Pres. Marcos...

PAGE 1 gun epidemic in the United States.

According to Gun Violence Archive, there have been 40 mass shootings in the U.S. in 2023: more than there have been days in the year so far. (The organization categorizes a mass shooting as an event where three or more people are shot.)

Statistically, the United States dominates the world in the number of gun-related deaths and homicides. In 2020, those in the U.S. were responsible for 79% of gun-related killings; that same year, Canada was responsible for 37%, Australia for 13%, and the United Kington for 4%, according to data from the U.S. CDC, UK House of Commons, Statistics Canada, and the Australian Institute of Criminology.

Gun ownership is also significantly higher in the U.S. than in any other country, with an estimated 120.5 firearms per 100 residents — this is up from 88 per 100 in 2011, according to a Small Arms Survey.

“Only in America do we see this kind of carnage, this kind of chaos, this kind of disruption of communities and lives,” California Governor Gavin Newsom said last week.

According to AAPI Victory Alliance Executive Director Varun Nikore, 70% of Asian Americans support stronger gun control legislation but noted that interest in gun ownership among AAPIs, along with the U.S. population in general, has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Like the many mass shootings that reach national and international attention, urgency toward stronger legislation that makes it harder for the wrong people to get guns occurred almost immediately in the aftermath of the Monterey Park shooting.

“No one policy will solve this issue, but an assault weapons ban will dramatically reduce these mass shootings,” said Po Murray, co-founder and chairwoman of gun control group Newtown Action Alliance and Newtown Action Alliance Foundation.

Murray also stressed the importance of stronger restrictions and practices in purchasing firearms in general. Currently, lawmakers in the U.S. Congress are pushing for safer storage solutions for firearms and permit requirements to purchase guns.

In addition to gun control legislation, Asian American community leaders also believe that mental health should a priority and that counseling services for Asian immigrants should be more accessible.

A Stanford University panel in 2022 stated that in one study, less than 9% of Asian Americans sought mental health services or intervention over one year compared to 18% of the entire U.S. population.

It’s unconfirmed whether either the Monterey Park or Half Moon Bay shooter was diagnosed with a mental disorder, but mental health is a usual suspect in mass shooting investigations.

Dr. Brett Sevilla, a Filipino American medical director at the Los Angelesbased Asian Pacific Counseling and Treatment Centers (APCTC), told Ethnic Media Services that elderly Asian immigrants are not as likely to prioritize mental health counseling as a solution.

“Plenty of elderly Asian immigrants have unserved psycho-social support needs, but there is an intense stigma related to mental illness,” Sevilla said, noting that the collectivist thinking of many AAPI families can make one person’s struggle a reflection of the entire family. “Most families will try to contain it within the family or may reach out to clergy. A psychiatrist is very low down the list.”

According to Dr. Sheila Wu, director of APCTC, it’s common for elderly Asians, especially men, to portray themselves as strong and silent, which often belies what’s really going on mentally.

“In our culture, a man in his 60s is a father figure, who does not become vulnerable, share his feelings, or say he needs things. He would feel a lot of shame if he did,” Wu said.

The investigations into both shootings are ongoing. (By Klarize Medenilla/ AJPress) as laid out in the plan through partnerships and cooperation with your respective governments and also your business sectors,” he said in his toast remarks during the Vin d’Honneur in Malacañang, as quoted by the Presidential Communications Office (PCO).

“Let us discuss opportunities where our countries can participate,” Marcos added.

The president said postCOVID realities demand recalibrating strategies and focusing on urgent concerns that would really matter to the people – food security, job generation, poverty reduction, and managing inflation.

These strategies, he said, would entail “new thinking” in doing things under a bureaucracy that puts a premium on operational efficiency, sound fiscal management, and good governance.

According to Marcos, a big part of this strategy is drawing investments in key economic sectors, including agriculture, renewable energy, and infrastructure, and ensuring that opportunities and investment leads and pledges translate into actual projects.

He also expressed high hopes for the Philippines’ continued positive economic showing, which, he said, would cushion the shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy.

He touted the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), which stood at 7.7% in the third quarter of 2022, which is way better than the 5.7% growth in the same period in 2021.

The full-year GDP growth for 2022 was at 7.6% — the highest in 46 years.

“Our growth assumptions remain reasonably ambitious. We are looking to the same growth rate– that of 2022 and between 6 to 7 percent for this year,” Marcos said. Tax collections and investments figures are also moving upwards, he said.

“With the current growth momentum, the Philippines is poised to reach upper middle-income status very soon,” he noted.

Aside from addressing domestic issues, Marcos said his administration would continue to attach great importance to the nation’s external relations, with its foreign policy geared towards actively pursuing international engagements while maintaining the country’s national interest.

He said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) continues to be a cornerstone of Philippine foreign policy, adding that his administration’s aim is to elevate relations with the country’s bilateral and multilateral partners.

The Philippines, Marcos said, will continue to work with its partners in building a stronger United Nations as it is a staunch champion of multilateralism.

The Vin d’Honneur is an official reception hosted by the president of the Philippines at Malacañang Palace, traditionally on New Year’s Day.

The Vin d’Honneur” — literally, “wine of honor” — follows a French practice that takes place at the end of inaugurations, speeches, and ceremonies. g