‘The Master Chief’ honors Filipino Americans’ US Navy legacy on the big screen

Chris Soriano’s ‘Master Chief’ is screening in select theaters across the US

By: Kristel Sambile - @inquirerdotnet

ENTERTAINMENT

As of Nov. 10, “The Master Chief” has begun its absorbing journey on the silver screen, presenting
director Chris Soriano’s poignant tribute to the contributions of Filipino Americans in the US Navy.

“The Master Chief” explores the challenges and triumphs of a young Filipino sailor navigating the
intricate waters of the US Navy. Soriano, who also wrote and acted in the film, aims to shed light on the
often-unseen experiences of Filipino sailors and the camaraderie known as the “Filipino Mafia.”

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Hailing from Bonita, California, Soriano is a storyteller driven by a deep sense of purpose. With a
commitment to representing the often-overlooked narratives of Filipino Americans, Soriano has carved a
niche for himself in the world of cinema.

As the co-founder of Matthew 25:14 LLC, a movie production company dedicated to sharing stories of
minorities across the United States, Soriano has used his platform to amplify diverse voices. Beyond
filmmaking, he has been recognized as an award-winning speaker for young adults, executives, and
public servants, advocating for positive change through storytelling.

Soriano’s connection to “The Master Chief” is deeply personal. Growing up, he witnessed the challenges
faced by his father who served as a sailor in the US Navy. This familial connection serves as the
emotional anchor for the film, motivating him to shed light on the experiences of Filipino sailors and the
unique camaraderie they share.

To ensure authenticity, Soriano engaged with Filipino sailors in the US Navy, collecting real-life stories of
racial tension, discrimination, and the “Filipino Mafia.” The result is a film that not only entertains but
also educates and pays homage to the unsung heroes in the navy.

Soriano’s dedication to telling meaningful stories that resonate with audiences contributes to the
ongoing legacy of Filipino American filmmakers striving to bring diverse narratives to the forefront of the
film industry.

“The Master Chief” continues to screen in select theaters across the US and tickets can be purchased on
thei
De Lima finally steps out of Camp Crame after almost 7 years

By: Faith Argosino

NATION

MANILA, Philippines — Former Senator Leila de Lima has been released from the custodial facility of the
Philippine National Police’s (PNP) headquarters in Camp Crame after undergoing medical and physical
examination.

Before her mandatory examination, de Lima greeted media members around 4:30 p.m. as she inched
closer to her freedom.

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“After six years, eight months, and 24 days, sweet, sweet freedom. Thank you, Lord,” de Lima said.

The Muntinlupa court allowed de Lima to post bail earlier Monday, according to her lawyer, Boni
Tacardon.

Based on previous reports, the former senator was arrested in 2017 for drug allegations. De Lima
maintained her innocence and repeatedly denied the accusations against her.

Three drug charges have been filed against de Lima, and she has already been cleared of two out of the
three cases filed against her.

She was first acquitted in February 2021 after one of the three cases filed against her was junked by the
Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 205.

Last May 12, the Muntinlupa RTC Branch 204 likewise cleared both de Lima and former aide Ronnie
Dayan of charges related to the illegal drug trade.
PSA probe finds foreigners use fake birth certificate to get PH passport

By: Luisa Cabato

NATION

MANILA, Philippines — A Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) official disclosed Monday that some
foreigners used fake birth certificates to obtain Philippine passports.

PSA Assistant National Statistician Marizza Grande said that in coordination with the Department of
Foreign Affairs (DFA), they have validated that six foreigners with Philippine passports submitted birth
certificates indicating that they are Filipinos – but the documents were found to be altered.

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“Sa ngayon kasi ‘yung seven na alleged foreigners palang ‘yung impormasyon na mayroon sa PSA, so out
doon sa mga birth certificates na ni-submit nila for passport, na-validate ng PSA anim dito ay fake o
tampered na documents at isa dito ay authentic,” Grande said in an interview with Radyo 360.

(Right now, the seven alleged foreigners are the only information the PSA has, so out of the birth
certificates they submitted for passports, the PSA has validated six of them as fake or tampered
documents, and one is authentic.)

She noted that some of the six fake birth certificates were registered in the civil registry office. PSA is
coordinating with the DFA to determine where the six foreigners obtained their documents.

She added that the PSA likewise seeks additional information on other foreigners suspected of
presenting fake birth certificates to the DFA.

In a plenary debate on Friday, senators raised the alarm over an alleged scheme involving the issuance of
Philippine passports to foreigners.

Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda said the DFA is “actively engaging [with] law enforcement
agencies pursuing the proper criminal charges against foreign nationals who were able to obtain
Philippine passports.”

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, meanwhile, disclosed an ongoing investigation in a town in the
Caraga region where Chinese nationals are allegedly issuing Philippine birth certificates.
3 Filipinas go global at A-League Women in Australia

It’s a new playing field for Jessika Cowart, Quinley Quezada, and Jaclyn Sawicki

By: Andrea Posadas

INTERNATIONAL

Achievements and opportunities keep on coming for the mainstays of the Philippine national women’s
football team.

The Filipinas brought pride to the country and experienced several laudable firsts at the 2023 FIFA
Women’s World Cup, including their historic maiden goal in their game against New Zealand last
August.

After their memorable season, Filipino-American players Jessika Cowart and Quinley Quezada as well
as Filipino Canadian Jaclyn Sawicki now represent the Philippines and play for the Perth Glory Football
Club and Western United in the Australia’s A-League Women (ALW).

The opportunity came around thanks to the team’s close ties with Australian coaches Alen Stajcic and
Alex Epakis, coaches of the Perth Glory’s men’s and women’s teams, respectively. Cowart and Quezada
play defender and midfielder for Perth Glory, while Sawicki leads Western United as team captain.

For Cowart and Quezada, joining the international team exceeded their expectations despite language
barriers and pending duties for the national team, such as the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

“We’re just a very happy team,” Quezada says in an interview with ABC News. She shares that their
bond shows on and off the field, going beyond their joint goals in every match and league they
participate in.

Getting used to varying cultures wasn’t an obstacle for the Filipinas either. “Since we’ve traveled a lot
and been on different teams, we’re used to it,” Cowart adds. “Having a good culture, coach, staff, and
players around us has been so helpful.”

Meanwhile, joining Western United wasn’t initially part of Sawicki’s plan. She was already a general
manager at a soccer training facility when the Filipinas invited her back to the field in 2022. This
eventually led to her interest in playing in the A-League Women. “It was a great platform for me to
prepare me to make the World Cup roster,” she recalls.

Whether they’re playing in national or global tournaments, the Filipinas aim to inspire future athletes
to keep honing their skills and turn their passion into professional pursuits. “Hopefully, the younger
generation sees us and what we’re doing to know that it’s also possible for them,” Quezada says.
BIZ BUZZ: Bohol water crisis feared

BUSINESS

Inspired by the growing number of visitors from here and abroad coming through the classy Bohol-
Panglao international airport, investments are pouring into the province’s fast-growing hospitality sector.

South Palms Panglao is looking to build as many as 10 hotels over the next 10 years. Marriott and
Crimson Resorts are expected to start construction of their own hotels next year. And as if these were
not enough, Modala Beach Resort will list 300 more rooms and the Henann group will beef up by
another 700 rooms.

What could scuttle or derail these exciting expansion plans is the lack of regular supply of potable water,
a minimum requirement to support the tourism sector, not to mention residential and commercial
property developments not just in the flagship Panglao island but in the entire province.

At present, the Tagbilaran City-based Richli Water Corp. is still able to provide for the needs of Panglao
Island as well as the international airport. But full distribution capacity of 10 million liters a day may be
hit as early as January next year, thus the need to immediately expand so that it can meet the fast-
growing requirements of its customers that include the biggest names in the hospitality sector.

Concerned groups such as the Bohol Clean Water Alliance, however, lament that the permits have been
tied up in bureaucratic red tape as well as warring interests.

Their hope is that the primary need to ensure potable water supply 24 hours a day will push the
government and conflicting sides to set aside their differences and come together behind a worthy
cause.
DOF chief Diokno: Maharlika fund IRR revisions ‘within bounds of law’

By: Jean Mangaluz

NATION

MANILA, Philippines — Changes made in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the Maharlika
Investment Fund (MIF) “are within the bounds of the law,” Department of Finance (DOF) Sec. Benjamin
Diokno said Monday.

He also noted that the revisions were “enhancements” to establish “a strong corporate governance
structure.”

The Palace released the MIF’s IRR on Saturday, November 11, after it was ordered suspended by
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in October to allow a review.

The final version of the IRR includes expanding the power of Marcos in choosing members of the board
of the Maharlika Investment Corp. (MIC), which will manage the MIF. It gives Marcos the authority to
“either accept or reject” nominees to the board of directors of the MIC submitted by the advisory body,
which is composed of the national treasurer, the socioeconomic planning secretary, and the budget
secretary.

“The enhancements introduced by the IRR are all within the bounds of the law, meant to give full
meaning to the establishment of a strong corporate governance structure,” Diokno said in a statement,
adding that the IRR’s finalization came at an opportune time as both foreign and local investors have
expressed interest in the MIF.

“Most importantly, this affirms the Marcos Jr. administration’s commitment to see the Fund off and
running by the end of the year and effectively paves the way for the full operationalization of a well-
structured, robust, and effective sovereign wealth fund that will advance the Philippines’ long-term
growth,” he also said.

In a separate statement on Sunday, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman also backed the MIF’s IRR.
She said the new IRR would allow the Board of Directors more independence.

“I am glad of this development, as this shall allow the MIC Board to have the liberty and flexibility to
fulfill its mandate, and explore beneficial investment opportunities while adhering faithfully to the letter
of the law and ensuring high-impact investments that are in line with the country’s socioeconomic
development policies and programs,” she said.
Non-inclusive economic growth

EDITORIAL

The government expressed elation last week as the economy grew faster than expected in the third
quarter, although public spending accounted for a big part of the expansion as household consumption
faltered due to high inflation. Gross domestic product (GDP), or the sum of all goods produced, and
services rendered in an economy, rose 5.9 percent year-on-year in the July-September period, more
robust than the 4.3 percent recorded in the preceding three months, the Philippine Statistics Authority
(PSA) reported.

But when this is taken side by side with the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey on poverty, what
is evident is that the fruits of such economic growth still failed to trickle down to the marginalized
sectors. According to the SWS survey, almost half of Filipino families consider themselves living in
poverty. It estimated that the number of self-rated poor families was at 13.2 million as of September this
year, an increase of some 700,000 families. What is worse is that according to the SWS, almost two
million families considered themselves to be newly poor, which meant they did not see themselves to be
poor at least five years ago.

“Poverty is both more widespread and more persistent in the Philippines than in neighboring
(Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries … Some of the blame for the Philippines’ slow
progress in reducing the incidence of poverty can be attributed to past economic policies that retarded
growth by discriminating against agriculture and discouraging investment in human capital. These
policies, in turn, sustained powerful interest groups that blocked or delayed economic reform,” read a
briefing paper of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) titled “Poverty and Economic Policy in the
Philippines” written by Philip Gerson. While this may describe the country’s present state of economic
affairs, the paper was written in 1998, or 25 years ago.

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan explains why this is so. In a paper titled “Why Does
Poverty Persist in the Philippines? Facts, Fancies, and Policies” written for the Southeast Asian Regional
Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture, he said: “The persistence of poverty in the
Philippines has to do largely with its inability to achieve—and sustain—an income growth substantially
higher than its population growth … [T]he Philippines’ unenviable record in poverty reduction in recent
years is the outcome not only of its comparatively low per capita GDP growth rate but also of its
weakness in transforming any rate of income growth into poverty reduction. The quality of economic
growth has to be improved to enhance the benefits of growth to the poor.” This was written in 2007, or
16 years ago, yet it still holds true to this day.

The point is that while poverty alleviation has been the cornerstone of many development plans in past
administrations, progress in achieving this has been painstakingly slow. More recent data prove this. The
World Bank, in a report titled “Overcoming Poverty and Inequality in the Philippines: Past, Present, and
Prospects for the Future” released in November last year, noted that “inequality [in the Philippines]
remains high: the top 1 percent of earners together capture 17 percent of national income, with only 14
EDITORIAL #2

percent being shared by the bottom 50 percent” in 2018. This made the Philippines one of the countries
with the highest rates of income inequality in East Asia.

The Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028 of the Marcos administration again highlights its
importance, describing it as “a plan for deep economic and social transformation to reinvigorate job
creation and accelerate poverty reduction by steering the economy back on a high-growth path.” Given
the country’s dismal performance in the past decades, one wonders what different tack this
administration will take to break the status quo.

All the economic theories and even the policy recommendations to achieve poverty alleviation are
readily available. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), citing many
country case studies, has time and again emphasized that economic growth is the most powerful
instrument in reducing poverty and improving the quality of life in developing countries. It noted that
growth can generate virtuous circles of prosperity and opportunity. For instance, it said strong growth
and employment opportunities improve incentives for parents to invest in their children’s education.
This, in turn, may lead to the emergence of a strong and growing group of entrepreneurs, which should
generate pressure for improved governance. Strong economic growth therefore advances human
development, it added.

In short, the key phrase is “inclusive growth.” All the answers to alleviating poverty have been available
since the 1990s. What is needed is a strong political will to properly implement them.
Bongbong Marcos names Rafael Consing Maharlika Invest Corp head

By: Jean Mangaluz

NATION

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has appointed Rafael D. Consing Jr.
as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Maharlika Investment Corporation (MIC).

Consing is the current Presidential Adviser for Investment and Economic Affairs.

“He is an accomplished, results-driven, and multi-awarded C-level executive with a profound depth of
experience in corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, global capital markets,
stakeholder relations, and business strategy development,” said Malacañang on Monday.

Palace said Consing graduated from De La Salle University in 1989.

He has additional training from Stanford University Graduate School of Business Strategic Financial
Leadership Program 2016.

Prior to this stint as a presidential adviser, Consing was Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
of International Container Terminal Services Incorporated.

Consing was also a managing director in HSBC Hong Kong and Singapore, and Head of Debt Finance
Group of HSBC Philippines.

Meanwhile, the Implementing Rules and Regulations of Maharlika Act were released on Saturday.

Marcos had previously promised to have the investment fund running by the end of 2023.