CALIFORNIA Governor Gavin Newsom laid out his vision for California at a March 22 press briefing with ethnic media, and pledged to permanently eradicate homelessness.
Fresh off his four day “state of the state” tour, his alternative to the traditional annual address to the state Legislature, Newsom announced the release of $1 billion in Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Round 4 funding, which will be doled out to cities and
Sara Duterte had an 86% approval rating and 92% trust rating, while Senate President Migz Zubiri earned a 65% job satisfaction and 65% trust rating.
Speaker Martin Romualdez had a 60% performance and 63% trust rating. Marcos and Duterte’s ratings soared by +5% from December 2022, while Zubiri’s and
Romualdez’s “substantially increased” by +4 at +7% points, according to Dr. Paul Martinez, RPMD Executive Director.
Martinez also said that Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Sec. Benhur Abalos Jr. topped the list of Cabinet officials with an 85% performance rating and 90% trust rating. PAGE A2
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday, March 22 confirmed that the United States would be allowed to station troops and equipment in four more sites around the country, days after China warned that allowing more sites under the PH-U.S. Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (Edca) would “seriously harm” the Philippines.
“There are four extra sites scattered around the Philippines. There are some in the north. There are some around Palawan. There are some further south,” Marcos said at the celebration of the Philippine Army’s 126th anniversary.
The president did not identify the new locations, but the 2014 Edca already allows the United States to temporarily station troops and equipment in five sites: Basa Air Base in Pampanga, Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, Lumbia Air Base in Cagayan de Oro, Antonio Bautista Air Base in Palawan and Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu.
PRESIDENT Biden's recently announced budget proposal promises to maintain entitlement programs while dramatically increasing defense spending.
When President Biden formally unveiled his budget last week in Philadelphia, he took direct aim at the political football that is entitlement reform. “I guarantee you I will protect Social Security and Medicare without any change,” the president said.
But analysts say looming shortfalls will put those commitments to the test.
“They’re really two choices, very straightforward. You can increase revenues going in, or you can reduce benefits being paid out,” said Andrew Eschtruth, associate director for external relations at the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College.
“The president’s budget did not go into any detail other than to say that it was absolutely not going to propose any benefit reductions and would fight any benefit reductions that
THE Philippines has chosen the four new Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites for its own national interests, not because it was dictated by the United States, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said on Friday, March 24.
Año said the government is concerned about improving its defense capability, modernizing equipment and assets,
and developing the country’s military infrastructure.
"Año said the government is concerned about improving its defense capability, modernizing equipment and assets, and developing the country’s military infrastructure.
'Positive contribution’ to regional peace Año also said the government’s move to develop military and base infrastructure through Edca is the country’s contribution
MANILA — The Philippines still does not have enough resources to enforce laws against the sexual exploitation of minors, keeping child abuse a significant problem in the country, according to the U.S. State Department’s report on the country's human rights situation.
"Inadequate prosecutorial resources and capacity to analyze alleged abusers’ computers for evidence were among the challenges to effective enforcement," the country report on the Philippines said.
It also pointed out that individuals who force children into
cybersex activities — some of them relatives of the victims — remain undeterred by stiff penalties and government efforts to catch offenders.
"Despite the penalties and enforcement efforts, law enforcement agencies and NGOs agreed that criminals and family members continued to use minors in the production of pornography and in cybersex activities," the report stated.
Offenders found to be producing or in possession of child pornography can be prosecuted under Philippine laws with penalties ranging from one month to life imprisonment, in addition to significant fines.
This, however, has failed to stop
the Philippines from remaining a "destination for foreign and domestic child sex tourists."
"Additionally, live internet broadcasts of young girls, boys, and sibling groups performing sex acts for paying foreigners continued," the report also revealed.
It acknowledged, however, that the Philippine government "continued to prosecute accused pedophiles, deport those who were foreigners, and bar the entry of identified convicted sex offenders."
There were also efforts from the government to reduce the risk of retraumatizing child victims by allowing them to defer testifying in court and increasing instead the use of plea agreements in online
child sexual exploitation cases.
Most child abuse cases sexual in nature
From 2021 to 2022, a staggering 72% of all child abuse cases on average involved sexual abuse or assault, according to the monitoring by Women and Children Protection Units.
In 2021, nearly 6,000 children were sexually abused. This climbed to 6,600 cases in 2022.
WCPUs are established by the non-government organization Child Protection Network Foundation in health department-retained and local government-supported hospitals to increase care services for abused children.
There are currently 115 WCPUs in 59 provinces.
by BEATRICE PINLAC Inquirer.net
MANILA — Former First Lady Imelda Marcos remains “strong and kicking.”
Imelda’s niece, Eliza Romualdez-Valtos, took to social media on Thursday, March 23 to end murmurs about the death of the 93-year-old.
“Still strong and kicking,” Romualdez-Valtos said in a Facebook post, coupled with a hashtag calling out fake news.
She also shared an old photo of the matriarch with hearts
plastered all over.
Imelda’s daughter, Senator Imee Marcos, also denied the rumors.
“Last week pa iyan. Ang bad ng nagkalat [That’s been going around since last week. Whoever started the rumor is bad],” she told reporters in a text message. “Imelda Marcos” clinched the seventh spot in the Philippines’ trending roundup on Twitter as talks erupted about her supposed passing.
Imelda, the widow of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and
The governor has also laid out ambitious plans to manufacture insulin, control substance abuse, and shut down private prisons.
Abalos’ ratings rose by 7% from his December 2022 ratings.
Abalos was followed by Tourism Sec. Christina Garcia-Frasco (77% approval rating, 75% trust rating), Executive Sec. Lucas Bersamin (75% approval, 70% trust rating), Information and Communications Technology Sec. Ivan John Uy (75% approval, 88% trust rating), Budget and Management Sec. Amenah Pangandaman (73% approval, 70% trust rating) and Foreign Affairs Sec. Enrique Manalo (71% approval, 67% trust ratings).
Department of Migrant
Workers Sec. Susan Ople had a 68% approval rating and 65% trust rating, followed by DOJ Sec. Boying Remulla (68% approval, 63% trust rating), DTI Sec. Alfredo Pascual (68% approval, 60% trust rating), DOTR Sec. Jaime Bautista (67%
approval, 65% trust rating), SolGen Menardo Guevarra (67% approval, 68% trust rating), DOH Acting Sec. Rosario Vergeire (67% approval, 70% trust rating); DOF Sec. Benjamin Diokno (66% approval, 68% trust rating), DOST Sec. Renato Solidum Jr. (66% approval, 72% trust rating), DHSUD Sec. Jerry Acuzar (65% approval, 62% trust rating), DPWH Sec. Manuel Bonoan (63% approval, 61% trust rating) and DOLE Sec. Bienvenido Laguesma (63% approval, 60% trust ratings). Martinez said the RPMD also ranked the performance of senators, with Senators Raffy Tulfo at Imee Marcos emerging as the top performers with a rating of 87%.
Senators Bong Revilla Jr., Mark Villar, and Loren Legarda were statistically tied for the second spot with a performance rating of 85%.
Senators Cynthia Villar at
Grace Poe were tied with a 78% job satisfaction rating, while Francis Tolentino earned a 76% approval rating.
Senators Bong Go at Sherwin Gatchalian got an approval rating of 73%, followed by Senators Sonny Angara and Alan Peter Cayetano (70%).
Sen. Nancy Binay had a rating of 68%, Senators Koko Pimentel at Risa Hontiveros had a rating of 65%, and Sen. Pia Cayetano had a 63% rating.
The independent and non-commissioned RPMD nationwide “Boses ng Bayan” survey was conducted in all provinces nationwide from February 25-March 8, 2023 with 10,000 adult respondents.
The survey has a margin of error of +/-1% at 95% confidence level. The number of respondents per province is proportional to the official population and chosen randomly.
mother of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., is convicted for seven counts of graft by the Sandiganbayan’s Fifth Division.
This was for violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, when she transferred some
$200 million to seven Swiss foundations as a member of the defunct Batasang Pambansa, as Metro Manila governor, and as then Minister of Human Settlements. She was sentenced to imprisonment for six years and
counties attempting to reduce their unhoused populations. The $1 billion in grants is part of a multi-year $15.3 billion effort by the state to address the crisis of homelessness.
one month up to 11 years for each count but has never spent a day in jail.
Then national police chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde explained that authorities considered the age and health of Imelda in implementing the arrest order.
Funds will go to entities that are “ambitious” in their goals, with improved metrics and coordination. “We rejected many plans that were unambitious,” said Newsom, adding: “no plan, no money.” Bonuses of up to 16% will be attached for cities and counties who meet their target metrics. An additional $750 million has been allocated to clean up homeless encampments.
Tiny homes
Newsom also announced a “small homes” initiative, tiny units which would house 2 to 6 people. 1200 small homes will be placed this year in Los Angeles, San Diego County, San Jose and Sacramento. People living in homeless encampments will be first priority for housing in the tiny homes, as the first step to transitioning into permanent housing.
Newsom said he hopes to launch the initiative in other cities next year. The homes are offered free, and ready to move in to.
Through these initiatives, the state is expected to reduce its homeless population by 15% by 2025. The Public Policy Institute of California notes that the state has the largest number of unhoused people in the country: more than 131,000 people are unsheltered, according to the 2022 annual Point In Time survey, in which volunteers go out on to streets to count the number of homeless residents.
Project homeKey
Los Angeles is home to 38% of the state’s homeless residents. San Jose, one of the wealthiest regions in California, is home to 5.8% of the state’s unhoused
people, while Oakland is home to 5.7%. San Francisco has 4.5% of the state’s unhoused individuals, according to PPIC data.
Amid the pandemic, Newsom had launched Project HomeKey, an ambitious project to buy up hotels, motels, and other properties to be repurposed as housing for homeless people, with support services to address substance abuse, mental illness, and economic distress. In response to a question from Ethnic Media Services, the governor said: “I couldn’t be more proud of the program, especially with our rural partners who have developed some really innovative solutions with Project HomeKey funding.”
Newsom noted that Project HomeKey bought 6,000 units at a cost of $3.75 billion. Critics of the program noted it cost an average of $55,000 to house an individual, and did not address the underlying issues leading to chronic homelessness.
‘Crisis of housing’
In response to a question from California Black Media, Newsom said he was tightening up the permitting process for Accessory Dwelling Units to increase the supply of affordable housing, with $100 million having been allocated to homeowners to apply for grants to build ADUs on their property.
“In California, we are using every tool in our toolbox –including the largest-ever deployment of small homes in the state – to move people off the streets and into housing. The crisis of homelessness will never be solved without first solving the crisis of housing – the two issues are inextricably linked,” said Newsom.
Insulin manufacturing
The governor also announced that the state would be producing its own insulin to be distributed at $30 per vial, greatly reducing
the cost of a drug that is needed daily by 3 million of the state’s residents.
Diabetes disproportionately affects people of color, along with low-income individuals, said Dr. Mark Ghaly, Secretary of California Health and Human Services. “We know the cost of insulin is forcing families to make hard choices,” he said at the March 22 briefing.
The state has partnered with Utah-based Civica to manufacture insulin. Newsom said he hopes to begin manufacturing insulin in California by 2025.
Opioid crisis
The governor is also shoring up his response to the state’s mental health and opioid crises. He announced a 2024 ballot initiative, which would provide $1 billion annually to increase the supply of beds for mentally ill people, especially veterans.
Earlier in the week, Newsom released his administration’s “Master Plan for Tackling the Fentanyl and Opioid Crisis,” which would step up efforts to seize fentanyl, support overdose prevention efforts, hold the opioid pharmaceutical industry accountable, crack down on drug trafficking, and raise awareness about the dangers of opioids.
Newsom also discussed the state’s shutdown of four private prisons. “It is absolutely perverse that we have profit motives for incarcerating our citizens,” he stated. The state’s prison population has dropped dramatically, from a high of almost 200,000 prisoners during the Schwarzenegger era, to about 93,000 currently.
San Quentin is also being repurposed as a rehabilitation facility to allow prisoners to more successfully integrate into society once released, thereby reducing the state’s rate of recidivism.
(Sunita Sohrabji/ Ethnic Media Services)to the peace and stability of the region.
“By developing our military and base infrastructure, we are pursuing our national interest and actually contributing to regional peace and stability,” Año said.
“We hope that our neighbors in the region will see this as a positive contribution towards peace and stability in the region,” he added.
Opposition Año made the statement in light of the recent opposition expressed by lawmakers and local government executives on the installation of EDCA sites in the country.
Cagayan Gov. Manuel Mamba opposed the installation of the EDCA facility in his province, stressing that the United States should not use the country, which he said is only after its
interests in Taiwan.
Likewise, Senator Imee Marcos questioned possible locations earlier named by the military in Northern Luzon, which she said is just a “stone’s throw” away from Taiwan.
Location
The military previously named Cagayan, Zambales, Isabela, and Palawan as possible EDCA sites. Notably, these areas face Taiwan up north (Cagayan, Zambales and Isabela) as well as the South China Sea (Palawan).
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has also confirmed that the four EDCA sites will rise in the northern and southern parts of the country.
To date, there are five predetermined EDCA sites – Antonio Bautista Air Base in Palawan, which is closest to the Kalayaan Group of Islands; Basa Air Base in Pampanga, the home of the
Philippine Air Force’s fighter planes; and Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, the country’s largest military camp and a frequent location of PhilippineU.S. military exercises.
The other two areas are Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu and Lumbia Air Base in Cagayan de Oro City.
The EDCA, signed in 2014 under then President Benigno S. Aquino’s administration, allows US to forces rotate through Philippine military bases and also store defense equipment and supplies.
EDCA is part of the country’s Mutual Defense Treaty’s (MDT) commitments.
Signed by two parties on August 30, 1951, the MDT states that both countries would support each other if an external party attacked the Philippines or the United States.
Marcos said the Philippines and the United States would announce the four new sites soon, but he also mentioned that the additional EDCA locations would also “defend our eastern coast.”
“That’s also something we have to look out for,” the president said, adding that the government must also protect the country’s waters off the country’s eastern seaboard, particularly the Benham Rise.
He said local governments that “had interposed some objections” now support the possibility of being hosts to U.S. troops.
“We explained to them why it was important that we have that and why it will actually be good for their province,” he said.
On March 20, acting Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said Cagayan Gov. Manuel Mamba withdrew his opposition and now welcomes being one of the additional EDCA sites.
Cagayan already hosts the Cagayan Economic Zone in Sta. Ana town, a freeport of more than 54,118 hectares of land that includes Port Irene, which used to be the biggest revenue source of the Port of Aparri Customs district.
'Taiwan question’
The Sta. Ana freeport is even larger, but less developed, than the 32,000-ha Clark Air Base, which used to be a US military facility.
The freeport is only 270 nautical miles (500 kilometers) from Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Except for the United States, Mr. Marcos did not mention any other country in his remarks at the Army anniversary celebration, but China’s foreign ministry on March 12 said Manila’s decision to open more sites under the EDCA would drag the country into “the Taiwan question.”
“Those visionary people all asked the soul-searching
questions: If the new sites are located in Cagayan and Isabela, which are close to Taiwan, does the U.S. really intend to help the Philippines in disaster relief with these EDCA sites? And is it really in the national interest of the Philippines to get dragged by the US to interfere in the Taiwan question?” the Chinese Embassy said in a statement.
But the president stopped short of announcing any foreign policy changes, particularly the resumption of Philippine recognition of Taiwan, which his father and namesake, former President Ferdinand Marcos, reset in establishing diplomatic ties with Beijing in 1975.
Marcos instead said that the military must be ready to defend the country amid the “emerging threat to our territory,” adding that the external security environment is becoming “more complex” and “more unpredictable.”
CONSIDER three hypothetical women in their mid-70s, all living alone in identical economic circumstances with the same array of ailments: diabetes, arthritis, and high blood pressure.
Ms. Green stays home most of the time and sometimes goes a week without seeing people. But she’s in frequent touch by phone with friends and relatives, and she takes a virtual class with a discussion group from a nearby college.
Ms. Smith also stays home, but rarely talks to anyone. She has lost contact with friends, stopped going to church, and spends most of her time watching TV.
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom, whose administration is struggling to contain a worsening homelessness crisis despite record spending, is trying something bold: tapping federal health care funding to cover rent for homeless people and those at risk of losing their housing.
States are barred from using federal Medicaid dollars to pay directly for rent, but California’s governor is asking the administration of President Joe Biden, a fellow Democrat, to authorize a new program called “transitional rent,” which would provide up to six months of rent or temporary housing for lowincome enrollees who rely on the state’s health care safety net — a new initiative in his arsenal of programs to fight and prevent homelessness.
“I’ve been talking to the president. We cannot do this alone,” Newsom told KHN.
The governor is pushing California’s version of Medicaid, called Medi-Cal, to fund experimental housing subsidies for homeless people, betting that it’s cheaper for taxpayers to cover rent than to allow people to fall into crisis or costly institutional care in hospitals, nursing homes, and jails. Early in his tenure, Newsom proclaimed that “doctors should be able to write prescriptions for housing the same way they do for insulin or antibiotics.”
But it’s a risky endeavor in a high-cost state where median rent is nearly $3,000 a month, and even higher in coastal regions, where most of California’s homeless people reside. Experts expect the Biden administration to scrutinize the plan to use health care money to pay rent; and also question its potential effectiveness in light of the state’s housing crisis.
“Part of the question is whether this is really Medicaid’s job,” said Vikki Wachino, who served as national Medicaid director in the Obama administration. “But there is a recognition that social factors like inadequate housing are driving health outcomes, and I think the federal government is open to developing approaches to try and address that.”
Bruce Alexander, a spokesperson for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, declined to say whether the federal government would approve California’s request. Yet, Biden’s Medicaid officials have approved similar experimental programs in Oregon and Arizona, and California is modeling its program after them.
California is home to an estimated 30% of the homeless people in the U.S., despite representing just 12% of the country’s overall population.
And Newsom has acknowledged that the numbers are likely far greater than official homeless tallies show. Top health officials say that, to contain soaring safetynet spending and help homeless people get healthy, Medi-Cal has no choice but to combine social services with housing.
Statewide, 5% of Medi-Cal patients account for a staggering 44% of the program’s spending, according to state data. And many of the costliest patients lack stable housing: Nearly half of patients experiencing homelessness visited the emergency room four times or more in 2019 and were more likely than other lowincome adults to be admitted to the hospital, and a large majority of visits were covered by MediCal, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.
“What we have today doesn’t work,” said Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, explaining his argument that housing is a critical component of health care. “Why do we have to wait so long for people to be so
sick?”
The federal government has already approved a massive social experiment in California, known as CalAIM, which is transforming Medi-Cal. Over five years, the initiative is expected to pour $12 billion into new MediCal services delivered outside of traditional health care. In communities across the state, it is already funding services for some low-income patients, including paying rental security deposits for homeless people and those facing eviction; delivering prepared healthy meals for people with diabetes; and helping formerly incarcerated people find jobs.
The transitional rent program would add another service to those already available, though only a sliver of the 15.4 million Medi-Cal enrollees actually receive those new and expensive social services.
Rent payments could begin as soon as 2025 and cost roughly $117 million per year once fully implemented. And while state officials say anyone who is homeless or at risk of becoming homeless would be eligible, not everyone who qualifies will receive new services due to capacity limits. Among those who stand to benefit are nearly 11,000 people already enrolled in MediCal housing services.
“The ongoing conversation is how do we convince the federal government that housing is a health care issue,” said Mari Cantwell, who served as MediCal director from 2015 to 2020. “You have to convince them that you’re going to save money because you’re not going to have as many people showing up at the emergency room and in longterm hospitalizations.”
Health care experiments in California and around the country that funded housing supports have demonstrated early success in reducing costs and making people healthier. But while some programs paid for housing security deposits or participants’ first month of rent, none directly covered rent for an extended period.
“Without that foundational support, we are playing in the margins,” Newsom said.
State health officials argue that paying for six months of rent will be even more successful at reducing health care costs and improving enrollees’ health, but experts say that, to work, the initiative must have strict accountability and be bundled with an array of social services.
In a precursor to the state’s current initiative, California experimented with a mix of housing assistance programs and social services through its “Whole Person Care” pilot program. Nadereh Pourat, of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, evaluated the program for the state concluding that local trials reduced emergency visits and hospitalizations, saving an average of $383 per Medi-Cal beneficiary per year — a meager amount compared with the program’s cost.
Over five years, the state spent $3.6 billion serving about 250,000 patients enrolled in local experiments, Pourat said.
And a randomized control trial in Santa Clara County that provided supportive housing for homeless people showed reductions in psychiatric emergency room visits and improvements in care. “Lives stabilized and we saw a huge uptick in substance use care and mental health care, the things that everybody wants people to use to get healthier,” said Dr. Margot Kushel, director of the University of California-San Francisco’s Center for Vulnerable
they are skeptical that spending
health care money on housing will save the system money. And health care experts say that, while six months of rent can be a bridge while people wait for permanent housing, there’s a bigger obstacle: California’s affordable housing shortage.
Ms. Johnson has a wide circle of friends and a busy schedule. She walks with neighbors regularly, volunteers at a school twice a week, goes to church, and is in close touch with her children, who don’t live nearby. Three sets of social circumstances, three levels of risk should the women experience a fall, bout of pneumonia, or serious deterioration in health.
Of the women, Ms. Johnson would be most likely to get a ride to the doctor or a visit in the hospital, experts suggest. Several people may check on Ms. Green and arrange assistance while she recovers.
She’s what some experts would call “socially vulnerable” or “socially frail.”
Social frailty is a corollary to physical frailty, a set of vulnerabilities (including weakness, exhaustion, unintentional weight loss, slowness, and low physical activity) shown to increase the risk of falls, disability, hospitalization, poor surgical outcomes, admission to a nursing home, and earlier death in older adults.
Essentially, people who are physically frail have less physiological strength and a reduced biological ability to bounce back from illness or injury.
Those who are socially frail similarly have fewer resources to draw upon, but for different reasons — they don’t have close relationships, can’t rely on others for help, aren’t active in community groups or religious organizations, or live in neighborhoods that feel unsafe, among other circumstances. Also, social frailty can entail feeling a lack of control over one’s life or being devalued by others.
Many of these factors have been linked to poor health outcomes in later life, along with so-called social determinants of health — low socioeconomic status, poor nutrition, insecure housing, and inaccessible transportation.
Dr. Melissa Andrew, a professor of geriatric medicine at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, who published one of the first social vulnerability indices for older adults in 2008.
This way of thinking about older adults’ social lives, and how they influence health outcomes, is getting new attention from experts in the U.S. and elsewhere. In February, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and the University of California-San Francisco published a 10-item “social frailty index” in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal.
Using data from 8,250 adults 65 and older who participated in the national Health and Retirement Study from 2010 to 2016, the researchers found that the index helped predict an increased risk of death during the period studied in a significant number of older adults, complementing medical tools used for this purpose.
“Our goal is to help clinicians identify older patients who are socially frail and to prompt problem-solving designed to help them cope with various challenges,” said Dr. Sachin Shah, a co-author of the paper and a researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital.
But Ms. Smith would be unlikely to get much help and more likely than the others to fare poorly if her health became challenged.
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Social frailty assumes that each factor contributes to an older person’s vulnerability and that they interact with and build upon each other. “It’s a more complete picture of older adults’ circumstances than any one factor alone,” said
“We can design incredible Medicaid policies to alleviate
“It adds dimensions of what a clinician should know about their patients beyond current screening instruments, which are focused on physical health,” said Dr. Linda Fried, an internationally known frailty researcher and dean of the
FILIPINO tennis and basketball stars shared a rare, beautiful moment together as teen sensation Alex Eala met coach Erik Spoelstra in the backstage of the Heat’s NBA game against the New York Knicks on Wednesday, March 22 at the Miami-Dade Arena in Florida.
The 17-year-old Eala received a warm welcome from Spoelstra, the seasoned Filipino-American NBA mentor, as she dropped by to see the Heat play in the aftermath of her early exit in the prestigious Miami Open the other day.
Spoelstra encouraged Eala, accompanied by her father Mike, to never give up on her tennis aspirations with hopes of seeing her again in the Miami Open next year.
“Come through again in the Miami Open next year and hit us up next,” beamed Spoelstra on her compatriot who’s making waves and bringing honor and glory to the Philippines.
Eala’s pep talk with Spoelstra,
together with Heat star center Bam Adebayo proved as a lucky charm with Miami beating New York, 127-120, to climb to 40-34 at No. 7 in the Eastern Conference.
Spoelstra, who won two NBA championships and has been recently named in the NBA’s 15 Greatest Coaches, also promised to go see and support Eala in her next Miami tourney.
were proposed by the Congress,”
Eschtruth added. He was among a panel of speakers during an Ethnic Media Press briefing last week examining the president’s proposed budget.
Biden wants high-income workers to pay more taxes to ensure the nation’s popular Social Security program will have stable financial footing in the future. Social Security is the backbone of the retirement and disability income systems in this country, providing inflationadjusted benefits to more than 65 million people.
According to Eschtruth, based on incoming payroll taxes the program could continue to pay full benefits until 2035, at which point it would only be able to pay about 80% of benefits.
One potential option would be to remove the $160,000 cap on taxable income, which would take care of three fifths of the projected shortfall, says Eschtruth. Putting a flat tax of 1.7% on everybody, including employers, would eliminate it. Neither of those solutions are on the table.
Impossible to know what will happen
Under the Constitution, Congress has the power of the purse so the President can’t order them to pass his budget. He must persuade them, says one prominent economist who has worked on Capitol Hill for many years.
“President Biden has presented a visionary budget proposal which recognizes that meeting the needs of the United States in the 21st Century requires more revenues and bolder program initiatives than we currently have,” says Chad Stone, Chief Economist at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
Last year’s budget was no walk in the park. “It wasn’t like the President said, ‘This is what I want’, and Congress said, ‘Here you are’. Even so, Stone says a lot
Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University.
Beyond the corridors of medicine, she said, “we need society to build solutions” to issues raised in the index — the ability of seniors to work, volunteer, and engage with other people; the safety and accessibility of neighborhoods in which they live; ageism and discrimination against older adults; and more.
Meanwhile, a team of Chinese researchers recently published a comprehensive review of social frailty in adults age 60 and older, based on results from dozens of studies with about 83,900 participants in Japan, China, Korea, and Europe. They determined that 24% of these older adults, assessed both in hospitals and in the community, were socially frail — a higher portion than those deemed physically frail (12%) or cognitively frail (9%) in separate studies. Most vulnerable were people 75 and older.
What are the implications for health care? “If someone is socially vulnerable, perhaps they’ll need more help at home while they’re recovering from surgery. Or maybe they’ll need someone outside their family circle to be an advocate for them in the hospital,” said Dr. Kenneth Covinsky, a geriatrician at UCSF and co-author of the recent Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences article.
“I can see a social frailty index being useful in identifying older adults who need extra assistance and directing them to community resources,” said Jennifer Ailshire, an associate professor of gerontology and sociology at the University of Southern California Leonard Davis School of Gerontology.
of good legislation got passed.
“Frankly, it’s impossible to know what will happen in the Republican-controlled House,” he said.
Stone noted Congress votes to fund many programs every year. That’s discretionary spending. Some things like Social Security, Medicare, and much of the Defense budget are paid for by dedicated taxes. Those programs are mandatory spending.
“I really don’t know how things are going to play out. We live in interesting times,” Stone said, adding support for Ukraine is not going to be a budget buster and China is the one place where both sides agree.
Defense spending & investments in families
Biden’s request on defense spending is $842 billion, $35 billion higher than last year. Defense officials are calling it the “largest, nominal-dollar peacetime budget ever.” If you add another $44 billion for the Department of Energy to upgrade nuclear weapons, it’s a total of $886 billion. That is still less than the $1.3 trillion spent on social welfare last year.
“The budget does propose to make some really important investments in children, families, seniors, workers, particularly those with low and moderate income, and it’s a particularly important moment, because a lot of the pandemic era programs are winding down,” says Elizabeth Lower-Basch, a social policy director at the Center for Law and Social Policy in Washington.
She said that costs for food, child care, and healthcare are continuing to rise. “So families are feeling the pinch. The President’s budget does propose to bring back the enhanced child tax credit which was rolled out in 2021 as part of the American rescue plan.”
Biden wants to bring it back permanently. And he wants to close the “Coverage Gap” for lowincome families and individuals who make too much to qualify for free insurance under the
Lower-Basch said Biden’s budget would require all states to expand Medicaid for postpartum women for 12 months. Right now, 11 states have not expanded Medicaid and the President’s proposal would require them to do so.
“The budget also calls to invest an additional $150 billion over 10 years for seniors and people with disabilities so that they can get care at home or in community settings rather than having to be cared for in a nursing home,” she said.
Investing in food security Biden’s budget puts a high priority on federal nutrition food security programs, including school meals. The WIC program provides new moms with baby formula and pregnant women with groceries. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) helps poor families buy healthy food. A two-person family with a $1,526 monthly income qualifies.
“The Farm Bill is up for reauthorization this year. That’s usually a bipartisan bill, so the SNAP program is one area where there might be some opportunity for legislation to actually happen,” says Lower-Basch. Other things on the President’s wish list include 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave for all workers. Child Care and early childhood programs would get large increases — $600 billion over 10 years for childcare. Sixteen million children would get affordable childcare and four million 4-year-olds would go to preschool.
Lower-Basch says there’s going to be a lot of fighting and back and forth when Congress starts to debate Biden’s budget.
“These are proposals that didn’t quite make it to the finish line last year, even when Democrats did control both the House and the Senate, so they’ll definitely be more challenging to get through this year,” she said. (Peter White/Ethnic Media Services)
Unlike other physicians, geriatricians regularly screen older adults for extra needs, albeit without using a well-vetted or consistent set of measures. “I’ll ask, who do you depend on most and how do you depend on them? Do they bring you food? Drive you places?
Come by and check on you? Give you their time and attention?” said Dr. William Dale, the Arthur M. Coppola Family Chair in Supportive Care Medicine at City of Hope, a comprehensive cancer center in Duarte, California.
Depending on the patients’ answers, Dale will refer them to a social worker or help modify their plan of care. But, he cautioned, primary care physicians and specialists don’t routinely take the time to do this.
Oak Street Health, a Chicago-based chain of 169 primary care centers for older adults in 21 states and recently purchased by CVS Health, is trying to change that in its clinics, said Dr. Ali Khan, the company’s chief medical officer of value-based care strategy. At least three times a year, medical assistants, social workers, or clinicians ask patients about loneliness and social isolation, barriers to transportation, food insecurity, financial strain, housing quality and safety, access to broadband services, and utility services.
The organization combines these findings with patient-specific medical information in a “global risk assessment” that separates seniors into four tiers of risk, from very high to very low.
In turn, this informs the kinds of services provided to patients, the frequency of service delivery, and individual wellness plans, which include social as well as medical priorities.
The central issue, Khan said, is “what is this patient’s ability to continue down a path of resilience in the face of a very complicated health care system?” and what Oak Street Health can do to enhance that.
What’s left out of an approach like this, however, is something crucial to older adults: whether their relationships with other people are positive or negative. That isn’t typically measured, but it’s essential in considering whether their social needs are being met, said Linda Waite, the George Herbert Mead Distinguished Service Professor of sociology at the University of Chicago and director of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project.
For seniors who want to think about their own social vulnerability, consider this five-item index, developed by researchers in Japan.
(1) Do you go out less frequently now than last year?
(2) Do you sometimes visit your friends?
(3) Do you feel you are helpful to friends or family?
(4) Do you live alone?
(5) Do you talk to someone every day?
Think about your answers. If you find your responses unsatisfactory, it might be time to reconsider your social circumstances and make a change.
KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.
‘socially
MANILA – The United States government is providing an additional PHP10 million (USD183,700) in assistance to support Oriental Mindoro’s oil spill management and environmental assessment.
The U.S. Embassy in Manila on Friday, March 24 said the support would be used to train fisherfolk displaced by the fishing ban as “citizen scientists” who can conduct coastal habitat assessments in the province.
Through its partnership with the ABS-CBN Foundation Inc., the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), will also assess and monitor the impact of the oil spill on the coastal communities in the Verde Island
Passage.
USAID Philippines Mission Director Ryan Washburn had
earlier handed over the first batch of personal protective equipment, hygiene kits, and spill cleaning supplies to Oriental Mindoro Governor Humerlito Dolor.
“Many communities in the province depend on the tourism and fisheries industries for their livelihoods, and we know that this makes the recent oil spill in your waters an even bigger crisis,” he said during his visit to Oriental Mindoro this week.
“As your enduring friend, partner, and ally, the United States remains committed to support your journey to recovery, and to continue our partnership toward the protection and conservation of this region’s rich coastal and marine resources,” he added.
Dolor extended his gratitude for Washington DC’s “timely assistance” and assured the country that Oriental Mindoro would maximize USAID's donations to reach as many families as possible.
The U.S. government is actively assisting the Philippines’ response to the oil spill.
Earlier this week, a team of experts from the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration arrived in Pola town to provide subject matter expertise in the cleanup.
The U.S. has also provided satellite imagery and modeling applications to help the Philippine Coast Guard and the University of the Philippines-Marine Sciences Institute estimate the trajectory of the spill. (PNA)
MANILA – A new Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey revealed that around 9 of 10 Filipino adults, or 93 percent, have personally experienced climate change impacts in the last three years. The SWS survey conducted Dec. 10 to 14, 2022 specifically found that 17 percent of the respondents have experienced severe impact of climate change, 52 percent felt moderate impact, while 24 percent experienced little impact.
Only 6 percent said they did not experience any impact of climate change. The same survey showed that 88 percent of Filipinos believe that they could do something to reduce climate risks.
Around 76 percent said humanity could do something to stop or slow down climate change if everyone really tried, while 23 percent believe that climate change is beyond humanity's control, SWS reported.
SWS said there is a very high public awareness of selected solutions to reduce the negative effects of climate change, including planting trees, saving electricity at home, walking,
cycling, or taking public transportation, recycling and throwing away less food.
The Fourth Quarter 2022 survey used face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults (18 years old and above) nationwide.
Respondents included 300 each in Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.
The sampling error margins are ±2.8% for national percentages, ±5.7% each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.
Meanwhile, Senator JV Ejercito urged the government to act with urgency and enhance resilience and adaptability to the effects of climate change.
Ejercito’s Senate Bill No. 2027, or the Climate Change Emergency Declaration Act, mandates government departments and agencies to “immediately and efficiently cooperate in taking practicable measures to preserve and protect the environment.”
These are the Climate Change Commission, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council; Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration; and
the Departments of Education, Environment and Natural Resources, Interior and Local Government, Science and Technology, Labor and Employment, and Information and Technology.
“Our country is no stranger to climate change being one of the most highly vulnerable countries, rise of sea levels, increase in frequency of extreme weather events, rise in temperature and extreme rainfall due to high exposure to natural hazards, dependence on climate-sensitive natural resources, and vast coastlines where cities and population reside, name it, our country has been through it.” Ejercito said in his explanatory note.
Ejercito pointed out that the country lies in the world's most cyclone-prone region, averaging 19 to 20 cyclones each year, of which seven to nine make landfall.
Based on a report by the United States Agency for International Development, the Philippines’ urban poor are most at risk since they are lacking the resources to prevent or mitigate the threat of coastal inundation and storm surge. (PNA)
SENIOR Chinese and Filipino diplomats met in Manila on Thursday, March 23 to review their relations amid thorny issues, including Beijing's alarm over a Philippine decision to allow the United States military to expand its presence to a northern region facing the Taiwan Strait and escalating spats in the disputed South China Sea.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong and Philippine Foreign Undersecretary Theresa Lazaro led the talks aimed at assessing overall relations on Thursday, March 23.
The discussions would focus on the long-seething territorial spats in the disputed waterway on Friday, the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila said.
But even as the talks opened in Manila, the Chinese military said it warned a U.S. warship to "leave" waters in the China Sea on Thursday, claims swiftly denied as "false" by American forces.
The 23rd China-Philippines Foreign Ministry Consultation started with diplomatic pleasantries and handshakes in front of the media without any mention of the sensitive issue.
But during the closed-door meeting, the Chinese delegation expressed their strong opposition
to the U.S. military presence in the Philippines, a Filipino official told The Associated Press without elaborating.
The official, who attended the meeting, spoke on condition of anonymity for lack of authority to discuss what transpired in the talks.
Sun and Lazaro will meet again on Friday for the 7th Bilateral Consultation Meeting on the South China Sea.
In his opening statement, Lazaro said the "Philippines attaches so much importance to this mechanism as our discussion here allows us to cover the overall relations between our two countries and as compared to the bilateral consultation mechanism in the South China Sea which truly covers the maritime issues."
Sun stressed the need to follow up on the "important consensus" reached between Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during the latter's visit to China in January.
"We need to deepen our comprehensive strategic cooperation and enhance our cooperation in various practical areas and properly deal with our differences into friendly consultation," Sun said.
"In light with this fast-changing
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ASIAN JOURNAL (L.A.)
AS of March 23, according to the official tracker of the Department of Health, there were still 8,414 active COVID-19 cases nationwide, with 66,304 deaths. The 137 new cases recorded on Thursday brought total infections in the country to 4,032,822 since Patient No. 1 from China’s Wuhan City was recorded on Jan. 30, 2020.
The coronavirus still lurks despite life around the planet easing to a post-pandemic normal. New variants of SARS-CoV-2 – more resistant to the original vaccines, and capable of penetrating even natural immunity acquired through a previous bout with COVID –continue to infect people. And while most of the new infections are mild, especially among the vaccinated, the subvariants are unpredictable and can still debilitate and kill.
Some sectors are more vulnerable to breakthrough and repeat infections: health frontliners, the ailing elderly and people with comorbidities and weakened immune systems. Many of these vulnerable sectors are waiting to get the next-generation bivalent vaccines before fully resuming normal activities such as travel and attending large gatherings.
The bivalent vaccines, which will be administered to those who have received a second booster, are designed specifically against the heavily mutated strains of the Omicron subvariant. The government
had hoped to receive a donation of bivalent boosters through the COVAX Facility. The donation, however, can be availed of only by states that are still grappling with a serious COVID problem.
In the case of the Philippines, the “state of calamity” declared in March 2020 by then president Rodrigo Duterte allowed the country to tap the COVAX Facility for millions of free primary COVID vaccines and boosters. The COVAX Facility has also expressed readiness to replace millions of vaccine doses that are expiring this month. The state of calamity was extended by President Marcos until the end of 2022. After the period lapsed, however, the President said he no longer saw the need for another extension of the calamity state, despite suggestions to do so by health officials. Recently, he said the country had hurdled the pandemic. Now the DOH is hard-pressed to come up with a legal framework that will allow the country to obtain the bivalent vaccines through the COVAX Facility even without restoring the state of COVID
calamity. The government must intensify this effort if it stands firm on its refusal to give the state of calamity another extension.
Millions of Filipinos need and want those bivalent vaccines. The shots will bolster the defenses of the population, particularly the vulnerable sectors,
against a virus that continues to infect, sicken and claim lives. The bivalent jabs will complete the path to pandemic recovery. Normalcy cannot be attained simply by refusing to acknowledge that the health situation is in a state of calamity. (Philstar.com)
FERDINAND Marcos was a product and survivor of, and implicated in, the brutality lurking just under the surface in our national politics and institutions— ranging from his nearly dying in his fraternity initiation to being tried for murder in the famous Nalundasan case in his home province of Ilocos Norte featuring spectacular political murders—but his son was shielded from it, and quite obviously has no taste for it.
Asked about the assassination of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo, President Marcos said in a news conference that “This one is particularly terrifying and it’s really … I don’t know. This does not belong in our society.” Degamo’s killing, he added, “is entirely unacceptable and it will not stand. This cannot go unpunished.” What followed was a kind of political dragnet in slow motion, as Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. was mentioned as the potential mastermind of the rubout, and the House of Representatives then engaged in a kind of zarzuela in slow motion, with the speaker and various
representatives issuing statements and counterstatements, with the whereabouts of Teves himself being murky for quite a time. There are two faces of Teves: the polished one of Margarito and the mercurial one of Arnolfo Jr. Their family having married into that of Hermenegildo Villanueva, the prewar kingpin of Negros Oriental politics, a Teves has featured in the roster of provincial officials since the Commonwealth, increasingly becoming dominant from the Third Republic to martial law, including dominating the first district for most of the postwar to martial law era, and nimbly transitioning the replacement of one, Marcos-affiliated family member, Lorenzo G. Teves, with another, Herminio G. Teves, more acceptable to the post-Edsa democratic government. They established a lock on the newly created third district, holding it exclusively from the time it was established in 1987 to the present. They were less successful when it came to the governorship: Since 1987, only Pryde Henry Teves made it—and briefly, at that, having to relinquish office to Roel Degamo who was proclaimed winner of the 2022 polls by the Comelec.
For the postwar generation, the face of political murder was that of
Moises Padilla, for whom defeat wasn’t enough: He was taken from town to town, and beaten in public, as a demonstration of what happens to those who challenge the powers that be. He was supposedly shot while trying to escape, though the autopsy revealed his legs had been broken before he was shot; his grisly murder helped propel Ramon Magsaysay, who’d promised him protection, then vowed to seek justice, to the presidency. In the twilight of the Marcos dictatorship, the 1985 Escalante massacre claimed the lives of 20 peasants. For us, today, there are many faces of political murder in adjoining Negros Oriental, where Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla says there “is a pattern, a pattern of impunity that we did not sense before. It’s something that is so new to us.” He added that “it’s very hard to imagine this happening before. But now that this happened, the stories are beginning to make sense that there was a pattern of impunity within the area.” A quick scan instantly reveals what has so recently dawned on him: The list of murders there includes activists in 2017; peasants in 2018; 14 in a “lawless violence suppression” campaign in 2019; radio broadcaster Renato Blanco in
2022; in Bayawan City, in October 2022, councilors Cenon Cardona and Diosdado Gemina; a defeated candidate in November; and earlier this year, as a commentary in the Bohol Chronicle notes, the “interesting tale” of the murder of a Dutch national and his Filipino wife by motorcycle-riding gunmen early in February, followed two days later by the murder of a friend of the couple who “was allegedly suspected of having a hand in the murder of Don Paolo Teves (42) younger brother of Valencia town mayor Edgar Teves Jr. on Feb. 3.”; then came the liquidation of Degamo and others earlier this month. That scholar of political murder, Peter Kreuzer, whose work I’ve mentioned before in this space, published a paper on ”Killing Politicians in the Philippines: Who, Where, When, and Why” in 2022 where he summarizes his findings as follows: “For the Philippines, all available evidence suggests that organized crime does not play a role and is not instigating the killing of politicians. However, the communist New People’s Army, which is still active in a number of rural regions of the Philippines, can be identified as an actor that commissions and carries out targeted killings of politicians.
Since Duterte’s campaign against drug-related crime, a number of politicians have been killed by police. These killings were consistently underpinned by the narrative that these politicians were drug criminals who violently resisted arrest. Although these actors outside mainstream politics play some role, they are likely to be collectively responsible for no more than 10 percent of the killings. By reconstructing several local dynamics of violence, some of which span several decades and resulted in casualties among several groupings, this report advances the argument that politicians from the establishment are responsible for the vast majority of targeted killings of politicians.” In other words, the killers of politicians are other politicians, though recently some instances might have been disguised as being casualties in the so-called “war on drugs.”
That being the case, we can read between the lines of the President and secretary of justice’s statements. The missing context is one laid out in the Bohol Chronicle commentary I quoted above: in a span of 18 days, four government officials were targeted—the governor of Negros Oriental was killed, while that of Lanao del Sur survived; a Cagayan
characteristic sarcasm:
vice mayor was killed in Nueva Vizcaya while a Maguindanao mayor was slain in Pasay City. According to the commentary, “two of the assassinations involved camouflaged militarygarbed personnel and three of the four incidents were stagemanaged in areas outside the political jurisdiction of the victimpoliticians.”
If the previous dispensation had been marked by bringing to the national what had long been a feature of the local—liquidations, whether of officials or the poor, so that it was only relatively sheltered urban civil society that was shocked—the problem now is that no one can keep thinking it was only a six-year aberration. The past six years show no signs of ending in this, the first year of the Restoration. Even as police commands are reshuffled, the national leadership also has to confront the troubling possibility the lower ranks of the military have discovered the allure of being guns for hire. (Inquirer.net)
* * * The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.
* * * Email: mlquezon3@gmail.com; Twitter: @
THIS week, the United States and the Philippine militaries –with enthusiastic support from Ferdinand Marcos Jr. – kickstarted the implementation of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), the 2014 bilateral executive accord which had been delayed for eight years. The EDCA enables the US to reestablish its strong military presence in the country – after being barred in 1991, when the Senate voted to end the almost 50-year stay of American military bases here.
Instead of the full-scale air and naval bases before, the EDCA allows the US to construct “military facilities” for their exclusive use inside those Philippine military bases they can choose. The Benigno Aquino III administration initially approved five bases – in Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao – wherein the full construction of US military facilities, tagged as EDCA sites, is now being accelerated.
Last Feb. 4, during the visit by U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd
Austin, Marcos Jr. approved four additional sites. Their locations will be formally announced soon, he said on Wednesday, March 22, adding that two of the four sites will be in the northern part of Luzon to “defend our eastern coast.” His pronouncement incurred a heated reaction from China’s foreign ministry, which warned of escalating tensions in the AsiaPacific region. Specifically, China accused the U.S. of doing this by bolstering its military deployment in the region.
Last Monday, the U.S. sent its Air Force Secretary, Frank Kendall III, to jumpstart the “repairs and updating” on the runway of Basa Air Base in Floridablanca, Pampanga. Kendall and acting Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. officiated at the groundbreaking rites.
Funded by the US at $25 million, the project’s aim is to make Basa “ideal for the efficient conduct of [US-Philippine] joint task force exercises and a natural hub for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.”
Basa is one of the five bases earlier chosen by the US and approved by the Philippine government. Galvez remarked at this week’s
event: “After almost eight years of delay and legal challenge, the EDCA implementation is now in full swing… We hope the (US) would consider more EDCA projects.”
Kendall said the strategic allies would “announce as soon as they can” the location of the four additional EDCA sites that Marcos Jr. had approved. Marcos Jr. reiterated Kendall’s statement, but deferred to the US as to the exact date for issuing a joint announcement.
Austin lost no time in calling Galvez, and the two defense chiefs spoke on the phone for “several hours,” noted one news report. After condemning China’s incursions on Pagasa Island in Palawan early this month, with Austin expressing particular concern over China’s swarming of more than 40 vessels around Pagasa, the duo discussed plans to conduct joint maritime activities in the South China Sea. They agreed to review the full range of maritime cooperation in their scheduled meetings, along with their foreign affairs counterparts, in Washington next month.
They also looked forward to holding the largest Balikatan joint military exercises from April 11 to
28, wherein 17,000-plus soldiers (12, 000 Americans and 5,000 Filipinos) will participate in livefiring drills. Besides the live-firing for the first time in the country of a Patriot missile, the US Army has announced the launching of Javelin missiles during the exercises. Both weapons systems have been provided to the Ukrainian military, which they used as defense against Russian air and ground attacks.
After Marcos Jr. confirmed that he had approved four new EDCA sites, including two in northern Luzon, China’s foreign ministry issued statements of opposition via their embassy in Manila.
“If the new sites are located in Cagayan and Isabela, which are close to Taiwan, does the US really intend to help the Philippines in disaster relief with these EDCA sites? And is it really in the national interest of the Philippines to get dragged by the US to interfere in the Taiwan question?” asked the Chinese statement.
And on the US claim – which the Marcos Jr. administration has readily echoed – that the USfunded EDCA site facilities would generate much-needed local jobs and boost the economy – another Chinese statement said with
“Creating economic opportunities and jobs through military cooperation is tantamount to quenching thirst with poison and gouging flesh to heal wounds. Such cooperation will seriously endanger regional peace and stability and drag the Philippines into the abyss of geopolitical strife and damage its economic development at the end of the day.”
As was his wont, Marcos Jr. seemed to let go unanswered the Chinese foreign ministry statements. When asked by a reporter about the previously expressed opposition by the governors of Cagayan and Isabela to US military presence in their provinces, he replied:
“We explained to them why it was important that we have that and why it will actually be good for their provinces.” He didn’t provide any details of the supposed benefits. He simply repeated what Galvez had claimed – that those who expressed objections had acceded “to support the idea of an EDCA site in their province.”
Now comes Cagayan Governor Manuel Mamba, saying it’s Marcos Jr.’s prerogative to decide where the EDCA sites should be
allowed. However, he made clear, in an interview with the Associated Press, that he remained opposed to allowing the Americans to set up their military facilities in his province.
Why? Because Cagayan geographically sits across a sea border from southern China and Taiwan. Such a situation, he feared, could make his province a key target of China’s military should an armed conflict over Taiwan break out, which would involve US forces. (President Biden has repeatedly vowed to protect Taiwan if that happens.) Mamba told AP: “It is the President’s call, not mine. But I maintain my stand against any foreign forces stationed in my province. Still, I am against EDCA sites in my province.”
Expanding the EDCA sites is an issue that continues to unfold. Moreover, we need to be vigilant about how the first five facilities would be used. (Philstar.com)
* * * The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.
* * * Email: satur.ocampo@gmail.com
including the Philippines, to enhance our solidarity and cooperation, communication and coordination to jointly uphold our shared interests and peace and stability of the region," he said.
The territorial conflicts between the two nations have persisted as a major irritant in relations, with Manila filing at least 77 of more than 200 diplomatic protests against China's increasingly assertive actions in the disputed waters since last year alone.
That included a February 6 incident when a Chinese coast guard ship aimed a militarygrade laser that briefly blinded some crew members of a Philippine Coast Guard vessel off a disputed shoal.
Marcos summoned the Chinese ambassador to Manila to express concern over the incident, but Beijing said the Philippine vessel intruded into Chinese territorial waters and its coast guard used a harmless laser gadget to monitor the vessel's movement.
Early last month, the Marcos administration announced it would allow rotating batches of American forces to indefinitely station in four more Philippine military camps.
Those are in addition to five local bases earlier designated under a 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) between the longtime allies.
Marcos said on Wednesday, March 22 the four new military sites would include areas in the northern Philippines.
That location has infuriated Chinese officials because it would provide U.S. forces with a staging ground close to southern
China and Taiwan. The Americans would also have access to military areas in Palawan, Marcos said, adding that the US military presence under the EDCA was aimed at boosting coastal defense.
Palawan faces the South China Sea, a key passage for global trade that Beijing claims virtually in its entirety, but a United Nations-backed arbitration tribunal ruled in 2016 that the historical claim had no legal basis under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Seas.
China had dismissed the ruling, which Washington and other Western governments recognize, and continues to defy it. When asked to react to the Philippine decision, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a news briefing in Beijing on Wednesday that defense cooperation between countries "needs to be conducive to regional peace and stability and not targeted at or harmful to the interests of any third party."
Wang warned countries in the region "to remain vigilant and avoid being coerced or used by the US" without naming the Philippines.
A recent statement issued by the Chinese Embassy in Manila was more blunt and warned that the Manila government's security cooperation with Washington "will drag the Philippines into the abyss of geopolitical strife and damage its economic development at the end of the day."
The Biden administration has been strengthening an arc of military alliances in the Indo-Pacific to better counter
China, including in any future confrontation over Taiwan.
The U.S. moves dovetail with Philippine efforts to shore up its territorial defense amid its disputes with China in the South China Sea.
In Beijing, the Southern Theater Command of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) said the USS Milius, a guided missile destroyer, on Thursday entered waters around the Paracel Islands, which are also claimed by Vietnam.
The PLA "organized sea and air forces to track and monitor [the ship] in accordance with the law" and "warned it to leave," spokesman Tian Junli said.
The vessel "made an illegal incursion into Chinese territorial waters... without permission from the Chinese government, harming peace and stability" in the region, he said.
The U.S. military denied the claims, telling the Agence FrancePresse that "the PRC's statement is false," using the acronym for the People's Republic of China.
The vessel "is conducting routine operations in the South China Sea and was not expelled," said a spokesman for US IndoPacific Command. "The United States will continue to fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows," the spokesman said.
Also on Thursday,March 23, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said it deployed one of its patrol vessels to Sandy Cay and Pagasa Island in the West Philippine Sea early this week to carry out President Marcos' order to strengthen the PCG's presence in the country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
The PCG said the BRP Melchora Aquino spotted several Chinese vessels in the waters of Kalayaan Island Group.
The PCG also monitored eight foreign fishing vessels through its Radio Detection and Ranging and Automatic Identification System.
It made a visual confirmation that the vessels were fishing boats in Menzies Reef.
Two more foreign fishing vessels were spotted in the waters of Lawak Island.
Sandy Cay, Pag-asa Island, Menzies Reef and the islands of Lawak and Likas are located inside the 200-mile EEZ. (ManilaTimes.net with reports from Associated Press and Agence France-Presse)
PAGE A3
homelessness and pay for all the necessary supportive services, but without the adequate housing, frankly, it’s not going to work,” Kushel said.
Newsom acknowledges that criticism. “The crisis of homelessness will never be solved without first solving the crisis of housing,” he said last week, arguing California should plow more money into housing for homeless people with severe mental health conditions or addiction disorders.
He will ask the legislature to put before voters a 2024 ballot initiative that would infuse California’s mental health system with at least 6,000 new treatment beds and supportive housing units for people struggling with mental health and addiction disorders, many of whom are homeless. The proposed bond measure would generate from $3 billion to $5 billion for psychiatric housing and treatment villages aimed at serving more than 10,000 additional people a year. The initiative also would ask voters to set aside at least $1 billion a year for supportive housing from an existing tax on California millionaires that funds local mental health programs.
“People who are struggling with these issues, especially those who are on the streets or in other vulnerable conditions, will have more resources to get the help they need,” Newsom said.
For transitional rent, six months of payments would be available for select high-need residents enrolled in Medi-Cal, particularly those who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless — and those transitioning from more costly institutions such as mental health crisis centers, jails and prisons, and foster care. MediCal patients at risk of inpatient hospitalization or who frequent the emergency room would also be eligible.
“It’s a pretty big challenge; I’m not going to lie,” said Jacey Cooper, the Medi-Cal director. “But we know that people experiencing homelessness cycle in and out of emergency rooms, so we have a real role to play in both preventing and ending homelessness.”
Public health experts say the problem will continue to explode without creative thinking about how to fund housing in health care, but they warn the state must be wary of potential abuses of the program.
“It has to be designed carefully because, unfortunately, there are always people looking to game the system,” said Dr. Tony Iton, a public health expert who is now a senior vice president at the California Endowment. “Decisions must be made by clinicians — not housing organizations just looking for another source of revenue.”
For Stephen Morton, who lives in the Orange County community of Laguna Woods, the
journey from homelessness into permanent housing illustrates the amount of public spending it can take for the effort to pay off.
Morton, 60, bounced between shelters and his car for nearly two years and racked up extraordinary Medi-Cal costs due to prolonged hospitalizations and repeated emergency room trips to treat chronic heart disease, asthma, and diabetes.
Medi-Cal covered Morton’s open-heart surgery and hospital stays, which lasted weeks. He landed temporary housing through a state-sponsored program called Project Roomkey before getting permanent housing through a federal low-income housing voucher — an ongoing benefit that covers all but $50 of his rent.
Since getting his apartment, Morton said, he’s been able to stop taking one diabetes medication and lose weight. He attributes improvements in his blood sugar levels to his housing and the healthy, home-delivered meals he receives via Medi-Cal. “It’s usually scrambled eggs for breakfast and the fish menu for dinner. I’m shocked it’s so good,” Morton said. “Now I have a microwave and I’m indoors. I’m so grateful and so much healthier.”
This story was produced by KHN, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation.
MARIVIC, a U.S. citizen, filed a petition for her daughter, Alyssa, in May 2019.
However, in January 2021, after filing all paperwork and fees, Marivic was notified by the U.S. Embassy that her daughter’s interview was cancelled since the latter aged-out when she turned 21 in August 2019.
Marivic was desperate and wanted to explore other ways of bringing Alyssa to the U.S. and consulted with leading U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel to see if her daughter could apply for a work or a student visa.
IT was just last year when these seven young boys were given the opportunity to become the next global pop group. Out of over 62 hopefuls, Jeromy Batac, Marcus Cabais, Kyler Chua, Vinci Malizon, Reyster Yton, Kim Ng, and Winston Pineda proved their worth and claimed their destiny as music idols.
After grueling missions, challenges, rankings and voting, they won the country’s first idol survival show, “Dream Maker,” jointly produced by ABS-CBN, MLD Entertainment, and Kamp Korea.
Now known as HORI7ON (read “horizon”), the sevenmember group is certified as Kapamilya and MLD artists as both entities continue comanaging the group’s career toward global popularity. During a press conference for
their official contract signing, Malizon shared in Filipino, “I think this day solidifies our commitment as a group. We are starting to cement our place to
ACTRESS Lotlot de Leon has reunited with her biological father in time for her 52nd birthday last month.
have a representation on the global stage for the Philippines. We are so excited to continue this journey.”
In a lengthy Instagram post, Lotlot admitted that she knew that she was adopted by Nora Aunor and Christopher de Leon. “Didn’t know what it meant before until my mom sat with me one day and explained. She said the difference between me
Atty. Gurfinkel saw that Alyssa was eligible for her visa under the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) and demonstrated her eligibility to the U.S. Embassy. Alyssa was rescheduled for her interview, and obtained her immigrant visa and green card. Watch this success story on an encore episode of “Citizen Pinoy” on Sunday, March 26 at 6:30 PM PT (9:30 PM ET) through select Cable/Satellite providers, right after TV Patrol Linggo. Citizen Pinoy is also available on iWantTFC. Viewers may download the free app. (Advertising Supplement)
MISS Universe 2015 Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach expressed support for her sister Sarah as the latter is progressing in her personal battle with anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Sarah had posted on her Instagram account a video recounting her mental health journey, set to Keala’s “Authentic.”
“It’s been a long road and how rough it has been... but I am so proud that I have come so far from when it all started. I opened the Pandora’s box back in late 2020 and my life has changed
and Ian was that my brother came from her stomach, I was a gift from above. (Mom pointing at mama Mary the statue.),” she said.
“Cried for hours after that. Not because I didn’t know who my real parents were but because I wanted to be like Ian too, na galing din sa stomach nya because I love my mom so much gusto ko totoong anak din nila ako ni dad,” she added.
Lotlot said that she never felt hate for her biological parents but she’s curious about them.
“And (to be honest) I prayed to meet them one day. Gusto ko din sila makilala. Fast forward to many years. Out of luck or destiny I was at the municipal hall of Olongapo and someone
passing by said.. ‘Lot nung baby ka, sa amin ka nakatira.’ Since sa Olongapo nga ako pinanganak. Sabe ko suntok sa buwan I’ll ask kung may alam sila sa totoong tatay ko. I was able to speak to someone who accommodated me and since alam ko na name ng father ko I gave the details of the information I had. Few days after that I was sent his full name, the name of his wife and daughter.. my ate!” she said.
“Searched online. Got an e-mail address. In my head that time, try lang naman.. kung hindi nya ako sagutin.. okay lang. Hindi ko na nilagay sa isip ko that he would. I wrote..
‘Hi Mr. Olson, my name is Lot de Leon, my biological moms name is Eva Rodriguez.. are you my father?’ Something like that,
TWO years after its establishment, Million Trees Foundation, Inc. (MTFI) led by Chairman Emeritus PDDG Reynaldo V. Velasco (ret) and President Melandrew T. Velasco together with representatives from institutional partners and stakeholders inaugurated the foundation’s phase 2 projects at the La Mesa Watershed in Novaliches, Quezon City.
Chairman Rey Velasco and MTFI President Mel Velasco joined in by MWSS Chairman Vega and MWSS Administrator Cleofas.
then he replied and said, ‘Yes, I know who you are.’ ‘I’ve always known about you I carried you in my arms when you were born.’ My jaw dropped & the rest is history,” she added.
Lotlot said that she’s grateful to finally meet her father.
“Each of us have a story. Marami din tayong plano sa buhay. Pero ang plano pa din ni Papa God ang mangingibabaw,” she said.
“So here I am standing side by side with my Papa and I’m grateful in many ways. Forgiveness, humility and prayers goes a long way. If not for the decisions they made.. the time they made it. I wouldn’t have the people I love most in my life too now. Looking at the glass half full with gratitude. Always,” she added. g
The occasion also marked the first anniversary of the Million Trees Nursery and Eco-Learning Center in the five-hectare area of the watershed compound leased by the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) to MTFI for 15 years. The ribbon cutting was followed by the opening of Splash Tree, a visual art exhibit that showcased the works of Janddie Castillo who is known as “Master of Splash Art” for his unique art style and technique.
MWSS Administrator Cleofas delivered the welcome remarks where she also reported that out of the 1.7 million trees pledged in 2022 for the Annual Million Trees Challenge (AMTC), 1.2 million trees have been planted. This constitutes a portion of the 10 million more trees target by 2030.
MTFI is the official NGO partner of MWSS to ensure the continuity of AMTC and expand its coverage throughout the country.
In his remarks, MTFI President and CEO Melandrew T. Velasco spoke about the accomplishments of the Foundation for the past two years. He shared that there are now 500 members of MTFI’s Green Army Brigade and the Foundation together with partner stakeholders have planted 20,000 trees inside the La Mesa Watershed area. Other accomplishments are: the completion of the SMC Multi Center (Eddie’s Green Barn) which was inaugurated last October 23, 2022; construction and completion of new rest rooms, staff house, and green houses. During the same period, MTFI procured Philippine native trees, ornamental plants, fruit-bearing trees and vegetables. It also undertook improvement works on the MTFI grounds and procured garden tools, wooden swing, mango table and bahay kubos and new landscaping for beautification of the area.
Representatives from institutional partners Manila Water and Manila Water Foundation, Maynilad, San Miguel Corporation, and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) congratulated and reaffirmed the commitment of their respective organizations to support the advocacy of MTFI. Manila Water President J.V. Emmanuel de Dios, Manila Water Foundation Reginald Andal and MWCI Regulatory Group Head Jo Kristine Celera formally turned over its P1-million institutional support to MTFI
Likewise, Maynilad President Ramoncito S. Fernandez and MWSI Corporate Communication Head Annete de Ocampo also turned P1-million institutional support. Fernandez rallied MTFI partner stakeholders to give special focus on the massive degradation of Laguna Lake which is also a vital source of water to both Maynilad and Manila Water.
DENR NCR Regional Executive Director Jacqueline A. Caancan, CESO III represented by DENR-NCR Assistant Regional Director Engr. Ignacio R. Almira Jr. commended MWSS for its efforts to protect and conserve the La Mesa Watershed through the AMTC. “The DENR National Capital Region is pleased and thankful to have you as partner in the enrichment of one of the remaining green spaces of Metro Manila,” Almira said.
According to him water security is one of the priorities of DENR. AMTC aims to rehabilitate critical watersheds that are essential in the water supply.
“For the past four years we have seen improvements in our watersheds, thanks to the Annual Million Tree Challenge, the National Greening Project, and other similar endeavors of different stakeholders,” he noted.
“DENR National Capital Region reaffirms its commitment to continue providing planting materials to the Annual Million Tree Project and assist in the validation of the planted seedlings and other needed interventions.”
Meanwhile, Bulacan Bulk Water Manager Edgar Dona read the speech of SMC President and CEO Ramon S. Ang for the anniversary celebration. SMC, which has become MTFI’s major annual donor supported the construction of the SMC Multi Purpose Center which is dedicated to former President Fidel V. Ramos. In his speech, RSA commended MTFI for taking on “the ambitious but arduous task of planting millions of trees in critical watershed areas, including the La Mesa Watershed.”
He underscored the importance of trees. “The role of trees and forests in our lives is basic but commonly overlooked--or worse, ignored. Apart from providing us valuable resources such as food and building materials, trees also protect us against land erosion and flooding.”
Guest of honor MWSS Board of Trustees Chairman Atty. Elpidio Vega who was introduced by MTFI Chairman Emeritus Velasco. Tokens of appreciation were handed to all partners of MTFI on the road to 10 million more trees by 2030. g
MANILA - “He who plants a tree, plants a hope.”
This is the battle cry adopted by Million Trees Foundation Incorporated (MTFI) on its first anniversary celebration urging Filipinos to plant trees to sustain the supply of water across the country, particularly in Metro Manila and adjoining provinces for the next 30 years and beyond.
MTFI made its plea during the celebration of its first anniversary was held at the Million Nursery and Eco Learning Center inside the La Mesa Dam compound in Novaliches, Quezon City the other day.
The chorus of calls to plant trees were echoed by Elpidio Vega, chairman of the Metropolitan Waterworks System (MWSS), MWSS Adminsitrator Bobby Cleofas, Regional Executive Director Jacqueline A. Caancan Ceso III of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Ramon S. Ang, president and chief executive officer of San Miguel Corporation (SMC), J.V. Emmanuel de Dios,, president and CEO of Manila Water, Ramoncito Fernandez, president and CEO of Maynila Water, Gen. Rey Velasco (Ret.), MTFI chairman emeritus, and Mel Velasco, MTFI president. They stressed the importance of a sustainable environment by planting trees all over the country to ensure the continued
In his remarks, Fernandez called for the cleaning of Laguna Lake of dirt and pollution.
This was seconded by de Dios, who called on the people to respect Mother Nature, particularly water.
Laguna Lake is one of the lakes where Metro Manila and adjoining provinces get their water supply all year round.
On the side of the private sector, San Miguel Corporation (SMC), the giant beer company headed by Mr. Ang cited the vital role of MTFI in taking on taking “on the ambitious, but arduous task of planting millions of trees in critical watershed areas, including the La Mesa Watershed.”
“The importance of this endeavor in this day and age of climate change cannot be overemphasized. With more and more forest areas threatened by degradation, hands-on and direct action such as what MTFI and others responsible organizations are doing, is critical in ensuring we can at least mitigate some of the impacts of climate change,”
Ang said.
“The role of trees and forests in our lives is basic but commonly overlooked--or worse, ignored.
Apart from providing us valuable resources such as food and building materials, trees also protect us against land erosion and flooding,” he added.
Ang also said that “In the
case of watersheds, they help ensure that there will be water for human survival.”
He lauded MWSS and MTFI by not lowering their guard down in this area, and have been successful in reforesting target watersheds these last couple of years.
“With the help of institutional partners and volunteers, they were able to surpass the five million trees target and have set another ambitious goal. And that is to plant 10 million more trees by the year 2030,” he said.
Ang assured that “you are not alone in this advocacy. For our part, San Miguel, through our power arm, San Miguel Global Power, have also surpassed the five-million tree mark in our own reforestation program, Project 747.”
“This initiative targets to plant seven million upland trees and mangroves on some 4,000 hectares of land in at least seven provinces, nationwide,” Ang said.
These include the provinces of Albay, Bataan, Bulacan, Davao Occidental, Negros Occidental, Pangasinan, Quezon, and Zambales.
The Foundation is dedicated to the conservation and rehabilitation of the seven critical watersheds namely: Angat,
MODEL Deniece Cornejo revealed that she’s traumatized after the Supreme Court’s (SC) Third Division ordered the dismissal of rape and acts of lasciviousness charges against Vhong Navarro due to lack of probable cause.
In a report by Manila Builletin, Deniece questioned the justice system in the Philippines.
“I’m surprised and more traumatized. The CA, RTC, and MTC took jurisdiction of the cases already and the cases are on trial already. What happened to our justice system under normal circumstances?” Deniece said. She said that her lawyers are planning to file a motion for reconsideration to question the
Composite image of Deniece Cornejo and Vhong Navarro Philstar.com photos decision.
“A woman who fought for her rights for nine years and risk her safety and life, she means serious
and fair justice,” she said. “Given the evidence I presented and explained, I was very consistent and honest. I’m hoping
that we must understand the pain and effects of trial publicity that brings to any young woman who is going through a horrible drug rape experience.
“If we don’t realize this as early, our justice system will not be taken seriously,” she added.
The Division, in a 43-page ruling dated February 8, granted the Petition for Review on Certiorari filed by Vhong’s legal team.
“Accordingly, the Court DISMISSES the following Informations against Ferdinand ‘Vhong’ H. Navarro for lack of probable cause,” the ruling read.
“The Decisiaon dated July 21, 2022 and the Resolution dated September 20, 2022 of the Court of Appeals in CA-G.R. SP No. 166222 are reversed and set aside,” it added. g
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Cabais added, “This is truly the most special and important day for us as a group, as HORI7ON. It’s a blessing that we were the chosen seven to continue our dreams, which is why this is very meaningful to all of us.”
ABS-CBN Head of TV Production and Star Magic Head Laurenti Dyogi, ABS-CBN Business Unit Heads Reily Santiago and Marcus Vinuya, and MLD Entertainment CEO Lee Hyoungjin were present at the contract signing.
Dyogi expressed his pride for the newest all-male group by saying, “Our intention is to have a representation in the global idol group scene. We will make sure that this
group will be successful, and we will do our best. Of course, we also need the support of our fellow Filipinos because, compared to other idol groups, HORI7ON came from a reality show. It was the public who chose the top seven.”
Since the show ended in February, the group has experienced many life-changing events, not only in their careers but with their bond.
“Our brotherhood has gotten stronger. There is pressure, but now we are more eager to train harder because we have a bigger responsibility to represent the Philippines. We need to become stronger and work hard every day,” said Pineda.
Asked to describe HORI7ON’s sound and
style, Malizon explained, “As of now, we’re still talking about it and exploring it. We’re still in the process of creating our style, but we already have many ideas that we want to show our fans and the global stage. But we’ll focus on more upbeat songs for our debut, so I hope our fans will look forward to it.”
At the same event, HORI7ON showed a teaser for “Dash,” composed by “Dream Maker” Korean mentor and hit composer Bull$eye. The pre-debut single was released Wednesday.
More doors will likely open to Hori7on very soon, but Before they fly to South Korea, their fans can catch their local tour through April in Nueva Ecija, Laguna, Cavite, Koronadal, Gensan, and Zamboanga. g
AWARD-WINNING Filipino
actress Dolly de Leon continues to rise in Hollywood as she was cast in the upcoming actioncomedy movie “Grand Death Lotto.”
According to Deadline, Dolly was cast in the upcoming Hollywood movie starring John Cena, Awkwafina and Simu Liu.
Dolly will also be joined by Seann William Scott, Ayden Mayeri and Donald Elise Watkins.
According to the report, the movie is in “a very near future, in which a Grand Lottery has been established in economically challenged California. The only catch? You’ll need to kill the winner before sundown in order to legally claim their prize.”
“New L.A. transplant Katie (Awkwafina) accidentally finds herself with the winning ticket and must join forces with amateur jackpot protector Noel (Cena) to make it to sundown in order to claim her multi-billiondollar prize, all while dealing with Noel’s protection rival Louis Lewis (Liu), who also wants to get her to sundown in order to claim his rich protection commission.”
Produced by Amazon Studios, the film will be directed by Paul Fieg.
Dolly rose to fame internationally after she was nominated as Best Supporting Actress in the Golden Globes and BAFTAS for her role in the Oscar-nominated film “Triangle of Sadness.”
She won the Los Angeles Film Critics Association award for best supporting performer. g
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since,” Sarah began in the video’s caption.
Sarah said it took a lot of time and healing to return to normality because of PTSD and peaking anxiety, “I can’t say that I’m at the end of the road, but I can definitely hold my head up high and say that I’m proud of myself.”
Her sister Pia seems proud of her as well after sharing the video via Instagram stories, and adding how proud she was of Sarah navigating her mental health journey.
“So proud of my sister for her progress on her mental health,” Pia said, advising people not to give up on loved ones coping
with depression, anxiety, or PTSD. “My sister is an example of somebody who is recovering & doing it the healthy way. I’m so proud of her.”
Three years ago, Sarah hit headlines when she released a series of social media posts expressing anger directed at Pia and their mother Cheryl; the sisters have reconciled since then, with Pia even greeting Sarah for her birthday earlier this month.
Pia herself has faced mental health issues of her own, admitting to have experienced Imposter Syndrome and burnout in the past, the latter as recent as the turn of the year. g
TRUTH be told, Beauty fades. There’s no better way to say this, but we are all going to age and the earlier we embrace the fact that aging is part of being human, the better. While time seems like the “enemy” here, it has also brought us to an era where new technologies have emerged. One of the best things that modern skincare technology has given us is the ability to delay aging.
Before this present time, when people say they are 40 years old, it sounded and looked “old” somehow. But now, people even in their 50s could easily pass for a 30-year old . Same goes true for people in their 60s and 70s they still look good and younger than they actually are.
So when is the right time to start getting treatment done, you ask. You also wonder, “am I too young or too old to start any treatment? These are all valid, life-changing (and skinaltering) questions. But the bottomline is: it’s never too late nor it’s too early for any treatment, especially if you start noticing something that bothers you when you look at the mirror .
In this column, I want to talk about how to look ten years younger. Is this possible ? Yes!
How? You start by getting professional consultation and proper evaluation of your skin.
One of the signature protocol that is available at iSkin and MiSkin that is becoming more and more very popular is our approach on how to look 10 yrs younger. This is what we call the “Sculptra Treatment.” This protocol, restores youthful shape, improves skin texture, and offers natural-looking results. Plus, IT IS long-lasting! It is a facial injectable that
works deep within the dermis to help replace lost collagen and gradually restores the look of fullness to areas of the face affected by facial wrinkles and folds. Sculptra is made from Poly-L-lactic acid, a synthetic material that has been used for decades in dissolvable stitches and soft tissue implants. The FDA approved it for use in correcting facial wrinkles in 2009. Collagen stimulators are used to diminish facial wrinkles by helping to restore the deep, underlying structure of the skin. Results appear gradually over the treatment regime (typically three injections over the course of three to four months) and can last up to two years. Since Sculptra is a collagen stimulator, the procedure is literally fertilizing your collagen. So, imagine your collagen growing, which is basically what our skin needs because collagen tends to diminish as we age. Sculptra is designed to bring back that collagen underneath your skin to give you that youthful look. The microparticles of polylactic acid initiate the formation of sheets of collagen under the skin. You will start noticing improvement in four to six weeks and you will see more improvement the next 6 to 25 months – the tightness of the skin improves from temple to jawline area, and you’ll notice more volume, plus there’s an improvement in texture and elasticity. This treatment is something you don’t need to do often yet you’ll see the results after two to four sessions. The best part is that you’ll continue to see improvements over time. What are the benefits of sculptra aesthetic?
Let us breakdown the benefits of this “time-altering” skincare technology.
1. Sculptra restores youthful shape Sculptra restores the fullness and volume of the face. Over time, the people around you may notice that you look fresher, younger, and more radiant, but they won’t be able to put their finger on what it is.
2. Sculptra
Although Sculptra stimulates the collagen deep within the dermis, the results show up on the surface layers of your skin as well. In addition to the volumizing and plumping effects, you get the glowing tone and smooth texture of youthful skin as well. Great for acne scarring!
3. Sculptra offers naturallooking results
Some injectables work to relax the muscles causing the wrinkles in your face to soften. Others diminish lines and wrinkles by filling in the space. Sculptra works gradually to stimulate your own body’s collagen production, resulting in a natural, more beautiful and youthful-looking you!
4. Sculptra is exceptionally long-lasting Studies have shown that the majority of cosmetic patients would choose duration over immediacy when it comes to injectable filler treatments. With Sculptra, you get exactly that. Though other fillers may provide immediate results, they need to be injected every 6-12 months to maintain preferred results. Sculptra works gradually. You may see some improvements within the first few weeks of treatment, but optimal, long-lasting effects develop after an average of 3 sessions spaced a month or so apart. A full treatment of Sculptra provides.
You may do your own research and read about the benefits of Sculptra to educate yourself more, but before you consider this procedure, I recommend you get a free consultation first. Remember: getting a good evaluation and understanding your needs and your skin goals is very essential. And make sure you consult with providers who are well trained and experienced. ISkin and MiSkin Med Spa ’s expertise is how to look 10 years younger. Sculptra is definitely one of the product we
Atty. C. Joe SAyAS, Jr
MOISES Negrete worked at Conagra Foods, Inc.’s food processing facilities located all over California. Moises and other workers sued their employer in a class action, alleging failure to provide them lawful meal and rest periods but automatically deducting time for meal periods, even when employees did not take a meal break. Employees also alleged employer failure to pay correct wages due to improper rounding of employees’ clock-in and clock-out times; and failure to pay for the offthe-clock time employees spent putting on and removing protective gear as required by the employer. Under California law, employees must be paid for all hours worked. When time entries reflect that an employee is on the job a few minutes more than the shift time, questions arise as to computation of the work hours. Federal law allows “rounding” employee’s hours to calculate the number of hours worked. Following the de minimis doctrine, any insubstantial period of time beyond the scheduled working hours (for example 5 minutes of going through a bag check) may be disregarded. Such time may be rounded out to the nearest 5 minutes of the employee’s start or end time.
In contrast, California law mandates that employees should be paid “for all hours worked.” Hours worked means “the time during which an employee is subject to the control of an employer, and includes all the time the employee is suffered or permitted to work, whether or not required to do so.”
Related to the principle of compensating employees for all time worked, is the concern that
small amounts of time that may, over the years, add up. Thus, courts may decide that the de minimis doctrine does not apply if employees regularly spend anywhere from 4 to10 minutes of their time each shift doing unpaid work. Rounding down or shaving minutes off the actual hours worked violates California law.
In a rounding down practice where several minutes are disregarded and unpaid, the loss to the employee may add up. An employee who clocks in an extra 5 minutes per day, 5 days a week, every week for 4 years has clocked in 5,200
“more than five hours per day” or “more than 10 hours per day” without being provided with a meal period. Under the law, meal break violations against an employee can occur if the employee 1) was not provided an actual break; 2) was prevented from taking the break within the first 5 hours of work; 3) was interrupted by work during break; or 4) took a shortened break, as the case here. If any of these violations occur, the employee should be paid an additional one hour at their regular hourly rate.
minutes (or 86.67 hours) of unpaid time, which when paid at the California minimum wage of $15.50 per hour, entitles the employee to back wages in the amount of $1,343.39.. This is not de minimis. This is enough to pay a utility bill, buy weeks of groceries, or cover bus fares [or help cover a monthly apartment rental].
Though an extra couple of minutes here and there that are beyond the work hours may be unavoidable and can be disregarded, major discrepancies should be investigated since they raise doubts on the accuracy of the records of actual hours worked.
The same strict adherence to the law is required by meal and rest periods.
California law sets precise time requirements for meal periods. Each meal period must be “not less than 30 minutes,” and no employee shall work
As to rest breaks, an employer must authorize and permit all employees to take at least 10-minute rest breaks, for work of every our (4) hours or major fraction thereof. The ten minutes must be consecutive, and the rest period must be “duty-free.” Where an employee is not provided any of their 10-minute rest period, the employee should be paid an additional one hour at their regular hourly rate. Rather than proceed to trial, the parties reached a settlement where the employer will pay a gross settlement amount of $18 million to benefit approximately 8,200 food-processing workers in California * * *
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.
* * * The Law Offices of C. Joe Sayas, Jr. welcomes inquiries about this topic. All inquiries are confidential and at nocost. You can contact the office at (818) 291-0088 or visit www.joesayaslaw. com. [For more than 25 years, C. Joe Sayas, Jr., Esq. successfully recovered wages and other monetary damages for thousands of employees and consumers. He was named Top Labor & Employment Attorney in California by the Daily Journal, selected as Super Lawyer by the Los Angeles Magazine for 11 years, and is a past Presidential Awardee for Outstanding Filipino Overseas.]
(Advertising Supplement)
“Under California law, employees must be paid for all hours worked. When time entries reflect that an employee is on the job a few minutes more than the shift time, questions arise as to computation of the work hours.”
DIVORCED parties are sometimes ordered to pay child support and spousal support in the divorce judgment. The support orders are generally based on the parties’ financial situation and custody arrangements at the time of the settlement or trial. However, what if your income decreases after the divorce or what if your spouse’s income increases after the divorce due to a promotion or a better paying job? Do you have the right to modify your support obligation?
If your income has gone down substantially from the time that the child or spousal support determination, you may be able to file a modification of your support obligation. Losing a job or having less income constitutes a material change of circumstances that would allow the court to modify down your support obligations.
Child support in California is based on guideline formula.
One of the factors that is considered in the guideline formula is your gross income. Usually the court would look
at several months or even an average of the last 12 months income. If your average income has decreased, you may be able to modify your child support to a lower amount. Bear in mind that there are other factors that come in the equation such as the amount of actual timeshare you spend with your child and the income of the other parent. If the other parent’s income has gone down, this may adversely affect your child support obligation.
Spousal support may also be modified unless you stipulated in a divorce judgment that it is non modifiable. However, spousal support are usually calculated differently than guideline. The court will look at other factors in deciding whether to modify this. Those factors are listed in family code section 4320.
If you are unemployed, the other party may be expected to try to impute income on you. However in light of the recent cases in California, they would have to prove that you had the ability and the opportunity to obtain employment.
If your income has gone down or your spouse’s income has increased as a result of a new job, a promotion, or you got laid off or hours cut, it may be possible to modify both your child support and spousal support obligation. Without modifying the order, the current order will continue to be in
effect and the same amount will accrue regardless of whether your income declined or your spouse income increased. It is important to file a post judgment request for order to modify support as soon as your financial situation changes.
* * * Please note that this article is not legal advice and is not intended as legal advice. The article is intended to provide only general, non-specific legal information. This article is not intended to cover all the issues related to the topic discussed. The specific facts that apply to your matter may make the outcome different than would be anticipated by you. This article does create any attorney client relationship between you and the Law Offices of Kenneth U. Reyes, APLC This article is not a solicitation.
* * * Attorney Kenneth Ursua Reyes is a Certified Family Law Specialist. He was President of the Philippine American Bar Association. He is a member of both the Family law section and Immigration law section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He is a graduate of Southwestern University Law School in Los Angeles and California State University, San Bernardino School of Business Administration. He has extensive CPA experience prior to law practice. LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, APLC. is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 747, Los Angeles, CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail kenneth@kenreyeslaw.com or visit our website at Kenreyeslaw.com. (Advertising Supplement)
THE highest profile cases of bankruptcy filings are Walt Disney, Milton Hershey, Orange County, a certain Catholic diocese in the USA that was hit by the child molestation cases, the bankruptcy filings of the Trump companies during the 90s wiping out billions of debt, Toys R Us, Hertz car rentals, among many others.
A distinction can be made between individual bankruptcies as in the person Walt Disney, and the person Milton Hershey who both filed personal Chapter 7 cases, with Mr. Disney filing twice, and Mr. Hershey filing Chapter 7 once, before their businesses became wildly successful and making them both billionaires subsequently, and entity or business filings as in Orange County, the Catholic church dioceses, Hertz car rentals, and the Trump companies.
Why did the Constitution of the United States specifically authorize congress to enact bankruptcy law?
The United States Supreme Court has time and again
stated that the primary policy of bankruptcy law is to give consumer debtors a “fresh start” by discharging their debt.
In the case of businesses, the policy is almost the same; that is, the purpose of bankruptcy law is to give the business a chance to start again by discharging their debt. Of course in the case of businesses, the owners of the business, the stockholders bear the brunt of the loss after creditors are paid under a bankruptcy liquidation or reorganization. In the case of Hertz — which already had financial problems before the pandemic struck, due to its large debt of $19B that it was having a hard time paying — had its stock price drop from about $100 in 2014, to $15 just before the pandemic hit in late 2019, and dropping rock bottom to $1 when it filed for bankruptcy reorganization in the middle of 2020. So, stockholders who did not sell at the peak in 2014, saw their shares of the company drop to almost zero when it filed for bankruptcy.
Because the court approved its bankruptcy reorganization plan, the company exited bankruptcy in late 2021. So those who bought at $1 have already been rewarded with a six times return on the investment of $1 that is now $6. Certainly, the plan would pay something to creditors but not $19B, most likely a portion of that, maybe 20%. Hertz came out of bankruptcy as a much lighter company with very manageable debt and become a productive business again, able to bring in good profits as travel business continue to recover with the virus totally under control.
The “fresh start” is accomplished by allowing debtors to keep most if not all their assets through a system of exemptions provided by federal or state law, while discharge all debts, which are dischargeable. A debt is dischargeable in bankruptcy if it is not excepted from discharge. If it is not excepted, then it is discharged.
The exceptions to discharge are limited and clearly stated in the bankruptcy code. For example, a debt obtained by fraud is not dischargeable. So if you obtained a credit line of $1M from the bank by falsely claiming that your business sells $10M a year and it is later discovered that the sales figure is grossly inflated — as proven by the significant absence of the necessary inventory in the warehouse stated in the financial statements submitted to the bank when applying for the loan — then that credit line of $1M is not dischargeable because of fraud.
Another example is a debt owed because you killed someone because of your negligence. You made an illegal U turn, which caused an accident that killed someone. The deceased left a wife and two kids who sued you the death of her husband and their father. They were able to get a judgment against you for $3M. That $3M judgment is not dischargeble. Or, let’s say you’re the pilot who flew the helicopter that crashed and killed Kobe and his daughter. There is a judgment against you for $10M. That judgment is not dischargeable.
All debts are dischargeable unless excepted. Thus, if you owe $280,000 of credit cards and $5M of bank loans that you guaranteed for your business, all of that $5.280M
is dischargeable when you file Chapter 7. How do you get a fresh start? Let’s say you own a house in LA with equity of $400,000, a retirement account of $500,000, two nice cars which you are still paying for, all the furniture in your house (assuming these are normal stuff, not like a concert piano worth $100,000), you get to keep all of these assets while getting rid of all of your debt of $5.280M.
So you get to keep all your assets, which are worth $900,000 while you wipe out all of your unsecured debt of $5.280M. That’s how you get a fresh start in life. Let’s say your income as an executive is $90,000 a year, you still keep that income which is protected by law so your creditors can’t touch it. You still keep your two cars as long as you keep on making the car payments on time. You get a fresh start because you don’t have to worry about the $5.280M of creditors hounding you day and night, suing you and threatening to put a lien on your house and garnish your wages.
You just flush the $5.280M of debt down the drain and don’t have to worry about them anymore for the rest of your life, but you still own your house, your retirement account, your furniture, your cars, just about all of what you own, including your salary. Isn’t that great? It sure is.
In other countries, you lose everything when you declare bankruptcy. Here in the good old USA, you get a “fresh start,” without accumulated debt and keep most if not everything you own. It’s the best bankruptcy law in the planet that favors debtors over creditors, just so debtors can have a “fresh start” in life without accumulated and debilitating debt. It’s literally a resurrection after financial death, a new life with all your assets intact without debt. What more can anybody ask for?
Just ask Walt Disney and Milton Hershey. Mr. Disney filed for Chapter 7 twice then his Disney business became a global success making him a billionaire. Mr. Hershey filed once, then his business became the biggest global chocolate business making him a billionaire. Bankruptcy law in the USA is a blessing indeed!
Without it, we won’t have Disneyland to go to, and we won’t have Hershey chocolate bars to enjoy. Both these business were made possible and came to fruition because of bankruptcy law. And the next time you rent a car from Hertz, you can thank bankruptcy law for its resurrection.
If you have too much debt and need relief, please set an appointment to see me. I will analyze your case personally.
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* * Disclaimer: None of the foregoing is considered legal advice for anyone. Each case is different. There is no absolutely no attorney client relationship established by reading this article.
* * * Lawrence Bautista Yang specializes in Bankruptcy, Business, Real Estate and Civil Litigation and has successfully represented more than five thousand clients in California. Please call Angie, Barbara or Jess at (626) 2841142 for an appointment at 20274 Carrey Road, Walnut, CA 91789 or 1000 S. Fremont Ave., Mailstop 58, Building A-10 South Suite 10042, Alhambra, CA 91803.
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DEAR Attorney Tan, I recently married a U.S. Citizen, who is my second husband. He has filed an immigrant visa petition and green card application for me. My husband recently received from USCIS a Notice of Intent to Deny the petition that he filed on my behalf.
The Notice indicated that the immigrant visa petition could not be approved since the USCIS had determined that I previously entered into a fraudulent marriage to get a green card several years ago. My ex-husband previously filed an immigrant petition on my behalf several years ago, which was denied since USCIS determined that I only married him to get a green card. My second husband and I truly love each other. What are my options? – In
Love but Out of Status
Dear In Love but Out of Status, Under INA Section 204(c), a person who “attempted or conspired to enter into a marriage” in order to receive permanent resident status in the U.S. is prohibited from obtaining USCIS approval of an immigrant visa petition. Simply stated, Section 204(c) prohibits approval of any immigrant visa petition if there has been a finding of “marriage fraud” in a prior marriage-based petition.
Based on the above law, your case seems at first glance like an “open-andshut” case in favor of denial. However, you still have hope of getting a green card—a person can apply for and get his immigrant petition approved despite the prior finding of “marriage fraud” under certain circumstances.
You may ask, how is this possible? Isn’t Section 204(c) straightforward? Not quite. The answer lies in the fact
that USCIS must independently examine the prior finding of “marriage fraud” in considering the subsequently filed immigrant visa petition. Before invoking the Sec. 204(c) bar to approval of a subsequent visa petition, USCIS must make an independent determination of fraud based upon the record, including but not limited to any evidence gathered during
conclusion based on the evidence actually before him. Matter of F-, 9 I. & N. Dec. 684 (BIA 1962).
Therefore, in cases such as yours in which the USCIS has indicated it intends to deny the subsequent immigrant visa petition due to the prior finding of “marriage fraud,” new evidence can be submitted that demonstrates that the prior finding of “marriage fraud” was incorrect—i.e., evidence that shows that the prior marriage petition was based on a bona fide marriage, or that explains that the prior denial was based on an incomplete or inaccurate assessment of the facts. In cases in which the subsequent immigrant visa petition has already been denied, this new evidence should be submitted as part of a motion to reconsider.
I recommend that you seek an experienced attorney to assist you in properly presenting the law and facts to the USCIS adjudicator to address the Section 204(c) bar. * * * 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.
adjudication of the prior visa petition, but may not parrot or rely on the conclusions made by other adjudicators. USCIS must have “substantial and probative” evidence of “marriage fraud.” Matter of Tawfik, 20 I. & N. Dec. 166, 168. The determination is to be made by the USCIS district director while adjudicating the subsequent visa petition. Matter of Samsen, 15 I. & N. Dec. 28, 1974 WL 29995 (B.I.A. 1974). The district director should not give conclusive effect to the determinations made in the prior proceedings, but should reach his own independent
* * * Darrick V. Tan, Esq. is admitted to practice law in California and Nevada. Mr. Tan is a graduate of UCLA and Southwestern University School of Law. He is a member of the Consumers Attorney Association of Los Angeles and is a former member of the Board of Governors of the Philippine American Bar Association. LAW OFFICES OF DARRICK V. TAN, 3580 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 900, Los Angeles, CA 90010. Tel: 323-6390277. Email: info@dtanlaw.com. (Advertising Supplement)
“Under INA Section 204(c), a person who “attempted or conspired to enter into a marriage” in order to receive permanent resident status in the U.S. is prohibited from obtaining USCIS approval of an immigrant visa petition.”
