Thai Ambassador Asha Dvitiyananda and Consul Evie Costa

Last December 1 Romanians the world over celebrated their National Day. What was particularly significant about this celebration was it was the first National day celebrated since Romania was recently granted membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, one of seven nations to join NATO this year. Romania is a country of about 23 million people and is one of the new states that has a substantial standing army, that has been integral in the peacekeeping efforts in Kosovo, Macedonia and presently in Afghanistan.

Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs Rafael Seguis, Mr. Doris M. Serban, charge d’affaires of Embassy of Romania and Ambassador Mohammed Ebrahim Al Jowaid of UAE.

Swedish Ambassador Annika Markovic and husband Drasko

Here in the Philippines, Charge d’Affaires of the Romanian Embassy, Doris Serban, welcomed illustrious guests such as other members of the diplomatic corps, politicians and Manila’s society with a toast during a well attended party at the Mandarin OrientalHotel. House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. was also present to talk about his desire for the relationship between the Philippines and Romania to further deepen and continue. There was plenty of Romanian wine and a wide selection of delicious fare that was enjoyed by all who attended. What’s On and Expat warmly wishes Romania a very Happy National Day!

Doris Serban and Sen. Alfredo Lim

Amb. Benedicto V. Yujuico, special envoy of the President for Trade Relations, Speaker of the House of Representatives Jose C. de Venecia Jr., Mr. Doris M. Serban, charge d’affaires of the Embassy of Romania.

Cheryl Tiu and Turkish Embassy’s Alp Atackcan

Glen Gale, Mita Rufino, Italian Ambassador Rubens Fedele and Consul Tony Rufino

Annelice and Doris Serban

Argentinean Ambassador Mario Schuff, Panamanian Ambassador Juan Felipe Pitty, Brazilian Ambassador Carlos Costa, Mexican Ambassador Erendira Paz and Chilean Ambassador Jorge Montero

Barbie Atienza and Consul Fortune Ledesma

Esteban Conejos, a guest, Estrella Roman and Randolph Limjoco

Maria Estelita Lagaso and Gani Busto

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Much like Superman’s mild-mannered alter ego Clark Kent, American businessman Ken Bone leads a double life. Bone, 44, is CEO of ElectraServe, a leading call center, customer and business outsourcing company based in the Philippines with of­fices in Hong Kong and the U.S. but after office hours, he takes on a much different persona and becomes “Mr. Jiu-Jitsu.”

Stress Buster
Running a business that operates round the clock keeps him on his toes, says Bone. Then again, he is no stranger to the industry. In between setting up one of the first call centers in the Philippines and his current one, ElectraServe, Bone also had a few less successful ventures (“I invested in a company in Malaysia and lost a lot of money.”) but if there’s one thing he has learned from these experiences, it’s how to roll with the punches, which is exactly what he does on and off the job.

Ready to Rumble: Ken Bone (center) with students of New Breed Makati

That’s why, at the end of the day while most executives are heading home or un­winding at a neighborhood bar, Bone has a different way to beat stress: he dons his Jiu-Jitsu gi and goes to the mat for a few rounds of grappling, joint-locks and chokeholds--all in the spirit of good clean fun!

Three times a week, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., a portion of his office becomes a dojo for New Breed Academy Philippines, a training center that specializes in Brazil­ian Jiu-Jitsu, Mixed Martial Arts, Muay Thai and Kickboxing. “We didn’t have a branch to service all the Makati-based people, including myself, so I said ‘why don’t we just set the mats up here?’ I have the space,” recalls Bone.

Makati Classes
Classes, which have around 15 or so mostly male students of varying skill lev­els, are open to anyone tired of the usual gym workout and a taste for adventure. As an added convenience, students who sign up can also join classes at New Breed’s two other branches in Quezon City or Pa­sig City during the rest of the week should they want to increase their number of workouts and at no additional cost.

Jiu-Jitsu Sensei Ken Bone

One would think that the idea of wres­tling in a room full of hot, sweaty musclemen would appeal to most women, how­ever, the group is currently trying to attract more female members. As an incentive, women who sign up for the one-month classes can avail of two months free mem­bership. “We need more girls. It’s harder for them but we need more girl members so that our (existing) girls can get better because without training partners it’s very hard to progress in this sport,” explains Bone.

Moreover, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is also ideal for women since it can be used for self-defense. “Jiu-Jitsu is proven to be one of the best (methods) for self-defense. Think about it, any time there’s a fight about 85 percent of the time someone ends up on the ground and that’s where we’re superior,” says Bone.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was developed in the 1930s by legendary grand master Helio Gracie. Being frail and not a very strong young man, Gracie needed to find a way to overcome opponents in submission grap­pling in spite of his smaller build and size and thus, he developed various techniques such as guards and reversals to help tip the balance in one’s favor. Since then, other members of the Gracie family have gone on to excel in the sport and helped trans­form what was essentially a street fighting technique into the popular martial arts it has become today.

Bone, a fourth degree black belt in judo and a competitive athlete, began studying Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu eight years ago at the age of 36 after a knee injury forced him to take up a different sport. “I blew out my knee working out with the (Philippine) national team. I just happened to have a friend who was starting Jiu-Jitsu (classes) and I was interested,” he says, adding “Judo is not that different from jiu-jitsu, although it’s a lot more slamming.”

Moving up the ranks
Students also learn the value of per­severance and hard work if they want to move up the ranks in the sport. “Jiu-jitsu is one of the hardest sports to progress in terms of rank. We have students who’ve been white belts for years because there’s a certain amount of progression, which we hold very strictly,” says Bone. “In the white belt, for instance, you have to earn four stripes before you can reach the next rank. And then there’s another four (stripes) before you reach the next level.”

He clarifies, “We hold a certain stan­dard. A person has to be able to perform well against the same rank or higher than them and if they’re dominating in their same rank, then the get a stripe.”

Gaining  Popularity
More recently, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has been gaining in popularity in the country. New Breed Academy Philippines has close to 100 members and Bone thinks the num­bers will continue to increase. The club is also active on the competition circuit, with many of the locally based members going head-to-head in competitions such as the Pan-Am Championships, a two-day event that draws around 2500 athletes from around the world. Also on the horizon is the World Championship in Brazil.

“Our guys go all over the place. We’ve competed in the U.S., Taiwan, Thailand, Hong Kong and here in the Philippines,” says Bone. He adds, “All the dues we earn from the club in Makati go to a pool which basically supports the athletes. So, we’ll get mats, t-shirts and stuff like that.”

Interested parties may drop by to in­quire and watch a class at any of the three branches located at: New Breed Makati, electraServe, 6/F BA Lepanto Bldg., Pas­eo de Roxas, Makati City; Ateneo, Ateneo de Manila University, Blue Eagle Gym, 2/F Judo Room, Katipunan Road, Quezon City and tel. nos.(02)430-6307 to 09; New Breed Pasig, Smash Box Gym, Shaw Blvd, Pasig City. For more information, call: (0917)858-8230 or (0917)803-9769.

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The other day, Idropped by a friend’s house to welcome her back from her 3-week va­cation in the U.S. After being back for three days now, it would seem like her unpacking is far from over. Dominating her living room are three carton boxes-- 18”x18”x28” large. As I teased her about this she men­tioned that she has two more boxes filled with stuff still on their way through door-to-door freight!

When a flight arrives and it’s full of Pinoys, you will see box after box after box of these balikbayan boxes coming out of the luggage turnstile. Foreigners mar­vel at why anyone would decide to transport so much stuff, and what’s up with all these boxes?! The term balikbayan literally means “going back to my country”. And this huge box was created because when a Filipino comes home from abroad (regardless of the duration of their stay), they usually carry huge boxes filled with pasalubongs (gifts from a different place). Regardless of whether the gift is big or small one is expected to get something imported to give to every relative, cousin, friend, in-law and acquaintance in the town, city or bar­rio. On a side note, balikbayan boxes today come home even without the “Filipino balikbayan” because many OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers) can’t come home that often but send things over anyway.

Historically these boxes were stuffed with things that could not be found in the Philippine market such as Pringles, Levi’s, expensive perfumes, chocolates, hi-tech electronics, and the like. Now however, pretty much everything available in other countries is import­ed into the Philippines. I guess old habits are hard to break. It seems when one actually brings in the items themselves they seem, well…more imported.

As I looked at my friend, I couldn’t help but laugh because before leaving for the U.S., her living room was just as messy because she was preparing “alisbay­an” boxes, which translates to “leaving the country”. I coined this term from my observation that Filipinos, when going abroad where a relative or friend lives or work, also brings gigantic boxes filled with pasalu­bongs still.

The same concept applies only the con­tents are different. These boxes are usually filled with native foods such as dried mangoes, tuyo (dried fish), bangus, dried squid, cornick, bagoong, red eggs (be­fore the Bird flu scare), chicharon from Lapid’s (before the FMD alert), Ludy’s Peanut Butter, Knorr and the list goes on. Then there’s always a space for gift items such as the Magic Sing Karaoke Microphone, native bags, Boracay lanterns, or Capiz lanterns if its Christ­mas Season. (Note: The best places to shop for these pasalubongs would be at Kulturang Pinoy, Balikbayan Handicrafts, or the Balikbayan sections of SM).

You see, these boxes are really more than just boxes. They say a lot about Filipino culture. Alisbayan boxes show that there are hordes of homesick Pinoys abroad who crave for everything that reminds them of home. The ones left here on the other hand want what is made abroad. It would seem that this is a classic case of the grass being greener on the other side of the fence.

The concept of gift-giving is really ingrained in our psyche. For Pinoys coming home from a vacation, it is a way of saying “I remembered you”. For the ones sending things back it’s a sign that they are work­ing long and hard to send the best hard-to-find items back to their loved ones. At the end of the day these 18”x18”x28” cartons symbolize love, all boxed up.

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Tourism Bits

11th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta at Clark, Pampanga

On Feb. 8 to 11, the 11th Philippines International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta will once again be held at the South Ramp of the Philippine Air Force Complex in Clark, Pampanga. It is the country’s biggest aviation sports event today.

Hot air balloon pilots from all over the world fly into the Philippines to join their local counterparts in the event. In addition to daily flights of the hot air balloons, other activities include: skydiving, daily flag jumps, micro light demonstrations; small planes fly-bys and fly-ins; remote-controlled airplanes exhibitions; aerobatics; light airplane balloon bursting competition; ultra-light formation flying and bomb dropping exhibitions; helicopter fly-ins and exhibitions; rocketry demonstrations; kite flying exhibition; and races between ultra lights and motorcycles.

At night, a tethered hot air balloon glows while rock bands play in a concert. The event starts with hot air balloon take-offs very early in the morning and ends late at night after the concert. Various stalls, including restaurant outlets showcasing Pampanga’s mouth-watering delicacies, are set up for spectators.

The festival, over the years, has attracted tens of thousands of spectators and participants to this once-a-year affair in Clark Field—formerly the largest American airbase outside the United States. Local and foreign pilots offer fun flights in balloons, fixed-wing aircrafts and ultra lights to the public at reasonably discounted prices. For details, call the Department of Tourism at (02) 523-8411 to 20 or email: webmaster@tourism.gov.ph

Health Bits

Additional measures instituted vs Avian Flu

Following the nationwide alert on Avian Flu, the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), in coordination with the Bureau of Quarantine of the Department of Health, instituted additional measures and equipment to contain and prevent the entry of Avian Flu into the country.

From previous practice of thermal screening of arriving passengers from countries with recorded Avian Influenza cases, all arriving travelers have to undergo temperature screening. The thermal cameras at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) terminals were upgraded by adding units from two scanners to three at NAIA Terminal 1, and from one thermal camera scanner to two at NAIA Terminal 2 for temperature screening.

The number of medical personnel of the Bureau of Quarantine on duty at the airport has also been augmented. The medical personnel on duty are on heightened alert and have intensified monitoring of all arriving passengers by seeing to it that all passengers and crew pass through the Thermal camera scanner. There is now a holding area of aircraft and isolation area for passengers suspected of having Avian flu.

Coordination with the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) and the San Lazaro Hospital has also been established as the dedicated hospitals for admission of probable Al cases. The use of “foot bath”, wherein all incoming passengers and crew walk through a carpet with disinfectant to ‘sanitize’ the undersole of the shoes has been in place for several years now to prevent entry of diseases, such as the ‘foot and mouth’ disease on animals.

Although there were no reported human-to-human transmission of AI up to present, preventive measures are still necessary with the coming flu season and start of annual migration in the country.

Cultural Bits

Young Music Entrepreneur of the Year

The British Council has launched the Search for International Young Music Entrepreneur of the year (IYMEY) for 2007. Claire de Braekeleer, programme manager of the British Council’s Creative Industries Unit in London, recently released the criteria for selecting country representatives to the global competition.

Prospective candidates must be professionally active in the local music sector through any of the following fields: recording/music licensing/distribution; venue or festival management/programming; artist management; music broadcasting; music journalism/publishing; music development; music marketing; music retail (including online/digital outlets.

Participants should be 25-35 years old, and using their entrepreneurial skills, must have shown their ability and innovative approach to the promotion of music in their own country, particularly in a commercial context. Through their character, drive and abilities, they must be able to demonstrate their potential to be future leaders of the music sector in their respective countries. English language skills equivalent to IELTS 6 are a must.

The winner from the Philippines will join other international winners for a two-week programme comprising visits, meetings and gigs in London and Manchester from June 18 to 29 prior to the actual competition. Their tour also includes attendance at the Glastonbury Festival and networking opportunities at London Calling, the newest international trade exhibition which will bring together artists, managers, labels, music publishers, service providers and brands who all work together to build the future of the music business.

The IYMEY winner is decided based upon a presentation made by each national candidate to an elite judging panel from the UK music industry. Application forms are available at the British Council office and online at www.britishcouncil.org.ph. Deadline for submission of applications is Feb. 15.

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