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Nearly 3,800 anti-Asian hate incidents USA DATELINE Angelo Quinto’s 31st reported across US since start of pandemic birthday marked with FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

a vigil, heightened calls for police reform

ON March 10, Angelo Quinto would have celebrated his 31st birthday by playing games and singing karaoke with his parents and younger siblings.

Instead, the Filipino American Navy veteran’s family held a candlelight vigil to honor his life on Wednesday night at City Park in Antioch, California.

It marked another celebration Quinto would not be able to spend with his loved ones after

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

Fil-Am Uber driver verbally harassed at LAX

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

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A FILIPINO American Uber driver was subjected to racist comments by a passenger at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) earlier this week, according to a viral video.

The incident comes in the midst of an uptick in racism and violent attacks against Asian American communities in the United States.

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.

by AJPress

GRAND ENTRANCE. The convoy of helicopters carrying President Rodrigo Duterte arrives at the Veterans Park Calicoan Island in Guiuan, Eastern Samar where the President will attend the 500th Anniversary of the Philippine Part in the First Circumnavigation of the World on Thursday, March 18.

Malacañang photo by Rey Baniquet

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

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Philippines to suspend entry of Bay Area man charged with hate crime in foreigners starting March 22 Filipino citizens now allowed in revised travel ban

by Ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

THE National Task Force Against COVID-19 (NTF COVID-19) issued a Memorandum Circular on Friday, March 19 to further clarify the temporary suspension of travel into the Philippines.

All Filipino citizens, whether a returning Overseas Filipino (OF) or Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW), shall be allowed to return to the Philippines.

Foreign nationals are temporarily barred from entering the Philippines starting on Monday, March 22, and end on April 21.

Exempted from the travel restrictions are the following:

AAPI Democrats endorse Fil-Am Nani Coloretti to lead U.S. Office of Management and Budget 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

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• diplomats and members of international organizations and their dependents, provided they hold valid 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) • foreign spouses and children of Filipino citizens traveling with them • distressed returning overseas Filipinos duly endorsed by the DFA and the OWWA • emergency, humanitarian and other analogous cases approved by the NTF COVID-19

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sexual assault against Filipina medical worker

by Klarize

Medenilla AJPress

A SAN FRANCISCO man was arrested and charged with a hate crime for attacking and sexually assaulting a Filipina American woman in a Caltrain station in San Jose last Danilo Yuchang, 59, was returning to work from his lunch break in San Francisco on Monday, week, the Santa Clara County District At- March 15 when he was viciously assaulted, resulting in head and face injuries.

Contributed photo torney’s Office said.

The victim, a 26-year-old Filipina medical worker named Tiffany who didn’t want her last name released, told KTVU that she was on her way to work in Palo Alto when she took the Caltrain at San Jose’s Diridon

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Mayor Gloria reflects on first 100 days of progress Touts efforts to address COVID-19, homelessness, among other issues

WITH Saturday, March 20 marking his 100th day in office, Mayor Todd Gloria reflected on the major steps taken to improve the lives of San Diego residents in every neighborhood through his efforts to create a more equitable city government that tackles major issues head on.

Some of the highlights of the last 98 days include helping underserved neighborhoods get access to the COVID-19 vaccine, ushering in a new era of com-

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SD Mayor Todd Gloria Photo courtesy of Mayor Gloria’s Office

Filipino Chinese man attacked during lunch break in San Francisco

by Christina

M. Oriel and Ritchel Mendiola AJPress

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 be-

fore 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, according to various reports.

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

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MARCH 19-25, 2021 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588

From The Front Page

‘It’s un-American’: Biden denounces Nearly 3,800 anti-Asian hate incidents reported... violent attacks against Asian Americans in first primetime address

by Christina

M. Oriel

AJPress

IN his first primetime address marking the oneyear anniversary of the coronavirus pandemic, U.S. President Joe Biden condemned the “vicious” and “un-American” attacks on Asian Americans.

Speaking to the nation from the White House on Thursday, March 11, Biden acknowledged the divisiveness deepened during the pandemic, from refusals to wear masks to hate incidents and crimes against the Asian American community, which have soared since last spring according to various reports.

“Too often, we have turned against one another. A mask, the easiest thing to do to save lives, sometimes, it divides us, states pitted against one another, instead of working with each other, vicious hate crimes against Asian Americans, who have been attacked, harassed, blamed and scapegoated,” the president said.

The chief executive’s remarks come as the community has recorded nearly 3,000 accounts of xenophobia, racism and harassment from March to December 2020, according the Stop AAPI Hate reporting center.

“At this very moment, so many of them, our fellow Americans, they’re on the front lines of this pandemic trying to save lives, and still, still they’re forced to live in fear for their lives just walking down streets in America. It’s wrong. It’s un-American. And it must stop,” Biden urged.

Since the beginning of 2021, more incidents have been reported, particularly against elderly individuals. The attacks include 84-year-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 74-year-old Juanito Falcon, a Filipino grandfather who was punched in the face in Phoenix, Arizona, and later died of his injuries.

The president did not offer concrete details on combating the attacks, but Asian American elected leaders and community members were quick to point out his words in contrast to the previous administration, which they argue fueled the hate and xenophobia in associating the coronavirus.

“THIS is how a President can & should denounce hate & inspire unity & inclusion!” California Assemblymember Rob Bonta wrote on Twitter.

Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii tweeted, “It matters when our president condemns hatred and violence against Asian Americans. Thank you President Biden for your strong words and moral leadership.”

Biden signed an executive order on Jan. 26, which included directives to remove language in federal actions or documents that would contribute to xenophobia and racism against the Asian American and Pacific Islander population and for the Department of Justice to expand its collection of data and public reporting regarding hate incidents against community members. Members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus have been pushing for a meeting with the DOJ and the administration to carry out the order.

Democratic lawmakers, led by Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) in the House of Represenatives and Hirono in the Senate, plan to introduce new legislation addressing the hate incidents against Asian Americans, according to USA Today.

“We want to continue to not only raise awareness, but also to try to help find real long-term solutions,” Meng told the outlet.

Angelo Quinto’s 31st birthday marked with...

PAGE 1 an encounter with police resulted in his death last December.

“I should have told him that he was getting really old without a single doubt in my mind that he would live to see his face wrinkle and his hair turned gray,” Quinto’s younger sister Bella Collins told the crowd. “But that’s not the current scope of our reality.”

The somber gathering — set in front of a mural of Quinto painted by Bay Area artist Franceska Gámez — featured his favorite songs, poetry readings, lighted candles, and speeches from elected officials, supporters, and family members of victims who experienced a similar fate in police custody.

Hundreds more tuned in virtually as far as the Philippines, while relatives held another vigil down in Chino Hills. In addition to justice for Quinto’s death, they echoed calls for trained mental health response teams, officers to have body and dashboard cameras, and a ban on knee-to-neck re-

Family, friends and community members gathered at City Park in Antioch, California on Wednesday, March 10 on what would have been Angelo Quinto’s 31st birthday. Quinto, a Navy veteran who suffered a mental health crisis, died on December 26, 2020, three days after a police encounter, his family said.

Photo courtesy of Filipino Advocates for Justice

straints by police. “…[Angelo] was on his way to leading a good life. He hadn’t even really started, and for it to be taken away is hurtful to all of us, and that’s a tribute to all of you present here,” said John Burris, a seasoned civil rights attorney representing Quinto’s family.

‘Please don’t kill me’

Around 11:30 p.m. on December 23, 2020, two days before Christmas, Quinto was suffering from a mental health crisis, prompting Bella Collins to call 911 for help.

When police arrived at the house, Quinto and his mother Cassandra Quinto-Collins were on the floor of her bedroom as she hugged him to comfort and restrain him. Officers pulled him away from her arms with him pleading, “Please don’t kill me.

Please don’t kill me.”

A cellphone video shot by Quinto-Collins shows an officer pinning her handcuffed son with a knee on the back of his neck for nearly five minutes, while another officer held him by the legs.

She told the Asian Journal in a recent interview that she took out her phone as it was her impulse to “always record.”

At that point, an unresponsive Quinto was turned onto his side and blood streamed out of his mouth. He never regained consciousness and was transported to a hospital where he died three days later.

“He passed away on the 26th at the hospital officially. But when I saw him, I think that was his time of death for me,” Quinto-Collins told the Asian Journal. “It was so obvious. There was blood in his

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PAGE 1 The reporting center previously announced that it received 2,808 incidents 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 third-largest 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 84-yearold 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 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 scapegoated.”

“At this very moment, so many of them, our fellow Americans, they’re on the front lines of this pandemic trying to save lives, and still, still they’re forced to live in fear for their lives just walking down streets in America. It’s wrong. It’s un-American. And it must stop,” Biden said.

The president signed an executive order on Jan. 26, which included directives to remove language in federal actions or documents that would contribute to xenophobia and racism against the Asian American and Pacific Islander population and for the Department of Justice to expand its collection of data and public reporting regarding hate incidents against community members.

Members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus have been pushing for a meeting with the DOJ and the administration to carry out the order.

Democratic lawmakers, led by Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) in the House of Representatives and Sen. Mazie Hirono in the Senate, plan to introduce new legislation addressing the hate incidents against Asian Americans, according to USA Today.

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.

Mayor Gloria reflects on first...

PAGE 1 passionate solutions for people experiencing homelessness, providing aid to people and businesses struggling from the pandemic, making progress on the City’s climate action goals, and diversifying City staff as well as the City’s volunteer boards and commissions.

“We’ve made progress during my first hundred days, but this is just the beginning,” Mayor Gloria said. “We have a lot more to do to make housing more affordable for working families, implement strategies to end chronic homelessness, repair our crumbling infrastructure and get San Diego back to work. I’m proud of the collaborative efforts with the City Council, regional partners and most importantly, the greater San Diego community.

Together, we can create a San Diego that works for all of us.”

Mayor Gloria assumed office as COVID-19 infections and deaths climbed. He took swift action to save lives, protect struggling renters and businesses, and work with the County of San Diego and other regional partners to stand up vaccination centers. As cases surged, he issued an executive order to encourage businesses to follow public health orders. He followed that executive order with another that capped the fees third-party delivery companies could charge San Diego busi-

nesses.

More than 220 Fire-Rescue personnel have been trained as vaccinators and have provided thousands of vaccines to San Diegans. The city also set up single-day vaccination sites at Malcolm X Library and Montgomery High School – both in traditionally underserved neighborhoods when vaccine supplies were available.

He has also advocated to the State and Federal governments to provide rent relief, the housing stability assistance program and more than $300 million as a part of President Joseph Biden’s American Rescue Plan.

Homelessness has been a long-standing priority for Mayor Gloria, which is why he pledged on his first day in office to move swiftly and decisively to protect the most vulnerable San Diegans. He took immediate steps to extend Operation Shelter to Home, the emergency shelter set up at the San Diego Convention Center to provide a safe and sanitary environment for hundreds of people experiencing homelessness.

The collaborative effort between the City of San Diego, County of San Diego, Regional Task Force on the Homeless, San Diego Housing Commission and Convention Center has served more than 4,000 individuals and helped nearly 1,300 individuals and 43 families find

permanent or longer-term housing. He is following through on his pledge to wind down the operation this month and is working with partners to ensure that all people sheltering in the Convention Center will be safely relocated to housing or another location in the City shelter system.

In February, Mayor Gloria announced new funding for shelter and services for transition-age San Diegans.

Last week, he announced a major shift to outreach in the City of San Diego that employs a neighborhood-based, person-centered approach to meeting the unique needs of San Diego’s unsheltered population.

It’s aligned with the principles of the successful housing-first strategy to ending chronic homelessness.

He also directed staff to more humanely clean up City streets by ending abatements at night and during inclement weather.

One of Mayor Gloria’s first actions after assuming office was to make changes to the City’s leadership structure that netted $1.2 million in annual savings, streamlined city operations and promoted diversity in the management of the organization.

Some of his earliest appointees included the City’s first Chief Innovation Officer Kirby Brady and Afghani immigrant Farhat Popal as the City’s new

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SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL • MARCH 19-25, 2021

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

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.

File photo

Filipino Chinese man...

PAGE 1 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 32-yearold reportedly stabbed a 64-yearold man at 16th and Mission Streets. The victim was taken to the hospital with life-threatening 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 74-year-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.

PAGE 1 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 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, 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

PAGE 1 The driver’s sister, Chelle Anne Alcala, shared the video of the incident on Facebook, which happened around 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 9, at the LAX-it pick-up location.

“Stop Asian Hate!! This hit close to home, as it happened to my brother,” she wrote on Wednesday, March 10. “He is an Uber Driver, waited for his passengers for over 30 minutes at LAX and the father wanted to sit in the front seat. My brother told him that due to COVID, he couldn’t sit in the front seat.”

As part of Uber’s safety mea-

PROTECT YOUR COMMUNITY.

MASK UP. Wear a mask to help keep your community healthy.

covid19.ca.gov

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 anti-Asian 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.

Fil-Am Uber driver verbally harassed at LAX...

EXPRESS YOURSELF.

Take a risk with fashion, not your health.

3

sures to curb COVID-19, passengers must agree to sit in the back seat and open windows for ventilation. The ride-hailing service also reduced the maximum suggested number of passengers for an UberX ride from four to three.

“The guy got out, slammed the door and yelled at my brother,” continued Alcala.

“My brother informed him that he will just cancel the trip, so the guy wouldn’t get charged.

He started yelling more and said, ‘You Asian sh*t. You probably don’t have papers to be here!’” she added.

Alcala also pointed out that an Asian lady came to her brother’s defense.

“Luckily an Asian lady defended my brother,” she noted.

The witness was identified as Korean American Stella Hwang.

According to NextShark, Hwang was only observing the situation after hearing the passenger, who was with two boys, slam the driver’s door. She decided to defend the driver when the man started to say xenophobic remarks.

“The Uber driver was timid, helpless, and in shock. There was a little bit of a language bar-

rier so I had to say something,” she told NextShark.

Hwang said the police appeared later, but did not write a report about the incident.

“Didn’t bother asking me about my side of the story, didn’t ask if I wanted to file a report, he just said not to engage so that it doesn’t escalate. They came after the fact it already escalated and nothing was done,” she noted.

Airport Police Sgt. Tarek Azmy explained that if there was no crime, there’s “usually no report.”

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MARCH 19-25, 2021 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

From The Front Page

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588

Angelo Quinto’s 31st birthday marked with... AAPI Democrats endorse Fil-Am Nani Coloretti...

PAGE 2 mouth, tapos nakatirik yung mata (and his eyes were rolled back).”

Quinto’s stepfather Robert and younger brother Andrei were not allowed back into the house for several hours as officers searched inside. Meanwhile, his mother and sister were taken to the police station to be interrogated about what led to the 911 call.

Looking back at the hours that followed, the Quinto-Collins family said they were left stunned as to how they were treated by police and how they could not receive straight answers on their son’s condition.

Bella Collins said they received a phone call from a doctor, but an officer allegedly rushed them off the phone.

“It was a mixture of denial, confusion, vulnerability and fear that made us too trusting and even more confused and unable to start making decisions related to our case immediately or spreading the story,” Collins told the Asian Journal. (Quinto’s death was not made public until a month later following inquiries from the Mercury News).

At 6:30 a.m., the morning after the police encounter, Robert Collins spoke to a doctor who said he was “surprised that [Quinto] was alive at all” and that they were giving him medication to keep the heartbeat going.

When the family was allowed to visit the hospital, they said staff would not show them a toxicology report or any other tests.

An investigation into Dec. 23 is still ongoing and the Antioch Police Department has not released the cause of death. Results of an independent autopsy are pending, Burris said.

Quinto’s death has sparked parallels to George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man from Minneapolis who died after an officer knelt on his neck seven months before, igniting nationwide protests for racial justice.

“To me, this was a shocking occurrence and something that should not have happened. We should have learned from George Floyd that that’s not the type of technique that should be used,” Burris told the Asian Journal.

‘Deeply impressed by this country’ Quinto was born in Tuguegarao City, the capital of the province of Cagayan, Philippines. He was raised in Manila until the age of 11 when he joined his mother

Bay Area artist Franceska Gámez created a portrait honoring Quinto’s life, which was displayed during his birthday vigil on Wednesday, March 10.

Photo courtesy of Franceska Gámez

in Northern California.

Several media reports have not mentioned Quinto’s Filipino identity, but his stepfather — whom Quinto called “dad” — said “it’s an integral part of who he was.”

“He was American, but he was also Filipino. He was deeply impressed by this country, but deeply in love with the Philippines and everything that it meant to be Filipino,” Robert Collins told the Asian Journal. “So to understand him is to understand where he came from and to understand everything about him.”

Described as thoughtful, introspective and artistic, Quinto showed “endless patience” for children and had a soft spot for animals, even rescuing a cat 14 years ago that the family still has.

He enjoyed fishing, drawing and cooking in his free time.

He attended Berkeley City College and worked various jobs.

But it was his dream to have a career in the U.S. Navy, which he joined at the age of 27.

“He always wanted to serve.

He really wanted to belong and be part of that team,” his stepfather told the Asian Journal.

“There was something about it that was a method of self-improvement and the discipline that the Navy would bring to his own life.”

Four days shy of graduating from boot camp, Quinto was honorably discharged from the Navy in 2019 due to a food allergy but he was still considered a veteran, his family said.

“He was so proud of the idea that he can be called a veteran,” his mother told the Asian Journal. “But we had to reassure him that it was not his fault, and he was just very depressed.”

In the year back home in Antioch, Quinto tapped into other interests and had a goal of developing his own video game.

Then, one night before the pandemic hit, his family said he woke up in the hospital with stitches on his head, but did not have any recollection of what happened to him.

After that incident, Quinto began experiencing bouts of paranoia and anxiety, but the instances were never violent.

“We asked him to get more help, but I think there was a stigma to it or maybe he thought he could fix it himself,” Robert Collins told the Asian Journal. “To be honest, we ourselves were partly maybe in denial over what he needed for help and didn’t fully recognize it.”

Before his death, he received an offer to consider rejoining the Navy, his sister said.

After what happened on Dec. 23, the family is left remorseful for turning to the police for help.

“We trusted the police because it was very calm. I still have a lot of questions because how did it go from hugging him to this?”

Quinto-Collins told the Asian Journal.

The family filed a wrongful death claim against the city of Antioch on February 18, and after 45 days, they plan to file a federal civil rights lawsuit, Burris said.

“They’re saying his federal civil rights have been violated,” Burris told the Asian Journal. “It doesn’t matter that he wasn’t a citizen. The fact that he got injured and killed here in the United States, regardless of his status, he has rights attributed to that.”

PAGE 1 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 meet this moment in our nation’s history, we urge you to nominate Ms. Coloretti as the director of OMB,” the letter said.

The Yappie reported that the effort, led by Democratic National Committee AAPI Caucus Chair Bel Leong-Hong, has the support of leaders, such as Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois), Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), and Rep. Grace Meng (D-New York).

They commended Vice President Kamala Harris as the first AAPI and Black woman to hold the second-highest office, but “are troubled by the lack of AAPI representation in your Cabinet.”

Aside from Tanden, Biden has nominated Katherine Tai as U.S. Trade Representative. However, there are concerns over the new administration being the first in 20 years to not have an AAPI in the Cabinet at the secretary level.

“There is only one AAPI member of your Cabinet and no AAPI Cabinet Secretaries. This stands in stark contrast to the last three Administrations which had at least one AAPI Cabinet Secretary.

Ms. Coloretti will be an asset to you and a source of pride for us,” the leaders added.

The letter was set to be delivered by organizers to the White House on Friday, March 12, POLITICO said. Fil-Am advocacy groups and organizations like the AAPI Victory Fund and CAPA21 are also joining the effort, according to The Yappie’s report.

If tapped by Biden, Coloretti, who is from Honolulu, Hawaii, would be the first American of 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, With the attention on Quinto’s death, the family set up social media accounts to keep the public updated on the case, and is tirelessly pushing for systemic changes. Over 150 Fil-Am organizations have signed onto a letter amplifying the family’s demands that include resources to de-escalate mental health crises, police accountability and the end

Nani Coloretti, a former Obama admin official

File photo

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 management. 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.

of excessive force.

The day before his birthday, the Antioch City Council unanimously approved a $1.4 million contract to purchase body and in-car cameras for the police department. A formal proposal for a local mental health crisis response team will be presented at the council meeting on March 23.

“I know my brother would not

want to be remembered as that body in the video that’s been circulating widely,” Bella Collins told the Asian Journal. “We’re trying to make sure that something good comes out of this…

It gives us a lot of hope that we can make changes so that more people don’t have to go through what we’re going through right now.”

(818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588 • http://www.asianjournal.com

Dateline Philippines

SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL • MARCH 19-25, 2021

5

Medicare Story #6

Original Medicare Vs. Medicare Advantage – Anong Pinagkaiba?

Ito ang pang-anim sa serye ng Medicare Tips hatid ng Clever Care Health Plan, isang nangungunang tagapagbigay ng East meets West Medicare services na sensitibo sa kultura ng kanilang mga miyembro.

Sa dami ng pagpipilian, maraming seniors ang puwedeng malito pag dating sa healthcare. Pag malapit nang mag-65 years old, dapat mag-desisyon kung pipiliin ba ang Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage (MA). Sa artikulong ito, malalaman ang pagkakaiba pag dating sa gastos, pagpili ng doktor, at coverage options.

Una munang tingnan ang Original Medicare. Ang Original Medicare ay ang tradisyonal na federally run program. Kasama dito ang Part A (inpatient/hospital coverage) at Part B (outpatient/medical coverage).

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.

Ang Medicare ay ang federal health insurance program para sa: Mga taong 65 pataas May ilang nakababatang tao na may kapansanan Mga tao na may End-Stage Renal Disease (permanent kidney failure na nangangailangan ng dialysis o transplant, minsan tinatawag na ESRD) Ang Medicare Advantage naman ay ang alternatibo sa private insurance companies.

Medicare Advantage Plans, na minsan ay tinatawag na “Part C” o “MA Plans,” ay ang “all in one” na alternatibo sa Original Medicare. Inaalok ito ng mga pribadong kompanya na aprubado ng Medicare.

Mayroon ka pa ring Medicare kahit sumali ka pa sa isang Medicare Advantage Plan. Ang “bundled” plans, ay pinagsamang coverage sa isang single plan, kabilang ang Medicare Part A (hospital insurance), Medicare Part B, (medical insurance), at puwede ring mayroong Medicare Part D (prescription drug coverage). Kailangan ng planong ang parehong mga benepisyo na hatid ng Original Medicare, pero puwedeng dagdagan ng additional services, at mas predictable na out of pocket na gastos.

DIFFERENCES IN COSTS Sa Original Medicare, ang pederal na pamahalaan ang nagtatakda ng premiums, deductibles at coinsurance amounts para sa Part A (hospitalizations) at Part B (physician and outpatient services). Halimbawa, sa Part B, responsibilidad ng beneficiaries ang 20 porsiyento ng isang bisita sa doktor o lab test bill. Ang gobyerno din ang nagtatakda ng maximum deductible rates para sa Part D prescription drug program, bagama’t nagiiba ang premiums at copays kada plano.

Sa Medicare Advantage, kailangan magbayad ang enrollees ng governmentset annual Part B premium at minsan, ng additional premium para sa MA plan. Imbes na bayaran ang 20 porsiyento na coinsurance para sa mga bisita sa doktor at iba pang Part B na mga serbisyo, halos lahat ng MA plans ay may set copay para sa bisita sa doktor— hatid nito ay mas mababang out-of-pocket

costs kaysa Original Medicare. Maraming MA plans ang mayroon ding annual cap sa outof-pocket expenses, at karaniwan ay may mas mababang copays para sa ospital.

Sa ilalim ng Medicare Advantage, sasali ka sa isang private insurance plan katulad sa dati mong trabaho. Ang pangkaraniwang plans ay ang health maintenance organizations (HMOs) at preferred provider organizations (PPOs).

Sa Medicare Advantage HMO plan, mayroon kang primary care physician na siyang mamamahala sa iyong kalusugan. Ang iyong primary care physician ang magpapadala sa iyo sa isang espesyalista kung kinakailangan.

Walang network restrictions ang Medicare Advantage PPO plans, pero puwedeng mas maging mababa kung kukunsultahin mo sa doktor.

SUMMARY Maraming taong mas gusto ang Medicare Advantage dahil mas malawak ang value nito kung ikukumpara sa Original Medicare.

Mas madalas na mag-offer ang Medicare Advantage plans ng additional benefits na hindi covered ng Original Medicare.

Isang Medicare Advantage provider na kailangang isama ng seniors sa kanilang listahan ng pagpipilian ay ang Clever Care Health Care. Binuo ang kompanyang ito para makatulong na panatilihing malusog ang mga nakakatanda, at para makuha nila ang tulong na kailangan. Ang Clever Care Health Plan ay isang napakagaling na opsyon para sa seniors na naghahanap ng all-in-one, maaasahan, abot-kaya, at hassle-free insurance na may tunay na malasakit sa kanilang mga miyembro, at may mga benepisyo para sa Eastern at Western medicine.

Covered ng Clever Care Medicare Advantage plans ang lahat ng covered sa Original Medicare, kasama ang prescription drugs. Kasama rin ang unlimited acupuncture, Eastern medicine services, transportasyon sa medical appointments, allowances para sa dental, vision, hearing, herbal supplements at over-the-counter supplies.

Sana ay nakatulong ang impormasyong ito para mapakita ang pagkakaiba ng Original Medicare at Medicare Advantage plans. Kung mayroon pang mga tanong na hindi nasagot dito, kumonsulta sa inyong health care provider o sa Clever Care Medicare advisors.

Hatid ng Clever Care Health Plan ang tulong sa wikang Korean, Mandarin, Cantonese, at Vietnamese. Handa ring tumulong ang Tagalog-speaking representatives ng Clever Care Health Plan sa: (833) 365-1888 (TTY: 771) o bumisita sa clevercarehealthplan.com.

Ang Clever Care of Golden State ay isang HMO plan na may Medicare contract. Ang enrollment ay naka-depende sa contract renewal.

H7607_21_CM0388D_TAG_M Accepted 3092021 A10056-D-TAG (0221)

6

MARCH 19-25, 2021 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588

Opinion

End to impunity?

Features Philstar.com photo

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 was arrested on Interna-

Editorial

tional Human Rights Day, detained on charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives, and held for several more weeks even after a local court had ordered her release.

UNESCO is working with judiciaries in sever-

al countries for capacity building particularly 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?

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 psy-

chologist 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 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 Kai-

ser 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 single-dose vaccine.

u PAGE 7

So you’re vaccinated against COVID. Now what?

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 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 grandchildren 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 inter-

pret 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-year-old 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 reduced 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 color-coded 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 fast-spreading COVID strain first 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 indepth 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.

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.

ADVERTISING AND ADVERTORIAL POLICIES ASIAN JOURNAL PUBLICATIONS, INC. Publisher

ROGER LAGMAY ORIEL Chief Executive Office

Main Office: 1210 S. Brand Blvd Glendale, CA 91204 Tels: (818) 502-0651 e-mail: info@asianjournalinc.com http://www.asianjournal.com

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With offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York/New Jersey, Las Vegas, San Diego, Philippines

CORA MACABAGDAL-ORIEL President MOMAR G. VISAYA Editor-in-Chief San Diego Asian Journal

Asian Journal Publitions, Inc. (“AJPI”) reserves the right to refuse to publish, in its sole and absolute discretion, any advertising and advertorial material submitted for publition by client. (“Client’s Material”) Submission of an advertisement or advertorial to an AJPI sales representative does not constitute a commitment by AJPI to publish a Client’s Material. AJPI has the option to correctly classify any Client’s Material and to delete objectionable words or phrases.

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AJPI will not be liable for failure to publish any Client’s Material as requested or for more than one incorrect insertion of a Client’s Material. In the event of an error, or omission in printing or publition of a Client’s Material, AJPI shall be limited to an adjustment for the space occupied by the error, with maximum liability being ncellation of the cost of the first incorrect advertisement or republition of the correct advertisement.

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ASIAN JOURNAL PUBLITIONS, INC. publishes the Los Angeles Asian Journal, published twice a week; Northern California Asian Journal, Las Vegas Asian Journal and the New York / New Jersey Asian Journal which are published once a week and distributed to Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange Counties, Northern California, Las Vegas and New York and New Jersey respectively.

Articles published in this paper do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publisher. Letters to the Editor are welcome. Letters must contain complete name and return address. The materials, however, are subject to editing and revisions.

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Mayor Gloria reflects on first...

PAGE 2 Immigrant Affairs Manager.

He also began the recruitment efforts for the City’s new Office of Race and Equity to ensure that equity and racial justice are priorities in everything the City does.

Mayor Gloria is committed to increasing representation across the City’s volunteer

boards and commissions. In his first 100 days, he has made a concerted effort to fill dozens of open positions with a diverse group of people from across the City to ensure that community voices are heard.

He has also created the Black Advisory Group, which is the first of several community advisory groups his administration

Philippines to suspend...

PAGE 1 Earlier, the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) also implemented a cap on inbound arrivals at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Incoming international flights would be allowed to carry only 1,500 passengers per day from March 18 to April 18.

The NTF COVID-19 on Tuesday, March 16, released a memorandum announcing that foreign nationals and Filipinos who are not overseas workers will be temporarily barred from entering the Philippines starting on Saturday, March 20, and end on

April 19.

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,”

plans to establish.

Earlier this month, Mayor Gloria released the City’s first pay equity study, which was one of the first of its kind to be made public by a municipality.

In his first 100 days, Mayor Gloria has attended dozens of community meetings and held town halls to hear from residents directly.

the airline 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 635,698 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country, with 12,866 fatalities and 561,099 recoveries.

Fil-Am Uber driver verbally harassed...

PAGE 3 “As long as there’s no physical contact, which would be a crime, then there’s not much more we can do than try and help them resolve the issue,” he told NextShark.

In response, Uber identified the harassed driver as Mr. David,

and condemned the action of the passenger.

“Uber does not tolerate racism or hate in any form, against any community,” a spokesperson said in a statement to NextShark.

“When one community is being attacked, we are all being attacked. We are shocked and

SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL • MARCH 19-25, 2021

Bay Area man charged with hate crime...

PAGE 1 Station on Wednesday, March 10 at around 6:30 a.m.

The suspect, a 32-year-old white man named Johan Strydom, allegedly grabbed the Filipina by her neck, pulled her to the ground and threw the woman by her hair. The district attorney’s office said that he told Tiffany, “F*ck you, Asian,” and that Strydom intended to rape her.

“I’ve never seen him in my life,” Tiffany later told officials.

“I’ve never seen him at the station.”

While Strydom was attacking Tiffany, bystanders at the train station were yelling at him to stop and let her go. The victim’s boyfriend had been on the phone with her at the time of the attack and reportedly showed up at the scene where he and other witnesses detained Strydom.

In a video that Tiffany took of the suspect after the attack, witnesses followed the suspect to try to apprehend him and he laughed, uttered another racial slur and said, “You guys gonna come and save that h*e?”

Shortly after, officers arrested Strydom near the SAP Center, San Jose police said.

Strydom was arraigned on Friday, March 12 and charged with “assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury” and “assault with an intent to commit rape and assault” with hate crime enhancements. If convicted, he will face prison time.

“A hate crime against a Filipino woman is an attack against all of us,” Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a press release.

“This is every woman’s nightmare, and this is our community’s nightmare. This is also a tale of heroism. Our community came to this woman’s aid and stopped the attack. Hate crimes are not someone else’s problem. They are mine. They are yours. It will take all of us to confront them.”

At the arraignment, the read description of the attack made Strydom emotional and cry, according to reports. His attorney, a deputy public defender named Meghan Piano, noted that Strydom suffers from men-

saddened by the recent increase in anti-Asian hate, particularly when it affects a driver or rider,” it added.

Uber has since removed the passenger’s access to use the app and contacted David to offer support. (By Ritchel Mendiola / AJPress)

It’s COVID-19 vaccine season...

PAGE 6 t 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

ANNOUNCEMENT SD#0024

Request for Qualifications (RFQ)

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Content Management System Implementation Services The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) is seeking proposals from a qualified firm with proven experience in largescale ERP system, content management and payroll system implementations for the public sector with a focus the in the following areas: process and needs assessment, workflow mapping and redesign, technical requirements development, software system/vendor selection; and enterprise systems migrations and implementations. A single Consultant will be selected to complete each of the following initiatives via a negotiated Task Order process.

The Initiatives include the following: Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System, Enterprise Content Management Systems (ECMS) and Payroll Management Software System. A copy of the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) and related informational documents can be accessed from the SANDAG website at www.sandag.org/contracts or by contacting: Gabriella LeRoy, SANDAG, 401 B Street, Suite 800, San Diego, CA 92101, gabriella.leroy@sandag.org. Proposal Due Date: Proposals must be received via BidNet by 3:00PM PST April 28th, 2021.

LEGAL NOTICE FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2021-9004333

a. La Pensione Hotel at India and Date b. La Pensione Hotel located at 606 W. Date St., San Diego, CA 92101.

Registrant: LP III Dodge Corp., 606 W. Date St., San Diego, CA 92101.

This business is conducted

by CORPORATION. REGISTRANT HAS BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME AS OF 02/01/1996.

Signature LP III Dodge Corp.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 03/11/2021.

AJ 700 03/19, 03/26, 04/02, 04/09/2021

AJSD 700

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.

EMPLOYMENT

STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2021-9001504 DATE: 02/01/2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS(S) NAME TO BE ABANDONED: LIMAN located at 11269 CARMEL CREEK RD., SAN DIEGO, CA 92130.

MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. BOX 7011, RANCHO SANTA, CA 92067.

THE FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME IS BEING ABANDONED BY: A. KARILYN M. PERRY, P.O. BOX 7011, RANCHO SANT, CA 92067.

B. SVETLANA MARIC, 11269 CARMEL CREEK RD., SAN DIEGO, CA 92130.

This business is conducted by GENERAL PARTNERSHIP. Signature SVETLANA MARCI. Statement filed with Recorder/ County Clerk of San Diego County on 02/03/2021.

AJ 696 02/26, 03/05, 03/12, 03/19/2021.

AJSD 696

7

EMPLOYMENT

tal illness and that he was “sex deprived.”

The attack on Wednesday further highlights the disturbing uptick in crimes and violence against the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community in recent weeks.

The Stop AAPI Hate tracker — which has been documenting the rise in anti-Asian racism and assaults for the last 12 months — reported on Tuesday, March 16 that there were at least 503 anti-Asian hate incidents between Jan. 1 and Feb. 28 alone. In 2020, there were a total of 3,292 reports.

“I hope that we as a community help stop all the violent racial crimes against us,” Tiffany told NextShark. “That even shouting out at [an attacker] can make a huge difference in saving a life. No one deserves to go through what I’ve gone through or all those that were assaulted. To not be afraid to call law enforcement because they are there to help and protect us.”

Strydom is currently being held without bail and will enter a plea in May.

8

MARCH 19-25, 2021 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588

ANNOUNCEMENT

ANNOUNCEMENT Advertisement for Bids

SD#0021

Notice is hereby given that the San Diego Unified School District, acting by and through its governing board, will receive “ELECTRONIC-ONLY” bids for the furnishing of all labor, materials, transportation, equipment, and services to: REMOVE, FABRICATE AND INSTALL NEW RAIN GUTTERS AT TWO SCHOOL SITES (WASHINGTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND KIMBROUGH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL) A mandatory site visit is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 2021, outside the main office of Washington Elementary School, located at 1789 State Street, San Diego, CA 92101. Upon completion, all contractors will proceed to Kimbrough Elementary School, located at 321 Hoitt Street, San Diego, CA 92102.

ALL CONTRACTORS MUST PREREGISTER WITH THE DISTRICT PRIOR TO ATTENDING THE SITE WALK. Please send only one representative per Company. Contact Natalie Ethridge nethridge@sandi.net for the link to preregister. PLEASE SEE BID FOR DETAILS (No. CP21-0746-08).

COVID-19 SITE WALK SAFETY PRECAUTIONS WILL BE ENFORCED Please refer to Planwell (www.crispimg.com, click on PlanWell, Public Planroom, search SDUSD and project bid number CP21-0746-08 or The Daily Transcript Publication for the complete Advertisement for Bids which includes Site Walk Safety Precautions AND preregistration information.

All bids must be received electronically at or before 1:00 p.m. on April 9, 2021. Firms interested in submitting a bid package must go to https://www.planetbids.com/portal/portal.cfm?CompanyID=43764 then search under “Bid Opportunities” for “Invitation number” CP21-0746-08 Remove, Fabricate and Install New Rain Gutters at Two School Sites (Washington Elementary School and Kimbrough Elementary School). For new vendors, please register under “New Vendor Registration”.

The project estimate is between $157,000.00 and $162,000.00. This is not a PSA project and does not require prequalification. The District requires that Bidders possess any of the following classification(s) of California State Contractors License(s), valid and in good standing, at the time of bid opening and contract award: B, C-39, C-43 or other appropriate license, subject to District approval.

SAN DIEGO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT Andrea O’Hara, M.A. Strategic Sourcing and Contracts Officer Strategic Sourcing and Contracts Department CP21-0746-08

Advertisement for Bids

SD#0022

Notice is hereby given that the San Diego Unified School District, acting by and through its governing board, will receive “ELECTRONIC-ONLY” bids for the furnishing of all labor, materials, transportation, equipment, and services to: REMOVE AND REPLACE MAIN ELECTRICAL SERVICE AT CHESTERTON AND MASON ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS A mandatory site visit is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. on FRIDAY, MARCH 26, 2021 beginning at Chesterton Elementary, 7335 Wheatley St., San Diego, CA 92111 and upon completion will proceed to Mason Elementary, 10340 San Ramon Dr., San Diego, CA 92126. CONTRACTORS MUST BE PRESENT AND CHECK-IN AT BOTH SITES IN ORDER TO BID ON THIS PROJECT. ALL CONTRACTORS MUST PREREGISTER WITH THE DISTRICT PRIOR TO ATTENDING THE SITE WALK. Please send only one representative per Company.

Contact jalmond@sandi.net for the link to preregister. (PLEASE SEE BID FOR DETAILS No. CP21-0769-23).

COVID-19 SITE WALK SAFETY PRECAUTIONS WILL BE ENFORCED Please refer to Planwell (www.crispimg.com, click on PlanWell, Public Planroom, search SDUSD and project bid number CP21-0769-23) or The Daily Transcript Publication for the complete Advertisement for Bids which includes Site Walk Safety Precautions AND preregistration information.

All bids must be received electronically at or before 1:00 p.m. on APRIL 14, 2021. Firms interested in submitting a bid package must go to https://www.planetbids.com/portal/portal.cfm?CompanyID=43764 then search under “Bid Opportunities” for “Invitation number” CP21-0769-23 Chesterton and Mason Elementary Schools Electrical Service. For new vendors, please register under “New Vendor Registration”.

The project estimate is between $380,000 and $410,000. This is not a PSA project and does not require prequalification. The District requires that Bidders possess any of the following classification(s) of California State Contractors License(s), valid and in good standing, at the time of bid opening and contract award: C-10 or other appropriate license, subject to District approval.

SAN DIEGO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT Andrea O’Hara, M.A. Strategic Sourcing and Contracts Officer Strategic Sourcing and Contracts Department CP21-0769-23

Advertisement for Bids

SD#0023

Notice is hereby given that the San Diego Unified School District, acting by and through its governing board, will receive “ELECTRONIC-ONLY” bids for the furnishing of all labor, materials, transportation, equipment, and services for: MARVIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND FULTON K-8 REROOF A mandatory site visit is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. on THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 2021, beginning at Fulton K-8, 7055 Skyline Dr., San Diego, CA 92114 then proceed to Marvin Elementary School, 5720 Brunswick Ave., San Diego, CA 92120. CONTRACTORS MUST BE PRESENT AT BOTH SITES IN ORDER TO BID ON THIS PROJECT. ALL CONTRACTORS MUST PREREGISTER WITH THE DISTRICT PRIOR TO ATTENDING THE SITE WALK. Please send only one representative per Company. Contact amains@sandi.net for the link to preregister. (PLEASE SEE BID FOR DETAILS No. CZ21-0731-42).

COVID-19 SITE WALK SAFETY PRECAUTIONS WILL BE ENFORCED Please refer to Planwell (www.crispimg.com, click on PlanWell, Public Planroom, search SDUSD and project bid number CZ21-0731-42) or The Daily Transcript Publication for the complete Advertisement for Bids which includes Site Walk Safety Precautions AND preregistration information.

All bids must be received electronically at or before 1:00 p.m. on APRIL 7, 2021. Firms interested in submitting a bid package must go to https://www.planetbids.com/portal/portal.cfm?CompanyID=43764 then search under “Bid Opportunities” for “Invitation number” CZ21-0731-42 Marvin ES and Fulton K-8 Reroof. For new vendors, please register under “New Vendor Registration”.

The project estimate is between $5.2 million and $5.7 million. This is a PSA project and requires prequalification.

The District requires that Bidders possess any of the following classification(s) of California State Contractors License(s), valid and in good standing, at the time of bid opening and contract award: B or other appropriate license, subject to District approval.

SAN DIEGO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT Andrea O’Hara, M.A. Strategic Sourcing and Contracts Officer Strategic Sourcing and Contracts Department CZ21-0731-42

SD#0026

Advertisement for Bids: Requesting Bids for Request for Proposal (RFP) Responses - Lease-Leaseback (LLB)* Notice is hereby given that the San Diego Unified School District, acting by and through its governing board, will electronically receive proposals for the furnishing of all labor, materials, transportation, equipment, and services for: PRECONSTRUCTION SERVICES FOR MIRA MESA HIGH SCHOOL – LLB *This is a LLB project. Only prime contractors listed below may submit proposals to the San Diego Unified School District. Please visit our website for each prime contractor’s contact information at www.sandiegounified.org/LLB-Outreach. A mandatory site visit is scheduled for LLB Prime Contractors at 9:00 a.m. on March 26, 2021 in front of the main office of Mira Mesa High School, 10510 Marauder Way, San Diego, CA 92126. The meeting will begin with a general project overview, followed by a site walk of the school site. Failure to attend or extreme tardiness and to sign in will render a LLB Prime Contractor’s Proposal ineligible. All contractors and subcontractors must preregister with the District prior to attending the site walk. Please send only one representative per company. Email nethirdge@ sandi.net for the preregistration link. Only proposals from the following Group G LLB Prime Contractors will be accepted.

• Balfour Beatty Construction, LLC • C.W. Driver, LLC • Clark Construction Group – California, LP • Erickson-Hall Construction Company • McCarthy Building Companies, Inc.

• Soltek Pacific Construction Company • Sundt Construction, Inc. • Swinerton Builders • Turner Construction Company

COVID-19 SITE WALK SAFETY PRECAUTIONS WILL BE ENFORCED. Please refer to Planwell (www. crispimg.com, click on PlanWell, Public Planroom, search SDUSD and RFP number CP21-0550-08) or The Daily Transcript for the complete Advertisement for Bids which includes Site Walk Safety Precautions AND preregistration information. RFP Responses must be received electronically at or before 2:00 p.m. on April 16, 2021. LLB Prime Contractors interested in submitting an RFP must go to www.planetbids.com/portal/ portal.cfm?CompanyID=43764 then search under “Bid Opportunities” for “Invitation number” CZ21-0550-08 Request for Proposals for Mira Mesa High School – Preconstruction. For new vendors, please register under “New Vendor Registration”. This is a PSA project, however this project does not require prequalification at this time. Subcontractor prequalification is not required at the preconstruction phase. However, subcontractor prequalification will be required for each Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) phase of the Project(s) and remain in good standing throughout the duration of this project. The District requires the LLB Prime Contractor to possess B or other appropriate license, of State of California Contractor License(s). The Contractor’s license(s) must be active and in good standing, at the time of best value analysis and contract award, and must remain so throughout the term of the Contract. SAN DIEGO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT, Andrea R. O’Hara, M.A., Strategic Sourcing and Contracts Officer, Strategic Sourcing and Contracts Department CZ21-0550-08.

LEGAL NOTICE CASE NUMBER: 37-2021-00009845-CU-PT-CTL

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

NOTICE OF HEARING Date: 04/20/2021 Tine: 8:30 AM Dept. C-61 Superior Court of California, County of San Diego 330 WEST BROADWAY DEPT. C-61 San Diego, CA 92101 A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation printed in this county. Asian Journal: MAR. 08, 2021 NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT Lorna Alksne Judge of the Superior Court AJ 701 03/19, 03/26, 04/02, and 04/09/2021.

ATTACHMENT TO ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE – Name Change (NC-120) Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, which poses a substantial risk to the health and welfare of court personnel and the public, rendering presence in, or access to, the court’s facilities unsafe, and pursuant to the emergency orders of the Chief Justice of the State of California and General Orders of the Presiding Department of the San Diego Superior Court, the following Order is made: NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE. The Court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120)..

If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One certified copy of the Order Granting Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.

If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the Court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.

If timely objection is filed, the Court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.

A RESPONDENT OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE, MUST FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date.

Any Petition for the name change of a minor, that is signed by only one parent, must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other, non-signing parent, and proof of service must be filed with the Court.

AJSD 701

CASE NUMBER: 37-2021-00007358-CU-PT-CTL TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner Daniel Young Bahn filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: Daniel Young Bahn to Daniel Young Ho Bahn.

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

NOTICE OF HEARING Date: 04/06/2021 Time: 8:30 AM Dept. C-61 Superior Court of California, County of San Diego 330 WEST BROADWAY DEPT. C-61 San Diego, CA 92101 A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation printed in this county. Asian Journal: FEB. 22, 2021 NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT Lorna Alksne Judge of the Superior Court AJ 697 03/05, 03/12, 03/19, and 03/26/2021 ATTACHMENT TO ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE – Name Change (NC120) Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, which poses a substantial risk to the health and welfare of court personnel and the public, rendering presence in, or access to, the court’s facilities unsafe, and pursuant to the emergency orders of the Chief Justice of the State of California and General Orders of the Presiding Department of the San Diego Superior Court, the following Order is made: NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE. The Court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120)..

If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC100) will be granted without a hearing.

One certified copy of the Order Granting Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.

If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the Court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.

If timely objection is filed, the Court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.

A RESPONDENT OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE, MUST FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date.

Any Petition for the name change of a minor, that is signed by only one parent, must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other, non-signing parent, and proof of service must be filed with the Court.

AJSD 697

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2021-9003367

SAN DIEGO HAPPY BINS located at 127 JEFFERSON AVENUE, CHULA VISTA, SAN DIEGO, CA 91910.

Registrant: SD BINS LLC, 127 JEFFERSON AVENUE, CHULA VISTA, SAN DIEGO, CA 91910.

This business is conducted by LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY. REGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME. Signature: JESUS PEREZ. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 03/04/21.

AJ 698 03/12, 03/19, 03/26, 04/02/21.

AJSD 698

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2021-9003984 PAT IMPORT located at 8610 LAKE JODY DRIVE, SAN DIEGO, CA 92119.

Registrant: PATCHAREE ARUNANGKOON, 8610 LAKE JODY DRIVE, SAN DIEGO, CA 92119.

This business is conducted

by INDIVIDUAL. REGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME. Signature PATCHAREE ARUNANGKOON. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 03/08/2021.

AJ 699 03/19, 03/26, 04/02, 04/09/2021.

AJSD 699

SAN DIEGO

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SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL • MARCH 19-25, 2021

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

by Momar

G. Visaya / AJPress

ARCH 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 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

DJ Mitchell, guard on the University of Hartford’s men’s basketball team

Photo courtesy of Hartford Athletics/Steve McLaughlin

For the first time in program history, the University of Hartford’s men’s basketball team is heading to the NCCA tournament after winning the America East Conference men’s basketball championship.

Photo by Steve McLaughlin via University of Hartford/Twitter

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,” Alvarez-Mitchell 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 concussion 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 Gallagher 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

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 c a n come true.”

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.

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

Photo courtesy of DJ Mitchell/Instagram emotion your child

H.E.R. wins Song of the Year for ‘I Can’t Breathe’ at 2021 Grammys

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

R&B singer-songwriter H.E.R. took home “We wrote this song over FaceTime,” H.E.R. “Song of the Year” at the 2021 Grammy Awards said in her acceptance speech, joined by on Sunday night, March 14 for her single “I co-writer Tiara Thomas. “I didn’t imagine that Can’t Breathe.” my fear and that my pain would turn into impact, and it would 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 H.E.R, a Black and Filipina American R&B artist, took home two nominated for best original song at the 2021 Academy Awards for “Fight for You” from “JuGrammys on Sunday, March 14, including one for Song of the Year.

Photo courtesy Instagram/@hermusicofficial das and the Black Messiah.”

By AJPress

(L-R) Ruby Ibarra, Darren Criss, and Lea Salonga

File photos

Fil-Am celebrities call to #StopAsianHate in the US

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 Anti-Asian racism, xenophobia come from a place of pure ignorance and hate and it really needs to end,” she said in a tweet. “Let’s continue to protect those that are most vulnerable in our communities.”

Meanwhile, singer Apl.de.ap extended his condolences to the families of the victims and reminded everyone that “we’re all in this together.”

“Now seems as important a time as any to remind ourselves that we’re all in this together.

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MARCH 19-25, 2021 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588

Covered CA, community leaders and health For Nicole, singing a Tagalog plans highlight key American Rescue Plan song is a dream come true provisions and lay out a roadmap to lower premiums and help millions get covered

By Ricky Lo Philstar.com

SACRAMENTO — Covered California released new data and announced new partnerships to highlight how the American Rescue Plan can benefit 25 million Americans, including 3 million in California.

“The new and expanded financial help provided by the American Rescue Plan is a very big deal for millions of Americans,” said Peter V. Lee, executive director of Covered California. “These new subsidies will help more people get covered, lower premium costs and put money back into people’s pockets when they sign up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act.” Who benefits from the American Rescue Plan?

The American Rescue Plan lowers health care premium costs for people who get coverage through Covered California, or through other Affordable Care Act marketplaces across the nation, by providing new and expanded subsidies to make health insurance more affordable than ever before. A Covered California analysis finds that an estimated 25 million Americans could potentially benefit from the new law (see Table 1: Americans Eligible for Assistance From the American Rescue), including: • Covering the uninsured – An estimated 1.2 million Californians, and more than 13 million people nationwide, are uninsured and eligible for marketplace coverage under the Affordable Care Act with even lower costs because of the American Rescue Plan.

Under the American Rescue Plan, these uninsured can get coverage that is more affordable than ever before. In California, for consumers who earn less than $32,000 a year for an individual, they will be able to either get a benchmark Silver plan for between $50 and $60 a month and virtually all would be able to get Bronze plan for a $1 a month.

“The American Rescue Plan provides the first significant boost to the Affordable Care Act in more than 10 years,” Lee said.

“The new money that is available means that many people who are currently going without coverage will be able to get a high-quality plan for about the price of a few bus rides.”

• People who are insured directly through a health insurance company – An estimated 430,000 Californians, and 1.5 million people nationally, are insured directly through a health insurance company and not now getting subsidies. The new law ensures that everyone eligible will pay no more than 8.5 percent of their income on their health premiums.

An individual with an income of more than $51,000 per year currently pays an average of $1,100 a month for their coverage. Under the new and expanded subsidies provided by the American Rescue Plan, their monthly premium drops to an average of $507 – a savings of nearly $600 per month and a total of nearly $12,000 between this May and the end of 2022.

“For some Californians this means they will finally be able to afford health care coverage and get the protection and peace of mind they need in the middle of a health crisis,” Lee said. “For others it means hundreds or even thousands of dollars back in their pockets to help them afford their housing, keep their business running, or put money away for retirement.”

• Current Covered California enrollees – The law will also help about 10 million Americans, including 1.4 million in California, who are already enrolled through Covered California or other marketplaces and getting financial help. The analysis shows that for those in California they will see their net premiums decrease by an average of $119 per household per month. Existing consumers in California do not need to take any action since Covered California will automatically apply the savings to their accounts. They will see lower bills starting in May. Syd Winlock is a small-business owner in Elk Grove and a Covered California enrollee.

The new financial help available through the American Rescue Plan will lower his family’s $1,100 premium by $450 a month.

“One of the things I was looking at doing was expanding some services that we provide, and I can direct the money that we were paying for health care to that,” Winlock said. “As you guys put money back into my pocket, I’m going to put money back into the economy.”

Effectively implementing the American Rescue Plan

In addition to its analysis, Covered California also laid out the steps it will be taking – including working with its contracted health insurance companies, agents and navigators, and community leaders – to effectively implement the American Rescue Plan.

While the law will potentially benefit 25 million Americans, many of them will need to act, requiring the need for a coordinated and targeted outreach efforts.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that only 10 percent of those uninsured and eligible for new subsidies will enroll, and only 20 percent of those currently insured but unsubsidized will sign up for the new benefits.

The main reasons cited for the projections are that many uninsured still believe they cannot afford coverage, off-exchange consumers are less likely to switch to a marketplace in midyear, and that program is temporary.

“The challenges are real, and this will not be easy, but we can do better – not only for Californians, but for Americans across the country,” Lee said. “Covered California and our partners are ready to lean-in, to spread the word that new money is available that can help lower premium costs for millions.”

Covered California released a roadmap describing Covered California’s Approach to Promoting the American Rescue Plan: Target Groups and Strategic Approaches and detailed analysis of those eligible for American Rescue Plan benefits in each state, that includes an analysis of potential marketing investments for the federal marketplace and other states that would be on par with those California has historically made.

Covered California’s approach describes three strategic approaches it will undertake to reach out to and enroll as many Californians as possible: • Launching a new special-enrollment period – Covered California will open a new special-enrollment period – which will start on Monday, April 12 and run through the end of the year – to give uninsured and unsubsidized Californians time to sign up for coverage that starts as soon as May 1 and continue the outreach and enrollment effort to have marketing pay-off over time.

“Time is of the essence, because every month that goes by is a month that someone could be covered or be saving hundreds of dollars on health insurance,” Lee said.

• Maintaining consumer commitment – Covered California will continue to focus on the consumer-centered tactics and strategies that it has used since launching in 2014. The focus will include new investments in marketing and outreach – totaling between $20 million and $30 million on television, radio, print and digital ads over the next few months. The statewide campaign will reach every community, with an emphasis on Hispanic, Asian and African American media outlets which represent the groups hit hardest by the pandemic and recession.

In addition, Covered California will engage with key partners – insurance agents, navigators, state agencies and others at the state and local level – to reach every eligible consumer.

“While virtually everyone in Covered California will get a significant reduction in their next premium bill, we need a major effort to ensure that hundreds of thousands more eligible Californians get this help of hundreds or even thousands of dollars,” said Anthony Wright, executive director of Health Access California, the statewide health care advocacy coalition. “The more Californians are covered and who can access quality care, the sooner we can end this pandem-

ic, and get closer to a universal and affordable system that can better handle the next public health crisis.”

“The Latino community has been hit hard over the last year.

They disproportionately work in the roles we refer to as essential, and the rate at which COVID-19 has affected them has raised the importance of ensuring access to quality health care coverage – not only in Los Angeles, but across California and the nation,” said Cástulo de la Rocha, President and CEO of AltaMed Health Services. “The funds provided by this legislation will help close gaps in coverage by making it more affordable, enabling our communities to get covered and stay covered.”

• Holding health carriers accountable – Covered California is also encouraging its 11 health carriers to invest in marketing and outreach to identify “off-exchange” consumers, and those who have been recently pricedout of coverage, to let them know that they are now eligible for new financial help. Covered California was joined at its announcement of its approach by three of the CEOs of its contracted health plans who committed to lean-in to foster the broadest enrollment possible: “This is the right action at the right time. The American Rescue Plan will provide needed resources to those communities most impacted by COVID-19, including communities of color and low-income families,” said Greg Adams, Chair and CEO of Kaiser Permanente. “This is the biggest step to making health care coverage real for all Americans since the Affordable Care Act was passed. Kaiser Permanente will do our part to ensure cost is not a barrier to coverage that all Americans deserve.”

“An effort like this requires coordination and teamwork, and Anthem is proud to be working with all of our states to make this successful,” said Gail Boudreaux, President and CEO of Anthem, Inc. “We’re committed to the successful implementation of this effort and we will be working with our partners to ensure all eligible Americans take full advantage of the new financial help available to them.”

“Blue Shield of California is committed to this effort because it is core to our non-profit mission to achieve universal health care coverage and it is the right thing to do at a time when so many Californians need that protection,” said Blue Shield of California President and CEO Paul Markovich. “We’re excited to work with Covered California to reach out to people in every region of the state who need coverage and those who could save money by switching to a similar plan on the Covered California exchange.”

“Covered California has deployed these tactics and strategies over the past seven years, and they are critical to making things work,” Lee said. “We stand ready to do everything we can to make the American Rescue Plan successful for as many Californians as possible, and we hope and expect the federal administration and other states will do the same.”

Californians can easily find out their benefits Covered California will launch a new “Shop and Compare” tool on April 12 that will allow consumers to easily see exactly how they will benefit from the new law. People will be able to see how much new financial help they are eligible for in just a few minutes by entering their ZIP code, household income and the ages of the people in the household.

Those interested in learning more about their coverage options can also: • Visit www.CoveredCA.com.

• Get free and confidential as-

u PAGE 11

IT may sound like a cliché but it’s true.

“To do a Tagalog song has always been a dream for me,” said Nicole Scherzinger, the former Filipino Pussycat Dolls member, in a recent virtual interview.

The song is Ogie Alcasid’s Pangako which is among the selections in Kaibigan: A Troy Laureta OPM Collective Vol. 1 released in November last year.

Produced by Laureta, a Fil-Am musical director based in the US, and ABS-CBN Music International, the album features a merry mix of international artists who give OPM a refreshingly new touch, including South Korea’s Ailee (for Kahit Isang Saglit), YouTube Star Matt Boyd (Bakit Pa Ba), Cheesa (The Voice Season 2 quarter finalist, Bakit Pa), Pia Toscano (American Idol Season 10 finalist, Kailangan Kita), Shelea (Patuloy ang Pangarap) and Jake Zyrus (Usahay; Laureta has served as musical director in Jake’s concerts), plus Regine Velasquez on Hanggang sa Dulo ng Walang Hanggan.

“I am honored that Troy chose that song for me,” added Nicole.

“Troy nailed it. I think many people know me from Pussycat Dolls but they don’t know that in my heart of hearts I love singing ballads. It’s in our hearts, right?

Pangako is a classic song, it’s an iconic song, it has a lot of heart and passion in it. I wanted to give it justice. I’m not saying that I am the best singer but I always give heart and soul into every song that I sing. I am grateful to be a part of the album.”

It’s the Filipino in her. Here’s an excerpt from the two interviews Funfare had done with her (2006 and 2009): Nicole Elikolani Prescovia Scherzinger, who used the stage name Nicole Kea when she joined an open audition for Pussycat Dolls, was born on July 29, 1978, in Honolulu, Hawaii, to a Filipino musician father from Batanes (surnamed Valiente) and a Hawaiian-Russian mother who was a lead hula dancer. Fondly called Cola by her chums, she grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, where her family relocated when she was seven years old.

In that virtual mediacon, Laureta related that Pangako is one of his favorite OPM songs.

“When I was listening to that song by the legendary songwriter Ogie Alcasid and his wife Regine Velasquez, I told my sister, ‘You know, this song is perfect for Nicole. She has the heart and the spirit and, most important, she has the voice for it. Pangako is so emotional and it needs someone who can emote it and give it not just the notes but the emotional part of it. Nicole can give it a Whitney Houston kind of treatment. I wanted Nicole to give the song that I Will Always Love You moment, that Don’t Cry For Me Argentina moment.”

Laureta got it...and more!

“When I was arranging the song and choosing the singer for it, my way of directing and

Nicole Scherzinger

producing is always to pay respect to the composer and keep the integrity of the song whether I’m doing it in the studio or in a concert. I wanted to keep the essence of the original but take it to 2020 or 2021” Then he gushed about Nicole.

“She can do anything. I was able to work with Nicole in some shows. We did Broadway stuff and a lot of Whitney Houston, so I was able to study her style even more so. For Pangako, I wanted her to bring her full potential to it ...her being a biritera...the high note, the whisper, the emotional stuff.”

Although she admitted she didn’t speak Tagalog, Nicole said that she understood the song’s sentiment just by listening to it.

“Troy told me about the lyrics and I just love it, especially the line that says ‘Promise I won’t leave you’ (...pangako di kita iiwan...). Music is a universal language. Whether you speak Tagalog or not, when you hear the song it moves you. Music is what connects all of us. Ultimately, we are one and the same. I’m glad that the album will find a platform for that.”

Easy does it, according to Nicole.

“Obviously, when you want to do something to the best of your ability and do it justice, it can be heard because you want to make it sound like your second skin. I know that it (her Filipino-ness) is in my blood. My family speaks Hawaiian as well. I grew up learning Spanish and I think that kind of helped me a lot.”

Nicole recalled that when Laureta called her about the song, she said yes right away.

“He was playing weird spa music and I didn’t know if the world was aligning or if he was getting a foot rub. I was taking a trip to a nature store and I remember him leaving on my phone an hour-long message.

When we talked, I told him, ‘Let’s do it! It’s an honor for me to be part of it!’ I was gang-ho. It

Photo from Instagram/@nicolescherzinger

was my first time to sing in Tagalog and I was sure that my family would be proud of it.”

Following protocols (it was the pandemic, you know), Nicole soon found herself in Laureta’s studio at home.

“I came out of the bathroom, got into bed and started singing.

That was magic!” she laughed.

“We were just kind of chilling,” said Laureta.

Asked in an interview with Funfare several weeks ago what criteria he followed in choosing the artists for the album, Laureta said, “All the artists were those that I’ve either toured or worked with in the studio and they are all friends of mine. I really wanted to make a point to choose artists that were personal to me whether in my business life or personal life. People who understand me not just as a musician but as a person. Every artist on the album has impacted my life in some way.”

And how did he expect non-Tagalog listeners to understand the songs so that they could appreciate them?

“I think the beauty of OPM is that songs speak for themselves.

I grew up listening to OPM. I always believed that no matter in what language, a great song will always be impactful to its listeners. That’s how I always felt about OPM. We have the songs, the singers and a culture that is filled with so much passion and depth. I use Kaibigan as a catalyst to let a broader audience hear what I already know is legendary and that is Filipino music.”

Laureta is grateful to Ogie and Regine for being supportive.

“They were such an inspiration. They are super cool!”

Ogie and Regine are all praises for Laureta and Nicole’s work, describing it as “so surreal.”

Admitting that she’s a fan of Regine, Nicole said, “When I listen to her and that voice, I’m like, ‘So what else is there for me to do?’ I have so much love and respect for her.”

Andrea closes doors on ex-lovers

By Jan

Milo Severo Philstar.com

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 everything 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.

Derek and Andrea broke up last November 22 after admitting their relationship in September 2019.

Derek is now in a relationship with Ellen Adarna.

Fil-Am celebrities call to...

PAGE 9 I’m truly sorry for the families of those involved,” he said on Twitter.

Actor Darren Criss, for his part, called the suspects “monsters,” saying they are a “byproduct of the absolute worst of our history.”

“I just want to say to my friends out in Atlanta: y’all know as well as I do that the horrible people responsible for these acts do not speak for the city’s true beating heart.

You’ve managed to do some inspiring things this past year. I know these monsters don’t represent you,” he said.

“And moreover I truly believe to my core that these monsters throughout our nation certainly do NOT represent America.

They are a tragic byproduct of the absolute worst of our history, but small in comparison to the overwhelming majority of

decent, compassionate, rational people,” he added.

Criss also called for the majority to show their “defiance and resilience” against the people he called “monsters.”

“And it is up to that very majority to show our strength, defiance, and resilience against these monsters. They are a dying breed of scarred, confused, and angry people. And we have to make them understand there is no place for hatred in any world that seeks peace,” he said.

Filipina Canadian actress Shay Mitchell took to Instagram to express her anger, saying people who commit hate crimes should be called terrorists.

“How many times do we need to have this conversation before it changes?” she wrote.

“Hate 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.

(818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588 • http://www.asianjournal.com

COVID-19 updates

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 COVID-19. 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 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.

Stor age: F r o z en b et we en -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 sixfold 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 moderate-to-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 COVID-19. 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 systemic 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! *** The main objective of this column is to educate and inspire people live a healthier lifestyle to prevent illnesses and disabilities and achieve a happier and more productive life.

Any diagnosis, recommendation or treatment in our article are general medical information and not intended to be applicable or appropriate for anyone. This column is not a substitute for your physician, who knows your condition well and who is your best ally when it comes to your health. *** Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, a Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus based in Northwest Indiana and Las Vegas, Nevada, is an international medical lecturer/author, a Health Public Ad vo c a te, a n d Chair m a n of th e F ilipin o U nite d N et wo r k- USA , a 501(c)3 humanitarian and anti-graft foundation in the United States. Visit our websites: philipSchua.com and FUN8888.com Email: scalpelpen@ gmail.com

Community

SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL • MARCH 19-25, 2021

City of San Diego awarded state grant to develop cannabis equity program

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Citywide assessment will look at historical impacts of cannabis laws, business development opportunities

SAN DIEGO – In keeping with Mayor Todd Gloria’s promise to create more equity around City services, the City of San Diego plans to develop a program to promote ownership and employment opportunities in the legal cannabis industry. This week, the City was awarded a $75,000 grant that will help fund a cannabis equity assessment and support the development of a first-ever cannabis equity program.

“As San Diego recovers from the pandemic and our economy builds back, we’re doing everything we can to ensure that it happens equitably – and that includes promoting equity and eliminating barriers for entry into the regulated cannabis industry,” said Mayor Todd Gloria. “This survey will

help assess how effective our current efforts are and help us design a regulatory program that creates social equity in the growing local legal cannabis sector.”

The cannabis equity assessment will provide a data-informed look at the historical impacts of cannabis criminalization on San Diego, evaluate potential opportunities and constraints in the current regulatory framework and provide policy recommendations to assure equity and diversity in the emerging cannabis industry.

Information gathered from the assessment will serve as a blueprint for a future equity program to support pathways to cannabis business development.

San Diego was among several other cities to receive a Canna-

Covered CA, community...

PAGE 10 t sistance over the phone, in a variety of languages, from a certified enroller.

• Have a certified enroller call them and help them for free.

• Call Covered California at (800) 300-1506.

Covered California is the state’s health insurance marketplace, where Californians can find affordable, high-quality insurance from top insurance companies. Covered California is the only place where individuals who qualify can get financial assistance on a sliding scale to reduce premium costs. Consumers can then compare health insurance plans and choose the plan that works best for their health needs and budget. Depending on their income, some consumers may qualify for the low-cost or no-cost Medi-Cal program.

Covered California is an independent part of the state govern-

bis Equity Grant from the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) in partnership with the Bureau of Cannabis Control through the Cannabis Equity Grants Program for Local Jurisdictions.

“The assessment to be conducted under this grant will be foundational in the development of regulatory framework changes that may be needed for San Diego’s cannabis program,” said Cannabis Business Division Deputy Director PJ Fitzgerald. “Viewed through an equity lens, we will ensure all our communities have access to participate in the legalized cannabis marketplace.”

With the passage of Prop. 64 in 2016, the City adopted regulations for cannabis businesses, in-

cluding retail outlets, production and testing facilities. Last year, the City also formed a Cannabis Business Division within the Development Services Department. The Division will develop and manage the City’s cannabis program by issuing permits and regulating cannabis businesses conforming with San Diego Municipal Code requirements.

The City also recently established the Office of Race and Equity dedicated to addressing racial justice, equity, and providing fair and just distribution of resources, access and opportunity. Together both programs will partner to conduct San Diego’s cannabis equity assessment over the next year.

(City of San Diego Release)

ment whose job is to make the health insurance marketplace work for California’s consumers. It is overseen by a five-member board appointed by the governor and the legislature. For more information about Covered California, please visit www.CoveredCA.com.

[1] Table only shows those estimated to be eligible for subsidies based on maximum required contribution percentage of household income using available administrative data (on income, age, and benchmark premiums) from California’s marketplace: the actual eligibility may differ to the extent that there are differences in the age, income, and premium costs for other states and the off-exchange from what is observed in Covered California’s data. Not shown are the estimated 1.4 million consumers who may receive higher subsidies because they are receiving unemployment insurance income. Additionally, off-exchange estimates do not include consumers who may be enrolled in coverage that is not ACA compliant (e.g. “grandfathered” plans), who may also benefit from new subsidies.

“A Taste of History”

In celebration of the 500th Year Anniversary of Christianity in the Philippines in 2021, experience MonteMaria Cellars, an exclusive wine collection cellared and bottled in Napa Valley, California by the Buhman Estate Vineyards specially made in honor of the Holy Site of MonteMaria located in Batangas Province of the Philippines.

Browse our collection and order today on MonteMariaCellars.com.

Please enjoy our wines responsibily.

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MARCH 19-25, 2021 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588