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FEBRUARY 25-MARCH 3, 2021
T H E F I L I P I N O A M E R I CA N C O M MU N I T Y N E WS PA P E R
Volume 32 - No. 7 • 12 Pages
2770 S. Maryland Pkwy., Suite 201 Las Vegas, NV 89109 Tel: (702) 792-6678 • Fax: (702) 792-6879
Also published in LOS ANGELES, ORANGE COUNTY/INLAND EMPIRE, NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO, NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY
Duterte undecided on VFA Filipina missing after abrogation, seeks public opinion hiking in Angeles DATELINE
USA
FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA
National Forest
by RITCHEL
MENDIOLA AJPress
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte is turning to the public as he remains undecided on what to do with the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA). In a public address aired Wednesday night, Feb-
A 60-year-old Filipina has been missing for nearly two weeks after she was last seen hiking in the Angeles National Forest during Valentine’s Day weekend. Maria Loida Tice, a resident of Los Angeles County, was last seen on Saturday, February 13 between 11:30 a.m. and 12:15 p.m.
ruary 24, he admitted that he doesn’t know whether to renew or abrogate the agreement with the United States, adding that he wants to hear the Filipino public’s sentiment. “I must be frank, I do not keep secrets to the people. I have not yet decided on what to do. Meaning to say, to abrogate or renew because I want to hear
the people,” said Duterte. “I want the narratives to come up, not necessarily from the [lawmakers]. Well, of course they count very much pero hindi limitado dito sa (but it is not limited to) Congress,” he added. Duterte said the public can submit their opinion
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DOLE clarifies plan to exchange PH nurses for COVID-19 vaccines
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by RITCHEL
MENDIOLA AJPress
Photo shows Marc Quidit (far right) and his wife Nina (left) and their three young children. Quidit, who owns Dollar Plus and Party Supplies in Vallejo, California, is expected to walk again after he was shot in an attempted robbery on Tuesday, Feb. 16. Photo courtesy of Joanne Pomares
Vallejo Fil-Am store owner in recovery after being shot multiple times during attempted robbery
CELEBRATION OF FREEDOM. Confetti rains down during a ceremony to mark the 35th anniversary of the EDSA people power uprising, which ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos, at the People Power Monument in Quezon City on Thursday, February 25. Philstar.com photo by Michael Varcas
Lawmakers denounce spike in anti-Asian hate, call for more government action
A FILIPINO American small business owner and father of three in Vallejo, California is expected to recover and walk again after being shot multiple times during an attempted robbery earlier this month. Marc Quidit, 49, was discharged from the hospital and greeted at home with flowers and balloons as family members led a prayer on Sunday, February 21. His homecoming comes five days after two armed suspects entered his store, Dollar Plus & Party Supplies along Sonoma Blvd., and shot him five times. His family had feared the worst and that he wouldn’t be able to walk again. But with physical therapy, a video taken at the hospital shows Quidit using his legs with the help of a
by CHRISTINA
M. ORIEL
AJPress
DEMOCRATIC lawmakers on Friday, February 19 denounced the recent slew of attacks against Asian Americans and pushed for more action from the Department of Justice to prevent future incidents. The virtual press conference featured remarks from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and members of the Congressional Tri-Caucus, representing Asian, Black and Hispanic communities. “It breaks my heart that today’s press conference is even needed,” said Rep.
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Family takes legal action for death of Fil-Am Navy veteran who died in Antioch police custody by CHRISTINA
M. ORIEL AND RITCHEL MENDIOLA AJPress
A FILIPINO American family in Antioch, California has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city arguing that their 30-year-old son died after a police officer knelt on his neck for almost five minutes. Angelo Quinto, a Navy veteran who was born in the Philippines, was suffering a mental health crisis on the night of December 23, 2020, prompting his sister to call 911 for help. But what transpired is renewing ques-
FILIPINO health care workers are not “commodities” that can be traded in exchange for COVID-19 vaccines, an official from the Philippine Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) clarified. DOLE public information head Rolly Francia on Wednesday, February 24, said that the agency wanted to ensure that the Filipino health care workers who will be deployed to the United Kingdom and Germany would receive vaccines from the host country. “Ang gusto lamang na tiyakin ay ‘yung ipapadalang mga nurses ay nabakunahan na and the vaccine should come from the host country (We just want to make sure that the nurses who will be deployed have already been vaccinated and the vaccine should come from the host country),” he said. “What is clear is that we are not dangling our available nurses and healthcare workers for vaccines. Hindi intensyon ng department na ituring na materyal upang i-trade ang ating mga nurses para lang
tions about whether police are equipped to respond to such episodes. “I was just hoping they could deescalate the situation,” Isabella Collins, Quinto’s younger sister, said during a press conference on Thursday, February 19. His family reported that his behavior changed after sustaining a head injury earlier last year, which led to him experiencing bouts of paranoia and anxiety.
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Judy Chu (D-Calif.), who is the chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. “But the Asian American community has reached a crisis point that cannot be ignored.” Since the beginning of the pandemic, members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community have recounted experiences of discrimination, xenophobia and assault. “What started as dirty looks and verbal assault has escalated to physical attacks and violence against innocent Asian Americans,” Chu added. In recent weeks, documented incidents
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HALF A MILLION. U.S. President Joe Biden marked the grim milestone of 500,000 Americans killed by COVID-19 with the somber ceremony on Monday evening, February 22 at the White House. He was joined by first lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff during the candle-lighting ceremony and a moment of silence. White House photo
US tops 500K COVID deaths by AJPRESS HALF a million people in the United States have lost their lives to the novel coronavirus. According to a Reuters tally of public health data, the country logged more than 28 million COVID-19 cases and 500,264 fatalities on Monday, February 22. The grim number of deaths “matches the number of Americans killed in World War II, Korea Family members remember Angelo Quinto, a 30-year-old Navy and Vietnam combined,” the Asveteran, as someone who enjoyed fishing, scuba diving and video games. Quinto died on Dec. 26, 2020, three days after a sociated Press reported. The U.S. recorded an estimated police officer reportedly knelt on his neck during a mental health episode. Photo courtesy of Quinto family 405,000 deaths in World War II,
58,000 in the Vietnam War and 36,000 in the Korean War. “These numbers are stunning,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said in a “Good Morning America” interview. “If you look back historically, we’ve done worse than almost any other country and we’re a highly developed, rich country,” he added. To mark the grim milestone, U.S. President Joe Biden held a sunset moment of silence and a
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