LOS ANGELES
KC Concepcion slams pregnancy rumor See KC CONCEPCION page 30
VOL. XXII, NO. 18
JUNE 7 - 13, 2014
THE LEADING SOURCE OF NEWS AND INFORMATION FOR FILIPINO-AMERICANS
DREAMers get another two years to stay legal USCIS to publish new form to allow individuals to renew their DACA eligibility; 560,000 applications approved
President Benigno S. Aquino III delivers his message during the courtesy call of the 10 Outstanding Police Women of the Philippines (TOPWP) 2013 at the President’s Hall of Malacañang on Tuesday (June 3, 2014). The TOPWP is an annual competition which aims to discover and recognize the efforts and achievements of the female members of the national police force.
WASHINGTON, June 5, 2014 –Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson today announced the process for individuals to renew enrollment in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has submitted to the Federal Register an updated form to allow individuals previously enrolled in DACA, to renew their deferral for a period of two years. At the direction of the Secretary, effective immediately, USCIS will begin accepting renewal requests. USCIS will also continue to accept requests for DACA from individuals who
have not previously sought to access the program. As of April 2014, more than 560,000 individuals have received DACA. “Despite the acrimony and partisanship that now exists in Washington, almost all of us agree that a child who crossed our border illegally with a parent, or in search of a parent or a better life, was not making an adult choice to break our laws, and should be treated differently than adult law-breakers,” said Secretary Johnson. “By the renewal of DACA, we act in accord with our values and the code of this great Nation. But, the larger See DREAMERS, page 14
China flexes muscle; ships on the move MANILA, June 5 (Mabuhay) – President Aquino confirmed Thursday that China has expanded its activities in other parts of the West Philippine Sea. Speaking to reporters, Aquino said: “Yung latest na report na natanggap natin, we are again bothered that there seems to be developments in other areas within the disputed seas.” The President said some Chinese ships were spotted in the area of Gavin Reef and Cuarteron (Calderon) Reef. He said there are indications that the ships may be used for land reclamation.
“Yung pictures that I saw were just ships that can be used for reclamation. Pictures pa lang, ano, unlike Mabini na talagang from nothing nagkaroon na ng geographical feature,” he said. China already has a presence in the Ayungin Shoal, where it chased a Philippine Navy stocking mission. Chinese ships have also been spotted at the Mabini Reef, where it is reclaiming land, and other parts of the Kalayaan Island Group and Scarborough Shoal. See CHINA FLEXES, page 14
The BRP Ramon Alcaraz, Philippine Navy’s newest warship, after a successful test firing of its main weapons system in Charleston, South Carolina. More than a year after it was acquired from the US Coast Guard.
Additional weaponry for BRP Mass exodus of Pinoy Ramon Alcaraz now in PHL
scientists bared PHL’s best minds leaving for abroad
MANILA, June 3 (Mabuhay) – Employees of other science and technology agencies, not just PAGASA, are also leaving for better opportunities abroad, a Department of Science and Technology (DOST) official admitted during a Senate hearing Tuesday. DOST Assistant Secretary Oswaldo Santos said he particularly observed the “brain drain” at the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) and the Advanced Science and Technology Institute (ASTI). “Nangyayari rin ito sa iba’t-ibang ahensya tulad ng PHIVOLCS and some others in ASTI because of the temptation being offered by other countries for higher paying jobs,” Santos told the Senate committee on science and technology on Tuesday. “You can’t really blame our science and technology personnel because of the need to support their families, but we assure this committee that the department is doing is See EXODUS, page 14
MANILA, June 5 (Mabuhay) – The Philippine Navy (PN) announced that additional weaponry for its latest acquisition, the BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PF-16), is already in the country. Cmdr. Gregory Fabic, Navy public affairs office chief, said that the two Mark 38 Model 2 “Bushmaster” 25mm automatic cannons are already in a secured location. He declined to comment on where this is for security reasons. “What we are waiting now is the arrival of the US Coast Guard team who will install the weapons,” Fabic said in Filipino. The “Bushmaster” automatic cannons will be fitted to BRP Ramon Alcaraz’s port (left) and
starboard (right) side and will act as the ship’s secondary armament. The decision to seek US Coast Guard aid in installing these automatic cannons came in the wake of the high cost of having the guns installed by a private shipyard. The guns were supposed to be installed before BRP Ramon Alcaraz’s Nov. 22 commissioning but the cost of having it done here was just too expensive for the Navy. The weapon was commissioned by the US Navy following the terrorist attack on the USS Cole in 2000, and was designed to counter high-speed maneuvering surface targets.It will be installed in almost all US surface ships by See ALCARAZ, page 14
Free WiFi across Manila, suburbs mulled MANILA, June 3 (Mabuhay) – The government can provide free WiFi connection in Metro Manila in a year’s time if provided sufficient funds, a Department of Science and Technology (DOST) official told a Senate hearing on Tuesday. Louis Casambre, executive director of the DOST Information and Communications Technology Office
(ICTO), said the bill proposing free wireless connection in public areas in the country’s capital region is “very implementable.” “If you consider in Metro Manila, the broadband infrastructure is quite in place, as provided by telecommunications companies. The investment will be more on operating cost and not
Government officials say free wifi connection in public areas in the country’s capital region is “very See FREE WIFI, page 14 implementable.”