Celebrating
T H E
ENTERT
INMENT
Engaged: Aiza Seguerra, Liza Diño See PAGE 12
WWW.USASIANPOST.COM
Vol. 3. No. 22
LOS ANGELES
A Balita Media Publication
Wednesday - Tuesday, Feb. 12-18, 2014
NY to issue IDs to undocumented NEW YORK, February 10, 2014 (AFP) – New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday that the city would give undocumented immigrants identity papers to allow them to live more normal lives. “To all of my fellow New Yorkers who are undocumented, I say: New York City is your home too, and we will not force ANY of our residents to live their lives in the shadows,” de Blasio said in a speech at Queens College. The initiative’s aim is to ensure that undocumented residents are
able to do things like open bank accounts, sign leases and gain access to basic services. “We will protect the almost half-million undocumented New Yorkers whose voices too often go unheard,” de Blasio said. New York has an estimated eight million residents, 2.3 million of whom are of Hispanic origin. De Blasio was elected mayor in November with the massive support of the city’s Hispanic and black communities, who respondSee ISSUE IDs, page 7
Electronic billboards lit up with “Thank you” signs at New York’s Times Square (shown above), Galeries Lafayette in Paris, Tokyo’s Shibuya Crossing, London’s Piccadilly Circus and five other cities at 2040 GMT Friday, exactly three months after Super Typhoon Haiyan struck the central Philippines. (From the Facebook page of First Secretary and Consul Elmer Cato, Philippine Embassy) With zero medals even with a large population that says 105.7 in the film clip, the tropical country that is the Philippines has a lone athlete competing in figure skating. Michael Christian Martinez will see action this Thursday at the Sochi 22nd Winter Olympic Games. (From the Facebook Page of Michael Christian Martinez)
Palace wishes PHL bet to Winter Olympics good luck
MANILA, Feb 8 (Mabuhay) – As it wished good luck to the Philippines’ bet in the ongoing Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, Malacañang on Saturday called on Filipinos to show their support for him as well. Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the Palace is confident Michael Christian Martinez will excel in figure skating despite the lack of snow in the Philippines. “We hope the Filipino people are behind Christian and his
quest for gold at the Sochi Olympics,” Lacierda said on state-run dzRB Radyo ng Bayan. Martinez, 17, is representing the Philippines in the figure skating competition. Lacierda said the Palace is “very, very proud” of such athletes, and is confident they can excel when given the chance. “Sana pagpalain kayo ng ating Panginoon. Kayang kaya natin yan (We hope God will be with you. You can do it),” he said. (MNS)
Palace: Despite ‘word war’ over territory, other aspects of PHL-China ties continue MANILA, Feb 8 (Mabuhay) – Despite a recent exchange of words, the Philippines and China continue to enjoy close ties in other aspects, Malacañang maintained Saturday. Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said both countries are “responsible enough” to continue other aspects of their ties despite conflicting positions in one subject. “Patuloy ang ating relationships with China on different levels (such as) tourism, culture (Our relationships with China on other aspects continue, such as in tourism and culture),” he said on state-run dzRB Radyo ng Bayan.
The Philippines and China are engaged in a territorial dispute over parts of the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). Earlier this week, President Benigno Aquino III was criticized in an article of China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency over the territorial row between the two countries. But on Friday, the President noted criticisms that appeared in Xinhua, a state-owned publication, that resorted to vicious name-calling instead of addressing the maritime conflict. Instead of getting offended, the President said the criticism bolSee WORD WAR, page 7
IACAT condemns use of child warriors MANILA, Feb 8 (Mabuhay) – The Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) sternly warned the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and other groups involved in armed hostilities to stop recruiting teens as part of their ranks. Otherwise, the IACAT said, they will be held liable for human trafficking charges with the highest possible penalties imposed by the law. Justice Secretary Leila M. De Lima, chairperson of IACAT, expressed alarm over reports of teenagers, as young as 15-16 years old, being among the casualties in the recent skirmishes between the government forces and insurgents in Mindanao. “Any form of recruitment of children to aid in armed conflict is a reprehensible practice and is rightfully condemned by all nations,” De Lima said. De Lima added that BIFF leaders will also likely face human trafficking charges aside from terrorism. According to Section 5(h) of Republic Act No. 9208, or “The AntiTrafficking in Persons Act of 2003”, as amended by R.A. No. 10364, or “The Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2012”, recruiting, transporting or adopting a child to engage in armed activities in the Philippines or abroad are considered an act of trafficking in persons. See IACAT CONDEMNS, page 7
With billboards, tweets, PHL thanks world for typhoon aid BY MARLON TANO
TACLOBAN, February 8, 2014 (AFP) – The Philippines said “Thank you” on billboards around the world Saturday in gratitude for the massive outpouring of international help after a typhoon that killed about 8,000 people three months ago. Electronic billboards lit up with “Thank you” signs at New York’s Times Square, Galeries Lafayette in Paris, Tokyo’s Shibuya Crossing, London’s Piccadilly Circus and five other cities at 2040 GMT Friday, exactly three months after Super Typhoon Haiyan struck the central Philippines. “The number of lives lost and
affected is unprecedented. But ever since then, the world has been one with the Philippines in helping rebuild the nation,” the tourism ministry behind the ad and social media campaign said on its website. “The Philippines wants to say a big thank you to everyone who are helping us rebuild after Typhoon Haiyan,” the ministry said on its official Twitter page, where it later posted the billboard pictures. Haiyan, one of the strongest typhoons ever to hit land, smashed across 171 towns and cities in the central islands with a combined land area the size of Portugal, wrecking the homes of more than
four million people. The government is still collecting corpses and looking for nearly 2,000 missing people with 6,201 deaths already confirmed, many of them swept away by giant, tsunami-like waves unleashed by Haiyan on coastal communities. In the hard-hit central city of Tacloban, many shops have reopened in a frenzy of rebuilding but tents and lean-to structures remain the norm in many ruined neighbourhoods, most of which are still without power. “We’re traumatised but there’s nowhere else to go,” Helen May Gabornes, a 27-year-old mother See THANKS WORLD, page 7
US vows to defend Japan against China BY SHAUN TANDON
WASHINGTON, February 7, 2014 (AFP) – Secretary of State John Kerry vowed Friday that the United States would defend Japan against attack including over islands claimed by China as tensions boil between the Asian powers. Kerry, who said he would visit China next week, met in Washington with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and reaffirmed the 1960 treaty that commits the United States to protect its ally. “That includes with respect to See DEFEND JAPAN, page 7
Palace open to ‘help’ from third party on row with HK MANILA, Feb 8 (Mabuhay) – Malacañang indicated Saturday it is open to third-party help in resolving its row with Hong Kong, which recently imposed sanctions stemming from the hostage tragedy in Manila in 2010. But presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said such thirdparty help should be “consistent” with Philippine national interest and the position of the Philippine government. See PALACE OPEN, page 7
University of the Philippines President Alfredo E. Pascual (left) and Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Toshinao Urabe exchange views before the start of an international conference entitled “Japan’s Noh Theater and the Philippine Practice of Western Performance Traditions: A Dialogue on Global Cultural Exchange and Diplomacy” on Feb. 10, 2014 at the Dalisay Aldaba Recital Hall, University Theater Stage, UP Diliman, Quezon City. (MNS photo)
Palace: Latest PDAF scam witness to undergo usual state witness procedure MANILA, Feb 8 (Mabuhay) – Ruby Tuason, a potential state witness in the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam, will undergo normal procedures in the case, Malacañang said Saturday. Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said there are requirements Tuason must meet to become a state witness in the case. “Meron tayong batas at standard na tinitingnan (We have laws and standards to observe). Kung pumasok sila sa standard,
pwede sila mag-avail of the witness protection program. This does not apply only to Ruby Tuason. For any criminal offense where a person who participated in the crime (and) whose participation is not the most guilty, the law allows them to testify and shed truth to the matter,” he said on state-run dzRB Radyo ng Bayan. He said that even in the United States, the law allows whistleblowers to “help facilitate and exSee LATEST PDAF, page 7
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