032423 - San Diego Edition

California’s COVID misinformation law is entangled in lawsuits, conflicting rulings

GOV. Gavin Newsom may have been prescient when he acknowledged free speech concerns as he signed California’s COVID misinformation bill last fall. In a message to lawmakers, the governor warned of “the chilling effect other potential laws may have” on the ability of doctors to speak frankly with patients but expressed confidence that the one he was signing did not cross that line.

Yet the law — meant to discipline doctors who give patients false information about COVID-19 — is now in legal limbo after two federal judges issued conflicting rulings in recent lawsuits that say it violates free speech and is too vague for doctors to know what it bars them from telling patients.

Philippines, US defense chiefs condemn China’s ‘gray-zone activities’

by Kaycee Valmonte Philstar.com

MANILA — The Philippines and the United States once again stand together to condemn China’s illegal activities in the South China Sea that go against a 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, flexing the two countries’ defense pact.

According to a readout from the U.S. Department

of Defense released late Monday evening, March 20, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III and Department of National Defense Carlito Galvez Jr. discussed programs to strengthen the alliance in a call.

“The two leaders condemned the PRC’s (People’s Republic of China) gray-zone activities, which interfere with the livelihoods of local Philippine communities and the rights of other claimant states that seek to operate lawfully in

the South China Sea consistent with the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal ruling,” it said.

Austin put emphasis on the U.S.’ commitment to the Philippines, pointing again to the Mutual Defense Treaty that states it will come to the Philippines’ defense in case of armed attacks, including anywhere in the South China Sea.

In recent months, multiple high-level Washington officials, including Austin, Secretary

Marcos to Teves: Return to PH or gov’t will ‘move without any discussions with him’

by John eric mendoza Inquirer.net

MANILA — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Wednesday, March 22 issued a stern warning to Negros Oriental Rep. Arnie Teves, who is still out of the country.

Marcos said that Teves should return to the Philippines lest the government will be forced to “move without any discussions with him.”

“The only advice I can only give to Cong. Arnie is that habang tumatagal ito mas nagiging mahirap ang sitwasyon mo. Mas maaga kang makauwi, mas marami pang option ang mangyayari. Pero pagka masyado nang late, wala na, mapipilitan ang gobyerno, we will have to move without any discussions with him,” Marcos said in an ambush interview. u PAGE 3

Staying safe through California’s March storms

JUST when everyone thought the skies were becoming clearer, March has been bringing its own set of storms.

Reiterating the importance of preparedness during natural disasters, such as the immense rainfall experience this winter season, Listos California, a program part of California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), held a briefing to inform the public on safety measures amid the storms.

The storms are seemingly affecting an abundance of counties throughout the state of California, bringing about heavy rainfall as well as snowfall. The Filipino American community makes up a large part of the state, emphasizing how the information in this webinar, held in cooperation with Ethnic Media Services, is crucial to those of us who live in the various affected counties.

US report: Red-tagging, journalist attacks continued in PH

by Pia lee-Brago Philstar.com

MANILA — “Red-tagging” persists under the Marcos administration, whose position on the practice – deemed intended to silence criticism of the government – is unclear, according to the U.S. State Department’s latest annual country report on human rights practices released on Tuesday, March 21.

The same report also showed that physical attacks against journalists continue and several cases from previous years have remained unresolved.

In its report, the State Department also said red-tagging has been used to intimidate opponents in local disputes, or provoke legal action against political opponents.

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Marcos vows to continue past admin’s over 70 infra projects

MANILA — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said his administration will see some projects of former President Rodrigo Duterte come into fruition after the government unveiled its flagship infrastructure program earlier this month.

Out of the 194 infrastructure projects worth P9 trillion, at least 123 are new initiatives and 71 were from the Duterte administration.

“This is part of our Build Better More program that aims to improve living conditions of the different sectors in our country through modernization and by improving the quality of our public infrastructure,” Marcos Jr. said in his

Youtube video published over the weekend. These projects include transportation infrastructure, digital connectivity, flood control, health-related initiatives and power and energy, among others.

The chief executive said he hopes these public infrastructure projects will help solve traffic congestion in the metro and improve connectivity in the provinces, as well as alleviate the country’s food security issues and mitigate the climate change impacts.

Earlier this month, the National Economic and Development Authority said at least 45 of the administration’s flagship infrastructure projects will get funding from the private sector, just as what the previous

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The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), an anti-insurgency task force formed during the Duterte administration, is seen as the primary actor in red-tagging media workers and government critics. Government officials and their allies often used red-tagging to label human rights advocates, unions, religious groups, academics and media organizations as fronts for or clandestine members of insurgent and other opposition groups.

In August, the Department of Justice charged 16 members of the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines with financing communist insurgent groups.

“The Marcos administration’s position on red-tagging was unclear,” the report noted.

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by Beatrice Pinlac Inquirer.net

MANILA — “It’s game over for the POGO industry,” Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said during the Senate plenary session on Wednesday, March 22. Gatchalian, chair of the ways and means panel, was presenting his report on the findings of his committee in its inquiry into the socio-economic impact of Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs).

Based on the committee findings, he said: “The Filipino people stand to lose more than they will gain from allowing POGOs

Philippines to announce new bases US soldiers can use

by michael PunongBayan Philstar.com

group photo after a ground breaking ceremony of a runway rehabilitation at Basa Air Base in Floridablanca town, Pampanga Province on Monday, March 20. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Embassy in Manila China Sea.

MANILA — The Philippines and the United States will soon announce the locations of four additional military bases in the Southeast Asian country that American soldiers will be allowed to use, officials said on Monday, March 20.

The longtime treaty allies agreed last month to expand cooperation in “strategic areas” of the country as they seek to counter China’s growing assertiveness over Taiwan and its building of bases in the South

The 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, known as EDCA, gave U.S. forces access to five bases in the Philippines. It has been expanded to nine, but the locations of the four additional bases have not been revealed as the government consults with local officials.

It has been widely reported that two of the sites will be in the northern province of Cagayan, less than 400 kilometers from

‘Game over’: Gatchalian wants permanent ban on POGOs

PLAY BREAK. A young girl is seen playing after her family joined the Fajr prayer at the Golden Mosque in Quiapo, Manila

Photo by Atilla Bingöl on Unsplash

SUMMER PREPS. A worker uses

Philippines, US defense chiefs condemn...

of State Antony Blinken, and Vice President Kamala Harris have visited Manila as the U.S. began seeking warmer ties with its oldest treaty ally in Southeast Asia after “rocky times”.

”U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson recently penned a commentary where she noted that the US’ relationship with the Philippines is “a cornerstone of the Biden administration’s Indo-Pacific Strategy.

China’s gray-zone activities

The two defense chiefs also discussed “with particular concern” the swarming of over Chinese vessels that included a People’s Liberation Army navy ship around Thitu Island, within 12 nautical miles of the Philippines’ territory, earlier this month.

“The swarming of vessels falls on the heels of a dangerous incident last month, in which the PRC Coast Guard directed a military-grade laser against a Philippine vessel operating lawfully around Second Thomas Shoal, temporarily blinding some of the crew,” the readout said.

The Philippine Coast Guard flew journalists over the Spratly islands in March 10, where a radio operator aboard a Chinese Coast Guard vessel warned them to “leave immediately.”

The PCG was warned while they were flying over the Chinese reef, which according to the Chinese Coast Guard, “constituted a security threat.”

The Philippine pilot responded that they were flying within his country’s territory. Galvez and Austin also talked about the plans to conduct combined maritime activities and other avenues of cooperation in the South China Sea. The two defense chiefs said they will review possibilities during the upcoming 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue.

More engagements

The call comes after Philippine and U.S. officials broke ground for the rehabilitation of Basa Airbase Runway in Pampanga.

US report: Red-tagging, journalist...

It also cited former National Security Advisor Clarita Carlos for condemning the practice in a June statement, saying, “Let’s stop red-tagging because it is not productive.”

Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla, however, dismissed the criticisms as he told the United Nations Universal Periodic Review of human rights in November that red-tagging is “used when a person belonging to a civil society organization is criticized for the work they’re doing as being related to the persons who commit criminal acts in our country.”

The State Department also noted civil society groups’ showing concern over the implementation of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, which they said contributed to red-tagging and was prone to abuse.

In April, responding to petitions filed by NGOs and opposition lawmakers, the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional the law’s definition of terrorism, deeming it “overbroad and violative of freedom of expression.”

Opponents argued the legislation could be used to tag some common speech or innocuous political activities as incitement to terrorism.

Some leaders of communist and leftist organizations, rural NGOs and human rights defenders complained of routine surveillance and harassment.

“Although the government generally respected restrictions on search and seizure within private homes, searches without warrants continued. Judges generally declared illegally obtained evidence to be inadmissible,” the report pointed.

Impunity remains

The government investigated some reported human rights abuses, including abuses by its forces and paramilitary forces, “but concerns about police impunity remained, given reports of continued extrajudicial killings by police.”

“Officials frequently engaged in corrupt practices with impunity,” the report said.

free, active and able to voice criticism of the government, despite the chilling effect caused by the killings of journalists and political pressure on specific major media organizations.

On Oct. 3, radio broadcaster Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa was killed in an ambush on his way to work. Mabasa was a prominent radio host who reported on government corruption and had challenged the Marcos administration and the former Duterte administration on human rights and the protection of fundamental freedoms. He was the second journalist killed since President Marcos took office in June. Another radio broadcaster, Renato “Rey” Blanco, was killed in September.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) created a special task force to investigate Mabasa’s murder, admitting it was “highly probable” he was killed because of his reporting.

In November, the PNP and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) filed murder charges against suspended Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Gerald Bantag, deputy security officer Ricardo Zulueta and 10 other prisoners after the selfconfessed gunman linked them to Mabasa’s killing. Five journalists were killed between October 2021 and June 2022, reports said.

Cases filed

In March, Daily Tribune correspondent and Baguio Correspondents and Broadcasters Club president Aldwin Quitasol survived an attack by two unidentified assailants in Baguio City.

Expressing outrage over media harassment, the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility said red tagging was part of the blame as it “endangers victims, including journalists, of being hauled to court on trumped up charges.”

The center also cited five incidents of surveillance, including police visits and vehicle tailing.

The project is among the approved 15 under Manila and Washington’s Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, which gives U.S. forces access to nine bases in the Philippines to store defense equipment and supplies for any humanitarian relief efforts.

Galvez and Austin also welcomed the coming engagements between the two countries’ armed forces. This includes the “largest iteration” of the Balikatan Exercise next month, where over 17,600 troops will participate.

Majority or 12,000 of whom are American troops, 111 Australians, and 5,000 Philippines soldiers will partake in the exercise. (With reports from AFP) n

Major human rights issues in the Philippines included credible reports of unlawful or arbitrary killings, including extrajudicial killings; forced disappearance; torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment by and on behalf of the government and other physical abuses by non-state actors; serious problems with the independence of the judiciary and high-level and widespread government corruption, among others.

The State Department report also highlighted the continued harassment of and physical attacks on journalists, usually by government officials and powerful individuals.

The report noted that while the Constitution provides for freedom of expression, including for members of the press, “threats and actions by government, allied groups and powerful individuals against journalists, media organizations, government critics and others continued.”

“Journalists continued to face harassment and threats of violence, including from individual politicians, government authorities and powerful private persons critical of their reporting. These abuses intensified during the election season,” the report pointed out.

The report noted that media generally remains

In its report the center said state agents, including local and national government officials and security and law enforcement personnel, were the leading perpetrators of threats and violence against media.

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) noted that NTF-ELCAC openly called several journalists communist allies, “leading to a barrage of online harassment and threats against media workers.”

Meanwhile, the Philippines has defended its human rights record before the UN as it told the Special Rapporteur during a recent dialogue in Geneva that it values the role of human rights defenders as partners in building just and humane societies.

The Philippines said it acknowledges their role in “speaking truth to power and holding dutybearers accountable for excesses and lapses.”

The Permanent Mission of the Philippines to the UN and International Organizations in Geneva participated in the Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders held on March 15 as part of the 52nd Regular Session of the Human Rights Council.

The Philippine Mission said the Philippines has a thriving and highly participative democratic space, with over 100,000 registered non-profit organizations, 60,000 of which are engaged in socio-political advocacy work domestically and in the UN. n

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III (L) talks beside his Philippine counterpart Carlito Galvez Jr. at a joint press conference in Camp Aguinaldo military headquarters in metro Manila on Feb. 2, 2023. AFP / Joeal Calupitan / Pool

Marcos to Teves: Return to...

(My only advice to Cong. Teves is as time goes by, your situation will become harder. If you come home earlier, then there will be more options for you. But if you come back too late, then the government would be forced; we will have to move without any discussions with him.)

Teves has been linked to the killing of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo and eight provincial staff and constituents, after the suspects tagged him as the alleged mastermind in the governor’s killing.

Teves has denied having a hand in the incident.

The lawmaker has yet to return to the country despite his authority to travel to the United States being valid only from February 28 to March 9.

The lawmaker’s camp has also insisted several times that there was a threat to him and his family.

Marcos, meanwhile, reassured Teves that the government would provide all kinds of security for him.

“To reassure him, we will provide all kinds of security kung ano ang gusto mo. Mayaman ka naman, may private jet ka naman eh, maglanding ka kung saan mo gusto, sa air force base, maglanding siya sa basa, papaligiran natin ng sundalo, walang makakalapit ng isang kilometro that will guarantee his security,” Marcos said.

(To reassure him, we will provide all kinds of security, anything he wants. After all, he’s rich, and he has a private jet, so just land wherever you want to, even in the air force base, where he will be surrounded by soldiers. No one will be able to come near him, and it will guarantee his security.)

Not about e-sabong

Marcos also dismissed Teves’ claims that he was being tagged as the alleged mastermind due

to his former e-sabong business. Teves, in a Facebook post, claims: “Ang ibang naririnig ko lang naman na anggulo is yung sa e sabong. Meron daw mga ilang tao na gusto daw nilang masolo ang e-sabong kaya kinakana nila ako. Matagal ko nang sinabi, wala na ako dyan.

Kung gusto nyo mag-negosyo ng e sabong mag negosyo kayo, wala naman pumipigil sa inyo eh. Ewan ko lang kung papayag si President BBM.”

(I have also heard another angle, which is the e-sabong. They said there are some people who want to have e-sabong for themselves, so they are targeting me. I said long ago that I am no longer involved there. If you want to have e-sabong as a business, then by all means, do so, no one’s stopping you. I just don’t know if President BBM would approve.)

Marcos, however, said all of the recent developments were due to the death of Degamo.

“Ang puno’t dulo nito ay e-sabong? Hindi. Ang puno’t dulo nito ay pagkapaslang kay Gov. Degamo,” he said.

(The cause of it all is e-sabong? No. This is due to the death of Governor Degamo.)

“Nagkaproblema na kami sa e-sabong noon, but that’s not what it’s about. Because noong nagkakaroon ng e-sabong doon, hindi naman natin ginawa

‘yung re-organization, hindi natin nilipat ‘yung mga pulis, hindi natin ipinasok ‘yung military dahil sa e-sabong,” the President added.

(We have had problems in e-sabong before, but that’s not what it’s about. Because when there were problems in e-sabong, we did not do the reorganization, we did not transfer the police or get the military involved due to e-sabong.)

“This is about the killing of Gov. Degamo. Pure and simple,” Marcos continued. n

Marcos vows to...

administrations did.

There are already 95 ongoing projects that have been approved for implementation, while eight have gotten a go-signal from the government. Meanwhile, 47 are undergoing feasibility studies and 44 are in “pre-project preparations.”

California’s college corps program a respite for student volunteers

by Sunita Sohrabji

Services

Ethnic Media

THE California College Corps program offers students the chance to find purpose and connection through service at a moment of rising anxiety and isolation across campuses.

The California For All College Corps program, launched last year by Gov. Gavin Newsom, is a unique initiative which offers up to $10,000 in college scholarships to students, in exchange for volunteering for 450 hours of community service

during the academic year.

Several UC campuses as well as CSUs and community colleges are participating in the program: the list of participating colleges can be found here.

California Volunteers, the agency which administers the College Corps program is hoping to recruit 3,000 participants for the 2023-2024 academic year. Priority applications were due March 15, but deadlines vary at participating campuses.

The College Corps program is currently available to fulltime enrolled undergraduate

students. Eligible students must meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Qualify for a Federal Pell

Grant

• Qualify for a State Cal Grant

• Qualify for a Middle Class

Scholarship

• Need to work part time and/ or borrow student loans

In its first year, the California College Corps recruited a diverse group of participants, with 80% students of color and 500 so-called DREAMERs.

College Corps fellows are placed in community-based

organizations working in K-12 education, climate action, and food insecurity.

Confronting multiple crises

At a March 13 news briefing, jointly organized by Ethnic Media Services and California Black Media, California Chief Service Officer Josh Fryday noted Governor Newsom is aware of the multiple crises confronting the state.

“We’re facing a student debt crisis. We’re facing crises of enormous existential issues, a climate crisis, a food insecurity

Philippines to announce new bases US...

self-ruled Taiwan, which China sees as part of its territory.

Cagayan Gov. Manuel Mamba has publicly opposed having EDCA sites in his province for fear of jeopardizing Chinese investment and becoming a target in a conflict over Taiwan.

But Philippine acting Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez told reporters Monday the government had “already decided” on the sites and that Mamba had agreed to “abide with the decision.”

“The two countries will announce as soon as they can (the locations),” said U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall at a joint press conference with Galvez and other officials.

Galvez and Kendall were at Basa Air Base, north of the capital Manila, where the United States is investing $24 million in upgrading the 2.8-kilometer runway.

Basa is one of five bases originally included in the EDCA.

The agreement allows U.S. troops to rotate through the bases and also store defense equipment and supplies at them.

The pact stalled under former president Rodrigo Duterte, who favored China over the country’s former colonial master.

But President Marcos, who succeeded Duterte last June, has adopted a more U.S.friendly foreign policy and has sought to accelerate the implementation of the EDCA.

Beijing has been critical of the agreement, which its embassy in the Philippines said recently was part of “U.S. efforts to encircle and contain China through its military alliance with this country.”

Marcos Jr. added he hopes the new projects will help boost employment in the country.

Latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that there were 2.37 million Filipinos who were jobless in January, up from the 2.22 million logged in December last year as seasonal jobs went dry. (Philstar.com) n

But Kendall said it was for the “good of the region.”

“The defense treaty with the Philippines... is about mutual protection and peace and security in the region in general,” Kendall said.

Earlier, Galvez and U.S. Ambassador Marykay Carlson led the groundbreaking ceremony for the project to rehabilitate

Basa Air Base runway and its facilities in Floridablanca, Pampanga.

EDCA was signed in April 2014 to supplement provisions of the PH-U.S. visiting forces Agreement.

“After almost eight years of delays and legal challenges, the EDCA implementation is now in full swing. Today, we laid down the time capsule to signify openly the start of the necessary rehabilitation of the Basa Air Base as one of the EDCA priorities,” Galvez announced.

In his speech during the ceremony, he noted that out of 15 approved EDCA projects, five were already completed, five are ongoing and the remaining five are up for implementation soon, adding that already completed projects include the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR) warehouse, a C2 Fusion Center and fuel range tanks.

He noted that the Basa Air Base runway rehabilitation project is expected to be completed in September 2023 and make it ideal for the efficient conduct of joint task force exercises and as a natural hub for HADR operations. This year’s Balikatan exercises set in April will be the biggest ever, with around 17,600 participating troops, of whom 12,000 are Americans.

PH-China consultations

Meanwhile, the Philippines and China will hold consultations this week covering the two countries’ bilateral relations and maritime issues, including developments in the West Philippine Sea.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced on Tuesday, March 21 that it is hosting the 23rd Philippines-China Foreign Ministry Consultations (FMC) and the 7th Bilateral Consultations Mechanism (BCM) on the South China Sea on March 23 and 24 in Manila.

“The discussions under the two mechanisms will cover a broad number of issues, including economic, people-to-people maritime, security and regional matters,” the

DFA said in a statement.

The FMC, which was last held in 2019, reviews the overall bilateral relations and all aspects of cooperation.

The BCM, last held in 2021, covers maritime issues of concern to either side, including developments in the West Philippine Sea and areas of possible maritime cooperation and confidence-building.

DFA Undersecretary for bilateral relations and ASEAN affairs Ma. Theresa Lazaro will lead the Philippine delegation, while the Chinese side will be led by Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong.

Wescom seeks boost

In another development, the Western Command (WESCOM) of the Armed Forces is asking for legislative support that will eventually provide funds to boost the country’s presence and defenses amid China’s increasingly aggressive behavior in Philippine territorial waters in the West Philippine Sea.

Sen. Imee Marcos, chairman of the Senate committee on foreign relations, visited Palawan on Sunday, March 19 providing the military a chance to offer recommendations on how to improve its capabilities in the West Philippine Sea.

WESCOM commander Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos had admitted that “we are grappling with the realities of our complex relations with our neighbors in Asia, our allies in the region, the United States and other countries.”

In a dialogue with Marcos, the military said it offered several recommendations attuned to a Self-Reliant Defense Posture that seeks to improve the country’s external defense operations in the West Philippine Sea.

Carlos specifically asked the elder sister of President Marcos for “support for the sustainment of effective presence in the Kalayaan Island Group, shipbuilding and maintenance, sub-surface detection capability, drone and anti-drone capability and coastal defense.” n

‘Game over’: Gatchalian wants permanent ban on...

to continue operating in the Philippines. In light of this, we recommend the permanent banning of offshore gaming operations in the Philippines.”

‘Unstable’ business model

The business model of POGOs is “inherently unstable due to the outsized foreign regulatory and political risks involved,” Gatchalian said.

He noted that the panel had found enough ground to “safely assume” that most customers placing their bets in POGOs were Chinese nationals which, he said, was “problematic” with gambling being outlawed in China.

“In essence, Chinese nationals are using offshore gaming operations based in the Philippines as a loophole to circumvent Chinese criminal law,” he said.

Gatchalian also cited the string of statements released by China concerning the involvement of its people in gambling in the Philippines.

“I can imagine the Philippine government would react in a similar way if a foreign ally were allowing Filipinos to bet on prohibited games like jueteng or e-sabong through online casinos housed in another country,” he said.

Spate of POGO-related crimes

Crimes related to the POGO industry have repeatedly sparked heated debates on whether such operations should be banned.

Gatchalian said information from the Philippine National Police showed that at least 102 POGO-related crimes were reported between Jan. 1, 2017, and Jan. 23, 2023.

Some 316 people were victimized by the crimes, including 214 Chinese and 28 Filipinos.

In those five years, 30 cases were kidnapfor-ransom, 14 were human trafficking, 13 were violations of the Access Devices Regulation Act, and 10 were kidnapping and serious illegal detention, Gatchalian said.

“The police themselves are witnesses to

these crimes involving POGOs. This is not something new to us lawmakers,” he said in Filipino,

He cited the outlawed activities involving Brickhartz Technology Inc. and now-closeddownLucky South 99 – both implicated in kidnapping and human trafficking cases. Both firms were licensed by the Philippine Amusement Gaming Corp. (Pagcor).

“It appears that legal POGOs are also involved in criminal activities in the Philippines, along with their illegal counterparts,” Gatchalian said.

The POGO industry is also a breeding ground for financial crimes, he said, citing a study where the Anti-Money Laundering Council deemed Pogos and their service providers “highly vulnerable to money laundering.”

“Given that financial transactions of internet-based casinos are generally remittance-based and non-cash, regulators and authorities have limited access to their transactions, making Pogo operations highly risky and susceptible to abuse,” Gatchalian said.

Data from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and Pagcor also suggest that POGOs have been evading their taxes by underreporting their gross gaming revenue, he added.

Staining PH reputation

Various government stakeholders have taken note of the high social cost that comes with the presence of POGOs in the country, according to Gatchalian.

“Their continuing operations in our country pose a reputational risk that could dissuade foreign firms from investing in the Philippines, discourage foreign tourists from visiting our shores, and result in severe economic consequences for our country,” he said.

Gatchalian pointed out that if the Philippines should become a hotspot for POG-related crimes its image would be tarnished before potential investors.

He also cited a survey conducted by Pulse Asia from Nov. 27 to Dec. 1, 2002, that found that 58% of 1,200 respondents see the existence of POGOs as harmful to the country.

“It seems that POGOs are damaging the reputation of our country in the eyes of our very own citizens,” the senator lamented.

‘Overrated, moderate, erratic’ economic benefits

One of the primary selling points of the POGO industry is its economic benefits to the country, but Gatchalian’s report called these gains “overrated, moderate and erratic.”

Citing data from the Department of Finance, Gatchalian said POGOs only accounted for only a small portion of the total tax collection.

“In short, POGOs are only contributing a little to our economy. That’s why it’s not enough reason to say the economy will be on the losing end if we abolish POGOs,” he said.

According to Gatchalian, the net result of a cost-benefit analysis of the POGO industry is negative P8.44 billion.

Estimates from the National Economic and Development Authority in 2022 also point to a declining trend in the economic benefits of POGOs.

“The numbers are clear: The costs of POGOs outweigh the benefits. This implies that banning POGOs will not have an adverse effect on the economy, even considering foregone tax and licensing revenues. In fact, banning POGOs may result in a net positive for our economy when taking into effect the potential benefits of improved investor and tourist confidence,” Gatchalian said.

So what now?

Gatchalian said the POGO industry turned out to be “more of a liability than an asset to the Philippine economic and social order.”

This is why he submitted in his report a recommendation to adopt a Senate resolution urging the executive branch to ban POGOs with the goal of “upholding the

u PAGE 5

California’s efforts Diana Crofts-Pelayo, assistant director with the Crisis Communication & Public Affairs at Cal OES, spoke about what the state has been doing to mediate the impact of the storms.

Across 14 counties, 33 shelters have so far been opened, with 15,800 under evacuation orders in 16 counties and another 6,800 currently living without power as of March 13, Crofts-Pelayo shared.

“The state is having round the clock 24/7 coordination,” she highlighted, stating how the governor has activated the State Operations Center.

“This is essentially the full weight of the state, the knowledge of the state, altogether in one place…” she detailed, further specifying how they “have tightly coordinated responses and are rapidly deploying resources to protect impacted communities.”

Furthermore, she talked about how Cal OES is coordinating with local governments to provide various resources such as comfort kits, generators, sandbags, and other items to assist those who are impacted. “We’ve also moved some resources around the states. Kind of like a neighbor helping a neighbor. Especially for emergency response teams, specialized fire and rescue engines, and swift water rescue teams,” Crofts-Pelayo said, additionally adding how many counties that aren’t as impacted by the storms are also helping other counties in the state.

Governor Gavin Newsom recently declared another state of emergency for 40 counties across the state: Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Del Norte, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Humboldt, Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Lake, Los Angeles, Madera, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Mono, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Sierra, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Tulare, Tuolumne, and Yuba.

California’s COVID...

In two of the lawsuits, Senior U.S. District Judge William Shubb in Sacramento issued a temporary halt on enforcing the law, but it applies only to the plaintiffs in those cases.Shubb said the law was “unconstitutionally vague,” in part because it “fails to provide a person of ordinary intelligence fair notice of what is prohibited.” His ruling last month clashed with one handed down in Santa Ana in December; in that case, U.S. District Judge Fred Slaughter refused to halt the law and said it was “likely to promote the health and safety of California COVID-19 patients.”

The legal fight in the nation’s most populous state is to some extent a perpetuation of the pandemic-era tussle pitting supporters of public health guidelines against groups and individuals who resisted masking orders, school shutdowns, and vaccine mandates.

California’s COVID misinformation law, which took effect Jan. 1, is being challenged by vaccine skeptics and civil liberties groups. Among those suing to get the law declared unconstitutional is a group founded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has questioned the science and safety of vaccines for years.

But doubts about the law are not confined to those who have battled the scientific mainstream.

Dr. Leana Wen, a health policy professor at George Washington University who previously served as president of Planned Parenthood and as Baltimore’s health commissioner, wrote in an op-ed a few weeks before Newsom signed the law that it would exert “a chilling effect on medical practice, with widespread repercussions that could paradoxically worsen patient care.”

The Northern California affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union has weighed in against the law on free speech grounds, though the national organization has affirmed the constitutionality of COVID vaccine mandates.

“If doctors are scared of losing their licenses for giving advice that they think is helpful and appropriate, but they don’t quite know what the law means, they will be less likely to speak openly and frankly with their patients,” said Hannah Kieschnick, an attorney with the ACLU of Northern California.

The law establishes that doctors who give false information about COVID to patients are engaging in unprofessional conduct, which could subject them to discipline by the Medical Board of California or the Osteopathic Medical Board of California.

Proponents of the law sought to crack down on what they believe are the most clearcut cases: Doctors who tout treatments such as ivermectin, an anti-parasitic agent that is unproven as a COVID treatment and can be dangerous; who exaggerate the risk of getting vaccinated compared with the dangers of the disease; or who spread unfounded theories about the vaccines, including that they can cause infertility or harm DNA.

But the law lacks such specifics, defining misinformation only as “false information that is contradicted by contemporary scientific consensus contrary to the standard of care.”

Michelle Mello, a professor of law and health policy at Stanford University, said the wording is confusing.

“On a matter like COVID, science is changing all the time, so what does it mean to say there is scientific consensus?” she asked. “To me, there are

lots of examples of statements that clearly, with no vagueness involved, meet the definition of the kind of conduct that the legislature was going after. The problem is that there are all kinds of other hypothetical things that people can say that don’t clearly violate it.”

Dr. Christine Cassel, a professor of medicine at the University of California-San Francisco, said she expects the law to be applied only in the most flagrant cases. “I trust scientists enough to know where there’s a legitimate dispute,” she said.

Cassel’s view mirrors Newsom’s rationale for signing the legislation despite his awareness of potential free speech concerns. “I am confident,” he wrote in his message to lawmakers, “that discussing emerging ideas or treatments including the subsequent risks and benefits does not constitute misinformation or disinformation under this bill’s criteria.”

Plaintiffs in the Santa Ana case, two doctors who have sometimes diverged from public health guidelines, appealed Slaughter’s ruling allowing the law to stand. The case has been combined in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals with another case in which a San Diego judge declined to rule on a similar request to temporarily halt the law.

Newsom spokesperson Brandon Richards said in early February that the administration would not appeal the two Sacramento cases in which Shubb issued the narrow injunction. The plaintiffs’ lawyers had expected the state to appeal the decision, thinking all four lawsuits would then be decided by the appeals court, providing greater clarity for all parties.

Richard Jaffe, lead attorney in one of the Sacramento cases — brought by a doctor, Kennedy’s Children’s Health Defense, and a group called Physicians for Informed Consent — said Newsom’s decision not to appeal is “just going to increase the level of chaos in terms of who the law applies to.”

But the Newsom administration has decided to wait for the appeals court to rule on the other two judges’ decisions that left the law intact for now.

Jenin Younes, a lawyer with the New Civil Liberties Alliance who is lead counsel in the other Sacramento case in which Shubb issued his injunction, said Newsom may be calculating that “you’re in a stronger position going up on a win than on a loss.”

A victory for Newsom in the appeals court, Jaffe and others said, could dampen the impact of the two Sacramento cases.

Opponents of California’s COVID misinformation law question why it is needed at all, since the medical boards already have authority to discipline doctors for unprofessional conduct. Yet only about 3% of the nearly 90,000 complaints the Medical Board of California received over a decade resulted in doctors being disciplined, according to a 2021 investigation by the Los Angeles Times.

That could be good news for doctors who worry the new law could constrain their ability to advise patients.

“I don’t see medical boards being particularly vigorous in policing physicians’ competence in general,” said Stanford’s Mello. “You have to be really bad to get their attention.” (Bernard J. Wolfson/Kaiser Health News)

This story was produced by KHN, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation. n

Church worker reports to UN: 223 drug-related killings under Marcos

by KAycee VAlmonte Philstar.com

MANILA — Drug-related killings in the Philippines continue under President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s administration, the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) has told the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

NCCP Program Secretary for Faith, Witness, and Service Mervin Sol Toquero said there were 223 drug-related killings since July 2022, the month Marcos took office. He added that there continues to be “minimal accountability” from perpetrators.

The report comes as the Philippine UPR (Universal Periodic Review) Watch is in Switzerland to partake in the 52nd Regular Session of the UNHRC’s adoption of recommendations made in the 4th UPR held in November last year.

The NCCP is a co-convenor of the Philippine UPR Watch.

Manila is expected to adopt 215 out of the 289 recommendations made by other UN-member states. The NCCP noted that the Philippines may reject proposals like repealing “weaponized” laws.

Finland happiest country for sixth year, PH 76th

Rejoining ICC

Some of the recommendations include rejoining the International Criminal Court, but chances of it being an accepted as a recommendation remains slim.

The Duterte administration withdrew its membership from the International Criminal Court in 2018, which formally took effect in 2019, after the tribunal launched a preliminary examination into the alleged crimes of humanity committed to pursue the administration’s “war on drugs.”

Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra said the government hired international lawyer Sarah Bafadhel to aid the Philippines’ case to stop the ICC probe.

“We ask this council to continue urging the Philippine government to cooperate with the ICC as this would provide viable accountability mechanisms and combat impunity,” Toquero said.

Aside from the casualties from a continued “drug war,” Toquero also raised concerns regarding the targeting of human rights defenders and development and humanitarian workers. The UNHRC is urged to also call on the Philippine government to enact the Human Rights Defenders Bill before congress. n

Enrile wants lifting of nuclear weapons ban in Constitution

MANILA – Chief Presidential Legal Adviser Juan Ponce Enrile on Wednesday, March 22 proposed the lifting of the ban on nuclear weapons in the 1987 Constitution, describing it as the “most unwanted provision.”

The 99-year old former Senate President attended the public hearing of the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendments Revisions of Laws and Codes, upon the invitation of Committee chairperson Senator Robinhood Padilla at the Senate.

“We must now remove the restriction imposed by the Cory (Aquino) administration on this country and her people not to have any nuclear weapons in the country. I think in my personal opinion that is the most serious and unwanted provision in the Constitution,” Enrile said.

Padilla, in a media briefing, said the issue on the nuclear provisions will be tackled as

soon as they are now done with the hearing on the economic provision, saying he favored the proposal, adding that when the Constitution was made, only a few countries were using nuclear as a source of energy.

Padilla added he invited Enrile who is considered a “legal luminary” whose expertise and experiences in the Constitution is unquestionable.

Article II Section 8 of the 1987 Constitution forbids the presence of nuclear weapons in the Philippines, stating that “the Philippines, consistent with the national interest, adopts and pursues a policy of freedom from nuclear weapons in its territory.”

Enrile explained that in the modern world today, a small country can protect itself against the superpowers if they have nuclear weapons.

“If we can afford it we should also have nuclear weapons so

our people will not be trampled upon let alone made a ‘tuta’ (lackey) or ‘alipin’ (slave) of other countries,” Enrile added.

In the same hearing, Enrile said he is supporting Padilla’s proposal on economic provisions, saying he had read some of the latter’s proposals and drafts and he was convinced to support it 101 percent.

As for the mode of charter change, Enrile said he also favors the senator’s constitutional assembly instead of the House of Representatives approved constitutional convention (con-con).

“Now I know that Congress has passed a proposed constitutional convention to do the job that you’re doing. I would also caution them, caution you, because to do a con-con instead of a conass will be a disservice to the people of this country,” he said.

(PNA) n

by Aric John Sy cuA ManilaTimes.net

THREE Northern European countries clinched the top three spots of the World’s Happiest Countries in a new index issued on Monday, March 20.

Finland, Denmark and Iceland topped the World Happiness Report 2023.

Finland has an average life evaluation score of 7.804 out of 10, earning the top spot for the sixth year in a row.

“Finland continues to occupy the top spot, for the sixth year in a row, with a score that is significantly ahead of all other countries,” the report said.

Denmark placed second at 7.586; followed by Iceland, 7.530; Israel, 7.473; and the Netherlands, 7.403.Sweden placed sixth at 7.395; followed by Norway, 7.315; Switzerland, 7.240; Luxembourg 7.228; and New Zealand, 7.123.

Just outside this group are Austria, Australia, Canada, Ireland, the United States, Germany, Belgium, the Czech

Republic, the United Kingdom and Lithuania, with France placing outside the top 20.

This is the first time Lithuania, a Baltic country, reached the top 20 of the list.

“The same countries tend to appear in the top 20 year after year, with 19 of this year’s top 20 also being there last year,” the report said. “The exception is Lithuania, which has steadily risen over the past six years, from 52nd in 2017 to 20th this year.”

Meanwhile, the Philippines is in the middle of the pack, placing 76th out of 139 countries, with an average life evaluation score of 5.523 out of 10, behind Peru and ahead of Bulgaria.

While the top 20 data is based on survey information from 2022, the Philippines’ score was based on averages in 2020 and 2021.

The bottom five of the index are the Democratic Republic of the Congo (3.207), Zimbabwe (3.204), Sierra Leone (3.318), Lebanon (2.392), and

Afghanistan (1.859).

The report said there is a huge gap between the top 10 and the bottom 5.

In the top group, national life evaluation scores have a gap of 0.40 between the first and fifth positions, and another 0.28 between the fifth and 10th positions.

“Thus there is a gap of less than 0.7 points between the first and 10th positions,” the report read.

“There is a much bigger range of scores covered by the bottom 10 countries, where the range of scores covers 2.1 points,” it said.

The range estimates show that Afghanistan in the last position, and Lebanon second to last, have ranks significantly different from each other, and from all higher countries.

“Further up the scale, the gaps become narrower, and the ranges larger, with the 95 percent range exceeding 25 ranks for several countries in the middle of the global list,” the report said. n

‘Game over’: Gatchalian wants...

PAGE 4

safety of the Filipino people, and [sustaining] the path to growth and development consistent with the administration’s economic reforms.”

He also called on Congress to pass a law separating the regulation and operation roles of Pagcor.

“It is recommended that a new entity be created to perform solely regulatory functions, authorizations, and licensing of games of chance and other forms of gambling, while Pagcor will continue solely as a gambling operator,” Gatchalian said. Pagcor had already earlier revealed that it was “seriously considering” taking on a regulatoryonly role as it broached the idea of privatizing its self-operated casinos across the country.

Gatchalian is further seeking to direct the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to explore alternative employment options for Filipinos employed by POGOs.

He also recommended that the BIR be made to review the tax liabilities of POGO licensees, service providers, and its former third-party auditor.

The agency is likewise called to report to the congressional oversight committee on its actions

taken, particularly the money it was able to collect to fund priority development initiatives of the government.

Finally, Gatchalian urged the Bureau of Immigration to cancel or revoke the working visas issued to foreign nationals employed in the POGO industry.

They must also be deported following immigration rules and regulations, he said.

Gatchalian said DOLE should also be directed to cancel or revoke the alien employment permits (AEPs) issued to foreign nationals working in the POGO industry and to ensure that the AEPS will not be revived or used for any other purpose.

Former President Rodrigo Duterte was a staunch backer of the POGO industry. He repeatedly danced around the idea of halting POGOs in the country only to have it stay until his last day in office.

His successor Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., meanwhile, earlier said he could not see the point in coming up with a blanket policy of banning POGOs altogether.

“It depends on what the purpose is of banning them or removing them, because the problem in reference to POGOs, the problems come from the illegal ones, not the legal ones,” he said. n

Accountability in disaster

Scientists say the Verde Island Passage in Batangas is home to 36 marine protected areas with an estimated 1,700 fish species and 300 coral species. About two million people depend on the passage for their livelihoods, mostly fishermen and workers in the tourism industry.

Tragically, the industrial oil spilling from the sunken motor tanker Princess Empress has reached several coastal barangays on Verde Island. This was reported on Monday, March 20 by the Philippine Coast Guard, which is part of the teams tracking the movement of the oil spill and struggling to contain it. Later in the afternoon, the PCG said an aerial inspection showed that the oil sheen spotted in the waters near the island had dissipated.

While teams from different agencies assisted by civilian groups as well as Japan and now the U.S. scramble to contain the oil spill, probers must speed up the determination of accountability in one of the country’s worst environmental disasters. Reports last week said the vessel was originally an LPG tanker named Dorothy that was about 50 years old but was refurbished and made to appear new.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla described the vessel as “a rebuilt scrap… it was not built to be a tanker from the very beginning.”

He also said the ship ignored a gale warning when it set sail on Feb. 28. The ship owners have

At Ground Level

LIVE-FIRE training, using naval artillery gunfire and aviation rockets and bombs to sink a vessel in the West Philippine Sea, where China continues its aggressive maneuvers. And the first livefiring here of a U.S. Patriot missile as part of a drill in coastal defense.

That’s what the upscaled Balikatan” joint U.S.Philippines war exercises from April 11 to 28 will highlight. This latest annual event, which started in 2002 on the heels of the U.S. “war on terror,” will deploy 17,000 troops: 12,000 Americans and 5,000 Filipinos.

According to the Philippine military’s announcement last Tuesday, March 21, the target vessel will be located 22 kilometers from Zambales or 185 kilometers from Panatag Shoal, the traditionally open fishing ground which China seized from the Philippines and controlled since 2012.

“We will be sinking a target vessel using a combination of artillery naval gunfire and

On The Contrary

antOniO p. COntreraS

DURING the May 2022 presidential elections, thencandidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was not entirely the favorite of many in the scientific community, and in academia. Straw votes and informal polling conducted in many universities, including their faculty, revealed that Marcos was even at the bottom among the candidates.

A mere suspicion that an academic was favoring Marcos, more so if the person concerned was actually for Marcos, would position him or her for outright cancellation by peers in academe. I do not have to go very far and cite the experience of others, like that of former national security adviser and retired professor Clarita Carlos, to attest to the heavy burden borne by people who were “Marcos-tagged,” rightly or wrongly. I experienced it firsthand. Even if I did not vote for Marcos, since I voted for Norberto Gonzales, and just because I was trying to be fair in my commentaries about the

declined to comment. The oil spill has so far affected over 151,000 people in 131 barangays in Oriental Mindoro, Palawan and Antique, according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development, which is providing various forms of immediate relief to the residents.

Scientists have warned that the oil spill could cause long-term damage to the marine ecosystem in the affected areas. This could mean prolonged disruption of fisheries in several provinces. The pollution is also destroying beaches this summer, the peak travel season when the affected communities had hoped to bounce back from three years of pandemic disruptions.

Japan has provided a remotely operated underwater vehicle to pinpoint the exact location of the sunken tanker and determine if its cargo of 800,000 liters of bunker oil is leaking along with its fuel. Initial probes indicate that the tanker has settled at a depth of about 400 meters.

Why the ship was cleared to sail remains unclear. An official of the Maritime Industry Authority said a document bearing his signature and presented

by ship owner RDC Reield Marine Service is fake. Congress is still investigating the role of the MARINA and Coast Guard in the disaster.

Remulla has said criminal and civil cases are

being studied against the ship owners and anyone else who may be found culpable for the disaster. Accountability is crucial in preventing a repeat of this environmental crisis. (Philstar.com)

US-PH troops prepare for possible war with China

aviation weapons… We will be firing HIMARS [High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System], a combination of Philippine Air Force and U.S. Air Force rockets and bombs…,” Balikatan spokesperson Col. Michael Logico was quoted as saying. A symbolic attack on a foreign military vessel (Chinese?).

Not symbolic, however, will be the U.S. Army’s live-firing of a Patriot missile in the country. Last year, the U.S. already deployed the Patriot system in a Balikatan mobilization exercise, but didn’t fire any missile. In the ongoing Russian war on Ukraine, the U.S. has provided this weapon system to the Ukrainians, who have used it to counter Russian missile and drone attacks.

Former Philippine Navy vice commander Rommel Jude Ong explained these new aspects of Balikatan 2023:

• This year’s Balikatan “seems to be designed to test operational concepts to enhance [the AFP’S] strategic deterrence posture” in the West Philippine Sea.

• The deployment of 12,000 American troops, the expert said, is a logistics exercise “to assess how it can rapidly deploy a large number of troops and

equipment in the [war] theater.”

• The vessel-sinking exercise aims to test the Philippine Navy sea-denial strategy. “It is premised on the idea that a land-based anti-ship missile can defend the country’s waters from any adversary’s naval shipping, even from a distance.”

• Deploying the Patriot missile would allow the AFP to understand “the need for an anti-air defense system which can protect our land and critical infrastructure from conventional ballistic threats.” (Is there a push for the AFP to buy the Patriot missile system? Cost: $1.1 billion.)

Wouldn’t China be riled by these war games? reporters asked. Col. Logico replied, “We have the absolute, inalienable right to defend our territory. We are here to show that we are combat ready.”

Preceding the Balikatan, three weeks of U.S.-PH army-to-army exercises, dubbed “Salaknib (shield)”, began on March 13 at Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija. That’s the country’s largest military camp, one of the initial five bases where the U.S. forces are setting up facilities exclusively for their use, as allowed under the controversial 2014 Enhanced Defense

Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).

In the U.S., a newly-formed U.S. Marine Corps unit, the Third Marine Littoral Regiment (TMLR), has just concluded a 10-day mock battle across southern California, using a series of mock-up military bases to represent an unnamed “Pacific island chain.”

The TMLR was formed to fight on islands and along coastal shorelines (“littoral regions”). It has been given special equipment and freedom to innovate, and develop new tactics for one “highest” priority project: “How to fight a war against Chinese forces in their own backyard, and win,” according to a New York Times report.

The TMLR consists of three component forces: an infantry battalion of roughly 800 Marines, an anti-aircraft battalion that is testing new weapons and tactics and a logistics battalion. Over the next two years, it will hold “4-5 times more” war exercises than most infantry regiments.

“Its next big test,” the NYT pointed out, “will be in the Philippines in April,” referring to the Balikatan exercises.

Gen. David Berger, the USMC top general, justified preparations for a potential

future armed conflict in the Pacific by citing China’s military moves.

“Each year they are expanding their deployment,” Berger said. “Not only in terms of the complexity of them, but also the distances they cover.” He took note that China’s navy is taking after the U.S. Navy: operating in strike groups, with destroyers and other warships escorting an aircraft carrier.

One role the TMLR could take up would be to serve as spotters who would pass along the enemy forces’ positions to U.S. warplanes, warships or submarines for them to attack. Or the TMLR could do the attack themselves.

Berger also talked of new battlefield conditions anticipated in a prospective war: Enemy and civilian spy satellites fly overhead, and anyone turning on a small cellphone can become the target of a longrange rocket or missile. “If you are emitting radio energy, you can be detected by the enemy. If detected, you can be located and seen. If seen, you can be killed.”

“We have to unlearn the way we were trained… You have to have an incredible amount of trust when you haven’t heard from your Marines for several

days,” Berger stressed. The Americans assume, noted the NYT, that any battle with China may take place in what the Pentagon refers to as the “first island chain.” That includes Okinawa and Taiwan down to Malaysia, the Spratlys and the Paracels – disputed islands in the South China Sea. The “second island chain” includes the Philippines, going from Japan to Guam to south of Palau.

Most likely, if sent to fight in the Western Pacific, the TMLR would use their most capable drones: the MQ-9 Reaper, which could drop bombs and fire missiles, while beaming back intelligence information. Significantly, the drones could take off from runways only 915 meters long. Could the USMC command be eyeing the EDCA sites in the country to build therein runways for the MQ-9 Reaper? War freaks are surely getting excited. (Philstar.com)

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

* * * Email: satur.ocampo@gmail.com

Dealing with Marcoses’ charm offensive

former, not to mention my critical stance toward his fiercest rival, I became the object of a vilification campaign. Until now, those who cannot move on from their resounding electoral defeat, and continue to dwell in their mistaken fantasies about my politics, remain convinced that I am a Marcos loyalist.

To put it simply, the academe, and the scientific community is not friendly territory for President Marcos. And yet, he braved the odds and spoke at the 2023 Annual Scientific Conference and the 90th General Membership Assembly of the National Research Council of the Philippines held last Saturday, March 11, at the Philippine International Convention Center. And in his speech he declared his support for the scientific endeavor, and his recognition of the value of scientists and their research to national development.

And this is not all political talk.

For several years, researchers kept on pushing for digital agriculture. It was President Marcos who eventually made a commitment to institutionalize the Department of Science and Technology’s digital platform Sarai, which is a technology

developed with the leadership of researchers from the School of Environmental Science and Management of UP Los Baños, that would provide agricultural stakeholders with site-specific crop advisories based on data gathered from the Diwata microsatellite. He expressed support for the establishment of the Virology Institute of the Philippines and the Centers for Disease Control. And even during his campaign, he already articulated his commitment to a robust scientific agenda. He commits to improving the internet backbone of the country, and for increasing more scholarships in scienceoriented degrees.

And five days after on Thursday, March 16, President Marcos once again ventured into what could be considered as hostile territory. He graced the groundbreaking ceremonies of a housing project in Naga City under the Pambansang Pabahay ng Pamilyang Pilipino of his administration. He also earlier attended the opening of a Kadiwa center in neighboring Pili, Camarines Sur. This is a province that awarded him with only 9.51 percent of the total votes, or 102,921 out

of the 1,307,553 total votes cast. This lopsided defeat is simply because Camarines Sur and Naga City are the bailiwicks of his fiercest rival, former vice president Maria Leonor Robredo. Less than a year after, President Marcos, despite being preferred only by less than one out of 10 voters in Camarines Sur, has now become its adopted son by virtue of Resolution 133, Series of 2023, passed unanimously by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of the province. This is typical of the Marcos style of doing politics. And it is a clear answer to those who are demanding evidence of how he will forge unity in a divided political landscape, and continue to doubt his seriousness in reaching out to his critics.

The president’s sister, Sen. Maria Imelda Josefa Marcos, also conducted her own unity walk to match the talk that became the signature of her brother’s campaign. She invited the warring factions of her brother’s support base, particularly the bloggers and vloggers who are now at each other’s throats, to dinner. It was a symbolic gesture, and

is symptomatic of the Marcos brand of a charm offensive.

Recognizing that the root cause of discontent of some Marcos supporters is their view that supporters of former president Rodrigo Duterte have increasingly become more critical of the president, Senator Marcos made an effort to project unity between the Marcoses and the Dutertes by earlier posing with the former president in the Davao screening of the movie she produced, “Martyr or Murderer.”

It is too early to tell if such moves will appease the disgruntled supporters, considering that some of the discontent also stems from what they perceive as a palpable preferential treatment given to some vloggers, particularly by some powerful members of the Marcos family.

For the Marcoses, politics is always addition, even if it means bringing into their very large tent pretenders and sycophants, and those who would only obviously become allies simply because it is the most politically convenient and promising. But the acceptance of the Marcoses of these political opportunists and butterflies is but the

other side of the courage the President has shown to venture into the most hostile territory inhabited by anti-Marcos academics and scientists, and of that part of the archipelago that gave him his worst defeat in the last elections.

It is a risk that the Marcoses will always take, not only to honestly forge unity, but perhaps to play the game of politics where you keep your enemies closer. Disgruntled supporters who feel taken for granted can only hope that their reliability and loyalty should not lead them to be ignored.

This should serve as a lesson to those who support the President and the Marcoses. In their game of politics where they reach out even to critics, it doesn’t hurt to play a bit hard to get. Blind loyalty may not be the best option. It is easy to take for granted those who are always there through thick and thin. That is true in personal relationships as it is in politics. (ManilaTimes.net)

* * *

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.

“Basically what this does is brings that coordinated state response to the communities on a local level so that we can help during this emergency,” Crofts-Pelayo said.

In addition to this declaration, a federal disaster declaration from President Joe Biden was requested. This would provide “life-saving response personnel and resources to the state that then goes to the local government,” she added, listing how some of these resources include generators, road clearance equipment and supplies as well as sheltering and potential mass care assistance.

“Being prepared is an essential part of the work that we do here,” Crofts-Pelayo expressed, stating that one way to do this is by signing up for the local community’s warning system. One such alert system to sign up with is on the following website: www.calalerts.org

“If you are told to evacuate, please do so immediately,” Crofts-Pelayo said, encouraging others to put together an emergency kit in order to be completely prepared. This kit would consist of essentials such as food, water, important documents, and other things that might be needed for one’s family, including pets.

“Do not drive around barricades. Local responders use them to safely direct traffic,” she said, detailing another way in which Californians can stay safe as driving around barricades could result in one being swept away by as little as 6 inches of water.

Community safety

The webinar’s speakers emphasized keeping the community safe throughout these storms.

Vance Taylor, Chief of the Office of Access and Functional Needs at Cal OES, provided direct information on how to keep ourselves safe, especially those who are most vulnerable during these natural disasters.

“We’ve got some very serious weather coming our way. The reality is that this is gonna impact people throughout the state,” he said, adding how many of the areas that were already hit would once again be affected. Taylor described how with storms occurring more often, there will also be an increase in the number of people sheltering.

“Because it’s such a widespread event and the impact area is spread throughout the entire state, there is going to be a limit in what the government can do to help people in these situations,” Taylor said.

He added, “What can city, county, and state governments do to assist and what can we as individuals do to prepare to be safe before, during, and after disasters.”

Californians can prepare in these situations, especially those with access and functional needs, such as the following:

• Physical, developmental, or intellectual disabilities.

• Do not have access to reliable transportation.

• Those who do not have English as their primary language.

• Those with a chronic injury or illness.

• Are economically depressed.

• Are experiencing homelessness.

“These are individuals who are going to be at highest risk for negative impact in these disasters,” Taylor said, sharing how there are three areas in which those with these needs can prepare for during the recent and ongoing storms.

“For many individuals, they are energy dependent,” Taylor said, detailing how access and functional needs require power for devices they use daily, such as ventilators, assisted devices or technology, and durable medical equipment. “If there is no power, that presents life safety risks,” he added, recommending that this equipment should always be charged, especially while there is power present.

However, those at risk can also connect with programs like the Disability Disaster Access & Resources Program, which provides a variety of different resources. A few of these resources include backup batteries for important equipment detailed above, evacuation services, transportation, hotel and food vouchers, and gas cards.

“When it comes to loss of power, activate friends, family, care providers so they can assist you if the power goes out,” Taylor added how a support network is also crucial, describing how these should be people you know, trust, and can rely on as if or when the power goes out, they’ll immediately know to come support you.

The next thing that Taylor emphasized was to have an evacuation plan. During these times, people will need to be evacuated and those who are at a higher risk will need more assistance. “Make a list of friends, family members, coworkers, neighbors, or others that can help you evacuate,” he explained, adding how “The idea here is that we can’t expect any one of those individuals to be available 24 hours a day, but by having a network of people it’s likely at least one of those individuals is going to be available to help you evacuate when the time comes.”

Taylor not only reminded participants to rely on a support system, but also encouraged them to

follow the guidance of local authorities as storms are unprecedented.

“Learn different evacuation routes to leave your community and as much as you can, practice your plan regularly,” he said.

Taylor described how signing up for emergency alerts on the Cal Alerts website is also one other important step to take.

“It gives you reliable information so you know what’s coming, how to prepare, and what appropriate steps you need to take for your health and safety,” he said.

“When your life is at risk, you can’t receive too many alerts,” Taylor declared, stating how Cal Alerts is only one of many alerts that people can sign up for, where the more information, the likelihood of being prepared increases. “Those small steps will make all the difference. Plan today so you can be prepared tomorrow,” he encouraged audience members.

CalHHS resources

With the abundance of resources each speaker has already provided, Corrin Buchanan, deputy secretary for the California Health and Human Services Agency (CalHHs), provided a few more towards the end of the webinar.

“We have mobilized much of our agency (CalHHS) to continue to respond to these storms,”

Buchanan declared, adding that the Department of Social Services has also supported 33 shelters that have been stood up throughout the state.

“608 individuals were supported across these sites last night. In addition, 12 shelters are on standby and ready to be stood up as quickly as needed,” she expressed, emphasizing the full support of the state for those affected by the storms.

Buchanan further described how various agencies have been pulling through to help Californians during this time.

“The team at the Emergency Medical Services Authority has prepositioned assets and staged ambulance strike teams to be prepared to augment local capacity and ensure the EMS system is able to respond,” she described, adding how the Department of Public Health has also played a big role in helping those impacted by proactively working with their healthcare partners in ensuring that they maintain operations and have sufficient capacity.

“CalHHS, has prioritized work across 12 departments and five offices and with our statewide partners, to ensure that we are collectively preparing the most vulnerable in our communities for the impact of these storms,” Buchanan emphasized, declaring how the agency has also created a task force, the Priority Populations Task Force, to help those who are most vulnerable.

“CalHHS and CalOES are the co-chairs of this task force and we have 20 other state agencies that participate as well,” she explained, highlighting how the task force is primarily focused on four priority populations:

• People who are homeless or unsheltered.

• People who are older or medically vulnerable.

• Those with disabilities (both visible and invisible).

• Those who are residing in congregate facilities (both medical and non-medical).

Within this task force, Buchanan additionally described how they have three main goals. The first is to be able to develop and spread information to local partners regarding weather conditions as well as to emphasize state and federal resources available to the populations listed above.

The second goal has the task force working together with local and county governments to provide technical assistance and support in local planning efforts to coordinate a timely response for information and resource requests.

Lastly, the task force is also evaluating these requests from locals to make recommendations and support in the deployment of resources that may be scarce.

Buchanan then described some of the resources that are available for those who have been impacted. “It is not too late to be prepared,” she reiterated, directing people to the CalHHS website, www.chhs.ca.gov, which has guides for emergency resources, in both English and Spanish, as well as a downloadable template for creating a personal emergency plan.

The Department of Social Services website (www.cdss.ca.org) is another resource that is useful for finding information about available shelters and warming centers. In addition to these various websites, Buchanan also referenced a few numbers that can provide support for many during these times:

• Statewide Long-Term Care Ombudsman CRISIS line for those who are worried about the well-being of a loved one that is living in a long term care facility. The number is 1-800-231-4024 and it is available 24/7.

• Cal Hope: The number is 1-833-317-HOPE (4673) or one can visit their website at www. calhope.org.

• The Friendship Line, which is meant for free crisis intervention for non-emergency support, specifically for older adults. The line can be reached at 1-888-670-1360. (Amry Ferido/AJPress) n

California’s college corps...

crisis, education disparity crises. And we’re also, at the same time, facing a crisis of the spirit,” said Fryday.

“College Corps helps us address all of these multiple crises at once,” he added.

“These young people are doing really meaningful work for all of our communities. They’re doing work around climate change. They’re doing really critical work around food insecurity, helping get food to those who need it the most, and dealing with the education disparities that we’re seeing, especially among our low income youth coming out of COVID.”

College Corps volunteer

Emilio Ruiz spoke about how the program had transformed his life. The 24-year-old, who is studying at CSU Long Beach with the intent of pursuing a career in education, comes from a troubled childhood. “School was always my safe space. It was always the place where I could go to steer clear of my dilemmas and adversities, and where I could lean on adults to get support and praise.”

Through the College Corps at the Beach internship program, Ruiz was placed with Ground Education, a nonprofit organization that teaches outdoor and garden-based learning.

Finding purpose through service

“Ground Education is a shining example of the goal of creating safe spaces in schools for children. By being able to work with this incredible organization, I feel like I’ve gone

from being a student who once desperately needed a safe space to learn, to being the trusted adult who can provide students with an environment where they have a deep sense of belonging and know that they are seen, heard, supported and valued,” said Ruiz.

Dr. Allison Briscoe-Smith, Senior Fellow of the Greater Good Science Center and the co-instructor of the GGSC’s Bridging Differences online course, noted that anxiety and depression have been spiking on college campuses.

“Many clinicians like myself are hearing from students that hopelessness, purposelessness, and isolation are contributing to a sense of not feeling like they belong, and not knowing where they can get help,” said BriscoeSmith.

“So we are hopeful that the College Corps program provides an antidote: finding purpose through service. Being able to see yourself and the folks that you serve is an amazing opportunity for transformation and connection,” she said.

Project Optimism

Ishmael Pruitt, co-founder and CEO of Project Optimism, said his epiphany came about as he mentored students at Hiram Johnson High School, the lowest performing high school in Sacramento County. “Working with the students there boosted my confidence. I started to find my identity and trust that I had something to contribute to the world beyond just enrolling in college.”

“I wanted to create this opportunity for other people. So

I created a student organization for local high schools and middle schools called Project Optimism. And they had that same transformative experience,” said Pruitt, noting that students who volunteered with the Project Optimism initiative had better grades, focus, and engagement.

Project Optimism serves youth from Sacramento County all the way to Los Angeles County, about 340 students for the full year. Students are aligned with mentorship cohorts, and an intentional guiding curriculum that supports the whole student.

Dr. Beth Manke, Professor of Human Development and Program Director for the CSU Long Beach College Corps Program, noted that her campus enrolled 50 undergraduate students in the College Corps program, including a number of undocumented students.

“These are experiences that have proven to be quite transformative for our students. Over 85% of our student fellows reported that their internships have helped them in positive ways. They’re talking about how they’re able to apply course knowledge to real world experiences. They’re acquiring job or work related skills, developing skills to work effectively as part of a team,” said Manke.

“Our students are also telling us about the fact that they’re really getting a chance to understand their role in their own community. Many students today feel they don’t belong on their college campuses. Our students feel a sense of purpose and belonging,” she said. n

CONVENTION. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. (seated center) and his wife, First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos (seated 5th from right), pose for a photo at the opening ceremony of the 33rd Biennial Convention of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII) at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City on Thursday, March 23. The FFCCCII is the largest organization of Filipino-Chinese businesses with more than 170 member organizations, bringing together under one roof chambers of commerce and trade associations from various regions across the country. PNA photo by Alfred Frias

LEGAL SERVICES LEGAL SERVICES

CASE NUMBER: 37-2023-00007652-CU-PT-CTL TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner Amandeep Kaur filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Amandeep Kaur to Aman

CASE NUMBER: 37-2023-00007895-CU-PT-CTL TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner Kenneth Roberson filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Kenneth Roberson to Kenneth Dwayne Robinson. 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.

LEGAL SERVICES

CASE NUMBER: 37-2023-00008456-CU-PT-CTL TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS:

Petitioner Francisco Ezequiel Rodriguez Sanchez filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Francisco Ezequiel Rodriguez Sanchez to Adolfo Ezequiel Kinich. 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.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9003977

David Hoang DBA Fishing Poles Rental located at 4500 Ocean Blvd, Pacific Beach, CA 92109.

Registrant: David Hoang, 8912 Nelson Way, Escondido, CA 92026.

This business is conducted by Individual.

REGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) ABOVE.

Signature: Kathline David Hoang.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 02/22/2023.

AJ 1137 03/10, 03/17, 03/24, and 03/31/2023. AJSD 1137

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9002272

a. DMV DUI SHOP located at 836 Washington Street, San Diego, CA 92103.

b. MAY DUI MOM located at 836 Washington Street, San Diego, CA 92103.

Registrant: Ha Nguyen, 836 Washington Street, San Diego, CA 92103.

This business is conducted by Individual.

REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 01/31/2023.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9005139

a. The Mirror Finish located at 3182 Idlewild Way, San Diego, CA 92117.

b. The Mirror Finish Wash & Detail located at 3182 Idlewild Way, San Diego, CA 92117.

Registrant: Nestor Ismael Perez, 3182 Idlewild Way, San Diego, CA 92117. This business is conducted by Individual. REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 01/01/2023.

Signature: Nestor Ismael Perez. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 03/07/2023. AJ 1138 03/17, 03/24, 03/31, 04/07/2023. AJSD 1138

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9005529

Townsgate Constructions located at 10620 Treena Street, Suite 230, San Diego, CA, 92131.

Registrant: Townsgate Constructions, 10620 Treena Street, Suite 230, San Diego, CA, 92131. This business is conducted by Corporation.

REGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) ABOVE.

name under the Safe at Home program may contact the assigned department for information on obtaining certified copies. 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 1144

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9003967

Sweet Mirror Counseling located at 4075 Park Blvd. Suite 102-343, San Diego, CA 92103.

Registrant: Sweet Mirror Family Counseling Inc, 4075 Park Blvd. Suite 102343, San Diego, CA 92103.

This business is conducted by Corporation.

REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 02/07/2023.

Signature: Yang Jiang.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 02/22/2023.

AJ 1121 03/03, 03/10, 03/17, and 03/24/2023. AJSD 1121

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9004196

PNC Solution USA located at 4781 49th Street, San Diego, CA 92115.

Registrant: Sicha Yoon, 4781 49th Street, San Diego, CA 92115.

This business is conducted by Individual.

REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT

BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 02/01/2023.

Signature: Sicha Yoon. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 02/24/2023. AJ 1132 03/03, 03/10, 03/17, and 03/24/2023. AJSD 1132

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9004145

Active Protection Services located at 4540 Kearny Villa Road, Ste 212, San Diego, CA 92123.

Registrant: Active Pro Inc, 4540 Kearny Villa Road, Ste 212, San Diego, CA 92123.

This business is conducted by Corporation.

REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 02/012023.

Signature: Rafi Azam. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 02/23/2023. AJ 1127 03/03, 03/10, 03/17, and 03/24/2023. AJSD 1127

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9004197 AB Tour located at 4781 49th Street, San Diego, CA 92115.

Registrant: Sicha Yoon, 4781 49th Street, San Diego, CA 92115. This business is conducted by Individual. REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER

a certificate copy of Decree Changing Name (JC Form #NC-130) or Decree Changing Name and Order Recognizing Change of Gender and for Issuance of New Birth Certificate (JC Form #NC-230) may be required. Contact the agency(ies) who issues the legal document that need to be changed to determine if a certificate copy is required. A certified copy of Decree Changing Name (JC Form #NC-130) or Decree Changing Name and Order Recognizing Change of Gender and for Issuance of New Birth Certificate (JC Form #NC230) may be obtained form the Civil Business Office for a fee. Petitioners who are seeking a change of name under the Safe at Home program may contact the assigned department for information on obtaining certified copies. 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 1129

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9004397

Mendoza Truckline located at 450 Flower St. Apt A, Chula Vista, CA 91910.

Registrant: Robert Mendoza, 450 Flower St. Apt A, Chula Vista, CA 91910. This business is conducted by Individual. REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 02/27/2023.

Signature: Robert Mendoza. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 02/27/2023.

AJ 1130 03/03, 03/10, 03/17, and 03/24/2023.AJSD 1130

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9004666 Elite Hospice located at 7484 University Avenue, Suite 250, La Mesa, CA 91942.

Registrant: ANC Corporation DBA Elite Health Care Systems, 7484 University Avenue, Suite 250, La Mesa, CA 91942. This business is conducted by Corporation.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9004356

Downz Studios located at 1177 3rd Ave Suite #2, Chula Vista, CA 91911.

Registrant: Mike Robles, 470 E H St., Apt 411, Chula Vista, CA 91910. This business is conducted by Individual. REGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) ABOVE.

Signature: Mike Robles. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 02/27/2023.

AJ 1131 03/03, 03/10, 03/17, and 03/24/2023. AJSD 1131

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9005681 Eaton Electric located at 3436 6th Ave., San Diego, CA 92103.

Registrant: Wired Zone LLC, 3436 6th Ave., San Diego, CA 92103. This business is conducted by Limited Liability Company. REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE

Signature: Ha Nguyen. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 01/31/2023.

AJ 1139 03/17, 03/24, 03/31, 04/07/2023. AJSD 1139

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9005304

Hers Pet Shop located at 1747 Sweetwater Road #105, National City, CA 91950.

Registrant: Wang, 1929 Santa Maya, Chula Vista, CA 91913. This business is conducted by Corporation.

REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 02/06/2023.

Signature: Yuan Wang.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 03/08/2023.

AJ 1141 03/17, 03/24, 03/31, and 04/07/2023. AJSD 1141

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9006057

Don Lucky Towing located at 479 D St., Chula Vista, CA 91910.

Registrant: Luis Eduardo Gallardo, 479 D St., Chula Vista, CA 91910.

This business is conducted by Individual.

REGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) ABOVE.

Signature: Luis Eduardo Gallardo. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 03/17/2023. AJ 1143 03/24, 03/31, 04/07, 04/14/2023. AJSD 1143

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9003411

USCM Trade Services located at 1592 Larkhaven Dr., Chula Vista, CA 91911.

Registrant: US Customs Management LLC, 1592 Larkhaven Dr., Chula Vista, CA 91911. This business is conducted by Limited Liability Company.

REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 02/08/2023.

Signature: Anibal Valentin

Navarro JR. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 02/14/2023. AJ 1146 03/24, 03/31, 04/07, and 04/14/2023. AJSD 1146

Signature: Emil Bundang. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 03/10/2023.

AJ 1140 03/17, 03/24, 03/31, and 04/07/2023. AJSD 1140

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9005860

JYTS, INC located at 8345 Saint Andrews Ave., San Diego, CA 92154. Registrant: JYTS, INC, 8345 Saint Andrews Ave., San Diego, CA 92154. This business is conducted by Corporation.

REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 03/16/2023.

Signature: Jay Hue Yee. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 03/16/2023.

AJ 1142 03/24, 03/31, 04/07, and 04/14/2023. AJSD 1142

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9006414

Zinnia Hair Extensions And Beauty Products located at 5555 San Onofre Terrace, San Diego, CA 92114.

Registrant: Zinna Elizalde, 5555 San Onofre Terrace, San Diego, CA 92114. This business is conducted by Individual. REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 03/22/2023.

Signature: Zinna Elizalde. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 03/22/2023. AJ 1145 03/24, 03/31, 04/07, and 04/14/2023. AJSD 1145

SAN DIEGO

‘Accidental Author ’: Abi Balinggit ’s book ‘Mayumu’ highllights Filipino sweets and treats

by MoMar G. Visaya / AJPress

F ILIPINO American Abi Balingit’s unlikely journey as a cookbook author began when she posted photos of Lao Gan Ma spicy chili crisp cupcakes that she made. Her nowliterary agent reached out and asked if she was interested in writing a cookbook.

“I wasn’t thinking about writing a cookbook at all but obviously I was like ‘yeah, why not?’ she told the Asian Journal.

This was a few months into the pandemic, around September 2020, and about a month since she started her baking blog called The Dusky Kitchen out of her apartment in Brooklyn.

Two-and-a-half years later and Balingit is a newly-minted accidental author with her book

‘Mayumu: Filipino Desserts

Remixed”. The book is a nice combination of remixed Filipino American dessert recipes and essays on her Filipino American experience.

As a pandemic project, her blog became an outlet to share her baking journey and the pasalubong treat boxes she sold to benefit some nonprofit organizations that she supported.

“I used baking as a tool to cope. I’m really glad that baking was there and through the blog, it was also a way to connect with people outside of my apartment and the people I already knew,” she explained.

Balingit has been baking since she was 13. She humbly rated herself a seven when I asked her.

“I was self-taught. I had just learned on YouTube and my mom showed me some things like Filipino recipes,” she said. “There’s so much more for me to still learn even after doing this book and baking is so precise and such a science that I definitely learned a lot while doing research for it.”

Born and raised in the Bay Area, Balingit feels that all her influences have contributed to

developing her palate and her taste and those are what she offers in the book.

“Growing up in California and even living in New York, you’re exposed to so many different cultures here and you get to try so much different food. And so I think a lot of the inspiration that I got was from childhood nostalgia and meeting new people and trying other people’s food,” she said. “I do like how certain flavors can play together but still trying to like respect where things come from.”

She cited the sapin-sapin as an example.

“The hardest thing to explain about the book is like, I try really hard to you know, be intentional about where these flavors are coming from and to show sapin-sapin I know is like ube, jackfruit, and macapuno I think are the three flavors and that’s usually purple, orange and white, but you know there’s so much more you can do with those different layers.

For her, these layers are a good opening for other people who may not have tried Filipino desserts before. In her book, Balingit made it Strawberry Shortcake Sapin Sapin (Layered Rice Cake) with layers of red strawberry, white vanilla and brown molasses.

With her book, Balingit says she wants to offer options

Sago’t Gulaman Iced Coffee

Makes 1 serving

Ingredients:

* ½ cup Arnibal (page 28)

* 2 tablespoons big sago, uncooked

* Nonstick spray

* 1 teaspoon agar-agar powder

* ½ cup sugar

* 1 cup cold-brew coffee

* Heavy cream or milk, as desired

Directions:

• Pour the arnibal into silicone ice cube molds.

I like using molds with fun shapes like hearts and stars. Place in the freezer and allow to chill for at least 2 hours, or until completely frozen.

• Add 2 cups water to a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once the water is boiling, add in the uncooked sago. Cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain using a large sieve. Add 2 cups of fresh water to the saucepan and repeat this boiling and straining process again.

• For the third round, boil the sago for 30 minutes as usual, but do not strain the water. Turn off the heat and cover the pan with a lid. The sago will still have white centers. Let the sago sit overnight in the pan. After the sago is done soaking, strain and rinse the sago. The balls should be fully translucent and no longer hard. If there are still some white centers, boil 2 cups of water again and boil the sago for another 5 to 10 minutes. Strain and rinse the sago again. Place in a small bowl.

• Grease an 8 × 8-inch square pan with

Makes 1½ cups

nonstick spray and line with parchment paper. You want enough overhang on all sides to be able to easily lift the gulaman out later.

• Combine 1½ cups water, the agar-agar powder, and sugar in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently with a rubber spatula, until the mixture starts to boil, 5 to 6 minutes. Let the mixture boil for another 2 minutes, then turn off the heat. Immediately pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Let cool to room temperature for about 20 minutes. Transfer to the fridge and chill for at least 2 hours to completely set.

• After chilling, take the gulaman out of the square pan using the parchment paper overhang. Cut into ½-inch cubes. You will have leftovers, so you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

• Place the cooked sago and 2 tablespoons of the gulaman cubes at the bottom of a glass cup. Pour in the cold-brew coffee and a touch of cream or milk, if desired. Top with arnibal ice cubes. Give it a stir and drink with a straw. Use a spoon to scoop up and eat the sago and gulaman.

Arnibal

Ingredients: 1 cup packed dark brown sugar

Directions:

• Combine 1 cup water and the dark brown sugar in a small saucepan. Cook over mediumhigh heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes to a boil.

• Reduce the heat to low and continue to

simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the sugar is completely dissolved. Turn off the heat.

• Pour the arnibal into a large glass jar and let it cool at room temperature. Use as you would a simple syrup in your favorite beverages. After sealing the glass jar with a lid, you can store the arnibal in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

by Abigail

Reprinted by permission of

to home bakers so they can use whatever is accessible or familiar to them. Because she created her remixed and reimagined version of some traditional Filipino pastries and desserts, she is ready when she encounters comments with negative connotations such as “Adobo cookies, of course, she’d do that because she’s Fil-Am.”

“I think a lot of the savory combinations that I come up with, it’s like, you know, I don’t want you to taste, to bite into and be like ‘Ugh!” I would never put ratios that are too much, I don’t want you to feel like you’re eating it with rice but that it’s the flavor inspiration,” she said.

‘Bahala ka sa buhay mo’

Balingit learned a lot of life lessons from her parents Arnel and Angelita, which is why she chose Mayumu as the book’s title to honor her parents’ mother tongue – the word means sweet in Kapampangan. She memorialized one of these life lessons in her book, which she dedicated to them. She wrote: ‘To my parents. You told me “Bahala ka sa buhay mo!” So I did.’

A rough translation would be “Do whatever you want with your life” and parents usually deliver this line to their u PAGE 10

Tibok-Tibok for One

Photos by Nico Schinco Strawberry Shortcake Sapin Sapin

Abi Balingit

Sago’t Gulaman Iced Coffee Photo by Nico Schinco

Abi Balingit with her mom, dad, and sisters in front of the Golden Gate Bridge. Photo courtesy of Abi Balingit

City seeking public input regarding Ocean Beach pier renewal project

San Diegans invited to community workshops to learn more about potential long-term plans for the pier

SAN DIEGO – The City of San Diego is hosting a series of upcoming community workshops to share information about the Ocean Beach Pier Renewal project and gather input from community members. This project aims to provide a longterm solution for the 56-year-old pier through a potential replacement.

Based on the findings of a 2018 study, the city has determined that pursuing a potential replacement of the pier is the best option considering the ongoing costs of repairs, the need to modernize the existing facility and the anticipation of future sea level rise. The 2018 study by consultant Moffatt & Nichol examined the damage and deterioration of the structure and analyzed three options for the future of the pier: repair, rehabilitate or replace. The study documented various structural problems with the pier and determined that it has reached the end of its service life.

Upcoming public workshops will help Moffatt & Nichol design the preferred alternative for the potential replacement of the pier based on input from San Diegans, community impacts, environmental permitting, sustainability, operational usage, cost, historical significance and other factors. The first workshop is scheduled for Saturday, April 1, from noon to 4 p.m. at the Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road.

“The Ocean Beach Pier has provided countless memories for people all around the world since it opened in 1966, but the harsh marine environment has caused major wear and tear over time,” said Mayor Todd Gloria. “We are exploring the potential of replacing the pier because we value its importance to the community of Ocean Beach as an iconic attraction and an economic driver. We hope that a long-term solution can provide a new landmark that works for all of San Diego as well as Ocean Beach.”

The project is currently in the preliminary engineering and planning phase to develop the full scope of a preferred alternative for the potential replacement of the pier. The project still needs to go through other phases including California Environmental Quality Act and National

Environmental Policy Act permitting, other regional agency permitting, design and construction. The preliminary engineering and planning phase is expected to be completed this fall.

After the preferred alternative is completed, a detailed project schedule and cost estimate will be prepared. Currently, there is $8.4 million in state funding designated for the project and the city will pursue other state and federal grants.

A task force was created to represent the community’s interest in the project. The Ocean Beach Pier Task Force includes volunteer community members who were nominated by local advisory groups and representatives from Mayor Gloria’s office, Council District 2 and the city’s Strategic Capital Projects Department.

“Pursuing a replacement of the Ocean Beach Pier provides an opportunity to create a new, beloved structure that will serve the needs of San Diego residents and visitors well into the 21st century while honoring the legacy of the original pier,” said City Strategic Capital Projects Director James Nagelvoort. “The Ocean Beach Pier Task Force has been vital in getting the initial phase of this project heading down the right path and we look forward to receiving input from the entire community to create a replacement design that everyone can be proud of.”

The pier is currently closed to the public after being damaged by storms and high surf in January. The city will assess the full extent of the damage, both above and below the water’s surface, once the storm season has passed and then make a decision regarding the potential for repairing and reopening the pier. In the coming weeks and months, crews may be spotted on the pier and in the water around the pier as part of the investigative processes for both the potential repairs and replacement.

The city launched a new website for the Ocean Beach Pier Renewal project that lays out a history of the pier, what is planned for the project and how community members can get involved. To learn more, visit OBPierRenewal.com.

(City of San Diego Release) n

Hop into spring at City of San Diego parks and recreation centers

Family-friendly activities include egg hunts, scavenger hunts and more

SAN DIEGO – Spring has arrived and the City of San Diego’s Parks and Recreation Department is ready to celebrate the season through springthemed special events at recreation centers across the City during March and April. Various programs are planned, including egg hunts, scavenger hunts, Earth Day celebrations

and more beginning Thursday, March 23, and running through Saturday, April 22. Nearly 50 events are planned at recreation centers and parks in all San Diego communities, with events scheduled at times throughout the day, including some evening programs in collaboration with Parks After Dark.

Kids of all ages are invited to

San Diego announces creation of ‘Affordable Housing Permit Now’ program

Program implements Mayor’s executive order requiring expedited processing for 100% affordable housing and emergency shelter permits

SAN DIEGO – In response to an executive order signed in January by Mayor Todd Gloria, the Development Services Department announced this week that it has created the Affordable Housing Permit Now program for 100% affordable housing projects and emergency shelters. The program provides enhanced customer service and expedites reviews, dictating that they be completed in no more than 30 business days.

“The City of San Diego must not be an impediment to the speedy building of affordable housing, and I’m committed to taking all reasonable and responsible measures to help home builders create desperately needed homes faster,” said Mayor Todd Gloria. “That’s why I directed our Development Services Department to implement a plan to seamlessly review and approve permit applications without delay so we can get affordable housing built much more quickly.” Mayor Gloria signed the executive order moments before delivering his 2023 State of the City address and made the need for faster housing production a key pillar in his speech. In addition to the review requirement, the executive order directed the city’s Development Services Department to expeditiously hire new positions to review and issue housing permits and to immediately implement contracts

with temporary contract staff to address the city’s permitting backlog. It also directed staff to liberally grant requests for incentives and waivers that will help developers construct this much-needed affordable housing.

“DSD will facilitate speedy processing of 100% affordable housing projects by providing the fastest and most efficient customer service to applicants who are ready to build those homes,” said Development Services Department Director Elyse Lowe. “Our staff will follow strict timelines for review and approval of eligible projects, and we’ll help the

project achieve faster permitting through intensive collaboration between applicants and city representatives.”

Projects eligible for this program must not require discretionary approvals or have already obtained any relevant discretionary permits; the program is targeted for projects ready to build. The entire development – which can include emergency shelters, permanent supportive housing, transitional housing and other 100% affordable home types – must be available for very-low, low- or moderateincome households as those terms are defined in the San Diego Municipal Code.

With the recent hiring of 39 new employees dedicated to permitting residential projects, the Affordable Housing Permit Now program will not affect other project permit processing times for the Development Services Department. The city anticipates that all housing permit timelines will improve due to the new staff and increased efficiencies.

Anyone interested in learning about this program and how to apply for permits can visit the program page on the city’s website by visiting https://www.sandiego.gov/ development-services/newsprograms/affordable-housingpermit-now. (City of San Diego Release) n

City council passes plan for new safe parking lot at Rose Canyon

Successful program provides people experiencing homelessness with safe space to sleep overnight

participate in the free, familyfriendly activities that are sure to be a “hopping” good time for the entire family.

“Spring is a beautiful time in San Diego, and we look forward to seeing families participate in these fun activities in their own neighborhoods,” said Andy Field, Director of the City’s Parks

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SAN DIEGO – The City Council on Monday, March 20 unanimously approved a plan proposed by Mayor Todd Gloria to open a new safe parking lot in the Clairemont neighborhood that will include live-in-ready camper trailers as well as free, safe parking for people who sleep overnight in their vehicles.

“During the past two years, the City of San Diego has added dramatically to the range of options available for folks to get off the streets and on a path to housing,” said Mayor Todd Gloria. “With today’s City Council approval, we’re now ready to create yet another safe place for unsheltered residents to stay while case managers help them connect to a permanent home.”

Specifically, the City Council approved a proposal by the city’s Homelessness Strategies and Solutions Department to amend

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a contract with Jewish Family Service of San Diego to operate the new lot, located near the City’s Rose Canyon Operations Yard.

The lot will operate 24 hours a day and provide a safe place for unhoused residents to sleep overnight in their vehicles, with access to resources to help participants on their path to housing, including employment assistance, credit repair, financial education and more.

“Homelessness is a healthcare crisis in San Diego, and as a family physician, I support every program that can help homeless individuals find permanent housing,” said City Councilmember Jennifer Campbell, whose council district includes the location of the parking lot. “The Safe Parking Lots are among the most successful of the City’s homelessness solutions. The

new trailers and parking spaces at the Rose Canyon Safe Parking Lot will help our unhoused families get the services they need. I welcome the newest Safe Parking Lot to District 2.”

In addition to providing 15 spaces for parking, the site includes 12 camper trailers for Safe Parking participants to live in as they work to end their homelessness. The trailers come equipped with beds, showers and bathrooms. The trailers were donated to cities by the State of California as part of its emergency response to the homelessness crisis.

Jewish Family Service of San Diego will now operate four Safe Parking lots under contract with the city. Combined, the four lots provide space for up to 233 households sleeping overnight in vehicles and now 12 camper trailers. The new

‘Accidental Author’:

wayward children.

“I think that’s mostly what my parents say when they’re mad at me. It’s always like what are you gonna do, what are you doing, are you going out, are you doing this? I always think about that a lot,” she explained. “They just want you to succeed and you know, it’s not always positive but it’s always with good intentions.” Balingit took that to heart and despite having a business degree, she set forth into the field of baking and it is a journey she’s enjoying to the hilt.

“There are things that your parents would want for you but I think that you’re only happiest when you can do the things that you personally want. And by that point, they’ll be happy for you,” she added. “Baking is a passion but I still do everything to stay stable until I am financially secure.”

She also fondly remembers her mom telling her ‘Do your best and God will do the rest’ while her dad would tell her to just be good to other people a major life lesson that she learned at such a young age through the folk story about the monkey and the turtle that her dad used to tell her as a kid.

Her parents inculcated in her to lead her life with kindness and do good for others and that’s what she has been doing with her baking. The joy of doing it is sharing the stuff that she has created with other people and one way to do that is through the book. Another way is that every time she holds a pop-up, she tries her best to donate proceeds to mutual aid organizations.

California homecoming

After a couple of events in New York earlier this month, Balingit is all set to fly to California to do a mini book tour to launch the book.

“In my heart and my feelings, I feel very proud and very excited,” she told us. “My parents have a book already and they’re reading it right now. But it’s really special to come home - I’m the only one here on the East Coast right now and it’s been six years of me living here.” She knew from the get-go her primary market and she made sure her publishers knew about it.

“I was very upfront and I was like, obviously personally, I want Filipinos… to make the Filipino Americans as the most specific target but I hope that this is also to all bakers out there,” she said.

“I don’t think there’s any reason why anyone should turn an eye and be like, ‘Oh, I’m not Filipino and I have a Filipino cookbook’ because I think there’s genuine curiosity across every type

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Abi...

of baker and every different level of baker. So I think this book appeals to hopefully everyone,” she added.

Balingit was on a vacation in Key West, Florida with her boyfriend as a celebration of their fifth anniversary. Her editor emailed her saying that she has the first copies of the book and it was sent to her by mail.

“I was so excited and I cried,” she said, recalling the moment. “A lot of people compare writing a book to literally having a baby because it’s such a long gestation period.”

“Holding the book for the first time was just surreal. I think it was like a pinch yourself kind of thing because I just didn’t think it’d ever be done, to be honest.”

The sweet test

Balingit admits that as a young kid, she loved everything sweet, from candies and cakes to pastries. As she grew up, her taste matured as well.

“Now my favorite thing to say is like that’s not too sweet, that’s so good and that’s a major compliment, you know. And I think a lot of the times like American desserts are traditionally a bit sweeter,” she shared.

This is the reason why among the 75 recipes included in her book, some have savory influences, like the aforementioned Adobo Chocolate Chip Cookies. Then there’s Miso Caramelized White Chocolate Champorado with Pork Floss, KareKare Cookies, Stamped Calamansi-Fish Sauce Shortbread, Spicy Bagoong Caramels, and Sampalok Tajin Snickerdoodle, among others.

It was a conscious effort on her part to create these recipes that are not too sweet so she found ways to cut the sweetness by adding salty and savory components to balance things out.

Asked about what’s in store for the future for her, Balingit said she is open to everything. Some people have asked her to open a café to showcase all her treats, and others have suggested a follow-up book.

“I still want to love baking, I think that’s what I want to continue to do,” she said. “But it’s also about finding that delicate balance. I think maybe the right time will come for me to do all these things.”

“It’s interesting how it wasn’t always my intention to write a book, it wasn’t my intention to have this blow up the way that it did. But I’m really grateful for it,” Balingit added. “But it’s more like, I’m letting the tide take me and that’s how I want the future to be so I will never say no to anything.” n

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria File photo/www.sandiego.gov

UPAAA all set to give Oblation Awards

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

This year marks the 22nd biennial gathering of UP Alumni from across the country. Highlighting this event is giving Oblation Awards to outstanding UP alumni living or working in the United States for their exceptional personal and professional achievements.

Receiving the awards are UP alumni who contribute to their local, national, and international communities and personify the spirit symbolized by the Oblation: strength, resilience and freedom of thought and selfless action for the public interest.

One UPAAA Outstanding Alumni Group Award will

NaFFAA mourns loss of Fil-Am community advocate Jesse Vizcocho

WASHINGTON, DC – The National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) is mourning the passing of one of the Filipino American community’s most remarkable leaders, Jesus “Jesse” Antonio Vizcocho, who passed away on March 11, 2023. Born in the Philippines on December 25, 1960, Jesse immigrated to Kodiak, Alaska in 1991. He later moved to Anchorage in 2003.

In 1997, Jesse became the first Fil-Am to be appointed as a councilmember for the City of Kodiak, where he served two terms and was elected Deputy Mayor of Kodiak in 2000. He served as president of the Asian American Pacific Islander Coalition of Alaska. He also recently became the vice president for Internal Affairs and a member of the Board of Governors for the Asian American Unity Coalition (AAUC). For 30 years, he has served as a volunteer and leader of many civic, social, and religious organizations, including Community Volunteer Leader for the American Red Cross of Alaska and Government Affairs Director for the National Federation of Filipino American Associations.

NaFFAA National Chair Brendan Flores described Jesse as “an outstanding leader who wants nothing but to serve and empower those around him, especially our Filipino Americans. He was one of the biggest inspirations behind our Fil-Am Vote Program and was a good advocate for our Run For Office Program.”

Lou Vargas, Pacific Northwest Region President,

added, “During NaFFAA National’s and Region’s visit to Alaska, Jesse introduced us to several elected officials he worked with and ensured our Filipino Americans have a seat at the table where decisions regarding our communities are made.”

NaFFAA National President Mariela Fletcher, for her part, said, “Jesse was the type of leader who was very committed to his role. His passion for civic engagement was unmatched. He lived a life full of meaningful service.”

Alaska U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski issued a statement, saying, “I was so saddened to hear of Jesse Vizcocho’s passing, and send my deep condolences to his friends and family. This is a loss to the Filipino American community in Alaska that I know is being felt deeply by all who knew him.

NaFFAA plays an important role in advocating for and giving a voice to the Filipino American community in Alaska – Jesse was a leader in those efforts.

I’m grateful that I had the opportunity to know Jesse and learn from him about how we can all work together to make Alaska a more welcoming and vibrant place for everyone who calls our state home.”

Any donations to the Vizcocho family could be sent to Teresita Vizcocho at P.O Box 241304, Anchorage, AK 99524. NaFFAA National and the Pacific Northwest Region will celebrate Jesse’s life at a Memorial via Zoom with his family to be led by PNW Region President at a soon to be determined date.

(NaFFAA Release) n

City council passes plan...

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lot is anticipated to cost $474,000 through the end of June and approximately $975,000 annually.

“Those who participate in the Safe Parking Program are our neighbors, most of whom have entered into homelessness for the first time and need a safe place to stay and resources so they don’t fall further into the downward spiral of homelessness,” Jewish Family Service CEO Michael Hopkins said. “Closer to the coastal communities than the city’s existing locations, the Rose Canyon lot will be the second lot to be open 24 hours and helps grow the geographic reach of the program, enabling people experiencing homelessness throughout the city to stay safe and connected to services that will help them find more stable housing.”

Funding for the new lot includes $1.03 million from the County of San Diego’s Capital Emergency Housing Solutions Grant Program to support one-time startup and capital expenses to prepare the site for program operations.

The opening of the Rose Canyon site is part of Mayor Gloria’s comprehensive strategy to address homelessness. Last year, the city expanded the Safe Parking Program to 24-hour operation at one of the three existing lots for the first time and opened new shelters for women, seniors and those with chronic behavioral health issues. The Mayor also recently announced plans to open a shelter for families at a former motel in Barrio Logan.

To learn more about the Safe Parking Program, visit the Homelessness Strategies and Solutions webpage at https://www. sandiego.gov/homelessness-strategies-and-solutions/services/safeparking-program.

(City of San Diego Release) n

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be given to an outstanding UP Alumni group for their meritorious and exceptional activities, projects and other accomplishments which benefit not only their members and communities in the U.S., but also the University and the Philippines.

Awardees will receive a commemorative UP Oblation statuette created by ThisSideUp Casting owned by Rod Deang. The Award ceremonies will take place on Saturday, October 21, 2023, during Gala Night.

The GRC will be held on October 19 to 22, 2023 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

More information about Oblation Awards and other highlights of GRC can be found in http://upaaagrc2023. eventbrite.com. n

Hop into spring at City of San Diego parks

and Recreation Department. “It is a priority of ours to ensure that we provide programs that the entire family can enjoy together and this lineup of spring events does just that.”

Some highlights of this year’s spring events include:

• PB Spring Fling at Pacific Beach Recreation Center on Friday, March 24 from 5 p.m. - 9 p.m.

• Earth Day Celebration at South Clairemont Recreation Center on Saturday, April 22 from 10 a.m. - noon.

• Spring Egg Hunt at Golden Hill Recreation Center on Saturday, April 8 from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

• Spring Egg Hunt at Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center on Saturday, April 8

from 9:30 a.m. – noon.

• Spring Scavenger Hunt at Hilltop Recreation Center begins on March 24 and concludes on Saturday, April 8 with free goodie bags from 9 a.m. - noon for those who complete the scavenger hunt.

• Spring Egg Hunt at Gil Johnson Recreation Center/Mira Mesa Community Park on Saturday, March 25 from 10 a.m. – noon.

• Spring Festival at Linda Vista Recreation Center on Friday, April 7 from 4 p.m. – 7 p.m.

• Spring Egg Hunt at San Ysidro Community Activity Center with Parks After Dark on Thursday, April 4 from 4 p.m. - 7 p.m.

• Spring Egg Hunt at City Heights

and...

Recreation Center with Parks After Dark on Saturday, April 8 from 4 p.m. – 7 p.m.

The City’s recreation center webpage (https://www.sandiego.gov/ springfestival) has a full list of upcoming Parks and Recreation spring events. Residents can also visit their local recreation center for more information.

The City of San Diego Parks and Recreation Department manages 60 recreation centers, 14 pools, seven skate parks and other recreational facilities that serve residents and visitors of all ages. For additional information regarding the recreation center’s program guides and more, visit sandiego.gov/parks-andrecreation.

(City of San Diego Release) n

NaFFAA government affairs director, community advocate and local politician Jesse Vizcocho passed away on March 11. File photo/NaFFAA