Philippine Daily Inquirer articles from March 2002

Philippine Daily Inquirer archives from March 2002

RP accepts apology.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Vice President Teofisto Guingona Jr. OUR forefathers taught us to do no wrong to others. But they also stressed that when wronged, we should resist and seek redress-to right the wrongs, to get amends-but above all to uphold the...

Blue powder has cops stumped.
March 31, 2002... POLICE officials remain clueless about the "blue powder" found in improvised bombs planted in several parts of Metro Manila and some provinces the last two weeks. "This is the first time we saw such a substance. We have seen bomb...

A boy's deliverance from the whip.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Dulce Festin-Baybay, Contributor FLAGELLATION is usually performed Good Friday, when grown men, their heads shrouded with cloth and their torsos bare, whip their backs to bleeding, as an act of penance of to fulfill a vow. Wilson...

5 bodies recovered from downed Chinook.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Connie E. Fernandez, PDI Visayas Bureau CEBU CITY-The bodies of five American servicemen were recovered from the wreckage of the Chinook MH 47 helicopter that crashed some seven miles south of Apo Island in Negros Oriental on Feb....

A prophecy of doom and deliverance.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Sr. Maria Raquel Reodica, RVM A VISIONARY from Paris named Catherine came to me in August 1991. She came two months after Mt. Pinatubo erupted, and one month after I received from the Lord my power to heal the sick. In...

Why Halle Berry wept.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Leandro V. Coronel IF you didn't weep with Halle Berry, you don't know about the long struggle by people of color in the United States. Berry, against all odds, was voted the best actress at last Sunday's Oscars. Upon hearing...

6 dead in Manila.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Jerome Aning FIVE persons were stabbed to death, two were shot, one drowned, one beaten up to death and another allegedly committed suicide on Holy Thursday and Good Friday in Manila. Chief Insp. Juanito Taluban, head of the...

DENR hauls off toxic waste from Bulacan town, dumps it in another.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Agnes Donato and Carmela Reyes ENVIRONMENT Secretary Heherson Alvarez has ordered the removal of 39 sealed drums of toxic wastes found in a dumpsite in Sapang Palay, San Jose Del Monte City, Bulacan, after about 50 scavengers were...

DTI assures traders on fixed holiday sked.
March 31, 2002... THE DEPARTMENT of Trade and Industry has assured businessmen irked by Malacanang's "holiday economics" that the government would adhere to a fixed holiday schedule to be announced at the beginning of each year. Trade Secretary Manuel...

The empty tomb.
March 31, 2002... THERE is a bus plying the Northern Luzon expressway with a message painted on its back that is quite literally a sign of the times. "We come in peace," it reads in bold letters. And then underneath, in smaller type: "But if you reject this,...

No foul play in Rico's death, say cops, docs.
March 31, 2002... Byline: TJ Burgonio YOUNG actor Rico Yan died of natural causes, police said yesterday. "The doctors said there was no foul play," said Director Edgar Aglipay, chief of the National Capital Region Police Office, citing autopsy...

French police to train local cops.
March 31, 2002... FRENCH police are coming to Manila next month to train at least 60 of their local counterparts in techniques to combat urban terrorism and money laundering, police officials said. Chief Supt. Florencio Fianza, national police director for...

Gloria to mark Easter at site of first Mass.
March 31, 2002... TACLOBAN CITY-President Macapagal-Arroyo will attend Easter Mass today in the island town of Limasawa, Southern Leyte, where the first Christian Mass was celebrated on Philippine soil also on an Easter Sunday 481 years ago. The President...

GMA acts to slow deportations.
March 31, 2002... PRESIDENT Macapa-gal-Arroyo will send a special envoy to Malaysia next week to try and slow down the deportation of some 4,000 Filipinos from Sabah, Malaysia. Ms Macapagal said it was the best she could do since Malaysian authorities had...

An Easter thought.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Isagani A. Cruz DISMAYED by the many problems besetting our country, we tend to be cynical and critical of the government that is supposed to solve them but has failed so far. In the spirit of Easter, however, let us lay aside...

Kidnappers abandon hotelier in Sarangani.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Aquiles Z. Zonio and Edwin O. Fernandez, PDI Mindanao Bureau GENERAL SANTOS CITY-Hotelier Carlos Belonio was released by his captors in Barangay Lun Masla, Malapatan, Sarangani, at around 6 a.m. on Friday, the military said...

Malaysian doc keeps coming back for medical mission.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Maria Cecil B. Laguardia, Contributor HE is often asked: "Aren't you afraid of getting kidnapped in Mindanao?" He just answers with a smile and an unaffected shrug as if to say it's not fated, it won't happen. Tugging a...

Man continues vow to nail penitents on Good Friday.
March 31, 2002... CITY OF SAN FERNANDO-The man who nailed countless men to the cross every Good Friday beamed with pride as he religiously fulfilled his vow for 13 years now. At 11 a.m. on Friday, Ricardo "Boy" Carreon, 51, was holding his hammer as he...

Meralco 'bleeds' consumers dry, Bayan Muna claims.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Agnes E. Donato "MERALCO has been bleeding its customers at least P1.2 billion a month since January 2000 for power that has yet to be generated, distributed and consumed by consumers." Bayan Muna Rep. Crispin Beltran bared...

Mother Ignacia helps Sin recover.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Minerva Generalao, Chief, PDI Research WHEN Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin was gravely ill in 1998, he recovered not only through the help of his doctors, he also had help from Mother Ignacia del Espiritu Santo, the first...

Elite group.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Henry Liao DID you know that 10 players who were recipients of the "Final Four" Most Outstanding Player award in previous NCAA tournaments are on NBA rosters this season? They are Toronto's Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston 1983),...

Nun uses epic chants for evangelism.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Vincent Cabreza, PDI Northern Luzon Bureau BAGUIO CITY--The stories of Jesus share the same epic quality as prehistoric legends about valiant Igorot ancestors. This insight jolted retired Catholic missionary, Sr. Beata Balaso,...

Are you depressed?
March 31, 2002... Byline: Fr. Jerry M. Orbos, SVD ONE early morning, while it was still dark, I was hurrying up for a Dawn Mass when from out of nowhere, a man suddenly approached me and asked: "Excuse me sir, are you depressed?" I looked at him with a...

Pals gun for 6th win.
March 31, 2002... Byline: June navarro TEAMS W L Purefoods 7 1 Talk N Text 5 1 Red Bull 5 2 Coca-Cola 5 3 Alaska 4 3 Fedex 4 4 Hapee-RP 4 4 San Miguel 3 4 Sta. Lucia 3 4 Selecta-RP 2 6 Shell 1 6 ...

17 penitents crucified in Pampanga village.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Tonette Orejas, PDI Central Luzon Desk CITY OF SAN FERNANDO-Sixteen men and one woman were nailed to the cross on Good Friday in Barangay San Pedro Cutud here, the biggest batch of penitents who joined the village's crucifixion...

GMA publicist draws flak for TV commercials.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Vincent Cabreza, PDI Northern Luzon Bureau BAGUIO CITY-President Macapagal-Arroyo's spin doctor may be on the job, but her supporters are not amused. They think Dante Ang, Ms Macapagal's personal publicist, has been "toying...

Filipino piety.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Randy David IN EUROPE, religious piety produced some of the world's greatest artistic achievements-Bach's music, Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel frescoes, and Gothic architecture. In contrast, Filipino piety cannot seem to rise...

I remember Rico.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Jose Javier Reyes, Contributor I WAS in the middle of writing an out-of-town episode for "Whattamen" when Bibeth Siguion-Reyna called: Her sister-in-law now on vacation in New York made a long distance query about a text message...

Rico sang to 'woman out of my life'.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Leah Salterio THURSDAY night actor Rico Yan was at the piano bar of a Palawan resort singing a love song he dedicated to "the woman who's now out of my life." He crooned Jamie Rivera's hit "Falling for You" for his...

Shrine eyed at plane crash site.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Ayan C. Mellejor, PDI Mindanao Bureau DAVAO CITY-The crash site of Air Philippines Flight 541 in the Island Garden City of Samal is being developed into a religious shrine. Samal Mayor Rogelio Antalan said the...

The will to love.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Rina Jimenez-David LOVE is an act of will. Chance may dictate the initial encounter, and you may be drawn to each other for reasons you can neither explain nor understand. But loving-staying in love, overlooking your partner's...

PBA is ultimate target.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Al S. Mendoza LIGHT a candle for the art of protest. Some people-are they players or team owners? -have seemingly started a campaign to kick all the Fil-Ams out of the National Team bound for the September Busan Games. Their...

Summa cum laude graduate wants to teach.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Christine Godinez-Ortega, Iligan City THIS summa cum laude physics graduate wants to be a teacher. While many graduates yearn of working and earning more abroad, 21-year-old Ryan Balili of Polomolok, South Cotabato, believes...

Surigao City's mysterious King's Throne.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Ramon Jorge B. Sarabosing, Surigao City AS IN PAST summers, Surigao City's islands, islets and coves dazzle. I should know. For years, I have hopped from island to island, islet to islet, hidden coves to another, and have ended up...

Do kids need a new curriculum ?
March 31, 2002... THE DEPARTMENT of Education is adopting a curriculum starting June that reduces the number of subjects for elementary and high school students from as many as 10 to just five-Filipino, English, Science, Mathematics and Makabayan. DepEd...

Ogie and Michelle expecting their second baby.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Leah Salterio OGIE Alcasid is excited about fatherhood the second time around. His wife, former Miss Australia Michelle van Eimeren, is four months pregnant with their second baby. And Ogie wants a boy this time. Their...

Alternative film-viewing options.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Nestor U. Torre A FRIEND and colleague of ours has this instructive story to tell: he spoke to an audience of students recently and polled them on their moviegoing habits. Of the 100 students present, only 10 had seen a film in...

Hard work pays dividends for credit union.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Maurice Malanes, PDI Northern Luzon Bureau BAGUIO CITY-The 15 teachers of a Catholic school here, some of whom have already died, must have not dreamed that the credit union they established with only P250 in 1958 would grow into...

FMD-free Masbate cashes in on cattle demand.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Roly Embile, PDI Southern Luzon Bureau MASBATE CITY-The mad cow and foot-and-mouth (FMD) diseases scare, which had virtually wrecked the cattle industry in Europe and in many parts of the country, has kept the cattle-producing...

Lack of new facilities hounds citrus growers.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Ben Moses Ebreo, PDI Northern Luzon Bureau SOLANO, Nueva Vizcaya-In the early 1980s, Alfonso Namuhje Jr., a pioneer producer of citrus and orange fruits in Nueva Vizcaya, convinced his fellow Ifugao farmers to produce citrus and...

Lady entrepreneurs to give livelihood to women.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Tina Arceo-Dumlao FILIPINO-CHINESE entrepreneur Myrna T. Yao has always been involved in civic work while she attended to the requirements of her company, Richwell Trading Corp., distributor of Goodyear tires and a line of...

From panty hose salesman to kingpin of health shops.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Margie Quimpo-Espino HE had a good product, good places to sell it, and good sales but Healthy Options managing director Romeo Sia can still remember with a laugh his early days as a panty hose salesman and Lyna distributor in...

The silence of Olango.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Angelina G. Goloy IN ORDER to see birds it is necessary to become a part of the silence. This quote from an Irishman named Robert Lynd probably best describes-or, more precisely, prescribes-the proper appreciation of the...

Prayer as prescription.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Cathy Babao Guballa JESS Lantin was out on his balcony one evening when an excruciating pain suddenly came over him. "I thought I was going to pass out," he said. Lantin had been suffering from kidney stones, and a couple of...

Foundation gives hope to poor school children in Cavite.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Josephine Darang EASTER brings hope to the children of Nuestra Senora de Guia Parochial School in Magallanes, Cavite as a foundation and readers pledge support for their continued education. I came across the school's problem...

Timely lessons from an Easter miracle.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Lourdes Cinco-Beloso, Contributor FOR FOUR years now since he suffered his second and third strokes, both within the Holy Week of 1999, Dad has been attached to the NGT (nave gastric tube), a medical device inserted through the...

The curse of being tall.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Genea Padilla, Contributor DON'T take me wrong. I love being tall. I love being female and tall. I'm not here to bemoan the drawbacks one encounters from being vertically blessed but to acknowledge that, as with everything else,...

Style and scourge at the Film Academy Awards.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Alex Y. Vergara LOCAL filmdom's fairest didn't have to lambast us on TV to get even. Many of them did us one better: They showed up at the recent Film Academy of the Philippines awards in stylish and well-structured gowns that...

Old-style Hollywood glamour at the Oscars.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Anton San Diego THE 74TH annual Academy Awards was an eventful night. It had its surprises, like Jim Broadbent winning best supporting actor, and Halle Berry and Denzel Washington winning the lead acting awards. I thought Sidney...

The Buzz in Manila.
March 31, 2002... Byline: James Perez Ong, Contributor THE EVENT didn't start until 4 p.m., but by the time it ended two hours later, the Activity Center of Alabang Town Center (ATC) was filled to the brim with kids of all shapes and sizes-plus teenagers...

Kids say-and do-the darndest things.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Cynthia O. Valdes, Contributor AS A YOUNG mother, it frustrated me no end that my husband hardly talked to our children (except, perhaps, for "please pass the cereal"). When I pressed harder, citing this and that parenting...

Fund-raising is both advocacy and adventure.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Rowena C. Burgos IS the Filipino giving? Judging by the results of a 2001 survey commissioned by Venture for Fund Raising, the answer is yes. Findings of the survey done by Taylor Nelson Sofres-Philippines for Venture...

An invitation to serve God.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Tita Dulce DEAR Tita Dulce, I would like to call once again on women who are interested to serve God as Franciscan sisters and live a semi-contemplative life. They may write to Sr. Judith Lorica, OSF, St. Martin de Porres...

For Aga and Charlene, it's happiness times two.
March 31, 2002... Byline: the staff BEAUTIFUL and blessed best describe couple Aga and Charlene Muhlach. Up close and personal there seems to be nothing show biz about the way they relate to each other, or with the press for that matter. The only thing...

Love sees beyond stereotypes.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Alex Y. Vergara A SERIOUS relationship was farthest from Myla Munoz's mind when she first entered the Asian Institute of Management in 1994. Yet, by the time she had earned a master's degree in business management two years...

Eggs-traordinary Athlete.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Frank Cimatu, PDI Northern Luzon Bureau LECHE FLAN makers and devotees of Sta. Clara should start flocking to the gym of Sammy Ayochok in Baguio City once he starts his bid in earnest for the Mr. Universe title this year in...

New tricks for an old cat.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Candy Quimpo-Gourlay A LONG, long time ago, in a city far, far away, Junix Inocian was hanging out with a bunch of stage friends, listening to the latest musical to rock the Western stage. "We were listening to 'Cats,' dreaming...

Tastes Greek to her.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Gina Abuyuan-Llanes IF YOU haven't been to-or even heard of-Mati, you're either cloistered as a Pink Sister or in a coma. The restaurant that opened barely two weeks before last Christmas is at the height of its nubile existence:...

Season in the Sun.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Cora Llamas KEEP your eyes open the next time you take the MRT. You just might find yourself standing beside the handsomest sports expert on TV. Marc Nelson of "Sports Unlimited" HAS been around. He's wandered the bustling...

Warren is a winner.
March 31, 2002... Byline: Fe Lacsamana AS the delirious Shark Energy Kings whooped it up under gently falling blue balloons, Warren Ybanez lifted his trophy for all inside the Makati Coliseum to see. The Most Valuable Player of the Philippine Basketball...

No Wall too high for Xtreme kid.
March 31, 2002... Byline: John Aguilar WHILE most kids his age hang out at the local Internet cafe after school to spend countless hours on network gaming, Andrew Robles has chosen a different path. This 15-year-old Ateneo high school sophomore-standing...

Adam, Herod, devil rolled into one.
March 28, 2002... Byline: Christian V. Esguerra HE HAS bitten the forbidden apple, sold his master, burned babies, and been nailed to the cross. Francisco "Paking" Granada at 72 is one of the oldest sinakulistas in Pasay City and in the country. ...

Faux pas in Monterrey.
March 28, 2002... Byline: Belinda Olivares-Cunanan IT happens even to the nice guys. What happened to Vice President and Foreign Secretary Teofisto Guingona at the United Nations-sponsored International Conference on Financing for Development in Monterrey,...

RP bets face world-class field in 2 athletics events.
March 28, 2002... Byline: Marc Anthony Reyes HOMEGROWN heroes resume their buildup for the Busan Asian Games when they go up against world-class talents in two separate athletics events here in May. The Milo National Invitational track and field...

'Bomb' found on Makati sidewalk.
March 28, 2002... Byline: Alcuin Papa POLICE found a pillbox on a sidewalk in Makati City yesterday morning following a phone call that said it could be a bomb. SPO1 Edwin Quilala said the Makati City police Special Weapons and Tactics-Explosives and...

Hope for Burnhams brighter now-Gloria.
March 28, 2002... Byline: Carlito Pablo THE PROSPECTS for the rescue of Abu Sayyaf hostages Martin and Gracia Burnham have vastly improved, said President Macapagal-Arroyo even she denied an American cable channel report that a $3 million ransom had been...

400 Filipinos hired to build al-Qaida cells in Cuba.
March 28, 2002... Byline: Christine Herrera and Blanche S. Rivera WHO says there's a passport shortage? Not for 400 Filipino engineers, foremen and construction workers hired by an American company to build maximum security prison cells for al-Qaida...

Finding a piece of peace this Holy Week.
March 28, 2002... Byline: Dolly Anne Carvajal MAUNDY Thursday is no time to thirst for the latest show biz scoops so just for now allow me to veer away from the usual topic of my column. In lieu of intrigues today, I will let you in on the weekend retreat...

Sins of the Fathers.
March 28, 2002... Byline: Ma. Ceres P. Doyo SOME years ago, I did a magazine feature story about a mission area in T'boli territory which looked every inch a Shangrila, complete with massive development projects and all. A place straight out of the movie...

Exodus.
March 28, 2002... AS INHABITANTS of Metro Manila flow out like a cataclysmic flood to provincial holiday sanctuaries for the five-day Holy Week break, those of us with a historical bent can easily recall the great exodus in the Middle Ages from plague-infested...

Gloria: It was envoy's job to check with Erap's doc.
March 28, 2002... Byline: Carlito Pablo AMBASSADOR Albert del Rosario has the full powers to represent the Philippine government in asking Joseph Estrada's knee surgeon in the US to come here and treat the deposed leader. President Macapagal-Arroyo...

Gadhafi a friend of RP, says GMA.
March 28, 2002... Byline: Carlito Pablo THE ENEMY of your friend is not necessarily your enemy, especially if the former can help you fight your own enemy. President Macapagal-Arroyo yesterday said that the country had enlisted not only the help of...

Guingona recounts humiliation in Mexico.
March 28, 2002... Byline: Amando Doronila A DIPLOMATIC faux pas victimizing Vice President and Foreign Secretary Teofisto Guingona Jr. has stirred up a tempest in the relations between the Philippines and Mexico not seen since the abolition of the...

Harry Stonehill is dead.
March 28, 2002... CONTROVERSIAL American businessman Harry S. Stonehill died a week ago in Spain. He was 84. Stonehill, who pioneered in the Virginia tobacco industry in the Ilocos region, died at the Clinico, University of Malaga in Spain on March 20....

PNP seeks FBI's help.
March 28, 2002... Byline: TJ Burgonio IT'S A BLUE day for the Philippine National Police. It has failed so far to pinpoint the culprits behind the series of explosive devices found in Metro Manila and Mindanao in the past 10 days. Yesterday, the PNP...

Heartbreak man takes SM woman hostage.
March 28, 2002... Byline: Alcuin Papa POLICE yesterday morning shot and critically wounded in Makati a Quezon City man who went berserk and took a saleswoman hostage after his girlfriend left him. Police identified the suspect as Dexter Salas, 23, of...

Home are the kooks.
March 28, 2002... Byline: Emmie G. Velarde EVERY cookie jar is entitled to one at least one kook. The jar that is Royal Tenenbaum's family has seven: his wife and himself, their three children, his manservant, and a kid from across the street whose...

Lack of funds forces ports office to defer reclamation near Silliman.
March 28, 2002... DUMAGUETE CITY-The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) has deferred its proposed reclamation project worth about P130 million in Dumaguete due to lack of funds. PPA regional manager Manuel Gorme told the INQUIRER that the PPA central office...

Leyte 'Penitentes' keep 100-yr-old tradition of Lenten penance alive.
March 28, 2002... Byline: Vicente S. Labro DESPITE suffering from a limp and slurred speech after a stroke eight years ago, Lesmes Militante refuses to renege on a vow of penance. This Lent, Militante, 62, again dons the garb of the Penitentes, an...

Leaning lighthouse of Lobo now a treasure.
March 28, 2002... Byline: Mei Magsino NEARLY five years after the controversial Yamashita treasure hunting that had the front yard of the Malabrigo lighthouse in Lobo, Batangas, dug up, the 126-year-old structure is now leaning-threatening its function,...

Mayor frowns on crucifixions.
March 28, 2002... Byline: Armand N. Nocum THE MAYOR of the City of San Fernando says that the renowned traditional reenactment of the crucifixion in his city on Good Friday has become "outmoded" but there is no way he can put a stop to it. Many...

Meralco petition ordered reviewed.
March 28, 2002... Byline: Dona Pazzibugan and Agnes E. Donato MALACANANG has ordered a review of the Manila Electric Co.'s petition for an increase in power rates even as a militant legislator called on the Supreme Court to stop the rate hike and Congress...

Miners clear Davao bridge.
March 28, 2002... DAVAO CITY-Small-scale miners protesting the closure of their gold processing plants in Mt. Diwalwal in Compostela Valley have allowed traffic to resume on the Pan-Philippine Highway after a dialogue with Presidential Assistant for Mindanao...

Middle East conflict goes back to Biblical times.
March 28, 2002... Byline: Neal H. Cruz ISN'T it ironic that as we observe Holy Week-which is a recollection of the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ to redeem Mankind from sin-people are being shot and blasted to death in the Holy Land? It...