THENAVIGATOR

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HISTORY PROJECT 2016

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Binay hits
Ombudsman on
conspiracy of
mudslinging, says
COA report not yet
final

Ombudsman anew for supposedly being

part of a conspiracy of mudslinging,
following the Commission on Audit
(COA)s report that recommended
sanctions against him in connection with
the allegedly anomalous construction of
the P2.8-billion Makati City Hall Building
II.
Binay said the COA report was not yet a
finished product as it was still subject
to a motion for reconsideration.
Matingkad pa yong demolition by
perception. Unang-una na, hinintay
nila, iniintay nila yong COA report, kasi
yan ang basehan ng kanilang findings.
Ngayon, hindi pa naman kumpleto.
Hindi pa tapos ang proseso sa COA kasi
sabi ng rules sa COA, yong sinasabing
report sa COA, report pa lang yon ng
panel. Meron pang procedure doon na
naghihintay, a motion for reconsideration
to the Commission, Binay told reporters
in Rosario, Pangasinan.

(The demolition by perception is glaring.

First of all, they waited for the COAs
report as such is the basis of their
findings. But it is not yet complete. The
process is not yet finished because
according to the COAs rules, the said
report was only produced by the panel.
There is another procedure, a motion for
reconsideration to the Commission.)
Its not the finished product. Pero, as
usual, talagang ang Ombudsman ay
kasama sa conspiracy ng paninira (But as
usual, Ombudsman is really involved in
conspiracy of mudslinging). They jumped
the gun again. Bale ba naman, the usual
thing. Palibhasa, malapit na ang debate.
Ito ay siraan na naman (Perhaps it is
because the debate is coming soon. I can
see mudslinging happening again.), he
said.
The 148-page special audit report against

Binay said he was administratively liable

for gross misconduct, dishonesty and
gross inexcusable negligence, graft and
corrupt practices in connection with
crimes that he allegedly committed while
he was still Makati mayor. The report said
Binay should be meted out administrative
disciplinary action for violation of COA
circulars and memoranda as head of
procuring entity from 2007 to 2010.
The charges range from removal from
office, fines and imprisonment, however,
Binay as sitting vice president is immune
from suits until he steps aside.
Binays camp earlier accused the
Ombudsman of leaking the COA report
to the media to supposedly sabotage the
opposition leaders presidential bid amid
the official 90-day campaign period.

continue page 8 >>

THENAVIGATOR

Johnson & Johnson told to pay

$72 million in talcum powder
cancer case
Johnson & Johnson has been ordered to
pay damages to the family of a woman who
died of cancer she said was caused by the
company's talcum powder.
Lawyers for the family say a jury in St Louis,
Missouri, awarded $72 million in damages.
Jackie Fox died of ovarian cancer in 2015,
aged 62, two years after being diagnosed with
the illness. Her family said she used Johnson
& Johnson's talcum powder for nearly 50
years, and claimed her death was a direct
result.
The family argued the company knew about
the possible risks of using products containing
talc, but failed to warn consumers about them.
The case is part of a wider lawsuit brought by
nearly 50 women against Johnson & Johnson.
Responding to the verdict, Johnson &
Johnson issued a statement saying its
products are safe.
"The recent U.S. verdict goes against decades
of sound science proving the safety of talc as
a cosmetic ingredient in multiple products,
and while we sympathize with the family of
the plaintiff, we strongly disagree with the
outcome," Carol Goodrich, a Johnson &
Johnson spokeswoman, said in a statement
sent to CNN.
Talc is a naturally occurring mineral
composed of magnesium, silicon, oxygen,
and hydrogen. It's used to absorb
moisture in many kinds of cosmetic
products, from baby powder to
make up.
Scientists are divided over
the potential risks of talc.
Lawyers for Fox's family
presented several studies

they said prove the link between talc and ovarian

cancer. Other studies say the evidence is too
weak to make the connection.
The American Cancer Society says it is not
clear if products containing talcum powder
increase cancer risk. The International Agency for
Research on Cancer, which is part of the World
Health Organization, classifies talc as "possibly
carcinogenic to humans."
Because products containing talcum powder
are classified as cosmetics, they do not
have to undergo review by the Food and
Drug Administration. However, they must be
properly labeled and "they must be safe for
use by consumers under labeled or customary
conditions of use," the FDA states.

THENAVIGATOR

RCBC denies
dealing with
casinos

The art of
love

Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) said it does not have any
casino client after being implicated in the ongoing investigation into
alleged money laundering of some $100 million in funds from abroad
that reportedly found its way through the countrys casinos.

WITH a birds ability to fly rounds in the sky and

reach wherever it wants to go, a painter finds
hope in his melancholic longing for a loved
one.

RCBC vice chairman Cesar Virata said the bank does not deal with
casinos and has limited transactions with tobacco and liquor companies
as part of its internal rules on corporate good governance.

Jun Dale Bebita, 34, was one of the artists

present in the opening of the Love.Art exhibit
held in Talamban Times Square last Feb.
13. With a passionate look in his eyes, he
expressed that as he poured his emotions
over the strokes of his painting, Kalapanas
song, Nightbird, was playing on loop in his
mind.

Virata added that the account in question is an individual account that

was opened more than a year ago.
Sources said RCBC has suspended the manager of its Makati branch
while investigation is ongoing.
We are not allowed to deal with casinos, Virata said, pointing out in
an interview that this is mainly due to the investment of International
Finance Corp. (IFC), private sector arm of the World Bank, in RCBC.
Thus, as part of its internal rule, RCBC does not have casino corporate
clients and has limited exposure to tobacco and liquor companies.
Last year, IFC raised its equity interest in RCBC to about 12 percent from
6.4 percent. It infused $100 million in fresh capital and separately bought
P4.8 billion worth of the banks bad assets.
For its part, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) said
the investigation should focus on banks because the funds entered
through the banks.
Pagcor said it is up to the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to
deal with the issue, saying that the casino industry relies on the AMLC
safeguards within the Philippine banking system.
Pagcor chairman Cristino Naguiat said it is conducting its own
investigation but believes that casinos in the Philippines are not involved
in money laundering and even in human trafficking activities as reported
in the media.
There are safeguards in place, he said. Nonetheless, he said Pagcor
would cooperate with any investigation on the matter.
Like in banks, he said, casino operators in the Philippines implement
know-your-customers (KYC) rules such as requiring passports and
proper identification from players.
He also said Pagcor is not against proposals to include casinos in the
coverage of the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA).

Just in time for the season of love, the art

exhibit was organized by Passion and
Projects in collaboration with Talamban
Times Square and ran from Feb. 13-29
at the Activity Area of Talamban Times
Square.
Both the organizers shared the same
heartbeat as they emphasized the love
for art and as there are many growing
artists in the city of Cebu who remain
unaffiliated and unsupported, Passion
and Project partners with Talamban
Times Square to give support for
homegrown talents by giving these
artists a creative hub.
Event organizer Jennifer Murillo
accentuated that art comes in all
formspainting, photography,
sketch drawing, and even
performing arts. Thus, the event
catered to all kinds of visual arts
from different artists namely
Josephus Bartin, Nanette N.
Catigbe, Wilbert Wee, Tim
Gregory, Flynn Gerald Dolino,
Alvin Antolihao, Jordan Villa,
Josh Orevillo Rules, Burtz
Rolian and Jun Dale Bebita.
The concept of love may be
expressed through many
ways. And for the artists in
the art exhibit, love comes
in capturing moments of
couples becoming one
and families seemingly
conquering the world,
making memories while
paddling through the
rivers or having deep
conversations on the
parks bench, a mothers
love for her baby, ones
passion for music, an
endearment with the
characters of a popular
TV series and admiring
singers, and even
through simply seeing
a reflection of ones
imaginative mind.

THENAVIGATOR

THENAVIGATOR

8 of the Most Toxic Items You Have In Your Home

Here's how to keep your family safe.
No one wants to be exposed to dangerous chemicals. That's why manufacturers
sometimes phase out one chemical, and replace it with something that doesn't spark
health fears. But because of toothless chemical safety regulations in our country, there's

1 Water Bottles

Bisphenol A, or BPA, is widely used in clear plastics. Unfortunately, BPA mimics estrogen in the body, and therefore could be harmful
to babies and children. In 2012, the FDA banned it from baby bottles, but not from other products. Many shoppers would rather avoid
it altogether, which is why manufacturers routinely tout BPA-free on their water bottles. But the standard replacement for BPA
bisphenol S, or BPSis closely related to its infamous predecessor, and it may disrupt normal cell functioning, leading to serious
health problems.
What you can do: Choose bottles without BPA, BPS, or BP-anything. Splurge on a reusable stainless steel or glass water bottle, or
look for a polypropylene plastic bottle (marked with PP, or recycling code 5).

Plastic Containers

Phthalates are a group of chemicals commonly added to plastics to make them flexible. But they also mimic hormones in the
body, interfering with normal fetal development and possibly increasing the risk of reproductive health impacts, such as reduced
sperm quality. Concerns about DEHP, one of the most widely used of the phthalates, has led to its replacement in recent years in
hundreds of products by other phthalates known as DINP and DIDP. The kicker? The replacement chemicals have been linked to high
blood pressure and insulin resistance in adolescents, and birth defects in baby boys. If you are worried about the health effects of
phthalates, which are found in a whole host of consumer products, keeping them out of your food is a good place to start.
What you can do: Avoid plastic wrap and plastic food containers when possible; use tin foil, glass jars, and ceramic containers
instead. Or, choose polyethylene or polypropylene containers (marked with recycling numbers 2, 4, and 5), which do not have
estrogenic chemicals in them. And never microwave food in a plastic container. If you must use plastic wrap, make sure its not directly
touching your food, especially in the microwave.

little that prevents those new chemicals from being just as bad asor worse thanthe
chemicals they are designed to replace. Because advance safety testing is scant, these
kinds of useless substitutions are all too common. Here's what you need to know about
chemical replacements in your products.

3 Carpets

A stain-resistant carpet seems like a great idea (hello, red wine). But several industrial chemicals used to repel stains are linked to a
host of health problems. Older carpets with stain treatment probably included PFOA, the Teflon chemical linked to cancer and thyroid
disease. A stain-resistant carpet from within the past decade more likely contains chemicals called PFASs, which build up in the body
and are passed to babies through breast milk. Leading scientists are concerned about the health risks of PFASs.
What you can do: If you are buying a new carpet, look for untreated, natural materials like sisal or wool. Also, steer clear of wall-towall. Area rugs are easier to wash if you do get spills.

4 Pizza Boxes

It has taken more than a decade, but Perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, which was used to make Teflon and linked to kidney cancer,
testicular cancer, and thyroid disease, has finally been completely phased out of production. But hold the champagne, because the
chemicals harnessed to replace PFOA, known as PFASs, are now added to thousands of products, such as microwave popcorn
bags, camping tents, carpet cleanersand the box containing your pizza. That box is likely covered in a clear coating to keep grease
from soaking through the cardboard. As it turns out, the coating has been linked to birth defects and cancer. The FDA finally required
all food-contact surfaces to eliminate PFASs in January. But we dont know anything about the latest replacement chemical. If past
history is any guide, you may want to keep it away from your food.
What you can do: Ask for your take-out pizza slice in foil, not a box, and in general, avoid non-stick, grease-proof products. And for
pizza, consider this: If you make it yourself with store-bought dough and sauce from a jar, it will be on the dinner table faster, taste
fresher, and save you money. Now thats appetizing.

THENAVIGATOR

5 Microwave Popcorn

A chemical used in artificial butter flavor, diacetyl, has been linked to a severe lung disease, sometimes called popcorn lung, in
popcorn factory workers. It was phased out by many popcorn makers in the mid-2000s, but its replacement, called 2,3 pentanedione,
has been linked toyou guessed itbreathing problems. Despite this concern, it remains in many butter-flavored products, as part of
the suite of artificial flavors.
What you can do: Check ingredients. Avoid artificial flavors in all microwave popcorn, and in any other butter-flavored food product
(butterscotch candy, for example). Instead, try adding your own flavor palate to plain popcorn (Parsley flakes? Cumin? Cinnamon?) for
variety.

THENAVIGATOR

7 Couch

Until recently, almost all upholstered furniture contained industrial flame retardant chemicals. These chemicals easily migrate from
the furniture into the air, dust, and nearby food. (Theres a reason we shouldnt eat on the couch!). The history of these chemicals is
like a game of chemical Whack-a-Mole: When asbestos and PCBs were phased out for health concerns, manufacturers started using
PBDEs and Tris. When PBDEs were withdrawn in the mid-2000s, also due to health concerns, the industry upped its production of the
suspected carcinogen Tris even though Tris had been banned from childrens pajamas in 1977. The chemical industry also created a
proprietary concoction called Firemaster 550,an endocrine disruptor and suspected obesogen.
What you can do: If you are buying a new sofa, its easier than ever to steer clear of these chemicals, which dont actually improve
fire safety. Within the past year, due to changes in furniture flammability standards and consumer pressure, many retailers have started
making fire-safe furniture without the industrial flame retardant chemicals. Talk to your retailer, and look for a label certifying that
materials contain NO added flame retardant chemicals.

6 Hand Sanitizer

8 Strawberries

What you can do: Avoid antibacterial products. Unless you are prepping an operating room, they are, um, overkill. Use soap and
water instead. If you like having a hand sanitizer when you are on the go, look for one powered by ethyl alcohol.

What you can do: Even organic California strawberries rely on fumigant chemicals to sterilize starter plants, but they use far less of it
than conventional versions, so choose organic. Look for frozen organic strawberries for a more affordable version. Or buy strawberries
locally, in-season, from small-scale farmers who dont fumigate their soil.

The antimicrobial compound triclosan, widely used to kill germs for decades, is an ingredient in everything from hand sanitizers
to toothpaste. But triclosan has been linked to hormone problems including infertility and early puberty, and it causes liver cancer
in mice. Despite the fact that triclosan is no better than soap and water for removing germs, manufacturers are phasing triclosan
out, only to add in benzalkonium chloride, another antibacterial chemical. Benzalkonium chloride and related quaternary ammonia
compounds, known as quats, are respiratory irritants that exacerbate asthma.

Large-scale strawberry production entails fumigating soil before planting. Methyl bromide has long been used for this purpose, but
it erodes the ozone layer of the atmosphere, so an international treaty will complete its California phase-out by next year. (California
grows 80% of Americas strawberries.) Until 2012, methyl bromide was often replaced by methyl iodide, a neurotoxin linked to cancer
and miscarriages. That fumigant was withdrawn in 2012, but replacement pesticides for methyl iodide, such as 1,3-Dichloropropene,
are also linked to cancer.

THENAVIGATOR
Across
1. Appraise
5. Gait
9. Toward the stern
14. Fusses
15. Single entity
16. Filipino fish sauce
17. Cooking utensils
18. Mineral deposit
19. Ready (2 wds)
20. City on Luzon Island
21. "See ____ run!"
22. Makes lace
23. Sea mammal
25. Main food of the Philippines
28. Celebes or Sulu
29. Unripe fruit favored by Filipinos
33. Raft material
36. Vial (var)
37. Cooking school in St. Helena
38. Much (2 wds)

39. Crystal
40. Sport of kings
41. Filipino peasant
42. By oneself
43. Biological unit
44. Lightly boiled fish in a sour
stock
46. Ballet step
47. Tardy
48. Shrimp paste
52. Scat!
55. Pine or ice cream
56. Food made from the taro root
57. Filipino sash (anagram of 16A)
59. Fits a mast with sails
60. Not perm.
61. White poplar
62. Small case
63. Historic periods
64. Caruso or Pavarotti
65. Meth.
66. Gentlewoman

Down
1. Fast
2. Stewing sauce for chicken, of
Spanish influence
3. Add
4. Curve
5. Filipino spring rolls
6. Ingredient in sinigang, lumpia,
and adobo
7. Liquid measure
8. Nice summer
9. Volcano on Mindanao
10. Joking
11. ____ boy!
12. Italian car manufacturer
13. Cooking measures (abbrev)
21. NY stadium
24. Ahem!
25. Elevate
26. Caliph
27. Berkeley to some
29. Object
30. Revered image
31. Cleos river

32. Tree of the Philippines

33. Flying mammals
34. Hai ____
35. Diving bird
36. Prostrate
39. Map
40. Monetary unit of the Philippines
42. Turkish general
43. British general of 1776
45. City on Panay Island
46. Sauteed noodles
48. False
49. Madame Butterfly, eg
50. Wanderer
51. Gypsy (Brit var)
52. ERA or RBI
53. West African tribe
54. Accessible
55. Quezon ____, actual capital of
the Philippines
58. Sun. speech
59. Legal object
60. Pt of AT&T

from page 1
The Vice President said his camp will respond to COAs wrong
findings by filing a motion for reconsideration.
Ang kinukwestiyo namin ay unang-una yong Ombudsman.
Bakit nagpaparatang na agad sila at nagsasabi sila na may
findings na ang COA? Hindi pa naman di ba? Sana naman
yong COA [ay] magsalita na, saglit lang. Hindi pa tapos ang
proseso kasi ang report namin ay subject to response ng mga
nabanggit na pangalan. [Thats] number one. Number two,
kung yong findings na yon ay hindi maganda, hindi tama,
mayroon pang isang proseso. Magpa-file pa kami ng motion for
reconsideration. Its not really a finished product, he said.
(We are questioning the Ombudsman first and foremost. Why
are they suddenly accusing and saying that the COA already
has the findings? Its not yet complete, right? I hope that the
COA will speak up on the matter, that their process is not yet
complete because the said report is subject to response of
the mentioned names. Thats number one. Number two, if the
findings are not accurate and correct, there is another process
and they will have to file a motion for reconsideration. Its not
really a finished product.)

Binay also slammed COA for its supposed inconsistencies,

saying that it should not conduct special audits during the
election period.
Bukod pa riyan, yong COA na yon, napakaraming beses na
sinabing walang irregularity. Suddenly, meron nang allegation
na hindi naman namin alam kasi hindi pa kami nakakatanggap
ng report na yon kasi sasagot pa kami sa report na yon
Number three, kahanga-hanga, we have to congratulate the
COA, meron silang nilabas na circular na tigil muna lahat ng
imbestigasyon. Wala na munang magsasalita kung ano ang
findings and whatever kasi ayaw nilang ma-charge sila ng
partisanship. Meron silang circular na ganoon, he said.
(Aside from that, the COA has repeatedly said that there
are no irregularities. Suddenly, there is an allegation which
we were not informed as we have yet to receive a copy and
answer to the said report. Number three, it is amazing, we
have to congratulate the COA, as they have released a circular
stopping all the investigations. No one is allowed to speak up
on the findings because they dont want to be charged with
partisanship.)

Meanwhile, United Nationalist Alliance president Toby

Tiangco said 11 audits by COA from 2008 to February 2014
concluded there was no overpricing in the construction of the
controversial parking building.
Tiangco specifically cited the February 2014 technical audit
report where resident auditor Ceicila Caga-anan said the
construction was reasonably priced.
These COA reports, including one conducted by the agencys
own technical experts, are now being ignored in favor of a fasttracked supposed special audit report that is tainted by political
motives, Tiangco said.
Basta Binay paspas ang COA pero hanggang ngayon, wala pa
rin ang pinangako nilang COA report sa paggamit ng PDAF ng
administrasyong Aquino simula 2010. Halos anim na taon na
yan pero ni anino ng report wala tayong nakikita sa COA, he
added.
(The COA is acting swiftly if a matter involves a Binay but
until now, there is no COA report on PDAF use of the Aquino
administration since 2010. That has been pending for almost six
years now and yet they are not showing any report.) RAM