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JANUARY 25-31, 2024 Volume 35 - No. 4 • 12 Pages

T HE F ILIPINO A MERICAN C OMMUNITY N EWSPAPER

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Marcos: No help for ICC ‘in any way, shape, form’ DATELINE USA FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

Fil-Am kids face higher risk of asthma than other Asian ethnicities HEALTH is wealth may sound cliche but not when the future generations are on the line. A study shows that Filipino American kids are at higher risk of asthma compared to their Asian peers.

A study in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology shows that Filipino American children top the chart of asthma prevalence. Meng Chen, MD and clinical assistant professor of allergy and immunology at Stanford University, shed some light on these findings.

“Using California survey data, we found that childhood lifetime asthma prevalence varied among Asian American ethnic groups, with the lowest prevalence in Korean American children and the highest prevalence in Filipino American children,” said Chen.

Chen and her colleagues pulled the data from the California Health Interview survey of 34,146 children where 13 percent are Asian Americans with diverse  PAGE 3

Vigil held to honor Fil-Am, 10 others killed in Monterey Park mass shooting MONTEREY PARK – On the one-year anniversary of the Monterey Park mass shooting that left a Filipino American and 10 other people dead, the city on Sunday, January 21 held a candlelight vigil to remember the victims amid calls for stricter gun laws.

The vigil was held at Monterey Park City Hall to honor the memory of the 11 victims, including Valentino Alvero, a 68-year-old Fil-Am who was fondly remembered by his family as the “life of any party.”

On Jan. 21, 2023, the gunman, Huu Can Tran, entered Star Dance Studio and opened fire, killing 11 and seriously wounding nine others. He killed himself the following day after he was pulled over by police outside a Torrance strip mall.

The mass shooting was one of the worst in Los Angeles County history — and occurred on the eve of the Lunar New Year in a community that is majority Asian American and is considered the first suburban  PAGE 2

by JANE BAUTISTA, JULIE M. AURELIO Inquirer.net

MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday, January 23 said the government would not lift a finger to aid probers of the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigating the bloody war on drugs during the previous Duterte administration as the tribunal’s action is a threat to the country’s sovereignty.

“Let me say this for the 100th time. I do not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC in the Philippines.

I consider it as a threat to our sovereignty, therefore,

the Philippine government will not lift a finger to help any investigation that the ICC conducts,” the president pointed out.

He made the remarks after Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, a principal player in the antinarcotics war being probed by the ICC, called on Malacañang to be upfront about the reported arrival of the ICC investigators here.

Dela Rosa, who headed the Philippine National Police during the term of then-President Rodrigo Duterte, oversaw the war on illegal drugs that saw thousands of lives lost in alleged extrajudicial killings.

UN rapporteur to get full gov’t support – DFA

by BERNADETTE TAMAYO ManilaTimes.net

PLATFORM FOR OPEN DIALOGUE. Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) Executive Director Undersecretary Paul Gutierrez shakes hands with visiting United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression Irene Khan before a welcome dinner in a restaurant in Intramuros, Manila on Tuesday, Jan. 23. The official said the welcome dinner for Khan would serve as “a platform for open dialogue and exchange of ideas, reinforcing the Philippines’ dedication to maintaining a dynamic and open environment for media and expression.”

PNA photo by Avito Dalan

by ARLIE CALALO ManilaTimes.net

PASTOR Apollo Quiboloy, founder of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KoJC), challenged Sen. Ana Theresita "Risa" Hontiveros to file charges against him in court instead of engaging in a smear campaign to destroy his reputation.

He said in a statement that he would not let Hontiveros ruin his reputation for presenting "bogus" witnesses who had to wear masks during a Senate inquiry.

"We must know the truth but not in your Senate hearing but in a court of law," Quiboloy said.

"I will not subject myself to unfair statements. I will not subject myself to

by JEAN MANGALUZ Inquirer.net

Malacañang file photo

THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said that in the spirit of openness and cooperation, the government is giving its "full support" for the successful implementation of United Nations Special Rapporteur Irene Khan's mandate during her country visit.

Khan arrived on January 22 for a 10-day official visit to examine the state of rights to freedom of opinion and expression in the country.

"This visit underscores the Philippines' commitment to fostering a robust environment for freedom of expression and opinion, in alignment with global human rights principles," the DFA said on Thursday, January 25.

Khan is the third SR that has visited the Philippines since 2022, "as part of the government's open and constructive engagement on human rights with relevant UN mechanisms," the DFA said.

She would "examine the state of rights to freedom of opinion and expression in the country through a series of diverse and cooperative dialogues," it added.

Khan has been a UN special rapporteur since Aug. 1, 2020.

Her mandate includes the promotion of freedom of opinion and expression, "both offline and online, in  PAGE 2

Quiboloy to Hontiveros: File charges in court injustices that are done in a cloak of a Senate hearing. But I will face you, even if you present a hundred witnesses, in a court of law," he told Hontiveros.

He said if the witnesses the senator presented at the hearing of the Women and Children Panel, which she chairs, were real, she must bring the matter to the proper venue.

"I challenge you. Go to court, make those allegations detailed in an affidavit, and let them sign it. And then, charge me," Quiboloy said. "The guilt and innocence of any person Vice President Sara Duterte is not determined in a Senate hearing."

"If you cannot do that, you did not respect my constitutional rights. I will not from now on respect you as a senator of this country because you are hearing innuendos and you

Marcos: No to foreign ownership of land, media, power firms

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Reacting to reports that ICC investigators were already in town, Marcos reiterated that the government would not help them at all.

“We do not recognize your jurisdiction. Therefore we will not assist in any way, shape or form, any of the investigations that the ICC is doing here in the Philippines,” he said in a talk with reporters in Quezon City.

The president said the ICC probers could come and visit the country as “ordinary people” but they would be strictly watched by the government.

“We are monitoring them and making sure  PAGE 2

MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday, January 23 said that he is against the foreign ownership of assets such as land, energy and the media.

Marcos reiterated his stance that he agreed with economic amendments when he was asked Charter-change.

Pushed further if he agreed with foreign ownership, Marcos said that land was out of the question.

“Corporations baka pwede natin pagusapan, except for the critical areas such as power generation, media, all the strategic areas that we cannot allow to be influenced by a foreign entity, be it a corporation or

another country, but that’s what we have to decide where we draw the line,” said Marcos in a 24 Oras interview.

According to Marcos, land ownership was a difficult topic.

Wealthy foreign entities, Marcos said, could come in and buy the land of an area, driving up the value of land, leaving old residents unable to pay the real estate tax.

Marcos, however, banked on foreign investors to help the Philippine economy.

“The 1987 Constitution was not written for a globalized world. And that is where we are now. So we have to, we have to adjust so that we can increase the economic activity in the Philippines, we can attract more foreign investors,” said Marcos. 

Photo from Facebook/@MayorIndaySaraDuterteOfficial

VP Duterte declares she’ll run again for office ‘in the next elections’

by ZACARIAN SARAO Inquirer.net

MANILA — Vice President Sara Duterte has declared she will run for office again “in the next elections.”

Duterte revealed her political plan during a flag-raising ceremony in Barangay Bago Gallera, Davao City on Monday, January 22.

“Narinig ko na sinabi ng aking kapatid, si Mayor Baste (Sebastian Duterte), at ng aking mas matandang kapatid, si Congressman Pulong (Paolo Duterte), na hindi sila tatakbo.

Baka hindi sila tatakbo sa susunod na eleksyon, kaya’t narito ako sa inyong harap dahil mangangampanya ako sa inyo dahil tatakbo ako sa susunod na eleksyon,” Duterte said in a

speech in Bisaya.

(I heard that my sibling, Mayor Baste, and my elder sibling, Congressman Pulong, mentioned that they won’t run.

Maybe they won’t run in the next election, so that’s why I am here with you. I will campaign for you since I will run in the next election.)

Duterte, however, did not specify what position she would be running for.

Pressed for details, the Office of the Vice President has not clarified Duterte’s announcement but said that her visit to Barangay Bago Gallera was “spontaneous.”

The upcoming national and local elections are scheduled for May 2025; however, Duterte’s tenure as vice president extends until 2028. 

2

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JANUARY 25-31, 2024 • LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL

From The FronT Page

Marcos: No help for ICC in any...

PAGE 1 that they do not come into contact with any agency of the government. And if they are contacting agencies of the government, may it be the police or local government, our directive is not to answer them,” the president noted.

No official request Since last year, Marcos had maintained that his administration would not cooperate with the ICC in any of its investigations after the ICC decided in January 2023 to allow the reopening of an inquiry into the bloody war on illegal drugs and denied the Philippines’ appeal against resuming the probe.

During the weekend, former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, a critic of the tough-talking Duterte, claimed that the former president and ex-Davao City mayor would be ordered arrested within the first half of 2024.

Trillanes claimed to have received information that ICC probers arrived in the country last December and already conducted their initial investigation.

“For the primary respondents of the case, I believe they already have what they need. What we are waiting for right now is the warrant of arrest, which may come very, very soon,” Trillanes said.

However, the Department

of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday said that it had yet to receive any official communication or confirmation on the presence of investigators from the ICC in the Philippines.

“Specifically, the DOJ has not received any advisory from the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) that the ICC has indeed entered the Philippines, a requirement that would trigger the interdepartmental coordination concerning developments that go to the very core of our sovereignty and the primacy of our Constitution and our laws,” the DOJ said in a statement.

It reiterated its earlier position that having withdrawn from the ICC in 2018, “the Philippines has no legal duty to comply with any obligations or proceedings thereunder.”

Legal, political mistake According to the DOJ, any presence of international bodies such as the ICC within the Philippines must follow the Constitution and relevant laws.

Specifically, it said prior consent and approval from concerned agencies such as the DFA, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, and the DOJ must be secured before the foreign entities could conduct official operations within the country.

The DOJ acknowledged the 2021 ruling of the Supreme Court that Duterte could not

invoke the withdrawal from the Rome Statute to evade the investigation of the ICC on the alleged crimes against humanity he committed when the Philippines was still a member of the international body.

However, the DOJ pointed out that the ruling was a “mere obiter dictum or the court’s incidental expression of opinion not essential to the decision and not establishing precedent.”

“As a sovereign nation with a robust and functional justice system capable of addressing internal issues without external interference, the Philippine government has shown that it is ready, willing, and able to investigate and prosecute any crime committed within its territory,” the DOJ noted.

In a statement on Tuesday, human rights lawyer Kristina Conti, who is also a counsel of the families of drug war victims, said that it was “both a legal and political mistake” for President Marcos to snub the investigation of the ICC. Marcos “should think hard over how history will judge his obstinate refusal to bring justice to the victims of the war on drugs,” she added.

Conti noted that the inquiry of the Hague-based court has a “strong legal basis” and that the country’s “resort to an international court to obtain justice is grounded on law and practical reason.” g

LAW OF ATTRACTION. Trinkets, charms and crystals, which are supposed to bring luck and prosperity to believers, for sale at a store in Ongpin Street, Binondo, Manila on Saturday, January 20. The Chinese New Year of the wood dragon begins on February 10, symbolizing power, nobleness, honor, luck and success, according to Chinese culture.

PNA photo by Joan Bondoc

UN rapporteur to get full gov’t...

PAGE 1 accordance with international human rights law and standards," the DFA said.

UN SRs are "independent experts" appointed by the Human Rights Council who address either specific country situations or thematic areas around the world.

The DFA said Khan has a "very positive" impression of the vibrancy of the Philippine media.

She will visit Metro Manila, Baguio City, and Cebu City to "explore" legal and policy frameworks to determine if they are holding up the safety of journalists and their sources, freedom of opinion and expression in the digital age, media freedom, and access to information.

Khan will also probe disinformation, hate speech, and the expression of marginalized individuals, including Indigenous Peoples.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Charles Jose said Khan's visit gives the Philippines a chance to reassure the UN of its "strong commitment to fulfill its mandate toward promoting the freedom of expression and opinion."

He said Khan will assess the situation in the Philippines in the context of human rights and the protection and promotion of freedom of expression and opinion.

"The DFA and the whole Philippine government see her visit as an opportunity for us to signify our openness and willingness to receive visits such

as hers," Jose said in a briefing.

He said his meeting with Khan "actually revolved around the exchange of views on various issues... sometimes not really directed on, not really in the context of Philippine setting.

Sometimes we share our experiences in other countries."

Jose said the UN rapporteur "has a very positive impression of the vibrancy of the [Philippine] media, [we have] so many media outlets, so many [television and radio] stations," he added.

Khan also supported the view that "we, in the Philippine government and generally the Philippine society, see the media as an important part of democracy," he said.

"It is the fourth estate and we very much support the policy of protecting and promoting what she came here to assess: the freedom of oneself and freedom of giving one's opinion," Jose said.

After her visit, Khan will present a final report to be considered during the 59th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in June 2025, the DFA said. g

Vigil held to honor Fil-Am...

PAGE 1 Chinatown in the nation.

According to the city of Monterey Park, the remembrance serves as a space for reflection and healing as residents and the larger community honor the memory of the victims.

Following the shooting, President Joe Biden visited Monterey Park, consoled each of the victims’ families and announced executive actions aimed at reducing gun violence. He also took time during his State of the Union speech on Feb. 7, 2023, to call for increased gun control.

Rep. Judy Chu, a former Monterey Park City Councilwoman and three-time mayor, who also chairs the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, issued a statement Friday reflecting on the tragic events of a year ago.

“Sunday marks one year since a truly unconscionable mass shooting in my hometown of 38 years, Monterey Park, that devastated and terrified the Asian American community nationwide,” Chu said. “I mourn and honor the eleven people, all of whom were of Asian descent, who were murdered on one of the most important and celebratory days of the year for our community.”

“My heart is with the victims’ families and survivors today, many of whom are still recovering from the senseless violence and trauma of that day and grappling with the terrible anguish of losing loved ones,” Chu added. “As we grieved and healed this past year, I was encouraged by the remarkable stories of hope and unity; so many of my neighbors, and strangers from across the country, courageously offered support, raised money for the families affected, and helped us process the trauma.”

Chu noted that local advocates and organizations mobilized and continue to support the victims with translation services, government resources, fundraising and mental health care, as well as long-term assistance at the MPK Hope Resiliency Center at Sierra Vista Park Community Center.

She also reiterated her support to ban high-capacity magazines, implement universal background checks and restore the assault weapons ban.

In the past, Chu has touted two pieces of proposed gun-violence prevention legislation — the Language Access to Gun Violence Prevention Strategies Act, and the FLAG, or Fair Legal Access Grants, Act. She has said the first would ensure multilingual outreach efforts about red flag laws and gun violence prevention, while the second would provide funding to ensure proper legal representation for people seeking to file red flag petitions to keep guns away from people with mental health or other issues precluding them from owning weapons.

“I have introduced the Language Access to Gun Violence Prevention Strategies Act, to build on the president’s action to further strengthen ‘red flag’ laws and other gun violence prevention strategies by ensuring resources are disseminated in a culturally appropriate manner and made available in-language for immigrant and Asian American and Pacific Islander communities,” Chu’s statement said.

“These efforts are all incredibly crucial to our collective recovery and healing process,” she said, “but I am most of all so heartened by our own community’s support for each other and our unyielding determination that Monterey Park’s vibrancy can be restored.

“I know that our community is a resilient one, and this past year has proven that in countless ways. In the aftermath of tragedy, our community continues to be a beacon of strength.” (Nimfa Rueda/ Inquirer.net)

Mourners gather at a vigil for the victims of the Monterey Park mass shooting.

Photo from the City of Monterey Park

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Dateline USa

On social security, current COVID-19 vaccine

by NatioNal asiaN Pacific ceNter oN agiNg (NaPca)

IN this month’s column, the National Asian Pacific Center on Aging (NAPCA) wants to share information about social security and the most current COVID-19 vaccine.

Question#1: How much income do I need to earn to get 1 Social Security work credit in 2024? Do I have to work all year to earn credits?

Credits are based on your income for the year. Each year the amount of earnings needed to earn one credit goes up slightly as average wages increase. In 2024, you earn 1 Social Security and Medicare credit for every $1,730 in covered earnings.

You must earn $6,920 to get the maximum 4 credits for the year. You might work all year to earn 4 credits, or you might earn enough for all 4 in much less time. You must earn a certain number of credits to qualify for Social Security benefits. No one needs more than 40 credits for any Social Security benefits.

Question#2: I have retired and am receiving Social Security Retirement. Can I still apply for Medicaid and SSI? I heard there is an income and asset limit. I own a house and a car. I also have life insurance.

You can get SSI or Medicaid if you are qualified based on income and assets threshold by each state. One house and one car are exempt, but some life insurance is counted as an asset. The monthly maximum federal amounts for SSI in 2024 are $943 for an individual, or $1,415 for a couple. Some states may provide SSP (State Supplementary Payment) on top of the

federal standard. For example, if you live in California and have no income, the monthly maximum payment would be $1,182 for an individual, or $2,022 for a couple. If your income has been increased, it would reduce your SSI amount. Note that the SSA has a special rule to calculate income. The most accurate way to find out whether you are eligible or not is to submit the application and receive the eligibility result through Social Security Administration. Please contact us if you have any questions.

Question#3: How much can I earn and still get benefits in 2024?

You can get Social Security retirement or survivors benefits and work at the same time. However, there is a limit to how much you can earn and still receive full benefits.

• If you are under full retirement age for the entire year, SSA deducts $1 from your benefit payments for every $2 you earn above the annual limit ($22,320 for 2024).

• In the year you reach full retirement age: – Up to the month before you reach your full retirement age, SSA deducts $1 in benefits for every $3 you earn above a different limit ($59,520 for 2024).

– Beginning with the month you reach full retirement age, your earnings no longer reduce your benefits, no matter how much you earn.

– SSA will recalculate your benefit amount to give you credit for the months SSA reduced or withheld benefits due to your excess earnings.

Question#4: I read in the news that COVID-19 cases are on the rise recently. Is the latest vaccine

still effective in protecting us?

COVID-19 activity is currently high. JN.1 is now the most widely circulating variant in the U.S. and globally and may be intensifying the spread of COVID-19 this winter. COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and deaths have increased in recent weeks.

Hospitalizations reached 32,861 in the week ending January 13, 2024. In that same period, deaths went up by 10.3%, with COVID-19 deaths accounting for 4.3% of total deaths in the U.S. Current COVID-19 vaccines are expected to increase protection against JN.1.

As of January 13, 2024, only 21.5% of adults reported having received the updated COVID-19 vaccine. Only 40.9% of adults aged 65 years and older reported having received this vaccine, which is concerning given that they are at higher risk of hospitalization or death from COVID-19.

Please make sure you have the most recent vaccine which has been available since late September 2023. If your last vaccine was mid-September or earlier, get vaccinated. It's not too late. *** National Asian Pacific Center on Aging (NAPCA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life of AANHPI older adults and their families. We operate a NAPCA Senior Assistance Center for Older Adults and Caregivers and is available in 5 different languages. If you have additional questions on Medicare, Medicaid, Affordable Care Act Health Insurance Marketplace, Social Security Retirement Benefit, Supplemental Security Income, or COVID/Flu vaccination, there are 3 ways you can reach us today – Call: (English) 1-800-336-2722; Email: askNAPCA@napca.org; Mail: NAPCA Senior Assistance Center, 1511 3rd Avenue, Suite 914, Seattle, WA 98101.

Women and minorities bear the brunt of medical misdiagnosis by liz szabo KFF Health News

CHARITY Watkins sensed something was deeply wrong when she experienced exhaustion after her daughter was born.

At times, Watkins, then 30, had to stop on the stairway to catch her breath. Her obstetrician said postpartum depression likely caused the weakness and fatigue. When Watkins, who is Black, complained of a cough, her doctor blamed the flu.

About eight weeks after delivery, Watkins thought she was having a heart attack, and her husband took her to the emergency room. After a 5½hour wait in a North Carolina hospital, she returned home to nurse her baby without seeing a doctor.

When a physician finally examined Watkins three days later, he immediately noticed her legs and stomach were swollen, a sign that her body was retaining fluid. After a chest X-ray, the doctor diagnosed her with heart failure, a serious condition in which the heart becomes too weak to adequately pump oxygen-rich blood to organs throughout the body. Watkins spent two weeks in intensive care.

She said a cardiologist later told her, “We almost lost you.”

Watkins is among 12 million adults misdiagnosed every year in the U.S. In a study published Jan. 8 in JAMA Internal Medicine, researchers found that nearly 1 in 4 hospital patients who died or were transferred to intensive care had experienced a diagnostic error. Nearly 18% of misdiagnosed patients were harmed or died.

In all, an estimated 795,000 patients a year die or are permanently disabled because of misdiagnosis, according to a study published in July in the BMJ Quality & Safety periodical.

Some patients are at higher risk than others.

Women and racial and ethnic

minorities are 20% to 30% more likely than white men to experience a misdiagnosis, said David Newman-Toker, a professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the lead author of the BMJ study. “That’s significant and inexcusable,” he said.

Researchers call misdiagnosis an urgent public health problem.

The study found that rates of misdiagnosis range from 1.5% of heart attacks to 17.5% of strokes and 22.5% of lung cancers.

Weakening of the heart muscle — which led to Watkins’ heart failure — is the most common cause of maternal death one week to one year after delivery, and is more common among Black women.

Heart failure “should have been No. 1 on the list of possible causes” for Watkins’ symptoms, said Ronald Wyatt, chief science and chief medical officer at the Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine, a nonprofit research and advocacy group.

Maternal mortality for Black mothers has increased dramatically in recent years. The United States has the highest maternal mortality rate among developed countries. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, non-Hispanic Black mothers are 2.6 times as likely to die as non-Hispanic white moms. More than half of these deaths take place within a year after delivery.

Research shows that Black women with childbirth-related heart failure are typically diagnosed later than white women, said Jennifer Lewey, co-director of the pregnancy and heart disease program at Penn Medicine. That can allow patients to further deteriorate, making Black women less likely to fully recover and more likely to suffer from weakened hearts for the rest of their lives.

Watkins said the diagnosis changed her life. Doctors advised her “not to have another baby, or I might need a heart transplant,” she said. Being deprived of the chance to have another child, she

said, “was devastating.”

Racial and gender disparities are widespread.

Women and minority patients suffering from heart attacks are more likely than others to be discharged without diagnosis or treatment.

Black people with depression are more likely than others to be misdiagnosed with schizophrenia.

Minorities are less likely than whites to be diagnosed early with dementia, depriving them of the opportunities to receive treatments that work best in the early stages of the disease.

Misdiagnosis isn’t new.

Doctors have used autopsy studies to estimate the percentage of patients who died with undiagnosed diseases for more than a century. Although those studies show some improvement over time, lifethreatening mistakes remain all too common, despite an array of sophisticated diagnostic tools, said Hardeep Singh, a professor at Baylor College of Medicine who studies ways to improve diagnosis.

“The vast majority of diagnoses can be made by getting to know the patient’s story really well, asking followup questions, examining the patient, and ordering basic tests,” said Singh, who is also a researcher at Houston’s Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center.

When talking to people who’ve been misdiagnosed, “one of the things we hear over and over is, ‘The doctor didn’t listen to me.’”

Racial disparities in misdiagnosis are sometimes explained by noting that minority patients are less likely to be insured than white patients and often lack access to high-quality hospitals. But the picture is more complicated, said Monika Goyal, an emergency physician at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., who has documented racial bias in children’s health care.

In a 2020 study, Goyal and her colleagues found that Black PAGE 4

Fil-Am kids face higher risk of asthma...

PAGE 1

representations across other Asian ethnicities.

The prevalence of Asthma among Asian American kids was 12.5 percent, almost mirroring the non-Hispanic white children at 12.2 percent.

The data, which shows Asian American children sharing a relatively similar rate with non-Hispanic white children, reveals significant risks.

Furthermore, a closer look at the groups reveals a variation: Korean American children had the lowest asthma prevalence at only 5.1 percent while Filipino American children had the highest at 21.5 percent.

This is not surprising given the fact that almost half of the Filipino American children with asthma had an attack a

year before the survey was conducted and most of them have an asthma action plan.

Though not an alarming rate, it’s a warning for healthcare institutions.

According to Chen: “Our research highlights the importance of and need for disaggregating Asian American ethnic groups in order to better understand distinct clinical features, disease risk and management unique to these distinct Asian American communities.”

Correlation of asthma and BMI Another factor in the picture is the body mass index (BMI) which is also a contributor to the risk of asthma. Korean American children are still at their low-risk rate while Fili-

pino American children are at the highest risk — regardless of BMI or weight.

The root cause of asthma starts as early as the mother’s maternal health. This factor, along with prenatal events and genetics, forms the child’s respiratory health.

However, the growing concern of asthma isn’t just particular among Filipino American children. Pediatric asthma has been a public health issue in the Philippines where nearly 1 out of 10 children have asthma.

While there’s no data showing why Filipino American children are more prone to asthma, one thing is certain: it’s a wake-up call for strategized disease management for Asian American communities.

(Mary Villegas/Inquirer.net)

LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • JANUARY 25-31, 2024

Karagdagang kaalaman sa Filipino (Tagalog) ay makikita rin sa website ng Lalawigan ng Clark Kagawaran ng Halalan sa: www.clarkcountynv.gov/vote.

NOTICE TO ELECTORS OF CLOSE OF REGISTRATION FOR THE PRESIDENTIAL PREFERENCE PRIMARY ELECTION TO BE HELD ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2024 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that, Lorena S. Portillo, the Registrar of Voters of Clark County, Nevada, will conduct a registration of qualified electors for the Presidential Preference Primary Election to be held on Tuesday, February 6, 2024.

Any qualified elector whose name does not appear on the official registry list may apply for registration by mail, in-person, online, or through same day registration in the manner approved by law according to the deadlines listed below. (NRS 293.3568, 293.560, 293.565, 293.5832, 293.5837, 293.5842, 293.5852) The deadlines to register for the first time or update your existing voter registration by mail or online in time for the February 6, 2024, Presidential Preference Primary Election and still receive a mail ballot are below. After those dates pass, voters who wish to register for the first time, or make changes to their existing registration information will have to do so through the same-day registration process, either online or in-person (at an early voting site or on Election Day at a Vote Center). New registrants will be required to vote a provisional ballot in-person at any early voting site or on Election Day at any Vote Center. We strongly encourage all qualified electors to register to vote or update their existing voter registration as soon as possible.

2024 PRESIDENTIAL PREFERENCE PRIMARY ELECTION VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINES AND HOURS Method of Registering Through the mail, government agencies, or in person voter registration application to: Clark County Election Center 965 Trade Drive, Suite A North Las Vegas, NV 89030 Online, only at www.RegistertoVoteNV.gov, and must have a valid Nevada DMV issued ID, Driver’s License, or Interim Document

Dates

Hours

Tuesday, January 9 (Deadline)

7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday Closed

Tuesday, January 23, 2024 (Deadline) to receive a mail ballot or vote a regular ballot in-person at any early voting site or Election Day Vote Center.

January 24 – February 6 (Online Same Day Registration), must show ID at Early Voting site or at Election Day Vote Center and may only vote a provisional ballot in-person at any Early Voting site or Election Day Vote Center.

Same Day Registration (In-Person), must have a valid Nevada DMV issued ID, Driver’s License, Interim Document, or Nevada Tribal ID per NRS 232.006

January 27 – February 6 at all Early Voting sites, during voting hours and on Election Day at all Vote Centers, by close of polls

CITY CLERK’S OFFICE VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINES AND HOURS (Mail or Over the Counter) Location Boulder City City Clerk’s Office 401 California Avenue Boulder City, Nevada City of Henderson City Clerk’s Office 240 Water Street Henderson, Nevada City of Las Vegas City Clerk’s Office 495 S. Main Street 2nd Floor Las Vegas, Nevada City of Mesquite City Clerk’s Office 10 E. Mesquite Blvd.

Mesquite, Nevada City of North Las Vegas City Clerk’s Office 2250 Las Vegas Blvd. North North Las Vegas, Nevada

Dates Monday - Thursday

Tuesday, January 9th (Deadline) Monday - Thursday

Tuesday, January 9th (Deadline) Monday - Thursday

Tuesday, January 9th (Deadline)

Hours 7:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday Closed 7:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

7:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday Closed 7:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

7:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday Closed 7:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Monday – Thursday Friday

7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

7:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Saturday and Sunday Closed

Tuesday, January 9th (Deadline)

7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Monday – Thursday

Tuesday, January 9th (Deadline)

8:00 a.m. - 5:45 p.m.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday Closed 8:00 a.m. - 5:45 p.m.

A qualified elector who possesses a Nevada driver’s license, DMV-issued identification Card, or DMV-issued Interim Document and wishes to receive a mail ballot, may register or update his/her voter registration information online until 11:59 p.m., on 01/23/2024, exclusively at www.RegistertoVoteNV.gov, (Nevada Secretary of State website). Those qualified electors who register online from 01/24/2024 – 02/06/2024, will not receive a mail ballot, must vote in person at an early voting site or on Election Day and may only vote a provisional ballot, and must be prepared to show their Nevada Driver’s License, DMV-issued Identification Card, Nevada DMV Interim Document, or Nevada Tribal ID (per NRS 232.006) prior to voting.

Nevada and federal law require first-time registrants to provide an identifying number (Nevada driver’s license number or the last four digits of their social security number).

If these do not match the records maintained by the Department of Motor Vehicles or Social Security Administration, the registrant will be required to present identification before being allowed to vote. Forms of current and valid identification include a photo identification with the registrant’s name and current physical address (Nevada Driver’s License, Nevada I.D. Card, etc.) OR a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, or document issued by a government entity, listing the registrant’s name and current physical address. These individuals have been notified.

For more information, call the Clark County Election Department at (702) 455-8683.

DATED: LORENA S. PORTILLO Registrar of Voters PUB: January 11, 18, 25 & February 1, 2024 Las Vegas Asian Journal

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Dateline USa

JANUARY 25-31, 2024 • LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (702) 792-6678

72-year-old Fil-Am sues company What’s ahead for the US economy in 2024? for age, race discrimination

by Selen Ozturk Ethnic Media Services

LOS ANGELES – A 72-year-old Filipino American is suing a textile company supply firm for age and race discrimination, alleging he was told by a boss that he was “old and on his way out of the company” and eventually fired in 2022.

Antonio Amores’ Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit against Groz-Beckert USA Inc. and its parent company, Groz-Beckert KG, alleges wrongful termination, harassment, age and racial discrimination, retaliation, breach of contract, intentional infliction of emotional distress and failure to prevent discrimination, harassment and retaliation. Amores seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

Groz-Beckert develops, produces and sells machine needles, precision parts, precision tools and systems for the textile industry. A company representative could not be immediately reached for comment on the suit brought Friday, January 19.

Amores was hired in April 1995 as an area sales manager and was later promoted to sales manager of the sewing and knitting division, in which he developed relationships with sourcing networks, maintained contact with brand owners and end customers, grew brand awareness, and expanded Groz-Beckert’s market position, the suit states.

Amores managed accounts in Texas, the northern border states of Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and the Dominican Republic, according to the suit.

In October 2021, Groz-Beckert hired John Rivett, about 30 years younger than Amores, as the plaintiff’s supervisor, and Amores was told to acquaint Rivett with Groz-Beckert’s accounts as well as his dealer and manufacturing business partners, the suit states.

The next month, the two were on an international business trip when Rivett told the plaintiff that Rivett was hired to take over the department because Amores was

“old and on his way out of the company,” a statement that left Amores “shocked,” the suit states.

Although Amores complained to upper management about what Rivett allegedly said, no action was taken and Rivett began excluding Amores from Groz-Beckert’s business operations, the suit alleges.

Rivett told Amores during a February 2022 meeting that he was being fired because he was not fluent in Spanish and was no longer needed to handle Groz-Beckert’s California business, the suit states. Amores did not need to speak Spanish to perform his duties, the complaint further states.

When Amores told Rivett that California was only a small part of his sales area, Rivett responded that he had taken over the plaintiff’s other territories, according to the suit, which further states that Amores has suffered lost income and emotional distress due to his termination. (Inquirer.net)

Women and minorities bear the brunt...

PAGE 3

kids with appendicitis were less likely than their white peers to be correctly diagnosed, even when both groups of patients visited the same hospital.

Although few doctors deliberately discriminate against women or minorities, Goyal said, many are biased without realizing it.

“Racial bias is baked into our culture,” Goyal said. “It’s important for all of us to start recognizing that.”

Demanding schedules, which prevent doctors from spending as much time with patients as they’d like, can contribute to diagnostic errors, said Karen Lutfey Spencer, a professor of health and behavioral sciences at the University of ColoradoDenver. “Doctors are more likely to make biased decisions when they are busy and overworked,” Spencer said. “There are some really smart, well-intentioned providers who are getting chewed up in a system that’s very unforgiving.”

Doctors make better treatment decisions when they’re more confident of a diagnosis, Spencer said.

In an experiment, researchers asked doctors to view videos of

actors pretending to be patients with heart disease or depression, make a diagnosis, and recommend follow-up actions.

Doctors felt far more certain diagnosing white men than Black patients or younger women.

“If they were less certain, they were less likely to take action, such as ordering tests,” Spencer said. “If they were less certain, they might just wait to prescribe treatment.”

It’s easy to see why doctors are more confident when diagnosing white men, Spencer said. For more than a century, medical textbooks have illustrated diseases with stereotypical images of white men. Only 4.5% of images in general medical textbooks feature patients with dark skin.

That may help explain why patients with darker complexions are less likely to receive a timely diagnosis with conditions that affect the skin, from cancer to Lyme disease, which causes a red or pink rash in the earliest stage of infection. Black patients with Lyme disease are more likely to be diagnosed with more advanced disease, which can cause arthritis and damage the heart. Black people with melanoma are about three times

as likely as whites to die within five years.

The COVID-19 pandemic helped raise awareness that pulse oximeters — the fingertip devices used to measure a patient’s pulse and oxygen levels — are less accurate for people with dark skin. The devices work by shining light through the skin; their failures have delayed critical care for many Black patients.

Seven years after her misdiagnosis, Watkins is an assistant professor of social work at North Carolina Central University in Durham, where she studies the psychosocial effects experienced by Black mothers who survive severe childbirth complications.

“Sharing my story is part of my healing,” said Watkins, who speaks to medical groups to help doctors improve their care. “It has helped me reclaim power in my life, just to be able to help others.”

KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism.

ALTHOUGH inflation and unemployment rates are falling, many Americans are struggling to stay afloat with record-high costs of living.

At a Friday, January 19 Ethnic Media Services briefing, experts across the financial spectrum — from housing to oil to small business — discussed how our current economy is impacting some of its most vulnerable members, and suggested what’s ahead for 2024.

The struggle for housing Even in the wealthiest regions of the Bay Area like Silicon Valley — the fifth-largest economy in the world — the struggle to find housing is communitywide, said Nathan Ganeshan, founder of homeless aid nonprofit Community Seva.

Though California has 12% of the U.S. population, it has 28% of its homeless population.

Since 2013, Community Seva has helped about 320,000 of these individuals “by serving hot meals, blankets, sleeping bags, grocery gift cards, hygiene products, temporary housing, advocacy and more,” Ganeshan said. “We shouldn’t forget how entwined the struggle for basic needs like food and hygiene is with the struggle to find housing. However much the economy is improving, it’s riskier for those on the edge if the cost of basic needs is also rising.”

In Santa Clara County alone, where 10,000 people are homeless, over a quarter of all people are food-insecure — and these risks extend well beyond those who are unhoused. Even among those in the high-paying tech world, precarity looms in Santa Clara, the state’s third-most expensive housing market.

“With the ongoing tech layoffs, we’ve seen firsthand a severe impact of housing, as parking lots in Santa Clara are filling more and more with people living in cars and RVs,” added Ganeshan.

“Someone recently said to me ‘I lost my job, but I can always find another one. But I lost my house, and I can’t get another here.’”

The housing market Home prices have drastically outpaced income nationwide because “the pandemic brought drastic changes to supply and demand,” said Rob Warnock, Senior Research Associate at Apartment List.

“Many people took their

homes off the market while many others decided to buy — and skyrocketing prices didn’t slow until the middle of 2022, when the Federal Reserve started to raise interest rates — but homes are still 45% more expensive now than they were before the pandemic.”

In contrast, he continued, “Rents fell during the pandemic because there were many more vacant apartments for rent than houses for sale.”

As the economy emerged from the pandemic in 2021, rising rents worsened an affordability crisis which peaked in 2022, when over half of all U.S. renters were cost burdened, i.e. spending over 30% of their income on rent.

Since then, rents have declined 4% as the U.S. has begun a massive construction boom, explained Warnock. Last year nearly 500,000 new apartments entered the market, “with about a million more in the next year or two.”

What’s next for 2024?

“Home sale prices should continue to rise,” he said. “The Federal Reserve said they won’t raise interest rates further, and for more homes on the market, there will also be more interested buyers. However, we expect new rentals to grow strong for the next 12 to 24 months, with new apartments curbing rent costs … It’s a lesson we can all learn from: if you want affordable housing, build more of it.”

Oil and gas Oil prices, too, are stabilizing from pandemic peaks, said Denton Cinquegrana, Chief oil analyst at OPIS. The national average for gas in 2023 was $3.52 a gallon — down nearly 11% from $3.95 in 2022, when Russia attacked Ukraine “and there was a concern that markets would lose seven to eight million barrels a day of oil from Russia,” he explained.

“But as the year went on, oil exports continued to non-sanctioning countries like China and India,” he continued. “Though tensions are rising in the Middle East now, the situation looks similar — oil production hasn’t shut, and the only cost added is from the extra time it takes to avoid the area and ship oil around the Cape of Good Hope instead.”

In the year ahead, Cinquegrana said “prices will probably fall five to 15 cents less than 2023 — likely around $3.45 to $3.50.”

Although the nationwide elec-

trification of cars is further increasing the supply and lowering the cost of oil, “this process is very slow,” he added. “It takes about 10 to 12 years to turn over the fleet” of over 280 million cars registered in the U.S. A stronger dampening of prices may owe to the fact that “the cars we drive now are much more fuel-efficient than they were a decade or two ago, and the fact that since the pandemic, many drivers still work from home.”

AAPI small businesses AAPI is the fastest-growing minority community in the U.S., contributing over $1 trillion in economic output in 2021 alone and making up nearly 10% of all entrepreneurs nationwide — with 2.9 million AAPI businessowners employing 5.1 million people, said Chiling Tong, president and CEO of National Asian/ Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce and Entrepreneurship (National ACE).

As AAPI business owners continue to recover from the pandemic, the top challenge they face is “access to capital,” she continued. “Nearly 30% of respondents to our most recent survey have very low confidence that they could fund an emergency $5,000 business expense.”

What aid is available — specifically the COVID-era Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans — AAPI entrepreneurs are more often unaware of, most often due to language barriers, she added.

In 2021, AAPI small business owners had a 66% funding rate through the Paycheck Protection Program compared to 75% for whites.

Despite these challenges, 2023 saw an unprecedented 5.5 million new business applications filed, making it the strongest year of new business applications on record; in total, the U.S. has over 33 million small businesses.

In short, expectations for the year ahead are mixed: While 61% of owners have a positive outlook for their own business in 2024, 71% hold a bleak view of the economy itself.

These conditions mean that the economy is “the number one issue” for many in the AAPI and small business community, said Tong. “Although they feel personally positive, this is because they’ve faced three years of inflating costs and supply disruptions. In 2024, they’ll support leaders who convincingly promise a better economy ahead.” g

(702) 792-6678 • http://www.asianjournal.com

Dateline PhiliPPines

LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • JANUARY 25-31, 2024

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Cha-Cha signature drive ‘meaningless’

by William B. Depasupil, Catherine s. Valente anD ariC John sy Cua ManilaTimes.net

THE signature drive to amend the Constitution through people's initiative (PI) does not mean anything to the Commission on Elections (Comelec), even as pages after pages of signatures are being accepted by the poll body's city and municipal offices.

Chairman George Erwin Garcia on Tuesday, January 23 said that the acceptance of signature pages is only part of the commission's ministerial duty in accordance with Comelec Resolution 10650 issued on Jan. 31, 2020.

Resolution 10650 sets the rules for the conduct of initiatives on the Constitution and initiatives and referendums on national and local legislation.

"Those signatures are meaningless to us until a formal petition has been filed," Garcia said.

He said that after a formal petition has been filed, the Comelec has to check if the proponent complied with the documentary requirements, which include, among others, a certification on the total number of registered voters nationwide, certification that it got the required 12 percent signature of the total number of voters nationwide and 3 percent of the total number of voters in each of the 254 legislative districts, and certification from the local Comelec that they are sufficient in form and substance.

Also to be attached in the petition, Garcia said, is the provision of the Constitution that will be amended and what needs to be changed, and the most important part of the process is the verification of signatures.

"Being sufficient in form and substance does not mean that the people's initiative is already a go. It is not," the poll chief pointed out. "The most important part is the [Comelec's] verification of the submitted signatures [from all 254 legislative districts]."

The verification process will determine if the signatories are registered voters if the signatures are the same as those in the voter registration, and if

they are still alive.

Fraudulent signatures will be removed from the signature pages, and if it is determined that a particular legislative district failed to meet the mandated 3 percent requirement, the petition will be dismissed.

"All 254 legislative districts must meet the 3 percent requirement. Otherwise, the petition would be dismissed," Garcia said.

No choice but comply Reacting to election lawyer Romulo Macalintal's statement that the poll body should stop accepting the signature pages as there is no formal petition filed yet, Garcia said they have to comply with Comelec Resolution 10650 and Republic Act 6735, the law that provides for a system of initiative and referendum.

Macalintal believed that Comelec's acceptance "gives a wrong impression to the people that an initiative to amend the charter has already been properly or validly initiated."

"The Comelec has no choice.

It is our ministerial duty. Everything is preliminary; there is no formal petition yet filed before the Comelec. Therefore, we have no jurisdiction technically to assume that there is a people's initiative," Garcia said.

"If it is not in the rules, why should we accept those signature pages? It is only an added job [for] us. But it is in the guidelines, and until and unless the guidelines are changed, we have to implement the guidelines," he added.

Let Comelec do its job Amid questions on the poll body's acceptance of the signatures for the peoples' initiative to amend the charter, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Tuesday that it is up to the Comelec to validate the signatures.

"We will just let the Comelec do their job, do their work to validate the signatures, and if there's suspicion [of payoff], and there is, that signature will not be counted," Marcos said in a chance interview.

He added that he considered suspending aid distribution so

that the government would not be questioned, but discontinuing such services would affect many Filipinos.

"When the signature is paid for, the Comelec will not accept it. Nothing will happen there.

What I know is there was nothing like that. What is being said is there was no cash, but there were promises of benefits," Marcos said.

The President's sister, Sen. Imee Marcos, who chairs the Committee on Electoral Reforms and People's Participation, filed Senate Resolution 902 seeking to investigate, in aid of legislation, the alleged payoffs and misrepresentations in the signature campaigns.

So far, the poll body said at least 884 cities and municipalities have received several pages of signatures for the people's initiative to amend the 1987 Constitution.

Meanwhile, labor coalition Nagkakaisa condemned on Tuesday a Senate resolution seeking to amend the 1987 Constitution.

"Leading the charter change dance this time is totally unnecessary and out of step for the Senate," the group said in a statement on Tuesday, a week after the Senate majority, led by Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, filed a resolution in the filing of Resolution of Both Houses 6 (RBH 6), that sought to amend economic provisions of the charter through a constituent assembly.

Members of the labor coalition protested outside the gates of the Senate and urged Zubiri and the senators to "redirect focus to the pressing demands of workers, including a wage hike, an end to labor contractualization and employment guarantees to address the chronic jobs crisis in the country."

Among the concerns the group raised was the proposed P150 across-the-board wage hike.

"Zubiri made significant promises to workers last year, vowing to enact a P150 acrossthe-board wage hike," Sentro ng Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa secretary general Josua Mata said. g

DEADLINE EXTENDED. Traditional jeepneys ply Agoncillo Street corner Pedro Gil in Manila on Thursday, Jan. 25. The government has extended the deadline for the consolidation of jeepneys and UV Express units until April 30, 2024 under the public utility vehicle modernization program.

PNA photo by Yancy Lim

Filipino soldier killed in Gaza blast

by Pia Lee-Brago Philstar.com

MANILA — An Israel Defense Forces soldier of Filipino descent was among 21 IDF members killed in a massive explosion in Gaza on Monday, January 22, according to the Philippine embassy in Tel Aviv.

Sgt. First Class Cydrick Garin, 23, was from San Mateo, Rizal and spent most of his life in Israel.

He died along with 20 other IDF soldiers when a massive explosion caused a building to collapse on them, bringing to 219 the number of Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza.

Garin was a combat sergeant in the 8208th Battalion of the 261st Bsrigade.

In April 2021, he received recognition from the Southern Command as an outstanding soldier in the Givati Brigade.

His mother, a native of Isabela, resides in Tel Aviv while his father is from General Santos City.

The Israeli embassy in Manila said it is facilitating the travel of Garin’s father to Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, January 23 vowed that Israel would not stop fighting in Gaza until “absolute victory” after it sustained its highest single-day death toll in the Palestinian enclave. g

PH joins global coalition on social justice MANILA — The Philippines has joined an initiative that aims to improve global cooperation in advancing social justice, decent work and inclusive growth, the International Labour Organization (ILO) announced on Thursday, January 25.

The Global Coalition for Social Justice seeks to reduce global inequalities, alleviate poverty and meet essential needs through the promotion of international labor standards and social dialogue.

The initiative also aims to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable

Development, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the Decent Work Agenda.

"We have a unique opportunity, to bend the arc of history in favor of social justice, for a world where everyone can fulfil their potential and enjoy the benefits of economic, environmental and social progress," ILO Director-General Gilbert Houngbo said.

The coalition has 100 partners to date, including governments, employers' and workers' organizations, international bodies, and financial institutions.

ILO said a collaborative approach will ensure that each partner's strengths and expertise are "maximized to effect real change, thereby amplifying the impact of their actions and relevance in addressing the needs identified."

Social justice aligns with the Philippines' major goals in the Philippine Development Plan 2023 to 2028 and the Philippine Labor and Employment Plan 2023 to 2028, Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma earlier said. (Gaea Katreena Cabico/ Philstar.com)

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JANUARY 25-31, 2024 • LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL

OPINION

Probing the drug killings

http://www.asianjournal.com • (702) 792-6678

FEATURES

WHETHER or not it’s true that probers of the International Criminal Court were in the country last December, the stories should prod Philippine authorities to speed up and intensify their own investigation into possible extrajudicial killings and other state abuses in the so-called war on drugs carried out in the previous administration.

The stories have swirled since late last year about the arrival in the country of ICC probers. Over the weekend, former senator Antonio Trillanes IV said he had “inside information” that the stories were true, and the ICC probers had gathered sufficient evidence to order the arrest of the primary respondents led by former President Rodrigo Duterte and his first Philippine National Police chief, Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, reputed to be the architect of the bloody Oplan Tokhang crackdown on illegal drugs.

The ICC had rejected the Philippines’ argument that the court lost jurisdiction after the country’s withdrawal from the Rome Statute took effect. The ICC says even with the withdrawal, it has jurisdiction over possible crimes committed when the Philippines was still a party to the Rome Statute, which created the court.

President Marcos, who said in July last year that “we’re done talking” with the ICC, said in November that the country’s return to the ICC is “under study.” At around the same time, Department of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, who previously said an ICC probe would be an “insult” to the country and an infringement on national sovereignty, also said cooperation with the ICC “needs a serious study” on the part of the DOJ.

Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra had previously said the government could not stop private persons from cooperating with ICC probers, who are looking into drug killings perpetrated not only during Duterte’s presidency but also by so-called death squads when he was mayor or vice mayor of Davao City between Nov. 1, 2011 and June 30, 2016. When he was vice mayor, the mayor was his daughter, now Vice President Sara Duterte, who is reportedly included in the ICC probe.

Trillanes claimed additional evidence would be gathered against the secondary respondents in the possible indictment for murder as a crime against humanity. The country has a law covering such crimes. But Guevarra has said that before indictments can be made, it must first be established that the killings were systematically carried out to constitute a crime against humanity. The government, Guevarra said, was having difficulty finding witnesses and gathering evidence that can sustain such an indictment.

Perhaps witnesses are more willing to cooperate with ICC probers. Even as the ICC proceeds with its work, the government must continue showing the world that there is a sustained, earnest effort in the Philippines to uncover the truth and give justice to victims of the drug war. (Philstar.com)

Editorial

Babe’s Eye View BABE ROMUALDEZ MOST countries continue to recognize the One China Policy, and so do we. This is affirmed by the fact that the Philippines to this day has only the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) as a representative office in Taiwan with no formal diplomatic ties.

Over the years, we have maintained close economic cooperation with Taiwan being the 8th largest trading partner, 8th largest export market and 8th biggest source of imports in 2022, according to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Taiwan is home to close to 200,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) employed in manufacturing and various sectors, and it goes without saying that we have good peopleto-people and cultural ties.

Which is why it really isn’t such a big deal, and it’s not surprising, that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. congratulated the winning candidate in the recently concluded presidential elections in Taiwan on behalf

First Person ALEX MAGNO THE Philippines topped two lists the past week. We are the world’s biggest rice importer.

Metro Manila traffic is the worst in the world.

Neither recognition should make us happy. We already have the world’s worst airport.

Meanwhile, our people spend the most time on social media – possibly the new opium of the people.

The lead vocalist of the visiting British band Coldplay summed it up over the weekend: “Traffic here is completely insane.”

Our traffic rating was reported out in the 2023 TomTom Traffic Index. This report is put out by a Netherlands-based multinational developer and creator of location technology as well as consumer electronics. It is based on a comparative study of 387 metro areas around the world.

MMDA Acting Chair Romando Artes said his agency will reach

ManilaTimes.net photo

Hullabaloo over nothing of the Filipino people, saying that he looks forward to “close collaboration, strengthening mutual interests, fostering peace, and ensuring prosperity for our people in the years ahead.”

Having been educated in the UK, President Marcos was simply displaying common courtesy and returning the gesture of the Taiwanese government that tweeted its congratulations when he won in the 2022 May presidential elections. Presidentelect Lai Ching-te, who was vice president during that time, had expressed his best wishes for PBBM as well as Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio. And just in case China has forgotten, Taiwan was not represented during the inauguration of President Marcos Jr. despite actively seeking to send a delegation.

As pointed out by the Department of Foreign Affairs, the congratulatory message was clearly the president’s way of expressing his gratitude to Taiwan for hosting the OFWs, many of whom are engaged in the manufacturing industry and are expected to benefit from a salary increase owing to a landmark law that was passed by the Legislative Yuan (the highest

legislative body in Taiwan) last December.

Not surprisingly, I received several messages saying that China was “overreacting” to the congratulatory statements issued not only by the Philippines but other nations as well. As one described it, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) was “acting like an overzealous principal engaged in a scolding spree,” lecturing and calling out countries that congratulated the winners or said that the recent elections is proof of Taiwan’s vibrant democracy.

Included in China’s “rebukes list” is the United States for purportedly sending a “gravely wrong signal” to “independence separatist forces,” while British Foreign Secretary David Cameron who offered his “warm congratulations” received condemnation from the Chinese MOFA for his “wrong act.”

Australia, which issued a statement saying that the “smooth conduct of the elections is a testament to the maturity and strength of Taiwan’s democracy,” already received a dour warning from Chinese Ambassador Xiao Qian the night before the elections in Taiwan through an opinion piece

published in a major newspaper: “If Australia is tied to the chariot of Taiwan separatist forces, the Australian people would be pushed over the edge of an abyss.”

Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa also issued a congratulatory message “for the smooth implementation of the democratic election,” and shared expectations for the Taiwan issue to be “resolved peacefully through dialogue” – prompting the Chinese embassy in Japan to blast her comments as a “serious interference in China’s internal affairs.”

Singapore congratulated “Dr. William Lai and his party on their victory,” adding that Singapore will continue to grow its close relationship with Taiwan based on the One China Policy – and was also reprimanded.

But the most blistering comments were seemingly reserved for the Philippines, with Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning warning the Philippines “not to play with fire” and outrageously suggesting that the president read more about the Taiwan issue to arrive at “the right conclusions.”

Filipinos angrily reacted to

Mao Ning’s statements. Of course, if anything, Filipinos are angry with China at the way they have been treating our fishermen, harassing and shadowing Philippine Coast Guard vessels and resupply boats – ramming our vessels, spraying them with water cannons, pointing military grade lasers and other acts of aggression that have caused harm and damage.

It’s no surprise that Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro scored a lot of points when he called out Mao Ning in a statement. He simply expressed what many Filipinos wanted to say in the first place.

“It is unfortunate that the PRC Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson stooped to such low and gutter-level talk – resorting to insulting our president and the Filipino nation, and further debasing herself, the ministry, and Party she represents in the process,” Secretary Teodoro said.

“But then again, we should not at all be surprised – being a nation and people enjoying the privileges, rights, and freedoms of a democratic society – that an agent of a Party and system of government incompatible with our way of life and who routinely

spouts State-sanctioned propaganda and disinformation would go that far and that low,” he continued.

“It is unfortunate, but I am, myself, unsurprised. The spokesperson’s statements were ‘on brand.’ We, and the world, should not expect more,” Secretary Teodoro clapped back.

But as many have pointed out, China would not have been so offended by congratulatory messages had the winner been the “China friendly” candidate.

Too bad, things didn’t turn out their way.

Clearly, what is important is that China and the Philippines have both agreed to “improve communications” and deal with issues regarding the South China Sea calmly. This is after all the more important issue which everyone should try to resolve peacefully, instead of making a big hullabaloo over something that is perfectly innocuous.

(Philstar.com) ***

the traffic consequences of this large project.

MRT-3 is a commuter rail line that is supposed to displace the EDSA bus line. It is so inefficient a mode of transport that the bus route is not only conserved, it was given its own reserved lane known as the Edsa Carousel.

This reduced the number of lanes available for all other vehicles.

Metro Manila is probably the only urban sprawl that does not have its own local government.

Instead, the mayors of the constituent cities haggle in a council and veto anything that is not in their parochial interest to have.

The way Metro Manila is governed needs radical review.

We need an elected governor for what is in reality really one large city. But tampering with the powers of the constituent local governments will likely be politically explosive.

Some key traffic policies need dramatic review. The volume reduction scheme based on plate numbers is an insane policy.

It encouraged car owners to

acquire second vehicles to evade the ban. These spare vehicles are now parked in the side streets, clogging traffic flow.

We may argue with the conclusion that we have the worst traffic flow in the world.

But that is not the point.

The insane traffic condition we confront daily needs a fundamental review of the way this metropolis is governed.

The MMDA is mandated to relieve the symptoms of a badly planned metro. But it is not empowered to undertake the engineering solutions to solve the actual problems. It is certainly not empowered to begin any meaningful urban planning for an urban center on the verge of choking.

The TomTom finding should be an occasion to debate the fundamentals of how our metropolis is governed. (Philstar. com) ***

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

*** babeseyeview@gmail.com

Insane out to those behind this report to inquire about the methodologies employed for this study. That will probably be a futile effort.

It will not matter if we are first, second or third in the world. Our economy bleeds billions because of the difficulty getting from one point in the city to the other. We all know the reality.

Besides, TomTom was not organized just to put us down.

It is their business to compare traffic conditions across cities for the purpose of developing software to help harried commuters cope in congested environments. The company does not profit by ranking us worst.

Artes, in addition, reminds the public that the MMDA is doing all possible “interventions” to improve traffic flow. That is possibly all that this agency can say, given its seriously limited mandate.

To understand all that brought us to this “insane” traffic condition, we will have to look at many things: historical and geographical factors, institutions of governance, the general

failure of strategic planning and the driving culture of our denizens.

This mad urban tangle we call Metro Manila is basically an unplanned metropolis growing in a semi-circle out of the port.

It is composed of very old settlements with very narrow streets as well as new towns with inadequate provision for road space.

The wonder of it all is that this unified urban mess is not fully governed by a single political entity. Metro Manila is a confederation of independent cities, each governed by local governments jealous of their turf.

Some subscribe to the U-turn policy, others do not. Some have windows to the number-coding policy, others do not. Policies on street parking vary across localities.

Barangay chairmen have absolute power over permitting tricycles to operate – leading to some localities having an oversupply of this mode of transport. Where I live, there is such an oversupply of tricycles they spend more than half their

time lining up for passengers.

Once, I went to the MMDA to get help to clear our road of abandoned vehicles that eat up parking spaces and clog roads. I was told they could do nothing about it for fear of being charged with carnapping.

In its restricted role, the MMDA could not reconfigure mass transport routes to adjust to shifting commuter behavior.

I was told the agency could not do that. At any rate, given our jeepney drivers’ propensity for mounting strikes, it was bound to be met with political opposition.

The large engineering projects required to help our traffic move is often met with bureaucratic resistance. The Skyway project, that finally links the northern half of the Metro with the south, was delayed by over a decade.

Only Ramon Ang’s persistence saw this project come to life.

The much-touted subway is very costly and will probably require a generation to complete. It is an undertaking of the national government, with the MMDA limited to managing

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Dateline PhiliPPines

LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • JANUARY 25-31, 2024

7

SAF44 heroism a ‘clarion call for unity’ to address challenges MANILA – The heroism of the 44 Special Action Force (SAF) troops of the Philippine National Police (PNP) who died in a firefight in Mamasapano, Maguindanao nine years ago, is a “clarion call for unity” to address the challenges besetting the country, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said on Thursday, January 25.

During the observance of the Day of National Remembrance at Camp General Mariano Castañeda in Silang, Cavite, Marcos called on his fellow Filipinos to emulate the SAF 44 commandos, who he branded as “warriors for peace,” to seek a common goal of “build[ing] a better future for our nation.”

“My countrymen, the defiant stand of the Brave 44 still echoes today, it is a clarion call for unity and action against any challenge that we might face,” Marcos said.

“So, how do we pay homage to these brave men, whose gallantry no memorial can fully capture, whose courage no words can fully extol? It is by working tirelessly to realize their dreams, for their family, for their children, for their comrades, [and] for the people,” he added.

Marcos said Filipinos would be disrespecting the memory and devaluing the valor of the 44 SAF personnel, if they submit to those who terrorize the nation and cede the territory to those who would trespass upon it.

While the country “will never be able to fully pay” the slain troopers for their sacrifices, Marcos said each Filipino has the crucial role in bringing peace and progress to the country.

“In their last hours, in that place of honor, we can draw many important lessons. The lessons such as to put nation before self, to display courage under fire, to resolve to forge ahead, to never give up,” Marcos said.

“It is now up to us who live, who benefitted from their full measure of devotion to duty to build a kinder and gentler society wherein those that they have left behind can live in peace and prosperity. That is the mission that they have left us to pursue when they did not return from

their last patrol.”

During the event, there was also a wreath offering at the Monument of the Fallen Heroes to pay tribute to the bravery of the 44 SAF troopers.

Meanwhile, the PNP in Eastern Visayas joined in honoring the Mamasapano heroes.

PNP Region 8 director Brig.

Gen. Reynaldo Pawid led a simple ceremony at the region office with key regional police officials and family members of some of the 44 fallen commandos present.

Policemen and family members offered wreaths of flowers at the Bantayog ng Bayani, Camp Kangleo in Palo, Leyte.

Of the 44 fallen SAF commandos, two were from Leyte province, two from Northern Samar and two from Eastern Samar.

“Their lives were far too brief, but they have lived meaningful ones. Rest assured that the entire Philippine National Police and the public that they have sworn to serve and protect will continue to remember their gallantry. The beautiful life they had lived will not be put in vain, as we will further strengthen our offenses and defenses against our enemies. We will continue to rally for peace. In the name of service and love for the country, they have made the greatest sacrifice—fallen but not forgotten,” Pawid said during the ceremony.

Thankful The SAF, meanwhile, thanked the President and the Filipino people for joining the observance.

In a statement, SAF chief Maj. Gen. Bernard Banac said the valor of the fallen SAF commandos would serve as an inspiration to their ranks.

"Makakaasa ang ating mga mamamayan na sa ilalim ng pamununo ni PNP Chief Gen. Benjamin C Acorda Jr., patuloy na magiging tapat ang ating mga kapulisan at SAF sa kanilang tungkulin at patuloy silang maglilingkod ng buong husay at kagalakan sa ating mga mamamayan para sa kapayapaan at kaayusan ng ating bayan (Rest assured that under the leadership of PNP Chief Gen. Benjamin C. Acorda Jr., the police force and the SAF would remain loyal to their duty and serve the people with excellence and joy to

preserve the country's peace and order)," Banac added.

Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr., who joined the observance, said the Marcos administration would ensure that there would be no repeat of such an incident.

“As we remember today the tragedy that befell the brave SAF44, we also learn and reflect on the missteps of this unfortunate incident. We owe it to these heroes and their families to prevent another Mamasapano tragedy from happening again. As such, trust that we would continuously push for initiatives to modernize and improve the capabilities of our police force to make them more efficient and responsive,” he added.

For his part, PNP chief Gen Benjamin Acorda Jr. said the SAF44's heroism should pave the way for the police's renewed commitment to strengthening law enforcement.

"May there memory serve as an inspiration for us to continue advocating for justice and peace in our nation. We must recognize the importance of unity, coordination and effective communication in our pursuit of national security. The sacrifices made by our heroes must motivate us to constantly strive for excellence in our duty to protect and serve," Acorda said.

On Jan. 25, 2015, SAF commandos carried out a law enforcement operation against two high-value targets, Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan, and terrorist Abdul Basit Usman.

They were able to kill Marwan but failed to get Usman who was later killed in another operation.

On their way out, a firefight occurred which eventually trapped 45 SAF personnel, with only one surviving after swimming in a creek and hiding in bushes on his way out.

Former president Rodrigo Duterte in February 2017 issued Proclamation 164, declaring Jan. 25 of every year as a day of national remembrance for the heroic sacrifice of SAF 44 members. (with reports from Lloyd Caliwan, Sarwell Meniano/PNA)

REMEMBERING THE SAF44. The Davao City Police Office holds a wreath offering on the Day of National Remembrance for the Heroic Sacrifice of 44 members of the Philippine National Police Special Action Force, at the parade grounds of its headquarters in Davao City on Thursday, Jan. 25. The police officers were killed in Mamasapano, Maguindanao in 2015.

PNA photo by Robinson Niñal Jr.

Choose reputable freight firms in sending balikbayan boxes MANILA – The Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Thursday, January 25 has cautioned Filipinos overseas to carefully select freight forwarding firms in sending balikbayan boxes to their families in the country.

In a social media post, the BOC noted that customers should choose reputable forwarding companies accredited by the Department of Trade and Industry to ensure the safety of their balikbayan boxes.

This, after the BOC identified 16 local and foreign forwarders/ consolidators/de-consolidators that have been reported as having cases of abandoned balikbayan boxes.

“To safeguard the interests and well-being of our fellow Filipinos, we would like to bring to your attention a list of forwarding companies, both foreign and local, that have been reported for incidents of abandoned balikbayan boxes and have derogatory reports

against them,” it added.

The BOC also urged the public to convey concerns or additional information to them, through the Bureau of Customs - Customer Assistance and Response Service (BOC-CARES) through the hotline number (02) 8705-6000 or via email at boc.cares@customs. gov.ph.

It also advised those who encounter issues with their shipment to report to relevant authorities. (PNA)

BI: 3.3K foreigners denied entry to PH in 2023 MANILA – Immigration authorities have prevented a total of 3,359 foreigners of different nationalities from entering the country in 2023.

In a statement on Wednesday, January 23, Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco said nearly half of this number totalling to 1,603 arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 (NAIA 3) in Pasay City.

This was followed by NAIA 1, NAIA 2, Mactan Cebu International Airport, and Clark International Airport with 1,157, 211, 187, and

143 exclusions, respectively.

These foreigners were deemed undesirable or not properly documented, he added.

The BI chief said most of those barred entry were deemed as likely to become public charges if they are allowed to stay in the country.

In immigration parlance, a public charge pertains to an alien whose presence poses a menace to society or a burden to the government from whom he could depend for subsistence or support while sojourning in the country.

“As gatekeepers of our coun-

try, our officers are duty-bound to see to it that only aliens with legitimate purpose of travel are accorded the privilege to visit the country. Illegal aliens and fugitives are not welcome in the Philippines,” Tansingco said.

BI records show that apart from public charges and improperly documented aliens, the list of excluded passengers also include those who were already blacklisted, registered sex offenders, fugitives, and those who were rude towards immigration officers. (PNA)

8

JANUARY 25-31, 2024 • LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL

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January 25, 2024

VEGAS&STYLE JOURNAL

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LIFESTYLE • CONSUMER GUIDE • COMMUNITY • MARKETPLACE

Nicole Kidman praises Filipina co-stars in ‘Expats’ Ruby Ruiz, Amelyn Pardenilla embrace the limelight at the premiere in New York

“

by MoMAr G. VisAyA / AJPress

WONDERFUL! They’re exquisite in the show and I’m so happy to have them be celebrated, discovered, loved, and enjoyed.”

That was how Nicole Kidman described to us the experience of working with her multicultural costars on the new series ‘Expats,’ among them Filipino actors Ruby Ruiz and Amelyn Pardenilla.

Expats is a six-part series on Prime Video streaming its first two episodes this week and the remaining episodes will be released weekly. The limited series is created, written, and directed

by Lulu Wang (The Farewell) is based on the novel ‘The Expatriates’ by Janice Y.K. Lee. The show follows three American women - Margaret (Nicole Kidman), Hilary (Sarayu Blue), and Mercy (Ji-young Yoo) - whose lives intersect after a sudden family tragedy. The series interrogates privilege and explores what happens when the line between victimhood and culpability becomes blurred.

Set against the vibrant and tumultuous tapestry of 2014 Hong Kong, the series also beautifully highlights South Asian, Korean, Filipino, and Chinese cultures.

Playing key roles are Filipino actors Ruby Ruiz and Amelyn Pardenilla and half-Filipino Bodhi del Rosario who plays one of Kidman’s children in the show.

While all the episodes are equally good, Filipino fans should look out for the special extended episode in the series entitled “Central” which surrounds Overseas Filipino Workers with a focus on Ruiz and Pardenilla. This specific episode highlights their life and experience as OFWs/migrant workers with both actresses playing integral parts of the story as a whole.

This pivotal moment in the series aligns with Lulu Wang’s vision to delve into the day-to-day lives of these women in Hong Kong. Wang envisioned “Central” as the feature-length penultimate episode, aiming to provide ample time and scope to explore this non-expat perspective.

The series scrutinizes the nuanced relationships between expats in Hong Kong and the domestic workers from the Philippines who reside and work in their homes.

“Since the episode was from a non-expat perspective, Nicole

Puri (Amelyn Pardenilla) and Essie (Ruby Ruiz) share a scene in the episode entitled “Central”.

Photo courtesy of Prime Video

The main cast and director of ‘Expats’ (from left to right) Jack Huston, Brian Tee, Lulu Wang, Jennifer Salke, Nicole Kidman, Sarayu Blue, Ji-young Yoo, Ruby Ruiz and Amelyn Pardenilla.

Photo by Marion Curtis / StarPix for Amazon MGM Studios

would be playing a supporting role to these other characters, and I knew that would be a difficult pitch,” she shared.

To Wang’s surprise, Nicole Kidman embraced this ambitious undertaking, bringing her star power to a supporting role in service of the broader narrative.

Kidman confirmed this with us, saying it’s her joy to help women who deserve to fulfill their dreams.

“I’m so lucky to have the opportunities to be able to champion these filmmakers, the women, the cause,” she said. “To be able to say ‘Yes, I’ll be a supporting role in the show’ and I’m just so happy that I’ve been given the chance to do that. So I’m just hoping, I just want people to watch it.”

Ruiz, a veteran actress recently seen in the Prime Video hit “Linlang” was blown away after reading the script for “Central.”

“I am so grateful that Lulu gave that weight and value in episode five for Puri and Essie, and the rest of the domestic helpers to have significance and more value in this series,” she said.

‘Excited, grateful’ Overwhelming was the word that she used when we asked her to describe her ‘Expats’ journey.

“After so many years of trying to put it together, we’re here, in

New York for the premiere,” Ruiz said.

Ruiz got the role through auditions. She sent her self-tape and it was followed with interviews through Zoom for the callbacks.

She admits she didn’t realize the gravity of the project when she was still auditioning.

“I didn’t know who Lulu Wang was,” she revealed. “And it was only later when I found out about Nicole Kidman’s involvement, and that this was one of Prime Video’s biggest projects.”

“Never in my wildest dreams, my dream was just to always have continuous work. This is such a huge blessing,” she added.

Since Ruiz played the role of Essie, the Woo family’s helper and nanny for the kids, most of her scenes were with Kidman herself. She admitted feeling a bit nervous but took it as a challenge to fully embody her character, living and breathing the role.

Ruiz mentioned that she and Essie share similar traits, like being loving, devoted, and committed. Because of these similarities, it wasn’t too hard for her to embrace the role. She even disclosed that she worked as a nanny in Canada before, so the emotions she felt for her on-screen charges were genuine and heartfelt.

“That experience of being a

nanny before helped a lot. Mahal na mahal ng mga Pilipinong nannies yung mga alaga nila kasi ganun tayo magmahal eh, hindi lang siya basta trabaho,” she said.

Amelyn Pardenilla found herself in a unique situation where her life mirrored the role she was auditioning for. As a migrant worker auditioning to portray a migrant worker with aspirations of becoming a singer, she felt like art was imitating life. Singing during her audition was a breeze for her.

Originally from Cebu, Pardenilla moved to Hong Kong 23 years ago in pursuit of better opportunities. Working as a singer in Hong Kong hotels for over two decades, she harbored dreams of being part of a musical or acting onstage.

Similar to Ruiz, she auditioned not fully knowing what the project was about. “I just wanted to try, to be exposed. Kaya wala akong expectations,” she remarked.

“I was excited and so grateful to the Lord that I got the part. I thought extra lang ako with dialogues,” she said laughing. “Hindi ko talaga akalain na nasa main cast ako.”

She admitted to being starstruck on the first few days of the shoot.

“I was so overwhelmed,” she

How Nadine became a ‘more evolved’ version of herself

by Anne PAsAjol Inquirer.net

YOU’LL immediately know how different Nadine Lustre is from other popular actresses of her stature and caliber just by talking to her.

In the midst of all the noise and distraction, Nadine easily won us over just by listening to her weigh in on our questions—from the mundane to the sensitive—as if she were in the midst of a deeply thoughtful scene in one of her increasingly provocative cinematic oeuvre.

In our view, it’s also this gimleteyed focus, emotional transparency and “no bs” approach to life that enable Nadine to convey a plethora of thoughts and emotions that helps bring out the exceptional actress she’s always been.

In fact, even as far back as 2014’s blockbuster film “Diary ng Panget”—when the most noticeable thing that much of Tinseltown could focus on was Nadine being in a love team—it was impossible to conceal the fact that she wasn’t just another pretty face thrust into the industry’s “love team” culture.

Outspoken style icon These days, “President Nadine”—as some of her rabid fans on X affectionately call her—is as much an outspoken style icon as she is an accomplished performer.

She’s also the most awarded actress of her age group, with best actress trophies from Urian (for “Never Not Love You”), Famas (“Never Not Love You,” “Ulan,” “Greed”) and the Metro Manila Film Festival (“Deleter”), so far.

But the journey to where she ended up and how she feels about herself right now hasn’t been easy for the actress.

What advice would she have for fans who are just starting to come into their own, and accept their strengths and weaknesses?

Based on her own experience, what tips would she give to help them become better versions of themselves?

“I’m often asked how I manage to always look cool and composed,” stated Nadine. “I always say this to people… I’m unapologetic about who I am. I say what I want to say, and I do what I want to do. And that comes off like a big puzzle to some because, for someone in the midst of all this in show biz, we’re so used to having people who are afraid to speak up—and I’m definitely not like that.

“So, I tell them that I just try to be myself… because there was a time when all I did was try to fit myself into a certain mold. This was probably in the beginning of my ABS-CBN years. I tried so hard and that took a toll on my mental health because I became such a people pleaser.

“I lost sight of myself, and I didn’t know who I was anymore.

It was really a struggle. Eventually, I realized, ‘I don’t want to be this person anymore’—I didn’t want to be someone who just tries to be somebody else. And that decision has come through in the way that I talk or the way that I dress, etc.”

When did this realization click for her?

“In my case, it just kind of happened because I had a terrible burnout,” Nadine recounted.

“Imagine a person who’s so busy but doesn’t even have time to think for herself—that was me. At that point, I was just on autopilot!

Identity crisis “So yeah, it took a toll on my mental health, then I also had an

identity crisis. I really didn’t know who I was. I can’t say when or how [the shift in mindset] clicked, but I just had this realization that I was tired of wearing this mask.

“I admit, it was scary at first… kasi you don’t want to offend people. Who wants to be disliked, ’di ba? I think it’s innate in us not to want to get bashed… takot tayo na may masabing masama ang ibang tao about us—that’s normal.

“So when I decided to just be myself, scary s’ya (laughs)! You think, ‘Ano’ng sasabihin ng mga tao?’ But then, I was like, ‘You know what, f*ck it! I only have one life, so I have to live it the way I want to live it. And if people don’t like it, then maybe show biz isn’t for me.’

“So far, it’s worked out well for me (laughs)! And I’m really happy that I went through that.

I’m grateful that I went through the confusion, that crisis, because I wouldn’t know how this feels if I hadn’t gone through that. But I don’t think I would ever have that realization kung hindi ko s’ya pinagdaanan.”

We had a fabulous time talking to—and laughing with—Nadine despite our limited moment with her. Such a delightful, no-holdsbarred interviewee she turned out to be!

On a lighter note, we asked Nadine to share with us skin care tips for fans who are just starting to take better care of themselves.

“The simplest advice I could give is get lots of sleep and drink a lot of water, although those are two things na hindi ako masyadong consistent—but I’m trying!” she pointed out, laughing. “But proper skin care can only do so much on the surface level, right? It’s a little different when you take care of yourself on the inside. So do both

[for much better results].”

Expressive face Nadine told us, however, that there are other activities in her downtime that keep her relaxed and stress-free, especially after a hard day at work.

“I play computer games—kaya ako napupuyat (laughs),” she quipped. “That’s always been my stress-reliever. I stop thinking about other things when I’m immersed and focused on this parallel world. I kind of tune out when I play games.

Another thing that relaxes me is losing myself in movies… I love watching movies!”

Speaking of movies or TV series, what genre does she prefer?

“Crime thrillers, definitely,” she answered. “Lahat na yata ng horror films sa Netflix, napanood ko na… kaya wala na akong ibang mapanood (laughs).”

We told Nadine how effective she is when she isn’t saying much in her films because her very expressive face does all the “talking” for her.

“Thank you!” she said. “The reason behind my thing with acting is because I am inspired by the movies I watch. I see the characters, of course, but more than that, I’m more fascinated by the process that actors go through [to] become who they’re supposed to be onscreen.

“I would even ask myself and analyze, ‘How do they do that?’

I watch what happens behind the scenes, how they study the script, all the nuances. I love the little details [that complete their portrayals].

“I really think about things like those, especially with [my upcoming horror film] ‘Nokturno.’

I told Direk Mik, ‘I want nuances that are different from those in ‘Deleter,’ because that’s the only

Ruby Ruiz AJPress photos by Momar G. Visaya

Amelyn Pardenilla

Bodhi Del Rosario

Nicole Kidman

exclaimed. “Kasi siyempre, nakikita ko lang sila sa movies and shows and I’m a big fan. Tapos sa set nakakausap ko na sila.”

A registered nurse, Amelyn said she totally related to the role of Puri.

“Alam ko yung mga sakripisyo ng migrant workers in order to be able to provide for their families back home. Ang hirap talaga kapag nasa ibang bansa ka at wala kang pamilya,” she said.

Looking around the yellow carpet and flashing cameras, Amelyn took a deep breath and gave

a big, hearty smile as she tried to take it all in.

“Unbelievable na nangyayari ito kasi hanggang ngayon, hindi ko pa rin na-a-absorb lahat. Good timing din kasi ibinigay ni Lord sa akin,” she said, her eyes welling.

Ruby and Amelyn are both grateful for the opportunity to be a part of ‘Expats’ and as the series unfolds, it not only explores diverse perspectives and challenges stereotypes but also showcases a beautiful story about family, unconditional love, acceptance, and forgiveness.

Nadine Lustre

time it would make sense for me to do them,’ kasi ang weird naman if that’s what people would see me do in my romantic comedies (laughs).”

Horror genre While she has appeared in a lot of hugely successful rom-coms, Nadine confided to us that she’s really more partial to “darker fare.”

“A lot of people don’t know this, but I’m not a huge fan of romantic comedies or dramas,” she admitted. “Ako talaga, I really love the dark stuff. I mean, there are rom-coms and dramas that I enjoy, but they’re often the more basic ones lang talaga… like ‘The Notebook,’ na pinaka-favorite ko among movies with elements of drama and romance.

“I say this because every time I’m with friends, they always talk about dramas or romantic comedies that were based on books, but I couldn’t relate to them (laughs)… probably because I’m not into those genres as much as they are. Hindi ganun

Photo from Instagram/@nadine

kalalim ang interest ko sa mga ’yun. But talk to me about crime documentaries, thrillers and horror films, then I’ll have a lot to say (laughs)!”

More music Before we parted ways, we asked Nadine how she would assess her 2023, and what her goals are for this year?

“Last year was a mess for me (laughs)—ang dami kasing nangyari and it was just moving so fast,” she intimated. “The energy back in 2023 was weird… there was just something about last year I can’t quite grasp. Maybe it was energy we were trying to [shake off] so we can usher in a different kind of energy this year—I dunno.

“When I returned to Manila after Paris Fashion Week, it was like, ‘What happened?’ I have a lot of forgotten memories from last year, so when people ask me about it, I don’t really remember much. I was just floating in 2023.

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Features

LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • JANUARY 25-31, 2024

9

Jo Koy’s mother defends son’s comedy Carmina, Gelli, Janice, and Candy’s tips to lasting friendship genius amid Golden Globes backlash

by Bev llorente ABS-CBN News Las Vegas

by AllAn PolicArPio Inquirer.net

BUILDING genuine friendships is hard; maintaining them, more so.

This is especially true in show biz, where everything is fleeting and looks can be deceiving. That’s why the enduring friendship among Carmina Villarroel, Candy Pangilinan and sisters Janice and Gelli de Belen has become a subject of admiration, not only within the entertainment industry, but also among fans and observers.

What’s the secret to their decadeslong bond that started way back in the 1990s?

Having shared interests and values was a given. Being there for each other—through the good times and the bad—brought them closer together. But ultimately, what made their relationship last is simple: They chose to stay friends.

Hard work “Friendship is give and take.

And as they say, it takes two to tango. So, you need to put in the effort, and this goes for all kinds of relationships. You have to take it upon yourself to reach out. You have to do something to maintain the friendship,” Candy said at a press conference for the comedydrama film “Roadtrip,” which is currently showing in cinemas.

Friendship is hard work— there’s no other way about it.

“We’re thankful to have this kind of friendship. It takes a lot of work. You have to work on yourselves. If you don’t, then wala na ’yan. Friendship will not just fall on your lap and [you can’t] expect it to last forever. But we’re all willing to put in the effort, so we’ve been solid through the years,” Gelli said.

But just as important as showing up is knowing when to step back.

“Being friends or being part of a barkada doesn’t necessarily mean you have to see or speak to each other every day, or check in on them every minute. You also have to give and respect each other’s space when needed,” Janice pointed out. “It will all come together eventually. You don’t have to force things.”

“If one of us suddenly turns quiet, we immediately realize that she’s not in the mood, so we don’t bother her. At work, or at

Gelli de Belen, Carmina Villarroel, Janice de Belen and Candy Pangilinan Photo courtesy of Viva Films

press conferences like this, we’re used to—and it’s our job—to talk.

But when it’s just the four of us, we know when to keep quiet. So I think that works for us,” she added.

‘Moody’ friend As the self-confessed “moody” friend of the group, Carmina is thankful for the grace her friends extend to her. “We have come to a point where we already know each other so well that we no longer have to voice out what we’re feeling all the time,” she said.

“We have our own pace when it comes to opening up about our problems. And that’s something I appreciate. Even if they sense that something’s wrong with me, they don’t force me to talk about my problem. They wait until I’m ready to open up,” Carmina added.

As their relationship grew, they eventually learned to accept each other’s flaws and all. “You understand their strengths, weaknesses. You accept that they are the way they are. If she’s impatient or moody, respect that and vice versa. It’s a deeper kind of love, one that has no conditions,” Gelli said.

“It’s not, ‘I love you because you’re this or that.’ It’s, ‘I love you because you’re my friend,’” she added. “Simple as that.”

Grounded on honesty Genuine friendship is also grounded on honesty, and the ability to dish out harsh truths no one else will do. “This is what I really appreciate about Gelli.

She’s so vocal and frank. But she tells you as it is, but she does so

with words and in a tone that won’t hurt you,” Carmina said.

“Respect and trust should be there.”

Produced by Viva Films and directed by Andoy Ranay, “Roadtrip” is an original concept

by Candy. The plot follows four women who reunite and go on a trip to visit their ailing friend.

Janice is Gigi, a naturally kind but people-pleasing writer who’s grown tired of all her responsibilities. Gelli is Maricar, a successful events planner who feels she doesn’t owe anyone an explanation; Carmina is Chiqui, an actress from a political family who seems to have everything except the ability to make decisions for herself; and Candy is Sophia, a seemingly arrogant vlogger and businesswoman who needs a much-needed breather.

“The script was initially written during a workshop with National Artist Ricky Lee. And I thought about having friends on board because I thought it would make shooting easier. And it did,” Candy said.

“The challenge was more on the physical side, like scenes where we had to hike to Mt. Pulag. But other than that, it was all a breeze. Since we know each other so well, we were able to quickly follow up on each other’s ad libs,” Candy said.

“It was hard, but I’m happy I got to do it with these three. I’m grateful to have them in my life,” Carmina said.

“The kind of friendship we have is rare,” Gelli said. “It feels like the stars aligned for us.”

LAS VEGAS — In the aftermath of the Golden Globes, Filipino American stand-up comedian sensation Jo Koy found himself amidst controversy. However, in an exclusive interview with ABSCBN North America Bureau, Jo Koy's mother, Josie Harrison, stepped forward to passionately defend her son.

During the interview, Josie expressed her unwavering support for Jo Koy, emphasizing the challenges of being an endorser and the pressure to meet expectations.

Drawing from her own experience, she acknowledged Jo's efforts to please everyone during the event, highlighting the demanding nature of the comedian's job.

"If you love somebody and you know they're hurt, it hurts me because you endorse a lot of people. When I endorse, I try my hardest to give what they want. I know Joseph tried his best during that night. So I am with my son no matter what,"shared Josie.

She underscored the difficulty of being a comedian, urging critics to understand the challenging nature of the profession. "It's not easy to speak like that. It's not

Josie Harrison, mother of comedian Jo Koy

Contributed photo

easy to be a comedian like my son.

Their job is to make you smile, to make you laugh. That was Jo's job that night," she added.

Despite criticisms, several veteran comedians and on-air personalities, including Steve Martin, Whoopi Goldberg, Kevin Hart, Howard Stern, and other renowned legends, rallied in defense of Jo Koy's performance.

Expressing her disappointment with some Filipino naysayers, Josie said, "I feel sad, especially when you see that the source of naysayers, I was kind of disappointed. Don't be so concerned about those naysayers because

you cannot please everybody.

Even in normal life, you cannot please everybody to be happy with what you said."

Josie Harrison encouraged the AAPI community to take pride in Jo Koy's representation of Filipinos, noting the comedian's pride in being part of the Asian group. Despite the challenges, she remains a proud mother of a talented comedian.

In conclusion, despite the Golden Globes backlash, Josie Harrison stands firmly by her son, Jo Koy, as he continues to represent Filipinos in the best possible manner.

Social Security cards are safer at home

by Annie WAlters Social Security Public Affairs Specialist in Nevada

SCAMS to steal your personal information are at an all-time high. That’s why it remains critical to safeguard important personal documents like your Social Security card.

A Social Security card is not an identification document. In many situations, you only need to know your Social Security number (SSN). Your physical card is not necessary for most business needs.

Do you need evidence for work? There are several documents you can use instead of your card. These include: • Birth Certificate.

• Permanent Resident Card or Alien Registration Receipt.

• Employment Authorization Document.

• Form I-94 or Form I-94A. You do not need to show your physical card to apply for certain benefits. You can simply provide your SSN for benefits like: • Housing.

• Health insurance.

• Food assistance.

You should also know your physical card is not required as evidence for the Department of Motor Vehicles. The only state that requires a physical card is Pennsylvania. For all other states, acceptable

evidence includes: • W-2 forms.

• Form SSA-1099.

• Non-SSA-1099 forms.

• Pay stubs.

Keeping your card at home reduces the risk of loss or theft – and helps you keep your information safe. To learn more about keeping your card and information safe, please visit our Fraud Prevention and Reporting webpage at www.ssa.gov/fraud.

CARPE DIEM! ATTENTION IMMIGRATION LAWYERS!!!

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JANUARY 25-31, 2024 • LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL

Stem cell Rx deaths

Health @Heart PhiliP S. Chua, MD, FaCS, FPCS AT the last day of our medical mission in Munoz (The Science City), Nueva Ecija, Philippines, January 17, 2024, there were news reports of the death of a 39-yearold female in Quezon City following intravenous stem cell therapy.

Health Secretary Ted Herbosa has ordered an investigation of the case. A few years back, two Filipino congressmen died from complication of stem cell treatments. And these are not isolated cases, deaths have been reported in the past in other countries as well.

The tragedy is in the fact that in many cases, stem cell therapy has been used with wrong medical indication (improper use).

Stem therapy is extensively advertised by some “medical” enterprises in various countries around the world for various illnesses and for cosmetic purposes (as a fountain for beauty and youth), but these are actually fraudulent claims, with no scientific basis behind them.

As we have stated in the past, there is only one group of illnesses where stem cell therapy has been proven to be effective for, approved by the FDA, and that is for blood diseases, like leukemia, lymphoma, neuroblastoma and multiple myeloma. Among these patients, stem cell therapy is a lifesaver. Other than these, its use for other diseases is a scam, ineffective and risky, all for financial gain of greedy entrepreneurs.

Current on-going research around the globe is studying the ability of stem to mature into cells of various organs, like the nerves, bones, heart muscles, and other organs and tissues (dental and periodontal), in order to heal diseases of those organs, almost like organ replacement, transplantation, regenerative medicine. A great new frontier in medicine!

If these studies become successful, stem cell therapy could help those with spinal cord injuries, heart disease, stroke, Parkinson’s, Diabetes T1, Alzheimer’s, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease), burns, osteoarthritis, cancer and others.

But the use of stem cells for all these other common illnesses are still in their experimental stages.

The final medical uses of stem cell therapy, quality, dosages, side-effects, toxicity, limitations, contra-indications, and potential complications are still “officially uncertain.”

After the animal laboratory stud-

ies are satisfactorily completed, clinical evaluation among human subjects will follow. The next stage is a multi-country independent clinical confirmation, with thousands, if not millions, of human volunteers, before final approval is granted for general use by the “FDAs” of all nations. The wrong application today of this treatment is not only expensive but could be deadly.

Children killer Warning: There is an infectious disease more infectious than any other known entities that would kill 2.6 million young children every year and leave millions with deafness and brain injury! This is real and not from a pandemic sci-fi horror movie. The disease is wellknown to you: measles. After the successful eradication measures in the 1970s, and another massive global vaccination campaign in the 1980s, measles death rate fell from 2.6 million down to 73,000 by 2014.

But measles appears to be surfacing once more. We have to make sure, both children and adults have their vaccination updated. Discuss this with your physician.

Deadly disease ‘X’ The World Health Organization, at its annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, is warning countries to be ready for pandemic “20 times” deadlier than COVID-19.

Hopefully, all nations around the world would reach an agreement

by May 2024 on how to fight this “common killer enemy.”

While such a viral nemesis does not exist currently, experts would like to be proactive and preemptive in developing a plan of action and preparing the global health system for a potential deadlier pandemic.

We had more than 7.2 million COVID-19 cases worldwide and lost almost 7 million lives from COVID-19.

The United States had more than 110 million cases and almost 1.2 million deaths, and the Philippines, more than 4.1 million cases, and almost 67,000 deaths, from the COVID-19 pandemic.

As I have stated in my new book, “Where is My America?” (Amazon. com), these deaths were greatly preventable had the management been left to physicians and science, instead of to politicians and civil right protestors.

Here, we saw a vast conflict between civil rights and medical science. Those who invoked their freedom to refuse the vaccines and mitigating measures (like masking and distancing) were prone to get infected, became viral carriers and spreaders of the infections, while they exercised for their civil rights.

According to the CDC, only 81.4 percent of Americans have been vaccinated, leaving 18.6 percent (270+million) unvaccinated. One

carrier of the virus is enough to cause a pandemic, as shown by COVID-19, where one woman in Wuhan, China, started the global disaster. So, the 270 million+ carriers of the virus explain why COVID-19 is still with us today. Their bodies are acting like reservoirs of viruses where they replicate and mutate to various new strains. Currently, the predominant strain is JN.1 (61.6 percent), followed by HV.1, 14.8 percent, and JD.1.1, 4.4 percent.

The original omicron is gone but its subvariants (EG.5, XBB.1.16.6, and FL 1.5.1) are still circulating.

The scientific way (the only proper method) of managing a viral pandemic is to vaccinate everyone (except those with medical contraindication), via a federal (national) mandate for vaccination and mitigating measures, like masking and isolation (where needed) with compassionate people temporarily waving their civil rights for the sake of their fellowmen, the entire nation, and its economy.

No matter what plan all the nations in the WHO agree to deploy, if the people of each nation do not accept a national mandate for vaccination and refuse on the basis of their First Amendment right, they will continue to be carriers and spreaders of the virus, resulting in more deaths, which are preventable: (COVID-19) history repeating itself. In this scenario, the plan will never achieve its maximal effectiveness and lifesaving objective.

Philstar.com

KAPUSO actress Kylie Padilla admitted her relationship with the man seen with her in a video taken in a mall.

In a TikTok video by celebrity fitness coach Francis Simon, the coach asked Kylie who is the viral man in the trending video.

"Meron akong itatanong, nagkakagulo kasi ang lahat, nagtatalo sila, e. Sino ba 'yung kasama mo sa mall, 'yung nakaputi at long hair?” Francis asked Kylie.

"Ah, ayun ba? (Siya) 'yung nagpapasaya sa puso ko. 'Yun 'yon,” Kylie answered.

Francis then asked "Kilala ko ba 'yon?"

"Ay, parang kilala mo, kuya. Parang kamukha mo nga e," Kylie answered.

Kylie was recently spotted holding hands with a long-haired man in a mall.

Reports said that it was tattoo artist Jinno John Simon, Francis' brother.

It can be recalled that last January 2023, Kylie posted an Instagram video showing her spending the new year with Jinno.

Kylie also shared videos on her Instagram Stories and feeds of her sojourn in Thailand. Most of the

EMPLOYMENT

Minding Your Finances atty. RayMonD Bulaon

QUESTION: I owe a lot in back taxes. I’m constantly getting threatening letters from the IRS. This has become a big problem that I have no idea how to solve.

What can I do?

Answer: For what it’s worth, take some comfort in knowing that you are not alone. There are millions of Americans in similar situations, dealing with debt hanging over their heads and concerned about how it will affect their future.

The good news: You have many options. To fully understand and take advantage of your options, we urge you to see a qualified tax resolution professional. He or she will take a close look at your previous returns, looking for mistakes that may have resulted in an inflated tax debt amount. This process alone can substantially lower your IRS debt.

Once you and your qualified tax professional have analyzed your previous returns, the next step is to negotiate a resolution with the IRS. You will most likely be looking at one of two options – the Offer in Compromise or the Installment Agreement.

The Offer in Compromise was created for people who owe a substantial amount to the IRS but who, for whatever reason, are unable to pay off their tax debt, even over time. The Offer *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints in Compromise allows taxpayexpressed by the author do not necessarily ers to negotiate a settlement reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of amount that will take care of the the Asian Journal, its management, editorial entire tax debt once and for all.

This settlement agreement can board and staff. *** 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, Health Advocate, newspaper columnist, and Chairman of the Filipino United Network-USA, a 501(c)3 humanitarian foundation in the United States. He was a recipient of the Indiana Sagamore of the Wabash Award in 1995, conferred by then Indiana Governor, later Senator, and then presidential candidate, Evan Bayh. Other Sagamore past awardees include President Harry Truman, President George HW Bush, Muhammad Ali, Astronaut Gus Grissom and other personalities (Wikipedia). Websites: FUN8888.com, Today.

SPSAtoday.com, and philipSchua.com; Email: scalpelpen@gmail.com.

SERVICES

Sooner or later, you need to face your IRS tax problems lower the tax debt by a significant amount.

Unfortunately, the Offer in Compromise program is often misunderstood, partly because people see a lot of ads on TV and the internet promising them that they can simply settle their tax debt “for pennies on the dollar.”

They make it sound too easy.

Don’t be fooled. While this is true for people who qualify, what the advertisers don’t tell you is that this is based on a formula used by the IRS in determining eligibility. A lot of offers are rejected because they fail to consider the formula in making offers that stand no chance of acceptance from the time they are filed. Buyer beware. If it sounds too good to be true, maybe it is. Again, I am not saying that it doesn’t work. All I am saying is that what you should offer the IRS must be based on the IRS’s calculation of what is acceptable given your own unique circumstances.

If you do not qualify for the Offer in Compromise – and to do so you must be able to prove eligibility – then you may consider the Installment Agreement, which allows you to pay off your debt by making manageable monthly payments.

The IRS has different types of installment agreements depending on how much you owe, the value of your assets, your income, and how much time the IRS has to collect what you owe over the 10-year collection period imposed by law.

If you have no available equity in assets and your income is not sufficient to cover your monthly

living expenses, the IRS can also put you in uncollectible status.

That means that the IRS will not take any collection actions as long as you remain in this status and your financial circumstances do not change. Yes, the interest continues to run on the outstanding debt, but it could be a way to buy time. Example: Remember what I said about the 10-year collection statute? The IRS has 10 years to collect from the date of assessment. If you are close to the expiration of the 10-year period, being put in uncollectible status does not stop the running of the statute. So, it may be possible to remain in uncollectible status until the 10-year period expires. This could be one way of getting rid of your IRS tax problems.

If you owe the IRS, the State, EDD or State Board of Equalization, my office can help you find the best solution to resolve your tax liability. You will never have to speak with the IRS again. I will review your case and help you make the best decision for yourself and family. *** 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. *** None of the information herein is intended to give legal advice for any specific situation.

Atty. Ray Bulaon has been in private practice for 23 years and have helped more than 6,000 clients obtain debt relief. For a free attorney evaluation of your situation, please call RJB Law Offices at TOLL FREE 1-866-471-8273.

(Advertising Supplement)

Why Amy Perez still wants to find ex-husband Brix Ferraris by ronnie CarraSCo iii ManilaTimes.net

AMY Perez had long before granted her eldest son Adi independence. In fact, Adi — now 26 — decided to go solo at 21.

However, letting go of Adi broke her heart. It was only when Amy's mom told her, "'Ganoon ka rin naman, 'di ba (Weren't you like that when you were young, yourself)? You wanted to be independent when you were Adi's age," that she understood where her firstborn was coming from.

The radio/TV host could only speculate that the reason behind her son's decision was to be given both time and space to process his thoughts and, at the same time, achieve a sense of peace despite growing up without his biological father at home.

Amy shared in Ogie Diaz's vlog interview that Adi was about three or four years old when his dad, former South Border vocalist Brix Ferraris, brought him to Timezone (a popular entertainment arcade) for the first time.

Brix supposedly promised to have another round with Adi there but never showed up since then.

Fast forward.

Amy sought an annulment of her marriage to Brix. Her petition was granted, and Amy took another chance at marriage.

At present, she has two other sons by radio host Carlo Castillo.

Carlo must have been Amy's answered prayer if only for the fact that he treated Adi like his own and even legally adopted him.

For the longest time now, either Amy pays Adi regular visits at his house or Adi frequently comes home to her for sleepovers.

For Adi, growing up was getting Kylie Padilla Photo from Instagram/@kylienicolepadilla accustomed to being unable to videos featured her visiting temples and scenic "go Timezone" with Brix. locations.

So Amy ensured that despite Many Internet users, however, noticed that in having no domestic figure he some of her videos, there is a man whose limbs are could lovingly call "daddy," inked with tattoos but whose face is not shown.

Adi was suffused with so much

Kylie admits new relationship

by Jan Milo Severo

http://www.asianjournal.com • (702) 792-6678

Amy Perez

affection that he could imagine.

Amy recounts that Adi was in his late 20s when one of Brix's siblings had been meaning to see how he was doing. It was a phone convo.

Amy recalls having told her former in-law she'd tell Adi about it: "So I told Adi, ''Yung kapatid ng (The sibling of your) papa mo wants to see you.' You know what his answer to me was? 'What for?

Bakit ngayon lang?' (Why only now when ) Kasi nga naman daw, they know where he lives, they know where his lola (Amy's mom) lives, they know exactly where to reach me. So I understood what Adi meant, at 'yun din ang sinabi ko sa kapatid ni (and that's also what I told) Brix. Eksakto, kung ano ang pagkakasabi ni Adi (Exactly how Adi said it)."

Even her husband Carlo feels the same way, making Amy realize the unspeakable injustice done to both of them, especially Adi. Amy admits to having spun her wheels in at least trying to find out Brix's whereabouts, at least for Adi's sake: "Someone told me he's

SERVICES

Photo from Instagram/@amypcastillo

in the US. Hindi namin alam kung may iba na rin siyang pamilya doon. Ginoogle na namin siya ni Adi, pero hindi namin mahanap!

(Adi and I Googled him but we couldn't find him)."

Some source, however, had tipped her off that Brix reportedly refused to talk about his former family back here, "Well, it's just fine with us."

New Year conjures up hopes and aspirations, if not new beginnings.

Has Amy completely given up on her hope to see Brix and Adi cross paths one day?

"To be honest, that's what I've been praying hard for, na sana magkita sila, magkausap (that they see each other and get to talk). For Brix to explain to him why he suddenly disappeared.

Simply because I cannot find the answers to those questions myself. It turns out Adi has those questions — questions in his life that have no answers."

But surprises of surprises, there will always be blessings to those who rightfully deserve them.

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LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • JANUARY 25-31, 2024

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JANUARY 25-31, 2024 • LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL

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