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MARCH 18-24, 2021 Volume 32 - No. 11 • 12 Pages

T H E F I L I P I N O A M E R I CA N C O M MU N I T Y N E WS PA P E R

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USA

DATELINE AAPI Democrats endorse Fil-Am Nani Coloretti to lead US Office of Management and Budget FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

ASIAN American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Democratic leaders are urging President Joe Biden to nominate Filipina American Nani Coloretti to lead the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) amid concerns over the lack of AAPI representation in his Cabinet.

This comes after controversial pick Neera Tanden, who is Indian American, withdrew her nomination as budget chief on March 2, saying “it now seems clear that there is no path forward to gain confirmation.”

AAPI leaders have addressed a letter to Biden — first reported by POLITICO’s Anita Kumar on March 12 — endorsing Coloretti, who was deputy secretary at the Department of Housing and Urban Development during the Obama administration. She was the highest ranking Fil-Am at the time.

“Our country is facing unprecedented challenges — worldwide pandemic, economic crisis, racial injustice, xenophobia and increase in anti-AAPI violence across the nation. To

‘UNFORTUNATELY IT IS VERY AMERICAN’:

House committee holds hearing on rise of anti-Asian crimes, discrimination

by CHRISTINA

M. ORIEL

AJPress

SEVERAL prominent Asian American lawmakers and activists testified before the House Judiciary subcommittee on Thursday, March 18, two days after a horrific Atlanta-area shooting that left eight

individuals, including six Asian women, dead and as nearly 3,800 anti-Asian hate incidents have been reported since the beginning of the pandemic.

Thursday’s hearing, which was held before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, marked the first time in 34 years that Congress held an inquiry into anti-

AFTER almost a year of working from home, Danilo Yuchang returned to his company’s office in downtown San Francisco for the first time on Monday, March 15.

At around 1:45 p.m., the 59-year-old travel agent, who also goes by Danny, was walking along Market Street during his lunch break when a man approached him from behind and began punching his head multiple times.

Yuchang said he does not recall the assailant saying anything before the attack.

“I was shoved to the ground and lost consciousness. After a while, I woke up and saw there was a lot of blood on the sidewalk and on my clothes,” Yuchang, who is Filipino and Chinese, told the Asian Journal. “I was hit a lot so my face is so swollen.”

The attack happened near the Four Seasons Hotel and the doorman came to Yuchang’s aid and called 911, he recounted. The suspect reportedly fled on a Muni bus, accord-

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‘Heartbroken by these murders’: AAPI community activists, leaders react to deadly Atlanta shooting

by AJPRESS

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Filipino Chinese man attacked during lunch break in San Francisco

Asian discrimination.

The reported incidents from the past year range from hate speech to physical attacks, which some speakers argued were fueled by the rhetoric used by former President Donald Trump and other Republican lawmakers.

COMMEMORATION. President Rodrigo Duterte, accompanied by Senator Christopher Lawrence Go, looks at the Quincentennial Marker after unveiling it during his attendance in the 500th Anniversary of the Philippine Part in the First Circumnavigation of the World held at the Veterans Park Calicaon Island in Guiuan, Eastern Samar on Thursday, March 18. Malacañang photo by Ace Morandante

ASIAN American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) across the country are reeling after eight people, including six Asian women, were shot dead at three Atlanta-area massage parlors.

The March 16 victims of the Cherokee County shooting were identified as Delaina Ashley Yaun, 33, of Acworth; Paul Andre Michels, 54, of Atlanta; Xiaojie Tan, 49, of Kennesaw; and Daoyou Feng, 44. Elcias R. Hernandez-Ortiz, 30, of Acworth, was injured in the attack.

Two of the Atlanta victims were identified as Julie Park and Hyun-jeong Park Grant, Korea Times Atlanta said, while the identities of two other women have not been released.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the AAPI community has sounded the alarm on the escalating hate, which has ranged from verbal harassment to physical

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Nearly 3,800 anti-Asian hate incidents reported across US since start of pandemic

503 incidents in first 2 months of 2021 alone; 7.9% of total reports came from Fil-Ams, Stop AAPI Hate finds

by CHRISTINA

M. ORIEL

AJPress

NEARLY 3,800 hate incidents have been self-reported by Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) — including approximately 8% coming from Filipinos — across the country since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new data from Stop AAPI Hate.

Stop AAPI Hate, a national coalition that

tracks anti-Asian American discrimination, reported on Tuesday, March 16 that from March 19, 2020 to February 28, 2021, it has received 3,795 firsthand incidents of racism and discrimination from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Of that number, 503 incidents took place in the first two months of 2021 alone.

The reporting center previously anIndividuals hold up signs denouncing the rise in anti-Asian violence during a rally at the nounced that it received 2,808 incidents Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo on Saturday, March 13.

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AJPress photo by Christina M. Oriel

PH to suspend entry of foreigners, All Nevadans 16 and over will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccine on April 5 non-OFW returnees starting March 20

Danilo Yuchang, 59, was returning to work from his lunch break in San Francisco on Monday, March 15 when he was viciously assaulted, resulting in head and face injuries.

Contributed photo

NEVADA Governor Steve Sisolak this week announced two major updates on the state’s COVID-19 vaccination timeline, with more residents having access to the vaccine within weeks.

On March 22, vaccination opportunities will be available to all Nevadans aged 16 and older with underlying health conditions, as laid out in the State’s COVID-19 Vaccination Playbook. Vaccination opportunities for this group of Nevadans will be available through the Retail Pharmacy Program.

On April 5, all Nevadans aged 16 and older will be eligible to schedule vaccination appointments statewide.

“This is a critical step forward in our vaccination effort that will allow more Neva-

dans to schedule appointments and receive their shot. By continuing our strong push to vaccinate high-risk Nevadans, including seniors, individuals with underlying conditions, frontline workers, individuals with disabilities and Nevadans experiencing homelessness, we are working to protect the most vulnerable in our State,” said Sisolak. “On April 5, all Nevadans aged 16 and above will be eligible for the vaccine and the State will work closely with our local partners to ensure we’re putting as many doses as possible into arms every day. This timeline should remind Nevadans that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, but we must continue to remain vigilant

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by RITCHEL

MENDIOLA AJPress

IN an attempt to curb the rising cases of COVID-19 and its variants in the country, the Philippine government is temporarily barring the entry of foreign nationals and Filipinos.

The National Task Force Against COVID-19 (NTF COVID19) on Tuesday, March 16, released a memorandum announcing that the travel ban would start on Saturday, March 20, and end on April 19.

Exempted from the travel restrictions are the following:

• holders of 9(e) visas • medical repatriation and their escort/s duly endorsed by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) or the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) • distressed returning overseas Filipinos duly endorsed by the DFA and the OWWA • emergency, humanitarian and other analogous cases approved by the NTF COVID-19 Earlier, the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) also implemented a cap on inbound arrivals at the Ninoy Aquino International

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march 18-24, 2021 • LaS VEGaS aSIaN JOUrNaL

From The FronT Page

House committee holds hearing...

PAGE A1 The hearing was scheduled before the shooting on Tuesday night, March 16, occurred, taking the lives of eight individuals, which many Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community members and leaders are calling a racially motivated crime, despite the suspected gunman, 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long, telling authorities otherwise.

“His targets were no accident, and what we know is that this day was coming,” Rep. Judy Chu (DCalif.), chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, said in her testimony.

Four of the victims are Delaina Ashley Yaun, Paul Andre Michels, Xiaojie Tan and Daoyou Feng, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office said. Two employees at Gold Spa, one of the businesses targeted, were identified as Julie Park and Hyun-jeong Park Grant, Korea Times Atlanta said, while the identities of two other women have not been released.

As other speakers echoed after her, Chu went on to blame the previous administration’s use of anti-Asian words (e.g. “Wuhan Virus”) to describe the virus to “shift blame and anger away from [Trump’s] own flawed response to the coronavirus.”

From March 19, 2020 to February 28, 2021, 3,795 firsthand incidents of hate and discrimination were reported by AAPIs across the country with verbal harassment and shunning constituting the top two types of occurrences, according to Stop AAPI Hate, a reporting center that has been tracking since last year.

Of that number, 503 incidents took place in the first two months of 2021 alone. Several high-profile attacks on older Asians — such as 84-year-old Thai immigrant Vicha Ratanapakdee being pushed to death in San Francisco and Noel Quintana, a 61-year-old Filipino man who was slashed in the face and required almost 100 stitches — were referenced in testimonies on Thursday.

“Even though Donald Trump is no longer president, I believe the most recent round of anti-Asian attacks are the aftermath of one year of hateful attacks and four years of ugly comments about immigrants and people of color,” Chu said.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois) noted the contributions the community has made to the “American story” from the Chinese workers who helped build the transcontinental railroad to now, the AAPIs on the frontlines of the pandemic.

Newly elected members Rep. Young Kim (R-Calif.) and Rep. Michelle Steel (R-Calif.), who are

both Korean American, also denounced the attacks, with Steel saying “combating hate is not a partisan issue.”

“No American of any race or ethnic group is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus does not discriminate. It affects everyone. We must come together as Americans not just to fight COVID-19, but also to stand against the rise of hate and discrimination against the AAPI community and any other group of Americans,” Kim said.

Lawmakers underscored the need for Congress to pass bills that would go further than condemning hate by making sure the reports are investigated.

Rep. Grace Meng (D-New York), who was present on Thursday, said she and Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) have introduced the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act that would assign a point person at the Department of Justice to expedite the review of hate crimes amid the pandemic, provide support for state and local law enforcement agencies to respond to these hate crimes, and coordinate with local and federal partners to mitigate racially discriminatory language used to describe the pandemic.

“My bill also builds on President Biden’s presidential memorandum by directing relevant federal agencies to work with community based organizations to find ways to talk about the virus in a way that is not racist,” Meng said. “I urge my colleagues on this committee for swift consideration of these bills. We cannot turn a blind eye to people living in fear.”

She also responded to Republican Congressman Chip Roy who said he was concerned the hearing would “venture into the policing of rhetoric in a free society.”

“Your president and your party and your colleagues can talk about issues with any other country that you want, but you don’t have to do it by putting a bull’s eyes on the back of Asian Americans across this country, on our grandparents, on our kids,” Meng said. “This hearing was to address the hurt and pain of our community to find solutions and we will not let you take our voice away from us.”

The second hour of the hearing featured witnesses, such as John Yang, executive director of Asian American Advancing Justice | AAJC and Manjusha Kulkarni, executive director of Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council (A3PCON) and co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate.

“We have long struggled for visibility and equity, and now our communities are faced with this

additional physical and mental harm that is arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Yang said.

Stop AAPI Hate — a project started by A3PCON, Chinese for Affirmative Action and San Francisco State University’s Asian American Studies Department — found that 30 to 35% recent attacks have occurred at businesses and in public spaces, and 60% of incidents come from women.

“Sadly, the 3,800 reported to Stop AAPI Hate represent only a fraction of what has happened in this country,” Kulkarni said, adding, “We are also closely working with local, state, and federal policymakers to address the hate incidents that have occurred and seek to prevent additional incidents from taking place in the future.”

Erika Lee, a professor of history and Asian American studies at the University of Minnesota, brought up the historical nature of the acts against AAPIs. “As shocking as these incidents are, it is so vital to understand that they are not random acts perpetrated by deranged individuals. They are an expression of our country’s long history of systemic racism targeting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders,” Lee said.

She cited killings and attacks against Chinese, Filipino, Japanese and South Asians in the late 19th and 20th centuries; Vincent Chin, a Chinese American who was beaten to death by white men in Detroit because they thought he was Japanese and scapegoated him for the economic decline in the auto industry; and the hate crimes against Muslim, Middle Eastern and South Asian Americans following September 11.

“We’ve heard in the past 24 hours many describe anti-Asian discrimination and racial violence as un-American. Unfortunately, it is very American,” Lee said.

Actor Daniel Dae Kim, who has been vocal about the recent attacks, added, “When we are erased from our history books, we are made invisible.” He joined previous speakers’ calls to pass legislation directed to address anti-Asian hate.

“What happens right now and over the course of the coming months will send a message for generations to come as to whether we matter, whether the country we call home chooses to erase us or include us, dismiss us or respect us, invisibilize us or see us, because you may consider a statistically insignificant now, but one more fact that has no alternative is that we are the fastest-growing racial demographic in the country,” Kim said. n

Nearly 3,800 anti-Asian hate incidents...

PAGE 1 from March to December 2020, but that number has increased to 3,292 based on accounts submitted at a later date.

Chinese are the largest ethnic group (42.2%) that say they’ve experienced hate, followed by Koreans (14.8%), Vietnamese (8.5%) and Filipinos (7.9%), Stop AAPI Hate found.

Women are 2.3 times more likely to report the incidents versus men. Youths (those up to 17 years old) accounted for 12.6% of incidents, while 6.2% were experienced by individuals 60 years and older.

Verbal harassment (68.1%) and shunning (20.5%), which entails the “deliberate avoidance of Asian Americans,” are the top two types of discrimination reported.

Stop AAPI Hate shared some examples of incidents, including one from Milpitas, California, in which the individual was shopping at a store when an older man started making faces.

The report continued, “I asked him what was wrong and he said, “What’s wrong? You are out here shopping!” I was confused, and he followed up with, “We delisted your companies, shipped back your international students...when do you ship out? When do you ship out? We are going to take away your citizenship!”

Meanwhile, physical assault (11.1%) comprises the thirdlargest category of total incidents. Civil rights violations — which include workplace discrimination, refusal of service, and being barred from transportation — comprise 8.5% of total incidents and online harassment makes up 6.8%.

Businesses were the “primary site” of discrimination (35.4%), followed by public streets (25.3%) and public parks (9.8%). Online harassment accounted for 10.8% of total incidents.

The reporting center said that the 3,795 incidents “likely represent only a fraction” of experiences by the AAPI community.

A Pew Research Center study from July 2020 said that four in 10 Asian (39%) adults said: “someone has acted uncomfortable around them because of their race or ethnicity since the coronavirus outbreak.”

In recent weeks, high-profile cases have included violent attacks and assaults against Asian Americans, as previously reported in the Asian Journal.

The reports include 84year-old Thai immigrant Vicha Ratanapakdee being pushed to death in San Francisco; Noel Quintana, a Filipino man who was slashed in the face on the New York subway while on his way to work and received nearly 100 stitches; and 74-year-old Juanito Falcon, a Filipino grandfather who was punched in the face in Phoenix, Arizona, and later died of his injuries.

In White Plains, NY, an 83-year-old Korean American woman was spat on and punched, causing her to hit her head on the ground and blackout, without provocation on Tuesday, March 9. Police arrested the 40-year-old suspect two days later.

A Filipina American medical worker was assaulted at a Caltrain station in San Jose as she was on her way to work onWednesday, March 10. The suspect — identified as Johan Strydom, who was later arrested and charged — reportedly grabbed her from behind and pulled her hair back, as he hurled expletives about her Asian ethnicity, according to KTVU. “The Asian American community needs more than solidarity; we need solutions,” said Manjusha Kulkarni, co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate and executive director of Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council. “We ask policymakers at the local, state and national level to partner with us on implementing community-based solutions that will help ensure Asian Americans have equal rights and access to opportunities.”

Stop AAPI Hate was started

by Asian Pacific Policy and

LIQUOR BAN. A barangay personnel posts a public notice ban on alcohol selling at various stores and groceries in Barangay Immaculate Conception, Cubao, Quezon City on Tuesday, March 16. In a post by the Quezon City government on its Facebook page, all retail sales of alcoholic beverages have been suspended in accordance with supplementary guidelines that impose emergency measures and protocols.

PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler

‘Heartbroken by these murders’: AAPI community...

PAGE 1 attacks. The events on Tuesday night, March 16 confirmed their worst fears, activists and leaders say.

“We are heartbroken by these murders, which come at a time when Asian American communities are already grappling with the traumatic violence against Asian Americans nationwide, fueled by the United States’ long history of white supremacy, systemic racism, and gender-based violence,” Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta and Georgia NAACP said in a collective statement.

The statement, signed by over a hundred community organizations, called for long-term solutions “the root causes of violence and hate in our communities,” while rejecting “increased police presence or carceral solutions as the answers.”

“Working-class communities of color are disproportionately suffering from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Trump administration’s relentless scapegoating of Asians for the pandemic has only exacerbated the impact on Asian business owners and frontline workers and inflamed existing racism.

The hypersexualization of Asian American women and the broad normalization of violence against women of color, immigrant women, and poor women make Asian American women particularly vulnerable. Hate incidents against Asian Americans rose by nearly 150% in 2020, with Asian American women twice as likely to be targeted,” the groups added.

The suspect, 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long, is accused of shooting and killing eight individuals at three different businesses: Young’s Asian Massage Parlor, Aromatherapy Spa and Gold Spa. Outside of the greater Atlanta area, AAPI groups and leaders, including Filipino Americans, joined in grieving and condemning the attacks on the community.

“I am part Filipino myself, so this is personal, often we don’t talk about it and have been called the ‘model minorities’ for our willingness to maybe be quiet,

Planning Council, Chinese for Affirmative Action and San Francisco State University’s Asian American Studies department in March 2020, following a troubling rise in hate at the beginning of the pandemic.

In his first primetime address marking the one-year anniversary of the coronavirus pandemic on Thursday, March 11, President Joe Biden condemned the attacks on Asian Americans “who have been attacked, harassed, blamed and PAGE 1 meet this moment in our nation’s scapegoated.”

“At this very moment, so history, we urge you to nominate many of them, our fellow Ms. Coloretti as the director of Americans, they’re on the front OMB,” the letter said.

The Yappie reported that the lines of this pandemic trying to save lives, and still, still they’re effort, led by Democratic Naforced to live in fear for their tional Committee AAPI Caucus lives just walking down streets Chair Bel Leong-Hong, has the in America. It’s wrong. It’s un- support of leaders, such as Sen. American. And it must stop,” Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois), Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Biden said.

The president signed an ex- and Rep. Grace Meng (D-New ecutive order on Jan. 26, which York).

They commended Vice Presiincluded directives to remove language in federal actions or dent Kamala Harris as the first documents that would contrib- AAPI and Black woman to hold ute to xenophobia and racism the second-highest office, but against the Asian American and “are troubled by the lack of AAPI Pacific Islander population and representation in your Cabinet.”

Aside from Tanden, Biden has for the Department of Justice to expand its collection of data nominated Katherine Tai as U.S. and public reporting regarding Trade Representative. However, hate incidents against commu- there are concerns over the new administration being the first in nity members.

Members of the Congres- 20 years to not have an AAPI in sional Asian Pacific American the Cabinet at the secretary levCaucus have been pushing for el.

“There is only one AAPI mema meeting with the DOJ and the administration to carry out the ber of your Cabinet and no AAPI Cabinet Secretaries. This stands order.

Democratic lawmakers, led in stark contrast to the last three

by Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) in Administrations which had at the House of Representatives least one AAPI Cabinet Secreand Sen. Mazie Hirono in the tary. Ms. Coloretti will be an asSenate, plan to introduce new set to you and a source of pride legislation addressing the hate for us,” the leaders added.

The letter was set to be delivincidents against Asian Americans, according to USA Today. ered by organizers to the White Members of the AAPI com- House on Friday, March 12, POmunity who have experienced LITICO said. Fil-Am advocacy hate during the pandemic are groups and organizations like the encouraged to report the in- AAPI Victory Fund and CAPA21 cident at https://stopaapihate. are also joining the effort, acorg/reportincident/. In addi- cording to The Yappie’s report.

If tapped by Biden, Coloretti, tion to English, individuals can report in one of 11 languages, who is from Honolulu, Hawaii, would be the first American of including Tagalog. n

well this is not the time to be quiet as these are lives at stake and businesses that are being harmed,” San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria told CBS8.

Carmelyn Malalis, the commissioner of the New York Commission on Human Rights, said that despite the reported motivations of the incident, the AAPI communities have felt this act “deeply and personally.”

“Recognizing that API women have been disproportionately targeted in these acts of hate, we need to acknowledge the work we must all do to address misogyny as we combat anti-Asian violence and all forms of racism,” she said.

National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) national chair Brendan Flores said, “We are tired of seeing these attacks. We need to acknowledge the intersectionality that is happening here: the women in our community are perceived as both Asian and women, and the relationship between racism and sexism here contributes to the disparity. The same goes for our elderly. We need action from the government and support from other communities to protect our people from these attacks.”

Community reactions The reaction from community leaders in the Northeast ranged from anger to grief and sadness, demanding and end to the antiAsian bigotry and calling for justice and accountability.

“Like everyone else, I am outraged. We should demand the authorities to bring to court all those found guilty of the crime. Regardless if it’s verbal or physical,” said Bing Branigin of Washington, D.C. “This has to stop before it escalates to something much bigger. Now is the time to show to authorities that this is not, I am not, okay, and definitely, we are not okay.”

“The motivation of why this individual killed six Asian women should not be the focus,” explained Marni Halasa, a City Council candidate for District 3 in New York City, who is both of Filipino and Jordanian descent. “The fact of the matter is that hate crimes against Asians and Asian Americans are on the

rise, especially with Trump’s racist rhetoric, and that we as a society need to do something more than simply legislate after the fact.”

Halasa also posed a few questions: what are the real roots of racism in our society and how can we stop it, how can we address the lack of education, jobs, social mobility, as well as an often destructive insular tribalism that infects all classes.

“And a couple [of] seminars in diversity training isn’t the answer, it has to be a standard set by all our institutions — especially those that get city and state funding. Perhaps New York City needs a fully-funded Anti-Asian Hate Crime Unit with staff in each council district dedicated to eradicating such hate.

We need more resources put towards this important issue,” she added.

Ledy Almadin of Summit, New Jersey is questioning why authorities are saying that the murders are not racially motivated, choosing to focus on the accused shooter’s alleged sex addiction problem.

“My thoughts are whatever the case maybe, we all have to be cautious on finding and defining the facts. I hope justice is served for all the victims of racial violence and not just go as far as just loud voices in social media or just having sound bites from the politicians,” she said.

Atty. Lara Gregory of New York feels that it is high time that people acknowledge what is happening and do something beyond.

“There is a visible and emerging pattern of violence against Asian Americans; we all need to open our eyes, acknowledge it and take action,” she said. “We have been at a loss for words as our hearts are grieved at the senseless loss of lives in Atlanta. The families and friends of the Asian Americans who were murdered are not only grieving but are wondering if their loved one was targeted on account of race.”

“We cannot allow this to continue. Even as we adhere to due process of law, let us not give credence to claims that it is all random,” she added. n

AAPI Democrats endorse Fil-Am Nani Coloretti...

Filipino descent to be nominated to a Cabinet-level position.

Previously, she served as deputy secretary at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. She managed the department’s day-to-day operations and cross-cutting program initiatives, including a $45 billion annual budget and approximately 8,000 employees.

During her Senate confirmation hearing in 2014, Coloretti shared how she comes “come from a family with a tradition of community service and one that represents the best of what our country has to offer.” Her maternal grandfather was a minister and a community organizer who advocated for Filipinos working in Hawaii’s sugar cane fields, while her grandmother was among the first wave of nurses working in the U.S. Her mother was also a nurse and later a preschool teacher.

“There are two things I am most proud of: Helping create the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) after the passage of the Dodd-Frank Act in 2011, and helping finish the regulation to guide communities in their efforts to affirmatively further fair housing,” Coloretti told the Asian Journal in a 2016 interview. “In both instances, I was able to help address the conditions for individuals and families that are working to achieve the American dream but who face the challenges of imperfect or unfair markets.”

Before HUD, she spent five years at the Department of the Treasury, most recently as the assistant secretary for manage-

Nani Coloretti, a former Obama admin official

ment. Prior to the Obama administration, Coloretti spent four years as policy adviser and budget director for then-San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom.

She is currently the senior vice president for financial and business strategy at think tank Urban Institute.

“I think the broader challenge for me as a Filipino American who is half Filipina is to make sure that my voice can be heard in an effective way. I think it helps that I come from a diverse state of people with different ways of communicating and interacting. I also think that any challenge can also be an opportunity. So, being someone who is different from others in a table can be helpful, particularly if I am operating with both ears open and with curiosity,” Coloretti told the Asian Journal in a 2016 interview. (Ritchel Mendiola/AJPress)

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Dateline USa

Fil-Am Community of Nevada mourns after targeted shootings of Asian women in Georgia

by Gloria

T. Caoile

THE Filipino American Community of Nevada (National Federation of Filipino American Associations – Nevada) is mourning after eight people were murdered at three spas in Georgia on Tuesday, March 16. The shootings targeted AAPI women and mark an escalation of the anti-Asian racism that has been growing in the United States over the last year and that has deep historical roots.

“The Fil-Am Community of Nevada condemns the misogyny and white supremacy that led to these horrific killings,” said Cynthia Deriquito, Chair of NaFFAA-NV. “It is disturbing to see any form of racially motivated violence, and

we are grieving for all of the victims.”

Since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Asian Americans have been particularly vulnerable to acts of discrimination, from verbal harassment to physical assault. Last month, the nonprofit Stop AAPI Hate released its data on hate incidents received by the reporting center between March 19, 2020 and Feb. 28, 2021.

There were over 3,795 incidents targeting AAPIs, and women reported more than 2.3 times more than men.

“Our community is grappling with sorrow, fear, and anger after these murders and the many other attacks on Asian Americans we have seen in recent months. NaFFAA-NV is working

with lawmakers to discuss ways to address violence against the AAPI community at the local and national levels. We will also hold a town hall shortly to bring all AAPIs in Nevada together; the focus of the event will be to share safety information, including how to be vigilant and aware of one’s environment,” said Leo Belmonte, chair of the NaFFAA Desert Region.

“Our goal is to support our fellow Asian American brothers and sisters in these trying times,” said Sonny Vinuya, president of the Asian American Chamber of Commerce. “We know this longstanding problem cannot be solved overnight, but we hope to help members of our AAPI community reclaim their sense of security.” n

All Nevadans 16 and over will be eligible for...

PAGE 1

until more residents can get vaccinated.”

Prior to April 5, local health authorities and counties will continue to vaccinate eligible Nevadans within the Frontline / Essential Workforce Lane, while also holding events for the general population. Nevadans who are currently eligible are encouraged to make their appointment as soon as they can.

The governor’s announcement is in line with – and ahead of – President Joe Biden’s challenge for States to open up availability to all adult Americans by May 1. The expectation of increased

vaccine production and allocation to the State of Nevada has made State officials confident in the new timeline announced today.

While Nevadans aged 16 and over will be eligible to schedule appointments beginning on April 5, appointment availability may be limited for the first few weeks based on dose allocation provided by the federal government, and State officials encourage Nevadans to be patient with the process.

As vaccine availability opens up, the state will continue to focus efforts on removing barriers to access for the most vulnerable

and at highest risk of severe illness due to COVID-19.

So far, Sisolak said the state has administered over 1 million COVID-19 vaccines.

Pfizer and Moderna vaccines both require two doses, 21 and 28 days apart, respectively, an d 367,732 Nevadans are fully vaccinated either with the two required shots or through the one-dose Janssen vaccine.

As more sites are added and appointments become available, Nevadans are encouraged to check their county specific plan at NVCOVIDFighter.org or by calling the State hotline at 1800-401-0946. n

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Dateline USa

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Morales favors Pacquiao in matchup against Mikey Garcia

by Bong Lozada Inquirer.net

MIKEY Garcia is one of the best boxers of his generation, having won World titles in four divisions, but the Mexican legend isn’t picking him over alltime great Manny Pacquiao.

In an interview with BoxingScene.com, Erik Morales admits that Garcia is indeed a tremendous fighter but challenging a 42-year-old Pacquiao is still a losing effort.

“Mikey Garcia is a great fighter. Manny Pacquiao is very, very strong though. Pacquiao shows that there are levels to this game.

I think that experience will win out and Pacquiao wins,” said WAIT ONE’S TURN. Devotees observe physical distancing as they wait for their turn to enter inside Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine in Barangay Morales.

Graceville, Sta Maria Road, San Jose Del Monte City, Bulacan for the 4th Sunday of Lent mass on March 14. A maximum of 300 persons every Pacquiao and Morales had one mass is allowed inside to maintain health protocols amid threat of the COVID-19.

PNA photo by Ben Briones of the most memorable trilogies of the 2000s with the Mexican legend taking the first bout via decision to claim the WBC super featherweight title, but the Filipino icon got the strap in the second with a sixth round technical knockout.

ACDC denounces attacks rising attacks against Asian American community Las Vegas — The Asian Community Development Council (ACDC) is outraged and heartbroken by the latest act of deadly violence in Georgia that appears to have targeted the Asian American Pacific Islander community. The shooting spree in the Atlanta area on March 16 killed eight people. Six of those who died were identified as Asian and seven of them were women. At least four of those killed were of Korean descent.

This comes after a year of alarming increase in attacks on

the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community across the country and growing fears among the AAPI community here in Nevada.

“Racially motivated violence against anyone in our community should never be tolerated,” said ACDC’s founder and president Vida Lin. “Our AAPI brothers and sisters, especially the vulnerable and the elderly, deserve to feel safe when they walk the streets in their neighborhoods or when they are at work trying to make a living for their families.

It’s time we all speak up to make sure these acts of heinous crimes fueled by by hate do not happen again” In the coming days, ACDC’s staff and volunteers are working with local and national resources to ensure that we protect the vulnerable and support our victims and their families.

Please go to our website www. acdcnv.org for more information on our programs and services, including those focusing on community members with language barriers. n

PH to suspend entry of foreigners, non-OFW...

PAGE 1

Airport. Incoming international flights would be allowed to carry only 1,500 passengers per day from March 18 to April 18.

“By and large wala naman po pagkakaiba, 2 araw lang po ‘yan pero ang motive po ng pareho circular na ito ay ‘yung paghihigpit ng pagpasok ng ating bansa para mapababa ang bilang ng may sakit na COVID-19 at mga bagong variant na nakukuha natin (By and large, there’s no difference, it’s just 2 days. The motive of both circulars is to tighten the entry to our country to lower the number of COVID-19 cases and those with new variants),”

NTF spokesperson Ret. Gen. Restituto Padilla told ABS-CBN’s Teleradyo.

For its part, flag carrier Philippine Airlines announced that it would be cancelling several flights to and from Manila following CAB’s directive.

“To comply with the restriction, airlines will need to cancel a number of international flights to and from Manila during the stated March 18 to April 19 period.

Philippine Airlines will operate our full international schedule for March 18 but we will be announcing in due course any flight cancellations on other days for the rest of the period,” the airline

Filipino Chinese man attacked during...

PAGE 1 ing to various reports.

Yuchang said his belongings were not stolen and that the police arrived within minutes to get his statement.

He was taken to a nearby hospital where he was treated for head injuries and a cheekbone fracture. His vision is coming back on his right eye, but he said he still cannot see out of the left one.

A day after, he shared his story in an effort to raise awareness of the violence against Asian Americans as he believes his race played a factor in being attacked.

He is left traumatized and afraid as he recovers from his bruises and injuries.

“I have to let people know that these things are really happening and send the message that you have the right to speak up,” he said.

The suspect, identified as Jorge Devis-Milton, has been arrested.

Earlier on Monday, the 32year-old reportedly stabbed a 64-year-old man at 16th and Mission Streets. The victim was taken to the hospital with lifethreatening injuries, according to the San Francisco Police Department.

Devis-Milton fled into the 16th and Mission BART Station. He later assaulted Yuchang near 3rd

and Market Street, before fleeing the scene.

“Using images caught on surveillance video and descriptions provided by witnesses, SFPD investigators determined that the same suspect was responsible for both unprovoked attacks,” the police said in a statement.

The suspect faces assault with a deadly weapon, two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of battery causing injury and aggravated mayhem.

Yuchang, who migrated to Vallejo from Manila, Philippines 20 years ago, is now seeking to move out of the Bay Area, as he and his wife no longer feel safe.

“Before I felt at home here in San Francisco, but now not so much,” he said. “Emotionally, it’s been a traumatic experience.

I’m having a hard time sleeping and resting, and I still haven’t gone out to get my medicine because I’m so afraid.”

Yuchang set up a GoFundMe page, which has raised over $20,000 of its $50,000 goal. He said the funds will help with his recovery and move.

His adult children still live in the Philippines and he said that eventually, he wants to retire there.

Yuchang’s case is among a series of violent crimes against Asian Americans in light of the

pandemic. Some of the attacks have resulted in deaths like the case of 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee, who died from injuries after he was knocked on the ground during a morning walk in San Francisco; and 74year-old Juanito Falcon who sustained a skull fracture injury after he was punched in the face in an unprovoked attack, as previously reported by the Asian Journal.

Stop AAPI Hate, a national coalition that tracks anti-Asian American discrimination, reported on Tuesday, March 16 that from March 19, 2020 to February 28, 2021, it has received 3,795 firsthand incidents of racism and discrimination from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Of that number, 503 incidents took place in the first two months of 2021 alone.

Chinese are the largest ethnic group (42.2%) that say they’ve experienced hate, followed by Koreans (14.8%), Vietnamese (8.5%) and Filipinos (7.9%), Stop AAPI Hate found.

Members of the AAPI community who have experienced hate during the pandemic are encouraged to report the incident at https://stopaapihate. org/reportincident. In addition to English, individuals can report in one of 11 languages, including Tagalog. (Christina M. Oriel and Ritchel Mendiola /AJPress)

Pacquiao with his students Antonio Margarito and Brandon Rios on the painful end of the Filipino’s punches.

“Pacquiao is Pacquiao. We’ve all seen his last fight against [Keith] Thurman and Pacquiao dominated. He won the fight, he dropped Thurman,” said Robert in an interview with Fight Hub. n

PAUNAWA NANG MAAGANG PAGBOTO PARA SA LUNGSOD NG BOULDER CITY 2021 MUNISIPAL NA PANGUNAHING HALALAN ANG PAUNAWANG ITO AY NAGBIBIGAY NANG KAALAMAN na ang maagang pagboto para sa ika-6 ng Abril, 2021 Munisipal na Pangunahing Halalan ay magaganap sa Boulder City.

KINAKAILANGAN SA PANINIRAHAN Ang lahat ng botante na nagparehistro para bumoto sa Lungsod ng Boulder City ay karapat-dapat na bumoto sa halalan na ito.

PAGBOTO SA PAMAMAGITAN NG KOREO Ang kahit sino ma’ng rehistradong botante na karapat-dapat na bumoto sa halalan na ito ay makakatanggap ng isang koreong balota para sa ika-6 ng Abril, 2021 Munisipal na Pangunahing Halalan, humiling man o hindi ng isa. Ang mga lugar ng paghuhulugan ng koreong balota ay nakalakip sa pakete ng iyong koreong balota. Kung nais mo’ng bumoto nang personal sa halip na sa pamamagitan ng koreo, maaari mo’ng ibalik ang iyong koreong balota sa lugar ng Maagang Pagboto at bumoto nang personal.

MAAGANG PAGBOTO Ang mga karapat-dapat na botante ay maaari’ng bumoto sa lugar ng maagang pagboto na nakatala sa ibaba O sa Araw ng Halalan sa alinman sa mga Sentro ng Pagboto Lungsod ng Boulder City, na pumalit sa tradisyunal na lugar ng pagboto sa Munisipal na Halalan.

Manny Pacquiao Photo from Instagram.com/ mannypacquiao

said in a post on Facebook.

“Airlines will likewise comply with any directives from the Philippine Bureau of Immigration (BI) and concerned authorities on the type of travelers that will be allowed entry into the Philippines within the same March 18 (8 AM) to April 19 (8 AM) period.

Please note that certain passenger types will thus need to postpone their Manila-bound travels until after the stated period,” it added.

To date, there are a total of Mikey Garcia Photo from 635,698 confirmed cases of Instagram.com/teammikeygarcia COVID-19 in the country, with 12,866 fatalities and 561,099 recoveries. n

Yuchang, a travel agent in San Francisco, is recovering from multiple head and face injuries after an attack on March 15. He said he has regained vision in his right eye.

Contributed photo

The final fight also went to Pacquiao with Morales giving up in the third round.

Garcia has floated the idea of fighting now Senator Pacquiao since 2019 but even his own coach and brother Robert sees a fight against the sport’s only octuple champion would be the hardest ever. obert had experience against

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MARCH 18-24, 2021 • LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL

OPINION

End to impunity?

FEATURES

MALACAÑANG has declared an end to impunity in assaults on media workers in the country. The statement was issued by the Presidential Task Force on Media Security following the release of a global report on journalists’ safety by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Where the task force statement is based remains as murky as the Palace assessment that the government’s pandemic response has been “excellent” a year into the public health crisis. UNESCO estimates that on average, a journalist is killed every five days around the world. UNESCO also reports that nine out of 10 journalist killings are unsolved.

In the Philippines, the conviction of the principal defendants in the 2009 Maguindanao massacre, mostly members of the Ampatuan clan and their henchmen, brought the country out of the worst five in the 2020 Global Impunity Index drawn up by the Committee to Protect Journalists. The Philippines was also removed from the list of most dangerous countries for journalists in 2018.

In highlighting the importance of the issue, UNESCO declares: “Impunity for crimes against the media fuels and perpetuates the cycle of violence and the resulting self-censorship deprives society of information and further affects press freedom. It directly impacts the United Nations’

human rights-based efforts to promote peace, security and sustainable development.”

Among the critical players in ending impunity is the judiciary.

This, unfortunately, is one of the weakest links in the campaign against impunity, whether the targets of assassination are journalists, drug personalities, left-leaning activists and even lawyers.

Even in the Maguindanao massacre case, it took a decade before the masterminds were finally convicted.

Apart from armed violence, journalists in the Philippines face other forms of threats. Last year the country slid by two notches to 136th place in the World Press Freedom Index. The slide was fueled by the shutdown of ABS-CBN, legal moves against news website Rappler, the deployment of troll armies against certain journalists, and cyber attacks against alternative news sites. Last December, Manila Today editor Lady Ann Salem weeks even after a local court had ordered her was arrested on International Human Rights Day, release. detained on charges of illegal possession of fireUNESCO is working with judiciaries in sevarms and explosives, and held for several more eral countries for capacity building particularly

Editorial

The Fil-Am Perspective GEL SANTOS-RELOS YES! President Joe Biden has announced that by May 1, ALL adults in the United States will already be eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

This is made possible by the government’s expedited procurement of vaccines to help save lives and protect us as we safely move toward “normalcy” and build our life and our nation back better and stronger.

After Biden’s announcement, even more Americans feel empowered and hopeful that YES, WE CAN and YES, WE WILL defeat this virus as more people begin to understand how important it is to get vaccinated.

In fact, individuals have been reaching out to their health care providers to know when we can be scheduled for our life-saving shots. I am one of them.

My husband is a doctor working on the front lines and so he is done with his two doses of shots of the Pfizer vaccine. Our psychologist daughter, who is a clinician therapist in direct patient care, has also completed her two doses of Moderna, another vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration with a 95% efficacy rate.

People who have already been vaccinated post their pictures on social media like a badge of honor because indeed, it is a humanitarian and patriotic act to

Asking Never Hurts

BY BERNARD J. WOLFSON CALIFORNIA HEALTHLINE

AS you surely know, this country’s COVID vaccination effort has been plagued by major birth pangs: registration snafus, poor communication, faulty data and a scant supply of vaccine — all exacerbated by inequitable allocation, alleged political favoritism and unseemly jockeying for shots.

Still, over 100 million shots have gone into arms, and more than 38 million people, 11.5% of the nation’s population, have been fully vaccinated. One in 5 U.S. residents have had at least one dose The vaccine rollout is finally ramping up — just as the deadly winter surge has ended, dramatically reducing infection rates, hospitalizations and deaths.

President Joe Biden has promised enough vaccine for every adult in the country by the end of May and dangled the hope of a

Philstar.com photo

in prosecuting crimes directed at media workers and threatening freedom of expression. In the Philippines, ending impunity is clearly a work in progress. (Philstar.com)

It’s COVID-19 vaccine season. What are the options? get our shots, along with wearing masks, observing physical distance, avoiding crowds, washing hands often and practicing hygiene even after vaccination.

COVID-19 vaccines are important weapons in our war against the pandemic. They “teach our immune systems how to recognize and fight the virus that causes COVID-19.

It typically takes a few weeks after vaccination for the body to build protection (immunity) against the virus. That means it is possible a person could still get COVID-19 just after vaccination, because the vaccine has not had enough time to build immunity, covid19.ca.gov explains. I am sharing more information here.

Many people ask me if this is safe, including my own mother who has also been bombarded by anti-vaccine propaganda in the Philippines.

“COVID-19 vaccines authorized by the FDA have been shown to be safe and effective in clinical trials. These vaccines were authorized only after it was found that they make it substantially less likely you’ll get COVID-19.

The authorized vaccines are up to 95% effective against a person becoming ill with COVID-19.

The U.S. vaccine safety system ensures that all vaccines are as safe as possible.

Millions of people in the United States have received COVID-

19 vaccines. These vaccines have undergone the most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. history, using both established and new safety monitoring systems. These vaccines cannot give you COVID-19.”

Many kababayans in the United States who are working on the frontlines, especially those in nursing homes, are reportedly hesitant to take advantage of their priority position to get the shots because they wanted to be sure they would not have fatal side effects if people they know who are vaccinated are still well and alive.

“After COVID-19 vaccination, you may have some side effects.

These are normal signs that your body is building immunity.

The most common side effects are pain and swelling in the arm where you received the shot. In addition, you may have fever, chills, tiredness, and headache.

They may affect your ability to do daily activities, but they should go away in a few days.”

Other than having a sore arm, my husband did not have any side effects after getting the two doses. My daughter, who is in the early 30s, had “flu-like symptoms,” like chills and a fever, after getting the second shot. She was aware of these side effects and just took Tylenol and a day or two after, she was back to normal. The younger ones are reporting more of these side effects after the second dose but then again, this only means they are building strong immunity

against the virus.

My health care provider is Kaiser Permanente and before they schedule members for vaccination, they determine if it is right for you.

According to Kaiser Permanente: “People who are allergic to most types of allergens (like animals, food, pollen, latex, or most medicines) are no more likely to have an allergic reaction to the COVID-19 vaccine than people who don’t have any allergies.

Allergic reactions to vaccines are very rare and typically occur immediately after receiving the vaccine. All vaccination sites have the appropriate medications and equipment to treat an allergic reaction.

You should NOT receive a vaccine that contains an ingredient to which you have had an allergic reaction. If you have had an allergic reaction to an ingredient of a particular vaccine, you may still be able to receive a different type of vaccine – if one is available – following a consult with a physician.

If you’ve had swelling, hives, trouble breathing, or anaphylaxis within 4 hours of receiving any previous vaccine or injectable medication, the risk of developing another severe allergic reaction to the COVID-19 vaccine is not fully known. Per Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance, you can still receive the COVID-19 vaccine. You’ll be observed for

30 minutes afterward as a safeguard.

If you’re concerned about a severe allergic reaction, you may consider waiting to get the vaccine until more information is available. If you’d like to discuss the risks and benefits of vaccination further, please contact your doctor.”

Many of you also ask: “Can I choose which vaccine to have?”

Vaccine types and supplies are limited at this time as the government is still working with vaccine manufacturers to expedite production to meet the demand as soon as possible.

After Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, the FDA has given emergency authorization to COVID-19 vaccines developed by Janssen (a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson). Johnson and Johnson vaccine is a singledose vaccine.

Some people are hesitant to have the J&J shots and would rather wait for Pfizer and Moderna. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) explains: “The J&J/Janssen vaccine was 66.3% effective in clinical trials (efficacy) at preventing laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 illness in people who had no evidence of prior infection 2 weeks after receiving the vaccine. People had the most protection 2 weeks after getting vaccinated.

The vaccine had high efficacy at preventing hospitalization and death in people who did get sick. No one who got COVID-19 at least 4 weeks after receiving

the J&J/Janssen vaccine had to be hospitalized.

Early evidence suggests that the J&J/Janssen vaccine might provide protection against asymptomatic infection, which is when a person is infected by the virus that causes COVID-19 but does not get sick.”

BOTTOM LINE: The sooner we get vaccinated, the better are our chances to save our lives and the lives of others. Waiting for one brand to be available means time lost in helping you become immune from the virus which can be a life and death situation for you and those of others. These vaccines not only keep you safe from being infected. If in case you still get the virus even after the shots, they also mitigate the symptoms of the virus, which means you would not have to be hospitalized and would not have to be in the ICU. It’s still life-saving.

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

*** Gel Santos Relos has been in news, talk, public service and educational broadcasting since 1989 with ABS-CBN and is now serving the Filipino audience using different platforms, including digital broadcasting, and print, and is working on a new public service program for the community. You may contact her through email at gelrelos@icloud.com, or send her a message via Facebook at Facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos.

So you’re vaccinated against COVID. Now what? return to semi-normalcy by July 4.

We’ll see if that happens. Unfortunately, ill-advised behavior, or a mutant strain of the COVID virus — or both — could still ignite another surge. And we’re not entirely certain to what extent vaccination prevents you from infecting unvaccinated people, or for how long it protects against COVID. Bottom line: Optimism is warranted, but all of us — even the vaccinated — still need to be careful.

In case you missed it, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new public health guidelines last week that offered a small glimpse of what the not-so-distant future might hold if enough people are vaccinated. The most striking point was that it’s OK for vaccinated individuals to meet indoors with unvaccinated members of another household, without masks, as long as nobody in that household is at risk for severe COVID. That’s big news if you’ve not seen your children or grand-

children in person for a while. If you are fully vaccinated, it’s now likely safe to visit with them indoors without masks, regardless of their vaccination status. You can even hug them.

As long as they don’t live too far away, that is: The CDC still frowns on long-distance travel.

If everybody in your group is vaccinated, so much the better.

In that case, hosting a maskless dinner party inside your home, for example, is “likely a low risk,” according to the new guidance.

But Dr. George Rutherford, a professor of epidemiology at the University of California-San Francisco, warns not to interpret this new freedom too liberally: “People say, ‘Oh, we can have a wedding reception for 50 people at a hotel as long as they are all vaccinated.’ I say, ‘What about the people serving you — are they all vaccinated? And the band?’”

Public health experts and the CDC agree that if you are vaccinated and in the company of people who aren’t — or if you

don’t know their status — you should continue the safeguards of masking and maintaining your distance.

“What I tell people who are vaccinated is, ‘You should assume you are one of the 5 or 6% for whom the vaccination will fail, and that everyone around you is a super spreader,” Rutherford says.

That means you should probably tap your inner brakes before going to a movie, working out in a gym, boarding an airplane or dining indoors at a restaurant.

Dr. Walter Orenstein, associate director of the Emory Vaccine Center and professor of infectious diseases at Emory University School of Medicine, points to a possible side benefit of the new CDC approach. “It may enhance vaccine uptake if it shows people that once you get vaccinated you have more freedom to do things,” he says.

Orenstein, like most public health experts, acknowledges that we still have an incomplete picture of COVID and how the vaccines will work in the real

world. Officials must set guidelines based on the best data available at the time, he says. “If, in fact, there is a marked spike in cases as a result, they will have to revise them.”

For now, Orenstein says, he is incorporating the new guidelines into his personal life. “We hadn’t had people over to our house in ages, and last night we had a couple over,” he says.

They were all vaccinated, and they didn’t wear masks.

Others are wary of easing up too soon, even if they’ve been vaccinated.

“I feel a real sense of relief, but it hasn’t changed my behavior,” says Sam Sandmire, a 65-yearold retired gymnastics coach in Boise, Idaho, who’s had two doses of the Moderna vaccine. “I still mask up and will continue to mask up and social distance until the science shows that I can’t infect others.”

Andy Mosley, 74, says he is not entirely convinced by the new CDC statement. “The information that we could start hanging out with each other again

was laced with a lot of qualifiers,” says Mosley, a resident of Temecula, California, who’s also had two shots of the Moderna vaccine. “That tells me they are not really sure about it.”

But he may alter his behavior in one instance. He has not seen his daughter, a chef who lives in San Francisco, since October 2019. She is scheduled for surgery soon and may need his help.

“Because she’s been immunized and I’ve been immunized and her roommate has been immunized, I would feel safe going up there,” Mosley says. “So that would be a change. But I would drive; I wouldn’t fly.”

Many others, including state and local politicians, are less cautious. Texas recently did away with its mask mandate.

Florida has remained largely open for business through much of the pandemic.

In California, 13 counties accounting for nearly half the state’s population have reopened gyms, movie theaters and indoor restaurant dining — albeit at reu PAGE 8

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

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Dateline PhiliPPines

7

Jollibee seeks global expansion in 2021

by Ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

THE pandemic is not stopping Filipino fast food chain Jollibee from reaching its goal of opening 450 restaurants around the world in 2021.

Jollibee CEO Ernesto Tanmantiong said he is looking toward global expansion while looking for acquisitions that could be funded with the company’s P57.5 billion ($1.2 billion) in cash and short-term investments.

“There are opportunities coming out of the pandemic,” Tanmantiong told Bloomberg. “We are constantly assessing these opportunities.”

Last year, Jollibee posted a loss of P11.5 billion, its first annual loss in at least three decades as dining out was hit hard by the

nationwide lockdown.

Jollibee is seeking expansion abroad amid a pandemic-induced recession in the Philippines and its delayed recovery due to the new spike in cases and delayed national vaccination campaign.

Tanmantiong told Bloomberg that around 80% of Jollibee’s new stores will be overseas and “equally split” among China, North America and Southeast Asia.

“We are now in expansion mode in preparation for the full recovery from the pandemic and this will continue in the next few years,” he said.

By 2025, half of the restaurant chain’s sales will come from abroad.

“We are investing more in foreign markets especially in markets where they have recovered

fast from the pandemic,” added Tanmantiong.

Jollibee had more than 5,800 outlets in 33 markets worldwide at the end of last year — the result of closing 486 stores due to the pandemic.

To counter the impact of COVID-19, Jollibee has spent P7 billion on “business transformations” that included upgrades to its delivery and online sales platform.

Jollibee is predicted to post a net income of P4.12 billion this year, and P6.16 billion in 2022, according to averages of analyst estimates by Bloomberg.

Tanmantiong, in response, said the estimates are “attainable.”

“The challenge is really the HANDICRAFT. Customers select different kinds of kapis products being sold at a stall in Dapitan Arcade in Quezon City on Tuesday, March availability of the vaccine and 16. The government has allowed selected businesses to operate in a limited capacity as long as they follow health protocols amid the how soon we can achieve herd coronavirus disease pandemic.

PNA photo by Rico H. Borja immunity,” he added. n

PH rights situation report ‘malicious’ – Andanar Pentagon report shows China is the

by Ritchel

Mendiola

AJPress

PHILIPPINE Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Martin Andanar has rejected the findings of international watchdog Investigate PH on the country’s human rights situation, calling them “malicious.”

“We strongly disagree with the malicious report by Investigate PH on the human rights situation, and the policies and programs of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and his administration,” he said Wednesday, March 17.

In a 198-page report submitted to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Tuesday, March 16, Investigate PH found that there is a “deepening human rights crisis in the Philippines.”

“With the drug war, the creation of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), the July 2020 passage of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), and the Philippine government’s militarized response to COVID-19, the perpetration of human rights violations by state forces has become more institutionalized, orchestrated, and entrenched,” said the initial report.

It also pointed out that remedies for many cases of human

rights violations in the country are “insufficient and illusory,” identifying 10 indicators for the failure such as obstruction of state authorities on investigations and investigations of violations not being impartial.

However, Andanar debunked the allegations, pointing out that “the country has functioning accountability mechanisms and rule of law and its authorities are competent to address allegations of impunity within national administrative and legal institutions and processes.”

According to him, the report must be rejected.

“Investigate PH does not represent any credible global or regional institution, and its claims of any authority or credibility to report on the Philippines must be rejected,” said Andanar.

He also accused the international watchdog of having a “selfserving political agenda.”

“It is a group of parties that is weaponizing human rights against the Philippines, driven by a self-serving political agenda,” said Andanar.

“We call on the public to guard against giving credence to a ‘report’ by a group whose character and agenda is dubious,” he added.

‘Address report’ In response, Investigate PH

biggest challenge to FONOPs in 2020

by PatRicia louRdes Philstar.com

PCOO Secretary Martin Andanar Inquirer.net photo

said Andanar should address its findings instead of attacking its credibility.

“The malice seems to be all with Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar when his recent tweets perhaps deliberately denigrated the commissioners of #InvestigatePH as having no credibility,” Investigate PH said in a statement on Thursday, March 18.

It added, “We urge Mr. Adanar to read the Initial Report and engage with the corroborated facts assembled there. The only weapons we found in our investigation were those of the police and the army shooting at unarmed civilians.” n

ViRay

MANILA — The United States challenged China’s excessive maritime claims in the South China Sea the most last year, as reported by the U.S. Department of Defense in its 2020 Freedom of Navigation Report.

Earlier this month, the U.S. DoD or the Pentagon listed the range of excessive maritime claims that U.S. forces challenged from Oct. 1, 2019 to Sept. 30 2020.

The Pentagon defined “excessive maritime claims” as those that are inconsistent with international law, particularly with provisions under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Beijing appears to be the top violator of the UNCLOS with the most multiple operational challenges in the East and South China Seas: • Straight baseline claims • Restrictions on foreign aircraft flying through an Air Defense Identification Zone without the intent to enter national airspace • Criminalization of surveying and mapping activities by foreign entities which do not obtain

approval from or cooperate with China • Jurisdiction over all surveying and mapping activities “in territorial air, land and waters, as well as other sea areas under [Chinese] jurisdiction” without distinction between marine scientific research and military surveys • Security jurisdiction over the contiguous zone • Prior permission required for innocent passage of foreign military ships through the territorial sea • Territorial sea and airspace around features not so entitled, such as low-tide elevations Other South China Sea claimants were also included in the list: • Malaysia: Prior consent required for military exercises or maneuvers in the exclusive economic zone • Taiwan: Prior notification required for foreign military or government vessels to enter the territorial sea • Vietnam: Prior notification required for foreign warships to enter the territorial sea Note that China’s navy has the largest number of ships deployed at sea between 2015 and 2020, exceeding the U.S., according to

a report titled “The Chinese Naval Shipbuilding Bookshelf.”

The U.S. navy, however, remains the strongest in the world in terms of overall capabilities.

The Pentagon noted that if these claims remain unchallenged, it could limit the rights and freedoms enjoyed by other nations.

“As long as restrictions on navigation and overflight rights and freedoms that exceed the authority provided under international law persist, the United States will continue to challenge such unlawful maritime claims,” the Pentagon earlier said.

Just last week, the U.S. along with allies Australia, India and Japan reaffirmed their commitment to “meet challenges” to the maritime order in the East and China Seas.

The alliance of the four powers, known as the “Quad”, was formed to counter Beijing’s rising influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

“We support the rule of law, freedom of navigation and overflight, peaceful resolution of disputes, democratic values, and territorial integrity. We commit to work together and with a range of partners,” Quad leaders said in a joint statement. n

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PH human rights situation worsened amid pandemic – int’l watchdog

by AJPress

CELEBRATION. Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle thanks Pope Francis and the Catholic Church for sharing the Christian faith with Filipinos during the Sunday Mass celebrated by the Pontiff marking 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines at St. Peter’s Basilica on March 14.

Photo courtesy of CBCP

Pope Francis celebrates 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines

by Ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

POPE Francis on Sunday, March 14 led a Holy Mass commemorating the 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines.

Held at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, the Mass was attended by several members of the Filipino Church including Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, and Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, the pope’s vicar for Rome.

“Dear brothers and sisters, 500 years have passed since the Christian message first arrived in the Philippines. You received the joy of the gospel, the good news that God so loved us that He gave His Son for us. And this joy is evident in your people. We see it in your eyes, in your songs and in your prayers,” Pope Francis said in his Homily.

He also noted that Filipino women in Rome are “smugglers” of faith, saying that they “sow the faith” wherever they go.

“It is part of your genes, a blessed ‘infectiousness’ that

I urge you to preserve. Keep bringing the faith, the good news you received five hundred years ago, to others,” the Pope said.

“I want to thank you, then, for the joy you bring to the whole world and to our Christian communities,” he added.

Pope Francis also urged Filipinos to continue spreading the word of God. “On this very important anniversary for God’s holy people in the Philippines, I also want to urge you to persevere in the work of evangelization – not proselytism, which is something else. The Christian proclamation that you have received needs constantly to be brought to others,” he said.

According to the Pope, one should “never be afraid to proclaim the Gospel.”

“With your joy, you will help people to say of the Church too: ‘she so loved the world!’

How beautiful and attractive is a Church that loves the world without judging, a Church that gives herself to the world. May it be so, dear brothers and sisters, in the Philippines and in every part of the earth,” he added.

Tagle, for his part, thanked Pope Francis for the Mass.

“I want to express our gratitude to you for leading us in this Eucharistic celebration and thanksgiving for the arrival of the faith in the Philippines 500 years ago. We bring you here the filial love of the Filipinos in the 7,641 islands of our country,” he said in his message to the Pope.

On March 16, 1521, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his crew landed in Cebu, bringing Christianity to the Philippines. The first Mass in the country is believed to have been celebrated on March 31 on the island of Limasawa.

The island of Mactan, Cebu did not welcome Christianity, according to various historical accounts, leading to a battle between Rajah Humabon under the command of Magellan and Lapu-Lapu and his warriors, who rejected Spanish colonization. Magellan was killed in the battle.

A yearlong commemoration of Christianity’s 500th anniversary in the country will be launched on Easter Sunday, April 4. n

dorsed are the following: a clean track record, upright stances on important issues, platform, and competence.

Carpio emphasized that members of 1Sambayan place themselves across the country’s political spectrum, from the progressive members of Bayan Muna on the left to retired members of the military from the Magdalo party on the right.

The coalition is eyeing Vice President Leni Robredo, Sen. Grace Poe, Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno, and former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV as presidential and vice-presidential bets — all of whom have yet to announce their candidacy for 2022.

These are the other conveners for 1Sambayan: • Retired Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales • Former Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert del Rosario • Former Education Secretary Armin Luistro • Jesuit priest Albert Alejo • Retired Rear Admiral Rommel Ong • Lawyer Howard Calleja • Former Rep. Neri Colmenares (Bayan Muna) • Former Negros Occidental Governor Rafael Coscolluela • Former Commission on Audit commissioner Heidi Mendoza • Partido Manggagawa chair Renato Magtubo • Rickie Xavier ‘Too early’ for politics, Palace says as Duterte teases longtime aide’s candidacy

When asked about the coalition later Thursday, Malacañang said it was too early to be discussing elections.

“Let’s set aside politics while there’s a pandemic,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque said in Filipino during a virtual briefing.

But Duterte, in recent speeches, has teased the presidential candidacy of his long-time aide Sen. Bong Go. Some members of his party, the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino—Lakas ng Bayan, are also calling on Duterte to run as Go’s vice president.

Go, for his part, has released statements claiming disinterest in vying for a top post in 2022, reminiscent of when Duterte himself used to hold press conferences to deny that he was running for president — only to file his candidacy at the last hour.

Duterte’s daughter, Sara, who currently sits as Davao City mayor, is also being urged to run for the presidential spot by administration supporters.

Meanwhile, Robredo’s spokesman Barry Gutierrez said that while the vice president is focused on helping Filipinos whoa are struggling against the COVID-19 pandemic, she is “honored to be considered as a possible consensus candidate.”

“We respect the independent process being conducted by 1Sambayan, and hope that it will truly result in a greater degree of unity among democratic constituencies moving forward to 2022.” n

‘Pro-democracy’ coalition to vet slate of opposition candidates for 2022

by Bella

PeRez-RuBio Philstar.com

MANILA — A coalition led by retired Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio is looking to unify democratic forces in the Philippines ahead of the 2022 polls.

To avoid the splitting of votes in the upcoming elections, conveners of 1Sambayan will field and endorse a unified slate of opposition candidates, they said during the coalition’s media launch held Thursday. The slate will include a bet for president, for vice president, and candidates for the Senate.

“The Filipino people deserve a better government,” Carpio said, as he criticized the Duterte administration as having been tried and tested and proven incompetent.

“There are Filipino leaders who can do a much better job of running the government, reviving the economy, creating jobs for our people, and defending our territory and sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea.” “We in the 1Sambayan will search for these Filipino leaders, unite them into one national slate and present the Filipino people with a clear choice in the May 2022 national elections.”

A coalition of opposition bets, the Otso Diretso, was trounced in the 2019 midterm elections.

A separate slate of five pro-labor candidates backed by workers’ unions was also defeated.

Criteria for common slate In a video presented to reporters, the coalition said its criteria for choosing candidates to be en-

THE human rights situation in the Philippines has gotten worse since last year, according to international rights watchdog Investigate PH. In a 198-page report submitted to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Tuesday, March 16, Investigate PH found that there is a “deepening human rights crisis in the Philippines.”

“With the drug war, the creation of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), the July 2020 passage of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), and the Philippine government’s militarized response to COVID-19, the perpetration of human rights violations by state forces has become more institutionalized, orchestrated, and entrenched,” said the initial report.

It also pointed out that remedies for many cases of human right violations in the country are “insufficient and illusory.”

Investigate PH identified 10 indicators for the country’s supposed failure of domestic remedies:

1. obstruction of state authorities on investigations; 2. investigations of violations are not impartial; 3. available mechanisms for civilians to hold police and military accountable are failing; 4. court protections are inaccessible, slow, and discriminatory; 5. government’s National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) constricts recourse to government agencies; 6. counter-insurgency activities are targeting lawyers, denying victims access to independent counsel; 7. efforts to challenge unjust laws through legal channels are being dismissed in court or repressed; 8. opposition political voices providing a check on the armed forces and executive power have been eliminated from the Supreme Court and Congress; 9. independent institutions and alternative platforms for accountability have been eviscerated or made practically inoperative; 10. even when remedies are secured, they are inadequate justice.

The report also noted that the

political repression by state forces in the Philippines has become “more institutionalized, streamlined, and brazen.”

“Extrajudicial killings of human rights defenders, lawyers and judges, and peace consultants, have continued to climb,” it added.

Investigate PH urged the United Nations (UN) and the International Criminal Court (ICC) to use “all available mechanisms to restrain these state abuses and hold the perpetrators accountable.”

It also said that the UNHRC needs to “create commissions of inquiry, fact-finding missions, or investigations, to help improve the human rights situation in the Philippines, exert accountability, and deliver measurable as well as reliable justice to victims.”

“There is a sense of urgency here. The killings and degradation of human dignity are escalating as seen in the Report,” said Investigate PH commissioner Susan Henry-Crowe.

She added, “The UNHRC and the world has to rise to the challenge of putting an end to this. We have to act now and save innocent lives while we still can.” n

the same sex,” the CDF said.

“Furthermore, since blessings on persons are in relationship with the sacraments, the blessing of homosexual unions cannot be considered licit. This is because they would constitute a certain imitation or analogue of the nuptial blessing invoked on the man and woman united in the sacrament of Matrimony, while in fact ‘there are absolutely no grounds for considering homosexual unions to be in any way similar or even remotely analogous to God’s plan for marriage and family,’” it added.

Pope Francis, lauded for taking an unprecedented welcoming tone towards the LGBT community, approved the note.

However, the CDF maintained that the statement was “not intended to be a form of unjust discrimination,” but rather a “reminder of the truth of the liturgical rite and of the very nature of the sacramentals, as the Church understands them.”

In a separate explanatory note,

the CDF said that the decision on same-sex unions “in no way detracts from the human and Christian consideration in which the Church holds each person.”

It added that the Church could bestow blessings “to individual persons with homosexual inclinations who manifest the will to live in fidelity to the revealed plans of God as proposed by Church teaching.”

Last year, Pope Francis shocked Catholic clergies when he called for civil unions for same-sex couples in the documentary “Francesco.”

“They’re children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out, or be made miserable because of it,” the pontiff said, referring to same-sex couples. “What we have to have is a civil union law; that way they are legally covered.”

However, the Vatican clarified that the statement was taken out of context and did not indicate a change in Church doctrine on same-sex marriage. n

Vatican says Catholic Church can’t bless same-sex unions

by Ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

THE Catholic Church does not have the power to bless same-sex unions despite their “positive elements,” the Vatican said Monday, March 15.

The Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith (CDF) issued a formal response to a question about whether the Church has the authority to bless gay unions, answering “negative.”

Signed by Cardinal Luis Ladaria, prefect of the doctrinal office, the explanatory note said that blessings are not allowed because what is to be blessed needs to be “objectively and positively ordered to receive and express grace, according to the designs of God inscribed in creation, and fully revealed by Christ the Lord.”

“For this reason, it is not licit to impart a blessing on relationships, or partnerships, even stable, that involve sexual activity outside of marriage, as is the case of the unions between persons of

Duterte says he’s confident insurgency to end soon

by Joey

GaBieta Inquirer.net

TACLOBAN CITY—President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday, March 18 expressed optimism that the communist insurgency will soon come to an end or at least before he steps down from office in 2022.

“I know this problem could not be solved overnight,” Duterte said.

“That is why I am asking for the cooperation and solidarity of all sectors in ending this conflict once and for all,” he said.

“With your support and patriotism, I am confident that we will triumph over the challenges ahead of us,” the President said.

“Be assured that the entire force of the Filipino people, though the hands of the government, is behind you to secure a genuine and lasting peace for our motherland,” the President added.

Duterte was in Tacloban for a meeting of the regional task force to end local communist armed conflict (Elcac) held at the city’s Summit Hotel.

All governors in the region, except Samar Gov. Reynolds Michael Tan, were present during the event which was marked by a power failure just minutes before the President arrived at the venue.

In his presentation on the insurgency in Eastern Visayas,

President Rodrigo Duterte

Social Welfare Secretary Rolando Joselito Bautista, who once served as the deputy commanding officer of the 8th Infantry Division based in Catbalogan City, Samar province, said that since the Duterte administration implemented its “whole-of-nation approach” to the insurgency, only four out of the region’s 11 communist fronts are still standing.

At least 1,000 regular members or New People’s Army also surrendered as 200 villages in the region were declared insurgency-free, Bautista said.

Officials in all six provinces, seven cities, and 137 towns in the region had declared communist rebels as persona non grata, or unwelcome.

Eastern Visayas is one of the country’s poorest region with of-

Inquirer.net file photo

ficials partly blaming the insurgency for massive poverty.

During his more than one-hour speech, Duterte also teased Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go and Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III about their political future.

He addressed Go, his longtime confidant, as “president” and called Bello “senator.”

Go, in a separate interview, said his visits around the country should not be taken to mean he was running for President in 2022.

“After I was proclaimed senator, I visited our fellow Filipinos whose homes were destroyed by fire, those affected by floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruption. I could not sit in my office and do nothing,” he said in Filipino.

So you’re vaccinated against COVID...

PAGE 6 duced levels. That includes Los Angeles County, one of the hardest-hit regions in the U.S. during the winter surge. And Gov. Gavin Newsom has suggested that California’s four-level colorcoded system for phased reopening could soon add a “green” tier — meaning pretty much back to normal.

However, Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, says localities that open too soon “are going to be in big trouble shortly” because of a new surge he expects to be triggered by a Conveners of 1Sambayan, a coalition looking to endorse a unified slate of opposition candidates for 2022, hold a hybrid media event on fast-spreading COVID strain first Thursday, March 18.

Philstar.com photo detected in the United Kingdom,

which is projected to become the dominant strain in the U.S. sometime this month.

For now, stick with masking and physical distancing in most social and commercial encounters. Get vaccinated as soon as it’s your turn and try to persuade the people in your lives to do the same. The more people vaccinated, the greater the protection for the community.

In the near future, we may all have extra incentive to get vaccinated: Proof of vaccination could be required for air travel, sports events, concerts and other mass public gatherings. This is being considered in some parts of the U.S. and is already happening in some countries.

Israel, for example, has begun issuing six-month vaccination “passports” that would allow entry to sporting events, restaurants and other public venues.

That has “created this kind of push for people who otherwise might not be that interested in getting vaccinated to get vaccinated,” Rutherford says.

This story was produced by KHN (Kaiser Health News), a national newsroom that provides in-depth coverage of health issues and that is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation).

KHN is the publisher of California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation. n

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Fil-Am celebrities call to #StopAsianHate in the US H.E.R. wins Song of the Year for

‘I Can’t Breathe’ at 2021 Grammys

By Ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

FILIPINO American celebrities have joined in calling for an end to the hate and violence being directed at various Asian communities in the United States.

The hashtag #StopAsianHate has trended on Twitter following a series of attacks in Atlanta that killed eight people, including six of whom were Asians.

Rapper Ruby Ibarra condemned the shootings, stressing that anti-Asian racism and xenophobia need to end.

“I am at a loss for words about the hateful murders that happened in Atlanta. All of this AntiAsian racism, xenophobia come from a place of pure ignorance and hate and it really needs to Photo from Instagram/@rubyibarra Lea Salonga end,” she said in a tweet. “Let’s Ruby Ibarra Meanwhile, singer Apl.de.ap do NOT represent America. They continue to protect those that are most vulnerable in our communi- extended his condolences to the are a tragic byproduct of the abfamilies of the victims and re- solute worst of our history, but ties.” minded everyone that “we’re all small in comparison to the overwhelming majority of decent, in this together.”

“Now seems as important a compassionate, rational people,” time as any to remind ourselves he added.

Criss also called for the majorthat we’re all in this together.

I’m truly sorry for the families of ity to show their “defiance and those involved,” he said on Twit- resilience” against the people he called “monsters.” ter.

“And it is up to that very maActor Darren Criss, for his part, called the suspects “monsters,” jority to show our strength, desaying they are a “byproduct of fiance, and resilience against the absolute worst of our his- these monsters. They are a dying breed of scarred, confused, and tory.”

“I just want to say to my angry people. And we have to friends out in Atlanta: y’all know make them understand there is as well as I do that the horrible no place for hatred in any world people responsible for these acts that seeks peace,” he said.

Filipina Canadian actress Shay do not speak for the city’s true beating heart. You’ve managed Mitchell took to Instagram to exto do some inspiring things this press her anger, saying people past year. I know these monsters who commit hate crimes should be called terrorists. don’t represent you,” he said.

“How many times do we need “And moreover I truly believe to my core that these monsters to have this conversation before Darren Criss Photo from Instagram/@darrencriss throughout our nation certainly it changes?” she wrote. “Hate

by

Photo from Instagram/@msleasalonga

is hate is hate is hate. And it is wrong.”

She added, “Time to start calling this what it is - a hate crime.

Time to start calling the people who commit these hate crimes what they are - who the people are that do this - terrorists.”

Actress Vanessa Hudgens, meanwhile, shared on her Instagram story a screenshot of a tweet that said: “Anti-Asian hate crimes are up 150% since January last year - the result of years of vitriolic racism. Eight people were killed last night. Humans with stories and aspirations. Our hearts go out to their loved ones.

We need to put an end to this hate.”

International singer Lea Salonga also joined in supporting the #StopAsianHate campaign.

“Stop with the dehumanization. Stop with the violence. Stop with the hate. We are human beings. Enough!,” she wrote on Twitter.

aJPRess

R&B singer-songwriter H.E.R. took home “Song of the Year” at the 2021 Grammy Awards on Sunday night, March 14 for her single “I Can’t Breathe.”

The 23-year-old artist released the song last summer in response to the killing of George Floyd and the protests for racial justice.

“We wrote this song over FaceTime,” H.E.R. said in her acceptance speech, joined by co-writer Tiara Thomas. “I didn’t imagine that my fear and that my pain H.E.R, a Black and Filipina American R&B artist, took home two would turn into im- Grammys on Sunday, March 14, including one for Song of the Photo courtesy Instagram/@hermusicofficial pact, and it would Year. possibly turn into change. And I think that’s what this is about. And that’s why I write music.”

She added, “I want to thank my mom, I recorded this song myself in my bedroom at my mom’s house. And I want to thank my dad. He cried. He was in tears when I wrote this song and I played it for him.

He was the first person I played it for.”

H.E.R., whose real name is Gabriella Wilson, was born in Vallejo, California to a Filipina mother and an African American father.

Robert Glasper’s “Better Than I Imagined” won Best R&B song on Sunday, which H.E.R. is featured in alongside Meshell Ndegeocello.

With two wins on Sunday, H.E.R. now has four Grammys under her belt. She won two Grammys in 2019, for R&B album and R&B performance.

“I’m so speechless right now, I can’t believe this,” she said in her speech. “Remember, we are the change that we wish to see. That fight that we had in us in the summer of 2020, keep that same energy.”

On Monday, March 15, H.E.R., along with collaborators Tiara Thomas and D’Mile, was nominated for best original song at the 2021 Academy Awards for “Fight for You” from “Judas and the Black Messiah.”

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Island Pacific condemns recent Pinay chef Isa Fabro voices restaurant owner in surge of hate crimes against Netflix’s new animated series ‘City of Ghosts’ Asian American community

By Christina

M. oriel

AJPress

ISLAND Pacific is a supermarket chain that caters to all communities however considers the Filipino American and Asian American as their biggest demographic of loyal shoppers. With the current anti-Asian American hate crimes proliferating in this pandemic, Island Pacific stands united to protect and serve the Asian American communities against bigotry and hate due to the horrific rise in bias occurring across the country.

According to the United States Department of Justice, unlawful acts directly targeting Asian American community members

has risen exponentially. On January 26, 2021, President Biden issued the “Presidential Memorandum Condemning and Combating Racism, Xenophobia and Intolerance Against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States,” which mandates that the “Attorney General shall explore opportunities to support, consistent with applicable law, the efforts of State and local agencies, as well as AAPI communities and community-based organizations, to prevent discrimination, bullying, harassment, and hate crimes against AAPI individuals, and expand

collection of data and public reporting regarding hate incidents against such individuals.

Island Pacific will never tolerate discrimination and violence towards our community and will make every effort to provide a safe place in all our locations and provide all resources necessary to combat growing violence against our employees and customers.

The market encourages all customers and employees to raise awareness in the rising hate crime in our community by immediately reporting such crime to law enforcement.

(Advertising Supplement)

Andrea closes doors on ex-lovers KAPUSO actress Andrea Torres revealed that she doesn’t give second chances to former lovers.

In a report by columnist Inquirer’s Dolly Anne Carvajal, Andrea said she always invests her 100% in a relationship.

“Probably not. I’m always 100 percent invested in my relationships. I will fight for it with all I have because I don’t like having ‘what ifs’ in life. So, it takes a lot for me to decide to walk away. If that happens, if we end up parting ways, I know I already did everything,” she said.

Andrea, who recently broke up with Derek Ramsay, gave advice on how to move on.

“Reflect on what happened, get the lesson, and allow yourself to grow. I truly believe that every-

thing that happens in our lives has a purpose. With that in mind, if things don’t turn out the way I expect them to, my faith assures me that everything is going according to God’s plan, and that it is for my own good. When we pray, we usually talk about the things that we want. But more than that, we must not forget to pray for His will to be done, too.

Let Him. Allow Him to guide you and everything else will follow,” she said.

“You’re hurt because you loved, so now you have to focus that love on yourself. Do things that make you happy, feed your soul, take care of yourself so that the next time you fall in love, you will have so much more to give,” she added.

FILIPINA American chef Isa Fabro can now add voice actor to her growing résumé.

Fabro — who creates Filipinoinspired desserts and conceptual pop-ups under IsaMADE — voices Chef Jo in the first episode of “City of Ghosts,” Netflix’s new documentary-style animated series that follows a group of friends from different backgrounds as they interact with ghosts and learn about the rich history of LA’s neighborhoods.

“I’m opening an Asian-inspired eatery here in Boyle Heights, East Los Angeles,” narrates Chef Jo, who dons purple hair in a top bun and round fuchsia glasses. “I’ve been working all over LA, and this is the first time I’m gonna be able to cook my own food in my own place.”

As Chef Jo prepares for the grand opening, strange occurrences start to happen, from the sink turning on by itself to appliances being tossed out. Her friend Mariko (voiced by chef Kuniko Yagi) suggests getting help from the Ghost Club, a group of adolescents led by Boyle Heights resident Zelda (August Nuñez).

The paranormal activity uncovers the neighborhood’s Japanese community and stories of the family who owned the restaurant before Chef Jo. Along the way, the Ghost Club takes viewers inside their meeting place, the LA Central Library in Downtown, and gets a lesson in making gyoza (dumplings).

The first season of “City of Ghosts” features six 20-minute episodes featuring neighborhoods, such as Leimert Park and Koreatown, and groups like the Tongva, the indigenous people of the Los Angeles basin.

Ghosts are presented as traces of storytelling and history,

rather than a haunting presence.

Though a children’s show, it’s a fun, informative binge watch for Angelenos — and those who want to learn more about the city beyond Hollywood and the stereotypes — of all ages.

“There’s a lot of history out there. There are stories that people don’t know about…in these neighborhoods that are very much a part of LA, that you may just drive through or don’t know about. But they are there to be enjoyed, discovered and experienced,” Fabro told the Asian Journal.

Fabro was first approached with the project in 2018 and sat down with the show’s creator, Elizabeth Ito, an Emmy Awardwinning story board artist and writer who’s worked on “Adventure Time” and “Phineas and Ferb.”

During the hours-long conversation, Fabro shared her experiences as a small business owner and a woman of color working at fine-dining restaurants throughout the city.

“From that first interview, they actually took a lot of that and modeled the character of Chef Jo after what I had said,” Fabro said.

“They sent me artwork too. There were different character designs of what they thought maybe Chef Jo would look like and it’s definitely me.”

Nearly three years later, Fabro’s mannerisms, facial expressions and back story loosely come to life in Chef Jo. Fabro, born in Canada to Filipino parents, was raised in LA where she went on to work in the music and film industries in her 20s before attending culinary school and charting a career in food, first on the savory side before pastry.

After a life-changing trip to the Philippines, she ventured off on her own to start IsaMADE, which

Andrea Torres Photo from Instagram/@andreaetorres

Derek and Andrea broke up last November 22 after admitting their relationship in September 2019. Derek is now in a relationship with Ellen Adarna. (Jan Milo Severo/Philstar.com)

Isa Fabro voices Chef Jo (far right) in the first episode of Netflix’s “City of Ghosts.” Eva (Kirikoiu Muldrew) and Zelda (August Nunez) are part of the Ghost Club and uncover a ghost named Janet (Judy Hayashi) at the restaurant.

Photo courtesy of Netflix

Chef Isa Fabro of IsaMADE Contributed photo

Illustrations of Chef Jo

Contributed photo

puts Filipino flavors at the forefront.

Some of her popular pastries include: coconut malas, a hybrid of Hawaiian malasadasand Filipino sweet rice balls carioca; mango royale pie, an icebox cake inspired by crema de fruita; and Food for the Gods, chewy bars comprised of dates and nuts often associated with the Christmas season.

“I really threw myself into [‘City of Ghosts’]. I’m kind of a cartoon character already,” Fabro said.

“I love all kinds of creativity and storytelling…I would totally do it again.”

“City of Ghosts,” which premiered on March 5, is now available to stream on Netflix.

Fil-Am hoop star DJ Mitchell catches his elusive March Madness dream

By MoMar

G. Visaya

AJPress

MARCH Madness is upon us and sports fans across the country are excited after missing out on the tournament last year due to the pandemic. A total of 68 men’s college basketball teams will be in Indianapolis to duke it out for the championship.

For DeRohn “DJ” Mitchell, Jr., a Black and Filipino American guard on the University of Hartford’s men’s basketball team, playing in this 82-year-old American tradition has been a lifelong dream.

“Getting into March Madness is an unbelievable feeling. It’s something I have dreamt about all my life since I was a kid,” Mitchell told the Asian Journal. “I spent countless hours thinking about when I would arrive here — if I would even ever make it. Not many people believed that this was possible for me. But luckily for me, with the support of my family and friends, my dream has become a reality.”

Mitchell is excited and he is looking forward to their game this Friday, March 19 against their bracket’s top seed Baylor. This is the first time in his school’s history that their team

made it to its first NCAA tournament, March Madness no less, something that Mitchell and his Hartford Hawks teammates are mighty proud of.

“A few of my teammates and I have been talking about this moment over the last few weeks — about the ‘what if this?’ and ‘what if that?’ We kept circling back to ‘let’s be legendary.’ Let’s do something that no one else has done before and pave the way. Right now, we have accomplished that and we’re in unchartered territory,” Mitchell, a junior majoring in business management and administration, said.

“But we traveled this far to make it all the way to Indiana — why don’t we stay awhile?”

The 21-year-old Mitchell knew he wanted to play college sports at the young age of 8; although initially, he thought it was going to be football. At 12, he found basketball and there was no looking back.

Monica Alvarez-Mitchell and her husband DeRohn fully supported their second child’s dream.

“I believe it was around 12 years old when he declared basketball to be his destiny. Like most parents, I was happy to see him enjoy a sport that I assumed he’d outgrow,” Alvarez-Mitchell

DJ Mitchell, guard on the University of Hartford’s men’s basketball team Photo courtesy of Hartford Athletics/Steve McLaughlin

said.

They sent their son to summer basketball camps and programs to nurture his passion. After a summer camp basketball program at IMG Academy in Sarasota, Florida, DJ Mitchell came back and said he wanted to attend boarding school there. After a thorough discussion of the pros and cons, the couple sent him to IMG as they saw in their kid a drive that was too compelling to ignore.

The entire family has been supportive of Mitchell’s quest ever since, something that he fully acknowledges. It has not been easy at all but they all knew that it was the price they had to pay.

It is a full-time commitment all year long, with most basketball events in school were always held over holidays and weekends. When he wasn’t in school or with the team, he was working with speed coaches and trainers at the gym.

“There isn’t a day from the moment I chose to pursue a career in basketball that I wasn’t doing something to train for it and I still continue to today. I continue to also dream of making it to pro one day,” Mitchell said.

There have been epic highs and lows so far, and like every sports parent out there, DeRohn and Monica understand this all too well.

“For me, the worst moments were the obstacles that seemed overwhelming at times and the injuries. Like any parent, injuries are scary, but for an athlete, they can be career-ending,” AlvarezMitchell shared.

She recalled DJ’s first scary injury when he hurt his hand, chipped his tooth, and needed stitches one year in post-grad while at St. Thomas More in Connecticut.

“When that happened though, it felt like the world was ending because during the fall, he fractured his hand, and his only thought was, ‘Can I still even play?’ It was one of the darkest moments we had,” she said.

Last year, he fell and hit his head hard.

“My heart dropped at the game watching my son hit the ground and lie still on the court.

He had a massive goose egg con-

cussion so my hubby and I took him off the court and rushed him to ER,” Alvarez-Mitchell shared.

“In another crushing blow, the injury had him benched for a few weeks. But again, he healed and jumped back onto the court.”

With sheer hard work and a bit of luck, Mitchell’s perseverance is starting to pay off.

He was never the tallest or biggest, but he found a way to help the teams he played on in any way he could. He trained himself to be aware of everything on the court and knew that he had to play smarter against bigger competition.

According to his mother, Mitchell learned to speed up the game, catch a rebound, get that breakaway steal, and score a three. He was naturally athletic and he has a great vertical. He fast-tracked his basketball IQ to understand team dynamics and his competitors’ weaknesses to add more value than just a shot or two and help set up his team to win.

“It was his way to shine differently than others on the court,” she added. “Today, his value is clear; even announcers say he’s one of the most undervalued players on the court. But we believe that’s his strength. Never underestimate his will to win and making sure he is doing all he can every second he’s playing.”

Road to March Madness Hartford’s entry to the March Madness is what hoop dreams are made of.

They were set to play Vermont for the America East Tournament title last season, but COVID-19 happened and the rest of the season got canceled. For the first time in its 81-year history, even March Madness itself was canceled.

This year, the team won over Vermont in the semifinals on March 6, then UMass-Lowell last week in the America East Tournament championship game.

The major win gave Hartford the America East Championship for the first time in the school’s history and along with it, their ticket for their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.

“Eleven years ago, I got this and I said, ‘Let the dream begin,’” Hartford coach John Gal-

DJ Mitchell, a guard on University of Hartford’s men’s basketball team, is fulfilling his dream of playing in the NCAA tournament.

Photo courtesy of DJ Mitchell/Instagram

lagher told AP. “There were a lot of nightmares to get to this point.

So many people to thank but this program, this neighborhood that we built, is so special. To put it into words is really hard. But we’re dancing.”

“This moment is a dream come true for us. After last year’s letdown, the team came together and played their hearts out,” Alvarez-Mitchell shared. “They finally got a ticket to the dance for the first time. This achievement has made all the lows we experienced worth it and even that more meaningful.”

DJ is grateful to his family for the support and understanding they have given him. He says all of them have worked hard and made sacrifices.

“I would be lying if I said I arrived here without my family.

They have given me every opportunity in the world to make this happen,” he said, acknowledging that they haven’t had proper time off or a family vacation since his career started.

Through his journey’s ups and downs, there is one thing consistent in DJ, his motivation.

“Most people don’t know this about me, but my motivation through all of this — through everything I’ve endured, both the

good and the bad — has been my little brother, Bryan,” he shared.

“I wanted to show him you can achieve anything you want to and pursue different dreams that you have for yourself — to break the mold and create your path.

Not everything is perfect in life, but resiliency is key. Being resilient will take you anywhere you want to go.”

Looking back now, DJ’s mom Monica couldn’t help but be proud of her young son’s achievements.

As a mom, she said she always wanted her children to dream big.

This echoes DJ’s motivation to show his younger brother to chase whatever dream he wanted.

“You live through every emotion your child has and become invested on all levels. But you keep going because there is no option. This is your child’s dream, and you will go with them to explore all roads until the end to help them achieve their destiny,” she said. “But I’ll say this to others: support your kids’ dreams — foster it and grow it. If your kid dreams big, works hard, keeps his head down grinding, never gives up, and gets a little lucky too, dreams can come true.”

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Health@Heart PhiliP S. Chua, MD, FaCS, FPCS ITALY, “the first western country to be severely hit by the COVID-19 pandemic is also the first nation to face a third wave of COVID-19 and now re-imposing a strict nationwide lockdown a year and more than one hundred thousand deaths later.” There has been six weeks of increasing COVID-19 cases, attributed to people lowering their guard, especially young people who refused to wear mask and do social distancing.

The preventive value of masks and social distancing has been proven beyond doubt around the world.

There are about 3.3 million cases of COVID-19 in Italy, with around 103,000 deaths. Let us all behave wisely and responsibly. Hopefully, we would have herd immunity by the end of summer.

Worldwide, there are more than 120.5 million cases and almost 2.7 million deaths; more than 30 million cases in the U.S. with about 548,000 deaths; and, in the Philippines, around 627,000 cases and almost 13,000 deaths.

AZ vaccine and blood clots Some countries have temporarily ceased using the AstraZeneca vaccine after some patients developed blood clots, post-vaccination. According to the Washington Post, “AstraZeneca said that of the 17 million people so far inoculated with its vaccine, jointly produced with Oxford University, there have only been 15 cases of deep vein thrombosis and 22 pulmonary embolisms. This is much lower than would be expected to occur naturally in a general population of this size and is similar across other licensed COVID-19 vaccines.” Clinical analysis is ongoing.

Zinc and COVID-19 Zinc is an important element needed by our body to maintain good health. It helps boost the immune system and aids in the production of protein and the DNA. Zinc is also one of the ingredients used in the treatment of COVID19. A recent study found that “participants with low zinc levels had a 21% mortality rate compared with 5% in those with healthy zinc levels; the time to clinical recovery was approximately three times less in those with healthy serum zinc levels; and the authors concluded that serum zinc levels could help predict the outcome of individuals with COVID-19.” Consult with your attending physician before taking Zinc or any other medications.

Comparing the vaccines Everyone is interested to compare the three vaccines currently used in the U.S. Here is last week’s comprehensive report from Kristina Fiore of MedPage, a consumer medical publication circulated to the medical community.

Company: Pfizer/BioNTech Vaccine name: BNT162b2 Mechanism of action: mRNA vaccine Dosing schedule: Two doses, 21 days apart (30 μg/dose) Efficacy: 95% at least 7 days after dose 2.

Illness was defined as having a confirmed positive COVID-19 test and at least one of the following symptoms: fever, new or increased cough, new or increased shortness of breath, chills, new or increased muscle pain, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, diarrhea, or vomiting.

Research trial participants: 43,548 people age 16 and up.

Side effects: Most common were fatigue and headache after

LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • mARch 18-24, 2021

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COVID-19 updates WGU again named a top ten military friendly school both doses, with both being more prominent after the second dose.

These were milder for participants over 55 compared with those age 16 to 55. In this latter group, the rates of fatigue and headache were 59% and 52%, respectively, after dose 2.

Storage: Ultra-cold freezer required, -112ºF to -76ºF (-80ºC to -60ºC) for up to 6 months; FDA recently agreed to allow storage of frozen, undiluted vials at standard pharmacy freezer temperatures between -13ºF and 5ºF for up to 2 weeks.

Variants: No clinical data; lab studies have shown that the South African (B.1.351) variant may reduce antibody titers by two-thirds.

Pfizer is studying a third “booster” dose of the original vaccine against this variant, as well as evaluating a variant-specific vaccine with a modified mRNA sequence.

Number of doses contracted by the U.S.: 300 million.

Company: Moderna Vaccine name: mRNA-1273 Mechanism of action: mRNA vaccine Dosing schedule: Two doses, 28 days apart (100 μg/dose) Efficacy: 94.1% at least 14 days after dose 2.

Illness was defined as having a confirmed positive COVID-19 test and at least two of the following symptoms: fever, chills, myalgia, headache, sore throat, new olfactory or taste disorder; or at least one respiratory sign or symptom including cough, shortness of breath, or clinical or radiographic evidence of pneumonia.

Research trial participants: 30,420 people age 18 and up.

Side effects: Overall systemic adverse events including fever, chills, headache, and myalgia were recorded in 60% of participants after the first dose and in 80% of participants after the second dose.

Storage: Frozen between -13ºF to 5ºF (-25ºC to -15ºC); can be stored refrigerated from 36ºF to 46ºF (2ºC to 8ºC) for up to 30 days prior to first use.

Variants: No clinical data; lab studies found no significant impact on neutralizing antibodies with the U.K. variant (B.1.1.7) but a six-fold reduction in neutralizing antibodies with the South African variant (B.1.351). Moderna plans to test a variant-specific booster candidate, a multivalent booster candidate, and a third dose of the original vaccine at 50 μg.

Number of doses contracted by the U.S.: 300 million.

Company: Johnson & Johnson/ Janssen Vaccine name: Ad26.COV2.S Mechanism of action: Adenovirus vector vaccine Dosing schedule: One dose (two-dose regimen under evaluation) Efficacy: 72% in the U.S. and 66% globally against moderateto-severe disease; 85% effective against severe disease, 28 days after a single dose.

Moderate illness was defined as a confirmed positive COVID-19 test plus one more of the following: evidence of pneumonia, deep vein thrombosis, shortness of breath or abnormal blood oxygen saturation above 93%, abnormal respiratory rate (≥20); or two or more systemic symptoms suggestive of COVID19. Severe illness was defined as a confirmed positive COVID-19 test plus one or more of the following: signs consistent with severe systemic illness, admission to an intensive care unit, respiratory failure, shock, organ failure, or death.

Research trial participants: 43,783 people age 18 and up.

Side effects: Most common sys-

Sarah on Matteo: Loving, patient & responsible

By Ricky Lo Philstar.com

ONE year (last 2-20-2021) into married life and Mrs. Matteo Guidicelli (nee Sarah Geronimo) claims that it’s “parang single life din, pero iba ang saya...”

As a housewife (she and Matteo have just moved from a condo unit into a house with a big garden), Sarah has learned how to bake and to tend to her garden (she and Matteo are plantita/plantito). Don’t ask when they are having a baby.

Except in her new endorsements, the public hasn’t seen much of Sarah (unlike Matteo who has been busy hosting Viva Entertainment shows like Masked Singer Philippines and Born To Be A Star, both on TV5).

How is married life so far?

“Parang single life din, pero iba ang saya dahil may katuwang ka na sa buhay at iba din ang kalakip na challenges nito.”

You and Matteo are plantita and plantito. Experts said that it’s good to talk to your plants...

“Kinakausap? Sige, try ko po kantahan. Sana lumago! Hehehehe!!!”

You are also into baking. Do you hum or sing while baking?

“More than singing, it’s more of listening to my favorite kinds

Features

Sarah Geronimo with husband Matteo Guidicelli Photo from Instagram/@matteog

of music, depends kung ano po mood ko. Hehehehe!!!”

Do you and Matteo rehearse (singing) together?

“Yes po, lalo na kapag may performance kami na gagawin together. We are each other’s critic and supporter.”

Aside from planting (being a plantita) and baking, what else did you learn during this pandemic?

“Cooking healthy food and running my own household! Hahahaha, challenging!”

In three words, describe Matteo as a husband.

“Loving, patient and responsible.”

temic reactions were headache (39%), fatigue (38%), myalgia (33%), nausea (14%), and fever (9%).

Storage: Stable for 2 years at 4ºF (-20ºC) but can be stored for at least 3 months at typical refrigeration temperatures of 36ºF to 46ºF (2ºC to 8ºC).

Number of doses contracted by the U.S.: 100 million.

Hundreds of millions of the COVID-19 vaccines have been administered around the world and they have been found to be safe and effective. The medical reality is that those who refused to get the vaccine would have the greatest risk to get infected and potentially succumbed to the virus. Life is precious!

WGU has made the list of the nation’s best schools for military members, veterans, and their dependents 11 years running

LAS VEGAS/RENO, NV – Western Governors University (WGU) once again has been named one of the best universities in the nation by Military Friendly Schools, earning Top Ten status for 2021–2022 and ranking third in the online/vocational category. Created to increase access to high-quality postsecondary education that meets students where they are, WGU has ranked on the nationwide list 11 consecutive years.

Institutions earning the Military Friendly® School designation were evaluated using both public data sources and respons*** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed es from a proprietary survey.

by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff. *** The main objective of this column is to educate and inspire people live a healthier lifestyle to prevent illnesses and disabilities and achieve a happier and more productive life. Any diagnosis, recommendation or treatment in our article are general medical information and not intended to be applicable or appropriate for anyone. This column is not a substitute for your physician, who knows your condition well and who is your best ally when it comes to your health. *** Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, a Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus based in Northwest Indiana and Las Vegas, Nevada, is an international medical lecturer/author, a Health Advocate, and Chairman of the Filipino United Network-USA, a 501(c)3 humanitarian foundation in the United States.

Websites: philipSchua.com and FUN8888.com; Email: scalpelpen@gmail.com.

Over 1,200 schools participated in the 2021-2022 survey, with 747 earning the designation.

“WGU has many incredible students and alumni with military ties, and we are proud to help these individuals with earning degrees and meeting their higher education goals,” said Rick Benbow, Regional Vice President of WGU Nevada.

“This recognition speaks volumes as we continue to maintain a strong military connection and friendliness as part of our mission.”

Competency-based, affordable, portable, and relevant to today’s workforce, WGU offers

Netflix releases teaser with AC Bonifacio on ‘Riverdale’

student-centered, personalized support, giving students—including veterans, active-duty military personnel, their spouses, and their children—the opportunity to further their careers with higher education in a way that fits their unique and often unpredictable circumstances.

As of December 31, 2020, some 13% of WGU’s enrolled students were military members, veterans, spouses, or dependents.

Learn about how WGU serves military students at wgu.edu/ military. To see WGU’s Military Friendly listing, visit militaryfriendly.com/western-governors-university.

INTERNATIONAL streaming site Netflix released the trailer of Kapamilya dancer AC Bonifacio on the newest season of “Riverdale”, saying there’s a new vixen in town.

In its Facebook page, the streaming platform posted a video of AC dancing with Cheryl Blossom portrayed by Madelaine Petsch.

“There’s a new vixen in town. Three cheers for AC Bonifacio!

Can’t wait to catch her in the latest episode of ‘Riverdale’,” Netflix wrote.

In her Instagram account, AC said she’s grateful for the opportunity to be a cast member of the teen show.

“It’s finally out! RIVERDALE On Netflix!! So grateful for this amazing opportunity. @madelame was so so talented, I was in awe the whole time! and ofcourse @vanessamorgan who is sooo so pretty and professional despite her being pregnant,” AC wrote.

“The coolest @madelame,” she wrote.

AC recently said that she auditioned for the role last year while she was in Canada. She has returned to the country and currently AC Bonifacio with “Riverdale” star Madelaine seen on “ASAP Natin ‘To.” (Jan Milo Severo/Philstar.com) Petsch Photo from Instagram/@acbonifacio

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march 18-24, 2021 • LaS VEGaS aSIaN JOUrNaL

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