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DATELINE

FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

26 governors, former US officials condemn anti-Asian hate in bipartisan letter TWENTY SIX governors, as well as several former Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) government officials, have denounced the disturbing rise in assaults and harassment toward the AAPI community in the United States.

Governors from 26 states and territories on March 26 issued a joint statement calling for solidarity with AAPIs and condemning the recent string of brutal racism against the commu-

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White House releases new actions to address violence against Asian Americans

by Christina

M. Oriel

AJPress

THE White House on Tuesday, March 30 announced several actions in response to the latest string of anti-Asian violence and racism in the United States.

The move comes two weeks since the Atlanta mass shooting that left eight individuals dead, six of whom were Asian women, and as nearly 3,800 hate incidents have been reported across the

country in the past year.

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

The actions include reinstating the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders with initial focus on anti-Asian bias and violence; funding for AAPI survivors of domestic violence and

Bay Area Fil-Am teen recovering after being shot in the face

by Momar

Family alleges incident is a hate crime

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Mendiola AJPress

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

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

A 65-year-old Fil-Am woman, identified

BORDER CHECKPOINT. Anonas Police Station personnel flag down cyclists and motorcycle riders at a quarantine checkpoint along Aurora Boulevard at the border of Marikina and Quezon City on Wednesday, March 31. A total of 9,356 members of the Philippine National Police were deployed to man quarantine control checkpoints at the National Capital Region, and the provinces of Bulacan, Rizal, Cavite, Laguna, and Batangas which are under the enhanced community quarantine from March 29 to April 4, 2021.

PNA photo by Joey O. Razon

as Vilma Kari, was walking to church in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood on Monday morning, March 29, when a man assaulted her and knocked her to the ground, as previously reported by the Asian Journal.

The unprovoked attack was captured by a CCTV camera, showing the man kicking the woman several times in the head before walking away. He reportedly told her, “You don’t belong here,” according to the police.

The CCTV also caught the building’s doorman shutting the door on the victim who sustained serious injuries and

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

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

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

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G. Visaya

AJPress

Locsin: Hate crime against Filipina in New York will ‘influence’ PH foreign policy

by Ritchel

u PAGE 2

Suspect arrested, charged with hate crime in brutal attack of 65-year-old Filipino woman in NY

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

Jessica Dimalanta, a 19-year-old from Vallejo, California, was reportedly attending car stunt shows with four friends in San Francisco on Sunday, March 21, when a group of men pulled up in a dark sedan and opened fire on the grey Lexus she was riding in.

sexual assault; and forming a Department of Justice cross-agency initiative to review hate crimes and incidents.

“These attacks are wrong, un-American, and must stop,” Biden added.

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

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

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

Less than 48 hours earlier, the suspect was seen

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Duterte warns of ‘bleak months’ ahead amid rising COVID cases in PH

by Ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

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

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

“It takes most of my time actually. More than any other papers, it’s the COVID that is taking my time or most of my time looking for ways and kung ano na ang nangyayari

Pacquiao challenges ‘This is the reality a lot perpetrators of anti-Asian of us face’: Fil-Am Army hate: ‘Fight me instead’ veteran attacked in

by AJP another hate crime in SF u PAGE 5

ress

by Christina

M. Oriel

AJPress

A FILIPINO American U.S. Army veteran from San Francisco was recently subjected to a racist tirade and injured in a physical attack in what is being considered a hate crime.

Ron Tuason — a 56-year-old longtime Bay Area resident who is of Filipino, Chinese and Spanish descent — was waiting for the bus Ron Tuason, a 56-year-old Filipino American Army after a trip to the grocery store in the city’s Inveteran, suffered a black eye after he was attacked while gleside neighborhood on March 13 when anwaiting at a bus stop in the Ingleside neighborhood of San Francisco.

Contributed photo

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

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

The graphic, which was also translated in Tagalog, Chinese and Korean, bears the message to perpetrators: “Stop attacking Asians who can’t defend themselves! Fight me instead.”

“We have one color in our Blood! Stop discriminating.

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

The Filipino victims included in the graphic are Jessica Dimalanta, a 19-year-old from the Bay Area who was shot in her right eye; Noel Quintana,

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APRIL 2-8, 2021 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

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

From The Front Page

White House releases new actions to address...

PAGE 1 communities,” according to the White House fact sheet.

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

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

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

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

The actions also come a week after Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) criticized the administration’s lack of AAPI representation on the Cabinet secretary level.

Duckworth later backtracked on her pledge to block the president’s non-diverse nominees in exchange for the White House adding an AAPI senior liaison.

The DOJ’s Hate Crimes Enforcement and Prevention Initiative will focus on the rise in hate crimes and reinitiate community outreach and engagement programs and addressing gaps in hate crimes reporting. Its hate crimes website has updated information on resources and has been made accessible in Tagalog, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese.

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

crime tracking and investigations.

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

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

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

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

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

Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) previously introduced the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which addresses the rise of hate crimes and violence targeted against the AAPI community by assigning a point person at the

Department of Justice to expedite the review of COVID-19-related hate crimes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

26 governors, former US officials condemn...

PAGE 1 nity, particularly elderly Asians.

“As governors, we take pride in protecting the people of our states and territories,” the governors’ letter read, acknowledging the long history of anti-Asian social norms and policy in the U.S. “From the Chinese Exclusion Act to the incarceration of Japanese Americans in World War II to the mistreatments of Muslims and Sikhs after 9/11, this year is part of a history of racism against the Asian American community,” the letter continued.

The 26 governors who signed the letter include Govs. Gavin Newsom of California, Steve Sisolak of Nevada, Lourdes Leon Guerrero of Guam, David Ige of Hawaii, Phil Murphy of New Jersey and Andrew Cuomo of New York.

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

“For all of us, it has been a great honor and privilege to serve the American public at the highest levels of the federal government, working for both Republicans and Democrats. What is currently happening in our country is alarming,

and it requires that we all stand in solidarity to protect and support the AAPI community,” the coalition of former officials wrote in the letter.

Among the officials who signed the letter included several Filipino Americans: Lelaine Bigelow, former deputy assistant secretary for congressional affairs in the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD); Irene Bueno, former special assistant to the president; Nani Coloretti, former deputy secretary of HUD; Eddy Badrina former executive director of the White House Initiative on AAPIs (WHIAAPI); Cesar Conda, former assistant to Florida senator Marco Rubio; Vic Mercado, former assistant secretary at the Dept. of Defense; Joyce Meyer, former deputy chief of staff to former House Speaker Paul Ryan; Rudy Pamintuan, former chair of the President’s Advisory Commission on AAPIs; and Francey Lim Youngberg, former deputy assistant at HUD. “We call on our political leaders to: denounce violence and hateful rhetoric against AAPIs; to work with local, state, and national leaders and law enforcement agencies to better protect AAPIs; and to pass and fund legislation that will better support the needs of the AAPI community,” the former officials’ letter read.

As extensively covered in the Asian Journal, the onset of the

coronavirus pandemic in early 2020 brought forth an concerning uptick in harassment, bias and violence against members of the massive AAPI community.

According to the social organization Stop AAPI Hate, which has been tracking reported incidents of anti-Asian hate, 2020 brought forth a 150% increase in hate incidents and hate crimes against the AAPI community. More than 3,800 self-reported incidents have been documented of which 66% of the victims were women.

Many of the early incidents included bullying, racial epithets, verbal abuse and online harassment with a few violent incidents.

But the last three months have seen a spike in incidents involving physical violence, including death.

The AAPI officials’ letter remarked on the duality of anti-Asian hate and the fact that a large chunk of frontliners battling the COVID-19 pandemic in America are AAPIs. “Today, an estimated two million AAPIs serve on the front lines of our country’s battle against the COVID-19 pandemic as healthcare workers, first responders, grocery store workers, and other essential roles,” the letter read.

“They risk their lives every day to save fellow Americans, but even they are not immune to this kind of bias and hate.” (Klarize Medenilla/AJPress)

Suspect arrested, charged with hate crime in...

PAGE 1 on CCTV video assaulting the victim identified as Vilma Kari, who immigrated from the Philippines decades ago, according to a New York Times interview with her daughter.

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

According to the authorities, the 38-year-old Elliot was arrested in July 2002 in the Bronx for fatally stabbing his mother. He was released on lifetime parole in November 2019 after serving 17 years in state prison.

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

Mayor Bill de Blasio called the incident among “the horrible, disgusting attacks on Asian American New Yorkers, and it’s got to end and we’re going to use every tool we have.” He said it was “absolutely unacceptable” that none of the witnesses did not intervene.

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

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

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

“And if you see someone being attacked, do whatever you can – make noise, call out what’s happening, go and try and help immediately call for help, call 9-1-1,” de Blasio added. “I mean, this is something where we all have to be part of the solution. We can’t just stand back and watch a heinous act happening.”

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

Community leaders and elected officials led

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

“Damn it, I am so sick and tired standing here demanding something to be done for my people,” an emotional Yoo said. “She is lying in the hospital right now. We don’t know how to help her. Everybody is reaching out to me because the community wants to stand by her.”

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

“We’re standing in front of the building that pretty much closed their door on a woman lying on the sidewalk. Isn’t that the perfect symbolism of what is happening right now,” she said. “We don’t want your thoughts and prayers anymore.

We demand action and we demand resources so we can train volunteers to run programs to keep people safe.”

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

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

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

Photo courtesy of New York Police Department

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

Among the speakers was Carmelyn Malalis, Chair and Commissioner of the New York City Commission on Human Rights. She expressed her feelings about how this most recent attack hit close to home.

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

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

“That is definitely troubling to me, that there was a witness who closed the door and exacerbated the victim’s situation,” she said. “And that is not who we are. That is not the New York we know and love.

Commissioner Malalis also talked about the recent public awareness campaign that CCHR implemented, featuring Asian and Pacific Islander New Yorkers.

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

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

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

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

Foreign parents of Filipino citizens...

PAGE 1 to be able to enter the country.

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

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

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

entering the country if they possess the required seaman’s visa or crew list visa.

“We welcome the exemption of foreign seafarers from the travel ban as the Philippines is one of the countries in Asia that has opened a ‘green lane’ for these sailors,” he said.

According to BI bay service section chief Alnazib Decampong, the green lane project was launched by the government to promote the Philippines as a hub for crew change of international maritime vessels and facilitate the free movement of sailors in the region during the pandemic.

The crew change hubs are located in the ports of Manila, Bataan, Batangas, Subic, Cebu, and Davao. (by Ritchel Mendiola/AJPress)

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SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL • APRIL 2-8, 2021

BAGONG FORMS NG VIRUS, PAREHO ANG LABAN! Isang napakahabang taon ng pagbabago ang lumipas lamang. At ngayon, pati na ang COVID ay nagbabago—sa mga bagong uri ng virus na tinatawag na variants na mas madaling kumalat. Ngunit isang bagay ang hindi nagbago: ang ating determinasyon na tumulong para pabagalin ang pagkalat ng COVID. Kung mananatili tayong maingat at ipagpapatuloy ang dati nating ginagawa—pagsuot ng masks, pagpapanatili ng 6 feet na distansya sa isa’t isa, pagpabakuna kapag panahon na natin—sama-sama nating kakayaning talunin ang virus na ito.

Alamin ang higit pa sa cdc.gov/coronavirus

Inihahandog sa inyo ng U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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APRIL 2-8, 2021 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

From The Front Page

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

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

PAGE 1 Dimalanta and a 19-year-old male were hit, while their other three friends were unharmed. The suspects fled the scene.

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

Her uncle, Dexter Martin, confirmed with the Asian Journal that

Jessica Dimalanta, 19, of Vallejo, California was shot in the right eye on March 21 in what her family is calling a racially motivated attack.

Photo courtesy of Dexter Martin

Dimalanta is Filipina.

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

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

“While doctors were able to remove the shell, fragments still are embedded in her face, and she is unable to chew and speak without pain. She is now permanently impaired,” he wrote.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The GoFundMe page has since raised over $63,000 to help with Dimalanta’s recovery. (by Ritchel Mendiola/AJPress)

Locsin: Hate crime against Filipina in...

PAGE 1 was taken to a local hospital for treatment, police said.

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

“That’s not heartbreaking.

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

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

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

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

“Racists understand only force,” he added.

For his part, Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez said the Philippine Consulate in New York had been in touch with Kari.

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

cy.

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

Pacquiao challenges perpetrators of Anti-Asian...

PAGE 1 a 61-year-old who was slashed from cheek to cheek on the New York subway; and Danny Yuchang, a 59-year-old travel agent who was punched during his lunch break in San Francisco.

It features a photo of Brandon Elliot, the suspect who at-

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

The collage also highlights Xiao Zhen Xie, a 75-year-old

woman who was punched in San Francisco, but fought back by smacking her attacker with a wooden board. She plans to donate the nearly $1 million raised for her to organizations helping the community and combating hate.

Stop AAPI Hate, a national coalition that tracks anti-Asian

American discrimination, reported that from March 19, 2020 to February 28, 2021, it has received 3,795 firsthand incidents of racism and discrimination from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

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

DIVINE INTERVENTION. Religious items for sale on a sidewalk near St. Peter Parish: Shrine of Leaders on Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City lure a customer on Maundy Thursday, April 1.

Sales are expected to be minimal the rest of the Holy Week as Filipino traditions are banned for the second straight year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

PNA photo by Joey O. Razon

‘This is the reality a lot of us...

PAGE 1 other man approached him and started spewing racial insults.

The man, who was wearing a Navy hat, pointed out Tuason’s veteran cap.

“He notices me and the color of my skin and the fact that I’m wearing a hat that says, ‘veteran.’

He ends up saying, ‘Get the hell out of my country, you caused this problem. Do you want to get hurt? You’re not a veteran, I’m a veteran,’” Tuason recounted in a recent interview with the Asian Journal.

The veteran, who uses a cane to walk, tried to record the incident on his cellphone until the man knocked it out of his hand.

Then, the suspect started punching him several times, causing him to hit a fence and fall to the ground.

“There was a steel fence behind me and I hit my head on the pole, so I was really seeing the stars. I went down and my glasses flew off,” Tuason continued. “Because of the amount of weight in my backpack, I couldn’t get up unless I used both hands and I have mobility issues.”

Three witnesses came to Tuason’s aid by pulling the suspect off him and helping him get back up. San Francisco Police Department officers came within minutes after he called 911.

Officers were able to locate the suspect, identified as 53-year-old Victor Humberto Brown, shortly after at a nearby McDonald’s.

Brown faces felony assault and hate crime charges.

The suspect was wanted on three separate warrants for vi-

olating probation in San Francisco, battery in San Jose and battery on a bus driver in Santa Clara County, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Tuason took photos of his injuries, which include a black eye and a swollen cheek, and also reported the incident to the Stop AAPI Hate website.

He said that after he appeared on the local news, individuals have since recognized him in public and have reportedly verbally harassed him. He continues to wear his veteran hat outside, a symbol of his service as a combat engineer in Louisiana and Germany in the 1980s.

“This story is bigger than me.

What scares me right now is seeing this hateful trend. There have been negative comments on my story and when I’ve gone out to the store, people have recognized me and have given me funny looks. One individual even called me a racist slur,” Tuason recounted.

Since the March attack, Tuason said he is suffering from short-term memory loss and continues to have a hard time sleeping.

However, he said he will use this spotlight to speak up about anti-Asian attacks in hopes of seeking justice and preventing future attacks.

“People have been attacked, harassed or have had their vehicles broken into. If anything, San Francisco as a whole is a smokescreen. What’s really going on here is sad and it’s the reality a lot of us face. We don’t feel safe,” he said.

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SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL • APRIL 2-8, 2021

Dateline Philippines

Filipino priest develops oral, Duterte warns... yeast-based COVID-19 vaccine

by Kathleen

A. Llemit

Philstar.com

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

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

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

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

The priest-scientist, who holds a PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has said in several interviews that he aims to develop the vaccine in oral form so that it could reach as many people, even as far away as boondocks. He also sees it as a means to lessen the risk of exposure or contact. He even said that since yeast can be stored at room temperature,

PAGE 1 doon sa labas kung saan tayo makakuha (where we can supply),” he added.

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

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

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

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

“We want to buy, we have money, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank said, ‘OK, we will lend you.’ The money is made available to us. I suppose that is what the bank has told our people. The problem is it’s not enough,” he said.

Fr. Nicanor Austriaco is a molecular biologist and visiting professor at the University of Santo “So we expect a very, not really a dark future, Tomas.

Photo from Facebook/Nicanor Austriaco OP but we expect bleak months... baka mahawa ka refrigeration is not necessary on the Babuyan islands without nga eh. Ang problema mahawa ka (You might get refrigerators,” he added. for his proposed vaccine.

He said that he does not ex “You don’t need a doctor, you don’t need a nurse, you pect for this vaccine to be as don’t need an injector, you 100% effective as the vaccines don’t need a refrigerator. For by Pfizer and Moderna but our country, with more than hopes it will “provide enough 7,000 islands, millions of Filipi- protection” so that Filipinos will nos in the bundok, how will you not have to go to the hospital.

In the same interview, the deliver the vaccine to them?”

Fr. Austriaco said in an inter- priest-scientist shared that he and the team will conduct view with GMA News Online.

“This yeast delivery system tests on mice at UST and esis very stable. You can put it in timated that the results of the a box and you can carry it with study will be out by December you, take it on the boat, take it this year.

China projects in Philippines found riddled with secretive conditions

by Ian

Nicolas Cigaral Philstar.com

MANILA — Contracts for three China-funded projects under the Duterte administration’s infrastructure program were found riddled with highly secretive conditions that give Beijing undue advantage in debt settlement.

The Kaliwa Dam Project, Chico River Pump Irrigation Project, and technical assistance for the Philippine National Railway

(PNR) South Long Haul Project were among the 100 Chinese contracts worth $36.3 billion analyzed by researchers and found to contain grossly disadvantageous provisions against 24 developing economies.

These “Build, Build, Build” projects were cumulatively worth $493.08 million.

The findings were contained in an 85-page report drawn up

by AidData, a research unit at the William & Mary’s Global Research Institute, together with

the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, Center for Global Development and the Peterson Institute for International Economics.

While the Philippines overall is minimally leveraged to China — only 0.002% of state debt last year came from Beijing — overall liabilities have increased over the past year due to pandemic costs, and liabilities from already-signed China loans are only adding to

u PAGE 7

5

infected. The problem is if you get infected),” he added.

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

Duterte asked for everyone’s patience and understanding as the government tries its best to get “the vaccine from anywhere.”

“Stretch your patience and be understanding a bit. We are doing our best. We are not a vaccine-producing country. We do not have the expertise, we do not have the knowledge, medical-scientific knowledge. So we are waiting,” he said.

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

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

6

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Opinion

Back to ECQ

Features Philstar.com photo

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

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

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

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

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

Editorial

COVID-19 is the cross we continue to carry this Holy Week. How do we move toward resurrection?

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

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

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

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

The pandemic also disrupt-

ed the lives and livelihoods of many of us and shattered so many dreams. Many continue to feel powerless, angry, and desperate because, for many, there is no end in sight.

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

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

However, it is a different case

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

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

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

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

In his homily on Palm Sunday, Pope Francis said: “God is at our side in every affliction, in

every fear; no evil, no sin will ever have the final word. God triumphs, but the palm of victory passes through the wood of the cross. For the palm and the cross are inseparable.”

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

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

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

As we carry the cross in our

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

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

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

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

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

***

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

The world needs 3.5 billion Getting vaccinated will help end the pandemic and get us back to the life we miss vaccine doses today, not tomorrow Commentary

Dr. Erica S. Pan EVERY Californian age 16 and older will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccination on April 15. Vaccination is one of the most important ways to end the COVID-19 pandemic, and I urge everyone to get the vaccine when it’s their turn so they can protect themselves, their loved ones, and our community.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted our lives for more than a year, I am encouraged to see the remarkable efforts Californians are making toward ending this pandemic.

For almost three decades, as a physician and an infectious disease specialist, I’ve had the honor and privilege of practicing medicine and working to improve the health and well-being of my patients. As the state’s epidemiologist, I have the responsibility of protecting the public health of 40 million Californians, which is why I believe getting vaccinated is very important.

Californians have access to three life-saving vaccinations produced by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson. All three vaccines are safe and protective, with only slight differences. All of them have gone through rigorous clinical trials, are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and are proven to provide protection from the virus, particularly from the risks of severe disease, hospitalization, and death.

Californians who are eligible should get any vaccine they can, as soon as they can, no matter the manufacturer.

As state leaders and our community partners work to speed up distribution of COVID-19 vaccines statewide, it feels good to note that, as of late March, more than 17 million doses have been administered, with nearly 6 million Californians fully vaccinated.

COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are down throughout our state due to the efforts of Californians to slow the spread, including wearing a mask, remaining 6 feet from those not in our households, and getting the vaccine when it’s our turn.

California is also taking steps to make sure that our most vulnerable communities get vaccinated. Recently, the California Department of Public Health announced that 2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered in the state’s hardest-hit communities where transmission rates and disease burden have been the highest. Protecting our most vulnerable communities is not only the right thing to do, but increasing vaccination access to people who have experienced the most infections will also allow all counties to reopen activities and businesses safely while continuing to protect public health.

While we make strides to end the pandemic, we cannot let down our guard. We are seeing increases again in other states and countries. COVID is still prevalent in our communities and its variants continue to threaten the progress we’ve made. We are in the home stretch of this pandemic, but we must continue to protect ourselves and our loved

ones until we can get more people vaccinated.

Californians can help slow the spread by remaining vigilant.

It’s important to wear properly fitting masks consistently.

We need to continue practicing physical distancing with people from outside our households, washing our hands, and getting vaccinated when it’s our turn so we can return to hugs and social gatherings when it is safer.

Find out when and where you can get vaccinated by signing up at MyTurn.ca.gov, where information is available in 12 languages. For those without internet access, appointments can be made by calling (833) 422-4255.

The hotline is available in English with third party translators available in more than 250 additional languages. Individuals also can contact their primary care physician, local pharmacy, or local public health department.

Getting the vaccine is free for everyone, even for those without insurance or who are undocumented. With more people vaccinated, we can envision a day when California reaches community immunity and when strict public health measures are no longer necessary. Let’s all continue to remain strong in this fight to get back to the life and the people we miss for just a little bit longer. ***

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. Erica Pan is the California state epidemiologist and Deputy Director for the Center for Infectious Diseases at the California Department of Public Health.

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

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

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

ing the world on how to put together the urgent need for 3.5 billion doses. Time is of the essence.

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

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

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

The record spike in infections

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

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

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

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

As my ASEAN diplomatic colleagues said during our internal meetings, we need those vaccines today – not tomorrow – and the plan to have one billion

u PAGE 7

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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Robredo: ‘Love means calling for effective governance’

by Currie

Cator ManilaTimes.net

ONE of the best ways to show love for one another in these trying times is to call for effective governance, said Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo on Maundy Thursday, April 1.

“In this time of pandemic, love means doing everything we can to protect the person next to us from infection,” she said in her Holy Week message. “It means spreading correct information about the virus and the vaccines. It means calling for effective pandemic governance.

It means helping those in need.”

Quoting Pope Francis, Robredo added that love is the “most effective tool in building a better world: the better normal that we all dream about — a fairer, more just, and more humane society.”

Robredo underscored that the challenges brought about by the crisis are binding experiences and opportunities for Filipinos to help each other and contribute to the greater good.

“Ang pagpapabaya sa isa ay pagpapabaya sa lahat, at ang pag-angat ng mga nasa laylayan ay pag-angat din ng lahat,” said the Vice President. “Sama-sama ang pagsulong dahil itinuturing nating kapatid ang bawat isa.”

(Neglecting one is neglecting everybody, and lifting up those who are at the hem of society is lifting up all of us. We should move forward together because we are brothers and sisters.)

While ushering in the Holy Week is not the same for Filipinos for the second time around because of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, Robredo highlighted that it does not lose its true essence and

meaning. Rather, it is a chance to “revive our faith and renew our hopes.”

“We all feel grief at loss and suffering, but we also find hope that life will always prevail over death, that good will always win over evil, that light will always shine amidst the darkness,” she said.

“Sa panahon ngayon ng pangamba, ng maraming banta sa ating kaligtasan at paraan ng pamumuhay, para bang napakahirap makahanap ng pagkukunan ng pag-asa. Pero pinapaalala sa’tin ng mga Mahal na Araw na nakatahi mismo sa pagkatao natin ang pag-asa,” she added.

(Amid fears, and threats to our safety and livelihood, it may be difficult for many of us to find hope. But this Holy Week, we are reminded that hope is within all of us.)

Philippine Vice President Leni Robredo

OVP photo

The world needs 3.5 billion...

PAGE 6 t vaccines available by 2022 may be too late. Obviously, nations that do not have the capacity to manufacture their own vaccines have no choice but to wait for their turn at delivery, which is why we are calling on countries that have developed – or are still developing – vaccines to share their science and their technology perhaps through licensing agreements.

It should no longer be about money; it’s about saving mankind. No matter what the ideologies of these nations are –

U.S., China, Russia, India, even the European Union – that have the capacity to ramp up vaccine production, they all must collaborate and come up with the 3.5 billion vaccine doses needed urgently because the virus keeps on mutating. We all know it would likely take years to completely eradicate this deadly virus.

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

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

***

Email: babeseyeview@gmail.com

EXPRESS YOURSELF. PROTECT YOUR COMMUNITY.

MASK UP. Wear a mask to help keep your community healthy.

Take a risk with fashion, not your health. covid19.ca.gov

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7

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

PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler

China projects in Philippines found...

PAGE 5 t the burden.

None of the 3 projects named in the report is completed, hit by construction delays not only emanating from the health crisis, but also opposition from grassroots and those that worried about President Rodrigo Duterte’s cozying up to China. Five years into this however, there are little economic gains to dangle, and the persistent threat of a debt trap— no matter how unlikely— is consistently re-surfacing.

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

Confidentiality The report said that all China-funded ventures from 2014, which inevitably included the 3 local projects in 2018 and 2019, contained confidentiality clauses. The terms prohibit the disclosure of contracts to anyone and had been a source of worry In 2019 for many lawmakers who pressured government to divulge contract details.

The finance department, in response, managed to win concessions from the Chinese that allowed making public the loans.

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

It appears however that this is a counterpart provision to tighter ones found in other contracts that mandated opening a bank account with suf-

ficient balance for repayment at all times.

On top of these, in the three Philippine projects as well are “cross-default clauses” that trigger full repayment of Chinese loans if and when the Philippines defaults in any foreign debts even from different creditors. For Kaliwa Dam and Chico River Irrigation, the trigger will activate if outsider debts worth at least $25 million get unpaid, while a bigger $100 million was set for PNR South Railway.

This clause ensures that China is guaranteed automatic full payment even when the borrower is supposedly already encountering difficulties paying up other obligations. “A commercial cross-default clause helps protect creditors from falling behind in the payment queue,” it said.

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

Worse, Chinese loans may not be restructured.

They are exempted under the Paris Club, a group of large creditor countries that aim to ease the burden of indebtedness among their borrowers.

While China is indeed not a member of the club, it is a G-20 country, and being committed to help poor but eligible borrower countries ease their debt load. This provision runs counter to that obligation.

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

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

8

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LEGAL NOTICE CASE NUMBER: 37-2021-00009845-CU-PT-CTL

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner ISLAM SAMIR MAMMADBAYOV filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: ISLAM SAMIR MAMMADBAYOV to IZZY ROCK BRYANT. 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: 04/20/2021 Tine: 8:30 AM Dept. C-61 Superior Court of California, County of San Diego 330 WEST BROADWAY DEPT. C-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. 08, 2021 NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT Lorna Alksne Judge of the Superior Court AJ 701 03/19, 03/26, 04/02, and 04/09/2021.

ATTACHMENT TO ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE – Name Change (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 701

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2021-9004795

Helen Nails & Hair Salon located at 1020 Highland Avenue, National City, CA 91950.

Registrant: Harry Hoang Nguyen, 1037 Angelus Avenue, San Diego, CA 92114.

This business is conducted

by Married Couple.

REGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME. Signature Harry Hoang Nguyen.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 03/13/2021.

AJ 707 03/26, 04/02, 04/09, 04/16/2021.

AJSD 707

LEGAL NOTICE CASE NUMBER: 37-2021-00011546-CU-PT-CTL

CASE NUMBER: 37-2021-00011543-CU-PT-CTL

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner Mark Edgar Dansereau filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: Mark Edgar Dansereau to Mark Dancero.

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: 04/28/2021 Tine: 8:30 AM Dept. C-61 Superior Court of California, County of San Diego 330 WEST BROADWAY DEPT. C-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. 16, 2021 NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT Lorna Alksne Judge of the Superior Court AJ 704 03/26, 04/02, 04/09, and 04/16/2021 ATTACHMENT TO ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE – Name Change (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.

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner Olivia Anne Dansereau filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: a.

Olivia Anne Dansereau to Olivia Anne Dancero AND b. Jacqueline Elizabeth Dansereau to Jacqueline Elizabeth Dancero.

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: 04/28/2021 Tine: 8:30 AM Dept. C-61 Superior Court of California, County of San Diego 330 WEST BROADWAY DEPT. C-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. 16, 2021 NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT Lorna Alksne Judge of the Superior Court AJ 705 03/26, 04/02, 04/09, and 04/16/2021.

ATTACHMENT TO ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE – Name Change (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 704

AJSD 705

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2021-9004138

Vila Massage located at 1816 Oceanside Blvd. #B, Oceanside, CA 92054.

Registrant: Pink Spa INC., 1816 Oceanside Blvd. #B, Oceanside, CA 92054.

This business is conducted

by CORPORATION. REGISTRANT HAS BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME AS OF 08/01/2019.

Signature: Xintian Lyu. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 03/09/2021.

AJ 708 04/02, 04/09/, 04/16, and 04/23/2021.

AJSD 708

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2021-9004762

GOSEN PRODUCE located at 1605 EAST 4TH STREET, NATIONAL CITY, CA 91950.

Registrant: ADRIANA MURPHY, 1400 RIDGEBACK RD #C, CHULA VISTA, CA 91910.

This business is conducted

by INDIVIDUAL. REGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME. ADRIANA Signature MURPHY. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 03/13/2021.

AJ 702 03/26, 04/02, 04/09, 04/16/2021.

AJSD 702

LEGAL NOTICE FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2021-9003367

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2021-9003984

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2021-9003800

SAN DIEGO HAPPY BINS located at 127 JEFFERSON AVENUE, CHULA VISTA, SAN DIEGO, CA 91910.

Registrant: SD BINS LLC, 127 JEFFERSON AVENUE, CHULA VISTA, SAN DIEGO, CA 91910.

This business is conducted by LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY. REGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME. Signature: JESUS PEREZ. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 03/04/21.

AJ 698 03/12, 03/19, 03/26, 04/02/21.

PAT IMPORT located at 8610 LAKE JODY DRIVE, SAN DIEGO, CA 92119.

Registrant: PATCHAREE ARUNANGKOON, 8610 LAKE JODY DRIVE, SAN DIEGO, CA 92119.

This business is conducted

by INDIVIDUAL. REGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME. Signature PATCHAREE ARUNANGKOON. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 03/08/2021.

AJ 699 03/19, 03/26, 04/02, 04/09/2021.

Paradise Shack Rentals located at 445 Ella Lane, San Diego, CA 92114.

Registrant: Jaron Rotor Fackler, 1097 East J St., Chula Vista, CA 91910.

This business is conducted

by Individual.

REGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME. Signature Jaron Rotor Fackler.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 03/06/2021.

AJ 703 03/26, 04/02, 04/09, and 04/16/2021.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2021-9004333

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2021-9003460

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2021-9003561

AJSD 698

a. La Pensione Hotel at India and Date b. La Pensione Hotel located at 606 W. Date St., San Diego, CA 92101.

Registrant: LP III Dodge Corp., 606 W. Date St., San Diego, CA 92101.

This business is conducted

by CORPORATION. REGISTRANT HAS BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME AS OF 02/01/1996.

Signature LP III Dodge Corp.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 03/11/2021.

AJ 700 03/19, 03/26, 04/02, 04/09/2021

AJSD 700

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2021-9004235

Randolph Photography located at 4451 Central Ave., San Diego, CA 92116.

Registrant: Victoria Srunn Ing, 4451 Central Ave., San Diego, CA 92116.

This business is conducted

by Individual.

RREGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME. Signature Victoria Srunn Ing. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 03/10/2021.

AJ 706 03/26, 04/02, 04/09, 04/16/2021.

AJSD 706

AJSD 699

LAF Personal Designs located at 615 Crescent Dr., Chula Vista, San Diego, CA 91911.

Registrants: Maria Fernanda Ortega, 2450 Biola Ave., San Diego, CA 92159 / Luis Enrique Ortega, 681 Primrose PL, Perris, CA, 92571.

This business is conducted

by General Partnership.

REGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME. Signature Maria Fernanda Ortega / Luis Enrique Ortega.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 03/04/2021.

AJ 709 04/02, 04/09, 04/16, and 04/23/2021.

AJSD 709

EMPLOYMENT

AJSD 703

Cafe 2020 Crepes And Panini located at 4105 Mission Blvd., San Diego, CA 92109.

Registrant: Mihan N. Zaman, 3980 Ingraham St. #A, San Diego, CA 92109.

This business is conducted

by Individual.

REGISTRANT HAS BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME AS OF 08/11/2013.

Signature Mihan N. Zaman.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 03/05/2021.

AJ 710 04/02, 04/09, 04/16, and 04/23/2021.

AJSD 710

SAN DIEGO

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

SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL • APRIL 2-8, 2021

JOURNAL

9

9

APRIL 2, 2021

‘Chopped’ champion chef Denevin Miranda on how his Filipino heritage defines culinary style M

by Momar

G. Visaya / AJPress

EET the new Filipino American chef creating waves in the culinary industry.

His name is Denevin Miranda and his latest claim to fame? He was recently declared as the champion of the Food Network show “Chopped” with its new season focused on “Meat Fight,” a glorious, carnivorous throwdown for gastronomy lovers.

The new episodes focus on pork, beef, goat and bison and for Denevin’s episode, pork was the protein of choice.

The show — which described Denevin, a Chef de Cuisine at 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge in New York City as a “classically French-trained with a lot of his flavors rooted in Filipino-style cuisine” — was an epic meat fight among the four chefs highlighting their arsenal of ideas for their dishes.

There are three rounds and one chef is cut, well, “chopped” from the competition in every round. They are each given a mystery box of ingredients that they have to use and highlight in the dishes they create.

For the appetizer round, the chefs had these in their box: pork butt, barbecued spare ribs, Brussels sprouts, and Calvados brandy, and they had 20 minutes to prepare a dish.

“I was looking at all these ingredients and I said, ‘Yeah, I can sisig this,’” Denevin told the Asian Journal in an interview.

Sisig is a nod to his Filipino heritage which he wanted to highlight. He served the crisped-up pork butt and spare ribs along with Brussels sprouts and apple salad on the side to complement the unctuousness of the sisig.

The dish ended up winning the judges’ praises and called it the best dish in the competition.

Pro football player turned Food Network star Eddie Jackson described Denevin’s sisig as “remarkable” while chef and restaurateur Chris Santos said it was an “absolutely dynamite, a really great dish.”

Their fellow judge, executive chef Amanda Freitag, praised Denevin for his efforts in keeping the pork as the star of what she referred to as a perfectly seasoned dish. “Denevin really introduced himself as a very buttoned-up chef who knew how to put flavors together,” Freitag added.

After three grueling rounds, Denevin was the last man standing and was declared the champ, winning a $10,000 grand prize as he dedicated his win to his dad.

Denevin was confident from the get-go, as he went into the competition with a goal to win it and if he could, promote Filipino cuisine as well. He also said he wanted to make his parents proud, especially his father who has passed away.

“I knew going in there that I wanted to do something Filipino and show something to the judges. And sisig is one of my favorite dishes,” he said. “Actually, my grandma never cooked it. I was introduced to that when I went to the Philippines.

And you know, it’s a dramatic dish, because it comes out sizzling. Yeah, and it’s like, you know, it’s like you can’t stop eating.”

For sisig fans who want to try his winning dish, you’d have to wait.

“There’s something I’m actually working on translating

that dish to one of the dishes on my menu,” he shared. “It’s not ready yet. We just opened like, two weeks ago so I definitely want to get everything established.”

He’s looking forward to including the dishes he made on the show in The Osprey’s chef’s tasting menu.

A tribute to his family We met with Denevin in his work at 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge one rainy Sunday morning and had a freewheeling chat about his win, dreams and aspirations, and growing up as a gay Filipino American.

Denevin was born and raised in New York. His dad Fernando was from Manila and his mom Lilibeth from Tarlac. It has been a while since he visited the Philippines but as he told host Ted Allen on the show, he wanted to use his prize money to bring his husband Alex to the country.

“My family was very rooted in our culture,” he shared. “I was raised in a very Catholic way and my grandmother actually lived with us, she practically raised us.”

The Mirandas moved to Long Island because his parents felt it was a better environment for Denevin and his brother to grow up in. He fondly remembers his lola Liberata had a garden in the backyard where she planted all these Asian vegetables.

In hindsight, it was his first experience in farm-to-table dining as his lola would just pick the vegetables she needed for whatever dish she was cooking at that time.

At The Osprey, a locally-sourced farm-to-table restaurant serving New American cuisine, he is inspired by this memory and he and his team are always looking for the best local produce so they go to the local green markets and try to build relationships with the farmers.

“That really brings me back to like you know, going out in our backyard with my lola picking vegetables, some of the tomatoes that she was growing were so sweet. And I still have that memory kind of in my head, you know? And she’d make beautiful dishes with that, like sinigang. And it’s like, you can’t replicate it,” he shared.

He remembers his lola loved

to cook and entertain and on Sundays, there would be families coming together in their home after church, enjoying delicious home-cooked Filipino food.

One distinct memory he has is that of his lola not cutting corners. If she wanted coconut milk, she would go the traditional way and grate and squeeze the coconut herself.

But more than the culinary skills of his lola, it was her strength, resiliency and fortitude that continue to amaze Denevin to this day.

Denevin was in high school when he realized he wanted to be in the culinary industry. He said he was asthmatic growing up so he wasn’t as athletic as he is now. He ended up gravitating towards cooking through his home economics classes and he realized how much he was enjoying it.

His parents told him a story that when he was a toddler, he wouldn’t play with the toys they bought for him but he would crawl over to the kitchen and play with the pots and pans. He remembers sitting on a stool watching his lola prepare their meals from scratch observing her intently as she sliced and diced the ingredients. He would gaze in awe as his lola cooked the meals with love and respect for quality and tradition.

These memories helped him to define the kind of chef that he is today.

“I love to kind of bring that same kind of feeling back with my food like how my grandma and seeing people eat her food, you know, especially like people that she’d bring out from the community that weren’t Filipino,” he said, referring to the neighbors including priests that would get together in their home.

Journey to ‘Chopped’ Some of Denevin’s friends and colleagues have encouraged him to join these reality-based cooking shows on the Food Network or Bravo. He said he applied to be part of Top Chef before, went through the interview process but had conflict in the scheduling process since he had just accepted a new job in Miami and couldn’t afford to take a couple of months off.

Denevin went to school at the Johnson & Wales University in Miami where he received his degree in culinary arts and decided to stay in the city for a few years. There, he honed his craft working at Setai in Miami Beach, SLS and Mandarin Oriental, cultivating his mastery of classical as well as modernist cooking techniques.

He returned to his birth city of New York because it is such an established culinary destination. “And I wanted to create a name for myself here,” he quipped.

While working at The Osprey one day, he received a call from a casting agency working with the Food Network for Chopped asking him if he’d consider being part of the show. This was around March 2020 and due to Photo from Instagram/@chefdenevin COVID-19, it was postponed

and pushed back much further.

The production reached out around September to ask if he was still up for it and that they have resumed shooting episodes in Tennessee. They shot the episode around October and it was aired in mid-March.

Denevin said it was a great experience and that he would do it again in a heartbeat, so he could showcase his Filipino heritage and use the platform to promote Filipino cuisine and its flavors.

On the plane en route to Nashville, Denevin thought

u PAGE 10

Chef Denevin Miranda shows his seasonal razor clam dish inspired by the kinilaw. On the first few days they offered the dish, he went to the diners who ordered it and asked for feedback.

He said the response to the dish was great and they asked him for the inspiration behind it. “I told them it’s actually inspired by a Filipino dish. All the flavors are there. It’s citrus, coconut and I use fish sauce. I love fish sauce, it’s like my favorite,” he said. The look of the dish is inspired by the triangle on the Filipino flag.

AJPress photo by Momar G. Visaya

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10

APRIL 2-8, 2021 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

Health@Heart Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS WHENEVER I hear the notorious excuse or description “Filipino Time,” I feel a grave insult is hurled at my people, even if the generalization is usually uttered by my fellow Filipinos themselves. The defensive rationalization is usually accompanied by a snicker or laughter, a demeanor that trivializes the seriousness of the behavioral impropriety and rudeness.

To accept the insinuation that tardiness is a natural birth trait of the Filipino is to malign our people and irresponsibly admit that we are not educated and cultured enough, and that we are socially uncouth, ill-mannered, and uncivilized. This is no laughing matter and I do not find this funny.

And I vehemently object to this unfair characterization.

I have been in the United States since 1963, and over the past 58 years, I have observed the transformation of “Juan(a) de la Cruz,” albeit sometimes with stubborn reluctance, to an individual more conscious of time, of the value of punctuality, and of the proper respect for other people’s schedule.

There is no question that environment plays a fundamental role, second to training at home and in school, in the development of the behavior, trait, character, attitude and thinking of an individual.

With this particular “syndrome,” genetics cannot deservedly take the blame. The culpability rests on the “infected ones” and not on the entire Filipino people.

While I can sense, and am proud of, the improvement in the matter of punctuality among many of our kababayans abroad and in the Philippines, especially among the younger generation, tardiness and the seeming lack of perception of time among a significant number of us is still rampant and bothersome. And what makes it more tragic is the apparent acceptance by many of our fellow Filipinos that being tardy is “normal, acceptable, excusable, or should be tolerated,” because, after all, “it is the Filipino Time.” This vexing acquiescence is unfair and a disservice to our people and to our nation as a whole.

I refuse to surrender, even for a moment, to the notion that we, as a people, are culturally, socially, and ethically inferior to the Americans or to any other civilized peoples of the world. Punctuality is not an exclusive trait of the people of the United States or of the Europeans. While I abhor the lack of punctuality among anyone and admit with embarrassment and dismay that many of us Filipinos (and other nationalities, of course) are guilty of this offensive bad habit, I still believe that, with

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

‘Filipino Time’ syndrome proper training and discipline, starting from the nursery school, the Filipinos will be capable of developing the trait of punctuality, and discipline, among others, in them. Especially today, when time is gold.

There was an incident in Cebu a few years back when a father accompanied his 5-year-old daughter to a nursery/kindergarten school class (dance) presentation on its foundation day. The “invitation” said 3:30 p.m. When they got to the school, there were only about a dozen other kids waiting, out of the two hundred or so participants expected. The program did not begin at 4:00 or 4:30, not even at 5:30. It started at 6:35, more than three hours late. This delay actually prevented this dad from attending a previous dinner engagement he had at 7:30 that evening.

And this made me wonder.

How can we teach our children about punctuality, the value of time, and the respect for other people’s schedule, if we, their elders, especially the school administrator and faculty, display before these young impressionistic minds our own careless disregard for promptness and our lack of respect for other people’s commitments?

Many of us usually come up with a dozen excuses for our misbehavior or misadventures. For being late for our appointment, meeting or party, we blame the Spaniards, our society as a whole, the alarm clock, the traffic, the car battery, the babysitter, or even the innocent baby itself. The usual rationale we hear from many is “they won’t start on time anyway; we’ll just waste our time waiting there.” And the vicious cycle goes on.

Making excuses or shifting the blame does not accomplish anything and only makes matters worse. Perhaps, it’s time to look at the mirror to view the real culprit, make the accurate critical diagnosis, and self-prescribe the appropriate treatment – promptly!

Let us set a good example for our children by showing them how we value and manage time, how time lost can never be recovered, and how we respect other people’s agenda. It’s about time we lost this bad reputation.

The “Filipino Time” syndrome is a disease only of those inconsiderate selfish compatriots of ours who simply don’t give a damn, and not of the entire Filipino people. So, when someone is late for an appointment, I beg you to please not to mention the lame excuse “Filipino Time” when I am around, otherwise, I won’t be responsible for my inexplicable but prompt ferocious reaction. *** I often hear the comment that the Filipino people are not disciplined. Against my better judg-

ment, I had refused to believe it… until I experienced it firsthand. Several times. And here are a couple of examples during a visit to the Philippines.

One time, I took the WG&A Our Lady of Fatima boat to Ozamiz for a business meeting in Oroquieta. Going down the stairs on the return trip to Cebu, I encountered a chaotic mob of “carriers” with pieces of luggage on their shoulders and around their arms and passengers alike inch their way recklessly to make their hurried exit, almost knocking people down the stairs. The jam slowed down the whole process quite a bit. Why we could not have spontaneously organized ourselves, formed a single line, and walked down the stairs in an orderly, more efficient, comfortable, safer fashion, and faster, is puzzling to me.

Another observation: Unruly drivers who broke traffic laws every chance and every which way they could, instantly became law-abiding and model drivers when they entered Clark Field airbase, where strict U.S.-style traffic rules were enforced with severe penalty. Once they got out of Clark, they were transformed back to their reckless driving manners. This Jekyll-and-Hyde behavior is inspired by the lack of discipline, responsibility, and dereliction of duty of law enforcement agencies elsewhere in the country.

Fortunately, the young children, the hope of our country, behave in a more civilized manner. When the teacher announces treats for them, these kids form a single line themselves, and take their proper turns in receiving the goodies. No shoving, no pushing, or taking advantage of one another. Each simply waits patiently for his/her turn.

Perhaps, we adults should watch more children’s television shows (instead of “F” garbage) or go back to kindergarten to learn better manners. Actually, all we need in life we learn from kindergarten. *** 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 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 Network-USA, a 501(c)3 humanitarian foundation in the United States. Websites: philipSchua.com and FUN8888.com; Email: scalpelpen@ gmail.com.

Bank of America increases commitment to advance racial equality, economic opportunity to $1.25B Expansion will include actions to address racial justice and advocacy for people of Asian descent CHARLOTTE – Bank of America on Tuesday, March 30 announced that it has increased its $1 billion, four-year commitment to advance racial equality and economic opportunity to $1.25 billion over five years. This effort further accelerates work already underway to address racial equality and opportunity through direct actions, investments and work to catalyze similar efforts across the private sector.

To date, the company has made more than $350 million in various investments from its initial $1 billion four-year commitment, announced in June 2020, across its primary focus areas of health, jobs/reskilling, affordable housing and small business. Additional funds announced today will further support investments to address racial justice, advocacy and equality for people and communities of color, including those of Asian descent.

“The urgency we feel to address long-standing issues of inclusion and racial inequality has only increased following the attacks and hate speech directed at Asian people over the last year,” said Bank of America Chairman and CEO Brian Moynihan. “Across the public and private sectors, it is clear that we must do more – to take action, help others convene, and serve as a catalyst for a broad-based, collective response to the critical issues affecting our nation.”

The bank also announced an immediate $1 million commitment and related actions in support of increased advocacy, dialogue and engagement with the Asian American community.

Further investments will be identified as part of the company’s expanded five-year effort.

Immediate actions taken to help accelerate and expand pre-existing work include: • A grant to the Asian Americans Advancing Justice (Advancing Justice) organization to advance the nonprofit’s work to promote civil rights, bystander intervention, in-language advocacy, social services assistance and legal support. This funding supports five Asian Americans Advancing Justice affiliates based in Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago.

• The addition of Connie Chung Joe, chief executive officer of Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles, to serve as a member of Bank of America’s National Community Advisory Council (NCAC), in support of ongoing dialogue and stakeholder engagement with the Asian community in the U.S., and on broad issues of gender and racial equality. Members of the NCAC engage with leaders on Bank of America’s business policies, practices and products in support of employees, clients and local communities.

• Additional support for the National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development (National CAPACD) and The Leadership Conference Education Fund as the two organizations work to advance local community advocacy, training, and resources through community-based efforts.

• Increased philanthropic support through Bank of America’s employee matching gift program. Bank of America employees can double their charitable donations to these three nonprofits and select others; the company’s matching gift minimum has been lowered to $1 for the next 90 days, to expand the impact of their support to the Asian community in the U.S. “The rising number of attacks against Asian people, including the tragic shootings in Atlanta recently, have served as a stark reminder that we must stand united against discrimination, hate speech and violence,” said Thong Nguyen, vice chairman at Bank of America. “We will not tolerate acts of racism in any form. Today’s commitment builds upon Bank of America’s many years of work in support of inclusion and racial equality.”

“Over the past year, we’ve witnessed increased racism and violence against Asian Americans, underlining the significant need for tools and resources to combat these, as well as a need for culturally specific mental health and victim support resources,” said Chung Joe. “We look forward to working with Bank of America and other national advocacy leaders to advance racial equity and create opportunities for all Americans.”

Bank of America’s work to address racial equity includes participation in the Business Roundtable’s new, multi-year effort to improve equity, diversity and workplace culture, and the bank’s partnership with the Smithsonian Institution in support of its “Our Shared Future: Reckoning with our Racial Past” initiative.

Within the company, Bank of America’s Global Diversity & Inclusion Council includes senior executives from around the world and has been led by Moynihan for more than a decade. The company also connects and supports employees through 11 employee networks and local chapters, including the Asian Leadership Network with more than 11,000 members.

Expanding perspectives is a critical aspect of how Bank of America drives a culture of inclusion. Over the last decade, the company has hosted thousands of courageous conversations with employees, external partners and members of the community to cultivate awareness, inclusion and understanding. Sessions held recently include an event hosted by Bank of America’s Asian Leadership Network regarding allyship to address the current climate of race relations in America, particularly in the Asian and Black/African American communities.

Bank of America’s $350 million in commitments since June 2020 include: • Equity capital investments in 12 minority depository institutions (MDIs) and community development financial institutions (CDFIs) to provide lending, housing, neighborhood revitalization and other banking services to thousands of individuals and small businesses that do not qualify through traditional lenders. This includes a new investment in Central Bank, an Asian American MDI. • $188 million of investment in 61 private equity funds focused on minority and women entrepreneurs to address the persistent gap in access to growth capital for minority-led businesses.

• Founding partner of the Smithsonian’s “Our Shared Future: Reckoning with Our Racial Past” initiative exploring how Americans understand, experience and confront race.

• More than $22 million in grants to national and local nonprofits supporting workforce development, entrepreneurship, health and emergency needs.

• Partnerships with 21 higher education institutions and major employers to enhance up-skilling and re-skilling for Black and Hispanic-Latino students.

• More than $13 million committed to Native American Communities hardest hit by the coronavirus.

• Expanded opportunities for 50,000 women entrepreneurs at the Bank of America Institute for Women’s Entrepreneurship at Cornell.

• Distribution of 25 million masks to underserved communities across the U.S. Bank of America also recently tripled its affordable homeownership commitment to $15 billion through 2025 and issued a $2 billion Equality Progress Sustainability Bond designed to advance racial equality, economic opportunity and environmental sustainability. In 2020, the company provided $6.17 billion in affordable housing and economic development financing to help build strong, sustainable communities across the U.S. (Bank of America Release)

‘Chopped’ champion chef...

Ronnie Del Carmen is bringing Filipino folklore to life at Netflix.

File photo

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

By Ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

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

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

“I grew up somewhere else.

My story starts in a group of islands, in a region that I’ve now traveled back to many times over. Each time I wish I could stay and relearn what I missed.

Now I feel the pull of figuring out the beginning. The parts

that I use to make movies began there. So on this new journey I go where these stories will thrive,” Del Carmen told Cartoon Brew.

“So this is where I’m growing and nurturing these stories that have never been told, in an arena they deserve to belong to,” the animator added.

According to Del Carmen, the creators and storytellers at Netflix have inspired him to bring the stories from the Philippines to the international streaming platform.

“At Netflix I’m inspired by all the creators and storytellers who come from all over the globe, telling tales that are windows into their own worlds which I’m so thrilled to discover,” he told Cartoon Brew.

“I’m hopeful about seeing

how all these stories will help fuel change and bring us all a little closer to understanding each other. That’s my next threshold. I’m where I need to be,” he added.

Del Carmen, a University of Santo Tomas (UST) graduate, started in the film industry as a painter on the set of Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now,” which was shot in the Philippines.

Since moving to the United States in 1989, he has worked on several beloved films such as “The Prince of Egypt,” “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron,” “Finding Nemo,” “Up,” “Coco,” and “Toy Story 4.”

Del Carmen later co-directed “Inside Out,” which won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film in 2016.

PAGE 9 about the relationship he had with his father Fernando and how he came out to him. His dad succumbed to cancer 11 years ago.

He was both nervous and anxious and his emotions were all bottled up inside. Then he felt a sudden calm and felt his father’s presence and he knew he wanted to tell their story.

“You know, (as a) Filipino American, you see the struggle that your parents felt to come to this country, and to build a life for you here, you don’t want to disappoint. And that was my biggest fear was to be a disappointment,” he shared.

He mustered enough courage and told his father what he was and that the friend he introduced to his parents a few years earlier in Miami was actually his boyfriend (now husband).

“And basically, he was kind of like, ‘I knew that.’ That’s one thing, but when he, you know, what he really wanted to tell me was, ‘That’s not important, I want you to be happy’,” he added.

What Denevin got was more than just acceptance from a father.

“He gave me amazing courage, and he pretty much broke down my insecurities. You know, to be myself, and he encouraged me to do that.

And I’m glad that I was able to share my story,” he said.

Denevin looked up to the show’s host Ted Allen and while in the show’s shoot, he was grabbed the serendipitous opportunity to thank him for inspiring a young kid to be his true self.

When he was growing up, he considered Allen as an inspiration and he remembers sitting in the living room with his family watching and enjoying Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. It was a special moment and he is happy that the show was able to incorporate parts of that conversation as he came full circle of sorts.

Filipino flavors On The Osprey’s current menu is a razor clam appetizer dish, his homage to the Filipino kinilaw. Denevin’s creativity and artistry are in full display in this beautiful and delicious dish.

On the first few days they offered the dish, he went to the diners who ordered it and asked for feedback. He said the response to the dish was great and they asked him for the inspiration behind it.

“I told them it’s actually inspired by a Filipino dish. All the flavors are there. It’s citrus, coconut and I use fish sauce. I love fish sauce, it’s like my favorite,” he said. Even the main look of the dish is inspired by the triangle on the Philippine flag.

The Osprey serves contemporary American cuisine, inspired by the cultural melting pot and global diversity of New York City’s neighborhoods.

From his perspective as a Filipino-American chef, it could be dishes that are inspired by his roots, as well as dishes based on experiences he had having Jamaican food in Brooklyn, or maybe even a combination of both, using techniques he has learned throughout his career.

(He shared that the Rotisserie Half Chicken uses a Caribbean jerk chicken marinade similar to the flavors of adobo.)

He is also working with their corporate mixologists on a cocktail drink that incorporates ube, which he also describes as an adult version of halo-halo. For the summer, there are plans for an outdoor Filipino-inspired New England-style seafood boil inspired by the kamayan or what some people call “boodle fight.”

These are just a couple of the many food experiences that he plans to implement in the hotel’s restaurants and bars and he is thankful that the management has given him this opportunity to cultivate this great culture.

“I’m pragmatic and I’m mostly optimistic,” Denevin said, describing the current situation of the food and beverage industry and where he sees it going. “New York is going to find a new renaissance and as the rent has become much more affordable, it is bringing younger, innovative and creative people to the city. It’s like a reboot.”

He is excited and looking forward to an almost magical moment as the food scene goes through this transition. He wants to be that beacon of optimism and show that the players in the industry can pivot and come out stronger than ever.

Denevin also hopes to further bring Filipino food out there and his optimism extends to a possible collaboration with fellow Fil-Am chefs in the city to get the job done and demonstrate the hospitality connection they have.

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Community

SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL • APRIL 2-8, 2021

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

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

The recent rash of violence and hate crimes is tragic and particularly alarming as the victims are from the communities that East West Bank serves.

“When our customers, co-workers, family, friends, and innocent members of our community are being attacked and are the victims of hate, we must stand together and support each other,” stated Dominic Ng, Chairman and CEO of East West Bank.

“East West Bank has a long-standing history and commitment to the AAPI community, and they are a great corporate citizen. Their willingness to provide assistance and stand with us is a testament to their leadership and that of their CEO Dominic Ng,” said California Assemblymember Evan Low, Vice Chair of the California Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus.

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

The East West Bank Foundation will provide financial contributions to organizations leading the fight to stop the hate and advance the civil and human rights of AAPIs throughout America, including: Stop AAPI Hate; Asian Americans Advancing Justice; Asian Pacific American Leadership Foundation; Asian Pacific Community Fund; OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates chapters in California, New York, Texas, and Georgia; and Center for Asian Americans United for Self-Empowerment, among others. Promoting diversity and fighting discrimination have been a focus of giving by the East West Bank Foundation since its founding, and these contributions are a continuation of that focus.

Stop AAPI Hate was founded in March of 2020 to track and respond to incidents of hate, violence, harassment, discrimination, and child bullying against AAPIs in the United States. “Violence against AAPIs is an ugly stain on America and unfortunately is part of our country’s history. We are outraged

The month-long World of Orchids show at the San Diego Botanic Garden starts on April 3.

Image capture www.sdbgarden.org

San Diego Botanic Garden opens World of Orchids show on April 3

by the sheer number of incidents across our country, and East West Bank’s generous support goes a long way to support our grassroots efforts,” said Vincent Pan, Co-Executive Director of Chinese for Affirmative Action, a founding organization of Stop AAPI Hate.

Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAAJ) has created the Stand Against Hatred platform to empower AAPIs to share their stories and “document hate” to educate, inform and motivate action. “East West Bank’s contribution is consistent with the bank’s history and involvement in the community.

Their support will enable us to expand our reach throughout America to help address the hatred and institutional racism that plague every community,” said Connie Chung Joe, CEO, and Stewart Kwoh, President Emeritus, of AAAJ-Los Angeles.

Leadership is important in setting the proper tone for the nation. When leaders embrace diversity and inclusion, it makes for a better America.

The Asian Pacific American Leadership Foundation was founded in 2004 to foster leadership and civic engagement among AAPIs. “Until we have leaders that look like us across America, we will always be second-class citizens in our own home. Our elected leaders have the power to enact policies, create new anti-discrimination laws and help enforce our laws. We applaud East West Bank for their corporate leadership – they are a model for other companies to follow,” said James Lau, Executive Director of the Asian Pacific American Leadership Foundation.

To combat hate and make America more just, corporate and community leaders must work with government on solutions. California Assemblymember Rob Bonta recently introduced Assembly Bill 886, which seeks to fund community-based organizations that provide culturally competent mental health services for victims of hate violence.

Assemblymember Bonta said “all leaders have a role in creating a safer and more just world. This announcement by East West Bank and CEO Dominic Ng is great news, and I hope more can follow in their example.”

ENCINITAS – San Diego Botanic Garden (SDBG) will host its first annual spring orchid showcase, World of Orchids, from Saturday, April 3 through Sunday, May 2. The exhibit, which kicks off Easter weekend, will be staged in the Garden’s state-of-the-art, 8,000 square foot, glass-enclosed facility – the Dickinson Family Education Conservatory – which opened last year as a $6.5 million addition to the lush, 37-acre urban oasis.

“The orchids at San Diego Botanic Garden have beauty and grace that will knock your socks off,” said SDBG President and CEO, Ari Novy, PhD. “There’s nothing better than a bright spring day among the orchids.”

SDBG’s highly awarded Artist-in-Residence, René van Rems, AIFD, will serve as Creative Director for the exhibit. Van Rems will design a new display for each of the five weeks, allowing visitors to experience changing flowers and arrangements across multiple visits.

Van Rems says that his passion “is to enhance through design what nature provides.” His displays at the World of Orchids exhibit will “inspire people to look at plants, botanical elements and their environment with renewed awareness.”

The stunning designs will feature impressive specimens, locally-bred hybrids, and rare species plants displayed in unique and unexpected ways. In addition to the many orchids that typically grow in the Garden’s conservatory, displays will include plants on loan from private growers belonging to two local groups – the San Diego County Orchid Society (SDCOS, https://www.sdorchids.com) and the Palomar Orchid Society (http://www.palomarorchid.org) – as well as orchids and materials from local businesses including Cal Pacific Orchid Farm, Divine Orchids, Dos Gringos, Mellano &

Company, Rene van Rems Intl., and Lumbercycle.

On Saturdays and Sundays, as well as select Fridays during the month, vendors and conservation organizations will offer unusual and unique orchids and merchandise for sale. Admission to World of Orchids is included with the purchase of a one-day ticket or an annual membership. For more information and to reserve an entrance date and time, visit https:// www.sdbgarden.org/orchids.htm.

Here are details for the World of Orchids show: • Exhibit – Wednesdays through Sundays, April 3 to May 2; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., select days until 8 p.m.

• Orchid marketplace – Select Fridays and ALL Saturdays and Sundays, April 3 to May 2; 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Established in 1970, San Diego Botanic Garden (SDBG) is a 37acre garden that inspires people of all ages to connect with plants

and nature. The Garden’s four miles of trails showcase 5,000 plant species and varieties, including 300 plants for which SDBG is the only garden maintaining a population. SDBG has 15 gardens representing different regions of the world, 12 demonstration gardens and the largest public bamboo collection in North America. SDBG has three children’s gardens, including its flagship, one-acre Hamilton Children’s Garden, the largest kids’ garden on the west coast.

The main entrance to the Garden is located at 300 Quail Gardens Drive, Encinitas, CA, 92024. SDBG currently requires all visitors (both members and non-members) to reserve an entry time online before arriving at the Garden. All visitors ages 2+ must wear a face covering and maintain a distance of at least 6 feet from visitors of other households.

(SD Botanic Garden Release)

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APRIL 2-8, 2021 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

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

“A Taste of History”

In celebration of the 500th Year Anniversary of Christianity in the Philippines in 2021, experience MonteMaria Cellars, an exclusive wine collection cellared and bottled in Napa Valley, California by the Buhman Estate Vineyards specially made in honor of the Holy Site of MonteMaria located in Batangas Province of the Philippines.

Browse our collection and order today on MonteMariaCellars.com.

Please enjoy our wines responsibily.