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JANUARY 14-20, 2022 Serving San Diego Since 1987 • 12 Pages

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FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

Murphy reinstates Public Health Emergency in New Jersey

GOVERNOR Phil Murphy on Tuesday, January 11 reinstated a Public Health Emergency, effective immediately, in order to ensure that the state is able to respond to the continued threat of COVID-19 and the rapidly spreading Omicron variant.

Executive Order No. 280 declares a Public Health Emergency and restates the existing State of Emergency across all 21 counties in New Jersey, allowing state agencies and departments to utilize state resources to assist the State’s healthcare system and affected communities responding to and recovering from COVID-19 cases.

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2022 STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS:

Mayor Gloria focuses on issues of public safety, homelessness, infrastructure SAN DIEGO – In his second State of the City address as the 37th Mayor of San Diego, Mayor Todd Gloria on Wednesday, January 12 spoke decisively and unflinchingly about some of the most pressing problems facing the City of San Diego – specifically, the city’s homelessness and housing crises, the decades-in-the-making infrastructure backlog

and public safety amid rising crime.

“Let’s be clear,” Mayor Todd Gloria said.

“Under no circumstance is it compassionate to let a person live on the street.”

He was frank about the difficulty of addressing the challenges facing San Diego.

“I’d love to rehash the past year’s many wins on

by leila

Mayor Todd Gloria delivers his State of the City Address on Wednesday, January 12, from the San Diego Convention Center. He said he focused his address on four of the most pressing problems facing San Diego, the issues that are front of mind for San Diegans right now, and how he plans to fix them.

Photo courtesy of www.sandiego.gov

Hospitals recruit international nurses to ‘Long COVID from omicron fill pandemic shortages 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

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Marie Inquirer.net

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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 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

B. salaverria, tina G. santos Inquirer.net

MANILA — The Philippines is now at “critical risk” for COVID-19, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said on January 10, hours after the country logged a record-high number of cases for the third straight day.

On Tuesday, January 11 the country breached the 3-million mark in COVID-19 cases after the Department of Health (DOH) reported 28,007 new infections, bringing the country’s total caseload since the pandemic began to 3,026,473.

Duque said the country had a two-week growth rate in cases of 3,663 percent, while the seven-day moving average number of cases was higher by 690 percent.

“Our country is now at critical risk case classification,” he said in a meeting with President Duterte in Malacañang.

Among the regions, Metro Manila, Calabarzon

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variant possible, says experts

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

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Pacquiao: Congress should California extends look into alleged hacking mask mandate into February of Comelec servers

by Christia

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PH now at ‘critical risk’ as COVID cases reach 3 million

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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

climate, transportation, fiscal discipline and more – and to celebrate the people and organizations who made them happen because I’m proud of them,” he said. “But the last two years have left all of us short on patience for happy talk.”

But the Mayor ultimately struck an optimistic

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 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

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by AJPress 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

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Inquirer file photo by Richard A. Reyes

100,000 Filipino healthcare workers with pending US work visas as demand soars — Romualdez

by Christia

Marie Inquirer.net

MANILA — There are at least 100,000 Filipino healthcare workers who have pending visas to work in the United States amid a “very high demand” for nurses and doctors in the said country, which is currently facing a high COVID-19 infection rate, Manila’s envoy there said.

“There are quite a number of pending visas for nurses from the Philippines that I think are being considered now very seriously that they’d like to bring them over. These are nurses that have already been approved

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[of] moving to the United States as health workers,” Philippine Ambassador to the U.S. Jose Romualdez said in an ANC interview on Thursday, January 13.

“I would think that [there is] probably at least 100,000 visas…that are pending right now to come to the United States,” he added.

Asked if there is a preference for Filipino health workers in the United States, Romualdez said: “Definitely, there’s no doubt about that.”

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JANUARY 14-20, 2022 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588

From The FronT Page

‘Long COVID from omicron...

PAGE 1 numerous variants including Delta and Omicron – said to be the most contagious of all.

“Gusto ko lang talaga i-emphasize din 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 mainfect,” 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 nagpositive, even with mild or asymptomatic kung magdi-develop 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

Pacquiao: Congress should...

PAGE 1 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

A family whose house was damaged, take shelter under a tree covered with iron sheets along a highway in Surigao City, Surigao del Norte province, last December 24, 2021.

Philstar.com photo

Typhoon Odette casualties 2nd-biggest among world’s natural disasters in 2021

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 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

Mayor Gloria focuses on issues of public...

PAGE 1 tone, pointing out that the city is in a transitional period and declaring it “ready” to turn the corner and take its place among the greatest in the United States.

“I ran for this office on the promise of reinvigorating San Diego with a jolt of big-city energy, fostering a culture of ‘YES’ that will help us ascend to our rightful place as one of the greatest cities in the country,” said Mayor Gloria. “As I consider the progress we’ve made and the work the lies ahead – I can say that the State of our City is ‘ready.’”

Homelessness Devoting the largest segment of his address to the homelessness crisis, Mayor Gloria detailed the progress the city made in 2021 on building out its comprehensive, coordinated system of outreach, shelter and supportive housing.

Recognizing that housing is the ultimate solution to homelessness, the Mayor noted that 132 new apartments for chronically homeless San Diegans were created last year, and that nearly 1,000 more are in the pipeline in 2022.

He also pointed out that the city has added more than 200 temporary shelter beds since April 2021 – a 21 percent increase – and that the city is actively vetting multiple locations for additional beds.

While the city augments services for those who accept help, there is a sizable segment of the unsheltered population that is not capable of making the decision to seek assistance, Mayor Gloria said. To help those San Diegans, the Mayor said he intends to pursue legislation to reform state conservatorship laws.

“One of our society’s most egregious failings is neglecting to care for people suffering from severe mental illness,” the Mayor said. “So, this year, I am pushing for state action on conservatorships so that people who cannot help themselves aren’t left vulnerable to the dangers of life on the streets.”

Housing The housing-affordability emergency was a major focus for Mayor Gloria in 2021, when he launched his “Homes For All of Us” initiative, which includes two Housing Action Packages containing more than a dozen reforms and Blueprint SD, which will speed up updates to community plans to allow for more housing faster.

As part of the initiatives, the Mayor announced that the city will opt in to Senate Bill 10, state legislation that will make it far easier to build small apartment projects close to mass transit.

He also announced a new city program – “Bridge to Home” – that assists affordable-housing developers with the gap financing they need to get their projects over the finish line.

Seven projects have been selected to receive roughly $32 million in assistance from Bridge to Home. All told, Mayor Gloria said, these projects will create 662 new apartments for lowincome San Diego families and individuals, including 193 supportive units for formerly homeless residents – 35 of which will be set aside for those who struggle with serious mental illness.

“The shortage of homes everyday San Diegans can afford is splitting up families, making it harder for our businesses to attract and retain highquality workers, and threatening to deprive our region of the talented young people we work so hard to educate in our world-class universities,” he said.

“We are legally and morally obligated to plan for more growth and add more than 100,000 new homes during the next eight years, and, folks, we are getting it done.”

Infrastructure Commenting on the San Diego’s decades-long neglect of its core public infrastructure systems, Mayor Gloria said the city in 2021 invested nearly $1 billion in streets and roads, sidewalks

Mayor Todd Gloria

Photo courtesy of www.sandiego.gov

and streetlights, stormwater collection, recycling systems, parks, libraries and more.

The Mayor focused heavily on street repair, noting that the city in the past has racked up miles of slurry-seal maintenance on side streets while delaying more costly repaving and reconstruction projects on major roads. In 2021, he rolled out his Sexy Streets initiative that will repair 54 miles of heavily traveled thoroughfares, especially those in historically underserved communities.

“Rather than chalking up miles of easy fixes in cul de sacs,” Mayor Gloria said, “We’ll be diligently restoring segments of the roads most traveled, like Euclid Avenue, Skyline Drive, Orange Avenue, Balboa Avenue and Clairemont Mesa Boulevard.”

Also last year, Mayor Gloria kicked off construction of Phase 1 of the Pure Water program, the biggest infrastructure project in the city’s history, which will supply San Diego with nearly half its water by 2035 and reduce the amount of treated sewage discharged into the ocean by more than 50 percent.

In 2022, Mayor Gloria said, he’ll launch a major infrastructure initiative that will be modeled after his “Parks For All of Us” program, replacing a siloed funding model with a new citywide system to prioritize improvements in communities that need the most attention.

“I’ll be honest with you,” he said. “These improvements are costly, and they take time. But we are doing everything we can to streamline these projects and get them done as quickly as possible. Our public infrastructure is the foundation for a high quality of life, and improving our core systems is a top priority of mine.”

Public safety Noting that San Diego has seen the same rise in crime that other cities are experiencing, Mayor Gloria said he is committed to providing the city’s public safety departments with the resources they need to keep residents and visitors safe.

Crime rose in San Diego by 13 percent in the past year, with violent crime up nearly 11 percent. Hate crimes increased by 65 percent.

“Lawlessness will not rule the day in our city,” said Mayor Gloria. “We will continue to provide our police department and City Attorney the resources they need to keep you and your family safe, and respond to crime, and hold criminals accountable.”

At the same time, he said he shares the public’s concern about incidents of police misconduct and that San Diego is committed to eliminating excessive use of force, racial profiling, and any abuse by law-enforcement officers.

The Mayor said he looks forward to signing an ordinance that implements the voterapproved Independent Commission on Police Practices and a Privacy Ordinance that will allow the city to deploy more tools to keep communities safe without infringing on privacy rights.

“A great city can fully fund and support its law enforcement officers while also ensuring they honor their oath,” he said. “We can and will strike the balance between protecting our residents and respecting their civil rights and their privacy.” n

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SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL • JANUARY 14-20, 2022

PH now at ‘critical risk’ as COVID...

PAGE 1 (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) and Central Luzon were considered critical, while others were either at high or moderate risk, Duque said.

Metro Manila, in particular, is now considered under a “severe outbreak” of COVID-19 cases, according to Duque, as it contributed the highest number of cases to the national tally.

Duque said the country’s bed utilization rate was at 40 percent, while the usage rate for intensive care unit (ICU) beds was at 38 percent and 17 percent for mechanical ventilators.

Almost all regions registered an increase in their hospital care utilization rates, he noted, reminding hospitals “to give priority to accepting or admitting moderate, severe and critical cases and to coordinate with our One Hospital Command Center to refer mild and asymptomatic patients to temporary treatment and monitoring facilities.”

Around 55 percent, or 15,256 cases, of the new infections reported on Tuesday were from Metro Manila.

Twelve laboratories failed to submit their data to the COVID-19 Document Repository System.

The positivity rate—or the percentage of people found positive out of the total number who underwent testing—was 44.5 percent, slightly lower than the 46 percent reported the previous day. This was based on 58,409 people tested on Sunday, January 9, or smaller than the sample size on Saturday, January 8.

The World Health Organization standard is a positivity rate of below 5 percent daily for at least two weeks—the maximum incubation period for the coronavirus — to consider COVID-19 transmission under control.

“Overall, NCR (National Capital Region, or Metro Manila) is classified as very high risk,” independent pandemic monitor OCTA Research fellow Guido David also said in a post on Twitter.

“The average daily attack rate (Adar) increased to 89.42 (from Jan. 4 to 10), which is above the COVID Act Now threshold (of 75 per day per 100,000 population) for a severe outbreak,” David said. Adar refers to the average number of new cases in a period out of every 100,000 individuals.

Based on OCTA’s data, the Adar from Dec. 28 last year to Jan. 3 was 12.71.

FULL CAPACITY. As Metro Manila experiences “severe outbreak” of COVID-19 cases, several hospitals declared that they had reached full capacity.

Photo by Marianne Bermudez

The DOH also observed an increase in incidental COVID-19 cases, or those who were admitted for other reasons but tested positive for COVID-19.

Citing figures from the Philippine General Hospital (PGH), Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said 53.9 percent of patients were admitted for COVID-19 while 46.1 percent were incidental cases from Sept.

15 to 18, 2021.

The number of incidental cases increased to 88.7 percent during the holiday surge from Dec. 25 to Jan. 7. During the period, only 11.3 percent of patients were admitted at PGH for COVID-19.

Vergeire also said that cases recorded in NCR had 60-percent less chance of hospitalization compared to other regions, especially amid the holiday season.

She said a “decoupling” phenomenon was being observed in NCR. “Decoupling means that although cases are increasing, it does not translate to a large number of severe and critical cases,” Vergeire explained.

The country’s health-care utilization rate remained under low risk classification despite the surge in cases, Vergeire added.

Ready for Alert Level 4 “Despite case increases, the national health-care utilization remains to be at low risk. We have 40 percent for our ward beds, while for ICU utilization at 38 percent,” she said.

However, Vergeire said the health-care utilization rate for Metro Manila was already nearing the moderate-risk category.

Despite Duque’s pronouncement, the government’s pandemic task force said there was still no reason to place Metro Manila under the tighter restrictions of Alert Level 4. Metro Manila and

several other provinces are under Alert Level 3 until Jan. 15.

Acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles said on Tuesday that the task force decides on the alert level based on the twoweek growth rate, Adar and total bed utilization.

While the capital region was considered at critical risk, the use of hospital beds has not reached 71 percent, which was why it remained under Alert Level 3 for now, Nograles said.

He added that the government was ready should there be a need to shift to Alert Level 4.

The government has been preparing the hospitals and has asked them to increase their beds for COVID-19 patients, the official said.

There are also efforts to increase the capacities of isolation and temporary treatment and monitoring facilities, and the government has been augmenting the number of health-care workers, he added.

Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega said the DOH has also been expanding its facilities and recently inaugurated 130 beds for moderate and severe cases.

Meanwhile, Duque said that Omicron has replaced Delta as the dominant COVID-19 variant, accounting for 60 percent of the results of the government’s latest genome sequencing.

He said that of the 48 samples tested, 29 had the Omicron variant, while 18 had the Delta strain.

Executive Director Cynthia Saloma of the Philippine Genome Center said Duque was referring to the latest results of the genome sequencing, but added that more data would be needed to determine if Omicron was indeed the dominant variant in the country. n

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JANUARY 14-20, 2022 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

Philippine Ambassador to the U.S. Jose Manuel Romualdez Inquirer file photo by Marianne Bermudez

100,000 Filipino healthcare...

PAGE 1 “In all my discussions with the U.S. government people, we inevitably always talk about the nurses, most especially, the kind of people that we have here working in the hospitals. There’s so much appreciation, the demand is very high for Filipinos nurses and doctors actually,” he added.

At present, there are around 150,000 to 200,000 Filipino healthcare workers in the U.S., Romualdez noted.

US infection rate According to Romualdez, the infection rate in the U.S. is “quite high.”

“They only have about a 62 percent rate of those who are vaccinated, that’s why their hospitals are a bit overwhelmed,” he added.

In terms of the vaccination status among Filipinos in the U.S., Romualdez said “most” have already been inoculated and have received their booster shot.

“Most Filipinos follow the rules very closely, most Filipinos we know, at least from the reports we get from our consulates from Guam all the way to New York, most are vaccinated and they’ve all had their booster shots. So, we’re happy with that,” he said.

According to a Reuters tally, the U.S. reported 1.35 million new COVID-19 cases last Jan. 10, which is the highest daily total for any country in the world.

In the Philippines, the Departmentof Health on Wednesday, January 12 logged 32,246 more COVID-19 cases, pushing the country’s active tally to 208,164. n

‘MERIENDA’ TIME. Catalina Garcia, 81, (right) adds latik (coconut curds) on top of the biko (rice cake) she is selling on a sidewalk in Bagong Silang, Caloocan City on Thursday, January 13. Garcia sells biko at PH15 per slice and P550 for a whole bilao (woven tray).

PNA photo by Ben Briones

From The FronT Page

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Hospitals recruit international nurses to fill pandemic...

PAGE 1 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.

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 Hamilton-Powers. “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

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

Photo by Nick Ehli for KHN

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 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, foreign-born 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 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.

“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 in-depth 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

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Dateline PhiliPPines

5

Seventh-day Adventists support AnaKalusugan health policies HEALTHCARE advocate AnaKalusugan party-list nominee former Rep. Gina ReyesMandanas recently paid a courtesy call to the Luzon Assembly of the Seventh-day Adventists on Thursday, January 13 as it laid out its plans for accessible and equitable healthcare in the country.

One of the largest Protestant Christian denominations in the Philippines, the Seventhday Adventists believe in the holistic development of a person’s health, mind, spirit and the body – an advocacy which AnaKalusugan shares by giving a high level of importance to public health care.

“As the only party list in Congress whose focus is on public healthcare, we thank the Seventh-day Adventists for supporting our call for accessible and equitable healthcare for all, which is made more urgent by our country’s very poor COVID-19 response,” AnaKalusugan nominee Reyes-Mandanas said.

Elder Ted N. C. Wilson, current president of the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, visited the province of Batangas last Nov. 15, wherein he gave a blessing to ReyesMandanas and Batangas Governor Hermilando “Dodo” Mandanas in front of church leaders.

The AnaKalusugan nominee added: “We thank Elder Wilson and Pastor Arnel Gabin for

allowing us to share our advocacy of improving public health care in the country to the church.”

Jose Pastor Jr., who represented ReyesMandanas during the church’s assembly in Lipa, stressed how AnaKalusugan in the past three years principally authored 15 measures increasing the capacity and upgrading hospitals across the country, 10 measures to improve the welfare of medical and health workers, 16 measures to boost health services across the country, and 16 measures to beef up the country’s pandemic response.

The party-list also has been at the forefront of the fight to increase the health spending of local government units under the national tax allocation (NTA), a legislative push even made important with the Supreme Court’s recent decision under the Mandanas-Garcia ruling to increase NTA allocation for LGUs. AnaKalusugan likewise vowed to extend the Maria Grace Uy Batangas Kalusugan Health Kard to Seventhday Adventist members in the province, wherein they can avail of free medical services in any government hospital within the province of Batangas and other accredited health facilities. The medical services shall include the professional fees of doctors, laboratory fees and use of hospital rooms and other medical

by IrIs Gonzales facilities, among others. n

by Ben

GInes Jr. ManilaTimes.net

ManilaTimes.net photo

after receiving a single-dose vaccine. The Metro Manila Council, the policymaking body of the Metropolitan Manila

Development Authority, also passed a resolution urging the various local government units in Metro Manila to pass their respective ordinances on the enhanced restrictions on the movement of unvaccinated persons.

Tugade said the order takes effect immediately after publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

Exempted from the “no vaccination, no ride” policy are 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.

Also exempted are 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. n

California extends mask mandate into...

PAGE 1 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 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 medicalgrade 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 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

Murphy reinstates Public Health...

PAGE 1 “COVID-19 remains a significant threat to our State and we must commit every resource available to beating back the wave caused by the Omicron variant,” said Governor Murphy, adding that the “omicron tsunami” has been “washing across the state”.

The Public Health Emergency will allow the state to continue vaccine distribution, vaccination or testing requirements in certain settings, the collection of COVID-19 data, implementation of any applicable recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to prevent or limit the transmission of COVID-19, staffing and resource allocation, and other critical components

Rappler CEO Maria Ressa

Photo from Twitter/@mariaressa

2 Pinays enter Forbes’ 50 over 50 Asia list

‘No vax, no ride’ policy enforced in NCR TRANSPORTATION Secretary Arthur Tugade on Tuesday, January 11 ordered the wide enforcement of a “no vaccination, no ride/no entry” policy in the National Capital Region (NCR).

Tugade said that the scheme will be in effect until the COVID -19 Alert Level 3 is lowered.

“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 physical or digital copies 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 department said.

A person is considered fully vaccinated against COVID-19 two weeks after receiving his second dose in a two-dose vaccination series, or two weeks

Philstar file photos

of the State’s COVID-19 response. The new Public Health Emergency will allow for existing orders requiring masking in school and daycare settings to remain in effect.

“While we hope to return to a state of normalcy as soon as possible, the step I am taking today is a commonsense measure that will protect the safety and well-being of all New Jersey residents while allowing state government to respond to the continuing threat that COVID-19 poses to our daily lives,” Murphy added.

Governor Murphy’s public health emergency declaration also empowers all State agencies to take all appropriate steps to continue to address the public health hazard resulting from new

variants of COVID-19.

Under the Emergency Health Powers Act, the Public Health Emergency will expire after 30 days, unless renewed.

State COVID-19 metrics will be re-evaluated at the time of expiration to determine if an extension will be needed.

New Jersey was recording 35,000 new coronavirus cases a day with more than 10,000 current hospitalizations.

Murphy assured residents that there are no plans of issuing a lockdown mandate.

“It does not mean going backward from any of the progress we’ve made together over the past 22 months. In fact, in your day-to-day life, this step won’t have any new impact at all,” he said. (AJPress) n

Philstar.com

MANILA — Two Filipinas made it to Forbes’ 50 over 50: Asia 2022, a list of women “who are shattering age and gender norms all over the globe.”

Joining the list of age-defying list of 50 women are Converge president and co-founder Maria Grace Uy and Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Rappler CEO Maria Ressa.

Forbes cited Uy’s key role in growing Converge into one of the biggest fixed broadband operators in the Philippines today. Uy founded Converge together with her husband Dennis Anthony Uy in 2007 to provide world-class internet connectivity to Filipinos.

Converge, which went public in 2020, is valued at around P230 billion or approximately $4.6 billion.

“This recognition from Forbes Asia is an honor and proves to women worldwide the value they bring to their field, at any age. I would also like to give credit to the other hardworking women at Converge who are making their mark in the ICT field,” Uy said.

The list, according to Forbes, is composed of “founders, business and political leaders, scientists and vanguards leading the way throughout the AsiaPacific region.”

Uy and Ressa join other distinguished women in the roster which includes Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, World Bank managing director Anshula Kant, Samoa Prime Minister Fiame Mata’afa, World Health Organization chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan, Macquarie Group CEO and managing director Shemara Wikramanaya, OCBC Group CEO Helen Wong, and Indian author Arundhati Roy. Uy said women in business today should not be afraid to voice out their opinions. “Many women realize too late the ability to stand up for themselves, whether it’s because of nurture or the culture. Thus, we need to encourage women to speak out and make sure their voices are heard,” she said.

A certified public accountant, Uy served as Finance and Accounting Manager at tech giant IBM before becoming CFO at various family-held

companies.

She earned her BS Accountancy degree from De La Salle University and notched 16th place in the CPA Licensure Board Examination in 1989.

Under the leadership of the Uy couple, Converge has steadily expanded, reaching 9.6 million homes. It has more than doubled its net income to P5.2 billion as of end-September 2021.

This year, nationwide expansion is still atop the fiber broadband provider’s agenda, intending to gain traction and make headway in the markets of Visayas and Mindanao as it pursues its goal to reach 55 percent of Philippine households by 2023.

On Ressa, Forbes cited her for her “sharp coverage of Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war” which has been met with consistent threats from the Philippine government, including the filing of 10 arrest warrants for cyber libel among other complaints.

Last December, Ressa and Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov received the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo. Ressa is the first Filipina to win the Nobel. n

6

JANUARY 14-20, 2022 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

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OpiniOn

2022 feels like a second chance

Features

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 noticing,

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 COVID-19 pandemic, I saw firsthand the anguish, distress and depression that Filipino seafarers had to go through because of repatriation problems. Close to 85,000

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

Filipinos were working in cruise ships based out of Florida and the Caribbean, but COVID-19 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

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,

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 one-stop-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 “modernday 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

No one is above the law

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 restaurants, 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 COVID-19 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 peo-

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

ple 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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SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL • JANUARY 14-20, 2022

FAITH IN ACTION. Devotees light candles and pray at the National Shrine of the Our Mother of Perpetual Help commonly known as Baclaran Church in Parañaque City on Wednesday, January 12. Religious gatherings are allowed at 30 percent seating capacity in the National Capital Region, which is under Alert Level 3.

PNA photo by Ben Briones

Duterte reforms body on int’l maritime conventions by

Alexis RomeRo Philstar.com

MANILA — President Duterte has reconstituted the interagency body on maritime conventions to enhance the level of safety of shipping and advance the training and certification standards for seafarers.

Executive Order No. 159, which seeks to adopt an integrated approach in the ratification and accession to International Maritime Organization (IMO) conventions and instruments, was signed last Dec. 28.

The order reconstituted Inter-Agency Coordinating Committee on the Ratification and Implementation of Maritime Conventions (ICCRIMC) and renamed it as the Inter-Agency Coordinating Committee to Facilitate the Ratification and Accession to and Implementation of Maritime Conventions.

The representative of the transportation department will be the committee’s chairperson while that of the foreign affairs department will serve as its vice chairperson.

The committee will be composed of representatives from the science department, the Maritime Industry Authority, Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine Ports Authority, Cebu Port Authority, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Environmental Management Bureau, Biodiversity

Management Bureau, University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute and the UP Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology. The Overseas Shipping Service of the MARINA will serve as the committee’s secretariat.

The committee will consider new international maritime conventions for possible ratification or accession, conduct a national interest analysis, and study measures needed to satisfy convention requirements and their implications on established maritime operations. It will also develop and adopt a national work program to chart timelines and determine the frequency of meetings, assign agency roles and responsibilities, and ensure the implementation and enforcement of adopted instruments.

The committee will also review and endorse proposed legislation, national policies, and administrative regulations to support the implementation of adopted instruments and develop and implement a monitoring mechanism to assess the ratification or accession process.

The committee may form a technical working group for each international maritime instrument under study.

In the EO, Duterte said the country strives to become “a major maritime nation that gives premium to the protection of life and marine environment,

enhancement of the level of safety of shipping, and advancement of the standards of training, certification and watch-keeping of seafarers.”

“The State is committed to remain at the forefront of international maritime developments, and identify ways to improve its maritime sector by integrating and empowering its maritime administration to study new maritime conventions and instruments for ratification, determine the responsibilities required thereby, and conduct a national interest analysis to ascertain their benefits to the country,” the President’s EO said.

Duterte noted that the transportation department created the ICCRIMC in 2015 to monitor developments and consider new international maritime conventions for ratification, including measures needed to satisfy their respective requirements, through research, monitoring and coordination with other government agencies.

He added that the Philippine Maritime Strategy on the implementation of relevant IMO Instruments for 2020 to 2024 highlights the ratification or accession to IMO conventions to strengthen the safety operations of Philippine-registered fishing vessels, transforming the country into a global maritime hub, enhancing maritime safety and modernizing maritime security. n

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JANUARY 14-20, 2022 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588

ANNOUNCEMENT

EMPLOYMENT SD#0089

Advertisement for Bids

Notice is hereby given that the San Diego Unified School District, acting by and through its governing board, will receive “ELECTRONIC- ONLY” bids for the furnishing of all labor, materials, transportation, equipment, and services to: REPAIR EXISTING BEAMS IN 3 BUILDINGS AT JONES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL A mandatory site visit is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2022, outside the main office of Jones Elementary School, 2751 Greyling Dr, San Diego, CA 92123. Contractors must attend site walk to be able to bid this project. ALL CONTRACTORS MUST PREREGISTER WITH THE DISTRICT PRIOR TO ATTENDING THE SITE WALK. Please send only one representative per Company. Contact Sharon Cheng scheng@sandi.net for the link to preregister. PLEASE SEE BID FOR DETAILS (No. CC22-0646-24).

REVISED COVID-19 SITE WALK SAFETY PRECAUTIONS WILL BE ENFORCED Please refer to Planwell (www.crispimg.com, click on PlanWell, Public Planroom, search SDUSD and project bid number CC22-0646-24) for Site Walk Safety Precautions AND preregistration information. All bids must be received electronically at or before 1:00 p.m. on FEBRUARY 3, 2022. Firms interested in submitting a bid package must go to https://www. planetbids.com/portal/portal.cfm?CompanyID=43764 then search under “Bid Opportunities” for “Invitation number” CC22-0646-24 Reinforce Structural Beams in 3 Classrooms at Jones Elementary School. For new vendors, please register under “New Vendor Registration”. The project estimate is between $100,000 and $115,000. This is not a PSA project and does not require prequalification.

The District requires that Bidders possess any of the following classification(s) of California State Contractors License(s), valid and in good standing, at the time of bid opening and contract award: B or other appropriate license, subject to District approval. SAN DIEGO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT, Andrea O’Hara, M.A., Strategic Sourcing and Contracts Officer, Strategic Sourcing and Contracts Department CC22-0646-24.

SD#0090

Request for Proposals (RFP)

FOR RENT

ON-CALL COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE BROKER SERVICES The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) is seeking proposals from qualified firms to provide consulting services to support the efforts associated with Commercial Real Estate Broker Services. It is anticipated that up to two contracts will be awarded as a result of this RFP. A non-mandatory virtual pre-proposal meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 9, 2022 at 9:30 a.m. PST via Microsoft Teams. Additional details and registration information will be posted to SANDAG’s web-based vendor portal at www.sandag.org/contracts .

A copy of the RFP (No. SOL890664) and related documents/ forms can be accessed from the vendor portal or by contacting Melissa Antonoplis, Contract Administrator, at melissa. antonoplis@sandag.org.

Proposals are due by 5:00 p.m. PST on Monday, February 28, 2022.

LEGAL SERVICES FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2021-9027690

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2021-9028241

Tony Independi located at 7543 Black Oak Rd., San Diego, CA 92114.

Registrant: Sergio Ortiz Cervantes, 429 E. 9th Street, National City, CA 91950.

This business is conducted

by Individual.

REGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME. Signature Sergio Ortiz Cervantes.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 12/15/2021.

AJ 842 12/24/2021.

12/31/2021, 01/07/2022, and 01/14/2022.

Penas Painting located at 227 Coolwater Drive, San Diego, CA 92114.

Registrant: Froylan Pena Ventura, 227 Coolwater Drive, San Diego, CA 92114.

This business is conducted by Individual.

REGISTRANT HAS BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME AS OF 01/01/2021.

Signature Froylan Pena Ventura.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 12/22/2021.

AJ 844 12/31/2021, 01/07/2022, 01/14/2022, and 01/21/2022.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2021-9028235

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2021-9027333

AJSD 842

Super 8 located at 2435 Sweetwater Road, National City, CA 91950.

Registrant: Ishverkrupa Hospitality LLC, 2435 Sweetwater Road, National City, CA 91950.

This business is conducted by Limited Liability Company.

REGISTRANT HAS BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME AS OF 06/20/2016.

Signature Hetal Patel.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 12/22/2021.

AJ 843 12/31/2021, 01/07/2022, 01/14/2022, and 01/21/2022.

AJSD 843

AJSD 844

DIGNIFIED STAFFING REGISTRY, INC. located at 1945 CAMINITO DE LA CRUZ, CHULA VISTA, CA 91913.

Registrant: DIGNIFIED STAFFING REGISTRY, INC., 1945 CAMINITO DE LA CRUZ, CHULA VISTA, CA 91913.

This business is conducted

by CORPORATION. REGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME. Signature MARI ROSE FERRER. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 12/11/2021.

AJ 846 01/07, 01/14, 01/21, AND 01/28/2022.

AJSD 846

LEGAL SERVICES CASE NUMBER: 37-2021-00053993-CU-PT-CTL

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner Maria Zeniada De Guzman Thomas on behalf of minor child filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: Carla Juan Panlilio De Guzman to Carla Juan De Guzman Thomas.

THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING Date: 02/10/2022 Time: 8:30 AM Dept. 61 Superior Court of California, County of San Diego 330 WEST BROADWAY DEPT. 61 San Diego, CA 92101 A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation printed in this county.

Asian Journal: DEC. 29, 2021 NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT Lorna A. Alksne Judge of the Superior Court AJ 845 01/07, 01/14, 01/21, AND 01/28/2022.

ATTACHMENT TO ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME (JC Form #NC-120) NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE. The Court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).

If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One certified copy of the Order Granting Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.

If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the Court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.

If timely objection is filed, the Court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.

A RESPONDENT OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE, MUST FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date.

Any Petition for the name change of a minor, that is signed by only one parent, must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other, non-signing parent, and proof of service must be filed with the Court.

AJSD 845

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF: JAMES WILLIAM FOSTER CASE NO. 37-2021-00032479-PR-LA-CTL

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of: JAMES WILLIAM FOSTER A Petition for Probate has been filed by HERTA KATHARINA SHOCKLEY in the Superior Court of California, County of SAN DIEGO. The Petition for Probate requests that HERTA KATHARINA SHOCKLEY be appointed as personal representative to administer with will annexed the estate of the decedent.

The petition requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court.

The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: Date:02/16/2022 Time: 1:30 P.M. Dept.: 502 Address of court: 1100 Union Street, San Diego, CA 92101 Branch Name: Central, Probate If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing.

Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

If you are a creditor or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor.

You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.

ATTORNEY: EDWING FRANK KELLER FIRM NAME: KELLER LAW GROUP ADDRESS: 22760 HAWTHORNE BLVD., SUITE 103 CITY: TORRANCE STATE: CA ZIP CODE: 90505 TELEPPHONE: 310-548-7240 ATTORNEY FOR PETITIONER: HERTA KATHARINA SHOCKLEY 01/14, 01/21, 01/28/2022 AJ 850 AJSD 850

LEGAL SERVICES FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2021-9028340

Ron V Consulting And Marketing located at 127 50th Street #303, San Diego, CA 92102.

Registrant: Ronald Vinluan, 127 50th Street #303, San Diego, CA 92102.

This business is conducted by Individual.

REGISTRANT HAS BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME AS OF 12/01/2021.

Signature Ron Vinluan.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 12/27/2021.

AJ 847 01/07/2022, 01/14/2022, 01/21/2022, and 01/28/2022.

AJSD 847

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2021-9028757

HAPPY LOVE DESSERTS, ATBP located at 1925 VIA LAS PALMAS #47, NATIONAL CITY, CA 91950.

Registrant: ANAHAW GROUP OF COMPANIES LLC, 1925 VIA LAS PALMAS #47, NATIONAL CITY, CA 91950.

This business is conducted by Limited Liability Corporation.

REGISTRANT HAS BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME AS OF 11/15/2021.

Signature GRACE TREVILLA. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 12/30/2021.

AJ 848 01//07, 01/14, 01/21, AND 01/28/2022. AJSD 848

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9000119

JV Scooters LLC located at 1512 La Playa Avenue, San Diego, CA 92109.

Registrant: JV Scooters LLC, 1512 La Playa Avenue, San Diego, CA 92109.

This business is conducted by Limited Liability Company.

REGISTRANT HAS BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME AS OF 01/04/2022.

Signature Joao Vitor Lagoa Bovino.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 01/04/2022.

AJ 849 01/14, 01/21, 01/28, and 02/04/2022.

AJSD 849

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9000075

A Dignified In Home Care, Inc. located at 1945 Caminito De La Cruz, Chula Vista, CA 91913.

Registrant: A Dignified In Home Care, Inc., 1945 Caminito De La Cruz, Chula Vista, CA 91913.

This business is conducted by Corporation.

REGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME. Signature Mari Rose Ferrer.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 01/03/2022.

AJ 851 01/14, 01/21, 01/28, and 02/04/2022.

AJSD 851

SAN DIEGO

(818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588 • http://www.asianjournal.com

SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL • JANUARY 14-20, 2022

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JOURNAL John expands directing career with ‘FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano’ JA N UA RY 1 4 , 2 0 22

by Nathalie

tomada Philstar.com

Dennis Padilla (right) and daughter Julia Barretto

Photo from Instagram/@dennisastig

Dennis, Julia hit restart button on their relationship By allaN

PolicarPio Inquirer.net

WHILE he’s best known as a comedian, nothing makes Dennis Padilla turn serious quicker than matters concerning his children.

“Once you’re done going through the pain, you’re able to accept it and can talk about it lightly.

My past … the people who were romantically linked to me … I can just laugh at them now. But it’s serious when it’s about the children,” he said in a recent video conference for the movie “Sanggano, Sanggago’t Sanggwapo 2: Aussie! Aussie! O Sige!”

Speaking of which, Dennis related that he and his daughter Julia Barretto have hit the restart button on their relationship, after a falling out over the latter’s intent to drop her father’s actual surname, Baldivia in 2014. Last year, Dennis made an appearance on Julia’s vlog, where they acknowledged their difficult past and discussed how best to move forward.

Misunderstanding “We’re OK. Because we came from a misunderstanding, it feels like we’re starting over. One day at a time, we’re building it (our relationship) again,” he said, when asked how things are at the moment between him and Julia.

Though he wasn’t able to spend the holiday season with Julia and his other kids with Marjorie Barretto (Claudia and Leon), he said he plans

to meet and have dinner with them soon. “I have learned that there should always be open communication so you can express your feelings to each other, para ‘di napupuno,” he said.

“Communication should be continuous so you always have good things to share and talk about,” he said.

Life lessons All the challenges he has faced, the 59-year-old actor added, serve as valuable life lessons. “As you go along your mindset toward life changes … You set new goals,” said Dennis, who has two other children, Dianne and Luis, with his first wife, Monina Gatus; and three more—Rizzi, Gavin and Maddie—with his current partner, Linda Gorton.

“Sanggano 2,” which is now available for streaming on Viva Entertainment’s content platform, Vivamax, has Dennis reuniting with his good friends Andrew E. and Janno Gibbs.

Because the three have known each other since the 1990s, onscreen chemistry comes naturally for them. “We understand each other’s nuances … tinginan pa lang, alam na namin. After one of us throws a punchline, we get a sense of whose turn goes next,” he said, adding that they never compete with each other.

“When we feel like a certain joke suits another person better, we tell the director. That’s how we are. We share the moments; we don’t fight for them,” he said. n

JOHN Prats is part of the entertainment industry’s list of “double threats” — actors who also direct.

After doing concerts and music videos, noontime show It’s Showtime and ABS-CBN Christmas specials, he now wears the director’s hat for ABS-CBN’s longest-running series FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano.

The former child actor said it was an immediate yes when Ang Probinsyano lead star and creative director Coco Martin asked him late last year to help direct the action-drama, which is entering its seventh year.

“Everyone knows that me and Coco, we’re more than friends, not lovers (laughs), but we’re like brothers. First time ko naka-experience ng kaibigan na grabeng magmahal and grabe sumuporta. And I admit, when I was about to leave Probinsyano to do Showtime, alam niyang malulungkot siya.

Nung nagkaroon ng pagkakataon na di niya mapigilan — basta nagkaroon ng management decision — he offered me to direct him in Ang Probinsyano,” John told The STAR in a recent virtual interview.

“Sobra na rin yung load niya.

He’s the lead actor, he’s the creative (head), tapos kung magdi-direct pa siya, isip pa siya ng lines. Actually, napapabayaan na niya sarili niya. As an actor, nakita ko yung hirap and I didn’t think twice of saying yes.

“And of course, I’ve been with Probinsyano for five and a half years. Sobrang mahal ko yung buong pamilyang yun.

That’s why I’m grateful for the support of Sir Deo and Tita Cory as they let me direct and experience Probinsyano,” he added, referring to Dreamscape

John is seen with Coco Martin on the set of FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano where he’s not only an actor but also a director.

Photo from Instagram/@johnprats

Entertainment boss Deo Endrinal and ABS-CBN COO Cory Vidanes.

John admitted that the experience of helming the show has been “overwhelming” because “it’s not just an ordinary show, it’s Probinsyano. And as an actor, I know the standards of the show and I know how we value our work.”

He further shared one of the hardest challenges for them in terms of storytelling.

“Every day, you have to capture the audience. Dapat ‘di magsawa sayo, especially with a show like Ang Probinsyano, which is six years already. Halos lahat napakita na namin and now we’re digging deep to show new content, new conflicts, new kinds of actions. That’s the challenge for us.”

One of his biggest assignments was directing veteran actress Sharon Cuneta in her ABS-CBN teleserye debut. She plays a mysterious new character in the series.

“Before we went with our bubble with Ms. Sharon, sobra ng overwhelming. Kami nga ni Coco, when we were talking about it

after the storycon, looking at our cast members, sobrang laki.

You have Rossana Roces, Lorna Tolentino, Tirso Cruz III, John Arcilla, John Estrada, Tommy Abuel and so many other big actors, and you’re gonna add Ms. Sharon Cuneta pa,” he said.

John recalled the first instance he filmed the Megastar.

“Di ko makalimutan yung experience because I was shooting one scene pa before hers. When I saw her van in our location, I told our staff na parang I’m just gonna finish this scene, and i-guide mo muna si Ms. Sharon sa tent niya kasi siempre ayoko maghintay siya. Malayo yung tent niya, bumaba siya sa tent niya and then pumunta siya sa set.

“Tapos sabi ko, teka lang hindi pa siya. Sabi ko, Tita Shawie after nito ikaw na po. But she said, no, no, no, I really came here because I want to say hi to my director.

“Of course, mga dating artista, yung discipline naabutan ko yun eh. Kahit sino pa man, kahit anong oras ka umalis, yung pagdating na pagdating mo sa

u PAGE 10

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JANUARY 14-20, 2022 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

Health@Heart PhiliP S. Chua, MD, FaCS, FPCS THIS new variant of the SARS-CoV2 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 COVID-19 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. Limit-

Here comes Deltacron! ing 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 others).

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 (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, Health Advocate, newspaper columnist, and Chairman of the Filipino United Network-USA, a 501(c)3 humanitarian foundation in the United States. Websites: FUN8888.com and philipSchua.com; Email: scalpelpen@ gmail.com.

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588

Gov. Newsom proposes new Office of Community Partnerships and Strategic Communications as part of California blueprint SACRAMENTO – As part of the California Blueprint released on Monday, January 10, Governor Gavin Newsom has proposed $65 million in ongoing General Fund moneys to create the new Office of Community Partnerships and Strategic Communications (OCPSC) to take on the critical role of managing priority public education and community engagement efforts and provide ongoing support to community-based organizations (CBOs).

“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and during the 2020 Census, our community partners on the ground have played a major role in reaching Californians – especially our most marginalized communities,” said Governor Gavin Newsom. “These organizations are committed to creating more resilient, healthy, and safe communities, and the new Office of Community Partnerships and Strategic Communications will formalize support for these partners and catalyze the social infrastructure necessary to build a California for All.” Established within the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR), the new office will formalize and build on the work the state carried out as part of the 2020 Census and COVID-19 public awareness and community engagement campaigns. The new office’s first campaigns will include COVID-19 and climate justice.

“Addressing climate change and building thriving communities in California requires not only an all-of-government approach but depends on the critical contributions of California’s frontline communities and the organizations that activate and organize them, said Samuel Assefa, Director of the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research. “As the state’s land use and planning agency, the Office of Planning and Research understands the unique value of public awareness and education and the singular role that community-based organizations play as trusted sources of information and in organizing local people power.”

The OCPSC will work directly with respective state departments to develop priority public awareness and community outreach initiatives, facilitate coordination and collaboration across State government to maximize impact in California’s communities, provide grant funding to CBOs and other partner organizations, and share community insights with relevant State and external stakeholders.

“Our partnerships with diverse, trusted community-based organizations strengthened the State’s ability to engage Californians during the COVID-19 pandemic and 2020 Census,” said Maricela Rodriguez, Director of Civic Engagement and Strategic Partnerships in Governor Newsom’s Office. “We learned valuable lessons during these campaigns and the Office of Community Partnerships and Strategic Communications will build upon them for future community outreach and engagement efforts.”

(OPR Release) n

SFIO announces $50-M eco-luxury community project in world-renowned Puerto Princesa, Palawan With stunning views of Ulugan Bay, the eight-hectare seaside community will feature world-class resort amenities and pioneer health and wellness offerings in one of the world’s most iconic islands

LAST month, global asset management company Starfleet Innotech, Inc. (OTC: SFIO) closed off 2021 by signing a joint venture with Filipino partners to build a world-class eco-luxury, health and wellness community on their bayside property in globally-renowned Philippine destination Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

The project will be owned and developed by SFIO Leisure and Development, Inc., a joint venture stock corporation, and will see eight hectares of beachfront land transformed into an exclusive, holistic lifestyle community hidden amongst Palawan’s iconic mangrove glades and situated less than half an hour from the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River, one of the official New Seven Wonders of Nature.

The seaside community will feature a beachfront resort, as well as condominiums and a residential subdivision for longer-term residents looking to embrace Palawan’s luxurious lifestyle and relocate to its idyllic isles.

With stunning views of Ulugan Bay and resting upon some of the nation’s most fertile soils, the resort will offer a lush, nourishing environment for both short and long-term visitors and long-term residents to reconnect with nature.

The resort’s tropical design evokes the nostalgic warmth of Filipino hospitality, featuring the nation’s iconic pitched roofs, woven textures, and natural shade elements. These initial design and feasibility studies are already underway, with development scheduled to kick off within the year.

Visitors and residents alike will enjoy resort amenities across the development’s condotels, private villas, natural springs, chapel and meditation garden, spa and wellness centers, glamping sites, forest trails, and of course, walking access to Palawan’s iconic white sand beaches and crystalclear waters. With a focus on nurturing wellbeing, the

resort will also offer productivity features for remote workers looking for the perfect blend of modern accessibility and natural living.

SFIO’s announcement comes on the heels of a series of joint ventures with Philippine-based partners to develop world-class resorts and townships across the country. With their latest venture, SFIO brings its global expertise in real estate development to a global destination in island leisure.

Palawan consistently places among the world’s top islands, coming in first on Travel+Leisure’s definitive global ranking multiple years in a row. Based on Collier’s 2021 Residential Survey, Palawan was the top destination for Filipinos once travel restrictions are lifted.

The global research firm expects domestic tourism to drive the leisure sector’s looming rebound, citing the Philippine Department of Tourism’s projection that domestic trips will reach 84.8 million in 2022,

or 90 percent of total trips in 2019.

Not long after, the Philippines’ hotel industry – led by island beach destinations like Palawan – is forecasted to surpass even pre-pandemic revenues as early as 2023. According to latest data from Statista, the industry is expected to reach an all-time revenue high of $2.1 billion by 2025.

Timed to debut amidst this renewed renaissance for Palawan, SFIO’s latest development in Puerto Princesa is expected to be completed by 2024.

SFIO’s joint ventures in real estate play a crucial role in the global asset management company’s strategy of collaborative innovation towards building better communities.

Work is already underway at SFIO’s recently established Technology Division on a suite of state-of-the-art, smart-building technologies designed to ensure the long-term, holistic wellbeing of communities. The team has

also designed a proprietary project management platform tailored for their real estate projects. With this system, SFIO’s partners and global network of licensed realtors are able to easily access information and seamlessly collaborate with project proponents, expediting the selling process across SFIO’s real estate portfolio.

These technologies are expected to set new goldstandards for real estate management and community health systems across resorts and townships.

According to SFIO, the company is in talks with a number of investment banks to enter debt financing deals that would fund these projects while preserving shareholder value. Profits from these highyield projects are intended to be reinvested into future growth, helping carry the group towards their plans to uplist from the US OTC Markets to the NASDAQ by 2024.

(Advertising Supplement)

John is seen with Sharon Cuneta.

Photo from Instagram/@johnprats

John expands...

PAGE 9 set, you have to say hi to your director. Yun ang discipline nung bata pa ako, yun ang discipline namin na nakakalungkot kasi marami ng artista na baguhan ngayon, di na nila alam yun.

That’s why I appreciate Tita Shawie because even if she’s the Megastar and I’m just a new director, she really listens: ‘Direk, I will follow whatever you want.’”

John tapped into his wellspring of acting experience for directing motivation. He also offered a glimpse of what would usually happen on set.

“Dahil siguro malaking advantage na kami ni Coco artista kasi kaming dalawa, we both know how it feels to be an actor and to be in their shoes. So, with Coco as our creative head and headwriter also, he’s the one who makes the scenes and the lines, then he gives them to me and then I present them to the actors,” he said.

“I will explain to them, this is the scene, you’re coming from this scene and you’re proceeding next to these sequences. I always tell them, saan galing itong eksena and saan pupunta. And I let them be because I believe that nobody knows the character best but them. I’m just there to guide them and their blockings and their movements. But other than that, I just let them be, I let them work and I let them project yung gusto i-project nila,” he added.

John stressed that he’s been very collaborative and always discussing things with his actors.

He explained: “I want that because you’re involving them.

I’ve experienced and worked with directors na parang this, this, this, or sa ganito, ganito.

So, parang na-feel ko sa mga times na yun na — I appreciate that it’s their style — parang di na ako nag-work, I just became a puppet? So eto, I let them explore kung ano yung gusto nilang gawin sa character nila.”

John counted as his mentors direk Arnel Natividad for nonnarrative shows like Gandang Gabi Vice and Tonight With Boy Abunda where he started, and Coco for teleseryes.

He’s open to taking formal lessons or venturing into film

because he’s all about learning more and honing his skills as a director.

“I thought before that I would be a concert, musical or nonnarrative director, but dahil nga ganun ako, I’m really open to opportunities na parang ‘pag may dumating, just grab. I’ll never say no kahit alam kong di ko kaya, but I’ll try first,” John shared.

“So, now I feel mas lumawak yung experience ko when it comes to directing because I’m not just directing concerts, music videos, Christmas specials or a noontime show. It’s a different league — it’s a teleserye. I feel like — well, I haven’t done a film yet — that this is tougher. I’m enjoying it and I’m happy.”

John never dreamt of becoming a director. However, he felt that his leap from in front of the camera to behind it was meant to be.

“Ang buong pakiramdam ko talaga, ‘pag may plinano talaga o meron kang destiny na pupuntahan, dun ka talaga dadalhin,” he reflected on the transition.

“I never planned nor dreamt to be a director before. It just happened. One day, I woke up and wanted to direct a concert.”

It first happened with Cornerstone via Moira dela Torre’s 2018 Tagpuan concert.

He also directed the singer’s music video, even though he had zero experience. “Wala akong pinag-aralan sa journey na ‘to.

Siguro yung baon-baon ko lang, my experience for 29 years here in this industry. Perhaps, I’ve learned from the directors I’ve worked with. That’s how it happened and it was really smooth. Parang sinerve ni God sa akin, ito yung purpose mo, you have a bigger purpose, and I just followed his lead,” he said.

“Sabi ko nga, whenever I write a caption, God is directing me to direct. Yung lang yun kasi yung purpose ko — to fulfill the dreams ng mga actors ko, and when it comes to concerts, I want them to shine. That’s my main objective. And of course, I always want the audience to be inspired and be able to touch their lives.” n

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Board unanimously approves 2-year home kitchen ordinance

THE Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, January 11 unanimously approved a two-year temporary authorization of an ordinance that will ultimately allow people to legally operate “mini-restaurants” out of their homes.

They could serve as many as 30 in-person, take-out, or delivery meals a day, with a maximum of 60 meals a week. Operators will be required to get a health permit, and home kitchens must pass food safety inspections.

Vice Chair Nora Vargas and Supervisor Joel Anderson, who brought a request to draft an ordinance for microenterprise home kitchen operations, or MEHKOs, to the Board in September, said on Wednesday, January 12 that the home kitchens wouldn’t compete with established restaurants but would help local communities, the economy and people with cooking skills trying to make ends meet.

“Legally implemented MEHKOS can serve as incubators for aspiring restaurateurs to test out and vet a menu while learning the basics of what it takes to run a small-scale retail operation,” Vargas said. “I want to make sure that families and businesses in our region are thriving, not just surviving, and this opens the door for home cooks to do just that.”

Anderson said MEHKOS also provide a great service to communities “because people are getting quality food from their neighbors.”

“On every level I just believe this is a terrific program,” Anderson said.

County staff said comments collected in public meetings and hearings stated that microenterprise kitchens could have numerous potential economic and community benefits. They would give aspiring restaurateurs a way to earn a living and way to test their skills and ideas for an overall startup cost of about $740, rather than spending the estimated $275,000 average cost of opening a storefront restaurant.

They would also provide “food justice” and healthy, home-cooked meals for communities that don’t have lots of restaurants or that lack access to healthy food.

California established a MEHKO addition to the California Retail Food Code in 2019. The code is the state law that establishes health and sanitation standards and regulates food facilities. The County of San Diego is the regional local authority that conducts health inspections for all restaurants and food facilities and is the governing body to consider MEHKO authorization for all jurisdictions in the region.

The state law allows microenterprise kitchens with restrictions.

Some of those include: • They must be operated by a resident living in the home or apartment.

• They cannot have more than one full-time employee excluding family members.

• Food must be prepared and served on the same day and sold directly to consumers.

• They’re limited to $50,000 in sales a year.

• They cannot operate as caterers, temporary event vendors, mobile event vendors or cottage food operators that prepare and sell packaged foods.

Home cooks who want to operate a microenterprise kitchen would be required to submit an application, earn a food safety manager certificate from an approved school, pass an initial inspection, and undergo annual inspections. Kitchens that rely upon well water would also have to conduct private well tests to ensure the water is safe.

The Department of Environmental Health and Quality conducted approximately 50 stakeholder meetings to inform the drafting of the ordinance, including four public workshops with language translators, meetings with other public agencies, chambers of commerce and city councils.

Because the Board’s action creates a new ordinance to oversee regulation, it will need to be authorized again at a “second reading” Jan. 26, which will allow it to take effect 30 days after that.

County staff said they would study local MEHKOS during the twoyear temporary authorization of the ordinance and bring back that data to the Board before the ordinance expires for their consideration on whether to make it permanent.

(Gig Conaughton/County of San Diego Communications Office) n

Community

SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL • JANUARY 14-20, 2022

San Diegans 12 and older should get COVID-19 boosters

NOW that COVID-19 vaccine boosters are available for fully vaccinated people ages 12 and up, County health officials are urging eligible San Diegans to get all the recommended doses.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a booster shot helps to provide protection against the highly contagious Omicron variant, both in preventing the disease, lessening symptoms and decreasing the likelihood of hospitalization.

To date, 906,615 San Diegans have received booster shots.

The CDC recommends a Pfizer or Moderna booster shot five months after their second dose.

A Johnson & Johnson booster is recommended two months after the second dose. Pfizer boosters have been approved for everyone 12 years and older. Moderna and Johnson & Johnson boosters are only available for adults 18 years and older.

“COVID-19 vaccinations are the best tool we have against the coronavirus and we need more San Diegans to be boosted,” said Wilma J. Wooten. M.D., M.P.H., County public health officer. “The vaccines help to prevent people from getting seriously ill or dying from COVID-19.”

The region has plenty of COVID-19 vaccines and booster doses. With more than 400 vaccination sites that include pharmacies, medical providers, clinics and County locations; the region has the capacity to meet the demand. You can also make

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File photo/www.countynewscenter.com

an appointment or find a site near you by calling (833) 422-4255 or visiting the MyTurnor coronavirus-sd.com websites.

Avoid emergency departments for COVID-19 testing County health officials continue to ask San Diegans not to go to local emergency departments for COVID-19 testing.

Local hospitals are experiencing an increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations, as well as staff shortages due to the coronavirus and are preserving their resourc-

es for patients who are seriously ill.

“Local hospitals and their emergency departments are under extreme stress due to COVID-19 patients, other seasonal viruses and diseases and employees calling out sick,” Wooten said.

The County recommends that people worried about COVID-19 infection and others seeking COVID-19 testing go to a hospital to be tested only if they have severe symptoms.

The region’s health care pro-

viders offer testing to members who meet each systems’ criteria.

Many neighborhood pharmacies offer same day testing as do other locations which can be accessed online by going to https:// www.arcgis.com/apps/Nearby/ index.html?appid=43118dc0d5d348d8ab20a81967a15401.

The County has a network of nocost testing public sites that are both walk-up and can take appointments.

(Jose Alvarez/County of San Diego Communications Office) n

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JANUARY 14-20, 2022 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

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