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MARCH 4-10, 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. 9 • 12 Pages

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DATELINE

USA

FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

What Biden’s US Citizenship Act of 2021 will do for family immigration WHEN Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey and Rep. Linda Sanchez of California first introduced the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 in Congress on Feb. 18, the general consensus among immigration activists was mixed.

Some criticized the bill — which largely calls for reviews and not immediate repeals of the immigration policies of former President Donald Trump — for not being proactive enough.

But many saw the bill as a win, the first step into what Democrats are calling a more “humane” immigration plan.

“What the immigrant community was just put through these last four years was beyond cruel,” Menendez said in a virtual press conference unveiling the bill. “Trump assailed DREAMERS and [Temporary Protected Status] holders to strip their legal status. He slashed legal channels of immigration into our country. He stole from our military to pour billions into an ineffective border wall.

And instead of addressing the root causes of migration, he cut off aid to Central America.”

After House approval, US Senate prepares to take up $1.9T COVID bill

by KLARIZE

MEDENILLA AJPress

AMERICANS may be closer to receiving the longawaited first COVID-19 stimulus checks of the new administration as the U.S. Senate moves forward on making a decision on President Joe Biden’s sweeping COVID-19 bill, which includes $1,400 direct

payments to most American taxpayers.

The House of Representatives passed the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package — dubbed the American Rescue Plan — in the small hours of Saturday, Feb. 27, passing the bill onto the Senate.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said that Senate Democrats are hoping to pass the $1.9 trillion package before March 14 when the

RYAN Garcia said his “dream fight” against Filipino boxing Sen. Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao will not be realized anymore or, at least, in the near future.

“To all my fans and supporters, my fight with Manny Pacquiao is not happening right now,” captioned Garcia on an Instagram post on Tuesday, March 2.

“I tried my best after getting the call to fight him, but it didn’t happen due to some issues,” added the American.

Garcia, the current World Boxing Council interim lightweight champion, said he’s already preparing for his next fight.

“I didn’t expect [it] to come up, but I’m already working on the next fight. Thank you for

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by RITCHEL

MENDIOLA AJPress

COUNSELING. Employees of St. Luke’s Medical Center (SLMC) in Quezon City undergo counseling as part of the step-by-step procedure before being administered with the CoronaVac vaccine manufactured by Sinovac from China during the rollout inoculation on Wednesday, March 3. Aside from protecting frontline healthcare workers against COVID-19, the vaccination program also aims to boost confidence among Filipinos that all vaccines approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are safe. PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler

GoFundMe launches #StopAsianHate initiative to benefit victims, AAPI community organizations

by CHRISTINA

M. ORIEL

AJPress

WITH the rise in violence against Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs), GoFundMe this week launched the #StopAsianHate initiative, a centralized hub of fundraisers that will benefit the community.

The GoFundMe page (gofundme.com/ AAPI) features verified fundraisers from across the country that will benefit victims of violence, organizations that provide resources for those affected and increased protection in communities, as well as support for neighborhoods and AAPI-owned

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First batch of AstraZeneca vaccines arrives in PH

by RITCHEL

MENDIOLA AJPress

Google Doodle honors Filipina suffragist Rosa Sevilla de Alvero an illustration of De Alvero in a Maria Clara dress casting her vote in a ballot box, with the GOOGLE Doodle is celebrat- arms of other Filipinas from ing the 142nd birthday of Rosa succeeding generations doing Sevilla de Alvero, a women’s the same act.

De Alvero was born in 1879, activist who fought for the suffrage of Filipinas, with a doodle in Tondo, Manila. In addition to being a journalist, educator, on its Philippine homepage.

The March 4 doodle features u PAGE A2

by RITCHEL

MENDIOLA AJPress

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Duterte to end VFA if US nukes found in PH

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Garcia: ‘Dream fight’ vs Pacquiao not happening

pandemic-driven expanded unemployment benefits expire.

Schumer told fellow senators on the floor this week that the chamber should prepare for “a hardy debate and some late nights. But the American people sent us here with a job to do, to help the country through this moment of extraordinary challenge.”

THE Philippines received on Thursday, March 4 the first shipment of 487,200 COVID-19 vaccines developed by BritishSwede drugmaker AstraZeneca.

According Philippine vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr., the decrease in the 525,600 doses that the Palace initially gave was because of cargo limitations, as the vaccines will be delivered using a commercial flight.

“This is a commercial airline, may mga pasahero po ito, so may mga restrictions po tayo sa mga packages. Considering that it is commercial, so nagkaroon po sigurong limitations in terms of ‘yung sa cargo (This is

a commercial airline, which has passengers, so there are restrictions for the packages. Considering that it is commercial, that’s probably why we had limitations in terms of the cargo),” he explained.

The COVID-19 jabs from AstraZeneca are under the COVAX facility.

Backed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as well as the vaccine alliance Gavi and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, the COVAX facility is a global platform that aims to ensure fair and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for all countries.

The Philippines is set to receive at least 5.6 million COVID-

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PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte is threatening to scrap the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) anew if he finds “hard information” that the United States has stored nuclear weapons in the country.

“I am warning you that if I get hold of a hard information that nuclear armaments are here brought by you, I will immediately ask you to go out and I will terminate the Visiting Forces Agreement ora mismo (right now),” the president said during a press conference at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City on Sunday, February 28.

According to Duterte, the Philippine Constitution prohibits the presence of nuclear armaments in the country.

“We are making a big gamble there because if there are no armaments in the Philippines, if we only have what we need for counterinsurgency, we’re OK. We do not need weapons that would fight other countries because we do not have it, the arms, and we do not want it,” he added.

Duterte noted that the Philippines will be the first country to get hit should a war break out between the U.S. and its enemy.

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march 4-10, 2021 • LaS VEGaS aSIaN JOUrNaL

From The FronT Page

After House approval, US Senate...

PAGE A1 Previously, the bill included a measure that would increase the federal minimum wage up to $15 an hour, but Democrats scrapped the proposal to solicit more Republican support. (The current federal minimum wage is at $7.25 an hour.)

As such, the Senate is expected to make major changes to the bill and undergo a marathon voting session where any senator who wishes to force an amend-

ment vote will be allowed to do so.

Because the Senate is likely going to impose major changes to the bill, it will need another pass for approval in the House before it is sent to Biden’s desk for final approval.

The president’s sweeping coronavirus relief plan includes the $1,400 stimulus checks that will be sent to taxpayers who make up to $75,000 a year and married couples who make up

to $150,000 in their combined yearly income.

It also extends COVID-19 unemployment benefits and imposes bigger tax breaks for households with kids. It also creates a federal task force to oversee and streamline vaccine distribution, provides additional funding for schools to prepare for a return back to the classroom and expands aid to small businesses that have been financially afASTRAZENECA VACCINES ARRIVE. A KLM Royal Dutch Airlines commercial plane carrying nearly 500,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine fected. n

What Biden’s US Citizenship Act of 2021...

PAGE A1 As previously reported in the Asian Journal, the sweeping immigration bill seeks to address the many facets of immigration policy from improving border security technology and expanding the asylum program to protecting employee-based immigration and creating an eightyear fast-track to citizenship for about 11 million undocumented people.

The bill also includes the Reuniting Families Act, which addresses the exorbitant backlog in granting visas through familybased and employment-based programs.

Chinese American U.S. Rep. Judy Chu (D-C.A.) first introduced the measure in 2019 and seeks to strengthen and modernize family-based petitioning, the most common way that Asian immigrants reunite with their families in the U.S. According to John Yang, executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, about 70% of Asians who migrate to the United States opt for family-based immigration and have done so since the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which established family-based immigration.

However, since family-based visa caps have not risen since 1990, leading to an extreme backlog in processing these visas for the exponentially growing Asian community in the U.S. Currently, there are 1.7 undocumented Asian immigrants living in the U.S., many of whom are frontline workers in the health, food and emergency industries, Yang pointed out.

“The importance of immigra-

tion policy for Asian Americans — and for Americans as a whole — cannot be understated,” Yang said at a press briefing on Feb. 24, referencing census data that projects that Asian Americans will make up the largest community of immigrants in the U.S. by 2055.

Currently, there are about 4 million immigrants stuck in these backlogs; additionally, more than 1 million with H1-B visas are “stuck in temporary status,” Yang said.

Based on current patterns of immigration, about 40% of immigrants hail from Asia and about two-thirds of Asians and Asian Americans are immigrants. About 90% are either immigrants or children of immigrants.

Yet, immigrants from the Philippines are among the groups that have the longest wait times for processing, along with those from Mexico, China, India and Vietnam, Yang said.

The Trump administration — among its many restrictive immigration policies and practices — included gutting family-based petitioning in favor of more merit-based employment visas, the beneficiaries of which the administration saw as more of a priority.

A majority of immigrants from Asia who are able to come to the U.S. on employment-based visas come from the tech and telecommunications space, but according to Chu, prioritizing one immigration program over another puts families at risk because it narrowly favors individuals who possess certain education and employment credentials over others.

“Prioritizing merit-based or employment-based visas at the expense of family-based visas is counterproductive,” Chu said at the press conference. “In reality, family and employment visas are linked; people with high skills also have families and they are motivated to come to the U.S. if they can also bring their families. Immigrants on familybased visas contribute greatly to the economy, they go on to start businesses and create jobs and only allowing certain people with higher education would put other industries at a disadvantage.”

Though in the past certain immigration reform bills have garnered bipartisan support, the likelihood of the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 passing nervously hangs in the balance as Democrats hold thin majorities in both chambers of Congress.

The bill would require at least 10 Republican votes to bypass a Senate filibuster and advance the bill to a final vote. But Republicans have criticized the bill for being too lax on border security and argue that the broad pathway to citizenship will encourage illegal immigration.

Upon the first introduction of the bill, both Sanchez and Menendez said that there will be a possibility of alternative approaches to ensure the bill has bipartisan support.

“We are pursuing an ‘all of the above strategy,” Sanchez told reporters in February. “All options are on the table, and we hope to pass robust immigration reform, but there are other great immigration bills that we also will be taking up and hopefully passing as well.” (Klarize Medenilla/AJPress)

SOUTHERN NEVADA REGIONAL HOUSING AUTHORITY 340 N. 11TH Street, Las Vegas, NV 89101

PUBLIC NOTICE Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority(SNRHA) Housing Choice Voucher/Section 8 Program 2021 Lottery Opening The Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority is opening its 2021 Housing Choice Voucher/ Section 8 Lottery.

On-line entries (ONLY) will be accepted beginning on Monday, March 8, 2021(beginning at 7:00 a.m.) through Monday, March 15, 2021 (ending at 5:00 p.m.). All Applications submitted successfully will be placed in a pool.

TO PARTICIPATE YOU MUST BE: • 18 years of age or older or legally emancipated: and • A U.S. citizen or eligible immigrant and have legal capacity to enter into a lease under the state and local law Please Note: 1. You must have an email address to apply.

2. SNRHA will deny any applicants or any member of applicant household who is subject to a lifetime registration requirement under a state sex offender registration program OR has been convicted of manufacturing or producing methamphetamine in a public housing development or in a Section 8 assisted property.

3. Criminal background checks will be conducted on all persons age 18 years and older.

4. Participants will be required to enter the Social Security Number of the Head of Household and Co-Head/Spouse.

5. ONLY ONE COMPUTER ENTRY can be submitted per household.

Multiple entries will be voided.

6. Lottery entry is not transferable.

7. Lottery entries must be complete. Incomplete entries will be voided.

8. Please print the Lottery Number Confirmation Page for your records.

9. Report any changes online. Include name, social security number and correct address.

10. DO NOT PAY ANYONE to participate in the HCV/SECTION 8 Lottery.

To apply for the lottery: Lottery Entries MUST be submitted on-line (through the internet) by using ANY computer or smart phone that has Internet access by going to SNRHA website https://onlineportal.snvrha.org.

against COVID-19 arrives at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Thursday, March 4. The initial batch was delivered under the World Health Organization-led COVAX Facility and will be transported to Metropac in Marikina.

PNA photo by Joey Razon

First batch of AstraZeneca vaccines...

PAGE A1

19 vaccine doses from PfizerBioNTech and AstraZeneca through the facility.

In January, Galvez said the country will be provided with 117,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and 5,500,800 to 9,290,400 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said President Rodrigo Duterte will personally welcome the arrival of the British-made vaccines to express his gratitude to the WHO and British Ambassador to the Philippines Daniel Pruce.

“He will return to Manila if he’s in Davao and he will welcome the arrival of AstraZeneca because it’s important to also thank WHO and the British government since the arrival of AstraZeneca vaccines from the COVAX facility was because of Ambassador Pruce’s intercession,” he said in Filipino on Tuesday, March 2.

AstraZeneca jabs eyed for elderly health workers The AstraZeneca vaccines arriving in the Philippines may be

allocated for senior healthcare workers since Sinovac Biotech’s “CoronaVac” vaccine was not recommended for those over 59 years old.

“May mga doctor po na nagsasabi, priority natin yung mga senior healthcare workers. So yung deployment po nito, sa mga hospital pa rin po (Some doctors are saying that we have to prioritize senior healthcare workers. So its deployment will still be in hospitals),” said Galvez.

“Ang recommendation po nila, considering na may limitations tayo ng 18-59 po na age group ang ating Sinovac (Their recommendation was, considering that we have limitations of [the] 18-59 age group for Sinovac), we want to accept those limitations by having this AstraZeneca available to our senior citizens,” he added.

However, Galvez noted that this move would still be reviewed by members of the National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG). “‘Yun po ang tinitignan po namin na anggulo para at least

well protected po yung vulnerable, senior healthcare workers (This is the angle we’re looking at to protect our vulnerable, senior healthcare workers),” he said.

The Philippines on Monday, March 1, kicked-off its vaccination drive against COVID-19.

The first dose of CoronaVac was administered to University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital Director Gerardo Legaspi, making him the first person in the country to officially receive the COVID-19 jab.

To date, 8,559 individuals have already been vaccinated, according to Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles.

Inoculations are already ongoing in 32 hospitals, and will further be expanding to Davao, Cagayan de Oro, and Cebu City as more than 190,000 doses of CoronaVac have been transported nationwide.

The Philippines is aiming to vaccinate 50 to 70 million Filipinos in 2021, with up to 200,000 individuals receiving jabs every day. n

Duterte to end VFA if US nukes found...

PAGE A1 “Kung magka-giyera (if a war breaks out) and it will surely start maybe in the theater of war would be the Spratly and China Sea. Katabi lang tayo. Pangasinan, it’s just — nakaharap. Maraming probinsiya nandiyan. Alam mo kung may armaments sila dito ang unang tatamaan ‘yon. Saan?

Sa Pilipinas (We’re just beside it.

Pangasinan, it’s just — in front.

There are so many provinces there. You know if they have armaments here we’ll be first to get hit. Where? The Philippines),” he said.

He also claimed that the U.S. has “depots” for their weapons in the Philippines.

“The arms are stored everywhere in the Philippines, baka hindi niyo alam (in case you don’t know). May mga depots (They have depots) all around the Philippines,” said Duterte.

“Sinabi ko sa kanila (I told them) I cannot stop you because we have yet to renegotiate the Visiting Forces Agreement but I am warning you that if I get hold of hard information that the nuclear armaments are here

brought by you, I will immediately ask you to go out and I will terminate the VFA immediately,” he added.

Last week, Duterte admitted that he doesn’t know whether to renew or abrogate the agreement with the United States, adding that he wants to hear 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,” he said in a public address aired on February 24.

“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.

Previously, he said the U.S. would have to “pay” to keep the VFA from being terminated.

“I would like to put on notice if there’s an American agent here that from now on, you want the Visiting Forces Agreement done?

Well, you have to pay,” Duterte said in his speech on February 12 at Clark Air Base in Pampanga.

The VFA, which came into force in 1999, covers the conduct of U.S. soldiers in the Philippines.

Among the provisions of the deal include relaxed visa and passport policies for U.S. troops, and the rights of the U.S. government to retain its jurisdiction over its military personnel when they commit crimes in the Philippines.

In February 2020, the Philippines sent the U.S. a notice terminating the VFA reportedly after the U.S. canceled Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa’s visa.

The termination was later suspended in June “in light of political and other developments in the region,” and the suspension was extended in November for another six months to enable the Philippines and the U.S. to find a more enhanced, mutually beneficial, mutually agreeable, and more effective and lasting arrangement on how to move forward in their mutual defense.

In December, the president threatened to continue with the VFA’s termination if the U.S. did not extend at least 20 million vaccines to the Philippines. n

Google Doodle honors Filipina suffragist...

PAGE A1 and activist, she widely considered to be one of the most influential suffragists in Filipino history.

A profile on the Google Doodle page recounted her early life as a child sent to live with her aunt, an educator who hosted Filipino patriots and intellectuals at her home.

“Sevilla often eavesdropped on their conversations about battling educational colonialism — revolutionary discussions that helped mold her beliefs,” it said.

At 21, De Alvero founded the Instituto de Mujeres (“Women’s

Institute”) of Manila, one of the first schools for women in Filipino history. Today it is known as the Rosa Sevilla Memorial School.

“The institute became a hotbed for progress under Sevilla’s leadership — educating women on topics such as suffrage, vocation and Tagalog,” said Google.

De Alvero also collaborated with notable Filipino Tagalog poets to present the first balagtasan (a debate held in poetic verse), which sparked a movement for Tagalog to become the national language.

In 1916, she left Manila to rally women across the country

in her fight for suffrage, later founding the Liga Nacional de Damas Filipinas (“National League of Filipino Women”) to support her cause. Filipinas were granted the right to vote on September 17, 1937.

“Thanks in part to Sevilla’s tremendous call to action, voting rights were granted to Filipino women in 1937,” said Google. “Happy birthday, Rosa Sevilla de Alvero!”

Google Doodle has honored pioneering Filipinas in recent months, including artist and activist Pacita Abad and Fil-Am Olympic Gold Medalist Vicki Manalo-Draves. n

• SNRHA is not offering In Person Lottery entry service at this time.

LOTTERY POOL: • ALL accepted lottery entries will be held in a pool. Date/Time of application submission will not determine Lottery selection.

• Drawings for 2021 may be conducted at any time after lottery closing.

For SNHRA Housing Choice Voucher Program.

• Individuals that have their number drawn will be placed on the Housing Choice Voucher Waitlist and will be notified by email.

• 2021 lottery entries that have not been drawn will be purged within 60 days and will be notified by email.

The following is a list of possible preference points: • Applicants who work 20 or more hours per week • Full-time students (Age 18 and older in an accredited school or training program • Receiving SSI/SSD or proof of inability to work • 62 years of age or older • Families that live or work within Clark County • Veteran or Spouse of a Veteran • Disabled Veteran (disability must be service connected) • Spouse of a Deceased Veteran (death must be service connected) **Please note that you are applying for the waitlist, SNRHA does not have immediate or emergency housing**

ORCHIDS FOR SALE. A man arranges different kinds of orchids he sells at the Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City on Thursday, March 4.

The government has allowed selected businesses, such as plant nurseries, to operate so long as they follow safety and health protocols amid the pandemic.

PNA photo by Rico H. Borja

(702) 792-6678 • http://www.asianjournal.com

Dateline USa

LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • mARch 4-10, 2021

‘Dedicated to her work’: Pinay nurse dies of COVID-19 in SoCal worked before joining Kindred Hospital.

Two weeks before Christmas, Miguel experienced symptoms, such as chills and a high fever, before she was taken to Kaiser Permanente in Downey, where she was hooked up to an oxygen machine to help with breathing. She later tested positive for COVID-19.

Miguel was discharged from the hospital and recuperated from home for the next week, while her family kept their distance, until the evening of December 23 when she had an accident in the bathroom and couldn’t stand up.

Her husband Dodjie and son Ken carried her into the car and brought her back to the hospital, where she was admitted to the intensive care unit and was hooked up to a ventilator. She was later transferred to Kaiser Permanente in Woodland Hills and showed signs of improvement.

Despite their mother not being home for Christmas, the family still opened presents and kept in touch with her through FaceTime each day she was in the hospital.

“It was kind of weird, but it was the best thing that we could do. She was there in spirit even though she was at the hospital,” Ken said.

After the holiday, Ken and his father, Dodjie, started experiencing symptoms like the loss of taste

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and smell and fatigue. They tested positive for COVID-19 and recovered in about 10 days.

On the morning of January 8, A FILIPINA mother of two sons they were notified that Miguel from Whittier, California has died had gone into cardiac arrest. Her from COVID-19 after working on family rushed to the hospital, the frontlines as a licensed vocawhich is over an hour drive from tional nurse. their house in Whittier, to be by Rowena “Wendy” Miguel, 53, her side. died on January 10, three weeks “We basically had two choices. after testing positive for COVIDIt was try to revive her at risk of 19. hurting her even more or let her She was employed at Kindred pass away,” Ken recounted, pushHospital in La Mirada, California ing for his mom to be revived. “But for nearly five years, and worked [the doctor] told us that even if my a second job, also as an LVN, at mom were to recover from this, Among the speakers at the rally was a recent victim, 61-year-old Filipino-American Noel Quintana, whose face was slashed on the subway nearby Imperial Convalescent earlier this month. “I called for help, but nobody came to help,” he said. “If they took a video of this, the perpetrator would be identified and the chances would be super easily.” He urged people to be safe and aware, and to record and report incidents.

Hospital.

AJPress photo by Momar G. Visaya low, she would be in a vegetative “She was dedicated to her work state.” and really took care of her patients.

Two days later, in the early During a ceremony for her, her morning of January 10, the famco-workers remembered how she ily received a call that Miguel had was a hard worker and how she died. was precise about everything,” her Forty days after her passing, her 22-year-old son, Ken Miguel, told family had a private viewing certhe Asian Journal. emony before she was cremated.

Miguel, who was from Candeby MoMar G. Visaya his usage of the phrases “kung down,” James said. “We need a Ken set up a GoFundMe page to laria, Philippines, began her nursAJPress flu” and “Chinese virus” at the patrol which is staffed by police help the family with expenses. ing career in her home country.

HUNDREDS of New York- beginning of the coronavirus officers. A full-time, dedicated “It would really help me sup“This was my mom’s way to bureau... that patrol the streets, port my family and it would really ers trooped to Foley Square in pandemic. pay my grandma back for the hard “Last year, at the beginning patrol the subways and keep help to pay off my mom’s debts,” downtown Manhattan on Satwork she’s done. That’s why she urday, Feb. 27 for the ”Rise Up of the coronavirus pandemic, the Asian community safe from he said. became a nurse because it was a Miguel worked two jobs and Against Anti-Asian Hate” rally there were warnings of a poten- harm.” gateway to a good life,” Ken said.

De Blasio told the crowd: “Stop rarely had days off, but whenever led by the Asian American Fed- tial surge in hate crimes against She and her family moved to Asian Americans.

Tragically, Asian hate! This is the message she had free time, she would study eration (AAF) to protest a rising Southern California in 2006 and to be a registered nurse. She is wave of brutal attacks on Asian those warnings came to fruition we have to get out, not just in she landed her first job as an LVN also remembered for her love of Americans, including a large and the Asian American com- New York City, but all over this two years later at La Habra Conmunity, across New York and country: Stop Asian hate, stop it number of elderly people. shopping and sewing clothes. valescent Hospital, where she The venue was a couple of the country, have been the tar- now!”

“During our last conversation Meng thanked the members of before she passed away, she said, blocks away from the site of yet get of race-based discrimination and harassment,” Schumer said. other communities in NYC who ‘Study hard and become a nurse.’ another attack two days earlier I’ve latched onto how caring she when a 36-year-old Asian Ameri- “Bigotry against any of us is big- attended the rally for showing up and lending support. is and I’m going to hold onto that can man was stabbed unpro- otry against all of us.”

James told the crowd, “When I “We need to make sure that we voked. forever,” Ken said. think of Noel, I think of the words are not fighting racism with more In the past few weeks alone, In addition to her husband and eldest son, Miguel leaves behind a there has been a spate of assaults of Dr. King. It is the good people racism, that we are fighting racon Asian elders in New York City who fail to stand up. It is the si- ism with solidarity, that we are 14-year-old son named Kyle.

Though vaccinations against and across the county. These lence of good people who fail to not ever, ever pitting one group COVID-19 are a step toward curb- are just the latest in a string of stand up, who allow racism and against another,” she said.

“Many of our elderly are scared ing the pandemic, the grim toll of violent attacks numbering close hate to persist and so all of us are here today, all of us who believe to leave their homes not just beover 500,000 deaths in the United to 500 that have targeted Asian in the goodness of one another. cause of the virus but because of States serves as a reminder that it New Yorkers in the past year.

Among the speakers were All of us who recognize that all of bigotry. The United States has a is not over. long history of discriminating and “When the pandemic first start- elected officials led by Senate us bleed red. ”All of us who recognize that excluding Asian Americans that ed, I didn’t think it was going to Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, personally affect me the way that Rep. Grace Meng, New York At- his scars will heal but the scars stems from ignorant fear,” Meng it did,” Ken said. “The biggest les- torney General Letitia James and of hate, and the taint of hate, and said, adding that the Trump adson I’ve learned is always cherish Mayor Bill de Blasio, along with the pain of hate that we have got ministration fostered bigotry.

“We’ve been taught our entire Miguel (center) is survived by her husband Dodjie and sons Ken and Kyle. your loved ones because you don’t community allies and leaders to cure, so all of us must stand together,” she added. lives to just fit in, just be quiet, Photo courtesy of Ken Miguel what’s going to happen.” n across the city.

Based on reports collected by don’t speak up, be invisible. If Noel Quintana, a 61-year-old Filipino American, spoke about AAF, Stop AAPI Hate, NYPD, and you are invisible enough, you the ordeal he had to go through the NYC Commission on Human will be seen as American,” Meng on Feb. 3 when his face was Rights, Asian New Yorkers suf- said tearfully, her voice breakPAGE A1 Tariq said in a statement. “To- Asian hate ranging from shunning slashed on the subway as he was fered nearly 500 bias incidents ing. “But we are to say that we or hate crimes in 2020, ranging won’t be invisible no more, we gether, we can help those facing to physical attacks. businesses. on his way to work.

In recent weeks, several inciSome examples of vetted fund- immediate needs in addition to While the most frightening from verbal to physical assaults, will speak up. We are saying that raisers include campaigns for: organizations working to address dents involving older Asian Ameri- part of the entire ordeal was the to being coughed at or spat upon, we are American, too.”

Jo-Ann Yoo, the executive dicans have come to light, including slashing, what followed next was to shunning, among other forms Noel Quintana, a Filipino Ameri- long term, systemic issues.” of discrimination. rector of the Asian American FedIn addition to designer Phillip the death of Vicha Ratanapakdee, just as awful. can who received almost 100 However, these are a fraction eration, said, “It is heartbreaking stitches after being slashed in the Lim, supporters of the initiative an 84-year-old Thai immigrant, “Nobody helped. We’re all face on the New York subway; as- include big names in fashion, me- who was fatally shoved to the New Yorkers and no one helped of the actual number of incidents that we are being forced to live in sistance with medical expenses dia and entertainment, and sports. ground while out on his morning me. There should be an aware- that have occurred, as the major- fear of our lives. It’s time for our for Marc Quidit, a Fil-Am store Among the Filipino American lead- walk in San Francisco. ness campaign on how to deal ity of incidents go unreported, leaders and all New Yorkers to “These hate crimes are up by with this kind of problem, not according to the AAF. For exam- come together and stand against owner in Vallejo, California who ers and personalities are Away cowas shot multiple times during founder Jen Rubio; journalist and 1,900% and are a symptom of only on the subway but also on ple, over 90% of the reports col- this virus of hate. Our communia robbery; a volunteer group to immigration activist Jose Antonio a larger issue rooted in systemic the streets, so people know who lected by AAF were not reported ties deserve to live in safety. They watch San Francisco Chinatown’s Vargas; and actors Manny Jacinto racism. It is a direct result of the to respond to victims such as to either the NYPD or NYC Com- also deserve recovery programs, language services, mental health xenophobia and colonialism that myself,” Quintana told the Asian mission on Human Rights. residents and merchants; and res- and Joel De La Fuente.

James encouraged individuals services, and solutions that cenAs of this writing, the GoFund- has existed in America for de- Journal before the start of the toration for the Higashi Honganji at the rally to report hate crimes ter the community. We believe in Buddhist Temple, which was re- Me, which was created on Tues- cades,” Lim said. program.

Individuals who have expericently vandalized in Los Angeles’ day, March 2, received $361,131 Schumer called Quintana to to her office because hate will the safety of all our communities of its $500,000 goal in the first enced an incident can go to the join him by the podium as he not be tolerated in a country of and look forward to working with Little Tokyo. our leaders, our community, and Stop AAPI Hate website (stopaapi- echoed what Meng said about immigrants.

Meanwhile, tax-deductible day.

“Come to my office so we can victims to ensure that the soluIndividuals can also start their hate.org) and file a report in Eng- former President Donald Trump donations to the AAPI Community Fund will help organizations own GoFundMe for over a dozen lish or an Asian language, includ- and his administration leading go after these individuals who tions we implement support and address” the urgent issues that identified AAPI organizations, ing Tagalog. n anti-Asian rhetoric last year with hate us, so we can shut them uplift all New Yorkers.” n face the AAPI community as well such as Filipino Advocates for Justice, Asian Health Services, as broader, systemic problems.”

PAUNAWA NG MUNISIPAL NA PANGUNAHING HALALAN “The recent attacks against the Asian Pacific Environmental NetLUNGSOD NG BOULDER CITY, ESTADO NG NEVADA AAPI community have catalyzed a work, and Gold House. Beyond SA MARTES, IKA-6 NG ABRIL, 2021 strong response among a diverse monetary aid, supporters are also cross section of society. The feed- encouraged to help amplify the ANG PAUNAWA’NG ITO AY NAGBIBIGAY NANG KAALAMAN na ang Pangunahing back from those who want to effect messages.

Halalan ay gaganapin sa Martes, ika-6 ng Abril, 2021, kung saan ang halalan ay isusuStop AAPI Hate — an online change has been clear: what can I mite sa karapat-dapat na manghahalal, maayos na nakarehistro ng Boulder City, mga do, and where do I go? Working reporting center started by the kandidato para sa tanggapan ng miyembro ng konseho. closely with Phillip Lim, and other Asian Pacific Policy and Planning leaders in the community — we Council, Chinese for Affirmative SA KARAGDAGAN, ang Munisipal na Pangunahing Halalan sa Martes, ika-6 ng Abril, knew we could help by doing what Action and San Francisco State 2021, ay isasagawa sa paraang itinakda ng batas ng halalan sa Estado ng Nevada GoFundMe does best — connect- University’s Asian American Studat ang Lungsod ng Boulcer City. Bumoto sa alinman sa Sentro ng Pagboto sa Araw ng Halalan. Ang mga lugar ng botohan ay bukas mula 7:00 n.u. hanggang 7:00 n.g. ing those who need help, with ies department — received over sa parehong lugar. Ang mga lugar ng pagboto sa Boulder City ay sa sumusunod na those who are willing and able to 2,808 firsthand accounts from mga lugar: do so,” GoFundMe CMO Musa March to December 2020 of antiby Christina

M. oriel

AJPress

Hundreds rally in NYC against rising Asian hate incidents

GoFundMe launches #StopAsianHate...

Boulder City Recreation Center 900 Arizona Street Boulder City, Nevada Martha P. King Elementary 888 S. Adams Boulevard Boulder City, Nevada Ang mga makakatulong sa mga taong mayroo’ng kapansanan at mayroo’ng edad 65 taong gulang o mas higit pa ay matatagpuan sa bawat sentro ng pagboto. Para sa mga botante na mayroo’ng kapansanan sa paningin, ang pagboto sa pamamagitan ng awdyo ay maaari’ng magamit sa panahon ng maagang pagboto sa Boulder City Recreation Center at sa Araw ng Halalan sa kahit saan man Sentro ng Pagboto.

Ang lahat ng mga aktibo rehistradong botante sa Boulder City ay makakatanggap ng isang koreong balota para sa ika-6 ng Abril, 2021 Munisipal na Pangunahing Halalan, kung humiling man o hindi. Mga pagpipilian na ihulog at ibigay ang iyong koreong balota upang bumoto nang personal ay ibibigay sa iyong halimbawang balota at koreong balota na pakete.

Ryan Garcia and Philippine Senator Manny Pacquiao Photo from Instagram/@mannypacquiao

Garcia: ‘Dream fight’ vs Pacquiao...

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all the support,” he continued.

In January, the 22-year-old teased fans by posting on Instagram a mock-up poster of him and eight-division world champion Pacquiao, dubbing it as a “dream fight.”

Garcia continued posting about the “dream fight,” saying that it would be a real fight with all the records on the line and that he eyed knocking Pacquiao out.

Last February, however, Golden Boy Promotions President Eric Gomez announced that the

Garcia-Pacquiao fight wouldn’t happen anymore, saying that he didn’t see any possibilities of the fight pushing through.

Meanwhile, the 42-year-old fighting senator announced three weeks ago that he had already begun training for his next fight.

“Training camp has begun.

I’m ready to get back in the ring and to further add to my legacy in the sport of boxing. Big news [is] coming soon. Paradigm Sports.

Audie Attar,” posted Pacquiao on Twitter. (Niel Victor Masoy/ManilaTimes.net)

Ang kahilingan para sa manliliban na balota ay maaari’ng makita sa Boulder City, Tanggapan ng Kawani ng Lungsod para sa nasabi’ng Pangunahing Halalan, at lahat ng kahilingan sa pamamagitan ng sulat para sa mga manililiban na balota at kinakailangan na matanggap sa Lalawigan ng Clark Kagawaran ng Halalan na hindi lalampas sa ika-23 ng Marso, 2021 ng 5:00 n.h.

Ang Munisipal na Pangunahing Halalan para sa maagang pagboto ay sa ika-25 ng Marso (Huwebes) hanggang ika-2 ng Abril (Biyernes).

Ang maagang pagboto ay isasagawa sa Boulder City Recreation Center. 900 Arizona Street tulad ng sumusunod : Huwebes Biyernes, Sabado, Linggo Lunes – Huwebes Biyernes

Ika-25 ng Marso, 2021 Ika-26-28 ng Marso, 2021 Ika-29 ng Marso – April 1, 2021 Ika-2 ng Abril, 2021

Pinetsahan nito’ng ika-9 na araw ng Pebrero 2021. /s/Lorene Krumm_____________ Lorene Krumm, Kawani ng Lungsod Lungsod ng Boulder City, Nevada LVRJ ika-26 ng Pebrero at ika-5 ng Marso, 2021 El Tiempo, ika-24 ng Pebrero at ika-3 ng Marso, 2021 LV Asian Journal, ika-25 ng Pebrero at ika-4 ng Marso, 2021 BC Review, ika-25 ng Pebrero at ika-4 ng Marso, 2021

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8 n.u. hanggang 6 n.g.

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MARCH 4-10, 2021 • LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL

OPINION

Body cameras

FEATURES

LONG before the COVID pandemic, agencies involved in the campaign against illegal drugs had been talking about the procurement of body cameras for use by their operatives. The devices are meant to promote transparency amid criticism of the brutal way the war on drugs has been carried out.

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency procured 100 body cameras together with 20 aerial surveillance drones back in 2018. PDEA agents underwent training in May of that year on the use of the equipment.

Media workers accompanying PDEA teams during operations were also required to use body cameras.

Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police procured 2,696 body cameras, to be used for all its operations and not just against illegal drugs. Training on the use of the cameras began only last Friday, involving members of the National Capital Region Police Office. The waterproof camera can record video for up to eight hours. Its configuration cannot be altered and it cannot be switched off by the police officer until his or her duty ends.

It’s unfortunate that neither the PDEA nor the PNP considered using the body cameras for the

anti-drug operation that resulted in a shootout between members of the two agencies in a fast-food outlet last week in Quezon City. Two policemen, a PDEA operative and a civilian allegedly serving as an informant were killed in the shootout that is now the subject of a probe by the National Bureau of Investigation.

Instead of body camera footage, what investigators have are video or photos of the shootout and its aftermath, taken by bystanders, by civilians caught in the crossfire, and by the Quezon City police officers who staged the drug sting. The use of body cameras would have made the search for the truth over what happened easier. Thousands of the cameras are now available for use. Both the police and PDEA should be reminded that the cameras are supposed to be used for law enforcement rather than for taking selfies. (Philstar.com)

Editorial

Philstar.com photo

Spring forward: Vaccine supply for every adult in the US by end of May The Fil-Am Perspective GEL SANTOS-RELOS SPRING comes early with great news that brings us closer to our collective aspiration to defeat COVID-19, so we can go back toward “normalcy” and rebuild our lives and our nation.

President Joe Biden announced on Tuesday, March 2 that the United States will have the vaccine supply we need to cover ALL adults in the country by the end of May, which brings us two months ahead of his previously announced target to vaccinate almost all Americans by the end of July.

In a televised message, Biden broke the news that two competing companies in the fields of health care and pharmaceuticals — Johnson and Johnson and Merck — have joined together to help produce more of the Johnson & Johnson single-shot vaccine that was authorized for emergency use over the weekend.

As CBS News reported, “Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine has been shown to provide 85% protection against severe COVID-19 by 28 days after vaccination. Among

Street Talk GREG B. MACABENTA MY favorite anecdote about “improving operations efficiency” is that one about the kid who overheard his engineer father tell his assistants to “put more men on the job” in order to fast-track an infrastructure project.

The kid, being an only child, also wanted his parents to give him a baby brother. When his father replied that it would take a while to do so, the kid suggested, “Why not put more men on the job?”

While I realize that the subject is no joking matter, the fact that the Philippines has lagged behind the other ASEAN nations in acquiring COVID-19 vaccines reminds me of that anecdote – because it appears that President Rodrigo Duterte’s solution to the problem is, in effect, to put more officials on the job.

Duterte has appointed five “czars” to deal with the coronavirus crisis. No kidding!

Last July 13, 2020 – over half a year ago – the Philippine Daily Inquirer ran this headline: “Palace names ‘PH anti-covid czars’”.

The news item read: “MANILA, Philippines — Five months since the Philippines recorded its first coronavirus case, Malacañang on Monday introduced the country’s anti-coronavirus czars who would

people who got the vaccine in clinical trials, there were no COVID-related deaths.” This vaccine will augment the vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna that were approved earlier.

This has been made possible by having a true leader who uses the power of the Office of the President of the United States and the National Defense Production Act to truly help the lives of people to defeat COVID-19. Biden announced in his televised message that he will use the act to accelerate the production of equipment, machinery and supplies.

This will also help fulfill the aspiration “to get the country’s public school system back up and running for in-person learning nearly 10 months after the coronavirus pandemic shuttered classrooms for 50 million children,” one of Biden’s initiatives on Day One of his presidency, U.S. News reported.

On Biden’s first full day in office, the administration rolled out a plan which stated: ”The United States is committed to ensuring that students and educators are able to resume safe, in-person learning as quickly as possible, with the goal of getting a majority of K-8 schools safely open in 100 days.

Biden’s executive order gave the Education Department

and Department of Health and Humans Services with the mandate “to provide guidance on how to reopen safely for in-person learning and operate in a way that allows schools to stay open”. This collaboration would “produce a Safer Schools and Campuses Best Practices Clearinghouse to share lessons learned from across the country,” U.S. News further reported.

Tuesday’s announcement by the president is a step toward this direction. Biden is asking states to prioritize vaccinating not only essential workers, but also “teachers, childcare workers and school staff through the administration’s partnership with pharmacies, although the president cannot make states prioritize educators.

Mr. Biden said he wants all such educators and support staff to have at least one vaccine shot by the end of March,” CBS News reported.

The president has warned in January that in this war against the pandemic, the situation” could go worse before it gets better.”

However, the “war time effort” of the Biden administration gives us much to be hopeful about. We have been seeing positive developments that indicate we can go back to “normalcy” if we ALL work together and do our share of responsibility, especially in light

Put more czars on the job spearhead the country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

At that time, Duterte designated four senior officials to address specific aspects of the antipandemic effort: Public Works Secretary Mark Villar as “Chief Location Czar,” to take charge of “overseeing the country’s quarantine facilities;” Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong as “Chief Tracing Czar;” to handle contact tracing; Vince Dizon, president of the Bases Conversion Authority as ”Testing Czar;” and Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega as “Treatment Czar.”

Then, in November last year, Duterte added a fifth czar: retired Philippine Army General and Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, Carlito Galvez, as “Vaccine Czar,” apparently in anticipation of the availability of COVID19 vaccines.

Don’t be surprised if Duterte adds a sixth Czar – an Inoculation Implementation Czar – to guarantee the efficient conduct of the vaccination process.

You see, this January, Manila City Mayor Isko Domagoso organized what the media described as a “mock inoculation” exercise, with the mayor – who prefers to be called Yorme – simulating a vaccination. It was a dress rehearsal of sorts, in preparation for the arrival of the first shipment of the vaccine.

President Duterte will probably want to carry the title of Czar-inChief, unless he decides to give his

presidential wannabe daughter, Sara Duterte, the title of Czarina (no truth to the rumor that the title could be conferred on presidential spokesman Harry Roque).

Using the title of “czar” is one way of giving due importance to the various “critical aspects” of solving the coronavirus crisis (not to mention the need to rationalize the extra emoluments, as well as the new budgets for personnel, office quarters, equipment and official vehicles).

But why use the title, “Czar”?

Why not a Chinese title like Kabisi, since the Duterte government reportedly prefers to acquire the Chinese-made vaccine, Sinovac?

Does this suggest a secret Russian leaning on the part of the president? (Didn’t we always wonder why Duterte’s language has been loaded with such expressions as Putin-Ina?) At any rate, with their functions delineated and their titles properly conferred, one would expect the czars to get to work and deliver results.

Wellll…. they have – in a way.

After all, it’s hard work batting out press releases on their important appointments.

Besides, there are important preliminary steps to be taken. We can only guess what these are (accuracy not guaranteed).

First of all, there is the all-important oath taking ceremony to be officiated by the president himself, and then a solemn induction of all key personnel and

of the new variants we have yet to know more about.

Given the generally downward trend in new cases, hospitalization and deaths, many states, including California, have downgraded their restrictions based on science and data. However, Biden urges Americans in his speech to continue abiding by safety measures of wearing masks, physical distancing, avoiding crowds and practicing hygiene like washing our hands, using sanitizers to mitigate the spread of the virus.

While getting vaccinated protects us at best or at least prevents us from having deadly symptoms, we still need to practice these safety measures, especially wearing masks.

Gregory Poland, M.D., a Mayo Clinic infectious diseases expert and head of Mayo Clinic’s Vaccine Research Group, explains three important reasons to wear masks and practice all safety measures: “Number one, while the vaccine reduces your risk, it does not eliminate the risk of being exposed to having the disease and asymptomatically transmitting the virus to others,” says Dr. Poland. “Remember that even the best of these vaccines is about 90%–95% effective, meaning, you might still have a 1 in 10 or 1 in 20 chance of being exposed and getting the disease. So the

mask is protecting you.”

The third reason is related to these new mutant variants and other variants still to come.

“The vaccine might protect you against death, but maybe your protection against disease ends up being about 50%–60%,” says Dr. Poland. “If that’s true, then we still want to wear masks to prevent disease and prevent the spread of those variants which could then mutate further causing even more infections.”

If you have family and friends in Texas and Mississippi, or have family members who, because of financial priorities and because of defiance of science and facts, hastily go back to pre-COVID days, urge them to continue wearing masks, practice physical distancing, avoid crowds, wash their hands and get vaccinated. This is all for their own safety and for the greater good so we can all go back to “normalcy” faster.

Finally, call your senators to vote for the passage of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan that the House of Representatives just passed. Biden said in his message: “Now’s not the time to let our guard down, people’s lives are at stake. We have already, and I carry this in my pocket, lost more… As of today, we’ve lost more than 511,839 Americans, as

of today. It’s got to stop. We need the United States Senate to follow the House and pass the American Rescue Plan, because despite the optimism, without new resources, our entire effort will be set back.

We need the resources, the American Rescue Plan, and we need it urgently.

We need them expanding testing, ramp up vaccine distribution, fund FEMA and other federal vaccine efforts, and continue reimbursing states for their efforts. We need the resources to expand genomic sequencing, to stay ahead of emerging variants, find the protective gear, transportation, staffing, and other costs required for school and businesses to open safely. We need to fund it. The bottom line is, we need the American Rescue Plan now, now.” ***

staffers – the undersecretaries, assistant secretaries and the secretaries of the assistant secretaries, as well as the department supervisors, section heads, and the confidential assistants of each of the czars.

With that done, the Pandemic Czars would be ready to get some serious work done. Right?

That’s exactly what the czars may be expected to do. But first, to ensure optimal coordination and to avoid duplication of key areas of accountability and responsibility, the czars must first hold a Coordination and Integration Summit (in the Philippines, a meeting of important high-ranking officials is always called a “Summit”).

But prior to the summit, the czars and their retinue need to go on an Overseas Observacation and Tourientation Trip to critical coronavirus areas, like New York, Los Angeles, London, Brazil and South Africa. This is in order to learn “Best Practices” in combating the pandemic.

Thus, when the czars stage the Summit, each one will be armed with a Comprehensive COVID-19 Battle Plan. Naturally, each czar has to hire foreign consultants and experts to help formulate the strategies.

Needless to say, the individual strategy documents have to be presented to the president – but only after seeking the imprimatur of the Secretary of Health who, in turn, must get the approval of the Speaker of the House and the Senate President, with the endorsement of the House Committee on

COVID-19 and its equivalent in the Senate – of course, after thorough study and analysis by the respective Sub-Committees on Testing, Isolation, Contact Tracing, Treatment and Vaccine Procurement (assuming only five czars, but then, there is the possibility of an Inoculation Implementation Czar, remember?).

I guess these critical preparatory steps must be taken to ensure the effective and efficient execution of the anti-pandemic campaign – and understandably, these steps take time, which explains why up to now the Philippines has not brought in the vaccines. But better to be safe than sorry, di ba?

What we cannot understand is why the Presidential Security Command couldn’t wait a year or two for the entire process to be consummated.

We understand that the PSG went ahead and smuggled its own supply of vaccines from China. Last we heard, smuggling is illegal. but that doesn’t bother Duterte because of the need to protect the president. Indeed, it would have been more dangerous for the president’s security force to be the main reason for his health insecurity.

Duterte’s special envoy to China, columnist Ramon Tulfo, recently admitted having been inoculated with a smuggled vaccine which he got from an unspecified source. But he himself had not participated in the smuggling. In fact, Tulfo wants to bring in the vaccines legally by becoming a Philippine distributor. He sees no

conflict of interest in this. After all, as the late Senate President Jose Avelino aptly put it, “What are we in power for?”

In this regard, there are VIP Vaccinations for powerful and influential folks who are more entitled to survive the virus than the average Pinoy.

Thus, Mang Juan, Aling Maria, Karyas and Kikay have to wait for the vaccines to become available for them in a year or two – that is, if they have the money to pay for the antidotes.

There are other issues swirling around the Philippines’ determined effort to fight, conquer, eliminate and irrevocably vanquish the virus. Too many to cover in one column.

Hopefully, COVID-19 will eventually be overcome. But there is a virus that may continue to gnaw at the guts of the poor people of the Philippines.

Last February 25, the country observed the elimination of one such virus – but the virus has mutated in many ways.

It may take more than five, six or even a dozen czars to eliminate that virus. In fact, before that happens, the Filipino people may develop “herd immunity” – which is another way of saying, “If you can’t beat the virus, then be a virus yourself!” ***

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.

*** Gel Santos Relos has been in news, talk, public service and educational broadcasting since 1989 with ABS-CBN and is now serving the Filipino audience using different platforms, including digital broadcasting, and print, and is working on a new public service program for the community.

You may contact her through email at gelrelos@ icloud.com, or send her a message via Facebook at Facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos.

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.

*** gregmacabenta@gmail.com

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

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Dateline P4 PHhiliPPines universities in world rankings by subjects

by Janvic

mateo Philstar.com

Pope Francis

Philstar.com photo

Pope leading rites for 500 years of Philippine Christianity

by RobeRtzon

RamiRez

Philstar.com

POPE Francis will lead the Filipino community in Italy in celebrating 500 years since the arrival of Christianity in the Philippines, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) announced yesterday.

In an article, the CBCP said that Fr. Ricky Gente of the Filipino Chaplaincy in Rome disclosed that the celebration of the Philippines’ 500 years of Christianity will be highlighted with a mass to be celebrated by Pope Francis at St. Peter’s Basilica at 10 a.m. on March 14.

Gente said that only a limited number of people will be allowed to attend the mass physically inside the basilica due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but he

said it will be livestreamed from the Vatican to reach Filipinos worldwide.

“Join us in Rome to pray, praise and thank God for his gift of the Christian faith,” Gente said.

He said former Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, will be present during the mass along with Cardinal Angelo de Donatis, the pope’s vicar of Rome.

Gente said the Catholic faithful can receive blessings from Pope Francis as he will also lead the traditional Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square at noon shortly after his mass at Vatican Square.

The Philippines will be celebrating 500 years of Christianity, CBCP said, with most dioceses launching the year-long

commemoration on April 4, Easter Sunday.

Papal Nuncio Archbishop Charles John Brown said Pope Francis has a special place in his heart for the Filipino people as he recalled his visit to the Philippines in 2015, two years after Super Typhoon Yolanda hit Tacloban City.

For his part, Brown urged the Filipino faithful to be proud of their religion not only because of the 500 years of Christianity, but because of their strong Catholic character as he appreciates their efforts to spread the word of Jesus Christ wherever they are around the world.

“Rejoice in your Catholic heritage; be proud of your Catholic character,” Brown said.

Brown said the quincentennial of Christianity is a gift for the Filipino faithful to commit themselves to evangelization. n

brand of tawas deodorants.

“Opposer (Cobblestone Lane LLC) intends to file an opposition to the above-identified trademark application,” read the motion filed July 8, 2020.

Notwithstanding the legal challenge, the product’s official theme song and its choreography have since been posted online.

The name “Archewell” is shared with the organization founded by Harry and Meghan that currently includes Archewell Foundation, Archewell Audio

and Archewell Productions.

“At Archewell, we unleash the power of compassion to drive systemic cultural change,” reads a post on the organization’s official website.

But in the Twitter profile apparently belonging to Victor found by World Trademark Review, the businessman appears unfazed and undaunted by the events.

In this legal battle, he’s making it clear that he will put up a fight. n

MANILA — Four Philippine universities still made it to the latest list of world’s best universities by subject released by international higher education information provider Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).

The University of the Philippines again had the most subjects on the list, ranking in 15 out of 51 disciplines, although down from last year’s 18.

Both the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) and De La Salle University (DLSU) ranked in four subjects each, while the University of Santo Tomas still ranked in Medicine, but fell to 601-650 from 551-600 last year.

ADMU entered the rankings in Modern Languages (251-300) and Business and Management Studies (451-500), while retaining its rank in English, Language and Literature (201-250). It fell in Sociology (301-320, from 251-300).

For the broad field, ADMU retained its place in Social Sciences and Management (451500), while it dropped in Arts and Humanities (451-500, from

401-450).

DLSU entered the rankings this year in Business and Management Studies (301-350) and Economics and Econometrics (451-500), while retaining its rank in Linguistics (201-250) and English, Language and Literature (201-250).

In the broad fields, DLSU retained its rank in Social Sciences and Management (401-450) and Arts and Humanities (451-500).

Most notably, UP lost its ranking in the subjects of Performing Arts and Development Studies, where it recorded its best performance last year at 51-100 spot.

It also lost rank in Electrical and Electronics Engineering, where it debuted last year at 451-500 band.

UP also dropped in rankings in five subjects: Archaeology (201-220, from 151-200), Linguistics (251-300, from 201250), Sociology (251-300, from 201-250), Environmental Studies (301-350, from 251-300) and Biological Sciences (551-600, from 501-600).

It retained its rank in 10 other subjects: Politics and International Studies (101-150), English

Language and Literature (151200), Agriculture and Forestry (151-200), Geography (151-200), Modern Languages (251-300), Law (251-300), Medicine (301350), Business and Management Studies (351-400), Economics and Econometrics (351-400) and Computer Science and Information Systems (551-600).

This year, the QS rankings covered 51 subjects or disciplines, grouped into five broad fields.

For the broad fields, UP improved its ranking in Social Sciences and Management (252nd, from 258th) and Life Sciences and Medicine (401-450, from 451-500), while it retained its spot in Arts and Humanities (304th) It also regained its ranking in Engineering and Technology (501-550) while it remains unranked in Natural Sciences.

The rankings were based on four indicators: academic reputation, employer reputation, research citations per paper, and the “H-Index” that measures both the productivity and impact of the published work of a scientist or scholar affiliated to the university. n

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle in legal stink with Filipino deodorant maker

by Ratziel

San Juan Philstar.com

MANILA — Royal couple Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are questioning the legality of a trademark used by a Filipino business owner.

Cobblestone Lane LLC, an entity representing the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, is pursuing legal action against Filipino businessman Victor Martin Soriano for use of the term “Archewell Harvatera” — the name of his

Pinatubo on Alert Level 1 amid ‘low-level of unrest’ after 25 years by aRlie

calalo ManilaTimes.net

THE Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) on Thursday, March 4 raised Alert Level 1 (Low-level unrest) after it detected a “lowlevel of unrest”.

Phivolcs Chief Renato Solidum said the seismic activity “may be related to tectonic processes beneath the volcano although no imminent eruption is foreseen”.

Phivolcs said entry into the Pinatubo crater area must be conducted with extreme caution and should be avoided if possible.

Communities and local government units surrounding Pinatubo are reminded to be always prepared for both earthquake and volcanic hazards and to review, prepare and strengthen their contingency, emergency and other disaster preparedness

plans, it said in its bulletin.

Solidum said that while there was “currently no threat, communities and local government units surrounding the volcano, nonetheless, have to be reminded to be always prepared for both earthquake and volcanic hazards and to build on the lessons of what they have experienced in the past years”.

Solidum said the agency is closely monitoring the volcano’s condition.

The Pinatubo Volcano Network (PVN) has detected since Jan. 20, 2021 a total of 1,722 imperceptible earthquakes beneath the Pinatubo edifice.

The first cluster of earthquakes from January 20 to 26 occurred along the Sacobia Lineament at depths of 15-28 kilometers and ranged between magnitude 1.0 and 2.5, Phivolcs said.

This was succeeded by a more

persistent cluster of earthquakes occurring along a north-northwest-south-southeast-trending structure 10 to 35 kilometers beneath the center of the edifice itself, with a few shallower earthquakes occurring on both ends of the cluster, it said further.

The volcano, located in Botoan, Zambales, had a cataclysmic eruption on June 15, 1991, after laying dormant for 600 years, killing hundreds of people, displacing thousands of others from the surrounding provinces and closing down the two U.S. bases in the Philippines — the Clark Airbase and Subic Naval base in Pampanga and Zambales.

The U.S. Geological Survey, on its website, said volcanic ash circled the globe, causing temperatures to drop temporarily from 1991 through 1993 by about 1°F (0.5°C). n

No water shortage in Metro Manila this year by catheRine

valente ManilaTimes.net

THERE will be sufficient water supply in Metro Manila not only for the summer season but throughout the entire year, Malacañang assured the public on Thursday, March 4.

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Alexei Nograles said the supply would be enough as the government hastens the implementation of various infrastructure projects to address water requirements in the region.

Nograles said the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) made the assurance during the meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte and the Cabinet on the country’s infrastructure projects related to water security in Malacañang on Wednesday.

“Let me start by sharing some good news. According to Metropolitan Wa-terworks and Sewerage System Chairman and OIC

Administrator Reynaldo Velasco, we expect to have a sufficient supply of water this year in Metro Manila; wala ho tayong water shortage dito sa Maynila (We will not have a water shortage in Manila),” Nograles said during a virtual press briefing.

Nograles also assured residents of the National Capital Region (NCR) that the MWSS continued to take measures “to ensure that we have an adequate supply of water this summer.”

“It (MWSS) is also working to fast-track several projects that will address the water requirements of NCR in the long run,” the Palace official said.

The projects, he said, include the New Centennial Water Source – Kaliwa Dam Project; Long Term Water Source Development for Metro Manila Project (Upper Kaliwa and Kanan River); East Bay water Supply Project – Phase 1; East Bay Water Supply Project – Phase 2; Wawa-Calawis

Water Supply Project – Phase 1; and, Wawa-Calawis Water Supply Project – Phase 2.

“All together, these projects will be able to supply a total of 1,368 million liters per day, or MLD,” Nograles said.

In March 2019, water interruptions hit Metro Manila and nearby areas, prompting the President to intervene and direct water authorities to ensure sufficient supply of water.

Duterte had blamed officials of the MWSS and the two water concessionaires for the shortage, claiming they knew about the problem, but did nothing to prevent it.

He also questioned the concession agreement with a water company, which he did not identify, that bound the government to the deal until 2070.

Both Maynilad Water Services Inc. and Manila Water Co. Inc. are in the middle of negotiations for a new concession agreement. n

JUANA ENFORCER. Jonalyn Cobo, a single mother of four and traffic enforcer of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, directs the traffic flow along Edsa corner Aurora Boulevard in Cubao, Quezon City on Thursday, March 4. This year’s National Women’s Month celebrates the extraordinary roles of ordinary Juanas in society as trailblazers and harbingers of change.

PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler

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Mission to Mars: Fil-Am NASA engineers Filipino artists Trevor Jimenez, Paul Abadilla play key roles in Perseverance rover landing among crew for Golden Globe winner ‘Soul’ by

ChristinA M. Oriel And ritChel MendiOlA / AJPress

AFTER a seven-month-long journey, NASA’s Perseverance rover made its historic landing on Mars in mid-February, ushering in a new era of exploration and study on the red planet.

Perseverance is touted as the “most advanced astrobiology laboratory ever sent to another world.” The mission was launched on July 30, 2020 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, and touched down in Jezero Crater on Mars on February 18, 2021 at 12:55 p.m. PST. The 2,263-pound robotic geologist and astrobiologist, which is roughly the size of a car, will undergo several weeks of testing before it begins its two-year science investigation of the Jezero Crater. Its primary aim is to study the rock and sediment of Jezero’s ancient lakebed and river delta to characterize the region’s geology and past climate.

“This landing is one of those pivotal moments for NASA, the United States, and space exploration globally — when we know we are on the cusp of discovery and sharpening our pencils, so to speak, to rewrite the textbooks,” acting NASA Administrator Steve Jurczyk said.

Several Filipino Americans were among the thousands of brilliant minds who played integral roles in the momentous landing. They include Gregorio Villar III, an entry, descent, and landing (EDL) systems engineer, and Marianne Gonzalez, a chemical engineer. Both work at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

Gregorio Villar, an EDL engineer, was involved in assisting the safe landing of the rover.

Photo courtesy of NASA

nantly Black voice cast (Daveed Diggs, Angela Bassett, QuestLove, PIXAR’s “Soul” brought home among others).

Golden Globe awards for Best Ani“Soul” tells the story of Joe mated Feature and Best Original Gardner, a middle school music Score at the 78th annual ceremo- teacher from New York City ny on Sunday, February 28. who dreams of becoming a jazz Directed by Pete Docter and musician. He gets a gig at one of co-directed by Kemp Powers, the hottest jazz clubs, but unex“Soul” is the first film from the pectedly dies after falling into a animation studio to feature a maintenance hole.

Black protagonist (Jamie Foxx), After finding himself in “The as well as highlight a predomi- Great Beyond,” Joe sets to reunite by

AJPress

KZ Tandingan sings Disney’s first Filipinolanguage song for ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’

By AllAn

POliCArPiO Inquirer.net

Marianne Gonzalez, a chemical engineer at NASA, was part of the team that built MOXIE, an oxygen measuring device inside the Perseverance Rover.

Contributed photo

Gregorio Villar III The 33-year-old engineer has been with the space agency for over 12 years, working as an EDL systems engineer at JPL. His career highlights include directing a Mars parachute test campaign at the world’s largest wind tunnel, as well as leading a council of atmospheric scientists from institutions around the

world to characterize the Martian atmosphere.

He also spent seven-and-a-half years building and testing a system that would land a car-sized rover on Mars.

To add more to his list of achievements, Villar is also the head verification and validation engineer for the EDL phase of PAGE B4

his soul and his body, unwilling to die before his big break.

“Being able to tell a universal tale that explored the meaning of life through the prism of a Black man’s experiences was a special honor,” Powers said in an acceptance speech.

“And though the details are specific, I really do believe our story is universal. So many friends and strangers from all walks of PAGE B3

FILIPINA singer KZ Tandingan will sing Disney’s first Filipino song for its upcoming animated film “Raya and the Last Dragon.”

Tandingan — dubbed “Asia’s Soul Supreme” — will be “lending her voice” for “Gabay,” which was described as a song about trust, strength, and unity, Disney Philippines revealed on Tuesday, March 2.

“Asia’s Soul Supreme KZ Tandingan will be lending her remarkable voice to an all-new song titled ‘Gabay’ from Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon. This firstever Filipino-language track from Disney will be coming your way very soon. Abangan!” it said in a tweet.

Disney Philippines on Monday, March 1 announced that “Raya and the Last Dragon” will feature its first Filipino-language song, attaching a teaser photo of the mys-

terious Filipina singer.

“The first Filipino-language song from Disney, sung by one of the Philippines’ most powerful voices. Find out who she is tomorrow,” Disney Philippines said Monday across social media platforms.

Tandingan, for her part, said she was “very grateful” to sing the first-ever Disney track in Filipino for an international animated film.

“I am very grateful and I feel very proud to be singing in my language, and show off its beauty to the rest of the world. I am proud to be part of history,” she said in a statement sent to Philstar.com.

“I grew up watching Disney movies. Finally, there is a Disney Princess who I can feel a very strong connection to, and that is Raya as the first one inspired by Southeast Asia,” she added.

Set in the fantasy world of Kumandra, where long ago humans and dragons lived together in harmony, “Raya and the Last Drag-

“Asia’s Soul Supreme” KZ Tandingan sings “Gabay,” Disney’s first song in Filipino.

Photo from Instagram/@kztandingan

on” — directed by Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada — tells the story of Raya (Kelly Marie Tran), who embarks on an adventure PAGE B3

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Island Pacific opens new Vegas location near Nellis Air Force Base Island Pacific supermarket, with locations in California and nevada, opened its 17th location at 317 n. nellis Blvd in las Vegas. It is the third Island Pacific store in the city.

This location is within five miles from nellis air Force Base, which employs 9,500 military and civilian personnel with a total military population of more than 40,000, including family members and retired military personnel. Island Pacific has recognized servicemembers with a 5% daily discount to all military personnel since it was founded in 2000.

The store held a grand opening ceremony on Friday, February 26, featuring founder nino lim, las Vegas Councilmember Olivia diaz, designer david Tupaz, and Filipina american restaurateur and author nicole Ponseca.

Ponseca, the author of “I am a Filipino: and

This is How We Cook” and owner of Maharlika and Jeepney in new York, signed limited copies of her cookbook after the ceremony. she did a live cooking demo of pancit guisado on saturday. as customers shopped the aisles of the new market, guests of the opening also took part in a socially distanced and safe kamayan feast.

In addition to beloved Filipino ingredients and goods, Island Pacific offers private label products like flavored creamers and premium banana chips.

Island Pacific Market is located at 317 n. nellis Blvd in las Vegas. The market has two other locations in las Vegas at 467 E. silverado Ranch Blvd. and 8650 W. Tropicana ave. For more information, please visit https://islandpacificmarket.com.

AJPress photos by Robert Macabagdal

Island Pacific’s new location is five miles from Nellis Air Force Base.

Ribbon cutting to open Island Pacific’s third Las Vegas location

Designer David Tupaz, Island Pacific founder Nino Lim and Krista Ranillo Lim, Las Vegas Councilmember Olivia Diaz, and Fil-Am restaurateur and author Nicole Ponseca.

Island Pacific founder Nino Lim and Las Vegas Councilmember Olivia Diaz

Fr. Jose led a blessing during the grand opening.

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‘No COVID-19’

Health@Heart

“THERE is no COVID-19; the virus was never proven to exist,” was the ridiculous, irresponsible, and crazy assertion blogger Jon Rappoport made, claiming the statements were made by Dr. Andrew Kaufman, Dr. Tom Cowan, and Sally Fallon Morell.

While the falsehood is self-evident, what bothers me more is that those 12 words, which are technically criminal because they could kill people who are gullible enough to believe them, have been disseminated in the social media, even by unthinking physicians themselves who should know better. Spreading lies is a disservice to humanity.

About 219 countries around the globe have been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic, with almost 115 million cases and more than 2.5 million killed. It has been proven by the World Health Organization and independently by countless laboratories in each nation that the single culprit is the deadly SARS-CoV2 virus, and now its variants.

Fake news: Criminalizing?

“People who deliberately spread falsehoods about vaccines on social media may deter large numbers of people from getting vaccinated, which could cost lives,” reported Medical News Today. The British Medical Journal posted an article where two scientists “argued for and against criminalizing vaccine disinformation.” Since malicious dissemination of false information during a pandemic could actually kill people, it makes sense to make intentional public assertion of falsehood a crime.

Why mask is effective Studies have shown that face masks reduce the spread of the SARS-CoV2 virus and may even lessen the severity of COVID-19.

New clinical findings explain how wearing a mask or two accomplishes these two benefits. Published in the Biophysical Journal, the research showed that masks “increase the humidity of the air that a person breathes in.” The added humidity protects the respiratory tract and lungs from the virus. N95 mask is adequate, or double mask.

Neck gaiter not enough Neck gaiters worn around the neck over the face mask are added protection against the virus, but not when they are used alone, without a mask. Worn over a mask, it covers the entire nape and the face except the eyes as an added layer of protection. The neck gaiter also helps hold the mask in place and even makes the wearer feel more secure.

Vaccination progress A review of the worldwide vaccination rates revealed a drop in new cases in some countries, including the U.S. The vaccines are really making a big difference, with reduced cases and reduced hospitalization and deaths. Israel, for one, appears to be achieving herd immunity within a month because of the discipline of the people and the country’s aggressive vaccination program, which

is considered the top with regard to vaccination rate per capita.

Vaccination can prevent at least 9 out of 10 people (90 percent) from getting infected. The highest rate of vaccinations in the list following Israel include (2) United Arab Emirates, (3) the UK, and (4) the United States.

Anti-COVID nose spray Researchers at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons have discovered a nasal antiviral spray (a lipopeptide) that blocks the transmission of SARS-CoV2 virus in ferrets, for potential use in humans “to prevent infection in people exposed to the coronavirus, including recent variants,” according to Science and the New England Journal of Medicine. The study continues.

Six vital reminders 1)After getting the vaccine, people can still get COVID-19. A retired physician friend of mine had his first shot, got infected 5 days later, and died from SARSCoV2. Facemask and social distancing must still be observed after receiving the shots until the country has developed herd immunity; 2) Those who had been infected with COVID-19 still need to get the vaccines for full protection. For the two-dose vaccines, one dose is not enough. A second dose is necessary to get full protection; 3) The virus, which could land on any part of our body and clothing, could be transmitted by our unwashed hands and enters through our eyes, nose and mouth. After people get the vaccine, they could still transmit the virus; 4) Having no symptoms, after being exposed to people in public, does not mean no virus on the skin or in our system. The incubation period of SARS-CoV2 virus could be as long as two weeks, or longer in others, before symptoms appear; 5) While seniors, especially those with health issues, are more likely to die from COVID-19, there are countless people, younger than 50 who have been killed by this virus. Let’s not be cavalier, cocky, or arrogant about this invisible deadly enemy; and 6) When 70 to 80 percent of people in the U.S. have been vaccinated and the people continue to be disciplined, careful, and vigilant, herd immunity in the United States will follow. Let’s all do our share to achieve this sooner.

COVID-19: ‘Positives’ This killer pandemic also has its silver linings. The British Journal of Psychiatry reported, “A recent study of people who care for children concludes that COVID-19 lockdowns have provided some unexpected benefits. Some people reported positive changes in their family relationships, spiritual well-being, and more.”

The courage and compassion of our healthcare and first-responder heroes, the love and concern of children about their parents’ health and safety, the indomitable strength of the human race and its inspiring valiant struggle for survival, the unity among nations and peoples around the globe arm-in-arm in their resolve to defeat a stealthy killer, the ingenuity of people of all races, the flexible and adaptive nature of humans to their environment, the increased

Paul Abadilla

Trevor Jimenez

PAGE B1 life wrote to tell us how this film resonated with them and how grateful they were to be reminded the seemingly simple everyday moments of life are often the most important,” he added.

In a tweet posted on Monday, March 1, Disney+ congratulated the cast and crew of “Soul.”

“Congratulations to the cast and crew of #PixarSoul for their #GoldenGlobes win for Best Animated Feature!” it said.

Among the crew that worked

on “Soul” are Filipino American Paul Abadilla and Filipino Canadian Trevor Jimenez.

Abadilla is the animated film’s sets art director. His previous works include “Monsters University,” “Brave,” “Incredibles 2,” “Cars 3,” and “Finding Dory.”

Meanwhile, Jimenez worked as the story supervisor. He has been nominated for an Academy Award for directing the short film “Weekends” in 2017. He was also the story artist for “Coco,” and “Finding Dory.”

PhiliP S. Chua, MD, FaCS, FPCS

Filipino artists Trevor Jimenez...

Pixar’s ‘Soul’ garnered two Golden Globes for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score.

Photo courtesy of Pixar

appreciation of the value of health and life, the magnified love and fear of losing loved ones, the untold and unseen sacrifices of people for their family members and friends, the heightened awareness today that what happens to other people thousands of miles across the oceans must also concern us enough to protect them, each other, and that we, the people of the world, are all, without exception, on this planet earth as ONE. Unity with magnanimity is our only hope for the survival of our species. *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff. *** The main objective of this column is to educate and inspire people live a healthier lifestyle to prevent illnesses and disabilities and achieve a happier and more productive life. Any diagnosis, recommendation or treatment in our article are general medical information and not intended to be applicable or appropriate for anyone. This column is not a substitute for your physician, who knows your condition well and who is your best ally when it comes to your health. *** Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, a Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus based in Northwest Indiana and Las Vegas, Nevada, is an international medical lecturer/ author, a Health Public Advocate, and Chairman of the Filipino United NetworkUSA, a 501(c)3 humanitarian and antigraft foundation in the United States.

Visit our websites: philipSchua.com and FUN8888.com Email: scalpelpen@ gmail.com

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Social Security and OIG hold second annual ‘Slam the Scam’Day The Social Security Administration and the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) have once again joined forces to raise public awareness about Social Security imposter scams during the second annual ‘Slam the Scam’ Day on March 4. Social Security scams - in which fraudsters mislead victims into making cash or gift card payments to fix purported Social Security number problems or to avoid arrest - are the #1 type of government imposter fraud reported to the Federal Trade Commission and Social Security.

The agency has made concerted efforts to address this issue, including partnering with other Federal and State agencies to identify and pursue scammers, increasing employee and public outreach and education, raising awareness through marketing in post offices nationwide, and maintaining a Social Security/OIG workgroup to maximize resources and ensure a cohesive response.

“I am deeply troubled that crooks are deceiving Americans and using fear tactics to trick people into providing personal

information or money,” said Social Security Commissioner Andrew Saul. “I urge everyone to remain vigilant, hang up on these fraudsters, and go to oig.ssa.gov to report any attempted scam.”

Criminals are sophisticated and there are many variations of this fraud scheme. For example, scammers may call or email saying they are from Social Security and that the person’s Social Security number is suspended or was used in a crime. The caller identification may be spoofed to appear as a legitimate government number.

They may text or email fake documents in attempts to coerce people to comply with their demands. In recent twists, thieves even use real Social Security and OIG official’s names and send pictures of fabricated government ID badges.

Social Security will never tell you that your Social Security number is suspended, contact you to demand an immediate payment, threaten you with arrest, ask for your credit or debit card numbers over the phone, ask for gift cards or cash, or promise a Social Security benefit approval or increase in ex-

change for information or money.

“We are working with the Department of Justice and law enforcement agencies across the United States to combat Social Security imposter scams—but our best weapon in this fight will always be awareness,” said Inspector General Gail S. Ennis. “I want to thank the many agencies and organizations that have joined us in our effort this year to alert Americans to hang up on suspicious calls, and talk to their family and friends about phone scams.”

Social Security employees do occasionally contact the public by telephone for business purposes.

Ordinarily, the agency calls people who have recently applied for a Social Security benefit, someone who is already receiving payments and requires an update to their record, or a person who has requested a phone call from the agency. If there is a problem with a person’s Social Security number or record, Social Security will typically mail a letter.

For more information, please visit www.socialsecurity.gov/antifraudfacts/.

KZ Tandingan sings Disney’s first...

PAGE B1 to track down the legendary last dragon, Sisu (Awkwafina), to restore the fractured land and unite its divided people.

Other cast members include Daniel Dae Kim as Raya’s father Benja; Gemma Chan who plays Raya’s nemesis Namaari; and Sandra Oh as Virana, Namaari’s mother.

“‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ is inspired by various Southeast Asian cultures and, as such, we found it fitting to launch ‘Gabay’ as a way for us to celebrate the film and connect with our Filipino fans,” said Allie Benedicto, studio marketing head of Disney Philippines. “‘Gabay,’ the first-ever Disney track sung in Filipino, demon-

strates our commitment to work with local creative talents to tell our stories in a locally relevant manner,” she added.

“Gabay” is set to drop on Spotify on Friday, March 5.

“Raya and the Last Dragon” will be released in theaters and on Disney+ with Premiere Access for an additional $29.99 fee on March 5 as well.

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Batangas City group commemorates ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ finds inspiration in the cultures, people of Southeast Asia Sto. Niño Fiesta amid pandemic

THE year 2020 gave us some seldom-used words such as pandemic, COVID-19, face masks, Pfizer, Moderna, vaccination and social distancing. Despite the pandemic, the Batangas City Sto. Niño Devotees Association saw to it to dedicate a day of prayer to the Sto, Niño to commemorate the annual 42nd Sto. Niño Fiesta on January 16, 2021 at the St. Augustine Catholic Church along Callan Boulevard in South San Francisco, California. The mass intentions were offered to the Sto. Nino to provide us relief from the scourge of Covid19.

Observing all protocols required by San Mateo County and the church, the 70 devotees enjoyed a sunny winter day at the parking lot in front of the church for the Thanksgiving Mass officiated by Fr. Ray Reyes and Fr. Eduardo Dura, Pastor & Parochial Vicar of the church, respectively.

The attendees were provided chairs on the parking lot in front of the altar, while others chose to hear the mass in their cars.

The other devotees were able to avail of the mass via live streaming courtesy of the church. After the mass the attendees were treated to lunch boxes provided

The Batangas City-Sto. Niño Devotees Association members and St. Augustine Catholic Church clergy post in front of the church after the Thanksgiving mass. In photo are (from left) Amy Mascvario, Fr. Ray Reyes (pastor), Melvin Macatangay, Dr. Malou Atienza Cuasay, Fe Remo Bueno (association president), Bobby Reyes, Violie Reyes, Fr. Eduardo Pura (parochial vicar), Eleth Mendoza and Marlon Macaraig.

Photo courtesy of Violeta Omega

by the association and catered

by Hapag Pilipino of Daly City, California.

The fiesta activity was highlighted with virtual zoom bingo games at 5 p.m. that same day. Cash prizes were awarded to the devotees who participated in the bingo games. The virtual bingo games were ably handled by bingo master Carolyn Agustin Hernandez.

Association president Fe Remo Bueno extended her appreciation to the church’s clergy, donors and the different committees who participated in the 42nd annual Sto. Niño fiesta.

The current officers and members of the board of directors of the Batangas City Sto. Niño Devotees Association are the following: Fe Remo Bueno, president; Jason Alcantara, vice president; Bobby Reyes, secretary; Philo Mendoza, treasurer; Clarito Agustin, auditor; Marlon Macaraig, PRO; Romel Chozas (immediate past president), Bayani Baliwag, Christian Buquid, Chinag Calucag, Malou Atienza Cuasay, Melvin Macatangay, Delia Godoy Montano, Ardie Perez, board members; and Cecil Zaraspe and Joseph J. Minioza, legal counsels. (Violeta Omega)

Family comes first for Engelstad Foundation Before, during, and after COVID-19, families who stay at the Ronald McDonald House to remain near their critically Ill children in the hospital benefit from the Engelstad family’s heart for helping others LAS VEGAS – Families staying at the Las Vegas Ronald McDonald House, as well as children receiving dental treatment aboard the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, are feeling the love from the Engelstad Foundation, who recently awarded Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Las Vegas® with a $250,000 grant.

The majority of the grant will be used to provide a ‘home away from home’ for families at the Ronald McDonald House, with the remainder being used to provide dental services and education to children from low-income families throughout Nevada.

Since 2012, the Engelstad Foundation has donated more than $1.7 million dollars to Ronald McDonald House Charities© of Greater Las Vegas. All of that tender loving care has impacted the lives of more than 105,000 children and their families.

For 23 years now, families in medical crisis who must travel to Las Vegas have sought comfort under the roof of what’s fondly called The House That Love Built -- so that they may remain by their children’s hospital bedside and directly engaged in their little’s one’s medical treatment.

“At the Ronald McDonald House, we firmly believe the best medicine any sick or injured child can have is the love and support of their family,” said Alyson McCarthy, CEO of RMHC of Greater Las Vegas. “The Engelstad Foundation makes that possible by providing critical grant funding to help cover the actual costs of housing, meals, transportation, as

WALT Disney Animation Studios’ new animated film “Raya and the Last Dragon” is an exciting, epic journey about the fantasy world of Kumandra, where humans and dragons lived together long ago in harmony. But when an evil force threatened the land, the dragons sacrificed themselves to save humanity.

Now, 500 years later, that same evil has returned and it’s up to a lone warrior, Raya, to track down the legendary last dragon to restore the fractured land and its divided people. However, along her journey, she’ll learn that it’ll take more than a dragon to save the world—it’s going to take trust and teamwork as well.

Inspired by the various cultures and people of Southeast Asia, the imaginary lands of Kumandra in “Raya and the Last Dragon” each has its own customs and geography. Although the film is a fantasy, Disney sought to ensure that the portrayals of the cultures that inspire the film are accurate and respectful. The creative team visited multiple countries in the region, including Laos, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore, to conduct research.

Disney also enlisted experts to its Raya Southeast Asia Story Trust, who had a strong influence on all elements of the film. Dr. S. Steve Arounsack, professor of anthropology at California State University, Stanislaus, guided the creative team through the cultural inspiration behind the story. Husband and wife team Emiko Saraswati Susilo and I Dewa Putu Berata of Çudamani collaborated closely with the animators to create character movement inspired by the philosophies of Balinese dance and gamelan. Dr. Rebecca S. Hall, a curator at the University of Southern California’s Pa-

Kelly Marie Tran stars as Raya and comedian Awkwafina voices Sisu, a dragon that provides comic relief.

Photos courtesy of Walt Disney Animation Studios

cific Asia Museum, used her expertise in textiles to inform the design and colors of the characters’ clothing, like the sabai top and sampot pant, found in Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand. Dr. Juliana Wijaya, a linguist at UCLA’s Indonesian Studies Program, helped craft the characters’ names to have special meaning inspired by different Southeast Asian languages. Laos Angeles, an organization serving the Laotian community in Southern California, hosted a Baci ceremony to bless the production.

The attention to detail pays off in the rich portrayal of Kumandra. “You can see the inspiration in the terrain, the shapes in the movie, the fabrics people are wearing, and the colors used,” said Vietnamese American actress Kelly Marie Tran who voices Raya. “Disney is very meticulous about wanting to accurately represent the parts of the world their movies are about.”

In the film, characters sharing food together symbolizes trust and harmony. The scenes of Raya and her friends sitting around a table to enjoy meals together commemorates the way food is shared family-style in much of the region. In many Asian cuisines, there are five disparate

flavors– spicy, sour, sweet, salty, and bitter– that come together to create delicious meals. Communal meals also advance the characters’ journey towards becoming a team and the sense that if they trust each other and work together, they can achieve anything.

Southeast Asian martial arts are front and center in “Raya and the Last Dragon.” As a warrior princess and daughter of the chief of Heart, Raya’s fighting styles are inspired by Pencak Silat of Malaysia and Indonesia and Kali and Arnis of the Philippines. Other fighting techniques featured in the film are inspired

by Muay Thai and Krabi Krabong of Thailand, multi-limbed attack styles from Muay Thai of Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos, and the flying scissor-leg takedowns of Vietnam. Co-screenwriter Qui Nguyen acted as one of the film’s fight reference choreography consultants. “It was really important to me that the fighting styles were grounded in physics that are real,” he said.

Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Raya and the Last Dragon” will be released simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access on March 5, 2021.

A young patient receives dental treatment aboard the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile.

well as other basic needs, so our families can focus on what’s most important – the recovery of their children in the hospital.” Since opening its doors in 1998, the House has served 5,352 families for a total of 65,978 nights.

“Families facing medical crises find comfort in Ronald McDonald House Charities’ various programs,” said Kris Engelstad McGarry, Trustee of the Engelstad Foundation. “Through these lifelines, families can stay close to their children as they receive critical pediatric care. Ronald McDonald House Charities’ mission to improve the health and well-being of children in our community is commendable and we are proud to support it.”

The Englestad Foundation also

supports the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, a state-of-the-art mobile dental unit that travels throughout the state to provide critical dental services to uninPhoto shows the first 360-degree panorama taken by Mastcam-Z, a zoomable pair of cameras aboard NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover. The sured children from low-income panorama was stitched together on Earth from 142 individual images taken on Sol 3, the third Martian day of the mission on Feb. 21, 2021. families in Nevada’s rural comPhoto courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS munities and inner-city neighborhoods of Las Vegas.

“Dental issues that are left untreated can become very serious medical issues,” said McCarthy.

“The Care Mobile often provides the only access to quality dental care for these children who live in frontier communities, where no dentists reside.”

In 2020, Care Mobile staff provided $498,000 in dental treatment to more than 800 children across the state.

“I’m so grateful to have been able to bring my daughters here,” said the mom of two Care Mobile patients. “My 6-year-old really needed dental care, and it was affecting her daily life, but we could not find a doctor that would see her without health insurance.”

The Engelstad Foundation also provided funding to help build Las Vegas’ first and only hospital-based Ronald McDonald Family Room. This “mini-house,” is located right on the grounds of Sunrise Hospital, so parents with children in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) can grab something to eat or drink, take a nap, shower, or just relax for a few minutes away from the critical care environment without ever having to leave the hospital.

Since opening in 2016, more than RMHC Las Vegas partners with the Nevada Health Centers to operate the Ronald McDonald 50,000 parents and children have visited the Family Room.

Care Mobile.

Mission to Mars: Fil-Am NASA engineers...

PAGE B1 Perseverance.

Villar credited his education in the Philippines for his NASA journey.

“I thank part of my education in the Philippines for that. I studied so much in the Philippines, my foundation in math and physics because of my teachers there in high school,” he said in an exclusive interview with Teleradyo.

Villar was born in the United States to Filipino parents, but he went to the Philippines when he was 13 years old to spend time with his father.

He studied high school at Saint Louis University-Laboratory High School in Baguio City, Philippines before moving back to the U.S. where he earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from the California State Polytechnic University in Pomona and a master’s degree in astronautical engineering from the University of Southern California.

A career-related to space has been a life-long dream for Villar, who grew up fascinated by science fiction films like “Apollo 13” and “Independence Day.” He wanted to be an astronaut, and the thought of going to Mars himself one day is what excites him about the Red Planet and space exploration.

“The dream is to go to space someday, maybe even Mars... It’s just cool right? Like another planet, like outer space. Things that we grow up watching in movies like ‘Star Trek’ and ‘Star Wars.’

Just the idea of going to another planet is really really awesome,” Villar said.

As the EDL engineer of the Mars 2020 mission, the Fil-Am engineer was involved in assisting the safe landing of the rover.

It was a complicated process to land since it can be affected by a lot of factors, he said.

“It’s known as the ‘seven minutes of terror.’ That’s what entry, descent, and landing is. We enter the atmosphere of Mars, we descend the atmosphere and we land,” he told Teleradyo.

The landing on the atmosphere of Mars causes friction to slow Kris Engelstad McGarry, Trustee of the Englestad Foundation, presents a $185,000 check to RMHC Las Vegas in 2016 at the opening of the the rover down, prompting the Ronald McDonald Family Room, located at Sunrise Children’s Hospital.

team to release a large parachute called the supersonic parachute which is ejected faster than the speed of sound.

“After that, we separate the heat shield that covers the spacecraft. The Rover comes down on rockets; it has its own jet pack.

The jet pack lowers the Rover, it separates the Rover on its cables.

It safely touches the ground, then the jet pack flies away,” explained Villar.

“All of that is extremely complicated with thousands of things happening left and right.

There’s so many things that can go wrong in those seven minutes. It’s extremely frightening, extremely nerve-racking,” he added.

Villar also revealed that he was not the only Filipino American who worked on the Mars 2020 mission.

“There are other Filipinos who worked on Perseverance as well.

Not just me,” the engineer said.

Marianne Gonzalez Gonzalez, a 28-year-old second-generation Filipina American, has spent nearly six years at JPL as a chemical engineer.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from California State University, Long Beach and went on to pursue a master’s degree in the same field at the University of Southern California. After undergrad, she interned at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida before moving back to Southern California to join JPL. She has made her mark on several agency projects, including: Mini Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (miniTOCA), a miniature water quality monitoring instrument that will be used to replace the current water analyzer on the International Space Station; the Spacecraft Atmosphere Monitor (SAM), which is analyzing cabin air for astronauts on the ISS; and the Ventilator Intervention Technology Accessible Locally (VITAL), a ventilator for COVID19 patients, which received approval from the Food and Drug Administration.

For Perseverance, Gonzalez was part of the team that built

Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE), a device about the size of a car battery housed inside the rover.

She specifically helped deliver sensors to measure the gases in the device and created a model simulator of MOXIE to “understand how it would operate on Mars and to help decide what commands we should send it,” Gonzalez said in an email to the Asian Journal.

“It is going to demonstrate the autonomous production of oxygen on Mars from the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. We can potentially use the technology for future crewed missions to Mars to make rocket fuel,” she added.

Witnessing the successful landing on Feb. 18 was surreal and dreamlike, the Pinay engineer recounted.

“It is amazing to see something that I worked on for so long finally arrive at its destination. I felt so appreciative of the thousands of people who worked on this rover.

We all did our part and are excited to see the rover finally start its mission on the surface of Mars; this is only the beginning. It felt great to see the world celebrate with us and to see the public excited about science and space exploration,” she said.

After MOXIE, Gonzalez has several tasks on her plate, a spacecraft called Europa Clipper, which will visit a moon orbiting Jupiter to search for signs of life, and projects for the International Space Station to monitor life support systems for the astronauts.

She hopes that her career as a Filipina American and woman of color at NASA will inspire others to pursue opportunities in a male-dominated field like STEM. “As a Filipina and a minority in this field, it is easy to feel like you might not belong. I would encourage any aspiring Filipina engineers to work on building their confidence. Being a woman of color in a dominantly male field can be scary at times. As long as you remind yourself about why you’re passionate about engineering, it makes it all worth it,” she said.

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