021822 - New York & New Jersey Edition

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FEBRUARY 18-24, 2022 Volume 15 - No.15 • 16 Pages

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DATELINE

USA

FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

Also published in LOS ANGELES, ORANGE COUNTY/INLAND EMPIRE, LAS VEGAS, NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO

Government eyes transition to ‘new normal’ in March

by JEroME aning, LEiLa B. SaLavErria, Tina g. SanToS Inquirer.net

Jaxon Sales, 20, was found dead at the age of 20 in a San Francisco apartment on March 2, 2020.

Photo from Inquirer.net

MANILA — As the spread of COVID-19 continues to slow down and more people get vaccinated, the government hopes to “close

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More than 9,000 overseas visitors entered PH after eased restrictions - DOT

Fil-Am family in Oakland wants police to re-open probe of gay son’s death A FILIPINO family in Oakland, California is demanding that San Francisco police re-open the investigation into the true cause of their adopted gay son’s death two years ago.

Jaxon Sales was found dead at the age of 20 in a San Francisco apartment on March 2, 2020. He reportedly had met a man on a dating app, and that there were drugs in his system. Jim Sales and Angie Aquino-Sales adopted Jaxon and his older brother from Korea when they were babies.

Now, their Change.Org petition to re-open the investigation has amassed more than 40,000 signatures. State Senator Scott Wiener

government was aiming to begin implementing the “new normal” next month, the move out of the pandemic would depend on improving the government’s immunization drive to reach more members of the vulnerable population,

the book” on the pandemic starting in March, or two years since the first local transmission of the coronavirus was reported in San Juan, according to the presidential adviser on COVID-19, Vince Dizon.

He cautioned, however, that while the

by John

Eric MEndoza Inquirer.net

PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE. Presidential candidates Leody de Guzman, Norberto Gonzales, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and Ernesto Abella speak at the SMNI Presidential Debates 2022 held on Tuesday, February 15. SMNI is owned by Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, the spiritual adviser of President Rodrigo Duterte who has openly endorsed Marcos and his running mate, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.

Photo screengrabbed from Facebook/SMNINews

MANILA — More than 9,000 visitors from foreign countries have entered the country on the first few days of eased restrictions, the Department of Tourism (DOT) reported on Tuesday, February 15.

Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat said that 9,283 tourists have visited the country as of Monday, February 14, pointing out that 4,209 of them are “balikbayans” or returning Filipinos while 5,074 are foreign tourists.

The tourism chief added that visitors from the United States of America make up the majority of visitors with 2,227 arrivals, followed by 661

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Filipinos pick health Pulse Asia: Marcos’ lead grows, Jollibee’s rapid global expansion continues, over love, money VP Robredo’s lead shrinks opens at American Dream Mall in New Jersey MOST Filipinos will pick good health over love and money, a survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) revealed.

The poll held in December 2021 showed that 57 percent of the respondents chose health, 31 percent chose love and 11 percent chose money.

Preference for health fell by 13 percent from December 2019, while preference for love and money rose by 8 and 4 percent, respectively.

SWS said 60 percent of female respondents prefer health over love and

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by Franco Luna Philstar.com

MANILA — Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son of the late ousted dictator, not only maintained but expanded his sizable lead over his rivals in January, while clear secondplace Vice President Leni Robredo saw her support among likely voters shrink, pre-election survey results from Pulse Asia Research

suggest.

According to the survey results by Pulse Asia released to media Sunday afternoon, February 13, the former senator still has a solid hold on the lead in all geographic areas and socio-economic groupings and would be elected as the next Philippine president if the elections took place during the survey period.

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Two stores set to open in Scotland this month

by MoMar

g. viSaya

AJPress

JOLLIBEE has officially opened its fourth outlet in New Jersey at the American Dream Mall in East Rutherford.

The fast-food giant’s 77th store in North America is Filipino fast-food giant Jollibee is now at the American located in the second largest Dream Mall in East Rutherford, NJ. It is the fourth outpost

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of the restaurant in the Garden State.

AJPress photo by Momar G. Visaya

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Fil-Am family in Oakland wants... Government eyes transition to ‘new...

PAGE 1 also wrote letter asking SFPD and the medical examiner “just to make sure this family knows exactly what happened.”

SFPD released a statement to ABC7 News reporter Dion Lim saying there were no signs of foul play. The Sales family, however, claims that SFPD and the medical examiner did not do enough to find the true cause of Jaxon’s death.

“We spent the first year trying to get reports,” Angie Sales told ABC7 News.

They also believe their son’s case was dismissed as an “accidental overdose” because of

Jim Sales and Angie Aquino-Sales adopted Jaxon (left) and his older brother from Korea when they were babies.

Screenshot

his sexual orientation. “Jaxon is Asian, he is gay. When I heard the medical examiner say (the drug) GHB…and the gay community uses GHB… it was very dismissive.”

Regardless of the outcome, the Sales family hopes their effort will inspire other families of children in the LGBTQ community to have a voice.

(Inquirer.net) n

More than 9,000 overseas visitors...

PAGE 1 from Canada, 404 from Australia, 344 from the United Kingdom, 189 from South Korea, 169 from Japan, and 168 from Germany.

Romulo Puyat, in a statement, said: “We at the DOT are excited to see a revival in our local tourism and will continue to support our partners in achieving this goal.”

“International travel and tourism saw an unprecedented decline in visitor arrivals amid the pandemic; the reopening of Philippines’ borders to visitors from visa-free

countries will surely help in improving our numbers,” she added.

Fully vaccinated tourists are required to present proof of vaccination as approved by the country’s pandemic task force or the World Health Organization, as well as a negative RTPCR swab test result taken within 48 hours before their departure in their country of origin.

Starting February 10, the Philippines has allowed the entry of fully vaccinated tourists from 157 countries that have visa-free arrangements with the country. n

PAGE 1 increasing the vaccination rate in some regions and convincing more individuals to get their booster shots.

Acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles, quoting the World Health Organization, said an increased vaccination rate would allow the Philippines to begin moving out of the pandemic this year.

“The acute phase of the pandemic, according to the WHO, could end this year, of course with one qualifier: that the 70-percent vaccination target is achieved by the middle of this year,” Nograles said in a press briefing on Tuesday, February 15.

“Hopefully, starting March, if all goes well, we will begin with what we call the new normal to prepare the country to finally close the book on COVID-19, barring any other new variants that may come our way,” Dizon said in a meeting with the President in Malacañang on Monday, February 14.

Roadmap The National Task Force Against COVID-19 and the Department of Health (DOH) are in the process of crafting the new normal roadmap, which is expected to be presented to President Rodrigo Duterte in early March, Dizon added.

“And this will really signal the return, hopefully, to a robust and very healthy growth in our economy that will bring back jobs, investments, and the return to normalcy of our industries such as tourism, which was heavily affected by COVID-19,” he said.

Dizon said the government would prioritize the inoculation of nearly three million unvaccinated senior citizens, who were among the most vulnerable to COVID-19, and children, especially those age 5 to 11, to allow them to return to school.

Another priority is increasing the number of people getting booster shots.

He said the government would also increase the vaccination rate in the regions to at least 70 percent and focus would be on Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan) Bicol, Soccsksargen (South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, General Santos City) Caraga and Bangsamoro regions.

The government is targetting to vaccinate 90 million individuals by

Workers enter the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, which continues to generate jobs for residents in adjacent localities. Photo courtesy of Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority

June and as of Feb. 14, the Philippines has 61.63 million fully vaccinated individuals, while another 9.16 million have received their booster doses, Dizon said.

Galvez said the figures were expected to double in the coming weeks as the government opens more vaccination sites across the country and as more vaccines come in.

Easing in Metro Manila Nograles also said the administration was preparing for Alert Level 1 for Metro Manila and other regions, and a big part of this would involve compliance of establishments with minimum public health standards.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the environment has to be ready for the easing of restrictions to make it safe for people to go out.

“It’s not just the people, but also establishments, both public and private, should provide safe spaces for our people,” Vergeire said in the Palace briefing.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said placing Metro Manila under the lowest alert level would depend on the establishments’ compliance with the safety seal certification program, which affirms their adherence to the minimum public health standards set by the government.

“We will assess… if the safety certification is up to par by Thursday. Hopefully, by the first week of March we can already de-escalate to Alert Level 1,” Duque said in an interview with CNN Philippines.

Duque said the government was also observing how sorties and other gatherings related to the coming May elections affect the COVID-19 figures, admitting that the lack of physical distancing and crowding observed

in campaign sorties were among the reasons why the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases decided to retain Metro Manila under Alert Level 2. “[W]e’ll see in the next two weeks if cases will rise from the time the candidates held their proclamation rallies,” he added.

New cases The DOH on Tuesday reported 2,010 new COVID-19 cases, the lowest daily tally so far this year.

Tuesday’s positivity rate was 10.4 percent, lower than the previous day’s 10.7 percent. This was based on 20,084 people tested on Sunday.

The national caseload was now 3,641,940.

The DOH said there were 72,305 active cases or people who remain infected with the virus, of which 66,093 were mild.

The 6,293 recoveries brought the total number of survivors to 3,514,489 while the 52 fatalities raised the death toll to 55,146, the DOH said.

Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion said he was hoping that Metro Manila and other areas of the country would be placed under alert level 1 by March to ensure that economic growth and recovery would continue.

“Hopefully by March, we open up because our first quarter depends on this,” he said at the Laging Handa briefing.

He noted that the summer period would begin in March, and this is when people usually go on vacations.

President Duterte also renewed his call to unvaccinated Filipinos to get the COVID-19 shot, saying massive vaccination was the only way to return to normalcy. n

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From the Front Page

Jollibee’s rapid global expansion continues...

PAGE 1 mall in the United States today, right next to the MetLife Stadium off the New Jersey Turnpike.

“People waited long for American Dream to open and now we’re here. The mall has plenty to offer aside from the retail stores, it also has theme parks and a lot of dining options, including Jollibee,” said Merle Caleon, Jollibee’s area director.

The 38,000 square-foot food hall in the billion-dollar mall offers visitors a wide array of restaurants and global food from diverse food vendors. The 3.5-millionsquare-foot mega mall opened its entertainment complex in October 2019.

Jollibee’s opening comes on the heel of recent news that the Filipino fast-food giant is planning to open a store near Grand Central on 42nd Street.

According to Commercial Observer, the new outpost will be at 14 East 42nd Street, between Fifth Avenue and Madison, and a stone’s throw from the New York City Public Library and Bryant Park. It is half the size of the flagship at 1500 Broadway, which boasts of a 7,127 square-foot area.

Reports say that Grand Central will open late next year. The Times Square flagship on the other hand is expected to open this year, along with another one in Jamaica, Queens.

“As Jollibee works to establish 500 stores across North America within the next five to seven years,

Merle Caleon, area director of Jollibee says the company’s rapid expansion includes opening branches in Philadelphia and Alexandria aside from the flagship Times Square store and the branches soon to open near Grand Central and Jamaica in Queens.

AJPress photo by Momar G. Visaya

increasing our presence throughout New York City represents a critical component of our U.S. expansion goals,” Maribeth Dela Cruz, business group head of Honeybee Foods Corporation, which operates Jollibee’s U.S. operations, said in a statement. “The proximity of this space to Grand Central Terminal offers an incredible opportunity to grow brand awareness among a much broader and diverse audience.”

“We really want to capture the mainstream market right now. That has always been our mission, not only to reach Filipinos but to cross over,” Caleon added.

There are also plans to open in Philadelphia and

DRAINAGE REHAB. A backhoe operator from the Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH) dredges the debris from an excavation along Roxas Boulevard Service Road from President Quirino Avenue to Remedios Street in Manila on Tuesday, February 15. The DPWH-National Capital Region targets to complete some 1,692 projects this year.

PNA photo by Jess M. Escaros Jr.

Alexandria, according to Caleon. The new stores are part of the brand’s plans to grow to 150 stores in the U.S. by 2023.

European expansion Jollibee also announced on Wednesday, Feb. 16 the opening dates of its muchanticipated first locations in Scotland. On February 24, Jollibee will open its doors in the capital’s city center at 136 Princes Street, Edinburgh, marking its entry into Scotland. The brand will quickly open its second Scottish store in Glasgow on March 25. The two restaurants in Scotland will serve halal meat to cater to all communities in both cities.

“This is an important moment for us as we introduce Jollibee to Scotland with not only 1 but 2 restaurants launching within a month, showing our commitment to expand in Europe,” said Ernesto Tanmantiong, CEO of Jollibee Group. “We are looking forward to serving our Scottish customers delicious food in a joyful restaurant experience.”

Both Edinburgh and Glasgow have a large student presence and active youth community, making them the perfect cities for Jollibee, which has seen huge success among young people looking for new food experiences.

In the last 18 months, overall UK sales rose by 417%, with the Jollibee Chicken Sandwich and new Spicy Chickenjoy receiving rave reviews.

The first Jollibee in the UK

opened in London in 2018 and has since added another eight locations to the map including Cardiff, Newcastle, Liverpool, Leeds, and Leicester Square in London’s West End. Across its UK restaurants, Jollibee has served up an incredible 1.3 million pieces of Chickenjoy since January 2021.

“The reception for Jollibee in 2021 gave us confidence that our new store design and locally-relevant menu created specifically for our European audience was working,” said Dennis Flores, President of Jollibee Europe, Middle East, Asia, and Australia.

The unveiling of Jollibee’s first Scottish location coincides with the announcement last month that further COVID restrictions would be lifted across Scotland.

“Most people have not been able to try new things in the last few years, so bringing the fun, joyful, and colorful Jollibee restaurant to customers will be a great start to 2022,” said Adam Parkinson, Business Head of Jollibee Europe. “We are optimistic that opening now in Scotland is an opportune time for Jollibee and will bring customers something different and exciting.”

Jollibee was originally founded in 1978 and has over 1,500 stores across 17 countries, including the USA, Canada, Spain, Italy, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, UAE, and the UK in England and Wales. n

Pulse Asia: Marcos’ lead...

PAGE 1 From holding 53% of support from “registered voters in their cities and municipalities” in December, Marcos in late January had 60% support from “likely voters.”

On the other hand, Robredo’s 20% of respondents in the last Pulse Asia survey in December shrunk down to just 16% for the month of January.

Pulse Asia observed, however, that the vice president posted double-digit voter preferences across geographic areas and socio-economic classes, with Mindanao being the sole exception at just 8% support.

Robredo’s numbers in December were noted for their clear increases over the last surveys, indicating steady momentum.

Within the time period the survey’s interviews were conducted, the Commission on Elections unanimously dismissed a petition to cancel the certificate of candidacy of former Senator Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. over his tax offense conviction.

In that same frame, Marcos refused to join other presidential candidates in the taped Jessica Soho Presidential Interviews because he claimed Soho was “biased” against him and his family.

Pulse Asia also noted that in one forum he did attend, Marcos said he has no plans to release his Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth or SALN to the public because he claimed it would only be “used for political attacks.”

As in the last survey, Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno still had the highest second-choice voter preference or among voters whose first choice for the presidency decides to withdraw from the elections, notching 24% of secondchoice votes.

But when it came to first-choice votes, Moreno was still tied with Sen. Manny Pacquiao with just 8% of the total vote.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson was last among the top 5 candidates with just 4%.

Marcos’ lead on his rivals was clear across all regions and all social classes. In both Metro Manila and Mindanao, he took more than half of voters with 61% and 64%, respectively.

Sara Duterte, Tito Sotto lead vice presidential race In the vice-presidential race, Pulse Asia noted that Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte is the frontrunner in the May 2022 vice-presidential race while Senate President Vicente Sotto III posts the highest second-choice voting figure.

Surveys serve as a snapshot of public sentiment during the survey period and are hardly conclusive pictures of the actual election results later on. These have historically changed over time, but serve as guides for candidates and their campaign teams.

The national campaign period prescribed by the Commission on Elections is set to continue for 85 more days until the elections on May 9.

“A small majority of likely voters (53%) have a complete slate for the May 2022 senatorial election; 13 out of the 64 senatorial candidates have a statistical chance of winning, with Mr. Raffy Tulfo enjoying solo 1st place (66.1%),” Pulse Asia also said of the senatorial race.

“Most likely voters (62%) are aware of the party-list system; nine (9) party-list groups succeed in surpassing the 2.0% voter preference threshold needed to secure at least one (1) congressional seat.”

For the nationwide survey, Pulse Asia interviewed 2,400 Filipino adults aged 18 years old and above and reported a ± 2% error margin at the 95% confidence level. Subnational estimates for each of the geographic areas covered in the survey also have a ± 4% error margin, also at 95% confidence level.

“Pulse Asia Research’s pool of academic fellows takes full responsibility for the design and conduct of the survey, as well as for analyses it makes based on the survey data,” the report read.

“In keeping with our academic nature, no religious, political, economic, or partisan group influenced any of these processes. Pulse Asia Research undertakes preelection surveys on its own without any party singularly commissioning the research effort.” n

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OpiniOn

Features

Digital vote buying, laundering

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Philstar.com photo

DIGITAL technology has facilitated many aspects of life, unfortunately including illegal activities. In this election season, digital technology is being used for unfair campaigning including spreading fake news, revising history, trolling rivals and sowing scurrilous disinformation.

It may also be used for money laundering and vote-buying during the election period, the Anti-Money Laundering Council has warned. In an advisory, the AMLC reminded banks and financial institutions to conduct customer due diligence measures and file reports on suspicious transactions, as stipulated in the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2001.

Also covered by the AMLC advisory are foreign exchange dealers, money changers, remittance companies, pawnshops, jewelry dealers, casinos, offshore gaming operators, and real estate brokers and developers.

The task isn’t as daunting as it seems.

The covered institutions and transactions can watch out for red flags such as large transactions within a short period of time, and those that seem inconsistent with a customer’s financial profile or business.

Also suspicious are “unjustified” large cash deposits and withdrawals, transactions that

are unusual when compared with everyday dealings, and structured cash deposits and money transfers.

The use of multiple accounts by a single person as well as the use of several money service businesses to send funds are also red flags.

On Dec. 31 last year, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas had issued a similar warning about vote buying through online banking and mobile wallet applications.The absence of a law regulating campaign finance has made election spending an ideal way of laundering dirty money. In certain cases, those directly engaged in jueteng, smuggling and drug trafficking have used their illegal earnings to propel themselves to elective office. Others have seen their personal wealth rise through hefty contributions from supporters who often become influence peddlers if the candidates win. Such assets are not declared and are beyond the reach of the tax police.While the Commission on Elections has been largely

Editorial

Babe’s Eye View BaBe Romualdez FROM where I sit, it’s really looking good for our country in 2022. There are clear indications that the country is poised to have brighter prospects by the second quarter this year.

Last week, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported

toothless in enforcing caps on campaign spending, banks and financial institutions can do their part in curbing illegal campaign activities and money laundering.

This would also help the country get out of the money laundering gray list of the Financial Action Task Force. Inclusion in the gray list makes financial transactions in the country

more difficult, affecting business dealings and the remittance of overseas Filipino workers’ earnings.

Banks that exert effort to reinforce the electoral process and promote good governance will reap the returns in the form of a grateful public’s trust – a critical element in banking strength. (Philstar.com)

It’s looking good for the Philippines in 2022 that the economy grew 7.7 percent year-on-year in the fourth quarter of 2021, bringing the annual growth to 5.6 percent, which was better than expected.

The latest report from IHS Markit also projected continued growth in the next decade, with the country’s GDP hitting $1 trillion by 2033. IHS Markit also predicted a 7 percent growth for the country this

year as the economy moves toward normalization, driven by private consumption spending and strong growth in urban household incomes.

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Chua articulated the optimism that people are beginning to feel, saying that – the door to our economic recovery is now fully open – and hopefully will return to pre-pandemic levels by third quarter 2022.

“We are on the correct path to economic recovery,” Secretary Chua added – a sentiment shared by analysts, especially with COVID-19 cases showing a steady decline. In fact, OCTA Research sees the number of COVID-19 cases in the National Capital Region – which has been placed under a less strict Alert Level 2 – going down to 500 a day by the end of February.

The vaccination of children aged 5 to 11, which will start tomorrow, is also another positive development in protecting a wider segment of the population that now includes children and other vulnerable groups.

With the COVID-19 situation becoming more manageable, the Department of Tourism welcomed fully vaccinated tourists starting Feb. 10, as this is something

that they have long been preparing for since the pandemic hit in 2020, which compelled the government to close its borders. More than 288,000 tourism workers or close to 90 percent have been fully vaccinated with about 13,500 having received booster shots, and they are all raring to get back to work.

The move will significantly contribute to job restoration PAGE 10

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

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OFW remittances US gov’t gives books for hit record-breaking Magindanawn children in BARMM $34B in 2021 - BSP

by Ryan

D. RosauRo Inquirer.net

by Mayvelin

u. CaRaballo ManilaTimes.net

OVERSEAS Filipino workers (OFWs) remitted a record-breaking $34 billion last year, accounting for 8.9 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported on Tuesday, February 15.

Personal remittances, which are cash or in-kind transfers between families, totaled $34.88 billion in 2021, up 5.1 percent from $33.19 billion in the previous year.

The full-year rise was attributed to a 5.6 percent increase in remittances from land-based workers on oneyear or longer contracts,

which improved to $27 billion last year from $25.56 billion in 2020, the BSP said.

Meanwhile, remittances from workers with contracts of less than one year from sea-based and land-based workers increased by 2.9 percent to $7.13 billion in 2021 from $6.93 billion a year before.

“The growth in personal remittances reflected a pickup in OFW deployment, strong demand for OFWs amid the reopening of host economies to foreign workers, and the continued shift to digital support that facilitated inward transfer of remittances,” the central bank said.

It added that increasing PAGE 7

ILIGAN CITY — The United States government has given nearly P10 million worth of reading materials for some 100,000 schoolaged Magindanawn children.

The materials were handed over to the Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education (MBHTE) of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Davao City recently.

According to the U.S. Embassy, the reading materials are in Magindanawn language and are intended for children in Kindergarten to Grade 3 levels in the province of Maguindanao, Cotabato City,

Officials of the BARMM’s Ministry of Education (from left) Abdulllah Salik Jr. Al Haj, Director General of Basic Education, Minister Mohagher Iqbal (2nd from left), and Deputy Minister Haron Melingis (right) joined by Ina Aquino, Chief of Party of USAID ABC+ Project, during the handover of Magindanawn reading materials.

Photo courtesy of the U.S. Embassy in Manila

and the BARMM villages in Cotabato province.

“As education systems continue to rebuild amid the COVID-19 pandemic, USAID

will continue working with partners to mitigate learning losses, equip educators and institutions to be more resilient and adaptive to the

current situation, and ensure children have continuous access to quality education,” said Yvette Malcioln, USAID Philippines Acting Office Director for Education.

Digital versions of the materials will soon be available through the online portal of the Department of Education (DepEd).

USAID supported the training of 40 local Bangsamoro writers, illustrators, editors, and evaluators to develop the reading materials; developing and distributing 77 books in Magindanawn; and translating or adapting 45 titles into Magindanawn.

BARMM Education Minister Mohagher Iqbal expressed gratitude for the effort saying it is expected “to improve our children’s PAGE 7

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PH back to low risk for COVID-19 Filipinos pick health over love...

by Gaea

Katreena Philstar.com

CabiCo

MANILA — The risk level of the Philippines for COVID-19 has returned to low after a record-breaking surge in infections last month, the Department of Health said.

In a briefing aired late Monday, February 14, DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III said the country was deemed low risk for virus spread after registering a two-week growth rate of -74% and an average daily attack rate of 5.26 cases per 100,000 population.

Thirteen regions, including Metro Manila, were also at low risk. The capital region and other areas will remain under Alert Level 2 until the end of February.

Only Davao region, Cordillera Administrative

Region, Western Visayas and Soccsksargen were at moderate risk.

Duque also said the healthcare utilization rates in the country and most of its regions were at low risk. Only the intensive care unit occupancy of Davao region remained at moderate risk.

“We are able to manage our cases and our health systems capacity is very much prepared for any eventuality the number of cases increases, we have a lot of excess and our utilization rates are low,” he said.

Cases reached unprecedented highs in January following the detection of the hypercontagious Omicron variant.

The Philippines has reported 3.6 million COVID-19 infections since the start of the pandemic, with 55,000 deaths. n

Reversal of rulings on Marcos unlikely

by Jomar

Canlas ManilaTimes.net

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) sitting en banc is unlikely to reverse the rulings of its two divisions on cases filed against presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., a highly reliable source told The Manila Times.

The Comelec’s Second Division has dismissed the petition to cancel Marcos’ certificate of candidacy (CoC) and the First Division the petition to disqualify him on tax return charges.

Commissioners Socorro Inting and Reynaldo Bulay have junked the petition to void Marcos’ candidacy, while Commissioners Marlon Casquejo and Aimee Ferolino dismissed the disqualification case.

The Comelec en banc is made up of the chairman and six commissioners. The chances are very slim that Inting, Casquejo, Ferolino and Bulay would reverse their ruling in favor of Marcos, unless new evidence is

presented, the source said.

It is rare in the Comelec for a division decision to be reversed en banc, the source said.

There are three vacancies in the commission following the retirement of Chairman Sheriff Abbas and Commissioners Rowena Guanzon and Antonio Kho Jr. Any new appointments will be ad interim because the Congress, which confirms appointments in agencies like the Comelec, adjourned on February 4.

The Commission on Appointments is made up mainly of senators and congressmen.

The Times learned from another source that among the people being considered to fill the vacancies in the Comelec are retired Court of Appeals justices Romeo Barza, Danton Bueser and Francisco Acosta.

Another set of names includes former Justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre, former Supreme Court Second Division clerk of Court Maria Lourdes Perfecto, former Comelec executive

director Jose Tolentino and Presidential Adviser on Overseas Filipino Workers Concerns Abdulla Mama-o.

In its ruling, the Comelec Second Division argued that Marcos can run for president since he did not commit any misrepresentation in the filing of his CoC. The Court of Appeals decision dated Oct. 21, 1997 “did not categorically hold that [Marcos] is convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude nor did it positively pronounce that [he is] meted the penalty of imprisonment of more than 18 months. There is likewise no definitive declaration by the said decision that herein respondent is perpetually disqualified from holding public office,” the division noted.

It added that failure to file income tax returns is not tax evasion.

The Comelec stated that the appellate court found that Marcos, “being an elected public official for taxable years concerned, was already subjected to the withholding PAGE 8

PAGE 1 money, and 54 percent of male respondents had the same view. Meanwhile, 29 percent of women and 34 percent of men prefer love, and 11 percent of women and 12 percent of men chose money.

The percentage of those who prefer health was highest among women with live-in partners at 68 percent, followed by single women (63 percent) and married women (56 percent).

Among male respondents, preference for health was highest among those who are single at 58 percent, followed by those with live-in partners (54 percent) and those who are married (52 percent).

SWS sees no clear pattern in preferring health in terms of age, although it rises with education among both sexes.

Women who picked health were highest among college graduates with 64 percent, followed by junior high school graduates (62 percent), elementary graduates (53 percent) and non-elementary graduates (48 percent).

A similar pattern runs among male respondents.

The survey also showed that 84 percent of the respondents said they are more attracted to a person’s brain than body, while 15

percent said the opposite.

SWS said 53 percent said they have a “very happy” love life, 28 percent said it “could be happier” and 18 percent said they “do not have a love life.”

Compared to 2019, those “very happy” with their love life hardly changed from 54 percent. Those who said “it could be happier” fell by 4 percent and those who said they “do not have a love life” rose by 4 percent.

Married men and women reported that they have a happier love life than their single and live-in partner counterparts.

The poll noted that 68 percent of married men said they have a “very happy” love life, followed by 65 percent of those with a live-in partner and 26 percent of those who were single.

SWS said 62 percent of married women said they have a “very happy” love life, followed by those with a livein partner at 60 percent and those who are single at 27 percent.

The survey showed that 28 percent of married people wish their love life “could be happier,” the same sentiment as 18 percent of single men and 33 percent of men with a live-in partner.

Thirty-five percent of married women said their

7

love life “could be happier.”

The same opinion was shared by 38 percent of women with a live-in partner and 16 percent of single women.

Married men and those with live-in partners who admitted they have no love life make up 2 percent each and single men, 56 percent.

Three percent of married women said they have no love life. The same sentiment is shared by 2 percent of women with a live-in partner and 56 percent of those who are single.

SWS noted that happiness in their love life was higher among older men, with those below 35 years old saying they have a “very happy” love life ranging 59 to 60 percent of respondents, compared to 40 to 52 percent of male respondents ages 18 to 34 years old.

Among women, those 25 to 54 years old said they have a “very happy” love life, making up 51 to 65 percent of respondents, 47 percent of respondents in the 18 to 24 years old group and 41 percent of those 55 years old and above.

SWS did face-to-face interviews with 1,440 respondents from December 12 to 16. The survey has a ±2.6 percent sampling margin error. (By Kaithreen Cruz/ManilaTimes.net) n

OFW remittances hit...

PAGE 6 domestic demand was aided by robust inward remittances, which accounted for 8.9 percent and 8.5 percent of the country’s GDP and gross national income last year, respectively.

Cash remittances, which only include money transmitted through banks, totaled $31.41 billion in 2021, rising 5.1 percent from the previous year’s $29.90 billion.

The growth in receipts from land-based and sea-based workers, which inched up by 5.6 percent to $24.873 billion from $23.55 billion and 3 percent to $6.545 billion from $6.354 billion, respectively, underpinned growth in cash remittances in 2021, the Bangko Sentral pointed out.

“Notwithstanding the global pandemic, cash remittances sent by OFs across various regions remained robust. This was evident in the growth in annual inward remittances from the Americas (7.1 percent), Europe (5.5 percent), Asia (4.5 percent), and the Middle East (0.7 percent),” it added.

Last year, the United States accounted for 40.5 percent of all OFW remittances to other countries. Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Canada, Taiwan, Qatar, and South Korea followed.

During the year, the combined remittances from these top 10 nations accounted for 78.9 percent of all cash remittances, the central bank stressed. n

A motorist stops to buy balloons along Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City on Monday, February 14. Each piece with a message of love retails for P50.

PNA photo by Joey O. Razon

US gov’t gives books...

PAGE 6 reading comprehension through speciallydesigned and quality-assured early grade books in Magindanawn.”

Through its ABC+: Advancing Basic Education in the Philippines project, which is carried out in partnership with the Department of Education, USAID has

distributed more than nine million early grade reading materials, including books in various mother tongues, to over 600,000 students and 42,000 teachers.

The project aims to ensure that young children will continue to have access to quality education and learning, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. n

8

FEBRUARY 18-24, 2022 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL

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SFIO receives letter of interest from US EXIM Bank for up to $28.75-M in debt financing STARFLEET Innotech, Inc.has received a letter of interest from the ExportImport Bank of the United States (EXIM), in support of SFIO’s real estate development projects in the Philippines.

In their letter, EXIM, the official export credit agency of the United States, expressed interest in extending financing of up to $28.75 million, towards SFIO’s medical and retirement resort in Montemaria, Batangas, just south of Metro Manila in the Philippines. Potential debt financing from EXIM would be eligible for a maximum repayment term of seven years.

CALL FOR GREEN SOLUTIONS. Members of the environment watchdog, EcoWaste Coalition, urge lawmakers to pass laws that will address problems brought about by climate change at the Rajah Sulayman Park, Malate, Manila on Monday, February 14. The Senate in January passed on third and final reading Senate Bill 2425 or the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), which seeks to amend the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, which will mandate large companies to adopt and implement policies on the proper management of plastic packaging wastes.

PNA photo by Jess M. Escaros Jr.

Reversal of rulings on...

This

follows a series of partnerships and exploratory talks SFIO has spearheaded towards non-

dilutive debt financing for its various projects.

SFIO is currently engaged with a number of local banks in the Philippines to secure similar financing arrangements for their real estate developments, including a bayside, ecofriendly tech village in Batangas.

These projects play a crucial role in the global

asset management company’s strategy of collaborative innovation towards building better communities. Profits from these high-yield projects are intended to be reinvested into future growth, helping carry the group towards their plans to uplist from the US OTC Markets to the NASDAQ by 2024.

(Advertising Supplement)

PAGE 7 tax system, hence, his tax liabilities were already paid as they were withheld by the government.”

The division added that it becomes “ironic when we realize the thought that herein petitioners accused respondent of misrepresentations while they themselves are guilty of supposed misrepresentations in this very same proceeding.”

The First Division said that “to erase doubts as to whether the failure to file tax returns is a crime involving moral turpitude,” it cited the pronouncement of the Supreme Court in the case against Ferdinand R. Marcos II and Imelda R. Marcos “wherein the high tribunal categorically ruled that a failure to file a tax return is not a crime involving moral turpitude.” n

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9

Tulfo, Cayetano, Legarda Demand for OFWs increasing, says POEA top Pulse Senate survey

by Daniza

FernanDez Inquirer.net

MANILA — Broadcaster Raffy Tulfo, Taguig Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano and Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda have topped Pulse Asia’s latest pre-election senatorial survey.

The poll, conducted from Jan. 19-24, showed Tulfo garnering 66.1 percent voter preference, followed

by Cayetano (58.2) and Legarda (58).

Completing the list of the top 12 preferred senatorial candidates are Sorsogon Gov. Chiz Escudero (55.7), former public works secretary Mark Villar (52.9), Sen. Migz Zubiri (50.3), Sen. Win Gatchalian (45.9), former vice president Jojo Binay (44.5), former senator Jinggoy Estrada (40.4), Sen. Joel Villanueva (40.4), Sen. Risa Hontiveros (37.1), actor Robin Padilla (35.9) and JV Ejercito (33.9).

Of the top 12 candidates in Pulse Asia’s latest survey, Estrada made the most significant leap – jumping to No. 9 from his previous number 13 ranking in a similar Pulse Asia survey conducted last December.

El Shaddai backs Villar Influential Catholic charismatic group El Shaddai has endorsed the senatorial bid of Villar who led the department in completing numerous Build Build Build projects of the

administration.

Villar thanked El Shaddai leader Mike Velarde and his followers for the support, and vowed to push for unity in the country.

“Thank you so much for your support, I want to thank Bro. Mike Velarde and the millions of members of El Shaddai. We, together with the BBM-Sara UniTeam, have the goal of unity,” Villar said.

Velarde made the announcement of support for Villar at the El Shaddai International House of Prayer in Parañaque City last Saturday.

Velarde also endorsed the candidacies of former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for president and Davao City Mayor Sara DuterteCarpio for vice president, or the BBM-Sara tandem.

During the prayer rally for El Shaddai, which has about six to eight million members nationwide, Velarde raised the hands of Marcos and Carpio.

“We are always very grateful to Bro. Mike for all his support. Many thanks also to those who believe in us. We will continue to serve God and help our countrymen,” Villar said. (By Cecille Suerte Felipe, Jose Rodel Clapano/Philstar.com) n

MANILA — The demand for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) is increasing, an official of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) said.

POEA Deputy Administrator Bong Ventura Plan said there is high demand for OFWs, particularly healthcare workers.

“Actually, dumadami na po ang mga (there is an increase in the number of) demands [or] request coming from the different countries of destination,” Plan said during the Laging Handa briefing.

“For example, iyong UK (United Kingdom), marami na rin po silang demand sa atin pagdating sa mga healthcare workers natin particularly iyong mga nurses and caregivers. This is the same with Germany and Japan,” he continued.

(For example, in the UK, there is a demand for us when it comes to our healthcare workers, particularly nurses and caregivers.)

Despite the high demand, Plan said that the government has to consider the country’s needs, citing that there is a deployment cap of 7,000 health workers yearly.

“Kaya iyon, marami pong demands kaso nga lang po (So,

In this June 2, 2020, photo, repatriated OFWs arrive at the NAIA Terminal 2 to board their flights as the NAIA resumed operations under the General Community Quarantine.

Photo from Inquirer / Marianne Bermudez

there is a high demand but), we have to consider also our personal demands here in the Philippines also kaya medyo mayroon pa tayong kaunting (that is why there is a limited) deployment,” he explained.

“Up to 7,000 lang po ang puwede po nating i-deploy na healthcare workers kaya medyo limitado pa rin po pagdating sa mga nurses and healthcare workers,” added Plan.

(Up to 7,000 healthcare workers could only be deployed. So, there is a limit in sending nurses and healthcare workers.)

He, however, said that when it comes to jobs abroad in the logistics sector there are available slots for application.

“Pero pagdating po sa mga truck drivers, pagdating po sa mga seafarers open po tayo. At basically based on our data and our projected data, mas dadami po ang demands natin pagdating po dito sa logistics area po natin,” Plan said.

(But when it comes to truck drivers, seafarers, we are open. And basically based on our data and our projected data, the demands in the logistics area will grow.) n

10

FEBRUARY 18-24, 2022 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL

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51% of Filipinos believe COVID-19 crisis ending in 2022 - SWS

by Gabriel

Pabico Inquirer.net

lalu

MANILA — More than half of Filipinos believe that the COVID-19 crisis will come to an end this year, while 45 percent still think it would extend to 2023, the latest survey from Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed.

According to the SWS survey, 51 percent of Filipino adults interviewed from December 12 to 16 said the crisis would end in 2022 — including 29 percent of the respondents who said that the pandemic would be solved in the next six months, and 23 percent who said within the year.

Hopes of having the COVID-19 pandemic ending within 2022 is highest in Mindanao at 62 percent, followed by Balance Luzon at 51 percent, Metro Manila at 49 percent and Visayas at 41 percent.

“Conversely, those who expect the COVID-19 crisis to end after 2022 are highest in the Visayas (56%), followed

by Metro Manila (48%), Balance Luzon (44%), and Mindanao (35%),” SWS said.

“About half in all educational levels expect the COVID-19 crisis to end within 2022: the percentage is 49 percent among nonelementary graduates, 53 percent among elementary graduates, 51 percent among

junior high school graduates, and 50 percent among college graduates,” it added.

With other questions posed by SWS, 51 percent also agreed with the possible government policy of compelling Filipinos to get vaccinated against COVID-19, with 31 percent disagreeing while 17 percent were undecided.

Another 51 percent also agreed to have unvaccinated employees submit RT-PCR tests every two weeks, with 35 percent disagreeing and 14 percent still undecided.

“To the test statement, ‘It is only right to enact into law the proposal of Pres. Duterte to compel all Filipinos to get vaccinated against COVID-19,’ 51% agreed (consisting of 29% strongly agree and 22% somewhat agree), 17% were undecided, and 31% disagreed (consisting of 13% somewhat disagree and 19% strongly disagree, correctly rounded),” SWS said.

“To the test statement, ‘It is only right that unvaccinated employees are not allowed to report for work until they give a negative RT-PCR test result every two weeks,’ 51% agreed (27% strongly agree, 24% somewhat agree), 14% were undecided, and 35% disagreed (15% somewhat disagree, 20% strongly disagree), for a moderate net agreement of +16,” it added.

In terms of no dine-in policies for unvaccinated customers, 49 percent agreed, 14 percent were undecided, and 36 percent disagreed.

The country encountered a surge in COVID-19 cases in early January, brought by the more infectious Omicron variant. At one point, active infections soared to over 291,000 — an all-time high for the country.

While the Omicron variant only led to mostly mild and asymptomatic symptoms for vaccinated individuals and lower mortality rates, health authorities are still wary about a possible increase in infections anew.

Recently, the Department of Health (DOH) expressed concern that the start of the campaign period last February 8 may lead to socalled super-spreader events, as health and safety protocols against the pandemic have been disregarded.

SWS said that they got the results through faceto-face interviews of 1,440 adults subdivided into 360 each for Balance Luzon, Metro Manila, Visayas, and Mindanao.

The polling firm maintains sampling error margins are ±2.6% for national percentages and ±5.2% for Balance Luzon, Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao. n

PH courts slowly transition to normalcy

by TeTch

Torres-TuPas Inquirer.net

MANILA — The courts are cautiously transitioning to normalcy with some allowing 80 percent of its personnel to physically report to work.

Taking lead from the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Sandiganbayan, Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) as well as the second and first level courts issued notices regarding its operations stating it will be physically open Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and should operate with at least 80 percent capacity.

At the Supreme Court, personal filing of pleadings and other court submissions will now be allowed.

Meanwhile, the high court’s personnel from the medical and dental

services, security division, maintenance division, and motor pool section are required to work onsite starting February 16.

Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo issued the new work schedule “considering that the COVID-19 growth rate in Metro Manila has decreased and notwithstanding the extension of Alert Level 2 until Feb. 28, 2022.”

The high court also conducted an in-person deliberation – a first since Gesmundo’s appointment in April 2021.

Court of Appeals On the other hand, in an order issued by Presiding Justice Remedios A. Salazar Fernando at the Court of Appeals, onsite raffles and hearings of cases are finally allowed. Those visiting the

courts must present their present proof of COVID-19 vaccination upon entry.

In solemnization of marriages, only five persons are allowed including the appeals court justice who will administer the marriage.

Sandiganbayan, Court of Tax Appeals Both the Sandiganbayan and CTA have similarly allowed the personal and electronic filing of pleadings and court submissions.

The anti-graft will also continue with the issuance of clearances through its outdoor kiosk.

Presiding Justice Roman G. Del Rosario said 80 percent of the CTA’s workforce will report physically to their offices starting February 16. Those not reporting for work onsite must work from home just like the

SNACK TIME. Residents, including children, flock to a mobile food stall selling siomai (Chinese dumplings) and sago at gulaman (tapioca with gelatin) near a public park along Gov. D. Mangubat Avenue, Barangay Burol Main in Dasmariñas City, Cavite on Tuesday, Februay 15. Movement restrictions on minors have been gradually eased as the government started inoculating children aged 5 to 17 against COVID-19.

PNA photo by Gil Calinga

It’s looking good for the...

PAGE 5 primarily in tourism-dependent communities, and in the reopening of businesses that had to shut down, said Tourism Secretary Berna Puyat, who also assured that health and safety protocols in every destination will remain in place to prevent virus transmission.

There has also been a lot of interest in the Philippines as an investment destination, with many opportunities opening up for investors. During the virtual forum organized by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority with U.S. investors, we highlighted that with our ecozones providing the necessary infrastructure and incentives, the Philippines can already engage in climate-ready investments and infrastructure, supply chain resilience, technology advancements, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.

U.S. embassy chargé d’affaires Heather Variava noted that investments in the health and manufacturing sectors are areas where U.S. firms and investors may have expertise to offer. “We know that the Philippines is looking for additional investment across the board especially in 5G, internet, clean energy, health and security areas,” she said.

While the coronavirus may still be around for many years with new variants emerging over time, scientists are also working nonstop in developing vaccines, treatments and medicines to fight COVID-19. A booster shot significantly increases protection against many variants, including Delta and Omicron.

“Vaccination and booster doses substantially decrease the risk of death from COVID-19,” said CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.

According to CDC data, those who have received boosters are 97 times less likely to die of COVID-19 than those who have not been vaccinated. Additionally, the risk of death for unvaccinated individuals is 14 times higher compared to those who have received the primary series of vaccines, Dr. Walensky disclosed. This clearly underscores the protection that vaccines provide and their significant contribution in preventing poor outcomes such as hospitalization and even death. arrangements in the SC, CA, and Sandiganbayan.

Lower courts nationwide Only courts in areas under Alert Level 2 are allowed to have 80 percent of their workers report in person.

The same percentage of personnel are likewise

Scientists from Bharat Biotech, maker of COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin, are also developing intranasal booster doses. An intranasal vaccine is sprayed into the nostrils and inhaled, making it easier to administer, especially during mass vaccinations. It’s also cost effective because it will not require needles and syringes. According to Bharat Biotech, the nasal vaccine stimulates immune responses in the nose which is the site of infection, making it very effective in blocking infection and virus transmission.

Aside from vaccines, there are also medications such as Paxlovid and Molnupiravir that are used for treating those at serious risk of illness due to COVID-19.

Paxlovid especially has been shown to be active against prevailing variants of concern including Delta and Omicron, reducing the risk of hospitalization or death by 88.9 percent when given within three days after the onset of symptoms.

The Philippines in fact is looking at the possibility of producing its own vaccines and establishing a virology center, and a bill seeking to create the Philippine Center for Disease Control and Prevention – similar to the U.S. CDC – will bring us closer to this aspiration.

Many are optimistic that we are on track to recovery despite the challenges that we have faced since the onset of the pandemic in 2020.

We are certain of having clean and credible elections in May, which would usher in a fresh start with a new set of leaders taking over the reins of government.

We should all pray that the elections will not be marred by people who have their own personal agenda instead of thinking of the country. No matter what the outcome is, we should learn to accept it and be ready to move forward and unify our country. *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff. *** Email: babeseyeview@gmail.com

allowed for Saturday duties.

For courts in areas under Alert Level 3 such as those in Iloilo City, Iloilo province, Guimaras, Zamboanga City, Davao de Oro, Davao Occidental, and South Cotabato, only 60 percent of their staff will be permitted to

report to work physically.

Night courts are not allowed under Alert Levels 2 and 3.

The new policies covering all the courts across the country would be implemented beginning February 16. n

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NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 18-24, 2022

COMMUNITY JOURNAL

11

The immigration journey that took 24 years on an all-new Citizen Pinoy this Sunday LEADING U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel presents another brand-new success story, after he provides the latest immigration developments, as featured on his YouTube channel: US Immigration TV. After the important U.S. immigration highlights, Citizen Pinoy shares an inspiring success story on how a family persevered, despite the many bumps along their immigration journey.

Allain was petitioned by his mother in 1997. Due to certain circumstances, Allain and his family entered the U.S. in 2002, but overstayed. Meanwhile, Allain’s mother, his petitioner, passed away in 2006. Uncertain about the

future of his petition, Allain and his family lived in fear because of their undocumented status. Still, they took on several odd jobs to make a living. They persevered and kept the faith that someday they will achieve their American dream.

Finally, after 24 years, Atty.

Gurfinkel was able to help Allain and his family adjust their status and acquire their green cards.

Watch this success story on a brand-new episode of “Citizen Pinoy” on Sunday, February 20 at 7:00 PM PT (10:00 PM ET thru select Cable/Satellite providers).

Citizen Pinoy is also available on iWantTFC. Viewers may download the app for free.

(Advertising Supplement)

HUMANITARIAN REVALIDATION OR SURVIVOR LAW: THIS SUNDAY ON CITIZEN PINOY. Allain (left) was petitioned by his mother in 1997. He came to the U.S. as a tourist with his wife, Lorraine (center), in 2002 and overstayed. His mother passed away in 2006, which, at that point, Allain thought his mother’s petition for him was gone. What would now happen to Allain and his petition? Leading U.S. Immigration Atty. Michael J. Gurfinkel (right) is the attorney-of-last-hope, who guided them through the process and presented them the option to be able to acquire their green card, despite the death of the petitioner. Watch this success story on an encore episode of “Citizen Pinoy” on Sunday, February 20 at 7:00 PM PT (10:00 PM ET thru select Cable/Satellite providers). Citizen Pinoy is also available on iWantTFC. Viewers may download the app for free.

(Advertising Supplement)

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FEBRUARY 18-24, 2022 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL

New COVID data

Health@Heart PhiliP S. Chua, MD, FaCS, FPCS CHEWING gum An amazing clinical discovery: chewing gum with Xylitol decreases preterm birth by 24 percent! This simple and inexpensive intervention that prevents premature delivery is “linked to improvement in oral health, according to research presented at the meeting sponsored by the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine.” Oral health also impacts heart health, our gut microbiome, besides general well-being.

COVID-19 vaccines also prevent preterm births.

Arthritis drugs The World Health Organization has strongly recommended an arthritis drug, Baricitinib, a Janus kinase inhibitor, for severe or critical COVID-19 cases.

The clinical trials using this arthritis medication reveal improved survival, reduced the need for mechanical ventilation, and reduced hospitalization of these cases.

Antihistamines Two individuals with Long COVID-19 had significant improvements in symptoms after taking over-the-counter antihistamines. They were able “to perform activities of daily living.” This finding has led to larger studies to investigate the validity of this observation.

Second booster Sweden’s Health Agency recommends that people 80 and older receive a second booster dose (fourth shot) of COVID-19 vaccines, given at least four months after the first booster to strengthen the protection.

Airborne virus “A recent study investigated whether airborne SARS-CoV-2 particles were present outside of isolation rooms in homes containing one household member with a positive test result. The researchers found that aerosols of small respiratory droplets containing airborne SARSCoV-2 RNA were present both inside and outside of these rooms,”

reports MNT. Unless each room has its own exclusive ventilation system, it shows that room self-isolation at home is not totally safe for other members of the same household. Opening all windows might help reduce the viral load in the air.

Lingering symptoms The latest data from the United Kingdom reveal 2.1 percent of the population (one in 48 people) are experiencing Long COVID, a new emerging chronic condition. More than half a million have been having symptoms that linger for at least a year. This “postCOVID syndrome” may include any combination of these symptoms: “brain fog” or cognitive dysfunction, troubled breathing or shortness of breath, fatigue, malaise, sense of “not feeling well,” and disturbance in the immune system. Vaccines have been helpful to these chronic patients, making them feel better.

New rapid test Chinese scientists at Fudan University in Shanghai have developed a new COVID-19 test that provides results in less than 4 minutes, instead of hours or days. The test employs micro-electronic technology, using an “electromechanical biosensor that analyzes specimens from the back of the throat and nose and detects SARS-CoV2 RNA as accurate as a PCR.” Vaccines cover “Stealth” Although the Stealth Omicron subvariant (BA.2) is now the predominant virus (after 20 mutations in spike proteins) and is even more transmissible than Omicron (BA.1), which itself is a super-rapid spreader compared to Delta, the current vaccines have been found to be effective for all three. Stealth Omicron has also been found to be “less likely than Omicron to transmit from vaccinated people who did contract COVID-19 infection.” BA.1 and BA.2 are less likely to affect the lungs among otherwise healthy people.

Lifting mask mandate The governors of Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, and Oregon are lifting the mask mandate in their schools by the end of February or March, citing rapid decline in Omicron cases and the desire for

“normalcy.” Cases in New Jersey have dropped by half and hospitalization by a third since last week, but deaths around the country are still high, around 2,400 in one day alone.

In view of the Stealth Omicron and potential future strains because of the number of unvaccinated people (20 percent) in the United States, lifting the mask mandate (social distancing will stop) may be too premature. Studies also show acceptable oxygen saturation among adults or children who wear masks for hours on end and did not negatively impact their health.

Worldwide, an estimated 2.2 million children ages 5-19 died, 43 percent of them aged 10-19, and almost 1,000 in the United States alone in 2021.

Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 are milder but NOT mild, and could still kill. Children getting used to wearing a mask when needed (like a security blanket or toy) may not be a bad exercise. We can never be too careful in protecting our little gems!

Higher risk of death A new clinical study shows people hospitalized with COVID-19 have an increased risk of death and readmission afterward, especially highest among those with preexisting dementia/Alzheimer’s.

Unvaccinated adults 18 and older have 13 times risk of testing positive and 68 times greater risk of dying from COVID-19.

Bottom of Form Vaccines and fertility Earlier and new studies find the COVID-19 vaccines do not adversely affect fertility in males or females, but there appear to be short-term effects on fertility among males.

The COVID-19 vaccines are not detrimental to pregnant mothers. As a matter of fact, the vaccines are strongly recommended for pregnant individuals to prevent premature delivery and stillbirths that COVID-19 causes.

A droplet is enough A landmark human challenge trial suggests that “being exposed to a single nasal droplet of SARS-CoV2 particles is enough to cause a person to develop COVID-19 fast, within 42 hours.” The researchers also found that infected persons (with

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Help the FTC get money back to people who experience impersonator fraud TO combat government and business impersonation scams and get money back to people, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is considering changes to the law that would give the agency better tools. Want to help? Submit a comment on the rulemaking and make your voice heard.

Whether they call pretending to be from the Social Security Administration or email or text you claiming to be from a trusted business, impersonators are trying to steal your money or get your personal information — or both. And, for the past two years, they’ve been taking advantage of the confusion over the pandemic. The FTC’s data show that COVID-specific scam reports have included 14,069 complaints of government impersonation and 9,850 complaints of business impersonation. People have

lost over $52 million to COVID-specific government and business impersonators since January 1, 2020.

Current law limits the FTC’s ability to combat these scams and return money to people who’ve lost money to these scammers. The FTC wants to change the law to make it easier to sue and get refunds for people who have experienced impersonation fraud. If you’ve experienced impersonation fraud, or have an opinion about the proposed rulemaking, submit your comment online at https://www.federalregister. gov/documents/2021/12/23/2021-27731/ trade-regulation-rule-on-impersonation-ofgovernment-and-businesses. All comments must be submitted online by February 22.

(Ari Lazarus/Consumer Education Specialist/FTC) n

Pink Caravan for Robredo-Pangilinan in Bergenfield on March 6 THE fourth Pink Caravan by Filipino Americans in the New York/New Jersey area in support of the Robredo-Pangilinan campaign will be held in Bergenfield, New Jersey on March 6, 2022.

Bergenfield is home to some 5,000 Filipino Americans. The borough has a Filipino American mayor, lawyer Arvin Amatorio.

This was announced by Hector Fonacier and Flordeliza Villanueva, both residents of Bergenfield.

The caravan is being organized by Fil-Am or without symptoms) were most likely to pass on the virus at 5 days into infection. For recovering patients, it is best to selfquarantine for about 10 days before mingling with people.

Gut dysbiosis There is evidence of a possible connection between Long COVID-19 and gut dysbiosis (changes in the community microorganisms in the gastrointestinal tract). Gut symbiosis and balance (of good and bad bacteria) are important in general health and our immune system. People with the Long COVID-19 have distinct changes in their gut microbiota, showing that the more severe the infection, the greater the dysbiosis, with fewer “friendly” bacteria in their gastrointestinal tract.

This inspires the need

community leaders who helped made the recent Queens NY, Jersey City, and Union Township caravans successful.

The forthcoming motorcade is jointly sponsored by United Filipinos of North America USA; 1SAMBAYAN US Chapter; Global Filipinos For Leni; Union Township Pink Caravan For Leni, Ateneo de Naga Alumni Association, and certain members of Eastern Seaboard Bicolandia Association.

For inquiries, please call 512-963-3635 or 201-456-8009. n

“to investigate the use of dietary changes, probiotics, and fecal transplants as potential treatments for Long COVID-19.”

Life is precious The pandemic is far from over. While the politicians endanger the public with their political correctness and medical ignorance, let us listen to science and continue to protect ourselves and our loved ones with frequent handwashing, wearing NIOSH-N95 masks, and practicing social distancing until the number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths have flattened out. Plain common sense. *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.

*** The main objective of this column is to educate and inspire people live a healthier lifestyle to prevent illnesses and disabilities and achieve a happier and more productive life. Any diagnosis, recommendation or treatment in our article are general medical information and not intended to be applicable or appropriate for anyone. This column is not a substitute for your physician, who knows your condition well and who is your best ally when it comes to your health. *** Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, a Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus based in Northwest Indiana and Las Vegas, Nevada, is an international medical lecturer/author, Health Advocate, newspaper columnist, and Chairman of the Filipino United Network-USA, a 501(c)3 h u m a n i ta r i a n fo u n d a t i o n i n the United States. Websites: FUN8888.com, TODAY.SPSAtoday. com, and philipSchua.com; Email: scalpelpen@gmail.com.

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Manny Jacinto hops from comedy to serious, and now rom-com

By MoMar

G. Visaya

AJPress

THERE is no shortage of Manny Jacinto these days.

After his breakthrough performance in NBC’s Peabody Award-winning and Emmy-nominated comedy series The Good Place, the Filipino-Canadian actor has emerged as one of Hollywood’s most exciting, versatile, and in-demand talents, in a burgeoning career marked by a series of charismatic breakthrough performances.

He recently starred in the miniseries Nine Perfect Strangers, as part of a starstudded cast, including Nicole Kidman, Melissa McCarthy, Michael Shannon, Bobby Cannavale, Regina Hall, and Luke Evans. In it, he plays Yao, a bright-eyed hipster who, after a life-and-death encounter with the resort’s director, Masha (Kidman), finds himself as her devoted right-hand man.

The series, based on the popular novel of the same name by Liane Moriarty, premiered domestically on

Jacinto plays the role of Logan Santos in the new Prime Video rom-com I Want You Back.

Hulu on August 18, 2020, and internationally on Amazon two days later.

He also appears in the Netflix horror-thriller series Brand New Cherry Flavor, alongside Rosa Salazar, Catherine Keener, and Eric Lang from creator Nick Antosca.

IMMIGRATION

Over the weekend in time for Valentine’s Day, he appeared in the romantic comedy I Want You Back via Prime Video.

The film is centered around a premise that director Jason Orley says is both relatable and timeless: “The idea of getting broken

SERVICES

After his breakout performance in The Good Place, Jacinto joined the ensemble cast of Hulu’s Nine Perfect Strangers. He is also a part of the much-awaited Top Gun: Maverick, where he plays the role of a fighter pilot. Photos courtesy of Amazon Studios

up with and wanting your ex back is something people have been dealing with forever—this is not unique to our generation.”

The movie opens as Peter (Charlie Day) and Emma (Jenny Slate) are both blindsided by their respective significant others,

who, without warning, dump them. Most people would be forced to accept the situation and reluctantly move on.

But fueled by their mutual heartbreak and desperation, Peter and Emma devise an outrageous quid pro quo to win back their respective partners, Anne (Gina

SERVICES

Rodriguez) and Noah (Scott Eastwood). The problem is that their exes have happily moved on to new romances: Anne with Logan (Manny Jacinto) and Noah with Ginny (Clark Backo).

The new man in Anne’s life, Logan Santos, shares her interest in the arts and theatre and, in fact, is directing a revival of the musical Little Shop of Horrors…at the local middle school where they both teach.

Cast as Logan, Jacinto said, “Anne and Logan met at the school and I think we bonded very quickly because we’re both very passionate about the craft. He ends up in an interesting and very unexpected love triangle between Anne and Emma, and it becomes kind of a roller coaster between those three.”

“Manny is the perfect embodiment of what we were looking for in Logan,” said John Rickard, one of the producers. “He obviously has a great body of work in comedy, but he grounded this role in a way that I didn’t see coming.”

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people events arts culture entertainment

Mia Katigbak on representation: ‘There’s an uptick but (still) very far from ideal’ Out of Time at The Public offers brand-new monologues by five award-winning Asian American playwrights performed by Asian American actors over the age of 60

by MoMar

A

G. Visaya / AJPress

re you ready for some new theater material?

This week, NAATCO (The National Asian American Theatre Company) and The Public Theater began the world premiere of Out of Time, a collection of five brand-new monologues by five award-winning Asian American playwrights.

Each of these monologues has been written for and will be performed by an Asian American actor over the age of 60, something that has never before been done in the history of New York theater. Conceived and directed by Obie Award-winning director Les Waters and commissioned

by NAATCO, Out of Time is a theatrical tapestry exploring age, memory, parenthood, and identity.

The seasoned cast of Out of Time includes Mia

Katigbak (Ena; ActorManager and Co-Founder of NAATCO), Glenn Kubota (Taki), Page Leong (Woman), Natsuko Ohama (Leonie), and Rita Wolf (Carla).

Katigbak is a 2021 USA Fellow, the recipient of a 2019 Special Drama Desk Award, a 2017 Fox Foundation Resident Actor Fellowship for Distinguished Achievement, and an Otto René Castillo Award recipient for Political Theater.

Born and raised in Manila,

NAATCO Co-Founder and Actor-Manager Mia Katigbak and NAATCO Creative Producer Peter Kim

Mia Katigbak

Katigbak and her parents moved to the US when she was 11.

Katigbak was doing a show around February 2020, weeks before the lockdown and Waters came to see it.

He told her about a dance concert he’d just seen - Mitten wir im Leben sind/ Bach6Cellosuiten, a dance performance choreographed by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker that featured an ensemble of aging dancers.

Struck by inspiration, Waters then asked Katigbak:

Photo by Billy Bustamante

“Wouldn’t it be wonderful to make a piece for older actors saying wonderful words and one wonderful actor following one wonderful actor saying more wonderful things? Actors have all this experience and are up against the limitations of memory. How cruel it is. And how magnificent it is. And how underused older actors are.”

“Les started to riff on a monologue marathon, all featuring characters over 60.

We started to fantasize about the playwrights we’d engage to write these monologues,” Katigbak told the Asian Journal.

“Then George Floyd’s killing happened, I was totally dejected and trying to pull myself out of despair. I asked Les if he would consider just five monologues all written by Asian Americans for Asian American characters. The prompt would be to write about the moment. He agreed, and he came up with the title, Out of Time.”

Katigbak, who co-founded NAATCO in 1989, said that the five monologues resonating with themes threaded through them about what we have been going through in the past two years, and are performed by five actors over the age of 60.

NAATCO Co-Founder and Actor-Manager Mia Katigbak and NAATCO Creative Producer Peter Kim in rehearsal for the world premiere production of NAATCO’S Out of Time.

Photos by Yuko Kudo

The cast of NAATCO’S Out of Time - Mia Katigbak, Glenn Kubota, Page Leong, Natsuko Ohama, and Rita Wolf - which began performances at The Public Theater on Tuesday, February 15.

“The individual stories of the characters reflect a range of experience that speaks to our shared humanity,” she added.

The actors will perform in moving new works by five award-winning Asian American playwrights - Jaclyn Backhaus (Black Market Caviar), Sam Chanse (Disturbance Specialist), Mia Chung (Ball

in the Air), Naomi Iizuka (Japanese Folk Song), and Anna Ouyang Moench (My Documentary).

How did they end up selecting the five Asian American playwrights?

Katigbak said she made suggestions to Les and sent him scripts. He also had some ideas from some of the people he had worked with.

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NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 18-24, 2022

Vice marries Ion in Las Vegas

VICE Ganda surprised fans in time for Valentine’s as he revealed his Las Vegas wedding with boyfriend Ion Perez which happened in October last year.

Vice Ganda and Perez had their wedding in the Little Vegas Chapel, where they vowed to “commit themselves” to each other, as seen in a vlog on the comedian’s YouTube channel on Sunday, Feb. 13.

“Buong-buo ‘yung loob ko na makasama ka. Wala akong masabi basta mahal na mahal kita, Tuy. I love you,” Perez said.

(I am decided that I want to be with you. I have no words to say but I love you, Tuy. I love you.)

Vice Ganda, for his

Vice Ganda and Ion Perez

part, expressed his love to Perez and promised that he will always be one of his inspirations and reasons to live.

“Ang saya-saya ko na ikaw ‘yung kasama ko ngayon, ikaw ‘yung kasama ko kahapon at ikaw ‘yung alam kong makakasama ko pa rin bukas at sa mga susunod pang mga araw,” he said. “I promise na magiipon pa ako ng maramingmarami pang pagmamahal sa puso ko para makaya ko pang mahalin ‘yung sarili ko, makaya ko pang mahalin ka at ‘yung mga mahal natin sa buhay.”

(I’m so happy that you’re the one I’m with now, the one I’m with yesterday and the one I know I will still be with

Photo from Instagram/@praybeytbenjamin

tomorrow and the coming days. I promise that I will save up more love in my heart so I can continue to love myself, love you and our loved ones.)

“Isa ka sa pag-aalayan ko ng mga magagandang bagay na mangyayari sa buhay ko. You’ll be one of the best reasons for all of my achievements and I promise na isa ka sa magiging dahilan kung bakit gusto ko pang mabuhay ulit bukas at sa mga susunod na araw,” Vice Ganda added.

(You’re one of those who I’ll be offering the good things in my life to. You’ll be one of the best reasons for all of my achievements and I promise that you’ll always be one of the reasons why I’d want to live tomorrow and in the days to come.)

The couple can be seen overjoyed while signing their certificate of commitment after the ceremony.

Vica Ganda and Perez have been together for three years now after revealing in 2019 that they have already been in a relationship for a year. The two also recently went on an Amanpulo trip where they welcomed the New Year with their friends and family. (By Anne Pasajol/ Inquirer.net) n

Mia Katigbak on representation...

PAGE 14 They then came up with a shortlist, read as many plays written by each playwright as they could, then made their selections.

NAATCO x Public Theater NAATCO and The Public Theater have a long-standing and collaborative partnership dating back to the 2015 production of Awake and Sing!, which NAATCO performed at The Public. Coming together to create a piece that amplifies Asian American voices, particularly those over the age of 60, feels pertinent in light of the pandemic’s impact on this community.

“The pandemic’s imposition of isolation, an affliction generally thought to more devastatingly affect the elderly, was suddenly familiar to the population at large,” said Katigbak. “The eruption of civil unrest brought about protests against racism, police brutality, and white supremacy. The accrual of these turbulent discontents has altered the state of our world.”

NAATCO was founded in 1989 by Katigbak and Richard Eng to assert the presence and significance of Asian American theatre in the United States, demonstrating its vital contributions to the fabric of American culture.

For the past 32 years, NAATCO has produced plays under four programs, all of which steadfastly put Asian Americans front and center in all aspects of theatrical practice: presentation of European and American classics with all-Asian American

casts; adaptations of these classics by Asian American playwrights; plays by nonAsian Americans NOT written for or about Asians or Asian Americans but presented with all-Asian American casts; new plays

by Asian Americans that incorporate other performative arts and media.

“We have recently added the NAATCO National Partnership Project, working with non-Asian American regional theatres to ingrain the inclusion of Asian American plays in their programming,” Katigbak said, lamenting the fact that representation in the theater world is still “very far from the ideal.”

“I’ve noticed an uptick in more representative selections in theatres’ upcoming seasons, but worry that it’s a kind of formulaic response to the pressures that have been put on predominantly White organizations in the last couple of years,” she added. “Then the pressure is released somewhat and it’s back to the same programming that is, in fact, still predominantly White.”

Katigbak is thankful to The Public for the partnership and the help in pushing for more representation.

“We have felt excellently supported by The Public from the word “Go.” NAATCO is just Peter and me, operationally, and having the expertise and attentiveness of all the departments of the Public helping us realize this world premiere is pretty fantastic,” she said. “Our appreciation is boundless.”

Out of Time will run through Sunday, March 13 in The Public’s Martinson Hall. n

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Edu wants to have a child with Cherry Pie ‘if given the chance’

By Anne

PAsAjol Inquirer.net

EDU Manzano did not hesitate to express his willingness to have a child with girlfriend Cherry Pie Picache, if they would be given a chance.

“Who wouldn’t want babies? I’d love to have one, oo naman (of course, yes),” Manzano said in response to a fan question (“Would you still want to have a baby given the chance?”) read in a vlog on Picache’s YouTube channel on Saturday, Feb. 12.

Manzano also spoke about how he wants to dance with his child on her 18th birthday, which he was not able to do with Addie, his daughter with model Rina Samson.

“Nung kay Addie kasi hindi, naghanda ako, nagpadancing lessons pa ako tapos sabi niya, ‘Daddy ‘yung gagastusin sa party, punta na lang kami ng mga kaibigan ko sa [Boracay],” he laughingly recalled.

“Pinaghandaan ko pa naman, pinag-ipunan ko pero ang importante naman ‘yung kaligayahan niya, hindi ‘yung akin.”

(Back then with Addie, I prepared and even had dancing lessons then she

Edu Manzano and Cherry Pie Picache

said, “Daddy, I’ll just use the money allotted for the party on a Boracay trip with my friends.” I even prepared and saved for it but what’s important is her happiness, not mine.)

Picache, for her part, told fans that she also shares the same sentiment with Manzano.

“Lalo na ako (Most especially me), I only have one. It would be nice. Siguro ang ganda ng anak natin ‘no? (Maybe our daughter would be beautiful, right?)” she said.

Photo from Instagram/@yescppicache

Manzano then talked about their relationship and what makes it special, noting how they do not crave attention or publicity.

“We are not seeking anyone’s approval,” he stated. “Nothing to hide — we’re just being ourselves.”

The veteran actors confirmed their relationship in November last year. The couple have since been enjoying trips with each other’s families, the recent one being their Palawan trip with Picache’s son, actor Nio Tria. n

Manny Jacinto hops from comedy...

PAGE 13 “Logan was one of my favorite characters from the get-go because he is so earnest and sincere that he really doesn’t realize how unbelievably funny he is being. That he is a middle school drama teacher and speaks as if he is a professor at Juilliard is absolutely fantastic,” said Peter Safran, one of the film’s producers as well.

Steady rise Bigger things are in store for Jacinto this year.

Among them is the hugely anticipated Top Gun: Maverick, starring Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Val Kilmer, and Jon Hamm and directed by Joseph Kosinski, where he plays the role of a fighter pilot.

Not bad for an actor whose take on a bumbling not-so-smart Asian (an antithesis to the nerd Asian trope) opened a lot of doors. For his inspired work as Jason Mendoza, in The Good Place, Jacinto earned critical acclaim and landed him on “best of” lists from Variety, ET, Buzzfeed, Vulture, Indiewire, and Uproxx to name a few. The Hollywood Reporter highlighted him as one of the top Supporting Actors in its 2019 Emmys Class Photo.

He was also named to People Magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive” list in 2020 and was

honored at the 2018 Unforgettable Gala, alongside Sandra Oh and John Cho, for his work on the series.

Jacinto got his start as a dramatic actor and was nominated for a Leo Award for his role in the drama The Romeo Section from creator Chris Haddock. His early film and television credits also include Bad Times at the El Royale; ABC’s popular fantasy series Once Upon A Time; and memorable guest appearances on AMC’s Bates Motel and ABC’s hit medical drama The Good Doctor.

A Filipino-Canadian native of Vancouver, Jacinto is also a trained dancer and studied Civil Engineering at the University of British Columbia.

In an interview with Collider, Jacinto shared that if time and money were no object, he’d love to see a good Filipino story, whether it’s TV, film, or limited series.

“I’d love to share something like that with the world, show that aspect of different cultures and communities,” Jacinto said.

“Something that revolves around a good Filipino story.”

With his star and influence rising by the day, fans and followers are hopeful that this wish could turn into a reality someday.

“I Want You Back” is now available to stream on Prime Video. n

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