BALLSY: GIVE NOY CHANCE TO DATE / 'JUAN' WORSENS OIL SPILL IN ILOCOS
[PHOTO AT LEFT - Photo is loading... Ayala Foundation chairman Jaime Zobel de Ayala and Ninoy and Cory Aquino Foundation chairman Ballsy Aquino-Cruz lead the launching of the Aquino Museum Redesign Competition at the Ayala Museum in Makati City yesterday. MANNY MARCELO]
MANILA, OCTOBER 21, 2010 (STAR) By Joanne Rae Ramirez - Ballsy Aquino-Cruz, President Aquino's eldest sister, said yesterday she hoped the public would give her only brother the time and space to go out on a date, even "just once a month."
"As a bachelor, he cannot help but be in the company of some female friends, although I know that that rarely happens nowadays. I think once. Sana pagbigyan ng mga tao na maka-date siya kahit na once a month (I hope they allow him to date even if only once a month)," Cruz said yesterday at the sidelines of the launching of the Aquino Museum Redesign Competition, a contest that aims to find the best design that will capture the legacy of her parents, the late Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. and former President Corazon Aquino, at the Ayala Museum in Makati City.
But Cruz said that like their late mother Cory, she and her sisters - whom their late dad labeled the "four witches" - don't meddle in their brother's affairs of the heart.
"My sisters and I would say, 'Noynoy is 50, we don't need to interfere in that aspect of his life'," Cruz said. Before her brother became president, he would turn to his sisters for advice on what to give his dates, and their youngest sister Kris was most helpful with her suggestions, "because the girls Noy would date would be closer to her age." Kris, the youngest sister, is 39 years old.
Cruz said at this stage in their lives, "We have gotten used to the (thought) that he'll be a bachelor all his life. On the bright side, all his nephews and nieces will have more of his time. He does not have to get along with anybody. But if it is his fate to meet someone whom he can share the rest of his life with, then that would be beautiful, too."
Cruz said she does not favor any particular woman for the President. "Wala (No one). Like we didn't want others to interfere in our choices for partners, we don't interfere with Noy's choice, unless dapat huwag (he really should not go out with her). Our mom never interfered with us."
She said the last time she spoke with the President's former girlfriend Valenzuela Councilor Shalani Soledad was last August, when the latter greeted her on her birthday. Cruz said she presumes the President and Soledad, who were together for two years, made their career a priority over their personal relationship at this point in their lives.
Cruz said she also spares her brother from unsolicited advice in matters of governance.
"When Mom was President, she had much information that many others didn't. That's how I feel now. Maraming nalalaman si Noy, bakit pa ako makikigulo (Noy knows a lot of things, why should I meddle?) Unless I know that he really he needs to know something, then I spare him from all our comments, my comments."
Cruz is the chairperson of the Ninoy and Cory Foundation, which runs the Aquino Museum in Tarlac. The redesign competition for the nine-year-old museum is being organized by Lafarge Cement Services, through its associated companies Republic Cement Services and Iligan Cement Corp. While the renovation is ongoing, part of the memorabilia of Ninoy and Cory Aquino will be displayed at the Ayala Museum.
'Juan' worsens oil spill off Ilocos Norte By Christina Mendez (The Philippine Star) Updated October 21, 2010 12:00 AM Comments (1) View comments
MANILA, Philippines - The wrath of typhoon "Juan" has worsened the oil spill around a North Korean registered shipping vessel which ran aground along the shoreline of Barangay Balaoi in Pagudpud last Jan. 1, 2010, and it is now posing serious threats to the marine environment.
Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. yesterday said that based on a report by the Philippine Coast Guard, the extent of the oil spill has been estimated at 400 meters and not three kilometers as reported in the media.
"There's more oil coming out," Marcos said.
The senator called on the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the local government in Pagudpud to stop its custody dispute on the ill-fated M/V Nam Yang 8 which ran aground off Pagudpud on its way to China from Aparri.
Marcos said the BOC should turn over the custody of the foreign vessel with North Korean registry to the local government which can use the proceeds from the sale of the vessel to clean the shorelines of Pagudpud.
"We've been looking at this issue for a long time," said Marcos, adding that he has discussed with Environment Secretary Ramon Paje and Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras efforts to keep the oil spill at a manageable level.
The Philippine Coast Guard has also deployed a team to the area for clearing operations.
The vessel was loaded with 2,615 tons of magnetite and had some 160,000 liters of bunker fuel in its oil tanks when it was hit by giant waves and strong rains.
Marcos is concerned that neither the national nor local government units can bear the cost of continuously cleaning up shorelines.
"Now there is an ongoing battle as to who will salvage the ship," Marcos said, adding that the BOC has refused to give in to the request of the local government of Pagudpud led by Mayor Matilde Hanson Sales to have custody of the ill-fated ship.
This way, the local government can supervise the cleanup of the shorelines of Pagudpud, which has become a favorite tourist destination in the northern part of the country.
Sales, for her part, said they are set to declare a state of emergency in Pagudpud due to the continuing damage of the oil spill to the area.
Sales further said that representatives from the Environment Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources are on their way to Pagudpud to assess the extent of damage caused by the oil spill.
Reports from the local Philippine Coast Guard office indicated that oil is leaking from the vessel at a rate of 35 liters per hour. - With Teddy Molina
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