032721 - Los Angeles Weekend Edition

MARCH 27-30, 2021 Volume 31 - No. 24 • 2 Sections – 18 Pages

CALIFORNIA’S FIRST FILIPINO AMERICAN ATTORNEY GENERAL

USA

DATELINE

FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

Filipino Angelenos sound off on Echo Park Lake repair effort, protests

Gov. Newsom nominates Rob Bonta as state’s top prosecutor

by Christina

M. Oriel

AS the City of Los Angeles moves towards AJPress excavating the homeless encampments at Echo Park Lake this week, hundreds of homeless resCALIFORNIA is set to have its first Filipino Ameridents and advocates continue to push back on ican attorney general. the decision, leading to two nights of demonAssemblymember Rob Bonta (D-Alameda), who strations and calls into concern the issue of ex- became the first Fil-Am in the state Legislature, is treme force by police.

This week, LA City officials — including Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell of the 13th District, which includes the park, and who made the ultimate decision — began rushing to get rid of homeless encampments in the beloved Echo Park Lake and moving unhoused people into transitional housing.

The plan was to close the park on Wednesday, March 24 but details of the plan were initially kept secret to avoid inspiring large protests, similar to one last year when the city attempted a massive cleanup of the park.

But reports in the LA Times with anonymous sources close to the project leaked, leading to hordes of homeless individuals, students and activists gathering at Echo Park Lake and the adjacent areas on Wednesday night to protest the cleanup and removal of homeless residents.

Those who attended the protests were faced u PAGE A4

New rent relief program tries to help small landlords

JIE Wang owns three rental properties in Oakland. Her whole family relies on income from tenants paying their rent.

Many have lost their jobs during the pandemic. Eviction moratoriums protect tenants who can’t pay part or all of their rent. But small housing providers like Wang still have mortgages, utilities and other expenses. A lack of government support puts pressure on them to sell their properties.

“Nobody can escape from this coronavirus,” Wang said. “I have a very good relationship with all my tenants. I try to help them.”

Wang spoke on a recent panel hosted

by Ethnic Media Services along with other housing rights advocates and researchers.

The panel discussed the risk of treating all landlords the same.

The word “landlord” stirs up connotations u PAGE A5

making history again after Governor Gavin Newsom nominated him to be the next chief law enforcement officer on Wednesday, March 24.

“Thank you, Governor Newsom, for the privilege and honor of a lifetime,” Bonta said on Wednesday, speaking from International Hotel

Manilatown Center in San Francisco, surrounded by his family. “I’m so humbled in the trust, faith and the confidence that you placed in me.”

His nomination is subject to confirmation by the California State Assembly and Senate within u PAGE A2

Fil-Am community leaders applaud Bonta’s nomination for attorney general

by Christina

M. Oriel

AJPress

Surrounded by his family, Assemblymember Rob Bonta on Wednesday, March 24 was nominated by Governor Gavin Newsom to serve as California’s next attorney general. Now in his fifth term in the state Assembly, Bonta is poised to be the Golden State’s first Fil-Am in the top lawyer post.

Photo courtesy of the Manilatown Heritage Foundation

WHEN California Governor Gavin Newsom announced Assemblymember Rob Bonta as his pick for attorney general, Filipino American leaders and community members across the state joined in applauding the move.

On Wednesday, March 24, Bonta was revealed as the choice to succeed outgoing Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to lead the Department of Health and Human Services earlier this month.

Once approved by the state Legislature, the 48-yearold lawmaker — who has represented Alameda, Oakland and San Leandro in the Assembly since 2012 — is set to be the first Fil-Am to serve as state’s chief law officer.

Speaking from the International Hotel Manilatown Center in San Francisco on Wednesday, Bonta shared a piece of his upbringing, moving from the Philippines

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California to expand vaccinations to residents 16 and older starting April 15

by AJPress CALIFORNIANS over the age of 16 will get their shot at receiving a COVID-19 vaccine by April.

Starting April 1, individuals aged 50 and over will be eligible to make an appointment, and individuals over 16 will be eligible to make an appointment to be vaccinated starting on April 15.

“With vaccine supply increasing and by expanding eligibility to more Californians, the light at the end of the tunnel continues to get brighter,” said Newsom. “We remain focused on equity as we extend vaccine eligibility to those older than 50 starting April 1, and those older than 16 starting April 15. This is possible thanks to the leadership

of the Biden-Harris Administration and the countless public health officials across the state who have stepped up to get shots into arms.”

Based on the current estimates, California expects to be allocated approximately 2.5 million first and second doses per week in the first half of April, and more than 3 million doses in the second half of April. California currently receives about 1.8 million doses per week. These estimates may be adjusted as time goes on. The state has the capacity to administer more than 3 million vaccines per week, and is building the capacity to administer 4 million vaccines weekly by the end of April.

“We are even closer to putting this pandemic behind us with today’s announcement and with vaccine supplies expected to increase dramatically

in the months ahead,” said California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly. “However, we are not there yet. It will take time to vaccinate all eligible Californians. During this time, we must not let our guard down. It is important that we remain vigilant, continue to wear masks and follow public health guidance.”

In addition to increased allocations of vaccines to providers serving the hardest hit communities, the state has embarked on a series of initiatives to vaccinate those populations that have faced the highest rates of COVID infections before vaccines become available to the entire 16+ population.

These efforts include: • Provider funding for programs to reach and u PAGE A5

Filipino car dealership owner jailed for bank fraud scheme dies PH seen as Asia hub Jun Reodica was sentenced to 10 years for $64 million scam

by MOMar

G. Visaya

AJPress

Eminiano “Jun” Reodica Jr.

EMINIANO “Jun” Reodica Jr., a native of the Philippines incarcerated for bank fraud, passed away on March 17, 2021 in Texas, sources confirmed with the Asian Journal. He was 76 years old.

Reodica was serving his 10-year sentence in federal prison for a bank fraud scheme that caused more than $64 million in losses to five banks.

By all accounts back in the 1980s, Reodica was a successful Filipino immigrant, living the great American dream as an entreFile photo preneur. He built his auto empire

from the ground up and operated what was then the largest minority-owned business in Southern California, employing about 450 people, mostly Asians.

At that time, he was the president of the Grand Wilshire Group of Companies, which operated about two dozen car dealerships, including Grand Chevrolet in Glendora, then the third-largest car dealership in the country. It was quite an impressive feat for a young man who moved from Laguna, Philippines to the United States in the early 1970s and started working as a restaurant busboy.

In less than five years, he be-

came the vice president of a car dealership in Encino and would later start a car financing and loan company, building a foundation for what would become his legacy.

According to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Newsweek and the Wall Street Journal touted his business empire as one of the leading car dealers helping minorities buy cars and get car loans.

Many Filipino Americans had invested in his businesses, some emptying retirement accounts or borrowing from banks to invest with a fellow countryman whom they trusted, according to numeru PAGE A3

for Sputnik V vaccine by ritChel

MendiOla AJPress

RUSSIA is looking at the Philippines to become Asia’s vaccine production hub for its Sputnik V vaccine.

In a recent interview with “The Chiefs” on Cignal TV’s OneNews and TV5, Russian Direct Investment Fund CEO Kirill Dmitriev said they are in the final stage of negotiation with producers to manufacture Sputnik V vaccines in the country.

“With the Philippines, we are in the final stage of negotiation with

actually two producers and we hope to conclude them shortly,” he said.

“I think the Philippines can actually be one of the hubs of vaccine production for Asia and Russia is really committed to it.

We see it from the time we make an agreement the vaccine production can start within the next three or four months,” he added.

According to Dmitriev, they wanted to apply the “Russian model” of enabling countries to produce vaccines themselves in the Philippines.

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http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797

From the Front Page

Rob Bonta nominated to serve...

PAGE A1 90 days, according to the governor’s office.

“Rob represents what makes California great — our desire to take on righteous fights and reverse systematic injustices,” Newsom said in a statement.

“Growing up with parents steeped in social justice movements, Rob has become a national leader in the fight to repair our justice system and defend the rights of every Californian.

And most importantly, at this moment when so many communities are under attack for who they are and who they love, Rob has fought to strengthen hate crime laws and protect our communities from the forces of hate.

He will be a phenomenal Attorney General, and I can’t wait to see him get to work.”

The 48-year-old Fil-Am’s ascension to the top post comes after outgoing Attorney General Xavier Becerra was confirmed

by the U.S. Senate on March 18 to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

“I stand here because of so many people who come before me, including people like the Asian Americans and Filipino Americans who assembled right here at the International Hotel on August 4, 1977,” Bonta said, crediting his activist parents Warren and Cynthia, who organized against evictions at the San Francisco residential hotel.

This is Newsom’s third historic appointment to a key post since January, following Alex Padilla being tapped to take over Vice President Kamala Harris’ Senate seat, and Dr. Shirley Weber, a former assemblymember, for secretary of state. Padilla became the state’s first Latino U.S. Senator, while Weber is the first African American in her role.

A grassroots campaign within the Filipino American community — and the broader Asian

American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community — started in December in a bid to get Bonta appointed following President Joe Biden’s nomination of Becerra as health secretary.

Groups, including Fil-Am advocacy organizations and lawyers associations, sent endorsement letters to Newsom’s office and organized virtual press conferences amplifying Bonta’s work in the legislature.

“Mr. Bonta has demonstrated himself to be one of the most effective and capable leaders in the legislature during his tenure. He has an excellent track record of authoring bold, ground-breaking legislation and building strong coalitions,” a group of over two dozen past and former Fil-Am elected officials wrote in a letter to the governor.

They argued that his experience would be a fit to address

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HISTORIC APPOINTMENT. Assemblymember Rob Bonta (3rd from left) was nominated by Gov. Gavin Newsom (center right) to serve as California’s next attorney general. The announcement was made on Wednesday, March 24 at International Hotel Manilatown Center in San Francisco, the site of the 1977 International Hotel Eviction and the city’s historic Manilatown neighborhood. Joining Bonta and Newsom in photo are Chet Canlas, production manager, Bonta’s mother Cynthia Bonta, Manilatown Heritage Foundation Executive Director Caroline Cabading, foundation boardmember Eleanore Fernandez, and Johnella Fernandez-Payne.

Photo courtesy of Jibril Alvarez/Manilatown Heritage Foundation

Fil-Am community leaders applaud Bonta’s...

PAGE A1 Tehachapi Mountains outside Bakersfield, California, as his activist parents worked with Filipino and Latino farmworkers and labor leaders, like Philip Veracruz, Larry Itliong, Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta.

His mother, Cynthia, immigrated to California in the 1960s by a three-week boat ride, while his father, Warren, who grew up in Ventura County, was committed to service and social justice from a young age. As a student, the older Bonta joined Martin Luther King Jr.’s civil rights organizing in Alabama to pass the Voting Rights Act. His parents were working as missionaries in the Philippines when he was born, training young people to serve the needs of rural villages through service, community organizing and ministry, according to the governor’s office.

“Forty-five years ago, my mother Cynthia was one of those great activists who stood outside the International Hotel, linked arms and formed a circle to protect those who were inside from being evicted,” Bonta said, sharing the significance of the announcement’s location. “And now my mother, Cynthia, and my father, Warren… will see a governor nominate their son to be the first Filipino American attorney general.”

Bonta said these experiences and seeing his parents’ work with the United Farm Workers movement motivated his decision to

become a lawyer and later have a career in public office.

He will also become the second Asian American attorney general, following Vice President Kamala Harris, who was in the role before being elected senator in 2016.

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, who is part Filipino and served with Bonta in the Assembly, hailed the announcement as a “great choice” by Newsom.

“I have seen Rob’s leadership and advocacy for justice firsthand in the Assembly and I know it’s exactly what’s needed in this moment,” Gloria said.

Vallejo Vice Mayor Rozzana Verder-Aliga praised Bonta’s leadership and values.

“He will make a very good attorney general because of his integrity, honesty, lived experience, knowledge, skills, passion and compassion,” she told the Vallejo Times Herald. “He understands the rules of law, state policy and has experience as a state legislator. As a state legislator he built coalitions to pass laws that benefit all Californians.”

Los Angeles Board of Public Works Commissioner Jessica Caloza remarked that Bonta represents many communities, including Asians, Filipinos and immigrants, and has kept them in mind when pushing for inclusive policies and programs as a legislator.

“He not only looks like us, but he fights for us. He’s demonstrated that in the Alameda City

Council, State Assembly, and I am confident he will continue to fight for justice as the next Attorney General of California. Community leaders and organizations from diverse backgrounds have his back and will continue to partner with him to ensure policies, laws, and programs work for all Californians, especially those who may have been left out in the past,” Caloza told the Asian Journal in an email.

Since Becerra’s nomination as health secretary back in December, Fil-Am elected officials and organizations, as well as those from other Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) groups, started mobilizing and sending letters to Newsom, making a case as to why Bonta would be a fit replacement.

In recent weeks with the recent surge in anti-Asian hate, especially in California, community leaders and members doubled down on the need to appoint an AAPI attorney general.

“This is especially true in this moment when Asian Americans are being attacked and we are seeing a terrifying rise in hate crimes and incidents. We must do more and we can do more for our vulnerable communities.

Rob represents that hope, dream, and opportunity to do better as a state, and together I know that’s possible,” Caloza said.

The National Filipino American Lawyers Association, which was

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Dateline USa

Rob Bonta nominated to serve...

PAGE A2 the state’s challenges, which include recovery from the COVID19 pandemic, civil rights movement against systemic racism and the rise in hate crimes, including against the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.

The endorsements also came from notable unions and caucuses, such as the California Faculty Association and the Latino Caucus of California Counties.

High-profile activists and personalities, from CNN’s Van Jones to “Orange is the New Black” actor Diane Guerrero, similarly were vocal in support of the Fil-Am lawmaker on social media.

On a representation level, advocates argued Bonta’s appointment would be a win as California is home to the largest AAPI population in the U.S. with over 5 million. Fil-Ams are among the top two largest Asian ethnic groups in the state with a population of over 1.6 million.

“It’s rare for me [to] make any political endorsements, but I’ve admired @RobBontaCA for years: his support for criminal justice reform and immigrant rights, the multiracial coalition he builds and attracts,” wrote Jose Antonio Vargas, author and immigration activist, in a Feb. 18 tweet. “Representation matters, especially since Filipinos are often underrepresented in America’s civic life. Filipinos are the largest Asian group in CA–– the first Filipinos landed in what is now CA in 1587.”

“Rob makes me proud to be Filipino American in California,” Vargas added.

In recent weeks, following a slew of attacks on Asian Americans, particularly elders, in the state, AAPI lawmakers and activists doubled down on the need for Newsom to appoint a representative from the community.

Of the nearly 3,800 incidents of hate and discrimination since last March, 1,691 (44.5%) were reported in California, according to Stop AAPI Hate. “[Bonta] understands as the son of immigrant parents what it’s like to come to this country when English is not your first language, for example, when there is mistrust of law enforcement,” state Treasurer Fiona Ma said during a press conference on Wednesday, March 17, a day after the Atlanta shooting that claimed the lives of eight individuals, six of whom were Asian women.

Ma, along with other elected officials, said an AAPI attorney general could help mend fears and tensions between immigrant communities and law enforcement.

The state’s API Legislative Caucus, which is comprised of lawmakers in the state Assembly and Senate, came out in support of Bonta after initially recommending four AAPI candidates.

Assemblymember Evan Low, who serves as vice chair of the caucus, said that through the appointment, Newsom “has once

again shown his commitment” to the AAPI community.

“Hate crimes targeting the API community have skyrocketed over the last year, and we need a champion who will make the pursuit of justice for these victims a top priority. I have full faith AG Bonta is the right person to meet this moment,” Low said.

Bonta was reportedly among the contenders for attorney general in 2017 when Harris was elected to the U.S. Senate.

Becerra, then a congressman representing the 34th congressional district in Southern California, was ultimately selected by former Gov. Jerry Brown.

The Fil-Am lawmaker in November 2020 was reelected for a fifth term to represent the state’s 18th Assembly district, which covers the East Bay areas of Oakland, Alameda, and San Leandro. He currently serves as the assistant majority leader, and sits on several committees, including appropriations and health.

Amid the protests over the summer, Bonta introduced a bill to classify racially motivated 911 calls as hate crimes. His legislation record includes a 2019 bill, which was signed into law by Newsom, to phase out the use of all private, for-profit prisons, including both prisons and immigration detention facilities in the state.

In response to the recent hate attacks, Bonta introduced AB 886, which seeks to fund community-based organizations that provide culturally competent mental health services for victims of hate violence and restorative justice programs, and to expand eligibility for victims of hate violence to access compensation funds even if they do not file a police report.

The measure also address prevention through “to proactively increase the likelihood that an individual who caused the harm would not do additional harm,” Bonta said, as previously reported by the Asian Journal.

On Wednesday, he said one of his top priorities as attorney general would be to build bridges with communities that have “been othered, that have been persecuted, that have been targeted.”

“That will be one of my top priorities — to make sure that we protect those who are facing the forces of hate and that we hold accountable those who perpetrate hate violence against others in our community,” he said.

Bonta, who was born in Quezon City, Philippines, immigrated with his family to California’s Central Valley, where his parents worked for the United Farm Workers of America, organizing Filipino and Mexican American workers.

“Those lessons stuck with me, and it became clear to me that an injustice against one is an injustice against all. It made me want to become an attorney to fight for people who’ve

been wronged, who’ve been hurt, who’ve been harmed, who’ve been mistreated, and be their champion,” Bonta said on Wednesday.

He obtained a law degree from Yale Law School and clerked for Judge Alvin W. Thompson of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut before moving to San Francisco law firm Keker & Van Nest.

Other candidates who were reportedly considered for attorney general included Rep. Adam Schiff, California Supreme Court Justice Goodwin Liu, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, and state Sen. Anna Caballero.

If confirmed as attorney general, Bonta will serve through 2022 and will have to run for election. He said he knows “what it takes to win” and has the infrastructure in place” to launch a campaign.

With his momentous appointment, he joins another Fil-Am in a top state post — Tani Cantil-Sakauye, chief justice of the California Supreme Court.

“In California, we have created the most diverse state in the nation, and the most robust democracy in the world. And while that sign may have said, ‘Positively No Filipinos Allowed’ in the 1920s, in today’s California, everyone is not just allowed, we belong,” Bonta said. “I will do everything in my power to make sure everyone continues to belong and that I fight for them.” n

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Filipino car dealership owner jailed for bank...

PAGE A1 they trusted, according to numerous accounts reported in the Tribune between 1988 and 1995.

As a result of Reodica’s fraud scheme, the Grand Wilshire Group and Grand Chevrolet collapsed into bankruptcy in August 1988 amid all these allegations of fraud, which is when Reodica fled to the Philippines.

The court proved that Reodica ran a fraud scheme that caused millions of dollars in losses to the banks (one of which collapsed as a result of the losses suffered in the scam) and his more than 1,000 investors. In addition to being sentenced to 10 years in prison back in 2017, Reodica was ordered to pay $29.7 million restitution.

A Department of Justice ruling said that United States District Judge S. James Otero called Reodica’s scheme to defraud “extremely serious,” stating it caused “much disruption, much heartache” to “too many victims to count.”

Judge Otero said the defendant preyed upon members of the Filipino community, as well as numerous federally insured financial institutions, in perpetrating an extremely serious fraud scheme that resulted in total losses to both individuals and financial institutions of over $90 million.

“In addition to the financial institutions, individual investors, who primarily consisted of members of the Filipino community in Los Angeles, trusted defendant with their money, the vast majority of which was lost following the bankruptcy,” prosecutors said in documents filed with the court. “In total, the investors sustained an ad-

ditional $24.9 million in losses.”

Reodica, who was dubbed “Brisbane’s Bernie Madoff,” according to government sentencing papers, was a fugitive for 24 years living a new life in Australia.

He was arrested on Nov. 28, 2012 at Los Angeles International Airport during a layover while traveling from Australia to Canada en route to attend his stepdaughter’s wedding, as previously reported by the Asian Journal. A mandatory fingerprint check revealed that he was the fugitive the FBI had been searching for after more than two decades. When special agents with the FBI arrested him, Reodica was traveling under an Australian passport in the name of “Roberto Coscolluela.”

According to FBI reports, while living in Australia under the name of Coscolluela, Reodica ran a tax preparation and insurance business. His activities in these businesses have resulted in allegations of a $7 million fraud in the country, most of his victims were reported to be Filipino-Australians.

Bank fraud Reodica pleaded guilty to 26 counts of bank fraud and making false statements to financial institutions on the day before he was set to go on trial in October 2015.

From 1984 through 1988, the fraud scheme victimized at least five banks – Union Bank, First Los Angeles Bank, Manilabank, First Central Bank and Imperial Savings.

Specifically, Reodica admitted to promising the same car contract as collateral to two different banks at the same time. This scheme involved directing employees to

forge customer signatures on car contracts and then promising the forged contract to a second bank.

The fraudulent conduct also involved repossessing and reselling cars without telling the banks.

Reodica also admitted concealing from the banks that customers were delinquent on their car loans.

In some cases, when the overall delinquency rate exceeded a level acceptable to a bank, Reodica used GWG funds to make car payments, which allowed him to continue using those delinquent contracts as collateral. Reodica also made his employees sign for car loans for cars that they were not buying in actuality so that Reodica could increase the lines of credit he obtained from the banks.

“The scale of the fraud is virtually unparalleled,” prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memorandum. “[T]he financial institutions that defendant preyed upon suffered losses in excess of $64.2 million. Notably, Imperial subsequently failed and went into receivership with the FDIC based on the losses sustained as the result of defendant’s fraud.”

“Over time, GWG became the second-largest Chevrolet dealership in the United States and the third largest car dealership in the United States,” prosecutors wrote in court documents.

“Due to the apparent success of GWG, [then-California] Governor [George] Deukmejian appointed defendant to the board of the California Department of Motor Vehicles, and later ousted him from the board when his fraud was discovered.” n

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SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL RAIL AUTHORITY RFP NO. MS297-22 JANITORIAL SERVICES AND WINDOW CLEANING

The Contract to be awarded will be subject to a financial assistance agreement between Authority and U.S. Department of Transportation under grants issued by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).

As a condition of financial assistance agreements between the Authority and U.S. DOT, the Authority has established a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program and overall DBE goal in accordance with Title 49 CFR, Part 26. Authority’s overall DBE goal for the current Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) is twelve percent (12%).

In conformance with the Authority’s DBE Policy and Program the Authority has established a 2.15% DBE contract-specific goal on this project. Prime Proposers will be required to either meet the 11% goal or submit an adequate Good Faith Effort (GFE) demonstrating intent to meet the goal, for their proposal to be deemed responsive to DBE Program requirements.

For further information contact Yamil A. Ramirez Roman, Contract and Compliance Administrator at 213.452.0479 or email RamirezY@scrra.net.

3/27/21 CNS-3454575# ASIAN JOURNAL (L.A.)

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797

PH seen as Asia hub for Sputnik V... Filipino Angelenos sound off on Echo Park Lake...

PAGE A1 “That is our model. We exactly enable countries to fully produce the vaccine and have the whole cycle in that country. We have done it already in India, China, and Korea. We want to do it in the Philippines,” he said.

“This is a unique approach because other nations try to control all the technology and basically give fill and finish,” he added.

On March 19, the Philippines’ The Southern California Regional Rail Authority (Author- Food and Drug Administration ity) is seeking to retain a quali- (FDA) granted an emergency use fied firm to provide Janitorial authorization (EAU) for Gamaleya Services and Window Clean- Research Institute’s Sputnik V. ing. The period of performance for this project shall be the base period of five years.

Electronic proposals must be submitted online at http://www. planetbids.com/portal/portal. cfm?CompanyID=13821# at or before 2:00 p.m. on April 12, 2021. Electronic proposals will not be received after this date and time.

Dateline USa

LOS ANGELES COUNTY METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY (LACMTA) INVITATION FOR BID

LACMTA will receive bids for OP74968 - Removal and Disposal of Hazardous Waste and Universal Waste at the 9th Floor Receptionist Desk, Vendor/Contract Management Department, One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012.

This project is a Small Business Enterprise (SBE) Set-Aside contract. To participate in this IFB, bidders must be SBE certified with LACMTA prior to proposal due date. For information on the Set-Aside program, visit: https://business.metro.net/VendorPortal/faces/home1/certifications All Bids must be submitted on forms furnished by LACMTA, and must be filed at the reception desk, 9th floor, V/CM Department, on or before 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time on Wednesday, April 21, 2021, at which time bids will be opened and publicly read. Bids received later than the above date and time will be rejected and returned to the bidder unopened. Each bid must be sealed and marked Bid No. OP74968.

For a copy of the Proposal/ Bid specification visit our Solicitation Page on our Vendor Portal at https://business.metro.net or for further information email Aielyn Dumaua at dumauaa@ metro.net.

3/27/21 CNS-3453818# ASIAN JOURNAL (L.A.)

It is the fourth COVID-19 vaccine to be authorized in the coun- PAGE A1 Those who attended the protry, following Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca, and Sinovac, re- tests were faced with about 400 Los Angeles Police Department spectively.

Based on the late-stage trial (LAPD) officers who enforced results published in The Lancet 10:30 p.m. curfews on both nights medical journal, Sputnik V has in order for the city to start the an efficacy rate of 91.6% against cleanup.

The demonstrations started COVID-19.

Despite the huge demand for off peaceful but according to the Russia’s vaccine abroad, Dmitriev LAPD, protestors used “high-inassured that the Philippines is “a tensity lights” to try to blind officers. This prompted a declaragreat priority” to Moscow.

“We are very much committed tion of unlawful assembly near to delivering vaccines in April. Lemoyne Street and Park Avenue The exact schedule we are still around 8:10 p.m. on Thursday finalizing with the government,” night and a designated protest Activists and unhoused residents protested the closure of Echo Park Lake this week, following zone on Glendale Boulevard and orders from Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell and other city leaders to close the park for reported he said. repairs.

Photo courtesy of Kenneth Mejia Park Avenue was set up.

More vaccines less encampments pose a serious she calls a “false equivalence” But the demonstration turned The Philippines is set to sign a supply agreement with manufac- violent when police began fir- safety issue for park-goers and between homelessness and saniturer Johnson&Johnson before ing non-lethal rubber rounds to those who live adjacent to the tation issues.

She also remarked that she the weekend, according to Na- break up the crowd of protestors park.

Annie Lee, a Filipino and Chi- thinks that perceptions about race tional Task Force (NTF) Against and several demonstrators were Covid chief implementer Carlito arrested on the site on Thursday nese American resident of the play into public opinion and attiadjacent Silver Lake neighbor- tudes regarding homeless. Asian night.

Galvez Jr. said.

Filipino American demonstra- hood, regularly frequents Echo Americans and Pacific Islanders “Sa Johnson & Johnson po may five million doses po tayo at ang tor Julia Lu attended both nights Park Lake to walk her dog and (AAPI) are among the least likely supply agreement ay aming pong of protests and saw firsthand how spend time with her family, but groups to experience homeless“for years” she’s felt that it’s not ness, according to a 2019 report tinitiyak na magkakaroon po kami the violence began. from the LAHSA. “It’s not shocking the LAPD safe “for a lot of people.” ng signing (We have five million “I don’t mean to disrespect But to Gonzales, that “doesn’t doses from Johnson&Johnson and used force against us but it’s still we are set to sign a supply agree- stunning because none of [the people who are homeless, but mean we should turn a blind eye ment) this coming week, before demonstrators] were using force walking through the park does to these people.” Moreover, she the weekend,” he said Tuesday, against the police,” Lu said in a feel unsafe and I think the city feels that the negative opinions phone call with the Asian Journal needs to work on improving the about homeless people coincide March 23.

The government is also final- on Friday, March 26. “We linked conditions,” Lee told the Asian with anti-Blackness.

“I don’t think that there’s a coizing the indemnification require- arms with one another as a way Journal in a phone interview, of protecting ourselves, and the adding that she does feel that the incidence between the way many ment with Pfizer-BioNtech.

On Wednesday, the country next thing I remember was hear- ramping homeless issue in the people — especially Filipinos — received an additional 400,000 ing shots several feet ahead of me park “may” be directly connected feel about homeless people and doses of Sinovac doses donated and everybody just scattered after to the park’s long standing “un- the antiblack tendencies that run sanitary and unhygienic” state. strongly in our community,” said that.”

by China.

“My issue is cleanliness and vi- Gonzales, who is a social worker.

As of Friday, March 26, a little Health Secretary Francisco “Our parents teach us to lock Duque III, along with Chinese more than a dozen protestors olence and assaults that we have Ambassador to the Philippines were arrested, including four seen recently,” Lee said referenc- our car doors if we see a homeing the string of violence that oc- less person nearby, and there’s Huang Xilian, testing czar Vince members of the media. an increased fear when it’s a O’Farrell released a statement curred in the area late last year.

Dizon, and Senate committee on In a report in The Eastsider, Black homeless person,” she health chairperson Senator Bong encouraging residents to pracGo, received the vaccines at the tice “calm and cooperation” in there were at least three assaults said. “But this equating violence Ninoy Aquino International Air- their demonstrations and added with a deadly weapon that oc- or harassment with all homeless that “almost 200 of the park’s un- curred near the intersection of people is so wrong.” port (NAIA).

According to a recent report “The arrival of these vaccines housed population has accepted Glendale Boulevard and Park Avcould not have occurred at a and been placed in shelter op- enue in the northeast corner of from the LAHSA indicated that more opportune time consider- tions” through the various tran- Echo Park Lake on Nov. 28, Nov. institutional racism plays a key ing the continued rise in cases, sitional housing projects through 30 and Dec. 1. There were no role in the extreme overreprewhich in turn increases the need the LA Housing Services Author- reported fatalities and while one sentation of people of color who of the incidents involved no fire- experience homelessness. to inoculate more high-risk in- ity (LAHSA).

A U.S. Census survey and reKenneth Mejia, a Filipino Amer- arms, two of the incidents were dividuals as soon as possible,” port from the U.S. Dept. of Housican CPA who is running for LA shootings.

Duque said.

According to the LAPD, the ing and Urban Development “We shall see to it that all of our city comptroller in 2022, attended healthcare workers, not just in the the demonstration and criticized witnesses and victims “were all show that in California, the Black National Capital Region but in the the huge “police presence and transients,” Det. Craig Marquez or African American commuwhole country, are given the pro- militarized occupation” of Echo of the LAPD’s Rampart Division nity make up about 6.5% of the tection they need and deserve for Park Lake as well as the city’s said, as quoted by The Eastsider. population, but they account for Those three incidents may almost 40% of the state’s homebeing at the forefront of the battle mishandling of the homeless ishave expedited the long-awaited less population. sue, historically and presently. against the virus,” he added.

In the last four years, LA Coun“It is never okay to criminal- plan to revamp Echo Park Lake, To date, there are a total of 702,865 confirmed COVID- ize poverty,” Meija told the Asian of which some residents see as ty’s Black homeless population 19 cases in the country, with Journal in an email. “Many of the part of the city’s campaign to has increased by 22%.

Gonzales added that homeless13,149 fatalities and 580,689 hotel rooms being offered now gentrify areas historically occuthrough Project Room Key are pied by communities of color and ness is “a very layered issue that recoveries. n is directly connected to income temporary and have strict restric- low-income residents.

For Linette Gonzales, a lifelong inequality, access to quality edutions such as a 7 p.m. curfew. Our unhoused neighbors need to be Angeleno and resident of Echo cation, criminal justice, health treated with dignity [and] respect Park for 15 years, the arguments care and job opportunities.”

“It doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and have a seat at the table when for public safety are flimsy.

“Echo Park Lake is already right? How do people become it comes to working solutions for beautiful and my fear is that this homeless? The shame of homethem.”

As of press time, the cleanup effort to repair the park is un- lessness doesn’t fall on those who — and the additional $500,000 necessary and it’s veiled gen- are homeless; that shame falls on worth of repairs needed in the trification, which is kicking out the part of our leaders, law enaftermath of the protests — is people who’ve lived here for forcement and city government still a go despite massive outrage years,” Gonzales told the Asian which, for so long, [have] failed Journal via email, who added that their homeless constituents,” she across the city.

But some residents feel that the perceptions about the homeless shared. (Klarize Medenilla/AJpark is “unsafe” and the home- community also play into what Press)

Fil-Am community leaders applaud Bonta’s...

PAGE A2 one of the groups that endorsed Bonta for the post, said Newsom’s nomination sends a strong message to the AAPI community.

“As anti-Asian hate and acts of violence [have] risen in California and across the country, we commend Governor Newsom for his commitment to protecting the AAPI community by ensuring that California’s chief law enforcement officer will understand, listen to, empathize with, and is fully committed to protecting the AAPI community,” the association said in a statement.

On Wednesday, Bonta said as attorney general, he would take

action to investigate the attacks against the community that have “seemed to be swept under the rug.”

“We’ll take action — it won’t just stop with denunciations and condemnation…We need to track hate crimes and make sure we have the right data so we can have the right interventions. We can conduct investigations to help prevent crimes, hate crimes from happening in the first place. We can meet throughout the state with our API community to talk about how to support communitybased organizations that are on the ground doing the work,” he

said.

In addition to his reforms in racial, economic and environmental policies, Bonta authored bills to highlight the contributions of Fil-Am farmworkers, including Assembly Bill 123 to ensure the state’s public schools teach the manongs’ leadership in the farmworkers movement, and Assembly Bill 7, which established Larry Itliong Day on his birthday, October 25.

JoAnn Fields of the Filipino Resource Center Director in San Diego said the Fil-Am community now “has a strong advocate at the helm in the highest law enforcement position in California.” n

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Dateline USa

California to expand vaccinations to residents...

PAGE A1 t vaccinate communities facing the biggest health disparities • Working with organized labor to reach essential workers • Partnering with agricultural organizations and communitybased organizations to vaccinate agricultural workers • Allowing providers to target

by ZIP code via My Turn with single-use codes (scheduled to launch at the end of March) • Supporting a subset of community-based organizations currently partnering with the state on COVID-19 education to provide direct vaccination appointment assistance • Prioritizing currently eligible populations and allowing providers the discretion to vaccinate those who live in highimpact areas (County Healthy Places Index Quartiles 1 and 2), including families Even with expanded vaccine supplies, it is expected to take several months for willing Californians to be vaccinated. Based on public information shared by vaccine manufacturers and the federal government, California

expects to receive several million vaccine doses per week starting sometime in April.

Along with the expanded eligibility and to align with upcoming federal guidance, California will update its vaccine allocation methodology. This will transition over four weeks, beginning with the March 22 allocation (delivered to providers the following week), from one based on the distribution of the 65+ population, workers in the agriculture and food, education and child care, and emergency services sectors to one based on the distribution of the 16+ population across California.

This will be done in conjunction with completion of the shift to the state directly allocating vaccines to providers. The state will continue to double the amount of vaccine allocated to the lowest Healthy Places Index (HPI) quartile as announced on March 4.

Forty percent of COVID-19 cases and deaths have occurred in the lowest quartile of the HPI, developed by the Public Health Alliance of Southern California,

which provides overall scores and data that predict life expectancy and compares community conditions that shape health across the state. The rate of infections for households making less than $40,000 per year (5.7) is 84 percent higher than that of households with an income of $120,000 or more (3.1). At the same time, California’s wealthiest populations have received 50 percent more vaccinations when compared to the rate of our most vulnerable populations. This approach recognizes that the pandemic did not affect California communities equally and that the state is committed to doing better.

Currently, California residents who are eligible for the vaccine include health care workers; long-term care residents; individuals over the age of 65; those who work in education and childcare, agriculture and food and emergency services; people who live or work in congregate residential settings (e.g. incarceration/detention facility, homeless shelter, or behavioral health facility); public transit

New rent relief program tries to help small...

PAGE A1 t of large real estate corporations, wealthy enough to maintain their properties through the pandemic. However, small landlords, often referred to as momand-pop landlords, have been hit hard by losses in income due to tenants who have been at least partially unable to pay their rent during the pandemic.

According to the Urban Institute, individual investors like Wang rather than large conglomerates own more than 75% of one-to-four-unit rental properties. In addition, mom-andpop landlords of color are more likely to own duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes.

Their rent rates tend to be cheaper, so they’re also more likely to draw minority tenants.

Maeve Brown is the executive director and founder of Housing and Economic Rights Advocates, a statewide nonprofit law office that provides free legal services to low- and moderateincome Californians. She works with many people of color who have never had any training on how to manage their properties and consistently charge belowmarket rent rates.

“Another key part of the story

here is our failure to appreciate what small landlords are actually providing — our failure systemically to recognize that they really are affordable housing providers,” Brown said. “If localities and our state government actually recognized the truth of that, that should have an impact on the policy choices that they make.”

Mom-and-pop landlords often are also more connected to their communities and tenants.

John Wong, the founding chairman of the Asian Real Estate Association of America, has lived in San Francisco for nearly 67 years and been a realtor for over 40. In the briefing, he described the relationships he’s experienced and witnessed between mom-and-pop landlords and their tenants.

“I talk about this spectrum of housing providers because I think it speaks to our response to COVID,” Wong said.

He added that mom-and-pop landlords tend to know their tenants personally.

“The relationships have typically been very, very amicable,” he said.

Rent relief programs like the $2 trillion CARES Act have pri-

marily benefited larger, wealthier real estate corporations, leaving behind mom-and-pop landlords.

“The policy choices that the state has made have just made no distinction between large landlords and small landlords,” Brown said. “State policy choices have squarely placed the burden of nonpayment of rent on the shoulders of small landlords — of small, affordable housing providers.”

The danger with placing that burden on mom-and-pop housing providers is that it pressures them into selling their properties to investors and real estate conglomerates. The result is that California will lose more and more of its affordable housing.

“If they lose their property, they’re probably going to lose it to an investor who will charge as much money as the market can possibly bear,” Brown said.

Landlords of color are also more likely to have a mortgage and lower income, so the pressure to sell during the pandemic is higher, according to Urban Institute.

There may be new hope for

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • mARch 27-30, 2021

workers, including airport workers for commercial airlines; and individuals age 16-64 who are at higher risk.

Vaccines are available for about 4.4 million people who are considered at higher risk for serious COVID-19 illness. Those individuals include cancer (current with weakened immune system), chronic kidney disease (stage 4 or above), chronic pulmonary disease (oxygen dependent), down syndrome, solid organ transplant (leading to a weakened immune system), pregnancy, sickle cell disease, heart conditions (such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies but not hypertension), severe obesity (Body Mass Index ≥ 40 kg/ m2), and Type 2 diabetes mellitus with hemoglobin A1c level greater than 7.5%.

Health care providers may also vaccinate individuals with developmental or other severe disabilities or illness if: The individual is likely to develop severe life-threatening illness or death from COVID-19 infection; acquiring COVID-19 will limit the individual’s ability to get ongoing care or services vital to their well-being and sur-

mom-and-pop landlords and their tenants in the form of a new rental assistance program, but it comes with a caveat.

The new California rental relief program intended to help the state’s most vulnerable renters and landlords opened March 15. The program, which comes from Senate Bill 91, extends the eviction moratorium to June 30 and draws from $2.6 billion in federal funds for rent relief.

“The SB 91 moratorium and the state rental assistance program, in my opinion, is the most important thing to have for smaller mom-and-pop housing providers,” Wong said.

Tenants and landlords both have to fill out certain parts of the online application, available on the California state website Housing is Key. The first group of eligible renters are those with greatest need — households making 50% or less of the area’s median income, or anyone who has been unemployed for at least 90 days.

The next group includes households making 80% or below the area’s median income.

u PAGE A8

vival; and providing adequate and timely COVID care will be particularly challenging as a result of the individual’s disability.

Individuals with “physical and behavioral disabilities,” such as those with a serious mental illness and substance use disorder, are also eligible.

By going to MyTurn.ca.gov, residents can find out whether they’re eligible for the vaccine by answering a few questions. If they’re eligible, they can schedule an appointment; if not, they can register to be notified when they’re eligible or when appointments open up.

A5

Questions include age range, whether the individual has certain conditions that put them at risk for extreme complications from COVID-19, and what type of industry they work in.

Individuals who do not have access to the internet can sign up for an appointment by calling My Turn’s toll-free hotline 1-833-422-4255, open weekdays 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and weekends from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. My Turn operators can provide ondemand assistance in English and Spanish, translators who speak more than 250 languages are also available as needed. n

A6 MARCH 27-30, 2021 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797

OPINION

Mischief in the making

FEATURES

N 1995, three huts on stilts were spotted on Panganiban or Mischief Reef, about 120 nautical miles west of Palawan. The huts turned out to be made by the Chinese, who said these were merely shelters for their fishermen.

Today Panganiban Reef is an artificial island with a Chinese military fort complete with airstrip and a ship dock. It is just 50 nautical miles away from Julian Felipe Reef, a boomerang-shaped coral formation 175 nautical miles away from Palawan, where about 220 Chinese ships have swarmed since the start of the month.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines describes the ships as fishing militias – China’s way of skirting accusations of militarizing its operations in disputed waters. The Chinese government says the flotilla consists mainly of fishing vessels taking shelter – from what is unclear, since the weather has been fine since the start of the month as the dry season begins in this part of the planet.

If Chinese vessels need to take shelter, why not proceed to the nearby Panganiban Reef? In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague awarded the Philippines sovereign rights specifically over Panganiban Reef, Ayungin or Second Thomas Shoal and Recto or Reed Bank,

over which the country has exclusive economic rights, and declared Panatag or Scarborough Shoal a common fishing ground. Beijing has ignored the PCA ruling, which is based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and which invalidated its so-called nine-dash-line claim over nearly the entire South China Sea. Because the ship swarm was spotted at the start of the month, it was linked by some quarters to the delivery in Manila of COVID-19 vaccines made by Chinese firm Sinovac Biotech and donated by Beijing. An initial 600,000 doses of CoronaVac arrived on Feb. 28, followed by 400,000 more in March.

While Filipinos are deeply grateful for donations of COVID vaccines from China and the international community, the goodwill generated by Beijing is substantially eroded by the occupation of yet another Philippine reef by Chinese vessels.

With Beijing insisting that Julian Felipe Reef is part of its territory, it doesn’t look likely that the ics of the Duterte administration’s foreign policy ship swarm will leave the reef any time soon. Crit- can only lament that a million COVID vaccines is a

Editorial

The Fil-Am Perspective GEL SANTOS-RELOS ONE silver lining during this period in our history when the violent physical and verbal attacks against Asian Americans have again escalated is the appointment of Rob Bonta, a 48-year-old Filipino American who is on track to be California’s next Attorney General.

Governor Gavin Newsom this week appointed Bonta to fill the remaining term of Xavier Becerra, who was confirmed as the U.S. Health and Human Services secretary last week.

The Los Angeles Times calls Bonta’s story “another American Dream story.” He exemplifies the life story of many of our kababayans and other immigrants who came to America as a young child, and with the example, inspiration and hard work of his parents, coupled with his own vision, ability, talent, persistence, and commitment to causes bigger than himself, Bonta has been among the many immigrants who have been serving and building America to be a stronger, better, more just and humane country.

Robert Andres Bonta was born in Quezon City, Philippines on September 22, 1972. His mother, Cynthia Arnaldo Bonta was born in Laguna, Philippines, Positive-

Philstar.com photo

treasonously dirt-cheap price for another piece of Philippine territory. (Philstar.com)

The life story of CA’s first Fil-Am attorney general Rob Bonta: A shining beacon of how immigrants build and strengthen the US lyFilipino.com reported.

She graduated from Silliman University with a Master’s Degree in Religious Education, and has dedicated her life to public service. According to the governor’s office, Cynthia Bonta immigrated to California by slow boat in the 1960s.

Rob was born a U.S. citizen because of his father Warren Bonta, who is white and a native Californian, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Warren grew up in Ventura County and became a voting rights organizer for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in Alabama.

Both Cynthia and Warren were religious missionaries in the Philippines when Rob was born, and when he was just about two months old, the family moved to Central Valley, California.

It was in a trailer at Nuestra Señora Reina de la Paz, in a town adjacent to the United Farm Workers headquarters, where Rob and his siblings were raised by their parents. It was where growing up, the young Rob learned about civil rights activism from his parents who helped leaders like Larry Itliong, Philip Vera Cruz, César Chávez and Dolores Huerta unionize farmworkers.

The Bonta family then moved

to a suburb in Sacramento, California. Rob went to Bella Vista High School, a public school in Fair Oaks, California where he graduated valedictorian of his class. He attended Yale University and graduated cum laude with a bachelor of arts degree in history.

Rob studied politics, philosophy and economics for a year at the University of Oxford before enrolling at Yale Law School where he graduated in 1998.

His career as an attorney in private practice, and eventually as an elected public servant for more than a decade, reflected his passion and commitment to fight for social justice. He truly has the character and track record to fulfill the duties and responsibilities of Attorney General, which is “to ensure that the laws of the state are uniformly and adequately enforced”, per the Constitution of California, Article V, Section 13.

As the Asian Journal reported, “grassroots campaign within the Filipino American community — and the broader Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community — started in December in a bid to get Bonta appointed following President Joe Biden’s nomination of Becerra as health secretary.”

An empowered and inspired

citizenry from the Filipino American community voiced out their support for Bonta, not only because he is Filipino American, but especially because of his qualifications, leadership, achievements, and his heart and commitment as a true public servant.

Bonta was endorsed by nonFilipinos as well.

“The endorsements also came from notable unions and caucuses, such as the California Faculty Association and the Latino Caucus of California Counties,” the Asian Journal reported.

“High-profile activists and personalities, from CNN’s Van Jones to “Orange Is the New Black” actor Diane Guerrero, similarly were vocal in support of the FilAm lawmaker on social media.”

When he accepted Governor Newsom’s nomination for Attorney General, Rob said on his website: I stand here today on the shoulders of giants. People like the Asian & Filipino activists who assembled here to save the International Hotel in 1977.

They were joined in solidarity by LGBT, Latino and Black brothers and sisters in the fight for their homes and the survival of their community.

Forty-five years ago, my mom

helped lead that protest. And today, she is here to see a Governor nominate her son to be California’s first Filipino American Attorney General.

My parents – they are my heroes. They were activists who marched for civil rights in Selma and advocated for democracy in the Philippines. When I was a few months old, they joined Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta to organize exploited farmworkers in the Central Valley for better pay and working conditions.

They instilled in my siblings and me a commitment to making the world a better place. They taught me to call out – and root out – injustice whenever I saw it.

That’s why I decided to become a lawyer for the people, because I understood that a crime against any one of us is a crime against all of us.

Inspired by characters like Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird and the stories of the farmworkers our family had known, I knew the law provided the best path to make a positive difference for the most people.

After serving as a deputy city attorney in San Francisco for almost a decade, I was fortunate enough to be elected by the people of Oakland, Alameda, and San Leandro to the State Legis-

lature.

In the Assembly, I have focused on how our state can fix systemic injustices – taking on big polluters, fighting for a fairer criminal justice system, protecting consumers and defending our communities from the forces of hate.

As your Attorney General, I won’t back down in pursuing justice for all of our residents.

Government should work for the people – not the powerful – and as Attorney General, I will make it my mission to hold the powerful accountable when they cheat Californians and abuse the public trust.

Mabuhay ka, California Attorney General Rob Bonta! *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.

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

The way of a conscious heart: Confronting unconscious bias in institutions and hate crimes Rhizomes

PROSY ABARQUEZDELACRUZ, J.D. Part 2 of 2

“I see, above all, the pressing need to strengthen institutions, which are a vital reserve of moral energy and civic love. The hyperinflation of the individual goes along with the weakness of the state. Once people lose a sense of the common good, history shows that we are left with anarchy or authoritarianism or both together, a violent, unstable society. We are there already; just consider the numbers of people who die each year from gun violence in the Americas. Since the outbreak of the crisis in the U.S., sales of guns have broken all records.” —Pope Francis, “Let Us Dream,” 2020.

“Where there shall be no darkness nor dazzling, but one equal light; no noise or silence, but one equal music.” —John Donne, 2004 IN 2004, Harry Eyres of the Financial Times wrote about John Donne, a clergyman and a poet, who confronted the terror of death

and saw beyond it a vision of peace, addressing the memorial of a dead woman. Donne spoke at a service consisting of words and music, “the two resources which are all that we humans can or need to bring to bear in the face of death,” outside of London.

What if we bring to our daily consciousness how we want to be remembered at our deaths?

Will we be recalled for our fears?

Or our strength? Or standing up to hate crimes?

In America, “it has been a year of living in fear for their lives, Pres. Joe Biden said, “they’ve been attacked, blamed, scapegoated and harassed. They’ve been verbally assaulted, physically assaulted and killed.” The 46th US President spoke of six women of Asian descent, who died from a mass shooting, constituting a pattern of violence against Asian Americans: Xiaojie Tan, 49; Daoyou Feng, 44; Delaina Ashley Yaun Gonzalez, 33; Paul Andre Michels, 54; Hyun J. Grant, 51; Soon C. Park, 74; Suncha Kim, 69 and Yong A. Yue, 63.

Eight died from this tragic crime.

The gunman, interviewed by Cherokee Police, was reportedly acting out ‘his sexual addictions’, had a ‘bad day’ and was charged by the prosecutor for the multiple murders.

Harry Eyres wrote of the dead woman’s husband of 50 years who got up not once, but three times speaking on the “strength, dignity and fullness of the wife he had admired and loved, while the son spoke of “his mother’s reticence and obliqueness combined with warm care and good sense.”

What if these were our default behaviors towards all in America, especially women and girls?

Unconscious bias of institutions Archbishop Socrates Villegas, the head of the Philippines’ Conference of Catholic Bishops teaches us “that the design of human beings is relationships…our destiny is relationships – all of us are connected. We are designed to love, to serve, to forgive, to not be separated. Computers have designs. In every human being, there’s a design to embrace, to live together, to touch. God condemned living alone, and created a woman to keep man, company.”

A day after the 46th U.S. President Joe Biden was inaugurated, the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB) wrote a congratulatory note, signed by Archbishop Jose Gomez, which criticized the incoming president for his support of women’s

reproductive rights as policies of “moral forces of evil.”

Imagine as a woman, reading this, would you not feel less than?

This is the institution which equated taking birth control pills, as abortifacient drugs, and based on that unscientific information, propagated by an unvetted Filipina physician, it became part of a New Mexico’s bishop’s homily advocating against Obamacare, the same affordable health care services, that millions of Americans currently depend on. Would we have reached a million deaths now if without Obamacare, given this pandemic?

It leads me to question – is this institution, USCCB truly pro-life?

Somehow the Universe pointed me to get my answer. I attended the mass officiated by Bishop Pablo Ambo David, digitally streamed from San Roque Cathedral in Caloocan, Philippines, viewed online by thousands.v “There will never be a time when the Church will consciously choose anti-life, or it ceases to be a Church…but through slavery, colonialism, misogyny, bigotry, slavery, we may claim we are pro-life, but espouse anti-life tendencies. In the past, Christians saw nothing wrong with slavery.

People can’t be so evil that they

can kill a defenseless child in a mother’s womb. It is blasphemy to regard any being as inherently evil because the creator is God and looked at His creations as very good, after the image and likeness of God. Although we are inherently good, we are capable of committing evil. That’s why I cannot believe any woman as depraved, intrinsically evil to harm her child. It’s a woman’s instinct to not cause harm on her kid, without causing more harm to herself psychologically and spiritually.”

Why did I react? I know a handful in my circle that opted for abortion for their ectopic pregnancies, where the fetus attaches outside the uterus, and if left to mature, would cause blood poisoning to the mother, while others aborted for cancerous tumors.

I also know of moms who chose their infant, even if it meant the loss of their own lives.

When I was hemorrhaging nine days after giving birth to my youngest child, and I was declared code blue, compelling urgent blood transfusions, I made my husband promise to prioritize taking care of my children, before all else.

Speaking the language of the heart, instead of hate

When Lee Isaac Chung received the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film for Minari, he said: “Minari is about a family trying to learn how to speak a language of its own. It goes deeper than any American language and any foreign language. It’s a language of the heart.”

Rumi, a poet, wrote, “It is better to speak the same language of the heart than speaking the same tongue.” In America, we have privileged the English language, yet the Census Bureau reports at least 350 languages are spoken in U.S. homes.

With these many languages, are we passing on a “minimization” of who we truly are? Or are we celebrating the multiplicity of heritages that our new generation is composed of? A friend’s grandchildren are Filipino, Chinese and American in ethnicities and are raised to embrace the richness of these cultures. In my own relations, one is Filipino, Chinese and American; while another is Filipino, Black and American and one is Filipino, Mexican, El Salvador and American in origins, all born in the United States of America.

Recently, the Antioch Police knelt on the neck of a 30-year-old Filipino American Navy Veteran, Angelo Quinto, for nearly five

u PAGE A7

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

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OpiniOn & Features

The way of a conscious heart: Confronting...

PAGE A6 t

minutes, as previously reported in the Asian Journal. Had the Antioch Police restrained him as if their own family, would they have realized five minutes would kill him?

This was the same amount of time that four LAPD officers took to break the bones and the skull of Rodney King, after a highspeed chase for drunk driving. A bystander, who happened to have his new camcorder, also videotaped it. More than a dozen officers stood by and watched the beating. Even with that ocular proof, the officers were acquitted.

The message was – “don’t trust what our lying eyes are seeing, as if it did not happen.”

The flames surrounded us, north, east and west. My children, then teenagers, got scared. Rather than allowing their fears to grow, I asked my husband to take us near First AME Church. There, as we swept up the trash, the burnt debris, some still smoldering, hundreds of strangers gave smiles and some even gave hugs.

The federal government filed a civil complaint against LAPD officers, and a civil jury trial was held. The jury was headed by then foreperson Ester Soriano-Hewitt, the architect of the LA County’s Dispute Resolution Program. Two of these LAPD officers were found guilty and sentenced to prison terms. In a separate civil trial, filed by the federal government, two were acquitted and the LA City was held liable and awarded Rodney King $3,800,000 in damages.

But can monetary damage wipe out the trauma, the broken families, and generational theft of their futures with their loved ones?

Can we change our culture to dismantle racism, one family at a time?

Last year, during the pandemic, thousands marched in rallies in hundreds of cities in America and 20 countries abroad protesting the death of George Floyd, when Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. That visible taking of someone’s life by a police officer, while his fellow officers stood by, was a betrayal of the public oaths they took. They have all been fired.

Chauvin faces a state trial for his actions and faces charges of second and third-degree murder.

The Floyd family filed a federal civil rights lawsuit and the news recently reported that Minneapolis would settle for $27 million.

Photo courtesy of Abe Zanoria, who was with his kids, ages 12 and 8, at a San Gabriel Valley rally denouncing anti-Asian hate on March 20, 2021.

Recall the day when Joseph Ileto was mistaken for a Latino by a self-professed Aryan white supremacist, Buford Furrow? Furrow was an engineer who worked for several years for Northrop Gurman.

The tragedy was Ileto volunteered to work at the North Valley, when he worked in the eastside.

He simply wanted to help another co-worker. He lived with his mother, sister and was the father figure to the family who had lost their father. Joseph often helped out with his co-workers.

Furrow opened fire first with 70 shots in the Valley Community Center, injuring three kids, a counselor and a worker. He drove miles from the center and when he saw Ileto had just delivered the mail, returning to his postal truck, he asked him to mail a letter. He then shot Ileto nine times. Furrow confessed he murdered Ileto, thinking he was Latino or Asian.

Ten years later, Furrow wrote a letter supposedly repenting, “I feel a life based on hate is no life at all.”

Ishmael, Joseph Ileto’s brother, has this to say: “It still hurts that our brother was taken from us and a letter won’t make up for that. It’s a positive thing that he’s saying he’s changed — it gives us some type of hope that people are able to rehabilitate themselves.

And that is a hopeful sign.” Even with two serial losses, a father and a brother, the Ileto family went to

rallies nationwide to call for gun control and attended many high school trainings on hate crime prevention.

When we first heard this shooting on August 10, 1999 — we were shocked. We went to a Valley-based memorial, attended by mostly Jews, and we were one of the two Filipino families who attended. It led us to co-organize with the Asian American Legal Center and with Rachel Cometa Estuar’s “give it my all” leadership, as 25 community leaders, to mobilize over 40 groups and attended by over 400 folks. One of those leaders is the incoming Vice Chancellor Anna Gonzalez for Washington University in St. Louis.

Two memorials were held, one was a community vigil in the Japanese American Community Center and I invited my teenagers with their classmates to attend. It moved my teenage daughter to organize a hate crime prevention symposium at her high school and with the support of the teachers, the student body created an art project together. Hundreds of square cloth fabrics carried the weight of traumatized high schoolers, later threaded together into a quilt, describing their bullying experiences and anguish at mistreatment at home. It became a wall mural, still hanging today by the principal’s office at Los Angeles Center for Enriched

u PAGE A8

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CHR denounces continuing attacks on activists, union leaders ‘We’ve waved the Philippine Flag’: Filipino scientist reaches the third deepest spot on Earth MANILA – The Commission on Human Rights on Friday, March 26 renewed its call for respect for activists and union leaders and an end to their harassment.

CHR spokesperson Jacqueline de Guia said that many union leaders—including their kin, friends, and colleagues—“are beset with fear for their life and security.”

“Reports and complaints alleging threats, intimidation, and harassment from state agents

by Ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

A FILIPINO scientist has made history as one of the first two human beings to reach Emden Deep, the third deepest spot on Earth.

Dr. Deo Florence Onda, a microbial oceanographer from the Marine Science Institute (MSI) of the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, on Tuesday, March 23, waved the Philippine flag 34,100 feet or 10,400 meters below the Philippine trench with his partner, American explorer Victor Vescovo, onboard submersible Limiting Factor.

“I am with explorer Victor Vescovo and we are at the Emden Deep in the Philippine Trench,” Onda said in a video posted on Facebook.

“I am actually very honored to be part of this trip and sa mga Pilipino, ito po ang Emden Deep, atin ito (For Filipinos, this is Emden Deep and this is ours)!” he added.

In the video’s caption, Onda wrote: “We’ve reached the Emden Deep. We’ve waved the Philippine Flag. We’ve set records.

We have made history today.”

The DSV Limiting Factor was made of titanium to withstand the extreme pressure down the trench. It was launched from the DSSV Pressure Drop, described as “the only marine vessel in the world designed to endure such missions and to carry humans to the deepest parts of the world’s oceans.”

According to UPMSI, part of its goal was “to wave the Philippine Flag in the Emden Deep during its record-setting voyage, highlighting that it is an integral part of our nation’s heritage.”

“This endeavor can spark interest and passion for many oth-

“Accusations or actions against activists and union leaders must be done following due process, guidelines, and civil service ethics that are established to protect human rights,” De Guia said.

Earlier, CHR has pushed for the passage of House Bill No. 9199 or the Human Rights Defenders (HRD) Protection Bill seeking to protect human rights workers.

(Liezelle Soriano Roy/Inquirer. net)

The way of a conscious heart: Confronting...

In a photo posted on the UP Marine Science Institute Facebook page, Filipino marine scientist Deo Florence Onda holds the Philippine flag after a successful dive and ascent from Emden Deep in the Philippine Trench, the third deepest spot on Earth.

er young Filipinos who would want to make a career in the sciences and bring more attention to the protection, preservation, and conservation of the Philippine marine environment,” it added.

Onda was invited by the private organization Caladan Oceanic to join the Emden Deep Expedition.

He joined Vescovo, the record holder for the deepest manned descent in the Marianas Trench in 2019 as well as the main

sponsor of Caladan Oceanic.

The two of them started the voyage from the port of Guam on March 15 to the Philippine Trench.

The endeavor was fully coordinated with the Philippine government through the Department of Foreign Affairs and is considered a non-Marine Scientific Research (MSR) activity.

Ondo told CNN Philippines that his next project will be conducting research in the West Philippine Sea. n

PH new COVID cases hit highest in a day at 9,838 THE number of coronavirus disease 2019 cases continues to climb in the country as it recorded its highest in a single day on Friday, March 26 at 9,838, the Department of Health (DOH) said.

The new cases bring to 702,856 the total number of infections nationwide, including 109,018 that are active.

Hospital capacity is also experiencing an increase with oc-

and vigilantes alike continue to come in despite repeated plea to protect the rights of activists and union leaders,” De Guia said in a statement.

“CHR continues to denounce any form of attack against members of rights groups and its leaders,” she added.

She made it clear that it is the government’s responsibility to uphold and protect its people’s rights regardless of their ideology and political affiliation.

cupancy rates for intensive care unit (ICU), isolation and ward beds in the National Capital Region (NCR) at 72 percent, 68 percent and 55 percent respectively.

Positivity rate remains high at 17.3 percent, or 5,548 of the 32,069 samples tested in all but seven laboratories in the country yielded positive results.

Of the active cases, 98.5 percent, or about 107,000 individuals, are experiencing mild, mod-

erate and asymptomatic cases while the rest remain in severe or critical condition.

With the increase in the number of cases, recovery rate continues to decline, with 82.6 percent or 580,689, including 663, new survivors being registered on Friday.

The death toll rose to 13,149, including 54 new fatalities, for a rate of 1.87 percent. (Red Mendoza/ManilaTimes.net)

PAGE A6 t Studies.

One day, my 6-year-old precocious granddaughter shared being punched in the tummy by her playmate. She was sleeping over in a relative’s house. Instead of an apology, her playmate rushed to her parents to reverse what happened.

I asked her to consider her playmate’s situation: What was causing her playmate to act that way. She knew right away and said, “Grandma she wants to be me when she can just be herself and be happy.”

I also told her she should not allow anyone physically hit or harm her, even if a friend or relative, and to let her parents know.

She was in a sports camp when her personality briefly changed.

She was irritable. When we talked about it, she said someone was hurting her.

Her diligent and conscientious father taught her a skill: go to him, look at his eyes and tell him, “Stop,” and walk away. She also reported it to the teacher.

That afternoon, her dad asked, “What happened at camp? Did you have a problem?”

“Papa, it worked. I did what you

told me.”

Why did it work? She stopped the bully, by taking away the power to be over her. She claimed her agency.

One day, she said, “Don’t worry Grandma, I will not throw away my heart.”

“What happens if you throw away your heart,” I asked?

“When you throw away your heart, you become sassy and bossy. You hurt others, pinching them, hitting them in their tummy.”

She was listening to raised voices on television and told me: “Grandma, it hurts my heart and ears to hear shouting. I am used to kind and gentle voices, like yours.” I became teary-eyed and hugged her.

Footnote: This piece is dedicated to my first-born, Corina, my favorite, beautiful daughter, the mother of my 6-year-old granddaughter, from whom I am getting heart-widening lessons.

Corina organized the hate crime prevention symposium in her high school and organized Asian Americans in her college. Today, she takes a multicultural network of family and friends, intergenerational at times, climbing moun-

tains. She also plays her cello as part of a diverse philharmonic group, which has gone silent because of the pandemic. She works as a paralegal at a centuryplus old law firm that teaches her daily what it is to climb a mountain while sustaining a personal code of ethics and healthy lawful operational practices. *** 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. *** Prosy Abarquez-Delacruz, J.D. writes a weekly column for Asian Journal, called “Rhizomes.”

She has been writing for AJ Press for 13 years.

She also contributes to Balikbayan Magazine.

Her training and experiences are in science, food technology, law and community volunteerism for 4 decades. She holds a B.S. degree from the University of the Philippines, a law degree from Whittier College School of Law in California and a certificate on 21st Century Leadership from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

She has been a participant in NVM Writing Workshops taught by Prof. Peter Bacho for 4 years and Prof. Russell Leong. She has travelled to France, Holland, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Japan, Costa Rica, Mexico and over 22 national parks in the US, in her pursuit of love for nature and the arts.

New rent relief program tries to help small...

PAGE A5 t Undocumented tenants are also eligible.

Data from Urban Institute shows that, throughout the U.S., less than a third of tenants and less than half of landlords are aware of federal rental assistance programs. This is why John Wong aims to spread information about rental assistance programs to mom-and-pop landlords, especially those who may be linguistically isolated.

“I personally have a heavy

focus on making sure that individuals who have English as not their primary language have access to information that these funds are available,” Wong said.

The way the rent relief works is 80% of a tenant’s rent owed between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021, will be paid directly to the landlord, so long as the landlord agrees to forgive the remaining 20% of the back rent.

But this new rental assistance

program doesn’t distinguish between small and corporate landlords. For mom-and-pop landlords like Jie Wang, absorbing the remaining 20% of unpaid rent can be a crippling blow after a year of unpaid rent.

“I’m open to the low-income renter,” Jie Wang said. “As long as I can survive, I will receive all the tools to help me and to survive this very difficult situation.” (By Isabella Bloom for Ethnic Media Services and The Richmond Pulse)

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Asian Journal

WKND The Dream and Promise Act of 2021: Who qualifies?

Immigration Corner Atty. MichAel Gurfinkel, eSQ IN a previous article, I discussed how Pres. Biden and the Democrats introduced the “U.S. CITIZENSHIP ACT” of 2021. It was a massive bill, covering a variety of immigration issues and reforms, including a pathway to U.S. citizenship for approximately 11 million undocumented noncitizens now in the U.S. Unfortunately, that bill has stalled in Congress, and many commentators believe it will be an uphill battle to have such a massive bill passed in Congress. Meanwhile, the Democrats are introducing additional immigration bills in piecemeal fashion, so that rather than having one comprehensive bill covering comprehensive immigration reform, they are breaking it down into several separate bills, one of which is granting legalization to DACA recipients and other “Dreamers,” (who are called that based on a bill introduced many years ago called the “Dream Act,” which stood for Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, known as the DREAM Act. Basically, the Dream and Promise Act would provide a 10-year pathway to legaliza-

tion and citizenship. Initially, Dreamers would be granted “conditional permanent resident status” for 10 years. To be eligible, the person: • Must have been physically present in the U.S. on or before January 1, 2021. Even though this bill has not yet passed, I would strongly recommend that people already gather documents to show they were in the U.S. before New Year’s.

• Were 18 years old or younger when they originally entered the U.S. This expands the eligibility requirement for DACA, where the person had to have entered the U.S. before their 16th birthday.

• Is not inadmissible or ineligible to enter the U.S. on the following grounds: criminal, security and terrorism, smuggling, student visa abuse, unlawful voting, and other reasons.

• Have not been convicted of any offense punishable by a term of imprisonment for more than one year, committed three or more offenses the total amount of imprisonment was 90 days or more, crimes of domestic violence. If a person has such criminal issues, they should definitely see an attorney before applying, so they don’t find themselves in removal proceedings.

• Graduated from high school, obtained a General Educational Development (GED), or are in a program assisting students in obtaining a high school diploma or GED.

B1

LifestyLe Consumer Guide Community marketpLaCe

April 2021 priority dates THE April 2021 priority dates, continue to provide great news for workers in the EB-3 (skilled/professional) and “other worker” (unskilled workers like caregivers). The priority dates for all countries (except India and China) are CURRENT! This includes the Philippines! This means visas are available, regardless of the person’s priority date. If a person is being petitioned by an employer, and their Form I-140 employment-based petition has been approved or is pending, they could possibly be eligible to file for adjustment of status and work authorization, assuming they are otherwise eligible for adjustment of status (i.e. no issues re maintaining status, no fraud/crimes, etc.)

People with approved or pending I-140 petitions should see an attorney about their eligibility to file for adjustment, now that the priority dates for these employment-based categories are current.

Each month, the Visa Office of the State Department publishes, in the Visa Bulletin, the priority dates for that particular month, for the various family and employment-based categories. A priority date is a person’s “place in line” for a visa, meaning immigrant visas (or green cards) would be available for persons whose priority date is earlier than the cut-off date

The Priority dates for the Philippines are as follows:

Application Visa Issuance FAMILY CATEGORY: Filing Date Date • Pass security and law enforcement background checks Unmarried sons and daughters of and register for selective servSeptember January 22, First Preference US citizens (over 01, 2013 2012 ice if required. This is generally 21 years of age) for males between the age of 18 and 25.

(2A) Spouse and In order to obtain full lawful Second Preference minor children (below March 01, 2021 Current permanent resident status, the 21 years old) of green card holders Dreamer must: • Obtain a degree from a U.S. (2B) Unmarried sons institution of higher education and daughters (21 November 08, September 01, or complete at least two years years old or older) 2012 2011 in a Bachelor’s degree proof green card holders gram or a technical program.

Or, has two years of military Married sons and May 01, 2003 April 01, 2002 service with an honorable disdaughters of US Third Preference charge. Therefore, Congress Citizens wants young people to become educated and graduate. And Brothers and May 01, 2003 April 08, that’s a good thing because so Fourth Preference sisters of US 2002 many people come to the U.S. Citizens because of the educational opApplication Visa Issuance LABOR CERTIFICATION: portunities. Now, it would seem Filing Date Date it’s a requirement to get a green card.

Second Preference Advanced Degree Current Current • Be employed for at least (Masters) three years, and at least 75% of that time should have been Professional/ Third Preference Current Current working with employment auSkilled Workers thorization.

This bill would also grant inNon-Skilled Other Workers Current Current state tuition to undocumented Workers students, give them access to federal financial aid, and if the listed below. If your priority date your immigrant visa was issued Dreamer had been deported was “current,” but later retro- (or before you adjusted status in during the Trump administragressed (or “moved backwards” the U.S.), you would have to wait tion, they could apply from and became unavailable) before until it becomes current again. abroad.

I think this bill will have a good chance of passing. Both Democrats and Republicans have expressed sympathy and compassion for these DreamIN the Los Angeles Weekend Edition dated The Asian Journal apologizes for the error and ers. I also think this bill ad- March 20-23, 2021, “New hope for CSPA age out any confusion it may have caused our readers. dresses most of the concerns, children,” the subject of Atty. Gurfinkel’s weekly The updated column can be accessed at www.

PAGE B2 column, was printed with the incorrect content. asianjournal.com.

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‘I finally became comfortable in my own skin’: Black Fil-Am rapper Saweetie featured on the cover of Cosmopolitan

By Ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

MORE QUESTIONS FROM KAPAMILYA AROUND THE U.S. WILL BE ANSWERED ON AN ENCORE EPISODE OF CITIZEN PINOY THIS SUNDAY. Leading U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel (top left) answers questions from Kapamilya in Texas, California, and Washington.

Rey of Abilene, Texas (bottom left) wants to know what the fastest way is to bring an adopted child to the U.S. Christian of Antioch, California (bottom right) has a friend who is a green card holder. He returned to the Philippines in 2013, but his re-entry permit expired in 2015. Can he still return to the U.S. before his green card expires in 2022? Arlene from Vancouver, Washington (top right) has a daughter who got her green card in 2004. However, the daughter has been in the Philippines for many years and her green card expired. Can the daughter still renew her expired green card? Find out the answers to these questions on an encore episode of “Citizen Pinoy” this Sunday, March 28 at 5:30 pm PT (8:30 pm ET thru select Cable/Satellite providers).

(Advertising Supplement)

The Dream and Promise...

PAGE B1 criticisms, and arguments Republicans may have. The requirements are the person must be law-abiding, educated, and hard-working. Therefore, Republicans cannot argue that somehow this is offering legalization to criminals or undesirables. We are offering a pathway to citizenship to young people who would be able to work for many years and pay taxes.

Even though comprehensive immigration reform may not pass right now, let us at least get whatever bills can be passed, and then move further, rather than having an all-ornothing attitude. Maybe once the Dreamers are legalized and things are going well, legali-

zation can be expanded to the parents of U.S. citizens as was tried under DAPA. But I believe this is a positive sign and is a developing story.

We will continue to keep you informed on this and other developments in immigration reform, because I know so many of you out there are looking for a way to legalize. *** Michael J. Gurfinkel has been an attorney for over 40 years and is licensed, and an active member of the State Bars of California and New York.

All immigration services are provided by, or under the supervision of, an active member of the State Bar of California. Each case is different, and results may depend on the facts of the particular case. The information and

opinions contained herein (including testimonials, “Success Stories,” endorsements and re-enactments) are of a general nature, and are not intended to apply to any particular case, and do not constitute a prediction, warranty, guarantee or legal advice regarding the outcome of your legal matter. No attorney-client relationship is, or shall be, established with any reader.

WEBSITE: www.gurfinkel.com Follow us on Facebook.com/GurfinkelLaw, YouTube: US Immigration TV and Instagram.com/gurfinkellaw Call Toll free to schedule a consultation for anywhere in the US: 1-866-487-3465 (866) – GURFINKEL Four offices to serve you: LOS ANGELES ∙ SAN FRANCISCO ∙ NEW YORK ∙ PHILIPPINES (Advertising Supplement)

BLACK and Filipina American hip-hop darling Saweetie is reclaiming her power after years of “dimming” her light.

In her latest Cosmopolitan cover interview, the “Icy Girl” rapper shared that she finally became comfortable in her own skin last year after her ascent to viral stardom in the summer of 2017.

“Last year was the year that I finally became comfortable in my own skin. I kind of figured out what my purpose was,” Saweetie told Cosmo. “I think it’s important to show little Black and brown girls that they can be successful in whatever they want to do. If I can do it, you can do it too.”

This development came after the infamous HOT97 interview in February 2018 where one of the radio hosts insulted Saweetie, calling her freestyle “basic” and implying she “had little to offer but her beauty,” as Cosmo writer Rawiya Kameir noted.

“It was a really dark point in my life. I went from being so loved so quickly because of ‘Icy Grl’ to, on my first promo run, well, you saw the interview.

The script flipped really quick, like night and day. Saweetie Photo from Instagram/@saweetie I was like, Wait…I had PTSD from that,” Saweetie Instagram. The freestyle video later became “Icy admitted.

However, the rapper said she was “grateful” for Grl,” prompting a label bidding war that ended with the setbacks she experienced, as they helped her Saweetie signing a deal with Warner Records.

Since her fame, she has released chart-topping grow into the artist she is now.

“I’m really grateful for my start. Because the hits including 2020’s “Tap In” and “Back to the mistakes, the struggle, the grind — it allows me Streets” as well as “Best Friend” with Doja Cat this to appreciate the rewards that come now because year.

She also launched a nonprofit, The Icy Baby I know what it feels like to sleep in motels, to drive and do promo, to be stressed out,” said Saweetie. Foundation, with her grandmother to support sinShe shared that she perfected her stage pres- gle mothers, low-income communities, education ence by learning how to control her breath and pull efforts, and people living with autism.

“Money beats court cases, money buys medioff complex choreo and rap without missing a beat. cine, money fixes potholes, money puts food on the She also took vocal lessons.

“Some of us have it naturally. And some of us counter, and money keeps the heat and electricity don’t—like me,” Saweetie told Cosmo. “And that’s going,” said Saweetie.

“So if I can spread the wealth, that’s what I want okay because I know that as long as I work hard, I’ll to do,” she added. become one of the best.”

Saweetie’s first studio album, “Pretty Bitch MuSaweetie, whose real name is Diamonté Quiava Valentin Harper, was born to an African American sic,” is set to debut this spring.

“It’s my way of taking back all those years where father and Filipina-Chinese mother.

In 2017, she went viral after posting a video on I feel I had to dim my light,” she told Cosmo.

Things you might not know about Angelica and Coco

By MaRinel

cRuz

Inquirer.net

“I’M never judgmental of them,” declared Angelica Panganiban when asked what she thought of women who would get involved with “sugar daddies,” or rich older men who lavish them with expensive gifts in exchange for company.

“If that’s their trip, then it’s OK. If they’re happy and at peace with what they’re doing, so be it, as long as they’re aware of what they’re getting themselves into,” Angelica told reporters during a virtual meeting to promote her romantic-comedy film “Love or Money.”

“The No. 1 rule is that you have to have self-respect. If you lose that, your life will fall apart.

If you don’t know your worth, don’t expect other people to respect you either,” she added. “I can’t speak with certainty when it comes to this. You never know.

I might end up being a sugar mommy when I get old.”

Of course, Angelica said she would still pray for a kind of romantic relationship that is not anchored on money.

“I know there are couples who show their love to each other through gifts. If you get a Ferrari or a Hermes Birkin bag because your partner loves you, then congrats! If that’s the case, then you should be wise. You should learn to invest with what you have. There’s no forever in that,” she declared.

In “Love or Money,” Angelica (as Angel) is an owner of an events company based in Dubai, while Coco Martin (as Leon) works various small jobs there

Angelica Panginiban and Coco Martin in “Love or Money”

in order to send money to his family in the Philippines. The two cross paths and fall in love.

Despite their attraction to each other, Angel’s dream of becoming rich prevents them from having a lasting relationship.

Quiet, shy type According to Angelica, Coco is the quiet and shy type.

“It’s hard to read him sometimes. If you eventually discover what pleases him, hold on to that. May sarili kasing mundo si Coco. I feel that he thinks I’m too noisy as a company,” she said, laughing. “I kept teasing him while we were working. While checking out the gold jewelry shops in Dubai, I told him, ‘Co, don’t buy me jewelry anymore.

That would be too much.’ ’Di nga n’ya talaga ako binilihan!”

As a coactor, Angelica said she appreciated it that Coco asked her help when he had trouble memorizing his lines.

“He preferred that his lines be dictated to him, rather than him

ABS-CBN photo

memorizing it from his script. I guess it’s because, as creative head of ‘FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano,’ he already has a lot on his mind. He is very driven. I don’t think he ever rests,” the actress declared.

Also related to how Coco delivers his lines, director Mae Cruz Alviar said he would often joke about having a daily quota in English words. “He would say, ‘Direk, I only have 10 English words in my bag, and you’re making me say the 11th!’”

Mae added: “I also remember him telling me in the beginning that he wanted me to ‘direct’ him. He explained that he has been doing ‘Probinsyano’ for six years now that being Cardo has become second nature to him. He told me to correct him whenever I see that he’s already becoming Cardo and not Leon.

He really wanted people to see a different character in this movie.”

PAGE B7

Kathryn showered with love by fans, fellow celebs as she turns 25: ‘Happy birthday queen!’

By ian

Biong Inquirer.net

KATHRYN Bernardo’s fans have dominated local Twitter as they pour their love for the actress on her 25th birthday on Friday, March 26.

Earlier on Friday, the hashtag “#KathrynXXV” took the top spot on Twitter trends, while the topic “Happy Birthday Queen” also made it on the list with thousands of tweets greeting Bernardo.

Frankie Pangilinan was also among those who greeted their “queen,” recalling to fans how she first met Bernardo in quite an embarrassing way. “[Happy] birthday queen i will forever be embarrassed that we met while i was in a bathrobe,” Pangilinan tweeted.

To mark her birthday, Bernardo simply posted photos of

Kathryn Bernardo

herself in black and white with the caption “25” on Instagram, where she was greeted by fellow celebrities such as Liza Soberano, Dimples Romana and Erich Gonzales, among others.

She also earlier shared via Instagram Stories a short clip of her seemingly raising a glass to longtime boyfriend Daniel Pa-

Photo from Instagram/@bernardokath

dilla as the latter smiles at the camera, accompanied by a balloon GIF. Bernardo and Padilla this year are set to star in a new show being written by actor-poet Juan Miguel Severo. They most recently starred in the show “The House Arrest of Us,” which ended in January.

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2021 IRS tax filing deadlines Tax Tips Victor Sy, MBA, cPA (retired) FEB. 1, 2021: Employers to mail out W-2 Forms to their employees; businesses to furnish 1099 Forms reporting nonemployee compensation, bank interest, dividends, and distributions from a retirement plan.

Feb. 1, 2021: Financial institutions to mail out Form 1099-B relating to sales of stock, bonds, or mutual funds through a brokerage account, Form 1099-S relating to real estate transactions; and Form 1099-MISC, if the sender is reporting payments in boxes 8 or 14.

March 1, 2021: Businesses to mail Forms 1099 and 1096 to the IRS.

March 15, 2021: Corporate tax returns (Forms 1120, 1120A, and 1120-S) for tax year 2020, or to request an automatic sixmonth extension of time to file (Form 7004) for corporations that use the calendar year as their tax year, and for filing partnership tax returns (Form 1065) or to request an automatic five-month extension of time to file (Form 7004).

March 31, 2021: Businesses to e-file Forms 1099 and 1096 to the IRS, except Form 1099NEC. April 15, 2021: Individual tax returns (Form 1040) for the tax year 2020 or to request an automatic extension (Form 4868) for an extra six months to file your return, and for payment of any tax due.

April 15, 2021: Household employers who paid $2,200 or more in wages in 2020 to file Schedule H for Form 1040.

June 15, 2021: U.S. citizens living abroad to file individual

tax returns or file Form 4868 for an automatic four-month extension.

Sept. 15, 2021: Final deadline to file corporate tax returns for tax year 2020, if an extension was requested (Forms 1120, 1120-A, 1120-S).

Oct. 15, 2021: Final extended deadline to file individual tax returns for the year 2020 (Form 1040). *** Victor Santos Sy, MBA. CPA (Retired) Victor Santos Sy graduated Cum Laude from UE with a BBA and from Indiana State University with an MBA. Vic worked with SyCip, Gorres, Velayo (SGV – Andersen Consulting) and Ernst & Young before establishing Sy Accountancy Corporation. *** He retired after 50 years of defending taxpayers audited by the IRS, EDD, BOE and other governmental agencies. He published a book on “How to Avoid or Survive IRS Audits” that’s available at Amazon. Readers may email tax questions to vicsy@live.com.

Removal of conditions on green card Tapat Sa Batas Atty. rheA SAMSon KAPAG ang green card ay nakuha sa pamamagitan ng kasal sa isang U.S. citizen (USC) at ang kasal ay wala pang 2 taon noong naaprubahan ng USCIS ang green card application, ang green card na makukuha ng dayuhan ay conditional green card na may bisa na 2 taon. Ang layunin ng conditional green card ay upang maiwasan ang sham marriages o mga pekeng kasal kung saan ang mag-asawa ay magpapakasal lamang para makakuha ng green card ang dayuhan, at pagkatapos nito sila ay maghihiwalay na. Kaya para matanggal ang conditions ng green card, ang dayuhan o conditional permanent resident (CPR) ay kailiangang magpakita na ang kanyang kasal ay totoo at siya ay may intensyon na maging kasal sa asawang USC nang matagalan.

Upang magtanggal ang conditions sa green card, ang CPR ay kailangang mag-file ng I751 Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence sa loob ng 90 araw bago ang ikalawang anibersaryo niya bilang conditional resident. Kapag ang CPR ay nag-file ng I-751 Petition, kailangan niyang magbigay ng mga ebidensya na magpapatunay na ang kanyang kasal sa USC ay totoong kasal, at ang kasal ay hindi naganap upang lumabag sa US immigration laws.

Ayon sa dating policy ng USCIS, karamihan sa mga CPR ay hindi kinakailangang pumunta pa sa USCIS para sa personal na interbyu. Hangga’t sapat ang ebidensyang ibinigay kasama ng I-751 Petition para patunayan na ang kasal ay totoo, hindi na kailangan ang interbyu sa USCIS. Subalit, sa Revised Interview Waiver Guidance for Form I-751 Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence na naging epektibo noong Disyembre 10, 2018, ang interbyu ng CPR ay bahagi na ngayon ng I-751 adjudication. Sa policy na ito, ang mga interbyu ay kinakailangan dahil ito ay magbibigay sa USCIS ng pagkakataon upang i-verify ang mga

Barrister’s Corner Atty. Kenneth UrSUA reyeS THERE seems to be a misconception in the general public that you can only obtain a divorce in California if your spouse will sign the divorce papers. I get this question a lot from our family law clients. The fact is that California is a no fault state and you do not need your spouse’s signature in order to get a divorce. What is more important is being able to properly serve your spouse with the divorce petition and satisfy the jurisdictional requirement of the Court by showing that either you or your spouse resided in the State for at least 6 months prior to filing the petition and in the County for 3 months prior to filing the petition.

When you file a divorce petition, you have to serve your spouse with the summons and petition. Your spouse then has 30 days to file a response after being served with a divorce petition. If your spouse fails to file and serve you with a response, you can file a request for default against your spouse

impormasyon na nakalagay sa I-751 Petition. Maaari ring matuklasan ng USCIS ang mga bagong impormasyon na mahalaga sa pagdesisyon ng I-751 Petition o para madetermina ang kredibilidad ng CPR. Maaaring magkaroon ng waiver ng interview sa mga sumusunod na sitwasyon: (1) Ang edidensyang naibigay kasama ng I-751 Petition ay sapat na para masabing ang kasal ay totoo at hindi naganap upang lumabag sa US immigration laws; (2) Para sa mga I-751 Petition na natanggap mula Disyembre 10, 2018, ang USCIS ay nakapag-interbyu na ng dayuhan at asawang USC sa I-130 Petition/I-485 Application; (3) Walang indikasyon ng fraud, misrepresentation o panloloko sa I-751 Petition at sa mga dokumentong ipinasa kasabay nito; at (4) Walang mga kumplikadong mga isyu na kinakailangang maresolba sa pamamagitan ng interbyu. *** When a green card is obtained through marriage to a U.S. citizen (USC) spouse and the couple is married less than 2 years during the adjudication of the green card, the green card that the alien will receive will be a conditional green card, valid for 2 years. The conditional green card is issued due to concerns that some aliens may get married solely to obtain a green card, which the U.S. federal government considers to be an attempt to evade U.S. Immigration Laws. The purpose of the conditional green card is to weed out sham marriages where couples get married only to get a green card, and after getting the green card, the couple separate and get a divorce. Hence, in order to have the conditions on the green card removed, the alien or conditional permanent resident (CPR) must be able to prove that he got married in good faith and with the intent to remain in the marriage.

To remove the conditions on the green card, the CPR must file an I-751 Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence during the 90 days before his 2nd anniversary as a conditional resident. When submitting the I-751 Petition, the CPR must submit the required initial evidence that establishes the bona fides of the marriage and that the marriage was not entered into for the purpose of evading

U.S. immigration laws.

Under a previous policy of the USCIS, most CPRs were not required to attend an inperson interview in order to obtain a permanent resident card. As long as enough evidence was submitted with the I-751 Petition to show that the marriage was bona fide, no interview is necessary. However, in the Revised Interview Waiver Guidance for Form I-751 Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence effective December 10, 2018, the interview of the CPR is now part of the I-751 adjudication. Per this policy, interviews provide USCIS with the opportunity to verify information contained in the petition, as well as to discover new information that may be relevant to the adjudication or to determine the credibility of the CPR seeking to remove the conditions of his lawful permanent resident status.

USCIS may consider waiving the interview if they are satisfied that: (1) They can make a decision based on the record because it contains sufficient evidence about the bona fides of the marriage and that the marriage was not entered into for the purpose of evading the immigration laws of the U.S.; (2) For I-751 cases received on/after December 10, 2018, USCIS has previously interviewed the principal petitioner for I-130/I-485; (3) There is no indication of fraud or misrepresentation in the Form I-751 or the supporting documentation; and (4) There are no complex facts or issues that require an interview to resolve questions or concerns. *** ATTY. RHEA SAMSON is the principal of SAMSON LAW FIRM, P.C. She has been a member of the State Bar of California for over 15 years and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines for over 20 years. Atty. Samson received her Legal Management degree from the Ateneo de Manila University and her Juris Doctor degree from the Ateneo Law School. She was a Professor for over 10 years, teaching Obligations and Contracts, Labor Laws and Social Legislation and Taxation Law. Atty Samson is the author of The Law on Obligations and Contracts (2016), Working with Labor Laws-Revised Edition (2014) and Working with Labor Laws (2005).

SAMSON LAW FIRM, P.C., 3580 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1710, Los Angeles, CA 90010; Phone: (213) 274-4561; Email: info@ samsonlawfirmpc.com.

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LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • mARch 27-30, 2021

Classic Chapter 7 cases

FIRST of all, let’s have a moment of silence for the 10 innocent victims of the shooting massacre in Boulder, Colorado earlier this week. This was another senseless killing of innocent people for no reason at all.

Remember, this massacre was preceded only a week ago by the anti-Asian hate crime in Atlanta that murdered eight victims, six of whom were Asian women.

Let’s pray to our God Almighty to accept them all, all innocent victims of hate, into paradise with Him and Jesus Christ, in heaven.

Jesus sits on the right hand of the Father, to judge the living and dead. So, these two murderers will have to pay for their barbaric acts of hate with eternal damnation in the fiery pits of hell. Our God will judge them accordingly.

What does the 6th Commandment say? THOU SHALL NOT KILL. I’m pretty sure that the reason now adopted by the killer in Atlanta that he had a sexual addiction so he wanted to destroy the source of the temptation will not fly. He went to three massage parlors, not three brothels. If you want a massage, go to a massage parlor. If you want sex, go to a brothel. It would have made more sense if he joined the monastery to get rid of temptation. In Boulder, the apparent reason is the suspect was being bullied in high school because of his ethnicity and religion. So what’s that got to do with killing 10 innocent victims who have never even met him before, much less bully him in any way? And the spokesman for the police department in Atlanta said that the killer was just having a really bad day like it was ok to kill people if you were having a bad day. What if the guy killed his wife and children, and shot him in the chest? Oh yeah, it’s fine, I’m ok with that, he’s just having a bad day.

We pray for the families of the victims. May our God give them peace, hear their prayers and assuage their broken hearts, through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. What is the second greatest commandment? Love your neighbor as yourself.

What does classic mean? It means it has the features of everything that the situation entails. We’re talking about Chapter 7 bankruptcy, also known as the “fresh start” without accumulated debt.

Bankruptcy first and foremost is a constitutional right. Yes, the right to the “fresh start” is embodied in the United States Constitution. Article 1, Section 8 of the constitution states that congress is “authorized to enact uniform laws on the subject of bankruptcies”. Second, bankruptcy is a Federal right. It’s contained in U.S. Code Title 11. Therefore, bankruptcy is both a Constitutional and Federal right given to individuals to start fresh again in life by removing burdensome accumulated debt. Why? So that individuals can become productive people again, so they can start enjoying life again as life is meant to be lived. God wants us to enjoy our lives. God doesn’t want us to be suffering everyday carrying the heavy burden of accumulated debt. How do we know this is what God wants?

Because He said “my plans are to prosper you, not to harm you.”

God doesn’t want us to have accumulated debt that is sucking out our income and our enjoyment of life.

Classic Chapter 7 case no. 1 The client is 65 years old and married. He owns a house with an equity of $260,000. What is equity? That’s the fair market value of the house less the bal-

Can I obtain a divorce if my spouse refuses to sign? after 30 days. You can also file a proposed judgment for the court to approve. The default procedure can be done even if there are issues of property division, custody, visitation, and support. However, the Court will still review your proposed judgment and property division to make sure it conforms to the policy towards equal division of community property. Meaning, you have to propose a division of community property that is pretty much equal between the spouses. If your proposed property division is one sided such as distributing all community property to you and giving all the community debts to your spouse, the Court would probably not grant your judgment.

The Court would probably set a hearing for you to explain why this is an equal division of community property.

The only time you may need your spouse’s signature is if your spouse files a response to your divorce petition. This is called “contesting” the divorce. If your divorce is contested by your spouse, you can resolve the case either by “settlement” or by “tri-

al.” However, you do not have to settle all the issues in the case at once. Under the concept of divisible divorce, you can settle some of the issues and set the other issues which you and your spouse cannot agree on for trial.

Our office try to resolve cases through settlement because it is more cost effective and the parties are usually happier with the outcome. In that situation, the parties may avoid the cost and uncertainty of going to trial by executing what is called a stipulated judgment which is in essence an agreement as to all the issues in the divorce case.

For issues which you and your spouse cannot agree on, you will have to go through the litigation process which involves obtaining discovery, exchanging declarations of disclosures, and preparing the case for trial. Ultimately, you will obtain your divorce at trial in addition to adjudication of the distribution of community assets and debts amongst other issues. It is in the best interest of the party to retain the representation of competent counsel who will assert his or her rights under the family code.

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*** 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.

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Debt Relief

Atty. LAwrence yAng ance of the mortgages on the house. In this case, his house has a fair market value of $500,000.

He owes Wells Fargo $240,000 on the mortgage. So, his equity or his own money in the house is $260,000. If the house were sold for $500,000, after Wells Fargo is paid off in full, the money left is $260,000. That belongs to the client. He owes $50,000 of credit card debt. He owns two old cars, which are fully paid. He stopped working two years ago and now receives social security of $1,500.

His wife makes $3,500 a month.

You don’t have to think too much to figure out what the problem is. Obviously, the $50,000 of credit cards needs at least $1,600 a month or more of minimum monthly payments to keep them current. So, his social security of $1,500 is not even enough to keep all of the cards current every month. That’s what the problem is.

The client has the heavy burden at 65 of carrying the debt load of $50,000 of credit cards.

He can’t even drive Uber or Lyft to make another $1,500 to pay for the cards. His back hurts a lot if he sits down too long. No way he can spend hours on end driving Uber with a sensitive back. Is there a way out of his problem?

Certainly, there is.

The client is what I call a classic Chapter 7 case. The Constitution and federal law give the client the right to get rid of his very heavy $50,000 credit card debt by using a Chapter 7 petition to ask the court to wipe out his debt so he can have a “fresh start” in life at the age of 65 without having to deal anymore with his $50,000 of credit card debt.

What happens to his house with $260,000 of equity? The client is fortunate today because even with $260,000 of equity he can protect his house by claiming the homestead exemption pursuant to the amended 704.730 of the California Code of Civil Procedure. This amendment, which just took effect three months ago, protects home equities in Los Angeles County up to $600,000.

Yes, that’s correct you read it right, that’s $600,000 of equity that is now protected by Chapter 7! Never has the homestead equity in California ever been this high in the last 200 years. Last year, the client would have only been able to protect $175,000 of equity. This means last year, the client would need to file Chapter 13, not Chapter 7. In Chapter 13, he would have to pay the $50,000 over 60 months interestfree, that’s at least $850 a month for five years. See the difference?

With Chapter 7 now, he pays zero, nothing, fully protects his house, and wipes out the whole $50K. He becomes productive again at the age of 65.

Classic Chapter 7 case no. 2 The client is 50 years old and married. He doesn’t own a house and just rents. He used to drive Uber and Lyft but with the pandemic, he has not worked for a year. Maybe when the pandemic ends, he will drive Uber and Lyft again. According to Pres. Biden, everyone who wants to be vaccinated will have access to the vaccine by May 1, that’s only two months from now. So hopefully, with God’s help, the pandemic as we know it will be gone or at least totally under control, we

might even have herd immunity, by this summer. For us Asians, we have to face another pandemic, a pandemic of hate against us because we are so good-looking.

God made us good-looking, what can we do? If we were bad-looking, we would be hated because of that.

This is how hate works. I don’t like the way you walk, the way talk, the way you look, the way you stand, the way you eat and so on and so forth. I can’t stand it that you exist. What was the joke going on in Hitler Germany about Jews? Why do they have big noses? Because air is free. This sounds like a joke but it’s not. It’s borne from hate. It’s the same as the police officer saying that the murderer killed eight people because he was having a bad day.

It’s the same kind of thought from the heart, going to the mind, and being said out from the mouth.

Hate goes from the heart, to the mind, to the mouth, then to action. You don’t have to be a psychologist to know this. From so-called jokes, then comes the final solution. Let’s gather all the Jews in Europe and put them in concentration camps. Then we’ll kill all of them. Result: 6M Jews killed in WW2 by Hitler and his Nazis by the final solution. Now we are the targets of this hatred. We need divine protection.

Psalm 91 says God Almighty will give us this protection because He is our defender, He is our protector; He is our rock eternal. He is our God, in whom we trust. A French brigade prayed this every morning in WW1. That brigade survived intact 100% with no casualties, not a single one, the entire duration of WW1. Sometimes, this is called “the soldier’s prayer”. But we need this divine protection even as we pray that God softens the hearts and minds of those who have this hatred in their hearts.

Christians, if you really are one, have love in their hearts because they follow what Jesus says, love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus died for us. He submitted himself willingly to die for us on the cross in Golgotha after much suffering by torture. He did not go around killing people. I mean, this is not hard to understand, is it?

The client owes $60,000 of credit card debt. There’s just no money to pay the $2,000 a month to keep these cards current. It’s time for the client’s fresh start in life without accumulated debt.

Remember, Walt Disney filed for Chapter 7 twice. He was a classic Chapter 7 case twice. Did he become productive again? He sure did. I’m sure you’ve gone to and enjoyed one of his theme parks. And Milton Hersey filed for Chapter 7 once. He also was a classic Chapter 7 case. Did he become productive again? He sure did. I’m sure you’ve tried one of his famous Hershey chocolate products. They both became billionaires after their classic Chapter 7 cases.

If you need debt relief, please set an appointment to see me. I will analyze your case personally. *** DISCLAIMER: NONE OF THE FOREGOING IS CONSIDERED LEGAL ADVICE. EACH CASE IS DIFFERENT. *** 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) 284-1142 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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A blessed Holy Week Pastor’s Notes reVerend rodeL g. BALAgtAS PALM Sunday is the solemn beginning of Holy Week. We raise not just our palms but our hearts and minds to the Lord—that in good times and in bad times, amid tragedies and crisis, we can still say, “Hosanna to my King and my Lord!”

We commemorate the entrance of Jesus in the city of Jerusalem — a city bustling with business and life, where people were fearful of an impending tragic event that would shake their faith.

As we reflect on this event in the life of Jesus, we realize that the COVID-19 pandemic shook our world and tested us in every aspect of our lives, particularly our faith in God. It continues to bring us anxiety and fear. It has caused so much grief and sadness, especially among those who lose their loved ones. But it has

brought us closer as a family and community and made us resilient in faith.

And so, at the beginning of the Mass, we join our hearts as the priest leads us in prayer, saying: “Increase the faith of those who place their hope in you, O God, and graciously hear the prayers of those who call on you, that we, who today hold high these branches to hail Christ in his triumph, may bear fruit for you by the good works accomplished in him.

Who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.”

We read the Passion of Christ from the Gospel of Matthew. As we listen to it, we take some moments to reflect on our sufferings and pains.

We embrace them willfully and ask Jesus to help us bear them. *** 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. *** Fr. Rodel “Odey” Balagtas is the pastor of Incarnation Church in Glendale, California.

B6 march 27-30, 2021 • La WEEKEND aSIaN JOUrNaL

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New paid sick leave law re: COVID-19 Permanent residence for crewmen Protecting Employee & Consumer Rights Atty. c. Joe SAyAS, Jr. LAST year, private employers with 500 or more employees were required to provide California employees with paid sick time for COVID-19related absences. That law, AB 1867, aimed to close the gaps left open by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) by expanding coverage to healthcare providers or emergency responders and food sector workers.

AB 1867, however, expired on December 31, 2020.

The welcome news is that California recently enacted a new supplemental paid sick leave law that protects more workers and their families from COVID-19. Now, the benefits apply to those who work for employers with 25 or more employees. Covered employees are entitled to COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave if they are unable to work or telework due to any of the following reasons: 1) The employee is subject to a quarantine or isolation period related to COVID-19 by an order or guidelines of the State Department of Public Health, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or a local health officer.

2) The employee has been

advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine due to concerns related to COVID19.

3) The employee is attending an appointment to receive a vaccine for protection against contracting COVID19.

4) The employee is experiencing symptoms related to a COVID-19 vaccine that prevent the employee from being able to work or telework.

5) The employee is experiencing symptoms of COVID19 and seeking a medical diagnosis.

6) The employee is caring for a family member who has been ordered to quarantine or who has been advised to selfquarantine.

7) The employee is caring for a child, whose school or place of care is closed or otherwise unavailable for reasons related to COVID-19 on the premises.

This new law also provides for COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave for specified in-home supportive service providers and personal waiver care service providers, who are unable to work or telework due to certain reasons related to COVID-19.

A covered employee is entitled to 80 hours of COVID19 supplemental paid sick leave if that employee either 1) works full time or 2) was scheduled to work, on average, at least 40 hours per week for the employer in the 2 weeks preceding the date the covered employee took

COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave. (Firefighters and employees working fewer or variable hours are subject to a different calculation for supplemental paid sick leave.)

This supplemental paid sick leave is in addition to any paid sick leave available under California law.

A covered employee may determine how many hours of COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave to use, up to the total number of hours to which the covered employee is entitled under the new law. The employer shall make COVID19 supplemental paid sick leave available for immediate use upon the employee’s oral or written request to the employer.

This new law takes effect on March 29, 2021 and its provisions would apply retroactively to January 1, 2021 and shall remain in effect through September 30, 2021. *** The Law Offices of C. Joe Sayas, Jr. welcomes inquiries about this topic. All inquiries are confidential and at no-cost. 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, consistently selected as Super Lawyer by the Los Angeles Magazine, and is a past Presidential Awardee for Outstanding Filipino Overseas.]

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DEAR Attorney Tan, I entered the U.S. in 1998 as a crewman. I have recently married a U.S. citizen and would like to get a green card. However, I have heard that since I entered as a crewman, I cannot adjust my status to a permanent resident. Is this true? — Lost on Land Dear Lost on Land, Under INA Section 245(c)(1), a person who enters the US as a “crewman” is generally barred from adjusting his status to permanent residence. However, analysis of this issue must begin with determining whether you are actually a “crewman,” who is barred from adjustment.

A “crewman” is defined as a person “serving… in a capacity required for normal operation and service on board a vessel,… or aircraft, who intends to land temporarily and solely in pursuit of his calling as a crewman and to depart from the United States with the vessel or aircraft on which he arrived or some other vessel or aircraft.” INA Section 101(a)(15(D). A “crewman” under this definition is assigned a “D” visa classification, but is often issued a dual C-1 transit/ D crewman visa. Because of this, a common misperception exists that a C-1 visa classification is designated for crewmen, and that a person who entered the US under a C-1 classification is by definition a “crewman,” therefore barred

Legal Advice Atty. DArrick tAn from adjusting his status to permanent resident. However, it is important to keep in mind that if a person entered on a C-1 transit visa, he may not be a “crewman” and may be eligible to adjust status. Further, the facts of a particular case regardless of letter classification of one’s visa upon entry may also be considered.

If you entered on a C-1 transit visa, or under circumstances that do not fit the definition of a “crewman,” you may be eligible to adjust status.

If you are considered a “crewman” under the above definition, you can still file for adjustment of status to permanent residence and get a green card in the US if you are covered by INA Section 245(i). To be covered under INA Section 245(i), one must be the beneficiary of a visa petition or labor certification filed on or before April 30, 2001. If the petition was filed between January 14, 1998 and April 30, 2001, physical presence in the US on December 21, 2000 is also required.

If you are not covered under INA Section 245(i), and are considered a “crewman” under the above definition, you would need to obtain your

immigrant visa at a foreign consular post. Traditionally, persons who were unlawfully present in the US for more than 1 year, and who had to obtain their immigrant visa at an overseas US consulate were subject to an unlawful presence bar from returning to the US for 10 years.

That person would be able to seek a waiver of the unlawful presence bar after leaving the US, but if denied, he would be left outside of the US, and away from his family for 10 years. However, under the Provisional Waiver program, you can apply for and get a decision on the waiver of the unlawful presence bar without leaving the US. If the waiver is approved, you can leave the US with some assurance that you will obtain your immigrant visa at the US consulate post and quickly return. Spouses and minor children of US citizens are eligible for provisional waiver relief. *** 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: 323-639-0277. Email: info@dtanlaw.com (Advertising Supplement)

COVID-19 survivor Donita, frontliner Ronnie plead with those skipping vaccine line

New ‘Sing-Galing!’ hosts Ronnie Liang, Donita Nose

TV5 photos

THINKING of skipping the priority list just to get COVID-19 inoculated? COVID-19 frontliner Ronnie Liang and survivor Donita Nose have a message for you.

During their virtual press conference for their new TV5 show “Sing-Galing” earlier, the actor and the comedian asked everyone to follow the rules set by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF), the task force the government organized to respond to emerging infectious diseases in the Philippines.

“Maybe the best way ay ‘yung magsubmit tayo sa rules, patakaran ng IATF. We have to follow the regulations. Pero kung qualified

naman, why not?” Liang, Philippine Army reserve force 2nd lieutenant, told those who reportedly skipped the line just to get inoculated ahead of those in the priority list.

He assured Philstar.com during the press con that he is “qualified” to be in the priority list for the jab and he thinks it is safe.

“Para sa akin, yes, okay naman. I’m not authorized lang to talk about it. Pero yes, I’m qualified.”

As an army reservist since 2018, among Ronnie has been manning checkpoints, distributing relief goods, transporting healthcare workers since the pandemic began.

“Well, like, right now, I’m still reporting sa headquarters. May mga times na kailangan talaga namin magpunta sa field to remind everyone, sinisita namin sila mag-wear ng masks, face shields,” he said of his current duties as frontliner.

“Good thing na kahit nagduduty ako sa army, pinapayagan nila ako na at least kung available ‘yung schedules ko, mag-taping kami dito sa ‘Sing-Galing’.”

He is thankful that he had stayed safe from the disease.

“Ito, okay naman. Wala namang kahit PAGE B7

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Pinay staff sergeant shares the world of possibilities with a US Army career

Rambo Nunez and Maja Salvador

Photo from Instagram/@rambonunez

Maja on why her relationship with boyfriend Rambo clicks

By Dolly

Anne CArvAjAl Inquirer.net

MAJA Salvador is ready to reign again in “Niña, Niño” (NN), her first series on the Kapatid network where she plays Niña. Noel Comia Jr. portrays her brother, Niño. In order to survive, they resort to extraordinary measures as con-artists. But an event will change the course of their destinies.

The dramedy genre is a first for Maja, who is known to portray titular roles in heavy dramas.

The show’s vision echoes calls for hopeful stories, finding joy in life’s magical minutiae in the midst of these trying times.

Her Majesty Maja is out to show that even if her ABS-CBN days are over, she won’t be dethroned.

Here are quotable quotes from Maja during “NN’s” Zoom media con:

“Doing NN made me realize that it’s not easy to be a comedienne. I find it easier to make people cry than laugh. In the show, I have to find the right balance between drama and comedy. I make sure that I don’t come across as OA or epal.”

“I am overwhelmed that TV5 and Cignal have dubbed me as the Primetime Queen. It’s quite a huge responsibility. Although I’m thankful to be called as such, I think that ‘title’ rightfully belongs to Judy Ann Santos.”“I imagine that every role I portray will be my last one, so I give it my all.”

“My relationship with Rambo (Nuñez, her boyfriend) works because we are partners in every sense of the word. We are also business partners in Crown Artist Management. I hope we become lifetime partners.”

“One of the reasons why I accepted NN is because Piolo Pascual is one of the producers. How can you say no to Papa P?”

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PAGE B2 While Coco needed help with his dramatic scenes, Mae said he was an expert in the action sequences. In fact, he had been very patient while teaching his coactors how to fake a punch, she reported.

“Para siyang nasasapian! If it’s an action scene, he already

knows what to do. He has lots of tricks up his sleeves. Listening to him was like taking up Action 101. I learned a lot from him, too,” she recalled.

“Love or Money,” a production of Star Cinema, also features Gelli de Belen, Matet de Leon, Ketchup Eusebio, Cai Cortez and Dante Rivero.

COVID-19 survivor...

PAGE B6 anong symptoms. I’m still here.

God is good.”

Likewise, COVID-19 survivor Donita Nose pleaded everyone to follow guidelines.

“Para sa’ kin, wala na sanang singitan. Unahin natin mga frontliners kasi sila talaga ‘yung unang haharap. Mas kailangan nila ng protection kaysa sa mga taong ‘di agad haharap sa mga pasyente,” she said at the virtual meeting.

Apart from this, Donita acknowledged that people are split about getting vaccinated.

“Naranasan ko gano kahirap sa loob ng emergency room na wala kang kwartong mapupuntahan sa sobrang dami ng pasyente, so ‘yang vaccine na ‘yan, hati ang tao. May gustong magpa-vaccine. May mga ayaw.

Hindi natin talaga alam ang ma-

giging effect talaga. May mga natatakot kasi may lumalabas na ‘pagka-vaccine minsan, biglang nawala… ‘Di buo loob ng tao eh sa mga ganu’ng bagay kasi ‘di pa nila alam ‘yung magiging effect sa kanila.”

Thus, for the comedian, taking care of oneself is still the best arsenal against the killer disease.

“Ako naman, tungkol dito sa pagpapa-vaccine, s’yempre naranasan ko na s’ya (COVID-19), so unang una dapat alagaan mo sarili mo kasi kung aalagaan mo sarili mo at ‘di ka magkakasakit, walang mahahawahan. Pero kung ‘di mo aalagaan sarili mo, ‘pag nagkasakit ka, may chance makahawa ka ng iba,” Donita reminded.

“Pero lahat tayo ang kailangan talaga – doble ingat.” (Deni Rose M. Afinidad-Bernardo/Philstar. com)

FOR Staff Sergeant Maria Monica Suarez, joining the U.S. Army was a shot at opportunities not just for herself, but her family.

“I wanted to have a steady, brighter future, career-wise,” Suarez said. “I joined the Army basically for my family.”

The 28-year-old Filipina, who was born in Angeles City in the province of Pampanga, joined the Army from the Guam recruiting station in November 2013. At that time, she was raising a two-yearold child.

“Coming from the Philippines pushes me to seek a brighter future and to start thinking about how can I give my kid a better life,” Suarez said.

She did Basic Combat Training in Fort Jackson, South Carolina and completed Advanced Individual Training at Fort Lee, Virginia as a small arms and artillery repairer.

“During basic training, it was a culture shock — everything was new and you’re exposed to different cultures because the military is so diverse,” Suarez recounted.

“But the Army trained me in a way that I would be able to adapt and be part of the team.”

She was then assigned to the 17th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion/98th Support Maintenance Company at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson in Alaska,

U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Maria Monica Suarez

where she spent six years.

“As a small arms and artillery repairer, I worked on weapons to repair and check on them so they’re good to go for any Armyrelated missions,” Suarez said.

While serving in this unit, she deployed to Kuwait in 2015. SSG Suarez was chosen to work with the U.S. Southern Command in support of their mission with U.S. Embassies which gave her the experience to see different countries and cultures. She has also participated in and won the Battalion Best Warrior Competition.

“We have educational opportunities, health benefits, and also we get the experience to travel and experience other cultures,” she said. “We also offer over 150 career opportunities, and you have the option to choose what field you want to go into.”

In her eight years of service, Suarez has held various leadership positions, from squad leader to recruiter, and has earned decorations including Army Achievement Medal (2OLC) and Army Good Conduct Medal(2nd Award).

Now, Suarez works out of the U.S. Army’s recruiting station in Pasadena, California and is looking to recruit more Filipinos and Filipino Americans, especially women, who are interested in a military career.

“If this is something you want, nothing’s impossible, especially me knowing limited English before joining. I made it through basic training and in our generation, whatever men can do, we can also do it as well. I’m still in the U.S. Army and am loving every moment in this work. I want to help others see it as a path for them too,” Suarez said.

SSG Maria Monica Suarez can be reached with questions about the U.S. Army at (323) 839-6237.

(Advertising Supplement)

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