JANUARY 9-12, 2021 Volume 31 - No. 2 • 2 Sections – 18 Pages
Trump will not attend Biden inauguration DATELINE USA Newsom proposes $600 after Congress confirms election results COVID-19 relief, extends FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA
eviction moratorium
by KLARIZE
MEDENILLA AJPress
FOLLOWING the chaotic unfolding of the U.S. CapiCALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday, tol riots and the eventual confirmation of PresidentJan. 8 submitted the 2021-2022 state Budget elect Joe Biden’s election victory in Congress, Presiproposal to the Legislature which includes a dent Donald Trump announced on Friday, Jan. 8 that $600 stimulus check for low-income residents financially struggling amid the coronavirus pandemic. The $227.2 billion fiscal plan prioritizes “immediate COVID-19” aid to families, individuals and small businesses that have borne the brunt of the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic that has left millions unemployed and on the verge of eviction. “In these darkest moments of the COVID-19 pandemic, this Budget will help Californians with urgent action to address our immediate challenges and build towards our recovery,” Newsom said in a statement released on Friday. According to the proposal, the plan would set aside $2.4 billion for the Golden State Stimulus, which would direct $600 payments to lowincome workers who had been eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit in 2019 and those who filed the 2020 Individual Taxpayer Identification Number. About $575 million would be set aside to increase funding for grants to small businesses and small non-profit cultural institutions that u PAGE A4
LA County hits new single-day record of COVID-19 deaths
AS the first week of the New Year comes to a close, Los Angeles County hit the largest oneday total of COVID-19 deaths on Friday, January 8 with 318 new fatalities. The new record surpasses the previous alltime high and represents another grim milestone for the county. This week alone, over 200 deaths were reported each day. The county’s Department of Public Health reported that of the 318 new deaths, 114 people that passed away were over the age of 80, 107 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, 61 people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, 24 people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49, and two people who died were between the ages of 18 and 29. Seven deaths were reported by the City of Long Beach and two deaths were reported by the City of Pasadena. The department also confirmed 18,313 new u PAGE A4
he will not attend Biden’s inauguration ceremony. “To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th,” the president simply tweeted on Friday. Coming out of a 12-hour Twitter lockout, the president posted a video on Thursday afternoon, Jan. 7, condemning Wednesday’s events — after a previous
Pinoy ‘walis tambo’ in a sea of red: Fil-Am Trump supporters among those who stormed US Capitol Other loyalists condemn violent mob by CHRISTINA
DEVOTION. Amid threats of the pandemic, and health protocols imposed, thousands attended the first day of Novena Mass for the Fiesta Señor at the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño de Cebu on Friday, January 8. Around 3,000 individuals gathered inside and outside the centuries-old church to pay honor to Snr. Sto. Niño, with face masks and face shields on. Inquirer.net photo by Morexette Erram
Moody’s Analytics: PH last to recover in Asia by RITCHEL
MENDIOLA AJPress
THE Philippines is expected to lag behind its Asian neighbors in recovering from the pandemic-induced recession, according to international think tank Moody’s Analytics. In a recent report, Moody’s Analytics chief economist Steven Cochrane said that the Philippines, along with India, will struggle to regain all of its lost output by the end of 2022, while other economies in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region will reach the benchmark by the end of this year. “India and the Philippines will struggle due to their deep recessions and the uncertain fiscal support of their policymakers,” said Cochrane.
Moody’s Analytics expects the country to regain its momentum by the fourth quarter of 2022, while India is forecasted to recover by the first quarter of next year. China, Taiwan, and Vietnam have already recovered in the second and third quarters of 2020. Hong Kong is predicted to recover by the first quarter of this year, while South Korea, Indonesia, and Australia will rebound by the second quarter of this year, followed by Thailand by the third quarter of this year. Moody’s Analytics projected the Philippine economy to rebound with a gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 4.5 percent in 2021 and 6.2 percent in 2022 after a 9.9 percent contraction in 2020. This is in contrast with the Philippine government’s expectation of u PAGE A4
NBI to conduct a separate probe into death of Filipina flight attendant by RITCHEL
MENDIOLA AJPress
Christine Dacera
THE Philippine National Bureau of Investigation will conduct a parallel probe into the death of Filipina flight attendant Christine Dacera. Philippine Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Friday, January 8, released Department Order 006, directing the NBI to conduct an investigation into Dacera’s death and file complaints against individuals found to be responsible for any unlawful act. “The NBI, through Officer-In-Charge Eric B. Distor, is hereby directed and granted authority to conduct an investigation on the death of Christine Angelica F. Dacera, who Photo from Instagram/@xtinedacera died on 01 January 2021 in Makati City and
video telling supporters “we love you” and “you’re very special” — and for the first time, edging the closest to a concession. “A new administration will be inaugurated on Jan. 20,” Trump said in the video, though he did not name Biden or offer any congratulations. “My focus now u PAGE A2
if evidence warrants, to file the appropriate charges against all persons involved and found responsible for any unlawful act in connection therewith,” the document read. Guevarra also tasked the NBI to submit reports on the investigation. “Officer-in-charge Eric B. Distor is hereby directed to submit reports on the progress of the subject investigation directly to the Office of the Secretary within 10 days and periodically thereafter,” he said in the document. According to Guevarra, the parallel probe was prompted by the initial investigation of the Makati police not being thorough enough. “From the Department of Justice’s viewu PAGE A4
M. ORIEL AND RITCHEL MENDIOLA AJPress
IN a last-ditch effort to rally against and overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, hundreds of rioters on Wednesday, January 6 stormed the U.S. Capitol grounds — and among the mob were several Filipino American Trump supporters. Amid the sea of American flags, MAGA hats, camouflage outfits, and brandished guns, one individual — clad in an all-black outfit and accessories like a U.S. flag as a cape, helmet, goggles, and an upside-down flag mask — was captured by Agence France-Presse staff photographer Saul Loeb. Though still unidentified, the supporter’s wielding of a walis tambo (a broom common in Filipino households) underneath a homemade Captain America-esque shield, bearing messages like “Coup Flu Fighter,” caught the attention of social media users who speculated that the person could be of Filipino descent. Dubbed by some users as “Walis Man,” the prou PAGE A3
After US, PH bans 7 more countries due to new COVID-19 variant China not included in travel restrictions by RITCHEL
MENDIOLA AJPress
FOLLOWING a recent ban on foreign travelers from the United States, the Philippines has expanded the restrictions to seven more countries to prevent the transmission of a new, more infectious COVID-19 variant. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday, January 6, approved the recommendation of the country’s Departments of health and foreign Affairs to include Portugal, India, Finland, Norway, Jordan, and Brazil on the travel ban list. On Friday, Austria was added to the restrictions, starting Sunday. Foreign passengers who have been in any of the aforementioned countries within 14 days prior to their arrival in the Philippines cannot enter the country from January 8 to 15, 2021. However, foreign diplomats and officials from international organizations are exempt from the restriction. “Local/accredited foreign diplomats and international organizations such as the World Health Organization and the United Nations shall be exempted from quarantine
protocols provided they will undergo RT-PCR test upon arrival at the airport, execute an undertaking, and observe strict 14-day quarantine,” the country’s Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) said Wednesday. Foreign dignitaries who shall observe existing testing and quarantine protocols upon arrival, as well as those with medical and emergency cases, including their medical escorts, are also exempted. The seven new countries joined the list of countries under the Philippines’ travel ban, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Denmark, Ireland, Japan, Australia, Israel, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Switzerland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Lebanon, Singapore, Sweden, South Korea, South Africa, Canada, and Spain. Restricted travel from the United States began on January 3. Filipino nationals coming from the countries covered by the travel ban are permitted to enter the Philippines, provided that they undergo a 14-day quarantine regardless of a negative COVID-19 swab test result u PAGE A2