The Filipino Solidarity March Coop Pinoy Coooperative 4711 Van Horne new product arrival Ilocos longanisa limited quantities - so SpecialSunday, Gen. MeetingMay 3 Volume XXVII, No. 4 April 2009 www.filipinostar.org hurry and visit soon ! FAMAS2:00 Centre PM Somali pirates free Philippine tanker, 23 crew members Manila April 21, 2009 - Somali pirates have freed a Japanese tanker and its crew of 23 Filipinos after holding them for five months. The owner of the ship said securing the release was "difficult and protracted". It is not known if a ransom was paid. The Philippines is the world's largest supplier of maritime labour, and about 100 of the 300 sailors currently held hostage by Somali pirates are Filipino. The Manila government has now decided to ban its sailors working on ships travelling through the Gulf of Aden. Somalia has had no stable government since 1991, fuelling the lawlessness that has allowed piracy to thrive. Nato warships are patrolling the seas in the area, and over the past weeks have stepped up their action against the pirates, freeing a number of The wives of Filipino sailors, Doris Deseo, left, and Catherine Boretta, right, showing pictures of their husbands Carlo, second ships. from left, and Rodell, second from right, to the Associated Press as they visit the office of a shipping agency in Manila, Philippines to get updates on negotiations to free their hostage husbands in Somalia in this April 13 file photo. See Page 4 Freed Tanker Minister Kenney Meets Leaders of Quebec’s Cultural Communities Contents Cooperative News . p. 3 Tourism . p. 6 Philippine Cuisine . p. 11 Filstar Photo Gallery . p. 12 Home Business . p. 14 Jerry Estrada Column . p. 16 Ask The Video Guy . p. 17 Showbiz Gossip . p. 18 Classified Ads . p. 21 Minister Jason Kenney delivering his speech before an audience of 80 invited guests. Mr. Marcel Tremblay and Mrs. Tremblay can be seen listening intently. HIGHLIGHTS 6210 Decarie Boulevard, Montreal, QC (cor. Van Horne) Telephone: 514-731-8881 From head to toe ..... beauty and care! •Hair Cut, Set, Cclouring •Make up •Manicure •Facial & Skin Treatment •Body Massage •Foot Spa/Pedicure 2 The North American Filipino Star April 2009 Marché Coop Pinoy The Filipino Solidarity Cooperative EDITORIAL 4711 Van Horne Avenue Earth Day encourages us to do our share Montreal, QC H3W 1H8 Has anyone been aware what during the rest of the year. W e Tel.: 514-733-8915 happens to every single garbage also begin to ask many questions How E-Mail: [email protected] thrown away? Perhaps no one has effective is our educational system in really cared so much until now. Each promoting environmental awareness? year, we are reminded of the problem How committed is our government in facing our planet during Earth Day. investing in green technology? Do we When you drop anything on the street, have laws that deter our multinational it can be blown away and can land in corporations from polluting the the water, down the river and to the environment? To All our Kababayan, ocean. Environmentalists say that the On a personal level, we need Members or Non-Members: ocean is one huge garbage dump. It to ask ourselves: Are we willing to do b We need your support and we extends from off the California coast, our share in recycling everything welcome all of you to shop at across the northern Pacific almost to recyclable? Are we doing enough Japan. It is twice the size of Texas, and to make a difference? Do we help in Marché Coop Pinoy. some say it’s much bigger. It is ever finding solutions instead of creating All nationalities are also welcomed. moving, like a conveyor belt powered new problems? Do we make a serious by the ocean currents called the North attempt to reduce the garbage we Pacific Gyre. Consequently, a vortex produce in our own household or In our desire to serve you better, we occurs because plastics take a long workplace? Do we take the initiative of keep our shelves full of merchandise, time to break down. Eventually, the cleaning up our environment even if we including fresh vegetables weekly. plastics get ground up or degraded by may be inconvenienced by it? We would appreciate it very much sunlight into smaller and smaller Answers to these questions if you could visit us first before going to pieces called nurdles. These nurdles depend upon our individual contain and attract harmful substances commitment, and conscience. If we the other stores. We are just a few feet such as hydrocarbons and DDT, and listen to our conscience, we may do away from Metro Plamondon. they end up in the food chain. Jellyfish more than our share. On the other Join us and be a member now! or fish eat these small floating pieces, hand, if we let apathy control our mistaking them for plankton or fish behaviour, then we may not do Enjoy spring shopping at eggs. Turtles mistake plastic bags for anything at all. But perhaps we can still jellyfish, and seabirds mistake plastic be affected by the media. People may Marché Coop Pinoy! pieces for fish. Then larger fish be moved by what they read, or what consume these fish, and so on. And we they see on television and what they like to eat the larger fish such as tuna hear from the radio. Thus, it is part of — no wonder they are full of toxins. the media’s role to shape public What can you do? Reduce your use of opinion and behaviour. Order lechon for Saturday disposable plastics. And if you do use It is indeed a good idea to pick up but we need at least a some, make sure to recycle. To protect have Earth Day. Gaylord Nelson would minimum order of 15 lbs yourself from toxins, eat small fish low likely be pleased. In 1970, when the no later than Thursday. in the food chain, like sardines and Democratic Senator from Wisconsin herrings. launched Earth Day, he wanted it to be Call us at 514-733-8915 To understand how each a grassroots demonstration that "would Lechon $11.99 lb to place your orders. person contributes to the overall shake the political establishment out of Whole - med $210 Delivery service fee ranges from $5 Litsong Manok problem, consider these statistics: 100 its lethargy and, finally, force this issue big $240 to $8 for orders of $50 or more $11.49 each trillion plastic, only 1% get recycled, permanently onto the national political (Tuesday/Friday only) 152 billion plastic bags used in the agenda." Even though it is a single day world everyday, 4 ½ lbs garbage are of raising awareness, it is now more produced by one person or 22.5 lbs a popular to do something “green”. On day by a family of 4, 2.5 million plastic this day, projects are started and bottles and 43 000 tons of food are continued all year round. Initiatives like thrown everyday. People seem to “One Million Acts of Green” is an throw away a lot of stuff. Consumerism example of a movement that may have or buying more than what is needed begun because of Earth Day. Who can be the cause of too much garbage. knows if Al Gore’s documentary “ An But what is worst is throwing away Inconvenient Truth” which shows the objects that are not biodegradable like disastrous effects of global warming plastics and metal. They can stay in may have been one of the spin offs of the landfill practically forever. celebrating Earth Day. Galunggong Consequently, we are also running out Considering all the good of landfill sites. Thus, the ocean has things that result from celebrating now become a dumping ground. Earth Day, it wil be even more Celebrating Earth Day wonderful if we all decide to observe it annually on April 22 underscores all everyday of our life. these environmental concerns but it Happy Earth Day. also makes us wonder how many people really change their behaviour ZenaidaFerry Kharroubi a 4950 Queen Mary Road Penthouse The North American Filipino Star Tel.: 514-485-7861 (5th Floor) near Snowdon Metro E-Mail: [email protected] SUBSCRIPTION Montreal, QC H3W 1X3 Name ____________________________________________________________ Zenaida Ferry Kharroubi Hilda T. Veloso Jean Janete Aguilar Chief Editor & Publisher Address:__________________________________________________________ Jerry Estrada Community News Telephone: (Home) _________________ Business: _____________________ Lina V. Fernandez Sam Ferry Mary Joy Lizarondo E-Mail: ___________________________________________________________ Dr. Victor Gavino Assistant Editor Sports News News & Tourism Prof. Isaac Goodine Nida Verginom Butaran Alvin D. Veloso 1 year (12 issues) $24 Bert Abiera Sales Representative Contributors Gift subscription Founder 2 years (24 issues) $40 Less 10% on the list price Opinions, comments of writers and columnists do not necessarily reflect that of the management of Filcan Publications, Inc. www.filipinostar.org April 2009 The North American Filipino Star 3 0671-08 Balansi, Rey movement. Quebec, with a population 0672-08 Rosario, Joyce del of about 7.4 million, boasts over 3500 COOPERATIVE NEWS 0673-08 Nool, MarissaHosana cooperatives, compared to about 5000 0674-08 Nunez, Marly Vega cooperatives in all the rest of Canada, All members are urged to attend a 0675-08 Aquino, Jerico Octavo population 28 million. The Quebec 2009 Members cooperatives have 5.4 million members special meeting, May 3, 2009 0676-09 Melendrez, Armando and 70,000 employees, do $12.2 billion It has been a year since the been clearly identified as a group. 0677-09 Suarez, Svetlana Canadian in sales and have $78 billion last general assembly meeting last Therefore, we are including all their 0678-09 Geronino, Jovito Ramos in assets.