011522 - Los Angeles Weekend Edition

JANUARY 15-18, 2022 Volume 32 - No. 4 • 2 Sections – 18 Pages

LA County public health offi cial warns against DATELINE USA US expected to have ‘non-essential activities’ to mitigate COVID surge FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

new ambassador to PH before May polls

MANILA — The United States is expected to have a new ambassador to the Philippines before the May polls, Manila’s top diplomat in Washington said on Thursday, January 13.

“I know that there will be an ambassador coming to the Philippines, hopefully, before the elections,” Philippine Ambassador to the U.S. Jose Romualdez said in an ANC interview.

He said he has already met with potential nominees for the post.

“There are quite a number of them who have wanted to go to the Philippines. I’ve met them,” Romualdez said.

“It’s supposed to be a super-secret thing until we agree to it. And secondly, the White House is the one that makes the announcement for the new ambassador,” he added.

At present, the U.S. Embassy in Manila is being headed by Chargé d’Affaires, ad interim

More than 40,000 positive cases reported

by KLARIZE

MEDENILLA AJPress

AS positive coronavirus cases in Los Angeles County continue to rise, county officials are warning the public against “non-essential activities” in the

coming weeks.

“While we’re in the surge, we do ask that you exercise more caution, even if you’re vaccinated and boosted,” LA County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said during the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 11. “One way to reduce

Foreigners now required to show proof of vaccination before entry to PH by Feb. 16

by CHRISTIA

MARIE Inquirer.net

u PAGE A3

Survey: 1 in 3 Asians in San Gabriel Valley experienced hate during COVID pandemic NEARLY two years after the first coronavirus-related anti-Asian hate incident was reported in California, the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community continues to be targeted in hate incidents and hate crimes, especially in areas with highly concentrated AAPI communities.

According to a new survey from the Asian Youth Center (AYC) and the legal and civil rights organization Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Los Angeles released on Wednesday, Jan. 12, nearly one-third half of those said that they or their family members have been targeted in anti-Asian hate during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to AYC Executive Director Michelle Freridge, this survey is the first of its kind to focus on the San Gabriel Valley specifically.

As other, more regionally broad surveys found, a majority of the incidents that San Gabriel Valley residents faced were verbal atu PAGE A2

VAX CHECK. Motorists present their vaccination cards and company ID to the Quezon City police officers manning a checkpoint in Cubao on Thursday night, January 13. Several unvaccinated persons, whose mobility is limited with restrictions, were told to get the shot amid the soaring number of coronavirus cases.

PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler

PUNAY Philstar.com

MANILA — Vice President Leni Robredo prefers to have another face-off with former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. instead of him getting disqualified to run in the upcoming presidential race.

“I do not want to comment on the disqualification case. But if you were to ask me, I would like to defeat him in the elections to put an end to this,” Robredo said in a mix of English and Filipino over CNN Philippines on Thursday, January 13.

Asked what she wanted to put

RAMOS

MANILA — Foreign nationals will be required to present proof of full vaccinvation against COVID-19 before their entry to the Philippines starting Feb. 16, 2022, Malacañang said Friday, January 14.

The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases approved this new protocol for the entry of foreign nationals in the country, Cabinet Secretary and acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles said in a Palace briefing.

“Beginning Feb. 16, 2022, proof of full vaccination shall be made a requirement for entry of all foreign nationals allowed to enter the Philippines,” he said, citing IATF Resolution No. 157.

But Nograles said the following are exempted from the requirement: • Children below the age of 18 • People medically unable to receive the vaccine, as u PAGE A2

100,000 Filipino health care workers with pending US work visas as demand soars

by CHRISTIA

MARIE Inquirer.net

RAMOS

MANILA, Philippines — There are at least 100,000 Filipino health care 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 [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 cfor Filipino health care workers in the United States, Romualdez said: “Definitely, there’s no doubt u PAGE A2

Robredo prefers face-off with Bongbong in 2022 polls

by EDU

transmission is to wear a high-quality mask whenever you’re around non-household members.”

Though the county didn’t specify what activities are deemed non-essential, Ferrer advises avoiding contact with those who are unvaccinated, avoiding u PAGE A2

an end on, the Vice President cited the false narrative that she cheated in the 2016 vice presidential race.

“Even if I have already won in the Supreme Court several times, this is still the narrative that he is pushing. So it is important to defeat him in the upcoming elections in order to, once and for all, stop what he is doing of making people believe the narrative that he wants to push,” she said.

Robredo defeated Marcos by a slim margin in 2016. Her victory was affirmed by the Supreme Court following a recount of votes Vice President Leni Robredo u PAGE A2 Photo from the Office of the Vice President

Inquirer.net photo by Richard Reyes

PH allows entry of Filipino travelers from ‘red list’ countries MANILA — The Philippines has allowed the entry of Filipinos coming from the so-called “red list”— composed of countries and territories at high risk for COVID-19.

Those coming from or who have been to red list territories within the last 14 days will now be allowed entry into the Philippines, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said Friday, January 14.

The government previously prohibited travelers from red list areas from entering the Philippines, except for Filipinos returning to the country via government-initiated repatriation and Bayanihan flights.

“We have decided that Filipinos from red list countries will be allowed to come in as long as they comply with red list protocols. Filipinos from red list countries don’t need to wait for bayanihan flights anymore,” Nograles said.

The following countries are included in the red list from January 16 to 31: • Antigua and Barbuda • Aruba • Canada • Curacao • French Guinea • Iceland • Malta • Mayotte

• Mozambique • Puerto Rico • Saudi Arabia • Somalia • Spain • U.S. Virgin Islands According to Nograles, all travelers—whether from red, green or yellow list countries— are required to present a negative result of an RT-PCR test taken within 48 hours prior to departure from country of origin.

The government previously required travelers get tested within 72 hours before departure.

Nograles said these test results will still be recognized until 12:01 u PAGE A3

A2 JANUARY 15-18, 2022 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

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FROM THE FRONT PAGE

LA County public health official...

PAGE 1

indoor parties and large gatherings where people will likely be unmasked.

On Friday, Jan. 14, the county reported 40,545 new positive cases and 48 new deaths due to COVID-19 across the county.

The county’s plea to the public to limit non-essential activities is largely fueled by the growing strain the surge is putting on hospitals across the county, Ferrer said, adding that those who are unvaccinated are more than twice as “likely to get infected than those [who are] vaccinated.”

According to a press release, county hospitals are averaging 629 new COVID-19 admissions daily. Currently, 4,257 people are hospitalized across the county with COVID-19 — the highest number since Feb. 5, 2021 —

with 25% of patients in the ICU. “As Omicron surges across LA County, there are mounting challenges and frustrations affecting so many. The enormous strain experienced by our health care personnel can be alleviated by reducing the transmission of the virus so that [fewer] people are seeking medical care,” Ferrer said. “With thousands of people seriously ill with COVID and deaths increasing daily, it is too risky for too many people to not continue to take precautions and make strategic decisions to minimize community transmission.”

In order to keep schools and workplaces open, the county urges all residents and workers to always adhere to masking requirements in crowded public spaces, regardless of vaccination

status, and to stay home and isolate when sick.

“We know how important getting together with friends is to our well-being,” she said.

“We need to be sure we’re able to keep each other safe. The reality is that parties and events — especially those indoors with unvaccinated individuals or those at high risk for severe illness — make it very easy for this virus to spread. Limiting our time with others to those more essential work-related or school-related activities is a prudent action for everyone to take whenever possible.”

Despite the public plea, Ferrer VAX CARD CHECK. Personnel from the Quezon City Task Force for Transport and Traffic Management (QCTFTTM) check a passenger’s company said last week that there weren’t ID and vaccination card before boarding a bus offering free rides along General Romulo Avenue on Thursday, January 13. The city strictly any plans to move the Super enforces the ‘no vaccine card, no ride policy’ in public transport as Metro Manila is under Alert Level 3 due to a surge in Covid-19 infections.

PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler Bowl, which is slated to take place at the new SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on Feb. 13. ■

Survey: 1 in 3 Asians in San Gabriel Valley...

PAGE 1 tacks, but the fear of harassment and lack of safety elevated early last year when physical violence against Asians and Asian Americans escalated.

The survey found that almost half (45%) of AAPIs in the San Gabriel Valley feel more “vigilant and defensive” when leaving their homes, and of the parents that were surveyed, half of them are worried about their children becoming victims of anti-Asian bullying.

Moreover, about 60% of respondents said that the way they feel and behave when they leave home has changed since news reports began detailing the rise in anti-Asian hate.

“I pay attention to people around me and what they are saying and how their nonverbal communication [sic]. It is extremely stressful,” one respondent said.

Another respondent said, “I’ve definitely experienced racism growing up Asian American, but not to the point where I’m concerned about physical attacks.

Previously it was more about discrimination in daily life/interactions, but not physical attacks.”

The San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles County is home to nearly half a million Asians and Asian Americans, making it one of the

highest concentrations of AAPIs in the entire country.

Respondents noticed that since the pandemic began, they’ve noticed more hate speech graffitied on Asian-owned businesses, more racial slurs being hurled by strangers, and more postings on community awareness platforms like Next Door or Citizen to warn others about any possible dangers to the AAPI community.

“San Gabriel Valley is one of the most important Asian communities in California and we are here for individuals who don’t know where to turn for confidential, safe support. We can help in their languages. We will continue to fight for public programs and services that serve the diverse and complex needs of AAPIs in this community,” said Connie Chung Joe, CEO, Advancing Justice-LA. It’s important to note that the survey is based on the responses from 300 residents of LA County, of which Advancing Justice-LA said 284 respondents “met the eligibility criteria to be included in the final analysis.”

Of the respondents, 64% were women, 35% were men, and 1% identify as non-binary. Responses were collected from July to September 2021 through online and phone surveys in English, Chinese, and Vietnamese. A vast

Foreigners now required to show proof of...

PAGE 1 certified by a competent public health authority in the country or majority of respondents were of port of origin Chinese descent (67%) with the • Foreign diplomats and their next largest group being Tai- qualified dependents or 9(e) visa wanese (11.4%).

Chief among the root causes of the rise in anti-Asian attitudes is the rhetoric used to describe the virus and its origins in China. PAGE 1 As reported in the Asian Journal, in the three provinces selected many AAPI community leaders by the former senator’s camp. partially blame former President During the interview, the Donald Trump for emphasizing Vice President described online the connection between China disinformation as one of the and the coronavirus, leading more difficult challenges that her some of his followers to blame campaign is facing.

Asians and Asian Americans for “We know that there are many the pandemic. fake accounts right now and Hate incidents and hate crimes that… social media is working against the AAPI community in- on algorithms so the distribution creased across the nation over the past two years. But in the AAPI-rich LA County, anti-Asian hate crimes increased 76% in 2020 according to community PAGE 1 surveys. about that.”

In San Gabriel Valley, more “In all my discussions with than half of the AAPIs feel that the U.S. government people, we there is little support for the inevitably always talk about the members of their community nurses, most especially, the kind of that have been victims of racial people that we have here working harassment, discrimination, and in the hospitals. There’s so much violence. Moreover, a majority of appreciation, the demand is very respondents felt that increased high for Filipinos nurses and neighborhood watch, stronger doctors actually,” he added. ties with police, and more crossAt present, there are around cultural events could best curb 150,000 to 200,000 Filipino harassment, discrimination and healthcare workers in the U.S., violence. (By Klarize Medenilla/ Romualdez noted.

AJPress) U.S. infection rate

holders The Department of Transportation (DOTr), through the Civil Aeronautics Board, is tasked to mandate the airlines to require foreign

nationals traveling to the Philippines to present proof of full vaccination prior to boarding flights to any points in the Philippines, according to the resolution. ■

Robredo prefers face-off with Bongbong... channels are saturated and that people are not given enough opportunity to really know what is right and what is wrong,” she said.

“We need to double our efforts to make it known to people what is true and what is not,” she added.

Asked about the failed unification talks with other candidates, Robredo said she

was initially frustrated at the outcome, although she has no regrets as she exerted all effort.

“To a very large extent, I was successful in uniting not the presidential candidates, but the very many groups that are behind our candidacy now…

I said, if I was not able to unite the presidential candidates, at least we are trying to unite the people,” she said. ■

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 Department of Health on Wednesday, January 12 logged 32,246 more COVID-19 cases, pushing the country’s active tally to 208,164. ■

100,000 Filipino health care workers with...

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A3

US expected to have new ambassador to...

PAGE A1 Kim. Heather Variava.

Kim served as U.S. ambassador Washington’s last ambassador to the Philippines from 2016 to the Philippines was Sung to 2020. He is currently

Washington’s top diplomat in Indonesia and a special envoy for North Korea. (Christia Marie Ramos/Inquirer.net)

PH allows entry of Filipino travelers from...

‘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

Is my cloth mask good enough? The 2022 edition by

VICTORIA KNIGHT Kaiser Health News

THE highly transmissible omicron variant is sweeping the U.S., causing a huge spike in COVID-19 cases and overwhelming many hospital systems.

Besides urging Americans to get vaccinated and boosted, public health officials are recommending that people upgrade from their cloth masks to higher-quality medical-grade masks.

But what does this even mean?

At a recent Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing, top public health officials displayed different types of masking. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, wore what appeared to be a surgical mask layered under a cloth mask, while Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to the president, wore what looked like a KN95 respirator.

Some local governments and other organizations are offering their own policies. Los Angeles County, for instance, will require as of Jan. 17 that employers provide N95 or KN95 masks to employees. In late December, the Mayo Clinic began requiring all visitors and patients to wear surgical masks instead of cloth versions. The University of Arizona has banned cloth masks and asked everyone on campus to wear higher-quality masks.

Questions about the level of protection against covid that masks provide — whether cloth, surgical or higher-end medical grade — have been a subject of debate and discussion since the earliest days of the pandemic.

We looked into the question last summer. And as science changes and variants emerge with higher transmissibility, so do opinions.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not updated its mask guidance since October, before the omicron variant emerged. That guidance doesn’t recommend the use of an N95 respirator but states only that masks should be at least two layers, well-fitting and contain a nose wire.

Multiple experts we consulted said that the current CDC guidance does not go far enough.

They also agreed on another point: Wearing a cloth mask is better than not wearing a mask at all, but if you can upgrade — or layer cloth with surgical — now is the time.

Although cloth masks may appear to be more substantial than the paper surgical mask option, surgical masks as well as KN95 and N95 masks are infused with an electrostatic charge that helps filter out particles.

“From the perspective of knowing how covid is transmitted, and what we know about omicron, wearing a higher-quality mask is really critical to stopping the spread of omicron,” said Dr. Megan Ranney, academic dean for the School of Public Health at Brown University.

A large-scale real-world study conducted in Bangladesh and published in December showed that surgical masks are more effective at preventing covid transmission than cloth masks.

So, one easy strategy to improve protection is to layer a surgical mask underneath cloth. Surgical masks can be bought relatively cheaply online and reused for about a week.

Ranney said she advises people who opt for layering to put the better-quality mask, such as the surgical mask, closest to your face, and put the lesser-quality mask on the outside.

If you’re really pressed for resources, Dr. Stephen Luby, a professor specializing in infectious diseases at Stanford University and one of the authors of the Bangladesh mask study, said surgical masks can be washed and reused, if finances are an issue. Nearly two years into the pandemic, such masks are cheap and plentiful in the U.S. and many

retailers make them available free of charge to customers as they enter businesses.

“During the study, we told the participants they could wash the surgical masks with laundry detergent and water and reuse them,” Luby said. “You lose some effect of the electrostatic charge, but they still outperformed cloth masks.”

Still, experts maintain that wearing either a KN95 or an N95 respirator is the best protection against omicron, since these masks are highly effective at filtering out viral particles. The “95” in the names refers to the masks’ 95% filtration efficacy against certain-sized particles.

N95 masks are regulated by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, while KN95s are regulated by the Chinese government and KF94s by the South Korean government.

Americans were initially urged not to buy either surgical or N95 masks early in the pandemic to ensure there would be a sufficient supply for health care workers.

But now there are enough to go around.

So, if you have the resources to upgrade to an N95, a KN95 or a KF94 mask, you should absolutely do so, said Dr. Leana Wen, a professor of health policy and management at George Washington University. Although these models are more expensive and can be more uncomfortable, they are worth the investment for the safety they provide, she said. “[Omicron is] a much more contagious virus, so there is a much lower margin of error in regards to the activities you were once able to do without getting

LOS ANGELES COUNTY METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY (LACMTA) REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL LACMTA will receive Proposals for PS84307 - Food and Essential Goods Delivery at the 9th Floor Receptionist Desk, Vendor/Contract Management Department, One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012.

All proposals must be submitted to LACMTA in one of two ways, either (1) sealed envelopes by mail or hand delivered to the address above, or (2) electronically via email to bids@ metro.net. All proposals must be received on or before 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time on Tuesday, February 1, 2022. Proposals received after the above date and time may be rejected and returned unopened.

Additionally, it is recommended that proposer’s email(s) are sent with a Delivery and Read receipt for their records. Lastly, proposers should send a verification email to the named Contract Administrator of the RFP after the email submission(s) of proposal to bids@metro.net. The verification email should indicate that a proposal has been submitted

by Vendor Name for RFP# on X number of emails.

A Virtual Pre-Proposal conference will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 18, 2022. Refer to solicitation for details.

For a copy of the Proposal/ Bid specification visit our Solicitation Page on our Vendor Portal at https://business.metro.net or for further information email Shannon Thoene at thoenes@metro.net.

1/15/22 CNS-3545674# ASIAN JOURNAL (L.A.)

infected,” Wen said. “We have to increase our protection in every way, because everything is riskier now.”

Wen also said that though these masks are characterized as oneuse, unless you are in a health care setting, KN95s and N95s can be worn more than once. She uses one of her personal KN95s for more than a week at a time.

Another important thing to note is there are many counterfeit N95 and KN95 masks being sold online, so consumers must be careful when ordering them and

u PAGE A5

PAGE A1 a.m. of January 19.

Fully-vaccinated travelers from red list counties need to undergo facility-based quarantine and get tested on the seventh day. Once they get negative RT-PCR test result, they can be discharged, provided they observe home quarantine until the 14th day.

Those who are unvaccinated, partially vaccinated and with inoculation status that cannot be independently validated are required to undergo facility-based quarantine and take an RT-PCR test on the seventh day.

They may be discharged only upon the completion of a 10-day facility-based quarantine, regardless of a negative test result. Then, they will undergo home quarantine until the 14th day.

Green, yellow lists Fully-vaccinated travelers from green list areas— or territories with low COVID-19 risk—are no longer required to observe mandatory facility-based quarantine. However, they need to self-monitor for any COVID-19 signs or symptoms for seven days, Nograles stressed.

Unvaccinated and partially vaccinated passengers from green list territories and individuals whose vaccination status cannot be verified must go on facility-based quarantine until they get the result of an RT-PCR test done on the fifth day. They also need to self-monitor for symptoms until the 14th day.

For fully-vaccinated travelers from yellow areas, they need to undergo facility-based quarantine and get tested on the fifth day. If they are negative for COVID-19, they can be released for completion of home quarantine up to the seventh day.

Unvaccinated and partially vaccinated travelers from countries under yellow list or those whose vaccination cannot be validated must stay in facility upon arrival and take an RT-PCR test on the seventh

day. Once they get negative test results, they can complete home quarantine up to the 14th day.

Here are the countries that are part of the green list starting January 16: • Bangladesh • Benin • Bhutan • British Virgin Islands • China • Côte d’Ivoire • Djibouti • Equatorial Guinea • Falkland Islands • The Gambia • Ghana • Guinea • Hong Kong • India • Indonesia • Japan • Kosovo • Kyrgyzstan • Montserrat • Morocco • Niger • Oman • Pakistan • Paraguay • Saba (Special Municipality of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) • Saint Barthelemy • Senegal • Sierra Leone • Sint Eustatius • Taiwan • Timor-Leste • Uganda All other areas are under yellow list. (Gaea Katreena Cabico/Philstar.com)

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Metro Manila, other areas to remain under Alert Level 3 until January 31

by CHRISTIA

MARIE Inquirer.net

ROLLING STORE. Children rush to a mobile vendor of candies and toys in Barangay Kaligayahan, Novaliches, Quezon City on Friday, January 14. Children aged 5 to 11 will have more freedom outside once they are included in the national vaccination program.

PNA photo by Oliver Marquez

Marcos camp disputes Carpio claim on ill-gotten wealth

by EDU

PUNAY Philstar.com

THE camp of presidential aspirant Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has dismissed as speculation the claim of retired Supreme Court justice Antonio Carpio that over P300 billion in ill-gotten wealth and unpaid taxes may not be recovered if he wins the presidential election in May. Vic Rodriguez, Marcos’ spokesman, said the insinuation that Marcos will abolish the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG), which is still litigating cases involving ill-gotten wealth worth P125 billion, does not even deserve comment.

“We do not respond to a purely speculative scenario concocted by the same man who espouses divisiveness instead of national unity and have wrongly led equally righteous groups and individuals like him, in filing the numerous nuisance petitions (against Marcos). His signature

‘yellow political tirades’ purposely meant to foment intrigue such as this are better left ignored,” he said in a statement.

Carpio, during a virtual forum Thursday, January 14, said that apart from the PCGG cases, unpaid estate taxes of the Marcos family, now amounting to P203 billion due to interests and penalties, would also not be recovered by the government.

“That’s really the problem.

If Bongbong Marcos becomes president, I do not expect the P125 billion to be recovered anymore. He will probably abolish the PCGG,” the retired magistrate was quoted as saying.

“Incidentally, Bongbong Marcos was also the court appointed administrator of the estate of Ferdinand Marcos. As courtappointed administrator, Bongbong Marcos has refused to pay the 25-year-old final estate tax liability of the Marcos estate,” he also said.

Meanwhile, the BBM-Sara UniTeam expressed yesterday

RAMOS

MANILA — The National Capital Region (NCR) will remain under Alert Level 3 until the end of January, Malacañang said on Friday, January 14, as COVID19 cases continue to spike in the country.

In a Palace briefing, Cabinet Secretary and acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles said the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases agreed to retain Alert Level 3 in Metro Manila from Jan. 16 to 31.

The capital region has been under Alert Level 3 since Jan. 3 amid the coronavirus surge believed to be driven by the Omicron variant.

Aside from Metro Manila, the following areas will also be under Alert Level 3 from Jan. 16 until the end of the month: • Baguio City • Ifugao • Mountain Province • Dagupan City • Ilocos Sur • City of Santiago • Cagayan • Angeles City • Aurora • Bataan • Bulacan • Olongapo City • Pampanga • Zambales

• Rizal • Batangas • Cavite • Laguna • Lucena City • Marinduque • Romblon • Camarines Norte • Catanduanes • Naga City • Sorsogon • Iloilo City • Iloilo • Negros Occidental • Guimaras • Lapu Lapu City • Bohol • Cebu • Negros Oriental • Ormoc City • Biliran • Eastern Samar • Leyte • Northern Samar • Southern Leyte • Western Samar • City of Isabela • Zamboanga City • Zamboanga del Sur • Bukidnon • Iligan City • Misamis Occidental • Misamis Oriental • Davao del Sur • Davao del Norte • General Santos City • South Cotabato • Surigao del Sur • Agusan del Norte • Lanao del Sur Twenty-eight other areas had

their full support to the government and private sector initiative to produce Molnupiravir locally, saying this will be a big help in the battle against COVID-19.

According to the results of Phase 3 clinical trials in India for mild COVID cases, Molnupiravir, an oral treatment for coronavirus, significantly reduces viral load and more patients return negative RT-PCR results PAGE A3 t faster. meeting or restaurant where Marcos running mate Davao be sure to get them only from a others are unmasked or wearing City Mayor Sara Duterte said legitimate, trusted vendor. only cloth masks increases the The CDC maintains a list odds of getting infected, no the move to produce the mediNIOSH-approved N95 matter how careful you are. This cine locally would greatly help of in the long-term battle against respirators. Wirecutter and The chart demonstrates the huge Strategist have both published differences.

COVID. “We fully support this kind of guides to purchasing approved Even with a mask upgrade, initiative, and we intend to ex- KN95 and KF94 masks. Ranney if you are still worried about pand it so that more of our peo- also recommends consulting the omicron and, in particular, a ple can avail of this life-saving website Project N95 or engineer serious case of covid, the No. medicine. We also need to allow Aaron Collins’ “Mask Nerd” 1 thing you can do to protect our local pharmaceutical indus- YouTube channel. yourself is get vaccinated and And remember, the risk of boosted, said Dr. Neal Chaisson, try to increase its manufacturing capacity to make Covid-19 transmission depends not just an assistant professor of medicine treatments widely available and on the mask you wear but also at the Cleveland Clinic. more affordable,” the UniTeam the masking practices of others “There’s been a lot of talk about in the room — so going into a people who have been vaccinated said. ■

earlier been placed under Alert Level 3 starting Friday, January 14.

Under IATF guidelines on Alert Level 3, intrazonal and interzonal travel are subject to “reasonable restrictions” that may be imposed by local government units.

Individuals aged 18 below and those belonging to the vulnerable population are likewise permitted access and travel to procure and avail essential goods and services and for work.

Meanwhile, the government placed the following areas under Alert Level 2 from January 1631: • Apayao • Batanes • Palawan • Puerto Princesa City • Masbate • Siquijor • Zamboanga del Norte • Zamboanga Sibugay • Camiguin • Lanao del Norte • Davao de Oro • Davao Occidental • Davao Oriental • North Cotabato • Sarangani • Sultan Kudarat • Dinagat Islands • Surigao del Norte • Basilan • Maguindanao • Sulu • Tawi-Tawi ■

Is my cloth mask good enough? The 2022... getting omicron,” said Chaisson.

“But I’ve been working in the ICU and probably 95% of the patients that we’re taking care of right now did not take the advice to get vaccinated.”

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. ■

A6 JANUARY 15-18, 2022 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

No vax, no ride

OP IN IO N & FE ATU RE S

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IN a pandemic, according to doctors advising the government on COVID health protocols, the state implements measures requiring public cooperation first through persuasion. This was the case as the government rolled out COVID vaccines on March 1 last year.

As more vaccines arrived, appeals to persuade people to get their jabs were followed by incentives dangled by both the government and partners in the private sector. Discounts were offered for the vaccinated. Raffles were held, giving away cash, motorcycles, house and lot, and even cows and carabaos.

These days in Metro Manila, where there are now enough vaccines to allow booster shots along with the inoculation of minors, the government is brandishing sticks alongside the proffered carrots, to reach as many unvaccinated people as possible.

Amid a fresh surge of COVID believed fueled by the highly transmissible Omicron variant, the government is banning the unvaccinated from leaving their homes except to access essential goods and services. Houses and communities with high COVID cases are being placed under strict granular lockdown.

And beginning Monday, January 10 in the National Capital Region, the unvaccinated have been banned from taking all forms of public transportation except tricycles, which will be up

to local government units. The idea is to protect the unvaccinated from COVID, since they are the most vulnerable to infection. And while Omicron has managed to infect even the fully vaccinated and boosted, science and experience in most countries show that they typically have mild or no symptoms and don’t land in the hospital.

In an unprecedented public health crisis, the government is also invoking the right and duty of the state to protect the majority who are vaccinated from those who continue to resist inoculation and are at high risk of infection. The sooner Omicron is contained, the faster businesses can reopen and livelihoods revived.

The only problem will be the proper implementation of the “no vax, no ride” policy.

People who cannot be vaccinated for health reasons or who invoke religious reasons will need to prove it, along with their reason for going out abusive behavior in dealing with the unvaccinated. of their homes and taking mass transportation. Mass transport operators and drivers must also be If unable to do so, they will be sent home. Those trained to spot fake vaccination cards.

Vaccination mandates, always controversial, tasked to enforce the move must guard against

Editorial

The Fil-Am Perspective GEL SANTOS-RELOS JUST when we all hoped and prayed 2022 would be the year we would finally claim back our lives disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, we now face the daunting reality — that the virus is still here, supercharged, reinventing itself into new variants, spreading faster than ever before.

If you are on social media, you just can’t believe how many of our own family and friends have been afflicted, killed, or are battling the war against COVID. The delta variant has been more intense, while the omicron more transmittable.

We were shocked by the surge of cases involving everyone from different age groups, vaccinated or unvaxxed. Hospitals and ICUs are again overwhelmed just like in the peak of COVID and the delta variant in the past two winters. They are understaffed as well because even the health care workers fighting in the frontline are calling in sick and are COVID-infected.

Businesses are handicapped with a lot of sick employees, leading to empty shelves in the grocery stores, or shortened hours — if not indefinite closure — for others that rely on manpower.

Demand and Supply BOO CHANCO Dreams, ambitions, and visions of a better future propel people and nations to bright tomorrows. Rags-to-riches stories relate sacrifices people make to improve the quality of their lives. These are inspirational, but only if there is a dream and a strong desire to realize it.

Dreams are important. Wartorn South Korea became a developed country because its people had a collective dream to rise from the ashes. At one time, Koreans were contributing their personal gold and jewelry to keep their national economy from collapsing.

What about us? We don’t have a collective national dream, that’s for sure. We don’t even have a sense of nationhood. We are very individualistic, focused on family and friends, and at best a collection of regional tribes pretending to be a nation.

Some of our people may have individual dreams to improve their lives by going abroad.

Many migrate permanently.

Philstar.com photo

is being implemented in many other countries.

Stopping the rampage of Omicron will vindicate the mandate, but only if it is properly implemented.

(Philstar.com)

COVID goes supercharged in 2022 yet the Supreme Court blocks vaccine, testing mandate for big employers The Biden administration continues to lead the fight against the invisible enemy with even more arsenal in the frontline — making vaccine and the booster more accessible to people, investing in testing and giving these free COVID testing kits to households in order to alert those who are infected to isolate immediately to stop spreading the virus.

But even if we all may feel exasperated and at times in despair, have faith that not all is lost in this battle. Despite the fact that the number of people getting infected by COVID continues to rise, the cases are not all fatal. Those who have been vaccinated without underlying illness or co-morbidities just had mild flu-like symptoms like cold, fever, coughing, while some did not have any symptoms at all (asymptomatic) yet tested positive. They heal and recover faster.

The problem lies with the unvaccinated because they can be infected by vaccinated people who are asymptomatic. They are the ones who have more severe and even fatal symptoms that would require hospitalization, in addition to those who are already chronically ill that needed hospitalization, whether or not there is a pandemic. Then add to these patients who become

sick because of the flu season.

They are more vulnerable and are again pushing our hospitals, ICUs, medical workers, first responders and essential workers beyond capacity.

This is an undeniable proof that VACCINES WORK AND SAVE LIVES! This is why the Biden administration is doing everything to have more people vaccinated (especially because we have the vaccines and the boosters), even with initiatives to mandate vaccination so we can have a higher vaccination rate to save more lives.

Unfortunately -- conspiracy theories, politics, superstitions and a fixation on liberty over public safety are getting in the way.

Just last Thursday, January 13, the Supreme Court decided on cases filed against the mandate and blocked the administration “from enforcing a vaccineor-testing mandate for large employers, dealing a blow to a key element of the White House’s plan to address the pandemic as coronavirus cases resulting from the omicron variant are on the rise”, the New York Times reported.

The high court, however, allowed a more limited mandate requiring health care workers at facilities receiving federal money to be vaccinated,

Dreamless Pinoys Others work to support families at home, with the intention of going back.

We are always advised to dream big. But apparently, that is easier said than done.

One News, a sister media company of PHILSTAR, reports that a nine-year study by Dream Project PH showed that eight out of 10 Filipinos do not have a dream. How can we expect them to dream big?

The One News report cites reasons why many Filipinos are dreamless. Basically, it is because most of our countrymen are on survival mode.

Boris Joaquin, founder of the Project Purpose Team, Inc, reports in One News a sense of being lost among young people – students and newbie workers who attended their seminars and training events across the country.

“When we asked them, ‘Do you know where you are going?’, we found that many of them think they do, but probing further, we discovered together that their direction seemed to be going around in circles.

“This is one of the reasons we started an advocacy group called Project Purpose back in 2018. We help our participants

determine their life purpose and lay down their life goals.”

Joaquin says this “observation is consistent with a nineyear study conducted by Dream Project PH founder Prim Paypon that showed that eight out of 10 Filipinos do not have a dream.

“The study covered 614 Filipino teenagers in 54 provinces from different socioeconomic classes across the country.

They were asked to answer the question, ‘Do you have a dream in life?’ Their answers were indefinite.”

Joaquin cites five reasons why: “First is lack of conversations. When you need to nurture a child’s dream or a young person’s purpose, you need to have consistency in conversations. Normally this happens at home or in school, but the consistency and the lack of it is a major concern.

“In his 2014 TEDx Manila Talk, ‘Imagineering a Dream,’ Paypon specifically noted that mere words could discourage dreaming among the youth.

So there is not just a need for conversations, but a need for encouraging conversations. To nurture a dream, they need to

the Times report added.

Quoting the Times report on the majority opinion of the Supreme Court on the decision: The unsigned majority opinion in the employer case said a statute on workplace hazards did not justify a mandate that would have required more than 80 million workers to be vaccinated against the coronavirus or to wear masks and be tested weekly.

It also stressed the novelty and sweep of the mandate issued by the Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, saying Congress had not authorized the agency to act and describing its response as “a blunt instrument.”

The mandate “draws no distinctions based on industry or risk of exposure to Covid19,” the majority opinion said, adding that it was “a significant encroachment into the lives — and health — of a vast number of employees.”

But the opinion said more tailored regulations may be lawful given that “most lifeguards and linemen face the same regulations as do medics and meatpackers.”

The dissenting opinion as penned by Justices Stephen G. Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan “expressed incredulity at the court’s

willingness to frustrate “the federal government’s ability to counter the unparalleled threat that COVID-19 poses to our nation’s workers.”

Regulating safety in the workplace, the three dissenting justices wrote, is precisely what OSHA is commanded to do.

They agreed that the key issue in the case was that of institutional competence to address the health care crisis.

“Underlying everything else in this dispute,” they wrote, “is a single, simple question: Who decides how much protection, and of what kind, American workers need from Covid-19?

An agency with expertise in workplace health and safety, acting as Congress and the president authorized? Or a court, lacking any knowledge of how to safeguard workplaces, and insulated from responsibility for any damage it causes?”

The wiser course, they wrote, would have been to defer to OSHA. “In the face of a still-raging pandemic, this court tells the agency charged with protecting worker safety that it may not do so in all the workplaces needed,” the dissenters wrote of the majority’s actions in the case, National Federation of Independent Business v.

Department of Labor, No.

21A244. “As disease and death continue to mount, this court tells the agency that it cannot respond in the most effective way possible.”

OSHA issued the mandate in November, making exceptions for workers with religious objections and those who do not come into close contact with other people at their jobs. The administration estimated that it would cause 22 million people to get vaccinated and prevent 250,000 hospitalizations.

The ruling means that companies across the country must now decide between protecting employees, potentially losing staff members resistant to complying and running afoul of patchwork regulations.

To be continued… ***

be mentored.

“Second is a lack of role models. Many in our generation have had mindsets shaped by the previous generation where this thinking prevails: ‘You study so that you can graduate, so that you can get a wellpaying job.’ To whom can our young generation look to envision a purpose for their lives beyond a well-paying job?”

In this regard, I tend to blame the media and the schools for this failure to put up the right role models. There is too much media focus on high society and showbiz role models.

And for careers, there is too much focus on politics, politicians, get-rich-quick schemers, and yes, lawyers. There is not enough focus on careers that will move the nation’s economy to greater heights like engineers or serve the people like doctors.

There should be more stories out there like that of Pinoy billionaire Dado Banatao, a poor boy from Cagayan who became an entrepreneur and engineer working in Silicon Valley’s high-tech industry. He is a three-time start-up veteran and co-founded Mostron, Chips and Technologies, and S3 Graphics.

The third reason cited by Paypon is a limited perspective.

“If the youth are not chal-

lenged and encouraged to see that they can make a positive change in their community or circumstances, chances are these will limit the future they carve out for themselves. A child is a bundle of possibilities and we need to help them explore those options.”

Fourth, there are limited opportunities… a form of “educational inflation” where so many people keep pursuing graduate degrees to get better career opportunities among a sea of college graduates. But the problem is, do we have job opportunities for everybody?

Last is limited resources.

“We’re talking about the economic situation of the country.

If you were born into a family in survival mode, pursuing your purpose or dream might become the least of your priorities when your immediate goal is to get food on the table for your family. Sadly, the majority of our countrymen face this harsh reality.”

How do we make our people dream?

Joaquin suggests that parents, teachers, social workers, and mentors can leverage on simple conversations to help children and teens have dreams, pursue a sense of purpose, and chase after these dreams.

The last reason from the study, lack of resources, might

be a roadblock for many to dream big, Joaquin concedes.

“But if four out of the five factors limiting one’s ability to dream are covered, then the odds are in your favor. Besides, when you dream big, work hard, and make it happen, you help alleviate the economic situation of our country.”

He ends with a quote attributed to Egyptian contemporary poet Sharouk Mustafa Ibrahim: “May you never be the reason why someone who loved to sing, doesn’t anymore. Or why someone who dressed so uniquely now wears plain clothing. Or why someone who always spoke so excitedly about their dreams is now silent about them. May you never be the reason someone gave up on a part of themselves because you were demotivating, non-appreciative, hypercritical, or even worse – sarcastic about it.”

Let us develop the capacity to dream. Or we will be left behind further and further. (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.

*** Gel Santos Relos has been in news, talk, public service and educational broadcasting since 1989 with ABS-CBN and is now serving the Filipino audience using different platforms, including digital broadcasting, and print, and is working on a new public service program for the community. You may contact her through email at gelrelos@icloud.com, or send her a message via Facebook at Facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos.

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.

*** Boo Chanco’s email address is bchanco@ gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @ boochanco

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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LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • JANUARy 15-18, 2022

Inventory of unvaxxed lawful - DILG MANILA – The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Friday, January 14 slammed leftist lawmaker France Castro of the Makabayan Bloc for calling the Department’s directive urging all barangays in the country to prepare an inventory of unvaccinated individuals as a “witch-hunt” even as it assured the Commission on Human Rights that the program will never violate the individual’s right to privacy.

“To call the President’s directive as well as the ordinances passed by the LGUs as a witchhunt is completely irresponsible and uncalled for. We are facing an unprecedented global health emergency and we need to protect the unvaccinated. Again, the purpose of the inventory is to protect the unvaccinated from getting sick and dying as well as to protect our health care system from being overwhelmed. How is that a witch hunt?,” DILG Undersecretary and Spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said in a news release.

“Moreover, it is neither unconstitutional nor violative of a person’s right to privacy because the data of unvaccinated persons is being collected for a legitimate purpose and that is to address the latest wave of Covid19 (coronavirus disease 2019) infection under Alert Level 3,” he added.

Malaya said Castro’s statement that “the DILG is imposing a policy that is unconstitutional and violative of a person’s right to privacy” has no basis as he said that the policy is within the bounds of Republic Act (RA) No. 10173 or the “Data Privacy Act of 2012” and RA No. 11332 or the “Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act”.

“Kailangan pong timbangin ang karapatan ng isang tao at ang kanyang pananagutan o responsibilidad sa lipunan (We need to strike a balance between a person’s right and his/her responsibility to the society). Rep. Castro should not be so swift in shooting down the efforts of the national and local governments and calling them unconstitutional or unlawful without knowing the rationale behind the policy,” he said.

Malaya also assured the Commission on Human Rights that the inventory will not be published or released to the public

and will only serve as a reference by the barangays in implementing the ordinances passed

by LGUs. Malaya said that RA 11332 is related to RA No. 10173 which allows the processing of personal information for a legitimate purpose.

Section 7 of RA 11332 provides that the President shall declare a State of Public Health Emergency in the event of an epidemic of national and/or international concern which threatens national security in order to mobilize governmental and non-governmental agencies to respond to the threat.

Malaya said that the ongoing status of state of calamity in the country is related to Section 12 (e) of Data Privacy Act that provides one of the conditions when it is permitted to process personal information, which is when it is “necessary in order to respond to national emergency, to comply with the requirements of public order and safety, or to fulfill functions of public authority which necessarily includes the processing of personal data for the fulfillment of its mandate”.

“In this regard, the data identifying unvaccinated individuals is needed by the State to properly implement quarantine protocol needed to protect the unvaccinated as well as to protect the health system from being overwhelmed,” he said.

President Duterte’s Proclamation 1218 on September 10, 2021, extended the validity of the state of calamity for one more year, or until Sept. 12, 2022, due to the Covid-19 pandemic following the recommendation of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

“Kaya malinaw po na walang paglabag sa batas o sa privacy ng mamamayan sa paghimok sa mga punong barangay na gumawa ng imbentaryo ng mga ‘di pa bakunado kontra Covid-19 (This is why it is clear that there is no violation of the law or of privacy of the people in encouraging village chiefs to conduct an inventory of those who are unvaccinated against Covid-19). The government’s intent is not to harm them but protect them and nudge them towards vaccination and to promote the general welfare and public health,” he said.

Malaya said that the roster of the vaccinated population can also help local government units (LGUs) identify and convince

those unvaccinated to get vaccinated at the earliest possible time.

“We stand by our call to our barangay chiefs. We need to identify the unvaccinated to protect everybody. The goal of the DILG is to protect people’s right to health at sa paglobo ng mga kaso ngayon, iyon ang pinakamahalaga (that’s what is important especially with the surge in cases now),” he said.

Malaya said the Supreme Court has also laid down in jurisprudence that Section 15 of Article II of the Constitution which says that “the State shall protect and promote the right to health of the people and instill health consciousness among them” is self-executing and judicially enforceable even in its present form.

“The policy on restricting the unvaxxed is very much in line with the Constitutional State policy on people’s right to health.

We hope to instill to them the consciousness of their adverse effect to our national and local governments’ effort in beating the pandemic,” he said.

He likewise addressed Castro’s statement that the government should focus on listing citizens who lost their jobs because of the pandemic and the families in need of financial aid or ayuda.

“The government has not turned a blind eye to the needs of the people ever since the pandemic began. We have disseminated billions of public funds to assist our kababayans. Alam po ng ating pamahalaan ang kaukulang tulong kapag naghihigpit ng Alert Level para sa kabutihan ng nakararami (Our government knows how to provide due assistance whenever there is a strict Alert Level, for the welfare of the majority).”

The national government’s latest allotment for ayuda amid the pandemic was a total of PHP11.2-billion of cash assistance giving PHP1,000 per low-income individual with a maximum of PHP4,000 per lowincome family affected by the enhanced community quarantine in the National Capital Region from August 6 to 20, 2021.

Meanwhile, DILG Secretary Eduardo Año on Friday said persons violating the coronavirus disease-2019 (Covid-19) isolation regulations may be arrested for failure to comply with the health protocol guidelines

u PAGE A8

VACCINATE

KIDS 5+ TO PROTECT

THEM FROM

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

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In ‘critical’ 2022 polls, FVR-term Cabinet members back Robredo’s presidential bid

by CHRISTIA

MARIE Inquirer.net

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

Next Philippine president should make human rights a priority issue — HRW MANILA — The candidate who will replace President Rodrigo Duterte as the leader of the Philippines should prioritize reversing policies that led to “unmitigated disaster for human rights,” New York-based watchdog Human Rights Watch said.

HRW Asia director Brad Adams urged presidential candidates in the May elections to make human rights a priority issue by speaking out about the situation in the country, and steps that need to be taken to end ongoing violations and provide accountability for past abuses.

“The past six years of the Duterte administration have been an unmitigated disaster for human rights, namely the murderous ‘drug war,’ harassment of the media, and killing of ‘red-tagged’ activists,” Adams said on Thurs-

day, January 13.

“The next administration should stop the killings, ensure accountability, and support laws that protect basic rights,” he added.

In its World Report 2022, which reviews human rights practices in nearly 100 countries, HRW said that serious human rights abuses continued in the Philippines in 2021.

It cited the administration’s violent war on drugs, which has led to over 6,000 deaths in police operations, according to the government. But rights groups estimated the death toll to reach 30,000.

HRW also observed an increase in attacks against activists, human rights defenders, and journalists.

“Killings of civilians and ‘red-

tagging’—accusing activists and others of being combatants or supporters of the communist New People’s Army—are endemic to the government’s counterinsurgency campaign. Many of those red-tagged are subsequently killed,” the report read.

The rights watchdog also called on presidential aspirants to express their willingness to fully cooperate with the International Criminal Court, which agreed to open a formal investigation into drug war killings and executions in Davao City from 2011 to 2016.

ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan temporarily suspended the probe at Manila’s request. But the Hague-based tribunal asked the government to prove it is really investigating thousands of killings. (Gaea Katreena Cabico/ Philstar.com)

PAGE A7 set by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Año made this comment when asked what awaits stubborn individuals who should be serving their quarantine requirements for being either Covid19 positive or in close contact with the persons afflicted with the virus.

He also stressed that negligent and errant local government unit (LGU) officials may face raps over their poor or unsatisfactory enforcement of the IATF approved quarantine protocols in their respective jurisdictions.

“Covid positive persons who are violating isolation/quarantine protocols may be arrested and charged with violation of RA (Republic Act) 11332 and local

ordinances. LGU officials particularly barangay officials who fail to implement this may also be charged with RA 11332 and administratively charged with negligence and dereliction of duty,’’ Año said in a message sent to the Philippine News Agency, referring to Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act. (PNA)

Inventory of unvaxxed lawful...

RAMOS

MANILA — Twenty-three Cabinet secretaries and senior officials under the administration of former President Fidel Ramos backed the presidential bid of Vice President Leni Robredo in 2022 as they expressed grave concern over the “proliferation of misinformation, dubious promises and outright falsehoods” emerging ahead of the polls.

In a statement of support for Robredo’s candidacy dated January 12, the former officials said the incumbent vice president “can credibly lead us closer” to the “unified, humane, just, progressive, economically vibrant, sustainable and equitable society that is the dream of every Filipino.”

“We therefore enjoin our fellow Filipinos to support her candidacy, as we ourselves pledge our wholehearted commitment to do our share to help her become the next President of the Republic of the Philippines,” they said.

In expressing support for Robredo, they said they are “gravely concerned that the emerging campaign for the coming elections is being compromised by the proliferation of misinformation, dubious promises and outright falsehoods; deliberate thought manipulation especially via social media through the use of large numbers of fictitious accounts and mercenary troll armies; misuse of certain polls and surveys that may not necessarily reflect and represent true voter preferences.”

The ex-officials also raised alarm over the “continued patronage and money politics that have traditionally perpetuated undesirable dynasties and diverted people’s choices away from electing principled leaders.”

“We believe that the country sorely needs a leader who will inspire unity, solidarity and teamwork in government and among all Filipinos; empower our people, especially the disadvantaged and marginalized in society; and bring out the best of servant leadership in government officials and public servants by being the foremost example of integrity, dedication, professionalism, level-headedness, statesmanship, pursuit of excellence, hard work, and true caring and sharing for our fellow

Vice President Leni Robredo

Filipinos,” they said.

“These are the leadership qualities that we directly witnessed President Ramos espouse and exemplify, and which we seek in the next President of our country,” they added.

‘Critical crossroads’ The 23 former officials said they see the upcoming polls as “a critical crossroads” for the Philippines, especially amid the “deep scars” inflicted by the pandemic on the country’s economy and society.

“The country needs to elect a leader who will lead us into the positive path to the unified, humane, just, progressive, economically vibrant, sustainable and equitable society that is the dream of every Filipino,” they said.

“We believe that Vice-President Leni Robredo is the only presidential candidate who possesses the above-described qualities, and who can credibly lead us Filipinos closer towards that dream,” they added.

Former National Economic and Development Authority chief Cielito Habito, one of the signatories of the statement, told INQUIRER.net that they had a “pleasant” one-hour Zoom meeting with Robredo last Monday, Jan. 10.

A nother signatory, Milwida Guevara, a finance undersecretary during the Ramos administration, also confirmed the statement to INQUIRER.net.

‘Humbled’ Robredo said she was “humbled” by the support that the former Cabinet members and officials have expressed for her presidential bid.

“I look up to the leadership that FVR espoused, which I believe was affirmed by the brilliant people who served alongside him—

Inquirer.net file photo

matitino at mahuhusay,” she said in a tweet.

Aside from Habito and Guevara, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, who served as justice secretary under the Ramos presidency, also signed the statement.

Other signatories include Angel Alcala and Victor Ramos, who headed the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and former Presidential Assistant Benjamin de Leon.

The rest were: • Former Health Secretaries Jaime Galvez Tan and Carmencita Reodica • Former Labor Secretaries Nieves Confesor and Jose Brillantes • Former Tourism Secretaries Narzalina Lim and Vicente Carlos • Former Foreign Affairs Secretary Roberto Romulo • Former Finance Secretary Ramon del Rosario Jr. • Former Agrarian Reform Secretary Ernesto Garilao • Former Social Welfare and Development Secretary Lina Laigo • Former Energy Secretary Delfin Lazaro • Former Public Works and Highways Secretary Edmundo Mir • Former Commission on Higher Education chairperson Ester Garcia Robredo also gained support from Patricia Licuanan, who chaired the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (now the Philippine Commission on Women); Former National Statistic Office (now the Philippine Statistics Authority) Administrator Tomas Africa; former DENR Undersecretary Ben Malayang III; and former NEDA Deputy Director-General Dante Canlas. ■

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

However, Marie later decided to remain and became out of status.

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

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

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

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

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

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Heart claps back anew at those asking why she’s childless

By Dana

Cruz Inquirer.net

Heart Evangelista

Photo from Instagram/@iamhearte

HEART Evangelista has fired back again at those who are asking her why she does not have children, stressing that one does not need to be a parent to be happy.

The actress expressed how much she has had it with those pressuring her about her family life on her TikTok page on Thursday, Jan. 13. She was responding to one @judy_ arbondad’s question about why she is childless.

“Ayoko eh (I don’t want to).

PAGE B2

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

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B2 January 15-18, 2022 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

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Jackie Lou, Ricky happy to be reunited on screen

By Jerry

Donato

Philstar.com

THE onscreen reunion of Jackie Lou Blanco and Ricky Davao surely brings smile and romantic thrill to viewers of I Can See You: AlterNate, even if their characters are set against its drama-suspense-action genre.

With their commitment to and passion for their craft, they prove all and sundry that a former couple can be allies in creating something engaging for viewers.

Ricky Davao and Jackie Lou Blanco

“I’m very happy that we were given a chance to work together after so long,” said the actress of their latest TV project, which also presents Dingdong Dantes and Beauty Gonzalez as a new acting tandem, in a recent virtual press conference, “and we both agreed to do it. Super long na talaga.” But Jackie Lou managed to recall that perhaps their last work together was on the set of Captain Barbell.

It was their collaboration as both actors. Jackie Lou added that Ricky “got the chance to direct

me in one soap, pero ito na lang ulit, so medyo matagal.”

As much as some would like to think that there would be something romantic between them whenever they were working together, it was clear that Jackie Lou and Ricky had moved forward. They were (and are) a picture of bliss and contentment (as the pictures paint on this page). The way they talked to each other during the virtual event could attest to it.

There was respect and love for one another.

“Napakadali namang katrabaho ni direk Ricky (It was easy to work with him) because he’s very professional and wala kaming naging problema (we never had a problem),” shared Jackie Lou. “It was just siguro nakaka-panibago lang in the beginning kasi matagal kaming hindi nagka-trabaho, pero after that, OK na.” After that, the veteran actors were on their toes to be everyone’s Carmencita and Lyndon, foster parents of Nate, played by Dingdong, who also took on the role of the former’s brother named Michael.

Jackie Lou and Ricky generously answered, with a smile, every inquiry thrown at them. Like the actress, the actordirector also had only nice words for her.

PAGE B6

BroSaS Inquirer.net

AS the manipulative charmer David Ilustre, Zanjoe Marudo is into what could be the greatest challenge of his career, recalling his preparations for his character in “The Broken Marriage Vow.” “Siguro noong hindi pa kami nagsisimula, ‘yung preparation. ‘Yun ang pinakanaging-challenge sa akin, pinakanahirapan ako kasi kailangan kong aralin ang character ni David. Kailangan kong mag-research about male

Pia Wurtzbach

Photo from Instagram/@piawurtzbach

Celebrities who battled COVID-19 at the start of the new year

By Leah

SaLterio Philstar.com

“COVID-19 is really dangerous.”

By this time, two years into battling coronavirus around the world, that line from comedienne Candy Pangilinan, a two-time casualty of the dreaded disease, will perhaps be merely an understatement. Everyone knows that COVID-19 is not something to be simply ignored.

“It’s out there and you really GMA photo don’t know when you will get it,” Candy cried on her YouTube channel. She first battled with COVID-19 in December 2020.

This month, Candy contracted the disease again. She recently announced it and prayed she doesn’t infect her immuno-compromised son, Quentin, or transmit the virus to her other family members. ego, alam mo ‘yung pagiging also got a thing or two from The biggest celebrities are in narcissist ng tao,” Marudo male friends who had the same the COVID-19 eye. Miss Unisaid when pressed about the experiences as his character. verse 2015 Pia Wurtzbach, all “Nakipagkuwentuhan din ako the way residing in Europe, got difficulty of is role during the online press conference for the sa mga lalaki, sa mga kaibigan COVID while vacationing in the TV series last Tuesday, Jan. 11. ko na may experience na United Kingdom before the New (Perhaps when we were ganyan. Nag-research din ako Year. Pia was fully vaccinated not starting yet, during the kung possible ba talagang ma-in and even had her booster shot, preparation. That was what love ang lalaki sa dalawang tao,” yet, she experienced all the was most challenging for me, I he said. symptoms.

(I also discussed with found that point as the hardest “COVID is real and the numbecause I needed to study the men, with friends who had bers are going up exponentially,” character of David. I needed to experiences like that. I also Pia warned. “Please take this seresearch about the male ego, researched if it is really possible riously, because anyone can get you know, how a man can be for a man to fall in love with two it no matter how healthy you are. women.) narcissist.)

Being fully vaccinated doesn’t Aside from reading, Marudo PAGE B6 stop you from getting the virus, but helps you overcome it.”

Pia even had her flu and pneumonia vaccines. She completed her isolation with her sister, Sarah, who also caught the virus.

As of writing, however, both already tested negative.

Senator and vice presidential candidate Kiko Pangilinan had to take a break from any campaigning activities to isolate from his family after he tested positive for COVID-19. A few days after the birthday of his wife, Megastar Sharon Cuneta, last Jan. 6, Sen. Kiko learned about his condition.

Aga Muhlach and his wife, Charlene Gonzalez, thanked the group of Filipino medical professionals who took care of them while they battled COVID-19 in the U.S. West Coast.

The couple spent the Christmas holidays in the U.S., where they met up with their son, Andres, who recently returned to Spain, COVID-free, to resume his studies. Charlene also visited her brother, Richard Bonnin.

Kapuso host Iya Villania, who is pregnant with her fourth baby, also tested positive for COVID-19. On her Instagram, Iya released a photo in isolation behind a glass door, separating her from her three kids — Primo, Leon, Alana — and hubby, TV host Drew Arellano.

“Try not to cry, because the tears will cause nasal congestion and lengthen recovery,” advised Iya, who had to struggle because she cried after seeing her kids away from her. “Ang hirap.”

As of the latest family update, both Primo and Leon also tested positive for the virus. Iya, nevertheless, felt glad that she was “pretty much recovered to be able to care for these monkeys.”

Iya’s fellow Kapuso broadcaster, Arnold Clavio, disclosed his COVID-19 experience. A diabetic who was serious in taking extra precautions every day, Arnold tested positive recently.

Zanjoe researched on whether a man can love two women at the same time, as prep for TV role By aLex

Aga Muhlach and Charlene Gonzalez Photo from Instagram/@itsmecharleneg

Candy Pangilinan and son Quentin

“The only way to fight this virus is a positive thought,” Arnold declared on his Instagram.

Despite going to great lengths observing safety measures — “wearing of mask, hand washing, social distancing, vitamins, immune booster, lots of Vitamin D, tinamaan pa din ako” — Arnold was not spared. He didn’t know how.

Kapamilya sweethearts RK Bagatsing and Jane Oineza had no choice but to isolate themselves, when they both got symptoms of the coronavirus and subsequently tested positive.

The couple was first paired in the afternoon drama, Araw Gabi, back in 2018. Last year, they were both seen in the romantic film, Us Again.

“Don’t forget to rest up, drink your vitamins, eat well and be kind to yourself,” Jane reminded everyone. “We got this. One step at a time. Stay strong and stay safe.”

Jane stars in the third season of the youth-oriented series, Click, Like, Share, on IWant TFC, with Elmo Magalona, Belle Mariano, JC Alcantara and Vivore Esclito.

“Vaccines really save lives.”

That is what Kapamilya showbiz chronicler Gretchen Fullido shared on her social media account. After getting her booster only last December, Gretchen experienced all the symptoms and tested positive.

She is among the mild patients, though, after she suffered headache, sore and itchy throat, cough, runny nose, shortness of breath, joint pain and fatigue. She felt feverish, too, and also lost her sense of taste and smell, normal symptoms of COVID-19. She advised everyone to strengthen their immune system. “Let’s be responsible and compassionate to one another,” said Gretchen.

Similarly, another Kapamilya broadcaster, Karen Davila, took a longer vacation after her family — husband DJ Sta. Ana and two sons — tested positive for COVID-19 when they returned from their holiday vacation. The family simply had to quarantine from home, although Karen missed the return to free TV of TV Patrol, when it started airing on A2Z Channel.

After returning to the outside world, Pinoy Big Brother finalist and beauty queen Samantha Bernardo lamented the positive result of her PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test. She found it unfortunate that she had to observe home quarantine and rest.

Samantha finished as one of the Final Five housemates in the celebrity leg of the PBB Kumunity

Philstar.com photo

edition.

Another beauty queen, Miss Globe 2021 Maureen Montagne, got the virus while vacationing in Arizona in the U.S. to visit her parents. She was thankful, though, that she was already fully vaccinated when she got sick, so the symptoms were mild.

Maureen was crowned Miss Globe in Albania last November.

She is the second Miss Globe title holder from the Philippines after Ann Colis in 2015.

The whole family of Ina Raymundo had a COVID-19 outbreak. She said she got the Omicron and her family — husband Brian Poturnak and five kids (Erika, Jakob, Mikaela, Anika, Minka) — also yielded COVID-positive results. Yet, Ina was very pleased with all those who prayed for them and wished them to get well soon. She was the last one who got sick, so she was able to take care of her family members.

Morissette Amon regaled her followers on Instagram with a song number, the day she announced she was COVID-positive. Although her virtual concert, Phoenix, has been taped even before the Christmas holidays, Morissette has been preparing to promote the show, which already has a number of presenters and ticket-buyers on KTX. Sofia Andres admitted on Instagram she tested positive for COVID-19. “Please wear your mask, be kind, drink your vitamins, eat healthy and love yourself,” she advised all her followers.

Volleyball star Alyssa Valdes and Pinoy Big Brother celebrity housemate tested positive for COVID-19. She merely had to stay at home to quarantine and on Twitter, thanked all those who prayed for her.

From 2020, prominent showbiz stars such as Iza Calzado and Christopher de Leon immediately landed in the hospital after they were sidelined by COVID-19 early on. At that time, there weren’t any vaccines available yet, that was why they had to be confined for a longer period.

There were celebrities like Claire de la Fuente and photographer Raymund Isaac who even died last year from COVID-19.

Everybody who got sidelined by the virus is willing to share his/her battle through social media. There is nothing to hide or be afraid of. No one is apparently spared from COVID-19. Hence, all those who experienced getting sick are strongly reminding everyone to take all the necessary precautions. n

Heart claps back anew at...

PAGE B1 Didn’t anyone teach you manners? I mean you know what, if I’m not sad about it, why are you even?” she answered.

Evangelista advised the public to “chill,” stressing that being a mother is not the only source of happiness.

“Kulit (Persistent) ha. Chill. Not your uterus,” she added. “Being a mom shouldn’t be the only source of happiness. My goodness. What are you going to do when your kids have their own life?”

This is not the first time Evangelista has responded to those who criticized her for being childless. Back in September last year, she

expressed how furious she was at people who have been bringing up the matter to her. She said that while she considers her life “good,” it would just be a bonus if she does get pregnant.

Evangelista tied the knot with her husband, Sorsogon governor Francis “Chiz” Escudero, back in February 2015. The actress was pregnant with twins in 2018, but suffered a miscarriage and lost both babies. She has since told fans that pregnancy has been a sensitive topic for her.

The couple revealed in August 2021 that they still plan to have children in the future, but decided to set aside their plans to conceive because of Evangelista’s taping duties for the GMA series “I Left My Heart in Sorsogon.” n

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LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • JANUARy 15-18, 2022

B3

When is my SFIO announces $50-M eco-luxury community prenuptial agreement project in world-renowned Puerto Princesa, Palawan With stunning views of Ulugan Bay, the eight-hectare seaside community not enforceable? will feature world-class resort amenities and pioneer health and wellness Barrister’s Corner Atty. Kenneth UrsUA reyes MANY people are of the perception that simply downloading a prenuptial agreement from the internet and signing it with their fiance offers them a bullet proof protection from a divorce. What many people do not know is that certain statutory requirements must be met in order for the prenuptial agreement to be valid and to withstand attack in court by your future spouse’s lawyer.

Family Code Section 1615 provides that a prenuptial agreement is not enforceable if the party against whom enforcement is sought proves either of the following (1) that party did not execute the agreement voluntarily or (2) The agreement was unconscionable when it was executed and, before execution of the agreement, all of the following applied to that party: (A) That party was not provided a fair, reasonable, and full disclosure of the property or financial obligations of the other party. (B) That party did not voluntarily and expressly waive, in writing, any right to disclosure of the property or financial obligations of the other party beyond the disclosure provided.

(C) That party did not have, or reasonably could not have had, an adequate knowledge of the property or financial obligations of the other party. The issue of unconscionability shall be decided by the court as a matter of law.

A prenuptial agreement shall be deemed not executed voluntarily unless the court finds in writing or on the record all of the following: (1) The party against whom enforcement is sought was represented by independent legal counsel at the time of signing the agreement or, after being advised to seek independent legal counsel,

expressly waived, in a separate writing, representation by independent legal counsel. The advisement to seek independent legal counsel shall be made at least seven calendar days before the final agreement is signed. (2) One of the following:(A) For an agreement executed between January 1, 2002, and January 1, 2020, the party against whom enforcement is sought had not less than seven calendar days between the time that party was first presented with the final agreement and advised to seek independent legal counsel and the time the agreement was signed.

(B) For an agreement executed on or after January 1, 2020, the party against whom enforcement is sought had not less than seven calendar days between the time that party was first presented with the final agreement and the time the agreement was signed, regardless of whether the party is represented by legal counsel. (3) The party against whom enforcement is sought, if unrepresented by legal counsel, was fully informed of the terms and basic effect of the agreement as well as the rights and obligations the party was giving up by signing the agreement, and was proficient in the language in which the explanation of the party’s rights was conducted and in which the agreement was written. The explanation of the rights and obligations relinquished shall be memorialized in writing and delivered to the party prior to signing the agreement. The unrepresented party shall, on or before the signing of the premarital agreement, execute a document declaring that the party received the information required by this paragraph and indicating who provided that information.

(4) The prenuptial agreement was not executed under duress, fraud, or undue influence, and the parties did not lack capacity to enter into the agreement.

Having both you and your fiance represented by separate counsel during the drafting and execution of your prenuptial agreement can help avoid any PAGE B5

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 crystal-clear

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 high-yield 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.

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B4 January 15-18, 2022 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

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Pastor’s Notes reverend rodel G. BAlAGtAS THErE is so much richness of meanings in this Sunday’s (January 16) gospel that it would be difficult to point out just one particular thrust. However, it’s understandable because the gospel of John is known to be full of signs and symbols that represent profound theological insights.

But what impresses me about this story are its circumstances and details.

We know that the scene is a wedding feast. In Palestine, a wedding feast is a notable occasion that could last for more than one day. It usually would take place in the late evening.

After the ceremony, the bride and groom would be taken to their new home, which means they would not go away for their honeymoon. Instead, family members, friends, and neighbors would come and visit them at home. They would treat them as king and queen and wish them well. This week-long festivity and joy would be a supreme occasion in a life of poverty and hard work.

Jesus, along with his mother, relatives, and his newly formed disciples, shared in the joy of the newly married couple. And what a circumstance that Jesus came into during the wedding feast.

They ran out of wine! In any Jewish feast, wine is essential.

“Without wine, there is no joy, the rabbis would say.

Then Jesus’ mother came to rescue the newlyweds and their family from embarrassment.

Believing that her son could do something, she told Jesus about

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • JANUARy 15-18, 2022

The wedding at Cana this shortage of wine. Who else could she turn to but her son?

Jesus responded, “Woman, how does this concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.”

Now, the way that Jesus addressed his mother seemed discourteous. But among the Jews then, William Barclay explains, this phrase was a common conversational phrase.

When they uttered it angrily and sharply, it did indicate complete agreement and reproach. But it showed not so much reproach but misunderstanding when it was spoken gently. It meant, “Don’t worry; you don’t quite understand what is going on; leave things to me, and I will settle them my way.” Jesus was telling Mary to leave things to him to have his way of dealing with the situation. (Barclay, The Gospel of John, Volume I).

The rest of the story tells us that Jesus did his first miracle. He turned the water in six stone jars into wine, each holding twenty to thirty gallons.

The miracle resulted in an abundant wine for a week-long wedding celebration! For John, this means that when the grace of Jesus comes to us there is enough and to spare for all. “No need on earth can exhaust the grace of Christ; there is glorious superabundance in it.” (Barclay) The story reveals to us other spiritual and theological insights.

First, Jesus understood the need for a happy occasion. And so, he did not withhold his power to do something. He would always share in a joyful feast like a wedding. He wanted people to celebrate life even in challenging circumstances.

That’s the same Jesus for us today. Amid the pandemic, we should not lose our joy as

Christians—the joy we felt last Christmas. Our Christian faith will impact people’s lives if we exude inner joy and hope in our lives even amid the trying times.

It’s not to say that we would not show any sadness and fear; it’s just that we remain positive or hopeful.

Second, Mary put her trust in her Son, Jesus. She did not understand what Jesus was going to do, yet she believed in him so much that she asked the serving folk to do whatever Jesus told them to do. Again, we need to have Mary’s faith; we have to turn to Jesus and trust in his power to save us, especially when it’s difficult to understand life’s challenges.

Third, Jesus’ response to Mary, “My hour has not yet come,” reveals to us that he came for a definite purpose and mission to fulfill his Father’s wish and will. All through his life, he went steadily towards the hour for which he knew that he had come into the world.

William Barclay says, “It is not only Jesus who came into this world to fulfill the purpose of god. As someone has said: ‘Every man is a dream and an idea of god.’ We, too, must think not of our own wishes and our own desire, but of the purpose for which god sent us into the world.”

May we lead joyful, faith-filled, and purposeful lives! *** 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. *** Fr. Rodel “Odey” Balagtas is the pastor of Incarnation Church in Glendale, California.

When is my prenuptial agreement...

PAGE B3 of the problems noted above which will can result to your prenuptial agreement being found to be invalid by the court during your divorce proceeding and your assets divided according to California community property law. *** Please note that this article is not legal advice and is not intended as legal advice. The article is intended to provide only general, non-specific legal information. This article is not intended to cover all the issues related to the topic discussed. The specific facts that apply to your matter may make the outcome different than would be anticipated by you. This article does create any attorney client relationship between you and the Law Offices of

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Kenneth U. Reyes, P.C. This article is not a solicitation. *** Attorney Kenneth Ursua Reyes is a Certified Family Law Specialist. He was President of the Philippine American Bar Association. He is a member of both the Family law section and Immigration law section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He is a graduate of Southwestern University Law School in Los Angeles and California State University, San Bernardino School of Business Administration. He has extensive CPA experience prior to law practice. LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, APLC is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 747, Los Angeles, CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail kenneth@ kenreyeslaw.com. Visit our website at kenreyeslaw.com.

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Mandatory meetings, remote training are hours worked & must be paid present job for the benefit of the employer.

In determining their work hours and the payment due to them, employees should not be deterred by words like “voluntary,” “unauthorized” or Atty. C. Joe SAyAS, Jr. “unapproved.” Work performed voluntarily, or without authorization or approval, may still be SEvAg Chalian worked as a compensable if the employer pharmacist for CvS Pharmacy knows or should know work is Inc. Chalian and other pharbeing done and permits the emmacists are required by CvS to ployee to do it. complete “mandatory training In addition, all the time spent modules.” The employees were performing work-related activiinstructed to complete their ties permitted by the employer training modules at home and is work time, whether the work CvS provided them remote is “required” by the employer access. The California Board or not. These would of Pharmacy did include work pernot require these formed “at home” or training for licens“Under California law, employees at a place other than ing purposes. Only the usual work site.

CvS required them. must be paid for all hours worked.

Employers who acPharmacists spent cept the benefits of hours completing “Hours worked” is defined as “the the work performed the training, which time during which an employee is by its non-exempt CvS failed or refused must pay to pay for. subject to the control of an employer, employees the wages due to the Chalian filed a class action against and includes all the time the employee employees.

The pharmacists’ CvS on behalf of is suffered or permitted to work, case was resolved by himself and his settlement, with the fellow pharmacists whether or not required to do so.” employer agreeing claiming that CvS This includes all the time that the to pay $9,750,000 in failed to pay all wages due for hours employee is required to be present at damages.* *©* worked and failed The opinions, beliefs and to pay overtime for the workplace.” viewpoints expressed having to work offby the author do not the-clock. necessarily reflect the Under California Lectures, Meetings and opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the law, employees must be paid Asian Journal, its management, editofor all hours worked. “Hours Training Programs Employees required to at- rial board and staff. worked” is defined as “the time *** during which an employee is tend lectures and meetings or subject to the control of an em- complete training programs The Law Offices of C. Joe Sayas, Jr. ployer, and includes all the time may have an “hours worked” welcomes inquiries about this topic. the employee is suffered or per- issue. Employees who attend All inquiries are confidential and at nomitted to work, whether or not lectures, meetings, and training cost. You can contact the office at (818) required to do so.” This includes programs must be paid for the 291-0088 or visit www.joesayaslaw. com. [For more than 25 years, C. Joe all the time that the employee time they do so if: 1) attendance or completion Sayas, Jr., Esq. successfully recovered is required to be present at the workplace. It also includes regu- is required and the employee wages and other monetary damages lar “on-the-clock” hours as well is made to understand that for thousands of employees and as any “off-the-clock” time spent failure to attend the meeting consumers. He was named Top Labor performing job-related activities or complete the training would & Employment Attorney in California adversely affect the employee’s by the Daily Journal, consistently which benefit the employer. employment; or selected as Super Lawyer by the Off-the-Clock Work 2) directly related to the em- Los Angeles Magazine, and is a past Off-the-clock work is performed before or after the des- ployee’s job with the primary Presidential Awardee for Outstanding ignated shift time. For example, purpose of making the employ- Filipino Overseas.]

(Advertising Supplement) employees may “come early” ee more efficient at doing their

Protecting Employee & Consumer Rights

and start working before their official starting time. Or, after the shift, employees may spend time cleaning equipment, or doing “on the way home” activities such as dropping off mail at the post office or delivering some paperwork to a customer.

Off-the-clock work may also consist of an extra work hour per day whose value may be significant if the practice persisted for years. An employee who is paid $15 per hour and has accumulated off-the-clock work hours at an average of one hour per day for the last four years may potentially have a wage claim of about $20,000.

EMPLOYMENT

B6 January 15-18, 2022 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

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Jackie Lou, Ricky happy... How to put a handle on too much debt PAGE B2 “Madaling ka-trabaho naman si Jackie,” said he. “Unang-una, magaling na artista (First of all, she’s a very good actress). Tapos napakaganda rin nung materyal talaga namin, yung mga eksena namin, hindi yung usual kaya nakaka-excite, maganda (Then, we had a really good material.

Our scenes were not the usual that was why we found them exciting).”

While they were in lock-in

taping for the drama anthology series, Jackie Lou and Ricky got the support of their kids, “Siyempre merong nag-ba-backup na team, yung mga anak namin, palaging nag-te-text, tumatawag, ‘What happened to Mama and what was your eksena?’ Tapos, may eksenang sasampalin, ‘Are you going to slap, Mama? Is it for real? Did you shout at her?’ Yung mga anak ko kasi Marites.”

Even if both have seen what

each can bring to the acting table, Jackie Lou had moments when Ricky’s acting put her in awe or admiration.

“Usually, after we did a scene, sasabihin ko agad sa mga anak ko, ‘Grabe ang galing talaga ng tatay niyo,’” said she. “Meron na naman siyang binigay na hindi ko in-expect. I mean Ricky is such a good actor, always has been.”

As a couple within the AlterNate narrative, seeing them side by side in intense confrontation scenes is a given.

“I think the most physical (part) was supposed to be the sampalan, pero parang hindi namin pinag-usapan, pero ninerbyos din ako… siyempre paano ako sasampalin, di ba?,” recalled Jackie Lou of a slapping that was perhaps fueled by their characters’ outburst of emotion.

As per direk Dominic Zapata’s instructions, Ricky described it as the back-slap of Gina Alajar in Nagbabagang Luha. “Hindi umabot dun kasi ang lakas-lakas na nung eksena,” added Ricky.

Upon learning this, their children were curious about how Jackie Lou and Ricky would execute the scene.

“Pero nung sinabing ganun, yung mga anak ko tumawag, ‘Are you really going to do that?’ Sabi ko, ‘Well, we’re both actors,’” said he. “‘Well, we are both professional actors, we will do it.’ Of course, nung ginagawa na namin, kung ano yung nanduduon sa eksena, yun ang ginawa namin. Kasi iba na talaga if you’re in the scene doing it, nagbabago-bago with all the coactors involved.”

Ricky shared that his role was older than him, but he carried on as expected.

“And then the character, I think it’s medyo panibago sa akin, kasi ang inaarte ko dito mas matandang tao, parang narealize ko nga na para akong daddy ko, the late Charlie Davao or the late Eddie Garcia. Sabi ko parang ganito yung ginagawa nila noong araw,” added he.

“Tapos nandidito na ako sa sitwasyong ito na ganun na yung mga nabibigay sa aking role. Parang it’s like homage na rin to these actors na ito, nitong character.”

Aside from the reunion that piques the curiosity of everyone, the acting of Jackie Lou and Ricky is expected to hold the viewers’ attention to the unfolding AlterNate narrative. n

IS there such a thing as “good” debt? Sure there is. Debt can get you a higher education and get you a profession. By higher education, I mean college and graduate school, including the professions. Let’s say you’re about to graduate from high school and you want to become a medical doctor, a physician.

You have to hurdle two steps.

First, get into college and get the minimum requirements to apply for med school. You need to get credits for several science subjects like chemistry, physics and biology, among other prerequisites. Get a respectable college GPA and science GPA. About a 3.5 would do for both. Try to get a higher science GPA if you can, maybe a 3.7. That helps a lot in getting into U.S. med schools.

The problem of course is that lots of guys who get into college get a taste of freedom that they never had before. They don’t live in their parents’ house because they get to live either in a dorm or an apartment near the university. Every day there’s a party with lots of drinking and drugs.

That’s just the way it is.

This is genius among us So amidst so much temptation it’s really not easy to get the GPA you want even if you have the brains for it. But if you want to get into med school here, you have to discipline yourself and focus. Sure you can have all the fun you want, but don’t neglect studying hard. You may not want to be a physician. You might want to be an engineer, or a CPA or an IT guy. You can’t just “wing it,” unless you’re a certified genius. There are actually geniuses around you know.

I know our class valedictorian is a genius. I mean, he has a mutant brain. He got straight A’s in grade school, high school, and college (summa cum laude) in Physics. Then he went on to get a doctorate degree in a computer-related field. His father lived to 105, and his mother is still going strong at 105 right now.

I mean, he’s got great genes.

There’s research that shows that in the year 2088, the average height of people on earth will be 6’10” and people will have smaller mouths. How come? I don’t know. Maybe with smaller mouths, people eat less so obesity will be a thing of the past.

With small mouths, people will

Debt Relief

Atty. LAwrence yAng drink food with straws. Basketball players will have an average height of 10 feet.

‘Good debt’ You can get student loans to pay for college and med school.

By the time you graduate from med school, you will probably owe $250,000 to $300,000 of student loans. But once you are done with your specialization, you can easily pay the $300,000 in a year or two. But not all medical specializations are created equal. Surgeons make a lot more than GPs or pediatricians, especially specialized surgeons like for example, neurosurgeons.

Then, student loans are an example of “good” debt because they let you become productive and set you up for life on the right track. Don’t ever make the mistake of trying to get into med school if you don’t have the talent for it. You will end up with a lot of loans that you can’t pay back because you can’t pass the medical board exam. So, assess your talents objectively.

Getting a mortgage to buy a house is also “good” debt. It gives your family shelter and the value keeps going up.

‘Bad debt’ So when I say how do you put a handle on too much debt, I’m talking about “bad” debt. Credit card debts are “bad” debts without question. Their interest rates are way high at over 20%. They don’t serve any purpose except to satisfy impulse satisfaction.

More income to pay down bad debt How do you handle $50,000 of credit card debt? You need $1,500 a month to keep them current. One way is to make more money and pay them down significantly every month. If you make $2,000 more net a month, you can pay the principal down by $6,000 a year. So in 9.5 years, after paying about $200,000 of interest and principal, you will owe zero on year no. 10. The problem is it’s not that simple to make another $2,000 of income a month. Maybe you can

drive Uber for six hours after work every day to make $2,000 more a month. But maybe you’ll have to buy another car because your old car won’t keep up and we don’t know if your not that young body anymore can keep up either.

Chapter 7 and 13 Or, you can file a Chapter 7 and just wipe out the $50,000.

Or, you can file Chapter 13 and pay a portion of the $50,000 over three to five years. They have differing eligibility qualifications.

Seriously, if you don’t put a handle on the $50,000 now, you will have a miserable future. If you can’t get more income, the $50,000 will grow at the rate of $20,000 a year of new debt if you just borrow from Peter to pay Paul. So by the end of 2022, you will owe $70,000 of credit cards, not $50,000. For $70,000, you will need $2,100 a month of minimum interest payments to keep them current. Your credit cards will mutate into something harder to handle. Indeed it will become a money-eating virus that will be fatal to your financial stability. Not good at all for you and your family.

If you have debt problems, set an appointment to see me but mask up and get the booster first. I got the booster and always double mask when I see clients. Court hearings have been done telephonically and by zoom since 2020.

It also helps to pray to our God, Jesus and the Blessed Mother Mary for divine protection against the virus, and financial problems, because we have a God who loves us and showers us with infinite mercy. All we have to do is humble ourselves and pray. *** Disclaimer: None of the foregoing is considered legal advice for anyone.

There is absolutely no attorney-client relationship established by reading this article. *** Lawrence Bautista Yang specializes in Bankruptcy, Business, Real Estate and Civil Litigation and has successfully represented more than five thousand clients in California. Please call Angie, Barbara or Jess at (626) 284-1142 for an appointment at 20274 Carrey Road, Walnut, CA 91789 or 1000 S. Fremont Ave., Mailstop 58, Building A-10 South Suite 10042, Alhambra, CA 91803.

Can bankruptcy change your life for the better?

AS a bankruptcy attorney, I am often asked: “How will filing bankruptcy change my life?”

I think people ask this question because of the negative things that they may have heard about bankruptcy from their friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors. They think that a bankruptcy means that they will be forever looked upon as outcasts in our economy.

So instead of focusing on the benefits and advantages of getting out of debt, they tend to focus more on the possible downside. Of course, the decision to file bankruptcy is never to be taken lightly, but if appropriate for your situation, it may be the very solution that you need to put the past behind you and move on to bigger and better things in your life.

Again, while bankruptcy is not for everyone, millions of people who have no way of ever getting out of debt have found it to be the BEST thing that they ever did to start over. It has proven to be lifeline for people who have found themselves in a financial situation from which they could no longer extricate themselves.

Yes, debt can be a huge trap for many, and when you don’t have sufficient resources to pay your debts every month while maintaining a fair standard of living, you often have no choice but to continue borrowing just to survive. This can become a vicious cycle where you find

Minding Your Finances Atty. rAymond BuLAon yourself getting buried deeper in a financial hole that keeps getting bigger and bigger.

Bankruptcy could be the tool that you need to prevent yourself from being buried in a mountain of debt.

If you can pay your bills, YOU SHOULD. But if you have done your absolute best but have reached that point where nothing short of filing bankruptcy can help, bankruptcy could be a big turning point in your life.

Bankruptcy gives you the opportunity to erase the past, learn from whatever mistakes you have made, and start over.

Where would most of us be today without being given a second chance? That’s exactly what bankruptcy providesanother chance to rebuild your finances, your credit, and your life.

There are a lot of positive changes that can come out of filing bankruptcy. First is peace of mind. How about a good night’s sleep for a change?

If you have creditors who are constantly harassing and

calling you, the instant relief that bankruptcy brings allows you to breathe, think, and feel like a human being again. If creditors are threatening to take what little you have, bankruptcy can also protect everything that you’ve worked so hard for, and you can sleep better at night knowing that creditors are not going to be able to carry out their threats.

Once you’re relieved from the burden of debt, your future can be exciting again. Regaining control of your finances is only a first step. Once you are debt-free, perhaps now you can plan for your retirement, your children’s education, or start saving again. You can stop living your life aimlessly without a financial plan. Life after bankruptcy depends on what you do after the law has given you that second chance you badly needed to recover and rebuild your life. *** NOTE: Due to COVID-19 pandemic, I am offering free consultations BY PHONE to anyone who needs help in dealing with their debt problems.. *** None of the information herein is intended to give legal advice for any specific situation. Atty. Ray Bulaon has successfully helped over 5,000 clients in getting out of debt. For a free attorney evaluation of your situation, please call RJB Law Offices at TOLL FREE 1-866-477-7772.

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Zanjoe researched on whether...

PAGE B2 Marudo thinks that a guy can possibly fall in love with two women.

“Sa show na ito, puwede, possible kasi emosyon siya. Isa siyang emosyon na hindi mo mapipigilan,” he said.

(In this show, it’s possible, because it’s an emotion. It is an emotion which you can’t stop.)

“Nasa sa iyo na ‘yon kung paano mo ihahandle, kung ano ang magiging desisyon mo kapag napunta ka sa ganoon. Kung itutuloy mo ba o iisipin mo ang mga taong masasaktan mo o matatapakan mo. So, nasa tao talaga,” Marudo said.

(It’s up to you how you will handle it, what your decision will be when you get into that situation.

If you will push through with it or will you think about the people you will hurt or you will step on.

So, it depends on the person, really.)

Directed by Concepcion Macatuno and Andoy Ranay, the ABS-CBN TV series is the Philippine adaptation of the hit BBC series “Doctor Foster.” n

Zanjoe Marudo

Photo from Instagram/@onlyzanjoemarudo

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B8 January 15-18, 2022 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

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