013021 - Los Angeles Weekend Edition

JANUARY 30-FEBRUARY 2, 2021 Volume 31 - No. 8 • 2 Sections – 20 Pages

DATELINE

US reaffirms Mutual Defense Treaty with PH

USA

China’s claims in South China Sea rejected

FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

Fil-Am LAPD officer dies of COVID-19

by RITCHEL

MENDIOLA AJPress

A VETERAN Filipino American police officer in Los Angeles is among the latest victims taken by the coronavirus pandemic.

Los Angeles Police Department Officer Philip Sudario died of complications from COVID-19, Chief Michael Moore announced on Monday, January 25.

Sudario served the city for 25 years, and was most recently assigned to the Southeast Community Police Station.

He is survived by his wife, two adult sons and a teenage daughter.

“Tragically just before we started today I learned we lost our 6th member, Southeast Patrol officer Philip Sudario,” Moore told reportu PAGE A2

THE United States has reaffirmed its commitment to defend the Philippines against any armed attacks in the Pacific amid a new Chinese law allowing its coast guard to fire on foreign vessels entering disputed territories.

During a phone call with Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reportedly underscored the

importance of the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) “for the security of both nations.”

The call was made a day after Blinken was sworn in as America’s top diplomat under the Biden administration.

“Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke today with Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin Jr. Secretary Blinken and Secretary Locsin reaffirmed that a strong US-Philippine alliance is vital to a free and open Indo-Pacific region,” the U.S. state department said Thursday, January 28 in

‘One step forward, then three steps back’: SoCal health care workers criticize state for lifting stay-at-home order

‘She wouldn’t leave her kids’: Search continues for Fil-Am mom of 3 missing in Chula Vista, CA

by KLARIZE

MEDENILLA AJPress

A FILIPINA American mother of three in Chula Vista, California has been missing for almost a month, but her family is not giving up hope that she will be found.

May “Maya” Millete, 39, was last seen by family at her home in the San Miguel Ranch area on January 7 and was reported missing two days later.

That Saturday, the family was planning a trip to Big Bear Mountain Resort for her daughter’s 11th birthday, but Millete was never heard from. u PAGE A4

INSPECTION. Manila Mayor Francisco Isko Moreno Domagoso (center), IATF-EID Chief Implementer and vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. (right), and Manila Vice Mayor Maria Sheilah ‘Honey’ Lacuna-Pangan (left), open the cold storage facility during the visit of the officials of the IATF and NTF against Covid-19 at the Sta. Ana Hospital in Manila on Friday, January 29. The facility has 12 ultra-cold freezer units that can store up to 900,000 Covid-19 vaccines at a time.

PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan

MENDIOLA AJPress

THE Philippines’ temporary ban on foreign travelers coming from countries where the new, more infectious COVID-19 variant has been detected will be lifted in February.

The Philippines will not be extending its travel restrictions imposed on 36 countries with cases of B.1.1.7 SARS-CoV-2 (UK variant), Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque confirmed on Friday, January 29.

“The restriction remains until January 31, 2021 and would lapse after the aforesaid date,” he told CNN Philippines.

The Philippines temporarily banned the entry of foreign travelers coming from the United Kingdom, Denmark, Ireland, Japan, Australia, Israel, the Netherlands, China, Hong Kong, Switzerland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Lebanon, Singapore, Sweden, South Korea, South Africa, Canada, Spain, the United States, Portugal, India, Finland, Norway, Jordan, Brazil, Austria, Pakistan, Jamaica, Luxembourg, Oman, and Czech Republic.

The country’s Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, for its part, released a new set of u PAGE A4

PH congressman files resolution congratulating Fil-Am’s appointment to Department of Interior

by MOMAR

G. VISAYA

AJPress

PHILIPPINE Rep. Christopher de Venecia (4th District, Pangasinan) has filed a resolution congratulating Camille Calimlim Touton for her appointment as Deputy Commissioner of the United States Department of Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation.

Touton’s appointment is historic as she became the first Filipino American to serve in the agency’s leadership role.

According to the resolution, Touton’s parents, Carl and Marlene Bangsal Calimlim, are from Barangay Tebeng in Dagupan City, Pangasinan.

“I congratulate President Joe Biden and Interior Secretary-designate Deb Haaland

WHEN California Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Monday, Jan. 25 that the state would be lifting the stay-at-home order imposed in December, Californians everywhere were at best, confused and at worst, livid.

The stay-at-home order was implemented in early December as a response to the critical low hospital capacity and the unprecedented surge in cases and deaths associated with COVID-19.

But based on projections that the state released this week estimating future hospital ICU capacity throughout the state, California leaders decided to lift the stay-at-home order, allowing certain businesses and restaurants to reopen with more lax regulations.

Southern California — one of the hardest-hit regions in, not only the state, but the country — acu PAGE A3

PH to lift ban on countries Consul General Adelio Cruz with new COVID-19 variant leaves LA post after 5 years

by RITCHEL

May “Maya” Millete (2nd from left) with her husband Larry (2nd from right) and their three children ages 11, 9 and 4. | Photo courtesy of Millete family

a press release.

Blinken also rejected China’s maritime claims in the South China Sea “to the extent they exceed the maritime zones that China is permitted to claim under international law” as reflected in the 1982 United Nations Law of the Sea Convention.

“Secretary Blinken pledged to stand with Southeast Asian claimants in the face of PRC (People’s Republic of China) pressure,” the State Department said. u PAGE A2

on their excellent choice, their appointment of Camille Touton as the Deputy Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation,” announced Rep. Grace Napolitano in a statement.

The Bureau of Reclamation is a water management agency under the United States Department of the Interior, which oversees dams, canals, and hydroelectric plants across the Western United States.

It is the largest wholesaler of water in the United States and the second-largest producer of hydroelectric power in the Western United States.

According to the resolution, Touton’s appointment “brings honor and pride not only to the people of Dagupan City but also the

u PAGE A2

Camille Calimlim Touton

by RITCHEL

MENDIOLA AJPress

PHILIPPINE Consul General of Los Angeles Adelio Angelito S. Cruz has formally bid goodbye to the Filipino American communities in Southern California, Southern Nevada, and Arizona as he concludes his term at the end of January.

“It is bittersweet news that I inform you about the conclusion of my tour of duty as your Consul general in Los Angeles on 31 January 2021,” he said in a statement.

Cruz will be returning to the Philippines to continue his public service with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

In his statement, he acknowledged the support he and his team received from the Consulate’s Filipino American community partners, including the Philippine Department of Tourism in Los Angeles; the Philippine Trade and Investment Center; the Philippine Overseas Labor Office; the Southern California Representative Office of the Social Security System; and the Office of the Police Attaché - Liaison Office on the U.S. West Coast.

“I have nothing but pride and affection for our kababayan community in this jurisdiction and I bring home great memories of

Consul General Adelio Angelito S. Cruz

the four years and six months that I have been honored to spend here, serving you and enhancing Philippines-United States ties,” said Cruz.

“Thank you for being our allies and most ardent supporters in the fulfillment of the Consulate General’s mission,” he added.

Cruz also noted how the close collaboration improved the delivery of consular services, promoted investment, trade and tourism for the Philippines, as well as broadened the appreciation of Filipinos and their culture

u PAGE A2

A2 january 30-february 2, 2021 • La WeeKenD aSIan jOurnaL

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

From the Front Page

Consul General Adelio Cruz leaves LA...

PAGE A1 in the American mainstream.

“Even as we continue our own journeys in different places, I shall often keep you in my thoughts and pray that you be able to overcome the challenges brought on by the pandemic.

May all of us emerge from this crisis transformed and ever more empowered to pursue our advocacies,” he added.

Cruz urged the community to continue representing the best Filipino traits and cultural heritage.

“Continue to help our kababayan back home in the Philippines.

Preserve close ties with our Motherland and, when it is safe to

travel again, do consider visiting the Philippines to gain a more intimate understanding of the more than 7,000 islands in our magnificent archipelago,” he said.

“Mula sa inyong lingkod, tanggapin n’yo po ang aking taos-pusong pasasalamat sa inialay n’yong pagmamahal at suporta! Isang malaking karangalan na kayo’y aking nakasama at napaglingkuran (From your service, accept my wholehearted gratitude for your love and support! It’s a huge honor to serve you),” he added.

Prior to arriving in Los Angeles in 2016, he held several posts with the Philippine Department

of Foreign Affairs, including Charge d’ Affaires, en pied from June 2014 to June 2016 at the Philippine Embassy in Tripoli, Libya and consul general from April 2011 to November 2013 at the Philippine Consulate General in Xiamen, China. He also served in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and Chicago, Illinois.

He was conferred the Gawad Mabini Award, with the rank of Dakilang Kamanong (Grand Cross) by President Rodrigo Duterte on September 13, 2017 for his efforts in facilitating the BOOSTING SECURITY. A priest blesses the monitoring room of Barangay Quirino 3-A along Anonas St. in Quezon City on Thursday, January mass repatriation of over 5,800 28 The installation of CCTV cameras and monitoring system is among measures implemented by villages to ensure the safety of residents PNA photo by Joey Razon Overseas Filipino Workers from against crime and other security threats.

2014-2016 in Libya. n

PH congressman files resolution congratulating...

PAGE A1 entire Philippines.”

The City of Dagupan also hailed the appointment and called Touton “Dagupan’s Pride.”

Her grandmother served as a Barangay Captain of Tebeng, one of the city’s barangays.

The city’s Public Information Page posted the appointment

on their Facebook page and it has been shared almost 400 times as of press time, generating hundreds of congratulatory messages and words of encouragement. n

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US reaffirms Mutual Defense...

PAGE A1 The agency added that both Blinken and Locsin “committed to continue building upon a relationship founded on shared strategic interests and history, democratic values, and strong people-to-people ties.”

Last week, China passed the Coast Guard Law, permitting its coast guard to use “all necessary means, including the use of weapons” to stop or prevent threats from foreign vessels.

PH files diplomatic protest Locsin on Wednesday, January 27 issued a diplomatic protest against China’s new law, two days after initially saying it was “none of our business.”

“After reflection I fired a diplomatic protest,” he said in a

tweet.

“While enacting law is a sovereign prerogative, this one – given the area involved or for that matter the open South China Sea – is a verbal threat of war to any country that defies the law; which, if unchallenged, is submission to it,” he added.

Malacañang, for its part, welcomed Locsin’s decision to file a diplomatic protest.

“We welcome the diplomatic protest, of course, of the DFA and this will prove that the Philippines is fully committed to the rule of law and will assert all its rights available under existing principles of international law to defend its interests,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Thursday.

Fil-Am LAPD officer dies...

PAGE A1 ers Monday. “Phil leaves a wife Jonna, two adult sons, Joshua and Jacob, and a daughter Cecilia who turns 16 next week.”

Tributes have poured in for Sudario, including one from his cousin A.J. Calomay who shared memories of family parties and learning about music and culture from him.

“I’ll always remember how much Phil, his brother Jun and sister Paulita made me laugh with their wisecracks and feel like I had older kuyas and an ate who would have our backs,” Calomay wrote in a Facebook post.

A GoFundMe page has been created to help the family during this time, raising raised over $33,000 as of this writing.

“Phil was a Warrior in our profession but had a heart of gold,” the page said.

Sudario is the fourth LAPD officer and the sixth department employee to succumb to the virus. Another Fil-Am, 24-year police service representative veteran Raymond Guerrero, who was also Fil-Am, died of COVID-19 earlier this month. (AJPress)

He added, “This is consistent with our position that while states can enact laws as part of their sovereignty, they must do so in compliance with the UN Charter, prohibiting the use of force unless by way of self-defense or when authorized by the security council.”

Roque also maintained that the country’s priority is protecting its national interest.

“Our independent foreign policy is intended to be friends with everyone, enemies with no one.

But we will protect and secure the Philippine national interest.

Ang detalye po (The details), we leave it to the Department of National Defense and the Department of Foreign Affairs as well as the Philippine Coast Guard,” he said. n

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Dateline USa

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • JANUARy 30-fEbRUARy 2, 2021

A3

CA announces special enrollment to help people get health insurance

by AJPress

TELA CONFERENCE. Stanley Siahetiong, chief executive officer of Fivecent Global Corporation, discusses the technical characteristics of nonwoven textile during the TELA (Textiles Empowering Lives Anew) Stakeholder’s Conference of the Department of Science and Technology’s Philippine Textile Research Institute on Wednesday, January 27. Since 2015, the TELA conferences have been a venue to share the latest textile innovations and programs in support of the industry.

PNA photo by Ben Briones

‘One step forward, then three steps back’...

PAGE A1 counts for half the state and still suffers from a 0% ICU capacity, according to the latest state data.

But according to the projections, the state predicts that in the next four weeks ICU capacity in the region will increase to 33%.

“We’re seeing a flattening of the curve — everything that should be up is up, everything that should be down is down — case rates, positivity rates, hospitalizations, ICUs,” newsom said in a virtual news conference this week.

The lifting of the stay-at-home order means that the state has resorted back to the color-coded tier system, which imposes certain restrictions based on case and positivity rates among counties. This allows restaurants to, once again, accommodate outdoor dining and that places of worship can resume outdoor services. Additionally, hair and nail salons and other retail businesses may now open for in-store services with capacity limits.

The stay-at-home order also imposed a curfew to limit the spread of the virus from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. which was also lifted on Monday.

In an interview on nPR on Tuesday, Jan. 26, California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly reasoned that as the state observes a slight decrease in cases and hospitalizations (likely due to the stay-at-home order more or less working as intended), the state felt that there was room for the public to resume out-ofhome activities, albeit with the same social distancing and face mask mandates.

“We know that events that happen outdoors, preferably with a mask on as much of the time as possible, are among the lower-risk events,” Ghaly said.

“And we prohibited it because any movement, any mixing outside of your home, was concerning when we had such tremendously high case rates. But as they’ve come down, of course, we must allow and really hope that people use their good judgment.”

But the news of the state lifting the stay-at-home order wasn’t warmly received by many Californians who are struggling to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. The latest surge began back in mid-October and since then, the state has recorded 2 million more cases and a spike in hospitalizations.

In Los Angeles County, there have been a total of 1.1 million cases and more than 16,000 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.

“It’s become a cycle at this point; we go one step forward, then three steps back. It’s exhausting and infuriating,” Myla Ramirez, a Filipina American ICU nurse at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, told the Asian Journal in a recent phone interview.

Ramirez, 29, became a registered nurse last February and has seen firsthand how the COVID-19 has beleaguered her workplace as well as the other hospitals in the area. Just yards away sits both Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, the latter of which employs two family members.

“I belong to a family of nurses, doctors and other medical practitioners and all we do when we talk to each other is about how bad our situations are in each of our hospitals, and those conversations have just been getting progressively worse and more tragic,” Ramirez said.

“Just because numbers have gone down slightly and just because you have a piece of paper that predicts that capacity will increase doesn’t mean that it’s a good idea to let our guard down,” Ramirez said, pointing to initial re-opening of the state in May when the state experienced

a surge shortly after lifting the first stay-at-home order.

Regarding vaccinations — of which Ramirez received both doses earlier this month — Ramirez noted that they’re not an excuse for people, especially front-liners who are at the top of the priority list for vaccines, to ease public behavior.

The easing of pandemic restrictions, despite what ICU projections predict, comes at a time when LA County, in particular, is experiencing astronomical surges in positive COVID-19 cases which continues to stress local health care clinics and the funeral industry, which is facing a tragic backlog of thousands of corpses.

Cecilia Li, a Filipina American caregiver in the San Gabriel Valley, told the Asian Journal that the reopenings were “ill-advised” and could lead to another surge in the near future. Mirroring Ramirez’s thoughts, Li believes that in order for there to be significant improvements in the state the stay-at-home order should be extended.

“You think it’s safe to go outside, and you think it’s comfortable to go shopping and go to restaurants, but it’s not because you can’t expect everybody you run into to be as careful as you,” Li said.

Li, who was hired directly from her employer (an 83-yearold Chinese American woman), had contracted COVID-19 in June shortly after the first stayat-home order was lifted. She and a colleague had gone to a restaurant in Santa Monica and walked along the Third Street Promenade one weekend. The following week, she tested positive for coronavirus and quarantined for two weeks before she returned to her patient.

Li was hospitalized for a few days and fully recovered before going back to work, but she expressed “regret” for what she calls “a stupid decision” that could have potentially “infected [her] client and others.”

“If you’re thinking about going out, maybe to an outdoor seating area of a restaurant or even to an open mall, think again.

It’s not safe because even if you take your mask off for a little bit, you’re still exposing yourself,” Li said.

In Orange County, COVID-19 has plateaued some with a cumulative total at 229,757 cases and 2,975 deaths across the county. As of Friday, Jan. 29, 1,521 people are currently hospitalized due to the coronavirus, a small decrease from the 1,703 that was reported on Monday, Jan 25.

But with the relaxing of stayat-home orders — and the fact that local pandemic measures are far less restrictive in Orange County than those of LA County — the county may experience another surge in the coming weeks. And the frustratingly unhurried rollout of the vaccines doesn’t help either.

“It’s imperative that we get more people vaccinated so we don’t have to go through this back and forth over when we should close and when we should open again. Apart from it being confusing and sending mixed messages, it’s a lot of work for us in the health care sphere to adjust to these changes, which at this point feel really erratic,” nina Alvarez, a registered nurse at Hoag Hospital in newport Beach, told the Asian Journal.

Alvarez said that she and her colleagues anticipate another spike in cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the coming weeks as more and more people began going out to restaurants and other public areas.

“We’re really working to the bone here and it’s made us feel really emotionally detached and quite gloomy about the future,” Alvarez lamented. “These politicians will celebrate the decrease in hospitalizations and number of deaths, but it’s not some-

thing to celebrate at all. One death from this virus is one too many.”

Regarding the re-opening of restaurant outdoor services, she expressed dismay.

“There haven’t been many days in the last few months where we haven’t had at least one death from this virus, but those at the top of the tree don’t see that as horrifying,” Alvarez said. “But God forbid, people won’t be allowed to eat on a restaurant patio.” n

On the heels of an announcement by President Biden, Covered California said on Thursday, January 28 that it would establish a special-enrollment period to give people more opportunities to sign up for health care coverage as the country continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic and economic recession.

The move comes after the president established a national special-enrollment period for the 36 states served by the federally facilitated marketplace and after announcing his commitment to launching a marketing campaign to promote enrollment.

“The pandemic and recession continue to be a painful reality, and Covered California is doing whatever it can to make sure people have every opportunity to sign up for health care coverage,” said Peter V. Lee, executive director of Covered California.

“There are millions of Californians out there without the peace of mind and protection of health care coverage, and now is not the time to be uninsured.”

Similar to the steps Covered California took last year, the new special-enrollment period will allow uninsured individuals to sign up for coverage without needing to meet the normal qualifying life events, such as recent loss of coverage or moving. Anyone who meets Covered California’s eligibility requirements, which

are similar to those in place during the annual open-enrollment period, can sign up for coverage through May 15 and have their coverage begin on the first of the following month.

“With this Executive Order the Biden-Harris Administration have demonstrated their commitment to getting as many Americans needed health care,” said Lee. “This marks a seachange after four years of inaction and Americans across the country will benefit from this leadership.”

The executive order issued by President Biden will strengthen the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid so they can continue to provide access to live-saving care. The order directs federal agencies to reconsider policies that limit access, undermine protections for people with preexisting conditions – including complications related to COVID19 – make it more difficult to enroll or reduce affordability.

“Keeping the doors open at Covered California — and reopening them for millions of Americans across the country — is the right thing to do,” said Dr. Mark Ghaly, the California Health and Human Services secretary and chair of the Covered California Board of Directors. “California applauds the Biden-Harris administration and looks forward to working with the federal government to not only respond to the COVID19 pandemic, but to also get as

many Californians covered as possible.”

An estimated 2.7 million Californians are uninsured, including a projected 1.2 million who are eligible for financial help through Covered California, or for low-cost or no-cost coverage through Medi-Cal. The largest portion of these uninsured who are eligible for help are in Southern California, with an estimated 718,000 people living in the Los Angeles, Inland Empire, Orange and San Diego metro areas.

Last year, Covered California established a COVID-19 specialenrollment period from March 20 to Aug. 31, which allowed any eligible uninsured individual to enroll. In addition, the exchange spent $9 million on an ad campaign to spread the word to those who needed coverage during the crisis. More than 289,000 people signed up for health care coverage during that time, which is more than twice the number who signed up during the same period in 2019.

“While vaccines are being distributed to Californians across the state, it will still be several months before enough people are inoculated to provide the kind of protection we need,” Lee said. “We are still in the grips of this pandemic, and now is the time to make sure you and your family have health care coverage in case you get sick or injured.”

The most recent data shows that 1.4 million people, or nearly

u PAGE A4

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Dateline USa

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Garcetti kicks off Free Tax Prep LA Poll: Nearly half of American adults LOS Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti this week launched the Free Tax Prep L.A. (FTPLA) 2021 campaign, an initiative to provide working families with free tax preparation services and help them claim state and federal tax credits.

Partnering with the Los Angeles Housing + Community Investment Department (HCID), L.A. County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs (DCBA), the Koreatown Youth + Community Center (KYCC), and United Way of Greater LA, this effort will open the door to up to $10,000 in tax credits for hard-hit, low-income households.

This year, for the first time, Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) immigrant filers will be eligible for California’s Earned Income Tax Credit and the Young Child Tax Credit.

“Year in and year out, local families leave hundreds of millions of dollars on the table –– refunds they are entitled to receive and credits that can make the difference between security and despair for our struggling neighbors,” said Garcetti. “Every dollar recovered can help hard-hit Angelenos pay the bills, cover the rent, and put food on the table –– and with COVID-19 wreaking havoc on so many in our city, there has never been a more critical time to provide these free tax prep services to our most vulnerable households, regardless of immigration status.”

This year, tax season begins on February 12, two weeks later than usual, creating a delay for

Angelenos hit hardest by COVID-19 to file their taxes and receive a refund. To help alleviate economic hardships and prevent residents from resorting to predatory lenders, FTPLA is expanding its services for eligible filers through COVID-safe drop-off and drive-thru locations, virtual and phone bank assistance, Facebook Live Q&A panels with the IRS, and more.

“I implore our City’s immigrant community to take advantage of these new tax credits that reward their hard work and put potentially thousands of dollars back in their hands,” said Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez. “This past year has been one of the most trying years in our City’s history, especially for heavily impacted lowincome Angelenos. Through our free tax preparation program, we are providing them with critical assistance. We want to make sure they receive every last dollar they are entitled to.”

Garcetti has long been an advocate of extending California’s Earned Income Tax Credit and Young Child Tax Credit programs to all of the state’s households.

To that end, he led a coalition of eight Big City Mayors to successfully advocate for Governor Newsom and the State Legislature to extend these credits to ITIN filers, a change that was ultimately adopted and signed into law last fall. This step will make 600,000 more Californians, including 200,000 children, eligible for these programs.

“Beginning February 8th, we’ll

have a week-long activation to help get the word out. Everything from livestreamed panel sessions with the IRS answering frequently asked tax questions and tips to avoid tax scams, partnerships with DREAMERS to encourage ITIN filers to access cash-back tax credits, multilingual online tutorials, and more,” said Audrey Casillas, Manager of Community Economic Development Services at KYCC. Eligibility • Individuals earning $57,000 or less can claim the state and federal earned income tax credit (EITC) where they may be eligible for up to $10,000 cash back.

• Families with children should inquire about California’s Young Child Tax Credit where they may be eligible for up to $1,000 with qualifying children under age 6.

• ITIN filers are newly eligible for the CalEITC state credit and Young Child Tax Credit, totaling up to $4,000.

FTPLA locations and hours • For a list of locations and hours, visit www.freetaxprepla. com. Drop-off services require appointments. Assistance available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Persian, Armenian, and Korean.

• Stimulus check assistance is also available for those who have not yet received their payment.

• Supportive resources during COVID-19 include online tutoring, hygiene kits, food banks, tenant/low-income housing support, CalFresh assistance, and more. Visit www.freetaxprepla. com for a list of FamilySource Centers. n

PH to lift ban on countries with new...

PAGE A1 t guidelines for arriving foreigners starting February.

Arriving foreigners are required to have valid and existing visas at the time of entry, except for those qualified under the Balikbayan program under Republic Act No. 6768 or the Act Instituting the Balikbayan Program.

They must also pre-book hotels for quarantine purposes, as well as undergo a reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction (RTPCR) test on the sixth day of their arrival.

“These foreign nationals should also have pre-booked accommodation for at least seven nights in an accredited quarantine hotel or facility. They shall also be subject to COVID-19 testing at the quar-

antine hotel or facility on the sixth day from the date of their arrival,” said Roque.

New quarantine classifications Malacañang on Friday also announced that Metro Manila and Davao City will keep their general community quarantine (GCQ) status for the entire month of February.

“President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on Friday, Jan. 29, 2021, retained the general community quarantine classification of the National Capital Region (NCR) and Davao City,” said Roque.

Aside from these areas, Batangas, Tacloban City, Davao City, Davao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Iligan City, and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) will be

under GCQ from February 1 to 28.

The rest of the country will remain under modified GCQ (MGCQ), the least stringent among all quarantine classifications.

The new quarantine classifications were announced amid the threat of the new COVID-19 variant in the country.

To date, there are a total of 17 confirmed cases of B.1.1.7 SARSCoV-2 (UK variant) in the country, of which 12 came from Bontoc, Mountain Province — an area in the Cordillera region.

CAR’s quarantine status also shifted from MGCQ to GCQ due to a dramatic spike in COVID-19 cases as well as the region’s bed care and health care capacity reaching “moderate risk.” n

now want the COVID vaccine — ASAP

by Phil

Galewitz Kaiser Health News

AMERICANS’ reluctance to get vaccinated for covid-19 is waning, according to a poll released Wednesday.

Nearly half of adults surveyed in January said they have either already been vaccinated or want the vaccine as soon as they can, up from about a third of adults polled in December, according to the latest KFF survey. (KHN is an editorially independent program of KFF.) About 20 million Americans have been vaccinated for covid since distribution of the first vaccines began in mid-December.

The pace has also picked up in recent weeks, with more than a million Americans on average getting vaccinated every day. The survey found that when people know someone close to them who has been vaccinated, they are more likely to want the shots.

About half of those who said they want the shot as soon as possible know someone who has already gotten a dose, a much larger share than among those who said they’ll get it only if required (29%) or will refuse to get it (36%).

Nearly half (47%) of adults said

they have personally received at least one vaccine dose or know someone who has. People posting their vaccination status on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter has helped spread the word.

Racial, ethnic and economic disparities continue, however.

White adults (51%) are more likely than Black (38%) or Hispanic (37%) respondents to have either been vaccinated or know someone who has, and those with annual household incomes of at least $90,000 are almost twice as likely as those with incomes under $40,000 to say so (64% vs. 34%). (Hispanics can represent any race or combination of races.)

About 3 in 10 adults said they want to wait until the vaccine “has been available for a while to see how it is working for others” before getting it themselves.

About 7% of adults said they will get the vaccine only “if required to do so for work, school or other activities,” and just 13% said they will “definitely not get” the vaccine, not a significant change.

The poll also found about 1 in 3 health care workers planned to wait to see how the vaccine is working or would get it only if re-

quired to.

The percentage of people who said they want the vaccine immediately is up among the racial and ethnic groups surveyed, although white (53%) adults remained more likely to say so than Black (35%) and Hispanic (42%) adults. Black (43%) and Hispanic (37%) adults were more likely than white adults (26%) to say they want to “wait and see” before getting vaccinated, according to the poll.

Democrats and independents also showed increased enthusiasm, though Republicans’ views were little changed since December.

Republicans remained the least enthusiastic political group, with 32% saying they have already been vaccinated or want the vaccine as soon as they can, 33% saying they want to wait and see how it works for others, and 25% saying they will definitely not get the vaccine.

The KFF survey of 1,563 adults was conducted Jan. 11-18 and had a margin of error of +/-3 percentage points.

This story was produced

by Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation.

‘She wouldn’t leave her kids’: Search continues...

PAGE A1 t Millete, a civilian Navy employee, is described as 5-foot-2 and about 105 pounds with brown hair, brown eyes, freckles and a wrist tattoo. In addition to her 11year-old, she has children ages 9 and 4, and lives with her husband Larry.

Her husband reportedly thought Millete was asleep in a bedroom, but then he found the room empty, according to various reports.

Her sister Maricris Drouaillet told the Asian Journal that the last time she and her siblings heard from Millete was on Jan. 7 when they were all on a group chat talking about the birthday trip.

“It’s just a shock and it’s been a nightmare since we reported her missing,” Drouaillet told the Asian Journal.

Drouaillet said Millete loved the outdoors and hiking so it is possible she had gone out by foot that day.

Her car has remained at the home’s driveway and her phone has been turned off and has not been located, a GoFundMe page organized by her family said. She appeared to have taken her ID

May “Maya” Millete

and credit card as well, but no transactions have been recorded.

Over the weekend, police served a search warrant at Millete’s home with the goal of locating any evidence into her whereabouts.

“I can’t give any details as to

the investigation but I will say we’ve been actively investigating this case and we’re at the point now where we’re trying to get as much evidence and any clues that we have that it’s possible to find where May is,” said Lt. Miriam Foxx with the Criminal Investigations Division.

Millete’s family has held community searches and vigils, and has posted flyers in the neighborhood and in the greater San Diego area. However, the recent weather conditions have hindered some search activities.

The GoFundMe page, with a $30,000 goal, will be used for the investigation, search efforts and printing fliers.

A Facebook page called “Find find May/Maya Millete” has also been created to spread awareness.

The family encourages others to say a prayer at 5:01 p.m. — her birthday is May 1 — until Millete is found.

Those who know her say she has a bold personality and is full of life, and that she was a doting mother.

“She’s an amazing mom. She has three wonderful kids and it’s her life…she wouldn’t leave her kids this way,” Drouaillet said.

Anyone with information on Millete’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Chula Vista Police Department at 619-691-5139 or San Diego Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (888) 580-8477.

(AJPress)

CA announces special enrollment to help...

PAGE A3 t

90 percent of Covered California’s enrollees, are receiving some level of financial help that lowers the cost of their monthly premium by an average of nearly 80 percent.

Of those receiving financial help, almost half — over 640,000 — are benefiting from the state subsidy program launched in 2020 to make coverage more affordable, including 44,500 middle-income consumers who were previously ineligible for assistance because they exceeded the federal income requirements.

Under the landmark state program, Californians earning up to $76,560 — or a family of four with a household income of up to $157,200 — may be eligible for financial help to lower the cost of their coverage.

“Most of the people who are uninsured who can get help do not know they are eligible for financial assistance, or they have not checked recently to see how affordable quality coverage can be,” Lee said. “No one should wait to sign up. Enroll now and tell your family and friends so we

can make sure everyone possible has health insurance during this pandemic.”

Deadline of Jan. 31 still in place to get covered by Feb. 1 While the new special-enrollment period will help millions of Americans across the country, open enrollment is still underway in California, and consumers have a few days left to sign up for coverage that starts Feb. 1. The annual open-enrollment period runs through Jan. 31, and consumers who sign up this month will need to pay their first bill in order to have their coverage take effect on Monday.

“You can still get coverage that takes effect in February, but time is running out,” Lee said.

“Sign up by Jan. 31, pay your bill and you will have health care coverage that is effective for the whole month of February — now is not the time to go without insurance.”

Staying safe while getting help enrolling Covered California also continues to support COVID-19 safety precautions — including wearing a mask, washing your hands and watching your distance — as

well as contact-free enrollment over the phone or online.

Consumers can safely find out if they are eligible for financial help through Covered California, or low-cost or no-cost Medi-Cal, and see which plans are available in their area by using the CoveredCA.Com Shop and Compare Tool. All they need to do is enter their ZIP code, household income and the ages of those who need coverage and they will see the options available in their area.

Covered California is also working with more than 10,000 Licensed Insurance Agents who help Californians sign up and understand their coverage options through phone-based service models.

Those interested in learning more about their coverage options can also: • Visit www.CoveredCA.com.

• Get free and confidential assistance over the phone, in a variety of languages, from a certified enroller.

• Have a certified enroller call them and help them for free.

• Call Covered California at (800) 300-1506. n

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

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • JANUARy 30-fEbRUARy 2, 2021

Dateline PhiliPPines

A5

‘Denial of ABS-CBN franchise final’ The bill was passed on second reading by the House Committee of the Whole last May 2020, but THE decision of the Commit- was recalled because of questee on Legislative Franchises of tions on constitutionality, having the House of Representative re- been passed the same day it was jecting the measure that sought filed. The House instead proto grant a new franchise to ABS- ceeded with the committee deCBN Corp. is final, the panel’s liberations on the 12 bills seekchairman, Rep. Franz Alvarez, said on Thursday, January 28.

He explained that the ABS-CBN franchise issue was “put to rest” when the committee, through the vote of 70 lawmakers, rejected the network’s franchise application on July 10, 2020.

“Under the rules, anyone of the 70 House members who voted against the franchise application could file a motion for reconsideration on behalf of ABS-CBN to challenge the decision of the Committee. Unfortunately, there was none, thus the committee decision has become final,” Alvarez said in a statement.

The possibility of tackling the ABS-CBN franchise in the plenary emerged when Anakalusugan Rep. Michael Defensor raised a point of order during the House session on Wednesday, asking to resolve the committee report on House Bill (HB) 6732, granting a temporary franchise to the network.

He said the bill, one of the items listed in the body’s “unfinished business,” must be tackled first before proceeding with the business of the day.

Senior Deputy Majority Leader Jesus Crispin Remulla said the plenary would start taking up items in the unfinished business next week.

HB 6732 is one of the eight items listed under the House’s unfinished business. It is unclear if all items will be tackled on Monday.

But, for Alvarez, HB 6732 is “moot and academic” as it proposes to grant a provisional franchise only up to Oct. 31, 2020.

“Based on my understanding from the House leadership, the ABS-CBN franchise issue is best left to the next Congress,” he said.

Former speaker Alan Peter Cayetano led the filing of HB 6732, a temporary relief for the continuous operation of ABSCBN after its previous franchise expired. by diVina

BOOSTING COVID-19 RESPONSE. Taguig City Mayor Lino Cayetano (standing) reports the developments in the city’s Covid-19 response during the visit of the Coordinated Operations to Defeat Epidemic (C.O.D.E.) Team, headed by the National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19 and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) at the Lakeshore Complex on Wednesday, January 27.

Taguig was among the first cities in Metro Manila to launch a drive-thru Covid-19 testing facility and is among local government units in the region that has the lowest number of active cases, with only five cases per 100,000 residents.

PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler

PH approves AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 jabs for EUA by ritChel

Mendiola AJPress

THE Philippines’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted an emergency use authorization (EAU) for AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine.

“After a thorough review of the current available data by our medical and regulatory experts, the FDA is granting an emergency use authorization for the COVID19 vaccine of AstraZeneca,” FDA Director General Eric Domingo said Thursday, January 28.

“It is decided that all conditions for an EUA are present and that the benefit of using the vaccine outweighs the known potential risks,” he added.

The COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford has an efficacy rate of 70% after the first dose, and trials are ongoing to de-

termine the efficacy rate after the second dose.

AstraZeneca’s vaccine regimen consists of two equal standard doses of 0.5 ml each, administered four to 12 weeks apart on individuals aged 18 years and above.

Domingo reassured that the adverse effects of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine range from mild to moderate.

“Ang nakitang adverse effects are all very mild, similar to getting any flu injection. Karamihan ay pananakit sa lugar ng injection, konting sinat, konting sakit ng ulo that are all transient and easily managed (The adverse effects observed are all very mild, similar to getting any flu injection.

Mostly the effects are soreness on the injection site, slight fever, and slight headache),” he said.

The Philippines, through the private sector and local govern-

ment units, signed a tripartite agreement to procure 17 million doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine.

The first batch is expected to arrive in May. The EUA granted to the vaccine is not a substitute for Certificate for Product Registration, meaning the vaccine cannot be commercially distributed in pharmacies, clinics, or hospitals.

AstraZeneca’s vaccine is the second vaccine to be authorized for emergency use in the country, following Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine.

Meanwhile, the applications of Russian drugmaker Gamaleya Research Institute, Indian firm Bharat Biotech and China’s Sinovac are still pending.

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

Palace: Magalong resigns as government’s tracing czar

by Catherine

Valente Manilatimes.net

MALACAÑANG on Friday, January 29 confirmed the resignation of Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong as the country’s contact tracing czar

following the controversial party of a celebrity in the country’s summer capital.

“We confirm that Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong tendered his resignation as the government’s Tracing Czar,” Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said

in a statement.

“Mayor Magalong’s resignation, however, has not been accepted. He continues to enjoy the trust and confidence of the leadership of the National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19,” he added. n

STOP THE SURGE Wear a mask

Stay home

Washing hands frequently

Stay 6 feet apart

covid19.ca.gov

noVa Joy dela ManilaTimes.net

Cruz

ing to grant a 25-year franchise.

Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate said it was up to the House leadership if the deliberations of HB 6732 would be continued since it had been overtaken by the committee hearing.

u PAGE A8

A6 JANUARY 30-FEBRUARY 2, 2021 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

OPiniOn

‘A verbal threat of war’

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

FeatURes

PHILIPPINE FOREIGN Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. called it a “verbal threat of war.” While the war posturing could be directed mainly at Japan across the East China Sea and across the strait at Taiwan, which Beijing considers as its renegade province, the impact of a law passed on Jan. 22 by China’s National People’s Congress is fueling tension across the region.

The law authorizes the Chinese Coast Guard to board for inspection and fire at foreign vessels it deems as threats. The law also allows China to set up temporary exclusion zones in waters it claims as its own, which could lock out foreign fishermen including Filipinos and threaten freedom of navigation.

The area claimed by Beijing, delineated by an imaginary nine-dash line, covers nearly the entire South China Sea plus the East China Sea. Unlike civilian coast guards in other countries, the Chinese coast guard, which used to be under the civilian control of the State Council and the State Oceanic Administration, was placed under the Central Military Commission in July 2018. So shots fired by a Chinese Coast Guard vessel is a military action that can be deemed as a hostile act.

After initially saying that the order was none of our business, Locsin made an about-face and announced on Wednesday that he had fired off a

diplomatic protest. Failure to do so, he pointed out, could be deemed by Beijing as acquiescence.

Beyond filing formal protests, which Beijing has routinely brushed aside, the new Chinese law calls for a concerted response to something that impacts the entire region. Southeast Asia and the rest of the Asia-Pacific have enjoyed several decades of peace, allowing the region to enjoy prosperity. The last thing the region needs is destabilization from expansive territorial claims, especially in the time of COVID when economies are badly battered and development efforts have been severely derailed.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations must unite in responding to this latest development, which could affect even ASEAN member states with no maritime claims in the South China Sea. Surely the Philippines is not the only country that sees this new law as a “verbal threat of war.”

(Philstar.com)

Editorial

Philstar.com photo

Equity vs equality: How the Biden administration uses equity to fulfill America’s promise that ‘all men are created equal’ The Fil-Am Perspective GEL SANTOS-RELOS “WE hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

These words are from the second paragraph from the Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson.

These words embody the promise of the nation from the time of the American Revolution up to now, as each generation works toward the creation of a more perfect Union.

Unfortunately, this promise of America has been very elusive to many of our citizens — as the rich become richer, the middle-class shrinks, and the poor become even poorer.

The stark difference cannot be more glaring during challenging times like depression recession, disasters, and yes, a pandemic.

Commentary

ATTYS. ALEXANDER MANGLINONG AND PHILIP LIM NULUD ON January 7, 2021, a day after the reprehensible violence occurred at the U.S. Capitol, Facebook and Twitter locked former President Donald Trump’s accounts.

Many people were up in arms and questioned how Facebook and Twitter could do that. People claimed that it was a violation of his freedom of speech.

However, it was not.

Facebook and Twitter are private companies that are not required to provide anyone with their services or platform. Secondly, the First Amendment, which provides for the freedom of speech, does not apply.

When you create an account on Facebook, Twitter, or another social media platform, you agree to abide by their respective terms of service. Like it or not, you entered into a contract with Facebook. They will provide you with access to their platform, so long as you abide by their rules. For example, for

The fact is, the billionaires and trillionaires amass more wealth even during these pivotal moments in history while the ordinary hardworking Americans suffer all the more.

This is especially true during the coronavirus pandemic.

As the White House stated: “Across the country, more than 10 million Americans are unemployed, 14 million renters are behind on payments, and 29 million adults — and at least 8 million children — are struggling with food insecurity. Because of pervasive systemic racism and inequality in our economy, the burdens of this economic crisis are hitting communities of color and other underserved families hardest.”

And so as the United States of America begins a new chapter in our nation’s history under President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, we have been hearing the words “equality” and “equity” as the new administration lays out its policies, programs and values in governance.

We hear that a lot in talks about the government’s management of the coronavirus pandemic, in debates about the stimulus checks, in providing educational opportunities,

health care, and safety nets to the American people, and many more.

Let us focus on the issue of our health, which is the cornerstone of what is referred to in the Declaration of Independence as inalienable rights endowed to us by our Creator and among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

What do these words “equality” and “equity” really mean?

How are they different yet related in principle and objective? And how do they connect with the values of each and every one of us citizens of the United States of America in how we support or reject the direction the Biden presidency is steering this nation to?

According to the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public health: Equality means each individual or group of people is given the same resources or opportunities.

Unfortunately, we all know that in reality, “social systems aren’t naturally inequitable — they’ve been intentionally designed to reward specific demographics for so long that the system’s outcomes may appear unintentional but are actually

rooted discriminatory practices and beliefs.”

Those who benefit from these social systems want to keep the status quo, and sadly, that is where we are right now.

Equity, on the other hand, “recognizes that each person has different circumstances and allocates the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome.”

Therefore, “Equity is a solution for addressing imbalanced social systems. Justice can take equity one step further by fixing the systems in a way that leads to long-term, sustainable, equitable access for generations to come.”

Going back to the issue of health, the World Health Organization (WHO) defines equity as “the absence of avoidable or remediable differences among groups of people, whether those groups are defined socially, economically, demographically or geographically.”

Health inequities, therefore, as the WHO points out, involve more than lack of equal access to needed resources to maintain or improve health outcomes.

They also refer to difficulty when it comes to “inequalities that infringe on fairness and human rights norms.”

Therefore, equal treatment to people of different circumstances is not the key to ensuring safety, good health and wellness for ALL Americans if the collective and greater good is our goal.

Race Matters Institute stresses that ”The route to achieving equity will not be accomplished through treating everyone equally. It will be achieved by treating everyone equitably, or justly according to their circumstances.”

This is where our government wants to take us right now— the road to equality through health equity. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says there is health equity “when everyone has the opportunity to be as healthy as possible.”

Therefore, “equity is a process and equality is an outcome of that process.”

So, my kababayans and fellow Americans, do we agree with the principles of the Declaration of Independence? Do we agree that each person in America, and in fact each human being in the world, has inalienable rights life, and that good health is essential to sustain and foster life?

Do we agree that to achieve

that we need to look after the greater good and ensure each person is given equitable access to health care so that we can have a nation, and a world that defeats COVID-19?

Do we agree that healthy people are more productive and peaceful, happier and united people?

Are we more of individualists — “kanya-kanya,” “matira matibay” who perpetuate the “rat race” — competing with others instead of working with others?

Or are we thinking of our collective good so can all rise up and become better, stronger together? *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.

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

Relos.

Does the First Amendment apply to what you post on social media?

Facebook, you agree to “not use [Facebook] to do or share anything: [t]hat violates the [Terms of Service], [Facebook] Community Standards, and other terms and policies…” In Facebook’s Community Standards, there is a specific section as it pertains to Violence and Incitement. It states the following: We aim to prevent potential offline harm that may be related to content on Facebook. While we understand that people commonly express disdain or disagreement by threatening or calling for violence in non-serious ways, we remove language that incites or facilitates serious violence. We remove content, disable accounts, and work with law enforcement when we believe there is a genuine risk of physical harm or direct threats to public safety. We also try to consider the language and context in order to distinguish casual statements from content that constitutes a credible threat to public or personal safety. In determining whether a threat is credible, we may also consider additional information like a person’s public visibility and the risks to their physical

safety. (Emphasis added.)

Thus, if Facebook determines what you posted incites violence, it can remove the content, and/or disable your account.

In this situation, President Trump’s speech was deemed to have incited the violence at the Capitol. Under Facebook’s terms of service, Facebook was entirely within their right to disable his account.

Facebook, Twitter, and other social media companies are not publicly funded. They are private for-profit corporations that can act as they deem appropriate. While Facebook and Twitter are platforms for speech, they are under no obligation to provide anyone with access to their platforms.

The Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment states that “Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech.” This language restricts governmental, as opposed to private, abridgment of speech. In other words, the First Amendment only applies to actions by federal, state, and local governments.

As an exception to this general rule, the First Amendment may

apply to private entities if they are considered “state actors.”

Under the so-called “state-action doctrine,” private entities can be subject to First Amendment constraints in only a few limited circumstances—such as when (1) the private entity performs a function traditionally and exclusively reserved to the government; (2) the government compels the private entity to take a particular action; or (3) the government acts jointly with the private entity. With regard to the first category, U.S. Supreme Court has explained that very few functions are both traditionally and exclusively reserved to the government. Such functions include, for example, running elections and operating a company town.

The First Amendment does not apply to Facebook and Twitter because they are private companies and not state actors under the state-action doctrine.

They operate separately and apart from government, and they were not compelled by the government to lock former President Trump’s accounts.

Further, their primary function — namely, the operation of an

online social media platform — has not been traditionally or exclusively reserved to the government.

The primary function of Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms may be viewed more broadly as the operation of a forum for speech. On this point, the government has traditionally and exclusively operated public forums for speech.

But as the U.S. Supreme Court explained, a private entity cannot operate a public forum because it is not a state actor.

Public forums, by definition, are forums for speech provided by the government. A contrary rule would effectively strip private companies of their ability to regulate their properties whenever they opened them for speech.

In short, Facebook and Twitter were within their contractual and constitutional rights to lock former President Trump’s accounts. They, like other social media platforms, are private companies that may censor or suspend user accounts based on the user’s failure to abide by their terms of service and policies. As private entities, they

are not subject to the same free speech limitations under the First Amendment that generally apply to federal, state, and local governments. *** 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.

*** Alexander Manglinong is an attorney at Sanders Roberts LLP in Los Angeles, where he practices business, employment, and general liability litigation. He serves as the secretary on the Board of Governors of the Philippine American Bar Association (PABA).

*** P h i l i p L i m N u l u d i s a n a tto r n ey at Buchalter in Los Angeles, where he specializes in intellectual property law.

Many of his clients are well-known fashion brands, who he represents in IP protection, strategy, enforcement, and licensing matters worldwide. He is currently a director of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), the immediate past president of the National Filipino American Lawyers Association (NFALA), and a past president of PABA. He has been named as one of the Most Influential Minority Attorneys in Los Angeles by the Los Angeles Business Journal.

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

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A7

Some areas to revert to stricter quarantine by catherIne

Valente ManilaTimes.net

GROUNDBREAKING. Office of the President-Malacañang Engineering Office Acting Director IV Engineer Benefredo Bulatao (left) places some documents inside the time capsule during the groundbreaking for the construction of a two-story Malacañang Engineering Office, at the New Executive Building (NEB) compound, Malacañang, Manila, on Friday, January 29. The capsule contains the blueprints, newspaper, and coins and was buried at the construction site.

PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler

Devastated economy off to a ‘slow start’ to rebound — NEDA chief

by Ian

nIcolas cIgaral Philstar.com

MANILA — After last year’s record-breaking economic devastation, the Philippines is off to a sluggish start in resuscitating a weakened economy and is unlikely to see a return to growth until the second quarter.

“To be honest, this year will be a slow start and we will ramp up by the middle of the year starting in the second quarter,” Acting Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua said in an online forum organized by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines.

“We will see year-on-year positive growth I think starting the second quarter,” he added.

A dismal projection this early throws the cold water on a rosy outlook of 7.5-8.5% growth for the entire year— a huge jump from 2020’s historic 9.5% contraction.

That would mean the Duterte administration need to embark on a bigger catch up for the rest of the year, something that Chua admitted is easier said than done.

The biggest hurdle, he said, is the existence of some form of movement restrictions that earlier on Friday was affirmed by no less than President Rodrigo Duterte himself. Duterte announced that Metro Manila and some neighboring provinces will remain under general community quarantine in February, which for Chua means still choking down “the busiest

area of the economy.”

That said though, the socioeconomic planning chief clarified Duterte “made the right decision” and that economic managers “support him” for delaying a pilot run of face-to-face schooling as well as letting minors go out as soon as the more contagious UK mutation of the coronavirus was detected at home.

When and how more reopening can finally push through remains unclear to date, but Chua assured the foreign press in the forum that assessments are made “every 2 weeks,” while stressing that the economy, fueled by its legion of young workers and students, is not bound to return to its glorious days without some more restrictions getting lifted.

“We are already seeing the detrimental effect (of no face-to-face classes)…As I mentioned, if 40% of the people is below 20 (years old) and the median age is 25 and most of them cannot go out, then I think the economy cannot go back to normal levels,” he said.

“That is reality, that is data, that is economics,” he added.

Not only is reopening getting delayed, bills government is banking on for some income boost have been left stuck at various levels of legislation. Chua admitted that at this pace, the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE), Financial Institutions Strategic Transfer (FIST) and the GFIs Unified Initiatives to Distressed Enterprises for Economic

Recovery (GUIDE) are not bound to propel the economy in the first 3 months.

The bills are meant to do different things, from cutting corporate income taxes to free up cash for battered companies, to allowing government to buy stakes on failing firms to save them. Yet, despite being urgently needed, they are all languishing in Congress or sitting idly on the president’s desk. “The impact is much less,” Chua said of the pending bills.

Economists at Fitch Solutions, a unit of the Fitch Group, agreed with Chua that consumer spending, which represent 70% of the economy, is key to growth, but also insisted that government can partly take up the cudgels for consumers by spending more. This is, however, a strategy long opposed by the government.

“Household consumption remains key to the growth rebound, with a recovery in gross capital formation dependent on stronger domestic demand,” Fitch Solutions said in a research note on Friday, January 29.

“The government will continue its accommodative fiscal stance to aid the recovery in domestic activity while an upturn in global trade will offer some boost to the economy, albeit with neither enough to offset disruptions to private domestic demand. The ability of the government to provide stimulus also somewhat rests on its containment of the pandemic,” they explained. n

SoME areas in modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) will return to the stricter general community quarantine (GCQ) starting February 1, Malacañang said on Thursday, January 28.

Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) was due to meet on Thursday to discuss new quarantine classifications for Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

Roque said the IATF-EID recommendation will then be presented to Rodrigo Duterte, who will make the new quarantine rules official.

“Napakahirap po kasi magsalita kasi talagang nirereserba natin kay Presidente ‘yung desisyon (It’s hard to speak because we don’t want to preempt the President),” Roque said in an interview with DZMM radio.

Roque said the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) and Region 11 (Davao Region), which both have a “moderate risk” clas-

sification in terms of coronavirus bed utilization, were candidates for a stricter lockdown.

A possible quarantine reclassification came as the singleday total of new Covid-19 cases reached 2,245 on Wednesday, the highest since November 8.

The new cases raised the total coronavirus infections to 518,407.

Topping the list of areas with the most number of additional infections are Baguio City and Cebu City with 121 cases each, Davao City with 102, Quezon City with 87, and Pangasinan with 81.

The Department of Health (DoH) also reported 95 additional Covid-related deaths for a total of 10,481 fatalities. There were also 140 additional recovered patients, or a total of 475,542 recoveries.

The DoH has endorsed a stricter quarantine in CAR, which is under MGCQ. Twelve cases of the new coronavirus variant were earlier detected in Bontoc, Mountain Province.

Relatedly, Metro Manila mayors favor extending the region’s GCQ status amid the detection of

Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. Fle photo

the new Covid-19 variant in the country, Metro Manila Council Chairman and Parañaque City Mayor Edwin olivarez said.

“Kung magluluwag po tayo, napakahirap po na magkakaroon tayo ng spike lalong paparating na ang vaccine (If we ease the quarantine, it could lead to a spike in cases at a time with the vaccines are arriving),” olivarez said during an interview with DZMM radio. n

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL RAIL AUTHORITY (SCRRA) BINAGONG ABISO NG PAMPUBLIKONG PAGDINIG / PAGSUSURI PARA SA MGA PAGBABAGO SA PATAKARAN SA PAMASAHE Ang Southern California Regional Rail Authority (SCRRA) ay magpapatawag ng isang pampublikong pagdinig sa pagpupulong ng lupon ng mga direktor sa Biyernes, Pebrero 26, 2021 upang suriin ang pagsasama ng Kids Ride Free on Weekends at ang 5-Day Flex Pass mga pamasahe na pangpromosyon bilang bahagi ng regular na istraktura ng pamasahe ng Metrolink. Tatalakayin ng pagdinig ang mga dahilan para sa mga bagong pamasahe at ang mga epekto sa serbisyo ng Metrolink mula ng umepekto ang pamasahe ng pang-promosyon noong Agosto 29, 2020 at September 2, 2020. Ang promosyon na Kids Ride Free on Weekends ay nakatakdang magtapos sa Linggo, Feb. 28, 2021 at ang 5-Day Flex Pass pilot program na nakatakdang magwakas sa Miyerkules, March 3, 2021 kung ang dalawang pamasahe na ito ay hindi pinagtibay bilang bahagi ng regular na istraktura ng pamasahe. Nais ng Awtoridad na gawing bahagi ng regular na istraktura ng pamasahe ang parehong pamasahe na ito upang magpatuloy na lumaki at mapanatili ang mga mayroon nang mga rider bilang resulta ng mga pamasaheng ito.

Ang pampublikong pandinig ay nakasulat sa agenda ng SCRRA Board of Directors Meeting sa: Biyernes, Pebrero 26, 2021 9:00 ng umaga https://metrolinktrains.com/about/board-meetings/agendas-documents/ Ang mga impormasyon tungkol sa ipinanukalang mga pagsasaayos ng pamasahe, pagbabago ng patakaran sa pamasahe at pagpapatibay ng patakaran ay makikita para sa pampublikong inspeksyon sa Metrolink website na www.metrolinktrains.com. Ang mga puna at mungkahi ay maaaring isumite nang pasalita o nakasulat sa pagdinig sa publiko, o ipost nang maaga sa pagdinig sa publiko sa pamamagitan ng pag-click ng “eComment” na pagpipilian upang magsumite ng isang elektronikong puna sa www.metrolinktrains.com/ecomments, o ipadala kung natanggap nang maaga sa pagdinig sa publiko nakaatensyon sa Metrolink Fares sa SCRRA sa punong tanggapan o ifax na nakaatensyon sa Metrolink Fares bago ang pagdinig sa (213) 452-0421. Lahat ng puna sa publiko, anumang uri ng komunikasyon, ay dapat isumite at matanggap nang hindi lalampas sa Pebrero12, 2021. Lahat ng mga nauna nang pampublikong komento at suhestyong natanggap tungkol sa orihinal na Abiso sa Pampulikong Pagdinig ay ibibigay sa Lupon ng mga Direktor at isasama sa tala nitong pampublikong pagdinig. Ang bagay na ito ay maaaring ipagpatuloy ng Lupon ng sa ibang oras o petsa sa kanyang sariling paghuhusga.

A8 january 30-february 2, 2021 • La WeeKenD aSIan jOurnaL

PAUNAWA NG PAGPAPATIBAY NG RESOLUSYON SA INTENSYON NG LUPON NG MGA SUPERBISOR NG COUNTY NG SAN DIEGO NA ISAALANG-ALANG ANG MGA MUNGKAHI PARA SA PAGBEBENTA O PAGPAPAUPA AT PAGPAPAUNLAD NG LUPA NG MGA ASSESSOR PARCEL NUMBER (PARSELA NG TAGATASA BLG) 281-182-17 AT 281-182-18 (MATATAGPUAN SA PAGITAN NG 12TH AT 13TH STREET SA UNINCORPORATED (SA LABAS NG TERITORYO NA KOMUNIDAD NG RAMONA) Ang Paunawa ay ibinibigay sa pamamagitan nito na pinagtibay ng Lupon ng mga Superbisor ng County ng San Diego (“Lupon”) ang RESOLUSYON SA INTENSYON NG LUPON NG MGA SUPERBISOR NG COUNTY NG SAN DIEGO NA ISAALANG-ALANG ANG MGA MUNGKAHI PARA SA PAGBEBENTA O PAGPAPAUPA AT PAGPAPAUNLAD NG LUPA NG MGA ASSESSOR PARCEL 281-182-17 AT 281182-18 (MATATAGPUAN SA PAGITAN NG 12TH AT 13TH STREET SA NA KOMUNIDAD NG RAMONA) para sa mga layunin ng pagpapaunlad at pagpapatakbo sa komunidad ng abot-kayang panggrupong pabahay para sa nakakatanda, kabilang ang senior community center (sentrong pangkomunidad para sa nakakatanda).

Kahilingan para sa mga Pahayag ng mga Kwalipikasyon) mula sa mga interesadong panig, at pagkatapos ay pagpapahintulot sa mga piniling nagmungkahing pursigidong magkaroon ng mga naaangkop na kwalipikasyon upang tumugon sa Request for Proposals (“RFP,” Kahilingan para sa mga Mungkahi), kung saan ang mga mungkahi ay matatanggap sa pampublikong pagpupulong ng Lupon mga Superbisor gaya ng inilalarawan sa ibaba; at YAMAN DIN LAMANG, dapat pagtibayin ng County ang Resolusyong ito alinsunod sa Kodigo ng Pamahalaan Seksyon 25515.2 bago tumanggap ang mga mungkahi; at YAMAN DIN LAMANG, ang paunawa sa pagpapatibay ng Resolusyong ito at ang oras at lugar ng pampublikong pagpupulong ay dapat ibigay sa pamamagitan ng paglalathala ng Resolusyong ito nang hindi bababa sa isang beses kada linggo sa loob ng tatlong linggo bago ang pampublikong pagpupulong na inilalarawan sa ibaba.

Tatanggapin at ihaharap ang mga mungkahi sa Lupon ng mga Superbisor sa pampublikong pagdinig sa Marso 2, 2020, na sa panahong iyon ay tatanggapin ang pampublikong testimonya.

Magpupulong ang Lupon ng 9:00 a.m. sa Board Chambers SAMAKATUWID, (Kamara ng Lupon) ng NGAYON, County Administration Center nawa’y ito ay maresolba bilang (Sentrong Pangasiwaan ng sumusunod: County), Seksyon 1. Ipinapahayag ng Isang kopya ng resolusyon sa Lupon ng mga Superbisor na layong isinasaalang-alang ang ito ang layunin nitong isaalangmga mungkahi ang kinokopya alang ang mga mungkahi para sa ibaba at nakapaskil sa sa pagbebenta o pagpapaupa Office of the Clerk (Tanggapan at pagpapaunlad ng lupang ng Klerk) ng Lupon ng mga Ari-arian para sa panggrupong Superbisor, Room 402, ng pabahay para sa nakakatanda County Administration Center at mga kaugnay na paggamit. sa Pacific Highway, San Diego Seksyon 2.

Ang mga California, 92101, dokumentong RFSQ ay Ang paunawang ito at ang makukuha sa Department of buod ay inilathala alinsunod General Services, Real Estate sa Kodigo ng Pamahalaan mga Services Division (Kagawaran mga Pangkalahatang Seksyon 25515.2, at ng aksyon ng ng Lupon ng mga Superbisor Serbisyo, Dibisyon ng mga noong Enero 2, 1979 na nag- Serbisyo para sa Tunay na aawtorisa sa mga publikasyon. Ari-arian) ng County, 5560 Overland Avenue, Suite 410, Ang mga sumusunod ay San Diego, California 92123. ang Resolusyon gaya ng 3.

Ang mga inaprubahan ng Lupon ng mga Seksyon RFP ay Superbisor noong 10/27/2020: dokumentong makukuha sa Department of General Services, Real Estate Resolusyon Blg.: 20-168 Services Division ng County, Petsa ng Pagpupulong: 5560 Overland Avenue, Suite 10/27/2020 (09) 410, San Diego, California 92123.

RESOLUSYON SA INTENSYON NG LUPON NG MGA SUPERBISOR NG COUNTY NG SAN DIEGO NA ISAALANG-ALANG ANG MGA MUNGKAHI PARA SA PAGBEBENTA O PAGPAPAUPA AT PAGPAPAUNLAD NG LUPA NG MGA ASSESSOR PARCEL NUMBER 281-182-17 AT 281-182-18 (MATATAGPUAN SA PAGITAN NG 12TH AT 13TH STREET SA UNINCORPORATED NA KOMUNIDAD NG RAMONA) Sa mosyon ni Superbisor Jacob na sinegundahan ni Superbisor Gaspar, pinagtibay ang sumusunod na resolusyon: YAMAN DIN LAMANG, pagaari ng County ng San Diego (“County”) ang humigitkumulang 7.96 na acre ng lupang matatagpuan sa pagitan ng 12th at 13th Street sa unincorporated na komunidad ng Ramona, County ng San Diego, California (“Ari-arian”).

Kilala rin ang Ari-arian bilang mga Assessor Parcel Number 281-182-17 at 281-182-18.

Seksyon 4. Ang lahat ng tugon sa RFSQ at RFP ay isusumite bilang pagsunod sa mga iniaatas na itinakda ng General Services, Real Estate Services Division ng County.

Seksyon 5. Ang mga tugon sa RFP ay tatanggapin ng Lupon ng mga Superbisor bilang mga sumusunod: Ang mga kuwalipikadong mungkahing isinumite alinsunod sa lahat ng iniaatas ng RFP ay tatanggapin ng Lupon ng mga Superbisor sa regular nitong naka-iskedyul na pagpupulong sa Marso 2, 2021 ng 9:00 a.m. sa regular nitong lugar ng pagpupulong sa chambers sa Room 310 sa County Administration Center at 1600 Pacific Highway, San Diego, California 92101.

Tatanggapin lamang ng County ang mga mungkahing mula sa mga developer (tagapagpaunpad) na gagawing kuwalipikado ng Direktor, Department of General Services, sa pakikipagsangguni sa Direktor, Housing and Community Development Services (Mga Serbisyo sa Pagpapaunlad ng Pabahay at Komunidad sa YAMAN DIN LAMANG, pamamagitan ng RFSQ. ninanais ng County na isaalangalang ang mga mungkahi para Seksyon 6. Ang Paunawa sa sa pagbebenta o pagpapaupa pagpapatibay ng Resolusyong at pagpapaunlad ng lupa ng ito at ang oras at lugar ng Parcel para sa abot-kayang pagdaraos ng pampublikong panggrupong pabahay para sa pagpupulong na inilalarawan sa itaas ay ibibigay sa nakakatanda; at pamamagitan ng paglalathala YAMAN DIN LAMANG, ng resolusyon sa pahayagan ng alinsunod sa mga naaangkop pangkalahatang sirkulasyon sa na batas ng Estado ng loob ng County ng San Diego California, kabilang ang ng isang beses kada linggo sa Kodigo ng Pamahalaan mga loob ng tatlong linggo bago ang pagpupulong Seksyon 25515 hanggang pampublikong 25515.5, inaawtorisahan na na iyon. ang County na makibahagi sa isang kumpetitibong Seksyon 7. Pinananatili ng proseso ng solitisasyon para Lupon ng mga Superbisor sa pagbebenta o pagpapaupa ang karapatang tanggihan ang at pagpapaunlad ng lupa ng anuman o lahat ng mungkahi.

Ari-arian gamit ang proseso ng Kahilingan para sa mga INAPRUBAHAN NANG AYON SA PORMA AT LEGALIDAD Mungkahi; at TAGAPAYONG ABOGADO NG YAMAN DIN LAMANG, COUNTY ninanais ng County na gamitin Ni David Stotland, Nakakataas ang prosesong may dalawang na Deputadong Tagapayong hakbang sa pamamagitan ng Abogado ng County paghingi muna ng mga tugon 1/30, 2/6, 2/13/21 sa Request for Statements CNS-3436054# of Qualifications (“RFSQ,” ASIAN JOURNAL (L.A.)

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Callamard hopeful ICC will seek investigation into ‘drug war’ killings

by Gaea

Katreena Philstar.com

CabiCo

MANILA — A United Nations expert on extrajudicial executions is pinning her hopes on the International Criminal Court, which is finalizing its decision on opening a formal investigation into the alleged crimes against humanity linked with the “war on drugs.”

“I am placing now a lot of hope in the ICC,” Agnes Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary killings, said in a forum organized by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines Friday, January 29.

“Hopefully, they will determine that the only option left as part of the ICC mandate is to undertake a formal investigation.”

Callamard said the preliminary examination into the alleged extrajudicial killings in the government’s anti-drug crackdown should proceed to the next stage if the ICC prosecutor will act on the “basis of principles only rather than tactical consideration.”

A preliminary examination determines if an alleged crime falls with The Hague-based tribunal’s jurisdiction and if a full-blown investigation is needed.

In a report last December,

ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said there is “reasonable basis to believe” that crimes against humanity were committed in the government’s anti-narcotics campaign.

Bensouda said her office’s decision on whether it would seek authorization to open a formal investigation will be out in the first half of this year.

The ICC, set up in 2020 to bring justice to victims of the world’s worst crimes, is a “court of last resort” and gets involved only if member countries are unwilling or unable to prosecute offenders.

Non-cooperation Callamard said the ICC must learn to operate in the context of countries that will not cooperate with its actions.

“I am hopeful. I want to believe the ICC will do the right thing and I want to believe the ICC is prepared to work in difficult circumstances outside, in and with the country that refuses to cooperate with them because they have to learn to do that,” Callamard said.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, a human rights lawyer years ago, previously said that the ICC can do whatever it wants but the Philippine government does not recognize the court’s jurisdiction and will not cooperate with its actions.

UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary killings Agnes Callamard.

Philstar.com photo by Efigenio Toledo IV

The Philippines formally withdrew from the ICC in March 2019, a year after Bensouda initiated a preliminary examination. The government insisted that courts in the country are functioning well.

Despite this, the ICC continues to assess alleged crimes that happened prior to the withdrawal.

‘Soft, ridiculous’ resolution The UN human rights expert said the resolution of the United Nations Human Rights Council that offered the Philippines technical assistance and capacity building left her “mortified, angry and revolted.”

Human rights advocates deemed the resolution “weak” as it fell short of their call for an independent and on-the-ground probe into the human rights situation in the Philippines.

“Why did the UNHRC go for that very soft, ridiculous resolution?” she said.

Callamard said the independent probe into killings related to the “drug war” and the attacks against activists launched by civil society organizations abroad will help.

Investigate PH aims to submit its reports and findings to the UNHRC, other relevant UN bodies and the ICC. n

3 PH firms land in Bloomberg’s Gender-Equality Index ‘Denial of ABS... by iris

Gonzales Philstar.com

MANILA — Three Filipinoowned companies – the Sy Group’s SM Investments Corp.

(SMIC), the Consunji-led I Holdings Inc. and Semirara Mining and Power Corp. (SMPC) – made it to this year’s Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI).

The three companies are among 380 firms around the globe across 11 sectors included in the 2021 GEI, which looks at the value that companies put into gender equality.

DMCI Holdings and SMPC chairman and CEO Isidro Consunji said women hold key positions in their companies.

“We recognize the value and contributions of women across the DMCI group of companies.

They occupy key positions in our board, management and workforce. With our companies’ inclusion in the GEI, we hope to provide more women with the opportunities and support they

need to reach their full potential,” Consunji said.

SMIC, which was also counted in the index in 2020, was included in this year’s index for scoring at or above a global threshold established by Bloomberg to reflect a high level of disclosure and overall performance across the framework’s five pillars.

“We are pleased to be recognized again and likewise extend our appreciation to Bloomberg.

We believe in upholding equal opportunities for our people that promote a better workplace,” SMIC president and CEO Frederic DyBuncio said.

This year’s Bloomberg roster expanded to represent 44 countries and regions, including firms headquartered in Indonesia and Bermuda for the first time.

Companies come from across different industries such as automotive, banking, consumer services, engineering and construction and retail.

The GEI brings transparency to gender-related practices and

policies in publicly listed companies. The comprehensive, transparent GEI scoring methodology allows investors to assess company performance and compare across industry peer groups.

The index measures gender equality across five pillars: female leadership and talent pipeline, equal pay and gender pay parity, inclusive culture, sexual harassment policies, and prowomen brand.

Bloomberg chairman Peter Grauer said companies’ commitment to disclosure makes the business case for inclusion and driving transparency in the markets.

Through disclosure of genderrelated metrics using the GEI framework, the firms included in the 2021 GEI have committed to provide a comprehensive look at their investment in workplace gender equality and the communities in which they operate, raising the bar of what should be expected from other companies within the same industry. n

PAGE A5 t

In the meantime, he said the Makabayan bloc had a pending motion to bring the committee report on the franchise bills to the plenary for all members of the House to decide upon. The Makabayan lawmakers are among the authors of 12 franchise bills.

Zarate said the bloc would support any means for ABS-CBN to resume its operations citing the urgency of its contribution to information dissemination especially on the coronavirus and vaccines.

“Kung ano man ang kahihinatnan nito, nandyan ang aming tindig na dapat bumalik sa ere ang ABS-CBN para maituloy nito ang pagbibigay nito ng serbisyo sa mga mamayang Pilipino na alam natin na kailangang kailangan ngayon (Whatever the result will be, we maintain our stand that ABS-CBN must come back to continue its service to the Filipino people that we know is very much needed right now),”he stressed. n

Oral arguments on anti-terrorism law to proceed on February 2

by Kristine Joy

Philstar.com

PataG

MANILA — The Supreme Court has dismissed Solicitor General Jose Calida’s bid to cancel the oral arguments on antiterrorism law petitions that cited new and more infectious coronavirus and the “trauma” brought by one assistant solicitor general contracting COVID-19 on their lawyers.

Calida had asked the SC to forego the oral arguments and instead allow the parties to argue through the submission of memoranda in a January 14 pleading. He said that an assistant solicitor general who participated in the preliminary conference of the case tested positive for COVID-19, and this “concretizes the incalculable risk of infection that COVID-19 imposes upon attendees of the scheduled Oral Arguments” including magistrates.

The solicitor general had also noted that the Department of Health has detected the B.1.1.7.

SARS-CoV-2 in the country, and that requiring an RT-PCR test 72 hours before the oral arguments will not ensure that all attendees are not infected with the coronavirus.

“Indubitably, this disturbing development makes it imperative more than ever for this Honorable Court and the parties to adopt alternative means to thresh out contentious and legal

This undated photo shows protesters assailing the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020.

issues in these cases in lieu of in-court Oral Arguments,” the solicitor general said.

He added: “This Honorable Court is invited to go beyond the biological impact of COVID-19 on the affected Assistant Solicitors General but on the psychological trauma which COVID-19 wrenches on the other solicitors preparing for the oral argument as well.”

But SC in a January 19 order, made public only on Friday, denied Calida’s motion and instead ordered that the oral arguments proceed on February 2.

The tribunal also said it will

defer action on petitioners’ prayer for injunctive relief, such as a temporary restraining order to halt the law’s implementation, until the end of the oral debates.

Petitioners’ plea for alternates also denied In the same order, the SC also denied the petitioners’ prayer for the alternate lawyers to the seven who will present their arguments to be physically present on the oral arguments.

Former Solicitor General Jose Anselmo Cadiz leads the team for the petitioners. He is joined

by Rep. Edcel Lagman (Albay),

Philstar.com photo by Boy Santos

constitutional law professor Alfredo Molo III and rights lawyers Chel Diokno, Evalyn Ursua, Neri Colmenares and Algmar Latiph.

The petitioners, meanwhile, named lawyers Randall Tabayoyong, Theodore Te, Josalee Deinla, Ephraim Cortez, Howard Calleja and Batuas Lucman as alternates.

Calida had also named three assistant solicitors general who will accompany him for the oral arguments. They are Assistant Solicitor Generals Marissa Dela Cruz-Galandines, Bernard Hernandez and Rex Bernardo Pascual. n

GK HOUSES. Motorists pass by the Gawad Kalinga (GK) Munting Pamayanan Village in Brgy. Escopa III, Project 4, Quezon City, GK’s first persons with disability community in Luzon and the second in the country, on Wednesday, January 27. GK is a non-profit organization that promotes socialized housing for the poor in the country.

PNA photo by Rico H. Borja

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A9

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LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • JANUARy 30 - fEbRUARy 2, 2021

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Saturday, january 30, 2021

LifestyLe Consumer Guide Community marketpLaCe

Court blocks Biden’s deportation freeze February 2021 priority dates

is the President) is in charge of enforcing the law, and part Immigration of his authority or discretion Corner is to deter m i ne how or t he m a n ner i n wh ic h l aw s a r e enforced. This judge seems to say that the executive branch Atty. MichAel mu st f u l l y a nd v igor ou s l y Gurfinkel, eSQ en force remova l order s for everybody.

AS I reported in a previous This is a developing story article, on January 20, 2021, a n d c ou l d a f fe c t s o m a n y just after taking office, Pres. people in removal proceedBiden i ssue d a n exe c ut i ve i ngs or have been ordered order ca l l i ng for a 100 -day removed. Biden was going to pause on most deportations or go easy on most people, but removals. as result of this lawsuit and Immediately injunction, it reafter that order mains up in the was released, ai r how v igor“What this Temporary Restraining Te x a s f i l e d a ously immigraOrder means is that ICE is to resume all lawsuit, seeking tion laws will be a Temporary Reenforced. deportations despite Biden’s executive straining Order, So, keep readand on January ing t hese ar tiorder, which prioritized deportation for 26, 2021, a Texcles, or watch those who are considered felons, terrorists, m y Y o u T u b e as federal judge g r a nte d a 14 channel, US Imand threats to national security, but day Temporary m ig r at ion T V, Restraining a s I w i l l keep had temporarily suspended enforcement Order, bar r ing you updated on actions against those who fall outside the Department any new develof Homeland opments. these three categories.”

S ec u r it y f r om *** pausi ng most Michael J. deportations across the coun- did the very same thing: he Gurfinkel has been an attorney for try. The Biden administration c a me out w it h a p ol ic y of over 40 years and is licensed, and is expected to appeal. “prosec utor ia l d iscret ion,” an active member of the State Bars W hat t his Temporar y Re- where the government would of California and New York. All immistraining Order means is that focus on felons, terrorists, etc., gration services are provided by, or ICE is to resume all deporta- but would use discretion and under the supervision of, an active tions despite Biden’s execu- not vigorously pursue removal member of the State Bar of Califortive order, which prioritized act ions aga i nst t hose who, nia. Each case is different, and redeportation for those who are although out of status, did not sults may depend on the facts of the considered felons, terrorists, pose a threat to society. That particular case. The information and and threats to national secu- “pause” on such deportations opinions contained herein (includrity, but had temporarily sus- was not challenged in court, ing testimonials, “Success Stories,” pended enforcement actions but now Texas is doing so. endorsements and re-enactments) against those who fall outside In addition, the executive are of a general nature, and are not these three categories. branch of government (which intended to apply to any particular The federal judge stated in his ruling that federal agenc ie s s uc h a s DH S “ do not have discretion to completely disregard” immigration laws, which state, “when an alien is ordered removed, the Atty.

Gen. (DHS) shall remove the alien from the United States within a period of 90 days.”

In other words, immigration law requires DHS to deport or remove people within 90 days of t heir being ordered removed.

But what is sad and alarming is that in 2011, Pres. Obama

THE February 2021 priority dates, continue to provide great news for workers in the EB-3 (skilled/professional) and “other worker” (unskilled workers like caregivers). The priority dates for all countries (except India and China) are CURRENT! This includes the Philippines! This means visas are available, regardless of the person’s priority date. If a person is being petitioned by an employer, and their Form I-140 employment-based petition has been approved or is pending, they could possibly be eligible to file for adjustment of status and work authorization, assuming they are otherwise eligible for adjustment of status (i.e. no issues re maintaining status, no fraud/crimes, etc.) People with approved or pending I140 petitions should see an attorney about their eligibility to file for adjustment, now that the priority dates for these employment-based categories are current.

Each month, the Visa Office of the State Department publishes, in the Visa Bulletin, the priority dates for that particular month, for the various family and employment-based categories. A priority date is a person’s “place in line” for a visa, meaning immigrant visas (or green cards) would be available for persons whose

The Priority dates for the Philippines are as follows: FAMILY CATEGORY: First Preference

Unmarried sons and daughters of US citizens (over 21 years of age)

(2A) Spouse and Second Preference minor children (below 21 years old) of green card holders

Application Filing Date

Visa Issuance Date

October 22, 2012

January 01, 2012

January 01, 2021

Current

(2B) Unmarried sons and daughters (21 years old or older) of green card holders

April 15, 2012

August 15, 2011

Third Preference

Married sons and daughters of US Citizens

January 08, 2003

March 01, 2002

Fourth Preference

Brothers and sisters of US Citizens

October 01, 2002

February 01, 2002

LABOR CERTIFICATION:

Application Filing Date

Visa Issuance Date

Second Preference Advanced Degree (Masters)

Current

Current

Third Preference

Professional/ Skilled Workers

Current

Current

Other Workers

Non-Skilled Workers

Current

Current

priority date is earlier than the cut-off date listed below. If your priority date was “current,” but later retrogressed (or “moved backwards” and became una-

vailable) before your immigrant visa was issued (or before you adjusted status in the U.S.), you would have to wait until it becomes current again.

1-866-487-3465 WEBSITE: www.gurfinkel.com case, and do not constitute a predic(866) – GURFINKEL Follow us on Facebook.com/ tion, warranty, guarantee or legal Four offices to serve you: advice regarding the outcome of GurfinkelLaw, Twitter @GurfinkelLaw LOS ANGELES ∙ SAN FRANCISCO ∙ your legal matter. No attorney-cli- and YouTube: US Immigration TV Call Toll free to schedule a consul- NEW YORK ∙ PHILIPPINES ent relationship is, or shall be, estation for anywhere in the US: tablished with any reader.

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EntErtainmEnt

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Sandoval stars as Olivia, a Filipina trans woman, in “Lingua Franca,” which premiered on Netflix on August 26, 2020.

Fil-Am filmmaker Isabel Sandoval’s ‘Lingua Franca’ scores 2021 Spirit Awards nomination

By AJPress

“LINGUA Franca” by Filipina American filmmaker Isabel Sandoval has bagged a nomination at a prestigious awards dedicated to independent filmmakers.

Sandoval’s third film on Tuesday, January 26 was nominated for the John Cassavetes Award in the 2021 Film Independent Spirit Awards.

The award is given to films with a budget of less than $500,000.

“Lingua Franca” tells the story of an undocumented trans Filipina living in New York City who struggles to make enough money as a caretaker to send back to her mother in the Philippines, as well as to pay for an American man to marry her for a green card.

Sandoval wrote, directed,

and starred in the film, which originally premiered at the 2019 Venice International Film Festival Venice Days program and made history as the first film directed by and starring an openly trans woman of color to be screened at the competition.

It was later acquired by ARRAY, which released the film on Wednesday, Aug. 26 on Netflix and in select theaters.

In a tweet posted on Tuesday, Sandoval expressed her excitement over the nomination.

“LINGUA FRANCA is nominated for an Independent Spirit Award! Gobsmacked to be in the running for the JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD!!!” she wrote.

Nominated alongside “Lingua Franca” for the award are “The Killing of Two Lovers,” “La Leyenda Negra,” “Residue,” and “Saint Frances.”

The Film Independent Spirit Awards, originally known as the FINDIE (Friends of Independents) Awards, is an awardgiving body dedicated to independent filmmakers.

“2020 was Hell on Earth. But one glorious lifeline these past months has been the ability to watch so many great films and shows,” said Josh Welsh, President Film Independent.

He added, “In an unbelievably challenging year, this year’s Spirit Award nominees inspired us, connected us and have been a source of urgently needed light in the darkness. And even though we’re still stuck at home, let’s come together to celebrate this great work!”

The 36th annual Spirit Awards will air live Thursday, April 22 at 10:00 pm ET/7:00 p.m. PT exclusively on IFC and AMC+.

‘Kontrabida’ role a first for Nora

by AllAn

PolicArPio Inquirer.net

IN her more than 50 years in show biz, Nora Aunor has played a wide range of roles—from an obsessive fan girl in “Bona” to a lesbian lawyer in “T-Bird at Ako” to a faith healer in “Himala.”

But the one thing she has never done, the Superstar said, is play a villain in the movies.

Yes, she may have tackled characters that could be considered

as morally gray, but they weren’t full-fledged villains. She also has hazy recollections of playing a villain of sorts in the 1970s drama series “Ang Makulay na Daigdig ni Nora,” but that was for television, and the details have already escaped her.

Thus, her upcoming film, aptly titled “Kontrabida,” is a first for the seasoned actress. And she couldn’t be more thrilled to take on this “different challenge.”

“I’m happy and excited … It’s

hard to explain how I’m feeling,” Nora said at a recent story conference for the film. “I didn’t think twice when I was offered this project and learned that I’m going to be playing a villain.”

Directed by Adolfo Alix Jr. and produced by Joed Serrano’s Godfather Productions, “Kontrabida” will have Nora portraying a famous silver screen villain who has to constantly contend with scrutiny and prejudice from fans, PAGE B4

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LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • JANUARy 30 - fEbRUARy 2, 2021

SEAFOOD CITY FPFC

B3

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Barbie Forteza and Kate Valdez GMA photos

Barbie, Kate share ‘acting-ina-bubble’ experiences

By Jerry

Donato

Philstar.com

PRESIDENT BIDEN’S IMMIGRATION REFORMS AND ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS THIS SUNDAY ON CITIZEN PINOY. Leading U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel (top) opens this Sunday’s episode by giving updates on President Joe Biden’s massive immigration reform and answers immigration questions from Francis of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (left), Analyn of Saipan, Northern Marianas Islands (center), and Chester of Independence, Louisiana, concerning DACA, divorce, and other issues, on a brand-new episode of “Citizen Pinoy: Your Tanong, My Sagot” this Sunday, January 31 at 6:15 pm PST/EST (9:15 pm EST thru select Cable/Satellite providers).

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President Biden’s proposed immigration reforms to be discussed on Citizen Pinoy this Sunday LEADING U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel discusses and explains the proposed immigration reforms of President Joe Biden on the very first episode of Citizen Pinoy for 2021.

Atty. Gurfinkel also answers questions from Kapamilya from various corners of the world.

Analyn from Saipan, Northern Marianas Islands would like to know if the USCIS is accepting new applications

for DACA. Francis from Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia asks why his previous lawyer thought that Francis’ petition was void just because he got married.

And Chester from Independence, Louisiana asks if a married woman can come to the U.S. as a tourist and then divorce her husband who is in the Philippines.

These questions will be answered on the show. A new

feature of Citizen Pinoy will be showing the latest in immigration news and analysis from episodes of U.S. Immigration TV, the YouTube channel of Atty. Gurfinkel.

Get the latest immigration updates on a brand-new episode of “Citizen Pinoy: Your Tanong, My Sagot” this Sunday, January 31 at 6:15 pm PST/ EST (9:15 pm EST thru select Cable/Satellite providers).

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Ian assures he’s ‘happily married’ “I don’t want to normalize By ian Biong people exploiting our personal Inquirer.net lives for their entertainment,” ALTHOUGH indirectly, Ian Veneracion said on Instagram Veneracion has broken his on Wednesday, Jan. 27.

“I don’t need to defend mysilence to slam rumors linking him to “Oh My Dad” co-actor self from the lies of perverts,” he added.

Sue Ramirez.

Ian Veneracion

Photo from Instagram/@ianveneracion1

“Once upon a time I was pissed,” Veneracion also said while using the hashtag “#happ i l y m a r r i e d ” t o s t re s s h i s point.

Netizens speculated that Veneracion was the handsome actor being referred to as separated from his wife and has an affair with a starlet in a blind item that appeared in the Philippine Entertainment Portal on Jan. 24.

The said news outlet has since clarified that the item did not refer to Veneracion and Ramirez.

Ramirez’s boyfriend, Javi Benitez, has also defended the actress from the rumors and emphasized that she is not that kind of woman and that Ramirez is not a “starlet.”

‘Kontrabida’ role a first for...

PAGE B2 simply because of the kind of roles she plays. It will also delve into her relationships with her family and coworkers.

“As for preparations, I will be consulting with direk on how to go about it,” she said. “Whatever my directors instruct me to do, then that’s it.”

Nora is joined by other formidable thespians, including Jaclyn Jose, Bembol Roco, Rosanna Roces, Gina Alajar, as well as newbies Charles Nathan and Ricky Gumera.

“And I’m nervous, to be honest, because these are very skilled actors,” she admitted.

“Working with Bembol always feels natural—isang tingin ko lang sa kanya, alam ko na ang gagawin ko. And when the scene requires long dialogue, he would step in whenever I forget my lines. But I’m also looking forward to working with young actors, because there’s always something to learn from them.”

Nora also highlighted the importance of having villains in movies. “Kung walang kontrabida, wala ring bida,” she quipped.

“We need them. People will tire easily if everyone’s good. And that’s how it is with other things.

Those that challenge you inspire you to persevere.”

Will Nora allow herself to get slapped in front of cameras? “I don’t mind being slapped. After all, I have done that a number of times in the past,” she said, drawing laughter. “In fact, some of my coactors back in the day complained [about my slap].”

BARBIE Forteza and Kate Valdez can definitely hold their own in the presence of experienced stars as shared by their Anak Ni Waray Vs. Anak Ni Biday director Mark Sicat dela Cruz in a recent mediacon via Zoom. “Mahusay silang artista (They’re very good),” he said.

“They can keep up with the veteran actors.”

Their commitment to improve the acting craft and bring entertainment to Kapuso viewers remains unfazed. However, Barbie and Kate were not spared from having first-time jitters over working in a “bubble” or a three-week lock-in taping.

“Since we had no taping for several months, I couldn’t deny the (challenge and) adjustment of getting back into my character,” said Kate, who plays Caitlyn in the rom-com series, whose viewers can watch its weeknight recap on the primetime block and new episodes on Feb. 8. “Ano na si Caitlyn?

Nasaan na ba ako? Saan na ba nag-stop yung emotions niya?

(I had questions like ‘How’s my character, emotions-wise, at this point of the story?’ and ‘What are my recollections of her?’)”

Another adjustment for Kate

was dealing with people on the set. She had to refrain herself from beso-beso (cheek kissing) and hugging as signs of friendly gestures. This norm was far different from before when she could talk to and dine with everyone without protocols to follow.

“It was very challenging for all of us,” attested Barbie, who portrays the role of Ginalyn, and recalled that the stars discussed the guidelines thoroughly and had script reading sessions before coming on board. With that, Barbie was given an ample time to get into the psyche of Ginalyn and ready herself in continuing the latter’s personal story.

“Lahat kami parang iisa na yung flow, alam na namin yung flow nung story kasi nakapagscript reading na kami (We were all like one, we were on the same page and knew the flow of the story after the script reading),” said Barbie. “It did help me to warm up my senses and be sensitive to (my character).”

The new-normal acting also required her to be mindful in keeping a safe distance from fellow actors or touching them in emotion-laden scenes, although they could do it since everyone did swab testing to assure health safety. One could

imagine the kind of call each actor and the director had to make in mounting scenes considered confrontational and pivotal.

From the actors’ perspective, the lock-in taping also has made them more attune to their characters that results in consistent performance. “You get homesick because you are away from your family,” said Barbie, who understood the idea of direk Mark in presenting the Waray story away from the pandemic.

It’s something viewers should look forward to. After all, the story arc of Anak Ni Waray Vs. Anak Ni Biday has remained unperturbed. No revisions have been made to totally change the storyline.

The entire team wants to give viewers another source of good entertainment and make them forget their cares as they watch the TV series.

What do viewers can expect from the show after the recap week?

One is the friendship status between Caitlyn and Ginalyn as shared by Kate in a media statement. Along this line is the role played by Cocoy (Migo Adecer) in a possible reunion. Another is the story of forgiveness between Sussie (Dina Bonnevie) and Amy (Snooky Serna).

James returns to recording with ‘Soda’

By Christina

alpaD ManilaTimes.net

TODAY is an exciting day for fans of James Reid as he returns to the music scene with the release of his first new single in years.

Weaving the heartfelt energy of soul with the playful rhythms of electro funk, “Soda” seamlessly blends these elements to create an electronically fizzy yet laid-back groove. Fans can stream the song all across the top digital platforms via orcd. co/jamesreidsoda.

Following the challenging year that was 2020, Soda instills a deep-rooted peace that comes with starting anew, encouraging listeners to look forward to their journey in the new year.

“Despite the chaos and tragedy that was 2020, it really challenged me and forced me to evolve in more ways than just music,” Reid shared. “So there’s been a silver lining. I made this song as a reflection of that perspective. Learning to ride the highs and the lows. The future is unknown, so all we can do is have enough self-awareness to make the most out of life’s surprises.”

Reid is the founder of indie record label Careless Music.

James Reid

Making the decision to form his own label and manage himself independently proved worthwhile when his acclaimed album “Palm Dreams” was featured on Billboard’s Independent Albums chart in 2017.

Photo from Instagram/@carelessph

Known as a risk-taker with a decade of experience as an entertainer in the country, James Reid ultimately aims to use his platform to empower and grow the Philippines’ buzzing music industry.

Willie cries for missing fans, including those asking money

By Jan

Milo severo Philstar.com

Nora Aunor

When the 67-year-old artist hears the word “contravida,” the late icon Bella Flores is the first name that comes to mind.

“She was already very popular when I was just starting out,” recalled Nora, who has worked with Bella in the former’s early films in Sampaguita Pictures.

Bella also appeared in some of Nora’s most important movies, like “Atsay” and “Bulaklak sa

GMA photo

City Jail.” “Grabe siyang kontrabida, lalo na kapag nanlilisik ang mga mata niya,” Nora said. “But she was different after shooting.

I will always remember her kindness and humility. She was also very friendly.”

The same goes for every actor who has played her tormentor.

“Wala akong kinainisan. After shooting, we’re all friends,” she added.

KAPUSO TV host Willie Revillame turned emotional on his 60th birthday on Wednesaday, January 27 saying that he missed his studio audience.

In the episode of his game show “Wowowin,” Willie dedicated his song “Salamat Sa Inyo” to his fans who have been supporting him through the years.

“Nami-miss ko na kayo.

Nami-miss ko ‘yung sigaw niyo. Sana matapos na itong problema natin para maibalik na natin ‘yung dati,” Willie said.

“Pasensiya na kayo, namimiss ko na ‘yung matatanda, mga nanay, lola, mga special na mga bata, sa mga naka-wheelchair, bumubulong, pambili ng gamot, pambayad ng matrikula… nami-miss ko kayo sobra,” he added.

Since the pandemic started last March 2020, the show has

Willie Revillame

been filming without a live studio audience. Willie said his birthday wish is for the pandemic to be over so they can open their studio to the live audience again.

“Sana makabalik na kami sa studio, makasama na namin

GMA photo

kayo ulit. Kayo ang nagdala sa akin dito, gusto kong ibalik sa inyo lahat,” Willie said.

“Sana, Lord, matapos na itong pandemic para makabalik na kami at makapagpasaya araw-araw. Salamat sa nagtiwala, salamat sa inyong lahat.”

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Top housing ETFs

Tax Tips Victor Sy, cPA, mBA HOUSING slowed down during the early part of the coronavirus pandemic. However, the combination of ultra-low interest rates and desire for more space to ride out the virus storm has brought about a surprisingly strong rebound in the market. New home sales exceeded 1 million units, up more than 40% the year before.

The National Association of Realtors and Census Bureau showed that sales of new and existing homes in the U.S. surged to their highest levels since the housing bubble burst in 2006 and 2007.

By the way, ETF stands for Exchange Traded Funds which are like mutual funds that you are more familiar with but can be traded like stocks (unlike Mutual Funds that only be bought and sold at the end of a trading day).

Here are my top three ETF Exchange Traded Funds for 2021: 1. iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF ITB: ITB is focused on homebuilders. Two-thirds of its portfolio targets stocks like D.R. Horton, Lennar and NVR Inc. It had a great 2020 year as its price rose from $22 to $60 - up 170%. We

expect another great year for 2021. Rating of ITB: • Good: Bar Chart buy.

• Schwab: Morning star 3***, $10,000 invested 12 months ago rose to $12,667.

• Holdings: Good.

• Sy grade: B. • Buy? Yes. 2. SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF XHB: XHB has holdings in building products (36%), homebuilders (30%) and home improvement, home furnishing, home furnishing retailers, and household appliance companies. Rating: • Good: Lipper 4/5*****, Bar chart strong buy, Stock Invest Buy, P/E ratio low PE 19.6, Price to Cash flow 10.48.

• Schwab: Morning 2/3***, Average return of $10,000 after 12 months $12,665.

• Sy grade: B/B+ • Buy Yes. 3. Hoya Capital Housing ETF HOMZ: Homz uses a proprietary index that combines residential REITs (30% ) with homebuilders (30%) and home improvement companies (20%), housing technology (20%) like Zillow and Redfin.

Rating: • Good: Bar chart strong buy, new still cheap, diversified holdings hybrid, low mortgage rates great for homebuilding portfolio.

• Schwab: $10,000 growth to $11,245 after 12 months, top 25% among peers.

• Holdings: Combines residential REITs (30% ) homebuilders (30%) home improvement companies (20%), housing technology (20%).

• News: Very positive, High growth & income potential • Sy grade: A • Buy? Yes. Bottom line: All three are set to benefit from low rates and a move from cities to suburbs and from apartments to houses. And which one do I prefer? Homz. I like its mixture of residential REITs, homebuilders, and tech. Actually, I bought all three. *** Victor Santos Sy graduated Cum Laude from UE with a BBA and from Indiana State University with an MBA. Vic worked with SyCip, Gorres, Velayo (SGV - Andersen Consulting) and Ernst & Young before establishing Sy Accountancy Corporation in Pasadena, California. *** He has 50 years of experience in defending taxpayers audited by the IRS, FTB, EDD, BOE and other governmental agencies. He is publishing a book on his expertise - “HOW TO AVOID OR SURVIVE IRS AUDITS.” Our readers may inquire about the book or email tax questions at vicsy@live.com.

Petitions for adult children of LPR/USC Tapat Sa Batas Atty. rheA SAmSon SA ilalim ng U.S. Immigration Law, mayroon dalawang uri ng family-based immigrant visas: (1) Immediate Relative: asawa, dalaga o binatang anak [na wala pang 21 taon gulang], o magulang ng U.S. citizen [USC]; at (2) Family Preference: F1 – dalaga o binatang anak [na may 21 taon gulang na] ng USC; F2A – Asawa at dalaga o binatang anak [na wala pang 21 taon gulang] ng green card holder/lawful permanent resident [LPR}; F2B – dalaga o binatang anak [na may 21 taon gulang na] ng LPR; F3 – may asawang anak ng USC; at F4 – mga kapatid ng USC, at kanilang asawa at mga anak na walang pang 21 taon gulang at walang asawa.

Para sa mga LPR, may dalawang lamang immigrant visa category para sa family members: F2A at F2B. Ang asawa at dalaga o binatang anak [na wala pang 21 taon gulang] ng LPR ay sumasailalaim sa F2A category.

Kung ang dalaga o binatang anak ay naging 21 taon gulang na, ang dalaga o binatang anak ng LPR ay sasailalaim na sa F2B category. Ito ay automatic mula sa F2A category. Kung ang dalaga o binatang anak ng LPR ay nag-asawa, ang visa petition ay mapapawalang-bisa na sapagkat walang visa category para sa may asawang anak ng LPR. Ang visa petition ay invalidated, kahit ito ay pending o aprubado na, basta’t hindi pa nagkakapagimmigrate ang beneficiary sa US. Kung ang beneficiary ay nag-asawa bago siya makarating ng US bilang immigrant, siya ay hindi kwalipikado para sa immigrant visa. Dahil dito, may ilang beneficiary na nagpapakasal ng patago at palihim bago umalis ng kanilang bansa. Ngunit walang kasal ng secreto o lihim na kasal.

Para sa mga USC, mayroon immigrant visa category para sa kanilang anak na dalaga, binata at may asawa. Ang dalaga o binatang anak ng USC [na may 21 taon gulang na] ay sumasailalim sa F1 category. Kung ang dalaga o binatang anak ay nag-asawa, ang kanyang F1 category ay automatic na magiging F3 category.

Ang kasal ng dalaga o binatang anak ng USC ay hindi nagpapawalang-bisa ng visa petition ngunit napapalitan ang category ng immigrant visa mula F1 category at magiging F3 category.

Kung ang petitioner ay LPR noong filing ng petition para sa dalaga o binatang anak [na may 21 taon gulang na], ang visa category ay F2B category. Subalit kapag nag-naturalize ang LPR, ang visa petition ay automatic na magiging F1 category. Kung ang dalaga o binatang anak ay nagasawa pagkatapos mag-naturalize ang LPR, ang visa petition ay hindi invalidated. Ito ay magiging F3 category – may asawang anak ng USC. *** Under U.S. Immigration Laws, there are two types of familybased immigrant visas: (1) Immediate Relative: spouse, child [unmarried and under 21 years old], or parent of a U.S. citizen [USC]; and (2) Family Preference:: F1 – unmarried adult [21 years or older] sons and daughters of USC; F2A – Spouses and minor [under 21 years old] and unmarried children of green card holder/lawful permanent resident [LPR}; F2B – unmarried sons and daughters [over 21 years old] of LPR; F3 – married sons and daughters of USC; and F4 – brothers and sisters of USC, and their spouses and children.

For LPRs, there are only two immigrant visa categories for family members: F2A and F2B. A spouse and unmarried child of LPR under 21 years old falls under the F2A category. If the unmarried child turns 21 years old, the unmarried son or daughter’s F2A category is immediately converted to F2B. If the adult son or daughter gets married, the visa petition is invalidated as there is

Pastor’s Notes reVerend rodeL g. BALAgtAS “WHAT is happening here?

It is a new kind of teaching--he gives orders even to unclean spirits, and they submit to him.”

(Mark 1:21) Mark’s Gospel describes the scenes at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry by saying that people, including the scribes and Pharisees, were astounded at the power of Jesus’ words and actions. They were so powerful that even evil spirits submitted to him.

His persona and teachings attracted some men that they immediately left their occupations to be his disciples.

Jesus’ teachings and healing power spread like fire all around Galilee. In every house he went, people would come in multitudes to witness him heal the sick, make the lame walk, cleanse lepers, and expel demons.

Here came someone greater than John the Baptist, another

Debt Relief

Atty. LAwrence yAng WHAT is timing? In life, as we all know, there’s such a thing called timing. Like the timing is right. Or, the timing is wrong.

If the timing is right, then good consequences flow from the decision made. If the timing is wrong, then bad consequences flow from the decision made.

Let’s say you just crossed the pedestrian lane and right after your foot lands on the sidewalk, a car comes speeding through and misses hitting you by a hairline. We would say that your timing is right because if you had just slowed down a bit, then your timing would have been wrong. Your timing is right because you safely crossed the pedestrian lane a split second before the car comes speeding through, so you’re perfectly well and healthy. If your timing were wrong, then you would have been hit by the speeding car and would probably be dead.

Or, let’s say in Kobe’s case, his first death anniversary just passed a couple of days ago, he waited until the fog cleared before getting on the helicopter, then his timing would have been right. But he got on the helicopter when the fog was thick, so his timing was wrong.

Bad consequences when you got the timing wrong.

Or, you’re over 65 and waiting for the vaccine that they say you have priority for. Sure you have priority but can you actually get an appointment to get vaccinated? Try getting the appointment. I tried for two weeks. I couldn’t get one. Now we’re waiting for the pharmacies to have them. Maybe we’ll get them next month. But while we’re waiting to get vaccinated, we get infected. Then we have wrong timing. Good timing is to get the vaccine now so we don’t get infected, right? In the meantime, just mask up and keep isolated as much as possible.

If you’re afraid of getting an adverse reaction like dying from the vaccine, I suggest you say three hail Marys and one Psalm 91 when you get vacci-

no category for married sons or daughters of LPRs. This petition is invalidated whether it is pending or approved, as long as the beneficiary adult son or daughter of LPR has not yet immigrated to the U.S. If the beneficiary gets married before entry to the U.S., the beneficiary does not qualify for immigrant visa. Some beneficiaries enter into secret marriages before leaving their country for the U.S. However, there is no such thing as a secret marriage.

For USCs, there are visa categories for both their married and unmarried adult sons and daughters. An unmarried adult son or daughter [over 21 years old] of a USC falls under the F1 category. If the unmarried adult son or daughter gets married, the adult son or daughter’s F1 category is immediately converted to F3. The marriage of the adult son or daughter of a USC does not invalidate the visa petition but merely converts the category from F1 to F3.

If the petitioner is LPR when the petition is filed for the adult son or daughter, the category is F2B. However, when the LPR petitioner naturalizes, the visa petition is converted to F1 cate- Barrister’s gory. If the adult son or daughter Corner gets married after the LPR petitioner naturalizes, the petition is not invalidated but is under the F3 category – married adult son Atty. Kenneth or daughter of USC. UrSUA reyeS ***

B5

Is there a right time to file Chapter 7?

nated. That will give you divine protection from adverse reactions.

Filing bankruptcy also has such a thing as good and bad timing. It’s not true that the faster you file your case the better. Sure in some cases a fast filing makes sense. For example, the creditor has just obtained a judgment against you for $500,000. You own a house with $10,000 of nonexempt equity. It would make sense to do a fast Chapter 7 filing to prevent the creditor from getting a judgment lien against your house. But not all cases are the same.

In a recent case, a married client owes credit card debt of $10,000. Her husband owes $80,000 of credit card debt.

They were married in 2014. A year after they married, they bought a house using a down payment of $300,000. The wife owned the $300,000 as her own money before they got married.

However, when they bought the house, they purchased the house as community property.

Just hold this thought here for a moment. The $300,000 down payment came from the wife as her own sole and exclusive property. So this means that they should have bought this house as the wife’s sole and separate property since the entire down payment came from her sole and separate property.

What is sole and separate property? This is money owned by the person as her or his own property before they married.

Let’s say you already have a million dollars saved up before you married your spouse. That $1 million remains your own money even after you get married, unless of course, you decide to gift some of that to your spouse during marriage.

So what happened in this case was that wife had in effect gifted the husband with a community property share on the $300,000 down payment and gifted him a community property interest in the house. I asked her why she did this. She said because of love and affection for her husband. Therefore, there is no question that she gifted the husband with the community

property in the house.

They decide to sell their community property house in December of 2017 and use the proceeds to buy another house.

This time, the house is only in the name of the wife, as her sole and separate property. In addition, the husband does a quitclaim of his community property share to his wife. So, this is a good thing for the wife because the second house is now her sole and separate property.

Now the question is can the husband file a Chapter 7 to get rid of his $80,000 of credit cards? There are some threatened lawsuits. Lawyer letters demanding payment or else face a lawsuit for collection.

Of course, the husband can file for Chapter 7, but can he file Chapter 7 right now? See, this is a timing problem. If the timing is wrong, then there will be bad consequences. Let’s say the husband files his Chapter 7 today. Well, lots of bad things can happen to the house. Why? Because in Chapter 7, the trustee has the power to sell the house if he can legally access it. In this case, they bought the second house in late 2017, about 3 years ago. Even if this house is only in the name of the wife as her sole and separate property, and even if the husband quit claims his share of the community property to her, this transfer of community property to wife only happened three years ago.

Fraudulent transfers are subject to claw back within four years after the transfer date. This means the trustee can argue that the transfer by husband to wife in 2017 was fraudulent because he can still question it as a fraudulent transfer because four years have not yet passed.

If the husband waits another year to file his Chapter 7, then the trustee arguably would lose the right to question the fact that the house is the sole and separate property of the wife because four years have lapsed since the transfer.

Of course, even now on the third year, if the husband decides to file his Chapter 7, he would still have a fighting chance against the Chapter PAGE B7

What you should know about President Biden’s immigration reform bill

ATTY. RHEA SAMSON is the principal of SAMSON LAW FIRM, P.C. She has been a member of the State Bar of California for over 15 years and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines for over 20 years. Atty. Samson received her Legal Management degree from the Ateneo de Manila University and her Juris Doctor degree from the Ateneo Law School.

She was a Professor for over 10 years, teaching Obligations and Contracts, Labor Laws and Social Legislation and Taxation Law. Atty Samson is the author of The Law on Obligations and Contracts (2016), Working with Labor Laws-Revised Edition (2014) and Working with Labor Laws (2005).

SAMSON LAW FIRM, P.C., 3580 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1710, Los Angeles, CA 90010; Phone: (213) 381-5710; Email: info@ samsonlawfirmpc.com.

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Speaking for Christ and in Christ charismatic figure who had his following. But even John the Baptist pointed to Jesus as one mightier than him--he was not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals.

Indeed, right at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, Mark’s Gospel reveals his identity and where his authority came from: After he was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan river, the Spirit, like a dove, descended upon him and a voice came from heavens, “You are my beloved Son, with you, I am well pleased.”

Friends, many of you know me as a passionate preacher who challenges worldviews and attitudes. But as a preacher, I have always been clear about my role, that is, to preach Jesus—his life, death, and resurrection; his words and actions, his truth. I have no other intention but to shake and move people’s minds and hearts and allow them to believe in Jesus and be faithful to his teachings.

My authority then comes from our Lord, Jesus Christ.

I hope that my writings and preaching are replete with the power of Jesus and come from someone with a profound love for Him and His words. Pray for

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • JANUARy 30 - fEbRUARy 2, 2021

me that I would have more courage to preach his words, for it is not easy to present Jesus in what pundits call a post-Christian world.

I agree with Bishop Joseph E. Strickland’s assessment of the state of the church and the world: “The Church, her guiding light, her leadership through the hierarchy, is more needed than it has been in many centuries. The world is not just postChristian; it’s post-God. There’s an angry resistance to truth and authority. If there is no God, then there is no authority, and no one can tell me what to do. “ Pray, not just for your priests here at Incarnation Church, but for all priests and bishops, and the Holy Father, Pope Francis.

Pray that we can all be brave to speak the Gospel’s truth and live authentic Christian lives. *** 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. *** Fr. Rodel “Odey” Balagtas is the pastor of Incarnation Church in Glendale, California.

PRESIDENT Biden announced the highlights of a plan to reform the U.S. immigration system. The anticipated bill is expected to feature a path to permanent residence and citizenship for qualifying undocumented foreign nationals and those holding Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and H-2A status, mechanisms to clear extensive green card backlogs in the employment-based and familybased programs, a streamlined process for graduates of U.S. university with advanced STEM degrees to obtain permanent residence, and an increase in Diversity Lottery Visas, among other provisions.

A clear pathway to permanent residence and US citizenship The Biden legislation is expected to provide a path for foreign nationals currently holding DACA, TPS or H-2A status to immediately apply for permanent residence if they were physically present in the United States on or before January 1, 2021. After receiving their green cards, qualifying foreign nationals could apply for citizenship after three years, provided that they meet security and background checks and demonstrate knowledge of English and U.S. civics.

Undocumented foreign nationals who were physically present in the United States on or before January 1, 2021 would be able to immediately apply for temporary legal status. After five years in temporary status, they would become eligible to apply for permanent residence if they have passed certain security and criminal checks and paid U.S. taxes. These foreign nationals could then apply for citizenship after three additional years, provided that they pass additional background checks and demonstrate knowledge of English and U.S. civics. Special provisions are also included for certain individuals who were

removed during the Trump Administration, but were physically present for at least three years prior to their removal.

Family-based immigration reforms Family-based immigrant visa backlogs would be cleared through the recapture of unused visas from prior years and the increase in per-country visa caps. A process would be put in place that would allow foreign nationals with approved familysponsored petitions to join family members in the United States while their green card applications are pending. Immigration laws would be revised to explicitly allow LGBTQ+ petitioners to sponsor family members.

Employment-based immigration reforms The bill is expected to include provisions to clear employmentbased immigrant visa backlogs, recapture unused visas, reduce lengthy permanent residence wait times and eliminate percountry immigrant visa caps. It is anticipated that these goals would be achieved in part by exempting spouses and children of green-card holders from the annual green card quota as well as Ph.D. graduates working in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. The bill includes the codification of H-4 employment authorization for spouses of H1B workers.

The bill would also create a pilot program that would stimulate regional economic development, give DHS the authority to adjust green cards based on macroeconomic conditions, and incentivize higher wages for nonimmigrant, high-skilled visas. The Departments of Homeland Security and Labor would be required to make recommendations for improving the employment eligibility verification process and providing protections to foreign workers affected by labor violations.

Other provisions in the Bill includes an increase in the annual number of green cards available under the Diversity Lottery Visa Program from 55,000 to 80,000.

The three- and ten-year bars for individuals who have been unlawfully present in the United States would be eliminated. This would eliminate the need to request for provisional waiver of the unlawful presence specially

for those who were not inspected when they entered the US or those who entered as a crew member.

The president would be barred from discriminating based on religion in issuing immigration bans. Immigration enforcement would be enhanced through smart technologies.

Funding would be allocated for an inter-agency plan that would address the underlying causes of migration in the Central American region, including an increase in assistance to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, conditioned on their ability to reduce the corruption, violence and poverty that causes their citizens to flee. Humanitarian program reforms would be implemented, including an elimination of the one-year deadline for filing an asylum claim and an increase in the U visa cap from 10,000 to 30,000.

Many of these provisions may change as the bill works its way through congress. However with the Democrats in control of Congress, the future of immigration in the US looks brighter under the new Biden administration. *** Please note that this article is not legal advice and is not intended as legal advice. The article is intended to provide only general, non-specific legal information. This article is not intended to cover all the issues related to the topic discussed. The specific facts that apply to your matter may make the outcome different than would be anticipated by you. This article does create any attorney client relationship between you and the Law Offices of Kenneth U. Reyes, P.C. This article is not a solicitation. *** Attorney Kenneth Ursua Reyes was President of the Philippine American Bar Association. He is a member of both the Family law section and Immigration law section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He is a graduate of Southwestern University Law School in Los Angeles and California State University, San Bernardino School of Business Administration. He has extensive CPA experience prior to law practice. LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, APLC is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 747, Los Angeles, CA, 90010.

Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail kenneth@ k e n r e y e s l a w. c o m . V i s i t u s a t kenreyeslaw.com.

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B6 january 30 - FEBruary 2, 2021 • La WEEKEnD aSIan jOurnaL

EMPLOYMENT

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EMPLOYMENT

ANNOUNCEMENT Northpointe Apartments Waitlist Opening – 1, 2 and 3 Bedroom Apartments Northpointe apartments in Long Beach, CA, will begin accepting preliminary applications for the 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments. Resident rents are subsidized by the U.S Department of HUD. Some apartments may facilitate the physically impaired.

To have your name placed on the 1, 2 or 3 bedroom pre-application waiting list, please complete the coupon below and mail directly to: Northpointe Apartments 5441 N. Paramount Blvd.

Long Beach, CA 90805 • The coupon must be sent via regular mail only.

• No coupon will be accepted by telephone, fax, hand delivery, certified/registered mail, Federal Express, UPS or other Express Mail option.

• The waiting list will remain open until further notice.

• Northpointe Apartments is not responsible for coupons lost in the mail.

Housing is available to all without regard to race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Please clip the attached coupon and mail to the address indicated above.

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B7 january 30 - FEBruary 2, 2021 • La WEEKEnD aSIan jOurnaL

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Can I get a green card if I had a previous marriage petition denied based on fraud?

DEAR Attorney Tan, I recently married a U.S. Citizen, who is my second husband.

He has filed an immigrant visa petition and green card application for me. My husband recently received from USCIS a Notice of Intent to Deny the petition that he filed on my behalf. The Notice indicated that the immigrant visa petition could not be approved since the USCIS had determined that I previously entered into a fraudulent marriage to get a green card several years ago.

My ex-husband previously filed an immigrant petition on my behalf several years ago, which was denied since USCIS determined that I only married him to get a green card. My second husband and I truly love each other. What are my options?

— In Love but Out of Status Dear In Love but Out of Status, Under INA Section 204(c), a person who “attempted or conspired to enter into a marriage” in order to receive permanent resident status in the U.S. is prohibited from obtaining USCIS approval of an immigrant visa petition. Simply stated, Section 204(c) prohibits approval of any immigrant visa petition if there has been a finding of “marriage fraud” in a prior marriage-based petition.

Based on the above law, your case seems at first glance like an “open-and-shut” case in favor of denial. However, you still have hope of getting a green card—a person can apply for

Legal Advice Atty. DArrick tAn and get his immigrant petition approved despite the prior finding of “marriage fraud” under certain circumstances.

You may ask, how is this possible? Isn’t Section 204(c) straightforward? Not quite. The answer lies in the fact that USCIS must independently examine the prior finding of “marriage fraud” in considering the subsequently filed immigrant visa petition.

Before invoking the Sec. 204(c) bar to approval of a subsequent visa petition, USCIS must make an independent determination of fraud based upon the record, including but not limited to any evidence gathered during adjudication of the prior visa petition, but may not parrot or rely on the conclusions made by other adjudicators. USCIS must have “substantial and probative” evidence of “marriage fraud.” Matter of Tawfik, 20 I. & N. Dec. 166, 168.

The determination is to be made by the USCIS district director while adjudicating the subsequent visa petition. Matter of Samsen, 15 I. & N. Dec. 28, 1974 WL 29995 (B.I.A. 1974).

The district director should not give conclusive effect to the determinations made in the prior proceedings, but should reach

his own independent conclusion based on the evidence actually before him. Matter of F-, 9 I. & N. Dec. 684 (BIA 1962).

Therefore, in cases such as yours in which the USCIS has indicated it intends to deny the subsequent immigrant visa petition due to the prior finding of “marriage fraud,” new evidence can be submitted that demonstrates that the prior finding of “marriage fraud” was incorrect—i.e., evidence that shows that the prior marriage petition was based on a bona fide marriage, or that explains that the prior denial was based on an incomplete or inaccurate assessment of the facts. In cases in which the subsequent immigrant visa petition has already been denied, this new evidence should be submitted as part of a motion to reconsider. I recommend that you seek an experienced attorney to assist you in properly presenting the law and facts to the USCIS adjudicator to address the Section 204(c) bar. *** Darrick V. Tan, Esq. is admitted to practice law in California and Nevada. Mr. Tan is a graduate of UCLA and Southwestern University School of Law. He is a member of the Consumers Attorney Association of Los Angeles and is a former member of the Board of Governors of the Philippine American Bar Association. LAW OFFICES OF DARRICK V. TAN, 3580 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 900, Los Angeles, CA 90010. Tel: 323-639-0277. Email: info@dtanlaw. com (Advertising Supplement)

Is there a right time to file...

PAGE B5 7 trustee who tries to force the sale of the house by arguing that the same love and affection that caused his wife to give him a community property interest in the first house is his cause for giving back his community property interest to his wife in the purchase of the second house. How would the judge look at this argument?

Who knows? But if the husband waits another year to file his

EMPLOYMENT

Chapter 7 case, then the odds are very good that most trustees and most judges would consider that a valid and legitimate transfer, after all, it’s been four years and the statute of limitations to question the transfer has lapsed.

If you have too much debt and need relief, please set an appointment to see me. I will analyze your case personally. *** DISCLAIMER: NONE OF THE FOREGOING

IS CONSIDERED LEGAL ADVICE. EACH CASE IS DIFFERENT. *** Lawrence Bautista Yang specializes in Bankruptcy, Business, Real Estate and Civil Litigation and has successfully represented more than five thousand clients in California. Please call Angie, Barbara or Jess at (626) 284-1142 for an appointment at 20274 Carrey Road, Walnut, CA 91789 or 1000 S. Fremont Ave., Mailstop 58, Building A-10 South, Suite 10042, Alhambra, CA 91803.

(Advertising Supplement)

EMPLOYMENT

REAL ESTATE

PSYCHIC

FOR RENT

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What to do if you’re furloughed, laid-off or terminated Protecting Employee & Consumer Rights Atty. C. Joe SAyAS, Jr. Q: During the Stay-atHome order in California, my employer has sent me home on a “work furlough” without pay because i am not an essential worker. it has been more than a month and i still have not been asked to go back to work. is a work furlough a termination? What are my rights?

A: Workers who lost their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic, may have lost them temporarily or permanently. Some companies have placed employees on a work furlough. Others have done layoffs. Still others have closed shop entirely and terminated their workers.

A work furlough is “a temporary layoff from work.”

Furloughed employees are expected to return to their jobs. They are generally not paid their wages for the duration of the furlough, but may continue to have their health insurance, or other benefits.

A furlough ends when the

employer tells the employee to report back to work.

A layoff is a discharge, where the employer dismisses the employee from employment due to reasons other than the employee’s job performance. Layoffs generally occur when the business is not doing well and causes the employer to cut down on its staff. Where a business permanently closes, a mass layoff occurs.

A termination generally refers to the employer’s discharge of an employee, with or without cause (for example, the termination may be due to employee performance). This contrasts with a voluntary discharge, which is often called a resignation.

By its nature, a termination is a permanent separation from employment.

Are all wages paid?

Whether furloughed, laidoff, or terminated, or even upon resignation, the employee is entitled to receive payment of all wages due at the time the employment ends. The following questions should then be asked: 1. Has the employer paid the employee for all work performed beyond 8 hours per day or 40 hours per week?

2. Has the employer paid the employee premium wage

penalties for missed meal and rest breaks?

3. If the employee was eligible for vacation, has the employer paid unused vacation time? (Note: “Use it or lose it” vacation pay policies are illegal.)

4. If commissions are due, has the right amount been determined?

5. Were all deductions on wages proper?

6. Are there expenses that have to be reimbursed to the employee?

7. Does the employer have a policy or practice of paying separation pay?

Should employees sign a release?

Employers are prohibited from requiring employees to sign a release of the employee’s right to any wages due, unless those wages have been paid. Some employers hold their employee’s final paycheck “hostage” until the employee signs a release or other document. This conduct is prohibited by law.

Many employees lose valuable rights when they sign a release. For this reason, if asked to sign documents, employees should ask for time to review the documents more carefully, or have an opportunity to consult with an attorney.

If an employer willfully

fails to promptly pay all wages due after termination, the employee’s wages continue as a “waiting time penalty” until paid, for up to 30 calendar days. Thus, for an employee who works 8 hours a day at $20 per hour, the employer may be held liable to pay up to $4,800 in waiting time penalty.

If an employee thinks that his or her rights have been violated prior to, during, and even after a (temporary or permanent) separation from employment, it would be smart for that employee to consult with a knowledgeable and experienced employment attorney to protect his or her rights. *** The Law Offices of C. Joe Sayas, Jr. welcomes inquiries about this topic. All inquiries are confidential and at no-cost. You can contact the office at (818) 291-0088 or visit www.joesayaslaw.com. [C. Joe Sayas, Jr., Esq. is an experienced trial attorney who has successfully recovered wages and other monetary damages for thousands of employees and consumers. He was named Top Labor & Employment Attorney in California by the Daily Journal, consistently selected as Super Lawyer by the Los Angeles Magazine, and is a past Presidential Awardee for Outstanding Filipino Overseas.]

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Ara Mina, Rosanna Roces, Maui Taylor and Alma Moreno are back together in a Viva sexy comedy to tickle your funny bone.

Photo courtesy of Viva Films

Reunion of yesteryear’s sexy princesses

By Ricky Lo Philstar.com

ONCE upon a time, there was Alma Moreno, followed on the hot trail by (in this order) Rosanna Roces, Ara Mina and Maui Taylor.

Remember how they set the silver screen on fire with a wiggle to the left, a jiggle to the right? Them were the days when the showbiz thrust was to sizzle and for the creators of what was fancily touted as “ST” (Sex Trip) to hustle their way to the bank with bagfuls of moola.

After going their separate ways, the sex princesses have regrouped in the Viva Films sex-comedy Paglaki Ko, Gusto Ko Maging Pornstar in which they are referred to as the “Four Relevant Women of Philippine Sex Cinema,” tasked to teach three beautiful young girls (Rose Van Ginkel, Ana Jalandoni and AJ Raval) the art of seduction.

Written and directed by Darryl Yap (Jowable, Sakristan), the movie will be shown exclusively on Vivamax on Friday, Jan. 29 (download, register and subscribe to Vivamax and for only P149, watch it along with hundreds of entertainment content from Viva. Check www. vivamax.net).

It’s a reunion movie. Ara and Maui were together in Ang Huling Birhen sa Lupa (2003) and with Rosanna in Curacha Ang Babaing Walang Pahinga (1998), and it’s their first time to work with Alma (the Tangga Queen of her own Loveli-NESS TV show).

Listen to how they were then...

Have you ever experienced sexual harassment and how did you deal with it?

Alma: Sa awa ng Diyos, wala naman. In the many years I’ve been in showbiz, never akong nabastos o na-tsansingan because I am different on screen and off screen. Pasexy sa movie or show but formal and decent in real life.

Rosanna: None. Everybody that I’ve worked with were professional.

Ara: So far, none. When I go out, I make it a point to wear jeans and polo to let people know that what they see on the screen is different from what they see in person. Off screen, balot na balot ako.

Maui: Yes. During a show in Tanay, Rizal, sometime in 2003, a man touched my private part. I was with my PA (production assistant) and my mom. I was frozen in fear.

My mom hit the man with a bottle of water.

Was there a time that your leading man got carried away during a shoot and how did you calm

him down?

Alma: Wala rin. I’m thankful that all my leading men were respectful, sobra ang respeto nila sa akin.

Rosanna: Yes, there were such incidents. But let’s not name names because that happened a long time ago.

Ara: None. Mababait naman ang mga leading men ko.

Maui: None. Work is just work for me. Nothing personal.

What was the boldest (most daring) movie that you have done?

Alma: Bomba Star. ‘Yon yung movie na nakahubad ako pero nakadapa naman ako and the scene was shot from the top, long shot, so my body was not really exposed. In Lumakad Kang Hubad sa Mundong ibabaw, my (naked) body was covered with mud kaya wala rin naman nakita. In my other movies, wet look and sexy lang.

Rosanna: Curacha Ang Babaing Walang Pahinga. There was a live-show scene with an audience.

I did all sorts of “positions” at nag“frontal” pa ako.

Ara: Ang Huling Birhen sa Lupa for which I won three Best Actress awards.

Maui: The Taste of Money which was shot entirely in Korea for four months. It was Korea’s entry in the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.

What will you advise a young girl who aspires to be a sexy star?

Alma: Tandaan niya ‘yung salitang RESPECT... respeto sa sarili, respeto sa mga katrabaho, sa costars, sa staff at sa crew. And always keep your feet on the ground.

Huwag lalaki ang ulo kapag successful na. That’s all, thank you!

Rosanna: Magbaon ng lakas ng loob at extra kapal ng mukha.

Don’t project pa-sweet image once you enter the sex genre otherwise people will look down on you, those inside showbiz and outside of it. Kailangan tapatan mo rin ng katarayan ang mga ibabato sa’yo at maririnig mo. Or else, you will be discouraged and all your effort will amount to nothing.

Ara: Exude full confidence, be decisive, and be patient for the right time to happen. Your decision must be your own since ‘yon ang ginusto mo and not because you are pushed into it.

Maui: Learn how to accept criticisms and take them with a constructive attitude. Stay humble and keep your feet on the ground.

That piece of advice applies to all aspirants and not only to those who want to be sexy stars. Respect senior stars and your co-stars.

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