Loida Nicolas-Lewis: Mar Roxas is the Real McCoy

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- Of the four speakers representing four Philippine presidential candidates, businesswoman Loida Nicolas-Lewis emerged as the most applauded during the  "Know Your Candidates" forum on the Philippine Presidential Elections at the Kalayaan Hall of the Consulate General of the Philippines March 30.
Nicolas-Lewis insisted that "as congressman and senator, Mar Roxas has had no record of corruption whatsoever. And believe me. It is so easy to ask for cash-sunduan and commission when one is in power."
She added: "Mar Roxas has a track record of success in his 22 years of public service as cabinet secretary to three presidents--Erap, GMA and P-noy."
Nicolas-Lewis said "Roxas is an experienced executive who can deal with the presidents of the United States, France, Germany, and other big countries; he has inborn integrity and loyalty to the Philippines and to the people."

CANDID

"Of the four speakers, Loida presented the most candid and most substantive argument why her bet should be the next president of the Philippines," commented Lourdes Constantino-Penn, 70, a Fil-Am businesswoman, who attended the two-hour forum presented by the Filipino American Press Club of New York, Inc. and the Consulate General of the Philippines headed by Ambassador Mario Lopez de Leon Jr.
Nicolas-Lewis, chair of the US Filipinos for Good Governance, represented Mar Roxas of the Liberal Party.
"Loida ably represented Roxas with her brilliant explanation of the administration candidate's plans of revitalizing agriculture and sustaining economic growth," observed Jonji Jalandoni, past president of the Philippine Independence Day Council Inc. (PIDCI). 

DUTERTE

The second most applauded speaker was Sani Guillena, who represented Rodrigo Duterte of PDP Laban.
Guillena, coordinator of GoDuterteUSA/NY, spoke passionately on the need to elect an iron-fisted leader like the Davao City mayor who vowed to eliminate graft and corruption and criminality.
"Mayor Duterte is both the medium and the message and he is the only candidate who lives a modest life and who leads by example," Guillena, former editor and publisher of Peryodiko Mindanao Scholar, asserted.
Los Angeles-based speaker Art Garcia, a former scholar of Mar's father, the late Sen. Gerardo Roxas, explained why he ditched Mar for Grace Poe.
"I campaigned for President Benigno Noynoy Aquino Jr. and I used to support Mar Roxas, but when I learned that Grace Poe would run for president, I decided to go for Grace. I know her father, Fernando Poe Jr., a courageous man who went against Marcos during Martial Law," explained Garcia, lead convenor of the Grace Poe for President Movement in L.A.
Garcia described Poe as "an intelligent and sincere woman who will reform and industrialize the Philippines."

'BROTHER'

Jesse Arteche, the first speaker to give a statement and a "brother" of Vice President Jejomar Binay in the Alpha Phi Omega, lamented that "Binay is a victim of black propaganda ever since he decalred that he would run for president."
"Only the court can delcare that he is guilty of graft and corruption. All the accusations against him in the senate are black propaganda. If the senators believe that Binay is guilty they should have brought the case against the vice president in court," said Arteche, who calls Binay "Brod VP".
Binay is the most qualified to become the next president, insisted Arteche.
Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago did not have a representative.
Ricky Rillera, president of the Filipino American Press Club of New York, Inc., moderated the forum.

INTERVIEW WITH A FIL-AM BILLIONAIRE: RP removed from list of most corrupt

“When the President does it , that means that it is not illegal.” Richard M. Nixon

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- As chief executive officer and chair of a multi-million dollar foods and staples retailing empire in the United States,  Loida Nicolas-Lewis sheepishly marveled when a New York Times article called the Philippines "the most corrupt nation in the world" in April 2006.
This was when "corruption grew worse after Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was reelected president in 2004," recalled the 72-year-old Fil-Am widow of TLC Beatrice International Holdings Inc. founder and CEO Reginald F. Lewis.
Nicolas-Lewis, who recently staged rallies against China's intrusion in the West Philippine Sea as chair of the U.S. Filipinos for Good Government, blamed the declaration of Martial Law by former President Ferdinand Marcos on September 21, 1972 to be the genesis of the Philippines' "infamy."
"Not only did President Marcos nullify the constitution of the Philippines, but he also instituted a culture of corruption into our national consciousness," she averred.

ENTER

APV: "How did it happen?"
LNL:  "In 21 years of Martial Law, corruption entered into our very soul, into our makeup as a nation. People Power of 1986, a bloodless revolution and change of government, Cory Aquino restored democracy."
APV: "So Mrs. Aquino became our savior and hope after Marcos?"
LNL: "Sadly, through no fault of hers, nothing much happened in terms of restoration of integrity in government. She had to fight off six coup d'etat."
APV: "But she was able to anoint a strong leader in the person of FVR who vowed to bring the Philippines into NIC (newly industrialized country)-hood."
LNL: "President Ramos was effective in moving the Philippines forward, but six years under the new constitution of 1987 was not enough to uproot the culture of corruption."

ESTRADA

APV: "Because he was succeeded by Erap Estrada?"
LNL: "In 1998 Erap was elected president. Erap para sa mahirap. But in his three years as president it was Erap para kay Erap. In 2001, he was sent away in a second People Power EDSA 2."
APV: "The real reforms did not happen during the administrations of FVR, Erap and Gloria, do you think it happened under President Noynoy?"
LNL: "Year 2010 ushered in President Noynoy Aquino under the battlecry 'kung walang corrupt, walang mahihirap.'"
APV: "Please elaborate."
LNL: "He made good on his campaign promises. In the first year, Merceditas Gutierez was forced to resign. In 2011 the Supreme Court Chief Justice Corona was impeached for having more money in the bank than what he declared in his statement of assets and liabilities. By his own admission, $2 millions dollars more."

CREDIT

APV: "You gave President Nonoy credit for these so-called 'reforms'?"
LNL: "Not only that. In 2012, the entire Janet Napoles scandal broke wide open and we saw powerful senators arrested for corruption. Enrile, Estrada and Revilla. Kim Henares, the new BIR chief, filed 347 tax evasion cases against doctors, lawyers and movie stars--even Manny Pacquiao. Tax revenues rose to P1.3 trillion in 2014."
Nicolas-Lewis credited President Aquino when Transparency International removed the Philippines  from the list of 10 most corrupt nations.
She quoted Morgan Stanley as declaring that the Philippines is now the new tiger of Asia.

RATING

"In 2014 S&P, Moody's and Finch International rating agencies gave the Philippines triple BBB ratings. For the first time, the Philippines became investment grade," she revealed. "Bloomberg business listed the Philippines as second to China in being the fastest growing nation in the world."
LNL added: "In 2015, the Philippines with its more thsn nearly six percent GDP growth for the past five years is judged by all it took was five years good-daang matuwid."
"Who did President Aquino choose to continue his legacy of the daang matuwid? Who did he choose as his successor, as to be president of the Philippines? Mar Roxas."
Nicolas-Lewis said it was Roxas who introduced business process outsourcing in the Philippines and the industry calls him "the father of BPO call centers."
Some 1.3 million Filipinos all over the Philippines have been employed and the industry revenue generated $24 billion in 2015, according to her.

DRUGS

The feisty Fil-Am leader also credited Roxas for fighting multinational pharmaceuticals to lower their drug prices by more than 50 percent.
"The weekly crime rate in NCR was reduced from 915 reported per week, 500 less crime reported in the NCR alone. He also fired four out of five Metro Manila polic chiefs who failed to meet crime reduction rates," she added.
Among other accomplishments of Roxas enumerated by Nicolas-Lewis were the following:
--putting in place drinking water faucets in 300,000 homes in 400 municipalities;
--passing the laws that exempted the minimum wage earners P450 per day from paying income tax;
--planning for government a sustained economic growth, swift justice, high quality jobs;
--revitalizing agriculture;
--producing one billion scholarships for talented students;
--giving affordable and reliable power and boosting infrastructure;
--maximizing tourism and fighting crime systematically.
Roxas, she continued, also expanded the four Ps: Pantawid, Pamil yang Pilipino Program.
"An experienced executive, a track record of achievements in public service, no hint of corruption, inborn integrity and loyalty to the Philippines ans to the people, that's why Mar Roxas will be the next president of the Philippines," Nicolas-Lewis concluded.

COMPANY

Nicolas-Lewis' company, TLC Beatrice International Holdings Inc., distributes food and grocery products. It distributes dry groceries, beverages, household products, and frozen food in France. 
It also manufactures and markets ice cream and dessert products, potato chips, snacks and beverages principally in selected western European markets. 
TLC Beatrice is headquartered in New York City.

Brave Fil-Am woman of America

"The only use of an obstacle is to be overcome. All that an obstacle does with brave men is, not to frighten them, but to challenge them." Woodrow Wilson

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- Through this article, I wish to convey my most sincere apology to Mrs. Loida Nicholas-Lewis, who reportedly waited for us at 11o'clock in the morning at the Philippine Consular General on W 46th and Fifth Avenue for an exclusive interview last June 9.

We failed to arrive due to last-minute unforeseen circumstances, which we would explain to her personally in the event she is still willing to meet us in the future. 

We saw Nicholas-Lewis wearing a Filipiniana dress during the 117th Philippine Independence Day parade on Madison Avenue last June 7 and she waved at us while we were taking photos.

"Mabuhay ang Pilipinas," she loudly shouted while waving a small Philippine flag.

We wanted to sit down with her to talk about the mass actions against China which she spearheaded on June 12, among other global economic and political issues.

She lives in a posh mansion several blocks away from the official residence of the Philippine Consul General on 66th Street and Madison Avenue.

BOYCOTT

As chair of the US Pinoys for Good Governance (USPGG), Nicholas-Lewis had called for a boycott of all "Made in China" products as the "most meaningful way" to celebrate Independence Day.

The boycott of Chinese made goods was to protest China's bullying of the Philippines and the Chinese' continued militarization of the West Philippine Sea or South China Sea.

Wal-Mart and Apple are the largest distributors of China products in the United States, Nicholas-Lewis said during the rally. "That's why we are calling for a boycott of these stores," she said.

Nicholas-Lewis led protesters before noon on June 12 in picketing the Apple Store on Fifth Avenue and 58th Street here. 

Nicholas-Lewis said the unexpected decline in Chinese exports to the United States may have been the result of "a sustained organized boycott of China-made products"

Chinese exports to the United States and other countries "fell by a massive 14.6 percent in March from a year ago," Nicholas-Lewis revealed quoting a Reuters report.

The decline surprised many economists who had projected that China's exports would increase by double digits in 2015, added Nicholas-Lewis, who is the richest Filipino-American businesswoman in the United States.

DIFFICULT

Records showed that boycotting all Chinese products in the Philippines, which include a wide range of goods may be more difficult.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that in 2014, the Philippines imported P418.5 billion from China but exported to China P373.5 billion.

No Filipino-American businesswoman has done what Nicholas-Lewis did last June 12.

She was consistent, intrepid and straight to the point in her crusade.

This earned her the reputation as a "brave and strong Fil-Am woman in America."

We won't hear the last of "Madame Loida" in the crusade against Chinese bullying.

For several years now, she has been in the front line voicing her stand on various issues.

We hope to finally nail an exclusive interview with Mrs. Nicholas-Lewis soon.