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JANUARY 22-28, 2021 Serving San Diego Since 1987 • 12 Pages

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‘DEMOCRACY HAS PREVAILED’

Biden becomes president of the United States, Harris breaks barriers as VP Harris is the first woman, Black and Asian American in nation’s second-highest office

by Christina

M. Oriel

AJPress

Joe Biden becomes the 46th president of the United States on Wednesday, January 20 after being sworn into office by Chief Justice John Roberts (left) as First Lady Dr. Jill Biden (right) holds the Bible.

Photo courtesy of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies

USA

DATELINE

FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

SF launches vaccine notification system STARTING this week, those who live and work in San Francisco can be notified once they are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

On Tuesday, January 19, the city launched a notification system (sf.gov/vaccinenotify) that will let individuals know by email or text if it’s their turn to be vaccinated.

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Jollibee opens in Delano, Bakersfield next POPULAR Filipino fast-food chain Jolli-bee recently opened its first location in Delano, California as part of its 2021 expansion plans in North America.

The Delano location is along Woollomes Ave., complete with a drive-thru option for customers to get their Chickenjoy fix. It opened last Dec. 20.

This year, the fast-food giant is set to add 28 stories to North America, 19 in the United States and nine in Canada, working towards its goal of amassing 300 stores by 2024.

The next Kern County location is set for

SHORTLY before noon on Wednesday, January 20, Joe Biden became the 46th president of the United States in a “triumph” for democracy

amid the backdrop of an ongoing coronavirus pandemic and a fractured nation.

After two failed campaigns, the third time’s the charm for the 78-year-old former vice president and senator from Delaware who is the oldest president inaugurated.

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Record-high COVID-19 deaths Duterte sends best reported in San Diego County wishes to Biden, Harris THE County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency is reporting a record-high number of new COVID-19 deaths.

The 65 deaths reported on Wednesday, Jan. 20 surpass the previous single-day record of 62 deaths reported on New Year’s Eve. Health officials are attributing the spike in deaths to holiday gatherings.

“The majority of the COVID-19 deaths

we are reporting today occurred in the past two weeks, which suggests that illness onset for the individuals who passed away coincided with the winter holidays, said County public health officer Wilma J. Wooten. “While we anticipated that deaths would go up at the beginning of the year, it is tragic to see the devastating impact of the virus on our community.”

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by ritChel

MendiOla AJPress

PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte has extended his greetings to United States President Joseph Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris following their inauguration, Malacañang said Thursday, January 21.

“Our President, Rodrigo Roa Duterte sends his warmest greet-

Palace hails Biden Report: Black market for proposal to prioritize illegal COVID vaccines legal status for emerges in Philippines millions of immigrants MALACAÑANG has welcomed United States President-elect Joe Biden’s plan to offer legal status to millions of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally.

“Ang mabuti sigurong mangyayari, ngayon pa lang inanunsyo na ni President-elect Biden na magpo-propose siya ng batas (One good thing we can expect, is that as early as now President-elect Biden proposed a law) to legalize the stay of 11 million illegal aliens in the United States at siyempre po may mga Pilipino na magbebenepisyo sa batas

A BLACK market for unauthorized COVID-19 vaccines is ‘thriving’ in the Philippines, according to a recent report by the Washington Post.

Only Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine has been granted an emergency use authorization (EUA) in the country, but the national government is still in talks with the American pharmaceutical firm to secure a deal.

The country may only start its rollout of Pfizer vaccine in February through the COVAX facility, a global platform that aims to ensure fair and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for all countries.

The Philippines also only recently secured 25 millions of China’s Sinovac, of which the first 50,000 doses are set to arrive in the country — officially — next month.

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by ritChel

MendiOla

AJPress

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PH 2nd ‘most instagrammable’ place in the world for 2021

The Batad rice terraces in the Philippine Cordilleras, which was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. DFA photo

WITH 7,017 islands, the Philippines has been hailed as the world’s second most “Instagrammable” destination in 2021.

Global travel website Big 7 Travel on Thursday, January 14, released its 50 Most Instagrammable Places in the World-2021 list, placing the Philippines in second place just behind Tokyo, Japan.

Some of the country’s attractions that the ranking referenced include the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park and the rice terraces.

“Home to incredible natural wonders like an underground river and

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Eva Teniola, an emergency room nurse, celebrates after receiving the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, California, on December 15, 2020. She received her second dose on Jan. 5.

Photo by Wayne Tilcock/ UC Davis Health

Relieved, but still cautious: Fil-Am health care workers get second dose of COVID-19 vaccine

by Christina

M. Oriel

AJPress

LAST month, Eva Teniola kicked off Sacramento, Califortranquil rice terraces in addition to a nia’s vaccination campaign as vibrant culture and history spanning she became the city’s first health several millennia; and over 7,500 care worker to receive a dose of islands – the Philippines as a whole the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Three weeks later, Teniola, a are extremely Instagrammable,” the 47-year-old emergency room article read.

“From the bustling capital of Ma- nurse at UC Davis Medical Cennila complete with colorful colonial ter, received her second jab on streets to the absolute oasis of Bora- January 5 and completed the procay, the gram opportunities here are cess to be fully inoculated.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is endless,” it added.

Aside from Tokyo, the Philippines 95% effective against COVID-19, was joined by international destina- and must be administered in two tions Paris in France, New York City, doses 21 days apart, according to and Istanbul in Turkey in the top five the Food and Drug Administration. of Big 7’s list.

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ings and the best wishes to the 46th President of the United States Joseph ‘Joe’ Biden and his Vice President Kamala Harris,” said Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque in a briefing.

Biden on Wednesday, January 20 became the 46th U.S. president, while Harris was sworn in as the country’s first female, Black and South Asian American

The path to hope and protection after a grim year outweighed the “tolerable soreness” the nurse felt on her left arm into the next day.

“I feel thankful, proud, honored, and hopeful for the safety of myself, my patients and my loved ones,” Teniola told the Asian Journal.

Her experience mirrors that of hundreds of other health care workers across the country who have been on the frontlines of the devastating virus since last March.

And while both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines’ record development and arrival in the U.S. offered some

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JANUARY 22-28, 2021 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

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From The FronT Page

Filipina traveler from SoCal details ‘frustrating’ two days in NAIA custody following PH travel ban Duterte extends last minute travel ban that left airport staffers, travelers in a confusing scramble

by Klarize

Medenilla

AJPress

LIKE countries across the world desperate to mitigate the coronavirus, the Philippines instituted a new ban on international travel from certain countries where the new strain of the virus has been detected.

The latest ban includes and applies to foreign travelers coming from Pakistan, Jamaica, Luxembourg, Oman, mainland China, United Kingdom, Denmark, Ireland, Japan, Australia, Israel, The Netherlands, Hong Kong, Switzerland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Lebanon, Singapore, Sweden, South Korea, South Africa, Canada, Spain, United States, Portugal, India, Finland, Norway, Jordan, Brazil, and Austria.

Specifically, the mandate applied to the U.S. starting on Jan. 3.

The Philippines’ new ban comes as more of the world is becoming more exposed to a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 and earlier this month, the new variant (which was first found in the United Kingdom) was found in the Philippines.

To date, the Philippines has the second-highest number of COVID-19 cases in Southeast Asia behind Indonesia, according to the World Health Organization.

“Huwag na kayong bumili ng ticket kung galing kayo sa mga lugar na iyan at hindi kayo Pilipino at darating kayo on or about the 15th of January (Don’t buy plane tickets if you are from areas included in the travel ban and if you are not Filipinos; also, if you wish to come here on or around the 15th of January),” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said to foreign travelers from the temporarily banned countries in a press briefing last week.

For many travelers, the ban simply halts immediate plans to travel, forcing people to reschedule and request refunds for any purchased plane tickets: another

inconvenience in a time colored by inconveniences.

And the Philippine government has said that it wasn’t planning on barring Philippine-born kababayan from entering the country: Roque said on Jan. 14, “Nanindigan na po ang Presidente walang Filipino na pupwedeng mapigilang umiwi (The President has stood form that no Filipinos will be barred from coming home).”

But the ban reflected dissimilar sentiments for the dozens of travelers who arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on Jan. 3 with unsettling news.

“They took our passports and gave us no information.”

Ms. Almares, who declined to give her first name for privacy, was en route to the Philippines on the same day that the travel ban included the U.S. The Filipina expatriate — who was born in Batangas and moved to Los Angeles with her family to escape martial law in the 80s — had been adhering to pandemic public safety rules.

But when she found out her grandmother in Manila had been sick with nobody to look after her, Almares took the initiative to go back home and care for her lola.

“I actually didn’t buy a return ticket because I planned to stay for as long as possible to care for her and provide any kind of financial aid and be her primary caregiver,” Almares told the Asian Journal in a recent phone interview.

“She’s my only living lola and I call her my last ancestor on my mother’s side so I definitely wanted to take care of her, and unfortunately there are no other family members so I made the choice and set out on this journey,” Almares added, saying that she was able to make the trip financially since airline tickets are at an all-time low (about $400 for a one-way journey, she said).

Ahead of her flight on Jan. 3, Almares prepared all the docu-

ments needed to prove that her travel was considered essential.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, governments across the world have imposed travel bans on foreign travelers with varying degrees of severity and rigidity.

The Philippines had previously imposed travel bans that allowed those who were mid-flight amid the ban’s implementation to quarantine for 14 days in a safe location and either allow them to stay in the Philippines or travel back home.

Travel advisories posted at that time by the Philippine Embassy and U.S. and Philippine immigration noted that Filipinos were able to travel back to the Philippines if they provided documentation of essential travel (in Almares’ case, proof that her grandmother was hospitalized). Through the Philippines’ Balikbayan Program, travelers were also allowed to travel if they provided their old Philippine passport or a copy of their birth certificate.

“All of us were solely on that flight because of the Balikbayan Act, so you know we were prepared,” she said.

But in the case of Almares and the dozens of travelers on her flight, airport staff and security were ill-equipped in the face of the new travel ban. According to Almares, once she landed, travelers were notified of the new ban. She still had to pay the $80 USD for a swab test through Philippine Red Cross, but once they reached immigration, they were notified that the new ban included the United States.

But Almares’ flight was in a gray area because they had a layover in Guam, meaning that in Guam, United Airlines could have notified them of the ban and that they were unable to enter the Philippines, but because “it said Philippines on our passports,” the airline let them continue on to Manila.

According to the Almares, an airline official told them that the

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LA County expands vaccinations to residents 65 years and older County surpasses 1 million COVID-19 cases

by Klarize

Medenilla AJPress

AS Los Angeles County continues to grapple with unprecedented coronavirus cases and deaths, the county this week moved to officially allow residents who are 65 years and older to get vaccinated.

Beginning Wednesday, Jan. 20, the county will begin to accept vaccination appointments from residents who are 65 years old or over, a move made possible through an executive order signed by County Supervisor Hilda Solis.

“Over the past several weeks, the County of Los Angeles has administered the vaccine to frontline healthcare workers, so that they can stay safe while doing the important work of saving lives and residents and staff in nursing facilities and longterm care facilities,” Solis said in a statement.

The COVID-19 vaccine rollout has left a lot to be desired, as previously reported in the Asian Journal, and in LA County where the continuing surge continues to overwhelm hospitals, expansion of the vaccine may help quell the spike in cases.

“If we are to ever get out of this dark winter, it is critical that we make headway vacci-

nating people 65 years of age and older as soon as possible in line with Governor Gavin Newsom’s recommendations,” Solis added.

LA County Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer said that there were enough vaccine supplies to effectively get through this week’s vaccination appointments. About 50,000 appointments were made on Tuesday, but the county is unsure how many more doses will be available next week. (As of press time, the California COVID-19 vaccination appointment website is experiencing heavy traffic and may be unavailable to people looking to schedule an appointment) Ferrer said that at the end of last week, the county received 685,000 vaccine doses and by Tuesday, more than 70% have been administered; the county expects to receive an additional 168,000 doses later this week.

“One of the issues that everyone has had around the allocation and distribution from the federal government is it has been week-to-week, which makes it difficult for our sites to do a lot of planning, and it really makes it difficult to extend appointments beyond a few days, which makes it hard on the public,” she said.

Both Ferrer and Solis noted that the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday may provide some hope amid the darkness and confusion left by the outgoing Trump administration.

“Tomorrow the new federal administration takes over, and we expect our situation to improve greatly,” Solis said at a press conference on Tuesday.

The vaccine is still limited, but the county has established five large-scale vaccination sites across the region that could accommodate about 4,000 patients per day at each site: Pomona Fairplex in Pomona, The Forum in Inglewood, Cal State Northridge in Northridge, A. County Office of Education in Downey and Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia. Residents in this high-priority age group should visit VaccinateLACounty.com to schedule their appointments. Residents who don’t have computer access may call (833) 540-0473 between 8 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. for assistance with reservations.

The announcement comes at a time when the county has exceeded 1 million cumulative COVID-19 cases. As of Tuesday, there have been 1,031,874 total cases and 14,122 total deaths due to COVID-19.

PH to receive COVID-19 jabs from COVAX by ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

THE Philippines is set to receive COVID-19 vaccines from the global COVAX facility within the first quarter of 2021, the country’s officials confirmed Wednesday, January 20.

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr and Health Secretary Francisco Duque II made the announcement that the Philippines will be among the countries included in the COVAX distribution of vaccines for an early rollout.

“The Philippines today received the country’s confirmation of participation in the COVID-19 vaccine financing instrument, COVAX Facility Advance Market Commitment (AMC),” they said in a joint statement.

“With the country’s participation in the COVAX Facility, the country is set to receive vaccines in the first quarter of this year,” the officials added.

Backed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as well as the vaccine alliance Gavi and the Coalition for Epidemic Pre-

paredness Innovations, the COVAX facility is a global platform that aims to ensure fair and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for all countries.

With the new development, the Philippines could receive between 30 and 40 million “free” COVID-19 vaccines.

Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 jabs — which were granted an emergency use authorization in the Philippines on January 14 — are eyed to be the first vaccine batch to arrive in the country.

Preparations As part of the preparations for the COVID-19 vaccine deployment, Duque and Galvez visited three cold storage facilities that can potentially be used in the first wave of the government’s vaccine rollout.

The inspection was carried out to ensure that the cold chain facilities will meet the storage requirement of vaccines prior to its distribution to identified vaccination sites.

The cold chain facilities visited were the First Pioneer Distribution Center of UNILAB located in Biñan City, Lagu-

na, the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Muntinlupa City, and the Zuellig Pharma Corporation in Parañaque City.

“All of these preparations that we are undertaking are aimed at ensuring that the country is ready to receive, store and mobilize the COVID-19 vaccines that will come from the COVAX Facility,” Duque said.

He added, “We extend our thanks to our partners for their continued support to improve our cold storage capacity. We cannot make this endeavor a success if the government and the private sector work in silos. Our response has always been a whole-of-government, whole-of-society, whole-of-system approach.”

The Philippines is aiming to vaccinate 50 to 70 million Filipinos in 2021, with up to 200,000 individuals receiving jabs every day.

So far, the country has secured vaccine deals with British-Swedish firm AstraZeneca, China-based Sinovac, Indian-based Covovax, and U.S.-based Novavax.

Palace hails Biden proposal to prioritize...

PAGE 1 na ‘yan (and of course there are Filipinos will benefit from that law),” Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said at a press briefing on Monday, January 18.

Biden plans to send a groundbreaking legislative package to Congress addressing the goal of immigration reform, according to various reports. It would include a pathway to citizenship for an estimated 11 million immigrants who are in the country without legal status.

In November 2020, Philippine Ambassador to the U.S. Jose Manuel Romualdez said some 350,000 Filipinos are fac-

ing deportation in the country. sang Estados Unidos (We do Roque expressed hope that not have a comment on that. It the bilateral relations between has no basis. What we have is the Philippines and the U.S. will a warm and close relationship have “continuity.” with the U.S.),” said Roque.

“Pagdating po sa panlabas na According to Ateneo de Marelasyon, may continuity naman nila political science professor po ang Estados Unidos (When it Melay Abao, Biden would not comes to foreign relations, the support Duterte’s controversial U.S. has continuity),” he said. war against illegal drugs.

The spokesman also dis“Duterte has lost an ally. The missed claims that outgoing Biden camp is not likely to comU.S. President Donald Trump promise on the human rights losing the presidential election issue so for sure, it will frown meant Philippine President Ro- upon the extrajudicial killings drigo Duterte “lost an ally.” and the drug war,” she told “Wala po kaming comment Rappler in November. diyan, walang basehan iyan.

Biden was inaugurated as the Ang mayroon po tayo ay mainit 46th U.S. President on Jan. 20. at malapit na relasyon sa ban-

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SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL • JANUARY 22-28, 2021

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JANUARY 22-28, 2021 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

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Biden becomes president of the United States...

PAGE 1 t Moments before, Kamala Harris — four years after she was elected a senator from California — made history as the first female, Black and South Asian American vice president as she was sworn in by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina on the nation’s highest court. She is also the highest-ranking woman to ever serve in the U.S. government.

“This is America’s day. This is democracy’s day. A day in history and hope, of renewal and resolve,” Biden declared as he began his inaugural remarks, standing at the steps of the U.S. Capitol exactly two weeks after a violent mob stormed the grounds in a last-ditch attempt to contest the election results.

He continued, “The will of the people has been heard, and the will of the people has been heeded. We’ve learned again that democracy is precious and democracy is fragile. At this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed.”

This week, the United States hit over 400,000 deaths related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and continues to undergo the impacts from business closures to unemployment. The new administration will also be pressed to address ongoing calls for racial justice following a summer of protests and reckoning.

“Few people in our nation’s history have been more challenged or found a time more challenging or difficult than the time we’re in now. Once-in-acentury virus that silently stalks the country. It’s taken as many lives in one year as America lost in all of World War II. Millions of jobs have been lost. Hundreds of thousands of businesses closed. A cry for racial justice, some four hundred years in the making moves us. The dream of justice for all will be deferred no

Kamala Harris takes the oath of office on Wednesday, January 20 to become the U.S.’ first woman, Black and Asian American vice president.

Photo courtesy of the Office of the Vice President

President Joe Biden signs a series of executive order on Wednesday, January 20 just hours after taking office.

Photo courtesy of CSPAN

longer,” Biden said.

Wednesday’s inauguration was attended by former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, while former President Donald Trump broke away from tradition and left for Florida earlier in the morning. He told a small crowd prior to his departure that “we will be back in some form.”

Though Trump has vacated the high office, his shadow

looms as he will face a second impeachment trial in the Senate in the coming weeks.

Biden did not mention his predecessor, but he mentioned the divisiveness and falsities that were perpetuated, and instead called for Americans to “listen to one another again.”

“We must reject the culture where facts themselves are manipulated, even manufactured,” he said, later adding that the

“answer is not to turn inward, to retreat into competing factions.”

He echoed themes from the campaign to restore the soul of the nation and decency: “We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus urban, rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal.

We can do this if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts.”

Again, he pledged to “be a president for all Americans, all Americans. And I promise you I will fight as hard for those who did not support me as for those who did.”

Former Vice President Mike Pence was present on Wednesday, and was sent off after the ceremony by Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, who will be the nation’s first “second gentleman.”

After the Inauguration Day events, such as a shortened parade and wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, Biden hit the ground running with a series of executive actions regarding issues from the pandemic to racial equity, in an effort to undo actions from the previous administration. He is slated to send an immigration bill to Congress to give a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants.

Last week, Biden unveiled a $1.9 trillion virus relief package that would send $1,400 direct payments to families and funding for mass vaccinations and contact tracing, among other provisions.

Throughout this week, virtual celebrations welcomed the new administration, including one gala organized by Fil-Am Biden-Harris supporters on Thursday night, January 21.

Jollibee opens in Delano, Bakersfield next...

PAGE 1 Bakersfield along Stockdale Highway. Though a date has yet to be announced, reports say about this spring.

Other beloved Jollibee favorites include Jolly Spaghetti and peach mango pie, bringing customers a taste of the Philippines.

Though the pandemic has

delivered challenges across the restaurant industry, Jollibee has been able to persevere by focusing on off-premise channels apart from dine-in. At the onset of the pandemic, the brand encouraged its customers to experience the joy of Jollibee from the comfort and safety of their own homes via call ahead pickup, take-out and drive-thru. By

April, Jollibee announced the launch of its nationwide delivery service via DoorDash.

“We have remained nimble and optimistic which has led Jollibee to defy expectations amidst an extremely difficult year and experience double-digit sales growth across North America,” Maribeth Dela Cruz, president of Jollibee

FREE SWAB TEST. Quezon City Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance (QCESU) personnel conduct a swab test on an Araneta City employee at the entrance lobby of Smart Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City on Wednesday, January 20. This is an expanded free swab test project by the QCESU for Araneta City employees and for people working in the area.

PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler

Record-high COVID-19...

PAGE 1 Wooten is pleading with the community to take the record deaths as a reminder that the virus is not over and that we must do all we can to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Earlier this week, due to a slowing of appointments at COVID-19 vaccination sites, the County of San Diego expanded the category of those eligible to include those aged 75 and up .

“We took this action today to add individuals 75 years of age and older because they are at the greatest risk,” Wooten

said. “It remains our intention to expand vaccines to those 65 and older the week of January 29, contingent of vaccine availability.”

These new requirements apply to the Petco Park Vaccination Super Station and other Point of Distribution sites providing County vaccine.

Only Health Care Workers (Phase 1A, All Tiers) and those 75 and older (Phase 1B, Tier 1) can visit vaccination sites.

More information is at coronavirus-sd.com/vaccine and reservations can be made superstationsd.com.

SF launches vaccine...

Group North America, Philippine Brands, previously said in PAGE 1 you still need to make an apa statement. “Make no mistake The website will ask individ- pointment with your healthcare though, we would not be weath- uals for their email address or provider. Vaccine supply may ering these hard times without phone number, age, which sec- still be limited with your healththe support of our customers.” tor they work in and if they have care provider. You may not be Last December, locations certain health conditions. able to make an appointment were also opened in San AnIndividuals may not get a no- right away. tonio, Texas, Mira Mesa,Tips__Asian Cal- tification 20SDG16532_Winter Rates-Energy Journal__RUN: 01_01_21__ 4C__TRIM: 5.69” x 10.56” for months, because People 65 and over are now ifornia, and downtown Toron- vaccines are in limited supply. eligible to get the vaccine. (AJto. (AJPress) After you get a notification, Press)

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Dateline PhiliPPines

Report: Black market for...

PAGE 1 However, a number of Chinese workers employed by the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) have reportedly been inoculated with a COVID-19 vaccine already.

“It is illegal to import unauthorized pharmaceuticals. But soaring demand among Chinese workers, many of them employed in the Philippines’ lucrative online casinos catering to gamblers in China, is driving a black market in which vaccine doses are sold for many times the standard $30 price in China,” said the Post’s article by journalist Regine Cabato.

The article also noted how the black market “exposes pandemic inequalities and problems with immunization drives in places plagued by corruption and patronage.”

The unauthorized distribution of the vaccines isn’t limited to Chinese POGO workers. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, in late

December, revealed that some members of the Presidential Security Group (PSG) have received Sinovac jabs — angering ordinary Filipinos as well as healthcare workers.

Philippines Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, for his part, confirmed that the vaccines administered to the country’s military personnel were smuggled, since they have not been authorized by the government.

“Time and again, health workers are being neglected,” Reigner Antiquera, president of the Alliance of Young Nurse Leaders and Advocates, told the Post.

He added, “Nurses, doctors, and other health workers should be prioritized in receiving these vaccines because they are the most at risk and exposed to the virus.”

Decentralized operation Teresita Ang See, a Filipino-Chinese civic leader, told the Post that an estimated 100,000 Chinese nationals in the Philippines have

already been vaccinated, citing advertisements on Chinese media and information from gambling industry worker chat groups.

“The vaccine could fetch between $200 and $300 on the black market, presumably for both doses,” the newspaper quoted.

Meanwhile, Jesse, a Filipino POGO worker who chose to go by her nickname for fear of reprisal, divulged that she accidentally read the conversation of her Chinese colleagues in a group chat where they discussed getting administered the Pfizer vaccine, shipped in from China.

“In an emailed statement Tuesday, Pfizer did not address questions about whether it had shipped doses to the Philippines. The company said it was committed to engaging with the Philippine government to make its coronavirus vaccine available in the country,” wrote the Post.

The article also noted that Beijing’s efforts to distribute vaccines for its nationals working overseas have raised suspicions that it could

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Duterte sends best wishes to....

PAGE 1 t vice president.

The inauguration of Biden and Harris showed the world that the U.S. has “deep” roots in democracy, Roque affirmed.

“It has always been an exemplar to the world. And today, it has reassured the world that its people remain committed to peaceful electoral transitions and the noble principles of representative democracy,” he added.

Roque said he does not know if Duterte will be calling Biden directly to congratulate him for winning the presidency.

In 2016, Duterte congratulat-

ed former U.S. President Donald Trump through a phone conversation even before his inauguration.

Nevertheless, the Palace expressed hope that the bilateral relations between the Philippines and the U.S. will remain strong under Biden’s administration.

“We in the Philippines look forward to continuing our long-standing partnership with the United States, in working together for a freer, more peaceful world,” said Roque.

The Philippines and the U.S. have one of the oldest military alliances in the Asia-Pacific region.

He added, “We’re confident that President Biden will wear his new mantle of leadership with pride, and with due regard for the hopes and aspirations of the rest of the world.”

Roque also stressed that the Philippines will focus on Duterte’s independent foreign policy, noting that the U.S. will do the same.

“The president is pursuing an independent foreign policy to protect the interests of the country and its citizenry,” he said.

“Same with Americans. They will also protect their national interests,” he added. (Ritchel Mendiola/AJPress)

PH 2nd ‘most instagrammable’ place...

PAGE 1 t Completing the top 10 were Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Havana, Cuba; Sydney, Australia; London; and Chicago, Illinois.

The Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT), for its part, welcomed the country’s inclusion in the travel website’s list.

“The Department of Tourism (DOT) celebrates the inclusion of the Philippines in the Most

Instagrammable Places in the World list of the renowned travel website Big 7 Travel for the year 2021,” it said on Friday, January 15.

“Coming at 2nd place, the Philippines bested other places including Paris, France; New York City, USA; Istanbul, Turkey; and Dubai, UAE in the list,” it added.

Big 7 Travel used a scoring

system that analyzed the number of hashtags per destination, survey results from their social audience, and input from their editorial team to create its top 50 list.

In October 2020, the website included the country’s Palawan and Boracay Island in its list of 50 Most Beautiful Places in the World, ranking the two tourist attractions at eighth and 18th place, respectively.

5

Manila court orders ‘Bikoy’ arrest for perjury

by John

Eric MEndoza ManilaTimes.net

THE Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) issued a warrant of arrest for Peter Joemel Advincula alias “Bikoy” for falsely linking Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) lawyers to an ouster plot against President Rodrigo Duterte.

Manila RTC Branch 17 said Advincula’s bail for perjury was set at P18,000.

FLAG lawyers Chel Diokno, Lorenzo Tanada III and Theodore Te filed the complaint against Advincula for lying in his sworn affidavit when he linked the three lawyers to “Project Sodoma,” an apparent plot to install Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo as President, and former senator Antonio Trillanes 4th as vice president.

In a resolution signed by Assistant State Prosecutor Ferdinand Fernandez, the Department of

Peter Joemel Advincula, who claims to be “Bikoy.”

ManilaTimes.net photo by John Orven Verdote

Justice (DoJ) said that evidence showed that Diokno and Tanada were present at the Ateneo De Manila University to attend a senatorial candidates’ forum on March 4, 2019.

“Clearly, such allegation in planning ‘Project Sodoma’ … is an outright lie and perjurious

considering they were there for the purpose of attending a debate,” the resolution read.

Also, Theodore Te met Advincula only after he requested assistance from FLAG. Furthermore, prosecutors said that there was no evidence that

u PAGE 8

6

JANUARY 22-28, 2021 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

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OpiniOn

Crime pays

Features

IF the government wants to intensify its campaign against criminality, it must ramp up efforts to go after financial crimes. Based on reports, if regulators could go after dirty money in the Philippine financial ecosystem, the amount would be more than enough to buy all the reputable COVID vaccines needed by the country, with many more in reserve.

A recent report from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas estimated that proceeds from money laundering, proliferation financing and terrorist financing across the financial ecosystem have breached the P1-trillion mark. Proliferation financing, as defined by the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force, relates to dirty money used in the trafficking of nuclear, chemical or biological weapons.

In March last year, calls for tighter regulation of money laundering in the Philippines were aired after Australia’s Westpac Banking Corp. was blamed for that country’s worst-ever money laundering breach in 2019, with millions in cash remittances, some allegedly sent to child pornographers, going to Southeast Asia. Westpac’s Philippine banking partner warned at the time that weak laws against money laundering combined with tough bank secrecy laws were attracting dirty money and erod-

Philstar.com photo

ing confidence in the country’s financial system.

The BSP reported that criminals continue to use cash-based transactions to move dirty money in and out of the country’s banking system.

Criminal proceeds in the country were estimated to have reached from P938 billion to a whopping P1.02 trillion. Topping the list of sources of dirty money was corruption, with proceeds estimated at P670 billion to P752 billion. Other sources were smuggling with an estimated P100 billion; tax evasion, P75 billion; environmental crimes, P50 billion; intellectual property violations, P31.9 billion, and drug trafficking with P11 billion in just the first half of 2020.

Among the suspicious transactions monitored billion. Drug trafficking placed third with 15% or by the BSP in 2020, swindling accounted for 41% P4.6 billion.

Those amounts are so hefty criminals would be or P12.83 billion in terms of value as of end-June.

Trafficking in persons followed, with 20% of P6.19 willing to risk capture or even tokhang. As long as a

Editorial

January 20, 2021: The dawning of a new day as we reclaim the soul of America

The Fil-Am Perspective Gel SantoS-ReloS THE “I Have a Dream” speech

by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. never sounded more real, more poignant and meaningful for us, citizens of our beloved adoptive country the United States of America.

The past four years had been like a nightmare that has made many people almost lose faith in America.

But on January 20, 2021, we wake up to the dawning of a new day. From out of the rubbles and ashes of the Trump presidency, the soul of America has seen its rebirth, because we chose to rise with faith over fear, love over hate, light over darkness, empathy over apathy, and decisive action over learned helplessness.

We dared choose to use the power of our vote and our trust in every American to make the right choice and take the right path toward healing, unity, and a better, brighter, stronger Union and that day in America sees

its renaissance at noontime of January 20, when Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are sworn into office as our duly elected President and Vice President of the United States, respectively.

We did so because somehow, somewhere in our heart and soul, we still dare to dream on and believe...

I HAVE A DREAM that one day, we all will see the goodness in the hearts of our fellow Americans, regardless of their political party affiliations, holding on to the faith that we all love our beloved country and only want the best for our people in this generation and in the next generations to come…

I HAVE A DREAM that one day, we shall all again live in one universe, embracing the same truth and facts no matter how painful and inconvenient, but it will be a good start toward our collective effort in making our wrongs right, and in rebuilding our nation together standing on a strong solid foundation…

I HAVE A DREAM that one

day, we shall again see the sacred value of each and every American, appreciating our uniqueness intrinsic in our differences in skin color, ethnicity, culture, life story, faith, gender, age, talents, expertise — yet unified by that one collective goal — to give all we’ve got to enrich and strengthen the United States of America, the nation that immigrants like all of us build...

I HAVE A DREAM that one day, this goal will make us realize that what we share in common is far stronger and more powerful than what divides us, and therefore, we shall again treat each other with respect and decency as we let our voices heard, exchange of differing perspectives, debate on policies and programs without having to doubt in the integrity of our leaders who we trust and know share the same faith in the strength of our unity and common purpose…

I HAVE A DREAM that one day, we will again share the

value of the life of every human being from womb to tomb, and use the God-given intelligence of our people, scientific knowledge and procedure to save lives especially in our war against the coronavirus pandemic, against the abuse of Mother Nature and our environment so we can pass on a healthy thriving planet to our children and grandchildren…

I HAVE A DREAM that one day, we will all honor our solemn oath as citizens of the United States — to support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that we will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that we take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and expect our leaders to fulfill their oath of office as a public servant as well, exercising our constitutional duty to make them accountable, in affirmation that in our democracy, nobody is above the law, not even

the President of the United States of America…

I HAVE A DREAM that one day, our electorate and our government will be a reflection of who we are, honoring our diversity in appointing and electing officials and public servants in the executive, legislative and judiciary that will be responsive to the needs and concerns of our people — especially those that are most vulnerable and marginalized throughout our nation’s history…

I HAVE A DREAM that one day, we will again be investing in the American people, by allocating resources toward education, health care, science and technology, environmental protection, peace and order, a more vibrant and honest watchdog in our fourth estate — the news and information media — so that we can help foster and bring out the best in each one of us despite our differences, helping us all to be more informed and engaged citizens, inspiring and empowering us to give

The death of democracy by a thousand cuts

Commentary

enRique

criminal activity pays, it will proliferate. Shutting off the pipeline for dirty money is critical for the success of any campaign against criminality. (Philstar. com)

de la CRuz

THE phrase describes an ancient Chinese torture method to kill a person slowly and painfully by ‘a thousand cuts.’ Maria Ressa, founder and CEO of online news site Rappler, alluded to it in reference to the state of Philippine democracy, saying that it is being slowly undermined through violations and curtailments of civil liberties. The phrase is also the title of a Taylor Swift song about heartbreak, and the title of a documentary about Ressa.

Last Wednesday, January 6, American democracy came under assault by a mob of several thousand, intent in disrupting congressional affirmation of Electoral College votes that would certify Joe Biden’s election as the 46th president of the United States. While the disruption was temporary, the rioting inside the halls of Congress caused extensive damage and five deaths, including that of a Capitol Police Officer who died from injuries received on duty. The event has shaken representatives and senators, along with past and present political leaders nationwide. They placed responsibility on Trump who at a rally just before the mob assault on the capitol egged his followers to march on the Capitol and “fight like hell” to “stop the steal.” Giuliani, his personal law-

yer, stoked the crowd even more by exhorting, “lets have a trial by combat.” As I write this, the U.S. House of Representatives, has impeached Trump for a second time.

The story of this assault, egged on by a sitting president, against a co-equal branch of government, has yet to fully play out. Yet historians, scholars, and journalists, with few exceptions, appear to be of one mind: The horrific events of 1/6, is the result of years of complacency over a president’s divisiveness, half truths, falsehoods and lies, to bend reality into a fantasy world where he wins re-election, but is deprived of it by widespread fraud.

Efforts by Trump’s lawyers to contest election results in over 60 court filings have been summarily dismissed by judges who considered their complaints frivolous or without merit. Despite all these Trump has continued his fantasy claims of re-election by a landslide of votes, setting the stage for the rally near the White House on 1/6, and the subsequent mob assault on the U.S. Capitol.

The assault on the Capitol, may be the most horrific of the thousand cuts, but there are other equally serious cuts that Trump inflicted on American democracy: obstruction of justice, violation of prohibitions against foreign and domestic emoluments, soliciting foreign interference in elections (for which he was impeached), violating immigrant rights to due process, separating children from

their parents at the border, violating campaign finance laws, and attacks on a free press, to name just the most egregious ones.

The authoritarian strain that Trump awakened, come from a cross section of American society: politicians willing to pander to his lies and falsehoods, members of the police and the military, whites and minorities, and many folks who felt threatened by the erosion of white privilege from the increasing diversity in their communities. Although the 1/6 mob appears to be white, Trump increased his voter base among Asian and Latinx Americans based on exit polls and analysis of voting patterns. The mob may not reflect pro-Trump voter sentiments among Filipinos that guided their choice in the last elections, but it is important to ask, were they attracted to him because of his authoritarian tendencies? E.g., his disdain for the critical press, his brash unapologetic personality and populist pronouncements, his disrespect of the judiciary and the legislative co-equal branches of government if they were not in his service?

His disdain for critical media has a cascading effect on one’s ability to think critically. Who is one to believe if the press cannot be trusted to be objective: the giant echo chamber of those who pander to Trump? Those who trusted Trump and what they heard within his giant echo chamber believed him when he egged them to march to the

Capitol to fight hard to “stop the steal”; they believed him when he assured them that he will be there with them — a boldfaced lie, for he soon retreated to the fortress of the White House. This may well be the reason why some protesters did not hesitate to carry and wave the confederate flag (the flag of treason) into the Capitol.

American democracy will survive these cuts, but it has been shocked and considerably weakened. There will be no shortage of advise on how the wounds and divisions that 1/6 has laid bare might be healed or bridged. I will just reiterate what I wrote when I warned about the dangers of Trump’s authoritarian tendencies in early December (Asian Journal Southern California Midweek Edition, December 2, 2020). Americans must confront and make peace with the historic legacies of its slave-owning past: exorcise white supremacy, and the culture of white privilege.

Which leads me to the question of Filipino Americans and their role in getting beyond 1/6. A majority of us are foreign born — immigrant — although more and more have become naturalized, and voted in the last elections.

Our native born children clearly have a stake in the political future of this country. So do we, foreign born Filipino Americans since we have thrived under the umbrella of opportunities and liberties in American society. But the strong ties we have with Filipinas, our

country of birth, requires that we cannot have one standard for Trump, condemning his transgressions against truth, civil liberties, and democracy, while we turn a blind eye to similar transgressions in the political affairs of the Philippines.

President Duterte’s war on drugs, is estimated to have resulted in over 30,000 extrajudicial killings. He has attacked the press, actually moving to curtail the activities of those critical of him through license cancellations, and lawsuits. The most egregious so far is prosecution of Rappler’s founder and executive editor, Maria Ressa, on alleged violations of a libel law that was retroactively applied — the law did not exist when the alleged acts were committed.

As extrajudicial executions were mounting under the war on drugs, Duterte warned the critical media, “just because you are a journalist, you are not exempted from assassination.”

The United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights has warned that there appears to be “a pattern of intimidation” of media in the Philippines. Ressa and fellow journalist, Reynaldo Santos Jr. were found guilty of a law retroactively applied to them. At a press conference afterwards Ressa has vowed to continue fighting, to hold power to account: “Are we going to lose freedom of the press? Will it be death by a thousand cuts, or are we going to hold the line so that we protect

back and do our share to help create a more perfect Union…

I HAVE A DREAM that one day, the United States of America will again be a government of the people, for the people, by the people, and on January 20, 2021, when Joe Biden and Kamala Harris took their oaths, we have proven we still have the vision, the resolve and the commitment to make this come true…

So help us, God! *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.

***

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

the rights that are enshrined in our constitution?”

We also know now that ABSCBN, a major radio and TV broadcast organization has had to stop its broadcast activities in the Philippines pending a renewal of its broadcast license, these despite assurances by members of the Philippine congress that it can continue its operations pending congressional review of its renewal application.

These attacks on the freedom of the press are but one area of concern regarding civil liberties in the Philippines. Since 2019, international human rights advocate organizations have began to focus attention on the Philippines. In June, 2019, the UN Human Rights Council, adopted a resolution, requesting the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to report on the human rights situation in the Philippines. The adoption of this resolution is unprecedented; it marks the first time that the Philippines is the subject of scrutiny by the Human Rights Council.

Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court (ICC), launched an inquiry on the Philippines war on drugs. In reaction, President Duterte withdrew Philippine membership with the ICC on March 2020. The ICC prosecutor however continues its inquiry, contending that the ICC has jurisdiction over crimes committed during a period while the Philippines was still an ICC member, i.e., July 2016 to March 2020.

These are disturbing signs about the curtailment of liberties

u PAGE 8

The views expressed by our Op-Ed contributors are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the predilection of the editorial board and staff of Asian Journal.

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Report: Black market for...

Relieved, but still cautious: Fil-Am health...

PAGE 5 t “use vaccines for political leverage in areas where it is trying to expand its influence.”

A Philippines-based businessman revealed to the Post that he had been approached by Chinese businessmen from the online gambling industry about supplying the Sinopharm vaccine to their employees.

“The process, he said, entailed the buyer declaring the smuggled vaccines as supplements, before customs officials would relabel the shipment accordingly and approve the importation,” the article said.

“Would-be local distributors would have to agree to assume legal responsibility and sign a waiver committing not to resell the vaccine. The businessman said that

PAGE 1 t reprieve, the daily infection and fatality numbers remind of the sobering reality and the infectious nature of the virus.

In Teniola’s case, she continues to witness numerous deaths working in the emergency room, especially in individuals over the age of 45.

“These ages supposedly are the prime years and best time to travel or spend quality time with family and friends, but instead, because of the deadly COVID, we have to isolate ourselves from our loved ones,” she said.

For Emmanuel Bando, a nurse manager of ambulatory care at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in New York, his turn to get vaccinated came as a blessing because he initially wasn’t prioritized since he does not work in an emergency room or intensive care unit. But, he made his case for being vaccinated as overflow COVID patients have been sent to his unit.

During the first round of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, he reported muscle weakness and a spike in blood pressure, but did not experience other side effects other than soreness at the injection site the second time.

He completed his vaccine on January 12, which made him “feel more confident and effective” in stopping the spread of the virus.

“Right now, in our hospital, we have 60 cases and I found out that the other Health and Hospital [locations] are sending their COVID patient to us,” Bando told the Asian Journal. “The really sad part is that they removed my three ambulatory care nurses to work in the inpatient units and left me with [a] skeletal crew.”

As of this writing, the United States passed the 24 million mark of total cases and over 400,000 deaths.

In California, three areas — the Bay Area, San Joaquin Valley and Southern California — continue to be under the state’s regional stay-at-home order as their ICU capacities are well below the 15% threshold. The state confirmed over 2.97 million cases to date with a seven-day positivity rate of 10.6%.

Los Angeles County over the weekend became the first county in the country to hit 1 million cases, and estimates show that 1 in 3 residents have been infected at some point, according to the Los Angeles Times.

many groups were interested and that it was a ‘decentralized operation,’” it added.

Neither the Philippine Bureau of Customs nor the Chinese Embassy in Manila commented on the matter.

Meanwhile, Malacañang assured that the investigations of health and law enforcement authorities are already underway.

“Both FDA [Food and Drug Administration] and the NBI [National Bureau of Investigation] have been investigating this issue,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Monday.

“Abangan nalang po natin ang resulta ng kanilang imbestigasyon (Let’s just wait for the results of their investigation),” he added. (Ritchel Mendiola/AJPress)

Filipina traveler from...

PAGE 5 t airline could not “prevent you from going to your birth country,” and that they had certain birthrights as Philippine-born Filipinos.

“But that day [at NAIA], I guess we didn’t,” Almares said.

At the immigration kiosk at NAIA, Almares said that airport security told travelers that they could not travel any further, reportedly confiscated their passports with no explanation, and stuck the travelers in a holding room at the airport.

“Mind you, I’m coming off an almost 14-hour flight. It’s 10 p.m. when we landed, nothing is open to eat because airport restaurants were closed, and we’re put into this holding room that had no beds, no showers, no TV and it was just completely uncomfortable and we had no idea what was happening because nobody gave us any information, even when we asked,” Almares recounted.

The next day, they were shown the government mandate that banned visas from countries that appeared on the list of barred nations. The mandate had been implemented while Almares’ plane was in the air, but airline security did not announce plans to quarantine the travelers in a legitimate way or provide any accommodations beyond the holding room.

The passport confiscation, in particular, made Almares uncomfortable: “They had them in backpacks, not secured whatsoever. There were already in-

cidents of stealing throughout those two days so I was worried something might happen to my passport.”

Almares said that throughout their detainment, she befriended fellow travelers and offered to help those who didn’t have any internet connection by giving what information she can find.

One of the travelers she got to know was an 85-year-old Filipina and her grandson (who is autistic) who were worried that they would not be able to go home.

The situation was frustrating, stressful and scary for many of the travelers, Almares said. At one point, she began to reckon with the fact that she wouldn’t be able to see her grandmother and the plans she had to care for her would never come to fruition.

Unlike previous instances where travelers were in mid-air when a ban was imposed, there were no moves to quarantine the travelers once they touched down.

They ended up spending “48 hours going into 72 hours” in the holding room, Almares said, adding that they all had to keep their face masks and shields on.

All the while, Almares and others tried to call embassies and consulates in an effort to have a government body advocate on their behalf, but those communication attempts didn’t amount to much.

Almares decided to confront airline staff and security about the situation, asking for any answers to the questions that she and others had: Are we able to

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ALL VACCINATED. (Top) Dr. Antonio Moya, a neurologist in Los Angeles County; (Middle row, L-R) Dr. Joyce Javier, a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles; Emmanuel Bando, a nurse manager of ambulatory care at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in New York; and (bottom) Anna Medrano, a nurse practitioner at City of Hope in Duarte, California, have all completed both doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Contributed photos; Photo credit - City of Hope

“The public needs to be reminded that the vaccination does not provide full protection from COVID-19 right away as it takes some time for the body to develop immunity to it,” Anna Medrano, a nurse practitioner at City of Hope in Duarte, California, told the Asian Journal. “Collectively, we can help control the staggering number of new cases by continuing to practice social distancing, wearing a mask and practicing other infection control measures. Continue to stay informed and stay healthy for the

sake of our loved ones, our communities and our country.”

Medrano, who was the first at her hospital to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine last month, got her second dose on January 4.

Similar to the first round, she experienced a slight fever, generalized body aches fatigue, and tenderness on her left arm afterward. She seeks to dispel any misinformation about the side effects of the vaccine.

“For those planning to receive the vaccine, please plan ahead

7

of time. If you can, take Tylenol or ibuprofen before getting your vaccination and plan to take the vaccine when you can stay home and take care of yourself for one to two days, depending on your symptoms,” she said.

Setting an example For every individual who gets vaccinated, there is the other side of those who are still skeptical, despite studies showing the safety and efficacy of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines.

Still, health care workers are pleading with colleagues and those eligible in the next tier to complete their injections and trust the science.

“Let’s be encouraged. If not for yourself, think of your loved ones and the future of humanity.

COVID is like the lottery: if you get it, you may have mild side effects, or you get it big time, that you get sick and die. We don’t know what effect COVID will bring until you get it. So, get vaccinated before COVID gets you,” Teniola said.

Jesse Caloza, an operating room orderly, said getting the vaccine was the “most important decision” he’s made in his 25 years working at an LA County-area hospital.

“Taking the COVID-19 vaccine was the most important decision I’ve had to make in my 25-year career at the hospital. It was also one of the easiest. I hope all health care workers, especially my kababayans, take it,” Caloza told the Asian Journal. “The fight against COVID-19 isn’t over, but taking the vaccine means we are one step closer. We must do everything we can to protect ourselves, our patients, our families, and our community.”

For Dr. Antonio Moya, a neurologist and public health advocate, getting both rounds of the vaccine goes further than protecting himself and his patients — but to provide an example for the greater Fil-Am community as LA County is set to roll out vaccinations for individuals 65 years and older.

“I recommend all Filipinos to be proactive and ask their primary care providers about when they can be considered for the vaccine. It would be great for younger Filipinos to also help advocate for their elderly parents or grandparents to get the vaccine as soon as possible,” Moya, who completed his second dose on January 8 as part of LA County’s effort to vaccinate health care workers, told the Asian Journal.

However, Moya cautioned that

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JANUARY 22-28, 2021 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

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The death of democracy by a thousand... Relieved, but still cautious: Fil-Am health...

PAGE 6 and rights in the Philippines. Yet, judging by Duterte’s continued popularity, Filipinos appear to be more sympathetic towards leaders with strong authoritarian tendencies. Government actions against Ressa, Rappler, and ABSCBN hardly created a ripple of protest among Filipinos even as those who dared to voice criticism have been threatened or prosecuted on trumped-up (pun intended) charges. Outrage was more pronounced internationally.

This is a dangerous bargain that we are making with the devil, so to speak. Democracy and civil liberties in the Philippines lack the robust rails that they have in the United States.

Corruption and political patronage have made us more willing to ignore transgressions. And when the bargain comes due, it might well be death by a thousand cuts.

At the very least, I urge my kababayans to start engaging on the issues of press freedom and

civil liberties in the Philippines.

Let us educate ourselves on the issues. A good place to start are the reports of international human rights advocacy groups. ***

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.

***

Enrique de la Cruz, Ph.D. is professor Emeritus of Asian American Studies at California State University, Northridge.

Filipina traveler from SoCal...

PAGE 7 get a flight back home? If so, when will we be going home? Do we have to pay for a new boarding pass? Are we going to be quarantined? How long are we to stay in the holding room?

But she received the same, unsatisfying answers every time: “We’re working on it, and we’ll give you information once we receive it.”

At the peak of her frustration, Almares pulled out her phone and began recording her interactions

with airline security, demanding answers and letting staff know about the “unfair” treatment the travelers are receiving. On Filipino Facebook groups, she began detailing in real time her experience, providing updates to the nearly three-day saga.

At one point, according to Almares, an airline staff member told her that she was being “maarte (dramatic),” and tried to get her to calm down.

The Philippines is a country that for the last few decades has

poised itself to be a tourist destination to the Western world that rivals Bali, Indonesia; Phuket, Thailand and other tropical locales in South East Asia.

The tourism effort has kickstarted many a campaign to attract Western travelers (i.e. wealthy white folks with a hunger for wanderlust) to places like Boracay, Surigao and Palawan — Philippine locales that represent the natural beauty of the land that conveniently hides the

u PAGE 9

ANNOUNCEMENT

sential services like the medical field as well as living in multigenerational households.

“It’s important for our health care workers to model to our community that the vaccine is safe and that can help alleviate fears about the vaccine,” Javier told the Asian Journal, citing National Nurses United’s findings that Filipino nurses make up 31% of COVID deaths, despite only being close to 4% of the nursing population in the U.S. She added, “I hope my story can encourage others to get the vaccine when it’s available to them. My hope is that having the vaccines available will help address not only the health impacts of the pandemic, but also

the mental health impacts of COVID-19 on all our communities.”

Javier and Moya shared culturally relevant resources, including the Filipino Family Health Initiative, a program that is offering parenting workshops; and Tayo Help, an online platform with expert-backed articles to dispel any COVID misinformation, as Fil-Ams continue to navigate the pandemic and wait for the opportunity to get vaccinated.

“There’s obviously a lot of anxiety among all communities and also with our teens, children and health care workers. I think it’s just important to keep the communication lines open in the family,” Javier said.

Manila court orders ‘Bikoy’ arrest for...

PAGE 5 t the three actively participated in the preparation of ‘Project Sodoma’ since “they were only mentioned by respondent Advincula as part of the shadow group and nothing more.”

“Respondent Advincula’s statement against the complain-

ants cannot be believed considering that there was no clear-cut of their involvement in ‘Project Sodoma,’” the prosecution panel said.

Prosecution said false testimony complaints filed by both Advincula and Police Col. Arnold Thomas Ibay were also dismissed

since not all of their statements were false.

The perjury complaint against Thomas Ibay was also dismissed since he only endorsed Advincula’s affidavit.

Advincula is now facing charges of perjury and conspiracy to commit sedition.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2020-9020263

CASE NUMBER: 37-2020-00041939-CU-PT-CTL

LEGAL NOTICE SD#0014

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Notice is hereby given that the San Diego Unified School District, acting by and through its governing board, will receive “ELECTRONIC-ONLY” bids for the furnishing of all labor, materials, transportation, equipment, and services to: REMOVE AND REPLACE BLOCK WALL AND MAIN SWITCHGEAR AT MIRAMAR RANCH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL A mandatory site visit is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. on THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021, in front of the main office of Miramar Ranch Elementary School, 10770 Red Cedar Dr., San Diego, CA 92131.

ALL CONTRACTORS MUST PREREGISTER WITH THE DISTRICT PRIOR TO ATTENDING THE SITE WALK. Please send only one representative per Company. Contact jalmond@sandi.net for the link to preregister. (PLEASE SEE BID FOR DETAILS No. CZ21-0621-23).

COVID-19 SITE WALK SAFETY PRECAUTIONS WILL BE ENFORCED Please refer to Planwell (www.crispimg.com, click on PlanWell, Public Planroom, search SDUSD and project bid number CZ21-0621-23) or The Daily Transcript Publication for the complete Advertisement for Bids which includes Site Walk Safety Precautions AND preregistration information.

All bids must be received electronically at or before 1:00 p.m. on FEBRUARY 11, 2021. Firms interested in submitting a bid package must go to https://www.planetbids.com/portal/portal. cfm?CompanyID=43764 then search under “Bid Opportunities” for “Invitation number” CZ21-0621-23 Miramar Ranch ES Remove and Replace Block Wall and Main Switchgear. For new vendors, please register under “New Vendor Registration”.

The project estimate is between $900,000 and $1.1 million. This is a PSA project and requires prequalification. The District requires that Bidders possess any of the following classification(s) of California State Contractors License(s), valid and in good standing, at the time of bid opening and contract award: A or other appropriate license, subject to District approval SAN DIEGO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT Andrea O’Hara, M.A. Strategic Sourcing and Contracts Officer Strategic Sourcing and Contracts Department

EMPLOYMENT

PAGE 7 t being inoculated is not “a free ticket” to engage in nonessential travel and to forget the public health precautions that have become part of the new normal.

“Regardless of vaccination or not, our community needs to stop the spread through public health…These actions are the easiest ways to prevent overwhelming our hospitals nationwide,” he said.

Dr. Joyce Javier, a pediatrician and researcher at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, echoed the importance of the community to be protected, given the numerous factors that have contributed to Fil-Ams being at higher risk — being employed in frontline, es-

CZ21-0621-23

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2020-9020070 SAN DIEGO GUNS located at 5995 MISSION GORGE ROAD, SUITE C SAN DIEGO, CA 92120.

Registrant: SAN DIEGO GUNS LLC, 5995 MISSION GORGE ROAD, SUITE C SAN DIEGO, CA 92120.

This business is conducted

by LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY. REGISTRANT HAS BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME AS OF 01/09/2016.

Signature DALLAS MARTENSEN. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 12/05/2020.

AJ 685 01/01, 01/08, 01/15, 01/22/2021.

AJSD 685

A. ACE OF FADES BARBERSHOP B. ACE OF TATTOO PARLOR located at 1610 PALM AVENUE #C, SAN DIEGO, CA 92154.

Registrant: LEOPOLDO BARAJAS III, 1660 PLANICIE WAY, SAN DIEGO, CA 92154.

This business is conducted by INDIVIDUAL. REGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME. Signature LEOPOLDO BARAJAS III. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 12/09/2020.

AJ 687 01/08, 01/15, 01/22/, & 01/29/2021.

AJSD 687

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner BEN NGUYEN AND THUY KIM DIEP ON BEHALF OF A MINOR filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: NGOC BAO DIEP NGUYEN to MIALIE NGUYEN. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING Date: 02/25/2021 Tine: 8:30 AM Dept. 61 Superior Court of California, County of San Diego 330 WEST BROADWAY DEPT. C-61 San Diego, CA 92101 A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation printed in this county. Asian Journal: DEC. 31, 2020 NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT Lorna Alksne Judge of the Superior Court AJ 686 JAN. 08, 15, 22, & 29, 2021 ATTACHMENT TO ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE – Name Change (NC120) Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, which poses a substantial risk to the health and welfare of court personnel and the public, rendering presence in, or access to, the court’s facilities unsafe, and pursuant to the emergency orders of the Chief Justice of the State of California and General Orders of the Presiding Department of the San Diego Superior Court, the following Order is made: NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE. The Court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120)..

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

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

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

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

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

AJSD 686

SAN DIEGO

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SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL • JANUARY 22-28, 2021

JOURNAL

9

9

JA N UA RY 22 , 2 0 2 1

Looking onward to 2021 after a year of challenges, social distancing 2

by Ritchel

Mendiola / AJPress

Ginger Lim-Dimapasok Photo by Noel Ty

020 not only brought the world to a standstill, but also changed our way of living.

COVID-19’s global sweep prompted countries to close borders, and with it, came the safety measures that we have taken into the new year — face masks, hand sanitizers, and social distancing. Concerts, festivals, and even traveling took a backseat in favor of home quarantines, while digital technologies rose to the occasion in battling pandemic fatigue.

Still, the impact of COVID-19 had been egregious. By the end of 2020, over 82 million people have contracted the virus, and a staggering 1.8 million have died because of it. To make matters worse, natural disasters, systemic racism, and political tensions between countries ran rampant alongside the pandemic, bringing horror after horror, grief upon grief, throughout the entire year.

2020 was, no doubt, a year of profound loss. We mourned for human lives, the ‘normalcy’ we were once used to, and the opportunities that would have catapulted us to a better future.

But in the midst of all the dark tragedies and adversities we had to deal with, we also found little pockets of light that guided us in navigating a rocky year plagued by the pandemic.

An opportunity for self-reflection Being in isolation gave people the time to grapple with the lull that the pandemic presented, and the effect on their careers and long-term life goals.

For Yana Gilbuena, chef of Salo Series, it meant looking at her life’s work in a new light. “[2020] was a retreat that had me reflecting on what’s important in the face of uncertainty and calamity. A big realization I had was I was not an essential business, and my model is not pivotable because the main thing I’m providing is community, culture and connection over food,” she told the Asian Journal.

“I had to remind myself that as much as my identity has been tied to Salo Series for the past seven years, it was not all that I am. I knew that food was just a vehicle for the main driver of what I do, which is to have an impact in people’s lives, and that I can still do that in other ways,” added Gilbuena. “This pandemic provided me with an opportunity to reconnect with the other facets of Yana and discern what ways I can still create and impact even if it’s not through food.”

Familial comfort Having your family’s support certainly softened the blow that came with the pandemic upending your plans. In 2020’s trying time, family members lent strength, and gave us the reassurance that, even in a seemingly endless period of isolation, we weren’t alone.

Lally Reyes from Dublin, California underscored the importance of her family while work-

ing from home.

“I am so grateful for a great and loving family life at home.

To be together 24/7 for nine months now would have been difficult if we didn’t have a loving and understanding relationship at home,” she said.

Meanwhile, Ginger Lim-Dimapasok, chef and co-founder of Cafe 86, shared that the pandemic gave her the opportunity to spend more time with her family.

“The news of the pandemic hit us like a pile of bricks. On a personal level, it meant being separated from family, especially the ones living in the Philippines. On a business level, it meant closing up shop. It was a truly scary and uncertain time, but we tried our best to focus on the health and well-being of not just our family, but our staff,” she said.

“Amidst all the uncertainties of the situation, I found joy in being given time to be at home with my family. As a business owner, time at home is something we rarely get, and all of a sudden, I was able to cook three meals, I was able to have conversations with the kids, and I got to take care of things I rarely had time for while working,” she added.

Nikki Guevara Perez de Tagle, on the other hand, reflected on the “bittersweet” year — from giving birth after years of trying to struggling with business downturn.

“2020 was bittersweet for me.

It was definitely a rollercoaster of emotions and experiences. It was sweet because, after four years of trying to get pregnant, my husband and I finally conceived through IVF (In vitro fertilization) and delivered our sweet baby girl in November,” she said. “It was bitter because my businesses suffered due to the pandemic. My salons had to close for a few months leaving my employees jobless for a while. Thankfully my husband still had his job. It would’ve been hard not having income while I was pregnant.”

“Another reason why 2020 is bitter is because I get no help taking care of my little one.

So I’m very hands-on with my baby. My whole family was supposed to fly here in November and December to be with me for the birth of Shiloh and for the holidays. But yet again, it was cancelled because of COVID,” De Tagle added.

She continued, “The worst part of it all is that my husband

caught the virus. Thankfully, his symptoms were mild but he still had to be isolated...However, I wouldn’t change a thing about everything that happened. Not only did my family overcome this obstacle, we became stronger.

I became stronger because I had to take care of my family all by myself.

I learned how to suck it up and be strong for my family. Through all of this, I became resilient.”

Appreciating the little things As the pandemic continued to hang over 2020 like a dark cloud, we learned to tone down our profligacy. Being deprived of the most basic things also led to us appreciating the mundane.

“Living during these times taught me how to live with just the bare necessities; buying what’s needed and seeing a limited amount of people. It teaches you that it’s okay to just have enough and not live in excess,” said Lim-Dimapasok.

Deo Jaravata, a teacher with the Los Angeles Unified School District, likewise told the Asian Journal that 2020 taught him to be content with the simple things.

“My beginning of the year was excellent. I went on some trips and finished five marathons. I even celebrated my birthday with family and friends on the first Saturday of March.

After that, my year went downhill. All races were canceled.

My annual summer trip to the Philippines was canceled, too.

My trip to Tokyo to watch the Summer Olympics was canceled as well,” he said, adding that he resorted to hiking local LA trails and mountains.

As a teacher, he taught summer school for the first time with the LAUSD — but virtually.

“From these cancellations, I realized that I can easily be contented and I can accept what life gives me. I’m very fortunate that I have my teaching job and am still physically fit,” he added.

Vivian Cruz had the same sentiment. She said, “In 2020...we realized that we could live with less; that a simple life is actually good for us. We did more as a family confined in our homes

Nikki Guevara Perez de Tagle Instagram photo by/ @miss_guevara

Yana Gilbuena Photo by Mogli

and together we prayed, and played, cooked, and did a lot of things with joy. Family relationships, friendships flourished thanks also to the technology of Messenger, Viber, and Zoom.”

Truly, the pandemic has taught us it doesn’t take much to make a day feel special. Even the act of coming home is considered a moment to celebrate.

“My wife works as a nurse responsible for taking care of COVID patients and helping manage resources. Every time she comes home from a long day of work is a nervous time for me so they are big moments,” Norbert Piega from Chino Hills, California told the Asian Journal.

“She brought heart-breaking news of suffering and death and her efforts to keep things afloat amidst challenges are nothing less than heroic to me,” he added.

What’s next?

The end of the year generally has people feeling hopeful that the next one would be better. A new year means a new chapter, a new page unblemished by mistakes or regrets. Looking back at 2020 may have unearthed various feelings, but looking ahead at 2021 only elicited one: hope.

“What I am looking forward to this coming year, 2021 is a new beginning. I am hopeful that the COVID-19 vaccine will help

eradicate this pandemic,” said Christienne Silverio from Las Vegas, Nevada.

Jaravata expressed hope for the promise of the vaccines.

“Hopefully, the vaccine will help us with this virus. I know it won’t be 100% back to normal but hopefully I can still run marathons, travel, mingle with family and friends, and be back to see my students face-to-face.”

“I am most hopeful that we will get through this; that more lives will be saved, and that we will take the lessons of 2020 and slay 2021,” Gilbuena added.

SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

Recipe Corner

Filipina traveler from SoCal...

PAGE 8 less savory characteristics of a country that is still considered Third World.

It’s not lost on Almares that the hospitality that the Philippines touts in its tourism campaign seemed to be absent the day she and the dozens of other members of the Filipino diaspora and expats were forced into the purgatory of an NAIA holding room with no help from airport and airline staff and the U.S. Embassy in Manila.

Of course, she’s understanding of the usual circumstance of the pandemic and the new viral strains that have put the entire world on high alert. But the “inhumane” treatment that she received from the staff and security and the unusual protocols were far from the realm of acceptable conduct, even in a pandemic.

More than two days after she had first landed at NAIA, Almares said that the frustration and confusion had pent up and she decided to make a stand.

After retrieving her passport from the backpack where all the passports were stuffed into, she decided to book a flight over the phone through United Airlines and try to get back home, but airline security at NAIA told her she couldn’t do that.

Originally she wanted the 2

p.m. flight through Nippon Airways (United Airlines’ sister airline), but they were given the 11 p.m. flight.

“I had to release some pent-up anger and the only way I could do that was just to voice myself and I told them, ‘What happened to kababayan? What happened to bayanihan, the welcoming of countrymen?’” Almares recalled.

“The Philippines has a history of treating its own citizens poorly and if they were to anger a large number of people who are trying to travel to the Philippines, they could get a lot of backlash for this.”

She understands that many of the staff she interacted with at NAIA weren’t ultimately the ones to blame and that they were just as much in the dark as she was, but it doesn’t excuse what she went through.

“I told them, you know, that I know that they’re just doing their jobs but they’re getting so little pay and I said, ‘You’re doing this and it puts so much burden on you,’ because if I had lost my passport when they confiscated it, they would be in a lot of trouble,” Almares said. “I was trying to reach their hearts and let them know that this situation doesn’t help anybody involved.”

Eventually, Almares and her fellow travelers were given free

flights to go back home, more than two days of sitting in the NAIA waiting room. She was able to get a refund for the ticket she purchased, but the frustrating ordeal offered no relief. The 85-year-old lola she befriended had stayed behind because she couldn’t physically travel again on such short notice, so Almares offered to help the grandson get home safely.

The current ban on travelers in the Philippines was extended two weeks and is now in effect until Jan. 31, according to Malacañang.

“I came out of that experience feeling very disconnected,” Almares said, who was able to arrive back in Los Angeles safely.

She described feeling a strange betrayal from her birth country, noting its sensitivity to criticism.

“You cannot criticize the Philippine government at all. You could be blacklisted, but honestly, I’m fine if they blacklist me for speaking about what happened. They are vulnerable and the [Philippine] government can change the law on a whim, we know this. I just wanted people to know that people who want to come to the Philippines, that your health and physical being could be put in a very compromising situation,” she added.

(Klarize Medenilla/AJPress)

Pangat Ingredients • 1 kilo Gabi leaves (trim but keep about 6 inches of stalk, slice leaves and shred stalks) • ¼ kilo Pork meat (either ground or cooked as adobo but cubed) • ½ kilo Shrimps (shelled and cubed) • ¼ cup Guinamos (bagoong alamang, the dry variety) • 1 teaspoon Crushed garlic • ½ kilo Salted dried fish (shredded) • ¼ cup Chopped onions • 1 inch Chopped ginger • 3 pieces Siling labuyo • 3 tablespoons Pamana Vinegar, sugar and salt to taste • 6 pieces Coconut (niyog, to yield 6 cups of first extraction and 4 cups of second extraction) • tanglad leaves Directions 1. Boil sliced gabi leaves and shredded stalks in enough water until wilted.

2. Remove gabi from water and discard water.

3. Combine pork adobo (if ground pork, cook by sautéing first), shrimps, guinamos, salted dried fish, garlic, onions, ginger, siling labuyo, Pamana vinegar, gabi leaves and stalk.

4. Add second extraction of coconut milk.

5. Cover and boil until done.

6. Add sugar and salt to taste.

7. Add 4 cups of first extraction of coconut milk.

8. Continue cooking until oil comes out.

9. Let mixture cool.

10. Wrap mixture in gabi leaves.

11. Secure with tanglad leaves tied in a knot.

12. Arrange wrapped pangat in pot.

13. Add 2 cups of coconut milk from the first extraction.

14. Boil until thick.

ThisrecipeisprovidedcourtesyofSeafoodCity.VisittheirFacebookPageorhttp://www.seafoodcity.comformorerecipes.

IfyouhaveanyrecipesthatyouwouldliketosharewithAsianJournalreaders,pleasesendemailtoeditor@asianjournalinc.com or info@asianjournalinc.com, and include a photo of your dish.

10

JANUARY 22-28, 2021 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

Health@Heart PhiliP S. Chua, MD, FaCS, FPCS KNOWING the correct information could save your life.

Now that the two vaccines against the SARS-CoV2 virus of COVID-19 and its variants are here, and a third to be available soon, all of us must know the facts and details about them.

Otherwise, we will be wasting the vaccines, getting infected after receiving the shots, and spreading the disease anyway.

Currently there are more than 96 million cases of COVID-19 and greater than 2 million deaths in 219 countries, killing 409,000 in the U.S. and almost 10,000 in the Philippines.

The chance of dying from COVID-19 greatly outweighs the risk of dying from the side-effects or complications of the vaccine. It’s a no brainer: the vaccine is a life saver.

Talk to your physicians for any queries or if you have severe allergies. COVID-19 vaccines being sold online are fake and dangerous. Get yours from official sites.

Warning: If one becomes careless or reckless after getting the first or the second shot, and stops using facemask, social distancing and crowd avoidance, the residual risk could still lead to infection and

EntErtainmEnt

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

Life-saving info Fil-Am actress Ginger Gonzaga to star

death. Only when herd immunity in the country and in the world is fully established will it be safe for the then vaccinated 95.5 percent of people. The 4.5 percent (people who are skeptics, misinformed, Muslims, Christian Scientists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, etc.) who object to getting the vaccine, could be the only segment of the society who could be infected and keep the SARS-CoV2 virus around.

They could cause future outbreaks of COVID-19 every now and then, even beyond the next five years.

An example of this is measles, which was no longer endemic in the United States since 1997 because of the high vaccination rate. Sadly, came the outbreak in 2005 when a member of a religious group in the U.S. who refused the vaccine got infected while in Romania, and came back to the U.S. and caused the outbreak.

This has led to many pockets of measles infection thereafter.

Indeed, a single irresponsible person can cause an outbreak, which could lead to an epidemic, and result in a devastating pandemic.

An analogy Vaccines are for protection, much like the bullet-proof vests which also do not offer 100 percent coverage. But as proven by Edward Jenner, who invented the first vaccine (for Smallpox and Cowpox) in 1796 and others that followed,

and by Casimir Zeglen, who invented the bullet-proof vests in 1893, vaccines and bullet-proof vests, although not 100 percent guaranteed to prevent infection (injuries) and deaths, have saved billions of lives around the globe. When bullets are flying in the air (much like the SARS-CoV2 virus and its variants today), I would rather have a bullet-proof vest (and the vaccine during this pandemic), albeit neither is guaranteed 100 percent. It’s just plain common sense!

Talking of protection, the CDC states pregnant women, who are at a higher risk for COVID-19, may safely get the vaccine without undue side-effects on the fetus. As a matter of fact, it has been shown that the vaccines have prevented premature births and miscarriages.

Still at risk A frequent question I get: “After getting vaccinated, am I immediately immune from getting COVID-19?”

The answer is NO. Following the first shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine, it will take at least 21 days to get 52 percent (partial) immunity, so there remains 48 percent risk of getting infected if one stops avoiding crowds, wearing facemask, social distancing, washing hands often, etc.

After the second shot (21 days after the first for the P-BNT and 28 days for Moderna vaccine), one does not get the full 95 percent immunity until after several weeks or months. It is obvious there is still a 5 percent risk after the second shot (a must to have to complete the vaccination).

We must not allow the vaccination to give us a false sense of complete security. About 5 percent of those vaccinated have been infected with COVID days/weeks after the vaccination. There are a lot we still do not know about the virus, its variants, and the duration of protection the vaccines confer.

Historical firsts The first person in the world to receive the COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech) outside the clinical trials was a 90-year-old grandmother in the UK, Margaret Keenan, on December 8, 2020. Sandra Lindsay, a nurse in Queens, New York, (originally from Ja-

u PAGE 11

in Marvel’s ‘She-Hulk’ series

By Ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

FILIPINA American actress Ginger Gonzaga has been casted in the upcoming “She-Hulk” Marvel series for Disney+.

“She-Hulk” is a series that centers on Jennifer Walters, an attorney who has similar powers to her cousin, Bruce Banner/The Hulk. She will be played by actress Tatiana Maslany (“Orphan Black”).

Meanwhile, Gonzaga will play the role of Walters’ best friend.

Actor Mark Ruffalo will reprise his role as The Hulk, while Tim Roth will reprise his Hulk character of The Abomination.

The series will be directed by Kat Coiro and Anu Valia, with Jessica Gao leading the writing for the series.

Gonzaga on Wednesday, January 20, took to social media to express her excitement in joining the cast of “She-Hulk.”

“I’m beyond excited to join #Shehulk! We will be directed by #KatCairo! @ChairmanGao is gifting us her hilarious writing & I get to run amok w/ the insanely talented #tatianamaslaney.

Thanks @Marvel & @disneyplus 4 your support & having me in the fam! Get ready! It’s AWE-

Fil-Am actress Ginger Gonzaga to star in Marvel’s ‘She-Hulk’ series

Photo from IMDb

SOME!” the Fil-Am actress said as the executive producer.

Gonzaga was a series regular in a tweet.

Gonzaga, born to a Dutch on ABC’s “Mixology” and TBS’ mother and Filipino father, pre- “Wrecked,” and was the host viously starred in Showtime’s and writer of Hulu’s comedic “Kidding,” alongside Jim Carrey daily pop culture recap show as well as the stand-up come- “The Morning After.” She had dy-drama series “I’m Dying Up also been on HBO’s “TogetherHere,” of which Carrey served ness” and Hulu’s “Chance.”

H.E.R. to perform ‘America the Beautiful’ at 2021 Super Bowl By aJPRess

BLACK Filipina American R&B artist H.E.R. will be performing at the 2021 Super Bowl in Tampa, Florida.

The Grammy Award-winning artist will perform “America the Beautiful” before kickoff, the NFL announced on Tuesday, January 19. She follows in the footsteps of Yolanda Adams, who performed the song in 2020.

This year’s game will be on February 7 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

Eric Church and Jazmine Sullivan will sing the national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” the NFL also announced.

“I’ll be in Tampa Bay for the

u PAGE 11

H.E.R.

Photo from Instagram/@hermusicofficial

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SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL • JANUARY 22-28, 2021

Meryll shares details of ‘risky, difficult’ pregnancy

11

By Jan

Milo severo Philstar.com

CELEBRITY couple Meryll Soriano and Joem Bascon documented their journey together during Meryll’s pregnancy through photos and shared it to their followers.

In her Instagram account, Meryll posted a series of her monthly photos showing her and Joem in matching clothes and poses until she finally gave birth.

“Fom egg to hooman. Mum & Dud Pregnancy Journey,” she wrote in the caption.

In another post, the couple shared a photo of their matching tattoos.

“Thank you,” Meryll simply wrote in the caption, tagging Joem.

According to her, the pregnancy was not easy and she “pushed” her “heart out” because of her age. She also had anxiety and Gestational Diabetes along the way.

“Pushed my heart out. 7lbs.

20 in. 10hrs. of labour. Normal birth delivery. We welcomed our beautiful boy,” she narrated.

“At 38, my doctor told me that it’s risky and difficult. I had anxiety over this on the latter part of my pregnancy. I also acquired Gestational Diabetes (GDM) on my 6-7 month of my pregnancy. Which meant 4 x a day of glucose tests, 4 x a day of insulin shots and nth goodbyes to donuts, chocolates and cakes until I give birth.”

The actress solved her woes through proper diet and exercise.

“So, I worked out 4-5 x a week, healthy food intake and baby yoga as much as I could.

It was hard work and it was

Raffy Tulfo

Overexposed? Raffy Tulfo reacts

By Maridol

ranoa-BisMark Philstar.com

Joem Bascon and Meryll Soriano with their baby

difficult and tiring most of the time. But, again, my age is a factor. I did what was needed to be done.”

Most importantly, she made it through thanks to Joem.

“Voila! I made it. I did it! I am so proud to have a healthy pregnancy and safe delivery.

But, I couldn’t have done it without Dud. He helped me stay on track. He stopped buying Cloud 9 and HawHaw. He did pregnant workouts with me. And, there are no words to explain the taking-care-of-me

H.E.R. to perform...

PAGE 10 t @NFL#SBLV to sing America the Beautiful as part of the Super Bowl on @CBS Kick-Off Show at 6 PM ET,” said H.E.R. in a tweet.

“Make sure to tune in!” she added.

H.E.R., whose real name is Gabriella Wilson, was born in Vallejo, California to a Filipina mother and an African American father.

She rose to fame in 2009 after participating in Radio Disney’s “Next Big Thing.” At the age of 14, she signed to RCA Records and released the single “Something to Prove” under her real name in 2014.

In 2016, she debuted under the H.E.R. persona with her de-

but EP “H.E.R. Volume 1.”

She then released other EPs “H.E.R. Volume 2” and “The B Sides” in 2017 before releasing her first compilation album “H.E.R.” which consisted of tracks from the singer’s first two EPs plus six additional songs.

In 2018, she released “I Used to Know Her: The Prelude” and “I Used to Know Her: Part 2.”

H.E.R. received five nominations at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards in 2019, winning Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Album. The year after, she received three nominations: Song of the Year (“I Can’t Breathe”), and two for Best R&B Song (“Better Than I Imagine” and “Slow Down”).

Life-saving info...

PAGE 10 t maica) was the first person in the U.S. to get the shot (also P-BNT) on December 14, 2020.

My wife, Farida, and I received ours (P-BNT) on January 13, 2020 as a part of the largest vaccination campaign in modern history, with 32.5 million doses of the vaccines administered in 45 countries (almost 41.5 million as of today); 10.8 million (now about 13 million) in the United States alone, with almost 800,000 given their second dose. There are 77 candidate vaccines on trial in 47 countries, 19 of which are in stage 3 clinical trials, and 8 have been authorized. The Philippines is starting its vaccination in February, with 65,000 doses of SinoVac from China, a part of a 25 million dose-deal. Other potential suppliers include Moderna, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Jannsen, Novavax, all from the U.S. Variants spread faster The variant (with 17+ mutations) of SARS-CoV2 virus first discovered in the UK in September 2020, now plaguing the United States as well since December 20, 2020, is predicted to become the primary (predominating) strain by March, crowding out other strains.

While the variant strains are multiple times more rapidly transmissible, they are not more deadly and the vaccines we have are effective against them, including the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

A bonus from following the COVID-19 guidelines: the seasonal flu has dramatically decreased.

Wisdom and discipline It is now obvious that we are fighting two pandemics, COVID-19 and the pandemic of STUPIDITY. Those who abused democracy, demanding civil rights, protesting, and did whatever they wanted (not following the CDC guidelines) amidst this pandemic – refusing to wear facemask in public,

Photo from Instagram/@raffytulgoinaction

do social distancing and avoid crowds – are the main reasons why this pandemic has reached this massive proportion, killing two persons in the U.S. every minute.

Vaccines alone are not enough to prevent infection and deaths. We must have the wisdom and discipline as a people to still follow the guidelines and behave properly. After receiving the vaccine, we must continue to limit our trips to essential travels, wear facemask in public, avoid crowds, and do social distancing, because, as explained above, there is still a significant risk, albeit small, until after herd immunity is established. And this could be a year or two ahead. After receiving the shots, let us behave as if we did not get them yet and continue to follow the CDC guidelines religiously.

So, let us all endeavor to help end this pandemic soonest. If we cannot help, let’s us stay out of the way to avoid killing people. Every life is precious. *** The main objective of this column is to educate and inspire people live a healthier lifestyle to prevent illnesses and disabilities and achieve a happier and more productive life.

Any diagnosis, recommendation or treatment in our article are general medical information and not intended to be applicable or appropriate for anyone. This column is not a substitute for your physician, who knows your condition well and who is your best ally when it comes to your health. *** Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, a Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus based in Northwest Indiana and Las Vegas, Nevada, is an international medical lecturer/author, a Health Public Advocate, and Chairman of the Filipino United Network-USA, a 501(c)3 humanitarian and anti-graft foundation in the United States. Visit our websites: philipSchua.com and FUN8888.com; Email: scalpelpen@ gmail.com.

Photo from Instagram/@planetumeboshi

part. He’s the best. Thank you so much, Dud.” Meryll revealed that she and Joem welcomed their baby last New Year’s day. It confirmed rumors that the couple rekindled their romance.

BROADCAST journalist Raffy Tulfo a.k.a. “Hari ng Public Service” is a certified multimedia celebrity.

His public affairs show, “Wanted sa Radyo,” airs Monday to Friday, 2 to 4 p.m. on Radyo5 92.4 News FM. His YouTube channel, “Raffy Tulfo in Action,” has a community of over three million followers in his official Facebook group.

The number is growing.

He hosts the talk show and public service program “Idol in Action,” Monday to Friday at 10:30 a.m. on TV5.

In the evening, he co-anchors the primetime newscast “Frontline Piipinas” on weekdays.

His newest TV5 show, “Wanted: Ang Serye,” which drama-

tizes “Wanted Sa Radyo’s” controversial stories, started airing January 16.

Isn’t he afraid of overexposure?

True to form, the feisty Tulfo showed no sign of being bothered.

“It depends on the time and day my show is aired,” he told Philstar.com in a recent virtual conference.

Besides, Tulfo explained that his shows cater to different audiences. “Wanted sa Radyo” appeals to the masses. “Idol in Action” is more oriented toward housewives taking a break between their daily chores.

He admitted, though, that he’s exposed to viewers daily on TV. But they see him at different times of the day — once in the morning, then once in the evening.

All of Tulfo’s shows have a

common denominator: public service.

In a recent zoom media conference, the cast of “Wanted: Ang Serye’s” January 23 episode agreed they had major takeaways from the true story of a transgender (played by Epi Quizon) and her lesbian partner (Ritz Azul).

“You can’t force someone to love you. But you can command his or her respect. You have to be cordial. That’s the moral fiber of society,” said Epi. “Love has a broad definition. It has many aspects. Forgiveness, communication and honesty are important,” added Ritz in Filipino.

“You can always change, especially if it’s for your family,” stated Adrian Alandy.

Whatever their takeaway, Tulfo will give a resolution and his own learnings at the end of each episode.

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JANUARY 22-28, 2021 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

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