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Volume 25 - No. 5 • 2 Sections - 16 Pages

february 16-22, 2018 Also published in LOS ANGELES, LAS VEGAS, NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, NEw YORk/NEw JERSEY

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Ombudsman drops probe on Duterte plunder case

by Dana

SioSon AJPress

the office of the ombudsman has already dropped the probe on the plunder complaint against Philippine President rodrigo Duterte, the government’s top lawyer announced on tuesday, february 13. solicitor General Jose Calida said he received a letter from overall Deputy ombudsman melchor Arthur Carandang earlier this week, informing him that the investigation on the case “was already closed and terminated” in November last year.

Calida said he wrote to Carandang last february 8 to inquire on the status of the plunder com-

plaint filed by senator Antonio trillanes IV against Duterte.

“Based on the record, the recommendation to terminate the investigation was approved by Deputy ombudsman Cyril e. ramos on 29 November 2017,” Carandang wrote in response to the inquiry.

It was Carandang who handled the probe after ombudsman Conchita Carpio-morales inhibited herself from the case.

With the probe already dropped three months ago, Calida then questioned the ombudsman’s failure to immediately announce the dismissal. emphasizing that the case “concerns the integrity of the

DATELINE

USA

from the AJPress NEWS TEAM AcroSS AMEricA

Federal judge blocks DACA termination weeks before it’s set to expire Second judge stalls program deadline, calls the Trump administration decision arbitrary and capricious’

president of the Philippines,” he said morales should explain “why she kept this from the public.”

“If a case in the magnitude like this when the president of the Philippines is the respondent, and the case was ‘dismissed’ by the office of the ombudsman, why not disclose it to the public?”

Calida asked. “Are they also coddling the complainants like senator trillanes?”

In may 2016, trillanes filed a plunder case against the president before the office of the ombudsman. the opposition senator claimed that then-Davao City mayor Duterte amassed about P2.4

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Trillanes, Fil-Am businesswoman DFA: No Filipino casualty in US ‘persona non grata’ in Davao City high school mass shooting

by Dana

SioSon AJPress

oPPosItIoN senator Antonio trillanes IV and filipino-American Loida Nicolas-Lewis were declared as “persona non grata” (unwelcome person) in Davao City, the hometown of Philippine President rodrigo Duterte.

During a regular session on tuesday, february 13, the city council deemed trillanes and Lewis as undesirable and unwelcome in Davao City for their continuous criticisms

against the Duterte administration.

According to Davao City Vice mayor Bernard Al-ag, local officials took into account the senator’s claim that Davao City is allegedly the most dangerous city in the country.

“Declaring the city as the most dangerous city in the Philippines is not acceptable! this is an insult to the 1.6 million Dabawenyos who are working hard every day to make our city safe,” Al-ag said.

During a forum on february 9

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DFA Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano Inquirer.net photo

by AJPress

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U.s. President Donald trump sent Congress a $4.4 trillion budget proposal monday, february 12, outlining increases in military spending, a budget for diplomacy and foreign aid, and cuts in several federal programs and agencies among others for the next 2019 fiscal year. the blueprint comes after trump last week signed a two-year bipartisan budget deal struck

by Congress to increase military and domestic spending by $300 billion. the proposal released monday is unlikely to make it pass both chambers of Congress in its current form — it’s estimated to add $7 trillion to the federal deficit over the next ten years. But it does though, shed light on some of the administration’s funding priorities. funding for infrastructure, immigration enforcement, opioid crisis office of Budget management director mick mulvaney, wrote to speaker Paul D. ryan (r-WI) monday saying that the administration “does not

No filipino was reported among the casualties in the deadly shooting at a high school in the U.s. where 17 students were killed and several others were wounded, the Department of foreign Affairs (DfA) said.

Citing an initial report from Ambassador Jose manuel romualdez, the DfA said Nikolas Cruz, an expelled student armed with a high-powered rifle, entered the marjory stoneman Douglas high school, located northwest of miami, florida, and opened fire on teachers and students. the suspect, who was caught by police after the incident, also wounded 16 others. meanwhile, the Philippines expressed its sym-

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DOJ to probe raps against Aquino, others over Dengvaxia mess

A seCoND federal judge on tuesday, february 13 temporarily halted the trump administration from ending the obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. this move comes amidst another week in the months-long immigration wrangle.

Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis of the United states District Court for the eastern District of New York argued that the federal government’s decision to end DACA — which has granted more than 690,000 undocumented youth work

Trump sends $4.4 trillion budget proposal to Congress

SPECIAL TEAM. President Rodrigo Duterte greets Consultative Committee Member Aquilino Pimentel Jr. on the sidelines of the oath-taking ceremony of newly-appointed officials at the Malacañang Palace on Tuesday, February 13, The Consultative Committee is headed by retired Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno and counts among its members retired Associate Justice Antonio Eduardo Nachura, retired Associate Justice Bienvenido Reyes, former Senate President Aquilino Pimentel, Jr., Professor Edmund Soriano Tayao, and Dean Julio Cabral Teehankee. The president formed the consultative committee to study, conduct consultations and review the provisions of the constitution in line with Duterte’s desire to change the country’s form of government from the current unitary type to federal system.

Malacañang photo by King Rodriguez

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV

Loida Nicolas-Lewis

the Department of Justice (DoJ) will conduct a probe on a criminal complaint lodged against former Philippine President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III and 19 others in connection to the controversial anti-dengue Dengvaxia vaccine.

Justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on tuesday, february 13, said they will start a preliminary investigation on the joint complaint filed by the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC), Inquirer.net photos Vanguard of the Philippine Constitu-

DENR to shut down 51 Boracay establishments

by Dana

SioSon AJPress

more than 50 establishments in the tourist island of Boracay are facing closure after being found of violating the water, waste management and land use regulations, according to the Department of environment and Natural resources (DeNr). the DeNr on Wednesday, february 14, announced that it has served notices to 51 establishments in Boracay for violating the Chapter 5, section 27 of the implementing rules and regulations of republic Act No. 9275, or the Clean Water Act of 2004. the DeNr’s move came after Presi-

tion Inc. (VPCI), and former Department of health (Doh) consultant francisco Cruz.

As the government’s fact-finding into the cause of deaths of children who were injected the vaccine is still ongoing, Aguirre noted that it is the complainant’s burden to prove the liabilities of the respondents.

“It’s up to the complainants to prove their allegations. It’s their duty to support their cases and not depend on another’s submission,” the justice sec-

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dent rodrigo Duterte ordered environment secretary roy Cimatu to to fix the island’s sewage and garbage problems within six months or he would shut down the country’s top tourist destination.

“Let this Boracay issue serve notice to local governments, businesses and residents of other tourism destinations to strictly follow all our laws. Let us not allow the other beautiful and pristine islands in the country to suffer the fate of Boracay,” said Cimatu.

Duterte on monday, february 12, ordered the DeNr chief to address the issue hounding the world-famous tourist Some establishments in Boracay are facing closure after being found of violating the water, waste destination, which he earlier described management and land use regulations, according to the Department of Environment and Natural

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Resources (DENR).

Inquirer.net photo

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february 16-22, 2018 • OC/Ie aSIaN JOurNaL

From the Front Page

Federal judge blocks DACA termination...

PAGE A1 authorization and protection from deportation among other benefits — was an unlawful “abuse of discretion.”

“Defendants indisputably can end the DACA program.

The question before the court is thus not whether defendants could end the DACA program, but whether they offered legally

adequate reasons for doing so.

Based on its review of the record before it, the court concludes that the defendants have not done so,” Garaufis wrote in his ruling, referring to the Trump administration as the defendants.

Garaufis also noted that the Trump administration’s claim that DACA was passed unlaw-

fully in 2012 was a “plainly incorrect factual premise.” Obama had signed DACA into law via an executive order, an action that drew criticism from conservatives at the time.

The judge acknowledged the widespread financial opportunities DACA has provided (as identified by the plaintiffs), noting that DACA recipients have “raised families, invested in their education, purchased homes and cars and started careers.”

He added that the administration didn’t seem to acknowledge or consider these benefits, writing “that alone is sufficient to render their supposedly discretionary decision to end the DACA program arbitrary and capricious.”

The federal judge from Brooklyn becomes the second federal judge to temporarily block the Trump administration from ending DACA, further complicating its plans for a major immigration overhaul.

In early January, U.S. District Court Judge William Alsup of San Francisco ruled that the sudden termination of DACA “deprived DACA recipients of constitutionally-protected property and liberty interests without due process,” as previously reported by the Asian Journal.

His views mirror those of Garaufis in that he, too, was concerned over the perceived “abuse of discretion” in the administration’s termination of the program.

Garaufis’s ruling occurred during the week that the Supreme Court was to meet behind closed doors to decide whether to take up the Trump administration’s challenge to Alsup’s ruling.

The Justice Department (on behalf of the Trump administration) said that it will not back down on its claim that the administration’s termination of DACA was “within its lawful authority” and all “vigorously defend this position.”

The Trump administration is likely to challenge Garaufis’ ruling in the weeks to come as the spirited immigration debate continues. In the meantime, only current DACA recipients are allowed to renew their enrollments through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

(Klarize Medenilla/AJPress)

FREE LEILA. Senator Antonio Trillanes IV joins members of women’s groups as they call for the release of Senator Leila de Lima, 10 days before she marks her first year in detention. “What happened to Senator De Lima is injustice. She is not a criminal. When we were jailed, at least we knew we did something wrong. In her case, she has not done anything,” Trillanes said during the event, which also launched “Buwan ni Leila,” a month-long series of activities marking the senator’s detention,” at the Sen. Laurel room of the Philippine Senate in Pasay City on Wednesday, February 14.

Senate photo by Romy Bugante

Ombudsman drops probe on...

PAGE A1

billion of deposits by allegedly maintaining ghost employees from 2006 to 2015.

But with the investigation already terminated, Calida said it only means that “there is no evidence to support” Trillanes’ complaint.

“His (Trillanes’) evidence was junked, because it is junk actually.

Junk is another word for garbage,”

Calida remarked.

He continued, “Now that we know that the frivolous case was terminated by the ombudsman, Senator Trillanes seeks another Senate hearing to convince probably the public about his garbage evidence. The Senate should stop this investigation, they are wasting their time.”

But Trillanes stood by his claims against the president, saying,

“If what I have is nothing but garbage, then why are they panicking?”

The senator also challenged Duterte anew to sign a waiver and allow the opening of his bank accounts.

He went on to say, “And if I am wrong in my allegations, then I would resign immediately as senator and voluntarily walk into any jail of his choice.” n

DFA: No Filipino casualty in US...

PAGE A1 pathy to the U.S. following what was now considered as one of the worst mass shooting incidents in U.S. history.

“We are deeply saddened over the loss of so many young lives in this shooting incident in Park-

land, Florida,” Cayetano said.

“Our hearts reach out to the families of those who lost their lives in this horrible tragedy.”

Romualdez said the Embassy was in touch with Honorary Consul Henry Howard in Miami who has been coordinating with

members of the Filipino Community in Broward County where the shooting took place.

Ambassador Romualdez said there were 2,800 members of the Filipino Community in Parkland.

(Jeff Antiporda/ManilaTimes. net)

Trillanes, Fil-Am businesswoman ‘persona...

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with the Filipino community in Chicago, Trillanes stated that “Davao City was Number One for murder and Number Two for rape in the Philippines” when Duterte was its mayor, citing data from the Philippine National Police (PNP) as his source.

He also claimed that “Davao residents were so brainwashed into believing Davao City is the most safe city not only in the Philippines but in the world.”

“Mr. Trillanes, Dabawenyos are furious and angry with your words and with your action... we do not need you here in Davao City. You are unwelcome and unwanted in our city of Davao. You have not done anything good at all to our city,” Al-ag said.

Al-ag also urged Filipinos who attended the forum in Chicago to visit Davao City and personally see the real situation of the city.

“And if you will feel even an iota of danger, if you feel and think that Davao is a city of murderers and rapists as what Mr. Trillanes declared, I will refund all your travel expenses plus pocket money going back to Chicago,” he added.

On the other hand, philanthropist and businesswoman Lewis has been linked to alleged plots to oust Duterte.

Duterte himself also accused

Lewis of influencing the International Criminal Court (ICC) to make a move on the complaint filed against him in relation to his bloody war on drugs.

Lewis denied the claim, saying in a statement, “President Duterte is spreading fake news once again. Whatever transcript of [a] telephone conversation he claims to be from me is bogus and made-up.”

Of Lewis, Councilor Danilo Dayanghirang said, “She is also one of the plotters against the republic by instigating an investigation to International Criminal Court, the point here is, instead of destroying the republic outside of the country why would they just help our republic and wait for the election. All of these are political in nature.

Dayanghirang added, “As far as Davao City where we came from where the president came from, these people [do] not deserve any accolades or respect because they are destroying the institution.”

‘Truth hurts’ Reacting to the Davao City Council’s move, Trillanes said, “The truth, definitely, hurts.”

Trillanes also noted that his statement during the forum in Chicago was based on the December 2015 statistics of the Philippine National Police that “Davao

City has the highest incidence of murder and second highest in rape.”

“The people of Davao either know it but tolerate it out of fear or they’ve actually believed the lie that was fed to them that Davao City is the safest city in the world,” the senator added.

Based on the PNP’s Crime Situation for calendar years 2010 to 2015, the Davao City recorded the most murders at 1,032, followed

by Quezon City (961), Cebu City (806), and Manila City (712).

As for rape cases, Quezon City posted the highest number at 1,122, followed by Davao City (843), Manila City (746), and Zamboanga City (574).

It was Quezon City, however, that recorded the highest number of index crimes, having 65,514 cases in the past five years. Davao City ranked fourth with 37,684 cases.

Malacañang, on the other hand, congratulated Davao City officials for the persona non grata declaration.

“I do not know how you want me to react because this has nothing to do with the President and I speak for the president. Other than that, congratulations Davao City,” said Palace Spokesperson Harry Roque at a press briefing. n

DOJ to probe raps against Aquino, others...

PAGE A1 retary said.

He also noted that the complaint filed by the VACC, VPCI, and Cruz is independent of other possible complaints on the same issue.

“It would be up to the prosecutors how to treat the complaints, whether to consolidate them or resolve separately,” Aguirre added.

The VACC, VPCI, and Cruz on Monday, February 12, filed a complaint for multiple homicide and physical injuries through negligence against Aquino, former Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Florencio Abad, former DOH Secretary Janette Garin, and 17 others.

Respondents also include former and incumbent DOH officials; senior executives of French pharmaceutical firm Sanofi Pasteur, the developer and manufacturer of Dengvaxia; and Zuellig Pharma, Sanofi’s distributor in the Philippines.

“Since [the] correlation between vaccine (Dengvaxia) and deaths have been established prima facie, respondents Aquino III, Abad, Garin and the other respondents should stand trial for criminal negligence,” VACC lawyer Atty. Manuelito Luna told reporters.

He went on to say, “The causal relationship between vaccine and deaths, dengue shock or adverse events, under the circumstances, could hardly be ignored. And the number of counts would be the number of subjects inoculated irrespective of the number of

HEALTH PROTEST. Members of various groups and their children hold a rally in front of the Department of Health building in Manila to ask Health officials to hold a dialogue with parents of children who were administered with Dengvaxia.

ManilaTimes.net photo by Russell Palma

doses administered,” The respondents are likewise accused of malversation of public funds, and violations of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act., and R.A. 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act. Complainants claimed that Aquino and other officials “anomalously and illegally funded and procured the Dengvaxia vaccine and ill-advisedly, thoughtlessly, and imprudently” implemented the dengue immunization program “by unduly influencing or exerting undue pressure on any member of the BAC (bids and awards committee) or any officer or employee of the procuring entity to take a particular action which favors or tends to favor a particular bidder.”

More than 830,000 Filipino children were administered

Dengvaxia since the government implemented the dengue immunization program in April 2016.

The program was suspended last December following an announcement made by Sanofi that the vaccine could cause a more severe case of dengue when administered to a person who had not been previously infected with the virus.

“Clearly, the deaths and dengue shock or adverse events noted following inoculation of Dengvaxia are correlated or linked,” the complaint read.

It further stated, “The causal relationship between vaccine and deaths, dengue shock or adverse events, under the circumstances, could hardly be ignored.

And the number of counts would be the number of subjects inoculated irrespective of the number of doses administered.” n

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California rejects Trump proposal Lakers trade Jordan Clarkson to Cavaliers to ask citizenship in 2020 census by rae

by Klarize

Medenillia AJPress

Once again, california is pushing back on a new Trump administration proposal that would require census questionnaires to inquire about citizenship.

On Tuesday, February 13, a coalition of 19 of the nation’s state attorneys general, including california Attorney General Xavier Becerra, threatened the administration with another lawsuit, arguing that the “unconstitutional” proposal would have a disquieting effect on immigrant involvement in the official population count.

“What the Trump administration is requesting is not just alarming, it is illegal,” Becerra said in the letter, noting that the california Dept. of Justice is ready to “take any and all necessary legal action” against the proposal.

“This is clearly an attempt to bully and discourage our immigrant communities from participating in the 2020 census count,” Becerra added. california is home to a large, vast immigrant population; approximately 1 in 4 of the nation’s foreign-born population reside in california.

The decennial population count is primarily used to determine the number of representatives in congress that is entitled to each state. This would negatively affect states with large immigrant populations which would receive an inaccurate number of representatives In December 2017, the United States Justice Department submitted the request to the U.S. census Bureau, stating that it would serve to determine the

citizenship voting-age population as required by Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Becerra and his colleagues argued that, however, that inquiring about citizenship violates the constitution that calls for the U.S. census Bureau to count “the whole number of persons in each State,” rather than just citizens.

Immigration talks in full force no issue has rocked the nation during the first year of the Trump administration more than immigration reform.

In addition to the states’ battle with the administration on the immigration front, lawmakers in congress also find themselves in the middle of a major immigration compromise.

This week, the Senate began an intensive, open-ended immigration debate with the goal to conjure up a deal for the Deferred Action for childhood Arrivals (DAcA), the Obama-era program that provided undocumented youth a host of benefits, including protection from deportation.

The main objective is to achieve a bill unmuddied by the current political climate, which has undoubtedly been complicated by President Donald Trump whose wavering, reactionary views on immigrants since his presidential campaign.

Previously, Trump has said that he’s willing to sign legislation that would provide a pathway to citizenship for DAcA recipients as long as the bill confirms funding for his controversial border wall and eliminates family sponsorships.

When the administration terminated DAcA in September, immigrant rights advocates were

outraged and have since urged Washington to deliver a solution for the more than 690,000 DAcA recipients awaiting their fates.

On Tuesday, a group of more than 250 local, state and national organizations sent a letter to congress, urging the protection of DReAMers while continuing to reject Trump’s “nativist” immigration views, including extreme border militarization and threatening family-based sponsorships and the Diversity Visa.

“President Trump and congressional Republicans created this moral crisis and it is up to them to work in good faith with Democrats to reach a narrow agreement that pairs a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers with smart and sensible border security measures,” read the letter from the coalition which includes center for American Progress, the national Women’s Law center and Service employees International Union.

“Members of congress must oppose efforts to hold Dreamers hostage in exchange for a nativist wish list,” the group added.

“Anything that goes beyond the scope of the original agreement from last fall—namely, protecting Dreamers and making additional investments in reasonable border security—must be rejected.”

The current immigration debates largely affect the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. According to migration statistics, immigrants from Asia received more green cards than any other immigrant group in the last decade.

Asian immigrants particularly benefit from family sponsorships; 239,000 Asian immigrants received visas through familybased sponsorships in 2015. n

DENR to shut down 51...

PAGE A1 as a “cesspool.”

“It is cimatu alone who will decide. If he thinks that he has to destroy there, he has to destroy you. He has my complete trust and confidence,” the president said during a speech in cebu city.

The president also threatened to file complaints against government officials for “serious neglect of duty,” saying they are being too “zealous” of approving construc-

tion permits without properly monitoring the establishments’ compliance with sewerage regulations.

“I will charge you for serious neglect of duty, making Boracay a fishpond or a sewer pool,” Duterte warned.

Following the announcement of the DenR’s move, the Department of Tourism (DOT) expressed support to the closure of erring establishments in the island.

“The massive clean-up of Boracay is a bitter pill that we have to swallow if we were to collectively save and sustain Boracay,” Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo said in a statement.

According to the DOT, the island of Boracay generates around P50 billion in annual receipts.

Malay Municipal Tourism office records also showed that more than two million tourists visited the island last year. n

ann Varona AJPress

PROFeSSIOnAL Fil-Am nBA player Jordan clarkson is leaving the Los Angeles Lakers and heading cross-country to cleveland, Ohio to play for the cavaliers as part of a trade made Thursday, February 8.

Also moving to the cavaliers is Ohio native Larry nance Jr. whose father Larry nance Sr. played for the cleveland team in the late 80s and late 90s.

Point and shooting guard clarkson and power forward nance, were traded for the cavaliers’ point guard Isaiah Thomas and center channing Frye — both in their final year of contract.

Also part of the deal, the Lakers will get the cavalier’s protected first-round draft pick in 2018.

The trade, which was made just hours before the deadline, freed up salary space for the Lakers’ 2018-19 season which gives them a chance to pursue superstar players like Lebron James and Paul George who become free agents this summer.

On Friday, February 9, James told reporters that he was eager to start working with the new young teammates who are both 25 years old.

“I think we became a younger team, more athletic. We added some more shooting as well. So, we’ll have to see how it meshes,” said James. “I like the pieces that we have coming in.”

In an Instagram post message to Los Angeles, clarkson said, “Words can’t express what it meant to me to wear the Purple and Gold. As a kid from Texas, playing for the legendary Lakers was nothing short of a dream come true.”

“For the last four years, this

Jordan Clarkson Photo Jhay Otamias

city has watched me grow, LA has become my home and the incredible people here have become my family,” he added, giving shout outs to his teammates by their respective nicknames.

“I will continue to show support for this community, even after I leave.” clarkson is averaging 14.5 points and 3.3 assists per game this season. From his $50 million contract given by the Lakers summer 2016, he was owed about $26 million over the next two years.

To cleveland, he said, “I can’t wait to see the city, suit up, bust my ass and give everything I have to bring another championship to The Land!”

Upon learning about the trade, nance almost shed tears of excitement according to cavaliers general manager Koby Altman.

“How cool is it for him to come? The kid was in borderline tears when I called him today,” said Altman as reported by The

Plain Dealer. “He’s ecstatic to be a part of it.”

Lakers coach Luke Walton said trades are always tough.

“You get close with these guys. And Jc and Larry were a huge part of what we’ve been doing in the short time that we’ve been here,” said Walton.

He added, “They’ve been great teammates taking different roles… they’re going to a good situation and will get to experience playoff basketball. I’m happy for them for that. But we’ll miss them, and we’re very thankful for what they’ve given us.”

Proud Fil-Am In his four-year career playing professionally with the Lakers, clarkson had amassed a large following from not only the the local Fil-Am community, but from across the U.S. and the Philippines.

The quarter-Filipino player’s mother Annette Davis, and grandmother Marcelina Tullao come from Pampanga, Philippines.

On being Fil-Am, clarkson once told the Asian Journal, “It means a lot — it’s a part of my culture. I feel like a pioneer… with me being a Filipino American in the nBA right now.”

“I know we take a lot of pride and passion in our culture. It’s just something to be proud to be a part of and I’m looking to be involved in many ways, “ he added.

Though moving out of LA, clarkson’s father Mike assured that his son would continue to represent the Fil-Am community and the Philippines.

“Jordan will go out to cleveland and still represent Filipinos worldwide. Go Jordan, go!,” said the elder clarkson. (With reports

by Carlos Miguel Cusi Cinco)

US experts: Metro Manila traffic deeply problematic MAnILA’S traffic situation has become “deeply problematic,” visiting international infrastructure and design experts said on Monday February 12.

“If I have to stay four hours a day commuting, I don’t know what I would do. So I think there is something deeply problematic about this question of traffic,” said Mohsen Mostafavi, the dean and Alexander and Victoria Wiley professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, during the launch of Manila: Future Habitations, a program that seeks to provide solutions to Manila’s constraints.

“Unfortunately, there are a lot of problems, but you are not alone.

There are many people, which care about the entire Philippines. You can’t fix the problem overnight. It takes maybe generations ‘cause there were a lot of problems,” added Sean chiao, Asia Pacific president of international infrastructure firm AecOM. earlier, foreign business leaders in the Philippines warned that Manila and key cities are on their way to becoming “uninhabitable” due to the worsening traffic situation.

Traffic jams are caused by lack of transport infrastructure and the

rising number of new vehicles added to the roads yearly.

“If you really have this incredible growth in population, you need to invest in infrastructure. Investing in infrastructure, of course, does not just mean investing in new roads. Investing in infrastructure means having trains, subways, and having multiple means of getting from one place to another,” Mostafavi said.

Mostafavi also said the Philippines should realize that no single developer would be able solve Manila’s traffic problem, and even the government cannot do it by itself.

“You have to have a framework established by various agencies and then the developments by private developers engage and transform those framework,” he said.

“Part of what is needed is that sometimes in the best cases, cities have their own architects planning departments. And the importance of those entities is they come up with recommendations, suggestions and visions which represent the interests of the public, the interests of the citizens,” he added.

For chiao, there are signs of life for Manila given the current

administration’s aggressive infrastructure development program.

“You’re building new roads.

There’s a plan, connectivity, and vision. In my point of view, I always like to remain hopeful because I believe the Philippines is a wonderful country, with wonderful people and wonderful culture,” he said.

“Manila has so much potential to become a global city,” he added.

AecOM and the Harvard University Graduate School of Design launched the program Manila: Future Habitations to examine new approaches to endemic problems by inspiring new ideas for better design for 21st century resiliency, sustainability and livability.

The program entails a six-month academic exploration to provide solutions to Manila’s worsening traffic situation. “contemporary Greater Metro Manila, with a population of more than 25 million, is by far the largest city in our three-year series on Southeast Asia and arguably the most complex, with vast extremes of economic and social strata, and yet universal challenges for its citizens, such as mobility, improved ecology and connectivity,” Mostafavi said. (Philstar.com)

Trump sends $4.4 trillion budget...

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believe these non-defense spending levels comport with its vision for the proper role and the size of the Federal Government.”

He added, “However, we believe it is prudent to lay out the Administration’s roadmap for how to account for these higher non-defense spending levels in a responsible manner.”

The budget deal reached last week secured the raising of spending caps by around $300 billion, but Monday’s outline proposes $540 billion in nondefense spending for the 2019 fiscal year which starts October. That’s $57 billion less than the cap set by congress.

In the proposal, $200 billion would be alloted to expanding infrastructure over the next decade — $44.6 billion in 2019. Many in congress think the $200 billion isn’t enough.

The $200 billion from direct federal investment is part of the larger $1.5. trillion Trump introduced at his State of the Union address last month which leaves the rest to come from state, local, and private investment.

“We will build, we will maintain, and the vast majority of Americans wants to see us take care of our infrastructure,” said Trump on Monday when he released the proposal.

The American Society of civil engineers gave an overall grade of a D-plus for U.S. infrastructure, and the American Road and Transportation Builders Association recently released a report that summed over 54,000 structurally deficient bridges in the U.S. But the allotment would also mean reducing funds for existing transportation programs of $178 billion over the next decade, according to the Times. Amtrak grants could be nearly cut in

half from $1.2 trillion to $538 billion. The Army corps of engineers would also see a cut of over 20 percent.

In line with the Trump administration’s efforts on curbing illegal immigration, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would get $46 billion under the new proposal for 2019 — $3.4 billion more than this year’s. The DHS would also hire 2,000 new Immigration and customs enforcement (Ice) and 750 border patrol agents.

As for Trump’s wall, the proposal seeks $18 billion towards building one along the southern border with Mexico and would include a wall of around 65 miles along South Texas, costing $1.6 billion.

The proposal also looks to allocate $13 billion in new spending for treatment, recovery support services, and mental health programs in relation to the opioid crisis.

Also included is a 13 percent increase of $80 billion for the Pentagon, and $85 billion for veteran care.

Cuts in health care, and programs in science, arts, and social welfare A total of 22 programs and agencies would be cut through the proposal, many of which are in the environmental, arts, sciences, and social welfare sectors. Programs and agencies include the national Wildlife Refuge Fund, the nASA Office of education, the corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency.

The environmental Protection Agency would see a slash of $2.8 billion of its budget — 34 percent down from its current level. The agency’s Office of Science and Technology would also be cut nearly in half, from its current

$762 to $489 million. congress did reject a similar proposal last year, but that hasn’t stopped it from being included in the latest proposal outline. If the proposal were to be approved, the ePA funding would be the lowest since 1990.

Furthermore, programs related to fighting climate change effects — labeled “lower priority” programs by the administration — would also be eliminated.

Federal entitlement programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and food stamps would see reductions of at least $1.7 trillion with Medicare specifically seeing cuts of $237 billion.

The Supplemental nutrition Assistance Program (SnAP) — formerly known as the Food Stamp Program — would also have its funding cut by at least 30 percent over the next ten years. How recipients receive their benefits would also change.

The White House proposes that a share of food stamps be replaced with a premade “Harvest box” of “100 percent American grown foods provided directly to households” — Mulvaney compared the box to those that come from Blue Apron, a subscription company that sends ingredients to customers on a regular basis.

“What we do is propose that for folks who are on food stamps, part — not all, part — of their benefits come in the actual sort of, and I don’t want to steal somebody’s copyright, but a Blue Apron-type program where you actually receive the food instead of receive the cash,” said Mulvaney.

In comparison with last year, the White House estimates that around $600 million would be saved by taxpayers as a result of such program cuts. (Rae Ann Varona / AJPress)

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Dateline P‘Repent hiliPPines for being silent on corruption, killings’

MEETING WITH LABOR LEADERS. Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon and Senator Risa Hontiveros hold a dialogue with leaders of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines-Nagkaisa, representing various labor centers in the country, to discuss issues concerning ending labor contractualization on Monday, February 12. The two minority senators have vowed to push for legislative measures that seek to strengthen the security of tenure of employees in the private sector by prohibiting labor-only contracting and “end of contract” practice by employers.

Senate photo by Joseph Vidal

Duterte tells ICC: Drug war will not stop

by Dana

SioSon AJPress

PhiliPPine President Rodrigo Duterte has told the international Criminal Court (iCC) that there’s no stopping his campaign against illegal drugs despite the impending preliminary examination into the alleged extrajudicial killings in the country.

Duterte on Monday, February 12 said that his controversial drug war will continue until the end of his term in 2022.

“Drugs — i like to address myself to the international Court of Justice and to the prosecutors coming here to investigate. The war or the drive against drugs will not stop,” he said during a speech in Cebu City.

“And it will last until the day i step out,” the president stressed. last week, the iCC announced that it will conduct a preliminary

investigation into crimes against humanity allegedly committed

by Duterte under his drug war to determine if there is basis to conduct a formal investigation against him.

But the unfazed president said he is ready to face investigation of the iCC. he also added, “if i go to prison, i go to prison. if you want to execute me, look for a country that allows prisoners to be executed by firing squad. Doon ako (I’ll be there).”

Malacañang earlier welcomed the iCC’s move but dismissed the impending preliminary examination as a “waste of the court’s time and resources.”

The Philippine Department of Justice (DOJ) also expressed confidence that the allegations of crimes against humanity against Duterte “will not fly.”

Since Duterte assumed presidency in mid-2016, the Philip-

pine government has recorded about 4,000 deaths linked to his drive to eradicate illegal drugs in the country. But human rights groups have disputed it, saying the actual death toll is nearly thrice the official number.

Over the weekend, the head of the Philippine Commission on human Rights (ChR) expressed readiness to assist the iCC in its preliminary examination into the country’s situation. in a statement on Saturday, February 10, ChR Chief Jose luis “Chito” Gascon also urged the Philippine national Police (PnP) and the DOJ to cooperate with the international court.

“The ChR is ready, if requested, to assist in any way with the process of preliminary examination. The government, as a party to the Rome Statute, is dutybound to fully cooperate with the iCC,” said Gascon, a known critic of the drug war. n

Tribunal gags Marcos, Robredo in poll protest case

by Jomar

CanlaS ManilaTimes.net

The Supreme Court on Tuesday, February 13, issued a gag order to former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Vice President Maria leonor “leni” Robredo as well as their lawyers, while the vice presidential election protest is being resolved.

Court sources told The Manila Times the magistrates, sitting as the Presidential electoral Tribunal (PeT), ordered the strict observance of the “sub judice rule” wherein parties are prohibited from discussing the merits of the case while it is pending in court.

The justices reached the agreement in an en banc session ahead of next month’s vote recount.

“Since the revision process in the Marcos vs Robredo case is about to commence, parties or counsel or representatives are ordered to observe the sub judice rule,” the source told The Times.

All justices participated in Tuesday’s en banc session except the ponente or magistrate in charge of the case, Justice Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa, and Justices Marvic leonen, Samuel Martires and Alexander Gesmundo.

Both camps have been holding warring news conferences to discuss the electoral protest filed

by Marcos, who claims Robredo benefited from massive electronic cheating during the May 2016 vice-presidential election.

Marcos claims to have “solid and incontrovertible evidence of cheating,” uncovered while going through the printed ballot images from the decrypted secure digital (SD) cards of votecounting machines supplied by Venezuela’s Smartmatic.

Some ballot images from two of his pilot recount provinces, Camarines Sur and negros Ori-

ental, showed that votes for him were not counted and considered “undervotes.”

Marcos also questions why squares appeared instead of ovals in the ballot images from the PeT. The former senator lost to Robredo, a former Camarines Sur representative, by only 263,473 votes. in his protest, Marcos is assailing the results in 39,221 clustered precincts. he paid for a recount in 36,465 precincts and wants the votes in the remaining 2,756 nullified.

A mandatory psychological testing and examination has been ordered for all applicants for head revisors in the recount of the vice-presidential results.

The Manila Times was able to obtain a two-page internal memorandum of Caguioa dated January 29, 2018, which also contained the whole timeline or schedule of the court in connection with the revision of ballots.

The psychological exam for head revisors has delayed the revision of ballots, to March 19 instead of February. Preparations for the psychological examinations started last week.

‘Deception’ The Marcos camp on Tuesday decried what it described as “another vain attempt” of Robredo to deceive the public about the presence of mysterious squares that appeared on the printed copy of ballot images from the PeT. lawyer Vic Rodriguez, spokesman of Marcos, was referring to the recent statement of Robredo’s legal counsel Romulo Macalintal, who claimed the squares in the ballot images were part of the security features of the ballots. “let me remind him (Macalintal) that when Senator Marcos first came out and presented the squares in the ballot images, he discredited it and claimed that

those were fraudulent, tampered [with]and manipulated pieces of evidence,” Rodriguez pointed out.

Marcos in January presented to the media photocopies of what he described as “shocking” and “highly questionable” ballot images from Camarines Sur and negros Oriental, two of the three pilot provinces in his election protest. in some of the ballot images, even though two or more candidates were shaded in the vice presidential position, the votes still went to Robredo.

Macalintal however said Marcos’ claims were “highly ridiculous if not outright frivolous,” adding that the evidence might have been fabricated or manufactured.

Robredo’s lawyer suddenly changed his statement and claimed the square markings were a “special feature” of the 2016 election.

“Schooled in the art of deception, this is nothing but another vain attempt of Mrs. Robredo to explain the presence of boxes on the ballot images instead of the circles,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez also challenged Macalintal to produce any briefing material made by the Commission on elections that would support his claim that the political parties or candidates were informed about the presence of the squares in the ballots.

Rodriguez questioned why Macalintal moved for the nullification of the proclamation of winning candidates in nueva ecija, leyte and Bulacan because of questionable transmission and defective voting machines.

“They are continuing their web of lies even in the face of direct and solid evidence of rampant cheating. This is the grandest and longest deception ever committed against the Filipino people,” Marcos’ spokesman said referring to Robredo’s camp. n

Duterte ends rift with Lucio Tan by alexiS

romero Philstar.com

MAnilA — President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday, February 13, thanked Philippine Airlines (PAl) chairman lucio Tan for helping repatriate distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and promised him that he would no longer talk about the tycoon’s previous liabilities.

Duterte said he and Tan had political differences but he is setting them aside because of the PAl owner’s willingness to bring home the distressed workers.

“We had a feud but it was not that deep-seated. he made up for it during the subsequent events in the life of a Filipino. They of-

fered to deploy their planes for free,” the President told OFWs at the ninoy Aquino international Airport Terminal 1 when they arrived from Kuwait.

Duterte assured Tan that he does not have ill feelings towards him, even promising to protect him and other businessmen from harassment.

“We all have a choice as to who we will help. it’s over and you already made up for it several times. Because of this incident, Mr. lucio Tan, i’m going to shut up forever. You won’t hear anything from me that you did not pay,” the President said.

“Mind you, i am ready to protect every businessman like you.

There is no corruption in this government. if someone asks money from you, tell me and we will send them to Kuwait to have them killed,” he added.

PAl, the country’s flag carrier, settled P6 billion in navigational charges it owed the government after Duterte threatened to shut down its operations Duterte also thanked Cebu Pacific chief executive officer lance Gokongwei for also offering free trips to the distressed OFWs. “i’d like to just say to Mr. lucio Tan and the Gokongwei family, lance, in behalf of our country men, thank you. i will remember you for all time,” the president said. n

MAnilA Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo reminded Christians that Ash Wednesday is a call for change, as he called on Filipinos to repent for their gravest sins. “it seems okay for us that there are corrupt people. it seems that we are okay with series of killings around us,” Pabillo said.

“Ash Wednesday is a call for change, let us repent not only our sins but the greatest sin we have committed as a Filipino, we failed to protect our country and to watch over it,” he further said.

Priests and lay ministers placed ash on the foreheads of the faithful following special Masses for Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the 40-day lenten season during which Catholics are encouraged to observe fasting, abstinence and charity. lent commemorates the 40-day prayer and fast of Christ in the desert prior to his death on the cross for the salvation of mankind.

‘Speak up’ Pabillo also reminded Filipinos that it was their responsibility to stand and speak up against what is wrong in society.

TIME FOR REPENTANCE. A priest marks the forehead of a woman who heard Mass at the Immaculate Conception Church in Dasmariñas, Cavite on Ash Wednesday, February 14.

ManilaTimes.net photo by Boy Josue

“We are a Christian nation. Why do extrajudicial killings exist?

Why are human rights set aside? nobody’s talking. nobody’s opposing, and that’s why they continue doing what they’re doing,” he said.

The former president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, urged the faithful to reflect on love on Ash Wednesday, which coin-

cided with Valentine’s Day. “let us move from cheap love to true love. let us fill lent with love. let us fill Valentine’s Day with the lenten spirit,” the prelate said in a statement. “let us relocate love from romanticism to heroism. let us move our gaze from Cupid with his arrow to Jesus Christ on the cross. let us move from cheap love to true love,” Villegas added. (ManilaTimes.net)

Alvarez: House to pass divorce bill in March by ma.

reina TolenTino ManilaTimes.net

The house of Representatives will pass a measure that allows the dissolution of marriage before congress takes a break in March, house Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said on Wednesday, February 14.

“Ang commitment ko diyan, magbi-break kami nitong March, ano, so kailangang maipasa iyan on third reading bago kami magbreak (My commitment there is we will take a break in March so we have to pass it on third reading before we take a break),” he said in a news briefing.

The house of Representatives will adjourn on March 24 and will resume session on May 14.

“Sabi ko kay Senate President, tatapusin namin yung DOM (dissolution of marriage), ibibigay ko sa inyo, ngayon, kayo na ang bahala (I told Senate President, we will finish the DOM, then I will give it to you, now, it is up to you).”

“Dito sa akin, tapusin ko na iyan, tapusin ko na yung civil

union [bill], tapusin ko na rin yung BBl (Bangsamoro Basic law) para bago naman kami mag-break, may maireport tayo sa taong bayan na iyan ha, ang dami naming ginawa (on my part, I will finish it, finish the civil union [bill], I will also finish the BBL so that before we take a break, we can report to the public that here, we did a lot),” Alvarez said.

Meanwhile, a technical working group which was formed to craft a substitute bill to four proposed measures on divorce, annulment, and the dissolution of marriage met on Tuesday, February 13.

“The technical working group has already met this morning, consolidating the four bills pertinent to the grant of absolute divorce. The grounds are expanded and includes the grounds for legal separation, annulment of marriage… psychological incapacity, irreconcilable differences, and where one of the spouses has undergone transgender surgery,” Albay Rep. edcel lagman said.

“So hopefully, before March 8, the international Day for Women,

this bill will be already taken up” in the plenary, lagman, who was earlier named as the head of the technical working group, said. “i assure you this bill is easier to enact than the Reproductive health Bill,” he said. lagman, author of house Bill 116 or the proposed “Act instituting Absolute Divorce in The Philippines and For Other Purposes,” was one of the principal authors of the Reproductive health law, which was signed into law by then-President Benigno Aquino iii in 2012. hB 1062, filed by Surigao del norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, aims to prescribe additional grounds for annulment. Under the measure, a marriage may be annulled if the parties have been separated for at least five years. hB 2380, authored by Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. emerenciana de Jesus and Arlene Brosas, aims to introduce divorce in the country. hB 6027 meanwhile proposes grounds for the dissolution of a marriage. n

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february 16-22, 2018 • OC/Ie aSIaN JOurNaL

OpiniOn

Hitting where it hurts

Features

IN a rare move, the House of Representatives has ordered the Bureau of Internal Revenue to conduct a tax probe on Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno. Specifically, the BIR was tasked to look into the earnings and tax payments of Sereno from 2004 to 2010, when she was one of the lawyers for the government in its case against NAIA Terminal 3 builder Philippine International Air Terminals Co. Inc. The PIATCO issue has been raised against Sereno even before she was promoted to Chief Justice, upon her appointment to the Supreme Court.

She has denied any anomalies in her financial declarations, including in her official statements of assets, liabilities and net worth.

The House committee on justice says Sereno also failed to file her SALNs for many years when she worked as a law professor at the University of the Philippines in Diliman.

Since the House has taken this tack in going after alleged wrongdoing, authorities should pursue a similar approach in pinning down other public officials suspected of amassing ill-gotten wealth.

The Office of the Ombudsman and, where possible, the Anti-Money Laundering Council can coordinate with the BIR in this pursuit.

This can be useful even in President Duterte’s

campaign against so-called narco politicians. They shouldn’t be difficult to spot; drug traffickers and their coddlers can rarely resist flaunting their wealth, even if it is dirty money. Tax probes can also be initiated against politicians believed to be engaged in jueteng and smuggling as well as the corrupt in the Bureau of Customs and other graft-ridden agencies.

Even Congress members can be subjected to tax probes. Lawmakers have stubbornly resisted proposals to pass anti-racketeering legislation. A tax investigation is the next best thing, with the antimoney laundering police later brought in to build a tighter case.

Congressmen have said they expected Sereno to be impeached next month. Her tax payments and articles of impeachment to be sent to the Senate. asset declarations are likely to be included in the Authorities should not stop with the Chief Justice;

Editorial

Philstar.com photo

there are other public officials whose unexplained wealth calls for a tax probe. (Philstar.com)

An abused wife’s story that men like her husband Porter and Trump dismiss and marginalize PRESIDENT Donald Trump faced the The Fil-Am press people and even tweeted about Perspective his praises for his former White House Staff Secretary Rob Porter, who resigned last week when alle- Gel SantoS-ReloS gations against him were made public by his former wives, Colbie Holderness and Jennie Willoughby, after they reportedly contributed to a delay in granting him a permanent security clearance required for him to continue his work in the West Wing.

“We wish him well,” Pres. Trump said. “He worked very hard. I found out about it recently and I was surprised by it. But we certainly wish him well. It’s obviously a tough time for him. He did a very good job when he was in the White House. And we hope he has a wonderful career, and hopefully he will have a great career ahead of him. But it was very sad when we heard about it, and certainly he’s also very sad. Now he also as you probably know, he says he’s innocent. And I think you have to remember that.

PeaceMaker FoRmeR SpeakeR JoSe C. de VeneCia, JR. (PART 1 OF 3) *Remarks of Hon. Jose de Venecia - Former Speaker, Philippine House of Representatives; Founding Chairman and Chairman of Standing Committee, International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP); Co-Founder, Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA); Chairman, International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace (IAPP); Special Envoy of the President to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and for Intercultural Dialogue at the ICAPP Special Conference on the Silk Road last February 1-4, 2018; Tehran, Iran.

Excellencies, friends and colleagues: On behalf of ICAPP, the International Conference of Asian Political Parties, let me thank and welcome you all, delegates and observers to this ICAPP Special Conference on the Silk Road here in the historic city of Tehran.

We are pleased and honored by the support of Iran’s great political leaders—Their Excellencies Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, President Hassan Rouhani, First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri, Speaker of Parliament Ali Larijani, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Petroleum Minister Bijan Namdar Zangeneh, Minister of Industry, Mines and Business Mohammad Shariatmadari, Senior Foreign Policy Adviser to the Leader of

He said very strongly yesterday that he’s innocent.”

As the New York Times (NYT) reported, Mr. Porter vehemently denied these allegations, saying “these allegations are simply false,” despite details of the alleged physical, verbal and emotional abuse, including actual photographs of one of his former wives with a black eye, had been made public.

Trump tweeted on Saturday to double down on his defense of Porter, stating “Peoples lives are being shattered and destroyed by a mere allegation.”

He added, “There is no recovery for someone falsely accused — life and career are gone. Is there no such thing any longer as Due Process?”

To this date, no passionate heartfelt messages have come from the president of the United States to women who spoke out about the abuse they suffered from Porter, and to other women who are victims of domestic violence.

Trump, however, has consistently

the Islamic Revolution Ali Akbar Velayati, Tehran Mayor Mohammad-Ali Najafi—and other distinguished officials of the Iranian Government.

Let me also greet our host, the Islamic Motalefeh Party, represented in the ICAPP Standing Committee by our dear friend and colleague, Chairman of the Organizing Committee, and co-founder of ICAPP—former Vice President Hassan Ghafoori Fard—the Islamic Labour Party, which is also a member of the ICAPP Standing Committee, and the political parties of Iran We thank the Islamic Motalefeh Party, with the support of the Iranian Government, for sending invitations to 100 principal political parties in 39 countries in the Asian region which have keen interest and concerns on the Silk Road, as well as political parties and organizations from Latin America, Africa, and Europe—the Permanent Conference of Political Parties in Latin America and the Caribbean (COPPPAL), the Council of African Political Parties (CAPP), the European People’s Party (EPP), the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D), the European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR), and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE).

We take note of the recent establishment of the Asia-Europe Political Forum (AEPF), which seeks to promote closer cooperation between ICAPP’s Asian political parties and the various political parties in Europe, in addition to our close ties with COPPPPAL and CAPP.

been quick to absolve his allies and supporters of their sins — Porter, Moore, Ailes, O’Reilly, etc. — and would even defend them as though the female accusers were all liars and that these powerful men were the victims here. Not surprising, considering the fact that Trump himself has been accused by multiple women of sexual misconduct and assault.

This Valentine’s Day, let me share with you the voice of one of Porter’s ex-wives who wrote a blog about the abuses she had to endure while married to him, and why she stayed until she could no longer bear it. Porter tried to silence her and invalidate her story.

Let us now hear from Jennie Willoughby, whose background includes a Master of Education in brain-based teaching and positive behavior and a Bachelor of Science in bio-chemistry & molecular biology, according to the biography page of her blog bornebackceaselessly.com.

Here is her blog post entitled, “Why I Stayed.”: The first time he called me a “fucking b*tch” was on our honeymoon. (I found out years later he had kicked his

first wife on theirs.) A month later he physically prevented me from leaving the house.

Less than two months after that, I filed a protective order with the police because he punched in the glass on our front door while I was locked inside.

We bought a house to make up for it.

Just after our one year anniversary, he pulled me, naked and dripping, from the shower to yell at me.

Everyone loved him. People commented all the time how lucky I was.

Strangers complimented him to me every time we went out.

But in my home, the abuse was insidious. The threats were personal.

The terror was real. And yet I stayed.

When I tried to get help, I was counseled to consider carefully how what I said might affect his career. And so I kept my mouth shut and stayed.

I was told, yes, he was deeply flawed, but then again so was I. And so I worked on myself and stayed.

If he was a monster all the time, perhaps it would have been easier to leave. But he could be kind and sensitive. And so I stayed.

He cried and apologized. And so I stayed.

He offered to get help and even went to a few counseling sessions and therapy groups. And so I stayed.

He belittled my intelligence and destroyed my confidence. And so I stayed.

I felt ashamed and trapped. And so I stayed.

Friends and clergy didn’t believe me. And so I stayed. I was pregnant.

And so I stayed.

I lost the pregnancy and became depressed. And so I stayed.

Abuse is indifferent to education level, socio-economic status, race, age, or gender. And no one can ever know the dynamics of another’s relationship.

My cycle continued for four more years. Afterward, I let go and welcomed the hard work of healing and forgiveness. My experience made me stronger and able to love more deeply.

But my heart breaks for him. In the end, who is the real victim of his choices? *** Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www. facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos

Different nations, a shared destiny Persia: One of the greatest and oldest civilizations in the world We are happy to convene here in this storied land, which is one of the oldest civilizations in the world.

Persia, as Iran was known before 1935, was one of the greatest empires of the ancient world, dating back around 7,000 B.C., or more than 5,000 years ago.

Historians and Vikipedia tell us that the Persian Empire ruled from the Balkans to North Africa to Central Asia, spanning three continents, from its seat of power in Persepolis. It was the largest empire, the first world empire.

And was the only civilization in all of history to connect over 40% of the global population, accounting for approximately 49.4 million of the world’s 112.4 million people in around 480 B.C. Iran became an Islamic Republic in 1979, following the Iranian Revolution, also known as the Islamic Revolution, which overthrew the monarchy and clerics assumed political control.

Seeing the new Iran at firsthand The epochal events of February 1979 have made Iran a unique political power—one with spiritual and moral authority that extends well beyond its secular frontiers.

We had the privilege of seeing the new Iran at first-hand.

For two days before the General Assembly of the Association of Asian Parliaments for Peace (AAPP), now renamed the Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA), in Tehran last November 2006, we were official guests of the

Iranian Government, hence we were able to consult with Iran’s highest political leaders on ways and means of engaging the Iranian State in the global community’s effort then to seek ways of helping ease the multiple Middle East crises—in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine.

We met President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Speaker of Parliament Haddad Adel, former Speaker of Parliament Nategh Nouri, principal adviser to Iran’s Spiritual Leader Ali Khameini; then Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki; and our dear friend, the great former President Hashemi Rafsanjani, who recently passed away.

We earlier had the privilege of successful visits to Manila of then President Rafsanjani, and followed later by Speaker Nategh Nouri, which advanced political, economic, and cultural relations between the Philippines and Iran.

We found the Iranian leaders proud of their country’s enhanced importance in the Middle East and in the world. They were even more proud that the European, American, Asian, Latin American, and African powers were beginning to acknowledge the reality of Iran’s rising power and influence.

They were fully aware of their own need for Iran to exert its influence on the side of peace in the Middle East.

We came away from our meetings with Iran’s political leaders convinced that a modus vivendi could be reached between Tehran, the European, American, and Asian leaders—and that Iran

could help shape the then processes of reconciliation between the religious and ethnic communities in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine.

To this day, we believe that Iran can and must play a crucial role in bringing about peace, security and development in the Middle East and the global community.

Support for Iran Nuclear Deal On the Iran nuclear deal, we in ICAPP reiterate our support to the important and vital agreement signed by Iran and a group of world powers—the U.S., the United Kingdom, Russia, France, China, and Germany—in 2015.

According to the European Union, which helped facilitate the Iran nuclear talks, “the International Atomic Energy Agency has verified 8 times that Iran is implementing all its nuclear related commitments following a comprehensive and strict monitoring.”

The Deal—the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)— which is the culmination of 12 years of long drawn-out negotiations, strengthens cooperation and is critical for the security of the region.

The Iranian nuclear deal has ushered in a new chapter of political and economic engagement with Iran, which, we believe, will benefit the Iranian people, the region, and the global community.

Praise for the Iranian leadership, calm and sobriety in resolving street protests We commend the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani

for their leadership and for exercising calm and sobriety in resolving the recent demonstrations in some cities in Iran.

In the midst of protests, which others feared might result in chaos and violence, President Rouhani’s wise and moderate leadership prevented the escalation of street tensions and expeditiously brought back normalcy in the country.

Indeed, we laud the collective Iranian leadership for recognizing the concerns of protesters and for upholding the right of the Iranian people to bring their grievances and aspirations.

Iran’s key role in the 21st Century Silk Road Excellencies, friends: We are gathered here to underscore the role of political parties and civil society organizations in generating economic, trade, political and cultural connectivity and peopleto-people bonds with the “Silk Road Spirit.”

Iran, as we know, played a vital and actual role in the ancient Silk Road, connecting the East and the West, serving as the main hub for the international trade and exchange of various cultures. Iran today is also expected to play a strategic role in the new Silk Road, by connecting and developing keen overall ties with the other regions.

Indeed, it gives us great pleasure to be in the great capital of Iran once more to share our views on two related issues that are of historical importance to us Asians in this Asian century.

These are regional development and regional security.

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

aDVerTISING aND aDVerTOrIaL POLICIeS

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Pimentel points out US name of Benham Rise: Were we afraid?

by Patricia Lourdes Philstar.com

NEW WATER SPORT. A kiteboarder shows off during the ICTSI Philippine Kiteboarding Tour in Boracay. With the Youth Olympic Games coming up, there’s an opportunity for kiteboarding, a fast-growing water sport, to make a splash in the Philippines—by winning a medal.Kiteboarding is a thrilling adventure sport that puts riders on a board and uses a large kite controlled by a bar to steer them on the water usually following a race course.

Inquirer.net photo by Sherwin Vardeleon

Palace: ‘Do not take the president literally, take him seriously’

by Jhoanna

BaLLaran Inquirer.net

MALACAñANG has downplayed the outrage against President Rodrigo Duterte’s “shoot in the vagina” remark against female members of the New People’s Army (NPA), noting that the public should already know by now the Chief Executive’s way of talking.

On Tuesday, February 13, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque reminded the public: “Alam niyo po, matapos ang isang taon at kalahati, dapat kakilala na natin ang Presidente.

Paulit-ulit kong sinasabi, do not take the president literally but take him seriously.”

(You know, after a year and a half, we should already be familiar with the President. I am saying this over and over again, do not take the President literally but take him seriously.)

“Ang mensahe po ng presidente dahil wala na nga pong pagkakataon na magkaroon ng peace talks dahil puro katraydoran naman ang pinakita ng mga CPP [Communist Party of the Philippines]-NPA, eh asahan niyo po na tayo po ay

papasok sa digmaan muli sa NPA, at tayo po ay magwawagi,” Roque also said in a press briefing in Tabuk City, Kalinga.

(The president’s message is since there is no longer a chance for the peace talks because the CPP-NPA just show betrayal, expect that we will return to war against the NPA, and we will win.)

Speaking in front of more than 200 former rebels in Malacañang, Duterte said: “‘Naay babae? Unsa man, nakagunit og armas?’ ‘Sir, fighter gyud. Amazona.’ ‘Pusila sa bisong arong di na …’ (‘Are there any women holding guns?’ ‘Sir, she’s a fighter. An amazon.’ ‘Shoot her in the vagina’),” Duterte said, drawing laughter from the audience.

Roque said that if Duterte disrespects women, the Chief Executive should have not had ordered the ban in deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to Kuwait.

“Dahil kung ang Presidente po ay labag sa kapakanan ng mga kababaihan ay hindi po niya dapat ipinag-uutos yung pagtigil ng deployment ng ating mga kababayan

PH, China agree to ‘self-restraint’ in sea row by dana

sioson AJPress

THE Philippine and Chinese governments have reached an agreement to exercise “self-restraint” on activities that may escalate the tensions in the highly disputed South China Sea. This comes amid reports of China’s continuous military build up in the region.

“Both sides agreed to continue discussions on confidencebuilding measures to increase mutual trust and confidence and to exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities in the South China Sea that would complicate or escalate disputes and affect peace and stability,” their joint statement read.

On Tuesday, February 13, the Philippines and China convened the Second Meeting of the Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea (BCM) in Manila.

Both sides said they had a “frank, cordial exchange of views” on issues concerning the sea row, and had discussed “ways to manage and prevent incidents at sea, promote dialogue and cooperation on maritime issues, and enhance mutual trust and confidence.”

The Philippines and China also reiterated their “commitment to the full and effective implementation” of the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea. The negotiations on a Code of Conduct (COC) on the region is set to begin early next month.

Both sides also said that they had a “productive exchange on

ways to strengthen cooperation” in different areas such as marine environmental protection, fisheries, marine scientific research, and oil and gas, “without prejudice to their respective positions on sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction.”

“There were intensive discussions on mutually beneficial joint initiatives and consensus on the convening of technical working groups in the areas of fisheries, oil and gas, marine scientific research and marine environmental protection, and political security,” the statement added.

A newspaper report last week showed that the continuous developments of Beijing’s artificial islands in the heavily disputed waters are nearing their completion.

Malacañang earlier dismissed China’s military buildup in the area as something that is not “news” anymore, as it noted that the Philippines cannot wage war and could only continue to rely on China’s “good faith.”

But on Monday, February 12, Malacañang said that it had “protested not only the building of islands but also the alleged ‘militarization’ of the islands.”

“The Philippine government has consistently filed protest.

And even during the term of President [Rodrigo] Duterte, we have filed protest,” Palace Spokesperson Harry Roque said.

He added, “[This is] in response to claims that we are not doing anything. We are doing what the government has deemed best to be done.” n

Different nations, a shared...

PAGE A6

In our part of the world, they are two vital strands of geopolitics that are interlocked permanently, for Asians cannot have a full flowering of their national economies without achieving between them a relationship of good-neighborliness based on cooperation, trust and above all, common interests.

China’s rebuilding of the Silk Road To some extent, China’s historic revival and expansion of the ancient Silk Road has often been compared with the Marshall Plan, the great U.S. initiative that rebuilt Western Europe from the ashes of World War II. The Silk Road stands out on its own merits as a historic force for development and for peace.

More significantly, it is being

carried out on a wide scale, involving more countries and more peoples across three continents of the world, and it is free from the politics of ideology that some claim led to the historic failures in development in the post-war era.

It is so far alone in addressing the gaps evident in emerging and developing economies, and because of this, the Silk Road initiative could be the key in unleashing 21st century economic development.

Some say it has the potential to influence and change this century, and we believe it is going to change it for the better.

For it has the potential as a constructive force that would facilitate the emergence of a model upon which our nations could enhance our collective security. (To be continued next week)

sa Kuwait, dahil ang mga nabibiktima po sa Kuwait, karamihan po ay mga kababaihan natin,” Roque explained.

(Because if the President violates the rights of women, he should not have had ordered the ban in the deployment of our people to Kuwait, because most of those abused in that country are our women.)

Roque said that the total deployment ban to Kuwait only proved that Duterte promotes the interest not just of the Filipinos, but the women. n

Viray

MANILA, Philippines — China’s naming of five features in Benham or Philippine Rise should be no cause for alarm, Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III said on Wednesday, February 14.

Pimentel, in a chance interview with reporters, noted that the undersea region off the coast of Aurora was originally named after American admiral Andrew Benham who discovered the continental shelf.

Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III “When Benham Rise was The senate president thinks no named ‘Benham,’ were we afraid?

That’s an American name, (could country has exclusive power or it be an) American claim? None, right to name features. He added so what’s the point?” Pimentel that Beijing can claim any feature as long as they have legal basis. said.

“When it comes to Benham The underwater plateau was first surveyed in 1933 by Ameri- Rise, ultimately they will claim can geologists, but It was only and come up with something. in 2009 when the Philippines Maybe we should not bother,” claimed it before the United Na- Pimentel said.

Pimentel made this statement tions Commission on the Limits following a Malacañang anof the Continental Shelf In 2012, the UN commission nouncement that the Philippine approved the submission of the government will not recognize Philippines to include Benham Chinese names given to five feaRise as part of its continental tures in Benham Rise.

The Philippine Embassy in shelf. This means that the Philippines has sovereign rights, but China has raised this concern benot sovereignty over Benham fore the Chinese government.

“They are likewise considering Rise.

Paragraph 1, Article 77 of the a recommendation to officially UN Convention on the Law of the notify the Chair of the InternaSea states that a state has sover- tional Hydrographic Organizaeign rights over its continental tion-Intergovernmental Oceanoshelf for the purpose of “explor- graphic Commission General ing it and exploiting its natural Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans Sub-Committee on Undersea resources.”

Inquirer.net photo

Feature Names,” the statement read.

Praising the protest Sen. Bam Aquino, meanwhile, lauded the government for countering China’s move to name features in the Philippine territory.

“Benham Rise is clearly Philippine territory and its features are not for China to name,” Aquino said in a statement.

The senator stressed that it is imperative for the Philippine government to protect the country’s territory against foreign interest.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson, on the other hand, said that China already named features in Benham Rise — Jinghao and Tianbao Seamounts, Haidonquing Seamount, Cuiqiao Hill and Jujiu Seamounts.

“It’s probably a matter of time before we see Chinese structures on more artificial islands. Damn us! Are we this helpless?” Lacson said on Twitter. n

A

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Making it work: The ups and downs of long-distance relationships

by Ritchel Mendiola & Bianca cRuz / AJPress Being in a long distance relationship is a struggle, and given the choice, most people would steer clear away from it.

Unfortunately, in this fast-paced world, there is a pretty good chance that couples may find themselves in different cities — sometimes, countries — for a job or even a scholarship to study someplace else. When this happens, making the decision to end the relationship or stay together is nowhere near the vicinity of easy.

Thankfully, the technology we have today has made communication easier. With the influx of messaging apps like Messenger, Skype, and Viber, keeping in contact with one another has become more convenient and less of a hassle.

For couples who choose to continue their relationship, the distance will always be a problem, but if it’s any consolation, they can now quickly reach each other with just an app and a webcam in the comforts of their homes. it takes a lot of effort and commitment, but any couple can make the distance work for them rather than against them.

Here are two couples in long-distance relationships (LDRs) who shared how they make their situations work and how they stay close to each other even when they’re far apart.

Shen Bacal (Las Piñas, Philippines) & Nathan Amora (Los Angeles, California) “We met through a mutual friend when we were both 16 years old and in sophomore year. nathan was just someone i considered a friend of a friend until we got to know each other

better. We’d stay up late texting and chatting about anything and everything. i thought that it was nice to meet someone i could talk to the way i did with him. i was myself and i was comfortable to share my thoughts and feelings. it felt great!

“We’ve been together for six years and three months now.

We’ve been apart more than we’ve been physically together.

He left to live in the States for good in May 2013. We’d only see each other once a year — every year if we’re lucky. We’re not physically together right now but we’ve learned to accept our situation. We actually thought that this kind of relationship was both beneficial to us since it gave us space and time to grow as individuals. We didn’t feel the need to change each other, instead we were able to watch each other become the best version of ourselves.

“To those who are in a long-distance relationship or are thinking of being in one, i suggest you get to know each other better since you’re entering a more serious level in a relationship that requires mental and emotional commitment. Learn to support each other, as well. Relationships can be selfish. Long distance taught us how to let go of what we can’t control. it might hurt that you aren’t a part of your partner’s daily activities and milestones, but at least you can be proud at the fact that they’re doing well on their own.

“There will always be days that your longing will be unbearable, so find a healthy way to express your feelings. Call your friends or family to keep you company;

Shen Bacal and Nathan Amora

cry, drink, or dance your sadness away. Know your boundaries and avoid doing anything that will jeopardize your relationship.

Relationships are constant works in progress, so always make time for each other — no matter how long or short it is.

“LDR is actually like any other relationship, the difference is the distance but the connection is the same. What made it easier for us is that we were able to establish the friendship before anything else. This definitely helped us trust each other better. in the end, LDR wasn’t a decision we had to make, it was a flow that we just went with.”

Pamela Andres (Manila, Philippines) & Mark Ocampo (San Francisco) “We met seven years ago

Pamela Andres and Mark Ocampo

during my dad’s basketball game.

We were in high school at the time, but from different schools.

Later on, we realized we had a lot of common friends and started to hang out with each other. We met again in San Francisco when i went there for a two-month family vacation. Mark took me and my brother for a tour since my sister, who is a nurse there, only had a week off work. Before i went to Las Vegas, i said yes when he asked me to be his girlfriend.

“We’ve been technologically together for seven months now.

We’re not physically together so we facetime each other everyday.

We still constantly struggle with the time difference; he wakes up when i’m about to sleep. Being in a long distance relationship, you will definitely miss the

personal contact. You will get those random urges to hug your partner even though you can’t.

“Before Mark and i separated in San Francisco, we mentally prepared ourselves and even googled ‘how to make long distance relationship work.’

There was a list of rules that we agreed on and consistently do to make our relationship work. We strengthened our trust in each other. it can be hard, at times, but if you really want to make your relationship work, you have to trust your partner and believe that your love for each other is strong enough so you won’t have to be paranoid all the time.

“The distance can sometimes fizzle the spark in a relationship so we always make an effort to keep the spark alive between

us. We are also each other’s best friends. Being your lover’s best friend helps in building the trust between the two of you. You become your lover’s personal cheerleader in their endeavors and interests in life. Most importantly, we plan when we’re going to meet. never forget to set a specific date you can both look forward to and prepare for that special day. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and there really is nothing quite like the feeling of finally hugging your partner after not being with them for a long time. “ Ultimately, long distance relationship might be a challenge for most couples, but isn’t it better to at least try it rather than give up easily and spend your life being haunted by what-ifs?

Poll: Filipinos prefer career over love

by AJPress

The introduction of Internet dating has made finding a partner as easy as sending a text.

MORe than half of Filipinos pick their career over love life, according to a Social Weather Station (SWS) survey released Tuesday, February 13. in a poll conducted from December 8 to 16, 2017, respondents were asked the following question: “in case you have to choose between your love life and career, which of these two would you choose?”

Based on the result, 59 percent or three of five adult Filipinos said Photo from Pexels.com they would prioritize their career over having a love live.

Only 41 percent said they prefer love life over career.

According to the polling firm, the preference for career over love life was high among singles, regardless of sex.

Among single men who chose relationship my friends have had career over love life, 82 percent of who also use Tinder,” Chu shared, them are widowed, separated, or with a laugh. “These applications — Tinder, OkCupid, or any of them divorced; and 77 percent of them never married.

— generally, i think, have a stigma attached to them. People joke that they’re only used for short-term flings or one night stands. But i can attest that there are people there that will share relationship goals with you, whether it be a shortby Jennifer Soriano term thing or a long, committed AJPress relationship. There’s something for everybody.”

FOR most couples, it’s easier to Chu mentioned that he’s still think about Valentine’s Day when on Tinder, but as he’s gotten older, you and your significant other it’s becoming less appealing to are at close proximity compared him. But given technology and to those who are far apart. While social media’s impact on our couples who get to celebrate this culture, he has no doubt that special day with their loved ones online dating will only continue to are luckier, the distance could grow as its own industry. be just a test to see how far your “it does get old, and it does love for each other can go. And feel weird just swiping through no day can prove this test than these profiles like a game,” Chu on a Valentine’s Day, alongside admitted. “But i do see this as birthdays and anniversaries. the new normal. i work in tech For this issue, the Asian Journal and i know that there are folks rounded up ways you and your constantly working to make these sweetheart can make Valentine’s sites and apps more sophisticated Day special even when you are to mitigate their shortcomings. it’s apart. only just the beginning, and i see Do not forget the “I love you” this — online dating — becoming call the standard.” in this digital age, calling him/ Twenty-seven-year-old her to say “i love you” is the most Maureen Rosa acknowledges basic thing to do. After greeting the ease of online dating and the him/her a Happy Valentine’s Day, potential benefits, but also knows say your “i love you” in a more of the dangers. Rosa, an office loving tone than you normally administrator in the LA public do. Afterwards, you can initiate health space, signed up for Tinder, a conversation reminiscing your OkCupid and Bumble, the latter, a sweet moments together or what dating site in which women are to would you do next time you see Continued on Page 6 Continued on Page 3

Finding love online: Digital love without physical touch

Fil-Ams discuss the rise of online dating in the 21st century

by Klarize Medenilla AJPress

in an age where technology has permeated nearly every aspect of modern life, it’s no surprise it’s made its mark in the dating game.

The first online dating website, Match.com, came onto the scene in 1995, introducing the world to a new way to meet romantic partners. Amid the stigma it first garnered, it was revolutionary, bridging the worlds of technological innovation and romance.

Fast forward to the 2010s and the introduction of internet dating smartphone applications that make finding a partner as easy as sending a text. And in a few short years, more and more people have outsourced and entrusted their love lives to the algorithms on their phones.

The stigma attached to online dating, more or less, has considerably diminished and has only become more popular.

According to a 2016 study from Pew Research Center, 40 percent of Americans use online dating as a source for searching for romantic partners. notably, the attitudes toward online dating have also improved. in 2005, only 44 percent of participants considered online dating to be “a good way to meet people.” in 2015, that number jumped to 59 percent.

And online dating has become more nuanced with sites specific to different kinds of people.

Christianmingle.com, for example, allows Christians to find other Christians and sites like grindr are geared for LgBTQ+ individuals.

What attracts many people to online dating is, among many factors, convenience, according to 26-year-old Raymond Chu, who moved to Los Angeles in 2013. “i didn’t know anyone when i moved here. i was straight out of college — i went to school on the east Coast, and i found a job here,” Chu, a computer programmer, told the Asian Journal in a recent phone interview.

Chu signed up for the popular dating application Tinder where users are given a selection of different profiles of other users in their area. if a particular user interests you, you swipe right; if not, you swipe left. Users that swipe right on each other are matches, and they may start interacting. (You can’t interact with someone without matching with them first.) “it was pretty easy to sift through several profiles and to find someone who piques your interest,” Chu said, sharing that the experience made him uncomfortable at first.

Like most users, the young Fil-Am had his share of pedestrian interactions with girls and went on dates that didn’t go beyond the first one. After four months of intermittent presence on the app, he struck a connection with a girl also working in tech.

“That relationship lasted two years, which was longer than any

ROMANCE AND ALL. A young couple shares sweet moments at the Lumina Rose Garden, an illuminated tunnel adorned with flowers at Resorts World in Pasay City.

ManilaTimes.net photo by Bob Dungo Jr.

“This is higher compared to 53 percent among those with live-in partners and 50 percent among marrieds who would choose the same,” SWS said.

Meanwhile, among single women, 80 percent of those who are widowed, separated, divorced, or divorce; and 83 percent of those who never married, also chose career over love life.

Sixty-five percent among

those with live-in partners, and 49 percent among marrieds preferred the same.

The SWS survey was conducted among 1,200 respondents nationwide using face-to-face interviews. it has a margin of error of ±3 percent nationwide, ±4 percent for Luzon, and ±6 percent each for Metro Manila, Visayas and Mindanao.

Ways to make Valentine’s Day special even when you’re apart

Make something handmade

Make random “I love you” calls

Make a package of his or her fave things

Photos from Pexels.com

Xian drops wholesome image in ‘Sin Island’

by Bot

Glorioso Philstar.com

XIAN Lim knows he need not be forever tied up with roles that project nothing but wholesomeness.

At his age — he is turning 29 on July 12 — he can do whatever he deems benefical to his career and that includes getting cast in a movie like “Sin Island” that tackles marriage and the conflicts that come with it. Directed by Gino Santos for Star Cinema, “Sin Island” is a sexy romance that seeks to find out if a marriage could truly survive two infidelities.

In the movie, Xian plays David, the husband of Kanika (Coleen Garcia) whose marriage will be marred with betrayal when Kanika enters into an illicit affair just as David’s career begins to fall apart. His discovery of Kanika’s transgressions leads him to pack his bags and fly to Sinilaban Island where he meets Tasha (Nathalie Hart). Eventually, both David and Tasha are tempted to give in to their sexual desires.

Despite their mistakes, David and Kanika patch things up to save their marriage but Tasha refuses to let go of David.

According to Xian, one of the reasons he took on the role of David is the goal of pushing his capabilities as an actor. That’s why, he has to temporarily shed off his wholesome

Xian Lim

know how he is as an actor and all of them as persons to find out their personalities for me to handle them well. I can say we had a very chill (working relationship) on the set, especially with the love scenes. I will just play some music and (have) a closed set to feel comfortable with each other. Lahat ng ginagawa nila tinatanong ko kung komportable silang gawin.”

Asked if Xian had a hard time explaining to his fans about his new role, the Viva talent said that they support his desire to tackle as many roles as possible “and I know that they are very understanding with what I’ve been wanting to achieve as an actor. In terms of how people see me, like having a good boy image, I mean it’s always gonna change kasi iba’t-ibang characters naman yung nagagawa ko and in the future hopefully, so I think there is no misunderstanding; they’re very supportive.”

Equally supportive is his perennial onscreen partner Kim Chiu who remains by his side even after his transfer to Viva Artist Agency.

Xian shared they don’t meddle in each other’s work.

“In every project that we do, we’re hands off when it comes to deciding which ones to accept or not. We are happy when we get to express ourselves every time we have work to do. I think it adds fuel to our passion each time we’re doing something different. Or how else can we reinvent ourselves when handling a new role.”

Although “Sin Island” is said to be peppered with passionate scenes and confrontational moments, writer Jancy Nicolas stressed that no matter how daring the story Star Cinema creates, it never fails to echo some core values to live by. He is certain that the importance of saving the marriage and keeping the family intact are well reflected in the movie.

“The trailer itself shows how one fights for love. It really talks about redeeming love, redeeming a marriage,” said Jancy.

With Xian’s convincing portrayal of David, is he ready to do more mature roles?

“For me, if it’s gonna make me grow as an actor or if it’s gonna open more opportunities and make me a better person then I’ll go for it. I am an actor and I want to be able to do Photo from Instagram/@xianlimm as many roles as possible.”

image to show his willingness to explore characters that reflect maturity, and for others, bare his sexy side.

“It’s a sexy adult love story and definitely there are scenes that people haven’t seen yet, especially with me as the male character,” said Xian when asked how daring “Sin Island” is. “I guess ‘yung bigat ng story that we have, ‘yung pagdadaanan ng mga characters ni David, Kanika and Tasha all the more make it a different type of story.”

Since it is his first time to do a role that requires him to go sexy, Xian admitted to asking direk Gino and the rest of the creative team too many questions about making his portrayal as convincing and as effective as can be.

“It’s very new for me coming from a whole different genre that is rom-com or love story so I felt nervous at first because there were scenes I’m not used to doing. But later on, knowing that everyone involved on the set is hands on, everything turned out easy, especially with the guidance of direk Gino.”

Direk Gino, on the other hand, said they had a series of workshops prior to the start of the movie shoot to feel at ease with one another. “It’s my first time to work with Xian so I really have to

february 16-22, 2018 www.asianjournal.com

3

Kris Aquino shares tips on how to be successful THREE out of five Filipinos would rather succeed on their careers than on love life, a recent Social Weather Stations survey reveals.

Whatever you choose, multimedia personality Kris Aquino shares the lessons she learned from life, love and career as she turned 47 years old on Valentine’s Day. “If you look at the Philippines’ billionaires’ list, I represent 60 percent of that Forbes’ list, one or another of their companies,” shared Kris, who is among the country’s top celebrity endorsers.

According to her, most of what she knows about life came from her mom, former Philippine President Corazon Aquino. Here are some of them.

1. ‘Wag umutang’ “Everything I own are hardearned because my career is based on the goodwill of people – one wrong move and you’re gone,” she said.

“My sisters keep on telling me I don’t need to work because I can live on my income but I feel like I still have to prove something.”

2. Everything is temporary.

May it be in love life or career, Kris said everything is influx, so she advised to always keep one’s feet

something, so I never stop praying,” Aquino enthused.

6. Choose your battles wisely.

7. Share your blessings and thank God all the time.

Birthday wish What could a person like her, who seems to have everything, ever wish for?

“Sobrang kapal na ng mukha ko kung may hihingin pa ko kay God,” she enthused.

Thus, her birthday wish is for her sons, who surprised her on her birthday.

“As a parent, your dream is for Kris Aquino your child to exceed you,” the new Photo from Instagram/@krisaquino Ever Bilena endorser said. on the ground.

“I want my children to grow 3. Your children should up respectful, prayerful, stable, always come first. healthy,” she added.

“It’s really hard to balance if According to her, she has been you’re a big success and you’re a praying to God for a good exit single parent,” Kris admitted. from showbiz but instead, God has 4. Be good to the people who blessed her more. work with you and for you.

“He opened a much bigger “Treat your people well so door...It’s a lot of responsibility but there will be loyalty,” advised it’s also so exciting,” she shared.

Kris. “Give respect because it’s a “Thank you God, binalik sakin ‘yung relationship built on trust.” excitement!”

5. Prayer power How about love life, is it also “My mom taught me the her birthday wish? power of prayer. There are times “Who wouldn’t want love, na gusto ko na talaga sumuko, right? But I said, forget it!” (Philstar. but I feel like I still have to prove com)

Finding love online: Digital love without...

From Page 2 message first.

The young Fil-Am saw “moderate success” but generally prefers meeting people in more traditional ways, adding that she feels that dating sites — especially those more geared towards millennials — aren’t great if looking for serious, committed relationships.

But Rosa doesn’t blame the sites themselves for what can go wrong within each interaction. But to her, dating apps can be a vehicle in which to spread vitriol and can make the dangers of dating, in general, more streamlined.

“On paper, the concept is great,” Rosa said. “But it definitely has a lot of drawbacks and I hate to say it, but it’s hurt my feelings a lot.

Some people use it as a game that

they do with their friends and they message girls with these mean or really inappropriate, asinine things. Some people don’t really think about the person on the other side of that message thread: that’s a person with feelings, you know? I can be dehumanizing, I think.”

After about a year and a half of trying to make a connection with someone from her phone, she retired her dating profiles in favor of meeting someone in person.

“On one hand, it can set you up with someone whom you probably would never have met [in real life] and it can be awesome.

But on the other hand, the whole thing could turn into a horrible nightmare from ‘Black Mirror,’” Rosa says with a laugh, referencing the Netflix original anthology series

that explores the negative effects of social media and technology.

Despite her concerns about online dating, however, she mirrored Chu’s sentiments regarding the impact of online dating has on the current zeitgeist.

Rather than dismiss online dating for its shortcomings — or unduly praise it for its breakthroughs — it’s best to accept that it’s simply just another form of social media: any pros and cons lie with the humans using them.

“But that’s the risk you take, in general, with dating, digitally or otherwise,” Rosa added. “And a lot of factors are at play: age, city, which app you’re using. At the end of the day, I can only speak about my experience with dating apps, but dating, in general, is a gamble.

And it can be worth it.”

february 16-22, 2018 www.asianjournal.com

4

Kaju Soft Tofu in Buena Park offers fresh, authentic Korean comfort food perfect for the winter WITHIN the last few years, Korean food has become a hit in the United States, and it’s not very surprising to see why. It’s just so good. There is no other way to put it!

Given the rise of Korean food in the U.S., the options have exponentially expanded, giving food lovers their choices of restaurants serving bulgogi (grilled beef), galbi (marinated short ribs) and bibimbap (mixed rice with meat and sauteed vegetables) to name a few Korean food staples.

So the question remains: where can I get the best, most authentic Korean food?

Well, if you’re in Northern Orange County, look no further than Kaju Soft Tofu in Buena Park, which serves up one of the tastiest and diverse menus of all Korean food establishments in the area.

Owned by the Park family, Kaju Soft Tofu reigns supreme when it comes to consistent flavors. The owners make it a point to serve up the freshest ingredients and have never deviated from their soft tofu soup recipe, which has been a staple in the business since first opening up their Garden Grove location two decades ago.

The tofu soup — which is a wonderful option to fight the chilly weather — is offered in seven spicy levels (white, mild, medium, spicy, very spicy, very very spicy and triple spicy), ensuring that your soup is tailored

Mushroom Tofu Soup and Spicy Pork Bulgogi

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to your preference.

Kaju also offers a wide range of tofu soups, including classics like galbi tofu soup, assorted tofu soup (clam, oyster, shrimp and beef) and seafood tofu soup (clam, oyster and shrimp).

Vegetarians may also indulge in Kaju’s flavorful tofu soups with the mushroom tofu soup (shiitake and enoki mushrooms), wild sesame seed tofu soup (mushrooms and ground perilla seed) and the vegetable tofu soup (carrots, corn, peas, green beans and enoki mushroom).

Each tofu dish is topped with green onions and served with fresh rice (or multigrain rice) and a perfect ratio of soup to tofu.

One of the standouts from Kaju, though, isn’t the delicious tofu soups. The beef short rib soup is a rich, full-bodied broth with glass noodles, vegetables and, of course, beef short ribs. Filipino customers familiar with sinigang will feel at home with Kaju’s beef short rib soup.

Per the Korean restaurant tradition, a variety of side dishes are served fresh, including cucumbers, bean sprouts, potatoes, anchovies and, of course, kimchi.

Kaju Soft Tofu doesn’t just specialize in terrific food, but also great customer service.

The staff — many of which are members of the Park family!

— are friendly, eager to help and ready to give suggestions.

One thing is certain of your visit

Sharon Cunete reunited with Gabby Concepcion n the set of the viral fastfood chain commercial.

AFTER SHARON-GABBY ‘REUNION’

Megastar dishes about past ‘loves’

by Christina

alpad ManilaTimes.net

AFTEr breaking the Internet with their Sharon-Gabby ‘reunion’ project—a commercial for fast Seafood Tofu Soup and Beef Bulgogi food chain McDonald’s which has garnered 7.8 million views on Facebook since its release—Sharon Cuneta caused a stir online anew by reminiscing her colorful love life.

It all started when Facebook user Krizette Laureta Chu, who admitted she “obsessively researched” the 52-year-old’s past loves after catching the Valentine’s commercial, uploaded her discoveries: That richard Gomez’ “greatest love” before marrying Lucy Torres was Cuneta, according Seafood Tofu Soup Kaju Bibimbap to Goma’s best bud Anjo Yllana; and that Cuneta almost married 7232 Orangethorpe Ave. Buena to Kaju Soft Tofu: you will be action star robin Padilla who even Park, CA 90621 and they’re open treated wonderfully. had the words “Sharon, I will die for 7 days a week from 10 a.m. to 10 Kaju Soft Tofu’s Buena Park you” tattooed on his chest! p.m. The Garden Grove location location is available via delivery Chu’s post on Friday evening is located at 8895 Garden Grove through GrubHub. Blvd., Garden Grove, CA 92844 and immediately went viral with Bring in this issue of the Asian non-stop posts and comments it is open 7 days a week from 11 Journal for a sweet discount on from her followers, until a certain a.m. to 11 p.m. your next meal at Kaju!

Kaju Soft Tofu is located at (Advertising Supplement) April Mondragon joined the conversation to answer a few of Chu’s burning questions about Cuneta’s colorful love life.

Surprises of surprises, the Facebook user turned out to be the Megastar herself as she posted, “Hi! This is Sharon using a different account.” [April Mondragon is apparently the actress’ personal account for close friends and family, named after her “Dear Heart” character].

She then fired away to list her former flames in chronological order: “Albert Martinez (phone pal and puppy love only), then my Galbi - BBQ Beef Short Ribs Mushroom Bibimbap first real love Gabby. Then rowell

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SERVICES

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back to Gabby. After the marriage ended, someone non-showbiz, ‘J.’ Then richard, robin, richard again, a non-showbiz ‘C,’ then richard again. Finally Kiko (Senator Francis Pangilinan.)

In a separate thread, Cuneta gave away that the non-showbiz C is member of the influential Cojuangco clan and that they were, in fact, engaged. Sometime in 2012, the Megastar admitted she and Charlie Cojuanco parted ways, and that “it wasn’t a good breakup.”

Of another fiancé for the actress who was single for many years before marrying now Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, she wrote: “robin had already asked my hand in marriage and my whole Gamboa clan (mom’s side) had already had a welcome to the family dinner for him. That was true, true love.”

february 16-22, 2018 www.asianjournal.com

5

Two women, a boy and the jellyfish Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond

Stories of kindness to warm the heart

contemptible youtube stunt and become an internet sensation. If she did, this makes it all the more egregious and revolting.

Monette This stunt she pulled at the AdevA MAglAyA expense of an innocent life to grab her few minutes of dubious fame cries out for justice and TODAY is Valentine’s Day but she will be held to account. The instead of a romantic love story, laws of karma are irrevocable, how about a double scoop of stories about the kindness of the sometimes swift, sometimes slow, but without bone marrow-deep human heart? repentance, comes without fail I like retelling Lou’s life story. in due season. I read somewhere, Lou Xiaoying is one remarkable Chinese woman who is a beacon “Karma is only a b__ch if you are.”

There is still hope for of light, a ray of hope and a surge humanity. The response had of warmth in a world that has been worldwide revulsion and grown dark and cold. condemnation at the celebratory I wrote about Lou a few tone of her scripted abortion. years back to shine a light on the life of a woman, who despite At the very least, women who humble circumstances, managed see abortion as a solution to a complex problem do so in a to save the lives of babies somber, quiet way, with heads salvaged from the trash heap, bowed down, away from the apparently discarded by women limelight. in compliance with China’s What has women’s liberation draconian one-child policy to movement come to these days? curb its population growth.

It may have been hijacked by Contrast Lou’s life with that the dark side. Shallow, soulless of a 25 year-old New Jersey creatures who call themselves woman in 2012 who claims she women walk the earth. is not ready for her pregnancy, Fortunately, for every one of filmed her own abortion, with full make-up, lights and gazing at this kind of vile woman, there are thousands who shun the the camera and exclaiming with limelight and work quietly in joy at the end of the procedure the trenches fighting the evil of purportedly to “inspire” and abortion, women I know like Gerri show women that abortion is a and Anna Maria and members positive experience. She even writes about it in one publication. of the Shield of Roses who have Notice I refuse to give a shout out been quietly pounding the pavement, persuading women to her name or the publication’s to consider adoption instead name. Some bask in infamy and and knocking unceasingly on one can show displeasure by heaven’s doors with prayer and refusing to give a shout out. fasting to help in the struggle The woman who is a wannaagainst the seemingly prevailing be actress of low-budget slasher culture of death and darkness. horror movies which slaughter But let’s get back to Lou. Her children works as an abortion story is like a laser light and her counselor. She says, “I feel in story is worth repeating. She awe of the fact that I can make a baby. I can make a life…” Sadly, it lived in the rural countryside in Eastern Zhejiang province. was a life that she chose to end Picture her home as it was then. coldly. The delusional woman, It is a humble hovel, its small as if reading from a script even says at the end of the murderous yard littered with debris and procedure, “Yay, Cool! I feel good.” recyclables. A little boy of 7 plays in the yard. Lou lived in that She decides to keep a sonogram home with her husband Lin until of the baby as a memento. he prededed her in death more Did she even bother to ask than 20 years ago. the father of the child? Even When I first wrote about Lou more disturbing is the distinct in 2012, she was 88 years old possibility that she may have and lay languishing of kidney become pregnant to create failure in a hospital. Despite a prop so she can pull this

Health@Heart PhiliP S. ChuA, Md, FACS, FPCS LOVE is still thick in after Valentine’s Day, and as powerful and triumphant as ever, inspiring people around the globe, as different societies celebrated it according to their own tradition during that special day.

Indeed, there is no greater force on earth than love, one making death sweeter than life without it, giving up a king’s crown in a heartbeat, embracing love in poverty than riches with no love, and the sentiment that makes sacrificing life to save loved ones as heaven on earth, choosing to face the risk of death, to defend one’s own country, the truth, freedom, and democracy, or principle. History is replete with many other glorious moments where love had endured and flourished over monumental adversity.

Knowing how I feel towards my friends, neighbors, and even towards strangers on the street, and having witnessed countless varieties of love, compassion, and caring among people of all types around the world, I often wondered why we could not achieve world peace. I might be very naïve to even entertain this question, but it really puzzles me.

In spite of the fact that I know the situation is extremely complex, I can’t understand why we, with our differences, can’t all love, or at least respect, each other enough to be tolerant and break bread, around a global table, instead of trying to destroy or kill each other.

Perhaps, I am a simpleton, I guess.

But what gave birth to this wonderful February day of love?

Legends of different versions have been around for centuries tracing the origin of Valentine’s Day. Invariably, they all go back to ancient Roman history. The most widely popular one relates the story of a priest named Valentine during the early days of

pain and impending death, Lou looks beautiful in repose. Her eyes sparkle with joy. A calm peacefulness is etched in her face. If she is still alive today, she would be about 94 years old. It has been 6 years and an internet search show no updates about Lou. At her age and condition, no news is good news.

Lou and her husband made a living scavenging the village trash for recyclables. It was a tough, backbreaking way of life trudging through the streets and sifting through other people’s often filthy and smelly discards.

Over the years, they picked up 30 abandoned babies from the trash heap. Of the 30 foundlings they saved, the couple kept 4 babies to raise themselves and the rest, they gave away to friends and relatives. They have one biological child, a woman, who is now past 50 years old.

When Lou was 82 and already a widow, she saved one more baby from the trash.

She said, “Even though I was already getting old I could not simply ignore the baby and leave him to die in the trash. He looked so sweet and so needy. I had to take him home with me…My older children all help look after Zhang Qilin … I named him after the Chinese word for rare and precious.”

Lou’s story is riveting for its simple, unquestioning reverence for life despite living in stark poverty. She didn’t start out wanting to rescue foundlings but in 1982, her heart was touched when she found the first child, a baby girl, who was lying helpless and abandoned amongst the trash.

“Watching her grow and become stronger gave us such happiness and I realized I had a real love of caring for children …

These children need love and care. They are all precious human lives. I do not understand how people can leave such a vulnerable baby on the streets.

I realized if we had strength enough to collect garbage how could we not recycle something as important as human lives?”

Since 1978, the Chinese communist government has Continued on Page 6

The tragedy of Valentine Christianity.

It was said that during the reign of Roman Emperor Claudius II (A.D. 214-270), he decreed that young men should not marry to minimize their reluctance to fight in his wars.

In spite of this, however, Father Valentine continued to perform marriages secretly. For this, he was arrested and jailed. While in prison, Valentine fell in love with the blind daughter of the jailer. His great faith and prayers miraculously “restored her sight.”

Unfortunately, their love did not last. The emperor had the priest put to death by beating, stoning and eventual decapitation. Before he died, Valentine wrote a farewell letter to his love, signing it “From Your Valentine.” This salutation of endearment has endured over the centuries and used by generation after generation, now still a custom in the new millennium.

For centuries before and after the execution of Valentine, the Romans celebrated the controversial fertility festival on the 15th of February, called Lupercalia, in honor of Juno, goddess of women and marriage.

This pagan practice (young men’ rights of passage, using teenage girls) was banished by Pope Gelasius in A. D. 496. To celebrate the death anniversary of Father Valentine’s death, the Church replaced the pagan ritual with a Holy Day (February 14) honoring St. Valentine. And yearly since, people around the world honor their loved ones by celebrating in their own individual and special way.

A few years ago, on Valentine’s Day, I received a text from my wife, Farida, which said, “Just to siomai love for you, I am sending you a box of heart-shaped tikoy with langka. Hopia like it.”

To all of our readers, an advance Happy Valentine’s Day! “SAD” on Valentine’s Day? Did you know that Valentine’s Day, the lover’s holiday, is within the prime SAD season of the year? SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder

inflicts pain on some people and is said to be prevalent in countries where the daylight hours get shorter. Obviously more in the west like the United States, where winter lingers for at least 3 months, SAD is also known as the winter blues. Somehow it also affects some people in Asia, including the Philippines.

Victims are usually a bit depressed. They eat much more and gain weight during the period, besides being more fatigued and sleeping longer than usual. These individuals develop a craving for sweets and starches – carbs – which seems to provide a temporary boost in their energy level. As a result, they tilt the scale up fast.

SAD, as the name implies, is seasonal, and, therefore, transient.

With a good attitude and positive personal reinforcement, one can minimize, if not, ward off, the symptoms by controlling the mood with social activities, exercises, and other personal endeavors that interest the person.

Broken-Heart Syndrome A lover’s broken heart could well be what it says and means. This condition is real and not uncommon. I have known persons, whose lovers abandoned them, and the extreme emotional pain and stress, led to actual insanity. The violent chemical secretions of the various hormones in the body in response to the trauma could cause the brain to “short circuit,” if you will, and go deranged. If you think about it, this could well be termed the broken brain syndrome. And obviously, there is no heart surgery that could fix this condition. This needs special psychiatric evaluation and care.

And so with those people who experience a sudden shock by hearing news of a death in the family, or by being jolted by a surprise, or any event that suddenly jacks up the catecholamine (hormones like adrenalin that are produced Continued on Page 6

Calendar of Events across

America

ADVERTISE YOUR EVENTS! PRE-EVENT AND POST EVENT GO DEEPER. GO WIDER. LET THE WORLD KNOW. CALL ASIAN JOURNAL: (818) 502-0651 DISPLAY AD SIZES AT SPECIAL RATES FOR NON-PROFIT GROUPS F E B R UA RY 2 0

“Usapang Pagkain”: A monthly series exploring wellness with Filipino cuisine in Chicago, IL Community-based organization AFIRE (Alliance of Filipinos For Immigrants Rights & Empowerment) and food media and events group Filipino Kitchen will explore wellness and health with Filipino Cuisine in a monthly series, Usapang Pagkain. The event series is free and open to the community. Each event will highlight a Filipino dish or dishes, including recipes. During the weekday evening events, a light dinner of the highlighted dishes will be provided. Made possible with a grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, the purpose of the series is to explore how Filipino food can best serve our community. On Tuesday, February 20 from 6 to 8 p.m., the focus is “Healthy & Happy Hearts.” The event will take place at the Hana Center (4300 N. California Ave., Chicago, IL). Schedule and venues are subject to change, please check http://afirechicago.org and http://filipino.kitchen for the most up-todate information.

F E B R UA RY 22

Immigration forum in Anaheim, CA There will be an immigration forum on Thursday, February 22 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Brookhurst Community Center (2271 Crescent Ave., Anaheim, CA 92801). RSVP is a MUST to attend. No registration fee required. Please contact (714) 657-7460 or admin@globallawcenters.com. The immigration forum is about employment-based immigration information regarding FAST TRACK Work Visas ( H-1B1, TN, E-3), green card by marriage, family-based immigration employment sponsorship for green card and work visas after graduation. Candidates with H-1B, TN, F-1, OPT & other visas issues are encouraged to attend for a FREE immigration consultation & immigration assistance. As you have already seen there are many changes happening in the field of immigration with regards to the new executive administration and their agenda. Global Law Centers strives to inform the immigrant community of its rights and make sure it is knowledgeable about what immigration processes might be available. The forum will also update everyone about new and recent changes which may affect immigrants and their families.

Fil-Am artist Lynda A. N. Reyes presents at the Women’s Caucus for Art exhibit in Santa Monica, CA Los Angeles-based artist Lynda A. N. Reyes will be showing her transparent watercolor painting “My Companion” at the Women’s Caucus for Art 2018 national conference exhibition at Arena One Gallery in Santa Monica, California from Feb. 21 to March 10. The opening reception will be held on Thursday, February 22 during the start of the 2018 national conference in Los Angeles with a closing reception on March 10 in observance of International Women’s Day. The Arena One Gallery, Santa Monica Art Studio is located at 3026 Airport Ave., Santa Monica, CA 90405. For more information, please call (310) 397-7449 or visit www.arena1gallery.com/exhibitions. To see more of Reyes’ work, please visit www.lyndaanreyes.com or contact her at lyndaanreyes@gmail.com.

F E B R UA RY 24

Filipino well-being training summit in Los Angeles Kataas-taasang pagsasanay para sa kalusugan ng mga Pilipino” — Understanding Obstacles; Charting New Paths.

This training summit aims to honor and recognize indigenous understanding of wellness and healing; reduce stigma associated with emotional and mental illness; and promote community dialogue and connectivity. It is organized by the Filipino Well Being Training Summit Committee led by the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health. It’ll be held on Saturday, February 24 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, 555 West Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012 at 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more info and to register, please visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/filipino-well-being-training-summit-registration-41880032304.

NOTE: This event is free of charge to all attendees. Breakfast and lunch will be served on a limited capacity and may not be available to all attendees. Space is limited - please cancel on Eventbrite if you are unable to attend so others on the waiting list can be notified and accommodated.

City of Carson Gala Ball The City of Carson, California is marking its 50th anniversary of incorporation on Saturday, February 24 with a gala ball. It will be held at Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald Community Center at Carson (801 E. Carson Street, Carson, CA 90745) at 6 p.m.

Tickets are $50 / person and $400 / table (seats 8). For more information, please call the Community Center at (310) 835-0212 or visit ci.carson.ca.us.

Free workout with Assemblymember Philip Chen in Walnut, CA The City of Carson, California is marking its 50th anniversary of incorporation on Saturday, February 24 with a gala ball. It will be held at Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald Community Center at Carson (801 E. Carson Street, Carson, CA 90745) at 6 p.m.

Tickets are $50 / person and $400 / table (seats 8). For more information, please call the Community Center at (310) 835-0212 or visit ci.carson.ca.us.

MARCH 14

Philippine American Bar Association’s 32nd installation & awards gala in Los Angeles on March 14 The Philippine American Bar Association (PABA) invites you to its 32nd Installation and Awards Gala on Wednesday, March 14. This year’s Gala will feature keynote speaker California Supreme Court Justice Goodwin Liu, a menu of Filipino flavors, and special performances. During the gala, PABA also will formally unveil its new logo and website, both of which were developed by a Fil-Am-owned start-up and involve colors and designs deeply rooted in the cultural history of the Philippines. To purchase tickets or a sponsorship, please visit: https://www.z2systems.com/np/clients/paba/giftstore.jsp.

MARCH 19

Glenn Miller Orchestra to perform in Stevenson Ranch, CA The world-famous Glenn Miller Orchestra will swing into the Santa Clarita Valley for a special one-night only event to be held at West Ranch High School (26255 Valencia Blvd.

Stevenson Ranch, CA 91381) on Monday, March 19 at 7 p.m. The most sought-after big band in the world will take the stage with bandleader Nick Hilscher at the helm, performing beloved hits from their extensive library, which includes “In the Mood,” “Moonlight Serenade,” and “Pennsylvania 6-5000.” Hosted by West Ranch High School’s music program, the concert will be an event for all ages and offers the chance to experience history, enjoy the magical melodies and walk away knowing you’re supporting a new generation of talented musicians in the processes. Tickets are $25 for seniors/students, $30 for general, and $35 for VIP. Prices increase by $5 at the door the day of the event. Tickets are available online at westranchmusic.com, by phone at (661) 222-1220 ext. 645, or at one of the locations: Nick Rail Music - 25868 McBean Pkwy., Valencia, CA, (661) 288-2345; Nationwide Insurance, 23236 Lyons Ave. #205, Newhall, CA, (661) 254-1714; Innovations Salon - 25830 The Old Road, Stevenson Ranch, CA. (661) 255-5580; or Bella Cucina - 27911 Seco Canyon Rd. in Saugus, (661) 263-1414.

ApRIl

East West Players’ 52nd Visionary Awards & Silent Auction in Los Angeles East West Players celebrates its 52nd Anniversary at the Annual Visionary Awards Dinner & Silent Auction. The Visionary Awards laud the achievements of individuals who have raised the visibility of the Asian Pacific American (APA) community through their craft. Proceeds from the gala will benefit East West Players’ educational and artistic programs. It will be held at the Hilton Universal City (555 Universal Hollywood Drive, Universal City, CA 91608) on Monday, April 30. At 5:30 p.m., VIP Reception*, silent auction, and registration begin. Dinner and awards show begin at 7:00 p.m. For more information, please visit: http://www.eastwestplayers.org/news/east-west-players-52nd-anniversary-visionary-awards-dinner-and-silent-auction/.

If you have an upcoming event and would like us to post it, please email us the details at info@asianjournalinc.com or calendar@asianjournalinc.com

february 16-22, 2018 www.asianjournal.com

6

Angel not really into Valentine’s Day

by Nathalie

tomada

Philstar.com

Love is in the air, but Angel Locsin said that she’s not really into valentine’s Day. “I’m not the type who celebrates valentine’s,” the actress told reporters on the sidelines of the FDCP Film Ambassadors Night last Feb. 9 at the Sampaguita Gardens in Quezon City.

“Mas siya yung nag-secelebrate (He’s more into it). He said he’s preparing something.

Maybe dinner lang,” Angel said, referring to businessman/film producer Neil Arce.

The actress confirmed that it was only this love month that they officially became a couple, contrary to rumors fueled in part by trips together like the Anne Curtis wedding in New Zealand last year and Neil’s sweet declarations on his Instagram.

“It’s very new. As in recent lang talaga, just this month,” she stressed.

Angel’s last known relationship was with Luis Manzano while Neil has been romantically linked to other showbiz beauties, the latest of whom was Bela Padilla.

Nevertheless, one good thing going in her new relationship, Angel said, is that it started out as friendship that developed into something more. “We’ve

From Page 5

by mark BoNifacio ManilaTimes.net

FILIPINo singers are unquestionably world class and this was proven all over again by KZ Tandingan and elha Nypmha these last few days. We truly have reason—make that two reasons—to be proud Pinoys!

Just last Friday, February 9, Soul Supreme KZ Tandingan topped the episode of China’s No. 1 musical reality competition “Singer 2018” where she debuted as challenger and displaced British singer Jessie J to the second spot. She impressed the Chinese audience with her version of Adele’s “Rolling In The Deep,” and floored them when From friends to lovers: Angel confirmed that it was only this love month that she and Neil she inserted a Filipino rap within Arce officially became a couple.

Photo from Instagram/@neil_arce the song. KZ competed and won Meanwhile, Angel was one of over seven other popular singers. been friends for seven years,” she “The Singer” competition the Tv and film actors recognized shared. “(We’re like) barkada.” by the Film Development Council pits established singers (mostly Asked if he has the stamp Chinese superstars, with Jessie of the Philippines (FDCP) for her of approval from her family, J and KZ as the two foreign “outstanding performance” in Angel said that her father knows contestants as of now) against the 2016 comedy-drama film Neil and the latter knows how everything About Her with vilma each other and ranked at the important her family is to her.

Santos. Her fellow FDCP honorees end of each episode based The 32-year-old “Pilipinas included Iza Calzado (Bliss), Ricky on 500 audience votes. every Got Talent” judge was also week the one with the lowest Davao (Dayang Asu) and Dina asked if she finds Neil lifetime votes gets eliminated, with a Bonnevie (Across The Crescent partner material. She replied new challenger introduced the Moon). that they weren’t going to enter following show. The contest Angel also recently renewed a relationship if they didn’t see is currently airing on China’s her contract with ABS-CBN, that they would be good for each Hunan Tv. marking her 10th year as a other.

KZ, who is also “X-Factor Kapamilya artist.

“But right now, we are taking Philippines” first winner, was the She is set to star in a movie our time” and simply enjoying under Star Cinema and a teleserye first ever “Singer” challenger to their time together, Angel said. with Dreamscape. Her last series “I’m just happy to have him by was “La Luna Sangre.” my side.”

The tragedy of valentine

following stress) level in the body to 30 times higher than normal.

Folklore has always asserted that traumatic events could cause a heart “attack,” suggesting a close link between emotion and the heart. It is now appears there is a scientific basis for it.

According to Johns Hopkins cardiologist Ilan Wittstein, any sudden shock, extreme sadness, or fright, “can trigger Broken-Heart Syndrome or Stress Cardiomyopathy, which mimics a heart attack, except that the victim suffers no lasting or irreversible damage.” In the Broken-Heart Syndrome, first

KZ wows China; elha takes on France

described by Japanese physicians in the 1990s and only a few weeks ago by U.S. cardiologists in a published article in The New england Journal of Medicine, the heart is temporarily stunned.

The rise in the stress hormone levels as a result of the sudden shock causes some spasm in the coronary arteries that momentarily reduces the blood flow to the heart muscles. This leads to the classic symptoms and signs of a heart attack. But the heart function in this syndrome returns back to normal in 10 days or so. In a major heart attack, recovery takes weeks, if not months, and the heart power may

not return to normal at all.

More studies are needed to answer a multitude of questions and unravel the mystery behind the Broken-Heart Syndrome. *** Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus in Northwest Indiana and chairman of cardiac surgery from 1997 to 2010 at Cebu Doctors University Hospital, where he holds the title of Physician Emeritus in Surgery, is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the Philippine College of Surgeons, and the Denton A. Cooley Cardiovascular Surgical Society. He is the chairman of the Filipino United Network – USA, a 501(c)(3) humanitarian foundation in the United States. Email: scalpelpen@ gmail.com

ğ įōíľ ÀðıÃæµįPçį ʼn æIJįıÀ ØÃĉÃæîÂ ß ğÃqPç qíß߼æÃıŎįĤÀíĽØ ÕæíŊįPdíĽIJĕ If you have an upcoming event and would like us to post it, email us the details (title, description, time & date, location, etc.) at info@asianjournalinc.com.

And for consideration in our print calendar, please send submissions at least three weeks before the date of the event.

To be included in our online calendar/ e-newsletter, please allow at least two to three weeks' notice.

The Asian Journal would be delighted to list your event in our Calendar of Events.

YouTube grabs of KZ Tandingan and Elha Nympha during their respective performances abroad.

snag the No. 1 spot on a debut performance. Already shortlisted

by Hunan Broadcasting System (HBS) before holding auditions in Manila, KZ was chosen as one of the foreign competitors besides Jessie J after a grueling artist search in Asia. She is also the first Filipino singer to compete in the said contest. our KZ competes again tomorrow so let’s hope and pray she keeps her No. 1 ranking and make it to the finale of Singer 2018 this April. Good luck KZ! *** Now if KZ Tandingan is conquering China, elha Nympha is taking on France! Music Geek reported on December 28, 2017 that the “Big Shot” belter and “The voice Kids 2” champ flew to Paris, France in october. She was invited to perform and tape her appearance in “Little Big Stars France” [not “Little Big Shots France” as previously reported], and her episode was finally

shown on January 25 via French Tv C8 where she performed her version of Sia’s “Chandelier,” the same song she belted out at “Little Big Shots U.S.” Like she did for the US and Philippine audiences, elha brought the house down and got a standing ovation from in France, impressing more viewers around the world. on the show’s official YouTube video, uploaded on February 2, elha was described as a “fantastic young singer from the Philippines.” The video continues to trend on YouTube and has more than 300,000 views.

Hosted by French comedian Cyril Hanouna, “Little Big Stars: Le Grand Show Des Petits,” sees a multitude of Little Big Stars, who show their talents and go for their ambitions. It is adapted from the American program Little Big Shots, launched in 2016 by ellen DeGeneres and Steve Harvey. Way to go elha!

Intrigue brewing between Uge and Ai-Ai by roNNie

carrasco ManilaTimes.net

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WHo says eugene Domingo is insecure of fellow comedienne Ai-Ai delas Alas?

There’s talk that Uge (eugene’s pet name) seems to be and has every reason to feel that way. opines a colleague who’s a pro-Ai-Ai (as though there exists a rivalry between the two actresses), “Halata namang insecure si Uge, look at where Ai-Ai is now compared to her. Not is Uge halfaccomplished in her career, even in her personal life she’s no match to Ai-Ai [now married to Gerald Sibayan].” vignettes strongly believes such an assertion is unfair to both Ai-Ai and Uge who, in real life, have forged genuine friendship which is a rarity in showbiz.

Uge’s presence at Ai Ai’s December 12 wedding last year where she stood as one of the bridesmaids only reaffirmed their sisterly closeness which began many years ago.

Time and again, Uge acknowledges Ai Ai’s noteworthy feats as an actress whose humble beginnings have inspired other comedians—male and female—to tread the same career path.

Besides the fact their the personal lives should be no one’s business, let it be known that Uge has a romantic relationship going

Eugene Domingo and Ai Ai delas Alas

for her. Committed to her Italian boyfriend, she may have yet to announce their wedding plans but who knows, Uge might just come out with a pleasant surprise very soon.

When it comes to projects, having two regular weekend shows on GMA – “Celebrity Bluff” every Saturday and “Dear Uge” every Sunday – isn’t that bad at all.

In fact, that’s the same number of

GMA photo

Tv shows that Ai Ai has too.

Truth betold, Ai Ai and Uge have more in common. Both trace their roots to theater back in college (Ai Ai finished MassCom at FeU, and Uge a Theatre Arts degree at UP).

Now as to who’s the better comedienne should not even be a subject of a raging debate. Both are A listers. end of argument.

Ways to make Valentine’s Day special...

From Page 2 each other.

Send him or her something handmade A gift doesn’t need to be expensive to be good. A heartfelt letter or a photo album, or any gift that you’ve made yourself shows you put time and thought into your gift and will serve as a reminder of how much you care even when you’re not around.

Record and share a video Take a video of yourself or have someone take your video and be creative with what you want say. You can talk your heart out enumerating the things you miss about him/ her, recite a poem you made yourself, dedicate a song or two, or do a silly dance number.

Watch a romantic movie at the same time Since you are unable to go for

a movie date physically together, you can opt to watch a romantic movie on the same day and try to watch it around the same time, even though you are in different locations. This will somehow give the both of you a feeling of being connected. You can discuss your comments on the movie later over a phone call, through e-mail, or chat messaging.

Mail him/her a package of their favorite things.

Think of the favorite things your significant other and put them in a fancy handmade packaging. Put a short label outside describing the gift.

For example, you can write “something that can brighten up your smile” for a lipstick or “something as sweet as you are” for a chocolate.

Send gift certificates/concert

tickets Sure you love your significant other the way they are, but how about giving them gift certificate to a hair stylist, massage therapist, or spa? This will make them feel more beautiful and confident inside and out.

Is your sweetheart’s favorite band playing to his/her town or somewhere nearby? Then buy him/her a ticket!

Spend Valentine’s Day celebration on another day Feb. 14. is not the only day that you can celebrate valentine’s Day. If you’ll see each other the next month or so, you can surprise him/her with a question, “Would you be my valentine date today?”

If he/she affirms, which is more likely so, then do the things that you should have done together on that special day.

Two women, a boy and the jellyfish From Page 5 enforced, with few exceptions, its one-child policy. Families are prevented from having more than one child under pain of penalty. Those who abide by the rule are given bonuses and incentives. Boys are preferred in Chinese culture so that couples who want a son feel compelled to throw away infant girls.

It is claimed that the policy prevented the birth of 400 million babies.

Lou’s life story bears resemblance to the story of the little boy and the jellyfish.

There was once a little

boy walking on the beach.

He noticed that as the tide receded, there were thousands of jellyfish being washed up and lay stranded helpless on the shore. He picked them up one by one and began tossing each jellyfish back into the water, into the sea where they can survive and live.

A man also walking along the shore watched the boy in utter disbelief. To him, the boy was trying to do the impossible.

Shaking his head, the man approached the boy and asked, “Hey, kid, what do you think you’re doing? You can never

make a difference. There are thousands of jellyfish. You’ll only save a few of them.”

The boy looked at him nonplussed, shrugged his shoulders and went back to throwing one more jellyfish back to the water, and told him, “Made a difference to that one …” each precious human life saved certainly made a difference to that one life. *** Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette. maglaya@asianjournalinc.com

february 16-22, 2018 www.asianjournal.com

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february 16-22, 2018 www.asianjournal.com

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