Freedom

The hot news  of the past days have been on US President Donald Trump’s firing of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the dismissal of charges against businessman Peter Lim and self-confessed drug dealer Kerwin Espinosa, the nerve-wracking efforts of the House justice committee to still gather evidence to impeach Supreme Court Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno, the filing of a quo warranto in the Supreme Court to oust the CJ, the ongoing investigation into the Sanofi dengue vaccine, and the deliberations of the Consultative Committee on  who can run and not run for public office. There is yet a distraction that is cause for wonderment: the #MyFreedomDay movement sponsored by my favorite network (that Trump hates like crazy), CNN.

CNN’s #My FreedomDay project had hundreds of thousands of students in more than 100 countries across six continents participated in panel debates, film screenings and marches to help raise awareness of modern-day slavery. Like last year, these efforts have generated a social media engagement reaching millions of Facebook users across the world. This year, young people have been asked to share their responses to the question, “What does freedom mean to you?” to be shared via text, photo or video on social media.

What are the forms of slavery the movement seeks to eliminate? Domestic servitude, sex trafficking, forced labor, bonded labor, child labor, and forced marriage.

These forms of slavery exist in our country today, and it is well that our youth participate in the movement to free men, women and children from such maladies.

National Freedom Day is actually celebrated on Feb. 12 in the United States when the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution was signed, outlawing slavery in America. 

Another Freedom Day is held every April 27 in South Africa, commemorating the first democratic election in that country in 1994. The date marks the liberation of the country and its people from a long period of colonialism and white minority domination known as apartheid.

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 On the subject of political dynasties, the Consultative Committee was divided on whether there should be a partial, or a total ban on putting political power in the hands of families.  The Concom voted to include a self-executing provision prohibiting relatives of the president down to barangay captain from succeeding their relatives. “Self-executing” is quite unclear. It is not quite clear yet as to who cannot run for public office while his/her relative is occupying an elective office, whether on the national, regional, or local level.

Will relatives be allowed to run for office in any elective government position while their relative is in office? For example, can relatives of the first, second and third degrees – grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces or half-siblings, first cousins, great-grandparents or great grandchildren of the President – run for senator, congressman, mayor, vice-mayor or barangay captain during the same election cycle? Can we put to a stop the election of brothers and sisters in the Senate at the same time? Shall we allow the widow to run in place of her husband  who dies during the campaign period? The committee is hard put to decide on these questions. Some people believe it is undemocratic not to allow relatives to run for office just because their brother or uncle is  in Malacanang or the local palace. Conversely, there are those who believe that families in power are kingpins, rulers of personal kingdoms. With such families in control (presumably because they have money, goons, and power), aspirants who are better behaved and qualified but no financial supporters, have little chance of getting elected.

How the Concom votes on the anti-political dynasty provision   is something to watch out for. If the same discriminatory provisions are allowed in the proposed federal system of government, why revise the Philippine Constitution?

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There is something special about a restaurant that is handled by a family. From the father (Atty. Herminio Liwanag) who passionately promotes the restaurant, to the son (Dale) who continuously creates good food, and the mother (Laarni) who maintains the beautiful garden and cleanliness of the place, to the daughter (Hyra) who manages the financial side of the business, and to the son’s girlfriend (Fru) who welcomes and serves everyone with a smile, it simply creates a very personal touch in everything Phat Buddha has to offer. 

Phat Buddha, their newly opened restaurant in White Plains,  actually has a story behind it. Being a close friend of a bangoai (Vietnamese grandmother), the family was introduced to the fresh and spirited flavors of Vietnam and with this, they brought Bawai’s Vietnamese Kitchen of Tagaytay to White Plains, a stone’s throw from the Mormon Temple. To further explore the Vietnamese cuisine, they often went to Vietnam and tasted flavors they knew they had to bring home. 

During their recent travels to Vietnam (in Hanoi), they also discovered the cuisine’s close connections to that of its great neighbor, China. Both cuisines, they further explored and loved, and eventually dreamt of housing a restaurant that explores this flavorful connection.

Their restaurant, opened last Sept. 28, is known as Phat Buddha (“Phat” means Buddha in Vietnamese), just across Bawai’s. Here, they offer a wide variety of Vietnamese fresh spring rolls with a Chinese twist such as having a Char Siu filling and a nice selection of Chinese dumplings. Coffee lovers would love it here as other than their traditional Vietnamese coffee, one can opt for a Chinese-inspired drip coffee, which includes both coffee grounds and tea leaves. Pair that up with their flavorful banh mi’s and you’re good to go. Our dear foodies on the other hand shouldn’t miss trying out their tender Braised Grilled Soy Pork Belly, and their flavorful and filling Beef Hotpot with their Vietnamese broth.

Phat Buddha is open every day except Tuesdays, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

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This year, Golden Summit Immigration Consultancy embarks on an ambitious project of bringing New Zealand in all three major islands of the Philippines – Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao – dubbed as The GRANDEST 100 percent Pure NZ Study Expo 2018. Three expos will be held on the following dates and  venues: March 18,  10 a.m., Dusit Thani Hotel, Manila; March 23, 12 noon,  SMX Convention Center, Bacolod City, and March 25, Ayala Centro Mall activity Centre. 

Golden Summit Immigration Consultancyhas delivered two big expos in 2017, March in Manila and October in Cebu City.

With more than 20 school representatives and directors including no less than an official of Education New Zealand, a government institution that takes the lead in marketing New Zealand’s education industry around the world,  this expo is expected to deliver updated information, variety of choices, better understanding of study opportunities and scholarships and discounts to attendees.

The 2018 events are free. Interested individuals can register through http://goldensummitph.com/registration.htm or visit www.goldensummitph.com

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