022423 - San Diego Edition

Making public transit safer: A ‘massive intersection of crises’

THE rash of hate crimes, growing numbers of homeless and mentally ill, and a lack of trust in law enforcement have led to more unsafe conditions on public transit.

People don’t want to ride public transit for fear of being harassed like Esther Lee was on a New York subway October 21, 2021. Lee, 41, is a Korean American. She was insulted, spit on, and called “a f***g carrier.” She filmed 57-seconds of the ugly encounter on her cell phone. Nobody came to her aid and at 42nd St. Lee got out and switched cars.

Lee reported the incident to New York’s Hate Crime Unit, but Deputy Inspector Jessica Corey told her she had escalated the situation by filming it and since the man didn’t use an Asian slur, there was no evidence of a hate crime. However, two months later a Civilian Review Panel saw the video and labeled Lee’s case a hate crime. Then she went public to a local TV station.

“If cases like mine were not being labeled as a hate crime, that meant that many more similar incidents were being mislabeled and

Combatting lasting COVID-19 disinformation

LOS ANGELES — Bridging information gaps through setting up effective digital media monitoring platforms for journalists is crucial in minimizing if not eradicating the spread of mis- and disinformation on COVID-19 related issues, according to an industry expert in the field of misinformation.

National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC)

CEO Cameron Hickey told participants of a recently-held webinar entitled “Vaccines and Public Health: Misinformation Trends (Understanding and Identifying Problematic Content), jointly presented by NCoC and Ethnic Media Services (EMS) Myth Buster Project that while there are probably no means to stop the proliferation of mis- and disinformation on COVID-19, there could be ways to inoculate and educate people on how to become more discerning when it comes to identifying facts from myths and/ or misleading ideas and information.

During the online seminar, Hickey also underscored the crucial role of journalists in this endeavor of helping empower the public and the communities by providing them with legitimate sources of information that they could use in making critical decisions not only on issues about COVID-19 but also

Marcos rejects ICC probe on Duterte

by Catherine S. Valente and Bella CariaSo ManilaTimes.net

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday, February 18 rejected a move by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to resume its investigation into former president Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs, saying the ICC has no jurisdiction and insisting that the country has a “good” justice system.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Philippine Military Academy’s alumni homecoming in Baguio City, the President maintained that the Philippines would not cooperate with the ICC investigation which, he said, would be an “intrusion

into our internal matters” and “a threat to our sovereignty.”

“My position has not changed. I have stated it often, even before I took office as president, that there are many questions about (ICC’s) jurisdiction and what we in the Philippines regard as an intrusion into our internal matters and a threat to our sovereignty,” the President said.

Marcos, a known Duterte ally, said he would not allow “former imperialists,” such as the ICC, to control the Philippines, unless it could be proven that the international court has jurisdiction over the country.

“So, that is not something that we consider to be

Disabled Fil-Am mother of 3 dies in San Francisco house explosion and fire

SAN FRANCISCO – A horrific explosion and fire that demolished a San Francisco home killed a disabled Filipino American mother of three young children and left her caregiver hospitalized.

Romualdez warns ‘evil’ onion, garlic hoarders:

by BeatriCe PinlaC Philstar.com

MANILA — House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez has renewed his stern warning against suspected hoarders of onion and garlic and hailed the efforts of various law enforcement agencies in cracking down on the rampant practice.

Romualdez issued the warning after an inter-agency task force led by the Bureau of Customs and the Philippine National Police confiscated 300 tons of imported onion and garlic in separate raids of warehouses in Manila and Malabon.

“I reiterate my warning to these evil hoarders and unscrupulous businessmen.

u PAGE 4

The body of Rita Evelyn Lopez Price, 51, was found amid the charred rubble of her family’s house in the city’s Sunset District. The family’s two-story home in San Francisco’s Sunset District exploded Feb. 9, irreparably damaging two other adjacent homes.

Price had been disabled by a stroke and was wheelchair-bound. Her caregiver, Lisa, a Thai immigrant, was able to escape from the fire but is hospitalized with burns on her head and torso.

Price’s two children were in school at the time and a third child was staying with an aunt.

Authorities believe the explosion and ensuing fire came from an illegal drug lab being operated in some part of the

u

by CeCille Suerte FeliPe Philstar.com

MANILA — The disposal of the 44 million wasted COVID-19 vaccines will be done through pyrolysis or decomposition by high temperature, but the disposal of the ashes remains unclear.

During the public hearing of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee chaired by Sen. Francis Tolentino, resource persons from the Department of Health (DOH) could not say where the ashes of the processed 44 million expired vaccines will be taken as the Department of Environment and Natural

a legitimate judgment. So, until those questions of jurisdiction and the effects on the sovereignty of the Republic are sufficiently answered, we cannot cooperate with them,” he said.

Blanket of protection

Former Bayan Muna party-list representative Neri Colmenares on Saturday, Feb. 18 said that the “unequivocal defense” of Duterte by the House of Representatives only emphasized the need for an ICC investigation.

Colmenares, who serves as legal counsel for the victims, added that the resolution of former president and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal

DFA chief: China harassment a ‘daily situation’ for PH

by FranCeS MangoSing tina g. SantoS Inquirer.net

MANILA — Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo brought up the Philippines’ maritime tensions with China at a high-level security conference in Germany on Saturday, February 18 saying that China’s harassment of Filipino fishermen and the country’s coast guard was the “daily situation that we face.”

This was earlier confirmed by fishermen who appeared at a forum in Manila last week, as they recounted that on the day a China Coast Guard (CCG) ship aimed a military-grade laser at a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessel, Chinese ships also drove them away from their traditional fishing grounds in the West Philippine Sea.

Ukraine was the predominant discussion at the Munich Security Conference, with the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, appealing anew for military aid against Russia’s invasion, while u PAGE 2

PH,

US

set to hold biggest Balikatan

Annual joint exercises to include maritime, territorial defense

by MiChael PunongBayan Philstar.com

MANILA — Filipino and American troops are set to hold their biggest joint military exercises in April under Balikatan 2023 amid China’s growing brazenness in asserting its claim over waters within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

Philippine Army Commanding General Lt. Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., in an interview with “The Chiefs” on One News Monday night, February 20, said Palawan would be among the areas where the exercises would be held.

Several of the land features in the West Philippine Sea occupied by the Chinese are off

Palawan.

Last week, a Chinese coast guard ship beamed powerful lasers on Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessel BRP Malapascua that was helping deliver provisions to a military outpost on the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal in the Kalayaan Island Group.

The military-grade lasers briefly blinded some crewmembers of Malapascua.

The Chinese claimed the laser beams were meant merely to check the speed and distance of the PCG vessel and was not harmful.

“We are now bringing in more components into the training

‘We are breathing down your necks’

44 million wasted vaccines to be destroyed

FAITH ALIVE. A lay minister applies ashes in the shape of a cross on the forehead of a churchgoer during a Holy Mass at the Sacred Heart Parish Shrine along Scout Ybadolaza Street, Quezon City on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 22. The occasion marks the start of the 40-day Lenten season to commemorate the life, passion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler

The Philippine National Police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and the Bureau of Customs recently seized around 300 tons in raids conducted in warehouses in Manila and Malabon. Inquirer.net photo

The body of Rita Evelyn Lopez Price, 51, was found amid the charred rubble of her family’s house in the city’s Sunset District. Photo from GoFundMe

PH, US set to hold biggest...

exercise. There are now many new capabilities that we have to develop jointly. So we are including this in the exercises this year,” Brawner said.

“Aside from that, we are saying this is the biggest so far because the United States is bringing in more troops compared to the previous years,” he added.

Brawner said Balikatan 2023 would definitely include “aspects of maritime and territorial defense” along with other combat and noncombat components like counter-terrorism and humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR).

He did not give details regarding the size of this year’s maneuver, but based on a U.S. embassy statement last year, the previous exercises involved 9,000 Philippine and U.S. troops, 50 aircraft, four ships and 10 amphibious craft.

“This is not the first time that we are doing that,” he said, adding that the Balikatan in April would be the 38th iteration of such drills which included beach landings by Philippine and U.S. Marine personnel.

Brawner said Balikatan 2023 would involve both combat and non-combat drills like field training exercises as well as subject matter exchanges among experts in classroom set-up.

Asked if electronic warfare would be part of this year’s exercises, Brawner said it would be included but stressed this year’s event was not meant to provoke any country.

“We’ve been doing this for a long time and it’s really no provocation because in our planning, we are very careful, we consider that. We also consider the effects on our neighbors, even our ASEAN neighbors,” he explained.

“We are really very careful when we select for instance the scenario that we are going to exercise, but as I said, this isn’t focused only on combat,” he pointed out.

Brawner said China or any other neighboring country is not informed of the specifics of the Balikatan as it is public knowledge anyway and is regularly announced by the military.

“It’s really not a secret that we hold this Balikatan exercise but we also have an observer program which is injected into the Balikatan exercise where we allow our partners to observe the exercises,” he said, referring to partner nations like Japan, South Korea, Australia and ASEAN neighbors.

Meanwhile, PCG Commandant Admiral Artemio Abu on Tuesday, February 21 called on his men to remain steadfast in their task of protecting the country’s territorial waters.

“We carry the weight of great expectations from both the Filipino people and the global community. It is our solemn duty to uphold the best interests of our country and our people and to never falter in our commitment to this cause,” Abu said in a speech after giving awards to crewmembers of Malapascua and BRP Teresa Magbanua in recognition of their efforts to protect Filipino fishermen.

“As we continually muster our courage, may I remind all the coast guardians to never lose sight of the aspirations that we all set forth at the beginning of my term for us to collectively accomplish,” he added. He praised PCG officers and men “who have displayed exceptional courage and stern determination to defend” the Philippines and its territory.

He reminded the PCG personnel of the delicate situation in the West Philippine Sea, particularly in areas around Palawan.

“While we may not have the advantage of having larger and more sophisticated vessels, our unwavering determination and strong will to uphold our dignity as one solid independent nation and assert our sovereign rights will undoubtedly make a significant difference,” he said. n

Marcos rejects ICC probe on...

Arroyo providing a “blanket protection” to Duterte “only points that there can be no fair, comprehensive, and objective inquiry into the thousands of deaths resulting from Duterte’s war on drugs in the Philippines.”

Arroyo has filed House Resolution 780 urging lawmakers to support Duterte.

“This reiterates that our government is unwilling and unable to investigate, and that the executive and legislative branches of government verily make justice inaccessible. In fact, it reminds us that there is no domestic investigation into acts and omissions of key officials, underway today, at all,” Colmenares added.

Colmenares noted that there is no trial or named accused before the ICC.

“The defense is suspiciously premature. The politicization of judicial processes, marked by an assiduous resistance to fact-finding, eerily harks back to Arroyo’s own time as a president when cases of extrajudicial killings, desaparecidos and torture also heavily occurred. In choosing to ignore grave rights violations and abuses — acts incompatible with our very humanity — politicians enable and empower violators and abusers. This is how impunity perpetuates,” he said.

According to Colmenares, the resolution of the lower chamber is a mere posturing and will not be a hindrance to the ICC investigation.

“The resolution carries a mishmash of arguments that seem to claim that ‘the end justifies the means.’ In the course of its work, the ICC could also well find value in interrogating the basis of this resolution,” Colmenares stressed.

In May 2021, the ICC prosecutor at that time, Fatou Bensouda, requested the court’s authorization to launch a preliminary investigation

into the extrajudicial killings conducted during Duterte’s war on drugs.

Under the Rome Statute, the ICC can investigate and prosecute individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression.

The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights estimated in a 2020 report that at least 8,000 people were killed during the campaign on drugs implemented under Duterte.

In November 2021, the Philippine government requested the ICC to defer the investigation, saying that it had begun its own inquiry into the killings.

In June last year, the court’s prosecutor, Karim Khan, requested the resumption of the investigation, saying the Philippine government had not substantiated its request for deferral.

Last January 26, a pre-trial panel of the ICC authorized the prosecutor to resume its inquiry.

The Philippines withdrew its membership from the ICC in 2019 but the court ruled that the country remained under its jurisdiction.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) on January 26 appealed to the ICC to let the Philippines carry out its own investigation and respect the country’s sovereignty and judicial systems.

The DOJ also told the ICC that the country has a “working” and “organized” justice system compared to some African nations that the international court had investigated.

Marcos expressed confidence in the Philippines’ police and judicial branch and that no external player is needed to resolve its issues.

“I do not see what (its) jurisdiction is. I feel that we have in our police and our judiciary a good system. We do not need assistance from any outside entity,” he said. n

Disabled Fil-Am mother of...

house by Rita’s husband, Darron Price, 53, is suspected of manufacturing hash oil and/ or phencyclidine known as PCP.

Investigators reportedly found “butane tanks, ovens,

and other materials consistent with processing hash oil with volatile solvents at the scene,” according to the San Francisco Chronicle Darron Price turned himself in and was charged with

involuntary manslaughter, manufacturing a controlled substance, four counts of reckless burning, two counts of child endangerment, and one count of elder abuse. (Inquirer. net) n

DFA chief: China harassment...

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called on world leaders to “double down” their support for the besieged country.

Japan and its neighbor South Korea met at the sidelines to discuss issues of mutual interest, while U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris spoke out against China’s “deepened” ties with Russia amid its war on Ukraine.

Meanwhile at a panel discussion, a recorded video of which was released by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Manalo reported China’s “cases of harassment” in the West Philippine Sea.

“[T]here are daily incidents, at least as far as we see it, of cases of harassment or land reclamation, which in many cases have been depriving the Philippines of the use of our exclusive economic zone (EEZ),” he said.

“It is these challenges which the Philippines and other countries in our region face, especially those with claims also in the South China Sea. [T]hat is more or less the daily situation that we face,” he added.

Manalo also met on the sidelines with Ambassador Fu Ying, vice chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National People’s Congress of China. He tweeted about that “broad and candid exchange,” saying that “We talked about the latest incidents around Ayungin Shoal and how to further strengthen relations while managing our maritime differences and regional security challenges in Indo-Pacific.”

UN action

At the discussion he attended, Manalo said the United Nations could further help create greater awareness on the importance of a rules-based maritime order, and its Security Council could initiate an open debate on “rule and order to prevail in the maritime domain and the South China Sea.”

“I think discussions like that would help create greater awareness of the importance of Unclos (UN Convention on the Law of the Sea) and also maintaining a rules-based order so that any disputes or conflicts are settled through the rule of law and through peaceful means and

not through coercive measures or aggressive moves,” he said.

He noted the Philippines’ “resoundingly victorious 2016 arbitral award against China, [which] basically provides a mooring, at least as far as we’re concerned, for the maritime regime in the South China Sea, especially because it’s based on the Unclos.”

But while he asserted the country’s rights over its maritime territory, Manalo also said that “it’s a very complex situation [we face since] the Philippines and other countries in the region have very strong links with China on the economic and cultural front.”

The Chinese Embassy in Manila has yet to respond to the Inquirer’s request for comment on Manalo’s remarks.

‘They’re really driving us away’

Earlier last week, fishermen facing China’s harassment in the West Philippine Sea took part in a seminar on fishing rights led by the Peoples Development Institute.

In an interview with the Inquirer on the sidelines of that event last Thursday, February 16, they also shared videos documenting their recent experiences near Panatag (Scarborough Shoal).

On Feb. 6, when a Chinese ship aimed a laser at a PCG vessel near Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal, the fishermen said they were also harassed by the CCG, which deployed its personnel on two rubber boats to chase one of them out of Panatag Shoal.

“They shouted and honked at him. ‘No fishing inside! Go outside!’” fisherman Christopher de Vera, who witnessed the incident, said, adding that Chinese maritime militia vessels also surrounded their boats that day.

“Those are six Chinese militias… They’re just there,” he was recorded as saying in one of the videos.

“Two rubber boats are now chasing away one fisherman in a fishing boat inside [the lagoon] of Scarborough Shoal. They’re really driving us away, they don’t want us inside,” he said in another footage on the same incident.

“There have been so many [of

these instances] that I could no longer keep track of them. We want to fish inside the lagoon, too. There’s more catch and we can seek shelter there during bad weather,” De Vera said.

He recalled that as early as 2016, the CCG was already directing a laser at them at Panatag Shoal.

“They first used a searchlight when we approached near the shoal at night. They later used a laser so we ducked for cover as our eyes went burning. The light was overwhelming and we went blind for a few minutes,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sen. Francis Escudero said on Sunday, February 19 that the government should not have cold feet in dealing with China’s actions even as he opposed calls to remove the PCG as an attached agency of the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

Coast Guard transfer

“We shouldn’t be doing something out of fear that it might anger or be misinterpreted by China, which is trying to seize part of our territory,” he said.

“If you remove the (PCG) from the DOTr and transfer it to the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines), the first question is, what’s their difference with the Philippine Navy?” Escudero asked.

“Secondly, if we consider [PCG] as a military (unit), then we could no longer deny that the Philippine military will be up against China’s military in the West Philippine Sea. And the next step will be a declaration of war, which, I believe, nobody wants to happen,” he added.

The AFP also said on Sunday that its “troops are resolute in ensuring that the interests of the Filipino people in the West Philippine Sea are protected,” a day after President Marcos said the Philippines “will not lose one inch” of territory amid a fresh territorial spat between Manila and Beijing.

“Guided by the President’s vision, which he emphasized in his message yesterday, our troops will always be ready to provide a safer, more peaceful and progressive country,” it said in a statement.

—with reports from Marlon Ramos and Reuters n

VEILED THREAT. The China Coast Guard ship with bow No. 5304 shadows one of two Philippine Navy boats on a resupply mission to BRP Sierra Madre on Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea on June 21, 2022, later radioing troops on the rusting warship that they face consequences if they “insist on making trouble.”

File photo by Marianne Bermudez / Philippine Daily Inquirer

CHESS CULTURE. Two men play chess using giant pieces and a 16-foot board at a mall in Cubao, Quezon City on Thursday, Feb. 23. The chess culture in Araneta City where a number of historic tournaments occurred -- one of which is the Philippines International Chess Tournament in October 1973 where a ceremonial match was played by the late former president Ferdinand E. Marcos and American grandmaster Bobby Fischer. PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler

Combatting lasting COVID-19...

in their daily lives.

“Each of us has a role to play in reducing the impact of problematic content. You as a journalist have a frontline responsibility in educating the public in your communities,” Hickey, an Emmy Award-winning journalist, said.

With his expertise in the analysis of misinformation and having been an advocate of democracy, Hickey has developed groundbreaking tools like Junkipedia, which is designed to centralize the collection of problematic content so that everyone with a stake in solving this problem can benefit from a shared understanding of what threats exist and how to respond to them.

Specifically, Junkipedia gives not only journalists but also researchers and civil society organizations powerful tools to collect, track, analyze, and respond to mis- and disinformation spreading online.

“You can collect tips quickly and easily via tiplines, tag and classify each item submitted, and analyze narratives and identify trends in the data,” said Hickey, who also led the establishment of the people-powered misinformation monitoring program, the Civic Listening Corps. He has also served as the Director of the Algorithmic Transparency Institute, a current project of NCoC, for the past three years.Hickey recognized the urgency to put up these kind of legitimate platforms to safeguard people’s interests.

He said by now, we should be learning from the lessons from COVID-19’s experience and use these as future references to combat the spread of mis/ and disinformation or at least arm the public with safety nets that will allow them to scrutinize information presented to them in different social media.

“The appetite for this stuff does not go away and the people who have incentives to spread it [don’t] go away, whether incentives are political,

or incentives are financial or those incentives are just to stir the pot and make people crazy which we see that as well. So when we think about efforts to curb this problem, we think less about the problems of proliferation of it and instead, we think about efforts to curb the impact of them and curbing the impact of them comes from inoculating folks, from educating folks, from having a positive interaction with them either through the journalism that we present, or the communication that we have or face-to-face reactions,” he said, when asked about how would he gauge the current efforts to curb mis- and disinformation on matters related to COVID-19.

EMS associate editor Pilar Marrero, for her part, said, “Disinformation narratives are spreading across digital media platforms including inlanguage platforms, monitoring these platforms to identify examples of dangerous dis- and misinformation in a timely and effective manner is critical for us as media reporters so we can challenge them and counter them with facts.”

Headquartered in San Francisco, California, EMS works to enhance the capacity of ethnic news outlets to inform and engage diverse audiences on broader public issues with the goal of building more inclusive participatory democracy.

During the talks, Hickey has likewise put emphasis on the importance of context setting.

“We all understand that viral misinformation is contagious and dangerous. It is, in some cases, as problematic than the actual viruses that are spreading. It can instigate people to make very poor decisions and put their health at risk,” he pointed out.

“We think about missing disinformation in ways that are very similar to the ways that we think about the spread of viruses,” he added.

When the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2022, the World Health Organization declared an “infodemic” with regard to the mis- and u PAGE 4

44 million wasted vaccines to...

Resource (DENR) is in charge of the matter.

The senator said the DENR would be invited to the next public hearing to provide information on the vaccine ashes’ “final resting place.”

He asked the DOH to find a way how to properly dispose of the reported millions of expired doses of procured and donated COVID-19 vaccines in the country amid its potential risk to public health and safety.

The senator raised concern over the potential “deleterious effects” of not properly disposing of the unused but expired COVID vaccines, considering that some types of vaccines were either “protein-based” or contain inactivated virus.

Based on the health department’s inventory last December, there were about 44 million doses that had been wasted, including the 24.6 million doses that had gone unused past their shelf life and the 6.7 million that were discarded due to “operational” lapses in their storage or handling, according to DOH officer-in-charge Usec. Ma. Rosario Vergeire.

Ma. Joyce Ducusin of the DOH Supply Chain Management said the DOH has hired a third-party logistics firm for the disposal, Integrated Waste Management Inc. Ducusin said all the vaccine vials, empty or not, were subjected to procedure through guidelines by placing them in plastic containers, then loaded in boxes or containers to be sealed. The boxes or containers will contain labels including brands, doses, expiry dates and other information about the vaccines.

“The disposal is pyrolysis, this is through burning,” she said, noting that the final disposal of the ashes will be in Clark. She could not elaborate.

Tolentino has expressed doubts and hesitation over the supposed location of the disposal site, considering that the facility is just a few kilometers away from the Athlete’s Village where several members of the Philippine national team are currently training for upcoming local and international sports tournaments.

PAGE 1 identified as a returning overseas Filipino worker. There were also two XBC cases found in Davao Region.

Anthony Cu of the DOH Field Implementation and Coordination Team assured the Senate that “if the concern is the infectiousness of these particular waste, a health care waste management being observed in the same protocol processing of the wastage of other materials from other hospitals. We make sure that these wastes are no longer infectious before actually disposing them. The entire process makes it sterile and no longer infectious.”

Omicron subvariant

Some 64 new Omicron subvariant cases were detected in the country, according to the DOH’s latest Biosurveillance Report.

Distribution of recently sequenced samples by the University of the PhilippinesPhilippine Genome Center and Southern Philippines Medical Center from Feb. 13 to 17 showed 28 cases of BA.2.3.20.

The BA.2.3.20 cases were found in Ilocos Region (2), Central Luzon (1), Bicol Region (2), Western Visayas (7), Soccsksargen (3), Calabarzon (7), Mimaropa (1) and the National Capital Region or NCR (5).

Meanwhile, two cases of BA.5, particularly BQ.1 were detected – one from Western Visayas and the other from NCR.

The report also noted 16 cases of XBB wherein 7 were found in NCR; 3 in Calabarzon, 2 in Soccsksargen and 1 each in Central Luzon, Western Visayas and Caraga. The last one was

At the same time, the DOH said eight other Omicron subvariants were found in Central Luzon (1), Soccsksargen (3), Caraga (2), NCR (1) while one case is still being verified. The report added there were eight variants with no lineage assigned that were also monitored. These were detected in Cagayan Valley (1), Western Visayas (5) and NCR (2). –Rhodina Villanueva n

NOTICE TO PROPOSERS

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN

that the City of San Diego (City) is seeking to receive Electronic Proposals for the below named Request for Proposal (RFP).

Contract Number: H2226034

RFP Title: CM and Environmental Services - El Camino Real Bridge and Road Widening

The solicitation may be obtained from the City’s website at: https://www. sandiego.gov/cip/bidopps

It is the policy of the City of San Diego to encourage equal opportunity in its Construction and Consultant contracts. Bids or proposals from local firms, small, minority-owned, disabled, veteran-owned, and women-owned businesses are strongly encouraged. Consultants are encouraged to subcontract with and/or participate in joint ventures with these firms. The City is committed to equal opportunity and will not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, gender expression, gender identity, religion, national origin, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, or disability; and will not do business with any firm that discriminates on any basis. Proposals shall be received no later than the date and time noted in the solicitation which can be found at the following site:

City of San Diego’s Electronic Proposal Site – PlanetBids at: https://www.planetbids. com/portal/portal. cfm?companyID=17950. Claudia Abarca,

Director Purchasing & Contracting

Department

Thursday, February 23, 2023 2/24/23

Residents of Marikina City line up for a booster shot at the Marikina Sports Complex on January 3, 2022.

Photo by Walter Bollozos

LOCAL LEADERS. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. (seated, center) poses for a photo opportunity with local government leaders during the 2023 General Assembly of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) at The Manila Hotel in the City of Manila on Wednesday, Feb. 22. Marcos said his administration is “very serious” in weighing the consequences of full devolution of certain functions of the executive branch to the local government units. PNA photo Rey Baniquet

Combatting lasting COVID-19...

disinformation spreading about the origin of the virus.

“It’s important to recognize that the problematic messages that we see and hear online have many different forms. Sometimes, we will call them misinformation, sometimes we will call them disinformation, sometimes we’ll call them rumors, conspiracies, even hate speech is problematic content, and my personal favorite, junk news, stuff that’s not totally false but still not healthy for you, just like junk food,” he added.

“We frequently see conspiracy theories. Usually, conspiracy theories reference an important boogeyman with an ulterior motive. When shared without the proper context it can be incredibly misleading. This comes in a wide range of forms,” he added.

He likewise emphasized the need to effectively verify numbers that are accurate and up-to-date. “When a statistic is shared on the Internet, but we don’t know, for example, what part of the whole that statistic represents, then that might be a much scarier statistic than the reality.”

According to Hickey, it is also important to be wary of pseudoscience. “In terms of public health, pseudoscience things like unproven cures for COVID-19, things that draw together, things that aren’t based on sound research, or medical science, or coming from trusted authoritative sources, spread quite a lot on the internet, and are off. As soon as you see things that have the hallmarks of that, it’s another clue to be skeptical,” he noted.

Another thing that warrants a closer look, he said, is “faulty logic.”

“They’re frequently arguments that while they can’t be proven to be false, aren’t necessarily exactly true either. They often come in the form of what we call logical fallacies. A good example of that is a false equivalence argument when

you are comparing things and making the implication that ‘if this is true, then that should also be true, because they’re similar.’ But when they aren’t similar, when you’re comparing apples to oranges, then the underlying argument is no longer valid,” he said.

He said being able to establish the timeliness of the data presented is also critical.“This is particularly important in the ever-changing world of Public Health Information. Content that is old, might have been true the day it was published, or the day it was originally shared, but when it gets re-shared today, it may no longer be the case,” he said.

“We see this across the spectrum. It can often happen when a multi-year-old news article or piece of research is shared, but it can also be the case when it’s an image. It does not have to be false to be a problem,” he noted.

But he was also quick to point out that whatever the form (misinformation, rumors, conspiracies, disinformation, junk news and hate), it all misleads.

“Overall, the point is, it does not have to be false to be a problem, it is important to keep that in mind, how to respond, how to craft high-quality journalism in response to the kind of problematic ideas that we see,” he said.

He also discussed several key health themes, such as sudden death, excess deaths, vaccine detox, gas stove risks, and the bird flu, among other issues where the spreading of false information has occurred.

He said, “People are taking this fact, connecting it to the things they believe, or fear, and then amplifying it across social media. There are these BBC News posts, an accurate news article from a legitimate news source, but when it gets shared with this additional context, vaccine, or something else, or it’s only a coincidence, suddenly people are questioning the

underlying news story, and they are using a legitimate trustworthy news source as essentially the evidence.”

“It’s critical to think about what headlines are used, what kind of information one tries to communicate, recognizing that things like this, risk people taking that reporting out of context and using it to fear-monger and amplify,” Hickey lamented.

“It’s important to note that this theme links to something that we see often in our disinformation research which is that folks often use sensational, concerning, or exciting things to amplify problematic or misleading messages in service of making money,” he said.

On H5n1, commonly known as the bird flu, Hickey said “there hasn’t been much mis- or disinformation spreading on this yet but there has been some new potential risk amplified by legitimate news coverage in the form of opinion from a trusted source, The New York Times, from a trusted expert Zainabeki, who has the headline – ‘An Even Deadlier Pandemic Could Be Here Soon.”

“There’s good news. We do have a vaccine for h5n1. It is not as easy to produce and there’s not as much of it as there has been for other diseases, including the flu, COVID-19. But it is a considerably harder disease to infect humans. We rarely see human to human transmission,” he said Learning from COVID-19 experience, Hickey said, “It (bird flu) doesn’t mean it’s not something that we should be concerned about, but it is at a lower level of risk today.This is a not to say we should not be concerned about it, but we should be cautious about how we report about it, and we should be careful to share facts and pay close attention to it as the situation changes this.”

“As we saw with COVID-19, the facts on the ground can shift quickly and it’s important to be responsible and thoughtful and up to date,” Hickey said. (By Donnabelle Gatdula Arevalo/AJPress) n

Making public transit safer...

dismissed,” Lee said.

Peter Kerre founded Safe Walks NYC in January 2021. He created an Instagram page, setting up a program of volunteers to walk with people to and from transit stops in Brooklyn. In May 2021 Safe Walks expanded to cover Manhattan below 59th St. “Communities were eager for public safety solutions that did not involve law enforcement. Safe Walks was a great fit, especially for women of color, many of whom reported having negative interactions with the New York Police Department,” Kerre said.

During an Ethnic Media Services press call last week, Kerre told reporters that in most cases victims were alone. “Not only in the subway but walking from the subway or walking elsewhere in the city,” he said.

“So simply having an extra person with you will make a very big difference.” Kerre said if people feel unsafe, a volunteer can ride with them on the subway.

However, it has not solved “the massive intersection of crises” that are at the root of the problem and ever-present on New York subways, says Kerre.

First of those: all the hate crimes mainly targeting the Asian American and Pacific Islander community (AAPI).

Second, all the mentally ill people on the street. Third, all the homeless who are in crisis due to unemployment and financial hardships, and then there is the “elephant in the room”: a breakdown in trust between law enforcement and the community.

“They’ve been flooding the New York subways with a massive police presence, increasing surveillance cameras and extracting the unhoused and unwell folks from the transit system but there’s been no indication of what’s being done with them. Many times they end up back within the subway system.”

Collecting data on ridership, ethnicity, and gender would help define the problem but so far New York officials haven’t done that like in California.

“What Senate Bill 434 would do is require that California’s top 10 largest public transit systems collect data from their passengers on the problem of harassment and uncomfortable behavior,” says California State Senator David Min. Min, the only Kirean American in the California Senate, is Vice Chair of the California Asian and Pacific Islander (API) Legislative Caucus.

Min named the bill ‘Public Transit for All: Improving Safety & Increasing Ridership’ and introduced it February 13. A former law professor who specialized in banking and housing policy, Min has testified six times before Congress on

these issues.

“There’s a saying in academia that the plural of anecdote is data, and so we need hard data at this point if we want to develop solutions. What this would do is to give a voice to the millions of transit riders throughout the State of California,” he said.

Once we have that data, then we can start to develop solutions, Min says.

Janice Li is Board President of the Bay Area Rapid Transit System (BART). Her day job is with Chinese for Affirmative Action, a San Francisco-based organization that has led Asian American civil rights advocacy for more than 50 years.

Li says BART’s pre-COVID riders made 430,000 trips on an average weekday and made up 70% of Bart’s operating costs, about $1 billion/yr. But during the lockdowns ridership dropped to four percent and has since rebounded to just 40% of what it was.

“We will not continue to exist if we cannot find new revenue streams,” Li says.

BART’s average rider has changed. Two-thirds are non-white, one third are in households with incomes under $50,000, and 44% don’t own cars. For the working poor of the Bay Area, BART is an essential mode of transportation.

“BART knows that in order to bring back riders, we must continue to prioritize safety.

I am proud of the many new initiatives that we launched over the past three years, including our BART ambassador program, bathroom attendants, elevator attendants, and crisis intervention specialists,” Li said.

Making people feel safe means putting more BART personnel in our stations, at our platforms, and riding trains throughout our 50-station system spanning five Bay Area counties, she says.

BART has two new initiatives — Not One More Girl, which is a youth-led campaign to address gender-based harassment and violence on BART, and Let’s Talk About Us, an art campaign to bring visibility to domestic violence in AAPI communities.

“These campaigns are creative and engaging ways for our riders to learn what they can do if they witness these situations happening and resources if they are victims or survivors themselves,” Li said.

Crime on BART trains is down to 7.45 crimes per 1 million trips. There were two homicides at the 24th St. Mission station last year. “Both times they were conflicts that happened in the neighborhood at the street level, where the victims ended up escaping into our underground system,” Li said.

She says what’s needed is more community-based resources to address homelessness, drug addiction, and mental health crises. (Peter White/Ethnic

n

Media Services)

Romualdez warns...

PAGE 1

We are breathing down your necks. Tuldukan na ninyo ang mga gawain na nagpapahirap sa ating mga kababayan (Put an end to these activities of yours that are only plaguing the Filipino people),” he said in a statement on Wednesday, February 22.

Romualdez pointed out that hoarding produces and added burden to the people who have to bear with rising prices amid a rising inflation rate.

“Inaasahan natin na magtutuloy-tuloy ang kampanyang ito laban sa mapagsamantala (We expect that the campaign against these abusive hoarders will be sustained),” he added.

Romualdez earlier ordered the House committee on agriculture and food to probe the spike in prices of onion and garlic due to “unscrupulous traders who are hoarding such products to create an artificial supply shortage.”

Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo had filed House Resolution No. 681, which seeks an investigation into the alleged cartel and anticompetitive practices in the onion industry amid the still-rising prices of onions in the local market.

Quimbo pointed out that allegations of onion cartels controlling supply and the possibility of hoarding white onions were flagged by citizens and policymakers as early as August 2022.

Based on the latest price monitoring of the Department of Agriculture, concurrently headed by Romuladez’s cousin, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., local red onions are being sold in markets at around P120 to P200 per kilogram, while local white onions fetch P90 to P160 per kilo.

While it has no available data on the price of local garlic, DA noted that imported garlic is pegged at P90 to P130. n

Dateline PhiliPPines

Bato tussles with Europe parliamentarians on ICC

by Paolo RomeRo Philstar.com

MANILA — Visiting lawmakers from the European Union got some pushback from senators on the move of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate

the Duterte administration’s war on drugs, as Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa drew from historical wounds inflicted on the Philippines to deny foreign interference in the country’s domestic affairs.

Dela Rosa, along with Sen. Francis Tolentino, vice

Missing Pinay, 3 kids died in Turkey quake – embassy

chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee, and Senate Deputy Majority Leader Joseph Victor Ejercito, met with five EU Parliament members – Hannah Neumann, Isabel Wiseler-Lima, Ryszard Czarnecki, Karsten Lucke and u PAGE 7

‘Church Nullity Act’ hurdles House panel

MANILA – The House Committee on Population and Family Relations on Thursday, February 23 approved a bill seeking civil recognition of church annulment to make it accessible and not expensive for many Filipinos.

TINGOG Party-list Representatives Jude Acidre and Yedda Marie Romualdez authored House Bill 1593 or the Church Nullity Act of 2022 that they filed on July 7 last year.

“On behalf of Tingog Party-list, I’d like to thank the committee for its favorable action on House Bill 1593. This is a significant development that provides hope for an efficient and more affordable procedure to remedy the situation of couples trapped in an irreparable relationship,” Acidre said. The bill has been endorsed to a technical working group (TWG) tasked to consolidate all eight related measures and craft a substitute bill.

Acidre said if the bill becomes law, a declaration of nullity (of marriage) decreed by the Church will hold as much weight and have the same effect as a civil annulment.

He added that the measure removes the burden of undergoing the civil annulment process such that Catholics who have sought annulment in the Church should not anymore be “long oppressed by the darkness of doubt” over whether their marriages, already declared null and void, should also be recognized as such by the State.

HB 1953 proposes that a marriage duly and legally solemnized by a priest, imam, rabbi, or presiding elder of an established church or religion in the Philippines which is subsequently annulled, dissolved or declared a nullity in a final judgment or decree in accordance with the canons and precepts of the church or religious sect, shall have the same effect as a decree of annulment, dissolution or declaration of nullity issued by a competent court.

“A marriage solemnized by the Church therefore should have not only canonical but civil effects as well. Priests, pastors, imams and rabbis who solemnize marriage must have the authority to solemnize granted by the State,” the bill’s explanatory note read.

The authors said the proposed measure was an offshoot of Pope Francis’ position to simplify the procedures for annulling marriages in the Catholic Church.

“If a marriage can be legitimately contracted under the laws of the Church, then it follows that

under the same laws, such marriage can also be nullified or annulled,” they said, noting Pope Francis’ issuance of “Mitis Iudex Dominus lesus,” which streamlined the process of the declaration of nullity of marriage.

“The Family Code of the Philippines recognizes as valid a marriage solemnized under the laws of the Church. If marriages so solemnized are recognized by the State, it is only proper that the very church that solemnized the marriage should also have the power to rule that attendant infirmity that rendered a marriage null and its effects binding on the State. This is also the same to all other established churches and religions,” the authors explained.

Under Section 3 of the bill, “the status of children of marriages subject to a decree of annulment or declaration of nullity by the church or religious sect shall be determined in accordance with the provisions of Executive Order No. 209, otherwise known as the Family Code of the Philippines.”

In case the grounds for the church annulment or declaration of nullity are not similar to any of the grounds provided in the Family Code, their common children born or conceived before the issuance of the decree of annulment or declaration of nullity shall be considered legitimate, according to the bill.

Without prejudice to the conditions set forth by the church or religious sect, the measure also proposes that either of the former spouses may marry again after complying with the requirements provided under Section 5 and Article 52 of the Family Code, otherwise the subsequent marriage shall be null and void.

To secure a marriage license, the spouse involved must present a true certified copy of the decree of annulment or declaration of nullity issued by the church or religious sect and registered with the appropriate civil registry.

They added that under Presidential Decree No. 1083, the State recognizes divorce under the Code of Muslim Personal Laws of the Philippines, which is based on Sharia, or Islamic law.

“Under the principle of equality before the law, if a Muslim divorce is recognized, there can be no serious objections towards the recognition of the civil effects of a marriage by an established and duly recognized religious denomination,” they added. (PNA) n

by Pia lee-BRago Philstar.com

MANILA — A Filipina and her three children, previously reported missing, died in the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck southeastern Turkey near the Syrian border, according to the Philippine embassy in Ankara.

“It is with deepest regret that the embassy must confirm the passing of a Filipina and her three children, previously reported to be missing under the rubble in Antakya,” the embassy said in a statement.

The Filipina and her children were laid to rest by her Turkish husband in accordance with Turkish tradition.

“The embassy and the entire Department of Foreign Affairs family express their deepest condolences for this tragedy,” the embassy said.

More than 20 families are at the Philippine embassy’s shelter.

The embassy has met more than 70 Filipinos who have decided to remain in the provinces. It is accelerating the repatriation of Filipino citizens who want to return to the Philippines.

More than 46,400 people have died across Syria and Turkey since the earthquakes struck nearly two weeks ago.

Homeward bound

Meanwhile, members of the 82-man Philippine interagency contingent sent by the

government to help victims of the devastating earthquake that hit Turkey are now preparing to return home.

Office of Civil Defense spokesman Assistant Secretary Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV said the search and rescue team is now on stand-by.

While waiting for instructions from local authorities if they will be tasked to conduct more search, rescue and retrieval operations, members of the team are helping the medical team in serving patients.

At the Laging Handa public briefing on Monday, February 20, Alejandro said the search and rescue personnel have cleared 38 buildings since arriving in Adiyaman in Turkey.

The medical team, on the other hand, has so far provided ambulatory medical care to at least 603 patients through a field hospital.

Alejandro said the entire contingent would leave Turkey on Feb. 24 and hopefully will be back in the country by March 1.

“Our medical team operates the field hospital every day. Members of the search and rescue team no longer has search assignment, so they are helping the medical team,” he added.

The Philippine government is also preparing to send help either by means of cash or non-food items to Syria, which was also affected by the strong earthquake. n

PH losing P33B yearly to teenage pregnancy – UNFPA

by Rhodina VillanueVa Philstar.com

MANILA — The Philippines is losing P33 billion in potential income yearly due to problems brought by teenage pregnancy, according to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). During the launch of the

Joint Program on Accelerating the Reduction of Adolescent

Pregnancy in the Philippines on Monday, February 20 UNFPA country representative Leila Joudane said the figure was based on a study that the agency conducted in the country recently.

Joudane said adolescent

pregnancy affects the life cycle as well as the cycle of poverty. “Adolescents who get pregnant usually drop out of school. When they do, they have fewer chances of becoming active and productive members of society,” Joudane said. She said these girls would earn u PAGE 7

Weak maritime patrol capability

THE Philippines, with 7,641 islands, ranks fifth among states with the most extensive coastlines, according to The World Factbook of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency covering 198 countries and 55 territories. That coastline totals approximately 36,289 kilometers, which must be properly policed to keep out intruders, protect the environment and catch pirates, smugglers, drug dealers and other lawbreakers.

Guarding the western seaboard of the archipelago is particularly challenging as foreign vessels led by Chinese militia ships escorting massive swarms of their fishing vessels operate within Philippine territorial and sovereign waters. For such missions in the West Philippine Sea, the Philippine Coast Guard says it has all of three offshore patrol vessels. The PCG says it needs at least 30 ships to effectively patrol the WPS alone.

This acute lack of capability is surely among the factors emboldening Chinese coast guard vessels, which are under military supervision, to enter the WPS at will, shoo Filipino fishermen away from the Philippines’ maritime exclusive economic zone and challenge the operations of the PCG and Philippine Navy.

Babe’s Eye View

BaBe Romualdez

OVER the years, there have been numerous incidents of harassment and intimidation by the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) against Philippine vessels, like last Dec. 17 when CCG vessel 5205 sailed dangerously close to a boat delivering food, noche buena packages and other supplies to troops stationed at the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal.

This latest incident at Ayungin Shoal where this same Chinese Coast Guard vessel 5205 shadowed and pointed a military-grade laser at the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) patrol vessel BRP Malapascua –resulting in temporary blindness for some Philippine crew – is causing more and more Filipinos to become increasingly angry at the way the Chinese have been encroaching into our territory.

What is worse is that the Chinese are now claiming the area as theirs, with the China Foreign Ministry spokesperson saying it was the PCG vessel that did not have permission and “intruded” into the waters when in fact, Ayungin Shoal is located about 105 nautical miles off Palawan and is therefore clearly well within the 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Philippines.

As Congressman Rufus Rodriguez said, “How can we intrude into our own territory?”

Members of the international

Horizons

RichaRd heydaRian

ONLY Nixon could go to China!” There goes one of the most famous proverbs in highstakes geopolitics, which, quite ironically, can be traced back to Hollywood, namely the 1991 film “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.” The logic behind the supposed “old Vulcan proverb” is pretty straightforward: Any unexpected foreign policy turnabout is most feasible under leaders with robust domestic standing.

As a relatively hawkish Republican, U.S. President Richard Nixon’s outreach toward Maoist China in the early 1970s was less vulnerable to domestic criticism than, say, by a more dovish Democratic counterpart, who would have easily been

Apart from Chinese militia incursions into Philippine waters, smugglers appear to operate with ease around the archipelago, especially if protected by local political kingpins, bringing in through porous coasts a wide range of contraband including shabu, guns and even motorcycles. Large containers of prohibited drugs are unloaded from ships in the high seas and plucked out of the water by smaller boats, and then freely brought in through poorly policed coastal areas.

The PCG is under the Department of Transportation. The Navy has its patrol vessels, but their numbers and capability are also limited, especially when ranged against the coast guard and naval assets of China. This is despite the modernization boost for the Armed Forces of the

Philippines that was carried out by the Duterte administration. The country will have to turn to allies and other friends to boost Philippine maritime patrol capabilities, including electronic surveillance of the

waters around the archipelago. With the Philippines buried in P13.42 trillion debt as of the end of 2022, any coast guard modernization can be expected to be modest. It is an investment in national security, however, that cannot be put off. (Philstar.com)

Filipino patience running out over China’s latest incursion

community have also expressed their concern in light of this inyour-face kind of aggression and intimidation being demonstrated by China, among them the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, Germany, the United Kingdom and Denmark, calling out China for its dangerous and provocative actions.

Canada described China’s actions as “coercive” and a “violation of international law and contrary to the maintenance of regional peace and stability, and the rules-based international order,” while both Germany and Denmark also called on China to abide by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 Arbitral Award by the Permanent Court of Arbitration which is “legal and binding.”

A friend from the diplomatic corps told me that China’s actions are “getting more and more unconscionable and provocative,” even preposterously accusing the U.S. of orchestrating the arbitral case. Absolutely not true – it was China’s aggression that precipitated our decision to file the case before the Permanent Court of Arbitration that invalidated China’s expansive maritime claims, including its ridiculous nine-dash-line with absolutely no basis whatsoever in international law.

Filipinos were extremely pleased when President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. summoned the Chinese ambassador over this latest incident involving a Chinese Coast Guard vessel. From what I am told, the

President was cordial, but at the same time was very firm and clear in expressing his serious concern over the “increasing frequency of action by China against the Philippine Coast Guard and Filipino fishermen in their bancas.”

Filipino fishermen have long been suffering from the intimidation and restrictive actions employed by Chinese vessels which are depriving them of their livelihood, with reports that they were being threatened or their fishing gear confiscated. Numerous protests have also been filed over the illegal fishing activities of Chinese vessels in disputed territories in the South China Sea, with other claimant nations like Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia complaining about Chinese fishing fleets encroaching on their maritime territories.

In fact, there are calls for the European Union to impose sanctions on Chinese fishing vessels over alleged illegal fishing activities. An independent study commissioned by the European Parliament’s Committee on Fisheries (PECH) last December on the “Role and impact of China on world fisheries and aquaculture” showed that the large number of Chinese distant water fleets that go dark by using techniques like turning off their identification system, increase the possibility of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing infractions.

According to the study, “One of the most important environmental consequences of the Chinese fishing fleet on

the EU’s distant-water fishing activities is the depletion of fisheries stocks, which is associated with environmental degradation and results in reduced resource availability for all actors involved.”

During the visit of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris to the fishing community of Tagburos in Palawan last November, she spoke about the risk that fishing communities face “when foreign vessels enter Philippine waters and illegally deplete the fishing stock; when they harass and intimidate local fishers; when they pollute the ocean and destroy the marine ecosystem.” If one can recall, over 200 Chinese fishing vessels were seen at Julian Felipe Reef (Whitsun Reef) in March 2021 with reports that they have

been anchored in the area since December 2020, raising fears of “possible overfishing and destruction of the marine environment, as well as risks to safety of navigation” in the West Philippine Sea.

Given these numerous incidents in the past, no one can really blame Filipinos for the continued and increasing anger at and distrust of China. This latest incident has also prompted many enlightened legislators to consider working together with other countries aside from the United States to maintain maritime peace and security in the region.

Certainly, we cannot and must not “drop the ball” on this one like what happened in 2012 when we “lost” the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal.

I have often said – Filipinos are a patient people, and while everybody wants a peaceful resolution to all these incidents that have been repeatedly happening over the years, it is clear to all of us that “what is ours is ours,” period. We are not claiming anything outside of what is clearly within our territorial waters. As President Marcos had said: “We have no conflict with China; the issue we have is that China is claiming territory that belongs to us.” (Philstar.com)

* * * The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.

* * * babeseyeview@gmail.com

Marcos Jr.’s foreign policy: A quiet revolution?

accused of “appeasement.” In many ways, a similar dynamic is shaping the ongoing transformation in Philippine foreign policy under President Marcos Jr., yet with opposite implications for China.

To be clear, I fervently believe that a Leni Robredo or, say, Panfilo Lacson administration would have certainly taken a patriotic and strategic approach to China. Yet, one can’t deny that Mr. Marcos is overseeing a seemingly seamless transformation in our foreign policy by discarding his predecessor’s pro-China antics in favor of a more assertive stance in the West Philippine Sea as well as more robust defense cooperation with traditional allies.

And given Mr. Marcos’ large electoral mandate, high approval ratings, and the relegation of the House of Duterte to a “junior partner” status, the dramatic

shift in our foreign policy is likely more sustainable and real than many Marcos critics acknowledge. Not long ago, many confidently predicted that the current president would end up consolidating the proBeijing direction of Rodrigo Duterte. For instance, one reputable international news outlet published an op-ed piece entitled, “Bongbong Marcos will move the Philippines closer to China” shortly before Mr. Marcos’ expected election victory. Over the succeeding months, a whole host of news agencies and experts speculated on how China would supposedly benefit from a fully acquiescent Philippines under a MarcosDuterte regime. In fairness, one can’t blame these observers for jumping to conclusions, since Mr. Marcos himself repeatedly backed Duterte’s China policy throughout the 2022 presidential

elections.

But just as I questioned the “debt trap” thesis in the past, correctly predicting that there won’t be much of Chinese infrastructure investments in the Philippines, to begin with (See, for instance, “Duterte’s Chinese Chimera,” 4/16/18), I also penned a whole series of articles last year, which (correctly) predicted a potential major policy shift under Mr. Marcos.

In fact, shortly before his assumption of power, I penned a piece for another publication, where I forecasted “Marcos Jr. will likely adopt calibrated assertiveness towards China while welcoming pragmatic cooperation on the economic front.” By early October, I forecasted an expanded Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (Edca) deal, which would give the Pentagon access to a whole host of bases close to Taiwan’s southern shores in

another article.

To be clear, this piece is not about flaunting one’s scientific “predictive” capacity, but rather about the art of scenariobuilding. As I argued in a piece in early-2022, three factors would shape a Marcos Jr. presidency: “(i) margin of victory and, accordingly, a potentially newfound sense of personal destiny, (ii) factional politics and personalistic jostling within the ruling regime, and (iii) external pressure/encouragement from international partners, especially Washington and Beijing…” (“Marcos Jr. presidency: Three possible scenarios,” 3/22/22).

Mr. Marcos not only secured an empathic electoral victory, but he is also atop a dominant coalition, which has broadly marginalized pro-China players.

Meanwhile, Mr. Marcos has been actively courted not only by Washington, but also by Tokyo, London, Brussels, and a whole

host of traditional allies.

Meanwhile, Mr. Marcos’ trip to Beijing last month produced zero breakthroughs on either the West Philippine Sea disputes or a whole host of unfulfilled infrastructure investment projects. Like many experts, Beijing (incorrectly) viewed Mr. Marcos as Duterte’s strategic clone. Barely a year into office, a self-assured Mr. Marcos has revitalized defense relations with Western powers while standing up to bullying by Eastern powers. In a bizarre twist of events, it took a Marcos to correct Duterte’s foreign policy excesses sans any major backlash at home.

* * *

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.

* * * rheydarian@inquirer.com.ph

China Coast Guard Vessel No. 5205 is shown directing a laser beam at the BRP Malapascua in the West Philippine Sea in this photo taken on Feb. 6, 2023.

Photo from the Philippine Coast Guard

Bato tussles with Europe...

Miguel Urban Crespo.

The visiting legislators, all members of the subcommittee on human rights, were joined by EU Ambassador Luc Veron and two officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs.

During the meeting, Dela Rosa said he berated the Spaniard, Crespo, who he described as “very hot” on the issue and even questioned why Sen. Jinggoy Estrada filed a resolution opposing the ICC investigation.

“So I answered him: ‘You know, your honor, if you know your history, we were conquered, ruled and enslaved by the Spaniards for more than 300 years and now we gained our freedom, we expect other countries will respect our sovereignty’,” Dela Rosa said in Filipino.

“Who is he (Crespo) to question that move by Sen. Jinggoy? I am not asking for apology, I just vented, ‘you’ve been here in the Philippines for 300 years exploiting our country, now you are going to lecture us about human rights,” he said.

He said he did not wait for Crespo’s reply since he had to preside over a committee hearing on Marawi compensation.

Tolentino, however, said there was no shouting match as Crespo was speaking through an interpreter that appeared to have been loud.

Despite the momentary tussle, Tolentino described their meeting with the EU parliamentarians as fruitful and constructive as it also covered discussions on incidents in the West Philippine Sea and the Philippines’ application for the expansion of its privileges under Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+), which grants developing countries special trade incentives to pursue sustainable development and good governance.

“We explained to them our position regarding the ICC, that we are asking them to respect our processes and the leadership as a sovereign state, and we’re not part of the ICC and they respect that…

They should respect us in the same manner as we respect them. That’s the principle of reciprocity,” Tolentino told reporters partly in Filipino after the meeting.

He said he also reminded them that the Philippines was one of the original signatories to the United Nations Universal Declaration on Human Rights 1946.

He said he questioned the parliamentarians on the human rights violations committed against Filipino workers in the EU, particularly victims of human trafficking and reports of Filipino truck drivers being hired through third parties and other reported abuses in other countries.

Tolentino also enumerated

Amnesty Int’l reiterates

some efforts of government to uphold human rights, including increasing protection for women, senior citizens, students, “such as the right to free education to free access to health care — that’s human rights — and they saw our progress.”

Neumann noted the relations between the EU and the Philippines have always been “a very close one,” especially with Filipino workers doing “crucial and instrumental” work in key sectors in the union.

She, however, said the European Parliament sees the country’s prosecution of extrajudicial killings in relation to the campaign against illegal drugs as slow.

“I think the position, especially of the European Parliament, has been quite clear: that we were deeply concerned about the extrajudicial killings… We see happening right now prosecutions starting but being rather slow, with at least 6,000 people killed in the war on drugs. Only 20 cases filed and three people were victims,” Neumann said.

“We, as the European Union, are members of the Rome Statute, we support the ICC and we see this as a potential to support the investigation to the killings. We clearly understand that at least the senators we’ve met right now see this differently. Well, I mean, this is exactly part of the discussion we’re having… but they are constructive and fruitful, that’s how I would describe it,” she said.

Drug cartels, human trafficking

For Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, the ICC should investigate drug cartels responsible not only for trafficking drugs but also people instead of the drug war waged by former president Rodrigo Duterte.

Remulla said he had met with President Marcos to discuss the pending appeal to stop the ICC’s prosecutors from investigating the Philippines and that the administration intends to continue the investigations on its own.

One of the biggest concerns as to why ICC prosecutors are dead-set on investigating the drug war killings during the Duterte administration and his time as mayor of Davao City is the Philippines’ inability to match the ICC’s capabilities as reflected on the Office of the Solicitor General’s submissions.

The ICC findings last year that led to the decision to resume the investigation appeared to have offended the DOJ, which is the agency leading the task force to investigate extrajudicial killings.

“We have only been here for eight months and we want to continue the investigations and I hope this is not just a trap to politicize us because if the ICC

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really wants to investigate, why don’t they investigate the drug cartels that are destroying our country? That’s why we have a drug war,” Remulla said.

“Until now we have a silent drug war because these cartels are still destroying our lives. Why don’t they investigate that?” he added.

A flurry of legal remedies from the OSG to stop the ICC investigation still led the ICC to clear the way for prosecutors to commence their probe.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) concluded its latest session with confirmation to visit the Philippines, Georgia, Guatemala and the State of Palestine during the second half of 2023.

“During the session, the SPT also finalized plans to visit South Africa, Kazakhstan and Madagascar, Croatia, Georgia, Guatemala, the State of Palestine and the Philippines in 2023,” the UN SPT said in a statement.

In each country visit, besides examining places of deprivation of liberty, the SPT meets with public authorities responsible for the prevention of torture and ill-treatment and assists the country’s independent torture prevention watchdog, formally named the National Prevention Mechanism (NPM), where applicable.

The SPT monitors stateparties’ adherence to the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture, which has been ratified by 91 countries.

The Philippines is a state party to the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT) whose compliance with obligations set out in Article 17 of the OPCAT is “substantially overdue.”

The SPT has a mandate to visit states that have ratified the OPCAT during the course of which it may visit any place where persons may be deprived of their liberty and assist those states in preventing torture and illtreatment. The subcommittee communicates its observations and recommendations to states through confidential reports, which it encourages countries to make public.

The SPT has also decided to launch a public consultation on its first general comment, a legal guide, on the definition of places of deprivation of liberty. The SPT will publish its first draft in three working languages to seek the views of all stakeholders in preparation for the public discussion at its June meeting.

“This is an important development, and we call on all interested parties to provide input to enrich the draft,” said Suzanne Jabbour, newly reelected chairperson of the SPT. n

call for de Lima release

MANILA— A day before the sixth anniversary of her detention on drug charges that she says were manufactured, Amnesty International has reiterated calls to free former Sen. Leila de Lima. The organization pointed out that the the charges filed

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9002862

Divine Grace Board & Care located at 6318 Jouglard Street, San Diego, CA 92114.

Registrant: a. Henedina T Castillo, 9315 Francis Dr., Spring Valley, CA 91977.

b. Severo N Castillo, 9315 Francis Dr., Spring Valley, CA 91977. This business is conducted by Married Couple.

REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 10/26/2004.

Signature: Henedina T Castillo. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 02/07/2023. AJ 1123 02/17, 02/24, 03/03, 03/10/2023. AJSD 1123

by Kaycee Valmonte Philstar.com and unconditional release of de Lima and drop all charges against her. The authorities must also conduct a thorough, independent, transparent, and effective investigation into the attacks against her,” Amnesty International Southeast Asia researcher Rachel ChoaHoward said in a statement.

against the former lawmaker “have utterly collapsed” after witnesses retracted their respective statements. Some have claimed to have been coerced into testifying against De Lima, who was accused by the Duterte administration of involvement in the illegal drug trade at the New Bilibid Prison.

“The Marcos administration must ensure the immediate

“Those responsible for violations of her rights since her arrest, including her arbitrary detention, must be brought to justice in fair trials.”

De Lima was arrested in February 2017 due to drugrelated charges. Groups here and abroad found her arrest and detainment were related to her investigation on former President Rodrigo Duterte’s socalled “war on drugs,” as they described charges against her as fabricated.

Amnesty International also noted that court proceedings on the former senator’s cases have been delayed in the past years.

The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in 2018 also found that her detention was “arbitrary and in absence of legal basis.” n

PH losing P33B yearly to...

less than those who continued and finished their studies.

“Teenage girls who get pregnant and do not finish high school may lose earnings of up to P83,000 per year,” Joudane said.

In a speech read during the

event held in Tacloban, Leyte, Department of Health officer-incharge Maria Rosario Vergeire said the UNFPA study showed that adolescent mothers who did not finish high school or college are more likely to become unemployed or poor.

“Adolescent pregnancy is

LEGAL SERVICES EMPLOYMENT

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9003548

PHONOMENAL located at 811 K Ave., National City, CA 92115. Registrant: Squad One LLC, 3906 Vista Grande Dr., San Diego, CA 92115.

also an important social issue. It often results in poor lifelong social and economic outcomes for both the adolescent mother and her child,” Vergeire said. She said that adolescent pregnancy remains an issue, especially among disadvantaged groups. n

Photo shows detained Sen. Leila De Lima

Photo from Facebook / Leila de Lima

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A mandatory site visit is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. on THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2023, outside the main office of Lincoln High School, 4777 Imperial Ave, San Diego, CA 92113. Contractors and subcontractors must preregister with the District prior to attending the site walk at sandiegounified.org/sitewalks. The Bid and Contract Documents may be downloaded free of charge at the District’s new online Planroom at sandiegousdplans.com All bids must be received electronically at or before 1:00 p.m. on MARCH 16, 2023. Firms interested in submitting a bid package must go to tinyurl.com/SDUSD-PlanetBids then search under “Bid Opportunities” for “Invitation number” CC23-0798-24-00-00 Furnish and Install Decorative Metal Fencing Enhancements at Lincoln High School. For new vendors, please register under “New Vendor Registration”. The project estimate is between $480,000 and $520,000. This is not a PSA project and does not require prequalification. The District requires that Bidders possess any of the following classification(s) of California State Contractors License(s), valid and in good standing, at the time of bid opening and contract award: C-13 or other appropriate license, subject to District approval. SAN DIEGO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT, Linda Hippe, Director, Purchasing and Contracts, Strategic Sourcing and Contracts Department CC230798-24-00-00

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LEGAL SERVICES

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9001194

Divine Grace Board & Care III located at 9315 Francis Dr., Spring Valley, CA, 91977.

Registrant: a. Henedina T Castillo, 9315 Francis Dr., Spring Valley, CA, 91977.

b. Severo N Castillo, 9315 Francis Dr., Spring Valley, CA 91977. This business is conducted by Married Couple.

REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT

BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 09/27/2011.

Signature: Henedina T Castillo. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 01/19/2023. AJ 1108 02/03, 02/10, 02/17, and 02/24/2023. AJSD 1108

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9002462

The Glowed Mantle located at 7736 Arjons Drive, San Diego, CA 92126.

Registrant: Jennifer Thuy Ngoc Vo, 4965 Perkon Placce, San Diego CA 92105.

This business is conducted by Individual.

REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 01/27/2023.

Signature: Jennifer Thuy Ngoc Vo.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 02/01/2023. AJ 1111 02/03, 02/10, 02/17, and 02/24/2023. AJSD 1111

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9002242

D and D Plumbing located at 3 E Parsley St., Chula Vista, CA 91911.

Registrant: David Louis Martinez, 3 E Parsley St., Chula Vista, CA 91911. This business is conducted by Individual.

REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 06/02/2010.

Signature: David L. Martinez. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 01/30/2023. AJ

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9002398

It’s A Cold World located at 3608 S. Granada Ave., Spring Valley, CA 91977.

Registrant: Gregory Borja, 3608 S. Granada Ave., Spring Valley, CA 91977.

This business is conducted by Individual. REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 02/01/2023.

Signature: Gregory Borja. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 02/01/2023. AJ 1112 02/03, 02/10, 02/17, and 02/24/2023. AJSD 1112

CASE NUMBER: 37-2023-00005481-CU-PT-CTL TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS:

Petitioner Jacqueline Spidle Highbaugh filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Jacqueline Spidle Highbaugh to ISIS 13. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING

Date: 03/27/2023 Time: 8:30 AM Dept. 61 Superior Court of California, County of San Diego 330 WEST BROADWAY DEPT. 61 San Diego, CA 92101

A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation printed in this county. Asian Journal: FEB. 08, 2023 NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT Michael T. Smyth Judge of the Superior Court AJ 1117 02/10, 02/17, 02/24, and 03/03/2023 ATTACHMENT TO ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME (JC Form #NC-120) NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE. The Court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).

If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One certified copy of the Order Granting Petition will be mailed to the petitioner. If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the Court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions. If timely objection is filed, the Court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9002452

Throw Lights located at 718 Sycamore Ave., Space 113, Vista, CA 92083.

Registrant: Throwlights INC, 919 North Market Street, Suite 950, Wilmington, DE 19801. This business is conducted by Corporation.

REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 09/01/2016.

Signature: Andrew Zhao. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 02/01/2023. AJ

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9002554 Tabi Law located at 204 Forrest Lane, Berkeley, CA 94708.

Registrant: Maui Kuwabara JD, 3252 Corte Mazatlan, Carlsbad, CA 92009.

This business is conducted by Individual. REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 02/01/2023.

Signature: Maui Kuwabara JD. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 02/02/2023. AJ 1113 02/10, 02/17, 02/24, and 03/03/2023. AJSD 1113

CASE NUMBER: 37-2023-00005129-CU-PT-CTL TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner Fardowsa Abdullahi filed a petition on behalf of a minor with this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Taiymiyah Abdi Ahmed to Tamia Abdi Ahmed. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any

A RESPONDENT OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE, MUST FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date. Any Petition for the name change of a minor, that is signed by only one parent, must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other, non-signing parent, and proof of service must be filed with the Court. AJSD 1117

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9002794

PB Poke House 2.0 located at 746 Paradise Way, National City, CA 91950.

Registrant: Sean Montgomery, 746 Paradise Way, National City, CA 91950. This business is conducted by Individual.

REGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) ABOVE.

Signature: Sean Montgomery. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 02/06/2023.

AJ 1114 02/10, 02/17, 02/24, 03/03/2023. AJSD 1114

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9003122 Sweet Molar Kitchen located at 1423 N Cuyamaca, El Cajon, CA 92020. Registrant: Danica Ann Surdilla, 10123 Hercules Way, Spring Valley, CA 91977. This business is conducted by Individual. REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 02/09/2023.

Signature: Danica Ann Surdilla. Statement filed with

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9002763

a. Maru’s Art located 517 Fourth Ave #3, Chula Vista, CA 91910.

b. Eugenia’s Art located at 517 Fourth Ave #3, Chula Vista, CA 91910.

Registrant: Maria Eugenia

Ixtlahuac, 517 Fourth Ave #3, Chula Vista, CA 91910. This business is conducted by Individual.

REGISTRANT HAS NOT

BEGUN TO TRANSACT

BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) ABOVE.

Signature: Maria Eugenia Ixtlahuac. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 02/06/2023. AJ 1115 02/10, 02/17, 02/24, 03/03/2023. AJSD 1115

Court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions. A RESPONDENT OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE, MUST FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date. Any Petition for the name change of a minor, that is signed by only one parent, must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other, non-signing parent, and proof of service must be filed with the Court. AJSD 1126

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9002744 Direct Plumbing located at 1555 Mendocino Dr 138, Chula Vista, CA 91911. Registrant: J Garden Plumbing Inc, 1555 Mendocino Dr 138,, Chula Vista, CA 91911. This business is conducted by Corporation.

REGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) ABOVE.

Signature: James Garden. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 02/06/2023. AJ 1116 02/10, 02/17, 02/24, 03/03/2023. AJSD 1116

David pays the price of fame

By Maridol raNoa-BisMark Philstar.com

YOU can’t blame David Licauco for feeling overwhelmed.

Since starring as Fidel in GMA’s “Maria Clara at Ibarra” opposite Barbie Forteza, his star has never dimmed.

The “Pambansang Ginoo” and the face of various products – the latest of which is BlueWater Day Spa – admitted that a lot has changed since the groundbreaking series overhauled his life five months ago.

Time flies faster, and it sometimes can be exhausting. But he’s not complaining. In fact, he feels blessed.

“This has been my dream,” he explained.

So he brushes off the fatigue that is the price he has to pay for getting a lion’s share of attention, not only among TV viewers, but young netizens.

David admitted worrying that the popularity of his love team with Barbie – FiLay – (for Fidel and Klay, the latter’s character),

may affect the actress’ real-life boyfriend Jak Roberto.

But David set aside his worries because he is sure Jak – an actor himself – would understand. Besides, David and Jak are good friends. They have worked together back in 2021. And David is all praise for Jak, whose humility and diligence he admires.

“I have so much respect for him,” David said.

The Fil-Chinese entrepreneur also has so much respect for his well-being. He spends time on the treadmill and lifts weights. That’s why being the ambassador of a wellness retreat like BlueWater Day Spa is a natural progression for him.

“Relaxation I such a precious time for me. Being very busy with the taping schedules as well as managing my businesses, having my favorite Balinese Massage at the spa at the end of a long tiring week is something that I always look forward to,” he explained.

Joining David as BlueWater Day Spa endorser is Miss World Philippines 2021 Tracy Maureen Perez. n

PH couple gives strong finals performance in ‘America’s Got Talent: All Stars’

By ChristiNa alpad

FILIPINO acrobatic dancing

tandem Jervin and Anjanette

Minor gave their all for their final performance in “America’s Got Talent: All Stars,” which left the audience and the judges in awe.

Showing stunts they said they have never done before, the reallife couple impressed judges Simon Cowell and Heidi Klum so much that they gave the Minors a standing ovation.

“You two were born to do this together. It is so beautiful to watch you two dance. I thought

PNAA members return to the Philippines for the first time since pandemic

THE Philippine Nurses Association of America (PNAA) and the Philippine Nurses Association of America Foundation (PNAAF) returned to the Philippines for the first time since the pandemic for their 6th International Collaborative Conference in Vigan, Ilocos Sur last January 21 and 22.

With the theme, “2023: Moving Forward with Innovations, Opportunities, and Successes,” global nurse leaders, local nurses and nursing students exchanged their inspirational stories and experiences during the conference.

Promoting resilience, compassion, and nursing excellence, the symposium covered diverse topics in healthcare, leadership, nursing practice, competency, education, and entrepreneurship with the aim of maintaining the high morale of aspiring professionals despite the predicaments brought about by the pandemic.

PNAAF President Nancy Hoff expressed her enthusiasm for the success of the event.

“Our sincerest gratitude to Governor Singson who provided the conference venue and hosted the cultural night dinner; our deepest appreciation for the hard work of the planning leaders of UNP CON, PNA Ilocos Sur, the PNAA Foundation, and their team members whose strength and collaborative efforts made it happen. The excellence and passion of the speakers who shared their knowledge and experiences were well received by the engaged conference participants. Thank you, GMA for capturing all these in photos and videos, and for many to see,” she said.

The collaborative efforts of the involved institutions were also commended by PNAAF

Eugene Domingo’s love story gives hope to singles over 40

By Nathalie M. toMada Philstar.com

EUGENE Domingo’s love story gives hope to singles in their 40s and beyond who are still looking for “The One.”

The Ten Little Mistresses star thought she’d be single forever until she met her now-significant other, Italian movie critic Danilo Bottoni.

The topic of Eugene’s relationship cropped up during The STAR’s one-on-one interview with her regarding Ten Little Mistresses, the first Filipino Amazon Original Movie, which is still No. 1 on Prime Video Philippines a week after its streaming premiere.

Incidentally, the murdermystery comedy is directed by The IdeaFirst Company’s Jun Robles Lana, the same director of Barber’s Tales, the drama that paved the way for Eugene to find love.

In 2014, the film competed at the Udine Far East Film Festival in Italy, where it won the Third Place-Audience Award. But the “biggest reward” there was meeting Danilo.

“When Danilo and I first met, walang ayos ang buhok ko, dry na dry. Malungkot…I was just there, parang lost, but (I was thinking) anyway, I’m here, so might as well enjoy. That was my state when he found me,” the 51-year-old actress-comedienne said.

No sparks flew on that first meeting though. Admittedly, she was then at a point in her life where she thought she would be “single forever”.

Hindi talaga nag-click yung first niyang sinabi for the reason that personally, give up na ako nun. Parang I was already accepting the fact that I would be single forever and maybe I would just go to a convent,” Eugene further shared with The STAR “Promise yun talaga ang plano

ko, pumasok sa convent! May dala-dala akong isang sako ng

Italy hahaha!

“Parang, ‘This is my cash, please take care of me, I’m single, I’ll pray with you… and be singing with you.’ Yun ang nasa isip ko, forever single na ako.”

But contrary to her “plans,” someone unexpected came along. At the Udine filmfest, Danilo approached her because he had seen her previous comedy hit films, from Kimmy Dora to Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank. In fact, they were already friends on Facebook.

Eugene recalled, “He was there and he said, ‘We’re friends on Facebook, can I invite you to have pizza with me?’ That’s it. Parang nahilo na ako hahaha! I said no.

“Because whenever I’m in a festival, medyo sine-set aside ko yung ‘hashtag landian’ because I have work and I have a responsibility. But as soon as hawak ko na yung trophy (for Barber’s Tales), ready na ako makipag-landian. Pero ‘di ko na siya nakita.”

That wasn’t going to be the end of the story though. Eugene was quick to add, “After nun, I

chased him.”

The couple has been together for some seven years now. While there have been marriage speculations, further fanned after Eugene shared “copper wedding rings,” as per GMA News, on Instagram back in 2020, these have not been addressed in interviews. But it’s clear that they’re inseparable.

Eugene confirmed that she brings him with her to film shoots here and premieres. Such as the one hosted by Prime Video for Ten Little Mistresses, where she readily acknowledged him in the audience and said: “Luckily, I have found ‘The One.’ Thank you, Babe.”

“Even if I say, you don’t need a man to be happy, in my case… our souls connected and I found peace because of his love,” she further told this paper. Asked for more pieces of advice to singles in their 40s and above, and still hoping to find a life partner, Eugene shared: “You don’t really have to suffer or exert too much effort. It will come to you, if it’s for you and if you are ready, if you prayed hard for it, and if you just surrendered, ‘Lord, You know what my heart is looking for, it’s up to You.’ Surrender, don’t exert too much

Public Relations Committee Chair Colonel (Retired) Bob Gahol.

“The collaboration between the PNAA Foundation, the University of Northern Philippines, and the PNA Ilocos Sur exemplified the true meaning of the “Bayanihan spirit. Many thanks to GMA for sharing this event with the entire Philippines and the world,” he said.

Aside from the conference, The Philippine Nurses Association of Metropolitan DC also successfully turned over Health Hub and 10

toilets and baths to the Aetas of Castillejos, Zambales through their Healthy Aetas Community project.

The turnover ceremony was attended by more than 300 Aetas, representatives of the National Commission on Indigenous People, tribal leaders, catechists, and other guests. The Health Hub is a response to address the lack of sanitary human waste disposal in the community.

PNAA and PNAAF officers also had the chance to visit GMA Network and was welcomed by GMA International First Vice President and Head of Operations Joseph T. Francia and GMA International Marketing Director Beth C. De Guzman.

“We continue to honor the invaluable role Global Pinoy nurses play in American society. We are pleased to refresh our partnership with the PNAA in support of their meaningful projects for their members and for their target beneficiaries in the US and in the Philippines,” Francia said.

(GMA Pinoy TV) n

ManilaTimes.net

The couple seated together at the Manila premiere of Ten Little Mistresses, now streaming on Prime Video Photo from Instagram/@eugenedomingo_official

Jervin and Anjanette Minor

Photo from Instagram/@powerduo2015

pera, ibibigay ko (sa kanila). But, by the way ha, convent sa

David Licauco

Photo from Instagram/@davidlicauco

PNA of Metropolitan DC turned over a Health Hub and 10 toilets and baths to the Aetas in Castillejos, Zambales during their most recent visit to the Philippines.

PNAA and PNAAF officers with First Vice President and Head of Operations Joseph Francia and GMA International Marketing Director Beth De Guzman at the GMA Network offices.

Sugar Barons zoom to nine-point lead over Luisitans

CEBU — Drawing a brilliant two-underpar 70 worth 56 points from Abe Rosal and 52 from Damasus Wong on Tuesday, February 21, defending champion Canlubang zoomed to a ninepoint lead over Luisita after the first 18 holes of the Philippine Airlines Interclub Seniors championship at well-manicured Alta Vista here.

With the seasoned Rolly Viray accounting for 47 points, the Sugar Barons were so impressive that they had to discard the 46 of Mari Hechanova in grabbing momentum going into the second round that will be played at unpredictable Club Filipino in Danao.

“That was a super round,” Luisita non-playing skipper Jeric Hechanova said, when asked of Cangolf’s sterling opening 18. “I thought we did pretty well shooting 146. That was quite a special round that they came up with.”

Another squad that also put together a super effort was Cebu Country Club, which is campaigning in the lower Founders division but trails the overall pace by just five points after a 150 also at Alta Vista.

Jay Yuvallos had 53 and Eric Deen 49 for Cebu CC, which counted the 48 of Antonio San Juan, even as Teodoro Almario drained three birdies in posting 50 points that boosted Club Filipino de Cebu to an opening 133 and a 19-point lead over Diram Country Club in the Sportswriters division.

The Sugar Barons actually needed to tinker with their opening round team after Tommy Manotoc needed to go home hours before tee time because of a family emergency. And if he doesn’t return, Cangolf is in danger of playing one of the three remaining rounds with just three players.

Ex-pro Dan Cruz collected 50 points, Chino Raymundo had 49 and Marty Ilagan shot 47 in his Seniors’ debut for the Luisitans, who threw away with 44 of Steve McDonald.

Manila Southwoods was another three points back after getting 51 points from Manfred Guangko, 48 from Bong Brobio and 44 from Luis Garcia, with Del Monte amassing 139 built around the 51 points of Ramon Jaraulla and 47 from Crispin Aparilla.

“I will play when the team asks me to play,” Rosal said when asked if he will still anchor the Sugar Barons in the final round on Saturday also at Alta Vista.

The annual event, considered the country’s unofficial national team championship, was shelved for two years due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the 74th staging of the event is supported by platinum sponsors ABS-CBN Global, Asian Journal Media Group, Airbus, and NUSTAR

City of San Diego hosts cybersecurity awareness training for small businesses

Resort and Casino.

Gold sponsors include Radio Mindanao Network, Mastercard, Primax, University of Mindanao Broadcasting Network, PLDT/Smart, and Konsulta MD.

Joining the event as silver sponsors are Philippine National Bank (PNB), Biocostech, and VISA.

Minor sponsors are Bollore Logistics, Manila Standard, Tanduay Brands International, and Asia Brewery while donors are Department of Tourism, Ogawa, Newport World Resorts, Rolls Royce, and Boeing.

The first-round results:

CHAMPIONSHIP – Canlubang 155, Luisita 146, Manila Southwoods 143, Del Monte 139

FOUNDERS – Cebu Country Club 150, Riviera

141, Orchard 139, Sherwood Hills 132, Apo Golf

132, Villamor 130, Negros Occidental 129, FilAm Hawaii 128, Camp John Hay 125, Altavista 1

125, Pueblo de Oro 125, Alabang 122, Valley 122, Wack Wack 121, Eagle Ridge 119, Taotaomona

118, Guinhalaran Golf 104, Manila Golf 103, Coral Ocean Point 88, Bay City Golf 86

AVIATOR – Iloilo 123, Cebu Country Club 2 114, Zamboanga 113, Sarangani 110, SF Maharlika

105, Team Tuga 104, Mimosa 103, Forest Hills

101, Southern California Redhawk 99, Lanang

98, E-Yona 95, Camp Aguinaldo 94, Via Verde LA

93, Boggie Buddies Filgolfers 91, Baguio Country Club 87, Bacolod Country Club 86, Guam Seals 84, Bay Area Golf Org. 2 83, Lumbia Golf and Country Club 78, Fort Bonifacio 74, SF Peninsula 73, Golf and Country Club of Iligan 73, Liloan 72, Guam

Compadres 70

SPORTSWRITER – Club Filipino de Cebu 133, Dirab 114, Guam Seniors 111, San Juanico 111, Leyte 114, Ping Golfer’s Club 109, MSU Marawi

107, Rancho Palos Verdes 105, Club Intramuros

103, Paoay 103, Edwin Andrew Airforce Base 98, SFO Alliance 96, Vancouver 95, SFO East Bay 93, Eagle Ridge Lagitek 91, Camp Evangelista 88, PGA British Columbia 87, Cotabato 86, Van City 1 83, Seattle 83, Mabuhay Golf of SFO 83, Filam Fairfield

79, UP Tee Jots 86, Honolulu 74, Moffet Fields 2 60

FRIENDSHIP -- Canphil 112, Malaysian Eagle Hunter 101, Davao City 99, West Highlands 97, Parbreakers 87, South Cotabato 84, Mt Malindang

83, Filam NJ 82, Filam NJ 82, Veterans Golf 78, Filam SFO 76, Philam Central Florida 76, West Covina Warriors 74, Filcansa 73, Engineers and Architects (Eagle) 70, Ez Par 70, Moffet Fields Team 1 68, Van City 2 68Pinoy Vancouver 62, Bennett Valley 61, Fil Oz Sydney 63, MSU Marawi

2 61, Sky West 58, Pittsburg Filam 56, Brotherhood Sharp 46, Travellers 45, Tri City 30. n

Free dental clinics to give kids a smile Feb. 25, March 4

THERE’S nothing better than seeing a smile on a child’s face especially a healthy smile.

Children from the ages of one to 18 can get preventive dental services at no cost, including visual exams, fluoride treatments and dental sealants, at several local clinics Saturday Feb. 25 and Saturday March 4 as part of the “Give Kids a Smile” program.

Parents can call immediately to make appointments at the clinics listed below to get free visual exams, fluoride treatments and dental sealants that can protect against cavities.

The Give Kids a Smile program was started nationally in 2003 to help children, particularly in underserved areas, with free oral health care. Here, the San Diego County Dental Foundation teams up every year with local dentists and community clinics to provide free oral health care to hundreds of local kids. This year’s program is sponsored in San Diego this year by the County Health and Human Services Agency’s Live Well San Diego campaign and First 5 San Diego. Contacts and dates for the no-cost services:

Saturday, Feb. 25, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• Cura Smiles

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SAN DIEGO – In light of the growing threat posed by cyber criminals, the City of San Diego is taking steps to support local businesses in boosting their cybersecurity measures. The city is inviting small businesses to participate in a Cybersecurity Awareness Program, hosted in collaboration with the Cyber Center of Excellence (CCOE). Cybercrime has soared in recent years with an estimated $7 trillion in damages in 2022, according to industry expert Cybersecurity Ventures. There have also been several recent attacks on San Diego’s local agencies and institutions, including Scripps Health, the Port of San Diego, the City of San Marcos and UC San Diego Health.

According to Accenture’s Cost of Cybercrime Study, 43% of cyber attacks are aimed at small businesses, but only 14% are prepared to defend themselves. Local small business owners are encouraged to join the city for a virtual information session and FBI briefing on Thursday, March 2, at 10 a.m. to learn more about the Cybersecurity Awareness Program and current threat landscape. The program

is free to participating small businesses and made possible by a grant from the City of San Diego’s Economic Development Department.

“This program will give our local small businesses the tools to fight against cybercrimes,” said Christina Bibler, Director of the City’s Economic Development Department. “Our small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and we want to make sure they are in the best position to thrive and educate their employees and staff about cyber vulnerabilities.”

To participate in the Cybersecurity Awareness Program, businesses must have fewer than 100 employees and operate within City of San Diego’s geographical limits or be a supplier to San Diego businesses. Interested businesses are encouraged toRSVP for the webinar and register online. The Cybersecurity Awareness Program includes:

• Detailed cybersecurity risk assessment from MasterCard’s RiskRecon.

• Cybersecurity awareness training for up to 100 employees.

• Tools to develop and

exercise your cyber incident response plan with CyberCatch’s simulator.

• Threat landscape briefing from the FBI.

• Connectivity to the region’s cybersecurity industry including additional customizable resources.

• Questions about the program can be directed to info@sdccoe. org. While members of the media are welcome to attend the webinar, the FBI briefing is off the record.

As part of an ongoing effort to fight cybercrime, the City of San Diego recently launched the San Diego Regional Cyber Lab aimed at helping local agencies prevent and combat cyberattacks. The Cyber Lab serves as a regional resource for small businesses, public agencies and educational institutions to use for specialized training with safe environments to simulate and defend against cyberattacks. The lab’s mission is to provide coordinated cybersecurity awareness for the greater San Diego region through collaborative access to the latest technology, intelligence and training tools.

(City of San Diego Release) n

Appointments: 844-2002426, ext. 1563 or ext. 1564

• San Diego American Indian Health Center 2630 First Ave. San Diego, CA 92103

Appointments: 619-234-2158

• Vista Community Clinic 1000 Vale Terrace Drive Vista, CA. 92084

Appointments: 760-631-5000 ext. 1011.

So don’t wait! Call today to put a healthy smile on a child’s face. For more information, go to the San Diego County Dental Foundation’s Give Kid’s a Smile webpage at https://sdcds.org/ sdcdf/give-kids-a-smile/.

(Gig Conaughton/County of San Diego Communications Office) n

Eugene Domingo’s love...

effort, don’t tire yourself. Just be there, just be present, it will be in front of you.”

Meanwhile, The STAR asked Eugene if she was open to do a romantic-comedy about — for a change — people at a certain age, who have accumulated more life experiences and a more adult perspective on love.

“If there’s a very good material, ay naku siempre naman. There’s a lot of us. And I’m very sure,

yung rom-com naman wala namang age limit yan eh. It’s essential. I would really love to do something like that. I-manifest natin. A rom-com for people like us, with an interesting age, na pwede pa ma-in love. Alam mo, parang ano yun — ang tender.

Because you would think, this could be your last na,” she said.

Eugene would also love to do a full-length musical on screen. “Sana maalala ko ni direk Jun (Lana) ‘pag natupad na yung

project niya na musical. I will really study, take up voice lessons and learn basic dancing steps. Ang sarap kasi maging parte ng isang musical and also on stage, I hope I get to do something more lengthy.

“In All Out Sundays (on GMA), we do comedy skits, musical din yun, and I really enjoy it. And so I hope I get to do a lengthy musical, na medyo legit ganun. I really want to do something like Gypsy Rose. It will require a lot of training, I know. But ‘di naman masama mangarap because you ask.”

However, Eugene is not that willing to take on another drama a la Barber’s Tales.

“To be honest, hindi! Hahaha! Ayoko na mag-drama, ang hiraphirap. I can do it because I’m an actor but if you ask me now, and you let me choose between comedy, musical and drama, and then ‘pag drama, kasama mo yung the best dramatic actors in the country, dun nalang ako comedy and sa musical. Ang hirap talaga mag-drama,” she honestly said.

But, Eugene reiterated, “I’m glad I made it — Barber’s Tales. And I’m very thankful for it. If not for Barber’s Tales, I would not have met Danilo. Exactly yun talaga ang pinaka-reward dun.”n

COVID-19 cases are slightly rising in San Diego County, prompting County health officials to continue calls for people to complete their vaccination series and get bivalent boosters if they haven’t already.

“The best way for people to protect themselves, their loved ones and friends from possibly getting seriously ill or dying from COVID-19 continues to be getting up to date with your vaccinations and get a bivalent booster,” said County Deputy Public Health Officer, Dr. Cameron Kaiser, M.D., M.P.H. “Even though COVID-19 cases are far below historic highs, the virus is still widespread. And it remains a potentially deadly threat for many people.”

Studies continue to report the bivalent COVID-19 boosters add protection against new COVID-19 variants that make up most new cases in the San Diego County, and they protect against COVID-19 causing hospitalizations and deaths.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and California Department of Public Health (CDPH) recommend a bivalent booster for everyone six months of age and older. Previous CDC studies have reported that people who have not been vaccinated run much higher risks of dying from COVID-19 than those who have been vaccinated.

Both COVID-19 vaccinations and treatment remain widely available throughout San Diego County. COVID-19 primary series vaccines and bivalent boosters, as well as flu vaccines, are available at local pharmacies, medical providers’ offices, and County vaccination sites. People can check online for the days and hours sites are open.

Preventive measures

In addition to getting vaccinations and staying home when ill, San Diegans can take other

precautions to protect themselves against COVID-19 and other seasonal illnesses like the flu. These measures include:

• Cleaning hands thoroughly and often.

• Staying away from sick people.

• Wearing a facial covering, especially in crowded indoor settings.

• Regularly cleaning commonly touched surfaces.

• Conducting home testing when exposed or when ill. The federal government is providing free at-home COVID-19 tests available again through the winter for a limited time. Households can order one pack of four free tests through the U.S. Postal Service. For more information about testing, go to the County’s COVID-19 testing webpage (https:// www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/hhsa/ programs/phs/community_epidemiology/dc/2019nCoV/testing.html).

COVID-19 vaccination progress

• More than 2.69 million or 80.6% of San Diegans have received the primary series of one of the approved COVID-19 vaccines.

• Bivalent boosters administered: 572,085 or 22.8% of 2,514,110 eligible San Diegans.

• More vaccination information can be found at coronavirus-sd.com/vaccine.

The County Health and Human Services Agency now publishes the Respiratory Virus Surveillance Report weekly. The report is published each Thursday and tracks key respiratory illness indicators.

Data updates to the County’s coronavirus-sd. com website will be published Thursdays around 5 p.m., with the exception of holidays. More information about the flu is available on the County’s influenza website.

(Gig Conaughton/County of San Diego Communications Office) n

San Diego makes progress repairing potholes

SAN DIEGO – In just a matter of weeks, the City of San Diego has dramatically reduced a backlog of pothole repair reports, a decrease of more than 80%, thanks to an increase in staffing and resources devoted to patching potholes. Since Jan. 1, City crews have repaired more than 14,000 potholes in total across San Diego. Pothole reports spiked last month, following several days of heavy rain. To address the sudden increase, Mayor Todd Gloria directed an “all hands on deck” approach from relevant city departments to fill potholes across the City. As a result, city teams were assigned to make repairs seven days per week, including some night work. The city’s Transportation Department deployed nine patching trucks, along with 30 two-person teams carrying bagged asphalt, and a dump

truck repurposed to carry hot asphalt.

“The people of San Diego want their city government to respond quickly to needs in their neighborhood, and as mayor, I expect the same,” Mayor Todd Gloria said. “After heavy rain in January and early February, we did just that, quickly reorganizing our transportation crews, deploying them across the city and efficiently filling thousands of potholes. We have more to do, but I’m proud of our city workers for getting it done.”

As of Wednesday, Feb. 15, there are approximately 350 open pothole reports in the city’s Get It Done app, down from a high of 2,233 in January 2023. Get It Done reports only account for some of the potholes identified by city crews as needing repair. On a non-rainy day, the city has an average of 200 pothole requests to be filled.

Filling potholes is a yearround task for city crews, but wet weather can exacerbate the problem as water seeps into the surface of the street, causing the asphalt to loosen and potholes to develop. In addition to filling potholes, the city continues to repair and resurface roads through its slurry seal program. Preventing deterioration of streets is key to improving the overall condition of San Diego’s network of streets and reduces the need for more costly asphalt overlay and reconstruction required for badly deteriorated streets. View a map of repairs in your neighborhood by visiting the Streets Map webpage at https://streets.sandiego.gov. San Diegans are encouraged to continue reporting potholes to the city by using the Get It Done application or by calling 619-527-7500. (City of San Diego Release) n

Report says 86% of small businesses unable to defend themselves against a cyber attack

Backlog of pothole repairs has dropped by 80% thanks to ‘ all hands on deck’ approach following winter storms

City of San Diego prepares for storm conditions, takes steps to avoid flooding

Sandbags available this week at city recreation centers

SAN DIEGO – With significant rain and high winds forecast over the next several days, the City of San Diego is continuing its year-round storm preparations and taking proactive steps to prevent flooding, while also urging residents to take action to safeguard their homes, especially those in flood-prone areas.

The city’s Stormwater Department will be temporarily placing “no parking” signs in low-lying or flood-risk areas, cleaning storm drains and inlets with a history of debris buildup, street sweeping to reduce trash and pollutants from entering our waterways, and monitoring more than 46,000 storm drains citywide for any issues.

San Diego residents can individually prepare for the rains and help reduce the risk of flooding near their homes and properties by taking a few simple steps:

• Sweep and pick up trash, leaves, grass clippings and other debris that collect around storm drains and curb gutters near your home.

• Keep the lid securely closed on trash and recycle bins when placing them out on the street for collection. Place each bin approximately two to three feet away from the curb so as not to impede the stormwater flowing on the street.

• Proactively turn off irrigation to save water and minimize runoff.

• Inspect your property or surroundings for loose tree branches or trees that could be vulnerable to high winds and rain and prepare accordingly.

• Know the safest routes to and from your home or property should flooding occur.

• Slow down and do not drive, ride or walk through flood waters.

• Do not open or lift manhole covers in the event of street flooding.

During the rains, multiple crews from the city’s Storm Patrol will be actively monitoring areas throughout the city and responding to incidents, such as temporary flooding and downed trees or branches. Sandbags are also available in

limited supply and can be picked up at nine recreation centers centrally located in each City Council District. Residents with identification showing proof of residency can receive up to 10 empty sandbags.

As the sandbags are not pre-filled, residents are encouraged to also plan to buy sand at local hardware stores, landscape suppliers or wherever else sand can be purchased. Sandbags are available at the locations listed below Monday through Friday from 1 to 7 p.m.

• Council District 1 - Pacific Beach Recreation Center, 1405

Diamond St.

• Council District 2 (inland) - North Clairemont

Recreation Center, 4421

Bannock Ave. Council District 2 (coastal)Robb Field Athletic Area, 2525

Bacon St. Council District 3 - Golden Hill Recreation Center, 2600 Golf Course Drive.

• Council District 4 - Martin

Luther King, Jr. Recreation Center, 6401 Skyline Drive.

• Council District 5 - Scripps

Ranch Recreation Center, 11454 Blue Cypress Drive.

• Council District 6 - Standley Recreation Center, 3585

Governor Dr.

• Council District 7 - Allied Gardens Recreation Center, 5155 Greenbrier Ave.

• Council District 8 - San Ysidro Community Activity Center, 179 Diza Road.

• Council District 9 - City Heights Recreation Center, 4380

Landis St. Santa Clara Recreation Center, located at 1008 Santa Clara Pl., will serve as an additional sandbag distribution site.

Residents can report events, such as flooding or downed trees, by using the Get It Done application or by calling 619-527-7500.

If it is a life-threatening emergency, call 911. For more information and resources on how to properly prepare before a storm, please visit the City’s Storm Preparedness page at https://www.sandiego.gov/ storm-preparedness.

(City of San Diego Release) n

City of San Diego honors hundreds of employees during Engineers Week

From road repair to major infrastructure projects, city’s team of engineers is helping build a better future

SAN DIEGO – On Monday, February 20 the San Diego City Council proclaimed Feb. 19 to 25 as Engineers Week in San Diego, recognizing the hard work and dedication of hundreds of engineers who are helping maintain and improve critical infrastructure and initiatives to build a better city for all San Diegans.

Engineers Week started back in 1951 by the National Society of Professional Engineers as a way to ensure a diverse and welleducated future engineering workforce by increasing understanding of and interest in engineering and technology careers. It takes place annually during the fourth week in February.

A majority of the city’s engineers work in the Engineering and Capital Projects Department, which is responsible for the City’s Capital Improvements Program (CIP). Part of Mayor Todd Gloria’s “Ready to Rebuild” budget for fiscal year 2023 included $809 million budget for CIP projects, the largest investment in infrastructure in the City’s history.

“Engineers Week is a great way to highlight all of the city staff who work behind the scenes to improve our communities through some of the biggest and most complex infrastructure projects across San Diego,” said City Engineer Rania Amen, Director of the Engineering and Capital Projects Department. “No matter the project, large or small, our diverse and specialized team of engineers has one goal in mind and that is making San Diego a better place to live for generations to come.”

This year’s theme “Creating the Future” is represented in the work the city’s engineers do each and every day. Whether it is road repairs and neighborhood park improvements or permitting affordable housing projects and making a more sustainable place to live, engineers have a role in all of the critical infrastructure projects and initiatives that help shape the future of San Diego.

The City of San Diego employs 849 engineers across several departments and is currently recruiting for engineering positions.

(City of San Diego Release) n

The top scams of 2022

WHAT are scammers up to these days? Every day, people just like you tell the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) what they’ve spotted, and maybe even lost money to. Then, every year, the FTC rolls up all those millions of reports about fraud, scams, and bad business practices to tell the story: what ARE scammers up to these days?

The 2022 headline is this: scammers took a LOT of money.

The latest FTC data book says people reported losing $8.8 billion to scams. That’s $2.6 billion more than 2021. Except the number of reports are down by half a million (2022: 2.4 million reports. 2021: 2.9 million reports).

Here are some highlights from 2022:

• Investment scams were huge, with reported losses of $3.8 billion. That’s more than people lost to any other scam, and more than double the loss reported in 2021.

• Impersonator scams were still the most-reported scam, with reported losses of $2.6 billion. The difference this year? Higher losses to business imposters:

2022 losses were $660 million, compared to $453 million in 2021.

• If people paid a scammer, the biggest reported losses were through bank transfers ($1.5 billion reported lost to scams) and cryptocurrency ($1.4 billion reported lost).

• When the scam started on social media, people reported losing the most money overall to scammers ($1.2 billion). But when the scammer called, the per-person loss was the highest ($1,400 median loss).

• Younger adults (ages 2029) reported losing money more often than older adults (ages 7079). But when older adults did lose money, they lost more than anyone else.

Check out the graphic for the Top 5 Scams of 2022, and read the FTC’s data book for all the details — including what happened in your state.

Do you think you lost money to a scam? Find out what to do next.

And if you spot a scam, report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

(Andrew Rayo/Consumer Education Specialist, FTC) n

PH couple gives strong finals performance in ‘America’s...

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it was fantastic,” Klum said in her postperformance review.

“It’s beautiful to watch, and you made it seem effortless so best of luck to you,” judge Howie Mandel added.

Finally, Cowell praised the two by saying, “I think on a show like this, you gotta be good; you gotta be better than you were when we first saw you; and you gotta be likable — and

you achieved all three. I’m really happy for you because pressure is really on tonight, but you did it really brilliantly.”

Before their final performance, the husband-and-wife in their video interview said they didn’t expect to get through the audition after making a mistake in their routine.

Still, they went through the process with flying colors and in January and secured the

final spot after winning the super fans vote.

“We want to make our country, our family and our son proud. We want to show our son that dreams do come true,” the couple said.

Ten other acts are vying for the championship, which will be announced on February 27.

The Minor couple first won Pilipinas Got Talent Season 5 in 2016. In 2019, they joined Asia’s Got Talent, and finished in Top 3. n