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JANUARY 4-10, 2024 Volume 35 - No. 1 • 12 Pages
T HE F ILIPINO A MERICAN C OMMUNITY N EWSPAPER
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China, US hold rival drills in West Philippine Sea DATELINE USA FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA
Easy New Year’s resolutions to get in touch with your Pinoy side NEW year, better you! Now that we’ve started 2024 (and probably, hopefully, have shaken off the groggy remnants of the holidays), it’s time we look forward to everything in store for us in the new year. For most, that also means setting intentions or resolutions for the new year. Resolutions are a hit or miss with most people, as some don’t believe in being able to sustain them throughout the year. But don’t worry—this list is simple enough to accomplish. Plus, it’s fun. (Resolutions can be fun!) Make this the year you get better connected with your Filipino side through these simple goals. Learn to cook Filipino food Most Filipino dishes are simple and can be done in one pot or pan. You can start with the quintessential adobo, or a comforting lugaw (perfect for the cold, winter months!). The great thing about Filipino food, especially home-cooked staples, is that you probably won’t even need any special equipment or PAGE 4
States expand health coverage for immigrants as GOP hits Biden over border crossings A GROWING number of states are opening taxpayer-funded health insurance programs to immigrants, including those living in the U.S. without authorization, even as Republicans assail President Joe Biden over a dramatic increase in illegal crossings of the southern border. Eleven states and Washington, D.C., together provide full health insurance coverage to more than 1 million low-income immigrants regardless of their legal status, according to state data compiled by KFF Health News. Most aren’t authorized to live in the U.S., state officials say. Enrollment in these programs could nearly double by 2025 as at least seven states initiate or expand coverage. In January, Republican-controlled Utah will start covering children regardless of immigration status, while New York and California will widen eligibility to cover more adults. “These are kids, and we have a heart,” PAGE 4
by MICHAEL PUNONGBAYAN Philstar.com
Chinese and U.S. warships were in the South China Sea on Thursday, January 4 conducting rival exercises in the disputed waters amid heightened tensions involving U.S. ally the Philippines. Beijing’s People’s Liberation Army Southern Theater Command a day before said a two-day deployment of its navy and air force, scheduled to end today, was carrying out “routine patrols” in the sea. It did not mention where exactly the patrols took place or give specific details of the goals of the ex-
ercises. They took place as the United States said an aircraft carrier strike group led by the USS Carl Vinson was conducting two days of drills with the Philippine Navy. Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea and has ignored an international tribunal ruling that its assertions have no legal basis. It deploys boats to patrol the busy waterway and has built artificial islands that it has militarized to reinforce its claims. And while China typically uses its coast guard to enforce its claims in the area, military exercises are not uncommon, with Beijing’s navy conducting “routine” drills in late November.
But this week’s drills follow a month of tense standoff between China and the Philippines in Ayungin Shoal that saw a collision between vessels from the two countries and Chinese ships blasting water cannons at Philippine boats. One expert told AFP that Beijing was seeking to turn the South China Sea “into a Chinese-controlled waterway and a strategic chokepoint for other countries.” “The South China Sea is becoming... a key defensive zone for China,” Michael Raska, assistant professor and military expert at Singapore’s Nanyang PAGE 2
Marcos vows to ‘build better, more’ in 2024 by CATHERINE S. VALENTE ManilaTimes.net
BLACK NAZARENE MERCHANDISE. This couple prints and sells Black Nazarene-themed 2024 personalized calendars in their shop along Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City on Wednesday, Jan. 3, ahead of the Feast of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, Manila. About 2.5 million devotees are expected to join the procession or “Traslacion” on Jan. 9. PNA photo by Joey O. Razon
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. vowed that the government will “build better and more” this year. In a pre-recorded New Year’s message, the president said that he looks back on 2023 “pleased” with the administration’s accomplishments. “Your government’s New Year’s resolution is to fully work towards giving efficient and devoted service, which will be the key to improving life for us all,” Marcos said. “We look forward to the new year with a pledge to build better and more. We have set high hopes for the days ahead, and we know that these can only be achieved with hard work.” The president also promised to keep the nation united in the face of new challenges. “No doubt the coming year will bring its fair share of new challenges. But these we have weathered before, like the great tribulations our forefathers defeated, and as a proud inheritors of this indefatigable spirit, we, too, shall overcome,” he said. He reported that in 2023, his administration built 33 specialty centers, over 2,000 classrooms, and seven additional co-chain facilities. The government also facilitated investments in renewable energy with a total potential capacity of PAGE 2
No Filipino hurt in magnitude 7.5 quake in Japan - envoy by BERNADETTE E. TAMAYO ManilaTimes.net
MANILA - No Filipinos were hurt during the 7.5 magnitude earthquake that hit the Ishikawa Prefecture in Japan on New Year’s Day although some of them sought shelter in evacuation shelters, Philippine Ambassador to Tokyo Mylene Garcia-Albano said. Garcia-Albano on Tuesday, January 2 gave an update on the situation of Filipinos in Ishikawa during a Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon television interview. “We have not received any report of Filipin-
nos there who have been harmed because of the earthquake that occured yesterday (Monday) afternoon,” Albano said in Filipino and English. She said there are about 1,300 Filipinos in Ishikawa Prefecture, which is in the western part of Japan and near the sea, which prompted officials to issue a tsunami warning. “There were about 35 of them who [were] transferred to the city hall because of the evac- Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao during his appearance in the Rizin 45 event in Saitama, Inquirer.net photo uation alert that was given out last night,” Gar- Japan. cia-Albano said. The embassy received reports that some PAGE 4
DOT sets 7.7 million target international arrivals for 2024 MANILA — After surpassing its conservative target of international visitors in 2023, the Department of Tourism is increasing its target number of international arrivals to 7.7 million in 2024 — the highest target it has set since the COVID-19 pandemic paused global tourism. In a release, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said that the country is aiming to reach at least 7.7 million international visitors in 2024, which is just half a million lower than the country’s preConcluding her presentation of the Department of Tourism’s (DOT) Accomplishments on December pandemic arrivals of 8.2 million 12, 2023, Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco shared the baseline target of 7.7 million international in 2019. In 2023, the Philippines visitor arrivals next year. DOT photo
recorded a total of 5.45 million international visitors, higher than the projected 4.8 million it set for the year. South Korea remained the country’s main source of international visitors, making up 26% or over one out of four foreign arrivals. This is followed by the United States (17%), Japan (6%) and Australia (5%). Other foreigners who visited the country from other top source markets after China were from Canada, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, Singapore and Malaysia. PAGE 2
Pacquiao ‘ready’ to fight Mayweather again in 2024 by LANCE AGCAOILI Inquirer.net
MANILA — Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao seeks to face rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a rematch in 2024. The former eight-division world champion on New Year’s Eve announced during the Rizin 45 mixed martial arts event in Saitama that he will have a “big fight” in Japan this year. Rizin chief executive Nobuyuki Sakakibara revealed that Pacquiao will be facing Mayweather nine years after last facing each other in what was dubbed the “Fight of the Century.” Sakakibara asked the Filipino boxer if he could fight Mayweather
this year and the latter answered: “I’m ready.” “Thank you so much for inviting me here again. I’m sorry for the last time that we promised that we were going to fight this year, but like Sakakibara-san explained,” said Pacquiao, who had promised to have an exhibition match against a Japanese fighter during his 2022 New Year’s Eve appearance but it didn’t push through. But the 45-year-old retired professional boxer promised something bigger to the Japanese crowd. “[This] year I hope to see you here in Japan again with a big PAGE 4