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Volume 11 – Issue 20 • 16 Pages

F E BR U A R Y 2 3 - MA R C H 1 , 2 0 1 8

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Palace on US intelligence report: Fil-Am Cook County Duterte ‘adheres to the rule of law’ Circuit Court DATELINE

USA

FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

judge convicted of mortgage fraud

Guilty verdict likely to end Circuit Court Judge Jessica Arong O’Brien’s career in law, hearing set for July 6 NOT long after she broke barriers as the first Filipina-American judge in the Cook County Circuit Court, Jessica Arong O’Brien has been convicted in a $1.4 million mortgage fraud scheme.

O’Brien, 50, sat stoically in the courtroom on Thursday, February 15, as the jury found her guilty of bank fraud and mail fraud which resulted in her pocketing $325,000 after she lied to lenders. She reportedly lied about her income when applying for loans, one

by DANA

SIOSON AJPress

PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte “has no autocratic tendencies” and “adheres to the rule of law,” Malacañang affirmed as it slammed a United States intelligence report tagging the Filipino leader as a threat to democracy and human rights

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by DANA

SIOSON AJPress

AN aide of Kingdom of Jesus Christ founder Apollo Quiboloy was charged before a United States District Court in Hawaii for allegedly trying to smuggle to the Philippines more than $300,000 in cash.

A U.S. District Court accused Felina Salinas, a U.S. citizen, of attempted bulk cash smuggling after inspectors found $335,000 in her carry-on bag during a flight en route to the Philippines on February 13.

According to the complaint, Salinas only declared carrying $40,000 and P1,000. But when inspectors opened her carry-on bag, they reportedly found $335,000 and AUD $9,000 in cash hidden in socks inside a

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Quiboloy aide charged with cash smuggling

autocrat nor has autocratic tendencies. He adheres to the rule of law and remains loyal to the Constitution. An autocracy is not prevalent, as they would like everyone to believe,” Roque said.

The U.S. intelligence community recently released a report listing Duterte as among the

Duterte: ‘PH Rise is ours, period’ PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has strongly asserted the country’s sovereignty over the Philippine Rise, formerly called Benham Rise.

Speaking in front of the FilipinoChinese community and Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jinhua on Monday, February 19, Duterte stressed that the resource-rich waters belong to the Philippines.

“The Philippine Rise is ours. Period. The continental shelf below it is Philippine jurisdiction. That is ours,” Duterte said during his speech at the 10th Biennial Convention and 20th Founding Anniversary celebration of the Chinese Filipino Business Club, Inc. (CFBCI) in Manila Hotel.

He also downplayed China’s move to name five undersea features of the Philippine Rise following a maritime survey, which were reportedly recognized by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) last year.

The Philippine government has

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in Southeast Asia.

In a statement on Wednesday, February 21, Palace Spokesperson Harry Roque dismissed the U.S. intelligence community’s 2018 Worldwide Threat Assessment as “myopic and speculative at best.”

“For one, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte is no

PAYING HIS RESPECTS. President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday, February 22, personally condoled with the family of Joanna Demafelis, the overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who was killed in Kuwait. Duterte visited the wake of Demafelis in Barangay Feraris, Iloilo, where he extended financial and burial assistance to the family of the slain OFW. Demafelis died in Kuwait after suffering from extreme physical abuse allegedly committed by her employers. Her corpse was found kept inside a freezer, an act the President has strongly condemned and deplored. With regard to the call for justice by the Demafelis family, the President said he would leave the matter to the Kuwaiti authorities for now. He, however, stressed that the ban on the deployment of OFWs to Kuwait will remain until the killers of Demafelis are arrested.

Malacañang photo by Richard Madelo

OFW deployment ban House panel approves may expand coverage divorce bill in PH

by DANA

SIOSON AJPress

Senator Joel Villanueva (3rd from left), chair of the Senate Committee on Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development, expresses his frustration over the deaths of 185 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Kuwait during a Senate inquiry on Wednesday, February 21.

Senate photo by Albert Calvelo

PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte has raised the possibility of expanding the deployment ban on Filipino workers to other countries, saying he would not allow the abuse and maltreatment of them.

The president made the statement on Monday, February 19, as he maintained that the Philippine government will not lift the deployment ban on Filipino workers in Kuwait.

“The ban will continue and it will extend to other countries.

Mahirapan sila, well, humihingi na ako ng tawad sa inyo... Wala akong kaplano na ipadala kayo doon tapos babuyin kayo. Hindi ko style ‘yan (They will have a hard time. I am asking for your forgiveness. I will not allow… I have no plan to send you there where you will be maltreated.

That’s not my style),” Duterte said.

The president, however, did not name any country where he is planning to impose the deployment ban.

Earlier this month, the Philippine government has enforced

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Metro Manila traffic costs P3.5-B daily

by AJPRESS

EDSA, a main thoroughfare that spans across cities in Metro Manila, as seen at night. The Duterte administration has set an P8.44-trillion infrastructure spending plan until 2022 to spur gross domestic product growth to 7-8 percent starting this year from a targeted 6.5-7.5 percent in 2017.

Philstar.com photo

THE worsening traffic in Metro Manila results to a daily loss of P3.5 billion, according to estimates by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

JICA on Thursday, February 22, reported that the daily traffic cost in Metro Manila has worsened from the previous P2.4 billion in 2012, and is likely to surge at P5.4 billion in 2035.

“Metro Manila’s population in 2015 is almost 13 million people; Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna

and Cavite [combined], almost 11 million. So Mega Manila [in 2015], 24 million people,” JICA chief representative to the Philippines Susumi Ito explained.

He went on to say, “But in 2025, Metro Manila’s [population would be] 16 million, and Mega manila including Bulacan, Laguna, Rizal and Cavite [would be] 38 million. So Mega Manila will be larger. It will be one of the largest cities in the world.”

Ito, however, remarked that the figures on the daily cost of traffic

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by AJPRESS THE House Committee on Population and Family Relations has approved a measure legalizing divorce and the dissolution of marriage in the Philippines.

The House panel, chaired by Laguna Representative Sol Aragones, approved the substitute bill for four divorce bills — House Bills 116, 1062, 2380, and 6027 — on Wednesday, February 21, with no contention.

The four bills were authored by lawmakers across party-lines, including Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez of Davao del Norte, Rep. Edcel Lagman of Albay, Rep. Ace Barbers of Surigao del Norte, and Rep. Emmi de Jesus and Arlene Brosas of Gabriela party-list, among others.

The new bill was entitled “An act instituting absolute divorce in the Philippines,” which followed the title of Lagman’s House Bill 116.

The substitute bill aims to give “the opportunity to spouses in irremediably failed marriages to secure an absolute divorce decree under limited grounds and well-defined judicial procedures to terminate a continuing dysfunction of a long broken marriage.”

During a press briefing, Lagman described the approved measure as a “pro-woman legislation.”

“Because in most cases it is the wife who is entitled to an absolute divorce in order to be liberated from an abusive situation and also for her to redeem her dignity and self-respect,” he added.

Lagman also noted that the measure aims to make divorce more affordable for Filipinos.

“We are proposing an inexpensive and affordable divorce process which would also observe a decent process in which case, litigants or petitioners will be given the opportunity to file their petitions without paying the penalties and cause of litigations,” he said.

As for the grounds of divorce, Lagman said that the provision regarding irreconcilable differences and the right of the spouses to file a joint petition for divorce, cited in Alvarez’ bill, was adopted.

“Chronic unhappiness,” on the other hand, was dropped because it was “hard to determine, it’s so subjective and it approximates an esoteric ground,” according to Lagman.

“The grounds for absolute

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A february 23-march 1, 2018 • NeW yOrK aND NeW JerSey aSIaN JOurNaL

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

From the Front Page

Palace on US intelligence report...

PAGE A1 t Southeast Asian leaders who pose a threat to democracy and human rights, along with ruling Thai officials and Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen. “In the Philippines, President Duterte will continue to wage his signature campaign against drugs, corruption, and crime.

Duterte has suggested he could suspend the Constitution, declare a ‘revolutionary government,’ and impose nationwide martial law,” the report read.

It also cited a Freedom House report that tagged the Philippines as among countries “ w ho s e g ove rn m en t s u s e d social media to spread government views, to drive agendas,

and to counter criticism of the government online.”

But Roque maintained that autocracy does not exist under the Duterte administration, saying that the “media are still able to broadcast and print what they want – ’fake news’ included.”

“Our judiciary and the courts are functioning as usual. Our legislature remains independent and basic services are still being delivered,” he added.

The Palace official also insisted that “there is no revolutionary government or nationwide martial law, which U.S. intelligence officials are saying that the president might declare or impose.”

Defending the administration’s use of social media,

Duterte: ‘PH Rise is ours...

PAGE A1 t maintained it would not recognize the Chinese names given to the undersea features within the country’s exclusive economic zone at Philippine Rise.

“Eh alangan nilang gawing German, ang alam nila Chinese eh (I doubt they would use German, they only knew Chinese).

Those are just directions na tapos na sila dyan (they are done with that). Of course, they will do it in Chinese, it’s their dialect,” Duterte said.

Apart from the Philippine Rise, the president also strong-

ly asserted the country’s sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea, which is part of the highly disputed South China Sea. “I am ready, to put my presidency, my career as president, my life and honor [on the line].

Atin ‘yan (That is ours). It has been the claim of the Republic of the Philippines na atin ‘yan (that that is ours)… which we called before the [South] China Sea, now the West Philippine Sea,” he stressed.

The president, however, noted that the Philippines could only make “diplomatic” moves

Roque pointed out that it is “foolhardy not to tap social media as a tool when the technology exists for free.”

“While it is true that the administration uses and maximizes social media to promote government messages and accomplishments, members of the political opposition and other cause-oriented groups use the same media platform to advance their agenda,” Roque said.

He continued, “I don’t know of any government in the free world which does not use the internet and social media to promote its agenda. This is very true especially in the case of the U.S. This latest intelligence assessment is a classic case in point.” n in dealing with territorial disputes concerning the South China Sea. Duterte maintained that the Philippines will continue to assert its maritime claims but could not go into war with China—which nearly claimed the entire South China Sea—and with other rival claimants.

“Well, we can only be diplomatic. We can only be talking on friendly and civilized terms,” Duterte said.

He added, “We cannot go there, ride in our whatever, Navy, the gray ships, the Coast Guard and start waving our rifles. We cannot do that today. It is unrealistic. It cannot be true.” n

OFW deployment ban may...

PAGE A1 t a complete ban on the deployment of Filipino workers to Kuwait over reported abuses. The order came following the death of Filipina Joanna Demafelis was found inside a freezer while working in the country.

In his speech, Duterte stressed that “the Filipino is a slave of nobody.”

“The Filipino seeks to work abroad to earn a living so that he can help his family because the economy here, local, cannot absorb the entire workforce who would want to,” he added.

The president appealed to oth-

er nations to treat Filipino workers with dignity and respect.

“The only thing… that we ask is that you give us the dignity of a human being, you treat us humanely, be tolerant of our cultural differences and do not abuse our women because it will inflict a long and lasting wound. Maybe this generation cannot and will not forget it,” Duterte said.

He continued, “That is why, I’m addressing myself, not only to Kuwait but to the entire nations in the world to say that Filipinos are everywhere seeking livelihood, can I please plead to you? Please do not degrade

them like animals, do not treat them as a slave.”

Acknowledging that the ban would hurt OFWs, Duterte said he was prepared to accept the consequences, including backlash.

“Will it involve hardships?

Yes. Will it involve sacrifice?

Yes. Would it mean anger? Yes. To me, yes. Tanggapin ko lahat,” he said. “I’m ready to admit everything but the ban stands.

Umuwi lang kayo dito maski na papaano matulungan ko kayo maski sa pagkain (You should go home. At least I can help you even with food).” n

RESPONSIBLE INFORMATION DISSEMINATION. Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar leads the information officers from the 17 regions of the country in their pledge of commitment to responsibly disseminate developmental information down to the grassroots during the last day of the National Information Convention held at the SMX Convention Center in Davao City on Wednesday, February 21.

PNA photo by Oliver Marquez

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Metro Manila traffic costs...

congestion will be “drastically reduced” with the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte’s “Build, Build, Build” (BBB) infrastructure program.

Under the program, the Philippine government is rolling out P8 trillion-worth of road networks and other infrastructures to enhance the mobility in different parts of the country.

“As you can see, the traffic cost is P3.5 billion a day in Metro Manila. If we do nothing, it will become P5.4 billion a day in 2035.

But with BBB, it will be reduced to P3 billion a day, with additional projects, it will be reduced to P2.4 billion a day,” Ito said.

In this regard, Ito said that the Japanese government is “fully supportive” of the Philippine government’s “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program.

This March, the Philippine and Japanese governments are set to sign a loan agreement for the Mega Manila Subway Project (MMSP) — the Philippines’ first subway and the soon-to-be longest mass railway transit.

The subway will run from Min-

Infographic by Philstar.com

danao Avenue in Quezon City to FTI complex in Taguig City. With the new transportation, the trip from Quezon City to Taguig can be reduced to half an hour from two hours. It will also have an additional line extending towards

the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) terminals in Pasay City.

“The conclusion that we have is that ‘Build, Build, Build’ is a right direction. It’s a must do,” Ito said. n

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

Dateline USa

NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • fEbRUARY 23-mARch 1, 2018

Hospitals want to cut back on free care; critics say no way FIVE years after Fresnobased attorney Joy Dockter started fighting for patients saddled with medical debt, hospitals continue to go after them — even though most are now insured.

Hospitals that used to sue uninsured patients for large sums of money before the Affordable Care Act expanded coverage now press to collect as little as $500 from insured patients who can’t afford their copayments and deductibles, she said.

“Our folks are already stretched, and they’re stretched far,” said Dockter, who works with Central California Legal Services. Patients are treated as if they “just went out and bought a big-screen TV and need to pay for it,” when in fact they may qualify for free or reduced care, she said.

Though millions of previously uninsured people now have coverage under the ACA, Dockter and other health consumer advocates argue that the need for free or discounted care is still great — even among people with insurance. However, four California hospitals are asking state Attorney General Xavier Becerra to reduce how much of it they’re required to provide. The hospitals claim there’s less need for charity care because the share of Californians without insurance has dropped significantly under the ACA, from 17 percent in 2013 to 6.8 percent last year.

“It’s not that they are trying to walk away from their charity care obligations,” said Jan Emerson-Shea, spokeswoman for the California Hospital Association. But “they would have to essentially bus people in from other parts of the state” to meet their requirement because there are not enough patients in need.

Tam Ma, legal and policy director at the health consumer advocacy coalition Health Access, rejected that argument.

“We find it hard to believe that these hospitals … can’t find people who need the charity care,” she said.

Under federal law, nonprofit hospitals must provide an unspecified amount of free or discounted care — or other charity, such as donations to community groups — in exchange for considerable tax breaks.

However, a separate California law empowers the state attorney general to establish specific charity care requirements when a nonprofit hospital changes ownership.

Three Southern California hospitals petitioned Becerra to reduce these state-based charity care obligations by about half. A fourth hospital, Emanuel Medical Center in Turlock, has asked for a 79 percent cut.

Becerra, who declined to comment for this story, has 90 days to respond to each hospital’s petition. He has scheduled a hearing for Thursday to consider the request by Emanuel Medical Center.

The California Hospital Association sent a letter to Becerra last September, saying that 32 hospitals want more “flexibility” in their charity care obligations. That letter suggests more petitions may be forthcoming, confirmed Anne McLeod, the association’s senior vice president for health policy and innovation.

About 20 states have laws that give their attorneys general or other officials specific ways they can intervene in nonprofit hospital sales, including the ability to hold hearings or set charity care quotas.

But California is unique because of the “significant requirements” it imposes, said Steve Valentine, a vice president at Premier Inc., which advises nonprofit hospitals going through ownership changes.

In addition to charity care requirements, the California attorney general has the power to establish other mandates, such as how many emergency room beds must remain open, Valentine said. The mandates vary by hospital.

Frederick Isasi, executive director of the national consumer advocacy group Families USA,

Fil-Am Cook County Circuit...

PAGE A1 t time failing to disclose $260,000 mortgage from her primary residence.

After selling the properties to a co-worker named Maria Bartko by way of a straw buyer, O’Brien reportedly made two undisclosed payments to Bartko — the other defendant in this case — that totaled $73,000, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Madden.

Her conviction effectively removes her from the bench, according to state law. She also may see serious prison time. A sentencing hearing has been set for July 6.

As previously reported by the Asian Journal, during her time as a lawyer for the Illinois Department of Revenue, O’Brien lied about loan and refinancing applications for two investment properties that were purchased in 2004 and 2007, before she was elected to the Circuit Court.

Her attorney Ricardo Meza disregarded the claims, labeling them as “mistakes,” telling jurors, “Whatever Jessica did, it was always done in good faith.”

Before the jurors began their deliberations last week, Meza suggested the allegations were a conspiracy lodged by the government, adding that the claims were a “cockamamie concoction.” After the conviction, he, however, declined to comment.

After a federal grand jury indicted O’Brien in April 2017, O’Brien was removed from hearing cases and had been “reassigned to administrative duties” to another presiding judge’s office, which “is the strongest action” the court’s executive committee can take, according to Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans.

Further action would be handled by the Judicial Inquiry Board and the Illinois Courts Commission.

In a previous Asian Journal profile, O’Brien was born in Cebu, Philippines in 1968 and moved to the United States as

a teenager. She began studying law at John Marshall Law School in Chicago, graduating with a J.D./L.M.M. degree in 1998.

After she passed the bar exam, she served as a special assistant attorney general at the Illinois Department of Revenue, litigating cases involving corporate, partnership and individual income and sales taxation. It was then that the alleged fraud occurred.

After an unsuccessful campaign in 2010 to take over a vacancy in the Cook County Circuit Court, O’Brien again ran in 2012 and won, becoming the first Filipina-American judge to sit on the bench. She is married to Cook County Judge Brendan O’Brien.

She was also the first Asian woman elected president of the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois and co-founded a foundation that rewards diversity scholarships to law students.

O’Brien’s American Dream success story has earned her celebrity status within the legal and Filipino-American communities.

As a Filipina immigrant, she has made efforts to give back to the Filipino-American community and uplift the best and the brightest from diverse backgrounds.

“I am a big advocate for diversity. I think it’s important, but at the same time, I also believe that it has been based on qualifications. I don’t believe in that,” O’Brien shared with the Asian Journal in 2016. “We as a group need to prepare the next generation. If it’s true that Asian Americans are going to bypass all other ethnic groups [by 2040], then what are we doing as a group to hold the power, to be influential?

And we’ve got to be cohesive, and we’re just not.”

In addition to the racial and gender barriers she’s surpassed as a Filipina-American, O’Brien has garnered countless accolades including a “Call to Service” award from former President Barack Obama for more than 4,000 hours of volunteer service over 10 years. (Klarize Medenilla/AJPress)

House panel approves...

PAGE A1 t divorce are the existing grounds for legal separation, annulment of marriage and nullification of marriage, more particularly the psychological incapacity. But there are additional grounds like the de facto separation for five years and the marriage is beyond repair,” Lagman said.

The five-year de facto separation provision was taken from the

divorce bills authored by Barbers, and De Jesus and Brosas.

“Another ground is if one of the spouses had undergone change in sex or what is known sexual reassignment,” Lagman added.

The Philippines is among the only two nations in the world that does not have divorce law.

The other one is the Vatican City, an ecclesiastical sovereign city-state. n

said he’s not aware of hospitals outside of California that are challenging their charity care requirements. He believes all nonprofit hospitals have a duty to help patients afford care, including people who have insurance but are struggling with copayments and deductibles.

“As long as families in this country cannot afford the health care they’re receiving, there’s the need for hospitals to do everything they can,” Isasi said.

The American Hospital Association said nonprofit hospitals already give back more to their communities than they get in tax breaks.

“For every dollar invested in nonprofit hospitals and health systems through the federal tax exemption, they deliver $11 in benefits back to their communities,” said Mindy Hatton, the association’s senior vice president and general counsel.

California’s previous attorney general, Kamala Harris, denied similar requests from hospitals in 2016, including a few from the same institutions that have recently petitioned Becerra.

Becerra “may have a different point of view on it,” Emerson-Shea said. “You never know unless you ask.”

Health advocates are urging Becerra to deny the four hospitals’ requests. They point to California’s nearly 3 million uninsured residents, not to

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DENGVAXIA HEARING. Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito talks to Public Attorneys Office (PAO) chief Persida Acosta after the Senate hearing on the anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia held at the Senate Building in Pasay City on Wednesday, February 21. Behind them are parents of the alleged 22 victims of Dengvaxia, who carried pictures of their children. The children allegedly died after being immunized with the vaccine.

PNA photo by Avito Dalan

Quiboloy aide charged...

PAGE A1 t

black bag.

“None of that money was reported by Ms. Salinas to the CBPO (Customs and Border Protection Office),” the complaint read. U.S. law requires individuals to declare the cash they’re taking out of the country if it’s over $10,000.

Salinas was released on a $25,000 bond. The preliminary hearing on her case is set on February 27.

According to media reports, Quiboloy, who was on board the private plane with Salinas, was detained briefly at the Honolulu airport over the incident but later

took a commercial flight to the Philippines. The private plane was sequestered in Honolulu.

But Quiboloy’s spokesman, lawyer Israelito Torreon, clarified that the religious leader was not “detained” in Hawaii.

“I have to clarify everything.

Detention implies that he committed a crime and that he violated US law. He was not detained, he did not violate any U.S. law and as a matter of fact, he is back in the Philippines,” Torreon said.

Torreon also said that Quiboloy arrived in Manila at 6:30 p.m on February 15. This was confirmed

by the Bureau of Immigration (BI).

BI spokesperson Ma. Antonette Mangrobang said Quiboloy arrived on board a Philippine Airlines flight at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

She, however, denied that BI personnel “escorted” him out of the airport.

“Quiboloy underwent immigration arrival formalities. In light of the expected deluge of media upon his arrival, BI deemed it best to process his arrival in our office to avoid any commotion in the immigration area and affect other arriving passengers,” Mangrobang said. (Dana Sioson/AJPress)

A february 23-march 1, 2018 • NeW yOrK aND NeW JerSey aSIaN JOurNaL

Arum explains why Pacquiao vs Matthysse fight won’t happen soon

by Dino

MaRagay Philstar.com

TOP rank Inc. chief Bob Arum recently took to social discussion website reddit to interact with some boxing fans.

The veteran promoter was asked why Manny Pacquiao won’t be fighting WBA welterweight champion Lucas Matthysse in his planned ring return this April.

The reason, Arum said, was simply the lack of communication between him and the Argentine fighter’s camp.

“Well, because nobody’s ever talked to Matthysse, about wheth-

er he’s ready,” said Arum.

Arum wants to keep everything in-house, instead preferring to pit Pacquiao against longtime contender Mike Alvarado, also a Top rank-promoted fighter.

Matthysse, in contrast, fights under Golden Boy Promotions, Top rank’s chief rival.

This comes even as Pacquiao has voiced out his preference to fight Matthysse, who knocked out Tewa Kiram last January to annex the vacant title.

“I think some writer asked if he’d [Pacquiao] want to fight [Matthysse], and he said yes,” continued Arum, who instead

JaiMe LauDe Philstar.com

A U.S. Navy carrier strike group led by USS Carl Vinson left Manila Bay on Monday, February 19, to resume freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea. From Manila Bay, the Nimitzclass aircraft carrier would make a port call at former U.S. base Cam ranh Bay in Vietnam.

A former U.S. foe, Vietnam is openly contesting China’s rapid militarization of the region.

Beijing’s military buildup in the South China Sea has prompted other maritime states in the region to expand their presence in areas they claim as their own.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which many of the claimant countries are members, has not been united enough to stop Beijing’s expansionism.

More than four decades after the Vietnam War, USS Carl Vinson is slated to drop anchor at Hanoi’s southern seaport of Cam ranh either late this month or early next month, according to reuters.

More than 5,500 sailors from Carl Vinson and guided-missile destroyer USS Michael Murphy arrived on Friday to visit local attractions and participate in community service projects.

Crewmembers assisted residents of Quezon City by helping

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

plans to stage Pacquiao-Alvarado in the same card as the fight between Terence Crawford and recent Pacquiao conqueror Jeff Horn.

Matthysse, meanwhile, has repeatedly called out Pacquiao since defeating Kiram.

Arum, for his part, said Pacquiao and Matthysse could still cross paths sometime later.

“Would he [Pacquiao] fight Matthysse down the road? Why not?” added the promoter.

“But we were up against a deadline in April, so at that point not having talked to the opponent, it was a non-starter.” n

US carrier resumes SCS operations by

Dateline USa

clear debris at a site for low-income housing.

“Community service projects like these help build relationships,” said Cmdr. Jamie Stall-ryan, Carl Vinson’s lead chaplain.

“It shows that sailors are not just in town to have fun. We’re here to partner with the Philippine people and support them,” he said.

Sailors also helped pack 3,300 boxes of relief supplies that will help feed 16,000 residents from Albay province displaced by the recent eruption of Mount Mayon.

“I feel like I’m involved in making the world a better place,” said Seaman Shemroy Kellman from Carl Vinson’s Deck department.

The strike group will continue

FILIPINA BEAUTIES. Candidates for the 2018 Binibining Pilipinas pageant, which sends the country’s representatives to the Miss Universe and other international beauty contests, blow kisses to the media during their press presentation at the Novotel Manila Araneta Center on Wednesday, February 21.

MAnilaTimes.net photo by John Micah Sebastian

operating in the Indo-Pacific region as part of a regularly scheduled deployment focused on working with partners and allies, promoting freedom of the seas and enhancing regional security, the US embassy said.

The strike group also includes Carrier Air Wing 2, USS Wayne E. Meyer and guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain.

The Carl Vinson is operating in the Indo-Pacific region conducting maritime operations, promoting freedom of navigation and working with partners and allies to enhance regional security and stability. It is based in San Diego, California. n

3 ‘innovators’ from PH join elite list of world’s ‘social entrepreneurs’

by Matthew

Reysio-CRuz Inquirer.net

THrEE “changemakers” in the Philippines were inducted as Ashoka fellows in Taguig City on Wednesday, February 21, bringing to nine the number of people in the country who are part of the world’s largest and most prestigious network of social innovators.

The newest additions to the elite group are Amina Evangelista Swanepoel, founding executive director of roots of Health; Bai rohaniza Mateo Sumndad-Usman, founding president of Teach Peace Build Peace Movement; and Zhihan Lee, chief executive officer and founder of Bagosphere, who is a Singaporean based in the Philippines. Lee is being honored for his work in the Philippines.

Ashoka was founded in 1980 by luminary Bill Drayton, who coined the term “social entrepreneur,” and is devoted to building and supporting a community of high-impact problem solvers.

There are 3,500 Ashoka fellows in 93 different countries, several of which have gone on to win the ramon Magsaysay Award, Asia’s highest civilian honor. One fellow, India’s Kailash Satyarthi, won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.

The fellows are chosen after a highly selective process that involves extensive research, interviews, and local and international evaluations—and the result is indisputable, given that data has shown that majority of Ashoka fellows change national-level systems within the first 10 years of their selection.

This year’s inductees from the Philippines are a diverse mix, recognized for work in reproductive health, peace-

building and livelihood education—but in the typical Ashoka mold, their solutions to chronic social woes are similar in their novelty and potency. roots of Health, which Swanepoel founded after moving to Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, from New York in 2009, empowers women and girls in some of the poorest pockets of the province by offering a formidable combination of comprehensive sex education and high-quality clinical services.

“What started almost nine years ago as three full-time staff is now 30 staff members serving the contraceptive needs of 17,000 women in a year,” Swanepoel told the Inquirer.

The organization also taught at least 18,000 young people, trained more than 1,000 barangay health workers and prevented over 5,000 unwanted pregnancies in 2017—all in a predominantly Catholic nation where reproductive health is still often treated warily.

“In Palawan, we’re working with some of the poorest populations, and we’ve found that politics and religion hardly comes into play at the very poorest levels,” Swanepoel said. “Whenever I’ve interviewed women who are not using contraception and I ask them why, they always say it’s because they can’t afford it.”

The initial problem roots of Health sought to solve—girls dropping out of college due to unplanned pregnancies— has given way to a wholesale curriculum that also includes talking about consent and power dynamics alongside the more technical details of reproductive health. n

Hospitals want to cut back...

PAGE A3 t mention countless others with high-deductible, high-cost plans.

Ma, of Health Access, suggested hospitals consider extending charity care to middleincome Californians who are having difficulty paying their medical bills.

“How many GoFundMe accounts, campaigns, do you see out there?” asked Ma, referring to the increasingly common practice of people fundraising online to pay their medical bills. “All those folks should be screened for charity care.”

Most California hospitals create their own policies that govern who qualifies for charity care and how much.

Dockter helped 120 people who were struggling with medical debt last year, including insured patients who couldn’t afford $50 copayments, she said.

“We ask them, ‘Did you apply for charity care?’” Dockter said of her conversations with clients. “Almost without exception the answer is, ‘What’s that?’”

Patient advocates say the number of uninsured people might soon grow if Medicaid and private insurance enrollment erode under the Trump administration. The recently adopted federal tax law eliminates the penalty for people without health insurance, starting in 2019.

Turlock’s Emanuel Medical Center, which became forprofit in 2014, must comply with a six-year charity care requirement. It was supposed to spend $3,348,377 on charity

care in 2016. Now the hospital wants to cut its obligation retroactively by nearly 80 percent, according to the hospital’s proposal to the attorney general.

The reduction would also apply to subsequent years.

Emanuel officials didn’t respond to repeated requests for comment or information for this story.

Verdugo Hills Hospital, acquired by the University of Southern California in 2013, has requested a 45 percent reduction in its charity care obligation for 2015 and subsequent years, according to its proposal.

The nonprofit hospital serves the community in other ways that aren’t reflected in the charity care requirement, such as free mental health programs and injury prevention classes, said its CEO, Keith Hobbs.

And since its acquisition, Verdugo Hills has invested $30 million to improve and expand facilities such as the emergency department, which has reduced wait times, Hobbs said.

“I feel really confident in the efforts that we’re taking” to help the community, he said.

Money saved from reducing its charity care requirement could enable Verdugo Hills to “keep looking at other ways to invest those dollars,” such as building a neonatal care unit, he said.

The two other hospitals that have applied to reduce charity care are PIH Health Hospital in Downey and Mission Community Hospital in Panorama City. (Pauline Bartolone/Kaiser Health News)

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Dateline PhiliPPines

A

Palace says ICC can’t demand drug war data from PH gov’t by aJPress

FEDERALISM SUMMIT. Lead convenor Raul Lambino (right) along with former Chief Justice Reynato Puno (middle) and Quezon City Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte (left) show their support for federalism during a rally at the Quezon City Memorial Circle. Dubbed as “Fed-IBIG ng Bayan para sa Pagbabago,” the gathering was hosted by newly appointed Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) board director Jesus “Bong” Suntay to show that the campaign for federalism is now in full blast.

ManilaTimes.net photo by Roger Rañada

Duterte justifies ban from Palace complex Says media outlet ‘illegitimate’ agency

by Dana

SioSon AJPress

PhIlIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte has defended his order to ban Rappler reporters from entering Malacañang, saying he was just “invoking executive action” based on a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ruling.

In an interview with reporters on Thursday, February 22, Duterte noted the SEC has ruled that the media outfit was “not a legitimate agency.”

The president said he will only lift the ban on Rappler if SEC decision to revoke its registration is overturned.

“Because it is not a legitimate agency according to SEC, so I am now invoking executive action based on the SEC ruling, na kung sabihin na sila, legitimate sila, pasok kayo uli, walang problema sa akin ‘yan (If they say they are now legitimate, they can come again, no problem with me),” he explained. he added, “But unless hindi ka legitimate, hindi naman Pilipino pala ang may-ari. Eh bawal ‘yan eh (But unless they are not legitimate, since it is not Pilipinoowned, that is illegal).”

last month, the SEC revoked Rappler’s license to operate over the alleged violation of Constitutional restrictions on foreign ownership.

Rappler, however, maintained that it is 100 percent Filipino owned.

Duterte also claimed anew that Rappler has ties with the United States’ Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), an allegation that the media outfit had rejected.

“That is the history of America, CIA, and ‘yung political dissenters, inaalagaan nila at eventually mamili ‘yan sila ng kandidato na mautusan nila kagaya nito ngayon (and the political dissenters, they are taking care of them and eventually pick a candidate they can order around just like what’s happening now),” the president added. he further alleged that Rappler “takes every chance to undermine” his administration. last Tuesday, February 20, Rappler reporter Pia Ranada was briefly denied entry at Malacañang but was later informed that she would only be allowed at the New Executive Building (NEB), Malacañang where the Press Working Area is located.

Rappler described the move as

“another instance of power attempting to intimidate independent journalists.”

The following Wednesday, February 21, the ban on Rappler reporters was expanded to the entire complex.

In a statement, Reporters Without Borders (Reporters Sans Frontieres, RSF) condemned the order to prohibit Rappler from covering events at Malacañang.

RSF tagged the move as an “act of harassment” and a “serious violation of media freedom.”

“It is completely unacceptable for President Duterte to deny accredited journalists access to press conferences and events at the Malacañang palace,” said Daniel Bastard, the head of RSF’s Asia-Pacific desk. he continued, “This decision, coming soon after the withdrawal of Rappler’s license, not only speaks to a desire to control journalists’ work but also confirms that the Philippine authorities want to crush an independent media outlet known for the quality of its investigative reporting.”

In RSF’s 2017 World Press Freedom Index, the Philippines ranked 127th most dangerous country for the media out of the 180 countries surveyed. n

After Boracay, Panglao may also face shutdown

by Dana

SioSon

ThE International Criminal Court (ICC) has no authority to compel the Philippine government to provide documents on its campaign against illegal drugs, according to Malacañang on Sunday, February 18.

In a radio interview, Palace Spokesperson harry Roque noted that there is no formal case against President Rodrigo Duterte as the ICC is only conducting a preliminary examination on his administration’s controversial drug war.

“First, the (ICC) prosecutor has no power yet to ask us to provide any document because there is no investigation yet. It is just a preliminary examination. There is no case yet,” Roque told dzMM. he added, “It only means that the prosecutor is studying whether to conduct a preliminary investigation. And based on the experience of other countries, Colombia, it took 13 years before the preliminary examination is completed.”

Earlier this month, the ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) announced that it will look into the alleged thousands of human rights abuses and killings under Duterte’s anti-drug drive to determine if there is a basis to conduct a formal investigation against the president.

But an unfazed Duterte expressed his administration’s readiness to face the ICC as he refuted the allegations of extrajudicial killings in the country. he also said he’s ready to face execution should the international court find him guilty of committing crimes against humanity.

Despite the ICC’s move, Duterte maintained that the 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 last week. “And it will last until the day I step out.”

According to the Philippine Drug Agency (PDEA), 4,021 drug personalities have died during antidrug operations conducted by the agency and other law enforcement groups from July 1, 2016 — when

Duterte assumed the presidency — to February 8 of this year.

In a recent statement, the PDEA said it is willing to cooperate with the ICC on its preliminary examination and provide relevant documents.

“This is precisely why we came

up with Real Numbers so we can be transparent in the conduct of the anti-drug campaign. Now if the data will be summoned in relation to such hearing, PDEA will support in terms of the data,” PDEA Spokesperson Derrick Arnold Carreon said last week. n

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AJPress

AFTER Boracay, another tourist island in the Visayas is likely to face shutdown over environmental issues.

According to Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia, President Rodrigo Duterte is mulling to close erring establishments in Panglao Island if the reported problems on waste management in the area were not properly addressed.

Pernia told Inquirer that Panglao island, located in the Bohol province, was suffering from environmental problems due to the unregulated development and lax enforcement of laws amid the continued surge in tourist arrivals.

“It could be next if violators would not correct their mistakes by complying with environmental laws and regulations,” Pernia said, as quoted

by Inquirer in a report dated Tuesday, February 20.

“It’s a warning to save the country’s prime tourist destinations from further environmental destruction,” he added.

There are reportedly only 33 out of around 200 commercial establishments operating in Panglao that have permits from the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB).

According to Panglao Councilor Rogelyn Clemeña-Degoma, most establishments in the island had no wastewater treatment facility.

“By this time, we will strictly implement the requirement for

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Inquirer.net photo by Leo Udtohan

the discharge permit of businesses and the implementation of building structures within the 20-meter salvage [or easement] zone,” Degoma said, as she remarked that the issue in Boracay serves as an eye-opener for all officials in Bohol.

Duterte earlier gave the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) six months to fix the waste management issues in the island of Boracay, which he likened to a “cesspool.”

The president threatened to close the world-famous tourist destination if the island’s sewage and garbage problems were not addressed.

In a briefing on Monday, February 19, Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu said the agency has already deployed a “mission team” in Boracay composing of about 50 DENR personnel to rehabilitate the area.

“We will be using all our gov-

ernment and the DENR assets and personnel to do this job.

Those who will be deployed will be on a rotation basis,” Cimatu said.

Another group, composed of more than 100 DENR personnel, will also go to the island on Thursday, February 22, to “conduct a thorough sweep of establishments in Boracay.”

“There will be about 12 teams totalling over 100 people which will be going there to uncover the violators. We expect the number of cases that will be brought before the Pollution Adjudication Board (PAB) to increase. The PAB will decide the closure and imposition of penalties on these errant establishments,” Cimatu added.

According to the DENR, there are 2,600 establishments in Boracay, of which at least 51 were issued notices after being found of violating the water, waste management and land use regulations. n

Ethics complaints against De Lima, Lacson, Trillanes junked

by Dana

SioSon AJPress

ThE Senate panel on Tuesday, February 20, has dismissed the ethics complaints filed against Senators leila De lima, Panfilo lacson, and Antonio Trillanes IV due to lack of jurisdiction.

The Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges, chaired by Senator Tito Sotto, dismissed all complaints without prejudice, which means that the cases could still be refiled.

It was Senate Minority leader Franklin Drilon who moved for the dismissal of the ethics complaints. No other senator objected to the motion.

The complaint against lacson and Trillanes was filed by former Customs chief and now Office of Civil Defense Deputy Administrator III Nicanor Faeldon last year.

Faeldon filed the complaint after the two senators accused him of receiving millions of grease money from the Bureau of Customs.

On the other hand, the three complaints against De lima stemmed from her supposed involvement in the illegal drugs trade and for allegedly advising her former aide and partner Ronnie Dyan to skip hearings despite summons of the house of Representatives.

“She did not violate the Senate rules and it is not related to De lima’s official function. We moved for the dismissal of the case without prejudice to reviv-

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A6 FEBRUARY 23-MARCH 1, 2018 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL

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

FEATURES

OPINION

New destinations

BORACAY, according to officials, is starting to feel the impact of President Duterte’s condemnation as the island prepares for the peak travel season this summer. With the President of the Republic himself describing the island as a “cesspool,” however, Boracay officials, residents and investors have no choice but to show that there is an earnest effort to clean up the top tourist destination.

Overdevelopment in Boracay may no longer be reversed. While the island cleanup is being undertaken, the nation should start developing alternatives to Boracay, whose beaches with unique powdery white sand drew about two million tourists last year. This new effort can start near Boracay, according to an urban planner, who cited the tourism potentials of northern Aklan and Carabao Island.

There are undoubtedly more islands with potential for world-class tourism in this archipelago of over 7,100 islands. Camiguin is attracting international attention. So is Guimaras, home of arguably the world’s sweetest carabao mango. Under competent supervision, the travel industry is one sector that can generate meaningful employment and livelihood opportunities – the type that can blunt the desire of local residents to seek greener pastures either overseas or in crowded mega cities like Metro Manila.

Tourism has powered economic growth in many countries. Aside from creating jobs on site, the current trend in the industry promotes environmental protection. President Duterte, who initially showed

antagonism toward the mining industry because of its impact on the environment, should want to boost tourism development. If the country is to catch up with its neighbors, however, the tourism effort needs a competent coordinator who commands respect in a highly competitive industry.

The Philippines received a record high 6.6 million visitors in 2017, but the figure pales in comparison with arrivals in the four other original founding members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Last year, Thailand received an enviable 35 million visitors, followed by Malaysia with 32 million. Citystate Singapore had 17.4 million while Indonesia drew a record high 14.04 million visitors. Among the newer ASEAN members, Vietnam saw 13 million arrivals, and Cambodia is closing in on the Philippines.

This country has so much to offer travelers especially in terms of natural attractions. Boracay is providing lessons in poorly regulated tourism development. Those mistakes can be avoided in developing new destinations. (Philstar.com)

Editorial

Philstar.com photo

Political experts: Donald Trump is the worst president in US history

The Fil-Am Perspective GEL SANTOS-RELOS AMERICA celebrated Presidents’ Day last Monday, February 19, but there was something, someone missing — a real president with moral leadership in the White House.

The events leading up to Presidents’ Day just exposed more of the character, or the lack thereof, of the 45th president of the United States.

Fourteen young high school students and three school staff members of Parkland, Florida died when a 19-year-old former student fired shots using an AR15 war weapon in classrooms and hallways on February 14.

As the nation grieved with the families of the victims and the students who survived the horrific tragedy lead demonstrations, protests and challenges to President Donald Trump and the Republicans in Congress to finally do

something about gun violence, Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team announced on February 15 the indictment of 13 Russian nationals and three Russian companies and individuals for meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

The indictment stated that “some defendants, posing as U.S. persons without revealing their Russian association, communicated with unwitting individuals associated with the Trump Campaign.”

Trump took to Twitter to twist the indictment and spread the lies that this proves there was no collusion between his campaign and Russia (a claim not stated in the indictment, as investigation is still ongoing and more charges, guilty plea are expected to be announced).

Trump then started blaming the FBI for missing a lead about the gunman because he said the agency was too preoccupied with the Russia probe, which he called a “hoax.” (The FBI has different departments and the Rus-

sia probe does not use the same team that takes care of domestic issues like that of Florida).

The president also pointed fingers at former President Barack Obama, the Democrats, the school, and even the victims themselves.

“So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior. Neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem. Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!” Trump tweeted.

The surviving students lashed out at the president for his response, criticizing him for his obsession about exonerating himself from the Russia probe instead of hearing them out and responding to their call for the government to act on the gun violence in America that has already claimed the lives of many students and civilians because of mass shootings using war weapons.

Trump even had the audacity to claim that he was “stronger”

with Russia compared to Obama, whom he blamed for doing nothing about the Russian interference. Fact checkers immediately called out Trump’s lies, reminding him that Obama confronted Putin about Russia’s interference and even imposed sanctions against the country for trying to meddle in the U.S. democratic processes.

Trump, on the other hand, never once called out Putin and Russia for assaulting our democracy, not when the U.S. intelligence community said so, and not when Mueller’s team had unveiled the indictment of Russians for their interference in the election.

Trump even sang high praises for Putin for being a “strong leader” and when he “confronted” Putin about Russia meddling in US elections who denied the interference, Trump believed him more than the U.S. intelligence reports.

The U.S. intelligence reports also revealed that Russia is still interfering with the American democratic institutions with its

cyber information warfare, and will meddle in the 2018 midterm elections.

What has Trump done about it? His job is to protect America and our democratic institutions and processes, but why has he not implemented the stronger sanctions against Russia signed in a resolution by both Democrats and Republicans? Why has he not ordered anything to stop Russia from influencing the 2018 elections?

In Filipino parlance, “Bakit bahag ang buntot ni Trump pag dating kay Putin?”

Special Counsel Robert Mueller could be asking the same questions and has been gathering all the information that may or (may not) prove that the Trump campaign is in fact in cahoots with Russia.

Worst president Nearly 200 of the top political scientists in America have voted Donald Trump the worst president in U.S. history.

This is according to the 2018 Presidents & Executive Politics

Presidential Greatness Survey, conducted every four years. It surveys social science researchers from the American Political Science Association’s section on presidents and executive politics.

The study asks the experts to rank each president’s greatness on a scale of 0 to 100, with 100 being great, 50 being average, and 0 being a total failure.

Mr. Trump averaged a score of 12.34, which the Independent reported as bumping James Buchanan – the president who saw the U.S. descend into the Civil War – out of the bottom spot.

This survey result just reflects the polls that came just months after Trump finished his first year in office as the most unpopular president in modern history.. *** 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.TheFilAmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook. com/Gel.Santos.Relos

Different nations, a shared destiny Was Rappler putting out fake news on Go? PeaceMaker FORMER SPEAKER JOSE C. DE VENECIA, JR. (PART 2 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.

Institutionalizing the Interfaith Dialogue Excellencies, friends: We in ICAPP campaigned in 2004 in the U.N. General Assembly, in the U.N. Security Council, in other halls of the U.N. in Europe for an inter-faith, inter-cultural, and inter-civilizational dialogue with our proposal to create an Interfaith Council in the U.N. or at least a focal point in the Office of the U.N. Secretary General, at a time when discussion of religion was somewhat taboo within the

U.N. system.

If creating a new council is overly difficult—as some legalists have warned—then, perhaps, we could write an interfaith mandate in the mission order of the Trusteeship Council of the U.N. which had anyway ran out of trust territories to supervise. We had partially succeeded: today there is an Interfaith unit operating in the office of the U.N. Secretary General.

In the United Nations, Iran and the Philippines were the closest allies in promoting the concept and practice of Interfaith Dialogue.

In partnership, the Philippines and Iran successfully sponsored a Resolution in the General Assembly in November 2004, binding the U.N. to promote interfaith dialogue as a way of resolving politico-religious conflicts, strengthening the religious moderates, and isolating those who advocate terrorism in the name of religion. As Speaker of the House at the time, we had the privilege to present these initiatives of Iran and the Philippines to the U.N. General Assembly and to the Security Council.

Since then, not only the United Nations and individual governments, but also civil society groupings, have been holding these important dialogues at local, national, regional, and international levels.

Excellencies, friends: From these Interfaith Dialogues, we

should expect no miracles—except those epiphanies that result from open hearts, the willingness to see the other side’s viewpoint, and a multitude of patience.

The vision of a “common destiny” It does not escape our minds what Chinese President Xi Jinping announced as early as October 2013 in Indonesia, the largest emerging economy of Southeast Asia.

In a speech before the Indonesian Parliament, President Xi unveiled the beginnings of this initiative.

China, he said, “wishes to work” with countries in the ASEAN to ensure that they become “good neighbors, good friends, and good partners” and as such they would “share prosperity and security and stick together through thick and thin.”

He spoke of a larger view and welcomed the idea of a “common destiny,” which a closelyknit China and ASEAN community could build together. This “community of shared destiny” is closely linked with the East Asia community, he said, and the “two sides need to bring out their respective strengths to realize diversity, harmony, inclusiveness and common progress.”

The value of China’s rebuilding of the Silk Road all the way to Iran, to Europe, and across the Red Sea, to Africa, in both its historic overland and 21stCentury PAGE A7

Opinion

RICARDO SALUDO IF Rappler’s line of coverage in the P15.6-billion frigate contract were applied to all instrumentalities of government, every letter referred for an agency’s comment and discussed with its officials would be suspect, if not incriminating.

Receiving correspondence from the public, including bidders in procurement contracts, happens all the time in all state offices, most especially in the Palace, as this writer knew firsthand in eight years as Secretary of the Cabinet, then another two years as Civil Service Commission chairman and presidential spokesman in the Arroyo administration.

Yet for Secretary Bong Go, Special Assistant to President Rodrigo Duterte, a simple referral spurred insinuations of illicit dealings.

When headlines accuse “Bong Go says his office ‘endorsed’ frigate supplier’s complaint to DND,” blared one Rappler headline, which many readers may mistake as saying that SAP Go favorably endorsed the complaint.

In fact, it was a neutral endorsement or a simple referral, as countless officials have to do within 15

days of receiving correspondence on pain of administrative charges for neglect of duty.

“DOCUMENTS: How Bong Go is linked thrice to frigates deal,” was another Rappler article. But again, there are links and there are links. The headline may make many readers think that Go’s connection to the frigates deal was a strong one, maybe even an illicit one.

But what exactly were those documents? They were, as Rappler reported: “A Post-it note on a white paper endorsing a supplier of the Combat Management System (CMS) that was to be installed in the ships”; “a letter inviting the Navy officer in charge of the project to a meeting in Malacañang about the CMS selection”; and “a report submitted by the same Navy officer addressed to President Rodrigo Duterte and Go himself.”

Just to be clear, in the first document, it was the white paper that endorsed the supplier, not the Post-It note.

Again, based on many years of Palace work, referral notes, meeting invitation notices, and reports on issues raised by Malacañang are boringly numerous and frequent. If they were incriminating, this former Cabinet official would have faced charges in his first month in Malacañang.

No smoke, no fire That is not to say that referrals,

meetings and reports cannot be corrupted. But before a responsible, non-partisan news organization raises graft concerns, there should be far more evidence than the three documents Rappler cited. At least, that’s how this writer’s employer of 17 years as editor-writer in Hong Kong, Time Magazine-owned Asiaweek, would handle investigative coverage.

For instance, were there officials or even unnamed sources who accused Secretary Go of interference? None. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Navy chief Commodore Robert Empedrad, and his ousted predecessor, Vice Admiral Ronald Joseph Mercado, all cleared Go. Did Go meet with Hanwa Systems, the Korean supplier of the CMS, which was reportedly a joint venture between frigate builder Hyundai Heavy Industries and rival CMS supplier Thales of the Netherlands?

No such meetings are reported, not even in Rappler, unlike, say, the two meetings then-President Benigno Aquino 3rd and thenHealth Secretary Janette Garin had with Sanofi-Pasteur top executives, leading to the P3.5-billion Dengvaxia vaccine purchase.

Did Malacañang rush the frigates deal, hustling up funds even if there was none appropriated?

That’s what the Aquino regime did with the P3.5-billion Dengvaxia deal, which was also exempted PAGE A7

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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Was Rappler putting out...

PAGE A6 t

from clearance by the Department of Health panel reviewing all drugs DoH orders.

Nope. The P15.7-billion frigates contract was awarded two weeks before the past administration ended in June 2016, though Sec Lorenzana signed the contract in October.

Was there anything disadvantageous in the deal? Maybe, but nothing to do with Go, since he never participated in contract negotiations.

Col. Leonardo D. dela Paz, chief of the Defense Acquisition Office of the Department of National Defense, cited as disadvantageous a contract note allowing frigates builder Hyundai Heavy Industries to select the CMS supplier, and HHI chose Hanwa.

The Navy wanted the Tacticos system of Thales, but HHI would charge an additional $9 million per ship, or $18 million total, to install the Tacticos CMS. That’s P900 million additional. Plus: the Thales system cost $14 million more. So, the Navy went with Hanwa.

Grilling Go, not Aquino Now, is there anything in all that to warrant corruption news,

Dateline PhiliPPines

not to mention a full-scale Senate investigation? Nothing much, prompting Sen. Loren Legarda, a longtime news anchor, to remark that the Senate inquiry was just wasting Go’s time.

Despite no smoke, however, Sen. Antonio Trillanes 4th and his colleague, Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano, insist there is fire. With nothing on Go, they now claim that a hidden mastermind used him. Trillanes says he will name the culprit in due time. The gullible will wait with bated breath.

But for impartial, professional news media, the real anomalies lie elsewhere, like Dengvaxia, with top-level meetings between the Aquino government and Sanofi, the rushed realignment of billions of pesos, and the vaccination of 830,000 children without blood tests to verify past dengue infection.

How has Rappler reported Dengvaxia? With two presidential meetings, the massive budget rejigging, exemption from DoH drug review, and dozens of dengue deaths among vaccinated children, you’d think Rappler would be far more incensed, with screaming headlines decrying the

Different nations...

PAGE A6 t

maritime linkages—is obvious.

Consider how already modern infrastructure is bringing together Kunming in Yunnan with Phnom Penh and Singapore in the beginnings of a Southeast Asian “Growth Triangle.” The long-distance trains are moving great cargoes between Asia and Europe, back and forth.

And consider how the Central Asian states are awakening to the possibilities of modernization—as Silk Road arteries begin to link them, westward, all the way to London and eastward to Beijing, encompassing Budapest, Hamburg, Moscow and Warsaw, yes, freight to 28 European cities, moving them by sea, and by air.

Global potential of expanded route Excellencies, friends: In order to expand, deepen and strengthen the economic, trade, political, cultural and people-to-people linkages of the historic Silk Road, might we in the Philippines propose consideration of the development of a “third route,” to complement and extend China’s great “Belt and Road” Initiative.

For from Hainan island off Guangdong province in southern China, the route could also pass through the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and the small island nation of Timor Leste onwards.

Already in Northwestern Philippines, as part of an extended Belt and Maritime Road plan, on the banks of the South China Sea, an agri-tourism belt and large petrochemical and industrial complex, being planned by China’s Xianglu Dragon Group in Xiamen, Fujian Province, indeed much needed in the region, is being planned for implementation by pioneering Chinese and Philippine groups.

And from Timor Leste to Australia’s Gold Coast to Sydney, and New Zealand, the extended route could move across the south Pacific, and enter Latin America: Chile, Argentina, Brazil, and the tourism-rich Caribbean islands, then Mexico, all the way to the U.S. as in the old days of the Galleon Trade from Manila to Acapulco, Mexico, which sailed for 250 years.

It is not far-fetched: for there are already multiple large overseas Chinese investments in South America. And at some point, we invite the Latinos should also bring their investments and trade to the south Pacific and into Asia.

Yes, our proposed 21st Century “third route,” hopefully an enlargement of the Silk Route would make the celebrated ‘Belt and Road initiative’ almost globally inclusive, after Europe and Africa, and create a linkage with two more continents—Australia and Latin America—in a new circumnavigation, in a revival of the Age of Exploration, and new spirit in the Age of Globalization.

The tough task of peacemaking With this dramatic role, China’s noble vision is being put to the test with the tough tasks it faces in peacemaking and promoting regional stability.

Asia’s most dangerous flashpoints happen to be in its neighborhood.

On its northern flank is the rising danger of explosion in the Korean Peninsula, and on its southern flank the disturbing conflict over sovereignty in the disputed islands in the South China Sea. We believe that the venture to find common ground has no enemy, and involves not just China alone but us, her neighbors, nurtured by the Chinese saying that, “the interests to be considered should be the interests of all.”

This is a framework that begets a new attitude towards old questions—and the approach that ap-

pears likelier now than ever before is “win-win cooperation.”

Most practical solution in China Sea crises The disagreement in the South China Sea with conflicting sovereignty claims, may be settled, we believe, by temporarily shelving the issue of sovereignty, much earlier advised by the great leader, Deng Hsiao Peng, architect of China’s economic modernization, undertake joint exploration and joint development, which we had the privilege to propose in 2004-2005, and revive the resulting 3-nation Seismic Agreement officially signed and undertaken

by Manila, Beijing, and Hanoi in 2005-2006, and hopefully, eventually convert the zone of conflict into a Zone of Peace, Friendship, Cooperation and Development.

Its aim was to assess the potential in the disputed areas for hydrocarbons exploration and development.

Scientists of the three nations pronounced the prospects “promising”, and it is obvious as members of the ASEAN family that today, with China, we must find ways and means to jointly develop the area’s hydrocarbons potential to help lessen our common dependence on distant petroleum sources in the Middle East.

Imagine the potential for peace in the heartland of the South China Sea if we undertake a joint development of its resources.

On May 15, 2017, in Beijing’s historic “High-level Dialogue on the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation,” we said that from an area of conflict, it could be transformed into a landscape and seascape of small seaports, airports and oil pipelines. Fishing villages and small tourism townships could rapidly rise in the areas contested principally by the Philippines, China, and Vietnam, once converted into a Zone of Friendship, Commerce, Navigation and Development, and become the passage way, untrammeled, for global shipping, carrying more than 50 percent of the sea freight of the world.

This is perhaps the most realistic, most common-sensical solution to the problem of the Spratlys and Paracels, and which could be subsequently joined by Malaysia, and Brunei and Taiwan, and could also be the solution to the dangerous problem between China and Japan in the tiny isles in Senkaku Straits or Diaoyu in the East China Sea. Resource-sharing by other countries; Solution is actually possible Excellencies, friends: As a result of intelligent and pragmatic diplomacy, in the Norwegian Ekofisk oil field in the North sea, which we visited when we were President of the Petroleum Association of the Philippines in the 1970s, the discovered oil in the sea goes all the way to Norway and Teeside, England and the natural gas is piped to Germany.

The oil in the Caspian Sea countries is shared by Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan because among them there is demarcation and practical mutual understanding and goodwill.

Giant Australia and tiny East Timor share the hydrocarbons in the South Pacific in the waters just below Darwin and on the southeast side of Asia’s newest republic.

The 1989 Agreement between Malaysia and Thailand enable them to jointly develop their disputed waters.

We just came from Senegal two weeks ago during the launching in West Africa, of the International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace (IAPP), ICAPP’s fraternal ally, and we reminded them that the Guinea-Bissau and Senegal Agreement of 1993

Aquino regime’s actions.

Well, here are some Rappler titles: “Noynoy Aquino defends rush in buying dengue vaccine.” “‘Confident’ Aquino faces Senate probe into dengue vaccine controversy.” “At Senate, Aquino faces Dengvaxia controversy head-on.”

“Aquino says no one advised him vs using Dengvaxia in PH.” And last week, “Aquino, Sanofi, DOH officials face graft complaint over Dengvaxia mess.”

But no headlines about Aquino meeting Sanofi, his government realigning P3.5 billion to fund Dengvaxia, or exempting the vaccine from DoH drug review. In fact, which titles are more suggestive of corruption, the above headlines on Dengvaxia, or those about Go’s “endorsement” of the white paper and “documents” that “thrice linked” him to the frigates deal?

Rappler did run an editorial titled “#AnimatED: Somebody has to answer for the dengue vaccine disaster.” It mentioned one Aquino meeting with Sanofi, but nothing about conjuring P3.5 billion for an unbudgeted vaccine program with no DoH drug review.

Maybe this explains why President Duterte doesn’t want Rappler covering Malacañang anymore. (ManilaTimes.net) helped their countries develop their disputed areas.

Indeed the idea of “win-win cooperation”—of pragmatic and intelligent, unselfish sharing of areas and resources—instead of engaging in conflict and war, could help build a model for lessening tensions and solving conflicts, and avoiding the possibility of war in Asia’s manifold and dangerous flashpoints.

(To be continued next week)

NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • fEbRUARY 23-mARch 1, 2018

A

7-ELEVEN TRAIL 2018. Cyclists step on their pedals and accelerate at the starting lane of the 7-Eleven Trail 2018, the country’s biggest single-loop cross-country mountain bike race at the Timberland Heights in San Mateo, Rizal on Sunday, February 18. The event aims to promote a healthy lifestyle and encourages people to rediscover the joy of outdoor adventures.

PNA photo by Joey O. Razon

PAGE A5 t

Ethics complaints against...

ing the case in the future,” Drilon said.

Senator Panfilo Lacson back Drilon’s motion.

“She has not violated any Senate rule nor it is related to an official act as a senator so on that note, if there’s a motion I will support to outrightly dismiss the case against de Lima as filed by the counterparts in the House,” Lacson said.

The two complaint against De

Lima were separately filed by House leaders and lawyer Abelardo de Jesus in 2016. Former Kabayan Representative and now presidential spokesperson Harry Roque filed the third ethics complaint against her in 2017.

For De Lima, the Senate panel’s move showed her colleague’s “high sense of fairness and objectivity.”

“I thank my colleagues for standing up for reason and the clear provision of the rules. It

)ROORZ XV RQ

is now evident, as I’ve always maintained, that the cases filed against me were frivolous and were merely filed to harass me,” De Lima remarked.

She went on to say, “I hope that somehow I have proven my doubters and detractors wrong.

From the very start, I have always kept my innocence and in due time, hopefully soon, I will be vindicated from the fabricated charges, especially the drug cases, filed against me.” n

A february 23-march 1, 2018 • NeW yOrK aND NeW JerSey aSIaN JOurNaL

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

FEBRUARY 23-MARCH 1, 2018

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An Asian Journal Magazine

The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY f E b R uA RY 23, 20 1 8

2018 Miss RP-International Excelsa De Jesus: beauty, talent and advocacy by

“I feel I metamorphosed significantly after having journeyed this far…having proven my worth and capabilities, earnestly offered my advocacy, and emerged triumphant. What an awesome 180-degree turn and a complete life-changing experience!”

- Excelsa De Jesus, Miss RP-Int’l 2018 East coast lone representative to the newly revitalized Miss Republic of the Philippines (now co-existing with male counterparts, hence, Mr. & Miss RP), eighteen-year-old dusky and statuesque Excelsa De Jesus of Bronx, New York effortlessly bested other overseas hopefuls during a hotly contested beauty pageant held at the Grand Ballroom of Sofitel Philippine Plaza on Wednesday, January 31, 2018.

A brief history of Miss Republic of the Philippines revealed its initial founding in 1969 under the stewardship of Ferdie Villar of Spotlights Promotions where winners represented the Philippines in the Miss World contest, the oldest international pageant organized

by Eric Morley in 1951, now chaired by his wife, Julia, after his death in 2000.

Looking back, there were about 8 Miss RP delegates produced under Villar although prior to his franchise, the Philippines had already sent representatives in 1966, ‘67, and ’68 through the auspices of fashion organizations, the Editors Guild of the Philippines, and Beauty World, Ltd., respectively.

Miss World was regarded as the most elusive crown for the Philippines with Evangeline Pascual almost making it in 1973

bobby T. yalong / AJPress

when she finished First Runnerup to Marjorie Wallace of the USA while Pinky Amabuyoc ended up 4th Runner-up in 1968. It was only in 2013 when Megan Young finally brought home the bacon that ended the 44-year drought of the Philippines.

Unfortunately, the franchise was transferred to Mutya Ng Pilipinas (1977 to 1991), until it was transferred to Bb. Pilipinas Charities (1992 to 2010), then under Cory Quirino’s CQ Global Quest, Inc. (2011 -2016) and currently to Arnold Vegafria as its franchisee.

After undergoing various changes, Miss Republic of the Philippines has resurrected, reformatted, and surfaced in a brand new image with the fashionable and thriving entrepreneur Miss Lynette Padolina at the totem pole.

Contrastingly stamping its dissimilar mark from other popular beauty pageants, Mr. & Miss Republic of the Philippines is a “Scholarship Pageant” - a revolutionary approach to pageantry with emphasis on scholarship, an engaging concept to cultivate a positive image among Filipino youth through empowered education, nurtured culture, and global interaction.

The year’s official candidates of 16 males and 19 females were presented to the press on Thursday, January 25 at Hotel 101 in Pasay City while the morning of January 28 saw them tour Malacañan Palace and later gathered a huge assemblage of crowd at the Fisher Mall in Quezon City for their talent and advocacy presentation and swimwear competition.

Following a series of social

Excelsa with supportive parents Will & Diane De Jesus

Miss RP-Int’l. 2018 up-close

Regal in her winning form, 2018 Miss Republic of the Philippines-International Excelsa De Jesus.

appearances with corresponding competition-related activities, the moment of truth revealed the surfacing of New York’s bet as the winner. Aside from the Miss Republic of the PhilippinesInternational title, Excelsa garnered the highest online votes that catapulted her status as the People’s Choice while simultaneously bagging the Best in Talent and Advocacy. The judges unanimously favored the well-focused and driven New Yorker.

The youngest daughter of Wilfredo De Jesus (a Physical Therapist and Pastor at the International Fellowship Church at College Point, NY) and Ana Gene “Diane” M. De Jesus (also a Physical Therapist and Homecare Provider), Excelsa (as her name connotes) excels academically and is profoundly equipped with a vocal talent that resonates with powerful grandiosity and dominant air of unspoiled excellence.

With a full force support from her family (with special mention of her brothers John Paul and Christian) the newly crowned beauty title holder trained strenuously unmindful of the inclement weather and the distance she had to endure

(commuting alone from the Bronx to Jersey City) just to perfect her walk, turns, projection, and stage presentation and her sacrifice suitably paid off.

“She won’t settle for less. No amount of lure would hinder her plans. Nothing could dissuade her from what she had aimed for.

Her well-motivated dedication and unrivaled perseverance to overcome her weaknesses were startling and praise-worthy. I am in awe of her endurance,” attested her New Jersey-based mentor and pageant coach.

To better be familiar with the newly crowned Miss Republic Of the Philippines-International, I set a phone interview with her last Monday night while she was taking her much-needed respite with her mom and dad in their family-owned Ricky’s Paradise Cove island resort in Port Barton, Palawan.

Asian Journal (AJ): How confident were you that your training was sufficient enough to merit a spot in the contest?

Excelsa De Jesus (EDJ): Very much! I was firmly confident in what I’ve learned and trained for. And not to brag, I guess I delivered a good performance.

AJ: Days before the pageant, what kept you tossing in bed?

Excelsa and her court took timeout for a group shot

Stunning in a flowing serpentina gown

The winning form

EDJ: Actually, I was just a bit worried if I would be able to come up with a performance of an international level since that was my first ever pageant.

I’m used to performing before a huge crowd but this time, it was different…I was competing.

AJ: During the entire duration of the contest, how would you assess yourself from among the rest of the candidates?

EDJ: At first I observed and analyzed each other’s weaknesses and strengths… and tried to evaluate mine. I was a bit tense and uneasy especially during our first meeting with the press…but I didn’t show any sign of discomfort or anxiety. I relentlessly built my self-reliance as the final day came closer.

AJ: During the process of announcing the winners, what was going on your mind?

EDJ: I don’t know… I wasn’t at all tense. I was extremely confident especially after having won special awards. It came like natural to me and I was just playing it cool. I guess my parents and my supporters were more in an edgy and jittery situation than me.

AJ: What did you think was your edge over the rest?

EDJ: That would be my perspective in life. I always have a positive outlook in any given situation. I knew it could be a lifechanging experience that’s why I did and gave my best.

AJ: After achieving what you aimed for what is the next in your personal agenda?

EDJ: Nothing will change in what I have planned. I still have to pursue a career in music and keep on honing my vocal talent.

Well, my title and crown will just strengthen my focus on my advocacy in helping educate less privileged children. I came to realize that no matter how driven

I am but if these young souls are deprived of food and clothing, education is far from being accomplished.

AJ: If there’s but one thing that you regret having poorly delivered or should have executed perfectly, what could it be?

EDJ: Oh, that would be during the swimsuit portion. My pageant coach consistently reminded me to refrain from bouncing while walking which I perfected during training but still briskly treaded bouncily due to pressure. It was rather a little later when I came back to my senses and delivered the winning strut I was trained.

AJ: Summing it up, what did you benefit from the whole process?

EDJ: The rare experience, of course! It broadened my outlook in life from being able to intermingle with Filipinos from different parts of the globe.

AJ: Describe your journey in one word.

EDJ: Metamorphosis!

Lastly, Miss RP-Int’l. 2018 Excelsa De Jesus wants to take this opportunity to extend her profound gratitude to all who went out of their way to support her especially her family, friends in the media and the entertainment arena in NY, Dr. Romulo Alcalde Aromin Jr. and Miss Lynette Padolina of Mr. & Miss Republic of the Philippines, DJ Chinita Na Pogi of Kabisera Cafe, Jeanette Marco, and Joel Adriano.

Incidentally, prizes at stake were a scholarship grant worth P900,000.00; a cash prize of P100,000.00; travel opportunities abroad to attend the Philippine Independence Day Parade in NYC; wardrobe allowances equivalent to P100,000.00, and travel to key destinations in the Philippines to promote tourism and foster cultural awareness.

Iñigo Pascual sad for Filipino kids not using their native tongue

by Maridol ranoa-bisMark

gets out of hand.

“If we don’t love our own, how shall we grow as a nation? We keep comparing ourselves to other SINGER Iñigo Pascual admits countries. Mahalin natin ang ating he spent half of his life in the U.S., sarili. It’s the only thing we have.” where he was born 21 years ago.

His is not just empty words.

But his heart is as Filipino as his Iñigo plans to come up with parents’ (his dad, of course, is Piolo another OPM (Original Pilipino Pascual).

Music) song as follow-up to his The composer behind the hit hit composition. It is his way of song “Dahil Sa `yo” joined former Environment Secretary Gina Lopez’s promoting Filipino culture, of making sure local music has a better “G Squad” to promote the country place in the charts alongside foreign and its people via Season 2 of ABSones.

CBN’s “G Diaries,” which airs every Of course, Iñigo is counting on Sunday, 10:30 a.m., before “ASAP.” his fans to support his plan “to build Iñigo speaks with the passion something great for our future.” of a patriot when he talks about Iñigo is not alone. Joining him doing his share to uplift the country, in the G Squad are Gretchen Ho, which has embraced his upbeat Elmo Magalona, Antoinette Taus, kind of sound. He even speaks in fluent, unaccented Tagalog to bring Kristel Fulgar, Young JV, Boyband PH, and others. These eco-warriors home the point. might as well have dyed their hearts “Dapat mahalin ang sariling green – for the environment. atin. Ang mga bata, hindi marunog Elmo proves he is his late dad mag-Tagalog,” he sighed.

Francis Magalona’s son by saying, “I Iñigo thinks this is a problem super love this country.” everyone should address before it Philstar.com

His way of showing it is not so much by coming up with nationalistic songs the way the late rapper did, but by helping G Squad spread the word about the country’s natural beauty through “G Diaries” and his social media accounts.

Gretchen promised to use her celebrity by doing the same thing.

Of all these celebs, it is Antoinette who has taken a more structured step in rescuing the country from the environment mire. She returned to the Philippines from the U.S. years back to pick up where she left off, not only as an actress, but as a concerned citizen. She and her friends put up CORA, an NGO (non-governmental organization) that “promotes sustainability” to fight climate change, and provide nutritious meals, and others.

“Our country is so biodiverse.

We are the center of marine biodiversity. Tayo ang Amazon of the seas. Considering our

resources, our country should be so rich,” she said.

Antoinette is all for having fun, but promoting local tourism and supporting homegrown products along the way. And while we are at it, Antoinette thinks we should also take care of the environment. It can be something as simple as not using plastic products.

That is why she and the rest of her fellow G Squad members are joining Lopez in her crusade to show the beauty of nature on national TV. Lopez has gone even further by donating her own money to help develop communities and nature sites. This way, more tourists will come over. Farmers, fishermen and local artisans earn more. The area will develop. More people will visit local tourist spots instead of foreign destinations.

The plan is ambitious, the work Herculean. But “G Diaries” and its G Squad are willing to give it their all.

Iñigo Pascual

Photo from Instagram/@inigopascual

Immigration Corner Atty. MichAel Gurfinkel, eSQ Dear attorney Gurfinkel: I was petitioned in November 2006 as a single adult child of my immigrant (green card) parent, in the F-2B category. I waited many years, and in November 2017, the embassy scheduled my interview for January 2018. I went ahead and had my medicals, paid all the fees, and submitted all the forms, and was excited, looking forward to my interview. a few weeks later, I received an email from the embassy, notifying me they canceled my interview. I do not understand why they did that, or how I can reschedule my interview. What is going on, and why was my interview canceled?

Very truly yours, LB Dear LB: It appears that what happened was your priority date which was current in November retrogressed, or “moved backwards,” such that your visa became unavailable at the time of your visa interview in January 2018. In November 2017, the priority date in the F-2B category for Philippines was January 1, 2007. Therefore, anyone with a

Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond Monette AdevA MAGlAyA HAVE you ever gone through seasons of darkness? I have. I bet there are those who will admit quietly to having been through the trenches themselves.

No matter the season, the soul may go through a “winter of discontent” — a restless time when we wonder quietly if we could trade our life for someone else’s.

If you are wondering why you feel as though you missed out on winning the cosmic lottery jackpot of a charmed life, don’t

Why did the embassy cancel my interview? priority date earlier than January 1, 2007 could be queued for interview, as visa was “available.”

However, in December 2017, the F-2B priority date retrogressed, or moved backwards to July 1, 2006.

Therefore, since your priority date was November 2006, it was current in November 2017, but no longer current as of December 2017. In fact, as of March 2018, the F-2B priority date is September 8, 2006, which is still not current for you, as your priority date is November 2006.

What may have occurred was the Embassy sent out your interview date in November 2017, when your priority date was current, anticipating it would continue to remain current up until the time of your interview.

However, when the State Department retrogressed the priority date, your visa was no longer available, and the embassy therefore could not go forward with your interview.

At this time, you would have to monitor your priority date on the monthly Visa Bulletin. Also, if you have children included under your petition, make sure you protect their eligibility under the Child Status Protection Act

3

The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY F E b R uA RY 23, 20 1 8

(CSPA), in case they “age out” (or turn 21 years of age), while you wait for your priority date to become current again. There are several requirements or steps that a child would need to take within a year to preserve CSPA eligibility. You may want to consult an attorney to assist you in preserving your children’s eligibility. *** Michael J. Gurfinkel has been an attorney for over 35 years and is licensed, and an active member of the State Bar of California and New York. All immigration services are provided by, or under the supervision of, an active member of the State Bar of California.

Each case is different. The information contained herein including testimonials, “Success Stories,” endorsements and reenactments) is of a general nature, and is not intended to apply to any particular case, and does not constitute a prediction, warranty, guarantee or legal advice regarding the outcome of your legal matter. No attorneyclient relationship is, or shall be, established with any reader.

WEBSITE: www.gurfinkel.com Follow us on Facebook.com/GurfinkelLaw and Twitter @GurfinkelLaw Call Toll free to schedule a consultation for anywhere in the US: (866)—GURFINKEL

Four offices to serve you: LOS ANGELES · SAN FRANCISCO · NEW YORK · PHILIPPINES (Advertising Supplement)

Of charmed lives “Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this son of York.”

—“Richard III” by William Shakespeare flog yourself silly.

You don’t even have to admit it to anyone else but yourself.

It’s nothing more than a normal rite of passage that allows us to imagine what it would be like if we had someone else’s luck, genetic make-up, breaks, talent, connections, relations, education, intelligence, looks, skin color, pedigree and other x factors that are supposed to tip the scale in our favor and make us happy and fulfilled. In short, they refer

An Asian Journal Magazine

to those things that we think will allow us to live “a charmed life” and drive our fellow men mad with envy.

The discontent hits you when you’re feeling most vulnerable: when there’s not enough cash to tide you over until the next pay period; your job stinks; you’re going through an extended rough patch with your wife or husband or lover; your car needs an overhaul; your kid hit a schoolmate and you need to

Conquering the fear of uncertainty and six I.C.E. agents knocking at their door on this Sunday’s CITIZEN PINOY! After they were offered jobs as caregivers, Danilo (left) and Millet (center) took a big gamble when they decided to stay in the U.S. to pursue their American dream. It was not easy, especially after their hard-earned money was lost to a lawyer who hardly did anything to move their case forward. They eventually went out of status, and even had I.C.E. agents come knocking on their door.

The couple then consulted with Atty. Michael Gurfinkel, who took over the case, and helped them acquire their green cards. Leading U.S. immigration attorney Michael Gurfinkel (right) was also able to help their two daughters avail of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, and getting approval on their green cards the same day President Trump cancelled DACA. Watch this all-new episode of CITIZEN PINOY — on Sunday at 6:15 pm (PST) on TFC.

Find out how a trip to the US as tourists changed the lives of this family on ‘Citizen Pinoy’ WHEN Danilo and Millet entered the U.S. as tourists in 2002, they did not realize that would be a major turning point for their family. Like many other families, they had a notion of the American Dream. They just did not know how to make it a reality.

So when they were offered a job as caregivers, they grabbed the opportunity.

Of course, there were challenges. Their first lawyer

was not able to do anything for their case, until they eventually became out-of-status. There was the constant fear of living in the shadows. Even their children, who excelled in school, had to tone their achievements down in order not to attract attention. They felt like “prisoners” in the land of the free.

They then went to see “Attorney-of-Last-Hope” Michael J. Gurfinkel, who was able to

help Danilo and Millet on their journey towards acquiring their green cards. Their two daughters were also able to avail of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), with the approval of their green cards the same day Trump cancelled DACA. Watch this exciting, brandnew episode of CITIZEN PINOY this Sunday at 6:15 pm PST/EST (9:15 pm EST thru select Cable/ Satellite providers).

see the principal; your sister in the home country, needs you to remit moolah fast, and lots of it, because your younger brother got into trouble and needs bail money. Everything sucks.

Well, you get the picture of a gothic novel nobody wants to read. You want to scuttle everything and trade up to a

charmed life. But would you, if you knew the real score behind those deceptively airbrushed images of the charmed lives we see on TV and the rags we read?

We are sitting ducks open to negative suggestions we receive non-stop. We end up unhappy and dissatisfied with who we are, what we have and our place

in the universe. We’re too fat, too short, too poor, too old. We don’t make enough. We drive clunkers. Our clothes are passé.

Our nose bridge needs a lift; the chest is too flat; hair is too thin; skin is too sallow; our eyes need to be lasered; our teeth need whitening; our ears stick out; our Continued on Page 6

An Asian Journal Magazine

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The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY f E b R uA RY 23, 20 1 8

Lombard by The Bay: Your best option for property investment

FIRST BUYER. Vince Samson, vice president of marketing; Geralou Sagun, chief admin officer; Rene Cinco, Premier Asia president and CEO; Victor Sy, CPA; Roger Oriel, Asian Journal Publications CEO in the Asian Journal headquarters for the contract signing of Lombard

by The Bay on Wednesday, February 21.

Premier Asia Pacific’s newest residential and commercial development, Lombard by The Bay, is garnering an influx of interested buyers looking to own one of the semi-modern condominium units.

Victor Sy, a CPA MBA Balikbayan from California, is Lombard by The Bay’s official first buyer. He admitted not having plans in buying a property when he was invited to go to Montemaria. “But I was so moved by the scenery, the beauty, the bay, and most of all, the statue of Mama Mary,” he explained. “I was even more amazed by the size of it, dwarfing the famous Christ the Redeemer in Brazil and the Statue of Liberty in the United States in height.”

Lombard by The Bay’s amenities and facilities make it an excellent choice as the future home for hundreds of locals and overseas Filipinos.

One can utilize the condominium’s gym, take a refreshing dip in the pool, and hang out in the clubhouse. The manicured gardens resembling the famous Lombard street in San Francisco, the 180 degree view of the Batangas bay, and the proximity to the tallest statue of the Virgin Mary, make Lombard by The Bay perfect for a religious

EMPLOYMENT

tourism destination for pilgrims, devotees, and tourists alike.

“I would recommend Lombard by The Bay [to others] for the same reason I bought [a property] for myself,” Sy said, reiterating the condominium’s various amenities that enticed him to buy a penthouse unit and a one-bedroom unit in the first place. “It will definitely make me travel and visit the Philippines more often.”

The 2.1 hectares development is a joint venture between Premier Asia Pacific Real estate and Development, Inc. and Omnicor Industrial estate & Realty Center, Inc Premier Asia Pacific Real estate and Development is a real estate company that believes in the economic development of the Philippines and catering to the needs of developers and buyers looking to expand their property and investment portfolio. Premier Asia Pacific’s mission is to reconnect overseas Filipinos back to their Philippine roots by offering a complete package of real estate investment services in the Motherland.

(Advertising Supplement)

EMPLOYMENT

SERVICES

Billionaires and top finance & business executives come out for the premiere launch of ‘PIONEERS: Reginald F. Lewis and the Making of a Billion Dollar Empire’ Airing Saturday, February 24, 7:00pm, NJTV & streaming now on THIRTEEN.ORG

New York, New York – Billionaires, top executives and community leaders come out to celebrate the Premiere Launch of “PIONeeRS: Reginald F. Lewis and the Making of a Billion Dollar empire.” The wNeT documentary chronicles the life and legacy of business pioneer, philanthropist and titan Reginald F. Lewis. Lewis, a Harvard Law School graduate, rose to prominence as a lawyer, financier, and leader of the global food company TLC Beatrice International.

A packed house gathered at a private social club on the upper eastside of NYC to listen to powerful advice of “How to become the next Reginald F. Lewis”. The Titan Power Panel was moderated by Award winning Broadcast Journalist Nina Pineda, wABC TV. Panelist members included: Titan Robert F. Smith, Chairman and CeO, Vista equity Partners, Raymond J. McGuire, Global Head of Corporate and Investment Banking, Citigroup, Inc., Dean C. Kehler, Trimaran Capital Partner, formerly Drexel Burnham Lambert, Cleveland A. Christophe, Retired executive, TLC Group, and Peter Offerman, Former executive, Bankers Trust Company.

Additionally, in attendance were: David Dinkins, former Mayor of New York City, Rick C. wade, US Chamber of Commerce, Michael Carter, Royal Bank of Canada, Ken Naz, Former President eros Intl. Bollywood Films, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, Julieanna Richardson, Founder, Black History Makers, and the list goes on.

Governor Andrew Cuomo sent a Proclamation, declaring Titan Reginald F. Lewis as a major exceptional contributor to wall Street and the global financial industry, as well as, recognizing his work as a philanthropist, Business & Financial leader and drum major for justice. Oprah, Mayor Bill DeBlasio, Sean John aka P. Diddy, Van Jones, Don Lemon, April Ryan, Bakari Sellers, Robin Roberts, Michael Strahan, Gayle King, Golden Globe winner & Academy Award Nominee Producer Charles King, Soledad Obrien, and many more sent

(L-R): Robert Smith (Chairman and CEO of vista Equity Partners), Loida Nicolas Lewis, Carolyn Fugett (mother of Reginald F. Lewis) and Raymond McGuire (Lobal Head of Corporate and Investment Banking of Citi

well wishes. The night was made even more special by the young millennials who participated as RFL Scholars, RFL Ambassadors, the ladies dressed in red with Gold Laurel wreaths, and the men from Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. There was a fantastic exhibit area with a mega portrait of Mr. Lewis surrounded by crimson and cream florals that was used for photo ops by invited guests and audience members all evening.

The attendees were greeted by a candelabra and silver bowl that served as a unique memory collector for written thoughts by guests about Reginald f. Lewis and his legacy; the handwritten notes were then shared with family members.

The pièce de résistance was the reveal of the Reginald F. Lewis Family Crest, with TLC (his flagship international corporation) featured in its crown. His mother, (Mrs. Carolyn Fugett), his widow (Loida Nicolas Lewis), and daughters (Leslie Lewis and Christina Lewis Halpern) are subtly featured in the body and bordered by laurel wreaths (a symbol of victory and honor) on each side. The Reginald F. Lewis Family Crest stood on stage the entire time next to the American Flag—an acknowledgement that above all Mr. Lewis was a great American citizen. He changed the financial industry for the world with his

SERVICES

purchase of 64 companies in 31 countries. The program ended with the song, wonderful world, Louis Armstrong’s version, which said it all.

Lewis was the first African American ever to close an overseas billion dollar leveraged buyout deal. Lewis paved the way for future entrepreneurs and black leaders through his life’s work until his untimely death at age 50. “Reginald Lewis is a pioneer because he executed a $1 billion buyout of Beatrice International Foods. No one had done anything of that size – black nor white. He’s the first African American to do an overseas buyout,” says Mrs. Loida Lewis, wife of Reginald F. Lewis.

Additional high praise from Kenneth Chenault, Chairman and CeO of American express notes, “There is no doubt that Reginald Lewis’ success paved the way for me, and many others, and I think that really is the test and demonstration of real leadership.”

Discover the legacy and celebrate the 30th anniversary of Reginald F. Lewis’ historic billion dollar deal by watching Pioneers: Reginald F. Lewis and the Making of a Billion Dollar empire on these PBS affiliates: • Saturday, February 24, 7:00pm NJTV • Streaming Now - Nationally at thirteen.org

Be fair to your hair

BY MONET

Health@Heart PHILIP S. CHUA, MD, FACS, FPCS IN the book on disease prevention at the cellular (DNA) level, entitled, Let’s Stop “Killing” our Children, I have highlighted tobacco and alcohol as the two major causes of most maladies known to man, including cancer.

Besides those two risk factors, I pointed out that other unhealthy lifestyle behaviors and habits immensely contribute to the development of many illnesses.

The main ones among those are diet (too much food intake) and (too little or no) exercise.

A report in New York published a new study of cancer in the United States, which showed that “nearly half (50 percent) of cancer deaths were caused by smoking, poor diet and other unhealthy behaviors.” That’s even less than what has been reported more than three decades ago.

Smoking had slowed down in the U.S. while obesity has dramatically gone up.

“Forty five percent of cancer deaths and 42 percent of diagnosed cancer cases could be attributed to modifiable risks factors,” according to this study.

This means the risk factors were not inherited or genetic, basically the result of unhealthy behavior and habits, like sedentary life, lack of exercise, eating a lot of red meat, not eating enough vegetables and fruits, eating processed meats, alcohol abuse, sun exposure, and worst, smoking.

Regrettably, most of these deaths were preventable!

In 1981, a British research revealed that more than 2/3 (or more than 66 percent) of cancer deaths were due to those factors.

Smoking was the number 1 risk, causing 29 percent of deaths, followed by excess weight at 6.5 percent as a cause of death, and alcohol use at 4 percent.

“Exposure to ultraviolet radiation from sunlight or tanning beds was associated with 96 percent of skin cancers in men and 94 percent in women,” according to the new study.

Scary data on smoking There are 4,000 chemicals (600 of them poisons, 69 cancercausing) in every stick of cigarette, toxic chemicals like those found in paint stripper, toilet cleaner, rocket fuel, lighter fuel, chemicals in moth balls, the poison used in the gas chamber, and other toxins.

Smoking causes almost 1/3 of all cancer deaths in the world.

Smokeless tobacco — 50 times worse than regular cigarettes.

Passive smoking is responsible for about 6,000 lung cancers

The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY F E B R UA RY 23, 20 1 8

After sliding down to No. 3, PH’s newest pride is still first in Filipinos’ hearts

LU

IN my previous articles, I have featured entertainment, personality, fashion, style, love story and other happenings in showbiz and community events.

This week I want to answer some queries from our readers, who emailed me about their hair concerns.

With my experience in the hair and beauty industry, I was able to gather information and answers about this topic. Some of these concerns are common.

I’ve encountered most of them personally in my salon.

I am frequently asked if hair color causes major damage to hair.

Hair coloring products today are not enough to weaken hair. In fact, some contain extra ingredients that may leave hair shinier than before. It can’t hurt to consult a professional stylist the first time you do anything permanent to your hair or scalp, for the right tone and shades.

Scientifically hair grows a half-inch per month. Whether you cut it or not, it will grow slightly faster during summer, but that has nothing to do with cutting it often. Doctors say that it is because of hormones, which affects hair growth. The only thing a trim will do is to take out and eliminate split ends, to make hair look better.

Comb your wet hair from roots to ends. A comb is easier on fragile wet hair than a brush is. Stretching it from scalp to tips can cause damage. First, smooth out knots with a leave-in detangler. Then start to comb at the ends, working up in sections.

Hair looks its best when the natural oils from the scalp are allowed to reach tends. That’s why I suggest it for a person with dry

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An Asian Journal Magazine

by ARLO

CUSTODIO ManilaTimes.net

My client Saleen shows off her new hairdo.

hair or scalp to shampoo every other day and let the natural oil add shine to your hair. If you feel you need a freshener, simply spritz roots with water and restyle with a blow dryer. Some say that it’s healthier to switch shampoo from time to time, but hair can’t tell the difference between brands or build up the tolerance to any product. Your favorite shampoo will work the same every time you lather up, week after week, month after month. If you have very oily hair or favor a particularly sticky styling product that contains wax, it does pay to use a clarifying shampoo once a week to wash away residue and product buildup.

I was also asked if stress can make your hair fall out. Although your hair is falling out all the time, approximately 50 to 120 strands per day. It’s possible that you may lose a few more strands when you’re “catastrophically” stressed, meaning you have experienced a major life change such as a

EVEN as she placed sixth in the latest episode of China’s “Singer 2018” from her No. 1 debut as challenger, KZ Tandingan is still first in Filipinos’ hearts these days.

With all eyes on the singing spitfire, however, opinions, critiques and suggestions over her performances are unavoidable with her Mandarin medley on February 16 gaining mixed reactions.

There are those who believe that her choice to sing in Chinese, instead of acing another English ditty like Adele’s “Rolling In The Deep,” was too risky. It turned out divorce, lost job, or surgery, says too risky in fact that she dropped Gerome Litt, MD, an assistant five notches in the competition professor of dermatology at Case pitting professional singers from Western Reserve University School around the world, including British of Medicine in Cleveland. superstar Jessie J this season.

“Other culprits are pregnancy But of course, there are also or antibiotics. After a few weeks, it those who deemed her move will almost certainly grow back.” I to be right, arguing it will be totally agree with him. riskier for Tandingan to attempt a The road to healthy hair is performance in Mandarin toward paved with products, potions, the end of the contest. protein, and deep conditioners. If Regardless, the Filipina singer your hair is fried or suffering from still pulled many a heart strings split ends, sun damage, tangles, among the Chinese audience for and broken brittle pieces, it’s time her emotional rendition, some even to take charge of your hair’s health. caught on camera wiping away It’s easy to forget that our hair tears as they watched our KZ. can be very fragile. Exposure to the Here at home, fans took to sun, hair dryers, flat irons, and even the internet to express their own daily brushing can take its toll and emotions. really mess up your mane.

Netizen Sophie Villaruel Lepura It’s important to remember perhaps summed it up best when that repairing damaged hair she posted, “I didn’t understand a won’t happen overnight, but over thing pero bakit naiyak ako? Music time. Developing these habits will and love truly make us human ans aim you down the road to recovery KZ sang again with all her heart.”

Entrust the care and As of this writing, Tandingan’s welfare of your hair to a trusted latest performance has garnered 2.2 Continued on Page 6 million views, with the video shared more than 50,000 times.

As the artist said in her interview with China Hunan TV before she hit the stage on Friday, she chose to sing the Chinese smokers in terms of increased health risks from passive smoking, medley titled, “The Pain Which You Never Knew”—learning it in in higher health insurance just two weeks—was done “to premiums and taxes, not to show [her]respect [for]the Chinese mention personal and family tragedies in all shapes and forms. alendar of Events As we have alluded to in a previous column, secondhand smoke is even more dangerous.

Innocent bystanders are forced to inhale cigarette smoke at their ADVERTISE YOUR EVENTS! workplaces or in public places, PRE-EVENT AND POST EVENT thus increasing their health risk.

The Environmental Protection GO DEEPER. GO WIDER. LET THE WORLD KNOW. Agency engineers have shown CALL ASIAN JOURNAL: (818) 502-0651 that even the best available ventilation and air-moving DISPLAY AD SIZES AT SPECIAL RATES equipment were unable to reduce FOR NON-PROFIT GROUPS carcinogenic (cancer-causing) air contamination to a safe level for a non-smoker sharing work space F E B R UA RY 24 with a habitual smoker.

Why governments around Filipino well-being training summit in Los Angeles the world allow and protect an industry that victimizes and hooks Kataas-taasang pagsasanay para sa kalusugan ng mga Pilipino” — Understanding Obstatheir young, poisons and kills cles; Charting New Paths. their people, is incomprehensible, This training summit aims to honor and recognize indigenous understanding of wellness and healing; reduce stigma associated with emotional and mental illness; and promote comhowever you look at it. munity dialogue and connectivity. It is organized by the Filipino Well Being Training Summit If you think about it, our Committee led by the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health. It’ll be held on Satgovernment and those of other urday, February 24 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, 555 West Temple Street, Los nations are peddling drugs Angeles, CA 90012 at 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more info and to register, please visit: https:// (albeit addictive tobacco is www.eventbrite.com/e/filipino-well-being-training-summit-registration-41880032304. NOTE: a milder killer substance) in This event is free of charge to all attendees. Breakfast and lunch will be served on a limited cathe name of profit, wantonly pacity and may not be available to all attendees. Space is limited - please cancel on Eventbrite sacrificing their citizens’ health if you are unable to attend so others on the waiting list can be notified and accommodated. and future, shortening people’s City of Carson Gala Ball lives, causing trillions of dollars or more of expenditures for The City of Carson, California is marking its 50th anniversary of incorporation on Saturday, research as to how to fight the February 24 with a gala ball. It will be held at Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald habit, how to cure the tobaccoCommunity Center at Carson (801 E. Carson Street, Carson, CA 90745) at 6 p.m. Tickets are induced illnesses, including $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. heart disease, stroke, diabetes, hypertension, and cancer, etc.

Free workout with Assemblymember Philip Chen in Walnut, CA This is plain stupidity.

California state Assemblymember Philip Chen will host a free workout event in Walnut, CA The solution is obvious: on Saturday, February 24 to promote wellness and fitness. The event will be held at Walnut Eliminate the cause, the poison!

Crossfit Insurgent located at 351 Paseo Sonrisa, Walnut, CA from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Participants Then, we don’t have to do are encouraged to wear comfortable workout clothing and shoes. Light refreshments will be expensive researches looking provided. for the “antidote” or finding the cure, etc. Eliminating the cause F E B R UA RY 27 would even reward us these Workshop on how to brand your small business online in Los Angeles added bonuses: a smokeless society, a healthier citizenry, a Tara na! Kita tayo sa SIPA! Come and join Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA) in nobler nation, and a less polluted Historic Filipinotown on Tuesday, February 27 and start branding your small business effecenvironment, ecologically tively! Branding is not just for big corporations. A small business would benefit greatly from effective branding. This will make people want to do business with you. Establish your own busifriendlier to Mother Earth! ness identity and learn how to convey your brand to your customers. It’s a FREE event! It will Unfortunately, the senseless be held at Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (3200 W Temple St. Los Angeles, CA 90026) global smoke-filled “killing field,” from 6 to 8 p.m. Light refreshments will be provided. There is free parking at 2 SIPA parking protected by governments, like lots located on the corner of Temple and Robinson St. and the corner of Temple and Dillon in the Philippines, will continue.

St. Don’t forget to bring business cards for networking! Registration is REQUIRED at https:// We, The People, should be fuming www.eventbrite.com/e/how-to-brand-your-small-business-online-tickets-42550341216 or you mad! may contact Fidji Victoriano for any questions at fvictoriano@esipa.org or (424) 235-5011. *** MARCH 11 Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus in Northwest Indiana Fil-Am Association of SCV’s fundraising event and inaugural ball in and chairman of cardiac surgery from Valencia, CA 1997 to 2010 at Cebu Doctors University Hospital, where he holds the title of The Fil-Am Association of Santa Clarita Valley (SCV), Inc. invites the community to a funPhysician Emeritus in Surgery, is based draising event and inaugural ball of the board of officers and trustees on Sunday, March 11 in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is a Fellow of at 5 p.m. It will be held at the Hyatt Regency Valencia — 24500 Town Center Dr., Valencia, the American College of Surgeons, the CA 91355. The Fil-Am Association of SCV, Inc. is a non-profit that engages in cultural, social, outreach and community service to approximately 8,000 Fil-Ams living in Santa Clarita Valley.

Philippine College of Surgeons, and This 2018 marks the associations 35th year in serving the community through its outreach and the Denton A. Cooley Cardiovascular Fil-Am academic and cultural enhancement programs which include scholarship achievement Surgical Society. He is the chairman of awards, programs for the seniors, youth and single programs, as well as cultural events. For the Filipino United Network – USA, a tickets, please contact Josie Maglalang at (661) 607-5665, Zeny Justiniano at (661) 645-0948, 501(c)(3) humanitarian foundation in Emie Carrillo at (661) 877-2699, and Zony Gordon (661) 312-3422. the United States. For more data, visit philipSchua.com; Email: scalpelpen@ If you have an upcoming event and would like us to post it, please email us the gmail.com

Self-induced cancer

among non-smokers and 35,000 deaths from secondhand smokerelated diseases per year.

More than half a million are killed each year in the U.S. alone by smoking-related illnesses; 10 times more than car accidents; 12 times more than AIDS. And a lot more than all the military casualties in all wars in this century put together.

One person in the U.S. dies of a heart attack every minute (mostly smokers). One dies of other smoking-related illness every 3 minutes!

Smoking has orphaned billions of children around the globe, greater than all the wars combined has caused.

Smokers die 13-14 years earlier than non-smokers.

The risk of dying from lung cancer among smokers compared to non-smokers: 22 times greater in men and 12 times greater among women.

Since 1950, lung cancer deaths among women have increased 600 percent.

Smokers have three times risk of dying from heart attack.

Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable deaths.

Smoking kills 250 daily.

At least 250 Filipinos die each day — yes, each day — or about 90,000 a year, from smokingrelated illnesses, cardiovascular, pulmonary, metabolic diseases, and cancers, especially lung cancers. In Malaysia about 10,000, and Vietnam at least 40,000, die annually from tobacco-related conditions. Indonesia’s death toll is the worst: 400,000 a year.

The sad fact is that official global tobacco youth survey has revealed that the “smoking prevalence among Filipino youth had jumped and extrapolated to go even higher.”

Obviously, for political correctness and expediency, majority of our legislators in Congress prefer to protect the tobacco industry and allow tobacco to continue to kill our people. What money from the tobacco lobby can do!

Smoking kills. It is that plain and simple. There is no more doubt today that tobacco (cigarette smoking) is the predominant cause of lung cancer, besides other malignancies and cardiovascular diseases that maim, kill men and women and hurt our society, especially our children. In the United States alone, almost half a million die each year from smoking-related illnesses.

These are preventable deaths!

Demographic studies have shown that smokers are about 10 times more prone to die premature deaths than non-smokers. This unnecessary loss of lives is at an immense direct cost for non-

it is an expression, a language, a connection, an art.”

Grateful for all the encouragement, she finally said, “So happy with all the positive feedback for my Mandarin and my Chinese supporters [too]! Haha thank you, thank you, all worth it. Thank you Lord!”

Priceless possibilities With no monetary prize in sight just yet, the Davao-born singer stated she is more eager for the non-material returns of competing in Singer 2018.

“For me to able to represent KZ Tandingan OPM [Original Pilipino Music] Photo from Instagram/@kztandingan in a country that’s not always audience, Chinese culture and penetrated by international artists is Chinese music.” already a prize that money cannot She further explained, “What’s buy,” she related. good about taking risks especially “It makes me proud to be at this point of the competition [is Pinoy. I’m just hoping that after that it]shows how serious you are this competition, many doors with your craft.” will open not just for me but also The seventh episode for airing for Filipino performers now that tomorrow has already been taped. foreigners recognize the artistry and And since Tandingan is going back excellence of Filipino performers. to China by the end of February, I’m just really thankful that we were it means she is very much among given this opportunity.” the top contenders of the show. A Chinese fans challenger must have an average Indeed, Tandingan is gaining ranking in the Top 4 to stay in the a significant following outside competition. the Philippines in just two Doing the math, with Tandiperformances. In fact, she has made ngan’s No. 1 ranking on her debut fans out of the Chinese audience and her No. 6 placement, she is who mostly judge her Mandarin at No. 3 overall as of February 16. medley as “flawless.”

She follows Chinese superstar Hua “I’m Chinese [and] to be honest, Chenyu and Jessie J who are in the you would not think there is a first and second spot. foreigner singing if you don’t look at ‘Pinoy’ power her [performing]. [Besides her] very In a series of tweets, including accurate pronunciation but also replies to comments after the airing with very emotional expression. Her of last week’s episode, the newest performance is better than many pride of the Philippines conveyed native singers. She is a [true] talent,” amid all the excitement, “But more posted one YouTube user. than just getting the votes, I want Another notable comment to make a real connection with the comes from Paris Qian Sen, who Chinese audience. I want them to said, “From a native Chinese see that music is not bound to one perspective, KZ did a fantastic language, and that Filipinos are not performance. Her voice is making afraid to take risks.” the song even more touching than She further asserted with there ever. Is she an ethnic Chinese? Her being no judges in the show, “Music pronunciation is even better than isn’t also just about entertainment, [contestant] Tien Chong.”

C

(Advertising Supplement

across

America

details at info@asianjournalinc.com or calendar@asianjournalinc.com

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An Asian Journal Magazine

The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY F E b R uA RY 23, 20 1 8

Paolo Ballesteros goes in a ‘straight direction’

by Christina

alpaD ManilaTimes.net

AFTER reaping awards here and abroad for his critically acclaimed film “Die Beautiful” in 2016, Paolo Ballesteros’ career shifted to high gear. In fact, he went from being an “Eat Bulaga” mainstay to lead actor in one movie after another.

In 2017, he shared top billing in the comedy film “Trip to Ubusan” with Bulaga co-hosts Jose Manalo and Wally Bayola, and simultaneously inherited the iconic Barbi franchise from veteran comedian Joey de leon in “Barbi D’ Wonder Beki.” These two movies opened only a week apart just as Ballesteros turned 35 in November.

Shortly into the new year, he remains revved up as ever with his next big screen outing, “Amnesia love,” from Viva Films.

“Mas natatakot akong mamatay sa pagod kesa sa over exposure,” Ballesteros said in jest when asked if he isn’t afraid of his fans getting weary of his constant projects. “But seriously, I really believe that all of the work I am getting are blessings, so when I get offered a project, dapat hindi tatanggihan.”

The plot “Amnesia love” begins easily enough for Ballesteros. His character is gay and outgoing, a busy bee in the city who looks forward to a short getaway only to meet an accident.

The next time he opens his eyes, he’s been washed ashore on a beach where a compassionate couple takes him in, only to find out that unexpected guest cannot remember a single thing—not even his name.

The couple’s daughter, Doray, (Yam Concepcion) is skeptical about the stranger who claims he doesn’t know who he is but is left with no choice but to let him stay

PAL president Jaime Bautista receives the 4-star rating award from Skytrax.

Inquirer.net photo

PAL bags 4-star Skytrax rating

by Doris

Dumlao-abaDilla

PAl president and chief operating officer Jaime J. Bautista. “Since FlAg carrier Philippine Airlines 2016, we have embarked on a (PAl) has graduated to four-star journey of rolling out in-flight and from three-star airline quality, on-ground innovations, opened according to global aviation new routes, increased connectivity industry rating firm Skytrax, citing across PAl’s route network, added improvements in the airline’s new aircraft to our fleet and in-flight services and ground importantly, invested in the Buong operations in the last two years.

Pusong Alaga (whole-hearted) This four-star airline rating was training of all our cabin crew, described by Skytrax as a mark of ground crew and service providers “quality distinction that recognizes domestically and internationally excellent standards of product in order to enhance the passenger and staff service across different travel experience and earn a higher assessment categories for both the Skytrax rating,” Bautista added.

The 35-year-old actor plays a gay man in Paolo with Yam Concepcion onboard and airport environment.”

With the four-star rating now ‘Amnesia Love’ whose sudden loss of memory Photos courtesy of Viva Films In a statement posted on the certified, PAl aims to intensify turns him into a heterosexual male. aviation rating firm’s website, efforts to unveil new products Skytrax chief executive officer and expand routes, including the roles. So just to get over my on her parents’ will.

Edward Plaisted said: “This launch of non-stop services to New love scenes with Yam, I had The family gives their recognizes the great improvements York and Brisbane as well as flights to channel my past self, yung houseguest a name—Macky— that the airline has introduced over to India and additional routes to the last two years, both in terms of Japan and China within 2018. dating ako!” and in time, Doray gives him her product change and development As early as 2020, PAl aims to All the same, Ballesteros heart, as he does his. and enhancement of the front-line attain the five-star Skytrax rating, promised that just like Trisha in Now a couple, Doray can’t staff service. New and retrofitted putting it at par with the likes of “Die Beautiful”—which earned help but wonder why her aircraft have played an important Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, him Best Actor awards from the boyfriend seems to be distracted part in the quality improvement Cathay Pacific Airways, Asiana Tokyo Film Festival, Metro Manila process, and this looks set to by the sight of good-looking Airlines, Hainan Airlines, lufthansa, Film Festival, the Entertainment men. And when someone from develop further when Philippine ANA All Nippon Airways, garuda Editors’ Awards for Movies and Macky’s past finally finds him and Airlines introduce the A350 into Indonesia, EVA Air and Etihad gawad Urian—Macky gives his his amnesia starts to wear off, their fleet. We look for consistency Airways. audience a meaningful take away of quality in the 4-star rating, and the movie’s conflict begins. Will “By offering the public a we now entrust Philippine Airlines globally competitive airline service, in the end.

Macky embrace his new self and to ensure this is duly delivered to we are empowered to attract more “Si Macky kasi, meron siyang his love Doray or will he go back customers.” tourists to visit the Philippines, pagpipiling gagawin. So he’s to being gay?

“This is a big win for the experience our country’s beauty harboring this inner struggle About face Philippines,” said PAl chair and and our people’s warmth, and to throughout the movie dahil “As you can see, my role here chief executive officer lucio Tan. generate more economic activity sa dalawang pagkatao niya. is quite different from my last few “We are elated by this recognition for the Philippines,” said Bautista.

Eventually he has to choose movies because for the most part which is a victory for the more Skytrax completed the quality between the two and show that of Amnesia love, I’m a straight than seven thousand members audit evaluation of Philippine whatever decision we make in man. I even got intimate with my of the Philippine Airlines family.

Airlines in December 2017, life, we need to own it and we leading lady here, which I haven’t Our achievement is the country’s examining in detail all product and achievement and we share this service delivery areas across the need to be responsible for its done in long time!” he hooted at with all Filipinos around the globe.” customer trip experience. consequences.” his revelation.

“Our get-that-star journey Since 2016, PAl finalized fleet Directed by Albert lagnitan, He went on to admit, began in 2016.

Our efforts over the orders of Airbus A350s, A321s, “Amnesia love” also stars lander “Honestly, mas comfortable ako last two years have borne fruit,” said Boeing 777s and Bombardier Q400 Vera Perez, Maricel Morales, Polo sa gay role kasi yung creativity Ravales, Vandolph Quizon, geleen ko as an artist mas nalalaro Eugenio and Sinon lloresca. ko kumpara sa straight men Inquirer.net

Of charmed lives

From Page 3 behinds, too saggy.

Picture the word REJECT stamped on our pathetic, little foreheads if we were in a conveyor belt in an assembly line, as we head directly to the recycling bin unless we undergo a drastic make-over that will cost us plenty.

We look and read about the airbrushed lives of celebrities on the red carpet. We see them parading and preening in their Pradas, Jimmy Choos, or Blahnik shoes, sheathed in thousand dollar Versace and Vera Wang gowns with décolletage showcasing ample natural or shored up cleavages, their gravity-defying faces tight with botox or nipped and tucked by a surgeon’s scalpel and dripping in Harry Winston gems, escorted by equally gorgeous hunks dressed to the nines in their Armanis, as media people buzz around them like flies around honey. And we’re hoodwinked to the vision of charmed lives.

Thankfully these days, our eyes are being opened. TRUTH, like sunlight, is proving to be the greatest disinfectant. It turns out that many in Hollywood and other high profile figures are simply blown-up images of their own press releases as stories reveal them, even with their padded bank accounts and mega-sized homes, to be no better than the average Joe. In some instances, some are the scum of the earth.

Some of the big names have been living seriously perverted lives

while victimizing many in their industry for decades.

Imagine that god sees how unhappy you are, takes pity on you and he gives you access to His Celestial PowerBook, with a database cataloging the lives of the past, present and future of the seven billion or so people that inhabit the world.

He permits you to type in the name of the person you would like to exchange your life with. But lo and behold. You discover surprising twists and turns of character and fate. You discover dirt that has been airbrushed or little dark secrets edited out or given a new spin. You discover untold pain and suffering, the great equalizers, etched in every life.

That gorgeous, woman hiding behind a ready smile has a young daughter with cystic fibrosis and is going through a bitter divorce with a philandering husband.

The good-looking guy you thought was to die for is a closet pedophile cum sado-masochist.

The distinguished couple you met who lacks for nothing, has a son languishing in jail. That tall, reed-thin Victoria’s Secret lingerie model suffers from bulimia.

That hottie celebrity is a wife beater and is in rehab for serious addictions.

You go through the entire universal data base frustrated and somewhat relieved to find out that your own life with all its warts, is just as bad or just as good as those of others and there’s no one you’d like to trade your life with, thank you very much.

Be fair to your...

From Page 5 hairstylist. Turn to them when you feel your hair is under the weather, for a review of how you should properly take care of your hair.

Brittle damage and breakage due to too much chemical process, after the summer or doit-yourself-color went bad, needs a professional salon visit. We can trim away damaged hair and fix the bad color. Avoid split ends and enjoy shiny healthy hair by trimming every eight to 12 weeks.

Do not overuse heatstyling products. They damage hair from root to sorry splitends. Fortunately, hair now has a lot of new innovations, with new

solutions like keratin treatment, hair spa and products designed to repair the damage.

For extremely dry hair use an extra moisturizing shampoo and conditioner.

When choosing your heat styling tool, look for the new hair care words and descriptions: tourmaline, ionic, and ceramic. They are better than your everyday tools. Unlike traditional dryers and flat irons that stripped hair of moisture as they dry, the new generation of tools helps hair stay hydrated and conditioned, as moisture, natural oils, and even your styling product enter the hair shaft which gives you shine a healthier hair. For overprocessed

next generation planes bringing the fleet count to 88 aircraft, the largest fleet in the Philippines. It also: developed new domestic hubs (Clark, Cebu, Davao); introduced new international routes, launched direct non-stop services between Manila and Auckland and Manila and Toronto in addition to existing direct flights to london, San Francisco, and, los Angeles; improved on-time performance while maximizing fleet productivity; and, strengthened its passenger care.

Eight of the airline’s 15 Airbus A330s have undergone a total cabin transformation from a single economy to a tri-class cabin to make it more comfortable on all classes. The latest Boeing 777s and the incoming Airbus A350s are expected to further upgrade the PAl fleet for the airline’s longhaul international routes.

On in-flight entertainment, PAl rolled out its myPAl eSuite personal TV service that gives passengers access to a wide selection of movies, music and TV shows via touch screen monitors in all classes of many PAl aircraft, while myPAl Player provides in-flight entertainment using passengers’ owned device. myPAl Wi-fi access allows passengers to surf, browse and stay connected.

To improve on-ground service at airports, PAl renovated the interterminal transit lounge at the NAIA Terminal 2, improved its business class check-in product, introduced a more efficient boarding procedure and put up airport terminal signage for passenger convenience. By the second quarter of 2018, it will open a new, bigger and more sophisticated Mabuhay lounge.

In most cases, the life we have is the life we would choose all over again. We just need to realize that there’s always more to a story and an image than meets the eye.

Packaging can be mere illusion.

What you see is not necessarily what you get, ergo, the need to dig deep. We are all programmed to go through great lengths to put up a deceptive front to hide the truth — either goaded by ego or the instinct for self-preservation.

A self-respecting gardener winterizes the grass and preps it for the cold, dark days of winter to give it a fighting chance to survive and thrive in the spring and summer. We ought do the same thing and winterize the garden of our soul to keep it young and hopeful.

I wish I could say it’s easy. But like anything that is worthwhile, it takes time, patience, work, persistence and gumption. But we could start with something basic.

Upon waking up each day, we can psyche ourselves up with an unfailing weapon of choice — PRAYER. Personalized and heartfelt, it is our instant connection with the god of our being. These can merely be secular, positive affirmations of our own worth and place in this life or it can be the simple act of prayerful acceptance and thanksgiving for all that was, is and yet to come.

Chances are, you’re already living one heck of a charmed life and you don’t even know it. *** Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette.maglaya@ asianjournalinc.com

dry damaged hair, the hair reborn spa treatment is definitely a must!

I hope that these beauty tips will help you. I hope I was able to share you my knowledge on how to take care of your hair, your one and only crowning glory. If you need more info please call us at (213) 216-4923 or www. monetsalon.com. *** Monet Lu is a Marikina-born, award-winning celebrity beauty stylist with his own chain of Monet Salon salons across Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada. Ultimately, Monet is known as an all-around artiste who produces sold-out fashion and awards shows as well as unforgettable marketing campaigns. Monet is also the founder of the revolutionary allnatural beauty products such as Enlighten, your solution to discoloration . To contact Monet, please visit www.monetsalon.com or email him at monetsalon@aol.com

An Asian Journal Magazine

7

The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY FEbRuARY 23, 2018

An Asian Journal Magazine

8

The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY FEbRuARY 23, 2018