Protestors turn out en masse to denounce Pres.Trump, Musk
BERKELEY — Thousands turned out
Saturday, April 5 in front of the North Berkeley Bart station in protest over what they decry as the Trump administration’s “hostile takeover” of their rights and freedoms.
“Our country and the world are at stake,” said Julia Bavar from her wheelchair with a sign leaning against it that said, “Death By a Thousand Cuts.” Bavar was among the estimated 2,200 men, women, and children on hand for the April 5 protest, part of a series of similar protests across the country. “If we don’t speak up now, there may not be a later,” she said.
“I, as a disabled person may not survive this administration because of their drastic cuts and their disregard for most human life,” said her friend, Peni Hall, 76, who was also in a wheelchair beside Bavar.
The “Hands Off” protests marked the
US air travelers need to know
If you’re headed to the airport soon, you might want to double-check your identification Real ID deadline looms: What
IF you’re headed to the airport soon, you might want to double-check your identification. Starting May 7, 2025, every resident (18 years or older) of a U.S. state or territory attempting to board a commercial aircraft will need to present security with a Real ID license or identification card, or another acceptable form of identification such as a passport. If you’re not able to present a Real ID-compliant card to a Transportation Security Administration agent, you won’t be permitted through the airport’s security checkpoint.
Why the sudden change? Actually, this new requirement has been 20 years in the making. In 2005, congress passed the Real ID Act, which enacted the 9/11
Negotiate not retaliate: Philippines open to cut tariffs on US imports
done since “everything [had been] organized” for her father’s defense. “I’m excited to go home. I’ll just book the travel arrangements to go home,” she added. Her arrival coincided with the release of another batch
US takes down old travel advisory vs Manila
by
Franco Jose c. Baroña ManilaTimes.net
MANILA — The United States Transportation Security Administration (TSA) on Sunday, April 6 removed an outdated 2018 travel advisory mistakenly displayed at Sacramento International Airport, following swift intervention by Philippine transportation officials.
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) confirmed no new U.S. advisories have been issued against Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) or any other Philippine airport, dispelling confusion caused by the resurfaced notice.
On Sunday, a social media post circulated showing a U.S. advisory cautioning travelers about “security concerns” at NAIA, a notice originally issued in 2018 but rescinded in 2019 after the Philippines implemented major security upgrades.
DOTr Secretary Vince Dizon immediately contacted TSA officials in Manila, demanding clarification and urging the advisory’s removal to prevent unnecessary alarm.
By 9 a.m., the TSA confirmed the erroneous posting had been taken down.
“This outdated advisory does not reflect
Imee Marcos to officials involved in Duterte arrest: Tell the truth
by Charie abarCa Inquirer.net
MANILA — Sen. Imee Marcos on Monday, April 7 urged government officials involved in the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte to tell the truth during the Senate’s third hearing on the matter on April 10.
“Magpakatotoo na, please lang!” the presidential sister said in a statement. (Let’s be real, please!)
“Mabuti at nagdalawangisip ang administrasyon, pero sana hudyat na ang kanilang anunsyo ng pagnanais ibunyag ang katotohanan, na sa wakas,
maliwanagan ang sambayanan patungkol sa totoong mga pangyayari,” she added.
(It’s good that the administration had second thoughts, but hopefully, their announcement signals a true intention to reveal the truth—so that, finally, the nation can gain clarity on what really happened.)
Marcos also said she would give the officials involved a third chance on April 10 to explain.
Senate President Francis Escudero earlier said several government officials, including Philippine National PoliceCriminal Investigation and
MANILA — There’s no reason for the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations to share its findings with United States President Donald Trump, a Palace official said.
That’s because the U.S. “respects” the Philippines’ prerogative regarding the arrest and surrender of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
But Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa made a suggestion
otherwise, believing it is appropriate for the panel to forward its findings to Trump so that the assets of the aircraft owner that brought Duterte to the Netherlands can be frozen. Dela Rosa said this was in accordance with an executive order (EO) recently signed by Trump, stating that any nonAmerican person or organization can face sanctions if they assist the International Criminal Court (ICC) in investigating, arresting, or prosecuting a “protected
Sen. Ronald `Bato’
Sen. Imee Marcos Photo from Facebook/@ImeeMarcos
Negotiate not retaliate...
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work with other peers in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in tackling the tariff debacle.
“We all work together as ASEAN,” she said, referring to the regional bloc, of which the Philippines is a founding member.
Rushing to negotiate
The latest remarks from the trade chief mean the Philippines is joining the rest of the world in rushing to the negotiating table to seal a deal with Trump.
In the region, Bloomberg reported that Vietnam was willing to remove all tariffs on U.S. imports after Trump had announced that Vietnamese products entering America would be slapped with a punitive 46 percent levy.
On the other hand, China announced on Friday a 34-percent retaliatory
tariff against U.S. imports.
But many analysts believe that Manila is in a better position to negotiate with Washington after Trump unveiled a milder 17-percent tariff on Filipino goods, among the lowest in Asia. This was still lower than the 34 percent that the Philippines charges on inbound shipments from the United States, including the estimated cost of non-trade barriers.
Only Singapore was slapped with just a 10-percent tariff — the baseline figure cited by Trump in his “Liberation Day” announcement that fanned global recession fears and sent global markets into turmoil.
Bilateral talks
Moving forward, Roque said she expected to finally meet her American counterpart in a “few days” to kick-start the trade talks.
Based on data from the Office of the United States
Trade Representative (USTR), the United States incurred a merchandise trade deficit with the Philippines amounting to $4.9 billion in 2024, up by 21.8 percent from the previous year.
According to the USTR, which cited the latest available data as of 2022, the Philippines’ average Most-Favored-Nation (MFN) applied tariff rate was 6.1 percent.
The Philippines’ average MFN applied tariff rate was 9.8 percent for agricultural products and 5.5 percent for nonagricultural products in 2022.
“The lower tariff rates imposed on the Philippines compared to neighboring countries can be an advantage for us, as our goods traded to the United States will become more competitive, boosting our exports,” said Reinielle Matt Erece, an economist at Oikonomia Advisory & Research Inc. n
VP Duterte back in PH, ready to face...
of apparently made-up names of people who supposedly received some of the P612 million worth of confidential funds issued to her office, as well as the Department of Education (DepEd) while she was still its secretary.
Reporters covering the OVP sought its comment on the recent statement of House Deputy Majority Leader Francisco Paolo Ortega V, who said some of the names they found resembled that of celebrities and other highprofile personalities.
Made-up names?
They included “Honeylet Camille Sy,” which resembled the name of her father’s common law partner Honeylet Avanceña; three “Fionas” but with different spellings, such as “Feonna Biong,” “Feonna Villegas,” “Fiona Ranitez”; a so-called “Ellen Magellan”; Erwin Q. Ewan; Gary Tanada; and Joel Linangan.
“The vice president is expected to address any pertinent matters in the coming days,” the OVP said in a statement announcing Duterte’s arrival from the Netherlands.
Ortega, meanwhile, said in a press briefing on Monday, April 7 that he will conduct a “mini-
investigation” to determine if the 942 supposed recipients with actual birth records, as certified by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), had indeed received confidential funds.
Of the number, 670 were purported recipients of the OVP’s P500-million confidential funds while the rest signed acknowledgment receipts for payments taken from the DepEd’s P112.5 million confidential funds.
List ‘bloaters’
“What we are sure of is those with fictitious names didn’t receive [money]. They might have only been used to bloat the list [of recipients],” Ortega said.
“This is why we would be looking into those names with [PSA] records, because maybe then, we would be able to talk to or invite persons who could tell us if they received money or how the confidential funds were used,” he added.
He said that most of the questions about the use of the P612.5 million confidential funds will likely only be answered in Duterte’s impeachment trial.
Ortega welcomed Duterte’s return from The Hague and probable preparation for the trial,
“It’s
Vice President Sara Duterte Photo from Facebook/ MayorIndaySaraDuterte citing her assertion of answering in an impeachment court questions regarding her use of public funds.
easy to explain [the use of confidential funds]. It’s very simple if we abide by the guidelines (Joint Circular 202501) on utilizing confidential funds. They could have explained it during the hearing,” Ortega said, referring to last year’s inquiry held by the House committee on good government and public accountability on the matter. n
HEROINES. Marcela Agoncillo and her daughter, Lorenza, and Jose Rizal’s niece, Delfina Herbosa-Natividad, who sewed the first official Philippine flag in 1898, are immortalized in murals on twin pre-war water tanks at the corner of 15th Avenue and Boni Serrano Avenue in Barangay Socorro, Quezon City, as photographed on Tuesday, April 8. They are daily reminders of Filipino greats who contributed to
the independence being enjoyed by Filipinos.
PNA photo by Joan Bondoc
Immigration crackdowns disrupt the caregiving industry. Families pay the price.
by Vanessa G. sánchez and daniel chanG KFF Health News
ALANYS Ortiz reads Josephine Senek’s cues before she speaks. Josephine, who lives with a rare and debilitating genetic condition, fidgets her fingers when she’s tired and bites the air when something hurts.
Josephine, 16, has been diagnosed with tetrasomy 8p mosaicism, severe autism, severe obsessive-compulsive disorder, and attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder, among other conditions, which will require constant assistance and supervision for the rest of her life.
Ortiz, 25, is Josephine’s caregiver. A Venezuelan immigrant, Ortiz helps Josephine eat, bathe, and perform other daily tasks that the teen cannot do alone at her home in West Orange, New Jersey. Over the past 2½ years, Ortiz said, she has developed an instinct for spotting potential triggers before they escalate. She closes doors and peels barcode stickers off apples to ease Josephine’s anxiety.
But Ortiz’s ability to work in the U.S. has been thrown into doubt by the Trump administration, which ordered an end to the temporary protected status program for some Venezuelans on April 7. On March 31, a federal judge paused the order, giving the administration a week to appeal. If the termination goes through, Ortiz would have to leave the country or risk detention and deportation.
“Our family would be gutted beyond belief,” said Krysta Senek, Josephine’s mother, who has been trying to win a reprieve for Ortiz.
Americans depend on many such foreign-born workers to help care for family members who are older, injured, or disabled and cannot care for themselves. Nearly 6 million people receive personal care in a private home or a group home, and about 2 million people use these services in a nursing home or other long-term care institution, according to a Congressional Budget Office
analysis.
Increasingly, the workers who provide that care are immigrants such as Ortiz. The foreign-born share of nursing home workers rose three percentage points from 2007 to 2021, to about 18%, according to an analysis of census data by the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University in Houston.
And foreign-born workers make up a high share of other direct care providers. More than 40% of home health aides, 28% of personal care workers, and 21% of nursing assistants were foreign-born in 2022, compared with 18% of workers overall that year, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
That workforce is in jeopardy amid an immigration crackdown
President Donald Trump launched on his first day back in office. He signed executive orders that expanded the use of deportations without a court hearing, suspended refugee resettlements, and more recently ended humanitarian parole programs for nationals of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
In invoking the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelans and attempting to revoke legal permanent residency for others, the Trump administration has sparked fear that even those who have followed the nation’s immigration rules could be targeted.
“There’s just a general anxiety about what this could all mean, even if somebody is here legally,” said Katie Smith Sloan, president of LeadingAge, a nonprofit representing more than 5,000 nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and other services for aging patients. “There’s concern about unfair targeting, unfair activity that could just create trauma, even if they don’t ultimately end up being deported, and that’s disruptive to a health care environment.”
Shutting down pathways for immigrants to work in the United States, Smith Sloan said, also means many other foreign workers may go instead to countries where they are welcomed and needed.
“We are in competition for the
BUSINESS CHECKING
same pool of workers,” she said. Growing demand as labor pool likely to shrink
Demand for caregivers is predicted to surge in the U.S. as the youngest baby boomers reach retirement age, with the need for home health and personal care aides projected to grow about 21% over a decade, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Those 820,000 additional positions represent the most of any occupation. The need for nursing assistants and orderlies also is projected to grow, by about 65,000 positions.
Caregiving is often low-paying and physically demanding work that doesn’t attract enough native-born Americans. The median pay ranges from about $34,000 to $38,000 a year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and home health agencies have long struggled with high turnover rates and staffing shortages, Smith Sloan said, and they now fear that Trump’s immigration policies will choke off a key source of workers, leaving many older and disabled Americans without someone to help them eat, dress, and perform daily activities.
With the Trump administration reorganizing the Administration for Community Living, which runs programs supporting older adults and people with disabilities, and Congress considering deep cuts to Medicaid, the largest payer for long-term care in the nation, the president’s anti-immigration policies are creating “a perfect storm” for a sector that has not recovered from the covid-19 pandemic, said Leslie Frane, an executive vice president of the Service Employees International Union, which represents nursing facility workers and home health aides.
The relationships caregivers build with their clients can take years to develop, Frane said, and replacements are already hard to find.
In September, LeadingAge called for the federal government to help the industry meet staffing needs by raising caps on work-related u PAGE 4
Alex Eala continues career rise, climbs to world No. 73
by lance agcaoIlI Inquirer.net
MANILA — Fast-rising Alex Eala continued her ascent in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) ranks.
The 19-year-old Eala on Monday, April 7 jumped to world No. 73, climbing two spots in the latest rankings.
“It sounds amazing. You know, at this level, every spot forward count. So I’m super blessed to be in this position. And I never expected it maybe a month ago that I would be here right now. So surprised, but in a good way and motivated, definitely,” said Eala in a virtual press conference on Tuesday, April 8.
Eala made the top 75 after her historic campaign in the Miami Open, where she reached the semifinals after taking down three Grand Slam champions despite entering the tournament as a wild card.
Her dream run ended with a semifinal loss to Jessica Pegula, pushing the current world No. 3 to her limits in a grueling three-set duel.
“Being in the top 100, higher ranking means that you have more possibilities to get into higher tournaments. So the thousands and more main draws. So hopefully, in the next few slams, I’m able to get into the main draw directly. So those are the opportunities I was talking about,” said Eala. “But of course, with that comes tougher opponents and more problems, obstacles, like I said in my post. So I’m also learning how to manage that now that I’ve done a great week. I think I have a good standard. There’s a new standard for me.”
Fresh off a breakthrough, the Rafa Nadal
Academy graduate is gearing up for a gauntlet in the next several weeks starting with a WTA 125 tournament, Oeiras Ladies Open in Portugal, on April 14. Eala then competes in another WTA 1000 in the Madrid Open on April 21, followed by WTA 125 in Vic, Spain. The Filipino prodigy will head to Italy next month as she plays in the WTA 1000 in Rome and WTA 125 in Parma on May 6 and 12, respectively.
“I haven’t been on clay in roughly a year. So it’s been a while since I’ve stepped on clay, but that’s really how it goes. The grass plus the hard season is very long. So I’m just trying to adjust my game, like feel around the court and feel comfortable with the clay,” she said. n
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Alex Eala Photo from Instagram/@alex.eala
FOOD MONTH. Fruits, vegetables and other agricultural products for sale at Kadiwa booths outside the Department of Agriculture-Davao Region office in Tugbok District, Davao City on Tuesday, April 8 in celebration of Filipino Food Month. The national initiative held every April aims to preserve, promote and elevate the country’s rich culinary traditions. PNA photo by Robinson Niñal Jr.
Protestors turn out en masse to denounce...
1
biggest day of demonstrations yet against the policies of Pres. Donald Trump and his biggest campaign donor and the world’s richest man, Elon Musk.
Signs denounced Trump’s actions threatening health care, Social Security and education, and accused the president of making it harder for the average American to live, while benefiting his richest friends.
The demonstrations were organized in more than 1,200 locations in all 50 states by more than 150 groups, including civil rights organizations such as the Invisibles, LGBTQ+ advocates, labor unions and election activists. The Berkeley protests stretched for blocks along Sacramento Street.
Through chants and raised fists, protestors expressed anger over Trump’s steps to eliminate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs in the workplace and other institutions, steps experts warn will threaten a range of sectors, healthcare among them. Advocates of DEI programs say they have provided a framework for the fostering of a more just and equitable society.
Protestors also denounced Trump’s mass deportation of immigrants, including those in the country as legal permanent residents, and of students stripped of their visas and detained by ICE because of their First Amendment activities.
Some voiced anger over the Trump administration’s scaled back protections to transgender people. In his first days in office, Trump ordered the removal of any mention of transgender people on government websites and passports.
Musk, a Trump adviser who runs Tesla, Space X and the social media platform X, has played a significant role in the downsizing as the head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). With Trump cheering him on, the chainsaw wielding tech entrepreneur has made recommendations to those in charge of federal agencies as to who should be laid off and who should remain. Thousands of federal employees have been shown the door in the last several weeks.
Trump insists he is saving taxpayers billions of dollars, though reporting by the New
York Times has found numerous accounting errors in DOGE’s public ledger. “All of my outrage can’t fit on this sign,” said one protestor and a Hands-Off organizer, pointing to her emoji-filled sign of angry faces. “They are tearing down the pillars of our democracy.”
Some of the signs were funny.
One said, “I’ve seen smarter cabinets at Ikea.” Another said, “Fight Truth Decay.”
A number of Pro-Palestinian supporters who began their protest rally from the El Cerrito Plaza Bart station parking lot joined the Berkeley protestors. Some of them carried the Palestinian flag. Some wore the black-and-white Palestinian checkered scarf. “Today, we are in solidarity with the various struggles,” said El Cerrito resident Leslie Adams. She said she opposed the idea of her tax dollars being used to fund the war on the Palestinian people.
(Viji Sundaram/American Community Media)
Viji Sundaram is a San Francisco Bay Area free-lance reporter. She covers domestic violence and family court issues for the San Francisco Public Press.
US takes down old travel advisory...
PAGE 1
the current situation,” Dizon said in a statement. “The Philippines has long complied with international aviation security standards, and we acted swiftly to correct this misinformation to protect our reputation and reassure travelers.”
In August 2019, the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) lifted the advisory after validating NAIA’s enhanced security measures. Since then, no new warnings have been raised against Philippine airports. The DOTr and the New NAIA Infra Corp. reiterated their commitment to maintaining
the highest safety and security standards at NAIA and all Philippine airports.
“This incident underscores the importance of accurate information,” Dizon said. “We will continue working closely with international partners to ensure seamless and secure travel for all passengers.” n
Real ID deadline looms: What US air...
1
Commission’s recommendation that the federal government “set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver’s licenses.”
After numerous delays, the act is a way to raise the minimum national standard of security, preventing access to certain federal facilities, commercial aircraft, and nuclear power plants unless you have an enhanced, state-issued license or identification card.
In a recent interview with Axios, a TSA spokesperson explained that travelers who don’t possess a Real ID by the deadline are highly encouraged to bring their passport or another accepted document with them when flying domestically. Still, it’s likely some travelers will forget to bring them, and the new requirements will lead to longer lines, which is why “TSA also recommends that these passengers arrive a little earlier than normal to allow time for the identity verification process.”
Arriving in an era of enhanced and more scrupulous security – a trend that includes contactless, multimodal (face and fingerprint recognition), and machine-learning biometrics – the Real ID’s primary purpose is to decrease fraud. As such, all Real ID licenses and cards are typically marked with a star (or encircled star) in the upper right-hand corner, though some states have slight design variations.
The Real ID also requires your full legal name, including your middle name, for the purpose of aiding background checks. These new requirements, however, can provide challenges for people with varied naming structures, specifically when it comes to middle names. Typically attached to one’s ethnicity, culture, or marital status, middle name conventions aren’t always consistent across different forms of documentation and have caused problems in an increasingly digital world.
In anticipation of the May 7 deadline, Spokeo used research and government resources to explore how these different middle name conventions may complicate the process of getting a Real ID.
The origins and evolution of middle names and their conventions
It’s hard to believe, but middle names weren’t always a common part of naming conventions. According to author Stephen Wilson, the custom of giving middle names likely started in 13th-century Italy, where it became common among elites before spreading to other social classes. The majority of the middle names, which took another century to reach the outer countryside, were those of saints, “with the idea that those saints would protect the children who bore their names.” The custom soon migrated to France and Spain, then to most of Europe and
the early United States by the beginning of the 19th century. The idea behind them? Experts believe the most prominent reason stems from concerns over lineage and inheritance, and attempts to preserve family or community names. But that’s not the case in all countries and cultures. Throughout Hispanic countries, the concept of a middle name doesn’t exist. In Spanish culture, people either have one or two given names— like Pedro or José Luis— and two surnames (the first belonging to the father and the second to the mother), a way to honor both lineages. More recently, to avoid confusion with anglophone countries, it’s become more popular for Hispanic people in the U.S. to add hyphens between their surnames. Traditional naming conventions in China and Russia also have their own unique patterns. Chinese names typically consist of three characters, with a singlecharacter surname followed by a one or two-character given name. In some families, children are given the same middle character as a way to identify their generational place in the family. Meanwhile, Russian names have three parts: a first name, a patronymic, and a surname. The patronymic is based on the father’s first name (with a suffix that signifies “son of” or “daughter of”) and is often used with the first name to represent someone’s gender, familial link, and regional background. Within the US, a majority of middle names for girls are monosyllabic. In a 2016 study from now-defunct genealogy site MooseRoots, 7 out of the top 10 girl middle names from the years 2010 through 2015 (the most recently studied years) had only one syllable, while boy names tended to be more traditional (Michael, James, Lee) throughout history. In addition, plenty of parents buck traditions with middle names, opting for ones inspired by pop culture or that imbue certain traits. Regardless of the convention, women are most likely to have issues squaring away their middle names over various documents. According to the Center for American Progress, an estimated 69 million American women and 4 million men don’t have birth certificates that match their current legal name. Whether someone has changed their middle name because of marriage, assimilation, or gender identity, many will face the consequences of new and proposed laws and regulations, like the recent SAVE Act, which would require people to present a passport, birth certificate, or alternative citizenship document when they register to vote or update their voter information. Critics say a voting rights bill like this can discriminate based on discrepancies in identification
Imee Marcos to officials involved in Duterte...
Detection Group chief Maj. Gen. Nicolas Torre III, were expected to attend the hearing on April 10.
“I don’t have the list, so I do not know who specifically, but there will be a hearing and there are officials who will attend. Senator Imee requested for some of them, like General Torre, who she said has to be at the hearing,” said Escudero in an interview with dzBB on Sunday, April 6. Escudero also said Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla was once again invited.
On April 3, Cabinet members snubbed the Senate panel on foreign relations’ invitation to attend its second hearing on Duterte’s arrest, staying committed to the Palace’s earlier decision to decline the invitation, citing executive privilege and the sub judice rule.
Only the following persons attended the inquiry:
• Securities and Exchange Commission’s Chief Counsel Atty. RJ Bernal
• Securities and Exchange Commission’s Supervising Securities Review Counsel Atty. Ferdino Logie Santiago
• Atty. Alexis Medina.
Palace: No reason for Senate to share...
person” without the consent of their country of origin.
`Protected person’
A “protected person” refers to a U.S. national or military personnel or any individual who is a lawful resident of a U.S. NATO ally or a “major nonNATO ally,” a designation the Philippines holds.
But during Monday’s briefing, April 7, Castro rejected dela Rosa’s suggestion by citing a portion of the same EO that the senator was referring to:
not to subject their personnel to the ICC’s jurisdiction consistent with their respective sovereign prerogatives.”
Castro explained in a mixture of Filipino and English, “So, this means that through this executive order, the United States respects the prerogatives of countries that are considered its allies. Therefore, whatever prerogative our country exercises, the U.S. will respect it.”
Chartered plane
paperwork, making it even more difficult for married women to vote, reports the 19th. What to know about getting a Real ID
In order to obtain a Real ID, you’ll need to check your state’s driver’s licensing agency website to determine the exact documents you need. However, according to the Department of Homeland Security, you’ll need at minimum documentation showing: full legal name; Social Security number; date of birth; two proofs of address for principal residence; and lawful status.
Still, middle names can make this process more challenging. One of the more common problems can involve married women who have swapped out their middle name for their maiden name. When Concord, New Hampshire, native Patricia Kamel switched her maiden name (Eaton) to her middle name, she ignored the middle name on her birth certificate (Joyce). The new name was accepted by credit cards, banks, and even the DMV, but when she applied for her Real ID in 2019, clerks told her she needed a birth certificate or marriage license that matched those other documents.
That initial requirement has since been relaxed in New Hampshire, but the majority of other states like New Jersey still require secondary document names to match primary ones. The rigidity even provoked a Change.org petition to be posted regarding discrimination against married New Jersey women. For some who now use their maiden name as a middle name and changed their Social Security accordingly, the only option to get a Real ID is to go probate court (a $250 expense) to legally change their full name, or use their birth middle name and change their Social Security name, which won’t match any other documents.
There are similar issues that Hispanic people and others without a middle name should consider. Many times, when these recorded names are digitized, U.S. clerks don’t grasp the naming conventions and assume the second given name is actually a middle name, or that both last names should be hyphenated. If one’s first name is “Juan Pablo,” then that should be reflected across all documents, not “Juan” in some and “Pablo” in others. In any event, it’s crucial to have the correct paperwork (or proper changes to it) as you prepare for the nationwide switch. Once you’re set with the right documents, the easiest way to get a Real ID is to schedule an appointment at your local DMV. The changes can provide logistical hurdles, but if you follow instructions and make the switch as soon as possible, you may save yourself a lot of time and hassle down the line. (Jake Kring-Schreifels/ Inquirer.net)
“The United States remains committed to the accountability and to the peaceful cultivation of international order at the ICC. And the parties to the Rome Statute must expect the decisions of the United States and other countries
Castro, in a briefing on March 14, confirmed that the Office of the President paid for the chartered plane that brought Duterte to ICC headquarters in The Hague, Netherlands. She said this was part of the administration’s commitment to comply with the International
The senator had previously accused President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of breaking his promise not to cooperate with the ICC on Duterte’s case.
“He told me before: ‘Don’t worry, I will never cooperate with the ICC because after you, who’s next? It might be us.’ That’s what he told me,” dela Rosa told reporters in Filipino in a phone patch interview with Senate reporters.
This allegation was shrugged off by Castro, pointing out that dela Rosa could easily defend himself before the ICC if he is indeed innocent. n
Immigration crackdowns disrupt the...
immigration visas, expanding refugee status to more people, and allowing immigrants to test for professional licenses in their native language, among other recommendations.
But, Smith Sloan said, “There’s not a lot of appetite for our message right now.”
The White House did not respond to questions about how the administration would address the need for workers in long-term care. Spokesperson Kush Desai said the president was given “a resounding mandate from the American people to enforce our immigration laws and put Americans first” while building on the “progress made during the first Trump presidency to bolster our healthcare workforce and increase healthcare affordability.”
Refugees fill nursing home jobs in Wisconsin
Until Trump suspended the refugee resettlement program, some nursing homes in Wisconsin had partnered with local churches and job placement programs to hire foreign-born workers, said Robin Wolzenburg, a senior vice president for LeadingAge Wisconsin.
Many work in food service and housekeeping, roles that free up nurses and nursing assistants to work directly with patients. Wolzenburg said many immigrants are interested in direct care roles but take on ancillary roles because they cannot speak English fluently or lack U.S. certification.
Through a partnership with the Wisconsin health department and local schools, Wolzenburg said, nursing homes have begun to offer training in English, Spanish, and Hmong for immigrant workers to become direct care professionals. Wolzenburg said the group planned to roll out training in Swahili soon for Congolese women in the state.
Over the past 2½ years, she said, the partnership helped Wisconsin nursing homes fill more than two dozen jobs. Because refugee admissions are suspended, Wolzenburg said, resettlement agencies aren’t taking on new candidates and have paused job placements to nursing homes.
Many older and disabled immigrants who are permanent residents rely on foreign-born caregivers who speak their native language and know their customs. Frane with the SEIU noted that many members of San Francisco’s large Chinese American community want their aging parents to be cared for at home, preferably by someone who can speak the language.
“In California alone, we
have members who speak 12 different languages,” Frane said. “That skill translates into a kind of care and connection with consumers that will be very difficult to replicate if the supply of immigrant caregivers is diminished.”
The ecosystem a caregiver supports Caregiving is the kind of work that makes other work possible, Frane said. Without outside caregivers, the lives of the patient and their loved ones become more difficult logistically and economically.
“Think of it like pulling out a Jenga stick from a Jenga pile, and the thing starts to topple,” she said.
Thanks to the one-on-one care from Ortiz, Josephine has learned to communicate when she’s hungry or needs help. She now picks up her clothes and is learning to do her own hair. With her anxiety more under control, the violent meltdowns that once marked her weeks have become far less frequent, Ortiz said.
“We live in Josephine’s world,” Ortiz said in Spanish. “I try to help her find her voice and communicate her feelings.”
Ortiz moved to New Jersey from Venezuela in 2022 as part of an au pair program that connects foreign-born workers with people who are older or children with disabilities who need a caregiver at home.
Fearing political unrest and crime in her home country, she got temporary protected status when her visa expired last year to keep her authorization to work in the United States and stay with Josephine.
Losing Ortiz would upend Josephine’s progress, Senek said. The teen would lose not only a caregiver, but also a sister and her best friend. The emotional impact would be devastating.
“You have no way to explain to her, ‘Oh, Alanys is being kicked out of the country, and she can’t come back,’” she said. It’s not just Josephine: Senek and her husband depend on Ortiz so they can work full-time jobs and take care of themselves and their marriage. “She’s not just an au pair,” Senek said.
The family has called its congressional representatives for help. Even a relative who voted for Trump sent a letter to the president asking him to reconsider his decision.
In the March 31 court decision, U.S. District Judge Edward Chen wrote that canceling the protection could “inflict irreparable harm on hundreds of thousands of persons whose lives, families, and livelihoods will be severely disrupted.”
‘Doing the work that their own people don’t want to do’ News of immigration
dragnets that sweep up lawfully present immigrants and mass deportations are causing a lot of stress, even for those who have followed the rules, said Nelly Prieto, 62, who cares for an 88-year-old man with Alzheimer’s disease and a man in his 30s with Down syndrome in Yakima County, Washington.
Born in Mexico, she immigrated to the United States at age 12 and became a U.S. citizen under a law authorized by President Ronald Reagan that made any immigrant who entered the country before 1982 eligible for amnesty. So, she’s not worried for herself. But, she said, some of her co-workers working under H-2B visas are very afraid.
“It kills me to see them when they talk to me about things like that, the fear in their faces,” she said. “They even have letters, notarized letters, ready in case something like that happens, saying where their kids can go.” Foreign-born home health workers feel they are contributing a valuable service to American society by caring for its most vulnerable, Prieto said. But their efforts are overshadowed by rhetoric and policies that make immigrants feel as if they don’t belong.
“If they cannot appreciate our work, if they cannot appreciate us taking care of their own parents, their own grandparents, their own children, then what else do they want?” she said.
“We’re only doing the work that their own people don’t want to do.”
In New Jersey, Ortiz said life has not been the same since she received the news that her TPS authorization was slated to end soon. When she walks outside, she fears that immigration agents will detain her just because she’s from Venezuela.
She’s become extra cautious, always carrying proof that she’s authorized to work and live in the U.S. Ortiz worries that she’ll end up in a detention center. But even if the U.S. now feels less welcoming, she said, going back to Venezuela is not a safe option.
“I might not mean anything to someone who supports deportations,” Ortiz said. “I know I’m important to three people who need me.”
This article was produced by KFF Health News, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation.
KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces indepth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism.
Criminal Police Organization.
This was not the first time that Dela Rosa criticized the Marcos administration over Duterte’s arrest.
On
Dateline PhiliPPines
PH, US launch air drills, aim for ‘strategic deterrence’
by Francisco Tuyay ManilaTimes.net
THE Philippine and U.S. air forces kicked off joint exercises Monday aimed at boosting operational coordination and enhancing “strategic deterrence,” the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said. The drills follow months of confrontations between Beijing and Manila over disputed areas of the South China Sea, with significantly larger U.S.-Philippine air, land and sea exercises set for late April.
“Enhancing combat readiness and elevating joint mission effectiveness” would be central to the Cope Thunder exercise, Philippine Air Force commander Arthur Cordura said Monday at a ceremony at Clark Air Base in Mabalacat, Pampanga, to launch the drills.
Philippine Air Force spokesman
Col. Ma. Consuelo Castillo said the PAF is deploying 729 personnel and various types of aircraft, including FA-50PH, A-29B Super Tucano, S-76A and S70i Blackhawk helicopters.
The U.S. Pacific Air Forces (Pafac), on the other hand, sent 250 personnel and 12 F-16 fighter
jets.
The exercise will highlight field training exercises on aircraft maneuvers and tactics.
For the first time, the PAF is hosting an International Observer Program (IOP) as part of the exercise, participated in by representatives from the Royal Malaysian Air Force, Royal Thai Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force, Japan Air Self-Defense Force, and Indonesian Air Force.
The exercise will also feature Subject Matter Expert Exchanges (SMEEs) covering a wide range of domains including fighter and close air support operations, helicopter operations, cybersecurity, communications, aircraft maintenance, logistics, security and medical services.
Military ties between the Philippines and the United States have deepened since the 2022 election of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., with Manila pushing back on sweeping Chinese claims in the South China Sea that an international tribunal has ruled are without merit.
The U.S. State Department last week approved a long-mooted sale of 20 F-16 fighter jets to the Philippines, though Manila said the deal was “still in the
negotiation phase.”
Speaking at Monday’s ceremony, U.S. Maj. Gen. Christopher Sheppard said that “the pace of our alliance is accelerating.”
Cope Thunder, which will continue through April 18, aims to enhance “asymmetric warfare capabilities,” operational coordination and strategic deterrence, according to the Philippine Air Force.
“Further down the road, we look forward to the seamless transition to exercise Balikatan, which will continue to push the boundaries of our interoperability,” Cordura added.
Like the majority of Balikatan’s planned activities, Cope Thunder will be conducted on northern Luzon island, the area of the Philippines closest to Taiwan.
As China encircled Taiwan with planes and ships in a simulated blockade last week, AFP Chief Romeo Brawner warned troops that their country would “inevitably” be involved should the self-ruled island be invaded.
Beijing insists Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to forcefully bring it under its control. (With reports from Agence France-Presse)
Go tops Pulso ng Pilipino survey
by BernadeTTe Tamayo
ManilaTimes.net
SEN. Bong Go topped the Pulso ng Pilipino survey in March which reaffirmed his position as a leading contender in this year's senatorial race.
The survey, conducted from March 22-29 that polled 1,800 respondents nationwide, showed that 57.6 percent of voters favored Go, placing him in the 1-2 ranking.
"The results echo a persistent and growing support for the senator, widely known for his hands-on approach to public service and close engagement with Filipinos at the grassroots," Go's office said in a statement on Monday, April 7.
Joining Go in the Magic 12 is PDP-Laban party-mate and fellow reelectionist Sen. Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, independent candidate Ben Tulfo and nine candidates from the proadministration's Alyansa ng Bagong Pilipinas.
Trailing Go is former Senate
President Vicente "Tito Sen" Sotto III with 56.3 percent. In sole third place with 51 percent is ACT-CIIS party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo followed by Sen. Pia Cayetano at fourth place with 47 percent. In fifth place is reelectionist Sen. Lito Lapid with 46 percent, followed by former senator Panfilo Lacson with 43.3 percent and Sen. Bong Revilla with 42.5 percent.
On the eighth to ninth spots are Makati Mayor Abigail "Abby" Binay with 38.7 percent and reelectionist Sen. Francis "Tol" Tolentino with 37.5 percent. Three candidates share the 10th to 12th places — Ben Tulfo with 34.7 percent, Dela Rosa, 35 percent, and former senator Emmanuel "Manny" Pacquiao with 31.5 percent.
In the Pahayag 2025 first quarter survey conducted by Publicus Asia Inc. from March 15-20, Go also emerged as the top senatorial candidate, garnering 45 percent in the aided preference category.
Go topped the March 2025 Social Weather Stations survey commissioned by Stratbase, registering a voter preference rating of 42 percent.
"His lead in the Pulse Asia February 20-26 survey further cements this momentum," his office said. Go garnered 58.1 percent, a significant jump from the 50.4 percent he recorded in January, where he then ranked second to third.
The senator thanked Filipinos for their continued trust.
"Senator Go's continued ascent in public opinion surveys underscores the deep trust many Filipinos place in his accessibility and responsiveness, especially in times of need," his camp said.
As chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, Go pushed for measures that expand health care access and bring services closer to the people through initiatives like Malasakit Centers, Super Health Centers, and Regional Specialty Centers. n
Kanlaon Volcano erupts, maintains Alert Level 3
by Ian laquI Philstar.com
MANILA — Kanlaon Volcano in Negros erupted early Tuesday morning, April 8, producing a massive ash plume and pyroclastic flows, the state volcanology bureau Phivolcs reported.
Roque told: Return to Philippines
by Jose roDel claPano Philstar.com
MANILA — Instead of posting vlogs attacking the government, former presidential spokesman Harry Roque should return to the Philippines and face the House inquiry into his alleged involvement with Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs), La Union Rep. Paolo Ortega V said on Tuesday, April 7. Roque’s antics on social media showed his “rotten style of evading accountability,” Ortega pointed out.
In a video posted on Tuesday, the former spokesman accused the Marcos administration of using issues with China to distract from the public’s anger over the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte. Ortega highlighted Roque’s lack of commentary on China’s aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea.
“They will only comment in defense of the aggressive tactics of China. But when it comes to our own country, in the West Philippine Sea, they don’t utter a word,” he said. In the Netherlands, Roque
applied for asylum following the detention of Duterte for alleged crimes against humanity stemming from his bloody war on drugs. Roque failed in his bid to be part of Duterte’s defense team at the International Criminal Court.
Ortega said Roque might no longer return to the Philippines.
“He has cases and Congress is waiting for him,” he noted.
Facing an arrest order for contempt of the House, Roque is accused of human trafficking over his alleged links to Lucky South 99, a raided POGO hub. n
Monitoring systems, including IP cameras and thermal imaging, detected pyroclastic
The “explosive eruption” began at 5:51 a.m., prompting Phivolcs to maintain Alert Level 3 over the volcano. This indicates heightened unrest and the possibility of further eruptions. The eruption generated a towering plume of ash and volcanic gases that reached an estimated height of 4,000 meters. Prevailing winds are carrying the plume southwest, according to Phivolcs.
density currents descending the southern slopes of Kanlaon Volcano. Such currents are fastmoving flows of hot gas, ash, and volcanic debris that move close to the ground during explosive eruptions. Phivolcs continues to monitor Kanlaon’s activity closely as it warns nearby communities to remain vigilant against potential hazards. n
COPE THUNDER. Philippine Air Force and US Air Force personnel wave in front of a US F-16 fighter jet during the opening ceremony of Cope Thunder, an annual bilateral exercise between the US Pacific Air Forces and the Philippine Air Force, at Clark Air Base near Angeles City, on April 7, 2025.
Photo courtesy of the Armed Foces of the Philippines
Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. Photo from the House of Representatives
REMEMBRANCE. The Philippine flag is lowered to half-staff at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier memorial at Libingan ng mga Bayani in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City on Tuesday, April 8. The Philippines observes the 83rd Day of Valor (Araw ng Kagitingan) on April 9 in honor of World War II heroes.
PNA photo by Yancy Lim
OPiniOn Features
Why we must fear Trump’s tariffs
WHEN United States President Donald Trump unleashed last week new tariffs on American imports from dozens of countries, the Philippines included, Canada immediately vowed to institute countermeasures, while China and the European Union (EU) vowed to also fight back. Nearer home, Vietnam will form a task force to address the situation, while Thailand and Malaysia said they will negotiate to bring down the stiff tariffs imposed by the U.S.
In the Philippines, the reaction from the government and the country’s biggest business groups was, as Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry chair George Barcelon said, to look at the tariffs “from the positive side.”
Editorial
Philippine exports to the U.S. will be charged a 17-percent tariff starting April 9. In contrast, more punishing tariffs were slapped on most of our competitors in Southeast Asia: Vietnam at 46 percent, Thailand at 36 percent, Indonesia at 32 percent, Malaysia at 24 percent, and Cambodia at 49 percent.
“[T]his is an advantage for us since imports from us will be cheaper,” Philippine Exporters Confederation president Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr. told the Inquirer. “Technically, if you look at it from a general perspective, that’s positive for us,” noted Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.
Wrong signal
“T]he Philippines will be in a better position as an alternative source of U.S. importers versus our neighbors,” added Danilo Fausto, president of the Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food. Malacañang said it will have a “very minimal” impact on the economy since the Philippines “does not export much to the U.S.”
Such a penchant to look at the bright side in every troubling situation is not bad, but this mindset can be rather disturbing in the current economic case. It sends the wrong signal to Filipino consumers and workers that there is nothing to be worried about, that everything will be fine, that it will be business as usual. The truth is that Trump’s tariff policy, if implemented for a long period, presents a huge risk that will affect the global economy.
THE recent approval of the U.S. State Department for the sale of 20 F-16s to the Philippines aligns with the Trump administration’s mantra of “deterrence through strength” – the same message that U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth highlighted during his visit to Manila.
Reiterating that the relationship between the Philippines and the U.S. is “ironclad” – a term that was first used during the first term of President Trump, the U.S. Cabinet official underscored that the US will deliver and prioritize its shift to the Indo-Pacific region “in a way that is unprecedented to match the threats of the future, with the recognition that for the 21st century to be a free century, America needs to stand alongside its allies and partners shoulder to
TO understand President Don-
ald J. Trump’s shocking tariffs slapped on more than 160 nations including its traditional and closest allies and trading partners, read the latest Central Intelligence Agency’s annual threat assessment report. The U.S. has vaunted economic and military might: $28 trillion GDP, 25 percent of the world; the world’s still unrivalled military superpower. Still, America feels insecure and threatened.
Donald’s response to the threats, bizarrely, are reciprocal tariffs, a minimum of 10 percent, on countries like Singapore, and 76 percent average tariff, on China –more than 20 times 2018’s, during Trump’s first term.
Among nations counted as threats to the U.S., China is No. 1. “China presents the most comprehensive and robust military threat to U.S. national security,” says the CIA.
The UN Trade and Development (Unctad) issued on April 4 an alert that the international trade system is entering a critical phase that threatens growth, investment, and progress. As major economies are set to impose sweeping new tariffs, “global economic growth could decline further [and] in a low-growth, high-debt global economy, higher tariffs risk weakening investment and trade flows… This could erode confidence, slow investment, and threaten development gains.”
Large-scale trade war
Unctad added that the most vulnerable will be the countries with minimal responsibility for the U.S.’ trade imbalances, stressing that the solution must come through dialogue and negotiation, not escalation. The immediate reactions to Trump’s tariffs bolster this fear. Several countries have threatened to engage the U.S. in a trade war, sending financial and stock markets plunging.
The point is that even this early, the Philippines should already worry about the bigger picture and what lies ahead if the high U.S. tariffs persist. It should brace for what economists refer to as the potential secondary impact. History has shown that nothing good results from a large-scale trade war.
As corporations worldwide struggle, they will cut expenses and, in turn, impact on the country’s biggest revenue earners — overseas Filipino workers and the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry.
These two alone will deal a severe blow to the entire consumer-driven Philippine economy. Lesser remittances and BPO earnings will force Filipinos to spend less, affecting various industries from property to consumer goods.
shoulder,” and that together they will “establish the deterrence necessary to prevent war.”
As Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro noted, the enduring support of the United States – as seen when the Philippines was exempted from a global foreign aid freeze and the green light given for $336 million in military aid – shows the importance the U.S. puts on the stability of U.S.-Philippine relations as “a linchpin of securing peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.”
We’re hopeful that we could secure a long-term loan from the U.S. for the purchase of the brand-new aircraft and other defense items, which could be delivered in tranches, similar to the acquisition of the 10 Blackhawk helicopters last year. Hopefully, the terms for a military financing package could soon be discussed by officials of the Department of National Defense and their American counterparts.
“The PRC seeks to compete with the U.S. as the leading economic power in the world. The strategy calls for a centralized, state-directed and nationally resourced approach to dominating global markets and strategic supply chains, limiting foreign competitors and making other nations dependent on China,” warns the CIA.
Actually, China’s economy is now bigger than America’s. Its GDP in purchasing power parity is $39.44 trillion in 2025, with a per capita GDP of $28,010, making it the largest economy globally. The U.S.’s GDP, PPP, is $30.37 trillion.
In technology, China’s free DeepSeek, developed for only $5 million, is seen as just as good, if not better, than ChatGPT, developed at a cost of billions. China’s bioeconomy is now worth $3.3 trillion.
“China has made progress in producing advanced seven-nanometer (nm) semiconductor chips for cryptocurrency mining and cellular devices using previously acquired deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography equipment,
Also consider that less international maritime trade means fewer Filipino seafarers. The domino effect goes on until we wake up one day to an economy in a recessionary tailspin characterized by declining economic activity, job losses, and instability.
Collateral damage
An assessment last month by trade and development economist Annette PelkmansBalaoing cited the indirect but significant effects on the Philippines of Trump’s tariff escalation. If this causes a slowdown in global demand, Philippine exports of electronics, garments, and processed food will suffer.
The worst that can happen is a prolonged trade war. “The last time the world saw a full-scale trade
war, during the 1930s, it plunged the global economy into recession. The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930 led to retaliatory measures that collapsed global trade and deepened the Great Depression. The economic devastation fueled nationalism, protectionism, and extremism, paving the way for World War II as nations turned inward and blamed foreign actors for their misfortunes. The lessons from history are clear: aggressive protectionism rarely ends well,” she pointed out.
Countries such as ours have very little say in the global economy. We simply become collateral damage in the looming global trade war following Trump’s punitive tariff policy. It’s true that we can hope for the best, but we must also brace for the worst. (Inquirer.net)
AFP modernization in full swing
This most recent development is another significant indication of the Trump administration’s commitment to enhance bilateral relations with the Philippines and help strengthen the capability of our armed forces.
President Marcos has been very focused on the AFP modernization program, knowing how critical it is to equip the armed forces in order to address the evolving challenges that our country faces. Modernization is now in full swing to turn the AFP into a force that can “hold its own on the global stage” and stand “shoulder to shoulder with the world’s finest armed forces.”
Not too long ago, I had a good meeting with Republican Senator Lindsey Graham (chairman of the Senate committee on the budget and one of President Trump’s closest friends and allies in the U.S. Senate). I informed him that we have always been a real partner of the United States not
merely in terms of our mutual defense treaty but economically as well. To achieve our goals in bumping up the capability of our armed forces, we need to be economically prosperous so that we have enough resources to buy more U.S.-made defense equipment and increase our interoperability and modernize our military.
Senator Graham was extremely pleased when I mentioned that one of the biggest aspirations of our Air Force was to acquire the F-16s, because it so happens that Lockheed Martin manufactures the aircraft in Greenville, in his home state of South Carolina –this probably precipitated the acceleration of the approval.
Of course, a lot of work will have to be done in terms of securing the financing with favorable terms. But at the end of the day, what is really important is we need to work closely with the United States and speed up our AFP modernization
program, strengthen our defense posture and continue our joint maritime exercises with likeminded nations who believe in the importance of promoting a rules-based maritime order and a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Karma
I went to Charlotte, North Carolina over the weekend where the Philippines was the country of honor during the 15th Annual Ambassador’s Ball of the Allegro Foundation, a nonprofit organization benefiting children with disabilities.
A number of North Carolina’s wealthy individuals donate to the foundation, and as I told the 300 guests representing the Charlotte-area business and society, having an opportunity to do something good, especially for a fellow human being, is truly a blessing.
“It is a blessing to do good, because if there is one thing undisputedly true, it is karma. When you do something good,
It’s USA vs China
but will face challenges achieving high-quality, high-volume production of these chips without access to extreme ultraviolet lithography tools,” says the CIA.
“Beijing has prioritized technology sectors such as advanced power and energy, AI, biotechnology, quantum information science and semiconductors, further challenging U.S. efforts to protect critical technologies by tailoring restrictions narrowly to address national security concerns.”
The CIA’s 2025 Annual Threat Assessment (ATA) combines intelligence from various agencies on threats to U.S. citizens, U.S. homeland and U.S. interests in the world.
These are foreign actors targeting U.S. health and safety, critical infrastructure, industries, wealth and government. State adversaries and their proxies are trying to weaken and displace U.S. economic and military power in their regions and across the globe. Both state and non-state actors pose multiple immediate threats to the homeland and U.S. national interests.
Among the threats: terrorist and transnational criminal organizations; cartels, largely responsible for the more than 52,000 U.S. deaths from synthetic opioids and which helped facilitate nearly three million illegal migrant arrivals in 2024; cyber and intelligence actors targeting US wealth, critical infrastructure, telecom and media.
“These threats reinforce each other, creating a vastly more complex and dangerous security environment,” the agency reports.
In particular, the main enemies of America are the CRINK group – China, Russia, Iran and North Korea, which the CIA says “individually and collectively –are challenging U.S. interests in the world by attacking or threatening others in their regions, with both asymmetric and conventional hard power tactics and promoting alternative systems to compete with the U.S., primarily in trade, finance and security. They seek to challenge the U.S. and other countries through deliberate campaigns to gain an advantage, while also trying to
avoid direct war.” The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is a world-class military by 2049. This year, it launches its third aircraft carrier (CV-18 Fujian). China “remains the most active and persistent cyber threat to U.S. government, private-sector and critical infrastructure networks. The PRC’s campaign to preposition access on critical infrastructure for attacks during crisis or conflict, tracked publicly as Volt Typhoon, and its more recently identified compromise of U.S. telecommunications infrastructure, also referred to as Salt Typhoon, demonstrates the growing breadth and depth of the PRC’s capabilities to compromise U.S. infrastructure.”
“China’s dominance in the mining and processing of several critical materials is a particular threat, providing it with the ability to restrict quantities and affect global prices… A prolonged cessation in supplies controlled by China could disrupt critical inputs needed for U.S. industry and technological advancements.”
something good comes back to you, your family or your country. So I think there is so much karma that has taken place, especially here in the United States, which has been blessed with so much and is able to do good all over the world. We are hopeful it will continue to do so despite the many challenges it faces today,” I said in my remarks.
The yearly Ambassador’s Ball honoring U.S. allied partners is the main fundraising activity of the non-profit organization founded by Pat Farmer. The event was a great opportunity for us to promote the Philippines, giving out the jeepney and kalesa figures as well as tourism brochures that included high-end destination spots.
A highlight of the evening was the grand prize auction of a signature trip to the Philippines for two persons with roundtrip tickets donated by Philippine Airlines, complete
“China seeks access to the Arctic’s potentially vast natural resources, including oil, gas and minerals, even though China is not among the eight Arctic countries that control territory in the region. Beijing seeks to normalize more direct and efficient maritime shipping routes to Russia and other Northern Hemisphere areas, to fuel its economic growth and energy security and reduce its dependence on Middle East energy.”
Why is Trump interested in Greenland? Explains the CIA:
“China has gradually increased engagement with Greenland mainly through mining projects, infrastructure development and scientific research projects. Despite less active engagement right now, China’s long-term goal is to expand access to Greenland’s natural resources, as well as to use the same access as a key strategic foothold for advancing China’s broader and economic aims in the Arctic.”
In armaments, CIA suspects “the PLA Rocket Force probably is fielding the DF-27 ballistic
BaBe RomuaLdez
ManilaTimes.net photo
Marcos vows assistance to 3 Filipinos arrested in China
by heLen FLores Philstar.com
MANILA — President
Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has assured that all necessary assistance will be extended to three Filipinos arrested in China for alleged espionage, even as Malacañang declined to comment on claims that the arrests may be in retaliation for Manila’s crackdown against alleged Chinese spies.
“There is always an instruction to help our Filipino citizens abroad facing these kinds of charges. Legal assistance will always be given, all the necessary help and assistance will be provided,”
Undersecretary Claire Castro of the Palace press office said on Monday, April 7 at a briefing.
Chinese authorities arrested three Filipinos – David Servañez, Albert Endencia and Nathalie Plizardo – and accused them of working for a Philippine intelligence agency to gather classified information on its military.
In a statement on Saturday, April 5, the National Security Council (NSC) said the arrest of the three for alleged spying may be in retaliation for the recent arrest for espionage of several Chinese nationals in the country.
Asked for comment on the NSC’s statement, Castro said there is no concrete evidence yet if it was really an act of retaliation by the other country.
“We will not say that because there is no final investigation on that matter. But there is still ongoing investigation on that, and we will just defer all the details to DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) and to DND (Department of National Defense),” she said.
The Security Council’s assistant director general, Jonathan Malaya, earlier said the supposed confessions of the arrested Filipinos appear to have been obtained through coercion.
The agencies the three are allegedly being accused of working for – the Philippine Intelligence Agency and the Philippine Spy Intelligence Services – do not exist.
“Given the limited information released by Chinese media, the arrests can be seen as a retaliation for the series of legitimate arrests of Chinese agents and accomplices by Philippine law enforcement and counter-intelligence agencies in
recent months,” Malaya said. Servañez, Endencia and Plizardo were former recipients of the Hainan Government Scholarship Program established under the sisterhood agreement between the provinces of Hainan and Palawan, according to Malaya.
The program provided scholarships to 50 residents of Palawan at the Hainan National University, he said.
“They are ordinary Filipino citizens with no military training who merely went to China at the invitation of the Chinese government to study,” Malaya said.
After completing their studies, the three reportedly returned to China as migrant workers.
Missing for months
Servañez, Endencia and Plizardo have been missing for months, according to a local official from Palawan, their home province.
Palawan Board Member Ryan Dagsa Maminta, in an interview with “Storycon” on One News on Monday, confirmed that Servañez’s family lost communication with him as early as October last year.
“The other two, that was the recent arrest… just this year, (around) early January or February,” he added, referring to Endencia and Plizardo.
While there had been initial information about the arrest of the three, Maminta said their families were able to confirm their arrest only last week, when it was reported by Chinese state media.
He denied that the three had links with the Philippine security sector that would warrant suspicion that they are involved in espionage.
“We’re also wondering why it reached that point, why they ended up getting arrested,” he said in Filipino.
“They have no experience (in
the security sector). They have no capability, no training to do something like that,” he added.
‘Hostage diplomacy’
Meanwhile, Akbayan partylist on Monday raised alarm over the arrest of the three Filipinos, warning that the detentions may be part of a “hostage diplomacy” tactic aimed at pressuring the Philippine government into a prisoner exchange.
In a statement, Akbayan first nominee Chel Diokno said the arrests smacked of a “palit-ulo” (exchanging people) scheme, calling it a “dangerous ploy to extract concessions” following the apprehension of Chinese nationals suspected of spying in the Philippines.
“This has all the hallmarks of hostage diplomacy,” Diokno said. “Our fellow Filipinos are being used as bargaining chips to secure the release of Chinese nationals caught engaging in espionage in our country. We must not allow our citizens to be treated as pawns.”
Akbayan also questioned the authenticity of video confessions released by Chinese state media, in which the Filipinos allegedly admitted links to fictitious agencies.
Diokno said the footage appeared scripted and possibly coerced.
“We urge the Department of Foreign Affairs to issue a travel advisory warning Filipinos of the risk of arbitrary detention in China,” Diokno said. He also called on the Department of the Interior and Local Government to review existing sister-city and sisterprovince agreements with Chinese localities, warning of possible national security risks. (With reports from Mark Ernest Villeza, Janvic Mateo)
MANILA – The Philippine government confirmed that another missing Filipino in earthquake-stricken Myanmar has died.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Thursday, April 10 confirmed the "positive identification" of the Filipino's remains but declined to provide further information.
The victim is one of the four Filipinos earlier reported missing after the Sky Villa, the condominium they were residing in, collapsed as a powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck the Southeast Asian country on March 28.
"The family of the deceased Filipino has been informed. They have requested media to respect their privacy in this very difficult time," the DFA said in a statement. "We continue to hope for the best for the remaining two Filipinos still unaccounted for in Mandalay, Myanmar." On Wednesday, April 9 the DFA also confirmed the positive identification of the remains of Francis Aragon, the first Filipino fatality in the earthquake. (PNA)
AFP modernization in full swing
with a complimentary stay. The winning bid came from Felix Sabates, a wealthy philanthropist from Florida who was a former NASCAR team owner. Just recently, Forbes came out with a list of the wealthiest individuals in the Philippines. I have known all of them and
they have their own charitable foundations. They are good Filipinos doing what they can in helping their fellowmen – that’s why they continue to be blessed. To a certain extent, we Filipinos are more blessed than most because we are good people who are inherently kind to our fellowmen – believing that good
It’s USA vs China
missile, with a hypersonic glide vehicle payload option and an estimated range of between 5,000 and 8,000 kilometers. The PLA ground forces are also fielding its most advanced multiple rocket launcher, the PCH191, increasing its long-range, precision-strike capability. The PLA already has the capability “to conduct longrange precision strikes with conventional weapons against
the Homeland’s periphery in the Western Pacific, including Guam, Hawaii and Alaska.”
* * * The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.
*
Beijing has increasingly applied stronger coercive pressure on Taiwan to further its goal of eventual unification. The CIA says “a conflict between China and Taiwan would disrupt U.S. access to trade and semiconductor technology critical to the global economy. Even without U.S. involvement in such a conflict, there would likely be significant and costly consequences to U.S. and global economic and security interests.” (Philstar. com)
* * Email: biznewsasia@gmail.com
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Malacañang file photo
RAISE TAXES. Doctors, medical professionals and health advocates gather at the Lung Center of the Philippines auditorium in Quezon City on Tuesday, April 8 to call on election candidates to support higher taxes on alcohol, cigarettes and vape products. The event presented the “Health Tax Heroes and Hazards” gallery to identify candidates’ voting records on the Sin Tax Law of 2012, Sin Tax Reform Law of 2020, and the so-called Sin Tax Sabotage bill which proposed lower tax rates supposedly to curb illicit trade. PNA photo by Joan Bondoc
THE ASIAN JOURNAL MAGAZINE
IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Friday, April 11, 2025
Filipino director Lav Diaz teases Cannes premiere of Magellan film starring Hollywood actor Gael Garcia Bernal
by Kristofer Purnell Philstar.com
DECORATED filmmaker
Lav Diaz teased his upcoming movie about Ferdinand Magellan starring Gael Garcia
Bernal could premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
Diaz was at the Doha Film Festival over the weekend and during a masterclass, he shared with the audience he had finished editing a two hours and 45 minute version of the movie titled “Magellan.”
He, however, still plans to make a full nine-hour version — as he is often known for lengthy runtimes.
When asked if he would premiere the movie at the Venice Film Festival, Diaz said he was instead looking at “an important festival in France.”
The director has a strong connection to Venice, winning the Best Film (Horizons) award in 2008 for “Melancholia,” the Golden Lion in 2016 for “ Ang Babaeng Humayo,” and Best Director (Horizons) in 2020 for “Genus, Pan.”
Diaz also has ties to Cannes, premiering “Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan” in the 2013 festival’s Un Certain Regard category, while “ Ang
Hupa premiered in the 2019 edition’s Directors’ Fortnight.
The full lineup of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival — where French actress Juliette Binoche will serve as Main Jury President — will be unveiled later this month.
The Portuguese explorer Magellan is best known for encountering the Philippines in 1521, falling at the hands of Lapu-Lapu’s fighters in Cebu.
The upcoming movie is inspired by the explorer’s wife Beatriz, whom Magellen
married two years before his expedition from Spain began. The edited version of “Magellan,” Diaz told Deadline in Doha, will focus on the titular character played by Bernal, while the longer version will involve Beatriz more. Meanwhile, the director told Screen Daily he plans on adapting into film a piece by Alexandre Dumas by the end of year, several months delayed after falling sick while completing “Magellan.”
Kathryn Bernardo on living alone, thriving alone
In the Philippines, moving out before marriage is often viewed as unconventional or even ungrateful by Marinel cruz Inquirer.net
AT 29, Kathryn Bernardo made one of the biggest moves of her life — literally. The actress decided to leave her family home and live on her own, a decision she described as both exciting and terrifying.
“I think it’s so brave that, every day, I show up and choose to grow and accept all the uncertainties,” Bernardo told Lifestyle in a recent interview.
“I don’t know what will happen.
I don’t know if I can do it alone. But I’m here for it. I’m very open. Wish me luck in the coming months.
“Part of me growing up is getting my own place. It’s like my transition stage. I feel that the next coming years are very important because they will dictate where I will go in the future.”
Bernardo’s decision to move out came at a time when she was experiencing what she described as “birthday blues” and a bit of a quarter-life crisis. “I just turned 29, and I feel so lost. I didn’t expect that I’d feel this, but I guess it’s part of adulting and growing up,” said Bernardo, who also recently decided to step out of her comfort zone as an actress by agreeing to be one of four judges in the reality talent search “Pilipinas Got Talent.”
(PGT also features actors Eugene Domingo and Donny Pangilinan, and former ABS-CBN president Freddie M. Garcia as judges.)
Emotional resilience
Dr. Mary May Malabanan, a registered psychologist and psychometrician, weighed in on the benefits of solo living, explaining that, when approached with preparation, it can significantly contribute to emotional resilience and selfawareness.
“Being alone may encourage individuals to tap into their inner potential and hone their skills through personal challenges,” Malabanan said. “In this way, they will become aware of their innate abilities and train themselves to bounce back from hardships, regaining happiness. This is the essence of good emotional resilience.”
However, she also acknowledged the cultural challenge of moving out in a country that values close family ties.
“When a family practices this tradition, a person’s decision to move out and live alone can
be difficult for both the family left behind and the individual moving. However, through proper communication, the positive effects of this decision can be explained, helping the family understand the benefits of living independently.”
Adjustment
In the Philippines, moving out before marriage is often viewed as unconventional or even ungrateful. Bernardo herself acknowledged that this transition isn’t just hers to navigate, but also her family’s. “I feel like getting my own place is a big adjustment for me and my family, especially my mom.”
Malabanan advised that the key to managing family concerns is clear and honest communication.
“The most effective way to address concerns is to articulate your objectives and goals. Be genuine and honest, emphasizing that you’ve thoroughly considered your decision, particularly regarding your safety. Additionally, outline your plans for regular visits, as this transition will also be an adjustment for your family,” she said.
She also reassured parents struggling with letting go: “We understand that parental love can be profound, leading some parents to want to maintain control even when their children have reached legal adulthood. Their feelings are valid, and it may take time for them to adjust. However, our minds and bodies possess a natural ability to eventually accept change.
To facilitate this adjustment, engaging in self-care practices is beneficial. Sharing their
Dolly de Leon joins Nicole Kidman in chilling new season of ‘Nine Perfect Strangers’
FILIPINO actress Dolly de Leon continues to break new ground internationally as Hulu unveils first-look images from the highly anticipated second season of "Nine Perfect Strangers," where she stars alongside Hollywood stars including Nicole Kidman, Mark Strong, and Annie Murphy. De Leon, who rose to global prominence with her performance in "Triangle of Sadness," appears as part of an entirely new ensemble cast in the upcoming season of the psychological drama based on Liane Moriarty's bestselling novel. The show follows nine strangers attending a highend wellness retreat run by the
enigmatic Masha Dmitrichenko, played by Kidman, in the snowy isolation of the Austrian Alps. As the retreat unfolds, Masha pushes each guest — and herself — toward the edge in the name of healing. The gripping narrative promises a tense exploration of emotional extremes, secrets, and personal transformations.
This marks another major milestone in de Leon's expanding international career, following her celebrated role in the Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or-winning movie, "Triangle of Sadness," which earned her historic nominations at the Golden Globe and BAFTA Awards. Her latest appearance
in "Nine Perfect Strangers" season 2 signals a continued presence in globally recognized productions.
Joining de Leon and Kidman in the cast are Henry Golding, Lena Olin, Christine Baranski, Lucas Englander, King Princess, Murray Bartlett, Maisie RichardsonSellers and Aras Aydin.
The second season premieres May 21 on Hulu, with the first two episodes streaming on launch day, followed by weekly releases.
The show is produced by CreaZion Studios, an awardwinning production company aiming to elevate Philippine content to the global stage. (ManilaTimes.net)
feelings with other parents who have experienced similar situations can be helpful. Open communication with their children about these feelings can also foster mutual understanding and support, allowing both parties to navigate this transition together.”
Practice self-care
Adjusting to solo living isn’t always smooth sailing. According to Malabanan, individuals who move out for the first time may face emotional struggles like low self-esteem, negative self-talk, or feelings of loneliness.
“Practicing self-care is essential,” she advised. “This includes connecting with trusted individuals to share experiences, maintaining a balanced diet, engaging in physical exercise, and prioritizing good sleep. All of these play a role in mental wellbeing.”
Malabanan also emphasized the power of positive affirmations.
“Statements like ‘I can do this,’ ‘I’m doing my best,’ and ‘I am capable’ can be beneficial. It’s important to acknowledge and accept negative emotions instead of ignoring them.”
Bernardo is allowing herself to feel every emotion that comes with this transition. She admitted, “It’s hitting me hard. I’m so scared. I’m so lost. But I’m allowing myself to be vulnerable.”
As she embarks on this journey, Bernardo said she is open to all the challenges and lessons that come with it—it’s actually her way of getting to know herself more. “I just want to feel everything right now,” she said.
Bianca Gonzalez speaks at WHO Western Pacific’s World Health Day event
by anne Pasajol Inquirer.net
BIANCA Gonzalez was invited by the World Health Organization Western Pacific to speak at this year’s World Health Day, where she underscored the importance of quality healthcare for mothers.
The Western Pacific Region, which is headquartered in Manila, is one of the six regions of the World Health Organization. The nonprofit organization, as per its website, “works with health authorities and other partners in 37 countries and areas with more than one quarter of the world’s population.”
The TV host, who is a UN Women volunteer, documented her stint as one of the speakers at the event, through her Instagram page on Monday, April 7.
“The theme ‘Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures,’ resonates with me so much as a mother, and it was inspiring to hear representatives from the government, diplomatic corps, partners and WHO colleagues from around the region come
together to push forward efforts to end preventable maternal and newborn deaths, and prioritize support for the well-being of mothers,” she said.
“I shared my own journey — through a challenging pregnancy and an emotional start to my daughter’s life — and I carry with me the stories of many other mothers who face even harder realities,” she continued.
“We all have a stake in this — whether you’re a parent, a son or daughter, a friend or an advocate, we all play an important role in making mothers everywhere feel safe, supported and cared for during pregnancy, childbirth and beyond,” she added. Meanwhile, Gonzalez also addressed last February the rampant circulation of death hoaxes on social media as she reminded the public to be vigilant of what they consume and share on the internet.
Gonzalez pointed out how many women in the Western Pacific region unfortunately do not have access to quality healthcare during pregnancies and childbirths. “That needs to change.”
Tia Carrere joins ‘Star Wars’ stars in Philippines-set ‘The Last Resort’
by Kristofer Purnell Philstar.com
FILIPINO American actress
Tia Carrere has joined the cast of "The Last Resort," an upcoming romantic-comedy movie set in the Philippines.
Carrere joins "Star Wars" franchise alums Daisy Ridley and Alden Ehrenreich in the film to be directed by Donald Petrie, whose past rom-coms include "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Day," "Miss Congeniality," and "Just My Luck." According to Deadline, Carrere's character is Reyna who owns a number of resorts.
The role plays into the film's synopsis, where Ridley's character Brooke — wanting to prove herself of running her father's hotel empire — scouts for a new resort location in the Philippines. There she meets Ehrenreich's Ben, an expatriate pilot who
helps her discover the nation's beauty.
"As love and duty collide, Brooke must choose between the life she's built and the one she's only just begun to love," the synopsis ends.
Carrere is best known for voicing Nani Pelekai in several "Lilo & Stitch" projects for Disney. She will portray a new character in the upcoming liveaction film adaptation, while Nani will be played by another Filipino-American actress Sydney Agudong. She starred in two "Wayne's World" movies, "Easter Sunday," "AJ and the Queen," "Relic Hunter," and"Duck Dodgers." The two-time Grammy winner had a recurring role in the series "General Hospital." "The Last Resort" will be penned by Karen McCullah, who was born in the Philippines as her father was assigned with the United States Navy to perform
Kathryn Bernardo
Photo from Instagram/@bernardokath
Lav Diaz
Philstar.com file photo
Dolly de Leon (leftmost) joins an international cast in Hulu’s ‘Nine Perfect Strangers’ season 2, set in the Austrian Alps.
Photo from CreaZion Studios
Bianca Gonzalez
Photo from Instagram/@iamsuperbianca
Graton Resort & Casino: Drive
THIS April, Graton Resort & Casino is turning up the excitement with dream car giveaways, live concerts, and allnew resort experiences.
Don’t miss your chance to drive away in your dream car! Every Saturday until April 26 from 7 p.m. to midnight, guests can win a Land Rover® Discovery or Range Rover® Velar in the $1 Million Dream Drive 9 Car Giveaway. Plus, 100 winners will receive $500 Free Slot Play each week. Bonus: Earn 5X entries every Saturday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. to maximize your chances!
Graton Resort & Casino is bringing an exciting lineup of live concerts to its stage!
• April 11, 2025 – Father-son duo Piolo & Inigo Pascual Award-winning actor, singer, and producer, Piolo Pascual is widely regarded as one of the most talented and versatile stars in the Philippine entertainment industry. His son, Inigo Pascual is an actor, singer, and songwriter, who gained popularity for releasing several hit songs like “Dahil Sa ‘Yo,” which became a chart-topping success in the Philippines. Join the ultimate Filipino heartthrobs as they take the stage together for a memorable night of music.
• May 17, 2025 – Always & Forever
Join legendary Filipino artists Pops Fernandez and Martin Nievera as they reunite on stage for a heartfelt night of music, memories, and timeless duets.
Don’t miss out on all the action! Tickets sell out fast, so purchase yours now at www.
gratonresortcasino.com.
Exciting new addition at Graton Resort & Casino
• April 18, 2025 – Pool now open Dive into luxury this summer!
Graton Resort & Casino invites you to experience our newly reopened pool oasis, launching April 18. Imagine sun-drenched days lounging in plush daybeds or private cabanas, with refreshing cocktails and gourmet bites delivered poolside. Experience an unforgettable summer and immerse yourself in an atmosphere of pure relaxation. Whether you're seeking a tranquil escape or a vibrant social scene, our pool offers the perfect backdrop.
Relax in comfort and privacy. Reserve your private cabana today by calling 707-588-7100.
A major milestone in Graton
APRIL marks the one-year anniversary of the Federal Trade Commission’s Impersonation Rule. Here’s how impersonation scams can hurt people, and what the FTC is doing to fight back. Impersonators pretend to be someone they’re not to try to steal your money or personal information. Scammers might pose as the government, saying you owe a fine or a toll. Or they may claim they’re from your bank, saying there’s something wrong with your account. Or they might pretend to be someone you know — like a grandchild in trouble.
Impersonation scams are, year after year, the top fraud reported to the FTC — and people reported losing nearly $3 billion
LOVE national parks?
There's a holiday for that! Join us for National Park Week happening April 19 to April 27 to celebrate everything “parks.”
There are more than 400 national parks of different shapes, sizes, and kinds to experience. Also discover what the National Park Service does to preserve natural and cultural heritage and provide recreational opportunities in communities across the country — and even the world! Five easy ways to celebrate
• Follow the fun on social media using #NationalParkWeek.
Join conversations with our parks and programs and share your own posts about your love of parks to inspire others.
Resort & Casino’s expansion
Graton Resort & Casino celebrated a major milestone in March with a Topping-Off Ceremony for its 179,620 square foot casino expansion. As part of a $1 billion project, the expansion includes a new poker room, rooftop restaurant, high-limit area, and sports bar — set to open in early 2026. Attendees, including Tribal leaders and team members, signed the final beam before it was raised into place, marking the next chapter of growth and enhanced guest experiences at Graton Resort & Casino.
Graton Resort & Casino, located in Rohnert Park, California, is a premier destination for entertainment, dining and gaming in Northern California. Boasting a luxurious atmosphere and world-class amenities, Graton Resort & Casino offers guests an unparalleled experience with its diverse selection of restaurants, bars, gaming options and live entertainment venues. From thrilling gaming action to upscale dining and relaxing spa treatments, Graton Resort & Casino provides an all-encompassing retreat for visitors seeking excitement and relaxation. Resort access is limited to guests aged 21 or older. For more information, visit www. gratonresortcasino.com.
(Advertising Supplement)
to impersonators in 2024 alone. The Impersonation Rule gives the FTC more tools to fight these scams. Since the Rule went into effect, the FTC filed multiple lawsuits against alleged impersonators. And the FTC also went after scammers impersonating the FTC online — successfully getting more than a dozen scam sites taken down. To steer clear of impersonation scams:
• Don’t give money or personal information to someone who contacts you unexpectedly. If you’re not sure if a call or message is real, reach out to the business, organization, or person using contact information you looked up yourself and know to be true.
• Don’t trust your caller
April 19, 2025, to kick off the celebration.
• Kids, grab your family and friends to come out for National Junior Ranger Day, which takes place on Saturday, April 19! You can also earn your official Junior Ranger badge any time at most parks throughout the week.
• Look around your community to learn how National Park Service programs and partners are involved in your community. Find national historic landmarks or national natural landmarks near you. Or enjoy recreational opportunities and spaces enhanced by programs and partners.
ID. Your caller ID might show the name of a government agency or business, but caller ID can be faked. It could be anyone calling from anywhere in the world.
• Don’t click on links in unexpected emails, texts, or social media messages. Scammers send emails and messages that look like they’re from a government agency or business, but they’re really designed to steal your money and personal information. Learn more about impersonation scams by watching a video at https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=-89h8FGgypQ and then visiting ftc.gov/ impersonators. And if you spot an impersonator, tell the FTC via ReportFraud.ftc.gov. (BCP Staff/FTC)
DON Tagala, the award-winning reporter on TFC News, desperately wanted his mother, Vinia, to come to the U.S. because his sister, Almira, became critically ill in 2019. His mother could be there for her children for emotional support and to make crucial life-decisions.
The hospital where Almira was on life support even emailed the U.S. Embassy explaining the circumstance and requesting for a visitor’s visa for Vinia. However, the Embassy instructed the hospital to go through the normal process.
Time was running out, so Don went to leading U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel to seek his assistance and expert advice. Confident that Vinia would abide by the terms of her visa and return to the Philippines, Atty Gurfinkel immediately sought an emergency visitor visa and expedited interview, so Mommy Vinia could arrive in the U.S. as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, while all preparations were going on, Don’s sister passed away on June 24. The visitor visa application was updated, asking the Embassy to still expedite the visa to now enable Don’s mother to attend the funeral, instead of the original request to visit Almira at the hospital.
Atty. Gurfinkel was able to secure an emergency interview on June 26 (where the earliest available appointment would have normally been August 13) and an expedited visa was also issued the same day.
On June 28, 2019, Mommy Vinia arrived in New York, four days after her daughter passed on. She was able to attend the funeral and be there for Don.
While it was a bittersweet reunion for Don and his mother in the U.S., it is important to know what to do and where to seek help if an emergency arises. Watch this encore episode of “Citizen Pinoy” on Sunday, April 13 at 6:30 PM PT (9:30 PM ET) through select Cable/Satellite providers, right after TV Patrol Linggo. Citizen Pinoy is also available on iWantTFC. Viewers may download the free app. (Advertising Supplement)
• Find a national park and come visit! Entrance fees to national parks are waived on
• Get involved as a volunteer or partner! Many parks are also celebrating National Volunteer Week (April 20-26). To learn more about becoming
a volunteer, visit https://www. nps.gov/subjects/npscelebrates/ national-volunteer-week.htm. Finding a national park to visit is easy by downloading the NPS app that can be found for iOS (Apple Store) and android devices (Google Play). The NPS App is the new official app for the National Park Service with tools to explore more than 400 national parks nationwide. Find interactive maps, tours of park places, on-the-ground accessibility information, and much more to plan your national park adventures before and during your trip. To learn more about National Park Week and to view recommendations, visit https://www.nps.gov/subjects/ npscelebrates/national-parkweek.htm.
My P.E.P. (People,
RogeLio ConsTanTino medina
JULES del Gallego, first cousin of Philippine Ambassador to the U.S. Jose Manuel “Babe” del Gallego Romualdez, told me that my grandfather, ship captain Lt. Col. Peregrino Bunye Medina, together with my grandmother Paz Calzado Bendicio Medina, returned a huge amount of money to the family of Don Juan del Gallego, especially to Dona Potenciana (wife of Don Juan) on Dart street in Paco, Manila at the height of World War II.
“My grandfather Juan died in June 1941, and that’s why your grandfather saw my grandmother instead,” said Jules, author of the book “The Brothers Luna.”
When my grandmother Paz was still alive, she made a handwritten account of that event:
“World War broke out December 1941. Pumutok ang balitang binomba na ng mga Hapon ang Pearl Harbor kaya nagkakagulo na ang mga tao sa Maynila.” She rented a truck for P200 for her mother and siblings that would bring them to Tuy, Batangas, near Balayan, her mother’s birthplace. My grandmother Paz waited for my grandfather Peregrino.
“Nang gabing binomba na ang
Camp Aguinaldo ay biglang dumating si Pereg at walang dala kung di isang maletang balat na malaking-malaki. Sinalubong ko si Pereg sa pintuan at napuna ko ang napakabigat na maletang dala-dala niya. Hindi ako sinagot ni Pereg at tuloy-tuloy na pumasok sa loob ng bahay, isinara ang pintuan at binuksan ang maleta. Laking gulat ko nang makita ang laman ng maleta na punong-puno ng pera,” reminisced my grandmother.
My grandfather said that his ship was captured by Japanese soldiers and it was fortunate he saved the money that was intended for the salary of the peo-
Babe Romualdez’s
ple of the Del Gallego Saw Mill and for the daily expenses of the Del Gallego family. Then my grandmother accompanied my grandfather to the Del Gallego family in Paco, Manila to return the money to the right owner.
Jules del Gallego recounted to me that, “The steamship Santa Teresa captained by your grandfather was sunk by the Japanese. According to my late aunt Carmen, your grandfather showed up at the Del Gallego’s Dart Street Mansion with the 45 thousand payroll money. He invited my grandmother and her family to move to Balayan.”
I found out in my grandmother’s handwritten story that my grandfather Peregrino Bunye Medina applied as a captain in the army of the United States. “He was accepted and was given the rank of Lt. Col. assigned in a certain ship, the S.S. - 155 of the U.S. Army. He also took with him Pedro de Mesa (husband of Maura, sister of Paz) as his radio operator in the ship assigned to him.”
* * * While I was looking for chicken longganisa, a kind fellow Filipino assisted me. His name is Nick Santos who has been working at Seafood City in Vallejo City for 12 years now. He regularly reads Asian Journal Northern California edition to be updated about the Philippines and the Filipino American community in the U.S.
* * * Singer Eduard Banez, founder of spluk.ph, has been in the U.S. for 10 years now.
A visionary media entrepreneur with a deep passion for storytelling and digital innovation as well as a former TV news anchor, international VJ, and Nickelodeon artist, Eduard has built a platform that bridges Hollywood and Asian media, bringing global
stories to Filipino audiences.
With his extensive experience in entertainment, journalism, and content creation, he has positioned spluk.ph as a powerhouse in digital media. His dedication to empowering voices and creating meaningful connections has shaped spluk.ph into a leading force, redefining how Filipinos engage with stories that matter. His rendition of “Kahit Maputi Na Ang Buhok Ko” has been a super-hit among OPM enthusiasts.
* * *
U.S. Pres. Donald Trump pledged to rescue the astronauts stranded in space for 9 months. Recently, they safely splashed down in the Gulf of America, thanks to Elon Musk, SpaceX, and NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration).
What struck me is NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore’s remark:
“My feeling on all of this goes back to my faith. It’s bound in my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He is working out His plan and His purposes for His glory throughout all of humanity. And how that plays into our lives is significant and important. And however that plays out, I am content because I understand that. I understand that He’s at work and all things. Some things are for the good. Go to Hebrews Chapter 11. Some things look to us to be, not so good, but it’s all working out for his good, for those that will believe and that’s the answer.”
* * * I still could not forget a mysterious man (who looks like American actor Jay Harrington). He was taking photos of me inside the Bouchon Bistro’s rest room in Yountville while I was washing my face with water. When I noticed what he was doing, he shifted to take photos of the frames hanging on the wall. Then he asked if he could wash his face too and I left innocently. It was my first time to go to Yountville, an incorporated town in Napa County, the “Wine County of California.” Almost a third of the town’s population lives at the Veterans Home of California.
Yountville is a popular tourist destination, particularly for its wineries and its famed Michelin-starred restaurant, The French Laundry. While I was in front of the Bouchon Bakery, a group of Filipino tourists greeted me and my mom in Tagalog. We were watching a
UC Berkeley’s Philippine Studies Program hosts inaugural Brother Andrew Gonzalez lecture
BERKELEY – The Philippine Studies Program of the Center for Southeast Asia Studies (CSEAS), Institute of East Asian Studies of the University of California (UC) Berkeley spearheaded the inaugural Brother Andrew Gonzalez Lecture titled “On (Not) Reading Rizal,” spotlighting on Philippine national hero Dr. Jose Rizal, on March 20, 2025 at UC Berkeley’s The Faculty Club.
The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco, led by Consul General Neil Ferrer, attended the inaugural lecture as a partner of UC Berkeley’s Philippine Studies Program.
The lecture series, which is part of the grant by the Philippine government to the Philippine Studies Program, honors the legacy of former De La Salle University (DLSU) President, former Philippine Education Secretary, and UC Berkeley alumnus Brother Andrew Gonzalez.
Current DLSU President Br. Bernard Oca FSC joined the inaugural lecture, along with other top DLSU officials.
In his welcome remarks, Consul General Ferrer congratulated UC Berkeley’s Philippine Studies Program, headed by CSEAS Chair Dr. Lisandro “Leloy” Claudio, on the Program’s very first major lecture. He recognized the role of the Office of Senator Loren Legarda to secure the financial grant that funded the creation of the Program at UC Berkeley.
The Philippine Consul General added: “Linkages with universities such as UC Berkeley is a key component of our non-partisan efforts towards Philippine cultural and public diplomacy, with the goal of fostering deeper knowledge about the Philippines and strengthening people-to-people ties especially here in the United States, which is home to 4.4 million Filipinos and Filipino Americans.”
Consul General Ferrer also touched on the lecture’s topic: “As Filipinos living abroad, we have the unique opportunity to be bridges between cultures, to promote understanding, and to advocate for the values that Rizal so passionately championed. We carry his ideals with us wherever
Mardi Gras parade at that time.
Gregorio Fernand Imperial of Legazpi, Albay introduced himself as a licensed real estate broker from RE/MAX Prime-Philippines. He had just attended a 4-day conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. Then he introduced me to Paolo Jesus Villavicencio, a principal broker from Muntinlupa City who in turn introduced me to other female Filipino companions, Juni Calingo, Nikki de Guzman, Atty. Jill Borja and Nadelyn Torres-Baldonado. All of them were part of the Philippine team of the RE/MAX Prime.
It was a surprise to me that both Imperial and Villavicencio are friends of the late Rustan Commercial Corporation executive Juan Paolo Tantoco, husband of Deputy Social Secretary Dina Arroyo-Tantoco, my former boss Congressman Iggy Arroyo’s daughter.
* * * Happy birthday (April 7) to my niece fashion designer Ann K. Isip, who represented me on stage last November 2024 when I received the prestigious Amerika Prestige Award for Inclusive Media Excellence recognition in North Hollywood in Los Angeles.
we go, and it is through our collective efforts that we continue to honor his memory and ensure that his vision of a better Philippines is realized.”
“I hope that Rizal’s life and works will continue to inspire Filipinos and Filipino Americans to support efforts towards uplifting the conditions of our people in the Philippines and elsewhere, and to take pride in and promote our culture and heritage as the proud descendants of Rizal,” Consul General Ferrer concluded. It is noteworthy that the lecture spotlighted on Rizal, who made San Francisco the first stop in his one and only visit to the United States.
In her keynote, Professor Caroline Hau of Kyoto University in Japan said that Rizal and his literary works have retained their elusiveness and foreignness despite their prevalence in the Philippine culture, and the government’s efforts to familiarize the Filipinos about Rizal through formal education.
Professor Hau attributed the timeless fascination to Rizal to the “worldliness” of his writings and its cosmopolitan outlook, as well as the separation of contemporary readers from Rizal by time, language, space, ideas, moral standards, values, and sensitivities.
Professor Hau also discussed PAGE 11
PH Consulate joins PhilDev in advocating for young Filipinos in STEM
PALO ALTO – The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco joined Filipino American women in tech and innovators in advocating for more representation of Filipinos in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).
In a forum titled, “Be The Bridge,” hosted by PhilDev, a nonprofit organization that launches initiatives in education, startups, and mentorship that aims to inspire young Filipinos to excel in STEM, women innovators shared their experiences in navigating the tech landscape, in breaking the glass ceilings, and overcoming barriers in pursuing careers in AI and tech. PhilDev recognizes that establishing peer connections among Filipinos and Filipino Americans can provide support and mentorship to young Filipinos and in building a sustainable community to lean on and learn from.
PhilDev, established in 2011, was founded by Maria and Diosdado “Dado” Banatao, the pioneers in chipset technology. PhilDev offers scholarships and programs that include real-world application, hands-on learning, and industry connections to ensure that Filipinos become leaders in global innovation.
The Consulate will continue to engage with organizations that provide opportunities for young Filipinos to enable them to pursue careers in STEM and to compete globally.
Jules del Gallego (seated), author of the book “The Brothers Luna”
(From left) Rogelio Constantino Medina, Juni Calingo, Nikki de Guzman, Atty. Jill Borja, Nadelyn Torres-Baldonado and Gregorio Fernand Imperial in Yountville.
Fashion designer Ann K. Isip
Consul General Neil Ferrer delivers his remarks at the inaugural Brother Andrew Gonzalez Lecture titled “On (Not) Reading Rizal,” held
Oliver Segovia and Olivia de Jesus of PhilDev discuss the Philippine Artificial Intelligence Retreat (PAIR) scheduled on June 18-20, 2025. The retreat aims to bring the Philippine AI community together and build relationships, exchange ideas, and explore opportunities in Silicon Valley. San Francisco PCG photos
The Philippine Consulate, represented by Vice Consul Glaiza Quarteros, expressed appreciation to Maria Banatao of PhilDev for continuously providing opportunities for young Filipinos to excel and thrive in STEM in the Philippines and in the U.S.
De La Salle University President Br. Bernard Oca FSC gives his remarks at the inaugural Brother Andrew Gonzalez Lecture titled “On (Not) Reading Rizal,” held in Berkeley, CA on March 20.
In a fireside chat, Emily Nishi of Discord and Regina Manzana-Sawhney of PhilDev discuss their experiences as Filipino American women in tech in the U.S. and how their Filipino upbringing and culture inspired them to contribute and give back to the community.
NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Bruce Wilmore
AJ columnist Rogelio Medina (left) with Nick Santos of Seafood City in Vallejo, California.
(From left) Gregorio Fernand Imperial, Rogelio Constantino Medina and Paolo Jesus Villavicencio in Yountville, Napa County, California.
Singer Eduard Banez
UC Berkeley’s
Philippine Studies Program hosts...
the emergence of various versions of Rizal’s famous novels in films and pop culture, which somewhat became the sources of people’s knowledge and awareness on the novels instead of the original materials.
She noted that different interpretations of the plot and characters, including modernized versions, have long been embedded in Philippine mainstream media.
According to the grant agreement signed between the Consulate and UC Berkeley in September 2024, “the University’s Philippine Studies Program will enable the conduct of academic exchanges, and will serve as a forum for Philippinerelated research on relevant topics and as a venue for appropriate cultural activities,” with the objective of helping “spark interest for learning about the Philippines among U.S.born Filipino Americans and Americans in general.”
“Specifically, this grant aims
to support the University in promoting Philippine Studies by enhancing its Filipiniana materials, conducting research and publications about the Philippines, institutionalizing Philippine Studies as an area of study in the University, developing experts in Philippine
Studies, among other programs, projects, and activities,” the agreement further states.
The agreement stipulates that UC Berkeley “will have full academic, strategic, and operational control over decisions related to the grant.
(PCGSF Release)
SACRAMENTO – “Prepare your home and property! Start at the house and work your way out.” Millions of Californians will soon see that message as the state launches a new wildfire preparedness campaign to support preparation efforts for fire season.
As California heads into peak wildfire season, CAL FIRE is urging residents across the state to take proactive steps now to protect their homes and communities. Monday’s (April 7) campaign launch follows Governor Newsom’s action last month proclaiming a state of emergency to fast-track critical projects protecting communities from wildfire, ahead of peak fire season.
2025 has already seen an unprecedented start to the year with January’s Eaton and Palisades fires in Los Angeles. These fires rank as the second and third most destructive in California’s history, underpinning the importance of acting now to prepare one’s family, property, and community for wildfire.
“The Los Angeles fires are a stark reminder of the year-round threat wildfire poses for our communities. As we head into peak fire season, we’re ramping up efforts to communicate with those in areas where preparedness measures like home hardening and defensible space can save lives. Now is the time to prepare your home and property,” Gov. Newsom said in a release sent out by his office.
This year’s campaign emphasizes two essential strategies in wildfire preparedness: home hardening and defensible space. Now through late May residents across the state will see digital and social media advertising, posters and materials at hardware and convenience stores, and messaging at gas pumps and other popular locations in Wildland Urban Interface communities. Outreach will be delivered in both English and Spanish to reach as
many Californians as possible.
Creating a five-foot buffer zone of defensible space, known as Zone 0, and taking steps to harden your home has been scientifically proven to be the most effective way to increase the likelihood of your home surviving a wildfire.
Governor Newsom has invested unprecedented resources into wildfire response and prevention, including nearly doubling CAL FIRE’s budget to $4 billion and investing 10x the amount than when the Governor took office for forest and land management. The state has also created the world’s largest aerial firefighting fleet, increased the use of prescribed burns, and implemented new technologies including AI and satellite technology to fight fires.
Key tips to prepare for wildfire
Home hardening:
• Install or upgrade to fireresistant materials on roofs, vents, siding, windows, and decks.
• Seal all cracks and openings larger than 1/8 inch to prevent embers from entering the home.
Defensible space:
• Maintain a 5-foot emberresistant zone immediately around the home — no flammable vegetation or materials.
• Maintain 100 feet of defensible space, including trimming trees, cutting grasses, and removing dead vegetation.
• Store combustible items (firewood, propane tanks, vehicles) at least 30 feet away from structures. To make preparation easier, CAL FIRE offers the firePLANNER tool at ReadyforWildfire.org, where residents can:
• Create a custom wildfire readiness plan.
• Access checklists, safety tips, and alerts.
• Stay informed with real-time wildfire and evacuation updates.
Now is the time to act. Start at the house and work your way out. Learn more at ReadyforWildfire. org. (CA Governor’s Office Release)
Clear debris from roofs, gutters, vents, and under decks.
