030923 - Las Vegas Edition

Coalition takes Biden to task for falling short on voting rights

A COALITION of more than 100 civil rights and advocacy organizations is accusing the Biden administration of falling short on its “visionary” commitment to step up voter registration and that the failure to shore up voting rights is disproportionately hurting non-white voters.

In an early March letter to President Biden and 10 federal agencies, the coalition cited Census data showing wide discrepancies in voter registration between white voters and voters of color.

According to the data, 77% of eligible voters who are white are registered to vote. That compares to just 69% among African American eligible voters, and 64% for Asian Americans, 63% among Native Americans and 61% among Latinos. And in the last presidential election, 63 million people otherwise eligible to vote were not registered.

Executive Order 14019

Within weeks of taking office and on the anniversary of the 1965 historic “Bloody

Are we done with masks? Three experts review the latest ndings

A NEW study finds masks do little to prevent the spread of viruses like the flu and COVID, and that hand washing and vaccines offer more protection.

An international network of health researchers reviewed 78 randomized controlled studies and concluded that wearing masks has little or no effect on spreading the flu, COVID, or other respiratory diseases.

The Cochrane collaborative published their findings in a January 2023 report which found frequent hand washing did more than masks to prevent viral infections.

At a March 3 EMS news briefing, three medical experts shared their views about the efficacy of wearing masks in light of the study. Except for vulnerable patients where masks offer an added layer of protection, their consensus was to forget about wearing masks and get vaccinated.

They also stressed the importance of not losing trust in public health officials for changing their advice over time as they work to keep up with the latest scientific research.

Masks are ‘not magic’

Dr. William Schaffner, a professor at the

Airport screeners to wear body cameras – Speaker

by DELON PORCALLA Philstar.com

MANILA — Security officers screening passengers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and other gateways nationwide will soon be wearing body cameras and will no longer be allowed to carry their cell phones while on duty, according to Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Romualdez, who met with officials of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) led by Secretary Jaime Bautista on Monday, March 6, said security screening officers would not be allowed to wear jackets or uniforms with pockets as well as bring bags to prevent

US o cial: How many ‘promises from Beijing’ really created PH jobs?

by KRIXIA SUBINGSUBING Inquirer.net

MANILA — The United States is working to strengthen economic relations with the Philippines, a senior U.S. Department of State official stressed as she asked whether China’s “promises” in the past had actually generated jobs for Filipinos.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, March 6 during her one-day visit to the Philippines, State Undersecretary for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland said U.S.-Philippine economic ties had grown “richer and stronger than what most people realize’’ but that “(we) can and should do even more.”

Nuland said they hope to draw more U.S. investments to the country particularly in the climate and energy sectors, both being priorities of the Biden administration.

New EDCA sites

She also noted that the four additional military sites in the Philippines to which U.S. forces would have access under the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (Edca) would not only help

incidents of theft at the NAIA.

The Office for Transportation Security, which is under the supervision of the DOTr, has received flak over a series of theft incidents involving OTS personnel, which were recorded on closed-circuit television footage.

“The OTS agreed to punish erring personnel and to put in place measures to stop the illicit acts of its staff,” Romualdez said.

The OTS leadership, according to Romualdez, proposed the use of body cameras to monitor in real time the activities of airport security personnel as

Modern jeepney to retain iconic look

by FRANCO JOSE C. BAROÑA ManilaTimes.net

A LOCAL company that has been building jeepneys for 76 years is taking the “King of the Road” to the modern age with its iconic look intact.

From diesel-fueled jeepneys, Francisco Motor Corp. (FMC) plans to shift to assembling public utility vehicles (PUVs) with electric motors that retain the jeepney’s traditional design.

Traditional jeepneys face possible extinction with the full implementation of the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP).

“Since we are now engaging on full electric, I am going all in.

We will no longer make dieselpowered jeepneys,” Elmer Francisco, owner of FMC, told The Manila Times in an interview.

What the FMC did was modernize the jeepney to make it compliant with the PUVMP, said Francisco, whose uncle established the company in 1947.

The PUVMP aims to phase out all jeepneys that are 15 years old and older and replace them with brand new ones that conforms with the Philippine National Standards and powered by either an electric powertrain or at least a Euro 4 compliant diesel engine.

The fully electric Francisco Passenger Jeepney

already

PH lawmakers push constitutional change

by REINA LEANNE TOLENTINO ManilaTimes.net

THE Philippine House of Representatives has adopted Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) 6 calling for a constitutional convention (con-con) to amend the economic provisions of the Constitution.

RBH 6 was adopted on the third and final reading.

The resolution will still need to undergo further deliberations in the Senate.

Earlier, the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments voted on the RBH after holding nationwide public consultations on

charter change. Some lawmakers voted against the resolution.

The House adopted the resolution during plenary session on Monday, March 6, with about 300 lawmakers voting in the affirmative and several in the negative. One abstained.

Those who voted against RBH 6 were Camarines Sur Third District Rep. Gabriel Bordado Jr., Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Arlene Brosas, ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro, Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman, Albay First District Rep. Edcel Lagman, and Kabataan Rep. Raoul Manuel.

Northern Samar First District

Philippines, US tackle West PH Sea...

changed views on recent developments in the West Philippine Sea/ South China Sea, as well as other bilateral and global issues of mutual concern, with an eye towards identifying concrete measures that the two countries can pursue jointly, and together with other like-minded partners,” it added.

In recent weeks, there were sev-

eral reports of China’s harassment and intrusion in the West Philippine Sea, including the directing of a military-grade laser that temporarily blinded Filipino crew members.

The meeting, the DFA said, was also an avenue to preview plans for the upcoming 2+2 Ministerial Meeting next month which will be hosted by the US.

The meeting will be co-led by the DFA and the Department of National Defense and the U.S. Departments of State and Defense.

“Both sides agreed to expand the scope of the 2+2 to include broader security considerations, such as food security, energy, cybersecurity, telecommunications, and supply chains,” the DFA noted. g

PH lawmakers push constitutional...

Rep. Paul Daza, who abstained during the voting on the RBH at the committee level, said that it was “timely to address the economic provisions” of the Constitution.

He voted in the affirmative at the plenary.

Daza said that “having heard the proposed amendment... which was adopted by the House which reads... ‘with a vote of two-third of all its Members, voting separately, to call a Constitutional Convention for the purpose of proposing amendments to the economic provisions’ helped me sway to vote yes to this resolution.”

He added that during plenary deliberations, “it came out [that] there is no clarity even in a constituent assembly on how the voting will be done.”

Section 1, Article XVII of the 1987 Constitution states that any

amendment to, or revision of, the constitution may be proposed by the Congress, upon a vote of threefourths of all its members, or by a constitutional convention. Any amendment to, or revision of, the constitution under Sec. 1, Article XVII would be valid when ratified in a plebiscite.

Amendments to the Constitution may also be directly proposed by the people through initiative upon a petition of at least 12 percent of the number of registered voters, “of which every legislative district must be represented by at least three per centum of the registered voters therein.” Amendments proposed through people’s initiative would be valid when ratified in a plebiscite.

House Speaker Martin Romualdez said the House aims to limit its Charter rewriting initiative to the “restrictive” economic

provisions of the basic law “in the hope that the changes would pave the way for the country to attract more foreign investments.”

“We need additional investments that would create more job and income opportunities for our people. We need increased capital to sustain our economic growth momentum,” Romualdez said.

RBH 6 states that among the three modes of amending the Constitution, the calling for a con-con composed of appointed and elected delegates “would be the most transparent, exhaustive, democratic and least divisive means of implementing constitutional reforms”. Under the resolution, the election of delegates will be held on Oct. 30, 2023 simultaneous with the village and youth council elections. g

Modern jeepney to retain iconic...

received an endorsement from the Department of Transportation for inspection by the Department of Science and Technology. “When we finish that, we will go into mass production,” Francisco said.

While the entrance of the electric Francisco jeepney is located on the right side, it still has the familiar emergency exit on the rear. Passengers will still be seated facing each other. Its capacity is 30 passengers since the new FMC-designed jeep can accommodate at least eight more people standing inside. It is also air conditioned, has CCTV cameras and is equipped with a machine for the automated fare collection system. It also has a ramp for persons with disabilities.

“It is like riding in a train,” said

Francisco. “We really have it all.”

The FMC will not only be building a PUV that is environmentally friendly, it will also be providing jobs for Filipinos. The factory for the electric Francisco jeep will be based in Camarines Norte and can turn out 20,000 jeepneys a year.

Francisco said it is not only the body of the electric Francisco jeepney that will be assembled at the factory. The electronic motor and all the parts, even the battery that was developed in Los Angeles, California, will be massproduced at the Camarines Norte economic zone.

“We have the best engineers and jeepney makers in the Philippines. They are all Pinoys so we do not need to import jeepneys, or should I say minibuses, because the modern PUVs plying the streets

US official: How many ‘promises from Beijing...

PAGE 1

address security concerns in the region but also bring “economic opportunities, jobs” to their host communities.

“As we strengthen our ability to work together, there are contracts that come with that, and the vast majority of those are going to Philippine businesses,” she said.

now are just that, minibuses. They are not jeepneys. Ours is the real jeepney,” said Francisco.

He said the company is also discussing with jeepney operators the possibility of the company upgrading the existing jeepneys of those who cannot afford new units to make them PUVM compliant.

“We are not selling jeepneys, what we are selling are livelihoods. With the jeeps we sell, those who buy from us, the transport operators, must be able to make a living,” Francisco said.

He said he is optimistic that the government will support a locally designed and produced jeepney since “our politicians are all Filipinos who have, at one point in their lives, were able to ride a jeepney and have fond memories [of it].” g

Washington and Manila have historically maintained strong economic ties, with over $33 billion a year in bilateral trade and $100 million a year in U.S. investments specifically in climate and energy.

‘Lots of promises’

But the 75-year alliance grew cold under former President Rodrigo Duterte, who was openly hostile to the United States while welcoming Chinese support for his ambitious “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program.

Nuland noted: “We’ve seen a lot of promises from Beijing, but how many of those promises have actually been converted to jobs, to climate investments that bring benefit to the people?… That’s part of what we’re working on right now.”

Among the earliest gains claimed by the Duterte administration in making a

pivot to China was reported in October 2016, when the government secured $24 billion in investment and credit line pledges from Beijing during Duterte’s state visit. The pledges were said to be good for two million jobs to be generated in the next five years.

In April 2019, when Duterte visited China for the fourth time as president, the government reported $12.16 billion investment and trade deals with Chinese partners for energy, petrochemical, industrial park and infrastructure projects. A total of 19 business agreements were signed and were projected to create some 21,000 new jobs.

In January 2021, Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian said the Panhua Group, one of China’s top private enterprises, had invested $3.5 billion to build a steel plant intended to upgrade the country’s steel industry and create 10,000 direct jobs and 20,000 indirect jobs.

In January 2023, under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Malacañang said he secured $22.8-billion investment pledges during his three-day state visit to China, including $1.72 billion for agribusiness, $13.76 billion for renewable energy and $7.32 billion for strategic monitoring. g

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

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFQ Q23032) FOR

MASTER DEVELOPER SERVICES FOR THREE SITES: DUNCAN & EDWARDS, OLD ROSE GARDENS AND 28TH AND SUNRISE

PRIMARY CONTACT PERSON(S):

Note: Contact with any other SNRHA staff other than the named here, including SNRHA’s Residents and Board of Commissioners will result in your Proposal being rejected.

HOW TO OBTAIN THE SOLICITATION DOCUMENTS AND RESPOND TO THIS RFQ

Linda P. Simpson, Contracts Administrator Procurement & Contracts

Ph: (702) 477-3144; TDD (702) 387-1898 lpsimpson@snvrha.org, or if not available

Johnny Shaw, Contracts Manager jshaw@snvrha.org

Ph: (702) 477-3146

DOWNLOAD AND RESPOND TO THIS

SOLICITATION:

Housing Agency Marketplace website: ha.economicengine.com

Registered Users: “Log in and insert Solicitation

No. RFP P23032

Non Registered Users: You must first register your company before downloading the Solicitation. Click on “New Vendor” to register. Problems accessing the system or registering, call 866-526-9266 or 866526-0160, M-F, 9 AM (EST) – 4 PM (PST)

DOWNLOADS ONLY: SNRHA website: www.snvrha.org, click on Procurement and “Current Bid Invitations” and proceed to the appropriate solicitation number. Problems downloading the Solicitation, call (702) 477-3160, M-Th, 7AM-6PM (PST) DOWNLOADS

www.ngemnv.com

PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE: SITE TOUR TO FOLLOW

QUESTION & ANSWER PERIOD:

SOLICITATION SUBMITTAL RETURN AND DEADLINE:

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EMERGING SMALL BUSINESSES, (ESB PROGRAM): WOMEN AND/ OR MINORITY BUSINESS ARE ENCOURAGED TO PARTICIPATE. CONTACT JEANETTE HOLGUIN, JHOLGUIN@DIVERSFYNEVADA.COM 702-486-2700 OR 702-486-2830.

State Undersecretary for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland Inquirer.net photo by Grig Montegrande

BACK HOME. Filipino mothers and their children arrive at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 in Pasay City on Wednesday, March 8 from Türkiye. About 24 overseas Filipinos were repatriated a month after a magnitude 7.8 quake hit the southeastern part of Türkiye near the Syrian border, causing widespread destruction and chaos. PNA photo by Avito Dalan

Biden administration urged to take more aggressive steps to relieve medical debt

by Noam N. Levey Kaiser Health News

DOZENS of advocates for patients and consumers, citing widespread harm caused by medical debt, are pushing the Biden administration to take more aggressive steps to protect Americans from medical bills and debt collectors.

In letters to the IRS and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the groups call for new federal rules that among other things would prohibit debt for medically necessary care from appearing on consumer credit reports. Advocates also want the federal government to bar nonprofit hospitals from selling patient debt or denying medical care to people with past-due bills, practices that remain widespread across the U.S., KHN found.

And the groups are pressing the IRS to crack down on nonprofit hospital systems that withhold financial assistance from low-income patients or make aid cumbersome to get, another common obstacle KHN documented.

“Every day people are having to make choices about housing and clothing and food because of medical debt,” said Emily Stewart, executive director of Community Catalyst, a Boston nonprofit leading the effort. “It’s really urgent the Biden administration take action to put protections in place.”

Among the more than 50 groups supporting the initiative are national advocates such as the National Consumer Law Center, the Arthritis Foundation, and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Nationwide, 100 million people have health care debt, according to a KHN-NPR investigation, which has documented a crisis that is driving Americans from their homes, draining their savings, and preventing millions from accessing care they need.

While some of the debt appears on credit reports, much of it is hidden elsewhere as credit card balances, loans from relatives, or payment plans to hospitals and other medical providers.

The scale of this problem and its toll have spurred several national and state efforts.

Last spring, the White House directed federal agencies to work

on relieving medical debts for veterans and to stop considering medical debt in evaluating eligibility for some federally backed mortgages. California, Colorado, Maryland, New York, and other states have enacted new laws to expand consumer protections and require hospitals within their borders to increase financial aid. And the three largest credit agencies — Equifax, Experian, and Transunion — said they would stop including some medical debt on credit reports as of last July.

But many consumer and patient advocates say the actions, while important, still leave millions of Americans vulnerable to financial ruin if they become ill or injured. “It is critical that the CFPB take additional action,” the groups wrote to the federal agency created in 2010 to bolster oversight of consumer financial products.

The major credit rating companies, for example, agreed to exclude only debts that have been paid off and unpaid debts of less than $500. Patients with larger medical bills they can’t pay may still see their credit scores drop.

The groups also are asking the CFPB to eliminate deferred interest on medical credit cards. This arrangement is common for vendors such as CareCredit, whose loans carry no interest at first but can exceed 25% if patients don’t pay off the loan in time.

Collection industry officials have lobbied against broader restrictions on credit reporting, saying limits would take away an important tool that hospitals, physicians’ offices, and other

Coalition takes Biden to task for falling short...

universities it operates.

medical providers need to collect their money and stay in business.

“We appreciate the challenges, but a broad ban on credit reporting could have some unintended consequences,” said Jack Brown III, president of Florida-based Gulf Coast Collection Bureau, citing the prospect of struggling hospitals and other providers closing, which would reduce care options.

Brown, a past president of ACA International, the collection industry’s leading trade association, warned that more medical providers would also start demanding upfront payment, putting additional pressure on patients.

To further protect patients from out-of-pocket costs like these, many advocates say hospitals, particularly those that are exempt from taxes because they are supposed to serve the community, must make financial aid more accessible, a key demand in the group’s letters. “For too long, nonprofit hospitals have not been behaving like nonprofits,” said Liz Coyle, executive director of the nonprofit Georgia Watch. Charity care is offered at most U.S. hospitals. And nonprofit medical systems must provide aid as a condition of being taxexempt. But at many medical centers, information about this assistance is difficult or impossible to find.

Standards also vary widely, with aid at some hospitals limited to patients with income as low as $13,590 a year. At other hospitals, people making five or six times that much can get assistance.

The result is widespread confusion that has left countless

u PAGE 4

Sunday” march for voting rights through Selma, Alabama, Biden issued executive order 14019, “Promoting Access to Voting.” The move was intended to expand voter registration opportunities in federal agency programs.

Two years later, at a March 2 press briefing, members of the coalition offered a new report, “Strengthening Democracy: A Progress Report on Federal Agency Action to Promote Access to Voting,” assessing the work of 10 federal agencies in implementing Biden’s order.

Three are “on the right track,” the report found, but “most have either made minimal progress on their initial strong commitments or have left important opportunities on the table.”

Were they to “integrate a high-quality voter registration opportunity for the people they serve,” said Jesselyn McCurdy, of the Leadership Conference, those agencies “could collectively generate an additional 3.5 million voter registration applications per year.”

She continued, “While state after state imposes more barriers to the ballot, a divided Congress gives us little hope for restoring and strengthening the voting rights we so desperately need… Not since the Jim Crow era have we seen such opposition to freely casting and accurately counting our ballots.”

McCurdy added that “with legislation stalled for the foreseeable future, we are looking to the Biden-Harris administration to do everything within their executive power to protect the right to vote.”

Registering Native American voters

Jacqueline De Leon of the Native American Rights Fund noted Native American voters are “uniquely situated to benefit from this executive order.”

Although “Native Americans do not regularly interact with state agencies, such as the DMV, where many Americans are provided with the most meaningful registration opportunity,” she said, the situation is different when it comes to federal agencies “in a government-to-government capacity and in fulfillment of their treaty rights.”

The Department of the Interior was one of just three agencies of the 10 covered in the report deemed “on the right track” for providing high-quality voter registration services at two

At the other end of the spectrum, Indian Health Services was rated “falling behind” for showing “no signs of follow-through” on its initial commitment to offer registration to its clients: “2.5 million of the most underserved Native Americans yearly,” De Leon said. De Leon commended the Department of Veteran Affairs’ pilot programs in Kentucky, Michigan and Pennsylvania and its nonpartisan information about registration and elections on its

website. Treasury, by boosting voter registration access at IRS tax preparation clinics and training staff in the process, also got an “on the right track” designation. Meeting eligible voters where they’re at “One of the single most impactful actions that the Biden administration can take under this executive order,” said Laura Williamson, of Demos, is for the Department of Health and Human Services to improve the voter registration element of its website

Pagpapalathala: Ika-16 ng Pebrero, Ika-23 ng Pebrero, Ika-2 ng Marso, Ika-9 ng Marso, 2023

TAG: Pagsasara ng Pagpaparehistro, Espesyal na Halalan, Tagalog

PAUNAWA PARA SA MGA MANGHAHALAL SA PAGSASARA NG PAGPAPAREHISTROPARA SA

2023 PUROK 1 ESPESYAL NA HALALAN NA GAGANAPIN SA LUNES, IKA-3 NG ABRIL, 2023 SA LUNGSOD NG HENDERSON

ANG PAGPAPAREHISTRO AY MAGSASARA SABADO, IKA-18 NG MARSO, 2023

ANG PAUNAWA’NG ITO AY NAGBIBIGAY NANG KAALAMAN na ang pagpaparehistro ng botante para sa 2023 Purok 1 Espesyal na Halalan na gaganapin sa Lunes, ika-3 ng Abril, 2023, ay magsasara sa Sabado, ika-18 ng Marso, 2023 sa 5:00 n.h.

Ang kahit na sino ma’ng karapat-dapat na manghahalal na ang pangalan ay hindi makikita sa opisyal na talaan ay maaari’ng magparehistro sa pamamagitan ng pagbisita ng pangkaraniwa’ng oras ng pangangalakal, sa Lalawigan ng Clark Sentro ng Halalan, 965 Trade Drive, Suite A, North Las Vegas o sa Lungsod ng Henderson Tanggapan ng Kawani, 240 South Water Street, Henderson. Ang Lalawigan ng Clark Kagawaran ng Halalan ay bukas Lunes hanggang Huwebes, 7:30 n.u. hanggang 5:30 n.h. Ang Lungsod ng Henderson Tanggapan ng Kawani ay bukas Lunes hanggang Huwebes, 7:30 n.u. hanggang 5:30 n.h.

Mga pinahabang oras sa Lungsod ng Henderson Tanggapan ng Kawani

Sa ika-17 ng Marso at ika-18 ng Marso, ang pagpaparehistro ng bontante ay maaari’ng gawin nang personal sa Lungsod ng Henderson Tanggapan ng Kawani, 240 South Water Street, Henderson, NV 89015, sa panahon ng mga pinahabang oras tulad ng sumusunod:

Biyernes, ika-17 ng Marso, 2023 8:00 n.u. – 5:00 n.h.

Sabado, ika-18 ng Marso, 2023 8:00 n.u. – 5:00 n.h.

Upang magparehistro sa online, bisitahin ang website ng Lalawigan ng Clark Kagawaran ng Halalan sa http://www.clarkcountynv.gov/vote , at pumunta sa Serbisyo sa Online na Pagpaparehistro “Click Here” na buton. Ang serbisyo’ng ito ay magagamit 24 na oras sa isang araw. Para sa karagdagang impormasyon, pinapakiusap na makipag-ugnayan sa Lungsod ng Henderson Tanggapan ng Kawani, 240 South Water Street, Henderson, NV 89015, o sa pamamagitan ng pagtawag sa 702-267-1400 o sa website ng Lungsod sa www.cityofhenderson.com

Allyson and Marcus Ward of Chicago moved across the country to be closer to family after the premature birth of their twins, Theo and Milo, left them with about $80,000 in medical debt. KHN and NPR's reporting has revealed over 100 million people in America are saddled with medical debt. Kaiser Health News photo by Taylor Clascock

WOMEN FARMERS SEEK JUSTICE. Police barricade the entrance to the Department of Justice main office in Manila on Wednesday, March 8 as protesters stage a rally in support of women farmers. Eight women farmers from Bataan who were accused of syndicated estafa demanded the dismissal of their case.

Biden administration urged to take more...

PAGE

patients who should have been eligible for aid with large bills instead. A 2019 KHN analysis of hospital tax filings found that nearly half of nonprofit medical systems were billing patients with incomes low enough to qualify for charity care.

The groups are asking the IRS to issue rules that would set common standards for charity care and a uniform application across nonprofit hospitals. (Current regulations for charity care do not apply to for-profit or public hospitals.) The advocates also want the

federal agency to strengthen limits on how much nonprofit hospitals can charge and to curtail aggressive collection tactics such as foreclosing on patients’ homes or denying or deferring medical care.

More than two-thirds of hospitals sue patients or take other legal action against them, such as garnishing wages or placing liens on property, according to a recent KHN investigation. A quarter sell patients’ debts to debt collectors, who in turn can pursue patients for years for unpaid bills. About 1 in 5 deny nonemergency care to people with outstanding debt.

California ex-caregiver

A FILIPINO former caregiver is wanted by the FBI for allegedly molesting children in Manhattan Beach, California, and may be hiding in the Philippines.

Edgardo Feralin Dormido, Jr., 48, was charged in Los Angeles County in and 2015, with five felony counts, including oral copulation or sexual penetration with a child 10 years old or younger and forcible lewd act on a child.

The Manhattan Beach Police Department requested the

charged

with child sexual abuse believed to be in PH

help of the FBI as Dormido, a former caregiver, is believed to have fled to the Philippines, and he may still have family and associates in Los Angeles.

Officials believe that Dormido, Jr. fled the country on July 13, 2015, flying from Los Angeles International Airport to Taipei, Taiwan and then to Manila.

Last June, Dormido was federally charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution and a federal warrant was issued for his arrest, FBI officials said.

Authorities released his photo

to generate leads in the case. He has black hair, brown eyes, weighs 130 pounds and is 5 feet 4 inches tall.

Anyone with information about Dormido’s whereabouts is asked to contact their local FBI office or nearest U.S. Embassy. A monetary reward may also be available for anyone with information. Los Angeles’ local field office is located at 11000 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 1700 LA, CA 90024, and can be contacted at 310-4776565. (ManilaTimes.net)

Airport screeners to wear body cameras...

PAGE 1

well as immigration officers.

“The OTS agreed to punish erring personnel and to put in

place measures to stop the illicit acts of its staff,” Romualdez said.

The OTS leadership, according to Romualdez, proposed the use

of body cameras to monitor in real time the activities of airport security personnel as well as immigration officers. g

Are we done with masks? Three experts

PAGE 1

Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, led off the session by describing the challenges of conducting mask studies in the first place, whether in a health environment or in the community. “You can’t monitor people about their mask-wearing behavior all the time. That’s certainly something you can’t do, and of course (masks) have to be worn correctly,” he said.

While many researchers have looked at multiple physical measures to prevent people from

review...

catching a virus, the Cochrane reviewers evaluated studies that compared just three interventions: surgical masks, N95/P2 respirators, and hand hygiene. Based on the results they were uncertain whether masks help to slow the spread of viruses but decided hand hygiene “may help to slow the spread of respiratory viruses,” Schaffner said.

Yet he also pointed out that in most cases, mask wearing was accompanied by social distancing, and… “in certain communities, we were in a lockdown. we stayed home. So, we did all those things more or less simultaneously. And it’s hard – impossible really – to determine what proportion of the reduction we saw on COVID was due to the mask itself.

As for his own advice, Schaffner emphasized that “masks are not magic.” But he said that people in high-risk groups may start wearing them again next flu season. “They will offer another layer of protection to protect me, a highly vulnerable person, from acquiring an infection from others.”

No more mask mandates

“I don’t think we can impose mask mandates on the public anymore,” said Dr. Monica Ghandi, Professor of Medicine and Associate Division Chief of the Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine at UCSF in San Francisco.

Gandhi noted a Danish mask study where no mandate was in effect at the time, and two others in Bangladesh and Guinea-Bissau where entire villagers wore masks. The study found “there was very little effectiveness” in wearing masks.

During the Delta surge, Orange County, California did not impose a mask mandate but nearby LA County did. “And there was no difference in transmission or death rates. Very importantly, the vaccination rates made all the difference,” Gandhi said.

The most important thing people could do during the pandemic is to get vaccinated, Gandhi advised. “I think we have to keep it a choice for the masking.”

Gandhi’s recently published book, Endemic, is about the politicization of public health policy. She said that closing schools during COVID was a politically driven decision and “not good for children in the Blue

States, because the Red States kept their schools open.”

Dr. Mina Hakim, a pediatric specialist at South Central Family Health Center in Los Angeles, offered a similar view about masks from “down in the trenches.”

“The results of the study were clear in that surgical masks, N95 masks, did not make a difference in the transmission of Covid or the flu,” Hakim said.

“The mask is a small piece of a much bigger shield that we have against COVID. I would use the bigger piece of the shield, which is a vaccine, and I would not recommend masks for the general population,” Hakim added. Like Schaffner and Gandhi, he recommended masks for vulnerable populations.

Kids and masks

He said the Cochrane review looked at a few studies that were specifically for children, and those results were even more definitive.

“Kids are the worst at keeping things on. You’d be lucky if you have a kid with their pants on at the end of the day let alone having a mask on that increases humidity, increases difficulty of breathing, and it’s just overall uncomfortable,” Hakim said.

They’re constantly touching things, wiping their nose, taking their mask off to eat and drink. They share pencils and pens that have been in other kids’ mouths. And teenagers are horrendous at being compliant, Hakim added.

Like Schaffner and Gandhi, Hakim recommended wearing masks for vulnerable people.

“If we could provide masks particularly to those high-risk people, I think that might … increase the trust because we’re not imposing the masks on them, but making them available, so that people feel more comfortable and reassured that it’s a good thing to do,” says Hakim.

All three speakers agreed that as studies like the Cochrane report reveal new findings about the efficacy of preventive care, these should not diminish public trust.

“One of the most difficult things for the general public to understand is that we will give you our best advice today but if we learn something tonight, we may have to change that advice tomorrow, and that this is an ongoing process,” Schaffner says.

(Peter White/Ethnic Media Services)

Coalition takes Biden to task for falling short...

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healthcare.gov. Millions of people use the website annually, she said.”

For these people to be able to vote, she said, “is integral to the agency’s mission. HHS itself has found that voting is a social determinant of health.” Although HHS initially vowed to integrate voter registration into its site, Williamson said, “that was well over a year ago and it hasn’t happened. It must.”

Along similar lines and “critical to the entire executive order,” she said, is the General Services Administration’s vote.gov website.

Despite the GSA being specifically singled out in the executive order to modernize and improve the site, which many other agencies use in their voter registration efforts, “unfortunately, it’s just not all that user-friendly, or fully accessible to voters with disabilities and limited English proficiency.”

The Justice Department’s Marshal Service, which oversees people in federal pretrial custody, and Bureau of Prisons have both made “modest initial efforts” to ensure that eligible people in their custody have access to registration and voting, Williamson said, “but both agencies have more work to do to meet the mandate. Voting is a right, not a privilege.”

Terry Ao Minnis, of Asian Americans Advancing Justice, echoed De Leon’s comments

about Indian Health Services, one of three agencies deemed “falling behind.”

So is the Department of Education, which, besides not following through on modest commitments made in response to Biden’s order, should add voter registration information to its FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) process, the report suggests.

In the 2020-2021 cycle, FAFSA had 18 million student applicants, including 84% of all black students, 74% of Latino students and 68% of Asian American ones – “many of whom are young people not registered to vote,” Minnis noted.

And the report estimates that another 60,000 voter registrations could be added annually through the Department of Homeland Security’s Citizenship and Immigration Service, which is unique among federal agencies, Minnis pointed out, in its routine interactions with people who by nature of becoming new citizens are both eligible to vote and unregistered.

“To close out,” said Adam Lioz, of the Legal Defense Fund, “we need to restore and strengthen the Voting Rights Act, and we expect the administration’s strong voice in that fight. We appreciate the progress agencies have made and we implore the administration to finish the job on a clear and urgent timeline.”

(Mark Hedin/ Ethnic Media Services)

BBM joins world in recognizing role of women Dateline PhiliPPines

MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Wednesday, March 8 took to social media to share a post recognizing women across the country for their achievements highlighted by women empowerment in his administration.

“Saludo tayo sa ating mga kababaihan na patuloy na nagpapakita ng tapang at determinasyon sa kanilang tahanan, trabaho, at komunidad ( We salute women who continue to show courage and determination in their home, work, and community ),” he said in posts on Facebook and Twitter.

“Happy International Women’s Day!” his post added which was accompanied by photos of his wife, First Lady Liza AranetaMarcos, and female Cabinet officials including Vice President and concurrent Education Secretary Sara Duterte, Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople, Presidential Communications Office Secretary Cheloy Garafil.

Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Loyzaga, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, Health Officer-in-Charge Maria Rosario Singh-Vergeire, and Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco.

International Women's Day is celebrated every March 8 to recognize women for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic, or political, according to the United Nations (UN).

The first recorded celebration of International Women’s Day was in 1911 in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland when over a million people rallied to support women’s rights.

The Philippines observes National Women’s Day every March 8 through Republic Act No. 6949.

Proclamation 224 also declared March 8 as “Women’s Rights and International Peace Day” and the first week of March as Women’s Week while Proclamation 227

declared March as “Women’s Role in History Month.”

This year’s National Women’s Day celebration goes by a recurring theme from this year to 2028 namely “WE for gender equality and inclusive society”, according to the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) website. “WE” stands for Women and Everyone and Women’s Empowerment.

The recurring theme aligns with the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028, which aims for “deep economic and social transformation to reinvigorate job creation and accelerate poverty reduction by steering the economy back on a high-growth path.”

It also highlights that growth must be inclusive, building an environment that provides equal opportunities to all Filipinos and equipping them with skills to participate fully in an innovative and globally competitive economy. (PNA)

Marcos: Gov’t to persevere until it ends poverty

MANILA – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday, March 9 welcomed a report showing that the country’s employment rate is slowly getting back to the 2019 pre-pandemic levels.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that the country’s employment rate accelerated to 95.2 percent, which translates to an additional 4.1 million employed persons, on account of employment gains in the services and agriculture sectors in January 2023.

This brings total employment to 47.4 million from 43.3 million in January 2022.

The labor force participation rate rebounded to 64.5 percent, equivalent to 49.7 million Filipinos in the labor force, of which 20.6 million are women.

“Padami nang padami ang nagkakaroon ng magandang trabaho (More and more people are getting good jobs)!:” Marcos said in his official Facebook page and Twitter account.

“Bumaba pa lalo ang ating unemployment at underemployment rate at tumaas naman sa 95.2 percent ang ating employment rate mula sa 93.6 percent noong Enero

2022. Ibig sabihin, 4.1 milyong Pilipino ang nadagdag sa ating labor force (Our unemployment and underemployment rates decreased even more and our employment rate increased to 95.2 percent from 93.6 percent in January 2022. That means, 4.1 million Filipinos have been added to our labor force),” he added.

Marcos vowed that the government would continue to pursue projects and programs meant to lift Filipinos out of poverty, “Tayo'y magpupursigi hanggang sa tuluyan na nating mawakasan ang kahirapan (We will persevere until we finally end poverty)!” he said.

In a separate interview, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said the improved employment situation can be attributed to the reopening of businesses after pandemic lockdowns were eased.

“Remember that in January 2022, we have not yet fully opened as many of the businesses were still only partially opened and so the further opening of the economy came in during this period from January 2022 to January

PH joins 67th session of UN Commission on Status of Women

MANILA – The Philippines has sent a delegation to the 67th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York from March 6 to 17.

social inequalities, and it will also spotlight the importance of protecting the rights of women and girls in digital spaces and addressing online and ICT-facilitated gender-based violence.

Staff Christine Joy Mamuyac.

2023 is largely responsible for that improvement in the employment situation,” Balisacan told Palace reporters.

He likewise expressed confidence that the administration’s efforts to lure more investments in the country would help generate more jobs.

“Of course, I also would like to think that it has been seven months since the new administration came in and I think that has more or less sent a signal that business environment has improved because the President has been very clear that he is open to business. He’s opening up the Philippine economy to business including foreign investment,” he added.

The Marcos administration’s Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028 is expected to “reinvigorate job creation, accelerate poverty reduction by steering the economy back on the high growth path and effect economic transformation.”

Under the PDP 2023-2028, the government aims to turn the Philippines into an upper, middle-income country by the year 2025. (PNA)

The Philippine delegation is headed by Antonio Lagdameo, Ambassador and Permanent Representative, Philippine Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York.

Their participation in the session comes as the world celebrates International Women’s Day (IWD).

The delegation’s primary representatives include Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary Margarita Gutierrez, Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Undersecretary Anna Mae Lamentillo, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Cherbett Karen Maralit, and Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative, Philippine Permanent Mission to the UN in New York, Ariel Rodelas Peñaranda.

The United Nations Observance of IWD, under the theme “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality,” recognizes and celebrates women and girls championing the advancement of transformative technology and digital education.

The observance will also explore the impact of the digital gender gap on widening economic and

Alternate Representatives include Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Assistant

Secretary Diana Minda Ignacio, National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Assistant Secretary Sarah Daway-Ducanes, DILG

Assistant Secretary Ester Aldana, First Secretary Maria Roseny Fangco, Philippine Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, and Commission on Human Rights Commissioner Faydah Dumarpa.

Serving as advisers are National Commission on Indigenous Peoples Chairperson Allen Capuyan, Philippine Commission on Women Executive Director Kristine Rosary Yuzon-Chaves, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples OIC Director Dahlialyn DaitCawed, Department of Agriculture

(DA) Deputy Executive Director Annray Villota Rivera, Philippine

Commission on Women Chief Gender and Development Specialist Anita Baleda, DA Chief Agriculturist Lorna Villegas, PCO Planning Officer II Jean Denielle

Cusi, Philippine Commission on Women Senior Gender and Development Specialist Avery Silk Arevalo Villarosa, and NEDA

Senior Economic Development

Other advisers are Department of Foreign Affairs Desk Officer Evella Rose Macadangdang, Philippine Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York Attache Angelica Navarete, Philippine Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York Attache Nadine Guevarra-De Dios, Philippine Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York Assistant Diego Andreas Lingad, DICT Head Executive Assistant Patricia Nicole Uy, Commission on Human Rights Executive Assistant Liza De Luna, Pambansang Koalisyon ng Kababaihan sa Kanayunan Secretary General Amparo Miciano Sykioco, and Foundation for Media Alternatives (FMA) Executive Director Liza Samonte Garcia.

The CSW is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women.

It is instrumental in promoting women’s rights, documenting the reality of women’s lives throughout the world, and shaping global standards on gender equality and the empowerment of women.

International Women's Day is celebrated every March 8 to recognize women for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic, or political, according to the UN website. (PNA)

UNSUNG HEROES. Woman street sweepers endure the scorching heat of the sun and hazards of working near the bus carousel barriers just to keep Metro Manila’s busiest road, Epifanio de los Santos Avenue or EDSA, clean as the world celebrates International Women’s Day on Wednesday, Mar 8. International Women’s Day is a global holiday celebrated annually to recognize the women’s rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women. PNA photo by Robert

National embarrassment

AIRPORTS are high-security facilities, and there should be no room for unprofessional, inefficient or crooked conduct especially in restricted zones such as security screening areas. Yet such dismaying behavior has been on display right in the country’s premier gateway, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

On Monday, March 1 a screening officer of the Office for Transportation Security was arrested on charges of stealing the smartwatch of a Hong Kong-bound Chinese tourist at the NAIA Terminal 1. Reports said closed-circuit television footage showed the Chinese placing his watch and other personal items on a tray for x-ray screening at the departure area. As the tray emerged from the machine, the CCTV footage showed OTS screener Valeriano Ricaplaza placing another tray on top of the first one and, according to his superiors, taking the watch. Ricaplaza, who denied the theft, was taken into custody by the Philippine National Police Aviation Security Group. His arrest followed the sacking of five other OTS employees who were shown in a viral video pocketing 20,000 yen from a Thai tourist at the NAIA Terminal 2 on Feb. 22. When confronted by the tourist, the five returned the cash. Another Thai tourist recorded the incident and uploaded it online. Thievery is not the only problem. Last Feb. 6, another viral video showed a female OTS screener patting down members of Korean boy band ENHYPEN as they emerged from x-ray screening

Babe’s Eye View

BABE ROMUALDEZ

SOME of our senators who are still doubtful about the decision of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to allow new Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites should realize that now, more than ever, we need to strengthen our ties with the United States to beef up our capability in addressing existing and potential security threats to our nation and people, both traditional and non-traditional, such as cyber and climate change.

Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez said it correctly – the projects under EDCA are intended to develop our defense capabilities and are certainly not intended for aggression; neither should they be taken to mean that we are preparing for war. Undoubtedly, we should be ready to defend ourselves for any eventuality, especially in light of the tense geopolitical situation that could become precarious. But while we will continue to

Virtual Reality

Editorial

at the departure area. Instead of looking at the person being patted down, the woman was looking away and dissolving into thrilled giggles. Since when did airport security screening become a fangirl event? The OTS said personal video recording is prohibited at airport security areas. ENHYPEN fans also wondered why a woman was conducting a body search on men.

The OTS had reassured the public after the incident that it “shall never tolerate any unprofessional behavior” toward passengers. It is unclear if the woman ever faced sanctions for her behavior in a high-security area. The OTS reported that since July last year, 14 of its employees have been dismissed and three suspended while six cases of misconduct remain under investigation. Beyond catching erring personnel and slapping them with appropriate administrative or criminal charges, the OTS must tighten its recruitment policies and improve training for its screeners. Airport security screening is a serious matter. Leaving the task to amateurs, thieves and giggly fangirls can only lead to national embarrassment. (Philstar.com)

should all be on the right side of history

explore all diplomatic means to resolve issues, we should not also turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to the clamor of the people to stand up to those who attempt to arrogate to themselves what is ours – as seen in the continuing incursion of Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) and militia vessels in areas that are clearly within our maritime territory.

For centuries, Filipino fishermen have relied on the traditional fishing grounds of Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal, Recto (Reed) Bank, Pag-asa (Thitu) Island in the West Philippine Sea for their livelihood. But for so many years now, they have been enduring the continuing harassment from Chinese Coast Guard and militia vessels, depriving them of their livelihood, very often having to stay away from the resourcerich waters due to “bullying” from Chinese vessels.

Those who were desperate enough to enter the fishing grounds recount being shooed away, subjected to threats and intimidation, their fishing ropes cut, their boats water-cannoned or worse, attacked like what

captured by CCTV.

happened in June 2019 when a Chinese trawler rammed a fishing boat near Recto (Reed) Bank. If not for the Vietnamese fishing crew that heard their cries for help, the 20 Filipino fishermen who were drifting in the water as they clung to plastic barrels and pieces of wood from the wrecked fishing boat could have drowned.

As one fisherman put the situation they are in, “We are being forcibly driven away from our own territory. They are making us feel as if we are stealing from our own backyard” – so ironic and deceptive, considering that the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of which China was a signatory clearly states that countries have sovereign rights to exploit or conserve natural resources that are within 200 nautical miles of their exclusive economic zone.

According to a report by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Chinese Coast Guard vessels have patrolled key areas in the West Philippine Sea, with their presence detected

almost every day in 2022. The Washington-based think-tank also noted the presence of the CCG in areas near Vietnamese and Malaysian oil and gas sites.

Numerous diplomatic protests have been filed by the Department of Foreign Affairs over the continued incursion of Chinese vessels – as many as 77 under the administration of President Bongbong Marcos, with 10 of them filed in the first two months of 2023.

In fact, the Philippines is not the only country that has been complaining about intrusion from Chinese Coast Guard and other vessels. In 2021, Malaysia summoned the Chinese ambassador to protest the presence of Chinese vessels within Malaysia’s exclusive economic zone. Vietnam and Indonesia have also accused China of intrusion in areas where gas and oil exploration activities are being conducted, such as in Natuna Sea.

It’s extremely disappointing that some of our former diplomats who are totally uninformed are naively asking for the cancellation of the EDCA – an agreement whose

constitutionality has been affirmed and reaffirmed by the Supreme Court. Senator Koko Pimentel has the right frame of mind when he said that while he may disagree with EDCA, the Philippines as a sovereign nation is “free to enter into treaties and agreements which we believe are, or will be, good for us.”

Some agree with Senator Risa Hontiveros’ statement that we must forge security agreements with other countries to defend the Philippines and maintain peace and security in the West Philippine Sea.

“A security agreement can serve as a defensive framework that would provide for joint patrols and training of our troops so we are prepared to work as part of a team should tensions escalate,” she said, also noting the support shown to the Philippines by members of the international community when a Chinese Coast Guard vessel pointed a military-grade laser at a Philippine Coast Guard vessel in Ayungin shoal.

In fact, the Philippines is looking at multilateral cooperation with countries such as Japan as well as Singapore

Crime, corruption, in ation

PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” Romualdez Marcos Jr. should stop being the Mr. Nice Guy of the Philippines.

He should start taking decisive, even harsh actions on the following:

1. A creeping crime wave

2. Rampant corruption

3. A stubborn raging inflation

Crime wave

In just 17 days this year, there have been four highprofile political assassination attempts; three of them in just five days. Sixteen victims died during the four attacks, including the governor of large Cebuano-speaking province (1.5 million population) and a town mayor.

At 9:45 am. of Saturday, March 4, masked killers in army uniforms and brandishing high-powered firearms barged into the residential compound of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo and killed him on the spot, together with six other bystanders. The murders were

On Feb, 17, Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal Adiong was ambushed. The governor survived the assassination attempt but his driver and three police escorts died.

On Feb. 19, the vice mayor of Aparri, Cagayan, Rommel Alameda, and five companions, were killed in an ambush.

On Feb. 22, Maguindanao del Sur Mayor Ohto Caumbo Montawal was wounded when two gunmen fired at his vehicle in busy Pasay City.

In the national capital, way back in August 2022, there were reports of “serial killers and gang members using a white van were behind several reported cases of murders and other crimes.”

In June 2022, President Duterte’s last month, there were 15,651 index and non-index crimes, per newspaper reports.

In July 2022, BBM’s first month, 30,802 index and non-index crimes were reported. Index or focus crimes include: murder, homicide, physical injury, rape, and car theft. Index crimes do not large-scale corruption like smuggling and the plunder of pork barrel.

The Philippine National

Police (PNP) website reports a whole-year crime stats, but only for the year 2021– of 37,842 index crimes and 185,550 non-index crimes for a total of 223,392 crime volume or an unbelievable crime volume per day of – only 612 crimes (for a nation of 114 million) during 2021.

No wonder, last month (February), PNP Chief Azurin had the temerity to assert that “the spate of attacks on local government executives is not that alarming yet.” These are isolated cases. “I would say na hindi pa alarming kasi dini-determine nga natin dahil iba-iba ‘yung mga situation, iba-iba ‘yung mga reason bakit pinatay itong mga ito (which is not yet alarming because the situations are different, the reasons why these people were killed are different). Sabi ko nga (As I said) it’s either political, personal, business rivalry or other reason why these killings are happening.”

Corruption

On March 1, Valeriano Ricaplaza, a screening officer of the Office for Transportation Security was arrested on charges of stealing the smartwatch of a Hong Kong-

bound Chinese tourist at the NAIA Terminal 1. Reports said closed-circuit television footage showed the Chinese placing his watch and other personal items on a tray for x-ray screening at the departure area.

On Feb, 22, five other OTS employees who were shown in a viral video pocketing 20,000 yen from a Thai tourist at the NAIA Terminal 2. When confronted by the tourist, the five returned the cash. The Thai’s woman companion videoed the whole pilferage and attempt to return the money.

In less than a year, BBM has had three Customs chiefs – Rey Leonardo Guerrero (a holdover from Duterte since 2018), Yogi Filemon Ruiz, from July 25, 2022, and Bienvenido Rubio, from Feb. 13, 2023. Why?

“Customs are often perceived as one of the most corrupt institutions in developing countries,” said the World Bank in 2020. “Addressing the root causes of corruption goes beyond legal reforms, code of ethics or IT system upgrades,” argues the lender.

Inflation

I talked briefly with President BBM during the DTI’s CITEM “Tanyag” dinner last March

3, to honor the foreign governments and partners in Manila’s export program. He was clearly worried about inflation. “It’s hurting people,” he said. Across the table was the government’s chief inflation fighter, Bangko Sentral Governor Felipe Medalla, radiant in his enigmatic smile, and Trade Secretary Fred Pascual, patrician in his white hair.

Indeed, inflation is the biggest thief of them all. In 2022, households spent a whopping P16.72 trillion buying all kinds of goods and services.

Consumers spent P6.2 trillion on food and non-alcohol drinks; P2.08 trillion on electricity, water and other utilities; P1.5 trillion on transportation; P1.16 trillion in restaurants and hotels, P835 billion on tuition, P716 billion on health care, P464 billion on household furnishings, and P2.298 trillion on many other things.

If inflation were to rage at 9 percent (the estimate for February), that is equivalent to P1.5 trillion being taken away from your pockets for buying the same volume of goods and same quality of services.

and Vietnam not only in terms of enhanced security but economic and other areas as well. The Philippines, US, Australia and like-minded countries are seriously studying the possibility of joint maritime exercises to enhance their collective capability to maintain security and ensure the freedom of navigation in international waters.

Those who are against the MDT, the VFA and EDCA should understand that the Philippines entered into these agreements not to be embroiled in war but as part of our overall defense strategy. The fact is, 90 percent of Filipinos all over the world totally agree with the President’s move in forging defense agreements with like-minded countries. Clearly, he is on the right side of history – like all of us should be. (Philstar.com) * * * The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff. * * * babeseyeview@gmail.com

Imagine that: P1.5 trillion being taken away from you, yearly by inflation. Which inflation by the way is aided or made worse, in large part, by crime and corruption. Were it not for corruption at Customs and other places, prices of major food items (on which the Filipino spends P6.1 trillion a year) would be much, much, much cheaper.

In 2022, the inflation rate on sugar was 38.8 percent; vegetables 37.8 percent; corn 16 percent; flour and bakery products 11.3 percent; milk and other dairy products 11.3 percent; meat 7 percent; and fast foods 9.2 percent. Total food inflation: 8.7 percent.

So there Mr. President. The enemy is defined. It’s CCI –crime, corruption, and inflation. Individually or together, all three have the potential to bring down a sitting government, no matter how immensely popular. (Philstar.com)

* * *

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

* * * Email: biznewsasia@gmail.com

New York/New Jersey, Las Vegas, San Diego. Philippines

UN rights chief airs concerns over Philippines

by PIA LEE-BRAGO Philstar.com

MANILA — The United Nations rights chief has outlined concerns on the Philippines, including expectation of rapid progress in prosecuting human rights violators.

Presenting his annual global report to the Human Rights Council on Tuesday, UN High Commissioner for human rights Volker Turk stated the concerns in the Philippines and 39 other countries.

He said the current human rights landscape is compounded by conflict, discrimination, poverty, shrinking civic spaces and the emergence of new human rights challenges such as the rise of artificial intelligence and surveillance.

Tackling current complex challenges requires fresh thinking and bolder political leadership to

address abuses and find solutions.

In the Philippines, Türk stated that police forces need to serve and protect everyone in society.

“In the Philippines, where killings in drug-related police operations still occur, my office is working with security actors to strengthen accountability and promote human rights in drug enforcement,” Türk said.

“The Philippine government has announced steps to vet senior police officers for corruption, and I hope there will be rapid progress in prosecuting human rights violators,” he added.

The UN Human Rights Council session focused on a number of situations that are of particular concern and statements in relation to country situations throughout this session were delivered.

“While I welcome recent acquittals of human rights defenders, there must be an end to other politically motivated

charges and a safer environment for civil society,” Türk noted.

Last year, the Philippines held dialogues with human rights committees and participated in an enhanced interactive dialogue with the Council. The Philippines had accepted 215 out of the 289 recommendations received at the Universal Periodic Review, giving assurance that “extrajudicial killings had never been, and would never be, a state policy.”

The Philippine government rejected the International Criminal Court (ICC)’s decision to resume investigations over alleged crimes committed during the anti-illegal drug campaign.

During a visit in Manila last month, members of the European Parliament said that allowing the ICC to investigate the Philippines’ drug war is the “perfect way” to cooperate and demonstrate human rights commitment. 

Senate panel releases ndings on airport shutdown

by PAOLO ROMERO Philstar.com

MANILA — The government should put up an air traffic management system of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in a more secure location, ensure compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards and immediately establish the proposed Philippine Transportation Safety Board (PTSB) to ensure the safety of air passengers, a report of the Senate public services committee has recommended.

Sen. Grace Poe, chair of the committee, delivered on Tuesday, March 7 a summary of the report of her panel, which conducted a series of hearings on the New Year’s Day closure of the country’s airspace for about 10 hours after the NAIA’s Communication, Navigation and Surveillance Systems/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) system operated by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) shut down, displacing some 60,000 passengers and disrupting at least 300 flights.

“The Jan. 1 ‘systems failure’ was indeed a confluence of factors and errors. Experts likened it to the planets aligning, albeit with an unfortunate consequence. This is a rare event, but we know it can happen, and will happen again if we’re not

going to act on the problems of the country’s air traffic system,” Poe told the plenary.

“There is much work needed for a better system. It is my earnest hope that through our investigative work, Congress will be able to assist CAAP in providing a system where travel in our airspace is no longer shut down by causes which could have been avoided,” she said.

She called for the immediate upgrade of the CAAP’s technical capacity and critical equipment in the country’s airports to avert glitches.

These should be complemented with the rollout of sufficient engineering guidelines and training of accredited engineers who will man the system, she said.

The shutdown of the CNS/ ATM of the CAAP was traced to a circuit breaker that shorted after the system’s uninterruptible power supply failed to work.

Poe reiterated the panel would not adopt as of now a punitive direction on its findings or recommend criminal prosecution of CAAP and other concerned officials, stressing public safety as its primary goal.

“Accountability will follow after we’ve laid down safety measures for our air passengers,” she said.

Among the committee’s other recommendations are setting up

of another CNS/ATM in an “independent” location, fast-tracking of feasibility studies on the proposed privatization of the NAIA’s operations, immediate compliance by CAAP with recommendations of the ICAO, amendment of CAAP charter to improve efficiency and transparency and passage of relevant bills such as PTSB, Philippine Airports Authority Act and Air Passengers Bill of Rights.

Meanwhile, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) has recommended the separation of regulatory and operational functions of several attached agencies.

During Tuesday’s Kapihan sa Manila Bay press briefing, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said they have recommended the separation of the regulatory and operational functions of the CAAP, Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) and Philippine Ports Authority.

“We support that, because the CAAP and MIAA, they are both operators and regulators. So, we really want to split these functions up,” Bautista told reporters in Filipino.

He, however, said legislation is needed for this.

Under their recommendations, the DOTr will only have oversight functions over the government-owned and controlled corporations. 

by RED MENDOZA ManilaTimes.net

VICE President Sara Duterte has pushed for reforms in the country's electoral system while also calling for an end to violence against elected officials. During her speech at the National Election Summit organized by the Commission on Elections in Pasay City on Thursday, March 9, Duterte said that she was "pleased" to join in a gathering that sought ways to safeguard the integrity of the election process in the digital age.

"The presence of every esteemed speaker and stakeholder across different levels of governance in today's National Election Summit demonstrates our dedication to upholding the Filipinos' right to vote and harnessing the critical role of technology in promoting responsible voting," Duterte said.

She also welcomed the integration of voter's education in the country's K-12 program to help prepare Filipino youth with the ability to discern and engage responsibly in the democratic process.

"By instituting civic education in youth- and nation-building, we encourage the involvement of an empowered citizenry guided by Filipino values, discernment, and knowledge that are crucial in cultivating a culture of participative democracy," Duterte said.

VICE President Sara Duterte has

Vice President Sara Duterte PNA photo pushed for reforms in the country's electoral system while also calling for an end to violence against elected officials.

During her speech at the National Election Summit organized by the Commission on Elections in Pasay City on Thursday, Duterte said that she was "pleased" to join in a gathering that sought ways to safeguard the integrity of the election process in the digital age.

"The presence of every esteemed speaker and stakeholder across different levels of governance in today's National Election Summit demonstrates our dedication to upholding the Filipinos' right to

vote and harnessing the critical role of technology in promoting responsible voting," Duterte said. She also welcomed the integration of voter's education in the country's K-12 program to help prepare Filipino youth with the ability to discern and engage responsibly in the democratic process.

"By instituting civic education in youth- and nation-building, we encourage the involvement of an empowered citizenry guided by Filipino values, discernment, and knowledge that are crucial in cultivating a culture of participative democracy," Duterte said. 

MOTORCYCLE LANE. Motorcycle riders occupy the southbound lane along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City on Thursday, March 9 as the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) conducts a dry run on the implementation of an exclusive motorcycle lane. The exclusive motorcycle lane, which will be strictly enforced starting on March 20, is located at the third lane from the sidewalk of Commonwealth Avenue, between the Elliptical Road to Doña Carmen subdivision. PNA photo by Ben Briones

VEGAS&STYLE

Fil-Am athlete Anton del Rosario expands 7’s Football League’s reach outside PH

by Donnabelle GatDula-arevalo / AJPress

SEVEN-A-SIDE football (soccer) is becoming increasingly popular in the world. And at the helm of this emerging and innovative sport is world-class Filipino Amer-

Del Rosario, who himself founded the first 7’s Football League in the Philippines in 2018, has been at the forefront of this growing football community and wants to take the lead in actively promoting it in the coming years, not only in the Philippines but also in the entire Asian region and eventually to the world.

“We are creating a sport here and I am in this godly mission because I know what it could do for the world.  If we’re able to create another sport, it’s like creating another whole industry. Imagine the jobs that would be created, all of the players, all of the coaches and all the kids that get to dream to play professionally on anoth-

er sport. It’s much more than a sport, it’s being able to give back and make an impact to the world,” del Rosario told the Asian Journal in an interview.

The 41-year-old football superstar believes that the seven-a-side football, which is a mini variation of the 11-a-side football played in a much smaller field, will be a big

thing in the future.

“They say football is the most popular sport in the world but imagine all of these kids, there are not a lot of football fields for all of these kids all over the world. People are playing a smaller-sided football already but has not been structured to it. So that’s where me and my company comes in to create that structure,” he said.

Kickstarting 7’s football league

Seven years ago, del Rosario partnered with premier insurance company AIA Philippines to pioneer the 7’s Football League (7s FL) in the Philippines. The league, which was formed to focus on seven-a-side football competitions locally and internationally, is being  played using a mix indoor futsal and standard football rules in a much smaller field.

Starting from less than 10 teams in 2018, the American-born footballer is proud to have tremendously increased the size of league over the years.

“I started in 2018 in the Philippines with eight teams. Last year, we ended the year with 350 teams across the country of the Philippines. We are now in nine cities. With our partner AIA Philippines (formerly Philamlife), we are the largest men’s and women’s football league in the Philippines,” he said.

So far, the 7’s FL already had four seasons. It has a two-tiered men’s division, a women’s division, and youth divisions. It is also currently affiliated with the Federation Internationale de Football 7 (FIF7). The league should have expanded in the fifth season in 2020 but was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Just a year after its inception, 7’s FL received the Best in Sports Youth Development Program award at HR Asia’s Sports Industry Awards and Conference. HR Asia is the most authoritative publication for HR professionals in the Asian region.

In 2021, the franchise launched further leagues in the United States and across Asia providing an opportunity to people to chase their dreams, to be able to unite players of all ages from all over the world and build a community for football in every city where 7’s FL  makes it available for all, giving each person a chance to grow and enjoy their passion.

This year, 7’s FL will hold major milestones in the history of sevena-side football by launching two major tournaments: one in Taguig in the Philippines from April 21-23 and another one in North Carolina in the United States from June 1-2.

Fostering partnerships

As many countries around the globe have already started their journey to the seven-a-side football, del Rosario admitted that Asia still requires a much-needed push to further develop this emerging sport.

“In Europe, they already have organizations playing this. South America have organizations playing this. They are the ones who actually reached out to me and introduced me to this and their big problem is that they can not secure Asia. So that’s where I want to come in and I want to be the one to create Asia for all of us,” he revealed.

“Asia’s quite hard, unless you’re there. Unless you have somebody active and believing in it, as much as we do, then it becomes very difficult,” he said, when asked why most Asian countries are still a little bit hesitant to go into this new type of sport.

Del Rosario reiterated his eagerness and enthusiasm to become a prime mover in making seven-a-side known in Asia and then to the rest of the world. “Soccer is the number one sport in Asia, that’s why it’s going to be very successful. Actually, I believe it’s going to be successful anywhere,” he added.

This innovation in the sport

of football, he said, will make it more popular and acceptable.

“Everybody knows that soccer has been under FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association). FIFA only owns 11-a-side soccer, foot soccer and beach soccer. We are coming in and we are creating seven-a-side soccer similar to what’s happened in basketball. Basketball is played five-on-five. Right now, they have a version which is now getting popular, three-on-three, so we want to bring this more modern, exciting style of the most popular sport (football)in the world, to the world,” he stressed.

Del Rosario, who entered the football world since the tender age of six, played as a right back or center-back for Maharlika Manila (of which he is also a co-founder and co-owner) and represented the Philippines national team for a decade from 2004 to 2014. He has also teamed up with private companies, a group of goal-driven professionals, and government entities to accomplish the goal of putting a mark on seven-a-side football across the world.

These partners will help del Rosario and his company in facilitating future events and tournaments, making each game not just a regular football competition but uniquely thought off event with a lot of music, arts and festivities.

For instance, 7’s FL took in the group of Gonzalo “Bogie” de Guia of TapGo Digital Media Ventures to provide an exciting live streaming coverage for each event.

“I think, we as a company, TapGo is looking for ways to help football in the Philippines and to make football available and football is actually the national sports for Filipinos and not basketball and we feel that there’s huge untapped market for football to be the national past time of the Philippines,” de Guia, TapGo co-founder and chief technology officer, said.

“We are excited to stream the 7’s event, the international part of it. We are very excited to be part of this. This is something we see as a long-term partnership and we know that the right people around, with the right partners, this will grow in to something really big,” the TapGo honcho added.

De Guia has committed to bring

a broadcast quality stream and coverage to this event. “Once you see your kids playing in broadcast quality format, that is something will be proud of and at the same time we want to make sure that Filipinos and Asian eventually in the region watching. We want them to see quality event both online and on TV. That is something that we bring in to the table, something that make sure that people will love,” he added.

The company is also tapping Ovation Productions to handle the festivities and concerts that would be showcased as part of tournament.

“We want to make sure that we bring quality games, good competition and working with people like Ovation will be able to bring other communities, when we talk about communities, football and sport, they go hand-in-hand with music, art especially in the modern day. This is why bringing Ovation into our whole event, it would make so much sense because I think that’s where the future of the events could go where we have a great sporting events, mixed in with good music events,” del Rosario said.

Del Rosario also brought on board Dion Ugbebor, a U.S.based Filipina who is a social impact and change driven entrepreneur with businesses and partnerships globally in health care, technology, real estate, sports, entertainment and social solutions.

“I believe in humanity and the powerful change we can make together. Each of us have the role to make that happen- make it passionate, bring your best self. Leadership matter,” Ugbebor said.

Being in the healthcare business for more than two decades, Ugbebor is sincerely keen on bringing change and uplifting people’s lives by supporting efforts that will make a significant difference to the society.

“There’s a lot of passion and excitement on the ground. Seven-a-side is getting really popular in the Philippines and it’s just a great opportunity for us to bring forth something innovative with a live streaming platform like TapGo, and at the same time, create a platform for our children, for our families, for our community

Del Rosario receives “Best Youth Development Program” award at the SPIA Asia Conference on behalf of the 7’s Football League. Photo courtesy of Anton del

Kids participate in Maharlika Manila Youth Academy.

Participants of the 7’s Football League youth division.

Photos courtesy of Anton del Rosario/7’s Football League

UPAAA all set to give Oblation Awards

THE 2023 Grand Reunion and Convention (GRC) of the University of the Philippines Alumni Association in America (UPAAA) is fast approaching.

This year marks the 22nd biennial gathering of UP Alumni from across the country. Highlighting this event is giving Oblation Awards to outstanding UP alumni living or working in the United States for their exceptional personal and professional achievements. Receiving the awards are UP alumni who contribute to their local, national, and international communities and personify the spirit symbolized by the Oblation: strength, resilience and freedom of thought and selfless action for the public interest.

One UPAAA Outstanding Alumni Group Award will be given to an outstanding UP Alumni group for their meritorious and exceptional activities, projects and other accomplishments which benefit not only their members and communities in the U.S., but also the University and the Philippines. Awardees will receive a commemorative UP Oblation

statuette created by ThisSideUp Casting owned by Rod Deang. The Award ceremonies will take place on Saturday, October 21, 2023, during Gala Night. The GRC will be held on October 19 to 22, 2023 at the

Hyatt Regency Hotel in New Brunswick, New Jersey. More information about Oblation Awards and other highlights of GRC can be found in http://upaaagrc2023. eventbrite.com.

Fil-Am athlete Anton del Rosario expands...

to tell their story and be heard.

[This] sport is more than a sport.

What a way for us to do this with great partners, and wanting to have the same mission which is to make an impact to the community and make a difference and do something bigger than we can be proud of as Filipinos and bring it to Asia and hopefully the globe,” she said.

Eddie Mallari, who handles the marketing side of 7’s FL, for his part, sees this sport gaining ground with the advent of social media platforms which are readily available to stream these sports events.

“It’s kinda becoming a trend, especially for social media and things being online nowadays, it’s something a lot easier to attain now than it was say 10-15 years ago. The response has been very good,” Mallari said, when asked how they expand their reach for support, specifically from Filipino Americans.

Mallari recalled his experience when he got the chance to play for the Philippine national team years back. “I really did not grow up in a Filipino community and when I

heard about the opportunities to be able to play football for the national team and eventually it became professional, it gives (them) an opportunity and an advantage. One thing that gives (them) the advantage is because you’re a Filipino, you get a Filipino passport and you get treated as a local,” said Mallari.

“We are seeing more and more Fil-Ams coming here (Philippines) and to play with the national team, play with the local clubs, send their kids for youth tournaments,” he added.

Long-term goal

“Our goal eventually is to try to make it free for kids. I want to be able raise funds from sponsors and local governments to make it possible,” del Rosario said.

It was noted that it is only in the Philippines and in the U.S. that football is a fee-based sport.

“The U.S. and the Philippines are probably one of only two countries where football is a paidto-play model and generally, it’s for the people who can afford but everywhere else in the whole world is pretty much for free and its a mass sport,” Mallari, meanwhile, pointed out.

Mallari shared del Rosario’s vision, saying that making football free would only be achieved through collective efforts.

“What does it take? It’s community’s building, getting sponsors, people who have the same mission as us to really get support so it would eventually become free in places like the Philippines and the U.S. And it has slowly started  happening in the U.S. in he past 10 years and should improve a lot faster than it is, and we kinda wanna do the same thing out here in the Philippines as well to make it a mass sport where it’s not just the privileged people than can pay to play,” Mallari said.

Del Rosario has actually started to draw up a concept to make this free-for-all football games for the youth.

The 7’s FL executive is optimistic that this goal would be attained in the near-term.

“Give us one year to create a concept in each of these countries and give us another six months to gather sponsors. I should say in two years’ time, we should be able (to achieve this goal),” he said.

On cannabis and heart disease

Health @Heart

PhiliP S. Chua, MD, FaCS,

FPCS

ABOUT 18 percent of Americans (48.4 million) have used cannabis, which contains 540 chemical substances, at least once in 2019. The name cannabis describes all products derived from the plant cannabis sativa.

The name marijuana refers to parts or products from cannabis sativa that contains large amount of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

There are about 3.43 million recreational users in the United States. In 2020, the most prevalent users were those 50 and older and among those 18-25. The highest pot users per year are New York (U.S.), followed by Karachi (Pakistan), New Delhi (India), and Los Angeles (U.S). In 2023, the estimated retail sales of cannabis in the United States is projected at $38.8 billion. About 30 percent of the users have marijuana use disorder.

Recent studies revealed that cannabis use was associated with a 34 percent higher risk for coronary heart disease, an entity that causes heart attacks, compared to people who do not use cannabis/marijuana.

The use of marijuana/cannabis products causes vascular inflammation that increases the risk for blockages in the heart arteries (main cause of heart attacks), independent of alcohol or cigarette use.

This two-part research from Stanford University in California was presented at the American College of Cardiology/World Congress of Cardiology (WCC) on March 4-6, 2023.

Cannabis products/marijuana are not benign and harmless. They have side effects that affect the brain, the heart, and other organs. They could also cause interaction with other medications. They are addictive, too.

While medical marijuana has a place in medicine, recreational marijuana is only adding more problems in a society that is already complicated. There are so many ways for people to enjoy life with family and friends, without the need for more drugs. The responsibility and moral culpability belong to the legislators in various states which have legalized recreational marijuana in the excuse of collecting more taxes.

Metformin and COVID

The latest analysis of the phase 3 COVID-OUT trial showed that the anti-diabetic drug metformin (other brand names Glucophage, Fortamet, Glumetza) showed “a significant dose-related effect in lowering SARS-CoV2 viral

load” in COVID-19 infection, within days of administration of metformin. This is the latest addition to the multitude of benefits from the drug metformin, including possible improved longevity among those taking them.

As posted by Medscape Medical News, the analysis revealed “important secondary outcomes including a 42% reduction in emergency room visits and in hospitalizations and/ or deaths by day 14, and a 58% reduction in hospitalizations/ death by day 28. A further sub analysis has shown a 42% reduction in long COVID compared with placebo… In this phase 3 randomized controlled trial, metformin showed prevention of severe COVID, prevention of Long COVID, and an antiviral effect, and this is consistent with other data.”

In the U.S., possibly on a global basis too, metformin as a monotherapy drug is used by 52 percent of those with diabetes T2, ranking second to insulin. There were more than 92 million prescriptions for metformin in 2020 in the U.S. In the Philippines, approximately 73.8 percent of diabetics are on metformin. There are about 10 million Filipinos who have diabetes T2, about

8.4 percent of the population;

14.2 percent of the population have pre-diabetes. China has around 172 million people with diabetes T2, among its 1.439 billion population. Metformin is also widely used in China, although some still prefer herbal medications.

COVID-19 updates: As March

6, 2023, the daily average COVID-19 cases was 33,156, with 521 deaths (per day) and 25,693 currently hospitalized, according to a U.S. COVID-19 daily tracker. Let us all be vigilant and careful, especially those vulnerable.

UPFs, colorectal cancer

A clinical investigation, among various other past studies, suggests that consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) have long-term adverse effects on health, and more specifically increases the risk for colorectal cancer. Other studies also implicated UPFs and overcharred or burnt meats on hightemperature grilling as elevating the risk for pancreatic cancer. Bad diet is arguably the greatest risk in colorectal cancer, with 54 percent of cases linked to diet and lifestyle, which are both modifiable risk factors. Alcohol, obesity, and diets high in red meats, especially processed ones (sausages, hot dogs, salamis, pepperonis, hams, etc.) are associated with elevated risk for cancer in general and colorectal malignancies in general. The Mediterranean diet, basically plant-based, high in fibers, wholegrains, nuts,

vegetables (broccoli, celery, etc.), fruits, minimal red meat and carbohydrates, is associated with lower health risks and is generally healthier. A moderate amount of salad (kale, arugula, spinach, lettuces, other green leafy veggies, onions, spices, and olive oil/vinaigrette dressing) as a starter (instead of high calorie appetizers) is healthier, conducive to lesser illnesses and improved longevity.

Diabetic cure?

A significant number of diabetics is due to increased insulin resistance, a condition that prevents natural insulin our body produces from entering the body cells to help in healthy sugar metabolism. Insulin is needed by our cells to metabolize glucose (sugar) to provide us fuel (energy). The popular drug, for instance, is one that reduces insulin resistance, enabling our own body insulin to enter the cells to do their job in maintaining a healthy level of blood sugar in our blood.

While there is no known drug or therapy to cure diabetes for good, disciplined diet control and exercise as well as losing significant body weight have been shown to result in good blood sugar level, even after stopping insulin among those who were taking insulin before the significant weight loss regimen. Severe control of excess weight or obesity, through dieting, appears to be the “magic” therapy that is money-saving, body-shape improving, drug-eliminating, health-inducing, and longevityincreasing modern option for those with diabetes Type2. This recent clinical discovery is, indeed, most inspiring, proving that discipline and a great resolve are true wonders in our hands for most life matters, including disease prevention or control.

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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.

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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, Health Advocate, newspaper columnist, and Chairman of the Filipino United NetworkUSA, a 501(c)3 humanitarian foundation in the United States. Websites: FUN8888.com, Today.SPSAtoday.com, and philipSchua.com; Email: scalpelpen@gmail.com.

Kathryn, Daniel among top celebrity taxpayers

by Jan Milo Severo Philstar.com

The Bureau of Internal Revenue revealed that real life couple Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla were among the top celebrity taxpayers in 2022.

In a recognition held on Wednesday, Daniel and Kathryn thanked BIR for the award as they hope they that they have inspired people to pay their taxes.

"Maraming-maraming salamat po sa award na ito at maraming-maraming salamat sa dami naming binayad na tax," Daniel said.

"Hopefully, this would inspire everybody to do our responsibility bilang Pilipino na magbayad ng tax," Kathryn added.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue revealed that real life couple Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla were among the top celebrity taxpayers in 2022.

In a recognition held on Wednesday, Daniel and Kathryn thanked BIR for the award as they hope they that they have inspired people to pay their taxes.

"Maraming-maraming salamat po sa award na ito

at maraming-maraming salamat sa dami naming binayad na tax," Daniel said.

"Hopefully, this would inspire everybody to do our responsibility bilang Pilipino na magbayad ng tax," Kathryn added.

EMPLOYMENT EMPLOYMENT

FILIPINOS in Institutional Real Estate (FIIRE) held a 5-day conference in the Philippines for a delegation coming from the United States in mid-February.

FIIRE initially planned an inaugural event in the Philippines to commemorate the beginning of the Manila Chapter in February 2020, eventually pivoting to a virtual launch due to COVID-19.

The recent conference served as an opportunity to celebrate the inauguration of the Manila Chapter of FIIRE while allowing visiting FIIRE members the opportunity to explore the Philippines first-hand as originally intended. Through launching a Philippines Chapter, FIIRE intends to do the following:

• Assist in attracting large institutions to invest in the Philippines;

• Cultivate a pipeline of talent by sharing best practices of the US specific to the commercial real estate industry;

• Create an exchange program that will bring Filipino students/ professionals to train with institutional commercial real estate companies.

The event included a welcome dinner hosted at a private estate in Forbes Park hosted by Monocle Group and Longview, a market introduction by AyalaLand, and real estate tours in various areas of BGC, Makati, Pasay City, and Aseana City hosted by NEO, AyalaLand, SM, and DM Wenceslao.

The main event was held on Friday, February 17 at the Shangri-La in Bonifacio Global City. Speakers included board members from the U.S. – Gloria Browning Gil, Jennifer del Rosario Taylor, Huber Bongolan, Barbara Faylona-Jesuele, and Ernie Ocampo. Economic and real estate updates were presented by Victor Calanog/Moody’s Analytics and David Leechiu/Leechiu Property Consultants. A keynote presentation was provided by Wick Veloso/GSIS.

The first panel discussion with Sheryll Verano/Arthaland Corporation, Mike Rodriguez/ Macquarie Asset Management, and RB Roa/ATRAM touched on the growth of the Philippine real estate sector, highlighting how unprecedented capital is being sourced from both equity and debt markets.

Another panel featured Barbara Faylona-Jesuele/J. Paul Getty Trust, Jonathan “Loy” Umali/ Arch Capital, and Paul Gately/ EQT Exeter who all came in from different countries to discuss the key components institutional real estate investors analyze when entering new markets and potential partners. They also highlighted how institutional capital can provide advantages for local real estate developers to

A FIIREside chat moderated by Eric Manuel/Arch Capital and featuring Gloria-Browning Gil, co-founder of FIIRE, concluded the program. Through this chat, the audience discovered how FIIRE started, the importance of mentors, the rise of Gloria’s career, and her outlook on the industry.

Over the weekend, a Poblacion food and pub crawl was coordinated by Poblacion Land and Urban Development for the attendees to get a taste of the

nightlife in the vibrant area that has rapidly been transforming over the past few years. The National Parks Development Committee hosted a tour of Intramuros and its rich history. The last day of the conference, delegates were invited to visit the Philippine Stock Exchange.

The conference concluded with a master class in collaboration with Urban Land Institute (ULI) Philippines, with speakers from the U.S. discussing real estate topics such as an introduction to institutional investing, debt market, underwriting, fund management, asset management, and much more.

The events were made possible through the generous sponsorship of Arch Capital Management, D.M. Wenceslao and Associates, Manulife Investment Management, EQT Exeter, NEO, Leechiu Property Consultants, Monocle Group, Arthaland Corp, AyalaLand, Santos Knight Frank, CebuLand, Corebuilt, Grow Capital Partners, Romulo, KMC Savills, Colliers, Catellina Property Consultants. FIIRE, or Filipinos in Institutional Real Estate, is a 501c3 trade organization started in the United States of America that focuses on networking, educating and mentoring Filipinos in institutional real estate. The organization was established in 2009 and has chapters throughout the US in Chicago, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Mid-South, New York City, New England, San Diego, San Francisco, Pacific Northwest and internationally in the Philippines.

Buds Wensceslao hosted FIIRE USA delegates for a private tour of Aseana City.

Raymond Rufino welcomes his guests to Manila House at a private lunch hosted by NEO.

Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla Photo from Instagram/@bernardokath

Abigail Zelenski, Ernie Ocampo, Gloria Gil and Bob Tessa view model of AyalaLand’s assets.

Raymond Ruffino, Rene Benitez, Jennifer Taylor, Eric Manuel and Loy Umali attend a private reception hosted by Monocle Group and Longview.

Panelists Mike Rodriguez, RB Roa and Sheryll Verano in a discussion with moderator Jean

The main event, held at the Shangri-La Fort, was attended by FIIRE USA delegates and many local investors, developers and from the banking sector.  grow and scale their businesses.