011619 - Southern California Midweek Edition

January 16-18, 2019 Volume 29 - No. 4 • 3 Sections - 20 Pages

USA

DATELINE Utility company PG&E to file for bankruptcy FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

US most trusted PH ally, says poll

by HELEN

FLORES Philstar.com

to the U.S. This was higher than the 79 percent recorded in March 2017.

The U.S. was followed by Japan and Australia with trust ratings of 75 percent and 72 percent, respectively.

Great Britain/United Kingdom obtained 57 percent.

Reacting to the survey result, Malacañang expressed optimism Filipinos’ attitude toward China would

THE United States has remained the country most trusted by Filipinos, and Russia and China the least, according to the latest Pulse Asia survey.

The poll, taken from Dec. 14 to 21 Does not expect customers to last year, showed 84 percent of Filipiexperience impact in services nos saying the Philippines should exCITING potential liabilities from California’s tend “a great deal/fair amount of trust” recent wildfires that took place in the last two years, Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) said on Monday, January 14, that it intends to file for bankruptcy, calling the move its “only viable option.”

The announcement came just hours after news that its CEO, Geisha Williams, would step down.

The utility company — which powers the residences of roughly 16 million Californians — was determined to have been responsible for 17 wildfires that burned across Northern California in 2017.

It is also believed to have been the source of the recent Camp Fire in Northern California when one of its power lines made contact with trees, though that has yet to be determined.

A man shows his newly released passport at the Department of Foreign

u PAGE A3

Filipina assumes post as Asian American Journalists Association’s new executive director

Affairs office in Pasay City.

change if the latter shows sincerity in its dealing with the Philippines.

“It’s understandable for Filipinos to feel that way... Because we’ve been used to the (United) States being our ally, so we are more used to engaging with America. Perhaps as we go along and witness the sincerity of China with respect to agreements between the two countries, their views might

change,” presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said at a press briefing Monday, January 14.

Pressed why he thought a majority of poll respondents were distrustful of China despite President Duterte’s pro-Beijing statements, Panelo replied: “Not necessarily, it takes time for people to accept certain things that

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ManilaTimes.net photo by Roger Rañada

Privacy commission to probe Philippine passport data breach

by NATHALIE

ROBLES

AJPress

COMMUNITY leader Naomi Tacuyan Underwood is the new executive director of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).

Underwood joins AAJA from the Washington, D.C.-based Faith & Politics InstiCommunity leader Naomi Tacuyan tute, where she Underwood served as direcPhoto courtesy of the Asian tor of programs.

American Journalists Association She has over a decade of experience in nonprofit management and community engagement where she has long focused on empowering Asian

THE National Privacy Commission (NPC) on Monday, January 14, said that it will conduct a fact-finding investigation on the alleged data breach in the Philippine passport system.

NPC Commissioner Raymund Liboro said that the commission was slated to meet with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) officials on Wednesday to discuss the issue.

“There is no visible proof that a data leak happened.

There is also no visible proof that data has been used illegally. There has to be an end-to-end guarantee that sensitive data are safe. The public has the right to complain against Foreign Affairs department amid data breach,” Liboro said.

DFA Assistant Secretary Elmer Cato in a Twitter post announced that applicants must bring a copy of their birth certificate when renewing their passports since the department no longer holds the document they initially submitted.

“Applicants renewing brown or green passports or

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An aerial photo shows LAUSD teachers and supporters rallying in the rain in downtown Los Angeles on Monday, January 14. The United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) estimates that over 30,000 took part in the districtwide strikes on the first day.

Photo courtesy of the United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA)

‘TEACHERS ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT IN OUR COMMUNITY’

First LAUSD strike in 30 years underway

The United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) organized the masAJPress sive protest which held picketing CHILLY temperatures and rain- at schools across the district with fall didn’t deter the more than the primary goal to get the Los 30,000 Los Angeles educators, Angeles Union School District teachers union members and (LAUSD) to lower class sizes, public school advocates from higher more teachers and supFilipino-Mexican Edoardo Cervantes, a walking out on Monday, Jan. 14 port staff and give better pay. former teacher, picketed in front of John “It’s raining, but that’s not go- Marshall High School on Monday, January to participate in the first teachers strike in 30 years. u PAGE A3 14.

AJPress photo by Klarize Medenilla

by KLARIZE

MEDENILLA

Pulse Asia: Duterte still most trusted, highest-rated exec Palace to Trillanes: You,

by RITCHEL

MENDIOLA

AJPress

ACCORDING to the most recent Pulse Asia survey, President Rodrigo Duterte is still the highest rated and most trusted top government official in the last quarter of 2018.

The poll released Friday, January 11 was conducted from December 14 to 21, 2018, and revealed Duterte posting an 81 percent approval rating, up by six percentage points from his 75 percent mark in September 2018.

In the last month of 2018, the president’s trust rating was at 76 percent which was four percentage points higher than his 72 percent-rating in the third quarter of the same year.

Duterte’s performance is only disapproved by 7 percent of FiliFormer New People’s Army rebels who surrendered to the government listen intently to the message of President Rodrigo Duterte during their formal surrender to the President held at the Cataingan pinos while 6 percent have small National High School in Cataingan, Masbate.

Malacañang photo by Ace Morandante or no trust in him.

Duterte, who hails from Mindanao, received the highest approval score in his bailiwick in Mindanao at 96 percent. This is followed by Visayas (86 percent), Luzon (74 percent), and Manila (69 percent).

He acquired majority approval ratings in Class ABC (87 percent), Class E (86 percent), and Class D (78 percent) as well.

In addition, Duterte got the highest trust rating in Mindanao, recorded at 91 percent, followed by Visayas (82 percent), Luzon (69 percent), and Manila (67 percent).

Duterte’s trust scores in Classes ABC, D and E were also high at 79 percent, 74 percent, and 82 percent respectively.

Pulse Asia also revealed that Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo and Senate President Vicente Sotto III obtained majority approval and trust scores, with Robredo post-

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not Duterte, are ‘crazy’

by RITCHEL

MENDIOLA AJPress

MALACAÑANG on Monday, January 14 said Senator Antonio Trillanes IV must have been referring to himself when he called President Rodrigo Duterte “crazy,” shrugging off the opposition senator’s tirades against the chief executive.

Trillanes last week accused Duterte of overturning the country’s justice system after a new criminal charge had been filed against the senator before the Pasay Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 47 over his alleged confrontation with Labor Undersecretary Jacinto Paras in the Senate last year.

The senator dubbed Duterte as “baliw” (crazy) for supposedly ordering his allies to file cases against him.

“Senator Trillanes’ latest attack against the president, even calling him ‘baliw,’ (crazy) because criminal charges have been filed against him for his transgressions is a distorted, if not a fallacious argumentation,” presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a statement.

“When he described [Duterte] as ‘baliw,’ (crazy) he (Trillanes) must have been referring to himself and correctly so,” he added.

Panelo also said that Duterte’s 81 percent approval rating in the latest Pulse Asia survey should serve as a timely reminder to the “rabid” political opposition that their assaults against the president and his administration “are falling flat on their faces.”

He further stressed that Trillanes’ “partisan vociferous” rants against Duterte merely

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A january 16-18, 2019 • SoCal aSIan jOurnaL

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From the Front Page

Privacy commission to probe Philippine...

PAGE A1 maroon machine-readable passports are required to submit birth certificates because we need to capture and store the document in our database as we no longer have the physical copy of the document submitted when they first applied,” Cato said.

The tweet earned the ire of the public when DFA Secretary

Teodoro “Teddy Boy” Locsin Jr. explained that the data was breached by the previous contractor who “took all the data when the contract got terminated.”

“Because the previous contractor got pissed when terminated it made off with data. We did nothing about it or couldn’t because we were in the wrong,” Locsin

said as reported by The Philippine Daily Inquirer.

No data lost - former DFA secretary However, former DFA Secretary Perfecto Yasay said that data has not been lost and that Locsin was misinformed since the data was handed over to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) when French firm Francois-Charles Oberthur Fiduciaire (FCOF or Oberthur) and the DFA tapped another contractor, APUI, for passport production.

“I don’t believe and I say this very categorically. I’ll say he was misinformed. The data has always been with the DFA. There was no running away (with the data). From what I gathered, all data were all in those equipment turned over to us by Bangko Sentral. Hence, no data lost,” he told Rappler.

This was also confirmed by APO Production Unit chairman Michael Dalumpines who noted that the passport information is in their plant in Lima (Lipa-Malvar) Technology Center in Batangas, and is accessible to the DFA. “Passport data are with us, DFA maintains a small office in our plant and the DFA officers have full access [to] data from old green passports, machinereadable passports, as well as the current e-passports,” Dalumpines said.

Yasay said that the said issue is only a misunderstanding.

However, he noted that French contractor Oberthur should not be blamed and that “to say now that Oberthur ran away with the data is completely false and malicious.”

“When APO and UGEC came in Oberthur withdrew, after all, it was just assisting the government in the management and operation of the system for free.

It had already completed its contract,” Yasay said.

The NPC said that they will review the contracts between the DFA and the private contractor.

The commission is set to have 15,000 data protection officers that will help them investigate the data breach.

Republic Act 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012 imposes stiff penalties for violations of the provisions of the law, including fines of up to P5 million and imprisonment of up to six years. n

APPEAL FOR HELP. Cristal Allera (holding mobile phone), wife of 2nd Officer Claro Allera, shows the photo of her husband who is among the 20 sailors detained in Libya, during a press conference in Malate, Manila on Tuesday, January 15. Allera and six other Filipino sailors were aboard the MT Levante, which was seized by the Libyan Coast Guard on suspicion of oil smuggling in August 2017.

PNA photo by Joey Razon

US most trusted PH ally, says...

PAGE A1 they are not used to.”

Meanwhile, in the case of Russia and China, most Filipinos say the Philippines should extend only “a little trust or no trust at all” to these countries at 54 percent and 60 percent, respectively.

Forty percent of Filipinos say the Philippines should not trust China too much.

The survey was conducted after the two-day visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to the Philippines, where both countries signed numerous deals, including a possible joint exploration in the disputed West Philippine Sea.

Duterte had said he would like to strengthen ties with China and Russia, two global powers with shaky relations with the U.S. While Filipinos still trust the U.S. most, respondents from Mindanao — Duterte’s bailiwick — have a less trusting attitude toward the country.

It was in Mindanao that the U.S. got its lowest rating at 74 percent.

Russia, on the other hand, obtained its highest score in Mindanao at 54 percent.

Nearly or exactly the same percentages of Metro Manilans and Mindanawons say the Philippines should give China either “a great deal/a fair amount of trust”

(49 percent to 50 percent) or “a little/no trust at all” (50 percent).

China and Russia in Pulse Asia’s March 2017 poll also got the highest distrust rating at 63 and 56 percent, respectively.

As for regional organizations, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation got majority trust ratings at 82 percent and 80 percent, respectively.

Pulse Asia asked its 1,800 adult respondents nationwide the question: “Generally speaking, how much trust should the Philippines extend to (country/organization)?” (With reports from Alexis Romero/Philstar.com)

points to 21 percent.

“The only majority figure obtained by the Speaker is her 52 percent distrust rating in Metro Manila,” Pulse Asia said.

“The rest of Luzon, the Visayas and Class D are critical of and distrust Speaker Macapagal-Arroyo,” it added.

The House of Representatives, however, received highperformance approval and trust ratings at 66 percent and 64 percent, respectively.

The Senate, meanwhile, scored a 69 percent performance approval and a 65 per-

cent trust rating despite its failure to pass the 2019 budget before it adjourned for the Christmas holidays.

The Supreme Court received a 64 percent approval rating, and a 62 percent trust score.

1,800 adult Filipinos were interviewed by Pulse Asia using an error margin ±2.3 percentage points at the 95 percent level. Subnational estimates for each of Manila, the rest of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao have ±6.5 percentage points error margin at 95 percent confidence level. n

Duterte still most trusted, highest rated...

PAGE A1 ing a 62 percent approval rating and 56 percent trust rating, and Sotto enjoying 74 percent approval and 66 percent trust scores.

“Senate President Sotto enjoys an increase in his trust score in the rest of Luzon but Vice-President Robredo’s own rating declines in the Visayas,” Pulse Asia said.

On the other hand, Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo got a low-performance approval score of 27 percent, while her trust rating climbed two percentage

Supporters of Senator Antonio Trillanes IV gathered on Tuesday, January 15 during the arraignment of the solon’s libel case at Davao City Hall of Justice.

Inquirer.net photo by Barry Ohaylan

Palace to Trillanes: You, not Duterte, are...

PAGE A1 proved that the opposition senator was afraid of “going back” to prison.

“Senator Trillanes’ rants go against the sentiments of 81 percent of Filipinos approving the president’s performance and the 76 percent trusting him as our chief executive. He pompously claims he is not afraid of facing the criminal suits against him but his partisan vociferous rantings show that he is in mortal fear of

going back to jail,” Panelo said.

“The handwriting on the wall as graphically shown by the survey figures is glaring. Our people are fed up with the destructive politicking dished out by the opposition and [Duterte’s] critics and detractors,” he added.

But according to the presidential spokesman, the Palace is ready for the “political noise” from opposition groups to escalate, since the campaign period for the May 12, 2019 elections

have already started.

Panelo nonetheless hoped that the administration’s critics would engage in a “healthy debate” so that they are “productive and beneficial to the Filipino people.”

“Filipinos want to maintain the visible and continuing genuine change, as well as the tangible results they are witnessing and experiencing under the current leadership of the president,” he said. n

Filipina assumes post as Asian American Journalists...

PAGE A1 American and Pacific Islander communities.

“I am excited to join the AAJA family, and to build upon the decades of work that the leadership have committed to increasing diversity and innovation in journalism,” said Underwood, a Filipina immigrant who grew up in Guam and currently resides in Annandale, Virginia.

“Naomi’s unique experience at the intersection of nonprofit, civic engagement and politics will help take AAJA to greater heights,” said Michelle Ye Hee Lee, the president of AAJA. “Her ideas and passion for expanding AAJA’s reach and impact in journalism and civic engagement will

be crucial as our organization continues to grow and innovate in the coming years.”

Underwood has worked extensively in community outreach, including a stint as deputy director for APIAVote, a national nonpartisan organization that builds voter engagement capacity in local AAPI communities. She has also served as legislative staff for Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo (D-Guam), focusing on territorial, environmental and AAPI issues, among other issues.

“I have deep respect for the role of journalism in our democracy, and this role must be fortified with the diversity of perspectives that journalists of color bring. I look forward to supporting and

uplifting AAJA’s members, and working closely with leadership to increase AAJA’s visibility and impact in this next chapter of the organization’s growth,” Underwood said.

She graduated from New York University with degrees in journalism and Asian Pacific American studies, and received a Master’s in Public Policy from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Underwood started her new position on Jan. 9, and succeeds Kathy Chow, who departed the organization after eight successful years to become the executive director of the American Association of Cosmetology Schools.

(AJPress)

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Dateline USa

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A

Hundreds of union members, teachers and parents picket at John Marshall High School on Monday, Jan 14. This is UTLA’s first strike against the LAUSD in 30 years.

AJPress photos by Klarize Medenilla

FORENSIC KIT TURNOVER. South Korean National Police’s Foreign Affairs Bureau Director General, Park Hwa Jin (left), hands over 120 units of forensic kits to Philippine National Police Chief, Director General Oscar Albayalde (2nd from left) during the ceremonial turnover held at Camp Crame in Quezon City on Monday, January 14.

PNA photo by Joey O. Razon

DFA checking for Filipino casualties in Ottawa bus crash THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said it is checking if Filipinos were among the victims of a bus crash in Ottawa in Canada.

In a statement on Saturday, Jan. 12, the DFA said Ambassador to Canada Petronila

Garcia reported that the Philippine Embassy in Ottawa is coordinating with authorities to determine if any Filipino was involved in the accident.

A city transport double decker bus hit a bus shelter at Ottawa’s Westboro station during

the afternoon rush hour on Friday, January 11, the DFA said.

The crash killed two passengers and one person waiting at the station and injured 23 others, it added. (Christina Marie Ramos/Inquirer.net)

Utility company PG&E to file for...

PAGE A1 The fire resulted in 14,000 homes and over 4,000 other buildings destroyed, and 86 deaths.

Filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission show that PG&E may face at least $30 billion in liability for wildfires in 2017 and 2018, in addition to fines, penalties, and other costs from potential liabilities, litigations, and government investigations.

The utility company did say in its announcement that it did not expect customers to experience any impact on their electricity or natural gas services.

Filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy allows PG&E to stay in business while it works on sorting out its debts.

But as wildfire survivors remain among the most vulnerable to the bankruptcy’s impacts, PG&E added that it was “committed to providing assistance to communities affected by wildfires in Northern California, and our restoration and rebuilding efforts will continue.”

It further said that it was committed to “continuing to make

investments in system safety as it works with regulators, policymakers and other key stakeholders to consider a range of alternatives to provide for the safe delivery of natural gas and electric service for the long-term in an environment that continues to be challenged by climate change.”

California officials respond For California politicians and regulators, PG&E’s announcement signals challenges in deciding on what next steps to take.

Having just entered office last week, California Governor Gavin Newsom told reporters on Monday that he and his team were looking at what options it had in helping the situation, but that nothing had yet been decided.

“Everyone’s immediate focus is, rightfully, on ensuring Californians have continuous, reliable and safe electric and gas service,” said Newsom.

Acknowledging the possibility of the bankruptcy filing going through, he added that as much as they’d like to see it avoided, they were not “naive” to the matter.

“I’m cognizant of the taxpayers, and I’m cognizant of the ratepayers, and I’m absolutely cognizant of those who lost everything,” said Newsom.

He added that he and his staff had been in constant contact with the stakeholders and regulators throughout the week and weekend.

“Throughout the months ahead, I will be working with the Legislature and all stakeholders on a solution that ensures consumers have access to safe, affordable and reliable service, fire victims are treated fairly, and California can continue to make progress toward our climate goals,” said Newsom.

Last year, the state officials allowed PG&E a bailout by imposing victim lawsuits costs and other fire-related losses to ratepayers, but it’s unclear if the same will happen this year.

Citing the 2010 San Bruno gas pipeline caused by PG&E, California Senator Jerry Hill told Reuters, “I think there’s less change, less thought of a bailout this year than we saw last year, certainly.”

(Rae Ann Varona/AJPress)

First LAUSD strike in 30 years...

PAGE A1 ing to stop us from standing up for what’s right,” Edoardo Cervantes, a Filipino and MexicanAmerican parent told the Asian Journal on Monday at John Marshall High School in Los Feliz.

Cervantes is the father of two John Marshall High School students and as a former teacher himself, emphasized the impact of class size.

“It’s a simple equation: smaller class sizes means more meaningful time students get with their teachers. The quality of teaching and learning declines as the student headcount increases,” Cervantes explained, clutching an umbrella in one hand and a protest sign that read “FOR THE KIDS” in the other.

Cervantes was one of the hundreds of teachers, parents, union members and public education advocates to show up to John Marshall High, where UTLA held a rally and news conference.

In the pouring rain, picketers held up signs, many of which read “ON STRIKE FOR OUR STUDENTS” and “If you can read this, thank a teacher!”

One young woman held up a sign that read, “HONK if you support teachers” which yielded consistent honking on the corner of Tracy Street and St. George Street and cheers from passersby.

UTLA President Alex CaputoPearl said at the John Marshall High protest that the union is “prepared to go as long as it takes” in order to get a contract which meets their demands.

“This is a historic day for, not just teachers and educators, but for public education in the county,” Caputo-Pearl told the hun-

dreds of impassioned ponchowearing picketers.

It wasn’t only teachers and parents who showed out for the strike.

Students joined their teachers in the walkout, including FilipinoAmerican 10th grader, Francis.

“We all joke about how we hate school, but I think it’s important for us students to stand up for the teachers,” Francis told the Asian Journal.

Holding a laminated homemade sign (“I prepared my sign to last through the rain,” Francis said), the 15-year-old was joined by three other friends who wanted to “stand in solidarity” with their teachers and their demands.

“Most of our teachers — if not all of them — are out here, so it’s like, we wouldn’t even be getting a normal school day,” Rebecca, a 15-year-old KoreanAmerican, told the Asian Journal, describing the strike as a show of “what happens when you don’t give teachers what they deserve.”

When asked if they planned on attending class, all four students shook their heads. Francis said that his English class currently has 40 students, which he said is “chaotic” and said that he agrees with the union’s goal to scale back on class size.

Monday’s strike is the UTLA’s first since 1989.

UTLA has been a powerful force in the county’s school system for the last few decades, but in recent years, wealthy procharter school political donors have given a louder voice to privately-owned, largely non-union schools.

The increase of charter schools

(LA has the most charter schools in its system in the country) has appealed to parents seeking for the quality education that private schools offer.

Charters have also become powerful in local politics; in 2017, candidates who were backed by charter school donors won the majority in the LA Board of Education.

“The truth is is that charter schools have gained an enormous amount of power and influence in the LA school system in the last few years, and that has affected the funding and resources that go to our public schools,” Jollene Levid, a Fil-Am union organizer, told the Asian Journal.

The diminishing influence of UTLA to political figures is also evident in a 2018 Supreme Court ruling that prohibited California unions (including UTLA) from the right to collect fees from all teachers in the district (fees that would’ve been funneled into union campaigns), rendering union membership optional.

Roughly two-thirds of LAUSD students showed up to class on Monday, costing the district $15 million on Monday, according to LAUSD Supt. Austin Beutner, who has stated that he is open to coming back to the bargaining table with union leaders.

“Let’s build on the renewed attention on public education in our community,” Beutner said in a press conference on Tuesday, Jan. 15. “Let’s bottle it. Let’s put it on our busses and let’s go to Sacramento.”

Beutner has repeatedly said that he supports the union’s demand for increased funding for schools from the state and fedPAGE A4

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US Navy commander fired for sex solicitation in PH

on Friday, January 11, United States Ship (USS) Bremerton commander Captain Travis ZetA COMMANDER has been tel was removed from his post sacked from his position on a in August 2018 due to “a loss of U.S. Navy submarine after he ad- confidence in his ability to committed that he hired female pros- mand the Los Angeles-class fast titutes while he was in the Philip- attack submarine, which is now tied up in Bremerton for decompines on March 2018.

In a report from Kitsap Sun missioning.”

According to reports, a certain source informed the Department of Defense Inspector General’s hotline about the incident in Subic Bay, Zambales while the submarine was docked. The call was then transferred to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) for further inquiries.

The unnamed caller reportedly explained that Zettel came up to him and another sailor while they were at the pool. The commander said that he “requested/ ordered” 10 girls “to arrive at the hotel.” Around dinner, the sailor saw “provocatively dressed females outside (Zettel’s) front door.”

Another sailor was also seen “walking around and talking to other sailors in his command with three local females holding onto his arm.” The crew was in Subic Bay, Zambales for a port call on March 1, 2018.

Capt. Travis Zettel, then-commander of the In May 2018, a month after fast-attack submarine USS Bremerton, salutes sideboys at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, USS Bremerton arrived for decommissioning and two months Hawaii on Aug. 5, 2016.

Photo by Michael Lee/U.S. Navy after the incident, the NCIS conby nAthAlie

robleS

AJPress

ducted an investigation wherein Zettel “admitted culpability in the payment of female accompaniment.”

The naval investigation team reprimanded the commander as they decided to relieve him from his post. They administratively reassigned him to the staff of Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor-based Submarine Squadron 19.

The other sailor who was seen with three local female companions denied his participation in prostitution and he was not “pursued for disciplinary action,” according to the Washington-based daily with documents provided from the Freedom of Information Act request.

Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. lauded the United States for its verdict of axing the submarine commander noting that it is a “responsible state” for issuing such a decision.

“He was fired by the U.S. government. Now that’s a responsible state,” Locsin said in a post on Twitter.

The former USS Bremerton submarine commander is a native of Puyallup, Washington. He was commissioned in 1998 and first served on board the USS Salt Lake City before carrying out various assignments aboard other submarines. n

Netizens slam ‘disturbing’ photos on PH subsite on Reddit

by Aric John

Sy cuA ManilaTimes.net

A PHILIPPINE subsite on Reddit, a U.S.-based media aggregator and discussion site, has caught the attention of its users for “disturbing” posts of photos of women, including celebrities, apparently without their consent.

An unnamed user sent a message to The Manila Times on Monday, January 14, about “r/Jakolandia” and sent a screenshot of a Google Drive containing the photos.

The forum has 2,600 subscribers and was compared to the “Bible Study ni Pastor Hokage,” which also got similar attention last year.

“Is this really okay? As per one of the Redditors that I’ve talked to, parang eto rin nga yung (this is similar to) Hokage groups sa (on) Facebook,” user SleepyCakey posted.

“Okay lang sana kung pornstars talaga yung pinagppiestahandun pero hindi, (if those who are feasted on are pornstars, but

no, they are) innocent girls, kahit (even those who are) fully clothed pa, napapagusapan rin dun (are talked about).” I even saw the infamous Google Drive of the ex-GF’s shared doon (there). Can we do something about this? Or do we just turn a blind eye kasi (because) ‘boys will always be boys’?”

The Reddit user said the subsite was reported to the administrators.

Another user named stranglingisfun thought that it was only pictures of celebrities until posters of classmates, colleagues, and neighbors started appearing, accompanied by crude comments.

“Yung mga nag co-comment (Those who comment) at nag popost (and post) dun madalas mo din makikita dito sa (you would see it a lot here on) r/ph [Reddit Philippines],” the user wrote.

“That sub is a cesspool of sexually frustrated disgusting men who share and jacks off to the photos of unaware people they personally know or even photos of underage

teens/kids.”

A check at Reddit’s content policies state that it was against “pornography and sexual content against minors.”

“Images or video of intimate parts of a person’s body, even if the person is clothed or in public, are also not allowed if apparently created or posted without their permission and contextualized in a salacious manner,” its policy read.

“This includes child sexual abuse imagery, child pornography, and any other content, including fantasy content (e.g. stories, anime), that encourages or promotes pedophilia, child exploitation, or otherwise sexualizes minors. Depending on the context, this can in some cases include depictions of minors that are fully clothed and not engaged in overtly sexual acts.”

In 2017, several Facebook pages and groups exposed photos of young women with alleged members of a Bible study group, four of who were arrested. n

INTERNATIONAL MISSIONARY DAY. Senator Nancy Binay joins the International Missionary Day of the Pentecostal Missionary Church of Christ (4th Watch) on Sunday, January 13. Binay urged the members to always be reminded of their responsibility to others. “Ipray that by His grace, we all find the courage to set such examples in our own lives — not just during this wonderful gathering and fellowship, not just in the public piety that we profess, but in those smaller moments when it’s difficult, when we’re challenged, when we’re angry, when no one is watching,” she said.

Senate photo

Study: Housing workforce shortage is barrier to affordability California needs at least 200k new residential construction workers OAKLAND, Calif. — According to California’s Housing and Community Development Department (HCD), the golden state must dramatically increase the productive capacity of its residential construction sector in order to create enough new housing to improve affordability. However, new research entitled “Rebuilding California: the Golden State’s Housing Workforce Reckoning” released Monday, January 14, by Smart Cities Prevail shows the industry has failed to make the investments necessary to compete for the more than 200,000 new workers necessary to meet this ambitious goal.

“The data shows residential construction work is more dangerous, economically risky, and lower paying than most other jobs in our economy,” said study author Scott Littlehale. “When you consider these dynamics alongside the industry’s aging workforce, its failure to institutionalize investments in apprenticeship training, and a shrinking supply of young workers and immigrants, it is clear why the housing sector is struggling to attract the new workers it needs.”

While construction jobs require longer commutes, more flexibility in work hours, and far higher risk of workplace injury and death than other jobs, Littlehale found residential construction workers earn 24 percent less per year than all other jobs on average, and less than half have health insurance coverage through their employer.

Wage theft in the industry has grown by 400 percent since 1972. When adjusted for cost of living, California’s median construction wage ranks 46th in the United States.

Compounding the problem, Littlehale found, is that the labor pool on which residential construction firms have relied since the 1980s is shrinking. California’s stock of young male workers without a college degree has

fallen since 2005, and its supply of non-naturalized immigrants has decreased by almost 350,000 between 2005 and 2016.

“Because of its decades-long reliance on a lower-wage, lower skilled workforce, California’s housing construction industry finds itself ill-equipped to compete in today’s labor market,” Littlehale added. “Considering the inherent physical dangers and economic volatility, the work simply does not pay enough to lure workers away from other states or other industries.”

While construction requires substantially more pre-employment training than most other jobs, Littlehale notes the residential construction industry has largely avoided institutionalized investments in apprenticeship. The few programs that are offered are managed only by employers and funded on a “voluntary” basis—and produce 90 percent fewer workers than “joint labor-management” programs financed through collective bargaining agreements and prevailing wage laws.

“Housing contractors have no real incentive to invest in training programs that would attach a more stable supply of skilled labor to the industry unless their competitors are doing it too,” Littlehale said. “As a result, the industry lacks a training pipeline capable of attaching an adequate supply of skilled workers to residential construction careers.”

The housing industry last produced new housing on the scale called for by HCD in the 1970s and 1980s. This was also a period when more residential construction workers were covered by collective bargaining agreements mandating competitive wage levels, fringe benefits, and apprenticeship training standards. But data shows that since then, productivity per unit of labor in construction has been declining, even as it has grown by

more than 30 percent on average in other economic sectors.

“As the industry moved away from arrangements that were able to attract, retain and re-supply the industry’s stock of skilled labor, it has generally relied on a large number of low wage workers to meet increased production demands,” Littlehale observed.

“That option no longer exists, so housing contractors need a strategy to attract and retain more skilled workers.”

Though the housing sector has focused on regulatory reforms to accelerate approvals of new construction, Littlehale believes such changes are unlikely to affect the industry’s overall productivity without addressing the shrinking labor pool and lagging productivity.

“Ultimately, housing builders’ reservoir of low-wage, less-skilled labor is not refilling itself,” Littlehale concluded.

“The industry should consider labor-management cooperation measures like prevailing wage and collective bargaining agreements because they are consistently associated with higher wages, increased apprenticeship enrollment, more production efficiency, and fewer workplace safety problems.

By improving labor market competitiveness, wider utilization of these workforce development arrangements would help restore California residential building to the production engine it once was.”

Scott Littlehale has authored numerous studies on the U.S. political economy, labor related public policy and the construction industry since 1993. He served on the technical committee of CASA — The Committee to House the Bay Area — between 2017 and 2018.

Smart Cities Prevail is a leading national non-profit research and education organization focused on the construction industry. n

California members call on USDA to help state’s avocados access Chinese market WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Monday, January 14, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village) announced that she and a bipartisan group of Members from the California delegation called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) last week to accelerate efforts to help California Hass avocados gain market access in China. California’s 2,000 avocado farmers produce over 90 percent of the total U.S. avocado crop, yet they have not gained the same level of access to China as competing

countries. The letter calls on the Trump administration to prioritize a California avocado trade agreement as part of upcoming trade negotiations with China.

“The avocado industry plays a crucial role in Ventura County’s agricultural sector, which is a cornerstone of our economy and supports thousands of jobs throughout our region,” said Congresswoman Brownley. “It is imperative that our avocado farmers be afforded the same trade opportunities as their competitors in other nations. In

Congress, I will continue to fight to strengthen and increase the sustainability and profitability of our farmers and growers, which will in turn grow and protect jobs in our region. A win-win for everyone.”

The letter was signed by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Representatives Julia Brownley (D-CA), Salud Carbajal (D-CA), Duncan Hunter (R-CA), Jim Costa (D-CA), Ken Calvert (RCA), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), TJ Cox (D-CA), and Devin Nunes (R-CA). n

First LAUSD strike in 30 years...

PAGE A3 eral governments; as previously stated in the Asian Journal, the district doesn’t make funding decisions alone.

But UTLA has maintained that the state should do much more in regulating the district, which they say has a $2 billion reserve fund that could address the union’s demands.

The strike resumed on Tuesday morning with UTLA members adamant that they won’t stop until the district offers them a contract that is up to par.

“This is for the students so that they have a chance at a proper education,” Kim Ryu, a UTLA member told the Asian Journal on Tuesday outside the Hall of Administration in DTLA. “The LAUSD is the biggest [public] school district in the state and the second biggest in the country. The district has so much potential to aptly serve its students, and that starts with fully funded Strikers at John Marshall High School braved the rain and were among the over 30,000 members who took part in districtwide demonstrations on Monday, January 14. schools and fully staff.” n

AJPress photo by Klarize Medenilla

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Dateline PhiliPPines

Duterte to respect people’s will on Bangsamoro law — Palace

by Ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

Malacañang on Monday, January 14 said President Rodrigo Duterte would respect the “people’s call” on the Bangsamoro Organic law (BOl).

This announcement comes a week before a plebiscite in parts of Mindanao on whether or not to ratify the measure.

“What is important and certain is that the president will abide by whatever the will of the sovereign people in that part of this country is,” said presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo in a Palace briefing.

Defense Secretary Delfin lorenzana also said Duterte, in support of the BOl, would join a rally in cotabato on January 18.

However, Panelo has not conIN MEMORIAM. Lawmakers listen during the necrological rites for slain AKO Bicol partly-list representative Rodel Batocabe. “All of us recall firmed whether or not the presiRodel to be a bubbly fellow. We have seen in the video what a daring man he was. ‘The Daragueno Who Dared.’ He dared to confront the evil in Daraga at the cost of his life,” Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said in her eulogy. Arroyo referred to Batocabe’s fearlessness in dent would attend that event.

“Well, certainly, the voice of the pursuing advocacies in Congress, and in conveying his ideas through his interpellation, sponsorships, manifestations and opinions on many issues.

ManilaTimes.net photo by Roger Rañada

Survey: Self-rated poverty in PH drops by 2 percent by aJPress THE latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey revealed that the number of Filipino families who consider themselves poor significantly dropped from the previous quarter’s 52 percent to the latest 50 percent.

“The proportion of self-rated poor families was at 42 percent in March 2018. It rose by six points to 48 percent in June, and by four points to 52 percent in September. It subsided by two points to 50 percent in December,” the polling firm said as reported by The Manila Times.

It added, “nevertheless, the resulting average self-rated poverty rate of 48 percent for 2018 is two points above the average 46 percent in 2017 and four points above record-low average of 44 percent in 2016. This is the second consecutive increase in the annual self-rated poverty rate since 2016.”

Following the survey results, the Palace welcomed the rating drop.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo attributed the

progress to President Rodrigo Duterte’s programs and policies to curb the negative effects of inflation among the Filipino people.

“The Palace welcomes the December 2018 survey on selfrated poverty conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) indicating that 50 (percent) of Filipino families consider themselves as “mahirap”, a drop from September 2018’s 52 (percent),” Panelo said in a press briefing.

He noted the president’s “tireless efforts” to address the inflation issues surrounding basic goods and commodities.

However, in a report from The Philippine Star, the chief executive’s legal counsel also pointed out that even with such “positive development,” the 50 percent self-rated “poverty among Filipinos is still high.”

“Our economic managers are vigorously pursuing policies and programs geared towards reducing the poverty level and propelling the country’s economic development to a degree satisfactory to the administration’s goal of not only giving our

countrymen comfortable lives but putting our country at par with our fast developing industrialized asian neighbors,” the Palace spokesman added.

The survey was conducted among 1,440 adults respondents or estimated 11.6 million families, from December 16 to 19. Self-rated food poverty measures the proportion of respondents rating the food their family eats as poor or mahirap.

Out of the 50 percent, or the 720 respondents who considered themselves poor, 37 percent claimed that they were “always poor,” while the remaining 13 percent said that they only slipped into poverty.

From the other half of the respondents who do not consider themselves poor, 27 percent said they have never experienced poverty, while the remaining 15 percent said that they pulled themselves out of poverty.

SWS said the median self-rated poverty threshold – the monthly budget that a poor household needs for home expenses in order not to consider itself poor in general – is P10,000. n

Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo Inquirer.net photo

President is always a powerful influence on whatever matter he gives his voice into,” he added.

When asked if the president would campaign for the ratification of BOl, Panelo answered: “If he feels that there is a need [then] he will campaign for that. If he feels that it will win, whether even without his calling for voters to support it, he will not.”

“The president [is] best judge of what will be the outcome of

this plebiscite. He will make a move if he thinks he should. He won’t sit and just watch if he feels kailangan (if he feels needed),” he added.

The BOl seeks to replace the autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (aRMM) with the Bangsamoro autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which would have greater fiscal autonomy, a regional government, parliament, and justice system.

The proposed region would be composed of the current aRMM which are Tawi-Tawi, Sulu, Basilan, Maguindanao, and lanao del Sur. The BOl also seeks to include six municipalities of lanao del norte and 39 barangays of north cotabato in the Bangsamoro, provided that the province and their municipalities, respectively, vote for it.

The plebiscite to ratify the bill will be held on January 21. n

A6 JANUARY 16-18, 2019 • SoCal ASIAN JOURNAL

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OPINION

Next cleanup: Manila Bay

FEATURES

IT’S good to hear the government wanting to clean up Manila Bay. If the heavily polluted Pasig River can be rehabilitated, it shouldn’t be impossible to improve the quality of the water in the bay.

This is not Boracay, however, and there must be careful management of expectations. The government is zeroing in on hotels and commercial establishments including casinos by the bay for the cleanup. These establishments can be expected to quickly comply, if they haven’t already, since most are connected to water treatment and sewerage systems in Metro Manila.

The bigger challenge is the waste from other sources. Manila Bay is home to the country’s busiest international container port and domestic seaport, and there will always be toxic waste from the ships. Around the bay are numerous informal settlements, where people fish for a living, make charcoal and treat the sea as their garbage dump and public sewer. Tons of the garbage wash up along the shores during typhoons.

Environment officials have said the cleanup will include creeks and other waterways in Metro Manila that feed into the Pasig River or directly into the sea.

One upside of the planned cleanup is a possible stop to massive bay reclamation projects approved by local politicians. Artificially shrinking the bay area can aggravate flooding, endanger

the livelihoods of marginal fishing communities and further upset the ecological balance around the bay.

Instead of further industrial or commercial development, the protected wetland that has sprung up along the Las Piñas-Parañaque border deserves to be expanded. The mangrove forest has become a bird sanctuary, marine protected area and ecotourism park, helping to mitigate the impact of flooding and storm surges in the area. Some informal settlers can be turned into custodians of ecotourism zones.

Developing a protected wetland around the country’s primary seaport is unlikely. The area is congested enough and there are ongoing moves for port expansion. It is possible, however, to improve waste management — both solid and effluent — around the bay.

Even in informal settlements, local government and barangay personnel can mobilize the community for improved garbage management.

Those living or working around the bay must be persuaded that it is in their best interest to stop treating the sea as their personal dump. (Philstar.com)

Editorial

Philstar.com photo

FBI opens counterintelligence investigation into Trump’s Russian ties, concerned he’s a threat to US national security

The Fil-Am Perspective GEL SANTOS-RELOS AMID President Donald Trump’s fabricated “emergency” crisis at the border that has caused the longest government shutdown in U.S. history because he won’t sign a spending bill without his wall, the United States of America may have been facing a REAL EMERGENCY crisis based on a report that came out revealing that the 45th president of the United States’ own actions may have constituted a possible threat to national security.

As the New York Times reported, citing information from former law enforcement officials and others familiar with the investigations, law enforcement officials became so concerned by the president’s behavior that they began doing a counterintelligence investigation whether he had been working on behalf of Russia against American interests.

The probe was launched in the days after President Trump fired James B. Comey as FBI director, although the debate as to whether to proceed with the counterintelligence investigation has started as early as during the 2016 U.S. presidential election campaign.

According to the Times report, “Agents and senior FBI officials had grown suspicious of Mr. Trump’s ties to Russia during the 2016 campaign but held off on opening an investigation into him, the people said, in part because they were uncertain how to proceed with an inquiry of such sensitivity and magnitude.

But the president’s activities before and after Mr. Comey’s firing in May 2017, particularly two instances in which Mr. Trump tied the Comey dismissal to the Russia investigation, helped prompt the counterintelligence aspect of the inquiry.”

The investigators of the counterintelligence investigation, tasked to handle national security matters, had to consider whether the president’s own actions constituted a possible threat to national security.

Agents also sought to determine whether Mr. Trump was knowingly working for Russia or had unwittingly fallen under Moscow’s influence, or if the president is innocent.

The investigation that the FBI opened into Trump also had a criminal aspect alongside the national security issue: to determine whether his firing of Comey constituted obstruction of justice.

How do the criminal and coun-

terintelligence investigations relate to the Russia Probe that Trump has been denigrating as a” witch hunt”? The Times explained “Special Counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, took over the inquiry into Mr. Trump when he was appointed, days after FBI officials opened it. That inquiry is part of Mr. Mueller’s broader examination of how Russian operatives interfered in the 2016 election and whether any Trump associates conspired with them” to damage Hillary Clinton’s campaign and help Trump win.

The actions, rhetoric and decisions of Trump during the campaign and as president have been deemed as contrary to the democratic principles and interests of the United States, while appearing to be working to help the agenda of Vladimir Putin and Russia, especially when it comes to the foreign policy positions and decisions of Trump as President of the United States.

Quoting the Times’ report, “Trump had caught the attention of FBI counterintelligence agents when he called on Russia during a campaign news conference in July 2016 to hack into the emails of his opponent, Hillary Clinton. Mr. Trump had refused to criticize Russia on the

campaign trail, praising President Vladimir V. Putin. And investigators had watched with alarm as the Republican Party softened its convention platform on the Ukraine crisis in a way that seemed to benefit Russia.”

Also explained in the report are other factors that fueled the F.B.I.’s concerns, including Christopher Steele, a former British spy who worked as an FBI informant, who had compiled memos in mid-2016 containing unsubstantiated claims that Russian officials tried to obtain influence over Mr. Trump by preparing to blackmail and bribe him.

As we already know, the FBI was also already investigating four of Mr. Trump’s associates over their ties to Russia months before the 2016 US Presidential Election. The constellation of events disquieted F.B.I. officials who were simultaneously watching as Russia’s campaign unfolded to undermine the presidential election by exploiting existing divisions among Americans.

“In the Russian Federation and in President Putin himself, you have an individual whose aim is to disrupt the Western alliance and whose aim is to make Western democracy more fractious in order to weaken our ability,

America’s ability and the West’s ability to spread our democratic ideals,” Former FBI lawyer Lisa Page told House investigators in private testimony reviewed by the New York Times.

The FBI was also alarmed by the fact that when Trump was sworn into office, he “sought a loyalty pledge from Mister Comey and later asked that he end an investigation into the president’s national security adviser” Michael Flynn.

Trump’s eventual firing of Comey compelled FBI to launch the investigation. “Not only would it be an issue of obstructing an investigation, but the obstruction itself would hurt our ability to figure out what the Russians had done, and that is what would be the threat to national security,” according to the testimony of James A. Baker, who served as FBI general counsel until late 2017. Mr. Baker said this in his testimony when he privately testified in October before House investigators who were examining the FBI’s handling of the full Russia inquiry.

Strengthening the case against Trump would be the revelation of a Washington Post report which stated how Trump Trump has gone to “extraordinary lengths” to keep the spe-

cifics of his conversations with his Russian counterpart under wraps.

According to the Post citing statements from current and former U.S. officials, “Trump’s efforts include confiscating the notes from his interpreter and not allowing them to discuss the details of the meetings with other officials in his administration.”

ALL OF THESE are now part of the other pieces of the puzzle being pieced together based on evidence in the investigation of Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

We, the People, need to know if the 45th president of the United States has been betraying the American people by acting as an “asset” or “agent” of Putin and Russia, instead of fulfilling his oath: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” *** Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https:// www.facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos

Passport data breach needs more than an autopsy

Opinion

YEN MAKABENTA FOREIGN Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr.’s promise of an “autopsy” on the passport data breach is quintessential ‘Teddyboy.’ It grabs attention.

On second thought, however, the autopsy threat may be either premature or a misdirection. An autopsy, according to the medical definition, “is an examination of the body after death with such dissection as will expose the vital organs for determining the cause of death or the character and extent or changes produced by disease.”

The passport data breach, on the other hand, is far from dead.

It is still very much a live reality.

It is in a position to cause more mischief.

I know because I am one of several million Filipinos who are now in the process of applying for the renewal of their passport, and I am

one of those who are affected by the felonious action of one outsourced passport manufacturer of the DFA who absconded with my birth documents.

Because of the data breach, I will have to produce my birth certificate, which unfortunately is hard to find because I was born during a distant time when my parents were on the run from the Japanese occupying forces, and the attending doctor is now gone.

The data breach, I am forced to conclude, is all too real in its impact on my life.

Anatomy of the breach Secretary Locsin’s autopsy will do nothing to kill the breach.

The service he can perform is to provide an anatomy of the breach, or uncover the identity of the perpetrators.

The tale that has emerged is as messy as a real autopsy.

There is finger-pointing among three presidential administrations.

As the full story of the passport

mess was excavated, it surfaced that the problem may have started under the DFA of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA) and then got worse under the DFA of Benigno S. Aquino 3rd (BSA).

Locsin has vowed that the mess will be solved by President Duterte’s DFA under Locsin.

Locsin says he will “autopsy” officials of the Aquino administration who were responsible for the “crooked deal.”

He declared: “I will autopsy the yellows who did the passport deal alive. This is called evisceration.” Which sounds gruesome, because evisceration means “disembowelment.”

On the other hand, former Foreign Affairs secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. (the first Duterte foreign affairs secretary) took issue with Locsin’s initial claim that an outsourced passport manufacturer absconded with or refused to return the passport data of applicants. Yasay said Locsin may be misinformed or is being misled by people who have something

to hide.

Yasay has quite a story to tell.

He says the passport mess can be traced to the time of Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Del Rosario, his predecessor.

Yasay narrated on his online account that the problem started when the DFA, in 2015, awarded the printing of electronic passports to APO Production Unit Inc. (APUI) despite an existing agreement between the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and Francois-Charles Oberthur Fiduciare (FCOF) of France.

According to Yasay, the BSP and the DFA on Aug. 1, 2006 entered into a memorandum of agreement (MOA) covering the procurement and centralized production of machine-readable electronic passports (MREP) in compliance with the standards required by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). This was during the time of GMA. In the implementation of its obligations under the MOA, the BSP awarded through bidding the

main part of the project to FCOF. “On Oct. 5, 2015 (during the time of President Benigno Aquino 3rd) while the FCOF contract with BSP was subsisting and even as the MREP made by FCOF continued to be fully compliant with the standards of ICAO, the DFA awarded the production of a new e-Passport system to APO Production Unit Inc., a government printing facility without bidding on condition that no part of the contract can be subcontracted or assigned to a private printer,” Yasay said.

“In violation of this condition, APUI engaged the services of the United Graphic Expression Corporation for the production of the new e-passports,” he added.

Yasay said he tried during his time to restore the BSP contract on the instructions of President Duterte, but he says powerful members of Congress (who happened to be members of the Commission on Appointments) stopped him.

More investigations

The Department of National Defense (DND) and the National Privacy Commission (NPC) have likewise assured the public that they will investigate.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana also branded the reported data fiasco as alarming, citing the possibility that the information lost could be used illegally.

“If true, then it is a very grave security concern and is quite alarming. These are personal information such as full name, date and place of birth and other information that could be used illegally,” he said. “We will get in touch with the DFA to find out the details of this issue and how to mitigate its ill effect.”

The privacy commission plans to ask DFA officials to submit to a probe, adding it will also summon the alleged passport contractor.

“Any form of non-availability of personal data, infringement of the rights of data subjects and harms from processing that include inPAGE A7

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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SoCal ASIAN JOURNAL • JANUARy 16-18, 2019

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No shortage in HIV meds, DOH claims

by Paolo

romero Philstar.com

CLEAN ELECTIONS. Candidates and police officials lead the ceremonial releasing of white doves, which symbolizes “divine intervention”, during the “Unity Walk, Covenant Signing” at the Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City on Sunday, January 13. Some 4,000 people joined the unity walk as part of efforts in calling for clean and peaceful elections this year.

PNA photo by Oliver Marquez

DENR urged to stop influx of plastic waste imports

by Gaea

Katreena Philstar.com

CabiCo

MANILA — An environmental watch group on Tuesday, January 15, called on the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to ban plastic waste importation as a means to prevent dumping and pollution in the country.

EcoWaste Coalition made the statement days after the 51 garbage-filled containers languishing at a Mindanao port were shipped back to South Korea— six months after the arrival of the shipments in the country.

Aileen Lucero, EcoWaste Coalition national coordinator, stressed that the DENR should follow China’s move to ban plastic waste importation “to safeguard human health and the environment.”

“We request DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu to impose tough measures that will prevent discarded plastics that could no longer enter China from being diverted into the Philippines due to loopholes in existing regulations,” she said.

Lucero noted that there has been a significant rise on waste exports from South Korea to the Philippines after China prohibited the importation of scrap plas-

tic in 2018 to protect the country’s environmental interests and people’s health.

Data from the Korea Customs Service showed that waste exports from South Korea to the Philippines rose from 4,398 tons to 11,588 tons after China closed its doors for plastic waste imports from overseas.

“Waste traders from industrialized countries are frantically looking for places with lenient regulations where their plastic waste can be shipped for socalled ‘recycling’ like what we have seen in the controversial plastic garbage shipments from Canada and South Korea,” Lucero said.

The EcoWaste executive added: “We need to take action now like what Malaysia and Vietnam did before it’s too late.”

In May last year, Vietnam temporarily banned plastic waste imports after the surge in trash shipments caused by China’s ban congested several ports.

Two months later, Malaysia permanently stopped the issuance of import permits for plastic wastes.

While South Korea took back the shipments of garbage dumped in the country, Canada

Palace says Duterte open to dialogue with Church despite vow to continue attacks by ryan

maCasero Philstar.com

MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte is still open to having a dialogue with the Catholic Church despite his constant attacks on the faith and its leadership, presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said on Monday, January 14.

“Anything that is beneficial to the nation — the president is easy to talk to — he’s up for it, if that’s what they’re asking for,” Panelo told Malacañang reporters on Monday.

Sen. Vicente “Tito” Sotto III told reporters on Monday that the would volunteer to mediate between Duterte and the church.

The Catholic lawmaker told reporters that the continuing dispute was making Filipinos “uneasy.”

“There are attacks and counterattacks, [both] the Palace and the members of the Catholic Church,” Sotto said in Filipino.

Duterte has been at odds with the Catholic Church who have been vocal critics against the drug war and human rights abuse in the Philippines.

On January 9, Duterte suggested that “tambays” or loiterers should kill and steal from “rich bishops.”

Panelo defended him in a statement on Sunday, saying Duterte uses “figures of speech” to emphasize and “dramatize” a point.

“In the case instant, he wishes to stress the failure of some bishops to empathize with the masses as they live comfortably in their rectories while the latter endure the vestiges of poverty,” Panelo said.

Bishops Arturo Bastes of Sorsogon and Ruperto Santos of Bal-

anga condemned his statements publicly over the weekend.

“Again, his mouth has uttered absolutely silly things! And his ‘fans’ consider his murderous words as a mere joke! Is it a joke to advise people to kill?” Bastes said in a statement.

“It is no longer funny and does not deserve laughs or applause from audiences but condemnation. The advice just promotes criminality, encourages lawlessness. What kind of authority that calls for killing?” Santos pointed out.

On December 30, Duterte said he would continue his attacks on the Church until it “corrects itself.”

Fr. Jerome Secillano, executive director of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, called the statements “insensitive” in an interview over ANC. “Those comments are quite insensitive. It’s not only about the hierarchy of the church that’s being attacked but it’s already the doctrine of the Catholic faith. It is not only the priests or the bishops who should be affected by this but even the followers,” he told ANC No statement has been released directly criticizing the president on the CBCP website.

However, the bishops’ organization issued a statement last November in defense of Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, who Duterte accused of using drugs.

On January 1, the CBCP published Pope Francis’ New Year’s message calling on Catholics to take on the “challenge of good politics,” saying that charity and human virtues are the basis of politics at the service of human rights and peace. n

Passport data breach needs...

PAGE A6 conveniencing the public, must be adequately explained to the satisfaction of the law,” NPC Commissioner Raymund Enriquez Liboro said.

The NPC will conduct its own investigation on the grounds that “a private contractor has caused the non-availability of Filipino passport data and other documents entrusted to it for processing.”

Expediting passports The more the investigations, the less clarity there is to the passport breach at this stage.

The perpetrators of this fraud still have to be unmasked.

The only thing worse that can happen is for Congress to take over the investigation.

Meanwhile, there is a ray of light in Secretary Locsin’s declaration that he wants the processing of passports expedited.

“I just want passports quickened by doing away with any requirement but a prior passport.

Anything else is the Senate’s and DoJ’s (Department of Justice) job,” he stated.

If I can get my new passport without having to produce my birth certificate all over again, I may pronounce this issue dead.

(ManilaTimes.net)

remained quiet.

Between 2013 and 2015, close to 100 container vans of garbage were also imported to the Philippines from Canada and only belatedly discovered.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his country is committed to solving the garbage dumping issue during the 2017 Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Manila.

He made the same statement in 2015 during his visit to the country for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. n

MANILA — The Department of Health (DOH) has denied the reported shortage of anti-retroviral treatment (ART) for HIV, saying in November 2018 alone, a total of 685 individuals availed themselves of the free medicine.

In a statement, the DOH said it takes the issue of HIV infection in the country “seriously” and that it has “taken great steps to ensure that HIV testing is available and accessible to those who are at risk.”

The DOH said it also made sure that treatment is available for those who are diagnosed with HIV. The health department made the statement in reaction to a Twitter post about the shortage of ART, particularly Nevirapine, in a treatment hub.

ART is a concoction of drugs

In a statement, the DOH said it takes the issue of HIV infection in the country “seriously” and that it has “taken great steps to ensure that HIV testing is available and accessible to those who are at risk.”

Philstar.com photo by Andy G. Zapata Jr.

that suppresses HIV and keeps it from progressing into AIDS and prevents onward transmission of the disease.

Based on DOH data, out of the 945 new cases of HIV/AIDS re-

corded in November 2018, a total of 685 were given ART. This brings to 32,909 the number of ART patients out of the 61,152 cases recorded since January 1984. n

He cited the role of the Office for Global Media Affairs in cultivating better tourism relations between the Philippines and other countries.

“The good relations between PCOO and different information ministries in Asean, Japan, China, Australia, U.S., brings our department closer to them,” he added.

Andanar is set to fly to Bangkok, Thailand this week to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the ministry of information there on journalism education exchange.

“That MoU will have educational exchanges between journalists in the Philippines and journalists

from Bangkok,” he said.

“It’s the same MoU that I signed with China. I think some of our colleagues in the Philippines are beneficiaries of these scholarships,” he added.

Last week, the United Kingdom and Australian governments issued advisories warning their nationals against traveling to Mindanao in the wake of the bomb attack in Cotabato City on December 31.

Malacañang, however, assured the international community that it is safe to travel to Mindanao since the bomb attack, which killed two persons and wounded 34 others, was an “isolated case.” (PNA)

Andanar seeks ‘fair’ travel advisories PRESIDENTIAL Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar said he would ask tourism leaders to issue travel advisories that are “more specific” to areas in the Philippines affected by security issues so as not to affect other travel destinations.

Andanar, in a news conference in Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte, said he would direct his agency’s Office for Global Media Affairs to push for fair travel advisories.

“I will stress on the importance of [travel advisories] specific in the provinces or the cities that are affected by terrorism,” Andanar said.

A january 16-18, 2019 • SoCal aSIan jOurnaL

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BUSINESS& DON'T FILE BANKRUPTCY COMMUNITY Journal

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Wider trade gap the new norm — economists ING Bank Manila senior economist Nicholas Mapa said the Philippine trade story remains the same, with imports running well past outbound shipments.

Philstar.com file photo

by Lawrence

agcaoiLi Philstar.com

WIDER trade gaps will likely be the norm for the Philippines over the medium term as the growth in the importation of capital equipment and raw materials to support the growing economy would continue to outpace the increase in exports, economists said.

ING Bank Manila senior economist Nicholas Mapa said the Phil-

ippine trade story remains the same, with imports running well past outbound shipments.

“With both the government and corporates doubling down on this capital-intensive growth, wide trade gaps will likely be the norm in the medium term,” Mapa said.

Trade gap in the Philippines has been swelling since 2017 amid a sustained rise in imports to feed the growing economy as well as

the ambitious infrastructure program under the Build Build Build program, reversing the nation’s current account surplus to a deficit and pressuring the peso.

Latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed the country’s trade deficit swelled 61 percent to $ 37.69 billion from January to November last year.

Imports rose 15.8 percent to $100.45 billion in the first 11

o. de Vera Inquirer.net

TO address the “rampant” sale of counterfeit tax identification number (TIN) cards, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) will introduce a new design that is more difficult to fake.

“It has been observed that selling of fake TIN cards is rampant and increasing (e.g., online selling through Facebook, selling by fixers to taxpayers while transacting in other government agencies, etc.). Hence, it has been decided to redesign the TIN card

and at the same time declare it as an accountable form in order to address the issue of the unauthorized issuance of TIN card within and outside the BlR,” Internal Revenue Commissioner Caesar R. Dulay said in Revenue Memorandum OrderNo. 2-2019 issued on Jan. 3.

The new TIN card, or BIR Form No. 1931, will have a pre-numbered sequential serial number, which will allow BIR offices and personnel to control them and be accountable for their release.

The new TIN card design will be rolled out this month, based on

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a sample provided by the BIR on its website.

BIR personnel involved in issuing these cards will have to report on a monthly basis their receipts, issuances, transfers and balances of accountable forms.

Based on the sample, while the first time issuance of the new TIN card will be free of charge, a fee of P100 must be paid to replace lost or damaged cards.

Former BIR chief Kim S. Jacinto-Henares had planned to issue “smart” TIN cards before her term ended in 2016, but this did not push through.n

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Business news

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Remittances to climb steady this year — ING Philippines to sustain growth amid global slowdown — World Bank

by lawrenCe agCaoili Philstar.com

DUTCH financial giant ING Bank said inflows from Filipinos living and working abroad continued to outpace the growth target set by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

In its latest Asia economic calendar, ING Bank said remittances from overseas Filipino workers likely climbed 5.3 percent in November last year, outpacing the revised target set by the central bank The BSP is looking at a three percent growth for remittances for 2018 and 2019, lower than the previous target of four percent.

Aside from beefing up the country’s foreign exchange buffer, remittances usually fuel personal consumption helping sustain a steady economic growth.

The amount of money sent home by overseas Filipinos usually accounts for 10 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).

by Czeriza

ValenCiai Philstar.com

The BSP is looking at a three percent growth for remittances for 2018 and 2019, lower than the previous target of four percent.

Philstar file photo by Miguel de Guzman

Latest data released by the BSP showed personal remittances, consisting of cash and noncash items that flow through both formal or via electronic wire and informal channels such as money or goods carried across borders, rose eight percent to $2.76 billion in October last year.

On the other hand, cash remittances coursed through banks increased 8.7 percent to $2.47 billion.

For the first 10 months, personal remittances inched up 2.9

percent to $26.47 billion.

Cash remittances climbed 3.1 percent to $23.77 billion.

Remittances came primarily from the U.S., Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Japan, United Kingdom, Qatar, Canada, Germany, and Hong Kong.

The amount of money sent home by Filipinos abroad usually pick up during the ‘ber’ months or the start of the fourth quarter ahead of the celebration of Christmas. n

buying spree ahead of the implementation of Republic Act 10963 or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law. He said exports slumped anew by -0.3 percent with the mainstay electronics subsector contracting at 1.6 percent, while all other export sectors managed to grow by 1.6 percent.

Going forward, Mapa said the current account would likely remain in the red as imports run away from outbound shipments.

Lindsey Ice, economist at Barcelona-based think tank FocusEconomics, said the country’s trade gap would further widen to $40 billion this year and $48.2 billion in 2020 as import growth continues to outpace that of exports.

Exports are seen to expand 7.8 percent this year before easing to 6.4 percent next year, while imports will increase 8.5 percent this year and streng-then by 11.3 percent in 2020. n

Wider trade gap the new norm...

PAGE B1 t

months of last year while export contracted by 0.9 percent to $62.77 billion.

Mapa said fuel, raw materials and capital goods remained the largest contributors to overall import growth, expanding by 34.1 percent, 6.7 percent, and 4.9 percent respectively.

Imports of consumer goods fell mainly due to the -28.1 percent print for passenger cars with the negative growth tagged to the car

THE Philippines is expected to sustain its current growth trajectory despite an expected slower growth in the global economy in the next few years, according to a new report by the World Bank.

In its 2019 Global Economic Prospects report, the international finance institution said the domestic economy likely grew by 6.4 percent in 2018 and is expected to grow by 6.5 percent in 2019.

This is in line with the downgraded projections made last month because of the delay in the passage of the 2019 national budget which can temper investment growth this year.

Last month, the World Bank

Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond Monette AdevA MAglAyA Select a handful of those things in your bucket list that have the highest chance of coming to fruition given your time frame. In tech speak, it means before your life’s energy goes into ‘ low batt mode’ and life has run out of sockets to plug into.

There is a dumbing down going on in modern society in the last 30

Inquirer.net file photo

said while high inflation may have tempered the growth in household consumption in the fourth quarter of 2018, a moderation in inflation in the following quarters is expected to boost consumer confidence and raise private consumption in 2019.

The mid-term election in May is also expected to strengthen

consumption by temporarily raising employment and disposable incomes in early 2019.

In the new report, World Bank said the domestic economy is expected to grow by 6.6 percent in 2020 throughout 2021. The expectations for the Philippines is still above the average forecast

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The bucket list Watch the Perseids!

(3rd of a series)

”...Humility, like darkness, reveals the heavenly lights.”

—Henry David Thoreau years or so currently accelerated by mass media and the internet.

They feed the masses with an endless cycle of news, opinions and entertainment that are meant to follow an agenda set by the global masters of media and tech companies.

There is an overwhelming volume of information often manipulated to suit an agenda. Ironically, this does not necessarily lead to the desired wisdom of the mind and heart.

Their platforms — television, print and the internet — are used largely, as propaganda tools to advance an agenda. Ad revenues for their bottom line are fine and dandy but the real goal behind mass media and tech companies’ existence these days, when they provide news and information, is the manipulation of the mental and behavioral control of the masses.

What is the ultimate goal? It is the pursuit of power to produce changes in the mind and heart to preserve the status quo. And what is the status quo? That the elite continue to be so …

So mind what you watch. If you think the promotion and furtherance of your well-being drive the large media companies’ agenda these days, I have a bridge in the Sahara I can sell you.

So what is one then to do for news and entertainment these days if you’re just a normal, average human being just minding your business?

I would say GO ROGUE. Go au naturel. Cut off the cable. Minimize plugging into the internet.

If you need information, use Bing or Duckduckgo as your search engines instead of Google that has lately been behaving as the Master of the Universe employing algorithms that filter out ideas that go against their globalist agenda.

Disengage from social media slowly or go cold turkey. It is your choice. You have the power.

Social media produces no product. It is no more than a data collection agency that sells and repackages information you provide to them via your postings and sells them to the highest bidder, whether a political entity seeking votes and thereby power or commercial companies wanting your business.

Test it by searching for any widget to buy and lo and behold, within minutes, there are pop-up ads of similar widgets driving you nuts.

Talk about online stalking!!! It is disconcerting, to say the least.

We fume quietly or rage and rant for the most part about the death of our privacy. But take comfort. Life is a series of action and reaction much like a pendulum. One day, when people are fed up enough to set things in motion to rein in the undue influence of these amoral tech giants, these obtrusive entities will have to be broken up to smaller bits so they cannot be a danger to society much longer. Will this happen in our lifetimes? That, my friend, is a $64,000 question.

What have we got to lose? The news, for the most part, is fake.

The alphabet networks have lost credibility as they shill for their liberal agenda. Most celebrities are nothing to celebrate about. As their masks fall off, their oversized egos are cut down to size, their veneer of respectability cracks. You realize these so-called stars do have feet of clay after all, just like you and me. So dump them.

So here’s one for the bucket list for those who are innately curious about the origin of life and life itself and want some honest to goodness entertainment that brings a life perspective. If you really want to be in awe of something greater than yourself, go star gazing heavenly bodies — real stars — the sort that burns out after billions of years. It promises to be quite an

experience.

Start small by watching meteor showers. They occur all the time but they are visible to human eyes on cloudless, moonless nights.

Meteors may be the residual particles of the seemingly infinite cycle of creation and destruction as the universe continues to expand in the last 13 billion years during an event called The Big Bang, according to the best educated estimates by cosmologists.

Meteors are made of dust and ice ranging in size from a grain of sand to a corn kernel, hurtling through space at great speeds and burning up quickly in a spray of colors as they enter earth’s atmosphere.

Thoreau once said that humility like darkness reveals the heavenly lights. And it is true when you become a night sky watcher. If your circumstances permit it, and you have family and friends that are up to it, do this one thing that others have suggested we do before we kick the bucket.

Schedule time to hie off to a safe place (a public park, a friend’s mountain cabin, a boat at sea or even a cemetery) far from the city lights at night with friends or family or any kindred spirit to set up camp between July 17 and August 24 to view the Perseids, the most popular and spectacular of meteor showers.

In the summer, it is show time.

The Perseids is a celestial treat for those who take the time and wait patiently in darkness. Experts say that there is an average of 70 meteors per hour guaranteed to put up a show Check out the Griffith Park Observatory in Los Angeles, if you live anywhere close. Their reason for being is watching the night sky.

Before midnight, dress appropriately and lie down on camping blankets on the ground keeping a thermos of hot chocolate and some munchies within reach and wait eyes wide open. Bring bug spray. There will be streaks and flashes of colors against a backdrop of velvet black firmament as the Perseids, like celestial clockwork, hit the earth’s atmosphere, as they have done so for thousands of years.

Come to think of it, like meteors, we are made of dust and our life is just a brief flash on an infinite timeline. If we do this often enough, we may come to realize how great is our God who has fashioned each one of us out of ordinary dust to create a unique person capable of reflecting the beauty of the creator within a lifetime.

The experience can show to us the vastness of the universe and how little we are in the great scheme of things. If social media has the power to bloat our egos, the opposite is true of this exercise. Patiently waiting for shooting stars all in God’s perfect timing, can grind our egos into dust.

This can make us humble enough to ponder the heavenly lights. We can then begin to appreciate our life and the lives of those in our immediate orbit and live the rest of our lives praising God. That’s what watching meteor showers even once during our lifetime can do for us. It can give us an inkling of how great God is and how blessed we are.

When we’re ready, willing and able, we may even go bolder and include the adventure of seeking the Northern Lights in the freezing cold of the Arctic zone. But that’s another entry on the Bucket List for another day.

Next week: Another idea to consider for The Bucket List … *** Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette. maglaya@asianjournalinc.com

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Debt Relief

ATTY. LAWRENCE YANG THE client is 64, a young senior.

I say young because I consider seniors in their 60s as still active and robust. Except for more white hair, they still feel like they are 30.

The problem with being in the 60s is that 70 is just around the corner.

Now when one becomes 70, after 10 years, you become 80.

The client says that his net income is $3,500 and that he is separated from his wife. His rent is $600 for a room. He sends money to his brothers and sisters in his country of origin. The problem is that he owes $30,000 in credit card debt.

He pays a minimum of $1,000 a month for the credit cards. He also has a car payment of $350. We don’t have to do more calculations here. The minimum payment of $1,000 for credit cards is almost a third of his next income. That is just way too much. He wants to get rid of his credit cards now that he is 64 so he can start saving some money.

Well, it’s a little late to start saying money now but at least with the discharge of all of his credit cards, he can save $12,000 in the next 12 months, and $24,000 next year, then $36,000, and then $48,000. So when he turns 69, just before he becomes 70, he can have $50,000 saved up which he can use any way he wants. This is a lot better than keeping these cards, paying them $50,000 for the next four years, then still owing them the same principal of $30,000 when he turns 70. So, this is really a no-brainer, isn’t it?

Would he rather have $50,000 in cash and not owe anything at the age of 69, or throw away $50,000 in minimum payments and still owe $30,000 credit cards at age 69? He asks if his brother, whom he used as a reference for a personal loan and did not sign a personal guaranty, is legally liable for his debt if it is discharged in bankruptcy. Of course not. The brother can only be made liable for his debt if the brother signed a written personal guaranty. Without a signed personal guaranty,

Barrister’s Corner ATTY. KENNETH URSUA REYES ON January 9, 2019, Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos jointly made a statement in Jeff’s twitter account that they are getting a divorce. As many people know, Jeff Bezos is the founder of Amazon which today is the largest publicly traded company by market cap at $809 billion as of January 10, 2019.

When Jeff and MacKenzie were married in 1993, he did not have much in terms of net worth. However the following year, Jeff founded Amazon in July 1994. Today, Jeff Bezos is estimated to be worth $137,000,000,000. The couple resides in the State of Washington which happens to be a community property state. This means anything Jeff acquired during the marriage is community property and thus his spouse MacKenzie has a 50% interest in the community regardless of who’s name the asset is under or in this case the Amazon stock is under. In the absence of a prenuptial agreement or even a post nuptial agreement, all assets Mr. Bezos accumulated during the 25 year marriage is community property and his wife has a 50% interest. The outcome could have been different had the couple signed either a prenuptial agreement or post nuptial agreement where they could have laid out terms which provided for a different division of property.

Family law cases are governed by state law. Since the Bezos’ are resident of Washington, Washington State law will apply to their divorce case. Generally, the divorce rates for the super wealthy is lower than the general population due to impact on their net worth and businesses they own. Even

Commentary

IN this week’s column, we will address immigration services fraud that commonly targets vulnerable immigrants community by giving unauthorized and fraudulent immigration services.

Immigration services fraud occurs when dishonest lawyers or non-lawyer “immigration consultants” charge fees for illegal or misleading services. Common examples of fraud include knowingly giving clients incorrect legal advice, claiming to have inside connections to the government that will help clients with their immigration cases, encouraging

COMMUNITY JOURNAL

SoCal ASIAN JOURNAL • JANUARY 16-18, 2019

Senior wants Chapter 7 to Calendar of Events across discharge $30K in credit cards the brother used as a reference cannot be sued because he has no legal liability to the creditor of the client.

Chapter 7 to discharge $45K credit cards Next, the clients are husband and wife who are 72 and 71, respectively. The wife made sure that I understood that she was only 71 and is one year younger than her husband who is 72. Yes, I got that. One year makes all the difference. I told her that I stopped counting 20 years ago and advised her to do the same. It’s useless to keep counting, what’s the big deal anyway? Who wants to know that you are now one year closer to leaving this earth; certainly not yourself. Look at the picture of the Indonesian guy who is the oldest man alive at 145. I mean what can you do at 145? You’re practically a cadaver and blind. Can’t hear anything. The quality of life is just zilch.

The clients owe $46,000 in credit card debt. Their social security is $3,000 a month. Rent is at $1,200.

They have $1,800 left but their credit cards need a minimum of $1,500. How are they going to eat and pay for other necessities if they continue to pay $1,500 for credit cards? They can grow their own vegetables in their backyard — if they had one. They rent an apartment with no backyard.

The husband says that he has all kinds of muscle pain and has a pacemaker, so that kills his plan to drive for Uber so he can raise another $1,500 to pay for their credit cards. He says they have already lived a full life, having traveled all over the world, using the cards. But they have paid the cards for the last 20 years a total of $360,000, yet they still owe the very same $46,000 of credit cards today. I told them that they should have done their Chapter 7 20 years ago, so today they would have $360,000 in their portfolio earning them at least 5 percent or $1,500 a month, or $18,000 a year. That certainly helps now, instead of paying them a small fortune and still owing them the same amount of $46,000. They should have gotten rid of these cards a long time

ago.

They immediately decide to file for Chapter 7 to discharge the $46,000 of credit cards. Peace of mind without credit card payments is what they need now at 72 and 71.

Business owners need Chapter 7 to discharge $200K loans and wage garnishment by SBA The last clients were business owners. They are also seniors at 60 and 61. The owned a business that closed down in 2007. When the business closed, the company, which is an S corporation, owed a Small Business Administration (SBA) loan of $49,000, which is now $89,000 because of the accrued interest.

The SBA started to garnish the wife’s wages last week. She didn’t like the garnishment. I can’t blame her — who wants to get your hardearned wages taken at the rate of 25 percent of gross? As the POTUS says, that is a “bigly” deduction, NOT FAIR! And NOT NICE! In addition, they owe $90,000 of credit card debt plus another $30,000 of unsecured business debt. They ask if it makes sense to settle the accounts owed. I say what for? With a Chapter 7, you can wipe out all of the $210,000 debt, start fresh again with zero debt, all it costs is the attorney & filing fees, which are very reasonable. The settlement in half, for instance, would still cost $120,000, which they don’t have. I mean, the settlement is very expensive compared to Chapter 7 legal fees. You wipe out $240,000 for almost no cost except for legal fees. That’s the American way.

Look at the POTUS, his companies filed bankruptcy four times and he still the commander-inchief. That is one smart dude.

VERY SMART! *** 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 1000 S. Fremont Ave, Mailstop 58, Building A-1 Suite 1125, Alhambra, CA 91803.

(Advertising Supplement)

Jeff Bezos getting a $137 billion divorce without a prenup though most of Jeff Bezos assets are community, this divorce case will be extremely complicated due to the vast holdings of the couple.

The majority of Bezos’ net worth is in Amazon Stocks. However, dividing the stock interest can be tricky without diluting Mr. Bezos’ control of the company. It is likely that MacKenzie Bezos would want the family fortune to continue to grow to allow her husband to maintain control of Amazon. It is probably in her best interest not to dilute her husband’s ownership share of Amazon and not to push for a settlement that would require Jeff Bezos to sell shares and reduce his stake in the company.

Jeff Bezos also owns other ventures which are not as easily valued as a public company such as Amazon. He owns a private held aerospace company called Blue Origin. He funds this company by selling $1 billion per year of Amazon stocks. It would be more challenging valuing such a business in the context of a divorce case.

I supposed they can look at the value of similar businesses such as Elon Musk’s Space X. Bezos also owns The Washington Post through his company Nash Holdings, LLC. The couple also owns one of the largest real estate holdings from a 135,000 acre ranch in West Texas which is the location of the Blue Origin operation to properties in Beverly Hills, Washington, and New York. All these properties would have to be valued as well.

In addition to that, the couple has made pledges to various charities. Last year, the couple committed to $2 Billion to “Day One Fund” which supports nonprofits

that help the homeless and create a network of preschools for the low income. This may end up being the largest divorce in history so far. Divorce could happen to any married couple. People outgrow each other or fall in love with other people. For business owners, an unfortunate event such as a divorce would be less of a mess if they have a properly executed prenuptial agreement or even after the marriage a post marital agreement. *** 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 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, P.C. is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 747, Los Angeles, CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail HYPERLINK “mailto: kenneth@kenreyeslaw.com” kenneth@ kenreyeslaw.com or visit our website at Kenreyeslaw.com (Advertising Supplement)

clients to lie on their applications, or filing forms for immigration benefits without the consent or knowledge of the client.

In some cases, a dishonest lawyer may continue to practice law even after his or her license has been suspended or they have been disbarred.

To check if someone is really a lawyer, you can ask the lawyer for his or her bar license number.

Use the bar license number or the lawyer’s name to call the State Bar at 800-843-9053 or search the California State Bar directory here: http://members.calbar. ca.gov/fal/LicenseeSearch/.

If you can’t find someone’s name or bar license number on the website, then they are not a

lawyer in California. If the lawyer’s license is suspended or the lawyer has been disbarred, then they are not allowed to practice law in California. Note that this website contains profiles only for lawyers who are licensed in California. If your lawyer is licensed in a different state, you have to use that state’s directory instead.

An immigration consultant is a person authorized by California law to help clients translate answers for and fill out immigration forms. For example, an immigration consultant might help you to fill out a form to get a green card or to naturalize, and submit the form to the government. An immigration consultant is not a

What is immigration services fraud?

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Spark Philippines Trade and Travel Fest in San Francisco Discover creative and delectable culinary products and enticing travel destinations of the Philippines in a three-day event – January 16-18, 2019 — at the Philippine Consulate General (447 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA), a block away from Union Square San Francisco.

Spark Philippines Trade and Travel Fest is a sneak preview of two of the best things that the Philippines can offer — food and travel. Discover many innovative food ingredients, such as the coconut floral sap vinegar or Sukang Tuba and the mango flour. Uncover the uses of the “dinosaur egg” salt or Asin Tibuok. Learn more about Philippine food products from a few Philippine companies participating in the Winter Fancy Food Show 2019. The Fest affords visitors to savor Filipino fusion-style eats and dine kamayan-style (no cutlery required) in a salu-salo or a gastronomic feast featuring locally sourced ingredients using Filipino heirloom recipes. Guests can also explore attractive travel packages in the land of fun and sun. Choose from a number of inviting tourist attractions of the Philippines. Travel agents will have the opportunity to meet with others. Importers and participating food companies can continue their conversations in the event.

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4th Homeless Service Professionals Job Fair in LA Mayor Eric Garcetti, the LA Homeless Services Authority, the County of LA Homeless Initiative, Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson, United Way of Greater LA, Workforce Development Systems, and LA Southwest College invite you to the fourth Homeless Service Professionals Job Fair on Thursday, January 17 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Over 30+ employers will be in attendance, who are looking to fill hundreds of positions throughout the greater LA area — everything from case managers and outreach workers to housing navigators, supervisors and executives. Join us for our job fair and learn about the incredible impact you can have to help people get all the support they need to start a new chapter. You can help change lives. Types of Positions: Direct Service / Entry Level: case managers, outreach workers, housing navigators, employment specialists, administration, finance, and more; Management / Supervisory Level: supervisors, coordinators, program managers and directors, and similar positions; Professional Level and Executive Level: with advanced degrees such as MSW, MPP, MPH, LCSW, certifications; senior management. On-site resources available: Resume review and editing; Interviewing preparation and tips; and Connections to more local services. Please RSVP at: HSPJobFairLa.eventbrite.com. The job fair will be held inside the Thomas G. Larkin Fitness and Wellness Center at Los Angeles Southwest College (1600 W. Imperial Hwy., Los Angeles, CA 90047).

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Santo Nino Celebration at St. Catherine Laboure Church in Torrance, CA Most Rev. Bishop Oscar A. Solis will celebrate the holy sacrifice of the Mass on Friday, January 18 at St. Catherine Laboure Church (3846 Redondo Beach Blvd. Torrance, CA 90504) at 7 p.m. The Novena prayers and Chaplet will follow after the Mass. The parish has an exact replica of the Infant of Prague (Santo Nino) clothed in a relic of the Holy Robe that adorns the original statue in the shrine at Prague. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own statues; the devotion of touching them to the Holy Robe will conclude the celebration. For more information, please contact Lorna Arceo at (310) 345-4637, Maria Quan (310) 714-6537 or Vicki & Romy Balliyut at (310) 406-6575.

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Sto. Niño celebration at St. Finbar Church in Burbank, CA Please join us for Sinulog on January 19, 2019 at 10:30 a.m. at St. Finbar Church (2010 W Olive Ave, Burbank, CA 91506). Bring your statues of the Infant Jesus. Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m.

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38th Annual Asian American Expo in Pomona, CA The 38th annual Asian American Expo will be held on Saturday, January 19 and January 20 at the Pomona Fairplex (2705 Fairplex Dr. Pomona, California 91768). The Asian American Expo features 6 large expositions, 1,000+ vendors, 9 non-stop performing stages, and 3 separately unique food courts. Attendees from all different ethnic and work backgrounds, from both local and international, are bound to be at the Expo. The Asian American Expo is hosted at the beginning of each year to celebrate the coming of the Lunar New Year Festival, with the goal recreating the New Year celebrations found across Asia at this time of the year.

Food, shopping, entertainment and fun – these are all annual staples that can be found at each year’s event. The hours for both Saturday and Sunday are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tickets are $11/day for adults (age 13 to 65) and $9 / day for seniors (above 65) and children (under 13).

For more information, please visit http://www.asianamericanexpo.com/.

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Feast of Sto. Niño at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in LA On Sunday, January 20, 2019 at 3:30 pm, the Santo Niño Cruzada USA will sponsor a mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels to be presided by its Pastor, Fr. David Gallardo, and to commemorate its 32nd year anniversary of the solemn Feast of Santo Niño, the Divine Infant Jesus. Participating are the choir of St. Paul the Apostle Church from Chino Hills, The Southern California Sinulog Dance Co., The Saint Junipero Serra Province Knights of Columbus, and various religious organizations. We also offer the mass to the late Cardinal Ricardo Vidal of Cebu who gave the Santo Nino statue that we use for this event to Cardinal Roger Mahony and Monsignor Kevin Kostelnik. For more information on this celebration, please contact Romy & Tess Esturas at (213) 219-0590.

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“Journey for Justice” book launch in LA Get a first edition “Journey for Justice: The Life of Larry Itliong,” written by the late historian Dawn Bohulano Mabalon and writer Gayle Romasanta, on Sunday, January 27 at the launch in Los Angeles! It will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at The Park’s Finest (1267 W. Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026). The book tells the story of Larry Itliong’s fight for a farmworkers union, the birth of the farm workers’ movement, and more. Books will be sold and signed with a Q&A with co-author Gayle Romasanta). A percentage of proceeds from this book will be donated to the nonprofit organizations, Little Manila Rising and the Filipino American National Historical Society. For more information, please visit http://bridgedelta.com/.

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Philippine Medical Association of Hawaii’s gala in Waikiki, HI The Philippine Medical Association of Hawaii will hold its 41st inaugural and installation of officers on Saturday, February 2 at 5 p.m. It will be held at the Tapa Ballroom at the Hilton Hawaiian Village (2005 Kalia Rd, Honolulu, HI 96815). Attire is formal. For more information, please visit http://pmah-hawaii.org.

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St. Finbar Church in Burbank, CA celebrates its 9th Annual Valentine Dinner Dance Come and celebrate Hollywood glamour on February 9, 2019 from 6:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. For information contact Marian at (818) 562-6819 or send an email to minobleza@yahoo. com.

If you have an upcoming event and would like us to post it, please email us the details at info@asianjournalinc.com or calendar@asianjournalinc.com

B4 JANUARY 16-18, 2019 • SoCal ASIAN JOURNAL

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People and Events

Philippines to sustain growth...

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in East Asia and the Pacific region of 6.3 percent in 2018, six percent throughout 2019 to 2020 and 5.8 percent for 2021.

Global economic growth is expected to soften from a downward revised three percent in 2018 to 2.9 percent in 2019 amid rising downside risks that include the softening of international trade and manufacturing activity, elevated trade tensions, rising borrowing costs and policy uncertainties.

Growth is expected to slow down further to 2.8 percent in

2020 to 2021.

In East Asia and the Pacific, the country’s immediate neighborhood, growth is expected to moderate to a still robust six percent in 2019 and 2020. Growth in the region is seen to have slowed to 6.3 percent in 2018.

Risks to regional growth include the possibility of further escalation of trade tensions and faster-than-expected tightening of global financing conditions.

“Countries most vulnerable to disruptions in global trade and financial market activity are those with high debt, elevated

current account deficits and high exposure to portfolio and bank inflows, and significant reliance on exports,” said the report.

The report said that despite the slowdown, the region remains one of the world’s fastest-growing regions and has been relatively resilient to recent bouts of financial market volatility.

This is because most countries continue to experience growth above the average of emerging and developing economies.

These include China, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines and Vietnam.■

LOS ANGELES – JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles is pleased to showcase “This is MANGA – The Art of NAOKI URASAWA,” a complimentary exhibit by internationally acclaimed Japanese manga artist, Naoki Urasawa, from January 23 to March 28.

The retrospective exhibition will introduce more than 400 original drawings and storyboards, selected stories from seven of his major works, and deliver four consecutive YAWARA! stories every other week replicating the weekly serial style of many Japanese comic anthologies.

Selling over 127 million copies Justice - LA serves more than 15,000 individuals and organizations every year. in Japan alone, Urasawa’s dynamic Through direct services, impact litigation, storytelling captivates a global aupolicy advocacy, leadership development, dience as his works are published and capacity building, Advancing Justice in more than 20 countries. The - LA focuses on the most vulnerable award-winning artist continues members of Asian American and NHPI to garner international popularcommunities while also building a strong ity through various collaborations voice for civil rights and social justice. including his recent work with For more information, please visit https:// MUJIRUSHI (The Sign of Dreams, with the cooperation of Fujio Prowww.advancingjustice-la.org/.

What is immigration services...

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lawyer. An immigration consultant is not authorized to represent you in immigration court. An immigration consultant may not provide legal advice, which includes selecting what forms you should fill out or how to answer any questions on the form.

If you have questions about your situation or need legal assis-

EMPLOYMENT

tance, please contact Advancing Justice - L.A.’s Tagalog helpline at 855-300-2552. *** Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Los Angeles (Advancing Justice - LA) is the nation’s largest legal and civil rights organization for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (NHPI). Founded in 1983 as the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, Advancing

JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles presents North America debut of “This is MANGA – The Art of NAOKI URASAWA” exhibition Opens January 23

EMPLOYMENT

ductions) at the Louvre Museum.

Since his professional debut in 1983, Urasawa has continually pushed the limits of the manga medium, engaging readers with innovative compositional techniques and versatile drawing prowess, as he creates works that are both introspective and philosophical. One of the core qualities of Urasawa’s work is the skill with which he weaves social context and detailed cultural settings into his narratives. Many of his stories connect personal dramas to a specific moment in human history, and illustrate how overarching social and historical forces influence the actions of his characters.

His stories touch upon the hopes, dreams, and underlying fears of humanity.

The exhibition introduces manga, a Japanese comic style --which is a fusion of story and artwork, evolving from picture book styles developed in the late 19th century --directly through Urasawa’s

EMPLOYMENT

FOR RENT

manga including his original hand-drawn storyboards from inception through development. The selected stories from seven of his major works highlight the breadth of the artist’s narrative styles, including: YAWARA!, MONSTER, 20th Century Boys, PLUTO (story

by Osamu Tezuka, co-authored by Takashi Nagasaki, supervised by Macoto Tezka, with the cooperation of Tezuka Productions), BILLY BAT (story co-creator: Takashi Nagasaki), MASTER KEATON ReMASTER (story by Takashi Nagasaki), and MUJIRUSHI (The Sign of Dreams, with the cooperation of Fujio Productions). A special reading area stocked with full, published English translations turns the exhibition visit into a Japanese cultural experience.

Related programs with Naoki Urasawa Naoki Urasawa Book Signing Date: January 23 Time: 6 – 7 p.m.

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B january 16-18, 2019 • SoCal aSIan jOurnaL

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Arcadia Lunar New Year Festival on Jan.19 at Performing Arts Center Courtyard

THE City of Arcadia is partnering with the Arcadia Performance Arts Foundation to present the 2nd annual Arcadia Lunar New Year Festival on Saturday, January 19, from 1 p.m to 5 p.m. The Festival will be held at the Arcadia Performing Arts Center Courtyard located at 188 Campus Drive, Arcadia, CA, 91007. Tickets are $5 per person and free for children under 2 years old.

Guests enjoy folk tales and storytelling, face painting, raffles, special treats, and photos with the Lucky God of Prosperity. Crafts include lanterns, fans, paper cutting, paper folding, and porcelain decorating.

The stage and dance floor feature performances from Master Fenton Eng’s Kung Fu Studio, Master Arnold Chien’s tea demonstration, Arcadia Chinese Association, Live Oak Park Folk Dance Group, Arcadia Happy Dancers, Arcadia High School Chinese Parents Booster Club, and Arcadia High School String Quartet.

For more details and ticket information, visit https://www. arcadiapaf.org/lav-orchestra or call the box office at (626) 8211781.

Children and families are also invited to a Chinese New Year celebration at the Arcadia Public Library on Saturday, January 26, 2019 at 2:30 p.m. We will be

Photo courtesy of The City of Arcadia

celebrating the Year of the Pig with fun stories, activities, and a festive card.

In addition, there will be a Lunar New Year Art Market on Saturday, February 2, at 2:30 p.m. Children of all ages can drop by the Library’s Art Mar-

ket and receive special APL dollars to purchase supplies to make crafts in celebration of the Lunar New Year. Younger children must be accompanied by an adult to assist with crafts. All materials will be provided while supplies last. n

Alhambra receives Princess Award for Rose Parade float THE City of Alhambra was proud to have its Rose Parade Float “Home Tweet Home” awarded the Princess Award at this year’s Tournament of Roses.

The award is given to the float with the most outstanding floral presentation amongst entries 35-feet and under in length.

This year’s float was inspired by a drawing by fifth grader Grace Blackwell. She was se-

lected amongst hundreds of applicants who participated in the City’s art contest held in March 2018. This year 250 volunteers from the City of Alhambra dedicated their time to help decorate the float on Saturday’s throughout the month of December.

“Home Tweet Home” was the 91st float Alhambra has had in the Rose Parade. The City has continuously budgeted to have a

place along the marching bands and equestrian riders who make the Rose Parade a beloved New Year’s Day event.

According to the Tournament of Roses, scores are based on criteria such as creative design, floral craftsmanship, artistic merit, computerized animation, thematic interpretation, floral and color presentation, and dramatic impact. n

JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles presents...

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Venue: JAPAN HOUSE Gallery, Level 2 Fee: Book purchase at the JAPAN HOUSE “monozukuri shop” Drawing My World: An Interview with Naoki Urasawa Date: January 23 Time: 7:15 – 8:45 p.m.

Venue: JAPAN HOUSE Salon, Level 5 Fee: Complimentary Related programs JAPAN HOUSE will offer interactive drawing workshops complementing the North American debut of the “This is MANGA – The Art of NAOKI URASAWA” exhibition with Los Angeles-based animator and illustrator, MinoMiyabi, for all ages. Information to be released soon on www.japanhouse.jp/losangeles.

• Character Drawing for Kids!

(February 2, March 2) • Elements of Character Designs for Manga & Comics (February 2, March 2) • Compositions & Panel Layouts: “Koma-Wari” for Manga & Comics (February 9) • “Chara-Cature!” Your Caricature as a Manga Character (February 9) “This is MANGA – the Art of NAOKI URASAWA” is presented and organized by JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles and The Yomiuri Shim-

bun; sponsored by Shimizu Octo; made possible in cooperation with N WOOD STUDIO, SHOGAKUKAN, KODANSHA, POMATO PRO., Yamato Global Logistics Japan, ANA, Bay Bridge Studio, AGASUS and VIZ Media; special assistance provided by Takashi Nagasaki, Kazuya Kudo, Hokusei Katsushika, Tezuka Productions Co. and Fujio Productions; art direction by Kaitaro Kiuchi (POMATO PRO.); curatorial support provided by Stéphane Beaujean (Art Director of the Angoulême International Comics Festival).

JAPAN HOUSE is an innovative, worldwide project with three hubs – London, Los Angeles, and Sao Paulo – conceived by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.

Kenya Hara is Chief Creative Director for the project, which seeks to nurture a deeper understanding

and appreciation of Japan in the international community. JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles occupies two floors at Hollywood & Highland, with the 2nd floor featuring a gallery space and shop. The 5th floor hosts a Japanese restaurant, relaxing library, and event space, along with spectacular views of Hollywood and Downtown Los Angeles. The 2nd floor has been open since December 2017, and with the completion of the 5th floor, JAPAN HOUSE celebrated its grand opening in August 2018, offering the public a place of new discovery that transcends the physical and conceptual boundaries creating experiences that reflect the best of Japan.

It is located at 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028.

Visit www.japanhouse.jp/losangeles. n

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SoCal ASIAN JOURNAL • JANUARy 16-18, 2019 B

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cover story The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - January 16, 2019

Catriona Gray’s Miss Universe reign off to a great start the kids, made me question why was I born into a situation where I had the opportunity WHEN Catriona Elisa I am given this opportunity, and here they are born to a Magnayon Gray left Manila for I am so overly aware of the Bangkok to compete in the responsibility that I have. It is a circumstance where they don’t.

That’s not fair,” she said.

Miss Universe pageant, she had challenge that I am so excited Gray is a firm believer that meticulously planned and laid to pursue.” education is one tool that everything out so that the moGray is excited to expand could level out the opportunity. ment the competition started, her work on children’s educaChildren could have dreams of she let go and told herself to tion and HIV/AIDS to other enjoy and have fun representcountries which have the same becoming a musician, the next president, to be an astronaut. ing the Philippines. problems.

“Education is a platform “Every single time I These two are platforms that can validate that dream stepped onstage I just enjoyed that she is passionate about and allow them to pursue their myself and I think people saw because of personal reasons. dreams,” she affirmed. that. I was just happy to be She is looking forward to Miss Universe: Behind the there,” Gray told the Asian expanding these causes and foscenes Journal in a freewheeling cus on things where she could People now see a glamorinterview at the Miss Universe make a difference like going to ous Miss Universe who worked Organization’s new office in countries, for example, which hard to get that crown, somemidtown Manhattan. have been successful in focusthing that a lot of people did This was Day 3 of her hectic ing on the social problem of not see.

Media Week schedule doing HIV/AIDS and bringing what You see, Catriona Gray did interviews with Good Mornthey have applied there back her homework. ing America, Live with Kelly & home to the Philippines.

“This is my second foray Ryan, AOL Build Series, Good Gray was 21 years old and into pageantry and I knew what Day NY and also with ABS-CBN she was going through a hard I wanted,” she said straight up. and GMA Network from the time in her personal career, “I knew that I wanted to be Philippines. struggling and frustrated and hands-on in everything. That’s Gray arrived in New York one day, she just told herjust me naturally.” on January 2nd, after spending self that she did not want to As a newbie before, she the holidays in seclusion. She think about her problems for wanted to be guided by celebrated her 25th birthday a moment and decided to do on January 6th which she spent volunteer work, something that people who are experts in the field. going to church, eating out and she has never done before.

Gray represented the Philwatching Dear Evan Hansen on It was as simple as logging ippines in the Miss World comBroadway. to the internet and through petition held in Washington, “I feel so grateful that I am Google, she found Young D.C. in 2016. She placed in the here in New York City. I love it! Focus. She was then living in It feels like it has sunk in na,” Paranaque and Young Focus is top five. Pageant enthusiasts contend that she should have she shared. “I had a quiet holi- based in Tondo, Manila, which won. day season and it feels like I am was not that far.

For her next foray a year now stepping into my shoes Gray went to Tondo and later, which was Binibining as Miss Universe. I am suffermet with the people behind ing just a little bit of jetlag but the organization and she knew Pilipinas, Gray said she knew what she wanted and what aside from that, everything is right then that she has found well.” what she was looking for. More she would be most confident in. She knew how she could The newly minted Miss than that, the impact of meetsee herself as most beautiful Universe is looking forward to a ing the kids and seeing their in terms of her final look and year of opening doors and exsituation changed her life and styling. ploring possibilities to promote her perspective on things.

She went in as an indepenthe platforms that she holds “People there live with so near and dear her heart. little and yet, and yet, they still dent candidate and built her “I want to have the best had smiles on their faces. They own team, which back then was year that I could possibly have were greeting us as we walked an unpopular decision.

A lot of people told her and that for me would be to past. Coming as someone who that she was crazy for doing so do as much work as I could for was frustrated with my own because “there’s never been a different organizations because life, I had so many things that Miss Universe Philippines who it has really been my identity I wanted that I felt like I could hasn’t come from one of the for the past three years,” Gray have,” she said. camps.” said. “The reason why I do It struck her.

“But I knew I could do it. what I do is that I really aim to “I had so much to be gratehave this platform, to reach ful for. That really impacted me And that’s my stubbornness.

That was my vision and when more people, and now that so strongly. That, and seeing I have a vision, I stick to it and I want to execute it,” she shared.

In the end, she gained a family from the team that she pooled together.

“We’re all good friends now and that’s something that I am so grateful for, that gift of family, they created that support for me and they allowed my vision to come to reality,” she said.

Hands-on Not a lot of people know but Gray herself was the one who designed the now famous ear cuff that she wore during her coronation.

She wanted to be a Miss Philippines in her wardrobe and not just the letterings across the sash.

She and her team met with historians and travelled across the Philippines to research for her national costume and derive inspiration from the people, the culture and the history of the regions.

“I feel the Filipino people deserved that. I wanted to share what we could offer as a country. We’re not just nice people and beautiful beaches, we’re so much more than that,” she said. “I wanted people to learn about what I was wearing, that there is a story behind it.

It was more meaningful that way.”

From the folklore of Ibong Adarna to the T’nalak weave to the various islands that her team featured in the video series that they released as the Miss Universe competition began, it was her way to generate more interest among her now growing team of followers, particularly on social media.

“It was such an amazing experience, probably one of my most memorable for the whole year. I am so grateful to my team for believing in my crazy vision. I went up to them and I said ‘I want to make a video series about my national costume’. It has never been before,” she said.

As a Miss Universe now and even during her reign as Miss Philippines, Gray has become a tourism ambassador for the Philippines, promoting not just the sites but the country’s culture as well.

Asked about her favorite spots, she mentioned “the mountainous provinces like Sagada (Mountain Province) Throughout the competition, Catriona incorporated Filipino materials and textiles in her attires.

Photos from Instagram/@catriona_gray and Batad (Ifugao)” along by

MoMar G. Visaya / AJPress

with the “beaches of Palawan, Coron especially”.

“More than these beautiful places though, I would like to share aspects about our culture too, [especially] our textiles because these textiles could mean the livelihood of one community. Beyond our beaches, we have T’nalak and hand made brass and I think that is something to be incredibly proud of that is Pinoy talaga (really),” she explained.

Gray maintains that for as long as she can, she will wear Filipino accessories and showcase Filipino textiles and fabrics.

One designer who does her outfits is Jearson Demavivas, who created her national costume for Binibining Pilipinas and also designed the main body suit of her national costume at the Miss Universe pageant.

He hails from South Cotabato and he works with T’nalak all the time and he has respect for the fabric and knows what it means to the community, according to Gray.

Who could forget her national costume?

Gray paraded what she and her team called the “LuzViMinda,” deriving inspiration from the parol of Pampanga with her bodysuit printed with tattoo patterns used by the “Pintados,” indigenous people from some of the islands in the Visayas and a headpiece and brass accessories from South Cotabato.

Through her platform as Miss Universe, Gray looks forward to showcasing some of the Philippines’ many indigenous textiles and accessories, whether it is a sampaguita-inspired rattan bag or a handmade burda callado silk top.

The red gown and famous walk “I don’t know if you’ve heard if it, but my mom dreamt of me winning Miss Universe in a red dress,” she said laughing.

“That is true, and that time I didn’t really think anything of it because I was just a teenager and I didn’t have any interest in it yet.”

Right after she won the right to represent the Philippines in the Miss Universe pageant, Gray remembered her mom’s dream. She knew she wanted red and she did not want to test fate so she said there was no other choice but to wear the red gown.

Mak Tumang, the gown’s designer, conceptualized it as a tribute to the Mayon Volcano, a national symbol and one of the most iconic sites from the Bicol region where Gray’s mom is originally from. He submitted his first sketch to Gray a month after she won the title and right there she decided it was going to be her finals gown.

“Daragang Magayon is a folklore and my mom’s maiden name is Magnayon which is a pre-colonial Filipino name so it all tied up together,” she said. “It felt like a beautiful tribute and there was no other option.”

The details of that fiery red gown symbolized the lava from Mayon’s eruption and her team tied it up with her now famous “lava walk,” although technically the walk came before the gown.

“Mak is exceptionally talented at what he does and he is incredibly meticulous which I greatly respect being a perfectionist myself,” Gray said.

The gown is made out of digitally printed material with 12 tones of Swarovski crystals and put on each tone of the fabric.

“Just imagine the labor and love and attention to detail that went into that gown, it was something amazing. When I wore it the first time I was in tears just because, it looked like it has a life of its own,” she shared.

And speaking of the now famous walk, Gray clarified some of the headlines that have appeared saying that because of her scoliosis, she was in tears as she practiced and perfected her walk.

“Some of them are a little out of context saying that I was crying in pain. I wasn’t.

My scoliosis causes me mild discomfort especially on a long day of heels but it doesn’t hinder me in any other way,” she explained. “It is about learning the balance and coordination and it’s all about practicing.”

Childhood in Australia Gray admits that she was

Catriona Gray during media week in New York on Tuesday, January 8

AJPress photo by Troi Santos

Catriona Gray during the coronation as Miss Universe 2018 Photo courtesy of Miss Universe Organization

Photo courtesy of Miss Universe Organization

very outdoorsy as a child and she had a very carefree and happy childhood. Since she was an only child, she said, “medyo sheltered ako (I was a little sheltered). I am very close to my parents who I love, love, love very much. I always spent time with my dog kasi wala akong sibling (because I don’t have a sibling).”

Her parents Ian and Normita were very supportive, even when she decided to move to the Philippines, and for that, she feels very blessed.

“My parents have supported me 110 percent in anything I’ve ever wanted to do. They never tried to define my dreams, they always pushed me to dream bigger because they always believed in me. I feel that is a very important reason why I am here today because they’ve always instilled that confidence in me, that I am capable, that I am worthy and that my dreams are valid,” she shared.

In an Instagram post, Gray said her dad taught her to be “tough, gutsy and give power to my words” while her mom told her to always trust her intuition and “hold a firery (sic) soul in a soft heart.”

More than that, what is the biggest lesson her mom taught her?

“If something is worth doing, it’s worth doing well, which I can apply to this journey because I really went all out,” she said, letting a loud guffaw. “I pulled together all of my resources, I really put my heart out in every single aspect

up to the jewelry, the turns.

My signature is on everything [on] this journey, I was really hands on.”

Gray believes that her biggest weakness is her being “over-analytical,” particularly when she was younger when she wouldn’t even stop to savor and enjoy her moments of victory.

On the other hand, she considers being creative as her biggest strength.

“I always try and do something different and being creative, I feel like it flows to every aspect that I put my hands on,” she said.

Gray describes her first week as Miss Universe with two words: grateful and fulfilling.

“Every step of the way, I have always been overwhelmed by the support not only from team, family and friends, but from the people, the Filipino people. They are the reason why I even considered joining again,” she said.

Exactly a year ago, Gray was at the Binibining Pilipinas office turning in her application. In between, there were moments of doubt and she would question herself if she is doing the right thing or if this was the right path for her.

It is the spirit of support from the Filipinos (including those overseas) that has helped Gray carry through the journey despite feeling overwhelmed at times, the same support that she says is helping her now fulfill her duties as Miss Universe.

Jon Jon Briones joins new Ryan Murphy series “Ratched” by aJPress

FILIPINO actor Jon Jon Briones will be part of Ryan Murphy’s new Netflix show, “Ratched,” joining a star-studded cast such as Sarah Paulson, Sharon Stone, and Cynthia Nixon.

In an Instagram post on Monday, January 14, Murphy — who is listed as an executive producer — said that the series will start filming in a couple of weeks and revealed the cast list, which also includes Finn Wittrock, Charlie Carver, Judy Davis, Harriet Harris, Hunter Parrish, Amanda Plummer and Corey Stoll.

“On behalf of myself and Ms. Sarah Catharine Paulson who plays the title role and is also a big fancy producer on it, we are thrilled to announce our amazing cast...a true murderers’ row of talent.

So many of these actors are supremely talented folks who Sarah and I have both longed to work with,” Murphy wrote in his post.

Briones also confirmed the news in an Instagram post on Monday.

“I can finally share this with you all!!! Honored, excited, grateful and feeling beyond blessed! Thank you sir @ mrrpmurphy,” Briones wrote.

“And can’t wait to work with

entertainment Fil-Am to direct first-ever Pixar short featuring Filipino characters The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - January 16, 2019

by Christina

M. Oriel

AJPress

PIXAR will have its first-ever short film featuring Filipino characters, created by a Filipino-American story artist at its studio.

Bobby Rubio — whose work at Pixar Animation Studios includes “Incredibles 2,” “Up,” “Brave, and “Monster’s University” — is now taking the writer and director’s seat for “Float,” a short film that will have Filipino lead characters in computer-generated imagery (CGI).

“It’s OFFICIAL! I can finally tell you I’m the #Writer / #Director of the #Pixar #SparkFilipino actor Jon Jon Briones Short ‘Float’!” Rubio wrote on the queen @mssarahcatharine- episode commitment. his Twitter account on Janu“Ratched,” based on Ken paulson again! And all these ary 10. “I’m so proud to be a Kesey’s novel “One Flew Over part of this program and to amazing actors!!!” the Cuckoo’s Nest,” will follow be among these very talented Briones previously worked Nurse Ratched (Paulson) and with Murphy for “The Assaspeople! And I have to give a “track her murderous progres- shout-out to my wonderful and sination of Gianni Versace: sion through the mental health talented crew, Team Float!”

American Crime Story,” in which the Filipino actor played care system,” a Deadline Disney-Pixar on January 10 article released last year said.

Modesto Cunanan, the father announced the short film proMichael Douglas, who was gram Sparkshorts, “an experiof Versace murderer Andrew a producer of the 1975 film Cunanan (played by Fil-Am mental storytelling initiative based on the novel, also joins actor Darren Criss). that welcomes new creative this project as an executive According to Variety, the voices at Pixar Animation Stuproducer. show has a two-season, 18 dios to share their stories.”

“I see it as a wonderful opportunity to tell my story,” Rubio said in a video released by the studio.

Rubio went on to confirm in another Twitter post that “…those are #Filipino lead characters in my #Pixar #SparkShort! @Pixar’s first all #CGI Filipino characters! So technically, the first #Pixnoys! by rae ann VarOna I am proud to tell our stories. I AJPress know what it means to see our culture represented on screen!

IN the March 2019 issue #RepresentationMatters.” that looks at the increasThe story artist grew up ing representation of Asian in San Diego and earned a Americans in the LGBTQ bachelor’s degree in fine arts community, gracing the cover from California Institute of the of leading LGBTQ magazine Arts. He worked nine years at Advocate are Fil-Am actors Walt Disney Feature AnimaNico Santos and Vincent tion as a traditional artist and Rodriguez III who shared with storyboard artist on films like readers their experiences of “Pocahontas,” “Tarzan,” and being gay, Fil-Am actors in “Treasure Planet.” He also had Hollywood. a stint at Nickelodeon Studios Vincent Rodriguez Santos — who plays the Photo from Instagram/@vrodrigueziii where he was an assistant diContinued on Page 5 Nico Santos Photo from Instagram/@nicosantos

Fil-Ams Nico Santos and Vincent Rodriguez III grace cover of Advocate magazine Actors share experiences of being leading Asian American entertainers in the LGBTQ community

A still from Pixar’s upcoming short film “Float” with two CGI Filipino characters Screengrab from Disney-Pixar/YouTube

Bobby Rubio Screengrab from Disney-Pixar/YouTube

One of the Filipino CGI characters from Rubio’s short film “Float” Photo courtesy of Instagram/@BobbyRubio

rector and storyboard artist for “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” before moving to Pixar.

He has also developed his own independent comic series, “Alcatraz High” and “4 Gun Conclusion.”

The release date of “Float” has yet to be announced, but the first three shorts — “Purl” directed by Kristen Lester, “Smash and Grab” directed

by Brian Larsen, and “Kitbull” directed by Rosana Sullivan — will be showcased at the El Capitan Theater in Los Angeles from January 18 to 24 following the “The Little Mermaid” feature film presentation.

In an Instagram post on

Monday, January 14, Rubio shared two stills of the short film along with the message, “When I was growing up, I didn’t see much characters that looked like me on #television or #movies and I am thrilled that my children will have these guys and hopefully they are just the beginning and will inspire more #FilipinoAmerican stories to come!”

The shorts under the Sparkshorts program will be launched on YouTube in the coming weeks, then will be available on Disney+, the upcoming streaming service that Disney will launch in late 2019.

Dr. Santos Anizaga Uy Jr. by : RITCHEL MENDIOLA AJ Press

Becoming a cardiologist is not an easy feat. Aside from being academically strong, you have to adhere to a set of core values with quality care at their root in order to succeed in this field. Professionalism and excellence in the practice of medicine are important, but so are compassion and empathy — and these are exactly what Dr. Santos A. Uy offers his patients.

Outstanding doctor Dr. Uy is a cardiologist born in the Philippines on October 7, 1947 in Sta. Cruz, Marinduque. He is fluent in both English and Tagalog.

He was class president and graduated as Salutatorian at University of Santo Tomas Education High School. He also completed his undergraduate education in 1966 at University of Santo Tomas with a Bachelor of Science degree in Pre-Med. He was Magna Cum Laude, as well.

He received his medical degree from University of Santo Tomas in April 28, 1971. He participated in various extracurricular activities; he was class president, secretary at St. Thomas Aquinas Research Society, and a member of Medical Missions, Inc. and Tagalog Medical Association. Outstanding student as he was — and he had the merits to prove it including being Magna Cum Laude, once again, and Meritissimus — Dr. Uy remained humble and grounded.

He began his post-graduate training with a rotating internship at U.S.A.F Clark Air Base Hospital in Pampanga from 1970 to 1971. This is where he did his medical residency, as well, from 1971 to 1972 with Dr. Charles H. Beckman as the Chief of Medicine.

Following the end of his residency, Dr. Uy moved to the United States in 1972. He did a rotating internship at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, Inc. in Baltimore, Maryland from 1972 to 1973. His two-year medical residency was also completed there.

Dr. Uy’s three-year Cardiology fellowship was completed at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Cleveland, Ohio, from 1975 to 1978. Dr. William C. Sheldon was the Chief of Cardiology, then.

He took three medical licensure exams — one from the Philippines Medical Board Examination dated June 1971, another from Washington D.C. (F.L.E.X) dated March 1974, and from California dated July 1978.

Dr. Uy also boasts of Specialty Board Certifications. He received two diplomas from the American Board of Internal Medicine — one on June 18, 1975, another on October 19, 1977 with a subspecialty of cardiovascular diseases. The ABIM is a nonprofit, self-appointed physician-evaluation organization that certifies physicians practicing internal medicine and its subspecialties. Getting an ABIM certification demonstrates that a physician has completed a residency and or fellowship in a specified medical specialty and has passed a rigorous knowledge assessment exam.

Dr. Uy also holds a certification as a Specialist in Clinical Hypertension from the American Soci-

ety of Hypertension, meaning he has demonstrated mastery of a defined body of knowledge relating to hypertension.

Excellent practice In the practice of medicine, acquiring knowledge is an everyday experience. Dr. Uy, to ensure that he is up-to-date with the latest research and advances in his field and able to provide the best standard of care to his patients, recertified on May 6, 1987 and November 1997. He also has a recertification from the American Society of Hypertension dated August 2011.

Acquiring knowledge is simply one of Dr. Uy’s goals in his field. He has various fellowships from the American College of Cardiology dated September 28, 1978; American College of Chest Physician dated October 28, 1981; American Heart Association dated September 14, 1981; American College of Physicians dated January 1, 1991; and American Society of Hypertension dated May 17, 2013.

Saying Dr. Uy is proactive and dedicated in his field of work is an understatement. He has been a fellow of the American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology from September 1978 to present, Los Angeles County Medical Association from September 1979 to January 1999, and California Medical Association from September 1979 to January 1999. At present, he is a member of the American College of Physicians, Philippine Medical Association of Southern California, Inc., Association of Philippines Physicians in America, UST Medical Alumni Association of Southern California, American Society of Hypertension, and National Lipid Association.

Dr. Uy is a published physician, as well, author of the article “Progressive Myxomatous Degeneration of the Cardiac Valves,” Cleveland Clinic Quarterly Journal. He has also written Treatment of Hypertension for the California Examiner Newspaper.

Dr. Uy was once the chairman of the Utilization Management Committee in the Queen of Angels/ Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in 1992 as well as the president of its medical staff from January to May 1998.

Currently, he is holding his private practice of Cardiology and Internal Medicine in Los Angeles, California and is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area, including Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center and St. Vincent Medical Center.

He is also Clinical Assistant Professor at Midwestern University, Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Annual Asian American Expo returns this weekend, Jan. 19-20 Lineup events include eating contest, ANIME Impulse, Blushcon and more!

Universally recognized as the largest Lunar New Year celebration in America, Asian American Expo (AAE) 2019 is celebrating its 38th anniversary on Saturday, January 19th and Sunday, January 20th with a diverse lineup of new and returning exhibitors, sponsors, and activities.

Since 1982, the Asian American Expo was organized as a local community gathering with a purpose of sharing cultural heritage and to promote understanding amongst people of different cultural backgrounds through a celebration of the

Lunar New Year. Chinese, Taiwanese, Cantonese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Filipino, Malaysian, Indonesian, Thai – all these Asian cultures are linked by their shared celebration of a new lunar calendar.

This year’s event is guaranteed to be even bigger and more expansive than last year’s showing, featuring over 1000 vendors in seven large exhibition halls, three unique food pavilions, and eight non-stop performing stages.

Asian American Expo offers spectacular live traditional nonstop performances on eight stages throughout the show on both days. There are more than 48 different groups of entertainers and performers scheduled.

Guests can experience Chinese Acrobatics, Japanese Taiko, Thai, Korean traditional dances, cheerleading, marching bands, drum craft, ballroom dancing, fashion runways and more. The Lion and Dragon dances are a must see for the Lunar New Year celebrations. Key activities to add to the expo bucket list are the annual Expo Eating Competition, Toyota Ride & Drive, Lucky Raffle Drawing and the Photo Contest.

On both days, there will be an Eating Competition featuring traditional Asian snacks and dishes. Send your information to info@asianamericanexpo.com to sign up.

ANIME Impulse One of the attractions to not miss at AAE is ANIME Impulse, featuring competitive video games, cosplay and more booths celebrating the Japanese pop culture movement. attendees are welcome to sign up for the Cosplay Contest and the Cosplay Parade, both magnificent opportunities for cosplayers

to showcase their costumes in front of the eyes of many. Other attractions to expect include a full indoor itasha car showcase, a fashion show that will present the latest trending anime-influenced styles from the likes of Toshikigirl, Creator’s Guild and iiiiclothing at ANIME Impulse’s fashion show, and a splendid variety of performances on the

mainstage.

Blushcon Beauty and fashion enthusiasts also have a reason to come to AAE as Blushcon is back with influencers, brands and a fashion show to celebrate all things glamour. Over 20 beauty brands and over 70 beauty influencers from the U.S. and around the globe will flock to AAE for attendees to enjoy.

The Asian American Expo will be held on Saturday, Jan. 19 and Sunday, Jan. 20 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Pomona Fairplex (2705 Fairplex Dr. Pomona, California 91768). Adult tickets (Age 13 to 65) are $11/day and $9 / day for seniors (above 65) and children (under 13). To learn more, visit http://aaexpo.com.

(Advertising Supplement)

entertainment The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - January 16, 2019

A conversation with Rosemarie De Vera Javier Interview by Annie

nepomuceno

AJPress

YOU may wonder, what ever happened to Rosemarie de Vera Javier, who was the 1980 Mutya ng Pilipinas and Miss Asia first runner-up? After her foray into pageantry, she ventured into showbiz as a singer and actress, whose roles included “Vendetta” (1982), “Sierra Madre” (1981) and “Sambahin ang ngalan mo” (1981). Today, she lives in Southern California with her family, but recently appeared back on stage last December during a concert with Kalimba, The Spirit of Earth Wind and Fire. In an interview with the Asian Journal, Javier talks about her comeback, some highlights in her career, and what’s next for her.

What made you decide to do a comeback? And how did you prepare for it?

Love of Country had a successful tour in the Philippines and when they came back (to the United States), Ms. Trini Foliente, Mr. Roger Oriel and One Global Management Company wanted to do a mainstream talent show with Earth Wind and Fire. They ask around who can be included in the show, and Ms. Betty (producer of Commodores) suggested to include me, because she heard through the grapevine that I can sing, so that’s how it started.

When they offered me to be part of a show, they didn’t know yet who was going to be the main act because they were negotiating with few artists. At first, I didn’t take it seriously because at that time I had pneumonia, which relapsed the following year. Also last March, I suffered from laryngitis and I thought I wouldn’t be able to sing anymore. I would be coughing hard all the time during practice, which made me lose confidence in myself.

I must admit, I was scared to sing, but at the same time, this was an opportunity to be heard again.

I prayed three years ago that I want to be known in the

Moira dela Torre and singer-songwriter Jason Marvin Hernandez got engaged in April 2018 during the music video shoot of “Tagpuan”.

OPM stars Moira dela Torre, Jason Marvin Hernandez tie the knot

by JAn

miLo SeveRo

Philstar.com

Rosemarie De Vera Javier

Filipino-American community. I have always declined invitations to sing, especially in events organized by the Asian Journal. It was an answered prayer that Mr. Roger Oriel, Ms. Trinity Foliente and One Global Management offered me the opportunity to be part of the show. I was very happy but at the same time scared because I have not performed publicly in a very long time.

I accepted the offer. I kept praying that I would be guided

by God and won’t be an embarrassment to the producers, people and to myself. So, I practiced with my voice coach Nep Gonzalez, and little by little, my voice was coming out.

I chose my line up Adele medley (“Rolling in the Deep”, “Someone Like You”, “Hello”, “Turning Table” and “All I Ask of You”) then followed up with “Last Dance” of Donna Summer. I practiced over and over until it’s already in my nerves (laughs).

Which do you like more singing or acting?

I always encounter that question, which sends me to a flashback of my career. After winning Mutya ng PilipinasAsia in 1980 (which I received two awards as Miss Talent for singing and Miss Tourism), I also

won 1st runner up at the Miss Asia Quest for the same year.

I became a celebrity, and it opened doors of opportunities like representing our country in different occasions, hosting TV shows like “Student Canteen” and “Eat Bulaga.” I was doing radio interviews and was endorsing a few product brands. I also had singing engagements in Singapore, Indonesia, Korea and Japan. Sony Company offered me a record deal but I turned it down because I would have to stay in Japan for two years without going back to the Philippines continuously.

For a short time, I did some movies with action stars like Fernando Poe Jr., Ramon Revilla, Rudy Fernandez, Lito Lapid, Anthony Alonzo, Jun Aristorenas, Eddie Garcia and Dante Varona.

I also walked down the ramp for fashion shows with Rene Salud, Aureo Alonzo, and Pitoy Moreno, among others.

Going back to the question, during that time I would be asked about which I like more — singing or acting — and reporters would always say I should choose only one (and that only Nora Aunor can have both). I just smiled and I said why would I limit myself if I have Continued on Page 5

SINGER Moira dela Torre and singer-songwriter Jason Marvin Hernandez tied the knot in a garden ceremony in Tagaytay City on Monday.

The wedding dubbed “#AngTagpuan2019” was documented by guests on social media.

The “Malaya” singer looked glowing in a wedding gown designed by Patricia Santos while the groom wore a matching navy blue coat and tie, as seen through a series of photos posted by Pat Dy on Instagram.

Moira walked down the aisle while her hit song “Tagpuan” was being sung by emerging OPM band Ben & Ben. Moira and Jason got en-

gaged in April 2018 during the music video shoot of the same song.

Moira’s label, Cornerstone Entertainment, also shared photos of the wedding including the couple’s first kiss.

In an interview with ABS-CBN, the couple revealed that they already got married in a civil ceremony last January 8, but saved their first kiss for the church wedding as what Jason promised Moira’s father.

Celebrity guests in the wedding were Ogie Alcasid, Regine Velasquez, Sam Milby, John

Photos from Instagram/@moirarachelle

Prats, Isabel Oli, Gab Valenciano, Erik Santos, to name a few.

Is Dingdong really moving to Kapamilya?

by Ricky Lo Philstar.com

BECAUSE his long-drawn contract with the Kapuso Network is good only until end of this month, there’s speculation that Dingdong Dantes might jump ober da bakod to the rival Kapamilya Network. Talks like that usually surface when the contract of a hot star is expiring.

To clear the air, Funfare asked those “in authority” what the real score is.

• Angel Javier, GMA vice president for Corporate Communication: “No advice yet but will ask po.”

• Cory Vidanes, COO of Broadcast, ABS-CBN: “I’m not aware of any offer for Dingdong. Sa film lang siya may contract (with Star Cinema).”

• Dingdong Dantes: (no comment) • Dingdong’s manager Perry Lansigan: (no comment, too) If there’s an “issue,” it will be threshed out during negotiations that will be resolved…if “the price is right?” The big question: Is any side naming a price?

In showbiz, there are no permanent friends nor enemies, only permanent interests.

Self-preservation is first and Dingdong Dantes: Will he leave his loving home foremost. studio that built him up?

GMA photo

A conversation...

From Page 4 a chance to do both. I believe that talents in singing and acting can be developed as long as you focus. Voice is a God-given gift that is unique in every one of us. We should love, enhance, care and share it, otherwise, it will be a waste. Our Creator won’t be happy if we will not use it.

Even in movies, our singing ability is needed like for instance the movie called “The Greatest Showman” with Hugh Jackman, “Les Miserables” with Anne Hathaway and many more. In fact, Philippine talents undergo workshops for singing and acting. I don’t think I just want to be identified to only one category of arts. So I like both.

What are some of your memorable moments working with famous actors or recording a single?

If I would go into details, I would need at least four pages in the Asian Journal to put them all (laughs). Therefore, I will summarize it (laughs again).

In all fairness, I found all the people I worked with in the entertainment industry as caring, decent, respectful and supportive. This is in spite of the fact that they have different styles of approaching you, or how they will get your attention.

In “Sierra Madre,” — one of the first biggest movies of the ‘80s where FPJ and Ramon Revilla teamed up — Kuya Ramon saw me in the pageant and promised that he will not do the movie unless I will be his leading lady. So they waited for me until I came back from Indonesia.

It was surreal and a big break for me because I have done some small parts or cameo roles before. Kuya Ron (FPJ, as I called him) was sweet.

He taught me to never do indecent roles, as money is easy to earn but not the values and respect. He also sent someone to provide extra food (for me) maybe because I was too skinny then.

On the set, I had to be ready at all times, as I didn’t want to be the cause of any delays. I also always asked Director Santiago about my acting. One time, Director Santiago had a problem on set and Kuya Ramon postponed our shooting and decided he would like to have lunch with me outside the location area in Liliw, Laguna with my mom. Whenever I talked to him I kept on calling him “kuya” until he got upset and insisted that I stop calling him that.

One time, he demanded to go on a date at the disco without my parents (otherwise he will not finish our scenes on time). Director Santiago knew it wouldn’t be possible so he begged my mom again, saying that he’ll be responsible for me and will never, ever leave his sight on me.

On the other hand, Kuya Ronnie talked to our director and he knew about the request of Kuya Ramon and said, “You

better watch her, she is so naive and I want her to be safe at all times.” Direct told me all of these and said, “Hay naku, sumakit ang ulo ko sa iyo,” to which I laughingly replied, “Eh bakit ako?”

In the movie “Sambahin ang Ngalan Mo,” with FPJ, there was a scene that wasn’t able to make the final cut. It was taken in Ilocos Norte by the shore in one of the beaches, and it was supposed to be a dramatic scene. That part took us forever to shoot because Kuya Ronnie kept on laughing. I was already upset because of the numerous takes and every time I started crying when the cameras roll he would laugh and giggle. I was wondering the whole time why he kept laughing. After the take, he hugged me and he lifted up a piece of paper from my dress — which turned out to be the price tag! We ended up just laughing and giggling altogether until we packed up the set.

During the movie “Vendetta” with Rudy Fernandez, his wife, actress Lorna Tolentino was always on set. Still, he would always ask someone to give what I need or want – whether it was food or something else. The movie’s theme song, “Katumbas ay Buhay” by Pablo Vergara also was nominated by FAMAS in the Best Movie Theme Song category.

In singing, I recorded the singles “Nasaan Ka” by Snafu Riggor and “What Could Have Been.”

Who are your musical influences?

Every artist has a different style. For foreign artists, I look up to Shirley Bassey, Barbara Streisand, Linda Eder, Donna Summer, The Carpenters, Whitney Houston, and Adele among others. With Filipino singers, Regine Velasquez, Dulce and Sylvia La Torre are my influences.

How did it feel performing once again especially with “Kalimba: The Spirit of EWF”?

It was unbelievable! The nostalgia is what got me, as they were singing their songs when I was still in high school. All the songs of Earth Wind and Fire were popular then, and now I was able to sing with them for real, isn’t it amazing? Disco events wouldn’t be exciting without playing their songs and even the millennials know them. I thank One Global Management, Roger Oriel and Ms. Trini Foliente for offering this show to me and I know it is a blessing from God. What is next for you?

I hope I will still be singing or have projects next year with mainstream artists as well as Filipino talents. My husband Giovanni and I will be busy with logistics under E. C. Ferrer Custom Brokerage, shipping, import/export and cargo. I will also be helping people to feel better through Imuregen products. Whatever happens, I know that God is always in charge, His will be done.

entertainment

The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - January 16, 2019

Fil-Ams Nico Santos and Vincent Rodriguez III...

From Page 3 flamboyant undocumented Fil-Am sales associate Mateo Liwanag in the NBC comedy “Superstore” and played the even more flamboyant Oliver T’sien in the highly raved about film “Crazy Rich Asians” — shared in his individual cover, his experience of being not only a minority, but a gay one in the world of mainstream entertainment.

“We talk about representation all the time,” said Santos, who moved to the U.S. from the Philippines when he was sixteen. “That’s like such a buzzword in Hollywood right now, but really, it is—as somebody who’s like a double minority, as somebody who is queer and Brown—it’s important to bring that to the forefront.”

He continued, “My Browness is something that I can’t hide. There are some straight-acting or straightpassing queer people out there, but I’m not one of them. This is something I would rather not have to hide,” he added.

Rodriguez similarly talked about being a double minority, and expanded on what it personally meant to be able to tell the Fil-Am story on television.

Rodriguez’s Fil-Am character of Josh Chan on the CW’s

“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” has a backstory that includes being a devoted Catholic, being raised by a tight-knit family, and even living in the densely Filipino-populated city of West Covina, California — experiences familiar to many Fil-Ams. “To represent my community as a Filipino man, as a young leading man, a gay man, and [asking] what if I could be there and be myself?” he recalled in his interview with the Advocate. “[To] tell stories and show the world that Filipinos can be leading men too.”

Playing the role of the straight ex-boyfriend of the show’s main character, Rodriguez also shared of how he’s been focused on exploring new possibilities in acting including in stunts and actions.

“I’m preparing for action roles. I know I’m an Asian dude, but now that I think [that] we’re more likely to see Asian leading men, I think we’re going to see new stories being told that are not what we’re used to, in terms of the action genre,” said Rodriguez.

Also joining Santos and Rodriguez on the cover is Jake Choi of “Single Parents.”

Fil-Am actors Nico Santos (left) and Vincent Rodriguez III (right) along with actor Jake Choi (center) grace the cover of Advocate, a leading LGBTQ magazine, and share their experiences as LGBTQ Asian Americans in Hollywood.

Photo courtesy of the Advocate

The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - January 16, 2019