011919 - Los Angeles Weekend Edition

JANUARY 19-22, 2019 Volume 29 - No. 5 • 4 Sections – 30 Pages

Comelec to hold mock elections for 2019 polls

by RITCHEL

MENDIOLA AJPress

MOCK elections are set to be conducted across the Philippines by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) this weekend in preparation for the midterm polls in May. The mock elections will be held in Quezon City, Manila, Pasig, Taguig, Pateros, Valenzuela City, Muntinlupa City, Pangasinan, Cagayan, Sorsogon, Camarines Sur, Cebu, Bohol, Zamboanga del Norte, Davao del Sur, South Cotabato, Sulu, and Basilan on The Commission on Elections set the mock polls in 60 different precincts across the country Saturday, January 19, from 5 for January 19. The mock elections are in preparation for the upcoming May 13 midterm polls.

Philstar.com photo

DATELINE

USA

FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

UCI conducts investigation following tragic death of Fil-Am student The fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon suspended at UCI

A FRESHMAN at UC Irvine died following a party in the early morning of Saturday, Jan. 12.

Eighteen-yearold Noah Domingo — a FilipinoAmerican who was studying biological sciences — was found unresponNoah Domingo was a freshman at sive early Saturday UC Irvine, who passed away on morning followSaturday, January 12. ing an off-campus Contributed photo house party.

A 911 call released on Wednesday, Jan 16 revealed that the caller said that Domingo had gone to sleep but that “he just drank. He drank u PAGE A5

Trump eyes Fil-Am Utah attorney general and pastor for president’s Advisory Commission on AAPIs

u PAGE A2

MAKING THE CUT. Manny Pacquiao and Adrien Broner pose for photographers on Friday, January 18 after the official weigh-in ahead of their World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight title fight on Saturday, January 19 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Pacquiao stepped on the scale at 146 pounds while Broner weighed in at 146.5 pounds.

AJPress photo by Robert Macabagdal

‘BOXING IS MY PASSION AND PUBLIC SERVICE IS MY MISSION’ New Human Rights In his return to Las Vegas, Pacquiao Watch report: Rights signals fight vs. Broner won’t be last crisis “deepened” under Duterte’s rule

and could still go on for two to my passion and public service three more years. is my mission so I’m still here However, he said it would not to keep on fighting,” Pacquiao LAS VEGAS — There is no interfere with his duties as a sen- said in an interview before the sign that Manny Pacquiao’s fight ator in the Philippines. last press conference for the

by NATHALIE ROBLES “This is the real evidence of be- Saturday fight. “I want to put on Saturday, January 19 will be AJPress ing passionate [about] the sport... my name [at] the top...and be a his last.

In a sideline interview with re- I don’t need to continue boxing winner until I retire.”

A NEW report from the Human Rights Watch (HRW) The fighter turned senator revealed that the human rights crisis in the Philippines porters on Wednesday, January — I am a senator of the Repubhas “deepened” as the administration of President Ro- 16, the 40-year-old Filipino boxer lic of the Philippines, I have an- — the only eight-division world drigo Duterte continues its bloody war on drugs cam- teased that he won’t be shelving other job...I’m still focused on champion in the sport — will his sports career any time soon that job, but like I said, boxing is u PAGE A3 paign.

In its annual World Report, the HRW indicated that from June 2016 to 2018 under Duterte’s leadership, “the human rights crisis...deepened as Duterte continued his murderous war on drugs in the face of mounting international criticism.”

HRW Asia director Brad Adams said that the killing of drug suspects under the Duterte administration is

by CHRISTINA M. ORIEL merely a propaganda move. Such a move, according to AJPress Adams, is also used to silence those in opposition.

“President Duterte has used the killing of thousands THE first Filipino-American paid commissioner of largely poor drug suspects as a tool to bolster his for the city of Los Angeles has “voluntarily resigned” popularity. He’s also targeting anyone who might unfrom his post on Friday, January 18, after being dermine that popularity, from outspoken senators to named in a federal search warrant. journalists documenting his abuses,” Adams said as Joel Jacinto, who was appointed to LA’s Board of reported by The Philippine Star.

Public Works by Mayor Eric Garcetti in 2015, handed The human rights organization emphasized that in his resignation letter on Friday effective immedithere is no chance of stopping the Philippines’ controately. versial war on drugs anytime soon. “[Jacinto] voluntarily resigned as Commissioner However, the New York-based watchdog urged conon the City of Los Angeles Board of Public Works so cerned foreign parties to support the opposition groups as not to distract from the important mission of the that fight for justice.

Department of Public Works to deliver projects and “President Duterte has provided no indication of Joel Jacinto, who was appointed to LA’s Board of Public Works by programs to enhance the quality of life, economic Mayor Eric Garcetti in 2015, resigned from his post on Friday, January u PAGE A2 18. u PAGE A4 AJPress file photo

TWO Filipino-Americans are among the 12 individuals President Donald Trump intends to appoint to his Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs), the White House announced on Thursday, January 17.

A White House press release revealed the names considered for the commission, including Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes and Herman Martir, a pastor from Texas.

Reyes, whose father is of Filipino and Spanish descent, has been attorney general of his state since 2013 — during which he became the first ethnic minority to hold that position or any statewide office in Utah.

Martir, a pastor at Nations Worship Center in Fort Worth, Texas, is the president of the Asian Action Network and the Asian Prayer u PAGE A2 Filipino Tycoon Henry Sy Sr.

by CHRISTINA

M. ORIEL

AJPress

Fil-Am commissioner resigns from LA Board of Public Works after being named in FBI warrant

Henry Sy Sr. — PH’s richest man and philanthropist — passes away at 94

by DAXIM

L. LUCAS

Inquirer.net

Inqiurer.net photo

TAIPAN Henry Sy Sr. — the Philippines’ wealthiest man and also one of the country’s most generous philanthropists — passed away on Saturday, January 19, according to a member of the Sy family.

Sy was 94 years old. “[He] passed away peacefully in his sleep early Saturday morning,” according to a statement released by one of the conglomerate’s officials, adding that the particulars of the retail magnate’s wake and interment were still being worked out.

Sy had been the country’s richest man for 11 years in a row, according to Forbes magazine,

which estimates his net worth at $19 billion.

He was the founder of the SM Group and was the chairman emeritus of SM Prime Holdings Inc., SM Development Corporation, and Highlands Prime Inc., BDO Unibank Inc., and honorary chair of China Banking Corporation.

Sy opened the first ShoeMart store in 1958 and has since evolved into a conglomerate with three main lines of businesses – retail, banking, and property.

He was also a generous donor to charitable causes, allotting millions of pesos each year to finance the college scholarships of thousands of deserving but underprivileged Filipino youth, among others.

Details of his wake will be announced soon. ■

A january 19-22, 2019 • La WEEKEnD aSIan jOurnaL

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From the Front Page Trump eyes Fil-Am Utah attorney general and pastor... Comelec to hold mock elections...

PAGE A1 t

Network. He also founded Emerging Leaders International, “a coalition of leaders working together to bring transformation in the seven spheres of society (church, family, government, education, media, entertainment and business),” according to his bio on the AAPI Conservative Leadership Caucus’ website.

Both Martir and Reyes were

part of Trump’s AAPI advisory committee during his 2016 presidential campaign.

The President’s Advisory Commission on AAPIs, which was established by former President Barack Obama, seeks to work with all the agencies of the federal government to improve the health, education and economic status of AAPI communities.

Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes

PAGE A1 t a.m. to 1 p.m.

According to Comelec Spokesperson James Jimenez, the mock elections are required under Republic Act No. 9369, which authorizes Comelec to conduct an automated system.

“The mock election will test and ensure the security features, accuracy, and functional capability of all these elements: the voter registration verification system (VRVS), the VCMs (vote counting machine), transmission devices and the consolidation and the canvassing system,” Jimenez said.

“Isang purpose ng mock elections is to ensure na magkaroon tayo ng opportunity na makita kung ‘yung mga proseso natin ay gumagana ba. Mapa-fine

tune natin ‘yung mga procedure na nakabalot naman doon sa sistema. (The purpose of mock elections is to ensure that we will have an opportunity to see if the process works. We will fine-tune the procedures included in the system),” he added.

He also said that a pilot test of the VRVS will be conducted by the poll body during the dry-run.

This will be used to verify the identity of voters in three barangays in Pasig City, Manila City, and Quezon City.

Voters can be identified by the VRVS through a scan of their fingerprint or a manual search of their names in the system by typing their names on the keyboard of the VRS. The VRVS will print a receipt

on thermal paper that confirms that the voter is registered in the system. Voters will then be given a ballot by the election board members stationed in the precinct.

The Comelec is planning to use the system in the upcoming polls in selected voting precincts such as Pangasinan, Manila, Quezon City, Cebu, Cavite, Davao del Sur, and Zamboanga del Sur. The election period began on Saturday, January 13, and will end on June 12. The gun ban, which will last the entire period, was implemented on Saturday, as well. The liquor ban, on the other hand, will be enforced from May 12 to 13.

National and local polls will be conducted on May 13. n

ministration.

“In some ways, this is a dark time for human rights. Yet while autocrats and rights abusers may capture the headlines, the defenders of human rights, democracy and the rule of law are also gaining strength,” Roth said.

The 674-page HRW report also highlighted how the government tries to tackle dissenting opinions from its staunchest critics. Such critics include Senator Leila de Lima, who remained in detention due to “politically motivated” drug charges; for-

mer Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, who was ousted from her position, and Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, who is facing several criminal charges.

“The trend is not all positive.

Today’s autocrats try to undermine democracy by scapegoating and demonizing vulnerable minorities to build popular support. They weaken checks and balances on government power, including an independent judiciary, a free media, and vigorous civic groups,” the report stated. n

New Human Rights Watch report: Rights crisis...

Herman Martir, a pastor from Fort Worth, Texas

Trump signed an executive order in September 2017 to reestablish the commission.

Earlier that year, 10 members resigned from the commission, citing their disapproval with the Trump administration’s policies.

Four existing members still remain, including Fil-Am entrepreneur Billy Dec of Chicago.

Others eyed for the commission according to Thursday’s release include Michelle Park Steel of California, Paul Hsu of Florida, Jennifer Carnahan of Minnesota, David B. Cohen of California, Grace Y. Lee of Michigan, George Leing of Colorado, Jan-Ie Low of Nevada, Prem Parameswaran of New York, Amata Coleman Radewagen of American Samoa, and Chiling Tong of Maryland. Upon appointment, Steel and Hsu would be designated as co-chairs of the commission.

The announcement also stated that Trump intends to designate Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao to co-chair the White House Initiative on AAPIs. The White House Initiative on AAPIs was first created by President Bill Clinton in 1999 and was renewed by subsequent presidents. (AJPress)

PAGE A1 t any letup in his murderous drug war. Foreign donors should support efforts by Philippine institutions, groups and the media who are pressing the government to stop the killings and bring those responsible to justice,” Adams said.

HRW executive director Kenneth Roth encouraged human rights advocates not to lose hope in a time like this. He assured the public that the rule of law is “gaining strength” amid the alleged injustice in the ad-

DRUGS SEIZED. Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director General Aaron Aquino (with microphone) presents to the media assorted illegal drugs seized from Dec. 28, 2018 to last Jan. 14, at the PDEA Headquarters in Quezon City on Thursday, January 17. The drugs, including shabu, ecstasy, and kush — a strain of cannabis, were worth P160.5 million and were hidden inside packages declared as canned goods, food and clothing held at the Clark Freeport Zone.

PNA photo by Joey O. Razon

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DATELINE USA

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‘It felt like a giant was holding our Garcetti gives federal workers extra time house’: Fil-Am survivor recalls Northridge to pay utility bills during gov’t shutdown Earthquake on 25th anniversary

by RAE

LOS Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on Friday, January 18 announced a plan to give utility bill relief to federal employees and their families who are going without pay during the government shutdown.

The mayor has directed LADWP and the Bureau of Sanitation to of-

ANN VARONA AJPress

TWENTY-FIVE years ago this week, the 1994 Northridge Earthquake rattled Southern California and left behind an aftermath of collapsed freeways, widespread power outages, leveled buildings, and thousands of heavily affected people.

The 6.7 magnitude earthquake hit the Los Angeles County’s San Fernando Valley region early January 17, 1994 at 4:30 a.m., killing more than 60 people, and injuring over 9,000 others.

Damages were estimated to be over $20 billion, and economic loss estimates were around $49 billion at the time, making the earthquake among the most costly natural disasters in U.S. history.

Former California Governor Pete Wilson and former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan at the time declared states of emergency. A few hours later, former President Bill Clinton declared a national disaster for Los Angeles County.

“It felt like a giant was holding our house in his hands and shaking it like a toy house,” Aileen Ligan, a Filipina-American who was living roughly 30 miles from Northridge during the earthquake, told the Asian Journal.

The earthquake was felt the strongest along the 30-mile diameter that shook across the Reseda epicenter, but activity was recorded to have been felt across the greater Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange, and San Bernardino counties.

“It was the day after my birthday. I was living in Atwater Village with my husband. We were sleeping and we woke up to our house shaking,” she recalled. “It was if someone picked up our house and shook it vigorously.”

“My husband grabbed me and tried to hold me in bed because I was trying to jump out and run,” she added. “To where? I don’t know. All I knew was that the house was shaking and I had to get out.”

Ligan recalled items like books, CDs, videotapes, and even their television set being thrown down to the floor. In the kitchen, cupboard doors swung wide open as dishes flew out.

Her mother, who lived only

fer assistance and payment plans for water, power, sewer and trash services, including offering plans that spread payments out over an additional three to four months.

“This is a scary time for federal workers in Los Angeles and across America,” said Garcetti in a statement. “If the President is going to

sit on his hands while these families go without paychecks, then we will do our part to help them make ends meet.”

Any customer who is a federal worker going without pay should contact LADWP immediately to learn more about these options at 1-800-DIAL-DWP. ■

In his return to Las Vegas, Pacquiao signals...

January 17, 2019 marked the 25th anniversary of the 6.7 magnitude earthquake, known as the Northridge earthquake, that occurred in the San Fernando Valley region. The map shown above demonstrates the intensity of the quake — considered one of the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history — felt throughout Southern California.

Courtesy of the United States Geological Survey

three miles from Northridge, was fortunate to have only had a broken water heater and some minor damage to her wooden floors as a result.

But for many of her mother’s neighbors and others across LA county, the damage was much more serious as their homes became unsafe to enter and their vehicles crushed beneath the rubble.

“She was recently widowed and living alone. She was my first thought,” recalled Ligan, referring to her mother. “We couldn’t get to her immediately since we were unsure of freeway conditions.”

In addition to the over 82,000 residential and commercial buildings and the 5,400 mobile homes that were destroyed or damaged, seven major freeway bridges and nine parking structures collapsed, and nine hospitals were evacuated.

And while some people were able to find shelter with friends and family, tens of thousands of people were temporarily displaced. Many found themselves camping out in their front yards, in city parks, or in tents erected by the California National Guard.

Preparing for the ‘big one’ In light of the 25th Anniversary of the Northridge Earthquake,

many have shifted attention to an imminent earthquake that many believe will be much bigger than the one in 1994.

Often referred to as the “big one,” the theoretical 7.8 magnitude earthquake on the southern San Andreas Fault could possibly cause 1,800 deaths and roughly $200 billion in economic losses, according to a 2008 U.S. Geological Survey report called “The ShakeOut Scenario.”

“These numbers are as low as they are because of aggressive retrofitting programs that have increased the seismic resistance of buildings, highways and lifelines, and economic resiliency,” wrote the report’s authors.

They added, “These numbers are as large as they are because much more retrofitting could still be done.”

Since the Northridge Earthquake, apartments, hospitals, and highways have taken on prioritized retrofitting programs and building codes. Various programs in the county have also been implemented to address preparedness for disasters.

But there’s always more that can be done in preparation for future earthquakes.

Earlier this month, the city of

u PAGE A5

PAGE A1 t come out of his two-year hiatus on Saturday when he defends his World Boxing Association welterweight world title against 29year-old Adrien Broner, a former four-division world champion.

Despite his age, Pacquiao (607-2, 39 KOs) sees the match as a challenge to prove that he hasn’t lost his luster.

After beating Jessie Vargas in his last U.S. fight in 2016, Pacquiao lost by unanimous decision against Australian Jeff Horn in 2017, but won through a technical knockout in his fight against Lucas Matthysse in Malaysia in 2018.

“It’s kind of a challenge for me because this is my first fight at the age of 40. I have something to prove,” he told reporters.

This training period has been an adjustment for him as it came with understanding his physical changes and taking longer recovery periods.

He added that “If the knock out come[s], it’ll come and we’ll grab that opportunity.”

Pacquiao also called it an honor to be back at the MGM, the site of his first fight in the U.S. back in 2001. Saturday will mark his 20th bout in Las Vegas and 70th overall.

He made his grand arrival on Tuesday after spending weeks training at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Los Angeles.

Both Pacquiao and Broner, joined by their respective trainers and management, appeared at the final press conference on Wednesday, where they gave brief speeches about what to expect during the match.

Pacquiao sat on stage alongside co-trainers Buboy Fernandez and Freddie Roach, MP Promotions head Joe Ramos and strength and conditioning coach Justin Fortune.

Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe said that Saturday is an opportunity for Broner

40-year-old Manny Pacquiao said that his fight against Adrien Broner on Saturday, January 19 won’t be his last.

AJPress photo by Robert Macabagdal

(33-3-1, 24 KOs) to ”show what he’s all about.”

The 29-year-old enters the fight with 0-1-1 in his last two fights with a draw to Jessie Vargas in 2018, and a loss to Mikey Garcia in 2017.

“Look at my last five fights.

I’ve fought world champion after world champion. I don’t duck any fights. I don’t care how many weight classes he’s won titles in,” Broner said.

He lamented that the focus of Saturday’s match has been diverted to talks about whether it could signal a rematch between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather.

“People are talking a lot about Pacquiao fighting Floyd Mayweather again, but I’m pretty sure Floyd is retired,” Broner said at the press conference.

“I feel like people are trying to throw me to the wolves and overlook me.”

Pacquiao and Mayweather, who fought in 2015, had a chance encounter last week at the Los Angeles Clippers game during which Pacquiao was a guest for Filipino Heritage Night.

Mayweather is reportedly slated

to be ringside on Saturday, according to a report by the Philippine Star.

“We should give our best to the fans and make our fans satisfied,” Pacquiao said. “It’s going to be a good fight.”

After the prepared remarks, Boxing Hall of Fame analyst Al Bernstein conducted the question and answer portion with Pacquiao.

When the other team’s turn came, Broner and his trainer Kevin Cunningham refused to answer any questions. The younger boxer, however, has previously indicated that he is ready to beat a legend like Pacquiao.

“This is going to be a hell of a fight. I’ve trained so hard and I want everyone to know that I play around a lot, but when that bell rings, I’m going to be ready.

I didn’t come here to lose or lay down,” Broner said during his remarks. “I came here to get this victory.”

Pacquiao and Broner will face off on Saturday, January 19 (Showtime PPV, 9 p.m. ET, 6 p.m. PT) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. (With reports from Robert Macabagdal / AJPress)

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Providers walk ‘fine line’ between informing and scaring immigrant patients

by AnA

B. IBArrA Kaiser Health News

While the Trump administration decides whether to adopt a controversial policy that could jeopardize the legal status of immigrants who use public programs such as Medicaid, doctors and clinics are torn between informing patients about the potential risks and unnecessarily scaring them into dropping their

coverage or avoiding care.

“We are walking a fine line,” said Tara McCollum Plese, chief external affairs officer at the Arizona Alliance for Community health Centers, which represents 176 clinics. “Until there is confirmation this indeed is going to be the policy, we don’t want to add to the angst and the concern.” however, if immigrants do come to a clinic wondering

whether using Medicaid can affect their legal status, trained staff members will answer their questions, she said.

Other providers prefer to prepare their patients proactively in case the proposal is adopted. At Asian health Services, a clinic group that serves Alameda County, Calif., staff members pass out fact sheets about the proposed changes, provide updates via their patient newsletter and host workshops where patients can speak to legal experts in several Asian languages.

“We can’t just sit back and File photo shows Fil-Am community leader Joel Jacinto, who resigned on Friday, January 18 as commissioner of LA’s Board of Public Works, watch,” said CeO Sherry hirota. addressing a crowd in downtown LA during a celebration of the LA Philharmonic 100-year anniversary in fall 2018.

“We allocate resources to this AJPress photo by Ding Carreon because that’s part of our job as a community health center — to be there not only when they’re covered, but to be there always,” PAGE A1 t Universal hotel and luxe hotel. who has been president of SiPA’s even when that coverage is in growth, public health, and the Federal agents in November board of directors since 2016, jeopardy, she said. environment to all Angelenos,” 2018 raided huizar’s home and clarified with the Asian Journal.

The proposed “public charge” Thomas Brown, a lawyer repre- offices and obtained several boxThe five-member Board of Pubrule, which is awaiting final ac- senting Jacinto, said in an email to es and other materials, according lic Works is responsible for the tion by the U.S. Department of the Asian Journal on Friday. to various reports. Some of the design, construction, renovation homeland Security, would alThe commissioner’s departure councilman’s family members and operation of public projects low the federal government to comes days after the Los Angeles and staffers are named in the war- around lA like bridges and librarconsider immigrants’ use of an Times broke a story that detailed rant as well. ies. expanded list of public benefit an ongoing FBi investigation inThe warrant — served in July As a Public Works commissionprograms including Medicaid, side City hall that seeks evidence and filed in federal court in No- er, Jacinto helped push for street CalFresh and Section 8 housing of possible money laundering, vember last year — asks Google light installations in historic Filias a reason to deny lawful per- bribery, kickbacks and extortion for access to communications and pinotown and a sister river agreemanent residency — also known related to real estate projects in data from Chan’s Gmail account. ment between the lA River and as green card status. Medicaid is and around lA. The document was posted on the Philippines’ Pasig River. the state-federal health insurance “The news article was very sad, Jacinto and his wife Ave were Twitter on Saturday night, January program for low-income people. among the 13 individuals listed 12 by Seamus hughes, deputy di- but i hope he is able to clear his Currently, people are consid- in the warrant, along with Coun- rector of the Program on extrem- name and i wish him the best,” Yey ered public charges if they rely cilmembers Jose huizar and Cur- ism at the George Washington Coronel, executive director of the on cash assistance (Temporary ren Price; Ray Chan, the former University and was subsequently Filipino American Service Group, Assistance for Needy Families or deputy mayor for economic de- reviewed by the Times. inc. and former board member of Supplemental Security income) velopment and general manager Jacinto told the Times on Sun- SiPA in the mid-2000s, told the or need federal help paying for of the lA Department of Building day that he was unaware he was Asian Journal on Friday. long-term care.

Considered a leader in the local and Safety; Deron Williams, chief named in the federal search warShould the rule go into effect, of staff to Council President herb rant.

Filipino-American community, Jait could force patients to choose Wesson; and other city and busihowever, if he is contacted by cinto was “instrumental in the crebetween health care and their ness officials. any federal agency, “he will fully ation of historic Filipinotown and chance at a green card, McColThe warrant includes China- and voluntarily cooperate as a wit- worked closely with the City to lum Plese said. “And most peo- based real estate and development ness against any individuals with- enhance the public spaces in that ple will probably not take the ser- companies like Greenland USA, in city government,” Brown said neighborhood to reflect its charvices,” she said. acter, such as creating decorative the developer of hotel indigo and in his email to the Asian Journal.

The rule would not be retro- the on-going Metropolis condo Prior to his position with the crosswalks, installing streetlight active, meaning it wouldn’t take project next to lA live; Shen- Public Works, Jacinto was execu- banners, and building a gateway into account past use of public zhen New World Group, which tive director of Fil-Am community sign at Silverlake Blvd. and Tembenefits like Medicaid, according owns the lA hotel Downtown and organization Search to involve ple Street,” according to a 2015 to legal experts.

Sheraton Universal; Shenzhen Pilipino Americans (SiPA) for 25 release from the Mayor’s Office.

But health centers and medi- hazens, owner of the luxe hotel, years and was appointed by GarNo individual or company mencal providers know that if they which has plans to turn it into a cetti in 2014 to serve on the Af- tioned in the warrant has been tell patients about it now, they two-tower, mixed-used projects; fordable housing Commission. arrested or charged, as of press risk scaring some of them into and Oceanwide, which is developUpon his confirmation by the time. premature decisions about their ing three-tower Oceanwide Plaza City Council in 2015, Jacinto was Brown added in his email that benefits, including dropping cov- across the Staples Center. in charge of overseeing the Bu- Jacinto “hopes that he will be able erage. to return to his position as ComThe ongoing and proposed proj- reau of engineering.

Some immigrant patients al- ects of these companies were not “Since Joel was appointed, he missioner in the near future after ready are skipping medical ap- directly specified in the warrant. hasn’t been working with SiPA any distraction related to his willpointments out of fear stoked by But it did seek records relating to in a professional capacity for the ingness to serve as a witness is u PAGE A5 the lA hotel Downtown, Sheraton past three years,” lyle Del Mundo, completed.” n

Fil-Am commissioner resigns from LA Board...

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UCI conducts investigation following tragic death...

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“USS McCampbell (DDG 85) and HMS Argyll (F231) receive fuel from MSC Sealift’s USNS Henry J. Kaiser (T-AO 187) as the U.S. Navy and Royal Navy operate together in the South China Sea,” the US Pacific Fleet wrote in a Twitter post this week. Photo from Twitter/@USPacificFleet

US and UK hold joint drills in the South China Sea

by Nathalie

Robles

AJPress

TWO of the most powerful countries in the world — the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK) — on Wednesday, January 16 finished it sixday joint drills in the disputed South China Sea. The two countries conducted communication drills, division tactics and personnel exchange from January 11 to 16. The Arleigh-Burke guided-missile destroyer USS McCampbell and the Royal Navy Type 23 frigate HMS Argyll were used by the U.S. and UK respectively.

USS McCampbell commanding officer Commander Allison Christy said that the rare six-day joint exercises with the British fleet gave them the chance to establish rapport and “learn from each other.”

“Professional engagement with our British counterparts allows us the opportunity to build upon our existing strong relationships and learn from each other,” Christy said as reported

by The Philippine Star.

HMS Argyll commanding of-

ficer Commander Toby Shaughnessy, meanwhile, called the U.S. Navy their “closest ally” noting that they work hand in hand to promote security in the regions where they are deployed.

“Following on from our successful time in North East Asia, contributing to promoting regional security and prosperity, we are pleased with the opportunity to train alongside our closest ally,” Shaughnessy said.

Both warships were deployed in the Indo-Pacific Region. The USS McCampbell commander noted that the U.S. Navy routinely trains with its allies and partners but having the chance to conduct exercises with the Royal Navy is considered a “rare opportunity.”

The said exercises were meant to resolve common maritime security issues in their assigned region. HMS Argyll is deployed in the region in support of regional security and stability while USS Campbell Fleet is considered part of the U.S. Seventh Fleet.

In a report from CNN, UK Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson even floated the idea of a

‘It felt like a giant was...

PAGE A3 t Los Angeles released the nation’s first earthquake-warning app called ShakeAlertLA, which detects earthquakes and sends alerts to smartphones whenever a magnitude 5.0 or stronger earthquake is expected to be felt in the Los Angeles area.

Aside from sending out warnings, the app also offers maps locating recent local earthquakes, an earthquake survival kit checklist, and other county-specific information on what to do before and after a major earthquake hits.

Ligan said her family has not yet made any immediate prepara-

tions, but they know they need to get ready.

Many tips for earthquake preparedness can be found online.

Among the tips provided by the County of Los Angeles are creating a disaster supply kit that includes enough food and supplies for 10 days, creating a family emergency plan, practicing earthquake drills at home, and considering obtaining an earthquake insurance policy.

Looking back at her experience in 1994, Ligan said, “We need to stock up on water, batteries, flashlights, and cash — preferably single dollar bills.” n

Providers walk ‘fine line’...

PAGE A4 t the proposed rule, providers and advocates report.

“For now, our focus has been on correcting misinformation, not necessarily raising awareness among those who haven’t heard about the potential changes,” said Erin Pak, CEO of KHEIR Center, a clinic group with three locations in Los Angeles. “This is a proposal that thrives on fear and misunderstanding, so we wanted to be thoughtful about how and when to engage patients on the issue, given that nothing has passed into law.”

The Department of Homeland Security is reviewing more than 200,000 comments from the public before it issues a final rule. It’s possible the department won’t adopt the rule at all, legal experts say.

At KHEIR Center, the patient population is predominantly Korean immigrants, a group that is highly aware of the proposed public charge rule because of the coverage it has received in Korean-language media, according to Kirby Van Amburgh, the center’s director of external affairs.

Other groups served by the clinic, such as Latino and Bengali immigrants, have asked few questions, she said.

Trained staff address patients’ questions one-on-one, and hand out a fact sheet when needed.

Last month, L.A. Care health plan, which covers more than 2 million Medicaid enrollees in Los Angeles County, hosted a public charge webinar for about 180 providers. David Kane, an attorney at Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles, led the webinar and urged doctors to tell concerned patients that nothing has changed yet, and that most immigrants would not be affected.

He also explained that if the federal government adopts the rule, it would not be effective immediately. There would most likely be a 60-day grace period before the changes take effect, Kane said. After that, implementation could be further delayed in court.

John Baackes, CEO of L.A. Care, who has been critical of the public charge proposal, said his organization offered the webinar because of the estimated 170,000 legal immigrants on his plan who could potentially be affected.

“I think we’ve got to let people know what could come, and try to give them more accurate information so that they don’t act imprudently,” he said. To do that, “we have to stay current.”

This story was produced by Kaiser Health News, which publishes California Healthline, a service of the California Health Care Foundation. n

Some doctors and clinics are proactively informing patients about a proposed policy that could jeopardize the legal status of immigrants who use public benefit programs such as Medicaid. Others argue that because this “public charge” proposal isn’t final — and may never

new British military base in the Asia region in an interview earlier this year with the Sunday Telegraph.

Less than a week before their joint exercises, the USS McCampbell sailed within 12 nautical miles of the Paracel Islands, earning a diplomatic complaint from Beijing.

“We urge the U.S. to immediately stop such provocative actions,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang previously said.

Despite the July 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated its historic claim over the South China Sea, the said country still claims sovereignty to certain areas in the region including the West Philippine Sea, which is considered part of Manila’s exclusive economic zone. n

too much.”

The Orange County coroner found that the young freshman died about six hours before the 911 was made that Saturday morning.

The cause of Domingo’s death has not officially been determined as the results of a toxicology test are still pending as of press time.

UC Irvine is also conducting an investigation on Domingo’s tragic death, the university announced this week.

“Our hearts go out to the student’s family and community of friends who have been impacted by this incident,” wrote UC Irvine student affairs Chancellor Edgar J. Dormitorio in a campus-wide email.

“We will also closely examine the larger context in which this tragedy occurred,” Dormitorio wrote, adding that the university “will be working with the Greek community to help ensure that they are engaging in behaviors and practices that are in alignment with university policies and their own values.”

Domingo — who grew up in La Crescenta, California — began his studies at UC Irvine in the fall of 2018, and, following his older sister Brianna (a fellow UC Irvine student), decided to join Greek life, their father Dale Domingo told the LA Times.

The father said that he was worried about the excessive drinking culture associated with university and Greek life, pondering whether his youngest child’s death could’ve “been prevented.”

“As a family, we’re hurting, but we’re also concerned,” Domingo said. “Could it have been pre-

Noah Domingo with his brother Nikko, father Dale, and sister Brianna.

vented? Is there something we, as a family, can do to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again?”

News of the bright young student cast a shadow over Domingo’s family, friends and the UCI community. A GoFundMe fundraiser was set up on behalf of the Domingo family and it has so far generated $32,537 in three days, more than triple the $10,000 goal.

As a biology major, Domingo had aspirations in sports medicine with the ultimate dream of becoming a team trainer for the Los Angeles Lakers. An avid sports fan and athlete, he had been a decorated member of the varsity boys basketball team of Crescenta Valley High where he attended before heading off to UC Irvine.

“It is with a heavy heart and much sadness that I write this.

I’m sorry to tell you that we lost a great Falcon this weekend. Noah Domingo, CV Class of 2018, passed away yesterday while at college,” Crescenta Valley Boys Basketball booster club President Torie Carlson wrote on Facebook. “Noah was a four-year

Contributed photo

basketball and football player at CV. Last year, at the CV Boys Basketball Awards Banquet, he was a co-recipient of the Booster Club scholarship award for best exemplifying the attributes of being a CV Falcon - Pride, Tradition and Honor.”

During the fall quarter at UC Irvine, Domingo had begun initiating with the university’s chapter of the fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE).

According to students present at the party, Domingo had attended a rush event (a party where Greek members can socialize outside the school setting) hosted by the fraternity, the website New University reported. New University also cited anonymous sources who said that “drugs and copious amounts of alcohol” were used at the party.

On Monday, January 14, UC Irvine has suspended SAE, according to Dormitorio who said that “this means that the fraternity has been directed to cease all of its activities pending the investigation of the Irvine Police Department and review of the incident.” (Klarize Medenilla/AJPress)

A january 19-22, 2019 • La WEEKEnD aSIan jOurnaL

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Another challenge vs third martial law extension filed

by Ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

President rodrigo duterte’s third extension of martial law in Mindanao is once again being challenged before the supreme Court.

A group of opposition lawmakers comprised of reps. Carlos Zarate (Bayan Muna partylist), emmi de Jesus and Arlene Brosas (Gabriela partylist), Ariel Casilao (Anakpawis partylist), Antonio tinio and France Castro (ACt teachers partylist) and sarah elago (Kabataan partylist) asked the sC on Wednesday, January 16, to declare duterte’s year-long extension of martial law in the southern region as unconstitutional. the lawmakers’ argument says that the government “has failed to allege and prove that this specific public safety requirement has been fulfilled.” they also recalled duterte saying that the narration of factual averments “merely illus-

trates in general terms the continuing rebellion in Mindanao” in his letter to the Congress requesting for the extension. they said a more detailed report was promised by the President in order to support their statement of continuing rebellion in Mindanao but when they convened for a special joint session, “no such detailed report or any other report was given to the members of Congress.” the incidents that supposedly show rebellion, they argued, do not endanger public safety as a ground to impose martial law under the Constitution. “the letter does not allege that the situation has deteriorated that the civilian government no longer functions effectively requiring the exercise of the powers of martial rule to ensure public safety,” they added.

Oral arguments set next week Lagman’s petition against martial law extension for oral

arguments has been set on January 22 and 23 by the sC en banc. representing the government respondents, solicitor General Jose Calida on tuesday, January 15, filed his comment on the petition.

He insisted that rebellion still exists, saying “the issue of whether such rebellion persists had been determined by the executive department and approved by the legislative department, two of the three co-equal branches of the government Meanwhile, the sC moved to implead both Houses of the Congress in the petition filed

by Lagman as well as ordered the Congress to file its answer on the pending plea within five days. the court said that while it would dispense with the preliminary conference of the case initially set on thursday, January 17, the oral arguments would push through next week. n

Foreign minister: China ‘a role model’ in international rules compliance

by Ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

CHinA is a “role model” in observing international rules and in shunning the use of force in protecting its interests and sovereignty, according to Beijing’s foreign ministry on Wednesday.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a press conference, “China develops its national defense strength independently… commensurate with the growth of its national power, the purpose of which is to better safeguard its own sovereignty, security, and development interests and maintain global and regional peace and stability.”

Beijing’s statement was in response to an observation raised in a report by the United states department of defense. the observation, which was contained in a report titled “Assessment on U.s. defense implications of China’s ex-

panding Global Access,” said the primary driver for China’s military modernization is Beijing’s attempt to “eventually compel taiwan’s reunification with the mainland.” taiwan is considered by China as a renegade province. the report was published by the defense intelligence Agency.

Hua said Beijing found the report baseless, speculative and highly ridiculous.

He also said China hopes the U.s. would respect and observe international rules rather than find fault in a friendly country and fabricate excuses to justify its own projection of military might or even its use of lethal force to obtain its goals. “in fact, as you may have all noted, even for a country as militarily powerful as the U.s., it cannot have its way in everything it does,” the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said.

China, in spite of causing regional tensions due to its

militarization of the south China sea, insists it is “always a builder of world peace, contributor to global development, and defender of international order,” he argued.

Hua said the U.s. report created “unwarranted speculations and comments on China’s development path, strategic intention, and national defense.”

China’s improved military force and growing economy make it capable of projecting its presence across the globe. it has also rattled its neighboring countries with its expanding military presence in the south China sea, especially the Philippines which has witnessed China seize a large part of its territory in the West Philippine sea. in 2016, an international tribunal based in the Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines, invalidating China’s claim in the south China sea and reaffirming Manila’s own maritime entitlements. n

BI: Chinese nationals topped list of foreign fugitives arrested in PH in 2018

by Ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

tHe Bureau of immigration on thursday, January 17 said that Chinese nationals topped the list of foreigners who were arrested in the country for being fugitives from justice.

According to the Bi, its search unit arrested a total of 257 foreign criminals evading either their prosecution or jail sentence in their home countries in 2018. this recorded number of fugitives is higher than the 232 foreign criminals arrested in 2017. records showed that of the 257 arrested, 116 were Chinese, 80 taiwanese, 27 Koreans, 16 thais, eight Americans, five Britons, one swedish, one Japanese, one dutch, one norwegian, and one German. immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said most of the

illegal aliens have been deported and blacklisted. “these arrests were all conducted through the request and assistance of their respective countries through their embassy or police,” he said in a statement.

He added, “Upon informing us that an alien in the country is wanted for a crime, we immediately take steps to apprehend the fugitive to ensure that justice will be served.” some of the offenses committed by the arrested fugitives were economic crimes, cyber fraud, sexual offenses, kidnapping, robbery extortion, gun possession, drug distribution, and smuggling.

Among the major operations conducted by Bi’s Fugitive search Unit (FsU) was the raid on a call center in Parañaque City last June 14. sixteen thai nationals and three taiwanese

nationals were arrested. the FsU also arrested seven Chinese wanted for cyber fraud

by Beijing authorities in July, and five Chinese suspected of being members of a kidnapping syndicate that preys on Chinese tourists in the country last november. several high-profile criminals like Japan’s top fugitive Misao Kaminsukaso, who was wanted for fraud in Japan; American priest Fr. Kenneth Bernard Hendricks, who was wanted for alleged child abuse; and taiwanese Oren shlomo Mayer who was wanted for the murder of a Canadian teacher were also arrested by the Bi FsU. the unit’s most recent success was the arrest of Xie Haojie, a former Chinese government official national wanted in China for corruption and involvement in large-scale economic crimes, on sunday, January 13. n

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ARRESTED. Chinese fugitive Xie Haojie is escorted by Philippine immigration agents following his arrest in Pasay City on Wednesday, January 16. Xie is wanted by Beijing for allegedly embezzling public funds amounting to P11 billion. He turned over yesterday to Li Shulei, vice chairman of China’s National Supervisory Commission, and La Yifan, director for International Cooperation of Beijing’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

Philstar.com photo by Edd Gumban

Hontiveros files absolute divorce bill by aJPress senAtOr risa Hontiveros on January 14 filed a measure legalizing “absolute divorce” in the country. Under senate Bill 2134 or divorce Act of 2018, legal separation may be filed by couples if the marriage is marred by “physical violence and grossly abusive conduct.”

While the state continues to recognize the sanctity of family life and endeavors to protect and strengthen the family, Hontiveros said it is also duty-bound to promote and protect the well-being of its citizens. “it is a duty that should extend to circumstances whereby this well-being compromised by the inability to break free from irremediably broken marriages and start anew in healthier family and living arrangements,” she said. she also cited studies and argued that it is not divorce that creates well-being issues for children but bearing witness to their parents’ troubled marriage. “it is the duty of the state to save children for the pain, stress, and agony of witnessing regular marital clashes with no end in sight,” she added Hontiveros is the chairman of the Committee on Women, Children, Family relations, and Gender equality. According to her, the number and proportion of Filipinos separated has been increasing over time. “this demonstrates that the denial of legal remedies to those seeking to dissolve their union has

Senator Risa Hontiveros

largely been ineffective way of upholding the policy of the state to keep families together,” she said. divorce, under senate Bill 2134, is defined as the legal termination of a marriage by a court in a legal proceeding. it requires a petition or complaint for divorce by one party, which will have the effect of returning both parties to the status of being single, including the right to remarry.

Psychological incapacity of either spouse, whether or not the incapacity was present at the time of the marriage or later; violation of the Violence Against Women and their Children Act; rape by the respondent-spouse against the petitioner-spouse before marriage; and irreconcilable differences or irreparable breakdown of marriage despite earnest efforts to reconcile are some of the grounds for divorce. the bill states that a spouse shall be punished with imprisonment of

Inquirer.net photo

five years and a fine of P200,000 if found by the court to have used force, fraud, or intimidation to compel the other spouse to file the petition for absolute divorce.

Any parent who will neglect to provide court-ordered child support or any spouse who will fail to pay court-ordered alimony shall be punished by prision mayor or fined P100,000 to not more than P300,000 on top of the unpaid child support and/or alimony as well.

Last year, several senators expressed their disapproval for the divorce bill. some of them said they would rather have the annulment law amended.

President rodrigo duterte shared the sentiment, saying he would not support the divorce bill because his daughter, davao City Mayor sara duterte, “is not happy with it.”

“My daughter is not happy with that. really,” he earlier said. n

Drugs worth P150-M from US seized in Clark tHe Bureau of Customs had intercepted shabu, marijuana and ecstacy pills worth P150 million at the Port of Clark, a report to Customs Commissioner rey Leonardo Guerrero said. the illegal drugs were concealed inside canned goods and clothing.

Clark Port acting district collector Lilibeth sumbilla-sandag said the illegal shipments arrived on dec. 26, 2018 and January 10 and 14 from California and Las Vegas, nevada. the seizure of the illegal drugs were attributed to the “continuous strict profiling of shipments and x-ray examination of express cargoes at the Port of Clark led to the discovery of the drugs.” the illegal substances were declared as clothing.

the shipment from Las Vegas that arrived on december 26 yielded five sealed plastic packs of chrystalline substances and 200 pieces of orange and blue tablets found inside five cans of peeled tomatoes. the shipment that arrived on January 10 contained six packs of marijuana leaves, while the third shipment of 56 cans of pasta sauce contained shabu.

Philippine drug enforcement Agency (PdeA) chief Aaron Aquino said Customs authorities were alerted when one of the tomato paste cans started leaking.

Aquino said a Mexican drug cartel could be the source of the illegal drugs.

“We are closely coordinating with our U.s. counterparts to determine exactly the drug syndi-

cates involved here but initially, when we coordinated with the United states drug enforcement Agency, they told us that it came from a Mexican drug cartel and other groups,” he said.

Aquino said the Mexican drug cartel was also behind the shipment of P120 million worth of shabu seized in Clark Freeport Zone in June 2018. the PdeA chief asked the UsdeA to be stricter in examining packages since drug syndicates have found other ways to conceal illegal drugs. “in the U.s., just go to 7/11 and they will have it delivered without x-ray. it’s just the receiving country that will find out that there are drugs inside,” he said. (William Depasupil/ManilaTimes.net)

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LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • JANUARy 19-22, 2019

A

TUCP files wage hike petitions nationwide after rise in food, oil

by AJPress

NEW AUSTRALIA ENVOY. President Rodrigo Duterte receives the credentials of Ambassador-designate of The Commonwealth of Australia to the Philippines Steven James Robinson at the Malacañan Palace on Tuesday, January 15.

Malacañang photo by Albert Alcain

Palace urges Church not to meddle with politics

by AJPress Malacañang on Thursday, January 18 urged the catholic clergy to “do something positive” and not to interfere with the government’s decision on the matters of state.

Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo responded to the pronouncement of lingayenDagupan archbishop Socrates Villegas’ that President Rodrigo Duterte’s attack towards the church would do more harm to him than on the institution.

“If you are men of the cloth, ang talagang trabaho mo ay spiritual awakening sa faithful.

Huwag mo nang pakialaman ang estado with respect doon sa mga methods na ginagawa ng estado na sa kabutihan naman ng bayan (If you are men of the cloth, your job is about the spiritual awakening of the faithful. Do not meddle in state affairs with respect to its methods for promoting the welfare of the public),” he told reporters.

The Palace spokesman questioned Villegas’ retort stating that the age-old institution should not be worried at all with the strongmouthed leader’s comments noting that the church must not react since it “won’t be affected.”

“With respect to his claim that he is not worried about the church, oh with more reason.

Then they should not be concerned, alarmed or angry at any tirade against the church be-

cause as he correctly says, it’s been there for a thousand years.

So, it’s entrenched, so it won’t be affected. Why react?” Panelo said.

He cited archbishop Villegas who has reportedly suggested that the president’s actions “should not in any way worry them considering the church’s long existence.”

Panelo also noted that such exchange of criticisms between the church and the State promotes a “healthy, mature and constructive discourse.”

However, the palace spokesperson deemed the “unpleasant comments” regarding Duterte’s state efforts unnecessary.

“We consider such expressions of concern as an invitation to a healthy, mature, and constructive discourse between the church and the State. The concern of archbishop Villegas is, in fact, shared by the majority of Filipinos who understand that the success of this president equates to the success of the nation,” he said, adding, “There is, therefore, no need for some of its leaders to act distressed and manifest their unpleasant comments against the President, especially with respect to how the President runs the government.”

Panelo added that instead of criticizing the president’s campaign on illegal drugs, the church should focus more on helping and praying for the president. He assured the public

that the president is in the right shape to decide what is best for the country.

“We wish to assure the people, including the good archbishop, that the chief Executive is as healthy as a bull given his age and punishing schedule. While he is at it, archbishop Villegas may thus wish to implore the Heavens to bless the president with good health so he can accomplish more for our country,” he added.

The presidential legal counsel also said that the tough-talking leader cannot be prevented from voicing out his thoughts no matter how controversial they appear. He emphasized that the church and the State should work together despite their differences and disagreements.

“The president cannot be stopped from speaking his mind on any particular manner that to his mind is important. In the same way, you can’t also stop these bishops from speaking themselves. Whatever they say, they will talk. So let it be,” the spokesman said.

“There will always be disagreement in religious beliefs but that should not deter us from helping each other for the good of the country. let us, therefore, focus on our respective duties and maintain the inviolability of the separation between the church and the State to avoid religion and governance from mixing and impeding upon each other,” he added. n

aMID the rise in prices of food and services due to the implementation of the second tranche of the Tax Reform for acceleration and Inclusion (TRaIn) law, petitions for a wage increase are being filed by the Trade Union congress of the Philippines (TUcP) before various regional wage boards across the country.

TUcP on Tuesday, January 15, said it may petition for a minimum of P313 to a maximum of P355 wage increase despite strong opposition from employers and business groups. This is based on its computation as well as the current prices of commodities and services. according to TUcP President Raymond Mendoza, the group was monitoring the movement of prices of goods and services following adjustments in the prices of diesel and gasoline effective earlier on Tuesday.

“We will be citing supervening conditions in filing the petitions. We are also going to test once again the capacity of the wage boards to remain relevant with its mandate to raise the minimum wage to an amount that can ably support a family,” he said.

Mendoza also said TUcP was strongly urged by its members and social media citizens to push for the abolition of differentiated wage rates and put up a single wage setting body that would periodically adjust the uniform minimum wage rate for all workers across-theboard nationwide using social and economic data in determining the amount.

In 2017, all 17 wage boards in different regions have adjusted the minimum wage rates from P8.50 to P56 daily wage increases, including Metro Manila with P25 daily wage hike on november 2018.

However, TUcP said that the current minimum wage levels, despite the adjustments, are still inadequate for workers and their families as inflation rate still stood at a high 6.7 percent.

It also urged President Rodrigo Duterte to approve its proposed P500 monthly food voucher subsidy to all mini-

mum wage earners as the pay increases approved by businesses and employers nationwide remained inadequate to subsist on due to the extraordinary rise in the prices of goods and services.

The proposal, which was submitted to to Duterte on april 2017, urged the government to address the continuing inflationary impacts by

providing a P500 monthly food voucher, non-transferable subsidy initially to an estimated 4 million minimum wage workers. labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, for his part, only endorsed P200 to Duterte last June and is still pending approval from the Departments of Budget and Management and of Finance. n

A8 JANUARY 19-22, 2019 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

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O PINION Waiting for implementation

FEATURES

THE Department of Health urged the public to stop sharing a video of Razorback drummer Brian Velasco falling to his death from a condominium building on Wednesday, January 16. The fall had been livestreamed and had gone viral before the DOH made the appeal out of concern over copycat acts apart from privacy issues.

Depression has always been around, but it took a long time before the country recognized it as a public health problem. In 2014, the World Health Organization reported that there were 2,558 suicide cases attributed to mental health disorders in the Philippines.

Mental health care advocates have noted that suicides are on the rise particularly among the youth. In March 2013, a student of the University of the Philippines-Manila killed herself after failing to pay her tuition. Less than a month later, two students in Batangas also killed themselves over failing grades. In March 2015, another coed in Cagayan took her own life over her inability to pay tuition.

WHO records show that about 450 million

people worldwide suffer from various forms of mental health disorders, which are among the leading causes of disability. Aware of the gravity of the problem, Philippine lawmakers have passed a landmark law promoting mental health care.

On June 20 last year, President Duterte signed the law, Republic Act 11036, providing PhilHealth coverage for checkup, medicine and hospital confinement for those needing mental health care.

Mental health subjects will be included in school curricula and mental health programs implemented in the workplace.

The implementing rules and regulations for RA 11036 were drafted late last year, but have yet to be signed. The tragedy of Brian Velasco should speed up the approval of the IRR. (Philstar.com)

Editorial

Philstar.com photo

Report: Trump directed fixer Michael Cohen to lie under oath to Congress about negotiations to build Trump Tower in Moscow BUZZFEED News reported on Friday, January 18 that President Donald Trump personally directed his longtime personal attorney/fixer Michael Cohen to lie to Congress under oath during the hearing about negotiations to build the Trump Tower in Moscow, by claiming that negotiations ended months earlier than they actually did — in order to obscure Trump’s involvement.

Yes. Moscow, Russia.

This, after Trump claiming he has no business interests deals, nor a relationship with Russia, amid the alleged conspiracy with Russia to hurt the campaign of Hillary Clinton and help Trump win in the 2016 presidential election.

Behind the lies, Buzzfeed said Trump “was pushing the Moscow project, which he hoped could bring his company profits in excess of $300 million.”

The report, whose sources are two federal law enforcement officials involved in the investigation of the matter, stated that Cohen drafted the plan for Trump to personally meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to jumpstart the negotiations during the presidential campaign, and Trump told Cohen,

“Make it happen.”

Trump, who The Fil-Am Buzzfeed News said Perspective received 10 personal updates on this business deal, is not the only one in the Trump business em- GEL SANTOS-RELOS pire reportedly involved and with knowledge about this plan. The news sources said Trump and his children Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr. received regular, detailed updates about the real estate development from Cohen, whom they put in charge of the project.

After a long waiting time before Trump and his administration responded to this report, the strategy was to question the credibility of Cohen who they said is a convicted criminal.

True. The report stated “Cohen pleaded guilty in November to lying about the deal in testimony and in a two-page statement to the Senate and House intelligence committees. Special counsel Robert Mueller noted that Cohen’s false claim that the project ended in January 2016 was an attempt to ‘minimize links between the Moscow Project and Indi-

vidual 1’ — widely understood to be Trump — “in hopes of limiting the ongoing Russia investigations.’”

But Cohen was not the only source of this information. According to the sources of the Buzzfeed News report, “the special counsel’s office learned about Trump’s directive for Cohen to lie to Congress through interviews with multiple witnesses from the Trump Organization and internal company emails, text messages, and a cache of other documents. Cohen then acknowledged those instructions during his interviews with that office.”

These would corroborating hard evidence to Cohen’s testimony.

Buzzfeed said this revelation is not the first evidence to suggest the president may have attempted to obstruct the FBI and special counsel investigations into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. The firing of Comey was another red flag that compelled the FBI to launch a counterintelligence investigation to find out if Trump was working

Truth in an ecosystem of free will and moral responsibility

Rhizomes

PROSY ABARQUEZDELACRUZ, J.D. (Part II of III series) “Truth entices us there on the frontier between fact and interpretation, and we strive for honesty in representing what is entrusted to us. We combine that honesty with a humility that comes from knowing beyond all doubt that whatever we believe, whatever we claim, whatever we know, the next generation will surely say, ‘That’s not good enough! We need to know more and we need to know better!’”

– Sander M. Goldberg, distinguished research professor of Classics at UCLA, 2018.

“A thought transfixed me: for the first time in my life I saw the truth as it is set into song by so many poets, proclaimed as the final wisdom by so many thinkers. The truth—which love is the ultimate and the highest goal to which man can aspire. Then I grasped the meaning of the greatest secret that human poetry and human thought and belief have to impart: The salvation of man is through love and in love.

I understood how a man who has nothing left in this world still may know bliss, be it only for a brief moment, in the contemplation of his beloved.” – “Man’s Search for Meaning” by Holocaust survivor Viktor E. Frankl, as displayed at the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin, Germany.

ALLOW me to start with an anecdote about my 4-year-old granddaughter. I made a mistake of saying grandbaby, and she corrected me in a soft-spoken

manner, “Grandma, I am not a baby anymore.”

She is not, as we delve into a dialogue on the eve of her 4th birthday. I greeted her at the door, singing a happy birthday song. She quickly dashed to the bathroom to wash her hands and then, sat in her favorite chair.

She put one raspberry, one after another, then held her fork and elegantly dug into the ¼ cup of macaroni and cheese.

“Grandma, you are good,” she said, after finishing it all, in a very loving, soft voice. She continued, “Grandma, when someone says you are not good, that is sad, right?”

“Yes, Princess (her pseudonym), it is why you need to always tell yourself you are a good person so you will always do good actions to others.”

I really wanted her to know these instinctively: “I am a good person and you will only expect good actions from me.”

I was quite impressed that her four-year-old mind’s revelation comes from knowing what is good and how it makes her and how when one is told “not good,” it is sad. She did not say, I am sad, but “it is sad.” What if we carried that same consciousness that our actions can make folks happy or sad? Will we do good by others?

Our national truth What if each business leader who goes to work each week read the passage, “Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” (John 8:32) and go back to the Sermon on the Mount, as Eric Butterworth writes in “Discover

the Power Within You,” “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth consume, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where thy treasure its, there will thy heart be also.”

What would be the collective legacies of these corporate business leaders?

Will they keep improving the cost of providing service and in their efficiencies, reduce the rates of cell phone services, as an example?

Or in their transport efficiencies, reduce the cost of shipping consumer goods? Or in their manufacturing efficiencies, the prescription and generic drugs costs are decreased to the final consumer?

What if in the course of innovation and more efficient service delivery, the consumers’ interests are at the forefront and not profit?

Recall the recent news item about how Disney CEO Bob Iger’s pay soars 80 percent to $65.6 million, from a prior $13.12 million?

In another news front, Disney announces an increase in entrance fees, prompting others on Facebook to post, why not decrease Iger’s compensation and keep admission prices low?

Okay, let us suppose this business leader went to work and had an epiphany? That instead of taking the 80 percent increase in his pay, he opted to find 50 dedi-

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for and in the behest of Russia.

But according to the report, “Cohen’s testimony marks a significant new frontier: It is the first known example of Trump explicitly telling a subordinate to lie directly about his own dealings with Russia.”

HOWEVER, the Office of the Special Counsel Robert Mueller issued a carefully written statement in the early evening that said the report’s characterization of the “documents and testimony was “inaccurate.” This, however, appear to be not disputing the report as a whole, but the “characterization of the documents and testimony”.

BUZZFEED responded with a statement that it will continue to report on how and why the Special Counsel responded that way, but stands in the accuracy of its report. “Stay tuned.”

AS THIS NEWS has dominated the headlines of Friday amid Day 28 of the government shutdown, President Trump tweeted a “teaser” at 2:51 pm that stated: “I will be making a major announcement concerning the Humanitarian Crisis on our Southern Border, and the Shutdown, tomorrow afternoon at 3

P.M., live from the @WhiteHouse.”

Prior to this, Trump tweeted earlier in the day without offering supporting proof or evidence: 5:22 am ET: “Border rancher:’ We’ve found prayer rugs out here. It’s unreal.’

Washington Examiner People coming across the Southern Border from many countries, some of which would be a big surprise.”

6:13 am: “Another big Caravan heading our way. Very hard to stop without a Wall!”

WHAT WILL TRUMP ANNOUNCE? Why did he not announce it Friday?

Will he be declaring a national emergency so he could channel the funds appropriated for military projects and disaster relief to build his wall? Would this be his way end the shutdown without bowing down to the Democrats?

ABANGAN! *** 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

America’s ‘Wailing Wall’

Street Talk GREG B. MACABENTA IN Washington D.C. and wherever in the U.S. federal employees proliferate, there is a lot of weeping and wailing over a wall.

This is not Jerusalem’s Wailing Wall. It is President Donald Trump’s border wall.

It is the border wall between the U.S. and Mexico that Trump boasted the Southern neighbor would pay for…uh, er, he means…Mexico will pay for it one way or the other…uh, er, he means, through the renegotiated trade deal that Trump forged with Mexico but, in the meantime, the American taxpayers must pay for ….uh, er, he means a barrier, not necessarily a concrete wall…

Whatever it is that Trump means – and he means something other than what he says from day to day, which makes it difficult to guess what he really means – if it spells W-A-L-L, the new Democratic majority on Capitol Hill, led

by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, has flatly said no way. WALA! Trump wants $5 billion for his wall. The Democrats refuse to provide for it in the budget. Trump says he needs the wall for “border security.” The Democrats are willing to provide funds for border security but not for what they describe as a stupid wall. But Trump doesn’t want the Democrats’ version of border security. He insists on his wall.

In other words, Trump is facing a blank wall.

On the other hand, Trump has vowed that unless he gets his wall funded, he will continue to stone-

wall and not sign any legislation that will reopen the partially shut down federal government. Which explains why there is a lot of weeping and wailing among federal employees who have either been furloughed or have been made to work without pay for the longest time now, since shutting down the government became the hostagetaking weapon of choice in Washington DC. That leaves the Republicans with their backs against the wall because the majority of Americans blame Trump and the GOP for the shutdown. They vividly remember that meeting at the oval office, between Trump and Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer where Trump boasted that he was proud to cause a government shutdown in the name of border security and that he would take full responsibility for it.

Of course, the King of Weaselers (in Tagalog, Hari ng Palusot) is now saying that “everyone” is to blame for the shutdown, particularly the Democrats.

During the presidential campaign, “a border wall that Mexico will pay for” was the centerpiece of the Trump platform. Two years into his presidency, Trump, who holds the world record for being a bare-faced liar among world leaders (making him The Lyin’ King) has been unable to deliver on his promise - not that his conscience bothers him, but that his voter base, egged on by conservative radio and TV hosts, are holding him to his promise.

For perspective, the U.S. Congress has to pass spending bills and the president has to sign it in order for the federal government to operate. The states have their own budgets and are only affected

by the shutdown of federal departments on whose operations they depend.

Congress has approved and Trump has signed five bills providing funding for defense, energy and water, labor, Health and Human Services, the legislative branch and Veterans affairs. Seven other bills need congressional action and presidential approval.

These would fund the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Homeland Security, Interior, State, Transportation and Housing and Urban Development, as well as some other smaller agencies.

Thus, these departments have been shut down for lack approved budgets.

In the Philippines, this would not have happened. If Congress and Malacañang fail to pass a budget for the new fiscal year, the budget for the previous year is “reenacted” and used as the basis for spending. The downside is that new appropriations and budget increases cannot be activated – but, at least, the government is able to continue operations.

Not so in the U.S. Without an approved budget, funds cannot be appropriated. This has left over 800,000 federal employees either furloughed or going without paychecks.

Those in the Philippines who think that living in America is like living in a land of endless wealth should realize that we all survive, literally, from bill to bill – bills for the house mortgage or apartment rent, bills for the car installments or lease, bills for school, grocery bills, light and water bills, health insurance bills.

Like the boxer who gets KO’d we cannot be saved by the bills.

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OpiniOn & Features

Truth in an ecosystem of free will and...

PAGE A8 t

cated staff, engineers, and creative designers and gave them his salary increase at $1,000,000 each? Would he not propel these middle-class workers to millionaires and secure their futures?

But, better yet, he might motivate them and the entire organization to exponential heights?

This is a pipe dream, some would say, but really, what if all the super-elites as we call them, actually looked beyond themselves and considered that our intuition says to us, as Paulo Coelho wrote in “The Alchemist”: “that intuition is really a sudden immersion of the soul into the universal current of life, where the histories of all people are connected, and we are able to know everything, because it’s all written there?” That our accumulated riches are not accessories to wear in our coffins, but an inheritance to our descendants for positive good.

Consider what Renee Stout observes, sensing all inequalities and injustices, as George Lipsitz in “The Possessive Investment in Whiteness: How White People Profit From Identity Politics,” quoted: “When I look at society, I see the emphasis on money and material things. Everyone is bogged down in competition.

The reason I found objects in my art is to say to everyone, ‘Use what you have and be positive, whatever it is that you have, try to make something good from it.’

My relatives were always able to make any situation elegant and wonderful. They made ‘home’ a very secure and nourishing place physically and spiritually. I realize that I was taking objects from a painfully cruel environment and trying to turn them into something positive by creating with them.”

Instead of melting our differences down to nothingness, what about understanding diverse cultures so we can all derive a better understanding of one another?

Franklin Roosevelt’s example I keep drawing inspiration from the examples of good American presidents. Consider Franklin Roosevelt who presided over a “house divided” yet, managed to reunify the house. He did so by telling the truth of what happened to the banking crisis and why American had to have rules to stop banks from speculations and unwise loans.

He called on the press to be his

allies and conferred with them honestly with free-flowing questions and answers. He learned with the press, as they did, from him, in these press conferences, with honest exchanges of ideas, with respect and of course, jokes. He certainly did not call them “fake news,” nor did he resorted to throwing them out from press conferences when he heard questions that he did not like, unlike this current U.S. president throwing out CNN’s Jim Acosta, to which CNN took the president to court and won.

Press freedom is as sacrosanct as other freedoms, like freedom of speech.

Roosevelt used the radio and an estimated 60 million people listened to his radio chat. He restored order to the banking crisis and when trading resumed, the stock market rose 15 percent, its largest rise in years. It was an interchange, as Doris Kearns Goodwin writes in “Leadership in Turbulent Times,” analyzing what went right for these four presidents: Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson.

That is our America, able to come together, after being divided, moved by persuasion and reason. Will we see that manifest today, after an unnecessary shutdown since Dec. 22, 2018?

Furlough of 800,000 federal workers Since Dec. 22, 2018, the federal government has been shut down, forcing 800,000 federal workers to be furloughed. It means air traffic controllers are at work but have no pay. It also means TSA agents, the security workers that we go through in the airports, are at work without pay.

Their insecurities were somewhat assuaged when a bill went through Congress and Pres.

Trump supposedly signed it promising back wages to these furloughed workers.

Prompting us to ask: If that bill guaranteeing back pay was passed by Congress, assented to by the Senate and the White House – why not proceed to simply reopen the federal government? Where is the free will to do good from the U.S. Senate and the White House as House has already passed the bills to reopen the federal government?

Even former Trump’s economic adviser, Gary Cohn, who stepped down as director of

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • JANUARy 19-22, 2019

A

Sri Lankan President lauds Duterte’s drug war

the National Economic Council on March 6, was quoted by the Washington Post’s John Wagner: “I don’t understand what the outcome is here and I don’t understand where we’re going with it, I’m confused as to what the White House’s strategy is on this a little bit.”

The Post continued, “In the interview, Cohn criticized the shutdown as “completely wrong” and said the furloughing of thousands of workers “makes absolutely no sense whatsoever,” according to the Globe that they quoted from.

The shutdown has exposed America’s White House under 45th President Donald Trump to its egregious irrationality, taking hostage the paychecks of 800,000 federal workers. Assuming each is paid at an average of $5,000 a month, that is an estimated $4 billion that could go into paying their mortgages, rent, car payments, babysitters, groceries, gas.

That unnecessary shutdown is also depriving the economy, at an estimated loss by Goldman Sachs at $1.5 billion a week. Can you imagine a shutdown that is imposing suffering on 800,000 federal workers over no labor issue with the federal government? I cannot forget the sight of teary-eyed federal workers who are reduced to going to soup kitchens and food pantries to avail of free food and groceries for their families.

Free will and moral responsibility The House has rationally acted, exercising their free will to be a force for good, and voted on bills to open the federal government, and sent these appropriation bills to the Senate. These bills are the same bills already approved and voted on by 100 Senators in December 2018, before the shutdown. If submitted to a vote in the U.S. Senate and passed, then, it goes to the desk of Pres. Trump. There would not have been a shutdown, had this process been followed.

But, Trump was influenced by two talk show hosts: Sean Hannity and Ann Coulter, prompting MSNBC guests to say that these two unelected talk show hosts are now running the U.S. government, and not Trump.

Have you seen such irrationality in any of the 44 U.S. presidents, ceding their executive powers to two talk show hosts?

u PAGE A11

by Nathalie

Robles

AJPress

SRI LANKAN President Maithripala Sirisena on Wednesday, January 16, expressed his admiration of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s move to eliminate illegal drugs in the country, noting that he aspires to “follow his footsteps.”

“The war against crime and drugs carried out by you is an example to the whole world and, personally, to me. The drug menace is rampant in my country and I feel that we should follow your footsteps to control this hazard,” Sirisena said as reported by CNN Philippines.

The South Asian leader earlier announced to his cabinet that they “will hang drug offenders without commuting their death sentences.” He then commended the Philippine president for his campaign against illegal drugs.

“We were told that the Philippines has been successful in deploying the army and dealing with this problem. We will try to replicate their success,” Sri Lanka government spokesperson Rajitha Senaratne said as reported by ABS-CBN News.

The foreign leader is in the country from January 15-19 for his fiveday state visit. Duterte revealed the possibility that the South Asian country would be the Philippines’ partner in curbing the proliferation of illegal drug trafficking.

The said state visit also included deals and agreements between Sri Lanka and the Philippines on mat-

PAGE A8 t

President Rodrigo Duterte and Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena witness the signing of agreements between Sri Lankan Minister of Foreign Affairs Tilak Marapana and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana at the Malacañang Palace on Wednesday, January 16.

Malacañang photo by Ace Morandante

ters of defense, agriculture, and education cooperation as they sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on five charters.

The two countries agreed on Defense and Military Education and Training and Exchanges of Defense and Military Delegations; Cooperation in Agriculture, Fisheries, and Related Fields; Academic Cooperation in Higher Education; agreement of Department of Tourism and Ministry of Tourism Development, Wildlife and Christian Religious Affairs and agreement of University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) and Sri Lanka Council for Agriculture Research Policy of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Economic Affairs, Livestock, Irrigation, Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development.

Both leaders aimed towards the challenge of lifting their people from poverty since the Philippines and Sri Lanka were considered developing nations.

“We acknowledged that poverty reduction and long-term sustainable development are cornerstones of our efforts to improve the lives of our peoples,” the Philippine president said as reported

by Rappler.

The Sri Lankan president welcomed the idea of putting up a Philippine embassy in Sri Lanka the Philippines to develop a longlasting bond between the two countries.

“Establishing a Philippine embassy in Sri Lanka would be highly instrumental. Therefore, your marking a plot of land for the Philippines’ embassy in Sri Lanka would be – necessary action will be taken expeditiously,” Sirisena said.

After the Malacanang palace banquet, the Sri Lankan president is set to visit the Asian Development Bank in Mandaluyong and the International Rice Research Institute in Los Baños. n

America’s ‘Wailing Wall’

After the recently missed paychecks, affected federal workers will fall behind on their payments – and, believe me, landlords (like the Trump businesses) are heartless.

You fail to pay, you get thrown out into the street and may have to live in your car.

They could add to America’s surplus of homeless families who live in the cold in such cities as San Francisco. The sight of these poor people is reminiscent of those in Manila who live under bridges, trucks and karitons. With no other options, they pay no attention to signs like, ‘bawal ang umihi dito’ (it’s forbidden to pee here).

According to my old lawyer friend, Nestor Valenzuela, “What they’re doing is not against the law. It’s against the wall.”

Trump insists that he will refuse to sign a spending bill that does not provide for his wall. According to him, he will hold his ground even if takes months. He wants the Democrats to negotiate.

The Democrats insist that they will only negotiate if the shutdown is lifted first, otherwise, Trump will use the same blackmail tactic over and over again.

The majority of Americans are blaming Trump and the Republicans for this stalemate. This situation has the leaders of the GOP either climbing up a blank wall or banging their heads on it.

This reminds me of a mantra that I drilled into my assistants when I was CEO of an ad agency in Manila: “If you face a blank wall, go around it, go over it, or dig a hole under it. If none of that works,

break down the damn wall.”

Trump is about ready to do that, in effect. He and the White House have begun to drum up visions of a “crisis” at the U.S.-Mexico border that can only be prevented by a wall. In fact, the only real crisis confronting the United States, according to pundits, is Donald Trump himself.

Some beleaguered federal employees have begun to stage demonstrations to force an end to the shutdown. We pray that they don’t resort to violence, as some desperate folks do.

To paraphrase my lawyer friend, if these desperate employees decide to march on the White House, it may not be against the law.

It will be against the wall. (gregmacabenta@hotmail.com)

A10 january 19-22, 2019 • La WEEKEnD aSIan jOurnaL

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UP, DLSU break into Emerging Economies University Rankings 2019

by Consuelo

Marquez

Inquirer.net

TWO universities in the Philippines were included in the list of Emerging Economies University Rankings 2019 released by the Times Higher Education (THE) on Wednesday, January 16.

The University of the Philip-

pines landed in the 87th place while De La Salle University was among the schools in the 251300 bracket.

THE said China remains the “most-represented nation” in the list with the nation’s Tsinghua University taking the top spot and Peking University ranking second.

THE Emerging Economies University Rankings 2019 includes institutions in countries classified as advanced emerging, secondary emerging or frontier.

The rankings use 13 performance indicators such as “teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook.” n

Robredo camp says Marcos ‘skirting rules’ with petition to examine ARMM precincts by ryan

MaCasero Philstar.com

Tourists and their pets enjoy the waters and sights offered by Boracay as the resort island in Aklan province welcomes visitors after a sixmonth rehabilitation.

Inquirer.net photo by Marianne Bermudez

Tourism department clears 305 establishments to operate in Boracay

by AJPress THE Department of Tourism (DOT) announced on Tuesday, January 12, that there are now 305 hotels and resorts accredited to open and operate in the Boracay Island, almost three months after the famous tourist destination was shut down for rehabilitation.

In a Facebook post, the tourism department said that there are a total of 10,982 rooms available for tourists and travelers who plan to visit the world-renowned spot in Malay, Aklan. The department also urged the public to stay and check-in on hotels and resorts that are compliant to the

environmental rules and regulations of the local government.

The Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force named all 305 establishments that are legally cleared to accept bookings and reservations. Majority of the compliant hotels and resorts are situated in Barangay Yapak.

Among the largest establishments that abide with the standards are Fairways and Bluewater Resort with 700 rooms, Savoy Hotel Boracay with 559 rooms, Paradise Garden Resort Hotel and Convention Center with 463 rooms, Alta Vista de Boracay with 408 rooms and Movenpick Resort and Spa Boracay with 312 rooms.

Three government agencies

are in charge of the screening, securing and issuing of permits and clearances for all accommodation establishments. The said hotels and resorts had to acquire such from DOT, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) before they could be allowed to operate in Boracay.

The major local tourist destination was recently reopened on October 26, 2018, after it went through a six-month closure in order to resolve its sewage and environmental problems following President Rodrigo Duterte’s statement calling Boracay a “cesspool”. n

DOH: No outbreak of meningococcemia

by Catherine

Modesto ManilaTimes.net

THE DEPARTMENT of Health (DOH) on Thursday, January 17 allayed fears on social media of a meningococcemia outbreak in the country.

In a statement posted on Twitter, the DOH said: “There is no reported meningococcemia outbreak; we are, however, investigating a suspected meningococcemia case in Valenzuela City of a two-year old female who exhibited signs and symptoms of the disease, which include fever, vomiting, body rashes and loose

bowel movement.”

The unidentified child was declared dead at the Valenzuela City Emergency Hospital on Monday, the health department added.

The agency said a team had collected laboratory specimens to confirm if the child died of the severe bacterial infection.

In the meantime, the DOH said: “We are closely coordinating with our regional office for contact tracing. As precautionary measures, we have provided post-exposure prophylaxis to close contacts of the patients.”

Valenzuela Mayor Rex Gatch-

alian, over CNN Philippines’ “Balitaan” show, said the child tested negative for meningococcemia.

Health Undersecretary Rolando Domingo told CNN Philippines’ “Newsroom Ngayon” that the disease causes very high fever and rashes. Some 200 cases of meningococcemia are recorded in the country every year, but they are not a cause for alarm, he said.

It should not cause illness, but if the body’s resistance weakens, bacteria might enter the body and lead to sickness, he said. n

MANILA — The camp of Vice President Leni Robredo said the latest petition for a technical examination of votes in parts of Mindanao was her losing rival Ferdinand Marcos Jr. “desperately trying to save his dying election protest.”

Robredo’s lawyers Romulo Macalintal and Bernadette Sardillo released to the media their counter-manifestation to Marcos’ petition, which they filed on January 14, on Thursday, January 17.

Marcos asked the Presidential Electoral Tribunal in a petition dated December 10 to introduce the technical examination of votes from the provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur and Basilan.

In the petition, Marcos asked the PET to subpoena relevant documents in connection with the technical examination conducted in an unrelated election protest filed by Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao gubernatorial candidate Sakur Tan against ARMM Regional Governor Mujiv Hataman.

Robredo’s lawyer Romulo Macalintal decried the use of the examination from an election protest unrelated to the one filed

by Marcos. “[That] case has nothing to do with the election protest of Marcos now being heard by the PET,” Macalintal said. “Robredo was not a party thereof nor was Marcos.”

The pilot provinces petitioned and approved for ongoing vice presidential recount only include precincts in Camarines Sur, Iloilo and Negros Oriental.

“Furthermore, the technical examination covered only 200 clustered precincts out of the 2,834

Vice President Leni Robredo

clustered precincts in ARMM which Marcos tries to project an image as if the said technical examination already covered all the clustered precincts of ARMM,” the lawyer said during a press conference on Thursday afternoon.

The recount of the said pilot provinces, where Marcos’ alleges voting fraud took place, began last April. It is the first election protest of the PET to reach the recount level under the 1987 Constitution.

Marcos’ December 10 petition asks PET to look at the thumbprints on the voters’ registration records of all the clustered precincts in Tan’s protest.

According to a report in the Manila Standard, former Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan alleged that 80 percent of the voters in the ARMM were “fake.”

Macalintal called the petition Marcos’ “desperate attempt to circumvent the rules of the Presidential Election Tribunal (PET).”

Marcos’ had already petitioned PET twice, first for a technical examination in areas in ARMM in August 2017, then to

Philstar.com photo

nullify votes in November 2017, due to alleged “widespread cheating.” To these petitions, PET ruled to defer action until a recount is completed in the three pilot provinces already approved for recount.

According to Macalintal, after the PET upheld the 25 percent threshold ruling in the recount, Marcos “even suffered losses of votes” in several municipalities.

In addition to a technical examination, Marcos’ petition also asks the PET to subpoena the relevant documents from Comelec and investigate chairman and members of the Board of Election Inspectors.

Macalintal called the Marcos’ motion to investigate BEI members “premature.”

“The parties are not parties in the Tan case, hence it is not for PET to direct the Comelec to make such investigation of its officials,” he said.

Robredo’s lawyers said in the petition that “Marcos is bound by his choice.” They added, “His election protest will rise or fall on his designated pilot provinces of Camarines Sur, Iloilo and Negros Oriental.” n

DOH: It’s time to talk about, address depression MANILA — Depression is a serious health condition that needs to be talked about and addressed, the Department of Health reminded the public on Thursday, January 17.

“In the Philippines, 3.3 million Filipinos suffer from depressive disorders, with suicide rates in 2.5 males and 1.7 males per 100,000,” the DOH said in a statement issued a day after the apparent suicide of Razorback drummer Brian Velasco.

“We need to start talking about depression to end the stigma surrounding mental health because, when left unattended, it can lead to suicide,” it also said.

The DOH noted that, according to the World Health Organization, 800,000 people die each year due to suicide.

“To those in need of help, we have a 24-hour toll-free suicide prevention hotline. You can call (02)804-4673; 0917-5584673 or send an SMS to 2919 for Globe and TM subscribers,” the Health department also said.

Mental health in the Philippines The Philippines passed the Mental Health Act, which is meant to help protect the rights and welfare of people with mental health conditions, shift focus of care to the community and improve access to services, in June 2018.

The Palace, commenting on the passage of the law, said that the implementation of a mental health policy “will help neutralize the stigma attached to mental illness.”

Sen. Risa Hontiveros, one of the authors of the bill, said then that the law will help provide mental

In this file photo, mental health advocates campaign for passage of the Mental Health Act, which was passed into law in June 2018.

Philstar.com photo

health services to barangays and “integrate psychiatric and psychosocial and neurologic services in regional, provincial and tertiary hospitals, improve our mental healthcare facilities and promote mental health education in our schools and workplaces.”

Awareness of mental health issues is not widespread in the Philippines, where conditions like depression is sometimes made fodder for jokes and insults.

In September 2018, mental health advocates called out video blogger Drew Olivar remarked that students of the University of the Philippines should kill themselves to thin their numbers. The comment had been addressed to UP students critical of the government.

“It is but just to demand that we give the topics suicide and self harm the appropriate seriousness and sobriety they deserve,” Raymond John Naguit, national chairperson of Youth for

Mental Health,said then. Youth for Mental Health was among the advocacy groups that pushed for passage of the Mental Health Act. In 2017, comedian Joey De Leon was criticized online for commenting that depression is just “made up” and that depressed people only have themselves to blame. He apologized for the comment.

Velasco’s death trended on social media because of fans and supporters extending their sympathies to the families, but also because of a reported video related to the death.

In its statement on Thursday, the Department of Health said that it is aware of the existence of the video. “We request for the public to stop sharing this tragic video and respect the family who are still grieving and in pain due to this unfortunate event,” it said.

(Jonathan de Santos/Philstar. com)

STRONG CLAMOR FOR BAN ON SINGLE-USE PLASTICS. Deputy for Survey, Social Weather Stations (SWS) Vladymir Licudine discusses the percentage on the single-use plastics usually received or used in the Philippines from a September 15-23, 2018 National Survey, in his presentation during a press conference held at Max’s Restaurant, Quezon City Memorial Circle (QCMC), on Tuesday, January 15. The survey revealed a strong clamor for regulating or banning single-use plastics and the proper and full implementation of Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Law, that provides for solid waste reduction through proper waste segregation, recycling, composting, and other ecological methods before disposal in the appropriate facilities.

PNA photos by Ben Briones

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LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • JANUARy 19-22, 2019

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Trillanes schools Locsin: Focus on work, stay off Twitter

by Patricia Lourdes Philstar.com

Viray

MANILA — Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV on Thursday, January 17 advised Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. to tone down his social media use following the passport data breach in his agency.

Last week, Locsin revealed on Twitter that a contractor supposedly ran away with personal data of passport holders, prompting the Department of Foreign Affairs to require those renewing their passports to submit their birth certificates.

The DFA later on released a statement clarifying that there was no breach in passport data as assured by APO Production Unit.

“One unsolicited advice for Secretary Locsin is to focus on his work being the top diplomat of the country and lessen social media use for now because he is not campaigning, he is not an elected official. He is a diplomat so he is supposed to be different from us elected officials,” Trillanes said during the Kapihan sa Senado forum.

Trillanes added that Locsin has raised concerns among passport applicants due to his overuse of social media, particularly Twitter.

The senator said the DFA chief should have researched about

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr.

Philstar.com photo

the issue first before announcing it on social media.

“He is too immersed on social media, on Twitter in particular and he answers the commmentaries there,” Trillanes said.

Locsin should instead use his Twitter account for good news and policies, not for “tit for tat,” the senator said, adding that social media becomes a distraction for the secretary.

“In this particular case, he said somethong without fully knowing the situation,” the senator said.

Trillanes and Sen. Risa Hontiveros have filed resolutions calling for a Senate inquiry into the passport data mess.

Asked if the Senate investigation would push through, Trillanes said it would depend on the concerned Senate committee.

Last Tuesday, the DFA said only a Senate investigation “will assure the public that there was no breach or loss of data.” Locsin, meanwhile, signed an order removing the submission of birth certificates as a requirement for passport renewal. n

Truth in an ecosystem of free will and...

PAGE A9 t

I still remember a speech, with a banner, “Mission Accomplished!” when Pres. George W. Bush announced victory in Iraq, on USS Carrier Abraham Lincoln on May 1, 2003; yet, the U.S. occupying presence is now into its 16th year come May. How much more irrationality can we tolerate?

A newly installed U.S. congressperson, Alexandria OcasioCortez, spoke during her House inaugural speech, injecting some rationality into the national conversation: “It is actually not about a wall, it is not about the border, and it is certainly not about the well-being of everyday Americans. The truth is, this shutdown, is about the erosion of American democracy and the subversion of our most basic governmental norms. It is not normal to hold 800,000 workers’ paychecks hostage. It is not normal to shut down the government when we

don’t get what we want. It is not normal for public servants to run away and hide from the public that they serve. And it is certainly not normal to starve the people we serve for a proposal that is wildly unpopular (the $5.7 border wall now referred to as slats or barriers) among the American people.”

The House has acted, now it is Senate’s turn to pass the same identical bills they already passed in December with 100 majority votes. Then, it is time to pass those bills approved by House, and hopefully consented to, by the Senate, whose powers are simply to advise and consent, and not to preempt the House from legislating, nor anticipate what the White House’s president will sign or not.

For all we know, the 45th U.S. president still has the capacity to exercise his free will to do good by the many and to be morally responsible. He took a presiden-

tial oath to protect the U.S. Constitution and to serve the American people. He certainly has the human capacities to do that, irrespective of his past conduct, move away from his past bad acts, as “it makes folks sad,” as my four-year-old granddaughter wisely observes. *** Prosy Abarquez-Delacruz, J.D. writes a weekly column for Asian Journal, called “Rhizomes.” She has been writing for AJ Press for 10 years. She also contributes to Balikbayan Magazine. Her training and experiences are in science, food technology, law and community volunteerism for 4 decades. She holds a B.S. degree from the University of the Philippines, a law degree from Whittier College School of Law in California and a certificate on 21st Century Leadership from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. She has been a participant in NVM Writing Workshops taught by Prof. Peter Bacho for 4 years and Prof. Russell Leong.

She has travelled to France, Holland, Belgium, Japan, Costa Rica, Mexico and over 22 national parks in the US, in her pursuit of love for nature and the arts.

WARM WELCOME. President Rodrigo R. Duterte and Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena watch a group of cultural performers during the welcome ceremony for the Sri Lankan President at the Malacañan Palace on Wednesday, January 16.

Malacañang photo by Toto Lozano

Sandiganbayan urged: Affirm Janet Napoles conviction in plunder raps by eLizabeth

MarceLo Philstar.com

er as the daily disbursement records or ledger submitted by whistle-blower Benhur Luy shows that the alleged pork barrel scam mastermind only received commissions amounting to P13.935 million.

Republic Act 7080 or the Plunder Law states that the main plunderer, who must be a public official, must have amassed ill-gotten wealth of at least P50 million for the crime to be con-

THE Office of the Ombudsman has asked the Sandiganbayan to uphold its earlier decision convicting businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles of plunder over the alleged misuse of around P517 million in pork barrel funds of former senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. In an opposition paper filed before the anti-graft court’s Special First Division, the ombudsman’s Office of the Special Prosecutor maintained that it has presented sufficient evidence “to establish the guilt of Napoles and Revilla’s former staff member Richard Cambe.

The prosecution team disputed Napoles’ claim in her motion for reconsideration that the acquittal of Revilla consequently extinguished the crime.

State prosecutors argued that Revilla and Cambe were both charged as main plunderers in the case, thus even if one of them was acquitted, the crime still exists.

The ombudsman also refuted Napoles’ argument that Cambe could not be the main plunder- Janet Lim-Napoles

sidered as plunder.

In its Dec. 7 ruling, the Sandiganbayan said a total of P124.5 million was illegally amassed by Cambe in conspiracy with Napoles. They were ordered to jointly return the amount to the national treasury.

The anti-graft court had acquitted Revilla of plunder but convicted his co-accused, Cambe and Napoles. n

Philstar.com photo

A12 january 19-22, 2019 • La WEEKEnD aSIan jOurnaL

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Journal

Potential deportation case vs Tony Labrusca moves forward

from an incident on January 3, where Labrusca allegedly caused a scene at the Ninoy Aquino International A UNIT of the Bureau of Im- Airport, and allegedly cursed and migration has recommended a shouted at Immigration officers.

The actor was allegedly upset deportation case against Filipino American actor Tony Labrusca, over only being given 30-day stay in the country and not balikbayan state media reports.

“The (Intelligence Division) rec- privileges, a privilege only given to ommended to Legal (Division) the former Philippine citizens and family filing of deportation case against members traveling with them.

“I admit I was a bit frustrated and Labrusca for working without permit, I think,” BI Deputy Com- that I asked why I was only given 30 missioner Tomas Javier told Philip- days to stay in the country this time. pine News Agency in an interview I was unaware of the policy that because I was not with my mother, I did Wednesday evening.

The deportation case stems not qualify for a Balikbayan stamp,”

by Ryan

MacaseRo Philstar.com

Labrusca explained following the incident.

The 23-year-old actor has been active in local show business since 2016 and recently starred opposite Angel Aquino in the iWant film Glorious.

According to the BI, Labrusca — who is the son of Filipino actor Boom Labrusca and singer/model Angelica Jones — only filed for recognition as a Philippine citizen this year.

“I was informed that Tony Labrusca also filed a petition for recognition as a Filipino citizen, considering that both his parents are Filipinos,” Javier said in the interview with the state news site.

Sober Baron Geisler ‘grateful’ to be part of Brillante Mendoza’s latest film

by Jan

Milo seveRo Philstar.com

CONTROVERSIAL actor Baron Geisler said he’s now sober from alcohol for nine months as he continues to work on his recovery.

“I’m sober for nine months. Although aaminin ko nakakanginig ng konti, pero nandyan naman yung mga tonic water. Nakakatulong for me,” Baron told Philstar. com during the premiere night of Brillante Mendoza’s “Alpha: The Right to Kill” at the Director’s Club Cinema of the Podium.

“I’m doing my continuous recovery. Tomorrow balik akong Cebu, doon na ‘ko naka-based.

May binuksan akong barbershop sa Gaisano. Nandoon yung core group ko and I’m really loving it in Cebu,” he added.

Despite his controversial past, Baron became part of Brillante’s film which won the Jury Prize at the San Sebastian International Film Festival in Spain last year. The movie is now showing in theaters nationwide.

Baron said he’s grateful for

Photo shows Baron Geisler with Liza Diño-Seguerra and Brillante Mendoza during the premiere night of the film “Alpha: The Right to Kill.” Photo from Instagram/@baron.geisler

the trust of the award-winning director.

“Napakagrateful ko. Never ko naman kasi siyang binigyan ng sakit ng ulo. Basta ito lang, eternally grateful lang ako kay direk dahil sa mga pelikulang sinasama niya ‘ko. Napupunta sa iba’t ibang bansa so malaking bagay na yun for an actor na yung mga films na nagagawa ko ay makabuluhan talaga. If I look back 10 years from now, maipagmamalaki ko talaga

sa mga anak ko,” he said.

The film is set against the backdrop of the government’s campaign against illegal drugs.

When asked about Brillante’s trademark in the industry, Baron said: “Katotohanan.”

“I’m very blessed na nakasama ko sa isang pelikulang may saysay talaga. May lesson and information na hindi alam ng lahat ng tao. Educational yung film kung tutuusin,” he added.

Javier said Labrusca has not yet been charged with any violations, only forwarding the recommendation for deportation to the bureau’s legal division.

Following the incident, Bureau of Immigration spokesperson Dana Sandoval reminded the public that having Filipino lineage doesn’t automatically grant an individual balikbayan privileges.

“The privilege is for former Filipinos and their immediate family members who are traveling with them. If these family members are not traveling with them, then they are Immigration authorities recommend Fil-Am actor Tony Labrusca be deported. not qualified,” she said.

Photo from Instagram/@tony.labrusca

B January 19-22, 2019 • La WEEKEnD aSIan JOurnaL

EntErtainmEnt

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Shay Mitchell visits child care foundation in Manila by

roSette adel Philstar.com

FILIPINO-Canadian actress Shay Mitchell visited a child-caring institution and mingled with street children while in Manila.

In her Instagram stories on Wednesday, January 16, Shay shared that she visited non-government organization serving street children in Metro Manila, Virlanie Foundation. She went to the foundation with her friend American-born composer, writer, producer and classical pianist, Chloe Flower.

Shay informed her followers and friends that the foundation is a “child caring institution looking out for the welfare and empowerment of disadvantaged children.” She also called on them to help these children.

“To my friends, the lovely people who live here in Manila, Philippines….If you are around Metro Manila, or nearby their office in Makati City, please drop by and help out! Anything from inkind donations for their needs or any small donation will definitely go along way!” Shay wrote.

“Help us ensure that these children all reach a better and brighter future that they so deserve,” she added.

Shay also shared that they took photos, ate, played games, and asked the children about the toys they want, as well as some other

In this Jan. 15, 2019 photo, Filipino-Canadian actress Shay Mitchell took selfies with the children of child-caring institution Virlanie Foundation.

Photo from Facebook/Virlanie Foundation

essentials the center needs.

“They were so amazed by the filters,” Shay said.

Virlanie then thanked Shay and Chloe for supporting their foundation.

“So grateful that you had fun with our kids last night, Shay Mitchell! We’re sure they did too,” Virlanie said on its Instagram story.

“Thank you so much for the love and support,” it added.

The foundation shared Shay and Chloe visited the center last Monday and Tuesday as they thanked the two anew.

“Virlanie greatly appreciate your kind, genuine hearts in bringing happiness to our children. They surely had a wonder-

ful time with you two!” Virlanie said.

“More than the toys and necessities you have graciously donated, you have brought them the joy of a lifetime!” it added.

Virlanie Foundation is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission and is duly licensed and recognized by the Department of Social Welfare and Development of the Philippines.

Shay recently visited Manila to promote her hit Netflix original series “You” with co-star Penn Badgley while Chloe joined her in her tour. Shay also met with her Filipino supporters at a special fan event in Greenbelt on Tuesday evening.

Enrique Gil posted on his Instagram account a photo of Liza Soberano hanging out in front of a sari-sari store at the University of the Philippines, who was wearing a casual top and skirt.

Photo from Instagram/@enriquegil17

Netizens laud Liza Soberano’s Iska look in new movie

by Jan

Milo Severo Philstar.com

NETIZENS commended Kapamilya actress Liza Soberano for looking like a real student from the University of the Philippines in her new movie “Alone/Together” with onscreen partner Enrique Gil. Enrique posted on his Instagram account a photo of Liza hanging out in front of a sari-sari store at UP, wearing a casual top and skirt.

“España to philcoa araw araw? kahit baha pa, kahit mag cut pako,

makita lang kita tin parang naka uno na rin ako,” Enrique captioned the post.

For her part, Liza posted a photo of her with Enrique and friends saying “#KungSaan tayo kumakain ng combo meal 3 bago tayo tumambay sa Sunken. Kahit dugyot na pagdating dito, pogi pa rin. ???? Pero Raf wag ka na mag-cut please. Isama kita sa Lantern Parade basta wag ka lang mag-cut.”

A netizen who screen captured Enrique’s post and posted on Twitter applauded Liza’s look.

“Okay, I love Liza Soberano. We stan a lady who knows her orthography,” the netizen wrote. “Grabe yung method acting ni Liza, para na talaga syang taga UP,” another netizen commented.

Liza will play a highly-driven University of the Philippines arts student while Enrique will play a UST Biology student who is the complete opposite of Liza’s character.

Directed by Antoinette Jadaone, “Alone/Together” will be shown in theaters on February 13.

Of love songs and fun for Christian and Julie Anne by

ChriStina alpad ManilaTimes.net

Asia’s Pop Sweetheart and Asia’s Romantic Balladeer blend voices anew for ‘Fun Night’ of love songs.

Contributed photo

ONE of them just tied the knot with his lady love while the other one is fresh from heartbreak, but just the same the voices of OPM stars Christian Bautista and Julie Anne San Jose are a perfect blend when singing of love. No matter their relationship status, the pair are raring to go onstage for the opening salvo of “The 2019 Kapuso Concert Series” via “The Sweetheart and the Balladeer: Fun Night Only.”

Asia’s Pop Sweetheart and Asia’s Romantic Balladeer join forces to fire up the stage of the Iloilo Convention Center in Mandurriao, Iloilo City. Joining them is the comedic duo of Donita Nose

and Super Tekla who will take care of the laughter department with their funny repertoire. Adding fresh talent to the roster is special guest “The Clash” grand champion Golden Cañedo.

“Tekla and Donita will bring the fun in the show habang kami naman nina Julie ang magdadala ng fun through songs and dance numbers,” Bautista promised during the launch of the concert at the GMA Network Center.

“It’s a new combination we are trying out and we are excited for it,” the 37-year-old added.

As for the repertoire, Bautista proudly noted that all kinds of love would be well represented in their pre-Valentine concert show series.

“What we’ll be offering are

different renditions of love songs — inspirational love songs, of course merong mga heartbreak love songs, first love songs, innocent kind of love and merong experienced kind of love,” he laughingly imparted with the last kind pertaining to comedians Super Tekla and Donita Nose.

The statement from Bautista could not be more apt as he himself is filled with love what with his recent wedding to communications executive Kat Ramnani. The couple tied the knot on November 17 in Bali, Indonesia.

“Yes I am always away with back-to-back works but the important thing is to make time for work and time for your wife, time for your life. [My wife] she understands,” Bautista opened on

the sidelines of the launch, adding that while a baby from the couple would probably not happen this year, the newlyweds will definitely realize their dream honeymoon this year in Africa.

“Ako wala ako,” San Jose cheekily answered when recorders began pointing at her.

It is no longer a secret that the 24-year-old have broken up with actor Benjamin Alves, her boyfriend of two years.

“I think this year will be a time for myself and for my family,” San Jose admitted.

Asked if she’d be open for suitors now that she is single, “I don’t think I am ready for that, I just want to focus on myself and my work, I’m really focused right now.”

And focused she was, a quality that Bautista openly admired about his co-headliner.

“Working with her for so long, gusto ko yung kanyang professionalism. Si Julie you can really follow her heart online. It’s just out there and when she wants to sing, she sings. She just wants to connect to everyone, to her costars, to the audience, that’s very important,” Bautista shared.

The two multi-awarded singers first joined forces in the widely successful “3 Stars 1 Heart” concert series with former GMA star Regine Velasquez.

“Working with her has always been a pleasure and I hope to do more, well, we will do more… marami pa here and abroad,” Bautista finally noted.

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Pechanga Resort Casino celebrates the auspicious year of 2019 with a total of $100,000 Easyplay® drawings

DREAMS OF A FAIRYTALE WEDDING ENDED UP IN A NIGHTMARE OF BATTERY AND ABUSE. Anne entered the U.S. on a fiancé (K-1) visa, hoping to build a beautiful, love-filled life with her U.S. citizen petitioner. But the marriage turned into a nightmare, when the husband became verbally and physically abusive. Battered and abused, Anne reached out to leading immigration attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel.

Watch as Anne was able to escape the chains of abuse, through the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) self-petition that the Law Offices of Michael J. Gurfinkel filed and was able to get a green card for Anne….on an encore episode of “Citizen Pinoy” – on Sunday at 6:15 pm (PST) on TFC. (Advertising Supplement)

The enduring movie queen that is Gloria Romero

by LHAR

SANTIAGO ManilaTimes.net

AT 85, Gloria Romero says she has so much to be thankful for. She’s been in the entertainment industry for more than 60 years, every one of which was very productive.

Crowned Queen of Philippine Movies in the ‘50s and early ‘60s, she scored hit after hit for her home studio Sampaguita Pictures, and has since maintained an iconic stature in the industry, bringing prestige to every project she takes on for TV or the big screen.

It can then be said without doubt that Gloria is the most enduring movie queen of the industry, whose filmography comprises the very development of moviemaking, from black and white to technicolor, and to the day’s digital format.

Prolific through the last six decades, she has also seen and therefore worked with movie queens who were crowned after her reign—the likes of Amalia Fuentes and Susan Roces, Nora Aunor and Vilma Santos, Sharon Cuneta and Maricel Soriano, and even today’s crop of millennial stars who have risen in the entertainment scene.

And just like wine, Gloria Romero gets better and better with each passing year, proven all the more with a slew of acting awards, the latest of which is the Best Actress plum at December’s Metro Manila Film Festival for “Rainbow’s Sunset.”

“I was not expecting to win but I’m very thankful [to do so]. It’s been years since I last won a Best Actress award,” she graciously smiled and remarked in that distinct Gloria Romero intonation.

The consummate actress says she is especially flattered she continues to receive good lead roles in the industry. Besides the 2018 MMFF entry, she considers among her most recent and unforgettable movies to be “Magnifico” and “Tanging

(Advertising Supplement)

Gloria Romero

Yaman.”

“In all my years as an actress, I cannot say that I’ve done all types of roles. When offers come and I read the script, I often realize I haven’t done the particular character being offered to me. That’s why I really feel so blessed in my career.”

As everyone knows by now, Rainbow’s Sunset saw Gloria in the unique role of a politician’s wife, who in their twilight years gave in to her husband’s decision to live with his dying best friend, who is also his lifelong secret gay lover.

Gloria effortlessly approached the role with no hysterics and no big moments, yet poignantly delivered the emotion and heavy burden of a woman who had shared her entire marriage with her husband’s lover.

She deserved to get the judg-

ManilaTimes.net photo

es’ nod.

“I would not have been able do that without the support of my co-stars and the guidance of director Joel Lamangan,” she humbly commented.

Still quick and strong in her 80s, Gloria shared her passion for acting burns brighter than ever, declaring, “Acting is my first love. I started acting when I was 16 and since then, I have fallen in love with the craft. I will only retire when I can no longer memorize my lines and I think that is still far from happening.”

Her next movie still to be determined, Gloria is nevertheless busy with her ongoing weekly series on GMA Network, “Daig Kayo Ng Lola Ko,” a family program that highlights Filipino values at a very opportune time in society.

Lea Salonga and husband Robert Charles Chien celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary in Japan. Photo from Instagram/@msleasalonga

Lea Salonga injures leg during ski trip

by JAN

MILO SEVERO Philstar.com

GRAMMY-nominated singer Lea Salonga recently broke her leg in a ski accident in Hokkaido, Japan.

In her Instagram account, Lea posted a video captioned “An announcement! But know that I’m okay, sense of humor intact. See you all soon, sitting down!”

“I broke my leg on a slope.

Clearly, I have not learned the art of stopping so I crashed

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pretty hard and I broke my tibia,” Lea said in the video.

However, Lea assured her fans that she’s okay and her scheduled concerts will push through.

“But that doesn’t mean that the concerts aren’t pushing through. This is just to let you know I am okay, I can sing and I will see you in Hong Kong, in Singapore, in the UK sitting down more than I normally would,” she said.

Apart from her concerts abroad, Lea will also be the

special guest of international singer Josh Groban during his post Valentine concert in Manila on February 22.

Lea and husband Robert Charles Chien celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary in Japan. She earlier posted a photo of them together, greeting her husband on their special day.

“Happy Anniversary to the man that takes me on adventures I’ve never been on!!!

Thanks for this holiday, Hon!!!

Love you!!! #15andCounting,” she wrote.

B4 JANUARY 19-22, 2019 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

MOONLIGHTING

by MYLAH DE

LEON

LAS VEGAS — Everything about this city is preposterous — the smell and the hustle inside MGM Grand, included. From the weigh-in, it gives you a heady feeling of being on stage, or in the middle of a prison riot with dancers, singers, casino people, general show business and the phantasmagoria.

That said, perhaps it’s the most fun, albeit, sinful place on Earth since God Almighty torched Sodom and Gomorrah.

In skyline hyper-reality, a mélange of the Statue of Liberty, a giant lion sprawled like an aging nymphomaniac, a pyramid, and a sphynx are all there. In fiery weather of dreams, there’s the glittering New York, the grandeur of Rome, and the lure of Paris. While other cities build hotels as their major attractions, here, their hotels are their main events.

The overall cultural aridity is melting in flamboyance, extravaganza and vigor, the irreverence condoned all over the MGM Grand Garden Arena. It is the sight of every show, vibrantly decadent that inflamed the tourists beyond art, dance and spectacle. The costumes alone in one colossal production cost more than what is indecent.

In the square jungle of pugilistic arena, good stories are always good stories, regardless of who tells them. Whatever else your story conveys, you will know what is to have been there.

Palms wet, throats dry, we cobble groups of juicy pieces of fistic delights, their foibles and fallibility.

We dive in immediately firsthand on-the-spot pieces of eyewitness accounts: quick, subjective and sometimes slightly incomplete; since they are written in the heat of the moment. It reflects the rush and compression of swirling chaos inside the arena, sometimes with the ignorance of what is going to happen next. It was always a roaring and dramatic session when the undisputed darling of the boxing world stars come.

Boxing is a brutal, abominable game – the human beast hitting itself. Yet, as much as you reject and condemn it, boxing always

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For Pacquiao, boxing is a triumph of the spirit

The writer with Manny Pacquiao

excites in the end. When you’re there at the ringside, you get more and more excited, until you find yourself caught up in it, taking part, urging them on.

There’s a tremendous fascination for boxing. It lasts only some few minutes and afterward, you’re ashamed that you let go.

What makes the fighting world so intriguing is the multi-level on which it is played and the relative fluidity of commerce dictated the very best, soaring you to breathtaking heights. The words rippled beyond it, when you put in a man’s care and concern for a sport, and the pride he has developed in doing it well.

Because when you watch the champ fight well, boxing is not violence. In his title defenses, I see him make a conversation — an exchange between two men, who talk to each other with their hands instead of their voices — hitting at the ear, nose, mouth, the belly, instead of hitting at each other’s minds.

Boxing is a noble art. When Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao fights in the ring, I do not see him expressing brutality, instead, he expresses a complex, subtle nature like that of a true intellectual, a real honorable and forthright human being. He is a pugilist who is less brutal or not brutal at all, after a fight. Because with his fists he transforms violence into something beautiful and noble with discipline. It is a real

triumph of the spirit. He thinks of himself as being a good man in the Christian sense, with a clear consciousness of what is good and what is evil. With his concept of the good, he resembles that of the Christians.

Sometimes he can be keen and hard like the tip of a wedge, and can be soft and caring like a warm glove. We have watched through the years, fight a myriad of notables in the fistic arena.

Hard pummeling, fast hands that can cut you up with a head butt, each with different skills and technique.

But Pacman always finds a strategy of his own craft to beat them to a pulp. Brain against brain, art against art, the appeal and fascination of those bouts gets beyond his expertise. Flicking out the jabs as he dishes out stinging body shots, his hands smoother than his adversary, pummeling and landing wherever he wants them to be — against the ropes or flat on the floor, heads that are turned to the side, his monsters left, dynamite right, putting together combinations flicking out circling, throwing a greater variety of punches.

A boxer’s skill erodes a lot quicker in the crazy roulette like no other sport can offer. Here today, gone tomorrow, millions richer. The peacock today is a feather duster tomorrow. *** E-mail Mylah at moonlightingmdl@aol.com

Health@Heart PHILIP S. CHUA, MD, FACS, FPCS TWENTY years ago on August 7, 1999, I wrote about Viagra, a headliner around the world then when this “chemical gold” was first introduced by Pfizer a year before. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the “little giant blue pill,” the blockbuster erectile dysfunction (ED) treatment. After two decades, Viagra and its competitors, Cialis and Levitra, still arouse sustained interest globally. As the generic version “penetrates” the market, their prices (around $20-$25 a tablet) are expected to drop significantly.

Sildenafil (Viagra), the wonder pill for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED) in men, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in March 27, 1998, and sold like hot cakes that same year, a runaway success.

More than $400 million worth was sold in the first quarter, 10,000 prescriptions a day. In 2016, it brought in $1.6 billion in global sales. Since its inception, Viagra has raked billions for Pfizer. This little “giant” blue pill was found to be very effective and safe. It boosts marriages and relationships. The surgical procedures for ED dropped dramatically since this pill was introduced.

Then came the competitors!

Vardenafil (Levitra) was approved in September 2003, and on November 21, 2003, Tadalafil (Cialis) was launched. To this day, these three pills for ED are the most popular, dominant, and effective regimen in the management of erectile dysfunction and they have been found to also be very useful in enhancing erection even among those without ED. More than 20 percent of failed marriages and broken relationships are due to erectile dysfunction.

While their mode of action are basically the same: they are a class of drugs called PDE-5 inhibitors. They block an enzyme called phosphodiesterase type 5, boosting a chemical in our body called nitric oxide, which relaxes muscles in the penis and open up veins, allowing more blood to enter and fill-up the veins of the penis, causing engorgement and maintaining erection.

Original research: Serendipity The original laboratory studies on these PE-5 inhibitors centered on their vasodilator effects as potential drug in the management of coronary heart disease and high blood pressure. However, the researchers noted that the experimental male mice given the PDE-5 inhibitor developed erection and were chasing the female mice. This serendipity discovery

The little blue pill

that the side effect of the PDE-5 inhibitor was even a greater and more welcome discovery than the original intention of developing a new vasodilator for cardiovascular diseases. The side effect (erection) in this case far outweighed the “original intent” for the use of the drug. This is one incident where the side effect is more useful and beneficial.

Other uses These pills for ED (PDE-5 inhibitors) are also prescribed for other medical conditions, like heart attack, pulmonary hypertension (even among infants and young children), pre-eclampsia, Crohn’s disease, and infertility. These ED pills require a prescription and a discussion with your physician, to avoid complications.

Aphrodisiac?

Some think Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra are aphrodisiacs. No, they are not, because none of them increases libido (sexual desire).

These 3 only enhance erection and sustain it for a successful sex.

When taken, the man develops a sense of certainty, security, and confidence, which could incidentally increase the desire in both partners.

Indications for use Those who could benefit from any of these 3 PDE-5 inhibitors are those who are unable to initiate and maintain erection for a successful intercourse, regardless of age, including those in their 20s, where stress and psychological condition negatively impact their sex life. One does not have to have a full-blown erectile dysfunction to benefit from these pills, since they have been found effective and save since they were introduced almost 20 years ago.

ED stats Cleveland Clinic reports that 52 percent of men have erectile dysfunction, “affecting 40 percent of men age 40, and 70 percent of men age 70.” Men who are on high blood pressure pills, betablockers, etc., have an increased risk of developing ED. Urology Care Foundation says 30 million of American males have occasional (mild to moderate) problem getting or keeping an erection.

Comparison These three drugs for ED belong to one class of medication and have similar pharmacologic action: PDE-5 inhibitors. All three react with nitrates (heart medications that opens up arteries), which could cause drop in blood pressure and shock, even death.

Those on nitrates MUST not take any of these drug for ED. These three are in oral form and there is no generic version of this ED drug yet, and is taken about 30 before anticipated sex. Any of these 3 needs medical consultation prior to use to rule out any contraindication and danger, since each individual reacts differently to medications. A pre-

scription is needed to purchase pills for ED. They all cost about the same. Their safety records are also similar.

While their action, use, and efficacy are basically the same, there are difference among these three pills for ED. Viagra and Levitra stay in the blood stream for about 4-6 hours; Cialis, 17-18 hours, longer lasting. Other differences are in their side effects.

Side effects The following side effects are common among all three: stuffy nose, headache, upset stomach, priapism (erection, painful, that persists), sudden cardiac arrest, and death (which are very rare and due to undiagnosed and untreated heart disease). The differences: temporary change in vision and flushing are more in Viagra and Levitra. Backpain and muscle aches are more with Cialis. Alcoholic beverage reacts more with Cialis, leading to dizziness, less with Viagra and Levitra. But, as Shakespeare wrote: “Alcohol increases the desire but diminishes the performance.”

Warning Any of these three drugs for ED dangerously reacts with nitrates, medications that dilate (open up) coronary arteries used in the management of coronary heart disease. A person on a nitrate medication (like nitroglycerin, isordil, imdur, peritrate, nitrostat, nitroderm, nitrolingual, nitrobid, etc.) must NEVER take any of these three pills for ED, because the combination will lead to sudden severe drop in blood pressure, shock, and possibly death.

Consult your physician if erection does not subside in 4 hours, a condition called priapism, where the penis is so engorged causing pain, one that needs urgent medical care before the penis suffers irreversible damage.

Rare deaths The reported rare deaths associated with the use of any of these three pills for ED were suspected to be due to the inadvertent concomitant use of nitrates. New studies have shown that these PDE-5 inhibitors could also increase platelet clumping in diseased coronary arteries causing blood clots, and heart attack in some individuals.

All evidence-based clinical information around the world today show that these three PDE-5 inhibitors are efficacious and safe, when used according to standard medical recommendation and under the supervision of an attending physician. *** Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, a Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus based in Northwest Indiana and Las Vegas, Nevada, is a medical lecturer/author, and Chairman of the Filipino United Network-USA, a 501(c)3 humanitarian foundation in the United States. Websites: FUN8888.com, philipSchua.com Email: scalpelpen@gmail.com

Positive energies beget positive energies

Life Coaching in a Different Perspective STARGAZER MAYBE a number of people have noticed that I focus on clearing negative energies.

I personally push people to become more positive and not dwell on things that can not be resolved in an instant. I encourage people to smile and laugh, to dream and aspire for things they can achieve.

Clearing is not merely doing it on a more physical level. We also clear what is INSIDE of us.

We fix the way we think, move and talk. We sweep the cobwebs of our inner being and let HUMILITY come in.

When I clear places and homes, I also clear mindsets. What doesn’t work anymore will have to go and changes must be adapted.

To get there is to not exercise too much AGGRESSION. But to get to where you are going, you must learn to work WITH people and not plot against them.

You do not talk ill but rather uplift them.

What do we get from aggression? Maybe we get ahead of the others by being intimidating. We succeed by force or strong character. But what do we get out of this? Along the way we step on people, hurt them or intimidate them. In return, people hurl ill feelings towards us and we become recipients of negative energies.

These negative energies then thicken around our aura, making it dense and full of repulsive energies. Having such a dark and negative aura, we tend to magnet negative energies too.

This is when businesses experience failures, plans get delayed, and disharmony and blessings get blocked from entering our

lives.

I have seen many businessmen and individuals succumb to the negative energies. Businessman A was a very wealthy and successful man when one day he came to me after bad luck came one after the other.

He has sought the help of a feng shui, astrologer and a tarot card reader but to no avail.

I looked at his aura and noticed so many spikes coming from the outside (meaning other people) cover his entire auric field. No wonder no matter what he does, his plans fail. People were angry at him and to the extent cursing him.

Why did people curse him?

He was often angry, irritable

whether he was being HEXED. I told him that one need not be a sorcerer of a “mangkukulam” to do harm to others. Negative thoughts and ill-wishing, when compounded, are enough to make someone fall ill or misfortune to happen on the person.

It is called COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS. When thoughts and feelings are combined, energies become stronger.

After a lengthy explanation, I recommended a clearing of the aura, his office space and home.

And we did it on an ideal day for clearing or cleansing.

To date, businessman A has recovered from his losses and has improved immensely his dealings with clients and employees. He has also become more sensitive to the law of karma or cause and effect. He has shunned away from cursing and instead practiced mindfulness.

Positive energies beget positive results, indeed. and impatient. He scoffed at For inquiries on negativity people and humiliated them clearing, please email stargazwhen they make mistakes. He erphils@gmail.com never paid the right wages and *** even avoided paying their benStargazer is a life coach, aura reader, efits. In short, he was not fair to psychic/clairvoyant, and lecturer on the his people. paranormal. She uses the aura, energies His employees held on to & vibrations as focal points of her psychic their jobs because they had no readings. Using several techniques choice. Some employees had no involving the psychological, spiritual, opportunities outside the firm paranormal and her own experience of the and served him for at least 10 intricacies of life, Stargazer makes one years. They simply were there get in touch with his inner and understand for the money. There was ram- life in a positive manner. Faith in God and pant stealing/pilferage in the belief in self is what Stargazer emphasizes factory. People were dishonest on. Currently, Stargazer is a radio anchor of and lazy. Everything was in DZMM Teleradyo, the radio arm of ABS-CBN. disarray. And Businessman A Her show “Pinoy Vibes” has been airing was losing money faster than every Sunday morning since Sept. 2007. he was earning it.

She can be reached at stargazerphils@ When I told him about the en- gmail.com. For more information, please ergies that got to him, he asked visit http://stargazer.ph/.

“Having such a dark and negative aura, we tend to magnet negative energies too. This is when businesses experience failures, plans get delayed, and disharmony and blessings get blocked from entering our lives.”

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LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • JANUARy 19-22, 2019

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Fil-Am Chamber of Commerce of Greater Los Angeles gets overwhelming support from business community during gala fundraiser A GLAMOROUS crowd attended the Hollywood-themed night of the Filipino American Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles (FACCGLA) last January 5 at the Marriot Burbank Airport.

The ballroom was elegantly set-up in black, red and gold to welcome Fil-Am business luminaries.

President Ellen Samson and President Emeritus/ Treasurer Gerry Palon welcomed nearly 200 guests to the Gala. FACCGLA, being a very active chamber in terms of networking and educational events, proved its reach by this year’s attendance.

The dynamic Chamber welcomed two new members to its board—Atty. Jay Tiuleco and Fiona Hilario, known for the LayBare Franchise which has over 100 branches.

Also inducted that evening was Annie Nepomuceno, to currently serve as Vice President for Marketing. She was also named President Elect, to be inducted to serve as President for 2020-2022.

One of the evening’s highlights was Entrepreneur of the Year Awards given to Sonia Bermejo, publisher and executive editor of Manila Up! Magazine, and Grace Paulino.

The Special Awardee as Champion of Diversity and the Underserved was Faith Bautista, President and CEO of the Na-

Various Chambers represented Jeffrey Bautista (OC), Gerry Palon (GLA), Merwynn Montenegro (Tr-County), Lois Klavir (GLA), Councilmember Jim Dear, Ellen Samson (GLA), Janice Jimenez (South Bay), Will Peetoom (San Diego), Fred Docdocil (South Bay) and Neil Estrada (OC).

FACCGLA Board and Officers: (left to right) Fiona Hilario, Doreen Remo, Connie Mapue (Secretary), Annie Nepomuceno (VP-Marketing), Lois Klavir (VP-Membership), Gemma Bergstrom, Vivian Lim, Ellen Samson (President), Mary Trinidad, Angelo Varsobia (VP-Events), Gerry Palon (President Emeritus-Treasurer), Atty. Jay Tiuleco, Evangeline Tabberrah and Roy Tabberrah.

tional Asian American Coalition (NAAC) and CEO of the National Diversity Coalition (NDC). Her valiant efforts in reaching to communities that have traditionally been left out of homeownership, small business and financial literacy have inspired FACCGLA. Her motivational speech urging Fil-Ams to give more value to themselves and break into the mainstream was the highlight of the night.

Los Angeles City Board of Public Works Commissioner Joel Jacinto and Philippine Consul General Adelio Cruz helped present these awards,

Swearing in of new Board Members Fiona Hilario, Atty. Jay Tiuleco and VP for Marketing Annie Nepomuceno

President Emeritus Gerry Palon, President Ellen Samson, Special Awardee Faith Bautista, Consul General Adelio Cruz, and Commissioner Joel Jacinto.

Guests dancing the night away

including a Loyalty Award to longtime Board Members Roy and Evangeline Tabberrah, and to Honorary Consul Ethel Mercado of Texas.

A wide scope of SoCal Chambers and industries were represented, all who enjoyed Old Hollywood songs by April Walsh, dances by Estefano Suazo and Erica Lawless, raffle prizes from esteemed sponsors, table exhibits, and lots of dancing!

The Gala was coordinated by the hardworking FACCGLA Board Members and Officers: President Ellen Samson, Vice

Cora Soriano, Trinity Foliente, Faith Baustista, Catherine Cruz and Elena Salonga

President Lois Klavir, former Vice President Angelo Varsobia, Vice President Annie Nepomuceno, Treasurer and President Emeritus Gerry Palon, Secretary Connie Mapue, Board Members Doreen Remo, Gemma Bergstrom, Mary Trinidad, Vivian Lim, Roy Tabberrah, Evangeline Tabberrah, Fiona Hilario, and Atty. Jay Tiuleco. Event support

by Music Arts Events Inc. FACCGLA is a proud founding member of the Coalition of Filipino American Chambers of Commerce (COFACC). To learn more, please visit www.faccgla. FACCGLA President Ellen Samson org. addresses the guests

President Emeritus Gerry Palon (far left) and President Ellen Samson (far right) present the Loyalty Award to Evangeline and Roy Tabberrah (center)

B January 19-22, 2019 • La WEEKEnD aSIan JOurnaL

Features

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LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • JANUARY 19-22, 2019

COMMUNITY Journal

Your Immigration Solution Atty. deVin connolly PRESIDENT Donald Trump addressed the nation from the oval office last week to discuss the current government shutdown and his request for a wall along the country’s southern border. He said there is a crisis along our border that can only be solved by a physical barrier.

Democrats disagree, saying that funding a border wall would be a colossal waste of money. Caught in the middle are immigrants and federal workers who are missing paychecks as a result of the partial government shutdown.

Is there really a crisis? Are Democrats being unreasonable? These are the questions that millions of Americans are asking themselves as they try to make sense of this shutdown.

Federal workers who are being forced to work without pay are getting a lot of attention, and rightfully so, as they are required to show up for work and they have no idea when they will receive their next paycheck.

So unless they have a sufficient amount of savings, they are unsure if they are going to be able to pay their mortgage, put gas in their car, pay for medications, etc.

Another group of people who are left with uncertain futures are immigrants. Since immigration courts are closed due to the shutdown, when is their next deportation hearing?

Would Trump be willing to exchange permanent resident status (and a path to citizenship) for the Dreamers in exchange for funding for his wall? Will this shutdown finally lead to comprehensive immigration reform? So many questions, so few answers.

But what is known though is that, despite all the uncertainty, there are options that exist today for immigrants.

The starting point should be to meet with an experienced immigration attorney to discuss your options. One likely goal for the

C

President Trump addresses Stock market benchmark indices the nation about border wall Tax

majority of people is to obtain work authorization. Not only does a work permit, officially referred to as an Employment Authorization Document, allow a person to be lawfully employed in the U.S., but it also carries with it many other benefits.

These benefits include obtaining a social security number, a Driver’s License, etc.

Unfortunately, not everybody is eligible for a work permit. Eligibility for a work permit usually accompanies a pending application for a different immigration benefit. For instance, when a person files an application for asylum based on their fear of re-

“Eligibility for a work permit usually accompanies a pending application for a different immigration benefit. For instance, when a person files an application for asylum based on their fear of returning to their native country, they may be entitled to a work permit while their application is pending.� turning to their native country, they may be entitled to a work permit while their application is pending. This need to file a separate application so that they may obtain work authorization can be very tempting. After all, the work authorization can be relatively immediate, whereas any negative immigration consequences will not be for years . . . or so people mistakenly think.

The truth is that filing an application for immigration benefits so that you become eligible for a work permit can have disastrous immigration consequences, including being ordered deported.

Nothing is free; make sure you ask your immigration attorney about the risks.

While work permits are great, green cards (permanent resident

status) are even better! There are so many different ways to get a green card, some of which are not widely known. We all know that marrying a U.S. citizen can lead to a green card, as can being petitioned by an employer.

But most people are not aware of the many lesser-known ways of being eligible for permanent resident status. For example, did you know that a person could be eligible for a green card if they have been the victim of a crime and have cooperated with law enforcement? Or that a person could be eligible for a green card based on the hardship that a family member would suffer if they were forced to return to their native country. In short, an expert may be able to identify a way for you to obtain a green card when you did not know that such a way existed.

The reality is that it is a very difficult time for undocumented immigrants in the United States, especially when you consider that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is regularly conducting raids and deporting people. But doing nothing is not the answer - your problem is not going to go away. With a new year upon us, now is the perfect time to revisit your immigration case. Consult a knowledgeable and experienced immigration attorney today and ask what options are available to you. *** REEVES IMMIGRATION LAW GROUP is one of the oldest, largest and most experienced immigration fi rms in the United States with offi ces in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Manila and China.

For more Information please call (800) 795- 8009 or visit www.rreeves.com.

Telephone: (800) 795-8009 E-mail: immigration@rreeves.com Website: www.rreeves.com. *** The analysis and suggestions offered in this column do not create a lawyer-client relationship and are not a substitute for the personalized representation that is essential to every case.

(Advertising Supplement)

IF you plan to trade stocks, it helps to get an understanding of basic terms that are mentioned frequently on TV, radio, and social media.

There are three major indices: • Dow Jones Industrial Average • S&P 500 • Nasdaq Composite 1. Dow Jones Industrial Average is the oldest index, dating back to 1896. It tracks the movement of 30 large public US companies. It represents “large-capâ€? (very big companies) like Johnson & Johnson, McDonalds and Coca-Cola. Although the companies within the Dow Jones represent only about 25 percent of all stocks, the DJIA is widely accepted as the leading indicator of market health.

Today, the index is not really as industrial as it used to be.

Many of the companies included in the index such as Goldman Sachs, Visa, or McDonald’s focus their business in other categories such as finance or consumer goods.

The Dow is popular because companies in this index represent a huge chunk of the U.S. economy. While there are thou-

The Prophetic Voice reVerend rodel G. BAlAGtAS SHOWING a deep concern for the newly married couple in Cana, Mary told Jesus, “They have no wine.� Jesus responded, “Woman, how does your concern affect me. My hour has not yet come.� Mary was confident that Jesus would do something about this lack. So she instructed the waiters, saying, “Do whatever he tells you.� Then Jesus did the spectacular miracle of transforming six jars of water into precious wine.

The dialogue between Mary and Jesus strikes me. Jesus addressed Mary as “woman� instead of mother. What could be

Tips

Victor Sy, cPA, MBA

sands of publicly traded companies, these big firms are large enough to represent all other large caps.

Companies listed in Dow Jones Industrial Average include Exxon, Home Depot, Dow DuPont, Johnson & Johnson, and Procter & Gamble.

2. S&P 500 is composed of 500 large companies. Founded in 1923, it is now considered one of the best overall indicators of the US stock market. “S&P� stands for “Standards and Poor’s,� the name of a market research firm.

Companies listed with S&P 500 include Apple, Amazon, Alphabet, Berkshire Hathaway and Boeing.

3. Nasdaq Composite represents 3,000+ technology and high-growth companies. Founded in 1971, the Nasdaq Compos-

ite has grown popular because it’s commonly accepted as an indicator of tech-sector and innovative companies. Listed companies include Adobe, Altaba, Cisco, and Microsoft.

We also have The Russell 2000 that tracks 2,000 of the smallest players in the stock market. You can also check out its sister index, the Russell 3000 that tracks larger, more representative snapshot of the tech sector. *** Victor Santos Sy graduated Cum Laude from UE with a BBA and from Indiana State University with an MBA. Vic worked with SyCip, Gorres, Velayo (SGV - Andersen Consulting) and Ernst & Young before establishing Sy Accountancy Corporation in Pasadena, California. *** He has 50 years of experience in defending taxpayers audited by the IRS, FTB, EDD, BOE and other governmental agencies. He is publishing a book on his expertise - “HOW TO AVOID OR SURVIVE IRS AUDITS.� Our readers may inquire about the book or email tax questions at vicsy@live.com.

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Mary of humanity, Mary of the poor the reason for John’s Gospel to write it this way?

Fr. Ronald Rolheiser suggests an answer. Mary of the Scriptures is not only Jesus’ mother.

She is the Mother of humanity.

She sees the needs of humanity and presents them to Jesus.

Mary understands poverty and human suffering. For she too was poor. She too suffered greatly, especially at seeing Jesus rejected and mocked by his own people, crucified and killed on the cross.

Her succeeding apparitions in the history of the Church also showed her solidarity with the poor and those who suffer. We see it in her apparitions in Fatima, Lourdes, and Tepeyac. Fr.

Ron Rolheiser refers to the observation of the great contemporary theologian to indicate this attribute of Mary: “Karl Rahner once pointed out that when you look at all the apparitions of Mary that have been officially approved by the church you will notice that she has always appeared to a poor person—a child, an illiterate peasant, a group of children, someone without social standing. She’s never appeared to a theologian in his study, to a pope, or to a millionaire banker.

She’s always been the person to whom the poor look. Marian devotion is a mysticism of poor.�

(Source: liturgy.slu.edu)

u PAGE C3

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C JANUARY 19-22, 2019 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

Five benefits of establishing a revocable living trust

Barrister’s Corner Atty. Kenneth UrsUA reyes THERE is never the perfect time to think about who you would like to inherit from your estate in case you pass away or at least who among your closest friends (BFFs) and family members are even deserving of inheriting from your estate. In doing so, you should also think about which vehicle you plan to use in implementing your estate plan.

One of the best vehicle in implementing your estate plan is a revocable living trust. Five major benefits of establishing a revocable living trust are: Your estate can avoid the time, cost, and hassle of going through the probate court process.

If you pass away without a will (intestate) in California, one of your close family would have to file a petition in probate court to probate your estate.

Your estate will be divided and distributed according to the California probate code rules of intestate succession.

Even if you have a will when you pass away, your family would still need to file a petition in probate court if your estate is worth over $150,000 and go through the probate process. This can become a circus if certain beneficiaries contest the validity of the Will or the distribution of the estate. Your estate will pay for attorney’s fees, probate referee fees, appraisers and other experts, CPA fees, etc. If people contest the case, your estate would end up paying legal fees to defend the estate in litigation.

The entire process can take anywhere from 9 months to years depending on the contentiousness of the probate case.

With a revocable living trust, your trustee or successor trustee if you were the initial trustee, would administer the trust and distribute the estate according to the trust document without having to open a probate court case.

If the trust is funded with all your assets, it is possible to administer and distribute the trust assets without any Court involvement at all. This process is a lot faster than going through probate.

Your estate is not public record When you file a probate case, the public has access to your probate case file. The public will know the assets of the estate including the values of those assets. If the Will is admitted into probate, the terms of the Will is open to public scrutiny.

Establishing a revocable living trust makes your estate affairs private. Strangers do not have access to the terms of your living trust. Only certain beneficiaries and possible heirs can request a copy of the revocable living trust after you pass away.

carries tax advantage and asset protection.

You can choose who will administer your estate after your death When you establish a revocable trust, you can appoint someone else as trustee or you can appoint a successor trustee if you are the initial trustee. The trustee will be administering (managing) the trust after you pass away without a need to open a probate court case. This allows for continuity in operating the trust and the efficient and cost effective distribution of estate assets. If you are concerned about whether you can trust any family members as your trustee, you can appoint an institution as a professional trustee to carry out the terms of the declaration of trust. These type of trustee services are often offered by banks, financial institutions, wealth management firms, and business management firms for a reasonable fee. This minimizes conflicts within the family and prevents negligence and wrong doing by inexperienced family members. *** 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)

“ With a revocable living trust, your trustee or successor trustee if you were the initial trustee, would administer the trust and distribute the estate according to the trust document without having to open a probate court case.”

You can dictate who will inherit from your estate.

If you pass away without a Will, your estate will be divided and distributed in Probate Court following the rules of intestate succession in the California probate code. Certain relatives will be entitled to a share of your estate even if you feel they are not deserving. By establishing a revocable living trust, you can designate who you want to inherit from your estate. You can designate what and how much each one will received from your estate after you pass away. The assets distributed to each beneficiaries does not have to be equal.

The people you designate as beneficiaries of your living trust does not even have to be close family members. You can designate anyone as a beneficiary, with certain exceptions, of your estate.

You can structure your estate to minimize estate taxes If your estate is valued above the estate tax exemption, establishing a trust can allow you to divide up your estate into smaller sub trusts to minimize the overall estate tax effect on your estate. It allows you to set up a vehicle for certain charitable giving which

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Debt Relief

Prospective client refuses to face reality of debt problems

has a judgment against him for $33,000. He believes he only owes $13,000.

ONCE in a while, there will be a In any event, I told him that he prospective client who will come could have the judgment set see me to argue against himself. aside if he was never served, I say the client argues against and then he can file an answer himself because he has decided that says he only owes $13,000. not to face the reality of his debt However, I told him to attend the debtor examination because if problems.

First, the client already has he doesn’t attend that he will be two judgments against him. One in contempt of a court order and judgment is for $33,000, and can get sent to jail for contempt.

Another way is just to file another is for $8,000. I ask him if he has judgment liens on his bankruptcy, in his case a Chapter house. He says that the $8,000 13 because he owns a house with has a lien on his house, but as far as he knows, the $33,000 doesn’t have a lien on his house yet because creditor lawyer has sent him a notice of judgment creditor examination at the end of this month.

A judgment creditor examination is a hearing where the client has to go to court and creditor attorney cross-examines him on the whereabouts of his assets so that creditor can enforce the judgment against those assets to take those assets to satisfy the judgment.

Second, the client explains to me rather emotionally that the judgment for $33,000 is for a commercial lease that he did not pay years ago when he had a business. However, he says that he only owed $13,000 of unpaid rent, so he does not agree that he owes $33,000. I said what’s the difference?

The judgment is already against you for $33,000. If you believe you only owe $13,000, why did you not file an equity that is about $100,000 beanswer that says you only owe yond his homestead exemption.

If the Chapter 13 case is filed $13,000?

Well, he says that he was nev- before the date for the debtor er served by summons and com- examination, then he does not plaint. I asked him why is that? have to appear for the examinaHe says that he was out of the tion anymore because the bankcountry when they claim to have ruptcy filing will stop the debtor served him. He said he was out exam from proceeding because of the country for a week when of the automatic stay order of the he says he was served, pointing bankruptcy court which stops all to me the date on the summons. collection efforts by creditors.

So here comes the next arI said that’s not the service date on you; that is the filing date of gument. He is worried that the the complaint. So he says they bankruptcy will affect his credit also claim that they sent the score. I said with two judgments summons and complaint to a against you, your credit score P.O. box address. So, you can right now is probably 400 or besee that he’s arguing his case low. But with Chapter 13 bankto me despite the fact that he ruptcy, your credit score will be

Atty. LAwrence yAng

perfect again on year 7. The client is still young, only late 40s.

He thinks he’s old. No, I said, you’re just a baby. When you become 55, with Chapter 13, you may have perfect credit again.

He said he wants to negotiate with the creditor to lessen the $33,000 since he believes he only owes them $13,000. I said even if you owe them $13,000, plus interest for years unpaid at 10 percent p.a. plus attorney fees and penalties, you’re really looking at $33,000 and that $33,000 is increasing at 10% p.a. legal interest. If you don’t pay that, the creditor can foreclose on your house eventually. Why assume this kind of risk, losing your house to this judgment, when you can handle this through Chapter 13, which protects your house from foreclosure by this creditor? Even the $8,000 creditor that already has the lien on your house can foreclose on your house.

Do you really want this to happen?

There are clients like this who are headstrong in the wrong way and insist on their own kind of justice that has no basis in reality.

They’re living in a fantasy world.

Bankruptcy law exists to protect you and your assets from debt and creditor enforcement to collect what you owe them. Use bankruptcy law against your creditors and either start fresh with no debt with Chapter 7, or reorganize and protect your house using Chapter 13. Don’t hide your head in the sand and pretend that everything is good; when the reality is that your financial situation is truly a mess.

If you need debt relief, please set an appointment to see me. I will analyze your case personally. ***

“ There are clients like this who are headstrong in the wrong way and insist on their own kind of justice that has no basis in reality. They’re living in a f antasy world. Bankruptcy law exists to protect you and your assets from debt and creditor enforcement to collect what you owe them. Use bankruptcy law against your creditors and either start fresh with no debt with Chapter 7, or reorganize and protect your house using Chapter 13.”

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.

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Employer’s attorney who reported undocumented worker to ICE maybe liable for retaliation LAST year, we wrote about an undocumented immigrant and the employer’s attorney who tried to get him deported.

José Arias, the undocumented immigrant, worked as a milker for Angelo Dairy. He had wanted to accept a job offer with another dairy company but his employer threatened to report to federal immigration authorities if he left.

Arias later sued Angelo Dairy in California state court in a class action for failing to provide overtime pay and rest and meal periods. Before the state court trial, the employer’s attorney, Anthony Raimondo, contacted the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) to take Arias into custody at a scheduled deposition and then to deport him. (Apparently, Raimondo had a pattern and practice of contacting ICE when his employer clients were sued by undocumented employees so that ICE could deport these employees.)

Arias came to know of these plans. Fearing that he would be deported and separated from his family, Arias suffered anxiety and emotional distress. One month before trial, Arias entered into a settlement with the employer due in large part to the threat of deportation.

Arias later sued his former employers’ attorney (Raimondo), in federal court for violating the Fair Labor Standards Act’s (“FLSA”) prohibition on retaliation. The attorney asked the court that the case against him be dismissed because he was never Arias’ employer.

gal representative.” Therefore, the attorney, Raimondo, may Protecting become liable for economic Employee damages in this retaliation claim. & Consumer Aside from federal law, CaliRights fornia also makes it unlawful for an employer to engage in ATTY. C. JOE SAYAS, JR. unfair immigration-related practices against any employee The trial court agreed with Rai- in order to retaliate against the mondo and dismissed the case employee. “Unfair immigration-related practice” means against him. Arias appealed.

The Court of Appeal had to any conduct undertaken for answer this question: Can an the retaliatory reasons such employer’s attorney be held li- as threatening to file or filing able for retaliating against his a false police report, or threatening to contact or contacting immigration authorities, among others.

California specifically prohibits employers’ attorneys from reporting or threatening to report suspected immigration status of employees or their witnesses (or family members) simply because these persons exercised their employment rights.

In Arias’ case, Raimondo was eventually compelled to settle his case for $1 million, thus avoiding trial.

“ Arias came to know of these plans. Fearing that he would be deported and separated from his family, Arias suffered anxiety and emotional distress.

One month before trial, Arias entered into a settlement with the employer due in large part to the threat of deportation.” client’s employee because the employee sued his client for violations of workplace laws?

Under the FLSA, it is unlawful for any person to discharge or discriminate against any employee because such employee has filed any complaint related to their labor rights. The FLSA also defines “employer” to include “any person acting directly or indirectly in the interest of an employer.”

The appellate court concluded that the FLSA’s anti-retaliation provision applies to “any person,” which would include a “le-

*** The Law Offices of C. Joe Sayas, Jr. welcomes inquiries about this topic. All inquiries are confidential and at no-cost.

You can contact the office at (818) 2910088 or visit www.joesayaslaw.com or our Facebook page Joe Sayas Law. [C. Joe Sayas, Jr., Esq. is an experienced trial attorney who has successfully recovered wages and other monetary damages for thousands of employees and consumers. He was named Top Labor & Employment Attorney in California by the Daily Journal, consistently selected as Super Lawyer by the Los Angeles Magazine, and is the recipient of PABA’s Community Champion Award for 2016.]

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People and Events

Paco Catholic School Class of 1969 celebrates its 50th anniversary AND so the story goes: “Once upon a time, there was this spitfire class of sixty-niners in a quaint, old place called Paco…”

Celebrating the 50th anniversary is the gold standard in most human achievements. This is why the Paco Catholic School Class of 1969 Steering Committee, headed by Ramon Mojica, is pulling out all the stops in celebrating this milestone year.

If you are part of this group wherever you may be, mark these dates on your calendar. Be there or be square. Do what you need to do to be part of this event. You will pass this way but once.

• Saturday, February 09, 2019 – Kick off event: 9 a.m. Mass/ Recollection to 12 p.m. Fr. Sonny de Claro, Pandacan Parish priest will officiate the mass.

• Monday, February 11, 2019 – Welcome Party at the Manila Polo Club from 6 to 10 p.m. Noel Onate had a lot to do with the choice of this venue.

• Wednesday and Thursday, February 13 & 14, 2019 – Overnight Stay at Graceland Resort in Tayabas, Quezon Province.

• Saturday, February 16, 2019 – Gala Night at Sofitel, 6 p.m. to 12 midnight with the FBC Rebirth Band providing live music. Former high school teachers and a principal were invited.

A little bit of a backstory about the school is in order.

In 1912, Paco Catholic School was founded by the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (the acronym CICM is based on its Latin name). These were a group of European Roman Catholic missionary priests and nuns, mostly Belgians, Austrians and Germans steeped in Christian values and inflamed with the zeal of spreading the word of God in many nations at the time. Fortunately, one of these nations was the Philippines. It was from a deep sense of Noblesse Oblige, French for “Nobility obligates.”

It was the era of personal sacrifice to do the missionary work of Jesus Christ. These religious men and women heeded God’s call, left their families and homeland and sailed the seas to bring good, solid, affordable Catholic education to many students in and around the neighboring districts of Manila. Just to give 1912 a historical perspective, it was the year that the Titanic sank in the Atlantic Ocean and the dark clouds of World War I were gathering in the horizon. That war occurred a short five years later.

Paconians owe a world of gratitude to Fr. Godofredo Aldenhuijsen, Fr. Prosper, Fr. Joseph, Fr. Smits, Mother Johanna, Sister Theophane, Sister Joza (pardon any misspellings, it was a long time ago) and a host of other reli-

gious men and women, to whom God must have said when they passed and went on the express route to heaven, “Well done, you good and faithful servants.”

Father Godo who did the rounds of all the classrooms giving out white, green, yellow and pink merit cards for the deserving after every grading period instilled in Paconians a deep striving for excellence in whatever they do.

Today, Paco Catholic School (PCS) is considered a highly reputable, parochial school with a long and steady history of providing valuable Catholic education from Kindergarten to High School — just as the founders envisioned it. For many graduates over the next decades, what they got was rare and foundational and without a doubt, a definite advantage to live humble and meaningful lives.

Of particular note is Fr. Tony Tanchoco who passed last year after an illness. Sister Anna Maria Cinco of Hijas de Jesus has been God’s tool in the canonization of a recent saint, Mother Candida, and continues to shine as a beacon of faith in her quiet ways. Her proficiency in Spanish and Italian is awesome.

To the eternal credit of the school’s founding pioneers along with highly qualified, dedicated, teachers, the Paconian influence, through the years, have struck deep making Catholic character formation a powerful work in progress honing God-given talents and shaping lives, its influence going far and wide in parts of the world wherever a Paconian lives his or her life.

The success of any event is rooted in intensely detailed preparatory grunt work while never losing focus on the goal. Planning for the 50th reunion started a year ago but picked up speed and intensity sometime July 2018 as the core group shepherded activities to shape the event and nail down the details while overcoming personal differences and fending off unintended glitches and curveballs.

Yet, half the fun of any adventure is getting there. So while laser-focused on the goal to pull off a memorable event for the books, they also had a ton of fun getting together for the meetings and learning from each other in the process. By and large, for the committee, it must have been a rewarding if mixed experience, still a ride worth taking.

The Steering Committee members, all of whom have been working tirelessly in a voluntary capacity, deserves a big round of applause, gratitude and recognition. Mon Mojica serves as the Grand Kahuna Coordinator

overseeing various committees.

The Production Committee is headed by Butch Quizon and assisted by Marilyn Santos Lintag.

Mon De los Reyes headed the Venues Committee with Leonora Pechardo Gonzales assisting.

The Promotions Committee was headed by Marco Ibanez assisted

by Agnes Yabyabin Ponce. Alice Santiago Sanchez and Melen Siochi Caraballo have taken charge of the Yearbook Committee. The all-important Finance Committee is headed by Mon Mojica and assisted by Nanette Santos Villanueva and Melen Siochi Caraballo.

We stand on the shoulders of others, more so when we achieve something of real value. Special mention goes to Linda Gonzales del Villar who graciously hosted the initial meetings at her place in Makati.

There is the invaluable support from Noel Onate once again.

There is Cora Arroyo de Vera whose early, gargantuan efforts to gather information about every member of this class everywhere around the world for the 25th anniversary and countless other mini-reunions continue to pay off. She had the tenacity of a pit bull. Cora did so even before the advent of the Information Age and before Google ever came to be. She was the glue then and deserves emeritus level of recognition.

This is, by no means, an exhaustive listing and any missing shout outs for due recognition is inadvertent. My deep apologies …

There were active contributors to the Facebook page which kept the excitement simmering.

Most were silent lurkers but kept abreast of what was going on.

Generous monetary contributions to the pot were sent and all accounted for.

Tempus fugit. Time flies indeed. Through all these months, the fires were stoked and kept burning brightly. Time will hover (oh so) briefly on those few days in February next month, from the 9th to the 16th, when everything comes to a head and many, if not all, will be able to see each other face to face, even share a laughter or two and spend wonderful, precious time together.

With this milestone event, the PCS High School Class of 1969 will be given that rare chance to conjure, like magic, delicious, sparkling memories once more.

This time perhaps, many will do so with even greater feeling and a heightened sense of gratitude, even saying quietly to themselves, “By God, we made it! Salamat po.”

And so I will say it again: BE THERE OR BE SQUARE. (Written

by Monette Adeva Maglaya)

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • JANUARY 19-22, 2019

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Maximizing recovery in personal injury cases DEAR Attorney Tan, I was driving home and was at a complete stop when another driver rear ended my car. I was not feeling well after the accident, as my back seemed very tight and stiff. I took some days off from work.

After a week, I contacted the other driver’s insurance to report the claim. The insurance adjuster for the other driver said they would fix my car, and offered me $500.00 for my injuries. Is that enough? I do not know where to go from here. –K.K. Dear K.K., The first step is to make sure that any injuries that you have suffered in the accident are examined and treated. You can recover treatment costs since they are considered “economic damages” that you suffered due to the accident.

You can also recover for time away from work as “economic damages,” even if you used paid time off or sick leave.

The term “economic damages” means “objectively verifiable monetary losses including medical expenses, loss of earnings, burial costs, loss of use of property, costs of repair or replacement, costs of obtaining substitute domestic services, loss of employment and loss of business or employment opportunities.” Civil Code Section 1431.2(b)(1). A person’s claim for economic damages apart from medical expenses are often overlooked and not pursued by persons who settle their accident cases on their own, or with the assistance of inexperienced

Legal Advice ATTY. DARRICK TAN counsel.

Loss of earnings are often a significant part of an injured person’s claim for economic damages. Damages are recoverable for both past and future lost earnings. To recover for past lost earnings, a person must prove the amount of income or earnings that he/she has lost to date. To recover damages for future earnings, a person must prove the amount of income or earnings that he/ she will be reasonably certain to lose in the future as a result of the injury. CACI No. 3903C. How are past lost earnings proven?

Medical records, which show the doctor authorizing a release from work or giving instructions to restrict work activities, can support the time taken off from work due to the injury. For those self-employed, medical providers typically do not provide a release from work; however, medical records should record work restrictions placed by the medical provider.

After showing that the time off was justified, the next step is to value the lost earnings. A letter from a person’s employer that outlines the amount of time that one has lost as a result of his/her injury, the loss of benefits, and the rate of pay during

the time of loss is evidence of the value of one’s loss of earnings claim. Other supporting documents include pay stubs, time cards, and tax returns.

The monetary value of sick leave and vacation time that are used due to the injury are also recoverable. For those self-employed, earnings history as reflected by tax returns and profit and loss statements can help prove the value of lost earnings. Similar supporting documentation must be presented for future lost earnings.

Apart from economic damages, you can recover “general damages,” which are damages for the pain, suffering, and inconvenience due to the accident.

If you were suffered injury in an auto accident or someone’s premises, please contact our office to discuss your case.

To maximize monetary recovery, it is important to have the assistance of an experienced attorney in presenting your personal injury claim. *** Darrick V. Tan, Esq. is admitted to practice law in California and Nevada. Mr. Tan is a graduate of UCLA and Southwestern University School of Law. He is a member of the Consumers Attorney Association of Los Angeles and is a former member of the Board of Governors of the Philipp ine American Bar Association. *** LAW OFFICES OF DARRICK V. TAN, 3580 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 900, Los Angeles, CA 90010. Tel: (323) 639-0277.

Email: info@dtanlaw.com.

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Mary of humanity, Mary of the poor PAGE C2 t In remembering this attribute of Mary, our devotion to her deepens and matures. It goes beyond piety and affection. She becomes for us a model of compassion, care, and service for fellow human beings.

She’s an example of an advocate for those in need.

Let Mary’s concern for others affects us. Let the jars of our hearts be filled with love, generosity, mercy and care for our fellow

human beings. Where there is a need, let’s find ways to respond to it. Where there are anxiety and sorrow, let us be channels of peace and joy. Where there is a lack of faith in God, let’s proclaim the varied ways on how our relationship with Jesus has transformed us and brought joy, fulfillment, and meaning to our lives. *** From a Filipino immigrant family, Reverend Rodel G. Balagtas was ordained to

the priesthood from St. John’s Seminary in 1991. He served as Associate Pastor at St. Augustine, Culver City (1991-1993); St. Martha, Valinda (1993-1999); and St. Joseph the Worker, Canoga Park (19912001). In 2001, he served as Administrator Pro Tem of St. John Neumann in Santa Maria, CA, until his appointment as pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary, Los Angeles, in 2002, which lasted 12 years. His term as Associate Director of Pastoral Field Education at St. John’s Seminary began in July 2014.

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Calendar of Events across

America

ADVERTISE YOUR EVENTS! PRE-EVENT AND POST EVENT GO DEEPER. GO WIDER. LET THE WORLD KNOW. CALL ASIAN JOURNAL: (818) 502-0651 DISPLAY AD SIZES AT SPECIAL RATES FOR NON-PROFIT GROUPS JA N UA RY 1 9

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.

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797

Property tax relief available for homes damaged by mudslides HOMEOWNERS whose property has been severely damaged by mudslides or flooding are eligible to apply for property tax relief. If a homeowner already filed a claim for damage caused by a recent fire, or another disaster, they will need to file a separate claim for any new damages.

If they qualify, affected homeowners will receive a reduction in the taxable value of their home to account for recent damage.

This remains in effect until the damage is repaired or the home is rebuilt. The minimum threshold for damage to a property is $10,000, and claims must be received within 12 months of the date of disaster. The claim form, titled Reassessment of Property

Photo courtesy of the LA County Assessor’s Office

Damaged or Destroyed by Misfortune and Calamity (M&C) is accessible at https://assessor.lacounty. gov/disaster-relief/.

“Unfortunately, homeowners that were affected by recent fires

are now at an even greater risk for mudslides. The Assessor’s Office is here to help, but we need homeowners to inform us by filing the Misfortune and Calamity form,” said Assessor Jeffrey Prang.

For updates on evacuations, advisories, and other resources from the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management, visit https://www.lacounty. gov/larain. For more information or questions regarding the Office of the Assessor, please call the Assessor’s Disaster Tax Relief Hotline at (213) 9748658, email helpdesk@assessor.lacounty.gov, or go online to https://assessor.lacounty.gov/disaster-relief/. ■

The Americana at Brand in Glendale, CA hosts Lunar New Year on Sunday, Jan. 27

JA N UA RY 1 9 -2 0

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.

JA N UA RY 27

“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/.

F E B R UA RY 2

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.

MAKING its 10th year, the highly-anticipated annual Lunar New Year celebration to kick-off the Year of the Pig will be held at The Americana at Brand in Glendale, CA on Sunday, January 29 from 2 to 5 p.m. Emceed by renowned DJ/TV host, Aaron Yang, the festivities will include an opening parade featuring the classic Dragon Dance, Lion Dance and traditional Chinese and Korean dances, along

with a high-energy performance from UCLA’s award-winning Kpop dance team, Koreos. Additional activities include face painting and dough figurine making for the whole family to enjoy.

In collaboration with KTOWN Night Market, the festivities will showcase Asian-inspired food and drink for purchase from specialty vendors including Belly Bombz, Cloud Food Creations, Momma

Fung & Co, and more. Guests will also have the opportunity to receive lucky red envelopes from the God of Wealth that contain cash and prizes.

Visit https://AmericanaAtBrand.com for a full list of specials and a complete schedule of events. Admission is FREE. The Green at The Americana at Brand is located at 889 Americana Way, Glendale, CA 91210). ■

‘Journey for Justice: The Life of Larry Itliong’ book launch and signing in LA

F E B R UA RY 9

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.

F E B R UA RY 1 5

Franchising Retail & Trade Conference in Cerritos, CA The Coalition of Filipino American Chambers of Commerce (COFACC) hosts this highly anticipated business event at the Cerritos Sheraton located at 12725 Center Court Drive South, Cerritos, CA 90703. Attendees will have access to opportunities in business match making & referrals, roundtable discussions, entrepreneurship training programs, and networking & business connections with participants representing both the United States and the Philippines. Business owners, entrepreneurs, corporations, and the general public are all invited to attend. The Philippine Retailer Association (PRA) and the Philippine Franchise Association (PFA) will be present to network with the US business community. Also present will be local franchisor and franchisee business owners, the U.S. Small Business Association (SBA), the National Asian American Coalition (NAAC), the National Diversity Coalition (NDC), the Asian Pacific Islander Small Business Program, the Philippine Consulate Los Angeles Office, Philippine Dept. of Trade & Industry (PTIC) Los Angeles, and the Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA).Basic entry is only $10 but can and will vary depending on the participation experience desired. Registration for the Conference is simple and is processed online at by going to https://cofacc.org.

MARCH 30

Philippine Medical Society of Northern California installation of officers in Foster City, CA The Philippine Medical Society of Northern California will hold its 47th anniversary and installation of officers for 2019-2021 at the Crowne Plaza in Foster City, CA on Saturday, March 30. For sponsorship information, please contact Dr. Clementina Manio at drtina0427@gmail. com or visit https://www.pmsnc.org/.

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Philippine Nurses Association of America - North Central Regional Conference in Columbus, Ohio The Philippine Nurses Association - Central Ohio will hold a regional conference from April 25 to 28 at the Embassy Suites (2886 Airport Drive, Columbus, Ohio). For more information, please visit http://www.mypnaa.org/.

J U LY 24 -28

40th annual Philippine Nurses Association of America National Convention in Atlanta, GA The Philippine Nurses Association of America (PNAA) will have its 40th annual national convention from July 24 to 28 at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis in Atlanta, GA, hosted by the PNA-GA chapter. More information and details TBA. To learn about the PNA-GA, please visit: https://pnaga.wildapricot.org/.

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

JOIN The Park’s Finest and Bridge and Delta Publishing for a Los Angeles Book launch and book signing of “Journey for Justice: The Life of Larry Itliong” on Sunday, January 27 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

This children’s book, written by the late and great historian Dawn Bohulano Mabalon, Ph.D. with

Gayle Romasanta, and richly illustrated by Andre Sibayan, tells the story of often forgotten United Farm Workers co-founder, Larry Itliong, his migration to the United States, and his lifelong fight for a farmworkers union. This is the first book written about Larry Itliong.

Co-author Gayle Romasanta will talk about the book writing pro-

cess with Dr. Mabalon, sign books and show rare video of Dr. Mabalon talking about the importance of Larry Itliong’s work. Books, merchandise and of course The Park’s Finest BBQ will be available for purchase.

The Park’s Finest is located at 1267 West Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026. ■

(818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797 • http://www.asianjournal.com

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • JANUARY 19-22, 2019

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APOGLA presents highest DPSS announces early issuance award, swears in new president of February CalFresh benefits MIKE Medina, a vascular therapist, was formally sworn in as president of Alpha Phi Omega Alumni (Philippines) of Greater Los Angeles (APOGLA) by outgoing president of Alpha Phi Omega of North America (ACNA) Irma H. Almazan at Marriott Hotel in Baldwin Park on Dec. 15, 2018.

In his acceptance speech, Mr. Medina told the audience of over 200 attendees, “I would like to thank our APOGLA members for their trust and confidence in electing me as their leader for 2019. I would also like to thank my family: wife Veronica, my daughters Jerelle and Celeste for their much-needed support in this journey. APOGLA is a family. I want you to know that I’m here to serve you to the best of my ability and to implement 100 % of our time-honored programs. I’ll continue to create a family atmosphere. I believe this will develop, evolve and move this organization forward with a strong membership base. I will listen to members and address their concerns. All we need is, to look forward and keep re-inventing ourselves. We’ll start fresh for an effective, transparent and ethical governance. I know this is a challenge but together, 2019 will be a success.”

2018 outgoing APOGLA President Casey Mansilla told the members, “Thank you for this opportunity to serve this great organization. I was humbled with all your support during my tenure.

We were able to achieve what we envisioned and never thought or dreamed that we could achieve them. We had fun and did a lot of service to our community.”

On the same occasion coinciding with the 38th anniversary of APOGLA and 93rd anniversary of APOUSA (founded on Dec. 16, 1925), APOGLA’s former president and board chairman, Dan E. Nino was awarded the Dr. Librado I Ureta award, the highest award that embodies the three tenets of the fraternity: Leadership, Friendship and Service. Mr. Nino was vetted and voted by past honorees. Dr. Ureta was the founder of Alpha Phi Omega (Philippines) that was first established at Far Eastern University and bears the first alphabet of the Greek letter Alpha.

In his emotional remarks, the surprised Mr. Nino said, “This is the best gift I ever received this

Dan E. Nino receiving the award from Doms Tunque, immediate past awardee and chairman of the 2018 LIU Awards Committee that vetted and voted for the recipient that exemplified fraternity’s three cardinal principles of leadership, friendship and service. Flanking Mr. Nino is his wife Myrna (to his left) and past honorees.

Photo courtesy of the Department of Public Social Services

LOS ANGELES — In an effort to ensure that the Country of Los Angeles’ most vulnerable residents receive their critical monthly CalFresh benefits without interruption, the Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) has been authorized to issue

February CalFresh benefit distribution to eligible households on January 16, 2019.

The early distribution of funds is not additional benefits, but an early issuance of the February CalFresh benefits. Households are urged to budget their benefits

accordingly to ensure that they have funds available to purchase food in the month of February.

CalFresh customers may contact the DPSS Customer Service Center at (866) 613-3777 for assistance and additional information. n

Cerritos Library presents ‘Chinese in the Philippines’

APOGLA incoming President Mike Medina (left) and outgoing President Casey Mansilla.

Christmas. Whoever nominated me for this special award, I’m forever grateful. Whoever voted for me, I’m eternally thankful. I hope, I deserve this honor. I am honored yet humbled. The beauty of our APOGLA is we highlight the positive in us. We bring out the best in people. We nurture them.”

He also waxed poetic when he said, “To whom much is given, much is expected.”

Then he quoted the heartfelt lyrics of singer Bette Midler’s song as a tribute to past awardees, “You are everything I’d like to be. You are the wind beneath my wings. I’ll be nothing without you.” He also dedicated the special award to his wife Myrna who

had to put up with his myriad activities as a freelance journalist, civic and community leader.

Mr. Nino, who pledged from Centro Escolar University (Psi) in 1970 and co-founded the Gamma Kappa chapter (Ateneo de Manila University) in 1973, joined APOGLA in 1983 and became its secretary-general in 1984. He consistently served APOGLA in various capacities.

APOGLA boasts of its various service projects like its involvement in L.A. Marathon, Heal The Bay, Blood Bank Donation, Operation Gratitude, Food Bank, sending of relief goods and Medical Mission in the Philippines, providing scholarship grants among others. n

SUSIE Ling, associate professor of history at Pasadena City College, explores “The Story of Tsinoys: Chinese in the Philippines” in the Cerritos Library Skyline Room on Thursday, January 31 at 7 p.m.

Ling’s discussion will cover the Chinese experience in the Philippines over the past several centuries.

Born in Taiwan, Ling’s family moved to Los Baños, Philippines in the 1960s. Her father worked for the International Rice Research Institute in Los Baños.

Ling, who graduated from International School in Makati (ISM) and earned a degree in Asian American studies from the University of California in Los Angeles, has focused much of her research on the San Gabriel ValPhoto courtesy of www.patch.com ley’s local history. She is an active member of the Chinese Historical The Cerritos Library is located more information, call (562) 916Society of Southern California. at 18025 Bloomfield Avenue. For 1342. n

A soul brother and a dear friend has gone ahead: The Benjie Lim I know

by Melandrew

T. Velasco

I

am lost for words to express my sadness on the passing of former Dagupan City mayor Benjie “BSL” Lim. my friendship with BSL goes way back to my Dagupan “Bangus” Jaycee days in the late 80s mentored by elders and dear friends like Tito meneses, Elmer Lorica, Paul Francis Co, the late Larry Cabuang and Oscar arcinue whose restaurant used to be the hub and meeting place of DBJ. I am lost for words to express my sadness on the passing of former Dagupan City mayor Benjie “BSL” Lim. my friendship with BSL goes way back to my Dagupan “Bangus” Jaycee days in the late 80s mentored by elders and dear friends like Tito meneses, Elmer Lorica, Paul Francis Co, the late Larry Cabuang and Oscar arcinue whose restaurant used to be the hub and meeting place of DBJ. Of course, BSL was the star of our club who went on to become Philippine JCI National President in 1990 (a feat duplicated by his son Brian Lim who became JCI Philippines NP in 2015 and as JCI World President in 2018). Together with another Dagupan Jaycee stalwart, then Vice mayor al Fernandez, the two combined forces to rally the people of Dagupan in the aftermath of the July 16, 1990 earthquake.

When Pangasinan’s FaVoRite son — Fidel Valdez Ramos — ran for president in 1992, Benjie Lim rallied our provincemates crafting the slogan “Cabalayen co. aroen co.

Natan Labat Pangasinan” while at t h e

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same time serving as provincial campaign manager. President Ramos appointed BSL as Duty Free Philippines (DFP) general manager. a seasoned and innovative marketing man, BSL steered DFP to world’s No. 4 and among the top revenue earners in the Ramos administration.

Unknown to many, I declined BSL’s offer four times to join him at Duty Free and I chose to stay in Dagupan and Pangasinan to work for mayor al Fernandez and then with then Provincial Police Director

Col. amado T. Espino Jr. who went on to become Congressman and Governor of Pangasinan.

During his stint at Duty Free, BSL occasionally invited me to dinner and karaoke in some watering holes in makati joined in by his fellow officials the likes of Emmy Bamba, Enchong Formoso, Tito meneses, among others.

It was in 1997 when BSL consulted me about his possible foray in politics.

I advised him to run for Congress in 1998, a post to be vacated by then House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. There were about eight congressional aspirants at that time with BSL lagging behind at the bottom in the survey. When he finally decided to run for Congress, I was part of the core group that managed his campaign working with Emmy Bamba, Raffy Baraan, Nestor Zabala, Jose Siy, among others. BSL won convincingly as he regaled the voters with his golden voice serenading them with his signature campaign song “Cuando, Cuando.”

In 2001, with JDV seeking his old post in

Congress, Dagupan leaders entered into a modus vivendi: JDV for Congress, BSL for city mayor and al Fernandez to DILG. Thus, LiFe was born or the LimFernandez tandem which I helped broker to include the entry of alvin Fernandez as BSL’s running mate.

The new 2019 LiFe version is the tandem of Vice mayor Brian Lim and alfie Fernandez. as an “outsider” not belonging to the established political clans in Dagupan, BSL shattered the glass ceiling in Dagupan politics and in the process, becoming the first Chinoy to be elected as city mayor. as Dagupan City mayor, BSL made a great impact starting off with a strategic planning among all stakeholders. I advised mBSL that we visit Dagupenos in america. at first, he was reluctant saying that our overseas citymates might not receive or accept him well.

Owing to his natural charm and sincere persona, BSL eventually captured the hearts and minds of US based Dagupenos as we relaunched Pawil Dagupan starting off with the awarding of “Pillars of Dagupan.” mBSL appointed me as Special Envoy to overseas Dagupenos as one peso a year city official.

We also successfully forged the sisterhood pact between the cities of milpitas and Dagupan with then City mayor Joe Esteves, a noble project and partnership continued until today capped by reciprocal visits and continuing study tours in the US among young Dagupenos.

I was also part in conceptualizing with BSL the “Bangus Festival” anchored on his vision to make the famous milkfish as a regular and favorite dish similar to Norwegian salmon. Looking back, it was a privilege working with the late manny Yao, Dea Que, Raffy B and Emy B that all efforts paid off with the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest barbecue grill in the world.

In the 2004 presidential elections, mBSL defied the odds as we both supported Philippine movie king and Pangasinense Fernando Poe Jr. He even served as the “waiter” for both FVR and FPJ when the two leaders met privately at the house of William Tieng at Forbes Park in December 2003. FPJ won a moral victory in Pangasinan with mBSL becoming a supporter and in the process became close to ms. Susan Roces

and now Sen. Grace Poe when they both served as guests in the april 2004 Bangus Festival. Our journey together continued when FPJ passed away on December 14, 2004 and served as opposition when “Hello Garci” broke out.

One unforgettable experience was when he boldly allowed the staging of anti-Gma rally at the city plaza bannered by Susan Roces, a move that further earned the ire of Palace tenants and their operatives.

In 2007, against the wishes of mBSL’s city hall officials and staff with still one more term as city mayor, he ran for Congress against Speaker JDV. It was a bruising fight in Pangasinan’s fourth district. Being quixotic ourselves, mBSL and I believed in our hearts that he could beat JDV. Even FVR was against BSL running against JDV. Hours after the canvassing of votes, I received a call from mBSL saying: “mTV, we did not make it this time.” my terse reply was: “ Don’t worry. They will have their comeuppance in the near future.” election report in Dagupan. after reading my report, FVR said: “ang titigas ng ulo niyo ni Benjie. I told you not to fight JDV. What now.

Can you both eat and live your principles?” after his defeat in the 2007 elections, BSL focused on his core business leading magic Group of Companies to expansion and greater heights. In December 2009, BSL informed me that he was filing his mayoralty bid in Dagupan with manang Celia running for Congress against manay Gina. Truth to tell, BSL was a reluctant mayoralty candidate as he would be pitted against a common dear friend then incumbent mayor al Fernandez.

In fact, I was brokering for an al Fernandez-Brian Lim tandem in 2010. mayor al was open to the idea at first until plans changed in the last minute with established political clans uniting again to thwart Benjie’s bid.

When BSL sought my opinion, I told him: “Listen to the voice and hankerings of the people. No matter what you’ll do, if destiny calls, you cannot go against the WILL OF THE WIND and you will once again become mayor of Dagupan.”

In 2013, I was not much of a help to mBSL in his fight against now incumbent mayor Belen Fernandez due to my busy

schedule in manila. When I visited him at his campaign headquarters at magic Guilig corporate office, mBSL told me: “mTV, this is the most expensive marketing expense for me to be running against a business rival. But I am enjoying it. Tough it may seem, just help me with your friends at PNP who have made it hard for me to campaign.” I tried to reach out to then Pangasinan PD marlo Chan to go easy in Dagupan and loosen up for mBSL. Unfortunately, my good friend General marlo did not heed my plea as he was following orders all the way from the Palace to insure the victory of mar Roxas’ supporters including then the Dagupan Vm. Then the unexpected happened on the eve of may 2013 elections as mBSL suffered a lifethreatening stroke that needed three operations, one at Villaflor Hospital and two at makati medical Center. all these years, I had several nights dreaming about a healthy BSL. I have always kept and considered him as a soul brother and a dear friend as we shared many memories together. He was humble enough to mine my wisdom and advices despite our 12-year age gap. as a friend, he was always there for me during my birthday celebrations and other special family occasions.

One of the most poignant memories was his dedicated song for me on my birthday in 2011 at Brother’s moustache singing James Taylor’s “You’ve Got a Friend.”

I know that many of BSL’s friends have their own stories to tell about his kindness, good heart, friendship, sincerity and other attributes to remember the man.

Just the like the rest, I mourn his loss, celebrate his life and legacy and remember his memory with gratitude.

To conclude this tribute, let me share this wonderful thought on friendship written by amy marie Walz: “We all lose friends. We lose them in death, to distance and over time. But even though they may be lost, hope is not. The key is to keep them in your heart and memory.”

Farewell and thank you BSL. Rest now in God’s loving arms and may you continue weaving magic to many of us you have left behind. Indeed, LiFe goes on and so with the people of Dagupan. n

C JANUARY 19-22, 2019 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

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)ROORZ XV RQ

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MARKETPLACE SHOWROOM

&

D1

February 2019 priority dates PH growth to miss targets in 2019-20

Immigration Corner

The Priority dates for the Philippines are as follows: FAMILY CATEGORY:

ATTY. MICHAEL GURFINKEL, ESQ

First Preference

EACH month, the Visa Office of the State Department publishes, in the Visa Bulletin, the priority dates for that particular month, for the various family and employment based categories. A priority date is a person’s “place in line” for a visa, meaning immigrant visas (or green cards) would be available for persons whose priority date is earlier than the cut-off date listed below. If your priority date was “current,” but later retrogressed (or “moved backwards” and became unavailable) before your immigrant visa was issued (or before you adjusted status in the U.S.), you would have to wait until it becomes current again.

Beginning last October 2015, the format of the Visa Bulletin changed, in that a new column was added, called the “Application Filing Date.” If a person’s priority date is earlier than the Application Filing Date, they can already file for adjustment of status and work authorization (provided they are otherwise eligible and USCIS indicates on its website it will use the Application Filing Date for that month).

This could allow people to obtain work authorization much sooner than before, where they had to wait for the priority date to be current (in the Visa Issuance Date column) in order to both file for adjustment and be eligible for a green card.

Unmarried sons and daughters of US citizens (over 21 years of age)

Application Filing Date

Visa Issuance Date

March 15, 2008

March 15, 2007

(2A) Spouse and Second Preference minor children (below 21 years old) of green card holder

December 1, 2017

December 1, 2016

(2B) Unmarried sons and daughters (21 years old or older) of green card holder

January 15, 2008

July 1, 2007

Third Preference

Married sons and daughters of US Citizens.

August 1, 1997

August 22, 1995

Fourth Preference

Brothers and sisters of US Citizens.

December 8, 1997

October 1, 1995

LABOR CERTIFICATION:

Application Filing Date

Visa Issuance Date

Second Preference Advanced Degree (Masters)

Current

Current

by MAYVELIN

Third Preference

Professional/ Skilled Workers

October 1, 2017

August 1, 2017

Other Workers

Non-Skilled Workers

October 1, 2017

August 1 , 2017

*** Michael J. Gurfinkel has been an attorney for over 35 years and is licensed, and an active member of the State Bar of California and New York. All immigration services are provided by, or under the supervision of, an active member of the State Bar of California. Each case is different. The information contained herein including testimonials, “Success Stories,” endorsements and re-enactments) is of a general nature, and is not intended to apply to any particular case, and does not constitute a prediction, warranty, guarantee or legal advice

A general view of the Makati skyline.

regarding the outcome of your legal matter.

No attorney-client relationship is, or shall be, established with any reader.

WEBSITE: www.gurfinkel.com Follow us on Facebook.com/GurfinkelLaw and Twitter @GurfinkelLaw Call Toll free to schedule a consultation for anywhere in the US: (866)—GURFINKEL Four offices to serve you: LOS ANGELES · SAN FRANCISCO · NEW YORK · PHILIPPINES (Advertising Supplement)

Business Quote of the Week “The thing that I learned early on is you really need to set goals in your life, both short-term and long-term, just like you do in business. Having that long-term goal will enable you to have a plan on how to achieve it. We apply these skills in business, yet when it comes to ourselves, we rarely apply them.”

— Denise Morrison, Campbell Soup Co. CEO

U. CARABALLO

Manilatimes.net

THE Philippines will continue to outperform many of its neighbors but growth this year and the next will fall below official targets, a research consultancy said on Thursday, January 17.

In a report, London-based Capital Economics forecast gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 6.0 percent for both 2019 and 2020, slower than the 6.7 per-

Manilatimes photo by Dante Dennis Diosina Jr.

cent posted in 2017 and market expectations of around 6.5 percent for last year.

“Although this would still make it one of the fastest growing economies in the region, it is below what both the government and the consensus are expecting,” Capital Economics said.

The government has set a GDP growth goal of 7.0-8.0 percent for both years, up from 2018’s 6.5-6.9 percent.

Growth is currently running

below the 6.5-6.9 goal for 2018 based on latest data, averaging 6.3 percent as of end-September following first to third quarter outturns of 6.6 percent, 6.2 percent and 6.1 percent, respectively.

Fourth quarter and full-year 2018 GDP figures are set to be released on January 24.

“On the plus side, the economy is likely to receive a boost from falling inflation,” Capital PAGE D2

Lower Bohol air fares seen as Panglao Int’l Airport opens

by IAN

NICOLAS CIGARAL Philstar.com

AIR fares for flights to and from Bohol could soon go down with the opening of the new Bohol-Panglao International Airport, which is seen to help the province become a regional hub.

The Bohol-Panglao International Airport has a 2,500-meter runway that can accommodate seven aircraft at one given time

and a passenger terminal that can handle around two million people annually. It is ten times bigger than the old Tagbilaran airport.

With sustained growth expected, the airport could require expansion as early as 2025. The new gateway was inaugurated last November.

In a statement, Bohol Tourism Office Head Josephine Cabarrus said the “limiting runway” at the

old Tagbilaran airport is a factor of non-competitive airfares to and from Bohol, hampering the province’s potential as a tourist destination.

“For the longest time, we have been at the mercy of very expensive airfares. For instance, a oneway trip between Manila and Bohol at peak season can be around P8,000 to P10,000,” Cabarrus said.

PAGE D2

D JANUARY 19-22, 2019 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

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Lower Bohol air fares seen as Panglao Int’l... Foreign entrants putting up thousands of telco towers

Air fares for flights to and from Bohol could soon go down with the opening of the new Bohol-Panglao International Airport, which is seen to help the province become a regional hub.

DOTR photo

PAGE D1 t “It’s almost the same fare [rate] to Hong Kong. We’re hoping that with the operation of the new airport, the fares could be lower due to supply and demand,” she added.

Panglao is the most popular

tourist destination in Bohol and had 704,000 tourists in 2017.

According to airport consultant ICF, tourism in Bohol has grown at an annual rate of 25.2 percent from 2011 to 2017, and by 30 percent from 2016 to 2017 to reach an estimate of 1.3 mil-

lion tourists.

“Learning from how the Tagbilaran airport was managed, we know there are things to be improved. If you say that you have an international facility, then you should have an international-level service,” Cabarrus said. n

PH growth to miss targets in 2019...

PAGE D1 t Economics said, projecting inflation to fall to 4 percent this year before decelerating further to 3.5 percent in 2020.

Headline inflation averaged 5.2 percent last year, hitting the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) forecast but exceeding the 2.0-4.0 percent target.

Capital Economics also said that lower price pressures should give the central bank room to unwind some of the tightening ordered last year — the Monetary Board raised key interest rates five consecutive times after inflation breached the 2.0-4.0 percent target starting March.

“We have pencilled in two 25 bps (basis points) cuts this year, with the first at the bank’s May meeting … Lower rates should provide some relief to consumers and businesses,” it added.

Economic growth over the next couple of years, Capital Economics said, should also continue to be supported by an increase in government infrastructure spending.

Still, it noted that “while the Philippines desperately needs better roads, ports and so on, the surge in infrastructure spending

has brought some adverse side effects.”

Substantially higher imports of capital goods and raw materials has widened the country’s trade and current account deficits, and exports going forward are expected to suffer from slowing external demand due to trade tensions and slower global growth.

As a result, the current account deficit will likely widen over the next couple of years, reaching around 4 percent of GDP in 2020.

The current account — a major component of the balance of payments — consists of transactions in goods, services, primary income and secondary income, and measures the net transfer of real resources between the domestic economy and the rest of the world.

Last year, the Philippines incurred a current account deficit equivalent to 0.8 percent of GDP. The deficit hit $2.907 billion in the third quarter, a reversal from the $1.1-billion surplus recorded a year earlier. It brought the yearto-date shortfall to $6.471 billion, also a reversal from the $968-million surplus seen in the comparable 2017 period.

A wider current deficit “would put the peso back under pressure,” Capital Economics said.

“The currency has rebounded a little in recent months from a low in mid-October. But we think this will be temporary,” it added, projecting the currency to fall a further 11 percent against the U.S. dollar by the end of next year.

The peso ended 2018 at P52.58 versus the greenback, down sharply from its 2017 close of P49.93:$1.

On the political front, Capital Economics noted anew that “President [Rodrigo] Duterte has shown an increased willingness to break constitutional norms, and there are signs his erratic leadership style has put off investors.”

“Improvements to the business environment have stalled under Duterte and new approvals of FDI (foreign direct investments) in 2017 and 2018 were less than half the average under his predecessor’s premiership,” it said.

Senate elections in May could cause further instability, meanwhile, while weak private investment could drag on the economy over the coming years. n

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) signed Thursday, January 17 two separate memoranda of understanding (MOU) with Edotco Group and Nigeria’s IHS Towers for their planned entry in the Philippine market involving the construction of common towers.

Philstar.com file photo by richmOnd

mercuriO Philstar.com

Malaysia-based Edotco Group Sdn Bhd is planning to invest at least $1 billion for the construction of 10,000 common telecommunications infrastructure in the Philippines, while the world’s third largest independent multinational tower company, IHS Towers, intends to build thousands more to address the country’s need for more cellular towers.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) signed two separate

memoranda of understanding (MOU) on Thursday, January 17, with Edotco Group and Nigeria’s IHS Towers for their planned entry in the Philippine market involving the construction of common towers.

“In the country of this size, our aspiration is at least 10,000 locations (towers). We see the Philippines as having potential to be one of our largest (markets) today. Malaysia and Bangladesh are now the largest markets for us, both have about 10,000 towers and we expect Philippines to be equal in size,” Edotco chief executive officer Suresh Sidhu

said.

Sidhu said the company intends to spend at least $1 billion for the construction of common towers in the Philippines, which could be its largest investment across six other markets in which it is currently operating.

“The first thing we need is secure operators within the next six months and we can start rolling out. So within 12 months, assuming operators have also come forward, then we can get started,” Sidhu said, adding that it would take three to four years for the company to rollout all PAGE D3

Nationwide fuel marking starts in March

by Ben

O. de Vera Inquirer.net

THE fuel marking program will start in March after its pilot next month, but oil companies need not shell out during its first year of implementation as the government will subsidize the cost, officials of the Department of Finance (DOF) said.

Finance Undersecretary Antonette C. Tionko told reporters recently that on-site assessment of oil firms’ importation, refining and manufacturing facilities was already ongoing in preparation for the establishment and operation of the fuel marking and field testing system.

Tionko said they would launch the program aimed at curbing oil

smuggling during the first week of February, after which the full implementation will be in March.

The fuel marking is required on all petroleum products that are refined, manufactured, or imported into the Philippines that are subject to the payment of duties and taxes such as but not limited to gasoline, denatured alcohol used for motive power, kerosene, and diesel fuel oil after the taxes and duties have been paid.

If the petroleum products do not contain the official marker or which contain the official marker but are diluted beyond the acceptable percentage, it shall be presumed that it was withdrawn with the intention to evade payment of taxes due.

The departments of Energy

(DOE) and of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) were also testing the marker to be used, Tionko said.

The DOF earlier said that the the joint venture of SGS Philippines Inc. and Switzerland-based SICPA SA were “expected to provide a unique chemical marker capable of being embedded at a molecular level to petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel and kerosene.”

The DOE should have had already gotten the result of its testing of the fuel marking to be used

by SGS and SICPA last month, industry sources said.

“Once it’s [the marker] accepted, we will do our first marking,” Tionko said.

PAGE D3

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Gov’t to liberalize sugar imports DOF chief urges swift passage

of TRABAHO bill in Congress

by Ben

O. de Vera Inquirer.net

AFTER moves to remove import restrictions on rice, the government this year plans to also liberalize sugar importation, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said on Wednesday, January 16.

In a press conference, Diokno said the next big item among agricultural products whose importation would be further opened up by the Duterte administration was sugar, noting that it is a raw material in a number of potential export products.

“Sugar in the Philippines is very expensive compared to the global rate, so we plan to deregulate or relax [the sector],” Diokno said.

The budget chief said reforms in the sugar industry would be implemented within this year.

For the entire agriculture sector, Diokno said the Duterte administration’s policy was deregulation, including freer importation of food products.

President Duterte last year issued administrative orders aimed at easing food importation, especially of rice, as domestic supply bottlenecks pushed prices higher.

Pending Mr. Duterte’s signature is the rice tariffication bill that will remove the import quota, or quantitative restriction, on the Filipino staple food and replace it with tariff. Congress has transmitted the bill to Malacañang.

Once enacted into law, the

Philstar.com file photo Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno

rice tariffication bill is expected to slash rice prices by as much as P7 a kilo.

Diokno said the plan to liberalize sugar importation would be coupled with improvements in agricultural production.

“We really have to focus on mechanization. We have to focus on adopting higher quality of seeds [and] on irrigation. We have to show farmers that these things really make a difference,” Diokno said.

The budget chief admitted that so far, “agriculture is the weakest link in this administration’s performance.”

“The fact that it (the agriculture sector) is slow-moving reflects that we are not able to hit

Inquirer.net file photo

our poverty-reduction target,” he said.

The agriculture sector is the source of livelihood for many poor Filipino families.

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia last year said that agriculture accounted for almost a third, or 31.5 percent, of the jobs being generated and made available to the labor force.

Diokno, who had also served as budget secretary of former President Joseph Estrada, said “we can actually grow much faster in agriculture, as evidenced by Estrada’s term.”

“If agriculture were to grow by 4 percent, then the economic growth target of 7-8 percent is doable,” he added. n

Nationawide fuel marking starts...

PAGE D2 t While the marker was already deemed “compatible,” Tionko said they needed to hurdle clearances that the DOE must issue due to its chemical content.

“We’re ongoing with the discussions so that we don’t have to get a clearance from them because we tested it already,” she said.

“At the same time, there is a team that is thinking of how to install it [the marker] in different refineries because the structures are different, so they have to adjust on how would they install the marker,” she added.

Tionko said the marker testing results “should be fast—I don’t see any problem because it’s not an additive; it doesn’t have an effect on the fuel.”

Finance Undersecretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua said the first full year of fuel marking implementation will be subsidized, with a P2-billion allocation under the national budget.

However, “in the succeeding years, it will be passed on to the industry and they may pass it on to the consumers,” Chua said.

Based on the contract with SGS and SICPA, fuel marking will cost P0.06884 a liter.

“So if the price is 6 centavos per liter and if a full tank is 40 liters, they’re paying P2.40” for fuel marking by next year, Chua explained.

To shore up revenues, fuel marking was among the tax administration measures that formed part of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion

(TRAIN) Act, which took effect in January last year.

But the contract for the fuel marking program was awarded to the SGS-SICPA joint venture only last October.

According to the DOF’s estimates, revenue losses from excise taxes and value-added tax due to oil smuggling and misdeclaration reached P26.9 billion in 2016, almost half of the actual P52.6 billion collected by the BOC and the BIR that year.

The Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) had a higher estimate of P37.5 billion in foregone tax revenues yearly from oil smuggling, while another study commissioned by the domestic oil industry pegged revenue losses at P43.8 billion annually. n

by Mary

Grace Philstar.com

Padin

THE Department of Finance (DOF) has once again called on Congress to swiftly pass the second package of the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program (CTRP), urging lawmakers to consider the interest of the business community.

In an interview, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez reiterated the importance of passing the Tax Reform for Attracting Better and High-Quality Opportunities (TRABAHO) bill in Congress, citing its benefits especially to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) who make up majority of the country’s business community.

“If they think about it, it’s actually good. Can you imagine, you are giving a tax break, which is like a tax incentive, to 99 percent of the corporations in the Philip-

pines. By reducing the corporate income tax (CIT) from 30 percent down to 25 percent, that is a big incentive for the people,” Dominguez said.

“If they think about it that way, they should be able to pass it in a flash,” he said.

However, Dominguez said a few sectors have been loud in their opposition against the tax reform measure, given that it also seeks to rationalize the grant of fiscal incentives.

“Now, it’s really a question of who the legislators are going to listen to: the vast majority of Filipino companies or a few foreign companies?” he said.

Dominguez said parties who oppose the measure “are holding hostage an entire business community for the interest of a few, which are not even sure that they will be affected badly, only that they will have to follow the rules that are applicable else-

where in the world.”

He said the second CTRP package seeks to make fiscal incentives time-bound, transparent, targeted and performancebased.

“That’s all we want, we’re not going to squeeze anybody. This is a big benefit for the business community,” he said.

Package 2 of the CTRP, as contained in the TRABAHO bill, seeks to reduce the country’s CIT rate while rationalizing fiscal incentives.

This bill, together with some three more tax reform measures already passed the scrutiny of the House of Representatives and are pending in the Senate.

These include Package 2 Plus, which includes a bill on the mining fiscal regime, Package 3 on property valuation, and Package 4, which aims to rationalize the tax system on capital income and financial instruments.n

Foreign entrants putting up thousands of telco...

PAGE D2 t 10,000 towers.

Under the MOU it signed with the DICT, Edotco needs to secure first an agreement with at least one telecommunications operator in the country which clearly states that such telco operator would avail of the services or make use of their common towers.

Should the company do so, DICT will then enter into an agreement with them in which the government agency will facilitate and extend full assistance to the company in complying with legal, regulatory and administrative requirements for their com-

mon tower roll out plan.

The same also goes for the MOU with IHS Towers, the largest mobile telecommunications infrastructure provider in Africa, Europe and the Middle East by tower count and the third largest independent multinational tower company globally with 26,000 towers.

Ted Manvitz, executive vice president chief strategy officer of IHS Holding Ltd., said the company intends to be part of the DICT’s goal of adding 50,000 towers in the country.

“In terms of our plans for Philippines, what we are doing with the (DICT) secretary right now is

understanding what our needs are. For the smallest market, we have 700 towers, and that is a good market. Our largest market is 16,000 towers. So it really depends on the market. But on this market the number should be in the thousands, easily” Manvitz said.

“Certainly, the Philippines provides a growth opportunity and a real need for existing providers,” he said.

Information and Communications Technology Acting Secretary Eliseo Rio said the Philippines is in need of at least 50,000 more towers just to match that of Vietnam.n

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PH industrial sector profit slower in Q3 percent, respectively.

Further, the PSA said the number of jobs in key industries grew GROSS revenue growth in the by only 1.1 percent, slower than Philippine industrial sector slowed 2017’s 1.5 percent.

These were electricity and wain the third quarter of 2018, easing to 8.1 percent from 8.6 per- ter, which grew 3.4 percent; trade, cent a year earlier, the Philippine 0.2 percent; private services, 2.3 Statistics Authority (PSA) said on percent; finance, 2.3 percent; transportation and communicaThursday, January 17.

Among industries, the PSA said tion, 1.7 percent; real estate, 1.7 finance posted the fastest growth percent; and manufacturing,0.3 of 13.5 percent, followed by “real percent. Mining and quarrying estate with 13.4 percent and man- declined by 3.2 percent.

The compensation index also ufacturing with 12.4 percent.”

The PSA also said private ser- lost momentum, from 7.4 percent vices and trade posted slower an- in 2017 to 7.1 percent last year.

Industries contributing to the nual growths of 8.8 percent and 7

by Mayvelin

U. Caraballo Manilatimes.net

growth were electricity and water, 12.1 percent; real estate, 9.5 percent; transportation and communication, 9.1 percent; private services, 7.2 percent; manufacturing, 6.5 percent; mining and quarrying, 3.6 percent; trade, 2.8 percent; and finance, 0.7 percent.

The total compensation per employee index was faster at 5.9 percent.

“Industries which recorded the fastest growth were: electricity and water with 8.5 percent and real Estate with 7.6 percent. On the other hand, finance and trade declined by 1.5 percent and 0.1 percent, respectively,” PSA said. n

World Bank doubles Philippines disaster insurance coverage to $390 million

Philstar.com file photo

by Czeriza

valenCia Philstar.com

PSA infographic

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THE World Bank has doubled the coverage of its disaster risk insurance program for the Philippines to enable the country to better cope with losses arising from natural disasters.

The international finance institution said Monday, January 14, it has renewed the Natural Disaster Risk Insurance for the Philippines with $390 million in coverage, nearly doubling it from the 2017 policy coverage of $206 million.

This renewal provides insurance coverage to 25 provinces against major typhoons and earthquakes. Coverage under the new policy became effective on Dec. 19, 2018.

The World Bank said the policy is designed to provide rapid liquidity to the government in the face of disasters to enable rebuilding and recovery of economic activities in affected communities.

Under the program, the World

Bank enters into an agreement with private insurers to provide coverage against disaster and severe weather impact for national government agencies and the 25 participating provinces. Insurance payouts are made when pre-defined parametric triggers are met.

The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), in turn, provides the parametric catastrophe insurance coverage.

“This initiative demonstrates the Philippines’ strong commitment to continue investing in innovative financial solutions that will mitigate the impacts of major earthquakes and extreme climate and weather-related events,” said Mara Warwick, World Bank country director for the Philippines.

“The program complements the country’s overall strategy and efforts in ensuring resilience against natural disasters and climate change impacts,” she added.

The bank said it is also supporting the Philippines in preparing a sovereign catastrophe bond

PSYCHIC

to complement the existing insurance program by providing cover for more extreme events.

“Today’s announcement marks another milestone in our partnership with the Philippines, and in our joint pursuit of leveraging capital market instruments to prevent the human and financial tolls of disasters. We look forward to deepening this partnership as we work together to harness innovative financial solutions to boost the country’s resilience against unforeseen events,” said George Richardson, World Bank director for capital markets.

The bank noted that the Philippines is among the world’s most vulnerable countries to natural disasters. The country is expected to incur, on average, $3.5 billion in asset losses each year because of typhoons and earthquakes.

Since 2008, the World Bank has issued, hedged or facilitated over $4.3 billion in transactions to transfer earthquake, wind, drought-related and pandemic risks from its borrowing member countries to the capital markets.n

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