Robin Padilla wants Duterte-Lacson for 2016

SPAIN – Actor Robin Padilla is one of those urging Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte to run for president in the 2016 elections. For the first time, Padilla has expressed support for former senator and rehabilitation czar Panfilo Lacson to be Duterte’s running mate.

“Tandaan naman natin na si Sen. Lacson ang nag-iisang senador na hindi kumuha ng pork barrel…Kaya kung mamarapatin ang dalawang magaling na lalaking ito, sana magkaroon ng tambalan ang Duterte-Lacson,” said Padilla.

Padilla further reiterated his support for Duterte, who, however, is still not inclined on joining the presidential race despite his improving survey ratings, especially in Mindanao.

“Ang Davao ay number 8 sa safest city sa buong mundo…Tandaan natin ang progress ay susunod kapag may peace. Walang progress kapag walang peace,” Padilla added.

The actor has been very vocal about his stand on the peace process in Mindanao. For him, peace is long overdue given the many agreements already signed such as the “Tripoli Agreement, Jakarta Accord, and now the Bangsamoro Basic Law.”

“Parang babaeng nililigawan lang yan. Pagka gusto ka ng babae, hindi na kailangan ng napakaraming bolahan, pero pag ayaw ka ng babae, wala na, kahit na ano pang gawin mo, magkikisay ka pa diyan, tapos! Ganyan ang peace talks sa atin.”

Padilla believes that only through Duterte’s federalism will Mindanao achieve true autonomy, comparing it to Spain’s model of autonomous governments.

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Consulado general de filipinas Jordi Puig Roches

A post shared by robin padilla (@robinhoodpadilla) on Jun 12, 2015 at 10:02am PDT

 

The actor is currently in Barcelona to celebrate Philippine Independence Day with the Filipino community.

 

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Ang mga Spanish- Filipino ng Catalonia

A post shared by robin padilla (@robinhoodpadilla) on Jun 12, 2015 at 10:53am PDT

 

Barcelona is the capital city of Catalonia, a region with an autonomous government which is clamoring for independence from Spain.

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Daniel and Robin Padilla. With Filipino action superstar Robinhood Cariño Padilla. If I'm not mistaken he's the first Filipino actor I have interviewed and the interview went really well. He's very brave to speak his mind. One can write three headlines from just one interview with him. He even considers himself "revolutionary", very fitting for his role in the movie about a Philippine national hero who revolted against the Spanish colonizers–Andres Bonifacio. The award-winning movie "Andres Bonifacio: Ang Unang Pangulo (the first president) will be shown in Barcelona, Spain on June 20, Saturday, 8 p.m. at Iglesia de San Agustin. Everyone's invited to watch the 2014 MMFF Best Picture and there you could also meet personally the very approachable Mr. Robin Padilla. It's for free and open to the public. The day after, June 21, Sunday, lots of activities will be held in front of MACBA to celebrate the Philippine Independence Day in Barcelona. #independenceday #philippineindependenceday #Philippines #arawngkalayaan #andresbonifacio #andresbonifacioangunangpangulo #Barcelona #Spain #robinpadilla #Filipinos #filipinas #España #independencia #arawngkasarinlan #iglesiadesanagustin #iglesiadesanagustín #filipinosinbarcelona #filipinosinspain #artista

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Despite being very political in his pronouncements, Padilla denied any plans to run in the 2016 senatorial race, saying he considers himself “revolutionary.”

“Ang isang rebolusyonaryo, kailanman hindi magpapaalipin sa mga kapitalista. Pag ako’y naging pulitiko, alipin ka na ng kapitalista at magsisimula mo nang ipagpalit ang kayamanan sa karapatan.”

His award-winning movie on the Father of the Philippine Revolution, “Andres Bonifacio: Ang Unang Pangulo,” will be shown on June 20 at Iglesia de San Agustin in Barcelona, Spain, where many kababayans are expecting to see their idol in person. ABS-CBNnews.com

For Padilla, OFWs are heroes like Bonifacio:

How Pinoys in Europe are affected by weakening euro

By Daniel Infante Tuaño

SPAIN – Filipinos in Europe are already complaining of the continuous depreciation of euro.

They can’t help but compare the euro-peso exchange rate 10 years ago, when a euro was pegged at P70. But in March, the euro plummeted to almost P46, making it almost equivalent to one US dollar.

Some Filipinos have to send more euros so their families in the Philippines can receive the same amount they have been receiving every month.

Barcelona resident Bryan Avila sends monthly remittance to his parents in the Philippines.

Avila, married and has two kids, needs to further tighten his belt as he also allots a budget for his family in Barcelona.

“Kontrol ngayon dahil mababa ang rate, sa mga bilihin dito, sa mga gamit ng bata, mga pagkain, mga pambayad ng bahay. Budget na budget talaga,” Avila added.

Other Filipinos resort to reducing their remittance or doing extra jobs like Leonilyn Jabon Noche.

“Hindi na talaga kaya yung gastusin dito, yung bahay natin dito na tinitirahan, hindi katulad sa ibang bansa na Saudi, Hong Kong mas libre yung pagkain, libre yung tinirahan, so parang pareho na rin lang kung iko-compare mo sa ibang bansa,” Noche said.

Roger Rafanan is fully aware of his fellow Filipinos’ plight every time he talks to them in his remittance agency.

Rafanan said usually Filipinos send 50 percent of their salary. But due to the depreciation of the euro, some of them are forced to send more than that even though they are not earning more.

“Dahil instead na budget nila dati, dadagdagan pa nila…Hindi naman tumataas yung sahod,” Rafanan said.

Carrer de Joaquin Costa in Barcelona, Spain

According to economist and financial expert Dr. Ricardo Barcelona of Barcino Capitas Limited, the European Central Bank has implemented a policy that intentionally weakens the euro called quantitative easing, which means the Bank buys more US dollars to depreciate the value of euro against the US dollar.

If the euro becomes weak, exports from Europe will become cheaper, sales will increase, and this will eventually bring economic growth to Europe.

“Dito naman sa Pilipinas, ang policy naman ng Central Bank natin, ang tinitingnan nilang exchange rate is Peso-US dollar. Magpadala ka ng euro, ang ginagawa ng mga bangko papalitan yung euro mo to US dollar, ang US dollar mo ipapalit ng peso. Kapag exchange mo ng euro (equivalent to) 1.05 (dollars) na lang, konti yung dollar na makuha mo, ‘pag palit sa peso konti ang makuha mo,” Barcelona explained.

Filipinos in Europe, he added, should pay more attention at the prevailing euro-US dollar exchange rates.

Nonetheless, Barcelona has a positive forecast for Europe.

In 2015, the value of euro and US dollar will be equal, but in 2016, euro will become stronger again against the dollar and European economy will grow especially the Spanish economy.

Barcelona, on the other hand, reminded that Filipino families should not be dependent on exchange rates but rather learn how to manage the remittances.

He also stressed the positive aspect of “malasakit”, however, in the long run it could be detrimental as some families take advantage of this and can become overly dependent on the remittance.

“Yung isa may malasakit sa familia so positive yun. Ang negative side nyan, aasa na lang tayo. Aasa kay ate. Aasa kay kuya. Yung pangalawa, yung mga remittance natin sa isang period yun na pwede tayong magtrabaho, malakas, healthy pa tayo so gawin natin yang opportunity na mag-ipon. Finally, self-reliance talaga ang importante. The beginning and the end of everything is the initiative from the individual,” Barcelona advised. ABS-CBN

Watch the related TV report aired on Balitang Global, TFC, ABS-CBN:

 

ADB: Inequality in the Philippines still high

Presentation of “Asian Development Outlook 2014” at Casa Asia in Barcelona, Spain

By Daniel Infante Tuaño

BARCELONA, Spain – Inequality in the Philippines might have not changed rapidly in the last 20 years but the gap between the rich and the poor in the country is still significantly high according to Juzhong Zhuang, Deputy Chief Economist of Asian Development Bank (ADB).

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) called on Asian governments to address the disparity between rich and poor amidst the steady economic growth the region is projected to achieve in 2014 and 2015.

According to “Asian Development Outlook 2014 Fiscal Policy for Inclusive Growth”, which was presented by Zhuang in the headquarters of Casa Asia in Barcelona, Spain, developing Asia is set to grow 6.2 % in 2014, from 6.1% last year, and 6.4 in 2015 spurred by the recovery in advanced economies like Japan, United States and Europe but slightly dampened by forecasted slowdown in China’s growth.

The Philippines remains to have the highest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in Southeast Asia despite the projected decrease in this year’s GDP at 6.4%, from 7.2% in 2013, and slight increase in 2015 at 6.7%.

However, despite the rosy economic climate in Asia, the levels of inequality alarm ADB as observed in the rise of Gini coefficient, a key measure of inequality, in 12 Asian economies especially the most populous such as People’s Republic of China, India and Indonesia.

Technological progress, globalization, and market-oriented reform can be a double edged sword as they were identified as drivers of growth but at the same time were the causes of inequality according to a separate ADB report entitled “Rising Inequality in Asia and Policy Implications”.

It is important to address inequality, the report further said, as this hampers economic growth itself, debilitates poverty reduction efforts, reduce middle class by leaving more people at the extreme ends of income distribution, trigger political repercussions and affect the crime and violence situation, which in turn conditions the investment climate in a country.

To respond to these issues, Zhuang recommended that Asian governments spend more on education, health care and social services as they lag behind their Latin American and OECD counterparts.

Developing Asia allocate 2.9% of their GDP compared to 5.5% in Latin America and 5.3% in OECD, and the least on health care at 2.4% compared to 3.9% in Latin America and 8.1% in OECD countries.

Zhuang added that realigning government spending on these sectors does not only reduce inequality but also augments productivity and enhances human capital.

In the case of the Philippines, Zhuang said in an interview with ABS-CBNnews.com, the challenge for the country is to create more jobs and to develop the manufacturing sector.

“Obviously to reduce inequality, we think, one is to create more jobs, my view, is to develop the manufacturing sector where the quality jobs and labour-intensive jobs would come from. And of course at the same time the service sector remains important as has been in the past.”

Zhuang also mentioned the need to increase tax collection and once again stressed the importance of spending more on education and health.

“Another issue for the Philippines is to broaden the tax base so more tax revenues will be collected and an important issue is to improve tax administration and enforcement. I think the fiscal policy has a greater role to play in addressing inequality and of course also to reduce poverty.” Originally published on ABS-CBNnews.com 

Watch the related report in Filipino aired on Balitang Europe, The Filipino Channel.

Pinoys in Barcelona join uproar against pork barrel

The Filipino Personal Parish in Barcelona: Inmaculada Concepción y San Lorenzo Ruiz or popularly known as Iglesia de San Agustin

By Daniel Infante Tuaño

BARCELONA, Spain – The Sunday afternoon Filipino mass in Barcelona turned into calls to abolish pork barrel and fight rampant corruption in the Philippines.

The Parroquia de Inmaculada Concepción y San Lorenzo Ruiz, popularly known as Iglesia de San Agustín, was packed with hundreds of Barcelona-based Filipinos who had worn white shirt with black ribbon to show their solidarity with the worldwide protest and the Million People March in Luneta.

The Filipino Parish along with Centro Filipino also came up with the theme: “Mahal natin ang ating bayan. Korupsyon ay labanan. Kapakanan ng Sambayanan ay ating ipaglaban.”

Fr. Tony Laureta stressed during his Homily that Filipinos have the responsibility to be vigilant and united.

“Dito sa Barcelona, dama ang kalungkutan. Ito ay malaking dagok, malaking kalungkutan para sa amin kaya kami nanawagan, nakikiisa kami sa sambayanang Pilipino na tutulan na at kung pwede lang, i-abolish na ang pork barrel,” Fr. Laureta said.

He added “Kung ito lang naman ay magiging daan ng korupsyon at katiwalian, di bale na‘t wala. Mas mabuti pang ipakita ang pagmamahal lalo na sa mga nangangailangan, sa mga kababayang gutom, na higit na dapat damayan”.

Some of the Filipino youth who offered a song number during the event also expressed their sentiments over the corruption scandals that beset the country.

Filipino Catholic Community in Barcelona

Poverty, lack of job opportunities and inadequate social services brought about by misuse or outright stealing from public coffers have forced millions of Filipinos to seek better conditions abroad. Originally published on ABS-CBNnews.com

Meanwhile, in this related TV report Filipino leaders support the latest move of the Office of the Ombudsman to indict alleged mastermind of the pork barrel ‘scam’ Janet Lim-Napoles, Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Bong Revilla, Jinggoy Estrada and other individuals.

 

LGBT shows off skin and issues in Barcelona

By Daniel Infante Tuaño

Painted the town rainbow.

This is what lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender did during the annual Pride Parade in Barcelona, Spain.

Colorful costumes and flamboyant acts were showed off to the delight of the public as the participants marched from the whole stretch of Avenida Parallel to Plaza España.

Latina transgender dressed in revealing showgirl outfits and clad in stilettos flaunted what they got while proudly waving a flag of Colombia.

Lesbian motorcycles made noise and came in droves.

Straight-looking gay men with sculpted bodies along with athletic, hairy macho men made even the female spectators blushing.

Nimfa, a Filipina resident in Barcelona, enjoyed the parade as she saw shirtless men dancing and equally enjoying themselves half-naked and being seen.

What also caught the attention even the performers was the gay superhero couple from the crowd, Batman and Robin dressed in nothing but body paint.

Amidst the revelry, many issues that have continued to hound the LGBT sector were brought to the attention of the public.

The participants carried banners denouncing hate and violence suffered by members of the LGBT community and demanded for a Spanish law against homophobia and transphobia.

Kids who joined the parade with their same sex parents made more visible the existence of gay families.

“People should be more open-minded,” said Joy Laygo, another Filipina resident in Barcelona, who witnessed the event with her daughter after coming from work.She wanted her daughter at an early age to be aware of equal rights. “I hope Filipino gays also participate in the future,” she added.

Spanish participants, on the other hand, had more reasons to be prouder in this year’s Pride Parade and as one banner said,”the French ‘copied’ us and now the Americans”referring to recent protest-hit legalization of same sex marriages in France and the latest US Supreme Court decision to declare the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional.

Edited version published on ABS-CBNnews.com