020724 - Southern California Midweek Edition

FEBRUARY 7-9, 2024 Volume 34 - No. 11 • 12 Pages

Marcos, VP Duterte trust ratings rebound DATELINE USA FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

Will the Senate pass expanded Child Tax Credit to help 19 million low-income children?

THE Senate is contemplating a $78 billion expanded version of the Federal Child Tax Credit, which could provide some economic stability to an estimated 19 million lowincome children.

The House passed the bi-partisan bill — known as the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024 — last week on a 375-60 vote. In the Senate, the bill is being sponsored by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, who with House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Missouri, structured the proposed plan.

The proposal needs 60 votes to pass in the Senate. Several Republican senators have already expressed their opposition. Contrary to some of their concerns, however, the proposed measure does not benefit US citizen children with undocumented parents, even those with Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers. u PAGE 2

by red mendoza

only 8 percent distrust him, and 17 percent were undecided.

Marcos gained increased trust ratings in the National Capital Region by 7 percentage points, from 66 percent to 73 percent; Balanced Luzon by 4 percentage points, from 74 percent to 78 percent; and the Visayas by a single percentage point, from 78 percent to 79 percent.

His trust ratings decreased in Mindanao by 3 percentage points, from 72 percent to 69 percent.

Among socioeconomic classes, Marcos

ManilaTimes.net

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte's trust and approval ratings rebounded in the fourth quarter of 2023, the latest OCTA Research survey said.

In its Tugon ng Masa poll conducted from Dec. 10 to 14, 2023, Marcos received a 76 percent trust rating, an increase of 3 percentage points from the previous quarter. The latest survey showed

‘Only Marcos can end Congress row’

by BernadeTTe TaMayo, reina Leanne ToLenTino and Javier Joe ismael ManilaTimes.net

Is housing health care?

State Medicaid programs increasingly say ‘yes’ STATES are plowing billions of dollars into a high-stakes health care experiment that’s exploding around the country: using scarce public health insurance money to provide housing for the poorest and sickest Americans.

California is going the biggest, pumping $12 billion into an ambitious Medicaid initiative largely to help homeless patients find housing, pay for it, and avoid eviction.

Arizona is allocating $550 million in Medicaid funding primarily to cover six months of rent for homeless people. Oregon is spending more than $1 billion on services such as emergency rental assistance for patients facing homelessness. Even ruby-red Arkansas will dedicate nearly $100 million partly to house its neediest.

At least 19 states are directing money from Medicaid — the state-federal health insurance program for low-income people — into housing aid and addressing the nation’s growing homelessness epidemic, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Even though there’s little agreement u PAGE 3

YEAR OF THE DRAGON. Mallgoers take photos with the Chinese dragon displayed inside a mall in Bacoor, Cavite on Tuesday, Feb. 6.

According to the Chinese zodiac, Feb. 10 marks the start of the Year of the Wooden Dragon.

PNA photo by Yancy Lim

ONLY President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. can put a stop to the escalating row between the Senate and House of Representatives over Charter change (Cha-cha), said former Senate presidents Franklin Drilon and Vicente "Tito" Sotto III. Sen. Jose "Jinggoy" Estrada on Monday expressed willingness to mediate to settle the two parties' differences over the proposal to amend the 1987 Constitution.

"I find it appropriate for someone outside the institution to mediate. The president can do it," Drilon said in a text message.

"The only person who could put a stop to this is the president," Sotto said in a separate text message.

Sen. Maria Imelda Josefa "Imee" Marcos, the president's eldest sister, said it would be wise to let the Senate's leadership handle the matter.

"I think we should leave it in the wisdom of the Senate president (Juan Miguel Zubiri) because he, after all, conducted those face-to-face meetings during which time and again the agreements were violated." u PAGE 4

DOJ opposes former President Duterte’s call for Mindanao secession Mindanao or other parts of the country and stands firmly against any attempts to undermine the unity and territorial integrity of the Philippines, as enshrined in the Constitution,” the DOJ said.

“The DOJ remains committed to protecting our sovereignty and upholding the sanctity of the highest law of the land,” it added.

However, when asked if Duterte violated any law due to his pronouncement, DOJ spokesman Mico Clavano said that the justice department can only comment if there is a “pending matter” endorsed to u PAGE 4 National Security Adviser Eduardo Año

by ian Laqui Philstar.com

MANILA — The Department of Justice (DOJ) rejected the idea of an independent Mindanao from the Philippines proposed by former President Rodrigo Duterte.

In a statement released on Monday, February 5, the principal law agency of the executive department said that the call for secession is contradicting the principles of our democratic society” as stated in the 1987 Constitution.

“The Department of Justice vehemently opposes calls for the secession of

Malacañang photo

Castro asks DOJ to annul dismissal Año: Any secession move of case vs ex-president Duterte to be met with force

by TeTch Torres-Tupas

a television program at Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) against the lawmaker as he talked about the proposed confidential fund for the offices being helmed by his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte.

In his “Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa” program that aired on Oct. 11, 2023, Duterte was quoted: “I told Inday [Sara] to be direct, tell them that the intelligence fund is meant to prepare the minds of the Filipinos, to address the insurgency that is taking a long time to end… But your first target there, using your intelligence funds, is you, France, you communists who I want to kill. I asked her to tell them that, but she refused, saying, ‘You know Pa, if I did that, they might harass

Inquirer.net

ACT Party-list Rep. France Castro asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Monday, February 5 to annul the findings of the Quezon City Prosecutors Office, which dismissed her grave threat complaint against former President Rodrigo Duterte.

Inquirer.net file photo

rebounded among class ABC with a 16 percent increase in trust rating, from 53 percent to 69 percent, as well as in Class D and E, where there was a 2 percentage point increase in both classes.

Meanwhile, Duterte got 77 percent, 2 points higher than the 75 percent she received in the third quarter. Five percent distrust her, and 18 percent were undecided.

Her trust ratings improved in Balanced Luzon and Mindanao by 4 percentage points but u PAGE 2

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MANILA — National Security Adviser Eduardo Año warned that the government “will not hesitate to use its authority and forces to quell and stop all attempts to dismember the Republic” as the military chief also reminded troops that “there is only one Philippines,” following former President Rodrigo Duterte’s call for an independent Mindanao.

“Any attempt to secede any part of the Philippines will be met by the government with u PAGE 2 resolute force, as it remains

MANILA — ACT Party-list Rep. France Castro asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Monday, February 5 to annul the findings of the Quezon City Prosecutors Office, which dismissed her grave threat complaint against former President Rodrigo Duterte.

The Quezon City Prosecutors Office, in a resolution dated Jan. 9, junked the complaint against Duterte for insufficient evidence.

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steadfast in securing the sovereignty and integrity of the national territory,” Año said in a statement on Sunday, February 2.

In a press briefing last week, Duterte said local political forces would be regrouping to push for a “separate and independent Mindanao,” including his bailiwick of Davao City.

The 78-year-old former president also warned President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. against u PAGE 3

2 FEBRUARY 7-9, 2024 • SoCal ASIAN JOURNAL

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

From the Front Page

Marcos, VP Duterte trust ratings...

PAGE 1

decreased in the NCR and the Visayas by 2 percentage points.

Among socioeconomic classes, Duterte posted a 5-percentage-point increase in trust ratings in class E, from 79 percent to 84 percent, as well as among class D with a 2-percentage-point increase from 76 percent to 78 percent.

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri has increased his trust ratings by 2 percentage points to 59 percent, with a 9 percent distrust rate.

House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez got a trust rating of 64 percent, an increase

of 4 percentage points from the previous quarter, with only a 7 percent distrust rate.

Zubiri's trust ratings increased in NCR, Balance Luzon and the Visayas, while Romualdez's trust rating increased to 15 percent in the NCR and 12 percent in Balanced Luzon, which offset his 15 percent decrease in Mindanao.

Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo got a trust rating of 23 percent, an increase of 2 percent from the previous survey.

In terms of performance, Marcos' performance ratings rebounded by 6 percentage

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. attends the Basic Education Report, which Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte delivered in Pasay City.

ManilaTimes.net photo by Rene Dilan

points from the previous quarter to 71 percent from 65 percent in October, which was buoyed by the increase in his performance ratings in the Visayas by 11 percentage points from 63 percent to 74 percent, Balanced Luzon by 8 percentage points from, 69 percent to 77 percent, and the National Capital Region by 6 percentage points from 61 percent to 67 percent.

Among socioeconomic classes, Marcos' performance satisfaction rating shot up among Class ABC, from 54 percent to 82 percent, while also registering increases among Class D by 6 percentage points to 71 percent and Class E by 2 percentage points to 67 percent.

Duterte's performance ratings also increased by 5 percentage points to 75 percent, boosted by increases in her performance ratings in Mindanao by 10 percentage points, in the Visayas by 6 percentage points, and in Balanced Luzon by 5 percentage points.

Her performance satisfaction rating among socioeconomic classes also increased, with the highest among Class E, with a 12 percent jump from 69 percent to 81 percent, followed

by Class D by 5 percentage points to 76 percent, and Class ABC by 3 percentage points by 57 percent. n

Castro asks DOJ to annul dismissal of...

PAGE 1

the PMTs [Philippine Military Training institutions].”

According to the Quezon City Prosecutors Office, the manner in which Duterte made the statements “do not convincingly establish that indeed respondent intended them to be taken seriously and that they were deliberately made for the purpose of creating in the mind of the complainant the belief that the threats will be carried into effect.”

The Quezon City Prosecutors Office added that if one were serious about harming another person, it would be “ridiculous” for him or her to make it public.

In her petition for review filed at the DOJ, Castro said the

prosecutor committed grave abuse of discretion.

“There is nothing in the Rules that provides for an ‘authentication or certification’ from social media platforms or from the television network where the electronic document is taken,” Castro said in her petition.

“The OCP [Office of City Prosecutor] committed grave abuse of discretion when it refused to give due evidentiary value to the complainant’s sworn statement that she has personally watched, downloaded, and saved the video footages containing RespondentAppellee’s threatening remarks,” she added.

The petition further asserted that “a careful re-examination” of

Castro’s complaint would show the presence of all elements of grave threat.

In her petition, Castro likewise pointed out that the Quezon City Prosecutors Office’s dismissal of her complaint against the former president “undermines efforts to address online threats, contributes to normalizing violent rhetoric, and erodes public trust in the legal system’s ability to handle explicit threats from those in power, effectively deterring dissent.”

Lawyers from the Movement Against Disinformation led by Dean Tony La Viña and Rico Domingo are representing Castro in her complaint against Duterte. n

FESTIVE. Dances and music are featured at “Pasinaya,” the largest multi-arts festival in the country, at the Cultural Center of the Philippines complex in Pasay City on Saturday, Feb. 3. Schools nationwide are represented as the event makes a comeback after three years of cancellation due to the pandemic.

PNA photo by Joan Bondoc

Will the Senate pass expanded Child Tax Credit...

PAGE 1

In an interview with Ethnic Media Services, Chuck Marr, Vice President for Federal Tax Policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, explained the expanded credit and its importance in lifting millions of children out of poverty.

EMS: Could you explain the provisions of the measure?

Chuck Marr: The Child Tax Credit has been around for a few decades, and over time, and it’s fully available to middle-class and higher-income families.

But we still have 19 million children whose parents work for low wages. And because their earnings are not high enough, they do not get the full child tax credit. So 19 million kids, the kids who stand to benefit the most, actually get the least.

The child tax credit right now is basically upside down.

And it needs to be turned right side up. And so this bill makes good progress. It It doesn’t fix everything, but it makes real progress.

Even with this small package, you’re helping 1 in 3 black children, 1 out of 3 Latino children, and 1 in 7 Asian American and White children.

EMS: So how does this work?

CM: It moves low-income families to a per child phase in, which is so important. Right now, throughout the population, 70 percent of kids live in families

The Senate is contemplating a $78 billion expanded version of the Federal Child Tax Credit, which could provide some economic stability to an estimated 19 million low-income children.

Unsplash.com photo by Vitolda Klein

with two or more children. So this is a really big benefit. And then also the special lower cap for low-income families, this gets rid of that. So those are two big changes.

And then there’s a third piece, which is very important. Lowincome people who work in lowwage jobs don’t tend to get sick days. They don’t get leave when their elderly parent gets sick.

Higher income people, middleclass people, they tell their employer: ‘You know, I got to take a couple of weeks off here. I got to help out.’ Low income people, they get fired for doing things like that.

Three big changes So this bill says, OK, a low

ABISO NG SAN DIEGO COUNTY CONSORTIUM TUNGKOL SA PAMPUBLIKONG PAGDINIG AT ABISO TUNGKOL SA PAGIGING AVAILABLE CONSORTIUM NG COUNTY NG SAN DIEGO TAUNANG PLANO PARA SA 2024-25 GAWAD NA SALAPI MULA SA PANGUNAHING GOBYERNO (BLOCK GRANT) PARA SA PAGPAPAUNLAD NG KOMUNIDAD, MGA PAGSOSOSYO SA PAMUMUHUNAN SA BAHAY (HOME), GAWAD NA SALAPI PARA SA MGA SOLUSYON SA EMERGENCY (EMERGENCY SOLUTIONS GRANT, ESG), AT MGA PONDO PARA SA PROGRAMA NG MGA OPORTUNIDAD SA PABAHAY PARA SA MGA TAONG MAY AIDS (HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES FOR PERSONS WITH AIDS, HOPWA) Ibinibigay ang abiso para ipaalam na magsasagawa ang Board of Supervisors ng pampublikong pagdinig sa Marso 12, 2024, nang 9:00 a.m. sa Room 310 sa County Administration Center, 1600 Pacific Highway, San Diego, CA, para pag-usapan ang Taunang Plano para sa Taon ng Pananalapi na 2024-2025. Pag-uusapan ng Board ang iminumungkahing paggamit ng tinatayang: $4,227,770 na pondo ng Community Development Block Grant (CDBG); $3,496,403 na pondo ng HOME Investment Partnership (HOME); $370,070 na pondo ng Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG); at $6,240,872 na pondo ng Housing Opportunities for Persons with HIV/AIDS (HOPWA) na matatanggap ng County mula sa U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Pag-uusapan din ng Board ang iminumungkahing paggamit ng tinatayang $2,050,000 na mga kinita ng CDBG para sa Taon ng Pananalapi na 2024-25, HOME at HOPWA Program at ang pag-reallocate ng tinatayang $14,400,000 sa mga entitlement ng HOME, ESG, CDBG at HOPWA sa mga nakaraang taon. Ang mga bilang na ito ay batay sa mga antas ng pagpopondo sa nakaraang taon.

Inilalarawan ng Taunang Plano ang mga iminumungkaing aktibidad na popondohan mula sa Taon ng Pananalapi na 2024-25 at mga entitlement mula sa nakaraang taon, na dapat matugunan ang mga layuning itinatag sa Pinag-isang Plano para sa 2020-24.

Ang programa ng CDBG at ESG ay nagbibigay ng pondo sa unincorporated area ng County at ang mga lungsod ng Coronado, Del Mar, Imperial Beach, Lemon Grove, Poway, at Solana Beach, kilala rin bilang Urban County. Ang mga pondo ng CDBG ay dapat: (1) pakinabangan ng mga taong may mas mababang kita; (2) pigilan/alisin ang mga squatter at mga lugar na napakaraming tao; o (3) tugunan ang mga pangangailangan sa pagpapaunlad ng komunidad na kailangan na kailangan. Pinopondohan ng programa ng ESG ang tulong para sa walang tirahan sa Urban County.

Pinopondohan ng programang HOME ang mga aktibidad sa abotkayang pabahay sa loob ng County HOME Consortium. Kasama sa HOME Consortium ang Urban County, at ang mga lungsod ng Carlsbad, Encinitas, La Mesa, San Marcos, Santee, at Vista.

Pinopondohan ng programang HOPWA ang pabahay/mga serbisyo para sa mga taong may HIV/AIDS at ang kanilang mga pamilya sa buong San Diego County.

Masusuri at mabibigyan ng komento ng publiko ang mga kopya ng mga draft na Plano, sa 30 araw na panahon para magbigay ng komento mula Pebrero 9, 2024 hanggang Marso 12, 2024, sa website ng County sa www.sdhcd.com. Ang mga taong kailangan ng tulong sa paglahok sa mga pagpupulong (halimbawa: hindi nagsasalita ng Ingles, may kapansanan sa pandinig, atbp.) ay dapat abisuhan ang HCDS limang araw bago ang pagpupulong. Para sa higit pang impormasyon, pakitawagan ang (858) 694-8724. Para sa tulong sa may kapansanan sa pandinig, pakitawagan ang (858) 694-8724.

2/7/24 CNS-3779478# ASIAN JOURNAL (L.A.)

income person goes to file their taxes. Last year, they worked quite a bit. This year they’re working less. Maybe someone had a baby. Right. Maybe they’re caring for an elderly parent.

Maybe their hours were cut.

So they get to take a choice.

They would choose between this year’s earnings, or last year’s, to calculate their child tax credit.

Those are really the three big changes. And again, it’s that per child that’s the major driver.

If you have a single mom who makes, she has a toddler and a second grader, right? She works as a home health aide part-time around her kids’ school schedules.

And she makes $15,000. Right now, she gets about $1,800 in child tax credit, right, far below the $4,000 that a higher income family would get. So with this bill, she’s going to get another $1,700.

So not quite to $4,000, but to $3,600.

(Editor’s note: the maximum cap on the child tax credit is $2,000 per child per year, regardless of income) EMS: For low-income families, why is this being offered as a credit at the end of the year, rather than a direct subsidy, which could help a lot of families month by month?

CM: If you think back during the pandemic, that one year where there really was a major expansion, child poverty was cut in half. That’s what we need to get back to. You know, that was just historic. And it’s so sad that that expired. That was when they when they went month to month.

And that really helped provide stability for families. Something goes wrong. You still can help pay your bills.

This proposal does not do that.

This is 1/12 of the size of the pandemic package.

I think the idea here is that let’s do what we can now in this package. And then in 2025, when all the Trump tax cuts expire, let’s try to block the tax cuts for the highest income people. And let’s try to go back to that really large expansion of the child tax credit, including that monthly delivery.

EMS: This is being framed as a bi-partisan bill. Would you agree with that framing?

CM: You wish that both sides would just want to help lowincome children. But sadly, that’s not the case. So this is a trade, where Republicans are pushing for a series of corporate tax breaks. And then Democrats pushing more for the child tax credit. And it’s a negotiated settlement: a dollar of corporate for a dollar of helping low-income children.

Some from the far right are raising issues of of what the effect on work would be. And I think that’s very silly. I mean, the idea that a single mom who’s working is going to give up a job that pays $25,000 a year just so she can keep $2,000 is ridiculous to me.

This bill is intended to deal with the volatility of earnings and life circumstances. People have children. Their parents get sick.

It helps provide some stability.

(Sunita Sohrabji/Ethnic Media Services)

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

Dateline USa

Is housing health care? State Medicaid...

PAGE 1

randomly assigned to receive long-term housing and services used the psychiatric emergency department 38% less than a control group over four years while increasing their use of routine mental health care. But participants were still hospitalized at high rates and continued to rely on the emergency room for routine medical care or rest.

State Medicaid programs have long dabbled in housing, but with the blessing and encouragement of the Biden administration, they are launching more services for more people with heaps of new state and federal money. The trend is part of a broader White House strategy that encourages Medicaid directors to offer social services alongside traditional medical care, with the goal of making their residents healthier.

“A health care dollar can do more than just pay for a doctor visit or hospital stay,” Xavier Becerra, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, told California Healthline. “We should be using the federal health care dollar for wellness care: Get them before they get ill, and keep them healthy. Is there anyone who would deny that someone who is homeless is going to have a harder time also keeping their health up than someone who is housed with running water and heat?”

Becerra acknowledged these initiatives as experiments. But he said the federal government can no longer ignore the rampant death and disease that is plaguing homeless populations around the U.S.

“We’re simply saying, ‘State, that this will provide a longif you can prove to us that with term fix for vulnerable patients’ this Medicaid dollar you will health or housing, the Biden improve someone’s health or administration is encouraging health outcome, then you have other states to jump in. Several essentially served the purpose of are in the pipeline, including the Medicaid program and you’re Tennessee, West Virginia, and saving taxpayers more money,’” Montana — and New York got he said. the green light from the federal But not all health care leaders government in January.

— or even homelessness experts Using health care funding — believe this is the best use of to house people is “a big Medicaid money, especially by philosophical debate,” said Alex a safety-net program that faces Demyan, assistant director of routine criticism for failing to Arizona’s Medicaid agency. “We provide basic health care to many know health care can’t solve all enrollees. the problems, but we also know “If you’re on Medicaid, you that housing agencies are maxed often have to wait months and out and we have enormous need months for a specialty visit, even if to help stabilize people.” it’s a life-threatening concern, so Homelessness jumped 12% in I worry about what people won’t the U.S. last year, to an estimated be able to get because of this,” 653,104 Americans, the highest said Margot Kushel, a leading level on record, even as the homelessness researcher and nation dramatically increased its primary care doctor at Zuckerberg inventory of permanent housing San Francisco General Hospital and temporary shelter beds. and Trauma Center who primarily As people languish on the treats low-income patients. streets, often struggling with “It’s not that I don’t want the addiction, severe mental illness, money to be spent, but is it best and untreated chronic diseases, spent in health care?” she asked. health care officials and political “It’s much better than nothing, leaders are turning to health but it’s far from providing the insurance money for relief. long-term housing and stability They argue that housing aid will that people really need.” improve health and save taxpayer Kushel said the danger is money by keeping people out that most Medicaid housing of institutions such as nursing assistance can be used only once homes, hospitals, and jails. or is time-limited, such as rental But evidence supporting this payments, which typically end argument is mixed. after six months.

For instance, in a trial by “By the time folks get into researchers at the University housing, they’re already really, of California-San Francisco, really sick,” she said. “What homeless people in Santa Clara happens at the end of six months County, California, who were when rental assistance like free rent runs out?”

Housing as health care Across the country, state Medicaid programs are stretching the definition of health care and getting into the business of social services, delivering a range of nontraditional benefits such as healthy home-delivered meals for patients with diabetes and air filters for patients with asthma.

While the federal government historically has banned the use of Medicaid money for direct rent payments, that has changed.

In 2022, Arizona received federal approval for an initiative called “H2O,” which will prioritize homeless people and those at risk of losing housing who also have a mental health condition and chronic illness. When it At least 19 states are directing money from Medicaid — the state-federal health insurance program launches in October, it will for low-income people — into housing aid and addressing the nation’s growing homelessness primarily provide two services: epidemic, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Unsplash.com photo by Maria Ziegler

PAGE 7

SoCal ASIAN JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 7-9, 2024 3

Año: Any secession move to be met...

PAGE 1 supporting ongoing moves for Charter change (Cha-cha), in a speech on Jan. 28 which highlighted a deepening rift between the country’s two most influential political families.

Año, a former military chief whom Duterte tapped as his interior secretary before his appointment by Mr. Marcos last year to his current post, called on “all Filipinos to remain vigilant against attempts to sow discord and division and to work together toward a future of peace and prosperity for all.”

“In light of recent calls to separate Mindanao from the rest of the Philippines, we underscore the importance of national unity, security and stability,” he said, without directly referring to Duterte.

“Any suggestion of secession not only runs counter to the Constitution but also threatens to undo the hard-won gains of peace and development, particularly in Mindanao.”

“The comprehensive peace process, which has brought an end to decades of armed conflict in Mindanao, must be vigorously safeguarded and built upon,” he added.

‘Only one Philippines’ Over the weekend, Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. went around military camps in Mindanao, including Davao — Duterte’s home region. There, he told troops “to stay united and be wary of enemy efforts to infiltrate various sectors of society and challenge the AFP and the nation’s unity,” according to a statement by the AFP. “Let us focus on our duty. We have only one Philippines, only one country. Let us be proud of our heritage, let’s be proud of who we are as a people. We are all Filipinos so let’s love our country,” Brawner was quoted as telling soldiers during his visit on Saturday to the Army’s 10th Infantry Division in Mawab, Davao de Oro, and the Eastern Mindanao Command in Davao City.

On Sunday, February 4, he went to the Western Mindanao Command headquarters in Zamboanga City and the 101st Infantry Brigade in Isabela City, Basilan, where he reminded troops of their oath of loyalty to the Constitution and also stressed that “the strength

of the nation depends on the strength and unity of its armed forces.”

“Let us stay focused on our mandate, keep improving our capabilities, and harness our love for our country to become better servant leaders that our country can rely on for the stability and security of our nation. Let us continue to show that with a strong and united AFP, we will have a strong and united Philippines,” Brawner said.

‘Seditious’ At the House of Representatives, a lawmaker asked his colleagues to investigate and look into the possible expulsion of Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez, Duterte’s longtime ally, for proposing a separate Mindanao.

In a joint statement on Sunday, Camiguin Rep. Jurdin Jesus Romualdo and his son, Camiguin Gov. Xavier Jesus Romualdo, said the proposal and actions of Duterte and Alvarez were “seditious insofar as [they call] for the separation of Mindanao from the Philippine Republic in violation of the 1987 Constitution.”

The older Romualdo called on his colleagues to investigate and possibly initiate expulsion proceedings against Alvarez “for his role in advocating for Mindanao secession.”

His son, on the other hand, said that he served three terms in Congress, two of these during Duterte’s presidency, while he also served under five Speakers, including Alvarez.

“Of the five (Speakers), Alvarez was the most forceful and powerful. Of course, everyone knows how powerful former President Duterte was during his term. Both are from Mindanao. They should, thus, answer for their complaints about the state of Mindanao,” Governor Romualdo pointed out.

“If things are as bad as they say, why is it that way when you ruled the country for six years?

What were you doing when you were at the helm?” he added.

‘Peace and unity’ Two more Mindanao governors also rejected calls for an independent Mindanao, echoing the stand taken last week by four provincial governors in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

“In the spirit of peace and unity, we turn down any call or movement that aims to destabilize our government and eventually divide our nation,” Maguindanao del Sur Gov. Bai Mariam Sangki-Mangudadatu said. “We are for one and united Philippines.”

Her son, Sultan Kudarat Gov. Datu Pax Ali Mangudadatu, said “Division would infringe [upon] the fundamental doctrines of our Constitution, disrupt the interconnectedness of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao that has sustained our national economy and fracture the foundation of our national stability.”

His father, incumbent Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Director General Datu Suharto Mangudadatu, expressed the same sentiment, saying that division would only affect “the full potential of our country’s economic strength.” n

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‘Only Marcos can end Congress...

PAGE 1 She noted that the president had "already mediated" between Zubiri and House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez in early January prior to the filing of Resolution of Both Houses 6 by the Senate president to amend some economic provisions in the Charter.

Drilon said the quarrel between the two institutions was unfortunate and disruptive.

"While it is healthy to maintain the check and balance between the House and the Senate, interparliamentary courtesy is essential for Congress to perform its functions," he said.

"The bickering stems from the PI (people's initiative for Charter change). Definitely very injurious for the country. The Senate is obviously reacting to it because it can no longer be denied that some members of the House of Representatives are pushing it," Sotto said.

Drilon said public interest was not served amid such conflict, adding there is no misunderstanding that cannot be resolved through sincere dialogue.

The president met with Zubiri and Romualdez in Malacañang on January 11 after the vin d'honneur to address the matter.

"In that meeting, I defended the position of the Senate that as far as we are concerned their plan is unconstitutional because we are a bicameral system of government," Zubiri said in a news conference on January 15.

"I would like to thank the president for his comment that the PI is too divisive. He said, 'Why doesn't the Senate take

the lead in the discussions of the economic provisions and then you approve your version which the House can adopt?'

So, that was the position of the president," Zubiri said.

The House leadership said it was open to dialogue with senators.

"Knowing Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, the speaker would always be that person who will extend that hand of friendship," House Majority Leader Manuel Jose "Mannix" Dalipe said on Tuesday, February 6.

"No doubt, if the Senate, the Senate president, wants to meet with the speaker of the House, the speaker would always be willing," Dalipe added.

Meanwhile, Sen. Francis Joseph "Chiz" Escudero called on Marcos to "rein in" Romualdez, his cousin.

Escudero made the call after the House of Representatives approved on Monday, February 5, a resolution supporting Romualdez and upholding the integrity of the House if Representatives amid the "intense assault from the Senate in violation of the principle of interparliamentary courtesy and undue interference in the performance of its legislative and constituent functions."

"Since when is the search for the truth [behind PI] an assault against anyone? Shouldn't we all be standing and fighting for what is true, right, moral and just?" Escudero said.

"Anyway, PBBM (President Bongbong Marcos) has urged both houses [of Congress] to have a 'ceasefire.' But if his own

cousin and political ally won't heed his call, how, why would others who are not related to him do so? I once again respectfully urge and call upon PBBM to rein in his cousin (Speaker Romualdez) and have him on a very short leash, henceforth," he added.

"It is simply what it is. It is an expression of our sincere sentiments," Bataan 1st District Rep. Geraldine Roman said on Tuesday, pertaining to the resolution supporting Romualdez and upholding the integrity of the House of Representatives.

"We didn't start it, and we have no intention of prolonging this," Roman added.

Sen. Robinhood Padilla called the members of the Senate and House of Representatives to settle their differences.

Padilla on Monday filed a Resolution of Both Houses 7 (RBH 7) that seeks to amend Section 1 of Article 17 (Amendments or Revisions) in the Constitution to have both houses of Congress voting separately.

"Let us tackle RBH 7 now, on voting separately. I hope this can be done simultaneously with hearings on economic amendments because it is high time we resolve what the framers of the Constitution forgot," he said in his privilege speech on Monday.

"We can lead the way to stop the confusion and stop the exchange of words and press releases. This is the only solution.... That is the way to bring closure to the issue regarding the Constitution," he added. n

BATTLE OF SWORDS. Fencers are in intense battle during the Senior Fencing Championships at the Quantum Skyview, Gateway Mall 2, Araneta City in Cubao, Quezon City on Saturday, Feb. 3. The sports event, which was also participated in by Southeast Asian Games medalists, ran until Sunday, Feb. 4.

PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler

DOJ opposes former President Duterte’s...

PAGE 1 the agency.

“If their call is the division of the Philippines, our call naman is the unity ng buong bansa,” Clavano said in an interview with reporters.

(If their call is the division of the Philippines, our call, on the other hand, is the unity of the entire country.)

On January 31, Duterte put forward the idea of separating Mindanao from the rest through a people’s initiative after accusing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of being behind the people’s initiative signature campaign to change the Constitution.

Duterte's call, according to a Makabayan bloc lawmaker, is allegedly being used by the former president to evade the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court which gave the green light to resume its investigation into Duterte's "war on drugs," which saw thousands of deaths as recorded by local and international human rights groups.

Aside from the DOJ, the National Security Council (NSC) on Sunday also rejected Duterte’s secession pronouncement saying that it poses to progress made in peace and development.

“Any attempt to secede any ALMOST 100. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. consults his chief legal counsel, Juan Ponce Enrile, who will turn 100 on February 14, during a sectoral meeting in Malacañang on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024.

Malacañang photo part of the Philippines will be

met by the government with resolute force, as it remains steadfast in securing the sovereignty and integrity of the national territory,” National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said, according to NSC’s statement on Sunday.

In a separate statement, the Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro echoed NSC’s rejection of Duterte’s secession call.

“The mandate of the Department of National Defense is to secure the sovereignty of the state and integrity of the national territory as enshrined in the constitution,” Teodoro said in a statement on Monday.

“We will strictly enforce this mandate whether externally or internally,” he added.

On Friday, February 2, Carlito Galvez Jr., the presidential adviser on peace, reconciliation and unity, also urged Filipinos to reject any movement calling for an independent Mindanao to separate from the Philippines.

Both Año and Galvez are former Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines appointed during the Duterte administration.

Mindanao governments’ rejection Aside from government personalities and agencies, the Bangsamoro government and some governors of Mindanao

also oppose the secession call of Duterte.

In separate statements, governors of Sultan Kudarat and Maguindanao del Sur on Sunday joined the rejection of the separation of Mindanao proposal.

“Mindanao’s concerns should be resolved without pursuing secession…It would disrupt the interconnected productivity of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao that has long sustained our national stability,” Sultan Kudarat Gov. Datu Pax Ali Mangudadatu said.

Maguindanao del Sur Gov. Bai Mariam Mangudadatu, meanwhile, emphasized that secession will not resolve the concerns of Mindanao residents.

“We are for one and united Philippines,” she added.

The Bangsamoro leaders also opposed the secession idea, saying that they would continue to adhere to the provisions of the Comprehensive Agreement of the Bangsamoro "towards the right to self-determination."

“We, therefore, urge everyone to help protect the gains of the peace processes. Let us continue to support the current administration and allow peace and civility to reign over the affairs of our land,” BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim said. n

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5

Garin says DOT needs to intensify efforts to attract more tourists

by Gabriel Pabico lalu Philstar.com

MANILA — Iloilo 1st District Rep. Janette Garin has called on the Department of Tourism (DOT) to intensify efforts toward attracting more tourists, as other Southeast Asian countries start implementing a novisa requirement for Chinese visitors.

Garin in a statement said the country is already known for its tourist spots but it might get a boost if the government gets rid of cumbersome bureaucratic practices.

“Kailangan mas paigtingin pa ng DOT at iba pang ahensya ang ating turismo lalo na’t marami sa kalapit nating bansa ay nagalis na ng visa requirement para sa mga Chinese national,” she said on Monday.

(The DOT and other

government agencies need to intensify efforts towards tourism, especially since some of our neighbor-countries have removed visa requirements for Chinese nationals.)

“While we have a lot of tourist spots and our hospitality is one of a kind, it should be coupled with less bureaucracy and better facilitation,” she added.

Last January 24, it was reported that Thailand and China have agreed to waive visa requirements for each other’s nationals to facilitate travel and tourism between the two countries.

Thailand and China’s mutual visa exemption takes effect on March 1.

Singapore announced its own version of the visa-free entry last December 2023, while Malaysia made theirs last November.

Garin said better tourism

numbers would improve the country’s economy.

“Kapag lumago ang ekonomiya, tataas ang employment rate, tataas din ang antas ng pamumuhay ng mga Pilipino,” she noted.

(If the economy improves, the employment rate increases, and the quality of life of people would improve.)

China is one of the countries with the highest number of tourists going to the Philippines. However, Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian admitted last January 25 that there has been a sharp decline in Chinese tourists in the country compared to the prepandemic numbers.

Huang said that almost 1.8 million Chinese tourists visited the country in 2019, but this has MIGRATORY BIRDS. White herons (egrets) find refuge at the Las Piñas-Parañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area, also known as the dwindled to just around 200,000 Las Piñas-Parañaque Wetland Park on Monday, Feb. 5. The presence of migratory birds, such as the white herons, is a key indicator that the country’s wetlands, coastlines, and forests are healthy and thriving.

PNA photo by Yancy Lim in 2023. n

PH to promote rule of law, social stability in ASEAN ‘Duterte gets info he may be arrested at any time’ MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. expressed confidence on Tuesday that the Philippines will take the lead in promoting the rule of law, social stability, and economic prosperity in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

This, as he led the oathtaking of the new officers of the Philippine National Committee of ASEAN Law Association (ALA) Philippines, Inc. at Malacañan Palace in Manila.

“I am glad to administer your oaths of office today for it signals your devotion to lend your legal expertise to promote close relations, cooperation, and mutual understanding amongst magistrates, lawyers, and teachers of law in ASEAN member countries,” Marcos said.

“Your representation to the international bodies, such as the ALA, reflects our country’s continued commitment to strengthen our multilateral cooperation with our neighboring countries.”

The president said the election of the new ALA Philippines officers is vital in reaching the country’s goal of a “just global community amidst the critical

geopolitical issues that we are being confronted with in the region.”

He said he is optimistic that they would be instrumental in harmonizing the respective national laws of every ASEAN country to achieve a common consensus on concerns within the region.

Marcos also hailed the Supreme Court for accepting the hosting of the Council of ASEAN Chief Justice Meeting, as well as Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo for accepting the position of Philippine National Committee chairperson of ALA Philippines.

“By taking on these challenges, you have proven that we are one with our ASEAN counterparts to facilitate legal collaboration, interconnectivity, and integration amongst them,” he said.

Marcos also pledged to support the judiciary in implementing the Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022-2027.

He said his administration respects and adheres to the judiciary’s autonomy, adding that he also aims to strengthen the partnership between the executive and the judiciary.

“Under the leadership of Chief Justice Gesmundo and the commitment of the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court and other public servants in the judiciary, the Filipino people can now rest assured that responsive and real-time justice can be delivered,” Marcos said.

The ALA was established by ASEAN lawyers in February 1979 in Jakarta, Indonesia through the proposal of Singaporean Professor Tan Sook Yee and the late former senator Edgardo Angara.

It was formed to create a regional organization for lawyers in ASEAN to promote close relations, cooperation, and mutual understanding among them in the region.

It aims to provide organizational cooperation in law research, provide organizational facilities for ASEAN cooperation in conflict avoidance, arbitration, and resolution of legal disputes; and push for cooperation with international, regional, national, and other organizations.

The ALA Philippines Inc. was founded on June 25, 1981

by Angara and 13 other legal luminaries in the country. (PNA)

by John Eric MEndoza Inquirer.net

MANILA — Ex-presidential spokesperson Harry Roque claimed that former President Rodrigo Duterte told him about receiving information that he may be arrested at any time in light of the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation of his administration’s drug war.

According to Roque, when Duterte told him about it, he was not able to sleep.

“You know what, I have a confession. I didn’t sleep. Because Father Digong called me and said, he got information that he might be arrested at any time,” Roque said in Fiilipino during his Facebook live on Sunday, Feb 4.

“My instinct was to run to Davao [City]. However, I also told myself: What can I do if I run there. But I couldn’t really sleep,” he added, without elaborating.

He then made remarks attacking supporters of the opposition, specifically of former Vice President Leni Robredo, whom they called “pinklawan” (a combination of Filipino words pink and yellow).

President Ferdinand Marcos

Jr. said the Philippines did not recognize the ICC’s jurisdiction over the Philippines as his predecessor had initiated the country’s withdrawal from the Rome Statute, which created the global court. Marcos said, however, that ICC investigators can come and visit the country “as ordinary people.”

Duterte declared the Philippines’ withdrawal from the international treaty in March 2018. The withdrawal took effect a year later.

The ICC nevertheless asserted its jurisdiction over the country, noting that its investigation covers alleged crimes against humanity committed from November 1, 2011, to March 16, 2019, while the Philippines was still a state party to the Rome Statute.

Duterte was the chief architect of the war on drugs which claimed at least 6,000 lives, according to official government data. But human rights watchdogs and the ICC itself estimated the toll to be between 12,000 and 30,000 from 2016 to 2019 alone.

In the same Facebook live on Sunday, Roque mentioned that Duterte’s claim about his impending arrest was corroborated by rumors of Task

Former President Rodrigo Duterte Inquirer.net file photo

Force Davao’s disbandment due to its perceived loyalty to Duterte.

“Now of course I sniffed around for what is happening in Davao.

Well, it seems like there is truth in what he said because I gathered news that Task Force Davao would be disbanded,” Roque said.

“They know that this Task Force Davao is loyal to the Dutertes. So it seems that there was — well, that’s the buzz now — that Task Force Davao will be disbanded,” he added.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines, however, denied Roque’s pronouncements about Task Force Davao. n

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Advanced persistent threat

CYBERSECURITY experts have been warning about the threat for some time now: hacking of government websites, with the attacks originating from foreign countries. The experts, citing global data, said most of the attacks have been traced to operators in only a handful of countries: North Korea, China, Russia and Iran.

In the case of a recent hacking attempt targeting the Philippine Coast Guard, the National Coast Watch and the private website of President Marcos, the operation was traced to Chinese telecommunications operator China Unicom. This is according to the Department of Information and Communications Technology, which said the hacking attempt was successfully foiled by Philippine cybersecurity experts.

Because of recent developments, the PCG suspects that the hacking attempt was linked to the maritime dispute between the Philippines and China. Earlier, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration faced a cyber attack that was also traced to China.

Although China Unicom is state-owned, the DICT stressed that it is not accusing the Chinese government of being behind the cyber attacks, but merely reporting that the hacking attempts emanated from Chinese territory. An official of the DICT said the Philippines would coordinate with China in a bid to identify the perpetrators and stop

their activities.

Experts, however, have been warning of possible state-sponsored cyber attacks from overseas directed at Philippine government agencies and private entities operating critical infrastructure such as public utilities, submarine cables, airports, the banking system and defense installations.

A DICT official said the hacking attempt on the PCG by at least three “advanced threat groups” could be classified as cyber espionage because the objective was to gather information by breaching email systems and internal websites of government agencies using Google Workspace. Google itself reported the attempts about two weeks ago.

Also targeted were the domain administrators of the Department of Justice, the Office of the Cabinet Secretary and the Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department of Congress.

The DICT official pointed out that such hacking conceal the activities. attempts are classified as “an advanced persistent Around the world, governments are readying threat” because they require “significant spending their defenses against the new type of warfare on research and development and technology” to that is waged in cyberspace. In the Philippines,

Editorial

ManilaTimes.net photo

which has one of the highest incidences of digital scams and related offenses, the latest attacks should give urgency to ramping up cyber defenses. (Philstar.com)

Time for a commission to probe Duterte’s drug war and its cost in human life and nation’s sanity

First Word Yen Makabenta IRONICALLY, like a bull in a China shop, ex-president Rodrigo Duterte has made imperative the appointment of a commission to fully investigate the six-year war on drugs, which he launched and used to define his presidency.

He provokes this policy decision with his deranged reaction to the arrival in Manila of a UN rapporteur and the imminent start of the investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC) of accountability for human rights abuses and extrajudicial killing of drug lords, pushers and users by units of the Philippine National Police on the command of his former excellency.

Incensed also by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s reversal of Duterte's policy to kowtow to China on the South China Sea dispute and downgrade Filipino ties with the U.S., Duterte has unleashed a fiery tirade against the president, accusing him of being a drug addict, and unworthy of the highest office of the land.

Using U.S. senator Joseph McCarthy as his model, Duterte had resorted to the propaganda tactic of waving purported lists of officials and generals allegedly

involved and in the pay of drug lords and drug traffickers. He dangled the lists before the media and sought to create suspense and anticipation by releasing the lists little by little, making people guess whom he would malign next.

Now, he is trying to renew the drug crusade, and he has widened his net of nastiness and drug lists by adding the biggest fish of all — the president of the Philippines no less, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., whom he has charged with being a drug addict. He hurled the charge in a rambling tirade at a public rally in Davao City.

Worse than plastering BBM with the accusation, Duterte, in a lunatic turn, seized the occasion to urge officers and members of the nation's Armed Forces to mount a coup against the president and take over the government. Then, he threatened the government with a new secession bid by Mindanao from the republic.

Duterte wildly fantasizes that the drug addiction canard — like Hitler's big lie about the Jews and Joe McCarthy's multiple lies about communists in the U.S. government — is incendiary enough to cause an upheaval in the government of the day and restore the drug war to front and center in national life.

Throughout his six years as president, Duterte never seriously attempted to substantiate with incontrovertible facts and figures his hyperbolic claims of corruption and wrongdoing in high places and the far-flung tentacles of the drug traffic in the country. He could not get the drug agencies of the government, like the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Dangerous Drugs Board, to play along and confirm his claims.

When the clock ran out on his presidential term on June 30, 2022, Duterte's drug campaign became like McCarthy's anti-communist crusade; it ran out of steam and was hobbled by a flat tire.

It's been two years now since Duterte left office. He does not wield any authority anymore, not even that of his neighborhood barangay. He remains authoritarian in temperament, but he is now owed, at best, the courtesies toward a former president and old man. He has no one to command.

This, at the bottom, is the reason for the new tactic of smearing BBM with the drug addiction charge and baiting him to the indignity of a joint drug test.

The same intent to shock and awe the nation into alarm and support for his anti-drug crusade is plainly Duterte's objective now in

The secessionist

Sketches

ana Marie PaMintuan THE naughty Rodrigo Duterte must be immensely amused. In his retirement, he says “boo” and the government jumps.

If he truly wants an independent Mindanao Republic, shouldn’t he have launched his advocacy when he was still a spring chicken, with no need for fentanyl to ease his aching bones, nerves, everything?

Claiming that a part of him is Muslim, he could have aligned himself with his Islamic secessionist buddy Nur Misuari.

Duterte campaigned for the presidency partly on a platform of federalism (the reason for Fidel Ramos’ endorsement).

But Duterte dropped it with the creation of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. He also abandoned his push for Charter change after the House of Representatives led by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo unceremoniously junked his draft Constitution and swiftly produced its own, minus the proposed curbs on dynasty building.

His socioeconomic planning secretary, Ernesto Pernia, also warned that the cost of the proposed federal system would “wreak havoc” on the economy.

Pernia was promptly sacked from the Cabinet.

This time, with the head of the economic team just barely warming his seat, we haven’t heard any warnings about the potential economic costs (plus actual cost to taxpayers) of a forced signature campaign for a people’s initiative to amend the 1987 Constitution, a plebiscite to affirm the effort, and a shift to a parliamentary system, which opponents suspect is the main objective of PI. * * * Duterte’s public opposition to PI and Charter change at this time has to be the reason for his raising the idea of Mindanao secession.

If PI can be used to change the system of government, why not for Mindanao independence?

Even if he surely knows Mindanao secession is in the same realm as the hallucination for rice at P20 a kilo, he has made his point about PI, although the messaging is muddled so certain politicians can’t (or don’t want to)

get it.

Albay 1st District Rep. Edcel Lagman clearly gets it. The senior deputy minority leader filed a bill this week, providing an enabling law for the constitutional provision that allows PI for Charter amendments.

Lagman has pointed out that the lack of an enabling law led to the Supreme Court’s junking of the first PI in 1997, also spearheaded by the People’s Initiative for Reform, Modernization and Action or PIRMA. Back then the suspicion was that the initiative for Charter change was meant merely to allow Ramos to seek a second term. Corazon Aquino, who had “anointed” him as her successor, led the protests against Cha-cha, telling FVR that there’s life after the presidency.

Today the same suspicions of perpetuating officials in power (and abolition of the Senate) underpin distrust of the House of Representatives’ push for Chacha. Continuity, it seems, has replaced unity as the battle cry of Marcos 2.0.

The distrust is aggravated by the deception behind the signature campaign to stampede the nation into another PI: just

smearing BBM with the drug addiction brush.

A moment's reflection on the accusation quickly unveils its fundamental weakness and hollowness.

In hurling the accusation against the president, Duterte makes it appear that he has plastered the president with the commission of a great crime or shortcoming in his duties as president and leader of our people. He suggests overtly that for this imaginary criminal offense, BBM deserves to be ousted from office.

Like almost everything else in Duterte's turn as president, this new project of his is not backed by sound and careful thinking. It is as ill-founded as his claim of being a Muslim at birth in order to ingratiate himself with Filipino Muslims.

It is the same with his foolish order to the National Historical Commission to divert and twist the commemoration of the Quincentennial of Ferdinand Magellan's epic circumnavigation of the globe into a celebration instead of the Battle of Mactan and Lapulapu's triumph over the great explorer.

It is fair to ask now, therefore: "Really, Mr. Ex-president, where does it say in our statute book and in the criminal codes of nations that an addiction to drugs or narcotics is a criminal offense,

eminently worthy of censure or shaming? Why do you, sir, paint drug addiction as a crime against the nation when our anti-drug program ostensibly espouses the objective and desire to rehabilitate and rescue those among our people who unfortunately fall victim to drug addiction."

Drug addiction no crime, says U.S. Supreme Court Mr. Duterte is obviously not aware that there is a standing decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that loudly and expressly overturned and swept aside statutes and attempts to criminalize drug addiction and subject it to punishment.

In Robinson v. California, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Robinson's conviction under a California law that declared it was a criminal offense "to be addicted to the use of narcotics." The court ruled that it was cruel and unusual punishment to impose criminal penalties on Robinson based on his conviction of the status offense of narcotics addiction, which a majority of the judges considered an addictive illness. Justice Potter Stewart, who wrote the decision, noted that "even one day in prison would be cruel and unusual punishment for the crime of having a common cold....it is unlikely that

any state would make it a criminal offense for a person to be mentally ill, or a leper, or to be afflicted with venereal disease... such a law would be universally thought to be an infliction of cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments."

The prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment in the Eighth Amendment is applicable to the states through the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

The ruling, which reversed the state's judgment, recognized that drug addiction is a disease and that it is unconstitutional to impose punishment for having a disease. Additionally, Justice Stewart's opinion, in combination with Justice Harlan's concurring opinion, held that it is unconstitutional to criminalize behavior in the absence of a guilty act or actus reus. Justice Stewart's opinion focused on the unconstitutionality of punishing a mere status or condition; Justice Harlan's concurring opinion focused, however, on the unconstitutionality of punishing a "bare desire."

The accusation against President Marcos and the nastiness of Duterte's presentation at a public u PAGE 7

sign on the dotted line, and get all sorts of ayuda. * * * As the Senate finally began tackling Resolution of Both Houses No. 6 (RBH6) on Monday, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano described the possibility of political Cha-cha as “the elephant in the room.”

A shift to a parliamentary system imperils the possible ascent to power of Vice President Sara Duterte, who at this early stage is seen as a shoo-in for the 2028 presidency.

Unsurprisingly, VP Sara’s father is making noises against Chacha and threatening secession.

No major group has expressed support for his secessionist call, so Rody Duterte must be ecstatic that the government is taking notice.

So far, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año has warned that any secessionist movement will be met by the state with force.

Congressmen said that Rodrigo Duterte and his supporter, Davao del Norte 1st District Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez, could be indicted for sedition, a nonbailable offense. Alvarez said the secession was his idea.

BBM has decided to ignore the issue – “hindi na pinatulan,” according to Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos.

Malacañang, however, issued

a statement saying provincial governors and city mayors want a united Philippines. And military officials, who have repeatedly denied destabilization and unrest in the ranks, keep reminding their commanders to follow the chain of command and be loyal to flag and country.

It reminds me of certain folks who were often suspected of plotting coup attempts in previous administrations. Tired of denying the plots, they said all they needed to do when they were bored was to get together and mention “coup” and the government would get spooked, roll out the tanks along EDSA and lay out the concertina wire around Malacañang. * * * Duterte must also be happy to note that amid the tempest (in a teapot?) he has set off, rumors have emerged that Romualdez’s hold on the Speaker’s post is imperiled.

Last Monday, 287 of the 310 House members passed a resolution of support for Romualdez, defending him from senators’ “baseless accusations” and “confrontational” stance on PI and Cha-cha. Considering how loyalties in the House shift literally overnight, however, Romualdez should hope that the statement of support won’t have less value than

toilet paper.

The resolution also lamented Sen. Imee Marcos’ probe of the signature gathering for PI “without a clear legislative purpose, specifically directed at discrediting” her cousin the Speaker and the House.

That sounds like the pot calling the kettle black. On Tuesday, February 6, the Senate gave a hint of its response. Sen. Sonny Angara, who chairs the subcommittee on constitutional amendments and revision of codes, said a plebiscite on Chacha would be more feasible in May 2025.

This would coincide with the midterm elections, which the Comelec says is not allowed. So it could be much later in the year instead, under a new Congress.

Or maybe it will be never, if the senators can help it.

Rodrigo Duterte need not rattle Marcos 2.0 with empty secessionist threats to stop PI. As congressmen put it, the Senate has long been the “graveyard” of Cha-cha. A deceptive PI can seal its death. (Philstar.com) *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.

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Is housing health care? State Medicaid...

MEDICINE SUMMIT. Senator Christopher Lawrence Bong Go (9th from left), chair of the Senate Health and Demography Committee, graces the Access to Medicine Summit 2.0. at the Diamond Hotel Manila on Tuesday, Feb. 6. The summit aims to create an interactive space to learn from innovative and emerging best practices for improving access to medicine for every Filipino.

PNA photo by Yancy Lim

All presidential appointees under ‘performance review’ MANILA – Malacañang is currently conducting a “performance review” of all incumbent presidential appointees to make sure that they remain qualified to hold their respective positions.

“This is a directive to all presidential appointees, including those appointed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., as part of performance review and to ensure continuing qualifications to remain in office,” Communication Secretary Cheloy Garafil said in a statement on Monday, February 5.

Garafil issued the statement

in response to queries about the Feb. 2 memorandum issued by the Presidential Management Staff (PMS), requiring presidential appointees to submit the documents needed for the performance review.

The memorandum was issued upon the directive of Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin.

Under the memorandum, all presidential appointees holding a post in government before Feb. 1, 2023 are directed to submit their updated Personal Data Sheet and clearances from the Civil Service Commission, the

National Bureau of Investigation, Office of the Ombudsman, and Sandiganbayan.

All requirements must be submitted to the PMS within 30 days from the issuance of the memorandum.

The heads of departments, agencies, offices, instrumentalities, government-owned or -controlled corporations, government financial institutions, and state universities and colleges are mandated to ensure compliance by all presidential appointees under their respective agencies.

(PNA)

Time for a commission to probe Duterte’s...

PAGE 6 rally in Davao City shows us again the utter lack of moderation and civility of the former president.

The attack is totally gratuitous and the product of ill will.

Duterte may be worried or angry that the Marcos government could change its mind about refusing cooperation with the ICC in investigating the drug war and its many abuses.

Duterte probably feels that he is just one piece of paper away from being served an arrest warrant for his accountability in the infamous drug war because a UN rapporteur is currently visiting the country and seems to be looking right at home.

Commission to probe the war on drugs The most sensible and rational reply by the Marcos government to ex-president Duterte's charge

of BBM's alleged drug addiction is to appoint a commission to fully investigate the war on drugs during the Duterte presidency to ferret out the whole truth about the program and what it has cost our country and our people in terms of lives and social harmony.

By exposing the basic derangement of Duterte's vision of the drug problem and the extent of police abuses and crimes in the conduct of the drug war, President Marcos can make a constructive contribution to the quest for justice for the families of the victims in the drug war and the effective interdiction and control of the drug problem in the country.

A formal inquiry, like the investigations of the assassinations of former senator Benigno Aquino Jr. and John F. Kennedy, will dive deep into the malaise of the drug war, the flawed policymaking, the

terrible train of victims and abuses, which to this day still cry out for exposure and redress.

An inquiry will satisfy the fundamental international prayer and ICC demand for the Philippine justice system to show an earnest effort to ferret out truth and accountability in the drug war.

The demagoguery in the conception and design of the drug war and the irresponsibility of those who were placed in charge of conducting it are the real reasons why the war has been a pronounced failure for all its harshness and barbarity and why the drug menace continues to hound the nation.

(ManilaTimes.net) ***

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.

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Nangyayari ang pagnanakaw ng pagkakakilanlan sa bawat komunidad, kaya kumuha ng tulong sa iyong wika

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PAGE 3 rent payments for up to six months; and transitional housing, which can include shelters with intensive services.

Arizona saw a 5% jump in homelessness in 2023 from the previous year. Its program will supplement a separate statefunded Medicaid initiative that provides 3,000 rent vouchers for people in southern Arizona who have a severe mental illness and are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. About 5,000 people are on the waiting list for a voucher.

“We’ve seen such positive health outcomes and cost reductions as a result, so it made total sense to us to expand our work in that space,” Demyan said. That program slashed ER visits 45% and reduced hospital inpatient admissions 53% at the six-month mark after patients started receiving services, while increasing less costly preventive care 56% and saving $4,300 per member, per month, according to state data.

California, home to nearly 30% of the nation’s homeless population, saw a nearly 6% jump in homelessness in 2023, to about 181,000 people.

The state launched its massive CalAIM initiative in 2022 to offer a wide variety of social services to a small sliver of the state’s roughly 15 million Medicaid enrollees. A large share of the resources are going to housing services for homeless people or those facing eviction, such as covering security deposits and enlisting case managers to hunt for available apartments. State leaders are also asking the Biden administration for permission to provide six months of rent.

“If you’re saddled with a great deal of either physical or behavioral health conditions, whether it’s diabetes or HIV, high blood pressure or schizophrenia, without housing, it’s really hard to stabilize those conditions,” said Mark Ghaly, secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency.

But he cautioned that Medicaid’s core focus must remain getting people healthy, even if they’re living outside, which is a monumental and expensive challenge because conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and HIV require continuous treatment and often multiple medications.

“I do not think that health care is responsible for solving

homelessness in California or anywhere else,” Ghaly said. “But if housing instability or lack of housing is one of the key drivers getting in the way of being healthy, then absolutely we need to pay attention to it.”

Health insurers that provide Medicaid coverage in California can choose whether to provide housing services, but Oregon is requiring Medicaid insurers to do so.

Homelessness grew 12% in Oregon from 2022 to 2023, but the state is targeting patients at risk of becoming homeless.

Participants will be eligible for six months of rent and other services when the program launches in November, said Dave Baden, deputy director of the Oregon Health Authority.

“We’re really trying to focus on people teetering on the brink,” Baden said. “If you’re already homeless, you really need longer, sustainable housing dollars to keep that person housed.”

It’s not just states experimenting with this approach. Kaiser Permanente is one of the health systems that has invested its own funds into housing. In recent years, the health care giant has committed hundreds of millions of dollars to help maintain or build thousands of affordable housing units, in addition to providing housing-related Medicaid benefits for its members.

“We have to do something.

The crisis is out of control,” said Bechara Choucair, its chief health officer.

Mission creep Sherry Glied, a professor at New York University and former Obama administration official who is an expert in health care economics, warned in a recent health policy analysis of mission creep in health care.

She cautioned that health care institutions getting into the business of social services could be a “dangerous distraction.”

Glied pointed to at least 57 health systems and 917 hospitals around the country that have launched social service initiatives, with most focusing on housing.

Because many institutions struggle to meet patient safety and quality care standards, Glied argued that they should instead improve basic care and leave housing to social service organizations “that specialize in this work.”

“Providing people with food or housing is pretty far removed from the core mission of health

7

care,” she told California Healthline.

Peter Lee, another former Obama administration official and the founding executive director of California’s Obamacare exchange, said health care providers should consider offering some housing and social services, but he fears such initiatives may divert money from traditional medicine and prevent patients from getting adequate care.

“In the past five to 10 years, there has been a lot of recognition that health is about much more than actual health care. Very true,” Lee said. “The question is how do you address those issues while health care itself is not doing too great. The brass tacks of this is making sure people with diabetes have great diabetes care, that people get checkups in time, that people can get the regular health care they need.”

State Medicaid programs, which provide care to at least 80 million Americans, often struggle to deliver basic medical services, such as childhood dental visits and breast cancer screenings.

In California, the state spending the most on housing services, children on Medicaid did not have timely access to care for mental health or substance use in 2022, according to an audit published in November.

Despite these shortfalls, most of the states that have been given the federal go-ahead to experiment with housing services have secured funding for five years. California is among the states that hope to make the benefits permanent.

Though a Republican presidency could interrupt this trend, states say they’re committed — even if their initiatives don’t pass a traditional cost-benefit analysis.

“The singular focus on a financial return on investment is not as clear as it was previously,” said Cindy Mann, a federal Medicaid director under Obama.

“States are just seeing how little sense it makes to treat people and then release them back to the streets without the support they need.” (Angela Hart/KFF Health News) KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces indepth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism.

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Kathryn as she enters her solo era: ‘Know when to walk away’

By HannaH Mallorca Inquirer.net

KATHRYN Bernardo is excited to embark on her solo journey following her contract renewal with ABS-CBN’s Star Magic, saying self-love and knowing “when to walk away” are some of the lessons she holds close to her heart.

Bernardo reflected on the lessons she had in the previous year during an interview with MJ Felipe on ABS-CBN News’ YouTube channel, following her contract signing with the network.

“Love yourself. Know when to walk away, know when to stay. Dapat alam mo ‘yung value mo (You must know your own value),” said the actress.

She also recalled how ABSCBN COO Cory Vidanes and ABS-CBN CEO Carlo Katigbak always reminded her to be kind.

“Ito ‘yung greatest lesson nina Tita Cory and CLK: You can never go wrong with kindness and na-prove ko ‘yun sa lahat ng nangyaring ito. Walang masama kung maging mabuti ka. If you do something good, babalik sa’yo ‘yun. If you do something bad, babalik sa’yo ‘yun. Nasa sa’yo anong gagawin mo,” she said, referring to the ABS-CBN execs using their nicknames.

(This is the greatest lesson I’ve learned from Tita Cory and CLK: You can never go wrong with kindness. I proved that with everything that happened.

There’s nothing wrong with being kind. If you do something

Historical drama “GomBurZa,” directed by Pepe Diokno (second from right) bagged Second Best Picture, Best Cinematography (Carlo Canlas Mendoza, right) and Audience Favorite Award, voted by the festival moviegoers who attended the screenings at the TLC Chinese Theatres from January 29 to February 1. At the inaugural Manila International Film Festival held at the Directors Guild of America in LA.

‘Firefly,’ ‘GomBurZa,’ Vilma Santos, Dingdong Dantes and Piolo Pascual win in inaugural MIFF

“FIREFLY,” “Gomburza,” Vilma Santos, Dingdong Dantes and Piolo Pascual were among Kathryn Bernardo during her contract signing with ABS-CBN and Star Magic. the big winners announced in Photo from Instagram/@bernardokath the closing night awards gala of it’s all about [myself]. [I can] do the successful inaugural Manila good, the good comes back to International Film Festival what makes [me] happy.” you. If you do something bad, held Friday, February 2, at the (I guess there are a few the bad comes back to you.

Directors Guild of America in adjustments. But it’s a good What you do is up to you.)

Los Angeles. kind of change. I feel that it’s The actress also expressed In the glittering, glamorous so empowering as a woman her excitement about and it feels so good that I have gala evoking Hollywood’s major “focusing on [herself] and awards shows, GMA Pictures’ control of my life and myself. what [she] wants” despite the fantasy drama “Firefly “ won At the end of the day, it’s all adjustments coming her way. four awards – Best Picture, about myself. I can do what “I guess may konting Best Director (Zig Dulay), Best makes me happy.) adjustments. But it’s a good Supporting Actress (Alessandra ‘I’m at peace’ kind of change. Ngayon De Rossi) and Best Screenplay During the interview, ko lang na-feel na it’s so (Angeli Atienza).

Bernardo admitted that she empowering as a woman and Jesuit Communications wants to “prioritize [herself] ang sarap sa pakiramdam na this year and that she’s looking Foundation, Inc. and MQuest alam ko nang hawak ko na ang forward to the things she wants Ventures, Inc.’s historical buhay ko at ang sarili ko,” she drama “GomBurZa” bagged said. “At the end of the day, Continued on Page 9 Second Best Picture, Best Cinematography (Carlo Canlas Mendoza) and Audience Favorite Award, voted by the festival moviegoers who attended the screenings at the TLC Chinese Theatres from January 29 to February 1.

The IdeaFirst Company and October Train Films’ “Becky and Badette” was honored with the Special Jury Prize for its LGBTQIA cultural sensitivity and awareness, effectively combining these themes with humanity and humor.

Vilma Santos romped off with the Best Actress Award for her portrayal of an OFW (Overseas Filipino Worker) finding love in Japan in JG Productions’ “When I Met You in Tokyo.”

In a tie, Dingdong Dantes and Piolo Pascual bagged the Best Actor prize. Dantes was honored for essaying a husband hoping for a second chance and redemption in ABS-CBN Film Productions and APT Entertainment, Inc.’s “Rewind.”

Pascual triumphed in his delineation of three different characters, including Father Severino Mallari, a 19th-century Filipino priest who was charged with murdering 57 people.

Alessandra De Rossi’s take of a mother inspiring and guiding her young son, especially through stories, in “Firefly” garnered Best Supporting Actress.

For his nuanced performance of God in the guise of a regular guy in “Rewind,” Pepe Herrera cinched Best Supporting Actor.

A jury of accomplished Filipino American professionals voted on the 10 awards – Marie Jamora, filmmaker (head of the jury), Mari Acevedo; CEO of Birns & Sawyer which will

In a tie, both Piolo Pascual (left, for “Mallari) and Dingdong Dantes (“Rewind”) won Best Actor in the inaugural Manila International Film Festival held at the Directors Guild of America in LA. Photos by Sthanlee B. Mirador

Fantasy drama “Firefly “ won four awards – Best Picture, Best Director (Zig Dulay), Best Supporting Actress (Alessandra De Rossi) and Best Screenplay (Angeli Atienza) in the inaugural Manila International Film Festival held at the Directors Guild of America in LA.

and performers included Kaladkaren, Eisel Serrano, Mark Dacascos, Janella Salvador, Piolo Pascual, Alden Richards, Eugene Domingo, Dingdong Dantes, Dessa, Janice Javier, Troy Laureta, Lisa Lew, Winston Emano, Janet Nepales and Ruben Nepales The 10 films that debuted in America at the MIFF were entries in last December’s MMFF, the most successful, box office-wise, in MMFF’s almost half a century of existence.

At the MIFF screenings in Hollywood, many of these movies were shown to sold-out or packed theaters: Jun Robles Lana’s “Becky and Badette,” starring Eugene Domingo and Pokwang; Lemuel C. Lorca’s “Broken Heart’s Trip” (Christian Bables); Nuel Naval’s “Family of Two (A Mother and Son Story)” (Sharon Cuneta and Alden Richards); Zig Dulay’s “Firefly” (Alessandra De Rossi and Euwenn Mikaell); Pepe Diokno’s “GomBurZa” (Enchong Dee, Dante Rivero and Cedrick Juan); King Palisoc’s “(K)Ampon” (Beauty Gonzalez and Derek Ramsay); Derick Cabrido’s “Mallari” (Piolo Pascual and Janella Salvador); Jason Paul Laxamana’s “Penduko” (Matteo Guidicelli and Kylie Verzosa); Mae Cruz-Alviar’s “Rewind” (Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes); and Conrado Peru, Rommel Penesa and Christopher de Leon’s “When I Met You in Tokyo” (Vilma Santos and Christopher de Leon).

Other talents who flew from Manila to introduce their films, participate in after-screening Q and As and informative and fruitful panels conducted throughout the five-day festival were John Arcilla, the first Filipino actor to win the Volpi Cup for best actor in the “Becky and Badette” was honored with the Special Jury Prize for its LGBTQIA cultural 2021 Venice Film Festival (for sensitivity and awareness, effectively combining these themes with humanity and humor. The film’s actress Eugene Domingo and producer Perci Intalan accepted the award at the inaugural Erik Matti’s “On the Job: The Manila International Film Festival held at the Directors Guild of America in LA. Continued on Page 10 give a $200,000 co-producing package to “Firefly,” the Best Picture winner; Leah Anova, cinematographer; Reggie Lee, actor; David Maquiling, filmmaker and film school educator; and Sumalee Montano, actress and producer.

Veteran actress Hilda Koronel received MIFF’s first Monty Manibog Lifetime Achievement Award, which was previously announced, in recognition of her outstanding work in films directed by Philippine cinema’s finest filmmakers, including the late great Lino Brocka. Actress Pinky De Leon presented the award, named after the late pioneering community leader Manibog, to Koronel.

MIFF presented Trailblazer Awards to Filipino American actor Mark Dacascos; Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr., the Philippines’ Secretary of the Interior and Local Government; and Romando “Don” Artes, overall chairman of the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF).

Rochelle Ona, MMFF executive director, received MIFF’s award of recognition.

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9

The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - February 7, 2024

Liza Soberano takes inspiration from Dolly de Leon to reach Hollywood dream

By HannaH Mallorca Inquirer.net

Announcing: The arrival of the Poon Nazareno (Black Nazarene) to Orange County!

A REPLICA of the Poon Nazareno (Black Nazarene) enshrined in Quiapo Church in Manila, Philippines, is scheduled to arrive in Orange County sometime this month of February 2024. This is made possible through the efforts of the Diocese of Orange San Jose Filipino Ministry (DOSJFM) in collaboration with the clergy of Alagad Ni Maria based in Anaheim.

The Poon Nazareno has millions of devotees around the world due to the miraculous healing it brings about to the faithful who believe in the Poon’s miraculous powers. The arriving image statue is donated to DOSJFM by a Black Nazarene devotee from the Philippines who was miraculously cured of cancer. The grand welcome ceremony will be held on March 1, 2024 at the Christ Cathedral with Bishop Kevin Vann officiating the Mass. There will be a Procession at 4:30 PM preceding the Mass at 5:30 PM. Many Black Nazarene devotees in the Orange Diocese and neighboring dioceses are expected to attend this ceremony and hopefully fill up Christ Cathedral.

To prepare for this momentous event, volunteers are being recruited to form the Hijos del Nazareno, a group of religious men who will have a significant role in the care and maintenance of the Poon Nazareno image during its arrival and permanent stay in Orange County. Also being formed is the equally important Kababaihan ng Poon Nazareno consisting of female volunteers.

If you or someone you know would like to be a volunteer, please e-mail us at info@dosjfm.org. To stay up to date with everything that is happening regarding Poon Nazareno, join our growing online family and community at https://www.facebook.com/ groups/sanjosefilipinoministry.

LIZA Soberano revealed that one of her inspirations in making a name for herself in Hollywood was none other than award-winning actress Dolly de Leon, who also “pushed the envelope” in representing the Philippines in the global film industry as well.

Sitting down for a brief Q&A with Universal Pictures Philippines, the local distributor for her movie, “Lisa Frankenstein,” Soberano showed her fangirl side as she answered a question from de Leon, who wondered how “exciting it was [for her] to break into Hollywood.”

“Hi, Ms. Dolly. Oh my gosh, thank you so much for saying yes to this and for asking that question,” she said with a big smile. “The feeling that I got after the trailer of ‘Lisa Frankenstein’ dropped is, para akong nabunutan ng tinik (I felt a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders).”

Soberano said that even though the “past two years” have been the “most difficult” times in her career, seeing the trailer of her upcoming film made her hardships “worth it.”

She further credited de Leon as one of her “inspirations” in establishing herself as a budding Hollywood star.

“It felt like the past two years — that was the most difficult, i would say, careerwise for me — suddenly became worth it.

I was inspired by people like you who are constantly pushing the envelop, striving for greatness in everything that you do, and I wanted that for myself too. Here we are now, Ms. Dolly,” she said.

The actress expressed her pride as

Liza Soberano, Dolly de Leon

Photos from Instagram/@lizasoberano, @dollyedeleon

she considered herself and de Leon to be part of a community that represents the country in the international film industry.

“I’m proud that both of us are part of a large community of Filipino people who are trying to represent our country and make our fellow Filipinos proud,” she said.

In the video, Soberano also entertained questions from her longtime boyfriend Enrique Gil, actor-talent manager James Reid, and some of her fans.

Soberano is currently in the United States to promote her new movie “Lisa Frankenstein,” which marks her Hollywood debut. The Zelda Williamshelmed film also stars Kathryn Newton and Cole Sprouse.

The actress’ presence in the horror comedy film, which hits Philippine theaters on Feb. 7, earned rave reviews from director-producer Joe Russo. Her character Taffy was also noted by her costars and Williams as one of the favorites in the story.

Derrick and Elle bring real-life romance...

From Page 8 to do not only in showbiz but also in her personal life.

The actress last November announced her breakup from Daniel Padilla, her boyfriend of 11 years, amid allegations of infidelity against the actor.

“I want to prioritize myself in general. I want to do the things I haven’t done before. I want to continue doing things I [enjoy],” she said. “If a woman is happy and contented, hindi mo na kailangang i-explain ang sarili mo. It just radiates and shows

and maybe ‘yun ang nakikita ng mga tao… I’m at peace.”

“I’m gonna be okay… Ako ‘yung klaseng tao na ayaw kong hindi ko hawak ang buhay ko. Ayaw ko ng nagdictate sa’kin,” she further added.

(I want to prioritize myself in general. I want to do the things I haven’t done before. I want to continue doing things I enjoy. If a woman is happy and contented, you don’t have to explain yourself. It just radiates and shows and maybe that’s what people see in you.

I’m at peace. I’m gonna be okay. I’m the type of person who hates it when I don’t have control of my life. I don’t want people to dictate to me.)

In terms of her career, Bernardo said she’s “really open” to work with anyone as it allows her to grow. “I’m really open to working with different leading men or different women na alam kong may matutunan pa ako (I will learn something from them).”

“I feel na ang dami kong opportunities and gusto ko lang i-open ang doors ko sa

lahat ng opportunities na ‘yun (I feel like I have more opportunities now and I want to open my doors to those opportunities),” she continued.

Bernardo, who marked her 20th year in showbiz, reaffirmed her dedication to Star Magic in a grand contract signing event on Feb. 2.

She also admitted that she received many offers from other networks and talent agencies, however, she is firm that she will remain with ABSCBN and Star Magic.

10 community The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - February 7, 2024

‘Firefly,’ ‘GomBurZa,’ Vilma Santos...

From Page 8 Missing 8”), Cedrick Juan, Enchong Dee, Beauty Gonzalez, Ysabel Ortega, Christian Bables, Marvin Yap and Christopher de Leon.

Key figures from Manila included Film Development Council of the Philippines’ (FDCP) Tirso Cruz III and Jose Javier Reyes, chairman and consultant, respectively; Boots Anson RoaRodrigo, actress and MMFF executive committee member; and Noel Ferrer, MMFF spokesperson.

Metro Manila mayors, who were in Los Angeles for a study tour, also graced the gala.

MIFF, the first and biggest celebration of Philippine cinema in the U.S., highlighted by the largest gathering of Filipino and Filipino American stars and filmmakers, was a huge undertaking organized by the LA-based MIFF founders – Omen Ortiz, chairman; Ebradu Udarbe, president; Lisa Lew, executive producer; Ruben Nepales and Janet Nepales, media relations consultants; and Celia Abaya Dy, ticketing manager.

Also on the MIFF team who went all out to make the historic festival happen are Leo Dela Cruz, chief financial officer; Erickson Ilog, chief operations officer; Ron Ramores, chief marketing officer; Meriden Angeles, coordinating producer; and Winston Emano, consulting producer.

Veteran actress Hilda Koronel, who received the previously announced Monty Manibog Lifetime Achievement Award, with actor Christopher de Leon, her costar in their iconic film, Mike de Leon’s “Kung Mangarap Ka’t Magising (Moments in a Stolen Dream).” At the inaugural Manila International Film Festival held at the Directors Guild of America in LA. Photo by Sthanlee B. Mirador

MIFF, hailed for championing and showcasing Filipino cinema in the United States and beyond, thanks its sponsors and volunteers for helping make that possible. More information at www. manilainternationalfilmfest.com.

Bankruptcy: When life doesn’t go as planned are no longer available to most families who are still under a tremendous financial burden.

Real estate values surprisingly shot up during the pandemic but once the feds started raising interest rates, Atty. RAymond people who could otherwise BulAon refinance their mortgage and squeeze out some of their equity from their home are no LIFE happens. Sometimes longer able to do that because even the best laid plans can go of the high costs of borrowing. wrong. How do you respond Buying has also slowed down when this happens to you? Do and according to a recent you easily give up when you’re overwhelmed? Remaining calm article, mortgage applications have plunged to a 28-year low. can be difficult when things are People with little credit chaotic and so the usual reaction card debt had no other choice is panic. but to borrow, hoping that Bankruptcy can be a “when things get better”, they lifesaver for people who are at can just pay it all back slowly. the end of their financial rope.

Of course, this is nothing more Since the pandemic started, than a temporary solution that a lot of people have been could backfire if the additional struggling to just keep up with debt is not paid back. At their bills. The pandemic may some point, the credit lines have caused job instability; for business owners affected by the are exhausted, and they are in a deeper financial hole that pandemic, the government did is hard to get out of. I know what it could to help mitigate this sounds discouraging when losses by offering financial you’re clueless about where to assistance and loans. People who couldn’t pay their mortgage turn once you have exhausted your resources. But there is were allowed forbearances. hope.

Renters who couldn’t pay If you are currently facing their landlord were protected a financial crisis, it may be with eviction suspension laws. tempting to just throw in the Unfortunately, all the above

Minding Your Finances

towel and give up all hope for a better financial future. But let me tell you that instead of getting frustrated and angry about things that you cannot control or change, your energy will be better spent focusing on finding a solution. Stop analyzing everything that happened and quit being too hard on yourself. In life, things will not always go your way but keep your head up and focus on putting the pieces of the puzzle back together. In the meantime, seek legal counsel about your situation especially if important assets or legal rights are at risk. It’s better to know your options now so you can plan before your situation becomes a financial emergency. ***

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff. *** None of the information herein is intended to give legal advice for any specific situation. Atty. Ray J. Bulaon has successfully helped over 6,000 clients in getting out of debt. For a free attorney evaluation of your situation, please call RJB Law Offices at TOLL FREE 1-866-471-8272.

(Advertising Supplement)

Navigating the child custody move away process in California Barrister’s Corner Atty. Kenneth uRsuA Reyes THE high cost of living in California and over regulation has made a lot of parents evaluate whether to move out of state. The most common states that people move to are Texas, Arizona, Nevada, or Florida where the cost of living is lower and taxes are less or non-existent. However, if a parent with shared custody wants to move away with the children, they must follow a specific legal process to ensure the move is in the child’s best interests. The move has to be allowed by the court through a court order because it will affect the non-moving parent’s custody/visitation rights. A parent cannot simply decide to move with the children without a court order. With the distance between the parents, the existing custody and visitation orders will no longer work out.

If a child custody order is in effect, the moving parent must notify the other parent that they intend to move, and oftentimes, they must often bring a request to modify the child custody and visitation order to court.

The parent planning to move must provide written notice to the other parent at least 45 days before the intended move date. The notice should include the new address and contact information, the reason for the move, the proposed new custody and visitation arrangements.

The parents can try to reach an agreement on the move and the new custody/ visitation schedule can be tuned into a court order by signing a stipulation and order for the move away containing the new custody/visitation orders. This would be the best case scenario where the parents are working together on deciding whether the child gets to move with the other parent and what the new custody schedule is going to be.

If the parents cannot agree, the moving parent must file a Request for Order (RFO) to relocate with the court. The RFO should explain the reasons for the move and how it is in the child’s best interests. The

Court will set a hearing on the move away request. Often, the Family Court in Los Angeles would order a Parenting Plan Assessment (PPA2) in which a custody evaluator will evaluate the facts of your case and make a recommendation to the Court whether to allow the move away and what the new custody/ visitation order is going to be.

The parties will have a chance to examine the evaluator in court and present their own witnesses.

The legal analysis in a moveaway situation depend on the current custody arrangement.

A parent with sole physical custody of a child has the presumptive right to change the child’s residence, subject to the court’s ability to prevent a relocation that would “prejudice the rights or welfare” of the child, pursuant to Family Code 7501, which states: (a) A parent entitled to the custody of a child has a right to change the residence of the child, subject to the power of the court to restrain a removal that would prejudice the rights or welfare of the child. (b) It is the intent of the Legislature to affirm the decision in In re Marriage of Burgess (1996) 13 Cal.4th 25, and to declare that ruling to be the public policy and law of this state. Moreover, under California child custody law the custodial parent does not have to show that the move is “necessary,” assuming the parent is moving in good faith.

(See Marriage of Burgess (1996) 13 Cal.4th 25).

The non-custodial parent can then challenge the relocation by requesting a custody modification based on a showing of changed circumstances and detriment to the child. As discussed in Burgess, the non-custodial parent must show a substantial change in circumstances rendering it “essential or expedient for the welfare of the children” that there be a custody change. Family courts are given the widest discretion to fashion orders and make determinations under these circumstances because each case is unique and these orders determine where, and with whom, minor children will live based on the La Musga factors. The LaMusga Court provided California family judges with a roadmap for deciding whether to modify a custody order in light of a

parent’s proposal to change the residence of the child. The following is a checklist of the LaMusga factors family courts will consider: • The Child’s Interest in Stability and Continuity in the Custodial Arrangement.

• A Significant Change in Circumstances.

• The Distance of the Move.

• The Age of the Child.

• The Social Impact of the Move on the Child.

• The Impact on the Child’s Education.

• The Child’s Relationship with Both Parents.

• The Relationship Between Parents.

• The Wishes of the Child.

• The Reason for the Move.

• The Extent to Which the Parents are Currently Sharing Custody.

Move-aways are generally “all or nothing” matters, since there is very little middle ground when one parent proposes to move the child to another state and the other parent is requesting the opposite.

The distance becomes a real limitation in crafting a custody arrangement that would be in the best interest of the child.

This process can be complicated thus parties are best served having experienced and highly skilled legal representation. *** Please note that this article is not legal advice and is not intended as legal advice.

The article is intended to provide only general, non-specific legal information.

This article is not intended to cover all the issues related to the topic discussed.

The specific facts that apply to your matter may make the outcome different than would be anticipated by you. This article does create any attorney client relationship between you and the Law Offices of Kenneth U. Reyes, APLC. This article is not a solicitation. *** Attorney Kenneth Ursua Reyes is a Certified Family Law Specialist. He was President of the Philippine American Bar Association. He is a member of both the Family law section and Immigration law section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He is a graduate of Southwestern University Law School in Los Angeles and California State University, San Bernardino School of Business Administration. He has extensive CPA experience prior to law practice. LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, APC. is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 747, Los Angeles, CA, 90010.

Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail kenneth@ kenreyeslaw.com or visit our website at Kenreyeslaw.com.

(Advertising Supplement)

Manila Luzon ecstatic meeting Vice Ganda FILIPINO American drag queen Manila Luzon was in fangirl mode after meeting fellow series host Vice Ganda.

Manila appeared on the February 1 episode of “It’s Showtime!” where she met Vice and the noontime variety show’s other hosts for the very first time.

Vice congratulated Manila on the success of “Drag Den” and her recent Best Entertainment Host win at the Asian TV Awards; coincidentally

Fil-Am drag superstar Manila Luzon with Vice Ganda Photo from Instagram/@manilaluzon

Vice won the same award in 2021.

“We are proud of you. I am personally very, very proud of you,” Vice said, which Manila reciprocated being happy to make the hostcomedian proud.

Vice went on to praise “Drag Den” as a show that felt very Filipino, made by Filipinos, and made for Filipinos and everyone around the world.

During her appearance on “It’s Showtime,” Manila performed Whitney Houston’s “I’m Every Woman” wearing a golden outfit very reminiscent of her iconic pineapple dress from the third season from “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”

Manila then shared on an Instagram post how much she enjoyed meeting Vice, calling the host “Filipino Royalty.”

“I’ve been such a fan of Vice Ganda for years from when I first heard that one of the most successful, most celebrated, most famous celebrities in the Philippines was a leader of the Filipino LGBTQ+ community, and a TRUE QUEEN!” Manila wrote in her caption. (By Kristofer Purnell/Philstar.com)

The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - February 7, 2024

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