Impeachment dislodged former President Joseph Estrada, followed by the charges of fraud levied on former President Gloria Macapagl Arroyo. Even the current Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona is undergoing Impeachment Trial. At the moment, there is no public outcry on how much is being allotted for the impeachment expenses. Some members of the Philippine Senate act as judges. The Impeachment Trial has the trails of what is known as Moro-Moro.
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Rene delos Santos , Philippine tourism director in San Francisco , deserves more than congratulations for the success of the 2nd Kulinarya Finals. One thing: the event has spawned the Filipino American community interest and to be proud of the Philippines capacity for the culinary skills. Pep Talk puts its hats off to Debbie Galano, Gabby Agcaoili and Tess Bautista, the stalwarts of DOT team in San Francisco
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Landscape professional Arlene Nunez bagged the Amateur Division with her vegetarian fresh lumpia for a starter. Her first course of authentic Filipino “kare kare” and the savory adobo Banh Mi for a second course ensured her the amateur championship. But her dessert of Taste of the Philippines Sampler Trio – Brazo de Mercedes Cupcake, Halo-halo Custard Cake and Coconut-Pandan Mini Sans Rival got the judges nod and won for Arlene Nunez the title.
Albert Rivera’s shrimp and vegetable “ukoy” with calamansi ponzu dipping sauce ensured him the Professional Division championship. His deconstructed aritada as the first course entry followed with braised pork belly adobo with butter beans and Gremolata as a second course earned for Albert Rivera the professional level crown. His winning dessert is called deconstructed halo- halo.
Sidelights of the 2nd Kulinarya is the unexpected reunion of old time friends. Bechay Escalona, formerly of Philippine Airlines in San Francisco, had the surprise of her life. It was a plus factor of her visit when she chanced upon Ding Santos, a former PAL colleague. They were together in the Philippine Airlines SF sales office during the era of Lolit Manhit, Rose Pena, Tess Gutierrez and Tito Cuenco. That was the time of a very accommodating generation with different and courteous sales technique.

I am booked for a cruise vacation this summer, but a bit nervous after the recent Costa Concordia tragedy in Italy. Taking a cruise was one of my dream vacation and don’t want it to end up with a nightmare vacation. I am wondering if I should cancel my cruise or maybe I am just being paranoid. Is cruising safe?

ASKTRAVELTIPS:
The Costa Concordia’s accident off the coast Giglio, Italy was a horrible tragedy caused by human error. However, according to industry’s record and statistics for safety remains strong. The U.S. Coast Guard is involved with safety aspects of the cruise ship design before it is even built. Once launched, each cruise ship that sails from the U.S. must pass U.S. Coast Guard certification. Each is inspected at least every six months on both announced and unannounced inspections that include reviewing staff safety procedures. Crews are drilled regularly on safety procedures. For ships that don’t originate from the United States ports must also adhere to safety standards set by individual countries and by SOLAS, an international safety and standards convention that is set by International Maritime Organization, an arm of the United Nations.
Cruising is still the safest mode of travel. Ultimately, whether to take a cruise—or any vacation—is a matter of personal choice. And if you do go on a cruise, here are some safety measures to follow:
* Research the sanitary inspection reports of Centers for Disease Control;
* Research the vessel’s inspection report of the coast guard;
* Familiarize yourself with the evacuation plans posted on the back of the cabin doors of your cabin or hotel;
* Keep a photo copy of your passport or passport card;
* Waterproof your travel documents, have it laminated;
* Leave copies of your itineraries with a friend or family not traveling with you;
* Email yourself a copy of all travel documents and itinerary;
* Invest in third party travel insurance separate from the cruise or tour company for peace of mind.

Emergency Medical Assistance when Traveling

Dear Jacquie,
I will be traveling with my 85 years old mother to the Philippines this year. She has a health insurance and Medicare as part of her retirement benefits. If she needed medical care, will the hospitals or doctoring the Philippines accept her insurance? I was told that hospital care could be very expensive in the Philippines.

ASKTRAVELTIPS:
Before traveling, contact the health provider regarding their policies for medical care outside the coverage area. Most health insurance will reimburse you for medical care received while out of the country. If you must advance the payment for medical care, it’s important that you keep a copy of your receipts and written description of services from the physician. Contact the health insurance company; ask for their procedures for filing a medical claim.
If your mother or yourself take any prescription drugs, contact your doctor to request for refills in advance. Make sure to have sufficient supply on hand for duration of your trip. Some drugs are not available in the certain countries.

Passports Surrendered During Embarkation

Dear Jacquie,
Read the last article about keeping passports with you at all times. What about on cruise ships? I heard you have to surrender the passport when you embark. What if I am left behind during a shore excursion? I won’t have a passport or travel document. What would I do if I am left behind or miss the ship?

ASKTRAVELTIPS:
Yes, your passports are surrendered to the ship authorities upon embarkation. Cruise passengers are provided an ID card when you embark at your first port. This ID card will serve as your travel document. The passports are returned to you before disembarking the ship.
If you are a U.S. citizen, consider applying for a passport card. The U.S. Passport Card can be used to enter the United States from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda at land border crossings or sea ports-of-entry and is more convenient and less expensive than a passport book. Passport card are not valid for international travel, it can serve as another form of ID. The passport card is the same size of a credit card. When you make a photocopy of your passport, reduce the image to wallet size, then laminate the photocopy to ensure it’s waterproof.
When you book a shore excursion with the cruise line, the tour operators are aware when the passengers must return to the ship. Cruise passengers are also briefed before disembarking for their shore excursions. Follow the schedule, be on time and consider other tourist so no one gets left behind, and you don’t have to miss boarding time.

TRUST KNOWLEDGE ……….. TRUST EXPERIENCE
TRUST A CERTIFIED TRAVEL COUNSELOR
You can trust a Certified Tour Director and Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) to listen to your needs and meet them when planning your next leisure or business trip. CTCs have the experience and expertise to save you valuable time and effort. With all of the information available today, do you really have time to research what the best value is for you and your family? Can you trust the important details of your next trip to the Internet? You can trust a CTC with those details. CTCs possess at least five years of travel industry work experience and have completed a rigorous two-level certification program that also requires the fulfillment of annual continuing education credits. Trust knowledge. Trust experience. Trust a CTC to plan your next trip.
The Certified Travel Counselor designation is conferred by The Travel Institute upon travel professionals who complete an advanced certification program, demonstrate extensive industry knowledge and experience, and exemplify the highest standards of professionalism confers the Certified Travel Counselor designation.
Our comments and travel report are based on our personal experiences and own expenses. There are no free travels or accommodations that would influence our writing a fair and unbiased opinion. Email us your questions or comments at AskTravelTips@gmail.com or join us at www.facebook.com/RicciReviews

With the attention of the Filipino people riveted on the impeachment of Philippine Chief Justice Renato Corona, I am going to digress for now from it by discussing a graft case that was lost from the radar of the fickle-minded Filipinos.?
The Blue Ribbon committee investigation conducted by the Philippine Senate last year did not really attract my attention until someone (a Chicago community activist, MJ Singson) forwarded me the 160-page result of the investigation.
I thought it was just one of the run-of-the-mill investigations conducted by the Philippine Senate that should be treated as a spam.
But in reading the report chaired by Sen. Teopisto “TG” Guingona, III, I noticed how Rosario Uriarte, former vice chair and general manager of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, painted herself as stupid and moronic in stealing millions of pesos from the Filipino taxpayers and how the gullible former President and now detained Representative Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA) approved such fund requisitions in brazen fashions.
If the court (Sandiganbayan) will convict GMA and Uriarte of unbailable plunder that calls for maximum penalty of a life in prison, it will not be surprising. They are also facing technical malversation charges before the Ombudsman.
If GMA denies ever pocketing those millions, she would still be liable under the principle of command responsibility for losing those millions under her watch.
Uriarte and GMA are believed to have pocketed 244-million pesos (US$1.8-M) from PCSO.
If GMA feels that she is being “persecuted” by the Aquino administration, she should think again. If GMA were smart, she should have fired and sent Uriarte to jail after a few times that Uriarte presented her carbon copy memoranda, seeking authorizations to withdraw money from the PCSO.
GMA COULD NOT DENY “SMOKING GUNS”
 But by affixing her signatures to the
requisitions, GMA just provided the “smoking guns” to the conspiracy.
Even granting that Uriarte faked GMA’s signatures on those memoranda, if GMA were on top of the situation, she should be able to stop cold the unwarranted raids of the PCSO treasury by getting feedback or intelligence from the people she trusted in the PCSO.
If GMA could not even put a trusted person in such graft-ridden agency as the PCSO that was entirely her undoing.
GMA should not have waited three years for Uriarte to bleed the PCSO dry with 325-million pesos (US$7.7-million).
After learning some ideas from PCSO predecessor in 2000 under the term of my friend, former President Joseph Estrada, Uriarte perfected the art of securing monies from the PCSO and never got tired doing so.
The template letter from the Feb. 21, 2000 PCSO Chair Rosario Lopez first secured 5-million pesos (US$11,94.00) citing the need for “confidential/intelligence funds” (CIF’s) to conduct “current investigation of medicines with Botika ng Masa labels of the PCSO” when they ended up for sale in the commercial market. “Since investigation on the matter had to be done in utmost secrecy lest the image and credibility of the project and the participating government hospitals be put in question by the media,” there was a need for the multi-million-peso funding.
Lopez also cited “instances where PCSO ambulances were used for commercial purposes, and even as ‘getaway vehicle and in transporting prohibited drugs;’” and syndicates, pretending to be from PCSO and talking to some unwitting victims into depositing certain amounts to a bank account after being assured that they won the lottery.
“For essentially the same purposes,” the Senate report said, “it is, however, mind-numbingly shocking that for the years 2008 to 2010, the pot for PCSO’s CIF contained 325-million pesos (US$7.7-Million).”
URIARTE HAD NOTHING
TO SHOW FOR 325-M PESOS
What was galling was that after withdrawing these millions, Uriarte could not even show any accomplishment for the expenses. Not even a liquidation receipt, nor a court case that would indicate that PCSO broke up or caught the syndicates involving “Botika ng Masa,” PCSO ambulance drug traffickers, and PCSO’s alleged bank scammers.
Uriarte might have released the 17-million pesos (US$404,000.00) as “blood money” for an OFW. But such release was “contrary to the purposes for which these funds were requested and approved.”
?PCSO even outspent Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines “2.3.57 times larger” in confidential and intelligence funds although ISAFP’s main task was to conduct intelligence work while PCSO’s principal mandate was to spend for charitable causes. In 2010, PCSO spent 160-million (US$3.8-M) in CIF’s while ISAFP budget was 63-million pesos (US$1.5-M) for intelligence.
But in 2009, Uriarte’s idiotic letters requested 70-million pesos (US$1.6-M) and 37-million pesos (US$880,000) for “bomb threat, kidnapping, terrorism and destabilization” and “bilateral and security relation.” But Uriarte could not even explain to the Senators what the payments were for.
Uriarte used the same excuses when she requested during the 2010 election year 47-million pesos (US$1.l-million) and 90-million pesos (US$2.1-million).?Checks to these “Special Funds” released “By Special Authority of the President” were made out in the name of Uriarte as “Special Disbursing Officer,” not the treasurer of PCSO.
Aside from intelligence funds, the Senate also found PCSO liable for excessive public relations/advertising spending (7.3-billion pesos or US$173-M from 2001 to 2010) as a case was filed before the Ombudsman against PCSO’s PR manager Manuel C. Garcia, for extorting 40% commissions from ad solicitors and Garcia could have amassed 1.5-billion (US$35-M); for leasing equipment for US$148-million, instead of buying the equipment for US$25-Million; questionable STL (small town lottery) remittances, ambulance donations and co-mingling of funds; questionable Contractual Joint Venture Agreement rubber-stamped by Uriarte, PCSO Directors Jose Taruc V, Ma. Fatima A.S. Valdes, Raymundo Roquero and Manuel Morato; donations of vehicles to members of the Catholic Church (in violation of separation of church and state); possible conflicts of interests in relation to the properties of former PCSO chair and concurrent board member, Manuel Morato after receiving 70-million pesos (US$1.6-M) as majority stock holder of TF ventures; and possible election offenses committed by Manuel Morato. (lariosa_jos@sbcglobal.net)