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APRIL 19 -25, 2019 Volume 12 - No. 26 • 16 Pages
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FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA
Duterte renews attacks vs Catholic Church on Holy Week THE SOLEMNITY of Holy Week did not prevent President Rodrigo Duterte from renewing his attacks against the Catholic Church over its alleged criticism during its masses of his war against illegal drugs. “Alam mo p***** i** may giyera
Philippine Exercise Director for Balikatan 2019, Lt. Gen. Gilbert Gapay (left), shakes hands with U.S. Commanding General III Marine Expeditionary Force, Lt. Gen. Eric Smith, during the closing ceremony of this year’s PH-U.S. Balikatan Exercises, held in Camp Emilio Aguinaldo, Quezon City on Friday, April 12. PNA photo by Joey O. Razon
US to fly, sail, operate anywhere int’l laws allow despite China warning
THE United States on Friday, April 12, maintained it will continue its operations in the South China Sea (SCS) despite China’s protest about American forces stirring trouble in the waters. “The U.S. will fly, sail and operate everywhere international law allows. That’s it. Wish we had a longer statement for you, but that’s the simple truth,” said Lt. Gen. Eric Smith, commander of the Japan-based U.S. 3rd Marine Expeditionary Forces, during a post-Balikatan media interview at Camp Aguinaldo along with Brig. Gen. Gilbert Gapay,
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(You son of b*tch, there is war). I have declared war. ’Pag hindi, matalo ang bayan ko (If I don’t declare, the people will lose),” Duterte said in his speech during a campaign rally in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan. “Kayong mga pari wala man kayong
gawin. Mag-ano kayo forgiveness, forgiveness. Madala ba ’yan ng forgiveness (You priests, you can do nothing. You want to invoke forgiveness. That won’t help),” he said. The president then made fun of the Catholic sacrament of confession, say-
ing attending Mass and seeking forgiveness from God were “useless” as he would tend to repeat his sins everyday. “Kaya ako hindi nagsisimba. Kasi ’pag magsimba ako (That’s why I nev-
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$13.75-M transferred to Marcos victims’ fund by JANVIC
MATEO Philstar.com
MANILA — A New York court has released the $13.75 million that will be used for the upcoming fund distribution to victims of human rights violations during the martial law period. American human rights lawyer Robert Swift, in an email to The Star, said the money for the distribution has been transferred to the settlement fund created after the successful $2-billion class action suit filed against the Marcos family in 1995. The fund was transferred days after New York district court Judge Katherine Polk Failla affirmed the settlement agreement that will divide some $20 million worth of illgotten assets recovered in the United States. The money came from the sale of the properties seized from Vilma Bautista, an aide of former first lady and Ilocos Norte Rep. Imelda Marcos. Among those recovered from her were valuable paintings believed to have been purchased using government funds during the Marcos dictatorship. A previous court filing showed that the properties seized from Bautista were deposited with the New York clerk of court pending resolution of the different claims
DUTERTE AND HIS CANDIDATES IN CAGAYN. President Rodrigo Duterte delivers his speech during the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) campaign rally at the Cagayan Sports Coliseum in Tuguegarao City on Monday, April 16. Malacañang photo by Robinson Niñal
PH doubts US list of high kidnap risk countries ‘US could have stopped China in sea dispute’ u PAGE 2
THE Philippines’ Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) questioned the United States State Department list of countries with high kidnapping list as it included the country among the 35 countries in the travel advisory. DILG Secretary Eduardo Año doubted the accuracy of the list as he emphasized that the kidnapping cases decreased significantly in recent years. He noted that he would seek the explanation of the U.S. embassy as to how they arrived with the said list. “A list is just a list. What we have are factual data pointing to the decreasing number of kidnapping cases in the Philippines. That’s what we are banking on,” Año said in a statement as reported by The Philippine Star.
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by NESTOR
CORRALES Inquirer.net
MALACAÑANG lamented on Wednesday, April 17, the United States’ inaction on Beijing’s massive reclamation in the disputed South China Sea. Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo issued the statement following reports of China’s continued aggression in the disputed waters, including poaching giant clams in Scarborough Shoal and deploying Chinese maritime militia near the Philippine-occupied Pag-asa Island. “Well, like America is there, they could have stopped China from the inception, but they did not,” Panelo said in an interview over ABS-CBN News Channel on
Wednesday. In July 2016, the Philippines won its arbitration case against China before the United Nations-backed arbitral tribunal in The Hague, which invalidated Beijing’s sweeping claims to almost all of the South China Sea. China, however, has repeatedly refused to recognize the ruling. Since he assumed the presidency in June 2016, Duterte said he would set aside the ruling in the meantime and chose to engage China through bilateral talks. “I think the realization is: how do you enforce an arbitral ruling from an international tribunal that does not have the President Duterte, assisted by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, shows the P3.8-trillion mechanism of enforcement? It does not budget for 2019 that he signed on Monday, April 15, after vetoing P95.3 billion in unprogrammed
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items, including postratification changes made by the House of Representatives. Malacañang photo
PH press freest in Southeast Asia, says DOJ chief Palace: Unconstitutional House by TETCH
TORRES-TUPAS Inquirer.net
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra
Malacañang photo
MANILA — The Philippine press “is the freest in the region,” Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said on Wednesday, April 17, as he dared visiting foreign journalists to prove their allegations that press freedom in the country is diminishing. “Contrary to the opinion of the visiting foreign journalists, I believe that the Philippine press is the freest in the region. Anyone can criticize or say anything against the government without fear of retaliation,” Guevarra said in reaction to reports by representatives of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) from the
U.S. and Alliance for Journalists Freedom (AJF) from Australia. CPJ and AJF took note of the “increasing levels of intimidation” against Filipino journalists and “shrinking space for the free press in the country.” Guevarra said the foreign journalists made a hasty generalization after a two-day fact-finding probe. The CPJ and AJF cited the 11 criminal cases filed against journalist Maria Ressa and her online news outfit Rappler as basis for their findings. The groups claimed that the cases against Ressa and Rappler were a form of “formal and informal pressure on journalists…
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insertions among vetoed items by JULIE
M. AURELIO Inquirer.net
MANILA — The P95.3 billion worth of appropriations in the P3.8-trillion budget for 2019 vetoed by President Rodrigo Duterte included the “unconstitutional” changes to the spending bill made by the House of Representatives, Malacañang said on Tuesday, April 16. Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea said late on Monday, April 15, that the vetoed appropriations were not found to be unconstitutional but were just not part of President Duterte’s programmed priorities.
But asked on Tuesday if the vetoed items included the postratification realignments by the House, presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo replied: “Correct. It is.” Violated the Constitution Panelo said the rejected provisions were “the so-called insertions or riders” that were not part of the Department of Public Works and Highways’ program and therefore violated the Constitution. “Those vetoed provisions are in violation of the Constitution or it is against certain statutes. That was also the statement made by
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april 19-25, 2019 • NEW YOrK aND NEW JErSEY aSiaN JOUrNal
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From the Front Page
$13.75-M transferred to Marcos...
NAIA INSPECTION. Philippine National Police Chief, Gen. Oscar Albayalde (2nd from right), checks his men in charge of securing the Ninoy Aquino International Airport’s (NAIA) Terminal 3 in Pasay City on Holy Wednesday, April 17. The inspection is in preparation for the observance of the Holy Week. Looking on is National Capital Region Police Office Chief, Major Gen. Guillermo Eleazar (center). PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan
Duterte renews attacks vs... PAGE 1 er attend mass because if I go to Church), ‘Forgive me, father, for I have killed last night three.’ Balik na naman ako kinabukasan (then I will return tomorrow), ‘Father, forgive me because I have killed 10 drug, drug lords.’ Pabalik-balik ako, bakit pa ako magpunta doon? Useless (I keep on returning, so why should I go back? That’s useless),� he said. Citing the separation of the Church and State, Duterte once again reiterated that religious leaders should not use the Church in criticizing him and his administration. “’Yung pari dapat huwag mong gamitin ang simbahan. Kung ito ang simbahan, pulpito ito, lumabas ka because there is a separation of Church and State. Hindi lahat tao Katoliko (The priest should not use the Church. If that’s the Church, that’s a pulpit, you should go outside. Not everyone is Catholic),� Duterte said. “‘Yan ang ibig kong sabihin. Lahat sa tamang panahon, sa tamang lugar. ‘Di ka basta-basta bira diyan [nang] bira (That’s what I meant. There’s always a right time and the right place. You should not just keep on criticizing). Be on the right place, on the right time, with the right
issue. But you cannot be saying na dahil pari ka (that you’re a priest),� he added. The president also questioned the concept of heaven and hell, and even said in jest that he preferred going to hell because it would be full of beautiful and willing women. “Anong heaven and hell? Saan man ilagay? Bakit ako na ang Diyos? Diyos na ako. Bakit ako maggawa ng masamang tao at ilagay ko diyan sa impiyerno? (What heaven and hell? Where and why are we going there? I’m a god. Why I should create a bad person and place them in hell?),� Duterte said. “Saan ang pinakamagandang babae dito sa Cagayan? Sa langit? Saan ’yung magaganda diyan sa mga bar, sa karaoke, ’yung magagandang katawan, magandang mukha, nasaan kaya sila? Nasa impiyerno (Where are the beautiful women here in Cagayan? Where are those beautiful women in bars, in karaoke, those who has beautiful body, beautiful face, where are they? In the hell),� he added. Duterte also mentioned the alleged abuses committed by priests, noting that Pope Francis admitted that there were really cases of abuse perpetrated by religious leaders.
“Ano sabi ni Pope nung nagpunta siya sa Dubai? Na totoo ‘yung mga abuses sa mga bata at ‘yung mga madre ginagamit ng pari. San ang sinungaling ko? Si Pope mismo ang nag-admit ah (What did the Pope say when he went to Dubai? That the abuses committed by priest on children and nuns were true. So who’s not telling the truth there? It was the Pope himself who admitted it)?â€? he said. Duterte has repeatedly used his speeches to lash out against bishops and priests, as well as to mock the beliefs of the Catholic Church. He even called God “stupidâ€? and branded the Catholic Church as the “most hypocritical institutionâ€? in the Philippines. Duterte will spend the Holy Week with his family in his hometown in Davao City, his spokesman Salavdor Panelo said on Tuesday. In his Holy Week message last year, Duterte urged Filipinos to “reflect on the Catholic values and embody selflessness, compassion and love.â€? MalacaĂąang declared April 18 (Maundy Thursday) and April 19 (Good Friday) as regular holidays and April 20 (Black Saturday) as a special non-working day. (Catherine Valente/ManilaTimes.net)
PAGE 1 filed over the properties. In January, the parties — including members of the class action and the Philippine government — agreed to settle and divide the funds, with the victims receiving $13.75 million and the government $4 million. A third party, the Golden Buddha Corp. and the estate of Roger Roxas that allegedly discovered the Yamashita treasure, would also get a portion of the proceeds from the sale of some of the paintings. Last month, however, the Philippine government backed down from the settlement after the Office of the Solicitor General found it “grossly disadvantageous� to the government. It said the Philippines will instead pursue its claim to all of the assets recovered from Bautista in the cases filed before the Sandiganbayan. But citing Failla’s ruling, Swift last week said the judge affirmed the settlement after finding that the Philippine attorney in New York “had actual and apparent authority to bind the Republic to the settlement.� OSG slams Leni Solicitor General Jose Calida yesterday slammed Vice President Leni Robredo for accusing him of lawyering for the Marcos family in the cases before US courts involving human rights victims of martial law. In a statement, Calida said the
insinuations by Robredo were “outright lies.� “She must be confused. Her statements demean and belittle the work the OSG and its lawyers have been doing for decades to recover ill-gotten wealth,� he stressed. Calida explained that the position taken by his office and the Department of Justice is for the interest of the government. He said the government rejected the proposed settlement agreement in the New York court case because it was grossly disadvantageous to the government that would get only $4 million from the settlement. He further explained that the proposed settlement required that the Philippine government grant immunity to Bautista and move to dismiss the cases against her in the Sandiganbayan. “The government cannot grant immunity to Vilma Bautista. She is a principal defendant in a case currently pending before the Sandiganbayan. The authority of the PCGG to grant such immunity is limited only to a witness who can provide material and relevant information or testify against a defendant in an ill-gotten wealth case,� Calida said. The top government counsel stressed that the OSG also opposed the grant of attorney’s fees to lawyers of the human rights victims. “Even the human rights claimants will get the wrong end of the
deal in the case. Their lawyer Robert Swift has sought a hefty $4.125 million in attorney’s fees out of the $13.75 million, while the rest would be divided among the 6,500 claimants, who will receive a measly $1,500 each,� he pointed out. In addition to advanced costs, the U.S. lawyers noted that they have spent over 40,000 hours since the class action was filed in 1986, translating to fees of about $25 million. In their motion, the lawyers told Real that the estimated 6,500 members of the class action would still be able to receive $1,500 each even if he approves their $4.125 million request. “While class counsel hope to recover more Marcos funds in satisfaction of the class judgments, the prospect for future recoveries is dim. Despite 22 years of litigation in Philippine courts, those courts have so far refused to recognize the judgments of this court,� they said. “Class counsel continue to spend time and effort seeking recognition of the judgments in the Philippines, relying on the effort of Philippine co-counsel. The current political situation in the Philippines, where the heirs of Ferdinand Marcos have gained ascendancy, bodes ill for the class’ prospects,� they added. The distribution of the $1,500 to members of the class action will begin on May 1. (With reports from Edu Punay/Philstar.com)
PH doubts US list of high kidnap... PAGE 1 “We don’t know yet how they came up with the list but with the strong stance of President Duterte against criminality in general, we see no basis for including us in this list. We will request from the U.S. embassy (for) the parameters used since even Malaysia and Russia were included,â€? he added. As per the data from the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Interior secretary explained that the latest figures showed only 68 kidnapping cases in 2018 as compared to 79 cases in 2017. The said 19.29 percent decline of 11 cases reduced the risk of visiting the Philippines. Only 10 kidnapping cases were documented in 2019. AĂąo attributed the decline in kidnapping cases to the implementation of martial law in Mindanao. He noted that
the military rule made the southern part of the country safer. “While personal precaution is necessary, martial law has allowed the Philippine government to deploy more security forces to Mindanao to ensure the safety of the people and foreign guests,â€? AĂąo explained. The other countries included in the list were Afghanistan; Mexico; Colombia; Lebanon; Mali; Burkina Faso; Libya; Haiti; Central African Republic; Iraq; Iran; Nigeria; Niger; Pakistan — particularly in the areas of Balochistan province and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province, including the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). The list also included Turkey — with areas near the Syria and Iraq borders; South Sudan; Democratic Republic of the Congo in-
cluding North Kivu and Ituri provinces; Sudan; Syria; Cameroon — specifically in the North, Far North, Northwest and Southwest regions, and parts of East and Adamawa regions. Somalia; Venezuela; Papua New Guinea; Kenya; Ukraine — specifically in the Eastern parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts; Uganda; Ethiopia — Somali Regional State; Trinidad and Tobago; Bangladesh specifically Southeast Bangladesh and including the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Russia specifically the north Caucasus including Chechnya and Mount Elbrus; Yemen; Algeria with areas near the Eastern and Southern borders and areas in the Sahara Desert; Malaysia specifically on the Eastern area of Sabah State and Angola on its urban areas. (Nathalie Robles/AJPress)
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NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • ApRIL 19-25, 2019
Comelec warns overseas voters: Beware of fake news by Nathalie
Robles
AJPress
VIA DOLOROSA. The image of Our Lady of Sorrow is taken out of the Shrine of Sto. Niño de Tondo for the Via Dolorosa procession in Tondo, Manila. ManilaTimes.net photo by Enrique Agcaoili
SWS: US trust rating ‘very good’, China ‘neutral’ by ChRistia
MaRie Inquirer.net
RaMos
THE United States has maintained its “very good” net trust rating among Filipinos while China’s rating remains “neutral,” the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed. The survey, which was released on Tuesday, revealed a +60 net trust rating for the United States and a -6 net trust rating for China. The pollster said that the United States’ rating was similar to its previous one in December 2018 while the rating for China was up by a point. According to the SWS, the United States’ rating “has been positive since SWS first surveyed it in December 1994.” Its score ranged from a moderate +18 in May 2005 to as high as excellent +82 in December 2013, the SWS noted. “It has been at +60 and above in six out of seven surveys since June 2017,” the pollster added. For China, the SWS said its rating “has been positive in only 9 out of 49 surveys since SWS first
surveyed it in August 1994.” “It reached as high as moderate +17 in June 2010 and as low as a bad -46 in September 2015,” the SWS added. ‘Good’ for Japan, Australia Meanwhile, the survey results showed that Japan and Australia maintained its “good” net trust rating among Filipinos. According to the SWS, Japan’s rating was at +34 while the rating for Australia was at +33. The survey was conducted from March 28-31, 2019, using face-to-face interviews of 1,440 adults (18 years old and above). The survey had 360 respondents each in Balance Luzon, Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao and sampling error margins of ±2.6 percent for national percentages, and ±5 percent each for Balance Luzon, Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao. The SWS said it asked respondents this question: “Pag-usapan po natin ang tungkol sa ilang bansa. Sa mga sumusunod, maaari po bang sabihin ninyo kung ang pagtitiwala ninyo sa (bansa) ay: Napakalaki; medyo
Palace: Unconstitutional House... PAGE 1 the president,” he said. “Remember the [2013] decision of the Supreme Court? The decision of the Supreme Court was that if they are unprogrammed, then it violates the Constitution,” he added. The senators rejected the unprogrammed provisions introduced by the House after Congress ratified the budget bill on Feb. 8. For them, the postratification changes were pork. The congressmen insisted they simply itemized lump sums in the budget, a process that they claimed was in accordance with the Constitution. Asked on Tuesday if the Palace considered the vetoed appropriations pork, Panelo said: “They are in violation of the Constitution. Whether you call it pork or beef or meat or fish, those provisions are violative of the basic Charter.” House-Senate standoff Months of squabbling between the House and the Senate over the creation and elimination of pork delayed the transmission of the budget bill to Malacañang. The delay forced the administration to revert to the 2018 budget and cut its 2019 growth target to 6-7 percent from 7-8 percent, reflecting the absence of a new spending program. To break the standoff, Senate President Vicente Sotto III signed the ratified budget bill in late March and transmitted it to the Palace with a letter advising the president to veto unconstitutional provisions. In signing the budget on Monday, Mr. Duterte told the House leadership in a veto message that “[a]ny provision introduced in this budget which does not relate to a particular appropriation or those which seek to amend the Constitution and existing laws have no place in the (General Appropriations Act) as these are considered ‘rider’ provisions and therefore must be subjected to direct veto.” “Likewise, items of appropriation that are not consistent with the programmed priorities are hereby vetoed,” he said. Just OK with GMA Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo shrugged off the House’s loss, telling reporters in San Carlos City, Negros Oriental province, that she, too, vetoed budget provisions when she was president. “Every year, I partially vetoed the budget,” Arroyo said. The budget was also reenacted in 2001, 2004 and 2007 under Arroyo. But Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr., the House appropriations committee chair, was bitter, slamming the “celebratory mood” at the Senate on Tuesday. Andaya said in a statement that he had not yet read the president’s veto message but wondered why the Senate was “claiming victory”
over the deletion from the budget of billions of pesos worth of amendments by the House. “Does this mean that the Senate pork remains intact? Could this be the reason for their celebratory mood?” he said. “It’s not Good Friday in the Senate but Christmas,” he said. Sotto dismissed Andaya’s talk of senatorial pork. “We do not need to pay attention to brickbats. It’s the people’s victory. The illegal realignments cannot escape the President’s scrutiny,” Sotto said on Tuesday. “[The President] and his Cabinet know what is advocacy and what is pork,” he added. Sotto reiterated that the additional funds for the construction of health centers and the modernization of the military should not be seen as pork. Sen. Panfilo Lacson, the pork buster who led the charge against the House realignments, praised the president for vetoing the pork in the budget. “If there is one act of [the President] that is worthy of admiration, this veto message is on top of my list,” Lacson tweeted on Tuesday. “With his guts, glory comes to the Filipino taxpayers,” he said. Really pork-free budget? But asked by the Inquirer if the approved budget was really free of pork as defined in the 2013 Supreme Court ruling, Lacson said, “That we have to see.” “Nothing is perfect in this world. I hope we will get there sooner than later and consistently,” he said. Party-list groups Bayan Muna and ACT Teachers said Mr. Duterte should have also vetoed the billions of pesos in “presidential pork” that the senators had tucked in the allotments for the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, and other government-owned and -controlled corporations. Not everyone in the House is angry over the loss of pork. ‘Slap in the face’ Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte, a vice chair on Andaya’s committee who had sided with the senators in the controversy, called the veto “a slap in the face of the House leadership.” “This presidential veto is a slap in the face of House leaders, particularly Andaya and (Majority Leader Fredenil) Castro, who both insisted no manipulations had taken place and that they had simply itemized lump-sum portions of the budget, even to the point of mocking their critics for supposedly making much ado about nothing,” he said. “Well, the veto proved who among us were telling the truth,” said Villafuerte, who earlier accused Andaya and Castro of diverting public works and health funds from some districts to those of their allies. n
malaki; hindi tiyak kung malaki o maliit; medyo maliit; apakaliit; o wala pa kayong narinig o nabasa kahit na kailan tungkol sa (bansa)? Pakisabi ang sagot ninyo sa pamamagitan ng paglagay ng mga kard sa naaangkop na lugar sa rating board na ito. (Let’s now talk about some countries. For the following, please indicate if your trust/faith in (country) is: Very much; somewhat much; undecided if much or little; somewhat little; very little; or you have not heard or read anything about the (country) ever? You may indicate your answers by placing each card on the appropriate box on this rating board). n
AS the overseas absentee voting (OAV) program commenced on Saturday, April 13, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) eyed the possibility of fake news proliferation as observed in the previous elections. Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez assured the public that the commission is on the alert for those who plan to spread false information as a propaganda move to get their candidates elected. “The biggest reaction we are preparing for is the possible deluge of fake news accounts. We are on the lookout for efforts like that. That is what we are watching out for,” Jimenez said as reported by The Manila Bulletin. The poll body spokesman urged the public to report any questionable information to their office so they could easily clarify or deny any claims so as not to compromise the citizen’s right to suffrage. “We call on the public to forward to us any such news or information that they would encounter to the Comelec so that we can quickly find the truth and correct such claims,” the spokesman said as reported by The Philippine Star. Jimenez recalled an incident in 2016 wherein he received a complaint that the names on the voter receipt were not the candidates that the complainant voted for. “The person who complained used a ballpen in voting for a particular position and then used (a) marker for the other. When the voter receipt came out, the vote
Philstar.com file photo
marked with ballpen obviously was not read by the vote counting machine,” Jimenez stated. “That video was uploaded within the first day. That basically set the tone for the attack on the integrity of the election system,” he added. The spokesperson noted another dissemination of false information to which somebody claimed that the voting was already done and counted. He added that they also announced that this and that candidate already won. A group for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) Migrante International expressed their concern on the elections in Japan and Europe. The group noted that the OFWs were required to shoulder the postal stamp costs in order to send their votes to the Philippine embassies. “The right to vote should be free,” Migrante International
stated. According to Migrante, many registered OAV voters don’t have stable addresses. As such, the voters cannot guarantee that they will receive their ballots. Similarly, they won’t know for certain if the returned ballots will be received by the embassies or consulates. “We are appealing to the Comelec to give OFWs the option to get their ballots from the embassies,” Migrante said. Migrante International emphasized that only a few Filipino workers would exercise their right to suffrage if those issues were not addressed as soon as possible. The migrant group noted that the election commission must focus on OFWs in this month-long OAV. The Overseas Absentee Voting (OAV) will run until election day in the Philippines, May 13. n
april 19-25, 2019 • NEW YOrK aND NEW JErSEY aSiaN JOUrNal
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A student holds a placard during a protest at the state university grounds in Manila on Feb. 14, 2019, in support of CEO of Rappler, Maria Ressa, who was arrested a day earlier for cyber libel case. Ressa was freed on bail on February 14 following an arrest that sparked international censure and allegations she is being targeted over her news site’s criticism of President Rodrigo Duterte. Philstar.com photo
Foreign journos’ mission finds ‘increasing levels of intimidation’ vs local press by Kristine Joy
Philstar.com
Patag
A MISSION of international journalists on Tuesday, April 16, expressed alarm on the “increasing levels of intimidation” on Filipino press. Committee to Protect Journalists conducted a mission in the country and met up with journalists and government officials, including Justice Undersecretary Markk Perete and the Presidential Task Force on Media Security. The committee, in a statement Tuesday, “found increasing levels of intimidation and a shrinking space for the free press in the country.” The conference was attended by CPJ board chair Kathleen Carroll and its Asia program coordinator Steven Butler, and Australia-based Alliance for Journalists Freedom director Peter Greste. Carroll raised that there have been reports of cyberattacks especially on smaller news organizations. “We were told it’s not the purview of press safety task force,” Carroll said. “I found that hard to believe and alarming and perhaps we heard wrong but we don’t think so,” she also said. “The task force does not seem to be thinking that as an issue. We hope that they can reconsider,” Carroll added. On March 29, alternative news sites Bulatlat, Kodao Productions, Altermidya and Pinoy Weekly filed a civil complaint against IT companies they believe are involved in cyberattacks on their websites. The websites of these alternative news outlets have been targeted by Distributed Denial of Service attacks since late De-
cember 2018. DDoS, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, “aims to make online resources temporarily or indefinitely unavailable by flooding them with so much traffic that their intended users cannot access or use them. Rappler cases The CPJ also raised concern on the 11 cases filed against Rappler and the government officials “repeated” attacks against the press, including the withholding the license of TV network ABSCBN. Butler, CPJ’s coordinator for Asia, said that they believe that the cases against Rappler—which range from tax law violations to cyberlibel—“are likely to be politically motivated” and have “broader impact on the freedom of the press.”. Greste, for his part, said moves perceived as an attempt to intimidate the press “[create] a climate of fear.” Butler said that the findings of their mission would be created into a journal that would be uploaded on their website. The Malacañang has repeatedly distanced itself from the cases against Rappler and denied that cases against the news website and its officers are political persecution. ‘Twisted, unjust, unfair,’ PTFoMS chief says In a Facebook post, Presidential Communications Undersecretary Joel Sy Egco, also PTFoMS executive director, slammed the mission’s findings as a “twisted, unjust and unfair depitction of how things are out here.” Egco said that when CPJ and AJF officials came to the task force’s headquarters, PTFoMS clarified the issues raised. “Unfortunately, none of those we talked about was included in
this statement,” Egco said. “During the meeting, it was obvious that the CPJ delegation was pressing very particular issues on DDoS attacks as claimed by those who ‘believe’ the government was behind such attacks. Assertions based on belief as Bible truths? You gotta be kidding me,” the former journalist also said. Caroll, during the press conference, said that the delegation was welcomed warmly by the offices they visited for their mission. Egco also claimed that the delegation boarded a vehicle with the markings of ABS-CBN, one of the media entities that President Rodrigo Duterte has criticized in his speeches for their allegedly being biased against the government. Egco pointed out that the panel also talked with National Press Club Vice President Paul Gutierrez and Publishers Association of the Philippines president Nelson Santos. “Niloloko niyo ba kami? Eh, katabi ninyo sa upuan si Paul and Nelson? Ano tingin nyo sa kanila, haoshiao? (Are you playing us for fools? You were alongside Paul and Nelson. What do you think they are, paid hacks?)” he said. When Ressa was arrested by NBI agents on the cyberlibel charge, the National Press Club warned against injecting politics into the case. The press club also said that it is not uncommon for journalists to face libel suits. Their statement ran in contrast with those of other local and international press groups, some officials of the government and the academe who said the arrest is part of a government attack on dissent and is a threat to freedom of the press. n
UNICEF: Online child abuse top cybercrime in PH by Pia Lee-Brago Philstar.com
FILIPINO children have a massive presence in the internet and online child abuse is the leading cybercrime in the Philippines, according to the United Nations children’s agency. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said new technologies, such as live streaming, are “putting more Filipino children at risk of sexual abuse.” The National Baseline Survey on Violence Against Children shows that nearly one in two Filipino children aged 13 to 17 experienced cyber violence. “Filipino children have a massive presence online. One in three internet users is a child,”
Julia Rees, UNICEF representative, said. “While the government has been trying to respond to the demand, breadth, scope and agility of the technology — not to mention the extreme accessibility of digital platforms — there must be more that we can do together to protect our children,” she added. To address online child abuse, the Australian embassy in Manila initiated the SaferKidsPH Program and is providing P298 million over six years to fund this. The embassy hosted on Tuesday, April 16, the partnership launch of SaferKidsPH – the pioneering consortium composed of UNICEF, Save the Children and The Asia Foundation.
Aligned with the Philippines’ goal to end violence against children by 2025, SaferKidsPH will involve children, parents, schools, local groups, civil society, businesses, media and the government to promote online safety. Australian Ambassador Steven Robinson said Australia is committed to advancing the rights of children and protecting them from exploitation, abuse and violence. “Addressing online sexual exploitation and abuse of children is a global concern. SaferKidsPH reinforces our commitment to support the Philippine government’s efforts to address this complex form of human trafficking,” Robinson said. n
US to fly, sail, operate anywhere int’l laws allow...
PAGE 1 commander of the military’s Southern Luzon Command and the Balikatan director for the Philippines. The statement was made after Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang on Wednesday noted that the presence of “nonregional forces” could stir tension in the South China Sea. “I can tell you that the principled position of the Chinese side is that we hope non-regional forces will refrain from stirring up troubles in the calm South China Sea,” Lu said. Gapay, for his part, said the presence of U.S. forces in the West Philippine Sea, as well as its allies like the Australian troops, as part of the Balikatan exercises had long been planned. He added that it was not intended to agitate neighboring forces, particularly China. “The presence is not really to agitate or anything else, but purely for training, so nobody should be alarmed of the presence of all those forces during the Balikatan,” Gapay said. This year, amphibious and assault helicopter carrier USS Wasp and F35B Lightning II fighter jets were deployed in the South China Sea for the joint PhilippineU.S. Balikatan exercises. According to Smith, the de-
ployment of USS Wasp was a great opportunity for participants to train “and they don’t want to waste the training opportunities.” “I think the seal of the (USS) Wasp says it best: nothing says I love you better than bringing a ship with 10 F35s on it because that’s all I have on us. We brought everything we could bring because our partnership with the Philippines is so good. This is a great partnership and mutually respectful, beneficial partnership,” he added. Strong bond between PH and US Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Benjamin Madrigal noted that the importance of mutual cooperation and collaboration between two allied states and their partners was highlighted in this year’s joint drill — which focused on territorial defense and counterterrorism operations and urban missions from the previous Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR). “This has also bolstered the strong bonds between our countries, as we plan, work and operate side-by-side and shoulder-toshoulder in our joint undertakings to continuously capacitate and empower the Armed Forces as we fulfill our respective respon-
sibilities in maintaining peace and stability in the region,” said Madrigal in his speech at the closing ceremony of this year’s combined military drills at Camp Aguinaldo. He also praised the defense and military observers from Canada, South Korea, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Thailand and Singapore for participating in this year’s joint military drills. Defense Undersecretary Cardozo Luna, for his part, said Balikatan is “a demonstration of our nation’s commitment to contribute the peace and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region in the face of evolving regional security challenges.” He added that he is certain the Filipino and U.S. troops who participated in this year’s joint drills are now imbued with strong resolve to counter terrorism as well as respond to the need for a stronger HADR. “As we move forward, it is our hope that the Philippines and the U.S., together with our friends and allies in the region, will continue to work towards mutual peace and stability,” Luna said. “Shoulder-to-shoulder, we will continue to stand together to defend our values, for our prosperity and for the generations to come,” he added. (Ritchel Mendiola/AJPress)
NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • ApRIL 19-25, 2019
‘US could have stopped China in sea... PAGE 1 have a force to reckon with and then we have powerful countries who appear not to be persuaded to enforce it,” Panelo said. He said the Duterte administration has not forgotten the ruling. In a speech in Palawan on April 3, Duterte told China not to “touch” Pag-asa Island following the surge of vessels from a Chinese fishing fleet believed to be maritime militia. Panelo earlier said Duterte has effectively invoked the ruling with this pronouncement. “Because by mentioning that, there is the message to the Chinese government that ‘we have not forgotten this, excuse us,’” he said. “Effectively, he (Duterte) is already telling them that this arbitral ruling has the stamp of permanence; it’s irreversible; nobody can take that away from us. That’s what he is telling the Chinese government,” he added. “But meanwhile, since we cannot enforce it by force since we are not capable of doing that, Panelo said the government’s message is, “let’s be friends first and then let’s discuss if we can enforce this through negotiation.” Increase Coast Guard presence Following the report of China poaching giant clams in the Scarborough Shoal, Panelo said there “is a need for an increased number of Coast
Guards in that area.” “So if we don’t have that number, then we must purchase, maybe, vessels,” he said. Scarborough Shoal is a traditional fishing ground within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone that Beijing seized after a two-month standoff with the Philippine Navy in 2012. Asked why the government is now issuing strong statements against China Panelo said, “We
never changed [the] tone.” “We said that our responses are studied or calibrated, depends on the situation. We just don’t make reckless statements the moment we hear about a report that a certain person or group of persons do these things in that area,” he said. “We have to validate that first, that’s why we were very cautious in making statements. Now, when we validated that, then we make a very strong statement,” he added. n
PH press freest in Southeast... PAGE 1 that appear to be politically motivated” and which “created a sense of fear throughout the media industry, leading to self-censorship.” Guevarra rebutted this, saying the case of Rappler is an isolated one that has nothing to do with press freedom. “Maria Ressa’s case is not reflective of the overall situation. Her cases arose from a violation of our Securities Code, which led to other cases such as tax evasion and anti-dummy charges. Her cyber libel case was initiated by a private individual, not by the government,” Guevarra pointed out. n
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6
APRIL 19-25, 2019 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL
http://www.asianjournal.com • (212) 655-5426
OPINION
FEATURES
Poverty down?
INCREDULITY has greeted the release of a report showing that poverty incidence is down, as measured by the Philippine Statistics Authority. Critics consider the timing of the release suspect and in aid of election for administration candidates, while organized workers see it as an attempt to discourage wage increases. PSA officials say they are prepared to explain the methodology used. The PSA assessment covers the first six months of 2018 when rice prices spiked. This has added to the doubts about the report, considering that food accounts for nearly 70 percent of the components in the PSA’s poverty assessment. The figures could be altered once the assessment for the entire year is completed and the full impact of the fuel excise tax is factored in, although PSA officials say such figures usually improve in the second semester. The PSA placed the number of poor Filipino individuals at 21 percent in the first six months of 2018 – down from the 27.6 percent during the same period in 2015. The figure was lower for families, at 16.1 percent, from the 22.2 percent in 2015. In the first half of 2018, a family of five needed at least P7,337 a month to meet basic food needs, or P48.91 daily per person, the PSA reported. If basic non-food requirements were added, the amount would be P10,481 a month – which is the poverty threshold. Whether or not the amounts mentioned are
unrealistic, the statistics indicate that over 21 million people, or about a fifth of the country’s population, live below the poverty line. That’s still too many people needing liberation from poverty. Other studies in the recent past have indicated that up to 30 percent of Filipinos were classified as extremely poor, and remained so despite direct aid programs such as the conditional cash transfer. The PSA comes up with the periodic assessment to assist policy makers in crafting development and poverty alleviation programs. Even without bickering over the poverty figures, merely driving around Metro Manila and other congested urban centers around the country would indicate that the country has a serious poverty problem. Too many people lack meaningful jobs and livelihoods to sustain themselves and their families. Too many people lack the education and skills to earn a decent living. Even if the PSA figures might be correct, poverty alleviation remains a formidable challenge. (Philstar.com)
Editorial
Philstar.com photo
Holy Week reflections: If Good Friday is here, have faith that Easter is coming! The Fil-Am Perspective GEL SANTOS-RELOS HOLY WEEK is a good time for us to slow down a little and introspect on the meaning of this season in our life. This is particularly important these days when our day-to-day existence has been saddled with challenges, noise, hatred, doubts and fear because of the complexity and toxicity of today’s life. Most of us only aspire to exist, when we should be truly living, thriving and flourishing. I found a collection of amazing thoughts to help us slow down and discern what really matters in our life. I found them on Facebook via “Power of Positivity”. If you haven’t read these, I hope they will bless you as much as they they have been blessing me every-
day. Where ever you are in your life right now, stay in faith. Always remember that if Good Friday is here, Easter is coming. God bless us all. “If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present.” “Care about what other people think and you will always bet their prisoner.” “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” “Water is the softest thing, yet it can penetrate mountains and earth. This shows clearly the principle softness overcoming hardness.” “Health ins the greatest possession.” “Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” “Knowing others is intelligence; knowing your self is true wisdom. Mastering oth-
ers is strength; mastering your self is true power.” “If you don not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.” “Being still does not mean don’t move. It means move in peace.” “When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new.” “Silence is a source of great strength.” “If you correct your mind, the rest of your life will fall into place.” “Before healing others, heal your self.” “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” “Respond intelligently even to unintelligent treatment.” “New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.” *** Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https:// www.facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos
HOLY WEEK DESTINATION. Pilgrims visit the Stations of the Cross at the Hundred Islands National Park in Pangasinan on Sunday, April 14. Philstar.com photo by Andy Zapata Jr.
From US-Sino talks to next trade wars
Commentary
DAN STEINBOCK RECENTLY, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund trimmed the Philippine 2019 growth forecast. As U.S.Sino trade talks will give way to the next trade wars, Malacañang needs to monitor closely the eroding global prospects. EVER since the U.S.-Sino trade talks began almost four months ago, the United States has pushed for a broad commitment focusing on China’s economic practices, including participation of U.S. firms in certain industries and protection of U.S. intellectual property rights (IPRs). In a recent CNBC interview, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin claimed that the countries had “pretty much agreed” on an enforcement mechanism for a trade deal. After his meeting with the Chinese delegation last week, President Trump stated that negotiators may need four more weeks to package the deal. But the enthusiasm may prove premature. State of US-Sino trade talks
As the last globalist in the Trump administration, Mnuchin’s views carry some weight, but he lacks clout to enforce those views. That’s been the case since Gary Cohn, Mnuchin’s former Goldman Sachs colleague, resigned from the White House ahead of the tariff wars. In turn, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has proven too weak, reluctant and old (81 years) to press for compromise. That’s why trade talks are led by Peter Navarro, Director of National Trade Council, and Robert Lighthizer, U.S. Trade Representative. The former is an advocate of trade mercantilism, who has a dark track record in China-bashing; the latter’s trade wars began against Japan in the Reagan administration. In addition to enforcement mechanisms, the two are pressing for a pact that would allow U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods to snap back in case of violations – but without permitting China to retaliate in response. Understandably, Chinese negotiators consider such conditions unacceptable. Such conditionality has surprised even Craig Allen, president of U.S.-China Business Council, who believes that Mnuchin may
have been too optimistic about the deal, if it is burdened by a conditionality clause. Indeed, U.S. business groups tend to focus on commitments, including the proposed “enforcement offices.” They dislike negotiating tactics that needlessly prolong the talks and may undermine the progress achieved. Chinese Vice Premier Liu He has expressed greater caution by stressing that by the end the proposed four weeks, the two countries may learn whether a trade deal could be reached. And even if a final deal is achieved, it will take another year or two to verify the structural changes associated with the pact. Trade wars’ next targets However, a U.S.-China deal will not resolve U.S. trade deficits, which have increased for half a century. The imbalances began in the postwar era after the recovery of the key EU economies—the UK, Germany, France and Italy—and the subsequent rise of Japan. Toward the late 20th century, the deficits reflected the emergence of the four dragons, i.e., Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore. China’s role in these deficits became prominent in the 2000s.
Today, the largest deficits prevail with China, U.S. Nafta partners (Mexico, Canada), key EU countries (Germany, Ireland, Italy), Asean (Vietnam, Malaysia) and India. China has been targeted first, but others will follow. Last year, Mexico and Canada were pressured into a revised “U.S. first” regional pact. Friction has been steadily rising with Japan and Germany. And Trump has pledged to extend the trade war to Asean – where the deficits are likely to climb if U.S. companies begin to relocate. Despite half a century of promises to bring an end to deficits, U.S. dependence on trade deficits has only deepened as Washington has become increasingly dependent on foreign financing and sovereign debt (which now exceeds $22.2 trillion, or 106 percent of U.S. GDP). The net effect is a falling trend line (see figure). Why tariff wars won’t resolve US deficits Do the U.S. tariff wars make economic sense? No. Here are some reasons why: The U.S. deficit issue is multilateral and regional, not bilateral and national. Trying to resolve it by forcing the bilateral trade
deficit down is a bit like mimicking the fictional story of the little Dutch boy who discovered a leak in the dike and stuck his finger in it to save his country. That’s Trump’s strategy. Unfortunately, it ignores the dike’s many other leaks and may thus make the flood more likely. Second, Trump’s trade hawks presume that international trade is a competition between companies representing different countries. They ignore the fact that for decades — and particularly since the 1980s — national industry leaders have built multinational value activities around the world. Consequently — as even the OECD has concluded — conventional data on bilateral trade deficits can be misleading, due to multinationals’ global supply chains. Third, it is the overall size of the trade balance that matters, and that is largely a function of macroeconomic forces, such as domestic savings and investment. If the U.S. domestic investment continues to exceed savings, it will have to continue to import capital and will have a large trade deficit. Since late 2017, the Trump administration has made this challenge much worse, thanks
to large tax cuts, which have caused U.S. fiscal deficits to soar. That is likely to cause the trade deficit to increase, irrespective of the outcome of the trade war. Of course, one way to avoid this is that the White House will lead the U.S. into a recession, with incomes declining adequately for investment and imports to plummet – as with the aftermath of the 2008 crisis (see figure). Why tariff wars will weaken global prospects Unfortunately, that path would further penalize the American middle-class and working people, but it would also have even more severe implications internationally. It has potential to further derail global economic prospects (which would harm the very same U.S. multinationals Trump claims to support). As U.S. tariff wars undermined the global recovery momentum in early 2018, the IMF now predicts that global economic activity is notably slowing. Global growth is projected to slow to 3.3 percent in 2019. In the absence of more positive signals, the international environment is faltering toward a darker path. (ManilaTimes. net)
The views expressed by our Op-Ed contributors are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the predilection of the editorial board and staff of Asian Journal.
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Dateline PhiliPPines
NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • ApRIL 19-25, 2019
D ateline PhiliPPines SC tells Calida: Thousands of deaths
Canada’s trash shipment, refusal to take in drug war of ‘grave’ public concern back wastes are illegal — legal non-profit by Kristine Joy
Philstar.com
Patag
MANILA — The thousands of deaths in the government’s “war on drugs” are a matter of “grave public concern,” the Supreme Court told Solicitor General Jose Calida as the country’s highest court moves forward in the petition against the Duterte administration’s “Oplan Tokhang.” In a resolution ordering the Office of the Solicitor General to release the police reports, the SC stressed: “The undeniable fact that thousands of ordinary citizens have been killed, and continue to be killed, during police drug operations certainly is a matter of grave public concern.” The SC stressed: Article III, Section 7 states that “[t]he right of the people to information on matters of public concern shall be recognized. Access to official records, and to documents, and papers pertaining to official acts, transactions, or decisions shall be afforded the citizen.” The SC ordered the government to release the voluminous records to the two groups of petitioners in an en banc session last April 3, but a copy of the resolution was made public only Wednesday. The drug war petition In 2017, two groups of petitioners asked the SC to halt the implementation of Duterte’s war on drugs. Their pleas are centered on killings in the San Andres Bukid district of Manila and in Baguio. Towards the end of the oral arguments, Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio ordered Calida to submit all documents pertaining to investigations into police anti-drug operations from July 1, 2016 to Nov. 30, 2017. While Calida initially agreed to Carpio’s order, the government’s chief lawyer had repeatedly appealed for the reversal of the order, citing national security. Determination of documents’ relevance up to court In its latest resolution, the SC also reminded Calida that it has already been settled that the determination of the relevance of evidence “rests largely at the discretion of this Court,” not-
Solicitor General Jose Calida
ing once again that the OSG has “arrogated upon itself” the determination of the documents’ relevance to the resolution of the petition. In complying with the court’s earlier order, the OSG classified the drug war documents into two categories: Category 1 which includes the list of persons and operations from July 1, 2016 to Nov. 30, 2017, and Category 2 for information on cases cited in the two petitions. OSG sent the documents classified as Category 2 to the petitioners. But the SC also pointed out that the OSG did not make any mention of categories of the documents during the oral arguments nor when it first appealed the order in Dec. 18, 2017, “when it refused to submit all the information and documents requested by Members of this Court.” “We find that it cannot now impose conditions on its compliance,” the SC said. “We find that it is only the OSG, which unilaterally classified the documents into Categories 1 and 2, without the knowledge or consent from this Court and the parties, for the first time on 4 September 2018, or after it already submitted its Compliances to the Court and the parties without any qualification or condition on 26 April 2018 and 25 June 2018,” the SC added. The court held: “It is simply ridiculous to claim that these information and documents on police
Compel govt to protect disputed islands, SC urged A GROUP of fishermen asked the Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday, April 16, to compel the government to protect disputed shoals in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), where Chinese fishermen have reportedly been harvesting marine resources. In a 34-page petition for a “Writ of Kalikasan” to order the government to protect, preserve and rehabilitate the environment in Scarborough (Panatag) Shoal, Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal and Mischief Reef (Panganiban) Reef, the group of fishermen from Palawan and Zambales named the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Agriculture, Philippine Navy, Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine National Police and Department of Justice as respondents. The petitioners, represented by the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, stated that Ayungin Shoal and Panganiban Reef are part of the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Philippines on the basis of the 2016 decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. Scarborough Shoal is likewise part of the EEZ under Republic Act 9522 or the “Philippine Baselines Law.”
They argued that since the three areas are part of the country’s EEZ, these should be covered by environmental laws of the country such as the Philippine Fisheries Code. They argued that they “have no other plain, speedy and adequate remedy as petitioners are complaining of acts by the government agencies themselves who are supposed to be upholding Philippine environmental laws and protecting the environment and resources in Philippine territory.” “Respondents have failed to perform their duties as mandated in the above-mentioned environmental laws and regulations,” they pointed out. “Chinese fishermen harvested endangered and threatened species and used cyanide and explosives in their fishing… the marine environment and resources in the abovementioned areas were damaged severely and extensively in spite of adequate Philippine laws to protect them. Clearly, the damage is brought upon by lack of enforcement of Philippine environmental laws by respondents,” they added. The group also slammed the island-building done by China on Panganiban Reef. (Jomar Canlas/ ManilaTimes.net)
Pres. Duterte to human rights advocates: You were being listened to
MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte warned human rights advocates allegedly concocting black propaganda against him and his family that they were “being listened to.” Speaking during PDP-Laban’s campaign rally in Tuguegarao City in Cagayan on Tuesday, April 16, Duterte said he would release an “intelligence report” from another country showing human rights groups’ alleged connection with the move to vilify him. “Kayong mga human rights (groups). Kayong mga nagbablack propaganda pati ‘yung anak ko si Veronica 14 years old drug addict? May ipalabas ako, you just wait (Those of you who are engaged in black propaganda — you even said that my 14-yearold daughter Veronica is a drug addict — I am going to release
something. Just wait),” Duterte said. “Alam mo marami pa ring kaibigan sa ibang bayan. What you did not know is that you were being listened to habang ginagawa ninyo ‘yang kalokohan niyo. Ilabas ko yan in a few days pineperfect ko lang. It was an intelligence report, not from us, but from another country (You know, I still have friends from other countries. What you did not know is that you were being listened to while you are doing that. I’ll release that in a few days. It’s an intelligence report, not from us but from another country),” he added. Earlier, a video series linking Duterte’s children to drugs circulated online. Malacañang dismissed the videos as black propaganda meant to berate the first family. (Darryl John Esguerra/Inquirer.net)
Philstar.com photo
operations against drug pushers and users involve national security matters.” The April 3 order reiterates the tribunal’s Feb. 3, 2018 order when it ruled on the OSG’s motion for reconsideration on the order to yield the police operation records. In a strongly worded resolution, the SC en banc then said: “The OSG’s continued refusal to submit to this Court’s requirement will lead this Court to presume that these information and documents, because they are wilfully suppressed, will be adverse to the OSG’s case.” n
MANILA — Canada’s dumping of tons of garbage in the Philippines in 2013 and 2014 violated an international treaty and Ottawa’s inaction on the issue is illegal, a new legal opinion found. The legal opinion, prepared by lawyers at the Pacific Center for Environmental Law and Litigation, was sent to reporters on Wednesday, April 17, by EcoWaste Coalition. CELL is a non-profit society based in British Columbia, Canada. The legal opinion said there is a “strong argument that Canada violated the Basel Convention” when it shipped 103 container vans of wastes to the Philippines. The shipments—falsely declared containing homogenous plastic scrap material—actually contained heterogenous waste such as household trash, used adult diapers and electronic waste. The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Waste and Their Disposal prohibits the exports of wastes that are falsely-labeled. “The Basel Convention applies to the shipments of wastes in question because the contents of the container vans were wastes deemed to be hazardous under Philippine law and therefore are ‘hazardous wastes’ within the means of the Basel Convention, or in any case were household
wastes within the meaning of ‘other wastes’ under the Basel Convention,” the opinion read. The legal opinion also noted that Canada failed to discharge its obligation under Article 9 of the Basel Convention. The article states that “the state of export shall ensure that the wastes in question are taken back by the exporter or the generator or, if necessary, by itself into the state of export.” The Basel Convention also requires a country that has exported illegal wastes to take back the garbage within 30 days. But the Canadian government has for five years failed to take action on the longstanding issue despite requests from Philippine authorities. It added that Canada violated the provision which forbid the transfer of obligation to properly manage hazardous or other wastes and that the country failed to impose criminal liability for illegal traffic in household wastes. Environmental groups all over the world sent the legal opinion and a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, challenging his government to stop violating the Basel Convention and take back the garbage. “We respectfully request the Canadian government to act on this legal opinion and its Basel Convention obligations and provide a clear and definite date by which it will repatriate its garbage
so that this protracted ordeal can finally be promptly ended,” groups said. They added: “Canada should meet the standards set by the Republic of Korea which has acted to promptly arrange the return of its wastes illegally dumped in the Philippines, citing convention obligations.” The first batch of garbage illegally brought into the Philippines finally arrived in South Korea last February 4—around seven months after the waste shipments arrived at a port in Mindanao. Trudeau said during the 2017 Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Manila that his country is committed to solving the garbage dumping issue. But two years later after his statement, the Canadian garbage is still languishing in the Philippine soil. The environmental groups, moreover, said that the matter is a “moral issue that demonstrates Canada’s level of respect for the citizens of developing countries and how the nation demonstrates proper conduct.” “Leaving Canada’s garbage in another country for five years reveals values that clash with moral responsibility,” they said. The groups earlier sent letters to Trudeau but the government has not responded. (Gaea Katreena Cabico/Philstar.com)
april 19-25, 2019 • NEW YOrK aND NEW JErSEY aSiaN JOUrNal
Dateline PhiliPPines
http://www.asianjournal.com • (212) 655-5426
DOLE inspectors tracking down Bayambang makes it to Guinness Records illegal foreign workers in Philippines by Boy
ABundA Philstar.com
by ChristiA
MArie rAMos
Inquirer.net
MANILA — Labor law inspectors are now on red alert in tracking down illegal foreign workers in the country, Department of Labor and Employment Secretary (DOLE) Silvestre Bello III said on Wednesday, April 17. “Actually on red alert yung ating labor law compliance officers, hindi namin binabanggit sa publiko, meron kaming mga inspector na iniispect lahat itong Boracay, yung mga Pogo (Philippine offshore gaming operators),” Bello said in an interview with dzMM. “Nagkaron kami ng massive inspection and I’m just waiting for the result of the inspection. Pati yung mga nagnegosyo diyan sa mga economic zones, pinasok din ng aming inspectors and tuloy tuloy yan. We don’t want na ang ating mga kababayan ay
mawalan ng trabaho,” he added. It was earlier reported that Chinese businesses in Boracay were seen to have been growing in numbers after the island resort reopened last year, with some allegedly having Chinese nationals as employees. However, Bello said he sees no problem with the rise of foreign businesses in the country as these provide employment for Filipinos. “Yung tungkol sa negosyo, eh wala tayong magagawa. Kasi tayo, we are in great relation with other countries kaya kung may mag-invest dito, okay sa atin, hindi ba? Kung may magnegosyo ditong Japanese, Korean, Chinese, magandang investment, bakit hindi natin i-welcome, it provides employment,’ he said. “Ang pangit diyan eh kung yung mga magtatayo ng business dito, eh dayuhan din ang
kanilang gagamiting mga manggagawa eh yun ang mali. We will not allow that,” he added. So far the labor department has yet to recieve a report concerning Chinese businesses in Boracay, Bello noted. “Wala pong nakakarating saming report, kasi kung meron, nandiyan naman po yung ating labor officials na tinitiyak nila na walang mga dayuhan na gumagawa ng trabaho na kaya ng Pilipino,” he said. The labor chief also mentioned that he will be meeting with the head of the inspection team to review the results of the inspection. He added that the said inspections conducted by labor law compliance officers are a joint effort with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR). Earlier, the BIR estimates that over 130,000 unregistered Chinese Pogo workers. n
Bong Revilla hits back at Leila d Lima
BAyAMBANg, Pangasinan has once again made history. Thunderous applause, deafening shrieks and sheer joy enveloped the history-rich town the night of April 5 after the formal announcement was made that its latest entry as the Tallest Bamboo Sculpture (Supported) of St. Vincent Ferrer or the tallest statue made of engineered bamboo successfully landed a spot in the guinness World Records. It was adjudicator Swapnil Dangarikar who brought the piece of good news to all Bayambangueños during the unveiling of the 50.23-meter (164 ft. 9.56 inches) tall statue at the St. Vincent Ferrer Prayer Park that Bayambang now holds the guinness World Record for the tallest supported bamboo sculpture. No wonder, everyone was in a jubilant mood in the town’s celebration of its 405th founding anniversary and the marking of 400th year of St. Vincent Ferrer Parish (1619 to 2019). The occasion also coincided with the commemoration of the 600th death year (1419 to 2019) of the saint also known as the pastor of builders. The colossal statue, made of steel frame and engineered bamboo cladding, stands tall at the center of the two-hectare emerging spiritual hub situated in Barangay Bani. According to Dangarikar, Bayambang did not attempt to beat a world record but set a unique record for “a sculpture of this scale.” He, too, shared that it was already his seventh time to set foot in the Philippines and Dangarikar said that every time he comes here, “you never fail to amaze me” because even though he had expected to see a sculpture to be big, Dangarikar did not foresee “it was that huge and beautifully built.” It was said that over 600 people meticulously worked together for more than 10 months to build the statue of gargantuan size. Believe it or not, its right hand alone already weighed more than a ton. That’s why, careful planning was vital to achieve
Lima. Revilla also blamed de Lima for the suffering he experienced MANILA — Former senator while in detention for the graft Ramon Revilla Jr. cried foul over charge in relation to his alleged detained Sen. Leila de Lima’s acceptance of over P200 milstatement that her detention was lion in kickbacks from his pork different from the cases of three barrel or Priority Development senators who were jailed in conAssistance Fund (PDAF) that was nection with the pork barrel corallegedly channeled to bogus ruption scandal. non-government organizations created by businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles. The anti-graft court Sandiganbayan acquitted Revilla in a close vote, saying that he did not receive any kickback. Revilla described De Lima, who started probing graft accusations against him and former senators Jinggoy Estrada and Juan Ponce Enrile in relation to the pork barrel scam, as a “drug lord being protected by critics of the Duterte administration.” Revilla, Estrada and Enrile are currently running for senator. Estrada and Enrile are out on bail pending the graft charges in connection with the pork barrel scam. De Lima previously criticized Senate President Vicente Sotto III and asked him to “stop comby CAthrine GonzAles Inquirer.net paring my situation with that Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima smiles and greets well-wishers as she arrives for the of the three PDAF senators,” MANILA — In tears, Makati continuation of the hearing on the trumped-up illegal drug charges filed against her before referring to Revilla, Estrada and the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 205 last April 4. Senate photo Enrile. n City Mayor Abby Binay admitted on Wednesday, April 17, that she was the “lone wolf” in their family. In an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel’s “Headstart,” Binay was asked about an old photo of her family where all her siblings were present except her. She was then asked about being similar to a “lone wolf” among the Binays. “Because I am. yes,” Binay said – her voice cracking. “This is a long [issue]. It has only been highlighted because of the bickering in politics. Pero yung family issue namin matagal na ‘yun,” she said. Binay has been reportedly in feud with her brother Junjun, her key rival in her reelection bid as mayor on May 13. Citing differences with other members of the family, Binay went on to say that she sometimes wonders if she was “switched at birth.” “I decide differently. Kaya by Ghio
onG Philstar.com
In a statement, Revilla cited his acquittal from the charges filed against him in December last year while de Lima is still undergoing trial on drug charges. “If we have any difference, it’s that the court proved that I was not guilty and should be released, while a court ordered her detained as accusations against her might be true,” he said, referring to de
Bayambang, Pangasinan’s 50.23-meter statue of St. Vincent Ferrer lands a spot in the Guinness World Records as the world’s tallest bamboo statue. Philstar.com photo
perfection and zero casualty. JQS Builders, headed by architect Jerry Suratos, Engr. Aaron Villafuerte and Jericho Roble, was in charge of site development planning and detailed design of the sculpture using 3D polygon technology. Design and fabrication of steelworks were handled by Far East Industrial Supply & Co., Inc. (FEISCO) and RAA Architects Engineers Consultants while Palafox Associates took charge of the comprehensive land use plan. Local and foreign tourists were amazed at the sight of the statue that epitomizes the fervent devotion of the townspeople to their patron St. Vincent Ferrer. Soon, pilgrims and devotees will flock to the Prayer Park and Bayambang will become a promising religious spot and tourism destination like the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary of Manaoag in Pangasinan and
the Our Lady of Lourdes grotto in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan. The St. Vincent Ferrer statue was the brainchild of former Pinoy Big Brother housemate and actress Nina Jose, who is now the wife of town Mayor Cezar Quiambao. Together with Kasama Kita sa Barangay Foundation, hermano and hermana mayors Dr. Henry Fernandez and wife Julie, Nina’s great idea of putting Bayambang once again in the pages of guinness World Record became a reality. This is the town’s second guinness record. The first was set in 2014 for the longest barbecue grill (eight kilometers), beating the record of Turkey. Bayambangueños present to witness the affair validated what Mayor Quiambao said that the project was funded by the said foundation and no single centavo was spent from the municipal coffer. n
With tears, Abby Binay admits she is ‘lone wolf’ in family
Makati City Mayor Abby Binay
nga sinasabi ko minsan, was I switched at birth? They like being together all the time, [and] I am not… which they don’t seem to accept: Bakit ikaw ganyan? Bakit hindi ka kagaya namin? So it’s difficult to explain to them that I am not like you. yes, we are siblings but we have different personalities,” she said. Abby said that among the members of her family, she was closest to her father, former Vice Presi-
Inquirer.net photo
dent Jejomar Binay. She added that she was “not really close” to their mother Elenita. “I have accepted her (Elenita) for who she is,” she said. “Kaya nga sabi ko, we will rebuild after the election na lang. Physically, the election is not very tiring, it’s the emotional roller coaster [that makes me tired]. So I really just want to finish this election so I can move on,” she also said. n
Palace on law dividing Palawan: No connection with South China Sea issue MANILA — Malacañang justified the signing of a law dividing Palawan into three provinces, saying it has nothing to do with the country’s stake over the South China Sea. “Every creation precisely is to respond to the needs, to the delivery of basic services, to the problems of people in the area,” presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo told a press briefing on Tuesday, April 16. “There is no connection (with the South China Sea issue). Kahit naman walang probinsiya kung gustong mag-infiltrate ng mga
lokong iyan,” Panelo added. Sen. Risa Hontiveros had expressed concern that the law would allow China to strengthen its position in the South China Sea as it could have the “opportunity to infiltrate and influence smaller local government units.” President Duterte signed Republic Act 11259 on April 5 dividing Palawan into Palawan del Norte, Palawan Oriental and Palawan del Sur. A plebiscite to ratify the measure will be held on the second Monday of May in 2020. Civil society groups and resi-
dents of Puerto Princesa, the capital of the province, are against the law, saying it would not address the problems in the province. Panelo said Palawan gov. Jose Alvarez cited the advantages of the law, including better representation for districts. When asked for comment, Alvarez said the law is a “collective idea of a majority of Palaweños.” “This is our idea for better management of resources and faster delivery of basic services,” Alvarez said in a text message. (Alexis Romero/Philstar.com)
Escudero faces disqualification by WilliAM
depAsupil ManilaTimes.net
AN urgent petition seeking the disqualification of Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero, who is running for governor of Sorsogon, and three others for alleged violation of election laws, was filed before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) by a cause-oriented group. In a 10-page petition, Bayan at Mamamayan (BM) alleged that Escudero, who is the official candidate of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), violated the expressed provision of the Omnibus Election Code (OEC) when he donated P50,000 to Our Lady of Peñafrancia Seminary (OLPS) for the use of its premises for a politi-
cal proclamation rally last March 31, or two days after the start of the 45-day campaign period for local candidates. Also named in the petition were Escudero’s running mate Mayor Manuel Fortes, his mother, Sorsogon First District Rep. Evelina Escudero and NPC Second District congressional candidate Ditas Ramos. BM lead convenor Revor Lasay claimed that giving of a donation violated Section104 of the OEC and is prohibited pursuant to Comelec Resolution 10429. The petition said the Diocese of Sorsogon, through its spokesman Fr. Philippe gallanosa, admitted that OLPS received a rental payment from NPC for the
Senator Francis Escudero
Inquier.net photo
venue even as he said the diocese had no permit to rent out its premises for public use. The petitioner also noted that there is no existing certification for NPC-Sorsogon to show that it submitted a statement of expenditure of the event in violation of Section 88 of the OEC. n
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NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • ApRIL 19-25, 2019
10
april 19-25, 2019 â&#x20AC;˘ NEW YOrK aND NEW JErSEY aSiaN JOUrNal
Dateline PhiliPPines
http://www.asianjournal.com â&#x20AC;˘ (212) 655-5426
Joma Sison: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Duterte play-acting, out to rig midterm electionsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; by Jose
Rodel Clapano Philstar.com
TRI-AGENCY MEETING. Commission on Elections Chairman Sheriff Abas (6th from right), Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff, Gen. Benjamin Madrigal Jr. (5th from right), Philippine National Police chief, Gen. Oscar Albayalde (6th from left), and other government officials link arms for a souvenir photo at the signing of the Joint Letter Directive 01-2019 at Tejeros Hall in Camp Emilio Aguinaldo in Quezon City on Tuesday, April 16. The letter directive was drafted for the delegation of tasks to participating military and police personnel who would secure the May 13 mid-term polls. PNA photo by Joey O. Razon
â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Intramuros churches wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be delisted as World Heritage Sitesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; by Ghio
onG Philstar.com
MANILA â&#x20AC;&#x201D; The construction of the Intramuros-Binondo Bridge, funded by a loan from China, would not cause churches to be removed from the list of World Heritage Sites, an official said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There will be no effect on the infrastructure of the San Agustin Church,â&#x20AC;? Intramuros Administration chief Guiller Asido told The Star. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There will be no delisting.â&#x20AC;? The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is finishing its impact assessment study to see how the ongoing construction of the bridge would affect San Agustin Church and three others as World Heritage
Sites, Asido said. The bridge, which will connect Solano Street in Intramuros and San Fernando Street in Binondo, is part of the $70-million bilateral cooperation agreement between the Philippines and China, along with the Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge. Realignments have been made on the bridge so it would not intrude into the buffer zone required for the San Agustin Church to remain a World Heritage Site, Asido noted. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is to ensure that (the church) would still be respected as a heritage site,â&#x20AC;? he said. MalacaĂąang, through presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo, previously assured the public that it would not allow the encroachment as the church is
â&#x20AC;&#x153;part of our history.â&#x20AC;? Meanwhile, the Department of Tourism (DOT) encouraged the public, pilgrims and tourists staying in Metro Manila for the Holy Week to visit various sites in Intramuros. Aside from the San Agustin Church, pilgrims who would go on visita iglesia or Seven Churches Visitation can go to eight other churches in the Walled City: Manila Cathedral; Fr. Willmann Chapel in the Knights of Columbus building; Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila chapel; Colegio de San Juan de Letran chapel; St. Matthew chapel in the Bureau of Internal Revenue building; Mapua University chapel; Lyceum of the Philippines University chapel and Guadalupe Shrine in Fort Santiago. The 14 Stations of the Cross, depicting the suffering of Jesus, would also be installed along General Luna Street, from Beaterio to Muralla streets. DOT Assistant Secretary Roberto Alabado III yesterday extended his departmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s invitation to local and foreign tourists to â&#x20AC;&#x153;relive and renew (your) Christian faith by going around and visiting heritage. Alabado also reminded tourists visiting other summer destinations, including Bohol, Ilocos and Cebu, to â&#x20AC;&#x153;please do not forget that before going to the beach, our main purpose of visit to these provinces is to renew our faith.â&#x20AC;? n
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MANILA â&#x20AC;&#x201D; The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) has claimed that President Duterte was merely play-acting when he announced plans to resume negotiations with the National Democratic Front (NDF) and also alleged that the Chief Executive is out to rig the midterm elections. â&#x20AC;&#x153;By all indications, Duterte is merely play-acting in the name of peace while carrying out an all-out war and scheming to rig the May 2019 elections in order to pave the way for a fascist dictatorship through Charter change to a bogus federalism,â&#x20AC;? Jose Maria Sison said. Sison, who is also the NDFâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chief political consultant, added that he cannot negotiate with the allegedly militarized Office of the Presidential Adviser on the
Communist Party of the Philippines founder Joma Sison
Peace Process, headed by Carlito Galvez Jr. Sison said the NDF does not want to be baited into accepting a war panel of the Duterte administration whose purpose is allegedly to seek the impossible, such as the surrender of the CPPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
Inquirer.net photo
revolutionary forces, especially the New Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Army. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The NDF must remind Duterte that he cannot dictate the terms of whatever kind of negotiations he seeks from the revolutionary movement of the people,â&#x20AC;? Sison said. n
Manila Water COO steps down by JoRdeene laGaRe ManilaTimes.net
Manila Water Chief Operating Officer Geodino Carpio Inquirer.net photo
STILL reeling from the water crisis that hit about 1.2 million households in Metro Manila under his watch, the chief operating officer of the Manila Water Co has stepped down. In a statement, Manila Water said Geodino Carpio will avail of early retirement and his resignation will take effect at the close of business hours on Tuesday, April 16. With Carpioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s resignation, Ma-
nila Water appointed Abelardo Basilio as acting COO, concurrent with his position as Group Director for Strategic Asset Management and Data Protection Officer. Manila Water services the cities of Mandaluyong, Marikina, Pasig, Pateros, San Juan, Taguig, Makati, parts of Quezon City and Manila. It also serves Antipolo City and the Rizal towns of Angono, Baras, Binangonan, Cainta, Cardona, Jala-Jala, Morong, Pililla, Rodriguez, Tanay, Taytay and San Mateo. n
Tagle: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Do not follow arrogant kingsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; by CatheRine
Modesto ManilaTimes.net
MANILA Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle told the Christian faithful not to follow â&#x20AC;&#x153;arrogant, revengefulâ&#x20AC;? kings, as he ushered in Holy Week rites with Palm Sunday Mass on April 14 at the Manila Cathedral. Tagle lamented that people seek arrogant leaders as they were â&#x20AC;&#x153;easierâ&#x20AC;? to follow and were more â&#x20AC;&#x153;attractiveâ&#x20AC;? than Jesus Christ. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is not easy to emulate and embrace the traits of Jesus,â&#x20AC;? who according to Tagle, â&#x20AC;&#x153;is humble and in full solidarityâ&#x20AC;? with sinful humanity. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But, through Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mercy, we could love and follow him,â&#x20AC;? he
Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle delivers his homily at Manila Cathedral in Intramuros. ManilaTimes.net photo by Enrique Agcaoili
said in his homily. Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, during which Christians commemorate the passion, death and resurrection of Christ. Before the Mass, Tagle blessed palm branches brought for the occasion to commemorate Jesusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; triumphant entry into Jerusalem two millennia ago. Tagle challenged the faithful to practice humility and endure sacrifices. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Imposible sa ating hubarin ang sarili, magpakababa, `yung igalang ang umaalipusta saâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;yo. `Yung hilumin ang sumusugat sa`yo. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Di `yan ang kalakaran ng mundo. Pero para sa Diyos `di `yan imposible (It is impossible for us to practice humility, to respect those who abuse us. To heal others who inflict pain on you, that is not how the world works. But these things are not impossible to God),â&#x20AC;? Tagle said. He cited how the apostle Paul urged Philemon, an early Christian leader, to reconcile with and embrace as brother Onesimus, who had wronged him. This, he said, was the way of Christ, â&#x20AC;&#x153;not like other kings in the world who hold on to their dignity so others may hold them in high esteem and exalt them.â&#x20AC;? No revenge The prelate also said Jesus never approved of the use of weapons for revenge.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ang tugon ni Hesus sa magmamaltrato sa kanya ay paghihilom. Siya susugatan pero `di siya gaganti, mangsusugat sa iba (His response to those who persecute him is healing. Others would cause him pain, but he would not seek revenge or hurt them back),â&#x20AC;? Tagle said, referring to Judas Iscariot, the apostle who betrayed Jesus to the Pharisees for 30 pieces of silver. Tagle called anew on the faithful not to â&#x20AC;&#x153;avoid Jesusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; words and deedsâ&#x20AC;? this week, but instead get to know Jesus so they could follow him. He said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Holy Week is not just a chance for us to take a break and go on a vacation. This is also a time of getting to know Jesus Christ. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Who is Jesus? Why did he take the path for us?â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? In Naga City, Archbishop Rolando Tria Tirona, head of the Archdiocese of Caceres, said in his homily: â&#x20AC;&#x153;As we value this moment of being with our loved ones, let us not forget the very reason why we are gathered together during this Holy Week. It is to remember in prayer and in conversion, the loving and total sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for our salvation.â&#x20AC;? He added: â&#x20AC;&#x153;This Holy Week, especially the Solemn Triduum of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday are days of intense prayer and remembrance of Jesusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; death on the cross.â&#x20AC;? n
Alejano asks Coast Guard for clearance to visit Scarborough by patRiCia louRdes Philstar.com
ViRay
MANILA â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Rep. Gary Alejano (Magdalo Party-list), a candidate for senator under the Liberal Party-led opposition coalition, asked the Philippine Coast Guard to allow him to visit Scarborough or Panatag Shoal, a traditional fishing ground off the coast of Zambales. In a letter addressed to Adm. Elson Hermogino, PCG commandant, Alejano requested for clearance to visit the shoal, which the Chinese Coast Guard had reportedly been blocking. The senatorial candidate said in his request that the clearance is required for any individual or group before visiting the shoal. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The clearance, likewise, is necessary for the records and monitoring of the Philippine
Coast Guard in ensuring the safety of participants to the said trip if any unfortunate incident arises,â&#x20AC;? Alejano said in his letter. Alejano also said the clearance from the PCG would absolve fishermen should they assist his group in visiting the traditional fishing ground in the West Philippine Sea. Last week, Alejano and his Otso Diretso slatemates human rights lawyer Chel Diokno, Marawi civic leader Samira Gutoc and former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay visited Masinloc, Zambales, which has jurisdiction over Scarborough Shoal. The opposition candidates were supposed to visit the shoal itself but were not issued a permit. According to a statement released by Otso Diretso, the coast
guard refused to issue a permit to boat owners if there would be recording equipment in the boat that would carry the visitors. Alejano, Diokno, Gutoc and Hilbay resorted to waving the Philippine flag, along with local fishermen, on the shores of Masinloc, the jump-off point to Scarborough Shoal. The PCG, however, denied the claim of the opposition bets that they were barred from sailing to the fishing ground. According to a report from CNN Philippines, Capt. Armand Balilo, PCG spokesman, said there was no policy preventing anyone from accessing Scarborough Shoal. He clarified that the Coast Guard should only be advised earlier for monitoring purposes. The Palace played down the attempt as a publicity stunt. n
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In this April 8, 2019 photo, Otso Diretso senatorial bets Florin Hilbay, Chel Diokno, Gary Alejano and Samira Gutoc goes to Masinloc, Zambales to reiterate their firm resolve to stand for the right of Filipino fishers to Scarborough Shoal, which is also called Bajo de Masinloc. Philstar.com photo by Edd Gumban
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NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • APRIL 19-25, 2019
COMMUNITY JOURNAL
Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond MONETTE ADEVA MAGLAYA WHAT is your greatest fear? Some say that for most men, the greatest of fears are the fear of death, fear of failure and fear of public speaking. I know of someone who is deathly afraid of dogs, completely convinced that dogs are out to bite her. Telling her that her fear is baseless only drives her into raging fits. There is another I know who cannot abide the polka dot print design on anything she sees. There are a number of people who are afraid of riding boats and planes and just the thought of being in either one makes them nauseous. Weird huh? But who is to say that their fear is not valid as yours. There are perhaps as many kinds of fears as there are people on earth but the one that many people admit to is the fear of speaking before crowds. Psychology can dig up all the reasons for such fears deeply entrenched in the human psyche. But whatever the reason is, there is a time during one’s life that confronting that fear that paralyzes you from fully functioning and realizing your full potential on earth needs to be addressed. It is time for a face-off. If you are so inclined to add this to your bucket list, try mustering enough courage to face
Health@Heart PHILIP S. CHUA, MD, FACS, FPCS BILLIONS of people around the world use painkillers, and some of them like water, because they are readily available over the counter and mostly inexpensive. There is a survey that showed 1 in 20 people take as many as 6 tablets of painkillers for pain or headache. Some even consume more than 365 pain pills in a year. Like all other medications, including “simple” aspirin, or vitamins have potential side effects. Each person has individual response or reaction to different medications. A jolting revelation: One week of ibuprofen increases the risk for a heart attack. The most popular combination of aspirin and ibuprofen (like Advil), a Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs), is effective for pains and inflammation and preferred over steroids, but must also be taken under a physician’s supervision. The British, Finnish, and Canadian 2017 study, which investigated the impact NSAIDs may have on the risk for heart attack, revealed this alarming finding: “By cross-referencing previous studies encompassing a group of 446,763 individuals, they found that taking NSAIDs over a period of one day to a week was associated with a dramatic risk increase of heart attack, with ibuprofen causing a 48% hike in risk of myocardial infarction. Rofecoxib, another NSAID that had an even more drastic impact at 58%, had been recalled in 2004, though it is now being considered to return to the market as a specialized treatment for hemophiliacs. Higher dosages of NSAIDs were associated with an even greater risk, though the period of intake did not seem to effect the odds.” Of course, there are many individual variables and factors when it comes to response or reaction to medications. If you are on any NSAID and are concerned, be sure to discuss this issue with your physician. These drugs are very useful to countless people around the world. New life-saving cancer tests Cancer is almost synonymous to death in many instances. Malignancy is a dreaded disease. The usual problem is how to diagnose them, and how to do this as early as possible to catch it early and find a cure. An Australian research team from the University of Queensland found a distinct and “unique DNA structure that is common to every type of cancer they tested for.” This new technology has been
The Bucket List
Face the Fear of Public Speaking 14th of a Series
“… Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear — not absence of fear.” — Mark Twain this one fear that you think is worth conquering. People admit that having them speak in front of a crowd is like facing a firing squad. They would rather melt away than speak up. Experts say that there are baby steps that can be taken to conquer this. The one thing that characterizes people who speak in public at a drop of a hat is confidence— lots of it— that it practically oozes out of their pores. It is doubtful they started out with that level of confidence right off the bat. Most professional public speakers probably had to start being afraid themselves until they had a winning judo match with that gnawing fear in their gut. Mastery comes with taking baby steps, learning consistently from those that went before and were great, engaging speakers. Choose a role model and emulate what works. First off, one must dive deep into the sea of available information and cull out nuggets of wisdom on wide ranging areas to know what to speak of. In short, read up and never stop learning. Otherwise, one would simply be winging it with disjointed
thoughts and flawed delivery. It sounds cheesy but there may be some truth to the advice — fake it until you make it. In the beginning, that is probably how it works until repetitive practice over time builds that precious confidence and the chutzpah to speak unrehearsed and extemporaneously in public. Sometimes, the words come out so smoothly that you know without a doubt there is a higher spirit that flows in a particular speaker. Perhaps, the same is true of any other fear that you decide to have a face--off with. The greatest battle is with yourself when you finally decide you have had it living with the fear that threatens to eat you up and finally doing something about it. One day, you might even surprise yourself on how far you have gone with that ounce of courage you mustered early on in order to gain mastery of a particular kind of fear. *** Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette. maglaya@asianjournalinc.com
Are pain pills safe?
proven to be “accurate up to 90 percent in tests of 200 human cancer samples” which includes cancer of the prostate, lymphomas and different types of breast cancer. “Different cancers have very different signatures and use different types of screenings to detect. Scientists have been unable to identify a simple signature that was common to all cancers, but this new technology seems promising,” says the UoQ team. Hopefully, someday soon, test would be invented abnd appropriate drugs developed that will detect cancer soonest and make it totally curable, reminiscent of the ravages of killer pulmonary tuberculosis of the yesterdays before antiTb pills were developed, where the disease invades almost all organs of the body, virtually a fatal illness at the time, like many cancers today. Smartphones reduces brain power? Smartphones are heavensent in most instances. For me it is my second self, but more smart, more efficient, much faster when it comes to data production or retrieval, and has a lot more superior computer power than my brain. Used wisely, smartphones make us perform closest to our maximum potential brain power. However, studies have shown that when we are taking an examination or doing a complex chore requiring our brain’s maximal power, the presence of our smartphone nearby, even face down, or in our pocket, reduces our brain power and performance, compared to another person who does not have a smartphone nearby. Our dependence on it virtually, subconsciously, lessens our self-confidence and distracts our concentration when we are not using it. Many are addicted to their smartphone. I am one of them, who use it for everything, from waking me up to putting me to sleep, and my activities for the whole day, from setting reminders, getting news updates, emailing, writing my column, navigating, shopping, surfing the net, and communicating with my colleague, Dr. Google. The advise, especially for children, is to give the smartphone a vacation once in a while, not using it for half a day or more, providing the same break for tablets and laptops. Children on the phone or computer a great part of the day provides passive brain activity, unlike intellectual or brain exercise as in talking to, and interacting with people, reading, doing puzzles, or solving problems, and other active brain exercise. When we always give the task of remembering dates or occa-
sions to our smart devices, for instance, and depend on them as a routine, then our memory bank becomes less efficient, and weaker memory and slower recall result. This does not mean these computers are bad for us. When used appropriately and with wisdom, computers (like smartphones, etc.) are a great boon to a person’s life and to humanity as a whole. Inflammation is the culprit The initial process in the formation of most diseases is inflammation. This is not the usual obvious inflammation that results from bumps, injuries, that leads to area redness, swelling, warmth, and pain. The patho-physiology is more sophisticated than this and the effect more systemic and general. Some of the triggers are stress, exposure to environmental pollution, toxins, etc., bad food we eat (like processed foods, soft drinks, junk foods, contrary diet, smoking, alcohol, inactivity or lack of exercise, illicit drugs, and some bad behaviors/habits. Any of these, or combination thereof, can trigger inflammation in the inner linings of the arteries all over our body and other organs, production of free radicals and increase in the oxidation processes, and weakening of the immune system. The food items that are antiinflammatory and anti-oxidants include olive oil, broccoli, tart cherries, blue (and most) berries, fish (omega 3), nuts, kelps and fermented foods. Food items that cause inflammation, which all of us should avoid, especially those with arthritis, include: sugar and all sweet items, rice, bread, pasta, gluten foods, soft drinks of any kind, french fries, processed meats, blackened grilled meats (whose oil drippings cause cancer-causing fumes/smoke that goes back up to the meat being grilled on high heat), nightshades (tomato, white potato, pepper, eggplant, paprika). Anti-inflammatory behaviors include good attitude, physical exercises, brisk walking preferred over jogging (which causes impact injuries to spine, hip, knee, ankles joints over time), fun activities with family and friends, the act of laughing itself, singing, rest and relaxation, vacations, and any other stress reduction regimens. Living a healthy lifestyle is anti-inflammatory. *** Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, a Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus based in Northwest Indiana and Las Vegas, Nevada, is an international medical lecturer/author, and Chairman of the Filipino United Network-USA, a 501(c)3 humanitarian foundation in the United States. Websites: FUN8888.com and philipSchua.com Email: scalpelpen@ gmail.com
Calendar of Events across
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West Ranch Music Masters Tournament in Valencia, CA West Ranch High School’s Instrumental Music Program is excited to announce their inaugural Golf Tournament fundraiser to be held on Monday, April 22 at The Oaks Club at Valencia, CA. Check-in and breakfast starts at 10 a.m. with a 12 p.m. shotgun start. The $125 per player fee includes: 18 holes of golf, use of golf cart, practice facilities, lunch and dinner. There will be an optional Mulligan and Magic Putt package for purchase. Additionally, a wide array of silent auction and raffle baskets will be available. The awards dinner will be served starting at 5pm and will feature students performing live jazz music. For those who wish to attend only the dinner and award festivities, the cost is $50. All proceeds go directly to support the West Ranch High School Music Program. To register for the tournament or for more information contact Jean Conway at westranchband@gmail.com or visitwestranchmusic.com. Deadline to register is on April 11.
A P R I L 25 -28
Philippine Nurses Association of America - North Central Regional Conference in Columbus, Ohio The Philippine Nurses Association - Central Ohio will hold a regional conference from April 25 to 28 at the Embassy Suites (2886 Airport Drive, Columbus, Ohio). For more information, please visit http://www.mypnaa.org/.
A P R I L 26
Avengers Endgame fundraiser screening for Ateneo scholars The Blue Eagle Circle (TBEC) will be hosting a fundraiser screening of Avengers Endgame for the benefit of Ateneo scholars. The screening will be held on Friday, April 26 at Regal LA Live Stadium 14. Doors open at 7:15 p.m. PST. Tickets are $40.00 each, inclusive of popcorn and soda. Event proceeds will go to the Stipend Fund Program – an annual fundraising program that provides financial assistance to bright and deserving scholars of the Ateneo de Manila University. For more information, go to bit.ly/AvengersTBEC; or find us on Facebook as “The Ateneo Blue Eagle Circle.” For ticket sales and other inquries, please contact Joey Dungca (213-503-6407), Mico Letargo (818-620-4031), or Penelope Uy (213-810-2281).
M AY 4
Kulintang festival in Oakland, CA As part of the as part of the celebrations of Asian American Heritage Month, Gongster’s Paradise — a kulintang party — will be held on Saturday, May 4 at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center where the father of Filipino-American Kulintang music, Danongan ‘Danny’ Kalanduyan was once an artists in residence. This year’s line up will feature a new generation of Maguindanaon Master Artists from Cotabato City, Traditional groups from all over the United States and Contemporary groups from all over the world including Toronto, Philippines, Seattle, Virginia, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Alongside non-stop kulintangan, Gongster’s Paradise will feature visual artists, vendors, and dancers to showcase movements related to kulintang music rooted from all over Mindanao. A feast will be served throughout the evening to be prepared and served by Chef Eric Pascual, rising star and owner of Eats By E and will be joined by collaborator and sponsor, Ramar Foods. It will be held from 4 to 9 p.m. at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center (388 9th St., Oakland, CA 94607).
If you have an upcoming event and would like us to post it, please email us the details at info@asianjournalinc.com or calendar@asianjournalinc.com
With Liza Soberano out, the search for the next “Darna” continues BY MONET
LU
THE on-and-off search for the Philippines’ favorite super heroine came to an end when it was confirmed that actress Liza Soberano was chosen to play the next “Darna.” Then, it happened. As if caused by some unseen “dark” forces; our supposedly new Darna got injured, which caused her to turn down the role tearfully and regretfully. This turn of events begs the question: so, who will be the next Darna? Who is deserving to turn into this brave and mighty lady warrior sporting a red bikini with a gold star in each brassiere cap; red helmet with ruby encrusted gold winged medallion; gold bracelets; golden medallion belt with a loincloth in the middle; and almost knee-high red stiletto boots? Who do you think is worthy to swallow the infamous magic white pebble that transforms a common “Narda” to a “Pinay Wonder Woman” named, DARNA? “Who?” is the question everybody seems to be asking. I am not surprised that several names have been thrown as to who fits the description of our Darna. And there were celebrities who have expressed their interest in the role, like Pia Wurtzbach, Maja Salvador, Jessie Mendiola, to name a few. The director of Darna, Erik Matti, himself actually revealed who he thinks is a great fit for the role, now that Soberano can no longer play it. In his interview with Ricky Lo of the Philippine Star, he said, “After her [Soberano], I only see Nadine Lustre so far as someone who can be Darna. Very sultry. She has a lot of female sensuality and at the same time still looks tough and very Filipina.” He added, “The key to casting Darna has always been someone who can look plain and ordinary in her Narda alter ego but can be tough, spunky and can be very
sexy when she transforms to Darna.” To this, Nadine reportedly expressed her gratitude for being one of the choices to play such an iconic role. Darna’s trademark red suit, magical stone, and catchphrase (“Ding, ang bato!”) are quintessential parts of Pinoy pop culture. Mars Ravelo’s comic heroine dates back to 1939. No wonder, picking the best person to play Darna is tough. The first woman to play Darna from 1951 to 1952 was none other than Rosa Del Rosario. Her name might not ring a bell these days, but she was dubbed the “Queen of Philippine Movies” in her heyday. She made a name for herself in silent films during the ‘30s and later, starred in many “talking-pictures”—including the first-ever Darna movie produced by Fernando Poe Sr. and written by Ravelo himself. Next to Del Rosario was Liza Moreno who played Darna in 1963 and 1964 which was actually 11 years after Darna was first shown in the silver screen. Then there’s Eva Montes in 1965, and then, of course, the Star for all Seasons, Vilma Santos is 1973. She played the role the longest: from 1973 to 1975; then again in 1980. Some of the actors who also played Darna were Lorna Tolentino (1977), Dolphy (yes, Dolphy! In 1979), Rio Locsin (1979), Sharon Cuneta (1986), Nanette Medved (1991) and Anjanette Abayari in 1994. This was the last Darna film to date. In 2003, “Asia’s Songbird”
Regine Velasquez flexed her acting chops in a cameo appearance for the 2003 remake of Captain Barbell (starring her now-husband, Ogie Alcasid and Bong Revilla). She even wore the costume again for a performance with Alcasid during their concert tour. Two years later, Angel Locsin flew into our TV screens (and everyone’s hearts) with her portrayal of Darna in 2005. Locsin, who was already soaring after the success of Mulawin, dominated primetime ratings and her version enlisted four former Darna actresses to be part of the show: Gina Pareño, Rio Locsin, Lorna Tolentino, and Regine Velasquez (who also sang the theme song and voiced the “Darna!” shout). Despite the clamor for her return in Erik Matti’s highly anticipated film with Star Cinema, Locsin had to retire her costume due to personal health risks. The last actress to play the role on TV was Marian Rivera in 2009. Fresh off her role as Dyesebel, Marian’s version featured the famous opening theme “Narda” by Kamikazee, and depicted Narda as a young woman who initially didn’t want her powers and responsibility. The series also enlisted Mark Anthony Fernandez and Dennis Trillo to play Rivera’s love interests. Fast forward to the millennial times where “anybody can be a star.” Anybody can “dream, believe and achieve.” I humbly think that the role of Darna is something that should be treated like a PAGE 13
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OFW remittances hit 5-month low in Feb. Budget approval lifts stock market By Mayvelin
U. Caraballo ManilaTimes.net
MONEY sent home by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) fell to a five-month low in February, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported on Monday, April 15. Personal remittances â&#x20AC;&#x201D; comprising OFWsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; net compensation, personal transfers whether in the form of cash or in kind, and capital transfers between households â&#x20AC;&#x201D; totaled $2.557 billion, 1.2 percent higher than the $2.528 billion posted a year earlier, but 6.8 percent lower compared to the $2.745 billion booked in the prior month. It was also the lowest since September 2018. The result brought year-todate remittances to $5.302 billion, 2.3 percent higher than the $5.182 billion registered in the comparable 2017 period. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Personal remittances from sea-based and land-based workers with work contracts of less than one year rose by 8.5 percent to $0.57 billion in February 2019 from $0.53 billion in February 2018,â&#x20AC;? central bank Governor Benjamin Diokno said in a statement. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This compensated for the 0.43-percent decline in the personal remittances from land-based workers with work contracts of one year or more to $1.93 billion from $1.94 bil-
By Tyrone Jasper
C. piad
ManilaTimes.net
Manilatimes.net photo
lion,â&#x20AC;? he added. Nicholas Antonio Mapa, ING Bank Manila senior economist, said remittance flows remained healthy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The steady stream of dollars help fund peso purchasing power, almost assuring that household consumption continues, while also augmenting the sustained struggles of the export sector,â&#x20AC;? he pointed out. Cash remittances, which only count money coursed through banks, rose by 1.5 percent to $2.301 billion in February from $2.267 billion a year earlier. It fell by 7.3 percent, however, from the $2.484 billion recorded in January 2019. Year to date, cash remittances grew by 3.0 percent to $4.784 billion from $4.647 billion last year.
Remittances from both landbased ($3.73 billion) and seabased ($1.06 billion) workers rose by 1.0 percent and 10.5 percent, respectively, and were said to have supported the yearto-date tally. â&#x20AC;&#x153;By country source, the United States registered the highest share of overall remittances for the period at 35.5 percent,â&#x20AC;? Diokno said. It was followed by Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Japan, Canada, Qatar, Hong Kong, and Germany, accounting for 77.3 percent of total cash remittances for the two-month period. OFW remittances hit $32.21 billion last year, the â&#x20AC;&#x153;highest annual level to dateâ&#x20AC;? according to the central bank. n
APPROVAL of the delayed 2019 national government budget lifted the stock market on Tuesday, April 16, with investors anticipating a secondhalf economic uptick. The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index finished at 7,826.46, up 0.49 percent or 38.48 points from the previous day. The wider All Shares added 0.23 percent or 10.99 to close at 4,828.14. Sectoral results were mixed, with the financial, industrial and services indices closing in the red. Total share volume stood at 1.45 billion valued at P7.14 billion. Decliners led advancers, 107-85, while 42 issues remained unchanged. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[Investors took] the passing of the 2019 budget â&#x20AC;Ś as a positive sign that the economy might recover in the second half of 2019,â&#x20AC;? Philstocks Financial Inc. Research Associate Piper Chaucer Tan said. President Rorigo Duterte on Monday, April 15 approved the P3.757-trillion budget, vetoing P95.3-billion worth of programs and projects and finally ending a Senate-House of Representative tiff over allegedly unauthorized insertions.
130K Chinese workers not paying taxes Foreigners will be made to pay the penalties for all their violations since they started working here By ben
o. de vera Inquirer.net
THE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is going after the income tax payments of more than 130,000 unregistered Chinese working in the Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogo) sector. Internal Revenue Deputy Commissioner Arnel Guballa told reporters last Monday, April 15 that the BIR had expanded its investigation to also include about 2,000 foreigners employed in the Clark and Subic economic zones. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They are consultants, engineers, designers, IT (information technology workers)â&#x20AC;Ś Our estimates showed that there are around 2,000 [foreign workers in economic zones] but what we are really prioritizing are the Pogos,â&#x20AC;?
Guballa said. The BIR official said majority of the Pogo workers in the country were Chinese. He said all of these Chinese workers in Pogos did not secure tax identification numbers (TIN) from the BIR. As such, they are not registered as taxpayers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are looking for all of them. Although they are employed in online gaming, what we are checking is if they are paying their taxes,â&#x20AC;? Guballa said, as he noted that some Pogo firms actually had remittances to the BIR. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We will check if their remittances are correct, if [payments were] below the actual [income tax] rate or below the declared income. We are counterchecking the income that they receive,â&#x20AC;? he said. Before this month ends, the
BIR will finalize the list of Pogo workers as it is currently in the process of validating data. For those to be found not paying taxes, â&#x20AC;&#x153;we will file the corresponding necessary enforcementâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;if you are not registered, then we impose penalties on those unregistered.â&#x20AC;? Guballa said many Pogos were already registering because they now know that the government was very much aware of their activities. But even after these Pogos finally register, Guballa said the BIR â&#x20AC;&#x153;will stretch back as far as we will determine [how long they were operating so they] will pay for all the penalties of all those violations.â&#x20AC;? Early this month, the Department of Finance (DOF) said the government wanted to collect
about P32 billion in unpaid income taxes from foreigners who work in the Pogo industry. It as based on a rough computation by Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III on the assumption that up to 138,001 foreign workers earned an average of $1,500 a month and paid the 25-percent personal income tax. Based on the report submitted to Dominguez by the Department of Labor and Employment and the Bureau of Immigration last month, 54,241 Pogo workers had been issued alien employment permits aside from 83,760 who have special working permits. For Dominguez, the reported salaries of foreign Pogo employees amounting to only P20,000 a month were â&#x20AC;&#x153;ridiculously lowâ&#x20AC;? for skilled workers. n
Manilatimes.net photo
The budget impasse, along with an ongoing El NiĂąo and a global economic slowdown, has prompted downward revisions to 2019 Philippine growth forecasts. Tan also said that declines over the past few days had led to an undervalued market, setting the stage for a technical bounce. P2P Trade Online Sales Associate Gabriel Jose Perez, meanwhile, said a slowdown was likely today, April 15, as traders wind up their activities for the Holy Week break. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Trading could likely be quietâ&#x20AC;Ś especially with the upcoming long weekend,â&#x20AC;? he said. The PSEi rose along with other Asian markets where investors were said to have brushed off a weak lead from Wall Street while looking ahead for the release of Chinese growth data. With few catalysts to drive business, regional equities at first struggled for traction but picked up as the day wore on â&#x20AC;&#x201D; resuming an uptrend that has characterized the year. Focus turns now to Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growth figures, which come after a number of upbeat readings on the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s number two economy â&#x20AC;&#x201D; including factory
activity, inflation, new loans and trade â&#x20AC;&#x201D; that have given some cause for optimism. High-level talks between China and the United States aimed at ending their longrunning trade war are also being closely followed, with most observers optimistic they would reach a deal. Traders are also keeping tabs on trade talks between Japan and the United States in Washington. Hong Kong rose 1.1 percent, while Shanghai ended more than two percent higher â&#x20AC;&#x201D; boosted by a rise in property prices â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and Tokyo was up 0.2 percent. Sydney gained 0.4 percent, Singapore added 0.2 percent, Seoul rose 0.3 percent and Taipei jumped 0.6 percent. Wellington, Mumbai and Jakarta were also well up. Traders in New York provided a weak lead after Wall Street majors Goldman Sachs and Citigroup disappointed, offsetting a healthy report from peer JP Morgan last week and causing some concern as earnings season kicks into gear. In early trade Londonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s FTSE index rose 0.2 percent, Paris gained 0.3 percent and Frankfurt 0.5 percent. (With reports from AFP) n
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Community Journal
State department reports many Filipino family-based visas go unclaimed, resulting in the case being shred and priority date lost Immigration Corner Atty. MichAel Gurfinkel, eSQ RECENTLY, officials from the U.S. State Department discussed the monthly Visa Bulletin and the movement of priority dates. (A priority date is a person’s “place in line” for an immigrant visa, and is typically based on the date the petition was filed. The monthly Visa Bulletin reports which priority dates are now eligible to be queued up for immigrant visas and adjustment of status.) Sometimes, it could take 20 years or more for a priority date to become current for Filipino family members, especially in the categories of married children of U.S. citizen (F-3) and brother and sister of U.S. citizen (F-4). State Department officials observed there has been a continuing low demand in these categories, despite a very large “pool” of applicants with approved petitions who have not yet acted on their case. In other words, there are many Filipinos whose priority dates are current and visas are available, but they are not coming forward to claim or apply for their visa. Ordinarily, if a visa is available, but the person does not claim their visa within one year of being notified of its availability, their visa registration could be “terminated” and their file destroyed. If a case is terminated because of a person’s failure to timely pur-
sue their visa, the priority date is also lost and the petition is gone! A new petition would need to be filed, and the person would get a brand-new priority date, meaning they may now have to wait another 20 years or more to be processed for their visas. At the present time, visas are available in the F-3 and F-4 categories filed before 1996. That’s over 23 years ago! A lot could have changed since then, such as the family moving to a new address but neglecting to notify the National Visa Center (NVC) of their new address. Therefore, the only address the NVC has for the person is their original address from decades ago. The NVC will then send notices (with deadlines) to the old address. If the family moved to a new address years ago, the mail may not be forwarded to them anymore, and so they will not respond in time. In that case, the NVC could terminate the case and shred the file, resulting in the loss of the priority date. Remember, it is your obligation to keep the NVC advised of your current address; it is not the job of the NVC to track you down. It’s your fault if documents are sent to your old address because you did not update your new address. Perhaps that’s why the State Department is noting a “low demand” in Filipinos pursuing their visas despite a “very large pool of applicants with approved petitions,” because they may have moved and are not receiving the notices at their new address. You should check the priority date on your petition and compare that date to the “current”
priority dates. (I always post the most recent priority dates on my website www.gurfinkel.com and Facebook). If your priority date is already current, but you have not yet received any notification or forms from the NVC, don’t just sit there and do nothing. You may miss a critical deadline, resulting in the shredding of your case. I would also suggest that you seek the assistance of an attorney, who can quickly look into your case to make sure it is still on track, and didn’t fall between the cracks, especially if your priority date has been current for some time. *** Michael J. Gurfinkel has been an attorney for over 35 years and is licensed, and an active member of the State Bars of California and New York. All immigration services are provided by, or under the supervision of, an active member of the State Bar of California. Each case is different and results may depend on the facts of the particular case. The information and opinions contained herein (including testimonials, “Success Stories”, endorsements and re-enactments) are of a general nature, and are not intended to apply to any particular case, and do not constitute a prediction, warranty, guarantee or legal advice regarding the outcome of your legal matter. No attorney-client relationship is, or shall be, established with any reader. WEBSITE: www.gurfinkel.com Follow us on Facebook.com/GurfinkelLaw and Twitter @GurfinkelLaw Call Toll free to schedule a consultation for anywhere in the US: 1-866-487-3465 (866) – GURFINKEL Four offices to serve you: LOS ANGELES ∙ SAN FRANCISCO ∙ NEW YORK ∙ PHILIPPINES (Advertising Supplement)
With Liza Soberano out, the search...
PAGE 11 beauty title. Not because it should be given to someone who is easy on the eyes but like our former Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach said about being Miss Universe, “it is both an honor and a responsibility.” As much as I love the top choices they currently have (to play Darna), for me, being the next Darna means she will be carrying on the legacy that the veteran ac-
tresses (who played the role) have passed on. She will embody one (if not the most famous) of the cultural icons in Philippine entertainment. Having said that, I think this would a good time to discover and give a chance to fresh talent — someone new. And while that poses as a challenge (albeit, a good one), I am optimistic that finding the perfect Darna is worth the wait.
***
Monet Lu is a Marikina-born, award-winning celebrity beauty stylist with his own chain of Monet Salon salons across Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada. Ultimately, Monet is known as an all-around artiste who produces sold-out fashion and awards shows as well as unforgettable marketing campaigns. Monet is also the founder of the revolutionary all-natural beauty products such as Enlighten, your solution to discoloration . To contact Monet, please visit www.monetsalon.com or email him at monetsalon@aol.com
NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • APRIL 19-25, 2019
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CONQUERING THE FEAR OF UNCERTAINTY AND SIX ICE AGENTS KNOCKING AT THEIR DOOR ON THIS SUNDAY’S “CITIZEN PINOY!” After they were offered jobs as caregivers, Danilo (left) and Millet (center) took a big gamble when they decided to stay in the U.S. to pursue their American dream. It was not easy, especially after their hard-earned money was lost to a lawyer who hardly did anything to move their case forward. They eventually went out of status, and even had ICE. agents come knocking on their door. The couple then consulted with Atty. Michael Gurfinkel, who took over the case, and helped them acquire their green cards. Leading U.S. immigration attorney Michael Gurfinkel (right) was also able to help their two daughters avail of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, and getting approval on their green cards the same day President Trump cancelled DACA. Watch this encore episode of “Citizen Pinoy” – on Sunday at 6:15 p.m. (PST) on TFC. (Advertising Supplement)
19-25,4-10, 20192019 • NEW YORK ANDAND NEWNEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL JANUARY • NEW YORK JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL A14 14 APRIL
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Woman on a mission: How this Fil-Am engineer rose through the ranks at NASA
“I
BY
CHRISTINA M. ORIEL / AJPRESS
REALLY wasn’t interested in space,” confesses Josephine Santiago-Bond, while reflecting on her engineering education during a recent interview with the Asian Journal. The Filipina-American engineer never anticipated that her experiences would culminate in a career revolving around missions and exploration in outer space. says. NASA calling She took on a second job as a research assistant under an advisor who received funding from NASA’s Space Grant Consortium. An opportunity to spend a summer at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), one of NASA’s 10 field centers in the country, presented itself because the university didn’t have a facility for the project she was working on that involved hazardous Josephine Santiago-Bond, left, gases. chair of Kennedy Space Center’s Asian Pacific “That was the American Connection (APAC) Employee Resource Group, and Alyssa Garcia, the group’s co-chair, second winter I had speak to attendees at the annual Asianspent up there [in American Pacific Islander Heritage Month South Dakota] and it special event in 2016. was pretty frigid so I Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett was excited to spend the summer with him at KSC,” she underlying recalls. strengths, such Her period at KSC, coupled as being able to with the Space Shuttle Columbia communicate with a disaster in 2003, further piqued team of people and her interest in NASA — as solving technical did applying her engineering problems. expertise to aerospace research “It’s great to and development. come to work every “I’m kind of embarrassed to day because I can say prior to that incident, I didn’t be myself and my really know about space shuttles values align with and that there was an International the organization’s Space Station orbiting around us,” values. They always Santiago-Bond says. “I felt very emphasize safety, sad about the lives that we lost integrity, teamwork with Columbia and became in part and excellence and obsessed with the TV coverage of those are things I Santiago-Bond landed at John F. Kennedy Space Center in 2005 as an intern. the recovery.” line up behind,” she She adds, “If any good can says. “It’s very rare to come out of a disaster like that, I find an organization can say that was the point at which that carries a I truly started learning and getting mission to drive and interested about NASA and space advance in science in general.” and technology, After spending the summer aeronautics and in Florida, she applied and was space exploration accepted as a graduate intern at with just the very NASA in 2004, where she would go simple desire to on to spend two semesters. enhance knowledge It soon translated into a all for the benefit of full-time, post-grad offer a year mankind.” later as an electronics engineer Another career in which she had a hand in the milestone was being design of new technologies and part of the agency’s Constellation subsystems, and Systems Engineering Josephine Santiago-Bond and her husband Chris Bond stand next to the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment space shuttle ground system Leadership Explorer propulsion structure at NASA’s Ames Research Center. operations. Development “I chose to work here and I’ve management,” she says. Program (SELDP) in 2012, a formulation and launch of the stayed...I’ve been here about 15 Her leadership position comes competitive agency-wide Ares I-X in 2009, a 327-foot tall years. The people around me are program for high-potential system unmanned rocket that was part of with overseeing 21 engineers great…to work with,” Santiagoengineers to have access to the research on the future of space and three interns across various Bond muses. “I enjoy living on engineering disciplines, providing courses, workshops, coaching and exploration post-space shuttle. Florida’s coast and really the that “support for exploration, mentorship. She also contributed to biggest thing is that I want to research and technology across The program placed her in another lunar exploration mission contribute to some way to the the agency.” a year-long assignment at Ames called Regolith and Environment mission of space exploration.” She and her team currently Research Center in Mountain View, Science and Oxygen and Lunar Through the years, NASA has have a portfolio of 70 projects that California, which was a slowerVolatiles Extraction (RESOLVE), offered continuing education and moving and smaller environment which had aimed to put a rover on have to do with Earth (“to improve professional development, which tasks…so they can be more compared to KSC. the surface of the moon in 2017 she says have helped her become While there, Santiago-Bond for nine days to map water ice and accurate, faster and safer”), Mars, “more self-aware.” the moon, and space in general. was on the mission systems other compounds. She later transitioned to For the more complex engineering team for the After the year at Ames, she systems engineering with a Lunar Atmosphere and Dust returned to KSC under the Ground operations in space or another graduate certificate program, planetary surface, SantiagoEnvironment Explorer (LADEE), a Systems Development and which the agency subsidized, to Bond facilitates engineering spacecraft mission that orbited the Operations program and went Santiago-Bond poses in front of Space Shuttle Discovery in 2007. hone into more of her identified support where she can “find moon in 2013 to gather detailed on to be the chief of the newly maximum alignment between information on the moon’s thin formed Advanced Engineering what the project needs in term atmosphere and whether dust Development Branch. of skill and what the strengths is lofted in the lunar sky. Her “Out of all of those, my of my employees,” she explains, responsibilities included ensuring greatest source of pride is in mentioning that she takes their that the LADEE passed its followestablishing my current branch up review and communicating from scratch,” Santiago-Bond says. career goals into consideration. “On rare occasions when with other NASA centers involved “The organizational culture change I find that there is no good fit with the integration. that goes with establishing a new with anyone in my branch, then I “I’m proud to have been branch is by far more challenging part of the integration and test to me than any of the technical identify where I can find a better fit of LADEE. It’s a spacecraft that issues that we had to address as a and I facilitate the negotiation,” she orbited the moon for five months group.” says. “Out of all the different things and intentionally crashed on the On a typical day, her day I do in my job, the care of my far side of the moon. The mission is structured with scheduled engineers is the most important actually far exceeded the 100 days meetings and administrative and aspect…I have the responsibility that it was meant to,” she reflects. technical tasks, but she keeps an of removing and identifying the The mission lasted 160 days after “open-door policy” for those under obstacles in my engineers’ way so it crashed onto the lunar surface in her supervision or spends time that they can focus on being the mid-April 2014. with them in their workspaces. high-performing engineers that In her nearly two decades “I listen to them, problem-solve they are.” at the space agency, she quickly with them and provide them with There are a handful of activities beams a list of several projects constructive suggestions and I Santiago-Bond discloses that her she’s worked on: the tail-end of the ask for feedback. When I’m not team is brewing, such as sending historic Space Shuttle program, with them, I advocate for them hardware to low-Earth orbit and a After college graduation, Santiago-Bond was offered a position as an electronics engineer at Kennedy Space Center, where she continues to which ended in 2011; and the with our stakeholders and to our PAGE 15
It was 15 years ago when Santiago-Bond first landed an internship at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Today, she’s the head of the Advanced Engineering Development Branch at the center, a division she helped create that extends engineering support to the agency’s various missions in space, on Earth and other planets. Budding engineer Born in the United States to parents pursuing their Ph.D. studies, the family moved back to the Philippines a few months later, where Santiago-Bond would grow up and study until college. Coming from a family of scientists and doctors, she was naturally curious about the science field as well. One of her earliest memories was testing acids and bases on indicators her mother had brought home. “I loved the color combinations that I got from playing with that kit, but it created a really vivid memory that I think really influenced me to get into sciences,” she says in a NASA video. At 12 years old, Santiago-Bond passed the national competitive exam and was accepted as a scholar at Philippine Science High School, a selective public high school that specializes in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and is considered the top science school in the country and one of the best in the ASEAN region. When it was time to apply for college, she said she was “undecided” about a major but
work today.
was attracted to engineering, particularly electronic and communications, after speaking to a former schoolmate who was a freshman studying that discipline at the University of the Philippines (UP). “I couldn’t tell you what she said but I remember feeling really excited about taking electronic and communications engineering,” Santiago-Bond recalls. She enrolled in the five-year program at UP, where she graduated in 2001 with a Bachelor of Science degree in that engineering specialty. Other profiles written about the engineer have dwelled on her difficulty in some math courses as an undergraduate, but those shortcomings didn’t detract her from graduating and proving that she was meant to be in this field. “I take pride in being a product of Philippine education as it speaks to the high quality of education that is available in the Philippines and how graduates can successfully compete internationally,” she says. Her first engineering job out of college brought her to South Dakota for Daktronics, Inc., which designs sports products like scoreboards. She simultaneously pursued a master’s degree in electrical engineering at South Dakota State University (SDSU). “To be frank, my motivation was to get a U.S. education because not only was I trying to get a job here in the U.S. but also because I had mediocre grades in undergrad and this was a do-over for me to go to grad school and get better grades,” Santiago-Bond
Photos courtesy of Josephine Santiago-Bond
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Geoff Eigenmann now engaged to singer girlfriend By Philstar.com
Beth Griffith-Manley and Jej Vinson perform together in an episode of NBC’s “The Voice.”
ACTOR Geoff Eigenmann is now engaged to his long-time girlfriend, singer Maya Flores. In his Instagram post, Geoff posted a photo of him with Maya with the latter’s finger, which can be seen wearing the engagement ring. “From my girlfriend, to now my fiancé a new chapter begins #lifesentence,” Geoff captioned the photo. Maya also posted the same Photos courtesy of NBC/The Voice photo and said: “It just got real, like diamond real. I said yes!” Maya is currently pregnant with their second baby, a baby boy this time. Geoff and Maya’s first daughter has been named Arabella. Son of veteran stars Michael de Mesa and Gina Alajar, Geoff started his showbiz career as a Kapuso actor before becoming a Kapamilya artist. He later returned to GMA 7.
Catching up with Jej Vinson, the Filipino breakout star from ‘The Voice’ The talented Davao native on his musical inspirations, switching from nursing and performing for President Barack Obama By Klarize
medenilla AJPress
FILIPINO parents usually expect a few things from their kids: academic proficiency, good health and a financially fortuitous career in medicine. And it’s not just a stereotype. It’s many of our realities. But as economically promising a career as a nurse or a doctor is, not everyone is built for the medical field, much less have the inherent enthusiasm for it that others do. And for some Filipinos — especially millennials — there comes that time when you decide to chase what fulfills you in ways that a career in nursing could never do. Filipino singer and viral sensation Jej Vinson, is one such individual. If you’ve watched the 16th season of NBC’s “The Voice” recently, you may be familiar with the young Filipino baritone who wowed audiences and the celebrity judges alike with his rendition of Drake’s “Passionfruit” during the blind auditions. Vinson earned the coveted four-chair turn (wherein all the judges decide to recruit a contestant for their respective teams) and ultimately chose to join Kelly Clarkson’s team. “She’s just so genuine, like the Kelly Clarkson you meet in person is the same Kelly Clarkson you see on T.V. I mean, all the judges are so amazing, but I felt like Kelly would be the best fit for me personally,” Vinson tells the Asian Journal in a recent interview. As of press time, 22-year-old Vinson is still in the competition, which airs Monday and Tuesday nights, and has since experienced an influx of new fans of all ages and backgrounds. (On his Instagram page @jejvinson, he shares short singing videos and behind-thescenes moments.) Born in Davao, Philippines in the late 1990s, Vinson grew up loving music. Between attending his parents’ church choir rehearsals and participating in the Filipino tradition of frequent karaoke, Vinson was introduced to his love of singing early on. “I kind of grew up chorally trained, and then a little bit after that, I started listening to more jazz and R&B, and then when I moved to LA, I started to appreciate more radio-friendly and pop artists, so it’s kind of a mixed bag of influences,” Vinson recalls. R&B icons like Luther Vandross, Stevie Wonder, Beyonce and Brian McKnight have been vocal inspirations for the young singer, but growing up in Davao, Vinson also looked up to Pinoy soloists like Daryl Ong, Morissette Amon and Regine Velasquez, whom Vinson regards as “an icon and probably the best singer in the Philippines ever.” At 15 years old, Vinson moved to South Dakota with his family, and when he turned 18, he packed his bags for Los Angeles in search of a career, exploring music more seriously while enrolling into USC, initially studying to become a nurse. But when it came time for Vinson to decide whether or not nursing was for him, he came at an impasse. When all you know in your family is a career trajectory into nursing, it could be uncomfortable, even nerveracking, to consider something outside of that realm. “It’s kind of weird because a lot of cousins in my family are nurses or people who work in the medical field, but it kinda feels weird for me to study something that wasn’t in medicine because I definitely had that mindset growing up that I would be a doctor or a nurse,” Vinson shares, adding that his
Geoff Eigenmann is now engaged to his long-time girlfriend, singer Maya Flores. Photo from Instagram/@g_eigenmann_
Maja Salvador dances her way to NCCA ambassadorship By Jan
milo severo Philstar.com
FRESH from her stint as one of three judges in TV’s justconcluded “World of Dance Philippines (WODP),” Maja Salvador strengthened her position as the country’s premier modern terpsichorean when she was named Dance Ambassador by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) on April 11, in time for Dance Xchange or the celebration of the International Dance Day on April 29. While she had previously and pointedly answered bashers who questioned her presence among WOPD’s panel of judges 22-year-old Filipino singer Jej Vinson, a contestant on NBC’s “The Voice.” with Gary Valenciano and Billie Crawford [Salvador posted on her Instagram,”Wag ako, wala na tayong magagawa, nakaupo na si Maja bilang judge. Wala na kayong pakialam, yun na yun!”], she nevertheless clarified during the ceremonies that she wanted to help others reach their dreams the way that she reached hers, be it in dance or the other art forms. It is for this reason, according to the actress, that she accepted NCCA’s challenge despite some negative reactions. “Before people got to know me as an actress, I entertained [everyone] through dancing first. Vinson was a part of the SoCal VoCals, who were flown to the White House to perform for former And from the time I danced with President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. Photo courtesy of Jej Vinson John Prats in ‘It Might Be You’ is a career as an established parents fully supported his dreams starring John Lloyd Cruz and recording artist with the hope in music. Bea Alonzo in 2003, I have been of inspiring other young Filipino “That year when I decided to dancing continuously on ‘ASAP’ Americans. And like many Filipinos week after week for 16 years. At go to school for music, there was and Filipino Americans with a lot of doubt within myself but lahat po ng klaseng sayaw yun. Of aspirations in any kind of creative I’m glad that my parents actually course, if there were dances that field, especially entertainment, he supported me. It actually helped had initial doubts that stemmed lift me up and encouraged me to from a collective cultural mindset keep going,” Vinson fondly shares. that values financially solvent “I’m really thankful for my PAGE 14 career choices over chasing your parents for supporting me, and moon exploration mission set for passion. they moved to LA with me when 2020 that could go into testing by “It was really difficult to they didn’t really need to, so it was later this year. make that switch [from nursing really sweet of them to do that, “You might see our to music] because as Filipinos, and they’re just always there for contribution in a satellite servicing we’re culturally brought up to me in every way. They really are mission that’s set to launch in think about our future a lot, and the best,” Vinson beams. 2020. You’ll see us extend the life for a long time I didn’t think that When Vinson made the switch span of an existing satellite even pursuing music was gonna be from nursing to music at USC, though that satellite wasn’t meant a stable career,” Vinson reveals. he joined the university’s awardto be serviced in orbit. You’ll see “For the longest time I thought winning acapella group, SoCal some in-situ resource utilization it was going to be a gamble, but VoCals for which he has served as — different projects that allow us I definitely had to change my musical director. to plan long-term human presence mindset and I had to go into this As a part of SoCal VoCals, on the moon or Mars,” she hints. industry making sure I can be Vinson and his troupe were flown Taking the giant leap comfortable with it and I had to to the White House where they Santiago-Bond bears a start believing in myself. That was performed for former President the No. 1 thing that was hardest to sense of duty with her identity Barack Obama and First Lady as a Filipina-American and the adjust to.” Michelle Obama, a memory that perspective she contributes to a Vinson notes the stigma that remains a high point for Vinson. large organization like NASA. She exists within creative members of “That was definitely one of previously served as the chair of minority groups, many of whom the highlights of my life so far, to the center’s Asian Pacific American have either not or yet to realize perform for Obama, like he shook their dreams in the entertainment Connection Employee Resource my hand! And I didn’t want to Group. industry. But the emergence of wash my hands for a long time,” “My leadership position Asians and Asian Americans in he remembers with a laugh. “I also points to how NASA values mainstream entertainment of was just so starstruck and totally diversity and practice of inclusion the last year has Vinson feeling fangirling over him. It was totally on a daily basis. I always feel hopeful that the Asian creative unreal and it’s not something a that I am valued, not only for my community is finally getting its lot of people can say that they’ve engineering and leadership skills, due. done, so I’m very grateful for that but also as an Asian American “I saw a lot of hopefuls who blessing and my acapella group and as a Filipina-American, who had their dreams crushed, and I for bringing in these kinds of brings a unique set of experiences just didn’t want that to happen opportunities.” and ideas to the table every day,” to me or to any up and coming After leaning into a musical she says. “I’m not the only female Asians and Asian American artists career trajectory, performing for Filipina-American, nor am I the that are really working hard to a U.S. president and becoming first, who is in a leadership position make their dreams come true,” a fan favorite on “The Voice,” at NASA, which in itself makes me he says. “I just feel like we need Vinson says he plans to utilize his proud.” more representation, and I am inherent musical talent to forge a Recent data from 2012 really happy about how times career in musical production and show that one-third of NASA’s are changing and how Asian performance. In terms of people employees are women, with Americans are being recognized he’d like to collaborate with in 30 percent supervisors and 20 even more, like the movie ‘Crazy the future, he has his sights set Rich Asians’ and even half-Filipino percent engineers, according to on multi-talented acts like Tori the National Women’s History artists who are emerging like Kelly and fellow Filipino American Museum. Five years later, 37 H.E.R. and Bruno Mars. I’m very singer, Bruno Mars. percent of the agency’s new optimistic about our future.” His ultimate goal, however,
it’s tinikling as it can go slow or fast and there’s a lot of movements and skills involved in presenting the bamboo pole dance, yet it’s easy to go with the beat. Comparing her life to a dance, she said it’s jazz. “Ganun kasi ang naging takbo ng buhay ko, slow, mula pagkabata, hindi [naging] mabilis ang mga pangyayari, yung tamang galaw lang,” she noted, adding that it’s a big blessing for her to be in the same league now with Boy Abunda and Piolo Pascual as NCCA ambassador. Of the artists that she wanted to dance with — she clarified that she wanted to share the stage only and not for a dance duel Maja Salvador makes history as the first artist — it already happened when she named NCCA Dance Ambassador. performed with Gary V in World of ManilaTimes.net photo by Rene Dilan Dance, and still in her bucket list to dance along with Jennifer Lopez. I wasn’t very comfortable with, “Sixteen years ako sa “ASAP” like ballroom dancing, I’d ask for pero di nagkaroon ng chance yung more time to rehearse, like two kay Sir Gary [na magkasama sa or three sessions,” she told the media during her launch as NCCA’s iisang entablado] pero nagkaroon ng katuparan sa World of Dance. first Dance Ambassador since the Internationally, siyempre ang Ate Dance Xchange was established JLo ko. It’s because of her kaya eight years ago. na-appreciate ko lalo ang sumayaw. In a side interview with NCCA Deputy Executive Director Marichu As we all know she became a big Tellano, The Manila Times learned Hollywood star [as an actress and a that the choice for Salvador was recording artist] she said. unanimous. Salvador the more expressed “We also considered Billy gratefulness for her NCCA Crawford but he dances only to ambassadorship as well as her foreign music, unlike Maja who can stint as WODP judge when it was dance every genre even our own made known during the media folk dances,” Tellano said. conference that the first winner of Tinikling as showcase of the dance reality show franchise Filipino dancing skills — FCPC of Bulacan, was also Asked what Filipino dance she the grand champion in the 2018 would promote to the international Sayaw Pinoy NCCA National Dance stage if given the chance, she said Competition held in October.
Woman on a mission: How this... hires were said to be women. The increase comes as some progress when the agency and STEM fields as a whole are traditionally maledominated. While the agency, like other STEM-related organizations, pushes to employ more women and individuals from diverse backgrounds, Santiago-Bond says women who are interested in being in the field need to see other women already doing it. “I would advise them to find a mentor, someone who is capable of helping them overcome, either real or perceived obstacles preventing them from entering the STEM field,” she says. “The biggest obstacle in having more women in STEM is the lack of interest. Being interested requires them to picture themselves in that situation,” she says. “I would say to them, ‘don’t be afraid of being the only woman in the class...or the only woman in the meeting’ if they’re actually practicing a technical profession. A second woman will come along and they would have done her a favor by being the first. Believe that they bring value and just go do it.” With Women’s History Month this March, it’s fitting to remember the women who became before Santiago-Bond like Kitty O’Brien Joyner, the first woman engineer at NASA; Dorothy Vaughan, the first African American manager at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NASA’s predecessor); Mary Jackson, the agency’s first African American female engineer; Katherine Johnson, a mathematician whose calculations were critical to the success of the
first U.S. manned spaceflight; Sally Ride, the first American woman in space; and the late Angelita Castro-Kelly, a Filipina who was the first woman to be NASA’s Mission Operations Manager for the Earth Observing System. (At the end of this month, two women astronauts on the International Space Station, directed by woman flight controller, are expected to mark the first time in history that an allfemale crew will do a spacewalk.) “That’s very empowering to work in a workplace that embraces that diversity and inclusion and gives us an opportunity to give back to the nation and the world,” SantiagoBond says. As for more career benchmarks to hit? Another goal of hers is to do more community outreach and be a shining example that there’s no straight trajectory for a STEM education — and that there’s redemption after not-so-perfect grades because learning is a lifelong journey — as well as proving that having a career in the agency is possible while being a mother. “It’s me now trying to follow my pursuit of work-life balance. My priorities have shifted over the years. I became a wife 10 years ago and a mother five years ago,” Santiago-Bond says. “I love that NASA’s policies have assisted me in both as an engineering supervisor and as a wife and a mom. I can work anywhere and my time is pretty flexible within the policies and that allows me to continue to give my best to NASA and be there for my family when it matters. Looking back, I never thought I would get as far as I have.”
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