032522 - Northern California Edition

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Volume 21 - No. 12 • 14 Pages

T HE F ILIPINO A MERICAN C OMMUNITY N EWSPAPER

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MARCH 25-31, 2022

Also published in LOS ANGELES, ORANGE COUNTY/INLAND EMPIRE, SAN DIEGO, LAS VEGAS, NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY

Duterte’s party endorses Marcos Jr. for president

by CATHERINE

S. VALENTE ManilaTimes.net

PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte’s party endorsed Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. as its presidential candidate for this year’s national elections.

The Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDPLaban), chaired by Duterte, adopted a resolution on Monday night, March 21 to formalize its endorsement of Marcos.

In the resolution, the PDPLaban described Marcos as the candidate whose platform is most aligned with the party’s

DATELINE

11-point agenda.

“After careful and exhaustive deliberations, the National Executive Committee endorses the candidacy of Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. for President of the Republic of the Philippines in the forthcoming 2022 national elections,” it said.

Victor Rodriguez, spokesman of Marcos, thanked the PDPLaban’s “kind endorsement” of Marcos, saying “the trust it placed in him inspires us beyond measure, for it signals that our message of national unity is gaining ground.”

“We are glad the PDP-Laban has joined the bandwagon of support for the BBM-Sara UniTeam of major political parties in the country. It is truly reassuring, but at the same time challenging us to be even more prepared and vigilant in light of growing rumors of possible poll fraud in the coming elections,” Rodriguez said in a statement.

“All the national surveys indicate a runaway advantage for Marcos Jr., but we cannot be complacent as the forces that try to put him down ever since, has not ceased, and apparently

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First of its kind, a new digital bank caters to the financial needs of growing Filipino American population in US

USA

FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

Elderly Filipina assaulted in New York recovering well, says consul general THE 67-year-old Filipino woman who was punched and kicked over 125 times by a male assailant in New York has been released from the hospital and is recovering well, Philippine Consul General Elmer Cato said.

“Na-release na sa hospital yung ating kababayan at kausap namin yung kanyang anak at sinabi sa amin na OK naman yung mother niya, she’s recovering well.

Nakakakain na raw (She was already discharged from hospital and we were able to talk to her child who said that she’s recovering well. She is now able to eat),” Cato said in a Teleradyo interview.

“Although nagpapahinga na, hindi pa sila ready na makiharap pa sa amin at this point

WRIT OF MANDAMUS. Officials of National Press Club (NPC), Guardians Brotherhood, and Automated Election System (AES Watch) show copies of the petition they filed at the Supreme Court on Wednesday, March 23, seeking a writ of mandamus to compel the Commission on Election to their constitutional obligation and legal mandate to ensure the conduct of a free, credible, and transparent May 9 elections.

In photo are (from left) Guardians Brotherhood national treasurer Iniego Irio, Prof. Noel Celiz of AES Watch, legal counsel Yesther Donn Baccay, NPC president Paul Gutierrez, and Guardians Brotherhood secretary general Gregorio Esperanzate. PNA photo by Avito Dalan

by DONNABELLE

AJPress

FILIPINO Americans can now sign up for the first-ever digital bank built with their cross-border financial responsibilities in mind.

BayaniPay has tied up with Californiabased East West Bank to launch a pioneering neobank that will cater to the BayaniPay announced a partnership with East West Bank to bring the first-ever Filipino American neobank to market, offering a digital checking account, a co-branded Visa debit card banking needs of more than 4 million Filipinos based in the United States. and a lineup of financial services, like zero-fee remittances to the Philippines.

A neobank, also referred to as a challenger bank, is a financial technology firm that partners with a traditional bank to provide federally insured banking services.

Launched on March 16, BayaniPay’s neobank services will include the Easy Digital Checking Account powered by East West Bank, a Visa Debit Card, and zero-fee, faster remittances to the Philippines.

Powered by East West Bank, the largest publicly traded bank headquartered in

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PH bound by treaty to side with US if Leni-Kiko Pasig rally draws Putin destruction of Ukraine spreads biggest crowd so far

by CRISTINA

ELOISA Inquirer.net

BACLIG

MANILA — As the destruction of Ukraine

 PAGE 5 by Vladimir Putin’s military unfolds before

On March 4, Duterte said he believed that the Philippines has to remain neutral but “in the end,” may have to choose sides between Russia and Ukraine.

“For me, we should stay neutral. But reality tells me that in the end, we’ll just have to select which side we will be,” Duterte said.

While Duterte has yet to be categorical on which side the Philippine government will be, a more recent statement by Manila’s top diplomat to Washington seemed to unveil plans to support one of the countries involved

Can K-6 grade children safely return to school without masks?

CHILDREN ages 5-11 have one of the lowest vaccination rates of any group but are now returning to elementary schools which have no masking requirements and do not require them to stay at home if a classmate is infected.

“2022 could well be the worst year of the pandemic for children,” said Beth Jarosz, Deputy Director, and Program Director of U.S. Programs for Kids Data, at a March 16 news briefing organized by Ethnic Media Services, in collaboration with the California Department of Public Health’s Vaccinate All 58 initiative. The briefing was held during the CDPH’s “Week of Action.”

Alarmingly, more than 30 percent of child COVID deaths across the whole pandemic in California have happened just in the first two and a half months of 2022, noted Jarosz.

Less than one-third of 5 to 11-year-olds in California are fully vaccinated, she said. One of the bright spots in the state is Imperial County, a largely agricultural region where

Telco, airlines now open to full foreign ownership

by LEILA B. SALAVERRIA ROY STEPHEN C. CANIVEL Inquirer.net

MANILA — Telecommunications, airlines, expressways and tollways, railways, and shipping in the country will now be open to full foreign ownership after President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday, March 21 signed into law Republic Act No. 11659 amending the 85-year-old Public Service Act (PSA).

The amendment excluded these economic sectors from the definition of public utility in the PSA and are thus no longer subject to the 40-percent foreign ownership cap on public utilities under the 1987 Constitution.

The amended PSA limits public utilities to the distribution and transmission of electricity, petroleum and petroleum products pipeline transmission systems,

by JEANNETTE

I. ANDRADE, KRIXIA SUBINGSUBING Inquirer.net

MANILA — A Pasig River wave of pink washed over Emerald Avenue in Pasig City as early as noon on Sunday, March 20 that saw skyscrapers with splashes of presidential candidate Leni Robredo’s color.

A predominantly young crowd of at least 137,000, according to  PAGE 4 the Pasig City police, spilled over to EDSA and adjoining streets from the entire stretch of Emerald

the eyes of millions, the United States went all out in its support for the former Soviet republic, drawing reactions from world leaders, including Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.

But where Duterte stood in the conflict is still murky although the Philippine ruler has dropped hints.

 PAGE 5

ARAVELO

at the Ortigas business district.

The crowd estimate was later placed by organizers at 180,000.

The grand people’s rally, held 50 days before Election Day, was the largest crowd the ticket has gathered so far.

Crafting a so-called Pasig River wave, starting from the main stage, the tail end of the wave could barely be seen from its

 PAGE 2

water pipeline distribution and wastewater pipeline systems, seaports, and public utility vehicles.

The president thanked Congress for approving the measure that he said would help lead the country toward economic recovery amid the pandemic.

“I believe that through this law, the easing of foreign equity restrictions, we will attract more global investors, modernize several sectors of public service, and improve the delivery of essential services,” Duterte said.

“It is also expected to generate more jobs for Filipinos, improve basic services for Filipino consumers, and allow for the exchange of skills and technology with the country’s foreign partners,” he added.

Ranked as the third most restrictive Tens of thousands of supporters of Vice President Leni Robredo surge like a wave on Emerald economy in the world based on the 2020 Avenue in Pasig City during Sunday’s (March 20) “PasigLaban” grand people’s rally. It was by

 PAGE 5

far the largest crowd her ticket has gathered 50 days ahead of the May 9 vote.

Inquirer.net photo by Elmer Gatchalian

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From the Front Page

Duterte’s party endorses...

PAGE 1 has even intensified their gutter ways,” he added.

Marcos, running mate of the President’s daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, is running under the Partido

Federal ng Pilipinas party.

The duo’s campaign has centered on unity, saying it is the first step to overcome the crisis brought about by the pandemic.

As part of its COVID-19 pandemic recovery plan,

the UniTeam has pledged to revive the agriculture sector and continue President Duterte’s “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program to generate jobs and jumpstart the economy. n

Leni-Kiko Pasig rally draws biggest crowd...

PAGE 1

starting point.

The crowding prompted program hosts to remind the audience to strictly observe health protocols and to make sure to call the attention of medics should they feel nauseous due to the warm weather.

The PasigLaban grand rally also saw the birth of a “Lenislide” dance move, to supposedly usher in a win for the presidential candidate.

Senators in the tandem of Robredo and Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan delivered their campaign speeches, with Robredo finally addressing the crowd late in the evening. The grand rally ended at 8:45 p.m.

False bomb threats Meanwhile, the last surviving members of the 1971-1972 Constitutional Convention assembled under the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos regime on Sunday came out in support of Robredo.

The 13 signatories — which include Sen. Richard Gordon, Chief Justice Hilario Davide, and lawyer Lilia de Lima — said “only

Leni Robredo … meets and fits the highest credentials for the presidency.”

“To address and face up to these formidable challenges [facing the country], we need a tried and tested leader who is capable, caring, sincere, focused, and most of all godly, who does not steal and does not lie,” they added.

In supporting Robredo, the 13 delegates cited her concrete action programs, unblemished track record, and her long public service in marginalized sectors of the country as proof that she was more than qualified for the presidency.

Gordon, the youngest delegate in the convention, is also a guest candidate on Robredo and Pangilinan’s ticket.

On Sunday, the Philippine National Police warned persons posting bomb threats on social media that they could be held liable under a Marcos law punishing false bomb threats.

The Facebook page of a group organizing the grand rally in Pangasinan for Robredo and Pangilinan was hounded by bomb

threats, possibly from supporters of rival candidates.

Col. Jean Fajardo, spokesperson for the PNP, said in a message on Sunday that false bomb threats included those posted on social media.

“The law is clear on this,” she said, referring to Presidential Decree No. 1727, which was signed into law by the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1980.

Fajardo particularly cited a provision where the law explicitly provides sanctions for “lawless elements and other persons popularly known or described as ‘pranksters,’ having been conveying, propagating or otherwise disseminating false information or willfully making threats regarding the alleged presence of bombs, explosives, incendiary devices, or any similar device or means of destruction in buildings, tenements, and other places, by word of mouth or through the use of telephones, telegraph, the mail, and other means of communication, for the purpose of causing or creating public confusion and disorder.” g

CELEBRATION. Colorful confetti rain on couples after their mass wedding at the Caloocan Sports Complex on Sunday, March 20. A total of 700 pairs took advantage of the free ceremony initiated by the local government and Philippine Statistics Authority.

PNA photo by Ben Briones

First of its kind, a new digital bank caters to...

PAGE 1 Southern California, BayaniPay users can apply and open a checking account, which will be insured by Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) up to $250,000. It has no minimum deposit or balance maintenance requirements.

Associated with the Easy Digital Checking Account, BayaniPay will also offer an East West Bank co-branded Visa debit card that can be used at retailers and in-network automated teller machines (ATMs) across the U.S. The company said soon, the debit card will provide cash back and other rewards on purchases.

Many immigrants continue to choose to keep their funds in cash because of the barriers associated with traditional banking, including high fees and paperwork-heavy application processes.

The latest data shows that the estimated 4.2 million U.S.-based Filipinos account for $145 billion or 14.4% of the $1.3 trillion Asian American spending power in the U.S. “Despite their significant market size and buying power, no bank has catered to their financial needs and responsibilities both here and in the Philippines,” BayaniPay chief executive officer Winston Damarillo said during the company’s press launch on Wednesday, March 16 in Los Angeles.

Damarillo, a serial entrepreneur with three Silicon Valley exits, shared how BayaniPay came about based on his experience migrating to the United States and having to adapt to the country’s banking system.

“As an immigrant myself, I’ve had firsthand experience with how financial services for global professionals were solely lacking or came with high fees. That’s why we created BayaniPay,” he said.

East West Bank executive vice president and chief operating officer Parker Shi said this is the first time that the bank will make its digital banking platform available to enable banking as a service.

“As a premier financial bridge between the United States and Asia, we have developed robust digital banking capabilities to meet our customers’ cross-

BayaniPay CEO Winston Damarillo speaks to his experience immigrating to the United States and how it helped create the company, which is now the first-ever neobank for Filipino Americans through East West Bank’s digital banking services. He was joined on stage during the company’s press launch by BayaniPay board vice chairman Phillip Thong (center, back) and Parker Shi, East West Bank Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (right).

Photos courtesy of BayaniPay

Philippine Consul General Edgar Badajos speaks at BayaniPay’s press launch in Los Angeles on Wednesday, March 16.

border needs,” Shi said. “We introduced direct-to-consumer digital banking services to provide customers around the world with comprehensive solutions that fit their lifestyle.

This partnership enables fintech providers like BayaniPay to embed our products and services to serve a whole new group of customers.”

Moreso, BayaniPay customers can also continue to enjoy its core features — market-leading exchange rates and zero-fee remittances, now completed in real-time — when they apply and are approved for the Easy Digital Checking Account.

Offering competitive exchange rates, Damarillo said, is a commitment made possible by BayaniPay’s strategic

partnership with East West Bank and BDO Unibank Inc., the largest universal bank in the Philippines, through its subsidiary BDO Remit (USA) Inc. By connecting two banks, BayaniPay is able to take out the middlemen common in many remittance services, Damarillo added.

There’s the agent that collects the cash, the bank that stores it, and somebody in the middle in the forex and the other side in the Philippines that you pay for distribution. If you limit that to East West Bank in the U.S. and BDO in the Philippines, it’s pointto-point,” Damarillo said.

BayaniPay is able to offer zero-fee remittances because “the customer now is doing everything themselves, by using u PAGE 4

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PAGE 1

their apps. Now our job is to bridge the two banks and provide the very powerful and secure application,” he added.

In line with this, BayaniPay has also partnered with Seafood City, the largest Filipino-run supermarket chain in the U.S. with an average of about 1 million visits from customers every week. The startup currently has activation booths in stores across California with ambassadors who are helping customers sign up with their accounts.

With a minimum remittance of $99 and maximum daily transaction of $1,999, remittances through BayaniPay can be received within 24 hours or less —or 12 hours or less with the digital bank account.

Remittances can be claimed through major Philippine banks or any 1,400 BDO branches, 4,400 BDO Unibank ATMs, or over 8,000 BDO Cash Agad outlets; plus rural banks, pawnshop partners, and Cash Pick UP Anywhere locations including: BDO branches, SM Forex, Business Centers, PinoyCenters, Palawan Pawnshop, Banko

Mabuhay, Villarica Pawnshop, RD Pawnshop, Card Bank, Bank of Florida, QCRB and Rang-ay Bank.

Asked how fool-proof is their system, Damarillo assured that all BayaniPay services will undergo a rigid KYC (know your customer) safety check to ensure seamless and secured digital banking transactions for all app users.

“We are backed by two big banks. On the U.S. side, its FDIC insured up to $250,000 and in the Philippines, its Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) insured. At the two ends, it’s highly secured to begin with and guaranteed by the federal governments,” he said. “The transmission is between a bank and a bank and the likelihood of the money going away is very less. In addition to that, we’ve shown you the biometric KYC that makes it more secure because of the facial recognition.

No remittance companies do that, I think we’re one of the first ones that had it,” he added.

Asked about their future expansion plans, Phillip, Thong, vice chairman of the BayaniPay board, said after saturating

the U.S. market, they would eventually offer their digital platform services to other countries with large Filipino immigrant populations like Canada.

BayaniPay, which entered the market in November 2021 offering remittances, was formed in partnership with Talino Ventures Labs, the Asian Journal, and Wavemaker Partners. (The Asian Journal is a partner of BayaniPay but maintains editorial independence.)

“It is beneficial not only to overseas Filipino families but also to the Philippine economy. For all these things, the arrival of BayaniPay is such a wonderful thing. But what makes it more remarkable is that it was developed by Filipinos for overseas Filipinos,” said Philippine Consul General Edgar Badajos during Wednesday’s launch.

BayaniPay will initially be available to California residents sending money to the Philippines. The company plans to offer its financial services to other states in the coming months.g

PAGE 1

in the war.

The country, however, was neither Ukraine nor Russia.

Instead, it was the United States, a longstanding ally of the Philippines and now an important supporter of Ukraine.

‘If push comes to shove’ According to Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Romualdez, Duterte said the Philippine government may open its facilities to the U.S. if Putin’s quest to destroy Ukraine spilled over to Asia.

“He [Duterte] says he might not be able to go [to the U.S.] but to give them the assurance that if ever it is needed, the Philippines is ready to offer whatever facilities, or whatever things that the United States will need, being a major, our number one ally, in using the facilities in the Philippines, without any restrictions,” said Romualdez.

“He says if they are asking for the support of the Philippines, he was very clear if push comes to shove, the Philippines would be ready to be part of the effort especially if this Ukrainian crisis spills over to the Asian region,” he added.

According to Romualdez, Duterte’s assurance is that the Philippines will honor its Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) with the United States if the situation warranted it.

The MDT, signed between the two nations in 1951, calls for both nations to come to each other’s defense in case of an armed attack.

“I’m pretty sure that the President meant this to be an emergency situation where—let’s pray that it doesn’t happen—but if this spreads out into our part, the Asian region, for some reason or another, the President obviously sees the need for us to make a choice and our choices, obviously, since we have an MDT with the United States, we have this special relationship, our military alliance,” Romualdez said.

Possible locations Duterte, according to Romualdez, has mentioned that the Philippines would be “ready to open its doors” and allow the U.S. to use facilities that might be needed if an “emergency situation” breaks out.

In a more recent statement, Duterte said if Putin launched nuclear weapons to achieve his goal of destroying Ukraine, China, a Russian ally, could start the invasion of the Philippines.

According to Romualdez,

some of the facilities which the Philippines might allow to be used

by U.S. forces could include the former American air and naval bases in Subic, Zambales and Clark in Pampanga.

“He said that he is allowing the use of facilities, which I assume would be the use of Clark for instance, for some of the aircraft that the United States may need,” said Romualdez.

“And perhaps Subic. We have a repair facility there that is going to be used not only by the United States but by other countries, Japan, Australia, and other countries. It’s a commercial business. Hanjin is now ready to be opened again for use by many of the ships, both private and military ships or Navy ships that may want to use it for repair or for other activities,” he added.

The United States maintained a naval base in Subic until 1991 when the Philippine Senate refused to renew a military bases agreement between the two countries. The Philippine decision also led to the dismantling of a U.S. airbase at Clark, Pampanga province.

Subic and Clark have since been redeveloped into free ports, bustling economic hubs that have withstood the pandemic.

However, Romualdez clarified that while the Philippine government has expressed its willingness to lend its facilities to the U.S., there is no need to craft a new treaty—which would allow the U.S. to establish military bases in the country.

“The bases are no longer there.

In other words, if the U.S. will need our facilities, it will only be temporary,” he said in an interview over radio station dzBB last March 14.

“Most likely it’s only for their supplies or an area in Subic where they can repair their ships,” he added.

Divided views Duterte’s statement expressing possible support to the U.S. amid Putin’s destruction of Ukraine, however, was met with mixed reactions.

In a statement, Sen. Leila de Lima slammed what she described as “an irresponsible and premature statement” on the Philippines’ supposed role should Putin’s destruction of Ukraine spill over to Asia.

According to De Lima, such a statement “engenders an escalation in the language of the conflict” and such is not yet being discussed by leaders of Europe

and the U.S. “The Philippine government should not be issuing statements that are counter-intuitive to conflict resolution and which almost amount to sabre-rattling.

The call of NATO and the U.S. is for peace and the withdrawal of Russian forces,” the senator said.

“For the Philippines to be talking about its role in the event of the expansion of the conflict, while NATO is even steadfast in its own outright refusal to put NATO boots on Ukrainian soil, only reflects Duterte’s ‘utak pulbura’ world-view,” she added, using a Filipino term for war freak.

De Lima, a staunch critic of Duterte, also said that by issuing the statement, Duterte might be putting the U.S. on the spotlight if indeed the U.S. is also projecting a worldwide conflict arising from Putin’s aggression.

“Of course, the U.S. is not expected to respond to Duterte’s invitation, premature and irresponsible as it is in light of the critical nature of the U.S. relations with Russia as of present,” said De Lima.

“Southeast Asia as of now is still very remote from the conflict, other than feeling the war’s economic repercussions,” she continued.

“To talk about Philippine involvement means that the conflict has already expanded to other parts of NATO Europe and the U.S., for the Philippines to be taking into consideration its defense arrangements with the U.S. This also means that the conflict has approached a global scale, heading towards a third world war,” she added.

On the other hand, Sen. Panfilo Lacson said he believed that the Philippines must be “fully prepared” for a possible spillover of Putin’s aggression to Asia.

Lacson said the Philippines must walk the talk, given that the Philippines has already supported the United Nations General Assembly resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“We signed the UN General Assembly resolution condemning the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

So we should walk the talk. If our facilities are needed whether it be on land, sea or air, that is but proper,” Lacson said in an interview on radio station dzRH last week.

“It is better to be prepared than be surprised,” the senator said, adding that the Philippines “must be consistent—we must maintain u PAGE 7

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Elderly Filipina assaulted in New York recovering... Can K-6 grade children safely return to school...

PAGE 1

(Although she is already resting, her family is still not ready to face us at this point),” he added.

Cato said the Philippine Consulate General in New York has offered to extend assistance to the victim, who is a dual citizen and hails from the Ilocos region.

“Sinabi naman sa atin na sasabihin naman nila kung ano yung maaaring maitulong natin sa kanila (They told us that they will inform of any assistance they may need),” he added.

According to Cato, the suspect responsible for the attack was immediately arrested after the incident.

“Yung suspect is staying in the same building, same apartment building at ito ay may criminal record at may history rin ng mental health problems (The suspect is staying in the same building, same apartment building and he has a criminal record and has a history of mental

health problems),” he said.

Earlier, Cato described as an “unspeakable act” this latest incident of Asian hate crime in New York.

There have been 26 anti-Asian attacks involving Filipinos in New York and surrounding areas in the past year, Cato said.

While authorities in the United States are “doing their best” to address the rise in Asian hate crimes, “they cannot be everywhere,” said Cato.

“We don’t know kung saan yung next incident [where the next incident will happen],” he added.

Cato then advised Filipinos to exercise caution, especially when taking the subway.

“Because marami pa ring mga homeless, maraming mga mentally disturbed individuals, maraming individuals with criminal records na pakalat kalat pa rin sa siyudad (Because there are still a lot of homeless people,

mentally disturbed individuals and many individuals with criminal records roaming the city),” he added.

For Filipino tourists in New York, Cato also reminded them to be “extra vigilant, especially when [they’re] out there on the streets.”

“Even here in Manhattan na sentro ng New York City, marami ring nagaganap na mga Asian hate crimes. They should be aware of their surroundings and use common sense (Even here in Manhattan, which is the center of New York City, a lot of Asian hate crimes have occurred, so they should be aware of their surroundings and use common sense),” he said.

Cato said the consulate together with the Filipino community will hold a webinar to teach Filipinos about basic and practical self-defense skills.

(Christia Marie Ramos/Inquirer. net)

foreign companies operating in the country, has described the amended PSA as a gamechanging law.

According to JFC, this would match the foreign investment policies of Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia.

It also complies with commitments the Philippines made in the Asean Comprehensive Investment Agreement to open investment in services to other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) as part of the Asean Economic Community.

“We pledge our efforts to bring the reform to the attention of firms in our member-countries in the United States, Australia-New Zealand, Canada, Korea, Japan and Europe. We will encourage them to invest in the Philippines and support better public services for the Filipino people with capital and technology,” JFC earlier said.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, who is also chair of the Board of Investments, had also said that such an amendment to the PSA would pave the way for more foreign investments in the Philippines.

“Foreign equity restrictions will be eased, which will attract more global players that will modernize several sectors such as telecommunications, shipping, airlines, railway, and subways. Similarly, there will be

increased competition in terms of services and products which will generate better quality of services and competitive pricing to the benefit of the consumers. Higher investments will also generate more jobs and income for the people,” Lopez said.

“I am confident that we can make economic recovery happen in the Philippines this year. With the amended [PSA], we expect the entry of new foreign investors and the introduction of modern and new technologies in these sectors,” he said.

Retail trade easing The amendment of the PSA completes the three foreign investment liberalization bills pushed by the Duterte economic team instead of amending the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution, which would have taken a longer time and has been controversial despite attempts to amend only its economic provisions—among the most restrictive in the world that has made the Philippines a laggard in attracting foreign investments in Asean.

In April last year, President Duterte urged Congress to fasttrack three bills that would further open up the economy to more foreign investors and, according to his economic managers, help the economy recover from pandemic-induced recession. u PAGE 7

Telco, airlines now open to full foreign...

PAGE 1

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report, the Philippines will benefit from the amended PSA as it will attract foreign capital, generate more jobs, and introduce innovation that can lead to improved quality and lower prices of public services.

More jobs, lower prices The American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (AmCham) on Monday said the signing of the amended PSA, as well as the earlier enactment of investment-easing measures, made the Duterte administration “very business-friendly.”

“AmCham is thrilled that the bill is being signed today. It is a major legislation that will further open up the Philippines for more foreign investment which will create jobs,” AmCham executive director Ebb Hinchliffe said in a Viber message to the Inquirer.

“There are several U.S. companies [which I’m] not at liberty to name at this time that are waiting for the bill to be signed. Add this to the CREATE (Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises) bill, retail trade bill, the amendments to the FIA (Foreign Investments Act), and now PSA, this has been a very business-friendly Congress and administration,” he said.

The Joint Foreign Chambers (JFC), which groups nearly all

PAGE 1 58 percent of 5 to11-year-olds have been fully vaccinated, said Jarosz. She credited trusted partners and community-based organizations for getting the word out about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine for children.

“A lot of people believe that kids don’t get COVID. But what we find is that they are getting it, but it’s not as severe as in adults. But thousands of children have been hospitalized with COVID, and hundreds of children have died from COVID,” said pediatrician Dr. Jennifer Miller of the Oaklandbased East Bay Pediatrics.

Parents who are vaccinated themselves are often reluctant to get their younger children vaccinated. “They’re not sure that the disease is severe, they’re not sure that they believe that the kids are going to get that sick,” said Miller, drawing upon her own experience with the parents of her patients.

“Some families worried that the vaccine affects fertility in their reproductive years,” or that “corners were cut in the production of this vaccine” which could lead to longer-term consequences.

“There’s no data that shows this at all,” Miller stressed. “In fact, the data suggests the opposite… that this vaccine is safe and effective.

It’s been rigorously tested. No corners were cut, and no steps were skipped in the approval of this vaccine.”

Dr. Sohil Sud, who leads the Safe Schools for All initiative of the California Department of Public Health, pointed to downward trends in the numbers of new infections, hospitalizations, and deaths. At the peak of Omicron last year, one out of every four tests administered for COVID was positive; that number is down to 1 out of every 100.

Hospitalization and death rates from COVID mirror that trend, said Sud, who is a pediatrician with two children in the 5 to 11 year range . Given the dramatic drops, California has changed its policy guidelines for schools, he said.

As of March 12, students in California are no longer required to wear masks in schools; the state has transitioned from a mask mandate to a “strong recommendation.”

“This means we are still asking students and staff to continue wearing, just as we stated for the general public a few weeks ago.

But the state no longer requires that schools track and enforce this,” said Sud, adding that school districts can still choose to make a local masking requirement: the state has released guidelines on how to effectively do so.

The state is also encouraging school districts to use a notification based model for managing students exposed to COVID-19 at school, instead of a quarantine based model. Sud explained that if someone in class has COVID, they should isolate at home. But others exposed to that individual can and should stay in school, wearing a mask, and being on high alert for symptoms.

The state also aims to get more children vaccinated by providing vaccine clinics at school sites and providing test kits for students to take home.

“I think we’re taking steps in the right direction. We’ve come a long way since schools were first shut down two years ago,” said Sud. Dr. Veronica Kelley, chief of mental health services at the Orange County Health Care Agency, spoke about the profound mental health impacts of COVID

isolation on K-6 grade children.

“They’re sitting at a kitchen table with Zoom for school, and they aren’t surrounded by their friends. They interact with their friends and other adults differently,” she said.

In 2021, children’s hospitals in California reported a 14 percent increase in mental health emergencies, and a startling 42 percent increase in self-harm, which included suicide attempts.

“Our kids have experienced many losses, including missing the first day of school, missing graduation, participating in sports and ceremonies like Quinceañeras and baptisms,” said Kelley. She noted that an estimated 167,000 children in the state have lost a parent or caregiver to COVID. Distress in kids can show up as irritability, anger, changes in behavior and sleep patterns. “So, if you see something, let your kid know that you are there, and don’t be afraid to ask a health professional for help. There are a lot of free resources available through every county,” said Kelley. (Sunita Sohrabji/Ethnic Media Services)

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MARCH 25-31, 2022 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (650) 689-5160

Dateline USa

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NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • MARCH 25-31, 2022 ABISO SA PAGKATUKLAS NG WALANG MAKABULUHANG EPEKTO AT ABISO NG LAYON NA HUMILING NG PAGLABAS NG MGA PONDO

Marso 25, 2022 Mga Responsableng Entidad: Lungsod ng Alameda 2263 Santa Clara Avenue, Room 190 Alameda, California 94501 510-747-4349 County ng Alameda Departamento ng Pabahay at Pagpapaunlad ng Komunidad 224 W. Winton Avenue, Room 108 Hayward, CA 94544 510-670-5280

EAT MY DUST. Carabaos (water buffalo) geared with carts purposely made for racing run against other carabaos on a makeshift dirt track towards the finish line in Peñaranda, Nueva Ecija on Monday, March 21. Carabao racing, a common spectacle during fiestas, is a popular sport among farmers and carabao enthusiasts.

PNA photo by Oliver Marquez

Telco, airlines now open to full foreign...

PAGE 5

In an April 12, 2021, letter to Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, the president said he certified the immediate passage of amendments to the PSA, the FIA, and the Retail Trade Liberalization Act. The team had argued that foreigners’ bigger participation

in local industries would not only further promote domestic competition but also create more jobs.

The amended FIA is positioned to attract more foreign investments amid the COVID-19 pandemic as it provides less stringent requirements for potential foreign investors to enter the Philippine market.

PAGE 4 close ties with allies who will help ensure our security from external threats.”

Aside from the economic consequences of Putin’s aggression—which are already being felt in the Philippines through oil prices–it is not yet clear what consequences the Philippines might suffer once the U.S. finally uses facilities in the country, as Duterte has stated.

However, early on, Putin has already made a clear and chilling warning against countries that will provide aid and support to Ukraine as his forces push forward to the former Soviet republic as part of what the dictator described as a “special military operation.”

“Whoever tries to hinder us, or threaten our country or our people, should know that Russia’s response will be immediate and will lead you to consequences that you have never faced in your history,” Putin said in a televised broadcast last Feb. 24.

“We are ready for any turn of events. All necessary decisions in this regard have been made.

I hope that I will be heard,” he added.

Despite Putin’s warning, however, U.S. President Joe Biden and U.S. allies imposed a series of swift and sweeping sanctions against Putin and Russia for the invasion of Ukraine. These tough penalties by the U.S., as well as its Western allies, aimed to impose extreme economic costs on Russia and its people.

The U.S. has also been sending military support to Ukraine since the attacks started last Feb. 24, which included so-called lethal aid or weapons.

Last March 17, Biden approved an additional P41.9B ($800M) for its military aid package to Ukraine, bringing the cost of total U.S. security aid to Ukraine since the Putin invasion began to P52B ($1B).

The lethal aid included sophisticated weapons like the Javelin shoulder-fired anti-tank missile system and the Stinger shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missile system. Both weapons systems had been described as “fire and forget” because of the ease with which these could be launched by a single soldier and their accuracy.

For the first time, Biden also called Putin a “war criminal.”

The proposed amendment to the retail trade law seeks to bring down the ceiling for the capital required of foreign-led retailers to set up shop in the Philippines.

Duterte signed RA 11595 amending the Retail Trade Liberalization Act of 2000 in January 2022, while RA 11647, which amended the FIA of 1991, was signed last March 2. g

PH bound by treaty to side with US if...

A few days earlier, on March 11, the U.S. Senate approved the P712B ($13.6B) emergency military and humanitarian aid package for Ukraine and its European allies—P340B will be given to the Pentagon while P350B will go to care for refugees.

So far, Russia has only produced and approved a list of countries and territories that have conducted “unfriendly actions” against Russia and its citizens over Putin’s bid to destroy Ukraine.

On the list, according to a report by Al Jazeera, were Albania, Andorra, Australia, Great Britain, including Jersey, Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Gibraltar, European Union member states, Iceland, Canada, Liechtenstein, Micronesia, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, San Marino, North Macedonia, Singapore, United States, Taiwan, Ukraine, Montenegro, Switzerland, and Japan.

Tension continued to escalate between the Russian government and the U.S. as concerns were expressed over Chinese military aid to Putin, a close ally of Chinese President Xi Jinping. g

Ang Abisong ito ay dapat makatugon sa dalawang magkahiwalay ngunit magkaugnay na mga kinakailangan sa pamamaraan para sa mga aktibidad na isasagawa ng Lungsod ng Alameda at ng County ng Alameda. Nakumpleto ng Lungsod ng Alameda at ng County ng Alameda ang magkasamang pagsusuri sa kapaligiran.

PAGHILING PARA SA PAGLABAS NG MGA PONDO Sa o mga Abril 12, 2022 magsusumite ang County ng Alameda ng kahilingan sa United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) para sa pagpapalabas ng mga pondo ng HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) sa ilalim ng Titulo II ng Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act ng 1990, ayon sa pagkasusog, at magsusumite ang Lungsod ng Alameda ng kahilingan sa United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) para sa pagpapalabas ng mga pondo ng Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) sa ilalim ng Titulo I ng Housing and Community Development Act ng 1974 at para sa pagpapalabas ng mga pondo ng HUD Seksyon 8 sa ilalim ng Titulo 1 Seksyon 8 ng United States Housing Act ng 1937, na sinusugan ng Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act ng 1998, upang magsagawa ng proyektong kilala bilang Dignity Village Transitional Supportive Homeless Housing Project para sa layuning pagpondo sa pagtatayo ng bago, ligtas, magagamit na mga transisyonal na tahanang apartment, na papalit sa isang bakanteng lote sa ari-arian na ang address ay 2350 Fifth Street sa pagitan ng Willie Stargell Avenue at Ralph Appezzato Memorial Parkway.

Dalawang nonprofit na organisasyon, ang DignityMoves at Five Keys kasama ang Lungsod ng Alameda at ang Successor to the Community Improvement Commission (SACIC), ay nagmungkahi ng pansamantalang pansuportang proyektong pabahay sa walang tirahan, na pinangalanang Dignity Village, na itatayo mula sa lupa gamit ang modular na konstruksyon sa “bottle parcel,” isang kakaiba ang hugis, bakanteng lote na kasalukuyang pag-aari ng Lungsod ng Alameda. Ipinapahiwatig ng mga talaan ng kasaysayan na dating naglalaman ang lugar ng isang bodega para sa istasyon ng hukbong-dagat. Ang proyekto ay isang infill development sa isang binuong kapitbahayan. Ang lugar ay katabi mismo ng isang lokal na kolehiyo ng komunidad, sa tapat ng maraming pantahanang pagpapaunlad at malapit sa isang pangkomersiyong distrito na binubuo ng mga retailer at restaurant.

Ang Dignity Village ay itatayo ng DignityMoves, ang kasosyo ng Lungsod sa pagtatayo. Ang Five Keys ang magpapatakbo at magpapanatili ng gagawing transisyonal na pabahay, at magbibigay ng mga serbisyong pansuporta sa mga residente. Kasama sa proyekto ang humigit-kumulang 47 yunit na may mga nakadugtong na banyo na nagta-target sa talamak at pangkalahatang populasyon ng mga nasa hustong gulang na walang tirahan. Limang yunit ang ilalaan para sa nasa transisyonal na edad na kabataan na walang tirahan o nasa panganib na mawalan ng tirahan. Mga 61 indibidwal ang pinakamarami na maaaring manirahan sa proyekto. Kasama sa mga serbisyong iaalok ang may kaugnayan sa kultura, lipunan, pag-aaral sa emosyon, mga aktibidad na pagbuo ng kasanayan, at ibinibigay upang mapataas ang katatagan at pakiramdam ng pagpapalakas sa sarili sa bawat kliyente.

Ang kabuuang gastos sa paggawa ng proyekto, kabilang ang mga gastos sa pagpapatakbo para sa limang taon, ay tinatayang $22,000,000. Ang proyekto ay inaasahang popondohan ng hanggang $1,000,000 ng Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) na pondo. Ang CDBG ay isang programa ng pederal na nagbibigay ng taunang mga gawad sa isang pormula na batayan sa mga estado, lungsod, at mga county upang bumuo ng napapamuhayang mga komunidad sa lungsod sa pamamagitan ng pagbibigay ng disenteng pabahay at angkop na kapaligiran para sa pamumuhay. Magbibigay ang Lungsod ng $5,200,000 mula sa American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) at humigit-kumulang $1,000,000 mula sa Pangkalahatang Pondo nito. Ang Senador ng U.S. na si Alex Padilla ay naglaan ng karagdagang $500,000 para sa proyekto. Ang proyekto ay ginawaran din ng HomeKey grant ng Estado ng California na humigit-kumulang $12,251,380 mula sa Estado ng California. Ang HomeKey ay isang pagsisikap sa buong estado para mapanatili at mabilis na mapalawak ang pabahay para sa mga taong nakakaranas ng kawalan ng tirahan o nasa panganib na mawalan ng tirahan.

Ang taunang gastos sa pagpapatakbo ay tinatayang $1,900,000 hanggang $2,100,000 bawat taon para sa unang limang taon ng operasyon. Ang pagpondo sa pagpapatakbo ay inaasahang magmumula sa kumbinasyon ng mga mapagkukunan sa pederal, estado, at lokal, kabilang ang mga pondo ng Alameda County HomeKey sa pamamagitan ng gawad ng programang Federal HOME sa halagang $2,350,000.

Maaaring gamitin ang mga gawad ng programang HOME para sa tulong sa pagpapaupa na nakabatay sa nangungupahan, rehabilitasyon ng pabahay, tulong sa mga bumibili ng bahay, at bagong pagtatayo ng pabahay. Magbibigay din ang Lungsod ng mga subsidyo sa pagpapatakbo mula sa Pangkalahatang Pondo nito na humigit-kumulang $750,000 hanggang $1,600,000 taun-taon para sa unang limang taon ng operasyon.

PAGKATUKLAS NG WALANG MAKABULUHANG EPEKTO Natuklasan ng Lungsod ng Alameda at ng County ng Alameda na walang makabuluhang epekto ang proyekto sa kapaligiran ng tao. Samakatuwid, ang Pahayag ng Epekto sa Kapaligiran sa ilalim ng National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) ng 1969 ay hindi kinakailangan. Ang karagdagang impormasyon ng proyekto ay nakapaloob sa Environmental Review Record (ERR) sa file sa https://www.hudexchange. info/programs/environmental-review/environmental-review-records/ at sa Lungsod ng Alameda sa 950 W. Mall Square, Alameda, California, 94501 at maaaring suriin o kopyahin Lunes hanggang Huwebes sa pagitan ng mga oras ng 8:30 A.M. at 5:00 P.M. MGA KOMENTO NG PUBLIKO Sinumang indibidwal, grupo, o ahensya na hindi sumasang-ayon sa natuklasan na ito o nagnanais na magkomento sa proyekto ay maaaring magsumite ng mga nakasulat na komento sa atensyon ni Lisa Fitts sa Lungsod ng Alameda sa 950 W. Mall Square, Alameda, California, 94501. Lahat ng komento na matanggap hanggang sa pagsapit ng Abril 11, 2022 ay isasaalang-alang ng Lungsod ng Alameda at ng County ng Alameda bago magsumite ng kahilingan para sa pagpapalabas ng mga pondo. Dapat tukuyin ng mga komento kung aling Abiso ang tinutugunan ng mga ito.

SERTIPIKASYONG PANGKAPALIGIRAN Sinesertipikahan ng Lungsod ng Alameda sa HUD na si Lisa Maxwell sa kanyang kapasidad bilang Direktor sa Pagpapaunlad ng Komunidad at sinesertipikahan ng County ng Alameda sa HUD na si Michelle Starratt sa kanyang kapasidad bilang Direktor ng Pabahay at Pagpapaunlad ng Komunidad ay pumapayag na tanggapin ang hurisdiksyon ng mga Pederal na Korte kung may gagawing aksyon upang ipatupad ang mga responsibilidad na may kaugnayan sa proseso ng pagsusuri sa kapaligiran at ang mga responsibilidad na ito ay natugunan. Ang pag-apruba ng HUD sa sertipikasyon ay nakakatugon sa mga responsibilidad nito sa ilalim ng NEPA at ng mga kaugnay na batas at awtoridad at nagpapahintulot sa Lungsod ng Alameda na gumamit ng mga pondo ng Programa.

MGA PAGTUTOL SA PAGLABAS NG MGA PONDO Ang HUD ay tatanggap ng mga pagtutol sa pagpapalabas nito ng mga pondo at sa mga sertipikasyon ng Lungsod ng Alameda at ng County ng Alameda sa loob ng labinlimang araw kasunod ng inaasahang petsa ng pagsusumite o sa aktwal na pagtanggap nito sa kahilingan (alinman ang mas huli) tanging kung sila ay nasa isa sa mga sumusunod na batayan: (a) ang sertipikasyon ay hindi isinagawa ng Opisyal na Tagapagsertipika ng Lungsod ng Alameda o ng County ng Alameda; (b) nag-alis ang Lungsod ng Alameda o ang County ng Alameda ng isang hakbang o nabigong gumawa ng desisyon o pagtuklas na kinakailangan ng mga regulasyon ng HUD sa 24 CFR Bahagi 58; (c) ang tatanggap ng gawad o iba pang mga kalahok sa proseso ng pag-unlad ay nakakuha ng mga pondo, nagkaroon ng mga gastos o nagsagawa ng mga aktibidad na hindi pinahintulutan ng 24 CFR Bahagi 58 bago ang pag-apruba ng paglabas ng mga pondo ng HUD; o (d) ang isa pang ahensyang Pederal na kumikilos alinsunod sa 40 CFR Bahagi 1504 ay nagsumite ng nakasulat na natuklasan na hindi kasiya-siya ang proyekto mula sa pananaw ng kalidad na pangkapaligiran. Ang mga pagtutol ay dapat ihanda at isumite alinsunod sa mga kinakailangang pamamaraan (24 CFR Bahagi 58, Sek. 58.76) at dapat ipadala sa email sa opisina ng pangangasiwa sa gawad ng HUD sa: CPD_COVID-19OEE-SFO@hud.gov. Ang mga potensyal na tumututol ay dapat makipag-ugnayan sa HUD upang patotohanan ang aktwal na huling araw ng panahon ng pagtutol.

Lisa Maxwell Lungsod ng Alameda, Direktor ng Pagpapaunlad ng Komunidad Michelle Starratt County ng Alameda, Direktor ng Pabahay at Pagpapaunlad ng Komunidad MGA PROBISYON PARA SA MGA TAONG MAY KAPANSANAN Kung ang sinumang taong may interes sa paglahok sa isang programa ng CDBG / HOME ay isang taong may kapansanan gaya ng tinukoy ng Seksyon 504 ng Rehabilitation Act ng 1974 na nangangailangan ng akomodasyon upang makalahok o maging interesado, ang kahilingan para sa akomodasyon ay maaaring ipaabot kay Lisa Fitts sa (510) 747-6884, (510) 522-7538 (TYY) o sa pamamagitan ng email sa lfitts@ alamedaca.gov. Ang nasabing kahilingan ay dapat kabilangan ng paglalarawan sa akomodasyon na hinahangad, kasama ng pahayag ng kapansanan na nangangailangan ng akomodasyon. Ang anumang kahilingan para sa akomodasyon ay dapat suriin at mabigyan ng tugon sa loob ng limang araw ng trabaho pagkatapos matanggap ang naturang kahilingan. Ang abiso ng anumang akomodasyong ipinagkaloob ay kaagad na ibibigay sa humihiling.

MGA PROBISYON PARA SA MGA RESIDENTE NA HINDI NAGSASALITA NG INGLES Ang Lungsod ng Alameda ay may network ng mga empleyado na nagsasalita ng humigit-kumulang 45 wika na maaaring magsilbi bilang mga interpreter para sa mga residenteng naghahanap ng impormasyon tungkol sa mga programa ng CDBG/HOME. Kung maabisuhan nang maaga ng limang araw ng trabaho, aayusin ng Lungsod na magkaroon ng magagamit na interpreter. Mangyaring makipag-ugnayan kay Lisa Fitts sa (510) 747-6884, (510) 522-7538 (TYY), o sa pamamagitan ng email sa lfitts@alamedaca.gov.

PATAKARAN SA KAWALAN NG DISKRIMINASYON Ang Lungsod ng Alameda ay hindi nandidiskrimina laban sa sinumang tao batay sa lahi, kulay, relihiyon, bansang pinagmulan, ninuno, kasarian, pagkakakilanlang kasarian, pagpapahayag ng kasarian, oryentasyong sekswal, katayuan sa pag-aasawa, katayuan sa pamilya, pinagmumulan ng kita, genetic na impormasyon, kondisyong medikal, pisikal na kapansanan o kapansanang pangkaisipan, o anumang iba pang kategoryang protektado ng batas.

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MARCH 25-31, 2022 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL

OPINION

Double Barrel Finale

FEATURES

http://www.asianjournal.com • (650) 689-5160

WITH pandemic restrictions eased last year despite two deadly COVID surges, the Philippines improved a notch in the latest World Happiness Report of the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

The rankings are not based on cheerfulness and the ease by which people find happiness, but on quality of life indicators using three-year data from the Gallup World Poll: gross domestic product, life expectancy, generosity, social support, freedom and corruption.

With the pandemic dragging the country into its worst recession, the Philippines fell from 52nd place in the 2020 report to 61st in the 2021 rankings, improving slightly to 60th this year among 146 countries.

Not surprisingly, the advanced economies have consistently led in the World Happiness Report.

This year, Finland maintained its top ranking, followed by Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland and the Netherlands. Rounding out the top 10 are Luxembourg, Sweden, Norway, Israel and New Zealand.

At the bottom of the list is Afghanistan. The

rest of the 10 least happy countries are Lebanon, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Botswana, Lesotho, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia.

In Southeast Asia, the Philippines at least ranked second after Singapore, which placed 27th.

Thailand followed the Philippines closely at 61st place, ahead of Malaysia (70th place), Vietnam (77th), Indonesia (87th), Laos (95th), Cambodia (114th) and Myanmar at 126th. Brunei was not included.

Considering the hardships caused by the pandemic, 60th place is not too bad. The Philippines has a strong social support network, which helped people cope with the pandemic. Filipinos, however, also face serious and long-entrenched problems such as corruption and human rights issues, including the killings of thousands of drug suspects and the murders – many unsolved indigenous groups and environmental advocates.

– of militants, journalists, legal professionals, The COVID pandemic highlighted the weaknesses

Editorial

Philstar.com photo

of public health care. The country cannot rest at 60th place; it can still do better. (Philstar.com)

Bongbong Marcos professes he is running for president to ‘serve’ amid his tax evasion conviction and the Marcos family’s ill-gotten wealth and P203 billion unpaid estate tax

The Fil-Am Perspective GEL SANTOS-RELOS ARGUING in favor of keeping family dynasties alive and kicking in Philippine politics, the son and namesake of the deposed dictator Ferdinand Marcos says he wants to "serve", sister Imee wants to "serve", his son Sandro also wants to "serve" and is “very qualified” to run for Congress.

It seems the word “serve” has been used and abused by politicians especially during election season.

The Oxford Dictionary defines the word “serve”: perform duties or services for another person or an organization. In the context of politics, to serve is more of “giving” of one’s self for the greater good, offering one’s time, effort, even resources and denying one’s own needs and wants to fulfill the solemn vow of “serving” the people.

Public office is actually a position of “service” — elected officials earn meager salaries and are held up to a higher standard of ethics and morality because public office is accorded with public trust in governing the country and managing hard earned taxpayers’ money that is used to finance all government spending to provide service to the people. Public servants are also role models of abiding by and defending the Constitution and the rule of law.

This is where I am having

difficulty swallowing and digesting Bongbong Marcos’ claim that he is running for President to “serve’, especially in light of his record of breaking the law and serving his own needs above the needs of the people he professes to want to serve.

Bongbong Marcos was convicted in 1995 of failing to file his income tax returns for several years while he was supposedly “serving” the people of Ilocos Norte as their Vice-Governor, and later as Governor. Bongbong broke the law enacted by his own father Ferdinand when he was the country’s president.

On top of Bongbong's income tax delinquency, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Philippine Commision on Good Governance (PCGG) confirmed that the Marcos Family owes the Philippines a whopping P23 Billion in estate tax (inheritance tax) that has ballooned to P 203 Billion, including interests and penalties, for failure to pay their obligation to the country in violation of Philippine laws.

BIR chief Caesar Dulay said “the BIR did send a written demand to the Marcos heirs on December 2, 2021 regarding their tax liabilities,"disputing Bongbong Marcos’ claims that this case was still pending and that this report was fake news.

Bongbong is fully aware of these obligations. This man who wants to be President is “not only aware of his family’s

stolen wealth but has also been a key administrator of the Marcos estate since his father, the dictator Ferdinand Marcos, died in exile" in 1989, according to Ruben Carranza, a former commissioner of the PCGG..

"That P203 billion, if you do not collect that in five years, you do not even send a demand letter that prescribes, hindi mo na makolekta yan (you can no longer collect that),” Carpio warned in a report by the Inquirer.

Add to that P125 Billion in ill-gotten wealth. "That’s really the problem. If Bongbong Marcos becomes president, I do not expect the P125 billion to be recovered anymore. He’ll probably abolish the PCGG,” Carpio added. True enough, Bongbong said he was ‘open” to "recreating" the PCGG so it would not be “anti-Marcos” as he alleged it was created postPeople Power Revolution of 1986. Read that as "goodbye P125 Billion dollars".

The P328 billion worth of “illgotten” wealth and unpaid taxes from the Marcos family may no longer be recovered if former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. gets elected as president, Carpio warned.

THAT is a LOT of taxpayers’ money that is supposed to go toward services for the needs of the Filipino people especially during these challenging times.

Just how much is that money?

In President Rodrigo Duterte’s

Family business

Demand and Supply BOO CHANCO THERE was this story about a politician who was told by his son that he wanted to take up engineering as a career. The politician objected and told his son he should take after him because politicians make more money.

Besides, who will inherit the family business?

A powerpoint presentation

by UP professors (Tadem and Tadem) revealed that out of the 200 elected House of Representatives, 169 (84.5 percent) were members of pre1972 traditional families. This signified the continuing general trend in Philippine politics whereby 70 percent of the 15th Philippine Congress is dynastic.

It is not any better now, and most likely it is worse. Political dynasties used to infest LGUs and the lower house of Congress. But now, it is at the Senate too.

The next Senate is likely to have a mother and son, a father and daughter, a brother and sister and two half brothers. Why should four families be over represented at the

Senate?

Academics trace our political dynasties to the Spanish era.

Traditional political families have ruled in local governments where they monopolize political power and public offices from generation to generation, and treat the public elective office almost as their personal property.

To a great extent, the perpetuation of poverty and underdevelopment, socioeconomic inequality, and the continuing prevalence of massive corruption can be blamed on political dynasties. The families have no incentive to do good.

They have locked in political power forever.

It is not just in rural areas. Cities within Metro Manila suffer from political dynasties too. One city has a husband as congressman in one district, his wife in another, the brother is mayor and a sister is senator.

Many cities in NCR have not had a mayor with a different surname for decades. These personal political fiefdoms explain the strong resistance to an elected Metro Manila government that could better manage the whole region.

For this year’s presidential

election, Julio C. Teehankee, a political science professor at De La Salle University, noted the creation of an alliance of powerful families. This marks the peak of dynastic politics, Teehankee said.

It seems to be aimed at protecting them from lawsuits and political persecution.

Another study noted that a majority of the positions in government are held by politicians who are members of political dynasties. When incumbents can no longer run due to term limits, those who would take their place may even have no previous political background or experience except their family connections.

In a study done in 2012 by economists Beja, Mendoza, Venida, and Yap, it was estimated that 40 percent of all provinces in the Philippines have a provincial governor and congressman who are related in some way.

Another 2014 study done by Querubin of the Department of Politics in New York University estimates 50 to 70 percent of all politicians are involved or associated in a political dynasty within the Philippines.

The same study concluded that approximately 70 percent of all

2022 budget, the Department of Education got P36.8 billion. The Department of Health was given P188.3 billion.

Rappler reported that “to provide support for the most vulnerable sectors of society who took a hit from the pandemic’s impact on the economy, P5 billion has been allocated for the government’s social amelioration program while P25.02 billion is going to social pension for indigent senior citizens” Furthermore, the budget provided for the program called “Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (under the social welfare department) gets P39.87 billion. The conditional cash transfer program for poor households, called the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, was given P107.67 billion”.

DO YOU SEE how much the Marcoses willfully stole from us and deprived the Filipino people of the much-needed help we need by choosing not to pay their debts and taxes? These are the basic services needed by the poor Filipinos for education, health, amelioration services alone in one year?

How many lives could have been saved? How many more children could have been sent to college to fulfill their dreams of saving their families from poverty? How many parents could have chosen to stay in the Philippines instead of leaving their children so they could

work abroad to support their families? How many farmers and fishermen and small businesses could have been helped to recover from their losses?

And this Bongbong Marcos wants to be President to “serve”?

I read from social media: If Bongbong really wanted to serve, he and his family could have paid their taxes and obligation in a timely manner!

But they chose to wait and wait and wait until these debts prescribed. Poor Filipinos got conned by the Marcos family!

WHY is Bongbong running for President? Reuters reported: “Political analysts say at 64, his run could be the family's last chance to return to the Presidential Palace. Mother Imelda, a formidable force behind the Marcos political machinery, is 92”.

The Marcos family hired the services of Cambridge Analytica, a British political consulting firm “to erase the 1986 (people power) revolution, and to restore the glory and fully rehabilitate the image of the Marcos regime.”

This in included inundating us with the toxicity of fake news and troll farms.

“His push for the presidency has been aided by what political analysts say has been a decades-long public relations effort to alter public perception of his family and supporters.

Critics accuse the Marcoses of attempting to rewrite history,”

Reuters reported.

This is also why Bongbong Marcos is shunning the debates.

He complained the same questions are being asked all the time. Certainly he did not want to be transparent and accountable, nor did he want to apologize for his and his family's transgressions against the Filipino people. They invested a lot of money in brainwashing the Filipino people, after all.

"Perception is real. Truth is not," Imelda Marcos said in an interview with Lauren Greenfield in the docu-movie "The Kingmaker". The Marcos mantra.

Money. Power. Marcos Family brand. And Sandro, Bongbong’s son, is next in line to continue “serving”, unless we, the Filipino people, break this Marcos curse with the power of our vote. ***

jurisdiction-based legislators in the current Congress are involved in a political dynasty, with 40 percent of them having ties to legislators who belonged to as far as three Congresses prior.

It is also said that 77 percent of legislators between the ages of 26 to 40 are also dynastic, which indicates that the second and third generations of political dynasties in the Philippines have begun their political careers as well.

The term “relative” refers to anyone with a family connection such as a wife, a son or daughter, a cousin, etc. Sometimes, even a mistress.

The party list system should have alleviated the problem somewhat. But the political dynasties managed to use it as well to expand their representation in the lower house of Congress.

The current Constitution has a provision that calls on Congress to pass an anti-political dynasty law.

Of course that never happened.

Over the last 35 years, Congress simply ignored the Constitutional mandate. The old ruling elite, national and local, has succeeded in perpetuating power in their hands.

This also explains why there is no fear of anti-corruption laws because the next administration

is likely to be headed by a family member. There is no danger of being held accountable for corrupt acts.

That makes a public office nothing more than a family business. A mayor’s relatives set up construction, office supply, and other businesses that can corner contracts from the LGU. There is little distinction between the money of taxpayers and that of the ruling families.

No wonder sons and daughters of powerful dynastic officials do not have to sweat it out in a real productive job outside of government. Genetics provide them a guaranteed means of supporting themselves from cradle to grave.

Yet, there are dynastic politicians who first did well in private business. But they still get wives, sons, and daughters into politics to protect the business.

This gives them an unfair advantage through influence in government decision making.

The people have the power to stop this debilitating characteristic of our democracy. We can end political dynasties through the ballot. But our social and economic circumstances make that impossible. The poor are particularly indebted many times over to these families one way or another.

One study I read classified political dynasties two ways: the thin dynasty and the obese dynasty. In the thin dynasty, family members take turns in serving. In obese dynasties, they take all the positions they can at one time, as in the case I cited earlier.

Those of us who can, should start to do our nation a favor and simply not vote for any candidate who is part of an obese dynasty. Serving one after another is probably alright under our circumstances. But there are more than enough qualified independent candidates to vote for instead of members of obese family dynasties.

In a properly functioning democratic government, public office is a public trust, an opportunity to serve the common good. Given a public servant’s salary, a true public servant should leave public office poorer rather than richer.

Getting rich in public office is a sure sign of corruption, a betrayal of the public trust. (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.

*** Gel Santos Relos has been in news, talk, public service and educational broadcasting since 1989. She was a news anchor, TV host and radio commentator and public service host for ABS- CBN and DZMM. She is now working on her advocacies independently, serving the Filipino audience using different media platforms. You may contact her through email at gelrelos@ icloud.com, or send her a message via Facebook at Facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos. Also on Twitter, Instagram: Gel Santos Relos

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

*** Boo Chanco’s email address is bchanco@ gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @boochanco

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

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PCGSF celebrates Women’s Month with trailblazing Fil-Am women health leaders in US northwest SAN FRANCISCO – The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco celebrated National Women’s Month in the Philippines and Women’s History Month in the United States with an online roundtable discussion that featured some of the trailblazing Filipino American women health leaders in the U.S. Pacific Northwest.

Entitled “Women in Health: Leading Our Communities Out of the Pandemic and On the Road to Equity,” the Consulate’s online event highlighted the role of Filipina and Filipina American health leaders in the U.S. Pacific Northwest in turning the tide of the COVID-19 pandemic, and in creating a more equitable community in terms of access to healthcare.

“Amid the global health crisis

and the social ills that came with it, these women leaders have not only shown excellence in their chosen careers, but have also exhibited the quintessential Filipino values of determination and resilience,” said Philippine Consul General Neil Ferrer who delivered his message during the online event.

The online roundtable discussion was headlined by Teresita Batayola, International Community Health Services (ICHS) President and CEO; Dr. Julieta Gabiola, Advocacy, Betterment, Commitment (ABC’s) for Global Health President and CEO, and Stanford University Professor; Dr. Karen Relucio, Napa County Health and Human Services Agency Deputy Director and Public Health Officer, and California

State Senator Bill Dodd’s “Woman of the Year” Awardee; and Zenei Triunfo-Cortez, RN, California Nurses Association President.

Aileen Cassinetto, Poet Laureate of San Mateo County, gave a touching tribute to the medical front liners of the COVID-19 pandemic through community poetry.

The online roundtable discussion was presented live on the Consulate’s Facebook page.

The “Women in Health” online roundtable discussion followed the Consulate’s “Women in Tech” webinar in celebration of Women’s Month in 2021. The said webinar featured some of the pioneer Filipino American women entrepreneurs and innovators in Silicon Valley.

(PCGSF Release)

CITIZEN PINOY FEATURES THE SOCAL PINOYS ON A SPECIAL EPISODE THIS SUNDAY. Leading U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel (left) meets with Charles Chamorro (right), founder and leader of SoCal Pinoys, and its members in a brand-new episode, where Citizen Pinoy reaches out to the Filipino community. Atty. Gurfinkel discusses the purpose and achievements of SoCal Pinoys, and answers questions from Rachel (2nd from right), abused by her husband (VAWA), who wants to know how she can renew her green card that expired in 2016. Justin (2nd from left) wants to know what he should do now that his father was able to get a Humanitarian Revalidation approved on behalf of his “lola” who was petitioned by his late mother. These questions and more, on a brand-new episode of “Citizen Pinoy” on Sunday, March 27, at 7:00 PM PT (10:00 PM ET) through select Cable/Satellite providers, right after TV Patrol Linggo.

(Advertising Supplement)

Filipino organization SoCal Pinoys takes centerstage on this Sunday’s special episode of Citizen Pinoy

The online roundtable discussion participants (from left): International Community Health Services President and CEO Teresita Batayola; ABC’s for Global Health President and CEO, and Stanford University Professor Dr. Julieta Gabiola; Napa County Health and Human Services Agency Deputy Director and Public Health Officer, and California State Senator Bill Dodd’s “Woman of the Year” Awardee Dr. Karen Relucio; and California Nurses Association President Zenei Triunfo-Cortez, RN. Photos courtesy PCGSF

LEADING U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel hosts the almost 50,000-strong SoCal Pinoys of Southern California. Its founder and leader, Charles Chamorro, talks about the group’s mission and accomplishments.

Atty. Gurfinkel also answers immigration questions from members of SoCal Pinoys, like “Is there a way for a crewman to legalize his status?,” “Can a woman who was by her husband renew her green card that expired because her husband hid the documents from her?,” and “My father was able to get a Humanitarian Revalidation approved on behalf of my “lola” who was petitioned by my

late mother. What do we do now?”

Other Fil-Am community organizations in the U.S. can get the chance to be featured on Citizen Pinoy. Visit the Facebook page of the Law Offices of Michael J. Gurfinkel and signify your interest by sending a private message via messenger.

Watch this special community outreach episode on brand-new episode of “Citizen Pinoy” on Sunday, March 27 at 7:00 PM PT (10:00 PM ET thru select Cable/Satellite providers), right after TV Patrol Linggo. Citizen Pinoy is also available on iWantTFC. Viewers may download the free app.

(Advertising Supplement)

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MARCH 25-31, 2022 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL

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Martha Millan grabs the spotlight as an undocumented Filipino character in ‘The Cleaning Lady’ by

MoMar G. Visaya / AJPress

MEET Martha Millan, a Filipino actress who recently made a splash in the barrier-breaking and history-setting Fox series The Cleaning Lady as Fiona de la Rosa, an undocumented immigrant in America.

The Cleaning Lady’s diverse cast is led by French-Cambodian Elodie Yung who fans might recognize as Elektra on the Netflix series Daredevil. The show has broken barriers by having Southeast Asian leads and a core storyline as it celebrates diversity, not just in the cast and the issues it tackles but also in the people involved in it, from the writers, producers, editors, and directors.

The series premiere became the highest-rated new drama debut in two years for Fox. It’s not every day that Filipinos are treated to a mainstream series (or a Spiderman film, hello Ned’s Lola) where we can hear the characters converse in Filipino so when we see it happen, we rejoice.

“It’s wonderful. I mean, to be honest with you it is the first time I get to dive into a role completely as Filipino and flesh it out over a season,” Millan told the Asian Journal. “So it’s just been an incredible ride and my family who is also Filipino are eating it up because they see all the references here and there, and obviously, my accent is slightly Filipino, Filipino enough for them to enjoy.”

Millan describes her expe-

rience doing the show as “an amazing journey right from the beginning.”

The global pandemic has just started and she was teaching acting workshops online at the time because there was no work. Her manager asked her to do a selftape for an audition which was then sent to the casting directors.

She got a callback and eventually booked the job as the pandemic peaked and plateaued.

They shot the pilot pre-vaccine and she remembers flying in from New York to Albuquerque to shoot it and to be on the set where everybody was masked.

“We’ve been so blessed that everybody on set is just so lovable. I mean, we’re all like family off the set. The children who play my kids - Sean Lew, who plays Chris and Faith Bryant, she plays my daughter Jazz - they’re just so down to earth and so just real and loving,” Millan said. “Elodie and I have become very close off set as well. So that also transcends through the screen.”

She first met Elodie through Zoom and felt the chemistry right away. The relationship has evolved into a deep friendship similar to their characters on the show.

“She was so lovely and she had her props ready. And we were just really bonding online. It was just an amazing kind of process to experience especially since normally you’re in the room with

Elodie Yung and Martha Millan play cleaning ladies in the Fox series. Yung is Thony dela Rosa, a Cambodian doctor married to a Filipino while Millan is Fiona dela Rosa, an undocumented immigrant and Thony’s sister-in-law.

Photos from ©2022 Fox Media LLC

people and this is the first time that it was all through Zoom and yeah, it was just magical,” Millan shared. “And now it being out there, the response has been so positive, and you just never know shows have been taken by the viewers and especially this being such a groundbreaking show.”

Filipino stuff Bits and pieces of Filipino culture and issues make it to the show.

From an episode title (“Kabayan”) to a Filipino movie or teleserye playing on the background to the names on the end credits – an editor by the name of Diva Magpayo, music by Ruby Ibarra, an episode directed by Marie Jamora – to the numerous Tagalog words blurted by the characters, there definitely was no shortage.

And then there’s Lou Diamond Phillips in a guest role.

“It was extremely intimidating.

I mean, not because of him, just me because he was…it was our first movie as a family that we saw in the cinema – La Bamba,” Millan recalled.

She remembered feeling so nervous that she was actually going to be acting with him that she couldn’t get her first line out.

“He is so gracious and humble, and just so much fun on set and giving as an actor. It was just an amazing experience to work with him. And then on top of that, his real daughter plays his daughter on there. So it’s kind of family feeling on set and it was very touching to see them work together as father and daughter but it was an incredible experience.” she said.

Episode 6 was directed by Marie Jamora, a Filipino American director and writer. Millan describes her as amazing and working with her is a real honor.

“She communicates with the actors in a very nurturing way and it allowed me just to be safe and comfortable to explore all sides of the scenes whenever we’re working,” she shared.

“She has so much energy and she’s just so sweet as well. At the end of the shoot, she brought in all these Filipino treats like bibingka and ube for everybody to eat and sugar up.

Journey to Down Under Millan’s family immigrated from the Philippines to Australia when she was only four years

old. Her mother is from Pampanga while her father is from Cantilan, Surigao del Sur. They’re still based down under and Millan gets to go home and visit them once in a while.

“My mother, she’s the matriarch of the family. She’s the first one that actually immigrated there and then brought her whole family, eight brothers, and sisters over to Australia and it was something very special to me, obviously with the show,” she shared. “I can relate a lot of my experiences, of the transitions that my family had, to the experiences that Fiona is having with her children as well.”

She admitted that she saw herself in the fights that her character Fiona had with her son Chris.

“I saw myself as Chris and I was like, ‘Oh my God, I was such a little brat.’ I know who he is and that was me. So I really empathize with my parents, I probably put them through hell growing up,” she said laughing.

Millan’s parents thought that her dream of becoming a performer was just going to be a phase especially since she was already accepted at the University of Sydney where she was going to take either business, law, or communications.

“And then I ended up doing English history, Greek mythology, and stuff. I needed to take a break and my mother was ‘Well, you can’t just go gallivanting around this joy courses’ and I said, ‘Okay, fine. I’m going to take a summer course in acting in LA’ so I actually took it and I loved it,” she shared.

When she visited some family in New York, she applied to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and got accepted.

“I guess they just kind of had to give up on their idea of what I was supposed to be, especially since I already started working and financially supporting myself doing what I love to do. So, yeah, they’re very proud though.

They’re so supportive. I mean, every week I get feedback and reviews from them.”

Creating Fiona “Initially I thought that I was very different from her but now watching it, I’m like, ‘Oh my goodness. I think there are too many similarities,’” she said.

“She is a very strong woman, but at the same time, in the way she

Martha Millan plays the role of Fiona dela Rosa in the Fox series ’The Cleaning Lady’

handles her situation of being undocumented, a single mother and these are all extraordinary situations, that her Filipinoness of being light-hearted – always finding a way to kind of dance, eat, laugh through those times, I think was essential to her character.”

Millan said she wanted to amplify those things about her that she knew growing up were very important as Filipinos. She related with the fire that Fiona had and her resilience and wove it into the way she attacked the role.

She knew that the character was complex enough for her to shift from strong and feisty to caring and vulnerable, approaching it with a nuanced and tempered perspective.

“For me, I knew that this was reality for many people in terms of being undocumented, a single mother, and I wanted to be careful in how I portrayed that because these are human beings dealing with emotional and extraordinary circumstances,” she said.

From Rejection to Representation Millan has been working as an actor for 25 years now. Eagle-eyed fans might recognize her for her stint in HBO shows such as Entourage and Succession.

As someone in the indus-

try, she knows all too well that there’s so much rejection to deal with in show business that she learned to build a certain layer so she could move forward and continue to fight.

She has faced multiple rejections in her career, not because she couldn’t act but because she was either “too Asian” or “not Asian enough” for the token Asian role that she was up against other Asian American talents.

“And you know, back then 25 years ago, the roles were very limited for Asians in general, and then to be specific for Filipinos.

You end up playing stereotypes, but in a way that you couldn’t show the humanity, it was very just like a two-dimensional portrayal,” she revealed.

That is why she appreciates that showrunners Miranda Kwok and Melissa Carter wanted to create a platform for marginalized people and show the humanity in them.

“So, for me, the representation is necessary only because the world is changed in how we see ourselves, we’re constantly on social media where we are exposed to so many cultures,” she explained. “To ignore that, for the media to ignore that is a disadvantage in not representing those cultures because that’s what people want to see now in terms of different content.”

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NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • MARCH 25-31, 2022

11

Downtown area offers great experience for Las Vegas visitors WHILE the Strip along Las Vegas Boulevard South seemingly offers boundless opportunities to explore for both tourists and residents, the downtown area is not far behind in offering fun and entertainment to those craving adventure.

The downtown area has not expanded as fast as its counterpart to the south, but things seem to be looking up for the area.

Years ago, the late Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh invested about $350 million of his money to revitalize the downtown area. Though it did not take off as Hsieh expected, the ambitious project had minor successes and resulted in local entrepreneurs taking a gamble and establishing their own roots in the area.

These days, a lot of great things are happening in the area.

First, construction is ongoing to rehabilitate and/or improve roadways, streetlights, driveways and off ramps.

Millions of dollars are being poured into these projects that will help improve traffic and pedestrial flow in this corridor.

The opening of both Resorts WorldLas Vegas and Circa Resort & Casino in 2020 breathed new life and employment for residents. Remodeling/expansion projects for the Sahara Las Vegas, the Strat, the Las Vegas Convention Center and Circus Circus, as well as new projects like Fountainbleau Las Vegas (opening in 2023), a planned hotel project just across the convention center and a good probability of an expanded convention center loop (courtesy of Elon Musk’s The Boring Company) that will bring people from the airport and south end of the Strip to the north end where the convention center is located, has many people excited.

The Fremont Street Experience, one of the bigger draws in the downtown area, made its own changes with the installation of the Viva Vision Screen.

The attraction, which has dazzled many spectators with its light shows through the years, offers a brighter and more colorful display, plus crystal-clear images and concert-quality sounds for viewers.

Thrill-seekers can ride the SlotZilla Zipline which takes high flyers through the Fremont Street Experience two ways – either from 77 feet high or from 114 feet high – and either halfway or all the way through the famous attraction.

The expanded Downtown Grand Hotel & Casino, bars like Whiskey Licker Up and Lucky Day for a sampling of

Dave McKeon (extreme left), who gives Fely updates on the Strip, with (from left) Realtor Quitevis-Bateman and her husband Russ.

The Batemans attending a Keystone Corporation luncheon where Precious Properties is a member. Keystone is a very powerful organization that gives Realtor Quitevis-Bateman information on who’s coming to town.

From left: Realtor Fely Quitevis-Bateman, Russ Bateman, former Nevada Senator Sue Lowden (who is also a former owner of Sahara Hotel and other hotels on the Strip), and John Moran of Newport Beach.

the area’s nightlife and bar scene, and giant screens at The D in Bar Canada and Circa’s Stadium Swim all give off a different vibe for tourists.

And Las Vegas is not just for gambling and fun… downtown Las Vegas has its Symphony Park Redevelopment, which has been at the forefront of the cultural and artistic resurgence of the city. So aside from all those shows you may be craving to go to at the hotel-casinos, you can also immerse in downtown offerings like the Smith Center for Performing Arts and the DISCOVERY Children’s Museum, as well as take a look at Project Enchilada, which aims to save iconic buildings and neighborhoods in the downtown area.

If you want to see live-action sports,

Realtor Quitevis Bateman (extreme left) and hubby Russ Bateman (extreme right) with legal counsel and former Nevada Gaming Commissioner Atty.

Joe Brown, who is one of the movers and shakers in the state.

Realtor Quitevis-Bateman with U.S. Congressman Mark Amodei who gives her updates on federal laws.

Vegas Lights FC (football) who play in downtown’s Cashman Field, and the Las Vegas Aviators (triple A baseball) who play at Las Vegas Ballpark.

Las Vegas and the communities that extend beyond it have a lot of things to look forward to. The major developments in Sin City will impact communities far beyond it, including Pahrump, which is located about 62 miles west of it. Better real estate prices, traffic ease and a quality of life unfettered by high crime and all the problems of a big city have people looking at places like Pahrump as their base or residence, or a location for a second home or property investment.

With home and property prices continuing on its upswing in Nevada and perks like having no personal income tax and lower property tax rate, many people are looking at Las Vegas and Pahrump for opportunities.

Precious Properties is a full-service company serving its clientele since 1992 and Fely Quirevis-Bateman can be reached at 775-513-8447, 805559-2476 and 702-538-4948 for more information. We have investors who buy houses in California and Nevada for cash and quick escrow in as short Realtor Quitevis-Bateman’s clients Tony & Nanette as 7 days. that’s not a problem. Professional sports teams have popped up in Las Vegas, including the Vegas Golden Knights (hockey) who play at the T-Mobile Arena, the Las Vegas Raiders (football) who play at Allegiant Stadium, the Las Vegas Aces (women’s professional basketball, or the WNBA) who play at the Mandalay Bay Arena, the Las

Suarez, who live in Mountain Falls, invested happily in Pahrump with their all-time fully booked Airbnb home.

(Advertising Supplement)

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Features

MARCH 25-31, 2022 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL

celebrityworld

By Ferdie Villar

KAPAMILYA star Erich Gonzales is now married to businessman Mateo Lorenzo, according to various news reports.

The lead star of TV series like “Maria La Del Barrio,” “Katorse,” “Be My Lady,” “Blood Sisters” and “La Vida Lena” reportedly tied the knot with Lorenzo at the St. James the Great Parish in Alabang, Muntinlupa. Their marriage banns were posted in the same church in February which trended in social media.

Gonzales, who is Erika Chryselle Gonzales Gancayco in real life, has been very secretive about her relationship with Lorenzo over the past few years. They began dating in 2017.

In a Philippine Star article, Erich shared that she wanted to keep her love life private.

“I think it’s for the best,” the actress was quoted as saying.

“I want to protect something so precious to me, something beautiful. I don't want to ruin it so sa akin na lang iyon.”

News reports say that Mateo Lorenzo is one of the 12 children of Central Azucarera de Tarlac chair and COO Martin Ignacio Lorenzo.

A picture of the couple in front of the altar during the wedding ceremony was posted on social media by one of the groom’s relatives, but was deleted afterwards.

Recently, Erich renewed her contract with the Kapamilya network. The network revealed that the their contract star will be cast in “the biggest dramatic project of her career that will be revealed soon.”

In an Instagram post, Gonzales gave thanks to the

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Erich Gonzales marries businessman network for the opportunities that have come her way.

“Thank you ABSCBN for all the opportunities that you have given me. This is my 18th year as a Kapamilya and I’m grateful for everything. Thank you Star Magic for the love, guidance and support.

Maraming salamat po. #KapamilyaStrong2022,” she said in the caption that accompanied a picture after the contract signing.

It was in 2005 that Gonzales started in showbiz by way of the reality talent search “Star Circle Quest” where she won as Grand Questor.

Aside from TV, Erich has been cast in movies like “Siargao,” “Suddenly It’s Magic” (with Thai actor Mario Maurer), “Corazon: Ang Unang Aswang,” “We Will Not Die Tonight,” “The Significant Other” and the “Shake, Rattle & Roll” movie series. *** And on another couples note, Troy Montero and Aubrey Miles are officially engaged.

In social media posts, the couple shared their

Erich Gonzales (center, with flowers) absolutely beams after renewing her contract with the Kapamilya network earlier this year.

Photo from Instagram/@erichgg

engagement, which took place in Boracay and was shared by the actor on Tuesday, March 22, according to PEP.ph.

“Together 18 years, Engaged

Dingdong Dantes, known as the Primetime King of GMA Pinoy TV, returns to Troy Montero and Aubrey Miles are officially engaged. The couple shared the game show hosting via the new edition of “Family Feud” which had its first happy moment in recent social media posts. episode on Monday, March 21. The game show features members of two Photo from Instagram/@milesaubrey families coming together to answer survey questions correctly and compete.

8 hoours… Here’s to Forever with you,” Montero posted, along with the hashtags #SheSaidYes and #engaged.

Miles, for her part, said on an

Instagram post on Wednesday, March 23: “Woke up to this forever happiness. I’ve always known it’s him. Yesterday, I realized how exciting it is to get engaged and wearing a ring on my left hand. It’s too beautiful not to share this. If you know how it went down? I said “Thank you and YES!” Lol pag kita ko sa ring napa thank you muna ako bago Yes.” The couple had initially planned to wed in 2020, but their plans got blown up by the pandemic. It is not known whether the couple will wed in Batanes which was their initial choice for the wedding venue.

It was Kris Aquino who paved the way for Troy and Aubrey to meet. Montero was a celebrity guest at Aquino’s talk show when he mentioned to the host that he was interested in meeting Miles. Kris called Aubrey to ask permission if she could give her mobile number to Troy during a commercial break, and the actress said yes.

It was serendipity that Aubrey was also in the ABSCBN compound at that time as she was co-host of a noontime show. Troy visited Aubrey after he finished his guesting stint at Aquino’s show.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Lerma dela Cruz, a well-known Filipina recording artist who lives in Northern Montero and Miles share two California, will celebrate her birthday on Thursday, March 31 with her husband, kids – Hunter, 13, and Rocket, musical director Cesar Camiles, who is president of Music MYX Creative 3. Aubrey has a child, 21-yearInternational, at their residence in Daly City.

Historic Battery Bluff opens April 23, offering visitors more national park experiences in the Presidio of San Francisco Restoration along Presidio Parkway marks a milestone in a decades-long, multi-agency vision for the waterfront roadway

SAN FRANCISCO – The Presidio Trust is pleased to open the historic Battery Bluff in the Presidio on April 23, inviting visitors to enjoy six acres of beautifully restored park land that features gardens, picnic tables, overlooks with sweeping views of the Golden Gate, a multiuse trail and access to historic military batteries not seen by the public since 1936.

Battery Bluff marks a milestone in the completion of a 30+ year, multi-agency construction effort to replace the outdated Doyle Drive freeway with the Presidio Parkway. Federal, city, and state agencies came together to fund and deliver the Presidio Parkway, which utilized a communitybacked design by designer Michael Painter that fulfilled transportation needs, improved access to the Presidio, and upheld standards for a national

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park setting.

Says Jean Fraser, CEO of the Presidio Trust: “We are so grateful for the collaborative efforts of countless public servants and community members working together over decades to reimagine San Francisco’s northern waterfront. Thanks to that work, the Trust was able to create more park amenities for the enjoyment of all visitors. We look forward to unveiling the final gem, the Presidio Tunnel Tops, later this year.”

“People come from all over the world to experience the best that San Francisco has to offer. They come for the sheer beauty, access to green and open space, and to visit some of the best urban parks in the country. Now, everyone will have more to look forward to and greater access to this national park with the historic renovation of Battery Bluff,” said

Mayor London Breed.

The entire park-making project restores 50 acres in the Presidio.

Highlights are Battery Bluff and Cavalry Bowl. Designed

by Page and TRC, and built by Plant Construction, it is the six acres on the tops of the western set of tunnels over the Presidio Parkway, and the adjacent ten under the raised highway, by the Park Police horse stables and the beloved Presidio Pet Cemetery.

Seven acres of new tidal marsh opened at Quartermaster Reach in December of 2020, and 14 acres at Presidio Tunnel Tops over the eastern set of highway tunnels will complete the final section of the project, set to open later in 2022.

Four historic gun batteries Slaughter, Baldwin, Sherwood and Blaney will be on view to the public at Battery Bluff for the first time since the construction

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of Doyle Drive began in 1936.

Built between 1899 and 1902, they were originally called the National Cemetery Batteries and were part of The U.S. Army’s coastal defense system around the Golden Gate to protect San Francisco Bay — fifteen around Fort Scott in the Presidio, and more in the Marin Headlands.

The Trust oversaw extensive work to clean, repair, stabilize, and interpret the batteries at Battery Bluff, making them newly accessible to visitors.

Says Tilly Chang, Executive Director, San Francisco County Transportation Authority: “This unique civic project demonstrates how multi-agency collaboration and creativity can result in transformational public benefit. Congratulations to the Presidio Trust and its partners on the delivery of the stunning Battery Bluffs, Quartermaster

Photo courtesy of the Presidio Trust

Reach and the Presidio Tunnel Tops. Together with the Presidio Parkway, these new parklands expand access and create lasting amenities for generations to come.”

The public is invited to come enjoy the site starting April 23.

The Presidio is one of America’s most visited national park sites, located within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Spanning 1,500 acres next to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, the Presidio is among the most biologically diverse

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parks in America. Historically a home to native peoples and a military post under three flags, its facilities have been reinvented as museums, restaurants, hotels, homes, and offices. The Presidio Trust is the federal agency that stewards the Presidio, in partnership with the National Park Service and with support from the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. The Trust sustains the Presidio by leasing homes and workplaces and offering visitor amenities. Learn more at presidio.gov.

(650) 689-5160 • http://www.asianjournal.com

NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • MARCH 25-31, 2022

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MARCH 25-31, 2022 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (650) 689-5160