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MARCH 28-APRIL 3, 2019

T H E F I L I P I N O –A M E R I C A N C O M M U N I T Y N E W S PA P E R

Volume 30 - No. 13 • 2 Sections – 16 Pages

2770 S. Maryland Pkwy., Suite 200 Las Vegas, NV 89109 Tel: (702) 792-6678 • Fax: (702) 792-6879

Also published in LOS ANGELES, ORANGE COUNTY/INLAND EMPIRE, NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY

DATELINE USA FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

Duterte gives self passing grade of ‘5 or 6’ for first 3 years in term

by PATRICIA LOURDES Philstar.com

Family Court Judge Cheryl Moss

Inquirer.net photo

Fil-Am Las Vegas judge heads city’s first ever gambling court

WITH the image of Las Vegas comes those of blackjack tables, slot machines, and colored poker chips with the accompanying image big cash wins and prizes.

But less thrown in the spotlight is the side of gambling where the games can get taken too far to the point of addiction. That’s where Filipina-American Family Court Judge Cheryl Nora Moss comes in.

Moss—who was elected to the District Court, Family Division in 2000 after starting her legal career serving as a law clerk in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and as an intern in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the capital among others — created a new speciality court

VIRAY

MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte has given himself a passing grade for his performance during the first three years of his administration.

Duterte said he has complied with his “basic” promises including his fight against illegal drugs and the improvement of the delivery of basic services.

“I will be through in three years. For me, if I rate myself now, I’m about five or six,” the president said during a campaign rally in Koronadal City last Tuesday, March 26.

Duterte went on to enumerate his administration’s priorities, including his controversial war on illegal drugs, a campaign that has earned him complaints before the International Criminal Court.

“It’s very hard to really develop if there is no

law and order. If there is no law and order and everything is... everybody is in a quandary... And we have — I think being swallowed by the biggest threat of them all and that is the drug problem which is worldwide,” the president said.

Duterte said human rights advocates who accuse him of condoning extralegal killings “were making a big hoot” about the anti-drug war.

u PAGE A2

Former Senator Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. greets his supporters who gathered in front of the Supreme Court building on Monday night.

ManilaTimes.net photo by Gerard Seguia

Marcos asks SC to resolve election protest in 2019

by JOMAR

CANLAS ManilaTimes.net

u PAGE A4

THE camp of former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Tuesday, March 26, asked the Supreme Court (SC), sitting as Presidential Electoral Tribunal, to investigate all concerned chairmen and members of the Board of Election Inspectors who served in the provinces of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Fil-Am who mailed explosives to political officials, Trump critics pleads guilty Aquino rebukes PH new loans from China Palace vows to protest Chinese u PAGE A4

Cesar Sayoc Jr., the suspect in the bombs mailed to various Democratic officials in October 2018, pled guilty this week.

Photo courtesy of the Broward County Sheriff

by RITCHEL

MENDIOLA AJPress

CESAR Altieri Sayoc Jr., the FilipinoAmerican man from Southern Florida who was accused of mailing pipe bombs to numerous political figures and Trump critics last year, pleaded guilty on Thursday, March 21 in federal court in Manhattan.

u PAGE A2

DUTERTE’S MEN. President Rodrigo Duterte leads the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) campaign rally in Koronadal City on Tuesday, March 26. Joining the president on stage are former Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, Senator Emmanuel Pacquiao, Senator Aquilino Pimentel III, and former Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs Francis Tolentino.

Malacañang photo by Richard Madelo

Former President Benigno Aquino III

Inquirer.net photo

FORMER President Benigno Aquino III on Tuesday, March 26, gave out a warning to the government about the China-offered loans, saying the Philippines should have already learned from the past. This is after Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said Beijing could seize oil and gas-rich Philippine assets in the South China Sea if the country pulls out on payment for a new $62 million loan.

The government signed the loan agreement with China on April 10, 2018.

mistreatment in Zambales if proven

by NATHALIE

ROBLES

AJPress

MALACAÑANG on Monday, March 25, vowed to protest any unjust actions of the Chinese Coast Guard if the complainants would present justifiable evidence to back their claim.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo responded to a video released by senatorial candidate Neri Colmenares explaining how the Filipino fishermen were mistreated by the Chinese Coast Guard, despite the Philipu PAGE A2 pines’ jurisdiction in the area.

“They have to show proof that is being done now again because if it’s being done, certainly we will protest. We will not allow our countrymen to be subjected to that kind of harassment,” Panelo said as reported by The Philippine Star.

The six-minute video showed that the fishermen from Masinloc, Zambales would normally access the Scarborough or Panatag Shoal, a traditional fishing ground off the coast of Zambales.

However, the Chinese Coast

u PAGE A2

Presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke to AAPIs in Las Vegas: ‘I’m listening’

by CHRISTINA

M. ORIEL

AJPress

LAS VEGAS — There are 331 days until the Nevada caucuses on Feb. 22, 2020 and 586 days until the November presidential election.

With Nevada as a swing state, Democratic presidential hopefuls are starting to campaign here, particularly in the Las Vegas area.

In recent weeks, Senators Bernie Sanders (D-VT) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), and

former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro have made stops to meet with local leaders and community groups.

The latest visit over the weekend came from former Congressman and Democratic candidate Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) who packed in five events in two days, including a meet-and-greet with Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) youth and select leaders like state Assemblywoman Rochelle Nguyen, Clark County Planning Commissioner

Duy Nguyen, and One APIA Nevada chair Evan Louie on Sunday, March 24.

AAPIs are estimated to account for 10 percent of Nevada’s electorate and have shown to be a key swing vote in major races in recent years.

O’Rourke spoke on a range of topics, such as climate change, public education funding, student loan debt and gun control. He was met with several questions from the audience, including one from a Filipino-American high school senior named Xavier, who

asked how the candidate would ensure Fil-Am voices are heard given that they are the fastestgrowing minority in the state.

“There’s a reason that in our first full day in the state of Nevada, running for the presidency on the 10th day of this campaign, I’m listening to you and taking your question,” O’Rourke said. “I would ask in the spirit of your question that you help me and guide us to make sure that we deliver for you, for others in the AAPI community, other Fili- Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) speaks at District One in Las

u PAGE A3

Vegas’ Chinatown on Sunday, March 24.

AJPress photo by Robert Macabagdal

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http://www.asianjournal.com â&#x20AC;˘ (702) 792-6678

march 28-april 3, 2019 â&#x20AC;˘ laS VEGaS aSiaN JOUrNal

Fil-Am who mailed explosives...

PAGE A1 Sayoc, 57, was arrested and charged late October after he sent improvised explosive devices to 13 political targets and public figures including former President Barack Obama, former Vice President Joe Biden, former CIA director John Brennan, Senator Kamala Harris, and Rep. Maxine Waters. Other targets included billionaire George Soros and actor Robert De Niro.

From The FronT Page

wires. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I knew these actions were Before the federal New York wrong. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m extremely sorry,â&#x20AC;? judge on Thursday, Sayoc plead- Sayoc told U.S. District Judge Jed ed guilty to a total of 65 felonies S. Rakoff, adding that he did not from four sets of charges includ- intend for the bombs to explode.

Nevertheless, Sayoc said he ing illegally mailing explosives with intent to kill or injure anoth- was â&#x20AC;&#x153;aware of the risk that they er, and using weapons of mass would explode.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;For five days in October 2018, destruction.

Sayoc admitted that he de- Cesar Sayoc rained terror across signed the devices â&#x20AC;&#x153;to look like the country, sending high-rankpipe bombsâ&#x20AC;? complete with ex- ing officials and former elected explosive packages plosive powder from fireworks, leaders and a digital alarm clock with through the mail,â&#x20AC;? said Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thankfully no one was hurt by these dangerous devices, but his actions left an air of fear and divisiveness in their wake.

Sayoc has taken responsibility for his crimes, and will soon be sentenced to significant time in prison.â&#x20AC;?

Sayoc, who is slated to be sentenced on September 12, faces a possible sentence of life in prison, according to a statement by the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.

Following the FBIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s announcement of his arrest in October, details emerged about Sayoc including that of prior run-ins with the law such as an arrest on a felony theft charge back in 1991, and on charges of domestic violence in 1994. He was also arrested on charges of making bomb threats in 2002, according to public records.

Lenny Altieri, a cousin of Sayocâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mother Madeleine Altieri, told the New York Times last year that Sayoc had problems with his mother and as a result was raised by his grandparents. Altieri said that Sayocâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s father was from the Philippines.

On his LinkedIn, Sayoc claimed that his grandfather, Col. Baltazar Zook Sayoc, â&#x20AC;&#x153;built all the hospitals in the Philippines,â&#x20AC;? and was a Philippine martial art Kali expert who helped fight the Communist Party in the Philippines. However, Sayoc Global, which has the trademark for Sayoc Kali, released a statement that Cesar Sayoc â&#x20AC;&#x153;has no affiliation with Sayoc Kaliâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;was not a grandchild of Baltazar Zook Sayoc.â&#x20AC;?

Sayoc was also revealed to be an ardent Trump supporter who often tweeted conspiracy theories and memes about liberal public figures.

Upon his arrest, authorities impounded his van, which was covered in images and stickers of President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. (Rae Ann Varona/AJPress)

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CLEANUP DRIVE. Members of the Bureau of Fire Protection collect garbage during the coastal cleanup held at the Las PiĂąas-ParaĂąaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area.

ManilaTimes.net photo by DJ Diosina

Duterte gives self passing grade...

PAGE A1 â&#x20AC;&#x153;But they know that drugs really would destroy a nation,â&#x20AC;? the president said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Do not destroy the young and feed them with drugs to no end because I will really kill you,â&#x20AC;? he added.

The war on illegal drugs has left more than 5,000 drug suspects dead, according to police data. Duterte has denied endorsing extrajudicial killings, saying law enforcers are only allowed to use force if they feel that their lives are in danger and if suspects violently resist arrest.

Despite Duterteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s denial, some of his critics have asked the ICC

to look into the deaths tied to the crackdown on narcotics. The Duterte administration responded by withdrawing the Philippinesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ratification of the Rome Statute, the treaty that formed the ICC. Duterte also cited his campaign against corruption, which has resulted in the firing of several officials including some Cabinet members. He also mentioned the enactment of laws on universal health care and free education. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I told you that... if and when I become a president, someday I will work for universal healthcare, everything will be for free. The

government will shoulder everything... I already fulfilled it. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s already there,â&#x20AC;? Duterte said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Universal education, I fulfilled that. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s already there... I said law and order, I fulfilled it. I did not promise anything that I could not give,â&#x20AC;? he added.

But Duterte admitted he has not yet fulfilled his promise to ease the traffic woes in EDSA. He said decided to â&#x20AC;&#x153;forgetâ&#x20AC;? about the issue after a female senator had warned that the funds for the effort to solve the traffic problem are prone to corruption. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I said â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;forget it. I will not touch EDSA. Let it rot there,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? the president said. n

Aquino rebukes PH new loans...

PAGE A1 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hindi na tayo natuto sa Northrail. Hindi ba pwedeng maawa tayo sa sarili natin (We havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t learned our lesson with Northrail [project]. Canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t we have pity on ourselves)?,â&#x20AC;? Aquino said during an ambush interview at an Otso Diretso forum in Cebu City.

The Northrail project was launched under former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s term with a $400-million Chinese state loan in 2004. The project

was later canceled amid allegations about Arroyoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aides taking kickbacks to get it started.

Supposedly, the 80-kilometer (50-mile) North Rail project would allow the Philippinesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; main gateway to be moved out of congested central Manila, as reported by ABS-CBN News.

According to Aquino, who was campaigning for the candidates of Otso Diretso in Cebu, the â&#x20AC;&#x153;solutionâ&#x20AC;? to issues such as controversial Chinese loans may be the opposition candidates.

He said the Otso Diretso, Romy Macalintal, Gary Alejano, Erin Tanada, Pilo Hilbay, Samira Gutoc, Mar Roxas, Bam Aquino, and Chel Diokno, are a better alternative regardless of their unsatisfactory pre-election survey performance. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kung di ka na happy, magbibigay tayo ng solusyon. Sa akin, ang Otso Diretso, bahagi ng solusyon (If you are no longer happy, letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s find solutions.

For me, Otso Diretso offers just that),â&#x20AC;? Aquino said. n

(702) 792-6678 • http://www.asianjournal.com

DATELINE USA

LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • MARCH 28-APRIL 3, 2019

A3

Presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke to AAPIs...

PAGE A1 pino Americans in Las Vegas and [those] who are in Nevada and are throughout this country. I have no hope of understanding things from your perspective unless we first have that conversation. Tell me what our needs are.”

O’Rourke started his speech by saying that his run for the presidency comes at a “defining moment.”

“I come at a time of historic division and polarization and hyperpartisanship in this country,” O’Rourke told attendees gathered at District One in Chinatown.

“I’m running in a way, not to divide or denigrate or demean anybody... I couldn’t care less...who you voted for last time for president, whether you can vote at all because of your age or criminal conviction or your immigration status. The fact that you are my fellow American and human being is all that counts and matters now at this moment.”

On the student loan debt crisis — which hit $1.5 trillion last year — he suggested free community college and debt forgiveness in exchange for public service.

“Student loan debt is the one kind of debt that you will never shake until you pay it off or until you’re in the grave. Literally, you’ll be paying that for the rest of your life until it’s settled,” he

said.“I think the first step is to stop digging the hole to ensure that community college is free for all Americans — that we ease the transition into apprenticeships, working with a union, learning a trade or a skill for in demand, high wage, high value, unfilled jobs that we have all over this country today.”

President Donald Trump earlier this month released a 10-point proposal to reform the Higher Education Act, which includes a limit to student loan borrowing and eliminating public service loan forgiveness and instead extend loan forgiveness to all students pursuing any career.

“I want to make sure that if you have student loan debt right now, that we work with you to forgive that debt, you’re going to dedicate some part of your life to public service,” O’Rourke added.

He called for investing in public educators which would “produce a return far and above the initial cost.”

“It’s going to make us a stronger country and it’s going to make this a stronger democracy,” he said. “We’re making better educated, more informed decisions at the ballot box, more of our young people run for office and become our elected leaders.”

With nearly 40,000 people who died from guns in the United States last year, O’Rourke said that legislators find “the political will to pass sensible gun legislation like universal background checks or ensuring that no weapon designed, engineered, and sold in the United States military to kill people as great a number as humanly possible is sold into our communities.”

He also suggested locker laws that keep children away from adults’ firearms and red flag laws “so that someone is a danger to themselves or someone else in their lives we ensure that we get them help to protect their loved ones and those in the community,” he said.

He fielded several questions from the audience, including one about his loss to Texas Senator Ted Cruz last November. With the national attention on that race, O’Rourke seeks to build on that momentum in this presidential field.

“Texas is a state that for so long has been written off or taken for granted — too red for Democrats to compete in and too red for Republicans to worry about,” he responded. “Though we did not win, we were able to overcome, transcend the barriers put in our place that ranked Texas 50th in voter turnout in the nation.”

In addition to touching upon

the various issues, O’Rourke said he brings a certain authenticity to the race. “You will not see me read prepared statements, you will not see me saying the best or the most tested or the wellwritten thing that perhaps some others might,” he said. “But you will see me speak from the heart, from my experience and the shared experience of those who share their stories with me, their perspective, their lives to inform this campaign and the service we want to provide.”

Earlier on Sunday, Beto drew crowds to Arandas Taquera and a local coffeehouse and met with the Mujeres Network. The night before, he was at a “house party” hosted by a supporter from Summerlin.

Prior to Las Vegas, O’Rourke made visits to Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and South Carolina since announcing his candidacy on March 14.

The former congressman, who served on the El Paso city council prior to that, joins a crowded Democratic field in the 2020 race to the White House in 2020, with Sanders, Gillibrand, Gabbard, Castro, California Senator Kamala Harris, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, and South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg among the contenders.

Beto O’Rourke meets chef Khai Vu, owner of District One restaurant in Chinatown and Clark County Planning Commissioner Duy Nguyen.

AJPress photos by Robert Macabagdal

O’Rourke, Harris, Warren, Castro and Klobuchar are slated to appear at the National Forum on Wages and Working People in Las Vegas on Saturday, April 27 hosted by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and

the Center for American Progress Action Fund.

“We will be back in Nevada many, many times over continuing the conversation, continuing to learn,” O’Rourke told supporters on Sunday. ■

A

Dateline USa

march 28-april 3, 2019 • laS VEGaS aSiaN JOUrNal

A group of fishermen from Subic town in Zambales province prepares their provisions for a trip to Panatag Shoal, a rich fishing ground in the West Philippine Sea that is being claimed by China.

Inquirer.net photo by Allan Macatuno

Palace vows to protest Chinese mistreatment...

PAGE A1 t Guard would reportedly seize their catch and drive them away from the Shoal despite having the territorial authority over the area since called Bajo de Masinloc.

The palace spokesman said that such mistreatment is not condoned by the administration.

He continued that he was not aware of any reported abuse of Chinese nationals banishing Filipino fishermen in the country’s waters.

Colmenares answered back at the administration’s stand on the said issue. In a radio interview with DZMM, he called out Malacañang’s failure to defend its countrymen against the harassment of the Chinese nationals.

“Instead na depensahan o alamin kung totoo ang nangyari para madepensahan ang mangingisda, ang sasabihin pa, walang proof, hindi totoo iyon, wala namang report (Instead of defending or finding out the truth to protect our fishermen, they said there’s no proof, it’s not true, there’s no report),” Colmenares said as reported by ABS-CBN News.

“Parang ang sini-serve nila ay ‘yung Chinese government, pinoproteksyunan kaysa sa sarili nating mga mangingisda (It seems that they’re serving, protecting the Chinese government instead of our own fishermen),” he added.

The senatorial candidate emphasized that a person’s testimony could be considered legitimate proof to back up a certain claim.

He also said that it is pointless for the fishermen to lie about their experiences since they would get

nothing out of it.

“Ang testimonya ng isang witness ay proof, ebidensya. Hindi ko alam kung anong ebidensya na nire-require nila (The testimony of a witness is considered as proof, evidence. I don’t know what kind of evidence it is that they’re requiring),” the senatorial candidate defended.

“Bakit magsisinungaling ang mga mangingisda sa amin? Ano ang mahihita nila? Mga ordinaryong tao sila, takot lang nilang magsinungaling (Why would the fishermen lie to us? What would they gain? They’re just ordinary people who are afraid to lie),” Colmenares added.

Colmenares explained that the abuse endured by those fishermen should not be solely mentioned in passing. He urged the officials to come up with a solution to ensure that the fishermen’s lives and livelihood will be protected.

“This is one more proof of the harassment and we are willing to share it with them. The issue here is no longer about anything else, it’s the issue of helping our fisherfolks be protected and their livelihoods be protected,” he said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel’s (ANC) “Early Edition.”

However, Masinloc Vice Mayor Daddy Enciso claimed that even the local government officials were not aware that such harassment exists among the fisherfolk.

He further noted that it must be a remote incident.

“Wala po kaming napapansin na mga fisherman naming nagrereport sa munisipyo po. So far, remote incident po iyan na nangyayari. Normal naman po ang mga fisherman sa amin (We have

not noticed any fisherman reporting to our town hall. So far, what happened was a remote incident.

The situation of our fishermen is normal),” he said in a separate DZMM interview.

The palace spokesperson and chief legal counsel said that the administration can only protest to China regarding the fishermen issue despite the arbitral ruling that named the Philippines the country with the rightful claim in the area.

“May magagawa ba tayo eh sila ang may control as of now.

‘Di ba meron silang pwersa doon.

(What can we do when they are in control as of now. They have military forces there) We can only protest like any other country like Vietnam,” Panelo said in a press briefing.

“Has any arbitral ruling by this international court been enforced previously? Kung meron may pag-asa tayo, kung wala sa ngayon wala tayong magagawa so pag-usapan muna natin sa negotiation (If there is, we have hope. If there’s none all we can do is negotiate),” he added.

Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio in July warned President Rodrigo Duterte to be careful with his remarks that could possibly waive the country’s rights to the area as ruled by the 2016 arbitral tribunal in Hague.

“If the president says ‘I am setting aside the ruling,’ the doctrine is that that binds the country if it is accepted by China. That declaration is a declaration against the interest of the state and it will bind that state because the president is the representative under international law,” Carpio said. n

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HATS OFF. Graduates of the Philippine National Police Academy throw their hats in the air during the academy’s 40th commencement exercises in Silang, Cavite.

ManilaTimes.net photo by Gerard Seguia

US lawyer to aid PH victims of sexual abuse case vs American priest

by Nathalie

Robles

AJPress

UNITED STATES-based lawyer McDonald Worley recently arrived in Biliran, Eastern Visayas to interview nine of the alleged victims of American priest Kenneth Bernard Pius Hendricks who is now detained in Quezon city jail over charges of sexual abuse.

The Houston-based lawyer clarified that he was not involved with the criminal side of the case filed against the 77-year-old priest.

Worley emphasized that he is after the civil aspect which focuses on the compensation received by the alleged victims.

“I have nothing to do with the criminal aspect of the case. I just handle the civil side. So it’s basically money that has to be paid to the victims,” Worley said as reported by The Philippine Daily Inquirer.

“A fund to compensate sexual abuse victims by Hendricks is being set up by the U.S. Catholic Church. I am here to gather information and the jury will have to decide on the amount,” Worley earlier added as reported by the Philippine News Agency.

Worley explained that the alleged victims were seven and 12 years old when the abused happened. He also narrated the con-

fessions of the young victims who are now in their early 20s.

“He would then lure them to his apartment where he would gradually progress from spending time with the boys to fondling them,” the American lawyer stated as reported by The Manila Standard.

“It’s basically testimony as evidence. It’s all testimony. It’s really brave for them to say ‘hey, this happened to me’ and I will say something and do something about it so this will not happen again to somebody else,” Worley added.

He said the Church could be held liable for the actions of Hendricks since they were aware of his misconduct but failed to put a stop to it.

“That’s part of the investigation.

There is a system failure. They need to have policies and procedures in place so this will not happen. They know something is going on and they do nothing about it. They did not stop it,” Worley said.

He also explained that there will be people who will not believe that a member — let alone a leader — of a religious organization would be capable of such abuse.

“There will always be people who don’t believe something bad will be done by a religious person, or by persons in authority.

You don’t think bad about them because it didn’t happen to you.

But if 50 people said, ‘It happened to me,’ that’s another story,” the lawyer added.

He also urged those victims who haven’t come forward to break their silence and report the crime committed against them.

“I know, It’s very embarrassing to come forward and say, ‘This happened to me.’ That’s why you should be brave to come forward and say, ‘This happened to me, too’” the lawyer said.

“I would like them to come forward so this [sexual abuse] will stop. It’s hard and embarrassing, but if you keep quiet, this keeps going on because no one is saying it,” he added.

Hendricks is charged with acts of lasciviousness and child abuse and would face federal cases in the United States for engaging in illicit sexual acts in the Philippines.

He was also charged in his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio with illegal sexual misconduct in a foreign place.

He was arrested in St. Isidore the Worker Chapel on December 2018 by U.S. Homeland Security, Philippine Bureau of Immigration and local police. He served as a missionary priest since 1988 in Naval where he was accused of molesting altar boys. n

Fil-Am Las Vegas judge heads city’s first ever...

PAGE A1 t that has become the first in Nevada and the second in the whole United States to deal solely with gambling.

Second only to the gambling court in Amherst, New York, the Las Vegas court is modeled after the speciality courts in Clark County, such as mental health court, veterans court, and drug court.

“I am very proud to be the first judge and probably the only judge with as much training as I had,” Moss told the Filipino Channel’s “Balitang America.”

Appointed by Chief Judge Linda Bell to direct the new specialty court, Moss started the Gambling Treatment Diversion Court in Nevada to provide an alternative option for those whose charges stem from gambling.

The Court was established after a statute was amended to allow eligible defendants to enter a treatment program instead of prison.

Despite Gov. Jim Gibbons signing the bill in 2009, it took nearly a decade for the program to finally get going.

To actually get into the program, a defendant must plead guilty to a crime and that the crime

came as a result or in furtherance of gambling. The program is also limited to those who haven’t been convicted of a violence crime against a person or child, or of a sexual offense.

The alternative program can last up to three years in which defendants are required to show up to Court every other Friday, but Moss said its their goal to have those in the program graduate in a year to 18 months, depending on how much is owed to the victim.

According to the National Council on Problem Gambling, 15 percent of Americans gamble at least once a week.

Approximately two million of U.S. adults are said to meet the all the criteria for pathological gambling, and four to six million are said to meet at least one of the criteria.

For Moss, the benefits of the court serves both the system and the individual in that it not only gives the offender an opportunity of rehabilitation, it saves the system from spending more money than it should. She added that it costs $24,000 a year for just one person to be kept in prison.

“But if we rehabilitate them, ad-

dress the gambling addiction so they can be in the recovery, got out and get a job, stay away from casinos—no more gambling,” said Moss.

Adding to the rehabilitation benefit, Moss emphasized that recovery also meant making sure the number of repeat offenses goes down.

“They have no concept. They just need to feel to gamble. They need to get that rush, the adrenaline, so they need to keep getting money to fuel their addiction. They don’t know how much they gamble,” Moss told Balitang America. “They don’t understand how much it all adds up and go deeper in debt. And you know when rock bottom hits when you get arrested and end up in a criminal court and get charged with a felony, not paying casino markers, bad checks, embezzlement, stealing from your boss.”

Moss added, “That’s the purpose of this court, to at least pay back the restitution to the victim. Get people the help. We want them to become a productive member of the society.” (Rae Ann Varona/AJPress)

Marcos asks SC to resolve election protest...

PAGE A1 t

Marcos filed his consolidated reply with urgent motion to resolve his omnibus motion seeking a ruling from the electoral tribunal on his poll protest within the year.

Three years have lapsed since the poll protest was filed.

On Tuesday, the Marcos camp marked the 1,000th day of the filing of the protest.

Marcos expressed optimism that he could still win the protest against Vice President Maria Leonor ‘Leni’ Robredo even with just three years or halfway the contested term.

George Erwin Garcia, lawyer for Marcos, said they were hopeful that the electoral tribunal would be able to resolve the case within this year or before Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin retires in October.

Garcia said whatever the ruling of the tribunal would be, they would respect it, but what they were asking is for it to expedite the case.

“If the tribunal rules that [Robredo] really won the race, then we have to accept. But if it decides that we really won, then they should also accept. We are in a democracy and whatever the outcome of this case will be should be accepted by both parties,” he added.

Marcos asked the electoral tribunal to “grant the omnibus motion” and to act on its motion to conduct technical examination in

precincts in Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao and Basilan.

“It is most respectfully prayed of this honorable tribunal to direct the Voters’ Identification Division of the Comelec to conduct a technical examination on the signatures and or thumbprints appearing on the Voters’ Registration Records (VRR) and the Election Day Computerized Voters’ List with Voters’ Records (EDCVL) of the entire 2,756 protested clustered precincts of Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao and Basilan in connection with the May 9, 2016 national and local elections,” the document stated.

Garcia said he believes that although the electoral tribunal has not yet finished the revision and appreciation of votes in three pilot provinces in their protest — Camarines Sur, Iloilo and Negros Oriental — the case could still be resolved sooner once the tribunal shall proceed to the second part of the protest that sought technical examination of votes from the provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur and Basilan.

He asked the electoral tribunal to subpoena relevant documents in connection with the technical examination conducted in a separate election protest filed by ARMM gubernatorial candidate Sakur Tan against ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman.

The former Sulu governor said 80 percent of the voters in the ARMM were “fake.”

“The first cause of action on the pilot provinces is about the results of the counting of the machines, while the second action in the ARMM provinces involves voters who were unable to vote and pre-shading of ballots,” Garcia said.

The first recount covers three pilot provinces — Camarines Sur, Iloilo and Negros Oriental — covering a total of 5,418 clustered precincts.

The tribunal shall now rule on whether to proceed with the recount in a total of 132,446 precincts in 39,221 clustered precincts covering 27 provinces and cities identified in Marcos’ protest.

In his protest, Marcos assailed the election results in 39,221 clustered precincts — 36,465 of which he pays for the conduct of manual count and judicial revision, while the remaining 2,756 he prays for the annulment of election results.

Based on Commission on Elections data, the 39,221 clustered precincts are composed of 132,446 precincts.

Marcos, who lost to Robredo by 263,473 votes, accused her of “massive electoral fraud, anomalies and irregularities” such as pre-shading of ballots, pre-loaded Secure Digital cards, misreading of ballots, malfunctioning VCMs [vote counting machines], and an “abnormally high” unaccounted votes/undervotes for the position of Vice President. n

LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL â&#x20AC;˘ MARch 28-ApRIL 3, 2019

(702) 792-6678 â&#x20AC;˘ http://www.asianjournal.com

Dateline PhiliPPines

A

Sara blasts Leila over â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;honestyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

by Catherine

Valente ManilaTimes.net

DAVAO City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio on Monday, March 25, blasted detained senator Leila de Lima in the latest episode of the outspoken first daughterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s verbal tussle with the opposition over the issue of honesty among senate candidates.

Duterte-Carpio, President Rodrigo Duterteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eldest daughter, called de Lima â&#x20AC;&#x153;dumbâ&#x20AC;? for supposedly failing to comprehend her argument that the Constitution did not list â&#x20AC;&#x153;honestyâ&#x20AC;? among the requirements for candidates, and pointed out that the senator was in detention for drug-related charges.

De Lima, earlier this month, said disregard for honesty was â&#x20AC;&#x153;damningâ&#x20AC;? and told DuterteCarpio that she, along with MalacaĂąang spokesman Salvador Panelo, â&#x20AC;&#x153;represent what is wrong and how things could be worse for our government.â&#x20AC;?

In response, Duterte-Carpio said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;If I am an example of what is wrong and what could be worse for our government, you just described yourself as well. You are the worst because you are intelligent and dumb all in one head.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;You are the only person from the Black Hole who said it right, dapat ang botante ang nagsasabi kung ano ang hinahanap niya

me, Quezon City since February 2017, as she is on trial for her alleged involvement in the drug trade inside the national penitentiary when she was Justice secretary of the administration of President Benigno Aquino 3rd.

De Lima has maintained that the charges were trumped up to silence her opposition to the presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bloody war on drugs.

Opposition candidates â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;liarsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; In her open letter, DuterteCarpio insisted that honesty was not a requirement to be an election candidate, and that senatorial bets of the opposition could not set the standards. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ang sabi ko, hindi ang opposition ang magsasabi kung ano dapat ang isang kandidato at hindi issue ang honesty dahil hindi `yan requirement para ka maging kandidato (What I said was it will not be the opposition that will say what a candidate should be, and that honesty was really not a requirement for any candidate),â&#x20AC;? Duterte-Carpio said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Therefore, Black Hole candidates, who are themselves liars, should not attack a candidate in that manner. I used the same argument on the issue of a college degree or inclusion in the narcolist,â&#x20AC;? she added.

The narcolist refers to President Duterteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s list of elected officials allegedly involved in drugs.

Duterte-Carpio has accused Alejano of lying when he said that Hugpong candidate Christopher Lawrence â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bongâ&#x20AC;? Go, former special assistant to the president, used government funds to pay for campaign shirts placed inside the kits distributed during a national convention of elected village officials in February.

Hilbay, the Aquino governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s solicitor general, has also been accused of misrepresenting his role in the Philippinesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; arbitration case against China over the dispute over South China Sea (West Philippine Sea).

Earlier this month, DuterteCarpio dared Otso Diretso bets to debate with her, but the opposition candidates said they would only engage with senatoManilaTimes.net photo rial candidates. n

sa kandidato (It should be the voters who will decide on what qualities they are looking for in candidates). But you are dumb as well, for attacking me without reading the entire transcription of my statement and comprehending what I said,â&#x20AC;? she said in an open letter.

Black Hole is Duterte-Carpioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s choice label for the eightman senatorial slate of the opposition dubbed â&#x20AC;&#x153;Otso Diretsoâ&#x20AC;? (â&#x20AC;&#x153;Straight Eightâ&#x20AC;?). â&#x20AC;&#x153;You are a senator â&#x20AC;&#x201D; honesty about your involvement in the illegal drugs business under scrutiny by the courts â&#x20AC;&#x201D; how about you make a law adding honesty as a requirement for all Filipinos before they can run for public office,â&#x20AC;? Duterte-Carpio, who heads the pro-administration regional party Hugpong ng Pagbabago, said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Maybe then you can save the government from yourself, Inday Sara, Leni, Digong, Panelo, Alejano, Hilbay, and all the de Limas of the universe,â&#x20AC;? she added, referring to Vice President Maria Leonor â&#x20AC;&#x153;Leniâ&#x20AC;? Robredo, President Duterte, Panelo, Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano and former solicitor general Florin Hilbay.

Robredo leads the opposition, while Alejano and Hilbay are Otso Diretso candidates.

De Lima has been detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Camp Cra-

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio

Date

Day

Location

Address/ Cross Streets

Time

March 16

Sat.

Albertsons

Boulder Hwy. / Lake Mead Pkwy., HEN

9am-5pm

March 16

Sat.

Albertsons

Craig / Decatur, LV

9am-5pm

March 16

Sat.

Loweâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Parking Lot (Trailer)

2570 E. Craig Rd. / Losee, NLV

9am-6pm

NOTICE OF EARLY VOTING FOR THE CITIES OF BOULDER CITY, HENDERSON, LAS VEGAS, AND NORTH LAS VEGAS 2019 MUNICIPAL PRIMARY ELECTIONS

March 16

Sat.

9107 Del Webb Blvd. / Crown Ridge, LV

10am-6pm

March 17

Sun. Sun. Sun.

Craig / Decatur, LV

March 17 March 17

Mountain Shadows Community Ctr. Albertsons Loweâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Parking Lot (Trailer) Mountain Shadows Community Ctr.

9am-5pm 9am-6pm

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that early voting for the April 2, 2019 Municipal Primary Elections will take place in the cities of Boulder City, Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas.

March 17

Sun.

Vons

Horizon / Horizon Ridge, HEN

9am-5pm

March 18 March 18

Mon.

Albertsons

Craig / Decatur, LV

9am-5pm

Mon.

Cardenas Market

March 18

Mon.

Loweâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Parking Lot (Trailer)

2570 E. Craig Rd. / Losee, NLV

9am-6pm

March 18

Mon.

9am-5pm 2020 W. Horizon Ridge Pkwy., East of Green Valley Pkwy., HEN

March 19

Stephanie / Horizon Ridge, HEN 9am-5pm 2570 E. Craig Rd. / Losee, NLV 9am-6pm

March 19

Tue. Tue. Tue.

Sun City MacDonald Ranch Community Ctr. Albertsons Loweâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Parking Lot (Trailer) Sahara West Library

9600 W. Sahara Ave. / Grand Canyon, LV

10am-6pm

March 19

Tue.

Veterans Memorial Leisure Ctr.

101 N. Pavilion Ctr. Dr., North of Alta, LV

10am-6pm 11am-7pm

Karagdagang kaalaman sa Filipino (Tagalog) ay makikita rin sa website ng Lalawigan ng Clark Kagawaran ng Halalan sa: www.clarkcountynv.gov/votetag.

RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT All voters who are registered to vote in the Cities of Boulder City, Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas are eligible to vote in this election. You cannot vote in municipal elections if you are registered to vote in unincorporated areas of Clark County.

March 19

2570 E. Craig Rd./ Losee, NLV 9107 Del Webb Blvd. / Crown Ridge, LV

10am-6pm

4421 E. Bonanza Rd. / Lamb, LV 10am-6pm

March 20

Wed.

Alexander Library

1755 W. Alexander Rd., West of M.L. King Blvd., NLV

March 20

Wed.

Green Valley Library

2797 N. Green Valley Pkwy. / Sunset, HEN

10am-6pm

March 20

Wed.

Sahara West Library

9600 W. Sahara Ave. / Grand Canyon, LV

10am-6pm

March 20

Wed.

Veterans Memorial Leisure Ctr.

101 N. Pavilion Ctr. Dr., North of Alta, LV

10am-6pm

March 21

Thu.

Alexander Library

1755 W. Alexander Rd., West of M.L. King Blvd., NLV

11am-7pm

March 21

Thu.

Mountain Crest Community Ctr.

4701 N. Durango Dr., South of Lone Mountain, LV

9am-5pm

March 21

Thu.

Solera Anthem Community Ctr.

2401 Somersworth Dr. / Solera Sky, HEN

9am-5pm

March 21

Thu.

Veterans Memorial Leisure Ctr.

101 N. Pavilion Ctr. Dr., North of Alta, LV 10am-6pm

10am-6pm

March 22

Fri.

Alexander Library

9am-5pm

EARLY VOTING

1755 W. Alexander Rd., West of M.L. King Blvd., NLV

March 22

Fri.

Mountain Crest Community Ctr.

4701 N. Durango Dr., South of Lone Mountain, LV

9am-5pm

VOTING IS EASY! Eligible voters may vote at any of the convenient early voting sites listed below OR on Election Day at ÂŹany of the City of Boulder City, Henderson, Las Vegas or North Las Vegas Vote Centers, which replace the traditional Municipal Election polling locations.

March 22

Fri.

Rainbow Library

3150 N. Buffalo Dr. / Cheyenne, LV

10am-6pm 9am-5pm

LONG-TERM MALL EARLY VOTING SITES

VOTING BY MAIL Any registered voter who is eligible to vote in this election may choose to vote by mail. A written request for a mail ballot must be received by 5 p.m. on March 26, 2019. Mail ballot requests may be obtained from the Clark County Election Department at 702-455-8683 or online at www.clarkcountynv.gov/vote. If you received a ballot by mail, you may surrender that ballot at any Early Vote location and vote in person.

GALLERIA AT SUNSET - KOHLâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S COURT, 1ST FLOOR 1300 W. Sunset Rd. / N. Stephanie St., Henderson Saturday, March 16 and 23 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10am-7pm Sunday, March 17 and 24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11am-6pm Mon.-Fri., March 18-22 and March 25-29. . . . . . .10am-7pm MEADOWS MALL - JCPENNEY COURT, 1ST FLOOR 4300 Meadows Ln. / S. Valley View Blvd., Las Vegas Saturday-Friday, March 16-29 (every day) . . . . . . 10am-6pm

March 22

Fri.

Solera Anthem Community Ctr.

2401 Somersworth Dr. / Solera Sky, HEN

March 23 March 23

Sat. Sat.

Albertsons Alexander Library

Farm / Durango, LV

9am-5pm

1755 W. Alexander Rd., West of M.L. King Blvd., NLV

9am-5pm

March 23

Sat.

Skye Center at Skye Canyon

10111 W. Skye Canyon Park Dr. / 10am-6pm Skye Village Rd., LV

March 23 March 24

Sat. Sun.

Vons Albertsons

Windmill Pkwy. / Pecos, HEN College / Horizon, HEN

March 24

Sun.

Albertsons

Farm / Durango, LV

March 24

Sun.

Deer Springs Town Ctr. (Trailer)

N. 5th St. / W. Dorrell Ln., South of CC-215, NLV

March 24

Sun.

Skye Center at Skye Canyon

10111 W. Skye Canyon Park Dr. / 10am-6pm Skye Village Rd., LV

March 25 March 25

Mon.

Albertsons

Buffalo / Vegas, LV

Mon.

Deer Springs Town Ctr. (Trailer)

N. 5th St. / W. Dorrell Ln., South of CC-215, NLV

March 25

Mon.

Doolittle Community Ctr.

1950 J St. / W. Lake Mead Blvd., LV

9am-5pm 9am-5pm

9am-5pm 9am-5pm 9am-5pm 9am-6pm

10am-6pm 9am-6pm

LONG-TERM PUBLIC BUILDING EARLY VOTING SITES ALIANTE LIBRARY 2400 W. Deer Springs Way, East of Aliante Pkwy.

North Las Vegas Saturday, March 16 and 23 ......................................... 9am-5pm Wed.-Thurs., March 20-21 and 27-28 ....................... 11am-7pm Friday, March 22 and 29 .............................................. 9am-5pm

March 25

Mon.

Paseo Verde Library

280 S. Green Valley Pkwy., South of Paseo Verde, HEN

March 26 March 26

Tue.

Albertsons

Buffalo / Vegas, LV

10am-6pm

Tue.

Doolittle Community Ctr.

1950 J St. / W. Lake Mead Blvd., LV

9am-5pm

March 26

Tue.

Nevada State College

Rogers Student Ctr. 1300 Nevada State Dr., HEN

9am-5pm

March 26 March 27

Tue. Wed.

Silver Mesa Recreation Ctr. Centennial Ctr. (Trailer)

4025 Allen Ln. / Alexander, NLV

9am-6pm

Home Depot Parking Lot, 7881 W. Tropical Pkwy., LV

10am-6pm

BOULDER CITY, CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS 401 California Ave. / Arizona St., Boulder City Wed.-Thurs., March 20-21 .......................................... 7am-6pm Friday, March 22 .......................................................... 8am-6pm Saturday, March 23 ..................................................... 8am-6pm

March 27 March 27

Wed.

Silver Mesa Recreation Ctr.

4025 Allen Ln. / Alexander, NLV

Wed.

Sun City Anthem Ctr.

2450 Hampton Rd. / Anthem Pkwy., HEN

9am-6pm 9am-5pm

March 27

Wed.

March 28

Thu.

Westminster Presbyterian Church 4601 W. Lake Mead Blvd., West of N. Decatur Blvd., LV Centennial Ctr. (Trailer) Home Depot Parking Lot, 7881 W. Tropical Pkwy., LV

HENDERSON CITY HALL, CITY CLERKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CONFERENCE ROOM 240 S. Water St. / W. Basic Rd., Henderson Mon.-Thurs., March 18-21 and 25-28 ......................... 8am-5pm

March 28

Thu.

East Las Vegas Community Ctr.

250 N. Eastern Ave. / Stewart Ave., LV

March 28 March 28

Thu. Thu.

SkyView YMCA Sun City Anthem Ctr.

3050 E. Centennial Pkwy., NLV

9am-6pm

2450 Hampton Rd. / Anthem Pkwy., HEN

9am-5pm

March 29

Fri.

Centennial Ctr. (Trailer)

Home Depot Parking Lot 7881 W. Tropical Pkwy., LV

10am-6pm

March 29

Fri.

East Las VegasCommunity Ctr

250 N. Eastern Ave. / Stewart Ave., LV

9am-5pm 9am-5pm

LAS VEGAS CITY HALL, 2ND FLOOR, CITY CLERKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S OFFICE 495 S. Main St. / E. Clark Ave., Las Vegas Mon.-Thurs., March 18-21 and 25-28 ............... 7:30am-5:30pm MUNICIPAL PRIMARY ELECTION EARLY VOTING NEIGHBORHOOD EARLY VOTING SITES FOR ALL VOTERS IN ALL WARDS

March 29

Fri.

Heritage Park Sr. Facility

300 S. Racetrack Rd. / Burkholder, HEN

March 29

Fri.

SkyView YMCA

3050 E. Centennial Pkwy., NLV

9am-5pm 10am-6pm 9am-5pm

9am-6pm

7R ÂżQG QHDUE\ VLWHV GXULQJ HDUO\ YRWLQJ JR WR ZZZ &ODUN&RXQW\19 JRY YRWH IRU D OLQN WR DQ LQWHUDFtive, mobile device enabled early voting site map.

DATED: February 28, 2019 Joseph P. Gloria Registrar of Voters PUB: March 7, 14, 21, 28, 2019 Las Vegas Asian Journal

At the San Lazaro Hospital in Sta Cruz, Manila, about 95% of patients in the Pediatric Ward are mostly victims of the measles.

ManilaTimes.net photo by Rene Dilan

Measles death toll continues to rise THE number of measles cases continues to rise almost two months after the Department of Health (DOH) declared an epidemic.

DOHâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Epidemiology Bureau recorded 23,563 cases and 338 deaths from Jan. 1 to March 21, 2019. For the same period last year, there were only 5,006 cases.

Of the 23,563 cases, 78 percent were unvaccinated.

Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) had the most number of cases with 4,838 and 98 deaths.

Metro Manila came in second with 4,568 and 87 deaths, followed

by Central Luzon with 3,761 and 57 deaths.

Ilocos Region reported 1,035 cases and 12 deaths; Cagayan Valley, 349 cases and two deaths; Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan), 987 cases and eight deaths; Bicol Region, 694 cases and six deaths; Western Visayas, 1,371 cases and five deaths; Central Visayas, 1,115 cases and 10 deaths; Eastern Visayas, 1,023 cases and 24 deaths; Zamboanga Peninsula, 302 cases and one death; Northern Mindanao, 1,159 cases and 10 deaths; Davao Region, 489 cases and seven deaths; Soccsksargen (South Cotabato, Cotabato

Province, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, General Santos), 478 cases and four deaths; Autonomous Region and Muslim Mindanao, 451 cases and four deaths; Cordillera Administrative Region, 367 cases and one death; and Caraga, 576 cases and two deaths.

Bataan had no case of measles.

Health Undersecretary Rolando Domingo said on Monday that the DOH had inoculated more than 3 million children in its intensified drive against measles.

The DOH aims to immunize 3,783,985 children aged six to 59 months. (Catherine Modesto/ManilaTimes.net)

Palace â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;saddenedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; by inclusion of celebrities on â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;narco listâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; by alexis

romero Philstar.com

MANILA â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Celebrities involved in illegal drugs would not be spared from the anti-narcotics crackdown, MalacaĂąang said on Tuesday, March 26, after the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency revealed that at least 31 popular personalities are on its narco list.

Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said the government was saddened that some celebrities are into narcotics that renders families dysfunctional. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re saddened that these people are involved, but we will

never tolerate it,â&#x20AC;? Panelo said in a press briefing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If they (PDEA) have sufficient evidence to back them up in court, then they should...and they must,â&#x20AC;? he added.

Panelo assured the public the war on illegal drugs would not spare anyone, including those who helped President Rodrigo Duterte during the presidential race in 2016. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He (Duterte) will be thankful for the help, but he will not tolerate their involvement,â&#x20AC;? the presidential spokesman said.

While the administration disclosed the names of 46 politicians believed to be involved in the ille-

gal drugs trade, Panelo could not say whether the celebrities on the narco list would be revealed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I will ask the president because my opinion doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t matter, I am just the mouthpiece of my principal,â&#x20AC;? Panelo said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I do not know his stand yet,â&#x20AC;? he added.

PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino previously said all the 31 celebrities on the narco list are â&#x20AC;&#x153;popular.â&#x20AC;? Officials previously claimed celebrities were among the clients of suspected party drugs dealer Steve Pasion, who was killed in a law enforcement operation in Manila this month. n

A6

http://www.asianjournal.com • (702) 792-6678

MARCH 28-APRIL 3, 2019 • LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL

OPINION

Honesty issue needs thoughtful presentation, not caricature

FEATURES

LEST Filipino voters are misled into thinking that honesty does not matter in our public service, let it be told that the issue has been raised, discussed and dismissed in the current election campaign.

The give-and-take between opposing camps and candidates on the issue has not been enlightening.

It is simply grotesque for anyone to assert that honesty does not matter in our public life, or that honesty does not or should not figure in the candidates’ qualifications for office or citizens’ evaluation of their worthiness.

Stated simply, honesty is a fundamental requirement in our public service. The central premise is that public officials are obligated to render honest judgment, to work hard and efficiently, and to maximize the benefits of government to all citizens.

We rightly associate the virtue of honesty with a person’s character. According to Francis Fukuyama, author of the book, Trust: The Social Virtues and the Creation of Prosperity, honesty is one of the social virtues vital to prosperity.

Significantly, a source book and guide that we use from time to time at The Manila Times carries the title, Honest Government, An Ethics Guide to Public Service.

Sure, honesty is often misused as a platitude.

Yet, there is no way this splendid virtue is going to go out of fashion.

It must be pointed out here that there is a criti-

cal difference between campaigning for public office and wielding the responsibilities of public office. The candidate and the officeholder have different responsibilities.

Strictures on conduct that we reserve for actual officeholders in the public payroll are not normally applied in the case of candidates. There are clear ethical guidelines for both elected public officials and regular civil servants, according to the book Honest Government.

That said, there are also some rules for candidates and campaigning, which the Commission on Elections is mandated to enforce. Campaign rules are totally different from the rules governing actual public service. Among these campaign rules are limits concerning spending and advertising.

Honest Government has listed some useful guidelines for candidates. Current candidates in the coming elections will do well to bear them in mind.

For instance, there is a rule of fairness in campaigning for public office. Unfair tactics are sometimes employed to blacken the image and reputation of rival candidates. Unfair campaign tactics are generally unacceptable.

Honest Government provides a useful guideline on this: “Campaigning is unfair if it contains

Editorial

ManilaTimes.net photo

allegations that are untrue, defamatory, misleading to a reasonable person, or irrelevant to the legitimate qualifications for the office sought or to issues about which the electorate is legitimately concerned.”

Finally, we relay to the reader a wise parting word from Honest Government: “Campaigning should not cloud the issues by raising questions about an opponent that are not

relevant to his or her qualifications or judgment.”

There is a campaign version of the Golden Rule: “How would you feel if your opponent made a similar attack against you? If the answer is ‘terrible,’ then the attack is unfair.”

Candidates will do better by meeting for debates that explore in-depth issues and test their thinking and problem-solving abilities rather than let them show off superficial skills. (ManilaTimes.net)

FACT CHECK: Special Counsel Robert Mueller did not exonerate Trump for obstruction of justice, his appointed attorney general did

MAKE THE FULL MUELLER REPORT PUBLIC! Disclose all documents and evidence to the American people. This was what Congress voted on in a rare display of unanimous bipartisanship, 420-0, in the spirit of transparency and accountability to the American people.

This has been what an overwhelming majority of American people are demanding as evidenced by all poll results.

Now, Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked the resolution that called for the Mueller report to be released publicly, a complete 180-degree turnaround.

What ever happened to the 420-0 vote in Congress before the Special Counsel submitted his report to the Office of the Attorney General?

Didn’t Trump claim that he directed the Republicans in Congress to vote ‘YES’ to making the Mueller report public because he has NOTHING to hide?

Why the change of heart? What are the Republicans in Congress and President Trump and his cohorts hiding? What are they so afraid of?

Could it be because they know, as explicitly written by Special Counsel Robert Mueller himself in the report submitted to the Department of Justice that Trump has NOT been exonerated — NOT cleared of the obstruction of justice allegation against him?

FACT: It was Trump’s political appointee Attorney General William Barr who made the conclusion to exonerate Trump for obstruction of justice, and NOT Special Counsel Robert Mueller. It was Barr, who made public about his stand discred-

WITH seven weeks before the 2019 midterm elections, opposition candidates continue to face daunting odds — but I wouldn’t go so far as to say, as a friend who took part in many campaigns before has said, that they are irrelevant.

Recent history has proven yet again that many, if not most politicians, are loyal mainly to their own interests; they will change parties, or switch sides, if their self-interests are on the line. Note, for instance, that the Liberal Party won a large plurality (almost 42 percent) of the congressional seats in the 2016 elections; candidate Rodrigo Duterte had very short campaign coattails. Once the extent of his victory was clear, however, many newly elected or reelected politicians were overcome by,

fired Sessions, bypassing ranks of succession in the DOJ only because Whittaker publicly stated in writing and TV interviews that he thought a sitting president should NOT be indicted.

Bingo! And this man had not disappointed Trump and acted exactly how Trump wanted him to do — to report to the president about everything Mueller, in contradiction to the independence the Office of the AG had to uphold.

Fast forward to the present: Trump appointed Barr, who now cleared the president of the obstruction of justice allegation against him, fulfilling exactly the role Trump wanted him to play when he appointed him to be AG. The Mueller probe confirmed Russia’s assault on our democracy, and uncovered crimes committed by members of the Trump campaign, including ties and communications with Russia and other foreign agents - both reported, unreported, and lied about.

However, the evidence gathered by the probe did not meet the “beyond reasonable doubt” requirement to prove members of the campaign knowingly coordinated with Russia in its interference in the 2016 election.

BUT LET THE TRUTH BE TOLD - Mueller did NOT EXONERATE Trump in obstruction of justice. Trump NEVER sat down for an interview with the Special Counsel for fear he could perjure himself with all the web of lies he has created. But the evidence found by Mueller was sufficient enough

for him not to clear Trump of the crime of obstruction of justice - a sign that a further probe needs to be done, beyond the mandate given to him as Special Counsel.

After all, that was how the Mueller probe started: concerns about Trump’s firing of then FBI Director James Comey, concerns about possible obstruction of justice. This ran parallel with the DOJ counter-intelligence probe of security threats of Russia interfering in our elections.

Trump gloated and repeated more lies he was exonerated by Mueller. He was not. Yet instead of criticizing Russia for its assault in our democracy and instead of apologizing to the American people for defending and agreeing with Putin over our own intelligence community, Trump again chose to demonize the Democrats, the “deep state,” and all his political foes.

Congress has to do its job in getting to the bottom of this issue.

RELEASE THE FULL MUELLER REPORT. Make all evidence and documents public and make the American people find out the truth and decide.

We, the people, paid for this probe. We deserve transparency. We deserve accountability from the government. We are obligated to fight for this democracy — the government of the people, by the people, for the people!! *** Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook.com/Gel. Santos.Relos

Senators who can say ‘no’ to Duterte

Newsstand

JOHN NERY

iting the obstruction of justice allegation against the president The Fil-Am BEFORE he was appointed to Perspective the position by Trump.

Let us backtrack a little to look at the big picture.

Mueller, a long-time Republican and highly esteemed for his integrity and service to the GEL SANTOS-RELOS country as a veteran and a law enforcement officer, was appointed by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey because of the Russia probe [Trump’s own confession].

Why the Deputy AG? Because Trump’s thenappointed Attorney General Jeff Sessions had to recuse himself out of delicadeza from anything related to the probe because of previous statements he made about the issue.

This angered Trump so much and he kept saying up to the end when he fired Sessions, and replaced him with acting AG Matt Whitaker, that had he known Sessions would recuse himself, he would not have appointed him AG. Why was Trump mad? Because he expected his appointees to be loyal to him and to protect him, despite the DOJ and the AG being mandated by the Constitution to be an independent law enforcement branch of the government despite being under the executive department, and the Attorney General to be the attorney of the American people, and not of the president, nor of the Office of the President.

Whittaker was appointed acting AG when Trump

shall we say, a sudden clarity of mind. In the country’s election casino, the first rule has always been to get a seat at the table.

What the office-holder does after is up to him, or her.

High stakes. If the administration wins a real supermajority in the Senate in the second half of President Duterte’s elected term, I am certain it will mean that Vice President Leni Robredo will be impeached on made-up charges; that the Constitution will be revised, and not through a constitutional convention but through the houses of Congress convening as a constituent assembly; that onerous treaties with China will be concurred in; and that Sen. Leila de Lima, already the target of dirty tactics, will be expelled from the Senate.

By real supermajority, I mean a total of 16 senators will form a voting bloc that will consent to and concede every major demand of the President’s. We

have a supermajority in the 17th Congress, but in name only; the main reason the administration resorted at the last hour to the patently unconstitutional quo warranto proceeding against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno was the administration could not be sure it had at least 16 votes for impeachment. With the likes of Bong Go, Bato dela Rosa, Lito Lapid, Bong Revilla, Jinggoy Estrada, Francis Tolentino and Imee Marcos in the Senate, the administration will be enjoying the advantage of a new arithmetic.

(Incidentally, a member of Congress can be expelled or suspended by a two-thirds vote of all the members. De Lima, who is detained under manifestly unjust circumstances, would not even be able to vote for herself, if a resolution for expulsion were to be put to the vote.)

As it is, the prospects of the opposition candidates, includ-

ing Neri Colmenares and labor’s Leody de Guzman, remain forbidding. But all is not lost.

Trillanes template. The first time Sen. Sonny Trillanes ran for office, he did so from his jail cell. His unlikely, late-breakout victory is the main source of hope for opposition candidates not surnamed Roxas or Aquino.

In January 2007, four months before the elections, Trillanes was still well out of striking range. His awareness level was a relatively robust 46 percent in the Pulse Asia poll, but his voting preference rating was less than a tenth of that, at 4.2 percent. In a race with 12 seats at stake, he was running anywhere between 38th and 57th place.

There was no Pulse Asia survey for February; in the March 2007 poll, Trillanes moved up significantly, to 23rd and 24th place, with a voting preference rate twice as high as the last: 9.9 percent.

In early April, his numbers improved even further: now ranking 20-22, he had 17.1 percent of prospective voters saying they would vote for him, almost double the number in March.

Two weeks later, and about two weeks before the elections, Pulse Asia ran another survey.

Trillanes was now in 16th to 20th place, with a voting preference rating of 22 percent.

On election day, Pulse Asia’s exit poll showed that Trillanes, on the back of a 35.4 voting preference rating, had broken into the top 12, placing somewhere between 8th and 12th.

The official results bore the surveys out; he won the 11th seat, with 11.2 million votes.

Word of caution. To be sure, Trillanes was the beneficiary of an opposition wave. The president at the time, Gloria Arroyo, was facing a legitimacy crisis and was hobbled by dismal ratings; her disapproval ratings were higher than her approval

ratings.

Eight of the 12 winning candidates for the Senate were opposition (although it took Koko Pimentel a few years to take his seat). Five of the first six winners were leaders of the opposition; only two represented Arroyo’s administration; two ran as independents.

What works. Comparing the January 2019 and February 2019 Pulse Asia polls, we can see that there is some volatility in the Senate rankings.

Most interesting is the drop in Imee Marcos’ vote-for number, from 41.2 percent to 36. This suggests to me that negative campaigning works. Pimentel dropped about 10, Jinggoy over 11 percentage points. Even Lapid and Revilla are down.

The Senate candidates who can say No to President Duterte don’t only need to make themselves better known; they need to say No to other Senate candidates, too. (Inquirer.net)

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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A

Palace: Miriam Santiagoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s election as ICC judge void

by Darryl John

EsguErra

Inquirer.net

BONSAI TREE MADE OF BEADS. Jayvee Azurin, 41, a person deprived of liberty (PDL) and incarcerated at the Ilocos Sur Provincial Jail (ISPJ) in Bantay, Ilocos Sur, proudly shows his own creation of a bonsai tree from beads, wood, magnetic wire, dwarf wire, and patching compound. He sells his artworks to visiting local and foreign tourists at affordable prices. Jayvee is in prison for violating Republic Act No. 6425, or the Dangerous Drugs Act of 1972, for more than three years now.

PNA photo by Ben Briones

Misuari not capable of starting war - Lorenzana

MORO National Liberation Front (MNLF) founding chairman Nur Misuari is no longer capable of waging war because he has lost most of his men to other groups. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They (MNLF) are still capable of creating trouble like what they did in the Zamboanga City siege. But war? Not anymore,â&#x20AC;? Lorenzana told reporters in a text message over the weekend. he explained that Misuari no longer has manpower since most of the rebel leaderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s men have â&#x20AC;&#x153;gravitatedâ&#x20AC;? to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), following the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL).

President Rodrigo Duterte had said that the MNLF leader threatened to wage war if the plan to shift to a federal system of government does not push through.

Lorenzana dismissed Misuariâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s threat as mere â&#x20AC;&#x153;sound bites in an attempt to make himself be MNLF founding chairman Nur Misuari ManilaTimes.net photo noticed.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;But he is missing a great chance to be really make it succeed,â&#x20AC;? the Defense chief said. relevant. he should accept the BARMM, work within â&#x20AC;&#x153;My guess [on his threat]? heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bluffing,â&#x20AC;? he it and lend his leadership, stature and expertise to added. (Dempsey Reyes/ManilaTimes.net)

Duterte at it again, says world is better off sans priests MANILA â&#x20AC;&#x201C; President Rodrigo Duterte issued yet another sweeping tirade against the Catholic Church, saying that the world would be better off without priests who commit lewd acts. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To the priests who raped children and fondled balls, you sons of b****** I will really kill you. Bakit ako matakot? If you all get killed tonight, that would be better. Then we will have a better world,â&#x20AC;? Duterte said Sunday night during the campaign rally of PDPLaban in Cagayan de Oro City.

Duterte also condemned the Catholic Churchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s alleged interference in the affairs of the state,

which he claimed was prevalent even in other countries. â&#x20AC;&#x153;All governments in the world, for as long as the Catholic Church interferes with governance, are chaotic. Whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in Chile, South America. As long as there are priests. That has been the case since the olden times,â&#x20AC;? he added.

The President, who frequently draws flak for publicly mocking members and teachings of the Catholic Church, again lashed out at a priest who wished him ill. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The priest who held a mass there said, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Mamatay po sana si Duterte.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; What kind of religion

MANILA â&#x20AC;&#x201D; The election of the late Senator Miriam DefensorSantiago as judge of the International Criminal Court (ICC) was â&#x20AC;&#x153;voidâ&#x20AC;? as the country was never part of the international tribunal, MalacaĂąang said on Monday, March 25. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If the position is weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never been a state party, then logically it is void unless the international court says it is not,â&#x20AC;? Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a Palace briefing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a legal issue. As far as we are concerned, they never assumed jurisdiction over us.

As far as they are concerned, they assumed jurisdiction because there was a treaty,â&#x20AC;? he added.

The Philippines officially pulled out of the ICC on March 17.

President Rodrigo Duterte and MalacaĂąang claimed that the country was never an official member-state of the tribunal, citing the governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s failure to publish its ratification of the

The late Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago

Rome Statute â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the treaty that created the ICC â&#x20AC;&#x201D; in the Official Gazette.

In 2011, Santiago became the first Filipino and first Asian from a developing country to be elected as ICC judge. She stepped down from the post in 2014, citing health reasons. Two years later, she died after battling lung cancer.

Currently, former University of the Philippines law college dean

Inquirer.net photo

Raul Pangalangan sits as an ICC judge.

Asked why the Philippineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s has yet to pull out the appointment of Pangalangan, Panelo said itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not up to the government to decide. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to pull out anybody if the position is we never was under the jurisdiction of the court, then it behooves whoever is there to do something for himself,â&#x20AC;? he said. n

Arroyo not backing anyone in Speaker race She has no horse in the race for the next leader of the house.

Speaker Gloria MacapagalArroyo refused to be drawn into endorsing any of the two candidates who separately received the backing of President Rodrigo Duterteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to comment on the next Congress because I am not going to be a part of it,â&#x20AC;? the former President told reporters in Bacolod City.

Mayor Duterte, leader of the regional party hugpong ng

is that? Roman Catholic Church.

You are a god d*** s***. What kind of religion would pray for the death of another person?â&#x20AC;? he said.

The Catholic Church has earned the Presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ire for criticizing his brutal war on drugs and his tough stance against criminality. he even asked bystanders to rob and kill bishops in another speaking engagement.

More than a month later, however, Duterte retracted and asked the public not to take seriously his remarks to kill and steal from bishops and priests. (Darryl John Esguerra /Inquirer.net)) House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

Pagbabago who helped orchestrate the coup staged by Arroyo last year against the previous Speaker, Pantaleon Alvarez, endorsed different congressional candidates as the next Speaker in two election campaign rallies last week.

On March 19 in Tacloban City, she introduced former Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez as the next Speaker. But the next day, she gave a similar introduction to Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Jay Velasco in Tagbilaran City.

Presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s supporters The mayor later said she was

Inquirer.net photo

supporting â&#x20AC;&#x153;all those who are supportive of the president.â&#x20AC;?

Romualdez is president of Arroyoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s former party, LakasChristian Muslim Democrats, and the nephew of Rep. Imelda Marcos, widow of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

Velasco, on the other hand, is close to President Duterte and the rumored candidate of Arroyoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current party, the ruling Partido Demokratiko PilipinoLakas ng Bayan.

Other candidates have emerged in the speakership race, including former Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, who is seeking the seat of Taguig-Pateros in the house, and Representatives Ronaldo Zamora of San Juan City, Lucy Torres-Gomez of Leyte, Alex Advincula and Abraham Tolentino of Cavite, and Federico Sandoval II of Malabon City.

Arroyo reiterated her previous denials that she was keen to accept a new post in the Duterte administration once her term was over. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m going to continue writing my memoirs. As to [what Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be doing] Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never given it much thought yet on what Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll do to stay busy,â&#x20AC;? she said. (DJ Yap/Inquirer.net)

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LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • mARch 28-ApRIL 3, 2019

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B

Journal

This Filipina-American engineer makes it easy for you to binge-watch Netflix

by Christina

M. Oriel

have to think about, let’s say the rebuffering or whether the picture “Just one more episode” is blurry,” Aaron tells the Asian — it’s something we whisper to Journal in a recent interview. ourselves to resist ending a Netflix “We worry about that for you. If binge-watch, despite the clock you don’t have to think about this, ticking or other responsibilities that means we’re doing our job correctly.” calling.

Growing up in the Philippines, There are several factors that Aaron quips that she was a “math allow us to succumb to the conand science nerd” who detertinuous entertainment on the mined early on that she wanted to platform, from captivating content be in that realm of study. She was to no interruptions from advertiseaccepted to Philippine Science ments. But perhaps a component High School in Quezon City, which we take for granted as viewers is the top school in the country is how smooth and buffer-free the video experience is, whether offering science, technology, viewing on a TV, laptop, tablet or engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. smartphone.

That led to Ateneo de Manila The next time you’re on the University for college, where she video streaming service, think of received a Bachelor of Science (and thank) Filipina-American endegree in physics in 1998 and gineer Anne Aaron, the director of another in computer engineering video algorithms at Netflix, whose the year after. job it is to ensure that your video Born and raised in the Philippines, Anne Aaron came to California in 2000 to pursue a master’s Aaron vividly remembers an is delivered at the best quality usdegree and doctorate in electrical engineering at Stanford University. image compression class that caping the least amount of bandwidth tivated her because of how math ming, you had to do some math,” me,” Aaron recalls. possible.

After Stanford, she dove into “You don’t even notice. You are contributed to the visual aspect. she says. “But at the end of it all, video streaming companies in “You had to do some programyou would see the picture and it just engaged in the story and don’t was so visual. You could see the the area, such as Modulus Video and Dyyno, before a position as product of your work.”

Knowing that she didn’t want a senior software engineer for to “join a multinational company” Cisco’s FlipShare Video desktop in the Philippines, which was a software.

Seizing opportunities conventional route for other famAaron initially received an ofily members, she asked herself: fer to join Netflix in 2009, but “Do I move to silicon Valley?”

She would go on to Stanford decided to go elsewhere. Another University for master’s — under opportunity came two years later the Stanford Graduate Fellowship in 2011, which she accepted as — and doctorate degrees, both in a senior software engineer. “My electrical engineering. During this boss still teases me that I should’ve time, she received the AT&T Asia accepted the offer in 2009,” she Pacific Leadership Award and C.V. says.

“I started as an individual conStarr Southeast Asian Fellowship.

“I tried out a bunch of research tributor, as an engineer. But the groups at Stanford and ended up good thing about Netflix is that in video because… it’s abstract, even if as an engineer, as an init’s sentiment, but at the end of dividual contributor, you can lead the day, it’s something you can projects yourself and you can drive enjoy with your eyes. It delivers projects,” she recalls. “That’s how As a team leader at Netflix, Aaron says she upholds the culture memo, which emphasizes entertainment so it resonated with freedom and responsibility among colleagues.

Photos courtesy of Netflix PAGE B3 AJPress

Filipino dance group VPeepz

Photo screengrabbed from Youtube/NBC World of Dance

Filipino dance group beats Belgium team in ‘The Duels’ of ‘World of Dance’

by Krissy

aguilar Inquirer.net

YOUNG Filipino dance group VPeepz has smashed the competitors from the Belgium Battle Droids during “The Duels” of the American dance competition “World of Dance.”

VPeepz, composed of dancers from 11 to 16 years old, beat Battle Droids from Belgium with their dance routine of Eve’s “Tam-

bourine.”

“Your precision is literally dancing with one brain. Everybody doing the exact same thing at the exact same time. Top notch,” Judge Ne-Yo said after their performance.

Judge Jennifer Lopez praised how clean their performance was and said it was exactly what she looks for.

PAGE B3

Scene from “Yellow Rose” starring Princess Punzalan and Eva Noblezada.

ABS-CBN photo

Princess Punzalan’s comeback movie ‘Yellow Rose’ to open LA film fest

ONE of the first two winners of ABS-CBN Cinematografo Originals, “Yellow Rose” starring Broadway icon and Tony award winner Lea Salonga and nominee Eva Noblezada, will have its grand world premiere by opening the prestigious 35th Los Ange-

les Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) on May 2.

“Yellow Rose” tells the story of headstrong but talented Rose (Eva), a Filipina teen from a small Texas town, dreaming to leave and fighting to pursue her country PAGE B2

B march 28-april 3, 2019 • laS VEGaS aSiaN JOUrNal

Features

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HoMeboUNd/AlAAlA SeT To PreMiere AT THe JoYce iN NYc

Fil Am choreographer’s latest work inspired by family’s journey

by MoMar G. Visaya AJPress

ANEW dance for Ballet Hispánico called Homebound/ Alaala, created by Bennyroyce Royon, a Filipino American director, choreographer and dancer will premiere at The Joyce Theater from March 26 to 31.

Royon describes Homebound/ Alaala as “a deeply personal work rooted” in who he is as a Filipino American and “explores the intersection of the Latinx and Asian cultures through ideas including the spirit of communal unity (bayanihan), the resilience of women, overcoming hardship, and the quest for home.”

The show’s music is by Perfecto De Castro, Pilita Corrales, Nora Aunor, Grace Nono, and Pinikpikan and the costumes will feature woven scrap fabrics that were provided by ANTHILL Fabric Gallery, a social and cultural enterprise in the Philippines working to preserve local weaves through contemporary and zero waste design to sustain livelihood.

Royon is proud to honor the rich weaving traditions of the Philippines and to connect his

cultural heritage by integrating these woven scrap fabrics into the costume design.

Fabrics include Stripe Kantarines, Binakol, Tiniri, Tiniri Stripe, and Plain Kantarines woven by women artisans of Mang Abel Ti Abra; Native Ethnic Design woven in Benguet; and Ramit woven in Mindoro by the Mangyan tribe.

He worked closely with costume designer Amanda Gladu to represent the rich history of the Philippines, including some

strong influences from Spain and the United States.

Royon’s Journey Royon was born in San Pedro, Laguna in the Philippines. He moved to Auburn in Washington when he was 12 years old.

“My mom was putting herself through nursing school and my dad was a truck driver at the time,” Royon recalled.

At the age of 16, he discovered ballet and became obsessed with dance ever since. But before that, he remembers that his first introduction to movement was through learning Filipino folk dances when he was in grade school back in the Philippines.

Royon got accepted to attend The Juilliard School at the age of 18, after only training for 2 years. After Juilliard, he joined The Metropolitan Opera Ballet for a season and danced for numerous dance companies touring the US, Canada, and Europe.

In early 2018, Eduardo Vilaro invited Royon to be part of Ballet Hispánico’s Instituto Coreográfico, a c h o re o g ra p h y institute for Latino artists, to cre-

Bennyroyce Royon during rehearsals for Homebound/Alaala, a show he created that was inspired by his family’s journey.

Photo by Laura Fuchs

ate culturally specific work in a nurturing learning laboratory of dance. Vilaro opened the institute to Asian choreographers like Edwaard Liang and Royon.

“I’m really inspired by my family and the experiences we’ve gone through to get to where we are now. So I wanted to create a work that told our journey,” Royon shared. “I see a lot of myself in this work, but this story is not just my story. It’s our story as a human race reorienting, loving, healing, celebrating, and

moving forward together amidst any obstacles.”

Royon thought a lot about his roots and where he came from during the process of creating this work.

“I became inundated by feelings and memories from my childhood in the Philippines.

The word “homebound” came to mind and made a lot of sense,” he shared.

Then Mr. Vilaro asked him to also consider finding an alternative title in Tagalog.

Royon really liked the word “alaala” which means “remembrance” or “souvenir” so he decided to just use both as a title to represent the two worlds that he comes from.

If money were not an issue, Royon’s dream project is a fully produced evening of his choreographic work in a major theater like Brooklyn Academy Music.

For now, he looks forward to showcasing his latest work and he hopes the community comes out to support him.

Bennyroyce says Homebound/Alaala is special for him because it is a deeply personal work rooted in who he is as a Filipino American. The show also explores the intersection of the Latinx and Asian cultures through ideas including the spirit of communal unity (bayanihan), the resilience of women, overcoming hardship, and the quest for home.

Photo by Kuo Heng Huang

The show will premiere at The Joyce Theater (175 Eighth Avenue) and will run from March 26 to 31. Photos by Laura Fuchs and Justin Chao

Miss Universe PH queens Shamcey Supsup, Janine Tugonon reunite in NY

by Cody

Cepeda Inquirer.net

BEAUTy queens Shamcey Supsup and Janine Tugonon recently reunited for a much-needed catch-up when the former flew to New york City with husband, businessman Lloyd Lee. Supsup was 4th runner-up in the Miss Universe pageant back in 2011, while Tugonon placed 1st runnerup a year later in 2012.

Supsup took to social media where she posted a photo of her and Tugonon meeting up in the city.

“Thanks for taking the time to meet us @tugononjanine,” wrote Supsup via Instagram on March 24. “Na-miss ka namin!

Diba? (We missed you! Right?) @isabellamanjon @diannenecio @mjlastimosa.”

Supsup tagged her Binibining Pilipinas 2011 batchmates Dianne Necio and Manjon, who represented the country in Miss International and Miss Tourism International, respectively. She also mentioned Miss Universe Philippines 2014 MJ Lastimosa, another good friend of theirs.

The queens expressed their love and support for each other, as Tugonon told Supsup she is

Shamcey Supsup and Janine Tugonon

willing to meet her anytime.

“Of course,” she wrote.

“Anytime. Next time uli (again) hehe.”

Tugonon, in the past, also reunited with Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach and toured San Francisco California together.

Days before catching up with Tugonon, Supsup went out and about New york City with her husband.

Being an architect board topnotcher, Supsup could not

Photo from Instagram/@supsupshamcey

help but admire the architecture of The Oculus at the World Trade Center in Manhattan.

The landmark was designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, one of Supsup’s favorite architects.

The pair also went to the Brooklyn Bridge overlooking the scenic East River where they took turns posing for pictures.

“Didn’t mind walking in this chilly weather to see this view,” she said.

Princess Punzalan’s comeback movie...

PAGE B1

music dreams while facing the threat of deportation.

The film is written and directed by Filipino-American award-winning film documentary and commercial director Diane Paragas and co-written by another award-winning writer Annie J. Howell. “yellow Rose” also features a top-tier cast, including Tony Award-winning actress and Grammy nominee Lea Salonga, Tony Award nominee Eva Noblezada,

country music star Dale Watson, Liam Booth, Gustavo Gomez (“The Walking Dead”), Libby Villari (“Boyhood”), and Princess Punzalan. “yellow Rose” becomes the first film by a Filipina American director to be selected as Opening Night presentation at the LAAPFF. It is also the award-winning director’s first attempt to do a full-length feature.

The Cinematografo International Film Festival is an annual film exhibition series that aims to

showcase emerging filmmaking talent from around the world, focusing on issues of representation and inclusivity. “yellow Rose” screens on Opening Night at the Aratani Theatre at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center (JACCC) in Little Tokyo, Downtown Los Angeles on May 2 (Thursday) at 7 p.m. The LAAPFF will present films in Little Tokyo, Downtown Los Angeles, and the L.A. Live Entertainment Center from May 2 to 10.

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B

BB Gandanghari in urgent care after being bullied as transgender at work

by Cody

Cepeda Inquirer.net

As director of video algorithms at Netflix, Aaron oversees a team of 16 software engineers and researchers who make sure that the video streaming is delivered smoothly without using too much data.

Photos courtesy of Netflix

This Filipina-American engineer makes...

PAGE B1 it started. I led a big project that went across teams. It was very technical but also needed a lot of coordination because it had a big impact through our current members.”

Three years later, she moved to manager of video algorithms and then her current role as director of the team in 2016.

At the company’s Los Gatos headquarters, Aaron is at the helm of a 16-person team comprised of software engineers and researchers who focus on video encoding and experiment and tailor algorithms based on the type of content so that it’s presented at optimal speed and visuals.

“The fun part of my day is really brainstorming with them — finding a problem in our space. How do we reduce the bits more or this algorithm doesn’t work well for this particular content so trying to brainstorm and find why it’s not working well for that particular content,” she says. “The types of problems are here’s a video clip, how could we reduce the bit rate or the bandwidth, while still maintaining good quality.”

The Netflix culture memo, which emphasizes freedom, responsibility, and trust in the work and feedback from colleagues, is part of what Aaron says has shaped her leadership style and creativity to spearhead projects. There aren’t “a lot of rules and processes because we have trust in our colleagues to do the right thing,” she says. “That’s why I like it here.”

About 80 percent of her direct reports also hold doctorate degrees and are very technical, but as the director, she has to balance that with the business strategy and well-being of the team.

“I think my team knows that I am someone they can trust and they can trust that I am looking at both the business aspect but also people’s well-being personally as well as career-wise,” she says. “[It’s] a balance with…the empathy for the team because people have to be happy to feel fulfilled to be at their most productive best.”

At the end of December 2018, Netflix released “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch,” an interactive, choose-your-own-adventure film under the science fiction series.

Available in 28 languages, it was the first hands-on release for the adult demographic in which they could make choices at various points throughout the film that would shape the

storyline.

It was one of the recent major projects in which Aaron’s team contributed to. “‘Bandersnatch’ was a cross-team effort all from creating the content to delivering it seamlessly to our members,” she says.

“It’s a very seamless experience and part of the seamlessness is in how you prepare the video stream — you have to put in points in the video where you can easily switch, but the viewer can’t notice the switch,” she describes. “So my team, as partly coding, producing this video stream had to do a lot of work to adapt how we did the encoding so the switching points were seamless.”

But one of the video algorithm team’s on-going efforts Aaron boasts about is reducing the bandwidth needed to stream any type of content anywhere in the world, especially in areas that may have limits to data and connectivity like the Philippines.

“Say you want to watch one episode of ‘Stranger Things.’ In the past, typically if you wanted to have decent quality for that show, that would require you one megabit per second,” she explains. “That’s quite a lot of data and for some places in the world, where you have some fixed data caps, like the Philippines where you have prepaid data, you have to pay a certain amount for four gigabytes of data, that would limit the number of hours of Netflix you can watch.”

Her team goes in to encode each video file and see how to reduce each bit rate and the required amount of data to watch one hour of video for example, while still maintaining the picture quality.

“Ultimately what that means is that, for the same, prepaid data card that someone has out there in the emerging markets, you can just watch more Netflix and the picture is still going to be more enjoyable,” she says.

Another feature she helped carry out was the Smart Downloads, which enables members to download a film or TV series on the Netflix app and watch it without internet connection.

“It’s not necessarily big features that make [Netflix] great — I mean ‘Bandersnatch’ was good and Smart Downloads were good features — but it’s also the small iterations to just make it better bit by bit that makes people stick to the service,” Aaron argues.

There are over 300 streaming video services available t o d a y, a c cording to Deloitte’s digital media

trends survey released earlier this month. Apple announced that it would jump into the already crowded market and have its own TV and movie streaming service as well.

Despite this, with now 139 million subscribers across 190 countries — 58.5 million in the United States — Netflix continues to be the leading provider in the subscription video on demand space. In 2017, its 117.6 million subscribers watched 140 million hours of content per day, which was estimated around 71 minutes per user.

“People like having the control that they can watch whenever they want to on whatever device…,” Aaron says. “Netflix is going to be here to stay, as long as we build a good service, build a good product and build good content.”

Technicality aside, Netflix’s offerings, especially its original titles, continue to bring members in.

As for Aaron’s recommendations? She confesses that teen dramas are her “guilty pleasures.”

“I know I’m not in high school, but I do really like ‘Sex Education’ and ‘Elite,’” she says. Other favorites include “BoJack Horseman,” which she watches with her husband and “One Day at a Time,” which “tackles serious topics like immigration and gay rights and shows powerful women, so it’s relatable.”

“There are a lot of good recommendations,” she says. “There’s a personalized experience for you.

We can look at your case and recommend things you may like watching. That’s a big part of the experience, the personalization.”

A ‘powerful’ female engineer The Filipina-American engineer landed the No. 32 spot on Business Insider’s “43 Most Powerful Female Engineers of 2017” — alongside a roster of extraordinary women from companies like Microsoft, Apple, Facebook and SpaceX. Aaron was also named in Forbes’ inaugural “The World’s Top 50 Women in Tech” list in 2018 who are “three generations of forwardthinking technologists leading more than a dozen tech sectors across the globe,” the publication wrote.

“When people think about tech, it’s usually not my gendercountry-of-origin-face that comes to mind,” Aaron wrote in a Twitter post last November in response to the Forbes list. “I’m thrilled to have my photo as the first on the list (“AAron”), and be an example to Filipina girls out there. Yes, we belong in tech.”

With almost two decades in Silicon Valley, Aaron has noticed a shift in the conversations around females in the industry. It’s progress, but she doesn’t think “anyone has cracked it” yet.

“In the past, it’s just been taken as a default. At Stanford, in the PAGE B6

A still from “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch,” an interactive film released by Netflix in December 2018 that allows users to choose their own adventure and affect the storyline. Various departments at the company, including the video algorithms team, contributed to the delivery of the film.

Whether you stream on a TV, laptop, tablet or gaming console, Netflix’s video algorithms team works to ensure that the experience is buffer-free.

FANS and loved ones of BB Gandanghari expressed their concern when the transgender actress took to an urgent care center after being bullied at work.

BB shared a post of her wearing a hospital wristband and tagged Urgent Care in her location via Instagram on Thursday, March 21 in the U.S. In her post, she spoke against workplace bullying.

“Say NO to workplace BULLYING,” said BB. “What would you do when you’re transgender and your personal and professional boundaries are being violated and attacked in a work environment who claims to be a SAFE ZONE for people like me?”

The bullying caused BB to experience emotional distress and anxiety attack that in turn caused her blood pressure to shoot up.

She has since been advised by her doctor to take a break from work.

“My body’s a train wreck that I was advised by my doctor to pause from work as I deal with this extreme emotional distress and severe anxiety attack that’s causing my blood pressure to shoot up,” she said. “So help me God. #SayNoToBullying #NoToDiscrimination #NotoRacism #NotoHypocrisy.”

Meanwhile, friends and fans reached out to BB to offer their support.

Singer Pops Fernandez, a good friend of BB, commented on her post and asked in concern, “[Oh my god] r u ok? What’s happening?”

“You are strong,” also said Sanya Smith. “Sending you healing vibes and love from here.”

One fan also told BB she should be protected by her employer, while another said she should report what happened

BB Gandanghari

to the human resources department.

“Make sure you report that to your HR,” advised one Shei (@shei_suansingabes). “Gender harassment is clearly a form of discrimination @gandangharibb.”

“I’m sure you should be protected by your employer under Equality Act?” said a certain Sheena (@sheenamedonna). “No one should be bullied or feel harassed in any workplace. I hope you find justice.”

The Equality Act was first introduced in the US Congress in 2015 and aimed to add gender identity and sexual orientation to existing federal nondiscrimination laws concerning employment, housing, education, public

Photo from Instagram/@gandangharibb

accommodations and services, among others. The comprehensive nondiscrimination bill, which was reintroduced in Congress just this March, has near-unanimous Democratic backing and faces lack of Republican support.

BB legally became a woman after her petition to change her name and gender was approved by the Superior Court of California back in 2016. She moved to Los Angeles to chase her “overwhelming and elusive” dream of building a name in Hollywood, as per her post back in January 2018. At the time, she also admitted she faced discrimination as a transgender woman when it came to job opportunities and made ends meet as an Uber driver.

Filipino dance group beats Belgium team in...

PAGE B1 “That was a thing that stood out the most. I was like, is it perfectly clean every single step right now? And you guys were hitting it so hard, and that’s what I look for too. I was like, can you keep up the intensity? And you guys

absolutely did,” Lopez said.

While judge Derek Hough pointed out a minor mishap in their routine, he said, “Overall, you all did your thing, you all did it.”

VPeepz received an average score of 92 while Battle Droids

received 90, advancing the former to the competition’s next round called “The Cut.” The third season of “World of Dance” premiered last February 26, 2019. The winner of the competition will receive a grand prize of one million dollars.

B march 28-april 3, 2019 • laS VEGaS aSiaN JOUrNal

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Young adult novel ‘Time Travel’ by Filipino Celebrity breakups that broke our hearts writer about time travel, search and changing the world to be released on April 15 LAS VEGAS, Nevada – A Young Adult Science Fiction Romance Novel will be released on April 15 in www.avid-publishing.com. Preorder will go live now for Ebook Format: KINDLE MOBI Angelie Thompson, a time machine inventor in 2015 faced

dedication and friendship” Roxanne San Jose said.

By Monet Lu Roxanne San Jose is born in the Philippines but she resides now in Las Vegas, Nevada. She self-pubBREAKING up is tough. It is lished her first book, Annagram, putting an end to something (that in 2015 about three countries was once) wonderful. We cry over fighting for an island. it, lose sleep over it, and feel broken inside. This is how most of us react to one of life’s saddest moments. And as silly as it may seem, we feel every bit (sometimes even more) of pain when our favorite celebrity couple breaks up. It can hit us nearly as hard as though we A FREE public seminar entitled, “Be Whole” know them personally.

As part of the beauty and is upcoming on Saturday, April 6 from 2 p.m.

– 4 p.m. at the West Sahara Public Library entertainment business, I had located in 9600 W Sahara Avenue, Las Vegas, my share of heartbreaks due to friends splitting up. I share their NV 89117.

It features as the seminar’s principal speaker pain. And I am also not ashamed Minerva M.P. Honkala, a social-civic leader in to cry and get heartbroken when Las Vegas being the FASFOS (Fil-Am Scholar- some celebrity couples (whom I ship Foundation and Outreach Services) Found- loved, followed and rooted for) er and President. She is a published author, a have called it quits.

I’ve rounded up some of the poet, writer, a life coach and a motivational speaker. The seminar also features internation- celebrity breakups that have ally acclaimed speaker, a past skating coach, made many people cry, gasp, and author, speaker, and Life Coach Faye Kitariev, hashtagged the #endofforever.

Brad Pitt and to “all the girls Founder & CEO of iMAGiNT Life. The theme of the seminar is, “BE WHOLE. It is the path to he loved before” Of all the girls that Brad Pitt success and happiness.”

Everyone is encouraged to attend this seminar, went out with, I just can’t get over a 2-hour personal and professional development the end of his two past marriages review course in its entirety. M. Honkala is also . I remember writing about the launching her second poetry book, “EXPRES- breakup of “Brangelina.” I admit SIONS IMPRESSIONS: Life in Prose & Poetry”. that until now I can still feel the It is an inspirational and motivational book of pain from “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” poems. Books will be available for signing, cost breaking up. But before Brad and per book is $15. Proceeds of the book sale goes Angelina were a thing, he was

a problem when her boyfriend, John Salvador, accidentally traveled back in 1970. She searched for him and met new characters.

Twist happened along the way which led to her to change the world.

“The story highlights love,

Free public seminar: Be whole, it is the path to success & happiness

The seminar’s principal speaker Minerva M.P. Honkala

part of (what was once) an adorable couple. Before “Brangelina,” there was “Brennifer,” aka Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston.

Brad and Jen were Hollywood’s hottest couple in the late ‘90s and early 2000s. They were married in July 2000. After their wedding, they were seen everywhere together. But rumors interrupted their wedded bliss, with many reporting that Brad wanted children while Jen did not. After five years of marriage, Brad and Jen broke up. Brad reportedly had an affair with his co-star Angelina Jolie while filming “Mr. and Mrs. Smith.” Which brings me back to “Brangelina.”

Brad and Angelina had a muchtalked-about relationship from start to finish. They started dating publicly in 2005 and were married in 2014. They had three biological children: Shiloh, Vivienne, and Knox. They had an adopted son Pax, while Brad was a step-dad to Angie’s previously-adopted kids Maddox and Zahara.

“Brennifer” ended in 2005 while “Brangelina” stopped existing in 2017 – and made us question if love still exists.

Ben Affleck and the “other Jennifer” What does one do when he finds himself irrefutably falling in love with his co-star while still engaged to his fiancée of three years? Well, he gives into his heart’s longing, calls off his engagement, marries the woman of his dreams and has a baby with her as soon as possible (like, that-same-year-kind-of-possible).

Such is the story of how Ben Affleck broke up with Jennifer Lopez to be with the other Jennifer – Jennifer Garner.

Ben and Jen Garner met in 2000 on the set of “Pearl Harbor” but fell in love on the set of “Daredevil” in 2002. They were engaged in April 2005 and married in June while Jen was four months pregnant with their first child.

They had three children together, Samuel, Violet, and Seraphina Rose, and they constantly gushed about their wonderful life together. Their life was straight out of a romantic novel. And from where we as fans, were standing, they seemed like a couple who would truly go the distance.

Or so we thought.

Because like all good things, this one too, couldn’t last. They announced their split in 2015 and closed that book the same way most of us closed our hearts to forever.

Gwyneth and Chris on their “conscious uncoupling” The day Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin decided to end their 10-year marriage is the same day my world shattered into pieces and my vocabulary widened.

They called it “conscious uncoupling” but for us, it just means the end of an era. Why would you let us believe that love stories like yours exist only to crush our dreams of having one? Why? But yes, the term “conscious uncoupling” was born when Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin made headlines announcing their “uncoupling.”

The stylish pair met in backstage at a Coldplay show in 2002, and began dating, a relationship which the front-man later said was his “first serious” relationship. In December 2003, Gwyneth and Chris were photographed patting her belly, and announced they were expecting a baby together.

They secretly married later that month and their daughter Apple was born in May 2004. When their son Moses was born in 2006, Paltrow was open about her struggle with post-partum depression.

In 2014, the once-happy couple uncoupled — but “consciously.”

The downfall of Anna Faris and Chris Pratt Nobody saw it coming. Like we never thought that Chris Pratt would get all buffed-up and grow some serious muscles.

It is probably one of the most heartbreaking celebrity breakups in recent memory because nobody saw Anna Faris and Chris Pratt falling out of love just like that.

The pair met on the set of the film “Take Me Home Tonight” in 2007, but Anna was married to actor Ben Indra at the time. When the two split later that year, Chris and Anna began dating. They were engaged in 2008, married in 2009, and welcomed their son Jack in 2012. When Chris’s career started taking off in 2012 when (or because) he got buff to star in “Guardians of the Galaxy,” people really started to fall in love with the quirky couple who seemed so devoted to each other.

But they stunned the world when they announced their separation in 2017.

Stunned - that’s an understatement. Our hearts were crushed.

When Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan Tatum “stopped dancing” They danced to the same tune for more than 10 years: they shared adorable photos, told sweet stories about their family, and even recreated their iconic “Step Up” dance for their anniversary. Then the music stopped.

And so did their marriage.

Channing and Jenna Dewan Tatum were one of Hollywood’s strongest couples. They were in synced and were totally made for each other. The couple met on the set of the 2006 movie “Step Up,” got engaged in September 2008, and tied the knot in July 2009. They also welcomed their daughter, Everly in 2013.

And when they announced the split in 2018, it was like a fairytale story with a tragic ending. Though they seemed to split amicably, it was still heartbreaking nonetheless. *** Monet Lu is a Marikina-born, awardwinning celebrity beauty stylist with his own chain of Monet Salon salons across Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada. Ultimately, Monet is known as an all-around artiste who produces sold-out fashion and awards shows as well as unforgettable marketing campaigns. Monet is also the founder of the revolutionary all-natural beauty products such as Enlighten, your solution to discoloration . To contact Monet, please visit www.monetsalon.com or email him at monetsalon@aol.com

Billy Crawford calls Gary V his ‘idol’ SINGER-ACTOR Billy Crawford says it’s because of Gary Valenciano, his fellow judge in the reality talent search “World of Dance Philippines,” that he is still in show business now.

“Kuya Gary knows this,” Billy tells the Inquirer. “I remember being 4 and a half years old and being at Music Museum at the time. I saw him wearing baggy

pants and sporting an Afro hairdo.

That was the moment I realized that I wanted to be like him.”

Billy adds: “Through Kuya Gary, and because of his influences—Michael Jackson, James Brown, Elvis Presley and all those great performers—I learned to love singing and dancing. He is really my idol.” (Marinel Cruz/Inquirer.net)

Billy Crawford and Gary V. are among the three judges of ‘World of Dance Philippines’ alongside actress Maja Salvador.

Photo from Twitter/@WODABSCBN

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Supreme Court rules that immigrants may be detained indefinitely Your Immigration Solution ATTY. AMANDA KWONG ON March 19, 2019, the Supreme Court of the United States decided that the government may indefinitely detain certain non-U.S. citizens while they await their immigration court removal proceedings. These non-U.S. citizens may be detained without bond or parole.

The Supreme Court examined the relevant law that had two subsections. The first says that the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) or an immigration judge (“IJ”) may exercise discretion in releasing a noncitizen on bond or parole if they find that the noncitizen is not a danger to the community and not a flight risk. In this situation, noncitizens can ask for bond or parole at a bail hearing and try to persuade the DHS or IJ by showing evidence of community ties, good moral character, length of duration in the U.S., and other discretionary factors. If the IJ or DHS agrees that s/he will not endanger others and will appear at specified court dates, then bond or parole can be ordered.

However, under a second subsection, the DHS is mandated to take certain criminal aliens into custody. The noncitizens argued that they were not subject to the mandatory detention provision unless they were arrested by ICE “when released” from state or local custody. In their cases, some of the noncitizens were not arrested

by ICE until 5, 7, and 11 years after they were released from criminal custody.

The Supreme Court ultimately decided that the government is supposed to detain noncitizens

Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond MONETTE ADEVA MAGLAYA (Eleventh of a series, conclusion 1 of 2 parts) Continued from last week...

YOU hope that a smattering of beautiful memories, yours as well as of those you leave behind, are indelibly marked in a few hearts and minds for a generation or two — strong enough to move them to bring you flowers on your gravesite long after you’re gone.

If your life were to be compressed to a 60-second video, you hope that the awful parts were edited out and landed on the cutting room floor permanently deleted.

The saddest thing about a life is to be forgotten as though you never lived.

But what seems clear is that this phase of life which may be aptly called the pre-departure stage before the final journey should still be filled with purpose.

Without a goal, we tend to be rudderless, aimless blobs floating in an ocean of nothingness. There is no force to push or pull us into a port of call. Without a plan, we hit the doldrums. Without a reason to get up in the morning and seize the day, our body and soul tend to wither away. Such is our nature as human beings. When the purpose that drove our lives for decades, such as the family’s well-being or any other purpose, is gone, we tend to lose our bearings and we begin to drift.

Suddenly, no one needs us. No one calls except those darn polling, marketing and political calls

Health@Heart PHILIP S. CHUA, MD, FACS, FPCS MOST of the food products we eat today have healthier alternative items. If we are serious about staying healthy and maximizing our natural longevity, that option is open to us. All we have to do is to educate ourselves, which, today, is not hard to do, thanks to Dr. Google and the world wide web.

Unlike Spanish Conquistador Juan Ponce de Leon’s quest for that elusive fountain of youth, which, unbeknownst to him was right under his nose, we, in this 21st century, equipped with evidence-based medical data, know that we have in our hands the knowledge and ability to live a healthy lifestyle to boost our immune system, minimize our risk for preventable diseases, and extend our life span to its full potential. Life expectancy in the US in the 1800 was about 35, in

who have committed certain crimes, with no possibility of bond or parole, because Congress had determined that those crimes are generally committed by people who are more dangerous and more likely not to appear for their court dates. The Court interpreted the “when released” language to mean any time after the noncitizen has completed his/her criminal jail time, and not to cut the number of days in custody short. The Court indicated that the DHS is not be obligated to immediately arrest and detain noncitizens who had just been released from criminal custody as a practical matter and that “an official’s crucial duties are better carried out late than never.”

This decision recognized that some noncitizens may have never been arrested on criminal charges, such as representatives of terrorist organizations, those that the government has reasonable grounds to believe are likely to engage in terrorist activities, or even spouses or children of a noncitizen who recently engaged in terrorist activities. The Court believed that Congress, in the way that the law was written, would have wanted those noncitizens to have been covered by mandatory detention even if they were not previously placed in criminal proceedings.

Some members of the Court believed they were going too far in concluding that bail hearings are forbidden for all noncitizens who have ever committed one of the listed offenses regardless of whether they are taken into custody when released from prison, even if years or decades after release. They wondered why Congress would have granted the DHS this broad authority to deny bail hearings after noncitizens may have established roots in their communities for years if they had been convicted of minor drug offenses or illegally downloaded

music or were in the possession of stolen bus transfers. They believed that Congress did not intend the law to be contrary to “basic American and commonlaw traditions.” They also said that the majority of the Court should have given more consideration to how indefinite detention without a bail hearing likely deprives a “person” of his/her “liberty… without due process of law.” The minority view stated that when the noncitizen is released, placing him/her into custody should occur within a reasonable time of no more than six months. The presumptive six months is consistent with the amount of time that the government can detain certain noncitizens while they are waiting for removal from the country.

The implications of this decision do not favor noncitizens. Any noncitizen who committed or is suspected by the government of having ties to certain criminal conduct may be detained indefinitely with no possible request for parole or bond. They can still challenge removal or request relief, but must do so while in custody for the months or years that the proceedings remain pending. It is a challenging time to be an immigrant, and choosing the right attorney is of utmost importance. *** REEVES IMMIGRATION LAW GROUP is one of the oldest, largest and most experienced immigration fi rms in the United States with offi ces in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Manila and China.

For more Information please call (800) 7958009 or visit www.rreeves.com.

Telephone: (800) 795-8009 E-mail: immigration@rreeves.com Website: www.rreeves.com. *** The analysis and suggestions offered in this column do not create a lawyer-client relationship and are not a substitute for the personalized representation that is essential to every case.

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Philippine Medical Society of Northern California installation of officers in Foster City, CA The Philippine Medical Society of Northern California will hold its 47th anniversary and installation of officers for 2019-2021 at the Crowne Plaza in Foster City, CA on Saturday, March 30. For sponsorship information, please contact Dr. Clementina Manio at drtina0427@gmail. com or visit https://www.pmsnc.org/.

United Bicolandia Los Angeles induction in Montebello, CA United Bicolandia Los Angeles will hold its 45th Anniversary and Induction Ceremony at Quiet Cannon in Montebello, CA on Saturday, March 30. For tickets and sponsorship information, please contact Lanie Berrei at lanieberrei@hotmail.com or (818) 281-3169.

APRIL 7

Ryan, Ryan! The Maestro and the Ryan Cayabyab Singers in Glendale, CA Recently proclaimed National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab’s works will be showcased on Sunday, April 7 at the John Wayne Performing Arts Center (1440 E Broadway, Glendale, CA 91205) at 6 p.m. by his multi-talented singing group, the Ryan Cayabyab Singers joined by some local artists like Mon David, Annie Nepomuceno, Louie Reyes and many more. Come and hear how his work that spans five decades has made an indelible impact on Filipino culture. Copresented by Philippine Patrons of the Arts USA, a 501 (c) 3 organization that brings exemplary Filipino Artists to U.S. stages. For ticket information ($35-$125) visit www.philpatrons.org and to learn about other tour stops in Las Vegas (April 7), San Diego (April 12) and Seattle (April 14).

APRIL 13

2nd annual Filipino mental health well-being summit in LA The 2nd annual Filipino mental health well-being summit will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 13 at The Center of Cathedral Plaza (555 West Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012). In partnership with the LA County of Department of Mental Health, registration begins on March 11. This is a FREE event for all. Breakfast and lunch included with registration. Please email FilipinoWellBeing@Gmail.com or visit https://www.facebook.com/FilipinoWellBeing for more updates.

A P R I L 25 -28

Philippine Nurses Association of America - North Central Regional Conference in Columbus, Ohio The Philippine Nurses Association - Central Ohio will hold a regional conference from April 25 to 28 at the Embassy Suites (2886 Airport Drive, Columbus, Ohio). For more information, please visit http://www.mypnaa.org/.

Santa Maria Ilocos Sur 12th Global Reunion in Honolulu, Hawaii

“ …The saddest thing about a life is to be forgotten as though you never lived...” can engage in symbolic or actual skirmishes and battles that abound on earth where there is a perpetual struggle between good and evil where you know without a doubt that good and light will always prevail. There is always a call for devout prayer warriors who spend their lives in silence and in deep prayer and meditation.

I have observed with fascination that those who welcome retirement years with a zestful purpose bigger than themselves and their needs seem the happiest. The dividend is that they enjoy longer, healthier lives. They seem to have found a way to circumvent the laws of nature for the time being staving off the body’s time clock as long as possible.

The argument they give to their Maker is that their lives are still useful to do His will. Those passionate about living may even pray to God and beg: “Will you Lord, pretty, pretty please let me hang on for dear life just a little while longer? Let me come home when I’m good and ready without unduly burdening my loved ones and, more importantly, until you say it is time.”

Next week: Another idea to consider for The Bucket List … *** Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette. maglaya@asianjournalinc.com

Swap for health the 1900, around 47, and today, an average of 79.3.

There are some food items in our own pantry at home which make our skin look older and our body aged faster. They are a group of food items with compounds called AGEs (Advance Glycation Endproducts) which have aging effect on our skin, our immune system, and body as a whole. Replacing food items with healthier options could help slow down aging.

AGEs are bad compounds that result from proteins or fats in our system combining with sugars.

Low carbohydrate meals, minimizing or, even better, eliminating rice from our diet is a healthy option. Many vegetables and some protein foods also contain some carbohydrates (sugar), so we do not have to add rice to our diet. The Mediterranean and the South Beach diets are basically offering a lot of vegetables, fruits, nuts, sea food and low-carbs and less red meats. And then there is the keto diet of high in protein and negligible carbs. All these

Calendar of Events across

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M AY 1 7-1 9

Grazing in the grass

asking for donations. UGH!!! No one seems to care. Our sense of self worth dissipates and is gone with the wind.

But it does not have to be.

If there is anything we learned about life in the trenches, we don’t surrender without a fight.

We can harness what we made of ourselves and put our life skills to good use. In short, we adapt to our circumstances or go extinct like the dodo bird.

So how does one repurpose one’s life? One way is to set a new goal. In hitting the bullseye, experts in darts and archery advise to set your aim just a tad higher.

The concept probably works the same way in achieving one’s goal during this stage of life. Set a goal bigger than one’s self.

A goal bigger than one’s self could be spending time reading to young ones in the library or bringing hot lunch and the Holy Eucharist to the elderly and homebound, or bringing joy to wherever and whomever may appreciate the gesture and spread the cheer in a ripple effect. Or we can write letters of encouragement to those who live in darkness.

Get savvy with social media skills and engage in battle. Your 2 cents worth, if reinvested and repeated by like-minded people of light, can resonate and capture minds and hearts and amount to great value over time. We

LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • MARCH 28-APRIL 3, 2019

basically acknowledge the health hazard in sugars and red meat, especially processed meats (bacon, sausages, hot dogs, etc.), toxic items that induce oxidation and inflammation, which also increase our risk for cancer.

What are the healthier alternatives?

Sweet potato instead of rice - Rice, even the brown variety or basmati, has high glycemic index, causing our blood sugar level to spike fast, unlike vegetables, which take longer to bring the blood sugar up and therefore maintaining a healthier even keel. As such, eating rice leads to overweight or obesity in most people, and abstinence from it helps reduce weight. Rice is indeed the arch enemy of diabetes and obesity. Sweet potato has a lower glycemic index, even lower than regular potato and unhealthy French Fries. Sweet potato also contains a lot of copper, which counteracts AGEs and helps in collagen production for our skin.

Honey or fruits – For sweetPAGE B6

The Santa Maria Ilocos Sur Global Association (SMISGA) and the Santa Marians of Hawaii are sponsoring the Santa Maria Ilocos Sur 12th Global Reunion in Honolulu, Hawaii from May 17-19, 2019. The festivities will start with a meet and greet on May 17 at 5 p.m. at the Ala Moana Hotel Hibiscus Ballroom to be followed by a gala night on May 18 at 5 p.m. at the Dole Cannery Pomaikai Ballroom. A picnic is also scheduled at Ala Moana Beach Park’s Magic Island on Sunday, May 19 starting at 10 a.m. The ticket to attend all the events is $130.00 per person. Due to limited space, reservations must be made not later than March 31, 2019. Hats and t-shirts will also be on sale for $20. For further information, call Nena Empleo at (808) 384-0394, Carlito Soria at (808) 487-3370, Alex Pena at (702) 373-9522 or Orlino Baldonado at (865) 789-8324. Leave a message if there’s no answer. Additional information is also on SMISGA.com and Facebook @ SMISGA19FB. Proceeds from the events will be for various projects in Santa Maria Ilocos Sur and in Hawaii. Donations are tax deductible since SMISGA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization approved by the Internal Revenue Service.

JUNE 1

7th Historic Filipinotown Kalayaan Parade and Festival in LA The 7th Historic Filipinotown Kalayaan Parade and Festival Committee (7KPFC) announced that it will holding the 7th Kalayaan Parade in Los Angeles on Saturday, June 1, 2019 in commemoration of the 121st PH Independence Day on June 12, 1898. This will be the 7th Kalayaan Parade and Festival in Historic Filipinotown, as the first was held in 2013 in cooperation with the PH Consulate General in Los Angeles. This is the only Independence Day parade and Festival in Los Angeles and is held every year in Historic Filipinotown. For more information, please call Freddie at (818) 220-2075 or email at jfavusa8@gmail.com.

Kalayaan Incorporated’s annual Philippine Independence Day gala in LA Kalayaan Incorporated invites the community to its celebration of the 121st Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence on Saturday, June 1, 2019, at the Los Angeles Airport Marriott Hotel (5855 W. Century Blvd. Los Angeles, CA). Kalayaan is extremely proud to have Honorable Risa Hontiveros, an incumbent senator who assumed office on June 30, 2016, as the grand gala’s guest of honor and speaker. For tickets to the Gala Night, please contact Annie Cuevas-Lim, Kalayaan President at (213) 447-7078. For more information, contact KI PROs Violet Mislang at vmislang@gmail.com or Lady Hope Robillos at lhopepr@yahoo.com.

J U LY 2 0

The Ibaan Association USA-Canada gala dinner in LA The Ibaan Association USA-Canada will hold its 32nd Annual Gala Dinner & Dance July 20, 2019 from 5 p.m. to 12 a.m. at the Hilton Los Angeles / Universal City - Ballroom A at 555 Universal Hollywood Drive, Universal City, California 91608. For reservations call Monica Benitez at (323) 697-3731 / email: monica_benitez03@yahoo.com or Irene May Villafranca at (323) 423-2299 / email: imay02@ yahoo.com. Tickets are $85 for Adults and $40 for Children (3 to 10 years old). Please make checks payable to: Ibaan Association USA-Canada and mail to: Merly Pagunsan at 5025 Heintz St. Baldwin Park, CA 91706. For sponsorship information on our 2019 Souvenir Program please contact President Noli Reyes at homesbynoli@gmail.com or call (818) 458-7888. Please RSVP by April 12, 2019.

J U LY 24 -28

40th annual Philippine Nurses Association of America National Convention in Atlanta, GA The Philippine Nurses Association of America (PNAA) will have its 40th annual national convention from July 24 to 28 at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis in Atlanta, GA, hosted by the PNA-GA chapter. More information and details TBA. To learn about the PNA-GA, please visit: https://pnaga.wildapricot.org/.

AU G U ST 1 - 9

University of the Philippines Nursing Alumni Association International Convention & Alaskan Cruise The University of the Philippines Nursing Alumni Association International, Inc. (UPNAAI) will have its 40th convention on a cruise aboard Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas. The theme will be “In the New Millennium - UPNAAI at 40: Evolving and Emerging Nursing Roles.”

On Aug. 1. it will be UPNAAI Volunteers Service Day in Seattle, then 2-9 will be a cruise from Seattle, Juneau, Skagway, Endicott Arm & Dawes, Victoria, and back to Seattle. Convention Fee $100 for Alumni in addition to cruise pricing. No convention charge for friends and family members. Contact Hours will be provided for the educational conference. For more information/to register and view cruise rates, please visit https://www.upnaai.com/.

AU G U ST 3 - 4

Travel, Trade & Consumer Expo in Carson, CA The second annual Travel, Trade & Consumer Expo is back on Saturday, August 3 and Sunday, August 4 at the SouthBay Pavilion in Carson, CA. The two-day event is Southern California’s largest B2B expo showcasing tourism, trade, and investment opportunities in the USA and Philippines. It will feature networking opportunities for business-to-business, business-to-government, and business-to-consumer. The event is powered by the Asian Journal and Balikbayan Magazine. For more information, please visit https://traveltradeconsumer.com/.

If you have an upcoming event and would like us to post it, please email us the details at info@asianjournalinc.com or calendar@asianjournalinc.com

EntErtainmEnt

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Maine Mendoza brings Arjo Atayde as date to college reunion ‘It’s ok to be not ok’: DJ Sanya Smith opens ACTRESS Maine Mendoza and Kapamilya actor Arjo Atayde were spotted anew in a theme park in Pasay.

Photos of the celebrity couple were recently uploaded in different social media sites. They were seen having a good time bonding in Star City with masks on their faces.

A fan page dedicated to the dating couple, Everythingarmaine, posted videos and images of the two. Arjo was seen shooting some hoops in a basketball booth, while Arjo Atayde and Maine Mendoza at Benilde’s Maine was seen having her photo taken in a photo booth. grand alumni homecoming.

Apart from the theme park Photo from Facebook/The Benildean

date, the celebrities were also seen attending the grand alumni homecoming of De La SalleCollege of Saint Benilde. The two were spotted in the video uploaded by The Beniledean Facebook page.

Maine graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management Major in Culinary Arts at De La SalleCollege of St. Benilde, while Arjo studied in La Salle Greenhills.

Since Maine and Arjo both admitted that they are exclusively dating, the two have been seen hanging out more and more in different places. (Philstar.com)

Swap for health

PAGE B6 ener, honey or fruits are better alternative to white sugar, brown sugar, or even raw sugar. Of course, the less sugar (carbs).

Fruits, like berries, grapefruits, mangos, pomegranates, apples, mangosteen, avocados, etc., and quinoa, whole grains (barley, oats, rye, triticale and flaxseed), and nuts are healthy. Diabetics should always comply with their prescribed caloric intake. Drinking coffee black is healthier, sans cream and sugar. Sugars are sweet but a bitter enemy of our health.

Sprouted bread to white bread – Like rice, white bread and pastry made of wheat and white flour, cause inflammatory reaction in the body. They also have high glycemic index, besides containing AGEs. Sprouted bread or those made with whole grains are more anti-inflammatory, rich in antioxidants, which help in flushing out AGEs. Fish and chicken instead of red meat – Fish and chicken (especially chicken breast) is healthier than red meat. Processed meats of any kind (deli meats, bacon, hot dog, sausage, salami, etc.) contain additives and are unhealthy. Eating red meat regularly (more than twice a week), as we have written in the past, is associated with increased risk for colon and pancreatic cancers, etc., especially when grilled over high temperature. Red meat and rice are not essential food items. We can live healthier and even longer without them.

Dark chocolate instead of sugar-loaded candies – Chocolates, rich in antioxidant flavonoids, especially the dark variety, which aid in counteracting the adverse

EMPLOYMENT

effects of free radicals and AGEs, reduce the oxidative process that makes us age faster and develop diseases.

Filtered water instead of soft drinks – I have labelled all forms of soft drinks as “liquid candies” in my book on healthy lifestyle and disease prevention, “Let’s Stop “Killing” Our Children” (view at philipSchua.com and amazon. com). This beverage is toxic to adults and children alike. It increases the risk for metabolic syndrome, the precursor of diabetes, heart attack, stroke, and cancer.

The safest beverage we have is water which has undergone 8stage reversed osmosis filtration, which removes harmful chemicals in water, and UV light treatment to eliminate bacteria and viruses.

Virgin olive oil instead of margarine, butter, or other veggie oils– For cooking, it is healthier to use olive oil, preferably the virgin variety, compared to using any vegetable, corn, or canola oil. Olive oil can withstand higher temperature unlike the others, but in either case, the use of very high temperature higher than 300 is not healthy. Contrary to popular belief, coconut oil, which is good as cosmetic oil for the hair and skin, is not as healthy as virgin olive oil as food.

Brussel sprouts instead of corn – Corn is starchy and induces inflammatory reaction in the body, causing GI problems and obesity for some people. Occasional indulgence in corn is fine. Fructose induces collagen destruction.

Brussel sprouts contain a lot of Lipoic acid, which counteracts this fructose effect to maintain good collagen level in our skin.

Not to mention the beneficial anti-

oxidant, anti-inflammatory effects of this vegetables plus the fiber in them. They are good sources of Vitamin B1, B6, C and K, and folate, choline, manganese, potassium, phosphorus and omega-3 fatty acids too.

Carrots, celery, broccoli instead of hamburgers and sweets – For snacks, meats, sweets, desserts, cakes, are health-snatchers. The better alternatives are carrots, celery, broccoli, and veggies in general, for their anti-stress, antiinflammatory, and anti-oxidant properties that boost our immune system, lowering our risk for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, and cancer.

Besides the quality of food items, quantity of our daily caloric intake is most essential to health and longevity. Pushing ourselves away from the table less than full and drinking a lot of water to fill the gap is a healthy and most rewarding discipline.

At any rate, a full and happy life is worth all the effort we put into it. Juan Ponce never found his miracle water of youth. He died in 1521, barely 61. That ephemeral fountain that eluded JP is what we today call healthy lifestyle. *** Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus in Northwest Indiana and chairman of cardiac surgery from 1997 to 2010 at Cebu Doctors University Hospital, where he holds the title of Physician Emeritus in Surgery, is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the Philippine College of Surgeons, and the Denton A. Cooley Cardiovascular Surgical Society. He is the chairman of the Filipino United Network – USA, a 501(c)(3) humanitarian foundation in the United States. Email: scalpelpen@ gmail.com

EMPLOYMENT

up on battle with anxiety, depression

by Cody Cepeda Inquirer.net

DJ Sanya Smith, the other half of dynamic duo The Zombettes and daughter of the late Filipino rock icon Joey “Pepe” Smith, has opened up about her battle with depression and anxiety.

Smith took to social media recently where she openly shared to her friends and fans that she was self-admitted into a mental ward last December 2018.

“January 24, 2019, I was released. Days later I learned the news of my father passing,” Smith wrote via Instagram on March 24. “And on the day of his burial, I found out someone dear to me also passed. It was a rough road but I’m healing.”

Her dad, Pepe, was 71 years old when he died in the early morning of Jan. 28.

Smith further shared she finally freed herself from the wristbands

connecting her to the mental ward last March 11 as she goes through her healing. In a video she shared in her post, she can be seen cutting off the wristbands with a pair of scissors.

“I’m not ashamed to admit any of this. Some of you already know that I have been battling depression and anxiety for many years now,” she added. “I tried to handle it in my own ways, but it wasn’t enough. I had to seek professional help.”

She also said she has no regrets admitting herself to a mental ward, as it was the day she finally took her life back. And with friends and loved ones rallying behind her, Smith knew she was not alone in her journey.

She gave words of encouragement to those who may also be struggling with themselves, saying it is okay not to be okay sometimes.

“It took me a long time to de-

Sanya Smith Photo from Instagram/@sanyasmith007

cide to post this or not but I want this to be a safe space for myself and those who also struggle with themselves,” she said. “Know that it is ok to not not be ok sometimes and that it’s also totally ok to ask for help. You are not alone.”

This Filipina-American engineer makes...

PAGE B3 whole electrical engineering department, I think there was like eight to 10 of us. We accepted this. At least now I appreciate that all the big companies are talking…about making the workplace more inclusive to women,” Aaron says.

An anecdote she has candidly shared from earlier in her career was when she applied for an engineering position at another big tech company but instead was offered a project manager position.

“They talk about impostor syndrome and figuring about whether you belong but I just tried to forget that I was the only woman in the room,” she says. “Once in a while, I would notice...but right now, I’m glad that there’s more visibility on this topic and everyone is talking about how do we change the environment to encourage more women to join and also to encourage women not to leave.”

She identifies that one of the big problems to tackle is retention and how to prevent women from leaving these engineering roles. In her eight years at Netflix, Aaron says that mentors and managers have validated her role and contributions, particularly as an engineer whose work can traditionally go unnoticed.

In a #WITBragDay tweet, Aaron wrote, “When you watch #Netflix: picture doesn’t suck, and is actually awesome, because of the team I lead (& my code).”

“The good thing is that the people around me — my managers and leaders — recognize that.

The one advice is to be in a place where you really trust your leaders and they appreciate you,” she says. “Find working environments where you can be with people that can recognize your impact.”

David Ronca, director of encoding technologies at Netflix and Aaron’s manager, shares for this interview that she’s “incredibly smart, unafraid to take risks, and has very good business sense.”

“Her team has been responsible for pioneering new video technologies, and with these innovations, members can enjoy Netflix on their cellphone almost anywhere in the world without worrying about bandwidth or data caps. Anne is an exemplary role model both inside and outside the walls of Netflix,” he adds.

With the same encouragement and inclusivity, Aaron extends the same to her own team.

“If all managers and all leaders are conscious about it and you try to make your own team more inclusive, I think that’s going to

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have a ripple effect so I’m happy right now starting from being the only woman on my team,” she says. “Now I have about 30 percent women, which I think will encourage more women and more diversity, not just from a gender perspective but from a country of origin.”

In addition to lauding women’s accomplishments in STEM, Aaron’s background adds another layer as a Filipina and immigrant to which she says she feels “a bit of responsibility” given her visibility in the community.

Aaron — together with FASTER, a network for Fil-Ams in the Silicon Valley tech community — spearheaded a “Filipinos in tech” event at the Netflix headquarters in mid-March as a way to meet other Fil-Ams in the industry since she doesn’t on a daily basis.

“I feel fortunate, but also at the same time, I do think about that, like what about my background has brought me here because... compared to the other Filipinas I know back in the Philippines, they’re as hardworking but I think there’s just a lack of opportunity,” Aaron says. “How can I help in bringing more opportunity to other Filipinas who are as smart and as hardworking or as passionate in technology as me?”

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