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APRIL 1-7, 2022 Serving San Diego Since 1987 • 14 Pages

T h e F i l i p i n o –A m e r i c A n c o m m u n i T y n e w s pA p e r

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USA

FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

Tagalog bystander trainings aim to reduce hate incidents in Fil-Am community TO help put an end to the proliferation of anti-Asian hate and harassment, the Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Los Angeles (Advancing Justice-Los Angeles), in partnership with Hollaback!, is holding a series of virtual trainings entitled “Bystander Intervention To Stop Anti-Asian/ American and Xenophobic Harassment.”

Starting with the first training last March 23 which was carried out using the native Filipino language, Jeanette Sayno, Advancing Justice-Los Angeles community legal advocate, said these workshops are aimed at empowering everyone to build a world that is free of harassment and filled with humanity.

“Our work focuses on turning the care we have for each other into simple, creative and effective action,” Sayno said, noting that the training participants will be able to learn to intervene effectively as a bystander without compromising their safety.

Earlier reports showed that in 2020, hate crimes against Asians jumped 107% in California. Some 89 hate crimes were reported against Asian/Americans compared to 43 in 2019. The total number

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Food and Drug Administration allows second COVID boosters for 50 and older

by AJPress ELIGIBLE adults can start getting a second booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine following the United States Food and Drug Administration’s authorization this week.

The FDA on Tuesday, March 29 announced that it is expanding emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines

to allow adults 50 and older to get another booster shot at least four months after they received their first booster dose.

“Current evidence suggests some waning of protection over time against serious outcomes from COVID-19 in older and immunocompromised individuals. Based on an analysis of emerging data, a second booster dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine could help increase protection levels for these higher-risk individuals,”

MANILA — The United States Navy continues to foster its ties with the Philippines and its other allies by conducting military exercises, showing off joint-capabilities with the arrival of USS Abraham Lincoln that’s manned by several Filipino-American sailors.

“Our commitment to allies and partners and friends has never been more important to this region than right now,” Rear Adm Jeffrey T. Anderson said on Thursday, March 24.

Select representatives of the media were brought to the aircraft carrier that was in the middle of the West Philippine Sea via a CMV22 Osprey last week.

Among USS Abraham Lincoln’s 5,000 crew members are Filipinos, some of whom

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‘Ready for the Comeback’: Tourist arrivals picking up as PH welcomes more foreign visitors

by MoMar

G. Visaya

AJPress

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USS Abraham Lincoln arrives in Manila with proud Fil-Am sailors

said Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, in a news release.

“Additionally, the data show that an initial booster dose is critical in helping to protect all adults from the potentially severe outcomes of COVID-19. So, those who have not received their initial booster dose are strongly encouraged to do so.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

LOCAL BETS’ SORTIE. Local candidates supporters wait on the side of the road as aspirants pass by and give out campaign posters and tarpaulins during a motorcade in Barangay Salitran 3, Dasmarinas City, Cavite on Thursday, March 31. The campaign for local candidates began last March 25, less than two months before the May 9 polls.

PNA photo by Gil Calinga

THE past two years have been extremely challenging for the global tourism industry, but Department of Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat believes that “by all indications, the worst of it is over and our recovery is proceeding on the right track.”

“We’ve painstakingly laid the foundation for our big comeback, and we’re ready and fully prepared to have you back,” Puyat said as she addressed the participants of ‘Kabayan Ano, Latest?’, organized by the Philippine Consulate General in New York.

“Probably the best news to emerge ever since the pandemic began more than two years ago happened just this February, when the Philippines became one of the first countries in Asia to accept fully vaccinated foreign leisure travelers, and having the most relaxed entry protocols to boot, including quarantine-free entry,” Sec. Puyat recalled in her speech.

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PCGSF presents ‘Remember Bataan: 80th anniversary of the Fall of Bataan’

SAN FRANCISCO – In commemoration of the Battle of Bataan, the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco, in partnership with the Filipino American Arts Exposition, Bataan Legacy Historical Society and Philippine Scouts Heritage Society present a special exhibition – Remember Bataan: 80th Anniversary of the Fall of Bataan. The exhibition at the Kalayaan Hall of the Philippine Consulate Building (447 Sutter Street, San Francisco) will be on view from April 11 through April 30, 2022, 9:00 a.m.

– 4:00 p.m.

For three weeks in April, Remember Bataan pays tribute to World War II veterans and civilians who served with courage, honor, determination, and distinction and memorializes the 80th anniversary of the Bataan Death March.

“As we mark 80 years since the Fall of Bataan, a defining moment in PhilippineAmerican history, I invite the pubic to visit the “Remember Bataan” exhibition this

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Screenshot of a 73-year-old Filipino man who was on his way to church when the suspect attempted to rob him and pushed him to the ground.

Marcos Jr. still FilAm Nani Coloretti makes Two Filipinos attacked in NYC; hopeful of Duterte’s history in Biden’s administration community leaders stage

by MoMar

endorsement

G. Visaya

AJPress

#FilipinosRiseUp rally

by Daphne

GalVez Inquirer.net

NANI Coloretti is now the highest ranking Filipino American in the Biden Administration as the U.S. Senate voted Tuesday, March 29 to confirm her nomination as deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget.

“Nani will bring strong leadership experience and the ability to inspire the next generation of Filipino American leaders in Hawaii and across the country,” said Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii. “I am proud to call Nani a friend, and I look forward to continuing to work with her in her new role at OMB.” Sen. Schatz was one of the 57 senators who voted to confirm Coloretti.

The Office of Management and Budget

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Nani Coloretti

MANILA — Presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday, March 29 said he is still counting on the endorsement of President Rodrigo Duterte despite the support he has obtained from the PDPLaban faction led by the Chief Executive.

“Alam mo naman si President, he keeps us on our toes. I hope so, I hope so,” he said in a chance interview when asked if he expects Duterte’s support for his candidacy.

The PDP-Laban wing formed by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi and backed by Duterte has earlier announced their endorsement of Marcos Jr. and the president’s daughter, Sara Duterte-Carpio, who is running for vice president in tandem with the late

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by MoMar

G. Visaya

AJPress

TWO Filipinos in New York City were added to the growing list of community members who have been victims of brutal, unprovoked attacks.

Both incidents happened in midtown Manhattan a few blocks from each other.

On Sunday, March 27, a 73-year-old Filipino was reported to have been assaulted by a homeless individual while on his way to church between 8th Avenue and 40th Street in Manhattan. The following

morning, a 53-year-old Filipino was beaten unconscious and robbed by another homeless individual at a McDonald’s store on 7th Avenue near 34th Street.

According to a Daily News report, the man assaulted inside McDonald’s identified as Melvin Dizon pleaded for help from the staff and customers but no one came to help him.

“I said, ‘Help, help, please call the cops,’” Dizon told the Daily News from his Bellevue Hospital bed on Tuesday, March 29. “I was hoping

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APRIL 1-7, 2022 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

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From The FronT Page

BA.2 COVID variant now accounts for more than one third of new infections, says CDC

by Sunita

Sohrabji Ethnic Media Services

DOORMATS FOR SALE. Eriberto Ferrer, 62, hangs one of the doormats for sale on a steel fence on the sidewalk along the Quirino Highway, Barangay Kaligayahan, Novaliches, Quezon City on Wednesday, March 30. He also sells bed covers and curtain sets. PNA photo by Ben Briones

Food and Drug Administration...

PAGE 1 (CDC) likewise updated its recommendation to allow certain immunocompromised individuals and people over the age of 50 to receive their second booster shot.

Further, based on newly published data, adults who received a primary vaccine and booster dose of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine at least four months ago may now receive a second booster dose using an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, either Pfizer or Moderna.

“Boosters are safe, and people over the age of 50 can

Ferdinand “BongBong” Marcos.

now get an additional booster 4 months after their prior dose to increase their protection further.

This is especially important for those 65 and older and those 50 and older with underlying medical conditions that increase their risk for severe disease from COVID-19 as they are the most likely to benefit from receiving an additional booster dose at this time. CDC, in collaboration with FDA and our public health partners, will continue to evaluate the need for additional booster doses for all Americans,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in the statement. n

Inquirer.net file photo

Marcos Jr. still hopeful...

PAGE 1 strongman’s son.

But Duterte has yet to reveal his personal choice for the next president.

According to him, an ideal president should be a decisive, compassionate lawyer. Marcos Jr. is not a lawyer and Duterte has previously said that Marcos Jr. is a “weak leader.”

According to Duterte’s long-time assistant Senator Bong Go, the President met with Marcos Jr. a few days before the PDP-Laban faction openly endorsed his candidacy.

Go said the two had a “productive” meeting, where Duterte shared his experiences and even gave advice on being president. n

THE BA.2 variant of Omicron now accounts for 35 percent of new COVID infections in the U.S., and more than 50 percent in New York and New England. But experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that cases overall will be less severe.

“As we’re learning from our colleagues in Europe, Asia and South Africa, the BA.2 has resulted in varied peaks of cases. But there is no evidence that the BA.2 variant results in more severe disease, nor does it appear to be more likely to evade immune protection,” said Dr. John Brooks, senior science adviser to the CDC’S COVID-19 Emergency Response team.

Brooks and Dr. Shannon Stokely, co-lead of the Vaccine Task Force at the CDC’S COVID-19 Emergency Response team, spoke March 25 at a news briefing organized by Ethnic Media Services, in collaboration with the CDC. Brooks cautioned that the BA.2 variant does have an increased rate of transmission in comparison to the first variant

of Omicron that arrived in the US last winter and caused peaks in infections throughout the country.

The CDC is watching closely the rise of infections in the Northeast to determine if there is also an uptick in the severity of the disease, said Brooks.

The agency has pivoted to monitoring potential increases in cases and transmission through its COVID-19 Wastewater surveillance system. Over the past two weeks, the CDC has seen increasing wastewater signals in New York City and parts of New England and a correlating increase in the number of new infections, as well as some increased hospitalizations, he reported.

The CDC is also looking at any changes in genomic surveillance that monitors for circulating variants.

“I would like to emphasize that if cases rise from the Omicron variant or for any other variant, we have the tools, we have vaccines, we have testing, and we have Therapeutics and we are prepared to react,” concluded Brooks.

Stokely noted that the US thus far has administered 159 million

doses of the available COVID vaccines, nearly three times the number administered during a typical flu season. The majority of vaccines distributed in the U.S. are the mRNA-based Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. “These vaccines have been proven safe and effective at preventing complications from COVID-19, including severe disease, hospitalization and death.”

Pivoting to the question on the minds of parents with young children, Stokely addressed the issue of when vaccines might become available for children under 5-years-old. She noted there are multiple manufacturers that are conducting clinical trials to assess the safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine for very young children.

The results of the rigorous clinical trials must then be presented to the FDA for emergency use authorization before the vaccine can be administered to under-5s.

The trials will take into account the side effects of the vaccine in young children, including fatigue, soreness at the injection site, and myocarditis, a rare symptom for some young people.

“We are in a much stronger

position than we were two years ago with the tools we need, including vaccines and boosters, that are protecting people from hospitalization and death, said Stokely.

“If you are boosted, you are 21 times less likely to die from COVID-19. So the vaccination Remains the most effective and safest way to prevent COVID-19.

And I encourage everyone to remain up to date on their COVID-19 vaccinations,” she said.

Brooks addressed the issue of global vaccine equity. Currently, less than 7 percent of the developing world has received a single dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

“We live in one world, and we’re only as safe as a plane ride away,” he said, “So it’s important that we protect everyone in our world community.”

“Untreated COVID-19 infections are the source of new variants. People who are not vaccinated and become infected can become the source of new emerging variants,” added Brooks. “By preventing infection, we prevent the emergence of new variants, and reduce the threat of COVID worldwide.” n

Philippines, US kick off their largest-ever Balikatan exercises MANILA — The Philippines and the United States launched the largest-ever joint military drills in the archipelago nation on Monday, signalling deepening defence ties as fresh tensions surface in the disputed South China Sea. The war games are the last under outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte, who previously threatened to cancel exercises and axe a key military deal with longtime ally the United States as he pivoted towards China.

Nearly 9,000 Filipino and American soldiers will take part in the 12-day training event across the main island of Luzon, which is usually an annual affair but was cancelled or curtailed during the pandemic.

Philippine military chief General Andres Centino said at the opening ceremony in Manila that the largest round of the Balikatan war games reflected the “deepening alliance” between the two countries.

US Major General Jay Bargeron said the “friendship and trust” between their respective armed forces would allow them to “succeed together across the entire spectrum of military operations”.

The exercises will cover maritime security, amphibious operation, live-fire training, counterterrorism, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

Recent manoeuvres between the two countries focused on potential conflict in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims almost in its entirety.

Since taking power in 2016 Duterte has moved closer to China, but has faced pushback from the Philippine public and concern in the military wary of its territorial ambitions in the waters.

Trillions of dollars in trade pass through the strategic sea and it is thought to contain rich petroleum deposits, making it a frequent source of regional friction.

China has ignored a 2016 ruling by The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration that its historical claim is without basis.

It has reinforced its stance by building artificial islands over some contested reefs and installing weapons on them.

Tensions spike The future of the war games was thrown into doubt after Duterte said in February 2020 he planned to axe the Visiting Forces Agreement, which provides the legal framework for the US to hold joint military exercises and operations in the Philippines.

But he walked back on the decision last July, as tensions between Manila and Beijing over the South China Sea spiked following the detection of hundreds of Chinese boats

parked at a reef off the Philippines.

On the eve of the joint drills, the Philippine Coast Guard accused its Chinese counterpart of steering one of its ships within metres of a Filipino patrol boat near the disputed Scarborough Shoal -- a flashpoint between the two countries.

That came weeks after Manila confronted Beijing’s ambassador over a Chinese navy ship “lingering” in the Philippines’ archipelagic waters.

The Chinese embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to media requests for comment on the war games or the Scarborough Shoal incident.

The exercises are being held in the shadow of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The US and its allies are providing defensive weapons to Kyiv and imposing crippling economic sanctions on Moscow.

Duterte, whose six-year term ends in June, has expressed concern that the Philippines was “involved” in the conflict because of its security alliance with the United States.

That includes a mutual defence treaty and permission for the US military to store defence equipment and supplies on several Philippine bases. (By Ron Lopez, Mikhail Flores - Agence France-Presse/Philstar. com) n

Tagalog bystander trainings aim to reduce hate...

PAGE 1 of hate crimes in the state in 2020 reached 1,330, the highest in more than a decade.

During the first training session of Advancing Justice-Los Angeles, the concept of 5Ds (Distract, Delegate, Document, Delay, Direct) was introduced as an effectively tool to implement bystander intervention.

“I hope more people will sign up to the program so we could explain to them how the 5Ds concept work,” Sayno said.

The workshops are free for the public but donations are also welcomed to reach out to as many Asian/Americans as possible and to further expand these capacity building and awareness efforts. To donate, go to https://bit.ly/donatetoadvancingjusticela Sayno said they also encouraged the participants to tell at least 10 of their friends and/or families about the training program. More free training sessions will be posted at https://advancingjustice-la. org/bystander-intervention-trainings Advancing Justice-Los Angeles volunteer coordinator Mai Mao Yang, on the other hand, said these discussions would help increase awareness on the role of “bystanders” amidst the rising cases of harassment against Asian/American across the U.S. and the world, especially during the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the aim of training up to 40,000 people, Advancing JusticeLos Angeles is planning to hold these comprehensive and detailed workshops via Zoom on a monthly basis. The next Tagalog training is scheduled on April 21 at 6pm, Pacific time. To sign up, go to https://www.ihollaback.org/stand-street-harassment/ “Essentially, we want to reach out to everyone. We see that during the pandemic, this really solidifies the need for these trainings. The more, the better. Hopefully, next month we will

have more people joining the training,” Yang said.

Aside from Tagalog/Filipino, the training program will also be offered in other languages such as Mandarin/Cantonese, Vietnamese, Korean and English.

The Advancing Justice-Los Angeles-sponsored trainings initiative is consistent with President Joe Biden’s pronouncement in May 2021 at the signing of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act which called for the creation of specialized hate crime units that will help states create hotlines for hate crimes at state and local levels that will be accessible for people with limited English proficiency.

President Biden also noted that the Act provides resources for training for state and local law enforcement to identify, investigate, and report these heinous crimes.

Advancing Justice-Los Angeles is one of California’s largest legal and civil rights organization for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI).

Founded in 1983 as the Asian Pacific Legal Center, Advancing Justice-LA serves more than 15,000 individuals and organizations every year. Through direct services, impact litigation, policy advocacy, leadership development, and capacity building, Advancing Justice-Los Angeles focuses on the most vulnerable members of Asian American and AANHPI communities while also building a strong voice for civil rights and social justice.

At present, Advancing Justice-Los Angeles is based on downtown Los Angeles, with satellite offices in Orange County and Sacramento.

Hollaback!, meanwhile, is a non-profit global organization formed to raise awareness about and combat to harassment, both online and in-person, through intervention trainings and grassroots initiatives. (Donnabelle Arevalo/AJPress) n

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SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL • APRIL 1-7, 2022

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PCGSF presents ‘Remember Bataan: 80th anniversary... USS Abraham Lincoln...

PAGE 1 April at the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco and pay homage to all our Filipino and American veterans, whose sacrifices during the Second World War paved the way for the freedoms we enjoy today,” said Philippine Consul General Neil Frank R. Ferrer.

“One of the best ways to remember and appreciate our rich history is by traveling to the Philippines and visit the key destinations and locations,” said Soleil Tropicales, Tourism Attaché of the Philippine Department of Tourism. “We will launch the World War II in the Philippines Tour Package that will bring you around Metro Manila, Bataan and Leyte. Come and join us as we learn and at the same time, have fun touring and discovering WWII sites in the Philippines.”

April of 2022 marks the 80th anniversary of the Fall of Bataan during the Second World War. Remember Bataan brings the stories of Filipinos and Americans who fought for the peace and freedom we enjoy today. The exhibition honors them by keeping their legacy alive for future generations of Filipinos and Americans through displayed historical items and first and second-person accounts of our war heroes.

The Philippine Consulate will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony and reception to celebrate the opening of Remember Bataan on April 11 at 5:00 p.m. The ceremony will feature remarks from Consul General Neil Ferrer and other veterans community leaders.

Members of the community who are planning to attend the event,

please RSVP by April 4 to https:// rememberbataan.eventbrite.com.

“This project is a labor of love by many individuals who are committed to honor and remember our WWII heroes. I would like to acknowledge the community leaders who stepped up to make this project a reality.

I also would like to thank 5M Project, BNI Embarcadero, Stiiizy, and other sponsors for their contribution. And I am very thankful for the many community partners who shared their photo collections and artifacts, as well as individual donors who generously supported this exhibition,” said Al Perez, President of FAAE. “Filipinos did most of the fighting and the dying in Bataan, said Cecilia Gaerlan, Executive Director of the Bataan Legacy Historical Society.

“They comprised seven-eighths of the main line of resistance. It is also important to know that against all odds, they managed to hold on to Bataan for 99 days despite suffering from starvation, disease, and without any air support.”

Here are some Fall of Bataan facts and figures: • April 9 is a national holiday in the Philippines, called “Araw ng Kagitingan” (Day of Valor). The Bataan Death March took place on April 9, 1942, after General Edward King Jr. surrendered the 75,000 Filipino and American soldiers of Bataan to the Japanese Imperial Army.

• 10,650 – The approximate number of Filipinos and American soldiers that died during the Death March (5,000 –10,000 Filipino deaths and 250 – 650 American deaths; there is no official record and differing sources report

PAGE 1 have not been home in years.

“Ang total mission ng barko is makapag-launch ng mga eroplano kung kailangan. Kada isa sa amin may role kami dun sa sa big, overall picture ng condition na makapag-launch siya ng eroplano,” Logistics Specialist Senior Chief Petty Officer Rommel Pasive said.

(The ship’s total mission is to launch aircraft when needed. We each have a role in the big, overall picture of having it conditioned to be able to launch an aircraft.)

Filipino crew members will be given a chance to take a quick break while in the Philippines, with some of the sailors expressing excitement to spend time with their friends and family.

They said sailors on board are often busy with the tasks assigned to them, but Filipino-American sailors said they find time to bond with one another when sharing meals or by having small gettogethers.

The Fil-Am crew said they were able to create a community that feels like home. Petty Officer 2nd Class Danmichael Canta said: “Kulang lang talaga is ‘yung lutong bahay.” (The only thing missing is homemade food.)

Around 80 aircraft onboard The ship is the United States’ fifth Nimitz-class aircraft carrier. It can accommodate around 80 aircraft, which can be deployed both day and night and in all types of conditions.

This is not her first time in the Philippines. USS Abraham Lincoln’s first deployment was in the region, executing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief when Mt. Pinatubo exploded in 1991.

Last week, USS Abraham Lincoln Commanding Officer Capt Amy Bauernschmidt said it can do “pretty much anything that [it is] tasked to do by [its] government.”

The crew went through a “rigorous nine-month training cycle” before the ship departed its home port in San Diego earlier this year, the widely differing number of time to harness the necessary January 3. USS Abraham Lincoln has traveled over 24,000 miles and casualties before reaching Camp resources to defeat Japan performed 15 replenishments at sea since. eventually.

O’Donnell).

“Since leaving San Diego, we’ve executed about 5,192 hours of The exhibition is made possible flight operations, watching and recovering aircraft both day and • 20,000 – The number of Filipino and American soldiers by the Philippine Consulate in night everywhere from San Diego over to the South China Sea,” San Francisco, the Philippine Bauernschmidt said. who died at Camp O’Donnell.

• 65 miles – Length of the Department of Tourism, The The crew also went through carrier interoperability exercises as Center, Filipino well as double fusion and jungle warfare while at the West Philippine Bataan Death March (from Philippine Arts Exposition, Sea. the Municipality of Mariveles American to Camp O’Donnell, along the Bataan Legacy Historical Society “We are here to help build interoperability, capacity, and capability and Philippine Scouts Heritage throughout the region with both our allies as well as our partners in Bataan Peninsula).

• 99 days – Number of days the Society. order to provide reassurance as well as to deter our adversaries and For more information on should deterrence fail, we’re here to fight and win,” Anderson said.

Filipino and American soldiers Bataan: 80th (U.S. Armed Forces of the Far “Remember Filipinos on board said they are trying to do their best to fulfill East; USAFFE) fought to delay Anniversary of the Fall of their mission, hoping to best represent the country even while they the Japanese timetable, which Bataan,” send email to Al Perez are away from home. allowed the Allied Forces the at alsperez@gmail.com. n “Ang mindset ko ay kung ano po ang misyon ang pinapagawa po nila sa amin, nandito po kami para gawin iyon. So as a parang representative ng mga Pilipino, gagawin po namin ang aming makakaya para ma-fulfill ang aming mission,” Romero said.

(I put on the mindset that whatever the mission they are asking us to do, we are here to do it. So as a somewhat representative of the analysis to advance upward mobility, equity, independent director on the board of the Bank Filipino people, we will do our best to fulfill our mission.) of the West. She is a fellow of the National and shared prosperity all Americans.

Meanwhile, the Philippines and the United States are set to Coloretti’s federal government service Academy of Public Administration, Strategic begin the largest joint military drills in the country this week. War includes deputy secretary of the U.S. Advisor to Government Executives with the games are expected to last 12 days near the Luzon islands.

Department of Housing and Urban Partnership for Public Services, and has been Exercises include maritime security, live-fire training, Development (HUD), Assistant Secretary independently recognized for innovation counterterrorism, as well as humanitarian assistance and disaster for Management and Acting CFO of U.S. and leadership, receiving the UC Berkeley relief.

Department of the Treasury, and Acting COO Goldman School of Public Policy Special “This year’s way more robust, it’s somewhere on the order of over of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Award for Policy Innovation, the Public Policy 5,000 US service members and somewhere on the order of over Before joining the Obama Administration in and International Affairs (PPIA) Alumni 3,500 Philippine service members, so a lot more robust exercises 2009, she served as Policy and Budget Director Achievement Award and the National Public than it has been in the past,” Anderson said. for San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. Service award.

“I think it underscores those strong military-to-military ties that She holds a BA in economics and Her prior experience includes work in San we possess between the United States joint force and the Armed Francisco to improve the lives of children, communications from the University of Forces of the Philippines,” he added. youth, and families; program examiner and Pennsylvania and an MPP from the University Anderson said they did not need to shift the ship’s operations or Presidential Management Fellow in the Office of California, Berkeley. She was raised in exercises due to the pandemic. Its strike group is 100% vaccinated, of Management and Budget and work on the Hawaii and currently lives in Bethesda, while a vast majority of their service members have received their Maryland with her husband and together they State of Hawaii budget. booster shots. (By Philstar.com) n Ms. Coloretti currently serves as an have a son in college.n

FilAm Nani Coloretti makes history in...

PAGE 1 works with federal agencies to oversee the execution of spending programs approved by Congress.

According to Schatz, OMB is the largest office within the office of the president, “overseeing the implementation of the president’s vision across the Executive Branch. OMB also manages department and agency organization, the regulatory process, and ensures that funds appropriated by Congress are properly spent.”

Coloretti has led public, private and nonprofit organizations to achieve outstanding results, with a focus on increasing opportunity for all. She was a Senior Vice President at the Urban Institute, an independent policy research organization and think tank dedicated to using evidence, insight, and

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APRIL 1-7, 2022 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588

Two Filipinos attacked in NYC...

PAGE 1 people were going to help me, but they didn’t ... they were just watching and they didn’t get involved. I guess they’re scared.”

Based on a security video released by the NYPD, Dizon was making a purchase from a kiosk when his attacker came up from behind and pummeled him to the ground before stealing his phone and cash.

An ABC7 news report on Wednesday, March 30, said that police have arrested the man who assaulted Dizon.

He was identified as Rasheed Osundairo, 30, and was arrested after he was recognized by an off-duty police officer while on the subway. He was additionally charged with an assault on the subway on March 23 and for criminal possession of stolen property said to be found in his possession at the time of his arrest.

The Philippine Consulate General in New York has issued a statement condemning the latest attacks against members of the Filipino Community and

the senseless violence that has left many Filipinos in fear.

“The Philippine Consulate General in New York condemns in the strongest terms the latest attacks against members of the Filipino Community,” Consul General Elmer Cato said in a statement.

“The Philippine Consulate General in New York reminds kababayan to be vigilant at all times and to take the necessary precautions, especially when in public,” the statement added. “The Consulate again calls on authorities to do more to make sure that the streets of New York City are safe again for everyone.”

The assaults, which follow the brutal attack against a 67-year-old Filipino woman in Yonkers, New York, two weeks ago, bring to 34 the number of anti-Asian hate incidents and criminal violence involving Filipinos since last year.

Community leaders led by the National Federation of Filipino American Associations - NY State Chapter and the newlyformed Filipino American Network Against Asian Hate

(FANAAH) organized the #FilipinoRiseUp campaign as a response to the attack on the 67-year-old woman in Yonkers. They worked with a number of Filipino American organizations and coalitions to show a united front as a community.

“We demand action and funding from our elected officials to address these attacks and let New Yorkers know we belong here,” the group said in a statement.

According to Consul General Cato, the incidents in Manhattan bring to seven the number of cases involving members the Filipino Community reported to or monitored by the Philippine Consulate General in New York this year.

The Consulate issued a call for authorities to “do more to make sure that New York City is safe again for everyone by removing dangerous individuals, especially those with criminal records, from the streets and addressing concerns related to homelessness and mental health”. n

PFIZER VAX. Boxes containing Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine are loaded onto a reefer van at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 in Pasay City on Wednesday, March 30. The reformulated life-saving shots for use by minors, totaling 1,872,000 doses, were procured by the national government through the World Bank.

PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler

‘Ready for the Comeback’: Tourist...

PAGE 1 Starting April 1, all foreign travelers can now visit the Philippines as long as they have proof of vaccination, a negative RT-PCR or antigen result before their departure, and the necessary travel insurance coverage.

Because international tourism was restricted for much of the last two years, the gradual recovery of the Philippines’ tourism industry was fueled primarily by domestic travelers.

With foreign visitors now allowed to travel to all reopened destinations around the country, Puyat said they are optimistic that the industry is on its way to recovery.

“Now that our international borders have reopened, we expect the pace of our recovery to pick up, especially during the busy summer season and the Holy Week break this April. This will bring back business opportunities, jobs, and livelihood to millions of Filipinos,” Sec. Puyat said.

As of March 20, the DOT recorded over 118,000 international arrivals, with tourists coming mostly from South Korea, the United States, Canada, Australia, Germany, Vietnam, and Japan. Both the United States and Canada lead foreign tourist arrivals, while balikbayans account for 42% of total inbound tourists.

According to Puyat, this validates their position that North America remains one of the country’s most important visitor markets.

Before the pandemic, the USA was the Philippines’ 3rd biggest source market. In 2019, the Philippines welcomed 1,034,471 tourists from the US, which accounted for about 12.89% of that year’s total international arrivals of around 8.26 million tourists.

On the other hand, Canada was the 7th biggest market, with more than 238,000 arrivals for a 2.9% market share.

Boosting tourism Puyat also talked about the factors that led to the road to recovery, including the ramping up of the government’s vaccination drive not just among tourism workers but the general population where about 64 million Filipinos in the target age group have been fully vaccinated, with close to 11 million already getting their booster shot.

Because of the continued lowering of the country’s Covid-19 alert levels, many of the top destinations are now at Level 1, and this is expected to go down to Level 0 soon.

Visitor numbers took a nosedive when the pandemic hit in 2020.

The United States managed to become the second

biggest generator of tourists to the Philippines, bringing in 211,816 tourists, equivalent to a 14.3% market share. Arrivals from Canada reached 55,273 and accounted for 3.7% of total arrivals.

Puyat also extolled the importance of the balikbayan and Filipino-American markets, especially in 2021, when only Filipino nationals and former Filipinos were allowed to enter the country.

“It is because of this segment that the USA became the country’s top source market that year, with 11,905 arrivals, which accounts for 20.46% of the total. With more than 4 million Filipinos in the USA, the Fil-Am market is expected to continue being a major contributor to the arrivals to the country in the short to medium term,” she added.

Now that the Philippines is fully reopening, Puyat assured that destinations are safe and ready for the arrival of a travel-hungry audience.

She announced the launch of the Balikan ang Pilipinas Campaign, not only to reunite the balikbayans with their loved ones but also with our beloved tourist spots.

Part of the campaign consists of working with our stakeholders to create exciting promos, such as tour packages, hotel and resort promos, and flight deals for the balikbayans through the BALIKAN. PH website.

“I promise you that if you visit, you won’t be disappointed as we have spent a great deal of the last two years improving and upgrading our destinations,” Puyat said. “At the moment, we have 111 new tourism circuits across the country developed in coordination with local government units and tourism stakeholders, with dozens more in the pipeline.”

These circuits reintroduce the best travel products and experiences that each of the regions can offer, including but not limited to culinary, history, nature, wellness, farm, and faith-based tourism.

Puyat also announced that the Philippines is hosting the World Travel and Tourism Council Global Summit in Manila from April 20 to 21.

The WTTC Global Summit is widely considered the most influential event for travel and tourism professionals and stakeholders, with at least 650 executives expected to attend.

Under the theme of “Rediscovering Travel,” she said the department hopes to gather the biggest names in the Travel & Tourism industry as well as representatives from the public and private sectors to discuss the most critical issues affecting the industry today. n

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Dateline PhiliPPines

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‘Human rights violations Elon Musk’s SpaceX to continue in Philippines’ bring Starlink to Philippines

by Alexis

RomeRo Philstar.com

MANILA — Malacañang on Tuesday, March 29 dismissed as “recycled issues” and “false narratives” the alleged human rights violations cited in a latest report of rights watchdog Amnesty International (AI).

According to the AI 2021-2022 report, lack of accountability continued to facilitate unlawful killings and other human rights violations under the government’s war on drugs.

Human rights defenders, political activists and politicians were subjected to unlawful killings, arbitrary arrest and detention and harassment, the report added.

The group also criticized the supposed inadequate access to health care and mentioned the cases filed against Ressa, for which she could face up to 60 years in prison if found guilty.

Acting presidential spokesman Martin Andanar said the report of the AI, a group that has been critical of the Duterte administration’s policies including its war against drugs, was never vetted with the Philippine government.

“We consider the Amnesty International Report 2021-2022 as simply a cut-and-paste collection of recycled issues and arguments used by perennial detractors and critics of the Duterte administration,” Andanar said in a statement.

“Sadly, AI’s reports were never vetted with the Philippine government if only to authenticate their information. The absence of such vetting relegates AI’s report to a mere false rehash,” he added.

Andanar said the AI report contained “false narratives” about the drug crackdown and the issues surrounding journalist Maria Ressa and detained opposition Sen. Leila de Lima, matters that he said have been previously answered.

The AI report called De Lima, who is in jail over drug-related charges, a “prisoner of conscience.”

“Sadly, without the benefit of fact-checking, AI even referred to the government’s COVID-19 response as ‘mishandling,’ which is far from the truth as all regions in the Philippines are presently at minimal risk case classification,” Andanar said.

Andanar urged the AI to sit down with the government to clarify whatever concerns them.

He urged the rights watchdog to engage with the Presidential Human Rights Committee Secretariat and discuss and resolve the issues it raised in its report.

“In all this, let it not be missed out, especially

by AI, that the Philippines’ election to a fifth term in the United Nations Human Rights Council is a recognition by this global body of the government’s faithful adherence to promote, protect and fulfill the human rights of the Filipino people,” Andanar added. n

Carpio says gov’t can’t collect P203-billion estate tax if Marcos wins presidency

by FRAnco lunA Philstar.com

MANILA — If former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. becomes president, the unpaid P203billion estate tax his family owes the Philippine government is “gone forever,” retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said on Thursday, March 31.

Speaking in an interview aired over ANC’s “Headstart,” Carpio, who is also lead convenor of opposition coalition 1Sambayan, said that the Bureau of Internal Revenue can sue citizens for “willful refusal to pay their taxes.”

“I think we should ask the BIR why they did not do anything.

And if they did do something, they should tell us what they did. They owe an explanation to

the Filipino people,” he said.

“They will collect that if you are an ordinary person. But if you are a government official, you are a senator or governor, they will not collect it. How much more if you are now president?

Can the BIR collect if you are the president? That’s gone forever.”

But why were these issues only raised now, instead of when Marcos ran for the Senate or the vice presidency?

“Nobody questioned it.

Everybody was, they were not worried. But now that he wants to be the president, if you are president you must be the model for the nation, and a model taxpayer, too. But if you are the biggest tax evader in the country, then who will now pay taxes to the government?” he said.

“For the Marcoses, it’s almost,

from the time the case became final in 1999, it’s almost 25 years. That’s willful already,” he also said. No charges have been filed over the issue in that time span.

The Marcos family has not paid its estate tax despite a 1997 Supreme Court court decision ordering the Marcoses to pay a tax liability of P23.29 billion. Carpio earlier said that penalties in the decades that Marcos heirs failed to pay the debt have seen the amount balloon to P203 billion.

To recall, the Presidential Commission on Good Government, the agency created to recover ill-gotten wealth from the Marcoses and their cronies, said that the tax bureau determined the following liabilities in 1991:

u PAGE 7

by RAmon

RoyAndoyAn Philstar.com

MANILA — SpaceX, the aerospace company of eccentric billionaire and world’s richest man Elon Musk, is set to enter the Philippines, the government announced on Thursday, March 31.

This could propel the country

as the first in Southeast Asia to access SpaceX’s low earth orbit satellite network constellation called “Starlink”, the Department of Trade and Industry said.

Starlink is comprised of over 1,600 satellites.

“Preparations are underway for their registration,” the DTI said in a statement. “At present, their application is being

processed and the locations of their gateways are being visited.”

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said SpaceX’s entry would give better internet speeds and connectivity in the country, which is notorious for its poor telecommunications especially in remote parts of the archipelago. The company is

u PAGE 7

Starfleet Innotech partners with startup Luyten to enter $19-M global 3D printing construction market STARFLEET Innotech, Inc. announced a new strategic partnership with Australiabased 3D concrete printing startup Luyten.

The exclusive agreement will see Luyten’s revolutionary construction technologies utilized across SFIO’s real estate projects in the Philippines, towards the conglomerate’s goal of building a more sustainable, equitable future for community living.

As SFIO continues growing its portfolio of development projects through its real estate division, led by premiere wellness tourism brand Moraya, Luyten will play a pivotal role in championing Moraya’s mission of wellness through purposeful innovations.

According to Grand View Research, the global 3D printing construction market is estimated at roughly $19 million and is expected to reach almost $5 billion by 2030. Using their own 3D printing devices and proprietary mixtures, Luyten is able to complete construction projects with 60% less waste, 70% less production time, and at only 20% of the labor costs of traditional means.

According to the startup, walls for a twobedroom home can be printed in as little as two days. Optimized for quick deployment, Luyten’s devices can be mobilized and operational in hours, as opposed to the multiple days it takes to set up traditional machinery. Through their robotic systems, Luyten can remotely control their machinery from anywhere in the world. These innovations translate to more productive, and, therefore, more cost-effective,

construction periods.

Over the next few years, Luyten will be providing the machinery and materials needed to augment SFIO’s real estate developments – an exclusive arrangement in the Philippines, where a majority of the Moraya developments will be placed. Under this agreement, SFIO will have exclusive distribution rights to Luyten’s devices in the Philippines and projects to sell at least fifty units of 3D concrete printing machinery to other developers and organizations over the next 12 months, following regulatory approvals.

“Our partnership with Luyten stems from our commitment to invest in the futures of the industries we operate in,” said Starfleet Innotech CEO Jeths Lacson. “Joining Moraya’s divisional ecosystem, Luyten will play a key role as an enabler for our various real estate initiatives. Their affordable, sustainable offerings will allow us to build exciting projects that champion both the new communities we hope to build, as well as the existing communities we hope to serve.”

In addition to augmenting Moraya’s current township developments, this partnership will see up to 500 low-cost housing units constructed across the Philippines over the next two years. Through this exclusive agreement in the Philippines, SFIO will also be able to distribute Luyten’s machinery to local government units and nonprofit organizations seeking more affordable means to build quality, resilient homes.

(Advertising Supplement)

6

OpiniOn & Features

APRIL 1-7, 2022 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

OpiniOn

Going to waste

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Features

AS BA.2, the more infectious “stealth” subvariant of the Omicron strain spreads in the United States, reports on Monday, March 28 said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration would approve a second booster or fourth dose of Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID vaccines to ages 50 and older.

Israel, which began administering a second booster of the Pfizer vaccine early this year to ages 60 and above, reported over the weekend that the additional dose lowered the mortality rate in that vulnerable group by 78 percent. The report was based on a 40-day study among more than half a million people aged 60 to 100, conducted by Israel’s largest healthcare provider.

Last month, the United Kingdom also offered a second booster to ages 75 and above as well as anyone from age 12 up who is immunocompromised.

In the Philippines, the government wants people aged 60 and older as well as the immune suppressed and those with other serious health problems to get their booster shots against COVID. As of mid-March, however, only 13 percent of the targeted segment had received boosters. Even in Metro Manila, which has the highest COVID vaccination rate, the booster uptake is only 30 percent.

Scientists have said immunity to COVID provided by vaccines wanes after a few months, and recommend a booster four months after the

second primary dose. The additional protection is important as the stealth Omicron spreads in parts of Europe, the U.S., Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland. On Monday, Shanghai began its most extensive lockdown since the start of the pandemic to contain a COVID outbreak.

The World Health Organization has repeatedly warned that the COVID threat is far from over, and might yet be entering a deadlier phase as restrictions are eased too quickly and vaccinations fall. The WHO warning is not being heeded in the Philippines, where the sight of large political gatherings for the election campaign is giving people the impression that the pandemic is over.

While the stealth Omicron threatens to push up cases again in the Philippines, pandemic response officials are lamenting that COVID vaccines available for boosters are set to expire by June. The country is buried up to its neck in debt to finance the pandemic response, particularly for the procurement of vaccines. Every dose is Philstar.com photo precious and cannot be wasted, especially since there are still millions of Filipinos who have not local governments must not be distracted by the program. Otherwise, the country could face a received even their primary dose. The national and upcoming elections in carrying out the vaccination renewed COVID surge. (Philstar.com)

Editorial

If we want Leni Robredo’s ‘Gobyernong Tapat’ to succeed, we need to vote for Kiko Pangilinan as her vice president

The Fil-Am Perspective Gel SantoS-ReloS THE Philippine election is less than six weeks away. The momentum has been shifting to the Leni-Kiko campaign as evidenced by the jam-packed political rallies in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, the growing number of endorsements that Vice President Leni Robredo gets from former government officials, military leaders, universities and colleges, businesses and business analysts, nongovernment organizations, and even more from sitting local officials in the towns, cities and provinces. However, there has been online buzz about pushing for an all-women power tandem with Leni Robredo-Sara Duterte Carpio. Sara is the incumbent mayor of Davao City, the daughter of outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte, sister of Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte, preceded by the father, and succeeded by her other brother, Sebastian Duterte.

Fellow Filipinos: if we are truly sick and tired of chronic corruption in the Philippines, if we are truly done with family dynasties that perpetuate the cycles of corruption from generation to generation, if we are truly serious and committed to finally fighting for and getting the honest, clean, good government that we deserve, then we need to vote not only

for Leni Robredo for president, but also for her chosen and trusted public servant to be her vice president, Sen. Kiko Pangilinan.

This is one of the biggest and most consequential differences between the United States and the Philippines’ way of electing the top two positions of the Executive Office.

Here in the United States, we are voting for a ticket — a team.

A vote for the president is also a vote for the running mate for vice president.

According to the White House website: “The primary responsibility of the Vice President of the United States is to be ready at a moment’s notice to assume the Presidency if the President is unable to perform his or her duties.

This can be because of the President’s death, resignation, or temporary incapacitation, or if the Vice President and a majority of the Cabinet judge that the President is no longer able to discharge the duties of the presidency.”

“The Vice President also serves as the President of the United States Senate, where he or she casts the deciding vote in the case of a tie. Except in the case of tie-breaking votes, the Vice President rarely actually presides over the Senate,” WhiteHouse.gov added.

The U.S. president also has the prerogative to assign a special role or mission to the

VP to help fulfill their campaign promises to the people.

WHY does the U.S. vote for the President-VP as a team? Let us focus on the most important function/role of the VP that is true for both the U.S. and Philippine government: The VP is the second highest and second most powerful position in government, especially, God forbid, something happens to the president, the VP will take over as president.

Because the president and the VP are a team, then they share the same values and philosophy in governing, the same vision, platform and programs so that whatever happens to the president, the American people who have given them the mandate to govern will continue to fulfill the campaign promises the American people voted them for in the election.

Unfortunately, we do not vote the same way for our president and VP in the Philippines.

Sadly, too, we vote based on personality, instead of vision and ideology and programs.

This is exactly why it is so easy for parties to merge, collapse, be renamed, and for candidates to jump from one party to another. It is a batabata type of Padrino politics. It is driven by political expediency and survival based on who is more popular with name recall, including those who capitalize on the surname or family brand.

Think about this: Public

officials earn meager salaries and yet most of them live questionable lavish lifestyle.

Why? There is money in politics, suggested by no less than the ousted dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos, shared on video “The Kingmaker” by Sandro Marcos, son of Presidential candidate Bongbong Marcos.

This is also why traditional politics and family dynasties are perpetuated, and those in power do not want to touch it because almost all of them benefit from this corrupt system. They already have their “people” in the corrupt system, they have protectors in the complicated labyrinth of those who serve not the people they vow to serve but their own personal interests — and they all benefit from it and would fight hard and break rules just to perpetuate the status quo.

You know how family dynasties work. They have been there for the longest time — generations after generations, doing the dizzying merry-goround and musical chairs of positions they hold, keeping power within the family in both the national and local levels.

Why? Because they are fully invested and reaping much return in this game of politics.

Perhaps most of them started with good intentions, but many of them end up being eaten up by the cancer of corruption in government because of the power vested upon them by the

positions in government they hold.

That is the daunting part of Philippine political reality.

However, let us remember that there have been times in our political history when the people decisively chose to elect a new kind of politician — those who live up to their role as true public servants. On the local level, we have the likes of Vico Sotto of Pasig who has unseated the Eusebios.

The same is now true in our national election.

This is what this PINK wave is all about. It is Leni bringing forth to public attention that we still have people like her and her chosen VP Francis Pangilinan who have proven to be true and genuine public servants with proven integrity and excellence through their years in public service.

Leni and Kiko never compromised the honor and dignity of the position entrusted to them by the voters in exchange for money, power and political survival. This is why they are able to give hope to people that this time things can really change for the better. This is why they are able to inspire volunteerism and service because of their own leadership by example. Because they bring out the best in people as they work toward a common goal.

Think about the importance of the choice of VP and how that may impact our collective

aspiration to finally have a good and honest government that will truly serve the Filipino people, work in the best interest of our people, be transparent and accountable to us, protect and defend the Constitution and abide by the rule of law, and end corruption that has been plaguing our government bureaucracy from top to bottom to the detriment of the quality of life of the Filipino people.

Do not let any Trapo or member of a family dynasty like Bongbong Marcos and Sara Duterte Carpio corrupt this one chance we have in this generation because they will always be who they are.

Kiko Pangilinan is the only worthy VP to work with Leni Robredo to make #GobyernongTapat a reality, come what may. *** 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. She was a news anchor, TV host and radio commentator and public service host for ABS- CBN and DZMM. She is now working on her advocacies independently, serving the Filipino audience using different media platforms. You may contact her through email at gelrelos@icloud.com, or send her a message via Facebook at Facebook.com/ Gel.Santos.Relos. Also on Twitter, Instagram: Gel Santos Relos

Masking up helps, but getting vaccinated critical to keeping kids safe Commentary DR. Jay yeh

MeDical DiRectoR, PeDiatRic echocaRDioGRaPhy laboRatoRy, Uc DaviS health WHETHER or not kids should wear masks in school remains a heated topic with strong opinions on both sides.

Adding to this conversation is the state’s latest masking guidance, which went into effect on March 12. Schools are no longer required to enforce a mask mandate and instead are maintaining masking as a strong recommendation to keep students, teachers and school staff safe. Some school districts have even chosen to continue to keep mask requirements in

place, and masks continue to be mandatory in certain highrisk settings like healthcare facilities and public transit.

Despite the latest guidelines and varying views, many families are choosing to continue to mask up to protect themselves against COVID-19.

While masking remains a key tool in protecting ourselves and our families against this deadly virus, as a doctor and parent myself, I think the big question to consider is: Have you and your kids been vaccinated yet?

The reality is, getting vaccinated offers the safest protection against contracting COVID-19. Children 5+ are eligible for vaccination, so if you have not yet done so, I strongly urge you to get your kids vaccinated today. And if they are 12+, make sure they get their booster when eligible.

Vaccines are overwhelmingly safe thanks to the rigorous safety trials that included people of different genders, ethnicities, ages and preexisting conditions, as well as the ongoing efforts to monitor safety as millions of people receive the vaccine.

The pandemic is still here, and real-world evidence continues to show that the vaccine is preventing severe illness, hospitalization, and death. In fact, based on the latest data collected March 3, 2022, unvaccinated Californians are 17 times more likely to die and nearly nine times more likely to be hospitalized from COVID-19 than fully vaccinated and boosted Californians.

Generally, children may have lower rates of COVID-19 and are less likely to spread the

virus than adults, but it is still possible for children to become severely ill and experience serious complications from the coronavirus. It’s simply not worth the risk. Children eligible for the vaccine should get vaccinated as soon as possible to significantly reduce their risk of becoming sick or spreading the virus to someone else, including younger children or older relatives in the home.

If your children are vaccinated and you feel better keeping them masked up, follow your instincts and know that you are not alone. As a health expert, I strongly recommend keeping kids masked up if they feel comfortable doing so. Masking in schools has been a successful strategy to keeping schools open and our kids in the classroom for a better learning environment.

It’s worth noting that California represents only 1 percent of the nation’s school closures despite educating 12 percent of the nation’s students.

Safe in-person instruction is essential, particularly for vulnerable populations. It is important to take the necessary steps to ensure that there is low risk of catching COVID-19 in school for students and staff alike. We must remain vigilant and prepared to adjust with conditions of the virus. If transmissions increase again, be prepared for schools to follow public health guidance around COVID-19 mitigation efforts including testing.

We may be in a new phase of the pandemic, but COVID-19 remains a threat. Schedule a vaccination or booster appointment today at Myturn. ca.gov or by calling 833-422-

4255. Support is available in over 250 languages via the state’s vaccination hotline.

Take precautions to protect yourself against COVID-19 and keep your family, friends and community safe and healthy.

Together, we will end the pandemic. *** 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.

••• Dr. Yeh is a board-certified pediatric cardiologist with advanced training in echocardiography. He specializes in diagnosis and treatment of congenital and acquired heart disease. He cares for a wide spectrum of patients ranging from newborns to adults with congenital heart disease. He has special clinical interest in pre-operative and post-operative care for congenital heart defects.

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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Social media reports of vote buying not enough to prosecute without testimony MANILA — The Commission on Elections said the vote buying incidents reported via social media may be difficult to prosecute without people coming forward with testimonies.

“It’s very difficult to prosecute crimes like this simply because medyo mahirap mangalap ng mga ebidensya, mga testimonya (it’s hard to look for pieces of evidence and testimonies) and we do not want the courts dismissing our cases,” Comelec Commissioner George Garcia said in an interview with CNN Philippines’ “The Source” on Thursday, March 31.

Garcia said that while social media posts are enough for its anti-vote buying task force to conduct an investigation, without testimony from the person who took the video, the case may not prosper.

He noted that previous cases involving vote buying did not move forward because some complainants withdrew, while other pieces of evidence were not deemed credible.

The task force will have the

National Bureau of Investigation to lead the verification and investigation of the social media posts, while the Department of Justice will be prosecuting the case.

Garcia said to verify a video, an investigation team or the Comelec’s field personnel may be sent to the location seen in a video reported on social media to collect their own documentary evidence. This may include actual envelopes given to people in the area.

“We decided to make it a multiagency task force para po mas effective ‘yung ating campaign, para po mas katakutan naman yung gagawin ng Comelec (so the campaign will be more effective and so people would fear the consequences imposed

by Comelec),” Garcia said.

The Presidential AntiCorruption Commission, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Philippine Information Agency, Philippine National Police, and Armed Forces of the Philippines are also part of the task force.

Comelec said it has directed its field personnel to investigate and submit reports to its Law Department even before the task force was created. These will now be turned over to Commissioner Aimee Ferolino, who will be leading the group.

Those who will be proven guilty of vote buying after the task force’s investigation will face disqualification cases, if an election candidate is an involved party, but also an election offense.

Garcia emphasized that they might spend one to six years behind bars.

In a Comelec briefing on Thursday, March 31 Garcia said disqualification cases may also be handed even if the candidates win the elections.

For elected officials, Comelec said it can suspend their proclamation if they end up facing a disqualification case or their proclamation may be annulled “so that the rules of succession can now be effective.” (Kaycee Valmonte/ Philstar.com) n

HOT WORKDAY. Traffic constables of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) manage vehicular traffic at the U-turn slot in front of the Quezon City Academy along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) in Quezon City on Thursday, March 31. Starting April 1, MMDA traffic enforcers and street sweepers will be entitled to a 30-minute “heat stroke break” to protect them from the ill effects of hot weather during the summer season.

PNA photo by Joey O. Razon

Carpio says gov’t can’t collect...

PAGE 5 • Deficiency Estate Tax Assessment against the Estate of Ferdinand Marcos in the amount of P23,293,607,638.

• Deficiency Income Tax Assessments against Ferdinand Marcos and Imelda Marcos in the aggregate amount of P184,159,289.70 for the years 1985 to 1986 • Deficiency Income Tax Assessment against Ferdinand Marcos Jr. [for the years] 1982 to 1985 in the aggregate amount of P20,410.

Marcos filed a petition against this before the Court of Appeals, which dismissed the petition on June 5, 1999 on the ground that the estate tax assessment of BIR — amounting to P23,293,607,638 — had already become final and unappealable.

The Supreme Court would

later affirm the Court of Appeals’ decision. Carpio earlier said the written demand has to be renewed every five years for the debt to be collectible. Since the 1997 ruling by the Supreme Court, five administrations have been unable to collect the tax.

Carpio said that under the tax code, “the heirs cannot get a single centavo from the estate of Marcos Sr. unless the estate tax is paid.”

“So how are they able to live?

They are running every election, spending money, but how are they getting this money?”

Despite the ruling, lawyer Vic Rodriguez, Marcos’ spokesperson, has taken on the narrative that the estate tax owed by the Marcos family from 1982 to 1986 was still pending a decision on the forfeiture of the properties used as the basis for

the taxable amount. “[If elected, Marcos] will appoint the BIR Commissioner.

Will the BIR commissioner send him a notice of payment for the estate tax? That commissioner will be fired... because the president has supervision and control over the entire executive department,” Carpio said.

“Control means he can reverse their decisions. He can preempt them and make the decision himself.”

The survey frontrunner is heavily banking on the Marcos brand, seen by victims of his father’s martial rule to carry him to Malacañang as a way for his family to get back to the presidential palace from where they were forced to flee due to a popular military-backed uprising called the People Power Revolution 36 years ago. n

Elon Musk’s SpaceX to bring...

PAGE 5 currently establishing a local Filipino entity that will be their wholly-owned subsidiary and is targeting to deploy three gateways in the first phase of their launch, he added.

“Their system will augment, as well as complement existing broadband capacities. This will further capacitate micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), facilitate online learning, e-commerce, and fintech,” Lopez said.

The aerospace company is optimistic about the country’s growing consumer base, according to DTI, adding that the signing of the amended Public Service Act was crucial in SpaceX’s decision to enter the local market. The new law now allows full foreign ownership in key industries in the country, including telcos, in a bid to encourage competition and corner more foreign investments.

For Terry Ridon, convenor at public policy think tank Infrawatch, the satellite broadband service’s entry to the Philippines will keep competitors on their toes.

“Most certainly, this will be a gamechanger in the country’s internet landscape, with various providers competing for customers through mobile and fixed-line internet. SpaceX will have to compete with the local providers on price, speed and reliability of service, as SpaceX customers will have to pay at least $710 upfront for their service,

against the lower barriers to entry for mobile and fixed-line internet services,” Ridon said in a text message.

“This should however be taken as a challenge by local ISPs to improve their current level of service and provide better value for the prices charged to customers,” Ridon added.

Talks between the government and SpaceX began after a US Investment Mission in November last year. This was followed by a slew of online meetings that became more frequent in early March after the signing of amendments to the PSA. “Starlink’s entry into the Philippines sends a positive message to the world: The Philippines is open for business and there’s a sustainable growing demand here for better and alternative ways to connect to the Internet,” Grace MirandillaSantos, independent ICT policy analyst and lead advocate of Better Internet PH, said.

“It’s critical for the government to show that the various reforms it put in place are accompanied by equivalent changes in licensing and regulation that are consistent with the reforms intended by these landmark and innovative policies,” MirandillaSantos added.

SpaceX’s Starlink made headlines in the past weeks after sending a shipment of terminals to Ukraine in the face of Russia’s invasion of its neighbor. n

ANNOUNCEMENT

ANNOUNCEMENT SD#0118

Advertisement for Bids Notice is hereby given that the San Diego Unified School District, acting by and through its governing board, will receive “ELECTRONIC-ONLY” bids for the furnishing of all labor, materials, transportation, equipment, and services for: transportation, equipment, and services for: HVAC UPGRADES AT MANN MIDDLE SCHOOL A mandatory site visit is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2022, in front of the main office of Horace Mann Middle School, 4345 54th St C, San Diego, CA 92115. ALL CONTRACTORS MUST PREREGISTER WITH THE DISTRICT PRIOR TO ATTENDING THE SITE WALK. Please send only one representative per Company. Contact jimperial@sandi.net for the link to preregister. (PLEASE SEE BID FOR DETAILS No. CC22-0960-52).

COVID-19 SITE WALK SAFETY PRECAUTIONS WILL BE ENFORCED Please refer to Planwell (www.crispimg.com, click on PlanWell, Public Planroom, search SDUSD and project bid number CC22-0960-52) for Site Walk Safety Precautions AND preregistration information. All bids must be received electronically at or before 1:00 p.m. on APRIL 21, 2022.

Firms interested in submitting a bid package must go to https://www.planetbids.com/portal/portal. cfm?CompanyID=43764 then search under “Bid Opportunities” for “Invitation number” CC22-096052 Mann Middle School HVAC Upgrades. For new vendors, please register under “New Vendor Registration”. The project estimate is between $500,000 and $600,000. This is not a PSA project and does not require prequalification. The District requires that Bidders possess any of the following classification(s) of California State Contractors License(s), valid and in good standing, at the time of bid opening and contract award: C-20 or other appropriate license, subject to District approval.

SAN DIEGO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT, Andrea O’Hara, M.A., Strategic Sourcing and Contracts Director, Strategic Sourcing and Contracts Department CC22-0960-52.

7

8

APRIL 1-7, 2022 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588

LEGAL SERVICES CASE NUMBER: 37-2022-00009331-CU-PT-CTL

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner Aracely Cuevas on behalf of minor child filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Joevany Hernan Rivera to Joevany Cuevas.

THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING Date: 04/26/2022 Time: 8:30 AM Dept. 61 Superior Court of California, County of San Diego 330 WEST BROADWAY DEPT. 61 San Diego, CA 92101 A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation printed in this county.

Asian Journal: MAR. 11, 2022 NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT Michael T. Smyth Judge of the Superior Court AJ 911 03/25, 04/01, 04/08, and 04/15/2022 ATTACHMENT TO ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME (JC Form #NC-120) NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE. The Court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).

If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One certified copy of the Order Granting Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.

If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the Court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.

If timely objection is filed, the Court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.

A RESPONDENT OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE, MUST FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date.

Any Petition for the name change of a minor, that is signed by only one parent, must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other, non-signing parent, and proof of service must be filed with the Court.

AJSD#911

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9006742

a. T.R Recycling LLC located at 552 Alta Rd #A, San Diego, CA 92154. b. 619 Junk Cars located at 552 Alta Rd #A, San Diego, CA 92154.

Registrant: T. R Recycling LLC, 3858 Cottonwood St., San Diego, CA 92113.

This business is conducted by Limited Liability Company.

REGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME. Signature Norma Ramirez Estrada.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 03/22/2022.

AJ 913 03/25, 04/01, 04/08, and 04/15/2022. AJSD 913

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9006610

Hustle Minded Individuals located at 2954 Oakstone Creek Pl., San Diego, CA 92027.

Registrant: Von Kelvin Ku, 2954 Oakstone Creek Pl., San Diego, CA 92027.

This business is conducted by Individual.

REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF: 02/28/2017 Signature Von Kelvin Ku. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 03/18/2022.

AJ 914 03/25, 04/01, 04/08, 04/15/2022.

AJSD 914

LEGAL SERVICES

CASE NUMBER: 37-2022-00009336-CU-PT-CTL

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner Aracely Cuevas on behalf of minor child filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Julian Cristian Juarez Cuevas to Julian Cuevas.

THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING Date: 04/26/2022 Time: 8:30 AM Dept. 61 Superior Court of California, County of San Diego 330 WEST BROADWAY DEPT. 61 San Diego, CA 92101 A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation printed in this county.

Asian Journal: MAR. 11, 2022 NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT Michael T. Smyth Judge of the Superior Court AJ 912 03/25, 04/01, 04/08, and 04/15/2022 ATTACHMENT TO ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME (JC Form #NC-120) NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE. The Court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).

If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One certified copy of the Order Granting Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.

If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the Court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.

If timely objection is filed, the Court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.

A RESPONDENT OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE, MUST FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date.

Any Petition for the name change of a minor, that is signed by only one parent, must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other, non-signing parent, and proof of service must be filed with the Court.

AJSD#912

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9007100

a. Burila Transport located at 1909 C Ave., #6, National City, CA 91950. b. Burila Logistics located at 1909 C Ave., #6, National City, CA 91950.

Registrant: Christopher Calcaño, 1909 C Ave., #6, National City, CA 91950. .

This business is conducted

by Individual.

REGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) ABOVED Signature Christopher Calcaño.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 03/24/2022.

AJ 915 04/01, 04/08, 04/15, and 04/22/2022.

AJSD 915

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9006991

a. HB Photos located at 1296 Sea Reef Drive, San Diego, CA 92154. b. HB Photos.Co located at 1296 Sea Reef Drive, San Diego, CA 92154. c. HB Photo Studios located at 1296 Sea Reef Drive, San Diego, CA 92154. d. HB Studio Productions located at 1296 Sea Reef Drive, San Diego, CA 92154.

Registrant: Hannah Bernabe, 1296 Sea Reef Drive, San Diego, CA 92154.

This business is conducted

by Indivdual.

REGISTRANT HAS BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME(S) AS OF 12/21/2020.

Signature Hannah Bernabe.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 03/24/2022.

AJ 916 04/01, 04/08, 04/15, and 04/22/2022.

AJSD 916

CASE NUMBER: 37-2022-00010555-CU-PT-CTL

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner Cynthia Suarez on behalf of a minor child filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Josiiah Richy Ramirez to Josiiah Richy Ramirez Suarez.

THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING Date: 05/04/2022 Time: 8:30 AM Dept. 61 Superior Court of California, County of San Diego 330 WEST BROADWAY DEPT. 61 San Diego, CA 92101 A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation printed in this county.

Asian Journal: MAR. 21, 2022 NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT Michael T. Smyth Judge of the Superior Court AJ 920 04/01, 04/08, 04/15, and 04/22/2022.

ATTACHMENT TO ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME (JC Form #NC-120) NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE. The Court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).

If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One certified copy of the Order Granting Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.

If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the Court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.

If timely objection is filed, the Court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.

A RESPONDENT OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE, MUST FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date.

Any Petition for the name change of a minor, that is signed by only one parent, must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other, non-signing parent, and proof of service must be filed with the Court.

AJSD#920

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9006449

Ai Pai Bakers located at 3365 Central Avenue, Spring Valley, CA 91977.

Registrant: a. Brigham Faamausili, 3365 Central Avenue, Spring Valley, CA 91977. b. Sipau Lavatai, 3365 Central Avenue, Spring Valley, CA 91977.

This business is conducted by Married Couple.

REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 06/16/2020.

Signature Sipau Lavatai.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 06/16/2020.

AJ 917 04/01, 04/08, 04/15, 04/22/2022.

AJSD 917

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9006902

Angel Nails And Spa located at 1475 E H Street, Chula Vista, CA 91910.

Registrant: Tan Thien Huynh, 3839 Murray Hill Road, La Mesa, CA 91941.

This business is conducted by Individual.

REGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) ABOVED Signature Tan Thien Huynh.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 03/23/2022.

AJ 918 04/01, 04/08, 04/15, and 04/22/2022.

AJSD 918

EMPLOYMENT

CASE NUMBER: 37-2022-00011822-CU-PT-CTL

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner Beronica Leticia Jaurigue Gonzalez filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Beronica Leticia Jaurigue Gonzalez to Veronica Leticia Gonzalez.

THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING Date: 05/12/2022 Time: 8:30 AM Dept. 61 Superior Court of California, County of San Diego 330 WEST BROADWAY DEPT. 61 San Diego, CA 92101 A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation printed in this county.

Asian Journal: MAR. 30, 2022 NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT Michael T. Smyth Judge of the Superior Court AJ 921 04/01, 04/08, 04/15, and 04/22/2022.

ATTACHMENT TO ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME (JC Form #NC-120) NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE. The Court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).

If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One certified copy of the Order Granting Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.

If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the Court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.

If timely objection is filed, the Court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.

A RESPONDENT OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE, MUST FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date.

Any Petition for the name change of a minor, that is signed by only one parent, must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other, non-signing parent, and proof of service must be filed with the Court.

AJSD #921

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9006993

STICKERGEEK located at 521 Valencia Parkway, San Diego, CA 92114.

Registrant: Joseph Molina, 521 Valencia Parkway, San Diego, CA 92114.

This business is conducted by Individual.

REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 03/24/2022.

Signature Joseph Molina.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 03/24/2022.

AJ 919 04/01, 04/08, 04/15, 04/22/2022.

AJSD 919

FOR RENT

(818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588 • http://www.asianjournal.com

LEGAL SERVICES CASE NUMBER: 37-2022-00008096-CU-PT-CTL

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner Farah Noaman and Waseem Al Haddad on behalf of minor child filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Milad W Waleed to Milad Al Haddad.

THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING Date: 04/18/2022 Time: 8:30 AM Dept. 61 Superior Court of California, County of San Diego 330 WEST BROADWAY DEPT. 61 San Diego, CA 92101 A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation printed in this county. Asian Journal: MAR. 03, 2022 NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT Michael T. Smyth Judge of the Superior Court AJ 895 03/11, 03/18, 03/25, and 04/01/2022 ATTACHMENT TO ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME (JC Form #NC-120) Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, which poses a substantial risk to the health and welfare of court personnel and the public, rendering presence in, or access to, the court’s facilities unsafe, and pursuant to the emergency orders of the Chief Justice of the State of California and General Orders of the Presiding Department of the San Diego Superior Court, the following Order is made: NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE. The Court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).

If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing.

One certified copy of the Order Granting Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.

If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the Court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.

If timely objection is filed, the Court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.

A RESPONDENT OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE, MUST FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date.

Any Petition for the name change of a minor, that is signed by only one parent, must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other, non-signing parent, and proof of service must be filed with the Court.

AJSD #895

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9005114

a. CALIFORNIA SOJU COMPANY located at 760 Thomas Ave., San Diego, CA 92109. b. NOJU SOJU located at 760 Thomas Ave., San Diego, CA 92109.

Registrant: CALIFORNIA SOJU CO., 760 Thomas Ave., San Diego, CA 92109 This business is conducted by Limited Liability Company.

REGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME. Signature Phillip No. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 03/01/2022.

AJ 893 03/11, 03/18, 03/25, and 04/01/2022. AJSD 893

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9004393 Tacos Los Compas located at 420 Harbison Ave., National City, CA 91950.

Registrant: Raymundo Javier Ramirez, 420 Harbison Ave., National City, CA 91950.

This business is conducted by Individual.

REGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME. Signature Raymundo J. Ramirez.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 02/22/2022.

AJ 894 03/11, 03/18, 03/25, and 04/01/2022.

AJSD 894

SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL • APRIL 1-7, 2022

LEGAL SERVICES

LEGAL SERVICES

CASE NUMBER: 37-2022-00008300-CU-PT-CTL

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner Sandra Aredondo on behalf of minor child filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Angie Giselle Flores Aredondo to Angie Giselle Aredondo. b. Kiara Sofia Flores Aredondo to Kiara Sofia Aredondo.

THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING Date: 04/19/2022 Time: 8:30 AM Dept. 61 Superior Court of California, County of San Diego 330 WEST BROADWAY DEPT. 61 San Diego, CA 92101 A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation printed in this county. Asian Journal: MAR. 04, 2022 NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT Michael T. Smyth Judge of the Superior Court AJ 899 03/11, 03/18, 03/25, and 04/01/2022 ATTACHMENT TO ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME (JC Form #NC-120) Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, which poses a substantial risk to the health and welfare of court personnel and the public, rendering presence in, or access to, the court’s facilities unsafe, and pursuant to the emergency orders of the Chief Justice of the State of California and General Orders of the Presiding Department of the San Diego Superior Court, the following Order is made: NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE. The Court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).

If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing.

One certified copy of the Order Granting Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.

If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the Court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.

If timely objection is filed, the Court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.

A RESPONDENT OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE, MUST FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date.

Any Petition for the name change of a minor, that is signed by only one parent, must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other, non-signing parent, and proof of service must be filed with the Court.

AJSD #899

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9005557

CASE NUMBER: 37-2022-00001895-CU-PT-CTL

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner Omar Alexandro Eli Torres-Lombrozo filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Omar Alexandro Eli TorresLombrozo to Alex Lombrozo.

THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING Date: 04/18/2022 Time: 8:30 AM Dept. 61 Superior Court of California, County of San Diego 330 WEST BROADWAY DEPT. 61 San Diego, CA 92101 A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation printed in this county.

Asian Journal: MAR. 02, 2022 NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT Loren G. Freestine Judge of the Superior Court AJ 900 03/11, 03/18, 03/25, and 04/01/2022 ATTACHMENT TO ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME (JC Form #NC-120) NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE. The Court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).

If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One certified copy of the Order Granting Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.

If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the Court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.

If timely objection is filed, the Court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.

A RESPONDENT OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE, MUST FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date.

Any Petition for the name change of a minor, that is signed by only one parent, must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other, non-signing parent, and proof of service must be filed with the Court.

AJSD#900

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9003403

a. FAB & GLAM by AIRA located at 1615 Sweetwater Rd., #G, National City, CA 91950. b. FAB & GLAM located at 1615 Sweetwater Rd., #G, National City, CA 91950.

Registrant: Aria L. Prades, 92165 Nopalito Dr., Unit 64, Chula Vita, CA 91915.

This business is conducted by Individual.

REGISTRANT HAS BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME AS OF 03/07/2022.

Signature Aria L. Prades.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 03/07/2022.

AJ 896 03/11, 03/18, 03/25, and 04/01/2022. AJSD 896

Master Fences and Exterior Design located at 1324 Paraiso Ave., Spring Valley, CA 91977.

Registrant: Steve Esquivel Ulloa, 1324 Paraiso Ave., Spring Valley, CA 91977.

This business is conducted by Individual.

REGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME. Signature Steve Esquivel Ulloa.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 02/09/2022.

AJ 898 03/11, 03/18, 03/25, and 04/01/2022.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9004308

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9006095

Díaz Cleaning Service located at 8178 Brookhaven Rd., San Diego, CA 92114.

Registrant: José L Díaz, 8178 Brookhaven Rd., San Diego, CA 92114.

This business is conducted

by Individual.

REGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME. Signature José L Díaz.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 02/22/2022.

AJ 897 03/11, 03/18, 03/25, and 04/01/2022.

AJSD 897

AJSD 898

What’s Topping located at 1135 Calle Oroblanco Unit 1, Chula Vista, CA 91913.

Registrant: a. Maria T. Moneda, 1135 Calle Oroblanco Unit 1, Chula Vista, CA 91913. b. Norman R. Moneda, 1135 Calle Oroblanco Unit 1, Chula Vista, CA 91913.

This business is conducted

by Married Couple.

REGISTRANT HAS BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME AS OF 03/11/2022.

Signature Marcos LunaNieblas.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 03/11/2022.

AJ 902 03/18, 03/25, 04/01, and 04/08/2022.

AJSD 902

9

CASE NUMBER: 37-2022-00009113-CU-PT-CTL

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner Roxxana Marin on behalf of minor child filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Elizabeth Andrade-Marin to Elizabeth Marin.

THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING Date: 04/25/2022 Time: 8:30 AM Dept. C-61 Superior Court of California, County of San Diego 330 WEST BROADWAY DEPT. 61 San Diego, CA 92101 A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation printed in this county.

Asian Journal: MAR. 10, 2022 NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT Michael T. Smyth Judge of the Superior Court AJ 901 03/18, 03/25, 04/01, and 04/08/2022 ATTACHMENT TO ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME (JC Form #NC-120) Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, which poses a substantial risk to the health and welfare of court personnel and the public, rendering presence in, or access to, the court’s facilities unsafe, and pursuant to the emergency orders of the Chief Justice of the State of California and General Orders of the Presiding Department of the San Diego Superior Court, the following Order is made: NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE. The Court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).

If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One certified copy of the Order Granting Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.

If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the Court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.

If timely objection is filed, the Court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.

A RESPONDENT OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE, MUST FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date.

Any Petition for the name change of a minor, that is signed by only one parent, must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other, non-signing parent, and proof of service must be filed with the Court.

AJSD#901

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9006228

Seafood Island located at 10249 Lone Bluff Dr., San Diego, CA 92127.

Registrant: Dovan Nguyen, 10249 Lone Bluff Dr., San Diego, CA 92127.

This business is conducted by Individual.

REGISTRANT HAS BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME AS OF 03/14/2022.

Signature Dovan Nguyen.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 03/14/2022.

AJ 903 03/18, 03/25, 04/01, and 04/08/2022.

AJSD 903

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9005700

Newwave Brewing located at 2332 La Mirada Dr. #500, Vista, CA 92081.

Registrant: LA Makgeolli CO Inc., 10249 Lone Bluff Dr., San Diego, CA 92127.

This business is conducted

by Corporation.

REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 03/08/2022.

Signature Sang Soo Bae. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 03/08/2022.

AJ 904 03/18, 03/25, 04/01, and 04/08/2022.

AJSD 904

CASE NUMBER: 37-2022-00010595-CU-PT-CTL

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner Everardo Montoya Cornejo filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Everardo Montoya Cornejo to Everardo Montoya Montoya.

THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING Date: 05/03/2022 Time: 8:30 AM Dept. 61 Superior Court of California, County of San Diego 330 WEST BROADWAY DEPT. 61 San Diego, CA 92101 A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation printed in this county.

Asian Journal: MAR. 21, 2022 NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT Michael T. Smyth Judge of the Superior Court AJ 909 03/25, 04/01, 04/08, 04/15/2022 ATTACHMENT TO ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME (JC Form #NC-120) Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, which poses a substantial risk to the health and welfare of court personnel and the public, rendering presence in, or access to, the court’s facilities unsafe, and pursuant to the emergency orders of the Chief Justice of the State of California and General Orders of the Presiding Department of the San Diego Superior Court, the following Order is made: NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE. The Court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).

If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One certified copy of the Order Granting Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.

If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the Court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.

If timely objection is filed, the Court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.

A RESPONDENT OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE, MUST FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date.

Any Petition for the name change of a minor, that is signed by only one parent, must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other, non-signing parent, and proof of service must be filed with the Court.

AJSD#909

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9006377

CASE NUMBER: 37-2022-00010611-CU-PT-CTL

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner Michael Anthony Griffith AKA Michael Nguyen filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Michael Anthony Griffith AKA Michael Nguyen to Michael Anthony Griffith.

THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING Date: 05/03/2022 Time: 8:30 AM Dept. C-61 Superior Court of California, County of San Diego 330 WEST BROADWAY DEPT. 61 San Diego, CA 92101 A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation printed in this county.

Asian Journal: MAR. 21, 2022 NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT Michael T. Smyth Judge of the Superior Court AJ 910 03/25, 04/01, 04/08, 04/15/2022 ATTACHMENT TO ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME (JC Form #NC-120) NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE. The Court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).

If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One certified copy of the Order Granting Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.

If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the Court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.

If timely objection is filed, the Court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.

A RESPONDENT OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE, MUST FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date.

Any Petition for the name change of a minor, that is signed by only one parent, must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other, non-signing parent, and proof of service must be filed with the Court.

AJSD#910

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9006460

Beauty Simplified located at 1688 Pelican Point Ct., Chula Vista, CA 91911.

Registrant: a. Kerri Aviles, 1688 Pelican Point Ct., Chula Vista, CA 91911. b. Mark Aviles, 1688 Pelican Point Ct., Chula Vista, CA 91911.

This business is conducted

by Married Couple.

REGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME. Signature Kerri Aviles.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 03/16/2022.

AJ 905 03/25, 04/01, 04/08, and 04/15/2022. AJSD 905

Laras Logistics Transportation located at 858 Beyer Way, K10, San Diego, CA 92154.

Registrant: Jesus Ricardo Lara Lara, 858 Beyer Way, K10, San Diego, CA 92154.

This business is conducted

by Individual.

REGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME. Signature Jesus R Lara Lara.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 03/17/2022.

AJ 907 03/25, 04/01, 04/08, and 04/15/2022.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9005098

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9006665

Taco Bomb Authentic Mexican Grill located at 6725 Linda Vista Rd., San Diego, CA 92111.

Registrant: Taco Bomb Authentic Mexican Grill, 6725 Linda Vista Rd., San Diego, CA 92111.

This business is conducted by Corporation.

REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 02/01/2022.

Signature Rogelio Diaz.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 03/01/2022.

AJ 906 03/25, 04/01, 04/08, and 04/15/2022.

AJSD#906

AJSD 907

a.

Geraldinesthetics LLC located at 2423 Camino Del Rio South, Suite 208, San Diego, CA 92108. b. Geraldinesthetics located at 2423 Camino Del Rio South, Suite 208, San Diego, CA 92108. c. Geraldinesthetics Academy located at 2423 Camino Del Rio South, Suite 208, San Diego, CA 92108.

Registrant: Geraldinesthetics LLC, 2423 Camino Del Rio South, Suite 208, San Diego, CA 92108.

This business is conducted by Limited Liability Company.

REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 12/17/2021.

Signature Geraldine Cabreros.

Statement filed with Recorder/ County Clerk of San Diego County on 03/19/2022.

AJ 908 03/25, 04/01, 04/08, 04/15/2022.

AJSD 908

10

SAN DIEGO

APRIL 1-7, 2022 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588

JOURNAL

10

A P R I L 1 , 2 0 22

Meet the long-time Filipina professor who’s taking social justice education beyond academia Dr. Robyn Rodriguez, who has more than two decades of experience as a professor at UC Davis, is taking her expertise into the world of entrepreneurship

by Klarize

T

Medenilla / AJPress

HE world of academia can be a wonderful place to hone all aspects of social justice: developing theory, interpreting history, and developing solutions for historically disenfranchised communities.

Most importantly, it’s a place to incubate the world’s future leaders and greatest minds.

But like all institutions, academia has its limitations that can stifle the boundlessness of social innovation. And, especially as a woman of color, those limitations can inspire divergence from the traditional into the progressive.

Robyn Magalit Rodriguez — a Filipina American professor of Asian American Studies at the University of California, Davis — has been an invaluable mentor and figure for college students for years.

As the first Pinay to chair UC Davis’s Asian American Studies department, she in 2019 founded the Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies, a hub inspired by the eminent Filipino artist and activist Carlos Bulosan that seeks to enrich the Filipino American experience, Rodriguez told the Asian Journal in a recent interview.

But now, Rodriguez is departing from the world of academia into the world of entrepreneurship to expand her platform as a tribune for current and future generations of social justice leaders and facilitators.

“I’m really more interested in growing and innovating alternatives as opposed to fighting back against this institution and carving space within it,” Rodriguez explained.

“Which, again, I value that [the university system] has seen and clearly are working toward that work, but I just don’t want to spend that energy anymore. I really want to start again and craft new kinds of institutions that can actually serve our community.”

Though Rodriguez speaks fondly and proudly of her work in establishing a Filipino American studies center at UC Davis, she has decided to leave her post (starting in 2023) to seek other means of mentorship and education.

“I’ve increasingly become more acutely aware of how really limited this space for Filipino studies is in universities. It’s

incredibly constrained,” she said, recounting how difficulty it was for the university system to establish the center and maintain it.

“You can talk to any Filipino scholar — it is almost impossible to get funding for Filipino studies and research,” she said, noting that the university’s offerings for Filipino scholars almost operates like a token system, saying “once they fund one Filipino you have to wait a few cycles before they consider funding another.”

In addition to authoring several books on Asian and Asian American issues — including the newly released “Contemporary Asian American Activism: Building Movements for Liberation” on which she collaborated with Diane C. Fujino — Rodriguez launched School of Liberating Education, which is described as a “self-paced minicourse on the history of Asian American activism.”

She said that she plans to devote a large chunk of her time to the program after she leaves her teaching post at UC Davis and “really start to recruit dynamic BIPOC [Black, Indigenous, and people of color] educators to help me in creating and delivering this curriculum for the community.”

“I do sometimes worry for younger folks because history, now, is as far as you can scroll on a Google search. There’s so much knowledge that ends up getting lost,” she said of the difficulties of accessing resources on Asian American history. “We want this to be a kind of invitation to take a deeper dive into these histories and learn from them because

that’s how activism can start to incubate: through learning about our histories.”

In addition to the mini-course, Rodriguez has also started a podcast called “Spitting Fire: Doktora Robyn Speaks,” where Rodriguez chats with friends and colleagues about topics like community organizing but also about emotional health issues like grief, aging, and motherhood.

As a mother, Rodriguez naturally has the gift of fostering spaces designed to enrich the community. In August 2020, Rodriguez’s son Amado Khaya Canham Rodriguez tragically passed away at the age of 22 while working alongside indigenous communities in Mindoro, Philippines — a solidarity mission that was part of a larger, life-long goal of advocating for Filipinos in the Philippines.

In honor of her late son, Rodriguez is establishing the Amado Khaya Foundation, a non-profit that seeks to support community organizers and foster a community based on wellness amid the nearly impossible task of helping make the world a safer, better place.

“Filipinos I think that we have to be better about stewarding the planet. I do think that while we may be coming out of Covid, that hasn’t diminished the climate crisis and what that’s really going to mean for all of us,” she said. “You know, we devote our entire lives in trying to raise awareness around issues compounded by violence against our communities, whether its violence that comes from lack of clean air and water to police brutality,” Rodriguez shared.

The tenacity with which Rodriguez speaks with is incredibly contagious, particularly when she talks about this new program and the other many ventures she’s invested in.

In an age where marginalized communities are hungry for more resources made for and by members of those communities, the emergence of this new chapter for Rodriguez is kismet.

Academia, particularly elite academia, has come under scrutiny recently for poor investment in opportunities for educators of color and the programs and initiatives they seek to establish for students of color. Last year, the prominent social academic and activist Cornel West shared his resignation letter from Harvard University in which he decried the “decadence in our marketdriven universities.”

For Rodriguez — an immigrant from the Philippines who has created the groundwork to create a space for Filipino Americans — that disparity in administrative investment is somewhat unsurprising, given the rocky history of the University of California system.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, admission of Asian

Dr Robyn Magalit Rodriguez holds a copy of Asian America, 2nd Edition. Through vivid examples and clear discussion of a broad range of theories, the authors Pawan Dhingra and Dr. Robyn Magalit Rodriguez explore the contributions of Asian American Studies, sociology, psychology, history, and other fields to understanding Asian Americans, and vice versa. The new edition includes further pedagogical elements to help readers apply the core theoretical and analytical frameworks encountered. In addition, the book takes readers beyond the boundaries of the United States to cultivate a comparative understanding of the Asian experience, as it has become increasingly global and diasporic. Photos courtesy of Dr. Robyn Magalit Rodriguez

students into UCs soared. But Asian admission plummeted in the 1980s when, according to an investigation lodged by the U.S. Dept. of Education, found that at at least one UC campus — Berkeley — was capping the admission of Asian students.

(Then-UC Berkeley Chancellor Ira Heyman apologized for the drop but denied their university was deliberately limiting Asians.)

In 1996, the UC Board of Regents were among the most profound proponents of Proposition 209, the California measure that ended affirmative action in the higher education system. While total student enrollment increased after that, the number of Black and brown students at the undergraduate level plummeted.

So rather than push for a seat at a table — a table allegedly constructed on the basis of keeping communities of color at bay — Rodriguez is carving out her own, one that is built for those historically ostracized communities.

And the time for that table to be set is long overdue, particularly at a time when discrimination and violence against Asians continues to be a problem long after interest in the Stop Asian Hate movement waned in 2021.

Recent stories of multiple Asian women and elderly Asians being attacked and killed place a completely unneeded stress on a community that seemingly never has time to process one incident before another one props up.

As a Filipina whose focus has been on Asian American studies, Rodriguez said that nobody should be surprised by the

sudden rise in these crimes.

“Neither the hate nor the violence that [the Asian community] has suffered has been surprising. As scholars and community organizers, back in December of 2019 when Covid began propping up and news reports were fixated on China, we were all on the edge of our seats waiting for what the blowback was going to be,” she explained.

Rodriguez shared that the Stop Asian Hate movement is an opportunity for Asians to shift the narrative of the community, and for ethnic groups like Filipinos to help create a niche for themselves, in particular. But she hopes that this emerging era of Asian American activism makes room for nuance.

“It is exciting for me to see that there’s a new consciousness among Asian Americans, but what worries me is how the consciousness doesn’t come with the added critique of antiBlackness. And there’s this very particularly active right-wing element in the Asian American community that cries foul when it comes to racism against Asian Americans,” she said.

Rodriguez hopes that with her new path of entrepreneurship will help forge a path that does make room for critique of approaches like the model minority myth and the aid of social media that proliferates misinformation.

“The world is not the same as it was 10 years ago or several decades before,” Rodriguez said.

“Clearly there’s a lot that folks are innovating right now, but it also doesn’t mean that some of the insights from the past are also still healthy today.” n

4th Impact makes a sterling comeback SONY Music Philippines and ShowBT Philippines officially revealed 4th Impact as the newest addition to their roster of music talents, which include P-Pop kings SB19 and fivemember girl group KAIA. No stranger to conquering the international music scene, 4th Impact made waves in the UK after finishing fifth on the British singing contest, “The X Factor” and peaking at No. 10 on iTunes Brazil with their 2020 single “K(no)w More.” Late last year, the award-winning girl group coheadlined the crossover orchestra concert, “Forte” with SB19, which received glowing reviews for its exemplary fusion of classical and Pinoy pop music on a live stage format.

After being officially welcomed as part of the family, 4th Impact expressed gratitude for the interesting developments in their career.

“It’s an answered prayer for us,” the sister act shared in a statement.

“We once prayed for a management who will really take care of us and believe in what we can do. We feel ShowBT and Sony Music are the right companies to help us reach more of our dreams. And it is such a great honor to be part of their roster and be lined up with the P-Pop Kings, SB19,” they added.

To mark the beginning of this eventful partnership, 4th Impact has released their new single “Here We Go,” which was produced by Choi YoungHo (Handsome People) and Zrademusic (Adrian K, Methuselah K.). With a masterful blend of R&B diva chops, hip-hop sass, and stadium-sized energy, the upbeat track positions 4th Impact as a vocal powerhouse deserving of global acclaim.

“We wanted it to be a new anthem.

It’s an empowering song that aims to celebrate Filipinas all around the world, and how they’ve shown grace

and excellence amidst troubling times,” said the chart-topping quartet.

4th Impact revealed that it’s their first time writing a song, and that their own life story is the main inspiration behind the lyrics.

“We wanted to empower everyone, especially Filipino women, to believe in themselves and hold on to their dreams. Everything is possible if we just work together as one.”

The pop-R&B jam is accompanied by a music video which finds the Cercado sisters Almira, Irene, Mylene, and Celina looking all sassy and confident in a star-making performance. It’s also part of 4th Impact’s first single album, which contains the following tracks: “Here We Go,” “K(no)w More,” “Here We Go (Instrumental),” “K(no)w More (Instrumental).”

4th Impact’s “Here We Go” is out now on all digital music platforms worldwide via Sony Music Philippines. 4th Impact is comprised of Cercado sisters (Mylene, Celina, Irene and Almira (ManilaTimes.net) n Photo from Instagram/@4thimpactmusic

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Community

SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL • APRIL 1-7, 2022

11

There are many things to do in Pahrump

Racing, biking, shooting among recreational activities for residents, visitors

By RealtoR

Fely Quitevis-Bateman

THERE are times when the question of “What activities can we do in that place?” becomes one of the main questions when a person is considering a location to invest property in, buy a first or second home, or retire to.

This makes sense, obviously, because you would not want to move to an area where there is absolutely nothing for you to do.

Of course, aside from this, there is the question of availability, affordability and getting a good return on your investment. In this week’s article, I will focus on some of the things that you can do recreationally in Pahrump, which is located about 62 miles west of Las Vegas.

If racing or motorsports is your passion, look no further than Spring Mountain Motor Resort and Country Club, which is currently owned by John Morris. The place hosts various driving schools, track rentals and is the home of a private motorsports country club.

It has North America’s longest racetrack at 6.1 miles, and there are signs, and perhaps already in the works, of an expansion for additional track (as well as facility expansion) that will make the total racetrack grow to over 9 miles when completed.

It has generated excitement in the community as job openings have resulted with these expansion plans, with some reports saying that “Spring Mountain will be one of the most

Realtor Fely Quitevis-Bateman (right) with Dr. Philip Palarecio (left) who is planning to expand his dental clinic to Pahrump. Dr. Palarecio has one of the most advanced dental facilities in Las Vegas.

Gloria Estillore of Silicon Valley (right) is looking for a large commercial parcel to build at least a minimum 100-bed assisted living facility. She is in photo above with Realtor Fely Quitevis-Bateman.

exciting places to work and build a long-lasting career.”

Incidentally, right next to the racetrack is Spring Mountain Estates, luxury trackside homesites where homeowners will have access to all the amenities that Spring Mountain has to offer, which includes the Clubhouse Lounge, workout facility, and other services (e.g. massage therapist).

What’s more, owning a home at the Spring Mountain Estates puts you minutes away from the cool, clear waters of Lake Spring Mountain where you can enjoy activities like paddle boarding, kayaking, flying on jetpack and more. There are 80 homesite lots (for home and mixed-use), 50 of which have been sold. As of now, there are 17 homes built or are under construction.

If cycling is your passion, a new

bicycling group in Pahrump called Pahrump Valley Cyclists, is inviting the community to ride with them, according to the Pahrump Valley Times. This social club gathers biking enthusiasts for fitness and for fun, and welcomes riders of all age levels and gender.

The club’s goal is to connect cyclists and allow them the opportunity to get together and enjoy group rides in Pahrump and neighboring communities. The group’s rides can be shifted to accommodate cyclists of all levels, from beginners to the more experienced.

If walking or hiking is what drives you, there are many trails and parks in the area that are of interest. Among them are Discovery Park, Ian Deutch Memorial Park, Calvada Eye, Simkins

Tony and Neneth Suarez are extremely happy with their Airbnb in Pahrump, which is always fully booked. All their kids own properties in Pahrump as well.

Park and Petrack Park. These areas offer trails, opportunities for bird watching and nature-tripping, and wonderful walkways to share with the four-legged members of your family. What’s more, there are friendly residents to chat with or share a moment with as you enjoy your walk or hike.

Golf, one of the popular sports in the country, has a presence in Pahrump with the Mountain Falls Golf Club, which is co-designed by famed architecture firms Nicklaus Design Group and Cal Olson Design. It is an 18-hole golf course and country club that is capable of hosting events of all types, be it weddings, holiday parties, corporate weddings and more. It has visually striking, breathtaking views, and is a must-visit visitors to the area.

I had the pleasure of hosting former Philippine President Fidel V. Ramos at Mountain Falls Golf Club many, many years ago. He was impressed with it, and enjoyed playing golf at the club.

Aside from these, there are many other activities to do in the area. Sports activities include leagues for soccer, basketball, baseball and softball.

Residents can indulge in tennis, bowling, martial arts (karate, jiu jitsu, muay Thai) and even horseback riding.

There are gambling establishments in Pahrump, which include the Pahrump Nugget Casino, Terrible’s In photo above are some of my big repeat investors – Dr. Pete Racoma, and Wilmer & Gerlie Comahig Lakeside Casino, Saddle West Hotel, – who got approved for a 100-bed senior living resort on Homestead Road.

Casino & RV Resort, Irene’s Casino

and Terrible’s Road House Casino.

When you have partaken of all the things that you want to do in Pahrump, there is Las Vegas, which is less than an hour’s drive from Pahrump.

Concerts, theater shows, more gambling, shopping and dining is at your fingertips in Las Vegas.

Whether you want to consider Pahrump as your retirement place, your next residence or an investment, it has many factors going for it.

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APRIL 1-7, 2022 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

Health@Heart PhiliP S. Chua, MD, FaCS, FPCS WATER is vital to life. Without water, there won’t be life as we know it on earth. Our body is 50-75 percent water, averaging around 57 to 65 percent.

Infants are 75-78 percent water, dropping to 65 percent by age one year. And the value of water is even more evident during this COVID-19 pandemic.

Drinking distilled water, even during this pandemic, as the main source of liquid daily is not as healthy as one might think. Water filtered by Zero Water filter is basically distilled water, with Zero TDS (total dissolved solids). The process of distillation produces vapor/ moisture (the purest water one can get) that is collected in separate chambers, eliminating important essential minerals, besides chlorine and other harmful chemicals.

The widespread misconception that distilled water, being the “purest,” is the best water for drinking, is scientifically and medically flawed. Drinking distilled water regularly every day is a health risk to everyone, especially for children.

Distilled water may be used temporarily or occasionally as drinking water if filtered water purified through 8-stage reversed osmosis is not available. While distilled water is free of bacteria, parasites, and toxic chemicals, the process of distillation also removes all valuable minerals like fluoride, calcium, magnesium, etc., which are vital to our health.

Information from APEC, one of the top-rated Reverse Osmosis and Whole House Systems in the United States, is worth noting: “According to research articles and news, most tap and well water in the U.S. now are NOT safe for drinking due to heavy industrial and environmental pollution. We have reached a point where all sources of our drinking water, including municipal water systems, wells, lakes, rivers, and even glaciers, contain some level of contamination. Contaminants range from naturally-occurring minerals to man-made chemicals and by-products.

While many contaminants are

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Unhealthy drinks found at levels not enough not to cause immediate discomforts or sicknesses, it is proven that even low-level exposure to many common contaminants will, over time, cause severe illnesses including liver damage, cancer, and other serious ailments.

Even the chemicals commonly used to treat municipal water supplies such as chlorine and fluoride are toxic and are known to have significant adverse effects on the human body.”

APEC adds, “Environmental water contamination is the leading worldwide cause of death and disease and it adversely affects over 1 billion people every day in developing countries. Even here in the United States we often struggle with water pollution caused by natural disasters and human activities. A recent national report on our water quality revealed that 45% of assessed stream miles, 47% of assessed lake acres, and 32% of assessed bays square miles were classified as polluted. Ground and well water sources may also become contaminated due to the problems associated with industrial dumping, hydraulic fracking, and agricultural byproducts.”

Distilled vs filtered water Distilled water, as we have alluded to above, is the purest water one can get. But for drinking, we do not need the purest because our body needs the minerals naturally present in water from mother nature.

What we need, which modernday 8-stage reverse osmosis filtration does to water, is the removal of the chlorine and other contaminants, such as harmful heavy metals, parasites, bacteria, and odor, to make drinking water safe and palatable. Drinking distilled water regularly leads to 15 percent deficiency in calcium (osteoporosis), 30 percent deficiency in magnesium (heart rhythm, abnormality), and almost 100 percent in fluoride, which results in tooth decay.

Distilled water is not the best for the human body. Genuine bottled water, which has gone through 8-stage reverse osmosis filtration manufactured by reputable companies, is the safest water to drink today.

Alkaline water: Waste of money The hype about alkaline water as a healthier choice

is nothing but a profitmotivated scam victimizing misinformed, unsuspecting, gullible consumers. Even the Mayo Clinic has warned the public about the health risks of alkalosis for those drinking alkaline water daily, which could lead to hypocalcemia and hypothyroidism. There is currently no scientific evidence that alkaline water is safe or beneficial to health.

All advertised claims are unfounded, baseless, and theoretical, at best. Caveat emptor, as always!

Our God-gifted body has an excellent electrolyte and acid-base regulator system that continuously monitors our levels of electrolytes to strictly maintain our blood pH between 7.38 and 7.42. Our bicarbonate buffering system regulates the carbon dioxide concentration to maintain an optimal pH level, shifting any acid-base imbalance. If we ingest acidic or alkaline food or drink, this natural buffering system adjusts to maintain a healthy balance.

So, drinking alkaline water daily will only induce the body to form more acid to equilibrate the system, a risky added work for our acid-base balance equalizer. If our body becomes too acidic from the food or drinks we consume, it normally automatically adjusts itself, without the need for drinking alkaline liquid, which has a pH of 8 to 9, compared to normal drinking water, which has a pH of around 7, the healthy level.

The only indication for drinking alkaline water is when a person has cancer or other illnesses which make their blood pH level too acidic because the acid-base buffer system is not functioning properly. For all others, drinking alkaline water, instead of regular filtered water, could be hazardous.

A life-threatening complication of regular consumption of alkaline water is metabolic alkalosis, which could lead to gastrointestinal problems (nausea, vomiting, hand tremors, muscle twitching, and skin irritation), or organ failure. A bit of an acidic stomach works best in killing bad bacteria, and alkaline water would deprive the stomach of its normal physiology and protection…and your wallet with less money.

Even more unhealthy than

Catriona unveils Madame Tussauds Singapore wax figure

By Jan

Milo Severo Philstar.com

MISS Universe 2018 Catriona Gray is the latest Filipino to have a wax figure in Madame Tussauds Singapore.

Catriona joined the starstudded lineup of famous personalities represented in the popular attraction.

“Being invited by Madame Tussauds to be immortalized in wax is further testimony as to why I chose pageantry. While I thoroughly enjoy modeling, pageantry has enabled me to have a voice, to inspire change, and to help other women in my immediate communities and beyond,” Catriona said.

According to Madame Tussauds Singapore General Manager Eric Mak, fans picked the Miss Universe 2018 winner as their top pick as the next personality they want to see in Singapore. In November 2019, Gray had her sitting process with the Madame Tussauds team, which took a total of six hours to finish.

Unfortunately, due to the

pandemic, the initial launch set in 2020 was pushed back. After a long two-year wait, fans can now relive the historic crowning moment that united Filipinos from all over the world.

Catriona’s wax figure is dressed in a bespoke reproduction of her iconic Mayon Volcanoinspired fiery lava red gown by renowned Filipino designer Mak Tumang, who made this version specifically for Madame Tussauds.

“Since being crowned Miss Universe 2018, I’ve strived to say yes to anything that enables me to lift up fellow women, to give them a reason to believe in themselves and the collective power we have when we work together as one. I believe that if my figure being here inspires just one person to believe in themselves and to find a path that is true to them, it has all been worth it. I am so unbelievably proud to be the first Filipino to grace Madame Tussauds Singapore, not least the first female Filipino. May I now be the first of many,” Catriona said.

To show her support for

Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray with her Madame Tussauds wax figure

distilled water and alkaline water are soft drinks of any variety on the market, “toxic liquid candy” as I call them, because, as a beverage, it increases the risk for the development of metabolic syndrome in adults, and more severely among children. Fruits juices with added sugar, especially those with preservatives, are also unhealthy. It is better to eat the fruits or juice them yourself, with no additive, except perhaps healthy seeds (chia, flaxseeds, hemp seed, etc.).

Today, nothing beats clean,

8-stage-filtered, water! *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff. *** The main objective of this column is to educate and inspire people live a healthier lifestyle to prevent illnesses and disabilities and achieve a happier and more productive life. Any diagnosis, recommendation or treatment in our article are general medical information and not intended to be applicable or

healthcare workers in Singapore, Catriona and her team have donated care packs for the benefit of the nursing staff at IHH Healthcare during her visit.

Catriona joined the wax figures of fellow Filipinos Miss Universe 2016 Pia Wurtzbach and boxing champ Manny Pacquiao in Madame Tussauds Hong Kong, then in Bangkok where the Miss Universe 2018 pageant was held.

Fully-vaccinated Filipino tourists can now enter Singapore courtesy of the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) program. This program allows fully-vaccinated travelers to be quarantine-free upon arrival in Singapore.

Apart from booking a VTL flight, Filipino travelers are required to present proof of vaccination, negative COVID-19 test result taken prior to traveling, and travel insurance.

“With the easing of travel restrictions between the Philippines and Singapore, we look forward to welcoming even more of Catriona’s fans to see her up close and personal,” Mak said. n

Photo from Instagram/@mtssingapore

appropriate for anyone. This column is not a substitute for your physician, who knows your condition well and who is your best ally when it comes to your health. *** Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, a Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus based in Northwest Indiana and Las Vegas, Nevada, is an international medical lecturer/author, a Health Advocate, and Chairman of the Filipino United NetworkUSA, a 501(c)3 humanitarian foundation in the United States. Websites: FUN8888. com, Today.SPSAtoday.com, and philipSchua.com; Email: scalpelpen@ gmail.com.

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SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL • APRIL 1-7, 2022

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Mayor Gloria, council Nadine: There’s so much more I can offer member Whitburn officially reopen Bud Kearns municipal pool

By Jan

Milo Severo Philstar.com

Mayor welcomes community back to city’s historic municipal pool following $2.5 Million renovation SAN DIEGO – Mayor Todd Gloria, Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, staff and dignitaries including the grandson of Bud Kearns cut the ceremonial ribbon to officially reopen Bud Kearns Municipal Pool, located in the Morley Field Sports Complex in historic Balboa Park. The pool, which has been under construction since May 2020, reopened to the community in anticipation of a busy summer of splashing and fun.

“We’re excited for the reopening of this beloved community pool,” said Mayor Todd Gloria. “These extensive renovations restore and enhance the accessibility of Bud Kearns Pool so that it can be enjoyed by all San Diegans for generations to come.”

The $2.5 million pool renovation replaced a number of critical internal operating systems that were originally installed in 1932, as well as a number of improvements to comply with existing County Department of Health Services requirements and ADA accessibility guidelines. A new pool recirculation system and overflow recovery gutter system were installed along with new pool stairs, risers, handrails and deck edging to improve visibility and safety for the public.

Accessibility upgrades include a new ADA-compliant path of travel leading from the parking area to the pool deck, drinking fountains, showers and restrooms to bring the historic facility up to current standards.

“Bud Kearns Municipal Pool has been a spot for District 3 residents of all ages to get exercise, learn to swim, or have fun in the water,” said Councilmember Stephen Whitburn who represents

District 3. “I am happy that this facility has reopened with the upgrades so that it can continue to be a place for families to enjoy for many more decades to come.”

Once open, the pool is ramping up to offer a variety of programming for all ages including water aerobics, parent/toddler swim, and group and private swimming lessons.

The facility also teaches drowning prevention and other water safety classes.

“We’re ready for Bud Kearns Municipal pool to reopen its doors and provide an array of swimming classes and programs to San Diegans of all ages,” said Andy Field, director of the City’s Parks and Recreation Department. “We want to thank the community for their patience during the renovation process, and we can’t wait to see everyone back at the pool!”

Bud Kearns Municipal Pool originally opened on Jan. 1, 1933, and is the first municipal pool facility in the City of San Diego. In the 1950s, the facility was renamed for former City of San Diego Recreation Director Bud Kearns.

“Bud Kearns knew that sports participation helps young people grow into good citizens,” said John Kearns, Bud Kearns’ grandson. “His work to develop park facilities and recreation programs for all San Diego communities continues in the achievements of today’s Parks and Recreation Department. We thank them for this successful project and for their service.”

For additional information about Bud Kearns Municipal Pool operating hours and programming, please visit https://www.sandiego.gov/ pools/bud-kearns-memorialpool. n

ACTRESS Nadine Lustre revealed that she’s ready to accept sexy roles in her upcoming movies.

In the press conference of her new movie “Greed,” Nadine said she doesn’t want to be boxed in her past self-branding.

“If you say Nadine Lustre, that’s the first thing you think about and personally I don’t want to be in a boxed kind of branding because I know that there’s so much more I can do and there’s so much more I can offer,” Nadine said.

“I really want to explore kasi

do’n ako nae-excite talaga e. If something is really challenging, if something is really difficult.

‘Di ba alam mo ‘yung, ‘Wow, gagawin mo ‘to? Sobrang kakaiba nito ha.’ It makes me excited kasi alam kong hindi madali. I know there’s really a challenge so ‘yon. Definitely more out-of -the-box project for me,” she added.

Nadine also said that it was a strange feeling for her to go back to acting again when she shot the first few scenes of “Greed.”

“Ang tagal kong hindi umarte, so ‘yung first day of shoot namin lagi akong nagtatanong kay direk kung

tama ba ‘yong ginagawa ko.

Nakakapanibago din naman kasi because of pandemic ang daming projects na hindi natuloy. But when it comes to the story and the role, ito ‘yung mga klase na gusto kong gawin,” she said.

“Lahat halos ng mga films ko before ay all romance, rom-coms, drama, so sobrang na-excite ako nong kinwento sa akin ni direk ‘yung storya.

Gusto ko kasi ‘yung nachachallenge ako. Ayoko ng parang madali lang. Kasi ‘yung growth comes out when you’re challenged, growth comes out when you’re out of your comfort zone,” she added. n Nadine Lustre Photo from Instagram/@nadine

Markki’s tips on dealing with mental health problems

By Marinel

Cruz

Inquirer.net

“THERE’S always someone to talk to if your family members and friends tell you to stop making drama,” advised TV and movie actor Markki Stroem, who is an advocate of mental health awareness.

The 35-year-old Filipino-Norwegian said he was diagnosed with mild depression, social anxiety, and a severe case of ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) a few years ago. This explains why he makes the effort to promote having good mental health in all of his social media platforms.

“There’s no sense in shaming someone for being depressed or being anxious because they’re acting a certain way. Let’s not put them down because they’re that way. We have no idea what they are dealing with on their own,” he told Inquirer Entertainment during a recent virtual chat.

“It’s basically about respect and looking at someone as your equal. No one is better than the other—that’s what I keep pointing out again and again,” the actor declared.

lockdowns since 2020.

Raising awareness Also in the video, Markki announces that he produced a song and a music video to help the Philippine Psychiatric Association raise awareness about the rising cases of suicide and self-harm in the country.

“It’s important to understand that there are so many things going through your head, especially when you’re stuck alone in your house,” he pointed out. “Remember that there’s always someone to talk to. It’s OK to feel that way.”

Markki said that it was interesting how the said TEDx Talk session has “spawned” other things for him, too. One of them was when Nas Academy Philippines got him to conduct an online hosting workshop in January 2021.

“It’s fascinating to see how things bloom,” Markki Stroem Photo from Instagram/@markkistroem he observed. “Don’t cut ties with people.

Markki even had a TEDx Talk session, Don’t destroy relationships with individuals. titled “Unmasking Mental Health Through I’ve heard so many stories of people who Music,” in October 2021. In the video, he cut ties because they felt like they might be talks about the state of his mental health better than the person they worked with. and how he dealt with it during the series of Never look down on anyone.” n

Liza in sweet birthday greeting for Enrique

Liza Soberano with Enrique Gil Photo from Instagram/@lizasoberano

KAPAMILYA actress Liza Soberano penned a short but sweet message to her boyfriend Enrique Gil who is celebrating his 30th birthday.

In her Instagram account, Liza posted photos of them in El Nido, Palawan.

“Paradise is anywhere with you. Happy birthday my love,” Liza captioned the post.

In another post, Liza posted a video of them enjoying each other’s company.

“My boy in his element. Happy 30th champ. I love you with all my heart,” she wrote.

Celebrities such as Rayver Cruz, Kean Cipriano, Rambo Nunez and Eruption, to name a few, greeted Enrique.

Recently, Nadine Lustre was the guest of Liza in her mental health podcast “An Open Mind.”

Nadine opened up about her decision to move to Siargao.

“I needed a change in environment,” Nadine said.

Nadine also admitted that she always feels sad especially during the height of the pandemic.

“I couldn’t understand why I was always sad,” she said.

“Everything felt automatic, and it didn’t have heart,” she added.

She also mentioned how her music helped her mental health. (By Jan Milo Severo/Philstar.com) n

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APRIL 1-7, 2022 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

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