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DATELINE

USA

FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

Rock throwing incident reported at LA Historic Filipinotown restaurant ANDRE Cadiz was having lunch outside of Dollar Hits in Los Angeles’ Historic Filipinotown on Saturday, April 3 when he heard a man yelling incoherently.

The 26-year-old Filipino American graphic designer, who was sitting facing the restaurant with his back toward the strip mall’s parking lot, chose to ignore the remarks and kept eating.

Then, he heard a loud bang on the window in front of where he was sitting.

A rock that was allegedly thrown by the man narrowly missed Cadiz’s head, he said in an interview.

“I jumped out of my seat and then I realized this guy in the parking lot was in a stance that looked like he just threw something,” Cadiz, who was dining alone with his dog at around 4 p.m., told the Asian Journal.

“There was a mark on the window and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, that was a rock that went over my head.”

APRIL 9-15, 2021

Also published in LOS ANGELES, ORANGE COUNTY/INLAND EMPIRE, SAN DIEGO, LAS VEGAS, NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY

California targets full reopening by June 15

by AJPRESS CALIFORNIA plans to move away from its colorcoded tier system and fully reopen its economy by June 15, if vaccine and hospitalization numbers remain stable.

Governor Gavin Newsom announced the target date on Tuesday, April 6 and said the state must meet the criteria of sufficient vaccine supply for residents over the age of 16 who plan to be vaccinated and stable hospitalization rates.

“With more than 20 million vaccines adminis-

tered across the state, it is time to turn the page on our tier system and begin looking to fully reopen California’s economy,” Newsom said in a statement.

“We can now begin planning for our lives post-pandemic. We will need to remain vigilant and continue the practices that got us here – wearing masks and getting vaccinated – but the light at the end of this tunnel has never been brighter.”

The state will ditch the Blueprint for a Safer Economy, its tiered system, once the economy fully reopens, but health measures like face coverings and social distancing will remain.

The state further said with the reopening “every-

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

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

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

“We have one color in our Blood! Stop discriminating. LOVE AND PEACE TO EVERYONE!!” he wrote in the accompanying tweet.

The Filipino victims included in the graphic are Jessica Dimalanta, a 19-year-

by RITCHEL

MENDIOLA AJPress

EMPTY. Some non-essential establishments inside the SM mall in Fairview, Quezon City remain still closed on Wednesday, April 7 until the COVID-19 infections are curbed in National Capital Region (NCR) and four neighboring provinces. However, malls will remain open for essential businesses such as groceries, pharmacies, and hardware stores.

PNA photo by Ben Briones

by RITCHEL

MENDIOLA AJPress

AJPress

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

“This is gravely noted and will influence Philippine foreign policy. I might as well say it, so no one on the other side can say, ‘We didn’t know you took racial brutality against Filipinos at all

u PAGE 4

The suspect also allegedly yelled at the victim to “go back to China” before leaving the scene on his bicycle.

“Without provocation, she was shoved from behind, causing her to fall to the ground,” said Police Chief Peter Decena in a video.

“As she was falling, she heard someone say, ‘Go back to (expletive) China,’” he added.

The suspect was described as a white man with tan skin or a light-skinned Hispanic. He Former President Joseph Estrada was wearing a black or gray bicycle helmet, a dark-colored neck gaiter, a black T-shirt

u PAGE 3

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

A FILIPINO American teenager was reportedly the victim of an anti-Asian attack outside a San Francisco bar over the weekend.

The victim’s mother, Sofia Enguillado, posted a TikTok video that showed images of her 18-year-old son, C.J, with a bruised and swollen face after allegedly getting punched outside of Gino and Carlo, a bar on the 500 block of Green St. in the city’s North Beach neighborhood.

“If you’re Asian, this is the type of service you get waiting for pizza in Little Italy North Beach, San Francisco,” says the caption on the now-viral video posted on Sunday, April 4.

Officers responded at about 5:27 p.m. on Friday, April 2 to a commotion on the sidewalk and found an adult male who had been struck during a physical altercation and who suffered non-life threatening injuries, as reported by CBS SF Bay Area.

C.J. Enguillado was reportedly sitting in an area outside the bar while waiting for his parents, thinking it was

Los Gatos police looking for suspect who attacked Fil-Am health care worker

POLICE are asking the public for help in its search for a man suspected of attacking a Filipina American medical worker in Los Gatos, California on March 30.

The incident occurred on Tuesday, March 30, around 5 p.m. near Los Gatos Boulevard and Garden Lane, according to the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department.

The 40-year-old Fil-Am, who was wearing medical scrubs, was reportedly walking along the boulevard when she was shoved u PAGE 4 from behind to the ground unprovoked.

by RITCHEL

u PAGE 2

Fil-Am teen punched at San Francisco bar in alleged anti-Asian attack

u PAGE 3

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

day activities will be allowed and businesses can open with common-sense risk reduction measures” but didn’t elaborate on further details.

“The state will continue contact tracing and testing to detect cases early and contain spread of the virus. The entire state will move into this new phase as a whole. The state will monitor hospitalization rates, vaccine access and vaccine efficacy against variants, with the option to revisit the June 15 date if needed,” a release from the Governor’s Office said.

Earlier this week, three Bay Area counties — Napa, Sonoma and Contra Costa County — moved

seriously.’ We do,” Locsin said in a tweet on Wednesday, March 31.

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

The unprovoked attack was captured by a CCTV camera, showing the man kicking the woman several times in the head

u PAGE 4

Ex-President Joseph Estrada on ventilator as pneumonia worsens

by RITCHEL

MENDIOLA AJPress

before walking away. He reportedly told her, “You don’t belong here,” according to the police.

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

On March 31, the suspect, identified as Brandon Elliot, was arrested. He faces two counts of assault as a hate crime, attempted assault as a hate crime, assault and attempted assault, police PH Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. Philstar.com

ManilaTimes.net photo

FORMER Philippine President Joseph “Erap” Ejercito Estrada has been placed on a ventilator as his pneumonia due to COVID19 has worsened.

In a Facebook post, his son, former Senator Jinggoy Estrada, said that the doctors made the recommendation “to improve oxygen delivery” and “prevent the tiring” of his father’s respiratory system.

“Yesterday, my father’s condition suffered a setback as his pneumonia worsened. Because of this and the resulting increase in oxygen requirement, his doc-

tors decided to place him on mechanical ventilation,” the younger Estrada said on Tuesday, April 6.

“This was done to improve oxygen delivery as well as to prevent the tiring of his respiratory mechanism,” he added.

Jinggoy also asked the public to continue praying for his father’s recovery.

“My father has always been a fighter and I hope that with the help of your prayers he will win this battle,” he said. “[Please] continue praying for his immediate recovery,” he added.

Estrada’s other son, former

u PAGE 2

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april 9-15, 2021 • NOrCal aSiaN JOUrNal

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From the Front Page

DEVOTION. A rider (right) raises his hand as he offers prayers while on his motorcycle outside the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene (Quiapo Church) along Quezon Boulevard in Manila City on Tuesday, April 6. The government extended the strictest enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Metro Manila and four provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal amid the surge of COVID-19 cases.

PNA photo by Joey O. Razon

California targets full...

PAGE 1 to the orange tier as part of the state’s reopening blueprint.

The three counties join most of the Bay Area with lessened restrictions as Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Alameda and Santa Clara counties have been in this tier.

Under the second least restrictive phase, bars that don’t serve meals can now reopen outdoors from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. with 8-foot distance between tables.

Visits are limited to 90 minutes and masks are required except when people are eating or drinking.

Businesses and activities such as movie theaters, restaurants, churches, museums, zoos and aquariums can increase their capacity from 25% to 50%.

Gyms and fitness studios operating indoors can go from 10% to 25% capacity. Cardrooms and family entertainment centers can move indoors at 25% capacity.

Meanwhile, grocery and retail stores can increase capacity to 75%. Hair salons, barbershops and personal care services can increase capacity to 75% with masks required, except for services where customers need to remove their masks.

Despite the rollback on restrictions, county officials urged residents to avoid non-essential travel. Those who are fully vaccinated are at lower risk and may travel with public health precautions in mind.

Non-essential travels who are not fully vaccinated must quar-

antine for seven full days after travel if they get tested and get a negative COVID-19 test result from a specimen collected 35 days after their arrival. They must also quarantine for 10 full days after travel if they did not get tested with a COVID-19 test after their arrival, based on the updated travel advisory.

Newsom’s announcement on Tuesday came as the Golden State was set to reach 20 million vaccine doses administered.

COVID-19 vaccine eligibility expanded to all residents 50 through 64 years old in addition to all other eligible groups at the beginning of April. On April 15, vaccines become available to any resident in the state who is 16 and older. n

Ex-President Joseph Estrada on ventilator as...

PAGE 1

Senator JV Ejercito, noted COVID-19’s unpredictability.

“COVID is unpredictable. My dad was recuperating very well the past few days when suddenly it shifted yesterday when his Pneumonia worsened, thus the need to use a ventilator,” he said in a tweet.

Estrada was rushed to the hospital on March 28 and tested positive for COVID-19.

He was said to be in “a stable condition,” but was sedated and moved to the intensive care unit on April 4.

Estrada, 83, served as the country’s president from 1998 to 2001 until he was ousted after a

series of protests on EDSA held from January 16 to 20, 2001 amid his trial for plunder charges.

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

Estrada also served as mayor of the city of Manila from 2013 to 2019. n

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Dateline USa

NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • ApRIL 9-15, 2021

3

Rock throwing incident reported at LA... Commonly asked questions PAGE 1 His first instinct was to pull out his phone to record a video, in which he confronts the man and asks him, “What the (expletive), bro?”

The man, who Cadiz said was holding another rock and a pair of scissors, can be heard on the video daring restaurant staff to “come outside” and “call the cops.”

During the exchange, Cadiz alleged that the man threw another object, which could have been a small black rock or piece of charcoal that landed on the table where he had been sitting.

Some witnesses are heard on camera telling the man to stay put in the parking lot, but he then walked away.

There have been no reports of injuries from the incident. The man in the video has not been identified, as of this writing.

Cadiz said he did not hear the man use any racist language targeted toward Filipinos or Asians, but noted that Saturday’s incident comes amid a string of violent attacks that have been reported

by Asian Americans across the country, with some incidents going viral in recent weeks.

“I wondered if it was even worth reporting or if it was racially motivated,” said Cadiz.

“From my perspective, whether someone said something racist or not, there’s still violence against Asians happening here in LA and around the country.”

After the incident, Cadiz posted the one-minute video on his Instagram account, along with a photo of rocks reportedly found outside the restaurant and another image showing a white mark left on the window.

He sent the photos and videos to the restaurant owner for evidence if a police report is filed.

The Los Angeles Police Department did not respond to the Asian Journal’s request for comment on whether it was investigating the incident, as of press time.

Elvie Chan — who owns Dollar Hits, which specializes in Filipino street food along the 4200 block of Temple Street — told the Asian Journal that she and the staff had not seen the man before and suspected he could be a transient.

She was uncertain whether Saturday’s incident could be classified as a racially motivated attack.

Chan hopes the encounter will not scare customers away from coming to her restaurant, which in addition to having prepared dishes inside, sets up grills outside for customers to cook their skewers at night until they close at 10 p.m. In the hours following the incident, she said the restaurant had its usual influx of Satur-

about the COVID-19 vaccine

by Ethnic

Photo shows a mark on the window of Historic Filipinotown restaurant Dollar Hits after an unidentified man allegedly threw a rock on Saturday afternoon, April 3.

Photos courtesy of Andre Cadiz

day night customers.

“We want our community to be aware, but to not be scared of supporting Filipino businesses like ours,” Chan told the Asian Journal.

The day after, Cadiz returned with pepper spray and a baseball bat to thank the staff for making sure he was okay.

“We need to really take charge of protecting ourselves because it seems like at this point, we’re not able to count on others to protect our communities and businesses,” he said. “There’s still a stereotype that Asians aren’t going to speak up or fight back so maybe that’s why they’re seen as vulnerable or easy to take advantage of.”

Kimmy Maniquis, the executive director of HiFi’s Search to Involve Pilipino Americans, told the Asian Journal that the nonprofit organization plans to offer online self-defense and Filipino martial arts classes for community members who want to learn tactics to protect themselves in public.

The organization is also holding virtual spaces with mental health practitioners to help community members talk about and process the recent anti-Asian hate incidents.

Maniquis reminded the community of resources, such as

Two rocks were reportedly found outside of Dollar Hits on Saturday, April 3.

Photos courtesy of Andre Cadiz

Los Gatos police looking for...

PAGE 1 with white lettering on the back, and dark-colored jeans.

Decena noted that the victim was “shaken” but not injured.

The police chief highlighted the importance of reporting hate crimes and incidents to authorities.

“I know from experience that many Asian Americans, and especially our seniors, are often reluctant to report crimes against them. We need to make sure that our family and our friends understand how important it is to report these incidents,” Decena stressed.

An investigation is ongoing but anyone with information about the case is encouraged to call the police department (408) 354-8600 or email police@losgatosca.gov.

Los Gatos Mayor Marico Sayoc, who is also Fil-Am, told the Asian Journal in an email that she was “heartbroken” to learn there was a hate crime in her own town following incidents reported in other parts of the Bay Area and across the country.

She said the town, which is located in Santa Clara County about an hour outside of San Francisco, is increasing foot and bicycle patrols, training for police officers on hate incidents and crimes, “upstander” training for community members, and encouraging residents to report

any incidents.

“I want everyone to know that we are a town that will not tolerate this hatred not only to the AAPI community but also to our Black, Indigenous, Latinx, LGBTQ+, and other communities,” she said.

The mayor added, “We can not prevent these incidents/crimes; however, we are doing what we can to collectively assure our community that hate is not welcome in Los Gatos and we will prosecute to the full extent of the law.”

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

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

Verbal harassment (68.1%) and shunning (20.5%), which entails the “deliberate avoidance of Asian Americans,” are the top two types of discrimination reported. Meanwhile, physical assault (11.1%) comprises the third largest category of total incidents. Businesses were the “primary site” of discrimination (35.4%), followed by public streets (25.3%) and public parks (9.8%). n

bystander trainings and reporting platforms like the county’s 211 hotline or StopAAPIHate. org, which allows individuals to report an incident in English or another language like Tagalog.

(Christina M. Oriel/AJPress)

MEdia SErvicES

Dr. DALI FAn, Health Science Clinical Professor at UC Davis, is also a volunteer vaccinator at a clinic on the California northstate University campus in Elk Grove, California. In this FAQ, Dr. Fan addresses the most common questions asked by his patients regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. Three brands of the vaccine are currently available in the U.S. – the two-dose Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, and the single-shot Johnson and Johnson: all three have similar levels of efficacy.

Q: Where can I get the vaccine? And how do I know if I am eligible?

A: Find out when and where you can get vaccinated by signing up at MyTurn.ca.gov, where information is available in 12 languages. For those without internet access, appointments can be made by calling (833) 422-4255. The hotline is available in English with third party translators available in more than 250 additional languages.

Individuals also can contact their primary care physician, local pharmacy, or local public health department.

Starting today, all California residents over the age of 50 are eligible to get vaccinated. On April 15, eligibility will expand to everyone 16 and older. We encourage everyone to get vaccinated when it’s your turn with any of the three COVID19 vaccines available, all of which are safe, effective and have undergone rigorous clinical trials.

Once you are eligible, log into MyTurn.ca.gov to find an available appointment. Appointments fill up quickly, so keep checking back. Vaccine appointments are most plentiful in remote areas, so if you have transportation, check in those areas.

Check with your local health department for mega sites run by the state and FEMA, and popup sites run by community health organizations.

Kaiser members can schedule an appointment at

kp.org. People can also call their family doctors.

The California state COVID information line is: 833-422-4255. Please note that this service cannot schedule appointments.

Q: What documents do I need?

A: Take your ID card or some form of identification. Vaccine distribution is based on eligibility irrespective of residency or immigration status.

Q: If I get the vaccine, how long will the immunity last?

A: At least 6 months. Longer immunity is likely, but there is no data yet, as the COVID vaccine has not been studied for longer than that.

Q: Will I need another booster shot later in the year?

A: Most likely not, though scientists are studying the necessity of a booster shot.

Q: Can pregnant women take the vaccine?

A: Yes. The CDC recommends that if you are pregnant, you may choose to be vaccinated when it’s available to you.

Q: What is the effect of the vaccine on the fetus?

A: There is no known effect of the vaccine on the fetus. And there is currently no evidence that antibodies formed from COVID-19 vaccination cause any problem with pregnancy, including the development of the placenta.

People who are trying to become pregnant now or who plan to try in the future should also receive the COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available to them. There is no evidence that fertility problems are a side effect of any vaccine, including COVID-19 vaccines. There is no routine recommendation for taking a pregnancy test before you get a COVID-19 vaccine.

If you have questions about getting vaccinated, talk with a healthcare provider to help you make an informed decision. n

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Dateline USa

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Fil-Am son of basketball champ Fil-Am teen punched at San Francisco bar...

Ron Harper declares for NBA Draft

by AJPress

Ron Harper Jr.

FILIPINO American Ron Harper Jr., son of NBA champion Ron Harper, has declared for the NBA Rookie Draft.

Harper Jr., who has been with Rutgers University (RU) for three seasons, announced his intention on Saturday, April 3, in an Instagram post.

“I will be entering my name into the 2021 NBA Draft while maintaining my eligibility,” wrote the 6’6” winger.

“This has been a life long dream of mine that Rutgers University has put me in the position to chase,” he added.

Harper Jr. was born to Maria Pizzaro, who is Filipina, and the older Harper, who won five championships as a member of the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers.

The Fil-Am hooper played a vital role for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in the 2020 to 2021 United States National Collegiate Athletics Association season, averaging 14.9 points, 5.9

rebounds, and 1.6 assists.

The Scarlet Knights reached the second round of this year’s national championship but lost against the University Houston Cougars.

Harper Jr., in his Instagram post, thanked the people who helped in “shaping” him into the person he is today.

“These past three years have been nothing short of a blessing. Coach Pikiell and his staff took a chance on a kid from Jersey when not many other people would and for that I am extremely grateful. The success I’ve had wouldn’t be possible without the people around me,” he wrote.

“My family, coaches, and teammates push me to become the best version of myself everyday on and off the court. I couldn’t thank them enough for shaping me into the man I am today,” he added.

Harper Jr. concluded his post, saying: “Thank you Rutgers Nation for your support.

Go RU.” n

PAGE 1 open seating.

According to Enguillado, the bar owner Frank Rossi repeatedly told him to leave after learning he was underaged.

The Fil-Am teen said he interpreted the request to leave as racially charged.

“By the way it sounded, he said, ‘Get the f— out of here, you don’t belong here,’ that’s what he said, and I cannot forget those words,” he told KPIX 5.

“That’s, like, traumatizing to me,” he added.

After Enguillado refused to leave because he was waiting for his parents — who were reportedly waiting to get food at a nearby pizzeria — a bystander who was also a patron of the bar punched him in the face.

Rossi, for his part, denied that the incident was due to racism.

He insisted that the victim was asked to leave because of his age, not his race.

“You have to leave this area, you are not allowed in this area,

this is our area. It’s considered inside the bar, even though it’s outside, it’s like a bar. You cannot – you’re under 21,’” Rossi allegedly told C.J. He also said that he “went nuts” after a bystander got involved with the situation.

“I went nuts when he hit him, went nuts. I could not believe he did it. There was no threat, no threat. I was completely caught off guard by it,” said Rossi.

The suspect, identified as a retired professional boxer Pat Lawlor, was arrested and charged with assault and battery, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. He was cited and released on a misdemeanor battery charge.

Meanwhile, police maintained that they did not have evidence to indicate that the incident was a hate crime.

“We do not have evidence to believe this incident was predicated by hate,” police said in a statement.

Rossi told reporters that he has been receiving death threats

because of the incident. His bar also received an influx of negative reviews on Yelp, prompting the website to disable reviews, saying that while it “unequivocally” rejects “racism in any form,” entries must “reflect an actual first-hand consumer experience.”

“I want to say that they’re mistaken, their son shouldn’t have been hit,” Rossi said in a message to the Enguillado family, who are accusing him of racism. “[The arrested man] doesn’t work for us, he never did work for us. He’s just a customer. Sorry it happened, but it wasn’t racism at all, or a hate crime against Asians,” he added.

Gino and Carlo released a statement on its Yelp page on April 4: “An unfortunate incident occurred on our property between two patrons when an underaged guest refused to leave. No Gino and Carlo employees were involved in the physical altercation. We don’t condone violence or racism of any kind. Sincerely, Frank Rossi and Gino and Carlo staff.” n

Locsin: Hate crime against elderly...

PAGE 1 said.

“That’s not heartbreaking.

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

The Philippine Consulate General in New York welcomed the arrest, thanking the New York Police Department.

“We thank the New York Police Department (NYPD) and all those who, in one way or another, contributed to the efforts that led to the arrest of Brandon Elliot,” it said in a statement on Thursday, April 1.

The country will extend aid to Kari under the Consulate’s assis-

tance to nationals program, according to Locsin.

The Consulate General also reminded members of the Filipino community in New York and surrounding areas to remain vigilant.

“In view of the alarming surge in hate crimes against members of the Asian Community in the United States, the Consulate General would like to remind the kababayans in New York and surrounding areas to remain vigilant and to immediately report any incident by calling 911 or the Asian Hate Crimes Task Force of the NYPD at 1-800-440HATE,” it said.

In addition to local authorities, victims can contact the Consulate

General’s Assistance to Nationals Hotline at 917-239-4118 or by email at newyorkpcg.atn@dfa. gov.ph.

For his part, Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez said the Embassy in the US, along with other Southeast Asian diplomats, have expressed to the White House their “strongest concern” over the surge of anti-Asian attacks in the U.S. “We have already communicated strong concern to the White House about these hate crimes.

We have banded together with our Asean brothers to express the same serious concern,” said Romualdez. n

Pacquiao challenges perpetrators of...

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

It features a photo of Brandon Elliot, the suspect who attacked Vilma Kari, a Filipina on her way to church in New York on Mon-

day, March 29. Elliot, a parolee who was previously convicted for killing his mother, was arrested two days after a video of the brutal attack went viral.

The collage also highlights Xiao Zhen Xie, a 75-year-old woman who was punched in San Francisco, but fought back by smacking her attacker with a wooden board. She plans to donate the nearly $1 million raised for her to organizations helping the community and combating

hate.

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

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

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NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • ApRIL 9-15, 2021

Dateline PhiliPPines

Palace eyes modified quarantine in Metro Manila, nearby areas

by Ritchel

Mendiola

AJPress

EXTENDING the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Metro Manila and four nearby provinces beyond April 11 has been ruled out by Malacañang in favor of the more lenient modified ECQ (MECQ) to curb the spike in COVID-19 cases in the country.

“I don’t think ECQ for a third week is actually a possibility,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in an interview over ANC’s Headstart on Monday, April 5.

“In fact, based on the model of the DOH (Department of Health), what they recommended was two weeks of ECQ including last week and then we had earlier another week of bubble to be followed by a week of MECQ,” he added. “That’s the model we’re pursuing, two weeks of ECQ and another week of MECQ.” The spokesman also admitted that the government lacks the funds needed to provide assistance to low-income families af-

fected by the restrictions.

“Well, given what [Budget] Secretary [Wendel] Avisado said that we have no more funds for ayuda (assistance) and Congress currently is on recess ‘no. So in case we need a supplemental budget, we would have to request for a special session,” Roque told ANC. In another interview with CNN Philippines, he noted that a two-week ECQ followed by a week-long MECQ may help in bringing down the nationwide COVID-19 cases to around 4,000 a day.

“If we impose another week of ECQ, in addition to the bubble and the one week of ECQ that we’ve had already, and if we were to impose another week of MECQ, we are looking at around 4,000 cases a day, which is a tremendous reduction from the 12,000 that we have right now,” explained Roque.

On Saturday, April 3, Malacañang announced that Metro Manila, Cavite, Bulacan, Laguna and Rizal will remain under ECQ until April 11, following the recommendation of the In-

ter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).

“The IATF recommended the extension of enhanced community quarantine for a minimum of one week in Metro Manila and provinces of Laguna, Bulacan, Cavite, and Rizal,” Roque said in Filipino.

According to him, the enforcement of the “Prevent, Detect, Isolate, Treat and Reintegrate (PDITR)” measures need to be intensified during the ECQ period.

“We are requiring the local governments and our NTF (National Task Force) czars to conduct a daily monitoring in order for us to know the outcome of implementing intensified PDITR,” he added.

Since March, the Philippines has been hitting record high daily COVID-19 cases, with the daily tally even hitting over 15,000 infections on April 2.

To date, there are a total of 812,760 confirmed COVID19 cases in the country, with 13,817 fatalities and 646,381 recoveries. n

EXPRESS YOURSELF. PROTECT YOUR COMMUNITY.

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

Take a risk with fashion, not your health.

Some police officers man the vicinity of Plaza Miranda in front of Quiapo Church on Tuesday, April 6. The government extended the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Metro Manila and four provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal amid the surge of COVID-19 cases.

PNA photo by Joey O. Razon

covid19.ca.gov

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OPiniOn

FeatURes

Another week of ECQ

WITH fresh COVID cases still rising steadily, breaking new record highs almost with each passing day, the government has decided to extend by another week the enhanced community quarantine in the National Capital Region and the provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal or NCR-Plus.

The move was expected; the OCTA Research Group and epidemiologists had said it would take at least two weeks for the impact of ECQ, the strictest quarantine status, to be reflected in a slowdown in infections.

OCTA fellows, who had pushed for the ECQ in mid-March amid a spike in infections, warned that the numbers would likely get worse before they get better. The worst projections of OCTA are coming to pass, overwhelming private hospitals. Without ECQ, daily cases could surge to 18,000 to 20,000 by mid-April, OCTA had warned.

Whether the ECQ would be enough to contain the surge remains to be seen. Several local government executives have lamented that the transmission is unusually rapid and widespread, leading to speculation that more infectious variants are fueling the surge. With the Philippine Genome Center able to sequence only 750 specimens every week, the government should be erring on the side of caution and responding as if the variants are the

principal culprits.

The current ECQ is unlike the original last year, with allowances given to keep certain economic sectors going. At the current infection rate and with vaccines scarce, however, even these concessions to the economy may have to be reviewed. Contact tracing has deteriorated, as described by contact tracing czar Benjamin Magalong who has been infected, and testing is still beyond the reach of many.

If the ECQ fails to slow down infections, OCTA has warned that by June 30, some 8.5 million people would have been infected in the NCR, epicenter of the pandemic. Herd immunity would then have been achieved – but at what cost to health and life? Not everyone will survive or have only mild or asymptomatic afflictions. Millions won’t be able to work and the economy will be in even worse shape for a long time. Even as the NCR-Plus enters another week of ECQ, it should review the accompanying protocols and measures to curb transmission. (Philstar.com)

Editorial

Philstar.com photo

Voter suppression by Republican leaders is a blatant violation of the most important constitutional right of citizens in a democracy

The Fil-Am Perspective GEL SANTOS-RELOS DEMOCRACY is the government of the people, by the people, for the people. The laws of the land, therefore, are meant to protect the governed, and not the governor; the citizens and not the public officials who only have the power and the public trust accorded to their office by the citizens.

The will of the people is voiced out through the right of suffrage.

The right to vote freely is the foundation, the cornerstone of democracy.

The right to vote freely is protected by the Constitution, as it should be by federal and state laws. Constitutional Amendments 15th, 19th and 26th, are added onto the highest law of the land to make sure voting rights of U.S. citizens cannot be abridged on account of race, color, previous condition of servitude, sex, or age (18 and older is now the legal age to vote).

The sacred goal of every branch of government — executive, legislative, and judiciary — is to make sure this most sacred right in a democracy is protected and strengthened by each generation so that the will of the people, and not the selfish and twisted personal and political

Commentary

agenda of public officials and their conspirators and enablers that go against what is in the best interest of all citizens, pursuant to the rule of law.

But this is not what is happening now in the United States, especially after the term of the 45th President of the United States Donald J. Trump, who has hijacked the Republican Party, the Good Old Party (GOP), that used to be faithful to and fight for the Constitution and the rule of law, because of his and his cronies’ greed for power.

What have these GOP leaders been doing after the American people voted out Trump and many Republicans in the legislature and state posts? What have they been pushing after counties and states that used to lean Republican have now been leaning Democrat, which lead to the Republicans losing the Presidency and the leadership in both the House and the Senate?

This shift of vote of from red to blue was evidenced in a clean and honest election certified by election officials representing Republicans, Democrats and Independents, affirmed by no less than the Supreme Court of the United States and many lower courts in the judiciary.

These despicable Republi-

cans who would not respect the will of the people through their sacred votes have decided to change the laws instead, rationalizing this assault on our democracy and our Constitution by lies and conspiracy theories espoused by Donald Trump who maliciously and falsely claim that the election was stolen from him by massive election fraud, a lie supported by his minions without bases in fact.

As Mother Jones reported, “361 voter suppression bills have already been introduced this year,” and that “Republicans in state legislatures are dramatically escalating their efforts to restrict voting rights.”

A new report by the Brennan Center for Justice revealed that “361 bills to make it harder to vote have been introduced in 47 states in the first three months of this year, overwhelmingly by Republicans. That’s up from 253 restrictive bills tallied as of February 19, an increase of 43% in just over a month.”

The reporting further said: “Five restrictive bills have already been signed into law—in Georgia, Iowa, Arkansas, and Utah. The Georgia law passed last week prohibits giving food and water to voters in line, severely restricts mail ballot drop boxes, allows right-wing groups

to challenge the eligibility of an unlimited number of voters, and gives the GOP-controlled legislature sweeping new powers over election administration.”

As of press time, there are 55 restrictive bills that are moving through state legislatures in 24 states; 29 have passed at least one legislative chamber.

More details on the voter suppression as reported: “The Texas Senate passed a sweeping bill that bans extended voting hours, prohibits drive-thru voting, closes polling places in minority neighborhoods, and allows partisan poll watchers to record voters who receive help filling out their ballots, greatly increasing the prospect of voter intimidation. The bill is widely viewed as targeting the voting methods used by large Democratic areas like Houston’s Harris County to increase voter turnout in 2020. Lawmakers in Texas (49 bills), Georgia (25 bills), and Arizona (23 bills) have introduced the largest number of restrictive measures this year.”

“Most restrictive bills take aim at absentee voting, while nearly a quarter seek stricter voter ID requirements,” the report reveals. “State lawmakers also aim to make voter registration harder, expand voter roll

to adopt protections for voters that the Supreme Court gutted in 2013”.

“At a time when voting rights are under attack across our country, Virginia is expanding access to the ballot box, not restricting it,” he said.

WE, THE PEOPLE, need to speak up and speak out against these rotten politicians who are undermining our power and our rights. They do not deserve the public trust they are abusing for their own selfish agenda. They are not true public servants and must be voted out from the office they hold.

WE, THE PEOPLE, have such power. Let us not abdicate our solemn duty to defend and protect our democracy. *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.

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

A border of bureaucracy has kept On dealing with racists, bullies and thugs my family apart for 35 years Street Talk

MICHAEL MILAN I WAS born in Los Angeles to immigrant parents from the Philippines. My father served in the U.S. Navy and my mother was a registered nurse who traveled across the country and finally landed in California.

After my parents divorced, my sister and I stayed with our mother who raised us as a single parent while she continued to work at the hospital. My mother worked hard to provide for me so I could have a good education and be an upstanding citizen in this community.

As a U.S. citizen, my mother petitioned her sister to come to the United States a few years after I was born. After 11 years, my family received confirmation that the petition was received. We were told that we could now submit the visa application for my aunt. We had to wait 11 years for confirmation of receipt from INS – the wait period was excruciating, but we were still hopeful.

The INS document stated: “This completes all INS action

purges or adopt flawed practices that would risk improper purges, and cut back on early voting.”

In Arizona, ‘legislation would make it more difficult to receive a mail-in ballot and add new requirements for casting one.

Florida wants to ban all mail ballot drop boxes, which 1.5 million voters used in 2020. Michigan Republicans introduced eight restrictive bills in a single day, including adding new voter ID requirements for mail voting and prohibiting election officials from sending out absentee ballot request forms to voters, the report finds”.

Thankfully there are legislators who push to help more citizens exercise their votes freely, in fulfillment of the Constitutional mandate.

Mother Jones reported: ‘843 bills to expand access to the ballot have also been introduced in 47 states. While most have no chance of becoming law in red states, nine bills have been signed into law this year, mostly in blue states like Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York.”

In Virginia, Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam “signaled his support for a state-level Voting Rights Act, which would make it the first southern state

GREG B. MACABENTA

on this petition” and at that point, we were approved to apply for a visa. We immediately applied for a visa in 1997, we knew it was going to take some time to get a response back.

We did not receive further notice until 2019, 22 years after we applied for a visa.

Some try to equate the immigration backlog to a line at a grocery store, or the post office. But have you ever waited 33 years for a government document? A few of us have.

My aunt was corresponding with the U.S. Embassy in Manila and was given a notice that stated in part that my mother was required to provide a birth certificate from the Philippines.

However, my mother was born in 1941, during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines and did not have a birth certificate. She had to find two witnesses from her hometown, who knew my grandparents and could provide a signed affidavit u PAGE 8

TWO instances of unprovoked attacks on elderly Asian women were featured on network TV in March — one in New York and the other incident, in San Francisco.

The New York attack was so brutal. I’ve only seen that kind of cruelty in movies, inflicted

by Nazis on prisoners of war (POWs).

The 65-year-old Filipino woman, Vilma Kari, was walking on the sidewalk, in the vicinity of Times Square, when a big, burly man met her with a kick to the body. The poor woman fell on the pavement. The brute then kicked her thrice, before walking off.

The assailant was arrested the next day. He was on parole and had served time for killing his own mother.

The San Francisco anti-Asian attack, which was also unprovoked, frankly made me feel good. The intended victim, 76-

year-old Xiao Zhen Xie, fought back with a piece of wood and maimed the assailant. The old woman suffered a swollen face, but the attacker — also big and burly like the New York brute — was in an even worse condition and had to be carried off in a stretcher by the police.

According to data compiled by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism of California State University, San Bernardino, hate crimes in the U.S. have decreased overall by 7%.

But acts of violence committed against Asians have increased by almost 150%.

Yet, it could be a mistake to attribute all of these attacks to racism. Some may have been plain bullying or an intended robbery or hold-up. Asians may just seem more vulnerable, particularly the elderly.

When I sent my wife and four kids to the U.S. in 1986, racism was rampant in America. I was told that this was the case in Cambridge, on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, where my elder sister had a medical practice.

Our two youngest children, Jinx and Jojo, were the only Asians at Cambridge South Dorchester High School. Be-

fore my sister’s children went on to college, they were also the only Asians in that school.

But our boys had no problem making friends, some of whom keep in touch to this day.

But one morning, as I prepared to drive to work in Makati, my wife called me long distance to inform me that Jinx had been suspended for getting into a fight in school.

Asked what had happened, Jinx explained that a classmate used a racial slur on him. “So I hit him!” Then he asked me quite candidly: “What would you have done, Papa?”

My response must have sounded awkward, coming from a father who wanted to properly raise his kids: “Well...

I would have waited until after school.”

In truth, I felt conflicted. Gigi and I had endeavored to raise our children, according to the Boy Scout motto: Physically strong mentally alert, and morally straight. While the kids, all strived for good grades, they were also active in competitive sports. Jinx, Jojo and Christina, our only girl, had been members of the tae kwon do team at Colegio San Agustin in Makati. u PAGE 8

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Dateline PhiliPPines

17 PH tycoons on Forbes 2021 World’s Billionaires List man of Vista Land and Lifescapes, the largest home builder in the Philippines. The firm has built about 300,000 homes in more than 140 cities.

He also owns stakes in Golden Bria Holdings, a property and death care company, as well as Vistamalls, a shopping mall operator.

Following Villar was Enrique Razon Jr., chairman of International Container Terminal Services (ICTSI). Razon ranked 561st in the list with a net worth of $5 billion (around P242.8 billion).

Lucio Tan, founder and chair of the LT Group, is the third richest Filipino, ranking 925th with a net worth of $3.3 billion (about P150.2 billion).

Tied at 1008th are Hans Sy, Herbert Sy, and Andrew Tan with a net worth of $3 billion (about P145.7 billion).

The other Sy siblings, namely Harley Sy, Henry Sy Jr., and Teresita Sy-Coson, placed 1,174th with a net worth of $2.7 billion (about P131.1 billion).

Elizabeth Sy, on the other hand, ranked 1,299th along with Tony Tan Caktiong and his family, recording a net worth of $2.7

billion (about P131.1 billion).

Below is the complete list of Filipino tycoons included in Forbes’ Billionaires List: 1. Manuel Villar, $7.2 billion 2. Enrique Razón Jr., $5 billion 3. Lucio Tan, $3.3 billion 4. Hans Sy, $3 billion 5. Herbert Sy, $3 billion 6. Andrew Tan, $3 billion 7. Harley Sy, $2.7 billion 8. Henry Sy Jr., $2.7 billion 9. Teresita Sy-Coson, $2.7 billion 10. Elizabeth Sy, $2.4 billion 11. Tony Tan Caktiong, $2.4 billion 12. Ramon Ang, $2.2 billion 13. Inigo Zobel, $1.4 billion 14. Lance Gokongwei, $1.2 billion 15. Roberto Ongpin, $1.2 billion 16. Ricardo Po Sr., $1.1 billion 17. Edgar Sia II, $1.1 billion Amazon’s Jeff Bezos topped this year’s global list, with a net worth of $177 billion. He was followed by Elon Musk ($151 billion), Bernard Arnault ($150 billion), Bill Gates ($124 billion), and Mark Zuckerberg ($97 billion). n

Geneva arrived in the Philippines last week to assess the extent of the new variants of COVID-19 in *** MANILA, Philippines — An the country.

Michael Milan is a U.S. citizen and the son expert from World Health OrgaHealth Undersecretary Maof Filipino immigrants. nization (WHO) headquarters in ria Rosario Vergeire also noted yesterday that the arrival of the expert was at the request of the Philippine government.

“There is one expert from WHO Geneva – and the rest are experts from WHO country office – and they are here specifically because we asked for their help,” she told a press briefing.

Vergeire added the WHO group will look into the effects of

the new variants and their respective levels of transmission in the country.

“We also like to have technical assistance from WHO on how we can better manage, now that we have new variants here,” she said.

She said the expert, who specializes in bio-surveillance, will inform the Philippines on how the sampling for genome sequencing should be improved to get a clearer picture of the new variants.

The expert is expected to stay in the country for about a month. n

By AJPress

NEW P20 COIN. The new PHP20 coin at the obverse (left) features the former President Manuel Quezon, with the “20 Piso” mark written in baybayin. On the reverse side (right) shows the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas logo, “Republika ng Pilipinas” micro text, Malacañang Palace, and Nilad, a native flora in the Philippines.

PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler

A border of bureaucracy has kept my family...

PAGE 6 t acknowledging my mother’s birth. It took a while to make this happen, but with a 33 year wait – we had to do everything we were asked.

It wasn’t until November of 2020, after nearly 35 years of waiting and stuck in the backlog, we received notice that my aunt’s visa application was denied and that she was not eligible. She did everything that was asked of her yet, she was forced to be separated from our family for 35 years and was denied.

We searched for the attorney who helped my mom file the paperwork 35 years ago, but he has since passed away. These

documents were filed before I was even born and now I have witnessed firsthand the injustices of the separation of families and the extreme backlog to reunite families and process immigration paperwork.

I joined the Value Our Families campaign to fight for reform in the family immigration system, and as someone who has witnessed the limitations of this program, I fight for other families who are working to reunite. My family wants to share our immigration story to raise awareness about problems caused by our country’s seriously flawed immigration system, in the hopes of helping to pass important legislation

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

intended to address these very fixable problems.

I have met with governmental officials such as Congressmembers Norma Torres, Pete Aguilar and Ken Calvert, and back then Senator Kamala Harris to ask for their support in the passage of the Reuniting Families Act. I will continue to advocate for immigrant rights and the reunification of families. *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.

SEVENTEEN Filipino tycoons have secured their spots on Forbes’ annual list of the wealthiest people in the world.

Forbes on Tuesday, April 6, released its 2021 list of global billionaires, with this year’s roster having a record-breaking 2,755 billionaires, including 493 newcomers.

“The number of billionaires on Forbes’ 35th annual list of the world’s wealthiest exploded to an unprecedented 2,755 — 660 more than a year ago. Altogether they are worth $13.1 trillion, up from $8 trillion on the 2020 list,” the publication said.

“There are a record high 493 newcomers to the list — roughly one new billionaire every 17 hours,” it added.

Former lawmaker and property tycoon Manny Villar led the pack of Filipino billionaires on the list, retaining his title as the richest Filipino for the third year in a row.

He placed 352nd worldwide, with a net worth of $7.2 billion (around P349.7 billion) this year.

Villar is the founder and chair-

WHO expert in PH to study COVID-19 variants by sheilA

Crisostomo Philstar.com

On dealing with racists...

PAGE 6 t Ringo, the eldest, was a member of the swimming team at Don Bosco. He was also taking judo lessons at YMCA. Christina was the first of the children to study in the U.S., as a high school exchange student in Massachusetts. In one of her letters, she told us about a boy in the school bus who kept taunting her. Apparently, the boy had heard that she knew “some tae kwon do.” Boasting that he was good in martial arts, he said he wanted to test Christina. She avoided the boy for as long as she could — but finally gave in one day.

She gave the boy a sound beating.

In another incident in Cambridge, three boys ganged up on Jinx outside of school. The next day, the news was all over the campus: “Hey, we heard you got beat by a guy named Jesus!”

Jinx’s full name is Jesus Federico.

Indeed, having lived in the U.S. for almost 35 years, my family and I have had a taste of racism, as well as bullying. But, frankly, I experienced more racism growing up in the land of my birth.

I spent my boyhood in Tacloban, Leyte, overlooking Cancabato Bay and the San Juanico Straits. To say that I was swarthy from frequent dips in the sea, would be an understatement. People actually used the “N” word on me.

In Tagalog movies, where I worked for many years, a common plot was a variation of the ugly duckling who — you guessed it — was always darkskinned. Towards the end of the film, she would be magically transformed into a cream-complexioned Gloria Romero.

Former Makati Mayor, Vice President and presidential candidate, Jojo Binay, knows what I mean. Because he was leading early in the polls, pundits quipped that he could be “the first black president of the Philippines.”

However, VP Binay did not suffer from an “inferiority complexion.” During the presidential campaign, he actually made his swarthiness part of his “pang-masa” appeal. But, for good or ill, another non-Tisoy candidate won the presidency.

Sadly, we Filipinos have been so brainwashed in over 300 years of Spanish colonization, followed by decades under the influence of America and Hollywood. This could explain why most Pinoy men fantasize about a “white cover” girlfriend and why the women have made skin whiteners a hot-selling commodity.

Whether we are willing to admit it or not, Pinoys tend to regard those with darker skin as inferior. I understand that this attitude is also common in Latin

America, a region of indios and mestizos.

In 1978, as I prepared for my first trip to the U.S. to attend the Advertising Age Creative Workshop in Chicago, Ruffin Grey, a friend from Clark Field, warned me about the dangers of walking around Chicago and downtown Los Angeles. It sounded like the advisory the State Department issues about going to Muslim Mindanao.

However, I enjoyed Chicago and Los Angeles without any incident. Well...almost. There was this drunken salesman at the bar of the Conrad Hilton in Chicago. He barked at me to vacate my seat at the bar, so he could take over.

Having had a few drinks myself, I snarled back at the fellow and told him I didn’t want to kill anyone on my birthday. I was bluffing, of course, although it really was my 38th birthday.

The guy turned pale and backed off. We ended the evening buying drinks for each other.

Wolfgang Schoen, a client at Nestle Philippines, gave me an earful about dealing with people in strange places. A German with a fondness for beer and playing the piano, he frequented the honky-tonks in Culi-Culi in Makati, West of South Superhighway. Worried for his safety, I cautioned him about going to Culi-Culi, then notorious as a red light district.

“You don’t know your people enough,” said Wolfgang. “You should go with me sometime.”

I did join him in Culi-Culi and was amazed at how protective the bar girls and the “tambays” (street gangs) were of him.

“If you look for trouble,” Wolfgang lectured, “trouble will find you.”

Of course, the two elderly Asian women who were assaulted in New York and San Francisco were not looking for trouble. But trouble found them, nonetheless. And I’m afraid that they won’t be the last victims of anti-Asian violence in America. In fact, my eldest grandchild, Derick, who is active with the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, has been designated to organize a protest march against anti-Asian violence in San Francisco.

But I would still advise everyone to heed Wolfgang Schoen’s words as much as possible: “Don’t look for trouble or trouble will find you.”

The keywords are: “As much as possible.”

However, if it is not possible, my own advice is also from the Boy Scouts: “Be Prepared!” *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.

*** (gremacabenta@hotmail.com)

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THE ASIAN JOURNAL

MAGAZINE

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C A L I F O R N I A

Friday, April 9, 2021

INSIDE >>> L I F E S T Y L E • C O N S U M E R G U I D E • C O M M U N I T Y • M A R K E T P L A C E

What are motions to reconsider and reopen?

Immigration Corner ATTY. MICHAEL GURFINKEL, ESQ WHEN a person has been placed in deportation/removal proceedings, they would ordinarily receive a decision from the immigration judge (IJ), or, if they appeal, a decision from the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA). If the decision is unfavorable, they possibly could file either a motion to reconsider or a motion to reopen.

What is a motion to reconsider and a motion to reopen? What are the requirements? What are the filing deadlines? When are they available?

Motion to reconsider: A motion to reconsider requests “that the original decision [by the IJ or BIA] be reexamined in light of additional legal arguments, a change of law, or an argument or aspect of the case that was overlooked.”

In other words, reconsideration of a decision based on legal aspects: overlooked law, new law, additional law, etc. The motion must specify the errors of law or fact in the previous decision, supported by relevant legal authority/caselaw.

A person is ordinarily allowed only one motion to reconsider, which must be filed within 30 days of a final administrative order of removal.

Motion to reopen: A motion to reopen is a re-

quest to have the proceedings reopened “so that new evidence can be presented and so that a new decision can be entered.” In other words, a motion to reopen is based on new facts coming to light that could have a bearing on the outcome of the case. If those facts existed at the time of the original decision, they would not be considered “new.” For example, an issue in the removal proceedings may have involved “extreme hardship” to certain “qualifying relatives” such as a spouse or parent. Later, that relative came down with a severe ailment that could affect their hardship. Perhaps the case could be reopened.

Ordinarily, a person may file only one motion to reopen proceedings within 90 days of the date of entry of a final administrative order of removal.

If you are subject to a final order of removal, and now have a new basis or way to legalize your status, or new facts have come to light that could have a bearing on your case, you should consult with an attorney who can evaluate your case and eligibility for a motion to reconsider or reopen. Remember, ordinarily you have only one chance. So, you don’t want to try to do it yourself and have it denied, because then you’ve already used up your one motion.

Also, if you are subject to a final order of removal, you cannot file a new adjustment with USCIS, as the Immigration Court, not USCIS, would have jurisdiction over the case. You would have to reopen the case.

In addition, even if you are past the 30 or 90-day filing

deadlines, in some cases it could be possible to bring a motion to reconsider or reopen beyond those deadlines, such as if you never received notices, the trial attorney agrees to a joint motion, or the judge, on his or her own motion (sua sponte), decides to reopen proceedings.

Moreover, with Biden being elected president, and his efforts to “halt” deportations, have the government once again exercise prosecutorial discretion, and generally be more lenient when it comes to deporting/removing people, you should definitely consider consulting with an attorney to evaluate your options. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS FROM KAPAMILYA IN THE U.S. AND IN THE PHILIPPINES ON AN ENCORE EPISODE OF CITIZEN PINOY THIS SUNDAY. Leading *** Michael J. Gurfinkel has been an attorney for over 40 years and is licensed, and an active member of the State Bars of California and New York. All immigration services are provided by, or under the supervision of, an active member of the State Bar of California.

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

WEBSITE: www.gurfinkel.com Follow us on Facebook.com/GurfinkelLaw, YouTube: US Immigration TV and Instagram. com/gurfinkellaw Call Toll free to schedule a consultation for anywhere in the US: 1-866-487-3465 (866) – GURFINKEL Four offices to serve you: LOS ANGELES · SAN FRANCISCO · NEW YORK · PHILIPPINES (Advertising Supplement)

U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel (left) answers several questions from Kapamilya in California and Pangasinan in the Philippines about their immigration situations. Rio from San Ramon, California (right) asks about her mother’s petition for her two sisters. The petitioner died just as their petition became current. What do they do now? Rachel from Pangasinan, Philippines (center) wants to know if her 10-year-old daughter, who got her U.S. citizenship through her U.S. citizen father, can help her get an immigrant visa? And a person who chose to remain anonymous asks if there is anything she can do to adjust her status. She came to the U.S in the ‘90s with a fake name and a fake U.S. passport.

She is now married to a U.S. citizen. Find out the answers to these questions on an encore episode of “Citizen Pinoy” this Sunday, April 11 at 5:30 pm PT (8:30 pm ET thru select Cable/Satellite providers).

(Advertising Supplement)

Kathryn’s ‘most special birthday yet’ in quarantine

by DANA

CrUZ Inquirer.net

Kathryn Bernado Photo screengrabbed from Youtube/Kathryn Bernardo

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ACTOR Gerald Anderson shared what attracts him to his new character in ABS-CBN’s new series “Init Sa Magdamag.”

According to him, he admires how his character, barrio doctor Christopher Salcedo, sacrificed many things for love. “’Yung sacrifices n’ya, ‘yung willing s’yang gawin para sa pagmamahal, para sa pag-ibig, personally na-attact ako d’un, yes. Grabe ‘yung adjustment n’ya sa buhay n’ya, grabe ‘yung sakripisyo n’ya para sa great love n’ya,” he told the press, including Philstar.com, in an online conference earlier.

Like his new character, Gerald said he also gave up many things for love and prefers to keep his romantic relationship private.

Recently, the actor admitted in an interview with TV host Boy Abunda that he is in a relationship with his “Between Maybes” co-star Julia Barretto.

“Marami rin akong sakripisyo din. Marami akong nasasakripisyo din dahil sa pag-ibig. Kaya ako na-attract kay Tupe agad because he’s very selfless,” Gerald said.

“At ‘yun din nga, kung papano s’ya magmahal. Hindi s’ya ‘yung tao na kailangan isigaw sa buong mundo ‘yung relationship n’ya. Kumbaga, alam n’ya ‘yung gusto n’ya at gagawin n’ya lahat para sa mga taong mahal n’ya.”

The actor used the press con as an opportunity to indirectly air his sentiment against those judging his relationship with Julia, saying that people are quick to judge without knowing the “real situation” first.

“Saka tinanong ko rin sarili ko, ‘Kaya ko bang gawin ‘yung mga sacrifices na ginawa ni Tupe? So parang d’un ko kinuha na parang personal challenge s’ya at ‘yung realization na ibaiba ‘yung pinagdadaanan ng tao eh. Human nature natin na we’re very judgmental sa relationship ng ibang tao, sa sitwasyon ng ibang tao. Ang dali natin magbigay ng judgment pero ‘di naman natin alam ang sitwasyon nila.

So d’un ako na-challenge, kung papano magmahal si Tupe, si Christopher Salcedo.”

PAGE 14

MA DRA .com | tv TY

Gerald hits back at ‘human nature’ to be ‘judgmental’ of relationships

By DeNi

KATHRYN Bernardo was disappointed at first when her travel plans for her 25th birthday were canceled, but she believes this birthday of hers was still her “most special birthday yet.”

“The plan for my birthday was mag-out-of-town kami with my family and my group of friends para mag-Amazing Race,” she said in her YouTube vlog today, April 4. (The plan for my birthday was to go out of town with my family and my group of friends for an “Amazing Race”-themed celebration.)

But her first plan got canceled as COVID-19

Gerald Anderson

Anderson, Yam Concepcion and JM de Guzman, are set to capture viewers’ hearts as they get entangled in a controversial love triangle in ABS-CBN Star Creatives’ highly anticipated new series, “Init Sa Magdamag,” which will air on Kapamilya Channel, A2Z and TV5 this April 19.

The trailer has hit 12 million views 13 days after it was first released on YouTube and became a hot trending topic on social media.

Yam and JM play the prominent political couple Rita and Peterson, whose marriage is on the brink of collapse as they struggle to have a child. Peterson met an accident years earlier that made him incapable of fathering a child.

Photo from Instagram.com/@andersongeraldjr

Rita believes that they can save their relationship if she bears a child through in vitro fertilization. Against Peterson’s parent’s wishes and their town’s beliefs, the two take a chance on the plan.

But Peterson proposes what he thinks is a simpler solution— get the barrio doctor, Tupe, played by Anderson, to be their sperm donor. Unbeknownst to Peterson, Rita and Tupe were once lovers.

How long can Rita hide her past with Tupe from Peterson?

What happens when Rita and Tupe’s love rekindles?

Under the creative management of Henry Quitain, “Init Sa Magdamag” will be directed

by Ian Lorenos and Raymond Ocampo.

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Features

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

‘Chopped’ champion chef Denevin Miranda on Empoy Marquez worked odd jobs before stardom how his Filipino heritage defines culinary style

By MoMar

celebrity world

G. Visaya

AJPress

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

His name is Denevin Miranda and his latest claim to fame?

He was recently declared as the champion of the Food Network show “Chopped” with its new season focused on “Meat Fight,” a glorious, carnivorous throwdown for gastronomy lovers.

The new episodes focus on pork, beef, goat and bison and for Denevin’s episode, pork was the protein of choice. The show — which described Denevin, a Chef de Cuisine at 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge in New York City as a “classically French-trained with a lot of his flavors rooted in Filipino-style cuisine” — was an epic meat fight among the four chefs highlighting their arsenal of ideas for their dishes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Their fellow judge, executive chef Amanda Freitag, praised Denevin for his efforts in keeping the pork as the star of what she referred to as a perfectly seasoned dish. “Denevin really

By Ferdie Villar IT was the 2017 film “Kita Kita” which catapulted Empoy Marquez to the limelight, where he was paired with Alessandra de Rossi. The sleeper hit grossed Php320 million worldwide, and was made on a modest budget of Php10 million. It is considered one of the best romantic/comedy films in the past two decades, as

well as one of the highest-grossing Filipino independent films of all time.

For Empoy, it certainly was a surprise to be tapped as leading man for the hit film, as he disclosed in an interview with Ricky Lo of the Philippine Star.

“It was unexpected,” he was Comedian Empoy Marquez was more than quoted as saying. “As in, hindi happy to work on all jobs given to him by his managers prior to his starring role in the 2017 sleeper hit “Kita Kita.”

Photo from Instagram.com/@empoy

Chef Denevin Miranda shows his seasonal razor clam dish inspired by the kinilaw. On the first few days they offered the dish, he went to the diners who ordered it and asked for feedback. He said the response to the dish was great and they asked him for the inspiration behind it. “I told them it’s actually inspired by a Filipino dish. All the flavors are there. It’s citrus, coconut and I use fish sauce. I love fish sauce, it’s like my favorite,” he said. The look of the dish is inspired by the triangle on the Filipino flag.

AJPress photo by Momar G. Visaya

introduced himself as a very buttoned-up chef who knew how to put flavors together,” Freitag added.

After three grueling rounds,

Denevin was the last man standing and was declared the champ, winning a $10,000 grand prize as he dedicated his win to his PAGE 13

ko akalain.”

The Baliuag, Bulacan native has always worked hard in the industry – before the leading role in “Kita Kita,” he shuttled from one supporting role to another. Previously, he would work on any jobs he could get his hands on.

“I’ve been working since 2003 after I won the Mr. Suave contest on ABS-CBN,” Empoy said in the article, adding that he earned his keep prior to showbiz from odd jobs at a fast-food joint, a convenience store and a grocery store.

“I also worked as a light man.

Sumasama ako sa mga friends who were video-shooting in TV host/actor Luis Manzano tied the knot with beauteous actress Jessy Mendiola in a private events like debuts, baptisms, ceremony held in Lipa, Batangas last February. Manzano is the son of Star for All Seasons and birthdays and weddings,” Emcurrent Congresswoman Vilma Santos-Recto and Edu Manzano. poy further stated.

Photo from Instagram.com/@luckymanzano) After the Mr. Suave win, he just continued working hard.

“I didn’t mind playing supporting roles. Ini-enjoy ko lang ang work. Hindi ko nga feel na artista na ako, eh. I would do any kind of work na binibigay sa akin ng managers. Sayang ang kita,” the actor, who discovered his knack for comedy while he was still in school, explained.

And now that he is done with obligations to his family having been the eldest of seven chidren and the family’s main breadwinner, it may be time to attend to other portions of his life. Does that include his lovelife? What kind of woman is he looking The Philippines’ Samantha Bernardo was for? adjudged 2020 Miss Grand International first “Actually,” he said, “during runner-up in the pageant’s recent staging at this pandemic it’s hard to look Miss Philippines Kelley Day was crowned Miss the DC Hall in Bangkok, Thailand. Miss USA’s Eco-International first runner-up in pageant for one. Mahirap maghanap ng Abena Appiah won the crown. syota,” he said, while laughing.

Photo from rites held on Sunday, April 4 in Egypt.

Photo from Instagram.com/@itskelleyday Instagram.com/@samanthabernardo_ PAGE 13

Features

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

‘Chopped’ champion chef Denevin Miranda...

PAGE 12 dad.

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

“I knew going in there that I wanted to do something Filipino and show something to the judges. And sisig is one of my favorite dishes,” he said. “Actually, my grandma never cooked it. I was introduced to that when I went to the Philippines. And you know, it’s a dramatic dish, because it comes out sizzling.

Yeah, and it’s like, you know, it’s like you can’t stop eating.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Denevin was in high school when he realized he wanted to be in the culinary industry. He said he was asthmatic growing

up so he wasn’t as athletic as he is now. He ended up gravitating towards cooking through his home economics classes and he realized how much he was enjoying it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

On the plane en route to Nashville, Denevin thought about the relationship he had with his father Fernando and how he came out to him. His dad succumbed to cancer 11 years ago.

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

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

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

“And basically, he was kind of like, ‘I knew that.’ That’s one thing, but when he, you know,

what he really wanted to tell me was, ‘That’s not important, I want you to be happy’,” he added. What Denevin got was more than just acceptance from a father.

“He gave me amazing courage, and he pretty much broke down my insecurities. You know, to be myself, and he encouraged me to do that. And I’m glad that I was able to share my story,” he said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He is also working with their corporate mixologists on a cocktail drink that incorporates ube, which he also describes as an adult version of halo-halo.

For the summer, there are plans for an outdoor Filipino-inspired New England-style seafood boil inspired by the kamayan or what some people call “boodle fight.”

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

“I’m pragmatic and I’m mostly optimistic,” Denevin said, describing the current situation of the food and beverage industry and where he sees it going.

“New York is going to find a new renaissance and as the rent has become much more affordable, it is bringing younger, innovative and creative people to the city. It’s like a reboot.”

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

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

Empoy Marquez worked odd jobs...

PAGE 12 “Lockdown tayo, eh! Antay-antay na lang kapag may dumating.”

Preferring someone with the same attitude as him, Empoy explained that he would like his Miss Right to be “masarap kasama, masarap kausap, masarap magluto at nakakatawa. ‘Yung maiintindihan ako sa lahat ng ginagawa ko. Maalaga.”

Currently, Empoy is starring in a TV5 series with Maja Salvador and Noel Camia Jr. The series’ plot revolves around siblings who are accused of something they did not commit and who flee to a faraway town in a province where the Maja’s character crosses paths with the role essayed by Marquez.

Empoy, who is thankful that producers still continue to trust him and give him work, is also busy shooting a film with another director, which has had the TV and film actor and his team

shuttling between Manila and Baguio. *** Jasmine Curtis-Smith has tips for celebrities should they get embroiled in a scandal or some form of controversy.

The Filipino Australian actress/TV host/dancer/model explained during a Zoom interview featured in an article in Philippine Daily Inquirer: “Explaining yourself can be exhausting.

Calculate first whether or not it’s worth it for you to speak up. You can’t be too complacent also. You have to be prepared for two reactions, either people will accept your explanation or get questioned some more. “Know that it will never go away, especially now that we have social media.

If you choose to keep quiet, at least it’s just one article. If you decide to react to it, it’s best to do it just once, and just on one platform. Don’t invite everyone

because it will be like agreeing to livestream your whole life.

With social media now, people have a platform to air their opinions.”

Jasmine is the younger sister of actress/TV host/singer Anne Curtis.

The Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival best supporting actress winner (for the film “Transit”) can be next seen in the film “General Admission,” where she essays the role of a sexy dancer who has a wardrobe malfunction while performing on live TV. The film shows how excessive media coverage can ruin a person’s suddenly public life.

The actress also said in the article that she agreed to the project after having read the script.

“I always look for a material that I will enjoy doing. Its topic should also be something that I believe in, something that I can defend well when I get asked about it,” she explained.

Health@Heart PhiliP S. Chua, MD, FaCS, FPCS AS of Monday, April 5, 2021, there were 478,884 new cases of COVID-19, increasing the total to 132,432,231 cases worldwide and with 7,404 new deaths, making the total deaths to 2,873,411. In the U.S., there were 500 new deaths that day, bringing the total to 569,282 mortalities; the total COVID-19 cases rose to 31,496,976. Brazil had the highest deaths for that day at 1,623 (total cases, 13,023,189; 38,233 new cases). The Philippines has had 803,387 total cases and 13.435 deaths, with 10 new deaths.

The following day, the U.S. had 7,335 new cases and 116 deaths, while the Philippines had 9,373 new cases and 382 new deaths. More than 1/3 of the people in the U.S. (population: around 332.5 million) have been vaccinated. The Philippines (population around 110.8 million) started its COVID-19 vaccination on March 1, 2021, using China’s Sinovac.

To contain COVID-19 in the country, foreign citizens are currently not allowed to travel to the Philippines, including Filipinos who are not holders of Philippine passports. Those who are allowed to enter the country must have a hotel reservation for 7 days,for quarantine purposes upon arrival.

CDC COVID-19 advisory Fully vaccinated (those who completed their shots two weeks prior) are “no longer required to test before or after traveling domestically or internationally from the U.S, unless required to do so by the international destination country, and they no longer have to selfquarantine after returning to the U.S., unless required to do so by a state or local jurisdiction,” according to the updated guidelines from the CDC. The rest of the advisory follows: “The agency still recommends that even fully vaccinated travelers wear a mask in public, and take other public health precautions, such as social distancing and avoiding crowds, and practicing hand hygiene.

“Some travel guidance remains unchanged. CDC still recommends fully vaccinated people have proof of a negative COVID-19 test prior to returning to the U.S., and get tested 3-5 days later.

“Meanwhile, nothing has changed for travelers who are not fully vaccinated. CDC continues to recommend that not fully vaccinated travelers get a COVID-19 test 1-3 days prior to domestic or international travel, as well as 3-5 days after returning. Those who are not fully vaccinated should continue to self-quarantine for 7 days after travel and a negative test, or 10 days after travel if not tested. CDC also said those who are not fully vaccinated should avoid non-essential domestic travel.”

NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • ApRIL 9-15, 2021

COVID-19 stats Fourth wave?

Fearing worsening of the COVID pandemic in the United States and a probable fourth wave as the COVID-19 cases increased by 10 percent and hospitalization to around 4,800 per day on a 7-day average, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, her voice shaking, “warned of ‘impending doom’ if states continue to relax restrictions, and if Americans continue to increase travel and ignore public health precautions.”

The 4 more common variants of COVID-19 include the UK strain (B.1.1.7), with around 2,000 cases found in 45 states so far, and also found in Denmark and Scandinavia; the South African variety (B.1.351), which emerged in South Africa and found in 14 U.S. States; and the Brazilian variant (P.1), present in at least 5 cases in Minnesota, Oklahoma, Florida, and Maryland; a U.S. variant, found in California (CAL.,20C), has infected more than 30 percent of entire state by mid-tolate January and more than 40 percent in Southern California.

The importance of following the guidelines, especially with the re-opening of businesses, is even more important today.

Masking, social distancing, good hygiene, and avoiding crowds, limiting travels to essential needs, even after vaccination, could help mitigate the labile situation. The significance of this discipline might not be earth-shaking until a loved one is taken away from us because we did not behave accordingly. The SARS-CoV2 virus is new and it is mutating to new strains, which could be expected to be more virulent.

There are a lot we still do not know about this killer and the available vaccines. So, it is best to be cautious or even a bit over-protective, than to be arrogant, overly confident and let our guard down simply because we have been vaccinated. It is now clear worldwide that these vaccines are generally effective (95 percent and greater) and safe, and that wearing a mask and social distancing work.

One shot not enough Some people refuse to get the second shot of the 2-dose vaccines (P-BioNT and Moderna), fearing danger from the second dose and thinking one dose confers full protection. That is not true and very dangerous. And a waste of the vaccine. Also, if one was okay after the first dose, the second one should also be fine, as statistics today show.

A physician colleague of mine had his first dose of the vaccine, still got COVID-19 infection from his son five days post-shot, and died. We do not totally know our enemy, especially the variants and worse strains that might evolve; let’s be wise and stay safe.

Amazing FAR-UVC One of the beneficial sideeffects of the COVID-19 pandemic is the development of

13

antiviral treatments and mitigating technologies that were also found to be useful in the management of other bacterial/viral illnesses, and the discovery of new uses for old medications we have been using for specific conditions for some time. An example of this is the use of UVC light, the conventional form of which has a wavelength of 254 nm. UV radiation was first discovered on February 22, 1801 by Johann Wilhelm Ritter. Subsequently, they were differentiated by wavelength into UVA (315-400 nm), UVB (2870-315 nm), and UVC 100-280 nm).

Dr. David Brenner and his team at Columbia University have developed a technique “that zaps airborne viruses with a narrow-wavelength band of UV light and shows promise for curtailing the person-to-person spread of COVID-19 in indoor public places.”

The technology “uses lamps that emit continuous, low doses of a particular wavelength of ultraviolet light, known as far-UVC (wavelength 222 nm), which can kill viruses and bacteria without harming human skin, eyes and other tissues, as is the problem with conventional UV light.”

“Far-UVC light has the potential to be a ‘game changer,’” said Professor Brenner.

“It can be safely used in occupied public spaces, and it kills pathogens in the air before we can breathe them in.”

These Far-UVC lamps could be used like today’s mosquito electric zapper, installed in homes and public places, offices, hotels, dorms, convention centers, sports arenas, theaters, restaurants, stores, schools, etc., to destroy bacteria and various viruses, including Flu viruses and SARS-CoV2 virus of COVID-19, without health risks to humans, animals, and plants. This will eliminate the need for countless toxic chemicals we currently use to kills microbes.

Progress, indeed! *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff. *** The main objective of this column is to educate and inspire people live a healthier lifestyle to prevent illnesses and disabilities and achieve a happier and more productive life. Any diagnosis, recommendation or treatment in our article are general medical information and not intended to be applicable or appropriate for anyone. This column is not a substitute for your physician, who knows your condition well and who is your best ally when it comes to your health. *** Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, a Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus based in Northwest Indiana and Las Vegas, Nevada, is an international medical lecturer/author, a Health Public Advocate, and Chairman of the Filipino United Network-USA, a 501(c)3 humanitarian and anti-graft foundation in the United States. Visit our websites: philipSchua.com and FUN8888.com Email: scalpelpen@gmail.com

Avoid payment scams while rebuilding your finances OVER the past year, the Coronavirus created financial problems for many people.

Maybe you’re one of them.

As you work to regain your financial footing, scammers will continue to try to steer you off course. Here are a few ways to spot, stop, and report payment scams.

Asked to pay with gift cards?

Don’t do it. Gift cards are the most common form of payment people use when losing money to scammers. Scammers often pose as legitimate companies, the government, or someone you know. They tell you to pay with a gift card — but only scammers do that. If you

share a photo of the back of a gift card or read the numbers to anyone, your money will be gone. If anyone asks for payment by gift card, it’s a scam.

Asked to pay with digital money or cryptocurrency?

Think twice. Payments by cryptocurrency are hard to trace and typically can’t be reversed.

Once you pay with cryptocurrency, you likely can only get your money back if the person you paid sends it back. If that person is a scammer, you’ll be out of luck.

Asked to pay by money transfer? Don’t. Scammers often tell people to send money through money transfer com-

panies like Western Union and MoneyGram, knowing it’s a lot like sending cash. Once you send it, it’s gone. Typically, there’s no way to reverse the transaction or trace the money.

Don’t use money transfer payments with people and companies you don’t know.

Learn more about the financial impact of the Coronavirus.

If you or someone you know lost money to a scammer, check out some quick steps to try and recover it. And if you’ve spotted a scam, tell the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

(Atty. Sana Chriss/Division of Consumer and Business Education, FTC)

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Apply for 2021 Nat’l Fellowship at USC Baron reveals biggest regret in life: Annenberg Center for Health Journalism Mother’s death before he became ‘clean’ The USC Annenberg Center for health Journalism is inviting proposals for ambitious reporting projects on COVID-19 from applicants for its 2021 National Fellowship. More than one year into the pandemic, it’s important to step back and take a deeper look at how it laid bare the effects of pervasive inequality in the United States.

The annual National Fellowship, now in its 15th year, will focus on traditional themes – health disparities and the health, welfare and well-being of vulnerable children, youth, families and communities – but as seen through a COVID-19 lens. As the growing vaccination rate begins to give us hope for an end to the pandemic, the Center will be taking a comprehensive look at the reasons for the virus’ disparate health and economic impacts on Black, Latino and Native Americans – and how such blatant disparities can be prevented in the future.

Given the continued uncertainty about when travel can safely resume, the Center will be holding the Fellowship on Zoom.

It will still be offering five days of informative and stimulating discussions, plus reporting and engagement grants of $2,000$12,000 and five months of expert mentoring to 20 competitively selected journalists. The Zoom meeting is scheduled on July 1923, 2021. The deadline to apply for the 2021 National Fellowship is on May 17, 2021; details and more information can be found at https://centerforhealthjournalism.org/event/2021-national-fellowship.

Applications must be submitted online. For requirements and how to apply for the 2021 National Fellowship, visit https://centerforhealthjournalism.org/content/ how-apply-2018-national-fellowship.

Based at USC’s Annenberg School of Journalism, the National Fellowship is open to print, broadcast and multimedia journalists from around the country.

The Fellowship is appropriate not only for health reporters, but for all reporters with an interest in social issues, whether they’re education, government, environment, criminal justice, social services or immigration specialists or general assignment reporters.

About two-thirds of the 20 Fellows will receive grants of $2,500 to $10,000 from one of two specialty reporting funds – the Dennis A. hunt Journalism Fund and the Fund for Journalism on Child and Youth Well-being, plus mentoring, to support the reporting of ambitious investigative or explanatory projects over five months. The other National Fellows will receive grants of $2,000. In addition, five Fellows will receive supplemental grants of up to $2,000 for community engagement, as well as specialized mentoring.

The hunt Fund will support reporting that examines the successes and challenges of health care reform or the effects of a specific factor or confluence of factors on a community, such as the coronavirus epidemic, poverty, ethnic or racial disparities, pollution, violence, land use and access to health care or food.

The Child and Youth Well-being Fund will support investigative or explanatory reporting on the impact of poverty, trauma, adversity – or the coronavirus epidemic – on children, youth and their families, as well as the effectiveness of public and private agencies dedicated to protecting them.

The Center will welcome proposals for any of the funds for investigative inquiries into how public resources were allocated during the crisis and how the stress of becoming infected and losing livelihoods and homes impacted already strained families.

The National Fellowship is open to both newsroom staffers and freelancers. The grants can be used to defray reporting and publishing- or broadcasting-related costs such as travel, data set acquisition and analysis, translation services, community engagement strategies, multimedia enhancements and a journalist’s otherwise uncompensated time. Preference is given to applicants who propose collaboration between or co-publication or co-broadcast in both mainstream and ethnic media outlets.

For more information, visit the Center for health Journalism (https://centerforhealthjournalism.org/event/2021-nationalfellowship) or email program consultant Martha Shirk at Cahealth@usc.edu. To improve your prospects for success, the Center strongly recommends that you discuss your project idea with them in advance of applying. (USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism Release)

PH bet is 1st runner up in Miss Eco International PhILIPPINe candidate Kelly Day was named first runner up in the coronation night of Miss eco International held in egypt on Sunday, April 4.

The beauty queen came in second after South Africa’s Gizzelle Mandy Uys who bagged the title.

“Congratulations for our winners of Miss eco International.

Our new queen is Gizzelle Mandy Uys and first runner up Kelly Day from Philippines. Second Kelly Day Photo from Facebook/@Miss Eco International runner up is Alexandria Kelly

from USA. Congratulations all,” read a Facebook post from the pageant’s management. earlier at the preliminaries, Day also won the Best National Costume award.

Day, a former member of “It’s Showtime” dance group GirlTrends, won the Miss eco Philippines title during the Miss World Philippines 2019 pageant.

She was supposed to compete in the 2020 Miss eco International contest slated in March 2020 in egypt but this was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

by Cathrine

Gonzales Inquirer.net

by Dana

Cruz Inquirer.net

BArON Geisler turned emotional while talking about his biggest regret in life — that his mom died before he became “clean.”

Geisler recalled being with his mother as she took her last breath, in a conversation with Toni Gonzaga on her YouTube vlog on Sunday, April 4.

“I was preparing to go to a five-day retreat and I was sober for a while. So I went to her room. Nakaputi ako nito, long hair, may bigote (I was wearing a white shirt, long hair, had a mustache),” the actor recounted. “I said, ‘Mom, Baron here.

Good boy. I’m gonna go to this retreat, I’ll see you when I get back.’” he recalled that his mother tried to stand up and reach out to him as if she was trying to say something.

“Feeling ko, on a happier note, baka sa long hair ko at bigote ko, akala niya ako si Jesus,” he joked. (I feel like, on a happier note, maybe because of my hair and mustache she thought I was Jesus.)

But while he could joke about the event now, he said that he felt there was something wrong with his mother at that time. he

Baron Geisler Photo screengrabbed from Youtube/ Celestine Gonzaga-Soriano

said he took a penlight, checked his mother’s eyes and saw how per pupils slowly dilate as she passed away.

When Geisler talked about his mother’s death, he could not help but tear up and reveal that it was the moment of his biggest regret.

“My dream kasi no’ng time na ‘yon (during that time) was for my mom to see me clean,” he stated, adding that he now

takes comfort at the thought that his mother must be proud of the person he is striving to become.

Geisler added that he would often address his mother even after she died. he also recognized that people would still doubt if he is really going to stay sober. For him, doubters will always be there, but he swore that he is committed to staying sober and for a good reason.

“My recovery is not for Jamie, it’s not for Tali. It’s for me. Because how can I lead a family if I am not ready, if I am not whole?” Geisler explained. he also hopes to become a “respectable man” that his daughter will look up to in the future.

Aside from the actor’s biggest regret, Geisler and Gonzaga also talked about his issues with anger management, his family life and his experience with rehabilitation.

Geisler has been open to talk about his initial denial of battling depression, drug use and alcoholism. Last month, in an interview with Philippine Daily Inquirer, he said he was afraid of going “crazy again” and being put in jails and institutions. he also believes sobriety will lead him and his family to more blessings.

Kathryn’s ‘most special birthday...

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cases in the country continue to rise, prompting her to think of some other way to celebrate her birthday last March 26. For her second idea, she also thought of going to Baguio, but with a smaller group of people and a simpler celebration.

She said she already had everything set for her Baguio trip, from booking cabins to getting a dinner reservation, but had to cancel that too after out-of-town trips from the NCr were recently prohibited anew. She admitted that she was frustrated over not being able to go out of town, and aired out those frustrations on her boyfriend Daniel Padilla.

“Initially talaga nalungkot ako because for 2020, hindi na ako naka-celebrate ng birthday ko.

Dapat babawiin ko na lang this year but then it didn’t happen,” she said. (Initially, I was really

sad because for 2020 I did not get to celebrate my birthday.

I was hoping to make up for it this year, but then it did not happen.)

After talking to Padilla about her disappointment, he pointed out that she was not the only person who had to celebrate their birthday in quarantine twice. This led Bernardo to feel a little guilty for only thinking about her birthday celebration.

“Oo nga naman parang ang selfish naman na ang mina-mind ko lang ‘yong nararamdaman ko,” she said. “hindi importante kung paano mo cinelebrate yung birthday mo. What’s important is may mga taong nagmamahal sa’yo ng totoo.”

(It’s true, it is selfish of me to only [think about] what I feel.

It’s not important how you celebrate your birthday. What’s important is there are people who

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truly love you.)

For her birthday, Bernardo’s friend ria Atayde sent her a compilation of greetings from her celebrity friends like Maymay entrata, Denise Laurel, ruffa Gutierrez and robi Domingo.

She was also greeted by her ABS-CBN bosses, namely CeO Carlo Katigbak, chief executive Cory Vidanes and TV production head Laurenti Dyogi. reflecting back on her birthday, Bernardo said her celebration was “very simple” but was “really special.”

“Doon ko na-realize na what’s really special about this year is that there are a lot of people who love me and parang wala na akong hihilingin pa,” she stated.

(I realized that what’s really special about this year is that there are a lot of people who love me and I cannot wish for anything else.)

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