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SF issues new COVID-19 testing California ballot will be guidelines for health care providers heavy on health care DATELINE USA FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — When Californians go to the polls later this year, they will confront contentious health care choices.

Voters will weigh whether to overturn a state law that bans flavored tobacco products and will likely consider increasing the cap on medical malpractice awards. They may also vote on proposals that effectively legalize psychedelic mushrooms and regulating dialysis clinics.

Two pandemic-related measures also could qualify for the Nov. 8 general election: One would tax California’s wealthiest residents to create an institute to detect disease outbreaks and bolster the state’s public health system. The other would limit government officials’ ability to shutter schools and businesses during a public health emergency.

Although the election is about 10 months away, money is already pouring in from deeppocketed interests eager to defeat measures that would eat into their profits.

Big tobacco has invested $21 million to overturn the ban on flavored products, and the health care industry has dropped $43 million to beat back the proposal to raise California’s cap on medical malpractice awards, according to campaign finance records filed with the California secretary of state’s office from Dec. 27, 2019, to Dec. 30, 2021.

“The stakes couldn’t be higher at a monetary and at a human level,” said Thad

City also working with School District to provide more masks for staff and students, as well as testing supplies to help educators return to the classroom

SAN FRANCISCO — Mayor London Breed and Director of Health Dr. Grant Colfax on Tuesday, January 11 announced new COVID-19 testing guidelines for large healthcare providers like hospitals and hospitalaffiliated systems to meet current demands and help minimize the impact of the Omicron-fueled surge.

The new guidelines build on the city’s testing order issued August 19, 2021, which is being revised by the Health Officer, requiring all large health care facilities to provide access to COVID-19 testing for people with symptoms and people who have been a close contact within 24 hours of a request from a member patient.

BILLINGS, Mont. — Before Mary Venus was offered a nursing job at a hospital here, she’d never heard of Billings or visited the United States. A native of the Philippines, she researched her prospective move via the internet, set aside her angst about the cold Montana winters and took the job, sight unseen.

Venus has been in Billings since midNovember, working in a surgical recovery unit at Billings Clinic, Montana’s largest hospital in its most populous city. She and her husband moved into an apartment, bought a car and are settling in. They recently celebrated their first wedding anniversary. Maybe, she mused, this could be a “forever home.”

“I am hoping to stay here,” Venus said.

“So far, so good. It’s not easy, though. For me, it’s like living on another planet.”

Administrators at Billings Clinic hope she stays, too. The hospital has contracts with two dozen nurses from the Philippines, Thailand, Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria, all set to arrive in Montana by summer. More nurses from far-off places are likely.

Billings Clinic is just one of the scores of hospitals across the U.S. looking abroad to ease a shortage of nurses worsened by the pandemic. The national demand is so great that it’s created a backlog of health care professionals awaiting clearance to work in the U.S. More than 5,000 international nurses are awaiting final visa approval, the American Association of International Healthcare Recruitment reported in September.

“We are seeing an absolute boom in requests for international nurses,” said Lesley Hamilton-Powers, a board member of AAIHR and a vice president for Avant Healthcare Professionals in Florida.

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California extends mask mandate into February

by AJPRESS

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Hospitals recruit international nurses to fill pandemic shortages

San Francisco officials also announced more support for the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), including providing more masks for students and educators, and adding to the District supply of rapid antigen tests to support educators who are in

VAX CHECK. An officer of the Highway Patrol Group (HPG) inspects vaccination cards of passengers of a public utility bus along Marcos Highway in Antipolo City, Rizal en route to Metro Manila on Wednesday, January 12. The Transportation department ordered the enforcement of a “no vaccination, no ride/no entry” policy in public transport in the National Capital Region, in compliance with President Rodrigo Duterte’s order to restrict the movement of unvaccinated persons.

PNA photo by Joey O. Razon

AMID the surging cases of the omicron variant of the coronavirus, California is extending its statewide indoor mask mandate for another month.

The state Department of Public Health announced on January 5 that masks should be worn in all indoor public settings, regardless of vaccination status, until February 15. The mandate went into effect on Dec. 15, 2021 with expiration on Jan. 15, 2022, but will be extended for another month.

The move comes as the state has experienced an increase in seven-day average case rates by six times and doubling of hospitalizations.

“Omicron is here,” California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said on Wednesday, January 5. “We can’t abandon the tools that we’ve used to achieve our collective success throughout this pandemic.”

The guidance recommends wearing well-fitted masks, such as surgical masks or higher-level respirators, such as N95s, KN95s and KF94s, be worn when in indoor public settings.

Exemptions to mask requirements include those younger than two years old; individuals with a medical

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Experts warn: ‘Long COVID’ from Typhoon Odette casualties omicron coronavirus variant possible 2nd-biggest among world’s natural disasters in 2021

by DAPHNE

GALVEZ Inquirer.net

WHILE the Omicron COVID-19 variant appears to cause less severe illness compared to the Delta variant, it may be capable of causing long-term afterinfection effects otherwise known as “long COVID,” experts warned on on Tuesday, January 11.

Thus, Filipinos should not be complacent about catching the coronavirus, said Philippine Genome Center (PGC) chief

Cynthia Saloma, considering it is unclear who among carriers of the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 – whether they experienced mild or no symptoms – may develop long COVID. SARS-CoV-2 is the latest strain of coronavirus that causes severe respiratory illness COVID-19. It has undergone mutations that resulted in numerous variants including Delta and Omicron – said to be the most contagious of all.

“Gusto ko lang talaga i-emphasize din

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Pacquiao: Congress should look into alleged hacking of Comelec servers

by CHRISTIA

MARIE Inquirer.net

RAMOS

MANILA — Congress should look into the hacking of the servers of Commission on Elections (Comelec), presidential aspirant Senator Manny Pacquiao said on Tuesday, January 11.

In a statement, Pacquiao also urged the Comelec to “allow political parties to conduct an independent and third party audit on the extent of the alleged hacking incident.”

“Congress should exercise its oversight

by BEN

O. DE VERA Inquirer.net

MANILA — Typhoon Odette, which flattened six Philippine regions in December, had inflicted the second-biggest number of fatalities among the world’s natural disasters in 2021.

In a January 10 report, global

reinsurer Munich Re listed the strong August 14, 2021, earthquake in Haiti as last year’s deadliest natural catastrophe with 2,248 deaths. It was followed by the onslaught of Odette (international name: Rai), which killed 408 people.

Also in the top five in terms of fatalities was the massive

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powers in relation to Republic Act 8436 or the Automated Election Law. This is not the first time that the Comelec has been hacked and this shows very serious security flaws on the poll body’s computer system,” the senator said.

“Hindi na ito dapat palampasin at kailangang magpaliwanag ang Comelec kung ano ang totoong pangyayari at kung ano ang epekto nito sa darating na halalan,” he added.

(We should not let this slide and the Comelec needs to explain what really A family whose house was damaged, take shelter under a tree covered with iron sheets along

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a highway in Surigao City, Surigao del Norte province, last December 24, 2021.

Philstar.com photo

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January 14-20, 2022 • nOrCaL aSIan JOurnaL

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From the Front Page

SF issues new COVID-19 testing...

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quarantine being able to test back into the classroom. These efforts are on top of SFUSD’s work to expand testing support for both students and staff.

Under the new Mayoral Order, which was issued on Wednesday, January 12, the largest health systems — meaning those that own or operate a hospital — will now be required to produce documentation twice a week to the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) with proof of meeting patient testing needs in a timely manner. Failure to comply with the Mayoral Order may result in fines imposed by the City and County of San Francisco of up to $10,000 per day.

An average of 1,386 San Franciscans a day are testing positive for COVID-19 at testing sites, which is more than four times that of last winter’s peak at 373 cases per day. With more than 10,000 individuals tested daily in San Francisco, the Tuesday Order will help to slow transmission and keep schools, hospitals, homeless shelters, and other essential services operating. Since the beginning of the pandemic, SFDPH has been the largest provider of COIVD-19 tests in the city. SFDPH testing sites have been running at 500-900% of capacity since the current surge began.

“San Francisco has prioritized providing equitable access to testing for all of our residents, but with the Omicron variant rapidly spreading and challenges due to increased demand, we need more support from our health care partners,” said Mayor Breed. “As we learn to live with COVID-19, expanding our testing capacity is going to be critical to keeping our classrooms open, essential services running effectively, and

small businesses open. I also want to thank all the city staff working hard with our School District to provide more support as they do the important work to keep educating our children.”

While 81% of San Franciscans are vaccinated, and 58% of vaccinated residents have been boosted, the highly contagious Omicron-variant is still able to spread as breakthrough infections. This is impacting the city’s delivery of essential services and creating a strain on the public health system. As of Tuesday, 184 SFPD members, including 132 sworn officers, more than 250 staff at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, about 100 staff at Laguna Honda Hospital, 140 SFFD staff, and 167 SFMTA personnel have been exposed to COVID-19 and have entered or are entering quarantine. These departments are prioritizing essential operations and establishing contingency plans to address staffing concerns.

“We ask all our health system partners to do their part in providing urgently needed COVID-19 testing resources to their members when they need them. COVID-19 will be with us for the foreseeable future, requiring a timely response in treatments and preventative care like testing,” said Director of Health, Dr. Grant Colfax. “It is a requirement that all health systems provide timely tests to their patients and staff, and we are making sure they do so.”

With students returning to inperson learning last week, Mayor Breed and SFDPH continue to reaffirm that schools have been low-risk settings with the proper safety protocols in place and that even with the certainty of additional cases, the mental health and educational impacts

on students due to social isolation far outweigh the challenges of in-person learning. The city is working directly with SFUSD to provide a first series of 1,000 rapid tests to help educators test after quarantine to return to the classroom. The city is also providing 500,000 surgical masks for students, and 150,000 KN95 masks for staff.

“I want to recognize and thank the dedicated professionals at the Office of Contract Administration and the Department of Emergency Management who worked late into the evening to make sure harder to find protective masks and test kits would be readily available to our students and educators,” said City Administrator Carmen Chu. “The needs and interests of our children, their growth, learning and opportunities , are a top priority for this city.”

SFUSD is currently providing mobile rapid testing to students returning from winter break, in addition to SFDPH testing sites and the District’s ongoing Color testing program. Students are also receiving take-home rapid test kits supplied by the California Department of Public Health. For more information on testing for SFUSD students, please visit https://www.sfusd. edu/covid-19-response-updatesand-resources/covid-19-testingstudents/covid-19-testinglocations-and-dates.

“Our district is running one of the largest COVID-19 testing efforts in San Francisco,” said Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthews. “Our community has done a great job at following public health protocols throughout this fall and we plan to continue to follow guidance from public health experts. We are committed to keeping schools open.” n

Pacquiao: Congress should look into...

PAGE 1 happened and what are the effects seen on the upcoming polls.)

Congress should also be informed of any measures the Comelec will put in place in case the country’s automated polling system is compromised, according to Pacquiao.

On Monday, January 10,

the Manila Bulletin reported that hackers were allegedly able to breach the servers of Comelec and purportedly stole files including usernames and personal identification numbers of vote-counting machines.

Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez, however, said those information do not exist yet in the poll body’s systems because these

files have not been completed yet.

Jimenez, nevertheless, said the Comelec is still validating the alleged data breach.

Vice President Leni Robredo, who is seeking the presidency, and her vice presidential running mate Senator Francis Pangilinan have also expressed alarm over the alleged hacking of the Comelec servers. n

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NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • JANUARy 14-20, 2022

Hospitals recruit international nurses to fill... California ballot will be heavy on health...

PAGE 1 Avant recruits nurses from other countries and then works to place them in U.S. hospitals, including Billings Clinic. Before the pandemic, Avant would typically have orders from hospitals for 800 nurses. It currently has more than 4,000 such requests, Hamilton-Powers said.

“And that’s just us, a single organization,” added HamiltonPowers. “Hospitals all over the country are stretched and looking for alternatives to fill nursing vacancies.”

Foreign-born workers make up about a sixth of the U.S. nursing workforce, and the need is increasing, nursing associations and staffing agencies report, as nurses increasingly leave the profession. Nursing schools have seen an increase in enrollment since the pandemic, but that staffing pipeline has done little to offset today’s demand.

In fact, the American Nurses Association in September urged the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to declare the shortage of nurses a national crisis.

CGFNS International, which certifies the credentials of foreign-born health care workers to work in America, is the only such organization authorized by the federal government. Its president, Dr. Franklin Shaffer, said more hospitals are looking abroad to fill their staffing voids.

“We have a huge demand, a huge shortage,” he said.

Billings Clinic would hire 120 more nurses today if it could, hospital officials said. The staffing shortage was significant before the pandemic. The added demands and stress of covid have made it untenable.

Greg Titensor, a registered nurse and the vice president of operations at Billings Clinic, noted that three of the hospital’s most experienced nurses, all in the intensive care unit with at least 20 years of experience, recently announced their retirements.

“They are getting tired, and they are leaving,” Titensor said.

Last fall’s surge of covid cases resulted in Montana having the highest rate in the nation for a time, and Billings Clinics’ ICU was bursting with patients.

Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte sent the National Guard to Billings Clinic and other Montana hospitals; the federal government sent pharmacists and a naval medical team.

While the surge in Montana has subsided, active case numbers in Yellowstone County — home to the hospital — are among the state’s highest. The Billings Clinic ICU still overflows, mostly with covid patients, and signs still warn visitors that “aggressive behavior will not be tolerated,” a reminder of the threat of violence and abuse health care workers endure as the pandemic grinds on.

Like most hospitals, Billings Clinic has sought to abate its staffing shortage with traveling nurses — contract workers who

Mary Venus, a nurse from the Philippines, checks on a patient inside the in-patient surgical recovery unit at Billings Clinic in Billings, Montana.

Photo by Nick Ehli for KHN

typically go where the pandemic demands. The clinic has paid up to $200 an hour for their services, and, at last fall’s peak, had as many as 200 traveling nurses as part of its workforce.

The scarcity of nurses nationally has driven those steep payments, prompting members of Congress to ask the Biden administration to investigate reported gouging by unscrupulous staffing agencies.

Whatever the cause, satisfying the hospital’s personnel shortage with traveling nurses is not sustainable, said Priscilla Needham, Billings Clinic’s chief financial officer. Medicare, she noted, doesn’t pay the hospital more if it needs to hire more expensive nurses, nor does it pay enough when a covid patient needs to stay in the hospital longer than a typical covid patient.

From July to October, the hospital’s nursing costs increased by $6 million, Needham said. Money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the CARES Act has helped, but she anticipated November and December would further drive up costs.

Dozens of agencies place international nurses in U.S. hospitals. The firm that Billings Clinic chose, Avant, first puts the nurses through instruction in Florida in hopes of easing their transition to the U.S., said Brian Hudson, a company senior vice president.

Venus, with nine years of experience as a nurse, said her stateside training included clearing cultural hurdles like how to do her taxes and obtain car insurance.

“Nursing is the same all over the world,” Venus said, “but the culture is very different.”

Shaffer, of CGFNS International, said foreign-born nurses are interested in the U.S. for a variety of reasons, including the opportunity to advance their education and careers, earn more money or perhaps get married. For some, said Avant’s Hudson, the idea of living “the American dream” predominates.

The hitch so far has been getting the nurses into the

country fast enough. After jobs are offered and accepted, foreignborn nurses require a final interview to obtain a visa from the State Department, and there is a backlog for those interviews.

Powers explained that, because of the pandemic, many of the U.S. embassies where those interviews take place remain closed or are operating for fewer hours than usual.

While the backlog has receded in recent weeks, Powers described the delays as challenging. The nurses waiting in their home countries, she stressed, have passed all their necessary exams to work in the U.S. “It’s been very frustrating to

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PAGE 1 Kousser, who chairs the political science department at the University of California-San Diego.

“Health care is a massive industry, as well as something that affects people in their most vulnerable moments.”

Kousser, an expert in California’s initiative process, noted that big spending does not guarantee a win. He pointed to failed attempts by Mercury Insurance and its chairman in 2010 and 2012 to raise auto insurance premiums — ballot measures that voters rejected despite massive industry spending.

The flavored tobacco measure is the only one that has officially qualified for the general election ballot, but supporters of the medical malpractice proposal have collected enough signatures for it to qualify, according to the secretary of state’s office.

The health care industry isn’t waiting for the malpractice initiative to become official. The $43 million the California Medical Association, the California Hospital Association and their allies have given to defeat it represents nearly three-quarters of the amount they spent to successfully oppose a 2014 medical malpractice ballot measure, according to a KHN analysis of campaign finance records.

That’s also nearly four times what supporters of the 2014 initiative, which also would have increased the cap, raised for their entire campaign. This time, the author of the medical malpractice ballot measure said he plans to invest up to $40 million of his own money to counter the health

care industry’s opposition.

“I don’t back down,” trial attorney Nick Rowley told KHN. “We have a grassroots effort. They have no idea what is coming.”

The measure would raise California’s $250,000 cap on medical malpractice awards to about $1.2 million, adjusted annually for inflation. It also would change state law to allow a judge or jury to exceed the cap when a patient has been left permanently impaired, disfigured or disabled, or a loved one has died — categories that critics say would essentially include all patients and subject providers to a flood of lawsuits.

California lawmakers set the $250,000 cap in 1975 after doctors and hospitals complained that malpractice lawsuits were driving up costs and could push providers out of state.

More than four decades later, physicians and other providers are making a similar argument.

“The biggest fear that we have, if this is successful, is having to stretch resources that are already thin,” said Leslie Abasta-Cummings, CEO of Livingston Community Health and board chair for the Central Valley Health Network, which represents more than 100 health clinics. Patients, she warned, could “lose access in certain areas to health care.”

Rowley, a Montana resident who practices law nationwide, dismissed that argument, pointing to a growing number of states that no longer have a cap or have raised it. Doctors, he said, continue to practice in those states while California victims of malpractice have limited legal options.

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Health care providers are also gearing up to defend a 2020 state law that bans the sale of flavored tobacco products popular with young people who smoke or vape.

When lawmakers approved the ban, they argued that the tobacco industry should not be allowed to market menthol, candy and fruitflavored electronic cigarettes to children. Tobacco companies counter that the law removes legal products from the market that adults should be allowed to use — and that it discriminates against Black smokers who favor menthol cigarettes.

The California Coalition for Fairness — funded largely by tobacco giants R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. and Philip Morris USA and its affiliate U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co. — is trying to overturn the law with a referendum.

The coalition flexed its political muscle early, raising $21 million in the three months after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the legislation in August 2020.

Health care groups have banded together to defeat the ballot measure but are far behind, with just $2.7 million in contributions — nearly 60% of them coming from former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Several other health proposals could appear on the ballot: • Backers of a measure to decriminalize the possession and cultivation of psychedelic mushrooms have until March 15 to collect the needed signatures.

Psilocybin-containing mushrooms, known as “magic mushrooms,” are a Schedule I conu PAGE 4

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January 14-20, 2022 • nOrCaL aSIan JOurnaL

California extends mask mandate...

PAGE 1 condition or disability that prevents wearing a mask; persons who are hearing impaired, or communicating with a person who is hearing impaired, where the ability to see the mouth is essential for communication; or persons for whom wearing a mask would create a risk to the person related to their work, as determined by local, state, or federal regulators or workplace safety guidelines.

With the statewide guidance, Los Angeles County this week also announced that those who work indoors will be required to wear medical-grade masks starting Jan. 17.

The county’s Public Health Department modified its health order to reduce transmission risks for employees who work indoors in close contact with others. The mandate notes that employers will be required to provide their employees with the masks.

The health order also aligns with the state’s guidelines for attendance threshold for mega events — outdoor mega events, the new attendance threshold has been lowered to 5,000 attendees,

and for indoor mega events, the new threshold is 500 attendees.

“Given the explosive spread of the virus, activities that put us in close contact with many other people now have an increased risk. As such, everyone needs to be sensible about how to protect themselves and those they love by layering on protections whenever around non-household members. At work, this means upgrading your mask if you work indoors and you are in contact with other workers or members of the public. At entertainment venues, this means limiting the time you spend without wearing your upgraded mask. And for other activities, this may mean postponing your participation until community transmission is much reduced,” Dr. Barbara Ferrer, director of the LA County Department of Public Health said.

On Friday, January 7, the county recorded 43,712 new positive cases, setting a record for one day, with a positivity rate of 20.9%. The previous day was another record-breaking case load with over 37,000 cases.

Public Health has identified a total 1,887,526 positive cases of

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COVID-19 across all areas of the county.

The county also confirmed 28 additional deaths and 43,712 new cases of COVID-19. Of the 28 new deaths reported, three people were between the ages of 30 and 49, four were between the ages of 50-64, 15 were between the ages of 65-79, and four were over the age of 80 years old. Of the 28 newly reported deaths, 24 had underlying conditions. To date, the total number of deaths in LA County is 27,756.

With the new modifications given the surge, public health officials continue to urge individuals to get vaccinated and boosted to prevent severe cases.

“Every resident can also do their part to protect our healthcare personnel and hospitals. Please get vaccinated or boosted as soon as possible if eligible,” Ferrer said. “Vaccinated individuals are between ten and thirty times less likely to need hospital care than those unvaccinated. We ask that you do not go to the emergency room unless you need care for a serious medical concern and please do not call 911 unless you have a life-threatening emergency.” n

Hospitals recruit international nurses to fill...

PAGE 3 have nurses poised to arrive, and we just can’t bring them in,” Powers said.

Once they arrive, the international nurses in Billings will remain employees of Avant, although after three years the clinic can offer them permanent positions. Clinic administrators stressed that the nurses are paid the same as its local nurses with equivalent experience. On top of that, the hospital pays a fee to Avant.

More than 90% of Avant’s international nurses choose to stay in their new communities, Hudson said, but Billings Clinic hopes to better that mark.

Welcoming them to the city will be critical, said Sara Agostinelli, the clinic’s director of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. She has even offered winter driving lessons.

The added diversity will benefit the city, Agostinelli said. Some nurses will bring their spouses; some will bring their children.

“We will help encourage what Billings looks like and who Billings is,” she said.

Pae Junthanam, a nurse from Thailand, said he was initially worried about coming to Billings after learning that Montana’s population is nearly 90% white and less than 1% Asian. The chance to advance his career, however, outweighed the concerns of moving. He also hopes his partner of 10 years will soon be able to join him.

Since his arrival in November, Junthanam said, his neighbors have greeted him warmly, and one shop owner, after learning he was a nurse newly arrived from Thailand, thanked him for his service.

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Typhoon Odette casualties 2nd-biggest...

PAGE 1 flooding in central China’s Henan province in July 2021, which took 302 lives; 272 were killed in Australia, Indonesia and Timor-Leste due to tropical cyclone Seroja in April 2021; and the winter storm, as well as cold wave frost that swept the United States and Mexico in February 2021, recorded 235 fatalities.

In a statement, Munich Re described the aftermath of the super typhoon in the Philippines as a “humanitarian catastrophe.”

“Many of the weather catastrophes fit in with the expected consequences of climate change, making greater loss preparedness and climate protection a matter of urgency,”

Munich Re said.

“Scientists anticipate that the proportion of severe storms and of storms with extreme rainfall will increase because of climate change. Even though events cannot automatically be attributed to climate change, analysis of the changes over decades provides plausible indications of a connection with the warming of the atmosphere and the oceans. Adapting to increasing risks due to climate change will be a challenge,” said Ernst Rauch, Munich Re’s chief climate and geoscientist as well as head of its climate solutions unit.

About 9,200 people died due to natural catastrophes worldwide in 2021, up from around 8,200

in the previous year.

In terms of economic cost inflicted by natural disasters, the onslaught of hurricane Ida in the US and Canada from August to September 2021 ranked No. 1 with $65 billion in overall losses.

It also had the biggest insured losses among natural disasters that struck across the globe last year, with $36 billion.

Globally, natural calamities like earthquakes, floods, storms, and wildfires destroyed a total of $280 billion worth of assets, of which only $120 billion or less than half in value had been insured, Munich Re said. Losses last year rose from $210 billion in 2020 and $166 billion in 2019, the German reinsurer’s estimates showed n

Experts warn: ‘Long COVID’ from omicron...

PAGE 1 na mayroon pong isang aspect that we have not put into the equation, this is the possibility of long COVID. So, very, very important that as much as possible, if we can help it na hindi tayo ma-infect,” she said.

(I want to emphasize that there is one aspect that we have not put into the equation, this is the possibility of long COVID. So, very, very important that as much as possible, if we can help it that we do not get infected.)

“Kasi hindi natin talaga

maintindihan pa o malaman pa kung sino sa mga pasyenteng nag-positive, even with mild or asymptomatic kung magdidevelop ng long COVID; because that is also a possibility,” she added.

(Because we still cannot understand or determine who among the COVID-19 patients, even with mild symptoms or asymptomatic, would develop long COVID; because that is also a possibility.)

Saloma’s statement comes after microbiologist Fr. Nicanor Austriaco said that Omicron

could become the “nature’s vaccine” to protect the public against COVID-19 – which “remains to be seen” according to the PGC chief.

For pediatric infectious disease expert Dr. Anna Ong-Lim, it is still best to avoid contracting the coronavirus since it may lead to other complications.

“We can never predict sino sa mga tinamaan ang magkakaroon ng kumplikayson, including long COVID,” she said.

(We can never predict who will have complications, including long COVID.) n

California ballot will be heavy on health...

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Mary Venus, a nurse from the Philippines, on duty at Billings Clinic in Billings, Montana.

Photo by Nick Ehli for KHN

“I am far from home, but I feel like this is like another home for me,” he said. (Nick Ehli/Kaiser Health News) This story was produced by KHN (Kaiser Health News), a national newsroom that produces indepth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation. n

trolled substance under federal law. A growing number of states and cities — including Oakland, Santa Cruz and Arcata in California — have decriminalized the mushrooms.

• A health care worker union is back with a third try to regulate dialysis clinics via the ballot process, calling for greater transparency of clinic ownership and tougher staffing requirements.

If the past is any indication, the dialysis industry will once again spend heavily to defeat the initiative should the SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West union get the signatures it needs by April 27. The industry defeated two earlier dialysis ballot measures, flooding the airwaves with ads and spending $111 million in 2018 and $105 million in 2020.

• Frustrated by school and business closures during the pandemic, backers of one proposed initiative want to limit business restrictions during public health and other emergencies to 30 days, unless they are extended every 30 days by state and local lawmakers. The proposal would require big box retailers to be treated as small businesses, noting that many small businesses were forced to shutter early in the pandemic while larger retailers remained open. The proposal also describes schools as an essential service that should remain open “to the maximum extent possible.” Supporters have until May 3 to collect signatures.

A proposal to strengthen California’s public health system, which proponents say has

crumbled during the covid-19 pandemic, would increase the personal income tax rate by an additional three-quarters of a percentage point on income over $5 million. The tax would last 10 years and generate up to $1.5 billion a year. Half the proceeds would fund an institute to detect and prevent new disease outbreaks, 25% would pay for safety upgrades at schools, and 25% would help rebuild local public health workforces and infrastructure. Backers have until May 23 to gather signatures. (Samantha Young/Kaiser Health News) California Healthline’s Angela Hart contributed to this report.

This story was produced by KHN, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation. n

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Dateline PhiliPPines

NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • JANUARy 14-20, 2022

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‘No vaccine, no ride’ on public transport panned as impractical, violative of rights

by Franco Luna Philstar.com

MANILA — Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade has ordered a “no vaccination, no ride” policy on public transportation throughout Metro Manila, which transport groups say violates Filipinos’ right to mobility and skirts responsibility for vaccination.

This comes after Metro Manila’s mayors unanimously agreed to restrict the mobility of unvaccinated people in the capital region. A number of local governments have already passed ordinances banning the unvaccinated from entering malls and establishments in their localities.

The Department of Transportation said the policy’s implementation will be “initially in the National Capital Region” while Alert Level 3 or higher remains in effect pending the decision of the coronavirus task force.

Tugade said the DO takes effect immediately after publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation, and the submission of a copy with the Office of the National Administrative Register, U.P. Law Center.

“All concerned attached agencies and sectoral offices of DOTr are directed to ensure that operators of public transportation shall allow access or issue tickets only to ‘fully vaccinated persons’ as evidenced by a physical or digital copy of an LGU (local government unit)-issued vaccine card, or any IATF-prescribed document, with a valid government-issued ID with picture and address,” the DOTr department order read.

‘Cumbersome for transport workers, commuters’ According to the DO, a person is considered fully vaccinated against COVID-19 two weeks after receiving their second dose in a two-dose vaccination series, such as with the Pfizer or Moderna brand of vaccines, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine such as with Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine.

Sought for comment, The Passenger Forum convenor Primo Morillo told Philstar.com in a

phone call that while the commuter advocacy group is provaccine, vaccine access remains the main issue that the department order fails to address.

“We know we aren’t efficient with our vaccine rollout, [so] it’s hard to do given the vaccines aren’t readily available. How are you going to do that in a jeep where they don’t have doctors and they’re not terminal-to-terminal? People will be rushing, will you be checking them one by one?” he said in mixed Filipino and English.

“For the longest time, they couldn’t even implement social distancing for practical reasons...

This will only make it difficult for commuters as well as drivers and conductors even though in reality, they do not have a quick and effective way to identify who is fully vaccinated and who is not.”

As of this writing, only 67.8 percent of Metro Manila residents are fully vaccinated.

“How does the DOTr think of this? It will cause more problems, and it doesn’t address the root reason why many are not getting vaccinated, which is access. By this time, they should be able to map who is getting vaccinated and who is not...Before the government can think of these things, we should be ensuring vaccines are available first. Why aren’t they going house to house to vaccinate for example?”

In a text message, Pagkakaisa ng Manggagawa sa Transportasyon convenor Dante Lagman told Philstar.com that the policy’s implementation “would be too cumbersome for public transport workers who actually to don’t have access to vaccinated persons database.”

“It has no legal basis to stand on and, in fact, violates existing laws...After two years, we should already be able to ‘live with COVID’, if only the health system was strengthened enough to accommodate patients and home care introduced extensively,” he said.

“If unvaccinated workers are not allowed on public transport to get to work then it is tantamount to being a requirement for work.”

The COVID-19 Vaccination

Program Act of 2021 or Republic Act No. 11525 provides that vaccine cards shall not be considered as an additional mandatory requirement for educational and employment purposes.

The pandemic task force has, however, made it policy to require vaccination for on-site work in certain industries and for unvaccinated workers to take regular RT-PCR tests at their own expense.

‘Violation of the right to mobility’ In a statement, Partido Lakas ng Masa presidential aspirant and labor leader Leody de Guzman called the policy an “explicit coercion of the masses,” saying that the resurgence in coronavirus cases came after the national government “eased all restrictions to increase the consumption of the people at Christmas as a solution to revive businesses and profits.”

De Guzman called on the Duterte administration to accelerate and expand the vaccination drive by providing incentives for hesitant Filipinos to get vaccinated.

“One solution is to provide paid leaves by the private and public sectors to their workers. Houseto-house vaccinations may also be considered, as some LGUs have done in the distribution of aid,” he said in Filipino.

“It is infuriating that for two years now, the Duterte regime has not responded to these calls properly,” he said.

PLM vice presidential bet Walden Bello slammed the policy as being too tight, saying it is better to just provide financial incentives for those who complete the COVID-19 vaccine than to be strict.

“Yes, [vaccine] certificates should be checked, but segregation, not repression is the answer, as in the case of restaurants. Unvaccinated people should be able to ride buses and public transportation specifically designated for them, just as in restaurants,” he told reporters in a Viber message.

“There is already a negative incentive here, since [unvaccinated] people have to wait lon-

VACCINATE

KIDS 5+ TO PROTECT

THEM FROM

COVID-19 Talk to a doctor or learn more by visiting MyTurn.ca.gov or calling 833-422-4255

READY TO FLY. Passengers line up for security and health checks at the entrance of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 on Wednesday, January 12. Some flights have been canceled due to soaring coronavirus infections among crew members of airline companies.

PNA photo by Avito Dalan

ger for special buses, but it is not draconian and repressive.”

Under the Order, the department said that violations of the policy are considered violations of applicable general safety and health provisions under any concession or service agreements, authority or permits to operate of public transportation, and other similar instruments.

“That’s what’s confusing about it because that means Tugade is worse than the former generals in the IATF. Before they said they’d just tell [violators] to go home. This time there’s an actual violation,” Morillo said.

“Not allowing them in malls, that’s not essential. But commuting? That’s so essential. If it’s debatable with going to malls, this time, there’s really a violation of the right to mobility.”

The Department Order also exempts just two groups from the policy, namely: • Persons with medical conditions that prevent their full COVID-19 vaccination as shown by a duly-signed medical certificate with the name and contact details of their doctor.

• Persons who will buy essential goods and services, such as but not limited to food, water, medicine, medical devices, public utilities, energy, work, and medical and dental necessities, as shown by a duly issued barangay health pass or other proof to justify the travel.

“We are exempted as consumers, but we are not exempted as workers. That just means you can

buy, you can go out if you want to spend, but not if you want to work and earn. Both of those are important to the economy and to the lives of people,” Morillo said.

“While the right to travel may be infringed under circumstances such as those existing now, to us, it is simply diverting blame away from the government who has failed to take us to the new normal,” Lagman added.

DoTr: No discrimination AAt a press briefing on Wednesday, January 12, Transportation Undersecretary Artemio Tuazon Jr., who represents the DOTr before the IATF, said that he expected the policy to be fully effective by next Monday to give passengers time to prepare. He added, however, that it was “continually being implemented today.”

“I don’t think there will be discrimination...we are not limiting their right to transportation, but they will not be able to use public transportation. They have other means of transportation,” he said when asked about the criticisms over the policy.

Asked how the DOTr can operationalize the policy, Tuazon said that the burden of the policy is on drivers and operators who will have to check if each passenger is able to present a vaccination card before allowing them to board.

According to Tuazon, enforcers will “work together” to implement the policy in road transportation while the PNP and its Highway Patrol Group has already been asked to help.

He said that the department was looking at “points of checking” but clarified that these are “not necessarily checkpoints.”

Responding to critics, Transportation spokesperson Goddess Libiran said: “It is more anti-poor and anti-life if our countrymen are infected and infect others because they are not vaccinated.”

“Worse, if they infect our public transport personnel, it will be more dangerous and more people will be affected.

We want to prevent a repeat of the public transport shutdown...

We are doing everything we can to maintain and keep our public transport operations safe and running,” she told reporters in a Viber message.

According to data from the Japan International Cooperation Agency, though, around 71% of households in Metro Manila do not own private vehicles and have to rely on public transportation.

“They seem to have forgotten that the reason people take public transport is because they have no choice, they do not have their own vehicles,” Morillo said in Filipino.

“It is true that others already use a bicycle but first, not everyone has the ability to buy or even use it. Besides not all areas have been reached by bike lanes. It is obvious that our transport officials do not experience the difficulty of commuting and other problems of the simple passenger.” n

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JANUARY 14-20, 2022 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL

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OPINION

FEATURES

2022 feels like a second chance IN considering how we would greet this new year, we took a look back to the impressions we shared in The Manila Times’ editorial on New Year’s Day 2021: “Last night’s turn of the year was more than the usual transition that we make with the passing of the old year and the advent of a new year,” we observed then. “We said goodbye to 2020, which will enter the world’s annals as a never-before milestone that we hope will never again be repeated.”

Much of the rest of the editorial focused on the significance of 2021 being the quincentennial of Ferdinand Magellan’s arrival in the islands that would thereafter be known as the Philippines, a historic event that was important not just for this country, but for the entire world. The arrival of Magellan’s expedition, though that did not have a good result for the explorer personally, completed the circumnavigation of the globe, the point at which familiar sea routes from West-to-East finally met one from East-to-West. It was our hope then that the historic occasion would inspire the country to make 2021 “a year of resurgence and rediscovery of our significance to the world.”

Let us be the first to acknowledge that that is obviously not how things worked out. The Magellan quincentennial passed with hardly anyone notic-

ing, as this country struggled along with the rest of the world with a year that quickly seemed to be a continuation of the one before it and perhaps, even worse in some respects. There was some progress; the country’s battered economy began to recover some of the ground it lost in 2020, and the availability of vaccines against Covid-19 – a development that was, we should not forget, miraculous for its speed and scale despite lingering problems of unequal distribution – gave us a justifiable sense that we were, at least, beginning to get the upper hand on the pandemic.

Yet, the year ends with the looming threat of another dangerous variant of the coronavirus, one which is already rampaging across other parts of the world; a third of the country in tatters from a powerful, late-season typhoon; and a variety of growing economic and geopolitical pressures that threaten to derail our progress. What happened in 2021 has been extensively reviewed elsewhere; but again, it seems, we are saying goodbye to a year “that we hope will never again be repeated.”

(ManilaTimes.net)

Editorial

ManilaTimes.net photo

Filipino heroes during this pandemic

Babe’s Eye View BABE ROMUALDEZ THERE is absolutely no doubt that if there is anyone who has suffered from this pandemic and sacrificed a lot for this country in so many ways, it is the overseas Filipino worker, enduring the heartache of being separated from loved ones for very long periods of time.

Prior to assuming my post as ambassador to the United States, the President’s marching orders was to see to it that the welfare and interest of our OFWs are attended to and, more importantly, that their rights are protected. I am very well aware of the sacrifices that an OFW has to make, mainly for the welfare and benefit of his family, but ultimately – for the country.

During the first few months following the onset of the COVID19 pandemic, I saw firsthand the anguish, distress and depression that Filipino seafarers had to go through because of repatriation problems. Close to 85,000 Filipinos were working in cruise

ships based out of Florida and the Caribbean, but COVID19 caused unprecedented disruption on the cruise industry. The impact was so devastating: passengers were stranded, cruise ships were refused entry to ports, borders started to close. Filipino cruise industry workers – who comprise about one third of the global industry – were forced to go on leave and go home.

We set in motion the immediate repatriation of our seafarers, finally convincing cruise liners to bring their ships to the Philippines for easier transport of our OFWs in large numbers. Arriving in Manila Bay after one month, the seafarers had to endure additional months on the ships for processing, testing and quarantine, with the procedure taking long because of the sheer number of returning OFWs. One can only imagine the frustration and depression that they were going through – so much so that one of them killed himself while two others died while waiting for a negative COVID-19 test result.

When Afghanistan was

overtaken by the Taliban, we assisted in the repatriation of OFWs, coordinating with our friends at the U.S. Pentagon to secure the necessary flight clearances for the Philippines’ repatriation effort. The whole world saw how chaotic the situation was in Kabul, with Afghans desperately trying to flee their country. One can only imagine how nerve-wracking it must have been for Filipinos and other foreign workers who also feared for their lives.

There is absolutely no question that the creation of the Department of Migrant Workers is the right thing to do for our OFWs to address the issues and problems that hound them such as red tape, illegal recruiters and emergency assistance when they are in distressful situations in host countries. The DMW, which will have offices in every region in the country, will serve as a onestop-shop that would streamline processes as it will integrate different government agencies that deal with OFW concerns such as the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, the Overseas Workers Welfare

Administration, the International Labor Affairs Bureau of the Department of Labor and Employment, all Philippine Overseas Labor Offices and other similar agencies.

I can say this, Filipino overseas workers are highly appreciated and preferred by foreign employers because they are hardworking, reliable and are really good at what they do.

These “modern-day heroes” are our major asset, and even during this pandemic, they continue to step up and have been a strong pillar of the economy because of their remittances which, according to the latest report from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, grew by 5.4 percent from January-October 2021 to $28.82 billion – with remittances coming from the US accounting for 40.9 percent and emerging as the major source of remittances.

On the other side of the coin, there are also other Filipino heroes – wealthy individuals who have done so much in assisting people and helping the country during this pandemic.

They are businessmen and top executives of some of

the biggest companies in the country who came to the aid of victims of calamities and disasters, the most recent of which was Typhoon Odette that killed over 400 people and whose damage to agriculture is estimated at P11.5 billion.

We have the SM group headed

by Tessie Sy-Coson, SMC’s Ramon Ang as well as Manny Pangilinan and countless others who utilized their resources in providing assistance to families that were displaced.

One individual who has done more than expected, quietly doing his part to help Filipinos without fanfare, is a tycoon who I know hates publicity but whose Manila Water Foundation sent truckloads of drinking water and hygiene products to communities battered by Typhoon Odette.

Aside from linemen and engineers, his Group also deployed a boat to hasten power restoration efforts, with electricity restored in 18 hours. What stands out for many Filipinos, however, is the tycoon’s efforts in helping the government manage the pandemic situation through his Foundation, in particular the purchase of Moderna vaccines,

the construction of quarantine facilities and vaccination rollouts through the Nayong Pilipino Foundation Drive Through and another vaccination center in Parañaque City.

With the Omicron variant now present in the Philippines and daily cases surging once again, fully vaccinated Filipinos are truly grateful for the help from the businessman’s Foundation. I know this tycoon hates publicity, even having PR people in his employ to make sure that his name is kept out of the limelight as much as possible.

I must admit there are many more Filipinos helping their fellowmen out of the goodness of their hearts, not thinking of profit but simply following the Lord’s teachings.

“Blessed are they who help those in need, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.

*** Email: babeseyeview@gmail.com

No one is above the law

As A Matter of Fact SARA SOLIVEN DE GUZMAN WHAT happened last week during the Comelec hearing of Bong Bong Marcos’ disqualification case showed the Filipinos that no one is above the law. The same goes for the ‘Poblacion girl’ and the accused Pharmally officers.

Let’s begin with BBM’s absence during the Comelec hearing. Why didn’t he go?

Why didn’t he show up? If his intentions were sincere, he would have raised hell or gone through high waters to show up. Was he sick with the COVID virus in the first place?

Wasn’t he only exposed to two COVID-19 positive people? So, why couldn’t he show up virtually? His absence actually delayed the proceedings because his lawyers were not ready with a medical certificate which is a standard protocol. Even students in grade school know that when you are absent due to sickness or an urgent matter, you have to inform your teacher formally.

I noticed how the lawyers were allegedly delaying the proceedings in many ways even if they said they didn’t want to delay it. I felt it was unbecoming of a professional

group whose client is running for the highest office in the country, the President of the Philippines. I expected a higher form of representation, not to mention from BBM himself.

Shouldn’t he show the Filipinos how professional he is?

How truthful, committed he is to the people? This is not only about the law but about the relationship BBM is establishing with the Filipinos.

This brings to mind many recollections I have of BBM during the seventies and the eighties. He had a bad reputation of always acting as if he were above the law. There were many horror stories told about him during his heyday.

Well, yes during the Marcos Era, the first family and their cronies were truly above the law, while many Filipinos going against their will were silenced. But later, the people who had enough of their corruption and antics started to cry foul, thus, the People Power Revolution.

Now, does BBM think he can continue to act like a spoiled brat? If his conscience were clear, he should have shown the nation how sick he was via the television or the digital screen. And by so doing, he would have earned more respect. But no, he chose otherwise.

Anyway, I checked why there seems to be a feeling that BBM’s league of lawyers were trying to delay the hearing of the case(s). I found out that maybe they are trying to delay the proceedings because they know that Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon is scheduled to retire next month. I’m just guessing here because the Commissioner is a tough one. She will bring out the truth. She has always fought for justice all her life and will make sure it is served. I don’t know the rule on whether Guanzon will have to complete this case since she started it or if she will she have to turn it over to another commissioner when she retires. Abangan! * * * So, what happened to the Poblacion girl? Her name is Gwyneth Chua. Hell broke loose when she arrived on Dec. 23 from the United States, checked in at the Berjaya Hotel in Makati and attended a party that same day in Poblacion, Makati.

How did she get away from being supposedly quarantined in the hotel? Why did her parents encourage her to break the rules? How was she able to join a party without being checked with a QR code as we always are when entering res-

taurants, malls, etc.?

The worst part of this conundrum is that she was a “gate crasher” in the party she attended that night. How pathetic! How desperate can you be? Susmariosep!

I mentioned in one of my columns a few weeks ago that this story is not new. There have been many travelers who have done this but were not caught. Of course, again under the patronage of the powerful and the well-connected bigwigs. But truly, if you were a decent person, would you really want to risk the lives of other people just because you can get away with flaunting the law?

So, the saga continues when on Dec. 27, her RT-PCR test result came out and it was positive for COVID-19. Later, it was found out that her fellow party-goers, the restaurant staff and other patrons also tested positive. Now, you may ask, did she bring the virus to the party? It may be difficult to prove this but the bottom line is she breached all protocols, including attending a party uninvited.

So, now, can the Chua family use their powerful connections to stop the cases filed against them? Are they still above the law? Last week, the Criminal Investigation and

Detection Group (CIDG) filed a complaint before the Makati Prosecutor’s Office against Gwyneth Chua, her parents, her boyfriend and hotel personnel. They were cited for violating Republic Act 11332 or Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Disease and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act. The Department of Tourism, on the other hand, “suspended the accreditation of Berjaya Hotel in Makati and revoked its permit as a Multiple-Use Hotel for its failure to stop a guest from breaking quarantine rules. The hotel was also fined twice the rate of its most expensive room.”

Now, thanks to our DOT Secretary who is also a tough cookie, she will make sure that justice is served. What is important now is that all agencies work together to toughen up restrictions and implementation of the law. If we want to get the number of our COVID19 cases down to the single digits, we must work hard to achieve it. * * * Let’s not forget about the Pharmally corruption case.

This should stick with us because it is such a painful act to note how government officials may be part of this very bad scheme. I cannot even think of how people have the gall to

indulge in such corrupt practices. Imagine trying to get one over the people during a pandemic? Sanamagan!

The mind-boggling part of this scandal is why the President seems to be bothered by the Senate hearings conducted by Senator Richard Gordon? I’m confused! Is the President trying to protect the scammers? This is the biggest corruption scandal during this COVID-19 crisis affecting all the Filipinos. We are talking of billions of pesos in unaccounted receipts and overpriced supplies of government procurement.

I am still thankful that we have a ‘check and balance’ system in place. In reality, however, this is made possible only by people who create a stir and who are determined to work on a just society. We need to raise the type of leaders we choose to serve us and beware of those who hide in the dark.

The moral of all three stories is founded in the power of KARMA. As the saying goes, what goes around comes around! (Philstar.com) *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.

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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Fe atu re s

GREEN CARD ACQUIRED AFTER BEING TNT FOR NEARLY 20 YEARS THIS SUNDAY ON CITIZEN PINOY. Marie was petitioned as single by her father in the ‘90s, but she got married in 1998, revoking her father’s petition. The marriage did not last, and in 2002, Marie and her three children went to the U.S. as tourists. Since then, they had been overstaying and living in fear. Marie’s mother, a green card holder, petitioned her daughter this time. Marie had consulted with four attorneys who all told her she had to go back to the Philippines once her priority date becomes current. Marie refused to go back to the motherland for fear that she might not be able to return to the U.S. She consulted with leading U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel who was able to find a way for Marie to remain in the U.S. and be interviewed here, and eventually get her green card in October 2021. Watch this success story on an encore episode of “Citizen Pinoy” on Sunday, January 16 at 7:00 PM PT (10:00 PM ET) through select Cable/Satellite providers, right after TV Patrol Linggo.

(Advertising Supplement)

Told she must leave, Marie was able to receive her green card in the US! IN 2002, Marie and her three children visited the U.S. as tourists. They planned to visit family and then return home to the Philippines. However, Marie later decided to remain and became out of status.

In 2009, Marie’s mother, a green card holder, petitioned Marie in the F2B category.

When the priority date on her petition became current, she consulted with at least four attorneys, all of whom told her that because she was out of status, she had to go back to the Philippines to apply for her immigrant visa.

But Marie did not want to go back because she was worried about the uncertainty of applying in the Philippines, and that she might not be able to return to the U.S.

She finally decided to consult with the “Attorney of Last Hope,” Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel, who was able to find a way for Marie to apply for a green card (adjust status) in the U.S. After retaining Attorney Gurfinkel, Marie got her green card in October 2021 in the U.S., and can now get healthcare, find a better job, and enjoy the other benefits of being a green card holder.

Watch this success story on an encore episode of “Citizen Pinoy” on Sunday, January 16 at 7:00 PM PT (10:00 PM ET thru select Cable/Satellite providers), right after TV Patrol Linggo. Citizen Pinoy is also available on iWantTFC. Viewers may download free app.

(Advertising Supplement)

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Friday, January 14, 2022

INSIDE >>> L I F E S T Y L E • C O N S U M E R G U I D E • C O M M U N I T Y • M A R K E T P L A C E

Coco Martin, Lito Lapid shooting movie about Kapampangan culture, food celebrityworld

By Ferdie Villar TWO actors synonymous with action flicks are currently shooting a movie – not an action/ adventure movie, but one that features food and culture.

“FPJ’s Ang Probinsiyano” star Coco Martin and Senator Lito Lapid, who’s starred in countless

action flicks in his heydays in the movies, are in the Brillante Mendoza food movie “Apag” (Hapag), according to an article in the Philippine Star.

Senator Lapid had to adjust to the new normal nowadays of lock-in shoots after not having

Joko Diaz, son of the late actor Paquito Diaz, is the latest ‘90s movie star to revive his movie career during the pandemic.

Photo from Instagram/@akosijoko

faced the movie cameras for years.

“I felt that we were snubbing people,” he was quoted as saying. “We couldn’t move around during the lock-in shoot (in Pampanga).”

Lapid added that he is excited to work with Mendoza, a fellow Kapampangan who won the best director award for the film “Kinatay” at the Cannes Film Festival.

“He’s very good. He describes the scene to you and lets you interpret it. You can lengthen your dialogues if you want to.

The atmosphere is relaxing,” the senator described his experience so far.

But he also said that this does not mean that the director has no set rules. He clarified that Mendoza is strict and meticulous, and insists on excellence.

As for the film, Senator Lapid grabbed the chance to be in the film as it fulfilled his dream of working with the brilliant director. Coco Martin had recommended to the director that Lapid be included in the Kapampangan film. Lapid was governor of Pampanga from 1995 to 2004, and started his political career in the province.

“The film depicts Pampanga culture, especially its famous cuisine,” he states, adding that the shoot was a breeze for him as the dialogues are in Kapampangan.

He also posted on Instagram a photo with him and co-star Martin while on the shoot, essentially inviting people to look out for this exciting film this 2022.

“Apag,” according to the article, is being eyed for local and international release. *** And talking about stars from yesteryears making a comeback in the movies, Joko Diaz, who about two decades ago was in the Viva stable of young stars and making movies, is starring in a few Viva movies after deciding to return to his home studio, according to an article in PEP.ph.

Joko is the son of the late actor Paquito Diaz and his uncle was also an actor, the late Romy Diaz.

It took about two years of negotiations before the actor decided to return to Viva, which is also handling the career of his daughter, Ashley, who is being paired as a loveteam with Andre Yllana, the son of actors Jomari Yllana and Aiko Melendez.

“Boss Vic and I talked about it because my daughter had recently signed with Viva,” he explained. “It’s two years in the making before I returned to Viva.

Now that I am back, ‘Hugas’ was my first project. That was what was initially given to me.”

“Boss Vic told me, ‘Get a feel for everything first. Test the waters,’ of course, since I am new to their grouping (referring to the new stars he would be working with). What’s good is that the director, Roman Perez Jr., is no stranger to me as he had been my director from before,.

And then, I got to work with Jay Manalo so I enjoyed myself” he continued.

“It’s been twenty years since I’ve been gone from Viva. I’m

Senator Lito Lapid (left) and Coco Martin while on the “Apag” film shooting. The movie features Pampanga’s culture and cuisine.

Photo from Instagram/@senatorlitolapid

happy that Boss Vic does not forget (actors like) us. Thank you to the press for not forgetting us,” he further stated.

For Joko’s “Hugas” co-star Jay, he relished the experience of working again with the actor, who became one of his very first friends in the industry when Manalo started in 1994.

“When I was new at Viva, Joko was the one who guided me. He truly became one of my friends.

He is a true person, he has no airs,” Jay said.

Aside from “Hugas,” Jay and Joko worked together on the film “Siklo.” Joko returns to leading man category in the film “Kinsenas, Katapusan.”

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Health @Heart PhiliP S. Chua, MD, FaCS, FPCS THIS new variant of the SARSCoV2 virus of COVID-19 (Deltacron) is not totally a surprise. We have predicted for the past two years that new variants would keep on developing so long as there are unvaccinated people.

Those 20 percent (about 60 million) who refused the vaccines have been “percolating,” replicating, mutating into new viruses in their bodies, which were (are) acting like a giant reservoir (a factory). They are developing new strains of the virus, and acting as carriers, spreading the virus around, albeit unintentionally, but nonetheless, making the situation worse by increasing hospitalizations and deaths, and enabling the pandemic to linger longer, indefinitely.

From the original virus of December 2019, to Delta, to Omicron, and now the Deltacron (Delta-Omicron, first detected in Cyprus.), these are the variants “manufactured” in the bodies of mostly the unvaccinated. Without a warm body, a host, the virus will self-destruct and end the pandemic rapidly. That’s why everybody should be vaccinated.

The unvaccinated are at the gravest risk. More than 95 percent of those infected and hospitalized (on ventilators) are unvaccinated.

The massive surges in COVID19 infection led to about 5 million cases in one week alone, 488,000 two Wednesdays ago, and 1.5 million cases last Monday (January 10), including children, and filling up hospital beds around the country. Omicron is severely contagious. Hopefully, the Deltacron would be as mild as the Omicron, but we do not know yet, Scientists are still observing its clinical behavior, transmission/hospitalization/kill rate, compared to the original Wuhan virus, the Delta and the Omicron.

In the meantime, as a general health caveat, prevention is the best “cure” for a serious killer like the COVID-19 virus. Limiting our travels to essential ones even near our home, avoiding crowds, face (mouth and nose) covering with KN95 mask, social distancing, and frequent handwashing are good preventive measures to do religiously, almost to a paranoid degree (medical vigilance with wisdom and compassion for oth-

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Here comes Deltacron! ers).

Personally, as a teenAGED cardiac surgeon with common medical issues, I even use a gaiter over my KN95 mask whenever I go out to the pharmacy, grocery, or UPS store, and do social distancing religiously. Just like a SWAT team wearing two bullet-proof vests in grave instances.

I am doing this because even with the CDC best-recommended KN95 mask, I know I could still get the virus mostly from unvaccinated carriers. When it is inevitable that some people pass by me, I even try to hold my breath till no one is near me.

Overdoing it? Crazy? Perhaps, but health is wealth and fabulous, and life, wonderful and priceless, irreplaceable, as far as I am concerned. I want to avoid any possible danger within my power and control. I have but one life, without spare, and I want to preserve it as healthily as possible and enjoy life as long as I can. My family and I treat this killer virus with humility, reasonable fear, and not with arrogance, carelessness, or recklessness. All of us had our two shots and the booster (with eagerness), and as soon as the 4th vaccine is available, we are ready to take it.

Let us all do what is needed (doing mitigating preventive measures and getting the vaccines plus booster soonest, and the fourth vaccine, if advised) to protect each other, our community, our nation, and other countries by minimizing the transmissions and deaths, and end this pandemic soonest.

As I have frustratingly complained as early as January 2021, I could not understand why the government, which has at its disposal a long proven rapidly effective epidemiologic standard of care protocol accepted worldwide to treat any severe infectious disease and end this pandemic within 2021, did not federally mandate PPEs and vaccination. Legal mandates for vaccination requirements for daycare and school entry in the past several decades have saved millions of children’s lives. And the mandates about smoking, seatbelt, parking, smoke detectors, traffic and driving, littering, etc., and mandates that all persons with active tuberculosis or other infectious diseases be treated, are all saving lives and people have accepted them.

So, why not a federal mandate for vaccinations for all the 330 million people in the United

States (except those with medical contraindication to the vaccines), when almost 860,000 have already died so far among the 61.4 million COVID-19 infections?

As I have asked in this column before, is this not negligence and dereliction of duty of the executive and legislative branches of our government? Technically, could the inaction (a malpractice) be legally considered negligent “genocide”?

If a medical practitioner had failed to practice the accepted standard of care epidemiologic protocol when he/she treated a patient and the refusal to follow that proven standard of care has resulted in the death of even one person (never mind 860,000), the physician could have been sued for malpractice, de-licensed, fined, and/or jailed.

So, why can’t We, The People, hold our government culpable, accountable, and liable for these massive infections and about 688,000 plus preventable deaths for not rapidly implementing the proven accepted standard of care epidemiologic protocol, including a federal mandate for vaccination starting Day One when the vaccines first became available?

The fact that the Biden administration wants to mandate vaccination among federal employees and businesses with 100 or more employees proves its acknowledgment that vaccination is vital in our war against COVID-19. Why then limit the benefit and protection to only this small segment of our society? This is a scientifically flawed plan because so long as there are even a dozen, or thousand or a million people unvaccinated (never mind the 20 percent or 60 million who refuse the vaccines), they are enough to enable rapid replication and mutation of the virus in their bodies and churn out more strains of viruses.

Remember the single person, the first victim of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China? He has spread this killer virus that resulted in this global catastrophe, the pandemic of 2019, with almost a third of a billion (with a “B”) cases and almost 5.6 million deaths worldwide.

Had our government federally mandated the use of PPEs in January 2020, and vaccination on August 23, 2021 when the first vaccine came out, the United States could have developed herd immunity and cut hospitalizations and deaths by at least 80 percent PAGE 13

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Philippine Consul General in San Francisco Neil Frank Ferrer leads a wreath-laying ceremony in honor of Philippine national hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal at the Sentro Rizal San Francisco.

Photo courtesy of SF PCG

Sentro Rizal SF marks 125 years of Rizal’s martyrdom via online filmfest ‘Rizal’s Pen’ makes world premiere

SAN FRANCISCO – In commemoration of the 125th anniversary of the martyrdom of Philippine national hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal, Sentro Rizal in San Francisco spearheaded the holding of the CineRizal Online Film Festival on Rizal Day, December 30, 2021, which also marked the world premiere of the film “Rizal’s Pen.” The CineRizal Online Film Festival, which featured films and documentaries on Rizal’s life and legacy, was supported by the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), and the Areté of the Ateneo de Manila University In his message to mark this year’s Rizal Day, Philippine Consul General in San Francisco Neil Frank Ferrer said that the CineRizal Online Film Festival will give viewers in the United States and around the world “a glimpse of the remarkable life of Rizal, a man of many hats: an artist, writer, doctor, traveler,

polyglot, but most importantly, a patriot.”

The Philippine Consul General also noted the connection between Rizal and San Francisco.

“Rizal visited America in 1888 with San Francisco as his very first stop, after spending seven days in quarantine off the San Franciscan coast. He stayed from May 4 to 6, 1888 at the exquisite Palace Hotel along Market Street, located less than 10 minutes away from the Consulate. Today, one can see a marker on Rizal’s stay in San Francisco on the exterior wall of the Palace Hotel,” ConGen Ferrer said.

Consul General Ferrer thanked the NCCA, the NHCP, and the Areté Ateneo for their invaluable support to the CineRizal Online Film Festival.

“Rizal’s Pen”, produced by the NCCA, the Cultural Center of the Philippines, and Tanghalang Pilipino, made its world premiere at the CineRizal Online Film Festival. Written and directed

by Nicholas B. Pichay, a Palanca Hall of Famer, “Rizal’s Pen” revolves around a young man in contemporary times who is

about to discover the relevance of Rizal’s writings in his life.

Two of Areté Ateneo’s Magisterial Lectures was also be aired during the online filmfest. In “Rizal Without The Overcoat,” historian Dr. Ambeth Ocampo presents Rizal from another, more human and relatable angle. In “Mga Tagông Detalye Sa Noli Me Tángere (The Hidden Details In Noli Me Tángere)”, Ateneo Junior High School faculty member Paolo Zen Paculan parses through Rizal’s revolutionary text and points out “easter eggs” and lesser-known allegories in Noli Me Tángere.

Finally, the NHCP documentary “Jose Rizal: Sa Landas Ng Paglaya (Jose Rizal: On The Path To Freedom)”dissects the life of Rizal as a son, brother, student, writer, and agent of social change.

All four films and documentaries of the CineRizal Online Film Festival was streamed via the official Facebook page of the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco: www.facebook. com/PHinSF. (SF PCG Release)

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Dingdong takes on dual role Seth urges teens to make a stand on to measure acting mettle crucial issues, make their voices heard

By Jerry

Donato Philstar.com

ASK how viewers can measure an actor’s mettle, they will surely answer it in more ways than one.

Taking on a dual role is one valid test. Dingdong Dantes has recently subjected himself to this new territory, at least to him.

His work on GMA 7’s I Can See You: AlterNate can speak of what Dingdong, the actor is made of.

As the long-lost twin brothers, Nate and Michael, Dingdong will again display an inspired performance. The drama anthology airs weeknights at 8:50 on GMA Telebabad.

“Very, ito, isa sa mga pinakamahirap na nagawa ko talaga (it’s really one of those most difficult roles that I’ve done),” disclosed Dingdong of his acting fortitude to essay his seemingly one-andthe-same roles but not, in a recent press conference via Zoom, “not just in my work as an actor, but perhaps, too, in life, in general.

Kasi ang daming mga elemento na kaakibat ng experience na ito, isa na dyan, first time ko maka-experience ng lock-in (taping).”

It’s safe to say that, as much as he psyched himself up to enter into the interacting worlds of his characters, Dingdong had to mentally and emotionally prepare himself to be away from his family for 30 days, “and plus the fact na, alam mo yun, na sobrang hirap ng role, pero yun din naman kasi ang hinihingi ko sa sarili ko kapag pumipili ako at ‘pag nag-co-commit ako sa isang bagay na sana ito ay mas mahirap sa mga nagawa ko in the past in order for me to challenge myself as an actor.”

Being in the AlterNate bubble and becoming Nate and Michael gave Dingdong a one-of-a-kind experience, replete with new insights in his work and life.

“Umuwi kami ng safe… Nakalock-in kami sa isang lugar na komportable kami, thank you GMA for giving us that. We were very comfortable and very fulfilled kami ‘pag labas namin ng bubble,” said he. “Despite the difficulties, we were able to tell a compelling story in the context of a very challenging time.” Dominic Zapata directed the drama anthology’s latest installment based on the narrative by the GMA creative team.

Dingdong shared that it was his first time to play a dual role and he enjoyed it. “Mas nangyari ang

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Dingdong Dantes again displays an inspired performance on GMA 7’s I Can See You: AlterNate.

His portrayal of long-lost, twin brothers Nate and Michael will speak for it.

GMA photos

lahat ng ito dahil sa collaboration namin lahat sa set (All of that was made possible because of the collaboration we had on set). So, we co-created the characters of each other because of our commitment, hindi lang basta-basta commitment, sa tindi ng commitment ng isa’t-isa. Imagine, we got locked in for 30 days. From the time we started our (lock-in taping) quarantine, talagang pinaglalaruan na namin yung mga characters namin (we already thought about our characters).” He considered Nate and Michael equally challenging and exciting to portray.

His AlterNate, in which viewers might experience some “mirage” for seeing Dingdong double, is a meaty follow-up to his impressive work in A Hard Day. “Matagal namang nauna yung Hard Day, pero yun nga nagkataon nga, na buti nga naipalabas pa rin,” said he, “tapos ito, parang medyo same level, if not more difficult, in terms of intensity, so exciting, kaya kung tatanungin mo ako kung ano yung susunod, hindi ko talaga alam ang sagot dun.” Whether he will foray into another challenging role or not, Dingdong perhaps takes one step at a time or embraces projects as they come. “So, kung ano yung dumating, kung ano yung magpapa-excite sa’yo, sa tingin mo,” said he.

“Sa tingin ko kasi parang minsan kapag masyado mo ring pina-plano, parang hindi na siya magiging masaya (I think sometimes when you plan ahead, you won’t enjoy the process or might spoil the fun),” added Dingdong, who has to consider some factors before saying yes to a role. “Yung timing, nandyan yung kung kaya

WE shouldn’t just depend on grownups. We also need to make a stand.”

This was according to actor Seth Fedelin, who has called on teenagers like him to be responsible especially when deciding who to vote for in the coming national elections in May. “While we rely on them most of the time because we’re still too young, there are things that we can already do on our own, stuff that we can contribute in order to improve the state of our country,” Seth told reporters during a recent media gathering.

“To be fair, our generation is very much capable of doing things that we only know how to.

Let’s be more active in expressing our opinions on social media. Let’s make our voices heard.

Let’s make others know that we care about what’s happening in society, too,” said the 19-yearold actor.

Seth is the other half of the onscreen partnership called SethDrea, opposite Andrea Brillantes. They appeared in TV series like “Kadenang Ginto,” “Huwag Kang Mangamba” and “Saying Goodbye.”

Seth admitted that he also hoped to make a mark in the industry as a solo artist. “This is re-

mo bang gawin sa panahon na yun,” shared he. “(And if the) conditions would allow you to excel or to really take on the challenge, so ang daming pwede mong considerations.”

Like doing scenes with fellow actors, Dingdong will organically react to opportunities that come his way and “be grateful that there’s the opportunity. If you think sa panahon na ito you’re very open to do it, very inspired to do it, and then do so.”

The AlterNate trailer revealed that his characters, who have their own endearing qualities, will curiously swap stations in life. It will lead to new personality discoveries between them, and bring change and confusion to people close to them.

“I honestly don’t know,” said Dingdong on how he succeeded to draw the line between Nate and Michael, actions- and attitude-wise. “Pero one thing is for sure: It’s because of the energy na nakukuha mo rin sa co-actors (mo), it’s because of the commitment that you get from your coactors, hindi mo magagawa ang isang role na mag-isa.”

From the looks of it, one can easily say that Dingdong’s Nate and Michael will grab everyone’s attention, but he said that such characters as Lyndon, Carmencita and Sheila are also interesting and on an equal footing with his characters in terms of their importance in relation to the narrative. “Kahit sabihin natin na kwento siya tungkol sa kambal, pero maraming makaka-relate dun sa individual characters dito sa buong kwentong ito,” said he. “It’s really team PAGE 13 Seth Fedelin

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feel excited. When I enter a lockin taping for the first time, I tell myself that I’m not going in just to be with friends, or to enjoy.

I’m going in to work and to learn from the people I work with.

“I remember feeling nervous whenever I meet veteran actors, but I later realized that they’re there to help new ones like me.

When they’re asked, they would generously give pointers. They will never try to put you down.

They will always try to bring out the best in you so that when you eventually leave for another project, you will be able to bring gems of knowledge with you.”

Only good words Meanwhile, Seth only has good words for Andrea. Talking directly to her, Seth said: “I’m proud that you are a loving and generous child to your parents. You were able to build a house for your family. All the rooms of your siblings now have air-conditioning. This may not be a big deal to other people, but you were able to accomplish this at your age now. That’s something!”

Knock some sense He added: “When we’re at work, it’s only natural that we become tired. She would often try to knock some sense into me by telling me, ‘Hoy, magtrabaho ka!’ She would remind me to post stuff on my Instagram account because it’s part of our job. She would teach me things she has learned about show biz through the years. She grew up in this industry, while I was suddenly thrown in (after joining ‘Pinoy Big Brother’ in 2018). In the beginning, I really had no idea what to do. She guided me.”

He added that he and Andrea would even schedule “meetings” to discuss work. “We would talk about our next moves, about what we will show on social media next. We often remind ourselves that we should always think of something new to share with our supporters, that all our plans should be in sync.”

When asked to give a message to Andrea, Seth said: “Like what I always tell you, no matter what happens to the world—even if it crumbles—I will be here for you. If you’re sad, I will be here to listen and to try to cheer you up. You can always count on me.

I will never let you down so don’t be afraid. Ako, si Seth, or si TiPhoto from Instagram/@imsethfedelin soy, will always be here.”

ally part of the plan, eventually.

When people talk about Andrea, they often say, ‘I’ve known her since (the 2013 soap series) ‘Annaliza,’ while people refer to me as ‘Andrea’s love-team partner.’ I want to be able to prove to them that I’m also capable of being on my own. I want to be able to grow as an actor, not just with Andrea but also alongside her.

Love team “Of course, our love team is my priority now, but even Andrea would often tell me to also make my own identity. That’s what I’m working on right now. We both want to be successful in this industry, but we want to succeed in our own way,” he explained.

Seth added that whenever he becomes part of a particular project, he makes sure to try to learn as much as he can from the experience. “I also make sure to come to the set prepared because if I make a mistake, I become a burden to my other coworkers. I don’t want to take up their time more than I should,” he pointed out. “I also told myself that I should be fearless, that I shouldn’t allow fear to stop me from taking risks.”

He further said: “Going to the set of a new project is like experiencing first day in a new school.

You feel shy as you introduce yourself to people, but you also

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Mayor Breed announces legislation to accelerate electric vehicle charging in SF

SAN FRANCISCO — Mayor London N. Breed on Tuesday, January 11 unveiled legislation to update San Francisco’s Planning Code to create a clear pathway for the creation of new electric vehicle (EV) charging locations. EV charging locations are standalone facilities where the public can charge their electric vehicle, and can also include other amenities like restrooms, self-serve vending machines, and limited retail amenities. This legislation is cosponsored by Supervisors Rafael Mandelman, Catherine Stefani, Gordon Mar, and Myrna Melgar.

Mayor Breed’s legislation modernizes San Francisco’s Planning Code to expedite the creation of a more robust EV charging network for San Francisco residents and visitors. This legislation revises land-use zoning to move San Francisco from fossil fuelbased transportation to an allelectric future and creates a clear zoning pathway for sites with existing automotive uses such as gas stations or parking lots to convert to an EV charging location.

Enabling the expansion of a public charging network in the city to encourage adoption of EVs is a key strategy in Mayor Breed’s recently released Climate Action Plan (CAP). The CAP identifies strategies and supporting actions to reach net-zero emissions citywide by 2040, including specific actions in the transportation and land-use sectors.

“San Francisco continues to be a national leader on environmental policies as well as finding innovative solutions to address the climate crisis,” said Mayor Breed.

“Getting the city on a path to a healthier, cleaner, and more equitable future will require significant investments in reducing our reliance on fossil fuels. As we seek to transition to EVs and eliminate emissions from our transportation sector, we must update the Planning Code to make it easier to open standalone charging locations.”

The transportation sector is responsible for nearly half of San Francisco’s greenhouse gas emissions, with the majority coming from private vehicles. The city is focused primarily on reducing emissions from transportation by investing in the public transportation system and supporting walking, biking, and other non-car modes of transportation.

However, for those trips that must be made by car, the CAP includes strategies to encourage people to make the switch to electric vehicles.

San Francisco has set a goal that by 2030, vehicle electrification will increase to at least 25% of all registered private vehicles, and 100% of all by 2040. Expanding access to affordable and convenient charging options will be the primary way the city supports these goals, especially for low-income households and renters who do not have access to at-home charging. Nearly 70% of San Francisco residents live in multi-unit dwellings, and most do not have access to off-street parking or home charging. For those residents, public charging anxiety is a very real obstacle to EV adoption, and this legislation seeks to address that challenge.

“Public electric vehicle charging stations are essential to ensuring widespread and equitable access to EVs across San Francisco,” said Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who serves as the Chair of the County Transportation Authority. “The federal infrastructure bill includes at least $384 million for electric vehicle charging in California, and we have to be prepared to make good use of that investment at the local level. This ordinance will lay the groundwork and remove regulatory barriers for EV charging citywide.”

“This is a practical yet exciting step towards making it easier to transition to electric energy as we transition away from dirty carbon producing fuel,” said Supervisor Myrna Melgar. “I am grateful to Mayor Breed for prioritizing our Climate Action Plan goals, and moving on actionable, implementable tools to get our city to meet them.”

Under this legislation, auto uses like gas stations or parking lots could be converted to EV charging locations, helping to

Mayor London N. Breed

modernize fossil fuel-based infrastructure and more efficiently using the city’s scarce land. This legislation will also reduce delays and additional workflow for the Planning Department, while expanding opportunities to deploy publicly accessible EV charging stations.

Specifically, Mayor Breed’s legislation adds a definition of “Electric Vehicle Charging Location” to the “Automotive Retail” land-use category and specifies where this new use is permitted, either as of right or with a conditional use authorization. This legislation does not alter the current permitting pathway for installing EV charging stations as an accessory use at an existing site, such as adding several charging stations to parking spaces at a grocery store parking lot. The legislation also regulates fleet charging facilities, where zero-emission commercial vehicles can get “on the way” charging away from their home base charging location so that they can finish their delivery routes.

“Accelerating EV adoption requires access to reliable and convenient EV charging. In cities, especially dense cities like San Francisco, this starts with expanding where charging locations can be built,” said Jonathan Levy, Chief Commercial Officer, EVgo. “We applaud the City of San Francisco and the Mayor’s office for collaborating with us closely on this effort as we work to bring the benefits of greater charging infrastructure to this community and others like it across the country, and we look forward to continue to expand access to EV charging for fleets and individual drivers benefitting from zero emissions EVs.” “The Mayor’s legislation to update zoning regulations to better accommodate EV charging definitions will help speed up the installation of chargers in the city and reduce the time of the overall permitting process,” said Elena Engel with 350 San Francisco, a local organization of residents advocating to eliminate carbon pollution and achieve a clean energy future. “This is critical if we are going to meet our urgent needs to reduce carbon emissions from the City’s transportation sector.”

Existing land use categories in the Planning Code were intended to address conventional fueling facilities and are an imperfect fit for this new use. They impose more appropriate limitations for facilities with a greater negative environmental impact than EV charging stations. Therefore, applications for an EV charging locations currently require an EV service provider and the Planning Department to work out a permitting pathway, on a case-by-case basis, using Planning Code provisions designed for gas stations.

Electric vehicles currently account for about 11% of new car registrations in San Francisco and need to be 50% of new registrations in four years. Based on a study conducted in collaboration with the International Council on Clean Transportation, the transition from fossil fuel to clean electricity will necessitate an increase of public charging stations to 2,000 by 2025, and over 5,000 by 2030. San Francisco has 1,016 public charging stations in operation to date, so it is necessary to continue to add more publicly accessible EV charging locations throughout the city.

Over the coming years, San Francisco will pursue a multipronged approach to promoting EVs. This includes expanding publicly available EV charging and the following complementary actions: • Launch a public awareness

Dingdong takes on dual...

PAGE 12 effort. I always say we are all cocreating this together, hindi lang siya parang it’s a one-man team, we are co-contributors and cocreators dito sa napaka-gandang materyal na ito.”

As for the apparent themes of truth and honesty that AlterNate will explore and explicate, Dingdong said, “There are a lot of themes in fact. It’s a multi-genre type of material, there’s drama, there’s suspense, there’s action sometimes. There’s a love story,

but all of these are anchored on relationships.” He reiterated the latter by saying, “I guess it’s really a story about relationships.

It’s about the mother-and-son relationship, the husband-and-wife relationship, the (older) brotherand-younger sister relationship, lahat ng mga ito, mga filial relationships na ito ay buhay na buhay sa Pamilyang Pilipino, which makes it very exciting.”

These relationships and the tensions that challenge them will make AlterNate compelling.

campaign about the benefits of transit, active transportation, and EVs • Develop a plan to spur zeroemission delivery, drayage, and longer haul trucks • Establish a pathway to incentivize zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) for passenger service vehicles operating at SFO • Advance the use of ZEVs, e-bikes, and other low-carbon modes for goods and meal delivery services • Create incentives for the use of renewable diesel and zeroemission technology for construction equipment • Launch a pilot project to test the use of accessible bicycles, ebikes, and e-scooters for commuting and recreation.

In addition to accelerating the adoption of ZEVs and expanding public charging infrastructure, Mayor Breed’s Climate Action Plan identified the following as the top climate solutions in the transportation and land-use sector: • Invest in public and active transportation projects • Increase density and mixed land use near transit • Utilize pricing levers to reduce private vehicle use and minimize congestion • Implement and reform parking management programs.

The Mayor’s legislation will be heard by the Planning Commission before moving to the full Board of Supervisors.

(SF Mayor’s Office Release)

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CONSUL GENERAL FERRER DISCUSSES FILIPINO CULTURE AND LANGUAGE PROMOTION WITH UC BERKELEY’S FIL-AM FACULTY. As part of the thrust of the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco to promote Philippine culture and to engage with the Filipino community in the Bay Area, Philippine Consul General Neil Frank Ferrer virtually met with the Filipino American faculty at the University of California (UC) Berkeley’s South and Southeast Asian Studies (SSEAS) on December 14, 2021. He was joined during the Zoom call by Consul Vanessa G. BagoLlona and Vice Consul Adrian Audrey L. Baccay. During the virtual meeting, ConGen Ferrer underscored the Consulate’s support for Filipino studies and language programs at the UC Berkeley. The Filipino American faculty members then mentioned their goal of having a Filipino language center at the UC Berkeley, which can serve other UC campuses across California, and a Filipino American Studies Department through an endowment fund. ConGen Ferrer met with Cynthia Agnes Aban, the first Filipino lecturer of the Filipino and Southeast Asian performing arts course for beginners at UC Berkeley; Joi Barrios-Leblanc, UC Berkeley lecturer who spearheads a summer immersion program of UC Berkeley students in the Philippines, in coordination with the University of the Philippines; Karen Llagas, UC Berkeley lecturer who teaches Filipino language and culture; and Melissa Urbano, staff member at UC Berkeley’s University Development and Alumni Relations office, and officer at Cal Pilipinx American Alumni Chapter.

Photo courtesy of the SF Philippine Consulate General

Here comes Deltacron!

PAGE 11 (saving 688,000) of the 860,000 who died by now.

Once again, how many thousands more deaths do the Biden administration and the Congress need before doing the right thing?

*** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of

the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff. *** The main objective of this column is to educate and inspire people live a healthier lifestyle to prevent illnesses and disabilities and achieve a happier and more productive life.

Any diagnosis, recommendation or treatment in our article are general medical information and not intended to be applicable or appropriate for anyone. This column is not a substitute for your physician, who knows your condition

well and who is your best ally when it comes to your health. *** Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, a Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus based in Northwest Indiana and Las Vegas, Nevada, is an international medical lecturer/author, a Health Public Advocate, and Chairman of the Filipino United Network-USA, a 501(c)3 humanitarian and antigraft foundation in the United States. Visit our websites: philipSchua.com and FUN8888.com Email: scalpelpen@gmail.com

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