JANUARY 25-28, 2020 Volume 30 - No. 6 • 4 Sections – 30 Pages
DATELINE
USA
FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA
Trump administration places travel restrictions on pregnant women New rule would bar pregnant women who are suspected of traveling to the U.S. solely to give birth UNITED STATES embassies across the globe received a note from the U.S. State Department on Thursday, January 23, ordering consular officials to deny visas to pregnant women whom they suspect are coming to the U.S. to give birth, thereby giving birth to U.S. citizens. The rule has taken effect as of Friday, January 24 when it was published in the Federal Register. The rule is intended to curb what the administration is calling “birth tourism.” Traveling to the U.S. to give birth isn’t illegal, but there have been few cases of nefarious acts of birth tourism related to visa fraud or tax evasion. According to the official State Department mandate, the Trump administration “considers birth tourism as an inappropriate basis” u PAGE A4
PH gov’t starts termination of Visiting Forces Agreement with US by RITCHEL
MENDIOLA AJPress
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the government to begin terminating the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the Philippines
and the United States, Malacañang said on Friday, January 24. Duterte threatened to terminate the VFA on Thursday, following the U.S.’ cancellation of Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa’s visa. Though the U.S. Embassy did not
give a reason for denying the visa, speculation has been around dela Rosa’s role in spearheading the administration’s war against illegal drugs and the extrajudicial killings associated with it during his stint as Philippine National Police chief.
The chief executive said he is giving the U.S. a month to “correct” the cancellation of dela Rosa’s visa. “I am warning you kapag hindi ninyo ginawa ang correction diyan (if you don’t issue a correction) I will termiu PAGE A2
Passengers arriving at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City are monitored for fever using a thermal scanner on Wednesday, January 22. Inquirer.net photo by Richard Reyes
WHO: Coronavirus not yet ‘public health emergency US donates P5.1 million of international concern’ aid for Taal Volcano relief
THE United States government will be providing P5.1 million in relief assistance to the communities affected by the Taal Volcano’s continuing activity, the U.S. Embassy in Manila said this week. The announcement was made by U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim during a visit to two evacuation centers in Nasugbu and Calatagan in Batangas on Wednesday, January 22. “I’m inspired by the strength and resilience of these families who faced such devastation and loss following the volcanic eruption,” Kim said. “As friends, partners, and allies to the Philippines, we will continue to support our Philippine government counterparts as they work to address the needs of those communities most affected by the eruption,” he added. Through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the American government will partner with World Vision to prou PAGE A4
by RATZIEL
SAN Inquirer.net
JUAN
THE World Health Organization on Friday, January 24, locally said that it is still too early to announce a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern” amid the 2019 Novel (new) Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) u PAGE A4
OLIVE BRANCH. President Rodrigo Duterte leads the distribution of benefits to former rebels at the San Isidro Central School in Leyte on Thursday, January 23. Duterte made an offer to communist insurgents in Leyte saying he is ready to give them land and livelihood if they return to the fold of the law. The president said the revolution being waged by the members of the New People’s Army (NPA) can’t solve the country’s problems and the solution is to break the feudal system that exists in the countryside. Malacañang photo by Valerie Escalerav
US hospitals need Filipino nurses by AJPRESS THERE is currently a shortage of 11 million nurses in the United States, an immigration company said on Tuesday, January 21. U.S. employers are going overseas, including the Philippines, to hire qualified nurses, according to Frony Fortich, chief operating officer of Fortich Permanent Immigration Services based in Quezon City. “Nurses are a critical part of healthcare and make up the largest section of the health profession,” said Fortich in a release. His company has been recruiting nurses for
employment in U.S. hospitals for several decades. Citing a World Health Statistics Report, there are approximately 29 million nurses and midwives in the world, 3.9 million of which are currently in the United States. “Estimates of upwards of 1 million additional nurses will be needed by 2020,” Fortich noted. He also said that there will be more registered nurse jobs available through 2022 than any other profession in the U.S., as stated by the American Nurses Association. Furthermore, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projected 11 million additional President Donald Trump with Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte at an ASEAM Summit u PAGE A3 dinner at the SMX Convention Center last November 12, 2017. Inquirer.net photo
El Nido among ‘best solo travel destinations’ to visit in 2020 Duterte rejects Trump’s invite to US-ASEAN summit by ROSETTE
ADEL
Philstar.com
This Nov. 28, 2018 photo shows El Nido, Palawan when Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu, and Interior Secretary Eduardo Año conducted a surprise inspection. Photo courtesy of DOT
ONE of the top tourist destinations in the country, El Nido, Palawan is part of this year’s top 50 best solo travel destinations in the world, according to American news website HuffPost. El Nido made it to the 24th spot of the roster that listed the top destinations desired by travelers for solo trips and “safe” stay. The list was released last January 10. Vancouver was hailed the top best solo travel destination. HuffPost said they sought travel bloggers and other experts to share the solo travel destinations they recommend for 2020. Travel blogger Lamback of Youmelunch.com said “the Philippines is a great place to travel solo in 2020.” He cited El Nido’s beautiful beaches as among the things to look forward to. “El Nido is full of beautiful beaches with endless u PAGE A2
by RITCHEL
MENDIOLA AJPress
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte has decided to reject United States President Donald Trump’s invitation to attend the Southeast Asian leaders’ summit in Las Vegas, Nevada this March, Malacañang said on Friday, January 24. Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa’s visa cancellation reportedly prompted Duterte to decline the invitation, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo announced. In a chance interview with media, Panelo said, “What [Duterte] said is he’s not going.” He added, “(The president
rejected the invitation due to) many reasons which I’ve already stated earlier and the other reason was the cancellation of Senator Bato’s visa. That added to the other factors.” This confirmation comes after Duterte said “no” when asked if he would attend the summit during an interview with Russian international television network RT. He also said that he was previously invited by former President Barack Obama for a state visit to the U.S. “I’ve just received an invitation to go to the United States where there will be ASEAN leaders. I haven’t been to the United States. I was invited by Obama, u PAGE A2