Elliot Krieger of Jarvis, Krieger & Sullivan is a Harvard law graduate attorney

By Rhony Laigo
Balita Media

A high-profile attorney will represent Marissa Lapid, wife of Senator Lito Lapid, who was arrested last Jan. 15 at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas upon arrival from the Philippines.

Harvard Law graduate Elliot F. Krieger, a former Assistant United States Attorney with the United States Department of Justice, who is listed as one of the litigators in Southern California, has been hired to represent Mrs. Lapid, who is facing smuggling charges for allegedly failing to declare $50,000 when she came to the US last November. Arriving passengers in the US are required to declare money in their possession worth more than $10,000.

Krieger told reporters her client denies smuggling the money. “We will vigorously defend these charges,” he said. A spokesperson from the Department of Homeland Security said Mrs. Lapid is charged with dollar smuggling, which is punishable for up to $500,000 in fines and a maximum 10-year jail sentence.

Krieger said Mrs. Lapid came back to the US “on the invitation of the Department of Homeland Security to deal with this issue.”

He said Mrs. Lapid wasn’t aware that criminal charges have been filed against her and that she willingly came back to the US in response to the “invitation.”

According to Krieger, Mrs. Lapid is presently out on bail in the amount of $500,000 bond by virtue of a lien placed on her property in Las Vegas. Asked how many properties Mrs. Lapid has, Krieger declined to answer, although current real estate prices of most homes in Las Vegas is worth much less than $500,000 each. Nevada is one of the most affected states racked by the home mortgage crisis.

When asked who’s paying for his services, Krieger also declined to offer an answer and refused to give further details about the case. A preliminary hearing has been set for Feb. 7, he said.

Reports from Manila said the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said it will extend assistance to Mrs. Lapid. DFA sources said, however, that Filipino citizens are only provided with a method on how to get legal assistance but that the accused will have to shoulder their own attorney’s fees.

Krieger also confirmed reports that Mrs. Lapid wears a monitoring bracelet as “ordered by the court.” Reports said her passport was also seized and Krieger said her movement is limited within the Clark County that includes Las Vegas. He, however, did not disclose where exactly Mrs. Lapid is staying or if she is with family members.

When asked, Krieger said Mrs. Lapid has been in the US several times. Reports from Manila said Mrs. Lapid brought the money to “pay” for her properties in the US.

The jarvislawyers.com website says Krieger also has a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University and handles family law matters as well as criminal matters.

The superlawyers.com also named Krieger as belonging to the Super Lawyers list of top attorneys in Southern California. Krieger’s firm said “No more than five percent of the lawyers in California are selected by Super Lawyers.”

The public affairs office of the Customs and Border Protection said all arriving passengers are given the Form 105 from the Department of Treasury. US federal laws require anyone to declare any currency or monetary instrument, whether cash, checks, money orders, travelers’ checks, etc., if the total amount is more than $10,000. Penalties for not doing so are “severe” and violators will face both civil and criminal charges.

A specialist from the CBP Los Angeles said that last year the Los Angeles and Las Vegas jurisdiction seized a total of $4.2 million in undeclared currency from arriving passengers. This includes those from passengers who “failed to file a report, filing a report containing a material omission or misstatement, or filing a false or fraudulent report.”

Reports said Mrs. Lapid hid $20,000 in socks which were found in her luggage. Another $20,000 was in her bag. She only declared $10,000, reports said. The dollars were confiscated, although reports were unclear if all $50,000 were taken from her.

Reactions regarding her arrest were mostly unkind, if not outright vicious. A comment posted on the Philippine Star website even said that because she didn’t declare it, it was clear that it was “stolen from the Filipino people,” said rodel_polintan_tipco.

Another, identified only as “gatbon,” even asked both the U.S. and the Philippine governments to investigate if the property or properties belonging to the Lapids in the U.S. were paid for by “stolen money” and must be seized if the Lapids could not prove that they paid for them legally.

Some even alleged that the “stolen money” came from pork barrel funds that Sen. Lapid got for being a member of the Senate. He has been serving the august body since 2004.

Under the Constitution, a senator receives an annual salary of only P200,000 or a mere $5,000 in one year. This led to another comment from someone identified only as “garysc8philstar” who asked how the Lapids were able to acquire lots of money and properties. The same posted that “it was good that she was arrested in the U.S.,” as if implying that since her husband is a sitting senator, he is “exempted” from any form of investigation in the Philippines.

Other reactions also criticized the Foreign Affairs department for reportedly stating that it will assist Marissa, to which “makulot” posted “Why will the DFA assist Mrs. Lapid? She’s a civilian and her action is a major offense, smuggling $$ into the U.S.”

A post by “traderman” said that the money was for “good time” since she went to Las Vegas and not intended to pay for the house which you can “amortize in 30/40 years.”

Another, identified only as “happyfalcon” said “She is the wife of a foreign dignitary just bringing loot. Gamble as high roller.”
In the Philippines, Sen Lapid was said to have been “saddened” by his wife’s arrest but that “she is ready to defend herself.”

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Elliot Krieger of Jarvis, Krieger & Sullivan is a Harvard law graduate attorney

By Rhony Laigo
Balita Media

A high-profile attorney will represent Marissa Lapid, wife of Senator Lito Lapid, who was arrested last Jan. 15 at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas upon arrival from the Philippines.

Harvard Law graduate Elliot F. Krieger, a former Assistant United States Attorney with the United States Department of Justice, who is listed as one of the litigators in Southern California, has been hired to represent Mrs. Lapid, who is facing smuggling charges for allegedly failing to declare $50,000 when she came to the US last November. Arriving passengers in the US are required to declare money in their possession worth more than $10,000.

Krieger told reporters her client denies smuggling the money. “We will vigorously defend these charges,” he said. A spokesperson from the Department of Homeland Security said Mrs. Lapid is charged with dollar smuggling, which is punishable for up to $500,000 in fines and a maximum 10-year jail sentence.

Krieger said Mrs. Lapid came back to the US “on the invitation of the Department of Homeland Security to deal with this issue.”

He said Mrs. Lapid wasn’t aware that criminal charges have been filed against her and that she willingly came back to the US in response to the “invitation.”

According to Krieger, Mrs. Lapid is presently out on bail in the amount of $500,000 bond by virtue of a lien placed on her property in Las Vegas. Asked how many properties Mrs. Lapid has, Krieger declined to answer, although current real estate prices of most homes in Las Vegas is worth much less than $500,000 each. Nevada is one of the most affected states racked by the home mortgage crisis.

When asked who’s paying for his services, Krieger also declined to offer an answer and refused to give further details about the case. A preliminary hearing has been set for Feb. 7, he said.

Reports from Manila said the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said it will extend assistance to Mrs. Lapid. DFA sources said, however, that Filipino citizens are only provided with a method on how to get legal assistance but that the accused will have to shoulder their own attorney’s fees.

Krieger also confirmed reports that Mrs. Lapid wears a monitoring bracelet as “ordered by the court.” Reports said her passport was also seized and Krieger said her movement is limited within the Clark County that includes Las Vegas. He, however, did not disclose where exactly Mrs. Lapid is staying or if she is with family members.

When asked, Krieger said Mrs. Lapid has been in the US several times. Reports from Manila said Mrs. Lapid brought the money to “pay” for her properties in the US.

The jarvislawyers.com website says Krieger also has a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University and handles family law matters as well as criminal matters.

The superlawyers.com also named Krieger as belonging to the Super Lawyers list of top attorneys in Southern California. Krieger’s firm said “No more than five percent of the lawyers in California are selected by Super Lawyers.”

The public affairs office of the Customs and Border Protection said all arriving passengers are given the Form 105 from the Department of Treasury. US federal laws require anyone to declare any currency or monetary instrument, whether cash, checks, money orders, travelers’ checks, etc., if the total amount is more than $10,000. Penalties for not doing so are “severe” and violators will face both civil and criminal charges.

A specialist from the CBP Los Angeles said that last year the Los Angeles and Las Vegas jurisdiction seized a total of $4.2 million in undeclared currency from arriving passengers. This includes those from passengers who “failed to file a report, filing a report containing a material omission or misstatement, or filing a false or fraudulent report.”

Reports said Mrs. Lapid hid $20,000 in socks which were found in her luggage. Another $20,000 was in her bag. She only declared $10,000, reports said. The dollars were confiscated, although reports were unclear if all $50,000 were taken from her.

Reactions regarding her arrest were mostly unkind, if not outright vicious. A comment posted on the Philippine Star website even said that because she didn’t declare it, it was clear that it was “stolen from the Filipino people,” said rodel_polintan_tipco.

Another, identified only as “gatbon,” even asked both the U.S. and the Philippine governments to investigate if the property or properties belonging to the Lapids in the U.S. were paid for by “stolen money” and must be seized if the Lapids could not prove that they paid for them legally.

Some even alleged that the “stolen money” came from pork barrel funds that Sen. Lapid got for being a member of the Senate. He has been serving the august body since 2004.

Under the Constitution, a senator receives an annual salary of only P200,000 or a mere $5,000 in one year. This led to another comment from someone identified only as “garysc8philstar” who asked how the Lapids were able to acquire lots of money and properties. The same posted that “it was good that she was arrested in the U.S.,” as if implying that since her husband is a sitting senator, he is “exempted” from any form of investigation in the Philippines.

Other reactions also criticized the Foreign Affairs department for reportedly stating that it will assist Marissa, to which “makulot” posted “Why will the DFA assist Mrs. Lapid? She’s a civilian and her action is a major offense, smuggling $$ into the U.S.”

A post by “traderman” said that the money was for “good time” since she went to Las Vegas and not intended to pay for the house which you can “amortize in 30/40 years.”

Another, identified only as “happyfalcon” said “She is the wife of a foreign dignitary just bringing loot. Gamble as high roller.”
In the Philippines, Sen Lapid was said to have been “saddened” by his wife’s arrest but that “she is ready to defend herself.”

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Ner De Leon on sax, Dexter on base, Tateng Katindig on keyboards and Paul Aguas on drums playing "Bakit Ngayon Ka Lang", an Ogie Alcasid original, at Sining Para sa Bayan concert on January 21, 2012 at Noypitz Bar and Restaurant in Glendale, California. Photo: Phillip Ner

’Twas an SRO Sining Para sa Bayan concert at Noypitz 

Nimfa U. Rueda

LOS ANGELES – Filipino American journalists here have raised $9,000 for media colleagues who were among those who died and lost their homes when typhoon Sendong struck Northern Mindanao last month.

The media practitioners spearheaded a benefit concert and art auction, dubbed Sining Para sa Bayan, in Glendale, California last Jan. 21. The two-part event featured top-notch performers, musicians and artists, including Pinoy folk rock pioneer Florante and Emmy-award winner Jess Española, a visual animator for the cartoon series “The Simpsons”.

Proceeds will go to the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) fund for media workers who were among the victims of the deadly typhoon that left more than 1,000 people dead and displaced around 330,000 residents in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan.

“Fil-Am media professionals in the Los Angeles area have come together to show support for and solidarity with colleagues in the Philippines who need help,” said Myrna Aquitania, president of the Filipino American Press Club of Los Angeles (FAPCLA), which organized  the event in collaboration with NUJP-US, Frontliners Media Group, F7 Media and Philippine Press Photographers-USA.

Other performers included the Fil-Am back-up singers of Justin Bieber, Legaci, singer and songwriter Becca Godinez, internationally acclaimed tenor Jonathan Badon, Louie Reyes, Paco Arespacochaga, and  jazz musicians Tateng Katindig and Ner de Leon and Philippine folk legend Florante.

“This event is our way of reaching out to colleagues who need our help,” said Jannelle So, host and producer of KSCI 18’s Kababayan LA, the first and only Filipino talk show on a mainstream broadcast station. She co-hosted the three-hour concert with well-known thespian Bernardo Bernardo.

Among those who participated in the art auction was Texas-based artist Glenn Bautista, who created the Jorge Bocobo mural at UP Diliman, and painters Vics Magsaysay, Rafael Maniago, Mat Relox, Boi Sibug and Magoo Valencia. Participants also included top-notch photographers Phillip Ner, Benny Uy, Joe Cobilla and Noli Yu.

“We have come together to offer our talents for kababayans who need our support,” said Española, who won an Emmy for his work in the cartoon series “TheSimpsons” as assistant director for animation.

The organizers initially targeted to raise $5,000, but the “overwhelming support the event received from the community” raised the amount to $9,000, said FAPCLA treasurer Lydia Solis.

Both Solis and Aquitania thanked all the sponsors who donated handsomely and to all those who purchased their tickets for the show that lasted more than four hours.

Highlights of the show included Jo Awayan getting the crowd to sing with her with 80s hit “Always Something There To Remind Me” while April Velasco rocked Noypitz with her songs backed up by the foursome of Katindig, De Leon, drummer Paul Aguas and bassist Dexter, so did Malou Toler and the Friends of Mine Band that got the crowd dancing on their feet late into the night.

Guitarist and songwriter Mon Concepcion rendered original songs while another guitarist Alan Del Rosario jazzed up the night with bossa nosa hits from Jobim.

Other artists who wowed the crowd included the youngest performer in Sam Santiago, Alex Arrieta who sang movie hits, while Annie Nepomuceno, Lianna Gutierrez and Janine Bernardo and Joni Villamil sang familiar pop hits.

Bob Schroeder played the flute, while Filipino American Symphony Orchestra (FASO) co-founder Andy Tecson brought back memories with his traditional Filipino folk music. Paco Arrespacochaga of the former Introvoys sang original hits of the band.

Not only did  Vicoy BagongSigaw rap his way on stage, he wrote his own music about the typhoon and the calamities it brought as his way of paying his respects to the victims. Balita editor Rhony Laigo also played the guitar and sang Joey Ayala’s “Bathala” and Agila” that spoke of the destruction of forests by illegal loggers fueled by greed.

Last month’s typhoon killed at least 1,200 people in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan City, who were either buried by mudslides or swept away by flashfloods into the sea.

At least 35 journalists from Cagayan de Oro and Iligan were affected by the storm. Two Iligan-based journalists died while others lost their homes and belongings.

Among the journalists displaced by Sendong were newspaper correspondents Leonardo Vicente “Cong” Corrales, Jigger Jerusalem, Bonita Ermac and television correspondent Merlyn Manos. Iligan City radio reporter and news anchor Michael Kundiman was swept away at the height of the storm. His body is yet to be found.

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Attorney Lorna Schofield

Washington DC – On Monday, Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) recommended Attorney Lorna Schofield to the White House as a candidate for federal district court judge in the Southern District of New York. If nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate, she would be the first Filipino American to serve as an Article III federal judge.

“When I select judges, I always look for three things – excellence, diversity, and moderation – and Schofield exemplifies all of these qualities. I’m pleased to recommend her to President Obama for the Southern District Bench,” said Schumer.

A litigation partner at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP for almost 20 years, Schofield has extensive trial experience in both the private and public sectors. She became the firm’s first minority partner in 1991 and now serves as Of Council. Prior to joining Debevoise, she served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the criminal division of the Southern District of New York. She was the first Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) to chair the Litigation Section of the American Bar Association, and the National Law Journal named her one of the nation’s 50 most influential minority lawyers.

Currently, AAPIs are underrepresented on the federal bench. In New York alone, where AAPIs represent 10% of the population, there is only one AAPI judge serving among the 90 active and senior Article III judges in the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. Article III judges are nominated by the President, confirmed by the Senate, and appointed lifetime tenure. However, of the 875 federal judges, there are now 14 active AAPI Article III judges in the nation, seven of whom were nominated by President Obama. Moreover, the number of AAPI women on the bench has tripled from two to six. Although much progress has been made under the Obama Administration, the number of AAPI federal judges still do not meet parity.

KAYA applauds Senator Schumer’s efforts to bring talent and diversity to the federal court. “Attorney Lorna G. Schofield represents many Filipino Americans in this country that grew up with independence and self sufficiency as essential values. Her life is an example of creating a future that is achievable for Filipino Americans in the United States,” said KAYA National Co-Chair, Genevieve V. Jopanda.

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Mangyan maestro Relox at work

MAT RELOX saw firsthand how the Mangyan natives in Mindoro disintegrated from genuine tribespeople with exotic and distinct lifestyle into just another group of poor and underserved villagers. He knew them. He grew up in their midst. He was, and is always one of them.
Unfortunately, the charming Mangyan life will soon be just an item in Philippine history books; and it will not even be a guarantee that historians can capture the essence of what a true Mangyan life was. It looks like the job belongs to the multi-awarded Mangyan maestro Mat Relox, one of the most celebrated global Filipino contemporary artists. Relox, an exceptionally gifted painter, muralist, and sculptor loads his canvas with a generous strokes of the Mangyan life as he knows it firsthand. Relox remembers, recreates, paints and immortalizes the images of the Mangyan people, their temperament, their lifestyle and original habitat with cunning accuracy.
“Napabayaan man ang mga Mangyan, di pinansin ng lipunan ngunit sa trono at pinakamataas na antas ng sining ay aking iwawagayway ang tagumpay ng mga Mangyan na walang kamatayan (The Manyans, as a people, may have been ignored, but I will immortalize them thru the highest form of the art),” he said.
And immortalize he did, and continues to do so; in most of his works (over 300 pieces of objet d’arts), the strain of the Relox’s subject matter waves in and about the milieu of the Manyan life. He is a master of all mediums – pastel, pen and ink, watercolor, and charcoal.
Relox continues with his artistic vision of elevating the Mangyan life through the power of his works, even as he regularly reaps honors in art competitions here and there; the most recent of which was an honorable mention at the Winter Juried Art show in Pittsburgh, California. Relox winning work, “Sa Piling Ni Inay,” is a rendering of a bucolic Mangyan Madonna and Child (14”x 20 pen and ink on paper). It portrays an amazingly powerful impression of the unbreakable cycle of life. It was chosen along with three others from among the 170 entries. A total of 58 artists participated in the said art show.
Relox is such an enormous talent. He’s one artist that cannot be ignored; even without trying, his works lay bare to people that the man is a consummate artist. As a testimony to Relox celebrated stature as a painter, the prestigious Phil-Am Expo honored Relox as one of the Most Outstanding Fil-Am Professionals. In that event, Expo-goers had the chance to see first hand the works and shook hands with the maestro.
Humbled by the recognition, Relox was self-effacing in his acceptance speech, saying: “Sa aming mga artists kapahingahan naming ang maparangalan ng ganito (To artists like me, recognitions like this are greatly-appreciated consolations).
Relox acknowledges that he gets motivated and becomes more passionate about his craft whenever he wins art competitions, gets recognitions, and when big time patrons and patroness of the arts take a second look and buy his paintings. He still can feel the thrill that he had when Imelda Marcos, then the powerful first lady and known for her collections of expensive and beautiful things, took home one of his paintings on display at the Cultural Center of the Philippines gallery.
“That was big deal for me. I felt like I made one little step up the ladder of eminence leading to the exalted pedestal of Juan Luna, Fernando Amorsolo, and Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo ,” he said.
Relox, essentially a realist-impressionist, does not have illusions to even get near around the area where the legends dwell. For him, it is enough that he can do whatever he want to do with his God-given artistic talent. He is glad that every now and then he can put up solo art exhibits in Southern California . He is, right now, deep at work on some art pieces that he wanted included in his next one-man art show in Los Angeles .
On Saturday, January 21, Mat, along with top Filipino painter-artists will participate in “Sining Para Sa Bayan,” a fundraiser for the members of the media who were killed or greatly affected by the floods in Northern Mindanao. The artists will display their works in a silent auction at the front facility of the NoyPitz Bar and Restaurant on Brand and Glenoaks in Glendale. A concert featuring marquee names in the Philippine entertainment industry will cap the day-long fundraising activity.

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Cruising along Halong Bay

Text and photos by OSCAR F. PICAZO

1.  On a Cyclo Tour, Hanoi – I find Hanoi’s streets living museums of trade, handicraft, cultural encounters, and motorbike and cyclo traffic.  Some of the alleyways are heady with incense smoke and the aroma of pho (noodles), strong coffee, and other delicacies cooking in little stoves and being served in low, tiny plastic tables.  These streets are for fanciers of urban anthropology; immediately, one notices their democratic ambience as well-heeled office folk and vendors in sandals jostle each other.  The best way to navigate the streets is to take a cyclo, half-a-bicycle with a seat attached in front with two wheels, which offers the passenger an unimpeded front view of pedestrians and vendors. The cyclo tour magically turns an otherwise annoying Hanoi afternoon into something of an ethno-medieval Indiana Jones experience as the ever-accommodating driver threads the vehicle through labyrinthine streets.
2.  At the Jade Mountain Temple, Hanoi – At the southern edge of Hanoi’s Old District is the Hoan Kiem Lake.  After watching the one-hour-long water puppet show, I stroll across to the Hoan Kiem Lake, at the center of which is the Ngoc Son (Jade Mountain) temple that one reaches through a red wooden ‘Bridge of the Rising Sun.’ I tarry at the bridge, survey the lake, and wonder how it must have looked from here when, in the 18th century, the Trinh lords had as many as 52 palaces on its shores… The temple provides a restful respite from the frenetic streets of the Old District.  Under the trees, men play Vietnamese checkers, lovers walk hand and hand, and couples herd their children to make temple offerings of fruits.  Amid the gossamer of incense, I peer at an elderly man intently doing calligraphy on rice paper. The main room of this temple, after all, is devoted to the patron of the literati, Khuong Moung.
3.  The Majesty of Terraced Hills, Sapa – Sapa is a bustling provincial town tucked in the highlands of northeastern Vietnam.  It is reached through a nine-hour overnight train up to Lao Cai, the border town with China, and then another hour in a zigzag bus ride up to Sapa, built by the French in 1922 as a border post.  On the map, Sapa looks very close to Yunnan, China and to Laos, but the mountains here are magisterial, forbidding and cold, the trees grow all the way to the top of mountains, and the Chinese panda are not coming down anytime soon to munch on the plentiful bamboo groves.  The mists rise in the early morning to reveal beautifully terraced hill sides, shorn of the last season’s rice harvest.
4.  Being Fussed With by the Hill Tribe Women, Sapa – Sapa town is surprisingly modern. The old French villas have been turned into guesthouses, and there seem to be new vertical construction going on everywhere. Adventure-seekers have been coming here since Vietnam opened in the 1990s, for Sapa and its surrounding villages are home to several groups of minorities (H’mong, Dzao, Tay, and Xa Po) known collectively as hill tribes.  They are easily recognized by their cheerful demeanor, and their dark-blue garb appliqued with small curved designs, colorful headgear, and back baskets. They live in sturdy wooden houses perched on mountain ledges or tucked near river valleys.
5.  Cruising Along Halong Bay – Two hours by bus directly east of Hanoi is Halong Bay, which holds 1,969 islets of limestone.  It is often cited as the best example in the world of a karst landscape being invaded by the sea.  The name ‘Ha Long’ means ‘where the dragon descends to the sea,’ based on the legend that a dragon mother descended from the mountains with her children, armed with rocks, and killed a monster that had been frightening the people. We come back as the legendary dragon children, marveling at the rocks that have turned into islands.  The bay area has become overdeveloped, with too many constructions on-shore and too many boats plying around the isles, which is a pity because this UNESCO World Heritage Site – and certainly one of the 1,000 places you need to see before you die – is indeed jaw-dropping.

6.  Strolling Around the Imperial City of Nguyen Kings, Huey – A 13-hour overnight train ride takes us from Hanoi all the way south to Huey, the ancient capital of the Nguyen kings. Huey is very near the 17th Parallel, which used to divide Vietnam politically into north and south, and is the scene of much fighting during the Vietnam War, especially from the 1968 Tet Offensive. Huey’s major draw is the citadel and Nguyen kings’ Imperial City, which we visit the next day.  This city within a city was planned in accordance with the geomancy and architectural layout of the Forbidden City in Beijing. It consists of a series of palaces, pavilions, libraries, towers, gates, gardens, and walkways that have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  My colonial education glossed over this period of Southeast Asian history, and it is only now that I am beginning to appreciate the grandeur of the civilizations of Southeast Asian countries.  However, much work remains to be done to restore Huey to its old glory, and UNESCO has been beleaguered with inadequate funding to complete the massive task.
7.  Tree-Pruning Monks at the Thien Mu Pagoda, Huey – The best way to see Huey is to take a motorbike tour. In the mid-morning drizzle, we tour the city in a convoy of motorbikes, slightly cold under the poncho behind our respective local drivers.  We pass by grand ancestral pantheons decorated with colorful ceramics, waterlogged rice paddies, morning markets, and people doing sundry chores.  The motorbike tour ends at the Thien Mu Pagoda overlooking the swollen Perfume River that borders the downtown area. In the pagoda grounds, young monks are pruning potted trees to coach them to flower in the spring. Ahn Huyen, our guide, says that ill-behaving children are often sent to pagodas to get ‘trimmed’ of their wayward ways, so that they can flower fruitfully in years to come.
8.  The Ancient Trading Houses of Hoi An – From Huey to Da Nang and thence to Hoi An takes about three hours by bus, crossing the natural border of mountains (the “Cloud Pass”) that divide what used to be Communist north and American-supported south Vietnam. Less than an hour from the modern city of Da Nang is Hoi An, an ancient trading post, and inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999.  Although Hoi An is 4 kms. away from the sea, it is strategically located beside a navigable river where boats continue to be moored, as they have been for centuries.  Hoi An was a major base for the ocean silk route during the pre-colonial era. Refugees from the Ming dynasty sought refuge here when the Qing dynasty came into power in China, and established their own Chinese Quarter in the 16th century, as did the Japanese in the 17th century. Many of Hoi An’s wooden one-story trading houses that date back to the 18th century have been restored and used as stores, restaurants, and living quarters.  The great pleasure of being in this city is simply to walk, tarry at temples, watch artisans do their craft, stare at street scenes and do nothing but be.
9.  The Undergound Vietnam War Tunnels of Cu Chi – Two hours from Saigon, the Ben Douc and Ben Dinh underground tunnel complex in Cu Chi are a cobweb of more than 200 kms. of multilayered underground refuge that the Vietnamese anti-American fighters used during the Vietnam War. It remains covered with thick foliage like a jungle, but under the trees, tourists can now see and appreciate the resiliency with which the Vietnamese military, and the Cu Chi minority people, managed the war. The tunnels and the defense activities there prove that the Vietnam War is the victory of humble low-tech over mighty high-tech warfare.  Life-size dioramas of peasant-fighters show that downed helicopters and ordnance were recycled into weapons; vehicle tires were turned into handmade rubber sandals; and bamboo traps with blades fashioned out of sharpened metal parts of aircraft trumped over sophisticated bombs. It was as if the Americans gave the metals that the Vietnamese then used to defeat them.
10. Canoeing in the Mekong Delta – The Mekong is the third longest river in Asia (4,500 kms.), with its headwaters in Tibet.  It flows through six countries (southern China, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam) and acts as a border in some of them.  The delta region begins in Cambodia and goes all the way to southern Vietnam where the river branches out into nine outlets to the sea, hence its appellation as a nine-headed dragon. In the late afternoon, we take our respective canoes and paddle our way along an estuary lined on both sides with low-growing palms until we reach our homestay where we spend the night. The thatch-roofed sleeping quarters are basic, but each room has electric lighting and mosquito net, and the en-suite bathroom is clean and has running water. Best of all, the matron is a superb cook, and treats us to a six-course supper, an unexpected luxury in the middle of the delta.
11.  The Cruise Ships Along the Saigon River – Saigon is a feast of silks and spring rolls, of incense smoke and the drone of scooters, of sensuous ladies in ao dais and saintly monks in orange robes. The French colonists partially succeeded in turning it into the Paris of the Orient, leaving behind the Opera House, the Post Office Building, the Notre Dame Cathedral, and several art deco structures.  In 1958, Dorothea Lange, the American Depression-era photographer, wrote: “Saigon affects me like fine wine… There is something in the air, in the rhythm, in the soft water, a somnolence, a richness, something exquisite, a lightness, a quick smile, quick foot…” I try to capture something like that as I walk along the banks of the Saigon River, heady with humidity in mid-afternoon. The river is wide and clean, and several dining cruise ships are plying it.
12.  The Pain One Feels at the War Remnants Museum, Saigon – This modern museum captures the brutality of the Vietnam War, from the point of view of its out-armed but not out-witted victor. It is a deeply moving museum whose story is told mainly in black and white photographs, some of which were taken by American journalists: the stark pictures of napalm bombings, Agent Orange sprayings, massacres sometimes are too much to bear… After seeing three floors of documented war atrocities, I leave with a lump in my throat, and I stare at the fecklessness of the U.S. military aircraft captured by the Vietnamese which are now parked in the museum yard.

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'Flying Swords of Dragon Gate' has proved a huge hit with Chinese audiences over the past year, and was rewarded with seven nominations overall. ©All Rights Reserved

(HONG KONG-Relaxnews) – This year’s Asian Film Awards have brought out the big guns by nominating three Chinese-language blockbusters in a slew of categories and four productions which have also been put forward for Oscars consideration.

The 6th AFAs will be announced at a gala ceremony held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on March 19.

The awards promote themselves as the “Oscars of Asia” and that’s certainly reflected in the fact that Japan’s Postcard, China’s The Flowers of War, Taiwan’s Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale and India’s You Don’t Get Life A Second Time have all been nominated for Best Film at the AFAs, while also being put forward by their respective countries for consideration at the Oscars.

Rounding out the AFAs’ selections for Best Film are A Separation (Iran) and Flying Swords of Dragon Gate (Hong Kong/China).

That last production has, like The Flowers of War and Seediq Bale, proved a huge hit with Chinese audiences over the past year, and was rewarded with seven nominations overall.

In all, 32 productions were nominated for the 2012 AFAs and this year’s jury will be headed by Singaporean filmmaker Eric Khoo.

The organizer of the AFAs — The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society — is still finalizing broadcasting details for the event, which in previous years has been screened live into an estimated 300 million households across the region.

Main nominations for the 6th Asian Film Awards:

Best Film: The Flowers of War (China), Flying Swords of Dragon Gate (Hong Kong/China), Postcard (Japan),? A Separation (Iran), Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale (Taiwan), You Don’t Get Life a Second Time (India).

Best Director:? Asghar Farhadi (A Separation; Iran); Teddy Soeriaatmadja (Lovely Man; Indonesia), Sono
Sion (Guilty of Romance; Japan), Tsui Hark (Flying Swords of Dragon Gate; Hong Kong/China), Wei Te-sheng (Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale; Taiwan).

Best Actor: Aloys Chen (Flying Swords of Dragon Gate), Donny Damara (Lovely Man), Andy Lau (A Simple Life; Hong Kong/China), Park Hae-il (War of the Arrow; South Korea), Yakusho Koji (Chronicle of My Mother; Japan).

Best Actress: Vidya Balan (The Dirty Picture; India); Michelle Chen (You Are the Apple of My Eye; Taiwan), Eugene Domingo (The Woman in the Septic Tank; Philippines), Leila Hatami (A Separation; Iran); Deanie Ip (A Simple Life; Hong Kong).

MS

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