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APRIL 4-10, 2019

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

Volume 30 - No. 14 • 2 Sections – 16 Pages

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DATELINE Heavyweight boxer suspended in California after kissing Fil-Am reporter during interview FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

BULGARIAN heavyweight boxer Kubrat Pulev has been indefinitely suspended from fighting in California after he kissed a Filipina American reporter during an interview that was caught on camera. Jenny “SuShe” Ravalo, a sports and entertainment reporter for Vegas Sports Daily, was interviewing the boxer after his win in Costa Mesa, California when he grabbed Ravalo’s face and kissed her, as seen in the video footage posted online. After obtaining high-profile lawyer Gloria Allred as her attorney, Ravalo said at a following news conference that the Pulev’s kiss made her feel “uncomfortable and frustrated.” In the statement by Ravalo posted to Allred’s Facebook, Ravalo added that after the interview, Pulev again touched her inappropriately. “Next, I walked to the table to put my items in my backpack. He grabbed both of my buttocks and squeezed with both of his hands,” said Ravalo. “Then he walked away without saying anything to me and laughed.” “I did not encourage, nor consent, to Mr.

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Democratic and Republican parties lay down strategies for reaching AAPIs ahead of 2020

ASIAN American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) continue to be the fastest-growing minority group in the U.S., and when it comes to public policy and politics, this growth has also been increasingly reflected in the electorate. Just in the last decade, the number of AAPI voters nearly doubled from about 2.4 million registered voters in 2000 to about 5.8 million in 2016 — about 3.7% of the total voting population, according to the 2018 Asian American Voter Survey conducted by APIAVote and AAPI Data. Citing a report from the Center for American Progress and AAPI Data, Asian Americans are estimated to reach 5% of voters nationally by 2025 and 10% by 2044. It added that eight states have already reached these percentages with 5% or more of the AAPIs being of the citizen voting age population. In California and Hawaii, over 10% are of the citizen

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Duterte: Drug war in PH ‘failed’ PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has admitted that his administration’s drug war “failed” and was actually “worsening.” In a speech during the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino – Lakas ng Bayan campaign rally in Malabon City on Tuesday, April 2, Duterte, whose promise of eradicating illegal drugs in the country in three to six months virtually catapulted him to the presidency

Janet Lim-Napoles

in 2016, said the illegal drug situation was “swallowing” the country. He said that he could not rid the country of illegal drugs even if he ordered the killing of drug suspects. “You can read it everyday, even in the crawler of the TV networks. There are billions [of pesos] worth of drugs. Before, it was only thousands. Drugs, I cannot control, son of a b—h, even if I ordered the deaths of these idiots,”

Duterte said. “Drugs has always been there. It even intensified,” he added. Duterte also admitted that the drug war was a failure because it was a “worldwide problem.” He also said that if government officials and troops would “allow” drugs to enter the cities, it would continue to be a problem. “It’s a worldwide problem, now

there are drugs even in China, Taiwan and there are a lot others. So, this city, if the mayor and the policemen, we’re all dead. Because if the mayor or the chief of police do not want it, there will be no drugs,” the President said. Duterte also said that some policemen were protecting drugs, which is another hurdle towards meeting his goal.

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Inquirer.net photo

Sandiganbayan denies Napoles plea, upholds plunder conviction by NATHALIE

ROBLES

AJPress

THE Sandiganbayan dismissed the motion for reconsideration filed by alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles and upheld their verdict of finding her guilty of acquiring P124.5 million from the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF). The anti-graft court released the 16-page resolution dated March 13 on Monday, April 1. They recalled

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WHEN IN MALABON. President Rodrigo Duterte takes a bow before thousands of supporters during the Partido Demokratiko PilipinoLakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) campaign rally at One Pinagtipunan Circle in Malabon City on Tuesday, April 2. Joining the President on stage are former Bureau of Correctiyon Chief Ronald dela Rosa Kathryna Yu-Pimentel who represents her husband Senator Aquilino Pimentel III. Malacañang photo by Simeon Celi

China loans at par with Japan, Korea – DOF Four Filipinos on 2019 Forbes ‘30 Under 30’ Asia list by MARY

GRACE Philstar.com

PADIN

MANILA — Interest rates carried by the Philippines’ loan agreements with China are at par with the terms offered by other development partners, such as Japan and South Korea, the Department of Finance (DOF) said on Monday, April. 1. In an interview with “The Chiefs” on Cignal TV’s One News, Finance Assistant Secretary and spokesman Antonio Lambino denied claims that the interest rates imposed by China on its loans to the Philippines are higher than those asked by Japan and South Korea. Lambino said critics who claim this fail to consider that the loan amounts are in different currencies, with Chinese loans denomi-

nated in U.S. dollars, and Japanese and Korean loans in Japanese yen and Korean won, respectively. “They’re comparing apples to oranges. The U.S. dollar-denominated loans from China are at two percent with a 20-year repayment period, seven-year grace period. The Japanese loans are in Japanese yen. If we convert them, they are actually comparable,” he said. Aside from this, Lambino said critics must also take into account the projections of the foreign exchange market on currency exchange rates over the repayment period of these loans. Lambino added that should Japanese loans with a nominal interest rate of 0.08 percent

MENDIOLA AJPress

Defense and military ofﬁcials from the Philippines and the United States lock in shoulders at the opening ceremony of the Balikatan Exercises 2019 in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on Monday, April 1. In photo are Philippine Exercise Director for Balikatan 2019, Lt. Gen. Gilbert Gapay, Department of National Defense (DND) Undersecretary Cardozo Luna, U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief-ofStaff, Gen. Benjamin Madrigal Jr. and U.S. Exercise Director for Balikatan 2019 Brig. Gen. Christopher McPhillips. PNA photo by Joey O. Razon

THE large-scale annual joint military exercises between Filipino and American troops officially started on Monday, April 1, participated in by 7,500 soldiers. The 12-day military exercise, dubbed “Balikatan” (shoulderto-shoulder), includes naval drills off the coast of Luzon island facing the disputed South China Sea. It is held mostly in the northern part of the Philippines — in parts of the provinces of Pampanga, Tarlac, and Zambales. Several troops from Australia,

ROBLES

AJPress

as well as some observers from seven other countries, will be joining the drills this year. “This year, Balikatan activities will focus in addressing traditional as well as non-traditional security concerns,” said Lt. Gen. Gilbert Gapay, Philippine exercise director. According to him, other activities will include planning and simulation training, operational training and civic activities. U.S. Exercise Director Brig. Gen. Chris McPhillips also said that F-35B stealth aircraft, F-18 fighter aircraft, and V-22 vertical

FORBES magazine on Tuesday, April 2, named four Filipinos belonging to the “30 Under 30 Asia” list, featuring 300 young people who excel in 10 categories hailing from 23 countries and territories in the Asia-Pacific region. The said Filipinos who made it to the fourth annual list of the American magazine are Earl Patrick Forlales, Zahra Halabisaz Zanjani, Georgianna Carlos and Ken Costales. The young individuals showcased innovation along with other foreign nationals on the list. Forlales and Zanjani are founders of CUBO Modular known for designing and constructing bamboo houses in just four hours. Carlos founded premium pet care brand Fetch! Naturals which is popular for incorporating natural ingredients to suit every pet care needs. Performance marketing firm Monolith Growth Ventures was founded by Costales. At present, it serves global brands for countries such as Singapore and Philippines. The categories include Arts (Art & Style, Food & Drink); Entertainment & Sports; Finance & Venture Capital; Media, Marketing & Advertising; Retail & Ecommerce; Enterprise Technology; Industry,

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Philippines, US kick off annual joint drills by RITCHEL

by NATHALIE

CUBO Modular co-founders Earl Patrick Forlales and Zahra Halabisaz Zanjani

Georgianna Carlos, founder of the premium pet care brand Fetch! Naturals

Ken Costales, founder and CEO of the performance marketing ﬁrm Monolith Growth Ventures Photos courtesy of Forbes

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APRIL 4-10, 2019 • LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL

Sandiganbayan denies Napoles...

PAGE A1 the decision last December 2018 wherein Napoles was convicted along with Revilla’s legislative officer Richard Cambe. The court denied Napoles’ claim that she could not be the main plunderer since she was a private individual. The Sandiganbayan First Division ruled that Napoles and Cambe are both main plunderers in the case. Pork barrel scam whistleblow-

ers – Benhur Luy, Merlina Suñas, Marina Sula and Arlene Baltazar came forward to testify that they only deal with Cambe regarding the PDAF insertions. However, they did not let Napoles off the hook since she was often present during transactions. “A conspiracy between Cambe and Luy, to the exclusion of Napoles could not be possible, because the NGOs, through which the funds were diverted, were all

FROM THE FRONT PAGE

creations of Napoles,” the ruling stated as reported by The Philippine Star. “Napoles has control of the bank accounts of these NGOs, all payments of kickbacks to Cambe were made either in the presence of Napoles or under her instructions,” the anti-graft court added. The same court acquitted senatorial candidate Bong Revilla due to the prosecution’s failure to link the former senator to the multimillion scam. Since “the line or the connection between the money from Cambe to Revilla was not established with certainty.” However, it maintained that there was”overwhelming evidence” to pinpoint Cambe and Napoles as the main plunderers in the case because “Cambe was caught with the proverbial ‘money bag’ clearly in his hands, with no sign that it was passed on to his ‘boss.’” “The prosecution was able to prove in evidence that Napoles, although a private individual, not only deliberately performed acts that led to a series of misappropriation, conversion for private gain or misuse of government funds, specifically the PDAF of former Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. but also took part in the conception or ‘planning’ of how to divert the PDAF for private gain,” the ruling stated. “In fact, every time a big withdrawal is made from these bank accounts, it was Napoles whom the bank calls to verify or confirm the withdrawals, instead of the NGO’s president or officers,” it added as reported by The Philippine Daily Inquirer. The court decision penned by Associate Justice Geraldine Faith Econg ruled that Napoles and Cambe be sentenced to “reclusion perpetua,” or imprisonment of up to 40 years. They were also perpetually disqualified from holding public office. Napoles is serving her sentence at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City, while Cambe has been sent to New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City. Cases implicating former Senators Juan Ponce Enrile and Jinggoy Estrada, remain pending in the Third and Fifth Divisions of the Sandiganbayan. Enrile, Estrada and Revilla are running for senator in May’s midterm elections. ■

PH-INDONESIA TRADE COOPERATION. Government ofﬁcials and representatives of companies from the Philippines and Indonesia work together to boost bilateral trade and investment through the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) emphasizing the importance of opening each other’s market at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel on Monday, April 1. Both sides signed three MOUs on the procurement of desiccated coconut and coconut oil from the Philippines; and another one on the investment expansion on coffee manufacturing and processing operations in the Philippines. PNA photo by Jess M. Escaros Jr.

Duterte: Drug war in PH..

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He said he would release a document showing “how the policemen are playing with drugs, the officials and why it is neverending.” “Why are policemen assigned in anti-drugs back then are still in anti-drugs? The Filipino people are being played,” Duterte said. He also slammed the claim that police officers were being paid to kill drug suspects. “It is being probed by Congress, I told them, why are they tagging me with… I give them P5 million to kill… Son of a b—h, why will I pay P5 million? That is your job. You’re crazy,” he said. “So, I will tell the true story. I am not joining. I do not know

why the stupid… said that I am paying him for that. He does not know everything’s there. The generals are there. He thought, I was the only one. But, no worries, I will release [the document],” he said. In 2017, Amnesty International reported that policemen were offered up to P15,000 per drug kill, which Duterte denied. In late March, Duterte said that the drug situation in the country “worsened” and that law enforcers were close to giving up. “If these things do not end, we will achieve nothing. And so we have to finish this. We have no other choice. The 53 years experience, none. So my take, my sense is if you don’t want that to

happen, we will really have to kill them all. I have no other choice,” he said in a speech in Cagayan de Oro on March 24. “If you tinker with drugs and if you continue to feed our children with drugs and trafficking… Things have worsened. My policemen are at the brink of surrendering. Everyday — don’t believe that it’s one billion. The next day there will be another one point three billion. That’s just an excuse. That’s a bait. Believe us so we can focus on it,” he added. In February, Duterte said that there would be a harsher drug war in the three remaining years of his term. (Ralph Villanueva/ ManilaTimes.net)

Four Filipinos on 2019 Forbes ‘30 Under...

PAGE A1 Manufacturing & Energy; Healthcare & Science; Social Entrepreneurs and Consumer Technology. Among the prominent people category on the list per category were: SodaBottleOpenerWala chef-partner Anahita Dhondy, 28; tennis player Naomi Osaka, 21; Sixteenth Street Capital founder Rashmi Kwatra, 30; Nusantara Technology co-founder Steven Wongsoredjo, 26. Heytea founder Neo Nie, 27; Igloohome Pte Ltd Chief Operating Officer Kenny Wang, 30; Cowarobot founders Liu Liyuan, 29, and Liao Wenlong, 30; HealthMatch founder Manuri Gunawardena,

26; Demine Robotics founder Richard Yim, 25; and Pathao cofounder Hussain Elius, 29. Other individuals featured were members of the South Korean girl group BLACKPINK; Chinese actor Liu Haoran, 22; Hong Kong’s eyewear designer Percy Lau, 30; Singaporean band The Sam Willows Anurag Gupta, 29, and Sagar Yamalkar 30; co-founders of India’s DailyNinja Agung Bezharie, 30, Harya Putra, 25, and Sofian Hadiwijaya, 30. The list was a product of meticulous selection among more than 2,000 entries - researched and vetted by credible reporters and judges. The report emphasized

that the listed individuals “stood out for the right reasons.” “The Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list this year highlights daring entrepreneurs who are building businesses mostly to solve problems in their industries,” Forbes’ ‘30 Under 30’ editor Rana Wehbe explained. “Forming 70 percent of the 2019 list, startup founders are using technologies like AI, Big Data and Blockchain to facilitate processes such as matching patients with potentially life-saving medical trials and providing enterprise solutions for SMEs who form the vast majority of businesses in the PAGE A4

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LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • APRIL 4-10, 2019

Heavyweight boxer suspended in California after... Gov. Sisolak signs executive order to create Nevada’s PAGE A1

Pulev grabbing my face, kissing me, or grabbing my backside,” Ravalo said at a news conference on Thursday, March 28. “I was there at the event, covering the match as a professional member of the press.” In response to the publicized video, Pulev denied that Ravalo found the kiss offensive and said they were friends. The two reportedly had just met for the first time the day before. “The reporter, Jenny, is actually a friend of mine,” said Pulev. “And after the interview, I was so elated, I gave her a kiss.” He added that Ravalo joined him and his friends at a post-celebration fight. “There really is nothing more

to this,” wrote Pulev. Responding to Pulev’s statement in a news conference, Allred said that whether or not they were friends was irrelevant. “Even if it were a situation where he was her friend, which he was not, he would still need permission to kiss her on the lips,” said Allred. “A woman has the right to consent or say no. She was doing her job.” On Tuesday, April 1, Pulev told German publication Bild after reports of his suspension by the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) that Ravalo’s allegations were “not true,” adding that Ravalo was not his “type.” “I’m not afraid — I also have videos if necessary,” added Pulev. “I have [been at] no fault and have

done in my career already tens of thousands of interviews. Everyone knows me as a friendly and polite person.” Pulev’s team did release video footage of Ravalo partying with his team after the fight. Following Ravalo’s allegations, the CSAC said that it would “take this incident seriously.” “Before he will be licensed to fight in California again, boxer Kubrat Pulev must appear in front of the commission and demonstrate that he will conform to this principle of respect,” said CSAC Deputy Director of Communications Veronica Harms. The next CSAC hearing is slated to take place on May 14 with Ravalo expected to attend. (Rae Ann Varona/AJPress)

Complete Count Committee for 2020 Census

Philippines, US kick off annual... PAGE A1

takeoff aircraft will be involved in the drills. Exercises not directed at any country The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) maintained that the Balikatan exercises are not directed at any country. “It’s not directed to any threat or existing security concern. This is a generic exercise aimed at enhancing interoperability between Philippines and U.S. forces,” Gapay said. McPhillips, for his part, said no adjustments will be made for the South China Sea, part of which is the West Philippine Sea. “While each year we change Balikatan a little bit, like the general said, to introduce new capabilities and training, Balikatan is not aimed at any other nation in the region,” he said. Mutual commitment According to U.S. Ambassador Sung Kim, this year’s Balikatan is a “testament to our mutual commitment to the U.S.-Philippine alliance.” “It links us together on a personal level, fortifying friendships and better camaraderie from the lowest levels up to the leadership ranks,” Kim said at Camp Aguinaldo. “The relationships, skills, and cooperation that our nations build here will have significant implications for the safety and security of the Philippines and the whole Indo-Pacific region, and Australia’s participation makes this even more meaningful,” he added.

CARSON CITY, NV – Governor Steve Sisolak signed on Monday, April 1, Executive Order 2019-06 to establish Nevada’s Complete Count Committee to ensure every Nevadan is counted in the 2020 Census. It marks one year out from Census Day, which is April 1, 2020.

“Nevada’s Complete Count Committee will oversee all outreach and coordination among public and private sector organizations in the state to encourage Nevadans to participate in the 2020 census,” Gov. Sisolak said. “Over the next 17 months, Nevada’s committee will over-

see the state’s entire complete count effort to ensure that every Nevadan is counted, every community is adequately represented in our state legislature and in Congress, and every available dollar goes toward funding services for Nevada’s communities.” ■

Democratic and Republican parties lay down... U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim (at the rostrum) attends the opening ceremony of the Balikatan Exercises 2019 between Philippine and U.S. military personnel, held in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on Monday, April 1. Kim said the commitment and dedication of both Filipino and American forces in planning the annual exercises have resulted in a huge success for both countries. PNA photo by Joey O. Razon

The 35th Balikatan will strengthen the armed forces of both countries, improve interoperability and facilitate a robust exchange of ideas and best practices, Kim further explained. “Our militaries will spend the next two weeks working shoulder to shoulder, honing their skills in key areas such as counterterrorism, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief,” he said. AFP chief Gen. Benjamin Madrigal Jr., for his part, said that the exercise “is a testament of our enduring commitment to our defense partnership.” “Every year when our troops train together and hurdle developed scenarios, in a way we actually relive the times when

Filipinos and American soldiers fought side by side in defense of peace, freedom, and democracy,” he said. Madrigal also noted that the timing of this year’s exercise coincides with the Day of Valor, the annual observance of Philippine Veterans Week and Bataan Day on April 9. “Today, we continue this legacy through the Balikatan exercises where we continue to forge our bond as armed forces, where we develop our trust and confidence with each other and where we relentlessly strive and learn from one another, to be at our prime as protectors and defenders of our countries,” he said. ■

PAGE A1 voting age population. The same increasing trends can be found when looking at counties and congressional districts. The survey added that since 2012, the number of AAPI-serving organizations getting involved in National Voter Registration Day has increased to over 317 from 154. “Continued population growth, coupled with increased voter registration and voter engagement efforts, have spurred AAPI serving organizations to participate in primary and special elections,” said the survey report. “With the opportunity to claim a greater portion of the vote share in lower turnout elections, AAPI community organizations dedicated additional resources to register and educate voters about the importance of voting in a primary election.” Asked to rate the favorability of Republican and Democratic parties, AAPI respondents to the 2018 survey held a net unfavorable view of the Republican Party, with 34% viewing it favorably and 52% viewing unfavorably.

For the Democratic Party, the respondents held a larger net favorable rating, with 58% viewing the party favorably and 28% unfavorably. This was a stark contrast from the party’s net negative rating among the general American public of 52% viewing the party unfavorably. Looking closer at the AAPI subgroups, percentage distributions were mostly similar. Among Democratic Party percentages, all AAPI subgroups had higher percentages viewing the party favorably than unfavorably. But among Republican Party percentages, Filipino and Vietnamese groups differed from the other AAPI groups in having higher percentages being in favor of the party. Among Filipinos, 48% viewed the party favorably compared to 44% who viewed it unfavorably. Among the Vietnamese, 48% also viewed the party favorably compared to 38% unfavorably. Yet, the AAPI community still makes up only a fragment of the nation’s registered voters. According to the survey, a relatively high portion of AAPI regis-

tered voters did not identify with either party: 38% were described as non-identifiers, 30% as Independent, two percent as not knowing, and six percent reporting not thinking of themselves in “terms of political parties.” Given the statistics, it’s no surprise that Democrats and Republicans are looking to get AAPI voters on board with their party platforms. Efforts to reach AAPI communities As presidential candidates head off in the campaign trail, both the Republican and Democratic parties have been laying out strategies for reaching the greater AAPI communities. For both parties, that means not only community outreach, but engagement. This is seen as critical given the potential margins of victory, especially in Midwest states. Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY), who serves as the Democratic National Committee (DNC) vice chair, said that many AAPIs live in states like Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania where PAGE A4

Dateline USa

april 4-10, 2019 • laS VEGaS aSiaN JOUrNal

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US monitors flow of funds to PH by Bernadette

tamayo ManilaTimes.net

Protesters oppose on the possible seizure of Philippine natural resources as collateral to the loan agreements with China. Philstar.com photo by KJ Rosales

China loans at par with Japan, Korea... PAGE A1 t be converted to U.S. dollars, the resulting interest rate would be 2.7 percent, as is the case for the Y167.2-billion loan for the North South Commuter Railway Extension Project from Japan International Cooperation Agency. As for the Philippines’ 184.84billion-won loan from South Korea for the New Cebu International Container Port, Lambino said the interest rate would be at 1.36 percent if converted from Korean won to U.S. dollars. “So, they are all sort of in the 1.3- to 2.7-percent range. Nothing is 30 times the other, which is what some people claim,” he said. The DOF official also pointed out that these rates provide the cheapest option for the Philippines, as it would be more costly to borrow from multilateral agencies and the private sector. “In terms of the options available, this is the lowest in terms of the cost of financing,” he said. Meanwhile, Lambino also clarified that the confidentiality clause in the government’s loan contracts with China is now rendered ineffective through negotiations. “That’s moot because we negotiated that away when we said it’s confidential, subject to the laws of the Philippines. So, that means we have to disclose when a citizen requests,” he said. About two weeks ago, the DOF posted on its website a copy of its loan agreements not only with China, but also with Japan and South Korea. ‘Unfounded’ Meanwhile, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said fears of the Philippines defaulting on any of its loans are “unfounded” as

the government has never failed to pay its debts even during crisis. “The Philippines has never, never defaulted on its loans. The Philippines has not done it even in the worst time and the worst time was right after Marcos,” Dominguez said in a recent interview with reporters. “So, why are people saying now that we will default? They have no faith in the Philippines? I don’t know why people are saying ‘There might be a default.’ That means to say those people have no faith in their own country,” he added. Earlier, the finance chief expressed confidence that the government would not fall into a debt trap with any country, as it manages its liabilities with prudence. For one, he said infrastructure projects undergo a rigorous vetting system, as only projects that are economically viable are approved. The government’s borrowing program, according to Dominguez, is “conservative” as it ensures that official development assistance (ODA) loans are allocated only for projects that have economic gains greater than the borrowing cost. Moreover, the finance chief said bulk of the country’s debt is sourced from domestic lenders to minimize risks from external developments. Dominguez also reiterated that the share of Chinese financing to the government’s total debt stock is projected to reach 4.5 percent by 2022, once most of the financing for infrastructure projects have been accessed. For Lambino, only about 15 percent of the funding requirements for the Build, Build, Build

program would be financed by ODAs. He said a majority or 66 percent still would be funded through the Philippines’ own budget, while another 18 percent would be bankrolled through public-private partnerships. Review of China contracts welcomed In a related development, Sen. Grace Poe welcomed the initiative of the president to review contracts entered into by the government with China. Poe, who chairs the Senate public services committee, said for the results to be impartial, those who negotiated the contracts should have no role in reviewing them. “Made-in-China contracts should be vetted for onerous and one-sided provisions,” Poe said in a statement. “But more important than discovering what lurks in the fine print of these contracts is the more important question: is the project to be funded really needed by our people? Or is it a donor-driven commercial enterprise pushed by influential brokers that is however not a priority need by the very people who will end up paying for them?” she said. The country needs official development assistance as its infrastructure backlog requires foreign participation, according to Poe. “But we can’t sweep due diligence and the laws of the land under the red carpet that government has rolled out for them,” the senator said. She added that loans must be legally compliant and meet the good governance test, and most of all must have reasonable repayment terms. n

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THE United States government continues to monitor the flow of money to the Philippines from unidentified sources to finance alleged terror groups, according to U.S. Treasury Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Sigal Mandelker. “We continue to monitor terrorist financing related to Manila. But of course this scenario is what we continue to watch closely,” Mandelker said during a teleconference. Asked if the U.S. had monitored the flow of funds from terror groups in the Middle East to local groups in Southeast Asia, which includes the Philippines, she said, “I can’t go into the specifics.” “But generally speaking this is something that we monitor very carefully and subject of information and cooperation with regional partners,” Mandelker said. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas in February reported that overseas Filipino workers’ (OFW) remittances in 2018 reached $32.21 billion, up by 3

percent from $31.29 billion in 2017. Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on March 28 affirmed the Philippines’ commitment to fighting terrorism as he co-sponsored United Nations Security Resolution 2462 on combating terrorist financing. “Money is the livelihood of terrorism,” Locsin said in a speech before the United Nations Security Council, as he cited the Philippine government’s initiatives to stop foreign groups from funding terrorist groups in the country. He said that while remittance agencies “have been used as a channel for terrorist financing, the challenge is to balance the requirements of counter-terrorism and the needs of OFWs, as remittances account for 9.8 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.” Locsin also cited the need to monitor funds going to non-profit organizations and the relationship between terrorism and illegal drug trade. He said the Philippines had defined terrorist financing as “a separate crime” and was working on amendments to the Hu-

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. ManilaTimes.net photo

man Security Act to address the exploitation of cyberspace to promote terrorism. The Philippines also adopted the 2018-2022 National AntiMoney Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Strategy. Locsin said the Philippines’ counter-terrorism efforts were “anchored on respecting human rights because of the country’s overriding responsibility to protect the law-abiding against the lawless and the innocent against those threatening their safety and wellbeing.” n

Lonely Planet admits error in Banaue Rice Terraces video ‘misleading’ AFTER receiving backlash on social media for publishing a video claiming that the world famous Banaue Rice Terraces was built by the Chinese, travel guide Lonely Planet on Monday, April 1, recognized its mistake, saying the controversial video was ‘misleading’. Banaue Rice Terraces, carved into the mountains of Ifugao in northern Philippines, was part of Lonely Planet’s video of “world’s greenest places” published Sunday, March 31. The video, however, described Banaue Rice Terraces as “first built around 2,000 years ago by the Chinese,” which netizens immediately challenged. “We would like to thank members of our online community for bringing our attention to the issue

of the heritage of the wonderful rice terraces of Banaue,” Lonely Planet said on Twitter. “We now recognize that our claim that they were introduced 2000 years ago by the Chinese is misleading,” it added. The travel guide said they are updating the video, assuring the public that they “strive for complete accuracy in our content.” “At Lonely Planet, we pride ourselves on the information we provide travellers and always strive for complete accuracy in our content,” Lonely Planet said. “In light of the feedback we have received, we have amended our online content and are updating our video ‘the world’s greenest places’ which also contains the reference,” the travel guide also said.

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the rice terraces were built 2,000 years ago by the Ifugaos. “The Ifugao Rice Terraces are the priceless contribution of Philippine ancestors to humanity,” UNESCO said. “Built 2000 years ago and passed on from generation to generation, the Ifugao Rice Terraces represent an enduring illustration of an ancient civilization that surpassed various challenges and setbacks posed by modernization.” UNESCO added. UNESCO declared Ifugao Rice Terraces, or commonly known as Banaue Rice Terraces, as a World Heritage Site in 1995. (Inquirer. net)

Four Filipinos on 2019 Forbes ‘30 Under...

PAGE A2 APAC region,” she added. The American business magazine also dismissed the common notion swept across the young generation. They refuted the idea that businesses built by millennials and Generation Zs (Gen-Z) won’t make it in the long run. “If you think millennials and Gen-Z are just building businesses for the short-term gain, think again. This year, it was particularly interesting to note that many of these innovators are not just

driving change in the region – but working towards cementing its positive effect in the long run, especially in developing and emerging markets,” the report noted. The report noted that those who made it on the list were actively participating in programs that would promote sustainability and environmental protection while simultaneously making money to continuously fund its resources. “It is also remarkable to see many of these changemakers actively working towards sustain-

ability – from supplying affordable green energy in rural areas to cooking and promoting sustainable ingredients and campaigning to reduce the use of plastic straws,” Wehbe said. “From using technology to better their sectors, to helping SMEs thrive through sustainable options when it comes to food and energy – some have been working on innovative solutions to solve problems while building successful businesses at the same time,” she added. n

Democratic and Republican parties lay down... PAGE A3 the total number of AAPI voters outnumber the margin of victory in those states. “They have such an outsize opportunity to determine who wins in 2020,” Meng told the Asian Journal in an email. Miki Carver, Asian Pacific American press secretary for the Republican National Committee (RNC), said that GOP efforts have included focusing on building off the foundations established over the last two cycles that proved successful in the last presidential race. In the last cycle, the RNC traveled across the U.S. to host trainings with AAPI leaders and volunteers through their flagship program called the Republican Leadership Initiative. The party sees growth in the leadership program as better positioning them for 2020. So far, the RNC has either hosted events or plans to host events in states including Arizona, California, Nevada, Washington D.C., New York, Florida, Michigan, and Texas. The RNC has also held multiple roundtables in states to provide an opportunity for communities to be informed on President Donald Trump’s policies. “We have placed a premium on building relationships and having a presence in every community and neighborhood across the country,” Carver told the Asian Journal in an email. “We made big inroads in the midterm cycle, and now with that permanent infrastructure in place — combined with the positive results of the Trump administration — we are primed to build on this success in 2020,” added Carver. As for the Democratic Party, the DNC announced its Organizing Corp 2020 program, which will recruit young college students in their junior and senior years to organize communities in key battleground states including Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin where the DNC recently announced it would host its Democratic Na-

tional Convention in Milwaukee. “I’m excited about Milwaukee because Milwaukee gives us the best opportunity to talk about so many values as the Democratic Party,” DNC Chairman Tom Perez told the Asian Journal, adding as an example how Milwaukee’s history of unions aligns with the Democratic Party’s union movement. Perez said that while the party fell short in the 2016 presidential cycle particularly in the Midwest, the party wants to make sure that the upcoming election yields better results. Meng said that efforts include eliminating barriers that prevent AAPIs from voting. “In states like Georgia and Texas, AAPIs are being prevented and discouraged from voting because of onerous requirements like exact-match registration and English only ballots,” said Meng. Perez highlighted how the AAPI community played a critical role in the success of Democrats and a number of key races across the U.S. in the 2018 midterm elections. “We have worked hard to organize in the AAPI community and we work hard to make sure that our values and priorities reflect the values and priorities of the community,” said Perez. “That’s been a real key to our success and we are going to continue that.” 2020 candidates Currently, the number of Democrats who have made their presidential runs official far outweigh that of the GOP, which has Trump vying for re-election. While a few Republicans, such as Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Ohio Gov. John Kasich have hinted to possibly running, only former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld has thrown his hat in the ring. Many Republicans, including Jevon O.A. Williams, RNC committeeman for the Virgin Islands, have expressed wanting to protect Trump from running opposed in the Republican Party, reported the Washington Examiner. But in the Democratic Party,

over a dozen Democratic leaders have officially announced their run, with a few more leaders including former Vice President Joe Biden potentially joining in the race. In light of the large pool of candidates, Perez said that what unites the party far exceeds their differences. “I think we understand that we must never confuse unity and unanimity,” said Perez. He said that despite the possible differences in addressing key party issues, all Democratic candidates share the core views of securing universal health care, where AAPIs remain uninsured or underinsured, and combating climate change for example. “We can have debates about what the particular path to combat climate change is, but there can’t be any debate about the fact that climate change is real,” said Perez. “And so long as we have that understanding, that unity that we share on these critical basic values, I think that’s how we continue to thrive.” Meng dove deeper and said, “AAPI communities are not monolithic, and the issues that specific communities might be concerned about can range from recognition for Filipino and Hmong veterans, deportation relief for former war refugees, and fair access to higher education.” “But it is important to note that AAPIs are also concerned about the same issues that all Americans are concerned about: how to put food on the table, pay for their children’s doctor visits, and have enough money saved for retirement,” added Meng. “As long as the DNC continues to fight for fairness and opportunity for all Americans, we are confident that our message will resonate with AAPI voters.” As for choosing candidates, Perez encouraged people to watch the debates and ask questions. “I truly believe that the more voters have a chance to talk to our candidates, the more excited they’ll be about our candidates,” said Perez. (Rae Ann Varona /AJPress)

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Dateline PhiliPPines

Duterte: ‘China just wants to be friends with us’ by Ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

President rodrigo duterte on tuesday, April 2, said Beijing just wants to become a friend of the Philippines in lieu of defending his administration’s relationship with the country. duterte, since taking post as the highest official in the country, has set aside Manila’s dispute with Beijing over the south China sea to foster stronger and closer ties with China — a move that has, in turn, hurt the Philippines’ long-standing alliance with the United states. According to duterte, he turned to China because of the American criticism to his war on drugs. “You know… China just wants to be friend with us. Binigyan tayo ng baril, binigyan tayo ng bala. Pumunta ako doon because America failed to deliver what we

ordered (You know... China just wants to be friend with us. They gave us arms, ammunition. I went there because America failed to deliver what we ordered),” he said at a campaign rally of PdPLaban in Malabon City. duterte also said he did not mention several projects including his infrastructure project when he was doing presidential campaign because he was not sure if China would back him. “there were so many things i never mentioned — itong Build Build Build because i was not sure if China will deal with me when i become president. it was only when i went there and talked to them pati sa russia, ang Amerikano naman nagdududa (There were so many things I never mentioned, including the Build Build Build program because I was not if China will deal with me when I become president. It was only when I

went there and talked to them and Russia that the Americans started to doubt),” he said. duterte’s statement about the country’s relationship with China under his administration was in response to the concerns about Chinese aggression in the south China sea. the presence of a large number of Chinese vessels surrounding Pag-asa island has been recently sighted and reported by the Philippine military. duterte said the Philippines cannot match China’s military power that’s why no confrontations have been made. “if i go to war pupulpugin ang navy ko in a matter of minutes. Kung makipag-gyera ako sa China, in 7 minutes yung missile nila aabot ng Manila (If I go to war my Navy will be crushed in a matter of minutes. If I wage a war with China, in 7 minutes their missile will reach Manila),” he said. n

Rappler chief Ressa pleads not guilty to tax cases MAniLA — rappler CeO and veteran journalist Maria ressa on Wednesday, April 3, pleaded not guilty to the government’s tax evasion charges against her. the star reported that ressa, who is also rappler Holdings Corp. CeO, pleaded not guilty to the four tax-related cases lodged before the Court of tax Appeals. rHC is the holding company of rappler inc., the owner of the news website. this was ressa’s first arraignment in the seven active cases against her and the 11 against rappler. the government alleges that rHC failed to supply correct information in its value-added tax returns and income tax returns

of taxes in 2015 for the sale of Philippine depositary recepts to nBM rappler LP and Omidyar network Fund LLC. rappler and ressa are also facing a string of legal suits before other local courts such as a cyberlibel charge, anti-dummy law violation and violation of securities and regulations Code violation. the high-profile journalist asserted that the cases against her and her company are political persecution over their coverage of the duterte government, Rappler CEO Maria Ressa Philstar.com photo but the Palace has repeatedly for the third and fourth quarter distanced itself from the cases against them. (Kristine Joy Patag of 2015. it also alleged that the compa- with reports from Elizabeth Marny attempted to evade payment celo/Philstar.com)

Manila mayoral bets sign peace covenant Present during the signing, peaceful and honest elections at the Manila Cathedral in intra- hosted by the Commission on elections (Comelec) and the Parmuros. ish Pastoral Council for responsible Voting (PPCrV), were former vice mayor and social welfare undersecretary Francisco “isko Moreno” domagoso and former mayor Alfredo Lim. Mayor Joseph estrada was represented by city administrator Jojo Alconvendras. Also present were Jun Ochangco, diocesan head of the Manila Cathedral; Comelec and PPCrV officials and Manila Police district director Brigadier General Vicente danao Jr. the Comelec called on the candidates and their supporters PDP-Laban mayoral candidate Alfredo Lim (left) shakes hands with reelectionist District 1 Rep. Manny to adhere to the rules and place Lopez when their motorcades crossed paths in Tondo, Manila on Friday. With Lim are candidates for campaign posters in common District 1 councilor Christy Lim, Paul dela Cruz, Alex Dionisio and Roland Sy. Philstar.com photo poster areas. (Philstar.com) MAniLA — the candidates running for mayor in Manila yesterday signed a covenant for

Mayor Binay ‘daddy’s girl’ as ex-vice president firms up support FOrMer vice president Jejomar Binay on tuesday, April 2, maintained his undivided support for his daughter and incumbent Makati Mayor Abigail “Abby” Binay, even after his son and namesake, Jejomar erwin “Junjun” Binay Jr., officially endorsed his father as his party’s official candidate for the city’s first district. in an interview on tuesday, Binay said it was his daughter who deserved to be reelected, saying she is a good administrator who yielded an impressive performance as chief executive. Binay is running under his daughter’s local coalition dubbed “team Performance.” “team Performance is appropriate because Abigail is truly a performer. no one can say otherwise. she is a good administrator, so she should carry on,” the former vice president told reporters.

He said his daughter did very well for a first-termer, saying he was impressed by the many achievements of the city, such as having Makati named as the country’s richest city by the Commission on Audit. the elder Binay said it was not surprising the mayor had always been known to be organized. the younger Binay has kept the spot for first district representative in his slate empty since the filing of candidacies last year. it was only during his campaign kick-off last saturday at the intersection of Metropolitan Avenue, Chino roces Avenue and Vito Cruz, where the Binays have traditionally held their biggest campaign rallies, that he announced that his father would be his coalition’s bet. “We all know that our father, Jojo Binay, paved the way for

Makati to be what it is today. it is only fitting that he be endorsed in my brother’s slate,” An Binay, who accompanied her brother and sister sen. nancy Binay at the rally. Mayor Binay said she has to carry the brunt of the rivalry as she felt that the rift in the family would not be solved even after the elections, no matter who would win. Binay’s son said, however, that he was aware that his sister was not open to a reconciliation anytime soon, but added that he was open to making amends. “i think she’s being driven by vengeance. this fight is for the people of Makati. it’s not about vengeance. i’m known for having a big heart. if possible, i would choose to patch things up in our family,” he said. (Neil Jayson Servallos/ManilaTimes. net)

Former vice president Jejomar Binay raises the hand of daughter Abby, mayor of Makati City, and her running-mate, Vice Mayor Monique Lagdameo, after the two filed their certificates of candidacy. ManilaTimes.net photo

SUNDAY BEAUTY QUEENS. Senatorial candidate Sonny Angara spreads good vibes in Hong Kong as he poses for selfie with Filipino workers on Sunday, March 31 at the sidelines of the campaign rally of Hugpong ng Pagbabago on Chater Road in Central District. The lawmaker from Aurora brought his “Alagang Angara” platform to the Chinese territory to woo Filipino voters ahead of the overseas absentee voting set to begin on April 13. Senate photo

Lawmakers blast Sotto

by Glee Jalea ManilaTimes.net

MeMBers of the House of representatives continued their attacks against senate President Vicente “tito” sotto iii on tuesday, April 2, blasting him for resorting to name-calling. House appropriations committee chairman rolando Andaya Jr.said instead of “name-calling and language engineering,” sotto should explain why the senate slashed the budget for the government’s “Build, Build, Build” projects, pension of uniformed personnel and retirement benefits of government employees. Andaya had claimed that the senate cut P83 billion in the 2019 General Appropriations Bill (GAB). in return, sotto called Andaya and other House leaders “delusional” for attempting to convince President rodrigo duterte to sign a budget that contained “pork” realignments. “the senate president has resorted to name-calling and language engineering in a bid to divert public attention from the drastic budget cuts imposed by

Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III

the senate on the president’s major infrastructure projects and social programs,” Andaya said. “now is also the time for him to reveal the names of all senators who made the budget cuts and show the items where these were realigned,” he added. House Minority leader danilo suarez also slammed sotto for his “delusional” tag. “sila ang (It’s them who are) delusional. Grabe na ‘yung damage. Ang tagal na nga ng budget

ManilaTimes.net photp

na ‘yan. dapat nga december pa lang nagmo-mobilize na tayo (The damage has been grave. The budget has been stalled for such a long time. We should have been mobilizing since December),” he said. Last week, sotto signed “with reservations” the printed copy of the money measure and transmitted it to Malacañang for duterte’s signature. the President is yet to sign the budget measure. n

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OPINION

Graduation day

FEATURES

WITH the onset of summer come the celebrations, as students celebrate the long break from school. Summer is also graduation season. For those graduating from higher learning institutions, finding employment can prove as challenging as completing formal education. Unemployment in the Philippines stood at 4 percent in June 2018, or 6.6 million people, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The rate is expected to increase slightly next year, according to economic analysts. While millions are unemployed, several industries have expressed concern over their failure to find the skills they need for their operations. This is partly due to the departure of skilled workers for higher paying jobs overseas, and also because of a skills-jobs mismatch. Programs have been developed to address the mismatch in skills and employment opportunities. Government education officials and private school administrators have worked to assist students in selecting higher education courses that will give them a better chance of landing the jobs they want, whether in the country or overseas. There was a period when the country was producing nurses like hot pan

de sal. Amid a global glut, hundreds of thousands of Filipino nursing graduates couldn’t find jobs that gave decent pay, prompting a number of them to work in call centers instead. Business process outsourcing has been a boon to the Philippine workforce. Artificial intelligence, however, is threatening BPO jobs, and workers in this sector must be ready with upgraded skills if they want steady employment. The jobs-skills mismatch persists in several industries, despite efforts to address the problem. And the country’s neighbors continue to pose stiff competition for job-generating investments, providing environments that are easier for doing business. Like previous administrations, the current one has committed to reduce poverty. To achieve this, the creation of meaningful jobs must be high on the agenda. The celebration of the classes of 2019 must not end with their graduation. (Philstar.com)

Editorial

Philstar.com photo

Is the Senate, particularly Lacson, out to sabotage Duterte’s reform program? Commentary

RIGOBERTO TIGLAO I AM becoming convinced more and more that indeed the Yellows in the Senate, exploiting the chamber’s clubbish nature, are succeeding in sabotaging President Rodrigo Duterte’s reform momentum through its power over determining the national government’s budget. After all of Sen. Panfilo Lacson’s blah-blahs, full of “pork” sound bites, but hardly any empirical proof, the Senate’s interference with the budget approved by the House of Representatives resulted in billions of pesos of funds for the President’s key programs being deleted from the budget for this year. It is an indication of the Yellows’ hold on media that the statement the other day of Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr., chairman of the House committee that drafts the budget after its submission by the executive department, wasn’t reported at all, or was relegated to the inside pages. The Philippine Daily Inquirer, for ex-

ample, reduced the issue of delays in the House’s approval to Lacson’s allegations that it was due to a feud between Andaya and his political rival in Camarines Sur, Luis Villafuerte. The remnants of the Yellows haven’t given up, strategizing that sabotaging Duterte’s reforms at this stage would weaken him politically and thereby increase the opposition’s chances of recovering power in 2022. Andaya’s press statement the other day explained how the budget has been mangled by the Senate. I am taking this unusual move to publish it in full, verbatim, although I have emphasized certain points through italics. You decide if his allegations are accurate. Andaya’s statement: “The 2019 General Appropriations Bill [GAB] has been transmitted for the signature of President Duterte, and we expect it to be signed after the Office of the President has wrapped up its review of the veto message. We respect the veto power of the President, and we are convinced that he will exercise such authority for the benefit of the nation and of our people. Nevertheless, we wish to clarify allegations from the Senate that the amendments introduced by the

IT was a magnificent threepoint shot. A complaint submitted on March 13 beat the buzzer by four days, before the Philippines, in the contemplation of Rodrigo Duterte, effectively opted out of membership in the International Criminal Court on March 17. The Del Rosario-Morales gambit was a strategic counter-elite move. It shows respected leaders like Albert del Rosario and Conchita Carpio Morales taking personal risks to file a case against Xi Jinping before the ICC for crimes against humanity and for implementing a system to control the South China Sea/West Philippine Sea (WPS) that has caused environmental degradation and livelihood losses to Filipino fishermen. The domestic impact of the gambit is electrifying, because far too many of the powerful elites in

ident’s veto message. The items taken out of the 2019 GAB by the Senate include, but not limited to, the following: 1. Department of Transportation — P5 billion for right-ofway projects 2. Department of Public Works and Highways — P11.033 billion for right-of-way projects 3. Foreign-assisted projects under DPWH — P2.5 billion Depriving the government of funds for right-of-way and other infrastructure projects will surely hamper the implementation of the President’s Build, Build, Build program. Construction of priority projects, including mass transit and railway systems, will be mostly affected. 4. Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) — P3 billion for scholarship of rebel returnees, out-ofschool youths and rehabilitating drug dependents enrolled under the Universal Access to Tertiary Education. As a result, at least 320,000 students enrolled under the program will lose their scholarships this year. 5. Department of Environment and Natural Resources — P2.254 billion for National Greening Program, which resulted in 50 percent budget cut for all PENROs except Antique.

6. Department of Foreign Affairs — P7.5 billion budget for SEA Games taken out, but P5 billion transferred to the Philippine Sports Commission and P2.5 billion nowhere to be found. 7. Miscellaneous Personnel Benefit Fund — P13.4 billion. The MPBF is one of three sources of money paid to government personnel. The other two are the budgets lodged under each agency and the Pension and Gratuity Fund. Under Special Provision 1, the MPBF may be used for “deficiencies in authorized salaries, bonuses, allowances, associated premiums and other similar personnel benefits of national government personnel….” 8. Pension and Gratuity Fund — P39 billion. This fund covers the payment for the following: • Pension of AFP retirees; war or military veterans of the DND; retired uniformed personnel of the DILG, PC-INP, NAMRIA and Philippine Coast Guard; and other retirees of the National Government. • Retirement benefits for optional retirees of the National Government; retired personnel of GOCCs which are financially unable to pay said benefits; and personnel devolved to LGUs. • Separation benefits or in-

centives of affected personnel pursuant to the implemention of: (i) restructuring of agencies affected by the integration and automation of the Budget Treasury and Management System and the operationalization of the Treasury Single Account; and (ii) rightsizing, merger, streamlining, abolition or privatization. • Monetization of leave credits of National Government personnel and transferred leave credits of those devolved to the LGUs. The details of these budget cuts were not fully discussed in the bicameral conference committee. The senators unilaterally decided on the budget cuts and realigned them with other items based on the request of individual proponents. Up to now, the Senate has yet to make public a detailed report on the proponents who recommended the individual realignments.” I certainly hope Lacson replies to Andaya’s claim. I will publish his reply in my column — but only if he himself issues it, and not his incompetent yet arrogant office boy who always does the replying for him. Either Lacson is so insecure as to reply himself, or he thinks responding to columnists himself is beneath someone of his exalted stature. (ManilaTimes.net)

The magnificent Del Rosario-Morales gambit

On the move

SEGUNDO ECLAR ROMERO

House of Representatives in the bicameral conference committee meetings were meant to debilitate the Executive Department in implementing the President’s priority programs and projects. The House of Representatives never made a move to reduce the 2019 budget for infrastructure projects as appropriated in the National Expenditure Program. In fact, the House introduced amendments increasing the budget for infrastructure projects without breaching the total amount pegged by the National Expenditure Program. This would allow the Executive Department to spur economic growth through increased public expenditure. We made sure, however, that such amendments will pass the test not only of constitutionality and legality, but also of transparency and accountability. It is the Senate that may find itself liable to accusations of sabotage when it decided, unilaterally, to cut down the allocation for the President’s Build, Build, Build program and other priority projects. We are confident that the Office of the President would consider these items in their review and find ways on how to restore them in the Pres-

this country, in government, in the private sector and civil society, have actively aligned with President Duterte, or have fallen silent. Even those who may have realized their grievous mistake in egging Duterte to run for president in 2016, notably Fidel V. Ramos and Aquilino Pimentel Jr., have kept silent. The move has been criticized as a “political move” with no chance of success. It is, in fact, a bundle of political, legal, psychological and other moves. The Philippines has greater chances of taking on China before international law and world public arenas than in the military and bilateral diplomacy arena. Besides, one cannot judge a whole game by the first move alone. From the Philippine perspective, the move has already been a success. Thousands have signed a petition supporting the complaint. It has helped lift the sense of paralysis that has enveloped this nation in confronting China on the WPS and its intrusion into

our domestic affairs. The Del Rosario-Morales gambit pushes the envelope for more pervasive but low-key activities that will help sustain this nation’s viability and integrity. There are layers of patriotism and national community-building that are at play. Many people just do what they have done all their lives — exude professional excellence, day in and day out. Many others are deeply engaged in social responsibility — working with people, generating inclusive livelihood, defending and promoting human rights, protecting the environment and moderating profits. Many others play out servant leadership, helping communities help themselves, and helping organizations achieve their missions by making such achievement about teams and not about egos. And many people plant trees and pick up the trash. The Del Rosario-Morales gambit sustains the narrative of Rodrigo Duterte as a vassal of

China. Duterte has disowned the initiative, declaring so to visiting Chinese leaders. But this posture is not without cost. Duterte himself is experiencing a reduction in his degrees of freedom. Scolding the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System has not solved the water crisis. The drug and corruption problems have worsened. Economic growth forecasts are less optimistic. Nur Misuari is hovering menacingly over the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Presidential intrusion into the electoral process is alarming. Public opinion is much more attentive and critical. Over three years, he continues to rail against his special enemies, but he now realizes he needs to pause and ponder the consequences of his actions. Recently, Facebook degraded Duterte’s “air force” — drastically shutting down 200 pages and accounts that partly constitute the massive intravenous in-

Former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales and former DFA Secretary Albert del Rosario Inquirer.net photos

fusion of fake news that sustains the Duterte cult. That the Del Rosario-Morales gambit will ruffle Chinese feathers is certain, but it will win us respectability among fellow Asean claimant countries like Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia, and other countries intimidated by this new imperialist on the block.

The Del Rosario-Morales gambit has taken the war to Xi Jinping, the capo di tutti capi, and the local boss is embarrassed. What can he do — add Del Rosario and Morales to his hit list? That will only boost the psychological lift from this gambit. Filing the complaint doesn’t look like a futile act, after all. (Inquirer.net)

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

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LegaL Notice

To merchants who have accepted Visa and Mastercard at any time from January 1, 2004 to January 25, 2019: Notice of a class action settlement of approximately $5.54-6.24 Billion. Si desea leer este aviso en espaĂąol, llĂĄmenos o visite nuestro sitio web, www.PaymentCardSettlement.com. Notice of a class action settlement authorized by the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York. This notice is authorized by the Court to inform you about an agreement to settle a class action lawsuit that may affect you. The lawsuit claims that Visa and Mastercard, separately, and together with certain banks, violated antitrust laws and caused merchants to pay excessive fees for accepting Visa and Mastercard credit and debit cards, including by: Â&#x2122;

Agreeing to set, apply, and enforce rules about merchant fees (called default interchange fees);

Â&#x2122;

Limiting what merchants could do to encourage their customers to use other forms of payment; and

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Continuing that conduct after Visa and Mastercard changed their corporate structures.

The defendants say they have done nothing wrong. They say that their business practices are legal and the result of competition, and have benefitted merchants and consumers. The Court has not decided who is right because the parties agreed to a settlement. The Court has given preliminary approval to this settlement.

$40 million and (ii) up to $250,000 per each of the eight Rule 23(b)(3) Class Plaintiffs in service awards for their efforts on behalf of the Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class.

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legal righTS

The amount in the class settlement fund after the deductions described below,

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The deduction to account for certain merchants who exclude themselves from the class,

Â&#x2122;

Deductions for the cost of settlement administration and notice, applicable taxes on the settlement fund and any other related tax expenses, money awarded to the Rule 23(b)(3) Class Plaintiffs for their service on behalf of the Class, and attorneysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; fees and expenses, all as approved by the Court, and

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and

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<_b[ W YbW_c je Wia \eh fWoc[dj$ Once you receive a claim form, you can submit it via mail or email, or may file it online at www.PaymentCardSettlement.com.

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;nYbkZ[ oekhi[b\ from the Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class. If you exclude yourself, you can individually sue the Defendants on your own at your own expense, if you want to. If you exclude yourself, you will not get any money from this settlement. If you are a merchant and wish to exclude yourself, you must make a written request, place it in an envelope, and mail it with postage prepaid and postmarked no later than @kbo ()" (&'/, or send it by overnight delivery shown as sent by @kbo ()" (&'/, to Class Administrator, Payment Card Interchange Fee Settlement, P.O. Box 2530, Portland, OR 97208-2530. Your written request must be signed by a person authorized to do so and provide all of the following information: (1) the words â&#x20AC;&#x153;In re Payment Card Interchange Fee and Merchant Discount Antitrust Litigation,â&#x20AC;? (2) your full name, address, telephone number, and taxpayer identification number, (3) the merchant that wishes to be excluded from the Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class, and what position or authority you have to exclude the merchant, and (4) the business names, brand names, â&#x20AC;&#x153;doing business asâ&#x20AC;? names, taxpayer identification number(s), and addresses of any stores or sales locations whose sales the merchant desires to be excluded. You also are requested to provide for each such business or brand name, if reasonably available: the legal name of any parent (if applicable), dates Visa or Mastercard card acceptance began (if after January 1, 2004) and ended (if prior to January 25, 2019), names of all banks that acquired the Visa or Mastercard card transactions, and acquiring merchant ID(s).

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EX`[Yj je j^[ i[jjb[c[dj$ The deadline to object is @kbo ()" (&'/. To learn how to object, visit www.PaymentCardSettlement.com or call 1-800-625-6440. Note: If you exclude yourself from the Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class you cannot object to the settlement.

For more information about these rights and options, visit: www.PaymentCardSettlement.com.

courT aPProveS final SeTTlemenT

The

Members of the Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class who do not exclude themselves by the deadline will be bound by the terms of this settlement, including the release of claims against the released parties provided in the settlement agreement, whether or not the members file a claim for payment. The settlement will resolve and release claims by class members for monetary compensation or injunctive relief against Visa, Mastercard, or other defendants. The release bars the following claims: Â&#x2122;

The total dollar value of all valid claims filed.

Attorneysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; fees and expenses and service awards for the Rule 23(b)(3) Class Plaintiffs: For work done through final approval of the settlement by the district court, Rule 23(b)(3) Class Counsel will ask the Court for attorneysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; fees in an amount that is a reasonable proportion of the class settlement fund, not to exceed 10% of the class settlement fund, to compensate all of the lawyers and their law firms that have worked on the class case. For additional work to administer the settlement, distribute the funds, and litigate any appeals, Rule 23(b)(3) Class Counsel may seek reimbursement at their normal hourly rates. Rule 23(b)(3) Class Counsel will also request (i) an award of their litigation expenses (not including the administrative costs of settlement or notice), not to exceed

PaymenT

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WhaT merchanTS Will geT from The SeTTlemenT

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for

Merchants who are included in this lawsuit have the legal rights and options explained below. You may:

Under the settlement, Visa, Mastercard, and the bank defendants have agreed to provide approximately $6.24 billion in class settlement funds. Those funds are subject to a deduction to account for certain merchants that exclude themselves from the Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class, but in no event will the deduction be greater than $700 million. The net class settlement fund will be used to pay valid claims of merchants that accepted Visa or Mastercard credit or debit cards at any time between January 1, 2004 and January 25, 2019.

Every merchant in the Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class that does not exclude itself from the class by the deadline described below and files a valid claim will get money from the class settlement fund. The value of each claim will be based on the actual or estimated interchange fees attributable to the merchantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mastercard and Visa payment card transactions from January 1, 2004 to January 25, 2019. Pro rata payments to merchants who file valid claims for a portion of the class settlement fund will be based on:

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To receive payment, merchants must fill out a claim form. If the Court finally approves the settlement, and you do not exclude yourself from the Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class, you will receive a claim form in the mail or by email. Or you may ask for one at: www.PaymentCardSettlement.com, or call: 1-800-625-6440.

The SeTTlemenT

This settlement creates the following Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class: All persons, businesses, and other entities that have accepted any Visa-Branded Cards and/or Mastercard-Branded Cards in the United States at any time from January 1, 2004 to January 25, 2019, except that the Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class shall not include (a) the Dismissed Plaintiffs, (b) the United States government, (c) the named Defendants in this Action or their directors, officers, or members of their families, or (d) financial institutions that have issued Visa-Branded Cards or Mastercard-Branded Cards or acquired Visa-Branded Card transactions or Mastercard-Branded Card transactions at any time from January 1, 2004 to January 25, 2019. The Dismissed Plaintiffs are plaintiffs that previously settled and dismissed their own lawsuit against a Defendant, and entities related to those plaintiffs. If you are uncertain about whether you may be a Dismissed Plaintiff, you should call 1-800-625-6440 or visit www.PaymentCardSettlement.com for more information.

Â&#x2122;

Claims based on conduct and rules that were alleged or raised in the litigation, or that could have been alleged or raised in the litigation relating to its subject matter. This includes any claims based on interchange fees, network fees, merchant discount fees, no-surcharge rules, no-discounting rules, honor-all-cards rules, and certain other conduct and rules. These claims are released if they already have accrued or accrue in the future up to five years following the courtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s approval of the settlement and the resolution of all appeals. Claims based on rules in the future that are substantially similar to â&#x20AC;&#x201C; i.e., do not change substantively the nature of â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the above-mentioned rules as they existed as of preliminary approval of the settlement. These claims based on future substantially similar rules are released if they accrue up to five years following the courtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s approval of the settlement and the resolution of all appeals.

The settlementâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s resolution and release of these claims is intended to be consistent with and no broader than federal

law on the identical factual predicate doctrine. The release does not extinguish the following claims: Â&#x2122;

Claims based on conduct or rules that could not have been alleged or raised in the litigation.

Â&#x2122;

Claims based on future rules that are not substantially similar to rules that were or could have been alleged or raised in the litigation.

Â&#x2122;

Any claims that accrue more than five years after the courtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s approval of the settlement and the resolution of any appeals.

The release also will have the effect of extinguishing all similar or overlapping claims in any other actions, including but not limited to the claims asserted in a California state court class action brought on behalf of California citizen merchants and captioned Nuts for Candy v. Visa, Inc., et al., No. 17-01482 (San Mateo County Superior Court). Pursuant to an agreement between the parties in Nuts for Candy, subject to and upon final approval of the settlement of the Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class, the plaintiff in Nuts for Candy will request that the California state court dismiss the Nuts for Candy action. Plaintiffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s counsel in Nuts for Candy may seek an award in Nuts for Candy of attorneysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; fees not to exceed $6,226,640.00 and expenses not to exceed $493,697.56. Any fees or expenses awarded in Nuts for Candy will be separately funded and will not reduce the settlement funds available to members of the Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class. The release Ze[i dej bar the injunctive relief claims or the declaratory relief claims that are a predicate for the injunctive relief claims asserted in the pending proposed Rule 23(b)(2) class action captioned Barryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cut Rate Stores, Inc., et. al. v. Visa, Inc., et al., MDL No. 1720, Docket No. 05-md-01720-MKB-JO (â&#x20AC;&#x153;Barryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sâ&#x20AC;?). Injunctive relief claims are claims to prohibit or require certain conduct. They do not include claims for payment of money, such as damages, restitution, or disgorgement. As to all such claims for declaratory or injunctive relief in Barryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, merchants will retain all rights pursuant to Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure which they have as a named representative plaintiff or absent class member in Barryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, except that merchants remaining in the Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class m_bb h[b[Wi[ their right to initiate a new and separate action for the period up to five (5) years following the courtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s approval of the settlement and the exhaustion of appeals. The release also does not bar certain claims asserted in the class action captioned B&R Supermarket, Inc., et al. v. Visa, Inc., et al., No. 17-CV-02738 (E.D.N.Y.), or claims based on certain standard commercial disputes arising in the ordinary course of business. For more information on the release, see the full mailed Notice to Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class Members and the settlement agreement at: www.PaymentCardSettlement.com.

The courT hearing abouT ThiS SeTTlemenT On Del[cX[h -" (&'/, there will be a Court hearing to decide whether to approve the proposed settlement. The hearing also will address the Rule 23(b)(3) Class Counselâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s requests for attorneysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; fees and expenses, and awards for the Rule 23(b)(3) Class Plaintiffs for their representation of merchants in MDL 1720, which culminated in the settlement agreement. The hearing will take place at: United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York 225 Cadman Plaza Brooklyn, NY 11201 You do not have to go to the Court hearing or hire an attorney. But you can if you want to, at your own cost. The Court has appointed the law firms of Robins Kaplan LLP, Berger Montague PC, and Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP as Rule 23(b)(3) Class Counsel to represent the Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class.

QueSTionS? For more information about this case (In re Payment Card Interchange Fee and Merchant Discount Antitrust Litigation, MDL 1720), you may: Call toll-free: 1-800-625-6440 Visit: www.PaymentCardSettlement.com Write to the Class Administrator: Payment Card Interchange Fee Settlement P.O. Box 2530 Portland, OR 97208-2530 Email: info@PaymentCardSettlement.com Please check www.PaymentCardSettlement.com for any updates relating to the settlement or the settlement approval process.

WWW 0AYMENT#ARD3ETTLEMENT COM s s INFO 0AYMENT#ARD3ETTLEMENT COM

April 4-10, 2019 • lAS VEGAS ASiAN JOUrNAl

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Aliens of MAnilA: new York ColonY @ Pintô internAtionAl

Aliens of Manila invade New York by

MoMar G. Visaya AJPress

Make this weekend a full Filipino weekend in the East Village with your families and friends starting with brunch and a round of drinks, then walk a couple of blocks away to Pintô International’s headquarters on 431 East 12th Street to see “Aliens of Manila: New York Colony,” which was recently unveiled as part of the organization’s new regularly programmed global exhibitions

and event series. Pintô’s New York HQ is a few blocks away from Filipino restaurants Jeepney, Maharlika, and Ugly Kitchen on 1st Avenue and about a block from Mama Fina’s on Avenue A. That’s right, after feeding your stomachs with sumptuous Filipino cuisine, walk the calories off on your way to feeding your soul with art. Contemporary artist and designer Leeroy New stayed at Pintô for a two-week artist residency in February. During this time, he created an immersive, site-specific installation of psychedelic extraterrestrials responding to the structure of the space: a fifth-floor walk-up loft in Alphabet City. The Aliens of Manila is part of the gallery’s new quarterly exhibitions program and curated by Pintô International Co-Founder and Director Luca Parolari. “Leeroy New is a multi disciplinary artist who works between installation, sculpture and fashion. He has been working on Aliens of Manila for the past several years and he has taken it around the world but this is the first time that the show is done in New York,” Parolari told the Asian Journal. The final output is a warping, psychedelic sculpture constructed from food covers, flexible conduit, fiberglass strips, cable ties, and

Meet the Filipina American ‘ninja warrior’ breaking new ground in the world of obstacle course training ‘American Ninja Warrior’ contestant Pamela Price on life on and off the course with a rare autoimmune disease by

Klarize Medenilla AJPress

ALL across the world and across all industries, there are Filipinos breaking barriers. In government, medicine and science as well as Hollywood, the music industry, visual and performance art and professional sports, the Asian Journal has covered a wide variety of Filipinos and Luca Parolari, co-founder and director of Pinto International. AJPress Photo by Momar G. Visaya Filipino Americans making their other materials that clings to the These Aliens of Manila made mark in historically-homogeneous architecture of Pintô’s East Vil- public appearances in New York fields of profession. But in the relatively new world City throughout the week of the lage loft. “The goal, the aim of this exhibition opening earlier this of obstacle course racing (OCR), there’s a Filipina American who’s Price on the podium after winning 3rd place body of work is to shed light on month. a number of themes including immigration and struggle for integration in particular for overseas Filipino workers,” Parolari explained. “The nature of these aliens is that they’re struggling to fit in in a context that is alien to them.” The series speaks to the wider experience of cultural displacement but is profoundly informed by the artist’s own familial experience with the phenomenon of what he refers to as “OFW” — Overseas Filipino Workers.

at the USA OCR National Championships in

New also presented a series of wearable sculptures — an extension of his design projects in interdisciplinary design and architecture — for this ongoing Aliens of Manila project. The sculptures care made of familiar materials from recycling centers, surplus shops, dollar stores, and industrial market districts local to New York. The artist used sponges, fly swatters, funnels, strainers, feather dusters, among others. PAGE B3

PAGE B3 December. Photo courtesy of Pamela Price

Miguel Trinidad and Nicole Ponseca, authors of “I am Filipino” and owners of Maharlika and Jeepney, have been nominated for a James Beard Award. Photo courtesy of Nicole Ponseca

‘I Am a Filipino’ among James Beard Foundation Book Award finalists

Aliens of Manila: New York Colony is an ongoing immersive installation by artist and designer Leeroy New. The exhibition will run until the end of May; it is open to the public during the weekend from noon to 6:00 pm and by appointment during the weekdays. AJPress Photo by Momar G. Visaya

James Beard Award finalists for their book “I Am a Filipino: And This is How We Cook,” published THE proprietors and owners by Artisan Books. of the East Village restaurants Filipina American Nicole PonseMaharlika and Jeepney have just ca and Miguel Trinidad are nomiadded another feather in their cap: PAGE B6 by

MoMar G. Visaya AJPress

Features

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Don Jacinto: the Filipino American managing the iconic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel Interview by Christina M. Oriel AJPress

FROM hosting the first Academy Awards to once being the home of Marilyn Monroe, the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel on the famed boulevard is perhaps one of the most iconic properties in Tinseltown. But behind the scenes, you may not know that a Filipino American is the current managing director of the 92-year-old hotel, which is a historic-cultural monument in Los Angeles and was named the No. 10 hotel in the CondĂŠ Nast Traveler Readersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Choice Awards in 2018. Don Jacinto, who first came to the Hollywood Roosevelt in 2008 as general manager, returned as managing director of the hotel in 2017 after several years in New York opening the New York EDITION at the MetLife Clock Tower on Madison Avenue. He is also the regional vice president of operations of Journal Hotels, the hotel group that owns the hotel under a portfolio that includes Two Bunch Palms in Palm

Springs, Hotel G in San Francisco, the Standard High Line and Mondrian Park Avenue in New York, and Ambassador Chicago. Overseeing the west region operations, he handles the three current properties in California and will have two more soon, the Hotel Clark and Trinity Hotel, which are both slated to open sometime in 2020 in downtown Los Angeles. Jacinto â&#x20AC;&#x201D; who was born in Quezon City, Philippines and grew up in Charleston, South Carolina â&#x20AC;&#x201D; has been in the hospitality industry for nearly three decades with a career that has taken him from places like New York to Toronto before making his way back to LA. In a recent interview with the Asian Journal, Jacinto takes us into the historic hotel, which in addition to its luxury accommodations (and the famed Marilyn Monroe suite), has a famed â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;60s-era pool surrounded by palm trees, an exclusive cocktail lounge, American brasserie Public, a 24-hour burger restaurant, a gaming parlor with bowling lanes and more to remind

The view from the Penthouse suite at the hotel offers a 360-degree view of Los Angeles.

you of Hollywoodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history. Asian Journal: How did you get started in the hospitality industry? Don Jacinto: My first hotel was the Mayfair Regent in New York, where I worked in guest services while I was going to school and studying English literature. They offered a flexible schedule which fit with my school schedule. That was my first experience with hospitality. It was a luxury hotel part of the Regent international hotel chain, which had a flagship property in Hong Kong. At that hotel, we hosted many celebrities, heads of state and royalty, and had the restaurant Le Cirque, where French chef Daniel Boulud got his start in America. AJ: At what point did you see this could be a full-on career? DJ: When I left there, I started working for a Japanese artist in SoHo and I really thought I would become an artist. But I had the opportunity to go back to hospitality so I seized it, working at the Stanhope on Fifth Avenue and eventually finding my way to the Peninsula New York, where

I became a department head. The Peninsula New York is part of the famous Peninsula group, which also has a hotel in Manila and the flagship Peninsula Hong Kong. I was at the Peninsula for three years and then I joined Le MĂŠridien â&#x20AC;&#x201D; an international hotel chain based in France â&#x20AC;&#x201D; in Boston, Toronto and Chicago so it allowed me to travel. AJ: What were some of your memorable experiences while at the Peninsula? DJ: It was a luxury hotel with Asian hospitality. A memorable moment was when Rod Stewart was staying there with Ron Wood from the Rolling Stones and they sang impromptu in our lounge. In my first week, I had to work past midnight and greet Gregory Peck and Jack Lemmon who were checking in. I also met Catherine Deneuve, Billy Joel, and Johnny Depp when he was dating Kate Moss. AJ: How has living and traveling to different cities shaped your worldview and career? DJ: It made me more adaptable and it fed my curiosity. By nature,

Don Jacinto, who first came to the Hollywood Roosevelt in 2008 as general manager, returned as managing director of the hotel in 2017. He is also the regional vice president of operations (west coast) of Journal Hotels. AJPress photo by Noel Ty

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a curious person and so I always made it a point whenever I moved someplace new to try and discover everything possible, from the cultural institutions to the best restaurants to the architecture. AJ: What came next after Le MĂŠridien? DJ: I moved back to New York City and joined Ian Schrager Hotels at Hudson as the hotel manager. That was my first time working for a boutique hotel group that focused on creating hotels as theater, as Ian Schrager would describe them. I was always interested in the hotels he created, going back to when he first opened Morgans, then Royalton and the Paramount and in the mid-90s, the Mondrian in Los Angeles and the Delano in Miami. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m very aesthetic minded and so his hotels always appealed to me. The standards of service and expectations were the same as The historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel located on Hollywood Boulevard. Photos courtesy working in luxury. of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel AJ: What were some of the biggest lessons working for a boutique hotel? DJ: I adapted to working in a very fast-paced environment with lots of nightlife while maintaining Ian Schragerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vision for design and hospitality. It was my first time working in a hotel that large. We had 804 rooms, extremely busy bars and a restaurant. I oversaw 600 employees. AJ: How did the opportunity to be at the Hollywood Roosevelt come? DJ: I was the general manager Guests can book the former suite of Marilyn Monroe, who had lived at the hotel for two of the Hollywood Roosevelt from 2008 to 2011 so I previously years.

lived here in Los Angeles and enjoyed my time. So when my current CEO [Stephen Brandman] formed the Journal Hotels group â&#x20AC;&#x201D; he was previously the COO of Thompson Hotel when the Hollywood Roosevelt was the flagship â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and asked if I would join him again, I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hesitate to make that decision. AJ: What was it like coming back to LA? DJ: In the recent years, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve become very fond of the outdoor lifestyle that LA offers. I enjoy mountain biking, playing golf, hiking and going out of town to ski. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve rescued five dogs in the last 10 years and two of them live with me right now. AJ: Given the history attached to the Hollywood Roosevelt, how has it stayed relevant today? DJ: The Hollywood Roosevelt has always been a hotel with a tremendous amount of history, from Marilyn Monroe living at the hotel in the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;50s to hosting the first Academy Awards in 1929. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always hosted and continue to host movie premieres every month and events like the annual Turner Classic Movies (TCM) Film Festival in April, New York Magazineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Vulture Festival and the AFI Film Festival every November, which is a qualifying festival for the Academy Awards. In February, we had the four-day inaugural Felix Art Fair. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve managed to remain relevant by recently undergoing a full renovation by Yabu Pushelberg, renowned interior designPAGE B4

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Aliens of Manila invade... PAGE B1 “It is also about repurposing materials which have been used in other projects before and this is in line with the philosophy of making do with what you have, typical of many who are in the lower income situation,” Parolari explained. For the project, the artist, his friends, and local collaborators don the costumes in public as a kind of “material conduit” between the artist and the environment. This “staged displacement” creates a literal and visual duality between the native and the “alien.” Pintô International is the global foundation and the international arm of Pinto Art Museum in Antipolo, Rizal. It takes care of programming and exhibition of Philippine contemporary art in New York. The organization was born in 2017 and in collaboration with the Asian Cultural Council, came up with benefit shows. “We are quite literally opening our doors, our pinto, of our private homes for the public to enjoy contemporary art and culture, similar to what we did before at Boston Gallery and Pinto Art Museum in the Philippines,”he added. “We were founded on the principle that art plays a diplomatic role in bridging distinctive nationalities, worldviews, and communities.” The organization hopes to come up with quarterly shows throughout the year, along with regular Pinto Sessions, which they envision to be a series of monthly receptions and special programs where they invite different speakers and performers for a multidisciplinary dialogue. They also hope to open doors for Filipino artists to showcase them for the New York market through exhibitions coinciding with international art fairs, biennials, and other global arts initiatives that would further foster its mission of cultural diplomacy. Pintô Art Museum is an exhi-

Philippine Eagle stars in new Netflix series Marfori ManilaTimes.net

FOUR years, 50 countries and more than three and a half thousand filming days using the latest technology and 4K video have captured the Earth from end to end for Netflix’s ambitious new series “Our Planet.” In The Know had the chance to screen the eight-part series narrated by Sir David Attenborough in advance, and it left us The aliens are made out of familiar and readily-accessible, mass-produced materials such as bewildered, surprised, sentimensponges, funnels, cable ties and fly swatters. Photos courtesy of Ethan Browning tal and hopeful on how we can understand our connection with each living creature on this planet and actually thoroughly care for one another. Our Planet leaves us with a bucket full of triggered emotions, making us feel as if we are actually there as they capture the Earth’s key biomes or habitats, the icy frozen worlds, jungles, coastal seas, deserts and grasslands, high seas, freshwater regions and forests. With the best wildlife cinematographers and scientists on board, the show takes viewers from the remote Arctic wilderness and mysterious deep oceans to the vast landscapes of Africa and diverse jungles of South America, and to the grasslands of India and back. Each shot and story on living creatures are a visual spectacle, leaving you awestruck with cinematography bition space and contemporary sive arts community to join us in you have never seen before. museum located in the Philip- building a dialogue around and a To be sure, the series ofpines’ historic pilgrimage city of platform for the contributions of fers never-before-seen footage Antipolo outside of Manila. The living Filipino artists,” Dr. Cua- of wildlife and their habitats museum was founded in 2010 nang said. — while also revealing why the to publicly exhibit the art collection of Filipino neurologist and patron of the arts, Dr. Joven Cuanang. “For over three decades, it has been my unwavering vocation to undertake the promotion and support of contemporary Philippine art in my home of Manila. As Pintô builds its global constituency, we are looking to New York’s uniquely cosmopolitan, progres-

Meet the Filipina American ‘ninja... making her mark just as OCR itself grows more prominent. OCR trainer Pamela Price is on track to be the Fil-Am face of the increasingly popular sport, so much so that last year, she was invited to be a contestant on the wildly popular NBC competition show “American Ninja Warrior,” where contestants compete to finish an intense series of obstacles in the least amount of time. “I didn’t even know how it came to be! But in October, it just all fell into place when a producer reached out to me and sent me a letter saying she’d been seeing my OCR stuff and thought I could run the course very well,” Price told the Asian Journal in an interview earlier this month. The 32-year-old OCR trainer — who is also a dance instructor and journalist — is set to appear on Season 11 of “American Ninja Warrior” which she filmed earlier this month. Her Instagram page (@babyninjawarrior) showcases videos of her training, and it isn’t just your garden variety “Fitstagram” page. It shows off, not only her skill set — which ranges from dancing, swimming, bouldering, tire flipping and truck pulling — but her natural on-screen charisma and personality. And upon meeting Price in person, it’s easy to see why producers from the show reached out to her for a feature. “It was a blast! I can’t say too much about it, but it was so unbelievably fun and really represented what I love so much about the obstacle course community,” Price says, beaming. A born athlete Price was born in Virginia Beach, Virginia, but raised in Maine after her parents relocated the family in order to raise Price and her sister in a safe community. Price’s mother is an Americanborn Filipina nurse whose father was in the United States Navy, and her father is a Jewish psychiatrist from New York City, whom Price says she “compares to [filmmaker] Woody Allen.”

LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • ApRIL 4-10, 2019

by MJ

There are also wearables which some artists wore during the week of the launch. Some made it to a laundromat in Queens and others went to the New York Armory Show. Photos courtesy artist Leeroy New and Pintô International

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“They wanted us to raise us in Maine because it was so safe, but I definitely was the token Asian. My nicknames as a child ranged from ‘Sushi’ and ‘Dumpling,’” Price remembers with a laugh. Like many in the Filipino diaspora, especially in the United States, Price was initially raised with little reference points to the Filipino culture, saying she was basically “raised as a white girl” and only really started learning and appreciating the culture in her adult life. “My [Filipino] grandparents were very, very careful to make sure that my mother didn’t know Tagalog and that I didn’t know Tagalog,” Price says. “Everything was just American, a full assimilation.” As such, Price’s career trajectory clearly reflects the uniquely American conviction of personal achievement and pushing yourself to reach your highest potential. Price has been a dancer since she was a young child, dancing with the Portland Dance Company in Maine, performing in community shows like “The Nutcracker.” Starting off with ballet, the young Price soon added contemporary dance styles like hip-hop to her skillset. Come middle school, cross country entered the athletic foray for a 12-year-old Price, who, at this point, was dancing with the Portland company. Price then moved to New York City to attend the small liberal arts school Marymount Manhattan, and while she was there, she taught dance at the YMCA in SoHo to at-risk children living on the street. “I think [dancing] is where I got my discipline because I never had easy teachers,” she says. “But that was hard. But it was very rewarding when you find the students who take a liking to dancing and they get it.” Then in 2009, she relocated to Los Angeles where, like so many East Coast transplants who settle on the West, she began looking for writing jobs. She’d developed a love for writing while penning PAGE B6

natural world matters to us all and what steps must be taken to preserve it. Moreover, the brilliant and catchy storytelling succeeds in capturing the attention of all generations to make humans realize how connected and how similar we can be with the birds and the bees — and even the fish! In the first episode “One Planet,” viewers will travel from the Brazilian rainforest to Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, discovering how each fragile habitat is connected and why they are all essential for life to thrive on this

Inquirer.net photo

planet. The spotlight also shines on our very own endangered Philippine Eagle — on what they’re like and how they should be in their natural habitat. This will surely strike a chord on how to wake up and save what is left of what we have. Besides the viewers who will marvel at diverse landscapes and precious and rare wildlife, the series will help start an important conversation about the home we all share at a crucial moment when action is needed — and now!

B april 4-10, 2019 • laS VEGaS aSiaN JOUrNal

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Get ready to meet the newest Don Jacinto: the Filipino American... royal baby this spring!

By Monet

LET’S just all take a moment and welcome the spring season with some fuzzy feels starting with babies being born – and not just any baby – but the royal baby of Prince Harry and the “American princess,” Meghan Markle. The future member of the Sussex family is expected to arrive this spring. It was only in October that Kensington Palace revealed Markle and Prince Harry were expecting, and since then everybody has been speculating the baby’s name, sex, and how the parents-to-be are planning for this big life change. I, for one, just love hearing the latest scoop about the royal family. But hearing specifically about Meghan Markle, who is an American, a fashion icon and symbol for kindness and humility and women empowerment, is my guilty pleasure. I am a fan of her fashion statements and her guts. She strikes me more as “one of us” than an aristocrat, you know what I mean? And now that the Duchess of Sussex is probably weeks away from giving birth, I can’t contain my excitement. And it seems I am not the only one. I’ve been reading a lot on Markle’s journey to motherhood and I must say that many have been written about her diet, her birthing plan, their parenting style, and the list goes on. So I am doing my readers (who are also obsessed about everything-royal familyrelated), a favor by writing what I have learned about this Markle’s spring baby. Reports say that Markle, who grew up in Los Angeles, has been very focused on clean living since becoming pregnant in order to stay healthy and chemical-free throughout her entire term. “Her California roots are coming through,” according to People. “She’s being mindful of what she puts in her body and on her skin and even her at-home cleaning supplies. She’s hyper aware of what she’s using. She’s looking for natural things.”

EMPLOYMENT

Let’s start with the baby’s name. Unfortunately, we won’t know this until our princess gives birth, but she and Prince Harry reportedly have a long list of baby names. Although the couple already knows the sex of their baby, they chose to say nothing to the public. I actually caught wind of “royal trivia” stating that traditionally, the royal couple does not learn the sex of the baby until the birth. Besides the people in the delivery room, it’s the tradition that the queen is first to be told of the new arrival via phone call. According to a reliable source, “While there are many royal baby traditions that have been broken in recent generations—such as Princess Diana being the first to birth a royal baby outside of a palace and, instead, in a hospital—saving sex reveal for the day of birth is likely one that will stay for generations to come.” This brings us to the due date. Baby Sussex is due in late April or early May, according to royal’s reporters who overheard Markle tell this to well-wishers in Birkenhead, England, on January 14. According to recent reports, Markle will give birth at the Lindo Wing of London’s St. Mary’s Hospital, where her sister-in-law Kate Middleton had all three of her children. Vanity Fair reports that Markle and Prince Harry are in the midst of setting up their “eco-friendly, gender-neutral nursery,” which will come equipped with a playroom and two bedrooms—including one for Markle’s mother, Doria Ragland. According to Vanity Fair, the color scheme is

Photos courtesy of Kensington Palace

white and gray and will include “top-of-the-line cameras, security windows, and a state-of-the-art stereo system As for the birth plan, just like every other mother-to-be I know, Markle wants a natural birth. And that is not surprising since Markle’s mom is actually a yoga teacher. I also read about Markle and Price Harry saying that they will not impose traditional gender roles on their little one. Vanity Fair writes “Meghan has been talking to some of her friends about the birth and how she and Harry plan to raise their baby. Her exact word PAGE B6

EMPLOYMENT

PAGE B2 ers, for the Tower rooms. Just a few months ago, we launched a magic show in our Roosevelt theater. We’ve hired local LA interior designer Nickey Kehoe for our lobby, lounge and new Italian steakhouse called The Barish under our partnership with Nancy Silverton, James Beard Award winner and Michelin-starred chef and restauranteur. AJ: With your responsibilities at the Roosevelt as well as the other properties in San Francisco and Palm Springs, what’s a typical day like for you? DJ: I start early by going through all my emails, touching base with the overnight team and we start with a detailed morning operations meeting. From there, other than scheduled meetings, I try to keep my schedule open, by walking the property, saying hello to the employees, and connecting with our guests. I try to visit the other properties every quarter. AJ: How would you describe your leadership style and what does it mean as a Filipino American to be in your position? DJ: Engaging, unassuming, approachable and hands-on. I don’t micromanage, but rather hold trust in my managers and offer guidance and walk them through any problem solving. I also try not to keep things boring and check in with the team. There will be spontaneous moments where I surprise them with meals from nearby places. I have many Filipino Americans on my staff so it’s meaningful for me as a leader to represent my culture in the best way possible and be a positive mentor. It’s in our nature to be hospitable. I often hear about how Filipinos are viewed as being welcoming

The famous lobby of the Hollywood Roosevelt, which first opened in 1927.

and friendly all over the world. It’s true. AJ: Do you foresee any upcoming trends in hospitality? DJ: The focus is on creating unique experiences for our guests. Each of our properties is unique to their market. There is no brand formula. Each hotel has its own personality and an opportunity to create a different experience. Travelers are craving something a little more so we try to provide that by doing things like outside yoga classes or movie nights at our pool. At Hollywood Roosevelt, we have a private music studio, a white box space for pop-ups, an exclusive tattoo artist by appointment, a 24-hour burger bar called 25 Degrees, and event space on our roof deck with 360-degree views of Los Angeles. One key project we’ve finished this year is the restoration of the Tropicana Pool, which was originally painted by the famous artist David Hockney. AJ: From your perspective in the hospitality industry, what continues to make LA a destination for visitors? DJ: Los Angeles continues to

grow and develop. I’m on the board of directors for the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce so I’ve seen how Hollywood has evolved dramatically with so much more retail and restaurants. With the Hollywood Roosevelt anchoring the west side of Hollywood and the W anchoring the east side, we see lots of big entertainment companies like Viacom and Netflix headquartered here. I really like the scene that’s developing in downtown LA especially on Broadway with some hotels opening in the coming year. Around the city, we see a restaurant scene that is much more diverse and inventive. The art world is taking notice too, which is why the Frieze Art Fair was held here, which drew over 15,000 people in one weekend, and 5,000 people came to our hotel for the Felix Art Fair. The city is becoming much more relevant from a cultural standpoint and of course, people come here for the weather and the vibe. Los Angeles has so much to offer that it’s impossible to experience everything in just a weekend so it keeps you coming back for more.

Don Jacinto (center) does a daily check in with his team members at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.

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Your Immigration Solution ATTY. DEVIN CONNOLLY LOSING a beloved family member is one of the most difficult times in a person’s life. And this tragic event can become even more heartbreaking if it also means that you also lose the privilege of being granted permanent resident status in the U.S. (green card). This additional upsetting element is because the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) says that an approved visa petition is automatically revoked if the petitioner dies before the beneficiary is issued a green card. However, despite this automatic revocation, a person may still be eligible for their green card despite the petitioner’s death. First, Section 204(l) of the INA says that people may still apply for their green cards from within the U.S. in certain situations, a process called “adjustment of status.” Section 204(l) requires the foreign citizen attempting to obtain their green card to prove that they resided in the United States at the time of the petitioner’s death and that they are continuing to reside in the U.S. The ability to still be granted a green card because of your residence in the U.S. is a major benefit to many immigrants. Previously, only certain widows and widowers who were petitioned by their U.S. citizen spouse were granted the opportunity to obtain permanent resident status after the death of the petitioner. How does a person meet the “residency” standard? As stated above, the beneficiary of the visa petition must actually reside in the U.S. at the time of their family member’s death. They will not be eligible under INA 204(l) simply by being physically present in the

Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond MONETTE ADEVA MAGLAYA (Thirteenth of a series, ) YOU have become a collector over the years. Memories, good and bad, you have them, by the bucketful, stacked in yellowing photographs in frayed and tattered albums. You used to dutifully collect them, way back when printed photos were the norm. But now you have them in your phones, in your computers, in USB drives and external hard drives in gigabytes of digital images. Somehow you long for the printed ones. These are important specially when the neurons in our brains begin to malfunction as a natural order of aging. These will become mental crutches as our memories fade. We became collectors of stuff as well. Admit it. There’s the spirit of a pack rat lurking in most of us. We load ourselves with stuff. Society encourages us. Witness the success of Costco, those warehouses and public storage companies. We buy as much or more than we really need or, in many cases, can really afford to pay in cash. So we have far more stuff than we need: clothes, shoes, furniture, linen, décor, technology, gizmos and gadgets and collectibles of all sorts like baseball cards, guns, antiques, books, kitchen ware, cars and whatever else one thinks is valuable to collect. So our apartments, homes and garages are bursting at the seams that we even feel the need to rent public storage spaces. Here’s a thought that may well be worth considering as we try to TRAVEL LIGHT during this segment of our life’s journey. We have been taught to invest

A green card is still possible despite the petitioner’s death U.S. on the exact day that their relative passed away. Rather, it is required that they maintained a residence in the U.S. at the time of the petitioner’s death. However, it is not required that they were physically present in the U.S. on the date of death. Thus, an immigrant beneficiary may still be eligible for adjustment of status if they were actually abroad when the petitioner died, so long as they can establish that they were actually residing in the U.S. at the time of the petitioner’s death. It is also important to note that the law does not require that they be legally residing in the U.S. at the time of death. In addition to residing in the U.S., the beneficiary must also demonstrate that they deserve a favorable exercise of discretion and also that they have an acceptable substitute sponsor. The INA does not permit anybody to serve as a substitute sponsor. Rather, the INA provides a list of possible family members that may serve as a substitute sponsor, such as sibling, child, etc. Section 204(l) of the INA is obviously beneficial to many people. Unfortunately, though, not everyone qualifies. For those beneficiaries who are not eligible to apply for adjustment of status under INA 204(l), they still have the opportunity to apply for “Humanitarian Reinstatement.” “Humanitarian Reinstatement” provides hope for those family members living abroad that waited patiently for their opportunity to immigrate to the U.S. A request for “Humanitarian Reinstatement” is a request that the petition be reinstated on humanitarian grounds. If the request is granted, then the beneficiary and their spouse and children will be able to continue

with the Immigrant Visa process and will be able to reunite with their remaining family members in the United States. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service will consider several different factors when making a decision on a request for “Humanitarian Reinstatement.” These factors include potential hardship to U.S. citizen or lawful permanent residents; whether there will be a disruption of an established family unit; whether the beneficiary is elderly, has strong family ties to the U.S., or is in poor health; and whether there was an undue delay in the processing of the petition. It is undeniable that the death of a loved one can devastate a family. And for some prospective immigrants the death may also make it more challenging for them to obtain a green card. But it is important to remember that immigrating to the U.S. may still be possible despite the death of your close family member. An immigration expert can offer advice and practical solutions to being granted permanent resident status after such an untimely death. *** REEVES IMMIGRATION LAW GROUP is one of the oldest, largest and most experienced immigration ﬁ rms in the United States with ofﬁ ces in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Manila and China. For more Information please call (800) 7958009 or visit www.rreeves.com. Telephone: (800) 795-8009 E-mail: immigration@rreeves.com Website: www.rreeves.com. *** The analysis and suggestions offered in this column do not create a lawyer-client relationship and are not a substitute for the personalized representation that is essential to every case. (Advertising Supplement)

The bucket list Divest early

“ ...You won’t need a U-Haul truck when you pass. Jesus did say it is harder for a rich man to get into heaven than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle...” early in real estate or in financial instruments so we can reap the benefits of investments over time in our retirement years. This is wise counsel for all and it pays to take heed. Keep resources liquid. But when it comes to stuff, you become a contrarian and do the reverse instead. DIVEST EARLY. Earmark those special high quality items that you have enjoyed but have no use for anymore and carefully consider giving to people in your immediate or even far-flung orbit who might appreciate it and use it and perhaps even remember you from time to time. It might be that dainty English porcelain teacup set you bought in an antique shop on a whim that you have on display for decades in your china cabinet. Give it to someone who enjoys taking tea. Or it could be a piece of antique heirloom jewelry that you can give to an appreciative relative or friend or just an acquaintance. Or, how about giving away piece by piece, your collection of designer bags hidden away in your closet, forgotten and unused? Okay, here’s the key. Divest wisely and choose recipients well. Give it to someone who can and will use it and not stash it away forgotten once more. In short, filter out those whom you know have too much of everything and will likely shrug off the value of your gift. Don’t give to ingrates and spoiled brats. More than likely, this is going to be a hit and miss operation. But

over time, with practice, you will eventually develop a well-honed instinct to find the deserving ones in your orbit. If you can’t find anyone, giving to Goodwill, Salvation Army and other organizations of the sort is a good idea. It may be simpler too. Divesting early is a way of paying forward for all the blessings we have received even if sometimes we didn’t deserve any of it. The payback is that you get to see the smiles and the genuine appreciation from the recipients who will be blessed by the item while you are still around. What do you get in return? Maybe some deep satisfaction only a genuinely generous giver gets when you find the right recipient. The circle of use for that special item begins to have a ripple effect of good over time. In divesting ourselves of it, we clear the space it once occupied as the blessing of that special item moves to another. We will feel lighter too. Guaranteed. There is beauty and poetry in an empty space. The Japanese, with their minimalist sense of beauty, order and composition, may be ahead of the curve on this matter. Our space is limited and so is our time on earth. How we use these can define the remaining segment of our life’s journey. *** Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette. maglaya@asianjournalinc.com

Cervical/throat cancer and oral sex Health@Heart PHILIP S. CHUA, MD, FACS, FPCS THE rate of throat cancer in the United States has not declined, compared to most head and neck malignancies. I suspect that the statistics could also be true, when extrapolated, for other countries, like the Philippines, since most Filipinos are westernized in their lifestyle, habits, and behaviors, etc. The most logical explanation why cancer of the throat has not diminished has been attributed to the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), a bug that causes a sexually-transmitted disease. HPV is popularly known to cause genital warts and most cancer of the cervix (mouth of the womb). It has only been recently when scientists discovered and identified HPV

transmission through oral sex as an etiology of throat cancer. M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston reported that its research team found “the incidence of throat cancer (in the United States) to be stagnant and even rising in some populations, defying a downward trend in other head and neck cancers linked more closely with smoking.” The American Cancer Society reports that the greatest risk factors in head and neck cancers are smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages, 90 percent of them either smokers or tobacco chewers and about 80 percent of them also imbibed a lot of alcohol. The good news is that a trend analysis in head and neck cancers in the United States shows a decline the past twenty years, trailing a decrease in smoking prevalence, which started in the 1970s, by 10 to 15 years. The bad news is that oro-pharyngeal cancers (which include the tonsils, base of the tongue and soft palate, and side and back of

the throat) have been up in some population in the United States, and probably among people in other parts of the world who practice oral sex, where HPV takes its toll. “The findings underscore the importance of research aimed at determining if the newly available HPV vaccine is effective in males,” stated researcher Erich Sturgis, MD, MPH, to WebMD, as reported by Salynn Boyles. Sample of the vaccine referred to is Gardasil, which is genetically engineered, and which blocks infection caused by two of the more than 100 types of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), strains 16 and 18. These two sexually-transmitted viruses are responsible for about 70 percent of cervical cancers. HPV, in one form or the other, afflicts about 20 million Americans. The other strains of the virus cause painful genital warts, and sometimes, cervical cancers too. Let us momentarily discuss PAGE B6

LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • APRIL 4-10, 2019

Calendar of Events across

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ADVERTISE YOUR EVENTS! PRE-EVENT AND POST EVENT GO DEEPER. GO WIDER. LET THE WORLD KNOW. CALL ASIAN JOURNAL: (818) 502-0651 DISPLAY AD SIZES AT SPECIAL RATES FOR NON-PROFIT GROUPS APRIL 7

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

APRIL 13

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

Recycling used motor oil event in Los Angeles, CA Attention all Florence Firestone residents! Everyone is invited to bring in their used motor oil and used oil filters in exchange for a free new oil filter on Saturday, April 13 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It will take place at AutoZone at 1262 Firestone Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90002. Recycling motor oil and filters helps save our environment and helps our water stay clean. So, don’t miss out - we’re making it easier for you to keep your car running smoothly and efficiently.

A P R I L 22

West Ranch Music Masters Tournament in Valencia, CA West Ranch High School’s Instrumental Music Program is excited to announce their inaugural Golf Tournament fundraiser to be held on Monday, April 22 at The Oaks Club at Valencia, CA. Check-in and breakfast starts at 10 a.m. with a 12 p.m. shotgun start. The $125 per player fee includes: 18 holes of golf, use of golf cart, practice facilities, lunch and dinner. There will be an optional Mulligan and Magic Putt package for purchase. Additionally, a wide array of silent auction and raffle baskets will be available. The awards dinner will be served starting at 5pm and will feature students performing live jazz music. For those who wish to attend only the dinner and award festivities, the cost is $50. All proceeds go directly to support the West Ranch High School Music Program. To register for the tournament or for more information contact Jean Conway at westranchband@gmail.com or visit westranchmusic.com. Deadline to register is on April 11.

A P R I L 25 -28

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

M AY 1 7-1 9

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

JUNE 1

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

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

J U LY 2 0

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

J U LY 24 -28

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

AU G U ST 1 - 9

University of the Philippines Nursing Alumni Association International Convention & Alaskan Cruise The University of the Philippines Nursing Alumni Association International, Inc. (UPNAAI) will have its 40th convention on a cruise aboard Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas. The theme will be “In the New Millennium - UPNAAI at 40: Evolving and Emerging Nursing Roles.” On Aug. 1. it will be UPNAAI Volunteers Service Day in Seattle, then 2-9 will be a cruise from Seattle, Juneau, Skagway, Endicott Arm & Dawes, Victoria, and back to Seattle. Convention Fee $100 for Alumni in addition to cruise pricing. No convention charge for friends and family members. Contact Hours will be provided for the educational conference. For more information/to register and view cruise rates, please visit https://www.upnaai.com/.

AU G U ST 3 - 4

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

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

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Asian Community Development Council Meet the Filipina American ‘ninja... welcomes Nia Wong as Director of Communications PAGE B3

Nia Wong

LAS VEGAS, NV – The Asian Community Development Council’s (ACDC) expansion now includes Nia Wong as Director of Communications. Her addition comes as Nevada experiences a tremendous growth among the Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. “Nia is a constant presence in this community and has shown a deep understanding of the complexities faced by the AAPI community” said Vida Lin, President and Founder of the Asian Community Development Council. “With her storytelling background in broadcast, print and digital, we know she will help bring to light the narratives that are waiting to be told.” Nia was previously the Morning Weekend Anchor & Reporter for Las Vegas CBS affiliate KLAS-TV/8 News Now. She was the first Chinese-American broadcaster in the station’s history and saw the Sunday morning newscast expand under her nearly three years in Las Vegas. “It’s an honor to join ACDC and to continue serving Nevada through the power of stories,” said Nia Wong. “In my new role I want to remind AAPIs that we have a voice and that we have an impact.” Nia is half-Chinese through her father, half-Korean through her mother and is the proud descendant of Chinese gold rush miners, a WWII veteran & immigrants.

‘I Am a Filipino’ among James Beard Foundation... PAGE B1

nated for a James Beard Award under the international category, which are books with recipes focused on food or cooking traditions. They are up against Anissa Helou’s “Feast: Food of the Islamic World” and Austin Bush’s “The Food of Northern Thailand.” The James Beard Foundation announced the nominees for the 2019 James Beard Awards during a press conference in Houston on Wednesday, March 27. Nominees were announced in nearly 60 categories of the Foundation’s various awards programs, including Restaurant and Chef, Restaurant Design, and Media. “I Am a Filipino”made it to the New Yorker’s “The Best Food Books of 2018” and described Filipino cooking “as among the brightest, sweetest, sourest, and funkiest of world cuisines; by comparison, almost any other food seems bland.” The review also called Ponseca and Trinidad’s book an “exuberant gastronomic manifesto” because of the way it was able to “weave together threads of Filipino history, culture, and diasporic traditions.” “It’s a brilliant cookbook that doubles as an important work of cultural scholarship, or maybe an important work of cultural scholarship that doubles as a brilliant cookbook—from foundational recipes like pinakurat (a sweettart-hot condiment made with fruit, fish sauce, chiles, and vinegar) to a rainbow of adobo styles, meats,

and methods,” Helen Rosner described further. Trinidad took to social media on Wednesday to express his happiness when James Beard Foundation released the list of the finalists. “HOLY SH#T! This is huge. I can’t stop smiling,” he posted on his Instagram account @chefmigsnyc. As the Asian Journal previously reported, three Fil-Am chefs have been nominated as well: Tom Cunanan of Bad Saint is up for Best Chef (mid-Atlantic) and Margarita Lorenzana Manzke is yet again up for Outstanding Pastry Chef, while Sheldon Simeon’s Lineage in Hawai’i was nominated for Best New Restaurant. The 2019 James Beard Awards celebrations begin in New York City on Friday, April 26, with the James Beard Media Awards.

The exclusive event honors the nation’s top cookbook authors, culinary broadcast producers and hosts, and food journalists and will take place at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers. There are 12 awards up for grabs with three finalists each for the Book Awards, 11 awards for the Broadcast Media Awards and 17 for the Journalism Awards. The events then move to Chicago, beginning with the Leadership Awards dinner on Sunday, May 5. The dinner, presented in association with Deloitte and hosted by Gail Simmons, will recognize honorees for their work in creating a more healthful, sustainable, and just food world. The James Beard Awards Gala will take place on Monday, May 6, 2019, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, hosted by Jesse Tyler Ferguson. During the event, which is open to the public, awards for the Restaurant and Chef and Restaurant Design categories will be handed out, along with special achievement awards Humanitarian of the Year, Lifetime Achievement, Design Icon, and America’s Classics. Established in 1990, the James Beard Awards recognize culinary professionals for excellence and achievement in their fields and further the Foundation’s mission to celebrate, nurture, and honor chefs and other leaders making America’s food culture more delicious, diverse, and sustainable for everyone.

culture pieces in college and in her study abroad program in Paris, so journalism seemed like the most natural course of action for the young 20-something. During one such interview she met her mentor, veteran journalist and publicist Michele Elyzabeth, and became her assistant and then, a couple of years later, they started the daily news site LATF USA (LA TV FILM, LATFUSA. com) together, where she covers a host of topics, including the health and fitness space. Along with Elyzabeth, she helped kickstart the Hollywood Beauty Awards, which honors makeup artists, hair stylists, fashion stylists, photographers and other behind-the-scenes folks who work in entertainment. Price learned about OCR through her writing ventures, covering and participating in an obstacle course race called Tough Mudder, a 10-mile race with about 20 obstacles. In short, OCR is a wide-ranging sport that tests endurance, strength, deftness and speed. It combines long-distance running on varying terrains and a series of obstacles reminiscent of military training obstacles that test. (“American Ninja Warrior” is like a truncated version of OCR as it eliminates the long-distance running piece of OCR.) Gaining popularity within the last decade, the OCR community is growing exponentially every year and is on track to becoming an Olympic sport in the future. “I just fell so in love with OCR. I always say I’ve been in love with a man before, but I’ve never been in love before like this, and it’s not even been two years since that,” Price shares, noting that OCR quickly became a huge part of her lifestyle. Immersing herself in a brand new athletic endeavor wasn’t a far stretch for the lifelong dancer, runner and fitness junkie. Putting aside an athlete’s love for building on physical strength and stamina, Price says her favorite thing about OCR is the strong sense of community. “It’s funny because obstacle course racing is a relatively new sport,” Price explains. “All of the elite athletes that I know are moms that are 40-somethings and they just started two years ago and they’re just killing it in the game. It’s really an incredible sport because it’s people of all backgrounds, all ages, everyone supports each other. There’s the competitive nature, obviously, but

The OCR trainer on the set of “American Ninja Warrior.”

we’re all there for one another and there’s a huge teamwork aspect to it.” One of the most popular obstacle race is the Spartan Race, which is a series of obstacle races with varying difficulty levels ranging from three miles to marathonlength, which Price says is a good start for those who are interested in developing an OCR lifestyle. A warrior in the truest sense It takes an incredible physical and mental prowess to be able to complete the series of hurdles OCR trainers face on the course. The connectivity between the mind and body are essential to a successful athletic career, something of which Price is acutely aware. Price suffers from a rare autoimmune disorder known as Behcet’s disease, which causes inflammation of the blood vessels throughout the body. The rarity of the disease, with less than 20,000 cases in the U.S. every year, lends itself to a lot of confusion and misdiagnoses. “I only got diagnosed several years ago because it took a long time to figure out what the hell it was,” Price says. Her first Behcet’s-related attack happened in college where she developed ulcers and was falsely diagnosed with herpes “about four or five times.” Eventually, she saw a doctor who diagnosed her with Behcet’s disease, which can only be diagnosed through symptoms, not tests like herpes. The ulcers eventually spread through her

Photos courtesy of Pamela Price

body, and a steroid shot is needed to clear the inf lammation up, which would be difficult should she start climbing up the ranks of OCR where she’d be tested for steroids. In addition to the ulcers, Price experiences joint pain and arthritis and works to keep her immune system in tip-top shape because the disorder is fueled by weak immunity. Last year, she had an attack where she describes feeling “like an old woman” having difficulty getting out of bed and trying to walk without experiencing pain. “I think that’s a big reason I go 200 percent in whatever I do,” Price shares. “It’s been really comforting reading stories of other women who have also been misdiagnosed, but there’s definitely not enough information on the disease.” Despite the chronic pain she feels and having this extra hurdle to deal with amid her ascent wit hin t he OCR communit y, Price hasn’t let this disease bring her down. The fear, of course, that this could affect her performance in the future is there, but she chooses to continue to pursue personal goals and achieve all the things. “I do try to live in the moment, like if I’m invited to a race on Saturday when I was going to rest, I’m going to race. If I have any excuse not to rest, then I will not rest,” she affirms. Season 11 of “American Ninja Warrior” airs on NBC on May 29.

Get ready to meet the newest royal... PAGE B4 was fluid. She said they plan to raise their child with a fluid approach to gender and they won’t be imposing any stereotypes.” As early as now, the couple decided that they do not want any pressure on their child. That was quite a load of juicy (and interesting) news about the Markle’s pregnancy and their plans. I can’t wait for her to meet her new bundle of joy! I am sure

PAGE B5

she will be filled with so much happiness that she would cry and so will we – most definitely. But for now, we do as what both common people and royal parents do at this stage – we wait. At least we have that in common with them, am I right? Congratulations to the parentsto-be and we are looking forward to meeting the youngest prince or princess of Sussex. ***

Monet Lu is a Marikina-born, awardwinning celebrity beauty stylist with his own chain of Monet Salon salons across Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada. Ultimately, Monet is known as an all-around artiste who produces sold-out fashion and awards shows as well as unforgettable marketing campaigns. Monet is also the founder of the revolutionary all-natural beauty products such as Enlighten, your solution to discoloration . To contact Monet, please visit www.monetsalon.com or email him at monetsalon@aol.com

Cervical/throat cancer and oral sex

cervical cancer, since the HP virus is implicated in its causation in almost three quarters of this malignancy. How prevalent is cervical cancer? In the Philippines, there are about 7190 new cases of cervical cancer each year, with a death rate of about 4088. Annually, more than 13,000 cervical cancer cases are diagnosed in the USA and around 4,250 of them die. However, more alarming than that is the fact that there are between 10,000 to 25,000 women walking around (not seen by physician) who have undiagnosed pre-invasive lesions in their cervix. If diagnosed early, these women could be saved. For every four survivors of breasts cancer, there are less than 3 women who survive cervical cancer, which shows how virulent cervical cancer is. What causes cervical cancer? Human Papilloma Virus (HPV, also known as genital herpes virus) accounts for most cervical cancers. At least 50% of sexually active men and women are infected with genital HPV, especially those with multiple partners. There are about 20 million American men and women infected with HPV, many linked with abnormal pap tests, genital warts and cervical cancer. It is estimated that at least 10,000 new cases of cervical cancers are discovered annually. Between half a million to a million Americans have genital warts, transmitted thru sexual contacts. What is the cure for cervical cancer? Better than the cure! A vaccine (Gardasil) that prevents cervical cancer, vulvar and vaginal cancer that was approved by the US-FDA in 2006 was found to be “effective

100 percent, in the short term, at blocking the cancer and lesions likely to turn to cancer” (like the pre-invasive lesions), according to Gardasil manufacturer, Merck & Co. “To have 100 percent efficacy is something that you have very rarely,” Dr. Eliav Barr, Merck’s head of clinical development for Gardasil, told The Associated Press. The UK’s version of the vaccine is known as Cervarix. How early should the vaccine be given? Students in grammar school, middle school and high school should be vaccinated before they become sexually active, because once they catch HPV infection, there is no cure; herpes is for life. This was the recommendation of Dr. Gloria Bachmann, director of The Women’s Health Institute at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Brunswick, NJ who said this vaccine is a “phenomenal breakthrough.” Prophylaxis Gardasil vaccination comprehensively eliminates HPV 16 and 18 associated non-invasive and invasive cervical cancer. The vaccine also cuts down infection with HPV 6 and 11, the causes of 90% of genital warts. How about throat cancers? Of the 45,000 head and neck cancers in the US each year, about 10,000 of them are oro-pharyngeal cancers, and tongue cancers among young adults have also increased. The evident conclusion is that the cause is the HP virus. “Over the last five years, 35% of the throat cancer patients treated at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center had no history of smoking, and that close to 90% of patients who had never smoked showed evidence of oral infection with HPV,” says Dr. Sturgis on Web MD. The researchers felt that “vac-

cinating only females against HPV, which is currently the policy in the United States (for 11- to 12- year-old girls, and for women up to age 26 who have not received it), could result in a missed opportunity to prevent throat cancers.” Currently, “the HPV vaccine is being offered to males in Australia, Mexico, and some other countries, but there is, as yet, no clinical proof that it works to prevent HPV infection in men”, according to Debbie Saslow, PhD, of the American Cancer Society. Studies on the vaccine among males are underway, aimed at an over-all protection of both populations. The use of kitchen cling plastic wrap placed over the woman’s groin has been advocated as a practical option by some to prevent HPV transmission. Mouth, tongue, and other throat cancers could be as grave and deadly as most other forms of cancers. I do not know how to put this more seriously, more effectively, and more delicately, but medically speaking, a moratorium on unprotected oral sex is prudent. Oro-pharyngeal malignancies are a miserable cancer and could be fatal. *** Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus in Northwest Indiana and chairman of cardiac surgery from 1997 to 2010 at Cebu Doctors University Hospital, where he holds the title of Physician Emeritus in Surgery, is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the Philippine College of Surgeons, and the Denton A. Cooley Cardiovascular Surgical Society. He is the chairman of the Filipino United Network – USA, a 501(c)(3) humanitarian foundation in the United States. Email: scalpelpen@ gmail.com

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