock salt and pepper, 2cups canned or tetra pak coconutcream (cacang gata).2) For garnish: Line serving platter with 4 pandan leaves or banana leaves.3) Procedure: Put butter andgarlic in a wok and cook garlicuntil brown. Add onions, coco-nut cream, curry powder, salt, pepper. Let boil. Add lobster.Lower and simmer for 8 minutes.Invert lobster and let simmer for another 7 minutes. Remove,cool, crack open, remove meatand serve withsauce.4) Note: 1kilo of crabsor unpeeled prawns mayalso be used.

Discoveryof the Week

Heav-enly MangoMousse withDanish Butter cookie crustfrom Becky’sKitchen. It’sthe best! Lo-cated at 1061P. Ocampo (formerly Vito Cruz)corner Bautista Street, Singa-long, Manila and at the Com-munity Center, Suha Street, ValleVerde 1, Pasig. Tel.no. 671-7606.Pastry chef Rene Ruz does ameringue torte with butter creamicing, choco ganache and pista-chios. Chili’s Greenhills ComboQuesadillas is also to die for, thesouthwestern rolls are a must-

try and the blackened sh lletwith refried beans is terric. The

steak with creamy mash potato isa menu favorite. Special men-tion also to the baby-back ribs — both Chili’s and Racks areup there among the best — very

tender, juicy, and full of avor.

Visit www.sylviareynosogala.com for schedule of classes.

DIRECTLINE By Boy Abunda PhilStar

“Make people happy” couldvery well be the driving force of people behind Nestlé Creamery,the ice cream hub that continuesto stand witness to the creationof countless warm momentssince it reopened in 2006. Theultimate ice cream haven locatedin front of the Nestlé Plant alongAurora Blvd. in Quezon City hassucceeded in painting smiles oneveryone’s faces, both young andnot so young, as it continues tochurn out heavenly delights.Indeed, hearts can get warmer even in a freezing cold place. Avisit to the newly-refurbished Nestlé Creamery proves it.The new ice cream stopover was recently remodeled andgiven a new look, and the mo-ment you walk through its door,you’ll feel excitement in the air.You’ll see it in the cheerful col-ors of the interiors, the factory-inspired look of the place, andthe gigantic, colorful menu. If these are not enough, wait tillyou smell the heavenly scent of freshly-baked sugar cones waft-ing through the air.In case you’re wondering,yes, this is the same place that became popular in the ‘70s and‘80s. “People always approachus and say ‘Oh, we used to comehere before,’” Michelle Chang-Co shared.Michelle, with partners JoelTuquid and Emerson Lim fromInnovasian Ideas, Inc., the samecompany behind the success of Thumbs Up ice cream and the popular Orbitz Pearl Shakes,would like to relive thesewonderful childhood memories.That’s why they immediatelytook the challenge of sprucingup the place when Nestlé Philip- pines gave them the offer. Theywere given three weeks to do it.From the start, Michelle and

Warming heartsin a cold place

her partners had a clear visionin mind: They wanted the happyfaces of hordes of families en- joying their cold and hot treats.They wanted families to bondover its delicious ice cream andtasty comfort foods like spaghettiand fried chicken.The Nestlé Creamery never runs out of various classic icecream delights like cobblers and parfaits using the world-famous Nestlé ice cream as its base.These include the Old FashionedBanana Split, the Classic Straw- berry Sundae and the SimplyStrawberry Parfait, the PeachMelba Split, the Melba BananaSplit and Black and White. Not to be missed are classic

avors like vanilla, chocolate,

mocha, strawberry, mango and

ube and premium avors like

Chunky Macapuno, DoubleDutch, Cookies and Cream andRocky Road.“We offer an interactive at-mosphere where customers aretreated to a view of how their ice cream of choice is made,”Michelle said.Aside from classic favorites,Michelle and her partners alsocame up with ice cream servingsgood for three to four like theBucket of Apples, appleice cream servedin a bucket withsugar cones;TatlongItlog, bananaturon withcaramel sauce and scoops of ice cream; and Tuxedo, va-nilla Swiss roll with cookies and

cream-avored ice cream glazed

with white and dark chocolatesauce.Another addition to the funfactory is Marble Slab, a frozenslab of marble where ice creamdelights are created in style. If you want to be daring, you caneither pick your own ice cream

avors from the freezer and ask

the waiters to mix them for you.You may also choose from itstaste-tested Marble Slab Concoc-tions like the Vanilla Oaty RumCaramel, the Piñata Crunch, theVanilla Smarties Choco Fudge or the Vanilla Berry Cheesecake.But the Nestlé Creamery

is denitely more than just

about ice cream; it also boastsof a selection of hot and tastymeals. Destined to become theultimate place for family out-ings, the Nestlé Creamery also boasts of an indoor and outdoor playground for kids and ample,secured parking space. It offerscool packages for themed kiddie parties.But don’t just take my word for it. Go and visit the new NestléCreamery and let your kids expe-rience a world of creamy imagi-nation. The fun place is openfrom 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. everyday. For details, call 415-7872.