By LOUI GALICIA, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau 04/02/2009 12:49 AM
Jose Maria “Joma” Sison said the Philippines' national security adviser should not embarrass himself a second time.
The Communist Party of the Philippines founding chair said Secretary Norberto Gonzales should be ashamed of himself for claiming that he had everything to do with Sison’s arrest in August 2007.
Dutch authorities earlier cleared Sison of charges that he ordered the killings of his erstwhile comrades Arturo Tabara and Romulo Kintanar.
Sison also brushed off Gonzales' statements on the Philippine government’s plan to seek his return to the country.
“Dapat diyan si Gonzales na yan…Norberto…Dapat walang mukha na ‘yan. Di ba nagyayabang ‘yan noong ako ay hulihin. Di ba nagyayabang na siya ang responsible sa pagkahuli ko. Siya nga ‘yong taga-organize ng mga false evidence and false witnesses. So dapat mapahiya siya,” Sison said in a telephone interview.
Sison was reacting to Gonzales’s statement on Wednesday that the Philippine government will seek the return of Sison to the Philippines after a Dutch prosecutor dropped the cases against him for the deaths of Tabara and Kintanar.
Gonzales, in an interview with ABS-CBN News, said the Philippine government will write the Dutch government as soon as possible to seek his return. Gonzales noted the Dutch prosecutor dropped the case against Sison not because there was no evidence, but because there were no witnesses who came out to testify.
“Use diplomacy”
Gonzales said they will use diplomacy to seek Sison's return since the Philippines currently does not have an extradition treaty with The Netherlands.
“More diplomacy you know. Kasi titingnan natin ‘yong mga batas natin, batas nila. Kasi alam mo si Joma Sison hindi binigyan ng asylum,” said Gonzales.
The Dutch government has thrice rejected Sison's plea for political asylum. Sison, however, invoked his right as a political refugee under international humanitarian laws to stay in Utrecht.
He also managed to stay in the European country despite murder charges filed against him in the past in Manila because European states are against the death penalty.
“Bawal sa Dutch law na payagan na makuha ang isang tao na maaaring i-prosecute at saka may death penalty o masentensiyahan ng kamatayan. Eh sa ngayon wala na tayong ganyan,” said Arroyo’s chief security adviser, citing that the Arroyo administration has already lifted the death penalty.
Gonzales also assuaged Sison's concern for his safety should he return to the Philippines. He said the Philippine government is willing to give him protection.
“Di naman tayo masamang gobyerno. Gagarantyahan natin ‘yong rights ni Joma. Poproteksyunan natin siya. Sinasabi niyang may nagpa-plano na mag-assasinate sa kanya doon sa abroad, eh di umuwi na siya dito. Dito poproteksyunan natin siya ng husto at sisiguraduhin natin na di siya abutin ng mga nagagalit sa kaniya,” said Gonzales.
Gonzales said the thrust of government is to make sure that all those liable for a crime are brought to the bar of justice, dismissing concerns Sison might have for his safety once in Philippine jurisdiction.
“Recognized but not legally admitted”
Sison countered that he is a recognized political refugee but one who is not legally admitted.
“In my case, there is hairsplitting. I am a recognized political refugee. Even the Dutch
government states that. In 1995, the highest court in the Netherlands reiterated its position that I am a political refugee under Article 1 A,” Sison said.
The Council of State, as the highest Dutch administrative court, issued in 1995 the judgment reaffirming its previous ruling that Sison is a political refugee under Article 1 A of the Refugee Convention and that he is under the protection of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
It ruled that Article 1 F of the Refugee Convention did not apply to him because there was no sufficient evidence against him for crimes that would exclude him from consideration as a refugee.
Article 1 F of the Refugee Convention states that the provisions shall not apply to any person with respect to whom there are serious reasons for considering that he has committed among other things: a crime against peace, war crime or crime against humanity.
“Hindi ako 1 F. Yung 1 F, hindi ka pwedeng makilala [as a refugee] because of war crimes, crimes against humanity, etc. so kakaiba ako sa Article 1 F. Article 1 A ako, kaya malakas ako,” Sison said.
“Cannot be forced to leave”
Sison explained, however, that he cannot be asked to leave the Netherlands and that not even the Dutch government can force him to.
“I’m protected by Article 3 of the European Convention of Human Rights. I can’t be sent to a country where I’m at risk of being tortured or subjected to degrading and humiliating treatment,” Sison said.
Since the Philippines doesn’t have an extradition treaty with the Netherlands, Sison is confident that not even diplomacy can bring him back to the Philippines.
“That diplomacy can’t overrule the European Convention on Human Rights. Lalo na ngayon discredited na ‘yong Bush regime tungkol sa repressive actions. Iyang terrorist listing eventually will be thoroughly discredited. Even Obama now pretends to be turning his back on the policies of Bush,” Sison said.
In a 2007 interview with Sison, he admitted that his legal status in the Netherlands is in a state of limbo since the inclusion of his name on the European Union’s list of terrorists.
In the interview, Sison showed his “W-Document" card, which is an identification used for asylum seekers in the Netherlands but which already expired in 2005.
Sison said that even if that document card has already expired, he still goes about his daily routine provided he report to the police regularly.
“Primero for the first year or so, weekly ako nagre-report. Then for many years, more than 10 years I was reporting monthly. Then because of this terrorist scare, naku binalik na naman ako sa weekly. Ito lang in the last two weeks, binalik, di binalik kundi ni-reduce ‘yong frequency to once in two weeks,” Sison said.
Sison is very confident that he will never be asked to leave the Netherlands especially since his name has now been cleared of any wrongdoing.
“Ngayon pang false charge of murder, nabasura na. Ngayon pa magsasabi they can seek my return, lalong mahirap yan. Lalong tumibay ang aking legal position dito sa Netherlands,” Sison said.
With a report from RG CRUZ, ABS-CBN News
as of 04/02/2009 1:57 PM
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
'Joma' to focus on peace talks after murder raps dropped
By LOUI GALICIA, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau 04/01/2009 10:40 AM
A very happy and triumphant Jose Maria Sison and wife Juliet faced ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau after the founding chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) was vindicated by the Dutch Public Prosecutor's Office of all charges brought against him.
ABS-CBN was the only media invited to attend Sison’s meeting with his lawyers in Amsterdam to talk about their next steps.
Sison showed ABS-CBN the notice he received from the Dutch Prosecutor's Office about its decision to drop all charges against him in connection with the murders of his erstwhile allies Romulo Kintanar and Arturo Tabara.
"Ako’y nagagalak. Masaya ako na itong long-expected decision nangyari na. I've long expected the decision to be dismissed because in the first place I'm innocent of the charge," Sison said.
In an earlier report, the Dutch Public Prosecutor spokesman Wim de Bruin confirmed to ABS-CBN that they did not gather sufficient evidence on the charge that Sison ordered from the Netherlands the murders of his former allies.
The prosecutors' investigation lasted more than one a half years.
In a press statement, the Dutch Prosecutor also said, "During the inquiry in the Philippines and the Netherlands, the investigators walked into a wall of fear among witnesses and there was no willingness to make statements."
However, Sison contested the statement.
"No less than the Court of Appeals here said that it's doubtful whether I can take witnesses in my favor and cross examine the witnesses from the other side, and this is completely the opposite of the claim by the Prosecutor's service in a press release that there is a wall of fear and there is insinuation that the fear came from my side," Sison said.
"No, it can't be. It was the Philippine government that fed false information and false witnesses against me, and the Court of Appeals said that I would have difficulties in countering this wall of fear set up by the Philippine government," he added.
For Sison's lawyer, all's well that ends well, but this is just one victory among Joma's many battles.
"We're just very happy that the Prosecutor finally decided and has seen the light and decided to drop this hopeless case, and that's the most important decision," Michiel Pestman said.
Pestman said that for the moment, there is still a decision pending in Dutch Court regarding their complaint on the two assassination attempts at Sison's life in 2001.
"The most important thing now is that everyone--that includes the Prosecutor in the Netherlands but also the Philippine authorities--will focus on the attempt to kill Prof. Sison in 2001, and we expect the Filipino authorities to cooperate with the Dutch authorities into getting the truth, to establish the truth. And we expect them to cooperate as enthusiastically as they had cooperated in the investigation against Prof. Sison. I expect the truth to be established, and I expect that people who did that will be caught and brought to justice," Pestman said.
"Norberto Gonzales has played an important role in the investigation of Sison and I sincerely hope that he will put the same effort into pursuing the case against the perpetrators of the attempt to kill Prof. Sison," Pestman added.
Gonzales is currently the National Security Adviser of President Arroyo.
Meanwhile, apart from the possibility of claiming for damages, Sison sees some positive effects on the dropping of the charges against him.
"I hope the Dutch government would try to set things right by having me taken out of the terrorist black list. Another expectation of mine, I'm not distracted anymore by the false charge. I can pay more attention to the peace negotiations between the Philippine government and NDF [National Democratic Front] so my success in this case is also a positive thing for the cause of trying to advance the peace negotiations," Sison said.
Sison said he's glad that despite the pressures of the Philippine and US governments on the Dutch government and despite the accommodation or complicity of the political authorities, there is still enough sense of fairness in the Dutch judicial system.
as of 04/01/2009 12:13 PM
SOURCE: WWW.ABS-CBNNEWS.COM
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/04/01/09/joma-happy-be-freed-guilt
A very happy and triumphant Jose Maria Sison and wife Juliet faced ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau after the founding chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) was vindicated by the Dutch Public Prosecutor's Office of all charges brought against him.
ABS-CBN was the only media invited to attend Sison’s meeting with his lawyers in Amsterdam to talk about their next steps.
Sison showed ABS-CBN the notice he received from the Dutch Prosecutor's Office about its decision to drop all charges against him in connection with the murders of his erstwhile allies Romulo Kintanar and Arturo Tabara.
"Ako’y nagagalak. Masaya ako na itong long-expected decision nangyari na. I've long expected the decision to be dismissed because in the first place I'm innocent of the charge," Sison said.
In an earlier report, the Dutch Public Prosecutor spokesman Wim de Bruin confirmed to ABS-CBN that they did not gather sufficient evidence on the charge that Sison ordered from the Netherlands the murders of his former allies.
The prosecutors' investigation lasted more than one a half years.
In a press statement, the Dutch Prosecutor also said, "During the inquiry in the Philippines and the Netherlands, the investigators walked into a wall of fear among witnesses and there was no willingness to make statements."
However, Sison contested the statement.
"No less than the Court of Appeals here said that it's doubtful whether I can take witnesses in my favor and cross examine the witnesses from the other side, and this is completely the opposite of the claim by the Prosecutor's service in a press release that there is a wall of fear and there is insinuation that the fear came from my side," Sison said.
"No, it can't be. It was the Philippine government that fed false information and false witnesses against me, and the Court of Appeals said that I would have difficulties in countering this wall of fear set up by the Philippine government," he added.
For Sison's lawyer, all's well that ends well, but this is just one victory among Joma's many battles.
"We're just very happy that the Prosecutor finally decided and has seen the light and decided to drop this hopeless case, and that's the most important decision," Michiel Pestman said.
Pestman said that for the moment, there is still a decision pending in Dutch Court regarding their complaint on the two assassination attempts at Sison's life in 2001.
"The most important thing now is that everyone--that includes the Prosecutor in the Netherlands but also the Philippine authorities--will focus on the attempt to kill Prof. Sison in 2001, and we expect the Filipino authorities to cooperate with the Dutch authorities into getting the truth, to establish the truth. And we expect them to cooperate as enthusiastically as they had cooperated in the investigation against Prof. Sison. I expect the truth to be established, and I expect that people who did that will be caught and brought to justice," Pestman said.
"Norberto Gonzales has played an important role in the investigation of Sison and I sincerely hope that he will put the same effort into pursuing the case against the perpetrators of the attempt to kill Prof. Sison," Pestman added.
Gonzales is currently the National Security Adviser of President Arroyo.
Meanwhile, apart from the possibility of claiming for damages, Sison sees some positive effects on the dropping of the charges against him.
"I hope the Dutch government would try to set things right by having me taken out of the terrorist black list. Another expectation of mine, I'm not distracted anymore by the false charge. I can pay more attention to the peace negotiations between the Philippine government and NDF [National Democratic Front] so my success in this case is also a positive thing for the cause of trying to advance the peace negotiations," Sison said.
Sison said he's glad that despite the pressures of the Philippine and US governments on the Dutch government and despite the accommodation or complicity of the political authorities, there is still enough sense of fairness in the Dutch judicial system.
as of 04/01/2009 12:13 PM
SOURCE: WWW.ABS-CBNNEWS.COM
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/04/01/09/joma-happy-be-freed-guilt
Dutch prosecutor drops all charges against Sison
By LOUI GALICIA, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau 03/31/2009 6:07 PM
The Dutch Public Prosecutor’s Office in Rotterdam confirmed to ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau that it had dropped all its charges against Communist Party of the Philippines’ (CPP) founding chair Jose Maria Sison.
Public Prosecutor’s Office spokesman Wim de Bruin said that after more than a year and a half of criminal investigation, results did not yield sufficient evidence implicating Sison in the murders of the CPP founding chairman’s erstwhile allies Arturo Tabara and Romulo Kintanar.
”He [Sison] was notified that the Prosecution service will not continue the prosecution of Mr. Sison. The main reason is that the criminal investigation [yielded] insufficient evidence,” de Bruin said.
De Bruin said that they are dropping all the charges and will not pursue any more any investigation. He said, however, that Sison is not one hundred percent free.”
Only if there are, if there are new facts or circumstances, the investigation may be reopened. It’s not probable that it’s going to be, but theoretically, it’s possible,” de Bruin said.
Sison was arrested on August 28, 2007 but was released on Sept. 13 after a Dutch court said it did not find sufficient evidence to keep him in custody.
Sison was arrested by the International Crime Investigation Team of the Dutch National Criminal Investigation Department on allegations of he was involved in the assassinations of Romulo Kintanar and Arturo Tabara that took place in Philippines.
Dutch prosecutors however continued its investigation of Sison and continued to file motions in court to detain him.
Court decisions favored Sison on Sept. 23, Oct 3 and Nov. 29 when the investigative judge closed the criminal pre-investigation case.
During this period, the Dutch Public Prosecutor’s Office vowed to continue its investigation and said that Sison remains a suspect.
Sison filed an appeal on May 20, 2008 against the continued investigation on the charges but the Dutch court previously ruled June 5 in favor of the Dutch Public Prosecutor's Office.
SOURCE: WWW.ABS-CBNNEWS.COM
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/03/31/09/dutch-prosecutor-drops-all-charges-against-sison
as of 03/31/2009 6:13 PM
The Dutch Public Prosecutor’s Office in Rotterdam confirmed to ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau that it had dropped all its charges against Communist Party of the Philippines’ (CPP) founding chair Jose Maria Sison.
Public Prosecutor’s Office spokesman Wim de Bruin said that after more than a year and a half of criminal investigation, results did not yield sufficient evidence implicating Sison in the murders of the CPP founding chairman’s erstwhile allies Arturo Tabara and Romulo Kintanar.
”He [Sison] was notified that the Prosecution service will not continue the prosecution of Mr. Sison. The main reason is that the criminal investigation [yielded] insufficient evidence,” de Bruin said.
De Bruin said that they are dropping all the charges and will not pursue any more any investigation. He said, however, that Sison is not one hundred percent free.”
Only if there are, if there are new facts or circumstances, the investigation may be reopened. It’s not probable that it’s going to be, but theoretically, it’s possible,” de Bruin said.
Sison was arrested on August 28, 2007 but was released on Sept. 13 after a Dutch court said it did not find sufficient evidence to keep him in custody.
Sison was arrested by the International Crime Investigation Team of the Dutch National Criminal Investigation Department on allegations of he was involved in the assassinations of Romulo Kintanar and Arturo Tabara that took place in Philippines.
Dutch prosecutors however continued its investigation of Sison and continued to file motions in court to detain him.
Court decisions favored Sison on Sept. 23, Oct 3 and Nov. 29 when the investigative judge closed the criminal pre-investigation case.
During this period, the Dutch Public Prosecutor’s Office vowed to continue its investigation and said that Sison remains a suspect.
Sison filed an appeal on May 20, 2008 against the continued investigation on the charges but the Dutch court previously ruled June 5 in favor of the Dutch Public Prosecutor's Office.
SOURCE: WWW.ABS-CBNNEWS.COM
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/03/31/09/dutch-prosecutor-drops-all-charges-against-sison
as of 03/31/2009 6:13 PM
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Pinoy-made bags selling like hotcakes in Amsterdam
By LOUI GALICIA, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau 03/19/2009 2:35 AM
The bags made by international designer Cora Jacob were an instant hit at the exhibition at the Museum of Bags and Purses, reported ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau.
During the opening of the exhibition on March 5, VIPs and guests immediately grabbed the bags and with gusto.
In fact, 50 bags with prices ranging from 100 euros (6,200 pesos) to 250 euros (15,500 pesos) were sold that night.
The world’s largest museum of bags is now almost running out of bags for the special exhibition that will close on May 3.
Half of the 300 bags that Jacob flew in from the Philippines were already sold after only one week.
The first Jacobs to be plucked from the display were the white shell bags with crystals and the black bags made from buntal fiber.
The bags didn’t fail the impeccable and elegant tastes of two socialites who bought five bags each.
The wife of the owner of high-end clothing store Mexx, a popular world-wide brand, was so impressed at the bags.
“You just recognize good quality, value for money and most of all you know that you are helping the people back in the Philippines because you are complimenting their work and they can carry on with their craftsmanship,” Surekha Arora told ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau.
Her socialite friend, who’s also from Mexx, could not resist checking out all the bags on display which she said can be in the running with haute couture.
“They are very special, very elegant a lot of them and the casual one can be used in a lot of places. Casual but still elegantly useful,” Christina Shar said.
Filipinas were also caught in the mad frenzy, leaving some problematic because they just could not decide which bag to choose from.
Pinay businesswoman Mia Van Eendenburg already grabbed a beige buntal clutch bag but found it very difficult to restrain herself from the glass cabinet where a red bag was seemingly pulling her.
“Paano ko mabibili lahat kasi they're all nice nga. Kasi, tignan mo ‘yong kulay red. Ang ganda ng kulay red. Isa pa. Sasabihin ko sa asawa ko. Ito kasi pera ko ‘to ngayon eh,” Van Eendenburg said.
The most popular of the bags were the ones made from buntal because aside from their very high quality, they are also very light.
“Pinupukpok ‘yan, kinukuha isa-isa ang fiber at wini-weave. Inaabot ng isang linggo bago makatapos ng isang weave ng buntal na ginagawa nating isang bag. Kaya pag tinignan natin ang produkto natin makikita nyo ‘yong mga yaring kamay, weaving,” she explained.
Jacob said that one only needs to look and hold her bags to immediately know that the designs have been crafted by and for women.
Jacob believes that women should not sacrifice ease and comfort just for fashion that’s why her bags, even the large-sized ones, are always light to carry.
Jacob is happy at the warm reception received by her buntal bags. She said that through her craft, she aims to help revive the dying buntal industry in the Philippines.
as of 03/20/2009 7:46 PM
SOURCE: WWW.ABS-CBNNEWS.COM
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/pinoy-migration/03/18/09/pinoy-made-bags-selling-hotcakes-amsterdam-0
The bags made by international designer Cora Jacob were an instant hit at the exhibition at the Museum of Bags and Purses, reported ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau.
During the opening of the exhibition on March 5, VIPs and guests immediately grabbed the bags and with gusto.
In fact, 50 bags with prices ranging from 100 euros (6,200 pesos) to 250 euros (15,500 pesos) were sold that night.
The world’s largest museum of bags is now almost running out of bags for the special exhibition that will close on May 3.
Half of the 300 bags that Jacob flew in from the Philippines were already sold after only one week.
The first Jacobs to be plucked from the display were the white shell bags with crystals and the black bags made from buntal fiber.
The bags didn’t fail the impeccable and elegant tastes of two socialites who bought five bags each.
The wife of the owner of high-end clothing store Mexx, a popular world-wide brand, was so impressed at the bags.
“You just recognize good quality, value for money and most of all you know that you are helping the people back in the Philippines because you are complimenting their work and they can carry on with their craftsmanship,” Surekha Arora told ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau.
Her socialite friend, who’s also from Mexx, could not resist checking out all the bags on display which she said can be in the running with haute couture.
“They are very special, very elegant a lot of them and the casual one can be used in a lot of places. Casual but still elegantly useful,” Christina Shar said.
Filipinas were also caught in the mad frenzy, leaving some problematic because they just could not decide which bag to choose from.
Pinay businesswoman Mia Van Eendenburg already grabbed a beige buntal clutch bag but found it very difficult to restrain herself from the glass cabinet where a red bag was seemingly pulling her.
“Paano ko mabibili lahat kasi they're all nice nga. Kasi, tignan mo ‘yong kulay red. Ang ganda ng kulay red. Isa pa. Sasabihin ko sa asawa ko. Ito kasi pera ko ‘to ngayon eh,” Van Eendenburg said.
The most popular of the bags were the ones made from buntal because aside from their very high quality, they are also very light.
“Pinupukpok ‘yan, kinukuha isa-isa ang fiber at wini-weave. Inaabot ng isang linggo bago makatapos ng isang weave ng buntal na ginagawa nating isang bag. Kaya pag tinignan natin ang produkto natin makikita nyo ‘yong mga yaring kamay, weaving,” she explained.
Jacob said that one only needs to look and hold her bags to immediately know that the designs have been crafted by and for women.
Jacob believes that women should not sacrifice ease and comfort just for fashion that’s why her bags, even the large-sized ones, are always light to carry.
Jacob is happy at the warm reception received by her buntal bags. She said that through her craft, she aims to help revive the dying buntal industry in the Philippines.
as of 03/20/2009 7:46 PM
SOURCE: WWW.ABS-CBNNEWS.COM
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/pinoy-migration/03/18/09/pinoy-made-bags-selling-hotcakes-amsterdam-0
Friday, March 13, 2009
Filipinos celebrate Belgian fiesta 'Pinoy style'
By LOUI GALICIA, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau 03/05/2009 12:16 PM
Filipinos joined the biggest fiesta celebration in Belgium held every year in the Eastern Flemish town of Aalst.
Filipino residents played hosts. This culture of hospitality is one of the traits that Pinoys brought with them to Europe.
Whenever there is a fiesta, there certainly is a banquet of food.
That's why during the recent fiesta in Aalst, Pinoy residents there prepared sumptuous feasts to celebrate.
"Simpleng salu-salo para lang mairaos ang piyesta dito sa Aalst sa Belgium. Katulad din sa Pilipinas pag piyesta, ganun din dito," hospital worker Bobot Pasos said.
There was an abundant supply of food and non-stop invitations to drop by every Filipino home.Native dishes such as the kare-kare, pancit, dinuguan and puto were served as well as favorite desserts like ube, cassava and buko pandan.
The celebration had become an avenue for families, relatives and friends to get together to lessen the feeling of homesickness among Filipinos.
"Ginagawa namin itong lugar na aming bahay na open para sa kapwa namin Filipinong bumisita dito. Parang sa Pilipinas, bukas ang pintuan, kahit sino ay welcome," said embassy driver Bong Medrano.
After the very heavy lunch, the Pinoys put on their heavy jackets to withstand the cold weather and endure the six-hour parade.
From 12:30 p.m., the streets of Aalst came alive with color and loud music from the traditional parade participated by more than 70 participants.
The fiesta is a three-day extravaganza to give residents time to take off from their work to celebrate the occasion.
"Eto ang pinakamalaking piyesta dito sa Belgium na dito ginaganap sa Aalst," said Merly Pasos.
The colorful and spectacular procession displayed unique giant caricatures on floats.
Marchers wore elaborate costumes and marched in choreographed movement.
Majority of those who took part in the parade were men in women's costumes.
A lot of spectators, including Filipinos, wore costumes.
Supermarket worker Doming Solo wore a costume to watch the parade every year because he feels that it is also important to join in the Belgian celebrations.
"Nae-engganyo ka na sumali ka sa ganito dahil masaya. Kasiyahan ng nanonood at kasiyahan din ng mga bata," Solo said.
The fiesta is a signal that winter is almost over and that spring is coming.
For Pinoys, a fiesta is a time to display a few good traits distinctly Filipino like hospitality, generosity, camaraderie and goodwill.
SOURCE: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/pinoy-migration/03/05/09/filipinos-celebrate-belgian-fiesta-pinoy-style
Filipinos joined the biggest fiesta celebration in Belgium held every year in the Eastern Flemish town of Aalst.
Filipino residents played hosts. This culture of hospitality is one of the traits that Pinoys brought with them to Europe.
Whenever there is a fiesta, there certainly is a banquet of food.
That's why during the recent fiesta in Aalst, Pinoy residents there prepared sumptuous feasts to celebrate.
"Simpleng salu-salo para lang mairaos ang piyesta dito sa Aalst sa Belgium. Katulad din sa Pilipinas pag piyesta, ganun din dito," hospital worker Bobot Pasos said.
There was an abundant supply of food and non-stop invitations to drop by every Filipino home.Native dishes such as the kare-kare, pancit, dinuguan and puto were served as well as favorite desserts like ube, cassava and buko pandan.
The celebration had become an avenue for families, relatives and friends to get together to lessen the feeling of homesickness among Filipinos.
"Ginagawa namin itong lugar na aming bahay na open para sa kapwa namin Filipinong bumisita dito. Parang sa Pilipinas, bukas ang pintuan, kahit sino ay welcome," said embassy driver Bong Medrano.
After the very heavy lunch, the Pinoys put on their heavy jackets to withstand the cold weather and endure the six-hour parade.
From 12:30 p.m., the streets of Aalst came alive with color and loud music from the traditional parade participated by more than 70 participants.
The fiesta is a three-day extravaganza to give residents time to take off from their work to celebrate the occasion.
"Eto ang pinakamalaking piyesta dito sa Belgium na dito ginaganap sa Aalst," said Merly Pasos.
The colorful and spectacular procession displayed unique giant caricatures on floats.
Marchers wore elaborate costumes and marched in choreographed movement.
Majority of those who took part in the parade were men in women's costumes.
A lot of spectators, including Filipinos, wore costumes.
Supermarket worker Doming Solo wore a costume to watch the parade every year because he feels that it is also important to join in the Belgian celebrations.
"Nae-engganyo ka na sumali ka sa ganito dahil masaya. Kasiyahan ng nanonood at kasiyahan din ng mga bata," Solo said.
The fiesta is a signal that winter is almost over and that spring is coming.
For Pinoys, a fiesta is a time to display a few good traits distinctly Filipino like hospitality, generosity, camaraderie and goodwill.
SOURCE: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/pinoy-migration/03/05/09/filipinos-celebrate-belgian-fiesta-pinoy-style
Pinay bag designer impresses Dutch royalty
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By LOUI GALICIA, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau 03/12/2009 7:35 PM
Tagged as the "pilot of fashion" by the Dutch Queen's Mistress of the Robes, Filipina Cora Jacob received approval and admiration for her bags during the opening of her exhibition at the Museum of Bags and Purses in Amsterdam.
Jacob flew in 300 bags from the Philippines that are on display at the world's largest museum of bags until May 3.
Most impressed, among the more than 100 guests who attended the opening, was the guest of honor, a member of the royal household of Holland's Queen Beatrix.
"I think Cora Jacob bags are extremely highly fashionable, highly original and made of absolutely incredible materials. I love them. They are very, very much haute couture, especially the evening bags," Mistress of the Robes Martine van Loon-Labouchere said.
The exhibition of Jacob's spring/summer collection is part of the celebration of the National Arts Month organized by the Philippine Embassy in the Netherlands.
"Gusto nating ipakita ang bags na made in the Philippines using Philippine materials so ito ay pagkakataon na hindi lamang mga kababayan makakita nito kundi mga tao mula sa ibat ibang bansa," Ambassador Romeo Arguelles said.
The high-quality bags made of buntal, capiz, bamboo, leather, raffia and other local Philippine materials are very unique.
Jacob said that her works of art always pass the delicate and rigorous hands of the women in the provinces in the Philippines, notably from her hometown in Bulacan.
Philippine identity
Her bags' colors depict the background and rich natural resources of the Philippines such as white for the pristine sands of Boracay, orange for the sun, green for the fields and farms, blue for the seas and brown for the mountains.
For Jacob, more than creating, it is her happiness to help raise the status of the industry of bag making in the Philippines.
"Tinutulungan namin ang mga kababayan sa mga probinsya sapagkat nanduon po sa probinsya ang lahat ng materyales. Gusto po namin ay matulungan ang mga kababayan natin na ang mga produktong yaring Pilipinas ay makarating sa iba't-ibang panig ng daigdig," Jacob said.
Jacob said that there is an abundance of raw materials in the Philippines but the problem lies in the lack of innovation and improvement.
Having worked for fashion giants such as Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Nina Ricci and Givenchy, Jacob should know everything about quality craftsmanship.
Upgrading quality
With her family, Jacob established the Cora Cares Foundation in order to teach Filipinos how to increase the quality of their craft.
With her family, Jacob established the Cora Cares Foundation in order to teach Filipinos how to increase the quality of their craft.
"Para mas maraming tao ang matutong gumawa ng good quality. Dahil naniniwala kami kung maganda ang quality ng ginagawa nyo, hindi na kayo kailangang maghanap ng trabaho, hahanapin kayo ng trabaho," Jacob said.
"Noong una ako ay parang naliligayahan na yung mga high end, high couture sa Paris ay kinikilala ang likhang kamay ng Pilipino, although wala akong pangalan kundi yung brand nila, pero alam ko naman who I am, and because of that, I was already happy and pleased to serve the high-end line, hanggang later on, nagkaisip na ko na lagyag ng brand ko yung mga produkto ko na binebenta namin noon sa 21 countries," Jacob added.
For the Pinay who has already tasted life in the world of haute couture, it is now time to give back all the blessings she has received by sharing her knowledge to her countrymen, particularly the women.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Global Pinay is pride of Pinoys in the Netherlands
Global Pinay is pride of Pinoys in the Netherlands
By LOUI GALICIA, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau 02/27/2009 1:04 AM
A genuine "global Pinay," Cecilia Aquino was born in the Philippines, finished law school in the US and is now a rising star in The Netherlands.
Aquino was chosen as one of the three hosts of the newly-launched West International channel of TV West, a local Dutch television station.
The English-language Dutch program was launched for the international community in The Netherlands.
Aquino arrived in Holland in 2007 as a law intern for a big international organization located in The Hague, known as the legal capital of the world.
According to Aquino, she landed the TV job by sheer accident.
She was discovered in a pub last summer."Actually I was just in a pub one summer night and they were asking if I want to audition. I need an interview experience so I decided to go and just because I’ve never done anything like it before," Aquino told ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau.
"I didn’t think they would ever call me. And it's been two months and then they called me and they said no, you’re fantastic and we’re just waiting," Aquino said.
However, the boss of the TV station believes that Aquino is really a star."We’re looking for the best people for the show and it happened to be someone from the Philippines and sexy. I think she’s wonderful, she does a great job, she’s very natural," Gerard Milo, CEO of Omniwest TV said.
At the night of the launch of West International, when it was broadcast live in The Netherlands from the famous Kurhaus Hotel, Aquino already gained a lot of fans from the expat community.
Rose and Melanie, who didn't give their surnames, were very impressed at Aquino's beauty as well as talent and ease at hosting.
"She was really good. Very nice. It was a very nice show and she told good information," Rose said.
"It was good. She looked good and she said a lot of nice things, very nice," Melanie said.
The Pinoys who were at the live launch could not have been prouder.
They were so happy that they now have a "kababayan" to watch on the Dutch local TV.
"Nagulat ako kasi Filipina ‘yong host at siyempre very proud kasi Flipina ‘yon. Alam mo na sa Netherlands…So the Filipinos are becoming part of show business as well," Mary Borja said.
Holland has a very big international community, especially in The Hague, which has about 40,000 expats.
Aquino's success in penetrating an industry and market dominated by Europeans is solid proof that Pinoys can really be the best in any endeavor.
as of 02/27/2009 6:26 PM
SOURCE: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/pinoy-migration/02/26/09/global-pinay-pride-pinoys-netherlands
By LOUI GALICIA, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau 02/27/2009 1:04 AM
A genuine "global Pinay," Cecilia Aquino was born in the Philippines, finished law school in the US and is now a rising star in The Netherlands.
Aquino was chosen as one of the three hosts of the newly-launched West International channel of TV West, a local Dutch television station.
The English-language Dutch program was launched for the international community in The Netherlands.
Aquino arrived in Holland in 2007 as a law intern for a big international organization located in The Hague, known as the legal capital of the world.
According to Aquino, she landed the TV job by sheer accident.
She was discovered in a pub last summer."Actually I was just in a pub one summer night and they were asking if I want to audition. I need an interview experience so I decided to go and just because I’ve never done anything like it before," Aquino told ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau.
"I didn’t think they would ever call me. And it's been two months and then they called me and they said no, you’re fantastic and we’re just waiting," Aquino said.
However, the boss of the TV station believes that Aquino is really a star."We’re looking for the best people for the show and it happened to be someone from the Philippines and sexy. I think she’s wonderful, she does a great job, she’s very natural," Gerard Milo, CEO of Omniwest TV said.
At the night of the launch of West International, when it was broadcast live in The Netherlands from the famous Kurhaus Hotel, Aquino already gained a lot of fans from the expat community.
Rose and Melanie, who didn't give their surnames, were very impressed at Aquino's beauty as well as talent and ease at hosting.
"She was really good. Very nice. It was a very nice show and she told good information," Rose said.
"It was good. She looked good and she said a lot of nice things, very nice," Melanie said.
The Pinoys who were at the live launch could not have been prouder.
They were so happy that they now have a "kababayan" to watch on the Dutch local TV.
"Nagulat ako kasi Filipina ‘yong host at siyempre very proud kasi Flipina ‘yon. Alam mo na sa Netherlands…So the Filipinos are becoming part of show business as well," Mary Borja said.
Holland has a very big international community, especially in The Hague, which has about 40,000 expats.
Aquino's success in penetrating an industry and market dominated by Europeans is solid proof that Pinoys can really be the best in any endeavor.
as of 02/27/2009 6:26 PM
SOURCE: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/pinoy-migration/02/26/09/global-pinay-pride-pinoys-netherlands
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