022418 - Los Angeles Weekend Edition

February 24-27, 2018 Volume 28 - No. 16 • 4 Sections – 30 Pages

USA

DATELINE Quiboloy aide charged with cash smuggling FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

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 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.

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Trump considering pulling ICE from California President disappointed in the state’s efforts to target illegal immigration

AS soon as President Donald Trump was sworn into office last year, various states and jurisdictions have pledged not to adhere to the federal government’s new stringent immigration plans.

These so-called “sanctuary” cities and states have ordered their law enforcement agencies not to aid and abet federal immigration agencies, such as the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in the patrolling and detention of undocumented immigrants.

California has been one of the most critical of the Trump administration’s immigration policies, especially the actions of ICE. After labeling “the sanctuary city situation” as a “disgrace,” Trump casually mentioned

US Embassy explains Duterte threat assessment based on public info

by DANA

SIOSON AJPress

U.S. Ambasaddor to PH Sung Kim

Inquirer.net photo

THE recent United States intelligence report classifying Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte as a “regional threat” was based on information available to the public, the U.S. Embassy in Manila said.

U.S. Ambassador Sung Kim met with Philippine Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea on Thursday, February 22 to discuss the 2018 Worldwide Threat Assessment published by the Office of the Director of

National Intelligence.

“Ambassador Kim explained the nature of the report – an annual assessment on conditions in each of the world’s various regions based on widely available information,” the U.S. embassy said in a statement Friday, February 23.

Without elaborating, the embassy added that the two officials’ discussion “focused on the references to the Philippines in the report, including clarifying that the information about the Philippines had been previously reported by media sources.”

It said the meeting concluded with both countries “reaffirming the strength of the broad and deep bilateral relationship.”

In its threat assessment report, the U.S. intelligence community said that democracy and human rights in Southeast Asian countries will remain fragile in 2018 as “autocratic tendencies deepen in some regimes and rampant corruption and cronyism undermine democratic values.”

The report tagged Duterte as among the Southeast Asian leaders who pose

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Philippine Senate unlikely to pass divorce bill

by AJPRESS THE measure seeking to introduce divorce and the dissolution of marriage in the Philippines may have a hard time getting approval in the Senate.

At least six senators expressed opposition against the divorce bill For Senate Majority Leader Vicente Inquirer.net photo a day after the Sotto III House Committee on Population and Family Relations submitted the measure for deliberations at the plenary level on Wednesday, February 21.

For Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III, the chances of passing the measure on

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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

Metro Manila traffic costs P3.5-B daily

by AJPRESS

Eighty-eight drug suspects have been killed since the Philippine National Police (PNP) rejoined the government’s bloody crackdown against illegal drugs. The death toll covered 4,613 police operations conducted nationwide from December 5, 2017 to February 14.

Inquirer.net photo

88 killed since police resume anti-drugs ops

by ROY

NARRA

THE worsening traffic in Metro Manila results in 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

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percent in 2017.

Philstar.com photo

SEC: Rappler ruling ‘not final’ but ban up to Malacañang

reported killed in Central Luzon, 17 in the Soccsksargen Region EIGHTY-EIGHT people have and nine in Metro Manila.

PNP spokesman John Bulalacao been killed since the Philippine

by DANA SIOSON National Police (PNP) resumed its said they all died during buy-bust AJPress campaign against illegal drugs in operations and the serving of warrants of arrests.

December last year.

THE Securities Exchange Com“Yes, they all fought back,” Bu- mittee (SEC) on Friday, February The latest PNP report shows the 88 died in 5,636 operations lalacao said.

23 reiterated that its decision to The PNP conducted 2,489 op- revoke Rappler’s license is not yet conducted nationwide.

Of the total casualties, 38 were u PAGE A3 final and executory.

ManilaTimes.net

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 congestion will be “drastically reduced” with the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte’s “Build, Build, Build” (BBB) infraEDSA, a main thoroughfare that spans across cities in Metro Manila, as seen at night. The structure program.

Duterte administration has set an P8.44-trillion infrastructure spending plan until 2022 to Under the program, the Philip- spur gross domestic product growth to 7-8 percent starting this year from a targeted 6.5-7.5

In a press conference, SEC Chairperson Teresita Herbosa clarified that they will not implement the ruling “until after the final and binding decision of the Court of Appeals (CA) or the Supreme Court (SC).”

Herbosa made the statement

a day after President Rodrigo Duterte said that he was “invoking executive action” based on the SEC ruling when he issued the order to ban Rappler reporters from entering Malacañang.

Last month, the SEC revoked the certificate of incorporation of

Rappler Inc. and Rappler Holdings Corp. for allegedly violating the Constitutional restrictions on foreign ownership. Rappler, for its part, maintained that it is 100 percent Filipino owned.

However, concerning the re-

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From the Front Page

US Embassy explains Duterte...

PAGE A1 t a threat to democracy and human rights in the region, 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 listed the Philippines as among countries “whose governments used social media to spread government views, to drive agendas, and to counter criticism of the

government online.”

‘Myopic, speculative’ In response to the report, House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez asserted that the real threat to democracy is the United States, not the president.

“Well para sa akin ‘yong United States of America, sila ‘yong banta sa demokrasya ng buong mundo (For me, the United States of America is the real threat to global democracy),” Alvarez said over DZMM radio.

He argued that the U.S. interferes in the “independence and sovereignty of several nations in the world.”

The House speaker also urged the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to lodge a diplomatic protest against the U.S. for allegedly interfering with the internal affairs of the Philippines.

“Dapat, unang-una, mag-(file) ng protesta ‘yung DFA kasi, anong pakialam nila sa atin, di ba? Sila nga itong maraming kalokohan sa iba’t ibang bansa (the DFA should file a protest because why are they interfering in our affairs? It is the U.S. who has plenty of issues with other countries),” he said.

According to presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, Medialdea has instructed the DFA through the Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C. “to coordinate and engage with the U.S. agencies involved in the writing of the assessment.”

Roque also relayed that Medialdea further directed Philippine embassy officials in the U.S. to provide the latter “accurate information on the realities happening on the ground in the Philippines.”

In an earlier statement, Malacañang dismissed the U.S. intelligence report as “myopic and speculative at best.”

“For one, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte is no 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 Palace official also maintained that autocracy is “not prevalent” under the Duterte administration, and that “there is no revolutionary government or nationwide martial law, which U.S. intelligence officials are saying that the president might declare or impose.” n

NEW HOSPITAL. Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros on Thursday, February 22, led the groundbreaking of a 200-bed hospital to be constructed in Bogo City, Cebu. The 230 million-peso medical facility will be funded by the national government, 200 million pesos of which will be allocated from the Senate and the remaining 30 million pesos allocated from the Department of Health (DOH).

Senate photo

Philippine Senate unlikely...

PAGE A1 t the Senate level are dim.

“No counterpart bill, I’m not aware of any senator interested.

Unless I’m wrong. An amendment to the grounds for annulment might stand a better chance of passage,” Sotto told ABS-CBN News.

Like Sotto, Senators Francis Escudero and Joel Villanueva expressed that amendments on the grounds for annulment stand a better chance.

“I am in favor of making the existing process of annulment under the Civil Code and the Family Code more affordable and accessible instead of expanding the grounds provides therein via a new law on ‘divorce,’” Escudero said.

Villanueva also said he’s “strongly against divorce” and instead prefers to make the country’s annulment laws be “simplified and not anti-poor.”

Senators Panfilo Lacson and Sherwin Gatchalian likewise expressed apprehension on legalizing divorce.

Lacson said he does not want marriage and separation matters to become a “dime a dozen” affair.

“At the outset, no. I’m willing to see the salient features of the House bill and whatever

bill might be filed in the Senate though. My primary concern is the sanctity of marriage. Needless to say, I don’t want marriage and separation to be a ‘dime a dozen’ affair,” Lacson said.

Gatchalian shared the same sentiments, saying he does not believe in a “drive-through divorce.”

“In any case I don’t believe in drive-through divorce kasi sa [because in] America, marriage is like drive through. I don’t believe in no fall divorce ibig sabihin ayoko sa mukha mo ayoko na (meaning I don’t like your face, I’m done),” Gatchalian said.

According to him, what Filipinos need is “a clear process and reasonable process for our constituents to follow,” noting that the current separation process in the country is very costly. In the Philippines, annulments can cost an upwards of P250,000.

The proposed measure, entitled “An act instituting absolute divorce in the Philippines,” 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.”

The grounds of divorce include existing grounds for legal separation under Article 55 of the Family Code, and annulment under Article 45 of the same code, which include physical violence, homosexuality, marital infidelity, and affliction of sexually transmissible infection, among others.

Newly introduced grounds, meanwhile, include irreconcilable marital differences and conflicts resulting in the “total breakdown of the marriage beyond repair,” among others.

In a statement, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has described divorce as “anti-marriage and anti-family.”

“The Church is all for the protection of rights especially of the aggrieved parties,” said CBCP Executive Secretary Fr. Jerome Secillano He continued, “While divorce may indeed vindicate the rights of women, as congressmen believed, it is unfortunately to the detriment of marriage and family as sacred institutions that should otherwise be protected by the State.”

The Philippines, which is predominantly-Catholic, is one of two nations in the world that does not have a divorce law. The other one is the Vatican City, an ecclesiastical sovereign citystate. n

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Quiboloy aide charged with...

PAGE A1 t

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).

Metro Manila traffic costs...

PAGE A1 t pine 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

FROM THE FRONT PAGE

cently imposed ban on Rappler reporters from Palace coverage, Herbosa pointed out that the decision is within the discretion of Malacañang.

“Malacañang will have its own rules for its journalists. If they feel that our ruling is enough trigger to reevaluate Rappler’s credentials, that’s their independent decision,” the SEC chair told reporters.

Duterte said he will only lift the entry prohibition 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 on Thursday, February 22.

The ban on Rappler reporters came after Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go faced a Senate probe over a controversial frigate deal, which was triggered by reports published by Rappler and the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Palace Spokesperson Harry Roque previously said Duterte issued the ban order because he was “irritated” by Rappler journal-

Palace Spokesperson Harry Roque Malacañang photo

ist Pia Ranada’s questioning on the frigates deal.

On Tuesday, February 20, Ranada was briefly denied entry to Malacañang but was later informed that she would only be allowed at the New Executive Building (NEB), where the press working area is located.

On Wednesday, February 21, the Rappler reporters were prohibited from entering the complex as a whole.

Rappler described the move as “another instance of power attempting to intimidate independent journalists.”

In a statement, the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP) expressed “grave concern” over Duterte’s decision to bar Rappler journalists from entering Malacañang.

FOCAP tagged the move as “a

A3

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) subway and the soon-to-be longest mass railway transit.

The subway will run from Mindanao 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. ■

SEC: Rappler ruling ‘not final’...

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LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 24-27, 2018

blatant attack on freedom of the press, a right guaranteed by the Philippine Constitution and the United Nations.”

“The restriction, which came after Rappler reported about a senior presidential aide dragged into a navy frigate deal, is disturbing.

FOCAP underscores the critical role of the press in a functioning and vibrant democracy,” it added.

Reporters Without Borders (Reporters Sans Frontieres, RSF) also condemned the order, describing it 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 AsiaPacific 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 was ranked the 127th most dangerous country for the media out of the 180 countries surveyed. ■

NEW POC PRESIDENT. Former International Olympic Committee (IOC) Representative to the Philippines and Philippine Olympic Committee Commission on Elections (POC Comelec) Chairman Francisco Elizalde (2nd right) congratulates newly-elected POC President Victorico Vargas (right) at the Wack-Wack Golf and Country Club in Mandaluyong City on Friday, February 23. He will replace Jose Cojuangco Jr., who held the seat since Jan. 2005. Also in the photo are: newly-elect POC Chairman Abraham Tolentino (2nd from left) and POC Comelec Member Atty. Alberto Agra (left).

PNA photo by Jess Escaros Jr.

Trump considering pulling ICE...

PAGE A1 t that he is thinking about pulling ICE out of the state, altogether, as punishment for what he claimed was a “lousy management job”

by California’s law enforcement and leadership.

“You know what, I’m thinking about doing it,” the president said at a roundtable listening session at the White House on Thursday, February 23. “We’re getting no help from the state of California.

Frankly, if I pulled our people from California, you would have a crime nest like you’ve never seen in California.”

It is uncertain whether or not Trump is serious about this motion. Neither ICE nor the Department of Homeland Security --- which oversees all federal immigration agencies --- have commented on Trump’s remarks.

Over the last year, the federal government has beefed up ICE presence and immigration enforcement in California as a way to pressure the unflinching state leaders to comply with federal orders.

The passing of SB 54, California’s sanctuary state bill, solidified the state’s staunch commitment to this cause. SB 54 prevents the state of California from helping federal immigration agencies in immigration operations, whether that be turning over information that could lead to the capture of undocumented immigrants or actively patrolling alongside federal agents.

“Californians simply will not divert its public safety assets to stalk law-abiding immigrants and undermine the safety in our communities in the process,” California Senate President pro Tempore Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) said in a statement. “California is building a wall of justice against President Trump’s xenophobic, racist and ignorant immigration policies. We will resist and we will overcome, and we will prove to the nation there is a hopeful future for our country where we cherish diversity and respect our immigrant heritage.”

As previously reported by the Asian Journal, ICE said that

it had detained more than 200 people in the LA area during a five-day operation. The agency said that 88 percent of those who were detained were convicted criminals, some of whom will be prosecuted. The others await deportation hearings or immediate deportation.

ICE claimed that the raids were made in the name of public safety.

Trump’s surprising remark also comes two weeks after the San Gabriel City Council ended an agreement between the San Gabriel Police Department and ICE, a partnership signed in secret months before and publicized a month after it was finalized.

The SGPD received pushback for agreeing to the partnership without the knowledge of the city council and the public.

In the last few weeks, pressure has been mounting as ICE has threatened to stage multiple raids all across the state; Acting ICE Director Thomas Homan warned Californians in January to “hold on tight” for an increase in ICE operations. (Klarize Medenilla/AJ Press)

88 killed since police resume...

PAGE A1 t erations nationwide in the third week of Operation Tokhang.

Out of the 2,489 operations conducted, 993 were in Northern Mindanao. This resulted in the surrender of 292 alleged drug personalities.

Metro Manila had 454 Tokhang activities, with 227 surrenderers.

The PNP was brought back to the war against drugs on December 5 and Operation Tokhang was relaunched on January 29.

In November 2017, President

Rodrigo Duterte replaced the PNP with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency as the lead government unit carrying out the anti-drug campaign after police operations caused a public uproar over the killing of some teenagers suspected of links to drugs. ■

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Los Angeles Kaiser Permanente workers protest alleged layoff plans

by Rae

ann VaRona AJPress

Workers gathered Wednesday, February 21 outside the kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park facility to protest the company’s alleged plans to lay off or outsource nearly 800 jobs in Los Angeles county — a move protesters said would undermine patient care.

The seIU-United Healthcare Workers West (seIU-UHW) union, which represents over 55,000 California kaiser Permanente employees, said kaiser plans to lay off 652 employees at its call centers in Woodland Hills, Baldwin Park, and Hollywood.

The union said kaiser Permanente’s profits have increased over 60 percent in the first three quarters of 2017. The union added that the healthcare company has $32 billion in reserves.

Jobs will allegedly be moved to san Diego, riverside and Fontana where the union said positions would be paid $2 per hour less.

The union said kaiser reportedly also plans to outsource 81 pharmacy warehouse jobs in North Hollywood, and 61 in Downey. The jobs would then be contracted to an outside company where workers would receive less pay and receive fewer benefits, according to the union.

“The healthcare giant said it wants to reduce wage rates by 20 percent in California’s Central Valley and 10 percent in the sacramento area,” added the union in a released.

Another protest took place at the company’s Downey facility during the same time. one at the Woodland Hills facility was held on Thursday, February 22.

The protests were part of the 32 being held across the state between February 14 and March 15 by caregivers at kaiser Permanente-owned facilities.

‘Simply not true’ kaiser Permanente said in a statement that the seIU-UHW claims were “misleading” and “inaccurate.” The healthcare company said no announcements or wage proposals for seIU-UHW members have been made.

“The union’s claims that we have announced 700 layoffs at our call centers is simply not true,” the company said.

HOMECOMING PERFORMANCE. Michael Martinez, who represented the Philippines in the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, performs during his homecoming celebration at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City on Thursday, February 22. Martinez said he hopes his experience becomes an inspiration for the next generation of ice athletes.

PNA photo by Jess Escaros Jr.

Workers marched outside the Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park facility Wednesday, February 21 to protest the healthcare company’s alleged plans of laying off or outsourcing nearly 800 Los Angeles jobs.

More AAPIs living in San Gabriel Valley than in 42 states, according to new study Comprehensive report sheds light on challenges in housing, the workplace and environmental justice in the nerve center of the Asian American community

by KlaRize

Medenilla AJPress

The Wednesday, February 21 protest at the Baldwin Park Kaiser Permanente facility was part of the 32 being held across California between February 14 and March 15 in response to the company’s alleged layoff plans.

AJPress photos by Rae Ann Varona

kaiser Permanente said that after discussions with unions including seIU-UHW, it was determined that an external pharmacy storage and distribution network was the best recourse in meeting current and future needs of its members.

“The exact number of positions affected by this decision has not yet been determined, so the union’s claims are premature and may in fact be wrong. We will be scheduling more sessions with our union partners over the next few months to fully address the effects of this decision. As we determine the potential impact to employees, plans will be finalized and shared with them,” the statement added.

‘I love my job’ Protesters gathered outside the Baldwin Park facility donning purple scrubs and holding up purple signs that read “equality Across kaiser“ and

“outsourcing Hurts Communities”.

Corrine Martine, an appointment clerk for the call center at the Baldwin Park facility, said she’s been working there for 19 years and wasn’t planning on leaving quite yet.

“I need my job because of my benefits — I’m not ready to leave this company. I plan on staying here as long as I can,” Martine told the Asian Journal, adding that she has a disabled child. she said the possibility of having to relocate would be hard for many of the workers who live nearby like herself.

“And then to relocate and maybe find out down the line that they just want to dissolve the jobs? That would be a devastating hardship because everybody assumes that they would have this job. They pack up, follow the company, and then they lose

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To residents of the greater Los Angeles area, the san Gabriel Valley (sGV) is famously a cultural hub that boasts a strong minority and immigrant community.

Today, the AAPI community has surpassed whites as the second largest racial group (28 percent of the population) in the region behind Latinos (46 percent).

Moreover, two-thirds of the Asian American community in sGV are immigrants According to the latest data from the U.s. Census Bureau, there are more than 524,000 Asian Americans and more than 7,100 Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPI).

And given the large AAPI community, local community leaders have been putting forth efforts to address issues specific to the AAPI community.

According to a brand new study released by civil rights organization Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Los Angeles, the AAPI community in sGV is larger than those in 42 U.s. states.

The sGV’s AAPI community is also larger than those of notably diverse cities like LA, san Francisco and Chicago.

“We’ve come a long way in some ways, but we haven’t come a long way in other ways. This report tells us the full story of how well we’re doing,” Advancing Justice-LA President and executive Director stewart kwoh said

at a media event for the report on Wednesday, February 21 in Alhambra.

The sGV report, called “A Community of Contrasts: Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders in the san Gabriel Valley,” is a part of a series of future reports on other regions that will focus on the demographic trends of the AAPI community.

The report culled disaggregated data from the 2010 census to explore the demographics in a variety of studies. The sGV study also selected data from the 2015 American Community survey, which provided more detailed characteristics on demographic trends, housing and employment.

Advancing Justice-LA put out the study in hopes of educating the public on the true breadth of the Asian American community in the sGV. But researchers hope that it could provide a useful resource for policymakers, community organizers, government agencies and businesses to better address the needs of the AAPI community.

“Asian Americans are the most immigrant of any major racial group, be it in the san Gabriel Valley, be it the state of California, be it nationally,” said Dan Ichinose, director of the Demographic research Project at Advancing Justice-LA. “These data consistently show that immigration policy isn’t just something that affects Latinos; it is something that affects Asian

American communities in a really significant way.”

Language barriers are at the root of many of the issues that plague the AAPI community in general and sGV specifically.

Almost half (46 percent, or over 242,000 residents) of AAPIs are limited english proficient (LeP).

LeP workers --- especially those in blue-collar jobs --- are more susceptible to discrimination in the workplace including underpayment and overworking due to an incomprehension of workers rights. Additionally, immigrant rights activists have fought against the region’s push to make english the official language, a move which they have deemed anti-immigrant.

An historic nerve center for SoCal’s AAPI population Located just east of LA proper, the sGV --- colloquially referred to by residents as “the 626” -- extends from Alhambra and Monterey Park all the way to Diamond Bar and Pomona, roughly covering a 24-mile stretch that possesses a long history of Asian and Pacific Islander residency.

In the late 1800s, Chinese pioneers settled in the sGV and worked as laborers. shortly thereafter, they were followed

by Japanese, Filipino and south Asian migrants who also contributed to the agricultural labor force as well as domestic servitude to the wealthy.

By the 1970s the burgeoning Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community

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Class action suit filed against US denial of green cards to TPS holders WASHINGTON, DC – Immigrant rights advocates sued officials of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and U.S. Department of Homeland Security in a federal district court in New York on Feb. 22, for “unlawful” practice against holders of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) visas.

The lawsuit challenges the government’s denial of lawful permanent resident status (green cards) to TPS visa holders based on an alleged misinterpretation of the law. The filed the class action lawsuit.

The plaintiffs allege that Congress intended a grant of TPS to be an “inspection and admission”—one of the requirements for gaining lawful permanent resident status.

In violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act, USCIS denies the green card applications of TPS holders who first entered the United States without going through an inspection process at a port of entry, ignoring the fact that they subsequently were inspected and admitted when they were granted TPS, the suit alleges.

“The Trump administration’s recent decisions to end TPS for citizens of several countries leaves tens of thousands of longstanding members of their communities at risk of deportation when their status expires in the coming months,” said Mary Kenney, senior staff attorney at the American Immigration Council.

“Many individuals about to lose their TPS would be able to become lawful permanent residents in the United States were it not for DHS’s ongoing misinterpretation of the law. If this

lawsuit is successful, it would provide a way for some of those individuals to continue their lives in the United States.”

The lawsuit documents the cases of individuals who have maintained TPS for years— many for close to two decades— who now seek to become lawful permanent residents through their U.S. citizen spouses, adult children, parents, or employers, but whose adjustment applications for permanent residence have been denied because USCIS does not recognize that they have been “inspected and admitted.”

“Two federal courts—the Sixth and the Ninth Circuits— have ordered USCIS to correctly apply the law. TPS holders living within the dozen states under the jurisdiction of these two courts are able to gain permanent status. TPS holders living anywhere else in the country are victims of USCIS’s unlawful policy and suffer great hardships.

It is especially egregious that Secretary Nielson has ordered the termination of TPS status for hundreds of thousands of longtime lawful residents, while at the same time refusing to fol-

Hospitals want to cut back on free care; critics say no way FIve years after Fresno-based 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, 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,” emersonShea 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 mention countless others with highdeductible, 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

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low the law in allowing them to apply for permanent residence,” said Matt Adams, legal director of NWIRP. The lawsuit seeks to expand the decisions of the Ninth and Sixth Circuits—which found that TPS holders are “inspected and admitted” for purposes of applying for permanent residence while remaining in the United States—to TPS holders nationwide.

The lawsuit is asking that the court declare USCIS’s policy unlawful and order it to stop applying the policy; to find that TPS holders have been “inspected and admitted” for the purposes of their permanent residence applications; and to order USCIS to reopen class members’ applications that were denied and allow those TPS holders the opportunity to have their applications reconsidered with the law properly applied. (Inquirer.net)

URBAN FARM. Sen. Cynthia A. Villar leads the ceremonial transplanting of veggies during the launch of the training on urban vegetable farming at the Villar SIPAG Farm School in Bacoor City. The project is in partnership with Allied Botanical Corporation (ABC). The senator, chair of the Senate agriculture and food committee, was also joined by representatives from ABC and participants- farmers and farm enthusiasts and hobbyists— from Las Pinas, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon and nearby cities of Metro Manila.

Senate photo

Los Angeles Kaiser Permanente...

PAGE A4 t it,” said Martine on the possible consequences.

“I really love my work. I love to talk to patients. I love to hear their stories and how I can help them,” she said. “I come in before a nurse or a doctor. I am the first person you talk to before anything. I think patients love that kind of system, they love that kind of care, and I think they want to keep that going.”

Mark Matthews, a lead x-ray

technologist at the hospital, came out during his break to support the protesters. He’s worked at the Baldwin Park facility since it opened 20 years ago.

Like Martine, Matthews has a long history with Kaiser Permanente — 38 years as an employee and member, he said. Three of his children were born at Kaiser, and his mother was also employed by the company.

“When you hear about outsourcing, the takeaways, the

charges, and they’re making more and more money. To me this is corporate greed — American greed at its finest. We don’t need that,” said Matthews.

He added, “We’re doing great things for the patients we’re taking care of and we should get the return on investment that we’re putting into this. I’m a Kaiser member — I love my job. I love the organization I work with, but treat us with dignity. Treat us with justice. Healthcare justice. That’s what I want.” n

Dateline USa

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US carrier resumes SCS operations by

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 clear debris at a site for low-income housing.

“Community service projects like these help build relationships,” said Cmdr. Jamie StallRyan, 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 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 U.S. 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

TRADITIONAL ART. A driftwood carving of a face and tambi, a musical instrument made up of bamboo, are on display at the “An Exhibition of Hub Showcase of Crafts and Folk Arts” held at the People’s Park in Baguio City. The exhibit runs until February 24.

PNA photo by Joey Razon

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

by Dino

Maragay Philstar.com

Arum.

Arum wants to keep everyTop Rank Inc. chief Bob thing in-house, instead preferArum recently took to social ring to pit pacquiao against discussion website Reddit to in- longtime contender Mike Alvarado, also a Top Rank-proteract with some boxing fans.

The veteran promoter was moted fighter. Matthysse, in asked why Manny pacquiao contrast, fights under Golden won’t be fighting WBA welter- Boy promotions, Top Rank’s weight champion Lucas Mat- chief rival.

This comes even as pacquiao thysse in his planned ring rehas voiced out his preference to turn this April.

The reason, Arum said, was fight Matthysse, who knocked simply the lack of communica- out Tewa Kiram last January to tion between him and the Ar- annex the vacant title.

“I think some writer asked if gentine fighter’s camp.

“Well, because nobody’s he’d [pacquiao] want to fight ever talked to Matthysse, about [Matthysse], and he said yes,” whether he’s ready,” said continued Arum, who instead

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

Filipino boxer Servania inks multi-year deal with Top Rank

by Dino

Maragay Philstar.com

stable that includes Manny pacquiao and IBF super flyweight champion Jerwin Anjacas.

ANoTHER Filipino boxer has In a release, the promotional caught the eye of major boxing firm said it was impressed with promotional company Top Rank Servania (30-1, 13 Kos) after he Inc. stood his ground in challenging Top Rank boss Bob Arum on undefeated WBo featherweight Wednesday, February 21, an- champion oscar Valdez in Sepnounced he has signed feather- tember last year. The fight, held weight contender Genesis Ser- in Tucson, California, was Servavania to a multi-year contract, nia’s U.S. debut, and the boxer adding another Filipino to his did not disappoint.

Although he lost to Valdez (230, with 19 Kos) via unanimous decision, the 26-year-old contender showed he can fight, even knocking Valdez down in the fourth round of an action-packed bout.

The gallant stand against Valdez has opened new doors for Servania, who is ecstatic to become a Top Rank-promoted fighter.

“This is a dream come true,” Servania said. “I am very happy because Top Rank is the number one promoter in the world. It is such an honor to join Top Rank, led by Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum, who began his career with The Greatest, Muhammad Ali.

Genesis Servania

“I am very grateful and excited to be a part of the Top Rank/ ESpN team. Especially now, with the recent launch of ESpN 5 in the philippines, this is wonderful timing,” added Servania, who is nicknamed “Kashimi” and now fights out of Japan.

Servania has already bounced back from his loss to Valdez when he disposed of Kittiwat Sirichotchayakun in the first round with a left hook to the body in their fight last December

Philstar.com photo

17 in Kanazawa, Japan.

The Bacolod City native won the first 29 bouts of his career, including a 2014 TKo win over two-time WBA super flyweight champion Alexander Munoz. He earned the title shot against Valdez when he stopped Ralph Jhon Lulu in the second round to win the vacant WBo Asia pacific belt in April 2017.

Top Rank said it will soon announce Servania’s first fight under the promotion. n

More AAPI living in San Gabriel Valley...

PAGE A5 t

transformed the community into a dominant, cultural center, so much so that the area became a popular destination for an ample variety of Asian restaurants, organizations and businesses.

In a myriad of ways, the SGV can be seen as a microcosm of the country’s shifting demographics, in general.

Due to current naturalization trends, Asian Americans are the fastest-growing demographic in the United States which would dramatically shift the voter popu-

lation at large; by 2040, the AApI electorate is projected to double by 2040, according to a 2016 UCLA study.

The report noted that during the 2016 general election, Asian American voter registration surpassed the margins of victory of many local congressional districts. That being said, the AApI community is likely to be a formidable body that could greatly affect the ways in which businesses are run, policies are put in place and elections are voted.

“There is no way we can fully

understand the true changing story of the San Gabriel Valley.

But having this concept started will help us better understand who we are, the Asian American and pacific communities,” said Lily Lee Chen, who broke the mold in 1983 for Asian lawmakers when she became the first Chinese-American female mayor in the United States. “First we go from here. We need to travel the journey together. We need your support.”

To view and read the study, visit https://sgv2018.herokuapp. com/. n

Hospitals want to cut back on free care...

PAGE A5 t 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 for-profit 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) This story was produced by Kaiser Health News, an editorially in- dependent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation.

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D ATELINE PHILIPPINES MVP pledges P20-M to Olympic body Interpol arrests suspect in brutal slay of OFW

by ABAC

CORDERO Philstar.com

MANILA — Before the voting even started, the man behind the MVP Sports Foundation walked inside the room to deliver a message.

Manny V. Pangilinan, the country’s No. 1 sports patron, had told newly elected POC president Ricky Vargas of a plan to put up a P20 million seed money for the local Olympic body.

“MVP (Pangilinan) said he’s going to give the POC a seed money of P20 million,” said Vargas.

Afer making the promise, and shaking a lot of hands, Pangilinan left the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club.

Then the elections took place.

“Actually before he (Pangilinan) left he told me that (seed money) then when I told him that we won he reiterated it,” said Vargas.

“He said, ‘Go, go,’” Vargas said.

When the money comes along, the POC will have something to work with even as the national sports associations (NSAs) continue to receive funding from the Philippine

by HELEN

FLORES Philstar.com

Sports patron Manny V. Pangilinan, chairman emeritus of Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, poses with newly elected POC president Ricky Vargas and chairman Bambol Tolentino together with supporters (from left) boxing’s Ed Picson, volleyball’s Peter Cayco, Monico Puentevella of weightlifting, Al Panlilio of MVPSF, Karen Caballero of sepak takraw, Joey Romasanta of volleyball and Richard Fernandez of shooting during the POC elections at the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club.

Philstar.com photo by Joey Mendoza

Sports Commission.

“I hope we use it properly,” said Vargas.

The POC office at Philsports Arena, according to the boxing chief, needs some redoing.

“There’s no other (POC) office that we know of. But we will make it nicer and more millennial,” he said.

Vargas recently celebrated his 66th birthday with a new

role of POC president, other than him being chairman of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).

“It’s a wonderful gift but also a big responsibility. I hope I am able to live up to the expectations of those who supported me specially the core group who believed n me and Bambol (Tolentino), and those who voted for us,” he said. ■

MANILA — The principal suspect in the murder of overseas Filipino worker Joanna Demafelis in Kuwait has been arrested in Lebanon, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced on Friday, February 23.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano has informed President Rodrigo Duterte about the arrest of Lebanese Nader Essam Assaf who, together with his wife Mona, a Syrian national, are the principal suspects in the brutal murder of the 29-year-old domestic helper.

“The president welcomes the news that Nader Essam Assaf is now in the hands of authorities in Lebanon,” Cayetano said in a statement.

“Assaf’s arrest is a critical first step in our quest for justice for Joanna and we are thankful to our friends in Kuwait and Lebanon for their assistance,” he said.

Assaf and his wife have been the subject of an Interpol manhunt after Kuwaiti authorities discovered early this month the battered body of Demafelis inside a freezer in the couple’s abandoned apartment.

Cayetano said Kuwaiti authorities conveyed the arrest of Assaf to

New PCG ship to patrol PH Rise

by EVELYN

MACAIRAN Philstar.com

MANILA — The latest ship of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) that was expected to arrive from Japan on Thursday, February 22, would immediately be sent to conduct patrols in the Philippine Rise to ensure that the country’s rich marine resources in the area are protected.

PCG spokesman Captain Armand Balilo said the seventh multirole response vessel that would be named BRP Cape San Agustin left Yokohama, Japan on Wednesday, February 21 and was expected to arrive in Manila on Thursday.

Balilo said they intend to immediately arrange the commissioning ceremony for their latest ship and deploy it in the Philippine Rise, previously called Benham Rise, off Aurora province.

The PCG has already deployed the BRP Suluan while another

vessel would be coming from Cagayan province. The two ships would meet up at the Philippine Rise.

The Philippine Rise has generated much interest because scientific surveys indicate the presence of minerals and natural gas in the area. Solidified methane was reportedly found during the mapping activities and there are massive oil deposits.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) had also highlighted the Philippine Rise as a major food source because it has a rich and diverse ecosystem that attracts migratory commercial fish like tuna, marlin and mackerel.

President Duterte had ordered the patrols in the Philippine Rise after the Chinese research ship Ke Xue Hao was reported to have conducted “scientific research” in the area.

The BRP Cape San Juan in

Ambassador Renato Villa during a meeting at the Ministry of Interior on Thursday, February 22.

In that meeting, Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Al-Tarah, assistant undersecretary for general security affairs, disclosed to Villa that Interpol Lebanon had notified Interpol Kuwait that Assaf is now in custody but that his wife is still at large and is believed to be in Syria.

Kuwaiti authorities requested the assistance of Interpol in locating and arresting the couple who they believe had fled to Lebanon or Syria shortly after the torture and murder of Demafelis.

Cayetano said he expects Kuwaiti authorities to request the extradition of Assaf so he could stand trial in Kuwait. ■

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GRACE GAIL CARA, Esq. to see if you qualify Free Consultation & Case Evaluation PCG spokesman Captain Armand Balilo said the seventh multi-role response vessel that would be named BRP Cape San Agustin left Yokohama, Japan on Wednesday, February 21 and was expected to arrive in Manila on Thursday, February 22. Philstar.com photo by Krizjohn Rosales

Tagum City, Davao del Norte is the seventh of 10 multi-role research vehicles being built by the Japan Marine United Corp.

Yokohama shipyard under the Official Development Assistance project, via a tied loan extended by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

The total project cost is P8.8 billion of which P7.373 billion would

be covered by the loan facility, while the balance would be shouldered by the Philippines amounting to P1.434 billion.

The 10 multi-role research vehicles are clustered under the PCG’s Parola class and named after lighthouses in the country.

The delivery of the 10 vessels is expected to be completed within the year. ■

Grace Gail Cara Attorney at Law

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A8 FEBRUARY 24-27, 2018 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

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O PINION Job alternatives

FEATURES

WITH recent horror stories about the tragic fate of overseas Filipino workers in Kuwait, there is valid reason for President Duterte to consider banning the deployment of Filipinos to other countries where there are numerous reports of abuses or deaths of OFWs. Any such ban, however, must be accompanied by intensified efforts to generate decent employment in the Philippines for both prospective and returning OFWs. Otherwise, there’s no stopping Filipinos from seeking greener pastures overseas. And those already working in the affected host countries could refuse to go home.

Horror stories about OFWs, after all, have been common for a long time, but these have not stopped the exodus of Filipinos for better-paying jobs abroad. Neither have the stories led to a mass return of OFWs to the Philippines.

The reason is obvious, and unless this is addressed, no deployment ban will endure even in zones of armed conflict. Wages that Filipinos cannot hope to earn for the same type of work in their own country have been the biggest driving force behind the OFW phenomenon. Another reason is the sheer lack of employment opportunities in their own communities, which also drives urban

migration within the Philippines.

Of an estimated 250,000 Filipinos working in Kuwait, not even one percent has so far opted to return to the Philippines, despite the tragedy that befell domestic helper Joanna Demafelis and several other Filipinas in the Gulf state.

If the Duterte administration is seriously considering a total deployment ban in Kuwait and several other countries, it must be ready to offer decent employment alternatives in the Philippines.

Creating job opportunities calls for long overdue reforms to make the country an easier place to do business. It requires better education to upgrade the skills of the nation’s workforce. Micro entrepreneurship needs greater support. Business groups have identified the most promising sectors including agriculture, tourism and the creative arts where meaningful jobs can be created. A ban on OFW deployment can only be as effective as the job alternatives available to Filipinos in their own land. (Philstar.com)

Editorial

Philstar.com photo

Trump’s solution to gun violence and mass shootings in schools: Arm teachers with guns IN the wake of one of the deadliest mass The Fil-Am shootings in the United States — committed Perspective by a white 19-year-old with an AR-15 assault rifle, killing 14 students and three school staff members in Parkland, GEL SANTOS-RELOS Florida — survivors, their families, students from other schools around the country, and stricter gun laws and regulations advocates protested in the streets to demand for solutions from President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers to solve the problem of gun violence and mass shooting epidemic in the country.

They demand a ban on assault weapons, a deadly firearm invented NOT for civilians but for military purposes in the war zone. They also demand that politicians should not accept any more money from the powerful National Rifle Association (NRA), which has been behind all lobby efforts to stop any meaningful stricter gun laws and regulations.

For his part, Trump conducted a “listening session” with some survivors of the mass shooting and their families to hear about their horrific experiences

and how the problem of gun violence, especially in schools where innocent children and civilians had been targeted, should be solved.

After this “listening session,” Trump talked about strengthening the implementation of universal background checks, increasing mental health support and resources, ending the sale of bump stocks — an accessory that turns semiautomatic weapons into guns that closely simulated automatics in firing almost a hundred bullets in seconds.

Trump initially suggested raising the legal age to buy and use a gun from 18 to 21. But as of Friday morning, February 23 and after the NRA has openly rejected this measure, he did not include this proposal but instead pushed even harder on arming teachers with guns to solve gun violence and mass shootings in schools.

“A teacher would have a concealed gun on them. They’d go for special training and they would be there and you would no longer be a gun-free zone,” Trump said, adding that the teachers would receive bonuses for this responsibility.

Trump also suggested that an armed teacher on campus could reach a school shooter faster than responding police officers. “You’d have a lot of people that would be armed, that’d be ready.”

Trump’s suggestion and rationale echo the myth promoted by Wayne LaPierre, leader of the powerful NRA —“the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.”

This proposal has been rejected by many teachers themselves, students, parents, gun violence experts, educators, and school safety advocates.

Teachers say the government should give them classrooms, books, teaching materials, resources, funding, equitable salary, and benefits to help them give better education to their students and NOT guns.

Dr. David Hemenway, a professor of health policy at Harvard School of Public Health and an expert on the public health impact of gun violence, told NBC News that this is a crazy idea.

“So what should we do about reducing airline hijacking? Give all the passengers guns as they walk on?” he asked.

Hemenway has done extensive research on guns and concluded that it boils down to access to weapons. “The

evidence is overwhelming, starting at the home. A gun in the home increases the risk that people in the home will die.

That’s because there’s more suicides, more gun accidents, and more homicides.”

In an article in Stanford News, Stanford Law School professor John Donohue found that states that adopted right-tocarry laws have experienced a 13 to 15 percent increase in violent crime in the 10 years after enacting those laws.

Avery Gardiner, co-president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, told NBC News that this is a “colossally stupid idea.”

“If having more guns in more places made Americans safer, then we would have the lowest rates of gun violence in any developed country in the world, and the exact opposite is true,” Gardiner said.

“There could be instances of real confusion that would lead to tragedy if we had more guns in more classrooms,” Gardiner contended. “What about the time the teacher accidentally leaves the gun unlocked in the desk drawer, and it’s picked up by a student? Think about the burden on schools to make sure the teachers are safe to carry guns. Who’s

doing that checking and monitoring and retraining?”

Brian Levin, a former officer with the New York Police Department and now a criminal justice professor at California State University, San Bernardino, told NBC News that in the heat of the moment, it’s too easy to misfire. He told about how early in his career, he almost shot an unarmed man fleeing a shooting scene.

“Often times when you’re having an adrenaline-filled situation, you’re not sure who the target is,” Levin pointed out. This supports what many experts argue that “even with proper firearms training, to expect a teacher to be able to shoot down an attacker — and not accidentally injure anyone else”.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT TRUMP’S PROPOSAL? Should we arm teachers to prevent mass shootings in school? Are more guns the solution to the worsening gun violence problem in America?0 *** Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook. com/Gel.Santos.Relos

What do you do with the mad that you feel? The travails of a presidential spokesperson “RIGHTEOUS anger is usually not about oneself. It is about Rhizomes those whom one sees being harmed and whom one wants to help,” said Archbishop Desmond Tutu, “in short, righteous anger is a tool of justice, a scythe of compassion, more than a reactive PROSY ABARQUEZemotion. Although it may have its DELACRUZ, J.D. roots deep in our flight-or-fight desire to protect those in our family or group who are threatened, it is a chosen response and not simply an uncontrollable reaction. And it is not about one’s own besieged self-image, or one’s feeling of separation, but of one’s collective responsibility, and one’s feeling of deep, empowering connection.”

– His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu with Douglas Abrams, “The Book of Joy,” 2016.

Ponder on righteous anger for a moment. We have seen unjustified anger resulting in the premeditated murder of 17 lives: 14 students and three teachers at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, once considered one of the safest cities in the U.S. No longer, since the angry emotions of one student, were unleashed using an AR-15 assault rifle.

This student — to remain unnamed — in this article, has been reported to the school authorities and the police 39 times. His adoptive mother, until her death last year, had difficulties with him and authorities were called to her home. News reports now say he had been caught “shooting at a neighbor’s chickens, siccing his dogs on a neighbor’s pigs, stealing mail, vandalizing property, peeking in a neighbor’s windows, and trying to steal a neighbor’s bike.”

But how should we teach our children when they are angry?

I watched one evening as a toddler was being picked up by her dad. Instead of getting to the car, she stood with her back to him on the front lawn.

Her dad, quite sensitive to her, stopped walking and said, “Are you upset? Did you not want to come home yet?” The toddler moved her head to signal yes. He then said, “You can come back tomorrow and resume your play. But for now, we have to go home.” It was a beautiful conversation of recogniz-

ing this toddler’s needs for play and for her to consider that it is now the hour to come home. He waited for awhile until the toddler moved on her own. She then ran to the car, much more willing, to come home.

How many times do we rush our children and grandchildren to meet our own needs that we sometimes forget that they too need our respect for what it is they are doing?

I watched the same toddler again one evening being picked up by her mother. She ran to her and hugged her a couple of times, so excited about seeing her. She sat down at the dining table and asked her about her day at school, the classmates she liked, and what they did together. It made for a quick “check-in,” mother to daughter. The toddler then got ready to go home. Mom, through the check-in conversations, created an atmosphere of excitement for the toddler to come home and play with her dad.

Do you remember Mr. Rogers on PBS Television? Do you recall watching these programs with messages of self-restraint embedded in songs that teach peace in one’s heart? Would it not help all of us if we teach our children the words of this song, excerpted below?

“What do you do with the mad that you feel When you feel so mad you could bite?

When the whole wide world seems oh, so wrong...

And nothing you do seems very right?

What do you do? Do you punch a bag?

Do you pound some clay or some dough?

Do you round up friends for a game of tag?

Or see how fast you go?

It’s great to be able to stop When you’ve planned a thing that’s wrong, And be able to do something else instead And think this song: I can stop when I want to Can stop when I wish.

I can stop, stop, stop any time.

And what a good feeling to feel like this

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Street Talk GREG B. MACABENTA IN a moment of pique, I recently posted on social media that I always thought Harry Roque, spokesman of President Rodrigo Duterte, was “marunong” (intelligent). And I added: “Bobo pala.”

(It turns out, he’s dumb.)

I’m taking that back. I don’t think Roque is dumb. His academic credentials are impressive and so is his track record as a lawyer.

So, how do you explain such naïve (at best) or idiotic (at worst) statements in a media interview concerning China’s construction of “artificial islands” in the West Philippine Sea? I’m quoting the news item verbatim: “MANILA, Philippines – While China’s island-building in the West Philippine Sea may be worrisome now, one day, the Philippines will ‘thank’ China for them.

“This was what Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said during an interview with Franco Mabanta, a supporter of President Rodrigo Duterte, on Wednesday, February 7. “‘There will come a time when China’s might has ceased, when we will have to thank them for those islands,’ he said. “’Clearly, eventually, those artificial islands will be ours if we can ask China to leave,’ he added,

maintaining that only the Philippines can legally build artificial islands.”

The hope that China can be asked to leave territory it has grabbed couldn’t possibly be the opinion of someone who used to teach constitutional law at the University of the Philippines and finished his master of laws degree at the London School of Economics.

Sen. Grace Poe’s remark that Roque’s statement was “wishful thinking,” was rather benign. Idiotic is not even a good enough description of such gross naivete.

There can only be one explanation for this seeming lapse of lucidity on the part of Roque. He was simply echoing the opinion of his boss, Duterte.

In that context, hoping that China might someday willingly walk back on its territorial grabbing is not as bizarre as Duterte’s recent “joke” that China might want to make the Philippines one of its provinces.

In this Chinese Year of the Dog (in Tagalog, Taon ng mga Tuta), one can almost see poor Harry Roque asking his boss how he can explain the latest presidential foot-in-mouth gaffe.

“Sir, what do I tell the media?

Shall I say you were just joking?”

“Of course, I was joking, p—ng ina!”

“Pero sir, that joke may not have been politically correct!” protests Roque.

“Gago! Anong korek-korek?

Basta’t sabihin mo joke only, tapos!”

And so, poor Harry Roque, as a loyal presidential spokesman, may be expected to translate into

more respectable language the mindless profanity of his boss, as follows: “While there are clear advantages in closer bonds between the Philippines and China, it was obviously in the spirit of friendly and harmless good humor that President Rodrigo Duterte made that statement about the Philippines becoming a province of China.”

Hopefully, in giving that official explanation, Roque will not commit a Freudian slip and mutter under his breath: “Dati na naman, eh.” (It already is).

At any rate, what choice does Roque have? A job is a job and as spokesman of the president, he is, in effect, only a microphone or a megaphone, magnifying and making public the words and thoughts of his current employer.

Do official spokespersons have a right to express their own views?

Technically, no. If they want to do that, they must first resign. Of course, they can argue or reason with the boss, but the latter has the final say.

“Hoy, gago, pagagandahin mo lang ang salita ko para maging disente, pero huwag mong babaguhin ang ibig kong sabihin, intiendes????” (Hey, idiot, just make my language more decent but don’t change the meaning, understand???).

Well, maybe I’m giving Duterte too much credit for all the inane statements of Roque. I frankly suspect that his recent rationalization for China’s assigning Chinese names to certain features in Benham Rise, sounds too much like vintage Roque.

Roque reasoned that such Chi-

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OpiniOn & Features

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • FEbRUARy 24-27, 2018

Was Rappler putting out fake news on Go? The travails of a presidential...

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 ‘en-

dorsed’ 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 PAGE A8 t nese terms as “mami,” “siopao,” Go himself.” and “hototay,” are generally acJust to be clear, in the first cepted by Pinoys but that hasn’t document, it was the white paper given the Chinese exclusive ownthat endorsed the supplier, not ership of the Binondo edibles. the Post-It note.

Sen. Ping Lacson was obviously Again, based on many years of having difficulty holding his temPalace work, referral notes, meetper when he chided Roque for the ing invitation notices, and reports analogy. Said Lacson: “It’s probon issues raised by Malacañang ably a matter of time before we are boringly numerous and fresee Chinese structures on more quent. If they were incriminating, artificial islands. Damn us! Are we this former Cabinet official would this helpless?” have faced charges in his first Honestly, Senator Lacson? month in Malacañang.

The president of the sovereign No smoke, no fire Republic of the Philippines thinks That is not to say that referrals, so. He thinks we are this helpless. meetings and reports cannot be Kaya, bow na lang ng bow, to use corrupted. But before a respon“Swardspeak.” (Incidentally, I besible, non-partisan news orgalieve the senator’s surname, Lacnization raises graft concerns, son, is also Chinese in origin). there should be far more eviBut the travails of Roque are dence than the three documents normal for anyone who would Rappler cited. At least, that’s how echo the thoughts of a boss who this writer’s employer of 17 years runs his mouth before his brain is as editor-writer in Hong Kong, in gear.

Time Magazine-owned Asiaweek, In a TV interview, former U.S. would handle investigative coverVice President Joe Biden deage. scribed President Donald Trump For instance, were there ofas “having difficulty with precificials or even unnamed sources sion in his statements.” who accused Secretary Go of inBiden was struggling to be poterference? None. Defense Secrelitically correct, of course. What tary Delfin Lorenzana, Navy chief he really meant was that Trump

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What do you do with the mad that you feel?

PAGE A8 t

And know that the feeling is really mine.

Know that there’s something deep inside That helps us become what we can.

For a girl can be someday a woman And a boy can be someday a man.” - Fred M. Rogers Recall Watergate? This is described by Kathleen Graham, the publisher of the Washington Post as: “I believe Watergate was an unprecedented use of power and authority from an administration with a passion for secrecy and deception and an astounding lack of regard for the normal constraints of democratic politics. To my mind, the whole thing was a very real perversion of the democratic system – from firing people who were good Republicans but who might have disagreed with Nixon in the slightest, to the wiretappings, to the breaking and entering of Ellsberg’s psychiatrist’s office, to the myriad dirty tricks, to the attempts to discredit and curb the media. It was a conspiracy not of greed but of arrogance and fear

by men who came to equate their own political well-being with the nation’s very survival and security.”

She distinguishes the paranoia of Nixon with the realities at that time: “In the end, Nixon was his own worst enemy. The Post had no enemies list; the president did.

Nixon came to regard the Post as incurably liberal and antiadministration. In fact, the Post supported a great many of his policies and programs, but his paranoia, his hatred of the press, his scheming, all contributed to bringing him down – helped along by the appropriate constitutional processes, including the grand juries, courts and Congress. Woodward and Bernstein were critical figures in seeing that the truth was eventually told, but others were at least as important: Judge Sirica; Senator Sam Ervin and the Senate Watergate Committee; Special Prosecutors Cox and Jaworski; the House Impeachment Committee under Representative Peter Rodino. The Post was an important part—but only a part— of the Watergate story.”

CNN recently reported: “A

federal grand jury indicted 13 Russian nationals and three Russian entities, charging them with crimes relating to interference in the 2016 presidential election.

The charges included conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft. The alleged crimes stem from Russia’s wide-ranging operation to use social media to interfere in the election, sow political discord, and help candidate Donald Trump defeat Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016.”

What do we do now with our righteous anger?

The NY Times’ Thomas Friedman issued a code-red warning to U.S. democracy and identified it to be the occupant of the White House. He is described as someone who does not easily get scared and who is quite sober in his opinion-editorial articles.

Since Monday, January 19, President’s Day, when he wrote his OP-ED, he was quoted as saying by CNN: “‘Our democracy is in serious danger,’ he

u PAGE A10

has difficulty telling the truth.

But being untruthful is only half of the problem that press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has to cope with. Trump also flip-flops like a pair of rubber slippers, shifting his position on issues based on what his supporters on Fox News urge him to say, think or do.

In her daily White House press briefings, Sanders has to struggle to make sense of the specious rationalizations made by Trump, as well as those that she apparently has to conjure by herself. When the members of the White House press corps keep getting back at her on a sticky issue, she snaps at them, pivots, passes the blame on to other parties, or shifts the topic away from the issue at hand, or simply ignores the questions and moves on to other topics.

Many times, the equivocation (at best) and the lies (at worst) are glaring. Concerning the resignation of the accused wife-beater, Rob Porter — the assistant of Trump Chief of Staff John Kelly — Sanders had difficulty reconciling the facts with the White House fiction that Porter was asked to resign “within a few hours” after reports on his legal problems had been found out.

A

In fact, according to the FBI, the complete report on Porter had been submitted by the agency to the White House months earlier but certain individuals in the White House had chosen to ignore them. When confronted with this, Sanders pivoted and accused the FBI of not doing its job. That, of course, was an outright buckpassing lie. The FBI only submits its findings and leaves it to the government department concerned (in this case, the Office of the Chief of Staff) to act on them.

But Sanders, confronted with her weaseling, brazened it and then changed the topic.

You can almost see Sanders arriving home at the end of the day and being asked by her husband: “How was your day, honey?”

“As usual, dear. I had to take the bullet for President Pinocchio.”

But the bottom-line is that both Roque and Sanders are probably very well-paid. In the case of Roque, I believe he has his eyes on the Senate and will, therefore, take any bullet (virtual) for Duterte, in order to be well-positioned.

But he had better hope that his friends in China do not also decide to assign a Chinese name to him. Something like, Hally Loque. (gregmacabenta@hotmail. com)

A10 February 24-27, 2018 • La WeeKeND aSIaN JOurNaL

Dateline PhiliPPines

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

Sara Duterte accuses Alvarez of ‘betrayal’

by LLanesca

Panti ManilaTimes.net

“YOU messed with the wrong girl,” Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte told Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez after the lawmaker called her the “opposition” for forming her own local political party.

President Rodrigo Duterte’s outspoken daughter vented her ire on Alvarez in a series of Instagram posts on Thursday, February 22.

“Ano sabi mo in a crowd, ‘President, iba siya; speaker ako (You said in a crowd, he’s the President,

he’s different. I am the speaker). I can always impeach him!’ And you call me opposition? Somebody should really tell the President about the truth,” Sara said.

“Kung a—–e ka sa Congress (If you are an a—–e in Congress), don’t bring that to Davao, leave it in Manila. Somebody should tell the President what you are doing.

How dare you call me part of the opposition,” she added.

“Kapal ng mukha mo (What gall). You messed with the wrong girl.”

Mayor Duterte has formed the Hugpong ng Pagbabago (Alliance for Change), which includes the Davao Region’s four governors, namely: Claude Bautista of Davao Occidental, Nelson Dayanghirang of Davao Oriental, Antonio Rafael del Rosario of Davao del Norte and Jayvee Tyron Uy of Compostela Valley.

These politicians are not part of PDP-Laban, where Alvarez, who represents Davao del Norte in the House, serves as secretary general.

The PDP-Laban, chaired by President Duterte, has gained thousands of new members from other parties ahead of next year’s mid-term elections, with mass oath-taking rites in the provinces led by Alvarez.

Speaker Alvarez, in a statement to reporters on Thursday, denied such comments against the President’s daughter.

“I did not say that and I cannot say that,” he said.

On Thursday, February 22, President Rodrigo Duterte said that he won’t do anything amid the brewing feud between his daughter Sara and his top lieutenant, Alvarez.

Speaking to reporters after his visit to the wake of slain overseas Filipino worker Joanna Demafelis in Iloilo, Duterte said both individuals were lawyers and could patch things up by themselves.

But the President said the Davao City mayor was fanning a non-issue, as the two were really part of the Davao “hugpong” or group.

Sara is Duterte’s fallback?

Rep. Tomasito Villarin of Akbayan partylist said the new political party formed by the Davao City mayor was a sign of division among the President’s allies.

“You have a regional political party launched without Speaker Alvarez who also hails from Davao. In the event that their bid for Charter change fails, this is a fallback because Sara has said before that she was open to running for Congress. If you are running for Congress, where does that lead to? If you want to get a position as district representative, the next step is taking the leadership of the House,” Villarin said in a news conference.

“The thrust of Speaker Alvarez has been very divisive, that allies of the Duterte administration are looking at other alternatives. This move by Sara could be a way to distance themselves from Speaker Alvarez and Charter change which could be rejected by the people,” Villarin added. 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

De Lima must be freed immediately — Amnesty

by Gaea

Katreena Philstar.com

cabico

MANILA — Rights watchdog Amnesty International called on the Philippine government to release detained Sen. Leila de Lima “immediately and unconditionally” ahead of the anniversary of her arrest.

In a statement, James Gomez, Amnesty International’s Director of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, called De Lima a “prisoner of conscience.”

“The charges against Senator Leila de Lima are pure fiction.

She has been singled out and targeted for nothing but her courageous opposition to President Duterte’s appalling policies,” Gomez said.

He noted that it is disappointing that the government is more

interested in jailing critics than preventing cops from killing thousands.

“This is clearly an attempt to try and crush the spirit of a brave and consummate activist and send a clear warning to those who dare shine a light on the murderous actions of Duterte,” Gomez said.

He, moreover, renewed organization’s call for the United Nations to support an international investigation into the situation in the Philippines.

Amnesty International was the latest group to call for the immediate release of De Lima.

Human Rights Watch and ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights had earlier urged the government to drop the “politically-motivated” charges against the administration’s

critic.

De Lima was arrested on Feb. 24, 2017 over drug-related charges but is yet to be arraigned due to procedural delays.

Her arraignment was postponed in December few days after the prosecution had filed a motion seeking to amend information on the charges against her for her alleged involvement in the New Bilibid Prison drug trade while she was Justice secretary.

Arraignment was again postponed in January after Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Judge Juanita Guerrero, who ordered De Lima arrested last year, inhibited from the case.

The senator, who is currently detained at Camp Crame, has repeatedly denied the charges. n

DOH to exhaust all legal remedies vs Sanofi

by Gaea

Katreena Philstar.com

cabico

botched implementation.

“The DOH assures the general MANILA — The Department of public that it will exhaust all legal Health on Thursday, February 22, remedies against Sanofi Pasteur vowed that it will exhaust all legal and will bring its misrepresentameans against pharmaceutical firm tions to justice,” Duque said.

He maintained that the DOH Sanofi Pasteur, the manufacturer made it categorically clear that it of the controversial Dengvaxia.

In a statement, Health Secre- intends to use the dengue vaccine tary Francisco Duque III said that in a school-based immunization he had ordered the agency’s legal program for students regardless department to ready a civil suit of whether they had prior dengue against Sanofi after declining to re- infection or not.

“Sanofi Pasteur’s labelling did fund the used doses of Dengvaxia amounting to 1.6 billion and com- not qualify the recommended use pensate the families of the children or risk on the serostatus at basewho were affected by the vaccine’s line of the intended recipient of the

vaccine,” the health chief said.

Sanofi on November 29 announced that Dengvaxia poses threat to individuals who had not been infected with dengue prior to vaccination.

“It is regrettable that this crucial information was only made public

by Sanofi Pasteur after the DOH has implemented the vaccine program to about 837,000 children,” Duque said.

The Dengvaxia fiasco has sparked public panic, with many parents refusing their children to get immunized. n

Robredo camp: PET resolution shows VP has no pending motion by audrey

MoraLLo Philstar.com

MANILA — The camp of Vice President Leni Robredo on Thursday, February 22, said that a resolution from the Presidential Electoral Tribunal had proven that it did not have any pending motion before the body.

In a statement, Bernadette Sardillo, one of Robredo’s lawyers, said the PET resolution also demonstrated that the camp of former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos had in fact not filed a motion to withdraw all his pending pleadings before the tribunal.

“A reading of the Resolution shows that the PET has noted our filing of the motion to withdraw and the tribunal further noted that we do not have any pending motion before the court,” Sardillo said in a statement.

The camp of the son Bongbong Marcos earlier claimed that the vice president was delaying the resolution of his electoral case, in which the former senator ac-

cused Robredo of fraud after she beat him by more than 260,000 votes.

Marcos dared the vice president to “withdraw all and any pending motions” before the PET, so the recount in three pilot provinces he identified could commence.

However, a two-page resolution from the PET said, “Based on the records of this case, the Tribunal finds that there are no such pending motions from protestee (Robredo).”

The resolution also urged the parties to observe the sub judice rule, which would essentially restrict comments and disclosures on ongoing legal proceedings.

“As we have always done, we will fully abide by the Presidential Electoral Tribunal’s latest order,” Sardillo said.

The PET also asked the son of the late strongman to inform the tribunal if he intended to file a motion to withdraw all pending motions to hasten the case, essentially showing that Marcos was yet to withdraw his court fil-

ings.

Following his challenge to the vice president, Marcos signed a motion which would purportedly withdraw his pending motions before the PET. However, Romulo Macalintal, another election lawyer of Robredo, said that the documents signed by Marcos were just a mere manifestation and not a motion to withdraw, the document that the vice president signed.

“On the other hand, the PET has also noted that Mr. Marcos did not file a similar motion and has in fact asked him to inform the tribunal if he intends to file a similar motion to withdraw all pending motions,” Sardillo said.

Should Marcos succeed in snatching the vice presidency from Robredo, this marks a big step in his family’s efforts to rehabilitate its name and reclaim the presidential palace 32 years after his father was ousted from power.

In recent years, he, his sister Imee and mother Imelda have occupied local and national posts. n

What do you do with the mad...

PAGE A9 t

wrote in the opening line. ‘President Trump is either totally compromised by the Russians or is a towering fool, or both, but either way he has shown himself unwilling or unable to defend America against a Russian campaign to divide and undermine our democracy.’ There was something about his last paragraph, in particular, that struck a chord. ‘This is code red,’ he wrote. ‘The biggest threat to the integrity of our democracy today is in the Oval Office.’ Thirty-six hours later, it is still No. 1 on the site’s ‘most emailed articles’ list. It is also No.1 on the site’s ‘most shared articles on Facebook’ list. There have been more than 2,700 comments so far. ‘That’s a personal record,’ Friedman told CNN.” We may not be journalists, but we can emulate how to process our righteous anger and even show our children how to have peace in our hearts. How do we now help the children of Parkland, Florida process their righteous anger in experiencing the tragedy of losing 17 in their midst — 14 students and three teachers? What should we tell our children and grandchildren? Should we join them in the upcoming marches and advocate for gun control reforms in legislation?

Should we not look into this issue

and not glorify the National Rifle Association’s mission and instead put in the forefront — the collective American mission of protecting our children’s lives?

Peace begins with each of us. It is how we take care of our hearts, open to inspiration from others’ fine examples. It is how we process our righteous anger – not by fueling it more with hatred and bigotry towards others — but instead, seeking truth and prospects of changes from progressive details of our collective American history by reading about courageous folks, e.g.

Katherine Graham, a woman publisher thrust in this position, following the death of her husband, Phil. She could have succumbed to her own grief and depression, instead, she stood up for her country’s welfare and published the Pentagon papers. It is how we take care of our bodies; instead of nursing its aches and pains, to keep it in movement and motion and finally, assist others to reach their life’s goals.

At the church I go to, I watch a family with three young sons, two in elementary school and one in middle school. I have seen the children some Sunday mornings, still yawning and wanting to sleep in the church pews. Their nurturing mother would hug them and simply explain the behaviors

she wants to see from them at church.

Last Sunday, I watched how the eldest sang solo while leading the congregation in singing. The youngest sang with the children’s choir and was quite enthusiastic in the front row. The middle boy sat by his mom as he was sick, coughing. It was a beautiful scene to see this family together that Sunday: attending mass, praising and worshipping God, and an added bonus, singing as their father played the piano and at times, sang as well.

We cannot afford to live in isolation, we must stay connected with one another and take care of each other, as if we are one big family in America! *** Prosy Abarquez-Delacruz, J.D. writes a weekly column for Asian Journal, called “Rhizomes.”

She has been writing for AJ Press for 10 years.

She also contributes to Balikbayan Magazine.

Her training and experiences are in science, food technology, law and community volunteerism for 4 decades. She holds a B.S. degree from the University of the Philippines, a law degree from Whittier College School of Law in California and a certificate on 21st Century Leadership from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

She has been a participant in NVM Writing Workshops taught by Prof. Peter Bacho for 4 years and Prof. Russell Leong. She has travelled to France, Holland, Belgium, Japan, Costa Rica, Mexico and over 22 national parks in the US, in her pursuit of love for nature and the arts.

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Dateline PhiliPPines

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • FEbRUARy 24-27, 2018

A11

Press freedom is not under threat, Palace insists

Roque noted that President Rodrigo Duterte had created the Presidential Task Force on MeMANILA — Malacañang has dia Security to ensure the proonce again maintained that tection of media practitioners. press freedom in the country re“Per the record of the Task mains intact despite the report Force, all murder cases inthat tagged the Philippines as volving journalists during the one of the countries with least Duterte administration have protection for media and non- been solved. In addition, public governmental organizations. officials who threatened media “There is no truth that we workers have been ‘red-flagged’ have fewer press freedom. Our to show that we work without media are still able to broadcast fear or favor,” he said. and print or publish what they Reacting to the report’s findwant—fake news included. Fili- ing that at least one journalist pinos are free to air their griev- is killed every week in a highances with the president even ly-corrupt country, Roque said declaring an unprecedented Day that “is not the case in the Philof Protest,” presidential spokes- ippines.” person Harry Roque Jr. said.

According to the report pubThe presidential mouthpiece lished by media watchdog Rewas reacting to the Transpar- porters Without Borders last ency International’s Corruption year, five journalists targeted by Perception Index 2017, which gunmen were killed in the counshowed that the Philippines, try in 2017. along with India and the MalThis week, Rappler reporter dives, are the worst offenders of Pia Ranada has been barred press freedom in the Asia Pacific from entering the presidential region. complex.The decision stemmed

by GaEa

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

Was Rappler putting out fake news on Go?

PAGE A9 t

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 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, 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 bud-

get 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 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 aare 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)

KatrEEna Philstar.com

cabico

from Rappler’s uncertain status as a Filipino corporation and its alleged propensity to spread the so-called “fake news.”

Several media groups have slammed the decision, calling it an attack on press freedom.

‘Corruption cannot be solved overnight’ With a score of 34, the Philippines also slipped in the global corruption index to 111th in 2017 from 101st in 2016.

“We have to underscore that corruption is a problem that cannot be solved overnight; thus, we are taking the results [...] seriously,” Roque said.

He cited the firing of top government officials allegedly involved in corruption by the president and the creation of the Presidential Anti-corruption Commission and citizens’ complaint hotline.

“Fighting corruption needs everyone’s cooperation. The government cannot do it alone.

Citizens must be vigilant and report corruption,” Roque said. n

Janet Napoles insists on Supreme Court bail grant

by ElizabEth

MarcElo

Philstar.com

MANILA — Incarcerated businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles, the alleged mastermind of the multibillion-peso pork barrel scam, maintained that she should be granted bail over plunder charges.

In her 20-page supplemental petition to the Supreme Court, Napoles through her lawyers said the “weak” evidence and defective information of the Office of the Ombudsman justifies a bail grant.

In asking the SC, Napoles argued that the the Sandiganbayan First Division erred in its December 2014 ruling denying her petition for bail.

Napoles is facing plunder before the First Division as co-accused former Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. Napoles cited the high court’s July 2016 decision on the plunder case of former president and incumbent Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in connection with the alleged misuse of the P366-million intelligence fund of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.

In its July 2016 ruling, the SC reversed the Sandiganbayan First Division’s decision and granted

Arroyo’s demurrer to evidence which prayed for dismissal of the case on the ground of the prosecution’s failure to identify the main plunderer.

Napoles said that just like in the Arroyo case, the ombudsman’s prosecution team failed to identify who among her, Revilla and his aide Richard Cambe is the “main plunderer.”

Napoles maintained that under Republic Act 7080, a private individual cannot be charged with plunder unless there is an allegation that he or she conspired with a public official who must be the main plunderer in the case.

“The evidence so far adduced by the Respondent Office of the Ombudsman failed to show accused officers Revilla and Cambe as the main plunderer...Otherwise stated, it must be shown that the public officer was principally and ultimately benefitted or enriched, not a private person, like petitioner Napoles,” her petition read.

Napoles also cited the resolution of the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division, which granted bail to former senator Jinggoy Estrada who is also facing plunder in connection with the pork barrel scam.

In its Sept. 15, 2017 resolution, the anti-graft court’s Fifth Division said the prosecution’s failure to present evidence showing that

Estrada is the “main plunderer” in the case.

This ruling was grounded on the SC’s decision on the Arroyo case.

Napoles similarly insisted that Benhur Luy, the primary state witnesses in the pork barrel scam, “has the natural propensity to make untruthful statements” as proven by the Court of Appeal’s recent dismissal of the illegal detention case, which the former filed against her.

She also blamed Luy for allegedly having “concocted the whole PDAF Scheme.”

Napoles pointed out that the First Division had earlier stated that her name never appeared in any documents presented by the prosecution as evidence in her plunder case.

“Clearly, the only link connecting the Petitioner to the whole PDAF controversy and this case is the testimony of Benhur Luy, which was declared not credible by the Court of Appeals in the illegal detention case,” Napoles said.

Napoles’ camp has repeatedly argued that Luy and the other whistleblowers were the ones who benefited from the scam as they are the officials of the nongovernment organizations taxpayers’ money was directed to. n

A12 February 24-27, 2018 • La WeeKeND aSIaN JOurNaL

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LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • FEbRUARy 24-27, 2018

SHOWBIZ&STYLE Journal

Why Richard almost quit showbiz

by Bot

Glorioso Philstar.com

The Katy Perry: Witness Tour in Portland, Oregon was Katy’s 49th show but the energy and vibe at the show felt like it was opening night.

Philstar.com photos

Katy on lumpiang shanghai and Filipino fans by raymond lo Philstar.com

‘i rEMEMBEr being really impressed with Filipino fans — they dress up, they’re excited. it makes it more fun to play a show when people get into it — we get into it! it’s like a symbiotic relationship.’

Earlier this month, music superstar Katy Perry sat with The Philippine Star for an exclusive print interview to talk about her upcoming concert at the Mall of Asia Arena on April 2.

During our 10-minute conversation held inside a suite at the posh The Nines Hotel in downtown Portland, oregon, we reminisced on her previous visits to Manila and her favorite Filipino food. She likes lumpiang shanghai and she is requesting her fans to bring her Filipino dishes to try when she gets to Manila. You should see how she talked to my tiny voice recorder and made a

plea to whoever was going to read my story to bring her food to try. on a side note, Katy was the one who held my recorder during our interview and she was just so adorable!

This writer was flown to Portland by ovation Productions, which, together with AEG Presents, is bringing Katy’s widelyacclaimed and massively successful “Katy Perry: Witness Tour” to Manila. The tour kicked off in Montreal, Canada September last year and the concert in Portland was her 49th show but the energy and vibe at the show felt like it was opening night. The Moda Center Arena was filled to the rafters as the incredible energy emanating from the stage could be felt all over the stadium. This writer found himself literally surrendering to the dazzling show almost immediately, with the spectacular opening number followed by a dizzying display of technical wiz-

ardry on stage. The colorful and outlandish costumes, the mix of original and classic choreography, the dancing shark, the giant pea- Richard Gutierrez cocks, the dancers with TV sets for heads and so many other things that words cannot adequately describe make for a wonderful, dreamlike experience.

Here are excerpts from my conversation with Katy: What were the memories that you took with you from your previous trips to Manila?

“Some people have been with me over the years but i always like to show my tour members and the people that travel with me all around. We do adventures. i remember being really impressed with the fans — they dress up, they’re excited. it makes it more fun to play a show when people get into it — we get into it! it’s like a symbiotic relationship.” (Katy affectionately refers to her fans PAGE B2

B

Prior to becoming part of the ABS-CBN family, richard Gutierrez said he seriously considered getting out of showbiz for good.

Thus, his decision to no longer renew his contract in another network was the best option for him to quickly step away from the limelight.

“There was a time that i was getting too tired, burned out and i wasn’t enjoying already,” revealed richard after the thanksgiving presscon of La Luna Sangre, which is now down to its last few episodes. “So, ako mismo ’yung tumalikod; ako mismo ‘yung umayaw.” He immediately packed Philstar.com photo his bags and flew to Switzerland to

spend quality time with then girlfriend Sarah Lahbati. The two are now engaged with a four-year-old son Zion and another one on the way. Sarah is expected to deliver their second baby boy, nicknamed Kai, in March.

Asked what caused him to feel overly exhausted, the actor pointed to unexpected situations that occurred all at the same time.

He said, “Like personal andaming nangyari and i guess i wasn’t prepared during that time aside from the continuous work which, i guess, resulted in my not knowing anymore about myself, my wants. i could not also tell anymore my real friends at that time. Those were the things that i’ve been PAGE B5

B February 24-27, 2018 • La WeeKeND aSIaN JOurNaL

Features

Jericho Rosales pitches idea to help ease Manila traffic Traffic cost in the Philippines has worsened over the past years, costing P3.5 billion a day and has been estimated to surge to P6 billion a day by 2030, Heavy traffic has affected not only the country’s economy, but most especially working people like Jericho rosales. in an interview with Philstar. com on Wednesday, february

21, Jericho explained how traffic could be solved.

The actor appealed to control vehicle volume in the streets and asked his fellow motorists to follow traffic rules as violations contribute to heavy traffic even more.

Jericho, together with new Wrangler jeans brand ambassador arci Munoz, launched

Jericho Rosales

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the brand’s new True Wanderer campaign. Now in its fourth year, the campaign aims to choose travelers who would explore different parts of the country and experience for themselves the places’ unique culture, food and way of life. Stories of their threeday trip will be uploaded online for the public to vote on. The traveler with the most votes will be declared the winner.

Besides Jericho, other celebrities have also expressed dismay for the worsening traffic along Metro Manila’s main thoroughfare, Epifanio de los Santos avenue or EDSa. in January, actor Khalil ramos shared it took him three hours to travel from Paranaque to Makati. in a Twitter post last January 31, actress anne curtis tweeted a proposal on how to relieve traffic along EDSa. anne said it would be nice to have a sky walk along EDSa since people like her will not mind walking as long as the pathway would be kept clean and safe.

She said she has actually been “hopeful” she could run to work instead of waste time in heavy traffic. (Deni Rose M. AfinidadBernardo/Philstar)

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Fans to go on trip down memory lane at Jose Mari Chan concert

fiLiPiNo fans are expected to go on a nostalgic trip down memory lane when legendary singer-songwriter Jose Mari chan sings his romantic love songs during his three-city concert series, “Timeless Tales of Love,” in Los angeles and Seattle on March 23-25.

Hearing his many beautiful ballads, such as “afterglow,” “Beautiful Girl,” and “can We Just Stop and Talk awhile,” Jose Mari chan’s thousands of fans from across generations will surely relate with these love songs as they remember the time when they gave or received flowers and chocolates from their boyfriend or girlfriend, celebrated wedding anniversaries, or simply hung out with their loved ones.

Jose Mari Chan The concert, his first in many years in the United States, will be held on March 23 at the arcadia center for the Performing arts in the city of arcadia, california, on March 24 at Envision center in Van Nuys, california, and on March 25 at the Pantages Theater in Seattle, Washington.

Joining Jose Mari chan as his special guests are Julia clarette, actress, singer and former host of the longest-running noontime TV show in the Philippines, “Eat Bulaga”, and Jules aurora, the talented fil-am finalist of “X factor USa: Season 3” competition. The world-class performances of the three artists will showcase the best in filipino talent and entertainment.

“Timeless Tales of Love,” part of Jose Mari chan’s celebration of his 50th year as a singer-songwriter, is being produced by forex cargo U.S. to commemorate its own 35th anniversary as one of the biggest filipino cargo forwarders in the country.

What makes this concert series unique is that it is a major fundraiser for three non-profit organizations: aNcoP USa, which addresses issues of poverty, housing, education and livelihood for the poor in the Philippines; GifT international foundation, a 10-year organization registered in Washington that provides healthcare services to the elderly, college scholarships to eligible youth, and learning materials to preschool children in the Philippines; and the forex foundation, registered in california, which provides humanitarian, social and financial assistance to deserving sectors in the U.S. and the Philippines.

The “Timeless Tales of Love” concert features the immortal music of Jose Mari chan, who began his

career in 1965 when he hosted a daily TV show in the Philippines. after five decades of composing and singing, Jose Mari chan continues to mesmerize fans with his greatest hits including his first single, “afterglow”, followed by his debut LP, “Deep in My Heart”, “Beautiful Girl”, “Please Be careful With My Heart”, and “can’t We Start over again”, from the “constant change” album.

The concert pays tribute to his “gift of music” which the songwriter acknowledges as a constant blessing.

Be serenaded by the foremost singer-songwriter in the Philippines in March. Join Jose Mari chan as he belts out his timeless tales of love. Tickets are available in forex offices all over Southern california and in the state of Washington and in selected ticket outlets.

The concert series is sponsored by Pacific Barristers Group and atty. Gwendolyn Malaya-Santos, partner; and Philippine airlines as the platinum sponsor. forex cargo is bringing Jose Mari chan and his timeless tales of love to fans all over Southern california and Seattle as its way of saying thank you for the tens of thousands of filipinos who have been entrusting their balikbayan boxes to the company for 35 years. “it is fitting that we bring in a highly regarded balladeer to sing timeless tales of love because it goes right into the core of our business — bringing gifts of love to family and friends. Because that what these balikbayan boxes are — gifts of love,” said Jaime P. carino Jr., forex chairman and chief operating officer. forex cargo U.S., a global logistics and freight forwarding company, was established in 1982 in San francisco and is currently based in Los angeles.

Through the past 35 years, the company has set up and maintained branches in 20 states in the US, as well as global branches in Toronto, Edmonton, Winnipeg in canada, Malaysia, Brunei, Japan, Hongkong and soon-to-open branches in South Korea and Taiwan. The company has produced concerts in the U.S. and asia since 1997.

The company’s top officers are Jaime P. carino Jr., chairman and coo, and Mike claudio, president and cEo. (Advertising Supplement)

Aljur Abrenica: Kylie Padilla still Kapuso, no plans to be Kapamilya

by Jan Milo Severo Philstar.com

acTor aljur abrenica just laughed when asked by Philstar. com if his fiancée, Kylie Padilla, will move with him in aBScBN from GMa, just as he did.

Kylie’s dad, robin, is also now a Kapamilya. in an interview following the press con of his new soap opera “asintado,” aljur confirmed with a soft “yeah” that Kylie is still with GMa. “Very soon,” he said when asked when Kylie will be back on the limelight.

He said that as of now, Kylie is still enjoying being a mother to their first born, alas. “i’m very happy being a Kapamilya,” aljur disclosed. “i have new experiences at nakakatrabaho ko ‘yung mga hinahangaan kong artista.” after months of disapproval from robin Padilla, it looks like all is well now between Kylie’s dad and aljur as the couple posted similar photos of their “pamamanhikan” or wedding planning dinner on their respective instagram accounts. aljur posted a photo with his and Kylie’s families. The photo was captioned: “Wala ng mas mahalaga pa sa pamilya at siyempre sa ngiting ngayon

Screenshot of Kylie Padilla’s Instagram post showing her with boyfriend Aljur Abrenica (left) and father Robin.

ko pa lang nakita mula sa mga mahal ko. Salamat po sa mainit na pagtanggap.”

Kylie posted the same photo with the caption: “Marked,” signifying that everything is now okay with his dad and boyfriend, and it makes her happy, especially for their baby, alas.

The Kapuso actress also posted on her instagram story a photo of their family dinner.

The photo has the hashtag #happiness and a video clip of robin and aljur playing with alas.

To end the night, Kylie posted a photo together with aljur and robin and captioned it:

“Goodnight, Xoxo,” followed by a photo of her that said: “in the end, it’s the happy moments that should mark your life.”

“Thank you, you’re a great mom. Hindi ka lang mahusay na nanay. Loving and understanding partner ka rin to me. i’m very lucky and very blessed. i couldn’t ask for more. So, sa mga fans ni Kylie…Hindi kayo nagkamali ng hinangaan,” aljur told Philstar.com during the interview.

He also disclosed that “the whole year na-plano ko na.” could he be referring to his upcoming wedding with Kylie?

Katy on lumpiang shanghai and...

PAGE B1 as Katy cats.)

Ten years from “I Kissed a Girl,” how’s the ride been like?

“The world has changed a lot.

You know, when you’re young-er (Katy emphasized the -er) you don’t know if you’re going to see that. You always think that everything’s going to stay the same and then the older you get, the more you realize things evolve, things change. You grow as a person, your thoughts change, you mature, you don’t. No one is perfect and i’ve definitely been on quite a journey, a very educational journey, a very heart-opening journey and i am still trying to educate myself every day and trying to put my heart out there, wear my heart on my sleeve, really share with the listener authentic feelings and thoughts. i’ve had to learn some of the lessons sometimes the hard way but that’s okay with me because it’s beautiful to fall and get back up.”

Did you ever imagine this massive success that you got?

“No. i wanted to be a singer since i was nine but i never knew i would be like an international (singer) or i would play the Superbowl. i feel like i out-dreamt my original dreams. Now i am dreaming in different ways, specially in my 30s and i am learning how to

create and be creative in many different ways.”

What about Idol, is it going to be the next phase in your career? “i’ve always been into mentoring, nurturing. if you look at my track record of the people that i brought on the road (for the Portland show, canadian singer carly rae Jepsen of “call Me Maybe” fame opened for Katy) in the past, it’s always been interesting, very buzzy. i have always had a keen eye and ear for new talent and i wouldn’t say the “american idol” job for this season is a phase. i would just say it’s definitely something i am trying out and will assess if it’s good for me continually but i am having a lot of fun doing it.”

Who are your favorites among the newcomers? “among the newcomers, i think one of my favorite female artists is Dua Lipa. She has a couple of songs i like. it’s taken some time for her to really pop off and pop out. i think she’s a real star. i have my money on her. and, of course, cardi B! She’s great, she’s really amazing.” (When asked if she’ll collaborate soon with cardi B, Katy replied, “Whatever she wants, she’s the queen.”)

Among your songs, what’s your favorite?

“i don’t listen to my songs a lot necessarily; i listen to a lot of other new music and the stuff that i am working on. i am really proud of firework continually, really proud of By the Grace of God, really proud of “roar,” am really proud of “rise” and “Witness” — songs that really seem to have an effect on people’s lives in a good way.”

What can your Filipino fans expect in your “Witness Tour?” “on the Witness Tour, we do a pretty good job of covering a lot of people’s favorites — not every single song because it just wouldn’t be able to… But i think we sprinkle in a lot of my favorites, the set list has been one thing for the U.S. but it will develop and change for the other continents.”

Santa Barbara. It must have been heartbreaking for you? “it’s horrible. i was just there for the first time. My parents live about two major streets away from it so i was really worried for them. i have friends who have lost their house. i don’t know anyone that passed but the whole community is very heartbroken and it was such a strange occurrence. i think they’re just mourning and figuring out how to rebuild right now.”

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Features

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B

Nazareth and its Basilica of the Annunciation

by Emil

PErito

THE city of Nazareth is located in the Lower Galilee region of Israel’s Northern District and is most famously known as the childhood hometown of Jesus.

Once a village with no more than 200 people in its ancient history, Nazareth’s current population is over 80,000. Today, it has the largest Arab Christian population in the Holy Land with Upper Nazareth being home to a majority of Israeli Jews, and Lower Nazareth being where the majority of Israeli Christians and Muslims live.

One of the city’s highlights

is the “Basilica of the Annunciation”, a Byzantine church believed to be where the angel Gabriel announced to the virgin Mary, the birth of Jesus. Scripture says, “the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee named Nazareth to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph who was the descendant of David, and the virgin was called Mary. Gabriel announced to the virgin Mary she would be with child and give birth to a song to give him the name Jesus” (Lk 1:26-31).

Its latest redesign in 1966 has made the two-story basilica the largest Christian sanctuary in

all of the Middle East. Inside, a gallery of mosaics contributed by various nations can be found representing the annunciation.

The Basilica of the Annunciation is only one of the many biblical places included in our pilgrimage itinerary to the Holy Land for you to enjoy and experience.

Established in 1995, Air Plus Travel specializes in religious travel. Join us in one of our organized trips to the Holy Land in March and October 2018. For more information, contact Air Plus Travel at (562) 863 - 0624, or visit us at www.airplustravel. net.

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’

#Hashtag Zeus on the power of black

by Jaya

Go Philstar.com

ZEUS Collins was hamming it up in the studio, doing silly poses and making funny faces.

But as soon as the photographer shouted “ready!,” the 24-year-old dancer/entertainer turned serious, his face smoldering and his muscles flexed, suddenly a model on a mission.

In time for Marvel Studio’s Black Panther (which broke boxoffice records in the Philippines when it opened Feb. 14), the Hashtag leader, dancer and former ramp model revisited his modeling past and gamely posed in one black-colored outfit after another, inspired by the all-black suit of Marvel’s latest superhero.

Black tank tops paired with black pants, black jackets over black shirts with minimal designs — no matter what he wore, Zeus exuded confidence, sexiness and an air of mystery that always go with the color black.

In the film, Black Panther (played by Chadwick Boseman) wears a black suit that is as aesthetically pleasing as it is practical for stunts. “I liked the original Black Panther costume,” said Black Panther costume designer Ruth Carter, a two-time Oscar nominee, for her work on Malcolm X and Amistad. “I liked his helmet and I liked his boots and I liked a lot of things about it. But what we wanted to do was take it into a new millennium, a new attitude,

a new technology, and make it exciting again. And then sometimes, you know, cultures can come together with superheroes. And I’ll leave it at that.”

For Zeus, one of the most striking things about Black Panther was the costume. “When I saw the trailer, the first thing I noticed was the costume of Black Panther kasi ang astig,” he said. “Palaban yung kulay. Hindi pa sila gumagalaw, nakakatakot na, nakaka-intimidate na. Kumbaga kung kontrabida ka, hindi ka na papalag dahil astig na kulay pa lang.”

Zeus said that besides the action scenes, he wanted to see the Black Panther characters come alive in their costumes, especially PAGE B4

WHEN Danilo and Millet en- Trump cancelled DACA. tered the U.S. as tourists in 2002, Watch this exciting, brandthey did not realize that would new episode of CITIZEN PINOY 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 outof-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

this Sunday at 6:15 pm PST/EST (9:15 pm EST thru select Cable/ Satellite providers).

B February 24-27, 2018 • La WeeKeND aSIaN JOurNaL

Features

#Hashtag Zeus on the power...

PAGE B3 Black Panther and Eric Killmonger (played by Michael B. Jordan) in their battle scenes.

He may not be off to stylishly fight some villains in a beautiful technologically savvy fictional country, but Collins understands the importance of what we wear — and how we feel in them.

“Confident,” Collins answered when asked to describe his own fashion sense. “Whatever is given to you, to wear, you should show

confidence.” To psyche himself up no matter what he wears, he would tell himself some reassuring words, which he shared with us with a laugh: “I look handsome here. Dito ako magugustuhan ng mga tao sa suot kong ito.” not one to dress up in flashy clothes, Zeus told us his fashion must-have. “I prefer black since I was young. First, it makes you look slimmer,” he said with a laugh. “At syempre astig at mysterious kapag naka-black.”

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Angelica Panganiban: The reasons she is the ‘hugot Queen’ of showbiz

By Monet

For Zeus Collins, one of the most striking things about Black Panther was the costume.

‘When I saw the trailer, the first thing I noticed was the costume of Black Panther kasi ang astig.’

Philstar.com photo

Zeus has been entertaining people since he started dancing when he was six. Back in his hometown of Rizal, he used to join dancing competitions during fiesta and other barangay events.

At 19, he thought about taking on a new challenge and tried modeling. Modeling eventually led to the opportunity to become part of “Pinoy Big Brother,” which then led to his regular gig in Showtime as part of the dance group Hashtag, which he founded.

Despite the different creative pursuits he has dabbled in, Zeus has always managed to incorporate dancing. “Na-e-enjoy ko lahat nang pantay-pantay,” he said, “But I love dancing. Hanggat nakakagalaw pa ko, magsasayaw ako. Kahit habang naglalakad ako habang nag-mo-model ako, sumasayaw ako. Nung nag-PBB ako, pinakita ko rin ang pagsayaw ko dun. Hanggang ngayon sa “Showtime,” sa Hashtag. Lahat ’yan na-enjoy ko dahil nandun lagi ang sayaw.”

When he was still a kid hoping to gain exposure and be discovered by joining barangay dancing contests, Zeus’ wildest showbiz dream was to become a backup dancer to local artists like Gary Valenciano. now he’s leading his own dance group with a steady gig. While he admits that he is proud of surpassing even his own goals, Zeus said that humility is the most important quality one must possess to achieve success. “no. 1, we should remain humble,” he said. “I haven’t changed a bit and I’m still grounded. Of course, we should never forget God.”

Lu

“AYOKO ng meron akong pinagbibigyan ng kalahati ng sarili ko.” (I don’t want to keep giving half of myself to another); “Sa umpisa lang yan mainit, tignan mo sa katagalan magkakalamigan din kayo. Parang kami.” (It’s just warm in the beginning. You’ll later see, it’s going to get ‘cold’ eventually. Just like what happened to me and him) — These are just few of the on-point, deeply-rooted loaded remarks aka “hugot” lines that Angelica Panganiban has said on her comedy sitcom and her Instagram account. Fans and followers are entertained by the actress’s wit and no-holds-barredreactions (not to mention, very relatable) that they call her the “Hugot Queen.”

Being in the industry for more than 20 years and having won awards, I believe Angelica has proven her worth in show business. It is probably the reason she can get away with her straightforwardness and candid replies without people making a big deal out of it. In fact, it works to her advantage especially that women who were betrayed, brokenhearted or in pain can relate to her. She is, to them, the heroine of the “sawi”. not to exaggerate but Angge (Angelica’s nickname) did go through a serious amount of heartbreaks in her past relationships.

Angelica’s relationships weren’t just the typical “puppy loves” or some “flavors of the month” that come and go. She was in relationships that lasted long and seemed serious at the time. I have to say that she really earned the right to that title based on the pain she endured being in relationships that could have ended up in the altar.

The first one on record was with Carlo Aquino who was Angelica’s best friend-turned-boyfriend of six years. It was even noted in one of Carlo’s recent interviews that if they’d been a few years older then, Angelica could have been “the one” for him. They separated and remained friends over the years. The next relationship, also a long-term one, was with Derek Ramsey. They even had a movie together. It was around 2006 when they met and officially became a

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

Angelica Panganiban

couple the following year. They stayed together for six years. In an interview in the April 2013 issue of entertainment magazine Star Studio, Angelica revealed how Derek broke up with her in the midst of an argument they had on the phone. In the years leading up to their separation, the former celebrity couple had to grapple with several problems that later proved difficult to handle. The following day, Angelica moved out her things from the house she had shared with Derek for five years.

Then came John Lloyd Cruz who has reportedly fathered the rumored child of sexy actress Ellen Adarna after the highly controversial and publicized bitter separation from Angelica. The ex-couple dated for four years before calling it quits May 2016.

When Angelica publicly opened up about her split from John Lloyd, she couldn’t hold back her tears when she was interviewed by Vice Ganda on an episode of “Gandang Gabi Vice.” Angelica admitted that she was struggling in moving on from her relationship with John Lloyd. She revealed that she cried a lot due to heartaches.

Some people may view Angelica’s remarks as bitterness or inability to move on. But for me, it’s her way of coping. It’s her way of trying to reassure herself that she is still standing and the pain is just temporary. I’ve seen a lot of celebrity relationships fail but it’s not the same when it happens to a believer of long-term relationships. Angelica is obviously

a believer of staying faithful. I’m sure she hoped that one of her past relationships could have been for keeps.

Angelica deserves to be with the person who stands for the same ideals as she does. One who would fight for her, support her, love her unconditionally, laugh and cry and even exchange ‘hugot’ lines with her when they recall their past relationships. And if there’s one thing that Angelica has, aside from her witty and loaded lines, it is her strength. not everybody can go through a whole deal of pain and still pick herself up (and pick up some relatable lines in the process). She may be the hugot queen we’ve come to know, but for the right reasons.

She loved. Really loved. Then she lost. But in her loss, we saw her strength and her ability to turn the pain into a legitimate entertainment that many can relate to.

To Angelica, I am looking forward to the day when “the One” for you will find you and turn you from a Hugot Queen to his Only Queen. *** 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

Self-induced cancer (600 of them poisons, 69 cancer-causing) 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 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 correct-

ness 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-smokers in terms of increased health risks from passive smoking, in higher health insurance premiums and taxes, not to mention personal and family tragedies in all shapes and forms.

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 workplaces or in public places, thus increasing their health risk.

The Environmental Protection Agency engineers have shown that even the best available ventilation and air-moving equipment were unable to reduce carcinogenic (cancer-causing) air contamination to a safe level for a non-smoker sharing work space with a habitual smoker.

Why governments around the world allow and protect an industry that victimizes and hooks their young, poisons and kills their people, is incomprehensible, however you look at it.

If you think about it, our government and those of other nations are peddling drugs (albeit addictive tobacco is a milder killer substance) in the name of profit, wantonly sacrificing their citizens’ health and future, shortening people’s lives, causing trillions of dollars or more of expenditures for research as to how to fight the habit, how to cure the tobacco-induced illnesses, including heart disease, PAGE B5

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Features

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • FEbRUARy 24-27, 2018

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Why Richard almost quit...

Kaju Soft Tofu in Buena Park offers fresh, authentic Korean comfort food perfect for the winter PAGE B1

WITHIN the last few years, Korean food has become a hit in the United States, and it’s not very surprising to see why. It’s just so good. There is no other way to put it!

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

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

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

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

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

Kaju also offers a wide range of tofu soups, including classics

Mushroom Tofu Soup and Spicy Pork Bulgogi

like galbi tofu soup, assorted tofu soup (clam, oyster, shrimp and beef) and seafood tofu soup (clam, oyster and shrimp).

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

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

One of the standouts from Kaju, though, isn’t the delicious tofu soups. The beef short rib soup is a rich, full-bodied broth with glass noodles, vegetables and, of course, beef short ribs.

Filipino customers familiar with sinigang will feel at home with Kaju’s beef short rib soup.

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

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

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

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

One thing is certain of your visit to Kaju Soft Tofu: you will be treated wonderfully.

Kaju Soft Tofu’s Buena Park location is available via delivery through GrubHub. Bring in this issue of the Asian

Seafood Tofu Soup and Beef Bulgogi

Kaju Bibimbap

Seafood Tofu Soup

Journal for a sweet discount on your next meal at Kaju!

Kaju Soft Tofu is located at 7232 Orangethorpe Ave. Buena Park, CA 90621 and they’re open 7 days a week from 10 a.m.

Galbi - BBQ Beef Short Ribs

(Advertising Supplement)

Mushroom Bibimbap

Buenos Aires, Argentina and Lima, Peru and Machu Picchu May 21 to May 31, 2018 would go to pick it up himself. That was the news May 21 (Monday - Day 1) Los Angeles/Buenos Aires, Argentina (LA 601 agent Bergoglio phoned when he was elected as the Pope to cancel Newspaper delivery.

LAXLIM 2130 -0750) Finally we will visit San Ignacio de Loyola church, the first adobe church and the most ancient one in May 22 (Tuesday - Day 2) Buenos Aires, it was built by the Jesuits in 1675 and Buenos Aires (LA 7901 0931 1556) Meet our tour escort, panoramic tours on the way to a declared Historic Monument in 1942. He assumed the position of Superior in this Order until he was elected restaurant for Lunch, at EL Porteno Restaurant, located overlooking the river in Puerto Madero then as the Pope. to Hotel. (D) Tango Show with dinner this evening.

May 24 (Thursday - Day 4) Buenos Aires/Lujan Visit the Basilica of Lujan with Lunch Private Services May 23 (Wednesday – Day 3) Buenos Aires Half day city tour of Buenos Aires, will give us an idea with English Speaking Guide - Full Day (8hs 120 kms) about the Demographic,Architectural and Historic Depart from hotel toward the city of Lujan, situated 68 km. from the city of Buenos Aires. This locality, characterisitics of Buenos Aires.

Sightseeing includes the Principal spots of the City, considered sacred, developed around the Sanctuary Like Plaza De Mayo,La Rosada,The Cathedral,Avenue of the Virgin of Lujan, and always a center of 9 of July, Theater Colon, Obelisco, National Congress, pilgrimages. Each year in October, there takes The Neighborhood of “La Boca” with its traditional and place an important pilgrimage of the young in the colorful “Ciminito Street”,Plaza San Martin, Recoleta direction of the monumental church, the Basilica of Our Lady of Lujan, which faces the Plaza Belgrano.

Cemetery And the Gardens of Palermo.

Afternoon tours recreates the life and work of Pope The actual cathedral, with gothic lines, began Francis,during this tour we will discover the real Jorge construction in 1889 but was concluded in 1937.

Mario Bergoglio also known as Pope Francis. He has It’s an impressive architectural example as much always been focused on the simplicity of his way of for its facade as for its interior design. Aside from living .He was born in 1936 in the middle or lower appreciating the majestic cathedral, during the tour class neighborhood like Flores, son of italian worker, expect to visit the Historic Colonial Museum, located in the old church that contains a valuable collection his father was a railroader, a humble man.

Our first stop is at the neo classical San Jose De of arms and uniforms, objects of art history, colonial Flores Church, where he used to pray as a teenager. silversmithing, indigineous and gaucho arts and the Nearby this Church we can find the house where the Museum of Transport that presents a vast collection of Pope and four siblings grew up with their Parents, carriages, airplanes and the first steam locomotive of the country, named “La Portena.” During the course Regina Maria Sivori and Mario Bergoglio.

In this area we will also admire Maria Auxiliadora of the visit, there will be lunch at a local restaurant.

Basilica and San Carlos Borromeo Church where the In the afternoon begin the return toward the city of Pope was baptized Christmas of 1936, here you can Buenos Aires and finally the hotel. (B,L,D) appreciate the font. In the 70th Anniversary of his baptism, the church hung a frame with the copy of May 25 (Friday - Day 5) AM departure Buenos the record of the parish book, where you can see his Aires to Lima, Peru (2428 EZELIM 0750 1050) sacramental record (you will be able to see it during Arrive in Lima. A transportation Service with a guide the evening mass). A curious thing about this church will pick us up from the airport and transfer us to is that Carlos Gardel frequented this church and was our Hotel Lunch, will be in a local restaurant, try the part of the choir at the beginning of the 20th century, delicious Pollo a la Brasa.

After Lunch will start the tour en route to downtown. you can see a memorial plaque.

The Image of Maria Auxiliadora is also important, for We will first go to the Birth house of San Martin De San Lorenzo because Lorenzo Massa was inspired Porres, currently an institution of Social Assistance to by the blue cape of the Virgin to design the team´s the underprivileged that bears his name. t-shirt. This t-shirt was worn by Los Forzosos del There is a small Museum dedicated to St Martin, the Almagro, the first name the team received. These chapel located in the room where he was born and colors have identified the club through history. Then then the dining room, where lunch is served free to the elderly.If you wish to bring any donations, it will be we continue to San Antonio Church.

Heading downtown, the tour passes by the Jesuit very appreciated and welcome.

College of El Salvador, where Bergoglio taught We will visit the Saint Rose of Lima Church. Visit Santo literature and psychology in the 1960s, and Salvador Domingo Convent ,where the first Peruvian Saints are University which he later oversaw. We will also pass Buried: Saint Martin De Porres and Saint Rose of

by Santa Catalina church, which was the first women Lima. Dinner then return to the hotel.

Monastery in Buenos Aires City and one of oldest and May 26 (Saturday - Day 6) Lima Fly to Cusco most prestigious convent.

The tour ends at Plaza de Mayo where we will walk (LA 2043 LIMCUZ 1455-1612) around the area and see Buenos Aires Archbishopric After breakfast, guided tour of both the colonial and where Bergoglio lived until he was elected pope, the modern sections of Lima, City of Kings”. Colonial Metropolitan Cathedral, which looks more like a Lima includes a visit to the Main Square, located in the classical Greek temple than a typical Catholic church. heart of downtown to view the Government Palace, There, Bergoglio eventually presided as the City’s the Town Hall, The “Desamparados” Train Station ,the archbishop. Inside the imposing building there is the old streets with their vice royal mansions and Moorish tomb of the South American independence hero Jose style balconies, the Bishop Palace with its beautiful de San Martin. A new Museum will be set up in one of balconies and the Cathedral of Lima. (Its outstanding the halls to the left of the central nave of the temple, features are the choir stalls, the Churrigueresque the name will be “Jorge M. Bergoglio Cardinal” .The Chapel of the Immaculate, the main altar and a Christ exhibit will include personal and liturgical objects that made of carved ivory). Then walk towards the Aliaga he used during the archbishopric, like ornaments, House – viceregal house delivered by Francisco cassocks and a pastoral staff that the bishops wear Pizarro to one of his captains (Jeronimo de Aliaga) as a representation of their pastoral function. Here you when the city was established – a jewel of colonial will also find the ring that identified him as a cardinal, architecture currently inhabited by family members.

Continue your tour by visiting San Francisco with he decided to give it away to the Cathedral.

Then we will pass by Roverano Passage, the first one its convent (considered to be the most important in the City and where we find Romano Hairdresser’s, religious monument of Lima, built in 1542 in Baroque the one that the pope frequented during 20 years. A style and consecrated in 1673) and the museum short distance away we find the news agent’s where of colonial art, cloisters and catabumbs. Your drive he daily bought the newspaper, and on Sundays he through Lima will pass by several Colonial squares,

to 10 p.m. The Garden Grove location is located at 8895 Garden Grove Blvd., Garden Grove, CA 92844 and it is open 7 days a week from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

churches and mansions, and then you will continue to the Modern Districts of San Isidro and Miraflores, for a glimpse of life in this huge city, as well as its beautiful parks, modern buildings and great ocean views. After lunch transfer to the Airport for the flight to Cusco.

Upon arrival, you will be transferred to your hotel.

In the evening you will be transferred to local restaurant for Dinner show.

Accommodation at Hilton Garden Inn – Superior Room Meals included: Breakfast, box lunch, dinner May 27 (Sunday - Day 7) Lima - Cusco (Pls Schedule Sunday Mass) Early morning, transfer to Sunday Mass.

Rest of the morning Free time. Take the remainder of the morning to nap or relax as you adjust to Cusco high altitude.

In the afternoon your guided tour of the Inca Royal City of Cusco starts in the very impressionable Plaza de Armas, which is surrounded by a beautiful stone arcade. In the Plaza is the Cathedral, with outside façade in Renaissance style is in contrast to its Baroque and plateresque style of its interiors.

The Convent of Santo Domingo was built above the most important Inca Temple, the Temple of the Sun, or Koricancha. Near the City of Cusco, you will visit the Inca Fortress Sacsayhuaman, made up of three gigantic terraces, superimposed in a zigzag form.

Qenqo, was a religious centre formed by a singular flowering of calcareous rock. It has underground galleries and a semicircular amphitheater with a series of stone seats.

Nearby is a Tambomachay, well known as Baths of the Incas, a place dedicated to the cult of the water, formed by aqueducts, channels.

Stop at Pisac Market for a display of colorful native craftsmanship, enjoy Lunch in Urubamba and head for temple of the sun.

Accommodation at Hilton Garden Inn – Superior Room Meals included: Breakfast, box lunch, dinner May 28 (Sunday - Day 8) Cusco - Sacred Valley Your tour will start en route to the Sacred Valley, Where you will visit Awanakancha, a farm of South America camelids and showroom of textiles, where local families show the entire traditional process of weaving and making garments. You will then visit the Pisac citadel, a town shaped as a partridge, which is known for two reasons: for the craft market established between colonial buildings and for housing one of the most impressive complex of agricultural terraces of the valley. The market has scores of stands that exhibit and sell products manufactured by the residents of the area.

You will then have lunch at the agreed restaurant and will arrive in Ollantaytambo, a typical example of the urban planning of the Incas, whose residents still live in accordance with their old traditions. Pachacutec (1438-1471) conquered the town, destroyed it and built a new one, absorbing it as part of his empire.

The Ollantaytambo fortress is a huge archaeological complex which, although it bears the name of fortress, it was actually a tambo, a leisure city used to accommodate the delegations that traveled long distances. Without a doubt, it is one of the most monumental works of the Inca Empire.

Accommodation at Casa Andina Private Collection Urubamba – Superior room.

Meals included: Breakfast at the hotel, Lunch *Important – Tonight, please pack an overnight bag for your journey to Machu Picchu. Due to luggage restrictions aboard the trains to/from Machu Picchu, passengers may only take 1 small bag weighing no more than 5 kg (11 lbs.). The rest of your luggage will be taken to Cusco city and will be stored at your selected hotel. You will retrieve your luggage on May 30

through which I’m glad I’ve gone through.”

During his sojourn, Richard said, he started weighing in on things about life that led him to come up with a better judgment.

“I’ve realized I just needed some time off to realize things, to really know who I am and to really know what matters the most. And right now, I am happy being here.”

Luckily, he dumped the idea of quitting what with his career having obviously gotten into another level after he joined the cast of “La Luna Sangre” as the vampire leader Sandrino. And he, too, is well aware of how people have become more interested in seeing him scene after scene pitting acting talents with co-stars, particularly Daniel Padilla who turned out to be his brother in the primetime series.

“Of course, I can say it’s a new chapter in my career — a good chapter, a fresh start. It’s exciting for me as an actor, exciting for the audience and so far so good because the feedback is very positive so I’ve no complaints. ABS-CBN is doing a great job at what they do and it’s always good working with the best so I’m happy.”

But whether he ended up with ABS-CBN or not, Richard believes that he would still be able to return to acting, saying that he didn’t only feel to have evolved as an actor but also as a person. He is confident that his passion for acting has remained — and will always be — inside him. “As long as you have the passion, you cannot tell what more can happen to your career.”

His being active again in front of the camera led Richard to con-

sider himself as a professional unlike before when he lived as a happy-go-lucky type. He, now, has learned to not take anything for granted. “ I w a s re a l l y t i re d t h a t time kasi. I would come late to work, bugnutin ako. I took time off, I lived in Switzerland with Sarah and went to the States for a while so it felt nice because you get to realize things. That’s why I’m telling DJ (Daniel’s nickname) to always try to spend time with his family and try to spend time alone para laging fresh. As an actor, it’s also important to have something on the side. You don’t do this for money. This is not the most stable job for money. You do it because you love acting and now I’m at the point that I love my craft.”

Did fatherhood somehow help fuel his acting passion?

“Of course, aside from that time off,” he stressed. “I mean, fatherhood changed me completely not only my acting but my core. Kumbaga, ‘yung pagkatao mo talagang wow. My purpose (in life) seems to change and it’s a nice feeling for me.

“I could not pinpoint exactly what the changes were but did you know that before Zion was born, I have many friends who already have children and they kept telling me that I will be a changed man once I become a father. Ako naman, inisip ko paano ako magbabago eh magkakaanak lang. (But) I guess it’s true since I just want to spend time more at home and I get excited to have free time from work. It just changes your outlook in life, parang (you have a) higher purpose.”

Self-induced cancer

PAGE B4 stroke, diabetes, hypertension, and cancer, etc. This is plain stupidity.

The solution is obvious: Eliminate the cause, the poison! Then, we don’t have to do expensive researches looking for the “antidote” or finding the cure, etc.

Eliminating the cause would even reward us these added bonuses: a smokeless society, a healthier citizenry, a nobler nation, and a less polluted environment, ecologically friendlier to Mother Earth!

Unfortunately, the senseless global smoke-filled “killing field,”

protected by governments, like in the Philippines, will continue.

We, The People, should be fuming mad! *** Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus in Northwest Indiana and chairman of cardiac surgery from 1997 to 2010 at Cebu Doctors University Hospital, where he holds the title of Physician Emeritus in Surgery, is based in Las Vegas, Nevada.

He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the Philippine College of Surgeons, and the Denton A. Cooley Cardiovascular Surgical Society. He is the chairman of the Filipino United Network – USA, a 501(c)(3) humanitarian foundation in the United States.

Email: scalpelpen@gmail.com

Marian Pilgrimage France, Spain & Portugal Sept 8 to Sept 21 2018 Spiritual Director: Rev. John Duy Nguyen the sisters of charity of Nevers. St Gildard convent Sept 8 - (Saturday - Day 1) USA/PARIS Transatlantic flight from USA to Paris (CDG )Meals is her final resting place. After she was blessed with the apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Lourdes, serve on board.

St. Bernadette retired in Nevers. She received her religious habit in 1866. Continue to Paray-Le-Monial Sept 9 - (Sunday - Day 2) Paris (CDG) Arrived Paris CDG, Then after we clear immigration for Dinner & Overnight (BB, D) and collect our Luggage,. you will proceed to your hotel and have mass and dinner. Overnight in Paris. Sept 13 - (Thursday - Day 6) Paray-Le-Monial (D) After Breakfast, you will tour Paray-Le-Monial. Your first stop is the Basilica of the Sacred Heart and Sept 10 - (Monday - Day 3) Paris Paris is one of the most popular tourist destinations here you will celebrate Holy Eucharist. Then you will in the world, also known as the City of Light. Full day tour and admire the Romanesque basilica and see touring with local guide, including visit of the Eiffel the Chapel of Apparitions. After the Basilica, you will tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, Basilica of Sacre proceed to the Monastere e la Visitation. Visit the Coeur, The chapel of the Miraculous Medal in Rue de reliquary of Saint Margaret Mary of Alocoque at the Bac is the site of Marian Apparitions and contain the Chapel of Visitation. Still to see and visit after lunch reliquaries of St. Catherine Laboure and St. Louise De is the Park of the Chaplain and the Chapel of St. Marillac. The shrine of St. Vincent the Paul is within Colombiere. Dinner & Overnight (BB, D) walking distance, a few blocks from Rue De Bac, visit the chapel which houses the relic of St. Vincent the Sept 14 - (Friday - Day 7) Paray-Le-Monial / Lourdes Paul. Overnight in Paris (BB/D) After breakfast you will continue your pilgrimage to Lourdes. Lourdes, celebrating 160 Years of Sept 11 - (Tuesday - Day 4) Paris/Lisieux After breakfast, Full day in Lisieux, home of St apparitions of Blessed Virgin to Bernadette. Still one Therese, who at age 15, entered the convent and of the great pilgrimages shrines in the world, visited became Carmelite nun, she took the religious name by thousands of pilgrim’s. Arrive in Lourdes in the of St Therese of the child Jesus and the Holy face. late afternoon, orientation to the shrines and spends The spirituality of her little ways was not about some time in the sanctuary. Dinner & overnight. extraordinary things, but rather about doing simple (BB, D) things of life well and with extraordinary love. She believed and taught that “Everything is Grace”, God’s Sept 15 - (Saturday - Day 8) face and presence could be experienced in every Lourdes person and situation of our lives, if we just attend You will have early morning bath at the healing water with love and expectancy. She died at the age of 24 of Lourdes. Then return to the hotel for breakfast. believing that her life was really the beginning for There after attend Holy Mass at the Grotto. continue God, promising to spend her heaven doing good on the day with a walking tour of the shrines and earth, her promised” shower of Roses” began and places associated with the life of St. Bernadette. have become a torrent in the church ever since. Spend some time meditating on the passion of our Return to Paris, Dinner in a restaurant near the hotel. Lord through more than life size exotic way of the sacrament and prayers. Afternoon will be free time for Overnight in Lisieux (BB, D) private devotion. Dinner/overnight (BB, D) Sept 12 - (Wednesday - Day 5) Sept 16 - (Sunday - Day 9) Lisieux / Nevers / Paray-Le-Monial After Breakfast, Continue your drive to the Lourdes / Zaragoza picturesque Loire valley to Nevers, visit the convent After Breakfast, you’ll continue your drive towards of St. Gillard, where St. Bernadette’s incorrupt body Zaragoza, Spain. Visit the shrines of Our Lady of miraculously preserved since her death in 1879. Pillar, the 2nd most popular pilgrimages sites in At the conclusion of the eighteen apparitions of Spain. See the Magnificent altar in the Basilica, built the Virgin Mary in Lourdes, St. Bernadette lived on site where the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to for 12 years as a member of the congregation of the apostles St. James, before her assumption into May 29 (Tuesday - Day 9) Sacred Valley to Machu Picchu After Breakfast Board the Vistadome train and travel through the sacred Valley of the Incas on the way to Aguas Calientes, then Hop on the Bus headed to the Citadel, explore Machu Picchu with a Guided tour and admire the seven Wonders of the World, enjoy exploring the sites.

Upon arrival at Machu Picchu’s Aguas Calientes Station, you’ll meet your guide and will take a 30-minute shuttle-bus ride to Machu Picchu, the “Lost City of the Incas”. The ruins are located in a lush jungle and are believed to have been built in the mid-15th century by Inca Pachacutec. Lost in history, it was not discovered until 1911 by the merican explorer Hiram Bingham. Enjoy a guided tour of the fabled ruins.

Now Recognized as a member of the new 7 Wonders of the World, Machu Picchu is a marvelous and famous citadel which combines the visual and spiritual force of magnificent natural scenery with the natural diversity of a historic sanctuary. Machu Picchu is recognized as a Cultural and Natural Patrimony of the World which rises to an altitude of 7,900 feet above sea level between the Huayna Picchu (young peak) and Machu Picchu (old peak). It lies within the spectacular framework provided by the exuberant vegetation of nearby jungle and the rugged landscape. The ruins are situated on the eastern slope of Machu Picchu Mountain in two separate areas – agricultural and

urban. The latter includes the civil sector (dwellings, canalizations) and the sacred sector (temples, mausoleums, squares, royal houses).

Although the constructions show different levels of architecture, the religious buildings exhibits a high degree of perfection. The construction was generally in stone and the roofs were built of tree trunks and thatched with ichu or straw. The walls lean slightly inward to protect against earthquakes.

Later, board the bus down to Aguas Calientes for lunch.

Overnight at Casa Sel Sol boutique Hotel – Standard room.

Meals include: Breakfast at the hotel, lunch and dinner.

heaven. Dinner/overnight Zaragoza (BB, D) Sept 17 - (Monday - Day 10) Zaragoza / Salamanca After breakfast you will embark on a trip to Salamanca. You will have a short stop and panoramic tour of Avila. Upon arrival in Salamanca, you will visit the Old Cathedral and tour the city. Dinner /overnight Salamanca (BB, D) Sept 18 - (Tuesday - Day 11) Salamanca / Fatima After Breakfast, you will spend the first half of the day touring Salamanca. You will visit the new cathedral with a short stop at Plaza Mayor for lunch. After lunch you will continue to Fatima, the famous Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima. Upon arrival you will have a short orientation tour of the Sanctuary. Attend the nightly Candlelight procession at the Shrine. Dinner and Overnight Fatima (BB, D) Sept 19 - (Wednesday - Day 12) Fatima Breakfast, then Visit the Museum dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary followed by Mass at the Apparitions chapel, Full day Guided tours includes the Shrines ground, visit of the tombs of Francisco and Jacinta in the Basilica, In Aljustrel and Valinhos, you see the two homes of the shepherds, site of Our Lady’s fourth apparitions. Stop at the Parish church where the seers were baptized, and the cemetery where Francisco and Jacinta were once buried. You will do the station of the Cross. We encourage everyone to spend some time in the Blessed Sacrament, which is open every day. Dinner/ overnight Fátima. (BB, D) Sept 20 - (Thursday - Day 13) Fatima / Lisbon After breakfast ,you will proceed to Lisbon with stops at Santarem to visit the church of the Holy Miracle containing the Glorious 13th century Eucharistic Miracle of Santarem .Then you will do a panoramic city tour of Lisbon, with a visit to the Basilica of St Anthony de Padua, St Jeronimo’s Monastery and the famous Belem Tower. Dinner/Overnight Lisbon (BB, D) Sept 21 - (Friday) Early AM transfer to Lisbon Airport for flight home to USA Full of wonderful memories of Our Pilgrimage

meters in the middle, on which they placed two large wooden boards. Thus, the Incas could isolate the city and protect themselves by removing them.

Later take the bus down to Aguas Calientes, head to the train station and board the Vistadome train Ollantaytambo station. On arrival, you will be transferred to your selected hotel in Cusco city.

Accommodation at Hilton Garden Inn – Superior Room Meals included: Breakfast, dinner at the hotel *Important – The visits to Huayna Picchu have a restricted access to 400 passengers per day – 200 at 7:00 a.m. and 200 at 10:00 a.m. This entrance is subject to availability and the guests have to choose and inform their preferred scheduled with time in advance. Guests’ information such as complete May 30 (Wednesday - Day 10) Machu Picchu name, passport number, nationality, date of birth and pre payment are required to purchase the to Cusco After having breakfast today, you will meet your guide entrance fee. Entrance fees to Huayana Picchu and at the lobby of the hotel and will enjoy a second visit Machu Picchu are non refundable/non endorsable. to Machu Picchu.

You may climb the Wayna Picchu (entrance fee May 31, 2018 (Thursday - Day 11) End of the included), which means “Young Mountain” as opposed tour, flight schedule as below to Machu Picchu. Its ascent takes approximately an 6:10 am Transfer to airport to board your flight to Lima hour and its top attraction is the “Temple of the Moon”, Cusco - Lima- Lax (LA2054 CUZLIM 0840 1010) a complex of underground constructions probably Upon arrival, connect with your international flight used for the elite. You may finally go to the Inca Bridge, LAX ( LA600 LIMLAX 1220 1900) an amazing stone construction which served to enter Welcome Back home to USA or exit the citadel that has an empty space of several

B February 24-27, 2018 • La WeeKeND aSIaN JOurNaL

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COMMUNITY JOURNAL

Visitors report increasing challenges at US ports of entry EARLIER this week, President Trump issued a memorandum establishing a “National Vetting Center” aimed at enhancing border security and identifying individuals who pose a threat to national security and public safety. The National Vetting Center, which will be led by the Department of Homeland Security, is another step towards President Trump’s pledge to “step up our already Extreme Vetting Program.” While the memorandum was issued just a few days ago, heightened screening and vetting of applications for visas and other immigration benefits has been underway for the past several months. One area where noncitizens have recently reported challenges is during their screening for admission into the United States as visitors for business and tourism.

For years, individuals from all over the world have utilized the B visa to enter the United States. In order to be eligible for a B-1/B-2 visa, a noncitizen must demonstrate that he or she has a foreign residence that he or she has no intention of abandoning and will be visiting the United States temporarily for business or pleasure. Visitors seeking to enter the U.S. for business are admitted in B-1 status and visitors seeking to enter for pleasure or tourism are admitted in B-2 status. While many noncitizens are able to successfully secure B-1/B-2 visas at consular posts, it should be noted that possession of a valid visa does not guarantee admission into the United States. Admission is to the discretion of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officer who makes a determination as to whether a B-1/B-2 visa holder may enter the United States and for how long he or she is authorized to stay. Applicants for B visas should be aware that, in all cases, they have the burden to show they do not have “immigrant intent”—that is, their visit to the United States will be only

Your Immigration Solution BRITTANY M. MILLIASSEAU LORELLA T. HESS AND NANCY E. MILLER temporary.

In the event a CBP officer deems a noncitizen to be inadmissible, the individual may be placed in removal proceedings or expeditiously removed – that

to consult with a knowledgeable immigration attorney before presenting themselves for admission. Visitors who have past criminal issues, have previously been denied admission, expeditiously removed, or who may have otherwise violated the terms of their visas, should consult with an experienced immigration attorney who can evaluate their eligibility. Similarly, visitors who travel frequently to the United States, have close relatives in the United States, or whose past visits lasted for longer than a few weeks, should also consult with an experienced immigration attorney.

As vetting procedures increase, individuals that are interested in traveling to the United States with B-1/B-2 visas or under the visa waiver program, should seek competent immigration counsel to discuss their specific case history. Even if you or someone you know has traveled to the United States many times before as a visitor and has never faced any issues, it is important to keep in mind that admission is not guaranteed, especially with the increase in “extreme vetting.” Speak with a knowledgeable immigration attorney for information on how to best prepare for travel as a visitor and how to respond in the event that you face challenges at the port of entry. *** Reeves Miller Zhang & Diza is one of the oldest, largest and most experienced immigration firms in the United States with offices in Pasadena, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Manila and China.

Telephone: (800) 795-8009 E-mail: immigration@rreeves.com website: www.rreeves.com

“ For years, individuals from all over the world have utilized the B visa to enter the United States.” is, removed from the United States immediately, in the absence of an Immigration Judge and without a hearing or review.

While it is extremely tolling for one to be sent back to his or her country of origin after being detained for hours and questioned, it is often most difficult for one to be faced with the harsh reality of not knowing when or if he or she may be permitted to return to the United States. For those who receive an expedited removal order, the consequences are heavy.

Noncitizens who have been expeditiously removed are barred from re-entering the U.S. for a five, ten, twenty-year period, or even indefinitely depending on several factors.

In certain circumstances, an arriving alien may be permitted to withdraw his or her application for admission and depart the U.S. immediately, in lieu of expedited removal or a removal proceeding, however this is no guarantee. As such, B-1/B-2 visitors planning to travel to the United States are strongly encouraged

*** The analysis and suggestions offered in this column do not create a lawyer-client relationship and are not a substitute for the personalized representation that is essential to every case.

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LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 24-27, 2018

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C FEBRUARY 24-27, 2018 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

Minding Your Finances atty. Raymond Bulaon MOST people don’t talk about their debts because they find that conversation embarrassing.

They can talk to their friends and family about everything else but when it comes to the subject of how much debt they are carrying, most people would not divulge any information. It makes them very uncomfortable.

So what happens is that most people struggle silently on their own — sometimes for years — until one day their situation becomes a financial emergency.

And even then, a lot of these people continue to live in denial as they pretend that their debt problems don’t exist. They hesitate to even see an attorney to get help. Don’t let this happen to you or someone you love.

A lady came to my office crying about her situation. For the last five years, her debts have spiraled out of control as she continued to charge more on her credit cards than she paid off every month. By now, her

Community Journal

Do you have more debt than you can handle? debts have skyrocketed to more than $60,000. She told me that at first, she was able to at least make minimum payments on her credit cards by taking money from other credit cards. So for a short while, she was in denial that her debt problem was getting worse, although she could see her credit card balances going up every time she received her credit card statements.

Of course, it didn’t take very long before her credit cards were maxed out and she couldn’t take any more money out of them to pay her other credit cards. So from there, she started falling behind on some of her debt payments. Her breaking point came recently when she got served a lawsuit by one of her creditors.

So she panicked and called our office to get help.

If you are reading this article and you can relate to the story I shared above, let me ask you these questions: What about you? Are you in denial or in control of your credit card spending? Sometimes when I ask people how much they owe,

they can’t even tell me because they say that they have lost track of the amounts. If this is you, this may be a danger sign of debt trouble.

A lot of people wonder why no matter how hard they work, they are always broke every payday. The reason is that they don’t even know or realize how much of their paycheck goes to just paying debts every month.

They have “black holes” in their monthly budgets that they can’t explain because they just can’t see where their money is being wasted.

If you would like to explore your legal options in getting out of debt, we may be able to help you. *** None of the information herein is intended to give legal advice for any specific situation. Atty. Ray Bulaon has successfully helped thousands of clients in getting out of debt. For a free attorney evaluation of your situation, please call Ray Bulaon Law Offices at TOLL FREE 1 (866) 477-7772.

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20 individual tax provisions HERE’S a list of tax provisions of the Tax Cut and Jobs Act affecting individuals like you and me.

1. The new Tax Cut and Jobs Act keeps seven tax brackets with six of them at lower rates.

Most of us will benefit from the new rates, even if the press says the opposite.

2. The new law doubles the standard deduction amounts starting in 2018 (for the 2019 filing season).

• $12,000 for singles (up from $6,350 for 2017).

• $18,000 for heads of households (up from $9,350).

• $24,000 for joint-filing married couples (up from $12,700).

3. Additional standard deduction amounts for the elderly and blind are still allowed.

4. Personal and dependent exemption deductions are eliminated – gone. This will hurt families with many dependents. Ouch!

5. The Act limits interest deductions on home mortgage debt to acquire a first or second residence from $1 million ($500,000 for married filing separately) to

Tax Tips victoR sy, cPa, mBa

$750,000 ($375,000 for married filing separately).

6. The Act limits deductions for state and local taxes and property taxes to a combined total of $10,000 ($5,000 for married filing separately). Foreign real property taxes can no longer be deducted.

7. The Act expands medical expense deduction for 2017 and 2018 by using prior threshold of 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income (AGI) instead of 10 percent of AGI. 8. Existing education tax breaks are preserved.

9. There’s no change in home sale gain exclusion rules. The new law preserves the valuable break that allows you to exclude

$250,000 of gain from a qualified home sale ($500,000 for joint filers).

10. Taxation of capital gains remain at the existing tax rates of 0 percent, 15 percent and 20 percent on long-term capital gains and dividends.

11. Unfortunately, the new law retains the unpopular Individual Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT).

12. The maximum child credit is increased from $1,000 to $2,000 per qualifying child. Up to $1,400 is refundable.

13. The Act creates a new $500 nonrefundable credit for qualified non-child dependents such as children over age 17, elderly parents, or adult children with a disability.

14. Moving expenses are eliminated. Sorry.

15. Most miscellaneous itemized expenses (unreimbursed auto, tax preparation fees) are eliminated.

16. Itemized deductions for personal casualty and theft losses are eliminated (except for per-

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The challenge and the promise of trust in God

The Prophetic Voice ReveRend Rodel G. BalaGtas Trust in God is what we need to face the hardships and incomprehensibility of life. It’s what Abraham in this Sunday’s First Reading manifested to us. He trusted in God’s inscrutable command. “Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. There you shall offer him up as a holocaust on a height that I will point out to you,” the Lord told him. We would think that Abraham would resist and complain, but, no, he did as the Lord commanded him to do.

The story is one that has baffled the minds of many people for ages. How could God ask Abraham to kill his only son?

What father would ever do that to his son? The story, however, continues that when God saw Abraham’s fidelity, he sent

a messenger to tell him to stop the sacrifice. The messenger spoke to him these words that would ring for centuries to the ears of Abraham’s descendants: “I swear to myself, declares the Lord, that because you acted as you did in not withholding from me your beloved son, I will bless you abundantly and make your descendants as countless as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore; your descendants shall take possession.”

Indeed, the story of Abraham’s Sacrifice conveys a test of faith in God. It’s related to our personal stories of faith, in those moments when God challenges us to keep believing in him and entrusting our lives to him despite any experience of death, sickness, doubts, fears, anxieties, confusion, and other insecurities. It’s a story that corresponds to St. Paul’s profession of faith in Romans 8:31-34: “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who

did not spare his own Son but handed him over for us all, how will he not also give us everything else along with him?”

The story of Abraham’s test is one that challenges us to let go of the people, the preoccupations, and all the things we value and still keep believing in the promises of God that he will never forsake us; he will be with us. As Father James Kavanaugh, SJ says in “The Word Encountered: Meditations on the Sunday Scriptures”: “Each of us is required to make Abraham’s sacrifice. We all must face the inevitability of letting go our most beloved person, task, accomplishment, joy.

Everything dear to us, everything given to us by God is subject to death: its own and our own.”

This heroic act of letting go asks us to keep believing in the goodness and promises of God. It’s what Abraham modeled to us. In the end, God’s promises

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What immigration benefits are available to same-sex marriages post DOMA? ON June 26, 2013, the US Supreme Court struck down section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) as unconstitutional in the landmark case US. V. Windsor. The BIA shortly thereafter issued a decision in Matter of Zeleniak holding that DOMA is no longer an impediment in recognizing same-sex couples under the immigration and Nationality Act. Matter of Zeleniak, 26 I&N Dec. 158 (BIA 2013). This means a same-sex marriages are now valid for immigration purposes as long as the marriage is recognized in the “place of celebration.”

This means a same- sex marriage is valid for immigration purposes as long as it was valid in the place of celebration. The same-sex marriage is valid even if the applicant is applying in a country in which same-sex marriage is illegal. On June 26, 2015, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell v.

Hodges that state-level bans on same-sex marriage are unconstitutional. The court ruled that the denial of marriage licenses to

Barrister’s Corner atty. Kenneth uRsua Reyes same-sex couples and the refusal to recognize those marriages performed in other jurisdictions violates the Due Process and the Equal Protection clauses of

qualify under the same requirements as stepchildren acquired through opposite sex marriages.

Same sex spouses and qualified children or step children can also qualify as dependents of employment-based categories and family-preference categories as derivatives.

Same-sex partners of US citizens may also apply for K-1 fiancé non-immigrant visa the same way opposite sex partners may petition for a fiancé visa. The same sex US Citizen spouse may then file an immigrant petition and adjustment of status after the fiancé enters the US and marries the US citizen spouse.

Widows and widowers of same-sex spouses can also qualify for immigration benefits under INA 204(l). Generally, this is done by filing a selfpetition within two years of the death of the US citizen same sex spouse.

In the area of non-immigrant visas, same-sex spouses and their children are now eligible for non-immigrant visa as a derivative. Same sex spouses and

”This means a same- sex marriage is valid for immigration purposes as long as it was valid in the place of celebration.” the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution.

In the area of immigrant visas, a same sex US Citizen spouse or legal permanent resident spouse may now petition for an immigrant visa for their spouse as long as the marriage was valid in the place of celebration. Validity of the marriage is not based on the place of domicile.

Stepchildren acquired through the same sex marriage can also

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Illegal work discrimination based on sex orientation JAMES Pearl was hired in 2002 by the Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation. In 2006, he was promoted as a wastewater collection supervisor. In 2011, he was transferred to an office in Reseda. Pearl complained, alleging that it was retaliation for his complaint about a fellow worker’s misconduct. Pearl filed a discrimination complaint with California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing.

Several days after his complaint, Pearl was fired, allegedly for falsifying documents for a subordinate co-worker who was perceived by other coworkers as gay. Pearl again filed a complaint, this time for retaliation. He also fought his firing with the L.A. Board of Civil Service Commission, which later determined that his firing was unfounded. He was reinstated back to work 13 months after being fired.

Upon his reinstatement, Pearl was subjected to “rampant insults and slurs” because his bosses believed he was gay.

He found objects at his desk suggestive of homosexual sex.

Even though he was heterosexual, Pearl endured various demeaning comments, offensive posters and cartoons directed at his perceived sexual orientation by supervisors who have a long history of discriminating against homosexual employees.

A photoshopped image showing Pearl and another employee as homosexual lovers was apparently distributed city-wide.

Pearl suffered distress and collapsed at work. He, thereafter, went on medical leave.

He sued the employer for

Protecting Employee & Consumer Rights Atty. C. Joe SAyAS, Jr. sexual orientation discrimination, hostile work environment and retaliation. Pearl claimed damages for depression, hypertension, vertigo, weight loss, heart damage and emotional distress.

The employer argued that Pearl did not complain internally about the alleged mistreatment, that Pearl testified that he heard gay slurs in the workplace but did not know if they were directed at him, and that the images and comments Pearl was subjected to “were trivial and isolated.”

After several days of trial, the jury awarded the employee $15 million in past and future emotional distress damages and approximately $2.4 million in economic damages for lost wages and benefits. In addition, the Court awarded the employee another $1.55 million in prevailingparty attorney’s fees. The employer is appealing the verdict.

Unlike the usual sexual harassment case where the victim receives unwelcome sexual advances from another motivated by sexual desire, Pearl’s supervisors were not making sexual advances towards him. However, the supervisors were targeting Pearl’s sexual identity which they had misperceived as gay. Their conduct created a hostile work environment for the employee.

California law prohibits em-

ployment discrimination based on sexual orientation. Such discrimination may occur when an employer discriminates against an employee because of the latter’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender orientation.

However, the employee does not need to have that actual sex orientation to be able to sue. In other words, the law also protects heterosexuals discriminated against on the basis of mere perception of being gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender.

Employees who are victims of sexual orientation discrimination may be entitled to wages and benefits lost due to wrongful termination; future loss of earnings; emotional distress damages for the mental pain and suffering caused by the employer’s illegal discrimination; and, in certain instances, punitive damages. *** The Law Offices of C. Joe Sayas, Jr. welcomes inquiries about this topic. All inquiries are confidential and at no-cost. You can contact the office at (818) 291-0088 or visit www.joesayaslaw.com or our Facebook page Joe Sayas Law. [C. Joe Sayas, Jr., Esq. is an experienced trial attorney who has successfully recovered wages and other monetary damages for thousands of employees and consumers. He was named Top Labor & Employment Attorney in California by the Daily Journal, consistently selected as Super Lawyer by the Los Angeles Magazine, and is the recipient of PABA’s Community Champion Award for 2016.]

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Senior seeks Chapter 13 protection for fully paid house from $15K in credit card debt THE client is a young senior in his early 60s who took an early retirement last year. He owes $15,000 of credit card debt and nothing else.

He has a community property house that is fully paid with a current market value of $500,000.

Fortunately for the client, he did not refinance his fully paid house with a mortgage, so the house does not secure any mortgage.

Certainly, the client must have been tempted often to get some cash out from a refinance at low interest. Good for him that he did not succumb to that temptation; otherwise, he would still be paying on a new mortgage now. His wife is also taking early retirement next year. I asked why he took an early retirement at 62. He said he doesn’t know how long he is going to live, so he might as well take early retirement so at least he gets his social security now even if its less by 25 percent compared to full age retirement at 66.

Since he used to work as a professional for some time, I asked him if he had a pension from the employer. He said no and social security of $1,200 is all that he has now. The problem is that he still owes $15,000 of credit card debt, which he has not been able to pay for six months because of his reduced income from social security. He used to pay about $600 a month to keep them current but he just could not get the principal down from $15,000. He wanted to do a Chapter 7 to wipe out the $15,000. I asked him if he owned a house and what the current value was. He said he owned a house worth about $500K. I asked him if he owed anything on the house. He said he owed nothing on it anymore.

So I told him that he could not do a Chapter 7 because, in Chapter 7, he would lose his house. The trustee would take his house and sell it, give him $175,000 use the rest to pay his credit card debt of $15,000, give him the rest of the sale proceeds after deducting trustee fees which could be sky high.

It doesn’t make sense, in his case to do Chapter 7. Why lose your house for $15,000 of credit card debt? But then again, his house does need protection from his credit card debt. He is now behind by six months. This means that lawsuits for collection are forthcoming. Lawsuits will eventually become judgments.

Judgments eventually become

Debt Relief

Atty. LAwrenCe yAng

liens on his house. A $15,000 judgment will double in a couple of years. Soon enough, there will be a $60,000 judgment lien on his house. And, the worst part is that judgment creditors can ask the court to have his house sold to satisfy the judgment lien! This means he can lose his $500,000 house for $15,000 of credit card debt. It sounds unfair, but it certainly may happen if the problem is left to fester without an effective solution.

I told him that he could do a Chapter 13 without any risk of losing his house to the trustee because Chapter 13 trustees, unlike Chapter 7 trustees, do not have the power to sell debtor houses.

In Chapter 13, he can pay off the $15,000 over five years without interest; just the principal is being paid. He’s looking at a plan payment of $250/month to $300/month, including court and trustee administrative fees. This is a lot less than the $600 that he used to pay which did nothing to reduce the principal of $15,000 in the last 20 years. Under the plan, the debtor will have zero credit card debt when he turns 68. And the best part is, the Chapter 13 protects his fully paid house by preventing lawsuits and judgment liens from attaching to his house.

Credit card debts are like weeds that keep on growing and growing. In a month, a weed can grow a foot, while normal plants take so much time to grow. The most effective way of getting rid of weeds is to uproot them. If you just cut them at the base, in a month they look like they were never cut. This is the same, as the client’s credit card debt of $15,000, which he has paid for 20 years, yet now still owes the same amount. In a year, he paid $7,200. He thought that would cut his debt in half and it would disappear. But credit cards are like weeds — they keep growing back unless you uproot them.

The debtor’s Chapter 13 will uproot his credit card debt and pay them off completely in 60 months so they don’t grow back again.

Smart decision on the client’s part, I have to say, because some

people just do not have the courage to make the right decision.

Client seeks Chapter 7 relief to discharge $30,000 in credit card debt The client is 48 and married with no children. He owns a home with $55,000 of equity. He bought his house three years ago with 3 percent down, so his equity has increased somewhat but still within homestead exemption of $75,000. He has a live-in girlfriend, and I don’t know if she qualifies as a family member that would increase his exemption to $100,000. In any event, $55,000 is $20,000 less than $75,000 so the house is secure and protected. His problem is $30,000 of credit cards, which he has been paying for five years, at $1,000 minimum monthly just to keep them current. Do the math.

He’s paid $60,000 to keep $30,000 of cards current for five years, and he still owes the same amount of $30,000. It doesn’t seem fair, but that’s the way cards work. Just like weeds, they keep growing, nonstop. But since he now has a mortgage to pay, he having a hard time making the minimum payment of $1,000 a month for the cards. The choice he has now is to either pay the mortgage or pay the cards. It’s a no-brainer. Get rid of the cards to assure payment of the mortgage.

At least, the house appreciates in value over time and home ownership is the American dream, while credit card debt is the American nightmare that sucks up your net income every month, every year.

His choice is Chapter 7 to protect his house and discharge the $30,000 of credit cards. *** Disclaimer: The foregoing is an expression of opinion and is not meant to be legal advice to any reader.

There is no attorney-client relationship established by this article with the reader. If you want to discuss your situation, you have to set an appointment to consult with the attorney. The first general consultation is free. *** Lawrence Bautista Yang specializes in bankruptcy, business, real estate and civil litigation and has successfully represented more than five thousand clients in California. Please call Angie, Barbara or Jess at (626) 284-1142 for an appointment at 1000 S. Fremont Ave, Mailstop 58, Building A-1 Suite 1125, Alhambra, CA 91803 or at 20274 Carrey Road, Walnut, CA 91789.

The challenge and the promise...

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to Abraham became real. In Abraham’s old age, God fulfilled his promise of giving him a son through his wife Sarah, whom he named Isaac—God’s promise of future generations!

Faith involves believing in the trustworthiness of God. Without this believe we will not be able to obey his commands. The words in the Gospel this Sunday in the story of the Transfiguration of

Jesus highlights this message of trust in God: “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”

May Lent be a time for us to trust God fully in his words and mission for us! May we always increase in faith, knowing that God’s promises will come true! Amen.

the priesthood from St. John’s Seminary in 1991. He served as Associate Pastor at St. Augustine, Culver City (1991-1993); St. Martha, Valinda (1993-1999); and St. Joseph the Worker, Canoga Park (19912001). In 2001, he served as Administrator Pro Tem of St. John Neumann in Santa Maria, CA, until his appointment as pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary, Los Angeles, in 2002, which lasted 12 *** years. His term as Associate Director From a Filipino immigrant family, Rever- of Pastoral Field Education at St. John’s end Rodel G. Balagtas was ordained to Seminary began in July 2014.

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 24-27, 2018

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Writ of mandamus relief for unreasonable delay in pending immigration filings A COMMON question that is asked by a person who has a pending immigration petition or application is “how much longer until USCIS makes a decision?” The question is understandable, in that an unreasonable delay in the USCIS’ adjudication of a petition or application can have adverse effects, including loss of employment and employment opportunities, possible termination of employment, and difficulties in obtaining student and credit loans.

While an immigration filing is pending, the typical response by USCIS upon inquiry is that further time (usually 90 or 180 days) is needed to make a decision.

However, often that 90 or 180 days that USCIS needs to make a decision turns into months and sometimes years. What option does a petitioner or applicant have to compel the USCIS to act on his or her case?

Pursuant to the Mandamus and Venue Act of 1962, a Writ of Mandamus action can be filed in the US District Courts to compel the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the USCIS, DHS’s bureau, to act on a petition or application for which adjudication has been unreasonably delayed.

The statute allows for an “action to compel an officer of the United States to perform his duty.”

The legal duty for USCIS to promptly act on a pending petition or application can be found in the Administrative Procedures Act (“APA”), 8 USC Sec. 1571, and 5 USC Sec. 555(b). These statutes form the basis of Writ of Mandamus relief.

The APA gives the court authority to “compel agency

Legal Advice Atty. DArriCk tAn action unlawfully held and unreasonable delayed.” The policy for processing immigration applications is set forth under 8 USC Sec. 1571, which states that “the processing of an immigration benefit application should be completed no later than 180

to make a decision is 180 days; however, more than 180 days pass and no decision is made.

The applicant then seeks to get updated status of the application via an Infopass appointment, and is advised that the case is still under consideration and more time is needed.

In such a case, a writ of mandamus can be filed in Federal Court to compel the USCIS to act on the application. Often, a decision is made on the case after the Writ of Mandamus is filed in that the unreasonable delay is brought to the attention of the USCIS. A prompt decision is often made by USCIS after filing to avoid the use of government resources in having to defend the meritorious action.

It is important to keep in mind that Writ of Mandamus relief is available to a variety of pending petitions and applications, not just green card applications based on marriage. To determine whether Writ of Mandamus relief is a good option in your pending immigration case, it is recommended that you seek the advice of an experienced attorney. ***

“While an imigration filing is pending, the typical response by USCIS upon inquiry is that further time (usually 90 or 180 days) is needed to make a decision.” days after the initial filing of the application.” Further, 5 USC Sec. 555(b) states that “within a reasonable time, each agency shall proceed to conclude a matter presented to it.”

A typical case in which Writ of Mandamus relief is a viable option is in a green card application based on marriage. I have had several inquiries in recent months concerning delays in processing of these cases. Typically, the green card applicant along with his or her US Citizen spouse is interviewed by a USCIS officer and at the end of the interview, the green card applicant is advised that additional time is needed by USCIS to make a decision. The timeframe given

Darrick V. Tan, Esq. is admitted to practice law in California and Nevada. Mr. Tan is a graduate of UCLA and Southwestern University School of Law. He is a member of the Consumers Attorney Association of Los Angeles and is a former member of the Board of Governors of the Philipp ine American Bar Association. *** LAW OFFICES OF DARRICK V. TAN, 3580 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 900, Los Angeles, CA 90010. Tel: (323) 6390277. Email: info@dtanlaw.com.

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C4 FEBRUARY 24-27, 2018 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

Calendar of Events across

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ADVERTISE YOUR EVENTS! PRE-EVENT AND POST EVENT GO DEEPER. GO WIDER. LET THE WORLD KNOW. CALL ASIAN JOURNAL: (818) 502-0651 DISPLAY AD SIZES AT SPECIAL RATES FOR NON-PROFIT GROUPS F E B R UA RY 24

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

This training summit aims to honor and recognize indigenous understanding of wellness and healing; reduce stigma associated with emotional and mental illness; and promote community dialogue and connectivity. It is organized by the Filipino Well Being Training Summit Committee led by the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health. It’ll be held on Saturday, February 24 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, 555 West Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012 at 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more info and to register, please visit: https:// www.eventbrite.com/e/filipino-well-being-training-summit-registration-41880032304. NOTE: This event is free of charge to all attendees. Breakfast and lunch will be served on a limited capacity and may not be available to all attendees. Space is limited - please cancel on Eventbrite if you are unable to attend so others on the waiting list can be notified and accommodated.

City of Carson Gala Ball The City of Carson, California is marking its 50th anniversary of incorporation on Saturday, February 24 with a gala ball. It will be held at Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald Community Center at Carson (801 E. Carson Street, Carson, CA 90745) at 6 p.m. Tickets are $50 / person and $400 / table (seats 8). For more information, please call the Community Center at (310) 835-0212 or visit ci.carson.ca.us.

Free workout with Assemblymember Philip Chen in Walnut, CA California state Assemblymember Philip Chen will host a free workout event in Walnut, CA on Saturday, February 24 to promote wellness and fitness. The event will be held at Walnut Crossfit Insurgent located at 351 Paseo Sonrisa, Walnut, CA from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable workout clothing and shoes. Light refreshments will be provided.

F E B R UA RY 27

Workshop on how to brand your small business online in Los Angeles Tara na! Kita tayo sa SIPA! Come and join Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA) in Historic Filipinotown on Tuesday, February 27 and start branding your small business effectively! 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 business identity and learn how to convey your brand to your customers. It’s a FREE event! It will be held at Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (3200 W Temple St. Los Angeles, CA 90026) from 6 to 8 p.m. Light refreshments will be provided. There is free parking at 2 SIPA parking lots located on the corner of Temple and Robinson St. and the corner of Temple and Dillon St. Don’t forget to bring business cards for networking! Registration is REQUIRED at https:// www.eventbrite.com/e/how-to-brand-your-small-business-online-tickets-42550341216 or you may contact Fidji Victoriano for any questions at fvictoriano@esipa.org or (424) 235-5011.

MARCH 11

Fil-Am Association of SCV’s fundraising event and inaugural ball in Valencia, CA The Fil-Am Association of Santa Clarita Valley (SCV), Inc. invites the community to a fundraising event and inaugural ball of the board of officers and trustees on Sunday, March 11 at 5 p.m. It will be held at the Hyatt Regency Valencia — 24500 Town Center Dr., Valencia, 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.

This 2018 marks the associations 35th year in serving the community through its outreach and Fil-Am academic and cultural enhancement programs which include scholarship achievement awards, programs for the seniors, youth and single programs, as well as cultural events. For tickets, please contact Josie Maglalang at (661) 607-5665, Zeny Justiniano at (661) 645-0948, Emie Carrillo at (661) 877-2699, and Zony Gordon (661) 312-3422.

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS. Mr. Santiago Aoalin was named one of Mariano Marcos State University’s (MMSU’S) 40 Most Distinguished Alumna/Alumnus awardees. The award was given during the Alumni Day on January 30, 2018 at Teatro Ilocandia in Batac City, Ilocos Norte, in celebration of the institution’s 40th university founding. The award was received on his behalf by Aoalin’s sister, Dr. Jocelyn Aoalin-Bernabe. Mr. Aoalin currently works for Los Angeles County. Greetings from friends, relatives and co-workers!

What immigration benefits are available...

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their children can qualify as derivatives in non-immigrant visas including H, E, L, O, R visas, etc.

For aliens with final removal orders issued prior to the Windsor decision, the recognition of the validity of same sex marriage makes available new relief for their case. It may be possible to file a motion to reopen the deportation/removal case even if the removal order was issues past 90 days. ness during the marriage does not change the character of the business to community property, the community may still acquire an apportionment interest if the value of the business

substantially appreciated during the marriage due to the labor and hard work of the managing spouse during the marriage.

The apportionment calculation is done using the formula in the Pereira or Van Camp case where the contributions of effort and return on capital are separated from the value of the business.

would be anticipated by you. This article does create any attorney client relationship between you and the Law Offices of Kenneth U. Reyes, P.C. This article is not a solicitation.

*** Attorney Kenneth Ursua Reyes is a Certified Family Law Specialist. He was President of the Philippine American Bar Association. He is a member of both *** the Family law section and Immigration Please note that this article is not law section of the Los Angeles County legal advice and is not intended as Bar Association. He has extensive CPA legal advice. The article is intended experience prior to law practice. LAW to provide only general, non-specific OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, P.C. is legal information. This article is not located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 747, intended to cover all the issues re- Los Angeles, CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 lated to the topic discussed. The spe- or e-mail kureyeslaw@gmail.com or visit cific facts that apply to your matter our website at Kenreyeslaw.com.

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20 individual tax provisions...

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sonal casualty losses incurred in federally-declared disasters).

17. You will be unable to deduct alimony payments after 12/31/18 (sad), but don’t worry; you will have a happy ex who does not have to pay tax on alimony received from you. Ouch!

18. Tax breaks for adoption expenses are preserved.

19. The tax credit for qualified plug-in electric vehicles is preserved.

20. The unified federal gift and estate tax exemption doubles to $11.2 million ($22.4 million for married couples).

Note: Check effective dates with your tax pro. Most of these new provisions affect your 2018 tax returns that will be filed in 2019.

Consulting) and Ernst & Young before establishing Sy Accountancy Corporation in Pasadena, California. ***

He has 50 years of experience in defending taxpayers audited by the IRS, FTB, EDD, BOE and other governmental agencies. He is publishing a book on his *** expertise - “HOW TO AVOID OR SURVIVE Victor Santos Sy graduated Cum Laude IRS AUDITS.” Our readers may inquire from UE with a BBA and from Indiana State about the book or email tax questions at University with an MBA. Vic worked with vicsy@live.com.

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MARCH 14

Philippine American Bar Association’s 32nd installation & awards gala in Los Angeles The Philippine American Bar Association (PABA) invites you to its 32nd Installation and Awards Gala on Wednesday, March 14. This year’s Gala will feature keynote speaker California Supreme Court Justice Goodwin Liu, a menu of Filipino flavors, and special performances.

During the gala, PABA also will formally unveil its new logo and website, both of which were developed by a Fil-Am-owned start-up and involve colors and designs deeply rooted in the cultural history of the Philippines. To purchase tickets or a sponsorship, please visit: https:// www.z2systems.com/np/clients/paba/giftstore.jsp.

MARCH 19

Glenn Miller Orchestra to perform in Stevenson Ranch, CA The world-famous Glenn Miller Orchestra will swing into the Santa Clarita Valley for a special one-night only event to be held at West Ranch High School (26255 Valencia Blvd. Stevenson Ranch, CA 91381) on Monday, March 19 at 7 p.m. The most sought-after big band in the world will take the stage with bandleader Nick Hilscher at the helm, performing beloved hits from their extensive library, which includes “In the Mood,” “Moonlight Serenade,” and “Pennsylvania 6-5000.” Hosted by West Ranch High School’s music program, the concert will be an event for all ages and offers the chance to experience history, enjoy the magical melodies and walk away knowing you’re supporting a new generation of talented musicians in the processes. Tickets are $25 for seniors/students, $30 for general, and $35 for VIP. Prices increase by $5 at the door the day of the event. Tickets are available online at westranchmusic. com, by phone at (661) 222-1220 ext. 645, or at one of the locations: Nick Rail Music - 25868 McBean Pkwy., Valencia, CA, (661) 288-2345; Nationwide Insurance, 23236 Lyons Ave. #205, Newhall, CA, (661) 254-1714; Innovations Salon - 25830 The Old Road, Stevenson Ranch, CA. (661) 255-5580; or Bella Cucina - 27911 Seco Canyon Rd. in Saugus, (661) 263-1414.

APRIL

East West Players’ 52nd Visionary Awards & Silent Auction in Los Angeles East West Players celebrates its 52nd Anniversary at the Annual Visionary Awards Dinner & Silent Auction. The Visionary Awards laud the achievements of individuals who have raised the visibility of the Asian Pacific American (APA) community through their craft. Proceeds from the gala will benefit East West Players’ educational and artistic programs. It will be held at the Hilton Universal City (555 Universal Hollywood Drive, Universal City, CA 91608) on Monday, April 30. At 5:30 p.m., VIP Reception*, silent auction, and registration begin.

Dinner and awards show begin at 7:00 p.m. For more information, please visit: http://www. eastwestplayers.org/news/east-west-players-52nd-anniversary-visionary-awards-dinner-andsilent-auction/.

APRIL 14

SALIDA: Simbolo at Kultura in Queens, NY AFTA presents its latest fundraising event - “SALIDA: Simbolo at Kultura” – a cultural dinner show featuring the internationally recognized dance troupe from the Philippines, the Leyte Dance Theater, which will kick off their USA TOUR 2018 in NYC. The event is on April 14, 2018, 3:00 pm at the Rock Church in Woodside, Queens. “Salida” aims to raise funds and awareness to support the flagship projects of the Association of Fil-am Teachers of America, Inc. (AFTA) with their partners: The Rock Churches Worldwide and the Leyte Biliran & Samar Federation.

Proceeds of this fundraiser will finance AFTA’s projects in the Philippines like Adopt a School (Marawi City, Biliran and Albay, Adopt a Scholar, and Balikturo). For Sponsorship opportunities, contact Roxanne at 347-932-6631 or Nitz at 862-368-1706 or any AFTA officer/ board member.

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

Incoming President Ms. ELLEN SAMSON shall be launching our "Push For Entrepeneurship," an upheaval of our cultural mindset to help Filipinos in America go into business.

Join us on MARCH 3, Saturday at 6pm at the Olympic Collection Versailles Ballroom at 11301 Olympic Blvd (corner Sawtelle).

For tickets ($65) visit www.faccgla.org

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MARKETPLACE SHOWROOM

& Why did the embassy

Immigration Corner

cancel my interview?

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 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 (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 re-enactments) 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 attorney-client 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)

3 ‘innovators’ from PH join elite list of world’s ‘social entrepreneurs’ part of the world’s largest and most prestigious network of social innovators.

THREE “changemakers” in The newest additions to the the Philippines were inducted as elite group are Amina Evangelista Ashoka fellows in Taguig City on Swanepoel, founding executive Wednesday night, February 21 director of Roots of Health; Bai bringing to nine the number of Rohaniza Mateo Sumndad-Uspeople in the country who are man, founding president of Teach

by MATTHEW

REYSIO-CRUZ Inquirer.net

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 PAGE D2

Business Quote of the Week “One of the big failures for the big auto companies is that even the CEO and the top management often don’t understand design and manufacturing. As a CEO, you have to make decisions; you need to have knowledge.”

– Henrik Fisker, automotive designer and entrepreneur

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 24-27, 2018

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PH still lags in internet service Lombard by The Bay: Your best option for property investment

75th out of 88 countries in 4G availability; 85th out of 88 countries in 4G speed

by Miguel

R. CaMus

Inquirer.net

The Philippines saw improvements for both 4G availability and speed although most of its neighbors in the region remained ahead by those measures, the latest crowdsourced survey by OpenSignal showed.

OpenSignal’s newest State of LTe report, which covered 88 countries in the fourth quarter of 2017, focused on 4G or LTe, which local players PLDT Inc. and Globe Telecom have been rolling out aggressively since 2016.

According to the report, 4G availability in the Philippines stood at 63.7 percent versus 58.8 percent during the previous period covering the third quarter of 2017. In the current edition, the Philippines stood at 75 out of 88

countries.

Availability refers to how consistently a user could access a 4G network during a given period of time.

4G availability in the Philippines was better than Myanmar, but behind close neighbors such as Vietnam (71.3 percent), Indonesia (72.4 percent), Malaysia (74.9 percent) and Thailand (85.6 percent). LTe availability was the best in South Korea at 97.5 percent.

The report showed that 4G speed in the Philippines went higher to 9.5 megabits per second, versus 8.24 Mbps in the third quarter of 2017. The country ranked No. 85 out of 88 countries in terms of LTe speed.

It was faster than Indonesia (8.9 Mbps) but behind Thailand (9.6 Mbps), Malaysia (14.8 Mbps)

and Vietnam (21.5 Mbps). Singapore topped the list with a speed of 44.3 Mbps.

In the Philippines, LTe usage remains relatively small, given that the service is limited by the handsets that can use 4G frequencies. PLDT’s Smart Communications recently estimated that about 40 percent of its customers with access to mobile internet do so on an LTe-capable device.

Overall, OpenSignal concluded that LTe speeds around the world have hit a “plateau” of 45 Mbps.

“The industry is still waiting on that spark that will push speeds beyond 50 Mbps on a national level,” OpenSignal noted. “That spark will come, and it will likely come sooner rather than later as operators embrace the latest iterations of LTe-Advanced technology.”

3 ‘innovators’ from PH join elite...

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 to not having plans of 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 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 onebedroom 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)

PAGE D1 the term “social entrepreneur,” and is devoted to building and supporting a community of highimpact 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.

“We focus on providing accurate information in a nonjudgmental manner, and for some of these kids, they’ve never had that before,” Swanepoel said.

The organization is also training local officials to change—and institutionalize—their approach

to young people.

Sumndad-Usman, founder of Teach Peace Build Peace, sees herself as divinely appointed to carry out the organization’s mission—making every Filipino child a peace-builder—having been the product of a Maranao Muslim father and Catholic mother, and coming from a family of freedom fighters.

“At the same time, I experienced the Gulf War in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, when I was 7 years old,” Sumndad-Usman told the Inquirer. “So I find a bit of myself in every child who fears the sound of war.” her organization teaches peace in schools and communities using formal materials, which include topics like conflict resolution and mediation, but also through music, art, games, sports and service—training children to be “peace heroes.”

The organization’s pilot areas were an interfaith elementary school in Taguig City, a Muslim community in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, and an Aeta community in Porac, Pampanga—areas where she would be asked: “how can we teach peace to our kids if when they leave their schools, all they hear are bombs and gunfire?”

This conflict was made even starker when the organization began working with children in PAGE D3

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PH economic growth to stay strong

by Mayvelin

U. Caraballo ManilaTimes.net

PhiliPPine growth will likely remain at 6.7 percent in the next two years on the back of strong domestic demand and increased investments, an economic and policy analyst said on Wednesday, February 21. “investments drive growth, a growth that is also supported by tax reform,” Difference Group founder and CeO Dan Steinbock said at a Philippine institute for Development Studies seminar. investment growth has the potential to stay robust in the medium term as long as the “Build Build Build” program prevails and state infrastructure spending rises to 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), he added.

A key aspect involves the implementation of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and inclusion law, which will fund the government’s infrastructure push.

Steinbock, who writes a column for The Manila Times, also said that investments flows could be higher if foreign equity limitations

were eased. “i don’t think [charter change] its bad for the independence of the sovereignty of the country. i think that things change over time but you have the control on how you proceed on this,” he said.

Downside risks to growth, Steinbock noted, include expected U.S. Federal Reserve rate hikes and weaker growth in China. “[There would also be a] drastic deterioration if U.S.-China relations could leave the Philippines in the middle,” he also warned.

Protectionist policies could also impact remittances faster and more broadly than expected. locally, risks to growth involve political divisions, an escalation of insurgencies, natural disasters and population displacements.

Steinbock’s forecast is lower than the government’s 7.0-8.0 percent target for 2018 and 2019.

Full-year growth was 6.7 percent in 2017, slower than the 6.9 percent expansion recorded in 2016.

A day earlier, meanwhile, the chief economist of Bank of the Philippine islands (BPi) said GDP

A customer changes dollars on a money changer in Manila.

growth could pick up to 6.8 percent this year and by 7.2 percent in 2019.

“The government has to really step in. it looks like they are going to deliver and has the capability to deliver. Close to seven percent growth is very achievable, if not seven,” BPi economist emilio “Jun” neri told reporters at the sidelines of an economic briefing. “it is almost unusual that we were able to sustain in six straight years a more than six percent growth. A significant amount will kick in this year,” neri said. he also downplayed concerns over the peso’s recent decline, calling it a “sign of bullishness and optimism” in the economy.

“We have so much demand for a lot of things, a good part of it, imported,” neri noted.

“Other countries have stronger currencies because they have anemic imports because their population is not growing … if we want us to have economic growth, we have to import more.” (With reports from Reicelene Joy N. Ignacio/Inquirer.net)

Inquirer.net photo by Richard A. Reyes

Peso to weaken to 53:$1

‘Manageable’ adjustment to address infrastructure lack

by Doris

DUMlao-abaDilla Inquirer.net

The peso may weaken to 53 against the U.S. dollar through next year but this is a “manageable” adjustment necessary for the country to address infrastructure bottlenecks and sustain a higher growth path, a top economist of Ayala-led Bank of the Philippine islands (BPi) said.

After sustaining a gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of more than 6 percent for six straight years, BPi economist emilio neri Jr. said the Philippines was moving toward a higher growth trajectory, likely to hit 6.8 percent this year and 7.2 percent in 2019 on the back of the government’s massive infrastructure spending.

“The golden age of infrastructure didn’t happen last year but we expect a significant amount to kick in this year,” neri said, adding that spending on midterm elections would also allow growth to breach 7 percent in 2019.

But with the Philippines catching up with all the capital spending needed to build new roads, bridges, power plants,

railways and telecommunication infrastructure, importation of capital goods has expanded at a faster pace relative to exports, thereby widening the trade deficit.

“The peso is underperforming once again and let me convince you that this is for very good reasons, very valid reasons, only partially political. Most of it is because the Philippines is one of the most exciting, most interesting economies in Asia, if not in the global economy, today,” neri said.

Based on BPi’s official forecasts, the peso will likely end this year at 52.92 and next year at 53.20 against the dollar. The local currency is projected to average 51.43 this year and 53.06 next year. neri explained that with the Philippines using foreign currencies to buy all the metals, cement, trains and other equipment abroad, the peso would naturally adjust. Otherwise, he said the country—long eclipsed even by Vietnam in terms of spending on fixed capital.— would never be able to catch up with the requirements of a growing economy.

The country’s trade gap, or the difference between import bill and export receipts, has widened from only $12.2 billion in 2015 to $29.8 billion in 2017 and is projected to reach $31.3 billion this year. For the first time in many years, the trade gap has eclipsed remittances from overseas Filipinos, which reached $27.6 billion and are projected to amount to $28.4 billion this year.

“And if the peso does not adjust accordingly, it can bring us back to the dangerous levels of 1997 and i don’t want to remind you about what happened between 1997 and 2007, that entire decade when there was little growth in bank lending because funds are locked in real estate from borrowed funds abroad,” neri said.

The easier way to let some steam off the economy is to allow a “modest” and “manageable” depreciation of the peso.

“We’re lucky to have a very professional (Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas) governor, nestor espenilla Jr., who is allowing this to happen so that we can sustain the performance of the economy,” he said.

‘Business as usual’ for Boracay by reiCelene Joy ignaCio ManilaTimes.net

BORACAy tourism has not suffered despite warnings of polluted waters and the closure of 51 establishments due to environmental violations, a Tourism department official claimed. “it is business as usual in Boracay island as tourist traffic remains relatively similar or heavier as compared to the past days and weeks,” Western Visayas regional

director helen Catalbas said in a statement on Thursday, February 22.

“Booking cancellations are insignificant and only twelve accommodation establishments with only 64 rooms and 192 visitors have reported cancellations,” she added.

The environment department has ordered the closure of establishments dumping sewage into the sea while the local Govern-

ments department said the government “will make sure that those who are responsible or accountable to what happened to Boracay will be meted out with appropriate sanctions so there will no repeat of whatever happened….”

The Tourism department said it was exerting all efforts to restore Boracay to a pristine state and expressed optimism a 6.1-million tourist arrival target would be met this year.

3 ‘innovators’ from PH join elite...

PAGE D2

Marawi after the siege—one of whom told Sumndad-Usman that his dream was to be a member of the islamic State. But correcting the violent narratives these kids grew up with motivates her all the more.

“We want to instill the mindset that no matter who you are, what your religion is, you have a social responsibility when it comes to peace-building,” Sumndad-Usman said. lee’s organization, Bagosphere, puts its own unique twist on livelihood training and job preparation programs, working with employers to offer out-ofschool youth a direct line “to go from poverty to transformational professional careers in a few

months.”

“What we have done is to create an entire framework supporting the journey from education to employment,” lee told the Inquirer.

About 85 percent of Bagosphere graduates are employed within two months.

Bagosphere was launched in Bago City, negros Occidental, in 2013, and is current headquarters is located in Bacolod City. The organization is looking to expand its footprint in Metro Manila.

“Typically, vocational training around the world has been focusing on technical skills, but our program focuses on socioemotional skills,” lee said.

“There’s more emphasis [now] on soft skills … things robots can’t

do, like empathy, perseverance, ability to manage challenges as they come, these things are really integrated in the context of the job.” lee had done volunteer work in laos, Thailand and india, and worked for a startup in Sweden, which all helped fashion him into an individual who thinks outside the grain, looking at vocational programs as “not as simple as just training—it’s a series of support.” lee said, “i’m very excited about the whole framework of Ashoka, which is ‘everyone a Changemaker.’ … i think the whole notion of everyone a changemaker is to empower young people to believe that there is a better future, and to go and grab it.”

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EU urges Philippines to open up economy

by Richmond

meRcuRio Philstar.com

MANILA — The European Union (EU) has urged the Philippines to open up its economy to more foreign players, noting that the country now has a strong competition policy in place.

EU Ambassador to the Philippines Franz Jessen said on Thursday, February 22, that it is high time for the country to relax foreign restrictions as it now has the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) to watch over uncompetitive and unfair market practices.

“The Philippines should take more advantage of opening up the economy now that there is already an overarching agency that will ensure a competitive market,” Jessen said during the Competition Forum organized by the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP).

“Over two years ago, the Philippines enacted the Philippine Competition Law and just recently, the PCC finished its two-year transitory period. In the short span of time that the PCC was established, it had made strides in educating its stakeholders of the importance of competition to the economy, has studied quite a number of cases and continues to learn from other economies, including the EU, on the proper way of implementing a sound and strong competition policy,” he added.

President Duterte, through a memorandum order last year, called for the easing of restrictions on investment areas with limited foreign participation, adding such a move would lead to more investments and spur faster economic growth.

Philippine Competition Commission chairman Arsenio Balisacan (seated, 2nd from left) addresses delegates at the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines and EUPhilippines Business Network Competition Forum. Also in photo (from left) are Charles Veloso, Balisacan, James Donato, William Brown, Melissa Healy, Dr. Beaver Tamesis, Roy Cecil Ibay and Solomon Hermosura.

Philstar.com photo

Foreign and local business groups, for their part, have long been calling to relax foreign restrictions in the country, saying it would mean a fresh infusion of financial resources for the country’s undercapitalized sectors.

Likewise, the groups said it would lead to the introduction of new technologies that would spur greater innovation and efficiency in local industries and the promotion of healthy competition which would drive businesses to operate more efficiently, resulting in better quality and more competitively priced products and services for the people.

According to Jessen, a competition policy in place is important both for businesses and consumers as it ensures low prices and better quality as well as makes local businesses stronger and able to hold their own against global competitors.

“The EU and the EU business

community is one with the Philippines in building competitive culture. Competition drives our economies to achieve more; to be more productive and to innovate,” Jessen said.

“Whether through job creation, fair market prices, or better variety in choice, we at the ECCP believe that competition is what drives innovation and is one of the essential aspects that will propel the country forward,” ECCP executive director Florian Gottein said separately.

With competition seen as one of the most important drivers that prompt businesses to provide a broad range of high quality goods and services, Gottein said ECCP hopes to see more competition in sectors such as telecommunications, infrastructure, and retail, sectors “which are highly crucial to the daily lives of all Filipinos and smooth business operations, whether Filipino or European.”

U.S.-PHL SOCIETY PRESS BRIEFING. PLDT chairman and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan, U.S.-Philippine Society president Ambassador John Maisto and co-chair former ambassador to the Philippines John Negroponte discuss the need for stronger business ties.

Philstar.com photo

US, Philippine companies to push for more collaborations

by Richmond

meRcuRio Philstar.com

MANILA — A Filipino-American organization co-chaired by business titan Manuel V. Pangilinan is pushing for greater collaboration between U.S. and Philippine firms in key sectors of the economy as part of a “modern, multi-dimensional, 21st century U.S.-Philippines relationship.”

The U.S. Philippines Society (USPS) said on Thursday, February 22, that it is embarking on a new initiative to explore opportunities between American and Philippine companies to partner together in areas such as telecom, construction, energy, agriculture and airplane parts.

Pangilinan said the sectors are specifically identified since “they affect what the economy needs.”

“There’s clearly a need for the Philippines really to expand its contacts with American companies,” Pangilinan said.

“We need to promote better

visibility of those U.S. companies here, particularly in respect with the Build Build Build program,” he added.

The USPS said it sees solid growth in business between the two countries, driven by strong domestic demand in the Philippines and remittances.

USPS co-chair John Negroponte said the group is pleased with the level of engagement coming from both sides, a sign of more bullish U.S.-Philippines relations moving forward.

“We believe that relationship between Philippines and U.S. is alive and well, that we are alike countries, we have shared histories that goes back long, long way, and we hope to continue to build on that strong tradition,” Negroponte said.

“There has been a lot of economic changes in the U.S. We’re open for business. U.S. is a very attractive to do business with. I’m sure that’s something of interest to the Filipino

business community and to Filipino people,” he added.

As part of efforts to strengthen Philippines and U.S. ties, USPS president John Maisto said the group’s board passed a resolution in support of the return of the Balangiga bells to the Philippines.

President Duterte, in his State of the Nation Address in July last year, demanded the U.S. the return of the Balangiga bells taken by U.S. troops from a town in Samar in 1901.

“The society has passed a resolution through our board meeting in supporting the return of the Bells of Balangiga to their rightful owners, which is the Parish in Balangiga, Samar. We are working on that and we hope to see that transpire,” Maisto said.

The USPS is an independent, non-partisan, combined FilipinoAmerican organization, which plays an important role in fostering mutual understanding of the dynamics underpinning the longstanding U.S.-Philippines relationship.

Committed foreign investments down 51.8% in 2017 by ian

nicolas cigaRal Philstar.com

MANILA — Foreign investment pledges posted a doubledigit decline in 2017, the country’s statistics agency reported on Thursday, February 22.

Committed foreign investments amounted to P21.6 billion in the last quarter of 2017, slipping 82.8 percent from P125.7 billion booked in the same period in 2016, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Committed foreign investments amounted to P21.6 billion in the last quarter of 2017, slipping That brought the full-year 82.8 percent from P125.7 billion booked in the same period in 2016, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Philstar.com photo tally to P105.6 billion, 51.8

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percent lower than the P219 billion posted in 2016.

The PSA’s data were based on commitments approved by seven investment promotion agencies, namely: Board of Investments; Clark Development Corporation; Philippine Economic Zone Authority; Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority; Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan; BOI-Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao; and Cagayan Economic Zone Authority.

IPAs are government agencies that by law are authorized to grant tax and non-tax incen-

tives to investors putting up businesses or expanding existing ones in priority sectors.

The PSA said the top three prospective investing countries for the fourth quarter of 2017 were Japan, the U.S. and Singapore. Meanwhile, the manufacturing sector is expected to receive the largest amount of foreign commitments at P8.3 billion.

“Total projects of foreign and Filipino investors approved by the seven IPAs for the fourth quarter of 2017 are expected to generate 29,813 jobs,” the PSA said.

“Out of the total anticipated jobs for the period, 64.1 percent would come from projects with foreign interest,” it added.

Actual net FDI inflows, tracked separately by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, jumped 20 percent to $8.7 billion from January to November last year, exceeding the full-year 2017 target of $8 billion.

“The sustained FDI inflows reflected investor confidence given the Philippine economy’s solid macroeconomic fundamentals and growth prospects,” the central bank said.

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