032919 - San Francisco Edition

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

T H E F I L I P I N O A M E R I CA N C O M M U N I T Y N E WS PA P E R

Volume 18 - No. 13 • 2 Sections – 16 Pages

MA R C H 2 9 - A P R I L 4 , 2 0 1 9

1799 Old Bayshore Hwy, Suite 136, Burlingame, CA 94010 • Tel: (650) 689-5160 • Fax: (650) 239-9253 • www.asianjournal.com

Also published in LOS ANGELES, LAS VEGAS, NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY

Duterte gives self passing grade DATELINE USA Fil-Am who mailed of ‘5 or 6’ for ďŹ rst 3 years in term explosives to political FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

officials, Trump critics pleads guilty

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 pleaded Cesar Sayoc Jr., the suspect in the bombs year, mailed to various Democratic ofďŹ cials in guilty on Thursday, March 21 in October 2018, pled guilty this week.

Photo courtesy of federal court in the Broward County Sheriff Manhattan.

Sayoc, 57, was arrested and charged late October after he sent improvised explosive de-

by ALEXI

ROMERO Philstar.com

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

by

Inquirer.net

u PAGE A3

u PAGE A3

The 77-year-old senator from Vermont and mouthpiece for grassroots progressivism announced his second bid for presidency, stops by Los Angeles to rally supporters

CHINESE VISITORS. President Rodrigo Duterte holds a meeting with Song Tao, head of the International Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, who paid a courtesy call on the President at Matina Enclaves in Davao City on Wednesday, March 27. MalacaĂąang photo by Richard Madelo

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 basi-

cally 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 confessions 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,�

CBCP: Death penalty won’t curb drug crimes

by EVELYN

MACAIRAN

u PAGE A2

RITCHEL MENDIOLA

VERMONT Sen. Bernie Sanders is running for president in the 2020 general election, and this time he has a leg up.

Where in 2016 he was the radical outsider, in 2020, Sanders is the veteran of the Demo-

Thousands gather to rally for 2020 presidential candidate Bernie Sanders in DTLA

cuse him of condoning extralegal killings “were making a big hoot� about the anti-drug war. “But they know that drugs really would destroy a nation,� the president said. “Do not destroy the young and feed them with drugs to no end because I will really kill you,� 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 sus-

Aquino rebukes PH new loans from China 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 gasrich 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. “Hindi na tayo natuto sa Northrail.

Hindi ba pwedeng maawa tayo sa sarili natin (We haven’t learned our lesson with Northrail [project]. Can’t we have pity on ourselves)?,� Aquino said during an ambush interview at an Otso Diretso forum in Cebu City.

The Northrail project was launched under former president Gloria Macapagal-Ar-

u PAGE A2

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 (ICC). “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 ac-

of the Philippines-Episcopal Philstar.com Commission on Prison Pastoral Care (CBCP-ECPPC) executive THE Philippine Drug Enforce- secretary Rudy Diamante said ment Agency (PDEA) knows that this Monday, March 25, as it the death penalty is not the so- urged PDEA to first look at other lution to the problem of illegal aspects of the criminal justice drugs. system before calling for the reCatholic Bishops’ Conference u PAGE A4

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 u PAGE A2

Palace vows to protest Chinese mistreatment in Zambales if proven

to that kind of harassment,� Panelo said as reported by The Philippine Star.

MALACAĂ‘ANG on Monday, The six-minute video showed March 25, vowed to protest any that the fishermen from Masinunjust actions of the Chinese loc, Zambales would normally Coast Guard if the complainants access the Scarborough or Panwould present justifiable evi- atag Shoal, a traditional fishing dence 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 Philippines’ 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 !.$2%7 " 3(). our countrymen to be subjected

by NATHALIE

ROBLES

AJPress

ground off the coast of Zambales.

However, the Chinese Coast Guard would reportedly seize their catch and drive them away from the Shoal despite having the territorial authority over the u PAGE A3

We can help you!

)FMQJOH UIF JOKVSFE BOE UIFJS MPWFE POFT

LAW OFFICES OF ANDREW B. SHIN 8PSL *OKVSJFT t̓"VUPNPCJMF "DDJEFOU

CALL:

(408) 615-1155

www.injuryattorneydirect.com

A

MARCH 29 - APRIL 4, 2019 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL

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

From the Front Page

Duterte gives self passing grade...

PAGE A1 pects violently resist arrest.

Despite Duterte’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 Philippines’ 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.

“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.

It’s already there,” Duterte said.

“Universal education, I fulfilled that. It’s already there... I said law and order, I fulfilled it.

I did not promise anything that I

President Rodrigo Duterte delivers his speech during the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan campaign rally at the South Cotabato Sports Complex in Koronadal City on March 26, 2019.

Presidential photo by Arman Baylon

could not give,” he added.

But Duterte admitted he has not yet fulfilled his promise to ease the traffic woes in EDSA. He said decided to “forget” about the issue after a female senator

had warned that the funds for the effort to solve the traffic problem are prone to corruption.

“I said ‘forget it. I will not touch EDSA. Let it rot there,’” the president said. n

US lawyer to aid PH victims of sexual abuse...

PAGE A1 t 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

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

Fil-Am who mailed explosives to political...

PAGE A1 t vices 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.

Before the federal New York judge on Thursday, March 21, Sayoc pleaded guilty to a total of 65 felonies from four sets of charges including illegally mailing explosives with intent to kill or injure another, and using weapons of mass destruction.

Sayoc admitted that he designed the devices “to look like pipe bombs” complete with explosive powder from fireworks, and a digital alarm clock with wires.

“I knew these actions were wrong. I’m extremely sorry,” Sayoc told U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff, adding that he did not intend for the bombs to explode.

Nevertheless, Sayoc said he was “aware of the risk that they would explode.”

“For five days in October 2018, Cesar Sayoc rained terror across the country, sending high-ranking officials and former elected leaders explosive packages through the mail,” said Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman. “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.”

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 FBI’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 Sayoc’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 Sayoc’s father was from the Philippines.

On his LinkedIn, Sayoc claimed that his grandfather, Col. Baltazar Zook Sayoc, “built all the hospitals in the Philippines,” 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 “has no affiliation with Sayoc Kali” and “was not a grandchild of Baltazar Zook Sayoc.”

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) n

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

Dateline USa

NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • MARCH 29 - APRIL 4, 2019

A

Thousands gather to rally for 2020 presidential candidate...

PAGE A1 cratic field of first-time candidates, and he has achieved name recognition and now stands as an A-List figure in Washington, giving him the added benefit of fixing what went wrong four years ago.

An area of improvement that Sanders and his team have already been tackling is paying more early attention to voters in blue, delegate-rich states, namely California where the self-declared Democratic socialist held three rallies over the weekend: San Diego, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles rally, held on a cloudy afternoon on Saturday, March 23 in downtown LA’s Grand Park, an estimated crowd of 15,000 supporters gathered to rally for Sanders.

At 77, he’s the oldest candidate, but his base is young. The largest demographic at the rally by far were young, college-aged voters, with a large chunk of those supporters being people of color and members of the LGBT+ community.

Touting similar platform issues — free public college tuition, reforming the criminal justice system and introducing more climate change initiatives — Sanders speaks to the growing faction of young, liberal Americans who believe in taxing the richest of the rich to provide a more even keel for individuals and families who have been cheated by the system.

Sanders’ first presidential campaign was primarily colored by providing an alternative to the old guard of Establishment Democrats. This time around, it’s de facto mission statement is taking down President Donald Trump.

“As president of the United States, I will not have kind words to say about authoritarian leaders around the world who espouse bigotry and hatred,” Sanders told the diverse crowd of supporters.

“Together we will make the United States the leader of the world in the fight for democracy and human rights.”

Sanders officially announced candidacy on February 21 with the message, “Not me. Us,” a signal to Sanders’ mission for inclusion and unity.

“Like everyone in the United States Congress, I have an enormous ego,” Sanders quips to the crowd. “So, it’s nice to hear you say my name over and over again in your chants. But let me be clear.

This is not about me. It is about us.

No one singular person, even the President of the United States, can ever do it alone.”

Sanders promised that if he’s elected, he’ll work to enforce campaign finance laws (Sanders is known for refusing corporate and PAC donations to his campaign), fighting income inequality, upholding undocumented immigrants’ rights and providing quality healthcare and holding Big Pharma accountable for the inflating price of medication.

Vermont Senator and 2020 presidential candidate Bernie Sanders on Saturday, March 23 made a stop in Los Angeles where he gave a speech at a rally in Grand Park.

AJPress photos by Klarize Medenilla

“The goal of healthcare is to provide quality care to all, not to have insurance companies make billions a year for our sickness.

There are 30 million Americans with no health insurance and much more who are underinsured,” Sanders said, adding that he plans to work toward federallyfunded single-payer health care.

Second time’s a charm The news of Sanders’ opting for a second go at the presidency was a shock to a lot of Americans, many of whom have raised the question of Sanders’ age.

Upon walking up to Grand Park for the rally on a breezy, overcast Saturday afternoon, it was clear it wasn’t going to be a meager turnout. The stage was held adjacent to the LA County Grand Jury building, yet the line for attendees stretched out two blocks on Temple in between Hill and Broadway.

Overflow sections of the rally were imposed on the steps of City Hall and on the northern block of Grand Park near Grand Avenue, likely making this Sanders’ largest rally of his 2020 campaign.

“It’s really a testament to how influential he is,” a Korean-American student named Jennifer Hong told the Asian Journal, gesturing to the colorful sea of supporters.

“I mean, look at everyone who is here. It’s so varied and diverse.

You don’t see this [in] other candidates’ bases.”

24-year-old Fil-Am Jennifer Jose voted for Sanders in 2016 and told the Asian Journal she was “thrilled” upon learning Sanders would be running again.

Holding up a “Bernie 2016” sign with the “16” replaced with a “20”, Jose said, “It’s like a dream come true. When he lost in the primaries [in 2016], I was devastated.

He was the first actual politician I believed in and I’m so happy it’s happening again.”

In the United States, it’s become standard operating procedure to kick start a presidential campaign a year and a half before the actual election. The 2016 election period lasted a whopping 597 days.

As this story is being written,

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...

PAGE A1 t 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 PAGE A4

there will be 588 days until Nov. 3, 2020 and the number of Democrats looking to unseat Trump — 17 confirmed so far — continues to grow. Among the more name brand candidates include Sanders’ colleagues in the Senate: ElizSUMMER SPLASH. Families and groups of friends troop to Wawa Dam in Rodriguez, Rizal to escape the heat as summer was officially abeth Warren of Massachusetts, declared by the state weather bureau Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.

Kamala Harris of California, Cory ManilaTimes.net photo by Rudy Martinez Booker of New Jersey.

Other notable names in the race include former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke of El Paso, Texas and U.S. Rep Tulsi Gabbard of Haported by ABS-CBN News. and Chel Diokno, are a better alPAGE A1 t waii.

According to Aquino, who was ternative regardless of their unAlthough we’re just at the start royo’s term with a $400-million of the election — as of press time, Chinese state loan in 2004. The campaigning for the candidates satisfactory pre-election survey there are 587 days left until Elec- project was later canceled amid of Otso Diretso in Cebu, the “so- performance.

“Kung di ka na happy, magtion Day 2020 — early polls sug- allegations about Arroyo’s aides lution” to issues such as controgest that Sanders is comfortably taking kickbacks to get it started. versial Chinese loans may be the bibigay tayo ng solusyon. Sa Supposedly, the 80-kilome- opposition candidates. akin, ang Otso Diretso, bahagi in second place behind former VP He said the Otso Diretso, ng solusyon (If you are no lonJoe Biden, who hasn’t confirmed ter (50-mile) North Rail project whether or not he will be running would allow the Philippines’ Romy Macalintal, Gary Alejano, ger happy, let’s find solutions. in 2020. (Klarize Medenilla/AJ- main gateway to be moved out of Erin Tanada, Pilo Hilbay, Samira For me, Otso Diretso offers just congested central Manila, as re- Gutoc, Mar Roxas, Bam Aquino, that),” Aquino said. n Press) n

Aquino rebukes PH new loans...

A

MARCH 29 - APRIL 4, 2019 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL

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

New report: Filipinos at greatest risk for heart disease, stroke

by AJPress NEW research shows that the risks of death from heart disease and stroke vary among Asian American subgroups, with the Filipino, Indian and Vietnamese populations facing the greatest risk.

Published in the Journal of the American Heart Association on Wednesday, March 20, the study examines the years of potential life lost due to cardiovascular diseases among the six largest Asian American subgroups compared to non-Hispanic whites.

Asians make up the fastest growing racial/ethnic group in America, increasing 72 percent between 2000 and 2015 — from 11.9 million to 20.4 million. By 2050, the American Asian population is predicted to grow to 41 million, according to the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan research group tracking demographics and other data.

“Usually researchers combine Asian subgroups in studies, masking what might be important health differences,” said latha Palaniap-

pan, M.D., M.S., study author and professor of medicine at Stanford University in California. “looking at overall death rates might not reveal that some groups are dying prematurely from heart disease and stroke.”

Palaniappan and colleagues studied U.S. death records from 2003 to 2012, examining average potential years of life lost before life expectancy in every 100,000 people in each Asian subgroup and non-Hispanic whites.

“A striking finding was that years of life lost due to stroke in women were greater for all of the Asian subgroups than non-Hispanic whites,” she said. “This tells us that stroke is a very important contributor to premature death, especially in Asian women.”

The study concluded that Filipinos and Asian Indians have the highest years of life lost because of ischemic heart disease — considered the leading cause of death in Filipino men.

Meanwhile, Filipinos and Vietnamese populations have the highest years of life lost because of cerebrovascular disease. Filipi-

nos lost an average of 16 years of life to this disease. The most common presentation of cerebrovascular disease is an ischemic (clotcaused) stroke or mini-stroke and sometimes a hemorrhagic (bleeding) stroke.

They also found that the average age of death from heart disease was younger among the Asian Indian subgroup. Heart disease accounted for almost 25 percent of all the years of potential life lost in Asian Indians, who lost an average 17 years to heart disease.

“One of the benefits of the study is that we’ve identified these differences among Asian subgroups.

Now we can create culturally-tailored and personalized preventive programs and guidelines for each group based on its unique risks,” Palaniappan said.

Co-authors are Divya G. Iyer, B.S.; Nilay S. Shah, M.D., M.P.H.; Katherine G. Hastings, M.P.H.; Jiaqi Hu, M.P.H.; Fatima Rodriguez, M.D., M.P.H.; Derek B. Boothroyd, Ph.D.; Aruna V. Krishnan, Ph.D.; and Titilola Falasinnu, Ph.D. The National Institutes of Health funded the study. n

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

Palace vows to protest Chinese...

PAGE A3 t 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

CBCP: Death penalty won’t curb...

:8IG< ;@<D 8KK<EK@FE @DD@>I8K@FE C8NP<IJ C<>8C @DD@>I8K@FE `j X 9@> @JJL< k_\j\ [Xpj% D8EP `e fli Zfddle`kp E<<; pfli j\im`Z\j% K_\i\ Xi\ k_fljXe[j n_f dXp nXek kf \og\[`k\ k_\`i i\j`[\eZp fi glijl\ ]lcc Z`k`q\ej_`g Ylk [feËk befn _fn kf Y\^`e Xe[ n_\i\ kf ^f%

JK8E; FLK =IFD K?< G8:B% 8J@8E AFLIE8CËJ GIF=<JJ@FE8C J<IM@:<J ;@I<:KFIP# n`cc efn Y\ ilee`e^ n\\bcp# \m\ip =i`[Xp f] Efik_\ie :Xc`]fie`X <[`k`fe%

8AËj GJ; ZXe _\cg PFL i\XZ_ flk kf k_\d X]]fi[XYcp Xe[ \]]\Zk`m\cp%

:8CC PFLI 8::FLEK D8E8><I -,' -/0$,(-' 8jb XYflk fli GIFDFK@FE8C @EKIF;L:KFIP G8:B8>< GI@:@E> n_`Z_ ilej pfli X[ n\\bcp ]fi dXo`dld \ogfjli\ Xk kilcp X]]fi[XYc\ iXk\j%

Fli gi`ek \[`k`fej ile `e kXe[\d n`k_ 8AËj Gi`ek <[`k`fe Fec`e\% Fec`e\1 _kkg1&&`jjll%Zfd&Xj`XeaflieXc[`^`kXc\[`k`fe

PAGE A1 imposition of the death penalty for drug smugglers.

He explained that the criminal justice system covers the filing of a case, apprehension of a suspect, court hearings and conviction before it reaches the penalty.

“The penalty is the last stage in the criminal justice system… so why do they want to (first make changes) with the penalty,” he noted.

PDEA officials have been batting for the restoration of the death penalty, citing the need for drug smugglers to be contained as they only continue with their illegal drug trade inside prison.

Diamante said the death penalty “has never been (the solution) and they know that… They know very well deep in their hearts, it is not the solution. Killing has never been the solution.”

Diamante said law enforcement agencies such as PDEA should focus on catching those involved in the illegal drug trade both at large and already behind bars by using

intelligence funds.

The CBCP-ECPPC has been pushing for restorative justice and has long been against the death penalty.

Diamante lamented all their accomplishments toward restorative justice and improvement of prison conditions have been erased as the prisoners’ pleas are being repeated.

During the 44th anniversary of the CBCP-ECPPC yesterday, Diamante said one of the complaints that they heard from prisoners when they started their advocacy to provide help in 1975 was that some of them felt they were being treated like “animals” and not as “humans.” “(The situation) has been reversed. For example, the observance of due process, they no longer pass through the due process, they just pick up (people) and put them in jails,” Diamante said.

The prisoners are also reportedly allocated P60 daily food allowance only and have limited conjugal visits.

The jails have likewise become more congested.

“When we started there were only 40,000 prisoners nationwide, now there are about 180,000 prisoners. There is about 600 percent congestion and we have not yet counted those in the military camps,” the CBCP official said.

In the past years, Diamante said only few prisoners were given absolute pardon.

Meanwhile, Diamante said that while the CBCP would not be endorsing candidates for the coming elections, members of the ECPPC would be giving their individual support to some senatorial candidates such as Chel Diokno and former solicitor general Florin Hilbay of the Otso Diretso opposition slate.

He said that he would be supporting Diokno and Hilbay because they are against the restoration of death penalty.

“No, we don’t campaign as CBCP but individually we can. We will really work hard (in campaigning for them),” he added. n

Filipina granted asylum in Canada for sheltering Snowden in Hong Kong

by Nathalie

Robles

AJPress

FIlIPINA Vanessa Rodel and her seven-year-old daughter Keana were granted asylum by the Canadian government for helping Edward Snowden hide in Hong Kong after he exposed the United States global surveillance programs.

According to a non-profit organization For the Refugees, Rodel and her daughter arrived in Toronto on Monday, March 25, then traveled to Montreal on Tuesday, March 26, to settle there as private sector-sponsored refugees. “(Me) and Keana can have a real life, a real future in Canada.

I’m so happy,” Rodel told Radio-Canada by phone before she boarded a plane to Toronto.

Rodel, a Philippine national, was among those who helped Snowden while he was on the run from the U.S. authorities. She hid Snowden in her apartment in 2013. She was under pressure from Hong Kong authorities to the point that they faced a risk of deportation to the Philippines.

For the Refugees reported that Rodel and her daughter were offered the asylum in January but it

was kept strictly confidential so as not to compromise their safety and security.

Canadian lawyer Robert Tibbo, who served as Snowden and Rodel’s legal aid in Hong Kong applauded the asylum grant as he emphasized that “Canada did the right thing.”

Snowden expressed his gratitude to the North American country for the generosity it offered to Rodel who once saved his life by providing him a shelter when he was in hiding. In a a Twitter post, he said that “Canada can save all of them.”

“Thanks to all who, in Canada and across the world, made this possible. After so many years, the first of the families who helped me is free, and has a future. But the work is not over. With solidarity and compassion, Canada can save all of them,” Snowden said.

Snowden was a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) employee and a U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) contractor.

He leaked highly classified documents that revealed the global surveillance programs run by the NSA in cooperation with Australia, Britain and Canada.

Snowden was charged in June 2013 in the United States with espionage and stealing state secrets. He now resides in Russia.

The National Post reported that along with Rodel, there are five other people who helped Snowden and also requested asylum but remain in Hong Kong awaiting a response.

When reporters asked Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for a comment, he declined, stating that it would be inappropriate to do so in “a situation regarding a specific case.” However, Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland implicitly confirmed the report, telling reporters she had not personally intervened in the process.

Tribbo urged the prime minister to approve the asylum grant for the other refugees. He noted: “what Trudeau needs to do now is step forward and grant the others refugee status and bring them to Canada.”

Asked during a Washington visit whether the granting of asylum might harm U.S.-Canadian relations, Freeland told reporters that Ottawa based its decision on case-by-case considerations, not “geopolitical relations.” n

Aside from having the biggest fans from the Philippines, 56 percent of Australians said that they like Filipino food.

In contrast, only 21 percent of the Japanese liked Filipino food.

On the other hand, Filipinos are the most appreciative of international cuisine among the 24 nationals surveyed, according to Matthew Smith, lead data journalist of the group.

“An average of 67m percent of Filipinos who had tried any given cuisine said they liked it, with only five types of food being liked by fewer than half,” Smith said.

Pizza and pasta from Italy are the “world’s most popular” food with an average popularity of 84 percent across the 24 countries.

Smith also noted that the “biggest fans” of Italian food were Italians themselves with 99 percent of them enjoying their own cuisine.

Other nationals such as Spaniards and French also expressed their delight in eating Italian food — 94 percent and 92 percent respectively.

The least impressed by Italian food the Chinese nationals — with only 59 percent saying they liked the cuisine. n

Survey: Filipino food among least liked globally

by Faye

oRellaNa Inquirer.net

FIlIPINO cuisine is one of the least preferred across the world, according to an international survey conducted among 25,000 people in 24 countries.

The survey was conducted by YouGov, an international Internet-based market research and data analytics firm, headquartered in the United Kingdom.

Filipino cuisine has an average popularity around the world of 36 percent, placing it in the bottom four out of the 34 cuisines included in the study.

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

NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • MARCH 29 - APRIL 4, 2019

DATELINE PHILIPPINES

Sara blasts Leila over ‘honesty’

by CATHERINE

S. VALIENTE 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 daughter’s verbal tussle with the opposition over the issue of honesty among senate candidates.

Duterte-Carpio, President Rodrigo Duterte’s eldest daughter, called de Lima “dumb” for supposedly failing to comprehend her argument that the Constitution did not list “honesty” 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 “damning” and told Duterte-Carpio that she, along with Malacañang spokesman Salvador Panelo, “represent what is wrong and how things could be worse for our government.”

In response, Duterte-Carpio said: “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.”

“You are the only person from the Black Hole who said it right, dapat ang botante ang nagsasabi kung ano ang hinahanap niya 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

Bongbong Marcos asks SC for technical exam of Mindanao votes

by TETCH

TORRES-TUPAS Inquirer.net

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpoi

what I said,” she said in an open letter.

Black Hole is Duterte-Carpio’s choice label for the eight-man senatorial slate of the opposition dubbed “Otso Diretso” (“Straight Eight”).

“You are a senator — honesty about your involvement in the illegal drugs business under scrutiny by the courts — how about you make a law adding honesty as a requirement for all Filipinos before they can run for public office,” Duterte-Carpio, who heads the pro-administration regional party Hugpong ng Pagbabago, said.

“Maybe then you can save the

A5

MANILA — The camp of former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Tuesday, March 26, asked the Supreme Court, acting as Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), to conduct a technical examination of votes in several areas in Mindanao.

Marcos through his lawyer George Garcia reiterated his request that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) should submit its findings on the technical examination of the election returns (ERs) and election day computerized voters’ list that were initially conducted in Basilan, Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao.

The former senator reiterated the urgency to examine the reManilatimes.net file photo maining precincts in the said government from yourself, Inday provinces, citing massive elecSara, Leni, Digong, Panelo, Aleja- tion fraud. no, Hilbay, and all the de Limas of “It is most respectfully prayed the universe,” she added, refer- of this Honorable Tribunal to ring to Vice President Maria Le- direct the Voters’ Identification onor “Leni” 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

by DARRYL JOHN ESGUERRA the Philippine National Police Inquirer.net Custodial Center in Camp Crame, Quezon City since February 2017, MALACAÑANG on Tuesday, as she is on trial for her alleged involvement in the drug trade in- March 26, said the list of celebriPAGE A7 ties who were allegedly involved in the illegal drugs will not be released without verification and President Rodrigo Duterte’s approval.

Presidential Spokesperson as ICC judge.

She stepped down from the post Salvador Panelo said this after in 2014, citing health reasons. the Philippine Drug Enforcement Two years later, she died after Agency (PDEA bared that at least 31 celebrities are included in the battling lung cancer.

Currently, former University of drugs watchlist.

PDEA Director General Aaron the Philippines law college dean Raul Pangalangan sits as an ICC Aquino said that some of the celebrities are drug pushers while judge.

Asked why the Philippine’s has the others are users of cocaine, yet to pull out the appointment of shabu and party drugs.

Earlier, Duterte himself rePangalangan, Panelo said it’s not vealed the names of 46 politiup to the government to decide.

“We don’t have to pull out any- cians with supposed drug links body if the position is we never during a peace and order council was under the jurisdiction of the meeting in Davao City.

Such will not be the case, howcourt, then it behooves whoever is there to do something for him- ever, for celebrities in the watch-

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,” Marcos said.

A technical examination involves the comparison of signatures and thumbprints of voters in the VRR as against the EDCVL. He also asked the PET to subpoena relevant documents and investigation chairpersons and members of the Board of Election Inspectors in the said provinces, and to order the poll body to produce and submit the questioned documents dated June 5, 2018 and other relevant documents involving the technical examination conducted on the VRRs as against the EDCVLs of

508 established precincts in the said provinces during the 2016 polls.

But the camp of Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo, in a motion last January, opposed Marcos’s plea saying it went against the rules of the PET prohibiting the introduction of additional clustered precincts outside of Camarines Sur, Iloilo and Negros Oriental.

Robredo, through her lawyer, Romulo Macalintal, was referring to a directive issued by the Tribunal on Aug. 29, 2017, which confined the initial determination of grounds for protests to the revision and reception of evidence in the three provinces — Camarines Sur, Iloilo and Negros Oriental — that Marcos claimed best exemplified instances of fraud or irregularities in the 2016 polls.

On Monday night, Marcos attended a brief program staged by his supporters outside of the SC compound in Manila to commemorate the 1,000th day of the filing of his electoral protest. ■

Celebs in drugs watchlist won’t be named without Duterte’s approval

Palace: Miriam Santiago’s election as ICC judge void

by DARRYL JOHN

ESGUERRA

Inquirer.net

MANILA — The election of the late Senator Miriam DefensorSantiago as judge of the International Criminal Court (ICC) was “void” as the country was never part of the international tribunal, Malacañang said on Monday, March 25.

“If the position is we’ve never been a state party, then logically it is void unless the international court says it is not,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a Palace briefing.

“That’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,” he added.

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

President Rodrigo Duterte and Malacañang claimed that the country was never an official member-state of the tribunal, citing the government’s failure to publish its ratification of the Rome Statute — the treaty that created the ICC — in the Official Gazette.

In 2011, Santiago became the first Filipino and first Asian from a developing country to be elected

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo

list as PDEA needs to secure Duterte’s clearance first.

“I think the PDEA will have to get permission from the President before they can do that,” Panelo told reporters in Malaca-

Inquirer.net file photo

ñang, adding that the list should undergo validation first.

Panelo also said that charges should be filed against the celebrities if there is enough evidence against them. ■

A6

MARCH 29-APRIL 4, 2019 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL

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

FEATURES

OPINION

Honesty issue needs thoughtful presentation, not caricature 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.

ROGER LAGMAY ORIEL Publisher & Chairman of the Board CORA MACABAGDAL-ORIEL President Main Office: 1210 S. Brand Blvd Glendale, CA 91204 Tels: (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797 Fax: (818) 502-0858 e-mail: info@asianjournalinc.com http://www.asianjournal.com Northern California: 1799 Old Bayshore Hwy, Suite 136 Burlingame, CA 94010 Tel.: (650) 689-5160 • Fax: (650) 239-9253 Las Vegas Sales Office: 2770 S. Maryland Pkwy., Suite 200 Las Vegas, NV 89109 Tel.: (702) 792-6678 • Fax: (702) 792-6879

Manila Office: 2/F D&E Fort Palm Springs Cond.

30th St., Cor. 1st Ave., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig Tel.: (632) 856-4921 • 856-0397 Fax: (632) 856-1661 New York Office: 133-30 32nd Ave., Flushing, NY 11354 Tel.: (212) 655-5426 • Fax (818) 502-0858 New Jersey Office: 2500 Plaza 5, Harborside Financial Center, Jersey City, NJ 07311 Tel: (212)655-5426 • Fax: (818)502-0858

ELIZABETH HILARIO SISON Chief Financial Officer JOSEPH PERALTA Vice President & General Manager Northern California Asian Journal MOMAR G. VISAYA Executive Editor MALOU LIWANAG-BLEDSOE Editor-in-Chief Northern California Asian Journal GERMAN P. PALABYAB Advertising and Business Development Director

ADVERTISING AND ADVERTORIAL POLICIES Asian Journal Publitions, Inc. (“AJPI”) reserves the right to refuse to publish, in its sole and absolute discretion, any advertising and advertorial material submitted for publition by client. (“Client’s Material”) Submission of an advertisement or advertorial to an AJPI sales representative does not constitute a commitment by AJPI to publish a Client’s Material. AJPI has the option to correctly classify any Client’s Material and to delete objectionable words or phrases.

Client represents and warrants that a Client’s Material does not and will not contain any language or material which is libelous, slanderous or defamatory or invades any rights of privacy or publicity; does not and will not violate or infringe upon, or give rise to any adverse claim with respect to any common law or other right whatsoever (including, without limitation, any copyright, trademark, service mark or contract right) of any person or entity, or violate any other applible law; and is not the subject of any litigation or claim that might give rise to any litigation.

Publition of a Client’s Material does not constitute an agreement to continue publition.

Client agrees and covenants to indemnify AJPI and its officers against any and all loss, liability, damage, expenses, cost, charges, claims, actions, uses of action, recoveries, judgments, penalties, including outside attorneys’ fees (individually and collectively “Claims”) which AJPI may suffer by reason of (1) Client’s breach of any of the representations, warranties and agreements herein or (2) any Claims by any third party relating in any way to Client’s Material.

AJPI will not be liable for failure to publish any Client’s Material as requested or for more than one incorrect insertion of a Client’s Material. In the event of an error, or omission in printing or publition of a Client’s Material, AJPI shall be limited to an adjustment for the space occupied by the error, with maximum liability being ncellation of the cost of the first incorrect advertisement or republition of the correct advertisement.

Under no circumstances shall Asian Publitions, Inc. be liable for consequential damages of any kind.

ASIAN JOURNAL PUBLITIONS, INC. publishes the Los Angeles Asian Journal, published twice a week; the Orange County and Inland Empire Asian Journal, Northern lifornia Asian Journal, Las Vegas Asian Journal and the New York / New Jersey Asian Journal which are published once a week and distributed to Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange Counties, Northern lifornia, Las Vegas and New York and New Jersey respectively.

Articles published in this paper do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publisher. Letters to the Editor are welcome. Letters must contain complete name and return address. The materials, however, are subject to editing and revisions.

Contributions and advertising deadlines are every Mondays and Thursdays. For advertising rates and other informations, please ll the L.A. office at (213) 250-9797 or the Las Vegas Sales Office at (702) 792-6678 or send us an email at info@asianjournalinc.com

(650) 689-5160 â&#x20AC;˘ http://www.asianjournal.com

NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL â&#x20AC;˘ MARCH 29 - APRIL 4, 2019

A

Duterte at it again, says world Art of Dr. Yuhua Shouzhi Wang Sold at Top Price in Spring Auction is better off sans priests

by Darryl John

EsguErra

Inquirer.net

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, March 24, 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

ON March 18, 2019, the painting Pomegranates in a Bamboo Basket by Dr. Yuhua Shouzhi Wang was sold at the exceptional price of US$1.27 million during the spring auction at Gianguan Auctions in New York. Dr. Wang has been recognized by the New York Academy of Art as an international first-class artist. The auction price of this small painting, which is only twenty-seven by eighteen inches, astounded the art market!

President Rodrigo Duterte Inquirer.net file photo The paintings of Dr. Yuhua are priests. That has been the case of another person?â&#x20AC;? he said.

Shouzhi Wang are characterThe Catholic Church has earned ized by divine, out of this world since the olden times,â&#x20AC;? he added.

The president, who frequently the presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ire for criticizing artistic conception. Her paintdraws flak for publicly mocking his brutal war on drugs and his ings carry the likeness of both members and teachings of the tough stance against criminality.

He even asked bystanders to rob Catholic Church, again lashed out and kill bishops in another speakat a priest who wished him ill. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The priest who held a mass ing engagement.

More than a month later, howthere said, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Mamatay po sana si Duterte.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; What kind of religion is ever, Duterte retracted and asked that? Roman Catholic Church. You the public not to take seriously his are a god d*** s***. What kind of remarks to kill and steal from bishreligion would pray for the death ops and priests. n

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 noticed.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;But he is missing a great chance to be really relevant. He should accept the BARMM, work within it and lend his leadership, stature and expertise to make it succeed,â&#x20AC;? the Defense chief said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My guess [on his threat]? Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bluffing,â&#x20AC;? he added. (Dempsey Reyes/ManilaTimes.net) n

PAGE A5 side 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, Duterte-Carpio 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;? DuterteCarpio 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, Duterte-Carpio dared Otso Diretso bets to debate with her, but the opposition candidates said they would only engage with senatorial candidates. n Pomegranates in a Bamboo Basket

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

the form and the spirit, and are created with profound skills.

They also carry a strong sense of scholarly essence. There rarely is anyone in this world who can be of comparison. Her artistic skill is solid and formidable. Following the tradition of Chinese ink paintings as her foundation, Dr. Wang also incorporates the super-realistic skills and transcends her works to become that of distinguished style and purity. Her paintings transcend the mundane to attain the class of ease which is the highest of the four classes of artistic mastery. Dr. Yuhua Shouzhi Wang was recognized and chronicled in the United

States Congressional Record as â&#x20AC;&#x153;a great artist and sculptor,â&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;treasure of the world.â&#x20AC;? In 2013, President George Christophides of the World Federation of UNESCO Clubs, Centers, and Associations (WFUCA) conferred the title â&#x20AC;&#x153;2013WFUCAâ&#x20AC;? to one of her artworks. In 2019, a solo exhibition of Dr. Yuhua Shouzhi Wang, that was held by the Department of Culture of Thailand, astounded Thailand.

The Thai Department of Culture issued official notice to all schools and universities informing them to visit the exhibition and learn from the art of Dr. Yuhua Shouzhi Wang. The Department of Culture also thank Dr. Wang for bringing her art of distinguished quality to Thailand.

The unique artworks of Dr. Yuhua Shouzhi Wang are hard to come by.

There are a small number of editions in the market. For many years, the unique artworks are collected by admirers and are rarely available in the market. During the recent Gianguan spring auction, a small painting was sold at the shocking price of US$1.27 million, making the top lot of the auction.

With the passing of time, one can only imagine how the art of Dr. Yuhua Shouzhi Wang will appreciate in value and become highly sought-after treasure.

The reason is, there are rarely any artists who can attain the class of ease, such as Bada Shanren, Shi Tao, Xu Wei, Huang Shen, Wu Changshuo, Qi Baishi, Huang Binhong, and Chen Zizhuang. In the eyes of art experts, artists such as Ren Bonian, Pan Tianshou, Shi Lu, or Zhang Daqian have only attained the class of wonderment and the class of divinity. They have not achieved the class of ease. What is even more exceptional is that Dr. Yuhua Shouzhi Wang is the only Asian international first-class artist in the world who is ranked at the same level as Cezanne, Gaugain, Monet, and Van Gogh. n

2ZQ ODQG EDFN KRPH LQ WKH 3KLOLSSLQHV" :KHWKHU \RXǢUH ORRNLQJ WR VHOO \RXU SURSHUW\ RU LQWHUHVWHG LQ H[SORULQJ D MRLQW YHQWXUH GHYHORSPHQW SURMHFW SDUWQHU ZLWK XV DQG GLVFRYHU ZD\V \RX FDQ EXLOG \RXU LQYHVWPHQW SRUWIROLR

A

MARCH 29 - APRIL 4, 2019 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL

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

SF The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - March 29, 2019

Friday, March 29, 2019

SF

cover story The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - March 29, 2019

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

Christina M. Oriel / aJPress

“Just one more episode” — it’s something we whisper to ourselves to resist ending a Netflix binge-watch, despite the clock ticking or other responsibilities calling.

There are several factors that allow us to succumb to the continuous entertainment on the platform, from captivating content to no interruptions from advertisements. But perhaps a component we take for granted as viewers is how smooth and buffer-free the video experience is, whether viewing on a TV, laptop, tablet or smartphone.

The next time you’re on the video streaming service, think of (and thank) Filipina-American engineer Anne Aaron, the director of video algorithms at Netflix, whose job it is to ensure that your video is delivered at the best quality using the least amount of bandwidth possible.

“You don’t even notice. You are just engaged in the story and don’t have to think about, let’s say the rebuffering or whether the picture is blurry,” Aaron tells the Asian Journal in a recent interview. “We worry about that for you. If you don’t have to think about this, that means we’re doing our job correctly.”

Growing up in the Philippines, Aaron quips that she was a “math and science nerd” who determined early on that she wanted to be in that realm of study. She was accepted to Philippine Science High School in Quezon City, which is the top school in the country offering science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.

That led to Ateneo de Manila University for college, where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in physics in 1998 and another in computer engineering the year after.

Aaron vividly remembers an image compression class that captivated her because of how math contributed to the visual aspect. “You had to do some programming, you had to do some math,” she says. “But at the end of it all, you would see the picture and it was so visual.

You could see the product of your work.”

Knowing that she didn’t want to “join a multinational company” in the Philippines, which was a conventional route for other family members, she asked herself: “Do I move to silicon Valley?”

She would go on to Stanford University for master’s — under the Stanford Graduate Fellowship — and doctorate degrees, both in electrical engineering.

During this

time, she received the AT&T Asia Pacific Leadership Award and C.V. Starr Southeast Asian Fellowship.

“I tried out a bunch of research groups at Stanford and ended up in video because… it’s abstract, it’s sentiment, but at the end of the day, it’s something you can enjoy with your eyes. It delivers entertainment so it resonated with me,” Aaron recalls.

After Stanford, she dove into video streaming companies in the area, such as Modulus Video and Dyyno, before a position as a senior software engineer for Cisco’s FlipShare Video desktop software.

Seizing opportunities Aaron initially received an offer to join Netflix in 2009, but decided to go elsewhere.

Another opportunity came two years later in 2011, which she accepted as a senior software engineer. “My boss still teases me that I should’ve accepted the offer in 2009,” she says.

“I started as an individual contributor, as an engineer. But the good thing about Netflix is that even if as an engineer, as an individual contributor, you can lead projects yourself and you can drive projects,” she recalls.

“That’s how 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

As a team leader at Netflix, Aaron says she upholds the culture memo, which emphasizes freedom and responsibility among colleagues.

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-ownadventure film under the science fiction series. Available in 28 languages, it was the first handson 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

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.

Born and raised in the Philippines, Anne Aaron came to California in 2000 to pursue a master’s degree and doctorate in electrical engineering at Stanford University.

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

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 today, according 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 gender-country-of-origin-face that comes to mind,” Aaron wrote in a Twitter post last November in response to the Forbeslist.

“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 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 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?” n

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 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

Supreme Court rules that immigrants may be detained indefinitely

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 common-law 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) 795- 8009 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.

(Advertising Supplement)

community

SF3

The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - March 29, 2019

Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond

The Bucket List The Art of “Staycation” 8h of a Series

MONETTE ADEVA MAGLAYA [SELECT a handful of those things in your bucket list that have the highest chance of coming to fruition given your time frame. In tech speak, it means before your life’s energy goes into ‘ low batt mode’ and life has run out of sockets to plug into.]

The default setting for modern life is to plan a vacation elsewhere, the farther away, the better.

Vacations are fine. They are meant to recharge our energy levels so we can come back swinging and getting into the groove of normal life. The problem with an elaborate, all too often expensive vacation, is we come home tired, jetlagged, light in the wallet, a few pounds heavier and needing a vacation from the vacation. Are we idiots or what?

So how about learning the art of “staycation?” This is when we decide that our home is the best place to stay put and spend our time away from work, away from stresses and just away from it all: ringing phones; deadlines and production quotas, intrigues, to-do lists and every aggravation known to man.

Sure, the mountain of laundry is there, the kitchen, bedrooms and bathrooms need cleaning, the garden needs weeding. But for a “staycation” to recharge your spirit, you may need to turn a blind eye to the screaming demands of your immediate environment. Just say NO. This time is for you alone.

So okay, you are obsessive about a clean home. Just reserve a day or two of your vacation time to sprucing up just the essentials. Don’t go to Home Depot and decide painting the house as your “staycation” project. It doesn’t work that way.

“When you clear your mechanism and tune out the noise that invades your being, you may come to a rare state of grace — that state when you are thoroughly convinced that God is in His heaven and all is right with the world.”

The art of doing a proper “staycation” is deciding you just want to give yourself time to JUST BE. You rip and shred your to-do list and find joy in the moment, forgetting the demands of your life, for the time being.

So go ahead. Wear your pajamas all day. Turn off or mute the phones. Turn off the TV and mute the music. Vegetate.

Order pizza. Let the world turn without your input. If you have a stressful job, you will appreciate a true “staycation” done right.

Swing in a hammock and look at the sky and dwell on the wonderful parts of your

life as you remember lessons learned over the years mixed with countless moments of overwhelming joy. Edit out the ugly and blot out its existence, for the time being. Or better yet, think of nothing and take a nap just because you’re sleepy.

There will be time enough for all the demands of your life in the next few days. But for the moment, all you want is to do absolutely nothing and JUST BE. There is an upside to a quiet “staycation.” When you clear your mechanism and tune out the noise that invades your being, you may come to Continued on Page SF7

SF

celebrityworld The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - March 29, 2019

celebrity world

Former California governor Jerry Brown heads list of April birthday celebrants

By Ferdie Villar FORMER California governor Edmund Gerald “Jerry” Brown Jr. heads the list of prominent celebrities celebrating their birthdays this month of April. He will be turning 81.

Brown, who was born on April 7, 1938, served as the Golden State’s 39th governor in 2011. Prior to that, he also became governor from 1975 to 1983.

Before becoming governor in 1975, he previously served in numerous state and party positions, including Secretary of State of California (19711975), mayor of Oakland (1999-2007) and Attorney General of California (20072011) Other personalities celebrating their birthdays in April are: April 1 - Second Box Office King of Philippine Movies Tirso Cruz III, and Antioch beauty Abigail Larcy Perez; April 2 - San Mateo Chief Inspector Captain John F. Warren; April 4 - First Filipina Miss Universe Gloria Diaz, and Vallejo Ilocano community leader Mike Calilan; April 7 - Matinee idol and now politician Richard Gomez, actress/model KC Concepcion; April 10 - “Eat! Bulaga” co-host Ryan Agoncillo; April 12 - ANK Home Care proprietor Allan Rocas; April 13 - Health Professional, Inc. office administrator Lelith Adriano, and Statewide Realty president Rolly Lavarias; April 14 - Former Miss United Nations Queenie Salazar of San Jose; April 15 - Hayward community leader Marie Kimley; April 17 - San Francisco

EMPLOYMENT

hotel employee Mohammad Yusuf, multi-awarded actor and director Albert Martinez, and actress Kim Chiu; April 19 - Manila Mayor Joseph “Erap” Ejercito Estrada, singer/band leader George Elizalde, TV host Luis Manzano, and former movie actress Rosemarie Sonora; April 20 - Oakland Hills antique collector and socialite Sylvia Ford, and former Miss RP-USA Mary Grace Garcia; April 21 - TV talk show co-host and Philippine Star entertainment editor Ricky F. Lo, San Juan Mayor Guia Gomez

Estrada, Asia’s Songbird Regine Velasquez Alcasid, and Signature Band leader Cesar de la Cruz; April 23 - Philippine Vice President Leni Robredo, “Eat! Bulaga” co-host Anjo Yllana, and former Barrio Fiesta owner Marjorie Ongpauco; April 25 - Filipino-American commercial and fashion model Dane Kitchen; Philippine Vice President Leni Robredo will celebrate her birthday on Tuesday, April 27 - “Eat! Bulaga” April 23. host Vic “Bossing” Sotto; April 30 - Visayan movie actress Dolly Fuentes.

To all April celebrants, a very happy birthday!

“Eat! Bulaga” host and comedian Vic “Bossing” Sotto will celebrate his 63rd birthday on Saturday, April 27.

Oakland Hills antique collector and socialite Sylvia Ford will celebrate her birthday Saturday, April 20. She is shown in photo with celebrities Luis Manzano (who is celebrating his birthday on Friday, April 19) and John Lloyd Cruz.

Former California governor Jerry Brown Jr. heads the list of personalities celebrating their birthdays this month of April.

EMPLOYMENT

Asia’s Songbird Regine Velasquez Alcasid will celebrate her birthday on Sunday, April 21.

Health Professional Inc. office administrator Lelith Adriano will celebrate her birthday on Saturday, April 13.

Antioch beauty Abigail Larcy Perez will celebrate her birthday on Monday, April 1.

PSYCHIC

SERVICES

community

SF

The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - March 29, 2019

Immigration Corner Atty. MichAel Gurfinkel, eSQ

A CREWMAN WHO JUMPED SHIP WENT HOME TO THE PHILIPPINES ON AN APPROVED PROVISIONAL WAIVER, BUT WAS CHARGED WITH FRAUD FOR OVERSTAYING, AND COULD NO LONGER RETURN TO THE U.S. Jimmy entered the U.S. in 1999 and jumped ship. When the provisional waiver regulations came out, (which also included crewmen), Jimmy immediately applied for it in his desire to â&#x20AC;&#x153;do the right thingâ&#x20AC;? and legalize his status. When USCIS approved his provisional waiver (thereby â&#x20AC;&#x153;forgivingâ&#x20AC;? his overstay), Jimmy traveled back to the Philippines for his immigrant visa interview at the U.S. Embassy, thinking he would be back in the U.S. in a few weeks. However, the Embassy charged him with fraud by imposing a new â&#x20AC;&#x153;90-day ruleâ&#x20AC;? for his having overstayed almost 20 years ago. He found himself stuck in the Philippines while his wife lay in a coma in the U.S. Leading U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel never abandoned Jimmy or his case, and kept fighting for him. Witness a heart-tugging and heart-wrenching homecoming and reunion on an encore episode of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Citizen Pinoyâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; on Sunday at 6:15 p.m. (PST) on TFC. (Advertising Supplement)

Health@Heart

Swap for health

today, an average of 79.3.

There are some food items in our own pantry at home PhiliP S. chuA, which make our skin look older MD, fAcS, fPcS and our body aged faster. They are a group of food items with MOST of the food products compounds called AGEs (Adwe eat today have healthier vance Glycation Endproducts) alternative items. If we are seri- which have aging effect on ous about staying healthy and our skin, our immune system, maximizing our natural longev- and body as a whole. Replacity, that option is open to us. ing food items with healthier All we have to do is to educate options could help slow down ourselves, which, today, is not aging. hard to do, thanks to Dr. GoogAGEs are bad compounds le and the world wide web. that result from proteins or Unlike Spanish Conquisfats in our system combining tador Juan Ponce de Leonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s with sugars. Low carbohydrate quest for that elusive fountain meals, minimizing or, even betof youth, which, unbeknownst ter, eliminating rice from our to him was right under his diet is a healthy option. Many nose, we, in this 21st century, vegetables and some proequipped with evidence-based tein foods also contain some medical data, know that we carbohydrates (sugar), so we have in our hands the knowldo not have to add rice to our edge and ability to live a diet. The Mediterranean and healthy lifestyle to boost our the South Beach diets are basiimmune system, minimize our cally offering a lot of vegetarisk for preventable diseases, bles, fruits, nuts, sea food and and extend our life span to its low-carbs and less red meats. full potential. Life expectancy in And then there is the keto diet the U.S. in the 1800 was about of high in protein and negligi35, in the 1900, around 47, and ble carbs. All these 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?

1. 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.

2. Honey or fruits â&#x20AC;&#x201C; For sweetener, honey or fruits are

"54 : 3 3 )6 '&8 4&

" 0/-:& ."*/*/( 3

PANO HALL 1200 Athens Avenue, Lincoln, CA Saturday â&#x20AC;˘ April 6 â&#x20AC;˘ 8:00 PM 5JDLFU 1SJDFT 7*1 .FFU (SFFU QMVT 5BYFT BOE 'FFT 5P QVSDIBTF DPODFSU UJDLFUT WJTJU IUUQT UIVOEFSWBMMFZSFTPSU DPN FOUFSUBJONFOU FWFOUT BOE DMJDL UIF #6: 5*$,&54 CVUUPO PS DBMM 5JDLFUNBTUFS BU GPS 5JDLFUNBTUFS 7FSJÉŞFE 5JDLFUT 'PS JORVJSJFT DBMM 5IFMNB UIFMNBPSJBT !HNBJM DPN %POOJF "SJFT .VTU CF UP BUUFOE (VFTUT CFUXFFO UIF BHFT PG NBZ BUUFOE JG BDDPNQBOJFE BU BMM UJNFT CZ BO BEVMU ZFBST PS PMEFS 7*1 5JDLFU )PMEFST BOE BVEJFODF NFNCFST QVSDIBTJOH "FHJT NFSDIBOEJTF XJMM IBWF QIPUP PQQPSUVOJUZ XJUI "FHJT #BOE

DACA flight attendant: Small misunderstanding causes big problems

RECENTLY, there were news reports from many media outlets about a Texas flight attendant enrolled in DACA who was told by a supervisor that it was safe for her to fly to Mexico and safely return to the U.S. Unfortunately, upon her return, she was detained by immigration officers and held in detention for over five weeks before being released and then put in deportation proceedings.

Now, she faces a host of problems for what was described as a small misunderstanding.

According to the news stories, this flight attendant entered the U.S. illegally over 25 years ago, when she was three years old. Eventually, she enrolled in the DACA program, which defers deportation proceedings against certain young people who entered the U.S. at an early age and allows them to obtain work authorization.

She eventually married a U.S. citizen, got a job at an airline, and was assigned to international flights. She expressed concerns about traveling outside the U.S., but the airline assured her she would be fine, and it was safe for her to travel.

However, upon her return from a trip to Mexico, she was detained and put in removal proceedings.

Here are some of my observations about this case and potential issues/problems she will be facing: 1. DACA recipients cannot leave the U.S. (They used to be able to obtain â&#x20AC;&#x153;advance

parole,â&#x20AC;? which is permission to travel outside the U.S. and then return. However, the Trump administration stopped granting advance parole.)

2. By departing the U.S., her DACA protection was â&#x20AC;&#x153;automatically terminated.â&#x20AC;?

3. She also triggered Bill Clintonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 10-year bar. (Bill Clinton signed a law in 1996 where, if anyone had been out of status for more than one year and departed the U.S., they are banned from coming back for 10 years. Therefore, she is subject to that 10-year bar.

4. If she had entered the U.S. without inspection (EWI), and was not â&#x20AC;&#x153;grandfatheredâ&#x20AC;? under section 245(i)â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;, she would not be able to get a green card in the U.S., even if she is petitioned by her U.S. citizen husband (unless he has been in the military or on active duty). She would instead have to return to her home country, either on the basis of a provisional waiver, or if she triggered the 10-year bar, apply for the waiver in her home country.

5. It appears in the articles she has already been placed in removal proceedings (after having been held in detention for five weeks), and could face the possibility of being deported/removed.

6. The husband should already think about petitioning her and filing for a waiver of the 10-year bar, so she can return to her home country and obtain a visa.

This goes to show the importance of consulting with, and obtaining advice and guidance from an attorney, rather than relying on friends, relatives, or even employers, who may not know the law, and give the wrong advice. In this case, she was told that she would have no problems in traveling outside the U.S. because she was a DACA recipient. That advice was wrong and now has created big problems for her. *** Michael J. Gurfinkel has been an attorney for over 35 years and is licensed, and an active member of the State Bars of California and New York. All immigration services are provided by, or under the supervision of, an active member of the State Bar of California.

Each case is different and results may depend on the facts of the particular case. The information and opinions contained herein (including testimonials, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Success Storiesâ&#x20AC;?, endorsements and re-enactments) are of a general nature, and are not intended to apply to any particular case, and do not constitute a prediction, warranty, guarantee or legal advice regarding the outcome of your legal matter. No attorney-client relationship is, or shall be, established with any reader.

WEBSITE: www.gurfinkel.com Follow us on Facebook.com/GurfinkelLaw and Twitter @GurfinkelLaw Call Toll free to schedule a consultation for anywhere in the US: 1-866-487-3465 (866) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; GURFINKEL Four offices to serve you: LOS ANGELES â&#x2C6;&#x2122; SAN FRANCISCO â&#x2C6;&#x2122; NEW YORK â&#x2C6;&#x2122; PHILIPPINES

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.

3. Sprouted bread to white bread â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 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 containContinued on Page SF6

(Advertising Supplement)

SF6

people & events The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - March 29, 2019

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 “Tambourine.”

“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.

“That was a thing that stood out the most. I was like, is it perfectly clean every single step

Filipino dance group VPeepz

Photo screengrabbed from Youtube/NBC World of Dance

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.

‘Aeta representation in ‘MMK’ episode questioned

by NIÑA V. GUNO Inquirer.net

AN upcoming episode of “Maalaala Mo Kaya” is seeing a debate resurface — that of using makeup to darken actors’ skins so they could play a role.

An episode featuring the life story of Aeta beauty queen Judith Manap airs on Saturday, March 30, with actress Maymay Entrata in the lead role.

When Entrata announced the story on her social media

accounts on Sunday, March 24, Twitter users criticized the darkened skin tones of the cast.

“This is black face, appropriating the local Aeta community.

Local artists, especially as role models to young and impressionable fans, should know better,” said netizen Jessica Nicole (@itsjessmehoney) on Sunday.

“MMK has always been problematic in casting roles but it’s more saddening when artists don’t say no to these roles,”

Continued on Page SF7

Mara Lopez and Maymay Entrata Photo from Instagram/@maymay

‘Mystified’ brings ‘Encantadia’s’ women back to life

by NIKA ROQUE ManilaTimes.net

FOR TV buffs, the first show to definitely come to mind at the mention of the word “fantaserye” is the mother of all Filipino fantasy series, “Encantadia.” A proudly original production of GMA Network in 2005, the highly successful concept aired 160 epi-

sodes before taking a bow, while a promising reboot gathered a new generation cast in 2017 with an even bigger total of 218 episodes.

This year, a single major production hopes to thrill “Encantadia” fans one more time as entertainment streaming service iFlix ventures into their very first full length Filipino movie project,

Calendar of Events across

and with the fantaserye’s original cast all in!

Yes. “Encantadia’s” women —Diana Zubiri, Karylle, Iza Calzado and Sunshine Dizon — are reunited as the beautiful and powerful Sangg’res in iFlix’s upcoming offering, “Mystified.”

The movie is ready for streaming

by March 29.

Continued on Page SF7

Aegis takes centerstage at Thunder Valley Casino on April 6

ONE of the most popular OPM (Original Pilipino Music) bands in the Philippines gets to perform before their Filipino American fans as Aegis takes centerstage at the Pano Hall in Thunder Valley Casino & Resort in Lincoln, California on April 6 starting at 8pm as part of their worldwide album tour.

Composed of seven members – Juliet Sunot, Mercy Sunot-Borjal and Kris Sunot of Cagayan de Oro City, Stella Maries Galindo-Pabico of Misamis Oriental, Vilma Goloviogo of Manila, Rowena “Weng” Pinpin-Adriano of Pampanga and Rey Abenoja of Southern Leyte – the band has been churning out albums and hits since 1998.

Initially belonging to different bands but handled by one management company, AG Talent Development and Management headed by Mr. & Mrs. Solito Galindo, the group’s members were put together in the early ‘90s to form the AG’s Sound Trippers Band. In 1998, the band’s name was changed to Aegis.

According to the group, their band’s name is a shortened version from the initial band name coined from their last names (Abenoja-Galindo), AG’s, which morphed into Aegis. Also, the band decided to adapt the word Aegis, which means “shield” or “protection” in Greek Mythology because they want listeners of their songs to be protected and shielded from loneliness. As most of the songs in their albums are love songs, the band is hoping that music lovers will find their songs as protection from being lonely and broken-hearted.

Among the albums released by Aegis are “Halik,” “Mahal na Mahal Kita,” “Ating Sayawin,” “PaskungPasko,” “Ating Balikan,” “Muling Balikan,” “Aegis Greatest Hits,” “Aegis Greatest Hits Vol. 2” and “Back to

Love,” which contains some of their most requested cover songs. Aegis has also released a 20thanniversary album which contains all original songs, with Ken Sunot and Rey Abenoja composing some of the album’s songs.

Most of Aegis’ signature hits were composed by the late Cesar Abenoja, a former band player and prolific songwriter.

Aegis has earned gold, platinum and multi-platinum status for some of their albums. The band has also won a few awards, including an Awit Award for Best Christmas Recording (2001), an Aliw Award for Best Major Concert (Group) in 2017, and an OPM Icon For All Ages Award (Magandang Buhay, ABS-CBN) in 2017.

The Aegis band is known all over the Philippines as their songs have been featured as theme songs in popular soaps. In 2005, the band sang the theme song of “Krystala” featuring Judy Ann Santos which aired nightly on ABS-CBN, as well as the theme song for “Rated K.” In 2007, they sang “Kisapmata,” the theme song for the GMA7 show “ESP.” In 2012, they performed “Hindi Sumusuko,” the theme song for TFC. Six years later, Aegis performed the song “Ako’y Ako,” the theme song for ABS-CBN’s “The Blood Sisters.” That same year, 2018, the group’s song, “Halik,” was chosen

by ABS-CBN as the title for the drama series featuring Jericho Rosales, Yam Concepcion, Sam Milby and Yen Santos.

The band has guested in popular Philippine TV shows in different stations, including “Tonight with Boy Abunda,” “It’s Showtime,” “Rated K,” “Sarah G Live,” “Gandang Gabi Vice,” “ASAP,” “Wowowee,”

“Eat Bulaga,” “Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho,” “Wowowillie,” “Wiltime Bigtime,” “Letters and Music,” “Wish FM” and “PenPen de Sarapen.”

They have also appeared in a couple of movies (“My Bebe Love: #KiligPaMore” and “This Guy’s In Love With U Mare”), and have had endorsement deals with Puregold, Alaska and Andok’s.

Internationally, Aegis has thrilled their fans by performing in international tours in North America, the Middle East, Europe, Asia and Australia.

According to the band’s members, they had never dreamed of becoming recording artists and role models. For them, earning a living through music, and performing in clubs and lounges all over Japan was enough – it was enough that they could earn a few lapad’s, stay in nice hotels overseas, indulge in great food, and have some extra money left to send over to relatives in the Philippines.

But success came to them which gave them the opportunity to perform locally and overseas, and share their music with their fans. As long as there are Filipinos and fans anywhere in the world who long for great music, Aegis says they will be there to provide that.

Tickets to their almost sold-out show on April 6 at the Thunder Valley Casino & Resort are still available by calling TicketMaster at 800745-3000, or by calling Thelma (510) 386-7737, Donnie (916) 335-2930 or Aries (510) 421-3335. VIP ticket holders and audience members who purchase Aegis merchandise will have a photo opportunity with the band. [Guests must be 21 to attend; those between ages 13-20 must be accompanied at all times by an adult 21 years or older.]

(Advertising Supplement)

America

ADVERTISE YOUR EVENTS! PRE-EVENT AND POST EVENT GO DEEPER. GO WIDER. LET THE WORLD KNOW. CALL ASIAN JOURNAL: (818) 502-0651 DISPLAY AD SIZES AT SPECIAL RATES FOR NON-PROFIT GROUPS MARCH 30

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.

City of San Fernando, La Union Association-USA ball in Brea, CA The City of San Fernando, La Union Association-USA will hold its 29th Fiesta Ball — “A Reunion to Remember” — on Saturday, March 30 at the Embassy Suites (900 East Birch Street) in Brea, CA. It will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 12 midnight. For more details, you may contact ball chairman Noel Nabua at (949) 323-3873 / nsnabua@gmail.com; outgoing president Samuel Chee at (909) 662-7501 / samnlynnndchamp@yahoo.com; incoming president Vicky Neri at (562) 394-6293 / vickybneri@gmail.com; and director Vangie So at (626) 485-3110 / vangieso@aol.com.

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. Co-presented 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).

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

Swap for health...

From Page SF5 ing AGEs. Sprouted bread or those made with whole grains are more anti-inflammatory, rich in antioxidants, which help in flushing out AGEs. 4. 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.

5. Dark chocolate instead of sugar-loaded candies – Chocolates, rich in antioxidant flavonoids, especially the dark variety, which aid in counteracting the adverse effects of free radicals and AGEs, reduce the oxidative process that makes us age faster and develop diseases.

6. 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 8-stage reversed osmosis filtration, which removes harmful chemicals in water, and UV light treatment to eliminate bacteria and viruses.

7. 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.

8. 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 omega3 fatty acids too.

9. 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, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant 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, a Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus based in Northwest Indiana and Las Vegas, Nevada, is a medical lecturer/author, and Chairman of the Filipino United Network-USA, a 501(c)3 humanitarian foundation in the United States.

Websites: FUN8888.com, philipSchua. com Email: scalpelpen@gmail.com (Advertising Supplement)

people & events

SF

The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - March 29, 2019

‘Mystified’ brings ‘Encantadia’s’ women...

‘Gongster’s Paradise 2019: A Stronger Kulintang Force’

SAN FRANCISCO — Divine Creative Studio in partnership with Mindanao Lilang Lilang and House of Gongs announces this year’s “Gongster’s Paradise,” a kulintang party celebrating the growing community of kulintang music in North America.

“Gongster’s Paradise: A Stronger Kulintang Force” is a 5-hour celebration of kulintang music featuring kulintang artists of different genres presenting the music in many different forms. The event will be held at Oakland Asian Cultural Center on May 4. Doors will open at 4 p.m.

Last year’s line up included SF Kulintang Project, Kulintang Academy, Little Manila, Pakaraguian Kulintang Ensemble from San Diego; DATU from Toronto, Gingee from Los Angeles, Autonomous Region, Gingee and many more.

This year’s line up will feature a new generation of Maguindanaon Master Artists from Cotabato City, Traditional groups from all over the United States and Contemporary groups from all over the world including Toronto, Philippines, Seattle, Virginia, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Official line-up will be announced on March 18.

Alongside non-stop kulintangan, “Gongster’s Paradise” will feature visual artists, vendors, and dancers to showcase movements related to kulintang music rooted from all over Mindanao. A feast will be served throughout the evening to be prepared and served by Chef Eric Pascual, rising star and owner of Eats By E and will

be joined by collaborator and sponsor, Ramar Foods.

As part of the as part of the celebrations of Asian American Heritage Month, this kulintang festival will be held at Oakland Asian Cultural Center where the father of Filipino-American Kulintang music, Danongan ‘Danny’ Kalanduyan was once an artists in residence. Soon after Kalanduyan became one with the ancestors, an army of kulintang players, kulintang teachers and kulintang communities were born embodying the music into their own repertoire.

The hope of kulintang music remained in the diaspora as the interest in the music grew into a larger community that it is now.

The goal of the event is to to celebrate the growing community of showing its capacity from traditional roots to how far artists have been able to take it in a contemporary form.

Outreach for the event will be done through social media, PCN (Pilipino College Networks) and community collaborations.

Proceeds of the event will go to Mindanao Lilang Lilang a non-profit organization to help them fund their projects to grow awareness of Kulintang music and pass it on to the next generation.

Tickets Early Bird: $35 (includes food + 1 drink) General Admissions: $40 (includes food + 1 drink) VIP: $60 (includes food, 1 drink, artist sampler bag, after party access) Student: $25 (includes food + 1 drink) ID required at the door

The Bucket List...

From Page SF3 a rare state of grace — that state when you are thoroughly convinced that God is in His heaven and all is right with the world.

Unplug and be receptive.

It is in the stillness that we find who we truly are. It is when we are quiet that we can listen

to our thoughts and perhaps, listen to that still small voice that speaks to us.

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

‘Aeta representation...

From Page SF6 she pointed out.

Others called for ABS-CBN to cast Aeta actors, citing actors such as Joan dela Cruz and Garry Cabalic of the movie “Paglipay”.

As the debate heated, actor Juan Miguel Severo gave his two cents on the issue via Twitter, March 25. “Sobrang daming layers ng isyu ng paggamit ng ‘blackface’ ng ‘MMK’ at hindi siya matutugunan at masosolusyunan ng simpleng ‘Cast aetas for aeta roles!

(There are so many layers to the issue of the use of “blackface” in “MMK” and it will not be solved with a simple “cast Aetas for Aeta roles.)’”

Severo pointed out that the casting choice was done to “reach more people” and that the show has good intentions in telling the story of an indigenous person.

However, he wondered, “Can an industry (e.g. local showbiz) that perpetuates the notion that white skin is superior really be a reliable teller of stories involving dark-skinned folks?”

Severo noted that Aetas

face other challenges and that an acting career may not be their priority. He asked, “Do they even have the ‘luxury’ to dream about building an acting career when they’re being displaced?”

He also quoted a Twitter thread of one @dardarjinx, who said there was a difference in how local “corporate media” portray indigenous people versus the United States which has a history of mocking black people with the use of blackface.

“Blackface” in the American context is not the same as painting a person with black makeup, he said.

He also said that asking for visibility of Aeta actors onscreen was not enough and that audiences should demand for “genuine and politically-correct” depictions of Aetas.

Actress Mara Lopez shared a picture on Instagram of Manap posing with her and Entrata while they were in their full dark makeup.

Meanwhile, Entrata’s fans have continued to express support for her, with many promising to watch the episode despite the backlash.

From Page SF6 According to iFlix Country Manger Sherwin dela Cruz, their team had begun meeting with “Encantadia’s” fab four as early as 2016, expressing to the Sangg’res their desire to bring the fantaserye to the new generation.

“We’ve been collaborating with [original “Encantadia” director] Mark [Reyes] and the Sangg’res from three years ago to come up with the best way to engage a new fanbase for the franchise via streaming. And with iFlix’s aim to give viewers what they want to see, we combined all the ideas together and arrived at the story of ‘Mystified’,” the executive recalled at the movie’s press launch.

Quickly following up dela Cruz’s introduction, Reyes declared, “And what you will see is a more cutting-edge production that will revive the magic of these four actresses on screen.”

Elaborating on the plot, Reyes said “Mystified” will see Zubiri, Karylle, Calzado and Dizon in a story that takes place both in the fantasy world and modern day situations. And unlike the original series where the Sang’gres relied on gems and weapons of old, the movie will see their innate powers as sorceresses.

Advertisements

“Happily, the four girls were all in on the concept because they’ve also wanted a reunion project for a long time now.

At first, I didn’t think it would happen because they’re now involved in different networks.

That was when they proposed, ‘Why not make a film?” Reyes continued. “And that was when I thought of setting up Sang’gre Productions to make this happen.”

Emotional reunion According to “Encantadia’s” women, reuniting on the set of “Mystified” turned out to be emotional for all four of them.

“I cried on our first day when I saw all of us wearing our costumes, and when they saw me crying, they all started crying too!” Dizon confessed laughing.

“It was very nostalgic and a very special moment for all of us because it’s always been our dream to have a reunion project.

“I think that besides ‘Mystified’ reuniting all of us in a project, we were emotional because we also realized that we’ve all been through so much since ‘Encantadia’,” offered Calzado.

“Nag kanya-kanya kami ng landas and life took us to different places but here we were again, doing the one thing we know best—to share our energy on set with one

‘Encantadia’s’ Sang’gres Karylle, Iza Calzado, Sunshine Dizon and Diana Zubiri are back together in ‘Mystified.’

Photo courtesy of iFlix

another.”

Zubiri in turn said she simply missed her gal pals.

“Actually, matagal ko silang hindi nakasama so ako yung pinaka naka-miss sa kanila,” she declared, adding that she has been spending more time tending to her business rather than her acting career lately. “So you can imagine na sobrang excited ako makasama silang tatlo ulit at umarte.”

Karylle, who is of course the most musical among Sang’gres, finally shared she is all the happier she can express her joy to be reunited with her friends in “Mystified’s” theme song, “Simula.”

“The song is about us in real life but also it also runs parallel to our roles in the movie. Basically, it’s about how we’ve found ourselves while staying connected to one another,” she related.

Green and go Thankfully, realizing “Mystified” was a smooth sailing process for everyone involved, most especially in casting Zubiri, Karylle, Calzado and Dizon.

There were no conflicts with their existing network contracts in appearing on iFlix so they were all given permission to do the movie without a hitch.

Reyes further said it helped that “Mystified” is neither a longterm series nor a strict remake of the movie on the side of GMA Network.

And once production started, the cast and crew — who were also mostly from the original “Encantadia” — just fell into step with one another making for a truly happy and creative reunion.

“Even if we had to endure fight and stunt trainings!” the girl chimed cheekily in ending.

SF8

The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - March 29, 2019