010120 - Southern California Midweek

January 1-3, 2020 Volume 29 - No. 103 • 2 Sections - 16 Pages

Palace: 2019 ‘exemplary’ year for the Philippines

by DIVINA JOY

DELA ManilaTimes.net

CRUZ

MALACAÑANG said 2019 had been an “exemplary” year for the Philippines.

In a statement on Sunday, December 29, Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said the economy “is on a roll with a BBB+ rating. The Board of Investments has also breached its P1-trillion 2019 investment target as of October 2019, according to the Department of Trade and Industry.

There are fewer poor Filipinos with almost six million lifted out

championship with a 385-medal haul, 149 of them gold.

These are reasons “to be confident in the new year under the leadership and administration of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte,” he said.

“Signifcant strides have been made with the president undertaking difficult but game-changing reforms which are important in achieving our goal of bringing a more comfortable life for all Filipinos,” Panelo said.

“As we wish each Filipino a happy, peaceful and successful 2020, we assure everyone

from poverty. Employment has hit a 14-year high. Inflation has been tamed.”

Panelo also cited the latest Social Weather Stations survey indicating that 96 percent of Filipinos were entering the New Year with hope rather than fear.

He said “a similar survey, done by another independent pollster, also revealed earlier that practically all Filipinos are welcoming the new year with hope and positivity.”

Panelo also cited the “successful” hosting of the 30th Southeast Asian Games, with the Philippines taking the overall

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Palace: Provision barring De Lima jailers from US actually exists

USA

DATELINE US senator tells Duterte admin: Free De Lima instead of denying Americans of visa

by ALEXIS

ROMERO Alexis Romero

FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

BARELY two days after President Rodrigo Duterte barred him and another senator from entering the Philippines, U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy responded by calling on the administration anew to release detained Senator Leila de Lima rather than “irrationally threatening to deny visas to American citizens.”

In a statement issued on Saturday, December 28, Leahy also insisted that De Lima be given a fair and public trial if she would not be freed right away.

“Rather than responding by irrationally threatening to deny visas to American citizens, the Duterte government should either release Senator De Lima immediately or provide her the fair, public trial she is entitled to,” he said in a statement.

De Lima, one of President Rodrigo Duterte’s fiercest critics, has been in detention at the custodial center of the Philippine National Police in Camp Crame, Quezon City since

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Death rates in LA County appear to be on the rise in some groups A NEW report on recent mortality trends recently released by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) indicates death rates in LA County appear to be on the rise in some groups in recent years, while deaths from Alzheimer’s disease and drug overdose have dramatically increased in LA County.

The overall mortality across the county decreased by 6.2% from 2008 to 2017, however, the decrease only occurred between 2008 and 2012. From 2012 to 2017, overall mortality showed little change. In addition, between 2008 and 2017, deaths from Alzheimer’s disease increased 71%, and deaths from drug overdose increased 28%.

“Mortality is one of the most important barometers of the health of our residents,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Di-

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ANNUAL VISIT. President Rodrigo Duterte interacts with pediatric cancer patients he visited at the Southern Philippines Medical CenterChildren’s Cancer Institute in Davao City. Visiting the cancer patients in his hometown was Duterte’s regular activity even when he was still a mayor. In his Christmas message, the president urged Filipinos to help the less fortunate.

Malacañang photo by Richard Madelo

THE entry ban to the United States on officials involved in the detention of opposition Sen. Leila De Lima is “true,” Malacañang said Sunday, December 29, as it reiterated its threat to require Americans going to the Philippines to secure a visa if the restriction is imposed.

Earlier in December, U.S. President Donald Trump signed into law America’s 2020 A CBP officer processes a passenger in this photo from the US Customs and Border Protection budget containing an amendment allowwebsite.

US Customs and Border Protection website ing his state secretary Mike Pompeo to bar

those involved in De Lima’s detention from entering the U.S. A provision on “Prohibition on Entry” authorizes the U.S. State secretary to apply sub-section (c) to foreign government officials about whom the secretary has “credible information” have been involved in the “wrongful” imprisonment of De Lima. Subsection (c) pertains to the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, which allows the U.S. government to impose sanctions on individuals tied to human rights violations, including prohibiting them from

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Rely on God’s providence, not lucky charms - bishops

by EVELYN

MACAIRAN Philstar.com

TO welcome the year 2020, do not rely on lucky charms and quirky beliefs to bring prosperity, officials of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) yesterday enjoined the faithful.

CBCP-Episcopal Commission on the Laity (ECL) chairman and Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo reminded Catholics to seek divine guidance and the goodness of God instead.

For CBCP-Public Affairs Committee (PAC) executive secretary Fr. Jerome Secillano, it would be better if people make a different kind of preparation for the incoming year — one that involves improving their own capabilities and strengths.

“Luck is not a sure thing. It’s chance.

What we need to do is prepare ourselves well, work hard and do the right things.

With or without lucky charms, we hope that there will be good consequences along the

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‘Rizal Day a reminder PH no longer vassal state’

by ALEXIS

ROMERO

Alexis Romero

THE commemoration of the death of national hero Dr. Jose Rizal reminds Filipinos of their “continuing revolution” against those who still view the Philippines as a vassal state, Malacañang said Sunday, December 29.

Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said while Dec. 30 marks a “mournful day” in Philippine history, it is also a reminder of the fruits of the ultimate sacrifice of Rizal, who he said contributed “freedom from bondage” in the collective memory of Filipinos.

“December 30 of each year forms part of our collective imagination of our continuing revolution against those who still treat our nation as a vassal state,” Panelo said in his stateA Philippine flag billows in the wind near the monument of national hero Dr. ment for Rizal Day. Panelo did not identify the Jose Rizal in Rizal Park yesterday. The country observed Rizal Day on Monday,

This handout photo taken last December 26 and received on December 29 courtesy of Dave Kendall shows fallen trees and a building damaged by Typhoon Ursula, on the Philippine island of Boracay.

ManilaTimes.net photo

Typhoon Ursula death toll climbs to 41

THE number of deaths from a powerful storm that hit the country on Christmas Day has climbed to 41, authorities said Sunday, Dec. 29, with tens of thousands still in evacuation centres.

Typhoon Ursula (International name: Phanfone) left the Philippines on Saturday, December 28, after devastating several islands in the Visayas, including popular tourist destinations, but the extent of the damage continued to grow as assessments came in.

The death toll of 41—up from 28 on Friday, December 27, —included three boat crew who died after their vessel capsized due to strong winds, a policeman electrocuted by a toppled post, and a man struck by a felled tree.

“We’re hoping that there will be no more fatalities,” national diDecember 30, the anniversary of Rizal’s 1896 execution at Bagumbayan, the u PAGE A2 park’s former name.

Philstar.com photo KJ Rosales saster agency spokesperson Mark

Timbal told AFP, with authorities still searching for 12 people missing.

The latest agency report showed over 1.6 million people were affected by the typhoon, which damaged over 260,000 houses and forced almost a hundred thousand people to flee to emergency shelters.

Many of the affected residents in the predominantly Catholic nation celebrated Christmas in evacuation centers, where they may have to stay until the New Year given the scale of destruction.

The government estimated that the storm has caused damage to agriculture and infrastructure worth $21 million.

Power lines and internet connections remain down in some areas after Ursula’s powerful wind

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A January 1-3, 2020 • SoCal aSIan JOurnaL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797(

From the Front Page

Palace: Provision barring De Lima...

PAGE A1 entering the U.S. RJ Nieto, a pro-Duterte blogger and one of the persons who de Lima claimed are responsible for her arrest and detention, has dismissed the entry ban as “fake news,” claiming there is no such provision in the final version of the U.S. 2020 budget signed by Trump.

But presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo confirmed in a radio interview that the amendment exists.

“I was talking to (Philippine) Ambassador (to the U.S. Jose Manuel) Babes Romualdez. He said he checked the law and the provision exists,” Panelo said.

Panelo said Romualdez talked to U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and

Patrick Leahy, authors of the entry ban amendment, but they had already made up their minds on the issue.

“Apparently, somebody lobbied for it,” the Palace spokesman said.

Panelo, also in De Lima’s list of people whom she claimed are responsible for her detention, said it does not matter whether the travel ban is true or not.

“What’s important is if they ban any government official, then we will require (American citizens) to apply for a visa and we will ban the two senators (from entering the Philippines),” he said.

Panelo reiterated that the entry ban could not be enforced until the U.S. state secretary finds credible information providing that De Lima, who is facing drug-related charges was wrongfully detained.

De Lima has claimed that she is being persecuted by the Duterte administration for criticizing its crackdown on illegal drugs.

“They cannot just ban anybody there... In the first place, it’s not a wrongful detention so how can there be a credible information?” he said.

Panelo claimed changing the visa rules on American citizens would not have an effect on the Philippines’ foreign relations.

“We just don’t want interference in our processes,” the Palace spokesman said.

Panelo could not say whether the visa requirement would also apply to Filipino immigrants who have become American citizens.

“But of course, it would be different if you are a former Filipino citizen,” he said.

Panelo also slammed Leahy for renewing his call for the Duterte administration to give De Lima a fair trial and to release her from detention.

Other individuals who De Lima claimed were behind her detention include President Duterte, former House speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, former justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre, Solicitor General Jose Calida, Public Attorneys’ Office chief Persida Acosta, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office board member Sandra Cam, Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission chairman Dante Jimenez, Rep. Rey Umali, former Rep. Rudy Fariñas, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration deputy executive director and blogger Mocha Uson and blogger Sass Rogando Sasot. n

12 ROUND FRUITS. Shoppers crowd in front a fruit stand in Sta. Cruz, Manila on Sunday (Dec. 29, 2019) as they rush to prepare for the New Year’s tradition of serving 12 round fruits. Longan fruit is a perfect addition to 12 round fruits to welcome the year 2020 or the Year of the Rat in Chinese tradition.

PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan

Palace: 2019 ‘exemplary’ year for...

PAGE A1 that the best is yet to come. Let us continue to rally behind the Duterte administration as the Chief Executive does his best in serving and protecting the Filipino people, as well as delivering

genuine and meaningful change to our nation,” he added.

In a separate interview over DZIQ radio, Panelo bared that Duterte continues to wish for a peaceful and prosperous new year for all Filipinos and vows to

uplift the people’s conditions.

“The president will respond accordingly to the Filipino people’s needs, to give them comfortable lives, to bring changes to bring about a healthy and progressive nation,” he said. n

‘Rizal Day a reminder PH no longer vassal...

PAGE A1 individuals or groups that regard the Philippines as a vassal state but he has used the term to assail foreigners who criticize President Duterte’s policies, including his controversial crackdown on illegal drugs.

Panelo said Rizal’s passing 123 years ago did not go to waste because it fueled the “re-awakening” of the Filipinos’ forefathers

who stood up against the abuses of colonizers that extended for over three centuries.

Meanwhile the popularity of social media should also not be a reason for millennials and netizens to forget about the supreme sacrifice of Rizal, a lawmaker said.

Rep. Fidel Nograles of Rizal province’s second district called on Filipinos, especially the youth, to make use of the new digital

platform to be aware of what is going on in their environment, just like the way Rizal did during his time in the late 1800s.

The neophyte administration lawmaker urged the youth to maximize the benefits they can derive from the internet and use their knowledge of technology to create solutions to society’s problems. (With reports from Delon Porcalla/Philstar.com)

Typhoon Ursula death toll climbs to...

PAGE A1 gusts of up to 200 kilometers per hour toppled electric posts and trees.

Fuel shortage In the island-resort of Boracay, residents have been lining up in gasoline stations amid a shortage of diesel fuel for generators and transportation.

As the power outage entered the fourth day, business operations have been disrupted. Electric tricycles could not run due to lack of electricity.

Boracay has been without electricity since Christmas Day after strong winds toppled electric lines of the Aklan Electric Cooperative

and transmission facilities of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines.

“We cannot operate normally because we cannot buy enough fuel,” a resident and business operator told the Inquirer.

Some establishments can only operate their generator sets from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. due to limited diesel fuel.

Around 200 electric tricycles have also stopped operating due to lack of charging stations.

The typhoon left 20 dead and eight missing on Panay Island, according to a report of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council.

At least 122,369 persons are still in evacuation centers, according to the report.

At least 3,700 houses were destroyed and 25,553 damaged and more than 100,000 residents affected.

Typhoon Ursula is the 21st cyclone to hit the storm-prone Philippines, which is the first major landmass facing the Pacific typhoon belt.

Many of the storms are deadly, and they typically wipe out harvests, homes and infrastructure, keeping millions of people perennially poor. (With a report from Nestor P. Burgos Jr./Philstar.com and AFP)

US senator tells Duterte admin: Free De Lima...

PAGE A1 February 2017 over drug-related charges.

Leahy, along with U.S. Senator Richard Durbin, earlier introduced an amendment to the 2020 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill which sought to deny entry to the U.S. territory all Philippine officials who are proven to be behind the “wrongful imprisonment” of De Lima.

Last December 20, U.S. President Donald Trump signed the 2020 national budget, which included that provision.

Under the said provision, the “Secretary of State shall apply subsection (c) to foreign government officials about whom the Secretary has credible information have been involved in the wrongful imprisonment of…

Senator Leila De Lima, who was arrested in the Philippines in 2017.”

The subsection (c) referred to

is the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act of the United States, which allows the U.S. to sanction foreign government officials it sees as human rights abusers.

Barred from PH entry Duterte, on the other hand, ordered the Bureau of Immigration to deny the entry of Leahy and Durbin into the Philippines, according to his spokesman and chief legal counsel.

“The president is immediately ordering the Bureau of Immigration to deny U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Patrick Leahy, the imperious, uninformed and gullible American legislators who introduced the subject provision in the U.S. 2020 Budget, entry to the Philippines,” presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo earlier said in a Palace briefing.

The Palace official added that should the U.S. would enforce the said ban, the Philippines

would require Americans to secure visas before entering the country.

Rights of journalists Leahy, likewise, called on the Duterte administration to recognize Rappler CEO and journalist Maria Ressa “as a courageous Filipino exercising her right of free expression” rather than trying “to silence a journalist who has bravely dared to expose official corruption and abuse.”

In a tweet, the American lawmaker also said that he has “always stood up for the right of journalists to report the news in the United States and around the world.”

“I have always stood up for the right of journalists to report the news in the United States and around the world and no one can force me to stop standing up for their rights. No one can force me to stop standing up for their rights,” Leahy added. (Christina Marie Ramos/Inquirer.net)

Death rates in LA County appear to be on the rise...

PAGE A1 rector, of Public Health. “These findings indicate clear areas of concern which require a collective response to the complex social conditions that contribute to the many health challenges we face as a county, especially for those residents experiencing the worst health outcomes.”

The report also found a lack of progress in reducing the large health disparities seen across different populations. For example: • Mortality among AfricanAmericans remained 30% higher than the county average throughout the 10-year period.

• Mortality among Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders was 41% higher than the county average, and among Native Americans, mortality was 27% higher than the county average.

• Mortality among residents of the Antelope Valley was 28%

higher than the county average.

• The Antelope Valley region was the only one of the county’s eight service planning areas that had an increase in mortality from 2008 to 2017.

• Mortality among residents of South LA was 20% higher than the county average.

On a positive note, significant declines in mortality were seen for several of the leading causes of death: • Although coronary heart disease was the leading cause of death, accounting for 18% of all deaths in the county in 2017, mortality associated with this cause decreased by 29% from 2008 to 2017.

• Mortality from lung cancer and chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD), both associated with smoking, decreased by 27% and 15%, respectively, during the 10- year period.

The report also included sta-

tistics on the leading causes of premature death, defined as deaths occurring before age 75, a standard cut-off used in public health analyses. Overall, the leading cause of premature death in the county population was coronary heart disease, followed by drug overdose, suicide, motor vehicle crashes, and homicide.

“These premature deaths are particularly tragic, as they are almost always preventable,” said Paul Simon, MD, MPH, Chief Science Officer for Public Health. “Not only do we need to take action to enhance integrated health care, mental health, and drug treatment services, but we must all work to create safer environments and more equitable institutional supports to ensure that all people have the opportunities and resources they need to be healthy, irrespective of race or income.” n

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Dateline USa

SoCal ASIAN JOURNAL • JANUARy 1-3, 2020

A

DON'T FILE BANKRUPTCY OLD BUT GRAND. Vintage and classic cars are on display for the annual ‘19 Kopong Kopong’ car show at the Camp Aguinaldo Grandstand in Quezon City on Sunday, December 29.

ManilaTimes.net photo by John Orven Verdote

HHS, Dept. of Education release updated joint guidance on privacy, student education and health records THE U.S. Department of Education and the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released updated joint guidance on Dec. 19 addressing the application of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Privacy Rule to records maintained on students.

The guidance, which was first issued in November 2008, clarifies for school administrators, health care professionals, families, and others how FERPA and HIPAA apply to education and health records maintained about students. The revised guidance includes additional frequently asked questions and answers addressing when a student’s health information can be shared without the written consent of the parent or eligible student under FERPA, or without written authorization under the HIPAA Privacy Rule. New clarifications and examples address: • When can protected health

information (PHI) or personally identifiable information from an education record (PII) be shared with the parent of an adult student?

• What options do family members of an adult student have under HIPAA if they are concerned about the student’s mental health and the student does not agree to disclosures of their PHI? • Does HIPAA allow a covered health care provider to disclose PHI about a minor with a mental health condition or substance use disorder to the minor’s parents?

When can PHI or PII be shared about a student who presents a danger to self or others?

• Under FERPA, can an educational agency or institution disclose, without prior written consent, PII from a student’s education records, including health records, to the educational agency’s or institution’s law enforcement officials?

• Does FERPA permit an educational agency or institution to

disclose, without prior written consent, PII from a student’s education records to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS)?

“Confusion on when records can be shared should not stand in the way of protecting students while they are in school,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. “This update will provide much-needed clarity and help ensure that students get the assistance they need, and school leaders have the information they need to keep students safe.”

“The Trump Administration has made it a priority to help Americans with substance use disorder or serious mental illness, and their families, and this resource takes another meaningful step by clarifying how students’ health information can be shared with those in the best position to help them,” said U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar. “This updated resource empowers school

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Rely on God’s providence, not lucky charms...

PAGE A1 way,” he added.

Aside from working hard, Secillano pointed out that given the many factors beyond human control, the faithful should also always remember to ask for God’s continued blessings.

Over the years, many Filipi-

nos observe different traditions and beliefs in welcoming the New Year such as preparing 12 different round fruits for prosperity; eating sticky food to help keep the family bond strong; and eating noodles for long life.

People would also be seen

wearing polka dots to symbolize money and fortune, while jumping on New Year’s Eve would help them grow taller.

They also light up firecrackers to drive away bad spirits and open the doors and windows of their homes to let in good fortune and positive vibes. n

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A January 1-3, 2020 • SoCal aSIan JOurnaL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797

Dateline PhiliPPines

Chinese nationals top foreign violators in PH from January to December 2019.

Of the number, at least 1,577 were Chinese. Other violators MANILA — The influx of Chi- came from Taiwan (66), Myannese citizens in the Philippines has mar (45), India (25) and Vietnam resulted into their getting the top (19). The BI intelligence division spot in the list of foreign violators collared 1,836 of the foreigners in 2019, records from the Bureau while the fugitive search unit arof Immigration (BI) showed. The rested 421.

BI said they arrested 2,257 erring Fortunato Manahan Jr., BI actforeigners in its various operations ing intelligence chief, said majorby roBertzon

ramirez

Philstar.com

YEAR OF THE RAT. Some stores along Ongpin St. in Sta. Cruz, Manila put on display lucky charms, particularly mouse figurines in different sizes, ready to welcome 2020 which is Year of the Rat in Chinese zodiac. In Chinese culture, rat as the first of all zodiac animals is a sign of wealth and surplus. People born under this sign are believed to be very industrious and thrifty, diligent and positive.

PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan

New OFW agency must not overlap with DFA – Locsin

by Bernadette

tamayo

ManilaTimes.net

FOREIGN Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. over the weekend said the proposed creation of an agency to focus on overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) must not overlap with the functions of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

“A new department of OFWs must be a stand alone department; no overlap with Foreign Affairs. Unless it wants to be a bureau under DFA,” Locsin said on Twitter on Friday midnight, December 27.

Sen. Richard Gordon said the DFA’s major policy thrusts for 2020 should be the following: protect Philippine territorial in-

tegrity and national sovereignty; strengthen economic and cultural diplomacy; ensure efficient delivery of consular services; and strengthen services for OFWs and continue working for the promotion and protection of their rights.

For his part, Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go filed on July 2 Senate Bill (SB) 202, or the “Department of Overseas Filipinos Act of 2019,” to improve coordination among concerned offices by putting them under one roof and to avoid finger-pointing in relation to addressing OFWs’ concerns.

Go earlier said President Rodrigo Duterte “would like to put an end to manpower agencies that demand excessive fees from Filipinos seeking jobs abroad and to

protect Filipino migrant workers from abusive illegal recruiters.”

He explained the need to streamline functions of government agencies in order to provide fast, accessible and quality services to OFWs and to aid their families in the Philippines.

This is what the Department of Overseas Filipinos (DoOFW) is all about.

SB 202 proposes that the following agencies be transferred to the DoOFW — Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, Commission on Filipino Overseas, International Labor Affairs Bureau of the Department of Labor and Employment and National Reintegration Center for OFWs. n

Pope Francis encourages families: Put down your phones, talk during meals ON the Day of the Holy Family, Pope Francis urged families to put their phones down and communicate during meals.

In his weekly Angelus message delivered December 29, the pope said that Mary, Joseph and Jesus, the Holy Family, “prayed, worked... and communicated,” and they helped each other “to discover and fulfil God’s plan.”

He posed this question to the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square: “Do you know how to communicate?”

The pope’s message was streamed by Vatican News.

“Or are you like those boys at the table, with the telephone at the table touching it always? It seems at the table that there is silence as if we were at mass but there is no communication,” the pope said.

“We need to rediscover in the family—fathers and parents with their children with grandparents but communication as brothers among themselves. This is a task we need to do today, specifically today the day of the Holy Family,” Pope Francis added.

The pope encouraged families to emulate the Holy Family.

This, Pope Francis said, would

help “parents and children might mutually sustain each other in adhering to the Gospel, the foundation of Holiness in the family.”

In his Christmas message, Pope Francis reminded the Catholic faithful of God’s unconditional love.

“You may have mistaken ideas, you may have made a complete mess of things, but the Lord continues to love you,” the pontiff told crowds gathered at the Vatican for his Christmas Eve midnight mass.

(Kristine Joy Patag/Philstar.com with a report from Agence France Presse)

ity of the Chinese were arrested either for illegally staying in the country, engaging in cyber fraud activities or operating unauthorized online gaming.

“Some of those arrested were not only illegally working here.

They were also suspected of involvement in terrorism while others are wanted fugitives,” he added. n

‘I want billionaires in prison’: Duterte threatens to jail Ayala, Pangilinan over water deal MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday, December 30, threatened to jail the owners of the two biggest water utilities in the country, Manila Water chairman Fernando Zobel de Ayala and Maynilad chairman Manuel Pangilinan, for having committed what he described as syndicated estafa against consumers for years. “’Yung nagtatanong kayo, saan ‘yung big fish? Saan ‘yung mga corruption, saan ‘yung malalaki?

Oh, ideliver ko na sa inyo ngayon. Si Ayala pati si Pangilinan (To those who are asking where are the big fish in corruption, I will deliver to you… Ayala and Pangilinan),” Duterte said in a speech before earthquake victims in M’lang, North Cotabato.

Ayala and Pangilinan have earned the ire of Duterte over the 1997 water deal between the government, Maynilad, and Manila Water, which he called as “onerous.”

The president vowed to go after those behind the contracts, including the powerful businessmen behind the two firms, whom he accused of “economic plunder.”

“That is f…g contract. On the other hand, I go after them,” he said. “’Pag nagkamali yang gagong yan, ipakukulong ko talaga sila.

Huh. Kita mo maski anong insulto ko, hindi na sumasagot. Sigurado swak sila. Syndicated estafa (If they commit another mistake, I will put them in jail. See, even how I will insult them they are not responding. I will jail them for syndicated estafa),” Duterte said.”

“I want billionaires inside the prison,” he added.

“They are just water distributors. But as it turned out, they are the richest and they think they are the owners of water. That’s why in the contracts they are the only allowed to implement (an) increase…not the government,” the president said.

“We surrendered (our) sovereignty on that,” he said, explaining that the contract considered water as a commodity and not part of the country’s natural resources. He referred to it as a “really crooked way of interpreting a Constitution.”

In separate decisions, the Singapore-based Permanent Court

of Arbitration ordered the Philippine government in 2017 to pay P3.6 billion to Maynilad and in November to compensate P7 billion to Manila Water for losses suffered by the water firms due to disallowed water rate increases from 2013 to 2017.

Duterte has said he would never pay the amount, saying the Filipinos were being “milked by the billions” with the onerous deals.

He cited the firms’ corporate income taxes, saying that instead of paying the government their tax liabilities, they instead pass it on to the consumers.

“Since 1997 they have environmental enhancement fee. That’s (for) water treatment facility that is not exiting until now and they continue collecting. Since 1997 until now that is already worth trillions,” the president said.

Maynilad and Manila Water have said they would no longer collect P10.8 billion in compensation.

Despite the move of Maynilad and Manila Water, Duterte warned of military takeover over the two water concessionaires.

(Nestor Corrales and Jeoffrey Maitem/Inquirer.net)

Drug war tougher in 2020 – PNP chief by emmanuel

tupas

Philstar.com

MANILA — Human rights groups may find it hard to believe, but lately the Philippine National Police has been exercising tolerance in dealing with drug suspects. This, however, is about to change in 2020, according to the PNP officer-in-charge.

Lt. Gen. Archie Francisco Gamboa warned over the weekend that drug personalities should change their ways or face the “maximum force of the law” in the coming year.

He noted that drug suspects seem to be oblivious to the government’s war on drugs despite the killing of thousands.

“We will give you the maximum force of the law. If it would mean your neutralization in the course of it, hindi kami magdadalawang isip lalo na marami kaming kapulisan na namatay na dahil tolerance kami (we won’t think twice, especially now that many of our policemen have been killed because of our tolerance),” he said.

Gamboa, who is a lawyer, said drug suspects continue to ply their trade as police have been “probably lenient” and careful to avoid casualties.

He directed police anti-narcotics officers not to hesitate to take action in law enforcement

Lt. Gen. Archie Francisco Gamboa warned over the weekend that drug personalities should change their ways or face the “maximum force of the law” in the coming year.

Philstar.com photo by Boy Santos

operations when their lives are in danger.

“If there is an immediate threat then by all means we are allowed to neutralize them in whatever capacity we have,” Gamboa said.

At least 5,552 suspected drug pushers and users have been killed for allegedly resisting arrest since President Duterte took office in July 2016.

The PNP, meanwhile, said more than 50 police officers have died in clashes with drug suspects.

Police have shifted focus from

street peddlers to high-value targets in an effort to further put a dent on the illegal drug trade.

Since July 2016, a total of 8,85 high-value targets in the drug war have been arrested, including 297 elected officials, 347 government employees and 82 members of the uniformed service.

Also arrested were 222 foreigners and 10 celebrities. The rest were either high-profile leaders and members of drug syndicates, members of private

theft, shoplifting and vandalism.

“We don’t have much hold on this since these malls are private and are manned by private security guards. So our police visibility there is very limited,” Manuel said.

But, he pointed out, the police can control crimes against property.

For a crime to transpire, Manuel explained, three factors should be present: motive, suspects’ capability and opportunity.

Recent police interventions, he said, aimed to remove the suspects’ opportunity by adopting a “surgical approach” to police deployment.

“It all starts with a study of prevalent crimes in the area, where they happen and around what time they happen,” Manuel added in Filipino.

Based on previous recorded cases, the MPD has determined that snatching is one of the prevalent crimes that takes place on Recto Avenue and Rizal Avenue in downtown Manila between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. and 3 a.m. and 5

a.m. or the “crime clock.”

“Noong araw, full compliance lang at ide-deploy ang police without knowing na ang dami palang nangyayari sa madaling araw (Back then, we just deployed our police force without knowing that there are a lot of crimes happening at dawn),” Manuel said.

As part of police intervention today, he added, the force is deployed to watch the crime clock.

The MPD spokesman urged the public to keep a keen eye on suspicious individuals in their community and report their activities to authorities.

“We are calling for the help of the public in reporting suspicious individuals in their immediate vicinity,” he said.

Manuel also appealed to the public to report crooked policemen, assuring that identities of informants will be kept strictly confidential.

“In that manner, the public can help us in maintaining peace and order in the community,” he said. n

u PAGE A5

Crime solution rate in Manila improving

by Joshua

Vera Cruz ManilaTimes.net

THERE was a 20-percent increase in crime solution rate in 2019 in Manila compared to the previous year, according to the Manila Police District (MPD).

Lt. Col. Carlo Magno Manuel, MPD spokesman, this week said of the recorded crimes this year, nearly 90 percent were solved compared to 2018’s 70-percent solution rate.

The recorded crimes were those committed against property and against persons.

“There were particular crimes that went up and some that went down, but the important part is the increase in our crime solution efficiency,” Manuel said in Filipino.

According to the MPD spokesman, crimes against property rose because of the lack of police visibility inside private establishments such as malls, especially during the onset of the Christmas season.

Crimes against property include burglary, theft, pickpocketing, car

HHS, Dept. of Education release updated joint...

PAGE A3 officials, health care providers, and mental health professionals by dispelling the myth that HIPAA prohibits the sharing of health information in emergencies,” said OCR Director Roger Severino.

The U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services are committed to en-

suring the health and safety of our nation’s students, schools, and communities. This comprehensive guidance document contributes to this important effort by improving the public’s understanding of how FERPA and HIPAA apply to students’ health and educational information and when regulated entities can disclose such information,

especially in connection with health and safety emergency situations.

The joint guidance may be viewed at: https://www.hhs.gov/ hipaa/for-professionals/privacy/ guidance/index.html and https:// studentprivacy.ed.gov/resources/joint-guidance-applicationferpa-and-hipaa-student-healthrecords. n

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Dateline PhiliPPines

SoCal ASIAN JOURNAL • JANUARy 1-3, 2020

A

Tourism booms: 8 million visit PH

TOURISM is booming in the Philippines with more than 8 million visitors coming in 2019, the government said.

“Breaking the 8-million mark is another milestone to celebrate, as it marks the unprecedented growth of the country’s tourism industry,” Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat said in a statement.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) welcomed on Friday, December 27, the country’s 8 millionth visitor — a Japanese.

“The momentous occasion is part of the DOT’s tradition of celebrating the arrival of significant number of tourists following the welcoming of the Philippines’ 5 millionth visitor in 2015,” Puyat said.

She attributed the historic 8million mark to a number of factors, especially to the coming of Chinese holidaymakers, the refreshed “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” campaign, and the reopening of Boracay island resort after a six-month clean up.

Puyat said advocating sustainable tourism also improved air connectivity and hosting of big ticket tourism events. It also helped to promote digital and online marketing, different tourism product portfolios, including

culinary tourism and farm tourism, healthy private-public partnerships, international accolades and recognitions.

The detailed report of visitor arrivals for 2019 will be released early in January next year.

The Philippines hopes to reach its target of 8.2 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2019, a million higher than 2018.

China, being its second largest tourist origin, the Philippines has

welcomed a total of 1,499,524 Chinese tourists in the first 10 months of the year, increasing 41 percent from the same period in 2018.

Every week, more than 300 flights are shuttling between China and the Philippines.

According to the Philippines Statistics Authority, tourism industries contributed 12.7 percent to the Philippine economy in 2018. (ManilaTimes.net)

READY, GET SET, BLOW. A child tries a horn at Divisoria in Manila, her way of welcoming the New Year. ManilaTimes.net photo by Enrique Agcaoili

‘Localized peace talks best way to end insurgency’

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat

MANILA — Although the Christmas ceasefire is a welcome development, “localized” peace talks with communist rebels are the best way to end the 51year-old insurgency, presidential peace adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. ManilaTimes.net photo said in a statement.

The government has opted for the localized talks, which it calls Local Peace Engagements, to negotiate the surrender of members Those included in the survey of the New People’s Army and of were Education Secretary Le- local communist militias. onor Briones, Welfare and De“The LPE approach directly advelopment Secretary Rolando dresses the needs of people and Bautista, Foreign Affairs Secre- communities and prevents them tary Teodoro Locsin Jr., Cabinet from being exploited by the inSecretary Karlo Nograles, Fi- surgents. The government pronance Secretary Carlos Domin- vides basic services, livelihood, guez 3rd, Trade and Industry and security, among others, as Secretary Ramon Lopez, Defense a means of capacitating them,” Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and Galvez said.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas GovThe Communist Party of the ernor Benjamin Diokno.

Philippines has rejected the “loDuque expressed his gratitude calized” peace talks, saying the for the positive feedback the department got and said they are exhilarated to deliver Universal Health Care and provide responby JomAr CAnlAs sive, accessible and quality health ManilaTimes.net services to every Filipino. n

DOH most trusted agency – Pulse Asia

by JoshuA

VerA Cruz ManilaTimes.net

THE Department of Health (DOH) came out on top as the most trusted government agency from the December Ulat ng Bayan Report of Pulse Asia Research Inc. Other agencies included in the survey were the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP).

In the report, the Health department received a trust rating of 80 percent, followed by the AFP at 75 percent and the PNP at 72 percent.

The recent development was a jump from the department’s rat-

ing of 72 percent in September.

“I congratulate the entire DOH workforce, officials and employees alike, for their dedication and commitment,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said.

“Without their untiring and selfless efforts in improving our health services and making these felt by the people, we would not have earned the people’s trust,” he added.

In the same report, Duque earned a 74-percent approval rating, claiming the top spot among other select officials and Cabinet members.

He got the approval rating from an 87 awareness rate from participants.

chief Oscar Albayalde.

Albayalde went on non-duty status after weeks of controversy linking him to “ninja cops” or police officers who recycle illegal drugs.

Gamboa, who took over the PNP’s top post following Albay-

ELCAC) IX, and the CPP-NPA’s Western Committee, the parties forged an agreement in which they committed to jointly carry out socio-economic programs and projects in their communities,” he said.

Galvez said that he is hopeful that unilateral but reciprocal ceasefires declared by the government and by the Communist Party of the Philippines would be “a step towards finally putting an end to the armed violence” but also warned that peace talks have not prevented rebel attacks.

“As peace talks were being held at the national level, attacks were being carried out by the rebels. In short, there have already been precedents. We have to be prepared and make sure that such incidents are prevented at all costs,” Galvez said. (Philstar.com)

Peralta overhauls SC protocol, liason execs

Drug war tougher in 2020 – PNP...

PAGE A4 armed groups and drug den maintainers.

Gamboa earlier said the last quarter of the year was a difficult time for the PNP as they grappled with the controversies which hounded former police

reforms needed to end the insurgency must be on a national level.

“Localized talks are a classic divide and rule tactic. The idea is to hoodwink local CPP leaders and NPA commanders into agreeing to local ceasefire arrangements and later on induce them to surrender,” the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, which represents the communist rebels at peace talks, also said in July 2018.

But Galvez said the LPEs have led to mass surrenders “of members of the CPP-NPA Southern, Northeastern, and Western Mindanao Regional Party Committees operating in Regions [Zamboanga Peninsula], [Northern Mindanao], [Davao] and CARAGA.” “Through the efforts of local chief executives, the Regional Task Force – Ending Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF-

Supreme Court (SC) Chief Justice Diosado Peralta has ordered an immediate overhaul and revamp of its protocol and liaison alde’s departure, has promised officers and the judiciary. to institute reforms to repair the According to well placed police force’s image. sources of The Manila Times, “We admit we faltered and Peralta issued the order after that’s why I had a very great receiving vital information that challenge ahead of me on how some of the previous officers we can regain the public’s trust,” were courting persons who he said. n were not members of the judi-

ciary through such actions as fetching them from the airport and processing gun licenses for personal purposes rather than official.

Under Administrative Circular 135-2019, the role of these officers is to coordinate with the airports, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) on behalf of the judiciary.

As such, a new set of officers was designated.

by Artemio

DumlAo Philstar.com

These officers were identified as Dennis Balason, Arturo Ramos and Jardel Musnit, who will be assigned to the airports.

For assistance before the DFA, designated persons shall be Arnel Baldeo, Gilencio Abac and Marisa Hontonares.

For the LTO, the designated protocol officers shall be Cesar Gonzales and Roland Besmonte.

The ones assigned to the PNP to help secure firearms licenses and clearances are Robert Can and Rommel Rique. n

A6 JANUARY 1-3, 2020 • SoCal ASIAN JOURNAL

OPINION

Slowing down

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FEATURES

THE projection was that the number of Filipinos would surpass 110 million by 2020. Now the Commission on Population has lowered its forecast amid a reported deceleration in the number of childbirths. PopCom says that by July 2020, there would be 108.7 million Filipinos — 1.2 million lower than the 109.9 million originally projected by the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Editorial

PopCom reported that in the past decade, the country’s population growth has been slowing down, dipping by 0.21 percent from the 1.73 percent between 2010 and 2015 to 1.52 percent in the second half of the decade. Between 2019 and 2020, PopCom is projecting an increase of 1.38 percent, or over 1.48 million added to the population.

While the birth rate is dipping, more Filipinos are living longer and accounting for a greater percentage of the population. By 2020, PopCom estimates that Filipinos 60 years and older will grow to nearly 9.69 million, accounting for 8.8 percent of the population.

PopCom attributes the slower population growth rate to reproductive health and family planning programs gaining acceptance among Filipinos and yielding results. PopCom, however, stresses that the

country still has one of the highest population growth rates in Southeast Asia, with a rising number of adolescent and teenage pregnancies.

From the start of his administration, the full implementation of reproductive health programs has been part of President Duterte’s socioeconomic development agenda. He tried to overcome legal roadblocks by issuing an executive order, but the RH campaign began taking off only when the legal hurdles were lifted.

Today the implementation of the RH program still needs full support from local government units, so the President may need to exert pressure to get the cooperation that is critical to the success of the program. The latest statistics show a downward trend in population growth, but this must be sustained, and there is no room for complacency. (Philstar.com)

Philstar.com photo

We lost our islands with arbitration award

Commentary

RIGOBERTO TIGLAO IT is a colossal deception that the Philippines in 2016 won the arbitration suit against China involving our disputes in the South China Sea and that the country should pursue the “enforcement” of the arbitral tribunal’s “award.”

The arbitral tribunal declared only one feature occupied by China in the Spratlys, Mischief Reef, as within our exclusive economic zone (EEZ), which the superpower cannot claim since as a “low-tide elevation,” or one which sinks to the sea at high tide, it cannot be appropriated by any country.

Even that victory is doubtful because China argues that it claims Mischief Reef not as a separate feature, but as part of its Nansha islands.

Whether China is right or not, that the tribunal declared Mischief Reef as within our EEZ is dwarfed in significance by what we lost as a result of the award, which prompted not a few scholars to conclude that the arbitration ruling was a pyrrhic victory for the Philippines. The term’s origins refer to King Pyrrhus of Epirus who lost so many of his

troops in one victorious battle with the Romans. In this case, the Philippines lost so much in getting the tribunal to rule that Mischief Reef is ours.

The tribunal extended its ruling on the Chinese-occupied features to all of the Spratlys, including the features we claim or occupy. It declared: “None of the high-tide features in the Spratly Islands, in their natural condition, are capable of sustaining human habitation or economic life of their own within the meaning of Article 121(3) of the Convention; and that none of the high-tide features in the Spratly Islands generate entitlements to an exclusive economic zone or continental shelf.”

The tribunal reduced the status of all islands in the area as mere “rocks,” under the Unclos definition. It’s a huge loss for us since we have, after Taiwan’s Taiping island, the biggest feature in the Spratlys, Pag-Asa (37 hectares in size) and several relatively big islands such as Likas (19 has.) and Parola (13 has), which, as is the practice with most states, are without doubt considered as islands.

But the tribunal declared that these are only “rocks” in its much criticized interpretation of Unclos provisions, and therefore not entitled to a 200-

nautical mile EEZ. The flaw of tribunal’s ruling indeed was starkly demonstrated when it declared that the biggest island in the Spratlys, Taiping–47 has. in size and controlled by Taiwan, which has a garrison with an airport that can accommodate even C-130 planes, and is energy self-sufficient because of its huge array of solar panels–is not an island.

We could have claimed in future negotiations for delimitation of EEZs with other countries, that Pag-Asa island as well as the other islands we occupy and claim are each entitled 200-nautical mile EEZs, each of which is an area of 430 sq km, four times bigger than the entire island of Luzon. This vast area may contain oil and gas wells that we would have the right to look for.

But the tribunal we asked to rule on our dispute with China declared that these are not islands but merely “rocks,” and therefore not entitled to EEZs. The Aquino government’s attempt to shoot down China’s claims of sovereignty in the Spratlys backfired in a huge way on the Philippines, The tribunal’s ruling on what are not islands goes against the current definitions of many countries.

For example, Japan’s Okino-

torishima isn’t eroding into the sea only because the Japanese built an embankment around it. Its 10 sq m of land area is 1/37,000 the size of our PagAsa island. Yet the Japanese claim it is an island which has a territorial sea and EEZ, which gives it a huge 156,000 sq km of EEZ. Japan rigorously patrols that EEZ, protesting every time any foreign ship not on an innocent passage enters it, such as vessels surveying for hydrocarbon deposits..

Not only Japan. Almost all the major powers have “rocks,” which they claim have EEZs. The U.S. claims Howland Island, Baker Island and Kingman Reef have EEZs which gives it huge areas in the Pacific where it vigorously exercises its sovereign right. Australia has McDonald Island, and France, Clipperton Island.

It verges on treason that the Aquino government allowed its American lawyers to argue at great length that our Pag-Asa island is not an “island” by Unclos standards, and to disclose to the world details that should have been confidential as it involved matters of national security.

The lawyers’ written statements disclosed, using the island’s American nomenclature, “Thitu” instead of our Pag-Asa:

“The local population on Thitu, transplanted there and maintained by the Philippine government since 2001, keeps a few animals and grows some vegetables, which is possible only because soil is continually brought from Palawan. The amount of food produced is not enough to sustain even this small community, and supplies are shipped from the mainland by a naval vessel once a month.

The Philippines maintains military and civilian administrative personnel on Thitu, also supplied from outside.”

The lead counsel Paul Reichler of the Washington law firm Foley Hoag LLP in the oral arguments said, in effect announcing to the world that the Philippines was merely putting up a show to make Pag-asa look like an island: “Everyone on Thitu has been transplanted from the Philippine mainland. Human habitation is not naturally sustainable there. Without regular supplies of essentials from Palawan or other major Philippine islands, it would disappear. The conditions are even harsher at much smaller West York Island, which is a sandy cay with more coconut trees than human beings.

Only seven Philippine military personnel are stationed there.

There are no civilians. All sup-

plies are brought in from outside.”

Worse, Aquino-del Rosario through their lawyers lied to the tribunal, and misrepresented the Philippines when they claimed: “The Philippines… claims only a 12 [mile] territorial sea from it. The Philippines considers the feature a ‘rock’ governed by Article 121(3).”

The Philippines has not officially declared, after Unclos took effect in 1994, whether Pag-Asa island and the other islands in the Spratlys generate a 430 sq km EEZ. The Aquino-del Rosario suit has in effect deprived, forever as it were, our government — without consulting with Congress — the right to do so. The tribunal’s ruling is final and cannot be appealed.

The tragedy here is that it is only the Philippines that is bound by the arbitration suit, as China refused to participate in it. Only the Philippines will be losing the right to claim EEZs around its islands in the KIG. Taiwan, whose Taiping island was also ruled as a mere “rock,” will definitely obviously ignore the arbitration’s ruling since it is not a part of it.

Vietnam which has the biggest number of islands, next to us, will ignore it. (ManilaTimes. net)

Duterte drops US visit as visa row heats up

Postscript

FEDERICO PASCUAL JR. AS A WORD war raged over the U.S. ban on selected Philippine officials and the freezing of their assets, President Duterte rejected a standing invitation to visit the White House, barred the entry of two U.S. senators and threatened to require visiting Americans to secure visas.

There are so far no indications, however, that the ordinary Filipino traveler would become collateral damage in the tit for tat that could get out of hand if mishandled.

Only officials involved in the detention of Sen. Leila de Lima since 2017 on drug-related charges are being targeted by a provision in the 2020 U.S. budget law allowing President Trump to ban her persecutors and freeze their assets in the U.S. Denouncing what it said was U.S. meddling in internal Philippine affairs, Malacañang threatened on Thursday, December 26, to require all Americans intending to come to the Philippines to first secure an entry visa.

This knee-jerk reaction could remain just a threat, because it could inflict more harm to the Philippines than to the U.S. if carried out. Also, many of those to be affected are Fil-Ams holding only U.S. passports.

At present, Americans are al-

lowed visa-free visits of 30 days like the citizens of fellow ASEAN members and other favored nations. Chinese arriving without visas are routinely granted one upon presenting their passports at the port of entry.

Panicking Filipino officials, including senators and congressmen with businesses and assets in the U.S., have started to distance themselves from De Lima’s detention despite their having been active in the campaign against the opposition senator and critic of Duterte.

Many Duterte apologists and trolls in social media have also been lying low since the reiteration of the ban and the freezing of assets of aliens deemed to be undesirable under the US Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act. Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said Friday that should a ban from entry into the U.S. be enforced against Philippine officials linked to De Lima’s imprisonment, the government will require all Americans intending to enter the Philippines to apply and secure a visa first.

He added that president Duterte was immediately ordering the Bureau of Immigration to bar the entry of Sens. Dick Durbin (Illinois) and Patrick Leahy (Vermont) who introduced the ban in the U.S. budget law.

Their insertion includes a clause on “Prohibition on Entry” that specified “foreign govern-

ment officials” about whom the (State) Secretary has “credible information” that they have been involved in the “wrongful imprisonment” of De Lima.

Panelo also announced that President Duterte said he would officially decline a standing invitation to visit the United States.

He recalled that the president had told him many times before that he never intended to visit the U.S. in the first place.

The president who turns 75 in March has also said that the longhaul flight (around 15 hours) to Washington would be too grueling for him.

Heads of government routinely invite one another, almost as part of the small talk, when they meet in summits, forums and such gatherings. Trump has been inviting Duterte to the White House since April 2017.

With this jarring turn of events, we think the Duterte administration should try working out things quietly. Braggadocio and empty threats will not work in dealing with the U.S. Panelo claimed that U.S. Ambassador Sung Kim had agreed with him when he said that the State department will only act when it has “credible information” about a Filipino official’s involvement in De Lima’s detention.

He quoted Kim telling him: “I read your statement, it’s a very good statement, I agree with it.

It’s Congress that passed that

law.” The ambassador may want to confirm or clarify what he said before it is mangled beyond recognition.

Rebel exiles still control NPA? Before communist rebel leader Jose Ma. Sison sits down for peace talks with President Duterte or his emissaries, he may have to prove that he and his cabal ensconced in the Netherlands are still in full control of the New People’s Army insurgents back home.

There is no point negotiating with Sison and his group if the self-exiled rebel leaders cannot enforce any agreement reached with the Duterte administration on the ending the five-decade rebellion that has taken tens of thousands of Filipino lives.

The possible disconnect between Sison’s group and the NPA fighters on the ground was raised after the insurgents attacked government forces in Camarines Norte and Iloilo on the first day of a Dec. 23-Jan. 7 ceasefire preparatory to peace talks.

A report from the Joint Task Force Bicolandia said a soldier was killed and six others were wounded when NPA members ambushed troops from the 92nd Division Reconnaissance Co. in Labo, Camarines Norte.

Minutes after the attack, another group of rebels fired at a police vehicle in Tubungan, Iloilo, wounding two policemen.

Sen. Dick Durbin and Sen. Patrick Leahy

Despite his decision in 2017 to stop negotiating with the communist insurgents, Duterte has sent emissaries to Sison in an effort to forge peace with them before his term ends in 2022.

Duterte said he wanted to talk directly with SIson, his former professor in college, promising that he would not be arrested if he returned to the country for the one-on-one.

Sison said he was amenable to meeting Duterte anywhere in Asia but not in the Philippines.

The government, he said, would be in a position to manipulate the talks if held in the president’s home ground.

Photos from U.S. Senate

The founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines said he did not trust individuals and groups moving to sabotage the peace process and that he would only talk to the president alone, without distracting entities.

He claimed that the Duterte administration was “going downhill to hell” and “could not find enough relief from its imperialist masters to overcome the rising revolutionary movement of the Filipino people.” (Philstar.com) *** NOTA BENE: All Postscripts can be accessed at manilamail.com. Follow author on Twitter as @FDPascual. Email feedback to dikpascual@gmail.com.

The views expressed by our Op-Ed contributors are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the predilection of the editorial board and staff of Asian Journal.

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Business news

World Bank to focus support on peace-building Mindanao programs Showcase of effective development assistance

by Ben

O. De Vera

Inquirer.net

Prices of condominium units in the July to September period registered the highest growth rate since the first quarter of 2016 at 29.1 percent. This was followed by duplexes at 24.8 percent, single detached/attached houses at 2.4 percent, and townhouses at 6 percent. AJPress photo by Billy De La Cruz

Philippine property values hit over 3-yr high byMayvelin U. Caraballo Philstar.com

RESIDENTIAL property values surged to its highest in over three years as prices across all types of housing units increased, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported.

The central bank over the weekend said its Residential Real Estate Price Index (RREPI) rose by 10.4 percent to 128.7 in the third quarter of 2019 from 116.6 a year earlier.

This was also the highest growth rate observed since the BSP started releasing the report since the first quarter of 2016.

“The increase in property prices was evident across all types of housing units,” it said.

Prices of condominium units in the July to September period registered the highest growth rate since the first quarter of 2016 at 29.1 percent. This was followed by duplexes at 24.8 percent, single detached/attached houses at 2.4 percent, and townhouses at 6 percent.

By area, the average residential property prices both in NCR (National Capital Region/Metro

Manila) and AONCR (areas outside of NCR) increased by 22.2 percent and 4.9 percent, respectively, the Bangko Sentral added.

In Metro Manila, the increase in prices of duplexes and condominium units outweighed the decline in prices of single detached houses and townhouses.

For the rest of the country, price increases were observed across all types of housing.

By region, the NCR accounted for 48.7 percent of residential real estate loans granted in the quarter, followed by Calabarzon (25.1 percent), Central Luzon (7.6 percent), Central Visayas (6.5 percent), Western Visayas (3.6 percent), Davao Region (2.8 percent) and Northern Mindanao (2.3 percent).

“Together, NCR and these six other regions accounted for 96.6 percent of total housing loans granted by banks,” the central bank said.

About 74 percent of residential real estate loans granted were for the purchase of new houses.

By type, about 51.8 percent of

residential property loans were for condominium units, followed by single detached/attached houses (38.1 percent) and townhouses (9.5 percent).

The RREPI measures the average change in prices of different types of housing units over a period of time across the country.

It is a chain-linked index, which is computed using the average appraised value per square meter, weighted by the share of floor area of each type of housing unit to the total floor area of all housing units.

The index is used as an indicator for assessing the real estate and credit market conditions in the country.

Based on the latest BSP data, Philippine banks’ exposure to real estate rose by 10.74 percent year-on-year as of end-September this year, with loans accounting for the bulk.

Real estate exposure of banks and trust departments reached P2.36 trillion as of the first nine months of 2019, up by P229.4 billion from the P2.13 trillion recorded a year earlier. n

THE World Bank is planning to ramp up support to programs and projects related to peacebuilding in Mindanao as well as strengthening resilience to natural disasters.

“The period under review saw strong economic performance in the Philippines. Growth has been sustained at higher levels than before and poverty has been reduced. Strong global demand resulted in growing remittances and income from a booming services sector. The Philippines is on track to achieve upper middleincome status in the near future.

These achievements are impressive in the context of recurring severe natural disasters and conflict in Mindanao,” the Washington-based lender said its report titled “The World Bank Group Partnership with the Philippines, 2009-2018 Country Program Evaluation,” which was published on Friday, December 27.

Economic managers had been optimistic that the Philippines would become an upper middleincome country—defined by the World Bank as having a per capita income above $3,956—next year, even as the country would lose by 2022 the access to preferential interest rates it is currently enjoying whenever it borrows from its bilateral partners and multilateral institutions.

“However, higher growth has not resolved many fundamental structural problems. The Philippines still has one of the world’s highest rates of inequality, and productivity in agriculture and manufacturing lags most regional competitors. Despite some improvements in human development, serious gaps remain in family planning, nutrition, maternal mortality and education quality. Infrastructure, particularly in transport and municipal services, is inadequate to meet the needs of the rapidly growing and urbanizing population,” the World Bank said.

While the World Bank has made a “substantial contribution” to the Philippines’ development in

recent years, the lender admitted that it had a “dilemma” during the Duterte administration— “these long-running [World Bank-supported] programs, although in line with the objectives of the previous two administrations, may be less central to the objectives of the current administration,” it noted.

“The central theme of the administration of President Duterte is addressing the huge gap in national-level infrastructure.

There is no question of the importance of this for enhancing the Philippines’ competitiveness and improving the quality of life in Metro Manila and beyond.

But other development partners are better placed to support this agenda; the government sees them as less costly sources of funding, and these partners have been more active in this area in the past,” it said, referring to the Duterte administration’s ambitious “Build, Build, Build” program.

But given that, in general, World Bank support was still “underused” in the Philippines, the lender said it wanted to “do more with its comparative advantage in disaster risk management and climate change; support for the peace process in Mindanao; enhancing the capacity of subnational governments to provide better services, nutrition and education quality; supporting private sector development and SME [small and medium enterprise] development, and good governance.”

“There is alignment between the World Bank’s comparative advantage and the government’s goal for the country to achieve upper middle-income country status by the end of the current administration. Reaching upper middle-income country status is feasible if the country continues to grow rapidly, but it is necessary to look at more than just the growth numbers. Rapid growth has contributed to greater poverty reduction, but the Philippines still has some fundamental structural issues that need to be addressed. These include a high

rate of inequality; still-high levels of poverty and vulnerability, which leads many of the nonpoor to periodically fall back into poverty; a dependence on the service sector; underperformance of the agriculture and manufacturing sectors; lack of medium-size enterprises (the ‘missing middle’); inadequate quality of education, which limits the access of the poor to better jobs, and gaps in the health care system. The capture of the political system by a dominant elite is both a cause of many of these problems and a constraint in addressing them,” according to the World Bank.

In the case of Mindanao, the World Bank said it was considering to make the newly formed Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) as a focal area for World Bank Group support, and potentially a model for in-depth regional engagement and local capacity building.

“Mindanao has the largest concentration of poor in the Philippines and has considerable economic potential. Here is where the World Bank has a comparative advantage, given continued engagement on peace and reconciliation, experience with Mindanao Rural Development Project (MRDP), capacity building at the Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA), ongoing Marawi reconstruction and high-quality analytical work such as the Mindanao Jobs Report. Mindanao could be a showcase of effective development assistance in a specific region, which can be scaled up to other regions,” it said.

In its “Philippines Mindanao Jobs Report: A Strategy for Mindanao Regional Development” published in 2017, the World Bank said initiatives supporting the agriculture sector as well as human development were expected to create more jobs in the war-torn island.

For the World Bank, economic progress in the Philippines will depend on the success of development in Mindanao. n

The Asian Journal

mdwk Wednesday, January 1, 2020

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cover story The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - January 1, 2020

A YEAR IN REVIEW:

Reflecting on the Asian Journal’s MDWK Magazine stories of 2019

A

BY

AJPRESS

S the year new approaches, the Asian Journal editorial team looks back at the MDWK Magazine stories from 2019. Each week, the MDWK Magazine features long-form stories of Filipino Americans who continue to break barriers in their respective career fields, as well as highlighting the Fil-Am experience living in America and the social issues the community faces.

The 52 features published have covered books by Fil-Am authors, single moms who run their own businesses, married couples who work together, a Netflix docuseries about Cebu’s infamous jail that has dancing prisoners, and Fil-Am chefs nominated for James Beard Awards and opening new restaurants.

(L-R) Susana Reyes (Commissioner, LA Board of Water and Power), Jessica Caloza (Commissioner, LA Board of Public Works), Melissa Ramoso (CouncilmemWhile it’s difficult to narrow down the best features — as each one is compelling — we remember, City of Artesia) and Rachelle Arizmendi (Councilmember, City of Sierra Madre) ber several stories that have been widely shared and talked about. To read these selected features & Pinay visionaries: A spotlight on Filipina American elected and appointed officials other stories in their entirety, visit: https://www.asianjournal.com/category/magazines/mdwk-magasomething you’re proud of and “Pinay Visionaries: Celebrating The late Thelma Buchholdt zine/. share with people, then it’s Filipina American Women,” paved the way for Fil-Ams to like it doesn’t exist and it isn’t recognizes the vital but underserve in public office, when Family, community and God’s calling: LA welcomes auxiliary bishop Alex Aclan part of your identity. Half of reported role of Fil-Ams in she was elected to the Alaska the past 25 years, Aclan has In March 2019, the Vatican it is telling people and being U.S. history, especially their House of Representatives been a priest, getting to know named Monsignor Alejandro work in public office. The Asian proud to be Filipina and creatin 1974, becoming the first the Filipino American community “Alex” Aclan as the newest ing that awareness and having Journal spoke to several curFil-Am woman legislator in in the LA area and sees his new auxiliary bishop for the Archthat conversation,” said Jessica America and serving four terms rent Filipina Americans who role as a way to continue doing diocese of Los Angeles, making Caloza, commissioner of the LA have been elected or appointuntil 1980. Since then, Filipina what he loves best. him the second Filipino to ever Board of Public Works. “Once ed to public offices about their Americans have occupied “My favorite thing is being be presented as bishop in the you identify yourself and see contributions and what needs statewide or local positions, able to alleviate people’s burUnited States. that you’re the only Filipina or to be done for more Pinays in whether through elections or dens, big and small, spiritual and Aclan’s journey to the priestthese types of leadership roles. Filipino at the table, it really appointments, in states like otherwise,” said Aclan, adding hood is not a conventional one does open up a discussion “You could be in the California, New York and Ne“That’s what we’re all about. as he graduated with a degree about diversity and inclusion highest position in an organivada, to name a few.

Bringing more people to Christ in medical technology, which and who’s at the table and gets zation, but if nobody knows This year’s Filipino Ameriand letting people experience led him to working as a proto make decisions.” that you’re Filipina, or it’s not can History Month theme of what Christ is like, with the grammer and systems analyst Fil-Am model Geena Rocero rewrites Playboy’s history as its first transgender API Playmate hopes of course that we’ll have a for numerous companies in the more peaceful and more loving Philippines. After moving to and continue fighting for trans Over the summer, Fil-Am and more progressive society.

Southern California, he continrights. Since her viral TED talk model and transgender advoTo heal hurt and division among ued attending mass regularly, cate Geena Rocero became the in 2014, she co-founded Genparishioners and to unify our during which he suddenly felt a Monsignor Alejandro “Alex” Aclan Photo from the der Proud, a media producfirst transgender Asian Americalling to enter the seminary. For church.”

Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Office of Media Relations tion company that tells stories can and Pacific Islander (AAPI) about the global transgender Playboy Playmate, appearGetting to know H.E.R., the Fil-Am R&B singer nominated for 5 Grammys community. “I have to speak ing as the centerfold of the home. Those influences taught 2019 was quite the year about Caroline Tula Cossey magazine’s Gender & Sexuality her how to be a hard worker for R&B sensation H.E.R., who because that was so critical for issue. as well as a love for music and was nominated for five Gramme. What a full circle moment, In the issue, Rocero wrote expression. mys and won two: Best R&B I was this young trans girl livabout her “strict Catholic For most performances, she Album for her EP “H.E.R” ing in Manila and dreaming of upbringing in the Philippines” wears dark sunglasses. In her and Best R&B Performance one day becoming a model and being inspired by seeing album cover art, her eyes are for “Best Part” with Daniel like Caroline and to now, be transgender beauty pageants Caesar. On top of that, she was blacked out and you rarely get the one hopefully giving that on national television. “We a look at her face. And unlike featured on Spotify billboards inspiration to young trans girls, spoke English in the Philipso many stars, she’s never one for Best New Artist, performed pines, but when I moved to the not just in the Philippines but to overshare and maintains a at Coachella Valley Music and all over the world,” she said.

United States at 17 and started low-key profile. “I wanted the Arts Festival, created her own hanging out with other teenag- “Their identities matter, they music to be No. 1, I wanted music festival (the Lights On should pursue who they are. ers, it was a totally different Fil-Am model and transgender advocate Geena it to get the attention, the Festival) in September, and There’s nothing wrong with culture,” she said.

Roceros poses at the “Behind the Lens” event at the released a compilation mixtape forefront, the No. 1 focus, and them, just keep being themShe plans to use this new Playboy Playhouse on Thursday, June 20 in New I wanted people to just listen called “I Used to Know Her.” selves.”

York City.

AJPress photo by Momar G. Visaya platform to be more visible and love the music because Born in 1997, H.E.R. sometimes we get caught up — whose real name is GaFil-Am musical drama ‘Yellow Rose’ picked up by Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions, has in the gimmicks, the looks, briella “Gabi” Wilson — said H.E.R. grew up in the Bay Area of California successful festival run and the glitz: these things that she was raised with a “good with a “good balance” of the Filipino and Black we can now share this very “Yellow Rose,” directed don’t really matter to me,” balance” of the Filipino and American cultures. relevant story with the world,” by Filipina American Diane Photos courtesy of Facebook/OfficialHERMusic Black American cultures in her H.E.R. shared. said Paragas. “We have the Paragas, is a timely story about added honor of representa Filipina teen named Rose ing the real experiences of from a small Texas town who ‘Float,’ Pixar’s first animated short with Filipino characters, lands on Disney+ Filipino Americans, Asian fi ghts to pursue her dreams out, the father must decide Social media was abuzz Americans, and all immias a country music performer whether to run and hide or to when Pixar revealed that it grants seeking a better life in while facing the threat of accept his son as he is. would release its first-ever America.” deportation.

The fi lm stars Based on his own relationanimated short featuring CGI Since premiering at the two-time Tony Award nominee ship with his son Alex, Rubio Filipino characters. “Float” 2019 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Eva Noblezada, Tony Award developed the story and made — written and directed by Film Festival (LAAPFF), “Yellow winner Lea Salonga, Princess the characters Filipino after beFil-Am storyboard artist Bobby Rose” has won the Special Jury Punzalan and Dale Watson. ing encouraged by colleagues, Alcid Rubio — finally became Prize at the 2019 Asian AmeriIn October, Sony Pictures and eventually submitted it to available on streaming service can International Film Festival, Worldwide Acquisitions anPixar’s SparkShorts program. “I Disney+ this past November. the Grand Jury Prize for Best nounced that it has acquired all wasn’t even thinking of them In the roughly seven-minute worldwide rights, excluding the Narrative Feature at the 2019 being Filipino…This is just my short, a father tries to keep his Bentonville Film Festival, 2019 Philippines, to the film. unconscious bias. I’m not used infant son’s special ability to CAAMFest and the LAAPFF, “’Yellow Rose’ has been Bobby Rubio photographed on August 20, 2018 to seeing Filipinos as lead charfloat a secret. But once it gets at Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, Calif. with Eva Noblezada taking Best Tony Award-nominated actress Eva Noblezada stars a labor of passion for over as Rose in “Yellow Rose.”

Photo by Deborah Coleman / Pixar 15 years and I’m thrilled that Breakout Actor. acters and it felt very empowering to have my coworkers push this diverse person of color to be a lead,” Rubio said.

As “Float” has globally been recognized as a win for Filipino representation, Rubio wanted the story to be universal and relatable regardless of culture and background. “At the end of the day, it is about the bond between father and “Float” tells the story of a Filipino father who discovers his infant son has the ability to float. son. It’s about unconditional Photo courtesy of Pixar love…” he said.

LA’s first Filipino American police commander Donald Graham has a big task: Help solve the homeless crisis North Hollywood before his For the first time in the LA fresh position as homeless Police Department’s 150-year coordinator for the department. history, it has a Filipino AmeriGraham’s appointment can police commander. Donald comes as California has the Graham has spent the last 24 country’s largest homeless years in the police force, rising population, as the city alone up the ranks from captain to experienced a 16% increase area commanding officer in this year with 36,000 individuals considered homeless. “It is the social fight of our generation so the fact that the chief of police has entrusted me to help him provide the leadership for the organization through this time Donald Graham poses inside his office at LAPDʼs is a huge honor for me,” Graheadquarters in Downtown LA. ham said. “I know it’s not going LAPD is consistent in carrying to be an easy job. I didn’t take out the policies. “When I think this job because it’s easy.”

With regard to how to miti- about that and my responsibility as a Filipino American in gate the city’s homeless poputhis role, that is what warms my lation, he will be the department’s representative and make heart because I have an ability Graham hugs his mother Amalia after his to give back what I have been remarks at a reception on Wednesday, October 9. recommendations at these given,” he added.

AJPress photos by Noel Ty discussions and ensure that the

This Filipina American engineer makes it easy for you to binge-watch Netflix

As a team leader at Netflix, Aaron says she upholds the culture memo, which emphasizes freedom and responsibility among colleagues.

The next time you’re on the video streaming service, think of (and thank) Filipina American engineer Anne Aaron, the director of video algorithms at Netflix, whose job it is to ensure that your video is delivered at the best quality using the least amount of bandwidth possible. Aaron took the No. 32 spot on Business Insider’s “43 Most Powerful Female Engineers of 2017” and was named in Forbes’ inaugural “The World’s Top 50 Women in Tech” list in 2018.

At the company’s Los Gatos headquarters, Aaron is at the helm of a 16-person team comprised of software engineers and researchers who focus on video encoding and experiment and tailor algorithms based on the type of content so that it’s

presented at optimal speed and visuals. In addition to lauding women’s accomplishments in STEM, Aaron’s background adds another layer as a Filipina and immigrant to which she says she feels “a bit of responsibility” given her visibility in the community.

“I feel fortunate, but also at the same time, I do think about that, like what about my background has brought me here because…compared to the other Filipinas I know back in the Philippines, they’re as hardworking but I think there’s just a lack of opportunity,” Aaron said. “How can I help in bringing more opportunity to other Filipinas who are as smart and as hardworking or as passionate in technology as me?”

Continued on Page 3

As director of video algorithms at Netflix, Aaron oversees a team of 16 software engineers and researchers who make sure that the video streaming is delivered smoothly without using too much data.

Reflecting on the Asian Journal’s MDWK Magazine...

Woman on a mission: How this Fil-Am engineer rose through the ranks at NASA

After graduate school, Santiago-Bond was offered a position as an electronics engineer at Kennedy Space Center, where she continues to work today 15 years later as the head of the Advanced Engineering Development Branch. Photos courtesy of Josephine Santiago-Bond

Josephine Santiago-Bond started off as an intern at NASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida 15 years ago.

Today, she’s the head of the Advanced Engineering Development Branch at the center, a division she helped create that extends engineering support to the agency’s various missions in space, on Earth and other planets.

In her nearly two decades at the space agency, SantiagoBond shares a list of several projects she’s worked on: the tail-end of the historic Space Shuttle program, which ended in 2011; and the formulation and launch of the Ares I-X in 2009, a 327-foot tall unmanned rocket that was part of the research on the future of space exploration post-space shuttle.

She also contributed to an-

other lunar exploration mission called Regolith and Environment Science and Oxygen and Lunar Volatiles Extraction (RESOLVE), which had aimed to put a rover on the surface of the moon in 2017 for nine days to map water ice and other compounds. She and her team currently have a portfolio of 70 projects that have to do with Earth, Mars, the moon, and space in general.

“I always feel that I am valued, not only for my engineering and leadership skills, but also as an Asian American and as a Filipina American, who brings a unique set of experiences and ideas to the table every day,” she said. “I’m not the only female Filipina American, nor am I the first, who is in a leadership position at NASA, which in itself makes me proud.”

highlighted the skin diversity within the Fil-Am community.

“In a general sense, I want to leave the world in a better state than when I came in.

Colorism is such a huge issue for me and it’s something I will continue to be passionate about. In my lifetime, I would like to see skin whitening companies disappear. I want to work as hard as I can to make sure that no one feels bad about their skin color. That’s the legacy I want to leave in this world,” she said.

Asia Jackson

Photo courtesy of Asia Jackson

3

Books by Filipino and Fil-Am authors

“The Body Papers” by Grace Talusan

#MagandangMorenx: How Asia Jackson is igniting a mission to end colorism and challenge Filipino beauty standards Hearing similar experiences of Filipinos being told not to play outside too long or being scrubbed with papaya soap, half-black and half-Filipina millennial Asia Jackson is trying to challenge colorism — the prejudice or discrimination against individuals with a dark skin tone, typically among people of the same ethnic or racial group. Through the global digital movement #MagandangMorenx, Jackson has opened up a conversation and

features

The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - January 1, 2020

“I Was Their American Dream” by Malaka Gharib

This year alone, The Asian Journal team has read (and featured!) a plethora of books by Filipino and Filipino American authors across genres, including: “Loves You” (poetry) by Sarah Gambito; “The Body Papers” (memoir) by Grace Talusan; “I Was Their American Dream” (graphic memoir) by Malaka Gharib; “Patron Saints of Nothing” (young adult fiction) by Randy Ribay; “Why Karen Carpenter Matters” (biography/memoir) by Karen Tongson; “Somewhere in the Middle” (memoir)

by Deborah Francisco Douglas; “No Forks Given” (cookbook/stories) by Yana Gilbuena; “Baking at République” (cookbook)

by Margarita “Marge” Manzke; and “Rice.

Noodles. Yum.: Everyone’s Favorite Southeast Asian Dishes” (cookbook) by Abigail Sotto Raines.

More recent releases have included “Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion” by Jia Tolentino, “Lalani of the Distant Sea” by Erin Entrada Kelly and “From Rufio to Zuko” by Dante Basco.

“There are not many representations of Filipino Americans in literature and in our culture and I was very aware of that. It took me a long time to come to peace with what I was going through because I knew it would be read as representative in some ways for Filipino Americans, which it should not be because this is just one unique, specific story,” said Talusan.

“It is not representative, but I knew that it could be taken that way. Sometimes there’s pressure because there’s so few of us in publishing that we should tell only certain kinds of stories or those that are happy and make us proud of who we are. I would argue that this story does make me proud of who I am because we all go through difficult things Baking at République” by Margarita “Marge” Manzke and hardships.”

The multilayered Filipina American experience, as told by rapper Ruby Ibarra

Ibarra performs in Oakland in 2018.

Scientist by day, Ruby Ibarra transforms into a musical force by night, unapologetically rapping in English, Tagalog and Waray about the Fil-Am experience through her lens. In Ibarra’s debut album “Circa91,” which was fittingly titled after the year her family migrated to the United States, she gets raw about the layers of her personal identity and history.

She also sees her art form as a way to share stories not heard in the mainstream, whether it’s the single Fil-Am mother or how colonization has affected Filipinos centuries later.

A standout track includes “Us,” featuring Rocky Rivera, Klassy and Faith Santilla, which has taken a life of its own and has become an empowering Filipina American anthem. This song was a way to “dismantle the patriarchy and that notion that the Filipina has to always be on the sidelines and be the backbone to the men and always in the background,” Ibarra said. “To have a track like that, where we’re celebrating sisterhood and feminism, we’re showing, not just in rap, but in our community that we’re out here.”

Meet the Fil-Am women pushing Filipino desserts in SoCal In time for Women’s History Month in March, the Asian Journal examined the contributions Filipina American women have made to the dessert scene across Southern California. Thanks to several Pinay bakers and pastry chefs in Southern California, we can get buko pie, halo halo, over a dozen flavors of ensaymada, and anything ube. Some Pinays to know include Margarita “Marge” Manzke of République & Sari Sari Store; Barb Batiste of B Sweet and Big Boi; Kristine de la Cruz of Créme Caramel & FrankieLucy Bakeshop; Ginger Lim-Dimapasok of Cafe 86; Chari Heredia-Reyes of Ensaymada Project; Isa Fabro of IsaMADE; and Gigi Pascual of Dough & Arrow.

“Ube is still a favorite, regardless of whether it’s in a cheesecake or a cake or just a scoop of ice cream. It still seems

to be one of the popular Filipino flavors,” said Batiste. “When we don’t have it — but now we always do — people are quite angry. I don’t think people will ever get sick of it.”

Added Lim-Dimapasok, “Sharing Filipino culture through our food is a very important milestone for us because it’s not something that I imagined I would be doing.

It feels like I was able to share what my mom taught me in the beginning on how to treat people, how to entertain, and take care of customers. Being able to translate that through our food and stores is pretty amazing for us.”

Kristine de la Cruz, founder of Créme Caramel in Sherman Oaks and FrankieLucy Bakeshop in Silver Lake.

Photo courtesy of Créme Caramel

Margarita “Marge” Manzke Photo courtesy of République

A self-taught baker and former stay-at-home mom, Ginger Lim-Dimapasok started Cafe 86 with her husband James in Chino, California, which has now grown to three other locations.

AJPress photo by Noel Ty

Chari Heredia-Reyes started Ensaymada Project from the kitchen of her Canyon Country home.

Photo courtesy of Ensaymada Project

Pastry chef Isa Fabro brings Filipino flavors through her own venture IsaMADE. Photo by Luz Gallardo

Gigi Pascual (right), former of the Buttermilk Truck, owned up Dough & Arrow in Costa Mesa with her business partner Jennifer Green based on her childhood love for cookies.

Photo courtesy of Dough & Arrow

Barb Batiste, owner of B Sweet and Big Boi AJPress photos by Noel Ty

From plate to print: How a Fil-Am couple created a home for cookbooks and food conversations in LA

Ken Concepcion and Michelle Mungcal with their daughter Frankie inside their store Now Serving at Far East Plaza in LA’s Chinatown.

Chinatown is home to Now Serving, Los Angeles’ only cookbook store owned by Fil-Am married couple Ken Concepcion and Michelle Mungcal. Since 2017, the couple has seen a mixture of individuals from the culinary industry, home cooks and books, cookbook collectors and even those who stumble in because they ate at one of the establishments within Far East Plaza. “With all of the talk of how influential and vibrant the food scene is here in LA, it didn’t seem right that it didn’t have something like this dedicated to cookbooks, food writing and food magazines,” Concepcion told the Asian Journal.

Beyond printed books, Now Serving’s 450-square-foot space gathers a community for conversations around different cuisines and the art of cooking. Ticketed events, featuring talks and signings from some of the best culinary authors and personalities around the world, are held nearly every week and sell-out.

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features The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE -January 1, 2020

Fil-Am’s short film qualifies for Oscars LOURDES “Lou” Duque Baron is a Filipino-American artist based in Los Angeles, California.

As a philanthropist she comes in and out of the country to do humanitarian projects with the margins of society throughout the archipelago as part of her advocacy.

Apart from this, Lou Baron is an actress, singer, author and is the first Filipina to win the Breakthrough Album of the Year Award in the 2014 LA Music Awards under the production of multi-platinum and Billboard Award-winning music producer Andrew Lane.

She is also the winner of both the Impact Docs Award and the Telly Award for her Hope For the World Foundation Documentary.

Lou is also the CEO of Timeless Entertainment Inc. and co-owns the U.S.-based online channel Telli-Pino Network.

Recently, she produced and acted in a short film titled “Tombstone Pillow” shot at the Manila Cemetery. Previous to this she also starred in a local indie film titled “Butanding” with Asia’s Princess of Songs Emma Cordero directed by Edd Palmos.

To Lou, said short film is a breakthrough project because it was a serious venture whose content or subject matter also made a statement about the disregarded sector of the Filipino society.

The film poignantly calls attention to socioeconomic

Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond Monette AdevA MAglAyA

2020 presents to us all a new lease on life — a fresh slate, a clean paper, what the Greeks call tabula rasa, on which you can start writing your new story.

Or if you use a computer, click on a new blank document and chase the cursor until the rest of your life story for this new year unfolds.

How does one use this new lease on life?

Author-singer-actress-humanitarian Lourdes Duque Baron collaborates with dream team Directors Most people lucky enough Daniel Lir and Bayou Bennett in the socially relevant film “Tombstone Pillow.” The script was written

by London based writer Fraser Scott.

Photos courtesy of Timeless Entertainment to be given a second chance, will unfeeling demeanor contrasts disparities in one of the most quickly realize that this new lease sharply with the kindness impoverished neighborhoods in can just be an extra few months displayed by Maria, one of the the world — the slums of Manila or years, and in the most blessed children who lives in the slums.

Cemetery. scenarios, a decade or two or The film was made possible The filmmakers’ primary even more. through the collaborative efforts purpose is driving social awareEach day beyond that critical of directors Bayou Bennet and ness to this issue. Through stark turning point is a bonus, every Daniel Lir who founded the characterization and impactful single moment, a gift. SomeDream Team Directors in 2007. imagery, this film reveals how, in times, God mercifully knocks With Lir in the Philippines one of the darkest corners of the some sense into us through drasmaking his actors of said film world, compassion still conquers move on the set, Bennet was in all. tic means by throwing us a curve Los Angeles using Facebook to The film handles the subball to bring us down on our co-direct the short film remotely. knees so that we have no choice ject of extreme poverty with a “Tombstone Pillow” was heightened level of unexpected but to look above and beyond included in the list of films subtlety. The Manila Cemetery our own petty, selfish concerns selected by the LA Shorts has been home to impoverished and total self-involvement in orInternational Film Festival, and families since the 1950s, and der to grasp the concept of our was screened at the opening “Tombstone Pillow” authentiown mortality and to know that night of the NYC International cally illustrates how 6,000 people we are here for a purpose.

Film Festival at the Dolby Thecurrently live in the shanty towns We’re not here to merely atre where it won Best Drama. built atop graves and mausoleFinally, the film has qualified ums. consume resources or take up for LA Shorts for the Oscars in Here, Lou Baron plays Olivia, space. Neither are we here to February. (ManilaTimes.net) an heiress whose distant and remain tethered to our smart phones texting, taking selfies or getting suckered and absorbed by the greatest ego bloater of our time, posting and reading about ourselves and others on social media.

ACTRESS-model Liza Soberano Faces, his third appearance on the Consider the fearsome list, as shown on a separate video is included once again in the Top dinosaurs. Grazing the earth for posted by TC Candler.

100 Most Beautiful Faces list, just millions of years, that is essenReid ranked 21st last year, while a year after being inducted to the tially what they did — consumed his highest appearance on the list list’s prestigious Hall of Fame. was also in 2017 at the 4th spot. He resources and took up space.

Soberano claimed the 10th Not by intelligence but by is joined this year by Daniel Matsuspot for 2019, slipping down just sheer size and numbers, they had naga, who landed at the 50th spot. a few ranks from 2018‘s 4th spot.

K-pop stars Tzuyu of girl group dominion over all other species She topped the list back in 2017.

Twice and Jungkook of boy band This is Soberano’s fifth apfor millions of years, until one BTS topped this year’s most pearance on the annual list, and day, as scientists try to explain beautiful and handsome faces list, is joined by fellow actress Jessy their extinction, a rogue asteroid respectively.

Mendiola, who claimed the 93rd about 7 miles long, possibly got Film critic TC Candler and spot, as shown on a YouTube video unhinged off its orbit in the asterThe Independent Critics have posted by TC Candler last Friday, oid belt, hit the earth with such been publishing the annual list Dec. 27. impact, setting off a series of volsince 1990. Over 40 countries are Singer-actor James Reid meancanic eruptions that covered the regularly represented on the list. while grabbed the 42nd spot for atmosphere with ash far above Photo from Instagram/@liza this year’s Top 100 Most Handsome (Inquirer.net)

Liza, James named among 2019’s most beautiful, handsome faces list

Liza Soberano

A new Tabula Rasa “…Purpose does not come as clear as the light of day. We have to seek it out…” the stratosphere, so that sunlight could not penetrate through the haze for years, killing off the plant life, upsetting and destroying the food chain balance and effectively starving and wiping the dinosaurs off the face of the earth 65 million years ago.

Here is earth’s tabula rasa story — starting on a clean slate, a new lease on life. When the reptiles died, mammals, of which we are classified under, began their ascent. Human beings with purpose came to be.

Yet each man’s purpose is nebulous and not always obvious. Purpose does not come as clear as the light of day. We have to seek it out. Either by choice or circumstance, some exceptional ones find their purpose early enough and proceed to fulfill it. Sometimes, it is as simple as blooming where God planted us.

But the great majority of people on the bell curve don’t have the nose to sense their true north. Most of us of the garden variety meander about our lives trying different things until we finally stumble upon it by trial and error. The annals of history are rife with such stories.

St. Paul played a critical role in the beginnings of the early Christian church through his numerous travels. But he didn’t start out that way. He was just as passionate about persecuting Christians before he was tapped from above to do what he did.

Edwin Hubble, the great astronomer who lived in the nineteen twenties and for whom the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is named for his outstanding achievements in expanding our view of the universe, tried different things before finding out what he was meant to do. In college, he played championship basketball and even tried boxing. After fighting in World War I, he studied law, tried lawyering for a year and obviously didn’t like it.

Something must have happened because he went back to college to study astronomy and

finally found his footing and his purpose in life.

That’s what most of us do. We try different lives until we find the one that matches heaven’s purpose. Just don’t run out of time. No one wants to leave with unfinished business.

If our stations in life allow us the luxury of choice, then more than likely, we will be meandering too and trying different things before coming on board to the ship that will likely bring us to the port of our purpose.

Try reading all or portions of Rick Warren’s “The Purpose Driven Life.” Warren, who has just gone through some difficult personal trial, is the pastor of Saddleback Church in Orange County, California.

We don’t really have to wait for something dramatic, traumatic or tragic to happen to get us on track to finding that purpose. But do go to the right source. Nix the harebrained ideas coming from most of the media about what that purpose might be.

When it comes to things that matter, most of the mainstream media has proven itself to be unworthy of trust. It pushes its own agenda of acquiring power that comes from profit.

Tune out of the external world and dive deep within. If you pray hard enough and long enough and live in the silence for a little while, chances are, you’ll find it.

You can then begin rewriting your own story on a new document page — your own life story, at least for the year 2020, which might get heaven’s stamp of approval. For your part, you might get that deep sense of satisfaction and that precious peace that surpasses all understanding.

HAPPY, HEALTHY, PROSPEROUS AND PURPOSEFUL 2020!!! *** Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette. maglaya@asianjournalinc.com

Avoid the bondage of debt, especially seniors Debt Relief

Atty. lAwrence yAng ACCUMULATING debt is the easiest thing you can do in America. Even your dog can get credit cards with a fake social security number.

If you are an immigrant and

have just arrived, you will have no history of credit here. Chances are that in your country of origin, you probably had no credit card debt, or if you did, maybe you had an insignificant amount.

In other countries, most people are on a “cash” basis. In other words, you buy everything in cash, not credit. If you buy a house abroad, you either paid cash for it, or you put a substantial cash down payment and have a small mortgage on it. Outside of

the U.S., the objective in life is to accumulate cash and assets but have no debt.

But here in America, MasterCard, Visa and other credit card companies, sell you the American lifestyle, which is to bury yourself in debt to get all the things you want. Want a brand new 80-inch flat and thin high definition TV, the one that curves on both ends of the screen to let you watch it clearly from almost any angle?

It’s only $3,000. Don’t have the $3,000? No problem. Just charge the $3,000 on your credit card.

Bring the TV home today for your whole family to enjoy! You don’t have to pay $3,000 upfront. Next month, just set aside $90 to make a minimum monthly payment on the $3,000. Instant gratification!

This is the American way.

Want to bring the family to Hawaii for Christmas? Let’s see.

It’s $1,500 for a week’s stay at one of the five-star resorts in Waikiki, including the round-trip plane fare and hotel per head. Since you are a family of four, that would be a grand total of $6,000 for a oneweek Christmas and New Year vacation in paradise. LA gets cold in winter even if it doesn’t snow but the climate in Hawaii is a comfortable and breezy 80 degrees.

“Mele Kalikimaka” — that’s how they say “Merry Christmas” in Hawaii as you probably know.

And the food, the luaus are terrific. The scenery is spectacular.

Plan on riding a helicopter to look at the Big Island Volcano, which only adds another $1,000 to your vacation budget for your family of four. So, the one-week Christmas vacation will cost about $8,000, all expenses accounted for, with firstclass accommodations. There’s only one problem. You didn’t have $3,000 for the big screen TV that looks so good in your family room, so where will you get the $8,000 for your Christmas vacation?

No problem. In America, the credit cards keep on giving and giving. They are perennial Santa Clauses. The wife wants to go.

The kids want to go. You want to go. So go. I mean, former President Obama spent a lot of his vacations in Oahu where he was born, so why can’t you bring your family to paradise this Christmas?

By all means, go and give the Continued on Page 6

Excessive debt makes people look ‘wealthy’ even when they’re poor Minding Your Finances Atty. RAymond BulAon ACCORDING to a recent study, a majority of people in this country are living way beyond their means. In keeping up with the Jones’s, these people have resorted to using credit cards to buy things that they normally can’t afford with their income.

They buy everything with the plastic cards they keep in their wallets. It’s the familiar “Vegas mentality” that if you are using chips, it doesn’t even feel like real money.

As a bankruptcy attorney, I am often shocked to see that a lot of people use more than half of their take-home income just to be able to make the minimum payments on their credit cards each month. Now, in the eyes of the world, these people seem to be doing fine financially. Some people may even be misled into thinking that they are “wealthy”.

They have nice homes, nice cars and the latest toys or gadgets that everyone else has. But if you look at their finances, it is evident that they have stretched themselves too thin.

The truth of the matter is that these people are not even close to the real definition of being “wealthy”- They simply have a

“high-consumption” lifestyle. Everything they have is “owned” by the bank that financed the purchase. The moment they lose the ability to make payments, they could lose everything overnight.

Their current lifestyle has become a “disaster waiting to happen.”

Wake up and smell the coffee. If you have to borrow money from a bank to buy something, that thing is not YOURS until you have made all your payments.

Someone said that if you are living in a mortgaged house, driving a mortgaged car, sleep in a mortgaged bed and keep your food in a mortgaged refrigerator, you have practically mortgaged yourself and your life to your creditors!

Remember this: Wealth is not what you spend or borrow, it’s what you accumulate. Having a lot of things in your life- be it a house, a car, nice appliances, etc- doesn’t mean anything if you do not own them. The things that you truly own are your assets. The things that you can only afford if you get a bank to finance the purchase are nothing but a liability. And in most cases, the collateral depreciates more quickly than you are able to pay off the debt.

According to a recent research, the average credit card debt of U.S. households with at least one credit card was $9,205 in 2003, up from only $2996 in 1990. That’s a 310% increase!

What is the reason for our propensity in using those little plastic cards? Sure, it’s nice to eat at

Why Maja finds role in ‘The Killer Bride’ her most challenging so far I DON’T feel like it,” said actress Maja Salvador about her being called a TV superstar, adding that she even “auditioned” for the lead role of her latest teleserye, “The Killer Bride.”

“It’s a known fact that I was supposed to work on a different TV show. It was me who asked management if I could do ‘The Killer Bride’ instead,” the actress told reporters recently. “Yes, they keep saying that word, ‘superstar,’ but why don’t I feel like it? I also don’t know how to react to being called as such; although I’m grateful that the work I do is being appreciated.”

EMPLOYMENT

The success of “The Killer Bride” came on the heels of the victory of her previous drama series “Wild Flower,” which aired over 250 episodes for a year starting February of 2017.

“Yes, they’re both heavy drama, but the story and depth of characters I portrayed are very different. I’m not picky with my projects. I accept what’s being offered to me especially if it’s something new in terms of concept. I don’t mind doing comedy if that’s the project that my bosses would give me next,” she pointed out.

She said Camilla, her

those fine restaurants and buy all the latest gadgets and toys that other people have- as long as you can afford to pay the bill when you get your next monthly statement. But as I stated above, using credit cards to finance these luxuries is a long-term loser if most of the stuff you buy with your credit cards depreciates rather than rises in value. To add fuel to the fire, consider the outrageous interest that the credit card companies are charging you every month. On a $2750 credit card balance with an 18% APR interest rate, it would take you 15 years to pay off this debt making minimum monthly payments.

If you are experiencing serious debt problems and don’t know where to turn for help, call our office so we can help you determine whether Bankruptcy is right for your situation. In some cases, filing for bankruptcy or debt consolidation may be the answer. In some cases, it may not be. For more information and to schedule a free consultation, please call Toll-Free 1-866-4777772. Let us evaluate your situation and recommend possible options. We have offices in Glendale, Cerritos and Valencia. *** None of the information herein is intended to give legal advice for any specific situation. Atty. Ray Bulaon has successfully helped thousands of clients in getting out of debt. For a free attorney evaluation of your situation, please call Ray Bulaon Law Offices at TOLL FREE 1 (866) 477-7772.

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The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - January 1, 2020

Avoid the bondage of debt...

From Page 4

family a great time this Christmas.

With the brand new TV at $3,000 and the Hawaii Christmas vacation at $8,000, you will owe $11,000 at the end of this year.

So what? You got the TV and you’ll still have your Hawaii tan for a couple of weeks when you get back right after the New Year. Your co-workers will envy you when you say you just got back from paradise and you feel totally relaxed and ready to face the challenges of 2018 head-on.

Yes, that’s right, everything is still status quo but then, at the end of January 2018, you will have to take $330 out of your take-home pay and pay the minimum for the TV and Hawaii trip. At the end of 2018, you will have paid your credit card masters $4,000, but you would still owe them the same $11,000.

But the reality of life here in America is that you will buy a lot more good stuff on credit. Maybe two brand new computers for the kids? A brand new leather sofa set? Maybe you need a new fridge? Or, even a new roof because the roof leaks. There is a high probability that in 2018, you will add another $10,000 of credit cards because you don’t really feel the pain when you buy stuff on credit, isn’t this true? It’s not like you have $10,000 of cash in the bank and you have to take $8,000 from it to pay for Hawaii, right? That would be painful.

On the other hand, charging $8,000 on credit cards is practically painless. You just have to take the card out of your wallet and swipe it. It’s so easy to spend money that you don’t have here in America. One can easily get addicted to credit cards the same way that a person can get addicted to drugs. Just like cocaine and LSD, using credit cards gives the user a “high”. Just like drugs, it’s addicting.

Maja Salvador In a couple of short years, Photo from Instagram/@iammajasalvador starting from a $3,000 for your character in “The Killer Bride” TV, and $8,000 for your Hawaii is something that she hasn’t portrayed before. “She’s the most Christmas vacation in 2017, you challenging character I’ve done so will owe $30,000! You would have far. I’m required to show different added a trip to Europe, a trip to China, Japan, Thailand and emotions in different levels with Camilla,” she shared with reportBali for the family. These trips do ers. (Marinel R. Cruz/Inquirer.net) not even include the family trip

EMPLOYMENT

back to your country of origin which requires a lot more money because as everyone knows, family back home expect to get a lot of expensive gifts from their now “rich” American relatives, not to mention paying the tab for all the restaurant food that you and your family back home will be enjoying.

If all of these scenarios took place 10 years ago, mark my words: you would now owe maybe $30,000 in credit card debt. These now cost you $1,000 a month of minimum payments.

For the next 12 months, you will pay $12,000 of minimum payments, but at the end of the 12 months, you will still owe $30,000. In 24 months, you will pay $24,000 of minimum payments, but you will still owe $30,000. Then, if you are objective enough to see you own financial situation, you will know that you are now in what is called “financial bondage.”

You are now a debt slave. What’s worse than being a debt slave?

Being a senior debt slave is the worse. Let’s say that you are now 62 and you owe $30,000 in credit cards. Social security and retirement are just around the corner. You’re looking at $1,800 of social security, which is not too bad. But you’re also on the hook for $1,000 of minimum monthly credit card payments. This is more than half of your social security benefits. Imagine the hardship caused by having to fork over more than half of your social security to pay $1,000 to your credit card masters every month for the rest of your life during your golden years. It sucks! But as you have now learned, after paying your credit card masters $120,000 in the last 10 years, you still owe your masters the same $30,000 of credit card debt!

Just like “Django Unchained,” it’s time to break free of credit card debt!

What you need now is the full legal power of a Chapter 7 petition to give you a fresh start without the $30,000 in credit card debt. Break free from your credit card masters and live with freedom and joy and be productive again and start fresh again

FOR RENT

SERVICES

without accumulated debt. Turn you back on the $30,000 and nuke them with a bankruptcy discharge. You won’t regret it. It’s the right thing to do. Even Pres.

Trump has said that Puerto Rico’s $70-billion debt must be discharged. Well, he should know, the Trump companies filed for bankruptcy four times, discharging hundreds of millions of debt.

Even Walt Disney filed for Chapter 7 twice before he became successful. Milton Hershey of Hershey chocolates, now a global multi-billion dollar business, filed for Chapter 7 before he became successful. M.C. Hammer, Francis Ford Coppola, Kim Basinger and Mickey Rooney — these celebrities all filed for Chapter 7 to get a fresh start in life.

It’s easy to get into debt in America. But it’s really hard to get out of debt in America.

That’s why you need the full legal power of Chapter 7 to get out of debt and get a fresh start.

It’s a federal right given by law to the debtor who needs relief from accumulated debt. Why be embarrassed to exercise a right given by law?

Life after bankruptcy is great, you still keep everything you own as long as you qualify for applicable exemptions. You will be able to save money again every month. Anyway, the cards have enabled you to bring your family around the world already and you still have the big screen TV in your family room. Have your cake and eat it too and get a fresh start with no debt. Only in America! Get back on solid financial footing, get rid of your accumulated debt with Chapter 7, and face your retirement years with peace of mind!

If you need debt relief, set an appointment to see me. I will analyze your case personally. *** Lawrence Bautista Yang specializes in Bankruptcy, Business, Real Estate and Civil Litigation and has successfully represented more than 5,000 clients in California. Please call Angie, Barbara or Jess at (626) 284-1142 for an appointment at 20274 Carrey Road, Walnut, CA 91789 or 1000 S. Fremont Ave., Mailstop 58, Building A-10 South Suite 10042, Alhambra, CA 9180 (Advertising Supplement)

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The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - January 1, 2020

Five benefits of establishing a revocable living trust

Barrister’s Corner ATTY. KENNETH URSUA REYES THERE is never the perfect time to think about who you would like to inherit from your estate in case you pass away or at least who among your closest friends (BFFs) and family members are even deserving of inheriting from your estate. In doing so, you should also think about which vehicle you plan to use in implementing your estate plan. One of the best vehicle in implementing your estate plan is a revocable living trust. Five major benefits of establishing a revocable living trust are: Your estate can avoid the time, cost, and hassle of going through the probate court process.

If you pass away without a will (intestate) in California, one of your close family would have to file a petition in probate court to probate your estate. Your estate will be divided and distributed according to the California probate code rules of intestate succession. Even if you have a will when you pass away, your family would still need to file a petition in probate court if your estate is worth over $150,000 and go through the probate process. This can become a circus if certain beneficiaries contest the validity of the Will or the distribution of the estate. Your estate will pay for attorney’s fees, probate referee fees, appraisers and other experts, CPA fees, etc.

If people contest the case, your estate would end up paying legal fees to defend the estate in litigation. The entire process can take anywhere from 9 months to years depending on the contentiousness of the probate case.

With a revocable living trust, your trustee or successor trustee if you were the initial trustee, would administer the trust and distribute the estate according to the trust document without having to open a probate court case.

If the trust is funded with all your

assets, it is possible to administer and distribute the trust assets without any Court involvement at all. This process is a lot faster than going through probate.

Your estate is not public record When you file a probate case, the public has access to your probate case file. The public will know the assets of the estate including the values of those assets. If the Will is admitted into probate, the terms of the Will is open to public scrutiny.

Establishing a revocable living trust makes your estate affairs private. Strangers do not have access to the terms of your living trust. Only certain beneficiaries and possible heirs can request a copy of the revocable living trust after you pass away.

You can dictate who will inherit from your estate.

If you pass away without a Will, your estate will be divided and distributed in Probate Court following the rules of intestate succession in the California probate code. Certain relatives will be entitled to a share of your estate even if you feel they are not deserving. By establishing a revocable living trust, you can designate who you want to inherit from your estate. You can designate what and how much each one will received from your estate after you pass away. The assets distributed to each beneficiaries does not have to be equal. The people you designate as beneficiaries of your living trust does not even have to be close family members. You can designate anyone as a beneficiary, with certain exceptions, of your estate.

You can structure your estate to minimize estate taxes If your estate is valued above the estate tax exemption, establishing a trust can allow you to divide up your estate into smaller sub trusts to minimize the overall estate tax effect on your estate.

It allows you to set up a vehicle for certain charitable giving

which carries tax advantage and asset protection.

You can choose who will administer your estate after your death When you establish a revocable trust, you can appoint someone else as trustee or you can appoint a successor trustee if you are the initial trustee. The trustee will be administering (managing) the trust after you pass away without a need to open a probate court case. This allows for continuity in operating the trust and the efficient and cost effective distribution of estate assets. If you are concerned about whether you can trust any family members as your trustee, you can appoint an institution as a professional trustee to carry out the terms of the declaration of trust. These type of trustee services are often offered by banks, financial institutions, wealth management firms, and business management firms for a reasonable fee. This minimizes conflicts within the family and prevents negligence and wrong doing by inexperienced family members. *** Please note that this article is not legal advice and is not intended as legal advice. The article is intended to provide only general, non-specific legal information. This article is not intended to cover all the issues related to the topic discussed. The specific facts that apply to your matter may make the outcome different than would be anticipated by you.

This article does create any attorney client relationship between you and the Law Offices of Kenneth U. Reyes, APLC. This article is not a solicitation.

Attorney Kenneth Ursua Reyes is a Certified Family Law Specialist. He was President of the Philippine American Bar Association. He is a member of both the Family law section and Immigration law section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He is a graduate of Southwestern University Law School in Los Angeles and California State University, San Bernardino School of Business Administration.

He has extensive CPA experience prior to law practice. LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, APLC. is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 747, Los Angeles, CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 or email HYPERLINK “mailto:kenneth@kenreyeslaw. com” kenneth@kenreyeslaw.com or visit our website at Kenreyeslaw.comv

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The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - January 1, 2020