after burnz and i had our dinner at La Tegola yesterday, march 28, we then proceeded to the VIPinoy Lounge of Ayala Mall Cebu. i told burnz that we should avail of this card since our A-card in Ayala is only valid until June 2012. Ayala Mgt. will not be renewing it anymore, as told... this we need to verify by June though... in case its true, it will be the end of our free use of their lounge, their very comforting loo, and other perks (discounts from diff Ayala shops)! hahaha... so, we were assisted by Grazzel, the receptionist of the lounge and we were given of what we need to provide. :)

the VIPinoy card is a two year membership card that you can avail at any ayala mall branch nation-wide. sosyal! other perks include, free coffee (unlimited), free conference call, free use of wi-fi, free use of pc with internet connection, free use of the lounge, and etc.! :)

to all - AVAIL na! :)

tight hugs,
AC

yesterday, march 28, burnz and i wanted to eat sea food pasta. the best sea food pasta we both know is at La Tegola. we went to their ayala mall cebu branch. dining at La Tegola is like dining in a cabin. that is the peg of their ambiance. very woody, i wonder if its oakwood though. lol. here's our ganap there. haha

so, this is what transpired during our dinner. i suddenly felt hungry after blogging this! hahaha

tight hugs,
AC

i must admit that i have a penchant for jewelries. this is really what i consider my ultimate vice as my friends say. adik ako dito, aaminin ko, ewan ko na lang! hahaha... at least, its an investment... you know what, my ultimate dream is to be a saleslady, a supervisor, or better yet, a manager of a jewelry shop, as in! feeling ko, ang dami kong mabebenta, sobra! they say, follow your dreams and do what makes you happy... so eto, im sharing to you my ultimate dream, to be a jeweller! :)... pero, parang mahirap ata magapply or kung may hiring man, its not being disclosed to public... baka may alam kau, share nyo naman ang mga hiring sa mga jewelry stores, please! hahaha... i tell you, di kau magsisisi sa skills ko in marketing and selling! chos! :).... because of my wanting to have a jewelry with a specific design in mind, i tried looking for a goldsmith who has an eye for detail. recently, i chanced upon this shop, PISCES Jewelry Repair Shop. located in Colon, Cebu. their services include custom-made jewelry, they buy gold and silver scraps, they also do jewelry repair.  here's the pic of the shop. :)

i asked the one-in-charge, "sino ang pinakamagaling gumawa ng jewelry?!"... aristokrata ang pagkatanong para may kabog at intimidating factor! hahaha... and i was introduced to kuya Lito Villatore. so, since i wanted to try his expertise in this field, i had him make the design that i want for my solitaire ring. its really just a simple design, and to test if he's really good at what he does... there's a lot i learned from jewelry making coz i did a lot of questioning while kuya lito was making my solitaire ring... mabuti na lang, matiyaga si kuya sa pagsagot ng mga tanong ko... and i think he likes me as a person and as a customer. chos! hahaha... you know me, very ma-chika! lol :)... i requested for a white gold for my solitaire ring. then kuya lito told me that, we need a 24 karat pure yellow gold to come up with a white gold kasi that's the basic ingredient sa white gold. naloka ako! i thought, pwede na 18k or 14k na yellow gold, and then just add white alloy to it to make it a white gold... i was totally WRONG! hahahaha... it should be 24 karat pure yellow gold, plus the white alloy... so yun! mahal ang 24 karat na pure yellow gold ha, its a whooping Php 2,600.00 per gram! nastress ako bigla! hahaha! :)

kuya lito estimated that we'll be needing 3.5 grams of yellow gold for the design of my solitaire ring. i told him that i wanted a 14k white gold  result coz that's usually the type of karat for stone settings coz at this state, the white gold, that goes the same for yellow gold, its in a rock solid state, suitable for any setting design. "setting" is the term used when you want to put stones in your jewelry. oh diba, para akong pro? chos! hahaha :) ... kuya lito pala is in this jewelry making  industry for more than 30 years, imagine?! bongga, diba? ... i asked him as to how he learned this skill... kuya told me that its a gift daw from God! Taray ng sagot, hindi ako nakareact! hahahaha... totoo nga naman, not everybody is blessed with this type of skill... i asked him if some of his children is into this, like him... well, sad to say, kuya lito told me that none of his children were interested on this craft... ang iba, nagbulakbol daw sa pag-aaral... "ah, ganun ba?" - ito na lang ang naging comment ko... its sad to know that things didnt turn out the way he wished it for some of his children... i told kuya lito to teach some of his children who's interested... kasi sabi ko, its in the genes. you just need to wake it up somehow to spark the interest.... sabi ni kuya, i have a point daw. then he told me, "i'll take your advise".... oh diba, full of encouragement and positivity ako? hehehe... kasi sayang talaga ang ganitong talent kung hindi mapass-on... hehe :)

for the stone, i'll be using a diamond para bongga talaga! chos! :)... through the years, i've bought loose diamond stones na from friends and this is the first time that i'll be using some of it para naman mapakinabangan. hahaha :) ... while kuya was cutting bits and pieces to form the parts of my solitaire ring, i noticed that there were gold dusts that came from the cuttings. i know that these can still be melted and be added to the jewelry. i was testing kuya if he would inform me that he can meldt the gold dust and give the excess to me or add it to the jewelry. guess what, he just naturally said that, "these dusts are excess from this jewelry... we can melt it and use it if you decide to have another custom-made jewelry"... oh diba, he's very honest! im so touched... he told me that i should be careful with other goldsmith coz they are fond of fooling people who are not aware. its so true! his mantra is, always be honest, build relationship with customer, and give a lot of option to the customer kung saan makamura, and most of all, satisfy the customer! taray talaga ni kuya! im so impressed by his values, sobra! :)

and here's the finish product of kuya lito. my diamond solitaire ring! simple but elegant :) ... after sa dami ng pukpok at pagsusunog na dinaanan... the journey to come up with such a beautiful piece is just so worth it... inantay ko ito ng 4 na oras, ganuna katagal siya ginawa! hahaha... sinuot ko sa office kaya sa office ang peg ng pic na ito...hehehe... i will always be engaged... kung sino... hindi ko pa alam! hahaha :)

to those who are interested to have a custom-made jewelry, you may contact Lito Villatore at 09331509047 (call or send him SMS), or you may visit PISCES Jewelry Shop and look for kuya Lito.

tight hugs,
AC

India's 'Pocket Hercules' turns 100. Manohar Aich, India's first Mr Universe, turned 100 on Sunday. Nicknamed 'Pocket Hercules' because of his compact 4-foot-11-inch frame, Aich won the world bodybuilding title in 1952. He overcame many hurdles, including poverty and a stint in jail, before he won the Mr Universe title. Aich says the secret to long life is a healthy diet and his ability to be happy. In 1942, Aich joined the RAF and took to weight training. Some years later he was jailed for protesting against colonial oppression and that is when he began weight training effectively. In 1950, he won a Mr Hercules contest and this spurred him on to set his sights on the Mr Universe tournament in London, which he eventauly won in 1952. After that he went on to win several contests, including the Asian Bodybuilding Championship.

tight hugs,
AC

im so lucky to have very thoughtful friends, super! from cody, surprising me on my birthday last year with a cake. to bethel, who got me a lacoste gym bag as present. and now, from burnz (fresh from new york), an H&M x Satchel bag, lululemon bag (for gym clothes), and body mist from bath and body (love their citrus scents). from burnz's cousin, ate jingle, who gave me a carmex lip balm (in tube form) and a burberry scarf! they all have good taste, thank God! chos! hahaha!

im shocked, David Beckham is now a model for H&M! just gorgeous! lol! anyways, its really not the worth that counts for me. its the thought that really matters, and the taste (chos!) hahaha :) this is the best venue to say THANK YOU, burnz and ate jingle! please continue to bring me more as you travel around the world, charing! hahaha :)

tight hugs,
AC

my dear friend, burnz (fresh from new york) and myself had dinner at Cafe Georg. located at banilad st. here in cebu. this resto is kinda secluded. it doesnt flaunt its name by using loud signages. it may not have a catchy signage but i tell you, it boasts of its flavorful dishes, as in! the resto doesnt have a garish interior. its plain white with very minimal decors. the owner must have adhered to the maxim that says, "simplicity is beauty". by the way, i apologize if i cant show you the interior of the resto as i've accidentally deleted it from my digi cam! huhuhu... but i was able to take a pic of the menu though with its prices! hahaha! ;) ... mind me, this resto has been in existence for the longest time according to burnz. eversince, they've maintained the quality of their dishes. the A-lists of Cebu frequents here, according to burnz. so, climb na! hahaha :)

here's the pic of the menu i took! :)

this is what burnz and myself had for dinner! yummy! :) click on the pics to have a bigger view. :)

so guys, check out this resto real soon! i tell you, you wont regret it! trust me when i say its good! :)

P.S. - to my highschool friend, lovely (from US), who'll be visiting cebu real soon , let's have dinner here with joan! :)

tight hugs,
AC

here's one video i found in youtube that made me laugh so hard! even Aki, my colleague at work, laughed so hard while watching this video! hahaha... there's no better way spending time with friends, than sharing laughter! :)
Here's a clip of Vice Ganda, guesting on Mr and Mrs. A's concert (Regine and Ogie Alcasid's concert). i tell you, this is really worth watching! Vice Ganda with her hilarious punchlines! I should say, Vice Ganda is one of the most sought after guests on any concert nowadays. she just brings so much humor on any of his guestings, as in! Here's the video, enjoy!

and by the way, Regine's voice is really just like that of a bird. her comfort zone is really on the high notes, my gad! so effortless! :)

tight hugs,
AC

my sympathy goes to cristina ramos who was harrased by azkal players Lexton Moy and Angel Guirado. no woman deserves to be treated that way! God forbid, coz if i was on her place that time, my palm with its five fingers would have landed and marked on the cheeks of these players! and i'd rant and berate at the team captain, James Younghusband, for not doing anything during the incident! its a good thing that this time, they've truly found a good match, by messing with the daughter of former philippine president, fidel ramos! hahahaha! i fully support her sexual harassment case filed against these two players of azkal at the Asian Football Confederation. 

FAME has really reached the heads of these two azkal players! after this incident, am not supporting any azkals game anymore! i dont wish them any good on whatever endeavor they're at! they are considered as role models but the behavior displayed is totally the opposite! totally no respect for women! grrr! ... David Beckham, known for his good looks and skill in the field of football, has not made any actions that would impact his image in a negative way coz he knows that many look up to him. regarded as a good provider, a loving father to his growing brood, and a sought after player internationally! that is a STAR, worth emulating! but these two, i suppose they are just a bunch of bench warmer with their previous teams.. they havent even made a name for themselves if they were not affiliated with azkals. the nerve to display such despicable behavior! grr!

anyways, here's the transcript of cristina ramos' complaint against these two players:


"ATTN: AFC DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE (Mr LIM KIA TONG, Chairman)

RE: SEXUAL HARASSMENT COMPLAINT AGAINST PHILIPPINE MEN’S TEAM PLAYERS LEXTON MOY AND ANGEL GUIRADO (PHILIPPINES VS MALAYSIA, 29 FEB 2012, MANILA, PHILIPPINES)

Dear Mr Lim:

This to file a formal complaint against Messrs LEXTON MOY (no. 25) and ANGEL GUIRADO (no. 12) of the Philippine men’s national football team, for SEXUAL HARASSMENT during the team check for the friendly match between the Philippines and Malaysia (both “A” teams) on 29 February 2012, 1900H, at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium, Manila, Philippines.

During the Team Managers’ Meeting on 28 February 2012 at the Discovery Suites in Pasig City, Philippines, I mentioned to the representatives of both the Philippine team and the Malaysian team that I would be serving as the Match Commissioner for their match. As stated in the AFC’s regulations and Official Countdown, the Match Commissioner together with the Fourth Official check the teams before the match to verify their identification (accreditation) cards and ensure that their kits are in proper order. However, being a woman Match Commissioner doing a men’s match, I had to explain that I would give the teams sufficient warning and preparation time before I would come inside their changing rooms to do the team check together with the Fourth Official, Mr Wilfredo Bermejo.

Whenever I serve as the Match Commissioner, I always follow a standard procedure for the team check regardless of the type of match. At the time of the check I initially knock loudly at the door of the changing room as a sign of courtesy and warning to the team, and then let the Fourth Official first enter the changing room to check if the players are ready before I finally enter the room. Before doing the check itself, I properly introduce myself as the MatchCommissioner and also introduce the Fourth Official. I also explain the procedure of how the check will be done. I always tell the players that I will be checking their accreditation cards first then their jerseys, and that the Fourth Official will thereafter check the rest of their kits and other items, e.g., jewellery, hair accessories, fingernails etc. I also tell them the sequence of the check, i.e., I check the starting 11 players first then proceed with the substitutes.

At the appointed time (1745H) on match day, I came to the changing room of the Philippine team for the team check. I was accompanied by Fourth Official Wilfredo Bermejo and my liaison officer, Mr Joseph Gensaya. I initially knocked loudly at the door to signal my arrival. A team official opened the door and said that the team would be ready in five (5) minutes. We then waited for five minutes presuming that the team was getting ready for the team check. When we entered the changing room of the Philippine team, I properly introduced ourselves and explained the procedure for the check. In spite of the introduction the players remained rowdy and noisy, apparently not taking the team check seriously and almost ignoring our presence. As I called the players individually so that we could check their accreditation cards and kits, Philippine player LEXTON MOY (no. 25) stood by my right side and said in a loud voice “Must be a B cup,” to which the players laughed loudly. As I was the only female in the room, he was apparently referring to my bra size. He could not have been talking about men’s athletic cups, as their sizes are specified as extra-small, small, medium, large, and extra-large vis-a-vis cup sizes of women’s brassieres, which are specified in letters. Additionally when I checked Philippine player ANGEL GUIRADO (no. 12) he stood in front of me purposely just wearing his briefs and made no attempts to wear shorts or cover his underwear. Again, the players loudly laughed while I was checking this player.

While all this was happening, none of the Philippine team officials present nor the team captain, JAMES JOSEPH YOUNGHUSBAND (no. 7), made any attempts to discipline the players and tell them to behave properly. In fact they were also laughing and seemed to be enjoying the revelry at my expense. Philippine Team Manager DAN STEPHEN PALAMI and Philippine Head Coach HANS MICHAEL WEISS were both not present in the changing room at the time of the team check.

Having been a Match Commissioner for girls’, women’s, boys’ and men’s matches since 2003 at both AFC and FIFA levels, I have not experienced this crude and totally shameful behaviour from a national team anywhere before this incident. I truly regret and feel very ashamed that this disrespect comes from the national team of my country, the Philippines. This kind of sexist and demeaning behaviour has no place in football, and should therefore be sanctioned.

Sincerely,

Cristina RAMOS
Past Member, Organising Committee for the FIFA U-20 and U-17 Women’s World Cups (2004-2011)
Past Member, AFC Women’s Committee (2003-2010)
Past President, Philippine Olympic Committee (1996-1999) "

In a statement, Azkals team manager Dan Palami assured Ramos that the incident will be investigated. He apologized to the match commissioner on behalf of team. He decided to postpone his trip to Nepal for the AFC Challenge Cup matches of the Azkals.Here is the full text of Palami's statement as posted on the Azkals' official website.I would like to reassure Commissioner Cristy Ramos that the PFF and I take these allegations seriously. We will promptly investigate this incident. In fact, we already met with Commissioner Ramos today to discuss the incident report she filed. For this reason, I postponed my scheduled trip to Nepal. It is unfortunate that we learned about this first from media sources. In my brief conversation with Commissioner Ramos after the match, we exchanged pleasantries and there was no mention of the incident that transpired. As I told her in our meeting today, I would have addressed the issue right then. Since the players have already left the country for the AFC tournament, a dialogue between them and Commissioner Ramos is not possible at the moment. Nonetheless, we will not put off the investigation even as we prepare for a major tournament. I will sit down with my players and staff and get to the bottom of this. In my personal experience of the usual goings-on in the men’s locker room, the tension, excitement and nervous energy before a match often result in a lot of boisterous bantering. For someone who walks into this situation, this might appear as bordering on disrespect. But again, I am speaking only from my personal experience. I was not witness to the particular incident which is the subject of the incident report. Until I hear from all sides, I cannot comment substantially on the matter. Like Commissioner Ramos, I also believe that sexual harassment should not be tolerated in any situation. I will look into the circumstances of this alleged incident and cooperate with any investigation. If it is proven that there was in fact malicious intent, I will make sure that proper sanctions are meted out. On behalf of the team, I sincerely apologize to Commissioner Ramos for the distress this situation has caused her. 

I hope justice be served to serve as lesson to everybody in the azkal team. I wonder what's angel locsin's take on this recent events. hmmm...

tight hugs,
AC

i just want to share my thoughts on the trial of cj corona. im not a lawyer but i have my own opinion on this matter. perhaps, this is a democratic country... the government speud fire to the character of cj corona. the government's attack is on the character of the chief justice, and  not the supreme court as a whole. so please, cj corona, stop invoking the independence of the judiciary. the attack is not in the system of the judiciary, but to you, personally! if you are not hiding anything, show your dollar account deposit in PS Bank! until now, you haven't shown it to the public! what's delaying you?! you cant fool the public... we are living and thinking individuals! HELLO!

i remember this wonderful line in the movie "Iron Lady", where meryl streep won best actress from the recently concluded Oscar's Academy, that says "watch your words, for they become actions. watch your actions for they become habits. watch your habits for they become your character. watch your character for it becomes your destiny!"... this is so true! and this is what Anna Basa has to say to the character of cj corona and his wife, having dealt with them for the longest time, in search for justice, after having an internal squabble among the stockholders of their family owned corporation. (story taken from the philippine daily inquirer interview with Anna Basa).

Impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona reported in his statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALNs) in 2003 and 2004 that he had obtained an P11-million cash advance from Basa-Guidote Enterprise Inc. (BGEI).

The alleged loan has turned media attention to BGEI, the company established in 1961 by the family of the Chief Justice’s wife, Cristina Roco-Corona, and the internal squabble that pitted one side of the family against another.

At the impeachment trial, Corona’s lawyers said the money [P32.6 million according to the prosecution] withdrawn by Corona from his three peso time deposit accounts with Philippine Savings Bank (PSBank) on Dec. 12, 2011, came from the proceeds of the sale of a piece of BGEI property to the City of Manila. The withdrawals came on the same day that 188 members of the House of Representatives impeached the Chief Justice.

Jose Ma. Basa III, one of the original BGEI stockholders and Cristina’s uncle, had filed an estafa case against his niece for her alleged failure to account for the P34-million income from the sale of a property on Bustillos Street in Sampaloc, Manila, to the city government.

The case, however, was dismissed by the court, and Cristina won a libel case against Jose Ma. III and his wife for putting out a public notice in the Philippine Daily Inquirer which she alleged was malicious and put her in a bad light. Jose Ma. III died not long after in the United States. [The notice appeared in the Classified Section of the Inquirer on June 4, 1995. It announced that Jose Ma. III, who claimed to be a majority stockholder, had filed a criminal case against Cristina for allegedly misappropriating rentals due BGEI.]

In this interview, Ana Basa, one of Jose Ma. III’s nine children and one of the heirs of the original stockholders of BGEI, talks about the family corporation and what she claims were the injustices heaped on them by the Corona couple. Some paragraphs of the transcript of the interview were interposed for clarity.

For security reasons, Ana, who is here on a short visit, requested the Inquirer not to reveal her whereabouts. She has been in the casino business for more than 20 years now in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The impeachment trial will resume on March 12, and it will be the turn of the defense panel to prove that the P11 million that Corona declared as a liability in his SALN and the P32.6 million he withdrew from PSBank on December 12 did not belong to him.

PDI: I understand you are already based in the US. Why are you here in the Philippines?

ANA BASA: We came here mainly to visit my Tita Flory, who is a nun. She just turned 90 and is one of the original stockholders of BGEI. She’s the sister of my father and Cristina’s mother, Asuncion Roco.

Part of the reason we came is because, you know, we never dreamed that BGEI or even the stockholders would be involved in this impeachment case. The only reason we are sitting here with you now is because Renato Corona included  BGEI in his SALN report. That was the first time the stockholders learned about his business interest in BGEI. The original stockholders—my father, Asuncion Basa, Mario Basa and Sister Concepcion Basa—have passed away, except for Sister Flory Basa. So we were shocked that there was an P11-million cash advance given to Corona in his SALN report.

We’re coming out now because we’ve been asking the controlling body of BGEI to show us the corporate books. We’ve been asking for this for years and years, I believe since 1989. Cristina Corona is the administratrix of BGEI and stockholders have been denied their legal rights to inspect the books of BGEI.

The remaining stockholders, who are now in their late 80s and 90s, including Sister Flory Basa, still have pending cases involving BGEI. We’re not doing this to either support or oppose Corona’s impeachment. But in the past 20 plus years, they heaped sufferings upon my parents, Jose Ma. III and Raymunda “Randy,” and the rest of the stockholders of BGEI. So much injustice has happened and (sobbed) … this makes me sad when I talk about this because it brings back memories of my dad who fought and struggled just to get justice.

It’s almost impossible for someone like Cristina Roco-Corona to be able to heap this injustice on us without someone there to help her. Talagang inapi kami (We were really oppressed) in a way that I can’t even express in words the sufferings. So I just want to make people realize that we believe that a Chief Justice whom Cristina is married to was involved in this type of injustice because Cristina on her own could not have done that.

You know, there were incidents where my parents were being harassed. There were people sent to our house with guns, scaring my parents, and phone calls in the middle of the night because there were pending cases regarding this corporation.

Inapi kami talaga (We were really oppressed). If they can do (this) to their own blood relatives, what more to people out there who are old, are not politicians, are not rich and are not lawyers? My parents were just ordinary citizens, just being good citizens here in the Philippines and yet to have your own blood relatives cause this type of injustice is … (sobbed)

My father unfortunately passed away without getting justice. My mother, who is one of the stockholders and is now 83, still wants to see justice. Imagine up to now, we still have a warrant of arrest because there was a libel case that was filed against us. She wanted to come here to visit Tita Flory, a nun for over 60 years, on her 90th birthday. Sister Flor was actually asked about her wish. She said “I just wanna see justice in my lifetime.” Imagine a nun even saying that? And then there was an incident—our caretaker whom Corona pointed a gun at.

Caretaker

PDI: Who was that?

BASA: Mang Indo (Pedro Aguilon). It happened when my father came here because he heard complaints from tenants of BGEI. We went to the property where BGEI was located. Mang Indo was a caretaker there. He let us into the property one evening. The Coronas got mad. Mang Indo said he was so scared that he did not want to file a case against Corona after the latter put a gun to his head. He feared that if he filed a case, Corona might kill him.

The barangay captain was actually encouraging him to file a case but he was so afraid. He is not rich and does not have the means to do so.

He just executed a sworn statement of what actually happened to him so that in the event that something really happened to him, at least people would know this experience he had.

When Corona put a gun to his head, Corona said: Gusto mo bang pasabugin kong mukha mo (Do you want me to blast your face)? That’s what the Chief Justice said to him back in 1997 (showing to the Inquirer the original copy of Mang Indo’s sworn affidavit).

PDI: At that time, Corona was … what?

BASA : At that time, he was already with Malacañang Palace, and I believe he was adviser for legal affairs for President (Fidel) Ramos. I know my father had written to President Ramos about our case, what’s been happening to us, and to GMA (President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo).

We never really got any kind of support or response. I believe that Corona has been the dutiful power behind the scenes that allowed his wife to mock the laws of the land. She arrogated unto herself sole control of the family-owned Basa-Guidote Enterprises Inc. because, no matter how hard Cristina would have tried, she would not have succeeded without the assistance of her husband. He walked the corridors of power and obviously he knows how to make full use of the powers at his disposal.

I must confess that I agonize over this decision to come out and spill unflattering information about Chief Justice Corona. But this painful side of what happened to us must be told because the truth about Corona must be set free. He has made life miserable for our family and relatives. He can do more harm to others. We are coming out, comforted by the thought that we are doing our share to make the country aware of this man and to protect the integrity of the Supreme Court.

You know, we just want to let people know about our side of the story. This is not about the (impeachment) case. It’s about the injustice. We just want to bring it out in the open—the kind of person he is. Again, we’re not a vindictive people. We are not here to get even or anything. We just want to let the people know that the suffering and injustice that were inflicted on my family and the rest of the stockholders. We still haven’t received justice. This has been going on (for), my God! Over 20 years.

We’ve been wanting to get an accounting of BGEI. We have not received any kind of accounting. That’s all what we really wanted—to see the books. Stockholders are entitled to that. That’s their right and yet they’ve been deprived of that. So now that my dad had passed away, we at least would want to have my mom and the rest of the remaining stockholders to be able to live peacefully, knowing that justice has been served.

Shocked

PDI: Have you been following the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Corona?

BASA: Yeah. Actually, since it first came out, we were shocked to read that in the papers that there was an impeachment trial that was going to happen against Chief Justice Corona. The reason that we’re following is that BGEI has been brought up. … In fact, we really feel sad for his family and what they must be going through.

PDI: And the Corona children?

BASA: May sympathy din naman ako sa family.

In God’s time

PDI: What about Cristina?

BASA: I said family.

PDI: The Chief Justice is in trouble for betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, and culpable violation of the Constitution. Do you see any poetic justice here?

BASA: We always felt that we’re not in control, God is in control. Everything’s gonna happen in God’s time, so perhaps all of our prayers are being answered. Tita Flory is very forgiving because she’s a nun, but what about the truth? Even if you forgive someone, what about the truth? What about the injustice? This is the reason why, against all odds, the Basa family is pressing on with the struggle for justice.

It is a struggle for all the abuse and excesses they did to their own clan. It is a struggle and will continue until the “Honorable” Chief Justice will be made to answer for all the injustices and for mocking the laws of the land. It is about justice and redeeming the Filipino’s hope and trust in the workings of democracy and government.

What we know for sure is that God will render justice with all fairness, equality and firmness that have been denied the Basa family and so many others in their long and lonely fight for dignity. Indeed, all the trouble and tears will not be in vain.

PDI: Considering the public humiliation that the Coronas are going through (because of the impeachment), can you now say that’s prayers heard?

BASA: We always felt that everything happens in God’s time. We did not bring this out. What’s happening to them is their own doing. We did not do anything to cause that to them. They brought it on themselves. We just happened to be included in the impeachment case because it was mentioned in the SALN report.

And I know that Corona’s lawyers were saying, “Why are they coming out only now?” It’s because we only found out [about the P11 million and P32.6 million recently]. Had we known about these things, we could have come out in the open much earlier.

But we didn’t know, besides we were so helpless and powerless. As I said, we’ve been kept in the dark all these years about BGEI. We didn’t know about the cash advance, that the money withdrawn on Dec. 12, 2011, from three different accounts under Corona’s name was said to belong to BGEI.

PDI: Do you see this impeachment as a welcome development for the heirs?

BASA: Well, with the impeachment, what happened was there were a lot of revelations for us.

PDI: Do you see the light at the end of the tunnel?

BASA: Well, you know what? I used to say that we could not see the light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully, this will be the last chapter of this whole ugly, bitter struggle that we have experienced. It’s very painful to really watch our family suffer in their hands. You know, it says “who are we to judge?” I’m not judging anybody.

(to be continued) - this is a lengthy interview that PDI decided to have a part 2 of this story. (part 2 not yet available)... im so looking forward to read part 2! :)

cody and i bought perfumes for ourselves. so, we dropped by at Rustans Ayala.. (sorry no pics of our splurging moments, forgot my digicam! lol) ...eversince, im a fan of Bvlgari, for both men and women... their scents are not over the top, nor does it cause me to sneeze (at least on most of their perfume line)... they always come up with just a very elegant smell or something that is refreshing... these are my type, aside from the citrusy scents... hehehe... i bought Bvlgari Omnia Amethyste (my fave!)... cody bought Versace Bright Crystal. when i tried smelling cody's choice, i fell in love with it too... its also mild... i ended up buying Bvlgari and Versace! lol... here's what i bought.

i dont normally share the scents that i wear coz i dont like na may kapareha ako ng amoy! hahahaha... eto lang ang ishe-share ko ha. just try it, im sure you'll love it! :)

ay tama, iba talaga pag palagi kang mabango. im sure you'll agree that its nice to be with people na always mabango! diba? lol :)


tight hugs,
AC