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APRIL 1-7, 2021

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

Volume 32 - No. 13 • 12 Pages

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White House releases new actions to DATELINE USA 26 governors, former address violence against Asian Americans US officials condemn FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

anti-Asian racism in bipartisan letter

TWENTY SIX governors, as well as several former Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) government officials, have denounced the disturbing rise in assaults and harassment toward the A API community in the United States.

Governors from 26 states and territories on March 26 issued a joint statement calling for solidarity with AAPIs and condemning the recent string of brutal racism against the community, particularly elderly Asians.

“As governors, we take pride in protecting the people of our states and territories,” the governors’ letter read, acknowledging the

by CHRISTINA

M. ORIEL

AJPress

THE White House this week announced several actions in response to the latest string of antiAsian violence and racism in the United states.

The move comes two weeks since the Atlanta mass shooting that left eight individuals dead, six of whom were Asian women, and as nearly

3,800 hate incidents have been reported across the country in the past year.

“We can’t be silent in the face of rising violence against Asian Americans. That’s why today I’m taking additional steps to respond — including establishing an initiative at the Department of Justice to address anti-Asian hate crimes,” President Joe Biden said on Twitter on Tuesday, March 30.

by RITCHEL

MENDIOLA AJPress

Fil-Am sprinter Kristina Knott wins silver in Texas to start Olympic bid

u PAGE 3

Dozens of supporters representing Asian American and Pacific Islander community organizations and businesses rallied at Chinatown Plaza in Las Vegas on Thursday, April 1 in another denunciation of the rise in anti-Asian hate since the beginning of the pandemic. Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak and first lady Kathy Sisolak appeared at the event, calling for an end to violence against the community in the state and across the country.

AJPress photo by Robert Macabagdal

MENDIOLA AJPress

FOREIGN parents of Filipino citizens who have valid visas and are traveling with them may now enter the Philippines.

The country’s Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Monday, March 29, announced the new guideline pursuant to the latest resolution issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID).

However, Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente stressed that foreign parents must be traveling with their Filipino

Pacquiao challenges perpetrators of anti-Asian attacks: ‘Fight me instead’

by AJPRESS PHILIPPINE Senator and eight-division boxing champion Manny Pacquiao is daring those committing violence against the Asian American community to challenge him instead.

The 42-year-old people’s champ took to social media on Thursday, April 1, calling for an end to anti-Asian hate and racism by posting a photo of him in front of a collage of recent hate crime victims and suspects.

The graphic, which was also translated in Tagalog, Chinese and Korean, bears the message to perpetrators:

PHILIPPINE Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. has condemned the recent brutal attack against an elderly Filipina American in New York City, saying it will influence the country’s foreign policy with the United States.

“This is gravely noted and will influence Philippine foreign policy. I might as well say it, so no one on the other side can say, ‘We didn’t know you took racial brutality against Filipinos at all seriously.’ We do,” Locsin said in a tweet on Wednesday, March 31.

A 65-year-old Fil-Am woman, identified as Vilma Kari, was walking to church in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood on Monday morning, March 29, when a man assaulted her and knocked her to the ground, as previously reported by the Asian Journal.

The unprovoked attack was captured by a CCTV camera, showing the man kicking the woman several times in the head before walking away. He reportedly told

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Foreign parents of Filipino citizens Man faces hate crime charges can now enter PH with valid visas in brutal attack of 65-year-old

by RITCHEL

Olympic hopeful Kristina Knott won a silver medal in the recent 93rd Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays in Austin, Texas.

Philstar.com file photo

u PAGE 2

Locsin: Hate crime against elderly Filipina will ‘influence’ PH foreign policy

u PAGE 4

FILIPINA American sprinter Kristina Knott bagged the silver medal in the 93rd Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays in Austin, Texas, as she begins her qualifying bid for the Tokyo Olympics.

The Fil-Am track star clocked in at 11.54 seconds, finishing behind Kiara Parker, who registered 11.20 seconds during the wom-

The actions include reinstating the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders with initial focus on anti-Asian bias and violence; funding for AAPI survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault; and forming a Department of Justice cross-agency initiative to review hate crimes and incidents.

“These attacks are wrong, un-American, and

“Stop attacking Asians who can’t defend themselves! Fight me instead.”

“We have one color in our Blood!

Stop discriminating. LOVE AND PEACE TO EVERYONE!!” he wrote in the accompanying tweet.

The Filipino victims included in the graphic are Jessica Dimalanta, a 19year-old from the Bay Area who was shot in her right eye; Noel Quintana, a 61-year-old who was slashed from cheek to cheek on the New York subway; and Danny Yuchang, a 59-yearold travel agent who was punched during his lunch break in San Francisco.

u PAGE 4

children to be able to enter the country.

“If they are traveling alone, they will not be allowed entry even if they hold valid visas as the rules provide that they must be traveling with their Philippine spouse or children,” he said in a statement.

Previously, only the foreign spouses and children of Filipinos who were traveling with them and those who hold valid visas were exempted from the travel ban, which the government imposed on all foreign nationals from March 22 to April 20.

Morente also clarified that foreign seafarers arriving via the seaports are not

Filipina in New York

by MOMAR

G. VISAYA

AJPress

THE suspect in the brazen and unprovoked attack on a 65-yearold Filipino American woman who was walking to church in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood earlier this week has been arrested.

The New York City Police Department on Wednesday, March u PAGE 2 31 said that they arrested the suspect on charges including felony assault as a hate crime for the attack. They identified the man as Brandon Elliot, 38, a parolee convicted of killing his mother in 2002.

Less than 48 hours earlier, the suspect was seen on CCTV video assaulting the victim identified as Vilma Kari, who immigrated from the Philippines decades ago, according to a New York Times interview with her daughter.

He faces two counts of assault as a hate crime, attempted assault as a hate crime, assault and attempted assault, police said.

According to the authorities, the 38-year-old Elliot was arrested in July 2002 in the Bronx for fatally stabbing his mother. He was released on lifetime parole in Senator-turned-boxer Manny Pacquiao sent a message on social media to November 2019 after serving 17 those attacking Asian Americans.

Photo from Twitter/@MannyPacquiao years in state prison.

Brandon Elliot, a 38-year-old who was out on parole for killing his mother, was arrested for violently attacking an elderly Filipina woman on Monday, March 29 in New York.

Photo courtesy of New York Police Department

In a tweet, ABC7 reporter CeFaan Kim said that Elliot was identified by residents as a local homeless person and based on tips sent to the police, he was staying in a hotel serving as a homeless shelter on West 40th Street.

Mayor Bill de Blasio called the incident among “the horrible, disgusting attacks on Asian American New Yorkers, and it’s got to

u PAGE 3

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

April 1-7, 2021 • lAS VEGAS ASiAN JOUrNAl

From The FronT Page

White House releases new...

PAGE 1 must stop,” Biden added.

Biden will reinstate and expand the White House Initiative on AAPIs and appoint a permanent director “to lead the Initiative in the coordination of policies across the federal government impacting Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities,” according to the White House fact sheet.

The group was first formed during the Clinton administration and was reestablished by later presidents.

The Department of Health and Human Services will also allocate $49.5 million from the American Rescue Plan for community based and culturally specific services and programs for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. This program will help AAPI survivors who may face additional barriers to services, such as language access.

Meanwhile, a committee within the COVID-19 Equity Task Force will address xenophobia against Asian Americans.

Tuesday’s announcement builds upon the executive order the president signed on Jan. 26, which included directives to remove language in federal actions or documents that would contribute to xenophobia and racism against the AAPI population and for the Justice Department to expand its collection of data and public reporting regarding hate incidents against community members.

The actions also come a week after Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) criticized the administration’s lack of AAPI representation on the Cabinet secretary level. Duckworth later backtracked on her pledge to block the president’s nondiverse nominees in exchange for the White House adding an AAPI senior liaison.

The DOJ’s Hate Crimes Enforcement and Prevention Initiative will focus on the rise in hate crimes and reinitiate community outreach and engagement programs and addressing gaps in hate crimes reporting.

Its hate crimes website has up-

dated information on resources and has been made accessible in Tagalog, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese.

The department on Tuesday also released a separate memo outlining plans to do a 30-day expedited review into its hate crime tracking and investigations.

Other moves planned include a research investment of $33 million from the National Science Foundation “to understand, address, and end bias, discrimination and xenophobia, including against AAPI communities” and a virtual bookshelf by the National Endowment for the Humanities, featuring federally-funded projects that explore and celebrate Asian Americans’ contributions to the U.S. The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) applauded the administration’s commitment, calling it a “powerful step towards realizing racial equity” for to AAPI and Native Hawaiian communities.

“Much of the focus is understandably in response to the surge of anti-Asian racism; however, the reestablishment of WHIAAPI and data disaggregation are critical steps for the broader community. We encourage the Administration to center Southeast Asian, South Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders in these efforts,” the organization said.

Biden, along with Vice President Kamala Harris, met with Asian American leaders in Atlanta on Friday, March 19, three days after the deadly shootings at three spas in the area.

“Whatever the motivation is, we know this: Too many Asian Americans have been walking up and down the streets and worrying, waking up each morning for the past year feeling their safety and the safety of their loved ones are at stake,” Biden said.

Thirty-two U.S. senators and 101 representatives have co-sponsored a resolution condemning anti-Asian hate following the Atlanta attacks, according to Axios.

Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) previously introduced the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act,

which addresses the rise of hate crimes and violence targeted against the AAPI community by assigning a point person at the Department of Justice to expedite the review of COVID-19-related hate crimes.

The bill would also provide support for state and local law enforcement agencies to respond to these hate crimes, and coordinating with local and federal partners to mitigate racially discriminatory language used to describe the pandemic.

The Biden administration recently urged Congress to swiftly pass the legislation.

Data released by Stop AAPI Hate — a national coalition created during the beginning of the pandemic — revealed that from March 19, 2020 to February 28, 2021, the reporting center received 3,795 firsthand incidents of racism and discrimination from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Of that number, 503 incidents took place in the first two months of 2021 alone. Women are 2.3 times more likely to report the versus men, the group also found.

Meanwhile, a new study by SurveyMonkey and AAPI Data released on Tuesday found that one in four Asian Americans (27%) and Pacific Islanders (24%) has experienced a hate incident, compared to the national average of 22%.

Other acts of racial discrimination and microaggressions were also elevated among AAPIs, including 64% of Asian Americans being asked where they are from and 27% being “encouraged to Americanize or Whiten one’s name.”

The data comes from the 2021 American Experiences with Discrimination Survey conducted online by SurveyMonkey between March 18-26 with 16,336 adult U.S. residents.

“These trends show that experiences of racial bias and hostility reported by Asian Americans emerge from a much broader environment of discrimination and racism affecting Black, Latinx, and other non-white groups in the U.S.,” said Janelle Wong, senior researcher at AAPI Data. n

COMPLIANCE CHECK. Land Transportation Office (LTO) personnel check a public utility jeepney’s compliance with minimum health and safety protocols against COVID-19, along Aurora Boulevard, Cubao, Quezon City on Thursday, April 1. Metro Manila and the adjacent provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal were placed under the most strict enhanced community quarantine from March 29 to April 4 to contain the surge in COVID-19 infections.

PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler

Foreign parents of Filipino citizens can now...

PAGE 1 prohibited from entering the country if they possess the required seaman’s visa or crew list visa.

“We welcome the exemption of foreign seafarers from the travel ban as the Philippines

is one of the countries in Asia that has opened a ‘green lane’ for these sailors,” he said.

According to BI bay service section chief Alnazib Decampong, the green lane project was launched by the government to promote the Philippines as a hub

for crew change of international maritime vessels and facilitate the free movement of sailors in the region during the pandemic.

The crew change hubs are located in the ports of Manila, Bataan, Batangas, Subic, Cebu, and Davao. n

Locsin: Hate crime against elderly Filipina...

PAGE 1 her, “You don’t belong here,” according to the police.

The CCTV also caught the building’s doorman shutting the door on the victim who sustained serious injuries and was taken to a local hospital for treatment, police said.

Locsin, in another tweet, described the attack as “enraging.”

“That’s not heartbreaking.

That’s enraging. And what goes around and kicks a lot will come around and get kicked back a lot,” he said.

He also stressed that the answer to racism “has to be police/ military, not understanding.”

“It might be noted in this context that when anti-Japanese

sentiment ran high in China, and a Filipino family mistaken for Japanese on the street were killed, it was clearly not tolerated because when it spread to Filipino factories the owner got a call from the People’s Liberation Army unit commander, ‘Just to let you know, you’re factories across China (9) are surrounded by PLA units and the Filipino barracks are likewise secure. Good morning.’

The answer to racism has to be police/military; not understanding,” said Locsin in a separate tweet.

“Racists understand only force,” he added.

For his part, Philippine Ambassador to the United States

Jose Manuel Romualdez said the Philippine Consulate in New York had been in touch with Kari.

“Our Consulate in New York is in touch with her. She’s shaken but alright so far,” he told the Philippine News Agency.

According to him, the Philippine Embassy, along with other Southeast Asian diplomats, have expressed to the White House their “strongest concern” over the surge of anti-Asian attacks in the U.S. “We have already communicated strong concern to the White House about these hate crimes. We have banded together with our Asean brothers to express the same serious concern,” said Romualdez. n

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LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • ApRIL 1-7, 2021

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Man faces hate crime charges in brutal attack... Governor Sisolak announces extension to state residential eviction moratorium PAGE 1 end and we’re going to use every tool we have.” He said it was “absolutely unacceptable” that none of the witnesses did not intervene.

The disturbing surveillance footage released by the NYPD showed the building’s doorman shutting the door on the helpless victim who sustained serious injuries.

“Look, I don’t care who you are.

I don’t care what you do, you’ve got to help your fellow New Yorker,” de Blasio said.

The building’s management company issued a statement on Instagram saying “the staff who witnessed the attack have been suspended pending an investigation in conjunction with their union” and that it was working to identify a “third-party vendor present during the incident so that appropriate action can be taken.”

“And if you see someone being attacked, do whatever you can – make noise, call out what’s happening, go and try and help immediately call for help, call 9-11,” de Blasio added. “I mean, this is something where we all have to be part of the solution. We can’t just stand back and watch a heinous act happening.”

Borough of Manhattan President Gale Brewer organized a rally on Tuesday afternoon, March 30 in front of the luxury apartment building where the attack happened.

Community leaders and elected officials led by Rep. Jerry Nadler and Asian American Federation’s JoAnn Yoo were among the speakers who expressed their disgust about the senseless violence against Asian Americans and the witnesses who just watched and did nothing.

“Damn it, I am so sick and tired

standing here demanding something to be done for my people,” an emotional Yoo said. “She is lying in the hospital right now.

We don’t know how to help her.

Everybody is reaching out to me because the community wants to stand by her.”

Yoo also mentioned the symbolism of holding the gathering in front of the building where Kari was attacked.

“We’re standing in front of the building that pretty much closed their door on a woman lying on the sidewalk. Isn’t that the perfect symbolism of what is happening right now,” she said. “We don’t want your thoughts and prayers anymore. We demand action and we demand resources so we can train volunteers to run programs to keep people safe.”

Deirdre Levy, a Filipina-Jewish special education teacher and candidate for New York’s 35th Council District, said the Monday, March 29 attack made her worry for the safety of her Filipina relatives.

“I couldn’t believe that a Filipina woman was attacked in broad daylight and told ‘You don’t belong here.’ We should never be made to feel like we don’t belong or attacked for who we are,” she told the Asian Journal. “As a Filipina American, I worry about my mom and titas as this could have happened to them. I am still trying to go by every day life as normal and would like to hone in on my self-defense skills and find ways to protect other Filipinos because we do matter and we do belong here.”

Some of New York City leaders and officials on Wednesday discussed efforts to combat antiAsian violence in an online event dubbed Stop Asian Hate.

Among the speakers was Carmelyn Malalis, Chair and Com-

missioner of the New York City Commission on Human Rights.

She expressed her feelings about how this most recent attack hit close to home.

“As a Filipino American woman myself, I couldn’t help but think that it could also happen to my mother or grandmother,” she said. “To have that experience and to see it happen, it is something. She was going to church, most Filipinos go to church daily during Holy Week.”

She described that many people, including her, found it jarring that the witnesses closed the door on the victim which is also what makes this incident stand out.

“That is definitely troubling to me, that there was a witness who closed the door and exacerbated the victim’s situation,” she said.

“And that is not who we are. That is not the New York we know and love Commissioner Malalis also talked about the recent public awareness campaign that CCHR implemented, featuring Asian and Pacific Islander New Yorkers.

Brooklyn-based artist Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya created posters which contain messages such as, “This is our home too,” “We belong here,” and, “I am not your scapegoat.”

According to the NYPD, Kari’s attacker screamed “F*** you, you don’t belong here,” as he kicked and stomped on her head multiple times.

The public art project is ongoing and Malalis said they are going to the neighborhood where Kari’s attack happened to distribute posters to the businesses in the area.

“This is a visible way to support AAPI communities and it gives voice to Asians and Pacific Islanders’ fight against anti-Asian racism and violence,” she said.

CARSON CITY - Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak announced on Tuesday, March 30 a twomonth extension to the State’s eviction moratorium, which was originally set to expire tomorrow.

The CDC announced the extension of the federal evictions moratorium yesterday. The goal of the State extension is to allow for the counties and courts to offer faster help in the forms of eviction mediation or rental assistance when notices are filed.

The state moratorium will not be extended past the end of May. “Our State is currently going through a largescale transition period as we continue to navi-

gate the ever-evolving pandemic and subsequent crises. Kids are back in school, we are in the process of transitioning mitigation authority to local governments, and people are heading back to their workplaces,” said Gov. Sisolak. “The transition process for each of these areas has been strategic—and Nevada’s housing situation is no different. We must transition out of our eviction moratorium, but do so in a way that protects tenants and landlords to the greatest extent possible.”

The Governor made the decision to extend the current eviction moratorium at the state level in order to give the counties, specifically Clark County, the

courts, and other stakeholders much-needed time to develop and implement procedures and processes to get rental assistance funds to landlords on behalf of tenants and ramp up the eviction mediation program. The Governor’s Office has been working closely with the courts, State housing, stakeholders, and Clark County to develop this plan.

The Governor was joined

by Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro and Speaker Jason Frierson; Shannon Chambers, President of the Board of Directors from Home Means Nevada; and Kevin Schiller, the Assistant County Manager for Clark County.

Bay Area Fil-Am teen recovering after being shot in the face Family alleges incident is a hate crime

by Ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

A FILIPINA American teen has been discharged from the hospital after getting shot in the face in San Francisco during an incident her family is calling a hate crime.

Jessica Dimalanta, a 19-yearold from Vallejo, California, was reportedly attending car stunt shows with four friends in San Francisco on Sunday, March 21,

when a group of men pulled up in a dark sedan and opened fire on the grey Lexus she was riding in.

Dimalanta and a 19-year-old male were hit, while their other three friends were unharmed.

The suspects fled the scene.

She was taken to UCSF Mission Bay Hospital in downtown San Francisco, and was later transferred to SF General Hospital, according to a report from Daily Mail.

Her uncle, Dexter Martin, confirmed with the Asian Journal that Dimalanta is Filipina.

He started a GoFundMe page for her, claiming that his niece was a “victim of a hate crime” for being Asian.

According to Martin, a bullet went straight through Dimalanta’s right eye.

“While doctors were able to remove the shell, fragments still are embedded in her face, and PAGE 4

Fil-Am sprinter Kristina Knott wins silver...

PAGE 1

en’s 100-meter dash event held at the University of Texas-Mike A. Myers Stadium on March 27.

Knott’s trainer, Coach Rohsaan Griffin, who has also been the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association consultant since 2016, said her season-opening stint “was not bad per se.”

“She had a few technical flaws with the race setup, and had poor execution, but nothing to panic about,” noted Griffin.

Knott, 25, currently holds the

Philippines’ national record for both the 100 meters and the 200 meters sprints.

In 2019, she broke the record set by Filipina sports legend Lydia de Vega-Mercado when she recorded a time of 23.01 seconds during the women’s 200-meter dash in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, taking home the gold medal.

Last year, she clocked in at 11.27 seconds during the Drake Blue Oval Showcase meet at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa, eclipsing the 33-year-old

record of 11.28 set by De Vega in the 1987 Jakarta SEAG. Knott is reportedly set to compete at the Pure Athletics meet in Clairemont, Florida on April 3.

She is also scheduled to see action at the Miramar Invitational in Florida on April 10, the Cardinal Meet set April 15 to 18 in Stanford, and the 10th Savona International Meeting in Savona, Italy on May 13 as she vies for a spot in the next Olympic games. (Ritchel Mendiola/ Jessica Dimalanta, 19, of Vallejo, California was shot in the right eye on March 21 in what her family is calling a racially motivated attacked.

Photo courtesy of Dexter Martin AJPress)

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April 1-7, 2021 • lAS VEGAS ASiAN JOUrNAl

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SEIU Local 1107 workers urge passing of Nevada Home Care Workforce Safety and Standards Act LAS VEGAS — Home care workers with SEIU Local 1107 testified Tuesday in support of the Nevada Home care Workforce Safety and Standards Act during a public hearing of the Health and Human Services Senate Committee.

Nevada has one of the fastestgrowing senior populations in the nation and the need for high-quality home care services in the Silver State is skyrocketing, but too many of the state’s 13,000 homecare workers are underpaid and exploited— conditions that have only worsened during the COVID19 pandemic. If Nevada doesn’t address this looming care crisis soon, thousands of more consumers will also be at risk.

The legislation would create a board made up of state health officials, disability advocates, workers and agency owners to examine the state of home care in Nevada and issue recommendations to improve the quality of care and working conditions.

“The pandemic has called attention to a dire situation that is putting workers, seniors and people with disabilities at risk. Nevada families can’t wait anymore.

Workers need this bill so we can improve working conditions and to lift the standards of care, and to make it easier for every family to receive the care they need,” said state Senator Dina Neal.

Workers urged state senators to vote in favor of the bill, which would address the shortage of quality care that seniors and people with disabilities are facing in the state. The legislation would

also make it possible for workers to seek better working conditions, training and basic benefits like paid sick leave, protective equipment and healthcare coverage.

Farren Epstein, a home care worker who is also a caregiver for her son, who is an incomplete quadraplegic, urged senators to vote in favor of Senate Bill 340 so that people with disabilities, like her son, receive the care they need at home, instead of a nursing home facility.

“I constantly feel like I am in a pressure cooker. Because I don’t make a living wage and he doesn’t get enough hours and the fear of him getting sick or choking or getting a blood clot or something else, I am always in a state of stress,” Epstein testified.

“We need more Medicaid dollars so that patients like my son can get the hours that they need to thrive. The pay structure needs to change in order to provide a living wage to retain and recruit qualified people into the industry. Personal Care Attendants should be offered health insurance and other incentives. We especially need to look at the oversight of home health care agencies. Training procedures need to be standardized and overhauled,” she said.

Workers also spoke about their experience during the pandemic, when they struggled to find personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies to keep their clients, their families and themselves safe.

“During the pandemic, I was faced with working without proper

PPE for my clients, and I was afraid of being infected and bringing COVID 19 home to my family. This bill would help make sure this doesn’t happen again to home care workers when we face future viruses or another public health crisis,” said Erma Henderson, a home care worker from Las Vegas.

“I support Senate Bill 340 because I believe we have a crisis of care in Nevada. Our home care system is broken and we need to fix it,” testified Carol Matrone, who recently retired to take care of her daughter after going through more than 40 caregivers through several years. “Why does this happen? It is caused by low pay-- right now in Nevada the median wage is only $11.07 an hour. On top of the low pay, many of the caregivers who are doing this important job face poor working conditions from their employers and inconsistency in their hours. People can’t afford to keep doing this work so they move on -- and not enough new workers are willing to sign up to make poverty wages.”

Irma Nunez, who has been a home care provider for 12 years, said passing the bill would make it easier for workers like her to get healthcare coverage. Nunez travels regularly to Mexico to get medication for her diabetes since, like most home care workers in the state, she does not get healthcare coverage through her employer and does not make enough money to buy coverage on her own. “I provide care to others but my job doesn’t give me the benefits to take care of myself,” testified Nunez.

QUEUE FOR VACCINE. Manila residents wait for their turn to be vaccinated at the Justo Lukban Elementary School in Paco, Manila on Thursday, April 1. The city government of Manila has started the inoculation of senior citizens and persons with comorbidities based on the government’s priority listing.

PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan

26 governors, former US officials condemn...

PAGE 1 long history of anti-Asian social norms and policy in the U.S. “From the Chinese Exclusion Act to the incarceration of Japanese Americans in World War II to the mistreatments of Muslims and Sikhs after 9/11, this year is part of a history of racism against the Asian American community,” the letter continued.

The 26 governors who signed the letter include Govs. Gavin Newsom of California, Steve Sisolak of Nevada, Lourdes Leon Guerrero of Guam, David Ige of

Hawaii, Phil Murphy of New Jersey and Andrew Cuomo of New York.

On the same day that the governors’ letter was released, a group of more than 70 AAPI former senior officials issued a “bipartisan call” to action to current state, local and federal government officials to address the “dramatic rise” of violence, rhetoric and discrimination toward the AAPI community.

“For all of us, it has been a great honor and privilege to serve the American public at the highest levels of the federal government, working for both Republicans and Democrats.

What is currently happening in our country is alarming, and it requires that we all stand in solidarity to protect and support the AAPI community,” the coalition of former officials wrote in the letter.

Among the officials who signed the letter included several Filipino Americans: Lelaine Bigelow, former deputy assistant secretary for congressional affairs in the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD); Irene Bueno, former special assistant to the president; Nani Coloretti, former deputy secretary of HUD; Eddy Badrina former executive director of the White House Initiative on AAPIs (WHIAAPI); Cesar Conda, former assistant to Florida senator Marco Rubio; Vic Mercado, former assistant secretary at the Dept. of Defense; Joyce Meyer, former deputy chief of staff to former House Speaker Paul Ryan; Rudy Pamintuan, former chair of the President’s Advisory Commission on AAPIs; and Francey Lim Youngberg, former deputy assistant at HUD. “We call on our political leaders to: denounce violence and

hateful rhetoric against AAPIs; to work with local, state, and national leaders and law enforcement agencies to better protect AAPIs; and to pass and fund legislation that will better support the needs of the AAPI community,” the former officials’ letter read.

As extensively covered in the Asian Journal, the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020 brought forth an concerning uptick in harassment, bias and violence against members of the massive AAPI community.

According to the social organization Stop AAPI Hate, which has been tracking reported incidents of anti-Asian hate, 2020 brought forth a 150% increase in hate incidents and hate crimes against the AAPI community.

More than 3,800 self-reported incidents have been documented of which 66% of the victims were women.

Many of the early incidents included bullying, racial epithets, verbal abuse and online harassment with a few violent incidents. But the last three months have seen a spike in incidents involving physical violence, including death.

The AAPI officials’ letter remarked on the duality of antiAsian hate and the fact that a large chunk of frontliners battling the COVID-19 pandemic in America are AAPIs. “Today, an estimated two million AAPIs serve on the front lines of our country’s battle against the COVID-19 pandemic as healthcare workers, first responders, grocery store workers, and other essential roles,” the letter read. “They risk their lives every day to save fellow Americans, but even they are not immune to this kind of bias and hate.” (Klarize Medenilla/ AJPress)

Pacquiao challenges perpetrators of...

PAGE 1 It features a photo Brandon Elliot, the suspect who attacked Vilma Kari, a Filipina on her way to church in New York on Monday, March 29. Elliot, a parolee who was previously convicted for killing his mother, was arrested two days after a video of the brutal attack went viral.

The collage also highlights Xiao Zhen Xie, a 75-year-old woman who was punched in San Francisco, but fought back by smacking him with a wooden board. She plans to donate

the nearly $1 million raised for her to organizations helping the community and combating hate.

Stop AAPI Hate, a national coalition that tracks anti-Asian American discrimination, reported that from March 19, 2020 to February 28, 2021, it has received 3,795 firsthand incidents of racism and discrimination from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Of that number, 503 incidents took place in the first two months of 2021 alone.

Bay Area Fil-Am teen recovering after being...

PAGE 1 she is unable to chew and speak without pain. She is now permanently impaired,” he wrote.

He also shared that Dimalanta was diagnosed with diabetes, and while in care, tested positive for COVID-19.

“Jessica will need medical care, is afraid for her life, and does not want to go outside because she fears something else is happening to her,” he said, adding that she will also require physical and mental therapy in the future.

Dimalanta, who recently turned 19 in March, was scheduled to start school last week to become a health care provider but is now unable to attend due to her injury.

“Jessica is the sweetest, kind, caring person with an angelic voice, loves to sing and spend time with her family. She helps her single mother take care of her younger siblings, nieces, and nephews. She did not deserve to have to suffer like this. No one deserves this at all,” wrote Martin.

He also condemned the surge in violence against Asians in the United States, calling for an end to hate and racism.

“We also want to bring awareness to the anti-Asian violence and racism that is evolving around us. Let’s please work together to stop senseless violent hate crimes and continue to take care of one another. We are praying for past and current victims of these crimes, and hope we can move toward a safer and more inclusive society,” said Martin.

In an update posted on Saturday, March 27, he said Dimalanta has been discharged but is currently in quarantine.

“It’s been very tough for our family, currently and still processing the events. Our primary focus right now is my niece’s recovery, beating COVID and her well being. As one would expect, she is very traumatized and needs her space to heal as well,” Martin said.

The GoFundMe page has since raised over $63,000 to help with Dimalanta’s recovery. n

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APRIL 1-7, 2021 • LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL

OPINION

Back to ECQ

FEATURES

AFTER rejecting proposals for a “circuit breaker lockdown” or a “one-time, bigtime” two-week lockdown coinciding with the Holy Week break to stop the COVID surge, the government has reverted the National Capital Region and four adjacent provinces to the strictest enhanced community quarantine.

ECQ in the so-called “NCR-Plus bubble” began on Monday, March 29, dampening for the second straight year the observance of the traditional Holy Week rituals as all religious gatherings are completely banned. The ECQ, although slightly more relaxed than the original last year, dashed hopes of the battered travel industry and related enterprises in the hospitality sector for the start of business revival coinciding with the Holy Week break.

In imposing ECQ, the government is reportedly aiming for a 25 percent reduction in daily COVID cases, which stood at 9,586 last March 27, bringing the total infections to 712,000 – the highest in the Western Pacific. There is a possibility that if the surge continues, the ECQ may be extended, with further tightening of restrictions.

This return to ECQ must prompt a review of the initial response to the spread of more infectious COVID variants. Even as several NCR mayors were calling it a surge and pointing out at the start of the month that the speed of infection was unusually rapid, the government insisted that the culprit was mainly lax compliance with the minimum health protocols, fueled in part by the arrival of COVID vaccines.

With the agonizingly slow vaccine rollout, it could take a year before inoculation targets are achieved for herd immunity. Meanwhile, the virus keeps mutating, with the variants showing varying degrees of virulence. Protocols need to be refined to contain highly infectious variants. Or else the country will find itself reverting over and over to the strictest ECQ. (Philstar.com)

Editorial

The Fil-Am Perspective GEL SANTOS-RELOS FOR the second year in a row, we are still in calvary, carrying the load of our cross brought by the escalating threat of the coronavirus pandemic.

We thought it would be over by now. Some died still in denial that the pandemic even existed.

But no matter how much we cry, complain or despair about it, we all know it was real and is still upon us.

As if the news about the deaths in different parts of the world since 2020 was not enough, hearing and reading about the fear and loss in our own families and friends break our hearts even more, especially if we lose our loved ones ourselves.

The pandemic also disrupted the lives and livelihoods of many

Philstar.com photo

COVID-19 is the cross we continue to carry this Holy Week. How do we move toward resurrection? of us and shattered so many dreams. Many continue to feel powerless, angry, and desperate because, for many, there is no end in sight.

We are fortunate here in the United States because under the Biden administration, we are now more than achieving the goal of vaccinating most Americans. The medical frontlines and essential workers, senior citizens and those with high-risk medical conditions were given priority. Those who are 50 and above will be next in line by April 1 in California.

Younger ones, 16 and above, will be scheduled for vaccination beginning April 16. By May 1, there will be vaccine supply for all adults in America.

However, it is a different case for kababayans in the Philip-

pines, who include my own family. No one among them has been vaccinated. Not even the medical front liners have been protected because of issues in the supply of vaccines.

This Holy Week and every day of our lives, when we realize that we have no full control over this crisis, we can only hold on to our faith in God to continue choosing hope over despair.

Pope Francis reminded us on March 27: “Why are you afraid?

Have you no faith?” (Mk 4:3541). We have realized we are on the same boat, all of us fragile and disoriented, but at the same time important and needed, all of us called to row together”.

In his homily on Palm Sunday, Pope Francis said: “God is at our side in every affliction, in every fear; no evil, no sin will

ever have the final word. God triumphs, but the palm of victory passes through the wood of the cross. For the palm and the cross are inseparable.”

During these most difficult trying times, let us remember that “This, too, shall pass.”

But for us to move from the palm to Good Friday to Resurrection on Easter Sunday, we are called to remember that God is in control. And even as God sent His only begotten Son to save us from our sins, our Savior Jesus Christ humbled Himself, carried His cross so He could rise again in three days on Easter for our salvation.

Our true salvation is in living in the Way, the Truth and the Life of Jesus.

As we carry the cross in our own Calvary during the

test of faith in this pandemic, let us remember that as Jesus had to die in the cross, we are called to die to ourselves, our sins of selfishness, and begin thinking not just of our own needs, caprices, liberties, conveniences, and yes, not just of our own lives but the lives of our brothers and sisters, of mankind.

Easter Sunday will come as we all do our share in willfully submitting ourselves to the safety measures — mask up, practice physical distancing, avoid crowds, wash our hands, and get vaccinated.

We all need to remember we are in one boat together, and we all need to row this both together in harmony, and in faith to protect our lives and the lives of others. The sooner we get our

act of faith together, the faster we go ashore to safety and the life of normalcy and abundance as God promised.

Have a meaningful Holy Week. God bless us all. See you all on Easter! *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.

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

The world needs 3.5 billion vaccine doses today, not tomorrow Babe’s Eye View AMBASSADOR B. ROMUALDEZ MORE than nuclear proliferation, territorial disputes, trade imbalance between economic giants and all other issues that can be controlled by man, what all nations should be concentrating on with a greater sense of urgency is the “state of war” the world is in – battling an enemy that cannot be seen which continues to ravage the world, a virus that seems to continue mutating into variants every single day.

While the United States has made significant headway in its vaccination rollout, with 130 million shots having been administered and 14 percent of the population already fully vaccinated, the administration of President Joe Biden needs to start looking ahead and take the lead in putting into motion a worldwide summit on how to end this “war.” Major countries like China, Russia, India, Great Britain and Germany that have the capacity to manufacture effective vaccines should band together to produce 3.5 billion doses as quickly as possible.

Scientists have already declared that at least 70 percent of the global population needs to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity. Which is why during our scheduled meeting tomorrow with White House advisers and my fellow ASEAN ambassadors in Washington, we plan to urge the United States in leading the world on how to put together the urgent

need for 3.5 billion doses. Time is of the essence.

Reports about recurring high cases of infections with increasing number of deaths in many countries have been alarming, to say the least. A clear example is Brazil with over 12.3 million cases of infection and close to 300,000 deaths recorded. Last Thursday, Brazil saw a record number of new cases of infection in one day at over 100,000 and over 3,200 deaths in a single day, ushering in a second wave described as worse than the first. Even more worrisome for medical authorities is the increasing number of young people getting severely ill and dying from COVID-19.

Scientists have also noted new, more dangerous variants of the virus with multiple mutations. In a genome sequencing done to a patient who has been hospitalized for two months, it was discovered that he has been hosting at least six different coronavirus variants. The more variants, the less effective the vaccines will be.

India has also been badly hit, with close to 12 million cases of infection, making it the third highest after the U.S. and Brazil. India has been seeing a significant spike in infections, with over 60,000 new cases reported last Friday – making it the highest single-day rise since last October. What’s even more worrisome is the possible emergence of a “double mutant” variant – meaning two mutations coming together in the same variant – that could be more infectious or less susceptible to vaccines.

The record spike in infections has also resulted in the decision of India to temporarily stop major exportation of the

AstraZeneca vaccines made by the Serum Institute of India – the world’s biggest vaccine manufacturer – until the situation in India stabilizes. Obviously, the authorities want to ensure that domestic demand for the vaccines is met first before allowing the vaccines to be exported to other countries such as the UK, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Brazil. Naturally, this development would also impact the supply of vaccines through the COVAX Facility that many countries are also relying on for their vaccination programs.

The shortage in the supply of vaccines is really a dilemma that countries are facing. Vietnam for example is also having supply issues, which is why it is looking at other sources for the vaccines such as AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, Sinovac and Sputnik V. While Vietnam is set to produce its own vaccine, pharmaceutical companies are still in the research and trial stages.

With the US set to achieve its goal of making every American adult eligible for vaccination

by May 1, vaccine doses will hopefully be more available to the rest of the world. The U.S., after all, has the largest manufacturing capacity and capability. For our part, we are pushing for U.S. authorities to allow an earlier delivery for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines that we ordered.

As my ASEAN diplomatic colleagues said during our internal meetings, we need those vaccines today – not tomorrow – and the plan to have one billion vaccines available by 2022 may be too late. Obviously, nations that do not have the capacity to manufacture their

COVID JAB. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III inspects the syringe he would use to administer a COVID-19 vaccine to a senior citizen as San Juan City rolls out the vaccination for the elderly and adults with comorbidities on Tuesday, March 30 at the Filoil Flying V Centre (San Juan Arena). Looking on are San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora (partly hidden) and Vice Mayor Warren Villa (2nd from left).

PNA photo by Joey O. Razon

own vaccines have no choice but to wait for their turn at delivery, which is why we are calling on countries that have developed – or are still developing – vaccines to share their science and their technology perhaps through licensing agreements.

It should no longer be about money; it’s about saving mankind. No matter what the ideologies of these nations are – U.S., China, Russia, India, even the European Union – that have the capacity to

ramp up vaccine production, they all must collaborate and come up with the 3.5 billion vaccine doses needed urgently because the virus keeps on mutating. We all know it would likely take years to completely eradicate this deadly virus.

Time is not on our side – the whole world has to get its act together to deal with this deadly pandemic. They must pool their resources, set aside geopolitical issues for now and stop the blaming and finger pointing. As one Fil-American

doctor put it succinctly with characteristic Filipino wry humor: “We should focus on staying alive first and getting the vaccines. Otherwise, there will be no one left to play the blame game. We’ll all be dead.” *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.

*** Email: babeseyeview@gmail.com

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

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D ateline PhiliPPines Duterte warns of ‘bleak months’

7

ahead amid rising COVID cases in PH

by Ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte admitted he is struggling to address the pandemic in the country, particularly in securing vaccines against COVID-19.

“I’m having a hard time. I’m grappling with the issue of COVID,” he said in a pre-recorded public address on Monday, March 29.

“It takes most of my time actually. More than any other papers, it’s the COVID that is taking my time or most of my time looking for ways and kung ano na ang nangyayari doon sa labas kung saan tayo makakuha (where we can supply),” he added.

According to him, procuring vaccines is hard, making him feel like he is “passing through purgatory.”

“Hay buhay. Kung alam lang ninyo... Para akong dumadaan ng purgatoryo ngayon at this time hanggang hindi matulungan ang lahat ng Pilipino (Oh, life. If you only knew... I’m like passing through purgatory at this time until I am able to help all Filipinos),” said Duterte.

“That is how hard it is para makakuha lang talaga tayo...

Gusto ko na ngang umiyak sa harap ninyo pero naubos na ang luha ko (That is how hard it is for us to get vaccines... I want to cry in front of you but I have run out of tears),” he added.

Duterte warned the public of “bleak months,” due to the tight global supply of vaccines.

“We want to buy, we have money, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank said, ‘OK, we will lend you.’

The money is made available to us. I suppose that is what the bank has told our people. The problem is it’s not enough,” he said.

“So we expect a very, not really a dark future, but we expect bleak months... baka mahawa ka nga eh. Ang problema mahawa ka (You might get infected. The problem is if you get infected),” he added.

The Philippines has so far received 2.5 million vaccines against COVID-19, including the additional one million Sinovac jabs from China that arrived in the country on Monday.

Duterte asked for everyone’s

patience and understanding as the government tries its best to get “the vaccine from anywhere.”

“Stretch your patience and be understanding a bit. We are doing our best. We are not a vaccine-producing country.

We do not have the expertise, we do not have the knowledge, medical-scientific knowledge.

So we are waiting,” he said.

“I would be the last person, ako ang pinakahuling tao dito sa Pilipinas na magpapahirap sa Pilipino (I would be the last person who would inflict suffering on Filipinos). If only I had the power, kung nandiyan lang sa akin ‘yong poder na like a magic wand na maalis kaagad itong problema natin, mawala, gagawin ko (like a magic wand to make this problem vanish, I’ll do it),” he added Over the weekend, he placed Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) until April 4 following the spike in COVID-19 cases in the country.

To date, there are a total of 747,288 COVID-19 cases in the Philippines, with 13,297 fatalities and 603,746 recoveries. n

Filipino priest develops oral, yeast-based COVID-19 vaccine

by Kathleen

a. lleMit

Philstar.com

MANILA — A Filipino priest and scientist is developing an oral, yeast-based vaccine against COVID-19 and its many variants.

Fr. Nicanor Austriaco has been working on the vaccine since last year. A molecular biologist and visiting professor at the University of Santo Tomas, the Dominican priest shared his proposed yeast vaccine delivery system during a virtual lecture last December.

Speaking to UST’s universitywide paper, The Varsitarian, Fr. Austriaco said that once developed, the oral vaccine will be something “like Yakult” that anyone can drink everyday.

With the use of the probiotic yeast, his team will genetically modify it to induce immune system response against the virus, he told News5 in December.

The priest-scientist, who holds a PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has said in several interviews that he aims to develop the vaccine in oral form so that it could reach as many people, even as far away as boondocks. He also sees it as a means to lessen the risk of exposure or contact. He even said that since yeast can be stored at room temperature, refrigeration is not necessary for his proposed

Fr. Nicanor Austriaco is a molecular biologist and visiting professor at the University of Santo Tomas.

Photo from Facebook/Nicanor Austriaco OP

vaccine.

“You don’t need a doctor, you don’t need a nurse, you don’t need an injector, you don’t need a refrigerator. For our country, with more than 7,000 islands, millions of Filipinos in the bundok, how will you deliver the vaccine to them?” Fr. Austriaco said in an interview with GMA News Online.

“This yeast delivery system is very stable. You can put it in a box and you can carry it with you, take it on the boat, take it on

the Babuyan islands without refrigerators,” he added.

He said that he does not expect for this vaccine to be as 100% effective as the vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna but hopes it will “provide enough protection” so that Filipinos will not have to go to the hospital.

In the same interview, the priest-scientist shared that he and the team will conduct tests on mice at UST and estimated that the results of the study will be out by December this year. n

SWS: 73% of Filipinos believe religion is very important

by Keith

calayag ManilaTimes.net

MAJORITY of Filipinos consider religion as very important in their lives, a recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey revealed.

According to the survey conducted from November 21 to 25 last year, 73% of adult Filipinos said religion was very important.

The latest figure is 10 points below the record 83% in December 2019 and 4 points above the 69% in June 2019.

Some 9% said religion was somewhat important, 3% said it was not very important and 15% said it was not important at all.

The survey found that 46% attended religious services every week, 25% attended monthly and 27% attended occasionally.

The remaining 1% said they nev-

er attended religious services.

In the 2019 survey, 44% said they attended religious services weekly, 34% attended monthly, 21% attended occasionally and 1% said they never attended religious services.

The survey found that 56% attended services in places of worship, 24% watched services online or on television, and 5% both attended in person and watched online or on TV. The remaining 14% did not participate in any religious service in the past three months.

Compared to the December 2019 poll, the November survey showed that the%age of those who consider religion as very important fell slightly among Catholics, from 84% to 71%.

There was a similar drop among other Christians, from 78% to 71%.

SWS defines other Christians as members of faiths other than Roman Catholic and Iglesia ni Cristo.

The drop among Muslims was hardly discernible, moving from 94% to 93%.

It rose among Iglesia ni Cristo members, from 69% to 88%.

The%age of those who regard religion as very important is highest in Mindanao (88%), followed by Metro Manila and Balance Luzon (70% each), and the Visayas (64%).

Compared to December 2019, the number of those who said religion was very important fell in the Visayas, down from 85%; in Balance Luzon, down from 82%; and in Metro Manila, down from 81%.

It hardly changed in Mindanao, moving from 85% in December 2019 to 88% in November 2020. n

Foremer President Joseph Estrada

Philstar.com file photo

Ex-President Joseph Estrada hospitalized with COVID-19

by Ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

FORMER Philippine President Joseph “Erap” Ejercito Estrada has tested positive for COVID-19.

In a Facebook post, former Senator Jinggoy Estrada announced Monday, March 29, that his father was rushed to the hospital and was diagnosed with the virus.

“Nais ko pong ipaalam sa inyo na ang aking ama, na si dating pangulong Joseph Estrada, ay isinugod namin sa ospital kagabi sa kadahilanan ng panghihina ng kanyang katawan (I want to inform you that my father, former President Joseph Estrada, was rushed to hospital last night due to body weakness),” he said.

“Na-diagnose na po siya na positibo sa COVID-19 (He was diagnosed to be positive for COVID-19),” he added.

Jinggoy assured that his father was in a stable condition and asked everyone for prayers.

“Stable po ang kanyang kundisyon at ako po ay humihingi ng inyong mga panalangin

sa kanyang agarang paggaling.

(His condition is stable and I am asking for everyone’s prayers for his recovery),” he said.

Estrada’s other children also posted about their father’s condition on Twitter.

“Please pray for my father who has tested positive for COVID-19 and was rushed to the hospital. Please pray for all those who are likewise fighting this virus,” said former Senator JV Ejercito.

“Our dad, former president Joseph Estrada, tested positive for COVID-19. He’s now confined in a hospital and is in stable condition. Please pray for his recovery and the recovery of everyone affected by the virus,” actor Jake Ejercito said in another tweet.

Estrada, 83, served as the country’s president from 1998 to 2001 until he was ousted after a series of protests on EDSA held from January 16 to 20, 2001 amid his trial for plunder charges.

He was convicted of plunder in 2007, but his successor former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo pardoned him.

Estrada also served as mayor

SOUTHERN NEVADA REGIONAL HOUSING AUTHORITY Procurement Dept.

340 N. 11TH Street, Las Vegas, NV 89101

INVITATION FOR BID ROOF RECOATING @HARRY LEVY GARDENS 2525 W. WASHINGTON, LV NV 89106 SNRHA CONTACT PERSON(S) ONLY: Note: Contact with any other SNRHA staff other than the named within this document is prohibited and will result in your Proposal being rejected. This also includes contact with SNRHA’s Residents and Board of Commissioners.

Wanda Beckett, Contract Administrator Telephone: (702) 477-3145 TDD: (702) 387-1898 Email: Procurement@snvrha.org –orLinda Price Simpson, Contract Administrator Telephone: (702)477-3144 Procurement@snvrha.org

HOW TO OBTAIN THE SOLICITATION DOCUMENTS ON THE APPLICABLE INTERNET SITES:

All bidders must be registered on the Nevada Government eMarketplace https://www.ngemnv.com/ to obtain the solicitation and to participate in the bidding process.

This IFB is also available for download only from the Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority website: SNVRHA.org website.

PRE-BID MEETING & SITE WALK: Bidders should bring a ladder to access the roof.

APRIL 7, 2021 @ 10:00 a.m. via CONFERENCE CALL Microsoft Teams Meeting +1 323-406-1159 Conference ID: 801 973 443# Site Walk following the Pre-Bid Meeting at @11:30am Meet outside the office: HARRY LEVY GARDENS 2525 W. WASHINGTON AVENUE Las Vegas, NV 89106

QUESTION & ANSWER DEADLINE

April 20, 2020 @ 10:00 am All questions and points of clarification must be submitted through: Nevada Government eMarketplace https://www.ngemnv.com/ -oremailed directly to SNRHA at Procurement@snvrha.org by the deadline date noted above.

SOLICITATION SUBMITTAL RETURN & DEADLINE:

Cost Proposal must be entered in NGEM https://www.ngemnv.com/ - and - Deliver Hard Copy Proposal to: Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority Procurement Department 340 N. 11th Street, Las Vegas, NV 89101

Cost Proposal must be submitted in NGEMnv.gov; Hard copy proposal with the required documentation is due on the same date and time noted;

RICE FOR LIFE. A worker unloads sacks of rice for delivery along Kaliraya Street, Quezon City on Maundy Thursday, April 1. It’s business as usual in the food and delivery services despite the Enhanced Community Quarantine status in Metro Manila, and the provinces of Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna, and Cavite.

PNA photo by Joey O. Razon

of the city of Manila from 2013 to 2019.

Palace extends ‘get well’ wishes Malacañang on Tuesday, March 30, expressed hope that Estrada would recover soon from COVID-19.

“We wish former President Erap Estrada to please get well soon. Alamat po kayo dito sa Pilipinas (You are a legend in the Philippines),” said Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque.

“We want to see you healthy and we want you to take part in the public life of the country for a very long period of time. Pagaling po kayo (You get well), President Erap Estrada,” he added.

Arroyo likewise extended well wishes for her predecessor’s recovery.

“I wish to extend my warmest wishes for a speedy recovery to former President Joseph Ejercito Estrada and all those battling COVID-19. You are in my thoughts and prayers,” she said in a statement.

To date, there are a total of 741,181 COVID-19 cases in the country, with 13,191 fatalities and 603,310 recoveries. n

Bid Submission Deadline: May 5, 2021 @ 10:00 a.m.

Submit two (2) Hard copy proposals per IFB instructions.

All proposals are to be submitted in a sealed package or box.

8

April 1-7, 2021 • lAS VEGAS ASiAN JOUrNAl

Dateline PhiliPPines

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

China projects in PH found Philippine tourism sites, DOT secure nominations at Asia Edition riddled with secretive conditions of 2021 World Travel Awards by iAn

niColAs CigARAl Philstar.com

MANILA — Contracts for three China-funded projects under the Philstar.com Duterte administration’s infrastructure program were found MANILA —The Philippines riddled with highly secretive conand the Department of Tourism ditions that give Beijing undue were once again included in the advantage in debt settlement. list of nominees for the 2021 The Kaliwa Dam Project, ChiWorld Travel Awards Asia Edico River Pump Irrigation Projtion. ect, and technical assistance for “I am very excited to share with the Philippine National Railway you that, once again, the organiz(PNR) South Long Haul Project ers of the WTA have shortlisted were among the 100 Chinese the DOT and the Philippines for contracts worth $36.3 billion anmultiple awards under the Asia alyzed by researchers and found category of its annual program, to contain grossly disadvantawhich is now on its 28th run this geous provisions against 24 de2021,” Tourism Secretary Bernaveloping economies. dette Romulo-Puyat shared.

These “Build, Build, “In addition to our efforts to Build” projects were cumulativeexpand the source markets for ly worth $493.08 million. the Philippines and prepare for The findings were contained the eventual relaxation of our in an 85-page report drawn up travel restrictions, we also put

by AidData, a research unit at equal importance in maintaining the William & Mary’s Global Rethe country’s image as a top-ofsearch Institute, together with the mind destination among internaKiel Institute for the World Econtional travelers through the help omy, Center for Global Developof notable industry platforms ment and the Peterson Institute such as the WTA,” she added. for International Economics.

The Philippines secured two While the Philippines overall nominations this year— Asia’s is minimally leveraged to China Leading Beach Destination and — only 0.002% of state debt last Asia’s Leading Dive Destination, year came from Beijing — overwhile the DOT was nominated all liabilities have increased over as the region’s Leading Tourist the past year due to pandemic Board. costs, and liabilities from alreadyCebu was also shortlisted unsigned China loans are only addder the Asia’s Leading Wedding ing to the burden.

None of the 3 projects named in the report is completed, hit by construction delays not only emanating from the health we are brothers and sisters.) crisis, but also opposition from

by CuRRie CAtoR While ushering in the Holy grassroots and those that worManilaTimes.net Week is not the same for Filipi- ried about President Rodrigo ONE of the best ways to show nos for the second time around Duterte’s cozying up to China. love for one another in these trybecause of the coronavirus Five years into this however, ing times is to call for effective disease 2019 (COVID-19) pan- there are little economic gains to governance, said Vice President demic, Robredo highlighted that dangle, and the persistent threat Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo it does not lose its true essence on Maundy Thursday, April 1. and meaning. Rather, it is a “In this time of pandemic, chance to “revive our faith and love means doing everything we renew our hopes.” can to protect the person next “We all feel grief at loss and sufto us from infection,” she said fering, but we also find hope that in her Holy Week message. “It life will always prevail over death, means spreading correct inforthat good will always win over evil, by ChRistiAn CRow MAghAnoy mation about the virus and the that light will always shine amidst ManilaTimes.net vaccines. It means calling for efthe darkness,” she said.

AT least 13 local officials have fective pandemic governance. It “Sa panahon ngayon ng panPhilippine Vice President Leni Robredo means helping those in need.” gamba, ng maraming banta sa been asked by the Department OVP photo Quoting Pope Francis, Robreating kaligtasan at paraan ng pa- of the Interior and Local Governdo added that love is the “most “Ang pagpapabaya sa isa ay mumuhay, para bang napakahi- ment (DILG) to explain why they effective tool in building a bet- pagpapabaya sa lahat, at ang rap makahanap ng pagkukunan were vaccinated out of turn for ter world: the better normal that pag-angat ng mga nasa laylayan ng pag-asa. Pero pinapaalala the coronavirus disease 2019.

DILG Undersecretary Epiwe all dream about — a fairer, ay pag-angat din ng lahat,” said sa’tin ng mga Mahal na Araw na more just, and more humane so- the Vice President. “Sama-sama nakatahi mismo sa pagkatao na- maco Densing III said during a television interview on Wednesciety.” ang pagsulong dahil itinuturing tin ang pag-asa,” she added.

Robredo underscored that the nating kapatid ang bawat isa.”

(Amid fears, and threats to day, March 31 the 11 mayors, challenges brought about by the (Neglecting one is neglecting our safety and livelihood, it may one governor and one councilor crisis are binding experiences everybody, and lifting up those be difficult for many of us to find got their shots despite not beand opportunities for Filipinos who are at the hem of society hope. But this Holy Week, we ing medical frontliners, the first to help each other and contrib- is lifting up all of us. We should are reminded that hope is within group prioritized for inoculation.

Only Mayor Noel Rosal of Leute to the greater good. move forward together because all of us.) gazpi City has responded to the DILG’s show-cause order, Densing said.

The DILG was also validating reports and photos showing other local officials, including barangay chiefs, who had been inoculated, he said.

Mayors who are senior citizens are authorized to receive their shots now that the vaccination of the elderly has begun, Densing said.

In Metro Manila, the vaccination effort has picked up momentum.

On Thursday, April 1 the Manila city government said it was midway in its target of inoculating persons with underlying conditions.

Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso said as of Wednesday night, 6,137 persons with comorbidities were inoculated, more than half of the city’s ‘LUGAW’ IS ESSENTIAL. A server pours “lugaw” (rice porridge) at an eatery along Scout Ybardolaza Street, Barangay Sacred Heart, Quezon initial target of vaccinating some City on Thursday, April 1. The government clarified that the delivery of rice porridge and other food items is essential, following a viral video 10,500 persons in that category. of a female village employee who intercepted a delivery rider at a quarantine checkpoint saying that rice porridge is a non-essential item.

“I am happy that we are PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler achieving growth in terms of

by Rosette

Adel

Destination category.

On the other hand, Intramuros remains to be a nominee for Asia’s Leading Tourist Attraction since it is the title holder for the same award in both the World and Asia categories in WTA last year. title holder for both the Asia and World Leading Tourist Attraction categories in 2020, WTA, established in 1993, is one of the most prestigious and comprehensive global recognition bodies that aims to “acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all key sectors of the travel, tourism and hospitality industries.”

How to vote This year, the public and travel industry stakeholders can vote for the Asia-WTA nominees until August 16. The voting period started March 30.

Votes by regular users count as one, while votes cast by travel industry voters count as two.

To vote, the DOT said online users should register to create an account on the WTA portal: https://www.worldtravelawards. com/nominees/2021/asia. using a valid e-mail address.

“After an e-mail verification, registrants will be able to cast their votes. Additionally, users who are members of the travel

industry have the option to apply for an upgraded WTA account by providing additional details such as company name and association number upon registration and fulfilling the minimum requirement of ten votes,” the DOT said.

Puyat encouraged Filipinos to vote for Philippine nominees.

“On behalf of the DOT, I am enjoining the support of our industry stakeholders, and Filipino and foreign travelers to support the Philippines in the 2021 WTA. By casting our votes, we can show that the Philippine tourism industry is alive and even more determined to bounce back, despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said.

Last November, Philippines’ dive sites and famed walled city Intramuros were hailed World’s Leading Dive Destination and World’s Leading Tourist Attraction in 2020, respectively.

The following country’s tourism gems were also nominated for the respective WTA categories last year : • World’s Leading Beach Destination 2020: Philippines • World’s Leading Island Destination 2020: Siargao • World’s Leading Tourist Board 2020: the Philippines, Department of Tourism n

Robredo: ‘Love means calling for effective governance’

EMPLOYMENT

of a debt trap— no matter how unlikely— is consistently re-surfacing.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, whose agency manages official development assistance, did not respond to request for comment. Former socioeconomic planning chief Ernesto Pernia, under whose term these contracts were signed, also did not respond.

Confidentiality The report said that all China-funded ventures from 2014, which inevitably included the 3 local projects in 2018 and 2019, contained confidentiality clauses.

The terms prohibit the disclosure of contracts to anyone and had been a source of worry In 2019 for many lawmakers who pressured government to divulge contract details. The finance department, in response, managed to win concessions from the Chinese that allowed making public the loans.

Full payment ensured But problems go beyond confidentiality, according to the latest report. In the $211.2 million Kaliwa Dam project for instance, the Philippines was mandated to funnel “profit accruing from the Project…to repay the principal and interest” in the Chinese loan used to build it. The dam’s construction has dragged due to concerns it would damage the environment and tribal lands.

It appears however that this is a counterpart provision to tighter ones found in other contracts that mandated opening a bank account with sufficient balance for repayment at all times.

On top of these, in the three Philippine projects as well are “cross-default clauses” that trigger full repayment of Chinese loans if and when the Philippines

defaults in any foreign debts even from different creditors. For Kaliwa Dam and Chico River Irrigation, the trigger will activate if outsider debts worth at least $25 million get unpaid, while a bigger $100 million was set for PNR South Railway.

This clause ensures that China is guaranteed automatic full payment even when the borrower is supposedly already encountering difficulties paying up other obligations.

“A commercial cross-default clause helps protect creditors from falling behind in the payment queue,” it said.

“They adapt legal and financial engineering tools—some new and others over a century old—to protect their investments and climb the ‘seniority ladder,’ potentially gaining repayment advantage over other creditors,” the report said.

Worse, Chinese loans may not be restructured. They are exempted under the Paris Club, a group of large creditor countries that aim to ease the burden of indebtedness among their borrowers. While China is indeed not a member of the club, it is a G-20 country, and being committed to help poor but eligible borrower countries ease their debt load.

This provision runs counter to that obligation.

“Several contracts with Chinese lenders contain novel terms, and many adapt standard commercial terms in ways that can go beyond maximizing commercial advantage,” the report said.

“Some of the debt contracts in our sample could pose a challenge for multilateral cooperation in debt or financial crises, since so many of their terms run directly counter to recent multilateral commitments, long-established practices, and institutional policies,” it said. n

Governor, 11 mayors probed for vaccine line-jumping

SERVICES

vaccination,” Domagoso said during his social media address.

“Please continue to support your city government’s efforts and the national government’s goal of vaccinating people.”

Domagoso said Manila has administered 28,247 shots, including 13,730 shots for medical frontliners — with 302 frontliners getting their second dose of CoronaVac— 8,380 senior citizens, and 6,137 people with underlying conditions.

In Pasay City, 700 persons with comorbidities have received their Covid shots, according to a statement the city government sent to The Manila Times on Thursday.

“For those who haven’t had their shots, don’t worry because we have incoming vaccines from the national government aside from the AstraZeneca [vaccines] that we ordered,” Mayor Imelda Calixto-Rubiano said in the statement.

The Pasay government aims to jab 1,640 individuals from different priority groups this week, after inoculating 8,095 health workers.

Under government guidelines those in the “comorbidity” category should present evidence of their condition, such as medical certificates not more than 18 months, doctors’ prescriptions not more than six months, and hospital or surgical records.

Local governments have administered Sinovac’s CoronaVac for medical frontliners and persons with underlying conditions aged 18 to 59, while AstraZeneca shots were prioritized for senior citizens.

SERVICES

Be vigilant Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go reminded Filipinos to maintain discipline, remain vigilant, and cooperate with the government in the face of rising COVID-19 infections.

Go also urged concerned government agencies to double down on their efforts to ease the burden on the public health system amid the COVID spike.

“We need to double our efforts to reduce further the waiting time for patients needing urgent treatment or admission, provide faster medical transport and patient pick-up, and facilitate much-improved use of critical care services in our health facilities,” he said.

Go, the chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, called on all agencies involved in the One Hospital Command system to intensify interventions and maximize resources for a more effective and efficient health facility referral system in Metro Manila and other critical areas in the country.

He also asked the national government and local government units to expand and improve the available quarantine and isolation facilities to lift the caseload in hospitals.

“While we exert efforts to improve the capacity and capabilities of our healthcare services, we also need to reiterate to our people that prevention is better than cure,” said Go. Despite the low 1.8-percent COVID fatality rate in the country and 98.2% of the cases being mild or asymptomatic, Go said the people must remain vigilant. n

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‘Godmother of the Philippine revolution’: The life of Gliceria Marella de Villavicencio as told by her great-great-granddaughter by

Christina M. Oriel / AJPress

IN February 2020, Los Angeles-based social worker Maxie Villavicencio Pulliam took a trip to the Philippines to help with relief operations following the Taal Volcano eruption.

While in Taal, Batangas, where her mother’s side of the family hails from, Villavicencio Pulliam noticed a main road and a monument dedicated to her great-great-grandmother: Gliceria Marella de Villavicencio, an unsung heroine regarded as the “godmother of the Philippine revolutionary forces.”

That moniker was bestowed upon her by General Emilio Aguinaldo on the same day that the Philippine Republic was proclaimed on June 12, 1898.

Growing up, Villavicencio Pulliam never fully grasped why the family’s ancestral home was opened as a museum for the public to visit.

She later uncovered her greatgreat-grandmother’s storied past and revolutionary ties. Casa Villavicencio was once the secret meeting spot of Filipino revolutionary leaders, such as Andres Bonifacio, General Miguel Malvar and General Eleuterio Marasigan.

“If I don’t know this as her de-

scendant, how much more painful is it to be part of the Taal community and see this name all over the place, but you don’t actually know what she did or who she was?” Villavicencio Pulliam told the Asian Journal.

For the next year, partly due to more free time on her hands during the pandemic, Villavicencio Pulliam set out to write a book about her great-greatgrandmother who financially supported the Filipinos’ fight for freedom from colonial rule.

Because two books on her ancestor were out of print, she used translated letters, interviews from extended family members, and online articles to start drafting a story, and attempted to pitch it to literary agents in the U.S. and two publishing houses in the Philippines.

After experiencing rounds of rejection and writer’s block, Villavicencio Pulliam shelved the project. But it wasn’t until last September when she came across an illustrator’s Instagram page that shared the stories of Filipina figures — and one of the portraits happened to be of Gliceria.

The result is “Fierce Filipina,” an illustrated biography indepen-

dently published ahead of International Women’s Day 2021 that not only captures Gliceria’s life but also depicts a timeless tale of a heroine’s pursuit for equality and social justice. Accompanying the words by Villavicencio Pulliam are vibrant and bold scenes

by Manila-based illustrator Jill Arteche.

“My job was getting all the bits and pieces and making it into a book that would make sense for readers,” Villavicencio Pulliam said. “The reason why I decided for it to be an illustrated biography was to make it more exciting, especially for kids, though it’s a pretty high-level book. But anyone can enjoy it, even if they don’t have children or families of their own yet.”

Unapologetically fierce Gliceria Marella de Villavicencio, known as Aling Eriang, was born on May 13, 1852 to a wealthy family in Taal. Despite her privilege, the book recounts her being friends with house staff and treating them as equals.

At the age of 12, Gliceria enrolled at Santa Catalina College in Intramuros, where she learned the plight of the Filipino people under Spanish colonial rule and began to “think of ways to create change.” However, she received news of her eldest sister’s death and was called back to Taal to

manage her family’s estate.

She went on to marry Eulalio Villavicencio, who also came from an affluent background.

Together, they lent money to support the revolutionary efforts and offered their home — which Eulalio had given to Gliceria as a wedding gift — as a secret meeting place for leaders.

Gliceria is said to have lent Jose Rizal P18,000 to publish his novels and La Solidaridad, a newspaper that promoted the Propaganda Movement.

“I think the biggest running theme that I don’t overtly say in the book is that no one questioned her authority. She did not let her being a woman stop her from being as active as she could have been in the revolution,” Villavicencio Pulliam said.

In exchange for her generosity, Filipino painter and political activist Juan Luna painted portraits of the Villavicencio couple, a tidbit that didn’t make it into the book. A copy of one of Gliceria’s portraits continues to hang in the ancestral home today, and Villavicencio Pulliam is photographed next to it in the author’s note of the book.

Based on the letters, Villavicencio Pulliam recognized Gliceria’s commanding presence and how she did not apologize for staking a claim in the movement.

Released in March 2021, “Fierce Filipina” tells the story of Gliceria Marella de Villavicencio, who was named the “Godmother of the Revolutionary Forces” by General Emilio Aguinaldo following the declaration of Philippine Independence on June 12, 1898. It is written by Gliceria’s great-great-granddaughter Maxie Villavicencio Pulliam and illustrated by Manilabased artist Jill Arteche.

“It’s not with any hint of arrogance. She approaches everything as a partner and she’s an equal to the other revolutionary leaders. She comes in and doesn’t say, ‘Please let me know if you need help.’ She comes in and says, ‘I will help.’ It seems to be really effective because people also respect her, listen to her, and go to her for guidance,” the author said.

Eulalio was imprisoned in Old Bilibid Prison in Manila by Spanish colonial authorities for his role in the revolution, but Gliceria refused to reveal secrets in exchange for his release. Her husband was eventually set free a year after, but he died three months later due to his injuries.

She did not let her husband’s death be in vain and notably donated her family’s merchant ship, the SS Bulusan, to carry food, clothing and weapons for Filipino soldiers.

Throughout “Fierce Filipina,” Gliceria is presented with challenges in her pursuit of freedom and defending the country. With artistic license, Villavicencio Pulliam embodies her great-greatgrandmother’s inner strength and captures it in a mantra.

“Her inner voice said: Fierce are those who are brave.

Fierce are those who are strong.

Fierce are those who stand up for what’s right, even when things go wrong.

She knew what she needed to “Fierce Filipina” author Maxie Villavicencio Pulliam poses with a portrait of her great-great- A monument dedicated to Gliceria Marella de Villavicencio stands in Taal, Batangas, where do. She needed to be a Fierce grandmother Gliceria Marella de Villavicencio that was painted by Juan Luna during the she lived until her death on September 25, 1929.

Philippine revolution.

Contributed photo Photo by Eric Jam via Wikimedia Commons Filipina.”

Filipina OPM singer Claire dela Fuente dies at 62 by

aJPress

FILIPINA singer Claire dela Fuente has passed away a week after testing positive for COVID19. She was 62 years old.

Her son, Gigo de Guzman, confirmed in an Instagram video that she died due to cardiac arrest on Tuesday, March 30, at around 7 a.m., adding that his mother had suffered from anxiety after contracting the virus.

“My mom, Claire dela Fuente, died early this morning...from cardiac arrest, kasi overanxiety kasi na-confirm nga na mayroon siyang COVID (she had overanxiety because it was confirmed she had COVID). They tried to revive her but wala na talaga (but it was hopeless),” he said.

“Bigla-biglaan na lang (It happened without warning),” he added.

De Guzman also shared that he was in quarantine after also contracting COVID-19, lamenting that even with his condition, he wasn’t allowed to be with his mom in her tent outside the hospital.

Dela Fuente rose to fame in the 1970s after winning a singing competition and catching the attention of composer George Canseco, who got her to sing the Hope cigarettes jingle.

She recorded several OPM or

“That was something I came up with based on some real-life experiences I’ve had as an observer of oppression and injustice. It’s an inner prompting that I feel as a human being but also as her descendant, thinking about what would happen in my body when I know I need to take action regardless of what could be negative consequences afterward,” Villavicencio Pulliam said.

Channeling her great-greatgrandmother’s unwavering spirit, Villavicencio Pulliam is living her legacy through her career as a social worker. She has also been vocal about the ongoing anti-Asian hate and hopes this story can be a lesson in boldly calling for systemic change.

“I am trying to live Gliceria’s legacy through this book by teaching people that we have to follow our hearts and if there’s a cause you’re passionate about and want to be a part of, go for it.

If you already feel in your body that something’s not right, how do we approach it in a safe, but effective manner?” she said.

“Fierce Filipina” is available for purchase in North America through Amazon, and is set to be printed and sold in the Philippines in the coming months.

“This story is super relevant in any way that readers can take from it. But let’s not stop at Gliceria’s story with Fierce Filipina. Let’s see what else we can explore and find out there that we could use to amplify us as Filipinos and Filipinas in America,” Villavicencio Pulliam said.

‘Inside Out’ co-director Ronnie Del Carmen working on animated feature on PH mythology By ritChel

MendiOla AJPress

Claire de la Fuente

Original Pilipino Music hits including “Sayang,” and “Nakaw na Pag-ibig.”

Dela Fuente was dubbed as “the Karen Carpenter of the Philippines,” as well as “Asia’s sweetest voice” during the peak of her career.

Aside from music, she was also involved in food and transport businesses.

Several OPM musicians have paid tribute to her on social media.

ManilaTimes.net photo

“Heard Claire dela Fuente died this morning. Condolences to her family. We performed together many times, she was proud to be called a Jukebox Queen. Rest In Peace, Claire,” said singer Leah Navarro in a tweet.

Singer Richard Poon also shared on Facebook a post about her death that said, “Isang OPM Icon na naman ang namaalam (Another OPM Icon has said goodbye). Rest in peace Claire dela Fuente.”

FILIPINO American filmmaker Ronnie Del Carmen is writing and developing an original animated feature based on Filipino lore and mythology for Netflix.

In an exclusive interview with Cartoon Brew, the Oscar winner and Pixar veteran shared that he has signed a deal with Netflix that covers animated series as well as films. He will also consult on other animated projects at the streaming giant.

“I grew up somewhere else.

My story starts in a group of islands, in a region that I’ve now traveled back to many times over.

File photo Each time I wish I could stay and Ronnie Del Carmen is bringing Filipino folklore to life at Netflix. relearn what I missed. Now I feel international streaming platform. started in the film industry as a “At Netflix I’m inspired by all painter on the set of Francis Ford the pull of figuring out the beginning. The parts that I use to make the creators and storytellers who Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now,” movies began there. So on this come from all over the globe, tell- which was shot in the Philipnew journey I go where these sto- ing tales that are windows into pines.

Since moving to the United ries will thrive,” Del Carmen told their own worlds which I’m so thrilled to discover,” he told Car- States in 1989, he has worked Cartoon Brew. on several beloved films such as “So this is where I’m growing toon Brew.

“I’m hopeful about seeing how “The Prince of Egypt,” “Spirit: and nurturing these stories that have never been told, in an arena all these stories will help fuel Stallion of the Cimarron,” “Findthey deserve to belong to,” the change and bring us all a little ing Nemo,” “Up,” “Coco,” and closer to understanding each oth- “Toy Story 4.” animator added.

Del Carmen later co-directed According to Del Carmen, the er. That’s my next threshold. I’m “Inside Out,” which won the Oscreators and storytellers at Netf- where I need to be,” he added.

Del Carmen, a University of car for Best Animated Feature lix have inspired him to bring the stories from the Philippines to the Santo Tomas (UST) graduate, Film in 2016.

10

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2021 IRS tax filing deadlines

Tax Tips Victor Sy, MBA, cPA (retired)

Jehovah’s Witnesses’ year without knocking on doors IT’S been one year since Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide adjusted their hallmark methods of sharing comfort and hope from the scriptures due to the pandemic.

For many, the change from ringing doorbells and knocking on doors to making phone calls and writing letters expanded and invigorated their ministry.

“Witnesses have embraced this shift, finding the good in these trying times,” said Joseph Castano, who reports a 30 percent increase in the Witnesses’ preaching activity in his region of northern Virginia and nearby parts of West Virginia. “In fact, I hear many saying, ‘I’m able to do more now.’”

In March 2020, the some 1.3 million Witnesses in the United States suspended their door-todoor and face-to-face forms of public ministry and moved congregation meetings to videoconferencing.

“It has been a very deliberate decision based on two principles: our respect for life and love of neighbor,” said Robert Hendriks, U.S. spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses. “but we are still witnesses and, as such, we must testify about our faith.

So it was inevitable that we would find a way to continue our work.”

In the bitterly cold winters of Arden Hills, Minnesota, Terri Whitmore normally bundles up for the door-to-door ministry in a long down coat and snow boots—sometimes with removable cleats to help navigate icy sidewalks.

Now she sits at her dining room table, sips on hot tea, and calls people on her cell phone to share the same message. In December, she conducted more than twice as many bible studies than in any prior month. “I’m having a blast,” she said. “After a nice phone call, it energizes you. You can’t wait to make the next call.”

Her “go-to” topics for conversation with her neighbors are COVID-19, civil unrest, and government. “Some people feel like they have nothing secure to hold on to,” she said. “The power of God’s word is amazing. You can just share a scripture and you feel like they’re settling down.”

Nearly 51,000 people in the United States last year made a request for a Witness to contact them, either through a local congregation or jw.org, the or-

ganization’s official website, according to Hendriks. Since the outbreak, the Witnesses have followed up on these requests via letters and phone calls instead of in-person visits.

“Our love for our neighbors is stronger than ever,” said Hendriks. “In fact, I think we have needed each other more than ever. We are finding that people are perplexed, stressed, and feeling isolated. Our work has helped many regain a sense of footing – even normalcy – at a very unsettled time.”

It was nearly 14 years ago that bryana Fultz vowed to do the Lord’s work as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. She enjoyed going door to door, conducting in-home bible studies, standing with a cart displaying biblebased literature, and speaking to business owners and employees. “I do my ministry in...

American Sign Language..., and I loved meeting new deaf people and getting a chance to share a scripture with them....The excitement on their face to see the bible in [ASL] was heartwarming,” said Fultz, 29, of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Then came the pandemic, ending all public ministry. Fultz, who has maintained her schedule safely, said, “I spend the time looking for deaf ones from my own home through letter writing and phone witnessing.” She is still conducting bible studies using video conferencing. “My ministry schedule has largely stayed the same, which gives me a sense of normalcy and comfort in such uncertain times.”

Looking forward Fultz says, “It will be an adjustment going back to...normal...but I think the qualities I’ve had to work on, like faith, patience, and joy... help me to be... stronger. I’ll be very grateful for the privilege of preaching to people in person.”

In the rural areas of Salina, Kansas, where the wheat and corn fields stretch for acres, the Milbradt family sometimes drives miles from one house to the next to reach their neighbors. Now, instead of buying gasoline to fill up their vehicle for the ministry, they spend money on paper, envelopes, stamps, and crayons.

“We look for ways to add variety to our ministry,” said Zeb Milbradt. He and his wife, Jenny, help their boys—Colton, 8, and benjamin, 6—write letters to children’s book authors,

local police, and hospital workers. Sometimes the boys even include with the letters handdrawn pictures of the bible’s promise of a global paradise.

“We’ve been able to get the message to people who we wouldn’t necessarily reach otherwise,” said Jenny Milbradt.

A letter benjamin sent to nurses at a regional health center included a quote from the bible’s prophecy at Isaiah 33:24 of a coming time when no one will say, “I am sick.” The center’s marketing secretary replied to benjamin, informing him that she scanned and emailed his letter to 2,000 employees. It “made so many people smile,” she said.

Witnesses have also made a concerted effort to check on distant friends and family—sometimes texting links to bible-based articles on jw.org that cover timely topics, such as isolation, depression, and how to beat pandemic fatigue.

“Former bible students have started studying again,” said Tony Fowler, who helps organize the ministry in the northern portion of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.

“Colleagues at work have now started to show interest. Some have started bible studies with family members who showed very little interest before the pandemic.”

Castano has been reaching out to Witnesses who had long ago stopped associating with fellow Witnesses. “The pandemic has reignited their spirituality,” he said, adding that many are attending virtual meetings with some sharing in telephone witnessing and letter writing even after decades of inactivity.

“It’s been pretty outstanding,” he said.

Fowler and Castano both report about a 20 percent increase in online meeting attendance. but perhaps the most significant growth is in an area that cannot be measured by numbers.

“I think we’ve grown as a people,” Fowler said. “We’ve grown in appreciation for other avenues of the ministry, our love for our neighbor, and love for one another. We’re a stronger people because of all of this, and that’s a beautiful thing to see.”

For more information on the activities of Jehovah’s Witnesses, visit their website jw.org, with content available in over 1,000 languages.

Leading housing research firm SalesTraq notes resale home prices soared in 2020 in Las Vegas WITH the annual release of SalesTraq’s 2020 Las Vegas Price Appreciation map, the residential research firm noted that overall price appreciation rates in the resale market accelerated in 2020. Additionally, nearly every zip code posted positive price appreciation as inventory remained limited, mortgage rates hit historic lows and demand remained elevated. Despite the economic challenges sourced to the COVID-19 health crisis and related response, the residential market pressed forward as population in-migration remained stable and homeowners were seeking out upgraded accommodations.

New home construction activity and median prices also remained relatively stable yearto-year. While prices across the board decreased a modest 2.4 percent in 2020, it was clear that builders were responding to affordability concerns by constructing smaller sized homes and more attached housing product during the year. The mix of sales impacts the topline pricing figures. The resale market experienced a greater surge in pricing when measured on a valley-wide basis. The median price for the year reached $298,000 in 2020, which was up 9.0 percent from the prior year.

In the final month of 2020, the median resale value hit $313,000 across all product types – an increase of 11.8 percent from the same month of 2019. The underlying fundamentals have trended similarly in the early months of 2021, and more of these same

Feb. 1, 2021: employers to mail out W-2 Forms to their employees; businesses to furnish 1099 Forms reporting nonemployee compensation, bank interest, dividends, and distributions from a retirement plan.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

East West Bank Foundation stands with the AAPI community in time of need THe east West bank Foundation is committed to supporting diversity and anti-discrimination efforts. To help stem the rash of violence against AAPIs, the east West bank Foundation is contributing to nonprofit organizations which are on the frontlines responding to the hate.

The east West bank Foundation is supported through east West bank, one of the top 25 largest banks in the U.S, and the largest minority depository institution in the nation. Founded in Los Angeles Chinatown in 1973, east West bank was created with a mission to serve the banking and financial needs of Asian Americans and other underserved communities.

The recent rash of violence and hate crimes is tragic and particularly alarming as the victims are from the communities that east West bank serves. “When our customers, co-workers, family, friends, and innocent members of our community are being attacked and are the victims of hate, we must stand together and support each other,” stated Dominic Ng, Chairman and CeO of east West bank. “east West bank has a longstanding history and commitment to the AAPI community, and they are a great corporate citizen.

Their willingness to provide assistance and stand with us is a testament to their leadership and that of their CeO Dominic Ng,” said California Assemblymember evan Low, Vice Chair of the California Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus.

Violent incidents are occurring throughout the country, and the AAPI community needs resources to stem the rising tide of hate. According to an analysis released by the Center for the Study of Hate and extremism, anti- Asian hate crimes increased by nearly 150 percent last year. The unprecedented scale of these incidents is so dramatic, President biden recently condemned the violence against AAPIs in his first national primetime address, stating that “at this very moment, so many of them, our fellow Americans, are on the front lines of this pandemic trying to save lives and still — still are forced to live in fear for their lives just walking down streets in America. It’s wrong, it’s unAmerican, and it must stop.”

The east West bank Foundation will provide financial contributions to organizations leading the fight to stop the hate and advance the civil and human rights

of AAPIs throughout America, including: Stop AAPI Hate; Asian Americans Advancing Justice; Asian Pacific American Leadership Foundation; Asian Pacific Community Fund; OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates chapters in California, New York, Texas, and Georgia; and Center for Asian Americans United for Self-empowerment, among others. Promoting diversity and fighting discrimination have been a focus of giving by the east West bank Foundation since its founding, and these contributions are a continuation of that focus.

Stop AAPI Hate was founded in March of 2020 to track and respond to incidents of hate, violence, harassment, discrimination, and child bullying against AAPIs in the United States. “Violence against AAPIs is an ugly stain on America and unfortunately is part of our country’s history. We are outraged by the sheer number of incidents across our country, and east West bank’s generous support goes a long way to support our grassroots efforts,” said Vincent Pan, Co-executive Director of Chinese for Affirmative Action, a founding organization of Stop AAPI Hate.

Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAAJ) has created the Stand Against Hatred platform to empower AAPIs to share their stories and “document hate” to educate, inform and motivate action. “east West bank’s contribution is consistent with the bank’s history and involvement in the community. Their support will enable us to expand our reach

throughout America to help address the hatred and institutional racism that plague every community,” said Connie Chung Joe, CeO, and Stewart Kwoh, President emeritus, of AAAJ-Los Angeles.

Leadership is important in setting the proper tone for the nation. When leaders embrace diversity and inclusion, it makes for a better America. The Asian Pacific American Leadership Foundation was founded in 2004 to foster leadership and civic engagement among AAPIs. “Until we have leaders that look like us across America, we will always be second-class citizens in our own home. Our elected leaders have the power to enact policies, create new anti-discrimination laws and help enforce our laws.

We applaud east West bank for their corporate leadership – they are a model for other companies to follow,” said James Lau, executive Director of the Asian Pacific American Leadership Foundation.

To combat hate and make America more just, corporate and community leaders must work with government on solutions.

California Assemblymember Rob bonta recently introduced Assembly bill 886, which seeks to fund community-based organizations that provide culturally competent mental health services for victims of hate violence. Assemblymember bonta said “all leaders have a role in creating a safer and more just world. This announcement by east West bank and CeO Dominic Ng is great news, and I hope more can follow in their example.”

Derek to Ellen after she accepted marriage proposal: ‘When I touch you, I embrace love’

by Dana

Cruz Inquirer.net

DeReK Ramsay is still over the moon after his girlfriend ellen Adarna accepted his marriage proposal on Tuesday, March 30. even though the couple had initially denied speculations that they were dating, Ramsay pointed out to his fiancee that their chemistry was “undeniable” from the start, through an Instagram post on Wednesday, March 31.

“Since the day we first met, [ellen], the chemistry between us has been undeniable, it’s so strong that I have to catch my breath at times,” Ramsay said in an Instagram post today, March 31. “The chemistry between us that has left me reeling at times has made me see, feel, and grasp this unexplainably deep love I now have.”

“When I look at you I see love and when I touch you I embrace love,” he added. Ramsay also said he was “[honored] and grateful” that she agreed to his marriage proposal.

Meanwhile, Adarna could not help but feel giddy over Ramsay’s romantic gesture and replied: “Luhhhhhhh. I love you so very much.”

The couple confirmed their relationship last is expected for the near term. the halt of eviction moratoriums, month, after weeks of speculation that they were There are potential headwinds extended periods of elevated un- dating. Ramsay said he was set up with Adarna on that have the potential to alter employment and the possibility a blind date and believes she is “the one.”

Ramsay was recently in a relationship with acthe current dynamic, including of rising of interest rates.

Derek Ramsay and Ellen Adarna Photo from Instagram/@ramsayderek07

tress Andrea Torres. He confirmed that they broke up last November. He was also previously married to model Mary Christine Jolly. Adarna was previously in a relationship with actor John Lloyd Cruz, with whom she has a son.

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