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FEBRUARY 5-11, 2021 Volume 14 - No. 14 • 16 Pages

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Biden signs executive order eliminating DATELINE USA Fil-Am LAPD officer Trump-era barriers to legal immigration FRom The AJPReSS NEWS TEAM AcroSS AMEricA

dies of COVID-19

by Klarize

Medenilla 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.

UNITeD States President Joe Biden signed a trio of executive orders on Tuesday, Feb. 2 that aim to undo former President Donald

Trump’s hard-line immigration policies, including addressing family separation at the U.S.-mexico border, reforming the asylum program and reviewing the “barriers” that the Trump administration placed around legal immigration.

“We are going to work to undo the moral and national shame of the previous administration that literally, not figuratively, ripped children from the arms of families,” Biden said on Tuesday as he signed the orders in

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Report: Filipinos remain the most active internet, social media users globally FoR the sixth consecutive year, the Philippines is hailed as the global leader in time spent using social media according to a new report.

Filipinos spend an average of 4 hours and 15 minutes each day on social media, according to the latest Digital 2021 report released on Tuesday, January 27 by hootsuite and We Are Social.

This is 22 minutes higher than the

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Guyam Island, Siargao Photo from Instagram/@madamjoycing

POLIO VAX. A health worker administers to a child an oral polio vaccine as part of the government’s free vaccination program at the barangay hall in Barangay Salitran 3, City of Dasmarinas, Cavite on Wednesday, February 3. The Department of Health, together with the local government units of the province of Cavite, launched the Phase 2 of the Measles-Rubella and Oral Polio Vaccine Supplemental Immunization Activity from February 1 to Feb. 28, 2021.

PNA photo by Gil Calinga

PH lauds United States for NJ loosens COVID-19 restrictions, rejoining Paris climate deal lifts curfew for restaurants by ritchel

Mendiola

AJPress

The Philippine Department of Finance has welcomed the United States’ decision to rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement.

Reentering the international treaty on climate change was one of U.S. President Joe Biden’s first moves upon taking office in January.

“This is a welcome development that comes on the heels of President Rodrigo Duterte’s repeated call on all nations to act on the climate crisis with urgency as one united community under the Paris Agreement,” Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said Friday, January 29.

“Now, more than ever, we need to ensure the mobilization of finance flows towards the adaptation needs

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by MoMar

G. Visaya

AJPress

Gov. Phil murphy announced on Wednesday, Feb. 3 an executive order that relaxes indoor dining restrictions in the state. murphy lifted the 10 p.m. indoor dining ban that has been in place since November and announced that due to statewide case totals

Stakeholders begin rebuilding PH tourism industry in 2021 Foreign visitors drop to 84% in 2020 due to travel restrictions

by MoMar

G. Visaya

AJPress

and hospitalizations trending downward in the past three weeks, indoor dining capacity is expanded to 35 percent. he added that counties and municipalities can still enact their own curfew after 8 p.m. if they so choose.

The executive order will go into effect Friday, Feb. 5.

PhILIPPINe tourism stakeholders believe that this year is crucial in rebuilding the country’s tourism industry battered by the global pandemic that hit in 2020.

“I believe 2021 is a major transition year for all of us,” Tourism Promotions Board Chief operating officer Anthonette velasco Allones said at the Kapihan sa New York online dialogue with the Fil Am Press Club of New York on Thursday, Jan. 27.

Revenue lost from international tourism in 2020 was P400 billion, Department of Tourism and TPB officials estimate, with

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FEBRUARY 5-11, 2021 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (212) 655-5426

From the Front Page

Duterte: Economy in bad shape, New figures show how deadly COVID-19 sinking deeper and deeper is for Blacks, Hispanics, Asians in NJ by alexis

RomeRo Philstar.com

MANILA — The Philippine economy is in “bad shape” because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the government is doing its best to keep things afloat, President Duterte said during a pre-recorded public address on Monday, February 1.

The President said the country is losing P2 billion per day because of the pandemic, an amount he said would have gone to workers’ paychecks if economic activities were not disrupted.

“So we are sinking deeper and deeper, but we are not alone. Everyone is experiencing it. But we are trying our very best to keep us afloat,” the President said “Our economy, my countrymen, is really in bad condition. Imagine, how many people do not have work?

by Colleen

o’Dea

NJ Spotlight

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte

The economy of the Philippines is really – in bad shape. But as I have said, it is not only the Philippines who suffer. We, in the world, are suffering with everybody,” he added.

Duterte maintained that the Philippine economy was doing fine until the COVID-19 crisis came and

Malacañang photo by Richard Madelo

constrained state revenues.

And despite the economic slowdown, Duterte said Filipinos should not overemphasize hardships. He likewise assured the public that government officials are continuously working to acquire COVID-19 vaccines.

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NEW state health data provides more proof of the devastating and disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on New Jersey’s minority communities: The disease was the No. 1 cause of death for Blacks, Hispanics and Asians last year.

Preliminary New Jersey State Health Assessment Data for deaths in 2020 made available on Monday shows COVID-19 surpassed heart disease for Blacks, Hispanics and Asians. It was the third-largest cause of death among non-Hispanic whites, with heart disease remaining the dominant one, followed by cancer, for that racial group. State officials continue to update death data, which is derived from the causes listed on death certificates of New Jersey residents regardless of where they died, for a year or longer so some of the numbers could change.

It is particularly striking that the disease caused by the novel coronavirus jumped into the top spot given that the first COVID19 death was not confirmed until almost a quarter of the way through 2020 — on March 10, 2020.

But doctors and health officials said the data is not surprising.

Most vulnerable suffer most “What we know about pandemics and epidemics is that often the most vulnerable in our society experience the worst health outcomes in relation to the disease,” said Perry N. Halkitis, dean of the Rutgers University School of Public Health.

“COVID-19 has laid bare the vulnerabilities we knew Black, brown and Asian communities already have in our health care system,” agreed Dr. Kennedy Ganti, president-elect of the Medical Society of New Jersey who practices in Willingboro. “There are access to care challenges, social determinants of health challenges.”

Health officials have noted the disparate impact the virus was having on Black and brown communities,

in particular, since early in the pandemic. The state’s COVID-19 information portal breaks out cases, hospitalizations and deaths by race. The state health commissioner typically relates some of this information during her briefings on the pandemic. But the fact that the disease was responsible for more deaths than other typical causes for Blacks, Hispanics and Asians puts that into sharper perspective.

“Since the beginning of the pandemic, the (Murphy) Administration has been focused on bringing resources to underserved communities because we recognize that the same long-standing inequities that have contributed to health disparities affecting racial and ethnic groups have also put them at increased risk for COVID19,” said Dawn Thomas, a state Department of Health spokeswoman.

The state data shows that COVID-19 claimed 2,466 Black lives last year, with that number rising to 2,720 when related conditions, including unspecified coronavirus, flu and pneumonia, are added in.

Heart diseases were responsible for 2,439 deaths.

COVID-19 and related causes made up 20% of all deaths. COVID-19 and related causes killed more than 1,000 Asians and were responsible for more than a quarter of all deaths. For Hispanics, COVID-19 and related causes accounted for the largest percentage of all groups, with slightly more than a third of all those who passed dying from those illnesses. COVID-19 took 3,427, while COVID and related diseases were responsible for 3,654 deaths. More than twice the number who died from heart diseases, 1,454, succumbed to COVID-19.

By contrast, about 15% of deaths among whites last year were due to COVID-19 and related illnesses. Heart diseases were responsible for 22% of deaths, while 17% of deaths were from cancer.

“Look at the impressions we have of the number of individuals who were Hispanic and African Ameri-

can, who are more likely to be infected and then they’re more likely to have more severe disease and on top of everything else they are more likely to have bad outcomes from a whole variety of illnesses,” said Dr. Robert Johnson, dean of the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and interim dean of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. One of the things that is important about the social determinants of health is all of these factors that are likely to adversely affect minority populations lead to increased death rates.”

Why more people of color die Halkitis said there are a host of reasons why the illness is killing more people of color. Blacks and Latinx people tend to be of lower socioeconomic status due to structural inequities in society and they more often hold lower-paying frontline essential-worker jobs that put them at greater risk of getting COVID-19. They often live in more crowded conditions, which also puts them at greater risk. Blacks and Hispanics tend to have less access than whites to high-quality health care and they hold a greater mistrust of medical professionals based on culture and history, which means they may be less likely to follow public health messaging.

“All of those things taken together place them at risk for both acquiring and dying from COVID-19,” he said.

Additionally, the crackdown on undocumented immigrants during the Trump administration may also have made some Hispanics less likely to seek medical care once they became sick, Halkitis added.

“It’s a sad choice you have to make: Take care of your health or be arrested by ICE,” he said, referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “That’s what people were confronted with in the last few years. They chose to take the risk with their health because they didn’t want to be deported away from their families.”

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NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 5-11, 2021

ATTY. GURFINKEL FPFC

FEBRUARY 5-11, 2021 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL

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Fil-Am LAPD officer dies of COVID-19... Biden admin appoints Fil-Ams to key...

PAGE 1 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 reporters 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) n

PH lauds United States for...

PAGE 1 of our most vulnerable communities. We need such action to be faster and on a greater scale. And we need it to bring about effective solutions on the ground across the globe,” he added.

Dominguez underscored the need for efforts focusing on the mobilization of the $100-billion annual funding target enshrined in the Paris Agreement for the adaptation and mitigation needs of developing countries.

To ensure climate justice, he said that “developed

countries must deliver on their commitments under the Paris Agreement, including support for developing economies, leading to low-carbon and sustainable development.”

“The COVID-19 pandemic is a stark reminder that health, economic stability, and nature are intertwined.

It has shown to us the domino effect that is triggered when one element in this interconnected system is overturned,” Dominguez said.

However, the finance official acknowledged that the

response to the pandemic demonstrated the remarkable capacity of human society to put the emergency brake on the “business-asusual” mindset.

“It showed that we can act as one and radically change our ways and our systems to fight the scourge of a deadly virus for the greater good of all,” Dominguez said.

He added, “The same unity, resolve and sense of urgency should be applied in combating the climate emergency and pursuing low-carbon and sustainable development.” n

PAGE 1 the Oval Office.

Historically, legal immigration in the U.S. has been characterized by extreme backlogs of cases in immigration courts, painstaking and rigorous qualification tests (like the controversial “public charge” rule enforced by the Trump administration) and a general tediousness and slowness.

For many naturalized immigrants, it takes decades from the time of application to becoming citizens.

Biden’s executive order directs government agencies to undergo a “top-tobottom review of recent regulations, policies and guidance that have set up barriers to our legal immigration system,” including reviewing the public charge rule, which imposed a series of economic litmus tests that prevented many low-income immigrants from obtaining a green card or permanent residency.

Regarding the famously lengthy naturalization process, the executive order details that within the 60 days of the order’s signing, the administration will “substantially reduce current naturalization processing times” and “make the naturalization process more accessible to all eligible individuals.”

The other two orders that Biden signed on Tuesday included creating a task force that will reunite families separated at the U.S.Mexico border and laying out a framework to reform the U.S.’s asylum policy, two issues that most explicitly manifested Trump’s immigration philosophy.

Regarding the issue of

NJ loosens COVID-19 restrictions, lifts curfew for...

PAGE 1 “We are able to take this step today because the data says we can,” Murphy said.

“I feel confident in signing this order because of the recent trends in our hospitals and our rate of transmission. We believe that we can make this expansion without leading to undue further stress on our health care system.”

In a joint statement, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop and Hoboken Mayor Ravinder Bhalla said, “Based on guidance provided by Governor Murphy and the State of New Jersey, we

have made the joint decision to allow bars and restaurants to operate during normal, regular business hours without a local curfew. Businesses must continue to follow the capacity restrictions and social distancing requirements put forward by the state.

They mayors added that they will be monitoring businesses to make sure safety precautions remain in place.

“This time around, we believe that a coordinated regional approach is the best way to implement safety measures, when nec-

essary. Our public safety officers and City staff will be aggressively monitoring all bars and restaurants during overnight hours to ensure COVID-19 safety precautions are being taken at all times,” their statement read.

If not followed, any bar or restaurant will be subject to immediate penalties, including but not limited to closure.

Indoor entertainment and amusement and recreation facilities - including gyms, casinos and personal care businesses across the state can also expand their

indoor capacity limits.

As of Wednesday, 837,225 vaccinations have been administered across the state - 691,229 first doses and 145,979 second doses.

New Jersey’s six mass vaccination sites reopened on Wednesday after appointments had to be rescheduled Monday and Tuesday due to the snow storm.

The state death toll stands at 19,506 and the current rate of transmission is .95, which means that a person with COVID-19 is not likely to infect multiple people with the virus. n

family separation, Biden’s order sets up a task force to reunite parents and children who were separated by border officials at the southern border, a key election promise. But currently, more than 600 children remain separated from their parents (according to a recent court filing related to family separation), a challenge as immigration officials struggle to navigate these dramatic shifts in policy during a global pandemic. (Reuters reported that children are either living with relatives or are in the foster care system.)

Tuesday’s orders are a follow up to the first batch of executive actions on immigration that Biden signed on his first day in office, as previously reported in the Asian Journal. Those directives included the so-called Muslim ban, construction on the southern border all and providing further protections for undocumented immigrants enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

Though the White House has marketed Biden’s early executive directives as a win after four years of stringent immigration policies, immigration advocates have urged the new administration to act quickly to ensure that the most vulnerable communities of undocumented immigrants are protected.

A large portion of the orders signed on Tuesday (and during the first batch of executive orders last week) were promises to review existing immigration policy and didn’t involve immediate action. The public charge rule is still in place and Biden has not addressed the controversial order known as “Title 42” — a measure issued under Trump that allows immigration officials to expel almost all individuals caught illegally crossing the border during the coronavirus pandemic.

But the White House has stated that it will take the new administration time to examine the extensive immigration restriction introduced by Trump.

“It’s not going to happen overnight,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Tuesday.

Biden’s early efforts to scrutinize, reverse and largely overhaul Trump’s immigration policies follow the majority shift in Congress

that Democrats now lead, signaling a clearer landing for progressive, pro-immigrant policy.

“We’ve just gotten through four years of chaos and cruelty brought to you by the Trump administration. They weaponized an already miserable and dysfunctional immigration system, and [now] we have a president and a slim majority in Congress of Democrats who have become more pro-immigrant,” Frank Sharry, founder and executive director of the immigration reform organization America’s Voice, said in a press briefing on Friday, Jan. 29.

Sharry briefly outlined three broad goals of the Biden administration regarding immigration: remove the “cruelty” that colored the Trump administration’s immigration approach, “build” a “fair, humane, functional immigration system,” and enact “transformative” laws that will kickstart a pathway to citizenship for “millions of undocumented” individuals.

Although discussion and debate over immigration are usually centered around immigrants from Central and Latin America, about 40% of immigrants coming to the U.S. hail from the Asian continent, according to current patterns of migration, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC Executive Director John C. Yang said at Friday’s briefing.

Yang praised the president’s first batch of immigration-related executive orders which he believes are the first steps in the right direction for the approximately 1.7 million undocumented Asian immigrants living in the U.S. currently. Specifically, Yang applauded the addition of green cards to clear the backlog of employment-based visas (like H-1B visas).

Most crucially, however, Yang celebrated what he described as a new beginning of immigration policy in America, but noted that it will take time for some Americans to adjust to the changing national narrative concerning immigrants.

“The starting point for all of us is that America is still an inclusive America and this fear of the ‘browning’ of America does exist, but it is in a small segment of the American population, and with that small segment, we must find a way to talk to them,” Yang said. n

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NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 5-11, 2021

Features

OpiniOn

A weapon vs money laundering BEATING the deadline, President Duterte signed into law on Jan. 29 Republic Act 11521, broadening the scope of RA 9160 – the original Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2001. Failure to enact the amendments to RA 9160 by Feb. 1 would have landed the Philippines on the so-called gray list of the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force or FATF, which could have made it more difficult to do business in the country and remit earnings of Filipinos working overseas.

Persons or entities covered by the two laws now include Philippine offshore gaming operators and POGO service providers as well as real estate developers and brokers. The covered offenses now include financing of terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, tax evasion involving deficiencies above P25 million and casino cash transactions above P5 million.

Terrorist offenses are defined under RA 11479, the controversial Anti-Terrorism

Philstar.com photo

Act that was signed into law in July last year. As allowed under this law, the Anti-Terrorism Council has started identifying groups classified as terrorist organizations, whose assets can be frozen and scrutinized by the Anti-Money Laundering Council or AMLC, and seized by the state. The groups include Islamist extremists operating mostly in Mindanao as well as the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing the New People’s Army.

The broader powers given to the AMLC, particularly in running after large-scale tax evasion, should give more teeth to the campaign against plunderers in government, jueteng lords, smugglers, drug traffickers and tax-evading POGOs. At the same time, care is required in applying the law against groups identified by the government as communist rebel front organizations, especially in the light of the recent “unpardonable gaffe” committed by the military in red-tagging certain alumni of the University of the Philippines.

Editorial

The Fil-Am Perspective Gel SantoS-ReloS THE United States of America is back, reclaiming leadership in combatting and beating threats to the lives of the people and the planet.

The coronavirus pandemic is the most urgent and fatal health emergency that has been the leading cause of death and disrupting the lives of people and the economy of nations for more than a year now.

In complying with the FATF requirement, the AMLC has been handed a powerful weapon to curb money laundering.

The weapon must be wielded to the fullest while exercising utmost prudence. (Philstar.com)

Biden-Harris national strategy to beat COVID-19: What we need to know

To defeat this invisible enemy that has taken the lives of more than 442,000 Americans and counting is top priority for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Barely two weeks since he was sworn into office, Biden and his administration have been acting swiftly and aggressively “to help protect and support our families, small businesses, first responders, and caregivers essential to help us face this challenge,

those who are most vulnerable to health and economic impacts, and our broader communities — not to blame others or bail out corporations.”

For the first time in this war against the pandemic, the United States has a national strategy to defeat COVID-19, guided by the following principles and commitment that had been absent from the previous federal leadership during the most critical time

when the spread of the virus could have been mitigated. It did not have to be this bad in America. But it is never too late.

The Biden-Harris administration commits to always: “Listen to science; Ensure public health decisions are informed by public health professionals; and Promote trust, transparency, common purpose, and accountability in our government.”

The national strategy to

beat COVID-19 is guided by the principle and goal of EQUALITY, which means each individual or group of people is given the same resources or opportunities.

Recognizing that each person has different circumstances demands that there be equity, the Milken Institute of Public Health says, “and allocates the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome.”

The U.S. Centers for Dis-

ease Control and Prevention (CDC) there is health equity “when everyone has the opportunity to be as healthy as possible.” Theefore, “equity is a process and equality is an outcome of that process.”

Therefore to achieve this and save more lives, President Biden and Vice President Harris are working on a seven-point plan to beat COVID-19: (whitehouse.gov) Ensure all Americans have PAGE 10

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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Dateline PhiliPPines

PAL to gut over 2,000 jobs New figures show how deadly...

by Ritchel

Mendiola

AJPress

FLAG carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) is expected to lay off 2,300 jobs in midMarch as the airline weathers the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on travel demand.

The cuts represent about 30% of its workforce, including both voluntary separations and involuntary retrenchment, the company announced on Tuesday, February 2.

“This has been an extremely difficult and painful decision. For our colleagues who are leaving, rest assured that we are committed to support you through this transition,” PAL President Gilbert Santa Maria said in a statement.

“We extend to you our deepest gratitude for your years of hard work and dedicated service, and we will always cherish the ties you have established with the

PAL family,” he added.

PAL first announced its retrenchment program in October 2020 amid the pandemic.

“Prior to the retrenchment, PAL chose to implement temporary furloughs and flexible working arrangements to hold off job cuts as long as possible…,” the airline said.

It added that it also ensured that its employees continued to receive salaries and benefits, particularly medical benefits, during the height of the pandemic.

Philstar.com photo

From January to September last year, PAL booked financial losses worth P29.03 billion.

PAL owner Lucio Tan provided around P6 billion in capital to the airline to keep it afloat. The airline said it will continue to gradually increase international and domestic flights as demand recovers.

Budget carriers Cebu Pacific and AirAsia also retrenched employees due to the pandemic. n

PAGE 2 Dr. Shereef Elnahal, president and CEO of University Hospital in Newark, said the stark contrasts this data shows should be a wakeup call for policymakers to take greater actions to minimize the disparities.

“This data once again shows that COVID-19 has not only disproportionately impacted people of color, it has also exposed Black and Brown peoples’ asymmetric burden of chronic disease, higher representation in the essential workforce and lived experiences that predispose to greater spread of infectious diseases,” he said. “This should be a call to action for the equitable distribution of resources to communities of color related to the pandemic, but also for the more sustainable, long-delayed work in achieving health and economic equity in major-

ity-minority communities thereafter.”

Solving systemic problems Solving these problems, many of which are systemic, is a challenge. But in the short term, it means officials need to take greater steps to ensure that people of color are able willing and able to get the COVID-19 vaccines. The state dashboard currently shows great disparities in the racial and ethnic makeup of those being vaccinated: Of those for whom race or ethnicity was known, as of Monday morning, almost 60% were white, 7% Asian, 6% Hispanic and 4% Black.

Halkitis said part of the reason for the disparity is that health care workers were the first-priority category and they are mostly white. But other reasons why the percentage of minorities being vaccinated

is so low is that many are leery of vaccines and those who want to be vaccinated are having difficulty figuring out how to do so. The system the state set up is predominantly internetbased and most of the sites giving vaccines are not linked to the state system.

“We need to make sure that vaccines are available in inner city communities and we need to make sure that people from these communities who are trusted by these communities endorse vaccination,” Johnson said. “We also need to make sure that people in these communities have health care.”

(This story was written and produced by NJ Spotlight. It is being republished under a special NJ News Commons contentsharing agreement related to COVID-19 coverage. To read more, visit njspotlight. com.) n

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NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 5-11, 2021

PH to get 5.6 million vaccine doses from COVAX in Q1

by Ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

THE Philippines will receive at least 5.6 million COVID-19 vaccine doses from Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca through the World Health Organizationled COVAX facility within the first quarter of 2021.

The country will be provided with 117,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and 5,500,800 to 9,290,400 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, according to vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. on Sunday, January 31.

“I would like to emphasize that according to COVAX the number of doses and the projected arrival of the vaccines are all indicative since

it all depends on the global supply,” he said.

The Philippines granted an emergency use authorization (EUA) to Pfizer’s vaccine as well as AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 jabs.

“This COVAX allocation is very timely since the main recipients of these vaccines are our healthcare workers and front-liners in the different priority and affected regions,” said Galvez.

On January 20, the Philippines received confirmation of the country’s participation in the COVAX distribution of vaccines for an early rollout.

The COVAX facility is a global platform that aims to ensure fair and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines

for all countries.

Galvez, along with Philippine Health Secretary Francisco Duque II, visited three cold storage facilities that can potentially be used in the first wave of the government’s vaccine rollout.

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

Galvez urged the public to “set their fears aside” and get vaccinated against COVID-19.

“We are confident that with the whole nation working together, we will be able to recover our economy and bring back a greater sense of normalcy among our people,” he said. n

Report: Filipinos remain the most active...

PAGE 1 country’s Digital 2020 average of 3 hours and 53 minutes.

The global average for social media usage this year is 2 hours and 25 minutes.

The Philippines was followed by Colombia with an average of 3 hours and 45 minutes spent on social media.

Japan, meanwhile, took the last spot in the list with an average of only 51 minutes spent on social media.

The Philippines also emerged at the top in daily time spent using the internet with 10 hours and 56 minutes, longer than last

year’s 9 hours and 45 minutes. This is followed by Brazil with an average of 10 hours and 8 minutes, and Colombia with an average of 10 hours and 7 minutes.

Digital 2021’s global average for internet usage is 6 hours and 54 minutes.

The annual report also noted the improvement in the Philippines’ e-commerce adoption, growing 76% in Digital 2020 to 80.2% in Digital 2021 — above the global average of 76.8%.

A separate report released in December said that the Philippines spent the most time on social me-

dia platforms than any other country in the world.

According to marketplace OnBuy.com, Filipinos spend an average of 102,054 hours or 4,252 days on social media during their lifetime, which puts the Philippines at the top of the list for the most social media-obsessed country.

Columbia ranked second with an average of 101,288 hours or 4,220 days on social media, while Japan ranked as the country least obsessed with social media, spending 20,928 hours or 1,289 days on social media during their lifetime. (AJPress) n

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PAGE 1 the number of foreign visitors that visited the Philippines falling to almost 84% due to travel restrictions.

DOT Undersecretary Roberto Alabado III said that 8.2 million foreign tourists visited the Philippines in 2019 and because of the restrictions imposed around April, the department noted that there were only about 1.3 million foreign tourists for 2020.

“The drop in arrivals means billions of pesos in tourism revenues brought devastation on the economy,” Alabado said, noting that January 2020 was off to a good start and had an 11% increase in the num-

ber of visitors from the same period in 2019.

As restrictions were imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19, the number of tourists dropped.

In a statement, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said the impact of COVID-19 that started to be felt in the first quarter of 2020 “was unprecedented and spared no one.”

“With the closure of borders to international tourist traffic and the imposition of quarantine measures, tourism activities ground to a halt affecting various enterprises and displacing workers,” Puyat said.

The tourism sector employed an estimated 5.7

million. Nearly five million workers either lost their jobs or their salaries slashed.

Jojo Clemente, president of the Tourism Congress of the Philippines, said that they have been working with DOT, TPB and the various stakeholders to jumpstart the tourism industry and start rebuilding.

Clemente said they were looking at the balikbayan market across the diaspora to help in this undertaking.

“Kababayans have always wanted to come back home even before the Christmas season last year. We are hoping that with the ongoPAGE 8

World’s first all-civilian mission to space will usher in new era of commercial space exploration

Inspiration4 mission will be commanded by tech entrepreneur and pilot Jared Isaacman who donates all crew seats and invites the public to participate LOS ANGELES – Plans for the world’s first all-civilian mission to space were announced on Monday, February 1 from SpaceX’s headquarters in Hawthorne, CA. The mission is being targeted for the fourth quarter of this year and will be commanded by Jared Isaacman, the 37-year-old founder and chief executive officer of Shift4 Payments [NYSE:FOUR] and an accomplished pilot. Named Inspiration4 in recognition of the four-person crew’s mission to inspire support for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® and send a humanitarian message of possibility, the journey represents a new era for human spaceflight and exploration.

Isaacman is donating the three mission seats alongside him to crew members who will be selected to represent the mission pillars of leadership, hope, generosity and prosperity.

Said Isaacman, “Inspiration4 is the realization of a lifelong dream and a step towards a future in which anyone can venture out and explore the stars. I appreciate the tremendous responsibility that comes with commanding this mission and I want to use this historic moment to inspire humanity while helping to tackle childhood cancer here on Earth.”

Isaacman and the Inspiration4 crew will undergo commercial astronaut training by SpaceX on the Falcon 9 launch vehicle and Dragon spacecraft, including a specific focus on orbital mechanics, operating in microgravity, zero gravity, and other forms of stress testing. They will receive emergency preparedness training, spacesuit and spacecraft ingress and egress exercises, as well as partial- and full-mission simulations. The mission will launch from historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and will be carefully monitored at every step by SpaceX mission control as the space-

St. Jude patient Zahaan, age 7, in 2017 Photo Courtesy of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

craft orbits the planet every 90 minutes along a customized flight path. Upon conclusion of the multi-day journey, Dragon will reenter Earth’s atmosphere for a soft water landing off the coast of Florida.

Isaacman has given St. Jude two seats on the Inspiration4 mission. The first seat is reserved for a St. Jude ambassador with direct ties to the mission who exemplifies the pillar of Hope as well as the courageous vision upon which St. Jude was founded – compassion, unity, equality and inclusion. The second seat will represent the mission pillar of Generosity. During the month of February, members of the public can enter for a chance to join the flight to space and support the lifesaving mission of St. Jude.

Isaacman has committed to give $100 million to St. Jude and is inviting everyone to join him in attempting to raise upwards of $200 million or more in support of St. Jude’s multi-billion dollar expansion aimed to accelerate research advancements and save more children worldwide. He will also offer additional support to the St. Jude fundraising effort in the form of other prizes, including flights in a military jet and flight gear. An accomplished pilot rated to fly commercial and military aircraft, Isaacman holds several world records including a Speed-AroundThe-World flight to raise money and awareness for the Make-a-Wish Founda-

tion. He has flown in over 100 airshows as part of the Black Diamond Jet Team, dedicating every performance to charitable causes.

In 2011, Isaacman co-founded what would become the world’s largest private air force, Draken International, to train pilots for the United States Armed Forces.

“The same year St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital broke boundaries by opening its doors, the first American orbited the Earth in 1962,” said Richard C. Shadyac Jr., President and CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude. “From the beginning, St. Jude has been at the forefront of innovation and inclusion, leading in cancer research, care and treatment for some of the world’s sickest children regardless of race, ethnicity, beliefs or a family’s ability to pay. This partnership brings two missions together to create one incredible moment in time that will make an impact for years to come on the global effort to cure childhood cancer.”

Isaacman will collaborate with Shift4 Payments to offer the fourth and final crew PAGE 10

FEBRUARY 5-11, 2021 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (212) 655-5426

PROTOCOL. Members of the Inter-Agency Council for Traffic (IACT) and Highway Patrol Group (HPG) conduct anti-overloading and anti-colorum operations along Marcos Highway in Santolan, Pasig City on Tuesday, February 2. The government has been implementing health and safety protocols to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease 2019. PNA photo by Joey O. Razon

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PAGE 7 ing vaccination rollout, the situation as far as travel restrictions will get better,” he said. “We have done our best in the private sector for tours to be more flexible owing to the circumstances we’re facing.”

The government slowly eased domestic travel and some destinations have reopened for domestic tourists, including El Nido, Boracay, Bohol, parts of the Ilocos region, Baguio City, parts of Bataan, Batangas and Legazpi City.

According to Alabado, the DOT continues to assess whether the destinations are ready to open and meetings with the various local government units have been ongoing.

“We are trying to safely and gradually reopen but in the end, it is still the LGUs’ call whether they are ready to reopen or not,” he said.

Allones agrees, saying that the industry is willing to adapt to the evolving needs and requirements

essential to reopening.

“Safety is the new luxury,” said Allones, who took over TPB’s reins in February 2020. “All our partners like hotels, the transport sector, parks and amusement, they have all endeavored to make sure that our tourists are safe.”

Allones also said that they have pivoted to digital technology and created a Travel Philippines app to ensure that the right and updated information is properly disseminated.

This travel app includes information, basic updates and general protocols, among others and is meant for tourists and stakeholders.

As the government continues to slowly ease domestic travel with the reopening of destinations with health and safety protocols in place, the stakeholders are hopeful that visitor arrivals to the country will make its steady climb to reach prepandemic figures. n

DOT Undersecretary Roberto Alabado III

TPB COO Anthonette Allones

Duterte: Economy in bad...

PAGE 2 He said it would be better not to rub in the fact of the country’s poverty, because “we’re still alive… Let us just hope for the best.”

Spend budget, government urged Meanwhile, several lawmakers urged government agencies to spend their respective budgets this year to pull the economy out of recession.

“My advice is to spend all (of agency budgets) early on. This will help prevent more job losses,” Senate President Pro Tempore

Ralph Recto said, adding that losses from the pandemic-induced recession may not be P2 billion, but P4 billion daily.

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, vice chairman of the economic affairs committee, said that disbursing a large part of the P4.5 trillion General Appropriations Act would convert it into an “economic recovery budget.”

Senate President Vicente Sotto said the chamber would immediately pass all the necessary legislation needed to revive the econ-

omy. “The Senate will diligently pass legislation vital to our economic recovery as we are doing now. We can only hope the world will be able to arrest the pandemic at the soonest possible time,” Sotto said.

For his part, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon pointed to the country’s economic managers for answers. “The question now is, what do our economic managers plan to do? The people would want to see a clear plan to address our worsening economic situation,” Drilon said. n

(212) 655-5426 • http://www.asianjournal.com

NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 5-11, 2021

Montemaria to PH PH MontemariaCellars Cellarsintroduces introducesNapa Napawines wins to community, community, celebrates celebrates 500 500 years yearsof ofChristianity Christianity

#TrendingWine owner Jason Elkin has been tapped to spearhead Montemaria Cellars, which will distribute California and Napa Valley wines to the Philippines and other Asian markets, in affiliation with One Global Trading.

Contributed photo

Sweeping view of the 300-acre Buhman estate vineyards and historic ranch in Napa Valley, California.

Contributed photo

I

T sits on a plateau overlooking a busy ocean gateway of vessels large and small into the southern tip of Luzon island in the Philippine. At 322 feet, it is one of the biggest religious structures in the world. It is the Mother of All Asia Tower of Peace, a statue devoted to Mary, who is often noted as the Mother of God and Mother of the Church in the Catholic religion.

The tall structure, which many envision will be a pilgrimage and tourist destination in the near future, is located in Montemaria, in Batangas Province. It is part of a big development that will eventually feature a hotel and residential subdivisions, a marina, an amphitheater/ concert hall, clubhouse, sports and recreation facilities, a wellness center and a marine sanctuary, among others. A venue for special events is also planned that can host weddings, retreats and a variety of activities.

And as the Philippines celebrates 500 years of Catholicism, a group of forwardthinking entrepreneurs from both sides of the Pacific Ocean, have come up with a new project that commemorates the event, and combines Montemaria and its iconic structure with the centuries-old tradition of winemaking.

The result is Montemaria Cellars, a company that will offer an exclusive wine collection cellared and bottled in Napa Valley, California by the Buhman Estate Vineyards. The wines offered will be specially made for the Holy Site of Montemaria, Batangas.

Spearheading the project from the Napa, California side is Jason Elkin, an international disruptor, innovator, vintner and proprietor who owns #TrendingWine. He has been involved in all areas of the wine and hospitality industry and is considered by many as the Mark Zuckerberg of the wine industry.

Elkin, who was introduced through business contacts to the Montemaria group, is not coming blind into the project, having visited the Philippines in early 2020. At that time, he fully immersed himself into the culture and developed business models, brands and flavor profiles that would be most appropriate for Filipino food and festivities. He also realized that California and Napa Valley wines had no presence on shelves and in markets in the Philippines.

With Montemaria Cellars, Elkin sees a fruition of the plan to present quality Napa Valley and California wines to the Filipino consumer. Price points, according to the de facto consultant for many established and small batch Napa winemakers, will appeal to different kinds of consumers.

“We have custom-created flavor profiles that will support the epicurean cuisines and palates of the Philippines and the Filipino community. We will present multiple tiers and price points to appeal to all – from the wine curious to the wine connoisseur,” the Cal State University Fresno alum told the Asian Journal via email.

“We feel confident that Napa Valley California wines will be

received extremely well as the region is recognized for its wine production and as one of the most renowned wine-growing regions in the world.”

And seeing as how Filipinos will be celebrating five centuries of Catholicism in the archipelago, Mr. Elkin, Buhman Estates and Napa Valley Distribution, in affiliation with One Global Trading, a division of One Global Management Company, Inc., have ventured to develop and distribute California and Napa Valley wines into the Philippines and other Asian markets. The plan is for Montemaria Cellars to become a stable and flagship wine brand that Filipinos will see as an option for memorabilia, gift-giving and collectibles, aside from, of course, wine consumption.

Montemaria Cellars and its wines will pay homage to the monument and “can also become a take-away article for the Catholic community and tourists.” There is a future plan for a tasting room that will

feature educational wine and food programs as an added component.

Another plan includes “corks that will be blessed where the wine bottle logo will be scannable and introduce a virtual video of a Catholic priest giving a blessing that will create an impromptu experience for buyers.” Elkin added that the brand and products will offer a blessing in the bottle that gives off a positive energy, and the blessing can be adopted for a variety of special events in people’s lives like anniversaries, birthdays, business gatherings, social get-togethers and holiday/ vacation/travel getaways.

Jason, who grew up in Napa Valley and developed concepts and digitally-interactive labels with a call to action to appeal to modern consumers, is excited at the prospect of growing the Montemaria Cellars brand in the Philippines and internationally.

“I devote my time, expansion and priority to projects I feel most confident and passionate about. The Philippines is not

Asian Journal’s Roger Oriel, Buhman Estates/Napa Valley Distribution’s Jason Elkin and Asian Journal NorCal Bureau office manager Greg Nitro pose in front of the Buhman Estates vineyards in Napa Valley.

Photo by Joseph Peralta/AJPress

saturated in the Napa Valley and California beverage space.

The traditional business side of the wine industry would be extremely hesitant to offer models and custom support, outside of simply fulfilling a purchase order. I feel that this wine market and wine business in the Philippines is still pure, and the new energy will be contagious. Also, the timing is right,” Elkin revealed to the Asian Journal, while adding that future plans include expanding his portfolio, lifestyle brands and partnerships to include celebrity beverages and also activating additional lifestyle brands for large-scale events in the Philippines.

Jason is excited to visit the Philippines again when the pandemic subsides, and he wants to do it at the soonest time possible.

“I am extremely passionate about this project and I am

excited at the fact that it will introduce additional business ventures and economic developments,” Elkin stated.

Montemaria Cellars is currently offering a Special limited Collector’s Edition bottle that features a 2018 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

This versatile, picnic-friendly wine features flavors of wild strawberries and watermelon immersed in ripe pear juice, and pairs well with seafood, spicy food, salty/savory dishes or anything off the grill. It also pairs well with Indian, Mexican or Italian dishes, as well as cheese and charcuterie. There are only 500 bottles available for this vintage, which comes in 3-liter wine bottles. This wine is specially priced at $500 each.

To browse through the catalog and/or learn more about Montemaria Cellars, visit www. montemariacellars.com.

(Joseph Peralta/AJPress)

Asian Journal Publisher & Chairman of the Board Roger Oriel (left), Buhman Estates proprietor/Napa Valley Distribution founder Jason Elkin (middle) and Asian Journal Northern California bureau chief Joseph Peralta (right) took part in a sociallydistanced wine-tasting experience in late 2020. The business meeting led to the formation of Montemaria Cellars.

Photo courtesy of Roger Oriel

10

FEBRUARY 5-11, 2021 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (212) 655-5426

World’s first all-civilian mission to space will...

PAGE 7 seat representing the prosperity mission pillar to a deserving entrepreneur who utilizes the new Shift4Shop eCommerce platform, which empowers entrepreneurs to build and grow successful eCommerce businesses online. Current and new Shift4Shop customers will have a one-of-a-kind opportunity to enter an online competition showcasing them and their business. The competition will be conducted from February 1-28, 2021 and the winner will be selected by a panel of independent judges.

Shift4 Payments is providing marketing support for the mission and will leverage one of the biggest popular culture events of the year, Super Bowl LV this Sunday, to dramatically introduce the mission and its purpose to the public.

A 30-second spot will air during the first quarter of the Big Game and invite all viewers to support and be part of this historic journey through the St. Jude and

Shift4Shop programs.

Isaacman concluded: “Today’s announcement is the first step of a very exciting journey. In the lead-up to launch, we’ll share new ways to support and follow our mission preparation and execution with a focus on inspiring and helping others.”

To learn more about Inspiration4, how to support and potentially join this historic journey to space and the specific conditions of the promotions, visit www.

Inspiration4.com and follow the mission on social media on Twitter (@inspiration4x), Facebook (@inspiration4mission), Instagram (@ inspiration4) and YouTube (@Inspiration4) to receive the latest news on mission training and preparation.

Individuals who are interested in learning how to enter for an opportunity to win one of the two seats being offered should visit inspiration4.com and review the Official Rules for the applicable promotion.

St. Jude Children’s Re-

search Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

Its purpose is clear: Finding cures. Saving children.® It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children.

Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to more than 80 percent since the hospital opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude won’t stop until no child dies from cancer. St. Jude freely shares the discoveries it makes, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children.

Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. Join the St. Jude mission by visiting stjude.org, liking St.

Jude on Facebook, following St. Jude on Twitter, Instagram and subscribing to its YouTube channel.

Shift4 Payments (NYSE: FOUR) is a leading provider of integrated payment processing and technology solutions, delivering a complete omnichannel ecosystem that extends beyond payments to include a wide range of commerceenabling services. The company’s technologies help power over 350 software providers in numerous industries, including hospitality, retail, F&B, ecommerce, lodging, gaming, and many more. The newly launched Shift4Shop platform offers a turnkey ecommerce experience includes a robust website builder, product and order management, customer marketing tools and more.

With over 7,000 sales partners, the company securely processed more than $200 billion in payments volume for over 200,000 businesses in 2019. For more information, visit shift4.com.

(Advertising Supplement)

Biden-Harris national strategy...

PAGE 5 access to regular, reliable, and free testing.

• Double the number of drive-through testing sites.

• Invest in next-generation testing, including at home tests and instant tests, so we can scale up our testing capacity by orders of magnitude.

• Stand up a Pandemic Testing Board like Roosevelt’s War Production Board. It’s how we produced tanks, planes, uniforms, and supplies in record time, and it’s how we will produce and distribute tens of millions of tests.

• Establish a U.S. Public Health Jobs Corps to mobilize at least 100,000 Americans across the country with support from trusted local organizations in communities most at risk to perform culturally competent approaches to contact tracing and protecting at-risk populations.

Fix personal protective equipment (PPE) problems for good.

President Biden is taking responsibility and giving states, cities, tribes, and territories the critical supplies they need.

• Fully use the Defense Production Act to ramp up production of masks, face shields, and other PPE so that

the national supply of personal protective equipment exceeds demand and our stores and stockpiles — especially in hard-hit areas that serve disproportionately vulnerable populations — are fully replenished.

• Build immediately toward a future, flexible Americansourced and manufactured capability to ensure we are not dependent on other countries in a crisis.

Provide clear, consistent, evidence-based guidance for how communities should navigate the pandemic – and the resources for schools, small businesses, and families to make it through.

• Social distancing is not a light switch. It is a dial. President Biden will direct the CDC to provide specific evidencebased guidance for how to turn the dial up or down relative to the level of risk and degree of viral spread in a community, including when to open or close certain businesses, bars, restaurants, and other spaces; when to open or close schools, and what steps they need to take to make classrooms and facilities safe; appropriate restrictions on size of gatherings; when to issue stay-at-home restrictions.

• Establish a renewable fund for state and local gov-

ernments to help prevent budget shortfalls, which may cause states to face steep cuts to teachers and first responders.

• Call on Congress to pass an emergency package to ensure schools have the additional resources they need to adapt effectively to COVID19.

• Provide a “restart package” that helps small businesses cover the costs of operating safely, including things like plexiglass and PPE. Plan for the effective, equitable distribution of treatments and vaccines — because development isn’t enough if they aren’t effectively distributed.

• Invest $25 billion in a vaccine manufacturing and distribution plan that will guarantee it gets to every American, cost-free.

• Ensure that politics plays no role in determining the safety and efficacy of any vaccine. The following 3 principles will guide the Biden-Harris administration: Put scientists in charge of all decisions on safety and efficacy; publicly release clinical data for any vaccine the FDA approves; and authorize career staff to write a written report for public review and permit them to appear before

Congress and speak publicly uncensored.

• Ensure everyone — not just the wealthy and wellconnected — in America receives the protection and care they deserve, and consumers are not price gouged as new drugs and therapies come to market.

Protect older Americans and others at high risk.

President Biden understands that older Americans and others at high-risk are most vulnerable to COVID-19.

• Establish a COVID-19 Racial and Ethnic Disparities Task Force, as proposed by Vice President Harris, to provide recommendations and oversight on disparities in the public health and economic response. At the end of this health crisis, it will transition to a permanent Infectious Disease Racial Disparities Task Force.

• Create the Nationwide Pandemic Dashboard that Americans can check in realtime to help them gauge whether local transmission is actively occurring in their zip codes. This information is critical to helping all individuals, but especially older Americans and others at high risk, understand what level of precaution to take.

Rebuild and expand de-

TURNOVER. The city government of Pasay turns over high powered firearms and ammunition to Pasay City Police Office under police chief, Col. Cesar Paday-os, at the Pasay City Hall on Monday, February 1. Mayor Emi Calixto-Rubano led the turnover ceremony for the 18 units of 5.56 Emtan M4 rifles; two units of 5.56 Emtan sniper rifles; one reloading machine; 4,000 rounds of 5.56 cal. (55-grain ammo); 2,000 rounds of 5.56 cal. (69-grain ammo); 56,400 rds. 9mm (124-grain ammo); one SWAT (Foton) van; one coaster; and one passenger van.

PNA Photo By Avito C. Dalan

fenses to predict, prevent, and mitigate pandemic threats, including those coming from China.

• Immediately restore the White House National Security Council Directorate for Global Health Security and Biodefense, originally established by the Obama-Biden administration.

• Immediately restore our relationship with the World Health Organization, which — while not perfect — is essential to coordinating a global response during a pandemic.

• Re-launch and strengthen U.S. Agency for International Development’s pathogentracking program called PREDICT. • Expand the number of CDC’s deployed disease detectives so we have eyes and ears on the ground, including rebuilding the office in Beijing.

Implement mask mandates nationwide by working with governors and mayors and by asking the American people to do what they do best: step up in a time of crisis.

Experts agree that tens of thousands of lives can be saved if Americans wear masks. President Biden will continue to call on: • Every American to wear a mask when they are around people outside their house-

hold.

• Every Governor to make that mandatory in their state.

• Local authorities to also make it mandatory to buttress their state orders.

Once we succeed in getting beyond this pandemic, we must ensure that the millions of Americans who suffer longterm side effects from COVID don’t face higher premiums or denial of health insurance because of this new pre-existing condition. The Biden-Harris Administration will work to ensure that the protections for those with pre-existing conditions that were won with Obamacare are protected.

And, they will work to lower health care costs and expand access to quality, affordable health care through a Medicare-like public option. *** 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.

(212) 655-5426 • http://www.asianjournal.com

NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 5-11, 2021

COMMUNITY Journal

11

Biden’s newest executive orders on immigration Immigration Corner Atty. MichAel Gurfinkel, eSQ ON February 2, 2021, Pres. Biden issued several additional Executive Orders (EO) on immigration.

They include: (a) establishing a task force to reunify families separated at the border; (b) developing a strategy to address the irregular migration across the southern border, including a plan for safe, lawful, and orderly migration to the U.S.; and (c) setting up a task force to “restore faith in our legal immigration system and promote

integration of new Americans,” as well as rescinding some of Trump’s public charge policies.

The White House’s Fact Sheet on these EO’s notes that during Pres. Biden’s first day in office, he took steps to “fortify protections for Dreamers, end the Muslim and African ban, halt border wall construction,” as well as sending a proposed immigration reform to Congress, the “United States Citizenship Act of 2021”, which seeks to “modernize our immigration system and smartly manage our borders, while addressing the root causes of migration.”

Pres. Biden’s strategy is based on the premise that our country is “safer, stronger, and more pros-

perous with a fair, safe and orderly immigration system that welcomes immigrants, keep families together, and allows people – both newly arrived immigrants and people who have lived here for generations – to more fully contribute to our country.”

As part of his EO to restore faith in our legal immigration system, Pres.

Biden will establish a “task force on new Americans,” to ensure our legal immigration system “operates fairly and efficiently.” He instructs various governmental agencies to “conduct a top to bottom review” of Trump’s recent immigration regulations, policies, and guidance that have set up barriers to our legal immigration system.

YOUR WORKSPACE, YOUR FUTURE.

BIDEN’S PROPOSED AMNESTY COULD POTENTIALLY HELP 11 MILLION UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S. FEATURED THIS SUNDAY ON CITIZEN PINOY. Leading U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel (left) presents the latest in immigration news and information, including details of President Biden’s proposed amnesty and pathway to U.S. citizenship in eight (8) years, as featured on his YouTube channel, “US Immigration TV.” Atty. Gurfinkel also answers questions from Linda of New Jersey (right) and Lea of Cavite, Philippines (center). They ask if health issues could affect one’s eligibility for an immigrant visa, and if admitting drug use to doctors at St. Luke’s could result in a lifetime ban. Be sure to watch a brand-new episode of “Citizen Pinoy: Your Tanong, My Sagot” this Sunday, February 7 at 5:30 pm PST/EST (8:30 pm EST thru select Cable/Satellite providers).

(Advertising Supplement)

More importantly, this particular EO rescinds or cancels Trump’s policy/ memorandum “requiring family sponsors to repay

the government if relatives receive public benefits.” It also instructs governmental agencies to review the public charge rule and re-

lated policies, as well as streamline the naturalization process.

While this EO holds PAGE 15

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FEBRUARY 5-11, 2021 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL

This Sunday on Citizen Pinoy: President Biden’s amnesty to potentially benefit 11M undocumented immigrants

LEADING U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel presents the latest in immigration news and analysis, and explains details of President Biden’s proposed immigration reforms, from his YouTube channel, “US Immigration TV.” He also answers questions from Kapamilya from the East

Health@Heart PhiliP S. Chua, MD, FaCS, FPCS ONE of the greatest inventions of the man inspired by the desire to share information is the internet. The impetus started in the 1960s “as a way for government researchers to share information.” The initial computer was a humongous, immobile unit the size of an entire room. On January 1, 1983, the internet was born, as a Swiss computer programmer, Tim Berners-Lee, introduced the World Wide Web (www), a “web” of massive information which internet users could retrieve and share, making the encyclopedia, among hundreds of other books, obsolete. Today, we have this “computer” at the palm of our hands, the lightest less than 35 grams, hundred times faster, with gigantic storage space, with amazingly versatility in its functions, most addicting, serving as our most valuable companion, and truly indispensable, a modern gadget called cellphone. Most of us could no longer function with comfort and confidence, or even GPS our way around without it. It seems we could not live without it, almost fully dependent on it and following what it tells, transforming this supposedly slave of ours into our master.

But just like any good discovery or invention, the internet, in the hands of some twisted or criminal members of our species, is used to confuse, instill doubt and fear, for them to achieve a perverted sense of gratification and/or for financial or political gains by spewing out misinformation or actual lies. They are the scammers, identity

Coast and the Philippines.

Linda from Dumont, New Jersey asks if her sister’s health condition could affect her petition.

Lea from Cavite in the Philippines would like to know if admitting drug use to doctors at St. Luke’s could result in a lifetime ban.

These questions and more

will be answered on the show.

Get the latest immigration updates on a brand-new episode of CITIZEN PINOY: Your Tanong, My Sagot this Sunday, February 7 at 5:30 pm PST/EST (8:30 pm EST thru select Cable/Satellite providers).

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Fake news: deadlier

thieves, corporate hackers cyberspace criminals victimizing countless people around the globe. Some aim to create chaos and to destroy, for no reason all. The internet is obviously a double-edged sword. It could be used by men of goodwill as an instrument to pursue and defend and attain justice, peace, prosperity, and happiness, for all, or as a destructive weapon to devastate, maim, or kill, not only the body but the soul and spirit of man.

Worst of all, disinformation or posting or sharing fake news during this COVID-19 pandemic could lead to killing millions of lives more than the current global deaths of almost 2.5 million in about 105 million cases (USA-26,924,998 cases, with 455,000 deaths; The Philippines: 529,000 cases, with about 11,000 deaths).

A public disservice An example of the disinformation, which sounds like an evil intent to misinform deliberately is this post by a Jon Rappoport, emailed to me by a colleague from New York, which says “There are several reasons to reject and ignore ALL COVID statistics.

Chief among the reasons—no one has proved that the virus, SARS-CoV-2, exists.”

The claim that “no one has proved that the virus SARSCov2 virus exists,” is simply stupidity and almost hilarious. The global medical community and the entire world (obviously except Jon Rappoport and his kind) have not only proven this existence of the SARS-CoV2 virus and its variants in the laboratory, killing almost 2.5 million people in 219 countries around the globe from a pandemic called COVID-19 (Rappoport also denies there is a pandemic!),

that even a kindergartener knows there is pandemic caused by a virus ravaging the world today. Even the blind can see this. Only a lunatic or a criminal with a 20/20 vision who has a sinister goal would deny the existence of such a virus and the presence of this COVID-19 pandemic.

RN refuses the vaccines Unfortunately, Rappoport is not the only one. There are dozens and dozens of brainless individuals out there in the social media pouring gasoline on the fire of fear and confusion, about the COVID-19 testing, its treatment, and now with the vaccines.

As a result, the doubt in the people’s mind is magnified to the extent that even a Registered Nurse vehemently stated on a television interview that she was so afraid of the dangers of the vaccine and its component she was definitely not getting the vaccines. This, and all misinformation, send the wrong and dangerous message to the public. Those uninformed, ignorant, and gullible individuals could fall victims to misguided assertions like this and refuse testing where needed and object to vaccination, making them carefree, careless, and getting infected, thus becoming virus spreader and potential accidental killers of the vulnerable people. Fake news is very dangerous, perhaps more lethal than the COVID-19 itself, in more ways than one.

We are all in this fight together as a people, as a global nation. Let us cease and desist from helping these crazy people spread their hurtful lies and misinformation by deleting them from our devices and not sharing them with our friends in the social media PAGE 15

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Actor Darren Criss joins ‘The Voice’ By aJPRess

FILIPINO American actor Darren Criss has been revealed to join the upcoming 20th season of “The Voice,” premiering on March 1.

NBC on Monday, February 1, announced that Criss will be one of this season’s Battle Advisors, picked by Coach Nick Jonas.

Criss took to Instagram to express his thanks for being Jonas’ choice.

“I know I joke a lot about being a bonus Jonas. But I guess if you joke enough about something, dreams… come… true? That’s the saying, right?” he said Monday.

“Fo REAL tho, thank you @nickjonas for inviting me as your battle advisor this season on @nbcthevoice !!! #TeamNick #SorryKevin #SorryJoe,” he added.

Along with Criss, the Battle Advisors for the lat-

Darren Criss

est season are Luis Fonsi for Team Kelly, Brandy for Team Legend, and Dan + Shay for Team Blake.

Criss was born to a Cebuana mother and American father.

His notable roles include Blaine Anderson in the

Photo from Instagram/@darrencriss

American musical comedy-drama television series “Glee” and Andrew Cunanan in “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story,” for which he received Emmy, Screen Actors Guild (SAG), and Golden Globe awards.

Claudine’s comeback movie and thoughts on Raymart and Jodi

By Ricky

caldeRon ManilaTimes.net

LAWYER Ferdinand Topacio is not just actress Claudine Barretto’s pro bono legal counsel these days but also producer of her comeback movie under Borracho Film Productions.

Tentatively titled “Nang Lumuha ang Langit,” Joel Lamangan has been asked to direct the heavy dra-ma from the script of Eric Ramos.

Claudine expressed excitement that she is finally making an acting comeback via film. It had been

Claudine Barretto

re-ported many times she was doing so before but for one reason or another, none materialized.

This time, her showbiz return is green and go with Claudine signing a contract with Borracho Film Pro-ductions together with her manager Arnold Vegafria. Besides the movie deal, she also signed on as brand ambassador for skin clinic Cathy Valencia this new year.

Joining her in the movie is singer-actor Gerard Santos, who was named Entertainer of the Year by the Aliw Awards. According to Topacio, Gerard will

Photo from Instagram/@claubarretto

play Claudine’s lover in the movie and are written in for a steamy love scene.

Meanwhile, Direk Joel, who had worked with Claudine in a teleserye before, said he had long told the actress he wants to work with her in a movie.

Glad it is finally happening, he added, “She should not retire because she is a very good actress. I know her potential and I promise that this movie will be a quality film worthy of her caliber as an actress. We will do a film that she will be proud of.”

Unable to dodge questions regarding ex-husband Raymart Santiago’s rumored relationship with Jodi Sta. Maria, Claudine said she has no problem with the situation. While saying everyone deserves to be happy, she warned all the same he hopes Raymart will not be remiss in his responsibility as a father to their children and give child support. She said she is only fighting what is due her children.

She finally denied reports that said she called Jodi to talk to her and maintained it was the other way around.

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NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 5-11, 2021

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FUN-USA aims to promote Breakout star Ella Jay Basco releases song with rapper Ruby Ibarra Filipino pride and dignity THE Filipino United Network-USA (FUN-USA), a United States humanitarian foundation, is expanding its network from the East to Las Vegas as it continues to pursue its objective of saving the lives of countless disenfranchised Filipinos languishing in the gutter of poverty in the Philippines.

FUN-USA started on a bright and sunny morning on September 22, 2007, when a group of recognized Filipino American leaders from various medical, legal, business, socio-civic, and humanitarian organizations across the U.S. met at the Holiday Inn Koger South Conference Center in Richmond, Virginia.

The objective of the meeting was to organize an association dedicated to help in the reconstruction of the Philippines by supporting programs that are fundamental in nation rebuilding.

The ultimate goal was the transformation of the Philippines and the Filipinos

SERVICES

and restoring their pride and dignity as a nation and as a people.

The meeting in Richmond was the culmination of an initial one, The Summit of Leaders, that was initiated

by Oscar M. Laserna, MD, then incumbent president of the Society of Philippine Surgeons in America, during its 35th Gala Jubilee in Norfolk, Virginia on July 2628, 2007.

At that summit, guests from the Philippines included Tony Meloto (Gawad Kalinga founder), his son-in-law Dylan Wilk (coordinator, Gawad Kalinga, International Partnerships), Bobby Rodrigo (a past president of Rotary-Makati, and General Director of South A Gawad Kalinga Resource), who all supported the endeavor.

The second Summit was hosted by the North Central Virginia Association of Philippine Physicians led by Rosario G. Laserna, M.D., of Fredericksburg, at its Sep-

tember 2007 convention in Richmond.

After opening statements and expression of support by all leaders present, a reaffirmation of the previous consensus at the July SPSA Summit was reached. Thus, the Filipino United Network-USA was born.

The leaders present elected cardiac surgeon Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, a past president of the Society of Philippine Surgeons in America (SPSA) and the Association of Philippine Physicians in America (APPA), as Chairman of the Board, and Dr. Rosario G. Laserna, MD, FACOG, as Vice-chair.

After the resignation of Dr. Sarie Laserna on December 7, 2018 for personal reasons, noted PAAN president Daniel C. Fabito, MD, FACS, FPCS, past president of the APPA and SPSA, was appointed Vice-chair.

The FUN-USA satellite headquarters is located PAGE 15

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By Ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

“BIRDS of Prey” actress Ella Jay Basco has teamed up with Filipina American rapper Ruby Ibarra to release a song about brown skin despite society upholding colorism.

Their latest collaboration titled “Gold” talks about accepting the color of your skin and being proud of it.

“GOLD ft. @rubyibarra is out now!!! Mainly streaming on Spotify, Apple, and BandCamp so go check it out!!! We wanted to make a song that speaks out to brown pride and the color of our beautiful golden skin,” Basco wrote in an Instagram post on Wednesday, January 27.

Basco, 14, was born to a Filipino father and Korean American mother, and comes from a lineage of actors. She is best known for her role as Cassandra Cain in “Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn),”

“Birds of Prey” star Ella Jay Basco and rapper Ruby Ibarra collaborated on a new song about celebrating their skin.

which stars Margot Robbie and Mary Elizabeth Winstead.

“I definitely remember seeing kid actors in the business and I remember telling my mom that I wanted to be in the industry and I wanted to be seen on the screen,” she told the Asian Journal in a Feb. 2020 interview.

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She has also appeared in television shows like “Veep,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Teachers,” “Superior Donuts,” “Happyland” and the short film “Glimpse of Heaven.”

Outside of acting, Basco is a singer/songwriter and accomplished musician, PAGE 15

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people events arts culture entertainment

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

by Ritchel

Mendiola / AJPress

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

COVID-19’s global sweep prompted countries to close borders, and with it, came the safety measures that we have taken into the new year

— face masks, hand sanitizers, and social distancing.

Concerts, festivals, and even traveling took a backseat in favor of home quarantines,

while digital technologies rose to the occasion in battling pandemic fatigue.

Still, the impact of COVID19 has been egregious. By

NEW YORK & NEW JERSEY

EVERYDAY

9:00am - 11:00am

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

2020 was, no doubt, a year of profound loss. We mourned for human lives, the ‘normalcy’ we were once used to, and the opportunities that would have catapulted us to a better future. But in the midst of all the dark tragedies and adversities we had to deal with, we also found little pockets of light that guided us in navigating a rocky year plagued by the pandemic.

An opportunity for self-reflection Being in isolation gave people the time to grapple with the lull that the pandemic presented, and the effect on their careers and long-term life goals. For Yana Gilbuena, chef of Salo Series, it meant looking at her life’s work in a new light. “[2020] was a retreat that had me reflecting on what’s important in the face of uncertainty and calamity. A big realization I had was I was not an essential business, and my model is not pivotable because the main thing I’m providing is community, culture and connection over food,”

Nikki Guevara Perez de Tagle Instagram photo by/ @miss_guevara

Yana Gilbuena Photo by Mogli

Ginger Lim-Dimapasok Photo by Noel Ty

she told the Asian Journal.

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

Familial comfort Having your family’s sup-

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

Lally Reyes from Dublin, California underscored the importance of her family while working from home.

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

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

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

“The news of the pandemic hit us like a pile of bricks. On PAGE 15

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NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 5-11, 2021

Looking onward to 2021 after...

PAGE 14 a personal level, it meant being separated from family, especially the ones living in the Philippines. On a business level, it meant closing up shop. It was a truly scary and uncertain time, but we tried our best to focus on the health and well-being of not just our family, but our staff,” she said.

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

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

“2020 was bittersweet for me. It was definitely a rollercoaster of emotions and experiences. It was sweet because, after four years of trying to get pregnant, my husband and I finally conceived through IVF (In vitro fertilization) and delivered our sweet baby girl in November,” she said. “It was bitter because my businesses suffered due to the pandemic.

My salons had to close for a few months leaving my employees jobless for a while.

Thankfully my husband still had his job. It would’ve been hard not having income while

I was pregnant.”

“Another reason why 2020 is bitter is because I get no help taking care of my little one. So I’m very hands-on with my baby. My whole family was supposed to fly here in November and December to be with me for the birth of Shiloh and for the holidays.

But yet again, it was cancelled because of COVID,” De Tagle added.

She continued, “The worst part of it all is that my husband caught the virus. Thankfully, his symptoms were mild but he still had to be isolated...

However, I wouldn’t change a thing about everything that happened. Not only did my family overcome this obstacle, we became stronger.

I became stronger because I had to take care of my family all by myself. I learned how to suck it up and be strong for my family. Through all of this, I became resilient.”

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

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

Deo Jaravata, a teacher with the Los Angeles Unified

School District, likewise told the Asian Journal that 2020 taught him to be content with the simple things.

“My beginning of the year was excellent. I went on some trips and finished five marathons. I even celebrated my birthday with family and friends on the first Saturday of March. After that, my year went downhill. All races were canceled. My annual summer trip to the Philippines was canceled, too. My trip to Tokyo to watch the Summer Olympics was canceled as well,” he said, adding that he resorted to hiking local LA trails and mountains.

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

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

Vivian Cruz had the same sentiment. She said, “In 2020...we realized that we could live with less; that a simple life is actually good for us. We did more as a family confined in our homes and together we prayed, and played, cooked, and did a lot of things with joy. Family relationships, friendships flourished thanks also to the technology of Messenger, Viber, and Zoom.”

Truly, the pandemic has taught us it doesn’t take much to make a day feel special.

Even the act of coming home is considered a moment to

Fake news: deadlier...

PAGE 14 or Messenger. Precious human lives are a stake here. If we cannot chip in to help, let us not help these cruel people chip away the life of our disciplined fellowmen who are suffering and sacrificing, following the CDC guidelines religiously to be safe and to protect others too The vaccines are safe Contrary to what some misinformed people might think, the vaccines for COVID-19 and its variants are effective and safe, proven by the more than 101 million people in 64 countries around the world who had the vaccines, almost 33 million in the USA. As I have stated in a previous column, the fear that the vaccines are unsafe because they were developed in less than a year, unlike past vaccines which took years to create, is

unfounded. These vaccines for COVID-19 were not rushed, no short-cuts were taken in their development. The reason for the amazing speed in their creation and formulation is the newly discovered technology in making vaccines, using messengerRNA. Henceforth, for all other vaccines in the future for other diseases, the development will be faster too. My analogy: Simply because vehicles are designed and manufactured a lot faster today than decades ago does not necessarily mean the cars of today are less safe. As a matter of fact, vehicles today in general are more comfortable, more efficient, more fun to drive, and certainly much safer, with all its security features and options.

Post COVID-19 vaccination New studies revealed that

those who recovered from COVID-19 and received their first shot have more than ten times the level of antibodies in their system than those who never got infected and received their first and second dose. Hence, those who previously had the infection are advised to get vaccinated too.

The first dose confers only about 52 percent protection, with 48 percent residual risk.

After the second dose, the immunity level gradually goes up to around 95 percent after a few months, not immediately! After the first, and even the second dose, people can still get infected with COVID-19 when they allow their guard down and cease using mask and stop social distancing and crowd avoidance. We can do away with all this only after the country has developed herd immunity. God-willing,

celebrate.

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

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

What’s next?

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

“What I am looking forward to this coming year, 2021 is a new beginning. I am hopeful that the COVID-19 vaccine will help eradicate this pandemic,” said Christienne Silverio from Las Vegas, Nevada.

Jaravata expressed hope for the promise of the vaccines.

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

“I am most hopeful that we will get through this; that more lives will be saved, and that we will take the lessons of 2020 and slay 2021,” Gilbuena added. hopefully before the end of this year or by the summer of 2022. *** The main objective of this column is to educate and inspire people live a healthier lifestyle to prevent illnesses and disabilities and achieve a happier and more productive life.

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

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Biden’s newest...

PAGE 11 promise and is encouraging in terms of its pro-immigration tone, most of it appears to be setting up task forces to study the problems and make recommendations for future changes.

However, at least it shows that Biden is focusing on taking a radical departure from Trump’s harsh enforcement policies, and is taking a very liberal, proimmigration stance.

I will continue to keep you updated on further developments and changes to immigration laws and enforcement policies, and how those changes may affect you, your family, and your case. *** Michael J. Gurfinkel has been an attorney for over 40 years and is licensed, and an active member of the State Bars of California and New York. All immigration services are provided by, or under the supervision of,

an active member of the State Bar of California. Each case is different and results may depend on the facts of the particular case. The information and opinions contained herein (including testimonials, “Success Stories,” endorsements and re-enactments) are of a general nature, and are not intended to apply to any particular case, and do not constitute a prediction, warranty, guarantee or legal advice regarding the outcome of your legal matter. No attorney-client relationship is, or shall be, established with any reader.

WEBSITE: www.gurfinkel.com Follow us on Facebook.com/ GurfinkelLaw, Twitter @GurfinkelLaw and YouTube: US Immigration TV Call Toll free to schedule a consultation for anywhere in the US: 1-866-487-3465 (866) – GURFINKEL Four offices to serve you: LOS ANGELES ∙ SAN FRANCISCO ∙ NEW YORK ∙ PHILIPPINES (Advertising Supplement)

FUN-USA aims to...

PAGE 13 at 2920 Vista Butte Drive, Las Vegas, Nevada 89134.

The election of new Board members is forthcoming, previously delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Foundation aims to network with other Filipino-American associations in Nevada and other western States.

Since its inception, FUNUSA has donated more than $1 million for the ravaged and desolate victims of several natural disasters that have devastated regions in the Philippines. FUN-USA has been working in conjunction with the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) government agency in Que-

zon City.

The constitution and bylaws of FUN-USA were drafted on October 8, 2007 and ratified on November 8, 2007. The motto of the Filipino United NetworkUSA is “Serving the Needy with Love and Compassion is FUN.” Donations to this 501(c)3 tax-exempt United States Humanitarian Foundation is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Donors are recognized and listed on its website for review and accountability. Its email address is FUNforHumanity@gmail.com, and its global website domain name is www.FUN8888.com.

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Breakout star Ella Jay PAGE 13 playing the guitar, piano and ukulele. She is also a trained dancer.

Ibarra, 29, was born in Tacloban, Philippines. She moved to San Lorenzo, California at four years old.

In a previous interview with Asian Journal, Ibarra shared that Filipino rapper Francis Magalona was one of her musical inspirations along with American artists Tupac, Lauryn Hill and the Wu-Tang Clan.

She released her debut album, “Circa91,” in Octo-

ber 2017 where the rapper shared her story and struggles as a Filipina American millennial raised in the Bay Area.

“When it comes down to it, my music will always be a reflection of my experiences and who I am as a person, so I don’t want to ever escape from my music being Filipino,” she told the Asian Journal.

Ibarra studied biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of California, Davis and juggles being a scientist and a musician.

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